PeoriaStory

District 150 School Board: the public comments

PEORIA -- The June 29 meeting of the Peoria District 150 School Board included a discussion of the budget and some provocative public comments.

Controller Pam Schau told the board that the district budget shows a total deficit of $7.8 million.  And that's if the state of Illinois pays the district the $9.1 million that it owes.

During the required public hearing on the budget, school activist Terry Knapp questioned the budget figures for busing students. "Who bears the charter school busing cost?" he asked, showing a map distributed at the last meeting revealing that  students from every corner of the district will be attending the charter school.

He told of a Woodruff High School student who lives in his neighborhood, a varsity cheerleader who tried and failed to make the Manual High School cheerleading team. She will be bused 1,800 miles next year, he said, a distance equal to a trip from Peoria to Key West, Fla.

Her parents don't have a car, he said. "It's outrageous," he said, meaning the amount of busing that will be taking place, and the fact that this student won't have access to activities unless the district runs activity buses. The board voted to close Woodruff High School claiming it would save money.

During the public comments section of the meeting, Knapp continued, saying "you have excluded her from activities."  Students should not be walking home from school activities, he said, citing his own son, a Woodruff student, who was robbed at gunpoint 16 years ago while walking home.

Students will ride for miles on buses, and no one talks about it, he said. "We're not saving on busing. I don't believe the figures."

Activist Sharon Crews discussed summer school enrollment, saying that her research shows students at Richwoods High School are left out since summer school is only for students at the Title I schools. Her comments are attached below. 

I spoke to the board asking them to reinstate the live cable TV broadcasts of board meetings. The board has never voted on ending the live broadcasts, just announced it. The meetings now are broadcast a week late and the public comments are censored out. 

I also asked them not to drop the GED program at the Peoria Housing Authority where Hedy Elliott Gardner teaches residents there. She has said all the students are District 150 drop outs, or were pushed out when they had low test scores. This gives them a second chance. They are also parents of District 150 pupils, and lack access to other GED programs.

The cost to District 150 is less than $90,000 a year. If only one of the students is kept out of prison by getting an education, the program pays for itself. The same fact is true if only one of their children becomes a good student and a productive member of the community.

Listen to the public comments here.

Download D150 June 29

A video of the entire meeting will be posted on WMBD-TV's website soon, thanks to the District 150 watch group.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

Here is the speech Sharon Crews made to the board, based on her research: 

Summer school is my topic again.  As you know summer school in 2009 cost about $93,000 with $27,500 paid through tuition.   That means that the “real” cost for each of the 409 students was about $227. 

Once I received the FOIAd information about class size, it was not difficult to figure out why summer school last year was so expensive.   As you can see from my handout, 20 of the 32 classes had an enrollment of 15 or less.  The enrollment for 11 of the 32 classes was 10 or less.  There were class sizes of 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.  There were only 2 classes of 20 and none over 20.

Before 2003, that just would not have happened.  The magic number was 20.  I used to sit by the phone waiting for the principal to call to tell me I was hired when enrollment had reached 20 for a particular class.  Of course, teachers sometimes taught two or even three courses during the same class period.  For example, I would frequently have a class of 25 English 3 students and a couple of students in English 7.

I assume summer school is underway right now.  If the original plan has been followed, there should be a total of 120 students enrolled and $40,000 of Title I money is funding summer school.  If all $40,000 is used, the cost per pupil would be a whopping $333 per student—over $100 more per student than was spent for the very expensive 2009 summer school.   Hopefully, that is not the case.

I did discover through my FOIA requests that very few seniors at all four high schools actually failed courses that kept them from graduating.

At Richwoods 10 seniors did not graduate.  Five of the 10 seniors needed just 1 or 2 semester courses to meet requirements.  Of the five, 2 are eligible for free lunch but could not be admitted to District 150 summer school this year because Richwoods is not a Title I school.

