The following email was sent out to District 150 staff members at the end of business today (this is copied and pasted with no omissions, not retyped):
It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement effective December 2, 2009. This decision to retire earlier than my established date of June 30, 2010 is my determination.
It is because of personal and family reasons that I have decided to retire in December of this year as opposed to June, 2010. For too long I have not taken care of my health and not given my family the time that they so richly deserve. It is time for me to concentrate on getting my health back and spend time with my wife, children, and grandchildren.
our school district has in place most competent individuals who will continue to lead the district going forward. Our Board, the Administration, and entire district staff are committed
to our students and their success.Ken Hinton
Superintendent
Peoria Public School District 150
3202 N. Wisconsin Avenue
Peoria, IL 61603
(309) 672-6768
A special meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, October 14, to appoint an interim superintendent. My sources say that retired Morton School Superintendent Norm Durflinger will be appointed. Durflinger recently served as District 150’s interim Controller after the departure of Guy Cahill.
“And do you really believe the security guards are there only for teacher protection? ”
Yes, I think so. The fact that they don’t do much is another issue altogether.
Who do you think they are there to protect? The students? With all the bullying and shootings and suicides in schools these days… they aren’t doing a very good job. I think the teachers didn’t want the responsibility anymore… “it takes away from our duties of teaching”.
Officer Dunbar, although a really nice man, and Officer Easley a VERY nice woman, were a joke in our school. I remember one time a student took Dunbar’s gun away from him and he didn’t even notice.
Remember hall monitors? (I was one) That is what the uniformed and armed police are now.
kcdad: I doubt seriously that the district would pay security guards to protect teachers–but to each his own. Yes, there isn’t much for them to do (and they don’t look for things to do), but when fights break out, they are extremely important. No, I never considered it my job (or one of my capabilities) to stop fights. Even the male teachers in later years were hesitant to get involved in breaking up fights. One of Manual’s teachers who retired with me had (just a few years before retirement)spent weeks in the hospital because he got involved. Of course, (believe it or not) teachers do report bullying and worse, but they often find administrators unwilling to either punish the behaviors or to take any kind of action. Some of the ways in which the boys intimidate girls, etc., are often reported but go unpunished. Several fights occurred at Richwoods recently (I believe mostly freshmen). I believe that there are fights very frequently at all the high schools–I hear mostly about the ones at Manual. Most fights take place in common areas–halls, cafeterias, etc. In the years before I retired, some of the fights were actually mob scenes. A hallway of kids would come from everywhere to watch fights. I don’t know if it has changed–but the thing that scared me the most and seemed to be happening too often–was for a student to be thrown to the ground by another student and then kicked in the head repeatedly–that’s an attempt to kill or maim. I know that one board member several years ago referred to fights in school as ordinary scuffles between kids–not so any more.