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!
215 comments:
1 – 200 of 215 Newer› Newest»!!!!! SIMMONS SUCKS !!!!!
So you mean, when administrators illegally fire a teacher because documenting and firing the teacher the correct way would be too much work and then they end up costing the school district vast sums of money, they should be held accountable?
I agree, Central Office Administrators should be held accountable to the taxpayers and laws of the community.
And blog posters should be held accountable for any potentially libellous or slanderous accusations they make.
"POTENTIALLY libelous or scandalous"?
Wow--that would affect just about every blog, news program, magazine, etc.
Good luck prosecuting according to those standards, 2:46 p.m.!
WAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Somebody said something not-very-nice about me on a blog!!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
There is a difference between "not very nice" and a complete fabrication. MOST of what is here is a complete fabrication (lie) and the people posting those lies are doing so knowingly trying to harm peoples reputation.
If they were asked to say some of what they have typed to the person or in a court, they would not have the balls to do so.
4:54 p.m.--
Not only was the discussion on the previous thread about the Robert Green case backed up with evidence (such as direct quotes from the most recent court proceedings), this blog was the ONLY local mention of the latest findings.
As always, you are welcome to challenge anything you suspect is not factual on this blog, and provide support for your viewpoint.
Just don't be surprised if someone quotes from a newspaper clipping from years ago--some of us have VERY long memories when it comes to how our friends & families have been treated by certain people in this district!
Certian friends and family deserve what they get.
8:57 deserves an "F" in spelling.
You deserve an "F" in life.
I am so happy the district is moving in the direction of PLCs. I hope central office supports schools in their efforts to implement this initiative. If done correctly, this could really bring about positive change in D131.
The administration should have stayed with progressive discipline in this case but lets be clear they simply recorded Bob Greens record they did not fabricate any of it. The union does not support Bob Green he brought charges against the union as well for failure to properly represent him. Give him the rope and in time and he will hang himself of better yet get caught driving in Oswego under the influence. They do tend to stop Blacks more frequently; wink, wink.. Also remember the unions are the ones who provide work for the arbiters. School district prefer to simply discharge employees and hope they go away. Bob Green is a psychopath, bitter, and a loner. The administrators should be disciplined especially when other witnesses supported his position and they went after him any way.
10:27 p.m., are you referring to a "performance learning center", where students are taught in an online setting, assisted by a facilitator?
That might be a good alternative for middle & high school students who have problems learning in the traditional classroom setting.
PLC can also stand for Professional Learning Communities. This is a partnership between schools & businesses, like an apprenticeship program. Kids (especially those who may not be college material) learn marketable skills in the workplace, alongside adult mentors.
Also a grEAt idea!
To: August 29, 2011 11:58 PM
Actually the administration did fabricate the record. they stated:
"Mr. Green lost his temper with two students, yelled at the students and pushed both students in an aggressive manner".
If you read the Illinois State Board of Education's Arbiter report, he decided that there was contact between Mr. Green and the students. (He did not make a determination who initiated the contact because it was not relevent to his decision but he did state that the students had already pushed their way past many students before the contact with Mr. Green occurred).
The findings of the arbiter include:
Was there physical contact with students on March 3, 2010?
Answer: Yes.
Was it necessary? Answer: Yes.
Was it appropriate? Answer: Yes. Was it non-aggressive? Answer:Yes. Was the contact with the students imposed in a calm and
controlled manner? Answer: Yes. Did Mr. Green violate the
November 20, 2006 Notice to Remedy? Answer: No.
Was there a fabrication of the evidence by the administrators of District 131, Apparently the answer is YES.
The independent finding by the Illinois State Mediator contradicted everything the administration stated when they illegally fired Mr. Green.
By the way, the notice to remedy that is being refered to was from an incident in 2006. Mr. Green Green put one finger on the shoulder of a disruptive student (already in trouble and in the in-school suspension room)(The student was expelled shortly thereafter)and told him to go to the office. There was another teacher who witnessed the entire incident.
The district administrators blew that incident way out of proportion and accused Mr. green of engaging in corporal punishment and child abuse.
The bottom line is that the administrators have been pissed at Bob Green because he holds them accountable for the illegal crap they have been doing for years and the administration has blown minor incidents way out of proportion to get even with him. Bob Green is not a model teacher but he has never injured a child. The district couldn't fire him for being aggressive with a child because he never has been aggressive.
How much money do the D131 taxpayers have to fork over to the Quad County Urban League? Why doesnt D131 just run a program itself instead of giving taxpayer dollars to a program that it a complete failure with no accountability?
If memory serves,students being taught in an online type setting, assisted by a facilitator was tried back in the 70's. Also,the Urban League question was brought up about 5 years ago.
Point....this district has trouble moving forward with many things to do with our childrens education.
The Urban League is a black hole for money and kids who need education. 131 could do a better job with these kids but since the lady that runs it is friends with the mayor he strongarms Board Pres. Johnson to continue supporting that sham of an organization. Johnson sure runs around talking about how great she is for the district but noboday has yet seen here change anything of substance. Key word substance.
The District was better off when the low life scums Carlson & Wells were on the Board.
2:10 right on!
11:56 a.m., thanks for that thorough breakdown of the recent legal proceedings concerning Robert Green.
And for those who don't speak legalese, "fabrication" is making something up--in other words, LYING.
The administration just plain LIED in their frantic attempt to preserve their precious image. And that LYING cost our children hundreds of thousands of dollars!
9:42 you know this from personal knowledge? You were in the room?
PLC stands for professional learning communities, but not the way someone previously mentioned. It is teachers working together in groups to help all children reach their maximum potential. It includes analyzing data to see what individual students have learned and still need to learn. It catches students' achievement early so if interventions are needed, they are implemented before the student has failed or becomes too far behind.
Sounds like something worth trying, especially at the middle school level. Catch the problems and deal with them before kids get to high school, where they have other demands & pressures such as part-time jobs, driving, etc.
It looks like East Aurora has its problems but so do the other school districts. Only difference they don't have a blog run a bitter loser that rips their school system down
According to one measure — their performance on the ACT — the Fox Valley’s graduating class of 2011 that heads to college this fall is woefully unprepared.
But, say educators, that’s just one measure.
Statewide, less than one-quarter of high school students met college-readiness standards in all four ACT subjects: English, math, reading and science reasoning.
Preliminary ACT reports arrived on the desks of principals around the Fox Valley about a week ago, and though there’s a wide disparity among high schools, area students, on average, didn’t fare much better than their counterparts from around the state.
At Neuqua Valley, 51 percent of students, according to the ACT’s measurement, are ready for college level core coursework across multiple disciplines, compared to just 20 percent of Yorkville High School students, 15 percent at West Aurora High School, and only 13 percent at Plano High School.
The Class of 2011, both statewide and in the Fox Valley, seems least prepared for college science courses. Again, Neuqua Valley had the most students reach the benchmark of 24 on the science test, 59 percent. At West Aurora and Plano, only 18 percent of students scored at least that high.
The majority of students in the Fox Valley are prepared for English by ACT standards — at least 50 percent of West Aurora and as many as 91 percent of Neuqua Valley students reached that benchmark.
ACT developed its readiness benchmarks by looking at the grades students racked up in their first-year college courses in English, social studies, algebra and biology, and then “back-mapping” those grades to the scores those same students posted in high school on the ACT, said ACT spokesman Ed Colby.
To eventually earn at least a C in a typical college freshman biology class, ACT predicts, high school students need at least a 24 on the ACT science subtest — the highest of all the benchmark levels. Other college readiness benchmarks are: a 22 in ACT math to be ready for college algebra; a 21 in ACT reading to be prepared for college social science, and an 18 in ACT English to be prepared for a college English composition class.
The ACT is scored 1-36, though in reality, answering at random would earn a composite score of about 11.
But educators, even in the high-performing Indian Prairie School District, said scores on a single test are rarely an indicator of how well a student will do in college, and that, while they work to improve students’ composite scores, most pay little attention to the college readiness benchmark.
