I am curious the responses to this poll based on the a number of factors: tax relief, board trust...etc.

Question:
Would you support a referendum request for SD41 for 10 million dollars for the purpose of Bricks and Mortar additions to ALL the schools for the purpose of office and special meeting rooms to support State mandated pull out programs? This would not be for tradtional classroom space.

Choices:
YES
NO

 

73% no, to 27% yes -- sounds familiar.

I would say the margin of error on this site is approximately +/-30%

I'd be interested to see a poll asking about support for either a K-6 school or 5-6 school at the Spalding site without the use of eminent domain.

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
I'd be interested to see a poll asking about support for either a K-6 school or 5-6 school at the Spalding site without the use of eminent domain.

After reading Schoolweek and the Hadley New Horizons, my adolescents learned some new words: Disingenuous. Duplicitous. Disgusting (well, they know that one from describing the condition of their room).

How can a Board, with insurance professionals, construction professionals, lawyers, engineers, and public relations professionals puke on their shoes so consistently? How can they say that the students learn in boxes when the students will tell you it's NBD?

They blow hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance payments. They fail to count the number of employees in their self insured umbrella. They file suit against a former Board member days before asking for $40 mil in a referendum to forever alter the way adolescents learn, and they don't have the fortitude to admit their previous incompetence when projecting their needs. Then, they have the audacity to change the curriculum without having the facility in place? The mind boggles.

The fact, yes the fact, is that the numbers of students in District 41 are less than the capacity previously projected. Only the playing field had changed. They have added administration and staff; they have changed the curriculum; they have hired consultants who have told them the obvious: You need more room to house these adult bodies; You need more room if you are going to change teaching methods to break out groups; You need more room.

So, instead of saying "We are changing the way your children learn, we need more room" they say "We think 5th graders should be sent to Hadley, so we STILL will not have enough room to do what we want to do."

Ronkas:

I pushed "Yes" above.

But that being said, well written.

GE Fan.

I am sorry to say that at this point D41 simply has zero credibility with me. I simply would not believe anything they say they need, or the associated costs they predict.

I am not sure what it would take to change my mind, or to get me to vote for ANY referndum they proposed. Maybe an admission of past errors, and a housecleaning, cutting costs and admin personnel to the bone - but I don't see that happening.

I also side with the "No's". During my adulthood, I supported all D41 referendums prior to the absurd one last year. I remain miffed about how they manipulated the funding from the last one that passed. I now feel that the Board of Ed is attempting to find some educational nirvana with no consideration for what it might cost. They behave as if they have a limitless ability to spend. Just once I’d like to hear about them undertaking an efficiency or cost saving initiative. Is that too much to ask?

If Vondrak votes "yes", I vote "yes". If Vondrak votes "no", I vote "no".

I agree with you, Ron. And if I might add, I had to laugh out loud at the irony of one board member's quote in SchoolWeek. Apparently, the thought of adding six more portable classrooms is "an embarrassment." Frankly, I find it an embarrassment for our district that a board member who abstained from voting at the board table on putting a $40 Million bond referendum on the ballot thinks that adding more mobiles is an embarrassment. I can't imagine refraining from participating in voting on what he later called the "biggest day in District 41 history" and then later opining on the facilities issue. Spare me, please.

quote:

Originally posted by ohma:
I agree with you, Ron. And if I might add, I had to laugh out loud at the irony of one board member's quote in SchoolWeek. Apparently, the thought of adding six more portable classrooms is "an embarrassment." Frankly, I find it an embarrassment for our district that a board member who abstained from voting at the board table on putting a $40 Million bond referendum on the ballot thinks that adding more mobiles is an embarrassment. I can't imagine refraining from participating in voting on what he later called the "biggest day in District 41 history" and then later opining on the facilities issue. Spare me, please.

Please enlighten us as to who it was?

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
If Vondrak votes "yes", I vote "yes". If Vondrak votes "no", I vote "no".

Not on board with this, and I am surprised that you would be. It's unlike you to fail to ask some questions.

It seems that Hadley New Horizons, with the help of a consultant, has come up with a program to dumb down the State's best middle school orchestra. Nothing like educational socialism. Instead of pulling these musicians out of class on a staggered basis for intense sectional instruction, with the veto power of faculty as to the pull out, we now make this program a "class". This will require more faculty and more staff, since it cannot be administered in the same fashion and quality as currently exists. Everyone knows this. You either choose between exploratory (applied arts, technology, and other sexy classes) and orchestra. You can have the exploratory if you give up on foreign language. My sources say SV supports this change.

Under this proposal, we will change the school time to accommodate the myriad middle school athletes because "many fine schools" do this. Nothing like doing what other "many fine schools" do. Forget intellectual pursuits and push those teams. It's almost like college. We will now create "zero hour" for preschool classes, and will start orchestra at 6:50 a.m.

