I think Zack stated it very clearly at the forum what he thought was important and that was to do One of the most important thing a school board does is hire a Superintendent for follow board policy and The IL School Code. It seems the three of them want to follow the law that is good enough for me.
You must of not did to much research I goggled her and this is one thing I found. Looks like she has worked with children a lot and even lived at Mooseheart as a live in teacher.
It is hard for me to believe Peryea lives at 125 S Fourth. the property has two mail boxes and from cars parked around it looks many people live there. The house is owned by Thomas Pierce of Bolingbrook and should be a singe family residency. Taxes paid by Pierce indicate only $1300 for the entire year.
What Ms Peryea does not understand is that is why we don't have enought money for he programs and the district is to reliant on State Aid.
I also wonder why the City is not inspecting the property from the back the garage is falling down and the back porch needs a roof and looks unsafe.
That is why it is easy for her to tell everyone pay more taxes. If she does live there ???? I don't want her in charge of my money.
I believe that electing board members who don't have children in the district is the most dangerous prospect of all. They always come in with an agenda of saving tax dollars and they accomplish this by doing everything they can to deprive children of a quality education.
Our children need and deserve educational services, smaller class sizes, updated textbooks, teachers who aren't stressed out, equipment that isn't run down or completely unuseable, etc.
Our children are testing in the bottom 5% of the state and the only thing the board brags about is the big pile of money they are just sitting on. There can be a balance between hoarding every penny and running the district into bankruptcy.
It is time for major change. This board has had at least 4 years to improve education and that has not happened. Instead, they have continued to support corrupt and ineffectual administrators. They have had their chance. It's time for new ideas.
You stated: ”As a teacher you may not be aware the only two teachers who came to the board to tell them they had been targeted by administration got returned to the classroom. That was over the last two years. So the boards phone has not exactly been ringing off the hook. These teachers worked at Bardwell.”
I don’t know who you are trying to fool but there have been many more than just two employees harassed by administrators and then returned to their harasser administrator to be harassed further, the most obvious case being Bob Green at Cowherd.
This is a man who was terminated because of his outspoken criticisms of administration. He was about the only teacher willing to stand up and call out the administration for their illegal actions. Because of this, Bob Green was terminated. He challenged his termination and the State Board of Education agreed that he had been terminated improperly. Further, he filed with the EEOC and the Illinois Labor Relations Board and they determined that the district had illegally discriminated and retaliated against the man.
When Bob Green returned to work, he was returned to the same school and administrator that had been determined had discriminated and retaliated against him. The board was well aware of these circumstances as Bob Green has been involved in a large lawsuit against the board and district for their actions.
What has been the board’s response? They terminated the man for a second time on March 4th. This was instigated by the same administrators and under the same pretext that was done the first time. They have now opened up the district to an even larger settlement as these lawsuits make their way through the court system.
The one teacher was restated and reassigned to O Donnell. The other teacher returned to her 1st grade bilingual classroom.
As far as Green every time he does not want to work he pushes a kid.
To all teachers, you have a voice now use it and if you did not get your $300 per classroom talk with your building Principal.
From a rep standpoint the board and administration are working very hard to improve communication and getting Harding on the Cabinet team was a big step.
Teacher Newsletter will be produced and a anonymous tip line is in the works.
Administration, is also changing addressing Johnson School, Waldo < who before the end of the year addressed himself and Bardwell is a step in the right direction.
I do support the current board and especially the board president. Think their are many lies told by administration about them because they hold administrators accountable. To expect the schools to turn around in 4 years is a joke. teachers now have a voice and electing two spouses of teachers just creates to much of a conflict of interest situation.
Also, remember the cash reserves everyone talks about is a formula that was used over and over again and drop in our rating makes the State move towards takeover. Our contracts will be renegotiated, and 50% of the teaching staff let go and forced to reapply. It can get worst and it will.
If I could vote, I would vote for the current board.
Lets Fact Check both are correct teachers get $200 today and a MOU is being drafted for Summer School on class supplies. The total will become $300 per year This is per room. Lets also fact check Strand Montroy Peryea.
No child sits on a floor, classrooms supplies are certainly being paid by the board this was in effect long before election and is a yearly amount. We had building that never applied for the Out of the Box classroom grants. The no books in classrooms is the fault of building principals not ordering them or handing them out. Both Glozbach and Reyes Childress have sent out many memos to this point.
New idea lets not use the blog to attack individuals but point out problems in the building.
Fact check 82 kids are on the Preschool wait list. Another 140 slots additional will be filled this year bring the total under the current board to 520 filled slots.
A plan is in place to address All Day Kindergarten without costing additional erosion of cash reserves.
Teachers need to communicate with the Union Reps more and Newsletters will be coming forth soon.
9.13 Class Materials and Use of Building Equipment Each building shall have included in its building budget an amount of $200 per teacher for classroom resources. Reimbursement to a teacher for a purchase against this amount shall be upon prior approval of the immediate supervisor and building principal. Each request for reimbursement shall include an itemized paid receipt attached to a properly completed purchase order. Wherever possible, copy requests should be sent to reprographics. For instances where that is not possible or practical, teachers shall be allowed use of photocopying and technology equipment in the building. Each certified staff member shall be allotted a total of 9000 copies per school year for copies that cannot be sent to reprographics. Each such staff member shall be assigned a copier code to be used formaking such copies.
