A New Team, We Kill ABACUS and Get Very Busy

In the fall of 1993, the business manager and superintendent both decided to retire. The board of education reluctantly accepted these retirements. They also accepted the recommendation to promote one of the “Chiefs” to superintendent to manage the final effort to merge with the neighboring district, Unit 5. They assumed he would accomplish this merger within two years.

The new superintendent had plenty of district office experience, but he lacked expertise is school finance. He had also never been a building principal and had no experience at the elementary level. He asked me to join him as Assistant Superintendent and to manage all educational programs. This included educational technology, but not the administrative technology which still operated on the VAX mainframe computer. 

Fortunately his was able to lure Robert Meeker back to the district from Clinton. I was thrilled that more former boss and I would be assistant superintendents in the new administration. Robert brought all of his excellent management skills, plus new knowledge in administrative software and specialty areas like insurance.

The former “Chief of Instruction” was to become “Director of Instruction” and she was assigned to report to me. The new superintendent’s plan was to move her out within a year. Her days of pushing ABACUS were numbered.

Part of the merger plan was based on a poor financial outlook for our district. This outlook existed in forecasts based on assumptions that we would increase spending, especially on the new computer software, and decrease revenue. The assumptions did not take into account that current fund balances were healthy and that we did not have to buy more of the ABACUS software license or computers to run it.

The first financial decision I recall was to cancel the lease on ABACUS software and cancel any major computer purchases. This decision allowed us time to avoid deficit spending while we focused on getting a merger vote on the ballot.

Robert began to develop five year plans for all aspects of the administration. These involved building maintenance and improvement, administrative technology including financial, payroll, and personnel, insurance, etc.

I began a five year plan for curriculum development and purchases, including revising the BEST tests, consolidating all grant funds to coordinate staff and equipment purchases, enrollment and staffing projections, and integration of educational technology using the learning center teachers in a leadership role. I also had to handle contract negotiations with the new program assistant union.

The superintendent made an arrangement to “lend” our newly demoted Director of Curriculum to a nearby university at the start of the second semester. This helped clear the way for the changes, but left me short handled to do all of the work. I decided to borrow help from two other administrators (community relations and special education) and we developed and implemented a plan to fix the tests and revise curriculum and text books.

While plans were developed and finances were brought under control, we were required to spend a great deal of time getting the merger vote on the ballot. This was not easy as Unit 5 decided to fight the placement on the ballot. This fight led to a hearing in which we had to present the case for merger, but that hearing took two years to happen. Fortunately by then our planning helped as we had a good idea of future enrollments, building space and financing.

Still the stalling tactics kept us preparing to answer immeasurable questions about the district. One of the tactics from Unit 5 was to push for “coordinating” every major aspect of the two districts, thus implying we could work together without merging. Our board still wanted the vote, but forced us into innumerable joint district meetings before we made any decisions. This doubled our work, and resulted in very little coordinated efforts, as Unit 5 would always do what they had planned to do anyway.

All of this work slowed technology implementation, but there was help on the way. The federal government was pushing for implementation of computer technology in all schools. Part of the push was to bring the internet to all levels and every school in the nation. This plan was to bring networks and wiring and internet connections everywhere. To fund this effort, was a new tax called “e-rate” which was attached to every phone and cable bill. To obtain e-rate funds, the district had to develop a comprehensive plan to bring computers on line in the classroom.

Someone had to write the plan. That someone was me.

We Expand Access and Give it Our BEST

I continued to write grants and try to add machines to my school. My first goal was to bring the TLC program into fourth grade. This required some planning and careful persuasion as no other school was implementing its own network. I did lots of lobbying to get the needed hardware and wiring installed.

I was relentless and was able to bring the program into daily use in the classrooms. A number of things had already changed in grade three and fourth was seeing the same. Gone were chalkboards, as microcomputers don’t do well around chalk dust. In addition to computers and wiring, there was a need for tables and chairs to accommodate the machines and they had to be located together to minimize cost. The teachers accepted these changes, although I am sure there was some reluctance.

