PeoriaStory

70 Years Ago...Does this glorify war?

PEORIA -- From a news release:

Remembering the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo 70 Years Later on April 14

 

Peoria Public Library will mark the 70th anniversary of the Doolittle attack on Japan by showing the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo on the big screen at Main Library Auditorium on Saturday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m. Both the movie and parking are free.

America’s morale was low and the country was desperate to gain an edge after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, former stunt pilot and air racer, planned a daring raid using a never before tried tactic. Doolittle led 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the deck of an aircraft carrier to mainland targets in Japan, taking the enemy completely by surprise. Doolittle’s forces sailed on the carrier Hornet to within 650 miles of the Japanese coast where they were spotted by a Japanese boat. Doolittle continued and launched strikes against Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Jagoya and Osaka on April 18, 1942. Although little damage was done, the raid energized the United States and made Doolittle a hero. The tactics he used changed the course of the war.

The 1944 MGM film 30 Seconds Over Tokyo tells the story of the April 1942 attack on Japan. Based on the book of the same name and cited for it’s remarkable accuracy, this film even used film footage from the actual raid. The original movie was based on the book Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. Today many others books, including a biography of Jimmy Doolittle, are available at Peoria Public Library. Read one before or after the movie, or just as a tribute to the brave men of the Doolittle raid. Try these books: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Capt. Ted W. Lawson, Jimmy Doolittle: Daredevil Aviator and Scientist by Carroll V. Glines, or Doolittle’s Tokyo Raiders by Carroll V. Glines. For a quick overview of the Doolittle raid or research for student reports, try the ABC/CLIO database under e-library at www.peoriapubliclibrary.org.

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District 150 Board confronts an angry audience, shrugs

PEORIA -- Sixteen people spoke to the Peoria District 150 School Board on March 26, with most asking the board not to oust four experienced and well liked school leaders.  The meeting agenda asked for their dismissals or reassignment to classrooms. 

But only two board members, Lynn Costic and Martha Ross responded to the pleas, saying they would not support ousting them.

The others, as well as Supt. Grenita Lathan, defended the ousters, saying "it's all about the children," and  "change is hard," or similar cliches. 

The newest board member, Caterpillar executive Rick Cloyd, compared their ousters with a "business turnaround situation," which is "not easy."  As if a school setting is somehow like a widget factory.

Laura Petelle defended Lathan.  She said the four, all with only brief tenure in their present jobs,  didn't meet goals they established for themselves, but "were given opportunities to remediate."  Privacy issues would not allow more information to be made public, she said.

Debbie Wolfmeyer said "no one likes change," and "we need accountability. We're asking people to move out of their comfort zone."

Costic criticized Lathan for earlier saying District 150 is "dysfunctional." 

"It's an insult," she said, adding "I do not believe changes should be made that are the result of retaliation or personal preferences. This district needs administrators who have great relationships with parents and children.  This isn't change for improvement."  She got a standing ovation from the large audience.

Ross said, "In this case I don't think change is necessary. We just can't throw everybody away." 

The public comments, limited to two minutes each, were at last moved to the beginning of the meeting instead of the end.  But some speakers were upset that the time limit was so short. 

There was another improvement: a microphone system in the gym where the meeting was held at Charter Oak School.

I don't know these school leaders, but others speak very highly about their dedication. On the face of it, they likely have not had enough time in their roles to make any difference in school test scores at these high poverty schools. 

In her response, Lathan said District 150 was in danger of being taken over by the state because of federal No Child Left Behind requirements, namely schools on the watch list with low test scores.  "We have to do what is best for the children," she said.

But there is no proof anywhere that revolving doors for school leaders will ever improve test scores, and the instability is likely to have the opposite effect.  And test scores certainly are not the measure of a person's education or potential.

A leading educator, Diane Ravitch, speaks March 27 at Illinois State University in Bloomington/Normal.  See the post below for more information, and for a brief interview that played on the NPR station there. 

UPDATE 3/28/12 Here's a link to Ravitch's talk at ISU.

As I told the board when I alerted them to her talk, Ravitch likely would be appalled to see what's going on District 150: neighborhood schools closed and sold for below their worth, children, teachers and principals constantly uprooted and classes overcrowded.

The recorded public comments are posted here.

D150 Mar 26.1

And the responses from Lathan and board members are posted here. (Lathan's comment begins after started speaking.)  

Dist150 Mar 26.2

Here's the PJS story on the meeting.

