PeoriaStory

District 150: the public hearing

PEORIA -- A special April 30 meeting of the Peoria District 150 School Board featured an unusual program:  two public hearings for long time administrators, Gloria Cox and Kevin Curtin, who have been demoted to lesser jobs.

Their supporters filled the former Woodruff High School commons, whose walls still are filled with trophies and other reminders of the former school. (After being closed to students for a year it was reopened as the Woodruff Technical Center.) 

Two lawyers for the administration read similar statements detailing the various failings of the administrators, failings which one of their lawyers called "glittering generalities."

Cox, an assistant principal at Manual Academy, was accused of failing to foster student achievement, even though test scores of the 7th and 8th graders rose under her tenure.

Her lawyer Jim Baker said she has always received positive evaluations.  "Good employees do not become bad employees overnight." 

The "administration's exhibits were skimpy and embiguous.  If her conduct was as serious as the administration claims, there would have been documentation on her shortcomings," he said.   There were no dates, no people referred to by name, and letters from six teachers working with her testifying to her leadership skills, he said. "There no evidence from teachers and administrators on her shortcomings."

Curtin's attorney Richard Steagall said he interviewed former administrator Michelle Ungurait under oath, who was brought to District 150 by Supt. Grenita Lathan, then fired before the school year ended. He said Ungurait met with the School Board beore she left and predicted what would happen, as these administrators were targeted by Lathan. Curtin "was set up to be fired."

(UPDATE: 5/1/12. Here is the sworn statement by Ungurait, thanks to the Emerge blog. It's a highly shocking document.)

They both would have been fired last year but the paperwork was not done in time, he said. He added that "this is a court of execution,"  but asked the board not to "rubber stamp: what the administration wants. 

Curtin "was a star," he said. "All of a sudden that changed."

A board attorney accused Irving School principal Curtin of dishonesty for turning in paperwork "that falsified teacher evaluation logs." Principals are supposed to spend two hours daily in classrooms observing and assisting teachers.

He apparently turned in logs from his work as principal at a previous school, Garfield.

Curtin addressed the board and said the pressure of his work with new materials, a new school, new staff and new parents caused the situation.

Instead of refuting the charges, he appealed to the board to consider his family and his long dedication to the children and parents of the district. "I have stood tall and proud in the most challenging schools in this district," and "turned Garfield around. I've been threatened by families" of some children. He received a standing ovation.

My take:  without seeing all the evidence and knowing these two administrators, it's hard to determine what should happen, but what their lawyers said was compelling.

It seems that the Lathan administration is targeting strong and well liked administrators who have many contacts in the community.   Why?  To get rid of dissidents? Potential rivals? It makes little sense.

It no doubt harms morale and intimidates others, likely leading to early retirements and resignations as they flee to more friendly workplaces.  That can't be good for the students, to lose experienced administrators.

The public comments included two people who praised Lathan in what appeared to be set up statements, and others who expressed support for the administrators. One said of the school atmosphere, "everything you do is scrutinized.  You don't know who to trust. It's not right.These people have given their lives to this district.,  The evaluation is subjective."

The board adjourned to closed session to deliberate, but could wait 15 days before making a decision.

The public comments are posted here.

D150 Apr.30

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Schock's solicitation for campaign funds draws FEC complaint

PEORIA -- Here's a story about Peoria's own Cong. Aaron Schock, R-18th, out of Chicago: complaints have been made to the Federal Election Commission after Schock solicited a $25,000 donation to a superPAC that wants incumbent members of Congress defeated.  The legal limit is $5,000.

The member targeted by Schock's solicitation was a fellow Republican incumbent, who lost in the primary.

Apparently he has friends. Some of Schock's other fellow Republicans are furious.

It's not just another ethical violation apparently, but more serious, even illegal, according to Politico. We'll see whether Peoria media picks this up.

Schock has a good candidate as his opponent in November, Democrat Steve Waterworth. 

 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Update 5/1/12:  Here are articles from the New York Times and  Crain's Chicago Business.  