The district had a new initiative that was to fail miserably. The superintendent wanted us to move to writing and testing district standard objectives. The objectives and tests were to be written by the teachers who were deemed to be the best source of what was important to learn and test. The problem was that teachers were not trained to be designers of reliable tests. The tests were to be called “Bloomington Educational Standard Tests or BEST”

Teachers were given training in writing standards and put to work developing the BEST for each subject at each grade level. Even with expensive consulting help, the tests were far from the best. They reflected the beliefs of the writers, which may not reflect what was considered as a standard. The tests were unreliable indicators of learning. However we were required to give them annually.

To more fully implement this disaster, the director of curriculum, now called the “Chief of Instruction” was tasked with locating and implementing computer software that was to report out the test results. Each principal was required to access this data and use it to formulate plans for improvement.

The software was called “ABACUS” (thanks Don Melican, Sheridan principal, for remembering)and it was terrible. We all did get computers, and we all were given access to district email. This was the only good part of the program. It consisted of a large amounts of commands to locate the data from the BEST. No one could use it without multiple calls for help. I was probably the most knowledgeable of computer software of all of the principals, and I couldn’t use it. We were not allowed the data unless we accessed it ourselves, but were required to report on it. Still our “Chief” would go out and make presentations claiming we had full implementation of the software in our district. It was a complete lie.

Fortunately, the superintendent decided to retire. There were incentives passed by the state of Illinois to encourage teachers to retire when they reached a certain age and years of experience. These incentives applied to administrators. The superintendent’s decision came as the board of education was pursuing a merger with Unit 5. He was convinced that it would happen in a few years. We all hoped the incoming superintendent would fire the Chief or at least kill ABACUS. It turns out, I got to help with both.

Robert Takes on More and Catches some Thieves

After I left the Bloomington Area Vocational Center (AVC), Robert Meeker continued on his mission to make microcomputers the basis for business education at AVC.  He knew that Bloomington High School (BHS) was the most essential high school to success at AVC . For that to work he had to eliminate the animosity which long existed between the faculty and administration of Bloomington High School and the faculty of the Area Vocational Center.

He worked diligently on this while I was with him. Every effort was made to make sure the BHS administration knew that we were not a competitor to BHS, but we were a colleague and collaborator.

Although he was managing the massive Adult Education program (7000 students), the AVC, and the Regional Vocational System ( 3 AVC's and 20+ high schools), he volunteered to become an assistant principal for BHS and lead person in the business department. With this assignment, he could directly affect the relationship between the faculty members. He also encouraged AVC staff to take on roles with extracurricular activities at BHS. With the role as assistant principal came athletic game supervision at BHS. Where he found the time I will never know.

Robert’s leadership in the business department was transforming. A faculty determined to teach proper typing and shorthand skills was convinced to teach the skills needed in computer keyboarding. Instruction with software replaced drills and timed tests. Ability to solve problems was developed as  practicing technique was de-emphasized.

The typing labs became computer labs. The business classes moved from bookkeeping to spreadsheet management. Semi-skilled work in typing information became skilled work in using databases, word processing and other software.

While all of this was going on the, the new AVC course in Robotics which began with one of the grants we wrote, was growing rapidly. There was a new drafting lab using auto-CAD. In addition, there was an increasing demand for skills in network development and wiring, so a new course was developed. He expanded to the arts and supported a new Mac lab in the art program. Robert initiated or directly supported all of these into courses at both AVC and BHS.

With all of this technology came some negative consequences. BHS became a target of thieves. Robert related below several stories of theses adventures.

            The year we got the graphic arts classroom up to date with 16 new Mac’s someone broke in and stole them.  The insurance paid for replacements, but they did not come with the original software and we had to fight with Apple to get them to give it to us.    Lots of fun, lots of headaches, retirements, and very different programs and applications based on the kind of classroom that needed the technology.  It was certainly a fun ride, even with the frustrations. 

Another time the thieves broke into BHS/AVC.  They had a semi pulled up behind the auto shop with plans to clean out several labs.  But by then we had a pretty good alarm system.  It didn’t make any noise it just notified the police.  They showed up in force pretty quickly and caught the bad guys in the act.  

