PeoriaStory

A feminist film in Peoria? Yes

PEORIA -- A new feminist documentary, Miss Representation, begins on Friday, July 1 at 6 p.m. at the Peoria Theater in the Landmark Center, 3225 N. Dries Lane, followed by a discussion led by activists from the Peoria chapter of the National Organization for Women and free pizza in the lobby.

The 89-minute film "explores the lack of representation of women in positions of power in the U.S."

It aims to "challenge the pervasive message in media that womens' value and power lie only in their youth, beauty, and sexuality," the film maker said. It's played at many film festivals throughout the US.

The show runs through the following week, and perhaps longer.

For more information about the July 1 event, contact Nancy Long  688-3419 or  <[email protected]>.

Sprayed by pesticides? No big deal, state says

MACOMB -- On May 19, 2011, ten senior citizens, including my husband, were playing golf at the Western Illinois University golf course, when a crop-duster airplane flew nearby to spray a wheat field.  The spray drifted onto the golf course, spraying them and everyone else on the course.

They could smell it. They could feel it. They were furious. 

It was a windy day. The plane's pilot should not have been spraying, they believed. 

My husband filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which supposedly regulates pesticide drift.  Others offered to complain but were not contacted.

He also bagged his clothing -- which we still have -- and scrubbed thoroughly in the shower, hoping that will save him from a future illness.

The Agriculture Department duly investigated the complaint, and decided that because the official average wind speed was not quite high enough, their was no violation. They didn't test the best evidence, the clothing.

They know who did the spraying, but nothing happened to them. No fines, no warning.

They interviewed the golf course manager, who verified the complaint.   No matter.

On June 23, the bureau chief of the Illinois Agr. Dept., Warren Goetsch, signed the letter.  It states:

"The Department's representative could not verify evidence to substantiate the claim of pesticide misuse. No evidence was available to definitely indicate that drift had occurred."

Case closed. The Agr. Dept. didn't want to find evidence.

Others who were sprayed, except for the golf course manager, were not interviewed.  The clothing was not tested for the real evidence of pesticide drift. The letter doesn't mention any avenue of appeal.  Apparently there is none. 

And so pesticides continue to pollute our environment, endangering the health of countless people, and the state (and federal) government does nothing to prevent it except complain about subsequent medical bills.

Think of this the next time a crop duster sprays you or your car, or the next time  pesticide is sprayed along a bridge or near a waterway (it surely will drain into the water), or the state and federal regulators ignore high levels of pesticides  or other harmful substances in public water supplies or in the air we breathe.

We are slowly being poisoned, and the state of Illinois doesn't care. Likewise the federal government and Congress, which wants to weaken already weak environmental laws.

Politicians find it easier to complain about the medical bills and tax the public to pay for them than regulate the pollution of agribusiness, the source of campaign contributions and lobbying.

How sad, how terrible.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

Springdale Cemetery to invest in Wall Street, cultivate volunteers

PEORIA -- Springdale Cemetery trustees voted to invest $100,000 in the equities market, in hopes of getting a better return on savings. The trustees of the historic city-owned cemetery met on June 21.

They also heard an impassioned plea to allow volunteers to continue to mow and care for Soldier Hill, a burial place for veterans.  Cemetery manager Jon Austin had stopped allowing them to mow at their preferred time, on Saturday mornings, saying he would have to pay overtime to staff to let the volunteers in and supervise them.

Theo Kenyon, whose relatives are buried at Springdale, made the plea, and it was received sympathetically by the trustees. See the complete statement below.

Austin told them he thought the situation had been resolved by allowing the volunteers to work on a few Saturdays, and otherwise on Fridays. 

But Kenyon said the issue has not been resolved.

The trustees suggested the volunteers be given a key and allowed to work as they have been doing. Many of the volunteers were instrumental in saving the cemetery from ruin under private hands, and have been caring for the veteran area for years.

Some trustees suggested studying the situation to see whether volunteers saved money for the cemetery, even if overtime must be paid to workers. The staff also could be scheduled to work on Saturdays, they said.

The trustees asked Austin to report back for the next meeting. They also added a goal of cultivating volunteers to a list of goals Austin is to work on over the next year.

