Local Black history, in honor of Black History Month, 2013. Enjoy...
History was in the making when Peoria Public Schools District 150 hired the 1st ever African-American as Superintendent.
This CAPtions "Back in The Day" from April, 2002 includes the hiring of Kay Royster, a press conference after the meeting, a CAPtions interview with Royster, and comments by Board Members, including Jan Deissler, Garry "Pepper" Allen, Martha Ross, and a very young Aaron Schock. Despite positive feedback and hopes from the community, Dr. Royster's contract was bought out in 2004.
This edition also includes footage of the 2002 Food-Share Can-A-Thon; an interview with Kathryn Timmes on the 21st Century program at Dist. 150; and storytelling by Brian 'Fox' Ellis and PCCEO Foster Grandparents.
School Board Member, Martha Ross' term expires in 2013. Mrs. Ross was appointed to the District 150 Board of Education prior to being elected to the Board from District 1 in 2003. It is not known at this time if Mrs. Ross will be seeking re-election.
The Board of Education, City of Peoria, School District #150, hereby gives public notice that one (1) School Board member is to be elected in the election to be held on April 9, 2013. One School Board member is to be elected from the first (1st) School Election District.
Petitions may be obtained from Joan L. Bastian, Secretary of the Board of Education, at her office at 3202 N. Wisconsin Avenue, Peoria, Illinois, during regular office hours. School Board candidates may circulate petitions beginning September 25, 2012.
The first day petitions may be filed is Monday, December 17, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. and the last day for filing petitions is Monday, December 24, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Source
Remember last year when the process for choosing who would sit at the head of the School Board was questioned?
Well it's that time of year again and as far as I know, nothing about the process for choosing has changed. 1470 WMBD is reporting that current board vice-president Chris Crawford and board member Martha Ross will likely be nominated for board president. Ross has been on the School Board for nine ten years, longer than any other member. Crawford has been on the School Board since 2010.
Last year it was Ross vs. Linda Butler, with Butler winning the seat. Board member M. Lynne Costic voted with Ross. Voting for Butler, in addition to herself, were Debbie Wolfmeyer, Chris Crawford and new board member Rick Cloyd, who was sworn in that day. Laura Petelle was absent.
Currently, the only qualification to be president is to sit on the board for at least one year. A past policy required a board member to be vice president before becoming president. Source
Dist. 150 school board expected to elect new president
The Peoria District 150 school board apparently will be under new leadership the next fiscal year.
Sources tell 1470 WMBD current board vice-president Chris Crawford and board member Martha Ross will likely be nominated for board president when the panel holds its annual reorganization meeting Monday.
Current board president Linda Butler will not seek another one-year term as president.
Board member Rick Cloyd will likely be the lone nominee to replace Crawford as vice-president.
Board members could make other nominations during the meeting which starts at Noon Monday at the District 150 administration building. Source
I was waiting for Pam Adams to write this story, but as of today, it has not happened. Maybe it's just me, but I think it is a significant news story when you have so many people in the black community being outspoken on any one topic. In my opinion, the local, main stream media is remiss in that they have not reported on the rift in the black community over the actions of the current Superintendent of Public Schools.
"You don't have to like me, you don't have to love me, I'm asking you to respect what we're trying to do in our schools."
Superintendent Grenita Lathan
Team Superintendent
Rev. Tony Pierce said he had been among the group of ministers who met with Superintendent Grenita Lathan to discuss the four administrators' futures. At the Charter Oak BOE meeting he stated "I stand tonight in support of Dr. Lathan," he said, adding that she had been hired to be a "change agent." The Reverend Tony E. Pierce serves as Co-Senior Pastor of Heaven’s View Christian Fellowship; CEO of Heaven’s View Community Development Corporation and Co-Founder of the Community Development & Service Institute.
Joyce Banks, stated in an editorial she sent in to the local newspaper, "We will not move forward with personnel at the helm who have so many personal ties to the community that radical change would be rendered virtually impossible. The skill set of the team necessary to turn a failing district around should be her call. Does it matter how many team members come from places outside the district if they are the right ones for the task?"
Joyce K. Banks is a minister at Heaven's View Christian Fellowship Church and lives in Peoria.