 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

3/29/12:  Here's an emailed comment from Ed Dentino, with which I totally agree.

Hi Elaine,

Seems like the test score mania is the flavor of the day.   Like industry,  education is a revolving door of fads and fashions. 

Having recently read biographys of about 70 of my Manual High School classmates from 1962,  I can say that test and ratings  are over rated  bunk.  Scapegoating teachers and administrators in general does not deal with the process in a way that can improve education.  

One Manual classmate  finished with a very low grade average.   Worked a bit, went into the Army for four years, serving 33 months in Viet Nam, came home, finished Bradley, got a masters at the U of I, taught  high school history, and became a software representative for college programs.   A couple of others dropped out, eventually one became a nurse administrator, another became a Caterpillar engine inspector.  

Debbie Wolfmeyer said "no one likes change," and "we need accountability. We're asking people to move out of their comfort zone."   What comfort zone did Superintendent Lathan move out of bringing her old town cronies to Peoria to firewall her administration at Peoria's expense?

Great free events coming soon

PEORIA -- Here are some interesting, free events, coming soon, and not that widely publicized.

Ravitch at ISU: Illinois State University’s College of Education will welcome nationally recognized educator and historian Diane Ravitch at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, in Braden Auditorium at the Bone Student Center for a talk titled “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.” A book signing will follow her presentation. The event is free and open to the public.

She's the only sane voice in the world of education and so-called reform.

UPDATE 3/26/12: Here's a link to an interview on WGLT that played today.

http://wglt.org/wireready/news/2012/03/02955_DianeRavitchWeb_040255.shtml

 

And at Bradley U., same night, alas: Internationally acclaimed expert Norma Ramos will speak on “The Modern Tragedy of Human Trafficking” at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Marty Theater.

Ramos is a public interest attorney and the executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. The lecture is sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program and the Intellectual and Cultural Activities Committee.

She's also an environmental activist, according to the weblink above.

Schock used $150,000 in campaign funds for vacations, etc.

PEORIA -- Hummm -- The watchdogs have caught up with Cong. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria,  who is said to have used $150,000 in campaign funds to pay for a high end hotel in Athens, Greece (what WAS he doing there to campaign?) and for other perks, including $24,000 to his mother. (How sweet!)

Is this illegal?  Here's a comment from the head of the group that found the information:

“A campaign account is not a personal slush fund,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan.  “It’s hard to fathom how a hotel stay in Greece could be a legitimate campaign expense, but that accounts for only a small portion of the money Rep. Schock pocketed from his campaign.  Conduct like this reinforces the widely held view that members of Congress are more interested in enriching themselves and their family members than in public service.”

Here are the details from the CREW report:

Campaign records show Rep. Schock’s campaign committee reimbursed him over $150,000 during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles.  More than $30,000 of these reimbursements were for hotels, including stays at high-end resorts in Athens and Miami.  Rep. Schock’s campaign committee also initially reported paying more than $300 to P90X, a fitness training DVD company, and classified it as a “health care” expense.  Additionally, Rep. Schock’s campaign committee reimbursed his mother, Janice Knapp, almost $24,000 for various expenses over the same time frame.

The full report states that records do not reflect any official trips to Greece or donors from Greece. 

Schock also spent $390 on airfare to the Virgin Islands, but that also was not a trip for official business.

The report states: Members of Congress are permitted to use campaign funds for fundraisers or official travel. Congressional travel records do not reflect any official trips to the USVI taken by Rep. Schock in 2009, and his campaign records reflect no contributions from donors with USVI addresses.

Read the full story, at the link above, where you can click through to the full report.  We'll remember in November.

(Hat tip to Bill Dennis whose blog first pointed out this investigation.  What a refreshing change from his usual 'eye candy.')

UPDATE:  The Journal Star's story has Schock's spokesman's explanations, however lame. (Mistakes were made...)

UPDATE 3/24/12:  WEEK-TV has this report, where Schock attacks the messenger, CREW, as a liberal site.  That's a way to deflect attention from himself, and CREW's unassailable documentation.  He never answers the questions about what he was doing in Greece, Puerto Rico, and what his mom spent that turned into $24,000.

