What part?

I have picts of the cameraman, news trucks, the entry etc....

"A highlight and lowlights: Highlight - A news camera person handed Lennie a mic - someone kept interrupting him with a sign & a camera flash. Hysterical. Lowlight - When Shannon arrived she proceeded to holler at someone, I feel sad for her situation, I also felt very uncomfortable seeing this unfold."

This whole statement.

You mean he lied about the way he felt? Wow Lisa, you must really be able to get into his soul. He lied about his opinion too? Brad- you bad bad boy!

Lisa, I need to cal your bluff. Any of the parents who stood out there saw it happen.

How funny. I was right there. I watched Shannon go all the way. No yelling. The only time the media filled Lennie was at the end, when everyone was gone and NBC was there. Lies!

I was there. She was yelling at one of the parents. It was close to the door, the channel 2 camera man ran up to them and filmed it. I don't know what provoked the outburst, but it did happen. In a nutshell, you're wrong. And you weren't "right there." You and Lennie were at the other end of the sidewalk by the parking lot at the time.

I realize coming here and posting is setting myself up for much criticism but I see no point in conjecture about what took place as I walked in.
I walked in quite peacefully until the very last man made a remark about my daughters in school. Given the nature of the threat I received toward them less than 12 hours before, it was salt in a very raw wound. My only words to him were of me yelling (and yes, I was yelling) a question, the same question 3x's: "Are you the man who threatened my kids?" When he said he wasn't, I explained I had received a threat against them, I apologized and went back to business.
While I wish I had just kept walking, the truth is I haven't stopped shaking since I listened to that man's message. My instincts as a mom are beyond heightened.
That is what happend.

Thanks, Shannon. Now can the rest of you people please stop speculating about meaningless b.s. Honest to god, this is as bad as the Michelle Obama eye-rolling scandal.

Shannon that is a lie. He said nothing others than the chant "Kids In School" You turned around and screamed because you wanted it on camera. I was standing right there.

So based on Shannon's response, it appears Lisa was mistaken. Perhaps you'd like to offer an apology now, LMJ. Or as you like to say all too often- you're a liar.

Shannon, I'm sorry for the trauma you've been put through. As you said, you should have kept walking. Don't let emotions get the better of you when you are in public view.

Okay, I was wrong. I don't have a problem owning up to it. Thanks Roger for pointing out that I was at the other end when she yelled. I guess I couldn't hear through the loud chants. From just looking at her, I couldn't tell.

As far as the camera guy, you did lie, Brad. It sounds like you weren't even there! Or should I say there outside maybe?

Lisa the camera guy was filming you and Lennie and people were putting their signs in front to block you. Then one of the parents yelled who you were and not to take your pamphlets. I don't know if Brad was there, but I was and I know what I saw.

Julie, that is the funny part for us. I wasn't going to bring it up, but YOU THOUGHT the guy from CBS was filming us, but he wasn't. He was just talking to Lennie. I am full aware that the parents and teacher's were yelling and not to take the pamphlets. Really sad that people have to be told what to do and can't think for themselves. What would have happened if someone wanted to? One did and was told to give it back to us. Really sad. All it showed was things that are already on the website. What are you all so scared of?

By the way, I will only say this once and then I am leaving it alone. We are not here to indoctrinate your children to choose whatever we or anyone else does. We believe that no one form of education is right for everyone. So, stop the lies about us and telling people that we are something that we aren't. If someone wants to talk to us, talk to us. Or are you trying to keep people from doing that too?

Shannon - I'm sorry truly sorry - very deeply sorry for the BS you have been through. With all of the honesty in my heart, I am saddened that someone did what they did. Nobody should go through that.

Lisa - You owe me an apology. I did not lie.

Your taxes didn't go up and until you hear what the final deal is...... Umm, yea.

Well, if these children get limited or no education, they'll be learning how to stand on corners soon enough.

Why would the union object to competitive healthcare bids? And are you subliminally suggesting they did? Care to offer proof? Or to you just want to spread falsehoods, conjecture and rumor?

It's a real bitch when you have to sacrifice a little for the good of the community, isn't it Lennie? You continue to ignore the big picture and I suppose you always will. YOU and all of us are part of a community and society that succeeds when one recognizes its not all about "me" (oh gosh- I must be a ...socialist! Egads! Actually, thats the argument one uses when one has no idea how to really respond.).

Good luck D46!

I see the big picture clearly. That picture is a fiscally sustainable district that can provide raises, keep RIFs low and the long term ability to provide quality education without always wanting to raise taxes.

Go listen to past board meetings. There have been multiple conversations about this issue. Each time the response has been we have to negotiate healthcare with the union. We have now gone through 2 contract negotiations and contract extensions, yet we have not had competitive bids. It is obvious where the problem is.

