By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – A conservative government watchdog told District 87 school board members Wednesday they fired the wrong person.
Bloomington High School physics teacher Marc Tiritilli was dismissed last month in the district’s annual reduction-in-force, although Tiritilli said he was let go over a disagreement with Principal Tim Moore.
Blogger Diane Benjamin told the board Moore should be fired for his handling of a school-sanctioned demonstration billed as a memorial to the 17 people killed in February’s Florida school shooting.
Benjamin obtained documents showing administrators used school equipment to print about 200 flyers explaining how students can contact lawmakers to lobby for an assault weapons ban and background checks.
“I don’t think it’s the job of District 87 and BHS to community organize for gun control, and that’s exactly what that document does,” Benjamin said during the public comment session at Wednesday night’s board meeting.
“Indoctrinating students on gun control is not a public purpose, and I don’t know why somebody at BHS is not charged with official misconduct for making the copies on a public machine,” Benjamin said.
Superintendent Barry Reilly acknowledges it was a mistake, and administrators have been told not to have that happen again.
“It’s one of those lessons that you learn, in this case the hard way because it was already done. The cost to do this, which shouldn’t be borne by the district was less than $5.00, I believe, or around the $5.00 mark,” Reilly said.
As for Tiritilli, the board filled his position by hiring a physics teacher at a salary of $44,847, according to the district’s human resource report.
Reilly said the new hire also has a theater background and will help with student productions. Tiritilli, who came within less than a dozen votes last year of becoming Mayor of Normal, won rave reviews among students for his work as the theater’s technical director.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