Pastor Harvey Burnett "I can only say that if we expect different results for our students, we cannot continue to do things the same as we have always done. Our children deserve an environment where the teacher will be just as accountable as the student is expected to be. Where the principal is actively engaged with both students and parents as opposed to hiding behind secretarial staff to deflect attention. We certainly have issues as a district, but a Supt. that is out of control IS NOT one of them."
Pastor Burnett is the father of a District 150 student, founder of New Bethel COGIC of Peoria, IL; and the Peoria Assn. of Pastors For Community & Spiritual Renewal
Board President Linda Butler "The board is aware some of you have come to express concerns about a personnel matter," Butler said before the public comment portion of the meeting. "We're ready to make difficult and unpopular decisions because a good future demands it." Linda Butler is Chaplain & Director of the New Promise Center at the Peoria South Side Mission
Team Principals and Teachers Donald Jackson, "It's not just one or two people in the community who are concerned," The district has hired 11 people from North Carolina, Lathan's home town, for $1.5 million, but none are black males, while qualified people from Peoria are ignored. People with master's degrees are supervising those with Ph.Ds.
While there is "a level of administration never had before," classroom aides are being cut to part time next year and some classrooms have 30 children. The money could be better spent. Jackson is the President of the Illinois and Peoria NAACP
Dr. Rita Ali, was one of the speakers at the Charter Oak news conference, who reiterated a theme - a "culture of constant fear" - that has come up at the last three board meetings in reference to Lathan's leadership style. "The same superintendent that recommended Mrs. Coleman from her role are principal, just a few months ago rated her as an outstanding leader in the top five percent and with great potential to be a great superintendent one day," "I question the evaluation " of the principals, by "an individual from North Carolina with no central management experience," and "a letter filled with run-on sentences and typos. Is she qualified to evaluate" these principals with "an untested evaluation tool" Dr. Ali is the grandmother of District 150 students, Director of Diversity at Illinois Central College; was on the search committee that brought Lathan to town; on the Board at Manual Academy and is a member of the African American Leadership Alliance.
Board member Martha Ross, asked about letters sent to each of the four in question, asking them to voluntarily, privately take a specific reassignment, with a specific lower salary. The district's attorney said all four refused, and the process became public. That gave the administration the option to assign the four to a variety of positions, potentially with even lower salaries. Ross called it punishment.
"We should not wait until the end of the year to let our staff, administrators know that they are not up to par," she said. Martha Ross is Principal in Martha Ross Travel Solutions; a member of the African American Leadership Alliance; the Board of the Illinois Alliance of Information and Referral Services; and Director Lifeline Family Services
Board member Lynn Costic, criticized Lathan for earlier saying District 150 is "dysfunctional." "It's an insult," she said, adding "I do not believe changes should be made that are the result of retaliation or personal preferences. This district needs administrators who have great relationships with parents and children. This isn't change for improvement." Lynn Costic is owner of Mayah's Just for Kids
Kristie Hubbard, who said she had been Lathan's Realtor, told board members she understood their position, but the process for making decisions to reclassify the four was flawed. Hubbard is the mother of a District 150 student, wife of the Pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church; a former assistant principal at Manual Academy and current Quest Academy board member.
Rev. Harold Dawson Jr. compared the four to Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teen shot and killed by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla. "No blood was spilled in the street but their character has been assassinated," Dawson said. Dawson, was also among the group of ministers who met with Superintendent Grenita Lathan last week to discuss the four administrators' futures. Dawson is the father of a District 150 student, the Pastor of New Hope Deliverance Church; Chairman of the Religious Affairs of the NAACP; Commissioner on the Greater Peoria Airport Authority; Director Illinois One Family One Child; his father was/is the Chairman Peoria Christian Leadership Conference and a founder of the African American Leadership Alliance.
Quotes excerpted from pjstar, peoria story, week, ciproud.
Word is that Monday nights BOE meeting may be a barn burner, with many feeling that the Superintendent and the BOE may have finally pushed people to their limit. People are expected to picket and protest out in front of Administration and the meeting is expected to be packed.
What's on the Agenda that has people so riled up this time? The decision to move principals Annette Coleman (Glen Oak) and Kevin Curtin (Irving) back into the classroom, along with the decision not to renew assistant principal Paul Monrad's (Glen Oak) contract.
