By: Diane Benjamin The Teacher’s Unions don’t need money to get their candidates elected to local school boards. They didn’t have to spend a dime last April because only their candidates ran. Unions now control the schools. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/august-is-teacher-union-opt-out-time-what-you-need-to-know/ Excerpts: Illinois teachers’ unions spend little on representing teachers, what should be their core focus. So why should teachers […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the 1% Sales Tax approved by voters last March? Remember the investigation into election interference by the school districts? https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/mclean-county-sheriff-investigating-alleged-election-interference The sheriffs office completed their investigation – the report has been sitting in the State’s Attorneys office for awhile now. Does Ericka Reynolds think people are going to forget about it? […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader with a dash cam sent me the video below. (I really need one!) The location is 6 Points Road, where a train is blocking traffic going straight. A bus is positioned in front of the vehicle with the dash cam. The bus behind it crosses the double yellow line to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Are you “hopeful” knowing this guy teaches at Unit 5 and serves on the County Board? Are you “hopeful” knowing his wife was just elected to the Bloomington City Council? . Woke and mad is a winning message? Are you “hopeful” seeing this? Diversity is just a talking point. The 2 Wards […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader for calling this to my attention In 2015 Illinois passed a law (Senate Bill 100) that was supposed to end discriminatory student discipline policies. How is it working? See this report from 2024: https://ieanea.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Impact-of-Student-Discipline-Policy-Reform-on-Illinois-Educators-1-17-2024_Final.pdf Go to the bottom of page 5 to see what teachers think of this bill: […]
By: Diane Benjamin School Administrators are so desperate to rake in pots of gold from the 1% Sales Tax ballet question they are going to nursing homes to “educate” the residents. If you have relatives in a local nursing home, it’s time for a visit. How many “English as a 2nd language” students are in […]
Below is a summary document compiled from some of the files I received by FOIA. Teachers are REQUIRED to participate in these trainings. Note all the WOKE (Marxists) ideology and buzz words included. The referenced files are below. You are going to vote to give them more money? 🤦♀️ Don’t miss pages 3 and 4.
By: Diane Benjamin Part 1 Grooming. Click on Hormone Therapy. Infertility is a side effect.
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois must not care if it loses federal funding. The state pushes DEI in schools, and Unit 5 is happy to comply. I have a lot more information, thanks to a FOIA request. Remember when teachers taught the basics and we were number one in the world for education? Looking at these […]
By: Diane Benjamin Abby Scott is running for Bloomington Council Ward 9: . This is her husband and County Board memeber: . Fascists don’t cut the size of government. A teacher should know that one! I hope his list has some better choices, he missed great singers like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. He could […]
By: Diane Benjamin The 1% Sales Tax increase is on the April 1st election ballet because it has a better chance of passing when few people bother to vote. If Tri-Valley really wanted your property taxes to go down, they wouldn’t propose a new bond for the exact amount of the one being paid off. […]
By: Diane Benjamiin 1) I had a cup of coffee at my Bloomington church yesterday. It tasted like dirt, now I know what all the social media posts about the water quality are talking about. The church has to buy a filter just to drink the water we pay a fortune for? We use very […]
By: Diane Benjamin H/T Two readers who have been sending information. I’ve got a LOT more information, but start here. Executive Order on Education: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/ Indoctrination funded by the Department of Education – Over $1 billion: https://defendinged.org/investigations/granted/ This is what the money was used for, not education: Illinois Schools listed as receiving funds, The Regional […]
See #2. Sharon Chung thinks Illinois corruption is over. She’s funny: https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2025-02-13/central-illinois-lawmakers-react-to-former-house-speaker-madigans-guilty-verdict By: Diane Benjamin 1) Continuation of this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/02/13/unit-5-staff-only-meetings-1-sales-tax/ Video of the “staff only” meetings concerning the 1% Salters Tax increase will not exist. I received the response below to that part of a FOIA request: Diane, There are no public records responsive […]
