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
174 comments:
And here we are in the FOURTH week of school without updated information on the EHS website.
Specifically, the faculty/staff contact information is USELESS. Teachers who are no longer at East High are listed (and, in some cases, pictured). New teachers' information is MISSING.
Here we are the 5th year of this blog with people still posting the same old crap here thinking things will get done and nothing ever does. Maybe you should try something new. LIKE CONTACTING RYAN FORD AND ASKING WHY THE INFORMATION ISN'T there. If all 10 of the people who read this blog did that, think of the impact.
Why not do both--contact Ryan Ford as well as mention it as a concern on an online discussion/blog?
It's better to do something than nothing. And some people may be reluctant to contact Mr. Ford (or others who may be dropping the ball on website information, like the EHS fine arts department chair) knowing that they may be potentially identifying themselves to vindictive administrators. But those who wish to remain anonymous can post here without worrying.
Remember, WE PAY THE SALARIES of employees in this district, through our tax dollars. We DESERVE to be informed--and we SHOULDN'T HAVE TO CONTACT ANYONE; this information should be available on the EHS website for all to access at the click of a mouse.
Wrong
I think you have to Contact the Director of community relations to get the website question answered. Or you may have to wait till the new person is hired to handle your questions. It doesn't matter if it is discussed on a blog or brought to the meeting or to the supt.
Even minimal transparency i.e. contact info is not a task 131 prioritizes.
Why contact Ryan Ford? It's obvious he doesn't give a damn about the website. If there were an oversite or two it would be one thing but when nothing is being updated, it pretty obvious he doesn't do anything. He must be too busy helping Clayton with all the Boys II Men crap.
Yup, why do it the right way? Just give up and keep bitching.
Well you can always run for the Board but maybe you don't live on the East Side
I'm not bitching. i think the school board and administration are doing EVERYTHING RIGHT.
Is anyone interested in running for the board? How many positions will be up for this election?
6 Positions are open. Let's replace them all with even dumber bitches that will just resign after a couple of years
So 6:32, is your mother running?
My mother? No sorry. She lives in Naperville. She can't run.
Is your mother running?
I don't get it, are you calling my mom a dumb bitch, you haven't met her, I have met the current school board, and some from the past, most of them were dumb bitches. I guess you don't get it, you probably won't run, or you already did and quit the board.
11:39 says:
"Even minimal transparency i.e. contact info is not a task 131 prioritizes"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The problem is, our website is the first impression many people have of our district. And as the saying goes, you never have a second chance to make a good first impression. If I as a parent must make a PHONE CALL to get current contact information for my child's teachers, that is unacceptable! It tells me that the school district does not consider parents worthy of
basic respect & communication.
That's definitely NOT a choice for excellence.
Call them whatever you want--those ladies & gentlemen didn't elect themselves.
They each obviously had the support of hundreds of community members who wanted them to serve.
If you don't like some of the decisions they make, go ahead & try to run yourself.
If you've got the guts.
So was bush
7:57 is probably an administrator displaying their typical arrogance, declaring parents unworthy of respect.
Amen!
Oh by george I think you've cracked the code. When someone doesn't agree with you they are an administrator. Good job.
No--when someone tells me (a parent) that I'm not worthy of basic respect and communication there's a good chance they're an administrator.
That's a lot different than "when someone doesn't agree with me".
Only 4 positions are up Wells, Weaver, Hull, & Trusa
Good, lets get rid of Weaver
I looked on the website for qualifications for becoming a board member and it states you cannot be a school trustee or school treasurer, what is a school trustee?
It is too bad we can't get rid of Johnson and Lewis but in another two years we can. It is amazing that one of the two above always think it is Weaver posting but you are not right about that. We might not always agree with some on the board but some of us know when we are getting the shaft from the district.
A School Trustee is a board member so maybe none of them should be on there.
This is an article from Oak Lawn, IL about Trustees and you would think the people siting on our board would know this.
I did have to edit a bit.
An obscure government body that seems to do little but cause problems for taxpayers appears poised today to hand one of its board members a $220,000 legal settlement.
That settlement would come from seven local school districts that are already struggling to retain teachers and balance their budgets.
A special session of the Bremen Township School Board has been called this evening to determine if one of its three trustees will be handed attorney fees plus damages as a settlement in a lawsuit he filed to gain his seat on the board. The board has not discussed the cost of the settlement in public, but at least two sources told me it was about $220,000.
The township school board hires a treasurer who invests about $200 million from seven school districts, six elementary and one high school, that are within the township. If the trustee is granted his award, it would likely come out of those districts' pockets.
In spring 2007, Joseph Bertrand Jr. won a 6-year term on the township school board. However, two outgoing trustees, including the one he was to replace, ruled that he was ineligible to take office.
Illinois law prohibits any two of the three township school trustees from representing the same school district, and Bertrand and Trustee Julienne W. Mallory, elected in 2005, both live in Prairie-Hills School District 144.
But Bertrand's attorney, Anthony Scariano Jr., argued that the law allows two trustees who live in the same school district to serve on the township school board if at least 90 percent of voters live in one school district that the trustees oversee.
Scariano contended in his lawsuit that Bertrand also resides in Bremen High School District 228, which represents 90 percent of the township.
A judge ultimately ordered that Bertrand be seated on the board, stating that the board lacked legal authority to declare the seat vacant.
According to several sources, at a June 7 township school board meeting, with only Bertrand and Mallory present, Mallory made a motion to pay the legal settlement resulting from Bertrand's lawsuit and Bertrand seconded the motion.
However, when it came time to vote on the motion, Mallory voted "yes" and Bertrand abstained. Scariano contends that Bertrand's vote actually counted as a "yes" and made the vote 2-0 in support of the settlement, which includes Scariano's legal fees.