Dennis also posted this flyer, full of useful information about Schock and his pal Rommey. Here it is:

This was distributed to get people to protest a fundraiser, where people  contributed money so Schock can stay at high end resorts.  Wonder how they feel today! 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Corporate Tax Loopholes

Here's an interesting and outrageous news release from the groups named below:

Loopholes for Sale: Campaign Contributions by Corporate Tax Dodgers

Thirty Companies Contribute $41 Million to 524 Members of Congress, Receive $10.6 Billion in Tax Rebates

A new report released Wednesday, March 21 by Illinois PIRG and Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) found that thirty unusually aggressive tax dodging corporations have made campaign contributions to 524 (98 percent) sitting members of Congress, and disproportionately to the leadership of both parties and to key committee members.

The report, Loopholes for Sale: Campaign Contributions by Corporate Tax Dodgers, examines campaign contributions made by a total of 280 profitable Fortune 500 companies in 2006, 2008, 2010 and to date in 2012 and will be available at www.ctj.org/loopholesforsale.

Loopholes for Sale  focuses on campaign contributions by 30 companies – dubbed the “Dirty Thirty” – that a previous Illinois PIRG/CTJ study found collectively paid no federal corporate income taxes between 2008 and 2010 while receiving $10.6 billion in tax rebates and spending millions to lobby Congress. Altogether, these companies spent $41 million on campaign contributions during the four most recent election cycles, with each member of Congress receiving $58,000 on average (top recipients and donors listed below).

“These aggressive tax dodgers left nothing to chance by making campaign contributions to all but ten current members of Congress,” said Illinois PIRG Director Brian Imus. “The pervasiveness of that money across party lines speaks volumes about why major proposals to close corporate tax loopholes have not even come up for a vote.”

PAC contributions from these thirty corporations were most concentrated among leadership in both parties and the committees that control tax policy in both chambers of Congress. An average of $84,859 went to current members of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is 66 percent more than the average House member not on that committee. All but one Senate Finance Committee member, Maria Cantwell of Washington State, received an average of $83,209, which is 28 percent more than the average Senator not on that committee.

“It seems the only thing the two parties can agree on is that we shouldn’t even try to get more tax revenue from profitable corporations,” said Steve Wamhoff, Legislative Director at Citizens for Tax Justice. “Corporations’ public filings with the SEC show that even big, profitable corporations pay nowhere near the 35 percent statutory tax rate and some pay nothing at all, thanks to the loopholes in the tax code. It’s outrageous that lawmakers seek to reduce budget deficits by cutting health care, education and other public investments all Americans depend on while doing nothing to end this corporate tax avoidance.”

The top five Congressional recipients of contributions since 2005 from the 30 no-tax companies were:
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) - $379,850.00
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) - $336,5000.00
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) – $320,900.00
Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO and former House Minority Whip 2003-08) – $220,500.00
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - $177,001.00

The top five corporate contributors since 2005 are:
Honeywell - $6,469,277
Boeing - $4,049,250
General Electric - $3,390,850
Verizon - $3,201,550
FedEx - $2,595,900

“We need to achieve equality in our campaign finance system. Only then can we hope to successfully fix our government’s undue favor to powerful special interests, which is on full display in our tax code, and amplify the voices of ordinary citizens in the halls of Congress.” concluded Imus.

 

-#         #          #          #-

Illinois PIRG Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, works to protect consumers and promote good government. We investigate problems, craft solutions, educate the public, and offer Americans meaningful opportunities for civic participation.

 

Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ), founded in 1979, is a 501 (c)(4) public interest research and advocacy organization focusing on federal, state and local tax policies and their impact upon our nation (www.ctj.org).

 

 

______________________

 

Brian Imus, Director

Illinois PIRG

328 S. Jefferson, Suite 620

Chicago, IL 60661

312-544-4433 x 210

cell: 312-399-3834

www.illinoispirg.org

 

Coming soon

PEORIA --The 42^nd annual Central Illinois World Affairs Conference takes place, March 30-31 at the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Conference Center in East Peoria.

The Lindenhof Echos will present traditional Alphorn music on Friday evening at the banquet!  There will be a stimulating discussion of the EU, Germany, and the importance of Trans-Atlantic ties.

Register online at http://artstix.artspartners.net/eventperformances.asp?evt=199.

 

And -- a free event:

AT 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, Sam LaHood will address the Peoria Area World Affairs Council and the broader Central Illinois community in his first public appearance since being allowed to leave Egypt.  

This is an outstanding opportunity to learn about his work in building democratic system and his personal experiences in Egypt!

