McHenry County Blog

Karen Aylward is seen to the left of Stacy O'Deaon in this third in a series of pictures showing the shrinking Special Education Administrators in the Huntley School District found in the story linked to in the first paragraph of this article.

With Cheryl Kalkirtz no longer being Huntley School District 158’s  Director of Special Education, the question arises as to who is in charge.

After I asked if Karen Aylward had been appointed Interim Director, Community Relations Coordinator Lori Woods confirmed that she had been.

A relevant question might be whether Aylward is certified to hold the post.  If that interests you, then you might be interested in seeing the results of a public search on the Illinois State Board of Education’s web site below (click to enlarge):

The page showing Karen Aylward's educational certifications. Click to enlarge.

Aylward appears to have had her administrator certificate for over one year, but this public record doesn’t show any endorsement to be a Special Education Director.

Renee Erickson was one of the Assistant Special Ed Directors who left Huntley School District 158 at the end of last school year. (Three Special Ed administrators left at the end of the last school year.)  Erickson received her endorsement to be a Special Ed Director last June, as evidenced by what is on the ISBE’s web site. She now works for Palatine District 211, according to the State Board of Education web site.

Does anyone in Huntley District 158 have a Special Ed Director administrator endorsement?

If not, wouldn’t that strike you as unusual?

Apparently none of the four top administrators have a Special Education endorsement.  That’s what the Illinois State Board of Education web site indicates.

That would include

• Superintendent John Burkey
• Associate Superintendent Terry Awrey
• Chief Academic Officer Mary Olson
• Chief Human Resources Officer Lauren Smith

Controller Mark Altmayer is not listed on the educational certificate data base, although that doesn’t seem terribly important. (I remember voting against the first bill—usually passed as a courtesy—that State Rep. Dick Mulcahey passed after his Watergate victory. In the middle of a recession, it required school business managers to have a master’s degree in education. It was obviously a teachers’ jobs’ bill, but what a waste. Financial talent was being laid off all over the place, but, state law forbid that anyone outside of the educational establishment be hired!)

Huntley had not posted a job opening for a Special Ed Director by Monday noon.

The unions decided to keep their benefits. That was more important than letting the commuters ride the CTA.

The grief of Scott Lee Cohen's 11-year old son at his father's fall from grace was more important to the Chicago Sun-Times than the "doomsday" for CTA riders trumpeted on page 5.

And the personal grief of Democratic Party Lieutenant Governor Scott Lee Cohen’s son was more important that the doomsday for CTA strap holders who read the Sun-Times.

There was a  CTA bailout in the spinrg of 2008.  It probably cost State Senator Kirk Dillard the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

You remember.

The tripling of our RTA sales tax the week before the Crystal Lake City Council decided to play pile on by hiking its city sales tax by 75%.

Dillard voted for it and Andy McKenna blasted away on radio, TV and in direct mail about Kirk Dillard having voted for a regional states tax as evidence that he was not rock solid on opposing an income tax hike.

That doomsday was on the front page of the Chicago Tribune right before the vote.

But, today, another so-called “doomsday,” the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times featured Democratic Party Lt. Gov. nominee Scott Lee Cohen announcing he will not accept the nomination. Cohen, by the way, carried the Democratic Party primary in McHenry County.

Take a look:

40% of McHenry County Democrats voted for Scott Lee Cohen for lieutenant governor.

State Senator Terry Link, chairman of the turnaround Democratic Party in Lake County, came to Woodstock to ask for support of McHenry County Democrats, but that doesn’t seem to have done him much good, as he placed fourth behind State Representatives Art Turner (Chicago) and Mike Boland (East Moline).

Making a pitch to the Young Democrats of McHenry County was Thomas Castillo.
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Turned over the Tribune that was delivered to my driveway and discovered it did have something about the CTA cuts…below the fold. The snippet directing people to pages 6-8 had a photo of a family who had to wait 30 minutes for a bus while on the way to a party.

And, inside–wouldn’t you know it?–the word “Doomsday” turns up in a headline:

The letter with the candidates endorsed by the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water was too late for the Northwest Herald’s deadline for letters.

The paper of record also would not use the information as the basis for a story.

It was published on McHenry County Blog, however.

So, who were those candidates who answered the questions below to ALAW’s satisfaction?

Barbara Wheeler

Diane Evertson

Donna Kurtz

John Jung

Mary McCann

• Donna Kurtz (R) District Two
• Barb Wheeler (R) District 3
• John Jung, Jr. (R) District 5
• Frank Wedig, (Green Party) District 5
• Diane Evertsen (R) District 6
• Mary McCann (R) District 6

Frank Wedig

“Each of these candidates has pledged to work for preservation of our natural resources, our fresh water supply and our prime farmland,” the ALAW press release said.

“These goals are critical to maintaining our quality of life and economic viability in the county.”

Survey results are available here.

You read what the Woodstock Independent, the Northwest Herald and the Daily Herald want to know about and from candidates. Here’s what the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water are interested in learning about those running for the McHenry County Board:

ALAW County Board Candidates Survey: 2010 Primary Election

Please, indicate yes or no in the box to the right of the question.

A. Land Use

1. Have you personally attended any of the Regional Planning Commission meetings or subcommittee meetings on the 2030 Comprehensive Land Use Plan?

2. Have you read the proposed 2030 Land Use Plan?

3. Do you think the makeup of the 2030 Regional Planning Commission was a
balanced representation of the residents of the county?

4. Do you agree that new development should be located where infrastructure
exists, to minimize the extension of new roads, utilities and services, and protect
farmland and water recharge areas?

5. If elected, will you support funding permanent protection of agricultural land
and the agricultural industry in the County?

