Search Results for: Unit 5

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 passes Strategic Plan without making it available to parents first

By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has a link on their website for strategic plans, the plan they passed last night isn’t on it: https://www.unit5.org/cms/lib/IL01905100/Centricity/Domain/2992/District%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf There isn’t a link to the plan in the agenda either, just a line item with no explanation: See 9a https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=627064 See the discussion with slides begins at 28:00: https://vimeo.com/event/3825867 Supposedly […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Proof Unit 5 abuses taxpayers

By: Diane Benjamin Below is another chart from the BNWRD financial statements. Since the source is the Economic Development Council, all local governments have the same information: Unit 5 has almost 300 more employees now than they had in 2014. That would make sense is they had more students. They don’t! https://blnnews.com/2023/11/01/unit-5-has-lost-1447-students-since-2016/ For the 2013-2014 […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 – you elected them

By: Diane Benjamin WGLT story on Unit 5 property taxes: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-11-16/unit-5-proposes-151m-tax-levy-but-plans-to-lower-tax-rate Your property taxes are going up because Unit 5 needs the money. Below is a quote showing the mentality of the people you elected: People buy homes to live in. It doesn’t matter how much more your house is worth if you aren’t planning […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Looks like Unit 5 is now hiding enrollment

By: Diane Benjamin Below is what the website looked like until yesterday. Click on About Us – then District Information. The Student Enrollment tab was listed which took you to this page: Student Enrollment has been removed as an option. The link used to be: https://www.unit5.org/Page/356 Click that now to see: This page is currently […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 enrollment

By: Diane Benjamin The Unit 5 website still hasn’t been updated: https://www.unit5.org/Page/356 I did receive this information by FOIA after reminding them it was past due. The first response was this: Unit 5 has 12,815 students, which would also include students with partial enrollments or special education enrollments (i.e students at Private Schools in town that we are […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 has lost 1,447 students since 2016

By: Diane Benjamin My FOIA for the current enrollment is due today. The highest enrollment in the last 13 years was in 2016: 13,751. Last school year enrollment was only 12,304 – that is a DECREASE of 1,447 students. If classrooms are overcrowded it has to be because Unit 5 refuses to use their resources […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Need proof Unit 5 exists to create activists?

By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois State Board of Education hasn’t released the Report Card for Unit 5 yet for the 2022-2023 year. Keep in mind the previous year showed 29% of students headed to college needed Community College Remediation. https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064005026 How deficent are the students who choose not to go to college? Unit 5 has […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 contract details

By: Diane Benjamin One Public Comment was given at the last School Board meeting by the mom of a bullied student who was punished for defending himself. See 30:55 https://vimeo.com/event/3579210 When the Unit 5 School Board approved contracts on July 19th there was NO DISCUSSION. No recap for the public – nothing. Various Board members […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 is hiring Marxists:

By: Diane Benjamin Dr. Shelvin must believe people of color can not succeed without you paying to “empower disenfranchised communities”. She’s black and successful, how did she do it? DEI pays well – $35 an hour. I enjoy the leftist names for teaching Marxist ideology: Freedom School. Unit 5 doesn’t currently have “quality instruction”? Freedom […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 discriminating based on skin color

By: Diane Benjamin Instead of educating students, Unit 5 is using skin color to determine discipline. They are promoting the idea that deviant behavior is okay for some because they aren’t capable of socially acceptable behavior like following directions and not terrorizing other students. Are grades based on skin color too? Schools should offer equal […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 does Gender Affirming Care

By: Diane Benjamin I did this story about Unit 5 for a reason: https://blnnews.com/2023/04/13/unit-5-doesnt-have-a-policy/ That story is dated April 13th, responding to FOIA requests accurately is not a Unit 5 strong suit. I finally received the rest of my request yesterday although I still don’t know if everything was produced as required by law. This […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 Fails: Visual

The below is compiled from data on the Illinois Sate Board of Education. More in this story: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/policy-shop/the-policy-shop-how-to-fix-illinois-public-schools-falling-test-scores/ Quality of Education is going down. More money isn’t going to reverse this course. Electing the people who caused the problems won’t either. Don’t get excited about Unit 5 being above Statewide average. Illinois is BELOW the […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Number of students down, personnel cost ups: Unit 5

By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5’s own data shows controlling costs isn’t happening. They have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Start with this chart complied from OpenTheBooks: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/ Compared that chart with the one below compiled by Unit 5 – PDF page 15 https://www.unit5.org/cms/lib/IL01905100/Centricity/Domain/51/CAC%20Financial%20Presentation%2002-02-2022.pdf Why did PERSONNEL costs (blue line) skyrocket since 2015? The […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 Special meeting tomorrow!

