I remember back in the day when Mary Davis was sitting to the right hand of Ken Hinton. From my vantage point, they appeared to have a good working relationship and he handled her with respect. Even though she didn't name Hinton in the suit referenced below, reading about how she is now saying she was discriminated against while under his watch would be laughable, if it wasn't so sad.
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This suit has been brought with Davis knowing that Peoria being the special place that it is - she just might win this thing. After all, precedent has been set on claims of reverse discrimination against District 150.
96 comments:
She was not fired until after Hinton "retired" early.
One wonders what "goods" she has on the other administrators.
I think there are several reasons why she shouldn't win this case. First of all, District 150 didn't bring any charges against her. If I recall, 150 kept her on the payroll for quite a while after charges against her were filed.
This differs from the other reverse discrimination case in that none of those who brought charges had been accused of a crime.
I just don't see how Davis can possibly say that she was discriminated against--certainly not while she was an employee. She had just received a promotion. Even after she was charged, I think District personnel continued to support her. Certainly, the admin and board had fired Julie McArdle, most likely with considerable input from Davis. They believed Davis.
Does she really believe that District 150 should have kept her on the payroll for all these months. However, if by some strange turn of events, she is found innocent of the theft charges, then maybe she could claim she was fired without cause.
Well, what do ya know? ANOTHER suit filed against the district alleging unfair treatment based on race. Go Grenita! She's racked up more suits than any other superintendent I believe! That's quite an accomplishment. Maybe she can combat this image by bringing more unqualified African American carpetbaggers from NC..and the board will sit and watch and continue to rubber stamp her insanity all in the name of test scores of course. Oh yeah...and they've shot through the roof since she's been here!
I wonder if anyone in D150 is wondering what Davis might know and about whom she may know it. Yes, Peoria is a special place...a medium town that really wants to be a big city, but just can't get rid of that special downhome redneck good ole boy mentality. At any rate, I'm sure this suit will be entertaining to sit back and watch. I say maybe the board should wake up and take a good long look around and determine WHY they keep being sued for the SAME THING!
Ladies and Gentlemen---the legal stylings of Sharon Crews!! Applause Applause Applause! Wow.
Wasn't there another Principal that was accused of wrongdoing in relations to monies for a school trip? This principal was not dismissed and I believe the funds involved were a greater amount.
I am not defending Ms. Davis, I am just saying I believe that will be an allegation in her complaint.
As Ken's "right hand" person Davis has knowledge of all the skeletons in the closet, particularly discipline actions, so different from other complainants, she has much knowledge of what actions rise to the level of suspension, dismissal, etc. of administrators.
As "Ken's right hand" person not only would she have knowledge of all of the skeltons, she was potentially involved with not holding african american administrators to the same level of accountability. Yet, she still recommended that McArdle be fired. What principals did Davis supervise when she was at D150?
Does anyone else find it ironic that she files this suit just one week before she is scheduled to go on trial for her 16 felony counts?
I remember principals doing whatever they damn well pleased while Mary Davis was overseeing them.
Whether MD has a legitimate discrimination lawsuit or not doesn't change the fact that she faces jail time if convicted of felony theft.
I am just expressing opinions--and others can add theirs--that's how we figure out what is really going on, etc.
Frustrated, yes, we all know about the trip and the principal. The only difference is that no one filed charges against her. The District didn't bring any charges against her or Mary Davis.
The District would probably never have taken any action against Davis either if McArdle hadn't filed charges.
Good point, also, that Davis herself was in authority over principals and the only one she seemed to find fault with was McArdle.
You are absolutely correct Sharon. If someone went to the police with proof of a criminal act with the other principal then maybe D150 would have done something. Remember D150 did not even fire Davis until after she was indicted!
Don't think this has anything to do with race but has everything to do with D150 administrators protecting each other. They had no choice but to fire Davis once she was indicted.
Anybody ever wonder why Tom Broderick who was in charge of HR and also an attorney quit so abruptly a few months after the info on Davis surfaced?
