If you think about it, nowadays baby raising is a 50/50 proposition. I’m sure Mrs. Ostrow will be thrilled to hear that it is all her responsibility at least for the first few months. Obviously it’s been a long time since you raised kids. You don’t think it’s important for the father to bond with his child in the first few months? I am a mother and I know just how important the first few months are for bonding with both parents, not to mention the rest of the child’s life.
I didn’t say Artie wouldn’t make a good AD. My guess is he will-eventually. He has a great resume and Mr. Zeman has taught him well. However, he has not been involved in the day to day running of the athletic department. It’s not about walking in and making a bunch of changes. That will come, no doubt. First he needs to learn what it takes to make the department work on a daily basis. That involves long hours and lots of details. He should have been given time to work with Zeman and Cavanaugh for 6 months or so to learn exactly what his job is.
You are wrong-Mr. Zeman has been in the weight room at 6am, 3 days a week. He also attends, freshman & sophomore football games, soccer, baseball basketball, swimming, water polo and so on, because it is a requirement of the job. The teacher’s union had nothing to do with, he wasn’t a member. It may though now, because our new AD is part of the union.
If I were looking for house in Riverside or Brookfield and did a search of local news stories, I would think twice about buying here. For the past year there has been nothing but controversy and negative stories, and we have Mr. Buttimer to thank for most of it. I will wait patiently while you gather the list of great and heartfelt things he has done for the RB community.
Riverside Info » About Riverside
Forum on next RB athletic director
(72 posts)-
Posted Saturday May 22, 2010 17:16 #
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Oh Cookie Cutter -you are so right it is 2010 and do you realize that Mr. Ostrow is entitled to take up to twelve weeks for 'family medical leave'. Whatever will the department do should he decide to exercise those rights? AND even the mother-in-law can take time off to help with the new family. In theory - we could have an empty department for up to twelve weeks. Do you realize this is a new era in child rearing? Much much more is expected out of fathers now instead of them just celebrating their manhood.
Do I know this Buttimer guy -- I know who he is and I've even had a conversation with him. So I'll answer your question - Yes, I know him; we are NOT friends in any way shape or form nor would we ever be. I think he should take up knitting blankets for the homeless to divert all his free time to something useful.
As far as Dr. Bonnette goes - I don't believe the schools best interest is his priority. If it was he would have put a stop to all this A.D. stuff and focused on the continued improvement of academics and the safety of our children. Right now I don't think RB kids are safe at school and that's a big concern. The two things that can/make break this school is academics and safety not athletics.
My opinion, we could have lived with the A.D. another year or two while the new principal and new superintendent got a firmer handle on the things going on within the halls of RBHS. The safety of children should be uppermost in everyone's mind and I don't believe they are safe right now but there are some who are more concerned about those athletic scholarshipsBonnette should be pushing the board to start searching for a new superintendent. But why should he-he's picking up a nice cushy part time salary. His decisions will impact this community for a long time and his choice for a referendum ----- well obviously he is not listening to the taxpayers.
The school's integrity was fine until a small group decided to air the dirty laundry all over the western suburbs. But some can’t let it go. From everything I've gathered, Mr. Gobble (a golden apple winner) would have made a great principal. I don't think his integrity and morals has ever been called into question but he did not get the job because he knew Jack Baldermann. He didn’t get the job because he knew the school and its students and the problems but Ostrow did because he knew the schools, it’s students and it’s problems. now we’ve lost one heck of teacher who the kids really liked and respected ---- along with another teacher whom the kids really liked and respected. Very logical!
Posted Saturday May 22, 2010 18:11 # -
The kids would have lost a golden apple winner if gobble were promoted to principal. I would think the board should do the steering and the pushing for a new super - that is strategic and the appropriate responsibility of the board. THere is probably enough everyday operational type of stuff on the superintendnt's plate now, even as an interim, to handle.
Before we start claiming that RB is not 'safe' in public, please cite stats over time. If there is a significant safety problem, and one that is getting worse (vs the typical HS stuff) this should be out there to address. I have a kid there and one on the way and one that graduated there a few yrs ago. If I thought it were not safe I would be all over it.
