I’ve been looking at the Interactive Illinois Report Card for District 150. Here are the total expenditures of District 150 for a period of eleven years, 1997-2008; in the last column, I converted all the amounts into constant 2008 dollars to make it easier to compare apples to apples:
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Looking at the inflation-adjusted dollars, and acknowledging that it does appear to have started a downward trend, you’ll nevertheless notice that from 1997 to 2008, operational expense per student has increased over 17%. However, if you look at enrollment over roughly the same period (1998-2009), the trend is different:
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I wanted to include the 2008-2009 data so you could see that enrollment did go up slightly that year. Nevertheless, enrollment from 1998 through 2009 fell by 9.4%. As a result, operating expense per student has increased over 24% — from $9,184 in 1997 (in inflation-adjusted dollars) to $11,398 in 2008.
Questions: Why have operational expenses continued to climb while enrollment has been decreasing? Why are expenses $25.4 million more in 2008 than in 1997 (in inflation-adjusted dollars) when enrollment fell by over 1,400 students? Where is the money going?
You probably have never heard of the open door policy…
District 150 Observer: I agree that there should be some type of a chain of command but what Sharon spoke of seems to be the reason for this chain of command, to keep legitimate complaints from advancing. That is why she is not a proponent of televising the school board meetings because if you don’t see a problem then there is not problem.
Sharon: It appears the superintendent is going to tackle the discipline problem in the schools by ignoring them. I’m told that principals have been told that their employment security will go hand in hand with the number of suspensions that your school has. In other words, DON’T SUSPEND STUDENTS!
So far her cure for the ills of the Peoria Public School system is; issue as many threats about firing people as you can, spend lots of money, keep students in school no matter how bad they are and having spies watching certain employees/departments.
Honest, ethical people needn’t worry about spies.
TR64; That’s true as long as the spies are honest. 🙂
Johnnie – Are you a more agitated side of the same Sharon? You couldn’t be more wrong. In a recent meeting I had with Dr. Lathan, we talked about not only broadcasting meetings, but better utilizing public access channel for more programming. She even stated a willingness to moderate her own program. Principals have a more structured evaluation tool than at any time I’ve been on the board. Early years, the board asked for performance evaluations, etc., and were largely stonewalled. We have yet to have discipline meetings to review suspensions. While naive to think Pacific institute, awareness of the “Peoria Promise”, stricter PHA housing rules, etc, are actually having a positive impact against past apathy, hope was the message of the past election. Four months in and she has an understanding of just how ineffective, inefficient, and in some cases, inept and incompetent some past practices were. Happy to meet and discuss your viewpoint. Again, while CJ does a great job spurring discussion (and some morph there regardless)keeping up with some of the many mistatements is tough duty. Welcome calls or meetings to discuss.
Johnnie, of course, I hope you are wrong about the edict to the principals concerning suspensions. Of course, she isn’t the first superintendent to issue that edict–I was just hoping for change.
Jim, I don’t even know Sharon personally but I do know that your new super is using a wrong leadership technique of attempting to get better results via making threats to staff members.
Sharon, we were all hoping for a postive change because the school district needs it but it doesn’t appear that this is going to be the positive change that we were searching for. Too many red flags are popping up with this administration.
Sharon, have you met the new associate superintendent yet? Pit bulls are more friendly.
Jim, THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN DISTRICT 150 SCHOOLS IS STUDENT DISCIPLINE!! Until you focus on that and not staff discipline your schools WILL CONTINUE TO FAIL! Now I am not saying that staff shouldn’t do their jobs but that is not why the schools are failing. I just gave you the answer to your problems and it didn’t even cost you the outrageous salary package that you just paid out. 🙂
“THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN DISTRICT 150 SCHOOLS IS STUDENT DISCIPLINE!!”
Not discipline, motivation. Discipline is only a problem with unmotivated and apathetic students.
“Four months in and she has an understanding of just how ineffective, inefficient, and in some cases, inept and incompetent some past practices were”
Jim glad to see you recognize these past problems. Can I quote you on this?
Can we also add “unethical”?
Come on, Jim, a little honesty, please. My guess is that you undoubtedly spoke to Dr. Lathan about broadcasting the meetings and adding some great PR, BUT you did not recommend returning the public comments to TV. Also, some more honesty, please; “hope” was the message of the last election and did you participate in the vote for that “hope”? 🙂 I certainly wish you had been honest about the last regime’s faults when your opinions might have made a difference or, at least, let everyone else know that you were aware of its inadequacies. Also, just a question, are you present and/or apprised of everything that is said when Dr. Lathan meets with principals? Also, I guess you just ignored my positive statements above–my feelings about Dr. Lathan and her new hires aren’t all that negative, just cautious.
