East Aurora Community Blogspot

Resolutions and priorities

2012-01-23T12:34:00.002-06:00

Here we are nearing the end of January! It's a time when many of us have made (and possibly already broken) resolutions about how we intend to improve certain things in our lives. Maybe we're trying to exercise more or save money; maybe we've resolved to keep our temper under control or maintain a positive attitude at our job; maybe we've just decided to make the most of each day as it comes.

What can we do in this new year to make our district better? And what seems to be working well, that we can celebrate and resolve to continue?

2011 is almost over...

2011-12-19T12:19:00.003-06:00

And what a year it was! A record-breaking blizzard in February, extreme heat in July and August, and a mild December (so far, anyway)! Our district also "weathered" a wide variety of experiences this year, both positive and negative.

What were the highlights of 2011 in District 131? And what can we look forward to in the coming year?

Reputation

2011-11-24T18:37:00.002-06:00

Shakespeare said it best:

"Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash...
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed"

Individuals, businesses, communities, school districts--all value a good reputation.

How can we improve ours in District 131?

Students' best interests?

2011-10-29T20:36:00.002-05:00

One of the things most of us in this community have in common is our concern for the well-being of our kids. Ideally, every decision made by administrators, teachers, parents, and taxpayers is made with the best interests of students in mind. What are some examples of recent decisions made in our district that have been good for students? And how could we make better use of available resources (time, energy, funds) to benefit the people we claim to care about most: our children?

Continuing the money discussion

2011-10-11T19:10:00.002-05:00

It seems like a lot of us like to discuss finances; there have been more than 200 postings on the previous thread in less than 3 weeks. So we'll refresh the topic, and continue the discussion!

Money makes the world go round...

2011-09-23T07:48:00.002-05:00

...or at least it can seem that way! Whether it's fund-raising, petty cash, legal bills, referendums, pensions, fees, or taxes--money is a hot topic right now. Are we spending our money wisely? Are we getting maximum "bang for our buck"? And if not, what can we do differently?

Consequences

2011-08-29T14:11:00.002-05:00

When my kids were in middle school and high school, I used to remind them at the beginning of every school year that the choices they make now will produce results later. Good choices (studying, paying attention in class, following rules) were usually reflected on their report card or at teacher conference time. Poor choices could result in a negative consequence--maybe a detention or loss of privileges.

The start of a new school year is a good time for all of us (students, teachers, parents, staff, community members) to remember that the things we choose to say and do NOW will have ramifications LATER. Let's think before we speak or act!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-08-09T07:48:00.002-05:00

No, we're not getting into the Christmas spirit quite yet; we're talking about the beginning of a brand new school year. It's a fresh opportunity for students, staff, and the entire community to pull together to help our kids succeed. It's a new start, and a chance to do grEAt things here in District 131.

On your mark...get set...GO!

Things are really heating up around here...

2011-07-19T08:04:00.001-05:00

...in more ways than one! But as the saying goes, "let cooler heads prevail".

Summer "marches" on!

2011-06-27T07:14:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day of the 2011 East Aurora Band Camp. This has been a wonderful experience for our band students for many, many years! Young musicians ranging in age from middle school through high school (and a few alums, too) spend the week sharpening their skills and getting to know their band-mates in the beautiful setting of LaSalle Manor. Then, the entire group marches in Aurora's Fourth of July parade.

Band Camp is definitely one of the many grEAt things happening this summer in our district. We're proud to support you, D131 band students!

End of the school year!

2011-05-28T13:56:00.002-05:00

And what a year it's been...we've dealt with extreme weather (including a record-breaking snowstorm in February, and an April with the least amount of sunshine in recorded history). We've said "goodbye and good luck in retirement" to some of our district's finest, including Rollins Principal Karen Hart and Dieterich teachers Ms. Diane Backes and Mrs. Liz Hardy. We've witnessed a contentious School Board election, and are hoping to have a full Board seated later this summer. And we look to the future with optimism, because those of us who've been part of this district for awhile know that our KIDS are the best, and deserve our support and encouragement!

Shades of Gray

2011-04-22T16:25:00.002-05:00

A lot of us have been less than thrilled with the weather lately; it seems like it's been one cold, gray day after another. And yet my neighbor (who teaches at a middle school) notices that her students concentrate better and work harder in this kind of weather. Maybe they're less likely to be distracted by the sight of sunny playgrounds and bike trails outside their classroom windows, or maybe the sound of rain and wind has a calming effect--but for whatever reason, the lousy weather can turn out to be a blessing in disguise in some situations.

Sometimes situations (like the weather) are neither terrible nor wonderful, but somewhere in between. Often the answers aren't black or white, but shades of gray.

Decisions, decisions...

2011-04-09T06:01:00.002-05:00

Life is full of decisions: how to spend our time & money, who to vote for, what to say and do in a particular situation. Parents, students, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers all have the opportunity and responsibility to make decisions in the best interests of our students.

What are some examples of decisions made recently that have benefited our district?

And how can less-positive decisions be corrected so our students get maximum benefit?

Continuing the discussion...

2011-04-01T21:00:00.002-05:00

The topic of the previous thread (our district's image) must have struck a nerve with a lot of folks--there have been more than 200 comments in a relatively short period of time. So I (the co-administrator, and originator of the past several topics) decided to refresh the discussion. Oh, and don't forget to VOTE next Tuesday!

It's about our image--or is it?

2011-03-20T21:38:00.002-05:00

Is it possible for a school district to have a high degree of transparency and accountability, as well as maintain a positive image in the community? Can we "agree to disagree" on some issues, while having as our ultimate goal doing what's best for students?

And what questions would we ask those candidates who are hoping to represent us on the School Board this spring?

Changes...

2011-02-21T06:34:00.002-06:00

Spring is always a time of new beginnings, and it looks like 2011 will be no different! We will have fresh faces on our School Board, new policies regarding district Internet use, and reworking of our state's education budget (to name just a few).

Change can be both a blessing and a challenge. How can District 131 embrace necessary changes, while looking out for the best interests of our students?

The Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-02T18:40:00.002-06:00

Some called it "Snowzilla"; some called it "Snow-mageddon"; some called it "Snownami".

Whatever we call it, it was the third worst snowstorm in area history.

And we all can call ourselves survivors of the Blizzard of 2011.

We east-siders are a hardy, resourceful bunch! Share your experiences over the past few days.

EA blog life continues

2011-01-29T19:23:00.003-06:00

I have been fortunate to find an East Aurora resident to agree to monitor the blog in my absence. This person has been in district 131 for 25 years and has had children attend East Aurora schools.

The posts & deletions will be at the discretion of the new co-administrator of the EA131 blog.

Just a "heads up" and FYI

2011-01-26T04:36:00.005-06:00

I am considering handing the blog over to another person.
I have not been able to be a part of discussion or post as
I had hoped when I initiated this chat forum.
If unable to complete the transfer I will be suspending the chat,
temporarily, within the next week.

What the heck is going on?

2011-01-15T07:25:00.002-06:00

Is there no more converstaion about education or about the woes and benefits of being an EA resident/ student?

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

2011

2011-01-02T08:47:00.003-06:00

May 2011 bring a happier new year to all!

'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.

2010-12-17T04:31:00.002-06:00

Wishing all of you an enjoyable, love filled Christmas!

Sincerely,
Rayanne

Are we getting what we are paying for?

2010-11-11T04:32:00.002-06:00

While researching I found a Teacher & Administrator Salary Database. Of the top 200 salaries for 2009 in IL listed was District 131 superintendent Jerome Roberts.

The 100 highest-paid school administrators in Illinois in 2006 had salaries ranging from $205,590 to $380,227. Seventeen made more than a quarter million dollars. One of those individuals was none other than Michael Radakovich.
While employed by 131 School Board he was one of 17 superintendents in the Quarter Million dollar Club for 2006

What should determine a superintendents salary?
Should it be linked to teachers salary increase? District improvement? Achievement?

An update of salaries and break down of D131 administrative salaries can be viewed at: http://d131.org/Employment/Admin%20List%20for%20Posting%202009-2010.pdf

More info may be found at:
http://www.illinoisloop.org/salary.html
http://www.familytaxpayers.org/salary.php

For the stars hiding in the shadows

2010-10-24T04:29:00.002-05:00

It has been requested of the district, at least a few times, to acknowledge those unsung heroes & those shining stars who hide in the shadow of others. There are many who want to place blame why we don't recognize all these folks. Instead, lets try to shout out praise to those students excelling even when no one is looking, those teachers/ staff who go above and beyond without incentive from pay or recognition from their superiors. Let's start early by giving thanks to those, you know, deserving of a story in the paper or a community award or honored as best example of all around great student.

What was that old song they used to sing? "If they don’t ask, we won’t tell?"

2010-10-02T13:45:00.004-05:00

The previous 131 School Board president was the scapegoat for many controversial discussions. She dared to question- why?

Nearly all new faces are on the 131 School Board since the Bigelow & Indian Trail discussions. It seems it is back to business as usual. The few small steps forward for transparency have gone to the wayside.

I recall the Magnet Academy parents packing the Board room when there was a possibility of their children being denied that ”special place” for learning. I wonder if those parents will attend the Board meeting on Monday to offer the district their monetary contributions should there be a rent increase on the space that houses the Magnet Academy?

According to Dan Barriero, the city has asked the district to respond to the rent increase by Oct 1st, prior to the Board meeting on Oct. 4th. Should this 131 decision have warranted a vote by the School Board in open session?

The Board president was quoted in the news. She thinks a dollar a year rent would be fine. I am sure she does, as she has stated on several occasions her contacts with the Mayor left her confident there would be no additional costs to the district for this school. Seems like that song has been sung before. Arguments in favor of opening the Academy included the fact "no additional costs to the district for this school."
The new face at the gavel has reverted to singing the songs of yesteryear.

For those "arm chair" board members-here's your opportunity

2010-09-14T04:28:00.003-05:00

Condensed from the district press release:

Residents of East Aurora School District 131 who interested in running for a seat on the East Aurora Board of Education can begin the process next week.

Nominating Petitions will be available beginning on 9/21/2010 and can be obtained at the School Service Center @ 417 5th Street in Aurora.

The next election for the East Aurora Board of Education will be held on 4/5/2011.

Nominating Petitions of School Board Candidates must be filed at the School Service Center no earlier than 12/13/2010 at 7:30am and no later than 12/20/2010 at 5pm

For more info you may contact:

Lisa Morales Executive Assistant / School Board Election Official

630.299.5554 ● lmorales@d131.org

“First they came..."

2010-08-14T19:27:00.003-05:00

The origins of this poem have been traced to a speech given by Pastor Niemöller in 1946. Since then, the contents have often been altered to produce numerous variations. My alteration- represents the effects as it continues to be done “their” way?

