We strive for the accurate and immediate communication of information. Below are some of the calendar changes for the end of the 2011 school year.
School will be in session all day on June 2 and 3rd.
The last day of school has been changed from June 3rd to June 6th. Dismissal at 10 a.m.
Field day has been rescheduled from May 31st to June 3rd. It is expected to be an all day event.
The Kindergarten celebration and the 8th grade graduation will remain on June 1st.
LTHS Summer activity programs will start on June 6 as scheduled.
Family camping weekend is tentatively scheduled for July 15-17.
Stay tuned for information on other possible end of the year date changes.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Betrayal
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King
Someone emailed us this quote and message - "It sums up the way I feel about the lack of response when appearing before our board of ed."
We agree and couldn't have said it better!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
With $25K Donation to Honor Fight, Local Students Halfway to Goal
With $25K Donation to Honor Fight, Local Students Halfway to Goal
There are now more funds for a program that flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit WWII memorials after local students mailed in a check to Honor Flight Network to the tune of $25,000.
Are We Missing Something Here?
Below are the collective bargaining agreements for several local school districts.
Western Springs Dist. 101: http://d101.org/htdocs/StaffMedia/mryan/contract.pdf (appendix C)
La Grange Dist. 102: http://www.dist102.k12.il.us/system/files/2008-2013%20PNA%20w-attachments.pdf
Lyons School Dist. 103: http://www.sd103.com/pdf/cba/teacher_contract.pdf
Highlands Dist. 106: http://xbox.district106.net/html/downloads/Employee%20Benefits/Teachers%20Contract%202007-2012.pdf
Gower School Dist. 62: http://www.edline.net/files/_weEg7_/8ac341fb0cf5180d3745a49013852ec4/Contract_2008-2012.pdf
Hinsdale School Dist. 181: http://www.d181.org/data/files/gallery/HRAssociationContractsFileGallery/HCHTAContract.pdf
Pleasantdale School Dist. 107: http://www.d107.org/media/Administration/2010-2011/FINAL%20THE%20NEGOTIATED%20CONTRACT10-15.pdf
Lyons Township High School: http://www.lths.net/export/sites/LTHS/About_LTHS/Administration/_files/2010-2015_Faculty_Association_Negotiated_Agreement_07.09.10.pdf
Each of these school districts has a provision in their collective bargaining agreements concerning retirement, TRS contributions, ERO, penalties, etc. except one. Can you guess who?
Sadly, it is Pleasantdale.
Pleasantdale School District renewed their collective bargaining agreement in September and six years after the letter pictured below came out, there is still no verbiage in the agreement in regard to retirement. Wow.
Rick Rigley, now up for re-election, was the school board's representative when negotiating the contract.
Not only do we need a new board, for letting this slip by, leaving the district unprotected once again, but it sounds like we need a new superintendent, business manager and legal team for not even noticing.
Who is watching out for the district? Certainly not our current school board members (with the exception of Karen O'Halloran), our administration or even our legal team.
We already incurred $132,000 in penalties this year, so maybe it is a good thing we have a $15.3 million dollar fund balance. We can use it for all the penalties we will be getting.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Things That Make You Go Hmmm...
We read with delight today the letter of support that Mark Fredisdorf Village of Willow Springs Trustee Annette Kaptur wrote endorsing the incumbents in the Pleasantdale School Board race.
How ironic that these are the same incumbents that would "not even pick up a phone" to offer the Village of Willow Springs support in putting sidewalks in along School Street and German Church Road in the Safe Routes to School Grant program. We blogged about their strange relationship in the past. ;) We should have been psychics!
We'll bet the Willow Springs tax payers will be happy to know that they footed the bill for the police presence at the PTA Candidates Forum in Burr Ridge for over two hours thanks to Willow Springs Trustee Annette Kaptur.
The Burr Ridge Police Department was asked to provide police presence but they declined to do so without being compensated. It's nice to know at least someone is looking out for their bottom line as well as their tax payers.
Instead, the Village of Willow Springs sent officers to sit in the Pleasant Dale Park District parking lot (located in Burr Ridge, mind you) and inside the PTA Candidates Forum for over two and a half hours at NO CHARGE!