By: Diane Benjamin H/T a reader: . Why are “staff only” meetings scheduled? Isn’t everything “staff” needs to know on the website? https://april1cent.info/ We still don ‘t know who paid for that site, WGLT forgot to ask. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-02-11/complaints-filed-over-alleged-political-advocacy-on-school-sales-tax-informational-website I filed a FOIA this morning on the meetings. Sometimes I get a same day response from […]
By: Diane Benjamin Few people probably know the McLean County Treasurer’s website has years of payments to every taxing district they collect property taxes for: https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/590/Taxing-Dist-Distribution-Settlement-Shee Someday if I really want a huge project I could compile tax payments to EVERY unit of government on your tax bill. If someone wants this project, or at […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wouldn’t know anything was sent out at Unit 5 if this guy had kept his mouth shut: (County Board member and music teacher) . Beirne must not know the administration is picking up CRIMINAL illegals. They aren’t interested in kids. Is Unit 5 harboring criminal kids Corey? In a follow-up post […]
By: Diane Benjamin Frequently I let things go that annoy me. Below is one of things that still annoys me 2-3 days later so it gets a story. Keep in mind his wife if running for the Bloomington City Council April 1st: Abby Scott Democrat County Board member Corey Beirne posted this days ago. If […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since most registered voters won’t even know there is an election April 1st, this will be on the ballot. Dist 87 meeting tomorrow: https://district87.diligent.community/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=287 From a reader: Let’s examine the numbers. District 87 enrollment has declined from 6,528 students in 2018 to 6,120 in 2024, a 6.2% decrease. Despite this, spending per […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you read the 2023 Youth Build Annual Report this Charter School is fantastic: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55bb8525e4b0a459046e6739/t/65b9afabb435b867dbf069cd/1706667953249/2023+Annual+Report.pdf Now see the Illinois School Report Card for YBMC: https://irc.isbe.net/School.aspx?source=profile&Schoolid=17064005026001C Chronic Absenteeism is 87%. The Academic Progress is redacted for Proficiency in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Science Assessment shows 0% proficient. Graduation rate is redacted. […]
By: Diane Benjamin While ZERO of Connect transit electric buses are operational, last night Unit 5 bough 5 electric buses and 5 charging stations with $2,076,015 of your money. Austin Texas has 46 electric buses parked. Same manufacturer as Connect’s: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/capmetro-new-electric-buses-shelved Central States isn’t the manufacturer. Usually the Feds hand out grants to buy electric, […]
By: Diane Benjamin This slide is on the Unit 5 video from last night: See 3:33:59 https://vimeo.com/event/4378038 . What they are trying to say is the RATE of increase has slowed down while making it look like the actual increase isn’t happening. This slide is at 3:39:37 . The EAV growth amounts to an increase […]
By: Diane Benjamin Board candidate Casey Misch reported he was the only person running April 1st to actually attend the Tri-Valley Board meeting last night. Yes your property taxes got a massive increase because they can. Meetings aren’t on video and few people stand up to the Tax Class. You will get your property tax […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though the agenda reappeared tonight’s meeting will not be legal. 48 hours means 48 continuous hours. Unit 5 is violating the Open Meetings Act. https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=660148 File: Exhibit 7.10-E3 Name or Gender Identity Change Request (revised 10-16-24) Your child can change their gender at school without you being notified. How many parents […]
See update: https://blnnews.com/2024/11/20/unit-5-agenda-is-back-see-this-item/ By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has a regularly scheduled meeting tonight: https://www.unit5.org/board-of-education/annual-meeting-calendar-notice-of-public-hearings An agenda was posted yesterday because I looked at it. This morning it is missing: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1482 . The Open Meetings Act requires an agenda to be posted for 48 hours before the meeting. It isn’t. If the agenda suddenly reappears […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read this story: https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/11/12/schoolhouse_limbo_how_low_will_educators_go_to_better_grades_1070484.html?mc_cid=ac0e6166c0&mc_eid=a903ff179f Did you know some states are lowering standards to make assessments look better? The story mentions Oklahoma and Wisconsin are doing just that to combat declining test scores. It also mentions the new head of Maryland schools, Carey Wright, who is refusing to lower expectations for students. She […]
