From the Journal Star:
Instead of a $2 million surplus for 2008-09, Treasurer Guy Cahill told the board that reduced revenues will leave the district with a $2 million deficit. About $200,000 of that is from higher- than-anticipated costs to restructure Manual High School. Another fraction is in dispute with the state. But the main reason the district will have $145 million rather than the anticipated $147 million for next year’s operating budget is cuts by the state of Illinois.
How to plug the gap? HOI News explains:
Superintendent Ken Hinton said he wants to close Loucks-Edison as soon as next year. There was also talk at Monday’s school board meeting about getting rid of all the athletic directors and keeping only one for the entire district. Hinton is also asking for cuts in cafeteria, custodial, maintenance and security staff. He also suggested the district get rid of two central administration positions.
Another school closing. Yet, at the same time, they’ve acquired the former Social Security Administration building on Knoxville — a building they didn’t need — and approved spending $1.27 million out of the Buildings and Grounds fund — because they couldn’t go through the Public Building Commission — to renovate it. And they’re still sitting on $877,000 worth of houses on Prospect Road. Actually, the fair market value of the houses was only $609,540 (District 150 royally overpaid for them), and they’ve since razed one of them (FMV: $60,150), so the properties are probably worth approximately $549,390 at best. And they still have four superintendents on staff.
Getting less state money hurts, but it really hurts when you combine that with what I perceive as mismanagement at the local level.
What a great country! Spend more, get less. Excuse me, I should have written: Spend more of other people’s money and give less.
Is there a reason 150 can’t close one of the four High schools? It would seem that having four high schools half full would make them the most obvious target for closing, but then that would make sense.
Do not forget the shut White School. They thought it was worth big bucks to OSF and they ran them off during the last sale attempt. Now it sets consumig upkeep , Gas, Water and Electric. What planning is there at #150? Sell White, Prospect property and move on.
Sounded like board member Wolfmeyer was trying to hold King Hinton’s feet to the fire concerning the central administration staffing issue and rightfully so. Even after Fischer retires this year taxpayers are still saddled with a superintendent plus associate superintendent Hannah and assistant superintendent Sanfilip let alone the second highest paid administrator Cahill. BTW rumor on the street is Fischer has already agreed to be back next year as a highly paid consultant since her duties can’t be assumed by the other superintendents! Now they are going to save money by cutting $149,179 from the poorly paid cafeteria staff and $436,218 in custodial staff. That equates to a sizeable reduction in staff given the average pay, but the King and his merry band are safe! What a joke…albeit it a sick one!
^oo^~
While some do-little or nothing tenured teachers make $70,000 a year!
At least the tenured teacher is in the classroom trying to teach the students. Why is it in the Ed biz that the farther you get away from students the more money you make?
If YOU have proof of District 150 mismanagement CJ, bring It forth! If not, have the decency to stop making unsubstantiated allegations against the school board. FYI… There’s a difference between OPERATIONAL funding and CAPITAL funding. Each is used for different purposes.
The Building and Grounds fund is a capital fund existent for the purposes of property acquisition, renovations, new construction, and maintenance. Salaries and Wages for teaching, administrative, and support staff are funded through the operational fund. And, BOTH ARE THE STATE OF ILLINOIS RESPONSIBILITY. Money from one fund cannot be diverted into the other fund without legislative approval.
District 150 critics should be directing your animosity at the Illinois legislature. Had IT adequately funded Our state’s public school system, this deficit wouldn’t be an issue for District 150. It’s SO much easier to criticize than to help isn’t It?
Proof? How about lousy scores on the state tests? How about the drop out rate? How about the inadequate preparation of the students for college?
What kind of proof do you want?
Dear Peoria,
You are so clueless and yet trying to speak with such authority! Trouble is I’m fairly certain who you are and THAT scares me! King Hinton and court jester Cahill laugh at you behind your back!
^oo^~
Dear one_feral_kat,
WHO am I? And if You truly know WHO I am, Why does that scare You? I’m so clueless, yet Your ONLY contribution to this forum is sarcasm and slurs (ex: ” King Hinton ” , ” court jester Cahill “). Not real intelligent or mature!