“As a district, that is not information we find particularly useful,” said Patrick Nolten, director of assessment, research and evaluation at Indian Prairie. “It’s remarkably limited in scope. You’re making a statement about whether someone will be competitive based on a single test.”
Nolten said a number of factors go into deciding whether a student is prepared for college, including study habits, regular attendance, how well they collaborate with teachers and other students, emotional maturity — and more important, motivation.
“When I looked through and graphed out the ranges, we had a lot of students who might have been one point away from meeting that benchmark,” said Erika Schlichter, director of educational services for grades 6-12 at Kaneland.
“Clearly we want more students over the benchmark, but when we look at the ranges, we have a lot of students in the range, so we have a lot of evidence that we’re moving in the right direction.”
In fact, most districts around the Fox Valley appear to be moving in the right direction — seven saw an increase in average composite scores. Three — Kaneland, Sandwich and West Aurora — saw no movement.
Two schools, Geneva High School and Batavia High School, some of the highest scoring schools in the area, saw scores drop slightly.
Plano saw the biggest gains, from an average composite of 18.1 to 19.3.
High-scoring schools attributed their results to a number of factors.
“Parents are making sure their students are coming ready to learn,” said Patty O’Neal, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Geneva. “Our kids are motivated, they want to get into a good college or university. Or if they’re headed to a community college or trade school, they’re making sure they’re putting themselves in the best possible position for when they leave, and you can’t ask for more than that.”
Statewide, the average composite ACT score was 20.9, below the national average of 21.1. Across the Fox Valley, Oswego East, Sandwich, Yorkville, Plano, West Aurora and East Aurora high schools averaged lower.
“Parents are making sure their students are coming ready to learn,” said Patty O’Neal, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Geneva"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THAT'S the big deciding factor: PARENTS.
And that's the biggest difference between D131 and districts like Geneva or Indian Prairie.
Consequences, as this post suggests,are results of our actions. For many years we had admin that discouraged parents input at the schools, discouraged parents comments at board meetings. Concerns were minimized and brushed aside, now certain Board members want to blame parents.
I drive through town in the morning and see MANY parents at the schools walking and driving their children to school. They are there at the elementary level for activities and volunteering. What happens to lose these parents by middle school?
Many of our best parents move their families out of our district when their kids are ready for middle school. My spouse and I did just that: our kids went to Dieterich (a very positive experience), but when my son got to be a 5th grader we moved into D204. My son was a small, brainy kid and we knew that Waldo wouldn't be a good fit for him (because of the many brawny "held-back" 15- and 16-year olds, and because Indian Prairie has an excellent full-day program for gifted).
I know many families who choose to stay in the district, but send their high-school aged kids to Central Catholic or Aurora Christian, or homeschool. Unfortunately it's usually the more involved parents who do this.
Recently posted on an older thread:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who was behind the decision to cancel the March against Violence at the high school? I understand the reason for permanent cancellation is that it projects a negative image. The March wasn't negative - I think it gave our students the chance to show Aurora that they are role models. Is anyone bothered by this move to cancel an event that was important to students and community?
August 31, 2011 11:47 PM
Anonymous said...
11:47 p.m., don't you know that this district's administration is all about "IMAGE"?
That's what they care most about--not our students.
That's why they stubbornly persisted in YEARS of legal proceedings against Mr. Green, despite the fact that it cost our district (and, basically, our kids) HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
Business as usual in D131.
Making decisions for arrogance.
September 1, 2011 8:12 AM
Thanks for posting, soooooooo important to read. How could I live without that information?
A hundred thousand here, a hundred thousand there...pretty soon we're talking about real money!
Except for people like 8:16 a.m., who are probably either multimillionaires or corrupt administrators.
Not necessarily, 8:22 a.m.--they could be one of the fat-cat lawyers who profited from the Robert Green case.
According to the Aurora Beacon, Indian Prairie 204 is closing 19 elementary schools tomorrow because of excessive heat. These schools are not equiped with air conditioning.
What will the students in District 131 without air conditioning be doing?
Sweating and worse.
The district won't close school because of heat despite the 105 degree heat index that is expected. The students will simply have to suffer. There's no way the district administrators want to lose funding due to attendance. The only thing they have to brag about is their bank acount.
Even if the district does not close the schools, the parents have the right not send their child. The parents can let the schools know why also.
September 1, 2011 11:14 PM
Must be a district administrator.
Pass the buck, always blame someone else.
11:58 is right! It's completely ridiculous to expect the parents to take any responsibility for their own child! I think the school district should send personnel to the home of every student to make sure the student is up, make them breakfast, choose their clothes from the day, and wipe their nose. I mean, how irresponsible can you get, expecting parents to actually be, well, parents.
Sarcasm aside, let's face it, whichever way the district decides, they will be blasted on this blog. If they keep the schools open, they're endangering the kids. If they close the schools, they're contributing to the lack of toughness in today's youth, and will complain later in the year when they make up the date. And the same people will be doing the blasting either way.
Personally I'd split the difference and go w/ a shortened day. At least get some educational value out of the morning hours, when the temps will be in the 70s and low-mid 80s, then send them home at 1 when the temp's in the upper 80s and before they go into the 90s.
5:35
It is ridiculous to expect all parents in this district to be responsible parents. Many are responsible but there are also many under investigation for criminal acts including abuse, neglect etc. There are those who won't get up in the morning and those who will be to drunk or high to make a rational decision. Someone in authority needs to make a responsible decision for the childs sake. While in a perfect world all parents are responsible individuals who care for and provide all their child needs, it just isn't reality.
131 kids also have to walk in the middle of busy streets like indian trail farnsworth and others to get to school in the snow because there is no bussing in this district. That along with some of the worst test scores in the state make 131 one of the worst districts in the entire country to send a child to school.
I live in D204. Call me cynical, but I doubt that closing unairconditioned schools today has a whole lot to do with concern for students' health & welfare. The two main reasons I think the schools are closed today is:
--Concern about lawsuits from any parents whose kids might get sick for some reason and blame the heat.
--Pushing for a referendum to pay for AC in the grade schools.
I am 11:14pm and not an administrator. Just stating common sense when it comes to the children, which the admins do not use in this district.
7:25 p.m., I agree that parents have the right to keep their child home. Two kids in my daughter's class at Dieterich stayed home on extremely hot, humid days because they had asthma, which is aggravated by heat & humidity.
Good parents make it their business to make decisions in the best interests of their child's health, regardless of what the district's "official" policy may be.
That along with some of the worst test scores in the state make 131 one of the worst districts in the entire country to send a child to school.
This is the best example of over-exaggeration in the history of the entire universe.
@September 2, 2011 9:15 PM -LOL- I thought the same thing.
Some of us are grEAt at exaggeration.
You might even say we're the grEAtest in the world.
:)
No, we're the grEAtest in the galaxy!
No, the grEAtest in the universe!
No, the grEAtest in the multiverse!
WOW - Look at all the good conversation going on.
It's not GOOD--
it's grEAt!!
It's grEAter than grEAt!!
There's a School Board meeting Tuesday night--wonder if anyone will have the guts to mention the Bob Green situation?
Specifically, the financial aspect. As in, how many thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of OUR MONEY did administration have to spend to keep pursuing Mr. Green so they could preserve their precious "IMAGE"?
They're trying to get the community to donate $165,000.00 for the 165th anniversary of D131.
Why ask the community to chip in--they can just deduct the money wasted on the Bob Green debacle from administrators' salaries instead.
Central office news is they don't care about Bob Green they are all worried about their own jobs. Roberts is never around and the admin's have been made to take the fall. The Board finally put their foot down it only took 15 years
How long will that last that the board put their foot down. They better watch how the administration is spending money.
The Board should be putting their foot elsewhere and giving some people the boot. If not out the door, at least a good swift kick!
Why is the board doing the Superintendents job? If the board was doing what they are suppose to they would fire the Superintendent not do the things he is suppose to do.