I assume Richwoods and District 150 found a way to help these young people—and, hopefully, they too got the same free ride offered the 120 students enrolled in summer school.

 At Manual 4 seniors did not graduate.  None of the four could make up enough courses in summer school to graduate.  These 4 seniors were from 2 ½ to 7 ½ credits short.

I would like to know how you are handling the 90 minute classes in summer school.  For example, I would assume that a student who failed Geometry 1-2. which is a one-semester course at Manual should have to take Geometry 1 in 1^st session and Geometry 2 in the 2^nd session of summer school.

 

At Peoria High only 4 seniors did not graduate.   Three of these seniors need only ½ to 2.75 credits to graduate.  One of these three, however, is not eligible for Title I funds and, therefore, not eligible for summer school.  That just doesn’t seem fair.

One Woodruff student who is short only 1 credit is not eligible for summer school because he or she is not Title I eligible.  I certainly hope you found a way to help this student graduate before the next school year.

The other 6 Woodruff seniors who did not graduate are eligible, but only two of them would benefit significantly from summer school.  These two are 1 ½ credits away from graduation.

Because so few seniors needed summer school, I would assume that, as usual, most summer school enrollees are taking freshmen, sophomore, and junior classes—and I suspect that a significant number of non-Title 1 students will not be given the opportunity to stay ahead of the game.

By the way, last year 316 Richwoods students were eligible for free lunch and 90 were eligible for reduced lunch.  This year’s system was certainly not fair to them.

Please start now to find a better way to offer summer school classes next year.-30-

 

Hands Across the Sand rally

PEORIA -- About four dozen people shouted 'no!' to more offshore oil drilling and 'yes!' to clean energy at the June 26 Hands Across the Sand rally on the Peoria riverfront. It was one of 900 rallies across the globe, and probably one of two in Illinois -- the other in Chicago.

Master of ceremonies Brian "Fox" Ellis noted that a glass of water poured into the nearby Illinois River -- which is almost over the riverfront, due to recent heavy rains -- will end up in the Gulf of Mexico then the oceans. All water is connected, he said.

"We're here today to draw a line in the sand in favor of greener choices for energy consumption, the tough choices better for our economy and environment," he said.

Nearby, a map showed the extent of the Gulf oil spill imposed on a map of Illinois and the Midwest. It extended from Kenosha, Wisc., to Gary Indiana, to Springfield, Il, then into eastern Iowa.

Six speakers included two representing candidates running for the 18th District Congressional seat, Sheldon Schafer of the Green party and Democrat D.K. Hirner. They are running against incumbent Republican Aaron Schock. 

The two and local activist Joyce Harant, who was an unsuccessful Congressional candidate, emphasized the importance of politics in setting national energy policy for clean energy.

Harant warned of so-called "clean" coal plants, destructive coal mining and nuclear power that Illinois politicians are pushing, using tax dollars and subsidies.

The event was sponsored by Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste, Global Warning Solutions, two local groups, and the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club.

Photos of the group linked up to step across a line of sand will be sent to the Obama administration, organizers said.

Here's an audio recording of the event.  

Hands Sand

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Protest the oil spill

From a news release:  seems worthwhile.

HANDS ACROSS THE SAND … A GATHERING TO OPPOSE OFFSHORE DRILLING AND CHAMPION CLEAN ENERGY ON THE PEORIA RIVERFRONT

On Saturday, June 26, people across the globe will gather at their local beaches and riverfronts to draw a line in the sand and say “no” to offshore drilling and “yes” to a clean energy future for America. Gatherings have been organized in all fifty states and numerous countries around the world. The global web site, www.handsacrossthesand.com, recounts the origins of the event as well as its vision and goals. National sponsors include Sierra Club, Audubon, Defenders of Wildlife, Greenpeace, 350.org, moveon.org and 42 other groups. Locally the event is being hosted by the Global Warming Solutions Group of Central Illinois, Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste, and the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club.