Also, I can speak with authority because I’ve (twice) experienced shortfalls as an Illinois Central College employee…. another victim of state funding cuts that resulted in layoffs and setbacks. Where’s YOUR expertise in this matter, or are uneducated accusations ALL you can contribute to the forum?
nite nite loser…
^oo^~
Chas,
That’s YOUR proof? Blame the school board for the student’s poor test scores and dropout rates? Apparently, YOU haven’t heard of personal responsibility, homework, studying, and parental guidance. You expect the school administration and teachers to educate AND raise children?
You’re exemplary of the shameless scapegoating within our society! What does that teach children? It’s much easier to blame others for THEIR own failures than it is to admit personal flaws and inabilities. Therefore, WE seek a ” villain “…. In this case, the District 150 school board. Beware Chas, that rationale will come back to haunt You! Have YOU no shame?
one_feral_kat,
(LAUGHTER) ” I REST MY CASE! “
Ok, so we got lousy parents and lousy kids. What ARE we paying the administrators for? What do we have a school system for? If self motivated or parent motivated kids learn anyway, why bother with the entire money sink hole mess? So fat lazy tenured teachers can show movies in French class like Charade (in English) to third year French students?
Maybe if we kept the $12,000 a year per student we spent on these sink holes… we would each have enough to start our own businesses…
$12,000 times 12 years… $144,000???
“PEORIA” — Check out my previous posts on District 150. I think I’ve documented what I feel is poor management of the district’s resources. It’s true that much of that is on the capital side. However, there is also unnecessary expense on the operational side. For example, the fact that we have two Associate Superintendents making over $100,000 a year. These two positions were created originally as temporary positions while Hinton got his certification to be Superintendent. Then they were inexplicably made permanent and given huge raises.
I will say that the state indeed deserves its fair share of criticism. Why aren’t Koehler and Schock bringing home the bacon for District 150 on the operational side like they did on the capital side?
Wow Peoria!! I couldn’t agree with you more. The kids and parents are the problem – let’s get rid of them and start over. After all, the District responsibility ends at overpaying administrators and purchasing run down houses.
CJ and others, if you have all the answers why don’t you guys run for school board? I mean really, if you know what the problems are and know how to fix them then why are you wasting your talents sitting around blogging? Give something back to the community.
Peoriafan — That was a cheap shot. Do the voters and taxpayers in this city have no right to express criticism of their elected representatives? Has the First Amendment been suspended? Is running for elected office the only acceptable path for a redress of grievances?
CJ, you made an interesting point in your original post. That is, it is your perception that the BOE and aministration have mismanaged the district. It will come as no surprise to anyone that I share that perception. Clearly, others do too.
What Peoria has forgotton is that perception becomes reality – fairly or not.
It is interesting to note that the schools the BOE and administration have closed so far (White & Blaine) are the schools that have been on academic watch/warning lists and were poised to move into restructuring. Loucks is in the same category. My perception of those actions by the BOE & administration is that the easiest way to solve the problem of schools not making AYP is to close them.
If the rumors floating around are correct, Kingman and Garfield are on a “closure” list and Glen Oak and Lincoln are going to be closed as they currently exist and reopened in a different configuration (EC-grade 8 perhaps?). No one either on the BOE or in administration has presented a compelling argument that these buildings were or will be closed for other reasons.
One item the PJS article didn’t mention was that the BOE also honorably dismissed many members of the clerical staff. Is it a coincidence that the clerical staff, paraprofessional staff and cafeteria staff are all members of the same union and that union has been without a contract for about one year and has been engaged in contentious negotiations with the district?
If there is any substance to some of the rumors about this negotiation, the district has threatened to replace these workers if they strike. Is it a stretch to wonder if these honorable dismissals may be an attempt by the district to influence the outcome of contract negotiations or possibly be an attempt at “union busting?”
How can the district replace or eliminate these workers? The paraprofessionals for example – many of these positions are required by IEPs. These workers have to hold a letter of approval issued by the ISBE in order to be employed in these positions. How likely is it that temporary workers will meet the ISBE requirements? A similar arguement can be made for the clerical staff, and on and on.
This BOE and administration have made so many poor decisions it is no wonder they are frequently criticized. If the current BOE members can’t handle the criticism – or the challenges and responsibilities of the job, they should step down.
Of course, I thought of something to add.
What is District 150’s core business?
