The Board of Education for Peoria Public Schools District 150 will meet tonight at district headquarters on Wisconsin Avenue, 6:00 p.m. The most important item on tonight’s agenda:
“12. APPROVAL OF CONTRACT FOR DR. GRENITA LATHAN
Proposed Action: That the employment contract for Dr. Grenita F. Lathan be approved and executed by the parties.”
WCBU-FM (89.9) is reporting that the board is expected to unanimously approve the contract, and that Lathan will not be in attendance at the meeting. If the contract is approved, Lathan is expected to begin July 1.
The board members I’ve talked to have all been impressed by Lathan, and feel she will make a positive difference at District 150. I sincerely wish her the best of luck here in Peoria.
Frustrated…I don’t hate anyone that EARNS money… being GIVEN $200,000 is not earning it.
I expect people who do the work to earn the pay and those that sit around supervising to get “sit around” pay.
So, do you think is $502 a day above a “living wage” is fair and just? Remember, that $502 does not require the recipient to sweat, strain, do or produce anything at all.
Im sure your out everyday doing hard labor working the salt mines for your bread Kcdad.
is anyone aware that Lathan does not hold supt. credentials in IL? Essentially another hinton situation…lol
Wow thats a little bit of an over reaction. The point of my post was your saying that essentially someone in an administrative role does not deserve, what did you call it work pay they deserve sit around pay. Well when does that stop? To me alot of people work sit pay jobs. Where do we draw the cut off between real work and sit around work? I was merely questioning the post that you made. The personal insults are great though really prove a point. On the topics of issues werent you removed from this blog the first time because you often were totally off topic and did not address the issues of the post?
I know its easy to disagree or not see eye to eye with other people, but that was over the top, Charlie. Not only do you owe Stephen an apology, you owe all readers an apology. Take a chill pill.
Again, kcdad resorts to attack mode. And he have obviously never earned over $200,000 a year himself or his reaction would have been different. Gotta love it when people who claim to be all Godly resort to name-calling and insults. Gives one pause.
I am referring to the Superintendent of Peoria Schools… WHAT DO THEY DO? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE IN THE PAST 10 YEARS? Since when did we become a people that rewards people for doing nothing and then fires them and pays them for getting fired for doing nothing?
Why do you defend that ridiculous pay? Is it because you dream of having a job where they pay you to do nothing but have a bunch of serfs doing your bidding?
Hey strong1… thanks for coming to the rescue… but…
I don’t owe you anything and you don’t deserve anything simply because you took offense.
“And he have obviously never earned over $200,000 a year himself or his reaction would have been different. ”
Well duh… I never would accept that much. It is ridiculous. How can anyone “being given” that much money in a public sitting claim to “EARN” it? People are starving, losing their homes and losing everything! Fill up your IRAs and investment portfolios! Survival of the fittest, baby!
And I love it when people make up new names to hide themselves … “when will it end”
As far as attack mode goes… here was the initial assault:
“Im sure your out everyday doing hard labor working the salt mines for your bread Kcdad.”
“So, do you think is $502 a day above a “living wage” is fair and just? Remember, that $502 does not require the recipient to sweat, strain, do or produce anything at all.”
No that was. Or maybe it was the sit around pay compared to work pay Im not sure which comment. You are once again making it a conflict between worker and supervisor so I just was curious if you do REAL work or SIT AROUND work. Do you sweat, strain or produce at your job. Your words not mine. So because in the past we have had bad supervisors all must be bad and not deserve that level of pay? Do you think the district could attract candidates if the pay was not competitive? The salt mine comment is just a common phrase like before I go to work I say to my wife “off to the salt mines” but I see where maybe you were confused.
Teacher: I do not know if she holds an Illinois superintendent certificate. I am sure (I hope) she holds a superintendent certificate in CA or NC. She may have to take the IL test or something in order to get endorsed in IL. I say it’s better than Hinton who did not hold a superintendent’s certificate in any state. He’s the one who needed a job coach. I beg the board not to hire him as a job coach or any other “consultant” position. Keep him as far away from the district as possible. Which reminds me, are they requiring the superintendent to live in district’s boundaries, unlike Hinton?