Another time they (the police)showed up and felt pretty sure something wasn’t right.  So they turned loose a couple German Shepherds.  After getting some school administration and maintenance people there to turn on the lights etc.the police went in and got the bad guys.  One was in a broom closet keeping the door between himself and the dog.  The other guy was on the roof after crawling out the upper story window and hiding behind a vent unit.  Unfortunately for him, the dog kept him on point until the officers came to corral him. 

While all of this activity was going on, I was serving as principal at Irving. I missed most of it, except for an occasional lunch with Robert. His personal efforts were extremely successful. However, it did not fulfill his long term goal of a central office position as business manager. So seven years after I left AVC for Irving School, Robert left District 87 for the position of Business Manager for Clinton Public Schools. He had a tremendous impact for his time in Bloomington. Fortunately for all of us, he wasn’t quite finished.

Eulogy for Mom

Thanks for being here to honor our Mom. She would be surprised to see that so many have come. I think she felt she was a common woman except she was actually and uncommon person.

I am Rick, 2^nd oldest…or when she would get angry or disappointed at something I said, I would become Richard Leo Laleman. Of course I often heard her say Ronald Lee or Stephen Roy when she needed to correct some of their behavior. I wondered why she never gave Tim or Jeff middle names. Maybe she had expectations that they would be easier to raise than her first three boys. Boy was she wrong if she thought that.

I also never heard Mom use my sister’s names in that way, but I was already out of the house when they got old enough to warrant a chewing out, or maybe they were so good that never happened. I am sure that was it!

Elizabeth Ann McKenna Laleman Vroman. That is a lot of names for one person. I never heard anyone call her Elizabeth, only Mom, or Betty, Grandma Betty , or Grandma B. She was the 11^th child of a family with 16.

My Mom’s multiple names really represent many of the phases in her life. Betty McKenna was a learner. Born into a family of 16 children she was to develop a connection between her brothers and sisters that would endure until the day each left this earth. They were extremely close and obviously loved each other. When I hear of other families torn apart by misunderstanding, jealousy or anger, I am amazed that the McKennas stayed so close.

 Growing up as a McKenna, she learned that happiness is not in things, but is in family. People were important, and sharing when you had little was part of life. She learned a deep Catholic faith, but not a preachy faith. She learned her beautiful Palmer method of writing. She learned she had a role and it was as a worker. This family would grow to almost 400 direct descendants and with spouses and step children to almost 600.

With such a large family, each had to take on some burden. Her sisters cared for the younger ones and helped prepare the meals, do the laundry, and clean. Her brothers worked in the fields. By the time Mom came along, all the jobs were taken. She told me her weekly job was to cover the shelves with newspaper. When she and Dad married, this was about all she knew how to do. Of course she knew much more than that.

She also said at meals, it you sat near her mother, you ate tomatoes with sugar on them. If you sat near her Dad, you ate them with salt. We ate them with salt, so I kinda know where Mom sat.

We got to experience the annual Father’s Day picnic which my Mom would host for the entire McKenna family. The family was spread over many miles, but they all came to our farm. That was an exciting time for us because we had so many cousins with which to play.  We easily had enough to have 2 teams to play softball and other games. This day was to honor Mom’s Dad, Grandpa Roy and Mom always made it special for everyone, and they all came.

I often saw the affection Mom had for her siblings, but she and Jean had a special bond. Although they sometimes disagreed, the affection they had for each other, kept our families close. We stayed overnight often because one or the other was always having a baby. There were a lot of those times! Jean and Cleon became my second parents. As I saw each of the McKennas experienced failing physical health, they would gather together often.  I heard them say it to Mom on many occasions. “I love you, Betty”.

When Mom married my Dad, she was not yet 20 years old. Betty Laleman she became a “teacher” and a “connector”. Dad’s family was also large, but not close to the size of the McKennas. When she became Betty Laleman she encountered a very different culture. They were all Belgian and my grandparents had immigrated to the US when they were young adults. They didn’t speak English in the home. I am sure they were boisterous and argumentative. This is a Laleman trait. This was so different from her close affectionate family. Still she made it work.

Mom and Aunt Rachel became quite close. My Aunt Gabriel became my godmother. She kept our family engaged with my Dad’s. She knew how to reach out to build relationships. This had to be difficult. My Mom was often self-conscious. She didn’t want to be the focus of attention or set expectations for others than her children.