Here's some good news, from the Chicago Tribune:
The College Board has designated eight East Aurora Tomcats as AP Scholars in their internationally-recognized distinguished Advanced Placement (AP) Program. The AP Program offers several AP Scholar Awards to recognize high school students who have demonstrated college-level achievement through AP courses and exams.
Class of 2011’s Rita Cardenas, Ivan Palkov, Viridiana Salazar, Edgar Sias and Class of 2012’s Johann Chaidez have been named as NATIONAL AP SCHOLARS.
National AP Scholar status is granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
Class of 2011’s Marcos Gomez and Jenny Hernandez have been named as AP SCHOLARS WITH DISTINCTION.
AP Scholar with Distinction status is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Class of 2011’s Gerardo Paleo has been named as an AP SCHOLAR WITH HONORS.
AP Scholar with Honors status is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
8 East High Students receive the AP Scholar Awards sounds impressive, that is until you compare that number with other area schools like Waubonsie. they had 382 students receive that same award.
48 students received the National AP Scholar Award.
216 students received the AP Scholar Award with Distinction.
118 students received the AP Scholar Awrd with Honors.
Nothing against our 8 succeeding students. They deserve to be praised for their accomplishments, especially considering their adverse enviroment.
I have heard the Board president and others on this blog mention parent involvement as a reason for our schools doing poorly. Yet when you compare the local schools on their report cards, EAHS shows 99.2% parent involvement and Oswego HS showing 83.4%. Then looking @ "all tests" in 2008-10 for those 2 schools OHS meets and exceeds at more than double the % rate in each of the 3 years.
Maybe it is not the parental involvement as much as lack of quality programming at EAHS by the central office administrators.
I don't care what d204 student accomplish, good for them. Lets compare income as well and parental education of 204 and elsewhwere in town. Compare home sizes, income brackets, two parent families, tax brackets. Why do most of you complainers live in old, small homes or apartments in instead of nice spreads like in Oakhurst etc... must be your lack of education or income. Thier schools and their board have issues like ours they just happen to have more class in how they conduct themselves in public unlike the finger pointing ,griping,crybaby, appalachians on the eastside. If the job market was similar to now when most of you were younger you probably wouldn't have job , too illiterate.
Referring to the original topic of this thread, those 8 AP Scholars are now enjoying the consequences of their hard work and positive choices academically.
May they serve as an inspiration for other EHS students in this brand new school year full of possibilities!
@September 5, 2011 10:02 AM Sounds like a nerve was struck. Pay attention, I was speaking about D308.
Since you brought it up I will give you credit about being correct on a few things but not all.
Per zip code Oswego 60543 vs EA 60505. EA has approx 2 x many males & females as Oswego. Median age for EA 26; Oswego 31; very similar % for white & blue collar. Similar % for # of households & # of family households.
You are correct in the fact EA has larger family size 4.2 vs 3.7 in Oswego. Also EA has 9% college grad vs 29% in Oswego. Which probably accounts for the disparity in median & average income of EA being 1/2 that of Oswego @ $87-$98K.
The part I do not have the data for is about the people to which you are "finger pointing ,griping" to/ about. I can speak for a few of us I am familiar with, when I say they do NOT live in small homes, and are NOT lacking in education or income. Those I know who chose to live in small houses do so because they made a "home" in their EA neighborhood and choose to live there.
So when you name call people "illiterate," that you do not know, it seems to me you are the *uninformed, *uneducated one.
*Microsoft Word Thesaurus
Let’s talk about another factor in academic achievement, class size. In those districts that were mentioned if a class gets up to 25 the poor teacher is over burdened. In EA 30 is the norm for a regular ed English classroom. Often it is over 30 with no help and several behavior problems. Low test scores? I wonder why. On the other hand the bilingual and sheltered classes have 10 to 15 students and an aid. Hermes has classes of 40 in regular ed! There is no money for another teacher because the district needs to promote central office admins, and/or hire additional assistants for the others. For the first time our 5 and 10 day counts were done by the office staff. Could it be another administrator hiding the truth about the low class sizes in the bilingual classes? This doesn’t have to be hidden, no one at Central Office will notice and even if they did, THEY DON’T CARE!
How many teacher assistants COULD have been hired with the money the administration spent (and lost!) in the Bob Green case??
From Mary Fultz blog she is still at it wasting the real tax payers money on legal bills. Hey black community one thing Bob Green and Mary have in common they are both a disservice to the black community.
BTW I heard her son started a fight at East last weak and called a teacher a white ho. Looks like the Board will end up expelling him and Mary will be yelling discrimination. May to go all you white fools who could not vote for a Hispanic
SHOULD I LOSE MY SEAT BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD A ATTORNEY TO FIGHT FOR A SEAT THAT WAS RIGHTFULLY MINE. I DON'T FEEL THIS IS FAIR TO ME OR THE 980 CITIZENS WHO CAST THEIR VOTES FOR ME. I VOWED TO SIT ON THE EAST AURORA SCHOOL BOARD TO DO WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN, TAX PAYERS AND TEACHERS .. WAS I SO WRONG TO WANT TO DO SOMETHING SO RIGHT .. IF NOT THEN WHY AM I BEING TREATED LIKE I'VE DONE SOMETHING WRONG ? I NEED MY COMMUNITY TO KNOW I HAVE FILED PAPERS WITH THE COURTS IN AUGUST WE HAD COURT ON AUGUST 22, 2011 AND THE JUDGE DENIED MY MOTION BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE AFFIDAVIT'S NOTARIZED. BUT I AM WORKING ON GOING BACK AGAIN .. WITH A BLESSING FROM GOD. I BELIEVE THE ELECTION COMMISSION AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT KNOW THAT I WAS A REGISTERED VOTER ON APRIL 5, 2011 (I WON WITH 48% OF THE VOTES) .. SOMEONE(S) DON'T WANT ME TO HOLD THAT SEAT AND ME AND THE COMMUNITY SHOULD KNOW WHY. THANK YOU AGAIN KIDS .. I HAVEN'T GIVEN UP .. I'M JUST NOT A ATTORNEY WITH THE LEGAL KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO PRESENT MY CASE AND I CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE FUNDS TO PAY FOR ONE .. HOWEVER I KNOW GOD IS ABLE TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Mary says she wants to do what's in the best interests of the children, taxpayers, and teachers. How is dragging out this legal matter in anyone's best interests when it is VERY EXPENSIVE for our district to hire lawyers month after month?
I do appreciate Mary's passion and concern; she obviously is very involved in our community. She also has a lot of friends & supporters. Why can't she (and her supporters) concentrate on running for the next School Board election in the spring, when she will have had a chance to properly register and follow the rules to a T? With all the votes she got in the last election she'd be a shoo-in!
8:03 this blog does a disservice to the educated white community of which I am one. 2:28 you are not the norm and good for you. You probably need the space to get your ego inside.
10:25, I am a Caucasian with a master's degree, so I am obviously part of the educated white community--and I definitely do NOT feel that this blog does a disservice to me!
On the contrary; I appreciate reading about both the positive and negative things going on in our district, including a few things that seem to only be discussed here (such as the Bob Green ruling, and the fact that it has cost D131 hundreds of thousands of dollars so far).
Blogs are here to stay, including this one. You can choose to read them or not, post something or not, according to your preference. But please don't try to represent the educated white community--because you certainly don't speak for me!
Good article in The Beacon about consolidating school district I hope this one is one of the first to be done our students and the taxpayers deserve better.
http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/7391171-418/panel-to-talk-school-district-consolidation.html
The budget is online for tonight's board meeting. (Very last item on the agenda, page 6 has the data breakdown I'm referring to) I wish they would divulge their plan to be able to have a 9 million dollar payroll drop to 4 million for the next 4 years? Sped tuition drop from 1 million to 400,000. Building budgets from 120,000 to 12,ooo. Interesting that 'other' increases from 114,000 to 100,000 then increases to one million.
If you want 9 million dollars in payroll to drop to 4 million in this district, it very easy. Eliminate administrator salaries. Administrator salaries in this district total over 5 million dollars.
