Thankfully my Child is only in 1st grade and her teacher is going to be gone on Friday to start her FMLA, and the new teacher has been an aide to the class to make the transition easier. Iv'e noticed it doesn't matter much what the parents think, so it will happen!, So, why fight it!, Western Ave ,is the school to do this to, because of its money, not the students or families..

Be thankful they aren't turning all the Schools to Grade Centers like HSD153 did a few years back

Actually, HSD153's grade center approach has been fantastic. My children go to school there and it actually is a very successful model other districts should look into. We don't have issues with segregation in our community and our schools are very successful. I would recommend it to any district, such as 161, with problems. However, this might have been something that 161 should have looked at years ago, as I don't even know if it would be practical at this point now that the community has the diversity it does now.

Two of my three children attended Serena Hills and my youngest is at Western Ave. I am confident that District 161 has high standards for their teaching staff and I feel just as confident that the restructuring will benefit all the children in the district. Change may be difficult, but it can be a good thing, especially when it comes to our children's future.

I've spoken with a number of parents who have children at 153 and it seems as if they are not that happy, and their children are not at the levels shown at some of the 161 schools. We don't want to end up in that position in 161.

I'm sorry to bring up the obvious, but is everyone tiptoeing around the fact that they don't want to let one school (Western) possibly lose a few great teachers to help some of the other schools help improve? It seems the advocates for this measure wish to keep their school in a 'bubble' where they don't integrate children from the 'other side of town' or share their talented resources/teachers, to help those schools improve. I think you have to stop looking at it from a personal level and start looking at what is best for the community. Is it best to have this one quadrant of town outperforming the other schools (the majority of the remainder of the town combined)? What will happen when all of these students come together at Parker? It seems integrating these teachers into the underperforming schools and possibly the students (grade centers possibly) together now will only help the issue of integrating these huge swings of diverse schools together before junior high.

Are teachers in the schools, performing at an unacceptable level or is the student population not as motivated at those schools as they are at Western Avenue?

As a parent of a special needs child who in first grade had speech in an old janitor closet, I can tell you that the grade centers was the best thing for 153. The resources were used in a much better way. Resources today are even more limited that the time in which homewood schools had to make their decisions. If quinn gets his way it will only get worse. Cuts are coming.

By the way why would it be assumed that all the teachers at western would be better? Shouldn't we be looking out for the good of the group? My how our tunes change when it comes to our own. What is good for everyone else should be good for you too. Hypocrites!

Joanne your comment "Western Ave ,is the school to do this to, because of its money, not the students or families." is just ridiculous. 161 is a district no one school has more money then any of the others. How foolish of you to make such a statement especially about your own child's school!

momof3 interesting that you are a 153 parent but you seem to know so much about 161. No one has said that the other schools in the 161 district don't have talented teachers as well. Not to mention Parker does a fine job of handling all the kids. Why don't you just quiet and worry about your own not so perfect district.

Typical Chicago liberalism. Let's take the good teachers and spread them around to everyone...the country needs less mediocrity and more engineers. The best way to get a bad teacher is to start with a good teacher and move them to Heather Hill. Western is a melting pot- diversity is clearly not the problem here.

Wow... We (Dist 153 and 161) are neighboring communities and any student staying in the public school system will eventually end up together in high school. I am saddened by the snarky comments going back and forth between parents. I have two children in 153 and one in a private school. Our district has had grade centers since my children started attending school There are both positive and negative factors. I volunteer in 153 and feel our district does a phenomenal job of educating our students, especially with reduced contributions from the State. I do not pretend to know what goes on in 161, but know teachers and families in the district. I have heard both positive and negatives. No school district is perfect. If you think yours is, then you should raise your standards. The only way to improve the education of our children is to become involved or stay involved and know what is going on where your child attends school. Take the energy fighting back and forth about whose district is better to make your district the best it can be.

http://articles.latimes.com/1993-01-06/news/mn-1072_1_public-school

Even a fantastic school district can not be all things to all students. He attended Dist 153 from K thru 6. His teachers were excellent, albeit some better than others. He benefited from many special programs teachers and administration developed to address the academic needs of a small group of students. Even with these extraordinary efforts, our son is better served by the differentiation his private school provides. I feel it is primarily due to the financial and logistical constraints that exist in the public school system.

There are multiple examples of funding not being directly proportional to performance. The US has doubled funding per public since 1971.

Funding per pupil per country. http://mat.usc.edu/u-s-education-versus-the-world-infographic/

I don't disagree. Despite best efforts, District 153 does not have the resources available - not only financial, but that is a big part of it - to provide the curriculum and support currently offered to him. For OUR son, this was the best option. Since we have only three children, we will do whatever we can to provide the best environment for each of them. As parents, this is our responsibility and privilege. Even though we chose to send one of our children to a private school, I firmly believe that District 153 does a fantastic job of educating students.

My main point here is ,change the name of what they think is in the best interest of " District 161 from " Redistribution " To. Dumb up Western Ave"

Rich?...lol Not so much! I wish you could see my daughters classroom. They are a very diverse group of many nationalities ..But I am amused when people pull the race card, What I don't get is, Why not take some of the other teachers, from the other schools, and have them go to classes? So ,they can teach there own student body..hmm?