From what I've read in the papers and have heard, the main difference between "the principal" who had large sums of money go missing on a trip and Davis was that the DISTRICT didn't bother to report the discrepancy in the funds of that African American principal...and they DID report the alleged discrepancies (alleged by McArdle...a very credible and competent individual from what I've read here and on other blogs...NOT) of Davis a white principal who likely happened to be privy to a TON of info on the corruption of D150 and it's hierarchy. Thats sounds discriminatory..but then again, I'm not a lawyer either Sharon.
They only reported the "alleged discrepancies" because they had no choice. McArdle forced their hand. Interesting how you question McArdle's credibility and competence. Do you believe Davis is credible? Competent?
Had no choice...McArdle was the boss of Hinton and the school board members????? Oh I forgot she was a first year principal and first year employee of D150. Where is she now?
I'm not going with the racial discrimination at all. District 150 principals, black and white (white for longer than black because there was a time when there were no black principals) have had access to considerable money for which there was little oversight.
Remember, no one in District 150 listened to McArdle--yes, they listened but didn't believe her and fired her.
Right Sharon...So the question is....WHY Davis? You make a very good point!!!
Sharon...as stated by Anonymous you make an excellent point. I don't support Davis any more than the average Joe who is sick of seeing District 150 do everything BUT educate children. A legal battle will certainly ensue now regarding the issue with Davis, but there are several other principals who are STILL doing what Davis was accused of doing even now that the policies and procedures have been changed regarding finances. Might be interesting to note that the last changes to them came only after they had fired Davis. Maybe District Watch should FOIA all activity accounts, all slush fund money and all other school accounts and then go to the police department and report any discrepancies. It seems that one does not need any credible evidence to do so these days.
District 150 under the regime of the almighty Grenita has taken corruption and cover up to a whole new level.
Can anyone please tell me why it matters one bit what Davis has on ANYONE in the district? She still committed a crime (allegedly) and proving that someone in the district got away with a more serious crime based on race (allegedly) doesn't negate the crime Davis committed. In my mind she is going to have a really hard time proving that she is innocent of theft. This lawsuit seems like more of a red herring than anything legit!
Principals ran their buildings like little fiefdoms. Remember the horrible trouble D150 had with the principal at Glen Oak School? That is a direct result of Mary Davis lack of leadership.
I think you misunderstand District Watch--we are individuals intereested in 150, not really a group. You are quite free to FOIA all these records and pay for them as we, as individuals, often do.
So if there are principals spending money illegally and you know about it, then you could be the whisteblower--which is what McArdle did. You can't just sit on the sidelines ordering other people to take the risks. Blaming someone of wrongdoing carries with it some risks--don't ask others to do what you aren't willing to do.
Amen Sharon!! If there are principals that are still doing what Mary Davis did then they should be reported to the authorities.
I would think that anyone who wanted be a whistleblower (not what McArdle did as ruled on by a federal judge if I recall my facts) would think twice. From what I read and see going on in town people who attempt to hold others accountable and/or challenge the behavior of 150, no matter how outrageous, seem to find themselves out. Shipp, Ptacek, Davis, Broderick, Shangraw, Ungurait, Hoffer, Wojekevich, Ward, Stockman, --off the top of my head and I'm sure there's more I'm not privy to. This "out" either has been by force or punishment that they felt was unjustified and chose to leave.
Why would anyone in that mess choose to blow a whistle legitimate or not? People need jobs, have families and don't deserve to be punished by the superintendent and the board as if they are children who are being told "do as I say and not as I do" by a parent who is only interested in punishment rather than problem solving. That's what 150 has come to...a dictatorship in which challenge is disallowed.
As for the comment about a lawsuit being a red herring..it might be, but it's awfully interesting that it comes on the heels of so many others. Certainly some of those suits have merit. Not everyone can be so angered at the district as to spend their own money filing worthless suits. Has anyone seen the outcomes or heard the figures of recent settlements? If so, what were the reasons they were settled? Big entities tend to fight to the bitter end when they're right. Obviously someone somewhere decided it was smarter to settle than continue to fight what would be a losing battle. Right? I'm not an expert and haven't kept up on that, but I think that when a district is in constant turmoil and chaos it might pay to look a bit deeper at what your superintendent is doing and why she might want to keep things chaotic...hiding something perhaps?