No wonder the Village of Willow Springs is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Momentum
Momentum is growing in the school board campaign. This blog has seen a tremendous jump in visitors over the last few weeks. Our stats have out paced themselves on a daily basis.
Thanks to all our supporters for stopping by!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
7th Grade Girls Volleyball in Championship!
Good luck to the 7th grade girls volleyball team tonight!
They will be competing against Park Jr. High for the championship at
LT's North Campus at 6:30 p.m.
Head on over to cheer them on to victory!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Gina Scaletta-Nelson: Candidate for Pleasantdale District 107 Board of Education
Gina Scaletta-Nelson
Candidate for Pleasantdale District 107 Board of Education
Please tell us about yourself and
your life.
I am a married mother of two girls, ages 6 and 8, and a lifelong resident of Willow Springs. I went to Pleasantdale School, Lyons Township High School and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Science. I spent nine years working for the Cook County State’s Attorney and during that time, I returned to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Teaching from National-Louis University. I have also worked as a transportation consultant in the special events industry and in 1997 I managed airport operations for the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. and for the U.S. State Department during the G8 Summit of World Leaders in Denver. Later that year, I began teaching school and taught for several years until my oldest child was born. I am currently working for Northeastern University evaluating clinical placement student teachers in the MSTQE program where the students will receive a math, science, technology and middle school endorsement. In 2009, I wrote a grant to benefit the students of Pleasantdale Elementary School called the Safe Routes to School Grant. The purpose of this grant is to build sidewalks and install traffic calming devices on the streets leading to the elementary school to ensure the safe passage of neighboring students that chose to walk to school. My grant application was successfully awarded close to $400,000 for the Village of Willow Springs to use toward improving the routes to school for its children.
I am a married mother of two girls, ages 6 and 8, and a lifelong resident of Willow Springs. I went to Pleasantdale School, Lyons Township High School and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Science. I spent nine years working for the Cook County State’s Attorney and during that time, I returned to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Teaching from National-Louis University. I have also worked as a transportation consultant in the special events industry and in 1997 I managed airport operations for the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. and for the U.S. State Department during the G8 Summit of World Leaders in Denver. Later that year, I began teaching school and taught for several years until my oldest child was born. I am currently working for Northeastern University evaluating clinical placement student teachers in the MSTQE program where the students will receive a math, science, technology and middle school endorsement. In 2009, I wrote a grant to benefit the students of Pleasantdale Elementary School called the Safe Routes to School Grant. The purpose of this grant is to build sidewalks and install traffic calming devices on the streets leading to the elementary school to ensure the safe passage of neighboring students that chose to walk to school. My grant application was successfully awarded close to $400,000 for the Village of Willow Springs to use toward improving the routes to school for its children.
What prompted you to run for the
board?
I decided to run for the school board for several reasons. First, I want to keep the focus of educating all children a top priority. I want to make sure that all kids are given the same opportunities for learning and that instruction is differentiated based on need. Socio-economic factors and language barriers should not be used as roadblocks to education for families in this district.
I decided to run for the school board for several reasons. First, I want to keep the focus of educating all children a top priority. I want to make sure that all kids are given the same opportunities for learning and that instruction is differentiated based on need. Socio-economic factors and language barriers should not be used as roadblocks to education for families in this district.
Second, I am
running in order to build a more transparent and open form of government. We
need to engage the community so they know their involvement and opinions count
and decisions concerning the district will be based on a wide range of views
rather than the opinions of one. Residents that attend meetings should be
welcomed, their voices heard, and they should leave with the knowledge that
their concerns will be addressed. I have attended several meetings this year
where many parents have expressed concerns about the new standards based
grading program. Rather than take a step back to gather input and address those
concerns, this district is moving full steam ahead with a program that has some
serious flaws and creates much unease by staff and parents.
Another reason I
am running is to make sure that the school district is responsible and prudent
with each and every tax dollar that this community pays in. We have to remember
that our community is much, much larger than the 500 families that go to
Pleasantdale. Empty nesters, senior citizens, families that attend private
schools and young people just starting out also pay taxes to this school
district and we must be vigilant with their money.
Finally, I am
running because I believe that a school board should be comprised of members
that have children in its schools. By June of 2012, five of our seven board
members won’t have kids attending Pleasantdale any longer. It is difficult to
have the best interest of students at heart when board members don’t have
children in the schools. Our children will be directly impacted by the
decisions they make. Should people without kids in our schools be making the
decisions that will affect our children?
