School Days

Here I am sitting at my computer contemplating the end of another summer. Today is the perfect day to do this, because quite frankly it is a very dismal, introspective day in a school year that is winding up the first week of 2009-10.

If you know me, you are aware that I am a school secretary by day and fulfill my itch for writing in the off hours however few they are. I love the kids, the events, and the irresistable climate of education wafting through the halls. Yet each August as I prepare for teachers and students to return, I must also deal with registration and the ensuing problems that arise.

Having nothing to do with the teachers or their special charges, registration is a dance between the parents and the district of residence. In the ideal situation, parents will register in a timely fashion, demonstrating their residency, and paying the school fees that seem to climb regardless of the promise of free public education.

The truth is: it costs a lot of money to educate our children. Just look at a private institution's tuition and you know we are getting a good deal. Those schools do not do much more than public schools do when it comes to curriculum. The difference is in who is paying for it.

Back to registration. Schools want registration to be completed as soon as possible so they can make plans for the coming year. Knowing how many kids helps immensely to order books, desks, determine bus routes, and plan for teachers and classrooms. Most parents understand and comply. Sometimes they cannot pay the entire amount, but they do their best.

Proving residency is a big hang-up these days. In my district, this is done by showing a current signed lease and two major bills sent to the current home in the last month. They even had an incentive if turned in by the deadline. Some lucky family was selected for a visit to the local indoor waterpark. Seems simple enough, doesn't it?

Well, five days into the school year, people are still registering. Of course, new residents have an excuse, they weren't here, but the registrar is still taking returning students as well. What is up with that? This year there had to have been 20 registration days and people are still coming in. This is unbelievable to me.

If it was only a money issue, I can certainly understand having a limited budget. This is not the problem in my district. There are fee waivers and payment plans to help with the cost. If it was the scheduled time for registration conflicting with work schedules, I would be sympathetic too. However, the times and days have been all over the board to try to accommodate this problem.

So, why is this not important to some parents? Or why is it so hard to validate their address with school officials? A student is entitled to a public education in the school district they live in, not in a school district they want to attend.

For parents who have alternative living arrangements that cause them to make their homes with others, there are affidavits that verify the information with the homeowner or landlord. Parents who cannot do this need to go to the school district which reflects their address and register there. Problem solved.

Wakegan-Past and Present

I have lived in Waukegan for almost my whole life, which are more decades than I am ready to admit (at least in print). I have read some of the stories that people have been sending in for the celebration of 150 years of Waukegan’ s history and have written about some of my own memories in local papers in the past.

Against popular opinion, I love Waukegan. I always have. Even when the downtown area became a ghost town and all my memories as a kid, teen, and young adult were erased by an economic blight that seemed to go on for too many years. I am a former Bulldog who went to school when WTHS was not Warren Township High School, but Waukegan Township and some of our politicians were teachers there. West Campus and East Campus was one school and our colors were purple and gold-no green.

I remember taking the bus downtown on Saturdays and even to the Belvidere Mall to see a movie. Hein’s, the Globe, and Waukegan Dry Goods were my stomping ground for clothes, with lunch at LakeView Restaurant or fries and a coke at Woolworth’s lunch counter. I told you- I go way back.

Scooping was my social realm as soon as my friends and I could drive. Or dancing at the Wild Goose- who remembers that? Movies at the Genesee or much later working shows with pride after its renovation, I have been part of it all.

I suffered through the demise of the Lakehurst Mall. It saddened me when it finally closed. Although Lakehurst killed downtown Waukegan, it was disappointing that it had the same fate with the rise of Gurnee Mills. As a teen I worked there, as a young mother I brought my daughter, and as a columnist I documented its demolition with tears in my eyes.

The News-Sun has been my family staple throughout my life. As a child, my mother worked for the circulation department and I was first published on its pages. I have read it faithfully regardless if I agreed with its comments or who was being quoted. It is how I learned what was going on in town.

My history in Waukegan is a similar story as our current mayor. Certainly, the specifics of our lives are varied, but the timeline is basically the same. His dad was the mayor when I was a kid and as a young adult. Although, my mother was a great fan of the first Robert Sabonjian, I was not. Not that he was not a good man or a great politician in his time; rather we did not share the same vision.

However, I am glad that the current Robert Sabonjian has taken the reins and is trying to lead us to a better place. It is not going to be easy. Like most municipalities in this country and especially in this state, Waukegan is hurting financially. The status quo is not acceptable anymore. Politics and special interests can no longer dictate policies in government anywhere.

Jobs are in great demand. The mayor reported that Waukegan’s jobless rate is at 11.2%and holding. No one wants to join the unemployment line. Most of the city’s residents do not want their services cut and would actually like to see improvement s in their neighborhoods for safety, as well as, aesthetic reasons. We want to be proud of our town.

There are few draws to Waukegan these days. So, when there are some events or venues that do bring people to us, we should keep them alive. Regardless of the financial climate, we cannot ignore the positive because of a lack of monetary gains. The Municipal Band that plays in a beautiful bandshell at the Lakefront throughout July is an event that should be allowed to flourish. The Genesee Theatre and MainStreet calendar items are priceless in their goodwill and public relations. A nice way to show off what works in the city. The old adage, "cutting off the nose, to spite face, works well I think here.