March 13, 2013 at 4:54 PM LOL..........I am not a teacher, nor do I have children in the EA schools. But I am a registered voter with an opinion and many friends and neighbors in the community who will hear what I have to say, if they haven't already heard all the bad PR in 131. No amount of computers or business skills can give back to the children what they have lost in the last 4 years, plus, due to poor management by the superintendent and the school board. Finger pointing and patting themselves on the back is not fooling those of us who have been paying attention.
7:58am why would these people take cash to zero, if like you suggest, it would be affecting their spouses. You can't have it both ways. An earlier poster brags about Ms. Johnson bringing in donations/money from outside the district. Why is that ok for her and not other candidates?
As for money spent on campaigning......I look at it as quality advertising for a quality product, which in turn will give our children a quality education. Money well spent. Which spaghetti would you pick off the shelf, the one with the bland labeling or the one with colorful images of what to expect from the product inside? :) hmmm...Cipriani?
What do you mean we don't have money didn't the board say we have a surplus? For programs she is talking about maybe they can go get grants like Johnson did? Shouldn"t we do the best for the students and the money from taxpayers be spent for it?
If you have a problem with how much taxes are paid on the house then contact the tax accessor and complain
March 16, 2013 at 6:03 PM is someone from the board and do we really want someone on the board that goes around looking what people pay for taxes? Does she go around and look at the parents taxes of students and see how much they pay and use that to say what a student gets to learn. How childish. The board can go out and get grants for their pet projects but not for all the students of the district.
PLEASE READ THIS BLOG AND TAKE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THE CONTENT In researching the candidates running against the four current East Aurora school board members I have come across some disturbing facts. Kirsten Strand is a Director of Ministries at Community Christian Church and her spouse is a teacher at Bardwell Elementary School. In her blog she acknowledges that her church is "partnered" with Bardwell School. Starting to see where I'm going with this? Zack Montroy is a Pastor at Ginger Creek Community Church and his spouse is a social worker At East Aurora High School. Ginger Creek Church has partnered with O"Donnell Elementary School. Are you getting the picture? These two candidates have far too many conflicts of interest within the East Aurora school district to be effective and unbiased in their association with the school board. First and foremost is the fact that they have spouses employed in the district and their participation as board members would be unfair and biased. (think about pay raises and benefits for employees. As family they have a vested interest in issues such as these) What a shame it would be to have two board members who would need to abstain from issues affecting all staff related issues. This would make for a VERY ineffective school board! Then there is the question of their employment at churches that are providing direct involvement in the public schools on the east side of Aurora. (are there additional motivations for seeking these positions?) Consider recruitment of members into their churches related to their involvement with the children and families attending our PUBLIC schools. As I recall from my government classes the United States Constitution guarantees separation of church and state (of which our PUBLIC schools are a part.) Involving recruitment of church members crosses the line and is in direct violation of this law and the Constitution of the United States of America. PLEASE CONSIDER THESE FACTS AND THINK ABOUT THEM AS SERIOUSLY AS I HAVE WHEN MAKING A DECISION FOR MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.
************************************************************************** KUDOS to the current members serving on the East Aurora school board!! These unpaid members (and yes they actually end up spending money out of their own pockets) have spent tireless hours unraveling a system that got completely out of control. This did not happen overnight but is an accumulation of years of unaccountable spending and practices. With the appointment of Richard Leonard to a vacant seat on the board he was appointed to the building and grounds department-in my opinion not a focus as major as the education of the students of the district. Yet with his prior experience in the buildings and trades industry he saw irregularities that did not add up. The board took on the difficult task of piece by piece looking at the processes currently in place and implementing new and more cost effective measures in this department that in turn become monies available to spend educating our children. Taking on this task has not made some people very happy with the way this current board is functioning. But I for one an please with all of the progress they have and are making. As a friend of mine says "you have to break a couple eggs to make an omlet." Lets give these current members Johnson, Leonard, Gonzalez, and Cervantes the chance to continue the great work they are doing in the name of the taxpayers in the East Aurora School District. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE TIME AND DEDICATION YOU HAVE SHOWN IN ALL OF OUR INTERESTS! GOOD LUCK IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION!!! **************************************************************************
If Kirsten Strand and/or Zack Montroy were members of the East Aurora School Board and disciplinary action or possible job cuts related to budget cuts involving their spouses were presented before the board --could they make a fair and unbiased decision? Food for thought
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ATTENTION VOTERS IN THE EAST AURORA SCHOOL DISTRICT. MARK APRIL 9TH ON YOUR CALENDER AND GET OUT AND VOTE!!!! Vote for JOHNSON, LEONARD, GONZALEZ, AND DUERMIT. Allow the great work that they are providing in the best interest of the children and tax payers of the district to continue! Their selfless passionate interest in this community NEEDS to continue! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
That's not what the State Board Arbiter concluded in the Green case. The evidence showed that Mr. Green simply put his arms out to the side and told the student to stop. The student (who was in SpEd and had a long history of the same type of behavior) shoved Mr. Green.
