By: Diane Benjamin
Besides the fact that Weikle has known about the “structural deficit” for years and did nothing to fix it, she is either allowing illegal activity or promoting it.
Anyone believe how she runs Unit 5 is perfectly legal? She is hiding what is really being taught to your kids. What did Dr. Shelvin’s cackle mean? https://blnnews.com/2023/02/25/why-i-oppose-the-unit-5-referendum/
This was last night at Normal West, note people attending the concert had to pass by this table:
Not only did the table have VOTE YES materials, it had campaign literature for the 4 candidates Unit 5 wants you to vote for. The other 4 candidates did not have literature on the table and weren’t contacted about placing literature either. Campaigning on Public Property is illegal!
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- The quality of education in Unit 5 is decreasing
- Weikle has done nothing to fix the financial problems during her time in charge of Unit 5
- Breaking the law isn’t discouraged if it means passing a property tax increase
- This is NOT the first example of electioneering at Unit 5
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The police were called, 2 officers responded and a report was filed. A male gave a speech in front of a packed auditorium begging for yes votes to the referendum. At least one of the officers witnessed that speech.
When any crime goes unprosecuted crime only increases. It is rampant at Unit 5. Kristen Weikle needs to resign today, she can not be trusted with taxpayer money when she allows criminal activity on public property.
The Normal Police need to forward a report to the State’s Attorney TODAY for prosecution.
Pam Reece needs to resign if she blocks it. If criminal activity is allowed in Unit 5 schools when it is witnessed by police officers, citizens can not possibly believe other illegal activity isn’t allowed in Unit 5 schools or in the Town of Normal.
Your kids deserve better! Taxpayers deserve better. Weikle needs to pack up her pronouns and leave town.
Weikle wants Amy Roser, Kelly Pyne, Alex Williams, and Mark Adams elected because they are pawns complicit in illegal activity. Obviously they won’t stop other illegal activity in Unit 5.
Since enforcing laws is arbitrary, especially when most of the media doesn’t care:
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Her arrogance has exponentially grown since the Covid takeover.
I was there. It was disgusting. Unbelievable. Wanted to start a “vote no”
Chant. Please vote no. They don’t need
more money. They need less administration and more financial responsibility.
My experience with Weikle is that she is very comfortable with lying. I heard her, on more than one occasion, flat out lie. Also, since she became Superintendent, harmful agendas and ideology have been used in classrooms to deliberately and knowingly harm children. They are as follows: Social Emotional Learning, Diversity Equity Inclusion, Comprehensive Sex Education, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Critical Race Theory. They are sexualizing and racializing children. They are robbing them of their innocence. What just happened in Heyworth with the teacher who had pornographic books in her classroom is NOT UNCOMMON. This Superintendent and school board voted unanimously to Opt In to Comprehensive Sex Education. They could have legally Opted Out. They care less about our children and more about pushing agendas on innocent children. The rot in Unit 5 is wide and deep. The current board and Superintendent should be ashamed of themselves. Finally, academic excellence is no longer the priority. It takes a back seat to pushing harmful agendas and ideologies on children.
She is comfortable in her ideological beliefs and pushing them on our community. Her poor public speaking skills “ummm umm” and divisive rhetoric are have torn open this communities once strong bond of trust.
A few observations:
-I believe this was the Unit 5 Music Parent Organization. These materials weren’t distributed by the district or it’s employees. Same with the speech. That was the head of that organization. Calling the police on PARENTS for enacting free-speech rights in a lawful manner is a bad idea.
-As a former cop, I can promise you the police that were called out felt that it was a waste of their time. They responded because that’s just good practice, and if they stuck around a bit it was just to appease the off-kilter folks who called them in the first place. Like I said before, what the parents did was legal.
