The item on the agenda was:
APPROVAL OF THE PEORIA CHARTER SCHOOL INITIATIVE
Proposed Action: That the charter school proposal submitted by Peoria Charter School Initiative dated October 1, 2009 and amended on December 23, 2009 is approved, subject to the negotiation of the terms of a contract between the Board of Education and Peoria Charter School Initiative as required by the Illinois School Code.
And it passed 6-1, which is no surprise. The only dissenting vote was Laura Petelle.
amazingly, the board was asking questions like, how much is this going to cost each year…..this information should have been in their hands LONG before minutes ahead of the vote. Remember, they paraded all these “dignitaries” from Chicago to tell you all how well this is going to run, then you hear Mrs. Stuart from ICC say that they will have to fund raise over $100,000 each year. This board is so incredibly easily led around by the nose. Hey D150 BOE, I have a bridge to sell in Brooklyn—-real cheap and it will help with student achievement. Bet I’d get a 6-1 vote……
That info was in their hands long before, 150teacher. Months ago the full budget of the charter school was submitted to the BOE and has been on the district website for all to see.
Now, that was the gross cost – what that net cost will be is up to the BOE/administration – not the charter school. I believe Durflinger suggested anywhere from 40-50 total positions eliminated once the charter school is up to grade 12.
The interim superintendent predicted the number of positions that would be eliminated five years from now? Say no more.
CJ, that because it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure it out – at least an estimate – though I hear that new charter school will help out with those skills. What was that Stowell pointed out? That the “regular” schools have a budget with 85% going to salaries and benefits, whereas the charter school is 60% (and longer days/longer year).
Did anyone notice how rude all the pro-charter school people were after the vote? They immediately cheered (which was OK), stood up, put on their coats, talked loudly, and visited with one another (which was not OK)–the school board was still conducting its meeting. Not once did Wolfmeyer ask for order in the audience.
Thank you for reporting the vote, I was waiting to hear.
I know for a fact that there was more than one member of the board who told concerned citizens he/she was opposed. In the end, only one was opposed. This is common in Peoria — elected officials give citizens assurances in private that they do not keep.
Jon, are you sure that 85% of the budget goes to teachers–or is it 85% of the education fund? First of all, I believe that 85% includes administrative salaries, also. Secondly, why wouldn’t you expect most of the education fund to go to pay teachers–who does the educating? Billy, please don’t tell me that Jim was telling the public that he was opposed.
Jon, on the district dashboard for 2008 – salaries were $64,568,091 and benefits were $11,776,593 (total $76,344,684) and total expenditures were $126,325,755. Aren’t the salaries and benefits only 60% of the education expenditures?
Please tell me if something is wrong with my numbers–I honestly believed that 85% was right–or, at least, that’s what I have heard.
Jon — So, what are you saying? That charter school teachers will be underpaid, or that union teachers are overpaid? Don’t beat around the bush…. 🙂
Jon: if the information was in the BoE’s hand long before the meeting, then why did Mrs. Butler ask Pam Shau for the info and Shau had to go get it for her? Again, like Edison, too many unanswered questions, but hey, it’s water, let’s dive in, doesn’t matter if it’s 10 feet deep or 2 inches deep—right. Just as long as CAT wants it, the Chamber wants it, the PHA wants it, etc. Did anyone notice that the chamber president stated his address at DUNLAP…..super! Always good for non-Peoria taxpayers to tell taxpayer in Peoria what they will get to pay for, isn’t it!
It is the Peoria-AREA chamber of commerce, not strictly Peoria. But yeah, gotta like the outsider input with no stake in the decision.
I’d like to know if many of the supporters all go to the same church? Just asking. Also, anyone who has been on the Charter team should NOT get a job with the Charter school. Hinton should have zero say who works there because we’ll end up with all his friends and relatives.
Really, folks, who benefits from the charter school at what cost? CUI BONO?
And more importantly, who pays the cost for those who benefit?
Why cheering and back thumping? Is it a party when the school board admits the administration and teachers they have can’t do the job themselves? Or is it that they are really happy for 225 kids out of the district and don’t care about the rest?
so you know… here the next initiative:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/education/12exit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
“As deadlines approached for schools to start making passage of the exams a requirement for graduation, and practice tests indicated that large numbers of students would fail, many states softened standards, delayed the requirement or added alternative paths to a diploma.”
Can I have the graduation test concession?
