PeoriaStory

"Is our children learning" yet? Apparently not!

PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria District 150 School Board meeting of Nov. 26 had  little of interest except the public comment of activist Sharon Crews. 

I did not attend because of an icy driveway and street, but here is her written comment:

-- Elaine Hopkins 

 

The Manual and Peoria High English grades for 2017-18 reveal problems that cannot be ignored or mitigated.

There were 256 F’s at Manual and 451 at Peoria High. If these students are to graduate these courses will have to be retaken. There is no way you can convince me that summer school is not an absolute necessity, especially considering that there are undoubtedly a significant number of F’s in other subjects.

Since these students obviously struggle with English, it is very unfair to ask them to take two English courses in a semester. Also, because the district is very short of teachers, it is unwise and probably impossible to add classes for repeaters. Increasing the number of classes is, also, a drain on district finances. Besides that, adding repeaters to existing English classes increases class size and is very unfair to teachers and students.

I was appalled to learn from this data that most students are only in Credit Recovery classes for very short periods of time. At Manual, only 24 students completed a stint in a Credit Recovery English class.   Two enrolled for only 21 days received D’s and one received a D for 10 days. Six were enrolled for one month; 3 for 2 months; 3 for 3 months, and 8 for 4 months. Eight students received one of those 17’s that I believe were A’s.   I certainly question whether or not these courses fulfill curricular requirements. I think they are one size fits all.

The 48 F’s for English 1 and 35 F’s for English Composition are convincing evidence that these freshman entered Manual very unprepared. The 73 F’s for sophomore English indicates that there was little progress. The 111 F’s for freshman courses at Peoria High reveal the same. Standards for academics and, most of all, standards for behavior are at an all-time low for grades K-8. Teachers in many classrooms must deal with bell to bell discipline problems that leave very little time for teaching. We rarely, if ever, hear the truth about discipline from this or previous administrations; however, the grapevine spreads the bad news all over the city.

Many changes in policies that have been made in the last twenty years have resulted in steadily lowered standards of academics as well as discipline. Changes include making 40 the new zero, reducing three grading periods and a final exam to just a semester grade that can be easily manipulated into a passing grade, and most recently eliminating or mitigating the Constitution Test, which has been the rite of passage from eighth grade to high school, The reason for eliminating this tradition is that “this test has caused many difficulties for our students,” according to a letter from the administration to teachers.

This administration and previous ones have been interested only in credit recovery and higher grades, often inflated, especially for seniors. Those grades are window dressing for the administration.

Private schools and suburban schools have discipline policies that allow their teachers the time for effective teaching. Their teachers aren’t better than ours—they are just supported and respected more than ours. However, our poorly prepared students graduate into a world where they must compete with these better prepared students in college and in the work world.

Your misguided helps, credit recovery, and expensive programs are hurting more than helping our students. You absolutely must insure that discipline problems do not prevent our teachers from teaching and you must reinstate a summer school that will do more than provide credit recovery.

The data I received also shows that many students that start school in August are not around in May—what is causing these drops? Those are recorded on the document of all English grades. - 30 -

-- Sharon Crews

Maybe interesting event

PEORIA, IL -- Here's an event that looks interesting:

District 150 Board meeting: grading mystery

PEORIA, IL -- I didn't attend the Peoria District 150 School Board meeting, but the comments were recorded, and here they are: 

Download D150 Nov 13 2018

Terry Knapp complains about high taxes, and the failure of the state to fund teacher pensions.

Sharon Crews sent her comment for posting, which presents a weird grading mystery.  What is happening? 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

My handout tells a story of data that requires an explanation. I requested the 2017-18 English grades of Manual high school students. I received over 1,700 lines of data in no particular order. As is my habit, I transferred the significant data to my computer so that I could give you the data arranged by course, ID, or grade.

The grades were not in the usual A to F or 1 to 5 order. The numbers were 2, 5, 8, 11, 13, and 17. I could have assumed A to F, but I couldn’t guess what the 17 represented. The FOIA officer sent an explanation of numbers that go from 1-31

The number 17 shows that a student withdrew from a class. The date of withdrawal was, also, provided. That’s when I realized the mystery. Some of the 17’s were dated with withdrawal dates sometime during first or second semester—94 students for first semester and 114 for second semester.