Sharon, I as well as the other anonymous poster must misunderstand district watch. I was under the impression that it existed to attempt to hold the district accountable not just ponder all the "issues" it perceives. What has been accomplished since district watch began. I came to a meeting once long ago..it didn't interest me because I didn't see the possibility of affecting any real change and as a concerned citizen that is my goal and I was hoping to use it as an avenue to affect change, however the one meeting I attended made it clear that I was clearly misguided. Maybe I caught it on a bad night. At any rate thanks for the clarification to all of us.
People need to challenge illegal and unethical behavior in the workplace more often. If we don't then we encourage this type of behavior to continue. Bullying is NOT acceptable at any level. Yes, there can be a price to pay but there also is a price to pay for doing nothing!
District Watch doesn't do anything as a group. Some of us FOIA data to find out what is really going on and then present it to the board--who, for the most part, ignore us. We have no power to control anything in District 150--only to bring situations to light. If our elected board members don't see the problem, there is nothing any of us can do about it.
For instance, Terry spoke last night about Quest's acquisition of 150 property--he has had several people call him in agreement. I spoke about large class sizes in Whittier, Glen Oak, Harrison, and Roosevelt. Parents of the 600 students in classes that exceed 150 policy should come to the board rooms and pack the place to complain--that's the only way the board will take notice.
Emerge, you can blame the principals' behaviors on Davis, but I believe she only oversaw them for one school year. If I'm correct she followed Sanfilip, Fischer and Hannah! I would think the principals' already had a lot of bad habits. Just sayin...
Word out there is that Ungurait is up in appellate court this month.
Grenita Lathan espouses "no bullying" in our schools when infact, SHE is the biggest bully of all. Hopefully the board will wake up from their COMA long enough to see ALL the damage this woman and her entourage have left in their wake. This district is now going to be losing MORE talent at the end of this school year because of the BULLY in the nasty-ass wig(that girl needs to buy some shampoo).
I have no doubt that since Davis was allowed to stay on for 5 more months after the police charges were filed, she did quite a bit of her own "investigating" while working "late" at the district office. The BOE gave her plenty of opportunity to rifle through files, looking for any information(my guess is activity funds) that can substantiate her claim that "others" took money too. The BOE has NO ONE to blame but themselves and the people of Peoria need to "fire" them all and start over. I think 7 villages are missing idiots!!!
Second attempt: Davis probably has a good case given inside information. Wojo and Ptacek are not in the same league. Ptacek has a clean record. Read FOIAs on Wisconsin Avenue and request info on computer audits in order to make informed opinions.
Didn't Mary Davis do this another time several years ago? I think she did.
If Davis had dirt on any administrators she would have played that card well before now. This is nothing more than a "hail mary" pass from someone clearly not rooted in any kind of reality. I'm shocked a lawyer would even take this case, but there are probably plenty of stupid lawyers out there.
Davis makes the following claim in her complaint "At no time during the period she worked as the principal at
that school did she make any unauthorized or inappropriate withdrawals from that student
activity fund."
It will be interesting to see how this claim holds up in court next week!
Link below to original Peoria Chronicle story which includes exhibits(including financial documents)regarding activity fund issues.
http://peoriachronicle.com/2009/04/29/mcardle-sues-d150/
Another question to ask is whether or not she used the school's tax-free number to make personal purchases on the school credit card she allegedly used.
There was an audit done on school credit cards and Sam's Club accounts (supposedly). E-mails from one principal stated that they paid out of pocket for personal purchases. When I inquired about whether tax was paid, I was accused of harassment. Good luck getting to the truth. We gave up after 12 long years at D150. Moving our child prior to her senior year in high school has turned out to be quite a blessing.
Sharon, you have to know she did, otherwise she would be explaining to the cashier that she was using a district-held credit card to pay for an ink pen (475.00). bahahahaha.
Monte Blanc
Monte Blanc
Two years probation and $15,000 restitution.
Wonder how this will impact her civil suit. Now sure how she will claim she did not take any unauthorized money from the activity account. She is paying restitution. Do you pay restitution if you did not misuse or take the funds???????
