Live broadcasts coming back?

PEORIA -- The Peoria District 150 School Board's decision -- never voted upon publicly -- to stop broadcasting its meetings live on cable TV  and to censor out the public comments for a delayed broadcast -- may receive a second look by the board.

At the July 12 meeting, board members Martha Ross commented that she would like to know how much money is being saved by eliminating the live broadcasts. People have asked her about the delayed broadcasts, and she had to respond "I'm not sure when it's on TV."

But Ross also said the board had grown tired of being criticized during the public comments. It should "look into ways to answer questions" asked by the public at these sessions, she said, to avoid negative publicity.

Laura Petelle said she supports resuming the live broadcasts, and "we can have back and forth with the podium" if needed.  The next meeting of the committee of the whole should study this issue, she said.

Jim Stowell commented that a comment he heard, that "we have stupid on our foreheads because we ran for the school board --this is inappropriate."

He was referring to a remark made by activist Terry Knapp during the public comments that he was not stupid enough to run for the board.

Knapp in the audience said Stowell "can't take a joke."

Meanwhile the public comments are on an audio recording below, as usual. And a video was made of the entire meeting to be on the WMBD-TV website soon.

D150 July 12

Perhaps the board realizes that its efforts at secrecy aren't working, so it may as well go back to live broadcasts. Several speakers during the public comments urged them to do that, obviously prompting a response.

Supt. Grenita Lathan said "we do research comments" made by the public. "We are listening to you. We want to meet with you," she said.

The district is still looking at continuing its adult education program, she said. She's also interested in vocational education, she said. Speakers during the public comment session commented on both issues.

She also urged the public to stop filing so many Freedom of Information requests, since they take up staff time.  "Give us a reprieve," she said. 

Activist Sharon Crews, who files many requests, said she won't stop.  She offered a well researched report  to the board, which will be added below.

The board likes to say it's transparent, but it approved a 2-year contract with Frontline Placement Technology, a for-profit software company that manages substitute teachers, without mentioning how much it would cost.

"This will allow us to schedule substitutes a month in advance," Lathan said.

It's also outsourcing work that has been done by district staff members.

There was no discussion from the board, which gives rise to the suspicion that it was discussed illegally in its closed session that always takes place before the public meeting.

Can the financially strapped district really afford this contract?  Who is being let go who used to do this work? Details would be nice to know.

Let's hope the mainstream press finds out more about this contract, from its cost, to who owns this company, and how it can possibly schedule substitute teachers a month in advance any more efficiently than the district's human resources stuff could, since they too likely know when teachers are going to workshops and training. 

But likely they don't know when someone will call in sick at the last minute. Will the for-profit company also predict the future?

Ross commented that high school students won't have to wear uniforms next fall but will be subjected to a dress code that has not yet been finalized.

Jim Stowell commented, "bring teachers into the process." He didn't mean to help develop the code.  

"Some don't uphold professional decorum of their own dress," Stowell said.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here is Sharon Crews's comment to the board, with some eye-opening statistics (thanks to the Freedom of Information Act!).  She shows them how to save $1 million and improve District 150 education:

   Tonight I want to speak about the District high school curricula and graduation requirements.

In that regard, District 150 has two major problems.  The first is that over the last 20 years, many academically prepared students have fled the district— unfortunate, but fact.

The second problem is that most high school courses are designed primarily to meet the needs of the students whose immediate goal is to attend college.  And those are not the majority of students in District 150 —you simply must face that fact and plan accordingly.

Manual’s ACT composite scores that I have given you might be proof enough of the problem.   Only 11 students scored 20 or above.  Only 19 scored between 17 and 19.  70 scored 16 or below.  By the way, these tests mean nothing to the non-college bound students.

I believe that an inadequate curricula is one of the major causes of the dropout rate in District 150 and of some discipline problems. 

Over the years many Manual students who did not go to college have led productive lives in our community and in other communities.   Many of those students had the benefit of a once strong vocational program that prepared them for jobs outside the “academic” world, jobs that have served them well.  The current District 150 course offerings show a disdain for all those who have a proclivity toward working with their hands.

 A few years ago the educational gurus began preaching that the learning styles of some students require hands-on learning.   None of the speakers that came to our institutes and workshops were able to tell me how to teach Chaucer and Shakespeare as a hands-on course.  Some courses just do not lend themselves to that style of learning.

We once had many hands-on courses, but they were deemed unimportant by the decision makers.  Now the academic teachers are asked to fill that gap—well, they can’t do it.

During the Dr. Stand era—when the last of the vocational and home ec classes were killed in 150—a proposal to partner with ICC popped up and was never heard of again for obvious reasons.

First, ICC cannot meet the needs of all the 150 students who need these courses.  Secondly, transportation time and cost make the idea impossible to carry out.

You all have inherited the problem but now, unfortunately, it is yours to solve.

However, the district has to continue to try to draw the more academically prepared students back into the district.  You will not do that by continually lowering the academic standards of those who are capable of meeting them.

A good start on the right track would be to raise the graduation requirements.  I have given you a hand-out that lists the credit hours earned by this year’s 106 Manual grads.    Please note that 88 of these students earned 20 or more (up to 28.5) credits;  58 students earned 22 or above.  Only 4 students had only the minimum 18 credit hours.  That information alone should tell you that it is time to change the graduation requirements.

The Johns Hopkins block schedule has created another problem for you.  Because required senior courses are now taught in one semester instead of one year, several of next year’s seniors will probably be ready to graduate at the end of 1^st semester.  My guess is that they will be ready to graduate but maybe not so ready for college.

Besides, early graduation is not an opportunity available to students at the other two high schools—that’s unfair.

Get rid of Johns Hopkins and the block schedule and save $200,000 plus a year.  Get rid of Edison and save $800,000 plus a year.  Then maybe you can afford some courses for the non-college bound students.

I continue to plead with you to reinstate Hedy’s GED program.  I know that you are trying to cut out all mandated programs to save money—well, Johns Hopkins and Edison aren’t mandated.  Hedy’s program is much, much cheaper and does serve the students of District 150 as it is their parents who most often see the GED program as a way to make better lives for their children.  =30-

 7/17/10:  Emailed comment from Ed Dentino:

I  agree with Sharon Crews views of vocational training and  district 150.   I can't add anything to her observations.  -30-

 

Comments

[Susan]

I also noticed on the D150 website that there are 5 high school teaching positions available.....ALL at Manual. There is a reason WHY people don't want to work at Manual and Dr. Lathan needs to address it. Moving the "problem" to another building only moves the problem.(crytically speaking, of course).