It's Business as Usual for Lake Forest High School Students

Me September 18, 2012 at 07:40 pm

@James - If you would like to continue negotiating post 11pm, there are a large number of taxpayers who would be pleased to fill in for the BOE. However, I don't really think you would like the outcome. Quit your whining, you sound like a little child.

Deadcatbounce September 18, 2012 at 07:45 pm

So if you are not commenting on the drivers ed salary Bar, what's your point? Drivers ed is not part of the core curriculum and can be taught privately, just like a cooking course.

Mosober September 18, 2012 at 08:14 pm

Very few have been thru these types of negotiations. I have experienced several in my professional life and the fact is many times the information released is not truly indicative of the status. The first you learn is that both sides are out for themselves and capable of anything both in private or public. This situation is no different with one major exception: The Teachers are being driven by the greed of the union, themselves and at the expense of our children today and in the future. I do believe what goes around comes around and only hope that this may trim a few years off the teachers life so we don't have to pay their pensions as long.
Get back in the classroom Teachers!

Another Concerned Citizen September 18, 2012 at 08:37 pm

Is anyone else seeing this as a new post-Harry Griffith era? The community is engaged in these negotiations, and there is a waiting list of parent/former parent/citizens volunteering to go into the school and help. Are we taking the schools back?

James Rittner September 18, 2012 at 08:58 pm

>It would be nice if the uber-professional Jeff would kindly give his full name <
Hmm, you can't have it both ways, oh cowardly "Me." How about you reveal your canny self to the rest of us? Or would that make it harder to enjoy the shabbier aspects of the Patch...

LFResident September 18, 2012 at 09:01 pm

@ LF Parent - I disagree, the parents I know have taken sides. They are 'pis..d'.
They do NOT appove of the harm being done to their children. Of course the parents I know will be polite in their disgust. I do agree that the impact on the kids will be lasting. What a great introduction and abuse for the class of 2016. It will take one rotation of students for the teachers to regain much trust from the students and parents entering the school. One rotation is 6 - 7 years. The class of 2016 will be the senior leaders in four years and will forever remember these few weeks. They will tell the classes of 2017 and 2018 to BEWARE! But of course the leaders of the teachers' union will be long gone by then, not caring about the damage. The teachers left behind will have a lot of work in repairing the damge. Oh, the clas of 2016? Senior year, contract negotiations again!

James Rittner September 18, 2012 at 09:35 pm

>Are we taking the schools back?<
Back to the middle ages. What are those parent citizens going to teach? Knitting? Tax evasion? Complaining?

James Rittner September 18, 2012 at 09:43 pm

>Get back in the classroom Teachers!<
Oh, they will. Eventually this will settle. Both sides will give in, maybe one more than the other...but the teachers will go back, and continue to make those wonderful salaries and draw those fabulous pensions that have everyone here in such a boil. And the best part of it is...you all will KEEP PAYING for them. Well, those of you who actually pay property taxes, which I'm guessing is about half....the other half are no doubt part of Romney's 47% and sponging off the rest of us. But yes, you guys will keep cutting the checks, despite all your rage and paranoia and ill comments made here, because in the end that's all you've got...rude comments made anonymously on a media blog. So keep cutting those checks, because the teachers and government employees and Congress are going to need your money, every year...and you'll keep giving it to them.

BJ Tyler September 18, 2012 at 09:59 pm

@James: Thanks for finally being honest with us and exposing yourself for who you really are. An incredibly mean-spirited, ignorant human being. Some of your earlier posts where you opined on the the mechanisms by which property taxes are determined revealed the level of your fiscal ignornance, now you expose your lesser side. It's unfortunate that these sentiments held by you are shared by many -not all- within the teaching and public employee community. What a sad excuse you are.

James Rittner September 18, 2012 at 10:09 pm

The messenger is not the issue, Beej...the message is. If it's mean-spirited to point out the obvious...that all the other meanies here are nonetheless funding the very system they loathe...well, I've joined the club.

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:30 pm

I don't believe you.

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:31 pm

I like goscouts. "school" is a joke. Did you read the tribune and the comments from the kids?

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:34 pm

Quit picking on goscout. These kids are bored to tears. THe BOE should be shouldering the blame a lot more than they are. They are arogant and just as stuborn as the teachers.

