Here’s an interesting report called “The Future of Education in Peoria: Issues and Opportunities for Moving Forward Together in Peoria Public School District 150.” It says it’s a report that came out of “A Community Summit in Open Space, June 3-5, 2002.” This three-evening forum was designed “to bring together concerned people from all across District 150 to create a shared vision for our public schools. The results of our work will provide the foundation for moving forward together.” Two hundred people attended this event.
Here’s a suggestion (p. 10) that came from a group composed of Mary Davis, Bette Johnson, Linda Millen, Herschel Hannah, Sean Matheson, Audrey Galter, and Sandy Farkash:
Longer day (7 55minute periods)
Note that Herschel Hannah is an Associate Superintendent, and Sean Matheson is a former school board member.
This suggestion came up again (pp. 27-28) in a group composed of Beth Koch, Gerry Brookhart, Pam Dolozychi, Sandy Burke, Martha Ross, Scott Russell, Don Johnson, and Herschel Hannah:
NOT ENOUGH TIME – Need to expand academic days to allow full “On Task” time for curriculum demands and Prevention services and programs; after school programs may not reach all children in need
- Longer school day/year
- Use of free periods
- Build prevention programs into existing curriculum ie. High School speech classes
- Saturday school
- Evening school
- Access to Early Childhood Education programs
Note attendees Martha Ross (current board vice president) and, once again, Mr. Hannah.
So, in 2002, one of the problems identified was that there was not enough time. And the solution was to come up with ways to provide more class time for students. What’s changed in six years that all of a sudden less class time is now suddenly a good idea?
Well, Dr. Simpson did say at the meeting last night that children today learn differently than they did ten years ago, so maybe the findings of a forum six years ago are no longer valid. Okay. We’ll forget about the 2002 report. Let’s look instead at the September 18, 2007, minutes of the joint school board/city council meeting — only about seven months ago:
Superintendent Hinton expressed that the District vision is to improve student achievement…. Mr. Hinton also discussed the need fort the District to offer “Choice” to parents, the need for a longer school day and/or longer school year.
He later clarified:
Council Member Nichting asked about the longer school day being for everyone. Superintendent Hinton explained that the longer day would be “need based.” He is still considering the need for a longer school year and noted that many students fall behind during the summer months.
And current board member Mary Spangler weighed in on the issue, too:
Board Member Spangler spoke to the Choice Edison Program and stated that the data she has seen shows that schools with longer days showed student improvement.
How do we reconcile these statements with Hinton’s new proposal to cut 45 minutes off the school day for twelve primary schools, but leave Edison school schedules intact? (And don’t tell me they can’t get out of the contract. Every spring the school board has an opportunity to get out of the contract by its own terms. That contract covers only four schools — three next year since Loucks is closing — and costs the district $1.14 million per year.)
How can the same administration in just seven months do a complete 180 on the issue of school day length? They now say, according to a handout distributed at the meeting last night, “Further study has revealed exciting best practices along with instructional and operational opportunities.” Ah, so perhaps all that data from the past 6+ years was totally bogus, and longer school days aren’t really all they’re cracked up to be. In fact, “further study” shows that the days should actually be shorter!
Well, in that case, all the more reason to cancel the Edison contract. Since their day is already longer than the rest of the district’s, shortening it to five hours and forty-five minutes will surely produce even more academic improvement.
District 150’s logic is like a Penrose triangle.
I don’t know where to post this, but I’m pledgeing $100 cash money toward a fund to outst that whole district 150 bunch of IDIOT administartors and board! Come on, PEOPLE!!! Can’t you see what this band of arogant idiots are doing to your property values via the continued dumming down of your children?
^oo^~
Board Member Jim Stowell is the ONLY board member who voted against this. I would like to personally extend my thanks to him for the stand he took on behalf of the D150 families.
Board Members sat quietly fantasizing about their next vacation while for well over an hour a continuous littany of parents and teachers begged the Board not to approve the plan. NOT A SINGLE PERSON who was not employed by Ken Hinton advocated this plan. It was clear towards the end, though, that no matter what we said, and how many people said it… they were going to pass it no matter what.
I have never, in my life, ever seen an elected body so removed from the clearly expressed wishes of the community who elected them. This was indeed, a very sad day for Peoria. It was quite a revelation for me, a relative newcomer. NOW I see what everyone is talking about. More later… I promise!
And *now* do we understand why the Catholic Schools in Peoria are so strong? Without them as an outlet for my children, I’d be in Dunlap too. Or Metamora, or East Peoria, or Washington, or Morton, or …
So the administration is happy, the BOE is happy, the teachers are happy, the janitors and secretaries are happy… (the cafeteria workers… are they union?)
Everyone is happy… especially Walmart and all the other minimum wage employers who will get more minimum wage high school graduates.
Even the kids are happy… Shorter “good old golden rule days”!
So why is anyone complaining?
Diane, welcome to the club!
One thing the BOE and Administration is doing well is “spin.” After listening to Thom Simpson’s presentation I was almost convinced that 6.5 minus .75 equals 6.5. But then, I wasn’t educated by District 150 and managed to snap out of the hypnotic spell they were trying to cast.
I guess the students aren’t the only group in District #150 deficient in basic math skills . . .
kcdad, the teachers are NOT happy. You see, teachers want what is BEST for children. That’s why they went in to education. The only happy campers (for now) in all of this is the BOE and Admin.
Even the few principals who spoke last night delivered their message in a catatonic state. If you looked real close, you could see the strings projecting out of their back.
To lump all teachers in pro-children or pro-“statusquo” groups is equally irresponsible, and I am as guilty as you in this area. What they are is pro-education, which to some means their jobs and to others means their students. If it were true that all teachers were in education for the students, we wouldn’t have these problems we have. teachers wouldn’t be fighting to get into counseling and administration jobs. They would be teaching. They wouldn’t strike for more pay and they wouldn’t require tenure and 3 months off a year (we are no longer an agricultural society).
I have no doubt that many go into education because they believe in educating our youth, but the same is true for lawyers and politicians as well… I am sure many of them believe in the ideals and “purity” of those professions… at first. Why does that seem to change? That is the question we need to be addressing. The school boards and school districts are ALWAYS the problem. Life is learning and that can not be bureaucratized. (Wasn’t it Samuel Clemens that said: Don’t let schooling interfere with your education. AND: In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.)
That “catatonic state”, as you called it, what is your explanation for that?
As Mel Brooks so aptly said in Blazing Saddles: “We have to protect our phony baloney jobs!”