Interesting stats reported in the LA Times about charter school performance.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-charters-stats10-2010jan10,0,5321191.story
LA is home to more than 160 charter schools, far more than any other U.S.
What you may not know is that LA Unified School District has admin problems not unlike our own. The Superintendent was being paid (may still be) more than the Mayor in that Mayoral city government, and his chauffeur was being paid over $100,000 a year… TWENTY FIVE or THIRTY YEARS AGO! That is when they began selling off their schools to pay for the administration.
Just curious if you had the option CJ would you send your child to CC or the chater school? When the charter school starts taking high school students would you be Peoria Central or charter school? What about your friends and neighbors? Im just asking because I know those neighborhoods are stong bastions of district 150 attendees.
Mahkno, I don’t believe that all the black people were from the same church. Maybe you aren’t aware of the number of black churches in Peoria. I am baffled by the strong support from black families and board members. Do they really believe that the majority of students at the charter school will be black? Time will tell, and if the majority turn out to be black, I’ll bet that’s the last time the community business leaders come up with matching funds for the school. Most members of Peoria AREA Chamber of Commerce do not live in District 150–and I don’t believe that their primary interest is in the education of black children in poverty areas of Peoria. I noticed that on the list of donors on last night’s agenda was $300 worth of books from Rob Parks to Von Steuben–why not a south end school? I am also baffled that Linda Butler and Martha Ross aren’t able to connect the dots. One minute they vote for the charter school just after they were told that opening the charter school will eventually mean closing another high school. Within minutes both Linda and Martha brought to the table their desire to discuss Manual’s need for more services of some kind and for more “morale” support for Manual from board members. Which high school do they think will close next? Richwoods?
Stephen–If 150 doesn’t follow C.J.’s advice to get all its schools in order, then C.J. will have every reason to choose the charter school–if it turns out to be the superior school that is promised.
Sharon, I didn’t bring up church affiliation.
On another note; I would like to know Laura Petelle’s reasoning for the ‘no’ vote.
My apologies, Mahkno–Strong1 brought up the church affiliation. I think Laura stated her reasons–the same that most opponents would have. She stated she was baffled by how a district that just closed a high school (and so many other schools) could be voting to open another school.
The problem with the performance of charter schools is that it varies much more than the more standardized public schools. Many perform worse than nearby public schools, a few perform extremely well. A 2009 study at Stanford found that 17% of charter schools showed academic gains that were significantly better than demographically matched nearby public schools, 46% were no different, and 37% were significantly worse. Also, they tend to have different results for different demographics. Black and Hispanic students and average students, for instance, tend to do worse in charter schools than public schools, while poor students and above average students do better. Illinois fared somewhat better than other states in the study, but again the variation is troubling. An analysis of the state report cards of Concept Schools’ attempts shows some improvement, but not necessarily sustained, and also a lot of variation. We will just have to hope that the Peoria charter school will be one of the wildly successful ones, and offer it what support we can.
However, whether or not it succeeds will have little long term effect. Some of last night’s revelers might view the new charter as a panacea, but it will at most affect around 1.6% of the district’s students for now, and it will not suddenly make poor or average students perform well. In short, it is not the golden ticket some might have imagined or acclaimed. The focus still needs to be on righting the financial ship and getting the restructuring underway once a new superintendent arrives. (Hopefully the new one will both receive and deserve more support from Peoria’s citizens than has been afforded in the past.) The charter school will just add another school closing to that process, regardless of how cost neutral its proponents made the first year look. (One has visions of a gaggle of new car dealers and pressure salesmen offering, for a limited time only, a top of the line model with questionable reliability ratings for Zero Down and Zero % Financing for 12 Months!)
To answer Jon’s question on an earlier thread, I don’t make decisions, I simply try to inject some rationality into the discussion. 🙂 I recognize that such a quest is futile, but I try anyway. Ah, how much easier a life of demagoguery would be. Or maybe it’s not too late for me to run away and join the circus?
Jack
Jack, thanks for your comments–a voice of reason.
This is so amusing: which does the Chamber of Commerce hate more — unions or high taxes? In the chamber-backed charter school it gets a 2-fer. The charter school, set up on a business, not education, model will help bust the teachers union. But most of the chamber members don’t live in District 150, so they don’t face the high taxes in the district!
Union busting at bargain rates! What could be better for them, or worse for the public which will see neighborhoods, and educational equity, further diminished by this charter school.
