PeoriaStory

Protest police state Oct. 1

UPDATE, 10/1/10 -- The protest went off as planned, attracted more than 20 demonstrators and many friendly car horns honking.  But no news media.  My sign read "Prosecute war criminals, not peace activists."

Then some demonstrators went to the Illinois Central College-based radio station, WAZU at 90.7 on the FM dial, where we were interviewed live about the event.

This new station now is broadcasting Democracy Now at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, where news of this FBI raid was discussed earlier in the week. Democracy Now with Amy Goodman is the best news show on radio -- not to be missed. It's also on the web, but it's terrific that it's now available on radio in Peoria.

PEORIA -- Here's a news release on an event worth attending: (Will the so-called tea party activists join this event?)

Last Friday, September 24, FBI agents entered seven homes and an office of long-time peace and solidarity activists in Minneapolis and Chicago seeking evidence of "material support" of terrorism--confiscating cell phones and computers, posters, even a child's drawing. 

The FBI also gave subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to eleven activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan.  These raids were aimed at those who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupations and wars. (SOA Watch)

These raids were not aimed at particularly militant groups, but at activists. They were clearly part of an attempt to intimidate peace and solidarity activists throughout the country.  Groups such as the School of the Americas Watch and Food Not Bombs have been infiltrated and investigated in the past. 

We need to stand up and speak up against this kind of repressive use of power. 
The Peoria Area Peace Network will have a protest gathering this Friday, Oct. 1, beginning at 4:30 p.m. outside the Federal Building at the corner of Main and Monroe Streets in downtown Peoria. 

Please join us for about an hour of witness to our belief that the First Amendment still protects everyone's right to speak their opinions.  There will be some signs, but please bring your own if you like.  Petitions will be available for signing. -30-

Here's a link to a news story on this issue. 

Here's an analysis of what is really going on.

Public comments at District 150's Sept. 27 meeting

PEORIA -- Thanks to an audience member, here are notes on the public comments at the Peoria School District 150 meeting on Sept. 27.  I was out of town, so there's no audio recording, and was told the camera doing a video of the meeting broke down. 

So we remember:  without taking a public vote, the District 150 board decided last spring not to allow live cable TV coverage of their meetings. Instead they videotape the meetings and run then a week later, with the public comments censored out. 

The District 150 Watch Group has been videoing the meetings to be placed on the WMBD-TV website, and I have done audiotapes of the public comments at most of the meetings. They are posted below, under the category Peoria District 150.

Anyway here are the notes from Sept. 27:  -- Elaine Hopkins

NOTES by an audience member:

Teacher union president Bobby Darling:  Activities buses are not running. Former Woodruff students aren’t getting any…neither are other kids who stay after school for activities…used to always be at schools at 4:00 p.m.

Obama says give bad teachers opportunity to get better, or be removed, but instead parents should be held  accountable. Also get parents involved, not just blame teachers.

Former teacher and activist Sharon Crews:  Regarding No Child Left Behind, the federal law, by 2014 100% of schools must meet AYP, which is an impossible goal. Adults from testing groups, private schools make financial gains from testing.  Woodrow Wilson School has made steady gains.  See her full talk below.

Former teacher union president Terry Knapp: He wants transparency, asked whether charter school go into Woodruff, and noted Peoria will be back to 4 high schools when the charter schools grows into high school.

Regarding the graduation ceremonies and date: Richwoods  should be treated fairly without. special favors to get preferred time. Use a lottery so Richwoods doesn’t always get prime time at Civic Center (it's rumored that Richwoods will get the evening slot for graduation at the Peoria Civic Center since there are more Jewish students there and Saturday, the selected date,  is the Sabbath which ends in the evening.) 

In addition, the CC was already rented to a wedding, but had to back out due to the school district’s graduations (Jim  Stowell later said that was wrong, even though Terry had documentation).

FOIAs are harder to obtain, there are layers that lead to expensive attorneys being involved…FOIA to Quest Charter School has gone unanswered, possibly will not be answered, since it is a private school, then spoke about arrests at the Central football game which never made the PJ Star.

 Charles Williams: Likes new superintendent, says people are leaving Peoria, his daughter was at Richwoods when there was a fight…wants more security to make sure kids are safe…needs more vocational opportunities…said teachers cannot teach jokesters all day long…he wants to work with schools.