However, 49 withdrawal dates were for December 21, 2017, the last day of first semester; and 50 withdrawal dates were for May 24, 2018, the last day of second semester. That seemed strange since students don’t drop classes on the last day of a semester—they receive an A, B, C, D, or F. Also, most—if not all--of these 17’s were for seniors, who graduated before May 24.

I gave you a listing of only students who received a 17 for the last day of a semester (the dates are in red). The list provides the grades for all the English classes each student took in 2017-18.

I certainly found it strange that twenty-seven seniors received only 17s for English grades, and fifteen seniors received a 17 for one of two required English courses. Certainly, I do not believe that all 42 of these seniors did not graduate because they dropped their English classes.

I hope that you board members can ferret out the truth. The only guess I could conjure up was that all these 17’s are really A’s disguised because someone on Wisconsin Avenue believed that I would assume that the senior grades were inflated.

First semester there were 50 A’s and 49 probably disguised A’s, 109 B’s, 198 C’s, 149 D’s. and 136 F’s. Peoria High’s English grades included 369 of the 17’s for first and second semester final grades. With the possible exception of senior grades, I found that the grades were much more evenly distributed than they were the year before—to the teachers’ credit.

As usual, my comments will be posted, so I think it would be wise for the public to be informed as to what this was all about. Of course, I do not believe that teachers had anything to do with the use of the number 17 for grades.

If this was deception, trust in data the district presents has become more difficult. I certainly do wonder if teachers are encouraged or even coerced into giving higher grades to graduating seniors. In the past, I know we were often asked to change averages for athletes and other students who needed higher grades to get into college. Please provide an explanation for the 17’s.

If the 17’s were A’s, then:       1^st Sem                 2^nd Sem

For Academic Language:       4 of 13                  3 of 7         were A’s;

for AP English Language:     4 of 12              6 of 20          were A’s,

for AP English Literature:   20 of 53              16 of 34         were A’s

for English IV,:                      16 of 80               19 of 65         were A’s

Draw your own conclusions about grade inflation. - 30 -

 -- Sharon Crews

 

Criminal Investigation of WIU Board of Trustees, President, and other University Officers

MACOMB, IL -- From a news release: Will the State's Attorney Do It?

University Professionals of Illinois Call for a Criminal Investigation of WIU Board of Trustees, President, and other University Officers

CHICAGO - Referring to the recently released closed-meeting audio of the Western Illinois University’s (WIU) Board of Trustees meeting on June 28, 2018, the University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100 (UPI) announced that they have contacted the McDonough County State’s Attorney’s Office and requested a criminal investigation of possible violations of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

UPI contends that several violations of the Illinois Open Meetings Act are evident in the audio transcripts and that the WIU Board of Trustees, President, and University Officers present at the meeting should be investigated for flagrant violations of the Act. Under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, violations can result in a Class C misdemeanor conviction which is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

John Miller, state-wide President of UPI said, “After listening to the audio recording, there appears to be a conscious practice of conducting University business in closed session, which is in clear violation of the law. What we heard in the recording is very troubling and contrary to the actions of a public board. The public and University community deserves better.”

Specifically, the UPI requests that the investigation consider, but not be limited to:
• Scripting public meetings;
• Conducting business/discussions in closed sessions;
• Planning additional closed meeting sessions to conduct public business/discussions;
• Conducting small group meetings (“2 plus 2” meetings); and
• Potentially, the failure to release closed session meeting minutes.

UPI further requests investigations into past closed sessions that have not been released.

“The WIU Board of Trustees has not released closed meeting minutes for almost three years. When we listened to the discussion on just this one closed door recording, we are understandably concerned that the Board may have a practice of conducting public deliberations behind closed doors. The public and community have a right to know the basis for the decisions the University has made over the last several years,” Miller said.