"It's not just one or two people in the community who are concerned," said Don Jackson, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He said members of the chapter are meeting Thursday to discuss a response. pjstar
It's said that folks feel it is time for BOE President, Linda Butler and company to have their feet held to the fire. To date, only BOE members Rick Cloyd and Martha Ross have spoken out here and there about decisions that Administration have made, with the rest of the BOE appearing to have remained silent. However, it is believed that there may be other BOE members who have lost confidence in the Superintendent but have not yet voiced their opinions publicly.
Recently appointed District 150 School Board member, M. Lynn Costic went to bat for Martha Ross at Friday afternoon's school board meeting. Costic, who was appointed to the school board via the straw poll process in January of 2011, expressed concern for using the straw poll process to decide who the school board president will be.
Yesterday's meeting gives citizens some insight into the divisions that may exist within the BOE. The discussion around fairness is disappointing, as the students and parents expect this BOE to be focused on the serious issues that we are facing here in Peoria. Division does not encourage stability.
Linda Butler chosen as District 150 board president Longest-serving member Martha Ross questions 4-2 vote's fairness
District 150 School Board Vice President Linda Butler was elected Friday as president of the board, which again passed over longtime member Martha Ross.
Ross has been on the School Board for nine years, longer than any other member. After Friday's 4-2 vote, she said the practice of selecting a board president was "unfair" and "biased."
"We as a board are supposed to model how we want our children to perform. We want our children to treat each other fairly ... but yet I really feel that is not what is happening with this board and it is a personal feeling that I have not been treated fairly for whatever reason," Ross said during the meeting, adding that "it has the appearance in this community as being discriminatory and biased."
Board member M. Lynne Costic voted with Ross. Voting for Butler, in addition to herself, were Debbie Wolfmeyer, Chris Crawford and new board member Rick Cloyd, who was sworn in Friday. Laura Petelle, who gave birth to a boy on Wednesday, was absent.
Costic questioned the straw poll process of determining who will lead the board meetings.
"I am just going to call it. Mrs. Ross is continually getting passed over and passed over, and there is a major concern from the community as to why this continues to happen, and if she is not being told why she is not being selected for the office of president after serving on this board for nine years, then shame on us as a board. She needs to know. I would like to know." - M. Lynn Costic -
Wolfmeyer, the board's outgoing president, said "This is an individual decision that board members make as to who they want at any given time to lead the board."
Butler said she supported Ross for two years after coming on the board, even nominating her one year as president, but that the votes just didn't fall in her favor.
Currently, the only qualification to be president is to sit on the board for at least one year.
Ross said the process "has been changed many times to fit the people who wanted to be in the position." A past policy required a board member to be vice president before becoming president, she said.
Butler, an administrator at South Side Mission who has been on the board since 2007, said her two priorities for the next year are student academic improvement and the district's finances.
"I believe we have made some good decisions, but clearly there is a lot of work ahead of us," Butler said of the past year.
Cloyd, installed during the board's annual reorganization meeting, was elected earlier this year. He replaces outgoing board member Jim Stowell, who finished his five-year term.
"It's humbling and exciting at the same time and I appreciate the opportunity to serve - I've lived in the Peoria area my whole life and went to District 150 schools," Cloyd said. "This is a great opportunity to give back to the community. I think we're on the start of a good path and I want to help us stay on it." Source
If it's more difficult to suspend a student with an IEP, perhaps District 150 will think twice before issuing them. Good news for black males, as this could possibly present a chance for a more “mainstream” education.
In my opinion, the news story below illustrates another example of the violation of children’s rights that have been happening in District 150 for very long time. ACLU stuff, right? And people in Peoria wonder how we got to where we are.
It's interesting that this story would run in the Journal Star and not mention that for years Martha Ross has been standing up for the children who were being expelled and suspended.
Here's to the people who made light of that...
District 150 addressing discipline for disabled students School Board puts new policy on display after warnings from state
District 150 on Monday said it is taking steps to correct a years-old problem of how it disciplines students with disabilities after warnings by the state.
Maureen Langholf, who earlier this year was named director of special education at District 150, said it has put in place more intervention procedures, provided additional social training to special education teachers, and even began placing some students in half-day programs at the Moss Avenue building that houses Peoria Alternative High School and the Adult Education Center.