Sharon, I didn’t say 85% went to teachers. I was quoting what I heard Jim say. I believe he is talking about ALL employees – teachers, administrators, janitors, secretaries, etc. Secondly, where did I say that I don’t think most of the education fund should go towards teachers pay/benefits? (So why ask the question?) But, for argument sake, even if those figures of 85% and 60% are accurate towards teachers only (though I don’t think that was specifically what Jim was referring to), would not “most” go towards the teacher’s in either event? Perhaps you should just discuss it with Jim directly since you have that kind of relationship with him.
However, I think it’s a pity you believe the community business leaders would regret helping to fund a school should it ultimately benefit a majority of black students. (Just as I think it’s a pity you believe, from an earlier post, that much of D150’s discipline problems come from black administrators and a black community that you see as too lenient). Aren’t those kinds of generalizations similar to the ones that are core to the bigotry and racism you rightly oppose? Nonetheless, I appreciate that you share your views – even if I don’t agree.
CJ, whether or not the charter school teachers will be “underpaid” remains to be seen. Will they be able to hire quality teachers at their proposed budget? Will there be substantially higher, unforced turnover than what exists now? My guess is the charter school won’t have too much of a problem either way.
As far as whether or not the current union teachers are “overpaid”, then my answer is generally yes. On an earlier thread, I pointed out that the average compensation of a person with a Bachelor’s degree in the U.S. was $43k. The average compensation of a person with a Master’s degree was $52k. (Maybe not a perfect comparison, Jack, but one that seems on the surface to be reasonable) Half the teachers in D150 have their Bachelors, and half have their Master’s. To be on par with the rest of the population with such degrees, then, the average should be $47.5k. D150 average salary is nearly $56k. The benefits package is typically better then the general population – looking primarily at health care.
Now, I also think that the average pay is out of whack mainly because of the salaries at the top end – primarily teachers who have been with the district a longer time. Doesn’t it say something that the administration/BOE would offer a 6% raise in each of the last 4 years before retirement so as to encourage those senior teachers to leave the system? When you criticize the notion of paying money now so as to save in the future, don’t forget this issue with retiring employees – I haven’t seen the PFT criticize that payment.
When you look at the district pay scale there are salaries that seem so far out of whack. I do believe there is benefit to GENERALLY paying higher salaries for more experience and/or education. However, when the position is essentially the same (classroom teaching, for example) I think we’ve gone too far. For the most extreme example, see that we pay a 1st year teacher with a Bachelors a base salary of $31,087 – and we pay a 30 year veteran teacher with a Masters +75 a salary of $76,522 (and that’s before any retirement incentives). I am familiar with the salary structure of one area private school. It is comparable at the low end but doesn’t pay nearly as much on the high end.
Now, D150 is no different than most districts in the area in this regard. That is a testament to the strength of the state and national teacher’s unions. But don’t even get me started on tenure. (Emerge posted an article about how Arizona made changes to its state law regarding tenure, recall rights and salary reductions – sometimes this kind of change needs to come from the highest source you can go – the system has trouble fixing itself.)
But lest anyone come for my head again, I do believe that MOST teachers work very hard (much longer than any required hours) under VERY difficult circumstances, especially in D150. Also, there sure seems like there are too many administrators in D150 as well (big understatement). It’s not an efficiently run system – which is the fault of the administration. Part of fixing those problems, though, has to affect everyone, including teachers, janitors, etc.
150 teacher – perhaps I misinterpreted your disdain about WHO didn’t provide the information – my point about the information was that the info that the charter group needed to provide (including future fund raising goals) was submitted months ago. The info Mrs. Butler wanted was from the administration. I am glad that Debbie Wolfmeyer changed her characterization of the $1.7MM “cost” of the charter school.
Charlie and Jack – the hope is that the charter school is just another step in changing the system – one who’s impact will be on more than just those specific students it will serve. And, yes, Elaine, it is a way to at least diminish the strength of the teacher’s union and the other district employee unions. (as well as a challenge to the district administration that acknowledges it isn’t getting the job done) Though I am curious, what is this “education” model of which you speak – how does it pay the bills in order to operate?
And, Jack, I could just as easily argue the case against the charter school (or show studies that counter the Stanford one), but in the end I make a choice. Because in the end, that’s what it is all about – choice.
P.S. – why is it “too late” to join the circus, Jack? Aren’t you here now 🙂
The Chamber of Commerce is totally ok with higher taxes when the proceeds benefit them directly. **points to museum tax** Redistribution from poor to rich is ok. Rich to poor is bad.