Is it real estate acquisition/development, financial management, staff development/training or educating the children of Peoria?
The answer to that should be obvious – the district’s core business is educating the children of Peoria.
Is District #150 successful in the management of its core business? The measure of educational success is whether or not the students are learning and achieving. This is a quantifiable and measurable result. It is my opinion that this BOE and administrative are not successful at their core business because the district and its students are not making AYP. The fact not in dispute is that a very large number of District #150 students are mot making adequate yearly progress and these numbers are not showing any dramatic or consistent improvement. How long will it be before the only school in District #150 making AYP is Washington Gifted? That day may be closer than you care to believe.
Every decision made by the BOE and administrative team must meet the test of whether or not their actions support student achievement. Until that happens and the welfare and success of the children of Peoria are the main focus of the BOE and administrative team, District #150 will continue to be unsuccessful in their core business.
PrairieCelt – Thank you for the opinion. I’ve written a check for two cents. To whom do I make it payable and where do I send it?
As you said CJ, you documented WHAT YOU FEEL IS POOR MANAGEMENT. Did You obtain an official explanation for the (temporary) Associate Superintendent positions being made permanent? If so, What was It? If YOUR implication is cronyism, I wouldn’t doubt it occurred but can assure you that wouldn’t be the first or the last time it may have or will occur regardless of the board’s roster. Regardless, was It legal or illegal?
Can You or Anyone LEGALLY prove corruption or mismanagement with District 150, or just allege it occurred? If so, nothing’s preventing you from bringing It forth. Do you have written documentation or records of illegal hiring practices, financial misappropriations and transactions? Otherwise, such allegations are merely slander and innuendo!
deebie47,
I NEVER said ” The kids and parents are the problem – let’s get rid of them and start over. Those are YOUR words not mine. ” So, kindly quote Me accurately! I won’t apologize for holding students responsible for doing THEIR own homework or parents for raising THEIR own children. Have YOU paid attention to the disciplinary and social problems plaguing many of today’s public schools?
YOU, also, said… ” After all, the District responsibility ends at overpaying administrators and purchasing run down houses. ” Your misplaced sarcasm, again, shifts ALL the responsibility away from the educational recipients unto the board.
Today’s society has, too often, burdened teachers AND administrators with the responsibility of not only educating children but expecting THEM to be the cure-all for Our societal ills. Our society blames THEM, teachers and administrators, either way for intervening or not intervening (ex:
Sex Education, Creationism or Religion, Conduct, Urban Violence, Etc.)
Many Americans have become too accustomed with making excuses for Their socio-economic backgrounds that They’ve grown comfortable and accepting or believing Themselves as victims of someone or something else’s injustice. Most (former) students and parents, including Myself, knew THEIR accountability for Our actions or inactions. WE didn’t blame our teachers or the school district for poor test scores, high dropout rates, and societal ills because We knew they didn’t create them. We, ALSO, survived district 150’s budget cuts and school closures (ex: McKinley, Garfield, Webster, etc.) without condemning the board!
PEORIA,
tsk tsk tsk – such outbursts tell me you’re who I thought you were! You might want to calm down before you have to apologize…again.
^oo^~
one_feral_kat,
I PITY YOU! Your comments degrade from mindless slurs into pure nonsense with each reply. What a shame!
CJ – I’d be interested in any documentation that confirms that the current Supt. indicated that any of the three current Assoc./Asst. Supt.’s were to be temporary. If it was past Board action that indicated such, point me to the approximate time frame so I can research. Note to one_feral, I’m not “PEORIA”, but your admonishment after calling someone a loser is reflective.
“Peoriafan — That was a cheap shot. Do the voters and taxpayers in this city have no right to express criticism of their elected representatives? Has the First Amendment been suspended? Is running for elected office the only acceptable path for a redress of grievances?”
Explain how in a town of 100,000 people you can only get a dozen or so to even consider running for city council. Same with the school board. But we have thousands of Monday morning quarterbacks complaining about every decision those few in office make.