None of this will happen unless we are willing to do things differently. I would like to see, a city hall working together to bring us to a better place. Compromise and the more importantly, forgetting about partisan politics, while concentrating on public service. Our new mayor does not have all the answers. He needs to hear from his constituents and know what we are thinking. Yet, we elected this man because we believed change was possible. How about allowing him to do his job?
Until next time...

Sumertime and the river is spreading...

I heard lots of complaining about the lack of real summer heat this June. Well, we are officially into the summer season (as of Sunday) and we have heat. What a difference a few days make! With this heat, thunderstorms, and lots of mosquitoes, which is why I could easily go back to the unseasonably cool weather we experienced earlier.

I did mention thunderstorms and lots of local flooding, didn't I? The river continues to rise and is spreading allover the area. The deluge of last Friday night has created a nightmare for homeowners, the local grade school, and many municipalities throughout the county. Add the road construction that is currently underway and travel remains the pits for all the residents.

Don't get me wrong- I love summer. Slowing down, if only a little, taking some time to be outside (humidity and bugs aside), or enjoying local seasonal events. Sometimes, we look forward to things like summer vacation so much that we forget about the here and now.

Every day has good and bad in it, but if we focus on what we are doing while we are doing it- life will not throw us the curves that sideline most of us. Waiting for the perfect time, person, or situation only puts us in a holding pattern that we may never leave until we make the big exit at the end of our lives. Let's not waste the time we have left.
Until next time...

Jeff Hoke...a music man

A friend and mentor to my daughter died last Sunday afternoon from complications from diabetes. The scary thing about this death- he had no idea that he had it. At 42 years old, Jeff Hoke was taken from us way too soon.

An amazing musician and a gifted percussionist he taught many young people including my daughter not only to trust their talent, to always do your best, and to love the music they made. He expected them to be disciplined, but allowed them to be themselves. Each one of these were major gifts. His humor, tempered his anger if you did not work at their craft he was passionate about, but he loved them all as family. He made them better people and good musicians. I will be grateful I shared a little bit of his world.

Jeff leaves a wonderful wife, Beth, and two daughters (Sarah and Kelly), his parents, and immediate family, but there are a legion of others who loved him well, who miss him greatly, and will keep his life-work going because it mattered so much to him.

Yep, you never know when life is going to throw you a curve or cut it short. Let the people you love know that they mean the world to you, take time to enjoy and play when you can, be passionate about something, and don't be afraid to take a chance.

When someone leaves us there is always great sorrow because a piece of us has gone away with their passing. They may be in a better place with all the answers, while we remain on Earth to pick-up the pieces and ask why this happened to us.

Let's take each minute as the gift it is and remember we only have the present- the past and future is just an illusion. BE HERE NOW! As Jeff always said, "Make It Happen". Words to live by, because you never know.

Bernie Madoff and other dastardly criminals in the news.

I don't know about you, but these criminals who apologize in court for their past transgressions are making me a little sick. Is there anyone who take them seriously? Hearing Bernie Madoff, plead guilty and his less than heartfelt apology to the victims who lost their life-savings to his avarice and seeing his contrite demeanor in front of the judge was not at all convincing. This has to be just a manipulation to preserve the wealth in his family's name, which hopefully will never come to pass.

I am sorry- the performance was not that good. It sure isn't going to help his reputation in any way. His wife, children, and grandchildren have a lot of baggage to deal with, while Bernie will be living out his life in some federal prison. How could he do that to them?

OJ Simpson is another one who cried like a baby in court saying, he did not know he was doing anything illegal. What the heck?! Do you know he still receives a pension from the National Football League? Even worse, he does not have to give a cent of that to the Brown or Goodman family toward the 30 million dollars he still owes them. What kind of life has he given his children? Maybe, his crime this time was not horrible, but at least his cocky attitude will be shelved for awhile.

So, how about Rob Blagoijevich and his media tour or speech to the Illinois Legislature before he was impeached? Do I really have to say more?
Until next time....

We Finally Have A Winner!

A new day is upon us and I could not be any happier. A much needed change has swept this country and the result is President-Elect Obama. I admit I had goosebumps when darkened my ovals in the voting booth. As I waited to cast my ballot in the machine, I really had tears in my eyes. Not since, my first presidential election way back in 1972 have I felt so full of promise and truly inspired with hope for the future.

With the election over, I also experienced a general sense of relief from all those ads that seemed to permeate television and radio for what seems like years. I think there should be a specific time limit for all campaigning. Maybe a month before a primary and then not until after the political conventions. Local candidates for office may have one ad per day from primary to election day. Do you know what I'm saying?

The only thing that disappoints me is the space is already filling-up with holiday commercials. If you know me, you have heard my tirade on the Christmas season starting right after Halloween. Geez,Louise- it is irritating. Until next time...

Election Madness!!

Things are so strange these days. The economy is wallowing in danger of collapse, our country is involved in two wars, and we are suffering from global warming, but we still are obsessed with Sarah Palin's wardrobe expenditures, who used to be an anarchist in the 60's, and the co-hosts who are arguing on The View. Wake-up People!!

Nothing is going to get better unless we are willing to put some effort into our problems and prioritize when finding the solutions. Aren't you as sick as I am on character assassinations between political candidates or playing the blame game with who is responsible for what fiasco in the government? How about if someone just anyone would tell me how they are planning on fixing our domestic issues, leading us to peace in my lifetime, and stopping poverty in the United States and than the world!!!

We know what went wrong in the last eight years, so let us figure out what is going right, work on that, and implement the changes we all want to see for the next four!

Until next time...