Jon, Your: Sharon, I didn’t say 85% went to teachers. My: (But you did insinuate it) On that issue, I’m not at all certain that janitors, cafeteria workers, etc., are paid out of the education budget. I just looked at the 2009 budget (as opposed to the numbers I previously gave which came from the District Dashboard under 2008 expenditures). The 2009 numbers are completely different–and salaries and benefits are 85% of total. Also, in 2009 budget, separate salaries and benefits are listed under Operations and Maintenance(maybe janitorial) and Transportation. I don’t get it at all.
No, I won’t ask Jim to clarify–Jim thinks teachers are overpaid and that’s the only clarification he ever offers me. Last night, he picked up on Jeff’s comments about how much teachers do for kids outside the classroom and then presented an argument for having teachers follow Jeff’s lead to do more volunteer work–comments that were very facetious on your part, Jim. I guess I’ll just have to go with my views that financial advisors are overpaid, also. 🙂 In other words, I understand the complaints from hardworking, underpaid people who think teachers make too much. I don’t understand Jim’s complaints–especially, since his father and brother are or have been teachers, also.
Your: However, I think it’s a pity you believe the community business leaders would regret helping to fund a school should it ultimately benefit a majority of black students. My: Me, too. However, can you prove to me that any of those leaders have lifted a finger or contributed money to schools on the south side. I believe Caterpillar and maybe other community leaders did chip money into the IB program at Richwoods. Many of them do not even live in Peoria–which gives you an idea of how much they seek out diversity in their own lives.
Your: (Just as I think it’s a pity you believe, from an earlier post, that much of D150’s discipline problems come from black administrators and a black community that you see as too lenient). My: I doubt that I stated my views quite that way. However, I did say that I fully understand this bent toward leniency (although I believe it is misguided) because of the way black students were treated in the era when many of the black administrators were in school. If I recall (either here or on Emerge’s blog) I also mentioned that white administrators have been guilty of the same leniency. If you want to call that kind of understanding on my part, bigotry then I guess you are entitled to your opinion. I guess you would have to call Bill Cosby a bigot, also. I know that Martha Ross gets upset when we talk about the behavior of 150 children. I taught Marth’s daughter; I worked with Martha for several years at Urban League. I understand Martha’s feelings–I disagree with her “head in the sand” stance, but I can’t go so far as to criticize her because I know her heart and know that her intentions are good. Also, I know that Martha would never have allowed her own daughter to behave as many children behave in today’s 150 classrooms–and she was a wonderfully behaved young lady. Also, I know that Martha wouldn’t put up with these behaviors if she were a teacher. Again, the charter school will have a great chance of success if the behaviors allowed in 150 schools are not allowed in the charter school.
Does anyone know why there are three special BOE mtgs scheduled for January to be held at ICC? Just wondering if the mtgs are related to the supt. search or something else.
Board Policy 4:90 (Student Activity Fund Mgmt) states the board appoints a Student Activity Fund treasurer. Does anyone know who is appointed to that position?
TR64 – Tues is a presentation to Board on finalists from the community search group, Fri. & Sat are interviews of the finalists by the Board. Student activity fund oversight is being overhauled. Not sure who is in position you are asking about, but Ms. Schau is addressing the lack of structure and oversight throughout the District.
Thank you.
Jon – great post. Regarding teachers salaries – one of the biggest components of their compensation is the defined benefit retirement plan. Likely a very small percentage of the folks that earn on average 47.5k for a bachelors/52k for a masters are eligible for such a benefit from their employers. In you take this benefit into account, than teachers are highly compensated in this day and age where most employers offer a 6% 401k match at most.
Frustrated: I am so out of the loop on these issues, I just took what I was given or not given without asking questions (when it came to salary, etc.), but I thought the retirement incentive that I received–the 2 x 2 was something the state was offering to encourage experienced (higher salaried people) to retire. I think the district got stuck with maintaining benefits of the early retirees (under 62 or 65)–that was the price they were evidently willing to pay to get rid of older teachers. Of course, I didn’t cost the district anything for benefits after retirement because I was 67 when I retired. I am not at all knowledgeable on this issue, but as far as retirement itself is concerned, most of us paid our own retirement for a long time–and then I think the district picked up some of that cost instead of giving raises during one contract. I definitely believe that I paid for much of my own retirement over my 43-year career. I don’t even know if or for how long the retirement incentive continued after I retired in 2005. I’m sure that the younger teachers are headed for a much different arrangement–more in keeping with what you state above. Of course, there were teachers who retired 10 to 20 years or so before I did (before these incentives) who are truly receiving very little in the way of retirement benefits. I don’t think you are basing your opinions on the whole picture. Now I am paying for my own benefits (taken out of my retirement check and Medicare out of my $200 social security. Actually, I believe I always paid all or part of my insurance benefits when I was teaching.
