District 107 is very lucky to have a candidate like Karen O'Halloran for their school district. I have been a School Board member for the past 17 years in School District 98 with 12 of those years as Board President. Before deciding to seek office, Karen sought my council along with other Board members from various school districts on Board issues, policies and procedures. Gathering information to make sound decisions is one of the base criteria for becoming a School Board Member. Keeping oneself informed on school issues as well as community needs is what Karen O'Halloran is about.
I have known Karen for over 20 years and have always found her to be a person of integrity and strong morale convictions. Just give her a mission and watch her results.
I sincerely hope that District 107 will allow Karen to be a voice for the children and the school community by electing her to the Board of Education.
Tony Laureto
School Board President
District 98
Editor's Note:
Anonymous said, "You have posted an endorsement from a man who has been on the school board for roughly 17 years, but you bring up the fact that some of our board members will not have students in our school next year. Don't they bring experience and want the best for the kids of our district as your endorsement does?"
Dear Anonymous,
As far as the endorsement from the School Board President in District 98 serving well after his children have left the district...
I went to Tony for advice several months ago, as I have deep respect for him and his board for all of their accomplishments.
He is in a District with 3,300 students (we have 837), his Superintendent makes $174,393 (ours superintendent makes over $187,234), 79% of the students are low income (we have 5%), 10% are white, 77% are Hispanic (English is the second language for most and not spoken at home).
They have a balanced budget. Their instructional expenses are $3,937 (ours are $6,974); operational expenses are $6,934 (ours are $12,943).
Overall, they meet or exceed State Standards 71.6%. Pleasantdale meets or exceeds State Standards 95.1%.
Tony said that he could only dream about having a budget like ours or about having a group of dedicated community servants willing to step up to the job.
I mention this because I think you will all agree that we have a lot to be thankful for in our district. And, while we are doing a great job, let's put it into perspective... don't you think we can do better? I do!
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16 comments:
I attended last night's candidates forum and was pleased to see so many interested parents. With such pathetic attendance at Board Meetings, Town Hall Meetings, etc, last night's attendance numbers should send a message to the administration and current board that the status quo will no longer be tolerated.
I have felt personal frustration with the school, its administration and a handful of teachers but I didn't realize how widespread the level of disatisfaction is. If folks were happy with the way things are going, they would not have given up 2 hours of their evening to attend the forum.
The current board's inability to answer basic questions about a strategic plan that they developed; their assertion that "if you want change, then don't vote for me," and Leandra's absolutely irresponsible notion that it isn't her job to research what other schools are doing in technology made my decision on Tuesday a very easy one. It is time for a change.
The fresh ideas that I heard last night from the challengers were spot on in terms of technology, motivating younger kids to learn, transparency and open communication. It was apparent that they did their homework and that the current board underestimated their intelligence and the intelligence of the audience. They simply looked foolish and uniformed. Their body language, snickering, head shaking and eye rolling was childish.
Beefing up our kids' technology skills is a must yet the current board thinks they have more than tackled this issue. Perhaps a day in Mod Tech would make them think differently.
We must also continue to question the heavy emphasis on test taking. Last night was the first night I heard about teachers essentially bribing kids to do well on the Explore Test. Each one of those teachers, as well as the administration, should be ashamed of themselves yet the incumbent Board Members were proud of this practice. What happened to being proud of kids for simply 'doing their best"?
Opening up Board Meetings or creating another forum for parents and the community to voice their opninion is exactly what we need. The idea that parents, teachers and concerned citizens sit through Board Meetings and don't get their questions answered is ludicrous. I would like to see whatever law they believe requires them to ignore the very people they were elected to represent.
Lastly, let me make a suggestion...instead of spending $200,000 to remodel a 800 square foot office under the guise of 'security', let me suggest you buy our children some laptops so they can teach themselves what the untrained technology teacher can't. For $200,000, I can build a 1,600 square foot house with a security system.
Hats off to the PTA for putting the forum together and to the Park District for hosting.