If the 50 administrators were removed, we would have enough money to hire 130 new teachers. For Jerome's salary alone would could hire 6 new treachers.
Those numbers are increases, not total amounts. The district expects to pay $9,000,000 more this year than last year in salaries. Next year, salaries will go up $4,000,000 more. So $13,000,000 more next year than we spent last year.
I'm sure a good chunk of that will be salry increases for central office administraors. Jerome and Clayton have to receive their big raises.
And why is Clayton's salary not posted? He is paid by the same public as the administrators and teachers are.
11:00 am Think about it a little. If you lay off all the administrators, who's now going to do all the administrative tasks? All those teachers you just hired, plus all the ones we already have, are now going to have a lot of their time tied up w/ administrative tasks that they didn't used to have to worry about. And no, I'm not an administrator or teacher, I'm a parent.
The reason Clayton's salary is not posted is the he doesn't have a Administration Certificate. The district only has to post salaries of the one that have those. Now if like the new board says they are transparent they could post it.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=096-0434
I know some administration is needed but do we need 50+ administrators and do they need to make a quarter million dollars?
Speaking of admin....on the IL Interactive Report card-when comparing 4 high schoosl, East, West, Waubonsie and Oswego, here are the $$ amts respectively for
Instruction & Gen Admin.
EAHS 57,980,470; 4,081,214
WAHS 72,809,681; 3,140,162
OHS 68,451,800; 2,246,009
WVHS 172,603,232; 4,442,432
Though EA is lagging in $$ for Instruction it seems to be doing well in Gen Admin.
In all fairness the Exp. % for Instruction is:
EA-50
WA-55
OHS-33
WVHS-43
But for Gen Admin. Exp. %
EA-3.5
WA-2.4
OHS-1.1
WVHS-1.1
Our board does not seem to be prioritizing our "Children First."
If you look at the numbers from The IL Report Card our High School students are only 26% of making or exceeding standards. The High School is 8 years in AWS. The middle schools are in 10 years but they do get an average of 60% of meeting standards. The grade schools have fallen also. Why did our administrators get a raise this year and how come the board is not doing anything to remove some and of them and also the Superintendent.
1:20 this is 12:38 No, we probably could do some cutting in this area. Especially if 3:20's figures are accurate. I was just responding to the "lay them all off" suggest, which is obviously ridiculous.
Hey did anyone go to the board meeting last evening and hear Cervantes and "Si" all night long. It also seems in reviewing the Face-book page of the District he seems to be pretty friendly with Dr Roberts. I am sure he will be voting in more administrators maybe even one to kiss Roberts feet and shin his shoes.
Hey Johnson need to start getting the Board members to answer in English or is this the Bilingual Board or better yet he probably graduated from East not speaking English.
You can check the figures for the previous comments comparing the high schools at:
http://iirc.niu.edu/Default.aspx
Once at the website, go to the top bar and click find schools, then click compare schools or districts,
choose which schools or districts you care to compare.
There are many topics for comparison to view. I just chose a few at the high school level.
For all that what to help with education here is a reply from a teacher in Joplin MO that I helped. Not only this one but two others have replied how that money helped.
Comment from Ms. Parker, the teacher you helped
Ms. Parker posted a comment on Sep 2 for Instruments Are Fun!:
"Tim,
Thank you again for your donation! School is off to a great start and my students and I are very grateful to all of the donors who have made it possible! God Bless!"
I only gave $5.00 and they where thankful for that. Let's help others if we can.
Cervantes, was responding and or answering questions using, "SI"? This is beyond humiliating for our entire school board and District. Why is this being tolerated? I am a Hispanic parent and I expect and want all of my order of business to be conducted in English. He needs to go! However, if the district wants a"yes man", then Cervantes is their man, well young adult. I guess they will take their "Yeses" however they can get them in English or in Spanish. What a disgrace and embarrassment. This is yet but ANOTHER reason why my husband and I will be leaving the district after this school year. As an educated Hispanic American I feel humiliated. We are now conducting board meetings "Barrio" style. Non- the less we feel it is in the best interest of our children to get out ASAP. God Bless us all!
That was a nice article (including several pictures) in the Beacon about School Board member Anita Lewis helping EHS alum Julian Ramirez apply for college scholarships. Julian was in my daughter's class; he's a very deserving young man. And bravo to Ms. Lewis for going above & beyond to help him.
They're both examples of good things happening right here in D131!
I was at the meeting last night and Cervantes did not answer all the questions with "Si". In fact he was more impressive than Leonard due to the fact that he abstained to certain thing the board had done business on before he was on the board. Not true for Leonard. He voted yes for everything, he did not abstain once which he should have for the things that was voted on before he became a member. Also, Cervantes went to meetings and at least knew some things and still did not vote as should be the case. Leonard did not go to meetings so therefore he was not really aware of anything, other than(I am sure)he was told to do. Here is diffinetly a "Yes" person. Give Cervantes a chance. I am not of his ethnic group.
6:07 Can you leave any sooner we need the space. If you dye your hair maybe they want even recognize you as Hispanic, NOT. What do you call someone who only speaks one language? Americans. I met a cab driver in the dirt poor Caribbean who drove tourist around for a living and he spoke four languages fluently and somehow we think its some badge of honor to only speak American. What Americans speak is not English it is a poor dialect of the kings english. In business is one thing but I want my child to speak multiple languages and you are just ashamed of your heritage and culture. Lighten up or maybe thats what you have in mind. I hope you can assimilate and if you are lucky someone may say you're not like them, you know those folks. If you really care approach him and offer some advice or leadership otherwise go away.
I can't believe people are getting so upset over the word Si! Whether he used it or not is being extremely nitpicky. Did everyone understand what he was saying? Yes they did! Even people who don't speak Spanish understand that word. Did he say "No" during the night? Was he speaking Spanish or English? Because it's the same word in both languages. Get a grip.
I doubt Gonzalez ever reads what she is voting on either. Cervantes should answer in English I thought he was the big role model for the kids. Should they not speak English.
Roses are red violets are blue the new child service center is still full of MOLD too. The pipe insulation is full of black stuff it used to be white. The drywall was wet it was plain to see,double drywall everywhere whats in between, who cares, who cares, johnson got her pit, c&c got thier money, tax payers got a law suit when a child becomes ill, we'll just pass it on.
THE BOARD MEETINGS most certainly should be conducted in English!I am a Hispanic American, Proud to be an AMERICAN First, and also proud of my heritage. Suggesting that board meetings be conducted in ALL English does not merit the badge of being ashamed oh who you are or of your heritage. Kudos to all those who are able to speak other languages. In fact "Bravo"! I am not the parent who wrote about leaving the community or district, however I completely agree with the sediments regarding official school business. Also, for those writing leave ASAP, or remarking on this parent wanting to lighten their skin completely is out of line. This parent is simply sharing that they want a level or professionalism that they and all of us are entitled to. If I were a parent in Mexico, I would want and expect all board meetings to be conducted in Spanish. We should rise to the occasion of being professionals. I hope this parent stays in the district. How many more accomplished and concerned families do we need to leave before we realize, we need to be more competitive and sophisticated if we are ever to move forward as a thriving district. I do not have children, but I do understand what this parent was trying to say.
I would like people to write in better English and use better grammar when writing as well. It was very difficult to make sense of all of the the rantings and ravings directed toward the parent that stood up for English at board meetings. I am saying "YES" to English at board meetings. ok, I know some of you prefer "Si Senor".
From Mary Fultz' blog:
EAST AURORA SEATED NEW BROAD MEMBERS AT TUESDAY SEPT 6, 2011 BOARD MEETING. HOWEVER I AM STILL IN THE PROCESS OF FILING MOTIONS IN COURT. THE NEXT COURT DATE IS FRIDAY SEPT 9, 2011 @ 9AM IN THE GENEVA COURT HOUSE ON THIRD STREET. I NEVER WAS SUMMONS OR NOTIFIED PROPERLY ON EITHER COURT DATE. I WAS A REGISTERED VOTER AND I LIVED IN THE DISTRICT A YEAR BEFORE THE ELECTIONS. IM DOING THIS ONE FOR OUR KIDS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How is making the district spend thousands of dollars on legal fees "FOR OUR KIDS"? In just a few short months there will be another School Board election--why can't Ms. Fultz concentrate on running in the spring?