Sharon – are you sleeping @ board meetings? 🙂 I most certainly did talk to Dr. Lathan about broadcasting meetings live again. I mentioned it first @ the meeting before last. We are going to have several meetings “out in the community” and discussions are continuing. Also, my honest assessment on the past regime has never waivered. While I voted not to close WHS (a much better facility and lack of “accurate” info on pool costs, etc notwithstanding), you continue to be wrong in asserting no HS needed to close. And “am I present or appraised of everything” yada yada yada……please. Wouldn’t want or expect that in my capacity as board member. Have seen perf eval tools and schedule for admin. I look forward to web site dev/w drop down boxes outlining salaries, job function, etc. Again, four months. Many changes. Engaging our students in the many opportunities our COMMUNITY (park district, agencies, churches, etc.) should provide will diminish a lot of the discipline problems and lead to greater success. Now, about that East Bluff TIF, I think we have a great opportunity to explore – and I’m not a TIF fan typically.
Had a “chain of command” been enforced a couple of years ago, “friends” and “neighbors” of Jim Stowell and Mary Spangler wouldn’t have been so quick to tell false stories about the principal of Lindbergh, instead, perhaps they would have been encouraged to go to her boss ….lol…..Mary Davis(facing 16 felony counts) and Ken Hinton (oh, both of whom are NO LONGER employed by the district). I guess only your friends can come to board members, everyone else must follow the chain of command, right! Jim, you told me to my FACE that you spoke to MANY people who complained about the principal….did you tell them to go through a chain of command? BTW Jim, nice that the civic center has already been “rented” out for June 4th high school graduations…..even though you have YET to vote on it….talk about transparency…what a laugh.
I wasn’t sleeping–that was the week you were irritated by something Terry had said and stated something to the effect that you didn’t want the public comments back in–until the speakers shape up (that was the essence of your statement). No, Jim, I don’t expect you to be at all principals’ meetings, etc.,–however, because you aren’t there, I don’t expect you to say with certainty what is or isn’t said at those meetings. I give you credit whenever credit is due–and I did a couple of posts up. As far as whether or not a high school needed to be closed, there is no omniscient wisdom available to make such a statement. Closing a school was a decision that could well have been based on faulty information about how much money would be saved. Weighing the financial cost of closing Woodruff with the ultimate cost of leaving a whole area of the city without a high school might have resulted in a decision for which Peoria will pay dearly in many ways.
The only thing that D150 is certain to pay dearly for is the McArdle lawsuit, whether in settlement, or by judgment. If it goes to trial, Benassi will have a field day.
Talk about the ineptness of past practice…
Reading those comments by Mr. Stowell makes me wonder how much, in that whole sordid affair, were D!50 school board members “being appraised of everything”…and if the entire board just said “Yada yada yada, let’s can her butt and all of this will go away quietly.”
As for me, I hope McArdle gets a boatload of money for all the professional and personal humiliation she has been put through. Maybe the district can hit up their former lawyer for a loan as payback for his incredibly asinine counsel on the matter.
At any rate, I can’t wait to see how the D150 board “shapes the message” when this all goes down. Should be a helluva show.
When is Davis going to court?
Thank you for your input, Jim. I appreciate your willingness to come on line to comment, even when it gets a little hostile. My family watched the meetings live when they were available. I am interested in hearing more about the web management company that was voted on according to the recently posted minutes. It’s Greek to me, but if it puts the control and liability in the hands of a party separate from D150, it’s worth the money (IMO). There was an item on the last agenda regarding video–is that for school security or something else?
Jim – as always, I am interested in your thoughts. I think much of the chatter lately regarding the Super, chain of command, etc. is very discouraging. The bloggers are this blog are pecking to death the school district.
Frustrated: methinks you are a friend of Jim’s. Evidently you like his brand of sarcasm….I don’t.
Charlie: A criminal is motivated but he/she is not necessarily using good discipline. 🙂
I don’t see very many of the rabid supporters of the new administration commenting when it comes it comes to the real problem of D150 schools, student discipline. If I don’t see it or talk about it then therefore it must not exist, right?
Elaine Hopkins has an interesting article on her blog, http://peoriastory.typepad.com/, about Monday’s School Board Meeting. In the article, she has posted the link to the audio recording of the meeting and goes on to specifically mention a quote made by Grenita Lathan: “Lathan said to remember PIG, ‘Peoria is Great.'”
Are we witnessing an outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease?
Whether this was a flawed – and failed – attempt at humor or a thinly veiled attempt to disguise her own feelings about Peorians, only she knows. Either way, it is extremely offensive. What does that make the almost 14,000 children under her stewardship – piglets? And we are paying her to insult us? Will wonders never cease . . .