First they came after the gifted program
and we did not speak out, afterall our children were not gifted.

Then they came after the fine arts programs
and we did not speak out, our children were not artists.

Then they came after the sports programs
and we did not speak out, our children were not athletes.

They have failed our children.
Is there anyone left who will speak out for them?

There is an opportunity twice a month.
Board meeting August 16, @ 7:00 PM

A District on behalf of it's children

2010-08-05T04:24:00.002-05:00

School District 129 has filed a brief opposing a motion for dismissal in a court case that challenges the constitutionality of Illinois’ education funding system.
The lawsuit contends that the State has abandoned local control of schools in favor of centralized decision-making by the ISBE. Because of this, the unequal tax burdens on property-poor school districts caused by the state education funding system violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution of the State of IL.
The defendants contend the existing system serves the goal of promoting “local control” over decision making. They are seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed in advance of any fact discovery.
The brief argues that preservation of local control of education can no longer be a rational basis for the State’s educational funding system since the state has stripped districts of local control by imposing State-mandated Learning Standards and numerous additional State mandates.
D129 Supt. Rydland explained at the Aug Board meeting “Since the state is responsible to see that there is a quality, foundational education for all students, it also has an obligation to fund education,” Rydland said. “However, because the state funding formula relies more heavily on local funding sources, the discrepancy between the property-rich districts and property-poor districts continues to grow.”
(this is an abbreviated version of an announcement sent thru D129 parentsnews emails)

Fair & Equitable?

2010-06-28T06:10:00.003-05:00

While on the school board, information was shared with me by another board member.
She claimed the district was keeping the daycare within our buildings to give the appearance of buildings being more populated than they actually are. She also shared, though many repairs are needed in our buildings, there was a long range plan that was suddenly made short. This too was for appearances. If more money was budget for more repairs in the upcoming year rather than five year plan, the district could claim a financial hardship due to unforeseen expenses. All these “appearances” would be for the sake of avoiding a 4% raise to the teachers, which they surely could afford. The tactic would be to cry poor and threaten overcrowding classrooms.

Admittedly, this was hearsay. What do the teachers and community hear and have to say about negotiations and giving our teachers a fair wage and a work environment conducive to educating the children in 131? We have the potential. Do we have the leadership?

Wishing the EA band a safe and enjoyable experience

2010-06-06T09:09:00.004-05:00

I am currently out of town and unable to read the 100's of comments that has shown up on the blog. I scanned through and see some sincere dialog going on. I appreciate that. I am creating this new post just to shorten the scrolling for ongoing dialog.
I hope the students are too busy in FL to post but look forward to their return and comments about their experiences.

Till later..................

Farewell, Mrs. Nadel, thanks for the memories!

2010-05-22T04:11:00.007-05:00

"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness." ~Maya Angelou

Lynne Nadel touched the lives of countless EA students. Many found "refuge" in her classroom. She went beyond the duties of her job as a choir director. Mrs. Nadel was an adviser and inspiration to her students. She listened to their woes, shared joy in their accomplishments. She will truly be missed.

Here's wishing Lynne the best in her new home and her next season of life!

Speaking of Board meetings

2010-05-06T04:38:00.002-05:00

I know many people don't like the dead horse being beaten but I was curious, and felt like I hadn't gotten the end of the story. So I went to the Board meeting and commented.

"While sorting through papers I found an article. Aug 2006 the Beacon's “Our View” commented: Promises made should be promises kept. Referring to a promise of 8.3 acres of land to be donated to D131. One year later in July 2007 results were approx. 5 acres worth about $1 million.

Now, nearly 4 years later, I want to ask, have the improvements to connecting properties, sites & infrastructure been made? Since the agreement was reached in 2007 who has been paying the taxes, insurance and maintaining the property? What is the present appraised value?

I know recently the district compiled a list of property owned by the district and paid for either market analysis and/or defining the lines and amount of actual property in the districts possession. What is being done with all these properties, specifically the one that was used as a carrot to encourage voters to favor D131 plans and to justify demolishing the drive-in?"

Nothing new........

2010-04-07T04:05:00.002-05:00

Just starting new post to shorten length of comment stream.
Sorry, no new post at this time.

What's more important-a good credit rating or high acheivment?

2010-03-12T14:10:00.004-06:00

I looked for a D131 budget update. What I found on the website page for the Superintendents office were goals that have been re-dated for 2009-2010, but it if you look at the paragraph above you will see it was all written last school year and which is evidenced by his quarterly goals summary at the bottom of the page which shows his last summary as being the 2nd quarter of 2008-2009.

District 204 has twice as many schools and twice as many students as D131.
Yet D204 Superintendent is informing it‘s community:

“When you are forced to trim $21.4 million from your budget in a single year, it becomes impossible to not have an impact on our students.
We began looking for cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. This includes a plan to reduce 14.4 percent of our central office staff and 6 percent of our building level administrators. We are also proposing a pay freeze for all administrators next year and cutting all administrators' budgets.”

For the full text of the D204 Supt's letter:
http://ipsdweb.ipsd.org/News.aspx?id=28616
or go to; http://www.ipsd.org and click: Superintendent's Budget Update

From D131 website: “prior to the passage of the referendum in 2008, the Board of Education and administration made nearly $7 million in budget cuts in order to balance the budget and improve the district’s overall financial landscape. In the midst of a struggling economy, East Aurora Schools made no budget reductions for the current school year, making it the only district in the county to do so. (”http://d131.org/ D131 Gets A+ Grade on Finances)

Last point: D204-Overall Meeting or Exceeding State Standards (ISAT): 93%
State Average: 79%

Refresh

2010-03-01T04:27:00.003-06:00

I apologize to those who asked for information concerning the answers I received from my FOIA request of D131 and in response to questions presented at the board meeting concerning additional positions being added to the payroll.

It would not be feasible to post the questions and answers due to the length of content. If anyone wishes a copy, my email address is accessible from my blog profile. I will glady send a copy via USPS.

In the mean time, please continue to share your POV.

Chapter one- Is the Boards work really all about the students?

2010-02-12T16:59:00.003-06:00

When the decision was made to run for the school board, I was not acquainted with anyone on the board. I attended board meetings in support of and while encouraging the students in their campaign for Mr. K. All the while Dee was attending board meetings for team uniforms and new textbooks. As a booster & a parent attending events at the HS –Dee, Anita and my paths had crossed many times.
At one point, Annette, her mom, Dee, her sisters and a few neighbors from throughout EA joined a group I organized campaigning to vote NO for the 131 referendums. Through these times, Dee & I realized both of us were contemplating a run for the school board.

Though, Dee & I have been lumped as one by our critics, we have only met socially once. We met for dinner with a couple of the newly elected board members prior to their being seated, last spring.
When I was the new person, I had been welcomed by a couple of the seasoned board members. Following their past practices, I did likewise. During dinner we chatted about the upcoming new board. We shared our hopes for 131 and our thoughts on the direction we’d like to see the board move. We all agreed we’d like to see change. Three of us strongly encouraged Dee to agree to accept the position of board president even when she was hesitant. The three of us expounded on why we felt she was the best option. Reluctantly, she conceded to our pleas, relying on the fact, she would have our continued support. She was nominated & elected, as were others, to the positions as we had all agreed would be a good fit & welcome change.

After a few months a fellow board member started a campaign to have Dee removed as Board President. This member relayed to me, she had political aspirations and felt she would be better suited as the board president. There were stories shared by this board member pointing to Dee as the reason for problems of information not being relayed that was cause for poor decisions being made by the board. Initially, many things were believed without being verified. It is easy when things are not going well, to look for a scapegoat to be the fault. I finally questioned this member of the specifics of the reasons Dee should be removed. She had no reasons relating to Dee’s performance of her duties.
Most of the reasons were relayed through rumors of things Dee purportedly had done.
She was specifically spiteful in comments of wanting Dee removed as president, before spring, so Dee would not be eligible to sign her son’s diploma. Seems she has continued to work towards this goal with the Resolution for Reorganization on this upcoming 131 board agenda.

My Dad walked 3 miles to school! Uphill-both ways!

2010-01-31T07:52:00.002-06:00

East Aurora is top of the bottom ten in attendance rates.
According to the local paper*, per state reports “Out of 153 schools, only nine fell below or failed to match the state attendance average of 93.7 percent -- “ one of those being EAHS. The local paper used attendance rates for 445 schools for 4 years for comparison. East High was in the bottom three of the 445 schools. What has changed in 60 years?

My Grandparents were immigrants. They received no welfare or subsidized housing. Their children received no free or reduced lunch or breakfast at school. They had 10 children who walked to school from Pigeon Hill (Pierce Street) because they could not afford to take the bus which cost a nickel. They rarely missed school. One son had perfect attendance K-12, having never missed a day! He was never acknowledged for that accomplishment.

What's the difference between then & now? What responsibility does the school have in fixing this problem?

*http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/2020815,2_1_AU31_ATTENDANCE_S1-100131.article

When strangers start acting like neighbors... communities are reinvigorated.

2010-01-24T16:56:00.001-06:00

A fun fair was held at Simmons to raise funds to help ease the burden of medical costs for an EA student who suffered an aneurysm and needs significant, continued treatment.
There was a genuine outpouring from the community. I was in awe of the number of volunteers. The various donations of prizes, games, food and entertainment was amazing! Everything was plentiful. The rooms were full of activity. It appeared to be a highly successful event.

The EA community has many families who are ready to step up when there is a need. They just need to feel they have value and are welcome.
This event was another illustration of the true character of East Aurora that seems to be obscured by outsiders within 131 boundaries that have not taken time to get to know our students and their families.

POV wall

2010-01-10T07:45:00.002-06:00

The previous post was getting a little long on comments.
No matter what the topic, bloggers seem to post their point of view (POV) on a variety of issues. So this will just be a new space for continuing those discussions.

Red, Black and Navy blue

2009-12-28T06:02:00.008-06:00

There was comment in the last post to check out this article:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-aurora-njrotc-28-dec28,0,202339.story

I thought it was worth a post and a good place to start on a brighter note.
Our NJROTC has been a positive force in EAHS for quite sometime.
The article asks- "If the programs are so great, why aren't they in white affluent communities too?"

Is it possibly due to the fact those families can & do pay for their children to get involved in any and many activities outside the school. EA students options are limited by accessibility due to location & finances.

40 years ago when I attended EA, our basketball team gave us all EA pride. Now it is NJROTC.
The article also suggests ROTC programs could be "recruitment vehicles for the military."
I think the students & Lt. Cmdr. expressed well what NJROTC is to EA.

