Rick Nagel

Geneva Says Fond Farewell to 500 Years of Teaching Experience

Some amazing, wonderful Geneva teachers closed chapters in their lives with retirement scheduled for the end of this year.

When the final bell sounds at the end of the May 31 school day, expect hugs, kisses and maybe a few tears, as Geneva public schools say goodbye to an accumulated 500-plus years of experience. At Monday night's School Board meeting, principals at six Geneva schools plus Assistent Superintendent Craig Collins had a chance to say some kinds words about the folks who's served the district as teachers and support staff. Speaking purely on a personal note, Debra Scholle remains one of the favorites teachers of our youngest, Brenda Bevans was remarkable in her support of our oldest daughter—and of her parents—as was Diane Rogowski at Geneva High School. Jim Burger taught both me and my youngest daughter (40 years apart) at Geneva High School—we'…

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Coultrap Will Come Down in August—at Cost of About $686,000

"Some type of memorial" will be put in place at the Coultrap site, another meeting with neighbors will be scheduled and the Fourth Street administrative facilities will take on the Coultrap name. The cost of demolition is $545,900.

The historic Coultrap building will fall sometime in August, and School District 304 will pay Alpine Deomolition $545,900 to do it. The School District will pay another $140,200 for asbestos abatement at the school. Those were two of the action items of the April 22 board meeting. The board also determined that it would rename—or "rededicate" the Fourth Street centraol office as the "Coultrap Educational Services Center" in memory of Harry Coultrap, the educator that played such an important role in the development of Geneva schools and its "tradition of excellence." School Board President Mark Grosso said he would ask for assistance in creating "some sort of memorial" at the Coultrap facility site and asked that staff set up another …

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Despite Emotional Pleas From Parents, Batavia Highland Students Will Change Schools

About 17 students from the Batavia Highlands neighborhood will be bused to Western Avenue School instead of Williamsburg Elementary School, starting next year.

Parents of elementary-school students in the Batavia Highlands area did everything they could to dissuade School District 304 School Board members from voting on a boundary change for "Area 20." They carried picket signs, they attended School Board meetings, they wrote letters and emails to district officials, they posted blogs. They brought their children to the podium to make emotional pleas, they talked about their kids crying themselves to sleep. They argued that their neighborhood was being singled out and disciminated against because they are in the Batavia city limits. They pointed to the numerous moves from school to school that Batavia Highlands kids have had to make over the past 25 years. In the end, Geneva School Board members …

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Bob McQuillan

10:37 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I agree children adapt better than parents and some parents didn't help their cause by their over reaction. Lets not overlook the reasons given for deciding to move these children. From the board's own report: Moving #20 did not address the top 2 goals of balancing enrollment & efficiencies in staff. It did address: keeping the neighborhood intact, distance in busing, busing to the nearest school…   more ›

Batavia Highlands School-Boundary Adjustment Decision Expected Monday

Parents of Batavia Highlands students are protesting a proposal to move children from Williamsburg Elementary School to Western Avenue School.

The School District 304 Board of Education is expected to decide Monday whether to move students who live in the Batavia Highlands neighborhood from Williamsburg Elementary School to Western Avenue School for the 2013-14 school year. Parents of grade-school students protested at the April 8 School Board meeting, carrying signs and offering an empassioned plea to keep their kids from having to make the move. "Somebody come to my house at night and put my 8-year-old to bed when he's crying, because he has friends he's not going to see next year," said Heather Anderson. Parents also said they believe the School District is showing bias toward "Area 20," which is a Batavia neighborhood that falls within the Geneva School District boundaries…

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bleedblue11

3:39 pm on Monday, April 22, 2013

Yes Mike but unfortunately---it has been this way for 50 years! That subdivision has been part of the Geneva boundary forever. There is nothing these parents can do but be at the mercy of the school board.   more ›

Geneva School Board: Lamb, Juby Join Grosso, Wilson

Voters on Tuesday said they liked what the Geneva School Board has been doing these past four years—and that incumbency and community involvement matter.