Other state agencies determined that the administrators and board acted inappropriately in terminating Mr. Green. They, in fact, discriminated and retaliated against Mr. green for being a whistleblower and exposing illegal activity by our administrators and board.
This district has a long history of retaliating against teachers who speak up for themselves, the teachers and the children. Two well known ones are Mr. Kaisershot who refused to let the children be required to play five nights a week promoting sports and Bob French who dared to challenge our union leadership by running for union president.
Mr. K was sent down to Simmons Middle School (The place administration always wants to send every employee they have difficulty with)and Bob french was terminated shortly thereafter. Maybe, there is a reason that the board and union have such a great relationship.
This board has been just as bad, if not worse when it comes to employee relations. I know Annette will be on here shortly touting the committees that were formed this year but everyone knows, these committees have not effected one change so far. It's just another dog and pony show by the board and administrators in an election year.
Annette, enough coming on here fear mongering.
Oh, if a new board is elected the district will be bankrupt. Really? The last board left you a 65 million dollar surplus.
The state will come in and take over the district. 50% of teachers will NOT all be fired and have to reapply for their jobs. This has never happened. When a school has been shut down, the teachers are not fired. They go to the district's service center where they wait for reassignment somewhere else in the district. Teachers can not be fired without cause. The only ones removed are the administrators and board.
It appears Annette Johnson has been very busy writting on the blog this weekend.
First; there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion. It seems every person who runs for a school board has an ax to grind. Having no children in the school district is also a conflict of interest. Every decision is made from a perspective of, how much can I cut from education and save in my taxes. Education suffers by decisions made from a strictly financial perspective.
At least with the husband of a teacher, it is clear which votes they must abstain from. With an Annette Johnson, the line is blurred and so she is participating in votes where her financial interests are being served, yet no conflict of interest is being declared.
The real question is a simple one and one that has been asked many times:
Are we better now than we were four years ago? Take one look at the district's test scores and the answer is a simple one. NO. This board has not placed education first and the test scores are showing it. We can do much better than the bottom 5% of the state.
We have spent four years of Annette Johnson keeping a completely ineffectual superintendent employed while she has been pushing her weight around with one goal in mind: Save Annette Johnson tax dollars.
And as always, the children suffer for the poor choices made by our district leadership.
It is time for a major change. First, the school board and next, the administration.
How does making Adam Harding (now the most hated person by the teachers of District 131) improve communications with the teaching staff? The man has betrayed every teacher in the district.
Adam was supposed to be representing the teachers in all matters, legal and otherwise. Imagine if your defense attorney switched sides and was now working for the prosecution. Taking with him all the information needed to mount a case against you.
This would not be acceptable in any court. The attorney would have to declare his conflict of interest and step down. How does anybody consider this acceptable? I personally feel sorry for Adam's brother who also works in the district. This is not a good time to have the last name Harding.
What great work has Cervantes done? Watch the forum on d131 tv. He sounds like a blithering idiot. Honestly, give me one original idea that he has come up with. I have been to many board meetings and he sits there and never offers a thought. If he is the "poster child" for successful EA grads we're in big trouble.
It looks like the board and administration have burried changes to the teachers insurance plan under the finance committee report for Monday nights board meeting.
Has anybody been informed what these changes are? Has there been any open discussion about what financial impact these changes will have on staff, past present and future?
Anyone who can not manage her life at 64 like Peryee would not be a choice of mine. She lived at Moosehart for a reason I will not say. It will come out before election and it will not be good. Could they not find anyone better, which now makes me wonder about Zack and Kristen.
Special interest groups are paying Zack, Mary Lou and Kristen campaign s. They are already seeking more donations. Fact it shows they can't manage money.
Fact Mary Lou pays very little rent in a house that is not properly taxed. If she is so interested in paying more taxes for everyone else she should pay some herself or make sure the house she shares pays its fair share.
There are many people that care about the district and remember this board oversteps the boundaries of being a board member. If they are a good Superintendent and the right administration they wouldn't have to spend so much time doing his. Most of us know that Johnson wants to run the district and by law she should be letting the Superintendent do it.
There are many people that care about the district and remember this board oversteps the boundaries of being a board member. If they are a good Superintendent and the right administration they wouldn't have to spend so much time doing his. Most of us know that Johnson wants to run the district and by law she should be letting the Superintendent do it.
It is clear Johnson is posting here she has always complained about how much taxes she paid and about others. As long as none of these others that are running is a felon they can run and some things in there life is no business of mine. In fact it sounds like she is stalking Peryea.
As far as the Zack and Strand having spouses that work for the district and voting on things I have no problem they are two people and a board has seven members and if the board doesn't want it to pass they can stop it. In real districts the Superintendent negotiates those contracts and brings it to the board to vote. I have heard nothing from these candidates that attack the other ones. If Johnson is like this during the campaign can you imagine what she would be like if she didn't like what you where saying if you where on the board.