And here's another juicy story from the Washington Post on Schock's upscale tastes, from campaign funds. 

Update 5/3/12:  Oops, Schock is in even more trouble, using 18th District GOP campaign funds.  From the Center for Public Integrity: "the $25,000 from Cantor — which came via his own leadership PAC — appears to have been matched by $25,000 from the 18th District Republican Central Committee, the local political party committee in Schock’s home district, which reported the expense as “committee advertising.”

Art show at library

PEORIA -- From a news release:

 

                The 48^th Annual Rennick Juried Art Show, sponsored by the Peoria Historical Society, will be at Peoria Public Library Main Library Gallery from May 1 to 30. With the expanded gallery space, the show is expected to feature oil painting, watercolor, pastels, pen and ink, colored pencil, charcoal, mixed media and photography.

                Artists were required to submit work depicting a Central Illinois theme within a 100 mile radius from the tri-county area. This may include landmarks, nature, water and landscapes, events, or people.

                The Peoria Public Library Main Gallery is open from Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information or group tours, contact 309-497-2120.

Judging takes place Tuesday, May 1. For complete details see www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org.

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Speaker on Israel May 7

 PEORIA -- The Jewish Federation of Peoria presents: 

The 2012 Elections; implications for Israel and the Arab Spring
 
Guest Speaker: Jay Footlik
Date & time: May 7, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Bradley University-Marty Theatre, 915 N. Elmwood

Jay Footlik is the founding president and CEO of Global Policy Initiatives. He served as Special Assistant to President Clinton in the White House and has held various senior positions on numerous political campaigns over the last 25 years. He is a frequent speaker on foreign policy and the Middle East and has appeared on Al Jazeera English, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS and others. Jay routinely travels to Beirut, Jordan, Turkey and Israel. He will be sharing his personal experiences and insights about the region and the 2012 elections.

 

 

The truth about mad cow...

PEORIA -- Here's a great story about the latest mad cow discovery that will or should chill you, as it did me. 

I believe many US  mad cow human victims are misdiagnosed as dementia sufferers, confined in nursing homes then die without publicity. 

A few years ago, as a working journalist, I found the number of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD supposedly non-infectious) human victims in Peoria, IL. to be way above the national average, likely because of better diagnosis at Peoria hospitals.

Prions cause both diseases and dementia is the chief symptom, leading to death.I'm betting the science linking the two diseases is incomplete.

So mad cow may be in the US human population and never properly diagnosed.Or the diagnosis might even be suppressed -- anything is possible in today's world.

A relative speculated that a Peoria vCJD victim acquired the disease from a device used at the hospital in another procedure, and not properly sterilized. All very scary and crying out for better regulations. He didn't eat beef, she said, and was not a hunter.

Mad cow also may be in deer, elk and other wild animal products, research has shown, a good reason to avoid that meat and stop hunting, even if the humane arguments don't appeal to you.

Meanwhile, avoid beef when possible, without being a jerk about it if someone serves it to you. After all, you're just rolling the dice.

(I also avoid pork when possible for humane reasons, since factory farms are horrible.)

Mad cow prions are more likely in the brains and nerve issues of beef, so a roast or steak is safer than hamburger and sausage, though contamination from slaughter is always possible. (The recent pink slime controversy has as its subtext the mad cow concerns.) 

Just FYI.  -- Elaine Hopkins

May Day Protests: A strike and a walkout at Bradley U.

PEORIA -- May Day is a traditional international worker's day, and this year it's a national day of protest that includes an event planned for Bradley University.  Here is the flier:

The Peoria Peace Network is urging its members to attend, to show solidarity with the students.

There's also a national protest calling for a day of strikes:  "no work, no school, no housework, don't bank, don't buy."  Here's the website.   

Healthcare Now, a national group calling for a single payer system, says: "Building on the history of May Day, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement is calling for a Day Without the 99% by students, workers, and immigrants on Tuesday, May 1 to highlight economic injustice and corporate domination. Already, over 115 cities will be participating in this historic event."

