Unit 4 Controversies

 

This post has the latest updates on the controversies surrounding Unit 4 and recent meeting coverage from February and early March with the Board of Education. See also our previous Cheat Sheet post on Unit 4 updates over the past several months. It covers many presentations on programs that are working (and possibly expanding), transportation challenges, and Illinois State Board of Education and other data on test scores and various achievement gaps.

Booker T. Washington Leadership Change:

There are a lot of unknowns, speculation, and rumors about what may or may not be happening to the school administrators at Booker T. Washington school. News-Gazette Editor Jeff D'Alessio laid out some of the challenges in reporting on the subject in an WDWS interview (about 45 minutes into the Penny for Your Thoughts podcast), especially when the district refuses to comment on personnel matters. 

The one thing D'Alessio seemed sure about is that a decision for a leadership change has been made by Unit 4 at BTW. The BTW Principal, Jamie Roundtree, has now hired an attorney over the issue, according to WAND. Vice Principal Rebecca Ramey is the other BTW administrator caught up in the possible leadership change.

Rallies and Clashing Views on Superintendent:

The February Board of Education meeting was preceded by a rally outside of the administration building in support of Booker T. Washington school administrators believed to be being removed (at least from that particular school). Coverage of the rally and concerns is available from the News-Gazette, WCCU, and WAND respectively. 

Supporters of Superintendent Sheila Boozer derided the rally as part of efforts to remove the current Superintendent as opposed to the stated goals of protecting BTW administrators. A local social media group appears to have been the target of some of the complaints. Links to a separate Change.org online petition criticizing and calling for the firing of the Superintendent were also shared there.

Imani Bezzell, a long-time local activist and supporter of reforms at Unit 4, led the public comment portion of the meeting off with a passionate defense of the Superintendent matched with a condemnation of the rally goers. She stated up front that she arranged to have unlimited time with the school board. The microphone typically switches off shortly after the 3 minute clock runs out and the camera shifts away from the public speaker's podium back to the board. When this occurred for Bezzell the Board President, Dr. Gianna Baker, had the the microphone turned back on and the camera angle turned back to the Superintendent's supporter.

This caused some confusion and anger as later speakers (including administration critics) were admonished by the board parliamentarian and some of the Superintendent's supporters in the audience for going over their time later during the public comment period. While some government bodies may, with a vote, "suspend the rules" to allow longer speaking time for public participants, the Unit 4 board rules allow the board president to unilaterally make such an allowance, even for a single individual (see Unit 4 Policies section 2:230).

The meeting video is available here, with Unit 4 school board agendas and related documents available here. It was another long meeting with a couple of important presentations in the middle again. Here are the video timestamps:

• Superintendent's Report began the meeting.
  
  
• First Public Comment began at 14:25.
  
  
• Appointment of Director of Custodial/Grounds intro, approval, comments at 1:07:00.
  
  
• Reports:
• Operation Hope report at 1:11:40.
• LIFT report at 1:48:50.
  
  
• New Business / Action Items voted on at 2:41:40.
  
  
• 2nd Round of Public Comment began at 3:13:15.
  
  
• Board comments at 3:25:30.

Contentious March Meeting:

The first Unit 4 meeting of March (video, agenda packets) also had more contentious moments and (the public portion) ended with the resignation of board member Jamar Brown and some heartfelt statements on that by other board members. WCIA had coverage specifically of that resignation here. The board is responsible for filling the vacancy in the next couple months. WCIA had a short blurb on the district's statement on the resignation and filling the vacancy here.

WCIA also had a write-up and overview of the March 4th meeting here. Excerpt:

he Champaign Board of Education hosted its bimonthly meeting on Monday. Among other things, the board discussed liability insurance, construction bids and the purchase of outdoor digital marquee signs for schools.

However, the meeting was marked with a heated discussion between two members and came to a shocking and emotional end when a board member resigned...

The board deliberated on lowering an insurance limit for parents and guardians who have to take their children to school due to unreliable bus service. An agreement allows for parents and guardians to be reimbursed for any expenses related to this transportation as long as parents and guardians have auto insurance that pays no less than $100,000 for bodily injury and property damage...

However, the proposal did not pass after a deadlocked vote.

That full meeting write-up here. The News-Gazette also had coverage of the resignation and meeting:

A meeting that opened with Superintendent Shelia Boozer’s customary slideshow, ticking off all the reasons why “it’s a great day day in Unit 4,” ended with one board member expressing disappointment in what she called the district’s “lack of transparency,” another announcing his resignation less than a year after being elected and a third questioning her own future...

“After my first term, I dubbed that experience as ‘the best thing that I’d never wanted to do,’” Brown said. “Unfortunately, the second time around, I cannot say I’m having the same experience. This time around has been filled with mistrust, missteps and misinformation. During this time, the school board has taken much criticism over many different topics from various stakeholders. Some of it was warranted, some of it was not and there’s even some that’s been self-inflicted.”

That full article here. Another excerpt from Jamar Brown's resignation from WCIA:

"The district’s decision to not maintain a level of humility, compassion, and adjustability has forced us to focus on adult-orient issues instead of student’ centered ones that could help raise reading and math scores and comprehension, the ones that ensure that every child in our district is seen, heard and respected and the one where we asses ourselves to make sure we have the right people in the right position where they can thrive and in turn pass that along to our students. So because of this, I no longer see value in continuing in this capacity. So please accept this as my resignation from the Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education effective today, at the conclusion of open session."

This meeting was originally rescheduled from the end of last month due to a lack of quorum (enough members able to attend to carry out official board duties). During the school year the board typically meets on both the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. This added to some concerns by one side of the insurance liability issue (that failed in a 3-3 tie vote) that the long delayed item was voted on when one of the supporters of changing the policy was absent.

Other Unit 4 Updates:

• One of the participants in the BTW school campus shooting incident was sentenced, according to WCIA.
  
  
• There was additional WAND coverage of support for BTW administrators at a recent PTA meeting there.
• The News-Gazette had a round up of average teacher salaries in area school districts.
  
  
• Unit 4 statement on the death of local child and education advocate Devon "Big Wayne" Turner from WCIA coverage.