Dusty Moultrie…parent and community member of Peoria high kids: Concerned about safety of kids after school…hundreds of students on Bigelow fighting…200 kids in her front yard, she couldn’t even get there without police…a girl was also jumped before school…city police and campus police do not agree on jurisdiction boundaries.

Beth Crider-Olcott:  Medical insurance changing to Personal Care, which is Methodist…OSF was not even in the ballpark.

Bryan Devine: Talked about the good things happening in the district…and upcoming Chess tourney at Glen Oak.

Karen Gast, insurance broker: Thanked D150’s insurance committee…Personal Care will save district $680,000…Methodist executives were in attendance, she introduced them. -30-

Here are Sharon Crews' comments:

My comments tonight relate to what I consider to be the futility of the NCLB efforts. 

     Ravitch states in her book, “As 2014 draws nearer, growing numbers of schools across the nation are approaching an abyss.  Because NCLB requires states to promise that they will reach an impossible goal, the states have adopted timetables agreeing to do what they can’t do, no matter how hard teachers and principals try. .. Good education cannot be achieved by a strategy of testing children, shaming educators, and closing schools”--all of which have been District 150’s strategies.

    My handout includes the AYP for all schools from 2003 through 2010. The numbers highlighted in purple are the highest AYP reached by each school.  Notice that eight of the 26 schools achieved their highest AYP in the first three years of AYP reporting.

    These higher scores were achieved before most of the current interventions were even in place.  Ravitch’s opinion about those costly interventions is “Adult interests were well served by NCLB.  The law generated huge revenues for tutoring and testing services, which became a sizable industry.”  In my opinion, these opportunities for financial gain are the main reason that NCLB will be continued.

    The following are some conclusions to be drawn from theAYP numbers:

    Only Woodrow made steady progress from 2003 to 2010.  Von Steuben’s AYP went steadily upward except for one year when its AYP declined by 10 points.

   The AYP of six schools, including all four high schools, was lower in 2010 than it was in 2003.  By the way, I adjusted Manual High School’s 2010 AYP to the 4.8 increase instead of the 17 points that included the 8^th grade increase.

    Just as an aside, who was trying to kid whom with those numbers?  Please note, also, that AYP at Manual was higher from 2003 to 2006 than it has even been since.  Of course, all are too low for any bragging rights.  Certainly, Manual’s AYP does nothing to support the continuation of the Johns Hopkins program.

   Only three schools have maintained AYP above 80%--those are Charter Oak, Kellar, and Washington Gifted. 

   The highest AYP of five schools is only 50 or below—that includes three high schools.

    One of the most important conclusions to be made is that the AYP of almost all schools fluctuates up and down considerably.  A permanent AYP gain is very rare, indeed.   

   Look on page 3 of my handout.  Another important conclusion is that each school has its own range of AYP figures, above or below which the school does not stray. 

   For instance, Kellar’s lowest AYP of 83.8 is close to Woodrow’s highest of 81.4.  Lindbergh’s lowest AYP of 71.4 is comparable to Columbia’s highest of 70.5.  Coolidge’s lowest AYP of 60.9 is comparable to Irving’s highest of 61.

  You can see those ranges spread from 9/10ths of a point at Washington to 37 points at Harrison—from the most consistent AYP to the least consistent.

   Notice, also, that 15 schools have never achieved an AYP over 77.6—and remember that those high AYPs were often exceptions, not the rule.

   For the most part, AYP figures are very predictable for each school.

   Let’s unite whenever possible to point to the faults of NCLB instead of focusing all efforts on an impossible goal.

    Also, remember why the AYP at all high schools is so low.  Before NCLB, only the top students took the ACT test.  Now all take it.  My guess is that the AYP of each high school comes very close to being the same as the small percentage of students who took the ACT in earlier years. -30-

 

Poetry Oct. 5

 WASHINGTON, IL --  Poet Mike Foster will be giving a free reading at The Blend coffeehouse, 1130 Peoria St., in Washington from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday., Oct. 5.

Foster, a former Illinois Central College professor of journalism and English who retired in 2005, will read selections from his upcoming collection, Schoolboy Loves His Pie. Here's a sample:

AUTOMATIC POEMS

Automatic poem of the half moon straight above at the blue line where night catches day

Automatic poem of feathers, found singly, found in bunches next to jagged rocks

Automatic poem of a sunfish, hanging still just under the green unrippled glass

Automatic poem of willows in cemeteries

Automatic poem, no poet needed

The essence made electric, the thing itself the poem about it the thing the manic driver who grinds his teeth coursing down the long road, the poem the beatific old hitch-hiker, keeping quiet, trying to see how far he can ride for free.