What do you see in our NJROTC and the students in the program?

Interjecting short topic for comment

2009-12-07T03:47:00.001-06:00

E-communication and e-files are more common than ever before. Just as our board has gone paperless, companies are also marketing their services for putting all files on e-files. E-files save space, are easy to access saved information and data. Should 131 look for other paperless options, beyond the board packets?

Finding answers is a lot harder than pointing fingers

2009-11-11T06:41:00.003-06:00

Differentiated Learning-could it be an answer for many of the students of D131?

Curriculum goals may be similar for all students, teaching methods must be varied to suit the individual needs of all children: ie. learning must be differentiated to be effective.
Differentiating instruction means creating multiple paths so that students of different abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning process. It allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for their own learning, and provides opportunities for peer teaching and cooperative learning.
Differentiating is not new, the concept has been around for at least 2 decades for gifted and talented students. However, it is now recognized to be an important tool for engaging students and addressing the individual needs of all students.

Source: www.enhancelearning.ca

By any other name it is enpowering and inspiring

2009-11-02T12:37:00.003-06:00

D300- ISAT tests taken by students in the spring show boys typically score lower than girls in reading. The boys-only book club is an innovative way to bridge the national gap in reading skills between boys and girls.

Elgin-based USD 46 -Proposed by district Supt. “The 10 Boys Initiative” involves 120 admin, each volunteering to work with 10 boys considered at risk of academic failure. The program mentors boys from 4th - 12th grade.

WVHS-Members of 100 Black Men of Chicago, a group that mentors at-risk youths, came into the class on a regular basis throughout the year and talked about everything from team-building to starting a business.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/1857792,3_1_EL01_BOOKCLUB_S1-091101.article

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/mar/12/local/chi-elgin-mentors-nzone-12-mar12

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=214692

Can we afford any more? Can we afford not to?

2009-10-21T07:48:00.001-05:00

In the past few months it has been quite apparent in local communication mediums there are definitely many views to whether 131 needs a magnet school, alternative school or a preschool program. Though, all of these programs have young people who need them and parents who want the opportunities for their children, there are just as many families who would like educational opportunities geared towards their own children’s needs. Some neighborhoods have suggested we need a new school built to alleviate overcrowding. How much more should we offer? Is there excess in 131’s attempts to accommodate ALL our children?

Feeding off the negative will keep you constantly hungry

2009-09-20T09:59:00.004-05:00

A frenzy has erupted in the media and community forums such as blogs. On the national and local news levels, healthcare, education and the economy are the topics that hit every person close to home.
Media loves to quote the rude and feed into the negative frenzy. While some are busy trying to point fingers, outlook to a future with positive change is passing by.

At home, in 131, change is happening. You will find whatever you are looking for, whether it be change or reasons to continue to be a EA cynic. I won't deny we need to keep looking for the flaws so they can be mended. At least equal time to rejoice in those things that have been accomplished.

It has taken more years than most will admit for our district to get to the level we have been. We are on the upside of this cycle of change. Naysayers delay change. We can make excuses, sit and do nothing or be an active part of change.

Where are you?

I can't put you in the seats......

2009-08-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

But you may now have all info the Board members receive. With exception of sensitive/ confidential information.

Go to the 131 website:
http://d131.org/
Click on Board of Education in the left hand column.
Then click on Board Packets in the right hand column.
You will come to a page called BoardBook.
Click on agenda packet.

You can now be an informed community member.
Questions? Plenty of people are an email away.

Open invitation to ALL East Aurora Alumni

2009-07-31T14:53:00.002-05:00

Come enjoy a tailgate party before the East/West football game Friday August 28th 2009 from 4-7 pm to get us pumped up and ready for the big cross-town rivalry.
Together with EA students we will be having a gathering of alumni in the NE corner of the stadium area.
The purchase price of the ticket, $10.00, will include admission to the game, food, a beverage and an alumni gift. Games, music and lots of Tomcat spirit will be available to enjoy.

Alumni T-shirts will be available for purchase. Presale tickets may be purchased by contacting any of the event coordinators through Facebook.

Anita Lewis alewis4244@msn.com

Rayanne Carlson 1-630-851-8569 or JCarl419@aol.com

Shiane Gonzalez

Tickets will be sold at EA staff Red and Black pride day, too!

A limited number of tickets will be available the night of the game.

Many meetings, late hours, no pay-it's OK! It's all for the students in 131.

2009-07-21T13:17:00.005-05:00

Few people attend the meetings, and the Beacon rarely comes and reports what transpires. I’d like to share a few things that have been decided in open session in the last few months in 131.

The Board decided to not approve a raise for the administrators at this time.

The Board has decided to make a change and do business with a local attorney who resides on the Eastside.

Policies are being changed and spending is being monitored more closely.

The Board has created it’s own mission statement:

“To create an environment of accountability, trust and open communication, to empower students, staff and community members.”

The 131 School Board is working hard for it's students.
Please support them, attend meetings.

School Board Workshop-Public Welcome

2009-06-27T14:42:00.005-05:00

Here's your chance to attend and listen to what is being discussed by the Board.
You will then have an opportunity to bring your questions & comments to the Board meeting in July. There is always time allocated for public comments at each regular school board meeting.

This is a special 131 School Board Workshop Meeting. To be held
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 @ 6:00 p.m.

The Board will be interviewing Legal Counsel.
Those to be interviewed in open session:

Canna & Canna
Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi & Anderson
Whitt Law

Other topics that will be discussed are:

Board Mission Statement, Workshops/Conferences, & the Strategic Plan.

There will be a closed-Executive Session for the Purpose of Discussing the Appointment, Employment and Dismissal of a Specific Employee

All community members are encouraged and welcome to attend.

Might or Menace

2009-06-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

"Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the government nor of dungeon to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to due our duty as we understand it.”-Abe Lincoln

Lincoln called for changes to be made and practices to stop that had been acceptable to many people for many years. Though critics may make unjust comments, he encouraged people to do what was right for the right reasons.

Are you one who is helping right make might or a menace of destruction ?

Opening the lines of communication

2009-05-24T10:11:00.003-05:00

Communications to the board has been a topic for discussion at several meetings.
Hopefully, soon the public will be able to send an email to all 7 board members at once by clicking one button on the board section of the district website. The option is there, but not yet activated.

Presently, you may still email board members individually by clicking “contact us” in the right hand column of the board page. The District 131 School Board welcomes community involvement, and encourages district transparency. Please support your school district by attending meetings or events or volunteering to help at student activities.

Support the voters choice May 4 @ 7pm

2009-05-01T20:20:00.008-05:00

The first meeting of the new 131 School Board is this Monday. The newly elected members of the Board will be sworn in May 4th and new officers will be elected.
Show your encouragement by attending the meeting at the school service center.
This is a great chance to meet the 7 women who have chosen to volunteer & dedicate their time to act in behalf of the educational welfare of the students of 131.

I am testing an addition to the blog (see the bottom of the page.) Please take a few seconds to respond.

Wishing him the best in his retirement!

2009-04-26T10:47:00.007-05:00

I'll follow the lead from a blogger on a previous post.

On to more positive and relevant postings!
What a great article in the Beacon today!
East Aurora High School visionary retires!

Anyone who has been involved at EAHS has heard of Commander.

I know when he brought the high school students to Waldo, where my children were 8th graders, he made a very positive impression. His pitch about the NJROTC sold my son and many others, immediately that year, on joining NJROTC in their freshman year. I was in the booster group for a short while and I was very impressed with how Cmdr. appeared always in control. He seemed to not expect anything less than the best from the cadets, and they gave it to him.
A great teacher, mentor and role model-he will be missed.

The results are in!

2009-04-08T05:27:00.003-05:00

Once, again, the 131 community has spoken loud and clear.
I'd like to say congratulations to the new and returning members.

Candidates forum-It's official and on the website

2009-03-16T15:58:00.003-05:00

Monday, March 23, 2009 from 7p.m.–9p.m. at the East Aurora School Service Center there will be an East Aurora School Board Candidates’ Forum. Voters will have the opportunity to meet each of the candidates and to submit questions to be answered during the forum. Voters can also watch the forum LIVE on the East Aurora website, www.d131.org, and access it anytime thereafter in the video vault on the website. The forum is open to the public. Seating is limited. For more info visit the above website.

Digital curriculum

2009-03-02T05:22:00.003-06:00

What do you know about a digital curriculum. The topic will be coming up soon in 131. Start educating yourself and others, so we may be prepared. I will give a brief explanation and update the posting in the very near future.

"Digital curriculum has many advantages over traditional, paper-based curriculum. If it is web-based, it can be readily accessible from any Internet-connected computer, can be accessible to people with disabilities, can be readily updated, and is often more current. Often and increasingly, it is free!"

Should this type of educational technology be implemented in our eastside schools?

What transparency means to me.....

2009-02-21T15:10:00.004-06:00

During the last 2 years or so, "transparency" seems to be a term frequently used to invoke a sense of trust.
EA District 131 Superintendent used the term when trying to encourage voters to vote for a referendum. Our newly elected U.S. President has promised it, and most recently one of our Aurora Mayoral candidates promises "transparency & accountability."

*Definition of transparent:
1. obvious and easy to recognize: clearly recognizable as what it, he, or she really is
a transparent motive

2. frank: completely open and frank about things
was grateful for the transparent honesty of the reply

What do you see, or wish to see, be more transparent on the eastside of Aurora?

*Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

From the 131 website-Board candidates

2009-01-28T05:51:00.002-06:00

Seven candidates have filed the necessary paperwork to be included
on the April 7 ballot for the four open positions on the
East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education.

In alphabetical order, the candidates are:
􀂃 Samuel W. Carson III – 1126 Homer Ave., Aurora 60505
􀂃 Fernando Chapa – 541 Saddle Lane, Aurora 60505
􀂃 Stella Gonzalez – 1747 Briarheath Road, Aurora 60505
􀂃 Annette Johnson – 1050 Northfield Dr., Aurora 60505
􀂃 Anita Lewis – 322 Grant Place, Aurora 60505
􀂃 (Incumbent) Fernando Salinas, Jr. – 1262 Church Road, Aurora 60505
􀂃 (Incumbent) Juanita Wells – 1737 Indian Avenue, Aurora 60505

There are four open positions on the ballot; three 4-year terms
and one 2-year term.
Chapa, Gonzalez, Johnson, Lewis, and Salinas are running for the 4-year terms. Carson and Wells are running for the 2-year term.
Board Members Robert ‘Bob’ McCue and Ken Maurice are not seeking re-election.