Reception and cash bar begin at 6:00 pm, and his presentation will begin at 7:00 pm at Itoo Hall, 4909 Farmington Road, Peoria.  Thanks to generous sponsors, this event is free and open to the public.

LaHood, son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, recently had to take refuge from the threat of arrest in Egypt, and was released after a bond or ransome was paid. He was working in Egypt for a non-profit organization.

 

 

Santorum: demagogue

EAST PEORIA -- Rick Santorum on March 19 addressed a large crowd from a low stage in a strip mall parking lot at Fondulac Plaza. 

This white, working class crowd -- the NASCAR shirts, the Cat hats, the babies and young children in tow -- could not have been more different from the student and upscale Romney crowd at Bradley University.  (See Romney story below.)

They were more enthusiastic for the candidate, though not everyone was applauding as Santorum lambasted President Obama and Obamacare.  He said that's why he's running for president, to oppose the president's Affordable Care Act. 

He offered no alternative except "freedom," presumably for comfortable males like himself, with no fear of pregnancy or bankruptcy if a health crisis strikes.

He mentioned his support for "life" -- e.g. he's anti-reproductive freedom for women, several times.

He said though all nations think they're exceptional, America IS exceptional, and that it shouldn't apologise to anyone.

He rattled the sword a little towards Iran, claiming that Obama had not helped the people there who revolted in 2009.  They're Persians, not Arabs, he said. So?

Does he want a war with Iran?  He didn't say what he would have done, but he did say Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, a veiled threat.

Meanwhile in the rear, the Ron Paul crowd kept up steady heckling ("bring the troops home" and "no war") and held up their large signs.  When Santorum made the mistake of asking the crowd who is the best man for something or other, they quickly shouted out "Ron Paul."

He promised the crowd good jobs, conveniently ignoring the fact that their pickup trucks and SUVs in the parking lot were purchased with union-scale pay.  He didn't mention unions, which built the prosperity of the working class in the USA.

He called the Obama administration and the Democrats "evil."

He seems to feel that magically cutting taxes and bureaucracy and entitlement programs (good bye Medicare, etc.) will bring new prosperity to everyone, a weird form of trickle down economics.

Santorum is a better speaker in front of a crowd than Romney, but he's also a demagogue, appealing to chauvanism and emotion, ignoring facts and logic.
He obviously likes hearing the sound of his own voice.

I never lived through the Hitler rule in Germany, but old newsreels show chanting crowds that seem a little like what I saw in this parking lot.  ("USA-USA-USA")  He could be dangerous if he gets enough power.

After he droned on for 45 minutes, I'd had enough and left to beat the traffic which promised to be fierce when everyone tried to leave.

As I headed for the car, a youth approached me with a bucket, asking if I would donate to the campaign.  "No," I said, and kept going.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Romney: boring

PEORIA -- One of the most lackluster political rallies I've ever seen took place March 19 on the Bradley University campus, featuring the GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney as introduced by Cong. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria.  It was a snoozer.

The large crowd of students and others hung around the outdoor event, curious to see a national candidate with the entourage of satellite TV trucks and national reporters, but with little enthusiasm for the candidate. Most were standing, flanking a small seated audience.

Vendors selling Rommey buttons and shirts found few customers. I didn't see anyone wearing either. The crowd's applause and cheers were tepid, and there were a few jeers and boos.

And there were plenty of hecklers, some with Ron Paul and Planned Parenthood signs.  Crowd managers tried to make some people take down the signs, but were unsuccessful.  Some stood their ground, and the managers apparently gave up.

Giant Ron Paul signs hovered at the rear of the crowd, in plain view of the candidate.  He's probably seen them before.

A poorly set up sound system didn't help matters.  Those outside the inner circle could not hear all the questions. They could barely hear Romney who at least knows how to speak up, but they couldn't see him very well because the stage wasn't very high. 

After a speech that droned on about 'economic freedom' - yeah, freedom to exploit others - the first question concerned birth control, prompting Romney to launch into an attack on "free" things. 

He would end federal funds not only for Planned Parenthood but for PBS and Amtrak, saying we all have to sacrifice. That didn't thrill the crowd.

He would deal with the burden of student loans by assuring everyone gets a good job. Yeah, right. He would improve the schools by destroying the teacher unions and tenure. So much for freedom to teach without fear of intimidation.

He even told a story about an entrepreneur who made money but never went to college -- not a very appropriate subject for a college campus rally.

It's been said that Romney has a 'tin ear,' and it was on display at this event.