That sounds like a much more sensible idea. If you have a model of something in the district that works, emulate that and model that environment.

Interesting... I never find the "race card" amusing.

You want amusing? Four of Illinois recent Governors have been sent to prision. To celebrate the intelligence of Illinois voters, each should receive a complementary soap on a rope signed by each former Governor. They can include a set of massage oils with warming action signed by the Jackson family. Voters should be absolutely ashamed. How long until they find out that Bobby Rush is an investor in Southside funeral parlors...sickening thought. Flossmoor residents should be ashamed by tonight's school board action. The school board could not even look at us in the face- she too busy playing AngryBirds. It is time for the silent majority to take our schools back, then our communities and our state. Well, that sounds good, but it is not going to happen. We have been left with debt up to our ears. Our teacher's pension money has been blown. My prediction- Illinois will file for bankruptcy and then Mike Madigan will come to the rescue. Bless-ed Mike!

In January, the school board of 161 held a community forum about a study that was done by a teaching consortium. One of needs that came out of that study was that the school board does not keep the stakeholders, parents and teachers, well informed of its actions. The board promised to do a better job. Here we are a couple of months later and the board has not kept to its pledge to keep us informed. It does not matter what the parents say or do.The board is just going to keep doing whatever it wants without caring what the parents or teachers think. Also, they could have asked input from parents prior to this step so that the action might have been supported by parents and teachers.

Can someone please ask one thing before you do anything -- Will this move hurt the successes we have in our district? If it may -- Then rethink what you wish to do.

If comments about what is widely believed to be the real reason for opposition to the superintendents plan are going to be deleted, the Patch will become about as useful as an issue of Pravda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda Western Avenue parents seem to think they are part of a 1 school district, and they like it that way. End of Story. Full Stop.

Thanks Ryan, it is important that we can see that both white and black voters in Illinois are equally as foolish.

I am a firm believer in subscribing to plans where sacrifices within a community must be made in order for the good of the whole- when there is evidence to substantiate the good of the whole. My kids go to Western. Between them they have had 6 teachers and 4 of them are being moved out of Western. I understand that there must be changes at times to keep the entirety of the whole district running at optimum level. However, such dramatic changes should be accompanied by anmequally dramatic level of communication that will substantiate these maneuvers. Essentially what has been said is that such information will be provided to parents and teachers months after these decisions are made. There isn't a business in the world that can survive by treating its stakeholders this way. This has consistently been the expressed concern from the teachers and parents from Western. It isn't merely that they are loosing some beloved and long standing teachers, it is the fact it's been done without demonstrating the grounds by which they are doing it.

The purchasers of a product ordinarily do not get a say in middle management job assignments; nor do the shareholders of a company. Such decisions are, properly, the role of upper management. This is the superintendent's call. If stakeholders don't like it they are free to 1) move 2) pay for their children;s education a a private school more closely aligned with their "educational values" 3) Give this plan a chance and see that the sky will not fall, or 3) Vote for school board members who will decline to extend the new superintendent's contract and bow to the will of a vocal minority of Western Avenue parents when picking the next superintendent. PS Thanks for the restore Mr. Ryan

What is Study Island? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bET7BFamC8 Do the Principal and Superintendent have an expense account? Do we pay any expenses for the School Board? Time for some transparency.

I do not understand why the movement of teachers from one building to another is a significant issue. I am concerned that there exists a "technology plan" which few are aware of to be troubling. One would think that if the plan were so good that is has created so much "excitement" the District leadership would have led with the unvailing of the plan and not the transfer of teachers. To me this is a great example of what troubles Boards of Education, the intentions are good the execution is often backwards.

Study Island is a web-based study tool that children can log on to and study at or above their grade level. The content is extensive and it can be accessed by the student even when he/she is outside of school.

Thank you Rikki. Do you have any information on the principal at Western? I do not see a bio listed anywhere.

I do not know any of the administrators ar Western, nor am I knowlegable about their backgrounds or credentials.

The principal at Western is fairly young- late 20s very early 30s. She taught for just a few years before becoming a principal. Rumors swirl about a possible relation to a previous superintendent.

She is from the community, graduated from HF. I am sure if you bothered to meet with her you would find her very capable and responsive.

Calm down Nick002, the word relation means relative.

Nepotism is what has been circulating; not the other.

Education starts at home. A school and school district can do everything in their power (spend thousands of dollars per student, technology integration, facility updates, etc) to help the students improve but if education is not a priority at home and in the community all that effort goes for nothing. It is easy to say education is important, but are families, communities, schools and school districts willing to DO what is necessary to improve education? It's the ACTION that is important, not rhetoric. At least 161 is taking action, I may or may not agree with it, but they are trying something new. I hope it works. Best of luck to 161 and its students.

There is plenty of room in the basement of the library and plenty of tutoring volunteers. Why not open the basement of the library to tutoring every evening? So if the parents are working at night, playing with their XBOX, or taking meth, the kids from both Western and the other schools can get additional assistance. Maybe use the Khan Academy so one volunteer can monitor the progress of several students?

It is pretty sad that the parents only know that she is from the area and graduated from Marion or HF. Where did she obtain her degrees? What was her concentration of study? What did she do before she was assistant principal? It looks like she has done well. Simple questions that should be out in the open. I wonder if she is in the witness protection program?