Happy New Year to all my fellow bloggers

2008-12-31T08:34:00.004-06:00

Family time, especially during the holidays, takes priority over everything in our home. So,I have no new discussion issues to post at this time. I thought I'd open a 2009 opportunity for predictions. Serious, silly, or knowledgeable insight....let's hear what our community looks for in the new year.

I am optimistic for the coming year. We have a new president. Elections are coming for our local officials and District 131 school board members. I feel confident, that a good mix for good government in Aurora will be in place this next year.

For fun, share your predictions for East Aurora.

131 Director won't blow his own horn......

2008-12-02T20:47:00.004-06:00

So I will!

Kevin Kaisershot Wins Teacher's March Composition Contest

ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers, is pleased to announce that Kevin Kaisershot of Aurora, Illinois has been chosen as the winner of the Teacher's March composition contest. His work will be debuted at MENC's Music Education Week in Washington on June 18, 2009.

MENC would like to thank ASCAP's members and all of the composers who submitted compositions to this contest, as well as the contest's judges who graciously donated their time to this endeavor.

(MENC: National Association for Music Education formally known as Music Educators National Conference)

Conference in Chicago this weekend, reps from 131 will attend

2008-11-21T04:25:00.003-06:00

This is a letter to the editor from a paper in McHenry County, that was emailed to me. One man's POV on school board conferences. (May be seen at: http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/11/19/opinion/letters/doc4923ed1f7f70d289859069.txt )

Many professions have associations for workers with similar jobs to share ideas and successes. The government “public” school industry takes this concept to an incredible (and costly) level.

School boards, administrators, business officials, principals, public relations officials, nurses, science teachers, psychologists, transportation directors, special education administrators, superintendents, social workers, food service managers – to name a few – all have “associations.” For a partial list, visit www.chrisjenner.org/SchoolAssociations.htm.

Many of these associations maintain legislative agendas, some of which promote more and more revenue, while very few drive for responsible spending or improved student achievement.

The annual climax of school associations in Illinois is November 21-23. More than 12,000 school people swarm over three downtown Chicago hotels, all courtesy of Illinois taxpayers. No fewer than nine seminars are offered on how to raise taxes. More than 250 vendors will tout their architectural, financial, and legal services; carpets, roofs, bleachers, etc.

A handful will offer products and services actually related to learning.

Ask your local school officials what’s spent on this “conference” and how the improvement in our schools is measured. What did your public school district’s architects, accountants, and lawyers spend entertaining their “clients” – with what’s ultimately public money?

Positions opening in the Spring

2008-11-01T19:56:00.002-05:00

Community service positions available. Team attitude a plus. Concern for the future of ALL the EA children an absolute necessity. Part time, rewarding-serve as an elected volunteer.

Elections for the East Aurora Board of Education will be April 7, 2009. The terms of 4 of the current members will be expiring.
For those wishing to have their name put on the ballot, nominating petitions may be obtained at the School Service Center.

Information is included in the petition packet on how and when to file. Candidates will be on ballot in an April 2009 election.

Two members of the Board of Education will hold Open Houses to discuss the East Aurora Board of Education roles and responsibilities.
The Open Houses will be held on Wednesday, November 5 at 6:30 p.m. and
Saturday, November 8 at 1:00 p.m. at the School Service Center – 417 Fifth Street.
These events are open to the public. All community members are welcome to attend.

7 Open Houses for Referendum/ Working Cash Fund

2008-10-13T16:45:00.004-05:00

October calendar notes numerous opportunities for attending a meeting in District 131. Become an informed & involved community member by attending.

14th- Board Personnel committee 3pm, Board Curriculum Committee 5:15pm, Alumni committee 5:30 pm, Referendum Open House 6:30pm

15th-Board Finance Committee 6pm

17th-Referendum Open House 12pm

20th-Board meeting 7pm, come early for Referendum Open House 5:30pm

21st, 24th, 28th, 31st- Referendum Open Houses @ varied times.

See District calendar for accurate dates and times @ http://www.d131.org

EA Parent Workshop planned- Sept. 25th

2008-09-16T16:55:00.003-05:00

There have been 8 workshops planned for this school year!

Each event will be at a different 131 school, and each will have a different topic.

The first event will be presented by DeNean Adams @ 6:30-7:30 pm
on Sept. 25, 2008 at Johnson Elementary 1934 Liberty Street

The subjects will be Helping your child develop good study habits and to do well in school. Also, learn more about the Illinois Learning Standards.

I hope many parents/guardians and community members take advantage of this time to come out and meet other 131 neighborhood families.

August 18, 2008

2008-08-22T04:32:00.000-05:00

I asked questions and made comments concerning contract negotiations at the open school board meeting on Monday.
In all fairness, I will not attempt to speak for others and what their comments were that evening.
I sent my comments to our secretary but they did not make it into the minutes. You may read a condensed version of them below.

As of July 11, 2008, Illinois' chief executive officer, Gov. Blagojevich will take home $13,118 more, raising his salary to $184,035.
As a Jr. Senator for the state of Illinois-Barack Obama made $158,100 a year salary
As of January 1, 2008, the annual salary of Linda Chapa LaVia and each of 118 State Representative is $169,300.

These people represent and make decisions for 879 public school districts in IL consisting of over 3 million children under the age of 18.

Our school district has over 13,000 students. One superintendent.

Certain members of this board want our approval of a contract that pays our superintendent more than any of those state officials I have mentioned.

Dee & I have expressed concern, disapproval, disappointment and I personally am disgusted with the way this contract has been moved forward without any concern or consideration of input or discussion of ALL board members. Discussion and decisions seemed to have been made through emails and conversations with a few board members and the districts attorney.

The 100 highest-paid school administrators in Illinois in 2006 had salaries ranging from $205 to $380,000. There were 17 who made more than a quarter million dollars for that year: Guess what school district decide to pay their short term superintendent enough to make it # 14 on this list?

YEP! the same district who is cutting our children’s programs and wanting to increase pay and benefits to our present short term supt. How do we justify this, is the question I asked of this board from the podium a few years ago. I ask you again, how do you justify this attempt to approve a contract with all the added cash benefits, w/o having the last contract fulfilled and without significant indicators of marked improvements in our student scores or our budget?

I am opposed to the way this item was slid in on the Personnel report.
We have had no group decisions regarding salary, goal indicators or the changing of the terms of the last contract by implementing a new one-what the hell kind of "team" is this?

An article in the Christian Science Monitor in March of this year states:

An overly politicized school board, critics say, is often the problem where children's educational needs don't appear to be a priority.
The vote was 5-2 in favor of the contract.

To each his own

2008-08-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

I thought the EA bloggers were on summer break, also.
I was away for 2 days. I return and find discussion has erupted.

In my estimation there has been some very healthy blogging going on. A little religion (if you don’t count the duplicate postings). A little politics, and various points of view. I LOVE IT!
One person and one opinion will not create change. Many people speaking up and out make it clear there is discontent in EA with our school district. Whether we choose to go to meetings, stand and protest, pray, blog , bitch, any or all of the above. Our common ground is our EA community. We all want what is best for our children, our schools and our neighborhoods. Change can and will happen. I assure you there are folks who read this blog that have the authority to help implement change. They may not acknowledge the communities concerns whether we express them at our city meetings, neighbor groups or at the board meetings. That does not mean we should sit down and feel that our opinion is less than valid.
That is why this blog was created to allow you to speak your mind. Tell us your thoughts. To borrow a line from an oldies tune, join the blog and “Express yourself!”

Not newsworthy, this time.

2008-06-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

It has been pretty quiet here. So I thought this would be a good time to share a bit of good news.
The charges filed by the teachers union president against the district, have been dropped by the union.

If you recall the Beacon reported on February 8, 2008 "Teachers union complains about East board member"

State education officials are reviewing allegations that an East Aurora School Board member encouraged borderline "civil disobedience" at a teachers union meeting.
The charge, filed by the union asked that board member Rayanne Carlson "refrain from ... busting into our meetings, encouraging our members to engage in unlawful activities and suggesting that union members assist (board members) in their personal agendas."
The Education Labor Relations Board will investigate the charge and decide whether to hold a hearing, said general counsel Helen Higgins.

So many have given me much encouragement since the initial report. Those at the meeting and those who know me, knew I had no intentions of malice, as reported.
I am pleased the way this turned out. I wish the teachers stories may have happy endings, also.

I hope the community continues to attempt to stay informed of what happens in 131.
Demand accountability. Support the teachers. Pray for the children.

You have many options at being a part of the solutions

2008-06-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

You may now access board members contact information by going to the Board of Education section of the District 131 website. Click on "meet the board." By clicking on each picture you get the personal contact info of each board member.

If you click on the part of the Board of Ed. page that says:

"To Email the Board of Education
Click here", you will get a generic info email address. Which personally, I have never been forwarded nor informed of any email being sent to the board through that address.

The doors are opening folks. The meeting dates and times are posted. You now have access to contact the board members, read the budget, read policies. It is now easier to be an educated community member. Use the info you have at your finger tips and help be a part of the solutions to the many problems and concerns I have heard in the community.

I believe a board member should be a liaison for the community & administration of 131. We need to hear the community voice. Not only when things are wrong, but when advice from the EA members is needed in making plans for our children's education.

Board policies online!

2008-05-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

Great news, you no longer have to go to the school service center or contact your local board member for information.
You may now access the board policies on the 131 website.
http://www.d131.org/
Click Board of Education, on the left of the homepage.
After the Bd. Of Ed. page comes up, click on Board Policies on the right of the page.

Everything you could want-right at your finger tips.

Things are movin' on.
Class of 2008 has received their diplomas.
Another school year will soon be through.
Business in 131 continues through the summer.
A budget will soon be finalized.
Decisions will be made affecting classes 2009 and beyond.

A Board Workshop will be held on June 16, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.
The purpose is to discuss the budget and it will be open to the public.

Go for the workshop and stay for the Board meeting at 7pm.

The good ol’ days….

2008-05-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

I recall fearing the wrath of my dad, if I got in trouble at school.
I feared the police catching me outside of school during school hours. I would be considered truant. If I was truant my parents could have to pay a fine, go to jail, or I could be sent to a youth detention center. Though fearful, I was defiant. My acts hurt my parents, my siblings, my grades and my reputation.

I am now the older citizen, the delinquent of yesterdays gone by. I now ask the questions “what’s the matter with kids today?” When did destruction and violence become a part of youthful defiance?

Has the fear factor been turned around? Does our community and schools fear retribution for standing up and adhering to what is right? Do we not enforce the rules for fear of lawsuits of harassment, prejudice or civil rights violations?

Somewhere over the years attitudes have changed and being held accountable is a thing of the past, if you can skew the facts and become the victim, you are off the hook.
Home, school and the law-where does responsibly start and end when it comes to our 131 students?