If you are a taxpayer in School District 131 you should vote for Richard Leonard on April 9th. Richard Leonard has already proven himself to be a valuable member of the school board over the last two years. Leonard gives his time unselfishly to the school board as well as volunteers throughout Aurora. Richard Leonard is uniquely qualified for the school board because of his extensive background in construction and as a business owner. Many improvements have been made in way of finances as well as education for all students of District 131. He has diligently reviewed the finances and operations in many areas of District 131 only to find waste or fraud that has now been corrected. One major concern of the school board is fiscal responsibility. As a taxpayer you expect your hard earned money to be spent wisely and not squandered by administrators or wasted on useless projects. Leonard, a graduate of the East Aurora schools and resident of the east side of Aurora his whole life, shares your vision. The school board currently has the highest financial rating possible and a surplus of funds needed to maintain the high quality programs and education your children deserve for years to come, without burdening the taxpayers. In addition, morale of the district’s teachers is very high due to not having any layoffs, unusual during these hard times, and because of their recently renewed contract. Leonard and the school board has also secured important grants for technology upgrades that give the eastside students the advantages they deserve, again for no additional cost to the taxpayer. Leonard takes a common sense approach to the business of the school board and believes the most important investment one can make in your community is educating the youth.
Johnson is not even running against Peryea. I have, and her questioning are not adding up.
Its clear your obsession with Johnson is sick. You need to get a life.
I always check to see how long someone is invested into the community both by taxes and how long someone has lived here. Her answers at the forum had been evasive and I am a informed voter unlike you.
re elect Richard Leonard is a vote for the interests of Richard leonard. Marty Feltes hiring is just another embarassment for 131. Am sure Leonard will manipulate more business scams if he is re-elected? Give me a break even Crook county is not that corrupt
I am sure Annette is working today unlike Zack,and Lou.
I have also checked on all of them and as a disclosure I will vote for the current board which includes Cervantes. His honesty is a breath of fresh air. Along with Strand, she has invested in the community and is a home owner. Cervantes is a hard worker and is putting himself through school.
Peryea does not add up.
I do believe Montroy is behind the fancy advertising and wasting of campaign funds. I am questioning why they need so much money? People don't spend unless there is something to gain.
Johnson did tell me all the money in their campaign will be paid by the candidates. That in my book is honest moral character.
You check how someone is invested in the community? Some people live here all their lives and barely get into their community. That is Ms. Johnson. What was her work in the community, prior to the school board? Taxes may be a good indicator of someones worth. I would rather have a person of value. I am an informed, educated voter.
Bob Green has never hit or injured any student. If he had, the State Board Arbiter certainly would not have ruled in his favor. The fact is, the board and administration discriminated and retaliated against him.
It's not hard to see, being black and male is not a good thing in District 131. Blacks have gone from 6.5% (Still below the state average and way below the average in a predominantly minority area)of the district teaching force in 2001 to just 4% currently.
Almost 25% of the teaching force was male in the year 2000, where just over 20% is male currently. Male teachers receive the vast majority of harassment, write-ups and terminations in District 131. The numbers don't lie.
If the board was really interested in the childrens welfare, they would have done something when Wilson Morales and Gwen Miller were beating up children. Apparently, it's Ok to abuse children if you are an administrator in District 131.
Annette Johnson isn't spending her own money, she is spending the money she has taken from all the illegal immigrants she has slaving in her sweat shop sauce factory. The fact is, she has no more respect for them than she does for the minority population in East Aurora. She is only concerned in what she can take from them. Our kids have been robbed of a quality education because of her.
Wow those numbers are incredible. That means we have lost 44 male teachers in the past decade and lost 22 African American teachers/administrators. We currently have only about 35 black teachers/administrators in the district. That's an average of only 2 African American teachers in each building. Where are the positive role models for our African American students?
What is human resouces trying to do? Create an all white, female teaching force? Maybe, Mr. Green shouldn't be the only teacher filing a discrimination suit against the district. Maybe, it should be a class action suit.
Well, human resources has been run by a white individual forever and by white women for the past decade. What do you expect?
There is so much discrimination, harassment and retaliation going on in this district, I am surprised there haven't been many more lawsuits.
The only thing that keeps many teachers from filing such suits is because they know, ultimately lawsuits only hurt the kids. If this were any other type of business, these administrators wouldn't get away with half of what they do here.
I have had a tour of Annettes Factory and am proud to call her my friend. She will not tell you this but I will she runs a Handicap job training program. Her employees have worked for her many years some of them senior citizens who enjoy having something to do. In fact there is a You Tube video. It was a family fun place to work.
One of the handicap men ran up to her. I am tired of the daily attacks on her. She pays her workers, built a small business and lived and never cheated anyone.
She does not seem to exploit the poor like the Church people running.
You must be one of the few lazy teachers or administrators that is on the run if the current board stays in power.
Annette bought a business that was already doing well with good family business ethics. She uses handicap people to get government monies. I know this because she has bragged of employing, old immigrant women for personal gain to the business. Sad.....
240 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 240 of 240I think Zack stated it very clearly at the forum what he thought was important and that was to do One of the most important thing a school board does is hire a Superintendent for follow board policy and The IL School Code. It seems the three of them want to follow the law that is good enough for me.
You must of not did to much research I goggled her and this is one thing I found.