The third member of the board, Michael Duggan, was not at that meeting.
It seems to me that given his personal benefit in the matter, Bertrand had a conflict of interest and should not have seconded the motion. But I do not have a legal degree.
Scariano said that because Bertrand was merely affirming the township board's offer of a settlement, he had no conflict of interest.
I don't know if Bertrand has his sights set on a future political career, but if he does, he should rethink sticking his hand in the pockets of taxpayers for legal fees and damages.
Someone's going to file a suit, claiming that Bertrand should not have voted on that motion to pay the settlement.
Several officials representing school districts in the township have told me they plan to voice their outrage over the settlement at today's meeting, which is at 7 p.m. at Tinley Park High School, 6111 W. 175th St., Tinley Park.
Besides districts 144 and 228, the Bremen Township school treasurer, Joseph McDonnell, manages funds for Forest Ridge District 142, Midlothian District 143, Posen-Robbins District 143 1 / 2 , Arbor Park District 145, Country Club Hills District 160 and the Southwest Cook County Cooperative for special education students.
Bertrand, 49, is the parks director for Hazel Crest and an adviser to the mayor there.
McDonnell, appointed under the previous township school board, is the only person with the authority to issue checks. He has an uneasy relationship, to say the least, with the new board.
The office is often confused with the township government, or school districts, but is independent of both.
The best thing anyone could do is not to vote for anyone that is running for the board. That way they would not have enough people to function as a board and maybe the state would step in. If they don't get enough on the board someone would have to come in and look at the problem and that might be the only way to get change.
How is the state stepping in better? Yeah, they are doing a good job with the tax money aren't they? Fix your own goddamn problems, stop waiting for somebody else to "step in" and fix it. Stop being a victim, that is all East Aurora is, a bunch of victims hoping somebody else will educate their kids, pay their bills and fix their problems.
I am confused. If a school trustee is a board member, how can they run? School trustees cannot run according to the qualifications. Am I confused?
Ms. Wells should definitely be the first to go. She's the last remaining member of the "School Board from Hell", which was so famous for rubber-stamping the serial bully's every whim.
And who could forget the way she accused the kids & parents of purposely mangling the National Anthem?
Weaver should be the FIRST to go, she doesn't have a damn clue about anything
Weaver at least is careful with OUR money--she's the one who always questions expenditures. Sometimes she's the only one who has the guts to vote "no" for some administrator's pet project that would waste thousands of dollars.
We need someone like her on the board.
In fact, we need more like her on the board.
Yep, that's for sure!
There is nothing in the quailifications about school trustees. In face board members in some districts are called directors, trustees or school board members.
Hull should be the first to go he never shows up for meetings and is only on the Board because his daughter now attends East Aurora. From what I heard she is a real handful.
THERE are four postions open. Check your facts.
School Board Candidate Qualifications
Tools: Print | Email
A candidate for an Illinois school board must be at least 18 years old, must have lived in the school district for at least one year, and must be a registered voter
To become a school board candidate one must do the following:
File a Statement of Economic Interests with the county clerk and obtain a receipt. (Statement forms are available from the county clerk.)
File the following with the secretary of the board of education (or the designated representative): A nominating petition signed by at least 50 registered voters or 10 percent of the voters, whichever is less; a Statement of Candidacy; a county clerk's receipt for the Statement of Economic Interests. (Petitions and Statements of Candidacy typically are available from the board secretary.) These must be filed with the secretary no earlier than 78 days before the election and no later than 71 days before the election during normal office hours.
If a candidate receives or expends $3,000 or more in an election campaign, reports must be filed with the county clerk. (Forms and instructions are available from the board secretary.)
This is from the IASB and it says nothing about the Trustee thing.
Here is the url for the above if you want to check it out.
http://www.iasb.com/elections/candidates.cfm
If you go on the district website under the current board it states the qualifications to run for board, the last qualification is you cannot be a treasurer or school trustee. Our qualifications must be different.
This is posted on the districtwebsite:
Board Member Qualifications
In order to qualify to be a School Board member, a person must be, on the date of his or her election: 1) a citizen of the United States, 2) eighteen (18) years of age or older, 3) a resident of the State of Illinois and of the District for at least one year immediately preceding his or her election, 4) a registered voter, and 5) neither a school trustee nor a school treasurer. Also, a School Board candidate/member must file an economic interest statement as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.
Again I ask, what is a school trustee? Aren't those board members?
I did not find that statement on the website but yes a school trustee is a board member not only for schools but for other kinds of boards. If that is posted the districts is again making their own rules because if you look at the IL School Code that is not stated in the code.
Here is something from IASB about seating new members of a board. They talk about Treasurers in it.
Treasurer – If the board elects a treasurer from among its
members, the same process is followed. By statute, a board
member elected treasurer serves a one-year term that usually
expires on June 30, the end of the typical fiscal year. As allowed
by law, most school boards appoint as treasurer a non-member
of the board who has financial qualifications. An appointed
treasurer (non-member of the board) serves at the pleasure of
the board rather than for a fixed term.
Once the permanent board officers are elected, the board
sets the dates and location(s) for the board’s regular meetings.
The usual method is to examine the existing schedule of regular
meetings and either maintain it or change it. The board
then goes on to any items of business remaining on the agenda.
If the board members read this in the packet they got when they chose to run they would know this.
What a pointless discussion about nothing. I can feel the kids getting smarter already.
This is a long part of the IL School Code about Trustees in a school district which doesn't apply to ours and explains why they are wrong about this on the website.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=010500050HArt.+5&ActID=1005&ChapterID=17&SeqStart=40700000&SeqEnd=44000000
CHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS
* The Board consists of [7 members] elected at large.