Let's start fresh

2008-04-26T18:07:00.000-05:00

We are coming into the final stretch of the 2007-08 school year. There have been many discussions on the flaws in 131,and chat aboutwhat can or should be done.

A previous mention of the two well respected EA teachers retiring and the list of those planning on retiring, makes me want to hear more of the stories of the triumphs as we look towards planning for the next year.

Dr. Roberts contract is coming up next year, 4 board positions will be on the ballot, not to mention the returning of the referendum question. Many changes could happen and many things will/ should stay the same.

Some things are definitely working in some classrooms for teachers and students.
Some changes have had a very positive affect on our district.
What successes,things that are functioning well do you hope will continue?

One night, 2 opportunities-April 21st

2008-04-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

The next Board of Education meeting will be at East High School – room 239 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The reason for the change is the district Grant Writer will be holding a grants showcase at the high school from 4-6pm.

Hopefully, this change will allow for more people to attend who may already be in attendance at the showcase.
Notice has not yet been posted on the District website, but I wanted to give people who may not otherwise attend, an advance notice, so you can take the opportunity to come.

This is a chance to see what grants have been sought and the outcome. Then come to a board meeting and hear how other business is handled in our district.

Both, the showcase & the meeting are April 21st.

Reasons you vote "no", or why you are voting "yes"

2008-03-28T20:24:00.000-05:00

The freedom of choice and exercising that right in a voting booth is your ultimate voice.
Dr. Roberts and certain board members have stated a few times at board meetings, what they hear people saying-the reason the community votes "no" is due to not wanting to pay higher taxes.

I feel that may be the case for some, but I feel there are many more personal reasons for the choices the voters have made and it is not all about saving money on property taxes.
I know some of you have addressed this many time before.
Please share sincere opinions and reasons for the vote you may make.
Please respect those comments of your fellow bloggers.

Whether your vote would be yes or no, is there anything that would change your decision?

Come, hear and be an educated voter

2008-03-16T20:15:00.000-05:00

Attend the meetings. Hear what decisions are being made on your behalf. Join the 131 community and witness for yourself what your elected representatives and district employees are planning and doing for the children in your district.

Remaining School board meetings.
March 17, 2008

April 7, 2008
April 21, 2008

May 5, 2008
May 19. 2008

June 2, 2008
June 16, 2008

All regular meetings are held on the first and third Monday of each month, at 7:00 P.M., in the Board Room at the School Service Center, 417 Fifth Street, Aurora, Illinois. •Should the first or third Monday fall on a holiday, check the website calendar.

Administrative Supplemental Early Retirement Program

2008-03-07T04:31:00.000-06:00

Soon through the new 131 website you will be able to look up policies with a simple click. Until then, to answer a few questions and put to rest misconceptions, I will give a few brief points on the recently amended Policy No. 500.112.

This is a very abbreviated outline. Do not make assumptions until you are able to read it in it's entirety.

"The Board" wants to recognize administrators who have long term service in the District and are eligible to receive pension benefits through the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS)

Requirements are- at least 8 years of continuous F/T certified employment as an admin. with E/A D131 immediately preceding retirement.

Must be eligible to receive pension benefits through the TRS of Illinois at the time of retirement from
131, and must actually retire with TRS at the time of retirement from the 131.

If an eligible administrator gives the Board an irrevocable written notice of retirement by March 1st- 1-4 years prior to the year of retirement, the Board shall pay him/her a 6% retirement incentive, inclusive of all other increases in TRS creditable compensation, for each of his/her remaining 1-4
years of service.

No more than 2 administrators may participate in this program during any given school term. If less than 2 apply by the cut-off date, the difference shall be carried over to the following year, increasing the maximum for the next year.

There is no guarantee the early retirement program will continue for any particular length of time.

Adopted: June 4, 2007 Amended: March 3, 2008

A few changes to the site for those Lost in Cyberspace

2008-02-20T17:54:00.001-06:00

It has come to my attention that a few individuals had concerns about the name of this blog (East Aurora District 131) possibly causing confusion as to who may be administering this blogspot.

Most of those who have visited have appeared to know it's purpose, as outlined on the sidelines.

For those who felt misled or confused, I have changed a few minor things on the wording in the Title and information. My intention has never been to make people believe this site was sponsored by or administered by the 131 school district.

It has been suggested that a request may be made to have me remove this blog.
I feel confident those who were confused by the prior name will find their way to the place they were looking for and have no further need to be lost in a place they didn't want to be.

If looking for the school district website, a link may be found on the lower left of this blogspot.

Teachers union complains about East board member

2008-02-08T04:23:00.000-06:00

I am sorry I cannot comment at this time about the allegations against me.
Please keep me and all those involved in your prayers.
~Rayanne

I am still here....

2008-01-29T04:28:00.000-06:00

In case a few of you thought I may have been missing in action, I assure you I am here and have been keeping up with the dialog on this blog.
Although, we may not solve the districts problems on this blog community, I feel it is a great medium for folks to share their opinions.

That being said, I'd like to say thanks to those who have defended Dee & I and our efforts. Please do not worry about the negative comments. It is part blogging, as it is with any anonymous forum. Some people feel the need to attempt to "bait" people into a debate or just like to throw out slanderous comments to make their own opinion seem more valid.

It is obvious by some of the comments that have been made, it can only be among a few people that could possibly be making them. The best way to deal with those types of bloggers is to ignore them and do not respond.

I am encouraged to see people speaking out. We need to wake up our 131 community and hopefully more people will become involved in helping to get our district back on track.

I am not AWOL, Dee & I have been busy trying to bring some of the "business as usual" stuff to the public, so you have a better understanding of what goes on in your districts offices & schools.
The more we share the more people become aware and our 131 community may educate each other.

Please continue blogging and sharing. You will find your questions and observances are not unique, there are many others with similar concerns & comments.
~Rayanne

ps Be sure to take the time to let yor voice be heard in the voting booth!

The comments continue

2008-01-11T16:54:00.000-06:00

The previous post was getting rather lengthy with comments, so I thought for ease of reading I would start a new posting.
I have taken the last few comments and posted them here from the previous blog to keep the dialog going.
Feel free to post comments to any of the blogs.
I would like to hear suggestions/ comments from all members of the eastside community and the school communities. Parents, teachers and residents in general, we need your input. Come on in and post your thoughts.

Workshop before Board meeting Monday

2007-12-14T20:03:00.000-06:00

Prior to the regular school board meeting, Monday December 17, there will be a workshop being presented by PMA Securities Inc. The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the Financial Planning Program and the financial outlook for our school district. This workshop begins at 5:30 and will be held at the school service center at 417 Fifth Ave.

PMA Securities Inc has offered a workshop previously on August 20 at which time they presented the possibility of issuing working cash bonds

The full agenda can be accessed at the website www.d131.org. I hope you will share this information.

The last workshop suggested a referendum would pay for these bonds.

I think our community needs to be informed and hear for themselves how our administrators would like to put money in the bank with borrowed money.

Please try to attend.

Board position opening

2007-09-20T15:39:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION

(Aurora)-Mr. Russell Pietrowiak, a member of the Board of Education for East Aurora School District 131 and the Chairperson of the Board’s Finance Committee, has announced his resignation from the Board of Education effective Wednesday, October 31, 2007. Mr. Pietrowiak has served on the Board of Education since 2005.

State law allows the board 45 days to appoint a new member to fill Pietrowiak’s vacancy, according to Carol Farnum, President of the Board of Education. The newly appointed Board member would serve until the next Board of Education election in April 2009.

Anyone interested in applying for appointment to the Board of Education should write a letter of interest and submit it to:
East Aurora School District 131 Administration Office
c/o Lisa Morales
Executive Assistant/Secretary to the Board
417 Fifth Street
Aurora, IL 60505

The deadline for submissions is 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 27, 2007.

The Board of Education will conduct interviews with candidates from Tuesday, October 2- Sunday, October 14, 2007. The new member will be sworn in at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, November 5, 2007.

In order to serve on the Board of Education, an individual must: (1) be a registered voter (2) be at least 18 years of age, (3) be a resident of the State of Illinois and in the boundaries of District 131 for at least one year preceding the appointment.

For additional information, please contact:
Lisa Morales
Secretary to the Board of Education
630.299.5554 or lmorales@d131.org

An invite to EA staff and community

2007-09-14T04:27:00.000-05:00

Many times we cannot express our true feelings in the work place without fear of repercussions from co-workers, superiors or the community. We may fear our comments will put our job in jeopardy or affect our working environment. We worry our motives for our comments may be misconstrued. You are your own best spokesperson.

The list is long of reasons for not speaking up and speaking out. Well now…Here is your chance and here is your place. Please come on in, be honest and let it all out. I believe folk’s need a place to vent, a place to speak candidly. Complain, brag, inquire, explain, about co-workers, policies, the union, the students. Share with us what may be happening in your corner of district 131.

You may want to send out your questions and concerns in a comment to get feedback.You never know who else may be dropping in to take a peak at what is being said. Your thoughts may hit deaf ears but could reach a few eyes through blogging. Reply anonymously if you like, or with your real name, if you choose. If you use an alias (select other) that would help distinguish commenters and make it easier when others respond.

Please read the right hand side of this blog and remember to be respectful.

PTA announcement

2007-09-10T04:18:00.000-05:00

"1st Thursdays"Parent to School Connections 7:00 PM October 4 -- Presenting East High's Career Center
All parents, teachers, and other members of the EastHigh community are invited to a monthly program focusing on some aspect of the East Aurora High School educational mission. The program is sponsored and advertised by the East High PTA*.The October meeting will be held in the Career Center--enter door 5 and follow signs.

The center has a growing number of resources to help our students prepare for their life after high school. High school is really only a starting point for the rest of their lives. Later dates are November 1, December 6. In January it will be on the 2nd Thursday due to the winter holiday. Meetings will generally be in the faculty cafeteria or you will be directed from there to another location --as with the October meeting. In addition to a specific topic there will be time for more general discussion on various topics and issues about high school education of our students -- time for sharing between parents, administration, faculty and community members. Bring your questions.

For questions or program suggestions contact PTA in English or Spanish at easthighpta@yahoo.com .*

At 6:30 PM on each of the 1st Thursdays there will be a PTA business meeting. Every one is welcome to attend but voting will be restricted to PTA members.

Meeting dates for the remainder of the 2007-2008 school year

2007-08-31T22:39:00.000-05:00

All meetings are held at the School Service Center, 417 Fifth Street, Aurora, IL

School board meetings are held First & third Monday of each month @ 7PM.
*Should the meeting date fall on a holiday, the meeting will be held onTuesday or Wednesday.