I love it when people make up new names to hide themselves…… “charlie”
Stephen is right… going to the “salt mines” is a very common phrase for going to work. There was nothing about his comment that warranted name calling.
As for earning over $200,000 a year when people are starving, losing their homes, etc. Have ever considered giving it away? Maybe sending a child to college with that money or helping to build wells in West Africa, or donating to other worthy causes here in the states? Simply because a person earns that kind of money doesn’t mean they don’t give back to a society that allowed them to do so. Stop judging people.
when will it end… rescue fantasies, much?
Wake up people!
“Im (sic) sure your (sic) out everyday doing hard” the sarcasm is a little sic-n-ing… I’m a teacher… I have 140 students this semester writing essays twice a week. I am involved in local theater and my church (both of which I get paid nothing). As a college instructor I make $16000 a year… and I survive on it. (So you understand, I teach 90% of a full time tenured schedule.)
As far as “Simply because a person earns that kind of money doesn’t mean they don’t give back to a society that allowed them to do so. ”
Yeah… that is what happens… AS A MATTER OF FACT: Poorer people give a larger percentage of their income to charity than richer folks.
It doesn’t mean they DO give it back, either.
There are exceptions of course… Rick Warren gives 90% of his income to his church and charitable foundations (as tax write offs…) BUT he still pockets millions. Nice job as a messenger of God if you can get it, eh?
Then said the young man: “But, Master, I am not content to be your disciple; I would be one of your new messengers.” When Jesus heard this, he looked down upon him with a great love and said: “I will have you to be one of my messengers if you are willing to pay the price, if you will supply the one thing which you lack.” Matadormus replied: “Master, I will do anything if I may be allowed to follow you.” Jesus, kissing the kneeling young man on the forehead, said: “If you would be my messenger, go and sell all that you have and, when you have bestowed the proceeds upon the poor or upon your brethren, come and follow me, and you shall have treasure in the kingdom of heaven.”
When Matadormus heard this, his countenance fell. He arose and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. This wealthy young Pharisee had been raised to believe that wealth was the token of God’s favor. Jesus knew that he was not free from the love of himself and his riches. The Master wanted to deliver him from the love of wealth, not necessarily from the wealth. While the disciples of Jesus did not part with all their worldly goods, the apostles and the seventy did. Matadormus desired to be one of the seventy new messengers, and that was the reason for Jesus’ requiring him to part with all of his temporal possessions.
For someone who has little or no experience as a School District Super, and is, as of yet ‘unproven’ in her capacity as the Dist. 150 Super, $180,000-$200,000 is too much. Where is the motivation to ‘succeed’ if you are pulling in this kind of cash from the beginning? Before anyone blurts out “her job might be at stake,” she does have a signed, multi-year contract. Even if she does get canned in the end, she will do what every other ‘failed’ Super has done in the past….. get another job that pays even more!!!!
I almost forgot….
The only position in Peoria that should pay this type of six-figure salary, should be the new Exec Director of the Peoria Regional Museum!!!!
Afterall, being in charge of 12 full-time and 30 part-time employees [and a number of duck decoys], is a 24/7 butt-busting job!!!
Don’t know the details, but heard there’s been a big shake up over on Wisconsin, some administrators are losing their jobs. Watch WEEK News.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x640764769/District-150-changes-may-eliminate-jobs
Who makes the decision that 25 jobs are to be cut? Durflinger? Would the board have known since before Monday?
It will be interesting to see who will go–I’ve heard rumors of a couple of names but just rumors. Of course, these job eliminations will just become job openings to be filled by the new superintendent. The number 25, however, is high–I’m wondering if it includes school administration or just Wisconsin Avenue personnel.
