The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Dear Mrs. Rodeffer and Quill readers,
Task Force 2-7 Cav, which I am a part of, is scheduled to return to Ft. Hood, Texas between the 21st and 23rd of March.
I just wanted take this time to thank every last one of you that ever prayed for a soldier's safety, sent an email, or a care package.
We are leaving the country of Iraq very excited, very proud and with heavy hearts. Our Task Force lost a number of soldiers during our year in this country and it is our duty to never forget the sacrifice they paid.
Regardless if a person is pro or anti war, they must respect the courage that these men had before their passing. The rest of us will try our best to keep their memories and spirits alive.
As we leave to return home here in the next few days it is really hard to withhold our excitement.
Most of us received 15 days leave during this year to spend with our families and now we know we get to see them on a more permenent basis.
I can not imgaine what it will feel like to hold my wife and step-son after seeing them for the first time in months, or seeing the relief on my parents face when they know I am home safe.
Every soldier owes the people of our country a debt of gratitude, and I owe all of my friends and family in Henderson County the same thing.
Your thoughts and prayers carried me through this deployment. I will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude I have for all of your encouragement.
So for the last time from the Middle East, I want to say thank you. God Bless You and God Bless America.
SGT Joshua Law
joshua.c.law@us.army.mil
Letter to the Editor
I have been following with interest the school convergence in Hancock of La Harpe, Dallas City, Nauvoo-Colusa and Carthage.
Of course, we want the best educations for all our children. The most important in a good education is paying for good teachers. With all the work of the Committee of Ten, I would think they could come up with something more affordable, than a multi-million dollar (plus cost overrun), "state of the art" school building. A better building than any around. The state is expected to come up with 8 million dollars they don't have or would have to borrow, so the 4 districts would have to come up with 16 million dollars. They would start by raising taxes that wouldn't be enough for the "state of the art" building. In several more years there would be more tax raises, etc. There are other schools that have gotten over their heads in debt. During the Committee of 10 petition hearing held Dec. 1, the Illinois State Board of Education reported a continual decline in enrollment with a projected decline of 22 percent in the next seven or eight years in Hancock County and the building would have 600 students.
There is expected to be a 20 percent turn out on election day - it's important to take time to vote on April 5th.
Dorothy Whitaker
La Harpe
Dear Editor:
I was seated on the Board of Education of Unit District #335 three years ago. Since that time, I have become aware that there was very little "fat" in the La Harpe School Budget.
In previous years, our budget has operated with expenses in excess of revenue by $300,000.00 per year.
The $1,000.000.00 surplus that the previous boards and administrations were so proud of is gone. As a member of the Board of Education, I was reluctant to support making drastic cuts in programs while the school was operating with the surplus.
We project that Unit District #335 will have an operating deficit of approximately $400,000.00 for the 2005-2006 school year. This reality was not disclosed in some smoke filled back room away from the public eye. These figures are reviewed by the Superintendent in the first 15-20 minutes of every board meeting, every month. They are reported in the board minutes the following week in both the Carthage and La Harpe newspapers.
Frequently, there are reporters from the Hancock Journal Pilot or the Burlington Hawk Eye personally in attendance who report this information in their respective publications.
Insurance and benefit premiums are increasing yearly.
Our state government continues to provide too little additional funding, and it increases mandated programs, policies, and procedures, without providing us with a way to pay for them without raising property taxes.
Even if Unit District #335 were to raise local property taxes to the maximum percentage allowable by Illinois law, we could not balance our budget without eliminating some programs.
We have entered a yearly cycle of cutting expenses by eliminating faculty, support staff, and programs. The largest expense of our budget are salaries and benefits. Each year we cut further and still cannot balance our budget because the revenues do not keep up with the increases in expenses. For example most colleges require foreign language classes for admission.
We no longer have faculty on site and must rely on internet-based classes to fulfill these requirements.
Reduction of elementary class sizes, elimination of all extra-curriculars (not just sports) could happen as soon as the 2005-2006 school year.
Very soon, it will be impossible to fund any vocational programs, such as industrial arts, agriculture and building trades.
Even enrolling students in the LaMoine Valley Education System (LVES) for cooperative vocational classes, such as building trades and auto mechanics, cost $900.00 per student per years.
Once those are gone, the further cuts can only come from academics by lessening our graduation requirements.
There is no way our school can continue to maintain the programs we currently offer, let alone improve anything.
The cracks in the system will only continue to get larger for our children to fall through.
Children who need vocational training won't get it, special ed will be reduced to a minimum, and our children will have no exposure to any arts beyond the minimum state requirements.
The character building, discipline, and motivation that an active sports program provides will all be a thing of the past. With state mandates, administrative rules, binding employment contract obligations, and the No Child Left Behind Act, local control of your school has been steadily eroded. These are daunting challenges facing Unit District #335, the Board of Education, its administrators, faculty, staff, as well as the taxpayers who will have to come up with the funding.
The heaviest price will be paid by those who don't vote or pay taxes yet, the students of the La Harpe School system.
I fully realize that those who do not want to face reality will accuse me of being an alarmist, and using "scare tactics" and "threats' to support the upcoming convergence reorganization efforts.
Like everyone else, I am deeply saddened to see our high school leave our community, but convergence appears to be our last best hope to maintain local control of any aspect of education for our children and community.
Many people will play "what if" games, and come up with hypothetical situations which might be more appealing to the emotions of any one given community.
La Harpe is not alone, as the most recent Annual Financial Reports available from the State Board of Education showed every district in Hancock County operating with a deficit.
The reality is that convergence is the best option for all of us, La Harpe, Dallas City, Carthage and Nauvoo.
Sincerely yours,
Mark Irish
Dear Editor,
Junk-Email, Viruses, and Spam have been with us for a while.