She accepted everyone. There was no separation of people by their color, or background, or wealth or their religion. In a small town where everyone was of the same race, she would not tolerate racial slurs by her children. She was strong in her beliefs, but she didn’t think you were wrong in yours. She showed me that everyone, regardless of their station in life, deserves to be treated with respect. It is an example that has guided me my entire adult life.

She did make sure we had plenty of religion in our lives. We never missed Sunday mass. We hit every holy day. We said the rosary every night in Lent, in Advent and sometimes even in the car. Steve shared his memory of reciting the rosary while we traveled to Eyrich’s or Chamberlains, and that we were not allowed to skip any of the mysteries. As he said, you can’t say the rosary and fight in the car at the same time.

Mom was also good at discipline when we needed it. She kept a yard stick on the transom over the door in the dining room, and she “not afraid to use it”. When we got tall enough to reach it, we would hide it from her.

She taught us our obligations. I heard her say many times, “you boys need to…” when speaking of chores, or homework, or changing our clothes, or cleaning our room. She worked hard and expected us to do the same. She knew she was raising us for a later life.

I often saw the affection my parents had for each other. Although they had economic struggles and pain, they loved each other deeply.

While she was a teacher to us, she was a “giver” to others. Some of you read my blog, in which I described my Mom as an angel. She was the very definition of one who guards over others. She always available, always watching out for others and taking care of her kids. We were guided, but not protected. She wanted us to be responsible adults, who knew how to take care of ourselves.

For others, she was an angel in time of great need. She had this tremendous empathy, the ability to understand how others felt. With a large family as with any large group of people, there comes a great deal of tragedy and suffering. Most of us, including myself, say similar things when someone suffers a loss or tragedy. “You are in our thoughts and prayers” “Let me know if you need anything” which are all expressions of our caring for others.

Mom may have done said that too, but mostly she would just go. She seemed to understand that those in the greatest need needed caring people to help lift their burden. She would arrive, express her concern, and begin to help. She would listen, clean, pray, listen some more, cook, offer counsel and hope. She understood that people in extreme duress don’t want to burden others and ask for help. She understood that that didn’t know what to say or do. She understood that they needed her and her complete faith that God would help them.

I saw her do this so many times, and I know there were many that I never witnessed. When Connie’s Dad died, she regularly spent time with Connie’s Mom. She would call or drop by just to talk.  When she couldn’t visit someone, she would call or write. A call from Betty was a comfort for many.

Mom would give her time to those people who needed contact. She would often visit people in nursing homes, just so they would not be alone. Sometimes, she was the only one.

Mom’s letters were beautiful in their appearance for her hand writing was almost artistic. Her letters came at just the right time. Her messages were full of caring and hope. Except for the letters Ron and I received telling us to grow up and change our behavior, they carried a compassion and a recognition of the suffering of others. Still both of us know her letters were exactly what we needed. Her role of a teacher was important to her and to us.

If you suffered a loss, you heard from my Mom. Her letters provided comfort to all. I don’t know if any of those letters survived, but I know they sincerely written, and that they came when they were most needed.

It was one of her letters to Al after Gladys died, that brought Al completely into her life. She and my Dad had known Al for a long time. As a successful restaurant owner, Al was pretty famous. My parents, who rarely went out to eat, would go to the Rustic fairly often.

Dad and Al had grown up as neighbors. Although both moved often, in 1930 they lived on adjoining farms. The 1930 census shows 10 year old Alvin living at the next farm were 8 year old Freddy Laleman lived.

When Dad died, Mom faced a great burden. She had 4 kids still at home with Mary Beth’s wedding in two months. Mom had no income. She prayed and found a job with the help of Dad’s sister my aunt Rachel. She survived, but she knew great loss. I believe it was this understanding that led her to write to Al in his time a need.

After we were out of the house, she stayed connected. When I was away in college, she would call often. She always called at 6:00 am, because she knew I would “be home”. She continued this my entire adult life. When it was my birthday and the phone rang, I knew it was my Mom. I had to rush to answer to keep from waking everyone in the house.