I don’t know for sure, but one is Dr. Mary O’Brian (yippee!) and special ed coordinators. That department is a mess. Most people don’t pay that much attention to the SPED dept. It needs a new leader and it needs to be reorganized. O’Brian is a perfect expample of just because your name starts with Dr. does not mean you should be a leader in the public school system.
The Board promised changes with Dr. Lathan coming. Looks like they were serious. Not a good time for folks to be looking for other jobs in the field. Most districts are making cuts. The district will look very different next year, from the top all the way down.
The letters of non-renewal (pink slips) went to central admins, coordinators and directors (including the driver’s ed director Bob Darling–not his teaching position, but the dr ed job). Many were notified personally by Supt Durflinger. All will have to reapply for positions if those positions are retained. 25 people at least. Not included were HR director, treasurer and one other person (I forget who). No building principals.
Durflinger will have to make a formal proposal/presentation to the BoE. This timing is to ensure that certified admins who would be losing their jobs would be able to get into the 3 rounds of teacher hiring in the RIF process. That way if they want to get back into the classroom they have the opportunity. There was a deadline for notification (I think April 1).
Pink-slipped admins, etc., also will be given help finding new jobs and help with resumes.
Hope that helps some.
It may be WMBD news instead of WEEK
Too bad this wasn’t done years ago.. maybe we wouldn’t be closing these kids schools.
Another good thing from Hinton retiring early. You can bet if Hinton was still at D150 this would not be happening. Way to go Durflinger 🙂
Don’t get too excited–the new superintendent will have her own ideas about “new” positions and new people to fill them. I doubt seriously that money will be saved in the end.
🙂
There are a lot of people in San Diego and elsewhere in California who are looking for jobs…
Sharon – I agree, there will likely not be that much savings regarding the 25 jobs as some will obviously have to be filled, but I am hopeful there can be some streamlining. What is exciting is the possibility of getting more effective administrators for the money being paid. It is unfortunate with all this turmoil relating to personnel issues that the District did not see fit to hire someone for the HR Director that had actual prior work experience in HR and/or Labor.
The house cleaning needed to be done, but my prediction is that it will not go smoothly.
Now I see why our search committee likes her…
“She holds a doctoral degree in work force education and development from Southern Illinois University.”
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x692839913/School-Board-approves-superintendent-contract
Workforce education… educating a work force… JUST we need. Let’s not teach our children to think and be creative, let’s teach them to follow orders and be on time for someone else’s business.
Perpetual Serfdom, American Style!
See, this kind of program makes Walmart and Caterpillar VERRRRRY happy. They get exactly what they want… technical competence, and docile sheeple.
Read all about it!
http://www.ncwe.org/about/
It reminds me of something…
Teach a person a job and you can put him to work for your benefit, teach him to work and you can rely on him to do so for his own benefit.
“the object of all true education is not to make men carpenters; it is to make carpenters men”
W.E.B. DuBois
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie – unless you are independently wealthy, I think lessons relating to responsibility, accountability, and the importance of punctuality are subject matter that merits attention in schools. There is a difference between being a drone and conforming to societal expectations in order to get along in life.
“societal expectations”
So punctuality is a social expectation? Or is it a JOB expectation? Do dock your friends and family part of their dinner (or stop being their friend or family) if they come by to visit and arrive a little late?
Who do you want our children to learn to be accountable to? Who should they learn to be responsible to and for? Walmart or Caterpillar? They care so much for their employees…
Everyone who works for someone else must be a mindless drone waiting to take orders from some evil corporate enforcer typical Kcdad. Public schools are just creating this serfdom in no way is anyone capable of learning anything outside the classroom through mentors, parents, hobbies etc… Those businesses that they are going to be on time for are run by your neighbors. Have you ever thought that many people learn a trade or job not in the classroom but by working for someone else? Or maybe the guy working in the heat treat plant at CAT may one day run his own operation and hire people to work for him? What I do for a living is not what I went to college to do I made choices based on life experience not what some corporate enforcer or college proffesor coached me to do.
