Category: general schools

IL Legislation to close “Lease” to avoid referendum loophole

Wheaton’s state Rep, Amy Grant has submitted a bill, HB2145 and Palatine Rep. Thomas Morrison has submitted a bill, HB2738 (virtually the same), to close the “loophole” that district 200 tried to use to avoid the referendum for a new Jefferson pre-school building. Other districts have already done this, and we fear it may be catching on like wildfire. If school boards can build new facilities without referendum by signing a lease-to-own agreement, then issue debt service extension base (DSEB) Bonds, without a referendum to shore up their general revenues (raising future taxes to pay then back), we are in real trouble. Using the magic word “Lease should not void the clear intent of the original law that requires a referendum for new construction.

I submitted written comments (similar to this post) with my witness slip in support of HB2145.

Continue reading “IL Legislation to close “Lease” to avoid referendum loophole” →

Why so many special Needs?

I’ve been watching a video series called “The Truth About Vaccines”
Some Say Vaccines are Essential. Some Say They’re Evil.
If you have children or grandchildren, you deserve the FACTS to make your own informed choices…  Available for a limited timehttps://go.thetruthaboutvaccines.com/

I’m hearing several things that put together explain a lot.

  1. Pre-1990 autism was less than 1 in 10,000 children.  Most of us hadn’t even heard of it.  Now they claim it is at least 1 in 100, maybe as high as 1 in 50. 
  2. 1986, congress passed a law that vaccine producers could not be sued.  It also set up a fund for vaccine injured children.
  3. I recall having a few shots as a child.  Our children (now young adults) were vaccinated.  Today’s children get about twice as many shots, at younger ages and even pregnant women are given the flu vaccine, which has not been proven safe or effective.  WHAT are we doing?
  4. If they are right that this cocktail of vaccines is causing developmental problems, then ceasing to mandate vaccines could reduce the incidence of autism, ADHD, … which would reduce the need for so many special Ed teachers/aids in schools, and thus reduce the cost of public education.  And more importantly, it could improve the quality of life for so many of our youth & their families who must care for a vaccine injured child.
Look around.  You know something is happening that is not right!

Problem-Based-Learning – PBLs – Activism or Education

A friend had sent this letter awhile back about “PBLs” or Problem-Based-Learning.  I re-read it the other day.  It is well worth reading.  I asked if I could post it.  The answer: “I have no objections to sharing it… I’d prefer to keep my name off it… for now.”  And so I post it with permission, from “anonymous.”

 

It contains nuggets such as:

  • How am I to feel? How should I react if my own son is scoffing at me because he seems to have been convinced that I kill Penguins because I bought a pumpkin?
  • The solutions always attempt to control other people’s behavior… Are you trying to mold them all into life-long activists instead of life-long learners?
  • Why should kids be stemming the tide of the ocean when they can’t tie their own shoe?  Shouldn’t we focus on basic skills before saving the world?
  • By veering off course with a PBL-based curriculum, we are leaving our children under prepared for junior high and high school.
  • Being able to regurgitate someone else’s opinion is not the same as being able to think critically.

All presented with real stories and thoughtful analysis.
Enjoy

OurPBLstories

The Common Core controversy

Common Core is being implemented across the USA, including all public and most private schools in Illinois.  For voters and school board candidates who don’t already know what it is, I’m proving a few links to give you a basic understanding of what is going on… and why the controversy.

Common Core: what it is,

where it came from, who is behind it.
Video   18:21

Poet: I can’t answer questions on Texas standardized tests about my own poems

 

Why the Education Establishment Hates Cursive

5 Years Into Common Core, 15-Year-Olds Behind 35 Countries in Math – it’s not working!!

 

Addition strategies

video  4:38

 

Nanny helps explain Common Core subtraction

video  1:36

 

Common Core math [multiplication] explained

video  6:31

GLSEN and their LGBT Common Core Public School Agenda

Taxpayers Cover $4 Million$ in Teachers College Costs

“Taxpayers in 70 suburban school districts paid more than $4 million last year to send 3,085 teachers back to college.”  This increase in education leads to higher salaries and higher pensions.   did an excellent job of covering the details in the Daily Herald:

 dailyherald.com/article/20160803/news/160809691/

Send your comments to:   BoardOfEducation@d211.org