Proviso District 209: April 2007

This is, by most accounts, the worst high school district in suburban Chicago -- and if parents can afford it -- their children usually go to private schools.

It faces the same problems as the many urban schools immersed in a street culture of poverty, drugs, gangs, and violence -- where the parent (or parents) often cannot motivate their children to become educated.

Meanwhile, it's also immersed in Cook County politics -- so, for example, Eugene Moore, Cook County Recorder of Deeds, is paid $160,000 / year to renew the district's insurance policy.

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There are two slates of candidates running for the three open positions (out of seven) on the board -- and here's what one of them ("Proviso First") had to say on its campaign flier:

"We've All Read the Bad News"

*Proviso test scores rank dead last among all suburban high school districts
*Proviso board erupts over petty politics
*Proviso high schools charged with patronage hiring
*Proviso board members travel on taxpayer dollars


And that's the slate that supports the current regime !

(hoping, I suppose, that voters don't know that -- though there
is a certain symmetry here: a school administration that enables ignorance needs ignorance to be maintained)

This subterfuge is really rather shocking -- and says so much about the difficulty of running an American public school where an un-paid school board must run for election.

It's just like in ancient Rome -- the primary motivation for an unpaid public official is to benefit from insider deals -- and the primary participant is a small, but organized army of patronage workers. (in Rome they were called clients)

The opposing slate features two new players -- and one former board president (and former ally of the current president) -- and I suppose the big question here is whether she (Theresa Kelly) should be returned to office. (she's the one accused of "traveling on taxpayer dollars")

But if she's not elected -- the current board majority maintains control -- since no other candidate has announced opposition to them. (and some candidates have announced nothing - no flyers -- no website -- sometimes not even granting interviews to the newspaper !)

So all the responsible voter here can do is vote for the Harris-Kelly-McDermott slate
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BTW -- in this internet age, there is no (good) reason that candidates cannot educate voters on all the issues relevant to an election.

Back when mailings or posters or newspaper ads were the only way to reach voters -- there was no way to discuss an issue in depth.

But the only expense of a web-site is the time it takes to assemble it -- and if a candidate does not have the time (or knowledge) to do it -- they should not be running for public office.

How I wish that these candidates would lay before us the finances, programs, and detailed issues of this school district.

BTW II: I really wonder whether the day of the giant, all-inclusive American high school is over -- and whether those who opt out -- for private, religious, or home schools should also be required to pay for an educational system they don't use. (for good reason)

The recent establishment of an alternative test-enter school (the Proviso Math and Science Academy) was a step in the right direction -- but many more steps need to be taken to maximize the educational experience for children from a wide variety of backgrounds with a wide variety of abilities.

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Here's the people running:

Citizens for Better Schools slate: (the one I'm voting for)

Theresa Kelly

Ralph Harris

Kevin McDermott

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Proviso First Party slate: (the one that pretends to be critical of the current administration)

Robin Foreman

Carla D. Johnson

Robert Cox

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(there are two other candidates -- but since they've published nothing about themselves --what's the point ?. I guess they're just in there to draw votes away from the opposition)