What experiences and
qualifications do you feel you have that will make you an effective board
member?
Having attended 34 of the last 36 monthly board meetings, I have gained plenty of insight and knowledge on what it takes to be an effective board member and not just a rubber stamp. I am currently serving on Pleasantdale’s Parent Advisory Committee so I understand what it takes to work together as a team. I have been on both sides of the aisle, as an educator and as a parent. I know the difficult job teachers face, but even more so in our district. I understand the issues and needs of the residents of this district because I listen to them, I am mindful of their concerns, and I care about doing what is right. It is a lot harder to do what is right than what is popular. Finally, I am also a taxpayer in this district. In these tough economic times I want to make sure that every dollar taken in is spent wisely because it’s not just my money, it’s your money too.
Having attended 34 of the last 36 monthly board meetings, I have gained plenty of insight and knowledge on what it takes to be an effective board member and not just a rubber stamp. I am currently serving on Pleasantdale’s Parent Advisory Committee so I understand what it takes to work together as a team. I have been on both sides of the aisle, as an educator and as a parent. I know the difficult job teachers face, but even more so in our district. I understand the issues and needs of the residents of this district because I listen to them, I am mindful of their concerns, and I care about doing what is right. It is a lot harder to do what is right than what is popular. Finally, I am also a taxpayer in this district. In these tough economic times I want to make sure that every dollar taken in is spent wisely because it’s not just my money, it’s your money too.
What do you feel are the key
issues facing the district?
There are several key issues facing the district at this time. These issues include lack of communication, lack of accountability, low teacher morale and a rubber stamp school board directed by an administration that gives rise to hopelessness and apathy throughout the community it serves.
There are several key issues facing the district at this time. These issues include lack of communication, lack of accountability, low teacher morale and a rubber stamp school board directed by an administration that gives rise to hopelessness and apathy throughout the community it serves.
First off, communication in the district is at
an all time low. The district administration releases information only when it
is beneficial to them. Residents never get the whole picture; only a filtered down
version that the administration wants you to see. This community is made up of
smart individuals that can think for themselves if given the chance. A few
years ago a communication committee met to come up with ways to improve
communication, yet it has only gotten worse. Friday packets should be called
“occasional packets” because they come only come out occasionally – most times,
just once a month. The Standards Based Grading pilot is another perfect example
of shoddy communication in our district. Nearly every parent that attended the
meetings or completed the surveys complained about the horrible lack of
communication throughout the program.
Another key issue
is that there is no accountability in this district. Our school district was
recently fined $132,000 and yet no one was held accountable or suffered repercussions
as a result of this costly mistake. In private industry or the business world,
there would undoubtedly be ramifications had an error of this magnitude been
made. In October, three children were thrown out of school because the administration
and school board chose to leap before they looked. Thousands of dollars were wasted
on trying to determine whether or not a family was homeless, based on the legal
definition. The children are back at Pleasantdale as a result of an independent
hearing that determined they never should have been thrown out in the first
place, as it was a violation of the law. Thousands of dollars were also wasted
on a defunct software program that was never researched and now the district
needs to purchase a different program. Finally, by the end of this school year,
we will have spent tens of thousands of dollars on a barely researched assessment
program that has yet to prove itself.
We have wonderful
teachers and staff working with our children, but we must work to re-establish
morale throughout the district. Teachers need to be able to make their own
decisions and allow for creativity and critical thinking in the classrooms.
When a teacher’s main focus is re-writing assessments or standardized test
prep, their passion for education goes out the door. A school district cannot
move forward when there is angst and discontent among its students,
administration, teachers and staff members.
Finally, our school board must work to build trust, understanding, support and participation throughout the community. We need a school board that will be responsive and receptive to parents, staff, students and the community by encouraging an open dialog. Topic discussions should take place at board meetings, not prior to the meetings, over the phone or through a series of emails between board members. An effective school board takes input from all groups and weighs the facts before making a decision.
Finally, our school board must work to build trust, understanding, support and participation throughout the community. We need a school board that will be responsive and receptive to parents, staff, students and the community by encouraging an open dialog. Topic discussions should take place at board meetings, not prior to the meetings, over the phone or through a series of emails between board members. An effective school board takes input from all groups and weighs the facts before making a decision.