 

8 March 1976--27 September 2010  ###

Candidate forum reveals who is qualified to serve

PEORIA -- There's nothing like a candidate forum to reveal who knows the issues and who will honestly answer the questions.  That's what happened at the Greater Peoria League of Women Voters candidate forum on Sept. 25.

In between the boring, predictable responses, flashes of truth revealed the best qualified candidates, those with their heads on straight who have studied the issues and deserve to serve.  Who were they?

Illinois Rep. Mike Smith, a Democrat who is seeking reelection to  his 9th term in the 91st District, was the outstanding candidate.  He's articulate, experienced, knows the issues and isn't afraid to answer the questions honestly. 

When the candidates were asked how they felt about the Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady who has said he is "intrigued" by the notion of turning Illinois into a right-to-work state, only Smith responded honestly.

Smith opposes that and wasn't afraid to say so. "I do not support right to work legislation. I'm concerned about Brady's comments."

He continued, adding that labor unions have built the middle class and helped make Illinois a prosperous state, whereas "corporate greed" that wants "to pad executive salaries" while workers suffer, is not what the state needs. "With cheaper labor we get less quality. I support the labor laws of this state." 

Compare that with the comment of his opponent, Republican Mike Unes, an East Peoria City Council member. He never answered the question, but instead said, "we have to take a common sense approach to this and discuss important issues." He then went on to mention merging the five state pension funds, which was not part of the question.

Illinois Rep. Jehan Gordon, a Democrat seeking her second term in the 92nd District, also somewhat ducked the question but responded "we have to ensure workers are skilled, have gone through (union) apprenticeship programs. I do believe we would open ourselves up to liability issues on quality of workmanship. We have a good relationship between workers and management."

Her opponent, Peoria City Council member Jim Montelongo, a Republican, also ducked, even lower. He claimed not to know what Brady had said, then added, "you can see where jobs are leaving our state, Caterpillar is opening shops somewhere else. We need to understand why this is. I would be open to taking a look at how to help employers stay here in Illinois."

Montelongo's low point, however, came when he and the others were asked about education funding. "I don't understand the whole funding question," he admitted. 

Gordon, with only 19 months in office, was generally poised and articulate, and able to give specific answers to the questions. She talked about restoring funding for Bright Futures, an early childhood program whose state payments were cut 89 percent. Illinois is "a national leader" in preschool education, she said.

The other three candidates also agreed this is a vital area that must be funded -- stands that contradict the two Republicans who expressed concerns about a balanced state budgets, no new taxes, and cuts that need to be made.

When asked for specifics about cuts, however, only Montelongo had an example.  He said a state worker told him the state is paying too much for garbage cans, which could be bought cheaper at WalMart.

Everyone agreed that bipartisanship is need in Springfield, and said central Illinois legislators usually work together.  But Gordon pointed out that that "one Republican was honest" and worked against the party's line, and was kicked out of a leadership position as a result.

"When people put their legislative careers over the well being of communities, you see what you have now," she said.

An important dividing line between the Democrats and Republicans, their stands on social issues, never came up.

Smith and Gordon are pro-choice, and support reproductive rights for women.

Unes and Montelongo say they are "pro-life" but seem unable to understand the implications of that stand.

Afterward Montelongo said it means he does not support tax funding for abortions, but has not studied abortion issues further and could not say whether he would vote to make abortion a crime if the state could do so.

Unes was equally vague. "I'm pro-life except for the life of the mother, rape and incest," he said. "I would support outlawing abortion." But he would not say whether than meant criminal penalties for women and doctors, the obvious result of "outlawing" abortion. 

The two candidates for a 10th Circuit judicial position also spoke. They are Republican John Vespa and Democrat Chris Spanos. Both are well spoken with plenty of experience as lawyers. 

Spanos has been recommended by the Illinois Bar Association poll of lawyers, an anonymous poll, while Vespa has not.

  -- Elaine Hopkins 

Two great meetings on Sept. 25

PEORIA -- Here are two great meetings, both on Saturday morning, Sept. 25.  Take your pick!  Animals or candidates.

