ED, Proviso Township High Schools to RIF 55 teachers [D209]
To cut $2.5-3 million dollars from the District 209 budget Proviso Township High Schools will RIF (reduction in force) 55 teachers. Proviso East will lose 22 and Proviso West will lose 33.
State law requires teachers be notified 45 days in advance of a date in May. The RIF notification has been used to justify moving the next board meeting from Monday, April 23 (after the election) to Monday, April 16 (the day before the election). A source said the list was prepared in advance of the March board meeting, but has been kept confidential.
Notifications can be done by certified mail. A source anticipates the RIF notices will be mailed Friday, April 13.
BTW, what do you think Fields and the Welch majority want to pass before the election?
State law requires teachers be notified 45 days in advance of a date in May. The RIF notification has been used to justify moving the next board meeting from Monday, April 23 (after the election) to Monday, April 16 (the day before the election). A source said the list was prepared in advance of the March board meeting, but has been kept confidential.
Notifications can be done by certified mail. A source anticipates the RIF notices will be mailed Friday, April 13.
BTW, what do you think Fields and the Welch majority want to pass before the election?
Labels: District 209, reduction in force, Stan Fields, teachers
posted by Carl Nyberg at
9:58 AM
11 Comments:
Stan Fields justified spending a ridiculous amount of money on the new website by saying that communication needs to be improved. He criticized the phenomenon of people relying on rumors to know what's happening.
The problem with Fields analysis is that if the school board and superintendent won't tell the truth or decide to withhold the truth then they are creating the circumstances where people rely on rumors.
And no amount of money dumped into a slick website can paper over dishonesty by district leadership.
By
Carl Nyberg, at 10:37 AM, April 04, 2007
Proviso teacher says:
Carl, how did you get this information? We Proviso teachers are still in the dark about these numbers.
By
Anonymous, at 5:16 PM, April 04, 2007
RIF Handbook available at:
www.ieanea.org/page50905749.aspx
(opening excerpt) Dear Colleague:
The situation you currently face is without a doubt one of the most discouraging any
worker can experience. Dismissal, even when it is honorable, exacts an emotional toll.
This booklet of information has been prepared by the Illinois Education Association-NEA to help you through this difficult time. It outlines a number of steps you can take: first, to ensure that you will receive all the benefits due you from both the school district and the state; and second, to ensure that your rights of seniority and recall are protected. If you have questions about the material in the booklet or if you need additional information, please feel free to call your local UniServ director.
Be assured that while you are coping with this situation as it affects you personally, your
association is attacking the problems that have contributed to your situation. IEA-NEA continues to fight against cuts in and for increased funding at both the state and national levels. Currently IEA- NEA is actively seeking enhanced revenue to properly support education funding in Illinois. Your association is committed to the ongoing effort to provide appropriate funding to keep quality school
employees in the public schools so that a quality education can be provided for every young person.
Sincerely,
Your IEA-NEA Leaders and Staff
By
Anonymous, at 8:03 PM, April 04, 2007
Reduction in Force (RIF) Survey (Comparison of 2005 and 2006)
In order to comply with Section 10-20.26 of the Illinois School Code–report of teacher dismissals, Illinois school districts are annually required to provide information on reduction in the number of teachers and the discontinuation of teaching services to the Illinois State Board of Education.
In 2006, 364 of the 872 operating Illinois school districts issued dismissal notices. In 2005, 335 of the 889 reporting school districts issued dismissal notices.
The percentage of school districts reporting a reduction in force increased from 38 percent in 2005 to 42 percent in 2006.
Full report here:
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/research/pdfs/
reduction_survey0506.pdf.
By
Anonymous, at 8:15 PM, April 04, 2007
How did I get this info?
A source that doesn't want to be revealed.
By
Carl Nyberg, at 10:54 AM, April 05, 2007
Ms. Coffee says: Carl there is a big difference between riffing and firing non-tenured teachers. Riffing refers to letting go tenured teachers. They have to be notified by certified letter. Non-tenure teachers can be let go for the first 3 years they are at a district WITHOUT ANY REASON. I'm sure Fields is only firing non-tenured teachers, not tenured ones. The last time Proviso fired tenure teachers was in the 70's when the enrollment at the schools was plunging. BTW non=tenure teachers have no rights of recall. Proviso may call them back, but then they start all over on their steps to get tenure.
By
Anonymous, at 3:36 PM, April 05, 2007
I'm checking if tenured teachers are included, but if Fields is all but eliminating electives....
Tenured elective teachers who don't have the qualifications to move to core subjects should probably be concerned.
By
Carl Nyberg, at 9:49 PM, April 05, 2007
If they are going to be sending out certified letters on Friday, how can they guarantee they will be delivered the next day? We have teachers who live in Indiana, near Joliet, and out by Huntley. Unless its next day, certified letters won't get to all those places in one day. The school board meeting is on the following Monday, so it might be sooner than Friday. But hey, who the hell knows arounds here.