By: Diane Benjamin Agenda including possible budget cuts: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=566908 I’m told closing the school in Carlock has to be done, it doesn’t have enough students to justify the staff costs. Otherwise, cutting Administration is just now being considered? What took so long? Where is the report detailing NEW REVENUE? The referendum should be voted down […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

WGLT wants Unit 5 referendum to pass and are paying to scare you

By: Diane Benjamin WGLT employee RC McBride chaired the Vote YES for Unit 5 group that failed to get the referendum passed in November. That should convince you WGLT actively tried to convince you to vote YES, RC is the General Manager. On January 19th WGLT did a story detailing draconian cuts that would happen […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Ask Unit 5 about this:

By: Diane Benjamin This sign is in a bathroom at NCHS: This organization wants to radicalize your children to demand an abortion law legalizing it across the nation. They want your kids in the streets demanding a law to legally killing their children. Activism forced on impressionable children has no place in schools. Forced motherhood […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 meeting tomorrow – they are raising property taxes

By: Diane Benjamin https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=559216 The Unit 5 School Board will be raising your taxes over 5%, how much over isn’t in the tax documentation. A Public Hearing is being held before the vote, of course very few of you will show up and tell them what you think. You voted down the referendum so they […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Normal isn’t raising property taxes because they want Unit 5 to raise them

By: Diane Benjamin Tonight’s packet: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4519 PDF page 49: Depending on the assessed value increase for your property, taxes should stay about the same as last year. If Unit 5 raises property taxes Normal wins big. Remember TIF districts? Normal has 5. Any increase in property taxes for TIF properties goes to the TIF, not […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Glorious Diversity vrs Unit 5

By: Diane Benjamin Last night my church served Thanksgiving dinner at Wittenberg Lutheran Center in Normal to foreign ISU students. These students were from all over the world. The event was called International Neighbors Night. Some of the countries represented were: China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, India, Columbia, El Salvador, Nigeria, and Senegal. I know others […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 referendum fails

By: Diane Benjamin Voters rejected the large property tax increase Unit 5 wanted. They didn’t buy approving a tax increase would lower their property taxes when the bonds were paid off. Unit 5 needs to fire the consultant, few people showed up for “Community Engagement” sessions. They did a lousy job explaining the facts while […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Normal agenda for tonight + Unit 5 referendum:

By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4474 Add the $1000 deposit: The IML Conference was in Chicago! – probably 3 nights lodging if they attended all 3 days. Over $5000: Agenda: https://conference.iml.org/ams/conf.cfm?job=program&key=193 Why did Normal hire this firm? Chemberly is back teaching kids to be democrats at your expense + Uptown Circle Rent: Public notices must be really […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 teachers gets free LQBTQ+ books

By: Diane Benjamin Check your kids classroom library. From the Unit 5 Education Association website: https://ufea.org/from-the-president-october-28/ Books available start at ages 0-5 and go through high school. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXbGxgNoFVpBj35JFUQr33PvLKHUo6VBs_nWX4f-iACJcTpQ/viewform Kids are very impressionable. Is that the goal of Prairie Pride Coalition? Are some Unit 5 teachers replacing the values of parents with their own? Bloomington probably […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5: Need another reason to vote NO?

By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has gone woke. The Superintendent uses pronouns on emails. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion permeates the curriculum because Unit 5 hired Dr. Shelvin to indoctrinate the staff and students. Teaching a color blind society has been shelved in favor of the Marxist ideology of division. Human Resources offered counseling to all […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 didn’t opt out of comprehensive sexual education

By: Diane Benjamin If you didn’t opt your children out of the new sex ed curriculum, below is what they may be learning in 8th grade. See the new national sexualizing your kids standards here: https://advocatesforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NSES-2020-web.pdf Jeanne Ives included the below in her Breakthrough Ideas newsletter. This is courtesy of SB 818 passed by the […]