Jim, you asked about the appointment of “temporary” assistant/associate superintendents. I believe this dates back to late 2004 or early 2005 when Hinton had not yet obtained his Superintendent’s endorsement and legally could not sign certain documents without it. The BOE appointed Hannah and Fischer as “temporary” associate superintendents because they each held the required superintendent’s endorsements and could legally sign all documents required by the state. My understanding at the time (and I could be mistaken in this) was that those appointments would be in place until such time as Hinton obtained his superintendent’s endorsement (and that happened in the summer of 2006 I think). The BOE may well have converted those temporary appointments to permanent appointments but without reviewing all the BOE meeting minutes, it is hard to say whether they did this or not.
The PJS noted, in their article yesterday, that: “The loss of two administrative positions was the first item on the list. But Dr. Cindy Fischer, associate superintendent, and Mary Ann Randle, director of Community, Family and Early Childhood Programming, were already eliminated from next year’s budget.” So are they saying they will lose another two administrative positions and if so, which ones?
Rumors abound that one of the current associate superintendents is a finalist for at least one other midwestern public school district superintendent vacancy. If that happens, there will be one more administrative position available to be eliminated. Do we really believe they will eliminate a position at that level?
If you can read this, thank a ***
superintendent, assistant superintendent, deputy assistant superintendent, assistant to the deputy assistant superintendent, director of curriculum, assistant director of curriculum * * *
jim — Check out 1/11/2005 Journal Star article, “District 150 OKs leadership team – Hannah, Fischer to share top spot on interim basis”:
“Interim, adj., in or for the intervening period; provisional or temporary” (Oxford American Dictionary). Fabish was leaving, and Hinton wasn’t certified, so they made Fischer and Hannah interim co-superintendents — specifically to fulfill what Hinton could not fulfill until he was certified.
Then July 2, 2005, “Hinton officially named superintendent”:
Now that Hinton has the certification and the interim positions are no longer needed, voila! They’re associate superintendents! And they get big pay raises! (The raises came later — I can look that up for you, too, if you want.)
Peoria,
I said ” The kids and parents are the problem – let’s get rid of them and start over”. Those ARE MY words although you misplaced the quotation marks. “So, kindly quote Me accurately!”. You are very much correct when you talk about parents and students accepting some responibility for their education. However, who squandered $ 877,000 on properties that are helping to bleed 150 dry? Who chose to close schools and then renovate the Social Secruity offices on Knoxville? That type of poor decision making rests soley with the BOE and the administration! Have YOU paid attention to how District 150 spends money?
CJ – have you been reading the posts to Bibo’s articles on the PJS website? It seems there are other people who share the perception that District #150 is not being well managed!
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/040808/TRI_BG9ITN98.009.php
Dear PEORIA and jim,
LOL, guy or guys, but please save your “pity” PIE as I’m just fine, but thank you for your sincere concern!!! You can redirect your pity to the children of District 150, their parents and to the taxpayers. As long as the BOE continues to blindly rubber stamp the decisions of the King Hinton administration these flames will go on by me and others so suck it up, big boy!
Here’s a catch 22 statement for you – the BOE over ride of that RHS teacher’s child’s grade at RHS was a BOE decision contrary to the King (or was it?) so if you want to say the BOE has its own mind I’ll have to concede on that minute point! LOL again!
^oo^~
My question would be “Is anybody really steering the District 150 ship?”
deebie47,
Thank You for informing Me about the typo. By the way, you ALSO made one… Secruity… instead or Security. Easy to do, isn’t It? Unfortunately, We don’t always notice them until our reply is submitted.
Here’s reality…. Properties are bought and sold every day. Can You prove the $ 877,000 worth of purchased properties are burdening the school district’s resources? District 150, as a public entity, has within state government statutes a legal right to allocate those funds it legally has at It’s disposal for It’s purposes. What’s behind YOUR animosity against the school district? There’s something concealed within Your arguments that You’re not divulging. Perhaps, a vested interest (ex: property transaction, job loss, etc.)?
So what if some schools close! Public AND private school closings, nationwide, are occurring including scores in Chicago. The controversy and cause here is no different than there. The mass exodus of would-be students and Their families have either relocated to suburban school districts or elsewhere resulting in certain schools with severely-low attendance. Peoria’s Catholic diocese, if You recall, closed several local schools during the past two decades. Again, It’s Peoria’s public schools experiencing closings.
ALL for the same reasons, decreased attendance and decreased funding, not administrative mismanagement or spending.