Did they drop the charges in a deal because she filed a law suit?
No. She has drug this trial out for 3 years. They are sick of looking at her at the court house.
No. She has drug this trial out for 3 years. They are sick of looking at her at the court house.
Since she only plead guilty to obstruction of justice and not to theft, she may have a chance in her civil suit. I don't understand why she would need to pay restitution for obstruction of justice though. Interesting.....
So if she manages to win her civil suit, she will have effectively stolen from the district, admitted no guilt, gotten an innocent principal fired, and paid her "restitution" with the proceeds from her bogus lawsuit and back wages that she doesn't deserve!!! And who knows how much money she may make off this lawsuit? The taxpayer will possibly be paying her from stealing from our public schools! Wow!!!
Where is the justice in this world???
I heard that part of plea deal was to also drop all litigation against 150. Makes me wonder about principal accountability - past culture and now.
No true. She did not drop ANY charges against D150. She is an IDIOT. Maybe she can get a job as a welder....ICC has a great program.(insert sarcasm). I hope she has to pay the district back all the paychecks she collected while screaming her innocence.
This is unbelievable that her defense attorney would say something so stupid:
"I am happy, Mary Davis is happy," said Davis' Defense Attorney Judy Serritella, "We look at this as a victory. For two years, this has been going on; Mary's claimed she's been innocent, she never committed theft or official misconduct and today proved that."
VICTORY? REALLY? INNOCENT? REALLY? I don't think that's what the news reported. She ADMITTED she knew where the activity fund account was after lying about it for ALMOST 3 years.
Ms. Serritella, words you should live by: Better to remain silent and let people wonder, than to OPEN YOUR MOUTH and remove all doubt. bahahahaha
I am pretty sure that attorney couldn't have sounded any more stupid. Yup, she pled guilty which proves she's innocent? What a moron.
The updated Journal Star story says it all "A few months later, she admitted she did use money for her own use, according to a factual basis read by Assistant State's Attorney Seth Uphoff."
Her attorney put the spin on it. MD is happy because she isn't going to jail.
Her attorney put the spin on it. MD is happy because she isn't going to jail.
Her attorney put the spin on it. MD is happy because she isn't going to jail.
First of all…the administrators in the district should be just a little concerned about what this will do to them. What does Davis know? Second…”attemped” means ‘to make an effort’ meaning really didn’t complete it or follow through with. Third….people think about this….Brady dumped 16 felony charges against this lady…obviously didn’t have any evidence after 2 years of investigation. Ok maybe her story changed just a little bit from one meeting with the police to another, but it was about things that had happened years before…..
According to the paper Brady is now deciding what is 'inappropriate' (not legal or criminal), but 'inappropriate'. Appears he doesn't think the district is up to snuff.
Still waiting to hear a response from those proclaiming her innoncence on this from the Journal Star "A few months later, she admitted she did use money for her own use, according to a factual basis read by Assistant State's Attorney Seth Uphoff.
Any takers? Can't wait to hear this!!!
I don't proclaim her innocence at all....I think she's guilty, as a matter of fact. However, I think the people who believe in her innocence would say that she admitted that there were personal items on her credit card statement, but that the district reimbursed those items. Therefore, she is innocent of theft.
And as it stands, she technically IS innocent of theft because she only pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. My question is this:
If Mary is innocent, why the need to “lie to the police about using district money for personal use” in the first place? If she’s innocent, why were credit card statements missing and why did Julie McArdle need to have them sent to her to review. If Davis is innocent, why weren’t these statements easily obtained by the district, and why didn’t the district simply answer Julie with “We chose to reimburse Mary for those items!” ???
I believe that they pleaded to a lesser charge either because, up until now, Davis had a clean record or because they didn't have enough evidence to PROVE her guilt.
Thank you for explaining! I appreciate it!
'attempted obstruction of justice'...obviously Davis didn't follow through with the obstruction of justice
I don't know but as I follow this I would think several administrators in the district should be watching their backs.