* Elections are held on the first Tuesday in April of odd-numbered years
* Members are elected to 4-year terms of office
* Members may be re-elected indefinitely
If you look at the 7 board members you will see that they have last year student board members on it.
Anybody who lives in Oswego, Aurora, Naperville, Montgomery PLEASE go eat at Buona restaurant TODAY and the EA Band will receive 15-25% of the order. Tell your friends and family too. Let's make them run out of food!!! You must bring a flier with you. You can get one here: http://d131.org/PDF/ENews/Buona%20Benefit%20Day%20Flyer.pdf
Great benefit!
Great food!!
Great idea!!!
Quit blogging and get going.
:o)
Well Rudy it isn't. If they have something posted that is not true about the elections then what else are they lying about.
The Bitch Is Gone
According to the Beacon Jyanita Wells is stepping down.
Who would that be Weaver or Wells
My son & I had a late lunch at Buona Beef in Montgomery this afternoon. We spent about $30 on food and drink, and handed the cashier the flyer we downloaded & printed for the EHS band benefit. So thanks to 7:13 a.m., the band got about $6 from us. We would not have known about the benefit (we moved out of the district several years ago)--except that I read about it this morning on THIS BLOG.
The cashier said that quite a few people had come in with flyers and bought food today to help the band. So this was a grEAt idea, and it was nice to find out about it on the East Aurora Community Blogspot!
I stopped by also after work and got take out and found out about the fund raise on the blog when I read it this morning also. Great idea about putting the link on for getting the flier.
Just last night was driving down farnsworth ave. and there were 4 kids no older than 10 walking down the center of the road since the sidewalk was blocked. What a disgrace that this district (its board, teachers, parents and community) continue to turn their head on busing this children to and from school. What a true disgrace.
Agree that this situation is wrong--but busing isn't necessarily the answer.
The sidewalks should NOT be blocked. If they are, then the city is dropping the ball & needs to fix that sidewalk or provide an alternative nearby.
Districts that do provide busing are in a world of hurt right now, because the state is way behind paying its share. Some districts are having to make cuts in classroom programs to pay for bus drivers and gasoline.
Since we have neighborhool school and most of our students don't live more than a mile from school bussing isn't the answer. I do agree middle schools and high school students need some help with transportation.
Those children could of walked by the side of the road or maybe they could of taken a different way.
"Weaver said she will not seek re-election after serving one term."
There is a God.
Wells to step down from East Aurora School Board
Petitions to run available Tuesday
September 16, 2010
By STEPHANIE LULAY slulay@stmedianetwork.com
AURORA -- As the East Aurora School District announced that School Board nominating petitions will be available beginning next week, longest-serving board member Juanita Wells announced she will not be seeking re-election.
"I've thought about it for quite a while," said Wells, who has served on the board for 17 years.
Wells, who will be moving to Mississippi, urged others to run in her resignation letter.
Nominating petitions will be available beginning Tuesday at the School Service Center, 417 Fifth St., Aurora.
The next election for the board will be held on April 5, 2011.
The terms of three other current board members will also expire in April 2011: Raymond Hull, Mary Ann Turza and former board president Dee Weaver.
Weaver said she will not seek re-election after serving one term.
"(I) feel I would be better served to share my thoughts with elected officials that set the policy," she said.
Hull said he plans to run again. He was appointed to the board in February 2009 after former board member Rayanne Carlson stepped down.
Hull was also elected to the board in 1999.
"My intention is to run again, and hopefully I'm successful," Hull said.
Turza said she is undecided about running and was appointed to the board 1½ years ago.
Filing of nominating petitions for the April 5 election begins Dec. 13.
Reposted due to deletion error. Original comment Sept 16 @ 1:42PM by Anonymous
This is the only line I care about.
"Weaver said she will not seek re-election after serving one term."
Like I said, there is a God.
The State of Illinois claims they don't have the money to pay schools for the bussing that they are mandating by law, yet they had 21 Billion dollars to spend on road repairs this year alone.
This is money spent on road repairs that for the most part could easily have been put off (for years).
Think about it this way. If the state simply put a moretorium on repairing roads for only one year, we could pay off all of the state's debt and nearly double spending on education.
It's not that the State of Illinois doesn't have the money, it's that our leaders are choosing to spend it in areas other than education.
Simply put, our leaders are taking care of the people who contribute the most to their political campaigns.
Wow, that comment sounds like you actually did research, but you probably just read it off another stupid blog and have no way of backing it up.
Who would want to run for the school board? Like someone said they would rather but a nail in their head. It is a no win situation because they have the people they need in place to get what certain people want rather than for the best of the district.
Good riddance to Ms. Wells, the last remaining member of the School Board From Hell.
Hmmmm, who do I have more respect for, a woman who has served this district for 17 years, or a woman who has served it for 2?
To: September 17, 2010 7:24 PM
Actually, the facts I stated were publicly broadcast on the evening news. If you kept up with current events, you would already know they were true.
A woman who rubber-stamped the Serial Bully, or a woman who had the guts to speak out against administrators' personal vendettas?
A woman who never saw a referendum she didn't like or a woman who kept a careful eye on our tax dollars, even when the rest of the board wanted to spend recklessly?
Hmmmmm.......
If this was a majority white district those kids would have their busing. I totally agree its a disgrace and the entire city of Aurora should be embarressed that it has stood by and allowed this to go on for so long. I saw the same thing last winter with kids walking down the middle of Indian Trail. The other this is that there are almost no sidewalks in the northern park of the district.
There are almost no sidewalks around Simmons. Every winter the kids are walking in the streets with the cars slipping and sliding around them because there are no sidewalks for them to walk on.
SIMMONS SUCKS!