Looks like she has worked with children a lot and even lived at Mooseheart as a live in teacher.
http://www.lou4district131.com/loubio.htm
The glossy, professional campaign literature for a local school board position turned me off, too.
It is hard for me to believe Peryea lives at 125 S Fourth.
the property has two mail boxes and from cars parked around it looks many people live there. The house is owned by Thomas Pierce of Bolingbrook and should be a singe family residency. Taxes paid by Pierce indicate only $1300 for the entire year.
What Ms Peryea does not understand is that is why we don't have enought money for he programs and the district is to reliant on State Aid.
I also wonder why the City is not inspecting the property from the back the garage is falling down and the back porch needs a roof and looks unsafe.
That is why it is easy for her to tell everyone pay more taxes. If she does live there ???? I don't want her in charge of my money.
Very questionable
I believe that electing board members who don't have children in the district is the most dangerous prospect of all. They always come in with an agenda of saving tax dollars and they accomplish this by doing everything they can to deprive children of a quality education.
Our children need and deserve educational services, smaller class sizes, updated textbooks, teachers who aren't stressed out, equipment that isn't run down or completely unuseable, etc.
Our children are testing in the bottom 5% of the state and the only thing the board brags about is the big pile of money they are just sitting on. There can be a balance between hoarding every penny and running the district into bankruptcy.
It is time for major change. This board has had at least 4 years to improve education and that has not happened. Instead, they have continued to support corrupt and ineffectual administrators. They have had their chance. It's time for new ideas.
March 16, 2013 at 7:58 AM
You stated:
”As a teacher you may not be aware the only two teachers who came to the board to tell them they had been targeted by administration got returned to the classroom. That was over the last two years. So the boards phone has not exactly been ringing off the hook.
These teachers worked at Bardwell.”
I don’t know who you are trying to fool but there have been many more than just two employees harassed by administrators and then returned to their harasser administrator to be harassed further, the most obvious case being Bob Green at Cowherd.
This is a man who was terminated because of his outspoken criticisms of administration. He was about the only teacher willing to stand up and call out the administration for their illegal actions. Because of this, Bob Green was terminated. He challenged his termination and the State Board of Education agreed that he had been terminated improperly. Further, he filed with the EEOC and the Illinois Labor Relations Board and they determined that the district had illegally discriminated and retaliated against the man.
When Bob Green returned to work, he was returned to the same school and administrator that had been determined had discriminated and retaliated against him. The board was well aware of these circumstances as Bob Green has been involved in a large lawsuit against the board and district for their actions.
What has been the board’s response? They terminated the man for a second time on March 4th. This was instigated by the same administrators and under the same pretext that was done the first time. They have now opened up the district to an even larger settlement as these lawsuits make their way through the court system.
Is this really fiscal responsibility?
The one teacher was restated and reassigned to O Donnell.
The other teacher returned to her 1st grade bilingual classroom.
As far as Green every time he does not want to work he pushes a kid.
To all teachers, you have a voice now use it and if you did not get your $300 per classroom talk with your building Principal.
From a rep standpoint the board and administration are working very hard to improve communication and getting Harding on the Cabinet team was a big step.
Teacher Newsletter will be produced and a anonymous tip line is in the works.
Administration, is also changing addressing Johnson School, Waldo < who before the end of the year addressed himself and Bardwell is a step in the right direction.
I do support the current board and especially the board president. Think their are many lies told by administration about them because they hold administrators accountable. To expect the schools to turn around in 4 years is a joke. teachers now have a voice and electing two spouses of teachers just creates to much of a conflict of interest situation.
Also, remember the cash reserves everyone talks about is a formula that was used over and over again and drop in our rating makes the State move towards takeover. Our contracts will be renegotiated, and 50% of the teaching staff let go and forced to reapply. It can get worst and it will.
If I could vote, I would vote for the current board.
Nobody got $300.
Lets Fact Check both are correct teachers get $200 today and a MOU is being drafted for Summer School on class supplies. The total will become $300 per year This is per room. Lets also fact check Strand Montroy Peryea.
No child sits on a floor, classrooms supplies are certainly being paid by the board this was in effect long before election and is a yearly amount. We had building that never applied for the Out of the Box classroom grants. The no books in classrooms is the fault of building principals not ordering them or handing them out. Both Glozbach and Reyes Childress have sent out many memos to this point.
New idea lets not use the blog to attack individuals but point out problems in the building.
Fact check 82 kids are on the Preschool wait list. Another 140 slots additional will be filled this year bring the total under the current board to 520 filled slots.
A plan is in place to address All Day Kindergarten without costing additional erosion of cash reserves.
Teachers need to communicate with the Union Reps more and Newsletters will be coming forth soon.
9.13
Class Materials and
Use of Building Equipment
Each building shall have included
in its building budget an amount of $200 per teacher for
classroom resources. Reimbursement to a teacher for a purchase against this amount shall be
upon prior approval of the immediate supervisor and building principal. Each request for reimbursement shall include an itemized paid receipt attached to
a properly completed
purchase order.
