A Knight in Dragonland

Probably the most controversial local issue around Pekin lately is the recently implemented impound ordinance. The financial success of this ordinance over the first three months of its existence is described here, and the Times editorial board discusses the issue here.
Like the Times editors, I have mixed thoughts about the ordinance. I can [...]

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Congratulations to the 88 Pekin High School students who were honored on Friday morning as Illinois State Scholars and Prairie State Scholars.
What I don’t understand is why the Pekin Times article had to demean adolescents in general at the same time it was congratulating these particular students:
Rare as it is to find a sizable group [...]

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I know I share common cause with fellow blogger Eyebrows McGee when I bemoan the dumbing down of American political discourse … or public discourse in general. The jocks have always been more popular than the nerds, but the American anti-intellectual streak has taken on newfound strength and even virulence in recent years. [...]

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Dean Bacon, District 108 school board member and self-anointed champion of the Pekin taxpayer, is up to his usual shenanigans, although this time he’s really seeking out the spotlight of public attention. Now that Jim Mangan is off the District 303 school board and the school consolidation issue is dead, it seems that Mr. [...]

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No, I’m not talking about the pork product. Whatever you eat for breakfast is fine by me. I’m talking about Dean Bacon, member of the District 108 School Board.
Can anyone think of anything more important to come before the District 108 board recently than (1) who will be the new superintendent after the [...]

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The District 108 Board of Education approved the hiring of Dr. Bill Link as the new superintendent by a six-vote majority last night. Link will begin his duties on July 1 and will earn a salary of $115,000.
For reasons he did not care to explain to Times reporter Nick Vogel, school board member Dean [...]

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I’m glad I’m not the only one questioning Jim Mangan’s attack on District 108 teachers. Today’s Pekin Daily Times has a letter to the editor from city council candidate Chad Schmidgall. In the letter Schmidgall praises our teachers by highlighting the hard work that they do for a relative pittance considering the value [...]

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The District 303 School Board officially declared the school district consolidation issue dead on Monday night by declining to carry through with an official study of the issue. With a mandate from the state requiring inclusion of the other feeder districts in deciding this issue, and no interest from those districts, most board members [...]

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The Illinois Association of School Administrators will be honoring District 108 Superintendent Don White with the IASA Exemplary Service to Education Award at their annual conference on April 26. From their website:
The IASA Exemplary Service to Education Award is presented to individuals in recognition of exemplary leadership contributions to Illinois public schools, the field [...]

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Jim Mangan’s state of denial regarding the “benefits” and feasibility of consolidating Districts 108 and 303 has now crossed the border into pathologic.
The Wednesday edition of the Times contains an article entitled “District views the financial impact of consolidation.” The Illinois State Board of Education and District 303 administrators put together financial numbers regarding [...]

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I was saddened to learn that the rumors regarding Don White’s resignation as District 108 superintendent were indeed true. In my opinion, Pekin students are losing a quality advocate. My exposure to Dr. White was very limited, but I found him to be extremely intelligent and hard-working. He truly seems to have [...]

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Merle Widmer is blogging again after a long hiatus.  He sounds a bit skeptical regarding the Peoria Promise scholarship program proposed by Mayor Jim Ardis.  I agree with him that the lack of some minimum GPA to qualify for the scholarship is a bit concerning.  Does a kid who just barely passes high school deserve [...]

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Really?  That’s the rumor according to WMBD 1470.  The Peoria blogs are on fire with the rumor: Peoria Pundit, Peoria Chronicle, Peoria Illinoisan, & Emtronics have all picked this up.
Geographically, if a Peoria high school HAD to be closed for budgetary reasons, it would make more sense to close Central.  That way the north, east [...]

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Today the Journal Star Opinion page served as the Pekin School District consolidation battleground. On the pro-consolidation side, we find a letter from Dr. Fred Reader with the sensational title of “Duplicate districts gouge taxpayers.” Challenging the need for a consolidation study is District 108 Superintendent Don White. His piece in the [...]

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There’s a great discussion about public education going on over at Emtronics’ blog involving Em, Eyebrows, Karrie Alms and myself.  Check it out!

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