Simmons continues to not surprise anyone with their antics. There is all this talk about teachers doing door duty instead of meeting with teams, lack of supervision at after-school events, backstabbing and now a perfect example of how there is preferential treatment for some. Overheard recently how is it that there is a teacher coaching 3 sports this year and also collecting a stipend for being a team leader (and missing/being late to practices and games due to team leadermeetings!).
This certain brown-noser also happens to teach one class of technology and floats around the building acting busy the remainder of the time?!? Sorry, maybe 2 classes now. I know of people who applied to coach in the building and were not even given an interview, but who's nterviewed for a position there anyway?
Different strokes for different folks I must say. Teachers were told by Patterson that they couldn't coach more than one sport so others could get a chance to 'learn how to coach'. This special person is going to collect 4 stipends and also teach 1/3 of what everyone else is. Double-dipping? No. Can you say quadrupal-dipping (sp?)?
Didn't they learn from the Bob Green incident. It must not have clicked to certain administrators. Maybe it's the fact that Doughnut Boy Morales is acting like the AD now since he can rule the new AD anyway he pleases. After all, that guy did earn his tenure by building ponds and planting flowers in the courtyard at Simmons. His classes have been terrible,the guy has taught a different subject every year for crying out loud!
Simmons is one of the schools that does have sidewalks on every block. Also the construction on Indian when complete will have sidewalks up and down it. Lets not turn sidewalks into a race thing.
Oh good, the kids will only have to walk a half mile through the snow to get to that one sidewalk on Indian Trail. I hope all the kids lives in that direction.
Mechelle Patterson has at least seven teachers grieving against her for her unprofessional behavior of screaming at teachers in front of students.
The union (after only a year and a half) pretended that they just found out that the administration at Simmons is using teachers as security guards at the front door all day long. Maybe now the teachers there can actually go back to teaching.
Mechelle Patterson was not in school on Friday. Apparently she was at the service center with Glotsbach and the Simmons counselor. He must be grieving the way he has been treated. It really is impossible for him to do his job with Mechelle not allowing him to speak directly with an administrator or any of the other office personnel.
A month into the new school year. Scheduling is still all screwed up.
When is enough going to be enough?
Why is Wilson Morales doing anything but fixing the screwed up schedules at Simmons? He should be taking care of his own job before he goes criticizing someone elses work.
Just give him some more two hour donut breaks with his secretary and he'll mellow out a bit.
I cannot believe that this is going on at one of our school that is located in this "fine" school district. I think that if he administratio would follow their own PBIS expectations, they might not have all the problems that seem to be occuring all the time. This has been going on muh too long and someone from the top should step in to make sure that the teachers are treated fairly.
Kids have been walking to Simmons for years in fact since it was built and there have been no sidewalks but we all made it.
Yes, but times change, and gangs move in and Aurora gets shittier and shittier.
Hey ive got a house to sell---its real nice 3 bed two bath nice yard in a decent neighborhood but in a school district with every school not making AYP and no school busing for kids that live as far a eight mile from the only high school. I mean people cannot see beyond the end of their own noses. This is a big problem that affects everything from kids learning/getting to school (or laying on the couch all day) due to bad weather or no ride, the quality of people who would move into a district with no busing, etc. You all may not want to pay for it know but you will when you go to sell your homes.
Well, when you put it that way it sounds so negative.
September 18, 2010 7:25 AM
Why are you bad-mouthing Simmons when you don't even work there?
You are making up stuff that just isn't true. Is there a reason?
Kids in the gangs ride the bus also.
To: September 19, 2010 4:20 AM
Who said I don't work there?
It is ALL true!
I know it is not true because the counselor you refer to WAS at work on Friday so he couldn't have been in a meeting at the Service Center. He CAN talk to people without using email so again you lie. You obviously are so blinded by your dislike for some people that you either believe your own lies or feel it necessary to just make up crap. You need to get a grip and grow up. If you are so unhappy move on. Leave Simmons and make yourself and everyone else happier.
Were you with the counselor every minute of the day on Friday. Do you think it took 8 hours to have the meeting that I am referring to. I didn't say that he couldn't speak to any of the staff, I said he was not allowed to speak to the administration and office staff.
If you don't know what's happening in your own building, then you aren't competent enough for me to want teaching kids.
Secondly, if you are merely a sheep who thinks that they are supposed to just follow their leader no matter how bad they are and anyone who wants positive change should quit and go elsewhere, then you shouldn't be part of the human race.
The problem with blogs is no accountability. There is a strain of truth that runs through every post, but it is usually surrounded by exagerations and bs.
Like I said - a LOT of hatred. Let me clarify my statement since you obviously need it explicitly stated. The counselor can speak to anyone he wants to speak to without email including adminstration and office staff. They are included in "everyone". You are misguided in your statements. I am very aware of what is happening in Simmons. Again I say you need to get a grip.
Really?
"Let me clarify my statement since you obviously need it explicitly stated".
I got the information directly from the counselor and saw the letter from Mechelle to him. You are the one who has no clue what you are talking about. Choose to remain blinded if you want but I will stand up for what I know is right.
With the attitude you have, you must be one of Mechelle's little pet teachers. Trust me, if you're not one of Mechelle's pets, working at Simmons is a living hell. And before you tell me to quit, leaving Simmons to incompetent and corrupt administrators does not serve our children.
It does seem obvious to me that the staff at Simmons is fractured with two opposing sides. If you kiss the administrators asses you teach partial days and have extra vacation time paid by the district. You are taken care of well.
If you don't kiss ass, the administrators harrass and torment teachers until they beg to leave. It sounds to me like this is a class action lawsuit just waiting to happen.
The Green lawsuits came from this situation. The art teacher's lawsuit last year came from administrator incompetence. Many more are sure to follow. How much money does the community have to pay out to cover incompetent administration?