Oct. 1 & 15; Nov. 5 & 19; Dec. 3 & 17, 2007
Jan. 7 & 22*; Feb. 4 & 19*; March 3 & 17; April 7 & 21; May 5 & 19; June 2 & 16, 2008

*****************************************************************************
Personnel meeting dates:
First Thursday of every month @ 5PM

Sept. 6; Oct. 4; Nov. 1; Dec. 6, 2007;
Jan. 10; Feb. 7; March 6; April 10; May 8; June 5, 2008
**************************************************

Building & grounds committee
First Wednesday each month @ 4PM, unless schedule conflict.

Oct. 4; Nov. 7; Dec. 5, 2007;
Jan. 9; Feb. 6; March 5; April 9; May 7; June 4, 2008
*****************************************************
Curriculum Board Committee
These meetings are at 6:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

September 10; October 9; November 12; December 10, 2007
January 14; February 11; March 10; April 14; May 12; June 9, 2008
****************************************************

Financial Committee meetings

These meetings are the Tuesday after the first Board Meeting
and are scheduled for 6:30pm

September 11; October 9; November 13; December 11,2007
January 15; February 12; March 11; April 15; May 13; June 10, 2008

Abbreviated minutes

2007-08-07T04:50:00.000-05:00

I have found that some things posted in the minutes are abbreviated. I would like to share my comments in their entirety.
Dee has forwarded hers, and they are posted, also.
Below is what appears posted on the 131 website under Board Bits.

Board of Education Meeting
Monday, July 16, 2007– 7:00 P.M.
School Service Center
417 Fifth Street
· Comments of Board Members

Mrs. Dee Weaver had concerns regarding information that appeared in the Beacon Newspaper.

Mrs. Rayanne Carlson read comments she felt regarding the board and how decisions are made and were made at the last board meeting.

Our statements verbatim can be read in the comment section of this post

One stop spot for meeting info-we'll see how it goes.

2007-06-16T23:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry to the few of you who have continued to check in on this blog. I have been careless in my intent to use this blog format to keep people better informed about meetings and such, in District 131.

I wanted to make sure I do not do anything that violates any rules concerning sharing of information with the public. I believe I have asked the right people and can proceed as planned. I hope to provide a place to find dates, times, places, agendas, and minutes of meetings. I can only post online information that has already been shared with the public, but may have not been posted on the district website.

Also, on occasion I may give my personal opinion as a community member and continue to welcome feedback.

This may be a short lived task, if the school district finally updates it's website and becomes more user friendly and more concerned with keeping our community informed.

Until then.....Here is the agenda for Next weeks Board meeting-NOTE the change of date. The minutes from the previous meeting are below the agenda.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Agenda
Board of Education Meeting
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
7:00 P.M.

I. Roll Call

II. Pledge of Allegiance

III. Approval of Minutes

IV. Communications from the Superintendent
· Motion to Approve the Calendar for the Board of Education Meetings for the 2007/2008 School Year – Vice President Bob McCue
· Student Recognition– Mr. Clayton Muhammad
· Community Relations Report – Mr. Clayton Muhammad

V. Comments of Board Members

PUBLIC COMMENTS/QUESTIONS

VI. Curriculum/Programs Committee, Mr. Donald L. Herbig., Chair met June 11th at 6:00 p.m.
A. Informational Item
· Meeting Schedule – Monday, July 9th at 6:00 p.m. at the SSC
· Curriculum/Programs Committee Meeting Minutes of June 11th
· Calendar of Meeting Dates
· Grant Update
· District Improvement Plan Update
· SES Update
· TBE Application
· Additional Bilingual Teacher

B. Action Items: None

VII. Buildings & Grounds Committee, Bob McCue, Chair, met June 6th at 4:00 P.M.
A. Informational/Discussion Items
· Meeting Schedule – Wednesday, July 11th at 4:00 p.m. at the SSC
· Buildings & Grounds Committee Minutes of June 6th
· School Improvement Final Report for the 2006/2007 School Year
· Building & Grounds Committee Calendar for 2007/2008
· Bleacher Bid
· Freshmen Center Timeline

B. Action Items:
· Motion to Approve the Change Order Request for the Removal of Unsuitable Soil in the Freshmen Center Parking Lot at East High in the Amount of $20,436.47

VIII. Finance Committee, Mr. Russell Pietrowiak, Chair met June 6th at 6:30 p.m.
A. Informational/Discussion Items
· Meeting Schedule – Tuesday, July 10th at 6:30 p.m. at the SSC
· Finance Committee Meeting Minutes of June 6th
· Employee Benefit Renewals
· Budget

B. Action Items:
· Motion to Approve to Hire a Bilingual Science Teacher and Two Overloads for the East High School Science Program
· Motion to Approve to Hire a Grant Secretary for the Early Childhood Center
· Motion to Approve the Following Resolutions:
Ø Ordinance on Prevailing Wage Rates
Ø Resolution for Depositories
Ø Resolution to Establish Imprest Revolving Fund
Ø Resolution to Establish Petty Cash Revolving Fund
Ø Resolution Appointing School District Treasurer (Jay Augustine)
· Motion to Approve the 2008 Department of Human Service Contract
· Motion to Accept a Donation from MPZ Masonry for the Brick and Labor to Install Columns on the Existing Marquee Sign at the High School
· Motion to Accept a Donation in the Amount of $1,000 from Hector Huitron (Aurora Soccer Federation)
· Motion to Accept the Following Bids for Custodial Supplies:
Ø 1st Ayd in the Amount of $178.25
Ø Green Clean Solutions in the Amount of $1,084.50
Ø HP Products in the Amount of $4,871.05
Ø Janco Supply in the Amount of $153,877.96
Ø Ramrod in the Amount of $8,274.92
· Motion to Approve the Following Monthly Financial Reports
Ø Treasurer’s Report
Ø Financial Statement
Ø Payroll Report
Ø Petty Cash Report
Ø List of Bills

IX. Executive Session: None

X. Action, if any, Resulting from Executive Session

XI. Personnel & Policy Committee, Mrs. Juanita Wells, Chair met June 7th at 5:00 P.M.
A. Informational Item
· Meeting Schedule – Thursday, July 12th at 5:00 p.m. at the SSC
· Personnel & Policy Committee Minutes of June 7th
· Additional Bilingual Teacher
· Committee Meeting Dates for the 2007/2008 School Year

B. Action Items
· Motion to Approve a Grant Secretary for the Preschool Center
· Motion to Approve the Personnel Report as Presented

XII. Adjournment

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Board Bits
Monday, June 4, 2007 – 7:00 P.M.
School Service Center
417 Fifth Street

Present: Donald L. Herbig, Russell Pietrowiak,
Juanita Wells, Dee Weaver. Carol E. Farnum, Rayanne Carlson

Absent: Bob McCue

· Roll Call

· Pledge of Allegiance

· Approval of Minutes
o Approval of the Board of Education Workshop Minutes of May 21, 2007

· Communications of Superintendent
o Dr. Roberts thanked everyone for coming out this evening. He had the opportunity to attend the Hope Wall graduation last week. It was great to be there. Also, the middle school promotion ceremonies took place at all three middle schools. Dr. Roberts attended and it was wonderful to see just about 1,000 students being promoted to the 9th grade.

o Dr. Chris Aird recommended for approval Community School Graduates Megan V. arrellano and Michael J. Turacek.
o Mr. Clayton Muhammad, Community Relations Coordinator, highlighted several events that have taken place in the last two weeks. On June 1st the district held a memorial tribute to for our three fallen marines; Hector Ramos, Eduardo Lopez and Jesse De la Torre. The ceremony was held in the serenity Garden at East High School. Also, the Memorial Day parade was very well represented by O’Donnell, Waldo and East High School. The East Aurora Alumni Association made a debut with its own float as well.

o Last month we celebrated our mentor and protégé celebration. We have a team that works with the Human Resources Department called NEST (New Educator Support Team). This team works with new educators in the district. These individuals received the ICE Award for their time, dedication and support of our new teachers. They are: Aggie Berger, Cindy Boinga, Chris Boyles, Meg Callahan, Jill Doyle, Cynthia Fioromonte, Amy Huggins, Sara Imthurn, Karen Jensen, Shari Johnson Pelki, Joyce LeFeber, Annette McMahon, Denise Menesis, Rosa Moreno, Mike Morkert, Myrna Parks, Minerva Rivera, Sebastian Rodriguez, Loretta Solfisburg, Kris Weatley and Michelle Zwart. Mrs. Hollingsworth as well as her assistant Pat Wynn received awards for their commitment and dedication to these new teachers.

o A final ICE Award went out to our East Aurora High School foreign exchange student from China, Deyu Meng and his host family; Stephanie Kifowit.
o Mr. Rich Davis, Building Trades Teacher at East High, presented the superintendent with the keys to the house that our students helped to build at 800 Arthur Way. This home features 4 bedrooms and 3 ½ bath. Mr. Davis teaches the afternoon class and Kurt Roley teaches the morning class. Mr. Davis thanked the board for their support of this program over the years. Students in the past have come from are West High, Nequa Valley and Waubonsee to attend the program. This program has been in place since 1991. There will be an open house scheduled for this home in the near future and that date will follow. The next project will take place at 825 Benton Street. For this new home we will be teaming up with the Joseph Corporation to build a fortified home which is a concrete wall home that will have 2 ½ inches of concrete, 3 inches of foam insulation and 2 ½ inches of concrete. This type of home has been featured on Fox News. It is an affordable home that will be tornado, hurricane and earthquake proof. It will be a great experience for our students. The progress of this home can be viewed at http://www.aurorafortifiedproject.org/

o Mr. Nestor Garcia gave a presentation on the progress of our Freshmen Center and the planning stages that have brought us to where we are today. We will have full occupancy of the Freshmen Center on August 15th. Tours of the Center will take place on June 14th.
o Dr. Chris Aird introduced Judy Judy and Roger Sanders who presented information on the district’s strategic visioning process.

· Comments of Board Members
o Mr. Bud Herbig congratulated our East Aurora High School graduates.
o Mrs. Rayanne Carlson attended the Memorial Tribute at East High School last week. Mr. Muhammad did an excellent job with the families. Mrs. Carlson hopes to research and “catch up” on things that the board has already done so that she is up to speed on district business.
o Mrs. Juanita Wells thanked everyone this evening on their presentations. There was a lot of good information shared.
o Mr. Russell Pietrowiak informed the board that the State of Illinois has not created a budget as of yet. It is very important that we do not let up on holding our legislators accountable for doing education funding reform. District 131 has been involved above and beyond more so than any school district that he is aware of in working with A+ Illinois which is the premier lobbying group. Mr. Pietrowiak attended the Hope Wall graduation and encouraged everyone to attend one of their graduations in the future. Attending this ceremony really puts things into perspective. Also, the Golden K’s always supports the students at Hope Wall. They should be commended for their commitment and dedication. Finally, it is great to know that we will be looking into revamping our district website.
o Mrs. Dee Weaver attended graduation as well which was wonderful to be a part of. Mrs. Weaver also attended the Memorial Day parade and mentioned that Mary Taylor who helped with our band students did an outstanding job.
o Mrs. Carol Farnum attended the high school graduation, Hope Wall’s graduation and all three middle school promotion ceremonies.

