By Constitutional Convention, do you mean the ability of the legislators to get the Governor out of office? Or does it encompass much more than that? I'm interested as our current Governor gives Democrats a bad name, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
So...was this company ever involved with District 87? I can't find anything.

I also did not find anything, but did find the retiree benefit lawsuit complaint when googling "Glenbard benefits".

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
If you were Benefits Brokers and Consultants, why wouldn't you just pay back the $$$ instead of having your name dragged through the legal system? They must either think they have a strong case or don't feel as though they did anything wrong. The suit certainly sounds damning.

It looks like left the company he founded later in 2006. From the complaint, it looks like the problems were uncovered in mid-2006 and the lawsuit was filed in March 2007.

If you are interested, group insurance is still available.

Now I remember you Bruno and your comments will be well received. Understand you have been labeled a "carpet bagger" by this idiot in our district who goes by the name of Poster. I too, and may others, are hated by the educational establishment for "questioning" the current policies and cost of our pub ed system.

Like Amy states,I for one am all for a good salary and bene package for our teachers. It just needs fine tuning to compensate according to subject matter and position. It's just gotten out of control and it's high time for the powers at be in our state and federal governments to address the question. But runs for school choice have been shot down time after time.

How can one make a change when you can't replace either striking teachers or ones that are sub par?

Please allow me to soundoff a bit, here:

I once heard Dan Cronin complaining about the current administration and the majority party. Someone in the audience had echoed his sentiments, saying it was so sad and so bad that democrats were the way they are. Cronin himself continued on in this vein to such an extent that I asked him if he might be implicitly suggesting that a constitutional convention be a desirable goal. He said no, because it would only make the system worse. I pressed him, saying that it was the current system that produced the current situation, meaning that with a deadlocked general assembly and jails filling with ex-governors (with another seemingly waiting to happen!) it might be hard to imagine what he had in mind as being worse.

He still was against the idea. He said the same people now in the legislature would become delegates to the convention; what good would that be? Seemed to me like he just wanted to bash the democrats rather than actually fix the system. I concluded he maybe had too much of himself invested in the way things are. I still marvel over the way people convince themselves that we have to believe that things cannot change, and then proceed to interpret things in terms of their own partisan leanings, rather than breaking out and busting loose of their ideological shackles. The sad fact is that if government did not exist, businesses and criminals would get together and create it pretty much exactly the way it is now.

Con-con is an uphill battle. I would support it anyway. It will be on the ballot and I will vote for it.

We have too many governmental districts. We have too many entities both public and private requiring that we all educate ourselves about their inner workings merely in order to protect ourselves - and it's impossible to do so for most regular people. This is why most people do not vote in local elections - it's too confusing to pick between all the judges and commissioners and members of this board and that board and whatnot and still nothing ever gets done except your cost of living goes up and you will likely get blamed sooner or later for whatever it is you see around you that is failing - because you didn't vote right or you should have known better or you have the wrong friends or you were too busy working or attending to your family in order to be properly informed.

Eliminating the school districts as bureaucratic entities would be great. Eliminating the input of the federal government into education would be just as great - NCLB is a failure and it looks like Bruno Behrend agrees.

As for a system of charter schools, it needn't be the case that these become the profit centers for greedy profiteers that are generally feared by oppponents. see http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20080225&s=doster for a different example of what is possible.

Who knows - maybe the way to encourage and maintain a public-spirited citizenry would involve getting used to the effort of continually going back to first principles, and doing so more than the once every 20 years originally suggested way back when by Tom Paine. Not just one constitutional convention and then forget about it, but several!

Alright, back to your regularly scheduled programming...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sances:
Please allow me to soundoff a bit, here:

As for a system of charter schools, it needn't be the case that these become the profit centers for greedy profiteers that are generally feared by oppponents. see http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20080225&s=doster for a different example of what is possible.
QUOTE]

The only problem I see with this example is the funding for this school still comes from the government, i.e taxes.

These types of charter schools may engender different and robust ways of thinking, but they still cost money. Not to make money and taxes the end all be all of the argument, yet, every scenario has to have a cost side addressed to work. Just ask the presidential candidates....no, bad example.

