Proviso Township High Schools worst in Illinois in multiple categories

In the most recent school year Proviso Township High Schools (District 209) had the lowest percent of students that meet or exceed standards on standardized tests in the state of Illinois. Results were obtained from the Illinois Interactive Report Card sponsored by Northern Illinois University.

Proviso scores went down absolutely (less students meet or exceed standards) and relative to other districts. Last year Proviso could at least claim to have more students meeting standards than Bloom.

District 209 has the lowest graduation rate in the state. [Orion corrected in comments.]

District 209's dropout rate is tied with Odin (Marion, IL) for #1 in Illinois.

District 209 has the second highest rate of chronic truancy.

District 209 has more low income students than most districts. However, many districts have more low income students. And even in these poorer districts, more students meet or exceed standards.

And District 209 spends more per pupil than most districts.

Who is to blame?

• The District 209 board of education, especially, board president Emanuel "Chris" Welch
  
• The unions
  
• The mayors
  
• Karen Yarbrough, the Democratic Committeeman
  
• Charles Flowers, the former Regional Superintendent of Education
  
• Illinois State Board of Education
  
• Cook County States Attorney
  
• Superintendent Nettie Collins-Hart and her predecessors, especially Robert Libka
  
• U.S. Attorney Northern Illinois District
  
• board members of Proviso's elementary school districts
  
• Gov. Pat Quinn
  
• The voters
  
  In different ways, all these people could have made a difference and improved D209 and the education received by D209 students. And all of these people did too little.
  
  Flowers might be able to plead that he was simply a fuck-up and didn't really have the ability to make a difference. But let's be honest. When he got elected Regional Superintendent he was more focused on taking care of his people than making a difference in the quality of education received by students.
  
  Quinn's influence is weak and extends through the Illinois State Board of Education. But I suspect if he lit a fire under the ass of the state superintendent of education, things could be made better.
  
  Proviso property owners pay taxes for services. They don't like getting ripped-off, but they aren't mad enough about it to take effective action.

1	New Trier	90
2	Northfield	81
3	Elmwood Park	78
4	Lyons	75
5	Riverside-Brookfield	72
6	Township HSD 214	70
7	Lemont	69
8	Oak Park & River Forest	68
9	Con HSD 230	67
10	Maine	66
11	Township HSD 211	66
12	Homewood Flossmoor	63
13	Evanston	62
14	Niles	61
15	Reavis	59
16	Ridgewood	58
17	Evergreen Park	57
18	Oak Lawn	54
19	Bremen	53
20	Leyden	46
21	Argo	44
22	CHSD 218	39
23	Rich	37
24	Thornton Fractional	35
25	Thornton	30
26	Bloom	28
27	Proviso	25

hasn't eveyone found $6.5 million in an old coat pocket?

On Monday, November 19, the Proviso Township High Schools (District 209) board of education held its regular meeting.

Nikita Johnson, the assistant superintendent for money issues, reported the district has $6.5 million dollars in the bond and interest fund that has unknown origins.

According to Johnson, staff has gone back ten years and cannot find the source of the money. Apparently, the bond and interest fund has stricter accountability than other funds. Accountability is to the penny and there isn't any possibility of adding or subtracting a little money at a time.

Th district speculates that a bond or interest payment was made out of another fund and therefore the $6.5 million can be transfered to the other fund.

IIRC, the district has eleven funds. And the district budget is about $70 million per year.

The idea that somehow $6.5 million was accidentally removed from a fund without someone noticing the money being gone seems highly improbable.

Anyway, the district is hiring an auditor to find the source of the $6.5 million.

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?