Animals:  Members of the Peoria County Board will meet with citizens and others in a discussion about the Peoria County Animal Protection Services' mission, objectives, and goals.  The meeting will take place from 8:30 am - 12 pm on Saturday, September 25, at Wildlife Prairie Park.

Please inform the person at the gate that you're attending the Peoria County meeting when you arrive, and they can provide further direction.  For questions or comments call Lauren Malmberg, Director of Peoria County Animal Protection Services/PAWS, at 309/672-2445.

Candidates: The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria will host a candidate forum for three important local races, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Weaver Ridge Golf Club, 5100 N. Weaver Ridge Blvd. 

The candidates who have agreed to attend are Jehan Gordon and Jim Montelongo, candidates for the Illinois House District 92 (Peoria area); Mike Smith and Mike Unes, candidates for Illinois House District 91 (Tazewell/Fulton County area); and  John Vespa and Christopher Spanos, candidates for judge in the 10^th Judicial Circuit.

 

The candidates will make statements and answer questions from the audience.  The event is free and open to the public.

 

An optional light breakfast for $7.50 will be available for purchase at 8:30 a.m.

 

Reservations will be appreciated, and can be made by calling 309/691-2167.

 

           

 

 

Rally for choice, Sept. 21

EAST PEORIA -- Here a notice of a rally for choice.  Candidates opposed to abortion rights for women should not ever receive one vote from anyone.  Are they planning to jail women and doctors? Lovely!

 Here's a link to a Peoria Journal Star story on this issue.

 

Please Join other

Concerned Women to Protest

State Rep. Candidate

Mike Unes’

Extreme Views on a

Woman’s Right to Choose

 

Mike Unes believes that women who have been the victims of rape or incest should be forced to carry any resulting pregnancy to term.  He also is in favor of restricting access to emergency contraception.

 

His views are extreme and dangerous, and he cannot be trusted to protect women’s rights in Springfield.

 

Please meet at Mike Unes’ campaign office at

3000 N. Main St, East Peoria, IL on Tuesday, September 21 at 10:30 a.m.  Feel free to bring a sign that expresses how you feel.

 

Please contact Jeanne Graham at (309) 245-1623

 

 

High test scores? Not so fast....

PEORIA -- Here is a fascinating story by retired Manual High School English teacher Sharon Crews on the truth about high test scores recently reported in Peoria:

In her book The Death and Life of the Great American School System, Diane Ravitch states, “The pressure to increase test scores is likely to produce higher scores, whether by coaching or cheating or manipulating the pool of test takers.  As long as the state or district superintendent continues to report good news about student performance, the public seems satisfied, and the media usually sees no reason to investigate whether the gains are real.  State and local leaders want to claim credit for improvement, rather than determine whether the improvement was meaningful.”

When I began hearing rumors that Manual High School had increased its AYP percentages in reading and math by double digits, my cynicism kicked in as I began to wonder which of the three “causes” listed by Ravitch could be the explanation for the gain.

When I heard at Monday night’s board meeting that Manual’s reading AYP had increased by 17 points, I was convinced that there was some hidden truth to be ferreted out.

When I saw the Yearly Progress Report in the September 14, 2010, issue of the Peoria Journal Star, I had my answer.  I knew for sure that Manual had used the third method—manipulating the pool of test takers.  I noticed that Manual was listed only once—as a high school.  However, as is often stated, Manual is two schools under one roof, a seventh and eighth grade academy and the high school.  Eight graders and eleventh graders are tested.    I was convinced that Manual had manipulated the pool of test takers by somehow combining the results of these two tests.

A call to District 150’s Accountability and Research Department confirmed my suspensions, and Dave Haney then further investigated to write the “truth” in September 17’s Peoria Journal Star.  In this case, I am grateful that the media did investigate to see if the gains were real.

Looking at the AYP for last year’s District 150 middle schools reveals why Manual High School would benefit from reporting 8^th and 11^th grade results together.   The reading AYP percentages for all the middle schools were 42, 50, 69, 77, 77, 83, 85, 87, and 100.  Peoria High’s reading AYP was 39.9, Richwoods’ was 64.2, and Woodruff’s was 24.0.  Obviously, the middle school’s AYP percentages are higher, so it is easy to see how Manual benefited from its more “creative” way of figuring AYP.

Even with a 17 pt. gain, instead of the real 4.8 gain, Manual’s reading AYP for 2009-2010 is still only 34.1.  