All,

My show is over the air, and GE can listen on the internet.

AM 1220 reaches mid-McHenry and Lake County, and north of the cheddar curtain.

I'm on Mondays AND Fridays at 10 AM -noon.

In IL, NO ONE IS A CARPET BAGGER. One school district is virtually the same as any other, and any decent citizen has the right to question tax increases in ANY district.

A district is about as local as a McDonalds franchise. All are managed by the same school code and class of administrator. The 'Board' is basaically a mostly powerless front to give the appearance of "local control."
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I heard about the suit via e-mail from some one who knows I'm interested in these things.

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My e-mail is bruno@extremewisdom.com, and I wasn't kidding about the presentations and free Starbucks.

I can answer all the questions you can ask about the Convention. It is the most important vote ANY IL citizen can cast.

I admit in advance to being 'right of center', but what ails IL isn't left v. right, it's right v. wrong. (and WIND may have gotten that tag line from me, but I'm not the first to use it)

Rob,

Yes, education will be funded by the Gov. but it need not be produced by the Gov. I'll check out the "Nation" link. It sounds interesting.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bruno Behrend,

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
...former school board member. Interesting. I thought I recognized that name. Don't remember him. I guess that answers the question about how BBC got in the door. Is there a rule about conducting business with present/former board members? Probably not...just wondering out loud.

Yes, there are rules - It appears that after being elected to the school board or having advanced to the senior administration of the school district and having become "vested" in the system you have a finite number of years in which to dole out as much "education funds" as possible followed by a brief stint in the private sector collecting your chits and IOU's while at the same time upselling the new crop of educrats on the personal benefits of "going with the flow" and investing heavily in their own personal future.

quote:

Originally posted by Bruno Behrend:
Rob,

Yes, education will be funded by the Gov. but it need not be produced by the Gov. I'll check out the "Nation" link. It sounds interesting.

All I am saying, is that you can't have everything. Unless "Charter" schools are truly privately funded, you will always have issues as to how the money is being spent and how equitably. Government funded schools that allow the types of educational freedom that the Nation article expresses will always have geographic areas that want theirs. How do you accomplish this without private funds?

Don't get me wrong. I am generally for the principle of letting the market dictate. It seems more likely today that we need good, honest, hardworking professionals to run our schools and the ability to throw them out on their ear when they do not perform. To me, it comes down to where my dollars are going that is the most important. Private school that has what I want, or the public system, with problems, that need to be addressed.

The problem NCLB and others have is how do you accurately measure performance.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
The more I think about it, the more this issue disturbs me. I understand that stuff like this is discussed in closed session, but how does Anne not inform the public of this situation? And why not file this suit after the referendum vote?

It's almost easier turning a blind eye to the alleged mastermind in this incident than it is our own superintendent. The alleged mastermind was just doing what alleged masterminds do...exploiting a weakness. Our own Anne, who..if I am not mistaken works for us...should have disclosed this. Plain and simple. I realize it was sitting there in Wheaton for any and all to see, but had it not been for SchoolWatcher...how many of us would have been looking for it? What a ridiculous situation.

After speaking to a friend about this, I must reiterate that by no means do I know Mr. Baldwin, cannot make a judgment on his character, nor know any details of what happened other than those that were leveled by District 41 in the suit. As far as we all know, Mr. Baldwin is innocent and should be thought of that way until proven otherwise.

Again, my confusion regarding this incident is why the Super and the Board didn't issue a release about this. The details of the alleged crime will come out eventually, but where is the love from the board for the stakeholders?

Clamato:

Your post perfectly dovetails into one of my thoughts on this issue that I have not yet shared. If Mr. Baldwin did what it is alleged that he did, why isn't the US Attorney investigating/prosecuting this crime? If he really did commit fraud against a body politic, why are we fighting that fight and not the feds?

Rob,

This sounds like a tautology, but the best way to fund children equally is to fund children equally.

I would argue that from a civil rights (14th Amendment) perspective, any form of funding that doesn't a) fund the child directly, and b) have that funding be equal for every child, is unconstitutional on its face.