When Betty McKenna Laleman became Betty Vroman, Al brought much love and opportunity, and stability to her life. He also brought a whole family who wanted to protect their Dad when he was so vulnerable. Mom reached out to each of them. With Tom and Jim still living at home, she blended her 3 remaining children, Tim, Jeff, and Marcia. She an Al built a home for this party of 5 and Mom let them all know that she would care for them. This had to be difficult as they were all teenagers living under one roof. I struggled living with my two when they were teenagers. I cannot imagine how she made this new family work, but she did.

As time passed, Al’s family experienced more tragedy as traffic accidents took Dawn and later Gregg. Mom would be the comfort for the family as she went to be with each of them in this time of great need. Mom’s faith helped her help others, but she didn’t just pray. She spent time with them, called them, kept in touch.

Mom and Al spent the next 42 years together. They built a winter home in Florida and had a tremendous number of visitors. They built their house so they could share it with others. Mom kept a calendar like a hotel would do to know when her rooms were “booked”. They made everyone feel welcome. My Mom, always concerned for others, was the hostess for us all. They became close with their neighbors. Mom and Al could reach out to anyone to make them feel welcome.

The grandkids grew in number . Each year they would add handprints to a quilt for her. Eventually they numbers 19. You can see the joy she found in family. The grandkids annually gave Grandma B. a quilt with all of their handprints. As I watched the photos scroll by the past few days, one consistent thing is obvious. She took tremendous joy in the presence of the little ones. Her smile is so genuine as she sat with a grandchild, or held a great grand baby.

As Mom and Al’s health began to decline, the Florida home was no longer practical. They had to give it up, but they still stayed connected to many people. Mom gave up driving and gave up visiting others in need, unless she could get one of my siblings to take her.  Still she continued to call when she knew someone needed a kind word and she would continue to write until she lost that ability.

In these final years, Mom’s short term memory was failing. I can still her beautiful blue eyes and she struggled to remember what had been said. Still, a question from her past would result in a detailed description of what she had seen and felt as a child. She knew more about the Chicago Cubs of the 1930’s than most fans would ever recall. In her youth, her joy was in the smallest of things. Talking with her about those times was very enjoyable.

My mom was a worrier. She worried about her husbands, her kids, her siblings, her in-laws, friends, and people she barely knew. She would pray for them. Her focus was always outside of her. She would worry that they had enough to eat. In her failing health, she would worry that Mary Beth and Marcia would not be suffering. She wanted to ease their pain, when she had so much of her own. She would worry that Jeff was driving too late after he saw her, or that Tim or Steve were missing too much work to spend time with her. She would worry that Ron would be ok after Bonnie had died. I would hope she didn’t worry about me, but I am sure she did.

In her final few months, she had to completely rely on others for her physical needs. Yet she was able to let those assisting her that she cared for them and did not want them to worry. Her empathy for her caregivers, led them to stop and see her every day, even when it wasn’t part of their schedule. Mom lingered on physically, but she was ready to join God. Her heart remained strong. Mary Beth told me the caregivers said it was hard to stop a “heart of gold”.

In her final days, Mom could barely speak. Yet when I called the last time, she clearly said “Hi Rick” and “I love you” words I will always remember. Although her voice was weak, my sisters told me that if you listened carefully to barely audible mumble, you could hear the words of the “Hail Mary” as she prayed to God to bring her to Him. Her faith was unshakable.

 I believe many benefited from knowing my Mom. Certainly having her as my mother was the greatest gift I could ever receive. She taught me so much by her words, but her example spoke so much more. The McKennas, Laleman’s, and Vromans and many others felt her love, her empathy, and her faith in God. She would want you all to know that she is in a better place and to not mourn her going. She would not want you to worry about her, as she had worried about so many of us. She would want you to know that things will be better and I know they will because

She made the world a better place.

AVC to Irving

I left the Bloomington Area Vocational Center (AVC)  to become a building principal. Being a building principal had been my goal from the beginning.I had received tremendous mentor-ship from Robert and could see that the evolution of computer technology was going to be essential at the elementary level. What was sorely lacking was funding for any computers.

Christmas that year included a family gift of a Commodore 64. It connected to a small TV. This is my son, Scott, tickled that we finally had a computer.