A great deal may have had to do with the lack of policy and oversight of activity funds by the district and board. I do believe there are policies in place to keep this from happening again.
In essence, Mary Davis could say, "I had no idea this was wrong, no one told me or checked my books and there were no policies specifically telling people this was wrong. I was just ignorant to common sense." (even though I have a doctorate in educational administration...) lol!
lack of policy and oversight of activity funds and random audits...
EdD are a dime a dozen
I can't believe no one has mentioned yet what the bully is doing now, firing the principals at Glen Oak and Irving. Their crime - applying for jobs in another district. Once she found out she started giving them bad evaluations. This after having first hand experience with a principal who is now at Trewyn, who stole money from the PTO and missused schools funds. Supposedly, the bully knows this and yet said it was ok because Trewyn doesn't have a PTO???!!! Oh and she would let staff take vacation days without billing them for it (totally against the union contract and district policies) and numerous other examples of "I make my own rules." The test scores fell dramatically last year, but she gets to keep her job?
I'm all for holding people accountable, which seemed difficult for former sups' when their friends/relatives were in positions, but let's be fair in the delivery. That doesn't even begin to address her actual delivery style - bully is right on. I don't remember there ever being a class in college called "Leadership from the Top Down" or "Because I Said So," but apparantly Dr. L found a class like that and then minored in "If I yell at you and demoralize you, you'll listen."
Oh and supposedly she's been telling people she's not going to allow public comment Monday night, possibly due to the backlash of her wanting to fire these 2 administrators (again, not the one's that deserve it) and their assistant principals.
Sharon - I agree with what you say about taking a risk, but Dr. L has proven in just 2 short years how vindictive she can be. I'll fight and take the risk if my students are being impacted, but so far they are sheltered from all of this mess. The new curriculum objectives are good, everything else about her sucks!
If you can't hold your staff accountable for their responsibilities or if you falsify administrative reporting requirements, you SHOULD be judged accordingly. Carry on.....
She has no control over demeaning and condescending her employees, its her favorite hobby. The school board is to blame for allowing a jealous and insecure child to run the school district.
Mary Davis is innocent. The State drug the case out because they had nothing. Precisely why those charges were dropped.
Why are some of you so hateful?
An "innocent" person who will now have a criminal record.
This is the nature of our legal system. The State pushes things back hoping the defendant will run out of money, or desire to fight back. This case went on for over 2 years because the state had no evidence against her for theft or misuse of funds, and they didn't want to admit it. Sometimes people have to make choices to end things (i.e. this ridiculous case.) This case has cost Mary Davis plenty, and I am not just talking money.
I hear you. But of course you have this from pjstar ""a few months later, she admitted she did use money for her own use according to a factual basis read by Assistant States Attorney Seth Uphoff.
She admitted to using money for her own personal use!
I thought the case went on for 2 years because Mary Davis - not the state's attorney - kept asking for continuances.
Mary davis did ask for most of the continuances. Partly because she kept changing attorneys. This was her third attorney in the criminal case.
Mary Davis had 6 of the 7 continuances. She went through 3.. attorneys. She finally hired the daughter of a former Lindbergh teacher. Mary Davis pled guilty because she IS. Innocent people don't plead guilty. Mizuno you must stop believing a liar. It makes you appear ignorant.
Mizuno: The state hired a FORENSIC accountant that cost $5000.00 (that is the resitution MD is paying the State's Attorney's office). If the State's Attorney did not have a case, then why did she plead to anything? BTW, I have a bridge in fairly good shape, in Brooklyn for sale....cheap!
Well if Mizuno listens to Davis then Anonymous you must listen to McArdle. Where you there for all the continuances? Think about this...16 felony charges dropped and charged with 'attempted obstruction of justice'. I would say after 2 years the state had absolutely nothing. I also heard that the factual basis is not as Uphoff stated...I heard it stated she gave false information. I'm not a fan of Davis', but I do not believe she took district money for personal use or she would have been found guilty of theft (no way around). The auditor said 'no theft' so how could Uphoff's statement be true. I believe someone is trying to cover their A ___! Just maybe Lyons and Uphoff made a mistake. Also anonymous so now Davis should be punished for hiring a former Lindbergh teacher's daughter as her attorney. Really?