We may never be able to get rid of every inequity, but we can start by seeing the bureaucracy for what it is.

Why should a kid in Peoria get less "money per child" than Chicago? Why should a kid in River Forest get more than across the river in Maywood? We need to sever the connection of property taxes to education, and we need to end the fiction that a "district" equals "local control."

Back to your excellent point, I think all schools should be charters, independently run by the parents that choose them. These charters will have 2 primary sources of funding. First, they will be able to redeem scholarships provided by the state. Second, they will be able to raise money through donations. While many suburban schools will still have the advantage of rich parents to donate, urban schools will still have the ability to raise funds from the corporate sector and Foundation Grants.

Imagine the impact of Gates' money on my envisioned system over the current money-sucking bureaucratic blob.
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Re: testing

The reason we will need some sort of testing regime is that we need to show that the child is getting educated. The Nation example of "social justice" education is instructive. While I wouldn't be very likely to send my kid to such a school, I recognize the right of the parent to choose it. (unlike the current system, which recognizes no parental rights at all)

As a taxpayer, we should all be entitled to the knowledge that the kids are getting educated.

Thus, it makes sense that 'society' says "Here is what we expect from schools, how you do it is up to you." Some might argue that even this is 'too much' government control. My response is that if you don't want that level of control, then don't accept a scholarship. The fact is we need some objective measurment to show the taxpayer. The current system fails miserably in this regard, and NCLB just made a bad system even worse.

I don't hate tests, but the system that we have is awful. For people who want to see how tests can be improved, read E.D.Hirsh's book "The Schools we Need". He lays out ways that multiple choice tests CAN test for broad, sequenced knowlegde acquisition AND "higher order thinking skills."

If you want to see a rough video presentation of my ideas here.

Bruno,
My only major argument with your point about equal funding is that you can't pay the Peoria teacher the same amount as the suburban Chicago teacher. Cost of living differs far too greatly. What schools take in obviously has a direct correlation to what they can pay teachers.

Who is this Bruno and why is he hijacking SchoolWatcher's thread?

Bruno - you live in Glen Ellyn? I googled your name and you're quite popular amongst the blogosphere.

BTW - you did nice job with your wikipedia page.

Bruno - This board is very, and justly, provincial. "Our children, our homes, our taxes", type thing.

It is always appreciated when outsiders offer an insight, memory or guidance. But, fair warning, one has to remember that this is first and foremost just a group of neighbors talking over the fence in the back yard about issues at the village level.

The true price of admission is a voting card in one of the local taxing districts that bisects the Village of Glen Ellyn.

Well said, jombl.

It was funny reading the comment about the "board" being powerless. Afterall, last year, this powerless group decided to try to have the community build a $40 million Taj Ma Hadley middle school. The result of that vote was the "local control" in the hands of the voters in Glen Ellyn. While I have to give credit where credit is due, and a good bit of it goes to the district for trying to get the community to buy into an ill-conceived, worthless idea, the actual vote totals reflect the sentiments of many of us "complaining adults" who took local control.

Thanks SchoolWatcher for shining a light for the rest of the community. Back to your thread now...

Excellent post jombl. Your wisdom is always appreciated!

SchoolWatcher is awesome. I may start a Wikipedia page for him...or her!

jombl,

While your point is well-taken, the "parochial" nature of the "district model" is one of the ways that the education bureaucracy divides and conquers. I would argue that your schools are about as "local" as your McDonalds. You have just about that much power to "change the menu."

The process by which your board forced the $40 million school on you isn't "local." It is written into the school code, and 100s of schools have been built across the state using the same rigged processes and lack of transparency.

The board is never "powerless" to increase spending, but the citizens are nearly powerless in stopping it.

If you vote spending down, they just come back twice a year until it passes. If you put in a "reform" board (rare, but there are a few), the Superintendent merely stonewalls until they find more "pliable" board members.

Where is the process by which citizens can get a petition to rollback taxes? There isn't one. We need to change that.