It continues: "At a time in our country when 50 million people are uninsured and millions more remain underinsured, unemployment is at its highest level in more than 30 years, and student loan debt has reached a crippling one trillion dollars, this coming May Day occurs while the disparity between the privileges of the top 1% and the hardships of the rest of the 99% have been boldly illuminated by the efforts of OWS."

Well said.  Let's all participate!

Here's a story on the May Day events.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

 

 

 

Lakeview Library finally open again, but hours reduced

PEORIA  -- Lakeview Library in Peoria is finally open again, with a ribbon cutting celebration set for April 28.  See details below.

But as with the other new and remodeled Peoria libraries,the hours are reduced, causing inconvenience to the public.  The libraries used to be open until 9 p.m., so that public meetings could be held in the evening. Now they're closing at 8 p.m., or earlier, making meeting schedules more problematic.

And they're all closed one day during the weekdays, another inconvenience.

This is done to save staff pay, but is that wise? Is this what the public voted for, when it approved the bonds to build a new library and remodel the others?  I don't think so. -- Elaine Hopkins

Anyway here's the news release on the Lakeview event:

Peoria Public Library Finishes Building Program with Lakeview Branch Grand Opening, Saturday, April 28

 Peoria Public Library will hold a Grand Opening of Lakeview Branch, 1137 W. Lake Avenue, on Saturday, April 28 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m. The event marks the final building opening during the $28 million building program that began with the passing of an advisory referendum on April 17, 2007.

Those visiting Lakeview Branch on opening day, Saturday, April 28 can attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m. and then enjoy family fun all day. Everyone is eligible to enter door prize drawings for stacks of books or an e-reader.  Then meet “Biscuit” and enjoy storytelling fun with “Storytelling by Linda” at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Lakeview Branch now will offer the same services and light-filled spaces as the other Peoria Public Library locations. A new central information desk, call center and self-check desk will provide the same convenient service that have been so well-received at other locations. Calls will now be answered behind the scenes in the call center, as they are at each library location, making sure staff can give the public their full attention at the desk.

 Internal spaces have been redesigned to include completely remodeled and enlarged restrooms and a book drop room that will allow staff to discharge and sort returned books behind the scenes. In addition there is now a dedicated storytime room and a single meeting room as well as two study rooms. The reconfigured space provides one meeting room that is 22 x 20 feet, one study room that is 12 x 12 feet, one that is 10 feet 6 inches by 12 feet 6 inches, and a storytime room that is 22 feet by 23 feet 6 inches. One result of reconfiguring meeting room space is that restrooms have been enlarged and remodeled.

 Sixteen new public computer stations have also been installed. New furniture has also been purchased for the branch and while shelving was reused, it will have a new look with new end panels and tops. The entire interior was repainted and new flooring installed.

The original skylight, closed over long ago, has been reopened with high-energy skylight panels installed. In addition, all old exterior single pane windows have been replaced with high-energy glass windows. Four new windows were added to the children’s area bringing in more natural light. The entryway is also lighter and quieter.  The old “hissing” sliding door is gone and the entry ceiling was raised. Outside, old landscaping was trimmed or removed and new plantings added and various repairs were made to exterior walls and the roof.

  Lakeview Branch also has new hours.  It will be open Monday – Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. It will be open Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m. It will be closed every Thursday. These hours are for the entire year and the weekend hours will be applied in summer as well. The only day closed will be Thursday, however all other locations are open that day with both North Branch and Lincoln Branch remaining open until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The phone number for Lakeview Branch is 309-497-2200.

-30-

 

 

 

League meeting features Jim Nowlan

PEORIA -- From a news release:

The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria will host politics expert Jim Nowlan as its guest speaker, at its annual meeting on, May 5.   

 he event begins at 11a.m. on Saturday, May 5 at the IVY Club, 5102 N. Galena Road, Peoria Heights  

Jim Nowlan will speak on The Future of Illinois around 12:30 p.m.