Figuring the 8^th and 11^th grade scores together is deceptive enough, but even more deceptive is the fact that District 150 is passing Manual High School’s AYP off to the unsuspecting public as a 17 point gain in reading.

When Brian Chumbley read the results at the September 13 board meeting, he should have revealed that Manual’s AYP included the 8^th grade tests.  Therefore, District 150 allowed the public to believe that Manual had surpassed Peoria High whose AYP had risen 10 points without the benefit of 8^th grade scores.

Manual’s math AYP dwindled from a 23.1% increase (with 8^th grade scores) to a 9.6% increase (without the 8^th grade scores). 

These higher AYP percentages serve two purposes.  First, they probably allowed Manual to achieve Safe Harbor with regard to NCLB watch and warning lists.

Secondly, the dramatic but falsified gains will be used to show that the $200,000 plus Johns Hopkins program is working wonders at Manual and, therefore, to convince District 150 school board to continue spending money on this program that is not the miracle cure for Manual’s low test scores.

This the second time that the reporting of Manual test scores has been less than honest.In March, 2010, Manual’s 7^th and 8^th grade academy leader spoke on WEEK News.  She made this statement:  “Test scores for almost all academy students have improved dramatically.  Throughout the nation, usually students improve three or four points.  Our students went up 11.4 points from the fall to the winter assessment.” 

Nowadays when people hear test scores bandied about, they think of NCLB AYP.  An eleven point gain for AYP would be dramatic.  However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, this report of an 11.4 gain was deceptive.  First, the test was the math NWEA test.  Secondly, 11 points isn’t that much of a gain.  The points for this test go up past 1200 whereas the AYP scale goes up to only 100).  Therefore, in fact, the 11 point gain was less than a 1 percent gain—not much about which to brag.

These numbers were presented to attract more students to Manual’s “choice” 7^th and 8^th grade academy.

This whole scenario of testing mania and choice schools proves the main point of the Ravitch’s book, the subtitle of which states, “Testing and Choice are Undermining Education” all over our country.

It is time to work together to stop the farce called No Child Left Behind.  We have to stop being trapped by NCLB’s very narrow and unreliable way of evaluating education.  Please read the book.

 -- Sharon Crews

Closing Woodruff HS doesn't stop the debate and regrets

PEORIA -- Peoria School District 150's 4-3 decision last year to close Woodruff High School may be done but it's not going down easily. The Woodruff closing kept being mentioned during the public comments at the Sept. 13 School Board meeting.

General Parker, a local activist and husband of board member Rachel Parker told the board that the couple had attended, at their own expense, a meeting of educators where they were told public schools should never be closed for financial reasons.  

His comments came after teacher Charlie Thomas, formerly a Woodruff teacher, said he was "waiting to see the cost savings by closing Woodruff."  Scattering the Woodruff teachers throughout the district has brought to light the many inconsistent policies and procedures in the schools, he added.

Activist Terry Knapp told of two Woodruff players now at Richwoods High School benched for the first game, presumably for eligibility reasons. That should have been worked out before the game, he said.

He also mentioned the dress code disaster for the former Woodruff cheerleader on her first day at Richwoods.   See the details on post below.

Teacher Karen Dutro read a letter sent to the board about the dress code mix up from a parent whose two daughters were affected. He demanded an apology from the board, and said he personally saw and photographed his daughters before school began, and that their outfits would be acceptable in his law office. 

Activist Sharon Crews told of supply issues, with parents having to supply items that the school district should be paying for. Her report will be posted below.

Activist Sevino Sierra mentioned the combined high school graduation, an idea that surfaced in recent news reports, and said that was a bad idea.

Supt. Grenita  Lathan acknowledged the problems but said the first day of school was an overall success. She said the district is trying to remedy supply issues, improve the dress code enforcement, and get "all the schools on the same page."

Of the combined graduation, she said the board has not yet voted on that, and a listing in a calendar is a mistake. 

But Knapp said privately that the Civic Center has already been reserved for the graduation.

Lathan said to remember PIG, "Peoria is Great."

Really!

Here's an audio recording of the public comments, since the board censors them out in its re-broadcast, a week late, of the meeting: 

D150 Sept 13

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here are the remarks from Sharon Crews:

One blog recently posed the questions,“Why have expenses in District 150 continued to climb while enrollment has been decreasing? Where is the money going?”