Let's hope he gets nominated. Obama will eat him alive.

Earlier in the day I also went to a rally in downtown Peoria sponsored by the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, with the participation of Planned Parenthood. Its theme was support of Obama's Affordable Care Act and Medicare, and to attack Republican candidate plans to repeal the benefits.

The Act helps all generation, from seniors to children, leaders said.People there were quite enthusiastic for their cause.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Unequal education in Peoria District 150: Why?

PEORIA -- Here's a fascinating post by Sharon Crews:

All of Trewyn’s class sizes for kindergarten through eighth grade fall below the District 150  guidelines for class size.  Trewyn’s largest class size is 22 and the lowest is 12 with 1 class of 22, 4  classes of 21, 4 classes of 20, 1 class of 18, 7 classes of 17, 2 classes of 16, 1 class of 15, 1 class  of 14, 2 classes of 13, and 1 class of 12. 

No one can honestly compare these class sizes with those at other schools and not draw the conclusion that these small class sizes were by design, not by accident.  In fact, if Trewyn had only two classes, instead of three classes for its 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th, and 8^th grades, class sizes would still be below the policy guidelines set for each grade level.

The data that I received in response to my request for class sizes in District 150 schools led me to draw these startling conclusions. 

• This year Trewyn has been selected for many innovations such as the IB program to enhance academics and Carl Canon’s Elite team to improve discipline.   Class size data seems to me to indicate that the planners of these initiatives believe that small class sizes are necessary in achieving the goals set for Trewyn.  However, class size data also indicates that all the other primary and middle schools by comparison with Trewyn are being set up for failure.  

•  Also, when enumerating all the innovations for Trewyn, class size has never been mentioned as part of the strategic plan.  To me, that omission seems to suggest deception in that all research indicates that class size is probably one of the most important indicators of success or failure, especially in inner city schools. 

Besides academic advantages, these small class sizes undoubtedly should have a profound effect on discipline and, also, on teacher morale.  These two by-products of small classes are bound to be important factors in any success enjoyed by Trewyn this year.

These class sizes are those for the academic subjects, such as reading, language arts, math, science, social studies; class sizes for music, art, P.E., etc., are not included.   At each school the classes are divided up to be as equal in size as possible.  There are instances when the class sizes for some courses are configured differently so that some classes may actually be one or two larger or smaller than the numbers provided here.

When I provided this data for only kindergarten and 1^st grade at a February board meeting, Dr. Lathan contradicted my data by stating that the students do not actually meet as a whole class—that they are divided into smaller groups.  I do not believe that to be the case for most of the school day.  Even at the primary level, each class meets as a whole during most of the day, especially for the academic subjects.   

At the primary school level, I have compared class sizes at Whittier, Roosevelt, Glen Oak, and Harrison with class sizes at Trewyn.  I would have been happy to compile the data for all District 150 schools, but Terry Knapp and I paid over $300 to acquire the data for just these schools and the high schools.

 Trewyn’s kindergarten class sizes are 21, 20, 20.  None of Trewyn’s kindergarten classes are larger than the guidelines of below 22 students.

 Conversely, all of the class sizes for kindergarten at the other four schools are 22 and more.

 The count for these schools is 2 classes of 26, 4 classes of 25, 1 class of 24, 3 classes of 23, and 6 classes of 22.

Trewyn’s first grade class sizes are 15, 14, and 12.   None of Trewyn’s first grade classes are larger than the guidelines of below 22 students.  In fact, these classes are considerably lower than the guidelines.  Please note that if there were only two first grade classes, the class average would be 20.5, which is still below the guidelines.

 Conversely, ten of the fifteen first grade classes in the other four schools are above the guidelines with 3 classes at 25, 1 class at 23, 6 classes at 22, 1 class at 21, and 4 classes at 18.

Trewyn’s second grade class sizes are 20, 18, 17—all considerably below the guideline of below 26.

 All but one of the class sizes at the other four schools is above the class sizes at Trewyn with 2 classes of 26, 1 class of 25, 2 classes of 24, 3 classes of 23, 2 classes of 21, 1 class of 20, 2 classes of 19, and 1 class of 20.

Trewyn’s third grade class sizes are 17, 16, 16—all considerably below the guideline of below 26.  Please note that if there were only two third grade classes, the class average would be 24.5, which is still below the guidelines.

