"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 ?
38 comments:
I must be ignorant. I'm ignorant because I supported Rayanne before the election. I supported her when the administrators came back talking about the incompetent bimbo elected to the board. I even continued to support her when the union leadership pressed charges because she was illegally contacting union members.
Well my eyes have been opened also. Everything you and the board do from now on will be public. Every time you support illegal activities, every time you break school code and board policy, everything you do will be out in the open.
As it should be! That is called transparency in government. Whether it be a school board, district budget or state budget...it should all be open and accessible for viewing to those who fund them.
You mention only negative things being public. All things when funded by tax dollars should public.
One of the new things this board has aksed of the committees is to hold all meetings 4pm or later so community members may attend if they wish. So everything we are doing will be "out in the open."
I know you (4:35) will minimize this effort, but it is a step, be it a baby step, in the right direction.
So come on down to the public meetings. Educate yourself about what your board and admin are doing for 131
Which School Codes are they breaking so we can all be informed.
I must agree that if you choose to complain start going to the committee meetings or board meetings. Make a stand on what you believe is not right. I think now that we have a board that will make change. They can't change the things that have already happened but they can change things that you bring to them now. I think this board wants to make everything public and are trying to do this and they will have challenges with this administration with how things where done before but I think they will make sure that the board will have the last say in what is going on in this district and that is not micro-managing that is what they where elected to do.
Transparency without accountability is worthless. We, as a community already see many of the problems of this district. The real problem it that there has been no accountability. Illegal actions are overlooked and policies disregarded whenever they become inconvenient.
It is the administrations responsibilty to be transparent and the boards responsibility to enforce accountability. The old board did not enforce anything. We are still waiting to see if the new board ia any better than the last one.
To all the gloom and doom arm, nay sayers and arm chair posters on this blog, this is your chance to go to the meetings, e-mail, call and give the new ones some ideas or suggestions. Why don't you try to be a part of the solution as the board is trying to do the best it can with what it was left with. Please try to be part of the solution.
The true problem with this district is that many are just standing around (or sitting around) waiting for someone else to fix ALL the problems. Very few are brave enough to stand up and take the chance to face uncertainity. In the last 2 elections for the board, we have started to see a few more brave souls face adversity. By what I read here, this is no joy ride. No matter what you do, start small or jump in with both eyes shut, no one is happy. How about a little support. For a community that claims to be grounded in faith you sure seem to be very judgementatl of anyone that dares disagree with you or wants to change anything. Until you can sign your name, stand up for what YOU believe in, face the community and fight, you have no right to judge.
To those who have taken the challenge, I lend my support and encouragement. Don't give up. If your in this fight for the right reasons, hand strong. To those of you who want to just complain then hide your head in the sand, be careful. YOu know whats stucking up in the air..............what you truly are!
I Love when somebody posts a "pep talk" for this blog. It is always met with apathay. Nobody ever does anything around this community.
Just because some of us can't go to meetings, doesn't mean we haven't done anything! Many hundreds of us went to the polls and voted in some new School Board members, who have begun to turn around the old-guard way of doing things.
Now we need to be patient and support the folks we elected to represent us. I have faith that they will make decisions in our children's best interests--what a refreshing change that will be!!
We see them turn some things around but some things are still the same. We need the board to make the board meetings business meetings and not a place to bring up personal agendas. Let's get down to board business and if we need to hear things from the committees then so be it. The board meetings are too long with some of the things that have nothing to do with the business of the district.
I see that the board minutes from the 6/1/09 board meetings are posted before they are approved again but the minutes from the workshop still aren't and I do believe they where approved at that meeting. So let's get the minutes that where approved on the website before the ones that haven't been on there.
If you had a brain you would have noticed that EVERY one of the Board Bits this school year were posted before they were approved. Every single time and nobody had a problem with it until May.
Just these last to times have the bits been posted before they where approved.
WRONG. The whole school year they have been posted before. They get approved at the next school board meeting and every one of the board bits was posted before the next school board meeting happened.
Back in the 2007-2008 school year they waited for approval.
2008-2009 were always posted about a week after the meeting.
Whatever!
June 11, 2009 8:19 PM Thank you for your comment and right back at you.
Rayanne, please remove 8:19's profanity from this thread.
Thanks!
6:07, I'm praying for you.
East's board minutes are posted a week later, West's are posted the next day and actually contain information that was discussed - and what was discussed is actually business!
Wow, you mean they do more than take field trips and put up pretty pictures in the board room? What a concept, a board that actually does board business. Perhaps, our board can take a field trip and see what pictures hang in their board room.
This board can do what they want put by law I do believe the minutes are suppose to be approved before being put on the website.
(5 ILCS 120/2.06) (from Ch. 102, par. 42.06)
Sec. 2.06. Minutes.
(a) All public bodies shall keep written minutes of all their meetings, whether open or closed, and a verbatim record of all their closed meetings in the form of an audio or video recording. Minutes shall include, but need not be limited to:
(1) the date, time and place of the meeting;
(2) the members of the public body recorded as
either present or absent and whether the members were physically present or present by means of video or audio conference; and
(3) a summary of discussion on all matters proposed,
deliberated, or decided, and a record of any votes taken.