 

Event details for Peoria are as follows:

 

What:	Hands Across the Sand is an international movement made up of people of all walks of life and all political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of America’s coasts, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industry.  It is being organized to oppose offshore oil drilling and champion clean energy and renewables. We aim to convince our State officials, Congress and President Obama to stop the expansion of offshore oil drilling and to adopt policies encouraging clean and renewable energy sources.   We believe clean renewable energy is the only way to safeguard America’s future.
When:	Saturday, June 26, 2010 starting at 1030AM
Where:	Peoria Riverfront Clock Tower (at the South Side Bank Plaza just north of Riverfront Village where Joe’s Crab Shack is located)
Who:	Everyone in the community is invited to attend.
Tentative Schedule:
1030AM	A variety of 3-5 minute speakers … sponsoring organizations, environmental educators, and politicians
1055AM	Organize gathering to draw a line in the sand and join hands
1100AM	Symbolic joining of hands/drawing of a line in the sand to show solidarity with gulf coast communities, opposition to offshore drilling and support for clean renewable energy

 

District 150 Board discusses, OKs contracts

PEORIA -- A lackluster meeting of the Peoria District 150 School Board on June 14 got more interesting when the subject turned to student activity fees and a contract that will allow now retired building and grounds/construction manager Dave Ryon to supervise the district's school construction.

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars" flow through the high school activity funds, apparently without adequate oversight, according to controller Pam Schau. 

Auditors have recommended tightening the audit controls, she said, so the board agreed to purchase a $10,000 computer program for that purpose.

The board discussed whether the program would be used at a high school next fall, and Manual was suggested but no final decision was announced.

The board also approved a contract with AECOM Construction, for Dave Ryon to oversee construction. Board members complained about the lack of a cap on the amount he was to be paid, and stipulated that the contract be capped at no more than his yearly pay and benefits before he retired recently.

Board member Martha Ross questioned allowing retirees to continue to be paid what they have been earning as employees, but voted for the contract. Laura Patelle voted 'no' but did not explain her objections.

Board chairwoman Deb Wolfmeyer said the arrangement would let the district avoid hiring someone new while construction is taking place, since it likely will end after a year or two.

The board heard a presentation from charter school board chairman Glen Barton about the new charter middle school for math, science and technology to open in the fall at Loucks School.

Barton said he wanted to do a power point presentation but the board room technology would not allow it, an odd comment since other power point presentations have been presented in the past.

The school's poverty rate, based on those who receive free/reduced price lunches, will be 72 percent, with 69.8 percent African Americans. Twenty-three students who have not been attending District 150 schools were accepted. The 220 students were picked by lottery.

The school will have 28 percent more instructional time than regular schools, with programs on Saturdays. Apparently teachers will be working 6-day weeks. Fifteen teachers will be hired, he said.

The public comments, which the board refuses to include in their delayed cable TV broadcasts of board meetings,  soon will be posted below from an audio recording. Seven people spoke.

Former teacher union president Terry Knapp questioned why board members did not ask Barton hard questions, such as how many special education and non-English speaking children are among those selected from a lottery to attend the school. 

The entire meeting was filmed by the District 150 Watch Group members, and a video will be posted on WMBD-TV's website within a day or two.

     -- Elaine Hopkins

Here's the audio of the public comments: 

D150 June 14

UPDATE 6/15/10:  Here's the Peoria Journal Star's story on the meeting. 

Heartland Festival Orchestra wows at season finale

PEORIA/MACKINAW -- The Heartland Festival Orchestra's first season ended with a bang -- rolling thunder in both the music and in nature.  Very appropriate!

The June 13 concert, at the lovely Mackinaw Valley Winery, in an open air, roofed pavilion, presented Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Both pieces feature thunder and bird calls to depict the seasons.So while real thunder rumbled, and real cardinals, robins and other birds sang furiously (inspired by the music?), the orchestra with soloist Lara St. John played beautifully. 

Trees and vineyards just outside, flanked by green lawns and a lake transported the audience.  Were we in California? 