P.S. Did anyone find the Superintendent's attendance and front row seat curious?
I also attended last night's forum and was equally impressed by the amount of parents that were there.
Unfortunately I can't say that I was impressed by the way the present board answered some of those questions or rather that they couldn't. Why is it that these 4 new people running had more information than the board that is in place now? That left a bad taste in my mouth.
Up until now I thought that the present board had done a so so job, but now I see I was totally wrong.
I am definately in for change.
I also attended last night's candidates forum and was pleased with the turnout. I believe the reason for low attendance at the meeting you listed, is because community members are NOT as unhappy as you think they are.
I believe it is a naive assumption to think that the large attendance last night was due to dissatisfaction of the school. Any civic minded person should attend a candidates forum.
Can you "really" say that they didn't answer the question about the strategic plan? It's disturbing that you could make comments about someone of Leandra's quality. I can only assume that you have not nearly donated as much of your time as she has to this school and community. It's obvious you don't know her. I should only hope that more people should follow in her footsteps. If you really feel that the question wasn't answered why don't you contact them.
Were we at the same forum? I am confident that Mirable, Sedlack and Essig only conducted themselves in a professional manner. We should be proud that the forum was a success.
As for your next two paragraphs, so much for staff morale!
As for answering your question at a school board meeting, if you were a board member would you want someone to answer for you? As stated at the forum, there are laws to follow at a school board meeting. I would question your ethics if you wanted them to break the law. Also stated last night, if you have a question, submit it or have your name put on the agenda. They will answer it as a school board not as an individual.
As for the office and security at elementary, are you willing to compromise the safety of the students. We can continue to say that nothing has happened, but there is a definite need for security improvement.
One definite agreement we have is kudos to the Shah's for an informative evening.
P.S. If you would have walked past the front row you would have noticed it said reserved seating and he was directed to sit there. This is how rumors get started.
Since I know how much this blog hates rumors, I would also like to stop a rumor before it starts. Dr. Fredisdorf was assigned his seat for the candidates forum. The first row of seats were reserved for certain people and Dr. Fredisdorf was one of them. What I find absolutely unbelievable is how petty it is to make an issue out someone's seating assignment. GROW UP!
I agree that there are rules that govern the way a meeting is run. However, I do not believe there is a rule that says a Board member cannot address the audience. Be they Board Members, Village Trustees, or State Representatives, all make statements, take positions, and conduct conversations while in a public meeting. It seems that our School Board has imposed it's own gag rule when a non-member offers a comment or asks a question. Anyone elected to a government position can make a statement, or present an argument for one side of the position or the other. It is through these discussions and debates that one would hope a good deceision is rendered. When a Board or a committee votes then it is the consensus of that governing body that is transmitted to the public as a decision. The other fallacy that was aired last night is the notion that the School Board does not discuss these issues without putting them on a pblicized agenda so that everyone who is interested can listen. While I concur with the person who made that statement, the Board would actually have to put the issue brought before it on an agenda so it could be discussed in public rather than responding with a letter. How does the Board discuss what goes in those letters? Do they do this in closed session so that the public can not hear the discussion of the response?
This is amazing...we haven't had this kind of dialog about the school in the 15 years I have lived here. Regardless of who I vote for, I want to thank the creators of this blog. This type of communication is long over due and should be embraced by the school board.
I wasn't able to stay for the entire meeting but was there at 6:30 and found it suspect that the Superintendent was on the stage at the beginning of the meeting. This was a political event and he should not have been given a reserved seat and for that matter no one should have been given a reserved seat. It was absolutely inappropriate.
As for the Board not engaging parents at Board Meetings, I would encourage folks to attend public meetings in other jurisdictions. The public is allowed to speak and the elected officials do discuss the issues not hiding behind the Open Meetings Act.
While it would be nice if folks attended meetings and candidates forum regularly, research shows that more people attend these types of events when they are dissatisfied.
