ED, Proviso Township High Schools has a new board of education [D209]
Proviso Township High Schools has reconstituted board of education. Board members Gary Marine and Shirley Madlock finished their terms and were replaced by Robert “Bob” Cox and Robin Foreman.
Incumbent board member Theresa Kelly was re-elected on April 17, 2007. By a 5-2 Emanuel “Chris” Welch was re-elected president of the board of education. Charles Flowers and Kelly voted against Welch. Dan Adams was re-elected vice president of the board with Flowers and Kelly abstaining. Reatha “Sue” Henry was re-elected as board secretary 7-0.
Madlock gave a prepared speech and was, at times, so choked with emotion she had trouble delivering it. After thanking people she said her number one goal on the board of education was to improve education. Madlock took a swipe at unnamed parties by saying, “Not everyone is open to change.” When I asked her after the meeting adjourned if there was someone specific who she thought was not open to change she shook her head no.
Madlock speech included cliches about finger pointing. Madlock said, “If we want Proviso to be a better place we have to look at ourselves.”
To me this all sounded self-serving. Madlock said virtually nothing in open session for four years. When she did take a stand in closed session it was largely to look after her sister's interests as an employee of the district. Now that Madlock's off the board she wants other people to consider how they are responsible for Proviso's problems.
In the same speech Madlock had the audacity to say improving education was her number one goal. Proviso Township High Schools is 90th of 90 in the Chicago area. What did Shirley Madlock accomplish to improve education during her term? What did she even try to accomplish?
The woman has some chutzpah to give a long speech about how the rest of us should be looking in the mirror and asking ourselves to take responsibility. She quoted the popular Dale Wimbro poem, “The Man In the Mirror”. Madlock's been on the board of education. She's the one legally responsible for the situation. And what did she try to do to make it better?
Gary Marine gave a simple statement thanking everyone and wishing the best to his colleagues continuing on the board.
Kelly's statement was also simple thanking her supporters and saying, “We will move the board forward.”
Cox gave a somwhat confusing speech. He asked people to envision someone in 30 years talking about his high school experience at Proviso. Cox referred to the graduate reading 48 books, which seems almost realistic. But then he talked about learning Arabic and Chinese—which aren't even offered. And Cox referred to his fictional alumni being offered six scholarships.
Foreman gave an enthusiastic speech. She thanked the community. She promised not to take the position lightly. She promised to be accessible, “You can reach Robin,” she promised. Then she said she'd place Proviso first. And then students first. And then teachers first. And then she promised to put a bunch of other stakeholders first.
After the meeting I overheard Kelly talking about Foreman. Foreman was trying to be friendly, including a bunch of touching. Kelly resented the presumption that such intimacies were appropriate. Kelly believes the rumor that Foreman posed for the pictures used in the mailing attacking Kelly for wasting district money on excessive travel.
Carla Johnson and Kevin McDermott, two of the candidates who ran but didn't place in the top three, attended the board meeting. Johnson ran with Cox and Foreman. McDermott ran with Kelly and Ralph Harris.
If you want to comment on some of the other changes to local government why not start a discussion on All-Proviso Network?
Incumbent board member Theresa Kelly was re-elected on April 17, 2007. By a 5-2 Emanuel “Chris” Welch was re-elected president of the board of education. Charles Flowers and Kelly voted against Welch. Dan Adams was re-elected vice president of the board with Flowers and Kelly abstaining. Reatha “Sue” Henry was re-elected as board secretary 7-0.
Madlock gave a prepared speech and was, at times, so choked with emotion she had trouble delivering it. After thanking people she said her number one goal on the board of education was to improve education. Madlock took a swipe at unnamed parties by saying, “Not everyone is open to change.” When I asked her after the meeting adjourned if there was someone specific who she thought was not open to change she shook her head no.
Madlock speech included cliches about finger pointing. Madlock said, “If we want Proviso to be a better place we have to look at ourselves.”
To me this all sounded self-serving. Madlock said virtually nothing in open session for four years. When she did take a stand in closed session it was largely to look after her sister's interests as an employee of the district. Now that Madlock's off the board she wants other people to consider how they are responsible for Proviso's problems.