Wherever possible, copy requests should be sent to reprographics. For instances where that is
not possible or practical, teachers shall be allowed use of photocopying and technology
equipment
in the building. Each certified staff member shall be allotted a total of 9000 copies
per school year for copies that cannot be sent to reprographics. Each such staff member shall
be assigned a copier code to be used formaking such copies.
March 13, 2013 at 4:54 PM
LOL..........I am not a teacher, nor do I have children in the EA schools. But I am a registered voter with an opinion and many friends and neighbors in the community who will hear what I have to say, if they haven't already heard all the bad PR in 131. No amount of computers or business skills can give back to the children what they have lost in the last 4 years, plus, due to poor management by the superintendent and the school board. Finger pointing and patting themselves on the back is not fooling those of us who have been paying attention.
7:58am why would these people take cash to zero, if like you suggest, it would be affecting their spouses. You can't have it both ways. An earlier poster brags about Ms. Johnson bringing in donations/money from outside the district. Why is that ok for her and not other candidates?
As for money spent on campaigning......I look at it as quality advertising for a quality product, which in turn will give our children a quality education. Money well spent. Which spaghetti would you pick off the shelf, the one with the bland labeling or the one with colorful images of what to expect from the product inside? :) hmmm...Cipriani?
What do you mean we don't have money didn't the board say we have a surplus? For programs she is talking about maybe they can go get grants like Johnson did? Shouldn"t we do the best for the students and the money from taxpayers be spent for it?
If you have a problem with how much taxes are paid on the house then contact the tax accessor and complain
March 16, 2013 at 6:03 PM is someone from the board and do we really want someone on the board that goes around looking what people pay for taxes? Does she go around and look at the parents taxes of students and see how much they pay and use that to say what a student gets to learn. How childish. The board can go out and get grants for their pet projects but not for all the students of the district.
PLEASE READ THIS BLOG AND TAKE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THE CONTENT
In researching the candidates running against the four current East Aurora school board members I have come across some disturbing facts.
Kirsten Strand is a Director of Ministries at Community Christian Church and her spouse is a teacher at Bardwell Elementary School.
In her blog she acknowledges that her church is "partnered" with Bardwell School.
Starting to see where I'm going with this?
Zack Montroy is a Pastor at Ginger Creek Community Church and his spouse is a social worker At East Aurora High School. Ginger Creek Church has partnered with O"Donnell Elementary School.
Are you getting the picture?
These two candidates have far too many conflicts of interest within the East Aurora school district to be effective and unbiased in their association with the school board.
First and foremost is the fact that they have spouses employed in the district and their participation as board members would be unfair and biased. (think about pay raises and benefits for employees. As family they have a vested interest in issues such as these) What a shame it would be to have two board members who would need to abstain from issues affecting all staff related issues. This would make for a VERY ineffective school board!
Then there is the question of their
employment at churches that are providing direct involvement in the public schools on the east side of Aurora. (are there additional motivations for seeking these positions?) Consider recruitment of members into their churches related to their involvement with the children and families attending our PUBLIC schools.
As I recall from my government classes the United States Constitution guarantees separation of church and state (of which our PUBLIC schools are a part.) Involving recruitment of church members crosses the line and is in direct violation of this law and the Constitution of the United States of America.
PLEASE CONSIDER THESE FACTS AND THINK ABOUT THEM AS SERIOUSLY AS I HAVE WHEN MAKING A DECISION FOR MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.
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KUDOS to the current members serving on the East Aurora school board!!
These unpaid members (and yes they actually end up spending money out of their own pockets) have spent tireless hours unraveling a system that got completely out of control. This did not happen overnight but is an accumulation of years of unaccountable spending and practices.
With the appointment of Richard Leonard to a vacant seat on the board he was appointed to the building and grounds department-in my opinion not a focus as major as the education of the students of the district. Yet with his prior experience in the buildings and trades industry he saw irregularities that did not add up.
The board took on the difficult task of piece by piece looking at the processes currently in place and implementing new and more cost effective measures in this department that in turn become monies available to spend educating our children. Taking on this task has not made some people very happy with the way this current board is functioning. But I for one an please with all of the progress they have and are making. As a friend of mine says "you have to break a couple eggs to make an omlet."
Lets give these current members Johnson, Leonard, Gonzalez, and Cervantes the chance to continue the great work they are doing in the name of the taxpayers in the East Aurora School District.
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE TIME AND
DEDICATION YOU HAVE SHOWN IN ALL OF OUR INTERESTS!
GOOD LUCK IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION!!!
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If Kirsten Strand and/or Zack Montroy
were members of the East Aurora School Board and disciplinary action or possible job cuts related to budget cuts involving their spouses were presented before the board --could they make a fair and unbiased decision?
Food for thought
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ATTENTION VOTERS IN THE EAST AURORA SCHOOL DISTRICT. MARK APRIL 9TH ON YOUR CALENDER AND GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!
Vote for JOHNSON, LEONARD, GONZALEZ, AND DUERMIT. Allow the great work that they are providing in the best interest of the children and tax payers of the district to continue!
Their selfless passionate interest in this community NEEDS to continue!
