A Knight in Dragonland

My running commentary on the Pekin school consolidation issue is getting some press over at the Peoria Pundit. I guess Mike Noyes has seen what I’ve been writing, although he chooses to address Bill Dennis regarding unsigned editorials and not me regarding Pekin school consolidation. Noyes refers to me as “an anonymous blogger.” Hmmmph. I wish Mr. Noyes would enter the debate directly, but I guess he doesn’t want to sully himself with a common, anonymous blogger. Hoity-Toity Mr. High-And-Mighty is too good for us, apparently.

I obviously disagree that his Nov. 1 column was “very solid journalism.” For previous discussions, see this post and this post about the response to the Nov. 1 column and this post regarding Noyes’s reply to his critics.

A teacher’s letter of resignation should not be used as public political fodder. Noyes wasn’t acting as an investigational journalist. He was writing an OPINION piece on a political issue one week before the election, and he paraphrased the letter without the permission of the letter’s author. The author, Mark Sattazahn, revealed himself publicly a few days later in the Daily Times – none too pleased regarding Noyes’s political ploy.

Even if Noyes had Sattazahn’s approval to use the contents of the letter, it still only reveals one man’s opinion about the policies of District 108. The over 20 teachers and other staff from District 108 that wrote angry letters to the editor about Noyes certainly disagree. While Noyes has received a few letters of support, the overall opinion of his work has been OVERWHELMINGLY negative.

The Citizens for Pekin School Consolidation have an inside man in District 108 – school board member Dean Bacon. Certainly someone who has served four terms on the 108 board is familiar with the policies and practices of District 108 regarding the handling of failing students. Certainly Mr. Bacon could provide details to the public regarding any concerning social promotion policies without having to resort to publicly displaying the contents of a letter of resignation – a legally public but ethically confidential document. Why doesn’t Mr. Bacon speak up for himself and provide clarity on this issue?

With his unethical journalism and petty politicking, Mr. Noyes and whoever leaked him the letter drove a wedge of mistrust between the educators of district 108 and their school board. Is any teacher in their right mind going to be open and honest to the school board regarding serious concerns they might have after THAT fiasco??? Noyes and his leaker have broken the lines of communication between the soldiers on the front lines of education and the generals at central command. All they’re going to hear now is “yes, sir” and “can do, sir!” while serious problems potentially go unaddressed.

Ohhh … and good luck to us with recruiting and retaining good teachers for District 108. “Insult, embarrass, humiliate and BETRAY” – what a great strategy for improving morale!

Maybe Mr. Noyes thinks he’s a good journalist. I dispute that, but he’s entitled to have a glowing opinion of himself. What’s CERTAIN is that he’s a poor citizen of Pekin and horrendously unqualified to have any sort of leadership position in our school districts. I think Mike Noyes’s candidate questionnaire completed before the last school board election (when he failed to win a seat) has some telling things to say about him. When asked about his two top priorities, Mr. Noyes mentions fiscal responsibility and responsiveness to the will of the people. Certainly those are laudable goals. However, I find it interesting that “ensuring quality education for the students of District 108″ is nowhere on his list. Maybe it’s #3. Heh.

That Nov. 1 column by Mike Noyes along with Jim Mangan’s endless haranguing of District 108 have done more to harm the Pekin educational system than any supposed social promotion policy. You just keep patting yourself on the back for your “solid journalism,” Mr. Noyes. I’ll do what you should be doing. I’ll fight for best interests of District 108 students.