By the way, I did earn much more from social security (jobs before I started teaching and summer jobs), but teachers can’t double dip, so I lost most of the social security benefits. I believe that younger teachers can’t receive any social security benefits even if they worked jobs other than teaching.
Sharon said (in reference to an alleged lack of support for AA kids): “Me, too. However, can you prove to me that any of those leaders have lifted a finger or contributed money to schools on the south side. I believe Caterpillar and maybe other community leaders did chip money into the IB program at Richwoods. Many of them do not even live in Peoria–which gives you an idea of how much they seek out diversity in their own lives.”
You made the allegation — you should prove it, not Jon. In fact, you know nothing of these folks’ motivation. I would gather that Cat donates quite a lot to these causes, the Urban League being just one to start. A quick search found this from Dec 2009: “Community Builders Foundation received funding from the Caterpillar Community Leadership Fund for their Manual High School PBIS Program project.” You should be ashamed of such a blanket statement.
Sud O. Nym–you got me there–I know they have contributed to Urban League. I am appropriately ashamed. I expanded my statement about the Chamber to include Caterpillar and I did know better.
Sharon — One thing I like about you is that you are quick to acknowledge when you have overstepped. However, I think you imbue the Chamber with too much power. I’m not sure they, as a group, support causes in the same sense that the Caterpillar Foundation supports causes. I would gather that many individual Chamber members donate quite a bit to “southside issues”, though I would have no way (or, more likely, no inclination) to find out. I do find it a bit rich that you have argued that most chamber members have children in districts other than 150 and hence have no real interest. Simultaneously, you have NO children in 150 either. Everyone in the Peoria area has an interest in 150’s success. It is just a matter of degree. Even those that do not pay 150 property taxes are impacted by its quality.
Although I choose my words carefully, I guess I’m just not as delicate as Sud is. To be clear, Sharon, I do not think you are a bigot or racist. I just think that people have a harmful tendency to “overstep”, as Sud suggested, and when you talk about black administrators, for example, being too lenient (earlier post) it doesn’t matter that you say on another blog that white administrators can be too lenient as well. (Why the racial descriptor in the first place?) As for Cosby, while I respect a great deal of what he has to say, I think he “overstepped” by saying it is “crap” when black people name their kids “Shaniqua or Mohammed”. And while he criticizes some in the black community to be more accountable, I’ve never seen him say that they are MORE lenient than whites, Hispanics or anyone else (though I can’t say I am a scholar of Cosby, either.)
Which brings us back to the general D150 charter school topic. I don’t care what color, what ethnicity, what level of income, what part of town, etc. the students come from. If they feel that the charter school is a place that they want to be, I hope they will apply and get in. That is what I think Martha was talking about when she said level playing field.
Sudonym–I admit that I have been overly critical of the chamber of late and undoubtedly erred in making blanket statements about people I don’t know at all. I am just baffled as to how they as a group are able to have such power over a District 150 school board (the fault being theirs, not the chamber’s). Clearly, it is the Peoria AREA Chamber–therefore, many of them do not live in Peoria or pay taxes to District 150, so I objected first to its representatives showing up to encourage the closing of Woodruff–and now the opening of a charter school. Again, my objection is that the board listens to them. Of course, my strong interest in District 150 stems from the fact that I taught in 150 for 43 years and many of its children (some now in their 50s) are near and dear to my heart. I now have seven (2 relatives and 5 adopted relatives) children (one age 14 and six age 8 and under) who live in District 150–and need 150 schools. I agree that everyone who lives in Peoria and West Peoria should care what happens in 150, but many have found their own ways to avoid 150 and its problems.
