By: Diane Benjamin
More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/11/sharon-chung-screws-normal-taxpayers/.
Normal declared war on it’s citizens and uses their money to take them out!
The above story shows the people who supported Chung’s bill to legalize Normal’s illegal operation. Since you knew nothing about this bill you couldn’t object. The only reason we know about it now is because Chung opened her big mouth at a Meet and Great in Uptown on Saturday. A guy I know was there and told me about it. This could have easily have been signed into law with nobody in Normal knowing it except government.
Corruption!
(For and By the People isn’t allowed in Koosville)
Not only did Normal use your money for lawyers to fight citizens wanting compliance with laws and better representation, they paid for people to show up at Chung’s hearing: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4557
Normal pays IML for membership, Mayor Bike Shop is on the Board of Directors with a bunch of other clowns like Lori Lightfoot: https://www.iml.org/page.cfm?key=16158
What voters need to understand:
Chung’s bill would not be necessary if Normal was legal – obviously they aren’t.
If you see Lorenz, Smith, or Byars ask them how the “Board of Directors” should handle this? At least Lorenz doesn’t believe she is elected to represent voters, she rubberstamps staff.
Actual representatives would be outraged that Normal wants Springfield to pass a bill that is ONLY for Normal – to make them legal. It’s corruption at it’s finest.
It sure looks like all these campaign signs showing who NOT TO VOTE FOR are illegally placed on public property. Laws don’t matter in Normal so nothing will be done unless the Town finds some Nord, Tiritilli, or Sila signs it doesn’t like.
You didn’t really believe the Normal Police Department was going to do anything about electioneering did you? (Joke’s on you, Illinois isn’t corrupt because somebody enforces laws)
If you think it makes sense to vote for school board members the teacher’s union wants, you must be in a union. Negotiating is much more fun when there is no opposition.
At least everyone who shouldn’t be elected is in one place. Take notes.
This corner always has what I’ll call “establishment Republican” candidate signs. Often, a large Dan Brady sign. Usually one for Rebecca McNeil, Coach Mac, Scott Preston.
I will disagree with you on this part: “ If you think it makes sense to vote for school board members the teacher’s union wants, you must be in a union. “ Sometimes there are just really bad candidates who just don’t have it together – Wurth, Frank, Jada, Emery. Giving them every chance to show they have what it takes, it just doesn’t happen. I am definitely v supporting for Nord, Sila, and Tiritilli. Nord isn’t my favorite but I really like Sila and Tiritilli.
Second the above statement. I appreciate Nord asking tough questions that need to be asked. I also appreciate Sila’s principled nature and ability to engage with people across the spectrum (similar to Nord).
Wurth, Emery, Frank, and Jada just aren’t good candidates. Their only policy is to have more e-learning, and even that isn’t fleshed out in detail on their website. Not sure why they made that the centerpiece of their campaign. In person, remote, on Mars, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know a single parent that wants ANY part in expanding e-learning beyond the minimal amount of credit recovery it’s used for now. It’s about as popular as saying “Defund the Police.”
I’m also sure Frank’s declaration that Black Lives Matter (instead of saying All Lives Matter) at the NAACP forum will go over with conservatives. They just don’t seem to have their act together and pander to whomever they’re around. They should learn from Sila. Love him or hate him. His message is the same whether he’s talking to the NAACP, the Chamber of Commerce, or any other forum in town.
Maybe next time McLean County Republicans can find some more competent, harder working folks to run for school board rather than these 🤡.
It’s brilliant to vote for the team that caused the problems! Expect even higher property taxes
The choice is to either:
(1) Vote for candidates who will force more e-learning on our kids- Wurth, Jada, Emery, & Frank
or
(2) Vote for candidates who won’t unnecessarily force more e-learning on our kids- Williams, Pyle, Roser, and Adams.
In terms of taxes/spending, I’ve seen nothing encouraging from Wurth’s group. They haven’t identified any cuts that amount to a meaningful amount of money, and have no plans to handle the deficit. Leads me to believe they would just keep with the high-interest borrowing to make good on their promises not to cut anything. Given their pandering thus far, it seems their likely route. In the long run, continuing high-interest borrowing is the worst possible outcome for taxpayers (costlier even then the referendum). No thanks.