I think the Simmons situation is an exageration. I think the majority of the faculty is neutral, neither kissing up nor being pushed around. If people do their job they're fine. Then you have the group that likes to cause trouble. They whine and complain about EVERYTHING and tend to get themselves into trouble. Those people probably are not looked upon favorably by administration and they get in trouble for their antics. They come on here and complain about how horrible it is at Simmons when they should be happy to have a job with their poor attitude. If they were in a job without tenure they would've been fired long ago. There are the few priveleged that are incompetent but loyal to administration that do prosper, but mostly because they are tolerated even with their gross incompetencies. Most of the staff do not fall into either of the two extremes. As you have seen on this blog the complainers can become quite annoying. Imagine having to work with that every day and listen to them go on and on. You'd want them off your staff too. I'm not saying everything is rosy at Simmons, but I don't think things are rosy anywhere. Every place has it's positives and negatives.
50-60 kids in one gym class, 200-300 kids in one gym period, up to 450 kids placed in one lunch period, teachers forced to play security guard and watch the front door period after period, day after day. Wilson disappearing for hours "donut runs", day after day. Discipline out the window. Administrators screaming at teachers in front of students. Teachers being paid to teach only one or two periods a day. Harassment, sexual harassment, constant threats. Simmons is a hell hole.
The majority of the staff is not neutral, the majority of the staff hides in their rooms so they won't have to deal with the harassment of the administration. There are teachers who won't even speak to other teacher/friends in the school building because they are afraid they will also be harassed if the administration sees them talking to a teacher the administration doesn't like.
The staff at Simmons either kiss administrators asses, fight with the administration because they won't kiss ass or hide out in their room afraid of the administration.
I wish you could imagine what you could do for the students at Simmons if you had some real leadership.
Complaining to this blog gets you nothing. Why not a anonymous letter to the Board. It will force them to ask questions. Funny I not heard another thing about the mentoring program unless the Board members are working in another building it would not shock me. They are probably assigned to middle school magnet.
To September 19 4:16 "If they were in a job without tenure they would've been fired long ago". Employers with integrity would never allow moronic administrators to be in positions of responsibility. The problem in this district is the poor quality and under-preparedness of these administrators.
Rudy,
Most of the teachers at Simmons who are being harassed are the ones who did go to the central office to complain about the administration at Simmons.
They are not just hiding behind this blog. They are complaining to their superiors and when nothing happens except more harassment, they turn to methods like this.
They hope that by making the problems at Simmons public and embarrasing the leadership, that the central office won't be able to continue to look the other way as the incompetence and harassment continues there.
As mentioned above these people are the whiners and problem causers. It doesn't matter where they worked, Rudy, it would be horrible to them. They are only happy when they are complaining. Fixing the problem would be horrible because they would have nothing to complain about or they would have to find something new to complain about. They don't want it fixed. They thrive on being miserable. And even when things aren't that bad they will exagerate to make it seem sooooo unfair. Just try to ignore them and skip over their worthless whining.
There's the way the world is supposed to work according to all the rules and then there is reality. You are a little nieve Rudy if you think that corruption doesn't go all the way to the top.
In the real world, most organizations become more corrupt as you work your way to the top. District 131 is no different.
Public pressure is usually the only way to make the changes that are necessary. The only thing missing so far is the parents who want to know what the hell is going on at Simmons. If parents would stand up, the corruption would stop.
That's why some people post here. It's not the best way to get the word out but it does work to some degree.
From one who goes to meetings, this blog is not working well enough because no parents show up about these matters. If this scheduling problem is true and other things, should not the parents come to the meetings and voice their concerns? If all these things are true, then the students are not getting the education they should. Remember that there is a reporter at the meetings, and she just might be interested in something like this. But, it does have to come from the parents because anyone who reads this blog would not have first hand knowledge to talk to the board.
Today's the day--pick up those nominating petitions at the service center, and have your neighbors sign them. Make a positive difference in your community!
I don't think this blog is working any more
Who cares what you think?
You're mother
9:50 p.m., if you meant "you're a mother", that's correct. I am indeed a mother (of two college graduates).
If you meant to say "your mother", you are also correct. My (step)mother does read this blog and cares about this district.
And here we are in the FIFTH week of school without updated information on the EHS website.
Specifically, the faculty/staff contact information is USELESS. Teachers who are no longer at East High are listed (and, in some cases, pictured). New teachers' information is MISSING.
It is amazing the District's overpaid spokesperson needs a helper but he has no concern over the residents. The East Side is overburden with buildings not paying taxes. But it is easy for Clayton to make light of our taxes considering him and the entire central do pay taxes to the East Side. Maybe that is why they could care a less about the education of the kids.
However, when it comes to East Aurora's magnet academy, plans are still up in the air. The academy has been there for years, and traditionally pays only $1 in rent annually. But last week, aldermen on the finance committee asked Barriero to revisit this arrangement.
Alderman Lynda Elmore, 10th Ward, said such cheap rent amounted to the city subsidizing the magnet school, which was not fair to the other school districts in the city.
Barreiro confirmed Tuesday that the city has formally asked East Aurora to pay more for the space, though he would not say how much. But School Board President Annette Johnson thinks a dollar a year is just fine. She said the school district gets no tax money from the numerous city buildings in the district, and believes there are more city properties in East Aurora's territory than in any other district in Aurora.
"That lowers our tax base," she said. "It's lower than District 204, or District 129, and that's an unfair tax burden."
City Spokesman Carie Anne Ergo took exception to Johnson's comments, and said the city has worked hard to bring more tax-generating development to the East Aurora district. East Aurora Spokesman Clayton Muhammad confirmed that discussions are ongoing, but wouldn't comment on Johnson's remarks.
The city has asked the school district to respond by Oct. 1, Barreiro said.