· Open Meeting: None

· Curriculum/Technology Committee
o Their next meeting will be held on June 11th at 6:00 p.m. at the SSC.
o There were no additional informational or action items.

· Building & Grounds Committee
o Their next meeting will be held on June 6th at 4:00 p.m. at the SSC
o There were no additional informational or action items.

· Finance Committee
Their next meeting will be held on June 6th at 6:30 p.m. at the SSC.
Approval of Self Funding the HMOI Plan Effective July 1, 2007

· Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the Appointment, Employment and Dismissal of a Specific Employee
o Adjourned into Executive Session at 8:25 p.m., reconvened into open session at 8:50 p.m.
o Approved the Minutes of the Executive Session

· Personnel and Policy Committee
o Their next meeting will be held on June 7th at 5:00 p.m. at SSC
o Approved School Board Policy Section 705.04-R (Student Attendance Areas)
o Approved School Board Policy Section 710.07 (Student Appearance)
o Approved School Board Policy Section 500.112 (Administrative Supplemental Early Retirement Program)
o Approved the Personnel Report as presented

· The meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.

The work continues

2007-05-03T08:59:00.000-05:00

Hello fellow Bloggers,
I apologize for the lack of new posts to this blog. I had been a bit busy and openlineblog had good dialog going on a few of their posts, so I did not see a need for encouraging discussion on this blog.

That will hopefully change. Over the next few months I hope to encourage community input and keep district 131 residents informed of things going on concerning our schools. Our open forum here can be a useful tool to our school board to survey the community and keep it's members up to date on issues that are not normally news worthy to the local media.

I will update this post as I fine tune this blog site to continue to serve the old purpose and realign it as a communication tool within the district.

In the mean time, Dee and I would like to thank all of those who have encouraged and supported us throughout the election process. We look forward to being representatives of our community in District 131 as board members.

We would like to invite everyone to attend the School Board meeting on May 7th @ 7pm. We are scheduled to be sworn in that night. Due to some information that is required to be delivered to the school board prior to our swearing in, the swearing in may be rescheduled to Tuesday May 8th.

The regular board meeting will still take place Monday. Please attend and show support for the dedication of the out going members.

Please note in the comments. An excellent beginning to this blog as a communication tool. I have copied a comment and entered it in this post from Dan Barriero. His dedication is continuing, I hope community members do not stop their campaign to support our schools.

Yes, to transparency, why some will still say NO to the referendum

2007-03-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

A blog comment I felt worth posting:

Anonymous said...

The Need for Public School Financial Transparency
The Illinois government-run school system continues to resist financial transparency. Instead of fully disclosing how it’s spending $20 billion dollars of taxpayers’ money, they cry out for more. In the private sector there’s something called GAAP accounting practices. GAAP stands for “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.” In the government-run school system in Illinois we see PAAP – “Politically Accepted Accounting Principles.”

We’ve got a simple question: how can anyone not support full disclosure of all government revenues and expenditures? Yet when it comes to the public school spending crisis in Illinois, those who stand to personally profit from increasing taxes resist transparency. As one observer has stated, it’s time to “solve the lexicography of the dissemblers.” Currently there is no citizen oversight of government-run school spending, and there’s precious little effective school board oversight, either.

There should be a standardized accounting and full disclosure of all district revenues and expenditures (including the district’s check register) on the World Wide Web, including:
A list of all employees in an organizational chart.
Every classroom expenditure should be outlined.
Every contract – including those of administrators, should be posted in its entirety.
(It’s clear that many school boards prefer to keep some of the perks and some of the details of the benefit packages away from the public eye, since the scale of their generosity with money earmarked for educating kids would rouse ire on the part of the taxpayers.)

March 14, 2007 10:16 AM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excellent points and resolution.

It is my understanding, the same time the balanced budget is due from the schools in 2010, the state is going to require some sort of website posting of accounting from the schools.
It is suppose to be part of the total accountability package.

Do we dare to hope the we taxpayers may actually see how our dollars are spent?

Could this possibly be the reason the push is on for referendums to pass and money to be spent, before transparency is law?

Show us (where) the money (is spent).

2007-02-19T18:35:00.000-06:00

I spoke recently with one of our State representatives. Concerning school finances, they "do NOT think it's about more money. It's about the kids." Which I agreed. They went on to explain the "schools have not been accountable to the state and communities" for sometime.

This is why the state has required the schools to have a balanced budget by 2010.
Similar to our contribution through property taxes, the state has been paying into the schools (with taxpayer money) and is not seeing the accounting for these funds.

For YEARS our district has gone over budget and borrowed against our children's future. The future is here and now and they want us, community members, to pay for it. In some ways we are responsible. We should have been more involved, earlier on, and required more accountability sooner.

The community was not asked for it's input until the district surplus of cash had run dry. In turn, we the community did not ask for more accountability till the district wanted us to cough up more cash. For both sides it has been all about the money and we all are using the kids as the
bargaining chip for our response to the budget dilemma.

This isn't about busing, or kids getting to school or field trips. It is about getting our kids the best basic education we can afford. Schools cannot continue to take over as social workers and surrogate parents to give kids trips to the zoo and offer alternative schools to chronically truant students. Programs for students who want to be in school and whose parents make the effort to be involved are paying the cost. These students are losing lifetime opportunities that cannot be replaced.

National Honor Society, fine arts, clubs and activities are a small investment in keeping students encouraged about school and creating an atmosphere of community within their school. Not to mention, it looks great on the college application.

Below you will see a proposal that was mentioned at one budget forum. It was put aside quickly and I, for one, do not know why. In the list of alternate reductions you will see nearly 3 million could be saved by cuts to administrative positions only. Why wasn't this plan discussed more at the Tuesday Talks? Or at more of the Board forums?

Alternate Reductions

1.1.) Service Center Admin.
a) 81,000
b) 65,000
c) 30,000
d) 76,000
e) 87,500
f) 24,000
g) 65,400
h) 60,900

Total 489,800

2.2.)Elementary Admin.
a) 599,813
b) 319,614

Total 919,427

3.3.) Middle School Admin.
a) 492,059
b) 109,469

Total 601,528

4.) High School Admin.
a) 270,752
b) 10,000
c) 266,415
d) 90,000
e) 197,000

Total 834,167

Grand Total - All Alternative Reductions= $ 2,844,922

Board in favor of referendum

2007-01-29T21:00:00.000-06:00

There was a meeting tonight with administration, a few community members and 6 board members present.
In short, Board member McCue and Barriero were the only ones that took the community input into consideration and suggested asking for 55c instead of 85c increase, to show they listening to the community .

When all was said and done Roberts and Augustine made the recommendation to ask for 85c. The board majority agreed to 75c.

As Dan Barriero suggested, without asking for a lower amount, it is as if all the forums and comments by the public were for nothing, if they come back and ask for the same amount that was rejected in November.

Obviously, that is exactly what their agenda was, so much for transparency. I am sure we all saw that one coming. Maybe not head on, but with a little "side stepping" as it was described in the Beacon.

http://openline.blogspot.com/

2007-01-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

Hello Folks,
I started this ea131blog when new EA stories quit appearing on "openline blog" yet, people continued to go back to the old East Aurora postings to continue commenting.

I will continue to post when I am able to attend meetings and give details of what goes on at those meetings. In the best interest of keeping active dialogue about district 131, I suggest you continue to read and comment on the "openline blog" site, where I believe many more people will read your comments. You are welcome to continue posting here. I just want to see the comments continue to help us all see different perspectives.

I know there a few new people to this site, may I suggest you go to the site listed in the title of this post, and check it out, too..

Please keep telling friends and neighbors, coworkers and others you meet what the FACTS are with the referendum. The questions left unanswered and the details of a budget left untold.
I have listened to Dr, Roberts and I have listened to the pro ref. individuals. I am not confident my money will be any better spent with additional funds, than it has been in the past.

:o) Till later.

Tax caps, band instruments, admin cuts, oh my.....

2007-01-17T09:56:00.000-06:00

I attended 2 District 131 meetings on Tuesday, Jan. 16th. I
attended the Tuesday Talks meeting at East HS hosted by Dr. Roberts. I thought it was to be second in a series he has scheduled. I was disappointed to find out this meeting was just a repeat of the first meeting but at a different time of day, and different location. As will be the remaining three talks.

Basically, Dr. Roberts explained “how we got here.” Which I took to mean-How district 131 got in this financial situation. He explained that due to the new law that requires districts to balance their budgets, 131 has a problem. Previously, 131 used to borrow money (deficit financing) to balance their budget.
Approx. 7 years ago they had a surplus of $20 million. At that time, they were spending $4 million more per year than they were taking in. The board chose to spend down the surplus before coming to the electorate to ask for more. Over the last 2 years they have cut $4 million from the budget. They felt there would be a “friendly referendum environment when the tenure of the community changed.”
He feels that great strides have been made in the quality of qualified teachers the district now attracts and retains. Over the last decade they have become more of a preferred employer due to changed working conditions and improved salaries. He feels this has resulted in getting 12 schools getting off the AYP list.

Since the referendum did not pass in Nov. '06, cuts will need to be made in ‘07-‘08 school year. They have attempted to do a balanced reduction “so everyone feels a little pain.” For those who have suggested cutting more administrative positions, Dr. Roberts said even if they cut their 16 principals and 8 central office people at the administrative level, that could not balance the budget.

The rest of the “talks” was stuff you would have already read in the paper or somewhere, if you have been keeping up with 131 and their business dealings.
Yada yada…….boards decides whether or not to put ref. on the ballot; West EAV (tax $$) extremely higher than Easts.
Dr. Roberts ended asking if we can look ourselves in the mirror and ask the question “do they need the money?” If we say no- 13,000 kids in the community will suffer. “Just a guy trying to help 13,000 kids.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went to the School board meeting that evening. Pretty much, same stuff. Board member,Russ P. expounded on why the tax cap has hurt our revenue. (to save space on this post, I will be adding a comment about tax caps ).

A very surprising comment came from Bud Herbig and the curricular committee. He put a request out for donations of band instruments. It seems there are many students at the elementary level that cannot join band, because they cannot afford the instruments. As you well know, as a band booster, I could write another chapter on that comment.

