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 Post subject: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:47 am 
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Please people, wait until this guy actually accomplishes something . . . . . ANYTHING!
Remember when they built the addition at Dirksen, and they named it after Carol Mosley Braun? She didn't even attend the dedication!
The Times wrote:
Exit Hoover, enter Obama?

BY JOAN CARREON
Times Correspondent | Sunday, November 16, 2008
CALUMET CITY | With the nation about to swear in its first African American president in January, a Calumet City resident said she thinks Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 should be the first to have Barack Obama's name on one of its school buildings.

Heather Ware approached the District 157 School Board with her idea last week and asked what needed to be done to get Hoover Elementary School's name changed.

D.157 Board President Natalie Barnes said she thinks the idea is "something we should give serious consideration to" and suggested Ware pursue it further.

http://nwi.com/articles/2008/11/16/news ... 8261d1.txt

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:34 pm 
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When obama gets something done....more than voting present in the Ill. sen.. and running for president....they can name something after him....Why change the name of a school that has been there since the beginning of time and has served its community well in the past. The reason Ms Ware gave " the children don't know who Hoover is anyway " is a disgrace to the school system who's recent (last nine years) test scores show it......


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:38 pm 
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LoisLane wrote:
Please people, wait until this guy actually accomplishes something . . . . . ANYTHING!
Remember when they built the addition at Dirksen, and they named it after Carol Mosley Braun? She didn't even attend the dedication!
The Times wrote:
Exit Hoover, enter Obama?

BY JOAN CARREON
Times Correspondent | Sunday, November 16, 2008
CALUMET CITY | With the nation about to swear in its first African American president in January, a Calumet City resident said she thinks Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 should be the first to have Barack Obama's name on one of its school buildings.

Heather Ware approached the District 157 School Board with her idea last week and asked what needed to be done to get Hoover Elementary School's name changed.

D.157 Board President Natalie Barnes said she thinks the idea is "something we should give serious consideration to" and suggested Ware pursue it further.

http://nwi.com/articles/2008/11/16/news ... 8261d1.txt


Typical


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:46 am 
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Also the parents of students at Schrum feel that academics are not as important as making a three point shot....Lets keep the standards were they are at... school board....I'm paying taxes to comply with the law that says we must educate the children of the community..not train NBA stars.......


Last edited by oldtimer on Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:53 am 
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First we are changing the name to Barack Obama Academy, and now we are emphasizing basketball over reading, math, and science. Looks like the parents want to run the school district. Maybe last year, the school board election was a mistake. Looks like the old board members are back.
The Times wrote:
D.157 to revisit academic eligibility for athletics

BY JOAN CARREON
Times Correspondent | Monday, November 17, 2008
CALUMET CITY | The Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 School Board plans to take another look at its policy regarding academic eligibility for extracurricular athletics.

The board is expected to review its policy later this month and may consider allowing administrators to make exceptions to the existing B average requirement for student-athletes.

Some parents approached the board last week with questions and concerns about the required average.

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/ ... 034f72.txt

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:57 am 
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LoisLane wrote:
Maybe last year, the school board election was a mistake. Looks like the old board members are back


Thats a good question maybe the old members are back.........We worked hard to get them elected ...now all they care about are politics and basketball.......

What they need to do is take a good look at how many out of district students we a paying for..... and the empty school buss es running around the neighborhood


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:56 pm 
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This school board is beginning to smell like the old one. Guess we made a huge mistake.
The Times wrote:
Despite budget crunch, districts pay for conferences

BY JOAN CARREON
Times Correspondent | Friday, November 21, 2008
South suburban school administrators and board members will be among those heading to Chicago this weekend, most of them staying overnight in downtown hotels, for an annual statewide education conference.

Thousands of Illinois school officials are gathering for the 2008 Joint Annual Conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Association of School Business Officials.

But wait, it gets better. . . .
Quote:
Superintendent Rudy Williams said he did not see a need for him to attend this year's conferences and does not think it is necessary to go every year.