-It’s too bad we don’t have CONSERVATIVE candidates for school board we can build up in a positive manner instead of trying to just build up false outrage. In those recent WGLT articles, Frank sounds like a high schooler writing a book report for a book he didn’t read. Wurth talks about the importance of closing Carlock, and the lot of them won’t stop going on about more e-learning. Supporting rural communities and opposing e-learning are the LEAST we should be able to expect from Conservative candidates. And they won’t even do that. Maybe next time….
Thank GOD you are no longer a cop. It is immaterial who placed the materials. It’s illegal to use public property by EVERYONE to campaign. No wonder Illinois is corrupt.
Also, to your point that it’s illegal to ever campaign on public property: Is it illegal to hold a campaign event or rally at a public park? Of course it isn’t. Parents advocating on behalf of an issue at a school isn’t any different.
Stop attacking parents for exercising their free speech. You sound like a liberal.
Was any parent allowed to state the opposite last night! Free speech has zero to do with illegal!
I don’t believe anyone would stop them. Perhaps Mike could have by starting a No chant. It seems the No crowd and candidates just aren’t strong enough in their convictions to build a platform that people can get behind.
If I’m not mistaken, aren’t there frequent political gatherings at the old County Courthouse from various conservative and liberal groups?
I agree with DeSantis in both his Presidential candidate and that the problem seems to be the No crowd just not being organized or able to share an actual platform with facts and evidence of what they want to do.
Yeah, actually. The Unit 5 music parents organized this table and invited anyone who wanted to go set up a No table. Not their fault no one showed up.
Because it’s illegal!
The unit 5 student first group brings their flyers to PTO meetings. At school buildings. Same thing.
But sure. Keep calling the cops on parents, guys. It’s a real good look for us on the Republican side.
😂😂😂
I believe that was school (government) endorsed speech. They provided the building handed him the microphone and provided an audience that was forced to listen. That’s not free speech. It was wrong and illegal. I was there. Glad the cops showed up.
How was the audience forced to listen? At any point people could stand up and walk out. It’s like being at a restaurant and a kid is screaming. It is your choice to get up and leave, put your fingers in your ears, or even put in headphones.
State universities are public grounds. People are there all the time campaigning. All sides can if they want to.
😂😊😂
You obviously were not there. Not easy to leave a packed gym and be back for the final song. So what laws do matter? This was not legal a police report was filed. Why is that hard to understand. It should not have happened.
Obviously none
I’ve been in packed gyms. I’ve left to use the restroom, get concessions, take out a crying baby. It happens. Go out, come back in. If you don’t like what someone is saying, nobody is.
It appears their interpretation of the law is they could do it. Based on the response of law enforcement – police and prosecutors – they disagree. However, “Mike for States Attorney 2024” could have the foundations of a platform.
If they do find it illegal but unwilling to do anything about it, they seem to be treating it like someone getting pulled over for going 3 over the speed limit or J-walking.
Wurth does NOT talk about closing Carlock.
Well about that…either he did or someone hacked his email portraying to be him.
“Wurth has been following Unit 5 for years and been critical of its leadership. He’s previously called for the closure of Carlock Elementary School as one way to address the deficit…”,
I’m guessing just an oversight on your part to catch that he’s promoted that effort. Not saying it’s a bad argument, as it would generate a cost savings, but Carlock voters probably want to know that Brad Wurth is against their school staying open. Just as other voters outside Carlock may feel the opposite.
Electioneering by the vote yes crowd is so blatant now that Normal’s Police appear to be complicit and corrupted.
This is like the FBI helping one political side win an election.
Normal needs to start enforcing state laws or they will loose the Back the Blue supporters.
Sadly, Unit 5 teaching our kids, by example, that breaking the law is OK if it helps achieve your goal.
Exactly. What are they teaching their students about financial stewardship with the referendum? That it’s ok to run up a multi million dollar debt and get rescued by the taxpayers? Isn’t that what the student loan bailout is all about?
I don’t think it quite equates. School districts have certain expenses they are required to make, so they can’t choose to avoid them. In this case, the district is saying, “If you want these non-required things, we need more money.”