(b) The minutes of meetings open to the public shall be available for public inspection within 7 days of the approval of such minutes by the public body. Beginning July 1, 2006, at the time it complies with the other requirements of this subsection, a public body that has a website that the full‑time staff of the public body maintains shall post the minutes of a regular meeting of its governing body open to the public on the public body's website within 7 days of the approval of the minutes by the public body. Beginning July 1, 2006, any minutes of meetings open to the public posted on the public body's website shall remain posted on the website for at least 60 days after their initial posting.
If you look at the West Sides website you will see they do post the Board Bits right after the meetings but then they post the minutes after they are approved which is more detailed than the bits.
Rick Lawrence is a lot like members of D131 school board. The new President Weaver talks and talks about how she will educate the kids. Like she were a educator and knows all the answers. Others like Carlson & Lewis are stopping the progress of hiring new teachers to replace ones that have left. At the rate this new board is going we will not have teachers to teach our children. I one case Weaver is stopping progress for special needs kids. Lawrence and the ladies of the new board have a lot in common they believe the micro managing. On the other hand you get alderman/board members who do nothing. It is really hard to find that balance in government.
6/12/09 1:00 PM
6/12 @ 1PM
You are right, Rick Lawrence and D131 are alike. They both are trying to do the right thing by the taxpayers. No one should build a "shed" without plans. The old school board would have done this without question. Where did you get this information about what you posted that this new board is doing? I go to meetings and certainly did not get any of this out of what you posted. The new school board for D131 and Rick Lawernce are doing a fine job. It sounds like you are a disgruntled D131 employee who will no longer just get to do what you want to. What I am understanding about this new board is that everything now has to go before the board before it is approved and not just snuck by like before. This is what Lawrence is doing on the taxpayers part also. It is long past time for this to be done. You sound like a certain teacher that works at a school that has the same name that the street it is on that when has spoken before the board in the past that really put cetain 2 board members down before this new board came in. This person also did a good job of putting them down after the new board came in when speaking before the new board.
6/12/09 6:59 PM
Hey 6:59 can you speak a little more vague?
What a stupid post. Nobody has a damn clue what you are talking about because you don't give one specific name or event.
The reason you do not have a clue of what is being said is because someone took this off of Openlineblog and transferred it here. This goes for the post above it also.
Please remove the profanity from this blog.
The only people that talk about micro-managing I have found is someone of the old board members and some administration and I think the superintendent. How many board policies have they not followed that is why someone needs to step in and micro-manage. With the test scores of this district it seems the administration doesn't know what they are doing and we have been in this shape for a long time before any of the new members where on the school board. This district needs a complete overhaul and if that means bringing in new people so be it. It is easy to say the aren't hiring new teachers or cutting programs without giving examples and maybe some don't need to be replaced. Why don't you speak at a board meeting and ask them why these things are going on. You seem to know what some on the board are doing and that means you are close to the situation so go before the board and ask them why.
In the agenda for the board meeting they have again a motion for appointing Jay Augustine for District Treasurer didn't they do that at the last meeting?
No those were discussion items only this week is the real vote.
Reminder:
In the intro to this blog- "I ask you be considerate of all others."
The comments you see deleted added no value to the blog discussion. Other than an immature attempt to use foul language for shock value.
Thank-you Rayanne for removing them.
Lucy was a long time district 131 employee. May she rest in peace.
Lucy Castaneda went to be with the Lord June 8, 2009. Lucy was born May 1, 1946 in Chicago. She was the daughter of Salvador Munz and Caroline Lares. Her hobbies were going to garage sales, cooking, reading, volunteering at the Salvation Army Food Pantry, Women's Ministry and teaching kids. She was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandma and friend. She was a caring person. She never met a stranger. She attended The Salvation Army for 20 years where she helped start the Hispanic Ministries. Lucy will be truly missed. Survivors include her husband, Ted; children, Anthony, Sterling, Derral, Marilyn, Victor and Jeff; a brother; two sisters; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Monday, June 15, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., at The Salvation Army, 437 East Galena Boulevard, Aurora. Major Tony Hall will officiate. Visitation will be held Monday, from 4:00 p.m. until the service hour. A prayer service will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at The Salvation Army. Interment will be at Spring Lake Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family in care of The Healy Chapel. Arrangements are being handled by The Healy Chapel, 332 West Downer Place, Aurora. For further information please call 630-897-9291 or visit our website at www.healychapel.com to sign the online guestbook.
I notice that "Serial Bully" Radakovich's ex-wife, Kathryn Birkett, will be the new superintendent for District 204.
She deserves the position; she's poured her heart and soul into that district for 30 years.
It always amazes me, though, how so many smart, capable women make disastrous choices when it comes to picking a husband. But fortunately in Ms. Birkett's case she's no longer hampered by that loser.
Congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Birkett!
Whomever they hired as supt. for D204, the last line of the Beacon article says a lot: "The board is expected to sign Birkett's three-year contract at its June 22 meeting. After the meeting, her contract will be posted on the district's Web site at ipsdweb.ipsd.org/."
Can we view D131 contracts anywhere?
It would be nice for this district and board to be more transparent. I believe they are trying to do that put some still make it hard to do that.
I applaued D204 on there openess. I bet they won't hide it when they renew the superintendents comtract they don't hide it in the finance committee minutes. I wonder if even the new board president has been able to see Roberts contract.
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