PeoriaStory

District 150: Reinventing the wheel

PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria District 150 School Board, in a special committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 29, went on and on for more than an hour, though without microphones so the audience could not hear all that was said.

The subject:  developing a new strategic plan. They didn't seem to know where to begin.

Meanwhile, the critics in the audience fumed.  They knew what at least two board members should have remembered -- that the district a dozen years ago spent perhaps $80,000 on a consultant to lead the strategic plan process. It ultimately involved many, many members of the community whose time was donated to the effort.

That plan is still in the files.  It was not mentioned, though board president Debbie Wolfmeyer and member Martha Ross were on the board when the process took place.

Finally it was time for the public comments.

Here is a recording of the comments. 

 

Dist150 Sept 29

 

Terry Knapp jumped on the board's omission. He accused them of "reinventing the wheel," and reminded them that "Dr.Cook and the Cambridge Group" were paid to develop the strategic plan. "It was supposed to be updated every year."

He continued, saying that the board also has not made any public comment on the contract involving the Quest charter school, its annual trips to Turkey (why Turkey and not Paris, London or even Washington DC?) and its parent company's  troubles with an FBI investigation.  "It's ridiculous," he said.

Sharon Crews questioned the lack of board investigation into the credit cards used by administrators (called P-cards), and how those purchases are never discussed by the board.  She reminded them of the 30 missing receipts, and said a board investigation should take place.

She also told the board that "some of us speak because others don't want to take the risk," in a school district run by fear and intimidation.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Peoria events coming soon

PEORIA, IL -- There's never a dull moment in Peoria if you like hearing talks from experts.  Here are some, from a news release from the World Affairs Council:

 

"The United States, Russia and Bridging the East-West Divide" with Ambassador Ian Kelly, former US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and current Ambassador in Residence.  Thursday, October 16 on the campus of Bradley University. 

 

Not My Life: A Two-Part Event on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.  This event will begin with a screening of the documentary, Not My Life, on Thursday, October 23 at 7 pm in Westlake 130 at Bradley University.  

 

The second part is an expert panel discussion on Tuesday, October 28 at 7 pm in the Marty Theatre in the Student Center at Bradley University.

 

These events are free and open to the public.  Snacks will be served at each event.  Join us to learn more about trafficking, how to recognize the signs, and where to turn to get help in our own community and beyond.  This event is co-sponsored by the International Affairs Organization, Anti-Slavery Coalition, and the Tunnel of Oppression at Bradley.  The program is supported by a grant from the Carlson Family Foundation through the World Affairs Councils of America.

In the community:

Women in Leadership: Natika Washington

The Institute for Principled Leadership and InterBusiness Issues will host Ms. Washington, Director of Global Programs in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues in the US Department of State.  She will speak on "Empowering Women Socially, Politically, and Economically in Developing Countries" on Thursday, October 2 at 7 pm in Westlake Hall 130.  This event is free.

An Evening of Art and Music: Fundraiser for Girls Empo will be held on Saturday, October 11 at 6 - 9 pm at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 1506 SW Washington in Peoria.  This organization is raising funds to support school buses/boats to transport girls and boys to schools in the remote areas of Guatemala. 

 

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League of Women Voters sponsoring several election events

PEORIA, IL -- The Greater Peoria League of Women Voters is sponsoring several election-related events, all free and open to the public. From news releases:

The seven referundum items on the Nov. 4 ballot will be discussed at a meeting from 6:30 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct 2 at the West Peoria City Hall, 2506 W. Rohmann Avenue in West Peoria, IL.

The two Peoria County referendums regarding a County Election Commission and changing the Recorder of Deeds from an elected position to appointed (and moving those functions into the County Clerk’s office) are supported by the Board of the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria. 

The three state referendum issues that the Illinois League of Women Voters supports are: the Right to Vote amendment, Minimum Wage Increase, and Women's Health.  Since LWVIL has no position on the Crime Victim's Bill of Rights and the Tax for Education (Millionaire's Tax) both sides of those issues will be presented.  A pamphlet on those issues will be distributed.

Forums for candidates running for the Peoria County Board have also been scheduled. They include:

For Tazewell County Clerk:  candidates are Christy Webb and John Ackerman. On Saturday, Oct 11 at 10 a.m. at the East Peoria, IL Civic Plaza (in Fondulac Library building).