With going to college, you aren’t forced to do that. For example, nobody forces you to take certain courses or attend a certain school.
If the state paid what it owes, which would also be using our tax money, this might be a different story.
JT, it appears we both agree, as do a lot of people, including school board members who are supporting the referendum, that the state is not paying what it owes Unit 5. Or, at the very least, Unit 5 is being short changed. And, for me, that’s where the logic falls apart. Because if you’re saying that, then how could one possibly support this referendum? You’re admitting that the tax dollars we’re already paying are not going where they should be going, so pay more in hopes that Unit 5 will get what they should have had coming in the first place.
This referendum is proof that the funding mechanisms for education in Illinois are in desperate need of reform, possibly even beyond reform. Look next door to Indiana and you will see an entirely different picture.
I agree with your earlier post that instead of having a referendum, Unit five should be flooding the phone lines of Sharon Chung and every other idiot in Springfield. This is a tax increase to subsidize the mismanagement of tax dollars already paid. Illinois is the tortfeasor and Unit 5 needs to put them on notice of collection. Instead, they’re trying to dig deeper into my pockets. In an inflationary economy, I have nothing left to give and even if I did I wouldn’t spend my money in such foolish and irresponsible ways. That’s my reality and it’s the reality of a whole lot of others.
I realize there are a lot of reservations about some of the school board candidates. I get it. I have reservations too. But, a leadership change is desperately needed and at the very least they present an opportunity that I’m willing to take my chances on. If they don’t deliver they can be voted out in four years, the same as current board members running for reelection. Contrary to popular Normal, Illinois opinion, I’ve never viewed public office as a lifetime appointment.
This is a government problem that’s now blamed on the taxpayers.
Local polticians and authoritarian types do what they want because there is no fear of prosecution from the state. Most likely, no prosecution as long as the demonrat narrative is endorsed and carried out. Greasing those the run the local machine is par for the course.
Have you ever looked into the eyes of a radical progressive liberal, only to find they’re devoid of any/all emotion or life? That’s Kristen Weikle. I’ve met her only twice and that is more than enough to see that behind her eyes, it’s nothing but empty space. She does not care about students, she’s only programmed to care about power and she will do whatever it takes to hold onto it.
This is the best description of her I’ve read. Accurate and on point. Her child sounding voice doesn’t fool me. Unfortunately she has fooled too many others into believing flat out lies and half-truths.
This was no more illegal than it was for the former guy to have one his cult meetups last week at a publicly owned theater in Davenport. Stop calling the cops on this, it’s a waste of their time.
Is there a law prohibiting the exercise of political speech on public property, such
as a public park or courthouse square?
Illinois constitution
You mean that tiny, brief- and- to -the -point 18,000-word document, where it’s real easy to find
just about any point of law?
Help me out here. What section do I need to check? Thanks.
I realize it’s immaterial. Try section 8
Ok, the Adams County Fairgrounds are publicly owned. The former guy wasn’t arrested for his cult meetup there last summer.
The Illinois Constitution doesn’t limit it.
I have no idea what you are talking about
Google it. A political “rally” on public property.
Not wasting my time because I bet you didn’t see is it was PAID for
Paid for or not, both instances are legal. Just because you don’t like one of them, doesn’t make it illegal.
I love lefties who write their own laws. This is why Illinois is corrupt.
Perfectly legal for government to rent facilities for any reason. Not legal to give free use because it gives the appearance of support. Of course Unit 5 didn’t care.
One can almost be certain that if someone of conservative values did the exact same thing only supporting a vote no those that support the above mentioned activity would be throwing fit and asking for the authorities to investigate. I believe one calls that hypocrites.
Your failed teacher buddy is doing campaign videos on public streets. Are you going to ask him to take them down or call the cops on him?
Congrats Diane. You’e attracted the attention of the woke left and conservatives. WGLT doesn’t even get as many comments on most of their posts as you did with this one.