Now, there appears to be something new. Recently, when I woke up my computer, I found a strange item in the MY DOCUMENTS FOLDER.
The author identifies himself as Professor Kopfschmerzen, obviously a pen name. Do I know who he or she is? I have some clues! Perhaps someone else has more. Whoever, the Professor is, he comes of as laughable misfit.
I sometimes find that his hidden humor makes him difficult to follow. Maybe part of his intent is to challenge us.
The content may too closely rhyme with the news to be sufficiently politically correct for our comfort. Even so, it has a subtle educational worth that warrants sharing.
There was indication that other documents might later sequentially appear. Perhaps in someone else's document folder next time? I have since discovered a total of 3 such documents, which appear out of his indicated sequence. If you have already received one or do receive one, I hope you too choose to share it.
Until he chooses to revel his identity, or I choose otherwise, I will serve as the Professor's agent. I hereby volunteer to accept and hold feedback for the Professor, assuming an access means will be provided for me or for someone else to communicate with him. I found one clue to his identity in part 2. There may be others that I have missed. Enjoy!
L. Foster,
Durham Community
Committee Of 7 Shares Views Concerning The 2005 Teacher Rip Notices
(Part1 of 2)
By Professor Kopfschmerzen
(Chair of Satirical Observations @ UVE )
Prof: Mr. Cringle; : Your first name is Dorvan, Right? I understand that you are a member of "The Committee of 7" that assisted the district in mapping the recent "RIP" strategy.
Dorvan:
Yes, Dr. Kopfschmerzen that is correct.
Prof:
I assume that there are guidelines that must be followed?
Dorvan:
True. Although, there is "considerable flexibility", which allows tailoring the "RIP" to accomplish "specific objectives".
Prof: ??? Objective-"S", plural?? The objective: is to "Curtail unnecessary spending?" Correct?
Dorvan: Not at all! : No "decent educator" would consider ANY moneys "once budgeted" to ever become UNNECESSARY. That would be unorthodox and professionally unethical!
Prof: You did, however recommend cuts in spending?
Dorvan:
Yes, we did. We suggested a reduction in Teaching-Staff.
Prof: The school has "too many" teachers?
Dorvan: You --"may"-- be a PROFESSOR, but you don't seem to be the "Shiniest bulb" in the "Coloring box", Dr.!
Prof: I think I may have heard "something metaphorically, like that", back in my future. Anyway, perhaps you could explain this "to ME" in fairly simple terms: Why were teachers eliminated, if there were not "too many" of them?
Dorvan: Professor, the whole "RIP" process is a pretty thorny concept for Princeton-Ville types, such as yourself to grapple with. It is a Jeep thing! Doubtless, you will fail to see its necessity, let alone grasp the concept of its "ruse-like" minutiae.
Prof: You make it seem "clandestine".
Dorvan:
It can be.
Prof: OK. You saw right through my "rooky status" as a public-school aficionado. Let's then get back to "making this simple enough" for even me, if you would please.
Dorvan: Sure! Let us, for example say that "A school board wants or needs to raise the Millage Rate". And they:.
Prof: Wait! What is "millage rate"?
Dorvan: Tax levy, tax multiplier, You know, RAISE the taxes by ".00X", i.e. so much more per thousand, etc:.
Prof: I see, go on..
Dorvan: OK, the board wants to raise the taxes, but "needs" voter approval. AND of course, the voters think their taxes are already high enough. So, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Unless: they are MOTIVATED.
Prof: ... RIP is a motivator?
Dorvan: RIP or it's State-Dependent-Alternative certainly can be.
Prof: How?
Dorvan: Take for example, my hometown of Big-Yard, Ohio. The board wanted to build an expansive new Horticultural Facility. First, they needed to get "voter consent" to float a bond issue. It was turned down twice before they did a "selective" RIP!
Prof: They "released teachers" to free up the money for the horticulture building?
Dorvan: NO! : How, did you ever get your Doctorate?
Prof: Just go on. I may tell you later.
Dorvan: Well, our school had no winning basketball or football teams, but we had a "Great Music Department" and an "Award-Winning Band". Out band was tops in the State several years running. Our band was in Macy's Thanksgivings Day Parade multiple times and in the Rose Parade twice. The community was "proud" of their band.
Prof: How did that pride, convert into a new building for horticulture?
Dorvan: RIP! First, the board moved money out of the general fund (prepayments, transfers, etc), then sighted prior years comparisons to the "NEW current balance", indicating that to "prevent" further erosion, the "music program" would be brutally curtailed. They sent out "EXCESS-STAFF RELEASE NOTICES" to about 15 teachers and bus drives, most of which were in some way affiliated with the "Band Program".
Prof:
That is awful!
Dorvan:
No! Just good strategy! You don't know much about politics either, do you Professor?
Prof:
I must not.
Dorvan:
When the community got all riled up, the board suggested that they could get a "better rate" on bonds, so they could continue the current programs, "if" the bonds could be tied to a new building. ---WAH--LA! (sic)
Not only did they get approval for a new the horticultural facility; but, they got enough new money to build a new music wing: and a Stand-Alone Band Shell!
Prof: No one saw through this ploy?
Dorvan: I am sure that some did, but what can a few do with a "much larger group of ENRAGED fans"?
----NOTHING! Nothing, at all!
Do you get it Dr.?
Prof: Yes. However, it seems rather: unethical.
Dorvan:
That's politics Doc, don't you ever watch CNM or Blan Dather? It ain't about FACTs, -its Perception!
--- Next week, an interview with Sandra Night Scalie, the member of the "The Committee of 7", who wrote the lone dissenting opinion concerning the recent 2005 teacher "RIP".
Professor Kopfschmerzen is
Director of Research at UVE.
(University of Voodoo Economics)