For Peoria County Board Dist. 6: candidates are Allen Mayer and Zach Oyler. On Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at St. Philomena Parish at 3300 N. Twelve Oaks, Door #7 in Peoria, IL.

For Peoria County Board Dist. 16:  candidates are Brad Harding and Richard Burns, on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Morrison & Mary Wiley Library in Elmwood, IL.

 

 

 

                           

 

                                

Free art exhibit

PEORIA, IL --  The Peoria Public Library continues to have lovely, free events. Here are art exhibits:

October 1- 31

Peoria Public Library Main Library (Downtown). 107 NE Monroe, Peoria, IL.

Wheeler Case Featured Artist: Mike Shular Gourd Art

Located on Lower Level Two of the Peoria Public Library Main Library, the Wheeler Case will feature the work of artist Mike Shular for the month of October.  Mr. Shular uses gourds as his canvas.  Combining drawing & design skills with 3D visualization results in a new dimension in the art of Pyrography. Imaginative and realistic, each gourd is a work of art. Varied in design, shape, leaves and cutouts, each are one of a kind. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 

October 6-November 7, 2014

Peoria Public Library Main Library Gallery

Ken Hoffman &  Barbara Hoffman:  Paintings & Photographs

Ken and Barb Hoffman have been part of the Peoria art scene for a number of years.  Ken’s painted portraits of animals depicted in suits have earned him recognition both nationally and internationally.  He’s part of the CIAO group in Peoria and participates in their First Friday program at his studio at 100 Walnut St in downtown Peoria.  Barb’s photography work has been shown in group and one-person exhibitions nationally, as well as here in Peoria. An Artist’s Reception on Saturday, October 11 from 1:00 -3:00 p.m.  The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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Lathan strikes back

PEORIA, IL --  Apparently tired of being widely attacked as a bully, Peoria School District 150 Supt. Grenita Lathan struck back at the Sept. 22 School Board meeting. Seven members and friends of the Black Chamber of Commerce appeared at the meeting to speak during the puiblic comment time, to praise her and her leadership.

These people were short on facts but long on rhetoric, as they followed the talking points to say she was a great superintendent, and that leadership is tough.

Here is a recording of the public comments. 

 

Dist150 Sept 22

Meanwhile, the usual critics had facts on their side. Sharon Crews, whose written comments will be posted below later, suggested that the board could have saved  $1 million by not purchasing Rosetta Stone software and two other computer-based programs. The district has an $11 million deficit.

Spend the money saved on summer school, Crews said, adding that there are too many high paid administrators.  Teachers once had to spend 20 years in the classroom before being promoted into the administration, she said.  No longer.

She also questioned expenses on a district credit card at Hobby Lobby last December, which did not carry the proper documentation.

Critic Terry Knapp listed several people who have been badly treated by Lathan, in response to board member Rick Cloyd who earlier said there's no real evidence of Lathan's ill treatment of staff.

The Change150 group has called for an outside evaluation of the district's ambience, which is said to be one of fear of the superintendent.

Knapp also criticized administrators for spending $8,900 in two days for food at meetings, and for the high cost of out of state meetings.

There were two public comment sessions, since a public hearing on the budget also took place.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here is the comment of Sharon Crews:

 

BUDGET

You have escaped the state’s demand for a deficit reduction plan but not the need for wiser spending.  Your spending reveals the district’s priorities and philosophy of education.  We hear only a “yes” vote on expenditures over $2500 but never hear what they are and why you approve them.

Who among you decided to break tradition to allow the superintendent to make educational spending decisions with little or no input from teachers?

In August you approved over $96,000 more to pay to AVID and for AVID-related expenses.  Why?  On August 11, I presented district data—not my opinions-- showing that Rosetta Stone had been used minimally at only two schools.  In August you approved almost $47,000 more for Rosetta Stone, and Dr. Lathan delivered what seemed to be an attempt to contradict information I had received in a FOIA response.  Please explain why the original $325,000 couldn’t cover the needs at Trewyn, Mark Bills, Lincoln, and Sterling.

In August you approved $438,000 more in spending for 25 textbook orders.  No titles were given.  How much of this money went to pay for books lost by students?  Your own policy reads, “Students receiving a fee waiver are not exempt from charges for lost and damaged books.”  What are you doing to see that this policy is followed?

