http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Discussion Forum for Riverside Illinois en Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:24:45 +0000 http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/39#post-15923 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:36:58 +0000 mrt 15923@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>District 208 (RBHS) Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Skinkis, will be presenting the District's Current Financial Status and Budget Planning Process at the Patrons' Council tonight. A portion of the presentation will be dedicated to receiving feedback and questions from audience members. Details below:</p> <p> Place: Alumni Lounge<br /> Date: Monday, February 6, 2012<br /> Networking &#38; refreshments: 7:00-7:30 pm<br /> Meeting begins: 7:30 pm </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/clarion-every-student-has-a-story#post-15915 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:15:45 +0000 DanielMancoff 15915@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Hi,</p> <p>I am the sponsor of the Riverside Brookfield High School Clarion, RB's student newspaper. We thought you might be interested in a new interactive feature that went up on our site called "Every Student Has a Story."</p> <p>It can be found here:<br /> <a href="http://rbclarion.com/top-stories/2012/02/02/every-student-has-a-story/" rel="nofollow">http://rbclarion.com/top-stories/2012/02/02/every-student-has-a-story/</a></p> <p>The idea was to have every Clarion reporter choose a student at random from RB's roster and interview them for a feature-length story.</p> <p>We launched with eight students represented with more to arrive shortly.</p> <p>Clarion is providing these links as service to forward our mission of informing the community about issues related to our high school. If you have any questions or comments related to the story, please either use the commenting forum available at our web site or contact the school administration directly.</p> <p>Dan Mancoff<br /> Clarion Sponsor </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/39#post-15912 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:24:23 +0000 chrisrobling 15912@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>YouTube video of RB 2011 graduation:</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C3qTGnQVHA&#38;list=PLB2E4D4D3C0ABE815&#38;index=2&#38;feature=plpp_video" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C3qTGnQVHA&#38;list=PLB2E4D4D3C0ABE815&#38;index=2&#38;feature=plpp_video</a></p> <p>enjoy. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/39#post-15907 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:55:57 +0000 chrisrobling 15907@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>happy to agree with mrt on this one. thanks very much, holly and other co-sponsor. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/39#post-15906 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:42:12 +0000 mrt 15906@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>THANK YOU , Holly - a very nice neighbor and friend in this community - and the other<br /> person, Mr Henle, for stepping up and giving our kids an opportunity for a math club.</p> <p>math rules!</p> <p>kids rule .</p> <p>They are both the 'way of the future'. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/39#post-15905 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:08:15 +0000 rbhstaxpayer 15905@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Once the word went beyond the invisible picket line our kids got a sponsor for their math club. In fact they now have two sponsors. Thanks to all who stepped up for the kids, really.</p> <p>According to RBEA's Monti nothing could be done. Here is a Q &#38; A from the Clarion re the union and clubs-<br /> Q: Other than wage concessions, is there anything else the union can do to help alleviate the school’s financial issues? </p> <p>A: Not really. </p> <p>Here's the December Tribune story -<br /> <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-21/news/ct-met-school-funding-standoff-20111222_1_school-math-teacher-club-cuts-school-year/2"><br /> <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-21/news/ct-met-school-funding-standoff-20111222_1_school-math-teacher-club-cuts-school-year/2" rel="nofollow">http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-21/news/ct-met-school-funding-standoff-20111222_1_school-math-teacher-club-cuts-school-year/2</a></p> <p>And today's good news in the Clarion -</p> <p><a href="http://rbclarion.com/top-stories/2012/01/31/art-math-clubs-follow-the-road-to-reinstatement/" rel="nofollow">http://rbclarion.com/top-stories/2012/01/31/art-math-clubs-follow-the-road-to-reinstatement/</a></a><a href="http://rbclarion.com/top-stories/2012/01/31/art-math-clubs-follow-the-road-to-reinstatement/"></a></p> <p>Who knows, maybe a true partnership "for the kids" will emerge. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/39#post-15904 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:50:41 +0000 Seeking answers 15904@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>The question to be answered is simple. Does our tax money go for education or for compensation? If for compensation, we have the perfect system in place. If for education, not so much. I'm just curious. Do some of the people who post here have any experience with the current economy? There seems to be this perception that if the teacher salaries are reduced, there will be a mass exodus of the highest paid teachers to other school districts. Now, is the reason that they are the highest paid teachers because they are the best in the industry? Or is it because they are the teachers with the longest service and have benefitted from a series of favorable contracts that have increased their salaries disproportionately? I would like to know the average age of these teachers. If they are in their fifties, what makes you think that other districts are going to be in a rush to hire a teacher who is going to retire in maybe 2-8 years (my experience in dealing with teachers is few, if any, actually work past the age of 58).</p> <p>It is an upside down world that students have to suffer so that teachers can keep their perks. In a business, when revenue goes down or sales are flat, employees don't get raises or bonuses. In fact, some businesses present their employees with the choice of reduction in salary or layoffs. Employees overwhelmingly vote for reduction in salary, since most of the time they don't announce who will be laid off before the vote.</p> <p>A contract may be a contract, but at a certain point it is not a suicide pact. The teachers and administration have to realize to keep this ship afloat, everybody has to give. Happens all the time in private industry. I have averaged a 13% loss in business over the course of this recession, and so subsequently have had to adapt to that. Why do the teachers feel that they are immune to the laws of ecomnomics? </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/38#post-15890 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:35:33 +0000 rbhstaxpayer 15890@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Thanks Spatney, those guys might even be worse than the Baldermann, Herbts, Zeman and Scanlon group who gamed AP and other deals. I propose us parents, taxpayers and administrators roll up our sleaves and work together to clean up the mess.</p> <p>How bad can it be there are only 1450 great kids and 100 great teachers to support. Most of the drug dealers are no longer allowed on campus. It's not like we've got Morton's 8000 or LT's 3800 or OPRF's 3200. One building and solid alumni; let's get er done! </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/38#post-15880 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:09:33 +0000 spatny 15880@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>Got an idea. Let the Koch Brothers come in and pay for the school. Of course, they will want to have full control of teacher hiring, what is taught, etc. - but, you know, it's money. </p> <p>Google Koch U and see what these charlatans are doing with over 130 universities and colleges across the country. And then watch the clips of that GOP committee chairman that got $30K from them cut off Waxman today. This crap is insidious - it goes into everything - ALEC, all of that. I put this here to educate those who have no idea what the radical right is doing. </p> http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/landmark-letter-turnaround-needed-at-rbhs/page/38#post-15876 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:14:28 +0000 mr 15876@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ <p>roderick:</p> <p>Thanks for your post. I understand that our representatives agreed to the terms of the contract. I guess I have to ask though:</p> <p>Could we have realistically negotiatd a contract that said:</p> <p>Step Increase 0%<br /> Lane Change 0%<br /> Other increase CPI plus 1% (put in any number)</p> <p>Eliminate LIFO<br /> Specifiy different increases for certain core subjects - Math, Science, English.</p> <p>Declare the educator positions as salaried and mandate that teachers moderate at least one club without a stipend - or at least that teachers making over a certain annual salary do so.</p> <p>Maybe increase less experienced teachers at a faster rate - and slow increases for more experienced - which is what happens in private industry. This would diminish the likelihood that more experience teachers be laid off first because of their higher salaries.</p> <p>Yes, I am sure that we can make some changes along the margins, but the way compensation is structured, even with austerity, compensation will go up faster than inflation - dramatically so. The whole system resists salary administration similar to how it is done in the private sector and instead requires us to banchmark against what the CA and NY legislature is doing.</p> <p>Please let me know how long it would take to negotiate something that gives any district control over all of those factors at each negotiation. Why would it not be possible to pay our teachers well within that structure? </p>