Former cemetery manager Pat Lewis attended the meeting, and said he agreed with Kenyon "100 percent." Volunteers should be encouraged, he said, as they can help the cemetery manage its deficit.

He also chided the trustees for "lack of transparency," saying he has been trying to get monthly financial data for months, but was told the information is in draft form and could not be released.

The annual audit was received and discussed. Board president Kent Rotherham said a story in the Peoria Journal Star about Springdale misinterpreted the deficit figures, and included depreciation, in calculating it.

Sales dropped by $156,000, likely due to the bad economy, but expenses also were cut, by 13 percent. Still, 72 percent of the total revenue comes from subsidies and contributions.

The district also has $273,000 in pre-need funds, and can use those funds temporarily when it runs out of cash, Rotherham said. "We rob it for operational needs."

The deplorable state of the roads in Springdale makes sales difficult, Austin said, and others agreed the roads are bad. "We need a solution for the roads. They must be presentable then we'll sell more," he said.

The trustees noted that savings in the bank and in a money market fund was earning no interest, and decided to invest in the equities market.  They hope to earn an average of 6 percent yearly.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 Here are Theo Jean Kenyon's remarks to the Springdale trustees:

When Springdale Cemetery was at its lowest ebb, from successive periods of Bonner Triebel and Larry Leach, it was a dedicated group of volunteers who began the cleanup of Soldier Hill and who have continued to mow it and keep it up. They also tracked down the cannons, and replaced the Union soldier that was stolen from the center mound.

As someone who has grandparents and parents buried at Springfield I am grateful, and I believe your board owes this dedicated group of donors every consideration.

It would seem that is your decision. If the manager must have two employees to open the doors for Saturday, he can certainly schedule two employees for that purpose.  It has caused a disruption for this long dedicated group of faithful donors which is not warranted. 

The letter to me from the Springdaled Foundation Board, which existed before your board to clean up the cemetery, stresses the importance of donors. It is asking for my dues but I do not see your manager showing such an equal concern for its donors. And good donors are hard to find, certainly for mowing, trimming, cleaning up a location  as steep as Soldier Hill. 

I spent a backbreaking day several years ago as part of the army of volunteers amassed  by Allen Andrews to clean up the mess that was then the cemetery and thanks to his vision it was accomplished. 

My husband Leslie Kenyon prepared the application for placing Springdale on the National Register of Historic Sites, and as a reporter for the Journal Star I wrote numerous stories about its historic significance. 

This dedicated group of Soldier Hill donors has been faithful for some 20 years. I think board members owe them a great deal of respect. 

Sincerely,

Theo Jean Kenyon

 

 

 

 

Redistricting for the city of Peoria: not all harmony

PEORIA -- The Peoria City Council's redistricting committee sent the first batch of redistricting maps back for readjustment, at its meeting on June 21. The committee received 10 different maps, and a packet full of statistics showing the population breakdowns on each one.

Nobody was pleased.

Some maps split up neighborhoods in favor of district lines running along major streets.  That doesn't make sense, said one of several people who commented from the audience. "Neighborhoods are more important than major thoroughfares."

Others expressed agreement with that notion.

When the committee was asked whether the five districts should be expanded, and cumulative voting ditched, chairman Robert Spears said that's a decision for the full council.

The committee voted to send the issue to the council. It's only mission is to configure the maps for five districts.

The council could expand the number of districts, and cut back on the number of at-large members as its redistricts the city.

Ending cumulative voting is more problematic, since it was crafted as part of a legal settlement in a Voting Rights lawsuit late in the 1980s.

There's no rush. The deadline is in 2012, in time for council candidates to file petitions for election.

The committee meets again at 4:30 p.m. on July 5 in the City Council chambers, where it will have another look at the maps, which have been '"tweaked."

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Peoria's Quest Charter School principal was at Ohio schools under investigation

PEORIA -- The principal at Peoria's Quest Charter School, Engin Karatas, who uses the last name 'Blackstone' (reportedly the meaning of 'Karatas' in English), worked at Gulen Movement schools in Ohio under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

The Labor Department is investigating abuse of H1-B visas issued by the U.S. government to foreign workers if they provide "specialized services" in the United States.