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To: March 17, 2013 at 4:54 AM
That's not what the State Board Arbiter concluded in the Green case. The evidence showed that Mr. Green simply put his arms out to the side and told the student to stop. The student (who was in SpEd and had a long history of the same type of behavior) shoved Mr. Green.
Other state agencies determined that the administrators and board acted inappropriately in terminating Mr. Green. They, in fact, discriminated and retaliated against Mr. green for being a whistleblower and exposing illegal activity by our administrators and board.
This district has a long history of retaliating against teachers who speak up for themselves, the teachers and the children. Two well known ones are Mr. Kaisershot who refused to let the children be required to play five nights a week promoting sports and Bob French who dared to challenge our union leadership by running for union president.
Mr. K was sent down to Simmons Middle School (The place administration always wants to send every employee they have difficulty with)and Bob french was terminated shortly thereafter. Maybe, there is a reason that the board and union have such a great relationship.
This board has been just as bad, if not worse when it comes to employee relations. I know Annette will be on here shortly touting the committees that were formed this year but everyone knows, these committees have not effected one change so far. It's just another dog and pony show by the board and administrators in an election year.
Annette, enough coming on here fear mongering.
Oh, if a new board is elected the district will be bankrupt. Really? The last board left you a 65 million dollar surplus.
The state will come in and take over the district. 50% of teachers will NOT all be fired and have to reapply for their jobs. This has never happened. When a school has been shut down, the teachers are not fired. They go to the district's service center where they wait for reassignment somewhere else in the district. Teachers can not be fired without cause. The only ones removed are the administrators and board.
It's time for a change.
It appears Annette Johnson has been very busy writting on the blog this weekend.
First; there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion. It seems every person who runs for a school board has an ax to grind. Having no children in the school district is also a conflict of interest. Every decision is made from a perspective of, how much can I cut from education and save in my taxes. Education suffers by decisions made from a strictly financial perspective.
At least with the husband of a teacher, it is clear which votes they must abstain from. With an Annette Johnson, the line is blurred and so she is participating in votes where her financial interests are being served, yet no conflict of interest is being declared.
The real question is a simple one and one that has been asked many times:
Are we better now than we were four years ago? Take one look at the district's test scores and the answer is a simple one. NO. This board has not placed education first and the test scores are showing it. We can do much better than the bottom 5% of the state.
We have spent four years of Annette Johnson keeping a completely ineffectual superintendent employed while she has been pushing her weight around with one goal in mind: Save Annette Johnson tax dollars.
And as always, the children suffer for the poor choices made by our district leadership.
It is time for a major change. First, the school board and next, the administration.
How does making Adam Harding (now the most hated person by the teachers of District 131) improve communications with the teaching staff? The man has betrayed every teacher in the district.
Adam was supposed to be representing the teachers in all matters, legal and otherwise. Imagine if your defense attorney switched sides and was now working for the prosecution. Taking with him all the information needed to mount a case against you.
This would not be acceptable in any court. The attorney would have to declare his conflict of interest and step down. How does anybody consider this acceptable? I personally feel sorry for Adam's brother who also works in the district. This is not a good time to have the last name Harding.
What great work has Cervantes done? Watch the forum on d131 tv. He sounds like a blithering idiot. Honestly, give me one original idea that he has come up with. I have been to many board meetings and he sits there and never offers a thought. If he is the "poster child" for successful EA grads we're in big trouble.
It looks like the board and administration have burried changes to the teachers insurance plan under the finance committee report for Monday nights board meeting.
Has anybody been informed what these changes are? Has there been any open discussion about what financial impact these changes will have on staff, past present and future?
Where is the transparency?
Anyone who can not manage her life at 64 like Peryee would not be a choice of mine. She lived at Moosehart for a reason I will not say. It will come out before election and it will not be good. Could they not find anyone better, which now makes me wonder about Zack and Kristen.
Special interest groups are paying Zack, Mary Lou and Kristen campaign s. They are already seeking more donations. Fact it shows they can't manage money.
Fact Mary Lou pays very little rent in a house that is not properly taxed. If she is so interested in paying more taxes for everyone else she should pay some herself or make sure the house she shares pays its fair share.
There are many people that care about the district and remember this board oversteps the boundaries of being a board member. If they are a good Superintendent and the right administration they wouldn't have to spend so much time doing his. Most of us know that Johnson wants to run the district and by law she should be letting the Superintendent do it.
There are many people that care about the district and remember this board oversteps the boundaries of being a board member. If they are a good Superintendent and the right administration they wouldn't have to spend so much time doing his. Most of us know that Johnson wants to run the district and by law she should be letting the Superintendent do it.
Can't have it both ways when the administration had Green beating up a kid again and the board went along with them you say the board should step in
What would Kristen and Zack do let the kids get beat up
It is clear Johnson is posting here she has always complained about how much taxes she paid and about others. As long as none of these others that are running is a felon they can run and some things in there life is no business of mine. In fact it sounds like she is stalking Peryea.
As far as the Zack and Strand having spouses that work for the district and voting on things I have no problem they are two people and a board has seven members and if the board doesn't want it to pass they can stop it. In real districts the Superintendent negotiates those contracts and brings it to the board to vote. I have heard nothing from these candidates that attack the other ones. If Johnson is like this during the campaign can you imagine what she would be like if she didn't like what you where saying if you where on the board.