In addition to investigating closed sessions of the WIU Board of Trustees, UPI is asking the State’s Attorney to investigate what the Board appears to call “2 plus 2” meetings. According to Miller, the recordings suggest that two members of the Board are meeting together at one time to discuss University issues and sometimes with an administrator in what appears to be an attempt to circumvent the intent of the Open Meetings Act.

“The language of the recording indicates a desire to purposefully circumvent the Open Meetings Act.,” said Miller. “The Open Meetings Act was passed to hold state officials accountable. When violated, there is no accountability.” - 30 -

 

WIU Trustees violate the Open Meetings Act

UPDATE --  Here's a great report from reporter Rich Egger of WIUM-FM on the Tri-States Public Radio website. It shows the board fawning over Gov Rauner hoping to please him with layoffs, among other things.

MACOMB, IL -- Western Illinois University's Trustees violated the Open Meetings Act at a June meeting, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office.

Here's what WIU posted on its Website:

The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees acknowledges that it did not comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act

.

It is with regret that I accept the resignation of trustee and former chair Cathy Early. The University has always been central to Cathy’s life, and her service and commitment to Western over the years are greatly appreciated. Cathy will remain an important part of the Western Illinois University community.

 

The Board will, in tandem with University General Counsel Liz Duvall, ensure compliance with the Act, and the Board will participate in additional Open Meetings Act training in cooperation with the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor (PAC).

 

As directed by the Illinois Attorney General PAC, the June 28, 2018 closed session audio recording and minutes can be found here.

 

Sincerely,

 Carolyn Ehlert Fuller

Chair WIU Board of Trustees

Violating the Open Meetings Act is a Class C Misdemeanor, but apparently nobody is being charged with that. 

The written minutes of the meeting reveal little of what took place. I listened to the entire recording, some of which could not be easily understood.  The trustees discussed how to cut the budget by eliminating programs and the award winning NPR station, without any real discussion on the worth of the programs or the station, and the people they were firing.

They discussed the 'script' they would use for the open meeting and if they were approached by the media. That conversation reveals what is already apparent: the open meeting is a performance, with real issues already decided in the closed meeting, a huge violation of the Open Meetings Act. 

The recording tells the tale. "Don't say we're in trouble," someone says of WIU's financial situation. "We will  have to beg for a special appropriation," someone says. "We need more international students and out of state students,"  says someone sounding a lot like WIU's president. (They pay higher tuition.)

The trustees discuss looking for more income, but their ideas, including recruiting retired faculty and alumni to recruit students, seem to fall flat.   Will that work?  I'm not optimistic.

In fact, gutting the NPR station, WIUM -FM, is really stupid, since it announces WIU's presence hourly.  This was done without consulting station managers, and its general manager has now resigned.

The public is enraged over the threat to WIUM, WIU's best public relations tool.  Nobody mentions this aspect of the station and its audience in the meeting.

In fact no one mentions the contradiction of how more students can be attracted to a university which is gutting its programs.

As for the cutting of programs and the faculty and stuff who run them, someone says "we just do it and see what happens."  Disgusting.

The trustees are apparently as incompetent as WIU administrators. All should be replaced.  Let's hope the newly elected governor, JB Pritzker, will do something to save the public universities in Illinois.  He can start by finding sharper people to run them.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

The Family Justice Resource Center has two pieces of exciting news!

 

1. Board President Diane Redleaf Has Just Published a New Book

 

"They Took the Kids Last Night," published by Praeger Press, is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what wrongly accused families are up against. The book, which tells the story of six separate families whose children were wrongly seized by child protection services, vividly illustrates the constitutional balancing act where medicine, family interests, and child safety can clash. 

 

Diane is extending a 20% discount to FJRC's network of families, attorneys, and physicians. Go to www.abc-clio.com and use promo code Q41820. The book is also available on Amazon.  

 

I read an earlier draft of the book, and I can tell you that it's absolutely riveting. Diane expertly weaved together riveting stories with discussions of policy. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. 

 

If you do read it, please leave a review on Amazon!