I think she's pushing for this now because surely she realizes after this fiasco there's no way she'll ever be elected to the board. I voted for her the first time, but never again. And the fiasco isn't so much that she wasn't eligible and got bumped off, it's the way she's conducted herself since, and the tax money she's been wasting.
Here's one for our teachers. I think many parents have been guilty to some degree at some point, while trying to "help our children" we are undermining our teachers. Here is an interesting, insightful story-"What teachers really want to tell parents."
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html
That was an excellent article--thanks for posting it, Rayanne.
I confess that I recognized myself in a couple of Mr. Clark's descriptions of negative parenting. I think it's natural for some of us to automatically take our child's side against a teacher, even when the child has broken clearly-expressed rules or expectations.
To a large extent, school is a preparation for adulthood and the business world. We adults are expected to put in an honest day's work and follow our bosses' instructions; so why shouldn't we parents expect our children to do their homework and respect their teachers? Seems to me that other developed countries FAR surpass us in this area (Japan and South Korea come to mind).
Why doesn't Rayanne put her name to all the hate comments her other name anonymous spreads don't try to act goody two shoes with the teacher when we know you are behind the majority of hate comments on your blog
Sept 08 2:52. Your point is well taken but why were you not offended when the original blogger stated that one word "Si" somehow meant the board meeting would be ran barrio style. Be consistent in your criticism. She also stated she could'nt wait to leave; my reply is still the same"go". Have you or that individual ever spoke on behalf of the Hispanic community and expressed to the school board how it might be better to remove or reduce the bi-lingual program. Why not just immerse the ESL student and force them to speak English. The majority would love to hear that, go for it . Its easy to criticize but not offer any solutions. Its easy to attack Ignacio instead of pulling his shirt. Attack a young adult as though he were a mature adult. Move to Oswego and put your child in Oswego East. They call Oswego East the Ghetto school simply because of the high percentage of Hispanics and Blacks who have migrated from Aurora. Just because you or she may have had some relative success now you can look down on the rest of us. I still wonder what box you checked on the census.
Growing up, there was no question about it. From my child's perspective, the teacher was always correct. My parents were very clear about this. You did what the teacher told you to do, period.
Only after I was much older did I find out that my mother disagreed with some things that my teachers had done. She would speak to them or the administrators outside of my earshot.
If the parent shows a lack of respect for the teacher in front of the child, the child will be disrespectful toward the teacher and their education and all children in the classroom will suffer for it.
Parents need to learn, there are conversations appropriate for adults and conversations appropriate with their child in the room.
This is just one part of working cooperatively between home and school to provide children with the best education possible.
"Attack a young adult as though he were a mature adult"
May I offer that, if ANY PERSON is sitting on the school board, we should HOPE he is a mature adult. The student board members, yes, they are young adults. But our recently apointed board members have the responsibility to conduct themselves as mature adults.
I have to add that I cringed when I found out Cervantes was appointed. In past experiences he has shown to be dishonest & self-promoting. I don't hold respect for liars and cheats.
PLCs are Professional Learning Communities in which teachers having a majority of classes at one level (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) meet regularly to brainstorm solutions, write curriculum, sort through test results, etc. There is no business partnership in a PLC.
Nice article in today's Beacon about EHS student Jerry Kizer-Mear.
Here's a young man who is definitely reaping some positive consequences, due to his hard work in partnership with his English teacher, AP science & math courses, and other good influences here on the East Side.
A grEAt role model for younger kids in our district!
The approved minutes for the Aug, 15 2011 have been posted but the list of bills are not coming up yet why?
Eww, Jerry is gross.
So was Bill Gates back in high school.
But actually, I think Jerry's kind of cute in a geeky way. And you know what they say about nerds--be nice to them, because they'll probably be your bosses in 10 years or so.
I agree About Jerry. He appears to be a unique young man who does not worry about following the accepted "norm" for a high school male.
So now the blog is attacking students oh he is geeky oh he is gross. Actually the blog administrator is gross.
The term geek can be a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts" or mean "a computer expert or enthusiast” but by teens usually is meant to be "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual." That is who I suspect wrote the “Eww/gross” comment-a student.
Although often considered as uncomplimentary, the term is also often used without malice or as a source of pride - an example is the 'Geek Squad' of the Best Buy Company.
Ref.- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek
My son has a college degree in computer science and is a professional computer programmer. Since high school, he and his technophile friends have proudly referred to THEMSELVES as "geeks". They couldn't care less whether others think they're weird, gross, or whatever--they just quietly do their thing and make a decent, honest living in this difficult economy.
I think that Jerry Kizer-Mear and other kids like him have the world by the tail. Youth, brains, talent, and hard work are an unbeatable combination!
What are you guys talking about? He's only doing this to be accepted.
EA Band Buona Benefit Day
Buona
1230 Ogden Ave
Montgomery, IL
Buona Benefit Night For EAHS Band
Tuesday, September 20th - ALL DAY
Buona on the corner of Route 34 (Ogden) and Route 30 in front of Menards will be donating up to 25% of whatever YOU BUY when you bring in a flyer supporting the band. You can find the flyer on the "Downloads" page of the EAHS website. Please eat at Buona on September, and tell your friends and family. Thank you for your support.
INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE INVITE!!!!!!
8:10 p.m. says:
"He's only doing this to be accepted"
How do YOU know someone's motivation to do positive things like Jerry's doing? And why should it matter to you?
Sour grapes, much?
The Buona Beef benefit was an excellent fund-raiser last year; I intend to participate again next Tuesday to help our band kids.
Thanks for posting this, 8:34 p.m.
"8 East High Students receive the AP Scholar Awards sounds impressive, that is until you compare that number with other area schools like Waubonsie. they had 382 students receive that same award."
We have nowhere near that many students in the AP program at East High.
Our family supported the Band by dining together @ Buona Beef last year. Glad to do it again. Good food, great reason to eat there.
Why does this blog always tear everyone down oh that is right it is the unhappy blog administrator
So, your point is, to tear everyone down is wrong and you make your point by trying to tear down the blog administrator?
Perhaps you should reevaluate your strategy.
The minutes for the upcoming School Board meeting (Monday, Sept. 19th) are posted.
The LAST item on the agenda, right before "Adjournment", is "Legal Bills".
Should be an interesting discussion--hope the Beacon-News reporter sticks around long enough to hear it.
The blog administrator runs the blog she is responsible
You are putting the blog admin on a pretty high pedestal. First off this is a community forum. The blog is built by the information & opinions shared. Are you suggesting the blog admin has control over all those people's thoughts who are posting here?
I had heard from one of my neighbors whose son plays in the band at East that this year's marching show was the best in several years. My son marched in the band in the '90s and it was a great experience for him (he went to Disney twice). So I was looking forward to seeing the band last night at the game.
WHAT HAPPENED? The band didn't even go onto the field at halftime?!
BIG disappointment--and no explanation to those of us in the stands.
People have been comparing the current EHS band with the pre-2005 group for several years now. I was looking forward to seeing the kids show off their new moves on the field--but I don't remember EVER a time when my son was at East and the band didn't even take the field for halftime.
And the game was against Neuqua. Embarrassing!!
Someone owes the public a BIG apology--along with an explanation.
Maybe you should ask somebody instead of this stupid blog. Maybe you should email somebody instead of this stupid blog. Maybe you do anything else except talk on this stupid blog.
PS - I think you should be more embarassed by our football team loosing by over 40 points for the past 4 games and the fact that they have not won a game in 3 years.
There's lots of embarrassment to go around.
And 7:02, why don't YOU enlighten us, if you know why the band didn't do their show last night?