In the same speech Madlock had the audacity to say improving education was her number one goal. Proviso Township High Schools is 90th of 90 in the Chicago area. What did Shirley Madlock accomplish to improve education during her term? What did she even try to accomplish?
The woman has some chutzpah to give a long speech about how the rest of us should be looking in the mirror and asking ourselves to take responsibility. She quoted the popular Dale Wimbro poem, “The Man In the Mirror”. Madlock's been on the board of education. She's the one legally responsible for the situation. And what did she try to do to make it better?
Gary Marine gave a simple statement thanking everyone and wishing the best to his colleagues continuing on the board.
Kelly's statement was also simple thanking her supporters and saying, “We will move the board forward.”
Cox gave a somwhat confusing speech. He asked people to envision someone in 30 years talking about his high school experience at Proviso. Cox referred to the graduate reading 48 books, which seems almost realistic. But then he talked about learning Arabic and Chinese—which aren't even offered. And Cox referred to his fictional alumni being offered six scholarships.
Foreman gave an enthusiastic speech. She thanked the community. She promised not to take the position lightly. She promised to be accessible, “You can reach Robin,” she promised. Then she said she'd place Proviso first. And then students first. And then teachers first. And then she promised to put a bunch of other stakeholders first.
After the meeting I overheard Kelly talking about Foreman. Foreman was trying to be friendly, including a bunch of touching. Kelly resented the presumption that such intimacies were appropriate. Kelly believes the rumor that Foreman posed for the pictures used in the mailing attacking Kelly for wasting district money on excessive travel.
Carla Johnson and Kevin McDermott, two of the candidates who ran but didn't place in the top three, attended the board meeting. Johnson ran with Cox and Foreman. McDermott ran with Kelly and Ralph Harris.
If you want to comment on some of the other changes to local government why not start a discussion on All-Proviso Network?
Labels: D209, Robert Cox, Shirlely Madlock, Theresa Kelly
posted by Carl Nyberg at
10:07 PM
5 Comments:
Great analysis! I thought that I was the only one thinking that Madlock's speech was a bunch of bull. She has not spoken in four years, and at the meeting she now has the "gift of gab." Shirley Madlock was a joke for four years and nothing but a rubber stamp for Welch.
I would not count Shirley out. Welch and Moore will probably run Shrirley for another position in a few years.
After talking to some of Proviso's Booster parents they are 100% sure that the woman on the political piece was Robin Foreman. She professes to be such a church going woman, but some how went against her morals and values and posed as Kelly. The piece was a desperate attempt by Welch and his gang. I now question Foreman's intergrity and character.
By
Anonymous, at 12:09 AM, May 09, 2007
People go negative in elections.
The travel stuff was partly trumped-up, but it was at least partly substantive too.
If some campaign volunteer posed for the pic instead of the candidate, would Foreman and Cox be less culpable?
Kelly should be willing to put it behind her, but I think she's got a point that Foreman was presuming too much to just pretend it never happened.
By
Carl Nyberg, at 12:15 PM, May 09, 2007
Bush didn't pose as Kerry during the negative swift boat campaign.
Barack Obama will not pretend to be John Edwards in the negative campaign spirit. He has people that will do that for him.
Rudy Giulani will never pose as Hillary Clinton in an attack ad...although he has been known to don women's clothing on numerous occasion.
There are rules to the game...apparently Robin Foreman didn't get the memo.
By
Anonymous, at 2:24 PM, May 09, 2007
I thought that Robert Cox and Foreman stated in there election literature that they were opposed to politics as usual, and were disgusted with this current board.What happened,they did'nt have to fool the public anymore??
By
Anonymous, at 4:29 AM, May 10, 2007
I heard Bob Cox a while back. He said he would focus on student performance and getting Proviso out of dead last place. He thought Mr. Fields has been going down the right road but it would be a long hard battle to fix the politics because that's been the "Proviso way" for so long. Of course the "Proviso way" is what caused us to end up in dead last place. I hope he's willing to fight the good fight.
By
Anonymous, at 11:13 AM, May 11, 2007
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