 

2. FJRC Featured in Local News Series

 

WEEK News 25 contacted FJRC a few weeks ago to discuss the issue of medically-based wrongful allegations of abuse. Last week they aired a two-day series they called "Accused" that features three FJRC leaders. Here are links to the segments:

 

Day 1 (Aired on October 30): https://week.com/news/2018/10/30/accused-a-local-familys-693-day-nightmare-a-25-news-special-report/

 

Day 2 (Aired on October 31): https://week.com/news/2018/11/01/accused-part-2-families-say-they-became-collateral-damage-in-fight-against-child-abuse/

 

Thank you all for your continued support. Check our website to see pictures from our two launch events. 

 

Michelle Weidner

Executive Director

Family Justice Resource Center

[email protected]

www.famjustice.org

Cell 815-608-9296

Intake Line 309-431-9127

 

 

PEORIA, IL -- This looks to be interesting.

From a news release: Media advisory for The Land Ethic Program

Sponsored by the Illinois Humanities 

Illinois Humanities works to build dialogue across all sectors of society to examine issues important to democracy in the focus areas of public policy, media & journalism, economy, and art. Using the humanities as a tool to stimulate discussion, we create experiences across Illinois through programming, events, and grant making to engage a diverse public on ideas and issues that matter. 

“Land Use and Environmental Ethics I” – Illinois State Museum-Dickson Mounds, 10956 North Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown, IL 61542 – Thursday, November 15, 2018 – Doors open and refreshments available: 5:30 PM – Discussion: 6:00-8:00 PM 

https://www.ilhumanities.org/events/land-use-and-environmental-ethics-i/

 THE LAND ETHIC
This event is part of “The Country and the City program: Common Ground in the Prairie State?,” a year-long, statewide initiative will feature text-based discussions of issues that affect both rural and urban Illinois communities, involving panelists who are well-versed in those issues from both perspectives.

Can environmental stewardship and sustainability be balanced or integrated with the pursuit of employment opportunities and other economic needs in urban and rural communities?

If so, how?

Urban and rural communities throughout Illinois regularly confront circumstances in which they must decide how to balance environmental stewardship and sustainability with economic needs such as employment opportunities, affordable energy, and affordable food. Six panelists – three from rural settings, three from urban settings – who have addressed such issues in their communities will discuss them from a variety of perspectives.

In doing so, they will draw upon their own experiences as well as excerpts from “The Land Ethic,” the concluding chapter of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold (1949). Members of the audience will have opportunities to participate in the conversation, as well. The urban counterpart to this event will take place at the American Indian Center in Chicago on December 6, 2018.

Doors open and refreshments available: 5:30 PM - 30 -

Advocacy works, sort of...

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release by the

Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance

For anyone who hasn’t heard, we finally got a ruling last month on the Multi-Pollutant Standard. This was Dynegy's proposal to move its coal-fired powerplant fleet to a single pollution cap with no provisions to reduce the cap as plants are retired. We had an unprecedented turnout with over 100 at the downtown library hearing last January and thousands of public comments.

For once, our advocacy worked and the Illinois Pollution Control Board made some important changes to Dynegy's proposal. Although we did not stop the single pollution cap, we got it lowered (to the level recommended by the Attorney General’s office) and we got provisions that the cap would lower even further as Dynegy retires plants. What we did not win was provisions that would stop Dynegy from closing clean, scrubbed plants while allowing dirty plants like Edwards to continue belching pollution into our neighborhoods.

Because of the levels of public participation and the fact that the Illinois Pollution Control Board reworked the proposal rather than giving it an up or down vote, they are holding another round of hearings and public comment.

Here's what we know so far:

-----SAVE THE DATE-----
January 29 & January 30
Hearing in Springfield with public comment tentatively from 530-8PM Tuesday night. Daytime public comments can also be arranged for Wednesday during the day.
-----SAVE THE DATE-----

The pressure will really be on to fill a bus and make our voices heard in Springfield. We need to safeguard what we have already won and fight for a pollution standard that doesn’t create environmental justice sacrifice zones in communities like ours! = 30 =

 

 

TODAY, rally for Mueller

UPDATE -- This was a good rally. Here's a photo of the crowd.