The principal’s office was just beginning to implement microcomputers into record keeping. The school district mainframe was a Digital Computer (VAX) unit. The plan was to install microcomputers from DEC (Digital Computers) in the office of each school secretary. These computers ran on MS-DOS of which I was familiar, and were connected to the district owned Digital VAX mainframe by a phone connection. The secretary was required to throw a switch on the phone line  to get connected This process had just begun when I arrived. There was no plan to give principals computers.

I was able to salvage an old TRS-80 computer to keep in my office so I could use some of the skills I had developed in word processing. Unfortunately I found no time to do anything. My typing skills were so minimal, that it was faster and easier to write out letters and evaluations and give them to my secretary, Delia, to type into the form provided by the data processing department.

The data processing department also set up a type of internal email so that messages could be sent to each school. I had no idea how to use this and didn’t have a computer that could receive it.

After a year, and a change in superintendents, I acquired a MS-DOS machine on loan from the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She said I had to share it with Don, my buddy at Sheridan School. I delayed as much as possible in giving it to him, as I knew he lacked even my minimal computer skills. Finally in the spring of the year, he came over to claim his time on the machine. I was not in the office when he arrived, but did catch him at the back door. I remember asking him “What are you going to do with that, use it as a paper weight?”

One feature of the borrowed machine was something called “Windows”. It came with a mouse, mouse pad, and nice graphics like the Macintosh. You might recall I had found a Mac to basically be a toy. The new Windows software(Windows 1) was actually a shell that functioned over top the DOS commands. Windows was incredibly slow. The MS-DOS machines  lacked the faster processor found in Macs. I quickly found a way out of the “shell” to get to my much faster DOS commands.

I was now ready to pursue implementation of more computers for my school. The Learning Center was gradually acquiring Apple computers through the Curriculum Office, but this was a slow multiyear process and machines were evolving rapidly making old versions obsolete. This was a constant problems with Apple, as nothing new was compatible with software designed for older machines. I thought MS-DOS machines were a superior buy for those on very limited budgets, as new machines were able to run older software.

Then I discovered IBM's Teaching and Leaning with Computers (TLC). Through Carol Struck’s leadership in Olympia, this program developed at the University of Illinois, was being used to structure part of the daily learning activities on networked computers. Each classroom had 3 or 4  computers which could be used as a rotating leaning center within the classroom. Olympia had implemented it at grade three.

Writing for grant funds from various sources, I was able to begin purchasing and implementing this system in my three third grade classrooms.Each classroom eventually had 4 IBM PC II terminals. They were based on the PCII, but did not actually run the software directly.The system had a server which held all of the software and sat near the third grade classrooms. It could run all the data on student use, and had some additional features that I could use as an administrator. I leaned about being a system administrator, controlling access, monitoring use and enrolling and advancing students.

By this time, the district data processing department was expanding the email connection to principals. That required computers for administration, so we finally got one in each office. Fortunately they were MS-DOS machines and not the Apples being implemented in the learning centers.

The new machines were capable of running lots of software that I was not familiar with using. Delia and I decided to take Adult Education classes together in Lotus 123, as database and spreadsheet program that could also do graphs. I thought this was a good experience for both of us.

For all that was happening, there was something very new on the horizon. Joan Brown, the Learning Center teacher at Irving, was a leader in the implementation of the computers into learning activities. She was sent for additional training at the University of Illinois. She returned and did a presentation on email on something called “The Internet”. She explained how addresses were developed. She told us that email could be sent from one computer to another and these computers did not need to be connected on the district network. She said we could send an email to any computer “in the world” as long as we had a phone line and a modem. 

Earlier, in 1983, the movie “War Games” had hit the theaters and we learned about a new thing called “hacking”. This was a fiction that was to become a reality in the 1990's. In 1991, we acquired a new machine for home use. It had an Intel  286 processor and this was to begin the era of the internet at home. 

The 286  came with a software program called “Prodigy”. With this program you could get news reports as they were happening. After one started the computer, you had to load the Prodigy software and connect a phone line to the modem. The familiar computer screech was heard as the modem attempted to  connect with another computer. It was slow but amazing!  Later we acquired AOL and would connect to ISU to gain access to the internet. We did not realize what was to become of all of us as the world was about to get connected and vandalized in brand new ways.