You approved $220,000 more for Paxton-Patterson and $57,000 for a variety of instructional materials.  I am a bit curious about the $40,000 spent on camera servers for Ricketts and the $15,000 spent on high-energy exterior parking.

You still must make a decision about the State’s Attorney’s directive regarding an investigation of P-Card expenditures.  I have given you another example of a P-Card policy violation.  On December 5, 2013, $1,052 was spent at Hobby Lobby for 18 charges for Home Accent purchases.  None of the required information is written on the receipt.  There is no way of knowing whether these were Christmas decorations for Wisconsin Avenue or for someone’s house?  Teachers pay for their own classroom decorations except for the paltry $100 each is given to last for a whole year.  Who should pay for decorating Wisconsin Avenue offices, especially those out of the public’s view—those behind locked doors?

Mrs. Wolfmeyer, this is a meeting held in public but it is public for the benefit of the public.  You convene here twice monthly to tell us how your decisions affect District 150 and to let us judge whether or not we voted for the right people to do the job.  We leave here with very little information.

Mr. Cloyd, at the town hall meeting you said that educational success has to be measurable.  AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.  How will you measure how much the $388,000 spent on AVID nurtures a student’s individual determination to learn or to go to college?  District 150 does very little to track what its students do after high school.  You won’t even track the success rate at Valeska.  What students do 10, 20, 30 years after high school is the only way to judge District 150’s success rate. 

First, you should get rid of AVID, Compass Learning, and Rosetta Stone, to name a few—you can’t get back the over one million dollars wasted on these three programs, but, at least, you won’t waste anymore on companies that exist to make money, not because they care about students.  Kids love to play games on computers but they don’t respond well to computer learning.  The most effective learning takes place through student interactions with teachers and their peers.  Teachers should be allowed to choose the technology that fits their subject and individual teaching style—not programs forced on them by administrators. 

Second, spend your money on a viable summer school.   I firmly believe that, until students are held accountable by sacrificing their summers and money to retake failed classes or to improve grade points, academic standards and successes will not improve in District 150.  I can guarantee you that many of my own students put forth extra effort just to avoid those sacrifices.  Others benefited greatly from the chance for these do-overs.

In days gone by, teachers did not become principals or district administrators until they had served at least 20 years in the classroom.  Start paying teachers to stay in the classroom instead of offering them lucrative escapes from the classroom.  I believe that you have too many central administrators who chose teaching just as a stepping stone into high-paying jobs, where they tell teachers to do what they themselves never accomplished in a classroom.

Hire and motivate teachers who love the subject they teach, choose and support teachers who love the children they teach, and carefully choose the technology and texts that enhance the teachers’ efforts to teach.  And teachers must be a part of choosing the technology and texts—and this administration has not done that.  Stop spending money on programs that promise to change student behaviors—they aren’t working.

 

The first Change150 town hall meeting: a review

PEORIA, IL -- Peoria Journal Star education reporter Pam Adams wrote a good story on the facts of the first Change150 town hall meeting, on Sept. 13.  Read it first.

Here's my take.

Optics: The meeting began with a panel that looked like something out of Congress investigating women's health.  It was all white male, in a school district filled with minority students, mostly black.  Half are females.  These groups were not represented on the panel.

Set up:  Moderator Sea Stipe began by asking the panel softball questions, which wasted a half hour, or more.  The panel also had the questions in advance, and had done research. So they made speeches. Little time remained for audience questions.

Revelations:  Not many but a few.  Here are some Adams omitted.  According to retired administrator John Meissinger the few top administrators make a total of $2.5 million a year, in a district that is $12 million in the red.

Board member Rick Cloyd defended the pay by saying the "cost per student" for the superintendent is the lowest in Peoria County, at $15 per student. Other schools are at $300 per student, he said.

Say what?  How is that a measure of anything?  By that logic, President Obama should be paid more than any CEO in the USA. He's not paid like that. Nor should educators be paid by that standard.  Ridiculous.

A parent of a student at Washington Gifted Middle School said her child is taking French from a substitute teacher who doesn't know French. He's not learning anything, she implied. The French class only watches videos in class, old movies that show Paris landmarks, she said.

Holy cow! 