We sipped wine as the music played.  Artistic director David Commanday complemented the audience as "pioneers" who helped make this first season a success. 

And what a success!  Ballet, drama and music well played throughout the year, topped off by the best event of all at the winery.

Tickets are on sale for the second season (see the website, linked above), and the program announced a July 18 Prairie Serenade at Wildlife Prairie State Park with the HFO winds -- another innovative event not to be missed.

HFO was born out of the anger of many classical music fans when the Peoria Symphony Orchestra early in 2009 fired Commanday, its artistic director of a decade.  His fans didn't want Commanday to leave the area.  With him and many volunteers the HFO was developed.  

I said then that the HFO's innovative programs may be the ultimate future of classical music. After a fabulous first season, that's more true now than a year ago.

Commanday and the musicians have succeeded in creating a classical music experience for the audience, not just a concert. Priceless!

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Spirit Airlines pilots strike led by former Peorian

UPDATE 6/16/2010:  The strike is ending, and the Spirit pilots have secured a fair and equitable contract, its leadership announced. Not one pilot crossed the picket line, and the management of Spirit realized a settlement was in everyone's best interests. Congrats to Spirit pilots!

Here are some relevant links: Associated Press and ALPA.

PEORIA -- The strike by Spirit Airlines pilots may seem far from Peoria. But it's not.

The strike chairman is Paul Hopkins, 39, my son, graduate of Woodruff High School and Western Illinois University.  He's been an airline pilot for years, and worked for Spirit for several years. He's a first officer.

His father, my husband, is George E. Hopkins, a nationally known expert on airlines and pilot labor who has written several books on the subject. So Paul has a free consultant, for what that's worth.

Paul and his fellow pilots are members of the Airline Pilots Association, an AFL-CIO union. He's had released time from flying to work on strike preparations for weeks.  Every pilot has been contacted to stand in solidarity with their fellows.

So far, none has crossed the picket lines, he said in a phone call shortly after 2 p.m. today, June 12. 

The pilots are a very diverse group.  Some speak Spanish, to the delight of Spanish language media, he said. Some are conservative Republicans, but also strongly support the union, he said. 

That's the key to a successful union strike.  Solidarity.

He's confident that the strike will shock airline management into agreeing to a fair contract that will pay Spirit pilots what other pilots flying comparable aircraft now make. That's their goal.

A last minute offer by Spirit management did not reach that level, he said.

They've had wide support from pilots from other airlines, who have conducted informational picketing with them as the strike deadline approached. They know that their future pay and benefits can be affected by what happens to the Spirit pilots.  "We're the tip of the spear," he said.

In a way, the pilots stand for all working people, whose economic welfare rose with the rise of organized labor, and has fallen in recent decades as unions have been weakened.

This is also a labor relations test for the Obama administration.  The president has the power to order airline pilots back to work, and presidents have done this in the past.  But ALPA endorsed Obama, and the head of the FAA is a former ALPA president and Eastern Airlines pilot. So the political climate is right for a successful strike, it seems.

All unions who supported Obama will be watching to see what happens in this strike.

Spirit is a small airline, owned by investors, not a publicly traded company, and said to be a highly profitable operation.  It's headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and flies to Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico,  Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Peru and other Latin American destinations.

Spirit canceled most of its flights in the last couple of days so its planes would not be stranded in far flung locations. Paul said about half the fleet is now parked at the airport in Fort Lauderdale. 

The company is in meltdown mode, he said. Stranded passengers cannot reach anyone to find out about refunds or rebooking.  It announced it would fly through the strike but refused to give details then canceled the flights. So its credibility is zero.

It hoped to hire charter operations to fly its flights, but apparently could not hire any or enough so far. Pilots are a community, and many will refuse to cross picket lines, including those not in unions. Even some Spirit managers have said they won't cross, Paul said.