Sure Lennie. And that is achieved how in the real world? Please don't tell me to attend or view one of your townhall presentations. Tell me in real words, remembering you are speaking to an educated adult.

No, we are not speaking. We are typing on a Patch comment section. I have no idea if you are educated or an adult because you use an anonymous alias.

If you want to speak, I have always offered to meet any group to have an open and honest dialogue about the issues.

So no proof...just conjecture...falsehood...rumor

Sorry Lennie, no can do. I assure you I am both educated and an adult, but I am not physically in your area all that often anymore.

It would be nice if Sully would tend to his own business. It's bad enough we have people like "Faxton" making idiotic comments on a regular basis, and "Terri" with her ideological blindness, but why do we have to listen to the inane comments and opinions of a guy who doesn't live or work here, and has nothing to do with D46 other than hanging around with the kids? I certainly hope the district has done a thorough background check on him, as he raises all sorts of red flags with me.

Sandra, I don't have to live or work in a district to be interested in the fights going on there. I work in the education field, and this is not just a local topic. The same things are happening all over the country and it saddens me that so many people are fooled by what politicians and people like Lenny say.

Civil? Really? You just names the true bullies of this last week. Brad can be a jackass for sure, but the rest of you are truly disruptive, just to stir the pot. I heard no concrete solutions from any of them. Just words that divided our community more. The new board will be so refreshing and hopefully they can keep Shannon from screeching and trying to bully others at board meetings. Her children should never have been threatened, but she needs to accept responsibility for the behavior that led people to dislike and distrust that much. Time for her to look in the mirror.

I believe that the other side asked some good questions, too, Tara. They've also offered solutions. There are an overwhelming number of households willing to pay for this settlement. I believe the vocal, anti-tax group is in the minority.

Tara, do you have any idea what a bully is? No, it's just a buzzword you are taught to use in certain situations. You say it and boy, do you look intelligent! Yep, anyone who disagrees with Lennie and Tara are just mean bullies. Count me as one of the bullies then, because I sure as heck disagree with you.

Only Jesus can help me.

"A jackass" - now that made me chuckle.

Would it be out of line to ask for a fist bump?

Wait Brad, did you mean a terrorist fist bump to signal the rest of us bullies, or just a plain old bump?

Well... hidden option 3. Exploding knuckles.

Darn it, Faxton! Nobody ever told me about the third option! I"ve gotta get back here more often!

Yea - totally.... fist to fist, once they touch, both persons in sync, retract their hands while wiggling all fingers (some add an extra flair of the explosion noise).

That's going to take some practice.

Bullies?!

Can I play too?

Nice. Who else is uninvited to live here, Julie?

Lisa, I haven't seen you respond to others with whom you agree when they say to move out. Why is that? We're not told just to move out of the area- we're told to leave the country.

When the overwhelming majority has a position.... well, there ya have it. Go away lennie and lisa.

Thanks Tara.

More lies I see Sully.

My agenda is perfectly clear. I want ALL children to have access to a quality education. I want to see fiscally sustainable districts that can provide raises, keep RIFs low and the long term ability to provide quality education without always wanting to raise taxes.

Yet you refuse to state what a quality education is in realistic terms, who determines what is quality, and how the quality will be considered valid.

Jennifer, While I will agree Lennine was not wanted there by most people, he has just as much right to be there as anyone else. However, he does his standing in the D46 community no good, when he continually interjects himself in the conversation with his incesent advertisement for his town hall meetings. He has lots of ideas on how things shoud work, I do not know if all his ideas would work or not. I do see some shortcommings in his presentation, that make me cringe to think that people are taking what he says as gold..

When would you like to have a discussion Johnson H? As I've offered many times, set up a meeting and I will come have an open and honest discussion. Having all sides come together to have a dialogue is the best way to come to common sense workable solutions that benefit all children. I've always stated my ideas are starting points for discussions.

I do find it so ironic, that so many at Park School did not want to hear any dissenting viewpoint, yet I welcome and encourage people with dissenting viewpoints to come to my meetings or setup meetings to discuss ideas with me.

Jennifer - did you see and hear Shannon holler at someone last night?

Lennie,
I have viewed your open meeting on the web, I took the time to watch the entire 1 1/2 hrs of your presentation. I said you had some good ideas, but that I did not think they all would work. Your numbers do not incude the fact that the state is reducing thier funding to about the 80% level, which is lower than what they are funding this year. We are banking on the state to pay thier part, but my guess is that they will not. I do not need a meeting with you to see what you have to offer. I did find it interesting your response to why you are not running for BOE. You feel you can do more from the outside. I also find it interesting that you can only get 20 people to your meetings, and some were the same people both nights. Your message is not resonating with the general public.