Or would you rather just try to deflect the attention away from the discussion about the "new improved" EHS band?
At least you can't accuse this blog about lying (in this case, anyway).
It's an undisputed FACT that the band did not march at halftime last night.
Right. Not trying to deflect - Trying to educate you on where to get an actual answer.
If it is an ANSWER that you truely want you would not post here, because you are talking to random people. If you really wanted an answer you would email Mr. Liska, or Mrs. Conrad, or Anita Lewis from the school board or anybody elase.
The TRUTH is you would rather publicy smear Mr. Liska and the band before you get an answer.
That is what this blog is about trying to destroy people's reputation at every instance.
Why would someone contact a Board member for info on why the Band did not play? Especially, Anita, she is not even the president of the board.
Yesterday, a few minutes before call time, we learned that our uniforms had been contaminated by mold.
"...and no explanation to those of us in the stands."
Sorry, we where all too worried about finding a solution quickly.
We won't be marching at the parade tomorrow either.
It was sad to see all those disappointed faces. We'd really worked hard to have an improved show from the previous one (we've been adding little bits to the halftime-show for the past few weeks now)
Cleaners where contacted immediately and kids with know (and unknown) allergies where sent to the choir room until the mess was sorted out.
Also, just in case anyone was wondering, we also informed students of the importance of washing their clothes and bathing as soon as they got home.
YOU CAN CONTACT WHOEVER YOU WANT. I love how you dwell on the one piece.
How many emails have you sent Mr. Liska this morning?
How many? Come on tell us all. TELL US TELL US.
Accepting Master Palma's explanation, I would say Liska is not to fault. His first priority is his students. Once and admin or someone else was informed what the situation was, they should have made or made arrangements for an announcement to be made. Not just for the spectators, but for those family members with children in the band.
Details were not necessary but at least an announcment that "due to unforeseen circumstances......"
Calm down Mrs. Liska!
What??? There is mold in our buildings??? I can't believe it!!!
Mold doesn't just happen. Either there was mold already in the storage area where the uniforms were kept (Mr. Liska should have been aware of) and the uniforms should not have been stored there (and the mold issue resolved) or the uniforms were wet when they were last stored. Mr. Liska should have made sure the uniforms were dried properly before they were stored and allowed to become moldy.
Either Mr. Liska, builsings and grounds or both should have known.
In any case, the public should have been made aware of the situation. Many people come out solely to here their child and the band play.
And here is another possibility. The band could have played anyway with an explanation given about their uniform issue.
As usual, band situations have been poorly handled since our conversion to the new and improved East Aurora Band.
Did you email Mr. Liska to find out what happened.
September 17, 2011 10:32 AM you need to get a life and get over what once was. You are not helpful to our students which should be our first priority. I'm not sure where the uniforms where stored but maybe something happened to them since they last where worn. As far as saying something to the people there if you where so concerned why didn't you get up and go ask someone that was there.
Because in the world of this blog, this blog has all the answers and all answers must come from the blog. Confronting somebody is not an option. All bloggers must blog for answers.
My guess is 10:32 wasn't even at the game.
Why is it that you believe that bloggers should be held more responsible but not the idiots making these very poor decisions?
Simple questions:
Who was responsible for the uniforms? Answer: Liska
Who is responsible for the condition of the storage area for the uniforms? Answer: Liska and/or buildings and grounds.
Who is ultimately responsible for this latest debacle? Answer Liska and/or Nestor Garcia.
Will anything be done about it? Answer: NO
Incompetence is rewarded and excellence attacked in District 131.
Wow, how stupid and hateful you are.
By the way, have you talked to Mr. Liska to find out what happened.
The only person with all the answers: LISKA
And the stupidest way to get answers: THIS BLOG
Hey, when was the last time the football team won a game?
Oh yeah, we are all too busy worrying about Liska.
Hey, when was the last time East Aurora made AYP.
Oh yeah, we are all too busy insulting the band program.
Hey when was the last time you went to a board meeting.
Oh yeah, we are all too busy blogging.
When was the last time you said anything nice to anybody.
Oh yeah, we are all too busy bickering and being ignorant.
Those uniforms were bought in the late 1980s. For YEARS they were stored in a room off of the band room, that was specifically designated as a uniform storage room. There were NEVER any issues with mold until the new improved band started storing the uniforms DOWNSTAIRS.
Another not-so-grEAt decision at EHS.
:(
12:26 says:
"you need to get a life and get over what once was"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's "what once was":
--A separately designated room for uniform storage, with no mold problems
--Trips to Disney World every two years, with no "gaps" for 5 years while the band scrambled to improve enough to submit a video audition that would finally pass Disney's standards
--Proud representation at the IHSA Solo & Ensemble contests, where EHS band students took home many first-division ratings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But that's "what once was".
GET OVER IT.
Students playing middle school level music.
A band program with stagnant participation.
A band that refused to do any new gigs.
But that is also the past.
I'm over it.
By the way. If you really think there is a room off of the band room that is "specially designed" for marching band uniforms you are a moron. (you see, on this point is where we start getting into that this blog is completely full of lies. The exaggerations that you morons will print is where the lies are.)
There is NO SUCH ROOM "specially designed" for uniforms.
Now, if you think there is a room off the band room that used to be used to store the uniforms you would be correct.
But, hmmmmm, let's think about this. The band room was built in the 1950's, when band programs were not much larger than 50 to 75 students, and typically that was one band, one period a day. Now, the band is double that (at least) and a growing band program requires more room for uniforms, instrument storage, other equipment storage and more space needs to be found.
You know what else is stored in the basement, costumes for drama, and scenery for the plays, and music for choir and band.
Stop talking about things you don't have a clue about.
By the way. How many of you have sent an email to Mr. Liska?
Actually the room that you say is "specially designed" for uniforms is actually "specially designed" as an instrument locker room (which is what it is used for now). Students walk into that room through the door that is in the hallway, then go right into the band room. Then, if the band director is not there, he can lock up the band room but leave the locker room open and kids can still get their instruments.
But you all will call me a liar and write some ignorant B.S. so have fun.
That room WAS originally designed for uniform storage, with metal tubes on both sides of the room to hang the uniforms. Uniforms were stored in that room for MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS.
So don't call me a liar.
Can I call out for dinner?
Call in a take-out dinner order next Tuesday to Buona Beef. The EHS band needs to make about $1500 to cover the cost of drycleaning those moldy uniforms.
Thanks, Mauricio, for explaining what happened. But it would have been VERY appropriate for someone (announcer? administrator? Community Relations Director?) to say a few words to the hundreds of people gathered at the stadium about why the band was not performing.
Especially since D131 distributed free passes to middle school students for this particular game. These are the families whose kids will be considering whether or not to participate in band at EHS (if, in fact, they even go to East at all--many choose another option altogether). Many in this district feel disrespected by administration; this is just one more example of the unofficial policy of "never apologize, never explain, preserve IMAGE at all costs".
And no one should have been expected to e-mail Mr. Liska for information about this! The public was entitled to an explanation FRIDAY EVENING, at the actual event--not afterwards, and not having to bother the band director (who deserves to enjoy his "down time" with his family).
Just one more example of administrative screw-ups here in good ol' D131.
Making decisions for arrogance, as usual.
And when nobody did make an announcement the next appropriate course of action is to blog and insult Mr. Liska????
Really, I don't get that move.
Yes an announcement should have been made, but because it wasn't, you "blog?"
Again, I don't get it.
Those who read this blog should not assume all who use this communication forum, are in agreement or are insulting anyone. Alls it takes is one person with too much time on their hands to make it appear many people are commenting.
I think I can safely say, the majority of those who read and write here, want to see EA succeed and see the Dist. 131 teachers be treated with respect. Not just by the community, but by their superiors and those who negotiate their contracts.
TOTALLY DISAGREE
Most people that post here are hateful, spiteful people who want nothing more than to smear the reputation of those they do not like.
They do so with their heads behind locked doors (Anonymous) - and don't have the guts to step outside their house and confront a soul.