When do we start a swim team so we can get things started at 5:30 a.m.?

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:

quote:

Originally posted by ohma:
I agree with you, Ron. And if I might add, I had to laugh out loud at the irony of one board member's quote in SchoolWeek. Apparently, the thought of adding six more portable classrooms is "an embarrassment." Frankly, I find it an embarrassment for our district that a board member who abstained from voting at the board table on putting a $40 Million bond referendum on the ballot thinks that adding more mobiles is an embarrassment. I can't imagine refraining from participating in voting on what he later called the "biggest day in District 41 history" and then later opining on the facilities issue. Spare me, please.

Please enlighten us as to who it was?

Oh no, not another "he who shall remain nameless"

FWIW, I would LOVE it if Hadley started 30 minutes earlier. For one thing, it gets them used to getting up and going to school earlier and since high school starts at 7:40, an earlier middle school start time might help them weather the transition to high school better. I don't know how the whole band/orchestra program will fit in some of the new ideas put forth by Hadley Horizons....and if what you stated previously about kids having to pick between foreign language and music is accurate, I would say, get used to it. In high school your kids will have an even harder time fitting it all in. Try to imagine having a kid who is this combo: Musical, LD, planning to attend college after high school (so needs at least two years of foreign language). Let the fun ensue!!

Anyway, I still believe that the D41 BOE and Admin that started the phase in and then allowed it to continue after it was brought into the open has screwed any chance of passing a referendum for some time to come. What a shame.

RK you hit the nail on the head a few posts ago.
Got a crowding problem send em to Hadley, 6th graders, 5th graders, who cares.
Let's get the grade schoolers back in the grade schools and wala we have more than enough room back at Hadley.
It was built as a Jr High lets keep it that way.
If this means we add on to our grade schools, look at a 5-6 option, re-build Spaulding school, get the pre-k and K kids back out and into another site, so be it.
One of these common sense bricks and mortar approaches would undoubtedly take some $ (far less than the Taj Ma Hadley I might add) but where would they get it.
You would think that "educators" would get it, there won't be another ref passed in this town by this district until they bring it back to the line.

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
If Vondrak votes "yes", I vote "yes". If Vondrak votes "no", I vote "no".

Not on board with this, and I am surprised that you would be. It's unlike you to fail to ask some questions.

Sorry, Ronkas, just having a little fun. You should know me better than that. That being said, I see eye-to-eye with him on most everything I've seen him say.

Candidate just wrote my (current) position very well. I will pay to get the grade school kids back in the grade schools....period. I will pay to make those schools state of the art in their teaching facilities and I will pay to make those schools comfortable to both the kids and staff, not luxurious to either.

Maybe I'm being a defeatist, but bitching about administrators, their pay, etc. is a losing proposition. It's not worth my effort and I'm resigned to the fact that it will not change. I'm happy others are fighting that fight however.

Fan, did you not get your School Week? You can have mine. Page 1 article same person that was "embarrassed" there abstained here page 5. I do believe that cost him the board presidency he was said to have been counting on. Too bad really. Interesting that last year, the district (with all its many portables) did not make a compelling case for the ref.

It may be water soaked at the end of my driveway. I'll check tomorrow.

The article is on-line at the Schoolweek website.

More Portable Classrooms At Hadley Junior High?

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
FWIW, I would LOVE it if Hadley started 30 minutes earlier. For one thing, it gets them used to getting up and going to school earlier and since high school starts at 7:40, an earlier middle school start time might help them weather the transition to high school better. I don't know how the whole band/orchestra program will fit in some of the new ideas put forth by Hadley Horizons....and if what you stated previously about kids having to pick between foreign language and music is accurate, I would say, get used to it. In high school your kids will have an even harder time fitting it all in. Try to imagine having a kid who is this combo: Musical, LD, planning to attend college after high school (so needs at least two years of foreign language). Let the fun ensue!!

This is precisely the philosophy that began the coalition which defeated the referendum. Let's treat those 10 year olds like real teenagers! We did not want 5th graders in that environment because of their age. Why should we make everything in middle school "like high school?" Why should they get used to it? We have excellence in its current form, and we seek mediocrity because West does it that way?

There was a time when smoking lounges existed in high school and jr. high school students (ahem) smoked in public. I don't think what's done in high school needs replication in middle school, and FWIW, the feeling is that the students get a better band and orchestra experience at Hadley as compared to West.

There are staggered times for starts in grade school, middle school and high school. There are differences in children at different levels. Of course, we could just flood the streets of Glen Ellyn every day with grade school, middle school, and high school starting at the same time. Might be fun to watch.