@Johnson, I used the available data from the district's presentation so I would not be accused of making up the numbers.

Actually, there were well more than 20 at the meetings. There were some teachers and spouses of teacher present. There were private sector and other public sector union members there as well.

Let me ask you a question, if so many people want to claim my message isn't resonating, why were there so many comments and threats here trying to keep people away? Why are so many many people still wanting us to move (yes they've said that many times before)? In fact one instance they said they would run us out on a rail. There is no need to do that if my message isn't resonating, now is there?

Lastly, nearly 1200 people read my presentations. Here are the stats and these do not include any downloads from other sites the presentations were published.

Embed Views Downloads
Presentation 1 568 71
Presentation 2 456 98
Total 1024 169 = 1193

I was also able to confirm over 350 more from Champion News making the total over 1500. There was another local area site that carried the story as well that I do not have the results for, nor the bigger other Illinois sites that picked it up.

Lennie,
I did not attack you. I was just stating that your numbers still will not add up. The healthcare issue sounds like a good place for the BOE to start to save some money. You did not need to justify your numbers, I was stating what I saw on the tape, in the photos and in the news. You are a very outspoken individual in the community, that draws the attention you seem to want. You should have run for the BOE if you really think you could change D46 instead of speaking from the sidelines. Do you think you could have won one of the four open seats? Sometimes you have to step up and take the bull by the horns instead of throwing darts from the stands.

Lennie doesn't run from anything. You don't know Lennie. It has been from much sacrifice that he does what he does that some call on here, "all about him." Those that truly know him, know that he is about self sacrifice and hard work.

He is right. Ever since that first question on d46.info, about why the community needed a referendum, he has been attacked, and unless you are blind, you can see it here. Where are those people that were fighting that referendum clear back? VERY few are left. The people that you stand with, have bullied them away. So very sad that a group that claims to be all about tolerance and against bullying, is anything but.

Honestly, I have no idea who you are, Johnson. You could be Sully or one of the hateful people that yelled at me last night. I don't even know why I am bothering commenting on here again, other than I am the person who stands with him and knows him.

It just never ceases to amaze me the meanness on here. I have been hearing a lot of people wanting out of Grayslake lately. (Unlike the comment of you wanting us to move) This strike and the Patch comments hasn't help this, but hey, you will go back to work tomorrow and everything will be fine. Right?

@Johnson, I never said you attacked me. You have been respectful and seem to want an honest dialogue. That is why I have been answering your questions and asking you some as well.

Yes, I have run for office once before and did lose the primary. School board would have been different, but I do feel I can do more on the outside. If you'd like to discuss my reasoning more fully I'd be happy to meet with you sometime.

There are a number of reasons why a school may be successful or not. When one looks solely at test scores to determine quality, one is leaving out so many variables that it is almost laughable (unfortunately, in real life, it isn't funny at all). It is so convenient for the "test score as indicator" crowd to dismiss or ignore factors such as home life or learning disabilities or class size. Quality education is not as simple as some would have you believe. Charters and school choice is not the panacea.

I think you'd find it socio-economic. Can you explain the test scores, or do you merely rely on the "raw average"?

Tara, I'm not blaming Lennie. I understand the state of education very well and know the limitations that are present on both sides of the issues. Lennie pushes an agenda that is not researched for effectiveness or reality in today's world. He is single-minded and not interested in considering other factors besides taxes and charter schools. His is one viewpoint that has not proven any better than others put forth, but he yells louder and sues more. His continued interjection distracts from the real issues.

Sully stated, "He is single-minded and not interested in considering other factors besides taxes and charter schools." -- Continuing the lies and distortions I see.

Posted them a long time ago, yet you ignored them and continue the same lies and distortions. There is no need to post them on here again. Anyone that wishes to discuss them I am happy to do so in person so we can have an open and honest discussion. It is obvious that an open and honest discussion cannot happen here on the Patch.

Set up a meeting with people who interested in an honest and open discussion and I'll be glad to do so. You and Terri have proven repeatedly you are not interested in having an honest discussion. I will prioritize my time and use it to discuss with people who are truly interested in have an honest dialogue.

Heck, even I will offer a reply: Test scores?

Yes, a reply. You asked how one determines the quality of a school to which Lennie avoided. Testing is one way to measure quality. To quote a very experienced physical education teacher, Patches O'Houlihan, "If you're going to become true dodgeballers, then you've got to learn the five d's of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!"

Meh.

Whatever you say Lennie. Now how about you stop pontificating about yourself and you give an answer. If you can't do that, than you're nothing but a fraud.

