By: Diane Benjamin Where did the Vote Yes committee get your cell phone number? From Unit 5? I know people receiving texts who believe they couldn’t have come from anyone else. That’s illegal Unit 5, luckily Illinois doesn’t have prosecutors who care. This was texted Thursday night, h/t a reader: At best this graph is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Enrollment last year: Unit 5 just posted the new enrollment: 197 fewer students, but they need more money. Did you know Income Inequality is higher in Blue States than Red? https://www.dailywire.com/news/blue-states-have-worse-inequality-than-red-ones-new-census-data-shows Before voting on Unit 5’s demand for more money, see what they did with the money they already have: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:272dce9b-d9ad-3886-8b64-4b28ffafcc1b That […]
By: Diane Benjamin See Unit 5’s state report card here: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064005026 Graduation rate is 90% 35% need Community College remediation 30% of 8th Graders pass Algebra 1 26% are chronically truant (90% graduate?) Unit 5 is currently spending $12,000 per student. Unit 5 now wants a tax increase expected to raise $20,000,000. h/t a reader: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/08/23/fly-on-the-wall-unit-5-5/ This happened in Florida, think it can’t happen here? Christopher Rufo formerly leaned left – until he realized far left policies don’t work. This comment was made to the story yesterday: In my son’s Sociology class at Heartland the teacher had them wear wristbands that identify their […]
Did Normal West High School really spend the entire first day of school in EVERY class reviewing pronouns? Maybe rename the school to Normal Woke West. No education, no syllabus review, just propaganda. Unit 5 need more money however.
By: Diane Benjamin https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=542269 The Unit 5 School Board will vote to raise your property taxes tonight: Some things Unit 5 doesn’t want to hear: Quit wasting money on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion because it teaches kids to judge each other based on the color of their skin. Opt out of Comprehensive Sexual Education like […]
Next Wednesday Unit 5 will vote to put a referendum on the November ballot to raise property taxes. Taxes on a home valued at $180,000 will increase $500 a year. Nothing in the WOKE curriculum is being cut. Next April voters can elect non-teachers union backed School Board members. If this doesn’t pass in November, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Parent should be able to trust the schools they send their kids to. Unit 5 has proved they aren’t trustworthy. Remember the DEI employee cackling about what she gets to do? How about their failure to save the training video for the 47 hires to fan out to all the schools and […]
By: Diane Benjamin I received this email from a reader and Unit 5 employee, it hasn’t been modified: . In case it is too tiny to read, a Human Resources employee wrote this email to all employees after the Supreme Court overturned Dobbs and Roe. He wanted them to know “immediate and confidential” counseling is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Quote from this story: https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/america-first-attorneys-demand-rural-iowa-school-stops-indoctrinating “School should prepare students for citizenship in our constitutional republic and colorblind society, not turn impressionable children into social justice warriors who view all that is good and just through the distorted lens of race, sex, gender, power, and politics.” This is a screen shot of what […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has a superintendent that uses PRONOUNS! Proof: https://blnnews.com/2021/08/27/the-winning-email/ If that doesn’t tell you your kids are going to a leftist indoctrination camp, maybe this will help. Unit 5 is all in on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Stop and read this article: https://thefederalist.com/2022/01/10/500-school-districts-publicly-declare-only-woke-teachers-need-apply/ Is “woke” Weikle only hiring woke teachers? Would […]
By: Diane Benjamin I previously wrote about large increases in salaries reported to the Teachers Retirement System: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/21/this-needs-explained-by-unit-5-part-2/ Since not every employee of Unit 5 is a member of this pension fund, I also FOIA’d IMRF for salaries reported in 2019 and 2020 by Unit 5. Tracking down who these people are would take forever, […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://fs25.formsite.com/sbbmho/pjonp5idpy/index.html Eliminating all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion employees and programs isn’t listed anywhere. I could add more, but my reactions are in RED.