So for now, I will leave you with this brief overview of the meetings and will add comments later, and I encourage yours. :o)

Meetings in January

2007-01-15T16:45:00.000-06:00

The remainder of January there are 4 different meetings scheduled in the district. One will have discussions on the budget, 2 others will focus on the referendum campaign in District 131. The school board meeting offers time for public comment.

For concerned community members, attending all these meetings to keep well informed, can be quite a task.

The community budget forum aka Tuesday Talk, open door meeting will be midday.
The Community Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for January 16th at 12:00 noon will be hosting a community budget forum in lieu of their usual meeting. East Aurora School District 131 Superintendent, Dr. Jerome Roberts will be the host. Also, the meeting location has been changed to East High School room 239 in order to accommodate a larger group.
Referendum Review Council (RRC) meetings are January 18th and 25th at 6:30 at the service center. One meeting was already held on the 11th.

The flyer says: Register for RRC by contacting Info@d131.org or 630-299-5566

This is a group comprised of parents, community members, educators and civic leaders that provides constructive feedback about the district's November referendum campaign. This council focuses on what should be changed, created, cancelled or continued (4 C's) in reference to the previous process. Information collected will be provided to the Board of Education and Administration.

There is a disclaimer of sorts on this flyer that states:

PLEASE NOTE: This council is not the East Aurora Referendum Committee. The Board of Education has yet to vote on placing a referendum on the April ballot. In such case that the Board votes in favor of an April referendum, the EA Referendum committee will be reestablished independent of the School District.

East Aurora Referendum Committee (no meetings yet)

And.........the District 131 School Board meeting is "supposed" to be held on Tuesday this week, due to the holiday. Meeting is posted to take place January 16th at 7:00 p.m at the school service center.

District News

2007-01-08T14:49:00.000-06:00

You can be put on the mailing list for District 131 by contacting Clayton Muhammad at cmuhammad@d131.org. When on the mailing list you will periodically receive a news of things going on in 131, press releases and "131 E-NEWS: SUPERINTENDENT'S WEEKLY MESSAGE"

In the Supt.'s message Dr. Roberts relays personal info and a bit of his weekly agenda.
I appreciate these personal glimpses and weekly updates.
I thought I'd share this with you in part, for the week of January 8th he tells us:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
District News
As the new year starts, I will continue the “Tuesday Talks with the Superintendent” with the community regarding the possibility of an April Referendum. The next talk is on Tuesday, January 16 at 12:00p.m. at East Aurora High School. Thank you to our principal, Sheila Conrad for hosting this meeting.
■If you are interested in working on the Referendum Review Council, the team that reviews the efforts of the last referendum campaign,please contact the Office of Community Relations. More information will be sent this week to those who have already signed up. Thank you for your concern about the district.
■We continue to meet to work on the district's Strategic Visioning Plan. The process is lengthy, but once it is complete, we will have a strong foundation for future planning.

Tuesday 01/09/07
• Meeting with District 129 Supt., Dr.Jim Rydland re: Referendum Talks
• Spanish Class
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am wishful that during the talks with West Supt.
Dr. Roberts may return to 131 with some of West Aurora's long term goals and dedication to their band program.

Beacon News Dec. 23, 2006 "West compares it's taxes with other districts."
The statement made by Kevin Wegner-the West Aurora district's assistant supt. of finance.
"A successful referendum would be enough to fix the financial foundation for the long term and enable the district to start a refresh cycle for things like buses, computers, security cameras and band instruments."

District 131 has gotten grant money through the help of Chapa-LaVia for security items. Options could be for purchases of cameras and internet security and things of that nature. We have no buses, District 131 has not given money to band for instruments until they committed the high school band homicide. Then a one time amount was budgeted for the middle schools. Not sure why or how that happened. Will call it a gift horse.

Just putting a few things out there to think about while trying to figure out......what does East Aurora need more money for?
(Subliminal message-administration?)

2007-01-04T11:15:00.000-06:00

I apologize, I was misinformed

2007-01-03T20:01:00.000-06:00

I searched the 131 website to find the board calendar that lists the board meeting dates for the year. It also has notations on dates that will change due to holidays.
*Jan 1st meeting will be changed till the 3rd, 2007.

I have been unable to access the board minutes, to read if there were comments of meeting dates notated. I attempted to notify someone of this problem and to get dates of other meetings not posted on the 131 website. See emails below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 8:54 PM
To: jroberts@d131.org Cc: cmuhammad@d131.org
Subject: Open door meetings

Hello!

I am writing you for info and realize I will probably not receive an answer till after school has resumed, and that is OK.

I have tried to access calendars and bits.....on the 131 website and I am not "authorized." I was trying to find a list of the open door meetings. I had it, but must have deleted it.
Please remind me, again.

Thanks,
~Rayanne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subj:RE: Open door meetings
Date:1/3/2007 10:22:30 AM Central Standard Time
From:jroberts@d131.org

Hi there
Happy New Year to you too! I have no explanation as to why this occurred. I will forward your email on to technology to see if they do. Thanks for letting me know.
Peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I and six other community members were not aware of the cancellation of tonight's board meeting. We were waiting at the front door of the service center. No notice was posted on the door and the door was locked. I called one of the board members home and was told it was decided at the last meeting, to not have a meeting this week.

I came home and checked the website again. I was able to access the "board bits" and minutes but found NO minutes for the last meeting that would have had the info about the cancellation.

This is so frustrating. How can we be involved, how can others become involved when the district is not "public friendly."

What use is a few "open door" meetings when everything is closed to the public. If not closed, they sure are not putting out any welcome mats.
I would describe this district as "communication challenged."
I am unsure if they don't want to communicate, don't know how, or just don't care to keep the community informed.

Aaaarrrggghhh!

Just another example......

2006-12-31T16:46:00.000-06:00

I have received some information and wanted to share it. I believe the source of this info to be honest and reliable.

It has been relayed to me that the district had all of the offices at the service center repainted by outside contractors. Each individual had the opportunity to pick any color they would like for their office.
The maintenance people were told the job needed to be completed during the break. Since the district maintenance people would be too busy, outsiders would be hired to do the job.

Was it necessary to get the job done immediately?

Was it more cost effective to have it done during the holidays by an outside company, rather than by maintenance people already on the payroll during spring or summer break?

Wouldn't it be much more cost effective for everything to be the same neutral color?

I know this may seem nit picky, but when our district is under the microscope to be penny-wise, I would like to think visual appeal and personal preference should not be considered. Necessity and value of services, should be priority.

Is this something for which we should ask the district to be accountable ?
Bloggers let me hear from you.

New Websites-2

2006-12-27T07:47:00.000-06:00

I have recently found 2 new website I'd like to share.

The first is the Hinckley Big Rock -Concerned Cititzens blog. I wanted to share this so you can see we have problems in common with our neighboring communities and actually throughout IL. By making ourselves aware, we can possibly read and share information and strategies for getting results within our home districts.

Secondly......
CITIZENS FOR REASONABLE AND FAIR TAXES -see the links on the right side of this blog page.

I have not been able to check out everything they have on their site, I did appreciate an explanation on the tax cap. Many times Dr. Jerome Roberts and others have used the tax cap as a reason for not receiving enough money to support our schools.
I feel better informed after reading this and hope you will, too. Just for reference, it discusses Consumer Price Index. I was not sure what it meant or how it affected our taxes, so I have included a link to better explain.
What is CPI ?

I would like to add, though I recommend this site to become a better informed voter, I do not agree with some of the things I have read about teachers unions. I will admit, I am a UAW member, so I am more appreciative of unions and their function in our community.

All in all, I felt this site worth a visit.

Perception vs Reality

2006-12-25T19:32:00.000-06:00

Perception vs Reality. The pro ref catch phrase.

Dr. Roberts made reference at the meeting and makes reference to it, yet again in the article in the Beacon, Christmas day.
”…..There’s often a disconnect between the workings of a school district internally and the perceptions of that working from the community. I don’t know how to make that right.“

It is this authors belief that the policy /budget makers do not understand, that the voters DO understand and say NO to a tax increase to those “workings of (131) school district.”

One thing that keeps being brought up and is a misconception:
This is not all about the band director. We should give credit to the administration that made that decision. Had it not been for that ridiculous move, many of us would have stayed on the sidelines allowing the school board and admin to continue to make decisions without voice or educated vote of the community. They encouraged us to become involved by challenging our intelligence. We have become informed and we keep trying to be heard, but they don’t seem to listen.

First, I would like to say good job, Dr. Roberts, on getting that just-for-the-kids, sympathy propaganda on the front page. I appears as if the Beacon might be one of the “business partners” the district must be referring to when they speak about the partnerships they have formed, in favor of a referendum. A gift, rather than a “contribution ” is what the Beacon has given to the district many times, in it’s coverage of the community vs. the administration of District 131.

Jerome Roberts open door policy, sounds nice in theory (or we could say in perception). In reality, if within that open door there are not open minds, then the door may as well be closed.

Roberts makes reference to the ”workings of a school district”.
Reality…..we work and live in this district. We are the families of the 13,000 children this guy is trying to help. (As stated in the Beacon today-”just a guy trying to help 13,000 kids.”)

He works here and draws a nice salary from our district. Does he, the board and his co-workers live here, have children going to District 131 public schools? Do they truly have a grasp of what the majority of this community feels is important to us and the education of our children?

Roberts may open the door, but the fact that few walk in, says something about how the community perceives the value placed upon their input. I have seen how the numbers have dropped in parental involvement at the secondary schools. The school admin. tries to figure out where the problem lies. They can try and blame language barriers and working parents, or parents lack of concern. I would guess, it is because the door has been left closed far too long. Now, they swing it open give us a smile and stick out their hand and ask us to trust they know what is best for our schools.

We are on a watch list, our budget has been, in the red for years, major blunders have been made public, and the 131 officials basically say “trust in me.”
The LAW has required the district to balance the budget. They want us to be sympathetic. They want to convince us they are just trying to be “fiscally prudent.” Why did it take a law for them to feel they should be frugal with our schools resources?

When the schools were not performing as they were required, we were told we should fear the possibility of the state taking over our schools. The result- we would lose all the arts, and extra curricular activities and athletics.
If the district is planning on doing that anyway, why are we worrying about being within budget?
Why not let the state take over?

Our kids do not have comfortable consistency within their schools. We lose teachers, and it is not all due to teachers wanting more money. We are threatened with programs being cut. It seems to be a trial and error sort of policy. Too many dollars have been spent experimenting with educational programs, and failing our children and their teachers.

I shall step off my soap box. I’d like to hear others point of view.