Karatas' resume, obtained from the Quest school, shows that he worked at Horizon Science Academy Toledo Charter School, Toledo, Ohio, as principal from 2007-2010. From 2006-2007 he was assistant principal at Horizon Science Academy Denison Middle Charter School in Cleveland, Ohio.

Both schools are manged by Concept Schools, the same organization managing Peoria's Quest School.  And both are mentioned in a recent story from WEWS, Channel 5, Cleveland, an ABC affiliate, as part of the investigation.

It states: "Federal investigators asked Horizon Science Academy Denison, in Cleveland, for all its H1-B visa documentation. U.S. Immigration records showed 53 H-1B visas were issued to Horizon Schools statewide in 2008 and 2009." Horizon Schools is run by Concept Schools, it says.

There was also a financial investigation into funds used by these schools. State of Ohio "auditors found immigration fees and legal fees for school officials' families and others living in Turkey. In some cases, auditors found payments were made to individuals who were never employed by any of the schools.

"Auditors found 19 Turkish immigrants were paid nearly $13,000 for what they called 'illegal immigration fees.' "

The Gulen-Concept Schools in Ohio "received more than $27 million in public funds, including federal stimulus money aimed at putting Americans back to work," the story states.

The story continues: "In the wake of our investigation, Concept Schools have now fully repaid all illegal immigration and legal fees cited by state auditors for its Cleveland and Toledo schools. Similar fees for its Columbus school remain unpaid, but Concept School officials said they will repay those funds as well.

"Concept Schools had previously argued to state auditors that those fees were legal expenses, similar to moving expenses.

"A spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, which is charged with collection of unpaid fees, confirmed that Concept Schools resolved the unpaid funds just hours before our investigation aired."

The story does not say that the Department of Labor's investigation into visa abuse has ended.

Concept Schools issued a news release refuting the allegations.  It states reasons for the visa and financial issues, and implies that they have been resolved.

Karatas/Blackstone's resume also contains some oddities. He states he was a math teacher from 1997-2000 at "Baku Private college, Baku Azerbaijan," but no such school exists. Instead it is a high school.  See previous blog post of June 17.

And it states that he holds an "MA in Educational Leadership" from "Marian College, Milwaukee, Wisc."

Again, this college does not exist.  There is a Marian University (formerly Marian College), in Fond du Lac, WIsc., 70 miles from Milwaukee. It's a reputable institution, and accredited.  And there's a Marian University in West Allis, WI, which offers on-line degree programs, according to a Google search.

A request on June 20 for a brief phone interview with Karatas/Blackstone has not received a response.  I will send a link to this story to the Quest School's email address, and ask him to comment.

The Illinois Charter School Act does not require any credentials for charter school principals, a major loophole in the law. 

Quest, a middle school that is slated to become a high school, this year will receive $728,000 from Peoria District 150, plus donations from other sources.

The Quest School Board is made up of 10 community leaders, five with known ties to Caterpillar, Inc., which has pledged $500,000 to the school, to be matched by community donations. Others benefit from Caterpillar, Inc. donations. 

Minutes of the board meetings can be found on the Peoria Charter School Initiative website.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Update:  Quest School administrative assistant Susan Stenger later emailed to say that the school is now closed for 3 weeks and Blackstone is out of town.

Update 6/28/11: Here's an excellent story on charter schools from the NPR interview show Fresh Air. It mentions Ohio as under investigation, but also shows how well run charter schools can make a difference. Otherwise, the problems the reporter encountered in Philadelphia sound a lot like District 150, including the nepotism.

District 150 School Board June 20

PEORIA -- The public comments at the Peoria District 150 School Board meeting on June 20 also included the public hearing for the budget. 

These comments are covered here and recorded and posted below because the board more than a year ago ended its live cable TV broadcasts which included the comments. Here are the highlights:

I asked the board to investigate the Gulen Movement connection with the Quest Charter Academy and its not for profit parent, Concept Schools. Supt. Grenita Lathan then commented that Concept Schools issued a press release on the controversy, which is on it's website.

The release attempts to explain the financial issues and visa abuse. So apparently it's case closed with District 150. But not with me. Watch for future research. 