Nowlan is a professor, politician, newspaper publisher and has been a senior aide to three Illinois governors.  He is the author of scholarly works as well as novels about American politics, public management and social change.

Luncheon reservations must be made by April 30 by contacting Nancy Schweitzer at 309/685-9391. The meeting without the luncheon is free and open to the public.

Principals hearings postponed but other issues questioned

PEORIA -- Another Peoria District 150 School Board meeting -- another school gym with a poor sound system, hard metal chairs, other issues including inconsistent meeting times.  The April 23 meeting began at 6 p.m., and public comments were limited to three minutes each.  

Someone wishing to speak must sign up before the meeting, so those that don't know the meeting has been moved from its usual 6:30 p.m. time to 6 p.m. and come then are out of luck. 

A much anticipated public hearing on principals who have been 'reassigned,' e.g. ousted from their jobs, will now take place on Monday April 30, the board announced, and removed it from the agenda. The time and place are to be posted later on the District's website.  Some in the audience had come to hear that event.

The board meeting, at Woodrow Wilson School, was almost 15 minutes late getting started, then three presentations later -- presentations that should take place at school auditoriums instead of the board meeting -- the public comments finally began.

I have been recording these comments since the board took them off live television, two years ago.  It could webcast the meetings -- a good exercise for students! -- but doesn't do it. So the recording is below, as usual.

Several teachers spoke about "the evaluation tool," the new state-mandated way to get rid of teachers, including those with tenure, that someone decides to fire. 

The district's teachers are working with administrators to develop it, apparently a source of tension.  Several talked about the need to collaborate on it,  One said it should be unique to Peoria, and not like those in North Carolina or California, a sly reference to the superintendent's previous positions. 

Activist Terry Knapp talked about the half-dozen properties on Prospect Road that the district bought a few years ago and took off the tax rolls, then learned a school could not be built at the site. 

Only one is now rented, and the rest have deteriorated and need to be torn down, Knapp said he has learned. "It's beyond me as a taxpayer" why the district has "let them sit there," he added.

He also questioned the many new lawyers that keep appearing at District 150 board meetings, and the legal bills to come from ousting tenured teachers without due process.

Activist Sharon Crews made an amusing discovery:  the district's recent 'report' to the public called Remarkable Times had over 63 grammatical errors, breaking rules that even high school juniors must know to pass state exams.  She distributed her report to the board, and her comments will be published here later.

Peoria Federation of Teachers vice president Lana Myers said the evaluation tool should not be made a 'gotcha' event, which "will add to the climate of fear and bullying in our district."

PFT president Bob Darling said the tenured teachers let go should be rehired, and that the state legislation might be amended to allow this. "The criteria was not to eliminate due process for tentured teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations," he said. Instead they are to be offered remediation.

One teacher riffed has 19 years in the district.  "You can't give her 90 days to do remediation?" he asked. "I think the state will fix this law."

In her response to the comments, Supt. Grenita Lathan said the evaluation tool was not to be a "gotcha" tool. "We will continue to collaborate," she said.

An audio recording of the public comments is posted here.

D150 Apr 23

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 Here are Sharon Crews's comments:

Every day all District 150 students are taught and tested again and again to determine if they demonstrate the appropriate grade-level mastery of the English language.  District 150 has spent thousands of dollars on programs to track the success and failure of these students. 

 There is no doubt that one of the primary motivations behind these purchases is to collect data to be analyzed in regards to instruction and, therefore, to “Pinpoint” those teachers whose students are not mastering the English language according to expectations.   This data will undoubtedly be used to give more and more unsatisfactory evaluations to teachers.  Even more principals will be given the ax based on test scores when no other trumped up charges can be validated.

Clearly, No Child Left Behind has made mastery of the English language a high priority.  When, may I ask, will the personnel on Wisconsin Avenue be expected to exhibit mastery of the English language?  