"It's stopped the high number of days per child" who have been suspended, Langholf said Monday prior to the School Board putting on public display a new policy. She also acknowledged the decreased numbers are not necessarily indicative of less bad behavior.
Langholf said the goal is to help get at the root problem of why students are misbehaving and addressing it, rather than simply applying punitive measures, not to mention addressing federal law. Students also are receiving more educational services, with more than three hours in a school setting versus one hour by a tutor at home.
Under the revised discipline guidelines for students with disabilities, students may be suspended for no more than 10 days each year. After 10 days out, the district must provide educational services in accordance with that student's Individual Education Plan. Behavior intervention plans also must be established.
A special education student who carries or possesses a weapon to or at school, possesses or uses illegal drugs or inflicts serious bodily injury upon another person at school shall be placed in an alternative educational setting for no more than 45 school days, the revised policy states.
Superintendent Grenita Lathan said Monday the rules cannot prevent expulsion of a special education student.
At issue with the state has been the school district's past practice of suspending students with disabilities in increments of up to three days after they already had been suspended for 10 days, which violates federal law. It's unclear how many students were included in the citation from the state, which ranges from 2007 to 2010.
No additional staff members were hired for the changes put in place this year, though more work from teachers, administrators and special education staff is required, officials said.
"It's more work for schools, but it's part of our responsibility," said Bill Salzman, the district's director of student affairs.
The new policy, which district officials say follows the law, is expected to go before the board next month for formal adoption.
Since the BOE voted to stop airing their meetings, information coming out about the District has been at a minimum (see … moratorium). Three specific reasons have surfaced as to why the meetings are no longer broadcast: control the message, tired of being bullied and the cost.
The fact that not televising the meetings is a cost saver has yet to be proven (even though I seem to recall BOE member Ross asking about it twice). However, it has become evident that the real reason for not televising the meetings is more than likely wanting to control the message, along with not wanting to publicize the level of discourse.
BOE member Stowell is correct that the District should care about the message that the public receives if the speakers make unfounded comments. But not televising the meetings in an attempt to “control the message” won’t work.
BOE member Petelle has speculated that perhaps allowing back and forth dialogue would allow the District to address the unfounded issues immediately. With discourse being at the current levels, in my opinion, back and forth dialogue in this type of forum could be a quagmire.
Sure it’s got to be hard being a BOE member on the end of a well researched issue that you have no knowledge of, delivered jabbingly (new word). However, you can’t deny that the District Watch Group has brought many issues to light that the BOE and the broader public were not aware of.
Mrs. Petelle’s intentions are good, but how many BOE members are really prepared to address the various issues that randomly come up from speakers? The majority of the commenter's at the BOE meetings are very well prepared. They have done the research, they have talked to people, they have handouts and they are passionate about that of which they speak.
Providing opportunities for members of the community, including employees, parents, and students, to have input in local school board deliberations is a very important part of conducting school system business.
At the same time, however, the BOE cannot effectively do its work and reach reasoned decisions if the public commentary portion of BOE meetings sets a tone of incivility and disorder. Thus, policies dealing with public commentary during official meetings of the BOE must make The Rules very clear...
The Rules
The Board encourages, welcomes, and will make opportunities for public comment on matters coming before the Board. • All comments made during the public commentary portion of Board meetings will be limited to specific items included in the official meeting agenda. • Individuals wishing to speak during the public comment portion of Board meetings must, prior to the Board meeting, have his/her name placed on an official list of speakers kept by the Clerk of the Board. • Persons whose names do not appear on the approved list kept by the Clerk of the Board will not be permitted to speak. • Speakers whose names appear on the list kept by the Clerk of the Board will be called in order and given a specific time limit within which to make their comments to the Board. • Inappropriate comments, name-calling, profanity, the venting of personal issues, or other disruptive behaviors will not be tolerated. • Civility will be insisted upon and enforced during all Board meetings.
Any individual or group of individuals whose comments and/or physical behaviors are deemed disruptive of Board business, and/or who engages in speaking on subjects not at the time relevant to matters before the Board, will be removed from the Board chamber and escorted off school system property.Source
If an issue is important enough for back and forth dialogue, perhaps the BOE member could discuss it after the meeting and/or place the item on the Agenda for a later date.
Give these volunteers time to do the research and get answers after the issues are raised and then hold them accountable based upon that feedback.
