I think every parent with a student enrolled in Lincoln Park High School should know the following things. You may have been made aware but most have not been. I am going to make sure you know right now:

-There are three 10th grade English classrooms with a short supply of books. Each classroom is missing at least 10 a piece. There is an average of 35 students in a classroom. Ten students out of five English classrooms do not have books. Books were found yesterday throughout the school to give the two AP English classrooms a full set. One AP Eng class was missing 17 books. We found them in an old teacher's classroom and that was the last of them.
-Why? The English books were passed out to be on borrow to the summer school students. No one knows where they have gone. Most of the teachers suspect them ruined or thrown away.
-What has to happen? The head of the English department will be forced to order more of these 10 year old books.

-12th grade Forensics has been cut down from two class periods into one because of the overwhelming amount of freshmen coming into the school this year. The other class period had to be used to teach 9th grade science. Now there are 39 kids in one class period.
-12th grade Forensics also does not have a book. They sometimes use a Crimnology book but there is only about 18 copies avaiable.

-Speech class is also short of books. There are only an estimate of 23 copies and 35 students.

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You and me. Like a crayon and it's wrapper.

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TheGirlNextDoor (09-14-05), RubberArm (09-19-05)

This is a big problem right now. I still have friends who are missing hours in their schedules, so they end up sitting in the counseling office. Apparently there aren't any openings--anywhere. Many of the classes already have too many kids, so kids dropping classes to switch to others seem to be the counselors' first priorities. Kids whose schedules had missing patches seem to be being left in the dust.

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On the bright side, the school administration has a really nice sign with all the flashing lights included. And a great administrative building to work out of. Too bad they forgot about the books. By the way, what is their mission statement??? "Supporting Achievement Opportunities for Lifelong Success? Are they speaking for the administrators or the students???

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Veritas Scriptor (09-14-05), TheGirlNextDoor (09-14-05), RubberArm (09-19-05)

Mr. Higgins
Do you have a reply to Lil Mandie's post?
Thank you in advance

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Exactly. You know, the School Board is a real problem...one that nobody addresses very often. They aren't as "popular" as the city council, so they are free to operate in dark corners...unseen by most of the city or the press.

The Sinking Fund issue, for instance. Taxpayers voted to approve a sinking fund proposal that will result in a net expense to taxpayers in the amount of $17 million over 30 years. I did the math. This is something the school board never discussed publicly.

And the purpose for the sinking fund? To derive monies to be used for much needed repairs to school buildings. When the taxpayers approved a bond issuance that raised tens of millions of dollars for the construction of new schools, the school board seemed to neglect the fact that existing schools would need money for maintenance. But they most certainly did not "forget" that they needed to move the School Board building. And not only did they move it, but they moved into the old school across from the high school...and completely remodeled and updated it first. While students attended that school, the School Board saw no problem with it. But since they were moving into it, it suddenly "needed" to be completely remodeled, updated, and reconstructed.

The Board put too much emphasis on new construction and not enough on the maintenance of existing buildings. And now it will cost taxpayers $28 million...$17 million of being used to pay finance charges on the bonds.

Here is a thread summerizing the details of this sinking fund issue that taxpayers are paying for:
http://yourlincolnpark.com/LPSF...ht=sinking+fund



This is funny...because I took Public Speaking and Advanced Public Speaking my senior year...and we were short books back then, too. This was in 1998! I guess on the plus side, speech class doesn't spend much time reading books anyways.

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[QUOTE=Lil_Mandie_06]
-12th grade Forensics has been cut down from two class periods into one
They sometimes use a Crimnology book but there is only about 18 copies avaiable.[QUOTE]

LPHS has a Forensics class? And a Crimnology class? How cool is that? I am pretty impressed that these courses are available at the HS level. It is courses like these that can really motivate a student, and offer something other than math, bio, or chemisty to focus on.

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This is a very important post for the folks of LP. Lil Mandie, you did the right thing by posting this concern on . I have a feeling you'll get your books!

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Accountability for all, big or small, is what's needed this fall.

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LPHS has a forensics class, but not a criminology class. The Forensics class is just using criminology books (that they are short on)

It is pretty cool that the HS offers Forensics. I was going to take it, but you are required to be in physics at the same time (?) and I didn't have room in my schedule for physics and forensics so I went with just physics.

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We cant afford to buy enough books so every student in the school can have their own copy for a handful of classes but we needed an iron gate to keep the skateboarders off the front steps of the school. We just had to have that hideous and useless gate. Heaven forbid, the skateboarders do damage to the steps and whatever else. We have done without a gate all this time, what the heck do we need one for now?

The Board has been doing nothing about this problem as far as I know. Along with weaving out the students that do not really live in Lincoln Park, along with making sure only enough students fit into a classroom fit in a classroom without kids sitting in the doorways and window sills, along with many other things.

Ridiculous. I hope someone can answer this question. This is beginning to become nonsense. Enough is enough.

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I can not speak to the books as I have not got answer yet and do not wanto pass on bad info.

I can tell you that the gate was put up due to large amount of damage that was happaning after school and on the weekends the school put a lot of money fixing the circle drive and wanted it protected.
As for the sighn at the Adminasration Building it was donated

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Veritas Scriptor (09-16-05)

So like this one time I have to carry around a 3-inch binder full of paper because we don't have any books....fun

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"Because I knew you, I have been changed for the better"


'Wicked' is the BEST musical Ever!!!!



"It well may be, that we will never meet again; in this lifetime, so let me say before we part. So much of me, is made of what I learned from you. You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart."

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Usually in a "detiorating" city, the schools suffer the first symptoms of decline! (sad but true-as VS confirmed)

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Quid est veritas? Pontius Pilate

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This school system has been in shambles since 1962. The problem is not that it is "deteriorating" the problem is that it is "stagnant"

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A Five Year Millage? Yes
A non-limited Millage? Never
Vote NO on Proposal R

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How does it trace back to 1962?

What was the cause for it to be "in shambles" back in 1962?

What/why on earth is this a 43 year problem?(and counting)

What was the break-down in L.P. school system then?

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Who donated the sign?

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City Council:
• Thomas A. Murphy
• Valerie Brady
• Michael Lemuel
• Thomas McPartlin
• John R. Nelligan
• James E. Rutherford

City Treasurer: Craig Sochocki

Proposal R: NO

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