Posted Saturday May 22, 2010 20:52 # -
No they would have had a golden apple winner who was now their principal.
Three kids getting busted for possession of knives, a couple racial incidents, two girls busted for fighting where an arrest was made and a drug sweep where an arrest was made....and those are just the ones that have been reported. Heaven only knows what's going on that the kids aren't telling their parents. So i'd get "all over it" because that sounds like too much to me.
Posted Saturday May 22, 2010 22:28 # -
No we would not have lost a golden apple, he would have been able to share his award winning talents with more students than he ever would have as a teacher.
There is far too much for an interim to handle especially with the 120 days and 600 hour stipulation. The board took the easy way out.
As far as safety goes, I think Rita unfortunately is right. There have been way to many incidents lately. Ask your kids. Far too much is going on that does not get put in the papers.Posted Saturday May 22, 2010 22:47 # -
Do you receive the email alerts from the superintendent when unfortunate things happen? I do. It is much more than we ever received with the former superintendent/principal, even though there were just as many, or more, "events". We know about them now because they are communicated.
The line on Bonnette when he was the superintendent at D96 was that he worked constantly, far beyond his 40 hour work week. I expect that he is doing the same--working far more hours than he is getting paid for. I do think he has a vested interest in the school and her pupils. Like stated earlier, he lives in the community, pays taxes here, and his children and grandchildren live here, too. If I were he, I would want to get the school going in the right direction for my progeny.
Posted Saturday May 22, 2010 23:36 # -
I don't get notification because I yet to have kids in the school. My knowledge comes from what I read in the paper. I can't say about things that have happened prior to this, however, if you are saying that communication is better now so parents are hearing about more events then they did in the past (which is a good thing) it seems to me you've reinforced my opinion that the school is not safe and evidentally has not been for a while. You just didn't know it - ignorance can be bliss sometimes, i guess.
If Bonnette is working far more then his 120 days/600 hours that goes against TRS Guidelines. It doesn't matter what he is paid; a retiree can not work more then that nor can they volunteer their time. TRS is very strict about this.
I believe I've read alot of blogs about Mr. Zeman and his part time status on the Landmark. From what I understand he always worked way more then that.
However, it didn't matter how many hours Mr. Zeman worked because the A.D. position was never a certified position (and does not have to be)so therefore not restricted to TRS guidelines. All this time the district was paying a part time salary to a man who was working fulltime and could have been paying into IMRF.Shame on the TRS administrator for not pointing that out eight years ago.
Posted Sunday May 23, 2010 10:28 # -
Rita D, since had stated that you have no personal knowledge of what has been occurring in the athletic department at RBHS, that says it all. You don't know what is going on, nor do you know what has gone on.
I will, therefore, disregard everything that you have said regarding Riverside Brookfield High School.
Guidelines are guidelines. Dr. Bonnette is very well versed in what he can and cannot do. Dr. Bonnette is doing a professional job, and he is doing it well.
Posted Sunday May 23, 2010 17:02 # -
Cookie Cutter…wow sorry to have ruffled your feathers. It’s unfortunate that you are small minded enough to think if someone doesn’t have kids in the school, they don’t know what’s going on and aren’t entitled to an opinion especially one that is well informed. What kind of parent would I be if I didn’t check out the school I'd be sending my kids to? If I see a police car at the school, I have every right to call and see what’s going on. I can read the newspapers and talk to families who send their kids to the school.
If the only people who can voice their opinion (informed or not) have to be current student families, then I would bet that half the blogs on the Landmark and Suburban Life would have to be removed. And I say current because even tho someone may have sent their kid their seven years ago….well, obviously things have changed so their gripes from seven years even four years ago are meaningless.Being that I am a TRS administrator, I would hope that Dr. Bonnette is very well aware of what he can and can not do.
Posted Monday May 24, 2010 10:04 # -
"Being that I am a TRS adminstrator " sounds very close to being a "Watch out I'm keeping an eye on you" statement, whether you meant it that way or not. In either case Dr Bonnette has always put in the extra mile for the kids, and I for one appreciate all he has done for this community.
Posted Monday May 24, 2010 15:33 #
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