From my inbox:

District 150 Administration and School Board

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are writing as concerned parents and supporters of Peoria High School students. We have been attending school functions and meetings hoping to hear about the upcoming changes for PHS and have been incredibly disappointed with the district’s total lack of communication with parents from Woodruff and PHS.  We are registered voters and taxpayers in Peoria and cannot sit by and watch this situation unfold and say or do nothing. We have complete faith in the PHS staff; it is the Administrators from District 150 and the School Board that we find suspect and lacking. We are the parents that make up the boosters, we are the parents that are involved in our children’s lives, we are the parents that teach their children by the example that you cannot sit by and wait for someone else to bring attention to this matter, we are the parents that are demanding your full attention to this matter. We parents have heard the rumors that “PHS is being set up to fail” and, after the lack of input and communication with parents and staff, this may be correct. You, as an administration and school board, are not paying attention to the largest movement of students in district history and as a result it could become a huge failure, since we need to examine the problems with students and their depressions in order to give them help, and there are professional treatment centers for depressed teenagers which can really help a lot with this.

The most critical issue is construction plans that keep changing yet never made sense at the onset. The classrooms and security issues no one will argue with but lack of restroom facilities is a definite health and safety concern, yet it is not included in phase 1 of construction nor is replacing outdated and inefficient windows. We don’t understand how the restrooms and windows are going to be done in phase 2 when kids are in school. This should be done now -not postponed. Why would you wait to replace bathrooms and windows when students are present? There are no extra rooms to move into – so again let’s not think about the kids – just what’s more convenient for an administrator. Interior construction needs to be done over the summer and it can all be done if you place the demands upon the contractors and schedule accordingly. How is it that Richwoods gets new bathrooms and PHS has bathrooms older than Richwoods? Sounds like a double standard to us.

These maintenance issues should have been handled years ago. We challenge you to tour the PHS facilities and see what you have created. You have failed to properly maintain PHS and it shows. The building is not the issue; it is a superbly constructed building in incredible shape with many built-in safety advantages.  The issue is that you have unfairly allowed basic maintenance to go unheeded. We have been there for years and have witnessed the District’s repeated failures to provide even basic upkeep and maintenance let alone improvements.

The District has been lacking in maintaining PHS and has failed to provide even basic safety equipment to the point that the Boosters have had to purchase safety communication equipment. Relying on the Boosters and Alumni is taking advantage, as the District has an Operations and Maintenance budget for these purposes, as well as Health, Life, Safety funds, etc.  This is offensive to the PHS parents, the community, and most importantly, the students. This school is not only surviving but also getting better in spite of the District and School Board’s attempts to undermine. Mr. Stowell you can call us “a pig with lipstick” but we, as parents, know the real story.  

1. Peoria High was the only District 150 High School to raise their Average ACT Score (2008-2009).
2. By the end of the 2009-2010 school year PHS will reduce the number of suspensions for accumulation of demerits by 10%. At the end of the first semester the data indicated PHS was on track to decrease the number of suspension for accumulation of demerits by over 30%.
3. By the end of the 2009-2010 school year PHS will increase the daily attendance rate to 90%. At the end of the first semester the data stated the daily attendance rate was at 93%. The PHS staff and administration believe this is in large part to the newly assigned Home School Facilitator.
4. By the Spring 2010 Post Assessment (for NWEA) 20% of all PHS students will increase their math score.
   Spring NWEA post tests are scheduled for the weeks of April 19-30th.
5. By the Spring 2010 Post Assessment (for NWEA) 20% of all PHS students will increase their reading score.
   Spring NWEA post tests are scheduled for the weeks of April 19-30th

The issue of lack of funding for athletic facilities is one more area of concern. You are creating the largest high school in the District yet you have no plans on correcting deficiencies in athletic facilities. Where are girls supposed to play softball? Where do boys and girls play tennis? This is unacceptable and has title IX lawsuit written all over it. If you don’t believe us look at Canton. Why have these facilities at this one high school not been maintained by the District, when the other high schools have all received monies for athletic facilities?  We demand you meet with your school staff, teachers and parents and get some real input from people who know what needs to be done and stop listening to administrators and consultants.  We are offended that PHS is being depicted as a “pre-Great Depression building, so therefore, in poor shape.  Many of our finest homes and buildings were built before the Depression.  It is your duty and responsibility to see that all District #150 buildings are properly maintained and this it is done equitably.  It is time you do your job and stop shifting blame.

Sincerely,
PHS Parents and Boosters