Can Schools Keep Standards High With a Small Budget? Wyllie Talks About D210's Solutions (Video)
In the second part of Patch's conversation with Supt. Lawrence Wyllie, the Lincoln-Way school district administrator talks about doing more with less.
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It's just a month into the 2012-13 year for schools in the Lincoln-Way High School District 210, and faculty, administrators and students are getting an idea of what to expect and what challenges are ahead.
As we've done in the past, Patch sat down with Supt. Lawrence Wyllie to discuss the school year as well as other topics. The second part deals with maintaining high academic achievement while dealing with a lack of state money.
Part 1: Wyllie talks about how the beginning of the school year has started for the district.
Editor's note: The interview with Wyllie was done the week of Sept. 2.
Check Out Our Section That Contains the Past Video Interviews With Wyllie.
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Dan
10:00 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
It would be nice to know how contract negotiations are going with the teachers union or if a agreement has been reached --When will the details be released to the public on cost, language changes, etc. by Dr Wyllie or the school board.
Donny
9:12 pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012
Google "Lincoln Way Union Contract" and search for the past year in the Google timeline settings. The 2012-2015 contract comes up....odd.....
Ann C. Piasecki
10:04 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Hi Dan;
I talked to Dr. Wyllie. There is nothing to update at this time.
Dan
5:38 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thanks Ann----If I am not mistaken the teachers union labor agreement has already expired. By Dr Wyllie saying "nothing to update" leads one to believe that the teachers have not ratified a new contract and are presently working without one. Considering negotiations started months ago there must be some problems.
Donny
10:11 am on Saturday, September 22, 2012
I highly doubt the teachers would go into this year working with no contract. We would have heard about it some way from the union through a news source. Something isn't right here. I think they did get a new contract before summer and for some reason LW doesn't want to report it.
cmc
12:05 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012
in typical LW style ..... "need to know" basis
Kyle Williams
12:01 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
a Small Budget... is not $97 Million.
Comiskey Park cost $200 Million.
Walker Percy
9:48 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
There is "nothing to update" only because Larry Wyllie doesn't want the public to know what's going on. The school board is a non-entity. Their meetings are 45 minutes long (and the first 20 minutes are recognition of students). There is absolutely no oversight--it's as if there isn't even a board. Now, I'm not saying the board should meddle (like what happens in D161) but in D210, there isn't even the pretense that the board is anything more than a rubber stamp. The schools are "public" only in the sense that the public pays for them.
cmc
9:57 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Thank you, Walker Percy! We have two attorneys, an advocate and a barrage of other people on outside consult who are just completely perplexed as to how this District gets away with what it does. Our situation has been ongoing and involves the neglect to children with hidden disabilities and how the District has low expectations for them while they hand them high grades (leading parents who look at only grades to think things are just going wonderfully) ... a topic for another arena. However, a "rubber stamp" is the perfect term for the entire District #210 system, including our situation. Manipulation, evasion, lies through ommission and hidden agendas. We do not have "public" schools. We have an inner-sanctum with very high walls around it and are spoon fed what little information they want us to have.
Dan
10:41 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
cmc---unfortunate but seems true-- Dr Wyllie is asked a simple question about the teachers contract and his answer of "nothing to update" supports the heart of your post.
Dan
9:14 am on Monday, October 1, 2012
The teachers new contract is now posted on the district website. It shows a ratification date in August and runs 2012-2015. A few questions to Dr Wyllie would be in order concerning--Why after the Patch asked a simple question of you and received a answer of "Nothing to Report" that the contract is now posted. Another question would be ---Why did you give the answer of "Nothing to Report" when you obviously knew that a contract had been ratified or was being voted on. And why is there no mention of the ratification in previous board minutes concerning board approval of the contract. Seems to be a slap in the face to the parents, taxpayers and the Patch by Dr Wyllie for the asking of a simple question which again may support cmc's post.
cmc
11:32 am on Monday, October 1, 2012
Excellent points, Dan. I wish there was a way to confront Dr. Wyllie on these particulars. Yours are solid and valid questions deserving addressing. Although some people may not find it "a big deal" because it was just one comment, and three little words, it speaks volumes for how this District is run and the sense of superiority and infallibility the higher-ups seems to thrive on. If Dr. Wyllie can't answer a simple question honestly what else is going on that we don't know about? Regarding Board Minutes... we, along with our advocate and attorneys, have reviewed the last three year's worth of minutes available online and there are NUMEROUS things that seem to pop out of nowhere because they've been discussed during "private sessions" of the meetings. The IS a lot going on under the table in District #210.