You won’t like It, but even more Peoria school closings will be soon be announced. This, also, was no secret kept from the public. Had YOU paid attention to that, these school closings wouldn’t be an issue!
“Here’s reality…. Properties are bought and sold every day. Can You prove the $ 877,000 worth of purchased properties are burdening the school district’s resources? District 150, as a public entity, has within state government statutes a legal right to allocate those funds it legally has at It’s disposal for It’s purposes.”
This is a joke, right?
I understand that “Properties are bought and sold every day”, but could you point me to a school district that spent over 800 grand on properties with no result?
Just because they have a “legal right” to spend these funds doesn’t mean that the funds were/are spent wisely.
You don’t think that 150 spending over 800 thousand for nothing isn’t a problem because they have a “legal right” to do so? I guess “accountability” doesn’t mean a whole lot.
Mazr,
If THIS issue were a joke, We ALL would be laughing about It! Were You expecting, significant, property acquisition for $ 50,000?
As far as a school districts that spent more: Katy TX spent $5.9 million in 2002. The $ 800,000 plus figure District 150 spent is a problem ONLY if it exceeds the appraised property’s value. Can You prove that It did? And if So, then what? Since You’re already SO upset about that figure, It won’t hurt to inform You that EVEN MORE is budgeted for property acquisition.
” Accountability ” doesn’t mean illegality! The upcoming school closings and layoffs are no doubt unpopular, but inevitable. Dwindling funds and enrollment created that reality. My challenge to You critics, since You’re implying the board did something illegal, is to PROVE IT!
“PEORIA” — Have you been following this issue at all? The properties on Prospect were acquired prematurely — before the board approved their purchase in open session (which technically was illegal, but was remedied by their subsequent approval in open session) and before the Park District Board approved a land-sharing deal.
And, for clarification, I said that my perception is that the district is being mismanaged — mismanagement is not necessarily illegal. “Management that is careless or inefficient” is how Webster’s defines it. I think you’re just trying to stir the pot.
C.J. – I have always enjoyed reading your web page. I am interested in learning and understanding what is going on in the community, particularly issues relating to the District or City Council. You always provide additional details and background, which are helpful.
But . . ., I must say lately that I am disappointed in the tone of many of your regular bloggers. A respectful debate is interesting to read. The exchange of mean spirited barbs is not.
I believe the District needs to take whatever action is necessary to stay within budget and educate children. If that means closing schools at the expense of neighborhood revitalization or challenging the status quo of the 8 union groups within the District, then so be it. I agree with you that the “management” of the District should be questioned and it is our duty as taxpayers and citizens to do so. It is difficult for me to see the vision the District is working towards. Most of the time, I really have a hard time understanding the road map the District is following. First they are building new schools, then they are closing some but opening them again later??
I really want to understand how all this “motion” translates into improved academic performance.
C.J.,
If I had not been following this issue at all, I wouldn’t be able to reveal Your flawed argument! You just said It yourself. The earlier properties purchased on Prospect were TECHNICALLY illegal. It wasn’t an OFFICIAL violation or the transaction would have been declared, in the open session, as ” null and void “. The land-sharing deal was errant, but It has since been rectified except to the board’s detractors.
What a hypocrite You are! You brought this issue up simply to continue slandering the District 150 board through, in YOUR own words, ” what I perceive as mismanagement at the local level ” . And, Yet you STILL have no proof of this allegation. You can dish it out, but You can’t take It!
If You want to mince words, I’ll oblige You. Ever heard of semantics? Since You’re playing definitions, here’s another from wikipedia… Semantics (Greek ?????????? semantikos significant, from semainein to signify, mean, from sema sign, token), is the study of meaning in communication.
“purchasing run down houses.”
Eh.. that was one of District 150s lines for justifying their purchase. Because they were sooo run down, they were doing the community a favor.
The only problem was, they were not run down at the time of purchase. Indeed several bloggers and commenter’s, including myself, took the time to check the houses out and found them to be fairly well maintained. If they are becoming run down today, then that would be District 150s doing.