Charlie, I try, but I just don’t understand your aversion to public education having as one (not all, but one) of its goals the teaching of young people to be responsible citizens, spouses, parents, employees, etc. You teach–do you want students wandering in during the middle of your lecture or whatever? Today I went on a field trip with a 3 and 4-year old. Parents were asked to be at Whittier by such and such a time to get on the bus. How long should the bus wait for parents who show up late? When we arrived at the Holt Center, should we have expected to stand around for an hour before the presenters were ready for the children–or should we expect things to be done in a timely fashion, etc., (and they were ready? We do live in a society that is more or less on a time clock–that isn’t going to change any time soon–so we might just as well prepare children to live in that world. However, I do think I was overly “trained” to be on time because I’m always early and always have to wait for people who are on time or late. Maybe I was raised with a bit too much of the Puritan work ethic. 🙂
We were taught (in the home) “if you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late!”. Mom would randomly move the clocks up if we we were too slow getting ready for school or church.
“Public schools are just creating this serfdom in no way is anyone capable of learning anything outside the classroom through mentors, parents, hobbies etc”
Is that even close to what I wrote? No. I wrote that the focus of workforce education is to do job training… as you said yourself you aren’t doing what you were trained to do… and you certainly aren’t using critically thinking skills you didn’t learn… which would have been much more helpful than your job training.
Sharon: My aversion is not just my aversion. It was John Dewey’s and other educators who felt the purpose of public education was EDUCATION, not job training. If companies want people trained in job skills let them do it. If the public wants to pay for educating our youth then let’s do that.
Do either of you have any notion of the implications of W.E.B. DuBois’ quote? If we educate our youth, they can do whatever they want to do… if we train them they’ll be able to do what they are trained to do… or they have to go back and get more training. Since the average person has something like 7 different and distinct jobs in their lifetime, that ‘s a lot of wasted time training. My father was an engineer who learned to solve problems and think logically… he could be an engineer, sales, a service rep or work in the legal department. He did all those things for Cat. Everything he learned about his jobs he learned on the job. School prepared him to learn whatever he was going to need to learn on the job. Whatever job he held. THAT is not what we are doing to today. We are training our kids to be either specialists or minimum wage drones.
I’m sure you have heard the joke: Do you want fries with that High School diploma? (you can substitute B.A. for High School diploma)
If a kid WANTS to learn a trade… that what industrial arts used to be for…
and as for my students, I tell them they are adults and have lives much more important than any class they will ever take. They can come and go as they please.
“so we might just as well prepare children to live in that world.”
No. That is wrong. We should prepare our kids to live in whatever world they want to live in. We need to give them the tools to transform our world into their world.
de Montesque wrote that the next generation is not obligated to live under the same rules and agreements of the previous generation. They have the right to create their own rules. It is our responsibility to give them that opportunity.
Charlie, I think I’ve found the kind of education you are talking about 🙂
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/montessori_school_of_dentistry
Charlie – Your father’s Caterpillar is not the Caterpillar Inc. of today. Even before the economic downturn(when CAT was hiring), candidates considered were top students prepared to perform jobs in specific job families, i.e. engineering, computer science, accounting, communications. The is the prerequisite just to get you foot in the door. The growth and opportuntiy to do new and different things, like you father did at CAT, comes much farther down the line.
I do not agree with you that public education is only preparing students to be fry cooks. You apparently have not been in touch with some of the the grads from the area that are going on to significant colleges and preparing for meanful careers.
Charlie is right about programs such as the one I just heard about on the radio this morning. Some school system–not Peoria–is going to train 60 students to work at Wal-mart. District 150 had (maybe still does) such a program (mostly for students to work at fast food restaurants). The program was originally designed for at-risk students to work two hours of their school day at a fast-food restaurant during the restaurant’s busiest time–lunch time. Program coordinators at Manual grew tired of dealing with the irresponsibility of at-risk students who created problems at the restaurants; therefore, they started taking students who were not at-risk–to lose two hours (or more) of instruction time every day (the students who were in my classes were only sophomores). I complained and complained but to no avail. I don’t believe that even at-risk students should be taken from school to help Wal-Mart or fast-food restaurants to hire cheap labor to further increase their profit margins.