That Lathan made the comment at all, well, . . . all there is left to say is this, guess you really can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Dr. Lathan wasn’t being offensive by making the PIG remark–she was actually being kind. The PIG remark would be better understood if the public had been able to hear public comments a few weeks ago. The district found one of the painted pigs that was had been in storage (and didn’t know its significance). It was part of a teachers’ union fund raiser when Terry was president. Terry had given them the history of the pig–so Dr. Lathan wasn’t saying anything offensive–she was letting Terry know that she appreciates that part of 150 history.
From a 9/12/2000 newspaper report: “Spearheaded by library supporters, Peoria’s hammy art project (called P.I.G. for ‘Peoria is Great’) is expected to raise $175,000 for a 32-foot-long bookmobile.”
Iris — Don’t you remember all the decorated pigs that were around town? You can still see them some places — Spotted Cow comes to mind. Sharon’s right. Lathan didn’t come up with the “P.I.G.” moniker; that was homegrown in Peoria.
“A criminal is motivated but he/she is not necessarily using good discipline.”
Are you referring to the administration?
“is expected to raise $175,000 for a 32-foot-long bookmobile”
and… did it?
OK, I Googled “Schoolwise”. It looks like a good program. Will this replace Skyward or duplicate that system in some ways?
Is Jo Stowell, Jim’s wife? She is the Events Sales Coordinator for the Civic Center. http://www.peoriaciviccenter.com/Contact_Us.html
If they are related, isn’t it a conflict of interest for Jim to vote on the district approving a contract to use their facility? He did just that during this August Board meeting http://www.psd150.org/BOE/Minutes/08%2023%2010%20Open%20Session.pdf.
Maybe they are not related?????
I believe Jo is Jim’s wife. Not sure if it a “conflict of interest” but it is not a big deal as I see it. Others will, of course, see it differently if they have an axe to grind.
District 150 Observer and Samuel, Just for the record; I don’t see it as a conflict of interest, at all. It is the Civic Center, after all.
And people who see no problem with conflicts of interest won’t see a problem if it is a conflict of interest so what is your point D150 Observer?
My point is I don’t think it is a big deal. There aren’t many other venues, if any, that could have handled this event.
About this customer service they keep talking about, I get it that you should do your best to be respectful to people as much as you can but remember the “customers(students)” that attend D150 aren’t paying customers. The public is paying for everything so if anyone deserves the best customer service it should be the taxpaying public that is footing the bill.
Johnnie Mack, that was difficult for me to understand. Were you talking to me or someone else?
No the second one wasn’t for you. It was just a general statement about this customer service baloney.
Ok Johnnie,thanks.
Although the connection does cause wonder if that was the reason for the $25,000 donut breakfast at the beginning of the year. The graft in this town and state is stomach turning.
Johnnie, I agree about the “customer” service language–but Dr. Lathan didn’t start it. Manual administrators used that term often (referring to students and/or their parents) while I was still teaching. It stems from this whole national craze that education is a business that produces a product, etc. The analogies break down often–but those who have bought into the lingo and the philosophy don’t see the absurdity.
On that other topic, I really don’t see any conflict of interest with regard to Jim’s wife’s working at the Civic Center, etc. Jim often accuses me of witch hunting; I want him to know that I see no reason for red flags on this one. However, should the hypothetical occasion ever arise when Jim can vote for teachers to invest–to replace the retirement system–they I will scream “conflict of interest.” 🙂
Also, I truly have not given up on Dr. Lathan yet. For example, I still have hopes that she will attack the discipline problems, etc., when she actually sees for herself how serious they are. I trust she has taken notice of the young man who recently walked off the job at Trewyn after only a few days of observation of the problems and why he walked off (and I have just heard that as a rumor but I believe his resignation was on Monday night’s agenda). I doubt seriously that she came here and brought so many with her so that they can all fail. I am not that much of a cynic. So far everything I have said here and at board meetings relates to problems that were already rampant in District 150 before Dr. Lathan arrived–more a “this is the state of things now, and I hope you will bring change.”
I know I got carried away with the “Chain of Command” thing–it just brought back too many memories of the way things used to be in the 1960s to or through the 1980s. I accepted them then, but I wouldn’t be so willing to go backward.
Just don’t understand why Jim would not abstain from this vote. Not only did he not abstain but he made the motion to accept the contract with the Civic Center. I am sorry but this does not seem right or smart.
Samuel–Even if you are right; what difference does it make–there were six other votes. When Jim is the deciding vote on such matters, maybe there is call for discussion. Frankly, I don’t know the extent to which this could be called a conflict of interest–the concern seems sort of flimsy to me.
Sharon-
Jim’s household receives an income from the Civic Center. His wife is not just in a position where she is selling popcorn. It appears that she is in a mgmt position which is directly tied to securing events (Event Sales Coordinator). Safe to say the more events that are secured by the Civic Center the more secure her job is. Right?