Our school board
must place a higher priority on community involvement. It must be welcoming and
accessible to the community it serves. Our district hosts a town hall meeting
once a year with topics that do not appeal to or apply to the majority of its residents.
A town hall meeting should offer school board members a chance to hear from the
public and to engage in conversation with those in attendance. Unfortunately,
the format of our town hall meeting discourages questions and comments from the
general public unless they are topic specific. We should be encouraging and
engaging rather than discouraging and alienating.
What would you like to accomplish
as a board member?
First of all, I feel that I have accomplished a lot for this district already while not being on the board. In the last election, I pointed out the sad state of technology in our district and how far ahead of us neighboring districts were in terms of technology. At that time, our district did not have one interactive white board or a plan to place them in our schools, until I brought it to the public’s attention. Now, as a result, every classroom in both schools is outfitted with a Promethean interactive white board.
First of all, I feel that I have accomplished a lot for this district already while not being on the board. In the last election, I pointed out the sad state of technology in our district and how far ahead of us neighboring districts were in terms of technology. At that time, our district did not have one interactive white board or a plan to place them in our schools, until I brought it to the public’s attention. Now, as a result, every classroom in both schools is outfitted with a Promethean interactive white board.
Secondly, I have
worked toward open and transparent government by videotaping all board meetings
and making them available to the public by way of the web or by means of a hard
copy on DVD. Another thing I have done is to help maintain a Pleasantdale
Community Blog whereby members of the community can submit stories or articles,
view local board meetings, express their opinion via comments, and where they
can learn about what is going on in our school district and the neighboring
community in regard to news and events.
I would work hand
in hand with neighboring towns and villages to make sure that we are on the
same page and striving for the best for our community. When the Village of
Willow Springs was awarded money for the Safe Routes to School Grant, not one
board member or administrator contacted the Village to see what they could do
to see this project through for the safety of our kids. Our district could have
saved hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years by getting on board with
this project, but these board members wanted nothing to do with it and never
even picked up a phone.
In terms of going
forward, I would like to bring a fresh perspective to the board and help to
establish greater board independence. It is time to get back to the business of
democracy where the school board provides checks and balances to the superintendent.
Decisions should be based on a majority vote following public deliberation
rather than on the executive order of one person. I want to build community
involvement and pride in our school system. The school board represents the
community’s voice in education, providing citizen governance for what the
public schools need and what the community wants. A school board member is a
trustee to the community that elects him or her. They have a responsibility to
the community to not only be accessible, but to work together with all parties
involved to achieve the best possible education for the children entrusted to
them.
I want to improve
communication and bring accountability to this board. I want to work toward
improving staff morale because I believe teachers are the cornerstone of a
solid education for the children of the district. I support and encourage open
and transparent government. I would like to see the school district, rather
than a community member, responsible for taping school board meetings and
broadcasting them on the internet for those unable to make it. I want community
members to become more engaged with the school district and know they can
approach the school board with their concerns and leave with the knowledge that
their concerns will be addressed. Finally, I want to make sure that families
with children in the schools are adequately represented on a school board that
makes decisions that will directly impact their children.
What is your vision for the
future of the district?
My vision for the future is to take our school district to the next level. I want to drastically improve communication throughout the entire district. I want to see our children actively engaged in passionate learning and harmony returned to the district. Finally, I want to empower students with a solid education so they can actively pursue a college degree or a career of their choice.
My vision for the future is to take our school district to the next level. I want to drastically improve communication throughout the entire district. I want to see our children actively engaged in passionate learning and harmony returned to the district. Finally, I want to empower students with a solid education so they can actively pursue a college degree or a career of their choice.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Mother hopes others will opt out
Mother hopes others will opt out of standardized testing
March 20, 2011 8:19 p.m. EDT
Pennsylvania mother Michele Gray: "The more I look at standardized tests, the more I realize that we have, as parents, been kind of sold a bill of goods."
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Pennsylvania woman says tests are inaccurate, used to punish schools
- College education professor agrees they are waste of time
- Proponent calls tests "a parent's ally," says they improve schools
- No national statistics exist on opting out
State College, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A Pennsylvania mother has decided she does not want her two children to take the two-week-long standardized tests given by her state as part of the federal No Child Left Behind law. And she hopes other parents will do the same.