By: Diane Benjamin Social Media is full of outrage because people recently got their property tax assessment. They see HUGE increases and think their property taxes are going up. They haven’t gone up YET, only you can stop it. The assessed value is used by all the government units on your tax bill to decide […]
By: Diane Benjamin Did they check this person? https://normalcommunity.unit5.org/faculty/faculty/staff-master-list#R . Ruskin was fired as Assistant Warden at Pontiac prison. This WEEK 25 story has many details and proof she was terminated: https://www.25newsnow.com/2022/12/05/inspector-generals-office-alleges-gross-misconduct-by-pontiac-prison-staff/ Click on the 50 page document linked in that story for intense details. Ruskin was making a good living in Pontiac – from […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 has a page linked to their Home page called US and State Political Contacts: https://www.unit5.org/about-u5/u-s-and-state-political-contacts I don’t know why this page is on a school website. Worse, Unit 5 is displaying disinformation. All the highlighted people aren’t in office anymore and haven’t been for quite awhile: . If you look […]
By: Diane Benjamin April 2024: Today:
By: Diane Benjamin I had hoped at least one parent would have shown up at the Unit 5 School Board meeting last night to talk about the issue below. One parent did speak about fights at football games, but no one spoke on this issue. You can see her comment at 35:10. She was followed […]
By: Diane Benjamin Maybe schools wouldn’t need more funding if they weren’t required to educate illegal alien kids that only the far left think have a right to be here. We are forced to pay for illegal immigration without a vote. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-09-05/mclean-county-school-administrators-ponder-a-countywide-sales-tax-after-failed-effort-in-2014 Read the article. Public schools are now horrendous. School administrators want a 1% […]
Response: By: Diane Benjamin Why is Corey make himself prime for a story? Yes, school shooting are traumatic horrible events that should never happen. They are worse when the shooter is known to law enforcement, the student’s parents, and the school and all of them do nothing to protect vulnerable kids! That is the case […]
By: Diane Benjamin How much are you paying Unit 5 in property taxes? See this story from November of 2023. It shows last year Unit 5 had 837 students in English as a second language classes. Now Unit 5 has 1100: https://www.unit5.org/departments/english-learner-programs . Enrollment at Unit 5 had been decreasing for years. Since Illinois is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently many parents don’t want to see how bad their child’s school really is. Waiting until your kids grows up to find out they can’t read or do math? The local Public School system is robbing you and your children and charging you more to do it! Enrollment at both Unit 5 […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader
By: Diane Benjamin I got mine today. 🤑 I looked up some random properties to see how bad the tax increases are. Bloomington: Net taxable value for 2023 is $55,521, taxes increased $213.28 from last year (Dist 87) Net taxable value for 2023 is $136,131, taxes increase $382.70 from last year (Unit 5) Normal: Net […]
I hear NCHS students will be doing a charity talent show. Fabulous except where the money raised will go: Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. That organization is an NGO with more than 90% of it’s revenue from tax dollars. Obviously there aren’t any local or state children that need “relief”. Did students or advisors pick PCRF? […]
By: Diane Benjamin NPR story: https://www.npr.org/2022/09/14/1122895362/illinois-now-requires-media-literacy-instruction-in-its-high-school-curriculum Parents have a problem because “media literacy” depends on who constructs the curriculum and who teaches it. Anybody think “media literacy” includes all sides of issues? If you need proof see this story written by a Normal Community senior for the school paper: https://nchsinkspot.com/uncategorized/2023/11/14/floridas-threats-to-ap-psychology-should-scare-you-but-dont-let-them-psych-you-out/ The story has many errors, […]
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 […]