Peoria Federation of Teachers president Jeff Atkins-Dutro said District 150 is "struggling to find foreign language teachers," and told the audience to contact the district if they know of anyone who can teach a foreign language.

Uh...isn't that the job of those highly paid administrators --  to find qualified teachers?

But here's an idea. How about Rosetta Stone, the software that D150 has spent $350,000 to purchase?  Even that would be better than old movies.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Two free talks, coming soon

PEORIA, IL -- Two free talks about climate and energy take place soon.

Professor Donald Wuebbles, Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Illinois will speak on“Our Changing Climate: The 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment” on Monday, September 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Olin Hall 168, Bradley University

 

The sponsors of the program include Bradley's International Affairs Organization (IAO)/SABRC, Honors Program, Institute of International Studies, Department of Biology, Environmental Science Program, Peoria Area World Affairs Council (PAWAC).

 

Here's a handy poster:

 

Download Dr. Wuebbles Poster

 

 

 

On Thursday, September 18, hear "The World Politics of a Changing Energy Landscape" with James Clad, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia, now a consultant for the Cambridge Energy Research Associates.  

 

He'll discuss the changing dynamics of energy production as the US surpasses traditional energy producers, like Russia and Saudi Arabia, in production and supply.  This event will be held at 7 p.m. in Westlake 116 at Bradley University.

 

D150: the comments don't tell all

PEORIA,. IL -- The public comments at the Peoria District 150 School Board meeting on Sept. 8 didn't tell even half of the story.

Instead the activist commenters referred to two recent letters which they know the board has received.

One is from Peoria County State's Attorney Jerry Brady regarding the use of P-cards or credit cards,  with administrators charging items that seem to be personal perks and paying sales taxes the district does not owe.

The other is supposed to be an explanation of one such charge.

Activist Terry Knapp called attention to the letters, which will be posted below.

He focused on the word 'character,' and sarcastically listed situations where character seems to be lacking: $248 spent on a meal at a restaurant, charged to a P-card; too many pupils on the honor roll or listed as merit award winners at Manual High School, implying that their grades were not earned. 

Activist Sharon Crews noted how the administration complained about the cost of fulfilling Freedom of Information Act requests, when only 87 have been received this year, less than one per day, while the board spends many thousands on textbooks, sometimes with no titles listed.

Activist Sevino Sierra told the board "Peoria Stadium is a disgrace to the city of Peoria." It's a historic site, he said. Schools also need repairs, he said, while "you go on on trips and spend money."

Here is a recording of the comments followed by the two letters and my comments about them.

PSD150 Sept 8 14

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

Here is the Brady letter:

Download Brady's letter regarding p-card investigation

Read it carefully.  After police sat on the documents for months, we learn that no real investigation took place. No one was interviewed. Nobody looked beyond the documents that Knapp and Crews have been complaining about.  This is nothing but asking the crook to investigate himself. Very said.

And now for the email from the new board member Jon Bateman, regarding a questionable P-card charge last December.