They are cowards.
I am September 17, 6:26 a.m.
As far as I can tell, I was the first person to bring up the topic of the band's non-performance on Friday evening. I did NOT mention (or even insinuate) that any particular person or persons was to blame. I simply asked "what happened?"
How is a polite request for information about a situation hateful or spiteful, 8:51 a.m.?
7:29 a.m. says:
"Yes an announcement should have been made, but because it wasn't, you "blog?"
~~~~~~~~~~~
ABSOLUTELY--and for good reason! Blogging (in this case, anyway) was the best and/or fastest way to get the information requested; I sure didn't read or hear about it in any other news media. Thanks to the EHS drum major, Mauricio Palma, those of us who read this blog got the explanation we DESERVED and WERE NOT GIVEN on Friday evening.
To 9/18 @ 8:51am
And you are(anonymouus)?
Let us not forget the additional $15,000 in stipends paid to Liska along with the hiring of his unqualified wife as science teacher.
Then there is Nestor Garcia who's wife just got hired as a Social Worker that she is not qualified for. Now I see the Board is hiring a Construction position to do his job.
All this on big cleaning bills the district will try to hide. All this on exposing the kids to mold.
Also why is it they are not opening up the list of bills so we can see how the Board is wasting their money
And there goes the stupidity again. WOW - how dumb can you be. You will just say anything, attack anybody, and make up all the lies you want.
What's sad is it sound to me like you work in the district but can't see past your own ignorance because you head is so far up your ass.
(guess what, the crappy guy before Liska - Kaisershot - got the same EXACT STIPENDS that Liska gets)
The list of bills is now there for you to see. I don't know why they wait until the minutes are approved because no one really looks at the list of bills or check how the administration uses the credit cards they have.
Speaking of hiring teachers (and based on the treatment of Liska on this blog, I can only assume that comments made about his wife are equally false) - I think it's great that the board approved the hiring of 4 more core teachers (math, english, science, and social studies) to reduce class size. What I question is the logic of posting those positions for only three days, at a time when the only applicants left are the rejects who couldn't get a job else-where. I also very much question the logic of starting these four new teachers in the middle of the semester, when teachers and students have just gotten used to their classes and schedules - how can totally disrupting the semester by switching hundreds of schedules be good for student learning?
September 18, 2011 6:58 PM You make a good point.
About the uniforms of the band when did they notice there was mold when they go to school that night? Also did anyone put them on because that could be bad if someone had allergies. But in any situation where there is suppose the be a performance why couldn't they just where street cloths and someone state there was a problem with the uniforms. You know the Show Must Go ON! This district has gotten to the point of image with this board president and this really shows it. Did anyone ask the students if they where willing to go out there and perform or was this an administration decision? Wouldn't are image be better if the people in the stands saw this district had a plan B if something happened and the Show Did Go ON.
If you feel that there will be a big cleaning job with the mold you can FOIA it and see what it cost they can't hide that stuff so quit complaining and use the resources out there to get the information you want.
Yawn
Same old, same old. Nothing changes. Keep bitching about what you have no clue about.
This blog was "specially designed" for retards.
Why is it that not having uniforms would stop someone from being in a parade? If this district really wanted to show a presence they would of been there no matter what this is a bad call for the administration although it was raining today they should of still been there. Does this district need uniforms to show how good our band plays or do they need the students that work so hard to be good to be there? Uniforms do not make this band it is the hard work of those that play that make the band in uniforms or not we should be proud of our band no matter what they wear but of how they prove that no matter if something happens we will be there to show our TOMCAT PRIDE That we can let the show go on even if we don't have uniforms we still can play and show our schools spirit.
It was raining. They couldn't march in the rain. It would ruin every woodwind instrument.
It's just so funny that if the band would have played in street clothes or marched in street clothes in the rain, these would be the comments.
The band looked horrible, who thought it was a good idea to march out of uniform.
Mr. Liska is sooo disrespectful. Those instruments could be ruined in the rain but does he care? Nope, he makes soo much money from the district that he thinks these families can just pay anything to fix the instruments.
You KNOW that is true. Mr. Liska was in a NO WIN situation. Anything he did would have made somebody mad. Just get over it and move on. Maybe it would not have been your decision, but guess what, you are not always right, no matter what you think.
Maybe some of the band boosters should have helped him like they helped lazy ass Kaisershot hang the uniforms
7:26, I agree with you that there should have been a Plan B. The kids could have done the halftime show in their new marching band T-shirts, or any red shirt (wearing them on top of long-sleeved shirts if they were chilly). An announcement could have been made from the pressbox explaining that some of the uniforms had been damaged by mold. Everyone would have understood, and the many middle-school students who were in the stands would have seen what the older band kids can do.
But I guess that makes too much sense.
So every kid should have been sent home to change? Really? That's your suggestion. Then this comment would have happened.
I can't believe Mr. Liska made all those kids go home to change and then come back. Gas is expensive, and parents don't have hours to drive their kids all over Aurora.
Same old, same old, nothing new, boring, boring, boring.
No, the kids would have worn red T-shirts--what are the odds that there wouldn't have been enough marching shirts and/or red T shirts among that huge crowd of kids gathered before the game?
Also, in case you haven't heard, 9:48 p.m., there's a wonderful new invention called the CELL PHONE. As in, "hello Mom, can you bring me my marching shirt? And maybe a couple other red T-shirts for my band friends who don't have one?"
But that makes too much sense.
Your attempt to make it so simple is comical and shows your ignorance.
It is so difficult to argue with children who don't get their way.
SHUT THE F#@& UP ALREADY. GET OVER IT. GOD D#$@ YOU PEOPLE ARE SO PETTY AND RELENTLESS. You never stop until the horse is not only dead, but drained of all it's blood, it's limbs are scattered around the earth.
Will you just get a hobby, or a life, or a date? Something? Please, move on for the love of God.
9:39 p.m., the only thing Mr. Kaisershot was lazy about was kissing certain administrators' asses. His refusal to do so was the main reason he was "reassigned".
And to be fair, Mrs. Liska is indeed a qualified science teacher. She filled in as a long-term sub last year, and finished her certification process last spring. From what I've heard, she is doing a good job.
Don't forget to go to Buona Beef on Tuesday for the band fundraiser.
They need to raise a lot of money to dryclean all those uniforms!
:)
Actually, it's not just this blog that was specially made for ignorant, retarded people, this entire community and district were specially made to contain the most ignorant and retarded people of the western suburbs.
On the positive side, every other suburb and school district look great in comparrison.
First, I want to say, I am not a band member but I raised 3 students who were EA band members from '86-05. I saw all this "discussion" about Fridays performance on the blog. As a parent, I know a short notice for a change of uniform would have been very inconvenient if not impossible. My children tell me- to play/perform without uniforms would have not been an effective display for a marching band.
Next as for Boosters helping K. He earned the respect and help of many parents for years as did the first ever Booster organization in the state, for EA, for all the years preceeding K. I was a booster when K was at EAHS. I stepped up for Liska in the beginning. Because I had been an outspoken supporter of K, my help at performances was treated like an unwanted stepmom. I backed off, but I have always supported the students and program.
To:September 18, 2011 10:23 PM, you sound like one of those outsiders who thinks their stuff doesn't stink. How immature to judge a whole community by a few who seem to rub you the wrong way.
~Rayanne Carlson proud EA grad, community member and Mom
Ryanne, you have been nothing but a knife in the band program's back.
No, the ADMINISTRATION has been the "knife in the band program's back"!
It was the ADMINISTRATION that insisted years ago (against the protests of parents, students, fellow teachers, and alumni) that we needed to "get rid" of Mr. K (the exact words of the School Board president at the time, Larry Malaker).
It was the ADMINISTRATION that refused to consider reinstating Mr. K after the first candidate backed out of taking the job.
It was the ADMINISTRATION that coddled the new, inexperienced director and turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the inevitable blunders that occurred (mangled National Anthem, bogus plaque displayed).