Your post
Workforce education… educating a work force… JUST we need. Let’s not teach our children to think and be creative, let’s teach them to follow orders and be on time for someone else’s business.
Perpetual Serfdom, American Style!
See, this kind of program makes Walmart and Caterpillar VERRRRRY happy. They get exactly what they want… technical competence, and docile sheeple.
Read all about it!
Students are turned into docile serfs for an employer thanks to public schools who focus on work force training? I mean that is what your saying in your post correct? I merely stated that children can and will exercise creative skills outside of a school setting and thus may choose to follow a different path then what you believe is “indoctronated” into them at school. Children experiences outweigh the classroom so the idea that students sit down absorb and then turn off is incorrect. Besides the economy is run on small businesses which are run by drones or specialists Im not sure which one because you believe that it is an A or B siutation? Your post is the same serf work boss relationship that you try to bring to every issue that you comment on due to your bias against capitalism which clouds your critical thinking ability. Note in your post you chose to bully two major corporations as the bad guys pushing for this type of public serf creating so that they can then exploit them. Im shocked at your response I was waiting for you to just call names. Only one personal attack in a post I was taken back.
“children can and will exercise creative skills outside of a school setting” EXACTLY! If they don’t have that natural curiosity and joi d e vivre plucked from them. Our schools are killing that spirit in our kids. My God, half of college students have never heard of the people and events in Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire. (and don’t know why they should) But they know the song and can sing along with it.
Our schools are supposed to be teaching our kids how to think about themselves as human beings and the world. Instead, Literature, Art, Geography, and History become facts to memorize (the ones the teacher thinks are important) until the test and then forgotten as I plug into my rap, emo or metal Ipod tunes 24/7.
Education isn’t supposed to be about memorizing and regurgitating facts, it is supposed to be about how to find them, recognize them and what to do with them.
“Children experiences outweigh the classroom”
Unless the classroom is the only educational experience the child gets.
FRUSTRATED: Yes, many student SURVIVE school and go on to other things… in spite of their education, they have had the background, family and support to pursue education… MANY KIDS DON’T and that is why public education was begun.
People, please. Don’t tell me about the successes of the schools. We all have success stories… people survived Nagasaki and Hiroshima, does that mean the Atomic bombs weren’t deadly?
Look at the hundreds of kids every year graduating you can not read, write, do any significant mathematical thinking, have no interest in learning about the world around them (economy, politics, art). They have little option but to go to a technical school or junior college and try to get another diploma just so they can go get a job… that’s nuts! I had my first job when I was 15. I had no diploma. Kids look at the system today and say “I am not gonna get any job EVEN if I do get a diploma because I am from the ghetto and am poor and people are scared of me. Why bother trying at school at all?”
Do you understand that “The Greatest Generation” averaged 8.6 years of school in 1940. Only 24% had a high school diploma.
jon: funny.
Your right kcdad, my grandfather only was in school until he was in 8th grade. My uncles all went through high school but that was it. My mother grew up without indoor plumbing. Guess what they did. Shaft coal miners. Your right those generations did great things with little education but the economy was entirely different. The modern world, thanks to technical improvements and an advanced economy, can not support the type of production and manufacturing jobs that those generations depended on. Back to the good old days of REAL worker explotation eh kcdad.
Do you understand with the changes in technology,economy and global interconnection that you may as well be compairing the current generation to the golden years of Rome
of course that generation had WWII to help them and government subsidized education, housing and and and
“thanks to technical improvements and an advanced economy”
advanced how? derivative markets and trading of junk bonds?
What do you see as the future of employment for the next generation?
