Wojcikewych considering School Board run

At Washington Gifted School’s Fine Arts Night on Thursday, Principal Joan Wojcikewych told the audience what she’s planning to do after she retires at the end of this year: run for the District 150 school board. Wojcikewych lives in the second voting district within District 150. The terms of current second district board members Linda Butler and Lynn Costic (who is filling Rachael Parker’s term since Parker was elected to the Peoria County Board) expire in 2012. Икони

167 thoughts on “Wojcikewych considering School Board run”

  1. thought I saw you there last night. I liked the applause she got after the announcement. Im sure she would get plenty of votes from the WMS parents, but not sure how many reside in the 2nd.

  2. Glad to hear that – she’s a sharp cookie and a solid thinker who would have the children’s best interest at heart while still being fiscally responsible.

  3. She is a capable, educated, take charge person. I think she would be a asset to the Board.

  4. Facts please. What can you tell us about overall academic achievement of students 5th through 8th (reading “exceeds”) during the last 6 years at Washington? Also, how do the statistics for behavior interventions compare to previous management (particularly 8th grade boys)?

  5. 2 Cents,
    You obviously have had a problem with her and no one will change your opinion. As for your statement of: “Is over-spending on the contract allowances for extra-curricular activities fiscally responsible?” sounds like someone screwed up in HR and payroll where those payments are hard wired.

  6. I’m not interested in opinions…just facts. If you are interested in facts, you can read the e-mails regarding the over-spending, unapproved fieldtrip, canceled interviews, non-existent letter of concern that was(n’t) filed with the ISBE, etc…..

  7. Please do not even attempt to put Joan in the same category as a criminal like Mary Davis. It is because of MD’s behavior(bad checks/unauthorized credit cards) that every principal now has to “ask” for a check to be cut for their buildings because they are not even allowed to have activity fund checkbooks anymore.

  8. Don’t you have to be convicted before you are called a criminal? Was Mary Davis convicted? I seemed to have missed that news. Or can anyone compare a convict to Mary Davis?

  9. Emtronics, convicted? Not here. We hang ’em high here all the time without a trial.

  10. No, Mary Davis has been skirting the judicial system for well over a year now. Evidently she is trying to put time between the arrest and conviction or just trying to put off the inevitable. I believe she is on her 6th continuence. Wish someone would explain to me how a person charged with 16 felony counts of theft has YET to stand before a judge???

  11. That your lucky stars you have Rights in this country. If Ms Davis is on her 6th continuance than it’s by the grace of a judge, not her own. It’s called due process. We all get this right when we are accused. You might remember something else: Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I’ll wait for her day, again, she has that right no matter how low your beliefs are.

  12. Makes you wonder what the State’s thinks of its own case on Ms. Davis to agree to so many continuances??

  13. as has been explained here before MD or any other similar case has the same right to ask for and be granted a continuance until her case becomes the oldest on the court docket then it has to go to trial. There must be some strategy being played though since the same D150 players are intertwined with the other case with the Lindbergh suit, but on different sides of witness stand. MD is a co-defendant with Hinton in one and in the other one he is against her. Maybe she has a trump card there wink wink!

  14. I will certainly be glad when the Mary Davis case is put to rest–one way or the other. It is not unusual for these cases to take years to be resolved. I am not sure the continuances say as much about Mary Davis’ guilt or innocence as they do about the ability of lawyers to make as much profit as they can from any case.

  15. Although if I was innocent I can guarantee I wouldn’t be asking for continuances. I would be like BRING IT ON!!!!

  16. Totally off the subject… No one has been placed at valeska hinton yet? Is there a reason for that?

  17. My offhand and maybe uncalled for comment is that much chaos now exists in District 150. Too much change all at once is too overwhelming–and some of the necessary tasks (where parents and children are considered) such as placements at Valeska and Washington Gifted get forgotten in the chaos. Everyone will be out of their comfort zones. Since when is discomfort a recipe for good educational results?

    The one change I love the most is that (since P.E. will now be counted in the GPA) there will be advanced P.E. classes. Do you think that an advanced P.E. curriculum has been developed? I wonder what will be offered in an advanced P.E. course, especially in the usually overcrowded P.E. classes, which will be even more overcrowded since there will be no more exemptions from P.E. for those in athletic extra-curricular activities or marching band. As I stated in my comments at the last board meeting, forcing students to choose between band and an academic class will kill the marching bands at all three high schools.

    I have only heard a smattering about some new idea (to be in place next year) of some self-contained middle school classes(and maybe high school) classes that will consist of math, science, and culinary arts. I’m not sure what kind of cooking appliances are available at most middle schools. Maybe I heard that one incorrectly–can anyone help shed some light on this one?