By: Diane Benjamin The Unit 5 School Board is meeting tonight at Normal West – 6:30. Comprehensive Sexual Education is on the Agenda: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=531212 I watched most of the Phase II Community Engagement virtual meeting last night. Way too much of the presentation consisted of what Unit 5 could do if they had more money […]
By: Diane Benjamin From the 4-26-2022 Community Engagement meetings for Unit 5: Is this what pay freezes and reduced raises looks like? https://blnnews.com/2022/05/21/this-needs-explained-by-unit-5-part-2/ Two more sessions: https://www.unit5.org/ Monday, May 23 — 6 to 7:30 pm – Normal Community High School, 3900 E. Raab Road, Normal Tuesday, May 24 — 6 to 7:30 pm – Virtual […]
By: Diane Benjamin Part 1: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/21/this-needs-explained-by-unit-5-part-1/ Things to know: All of the data came from the Teachers Retirement System Not every employee of Unit 5 is in TRS Some employees earning minimal amounts (less than $1000) were deleted for clarity The main list has 923 employees A list at the bottom has another 44 with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Part 2: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/21/this-needs-explained-by-unit-5-part-2/ —— Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/18/unit-5-big-raises/ OpenTheBooks.com shows: In 2019 Unit 5 had 2059 employees – total salary: $85,561,545. In 2020 Unit 5 had 2024 employees – total salary: $90,070,590 That is a huge increase in salaries with fewer employees than the previous year. I FOIA’d the data Unit 5 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is an email received by Jeffrey Wynn from Unit 5: In case the print is too small, Dan Lamboley claims in this email the new High School curriculum to align with Comprehensive Sexuality Education is complete. Since part of the curriculum is complete, Wynn next asked for copies of what will […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 didn’t have many attend their 2nd round of Community Engagement sessions last night. They really want to put a property tax increase on the ballot in November. They need attendees to get yes votes. From a person who did attend, video is not available: Kristen Weikle lamented unfunded mandates. They […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has another Community Engagement meeting tonight! 6-7:30 at Parkside. See the other two meetings in this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/18/middle-of-the-road-college-at-veterans-pkwy/ Maybe somebody will ask them to explain this: Remember Superintendent Kristen Weikle claiming on video nobody got 7+% raises between 2019 and 2020? https://blnnews.com/2022/05/07/unit-5-word-salad/ OpenTheBooks.com showed total salaries increased 7.9%. Since their […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Board did not discuss any part of the Comprehensive Sexuality agenda. They called the agenda items “first reading”. Next meeting will be “second reading”. The meeting started with recognitions of the Grove Chess team that won State, quite an accomplishment. Highschool Esports teams also won state. A large number of young […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=528747 If you still haven’t reviews the National Sex Education Standards, do it now: On the Agenda: You need to attend this meeting is for no other reason than to know who needs voted off the School Board early next year. It appears Unit 5 wants to continue the National Standards in […]
By: Diane Benjamin In this story I showed the salaries reported to the Teacher’s Retirement System from Unit 5. That is where OpenTheBooks.com gets there data from. https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/ This chart is from the OpenTheBooks website, it clearly shows salaries increased in 2020 while Unit 5 had fewer employees. This data is used to determine pensions […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has held 2 events with citizens because they want a tax increase. The last one is virtual tonight: Question that needs answered: Why did salaries increase in 2020: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/ The number of employees and students decreased from 2019 but salaries increased over 7%. Was that a planned increase to push […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 will be holding 3 community meetings to convince citizens to give them more money with a property tax increase: Saturday, April 23 -11:30 am to 12:30 pm – Normal West High School, 501 N. Parkside Road, Normal Monday, April 25 – 6 to 7:30 pm – Kingsley Junior High School, 303 Kingsley […]
