Looking for excitement or some free entertainment? Have we got deals for you!
#1 -- District 64 Super-duper-intendent Search!
Yesterday in an email invitation sent from the district and forwarded to us by a faithful PRU reader --
The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education would greatly appreciate the input and assistance of all community members.
Community Forums
School Superintendent Search
Tuesday, December 1 at 9:30 a.m.
&
Wednesday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Washington School, 1500 Stewart Ave., Park Ridge
The Board of Education invites all members of the community to participate in the search for a new school superintendent. Current Superintendent Sally Pryor is retiring on June 30, and the Board is working with consultants to conduct a national search for her replacement.
A key step in the search process is to identify the values and priorities of our community, and create a profile of the characteristics that our community seeks in an outstanding educational leader to guide our schools into the new decade.
The community meetings will be facilitated by representatives of the search firm, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd. The north suburban firm has assisted about 600 school boards since it was established in 1987.
Can’t attend, but would like to contribute your thoughts?
Please complete the Leadership Profile Assessment by Friday, December 4 available at this link: d64ssprofile09(.pdf) Thank you for participating.
#2 -- Wannabe Tree Huggers Unite!
Q: What is a tree's least favorite month?
A: Sep-tiiiiimber!
In last week's edition of the Journal & Topics we learned the 'Tree Preservation Task Force Seeks Volunteers' All you tree huggers out there -- now is your chance!
The article says -- "Those interested may obtain an application on the city's Web site at www.parkridge.us under the heading City Forms, Guides, and Publications: City Boards/Commissions Application Form and Biographical Data. Completed application forms are being accepted in the Administration Office at City Hall, 505 Butler Place. For additional information, or if you do not have access to the Web site, contact Barb Cannon, senior administrative assistant, at 847-318-5208."
Alternatively, you can be one of the volunteers who helps keep Park Ridge safe from Killer Trees!
11 comments:
Thanks Pru. But have you got any other ideas?
Anon@2:18 --
How bored are you?
I'm very bored today. What have you got for me?
Anon@2:32 --
For you and anyone else experiencing the depths of boredom, we present the piece de resistance --
Reading of the Park Ride municipal code!
No need to thank us.
LOL! Thanks Pru.
Don't we elect seven school board members because THEY are supposed to understand and represent "the values and priorities of our community" in determining policy for the D-64 schools? Can't they come up with the "characteristics that our community seeks in an outstanding educational leader"?
Sounds to me like they are trying to dodge accountability for whatever decision is made by being able to say that they were only a small part of the process. They already have consultants" on the job, but that must feel they need even more plausible deniability so they're enlisting community participation.
D-64 hasn't had "an outstanding educational leader to guide our schools" since Ray Hendee. It hasn't even been able to get a decent manager despite all the money you've spent on Arlene Rieger, Fred Schroeder and Sally Pryor over the past 20 years. Which is why you've got high cost, mediocre performing schools.
But if you people want to punt the ball, why not punt it directly to the D-64 Caucus. Nobody can beat the Caucus in making bad decisions when it comes to elementary education in Park Ridge, except maybe the PREA.
anon 5:16:
It is facinating how the exact same act can be seen in tow different ways depending on ones point of view. It just depends on what ax you have to grind. For the district to look for community input or give the community the opportunity for input is, in your mind passing the buck or weakness. Based on that theory, None of us should be allowed to speak at a city council meeting - after all, we elected them, they should know what we want. Yet we all bitch about people not having enough input. Of course if they did not do this, after the new hire we would be reading (probably right here on this blog) that the community had no input.
Here is an idea. Don't go to the meetings!!
Anon 5:37 PM:
I greatly prefer more citizen involvement in local government over less, so I'm not sure I agree entirely with 5:16 (other than wholeheartedly concurring on the incompetent/ridiculous Caucus).
On the other hand, having participated in a number of these "facilitated" community-outreach efforts over the years by D-64 and the City, I've always found them to be pre-determined conclusions seeking public endorsement via the manipulation of skillful paid "facilitators."
I didn't live in Park Ridge when Mr. Hendee ran D-64, but I have lived here through Schroeder and Pryor. And judging from them, the LAST thing we need is another "educator" who can't manage their way out of a wet paper bag.
Superintendant of a $50 Million budget school district is a BUSINESS MANAGEMENT job, not a teaching job. After 15 years of bad management and stagnant education, they should be looking for somebody who has successfully run a $50-100 Million business.
Those who believe it's a duty as well as an opportunity to weigh in on expensive, consequential decisions will be happy to know that the survey form has been re-posted on the Dist. 64 website; this time not in pdf format but in word, so you can actually type your comments onto the form, save it, and email it to the consultants or the district, whichever you prefer. And just FYI, this taxpayer-friendly change was requested by one of those Caucus-endorsed school board members. Not all of them drank the Kool-Aid.
December 1, 2009 6:50 PM:
Your last paragraph sounds like something you could put in the survey and have it be part of the input the consultants and the board have to work from.
anon 6:50:
I understand whay you are saying but it is so funny at many levels of politics or government positions. What is that saying....damned if you do and damned if you don't. The blogs always scream for public involvment and yet if someone we don't like tries it we go after them for involving the public when "they should already know". Again, if they would have simply announced the new person people would have screamed, "why was there no public involvment????".
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