What? Once again this proves what we parents have been saying all along. The school board is not LISTENING! We are not frightened, Ms. London, we are ANGRY!!
Angry that you cannot come to an agreement with our teachers, angry that you are taking away services for our special needs children, and angry that your administrator compensation package is far superior than what our teachers get! I bet your meeting room this evening will be filled with angry parents, regardless of the location! Let's show them how "frightened" we are!

Why would she go into money when the union hasn't discussed money in three months! She is acting like everything else has been resolved! I think they are the ones that are using a scare tactic not the Union! 19% is way different than 2% for three years! This is about respecting the educators within the district....not money! Get it through your head Ms. London! The Board and Administration has taken away the respect in the district that used to be there far before Dr. Goier came on board and YOU as the president allowed it!

What planet does Ellen London live on?????

"Deerfield Public Schools District 109 Board President Ellen London expressed surprise Sunday at the strike vote Friday"...
Ellen London is surprised by a strike vote after nearly a year without a contract? A competent board and administration would have used this opportunity to unveil a "strike plan" to continue our children's education in the event a strike rather than whine about being surprised. It appears that our school "leaders" are are reacting rather than anticipating and planning.

Sorry, Ellen. Too little too late. The DEA kept the public in the loop from day one. They laid out their concerns openly and honestly. The Board said nothing. Now, all of a sudden the Board is shocked?? Please. If you're going to attempt spin control you've got to do better than that.

Without expressing any comment about a potentially bloated administration, I think that the taxpayers should make it clear that (by referendum and election) that they are not in support of any tax increases. Someone at that table has to speak for the taxpayers, who is it?

Tonight's Board meeting moved to Shepard gym.

Again....this is not about money...please focus on the real issues! Money is usually the LAST thing negotiated!

It is time to alert the Board and Administration that the days of their rule are numbered. The fiscal waste in this District over the past 10 years is rampant. The educational ignorance at the top is pervasive. This Board and Administration have continually ignored the 70% of the community who no longer have students in the District by only inviting input from the enrolled families. They must honestly think the residents of this community do not care about what happens to District 109. This is evident by ignoring the families of special education students and the educational needs of these students for a very, very, long time. Divide and conquer seems to be the operative word for this Board and administration. The community must band together to make a NECESSARY CHANGE for all.

A vote to authorize a strike frames the current state of negotiations. So let's employ simple math and check out the scorecard. The teachers voted 261 - 2 to authorize a strike IF AN IMPASSE in negotations is reached. The Deerfield 109 School Board is comprised of 7 members. So, at best their vote could only be 7 - 0 to maintain the status quo.
Next, we should canvass the eligible voters within the District and get their opinion. A simple method would be to have people chime in on their perspective. I suggest that the concerned parents who recently organized circulate a petition for recall of board members. Use the model from the recent recall petition drive in Wisconsin that presented a strong indication of the will of the people. For illustration, the 2010 census indicates a population of 18,923. http://www.deerfield.il.us/assets/1/community_development/ExecutiveSummary-4.pdf There are 2.84 average persons per household. There are 6,586 households in Deerfield. A simple majority of 3,294 households is a nice target to achieve within the next two weeks. If you are concerned about the state of education in Deerfield Dist. 109 and wish to make a change....sign the petition. One person one vote...democracy works when people exercise their freedom of speech and their right to vote!
Simple math. A few thousand signatures trumps 7 misguided individuals!!
Start the petitions NOW!

Clearly there are issues surrounding the negotiations, and I feel both sides are to blame. I believe there is a time and a place for public input, and I’m not convinced that we as parents and taxpayers were brought into the fold appropriately. The DEA took the lead in presenting their side of the issues, which lead to many conversations, meetings, and emails surrounding special education, bringing concerned parents to arms. At what point should the public be brought in, and what is the best way to do that? I would have preferred to hear the issues on both sides, rather than be inundated with one-sided information from the DEA. The Board maintained their position that the negotiations were private and could not divulge any information on progress, or lack of progress. While that may be true, the fact that the DEA was out in full force should have pushed the Board to take another tactic. The DEA would want us to believe it was the “big bad board” against everyone else who wants what is best for the students. Does the Board really NOT want what is best for the students?
I’ve lost my faith in both the DEA and the Board for both, together, allowing the process to fail so miserably.

Just for people to know, the district has had the police put up No Parking signs all around Shepard and in order to speak tonight is requiring parents to sign up on the district website beforehand.

http://www.dps109.org/BOE/Pages/MeetingSignIn.aspx

It is under "Board of Education" then "Meeting Sign-In"

Pam --
The police always put up no parking signs when a large event is taking place. It makes it nicer for those of us who live in the vicinity to have access to our homes!!!

Have they done this for past BOE meetings at Shepard? This is the first time I am hearing of a sign in before the meeting as well as police signs!

The best thing about these stalled contract negotiations is that it is exposing many of ways that taxpayer money is being spent... that it shouldn't be... Since Dr. Goier has come to DPS109 she has been given free rein to spend money uncontrollably... She has created at least 30 new positions which were never in the district before or are necessary in the district now... Reading Coaches at every school, Math coaches at every school, differentiation coaches at every school, Spanish teachers at every school, numerous administrative positions...their secretaries even have their own assistants... She even hired a "Communications Director" to send emails and speak for her... She has "required" many of the admin staff to enroll in a doctorate program that includes a trip to Europe... of course all classes are being paid for by the taxpayers of Deerfield... some administrators are provided a vehicle... several have gas cards... The administrators continue to spend money like they are a Fortune 500 company... Since the taxpayers of Deerfield passed the tax referendum... class sizes have gone up, special services teachers have gone down, Specials teachers (Art, Music, P.E.) have been reduced... But the size of the admin staff has increased significantly... so much that they have even added onto the admin. building... Maybe the teachers would be more eager to "tighten the belt"... if they didn't see all the reckless spending going on by the administration... These are all facts!