Both the District 108 and District 303 school boards met on Monday night to vote on tax levies for the upcoming year and discuss the issue of school consolidation.
I’m not going to weigh in on the issue of tax levies. Frankly, all the discussion of abatements and different state & local regulations makes my head spin, and apparently the Daily Times didn’t upload the articles regarding the 108 and 303 tax levy votes to their website. The levy adjustments seem minimal at any rate, so I’m not going to get excited about it. It’s the duty of local editorialist Mike Noyes to get overwrought about minimal tax adjustments … as he did in today’s Times. His response is so predictable it’s almost Pavlovian.
So, on to the issue of district consolidation, where I’m frustrated by the lack of information being presented to the public.
According to the Times article, the 303 board decided to look at two potential consultant groups and decide by January which group to go with for the study. The two potential consultant groups are Education Consultant Services (Dr. Gary Harrison and Bill Owens) and the Consulting and Resource Group (Dr. William Phillips). The almighty Google had nothing to say about either group … adding to my frustration.
The 108 board apparently looked at the same two consultant groups and decided they were inadequate (Times article here, Journal Star article here). I’m assuming that they’re looking at the same groups as 303, but the articles never state that outright. The 108 board (except Dean Bacon, Jim Mangan’s silent partner), Superintendent Don White and district attorney Mike Tibbs also believe that carrying through with a study is pointless given the current state law. A binding referendum regarding consolidation CANNOT be put on the ballot without the approval of the other feeder districts … which is certainly not forthcoming.
Based on what I’ve read about the current Illinois statute regarding school consolidation, I agree with White, Tibbs and the 108 board majority that a binding referendum cannot be put to the voters unless ALL the boards of the feeder districts agree to it OR the citizens of the various feeder districts petition to have it put on the ballot.
I know the first option is not going to happen. The feeder districts want to maintain their independence and local control over their schools, and I don’t blame them for that at all. I have not heard that the Citizens for Pekin School Consolidation are mounting a petition campaign to get signatures from all the feeder districts in order to approach the matter in that way. So where does that leave us?
I guess the essential question is this … is there some OTHER mechanism by which 108 and 303 could consolidate? If the answer is yes, then we should proceed with a study based on that mechanism. If the answer is no, then there’s no point until Mr. Mangan and his crew get their butts in gear and collect the signatures that they need from ALL the feeder districts.
P.S. to the Journal Star … District 108 is the elementary district. District 303 is the high school district. They got it right in today’s story, but yesterday they were talking about “high school district 108.” It remains uncorrected in the web edition at the time of this post.
11 responses so far ↓
1
Tom Frazier
// Dec 23, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Unfortunately, by not going through with the study, 108 will get a “black eye” from this, simply because to those who can’t read for themselves what is printed, they will think 108 has something to hide. Many of those who read Mangan’s letters only see what he wants them to so that is all they know, truth or not.
Someone with more facts to dispute Mangan needs to print them so that this doesn’t come back on 108. Why waste 7,500 of taxpayer dollars for something that will not work or save tax dollars? it’s time for the real facts to come out.
2
Angie
// Dec 24, 2006 at 1:45 am
Tom: This letter was in yesterdays Times. It says it all. The people have spoken, the American way. Only Commies disagree that. I believe your wife was one of those at 108 voting against the people! If you know so much, why don’t you challange Mr. Mangan to a debate? Put up or shut up!
Angie
———————
Jerks
To the editor:
District 108 has decided not to help pay for a consolidation study, stating they don’t have enough information. Isn’t that what education is all about, looking for information?
By purposely refusing to study to get information, they choose to remain stupid on the subject. How dumb is that for a board of education and superintendent?
If this is the kind of thinking they use to teach Pekin students, it’s no wonder students have lousy test scores.
The superintendent and six of seven board members question why 108 is expected to do the study? I can think of almost 7,000 reasons, the number of Pekin voters, 62 percent, who said yes to consolidation.
These voters didn’t say “Think about it,â€? they said “Do it.â€? Yes, it was an advisory vote, and it proves these 108 jerks only want people’s tax dollars not their advice.
It’s clear that consolidation in Pekin would get rid of one derelict board and superintendent, the real reason the 108 jerks are afraid of the truth. A perfect example of why voters should continue turning down 108’s taxing referendums – the jerks can not be trusted to do the honest thing.
Ron Thomason
Pekin
3
Tom Frazier
// Dec 24, 2006 at 2:11 am
Angie: fisrt of all, she was not at that meeting so don’t begin to tell me how she voted. For your information, she was going to vote for a study just for this same reason. the people need to know the facts and not just what you are told by Mangan. Don’t be naive to think he is telling the public all that is needed to know on this subject.
