When my commenters write that this most recent scandal at District 150 — in which employees are accused of selling equipment over the Internet — is far more wide reaching than has been reported, they are right.
This is what I hear: The investigation essentially started on Friday. Since then, Interim Superintendent Norm Durflinger has...
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Posts Tagged ‘ district 150 ’
‘Stormin’ Norman’ is kicking ass and taking names at District 150
Rumor patrol: Did Peoria High School fail an OSHA inspection?
I’m moving this comment up front. After hours, it’s sometimes the best way to get information confirmed or denied.
This is an interesting piece of info I just heard……..OSHA went thru Peoria High and the school failed the inspection!!!!! Anyone heard anything on this?
Any inside info, anyone? Getting anything except cursory information our of OHSA...
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Technology director on paid leave amid theft investigation
Via PJStar.com:
The director of technology and library media services at Peoria School District 150 is on paid administrative leave as officials begin to probe allegations of theft.
Sources within the district confirmed Mary Ward was placed on leave Monday but added there’s no evidence she committed any wrongdoing. The action to place her on leave...
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Cutting administrative fat is the start of big change at D150
These changes were a long time in coming:
More than 30 administrative positions at Peoria School District 150 were effectively erased Monday night.
The School Board unanimously approved the measure affecting coordinators, directors and administrative staff members in all departments within the district’s central administration. It also requires those employees affected who wish to remain to...
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Are there ANY teachers at D150 who are even slightly happy?
I’m reading DeWayne Bartel’s column about Glen Oak School teachers who claim that having to serve under their current principal is the most horrible thing imaginable.
I’m thinking that this is the MOST amazing district ever. ALL the supervisors are bullies and ALL the teachers are angels sent from heaven. All would be perfect if...
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Want discipline in District 150? Be careful what you wish for
When I went to Glen Oak School, we had an English teacher who was a real prick. He was one of those disciplinarians what everyone thinks we need. In reality, he was one of those assholes whose tiny, fragile ego demanded that absolute respect from the pre-teenagers in his charge.
One day, during class, he...
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Too little facts about Greeley case to make any judgments
I’m a little confused by the the details we know so far about the teacher’s aide who allegedly hit a student at Greeley Alternative School last week. The sparse Peoria Journal Star article doesn’t even mention the teacher’s name, but it does say that the incident happened Thursday, but that “officials” learned of it...
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My final word on the meeting that wasn’t
I just received an email from District 150 spokesperson Stacey Shangraw. It’s about (what else) the continuing controversy over whether or district 150 violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act by not letting me attend a meet-the-superintendent event at district headquarters on Tuesday (the links are included at the bottom of this post).
I complained about...
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No, I will not be making a formal complaint about being banned from District 150 HQ
Even if I’ve attended just one hour of public meetings a week since I became a reporter back in the fall of 1981, that would mean I’ve attended more than 1,500 hours of school board, village board, sanitary district, library board and county board meetings. Considering the length of some of these meetings,...
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This is what District 150 didn’t want me to see
It’s a video (posted to YouTube by the Peoria Journal Star) of our soon-to-be-new superintendent Grenita Lathan:
Don’t want to wade through a video? No problem. Here is the test of her talk (provided by Stacey Shangraw, who really is a nice person).
“I’m humbled and honored to be selected to serve as Peoria’s next Superintendent...
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I was banned from District 150 headquarters today (UPDATED)
I received word the other day that new District 150 Superintendent Grenita Lathan was going to be meeting the press today at 2:30 p.m. at District headquarters. Being a citizen journalists, i can only go to these sorts of things on my day off, and today happened to be one.
So I got in my...
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Self-congratulatory blow-hard school board members are bored to tears by citizen’s brief comments
Cry me a river for the poor, put-upon Peoria School Board:
School Board President Debbie Wolfmeyer on Monday proposed changing the public comment sections at board meetings from two to one and limiting people to three minutes instead of five.
“I’m just looking for ways to shorten the meeting and to let people still have a...
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Roger Ebert has a low opinion of District 150
Movie maven and all-around pundit Roger Ebert attended Sundance Film Festival and saw two movies that cast light on American’s schools. And his blog post about them makes a valid point about how District 150’s latest attempt to screw up Peoria’s school system:
In Kenya, they take a test. A high enough score will win...
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Some new District 150 scuttlebutt
I’ve heard from two different sources that there is a second reverse discrimination suit in the works. Bear in mind that with teachers so unhappy with administrators and the board over the threat of an imposed contract, that there are a TON of rumors going around.
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Is ‘Friday Flu’ one of the issues in teacher contract negotiations?
When I was a general assignment reporter in south eastern Illinois, there was a principal who was determined to cut down on teacher absenteeism. One day, a popular teacher took a sick day. But the principal was clued in enough to know that this teacher and her husband were opening a business out of...
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Big, green park-like campus apparently NOT needed at Sterling Middle School
There’s a semi-secret plan in the works to rebuild Bel-Wood Nursing Home next to Sterling School across the street from Newman Golf Course:
Negotiations for the sale of property adjacent to Sterling Middle School are being hashed out by both sides, District 150 officials confirmed Monday.
Both School Board President Debbie Wolfmeyer and Superintendent Ken Hinton...
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Closing Woodruff will not fix District 150
I loathe special pleading.
You see it all the time in the creation of public policy.
Politicians from corn states think ethanol is the sure for the energy shortage.
Voters hate and detest pork, but want their Congressman to bring home the bacon.
That short of thing.
I hate it too. But I try to not be a hypocrite.
This...
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School Board special meeting tomorrow over negotiations
I just learned that Peoria School Board is holding a special meeting tomorrow.
Board of Education Special Meeting – Executive Session
Agenda – Call to Order
Motion for Executive Session 2(c)2 Negotiations
Adjournment
Location:...
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It’s official: All the smart people HAVE left District 150 for Dunlap
Anyone prone to upset stomach or sudden bouts of projectile vomiting are advised to not read the following story:
Jeanne Williamson, an assistant superintendent of school operations at District 150 before she left in 2002 to become superintendent of Dunlap School District 323, was hired as a consultant. She retired from District 323 at the...
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Charter school initiative kick-off is Tuesday
From my inbox:
Community Leaders Form Peoria Charter School Initiative
PEORIA, IL…July 6, 2009…
Please join us Tuesday, July 7th at 10am at the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center at 801 Main Street in Peoria, as we announce details on the formation of the Peoria Charter School Initiative (PCSI).
This combined group of business leaders, educators and citizens, led...
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