Peoria District 150: what they don't want you to hear

PEORIA -- Another Monday night (May 24), another meeting of the Peoria District 150 School Board, the board that wants to censor public comments so the larger public can't hear and view them without attending the board meeting. 

The board is continuing its practice of videotaping the board meetings, minus the public comments, to be played one week later on cable TV.  But a District 150 watchgroup is filming the May 24 meeting, and it is available how, here .   The URL is:

http://centralillinoisproud. com/district- 150

This file above is difficult to open and play on some computers. Here's an audio file of the public comments, in mp3 format:

D150 May 24

The public comments, which lasted an hour, were breathtaking.  Hedy Elliott-Gardner, whose GED program was profiled in an April story in the Peoria Journal Star, has learned that the program is being shut down for lack of money. She brought several of her students to the meeting to speak out for the program.

You must listen to these people -- some ex-offenders -- who have been offered a lifeline and a second chance because of this program:

A 20-year-old father of three, a high school dropout whose only hope for a productive life is education:  "She's the best teacher I've ever had," he said.

An older man:  "I would like to learn a trade. I want to go up, set a goal for myself."

An ex-offender:  "I see people every day who want education. This is real life we're talking about, our future."

Gardner teaches residents of Taft and Harrison homes, at their housing complexes. They don't have the savvy or confidence to access GED classes elsewhere, such as Illinois Central College, she said.

She told the board that more than 200 ex-offenders are released into the Peoria from the Department of Corrections each month. "Many are middle-school dropouts. Adult literacy gives people hope and a fresh start."

Megan Lundeen, spokeswoman for the Peoria Housing Authority, told the board how vital Gardner's program is for residents. New rules require residents to work or attend school, she said.

After a recent survey, she found 65 percent of the residents don't have a GED, "yet they're expected to get a job." Many have reading levels at the 4th grade or less, she said. They're also intimidated, scared, feel "dumb" she said.

"Education is the only thing that gives me hope. Keep the opportunity there," another of the students said.

Afterward Gardner said she learned last week that the program is being killed.  She says she plans to quit her District 150 teaching position, "sell my car," do anything to keep teaching these students.

She shouldn't have to do that! 

Other public comments dealt with an agenda item, to offer high school summer school only to Title One students, poor enough to receive free or reduced cost lunches, but not others who may need to make up work to graduate on time.  That idea received criticism from retired teacher and District 150 activist Sharon Crews, and from me, as unfair and unwise. It's another way to drive middle class students out of the district, when they see they can't make up work and keep up with their class.

At the conclusion of the public comments, the official videotaping began, but the board discussed the adult education program whose students they had listened to -- no doubt baffling to the TV audience, if anyone is watching a week later.

They were obviously moved, along with everyone else in the audience. But they suggested the GED students go to ICC. "Our primary mission is K-12," Jim Stowell said, and Laura Petelle agreed.

The state of Illinois owes the district $10.4 million, controller Pam Schau said. Last year the board approved $38 million in working cash bonds.  Without that money they would have no cash flow, she said. "By December or January, we'll be short again," she predicted.

The $600,000 adult education program is funded from various sources, including $95,000 from the education fund, she said.

That seems high, as Gardner later said her salary is the district's only expense. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Comments

[Karrie E. Alms]

Elaine: Great story! Hedy is a wonderful person, an excellent teacher and a committed individual. So foolhardy and short-sighted that the money is not available to continue her work in helping fellow community members to change their lives and to change the lives of their children. We need to help her to get this program off the ground and be endowed to keep running.

[Jon]

All students, including those at Richwoods, can take summer school courses for credit at the Illinois Virtual School. More advanced students can probably take dual credit courses at ICC, as well.

Adult Education also includes the programs at the Moss Ave facility, not just Hedy.

[Elaine Hopkins]

How valuable is the virtual school? Will it work with unmotivated high school students? Would it really adequately replace a classroom learning environment? I'm not convinced.

[jim stowell]

Elaine - if you are going to para-phrase or quote me, please at least do it accurately. What I said was that, in order to continue providing adult ed and GED related services, we should collaborate with ICC, as they also are attempting to serve that segment of our population. The same holds true for early childhood - we are not the only service provider, but given everyone's budget constraints, we have to try and provide more with less.

[Elaine Hopkins]

Jim, if you feel you were misquoted, then clarify your remarks, as you have done. However -- I would not be quoting you if the board were televising the meetings, live, in full. So move to do that at the next meeting. Take a vote!