Spirit is not well liked by its customers who complain of fees that nickle and dime them on top of the fares. It's known as a discount carrier, and competes with American Airlines on its international routes.

It pioneered the extra charges for baggage that many other airlines then adopted, and recently announced it would charge for carry-on luggage, beginning in August.So it's cheap fares are deceptive.

Once again, it's up to the workers to stand and fight for everyone's well being, against the   corporate managers whose only goal is to make money at the expense of others. 

Pilots are more committed to safety than the managers, and serve as a check on corporate greed. It makes sense to pay them a living wage so it's a career for them and safe transport for the public.

Here's a link to an Associated Press story.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

UPDATE:  6/14/2010:  Paul is quoted in the New York Times.

And -- most of the national stories focus on stranded travelers.  While that's sad, it's been no secret that Spirit pilots were planning a strike. Weeks ago they took out billboards and national newspaper ads to warn passengers.

Strikes are rough, but they're the only way to reach an intransigent management.  As Paul has said, "they hate the pilots but love money."  So now they have to choose between them.

Bach's Saint Matthew Passion: Gorgeous

PEORIA -- Part Two of Bach's Saint Matthew Passion plays at 7:45 p.m. Friday, June 11 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in downtown Peoria, 135 NE Randolph. If it's half as wonderful as Part One, on Thursday, June 10, it will be spectacular, an amazing treat.

With two adult choirs, a children's choir, a small orchestra and several operatic-quality soloists, this production is as good as anything you might see in Europe. The historic church is lovely, a perfect setting with good acoustics for the music.

It's the highlight of this year's Bach Festival at the church.

Bach's work is actually an early opera with characters singing the story of the betrayal of Jesus and his arrest, in Part One. It's sung in German, with an English version in the program beside the German lyrics, so the audience can follow the story. 

It's riveting. 

The Thursday event was performed flawlessly. It received a long standing ovation, well deserved.

And here are questions for skeptics to ponder:  Is religion's chief value its inspiration for the arts?  Does Bach make you believe in God?

Think about that when you hear this music.  (Here's a good video from YouTube with links to many others.)

 -- Elaine Hopkins

The Illinois DNR: idiots!

PEORIA -- The June 7 issue of the Peoria Journal Star includes a terrific op-ed piece by John Grigsby, the environmentalist who has saved Rice Lake and its environs from many depredations. 

Now Rice Lake is in jeopardy from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which under Gov. Pat Quinn, who once expressed concern for the environment, and his appointees, should know better than to destroy it to save it.

Peoria environmental activist Joyce Blumenshine also wrote a letter to the PJS on this topic recently.

Both agree that the state DNR is pursuing idiotic, wrongheaded policies at Rice Lake.

In a state that is laying off teachers because it has no money to pay them, it's crazy to waste $11 million on this project.

Some of this is federal funding, but obviously other environmental work should take a higher priority than this one.  And who knows, some of the money might even be diverted to teach kids science.

What Grigsby and Blumenshine omit -- and likely are not aware of -- are other follies pursued by the DNR.

At Spring Lake, near Pekin and Manito, DNR "experts" a few years ago decided to spray herbicide to kill the water lillies in the lake. They made a total mess. Dead lillies everywhere. And it didn't work.

I saw the lake today, and the water lillies are still there. Actually they're lovely. They should be left alone.  So much for the wasted money and the mess made in the past!

Then there's the canal that connects Spring Lake with the Illinois River, and runs along Spring Lake Bottoms, also state property.  Some fool - must be the DNR again! -- recently sprayed herbicide on  trees bordering the canal.

These trees, of various sizes, harbor birds and are part of the natural environment there. The herbicide has killed half of the larger trees, leaving an unsightly scene, with the trees half dead, half sprouting leaves. So they may be recovering.  Smaller trees are dead. 

And worst of all, the herbicide likely drifted into the water, poisoning it.  Fish, birds, frogs, turtles and other creatures use the canal -- guess they loved having to breathe and drink poisoned water -- if they're still alive.