Here are areas where you will not see employment: most industry, almost all manufacturing and I do not see non corporate agriculture holding over into the next generation. The economy will not support American wages in those fields. An economy that wants to buy things as cheaply as possible that can import raw materials and manufactured goods at a lower rate then the cost to produce them in house. In 1940 the cost to import something was X so it was cheaper and more efficient to produce it here with American labor, all those people with 8th grade educations. Now due to the monotary system and countries that in 1940 were not industialized or developing, China, we can import the same item for Y meaning that it no longer is produced here. That means that those people with 8th grade educations,1940’s connection but we’ll say a high school diploma or lacking job skills,no longer have a factory, a mine or a farm to hire them to make raw materials or goods so they have nothing left to do but flip burgers or make coffee at Starbucks. Service, Technology, R&D, Finance, Logistics.
“they have nothing left to do but flip burgers or make coffee at Starbucks.” (Starbucks are closing all over the country)
Ahhh the American Dream.
“Service, Technology, R&D, Finance, Logistics.”
What are these supposed to represent? Post-industrial jobs? Who do you suppose will be able to do them? The semi-literate high schools grads we are handing diplomas to?
No Charlie – I believe what Stephen is saying is there are still employment opportunities to be had in the U.S. but they are and will continue to be knowledge-based jobs, not production jobs. The “service, technology, R&D, Finance, Logistics” positions will be filled with college graduates trained in those fields. I think there will be continue to be opportunities in the skilled trades as well – carpenters, electricans, bricklayers, but these positions still require a level of math and technical apptitude, even if a 4-year college degrees is not necessary.
The real question is will public education in the next decade be the institution that is preparing students to enter college or skilled trade apprenticeships?? In many areas, I think not.
No Kcdad you asked “What do you see as the future of employment for the next generation?”
Those listed are it and they will be filled with college educated employees trained in those fields not the semi educated workforce that powered the US when it was largely an industrial based economy.
Ok sorry Kcdad I was to specific, the people that came straight from 8th grade or high school to the factories are now going into service jobs be it food service, retail etc..Starbucks is an example of one such establishment but I guess insert any place that you would like. Its not the American Dream but maybe I lost my card or didnt get the memo when that was promised to everyone. There is not the demand for untrained and under educated employees that existed when the country was producing large quantities of raw materials and manufactured goods. Im sorry but that is reality. Frustrated recently the trades have been moved into the general service job catagory but yes I agree that they will continue. I think that it depends on the demographic that the public school services as to what level of education a student will recieve.
Frustrated, my fear is that public education can’t do the job you expect of it. The entire populace has never been educated to the extent necessary to enter college or skilled trade apprenticeships. I don’t know why people suddenly expect that to happen for the first time in our history. First of all, there is a reason why special education is offered (demanded). Until research (scientific, not educational) discovers why so many young people in our society seem incapable of processing the higher-level thinking skills–and then how to overcome the block–many of our young people will not be ready for jobs in this high-tech world of work. That’s the reason I was so dismayed when I read Friedman’s “The Lexus and the Olive Tree.” NCLB testing and demands aren’t able to “scare teachers” into performing this magic to the extent necessary to meet the demands of a modern workforce. Teacher motivation and/or professional development will not be the answer.
“knowledge-based jobs” I understand the thinking… there were tons of those jobs in data and programming in the 90s… where are they now? India.
Where are the jobs going to come from in this country? The only reason there are manufacturing jobs in this country now is that some people have a social conscience and refuse to ship all of the jobs over seas. (or because they need to keep some people earning income to support the local businesses)
Internet based, work from home multi-level marketing!!!! That’s the future! Oh boy.
Now do you see why so many progressive thinking people are advocating
1) green energy technology… it is to create jobs.
2) organic foods… it is to create jobs
3) smaller, less bureaucratic schools, and businesses… it is to create jobs
Walmart and Caterpillar, and other huge corporate leviathan are killing us.
Stephen: these “untrained and under educated employees” saved and built the world you live in! What is this highly educated and highly trained generation building?