By: Diane Benjamin This morning I spoke to a mother of a child in a Unit 5 school. I’m purposely being vague because I need to know if this is happening at other Unit 5 schools. Her child has twice had a nose bleed at school. She was twice sent to the nurse’s office. So […]
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 […]
The article below is from a newsletter sent by FLAG – Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness. The founder is a legal immigrant and now citizens Nick Adams. He grew up in Australia wanting to be an American. His website is FLAGUSA.org. His mission is to teach kids what the schools aren’t. America is the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Only slightly over 60% of registered voters in McLean County bothered to vote. (35,980 out of 59,448) Evidently 40 year high inflation and Pritzker tax increases weren’t enough pain for the other 40% I can’t tell you how many registered voters in Bloomington bothered to show up. Not only did it take […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you know a great local teacher let me know! I was told about one at Normal West: John Bierbaum, Social Studies Teacher. Bierbaum also teaches civics the way it should be taught, no ideology just facts. Your kids have one chance to learn about their country, they will learn truth in […]
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, […]
This story is hot on Social Media: https://thechalkboardreview.com/report-615-midwestern-teachers-reveal-why-theyre-really-leaving-the-classroom/ 615 verified teachers were surveyed by the writer. I’d love to know if local teachers agree with the results. By far the biggest reason teachers reported quitting is the behavior of students and administrations refusing to do anything about it. Salary comes in third after progressive politics […]
By: Diane Benjamin The State of Illinois made Social Emotional Learning Standards the law. Every teacher will be trained in these methods. It’s all about “how you feel” and then creating activists. Illinois learning standards are already poor, educating students to read, write, do math and and science isn’t the goal of any public school. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is a link to a spreadsheet of Illinois School Districts that refuse to teach the National Sex Education Standards. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sU4MdybeSthyh6sr6TmTBIXG8j1JuGRluyaWkwJ31S0/htmlview# Unit 5 opted in for grades 8 and 9 – they didn’t have to! Unit 5 didn’t have to spend money developing the curriculum to comply with exposing your children to: […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Normal is meeting tonight: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4338 Of course they are handing out your money. See PDF pages 20-22 to see how much the free entertainment costs you. Harmon Arts grants are on page 45. Read the rest of the agenda yourself or watch the meeting at 7:00 2) WGLT is cheerleading for […]
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 https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4329 Not much on the agenda, this meeting will only last over 10 minutes is trustee comments get good! I wonder why they vote to release Executive Session Minutes and then never put them on line? Doesn’t that mean they weren’t really released? Since the news is light, how about going back […]
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 https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2022-06-01/in-the-wake-of-uvalde-b-n-teachers-want-change-not-guns Corey Beirne needs to report the WGLT article as a campaign contribution. He is running for the McLean County Board and WGLT just happened to pick him for an interview him from all the teachers in the Unit 5 School District. Beirne proves he isn’t qualified to hold an elected office […]
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 5/25/22 Unit 5 School board meeting video: This video should go viral, no I’m not going to tell you what EDC Director Hoban said. Hoban had just run through all the potential incentives offered to new businesses. The EDC might want to speed this up if they are going to push it, […]
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 Unit 5 School Board meeting last night after the Board approved teaching Comprehensive Sexual Education in 8th and 9th grades: Sex Education will remain the same next school year for 8th grade, a new curriculum will be used for 9th grade. Everyone will be able to see what is being taught on […]
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 This document is amazing. Parents have rights too, schools have to provide you with ALL materials used to teach. Schools can’t use surveys to gather information on your kids without your permission. We know they are breaking that one! Schools can’t sell your child’s information without your consent. Schools can not discriminate […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this Press Release for Gov. Pritzker: https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.23781.html This was issued after 2 bills related to sex education were signed: SB 818 and HB 24. What you need to notice in this press release: Sex education has been replaced by “Sexual” Education Comprehensive Health Education is more “inclusive” If you don’t know […]
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 1) We now have proof Unit 5 teaches kids what to think, not how to think. Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/04/normal-your-taxes-funded-this/ Doug Fansler sent a video of a Ted Talk to Chemberly Cummings after her Youth on a Mission promoted EV’s without considering all sides. The students obviously didn’t look for facts […]
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’ Update to your electric bills skyrocketing: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/27/expect-painful-bills/ The Ecology Action Center put out more than Bloomington did about the increase: https://ecologyactioncenter.org/aggregation2022/ The shortened version is government shut down coal fired power plants with no way to replace the electricity they generated and what is replaced is more expensive. Government declared war on […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader (I can’t find everything myself!) Central Catholic High School will have a new principal: https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/mcgraw-named-principal-at-central-catholic-high-school/article_1a2cc2ca-c749-11ec-99f0-9309f7f83754.html The article states Chris McGraw works for Unit 5 now. It doesn’t say what else he does at Unit 5. https://www.unit5.org/domain/3645 Page down, his name is there. He’s part of the District EQUITY team […]
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