So, are you hinting that since Tom Broderick has done all he needs to become superintendent he is already on his way out? Is or was he not a labor relations expert? It seems he waltzed in, eliminated jobs and may soon be waltzing out. It is a shame that HR used to be a place for employees to go when they truly needed help, but now with attorneys who are hired to protect the district from any lawsuits and relatives of superintendents being in charge of HR, it has taken on a whole new meaning. I have no doubt that any employee of district 150 who is thought to have slandered them will be threatened with a lawsuit.
Also, with district 150 being so top heavy with administrators, why did they feel the need to bring in someone from ISU for Special Education?
Wow! It is amazing how quickly people jump to the defense of a bureaucracy. You would think their patriotism or fundamentalist religion was being criticized.
The fact is District 150 (it isn’t just District 150, either. It is the entire banking method of education that is a failure) hasn’t worked for the kids in the Peoria Area schools for decades. The real problem is that it isn’t just “those” kids in the “toe” anymore. The real problem is AYP reports have turned the light on and now the cockroaches are scurrying all over the decrepit kitchen.
PEORIA writes …
[The earlier properties purchased on Prospect were TECHNICALLY illegal. It wasn’t an OFFICIAL violation or the transaction would have been declared, in the open session, as ” null and void “. The land-sharing deal was errant, but It has since been rectified except to the board’s detractors.]
I am not sure what your definition of TECHNICALLY illegal — either something is illegal or it is legal — technically illegal is nevertheless illegal.
It is highly unusual and illegal for a school board to acquire properties prior to an open session board approval in the affirmative. Please check the School Code. School districts funding is restricted to specified movements between funds and with payback provisions. Tell the citizens one story in public, when challenged, change the tune repeatedly and never get to the authentic answer. This has all been previously vetted on this blog.
It is a continual succession of decisions that are leading the school district into a deep and wide abyss. It is not acceptable to justify large pay raises for the administration after the teachers are persuaded to be loyal to the children and receive minimal increase and still other employees are working without contracts. This does not promote unity and positive working conditions.
As for legally challenging any of the districts actions — for the average citizen, a very daunting task because unlike the school district which has unlimited legal resources via taxpayer funding, there are few citizens who put forward their own monies to challenge the system. Many citizens state that they will financially support the cause and when the rubber meets the road — when someone has the courage to take the system on, just the opposite occurs.
So, let’s agree to disagree without getting personal and petty and respect the right to individual opinions whether they are in agreement with your own position on any given issue.
“PEORIA” — Not semantics, just English. You’re reading into my statement something that’s not there. If I had meant “illegal,” I would have said it.
KCDAD – Elequent as usual.
I realize that I am one to talk, but we really do not need to know who the anon bloggers are. Everyone has a right to speak [write]their peace. I think there is more than enough blame to go around. If Dist 150 Admin is getting out of control…someone LET this happen.
If some of the time, effort and resources spent on worthless projects in this city were spent on fixing our education problems, the people “will come!” The subject of ‘wasted tenure’ is also very interesting. This is a major problem from Kinder – college.
ImaSwede: To the best of my knowledge, Broderick’s background includes working for Cilco as an HR/Labor attorney and then working for Kavanagh Scully Sudow White & Frederick as a general practice associate. Prior to his retirement (in the fall of 2004) from KSSWF, Julian Cannell was the main HR/Labor attorney for the district, with Walvoord assisting.
Have you heard that Broderick may either be leaving the district or being promoted by the district because that is news to me.
It is my understanding that Broderick either has or is finishing up his superintendent’s certificate. So, he must not be planning on staying in the position he currently has in HR. I heard district 150 made Broderick an offer he couldn’t refuse to charm him away from KSSWF. Julian Cannell was not an HR employee of the school district was he? I thought he retained his employment with KSSWF. My personal guess is that Broderick is doing much of the lynching now, but will be long gone before too long. That is just my speculation I have no proof.
Everyone that I have come in contact with at the district who has had dealings with Broderick say he is very unfair and they wish he would just leave period!
P.S. I believe he did not have certification papers to be a HR person as of 2007!
I believe he is a puppet for for the administration, used in their endeavar to bust the unions. CJ, please check this out for us.
ImaSwede,
Sounds about right! That way King Hinton’s son-in-law can move up to take over HR. Geeeeeeez. I bet PEORIA or whatever alais he decides to use today will get huffy with me again! Guess I better say in advance…sorry, or did you get your gag order today?
^oo^~