Tag Archives: District 150

2011 Election, Peoria Public Schools

How Debbie Wolfmeyer sees her job

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District 150 School Board president Debbie Wolfmeyer is up for reelection this year to another five-year term. You may recall that during her first term she sent a rather infamous e-mail to concerned parents.

In May 2008, Ms. Wolfmeyer told a concerned parent via e-mail, “I must respectfully decline your invitation to meet with you. It is not my role as a Board member to meet with individuals or groups. None of us as an individual Board member has any authority. Our authority comes as we work as a body. Also, I am not an educator. Therefore, it is important that any ideas, solutions, etc that are presented go through the administration so that they can assess them and report to us.”

At the Uplands candidate forum Thursday night, I asked Wolfmeyer if she would be accessible to her constituents were she to be reelected, and if she saw her role as representing her constituents to the administration, or vice versa.

Wolfmeyer said, first of all, that even though she’s elected from the second school board district, she sees her role as representing the whole school district (meaning all of District 150, not just the second board district), and specifically the children of the whole school district. Secondly, she said she will not “negotiate” with parents or constituents because she’s only one board member and cannot make any decisions unilaterally. She’s willing to sit down and listen to the concerns of her constituents, but in the end, she has to do what’s in the best interests of the children. I mentioned that many of these constituents of whom she spoke are parents who also have the best interests of their children in mind. Wolfmeyer said yes, but there are always parents and other constituents on both sides of an issue.

It doesn’t sound to me like Ms. Wolfmeyer’s views have changed significantly over the past three years. But second board district voters who disagree with her views don’t have many alternatives this election. Wolfmeyer’s only opponent is Mike Mitchell, whose appearances at recent candidate forums do not inspire confidence in his ability to do the job. He is a pleasant and sincere person, but doesn’t display an understanding of the issues facing District 150 or articulate any solution to them. He admits that he’s not a good public speaker, but invites everyone to sit down with him over a beer to discuss his ideas about District 150. I can only presume that he means he’s better able to communicate in a casual setting, not that his views make more sense when heard under the influence of alcohol.

Peoria Public Schools, State of Illinois

What will district consolidation mean for Peoria?

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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced recently his intention to eliminate over half of Illinois’ school districts through mandatory consolidation. There are already bills introduced in the state legislature toward that end:

State Senator Jeffrey M. Schoenberg (D-Evanston) recently introduced a bill, SB1324, which proposes to amend the Illinois School Code to require the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to conduct a feasibility and cost-saving benefits study on the prospect of consolidating school districts in the same geographic area. The ISBE would be required to recommend specific school districts for consolidation in a report due to the general assembly and the governor on or before January 1, 2013. […]

State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora), Chair of the Illinois House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, has introduced HB1216 to create an 18-member School District Realignment and Consolidation Commission to report the “optimal enrollment for a school district and where consolidation would be beneficial.” The Commission would make recommendations to reduce duplication of efforts, eliminate obstacles between qualified teachers and students, lower property tax burdens, calculate the net costs savings of realignment, and advise school districts on reorganization.

So what will this mean for Peoria? The City of Peoria includes three school districts: Peoria, Limestone, and Dunlap. Peoria Heights’ district is completely surrounded by Peoria. Analysts say, “Anticipated targets of the legislation are small school districts with low staff-to-student ratios.” But, they add, “A less obvious aim of the bill is the opportunity to merge small, well-financed school districts with disadvantaged ones to balance economic inequities.”

At first glance, it would appear that Peoria would be a prime candidate for merging school districts. This would mitigate one of the major factors leading to population migration to the north by putting the whole city under one school district with a unified tax rate to support it.

But there’s always been a complication to reforming District 150. The makeup and election of its Board of Education is set by court order, not legislation, as the result of a civil rights lawsuit back in the 1980s. Will this be able to keep the State from consolidating this board with other districts in the region? Or can the State get around the court order by dissolving the various school charters and creating a new district from scratch? Will the State have the political will to make such a move?

The process as currently defined boils down to recommendations from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). It will be interesting to see what they recommend … if the process gets that far.

City of Peoria, Peoria Mayor, Peoria Public Schools

Education Forum to be held this week in Peoria

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From my inbox:

Reforming Schools in Peoria

On Friday, February 18, 2011, Mayor Jim Ardis will host a community meeting that includes elected officials, governmental bodies, educators, business leaders and staff members.  The meeting will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., at Peoria City Hall, in Room 400.