By: Diane Benjamin Community meetings by Unit 5: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/14/unit-5-community-meetings/ Board President Amy Roser tearfully explains why the District needs more of your money in this video. She claims they have deficits of $13 million which will grow to $26 million in 5 years. She doesn’t mention how it will double in a short time. Things […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 story: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/ The numbers on the graph again come from Open The Books and from the ISBE School Report Card website: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=studentcharacteristics&source2=enrollment&Districtid=17064087025 Enrollment decreased in 2020 and 2021. Employees increased a lot in 2021, but the average salary crashed. District 87 also needs to report where ESSER Funds were spent. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The chart below came from Open The Books. The number of employees and total payroll reported to Teachers Retirement Fund also came from Open The Books. The number of students each year came from this story – note enrollment DECREASED: https://blnnews.com/2022/03/04/unit-5-enrollment-is-decreasing/ Average salary is just Math. Even with enrollment down, salaries saw […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal has been hauling in money from the Uptown TIF. It isn’t nearly enough to pay off the debt they racked up with their vision, but their pot of gold ends in 2026 and Unit 5 will be a huge beneficiary. Unit 5 needs to know how much they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Is Equity better at Unit 5 schools since Dr. Shelvin was hired for the 2021-2022 School year? Question: What happened to the kids who participated in the restroom destruction challenge they saw on TikTok? Did they get Equity? Did the taxpayers get Equity? Did the kids that didn’t participate see Equity and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Proving yet again local government has no respect for religion, the Unit 5 School Board held a meeting on a Wednesday night during lent. Churches don’t do Lenten services anymore? Mine does. The video claims this meeting lasted until 2:43 this morning. 75 people signed up for Public Comment. Not everyone stuck […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last school year Unit 5 has over 1000 fewer students than they had in 2018: As of October 1 of 2021 enrollment was 12,499. I FOIA’d it but was told is was still changing daily. The above number for 2021 is for school year 2020-2021. Whatever the current number is, Unit 5 […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story for MORE information: https://blnnews.com/2022/03/04/unit-5-enrollment-is-decreasing/ Without Open The Books this data would be very difficult to find! Salary information comes from data reported to pension funds. Checkbook data came from Unit 5. If you haven’t heard, Unit 5 wants you to pay more. Unit 5 needs to toss their Diversity, […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story for context: https://blnnews.com/2022/03/02/unit-5-and-equity/ There was actually only one introductory video, Unit 5 gave me access. It is 1 minute and forty seconds that says almost nothing. So you don’t have to request access I taped it for you. The original quality is almost this bad: The speaker is Dr. […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you haven’t browsed Unit 5’s website, you missed this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cPB0fnxfB3G2Dwp8Cyzawy5_bPej-A-C/view That is an update to their Equity Action Plan. See PDF pages 5 and 6 for what they want to achieve. This paragraph bothers me: The purpose of public schools is to teach. Students should never know the “authentic self” […]
By: Diane Benjamin Okay, they claimed the CDC isn’t requiring them, but the truth is school buses didn’t fall under federal law. The Edgar County Watchdogs reported that February 11th: https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2022/02/stop-the-misinformation-there-is-no-federal-law-mandating-masks-on-school-buses/?fbclid=IwAR0ci4fILd0ZXXwYn8UyEDy70KqtkHXGODPg-PF9xT7JawyliONo7oqtqfs Unit 5 sent the below to parents: We wanted to update parents on state and federal changes regarding COVID mitigation that transpired over the […]
Masks are no longer required at Unit 5. From an email sent today: The district is recommending masks be worn as an important COVID mitigation but effective immediately they are no longer required by students, employees, and visitors. I’m now waiting for discrimination charges from students by teachers who hate seeing faces. Tonight’s meeting will […]
These school districts will be served today, parents filed yesterday in Sangamon County on behalf of their children. Unit 5 school Board called a special meeting for tomorrow, 4:30 at Normal West. Masks will soon be optional. Credit to: https://www.angels4freedom.com/
By: Diane Benjamin Video from last night’s School Board meeting: https://vimeo.com/653773028 Public Comment starts at 49:30. Comments by the Board members proceeded the public. Only one teacher wanted the mask mandate to stay in place even though it has been ruled illegal. Parents, students, and Unit 5 teachers spoke against the district continuing to to […]
District 87: Unit 5 is meeting at 6:30 – Normal West https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1482 Tell them to unmask your kids. Then enjoy the entertainment when the chickens demand masks stay forever. Yes, there are two Americas. Unit 5 can be watched on-line. somebody needs to FILM 87!
