A Knight in Dragonland

Last night was District 303’s school board meeting, and boy did I miss a whopper! I really need to start going to these things. Shannon Tebben-Sandoval (journalist for the Times, wife of Edgar and daughter of once-and-perhaps-future mayor, Dave Tebben) has an article front and center in today’s Daily Times.

The actual business of the board was somewhat interesting, but hardly the juicy bits. The 303 board voted unanimously to move forward with a consolidation study using three consultants identified by Superintendent Paula Davis. A ballpark figure for the cost of these studies is $4000 to $5000 per district studied – and state law would require that 5 out of 6 of 303’s feeder districts be included in the study. Also, unless the boards of those feeder districts agree to the study, state funding to help pay for the study will not be available. Thus it looks like 108 and / or 303 is going to have to foot the entire bill for this, and it’s going to be significantly more than the $15,000 I believe they have set aside. This is a telling quote from Paula Davis:

It’s clear to me that the three individuals I talked to feel this is an awesome undertaking and one that is gonna take a significant amount of time.

Time AND money. The criteria that must be evaluated include “transportation, facilities, curriculum, finance, enrollment, staffing, demographics, extra-curricular activities, and justification of and recommendation on the type of reorganization and combination of districts.” Eeee gads! I think $4000 to $5000 per district might be a bit low, especially since I’m not sure how cooperative the feeder districts are going to be since they’ve shown no interest in participating.

Now let’s talk about the GOOD STUFF … hehehe.

District 108 Superintendent Don White and 108 board member Karen Frazier attended last night’s meeting to give notice to Jim Mangan that they’re none too pleased with his behavior. Frazier read a letter from Richard Root, President of the 108 school board (he was unable to attend). Here’s the quote from the letter that appeared in the Times:

With so much posturing, name-calling and depiction of educational staff, administrators and board members as persons of low morality and ill-intent, it’s time to say ‘put up or shut up.

That’s not subtle. Don White had this to say, speaking as both 108 Superintendent and as a Pekin citizen and father of a PCHS student:

I support moving forward with the study of this topic. However, I feel that no one should be bullied into making this decision. I resent the attacks that have been written by a member of this board. These very personal attacks … are unwarranted and reflect poorly on our community.

To this 303 board President Larry Howard said:

I want to take this time to assure you that Mr. Mangan does not represent this board of education. He speaks for himself and he speaks alone. That’s not a shared sentiment of this board.

I think Homer Simpson said it best … D’OH!!! But wait … there’s more …

Jim Mangan at this point gets up to start a presentation about the advantages of consolidation, handing some papers to Don White. This quote from Mangan kills me …

Dr. White indicated that I had been sort of critical of District 108. The consolidation group was really attacking the system, letting the kids down and the system letting the taxpayers down.

“Sort of critical”??????? Sort of??? Almost all of his NUMEROUS letters to the Daily Times were just FILLED with ranting criticism of 108, and he’s specifically questioned Don White’s honesty and integrity in no uncertain terms on MULTIPLE occasions.

So Mangan starts to give his presentation, and the other 303 board members interrupt him to call for a vote on the motion to send letters to the feeder districts, essentially cutting off Mangan’s discussion. Mangan tried to argue that they were stifling his rebuttal of Don White & Richard Root (via Karen Frazier). 303 board member Gary Lowe responded:

The board does not rebut public comment.

Mangan then asked for time during a future meeting to give his presentation, and board President Howard shot him down:

I’m not inclined to do that. You did that endeavor as a citizen of Pekin, not as a member of this board. Typically that decision is made by the board president in conjunction with the superintendent.

D’OH!!! He never gave his presentation. He didn’t even get assurances that the 303 board would ever hear him out.

Clearly the other members of the 303 board are embarrassed by Jim Mangan’s overzealous criticism of District 108 and are publicly distancing themselves from him.

Any bets on how long it will be before another Jim Mangan rant shows up in the Daily Times? This one should be a doozy.