 Conversely, all of the class sizes at the other four schools are larger than those at Trewyn with 1 class of 27, 1 class of 26, 2 classes of 25, 1 class of 23, 4 classes of 21, 2 classes of 20, and 2 classes of 19.

Trewyn’s fourth grade class sizes are 21, 21, and 20—all below the guideline of below 26.

The sizes of only four classes at the other four schools do fall below those at Trewyn’s with 1 class of 27, 1 class of 25, 3 classes of 24, 2 classes of 23, 2 classes of 21, 2 classes of 20, class of 19, 1 class of 18, 1 class of 17, and 1 class of 13.

Trewyn’s middle school class sizes are compared with those at Calvin Coolidge, Lincoln, Lindbergh, Rolling Acres, Von Steuben, Roosevelt, Glen Oak, and Washington Gifted.

Trewyn’s fifth grade class sizes are 17, 17, and 15—all considerably smaller than the guideline of below 29.  Please note that if there were only two fifth grade classes, the class average would be 24.5, which is still 3 to 4 below the guideline.

 Conversely, all of the class sizes of the other nine schools are larger than those at Trewyn with 7 classes of 26, 3 classes of 25, 1 class of 24, 4 classes of 23, 3 classes of 22, 4 classes of 21, 3 classes of 20, 1 class of 19, and 1 class of 18.

 Trewyn’s sixth grade class sizes are 22, 21, 20—all considerably smaller than the guideline of below 29. 

Conversely, at the other nine schools there are 5 classes above the guideline and only 2 classes that have class sizes lower than any of Trewyn’s sixth grades.  Class sizes are 4 classes at 30, 1, class at 29, 1 class at 28, 2 classes at 27, 1 class at 25, 5 classes at 24, 5 classes at 23, 4 classes at 22, 2 classes at 21, and 2 classes at 19.

Trewyn’s seventh grade class sizes are 17, 15, 13—all considerably smaller than the guideline of below 29.  Please note that if there were only two seventh grade classes, the class average  would be 22.5, which is still 5 to 6 below the guideline.

 Conversely, the class sizes at the other eight schools (Glen Oak does not have a 7th or 8^th grade) are all larger than those at Trewyn with the exception of one class of 17.  Their class sizes  are 1 class of 30, 1 class of 28, 2 classes of 26, 8 classes of 25, 2 classes of 24, 2 classes of 23, 1  class of 22, 1 class of 21, 1 class of 20, 4 classes of 19, and 1 class of 17.  In addition, three of  the nine social studies classes have class sizes of 30, 28, and 27.

 Trewyn’s eighth grade class sizes are 17, 17, 13 (some are configured at 17, 15, 13 or 17, 17, 14 or 18, 17, 13)—all classes are considerably smaller than the guideline of below 29.  Please  note that if there were only two eighth grade classes, the class average would be 24, which is  still 4 below the guideline.

 Eighth grade class sizes at the other eight schools are 1 class of 32, 2 classes of 30, 1 class of  27, 2 classes of 25, 1 class of 24, 3 classes of 23, 5 classes of 22, 1 class of 20, 2 classes of 19, 1  class of 18, 1  class of 17, 1 class of 16, 2 classes of 15, and 1 class of 14.  Configurations vary  considerably at the 8^th grade level, so the above numbers may vary from one course to another. -30-

 

 

Down to the wire, and

UPDATE 3/21/12:  These candidates won!  Thanks, voters. Now on to November.

 

PEORIA -- The primary election is Tuesday, March 20.

For once, I agree with the Journal Star. (How did that happen?) Here are my endorsements/recommendations in contested races:

Democratic primary

Congress, 18th District.  Steve Waterworth. 

Congress 17th District:  Cheri Bustos.

Illinois state senate, 46th District:  Dave Koehler.

Peoria County Board, District 6:  Allen Mayer.

 

Republican primary: 

10th Circuit Judge:  Kate Gorman

And for president:  None of them.  All are very flawed, none is fit to be president.

If protests are your thing, Romney will be in Peoria on Monday, March 19, offering two opportunities for colorful signs and national news coverage.  See this site for more information.  Santorum will be in East Peoria at 7:30 p.m. Monday.  See the PJS story here.

Aside from the presidential candidates, I have seen everyone that I recommend participate in forums and debates, and met and talked with them.  They are all outstanding candidates and would make thoughtful officeholders.

The referendum:   Vote 'yes' on the electric referendum.  If it doesn't save money as promised, we can opt out.

 -- Elaine Hopkins