From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: Questions regarding the December 2013 P-Card payment to the Marriott
> Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 19:11:05 +0000
>
> Mrs. Crews,
>
> My apologies for the delay in responding, but I wanted to research a policy so I could adequately answer your questions. Also, thank you for the information you provided in your note regarding the projected costs approved by the School Board last year. I'm not surprised to see the amount of $429.81 is essentially the difference between the two projected amounts showing that lodging was accounted for in one projection for one teacher and not doubled up.
>
> To explain and answer your questions:
>
> - The teachers' hotel reservations were made by the district and the P-card was provided by the Administration's IB Coordinator to the hotel with instructions to cover lodging charges only.
> - As I stated before, one teacher provided her personal credit card to cover incidentals for the room: phone charges, room service, etc.
> - The hotel mistakenly, this was the honest mistake, charged the full room amount of the lodging charges to the teachers personal credit card instead of the P-card provided by the District at the time of the reservation.
> - The teacher did not recognize the hotel's charging error until she received her personal credit card statement a month later.
> - Once the error was recognized, it took quite a bit of time to get the hotel to reimburse the teacher's personal credit card and move the charges to the P-card provided at the time of the reservation that should have been charged in October for $429.81.
>
> As a business traveler who has had these kinds of mistakes take place with hotel charges, I can tell you it takes quite a bit of time to get hotels to make the necessary adjustments to correct misapplied charges.
>
> So you can see the hotel was not double paid and the timing of the resulting P-card charge was a function of the hotel's error combined with the time to recognize and resolve the misapplied charge. By resolving the hotel's error in this manner, the lodging charges were accurately applied to the correct District account.
>
> These are the circumstances surrounding what should have happened versus what it took to resolve the hotel's error.
>
> Thank you for your interest in the District's financial activity.
> Regards!
> Jon Bateman
>
> Sent using OWA for iPad
> ________________________________
> From: Sharon Crews <[email protected]>
> Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2014 4:27:48 PM
> To: JON BATEMAN
> Subject: Questions regarding the December 2013 P-Card payment to the Marriott
>
>
> August 31, 2014
>
> Mr. Jon Bateman,
>
> It is a very rare occurrence for any member of this current board to respond to any of our
> questions and/or observations. Your prompt response to the issue Terry raised at the
> last board meeting is extremely appreciated and a hopeful sign.
>
> I hope that you can bear with me as I explain why I am still very confused with regard to the
> December 20-23, 2013, transaction. My own search for an explanation had already led me to
> these three pieces of information.
>
> The October 15, 2013, Travel Listing attached to the agenda for the board meeting on that date
> showed that the following two travel requests had been approved:
>
> Michelle Buscher (Sterling) to attend IB-Managing Systems, Los Angeles, CA, for October 18-21, 2013,
> at a cost of $1,675.60 for plane, lodging, meals, and registration to be charged to the IB Fund. The request
> had been approved by RJ.
>
> Denise Smith (Mark Bills) to attend IB-Managing Systems, Los Angeles, CA, for October 18-21, 2013, at a cost of
> $1,246.69 for plane, meals, and registration to be charged to the IB Fund. The request had been approved by RJ.
>
> Revonda Johnson’s January 20, 2014, procurement card statement listed a $429.81 “lodging” charge for a stay at the
> Marriott LAX in Los Angeles on December 20-23, 2013.
>
> However, I saw no correlation between the two travel requests and the charge on Johnson’s P-Card. I am sorry to say that your explanation does not clarify the matter for me.
>
> As a brief aside, I trust that you can begin to see the problems associated with allowing all P-Card holders (probably 50 or more) to charge travel expenses that may or may not have been approved by the board. As in this case, there seems to be no easy way to connect the board approved expenditures with the actual charges for registration fees, transportation, lodging, and meals. Lathan, Kennedy, and Johnson all use their P-cards for travel expenses for themselves and other District 150 employees. In fact, other P-cardholders have, also, charged travel expenses in the past.
>
> These are the questions that I still have regarding the December 2013 Marriott charges:
>
> You refer to “an honest mistake.” I do not understand what “mistake” was made.
>
> First of all, how were the charges for Buscher’s and Smith’s travel expenses supposed to be paid? Were they supposed to pay for their own transportation, lodging, meals, and registration fees and then turn in the charges to the District to be reimbursed? Or was the District supposed to make the lodging reservations and to make payment ahead of time for the two teachers?
>
> In any case and from your explanation, “Upon check out, the teacher’s personal credit card received the room charges.” Doesn’t that mean that the Marriott was paid and all debts incurred by Buscher and Smith were paid to the Marriott when the teachers checked out?
>
> Therefore, the teachers, not the Marriott, needed to be reimbursed. Right? Therefore, how does a $429.81 charge for a December 20-23, 2013, stay at the Marriott (which appears on Johnson’s P-card statement for January 20, 2014) relate to repaying the teachers? Why would the Marriott need to be paid twice for the October 18-21 stay?
>
> Of course, if you have questions or responses to all of the above, feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail.
>
> Sharon Crews

My take:  None of this makes any sense.

 -- EH 

Here are the comments from Sharon Crews:

 

At the last meeting I believe I heard FOIA requests again mentioned as expenditures that need to be decreased.  Sorry—it’s a law and the FOIA officer is mandated.  As of August 11, only 87 FOIA requests had been received for the calendar year of over 150 week days.  That isn’t even one FOIA request per day. 

 What is the average cost of filling a FOIA request--not counting the FOIA officer’s salary?  Gathering the data is done mostly by clerical workers who do not make enough to make filling the requests a drain on the budget.   Most of the data we request can be found on District computers in minutes.