I know where it isn’t going.  It isn’t being used to give teachers ample and necessary supplies for their classrooms.

The district puts out one supply list for each primary grade, but specific schools and specific teachers sometimes send out longer lists to their parents.

I was semi-surprised to find one list asking each parent to supply such items as four bottles of hand sanitizer, 4 boxes of tissue, Ziploc bags, and Clorox wipes.

Most of these items are absolute necessities to maintain a healthy environment as free of germs as possible.  Yet District 150 does not even pretend to bear any responsibility for the purchase of these items.  As board members, who do you think should pay for these items and why?

Teachers have two choices:  pay out of their own pockets or beg parents to pay for these items.  High school teachers are completely out of luck; they need most of the same items, but there is no system whereby parents can be asked to help out.

The quantities of these items and of the supplies needed by students indicate that teachers know that not all parents will or can comply, so they count on a few parents to pick up the slack.

For example, one kindergarten list asked for five boxes of crayons, two 12-pack boxes of pencils, 4 bottles of glue, 3 spiral notebooks, a package of copy paper, and paper plates.  One child just doesn’t need that many pencils, etc.

 

I have heard that it is fairly common practice for these items to become communal property.  In fact, parents are often asked not to put their children’s names on the items they have supplied.

Parents should be obligated to buy supplies for their own children.  If necessary, they perhaps could be asked if they are willing to donate some extras.  Better yet, District 150 should be responsible for finding donors as it did for the Civic Center event.

I do understand the plight of the teachers, who have learned from experience that too many children forget their supplies and that children without supplies become discipline problems right away.  Therefore, the path of least resistance is to keep the supplies and dispense them when they are needed.  From experience, I, also, know that school administrators aren’t going to tolerate teachers who want to teach children to be responsible by penalizing them for not having the appropriate materials.    

I was pleased last week when the kindergartener in my life used her one and only pencil to do her homework and then immediately put it back in her zippered pencil pouch.  At age five, she has already learned that it is important to hang on to supplies.

Frankly, I don’t want her to find out by observation that she can always get a pencil from her teacher.  I want her to learn that she has responsibilities.

I fear that the communal property practice might go on for quite a while at the primary and even the middle school level.  Some of my high students believed that I should supply them with pens and paper—I think irresponsibility is learned behavior often taught by District 150 because the powers-that-be do not want children to suffer appropriate and fair consequences.

I believe that technology is eating up much district money and that much of that technology does little to benefit the classroom.  I would like to see a list of expenditures divided into two categories:  technology used directly in the classroom as teaching tools and the second list of technology that helps the district collect data or helps administrators do their jobs. 

I believe that the district should first be sure that the mundane necessities of the classroom are paid for with district funds, not out of the pockets of teachers or parents.  I know the temptation is to buy the more exciting, flashy programs even useful programs that help accomplish the district’s daily tasks, but classroom needs should be met first.  Teachers will soon be complaining because the much needed copy paper is not available. 

Another thought—transportation problems in the district seem out of control—what are you going to do when you realize that moving students from one end of the city to another is not a workable idea? -30-

 

District 150 and the money

PEORIA -- Here's a shocker, courtesy of a Freedom of Information request:  Peoria School District 150 taxpayers spent $17,652 to move its new superintendent, Grenita Lathan, to Peoria. 

That's quite a bill. But that's not all.

Lathan is being paid $198,000 plus benefits, which includes a $10,000 performance bonus that can be awarded, 25 vacation days yearly, the premiums for group family medical insurance, including dental and vision insurance, legal defense if she's sued, $7,403 in a tax deferred annuity, a $350,000 term life insurance policy vested in the superintendent when her contract ends, $2,000 for a lawyer to advise her on the contract itself and 30 additional sick days beyond the school's standard rules.

If she is discharged without cause, she gets $100,000. The contract runs until June 30, 2013, but salary can be adjusted upward annually.

 So how well is this pricey new leader in Peoria managing the schools, as the school year begins?

According to teachers at the District 150 Watch Group, there are a few problems.

No textbooks or computers. A teacher at Peoria High reported that books she needs are still in storage at the now closed Woodruff High School.  Another said "half the kids bring a pencil to tech" class, since the computers aren't working.  Teachers had to hook up their own computers,  as no one was available to help them.

Transportation mix-ups. Buses are running late and changing routes without notifying parents.