Dear Anon: I READ the EVIDENCE. Don't know McArdle, just READ the EVIDENCE. The reason the auditor said 'no theft' is BECAUSE the activity fund for the '07-08 school year "mysteriously" disappeared. How did that happen?
16 felony charges came from the years 05 through 07 if I read correctly....and the auditor still didn't find any evidence...oops.....facts Sasha...facts!
Thats right. Can't charge her since the "evidence" disappeared. Guess we will have to agree to disagree. You believe a self-proclaimed liar and I choose to read the evidence and believe the truth.
We are never going to agree and that is o.k. We are exercising our freedom of speech. I believe Mary Davis. She is a good person with a big heart. She would never intentionally do anything to hurt her students or her school. I look at the evidence too, and just because I have a different opinion, doesn't mean I am ignorant. Name calling is a sign of immaturity and insecurity. Mary Davis has been a poisitive influence in my life for the past 26 years, and I support her.
Where I the outcry that Lathan is dismissing two wonderful principals? Rumor has it that it is happening at Monday's board meeting. Why is there no agenda inthe district 159 website? Why hasn't pjstar picked up on this?
Wow! Typing from phone is scary! Sorry for the misspellings. I have big thumbs!
The information I have is that the
Superintnendent does not make up the agenda, or decide whether there are public comments are not. The Board of Education does. Complain to the Board of Education office.
This is a Committee of the Whole Meeting, Dennis. Do different rules apply, since it is at the end of the meeting?
The agenda is through Joan Bastian, whose desk is in the BIG office on Wisconsin.
Lathan meets with the board chair prior to every meeting where she dictates what is on the agenda.
The Board Agenda line is missing since 3:30 on the D150 site. Under Board of Education. It is normally the 2nd line...usually 4 categories there, now only 3.
What game is being played now?
Wow! It's missing from the psd150.org website entirely. WTF? Is the board getting their own page now? No agendas and no minutes are available at all. Do I smell a no confidence vote?
Found it under Committee of the Whole on the site itself. Agenda is there.
No one investigated Hannah when money was missing from Blaine-Sumner when he left to go to Woodruff. Mysteriously money was missing from the 8th grade trip fund. Of course he became the co-sup now long after that. Hmmmm.....
Lathan confiscated more than $40I thousand dollars when she "closed" adult ed. That money was scholarship money for GED graduates. What account did that end up in?
Not 40I.....$40,000+ from adult ed., scholarship fund...
Check out her resume and who wrote her letters of recommendation.
http://superintendent-search.keysschools.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/gwp/1523249/3101857/File/Mary%20Davis.pdf
So Mary Spangler, previous D150 board member, wrote a letter of recommendation for Mary Davis AFTER Davis was indicted on 16 felony counts! Nice!
I am a Spangler supporter--always have been. "Unbelievable"--you might want to remember that Spangler gave many years of service to this board and was herself criticized and ridiculed when she was in dissent with the common opinion or had the brains and integrity to question what was going on around her. Like other BOE members in the past she finally said, "hell with it", and decided to focus on her life and her children. So now Peoria has a wonderful board full of clowns who can't do anything but nod yes to the Superintendent. That's "nice".
Mary Davis again...isn't that old news? And we all need to remember she was actually not indicted and the numerous felonies were thrown out. As always the McArdles need to check their facts. Must be a boring summer...McArdle not working in Rockford and all. Maybe she should post her resume here and someone might see it an offer a job? Seems like she has a hard time keeping one.
Why is it unbelievable that Spangler would write a letter of recommendation? Until McArdle and that whole debacle I don't remember hearing of others in D150 having issues with Davis. She rose through the ranks and was/is widely praised a both a wonderful teacher and administrator. It's unfortunate that unsubstantiated allegations have had this effect on a person's career--no matter who it is. I'm sure Davis is keeping quiet because there is pending litigation, but I would be willing to bet that once that's done she will have a thing or two to say.
She was indicted and she admitted guilt, for which she has been punished. End of story.
Mary Davis has a right to move on.
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