How much money was wasted in this effort?  Why doesn't Illinois ban herbicide spraying on state property and along any waterway?

Once again, why in a state that can't pay its teachers, is this stuff taking place at all?

Likely the good old boys running the DNR can't overcome their urge to "farm" the natural environment, however harmful that may be. Or maybe they're a little too friendly with the herbicide industry! 

Is Gov.Quinn,  like Pres. Obama, impotent and powerless against an entrenched bureaucracy?

Let's hope that Quinn sees the articles by Grigsby and Blumenshine, and takes action to save Rice Lake once again.   This is an election year, after all, and there's a viable Green Party candidate running for governor.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

The city hears, not grills, District 150

PEORIA -- The unusual joint meeting between the Peoria City Council and the Peoria District 150 School Board on June 1 was mostly a snoozer -- until the end. 

That's when the new superintendent, Grenita Lathan, told the audience she was interested in education, "birth through adult." The board has just decided to cut out pre-K and adult education. 

Then she said "it bothers me to see overcrowded classrooms." That's after the board closed Woodruff High School to save money, and is spending millions to expand Peoria High School to squeeze in most of the Woodruff students. 

Then she added, "we will look at how to expand vocational education."  School activist Terry Knapp, now retired after years of teaching and leading the teachers union, has been begging publicly for vocational education for years, and has been ignored. Until now.

To top that off, Mayor Jim Ardis then denied that he wanted to take over the school district, after saying that mayors are held accountable for every organization in the city, and "there are advantages to appointed schools boards," including "expertise" and "better fiscal discipline."

He said "the quality of the schools determines the quality of life. I don't think we can live with the status quo. We've got to do better."

Then the bombshell:  "We should look at the Voting Rights order to determine how to deal with its shortcomings." 

The Peoria District 150 School Board is elected based on a federal court order from the late 1980s that cited the federal Voting Rights Act.  The board is elected from districts to allow for more minority participation, a reform from when all board members were elected at large. It took a federal Civil Rights lawsuit to get that reform.

But Ardis's comment came at the end of a long 2-hour meeting, and nobody picked up on it to ask what he meant. In fact councilwoman Barbara Van Auken was the only person to ask any questions about the schools.

Otherwise, the speakers droned on about the new schools, Peoria Promise, which provides scholarships for students to attend Illinois Central College, the "Race to the Top" grant proposal, etc.  While worthy topics, the presentations didn't provide any real news that has not already been in the press.

District 150 Watch member Diane Vespa filmed the meeting, and hopefully it will end up on the WMBD-TV website, under the category 'news' and "District 150."

For those of us who prefer -- or need -- an audio version of the evening, it is posted below in three segments.  Number one and two are reversed, so listen to 2 first, to hear them in order.

The three parts are because the recorder ran out of battery power briefly.  Then I cut the rest of the meeting in half because of the length. The comments from Lathan and Ardis are in the third part. 

CityD150 1

CityD150 2

City D150 3

-- Elaine Hopkins

UPDATE 6/3/10:  In an email on 6/2 10, District 150 spokeswoman STACEY SHANGRAW wrote:

" Elaine,  Please note that the Board of Education has NOT decided or voted on how to handle Pre-K and Adult Ed next year. Your story states they have."

I responded that Hedy Elliott Gardner of the Peoria Housing Authority GED program, an adult education program, has lost her job there and been reassigned, so what does that mean?  Stacey emailed back that I should call her. I emailed her asking for a written statement of clarification. I want to know why teachers in these programs are being reassigned or laid off.  Maybe the board does not have to vote to close programs if it lays off all the teachers in those programs. She has not yet responded.

My take:  Two board members in a recent regular Board of Education meeting said the primary emphasis of District 150 should be K-12 education. Teachers are being let go. What does this all mean?  Has the board decided in secret, or as they call it, "by consensus" or by default, not to fund these programs?  Or not?  The public deserves answers, not secrecy.