I read the letter in yesterday’s paper and found it typical of what happens when people only get half truths. mr Mangan deems himself the expert, and should debate with someone that truely knows about this subject. I have no need to debate him since there are more qualified people to do that. It’s just hard to sit back and read letters slamming people for doing their jobs, while the ones slamming do not know the facts.
As far as putting up or shutting up, I will speak as freely as those who choose to blindly throw stones at the hard working employees of 108 and the board.
4
Angie
// Dec 24, 2006 at 2:51 am
Thats ok Tom, we understand, “cluck, cluck”, more 108 chicken talk.
5
Tom
// Dec 24, 2006 at 3:23 am
thanks to you too for the much anticipated response from you. like I said ealier, the stones are thrown from those who do not know the facts. I won’t get into a stone throwing match with you because you or I do not know all the facts, only what we are allowed to know. All I have done is defend those who are being slammed for not doing an adequate job of educating our kids. Consolidation will not give our kids any more of a learning chance. you need to look no farther than dist. 150 to see that. Like I said, I wish the study would take place because I would like to know what is what. As far as paying taxes, I pay my fair share also and question expenditures. I trust that our schools, both of them, are doing a good job with our tax dollars.
I will ask you one question, of the 14 board members and 2 Administators, are you to believe that only 2 of them are being honest with the public? I would say that those who are doing this for no monetary return have no reason to be dishonest about anything. Are 14 of them wrong about what this issue would do for the school system? I wish we all knew the facts before casting anymore stones.
6
Scott J
// Dec 25, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Merry Christmas from the Janz Family.
7
Ms. Teacher
// Dec 27, 2006 at 1:29 am
As a teacher in District 108, I am sure that Angie will see this as a completely biased statement, but I’m going to say it anyway: I have never worked for someone as thorough and thoughtful as Dr. White. He is a fabulous superintendent.
Just because you aren’t there to see the research happening doesn’t mean it isn’t taking place. I have talked with him personally about the consolidation, and the amount of literature he provided me with was nothing short of overwhelming. Trust me when I say the man has done his homework.
Dr. White’s entire job is to think of the students’ best interest, and he takes that job very seriously. If he doesn’t think a consolidation study is right at this time, I trust him. It’s just a shame that the people of Pekin don’t as well.
8
Ms. Teacher
// Dec 27, 2006 at 1:32 am
p.s. to Knight – This is an excellent website. I wish all of our parents took as much time to learn the issues surrounding our district. Thank you!
9
Tom
// Dec 27, 2006 at 3:56 am
to Ms. Teacher,
thank you for speaking up about this subject. There are far too many out there who think Dist. 108 is freely spending their tax dollars, with little or no knowledge of what really goes on. For that reason alone, I hope at some point in time, that the facts come out about this issue. Please do not sit back and take all this unwarranted criticism of the jobs that our teachers and staff do for our kids. It takes a special kind of person to do the job our teachers do and sometimes it is forgotten. From a parent of 2 children in 108, Thank you, and happy Holidays to all of you.
10
knightindragonland
// Dec 27, 2006 at 7:44 am
Ms. Teacher,
I heard Don White speak at the Pekin Community Update back in September, and I was impressed. He was very articulate, very thorough, and he seemed genuinely concerned with the welfare of District 108 students. I’m glad to hear some corroboration of my impressions from an insider.
In contrast, everything I’ve heard from the pro-consolidation side of things has been filled with unsubstantiated personal attacks. That’s what I found at the now defunct Pekin blogs (Pekin, My Home and Pekin Dragons Calling). That’s what I’ve heard from Jim Mangan in his endless “specials” to the Daily Times. That’s what I’ve heard in the editorials from Mike Noyes. It’s slanderous. It’s divisive. It does nothing to help our children.
11
Ms. Teacher
// Dec 27, 2006 at 4:39 pm
The whole thing is ridiculous. NO ONE even understands what brought the consolidation issue to light. It’s like Jim Mangan just woke up one day and said to himself, “Self, I think I should push for a consolidation that no one really wants or is even close to being interested in.” Even the teachers at the high school are against it. Shouldn’t that tell everyone something?
And nevermind that if anyone took five seconds to visit the Interactive Illinois Report Card (iirc.niu.edu) they would see that District 108’s students are doing just fine. Of course we could be doing better – that’s why we continue to learn more about what we can do for our students every single day…and that’s why our results have been improving over the last five years.
I am not here to bash the high school because I teach the same exact kids that they teach, and I know it’s a difficult job to get these kids interested in what you have to say. I have heard many high school employees say that their low test scores are OUR fault, and I’m really starting to get tired of all the finger pointing. I just wish we could all work together and realize that teaching – HELLO! – is not easy, and that sometimes you have to CHANGE the way you do things to get through to these kids. Tearing each other apart is obviously not helping our students.
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