When Geneva School Board members met with Geneva Education Association representatives across the bargaining table in 2012, Geneva saw perhaps for the first time in its history a disagreement between faculty and elected officials strong enough to make a teachers strike a very real possibility. It was a trial by fire for the board, for educators, for parents and students, and for the community as a whole, which ended with a signed contract, hopes for healing and the promise of continued academic success. On Tuesday night, School District 304 voters said thank you by supporting two incumbent School Board members and by adding two candidates who represent School Board and finance experience as well as deeply-layered community involvement. …

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John R

1:58 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013

I'm very comfortable with the reelection of Grosso and Wilson to the school board. I think they have both showed good judgement and leadership over the last four years. In Bills case the last TWELVE. Wilson might be a bit of a school board junkie but his heart is in it. :) Very happy to see David Lamb elected to the board. He is passionate about education and it's really good that the community …   more ›

Last Chance: Who Do You Endorse for Geneva School Board?

As of noon April 8, Leslie Juby leads seven other School Board candidates in our unscientific Patch poll. Write a comment about the candidate you support, sign your name and keep it positive, please. Unfortunately, you can only pick one candidate.

Rick Nagel

How to Sort Geneva School Board Candidates

What criteria do you use to sort out candidates when there are eight seeking four seats? Here are some groupings that might or might not help you make decisions on April 9.

Figuring out which candidates to vote for in a multi-candidate, multi-seat election is a little like ordering from the menu of an American Chinese restaurant: Sometimes you want some from Column A and some from Column B. This column is meant to help you select the entrees that appeal to your electoral palate. Take it for what it is, and ignore it if you wish. Then you might consider grouping Jeffrey K. DiOrio, Robert L. Cabeen and Leslie N. Juby. Jeffrey is a math teacher with the Naperville School District; Robert has a degree in education and his wife is a teacher who will retire this year from Geneva School District 304 and Leslie is a substitute teacher in Batavia. Or pick the candidate whose high school class would have selected as "…

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Letter to the Editor

Retired Geneva Teacher Says, 'Re-Elect Mark Grosso'

Gib Thostenson: "Geneva has continued its tradition of excellence with his support and leadership."

Dear Editor: My wife, Kathy, and I are long time Geneva residents (37 years); and I’m also a retired Geneva High School English teacher and department chair.  We strongly support the re-election of Mark Grosso, current District 304 School Board President. We have known Mark for many years as a friend and neighbor and have worked with him on various committees for the Pepper Valley Homeowners Association. Four years ago we endorsed and supported Mark when he was running for the school board for the first time. We said, “Mark works hard, cooperates well with others, listens carefully, pays close attention to details, and uses common sense. He will bring the same leadership and problem solving skills to the school district.” He did not …

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Geneva School Board Candidates Rank Priorities—Now, You Can Rank the Candidates

Election 2013: What are your top priorities for School Board members in the coming four years? Ask yourself that question, then see which candidates priorities line up with yours.

I asked some strange and difficult questions of School Board candidates during the March 20 TaxFACTS/Patch forum. Several of those questions were flat-out failures, but there was one I liked a lot. It's the following—and I hope you take a minute to answer it yourself before you scroll down to see what the candidates said.  Please rank these issues in order of priority to your campaign and your concept of your role as School Board member: One of the candidates referred to the question as an "absolutely" false dichotomy. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time," he said. True. And we expect Geneva School Board members to do that. But we also have to decide which four of the eight candidates to vote for come April 9. I hope the answers to …

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TaxFACTS/Patch Candidates Forum Videos Are Up and Ready to Watch

Miss the forum in Geneva? Trying to figure out who to vote for? Check out the searchable TaxFACTS Forum on Fiscal Responsibility videos at the links included in this article.

Here's a hint: Skip past anything the longwinded moderator says and move straight to the candidates' answers. Geneva TaxFACTS has posted two videos from Wednesday'sCandidates Forum on Fiscal Responsibility. There is a "topic short-cuts" drop-down menu that allows you to review any portion of the forum or compare, for example, the candidates' opening statements. The website also has a Video Menu that includes the recordings from the forum as well as past videos of government meetings. You'll have a chance to see another Geneva candidates forum, this one sponsored by the League of Women Voters, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Kane County Branch Court, 530 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. The mayoral and School Board candidates are …

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