Dictator Johnson should check her own back door, she speaks of being a succesful bussiness owner, why does she not move it to aurora? Last time I checked the city of aurora owned the Root street building, they can do what ever they want. We all know where the city will relocate the Jericho circle people you got it. The MAYOR does not want them on his side of town!!!!!!!! By the way way, why does Dictator Johnson get to have private meetings with the super? Double Dictator Standards, Dictator and her S S sqaud will screw us all to make them selves look good. Good luck E.A.
With all the boosting this district has done about being better off than others why shouldn't they pay more rent the others is the building are doing so.
We have done a lot of non teacher hiring where others had to lay off and our PR person is getting an assistant to help him so he can do his boy group bussines time so why shouldn't they be able to pay more.
So why does Weaver wait until now to ask questions about the test scores. All she is doing grandstanding. Best new Beacon article of the month Weaver is not running. To bad about Wells she has always worked for the good of the kids. Weaver is always and forever coming up with negative comments but I have never heard her come up with a solution.
To: September 22, 2010 12:48 PM
Simply put, every dollar the city takes from the district for rent is a dollar that doesn't go to the students education.
I understand that the city, like many other municipalities, is having financial difficulties but that doesn't change the fact that they are trying to balance their books on the backs of our children.
Tell your representatives that they need to find revenue sources in other locations.
I was watching a press conference this week that Govenor Quinn was holding. He was bragging about a 70 million dollar initiative to expand broadband to farming communities in the north central and northwestern sides of the state.
This will allow faster internet speeds for rural areas of the state and according to Quinn, create about 500 jobs.
He claims we don't have money for schools but we do have 70 million so that rural farmers will have a faster internet connection.
To put it in perspective, with 70 million dollars, the state could hire 1750 new teachers with an average salary of $40,000. Or they could simply pay the school districts the money they are behing on payments and rehire those same 1750 teachers that have been laid off over the past year.
As I've said before the state has the money needed, our leaders simply don't value our childrens education. The state currently funds education at a level that places them 49th out of the 50 states and they want nothing more than to cut funding to zero.
This city has three school districts in it why should ours be the only one that gets to use space for a dollar. How about the others that are renting that now have to pay more. That building does not run free someone has to pay for electric, gas and phones if the renters don't pay for the phones. The grounds have to be taken care of and their are maintenance cost. Who pays for that it's all the taxpayers of Aurora.
Even if Weaver had a solution the others wouldn't go for it. This districts is all for promoting certain employees pet projects. I can't say that the other board members have any solutions either except to have others take care of the district and spend money.
1:31, Wells has NOT always worked for the good of the kids!
Remember, she was part of the old guard that bullied Mr. K out of his high school teaching position. And then when the "new improved" band train-wrecked the National Anthem, she accused the kids (and, indirectly, their parents) of purposely sabotaging.
She's doing the right thing by stepping down--too bad it took her so long!
Johnson is correct why are all the city services on the East Side. So in a way we are paying for all the other Districts
Yes, if somebody does not agree with you, they are wrong.
You are correct, this city has three school districts. Why are the teachers in the East Side Schools paid significantly less than the other two districts? Some $20,000 or more than their counterparts in the other districts.
We have to pay less the property taxes do not support the District. We also have no factories or stores paying taxes.
Whatever the City gets for rent would probably not go to the students, but to some new administrator or administrative position they have made up again.
We pay the same Federal tax rates, the same State tax rates, the same County tax rates and the same city tax rates.
It's ridiculous that people in "poorer areas" accept an inferior education for their kids.
!!!!!!WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!
It is because the poorer district give thier money to superintendents, administrators.pr people other than teaching the children.
Many people who have come from poor backgrounds and in poor districts have succeed in life. One reason is because of family and the other the will to suceed.
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While it is true that federal, state, and other tax rates are the same, the property tax rate is different and in Illinois property taxes account for, on average, 70% or more (depending on the school district) the education funding. Just something to keep in mind. Each school district sets it's own tax rate. Ed finance 101.
Oh, and when I say they set their own tax rate, I mean that if they want to raise taxes, the public has to approve the increase.
Anybody see the article in the Beacon yesterday about our test scores and how they have fallen this year, especially reading.
I had to appreciate the part where Jerome is blaming the teachers (not following the curriculum that he and the board approved).
Every single school in the district is failing. Not one is passing. If this is not a sign that the problems lie in the leadership of the district, what does.
If you had a building or two with issues, you might be able to say there are isolated problems. When the entire system is failing, the fault has to go to the top.
Poor leadership is failing our kids. That's all the administration can brag about is being in the black but at what cost? We have text books that are twenty years old, a computer scheduling system that is at least 30 years old. We have administrators that don't know how to schedule and the children's education suffers for it.
There are so many issues and they all go straight to the top.
To: September 23, 2010 10:04 PM
Yes, that's how our politicians 1)keep the money in the richer districts. and 2) make excuses for funding education at a rate that ranks Illinois 49th out of the 50 states.
Does anybody still believe scheduling doesn't matter? 30, 40 or even 50 kids in a class doesn't matter? Low wages for teachers doesn't matter? 2 hour donut runs by administrators doesn't matter?
The answer is not to blame and harrass teachers.
When teachers ran education, we were number one in the world. The more politicians and administrators have regulated and controlled education the farther behind we fall.
It's very obvious that they don't know what they are doing. There are no qualifications to be a politician. They know little about running our government and even less about education.
People need to wake up and take back control.
I think every administrator in this district should work as a substitute teacher at least a couple of days each month. That way they could find out FIRSTHAND what the conditions actually are in our schools.
If Dr. Roberts had to teach just one day in a classroom where many kids (if they show up at all) come to school tired, inappropriately fed, without homework checked, and/or without the necessary supplies he would realize where most of the blame lies: with the PARENTS.