He also said board members and administrators have been getting training and "a lot of good information" from the Illinois Association of School Boards through its free Targeting Achievement Through Governance workshops. ALSO ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE
Lincoln Elementary District 156's seven board members and Superintendent Darryl Taylor are to stay at the Embassy Suites tonight and Saturday and return home Sunday.
The entire Sandridge Elementary District 172 School Board; Jay Hollingsworth, Sandridge principal; Dyana McCleverty, school administrative assistant; Jack McCleverty, director of buildings and grounds; and Billie Greene, district administrative assistant, plan to spend two nights at the Talbott Hotel. Superintendent John Sawyer III also will attend the conference, but he will not be staying in a hotel.
All seven Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 School Board members, Superintendent Michele Morris and Business Manager Alicia Evans will attend the conference, and all but Evans and board member Kenneth Taylor will stay tonight and Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Evans will not be staying at a hotel, and Taylor has accommodations at the Palmer House Hilton, Morris said.

http://nwi.com/articles/2008/11/21/news ... 0cb31a.txt

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:48 am 
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You are absolutely correct L.L. the same old stuff and Taylor at the Palmer House.....great this is the guy who stuffs his hands in his pockets during the Pledge of Allegiance at the meetings


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:06 am 
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See, here's what S.D. 215 does. They send out a mailing, and the ones that come back are the ones they investigate. They don't hire someone's friend or brother. Maybe this guy should investigate the board.
The Times wrote:
D.157 to consider residency watchdog

BY JOAN CARREON
Times Correspondent | Monday, November 24, 2008
A proposal to hire a part-time residency officer will be discussed tonight by the Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 School Board.

The board meets at 7 p.m. at the administrative center, 1255 Superior Ave., Calumet City.

Superintendent Michele Morris said she had received a proposal from an officer with a private investigative firm and she also planned to get information from officials at her former school district, Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144, where a retired Markham police officer is used to check on students' residency.

District 157 currently has school administrators or the district's business manager verify student residency, Morris said.

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:25 am 
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LoisLane wrote:
See, here's what S.D. 215 does. They send out a mailing, and the ones that come back are the ones they investigate. They don't hire someone's friend or brother. Maybe this guy should investigate the board.
The Times wrote:
D.157 to consider residency watchdog

BY JOAN CARREON
Times Correspondent | Monday, November 24, 2008
A proposal to hire a part-time residency officer will be discussed tonight by the Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 School Board.

The board meets at 7 p.m. at the administrative center, 1255 Superior Ave., Calumet City.

Superintendent Michele Morris said she had received a proposal from an officer with a private investigative firm and she also planned to get information from officials at her former school district, Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144, where a retired Markham police officer is used to check on students' residency.

District 157 currently has school administrators or the district's business manager verify student residency, Morris said.


Who said that this is someone's friend or brother? I must have missed that in the article.

One of the ways that D157 finds out about children not living in district is through return mail. But what about family members who have the same last name and the mail isn't returned. Sometimes the children don't live at that address, but other family members do. Unfortunately, the school doesn't know unless sometimes the children tell themselves where they live. Some children live with their Mother, their Father, Grandmother, Aunt, whoever. It's not like it used to be where there wer 2 parents raising the children. It's sad, but that's a fact. It's our tax dollars that pay for children living outside of the district, so in the long run, hiring someone to investigate the children that are suspected of living out of the district, is cheaper than paying about $8000 per year per child for their education.


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 5:47 pm 
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chugar52 wrote:
Who said that this is someone's friend or brother? I must have missed that in the article.

Sorry if I jumped to my own conclusion, but, it kind of smells bad. You know, just like the all expenses paid weekend in Chicago, which you neglected to comment on. But then, you probably have a reason not to comment.

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:52 pm 
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LoisLane wrote:
chugar52 wrote:
Who said that this is someone's friend or brother? I must have missed that in the article.

Sorry if I jumped to my own conclusion, but, it kind of smells bad. You know, just like the all expenses paid weekend in Chicago, which you neglected to comment on. But then, you probably have a reason not to comment.


All of the expenses for this weekend in Chicago? Let's see. Most people know that when someone goes to a conference, there is a special rate for the hotel rooms. I would say it is no more than $150 per night per person, which is about $300 per board member for 2 nights. Most of the time the vendors take out the Board members for dinner, at no cost to the district.

Do you or anyone else that has been posting have any idea how many hours a Board member puts in during a years time - AT NO PAY???????????? It's not just board meetings that the board members attend, it"s committee meetings such as negotiations, policy, building, building and grounds, expulsion meetings, etc. Board members VOLUNTEER hundreds of hours, if not thousands of hours, for every year they are on the board. Even if a board member puts in ONLY 500 hours a year, that costs the tax payers less than $1 an hour for every hour a board member puts in. Would you work for less than $1 an hour?

The conferences are training. EVERY year there are different sessions. There are hundreds of topics and there is no way a board member can even think about attending them all in one year. What might apply to a district one year doesn't apply another year. There might be sessions on a Superintendent search, building a new building, new laws, different strategies. A Superintendent search might be important one year, but not the next. Building a new building might be important one year, but not the next, etc. For the board members who are there to do what is right, it's not a weekend for fun and games. It's a weekend to LEARN and bring things back to the district that might help keep the grades up and do what's best for the kids.