By
Anonymous, at 7:21 PM, April 08, 2007
Why are they firing teachers? In my estimation of things, 209 is top heavy. This is such bullshit. I've been here through numerous superintendents and this guy is the worst. Even Dale Crawford's shortcomings pale when you look at this "actor" we have in charge now.
Let's clean the slate on the 17th and go gunning for the Chris Welch gang.
By
Anonymous, at 7:43 PM, April 08, 2007
Principal Pleads No Contest To DUI, Gets Year Probation
By Patti Weaver
4/10/1991
STILLWATER - Stan Fields, principal of Hale High School
in Tulsa, pleaded no contest in court Tuesday to driving
under the influence of alcohol and transporting an open
container of beer, both misdemeanors.
Fields, 27, was placed on probation for one year by Special
District Judge Lois Belden under a deferred sentence recommended
by Assistant District Attorney Rick Kitchen.
"This defendant is a first-time offender and was cooperative
at the time of his arrest," Kitchen told Belden.
Fields, the youngest principal in Tulsa, was arrested at
3:16 a.m. March 30 at 1200 N. Boomer Road here by Stillwater
police on both alcohol-related offenses, Kitchen said.
Police said Fields registered .17 on a blood-alcohol test.
The legal level for intoxication in Oklahoma is .10.
As part of the probation, recommended by Kitchen, Fields
was ordered to attend an alcohol and drug abuse course, attend
a victim impact panel program, and perform 20 hours of community
service - all within the next 90 days. Fields can do all that
in Tulsa instead of Payne County, Kitchen said.
If he completes those requirements by July 15, the remaining
nine months of his probation would be unsupervised, Kitchen said.
Because Fields was placed on a deferred sentence, no conviction
was entered and the record of the offense would be expunged in one
year if the probation is successfully completed, Belden advised
Fields in court.
Fields, who stood quietly before the judge in his brief
appearance, said nothing other than to acknowledge he understood
his right to a trial and the possible penalty for the offenses.
His attorney, Terrel DoRemus of Tulsa, entered both pleas on his behalf.
The maximum sentence for misdemeanor driving under the influence
is one year in the county jail and a $1,000 fine, Kitchen said.
Transporting an open container of beer carries a maximum $50 fine,
he said.
Fields has taken a leave of absence from the school pending
the disposition of the case.
Tulsa school district employees who are convicted of a felony
are automatically dismissed, but those convicted of a misdemeanor
are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, school officials said.
Tulsa Superintendent Bruce Howell and Area 3 Assistant Superintendent
Larry Webber declined comment until they could review the court papers,
a school spokesman said.
School board member Judy Eason-McIntyre said the board had
no policy covering the Fields situation but a board committee
was looking at its options.
About 300 Hale High School students cut morning classes
Friday to walk about three miles to the Education Service
Center in support of Fields.
Fields previously taught math in Tulsa at Cascia Hall Preparatory
School and was a principal at Metro Christian Academy in Tulsa. He
was an intern under Howell before becoming principal at Hale this
year. He also played football at the University of Tulsa.
By
Anonymous, at 1:52 PM, April 12, 2007
Staff Files Grievances Against Hale Principal
By Barbara Hoberock
5/9/1992
Tulsa teachers filed seven grievances within the last five
weeks against Hale High School Principal Stan Fields, alleging
harassment and failure to follow school and state regulations.
Five of the grievances were filed by individuals and two
by groups, said Dennis Scott, a Tulsa Classroom Teachers
Association delegate from Hale.
Two more grievances are expected to be filed in the coming
weeks, Scott said.
Of the seven filed, one was settled between a teacher and
Fields and did not go past the building level, Scott said.
In another instance, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent
Bruce Howell agreed to pay Diana Doyle, Hale's librarian,
$1,131 for extra duties. Doyle had filed a grievance against
Fields to get extra pay, Scott said.
The grievances are filed with the TCTA, Scott said. They
are first discussed with Fields. If a reconciliation can't
be reached the administration is asked to take action.
Charles Sitter, TCTA president, would not comment on the
grievances, saying it would be inappropriate.
The grievances came after 25 teachers signed a petition
asking Howell for:
An audit of all school money, including the on-site budget,
pop machine money, donor money, athletic department money
and departmental money.
An investigation of money paid and jobs not performed
in extra duties and special assignments.
An investigation of favoritism and kickbacks.
An investigation of alleged intimidation and threats made by Fields.
"Many teachers here would desire that he (Fields) be removed,"
Scott said. "I'm not going to say all of them."
An internal auditor reviewed Hale's activity funds records
dated July 1, 1991, through April 20, 1992, and issued an
April 27 report to Larry Webber, Area III superintendent.
The auditor found 10 apparently minor irregularities, but
in conclusion said, "The records of Hale High School's
School Activity Funds fulfill the requirements as set forth
in the Administrative Handbook for School Activity Funds
and Board Policy. The records were in meticulous order,
detailed and easy to review."
By
Anonymous, at 1:57 PM, April 12, 2007
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