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:39 pm

I'm with Jeff and Go Scout. The BOE has known this was coming. Why didn't negotiations begin last spring? This BOE needs to go. They are career board members who are out of touch with the high school. (no one even has a student there). They have absolutely NO vested interest as there children have either already graduated or don't attend the school. There so-called "alternative teaching" over the past several days have been, for the most part, not well received. Throw the BOE bums out, not the teachers!

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:40 pm

Numbers are spun in favor of whatever head is talking. Goes both ways.

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:44 pm

@ration that: Teachers COULD not meet until this afternoon because someone on the BOARD's side had to attend something at District 67 all day. So get the facts straight. I'm so sick of listening to people regurgitate lies. It reminds me of the Presidential election.

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:44 pm

That's not what I heard about the day.

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:48 pm

Oh, James Rittner, you are so funny. (seriously) I am a fan. Yes ME, show yourself!
ANd regarding negotiations - yes, teachers were told BOE was UNAVAILABLE ALL DAY TODAY UNTIL 3:00. Way to go, BOE. You are the ones I want out!!!

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:50 pm

I am not happy the teachers are striking, but I have had a lot of experience with this BOE, and I can tell you, they are inept. They are pompous and out of touch. They spin the truth, they twist facts, they play games, oh I could go on. Caucus, PLEASE put some new faces out there. This BOE consists of people who just like the power. They have been on this BOE or District 67's BOE FOREVER. Out with you all!

karemare September 18, 2012 at 11:52 pm

Oh, and gee, won't Homecoming this weekend be fun without a football game?

James Rittner September 19, 2012 at 12:49 am

BTW...State just ruled that the last two days of instructional silliness do NOT count as school days.

schooldays September 19, 2012 at 01:00 am

Yea board, real smart move with your two days of school (if you can call it that)! The tribune just reported that the two days will not be counted in terms of attendance. So they will have to be made up. Instead of wasting your time focusing on two days of school that failed you could have been negotiating and getting this done. Now everyone will suffer!!!!

Dan September 19, 2012 at 01:07 am

If the school days are not counted as official by the state with the use of replacement teachers and volunteers then the parents and tax payers should be issued a refund, tax credit or lower tax rate because of services not provided due to a work stoppage just like a private sector company would do for those who pay for their services . Also if the state does not allow the days to be official then the cost of the replacements and volunteers along with administrators should come from the schools reserves or a reduced offer to the teachers union negotiating committee to pay for the substitutes etc. which is all part of labor negotiations.

One Opinion September 19, 2012 at 01:08 am

Well, that "instructional silliness" taught our students the value of supporting those who are genuinely trying to support them. In regard to the BOE, I'm thankful they have stepped forward to help us out. I'm sure they have pressing work-related and family issues they could be focusing on instead of all of this. They are volunteers, and highly accomplished and qualified ones. Let's see who steps up to try and replace the openings come April. No easy task at hand, so keep trying to discourage anyone from running... I'm sure the union would love that! I'd love to know what percentage of users versus non-users there are in D115. While I would prefer a balanced board, I'm guessing true representation would reflect more non-users, our taxpayers, who probably see the tremendous value in our District's success. Not many slackers here!

BJ Tyler September 19, 2012 at 01:17 am

Don't kid yourself James...it's always the messenger.

RationalTht September 19, 2012 at 01:21 am

@karemare - who would the BOE negotiate with? The LFEA did not really show up to "negotiate" - they are a bunch of thuggish, greedy, people. I am sure there are SOME good teachers that are not for this strike, but unfortunately the LFEA does not believe in a secret ballot.

RationalTht September 19, 2012 at 01:26 am

@karemare - could it be that the BOE has JOBS to go to? Could it be that they have RESPONSIBILITY?

RationalTht September 19, 2012 at 01:29 am

That was the plan of the TEACHERS all along. Time to LOWER the offered raises - it can be used to throw the kids a newer, bigger homecoming.

Me September 19, 2012 at 02:44 am

@James - why would I use my true name and expose my high school age children to the vengeful teachers. Seriously, these people have already shown their true character by walking out at the time that is engineered to cause maximum disruption. Do you seriously think that they are honorable enough to not take it out on innocent kids? They are in this for no one but themselves. There is no trust anymore. That bridge has been burned.

James Rittner September 19, 2012 at 10:42 am

I just saw this clip of the teachers after the contract was settled.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edeOEuXdMU