On THANK YOU to Commissioner Stottler!

Posted on September 24 at 2:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

John,
At the beginning of every School Board Meeting we say the Pledge of Allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands: one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

I really don't like far left any more than I like far right - we are ONE NATION...united we stand, divided we fall. My questioning how we handled the situation wasn't to divide, but to make sure that we have a protocol in which our Superintendent has to lean on should it happen again.

We shouldn't judge the Superintendent's actions if we haven't walked in her shoes...from all other accounts, she is doing a GREAT JOB. She is newer to the post and may do things differently as she gains experience - or not. Either way, Superintendent Schulte believed she was doing what was in the best interest of the students in our district. I simply disagree and I think that's okay - let's do it respectfully.

In my 40+ years of life, I have not lived this long with war; I have not seen this kind of joblessness (is that a word?); nor this kind of separation of people. If we stop listening with respect to each other - then we've defeated only ourselves.

Mr. Studer has asked the Board of Education to become a "NO EXCUSES" board, and encouraged us to move from being great thinkers into becoming great 'doers.' I merely voiced an opinion that I don't think we made the right choice so I chose to DO something about it by bringing it to the board for discussion(I am only one of nine). Let's discuss it with respect, grow from our discussion and move on!

TEAM=Together Everyone Achieves More:-)

LRS

On Janesville fills school principal job

Posted on August 26 at 8:41 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

Edison Middle School is fortunate to have Mr. LeMire and he will do a great job. Their principal was recently promoted (Steve Sperry).

ljs64...It's more likely that he needs more experience as a new administrator than what you're suggesting.

Congrats to Mr. LeMire! Thanks for taking on this great challenge :-)

On Do you support a proposal to close Rock County’s juvenile detention center?

Posted on August 7 at 9:12 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

I certainly hope that the Juvenile Probation Agents don't allow poor management decisions to take place on behalf of the youth they are supposed to be serving.

It is your JOB to speak out for youth - regardless. I hope you'll have the courage to reach out and tell someone if it is indeed being run 'like a joke'...otherwise, you're just slandering your supervisors and that's not helpful to a viable solution.

On Do you support a proposal to close Rock County’s juvenile detention center?

Posted on August 6 at 4:45 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

mmof3...you are right about who makes the decision about who does or does not get held. I agree with you completely. The debate will be whether you see it as "manipulating the numbers" or seeking diversion for youth so they are not being held in lieu of programming.

It does seem that sending kids out of county so the 'won't run' is defeating the purpose of putting them into "CORRECTIONS" but the 'experts' in the field will argue that it works.

What I do know is that the facility is not condusive and costs way more than it should to run - SOMETHING has to give. Let's hope it keeps the CHILD in the forefront of all these decisions. I don't envy the adminsitrator and county board this year!

Thanks for clarifying your comment!

On Do you support a proposal to close Rock County’s juvenile detention center?

Posted on August 6 at 11:26 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

mmof3 - Human Services will not make any decisions on behalf of Rock County Citizens. You have an elected County Board that has the final say in every decision.

On Do you support a proposal to close Rock County’s juvenile detention center?

Posted on August 6 at 11:23 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

The new 'buzz' word for not housing youth in juvenile detention is called "Diversion". In some cases, it works and it works well. In other cases, it just delays the inevitable and before you know it, the juvenile is an adult clogging up the courts.

Before we all scream 'travisty', we should not judge the process and trust that the professionals/experts in the field are looking at what's best for the youth. How do you maximize services and offer programs that truly help teens stay out of trouble with the law. Remember that the county is faced with more than $5 million dollars in deficit for next year's budget and in order to BEST serve the needs of most, sacrifice will have to come at some measure, either through reductions or loss of services.

State Statutes define the number of staff required to hold juveniles whether it's one or 20...these numbers don't justify staying open. There are also options within this community to place juveniles in supervised housing that allows for mental health, education and rehab.

I would say that before we get our undies in a bundle, we should wait and see what they propose...with the economy where it's at - perhaps they will consolidate and coordinate with neighboring counties to serve youth with a more focused program need.

On Official's departure fuels talk of school district reorganization

Posted on June 9 at 5:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Regardless of what the district does, Salerno was a gift while we had him here and we should make sure he knows he was appreciated before he leaves.

It's great that downtown is getting frugal consideration for changes, but be careful not to spread things too thin so that JSD winds up with a lack of expertise that could make us a poor district in every area....academically, financially, and staffwise.

On Janesville Area PTA to discuss truancy

Posted on May 11 at 4:21 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

melstew47...juvey? Really? That's not effective and it's REALLY expensive! Juvenile Detention is for serious offenders and locking truants with serious offenders doesn't provide the treatment, programming or intervention that is neceesary to put their feet on the right path. DL's are suspended for truants and you cannot participate in extra or co-curricular activities if you're a truant; thus, these aren't considered penalties. As the article indicated...truancy is usually a sign of a larger problem. We as adults must do our best to befriend and mentor so they feel safe exposing their problems, not penalize them for a life they didn't choose. The best way to turn around a troubled youth is to teach them that although they aren't responsible for where they come from, they ARE responsible for where they're going in life and we will help them start on that path!

On UPDATED: Part of Janesville under a boil-water advisory

Posted on May 8 at 4:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I'm just curious, has anyone else in this area experienced slow water drainage when doing laundry or taking a shower? Oddly, the past week in my home, I've noticed a VERY slow drain.
Also, I thought my animals got into something because they've been lethargic and vomited a couple times in the house...could it be from the water?
Can't get through on the phone numbers above. Would be nice to have a city email to report these FYI items to in case it was part of the puzzle.
DON'T let your pets drink the water!

On Janesville district to lay off 6 teachers

Posted on April 29 at 4:31 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

MOCO 428 "Less kids in a class is always a better learning environment, why not keep them and reduce the class sizes. If there is a reason not to then let's hear it."

Not to debate, but where is the evidence that fewer kids is always a better learning environment? The reduction of these teachers will have little impact on class sizes and the board asked SEVERAL times about the need for these teachers. The administration assured the board that there would be no additional burden on existing teachers and class sizes may increase slightly...there are 259 less students - divided by 6 sounds like the board and administration IS being cautious.

Studies have NOT shown that smaller classroom sizes necessarily make better learning environments (good teachers make better learning environments)- if you have other studies, please share.