Blaming teachers for kids' failure just demoralizes hard-working teachers and discourages our best and brightest from entering a noble profession. And this district's administrators are famous for bullying; it's a wonder anyone wants to teach here, but many fine teachers stay for the kids IN SPITE OF bully administrators.
I couldn't find that article in the paper but him blaming the teachers is in part wrong. He is the leader of the district and his administration is suppose to be out there making sure the curriculum is followed. He is the failure for not making sure policy is followed. The board and superintendents has spent most of the last months doing things to improve the districts image than how to get the test scores up. I do believe the district approved new teachers for the overloads in class rooms.
A year or two ago Elgins new Superintendent fired some of his administrators for not doing their job and when you are so far into kids not making AYP you can do that according to the state.
As far as the money part how much do you think you need to make this better. Even districts with a lot of money are having problems. Yes, at first this district pays low but as the years go by they make good money with health insurance and a nice pension something most people in the district doesn't have. As far as IL ranking of what they give schools is an old number that you keep bringing up. Look at the rankings on NEA webpage to find out. The problem here is we have parents that don't care about their children s education. We do have some that do. As far as supplies that also falls on the parents. They have a chance every year right before school to get free supplies.
Roberts statement is a slap in the face to the teachers. Didn't the teachers but off negotiations of their contract for the district? What about their union are they going to take that or are like some say they are sleeping with the district leaders?
To: September 24, 2010 6:23 AM
It's NOT unproven if you are a teacher at Simmons.
You see, at Simmons the teachers for more than a year now have been used as security guards at the doors. They see (and record) everyone who enters and leaves the building and at what times.
They would see Wilson and the secretary leaving each day and returning a couple of hours later carrying donuts and coffee. They would walk in like they had left a few minutes earlier and had just gone to Dunkin Donuts and returned.
How can anyone respect leadership like this?
Not only is our week union going to take it, they will probably be sending us teachers a memo this week telling us not to publicly criticize Jerome for his ridiculous statements.
Isn't the administration in the schools suppose to check and make sure the teachers are teaching right? Then those administrators are suppose to report to the Superintendent and let him know and the board that the teachers are not following the curriculum at that point someone should check and see if what is being said is true and prove that the teachers are following the rules properly. The administration should have some data to prove that point so adjustments are made. There is no way you are going to tell me all teachers in this district are doing wrong. The buck stops at the top.
By the way I would think that statement was a bad PR move.
So... how much trouble would getting new schedule cause? Training? Price? what?
Well the scheduling system is the student database - the AS400 - so a new system, would probably cost millions in terms of buying the system for all the schools, then training, then data transfer and maintenance, not to mention fixing bugs that always happen with new system transfers.
You are talking about getting a new system that every student who is currently in 131 is not to mention anybody that has gone to 131 is on for the past 30 years. Grades, phone, address, etc, etc, etc.
So we have to keep the same system for eternity because it would be difficult to update to another system??? With that type of thinking we should still be in the stone age because progress causes problems. How'd we ever get computerized in the first place? Must have been a pain to get the equipment, put data on it, train people to use it, etc.
Sounds to me like the district just wants to be cheap and lazy. Some people might have to work if we got a new data system.
I did not have a negative connotation to my comment. I mearly stated that updating the system would take time and money. Nowhere did I say it wasn't worth it nor did I say it was a bad idea.
What I was explaining is that it is a little more complicated that updating to the new version of windows or installing a new printer.
It just goes to show what the mindset of people who come on this blog is, NEGATIVE. Every time you read a post, it is probably with a negative tone, thus coloring everything you read negatively.
Be positive people, and maybe the district would be better off.
http://www.lantiv.com/
Ad says:
"Best Scheduling software in the world"
I am sure they could could find many vendors at one of the many conferences administrators attend.
Really? An AD for the SOFTWARE says it's good. Hmmm, I wonder why an ad would do that?
We don't need to trust an ad--we just need to contact several school districts that use the software and find out how well it's working for them.
I'm glad the schedule software problem is now an issue. Can we get people to talk about it at board meetings?
The more I read on here the more I realize that none of this matters. This has got to be the most cowardly, "do nothing" group of people on the plant. Too lazy (or "busy" as some of you will say) to even go to one meeting. To scared to actually email or call a real person about an issue you have. How does it feel to be nothing, to have no positive impact on your community, and to have not solved any of your problems with the district.
Congratulations for nothing.
9:34 p.m., congratulations for making assumptions about people you obviously don't know anything about!
I have made MANY phone calls & e-mails to "real people" in this district over the past 20+ years. I ALSO choose to comment on blogs. And I've been known to dig into my wallet to support district programs (such as the Buona Beef fundraiser, which I found out about thanks to this blogspot).
How does it feel to be ignorant about many of us who post on this blog??
Name three people that you have called or emailed and what you have asked them about. Because I still believe that you are a liar
I believe many have reached out to the board but it doesn't matter it's always their way they are not open to new things unless it is to promote Clayton.
Well I'm glad that's what you "believe."
Clayton is a joke he promotes nothing but BoysIIMen on the District dime. Now they hired him and assistant. With all the people that are unemployed they had a repost on this position. My question is why? Did one of Clayton's friend not fill out all the forms on the District Web-site in time.
8:03 a.m., do you really expect someone to tell you who they e-mail & what they discuss? Intrusive much?
From The Today Show.
By John Springer
TODAY staff and wire
updated 9/27/2010 8:44:05 AM ET
Share Print Font: + - Money alone isn't the cure for America's ailing school system, President Obama says.