The forum will include a presentation by Bob Darling, President of the Peoria Federation of Teachers Union, in conjunction with Dr. Patrick Dolan, a nationally recognized consultant in the field of education change and structure. The presentation is entitled Reforming Schools in Peoria.  The topic relates to efforts by Mr. Darling and Dr. Dolan to move into a new era of education unionism. 

And this:

AFT President Randi Weingarten to Visit Peoria Mayor, School Teachers and Education Leaders

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on Thursday will visit teachers and students at Glenn Oak Primary School, and later meet with Mayor Jim Ardis and representatives from Peoria’s education community to discuss the ways that teachers and school district officials are collaborating to improve public education in the city as many are now opting for Trilogy Education Services.

“In a time when there’s so much finger-pointing around education, it’s exciting to see the union, school district and other stakeholders working together to support teachers’ efforts to improve the lives of children,” said Weingarten.

Peoria is the first stop on the AFT’s “Making a Difference Every Day” tour, which highlights the positive influence educators and public employees have on the people and communities they serve.

WHO: Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis; AFT President Randi Weingarten; Peoria Education Liaison Bob Collier; Peoria Superintendent Grenita Lathan; Illinois Federation of Teachers President Bob Montgomery; Peoria Federation of Teachers President Bob Darling

WHAT: “Making a Difference Every Day” in Peoria

WHEN: Schedule for February 17 (Members of the media are invited to attend)

8 a.m.: School visit to Glenn Oak Primary School for a closer look at the school’s successful teacher mentoring and induction program. Meet at 809 E. Frye Ave., Peoria.

1 p.m.: Luncheon and education discussion with Mayor Jim Ardis and members of Peoria’s education community. Meet at Jim’s Steakhouse, 110 SW Jefferson Ave.

Peoria Public Schools

Charging gun owner right move

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State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons isn’t charging an eight-year-old boy who brought an unloaded gun to school, but he is charging the gun owner with whom the boy lives.

Arwon Clark, 30, of 1401 NE Glendale Ave. will face charges of endangering the life or health of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, and failure to secure a weapon, a Class C misdemeanor.

This is the right move. Media reports indicate that the kid didn’t know what he was doing and was not bringing the gun to school with the intent to harm anyone. Specifically, he removed the magazine from the gun before bringing it to school (can’t hurt anyone with an unloaded weapon), he may have broken the magazine when he removed it, and he “showed it to a group of boys in the bathroom.” I think it’s pretty clear that he was not taking it to school to shoot anybody, but just to show it to his friends for whatever reason.

The adult in the household (nobody know what relation the man is to the boy, if any) is the right person to charge. Leaving a loaded gun where the kid can get to it is a recipe for disaster. The kid could have shot himself (or others) playing with the gun and trying to remove the magazine.

Apart from legal charges, however, the boy still needs to face school discipline for bringing a gun to school. Bringing weapons to school cannot be tolerated or excused. Even unloaded weapons could be used to intimidate since only the person holding the gun knows whether or not it’s loaded. According to the Journal Star, “Peoria Public Schools District 150 spokesman Chris Coplan declined to discuss specifics of the case Monday, saying generally that the boy would be subject to the same weapons policies as other students.”

Peoria Public Schools, Weather

Lathan says school will resume Monday

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In this week’s “Remarkable Times,” the e-newsletter sent out by District 150, there’s this message from Dr. Grenita Lathan explaining why the schools have been closed so many days this week:

Peoria received its largest snowfall in many years and with it, Peoria Public Schools took one of its longest runs of consecutive snow days. School closures were not because of a lack of trying! In fact, we appreciate and congratulate the city, state and PPS staffs for a job well done! PPS would like to thank our Buildings and Grounds and Transportation employees for their tireless efforts to remove snow from our properties, parking lots and sidewalks, as well as for working to dig out our fleet of 150 buses. Our hand scheduling management Payroll staff and other twelve month employees also worked to keep the District operating during this time.

As mentioned above the District operates 150 buses and has 10,825 students eligible to ride the bus to and from school on any given day. When you combine those numbers and the amount of snow cleared from our city streets, it becomes clear why student safety is a concern. There are very few sidewalks cleared, forcing our students to wait or walk in the street. Add the large snow piles on street corners that block drivers’ views, and students’ safety becomes at risk.