 It doesn’t matter who writes the articles for the Remarkable Times.  Clearly, no one on Wisconsin Avenue edits or proofreads the articles before this newsletter is distributed throughout the Peoria area.  The quality of this newsletter is a direct reflection on the administrative staff on Wisconsin Avenue.  We do not need any Pinpoint programs to question whether or not the District’s very expensive hierarchy has a mastery of the English language.  If anyone was embarrassed by the newsletter, surely the public would never have seen an April newsletter with over 63 errors, breaking at least 25 grammar rules for which high school juniors are held responsible on the ACT test.  There errors include punctuation and capitalization errors, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, misplaced modifiers, incorrect pronoun usage, and very poor syntax, in general. 

  As a former English teacher, Dr. Lathan, the buck stops at your desk, and I do not understand how you allow this error-ridden publication to represent District 150 and you personally.

  Also, what if students read the newsletter?  Aren’t you undoing everything teachers are teaching?

That war on women ... the personal IS political

MACOMB -- Much has been written and spoken about the recent attacks on women's rights by Republican majorities in the US House of Representatives and elsewhere.

They're attacking contraception, equal pay for women, and most especially abortion, a basic liberty for women, who must control what happens to their bodies. 

The abortion issue is crucial. Abortion is under attack in the (barely) Democratic Illinois General Assembly, which is only a few votes away from making abortions more expensive and difficult to obtain, even though they are a legal and necessary part of women's health care.

Macomb's Republican state Representative Norine Hammond of the 94th District is a co-sponsor of  two anti-abortion bills, which could come up for a vote at any time:

House Bill 4117 would require any place where surgical abortions are provided to become the functional equivalent of a small hospital.  No other medical procedure in the state is regulated in this way.  Its purpose is to make abortion more expensive and difficult to obtain.

House Bill 4085 would require doctors to offer an ultrasound exam before an abortion, allow the woman to opt out only in writing, then send the form to the state. Its purpose is to intimidate women and make abortion more expensive and difficult to obtain. It also will create new costs for the state to manage the paperwork.

There are no valid medical reasons for either of these bills. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed in the US.  Pregnancy is much riskier for a woman. 

The abortion clinic in Peoria already charges up to $450 for a first trimester abortion, a huge amount of money for a low income woman.  A second trimester abortion costs over $1,000 and requires travel to Chicago or Granite City near St. Louis, a terrific financial burden for a low income woman. 

These bills are playing politics with women's lives.  They make choice and personal control of a woman's health even more difficult for poor women.

They would result in more unwanted births, adding to Medicaid costs, which the state is trying to cut. Half of all Illinois births are already paid for by Medicaid.

So why is Hammond sponsoring these bills?

She has been contacted by many of her constitutents in Macomb, urging her to drop her sponsorship. She claims her constitutents want these bills passed, but refuses to say how many have contacted her to favor them.

She is a Republican drone, doing whatever the state party wants, and they want these bills to appease and motivate their anti-choice voters.

She has no opponent in the November election. Yet. 

The Democratic party can slate an opponent until the end of May.  Who in a university town will step forward to run against Hammond?

Congress:  Macomb is now in the 18th Congressional District.  The member of Congress for the 18th District is Aaron Schock, Republican from Peoria, of the topless magazine cover, who has voted to defund Planned Parenthood.

 He is strongly anti-choice.

He is also a Republican drone, doing whatever the national party wants.

He has a pro-choice opponent in November, Democrat Steve Waterworth.

Why is this happening?  Abortion is a 'wedge' issue, designed to wedge away voters who otherwise might support Democrats.  These are often religious voters who have heard in churches that abortion is wrong, when loaded and inaccurate language is used. (As if a collection of fetal cells is a 'baby.')

They are not content that tax money does not pay for abortions, they want to make abortion illegal, and even send women and doctors to jail. Amazing, really.

So women are in a serious and deadly fight for their basic liberty, as well as adequate health care.

It ends at the ballot boxes in November. Spread the word.

 -- Elaine Hopkins