I actually wasn’t planning to vote for Adams, Williams, Roser, and Pyle (was going to just leave it blank) but they’ve earned my vote by at least having a clear plan (especially in the event the referendum doesn’t pass). They’ve said they’re done borrowing and the two currently on the board have already started making the cuts to plan for the possibility the referendum doesn’t pass.
You want to continue advocating for the 4 without a fiscal plan who keep pushing for e-learning, you’re welcome to do that. It’s a free country and debate is good. Just know that many of us, who are just as conservative, don’t see it the same way.
You are purposely not understanding what E learning is. It isn’t kids parked in front of a computer. Evidently you like seeing quality education degenerate as Unit 5 has.
Wrong Tom M. Here are the choices.
1) Vote for candidates that are looking for a new path forward in a failing district.
2) Vote for candidates that want things to stay the same. Vote for failing academics and a divisive equity ideology for your kids.
I just cannot vote for a group when Jada essentially says that three of them don’t really have a grasp on what they’re doing and will follow what Wurth says. Whether she meant to say that out loud, she did. Frank, Emerie, and Jada just have not shown much, except Frank just looking foolish with his behavior in PTO meetings.
Wurth’ s proposals just won’t work, and he shares no evidence. Most candidates, whether running for mayor, senator, or even school board seem to work towards and understanding of what they’re governing and how that works. I have yet to see that from Wurth, Franks, Jada, and Emerie. Contrast that with Sila and Tiritilli. They know their issues. They know their role. They have their well-developed policies. They share factual, truthful information.
Watch Unit 5 quality continue downward without them then!
No candidate is perfect, even me 🙂 – among other things, I have been referred to as ‘honest to a fault’. This includes disagreeing with my friends when appropriate.
The Chung bill could be characterized as a ‘clarification of existing law’ rather than evidence of past wrongdoing. Whichever of those is accurate, it is still being ‘snuck in’ because it is designed to ensure Normal’s severely restricted voter rights will Stay that way. (And to hide that fact by only explicitly referring to Cicero in its text.) The fact that McCarthy was included in and supports this effort says a Lot about his disregard for the people he helps rule over.
Similarly, the establishment Unit5 candidates have shown they put politics ahead of students, parents, or taxpayers. I actually agree that the ‘we give a DAMB’ slate, Dennis, Amee, Mollie, & Brad, have their shortcomings. I usually argue against voters having ‘litmus test issues’ – abortion, gun rights, religion, Trump, I’m sure there are others – but for me “Do they prioritize students’ best interests higher than politics?” is one, and Dennis, Amee, Mollie, & Brad are the ones who pass. (If you have a problem with one of them, I recommend Steve Mackowiak as an alternate choice.)
Unbelievable Instead of glorifying themselves they should be waking the walk of shame. So odd! Trust no one in B-N. (Or county!)
On th e-learning topic. Watching videos taking online quizzes, Listening to a worthless “educator or professor” lecture a coupe hours sometimes, writing a ton of worthless essays or papers and then taking an online test (written or multiple choice usually) is what eLearning is. ELearning and self study. (Like colleges and some schools and organizations do already).has been done for years and moving to different levels. Some scary – some not so bad. The terms for online learning get misused or jumbled at times. Easily so and the line is liters at times in the so called education amd Organizational manager world. .
Lotsa folks making money off called targeted “courses”. and profiling students (there is a dark side). .
Taxpayers pay for all that too. Teachers are coordinators NOT facilitators. Not sure who should be getting paid a ton of pay $$ and benefits and pension and many who administer this type of learning environment should NOT be full time. Much is automated. Terms such as multi-media learning and tech in the classroom or online classes are sometimes lumped into this eLearning term. Not all exactly the same. Machine Learning and Human Factors and data capture and analysis (which is exploitive and intrusive and targeted Artificial “AI”) are other terms thrown around. .
Some “eLearning” based on experience is both unsafe, poorly choreographed. Some local schools districts also force CNN to be ran in schools and in social studies topics (elementary and secondary) settings. Yes this does happen.