The conferences are educational and help boards learn to do their job better, just like with any other job, there is continuous training. Don't forget that there are also several NEW board members on the board and they need the training because there is a lot that they have to learn. In the newspaper article, one of the Superintendents mentioned TAG (Targeting Achievement Through Governance). TAG doesn't cover all of the things that are covered at the conferences, so that was a moot comment.

As far as staying downtown, it is much more convenient to stay there and be able to get to the sessions without having to rush home Friday night, after being in training ALL day, turn around go back on Saturday morning, be in sessions ALL day again, go home Saturday night, then go back on Sunday morning again. There would be mileage expenses, parking expenses, as well as meal expenses. Is it a little cheaper to travel back and forth every day? Yes, but as I said Board members get NO pay for their long hours and to pay for a hotel room for a couple of days is not being frivilous. Don't forget that Board Members are tax payers also. It's their tax money too, but as I said, they put in hundreds, if not thousands of hours EVERY year they're on the Board with NO PAY!!!!!!

There have been complaints on this forum about this board "stinking" like the old board. Do you really believe that? The old board was giving an incompetent Superintendent almost $250,000 for resigning and doing nothing!!!!!!! The old board was letting teachers, mainly white teachers, be harrassed. The old board looked the other way when it was discovered that the Superintendent wasn't certified. I could go on and on about what the old board did, but I'm sure most people remember, and the NEW board is doing NOTHING illegal or immoral.

There was a comment about lowering the standards so kids can play sports, and people are trashing the board. The board did NOT vote on that, it was PARENTS at the meeting that want to lower the standards, not the Board.

There were comments about changing the name of the school and once again people on this forum were trashing the board. WHY???? The Board didn't vote on that. It was a PARENT who brought that up at a meeting. The Board did NOT decide to change the name of the school. It has NOT been voted on by the Board. It was mentioned at a meeting, that's it!!!


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:41 am 
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How unfair for people to even suggest the current D157 board is like the “old” board. They now have a competent Superintendent who works with the staff as a team. Teachers who were once contemplating on leaving the District as now happy with the work environment. The situation at D157 is much better then it was 2 years ago when the old board ran it to the ground. Now people are commenting on this forum that the board is wasting taxpayer’s money because the district is picking up the tab on hotel bills for when they are attending a conference. This conference is for all school districts in Illinois and it’s customary for the District board members and administrators who are located miles away to spend the night in downtown. Why should the local school board members and administrators be penalized just because they are only 20 miles away from the conference location. Why should they not be able to receive the same convenience as those other school districts by spending the night downtown? As Churgar52 pointed out, Board members do not get paid for the hours they spend serving the tax payers and children of the district. The few hundred dollars per board member this conference cost the tax payers is not an issue in my mind.

Also, the issue about changing the school name and lowering the academic standards for playing sports was something brought to the board by parents. This is not something the board is recommending. Please read the articles thoroughly before jumping to conclusions and pointing the finger at the wrong people.


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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:02 am 
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funnyman wrote:
Also, the issue about changing the school name and lowering the academic standards for playing sports was something brought to the board by parents. This is not something the board is recommending. Please read the articles thoroughly before jumping to conclusions and pointing the finger at the wrong people.

Excuse me, but in both articles it stated it was something the Board should consider, or was this lip service for the parents? Perhaps you should read the articles. Maybe read it twice, to absorb it.

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Last edited by LoisLane on Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: S.D. 157 - Leave It Alone
PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:08 am 
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chugar52 wrote:
All of the expenses for this weekend in Chicago? Let's see. Most people know that when someone goes to a conference, there is a special rate for the hotel rooms. I would say it is no more than $150 per night per person, which is about $300 per board member for 2 nights. Most of the time the vendors take out the Board members for dinner, at no cost to the district.
Excuse me, but this is NOT the wealthiest district in the state. If you think about it, this district will probably be trying to borrow money just to meet the payroll soon.

So how do you justify sending the entire Board to a conference? Why not just three or four. No, all of them. And just because they don't get paid is no reason to write a blank check for a conference. THEY chose to serve on this Board, and knew there was no paycheck. You offend me with your lack of knowledge concerning the fiscal responsibility this Board must realize. How often is the Governor holding back funds? Todd Stroger has spent all of the 10.25% sales tax he has collected. Now he wants more. It will not end.

And I am a taxpayer too, and this Board HAS to answer to me, not the other way around.

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