Controller Kinney reported on the budget, saying salaries are down $2.4 million from last year in the educational fund because there are fewer teachers.   The district will be spending $500,000 for technology infrastructure, and $750,000 for high school textbooks. Lathan later said high school social studies textbooks have not been updated in 15 years, and the new ones will include digital information.

The district is still $6 million in the red, Kinney said, because of carry overs between years. Operational funds are $800,000 in the red.

Activist Terry Knapp complained that the district is spending $66,000 to send 55 staff members to conferences this summer. Lathan later said that's because they will receive required training at the conferences which otherwise would have to take place during the school year, requiring the extra expense of substitute teachers. 

Knapp said graduation day should not conflict with the state baseball tournament, and that high school lock-ins should take place on graduation night, not a week before, as their purpose is to prevent drinking and accidents.  Lathan later agreed with him on that issue.

He then complained about the Gulen Movement involved in public schools, and asked why students are going to Turkey and not London or Madrid. "It's disconcerting to me as a taxpayer" that money might be going to influence children on religion, he said.

Activist Sevino Sierra asked the board not to change the name of Manual High School, which will cost money in reprinting.

Activist Sharon Crews asked about a curriculum audit from Owen Roberts of Florida, apparently performed for free. He is a consultant for a textbook publisher.  Lathan replied that the staff actually did the audit.

District 150 also refused to supply any information on Owens through the Freedom of Information Act, saying it didn't have any, Crews said. Her comments will be posted below.

Here is the audio of the comments.

D150 6-20

  -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Here are the comments to the board from Sharon Crews:

 

As I continue to look at data about discipline in District 150, I am even more  convinced that none of the consequences for bad behavior are producing any positive results.  All consequences are based on the false assumption that time out of the regular classroom is a punishment. 

Students have learned from experience and from friends and siblings that being out of the classroom has very little to do with whether or not they pass or fail a class.  District 150 policies foster that perception.

Dr. Lathan recently received applause from me and a room full of retired teachers when she stated her opinion that students should not receive grades for work assigned while they are suspended.  Certainly an immediate academic consequence for time out of the classroom would make many students think twice about their behavior and may even lead them to develop or practice self-control.  Also, a return to summer school as the ultimate consequence for failing a class would do much to turn things around.  The pain of misbehaving has been taken away.

I have yet to hear any definitive plans as to the promised alternative school or how the plans will help to alleviate the rampant discipline problems in District 150.

My second topic for tonight involves my interest in finding out more about Dr. Owen Roberts, whose name appears on District 150’s Curriculum Audit info as an outside auditor who audited six district programs.  First, I “Googled” his name to narrow my search.  I was fairly sure he wasn’t a cosmetic surgeon or a dentist, so I settled on Owen Roberts, the Assistant Superintendent of Assessment and Accountability for St. Lucie County in Florida, who was chosen to be part of a team from prominent curriculum publisher Houghten Mifflen Harcourt at three significant conferences in Chicago and in Columbia and Brazil.

Under Roberts’ guidance, St. Lucie County partnered with Houghton Mifflin for five years to design educational strategies to improve student learning, using an integration of Hougton Mifflen curriculum products.

Since Roberts seems to have played an important role in the audit and the ensuing decisions, I FOIA’d for data, hoping to achieve some transparency.  District 150 would not give me any biographical data about Roberts, would not tell me how long he worked on the project, would not tell me how much time he spent in Peoria and with whom he worked while or if he was in Peoria, and would not provide me with any written communications between Owens and the District 150 personnel with whom he worked.  Of course, I wondered when the Board approved his selection as auditor.

The only information I received about Roberts is that “his work was performed at no cost to the district.”   Now I really have some questions that I hope the Attorney General will help District 150 to provide.  Why would Dr. Owen Roberts choose to work for free for District 150?  Does his connection with Houghton Mifflen have anything to do with his willingness to work here?  In other words, was Roberts’ work really free?  With such secrecy, why wouldn’t we jump to conclusions?   One would think that such a man willing to work for free would have been openly applauded by the District.  It just makes us wonder.

What I found most interesting is District 150’s strong desire not to provide this information.  In fact, upon receiving my FOIA, District 150 filled out an official form to inform the Attorney General that District 150 would not be providing any copies of communications from and to Dr. Roberts with District 150 personnel. 