Considerable money can be saved if you stop paying lawyers to look over FOIA requests.  A half hour of a lawyer’s billable hours probably equals more than a clerical worker earns in a day.  

A Public Access Counselor in the Attorney General’s office recently told me that the FOIA law does not require a District to hire a lawyer.  However, you can do as you please.  The District can save money by willingly giving the public the information requested—especially money-related data that can’t be withheld legally.

Tonight I have given you data that the public and maybe even some of you don’t know—and wouldn’t know if I hadn’t heard a rumor and followed up with a FOIA request. 

I learned that in June there were brand new textbooks totaling over $246,000 sitting in the warehouse—for how long I don’t know.  The District will not answer why questions, so I do not know why the books were purchased. 

Maybe they have been distributed now that school has started.  I hope you have the curiosity and sense of responsibility to find out.

An additional $385,000 for textbooks was approved at the August 11 meeting.  There are no titles given for any of these books.  Four charges were for sets of books costing from $12,000 to $190,000.  Were these newly adopted books or replacements for consumable or lost books?

I believe I am right in assuming that Dr. Lathan is still not collecting for lost books in spite of a board policy that states that it is one of her responsibilities.  

How much longer can the District lose money on consumable and/or lost books? And you are worried about how much money our FOIA requests cost the District? 

Your generosity to AVID is a crime.  I assume that the 95 charges of $669 each made mostly on Kennedy’s P-Card were for registration fees for the summer conference.  Also, I believe this money was spent months before the trips were approved. -30-

 

Sublime La Guitarra by Heartland

WASHINGTON, IL -- The Heartland Festival Orchestra opened its 6th season with a fabulous concert named La Guitarra.

It featured georgeous music from Spain by Arriaga, Chabrier and Rodrigo, and soloist Jason Vieaux, a top classical guitarist whose playing was wonderfully expressive and artistic.

The first three pieces of the concert, from the Spanish composers, were cineamatic beauties, and for those of a certain age, generated images of Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, Caesar Romero and the film Captain from Castile.

Then came Guitar Concerto in D Major Opus 59 by Vivaldi, and Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, Suite for Orchestra, familiar pieces, beautifully performed.

But between those numbers on the program there was a surprise, as is usual with the Heartland's concerts.  Both the orchestra and Vieaux separately played Tango in D by Isaac Albeniz, and the audience applause denoted the best performance. 

The orchestra sounded terrific, but the soloist was wonderful. Vieaux won.

The only off note for this lovely concert was the traffic jam outside Five Points Washington. It's a fine venue, but the parking lot is a nightmare, made worse by competing events nearby. 

A word to the wise: go early to these concerts, pop a good CD into the car stereo system and be patient trying to find a parking space.  Then stay late and  socialize, while the traffic subsides.

 -- Elaine Hopkins .

Change 150 to host town hall meetings

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

CHANGE150 TO HOST FIRST TOWN HALL MEETING FOR
PEORIA SCHOOL DISTRICT 3

PEORIA, IL September 4, 2014 – Members of CHANGE150 will host three town hall meetings, one for each voting district, before the end of the year.

The panel of participants for the first town hall meeting, covering District 3, will include Peoria School District board members from that District. Community members may submit questions or express comments and concerns, in advance or the day of the event, regarding issues with District 150.

 Where: North Branch, Peoria Public Library, 3001 W. Grand Parkway Peoria, IL 61615

 When: Saturday, September 13, 2014, 10:30 am - 12:00 noon

 Who: The panel will include Rick Cloyd, District 3 Board Member, Jon Bateman, District 3 Board Member, Dan Dugal, Change150 Vice President, John Meisinger, Former District 150 Administrator, and representatives from other Change150 coalition groups.

 Why: We believe our children deserve the best education possible, and that one way to achieve this is through honest, open dialogue between the school board and the community that they represent. Change150 plans to lead this initiative by hosting and facilitating a series of town hall meetings to allow the public an opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns.

 How: Attendees may submit written questions at the meeting. Additionally, the community may submit questions or comments in advance at [email protected].

The goal of CHANGE150 is to unite Peoria’s communities because with a collective voice, we can be loud advocates for our children and for change. For more information on CHANGE150, please go to www.CHANGE150.org.
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