If you are a taxpayer in School District 131 you should vote for Richard Leonard on April 9th. Richard Leonard has already proven himself to be a valuable member of the school board over the last two years. Leonard gives his time unselfishly to the school board as well as volunteers throughout Aurora. Richard Leonard is uniquely qualified for the school board because of his extensive background in construction and as a business owner. Many improvements have been made in way of finances as well as education for all students of District 131. He has diligently reviewed the finances and operations in many areas of District 131 only to find waste or fraud that has now been corrected. One major concern of the school board is fiscal responsibility. As a taxpayer you expect your hard earned money to be spent wisely and not squandered by administrators or wasted on useless projects. Leonard, a graduate of the East Aurora schools and resident of the east side of Aurora his whole life, shares your vision. The school board currently has the highest financial rating possible and a surplus of funds needed to maintain the high quality programs and education your children deserve for years to come, without burdening the taxpayers. In addition, morale of the district’s teachers is very high due to not having any layoffs, unusual during these hard times, and because of their recently renewed contract. Leonard and the school board has also secured important grants for technology upgrades that give the eastside students the advantages they deserve, again for no additional cost to the taxpayer. Leonard takes a common sense approach to the business of the school board and believes the most important investment one can make in your community is educating the youth.
Johnson is not even running against Peryea. I have, and her questioning are not adding up.
Its clear your obsession with Johnson is sick. You need to get a life.
I always check to see how long someone is invested into the community both by taxes and how long someone has lived here. Her answers at the forum had been evasive and I am a informed voter unlike you.
re elect Richard Leonard is a vote for the interests of Richard leonard. Marty Feltes hiring is just another embarassment for 131. Am sure Leonard will manipulate more business scams if he is re-elected? Give me a break even Crook county is not that corrupt
I am sure Annette is working today unlike Zack,and Lou.
I have also checked on all of them and as a disclosure I will vote for the current board which includes Cervantes. His honesty is a breath of fresh air. Along with Strand, she has invested in the community and is a home owner. Cervantes is a hard worker and is putting himself through school.
Peryea does not add up.
I do believe Montroy is behind the fancy advertising and wasting of campaign funds. I am questioning why they need so much money? People don't spend unless there is something to gain.
Johnson did tell me all the money in their campaign will be paid by the candidates. That in my book is honest moral character.
You check how someone is invested in the community? Some people live here all their lives and barely get into their community. That is Ms. Johnson. What was her work in the community, prior to the school board? Taxes may be a good indicator of someones worth. I would rather have a person of value. I am an informed, educated voter.
where are the new posts?
Bob Green has never hit or injured any student. If he had, the State Board Arbiter certainly would not have ruled in his favor. The fact is, the board and administration discriminated and retaliated against him.
It's not hard to see, being black and male is not a good thing in District 131. Blacks have gone from 6.5% (Still below the state average and way below the average in a predominantly minority area)of the district teaching force in 2001 to just 4% currently.
Almost 25% of the teaching force was male in the year 2000, where just over 20% is male currently. Male teachers receive the vast majority of harassment, write-ups and terminations in District 131. The numbers don't lie.
If the board was really interested in the childrens welfare, they would have done something when Wilson Morales and Gwen Miller were beating up children. Apparently, it's Ok to abuse children if you are an administrator in District 131.
Annette Johnson isn't spending her own money, she is spending the money she has taken from all the illegal immigrants she has slaving in her sweat shop sauce factory. The fact is, she has no more respect for them than she does for the minority population in East Aurora. She is only concerned in what she can take from them. Our kids have been robbed of a quality education because of her.
Wow those numbers are incredible. That means we have lost 44 male teachers in the past decade and lost 22 African American teachers/administrators. We currently have only about 35 black teachers/administrators in the district. That's an average of only 2 African American teachers in each building. Where are the positive role models for our African American students?
What is human resouces trying to do? Create an all white, female teaching force? Maybe, Mr. Green shouldn't be the only teacher filing a discrimination suit against the district. Maybe, it should be a class action suit.
Well, human resources has been run by a white individual forever and by white women for the past decade. What do you expect?
There is so much discrimination, harassment and retaliation going on in this district, I am surprised there haven't been many more lawsuits.
The only thing that keeps many teachers from filing such suits is because they know, ultimately lawsuits only hurt the kids. If this were any other type of business, these administrators wouldn't get away with half of what they do here.
I have had a tour of Annettes Factory and am proud to call her my friend. She will not tell you this but I will she runs a Handicap job training program. Her employees have worked for her many years some of them senior citizens who enjoy having something to do. In fact there is a You Tube video. It was a family fun place to work.
One of the handicap men ran up to her. I am tired of the daily attacks on her. She pays her workers, built a small business and lived and never cheated anyone.
She does not seem to exploit the poor like the Church people running.
You must be one of the few lazy teachers or administrators that is on the run if the current board stays in power.
Annette bought a business that was already doing well with good family business ethics. She uses handicap people to get government monies. I know this because she has bragged of employing, old immigrant women for personal gain to the business. Sad.....
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