My FOIA request, written on April 11, didn’t receive a reply until June 7.  That is much longer than the time frame allowed by FOIA rules.  Certainly, that is quite a long time to be told that District 150 cannot provide any information.  Meanwhile Dr. Lathan continued to state that there were no pending FOIAs.

 

 

 

A progressive meeting -- good idea

PEORIA -- The first organizational meeting of the Central Illinois Progressive Alliance has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Wed., June 22 in the Lakeview Branch of the Peoria Public Library.

According to a news release, "everyone and anyone is welcome, and encouraged to take part in the building of a local progressive coalition. This meeting's goal is to bridge the gap between the local (progressive) interest groups in the Central Illinois and Peoria Area." 

Organizers envision environmentalists, social issue groups, labor, political progressives and everyone else working together for progressive ideas. 

The release says: "The organizers of this meeting seek to find a common ground and strengthen progressive politics in the area.  We believe that by getting behind a common goal, or a common banner or brand, progressive ideas can grow and flourish in our area."

 

Peoria's Quest Charter School is part of the Gulen Movement from Turkey

PEORIA -- The new Quest Charter School in Peoria District 150 is definitely part of the controversial Gulen movement of Turkey, which has established over 100 schools in the US. Here's proof.

When the Peoria Chamber of Commerce executive director Rob Parks recently told WMBD-TV that there was no link between the Gulen movement and the Quest school, she obviously didn't know what she was talking about. Would Parks lie to the press?  It's not illegal, but we'll assume ignorance, instead. 

Other Peoria media have so far ignored this story -- likely afraid to offend Caterpillar, Inc., which pushed for this school.

Briefly, here's the evidence of the connection, as cited in the link above and other links and comments in the June 8 blog post below.

1. The principal of the school is named Engin Karatas, and he is using the last name 'Blackstone,' which is what 'Karatas' means in Turkish. Apparently he is not a US citizen, but likely has a visa to work in the US.(Let's hope so!)

The Illinois State Board of Education and the Peoria Regional Office have no information on Karatas/Blackstone, and -- get this -- no credentials are required for charter school principals! 

So a person overseeing substantial tax funds and the education of public school pupils is not required to have any educational credentials in Illinois -- a severe weakness in the law.

Karatas/Blackstone's resume, on file with the Peoria school district, contains at least one false statement. It says he was a  " Math teacher at Baku Private College, Baku, Azerbaijan from 1997-2000 (Math Department Chair)."  But there's no listing of this school on a list of schools in Baku.

That's because it's not a college. A watchdog for the Gulen movement writes:

"The school in question is Bakü Özel Türk Lisesi  (written in Turkish)   or     Bakı Özəl Türk Liseyi  (in Azerbaijani language)

 

"Here's the explanation:

High schools in that part of the world are called "Lisesi" (related to French word "lycee" for high school) or "Koleji"  (etymologically similar to college).  So Blackstone/Karatas (or someone) decided to translate "lisesi" as "college."

Özel  means private.  You'll find this in the name of numerous Gulen schools.  They're private - of course, the better to charge steep tuition.

"This is a Gulen school.  Note it is on our list of international schools:

http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/every-continent-but-antarctica.html

and that page also gives a link to the umbrella organization that school, and other Gulen schools in Azerbaijan, are under, namely Cağ Öğretim İşletmeleri A.O.   http://www.cag.edu.az/

2.  Concept Schools, the parent not-for-profit of Quest charter school, is a Gulen organization. Concept's model and language on its websites is the same as that used by openly Gulen schools.

Concept Schools sponsored a Gulen dinner in the United Arab Emirates in 2009.

An official with Concept Schools,  Ergun "Eric" Koyuncu, is also part of the Gulen movement.