Michele Gray's sons -- Ted Rosenblum, 11, and John Michael Rosenblum, 9 -- did independent study the week of March 14 while their classmates were filling in hundreds of bubbles in classrooms with doors marked, "Quiet. Testing in Progress."
Gray says the only legal exemption that would allow her kids to sit out the tests was a religious objection. So that's what she did.
But Gray says her concerns go well beyond religion. "The more I look at standardized tests, the more I realize that we have, as parents, been kind of sold a bill of goods."
She says the tests are not accurate measures of accomplishment, create undue anxiety for students and are used to punish schools.
She gives the example of her sons' award-winning school, Park Forest Elementary, which last year was put on "warning" status after the school's special education students fell below the level of progress the state expects on their exams.
"The more I looked at it, the more outraged I became," Gray said, "This is not something I want to be contributing to (or) something I want my children participating in."
Dr. Timothy Slekar, an associate professor of education at Penn State Altoona, agrees. It was his op-ed piece on the Huffington Post website that inspired Gray to take action.
Slekar is also a father and this year chose not to allow his 11-year-old son Luke to take the tests. He says schools are narrowing their curricula in an effort to boost test scores and wasting too much time preparing for, and then taking, the tests.
He says the tests aren't an accurate indicator of a child's -- or a school's -- performance. "I'm a father and an educator who's finally said, 'This is it. I'm done.' Something has to give. Something has to change," Slekar said.
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/20/pennsylvania.school.testing/index.html?iref=NS1
Friday, March 11, 2011
Gag!
For the second Friday packet in a row, (or maybe the third) Mark Fredisdorf will be featuring board members Beth and Lisa on the front page. Seriously, there are SEVEN people on the board, not TWO! Why does he constantly shove just their names in our faces? Is this the only way he can get his puppets re-elected?
We were kind of hoping he would address the $132,000 fine the district got in the Friday packet. Is that too much to ask? Maybe instead of banging their drum about useless little awards, these two board members can explain to the taxpayers how they squandered away our money!
We were kind of hoping he would address the $132,000 fine the district got in the Friday packet. Is that too much to ask? Maybe instead of banging their drum about useless little awards, these two board members can explain to the taxpayers how they squandered away our money!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Pleasantdale School District 107 Handed $132,000 Penalty!
Pleasantdale School was recently slapped with a $132,000 penalty!
This penalty was assessed because the Pleasantdale School Board and administration never changed their teacher and administrator contracts prior to Middle School Assistant Principal Kim Freislinger's retirement resulting in huge penalties when she chose the Early Retirement Option (ERO) according to the Teacher's Retirement System.
The sad thing about this penalty is that it could have been prevented, had people been doing their job!
Five years ago, the Illinois Association of School Boards sent a letter to school districts across the state warning them of Public Act 94-0004.
The letter stated, "The new law contains provisions regarding contractual salary increases and sick leave allowance that could result in school boards owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Teachers' Retirement System." It went on to say, "As a local school board member, you need to become familiar with this law before entering into your next collective bargaining agreement with your teachers' union or contract with your school administrators."
Five years ago, the Illinois Association of School Boards sent a letter to school districts across the state warning them of Public Act 94-0004.
The letter stated, "The new law contains provisions regarding contractual salary increases and sick leave allowance that could result in school boards owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Teachers' Retirement System." It went on to say, "As a local school board member, you need to become familiar with this law before entering into your next collective bargaining agreement with your teachers' union or contract with your school administrators."
Not one, not two, not three, but 10 people should have been paying attention when hiring someone so close to retirement and then renewing her contract again without looking into the penalties that could be assessed in the TRS's Early Retirement Option.
How could principal Meg Pokorny, superintendent Mark Fredisdorf, business manager Catherine Chang and seven board members (including Lisa Houk, Rick Rigley and Beth Tegtmeier who up for re-election) let this kind of costly mistake happen? Who is paying attention over there? Apparently no one!
Talk about a WASTE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS!
Who should be accountable for this extremely costly error? Is it fair that the taxpayers are footing this bill?
It will be interesting to hear the board and administration's spin on it as they try to talk their way out of this oversight mess!
One thing is for sure...you won't read about this in the Friday packet!
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