Bloom 206 Hires Former Principal as Superintendent

Board President Henry Drake says he has wanted the new hire since last year.

The Bloom Township High School Board of Education supported the hiring of Lenell "Doc" Navarre as superintendent at their Monday night meeting. Board Member Pat Donahue was not present for the vote, but the present members voted unanimously in favor of Navarre. Board President Henry Drake said he supported the hiring partly because of Navarre's aggressive approach to trimming the fat without compromising student performance.  "Our best thing right now is to try to save money, bring up grades and test scores," Drake said. "Doc is in the process of saving us money." Navarre's experience as Bloom High School principal and assistant superintendent were also noted as key strengths when board members discussed his hire. Navarre took over as …

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Editor's Notebook

What Does Glen Giannetti's Retirement Mean for Bloom District 206? Let's Talk

He was a math teacher and a superintendent to two school districts rooted in Chicago Heights.

Upon hearing news that Supt. Glen Giannetti's retirement had been accepted by the Bloom 206 Board of Education, I recalled my past conversations and interviews with the former math teacher. Even though we've been around less than a year, Giannetti made his way into a few Patch stories. He was the first to participate in "The Tough Questions," a video segment in which I asked user-submitted questions that were sometimes cutting and even accusatory. He handled it well, even when asked about his salary, which has long been a topic of conversation. Take a look at the original Tough Questions video, which has been uploaded to this article. In his last year with the district, Giannetti was questioned (by yours truly) about the recent conflicts …

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Week in Review

A Policeman's Gold, A Bloom Retirement, A Unified Fundraiser

Let's take a look back at the most compelling, informative and thought-provoking Chicago Heights Patch stories of the week of Oct. 16-22.

Chicago Heights Police Officer Ben Nguyen went to the World Police and Fire Games and competed against people from more than 50 countries. He walked away with a gold medal and to bronze medals. His addition to our list of Remarkable Residents is well-deserved. Check out our original story, "Police Officer Proud to Win Gold Medal Representing Chicago Heights, to learn more about Ben Nguyen. Bloom 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti's retirement was announced this week, after it was accepted by the district's Board of Education. The retirement came on the heals of a stroke Giannetti suffered over the summer. Read our original story, "Bloom District 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti Retires," to see who will be replacing Giannetti for the school year. In …

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Bloom District 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti Retires

Former Bloom High School Principal and Assistant Supt. Lenell Navarre will be acting superintendent for the rest of the 2011- 2012 school year.

Earlier this week, the Bloom Township School District 206 Board of Education approved Supt. Glen Giannetti's retirement. Giannetti suffered a stroke over the summer, and in a letter addressed to faculty, staff and administration, Asst. Supt. Lenell Navarre said that was part of the reason Giannetti made his decision: While he has continued to recover from the stroke, Mr. Giannetti decided that, at this time, there is nothing more important than being there for his wife and three daughters. While we will miss Glen’s leadership and everything he brought to the district in his capacity as superintendent, we can all empathize with his situation and understand his decision to stay at home with his family. As the 2011 to 2012 school year presses…

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Editor's Notebook

Bloom 206 News: Henry Drake and DLM, Glen Giannetti's Health and Rossi's Report

Here's a quick update on what stories Chicago Heights Patch is researching.

A lot of information about Bloom District 206 has come across my desk this week, and you can expect to see updates on many of the following stories. We recently heard that Bloom Supt. Glen Giannetti suffered a stroke two weeks ago in his Michigan summer home. District 206 Board President Henry Drake confirmed that Giannetti is resting at home and Assistant Supt. Lenell Navarre will be filling the role until Sept. 1. "We're preparing to go back to school without our superintendent," Drake said. "We miss him." Giannetti was a supporter of Chicago Heights Patch in the very beginning and even agreed to be the subject of our first Tough Questions video. We wish him a speedy recovery. Back in May, Board President Henry Drake's association with…

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Bloom District 206 Releases Spending Record of Superintendent's Fund

The document is marked with explanations for each expense on the list.

Back in May, Patch broke news that Bloom Township High School District 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti had spent pop machine revenue on tickets to South Chicago Heights Mayor David Owen's annual fundraiser. Giannetti said the money was from the "superintendent's discretionary fund," and that it was allocated for him to use as he saw fit. Visit the link to take a look at the original article: Should Bloom 206 Superintendent Be Donating to Mayor's Campaign Fund? After the story was published, we received questions about the fund and how the money was being spent. After we filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the district, Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs Mark Sheahan sent a document detailing the expenditures of the fund with…

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Editor's Notebook

Battles in Iraq, Battles in the Board Room: Monthly Roundup

A look back at the most captivating, heart-wrenching and appalling Chicago Heights Patch stories of May 2011.

These are the top May stories on Chicago Heights Patch. Take a look at the video above for a quick recap.

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The Tough Questions

Chicago Heights Corporate Counsel T.J. Somer Will Answer Your Questions

We want you to post questions for the City's lawyer to answer.

It's been a while since we put Bloom District 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti in the hot seat, and it's time for our next interview for our ongoing series, "The Tough Questions." This time we'll be sitting down with Bloom Township Supervisor and Chicago Heights Corporate Counsel T.J. Somer to present your questions to the man who can best answer them. You may know T.J. from the Chicago Heights City Council meetings. He is a local attorney that works with the city government and helps explain a lot of the ordinances and resolutions the council discusses. Here's how it works. I'll be interviewing T.J. at his office May 26. The only problem is ... I have no questions to ask him! That's where you come in. I want you to post any questions you have for…

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Should Bloom 206 Superintendent Be Donating to Mayor's Campaign Fund?

Using money from school pop machines, Glen Giannetti bought tickets to men-only smokers hosted by the South Chicago Heights mayor.

Bloom Trail High School donated to the South Chicago Heights mayor's political campaign fund for the last four years, according to State Board of Elections records, giving at least $200 to "Citizens for Dave Owen" every January since 2008. This year, the amount increased to $250. Bloom Township High School District 206 Supt. Glen Giannetti told Patch he made the contributions to "Citizens for Dave Owen" on behalf of the district administration, pulling the cash from the quarters and dollars teen-agers and faculty deposit into the high school vending machines. "We buy their smoker tickets," Giannetti said. "I usually buy two tickets from Mr. Owen because he is an advocate for District 206." The men's only "smoker" is an annual fundraiser, …

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