Jon, I generally avoid the racial descriptor and would not have designated the race of administrators had I not been responding to blogs about the Trewyn lawsuit which, of course, is very much racial in nature. If you have read my blogs carefully enough (and you and I both write so much that such close attention to our writings is not possible) to note that I have stated that I see the problem as an administrator vs. teacher problem (and that race is not as important as it may seem). However, if 150’s problems are to be resolved, I fear that this racial issue will have to be resolved and attacked head on. By speaking out on this issue (and the same was true during the Royster era), I have put myself at odds with people about whom I care a great deal–please don’t ever think it’s easy for me to speak out on these issues. Yet I feel that those of us who really care simply must enter into the discussion. As for Cosby–many, many years ago before his speaking-out became more public, a black friend of mine attended a graduation ceremony at which he was the speaker (at the college graduation of one of Manual’s basketball players). She was very upset with Cosby for ruining the graduation with his attacks on the behaviors of young black people. It was only later that he began speaking out on the media, etc. Frankly, I believe he intends his message to be for only black audiences and has made it clear that he doesn’t want white people to do any gloating about his seeming agreement with white critics of black young people. His whole purpose is to help black young people (for their benefit, not to make white people happy). I understand and applaud that. Any time that I complain about administrators making excuses (and therefore giving no consequences for bad behavior) of young people of any color, I disagree with them on the grounds that they are doing untold harm to those young people. Jon, I also feel that no matter what I say you are going to find a way to make an argument out of it; therefore, I should stop responding to you. However, these issues are very important to me, so I do not want to run the risk of being misunderstood. You can disagree with me; I just want to be sure you understand my intentions. However, Jon, it didn’t occur to me that you were calling me a bigot or a racist; that would just be to absurd.
I notice in your list of the types of students you want to be in the charter school, you don’t mention behavior problems and those who are behind academically. Should they be as welcome in the charter school? Public schools can’t screen these kids out; should the charter school, a public school, be able to do so?
By the way, Jon, there are many older black adults who (in private) criticize the names given to black children by their young parents. The names are a generational thing–and the older generation of any race has its quarrels with the younger generation. I have grown to love the variety of names. I do have a list that make me smile–but having gotten to know the children behind the names, the names are not offensive. You know–a rose by any other name is still a rose.
“The interim superintendent predicted the number of positions that would be eliminated five years from now? Say no more.”
Actually I don’t think it is a math issue at all… it is a retirement issue. The positions are not being eliminated, the employees are retiring… (although in the eyes of Human resources, that is the same thing… people = positions.)
Charlie, the positions can still be eliminated. Before restructuring, that happened at Manual all the time. People retire and no one is hired to fill the positions. Do you really believe that closing schools (Kingman, Tyng, etc.) didn’t result in fewer teachers in District 150? Now for administrators that’s different–a place is usually found for them if their school closes.
Not at all… I just meant that he wasn’t REALLY eliminating jobs, he was letting them “expire”.
Of course there are probably less teachers, but probably not less administrators.
Charlie–we seem to be the only ones on the blog today–so: I think that jobs have been eliminated. The problem–as many would see it–is that it is the non-tenured teachers who lose their jobs in order to eliminate positions. However, 150 does get rid of old teachers through retirement. Those who retire often cause a reshuffling of jobs. But somewhere a long the line, positions are eliminated.
I have a question? What happened to the Lindbergh principal?
well dlb – I guess your question on the Lindbergh principal has been answered –
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1685418572/Ex-principal-allegedly-viewed-porn-at-school
I’m sure all the people @ LMS involved with running off Mrs. McArdle are asking themselves how they could have been so BONEHEADED and not given her fair treatment…..
18,000 hits in six months on porn sites…….JUST LOVELY……..teach the children well, Mr. Hise!
It never ceases to amaze me how the district has run off good quality people with good morals and ethics and they instead hire (and retain) unethical people.
Amen.
anyone else find it amazing that a 150 school was on lockdown today and very few people even know it happened? Trewyn was locked down while they searched lockers for a gun. I’m told nothing was found and the lockdown ended. The school day there ended w/ the evacuation of the building caused by one of the young scholars setting off a fire extinguisher making it appear as if the hall was filled w/ smoke. but yeah, build a charter school w/ $$ ya don’t have, cause there just aren’t any good reasons for an alternative school!!!
Reminder: All are invited to the meeting of the District Watch group on Sunday, January 24 at Godfather’s at 6 p.m. Monday’s BOE agenda includes the adoption of a contract with the charter school group. Yes, Mapleton, I wonder how many such incidents will have to occur before 150 gets serious about discipline and an alternative schools. My guess is–no time soon. District 150 decision-makers continue to take a “head in the sand” approach to the gang problems in our schools. I hear that Manual students are complaining that restrooms are often closed because of too much vandalism and gang signs on walls, etc. 150, however, continues to deny that gangs are a problems in 150 schools–and that the problems will increase with the closing of Woodruff next year.