Missing teachers. A new $12,000 automated system for finding substitute teachers when regular teachers call in sick has a major glitch:  it doesn't notify the principals when substitutes are being sent to their schools. And it may not supply all the substitutes needed. There have been teacher shortages and surprised principals.

Big classes:  Principals are struggling to equalize class sizes.

No teacher guidance. Many teachers have been assigned to teach grades they have never taught before and are struggling to adjust.  There are no curriculum guides for some, and administrators have declined to help them. So what do they teach? They are winging it, a teacher reported.

Dress code screw ups.  At Richwoods High School, a former Woodruff High School student, who would have been a cheerleader there, spent her first day at Richwoods in the auditorium after a dean told her the camisole she was wearing under a blouse was too revealing.

Only the dean didn't exactly put it that way.  Instead she told the girl that her "breasts were too big" for her outfit. Other girls dressed this way, with smaller breasts, were allowed to join their classes after sitting for a couple of hours in the auditorium.  One girl's dad, a lawyer, came to school and raised hell to get his daughter back into her classes. Other parents had no transportation or could not leave work.

In all, up to 200 students may have wasted several hours of their first day at school sitting around in the auditorium instead of attending classes. 

Think this can't have happened in 2010?  Wrong. The story, including the quotes about the breasts, has been spread among some teachers, and the girl herself told it to someone else who attended the Watch Group meeting. 

Naturally she was humiliated, and now wants to drop out of her new high school.

How stupid can school officials be, not to stock a supply of t-shirts for students dressed inappropriately, until they learn the rules!  That's what happened at Peoria High, with no reported problems there.

Charter School. Several students reportedly already have dropped out of the new charter school, which raises an interesting question:  who gets the state aid money for charter school dropouts, the charter school or District 150?

School wide meeting. Taxpayers spent about $1,000 to transport teachers and staff to the all-school meeting at the Peoria Civic Center, then over $20,000 to feed them breakfast there. Methodist Medical Center and Proctor Hospital reportedly picked up some of this cost, which raises questions of its own regarding the high cost of medical care in Peoria which includes paying for such things.  

Glen Oak School.  There's only one exit in use at the new Glen Oak School, for 800 students. It takes many minutes just to get them through the door when the school day ends.  Each classroom has a door leading outside, but there's no landscaping yet, so the doors cannot be used. The last lunch period doesn't begin until 1:15 p.m., so students are really hungry by then. And one day recently, water to the school was cut off, so students were bussed to another school throughout the day to use the restrooms.  Porta-potties might have been a better idea? 

Otherwise, things are going great.  At least for the high paid administrators.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Let them eat cake...

PEORIA -- Here's a clever stunt.  It will be interesting to see if any of the local media cover this. And there's some news value here -- the statistics on poverty in the 18th District.

From the news release:

Deirdre “DK” Hirner, Democratic congressional candidate for IL’s 18th District, will be at the West Mark Food Pantry, at 1504 West Moss Ave., Peoria, at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, September 13th, to serve cake.

Hirner is angry that the incumbent, Rep. Aaron Schock, has turned his back to the glaring needs of his constituents. In the 18th District, more than 50,000 people are unemployed and more than 25,000 people live in extreme poverty. Demand on food banks has risen 30 percent.

“Schock appears on TV on Top Chef, sampling elaborate hors d’oeuvres, when people in his own district are forced to go to food banks to survive? His callousness and shameful legislative record tell the real story here. Clearly, he is content to have his constituents ‘eat cake’,” Hirner said.

Walking in lockstep with his party, Schock has voted against more federal funds reaching the district,  against legislation that would extend unemployment benefits, assist small business, make health care more accessible, allow first-time home buyers tax credits, and keep jobs from going overseas --- all measures designed to improve the lives of his constituents in a practical and concrete way.  

And to top this all off, Schock moves about the district taking credit for public works and programs funded by legislation he voted against. With 16 of the 20 counties comprising the District on the poverty watch or warning list, Hirner intends to travel throughout the 18th speaking out against poverty until Election Day.

On Monday, September 13th, former First Lady Laura Bush will be appearing at a high dollar fundraising event in Peoria on behalf of Schock.

“He has almost half a million dollars in his campaign war chest. He doesn’t need more money. The right thing to do would be to take the proceeds of this event and walk them over to the food bank,” said Hirner.  -30-