3. Concept Schools itself is controversial. Here are facts from the watchdogs:

"Concept Schools- NFP (Illinois corporation)
Concept Schools previously existed in Illinois under the name Concept Schools NFP.  One IRS Form 990 is available for that company showing Vedat Akgun as Board President and Huseyin Kara as board member; the names of Murat Arabaci and Kazim Eldes also appear.  On the website of the Secretary of State of Illinois, it can be seen that Concept Schools NFP was incorporated in 2002, with agent name Sedat Duman. Other noteworthy points are that the Form 990 shows a "bad debt writeoff" of $450,000 and loans to Horizon and Noble schools.  An amount of $329,060 is shown as due to Breeze, a for-profit company owned by Board President Vedat Akgun.  An application for Indiana Math and Science Academy - East, a proposed charter school, dated Dec 2, 2009 confirms that "Breeze provides facility services to Concept-managed schools."  There is also an amount of $100,000 due to "Silver Memory;" it is unclear what this entity is.  No further Form 990s for this corporation are available; the reason, according to the IRS, is that Concept Schools - NFP failed to prove that it qualifies for 501(c)3 status."

What is going on here?

1. PROFITS. Watchdog websites speculate that the Gulen movement is using US charter schools to make money, by purchasing supplies with tax funds from its affiliated companies.

2. RELIGION. Though Illinois law bans charter schools from promoting religious doctrine, Gulan is Islamist, and children from the schools are taken to Turkey were they likely are exposed to Islam.Turkish teachers hired by these schools also typically are Muslims. (Why are Turkish teachers being hired while US teachers are being laid off?)

3. INFLUENCE.  Why would Caterpillar, Inc. push for this and funnel money to the Gulen movement's school?  Is this a quid-pro-quo -- a school in Peoria giving the Gulen movement access to tax funds in return for lucrative contracts in Turkey and it's allies for Caterpillar? 

This is a complicated story, involving difficult names and languages and nations not readily familiar to US citizens and taxpayers.

The many excellent watchdog websites spell it out, based on facts.

It's mind boggling that Peoria District 150 has gotten involved with this movement, under investigation in Ohio, when other options for talented math and science students could have been funded instead.  Stay tuned.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 Update 6/19/11.  For unbelievers:  read this story from the May 28 issue of the  New York Times.

  Update No. 2 -- 6/19/11.  The Gulen-connected Chicago Math and Science Academy claims it is not a public school, even though it is a charter school.  See an interesting story from the Chicago Reader, which also notes how the school is resisting a union and has fired union organizers.

 

 

 

Interesting talk

PEORIA -- From a news release:

The Peoria Area World Affairs Council presents:

Global Engagement

Cooperative Solutions to the World’s Problems

With Jennifer Smyzer

Program Officer, The Stanley Foundation

 

Protests in the states of North Africa and the Middle East, on-going struggles in Afghanistan and Iraq, climate change, proliferation of nuclear technology and weaponry, the global economy – problems too big for the United States to handle on its own.  Jennifer Smyser will discuss the research being conducted by the Stanley Foundation, and the conclusion that organization has drawn from that work.  The Stanley Foundation is a non-profit, nonpartisan, private organization focused on promoting and building support for principled multilateralism in addressing international issues.

 

    Thursday, June 16, 2011

Barrack’s Cater Inn

1224 W. Pioneer Parkway, Peoria

 

Reception begins at 5:00 p.m.

Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m.

Presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m.

 

Please RSVP by Monday, June 13, for the “early bird special”!

 

Tickets for the dinner and presentation are $30.00 for Peoria Area World Affairs Council Members and students;

$35.00 for non-members/general public

 A $5.00 late fee will be applied to reservations made after June 13. 

No dinner reservations will be accepted after Wednesday, June 15. 

 

Tickets for the presentation only are $10.00 for PAWAC members and college students if purchased in advance by May 16.  Non-members and all tickets purchased at the door are $15.00.

High school students are invited to attend at no cost.  Reservations are recommended.

 

On-line registration for this event is available at http://artstix.artspartners.net ($2 processing fee applies), or you may tear off the registration portion below and return with your payment.  Please note that PAWAC must assess a $4 processing fee for accepting credit cards through the office. 

 

For more information about this and other programs offered by the Peoria Area World Affairs Council,

please visit our web site at www.pawac.org or call (309) 677-2454.

Illinois eavesdropping laws... what you should know

Here's a terrific story on Illinois eavesdropping laws, recording what police say, and how you could be arrested.  It's a must read:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/08/chicago-district-attorney-recording-bad-cops_n_872921.html?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Brief&utm_campaign=daily_brief