And I'm sure that it was the ADMINISTRATION that decided to move the uniforms down to the humid, unventilated basement. Mr. Liska could have suggested it--but it was ultimately NOT his call, so it is ludicrous to hold him responsible.
Also, it was probably the ADMINISTRATION that decided to give no explanation (or, heaven forbid, an apology!) for the band not marching last Friday.
Quit blaming the EHS band directors (past, present, and future). Many (not all) of this district's ADMINISTRATORS are arrogant, and frankly have forgotten or do NOT CARE about the community they supposedly work for.
The end result of this is....the band is bigger than it was 6 years ago and the band plays more gigs than it did 6 years ago, and they play more challenging music than they did 6 years ago. All of that is fact. You can measure it. The band program is better now than it was 6 years ago. Just because you don't like how that happened does not mean it isn't true.
THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE CAN NOT BE SOLVED BY THE MINDS THAT CREATED THEM.
"...the band is bigger than it was 6 years ago..."
Maybe if you're only counting noses. But if you look at the PERCENTAGE of EHS students who play in the band now compared with 2005, you get the real picture--a SMALLER PERCENTAGE of total kids enrolled at East High are in the band program now than in 2005.
Big difference.
Prove that statement. You cant? Im shocked
Caution, I may be given credit for things I have been accused, by people who do not know me.
Rayanne
aka Ryanne
What is the link for Buona beef flyer. I cannot find it anywhere on the Ea or D131 website??
http://www.d131.org/database/teacherDownloads/%7BED8AAB5C-A753-4DD8-A4EB-001E3E0201FD%7DBuona%20Benefit%20Day%202011.pdf
Try that link --
Got it.
Printed it.
Hope to see many EA supporters.
Here is an idea. Print extra and hand to people who are eating there and don't know about the fundraiser. It costs them nothing. All they have to do is hand over flyer when they order to help our band :)
You are not allowed to had out fliers at Buona.
10:06 claims that the current EHS bands play more challenging music than pre-2005. I've seen many of the SAME pieces (concert & jazz) listed on programs from both eras; so much for "more challenging".
And I'm still waiting to hear the current EHS band play even ONE original piece written by the current director.
Hope lots of people go to Buona Beef tomorrow--the band needs to raise a lot of money to dry clean the uniforms.
I'm stilling waiting for you to die a slow death. Not EVERY piece has to be more challenging in order for them to play more challenging music.
Do you understand that? Probably not. Many of the pieces are more challenging, not all.
And I want you to go to Neuqua, Waubonsie, Naperville North and Central, West Aurora, West Chicago, Oswego, Oswego East, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield North and find out how many pieces their directors have written for their students.
When you find that out and the answer is 0 then you will realize that writing music, conducting music, teaching music, playing music are all DIFFERENT THINGS.
WOW, you are stupid.
Why does Mr. Liska have to write music.
What a pointless argument. You make no sense.
Here, I can prove to you that Kevin wrote Middle School Music.
Go to jwpepper.com and type in Kevin Kaisershot.
Then - this is the part that will confuse most of you because you are stupid - you have to go to the left side of the page and filter the results by "voice/instrument"
Once you click that you will see all kinds of categories - Pick the one that says "Concert Band"
Then scroll through and find the grade for them:
VE = Very Easy
E = Easy
ME = Medium Easy
M = Medium
MA = Medium Advanced
A = Advanced
You will find 0 pieces harder then a "M" - All of those pieces that your beloved K wrote for High School band were a medium level difficulty or below.
"...writing music, conducting music, teaching music, playing music are all DIFFERENT THINGS"
Yes, exactly. Every musician (and director) brings their own strengths to the table. Comparisons are not "apples to apples" in this case.
This district was uniquely fortunate in having a nationally-recognized band composer and arranger teaching at East High. But because of the actions of certain ADMINISTRATORS, that person was unjustly deprived of his job.
I capitalize the word ADMINISTRATORS to emphasize who was to blame. I've said it before--most of the problems involving the band (including the moldy uniforms) have NOT been the fault of the directors, past or present! Yet whenever anyone points out something wrong, some people immediately choose to see a personal attack.
And it's the ADMINISTRATION who should have explained to the crowd Friday evening about why the band wouldn't be marching, not the drum major. But since most of the ADMINISTRATORS have a history of secrecy and disrespecting the public, it's business as usual in D131.
I am curious is other districts hand out awards like ours does for thing like excellence and now they have the new image one. Also, should not the students be recognized before their peers and not the board? What happened with the band was not good for the districts " image". This district needs to take care of the students, get more classroom space, etc. and quit trying to make the administration and certain board members have a good image. If they keep coming up with things to give awards to this ditrict will go broke.
I don't care about job description or comparing past to present band directors. Someone does seem to have a problem with defending the present to the past every time ANY mention of "band" comes up, though.
I want to say, I, also, don't care what music K. taught, I know he taught to ALL students. Mainstream, LD, BD, gifted. All in one class, and gave his time after school if any needed additional help so ALL could perform together as one band regardless of skill level.
That was EA pride at it's best. They may have not always had the most complicated marching routines or college level music, but they were a proud group, each and everyone.
And how about all the small ensemble (duet, trio, quartet) pieces Mr. K composed, arranged, and/or published? Dozens of impartial IHSA adjudicators seemed to think they were JUST THE RIGHT LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY, based upon the many first-division ratings our EHS band kids took home pre-2006.
Whatever, this conversation has be STALE and DEAD for over 6 years now.
You have 0 arguments.
Everything that is true you cannot deny and all of the lies you tell are so transparent it's funny.
As far as I can tell, Mr. K is still in the district - so that hasn't changed. The District can still be proud that he is part of D131 and still composing.
As far as the band(s) all playing as one - I don't know of any high school in the area that has only one band. They all have different bands based on ability. Starting with Freshmen and hopefully ending up in Concert Band. That is part of what makes them a better musician. They have something bigger to strive toward.
Whether the current high school band directer writes music should have nothing to do with his ability to conduct. The 2 do not necessarily go hand in hand.
How about supporting Mr. K without feeling like you have to drag down Mr. L. They are both an asset to the District and shouldn't have to continually compete as to who is better. D131 and everyone in the community should be proud that they have such talented musicians who want to teach in D131 - and that goes for all the teaches in D131. They are here by choice and because they want to be here. No one put a gun to their head and said they HAVE to teach here. Mr. K could have left the District and been a conductor in any other district -- he chose to stay here and D131 should be proud of that. Mr. L chose to work as Band Director at EAHS because he saw a great opportunity. Why can't everyone just agree to disagree and realize that both teachers are an asset and help rather than hinder. Why do you feel that to support one conductor you have to tear the other one down? Doesn't make any sense (and this goes for both sides). Maybe things aren't being done the way they were before. Does that make it wrong or just different? Was it wrong to demote Mr. K the way it was done - absolutely. Did Mr. L have anything to do with that - absolute NOT. Support both conductors equally. Realize they are both doing a good job in their own ways. One is not more right than the other - JUST DIFFERENT!!!
There has been a lot of bad blood in the last 6 years. Isn't it time to bury the hatchet on both sides? There are plenty of other issues that need help in the District.
In many school districts the Fine Arts are being cut because of funding problems. D131 is unique and should be proud that the Fine Arts is thriving.
7:33 a.m. (aka "Team K") said:
"And how about all the small ensemble (duet, trio, quartet) pieces Mr. K composed, arranged, and/or published? Dozens of impartial IHSA adjudicators seemed to think they were JUST THE RIGHT LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY, based upon the many first-division ratings our EHS band kids took home pre-2006"
And what is "Team L"'s response?
"...You have 0 arguments.
Everything that is true you cannot deny and all of the lies you tell are so transparent it's funny"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TYPICAL response from "Team L"!
When a provable fact is brought out (such as the MANY first-division ratings earned by EHS band students playing Mr. K's compositions & arrangements over more than 20 years), the best "Team L" can come back with is denial or distraction.
Maybe they're taking lessons from certain ADMINISTRATORS in that regard.
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