I encourage our community, parents, neighbors and friends to help ensure a safe school day as we plan to return to school on Monday, by clearing sidewalks and driveways over the weekend, or at the least, a safe spot for students to stand as they wait for the bus. Drivers and students should also take extra caution during the school day.

With your assistance, we can help our students return to the classroom in a safe manner.

Thank you for your continued support of Peoria Public Schools!

City of Peoria, Peoria Public Schools

City: Residential plowing complete

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The City sent out this announcement this morning at 6 a.m.:

Residential plowing is completed and 90% of alleys are being reported as plowed. The Snow Route Parking Ban is no longer in effect.

Even though residential plowing is completed, I’m told District 150 buses are still unable to traverse the residential streets, and that’s why school was cancelled today.

Peoria Public Schools

Day 4: No School for D150

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From District 150:

For the safety of our students, all district schools will be closed on Friday, February 4, 2011. All events and activities are cancelled for Friday. This closure will guarantee that school buses will be able to safely transport students on Monday. Please check the district website www.psd150.org for further information.

All 12 month employees are to report to work as scheduled on Friday. If 12 month employees have personal safety concerns due to weather or road conditions, please plan to use a vacation day.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Peoria Public Schools

D150 closes for third day in a row

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District 150 announced this afternoon that “Due to weather and road conditions, Peoria Public Schools will be closed on Thursday, February 3, 2011.”

I have to admit, I’m really surprised by this announcement, which I received via e-mail this afternoon from the District. Given that it hasn’t snowed any more since early this morning, and the City crews have been working around the clock, I really expected things to be clear enough by tomorrow that the buses could get through and school would be back in session. But I’m not complaining, either. It won’t hurt to give the City another day to get things cleaned up before the kids go back.

2011 Election, Peoria Public Schools

Rick Cloyd to run as write-in for D150 seat

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From my inbox:

RICK CLOYD SEEKS DISTRICT 150 SCHOOL BOARD 3rd DIST. SEAT
AS WRITE-IN CANDIDATE

Rick Cloyd
Rick Cloyd
Peoria – Citing a long record of community involvement, Rick Cloyd announced today he is a write-in candidate for the Peoria Public School District 150 Board of Education from the 3rd district.

Because no one filed nominating petitions for the expiring Board term of Jim Stowell, anyone seeking the office will have to run as a write-in candidate in the April 5 general election.

“I’m a lifelong resident of Peoria, and as a graduate of Hines Primary and Richwoods High School, I’m a product of District 150,” Cloyd said in announcing his candidacy.

“This community must have a healthy and accountable public school system, because all of us – students, parents and taxpayers — have a big stake in the effectiveness of our local schools,” he said.

For three years, he and his wife Sally have volunteered with Carl Cannon’s ELITE youth outreach. “Our experience with ELITE really opened my eyes to the potential of Peoria’s youth. District 150 can, and must, provide a safe and respectful environment of educational excellence to help students realize that potential,” Cloyd said. He also taught a Junior Achievement economics classroom course for Richwoods High School seniors.

“In my career with Caterpillar, and as a former vice president of Keystone Steel & Wire Company, I’ve gained the business analysis, personnel management, organizational strategy and marketing experience the School Board needs,” he said.

“District 150 spends approximately $1 million per school day. Many business leaders seriously question what stakeholders are getting for that investment. This may be the most critical public body in our community, and it needs people with business experience to provide fact-based and accountable governance,” Cloyd said.

Cloyd, 62, graduated cum laude from Bradley University with a degree in journalism, and earned an MBA with emphasis in finance from the University of Illinois Executive program. He is employed by Caterpillar Inc. in Strategy & Business Development. Prior to joining Caterpillar, Cloyd was vice president of sales and marketing for Keystone in Bartonville, where he worked for 25 years.

Cloyd has served the community in a number of capacities, including as a member of the Greater Peoria YMCA board, and a volunteer with several other civic and charitable organizations.

According to Dave Haney’s blog, Cloyd lives at 9172 N. Picture Ridge Road. Also running as a write-in candidate: Jody Pitcher, 6109 N. Heather Oak Drive. Pitcher is a Republican Precinct Committee Person and the organizer of the Peoria 9-12 Project.