Having the kids have devices or laptops constantly is an easy quick way to propagate information they want them to see and embed in their minds. Like when you log in and see a bunch of news articles or ads or pushes content to “your” sa#, device or IP address or other identification method. Same concept and system/process sometimes referred to as eLearning or LMS.
. I’ve worked many years in teams and build and taken tons of online and eLearning curriculums and courses and tests amd analytics Certification systems are done this way too for professional orgs or private organizations. Many curriculums or courses have been and are moving to simple videos and a test or quiz with rather and personalized next steps. Independent learning so to speak.
In addition, I did eLearning/online learning a ton in graduate school and at provate orgs. It’s how adults get a lot or require coursework and meet compliance needs and certification needs. . It’s faster to get through material and a lot of independent study to pass a ridiculously written or multiple choice test. A coordinator reviewed my written assignments and most weee canned tests and graded by someone or most systematically. Unfortunately was never offered a discount or lower tuition or fees for taking eLearning (wish I did amd defiantly should have been offered a discount !). Too many people making money for life off the school and college system and keeping people from early ages at school a lot of hours daily and months or years. $$$. We pay for it in many ways.
Learning Management Systems (LMS) (like other online stuff is a data grab and lacks integrity in many ways.). much is not tested or scrutinized well either.
Colleges don’t reduce tuition for eLearning courses unfortunately and do have adjust “instructors” which literally are facilitators. Not highly paid teachers or professors . Depending on the content and course they are not needed!. The movement to Chat and Chatbots and CHaTGPT is a messy one and not good experiences in how it’s being executed at a private or educational system level. Basically our schools and kids and some private organizations are used as test rats implementing things they probably should not be. People feel good if they are in the “team” building this out but rarely know the things behind it all. The tech behind it all is scary and intrusive but no one talks about that generally in educational or systems/ IT settings. They all think it’s just cool and way of the world and cutting edge.
Surveillance is here now. And we paid for it and allowed it. We also PAID a high price tax wise and on other levels. The data brokering and rules engine and data (all types) sharing world is heavy, lots of players, shady and high money. Kids and many adults are easy targets and they wait it’s all . “For the good” or “ in the name of “safety”. Privacy is gone.& no one fought for it.
Ther are always Pros and cons in any method used for educational things. But the “education” world and politics implemented full eLearning won’t reduce costs, taxes or costs til the whole system changes. . Look at the cost of college Til parents and taxpayers start questioning the purpose and length of public and other school settings and the money flow nothing will change tax wise. We all have had plenty of time to do that.
Again, The whole educational system needs examined. Taxes way too high all over. And I think they think we are all dumb puppets. Based on the tactics used by many in B-N and county and state level.
Keep up the good works B-N News. Valuable resource of truth and perspective.
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PS. Typing for a phone device is tricky. But important tools Diane and others rose. Chimes in.
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PS. Typing for a phone device is tricky so some comment issue. Some are obsessed with that stuff and can’t read the contest, comprehend or read/interpret well I know !
But all important topics Diane and topics you raise!. Chimed in as I had time!
Apologizes.
For those here who won’t vote for the new Unit 5 board candidates because “they want e learning”. What are the other candidate’s solutions? Business as usual. How smart is that? The district is going down the tubes and “lets keep doing things the way we’ve always done them”, DOESN’T WORK!
If they are following the law now? Why the need for a new law? Common King Koos? If you are following the law and the law is on your side, why the need for a 2nd law? –
Exactly!
Yet again…..Karl Sila is correct. I may not always agree, but at least he thinks carefully and critically before he posts something. It would be nice to see more of that on this site.
“What does it mean for Congress to codify something?
Codification is one of the defining features of civil law jurisdictions. In common law systems, such as that of English law, codification is the process of converting and consolidating judge-made law or uncodified statutes enacted by the legislature into statute law.”
The sad part is if Preston would have beat Chung he would have carried Koo’s water and filed this anyway. I blame the IL GOP for endorsing a RINO. They are too stupid to understand that conservatives won’t vote for RINOs.