Teacher morale is dangerously low and yet the administration just continues to push them around. When you reassign teachers based on personal issues rather than professional accomplishments and then don't provide the appropriate training, inevitably morale will decline. When you force teachers to shove extra lessons at kids in the name of test scores, you demoralize everything they believe in and impact their passion for their students and their profession. I do agree that this bribery aka 'incentive' is unjustified. I like the idea of checking back in with former students on whether they felt unnecessary pressure to perform. How is the child who simply doesn't test well supposed to feel when his classmates get the 'incentive'. It pits these kids against each other and just isn't fair.
In closing, as I started with, regardless of who folks decide to cast a vote for, this blog has provided folks with the ability to voice their concerns in a non-threatening environment.
Best of luck to all the candidates.
Shameless and Shameful!
Did anyone see the Pleasantdale newsletter with the incumbent candidates on the cover and then profiled inside? Apparently the rest of the Board hasn't contributed anything worthwhile recently. Is this self-promotion legal? The timing of the mailing is a little suspect as well.
I can't believe you would even comment on that. That newsletter comes out the same time every year whether there is an election or not. I am sure those certain board members worked hard for those credits and did not do it to down play anything another board member has done. When the other board members achieve the same things, I am sure they will also be recognized for their hard work. It amazes me how someone always seems to take anything the district does as a blow to someone else. Can't we just be happy for someone elses achievements.
Anonymous at April 1, 2009 11:58 PM:
You're kidding, right?
It's too bad you seem to believe everything you here. Those incumbents and the superintendent have more integrity than you can possible imagine. If only you spent more time getting to know them as a person with a heart, you might actually consider treating them like human beings.
I thought the same thing when I saw yesterday's newsletter then I remembered thinking that there was something that didn't feel right about the previous newsletter as well. I pulled it out and the front cover was profiles of each board member instead of what the Board is doing to improve the school. Does that happen at the same time every year or only in years where there is a contested election? I won't take anything away from their accomplishments or commitment, but remember in life, perception is reality. If the Board members can't speak with an independent voice then perhaps they shouldn't be profiled independently.
Sorry I missed the forum. Sounds like it was great. This is good reading.
I think people should go back to pre 2003 and see how the school ranked before the Strategic Plan was begun. Since then we have gone from being in the lower half of the feeder schools in test scores to being either 1st or 2nd. What an accomplishment. The administration, teachers and school board must be doing something right. This group keeps saying there is so much wrong, I have only seen improvement! My children could not be any happier. If the teachers were not happy, don't you think it would be sensed by the kids?
You have posted an endorsement from a man who has been on the school board for roughly 17 years, but you bring up the fact that some of our board members will not have students in our school next year. Don't they bring experience and want the best for the kids of our district as your endorsement does?
First of all everybody. I don't think these comments are meant to attack anybody personally.
"This is business not personal"
So lets not get hot under the collar here.
Secondly I know the present board and super better than the 4 new people running. I am making my decision based on what I am witnessing, reading, and hearing from other parents. Not who I have known longer.
Third, I myself have donated a lot of my time to the school. And I see for myself what goes on.
And finally, if they don't have kids in the district anymore, they should step aside. I really don't think that they could have the children's best interest anymore. Who better than parents with children in the district to try and make a better teaching environment. There are other ways to support the district and the children.
Again, another example of immaturity in the knowledge of the workings of a school. Like someone else on this blog has stated, there are rules to follow when conducting meetings. God help you four and your audience if you are elected to the board,running meetings the way you would like with the answering of questions from the constituents for example. You really have no clue! I guess not even Karen has been here long enough to remember the meetings that would drag on for 3 - 5 hoursfor the open session alone and then the board members would still have to attend the closed session of the meeting. Leandra has brought this board a long way. I am sorry that you four do not realize this.
We should feel honored and lucky that Leandra and Patti want to stay on as Board Members even tho their children are moving on. To have these women remain on the board would be of the utmost value to our school. They have the knowledge and they have no personal agenda. It is much easier to focus on the school as a whole when your child does not attend that school. I bet most of the LT board members no longer have kids at LT.
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