Of course. Still hiding behind that, eh Lennie?well I'm still waiting for evidence of my lies and distortions, as well as your answers to legitimate questions. You are able to provide those, aren't you?

I believe you are the scared one Lennie because you cannot present a good case. You have no clue as to how to answer these questions, but instead of admitting that, you hide behind accusations of lies and distortions. Answer the questions Lennie.

And other than not giving you my name, everything I say is pretty factual or is stated opinion. I respond to questions about education that others ask. Why won't you? Why didn't you respond to Cheryl's question from above? I did.

LOL @ Sully, "he's absolutely infallible; that his solution, and only his solution, is what should be considered" --- continuing the lies still, yet you keep asking questions. Too funny...

Sounds like a recipe for a reality TV show on Lifetime.

I am the founder of For Our Children's Future - a state wide group working to bring fiscal sustainability to school districts to help ensure future quality education to ALL children.

No I am not planning to run for office, been there done that because of the divisive people on the Patch and in other blog sites. If you didn't know, I had an internet stalker who was a spouse of a teacher in D46. As far as I know, it could still be one of the many aliases still here now.

I do provide answers to many in conversations and in emails. I have found though that the Patch is not a good medium for honest or open conversation. When I use to comment more here and provide answers, I have people distorting, lying and personally attacking my children, my wife and myself. I choose not to engage the people here any longer on some answers. They can question my credibility all they want. It is only meant to cause division and prevent honest discussion. I prefer to have productive meeting and discussion with people wanting the same. I do not want to just be here bickering with people who have no interests in coming together to find solutions. That only serves there destructive purposes, It would also waste so much time it would prevent any movement toward meaningful solutions. You are welcome to contact me anytime you wish if you want a further conversation about this topic. I just choose not to go into detailed conversations with the vitriolic anonymous commenters.

He gave himself that role, MB. Nobody asked him.

The "founder" hhahahah! OMG! I laughed so hard milk came shooting out my nose. Nothing like a self proclaimed title.

My wife of 31 years has a few titles she can give me - I think julie said one, "Jackass".

http://forourchildrensfuture.com/

There is a contact button on there as well.

It is easy to contact him, but it isn't the purpose of some of the people posting on here. It is easier to just lie, make people scared of Lennie, and spread rumors with nothing to back it up with.

Lennie, don't forget to mention you're the founder of the Lake County tea party and that your many, many, many witch hunts have cost the district who knows how much money. And don't forget to mention that your wife believes religion is being taught in public schools. She calls these classes "science". Don't forget to mention that you're all for tearing down public schools in order for there to be more charters. Oh yeah, don't forget that proud proud moment at the board meeting two years when the police had to come quiet your followers down.

Oh yeah... just more lies and distortions... I wish I had kept track of how many times you and Lisa have screamed lies", "liars", and "distortions" when confronted with uncomfortable facts and/or questions.

Lisa, you were challenged above regarding Shannon's behavior. Reply?

#mark_as_spam

#vote_to_ban

Is this what you see as for our children's future, Lennie? Is this the curriculum you want in public schools? It seems to me it's not our children's future you care about- it's just your present.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/10-interesting-lessons-from-creationist-inspired-school-books

You know, Sully, you have a huge chip on your shoulder. It seems that you need to take up your problems with God, instead of us.

You are just making yourself look bad here.

No,Lisa. I'd just like the people to see what your real agenda is. I don't care for Fundamentalist Christianity to be taught in our public schools. I don't appreciate you and Lennie trying to mislead the few who actually believe you. You and Lennie are dangerous to anyone who believes in reality, science, and education. So I will fight you two every inch of the way to ensure the public school system is not harmed.

Now it's my turn. LOL What a load of baloney!

What a load of evasion, Lisa.

Regarding IEPs, the state takes money away from districts if they are out of compliance. That money is not part of the general funding- it's money to Special Education. Having said that, losing any kind of funding is going to hurt the district and schools.

Oh you know all about those things, don't ya.

I've been getting labeled as a liar too. Fun, eh? Even more fun when for the first time in nearly 2 years I was told that she made a mistake.

Hi guys. Miss me?

I'm not a teacher, BMF.

But I do know a hell of a lot more than Lennie when it comes to education. Since he refuses to answer questions, I'll have to assume just about anyone knows more than he does.

That doesn't mean he is a fake person though just that he uses and alias online. I live in Chesapeake Farms. I am not sure who Brad is, but I do that when he showed up in our community facebook page (and told us that it was an alias) it was to give info on some pretty dangerous squatters we had living in one of the houses. It was huge mess with a heroine ring and lots of children and a very dangerous dog. Scary stuff. The police, the bank, the neighbors were all involved. Brad helped get them out and didn't want his name used in public. I wouldn't either in that situation quite frankly.