Speaking to TODAY's Matt Lauer in the Green Room of the White House for nearly 30 minutes, Obama said that additional funding tied to significant reforms — including a longer school year and lifting teaching as a profession — is a much-needed fix.
"We can't spend our way out of it. I think that when you look at the statistics, the fact is that our per-pupil spending has gone up during the last couple of decades even as results have gone down," explained Obama, invited to appear by NBC as the network launched its weeklong " Education Nation" initiative.
"Obviously, in some schools money plays a big factor ... ," Obama said, pointing out that schools in the poorest areas often don't have up-to-date textbooks. "On the other hand, money without reform will not fix the problem."
Obama said his administration's "reform agenda" includes increasing standards, finding and encouraging the best teachers, decreasing bureaucracy and deploying financial resources effectively. Teachers who fail to live up to expectations need to be given a chance to improve, he said, while those who do not should move on.
He mentions that spending has increased but does mention if it has increased at a rate more or less than the inflation rate. He also does not mention that the states and federal governments have increased mandates that cost the districts millions to enact. Some of which are paid for by the government but many are not.
He mentions that spending has increased but then admits there are districts out there who can't even afford the basics like books. Where were these districts before they incresed spending?
He talks about reducing bureaucracy, he can start with the US Department of Education. There are more than 3500 people there collecting a salary who don't teach a single class of students. Then there are the state boards, couty boards etc. It seems as though there are as many administrators as teachers nowadays. The more administrators they hire, the lower the scores go. Administrators effectively tell teachers regularly to ignore what they were taught in college and follow their directives for teaching. A new method is introduced every year and nothing is allowed to take hold.
And as usual the only ones he wants to point his finger at are the teachers. The teachers have very little to say about what is being taught. They must follow the curriculum that administrators and boards approve but the teachers take all the blame when things go bad.
This is just more of the same that has gotten our schools to such a poor state.
Good article in the Beacon and again the West side is showing progress in education.
http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/1769218-417/students-schools-additional-aurora-idea.html
Here is some information from 2008 about how IL ranks in spending for schools.
Spending by State, Source of Fundings, Key Expense Categories, and Per Student prepared by Kevin Killion, Illinois Loop, September 2, 2008. This is a comprehensive table that shows how the states rank by a variety of spending statistics. The source is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for fiscal year 2006. Here is how Illinois ranks in these statistics:
Illinois is a large state, and our spending proves it
Illinois ranks #7 in total K-12 education spending
Illinois ranks #4 in local funds spent on education
Illinois ranks #11 in state funds spent on education
Illinois ranks #5 in federal funds spent on education
Illinois ranks #7 in instruction spending
Illinois ranks #5 in administration spending
Illinois spends a larger portion on administration, and a lower portion on actual instruction
Illinois ranks #34 in the portion of spending devoted to instruction
Illinois ranks #5 in the portion of spending devoted to administration
Illinois is about average in spending per student
Illinois ranks #22 in total spending per student
Illinois ranks #24 in instruction spending per student
Illinois ranks #18 in administration spending per student
Illinois is different in the degree to which local schools depend on local taxes
Illinois ranks #3 in the portion of spending paid by local taxes
Illinois ranks #49 in the portion of spending paid by state taxes
Illinois ranks #49 in the portion of spending paid by state taxes
"Illinois spends a larger portion on administration, and a lower portion on actual instruction"
BINGO! That's the problem right there--by the time administrators help themselves to fat raises there's precious little left to actually educate our children!
When you look at the numbers for everything we pay pretty good for most things in fact we are in the upper percent for almost everything except for the education of our students. So even though we are 49th in spending tax money to the schools our districts spend that money for administration costs where others spend it on education. So it is true the more you give them the more they will waste on non education items and more for making some richer.
You have to ask what these numbers mean.
Illinois ranks #11 in state funds spent on education
Illinois ranks #5 in federal funds spent on education
So we may be 49th in tax money but we are #11 in state funds spent which isn't bad and them #5 on federal money so we are getting money it just isn't used for the right things.
You are picking out numbers that are more reflective of the number of people in the state.
In other words we have 11 million people in Illinois while there are only about one million in Montana. Of course we spend more dollars than Montana does.
Illinois ranks #49 in the portion of spending paid by state taxes. Again, the State of Illinois pays a lower percentage of each students public education than every other state but one.
The state needs to step up to their responsibilities when it comes to educational funding. 8 billion on education and 21 billion on roads doesn't cut it. We are not some back woods state that doesn't value education. The local tax payers are doing their part, it's time the state anti's up.
We can start by replacing Linda Chapa Lavia. Her comments about how it doesn't matter how much the state gives education, educators will keep coming back for more, shows her views on education better than any other comment she has made during election seasons.
It's time for some new leadership.
I agree with Linda about giving more money. This district has gotten more money than most and boost about not being in financial trouble and what do they do with that money hire more administrators and an assistant for the PR person so he can promote his programs on the districts dime.
Linda Chapa Lablago created additional unfunded mandated and then put her husband in the business of selling these services. She is part a big part of the problem
I think Linda's comment was based on what she sees in her home community (and others. She was on the mark at home. Of all the things our schools need, another PR person is NOT one of them. Nor a magnet school, nor smart boards.
What about the smart boards or are you so uneducated that you work with a hammer & chissel
3:36 p.m., what's a "chissel"?
I know we all make spelling mistakes occasionally, but if you're going to call someone "uneducated" you lose credibility when you display your OWN lack of knowledge!
The district has had the smart boards sitting in storage for a few years. No money to install them or to train everyone on their use.
Why does this district always feel it is necessary to spend more to teach better?
That wasn't directed at you rudy. That was directed at the owner of this blog.
Some offered to put up those smart boards for free, but Nestor would not allow it. This would have saved the district some money as maintenace would not have to have been paid to do it if the know how to do it.
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