Why would Jim ever vote no?
I agree that the vote would have gone through without his vote. Board Leadership 101 would say not to vote on any issues that you have a vested interest in. Don’t think this is “flimsy” at all but common sense. He should have abstained and then there would be no question.
The scoop is that Hedy Elliot resigned. Is this true? What a loss for the district! She has been so helpful to many people.
Union mess–I forgot to ask Hedy; she just dropped me off from GED class. For clarification, IF she quit, it was as union VP, not from teaching in 150. Samuel, I’m starting to understand your point about the Civic Center. At best, Jim should have mentioned that his wife works at the Civic Center–honesty probably does require,at least, that much. Of course, why wouldn’t any of the other board members bring it up? I guess I do have to go along with the question about graduation–since the Civic Center is already booked for June 4 and the board hasn’t even voted yet–I guess Jim’s vote (and the others’) will be after the fact–I don’t understand that.
The Illinois School Code, with respect to interests of school board members in district contracts (105 ILCS 5/10?9), specifically states:
“A school board member shall not be deemed interested if the board member is an employee of a business that is involved in the transaction of business with the school district, provided that the board member has no financial interests other than as an employee.”
Now, if a board member doesn’t have a conflict of interest when he is only an employee, certainly there’s no conflict when it only involves the board member’s spouse as an employee. In other words, since there is clearly no vested interest, there is no requirement to abstain.
Of course, one could take the position of abstaining to avoid any appearance of impropriety. However, with something as clear cut as this, that could also appear to be overly cautious – shirking one’s responsibilities in order to be politically correct. That just doesn’t sound like Jim.
RE: Customer Service. To me this term refers to the manner in which an employee performs his or her job duties. It means employees should strive for a high standard of performance such as being prompt in the completion of their work, thorough and accurate, and courteous and professional. Any employee, regardless if they work in the private sector or the public sector should be expected to put forth this type of effort. I can assure you that in the past, this was not the case at District 150. Under the prior administration, I was a contractor for the District, hired to perform duties of a sensitive and typically urgent nature that had high dollar consequences for the District. I could never get people to return my calls, provide necessary documentation for me to complete my work, and often administrator were late or no shows to meetings. The GOOD NEWS is that most of those administrators are gone. I think Dr. Lathan cleaned house and brought in a crew she has confidence in, and I for one am thrilled. So I think we should give the new leadership of District 150 a chance.
Check out this story:
http://blogs.pjstar.com/schooldaze/
Well, Frustrated, I am amazed that you have just parted with that info–of course, I am now curious about the sensitive duties, etc. However, I now better understand your defense of the district, etc. Now, how can you be so certain that things have changed drastically? I can’t be sure that they haven’t–but are you still operating from the inside? 🙂
Samuel and others: It is not right, it is an absolute conflict of interest (legally), an apparent conflict of interest at the least (legally and morally), for Jim Stowell to make the motion to approve, for him to partake in any public debate or discussion on the issue. How cannot you people see and understand that? Perhaps we should send the entire Commission back to school (is Glen Oak open yet?) You say there were six votes anyway and his wasn’t needed? How did he know that before he made the motion. The outcome of the motion is not the material factor here, the conflict of interest is. And he had the gall to refer to the City Council as the “Catholic Mafia” at one time. Shame on you Jim Stowell!
wacko said “it is an absolute conflict of interest (legally)”
I just posted a section from the Illinois School Code (aka the applicable law) wherein it clearly is NOT a conflict of interest – as being an employee means there is NO interest.
Here’s a link:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=010500050HArt.+10&ActID=1005&ChapterID=17&SeqStart=54300000&SeqEnd=76700000
Maybe you can show us something else that states it is a conflict legally?
Jon, it seems to me that I recall David Gorenz not voting when his employer was involved in an issue for a vote.
There are two things here.
1. Is it a legal conflict of interest?
2. If not, or if questionable, should someone abstain in order to avoid any appearances of impropriety?
The answer to number 1. is clear. It is not a legal conflict of interest.
The answer to number 2. is subjective – a matter of personal opinion.
Sharon – I have no relationship with the District at this time and I am still defending it. My impression is that Board members (by the way don’t know Stowell and have never met him) are more hands on and plugged in than ever. IMO the Board understood how critical it was for them to hire the most competent Super that Peoria could attract in order to right a District that has been headed in the wrong direction for decades. I have to believe they made every effort to do so. Why wouldn’t they? But certainly not enough time has passed to determine Dr. Lathan’s and her new leadership team’s effectiveness. Hanging on her every word or pointing out her minor stumbles does nothing to help raise the District up but rather detracts from the mission.