  18. The e-mails don’t have anything to do with MD and I strongly suggest people avoid attacking and accusing the truth tellers (or their children).

  19. 2 cents-

    “I strongly suggest people avoid attacking and accusing the truth tellers (or their children)”

    Good luck with that! Past D150 history suggests that those who challenge unethical behavior often get punished.

  20. PJStar called her bluff and she changed her story. Very predictable. Sharon–what is your specific question??

  21. 2 cents–where is the story–couldn’t find it online? Still confused about the e-mails you mentioned earlier.

  22. 2 cents, Is it the article about Ungurait? How did she change her tune?

  23. I don’t know anything about Michelle changing her tune. She’s a finalist for the job in York, PA and I hope she gets the position.

  24. DIstrict Watch will meet at Monical’s (Knoxville and Lake) at 6 this Sunday. All are welcome. 2 Cents, I must have read the wrong article–to which article and to whom were you referring when you said she changed her tune?

  25. 2 cents–I finally found the article that states that Wojcikewych might not be so sure about running for the school board. I know that you have expressed misgivings about her–however, I do believe that she has something to offer the board.

  26. I do not know the details, but weren’t there several complaints about how children were being chosen for Washington? I can see that if someone felt they did not receive a fair process, Joan would be blamed. But shouldn’t admin really be the ones to make the final choice?

    Also, before Joan worked for Dist 150, she worked for the Catholic school system in Peoria didn’t she? Does anyone know why she left? But then, why does anyone leave? Money!

  27. A panel of educators external to the school review candidates and select students to attend Washington. I don’t believe the Washington principal has a say in the makeup of the student body.

  28. If this account is true, then I do believe that Joan wasn’t using good judgment when she said that gifted parents produce gifted children, etc. I am not even certain that one could state that as a verified fact. Even so, that kind of elitist conversation shouldn’t be spewed by an educator. I know a few kids from Washington Gifted–and am very thankful that not all of them view themselves as better than others. It is truly a gift if one can teach one’s children to live up to their full potential without feeling superior to others.

  29. Polly posted a positively profound portrayal. That post is from about 5 years ago. The routine was the same every year though. Ila certainly displayed better judgment and had a lot of class.

  30. Elaine Hopkins has posted a great summary of public comments from the D150 mtng last night http://peoriastory.typepad.com/. Apparently a teacher was recently disciplined for comments on her facebook page even though the district has no policy regarding social media. According to Terry Knapp the teacher has already met with an attorney. Can you say “first amendment”?

    Could be more tax dollars flushed down the drain.

  31. What was this teacher’s discipline?

    Legalities aside, I have little sympathy for teachers saying things about their employer on facebook or twitter. Just not smart.

  32. 150 observer-

    Don’t know what the discipline was. Legalities aside, I agree with you 100%.

  33. Not taking sides without knowing the details, but many times the issue is that teachers are held to higher standards than administrators.

  34. 2 Cents and the rest, teachers can hold themselves to higher standards; however, there is nothing in a teacher’s contract or in any board policy that covers what a teacher does or says on his/her own time. Those days are long gone–on the way out just as I was coming in as a teacher when laws began to give teachers the same rights as others have to live their own lives. This teacher is being singled out; if the district applied the same scrutiny to all teachers, the district could go on a witch hunt and find all sorts of what might be considered unacceptable behavior by others.

    I was at the meeting where the teacher discussed this situation. I do not recall hearing that she put anything on her Facebook page that was criticizing her employer.

    I didn’t realize that District 150 would be stupid enough to open the whole can of worms presented by questions about participating in social networks such as Facebook but I am sure there are lawyers all over the country waiting for this pot of gold.

    By the way there was absolutely no punishment–just a warning. I believe it was just a case of trying to scare the teacher for some reason–and, of course, the question is warning of what–sounds very much like a threat. The important thing to remember in this case is that the teacher has never had an unsatisfactory evaluation–that the narratives have always been positive. This reprimand was not part of a formal evaluation–just a warning.

  35. By the way, talking about a lawsuit is way too premature. If this warning is taken out of the teacher’s file (which is all that is being requested), there would be no grounds for a lawsuit. By the way, Terry was given incorrect information and is or will take steps to correct his statement last night. The union did tell the teacher she could write a rebuttal–however, the warning would still stay in her file.

  36. Emerge, how did you jump to the conclusion that this teacher is a disgruntled teacher? Nothing in the warning (which I have read) says anything at all about the teacher’s classroom performance or about her attitude toward her job or employer. The warning, however, did contain some sort of prediction that her Facebook page could negatively impact her teaching if she doesn’t remove the Facebook page–that implies the personnel director believes she is clairvoyant, or it could be construed as a warning of action to stifle the teacher’s rights.

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