Here is something to consider. What happens in River Forest effects you as much as what happens in Glen Ellyn effects me. When one suburb passes a referendum, the purpose is always to increase payroll and pay increases. As suburb1 ratchets up, suburb2 hires "consultants" like PMA financial (which benefits directly from tax hikes - hence a legal conflict of interest) to "show" that suburb2 must increase pay to keep up with the Joneses.

It's a scam, and it is a ratchet. When some one like me chimes in, the system is all rigged to call me a "carpet bagger" and "outsider." Local newspapers even play along with the scam, refusing to interview "opposition" that isn't "local." (While the PTA/PTO thought police make sure that strong social "shunning" and hazing are visited upon anyone who questions the cult-like aura of "public schools.)

It's time to blow the whistle on that pile of crap.
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GE Fan is a perfect example of this.

"you live in Glen Ellyn?"

No GE Fan, I live in River Forest, and my elderly neighbors are being eaten alive by the spending machine called "public schools", just like your elderly neighbors. My kid is getting the same over-rated, over-priced education your kid is getting. The difference is that I've accepted the truth and sought a solution. Some apparently have convinced themselves that things are fine, as their taxes skyrocket and their property values drop.

We live in the same state, and that state is one of the most corrupt in the nation. It has been made this corrupt by opaque government at every level. IT has been made corrupt by a powerful protected monopoly that hurts all of us.

As for your snide reference to my wikipedia page, I didn't even know I had a page until I Googled myself and found it. It is sort of an ego rush, but I didn't put it there.

I notice that since I've gone more public with my attacks on the corrupt education industry (and it IS an industry), some one has tried to have my page taken down. (this is how they work) I have contacted Wikipedia to ask to how I can improve the page, taking care not be any more self-serving than need be.
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Amy,

You raise an interesting point, but it shouldn't be the taxpayers concern as to a teacher's cost of living. Before anyone ponies up cash to worry about their cost of living, try relaxing certification and union requirements. Try dumping the unnecessary 'directors', 'coordinators' and 'assistant to the assistant principals and superintendents.'

There is plenty of money in the system. Re-allocate it.

I expect teachers unions and Administrator unions (BTW - IASB and IASA dues are paid out of your taxes - another conflict of interest) to demand more pay for less work. I don't expect taxpayers to be dumb enough to put up with it.
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I meant no disrespect in "hijacking" any thread. The lawsuit originally posted by schoolwatcher merely proves my point. Legal or illegal, public education has become a BIG BUSINESS, and it is now involved in energy contracts, (IEC scam) insurance schemes (D41), building schemes (See Jersey County), Bond Churning (Daily Herald series), and just about everything else that private and public leeches can latch onto.

It has become a power and patronage play for adults, and your children have become an afterthought, used only when they need to sow fear or flog you for more money. Some one go to your next PTA meeting and say that. Keep saying it until they wake up.

BTW All,

While SchoolWatcher is doing important work putting this out there, note that (at least on this list) s/he is anonymous.

While all of us respect each other's right to anonymity, we all know that if some one goes public INSIDE their own "justly provincial" town, they WILL suffer reprisals.

Notice the effect. No open LOCAL opposition? It must be supported by the people, right?

When I went public with my campaign against a totally unnecessary River Forest referendum, I made a lot of enemies, but quite a few new friends. Being outspent 23-1 got me a 60/40 loss, but I was told that it would have been 70/30 with out me, and that one more mailing or a 2 week earlier start, and I'd have won.

The moral is this. If you don't like big bad carpet baggers like me, then support your local anti-education waste advocate. Support them openly and vocally. Come out of the closet and get in the face of the dominant paradigm.

Wear a "Vote No" button. Put up a "Vote No" sign.

If you are afraid to because of the impact it might have on your kids in school, or with your neighbors, you've helped me prove my point.

Thank you.

Bruno:

I have no problem with you being here. In fact, I like it. My post last night was mostly in jest.

That being said, your last post shows that you really don't know anything about the "testicular virility" of Glen Ellyn residents. You should have been here or you should at least brush up on OUR last referendum. Ronkas, you anonymous SOB, I'll let you do the explaining. But I'll give you a cliff-note version...it was a 80-20 beatdown with "Vote No" signs EVERYWHERE.