 

PEORIA, IL - From a news release:

Indivisible Peoria Area Will Rally to Protect the Mueller Investigation

Federal Building, Peoria, Nov. 8 at 5:00 p.m. (Main and Monroe Streets)

In Response to Whitaker Appointment and Ousting of Rosenstein

For Immediate Release: November 7, 2018

Contact: Jean Sloan, [email protected], 309-678-8099

Peoria, IL - November 7, 2018 - The Justice Department stated today, Wednesday, that acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker will overtake supervision of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Whitaker has publicly called for limits on the Mueller investigation, even for ending it or sealing it’s results. Given these publicly expressed biased views, Justice Department ethics require that he recuse himself. We must protect the integrity of the Mueller investigation and stop this ‘slow motion Saturday night massacre’ – reminiscent of the Nixon/Watergate era – which is a clear attempt to obstruct justice.

No one in our democracy is above the law. The Mueller investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. We protest this attack on the rule of law. We demand that our lawmakers pass legislation protecting the integrity of the investigation. We demand that Whitaker be replaced by a director who is unbiased and that Whitaker withdraw or recuse himself.

WHAT: Rally to Protest Obstruction of Justice and Protect the Mueller Probe

WHO: Indivisible Peoria Area and concerned citizens

WHEN: Thursday, November 8, 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Federal Building/Courthouse, 100 NE Monroe St. Peoria

If you would like more information, or would like to speak to the organizers, please contact: Jean Sloan, Co-Organizer, Indivisible Peoria Area, 309-678-8099, [email protected]

 

Vote by Tuesday, Nov. 6

PEORIA, IL -- This is the election where a vote for the entire Democratic Party ticket is fine.  They are all good candidates.  I  have met them, studied them and I recommend them.

Illinois has great voting laws.  You can register and vote now, tomorrow or on the day of election at the polling place.

Early voting in Peoria takes place today, Nov. 4, from noon to 3 pm at ICC North and the Municipal Service Building (former Election Commission Headquarters, downtown). The Peoria County Election Commission, across from the former Holiday Inn on Brandywine Drive, is open today from 9 am to 4 pm for early voting, and tomorrow, Monday, from 9 am - 7 pm.  Bring some ID for early voting that shows where you live.

Everyone aged 18 and over can vote, even people with felony records. Illinois is a progressive state, unlike its neighbors.

Now for the candidates in contested races:

For Governor: J. D. Pritzker. Rauner has been a disaster to education and state services. Pritzker has great ideas for helping Illinois services and education, and is also opposed to taxing pensions.   

For Attorney General:  Kwame Raoul. I have met him and he’s very bright and good on the issues. His GOP opponent is a right wing extremist.

For Congress, 18^th District.  Julius Rodriguez. A fine guy, smart, and has a real chance to defeat LaHood helping to turn the US House back to Democrats.  In the 17th District vote for Cheri Bustos, an emerging leader in Congress, smart, progressive. Her opponent is so weird the GOP has refused to endorse him. 

For Peoria County Races, Two highly qualified candidates: Jessica Thomas for Auditor and Brian Fengel for sheriff.  

For Peoria County Board: Democrats to keep the Board in Democratic hands. Kate Pastucha, (She’s state Sen. Dave Koehler’s daughter!), Andrew Rand, Allen Mayer, Phil Salzer, Robert Reneau and Jeffrey Braun in the various districts.

 If anyone challenges your right to vote, ask for a provisional ballot.  Don’t fall for false information on voting from robo-calls, the Internet or mail. (And yes, that's happened in Peoria.)

Many TV ads promote false information about the candidates. Beware.   That ad showing the marriage of Pritzker and Mike Madigan -- condemned even by Republicans, is one example. Madigan has been falsely demonized  by the GOP, as has Nancy Pelosi. It's the same slime tactic for both.  Don't buy it. Both are strong, progressive leaders who have held back anti-progressive measures by the Repugs.

As for the Internet, take those ads with a very tiny grain of salt.  They may be lies, and even posted by Russians! The mainstream print/web news media is the only real check against lies in political ads. But not much on the Internet, including Facebook, is vetted by anyone. Sad, as you-know-who would say.

 -- Elaine Hopkins