6. Do you understand that new rural development costs more for the extension of
infrastructure (roads, water, sewer and services) than it brings to the County in
taxes and that those extra costs are passed on to the existing taxpayers?

7. Do you support creation of the Hac-Ma-Tac National Wildlife Refuge in the
county?

B. Water Resources

1. Would you oppose any land use change that would exceed a locally recharged
aquifer’s capacity?

2. If elected will you enforce use of the SARA – Sensitive Aquifer Recharge
Areas map developed by the County Water Resources Department, as a
determining factor in every land use change decision?

3. Do you support redistributing groundwater from water-rich areas to areas that have over drawn their groundwater?

4. Do you think that McHenry County will be able to get water from Lake
Michigan?

C. Transparency in Government

1. Would you support a requirement that all elected or appointed county officials
make up-front disclosures of any financial or other interest in any real property
in the County?

2. Do you support a requirement that all elected or appointed county officials
make up-front disclosures of their interest in any business entity doing business
with the county?

3. Do you believe that public officials should disclose whether they provide
professional services to any unit of government to which they are elected or
appointed?

4. Do you agree that all scheduled meetings agendas and minutes, including
committee and sub-committee, should be posted on the County web site?

5. Do you agree that all McHenry County Board meetings should be video
recorded and posted on the County web site?

D. Short Answer. Only the number of words indicated will be published in the response report. (please add a page if you need more room, but remember that we can only print the number of words indicated. Thank you.)

1. What role do you think the County should play in planning for growth? (50 words)

2. By protecting agricultural lands and soil resources, groundwater and its natural recharge can also be protected. What will you do to provide that protection? (50 words)

3. What does the County get from its annual contract with the McHenry County
Economic Development Corporation and is it a good investment of taxpayer money? (50 words)

4. Who do you consider to be your constituents and how do you intend to communicate with them to ensure your positions honestly represent them? (50 words)

5. Please provide a personal statement about what you intend to accomplish, if elected to the County Board, and/or provide additional information regarding any of the “ / no” yes answers given above. (100 words)

Answers are due January 11th.

At one point in the Financial Advisory Committee meeting, Huntley School District Controller Altmayer tried to persuade the committee that special needs children receive $10 million  more than what comes in for special education.  (Subject addressed here.)

Parents in the audience were visibly angered by this misleading assertion.

It is apparent to the parents their children should receive a proportion of school expenditures by virtue they are 1,300 students (per Altmayer) out of about 8,600 students enrolled.

The parents, of course, also pay property taxes and State Aid to Education comes to the district, based on student attendance.

If their students attend the district’s schools, the district receives money from the state, regardless of whether they are regular or special ed students.

The parents are intelligent and some are as well-educated as the administrators.

They can figure out that 1300 students comprise 15% of the district’s 8,600.

When the money specifically designated as Special Ed from the state and federal grants are added to this, they know their students are being financially shortchanged.

Not just in dollars, which is pretty obvious), but they can see it in the lack of services delivered.

Sara DiFucci, a Special Ed Mom in the district took issue with Altmayer’s numbers.

She pointed out that what he classifies as “Special Ed” includes services that are provided to all students.

Not all of the extensive social workers’ services, counseling or psychologist services for example go to Special Ed students. His numbers always assume 100% of these services and others are exclusively consumed by Special Ed students and 0% is used by regular education students.

Teenage pregnancy counseling, homelessness issues, socialization of grade school kids and many home life issues occur for both regular and Special Ed students.

Parents have asked for transparency in the form of a comprehensive, line item detailed Special Education budget.

When parents have asked administrators for a copy of the Special Ed budget, they were referred to the no longer employed Special Ed director.

When they would then ask the Special Ed Director, she apparently received direction to refer parents back to Altmayer.

You can imagine that such a daisy chain does not result in parents’ trusting fiscal services.

Huntley School District 158 Controller Mark Altmayer

Altmayer said he wasn’t able to make his computer display the presentation he had for the meeting.

He referred to it as a “link up problem.”

On the one hand Altmayer said:

“I’m just the finance guy.”

Later on, the discussion got onto the budget agenda item.

Altmayer was advocating his spending priorities, which is to spend more on computer and technical upgrades.

He emphasized how he has the entire staff (including teachers and service providers in Special Ed) 100% buying into his budget priorities.

The parents who work with their students’ staff have a different story.

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See also Part 1 and Part 2.

Special Education Administrator Perry Yates on the right hand side of the photo and Cheryl Kalfirtz, second from the left, have now left the Huntley School District's buildings. Stacy O'Dea, seen on the left hand side of the picture, and Karen Aylward, between Yates and Kalkirtz, remain. This photo was taken as Kalkirtz was explaining the revisions in how the Federal Stimulus money would be spent.

Yesterday we left the Huntley School District’s Financial Advisory Committee meeting after talking about how stunned those attending were to find out that Special Education Director Cheryl Kalkirtz was no longer with District 158.

Controller Mark Altmayer for some reason didn’t think it proper to share the information, even though the Daily Herald had quoted Superintendent John Burkey on the subject in an internet published article.

In the public comment period, parents spoke about their lack of trust, especially when they see services not being delivered to their children.

They expressed their concerns about a revolving door with Special Ed administrators who seem to disagree with top administrators about what is the right approach.

Huntley School District Contoller Mark Altmayer

Altmayer explained to the committee that parents had a distrust of special services but not the fiscal department (his area).

Parents then emphatically said they didn’t trust fiscal and wanted the committee to provide oversight regarding how the Federal Stimulus (initial time again, IDEA and IDEA ARRA) money is spent. They seemed to want a check and balance on whether it is being spent on where it is intended, that is, special needs.

Altmayer admitted that it wasn’t the district’s finest moments how “it took 4-5 months to get the IDEA ARRA funding correct.”

Strangely, in one breath, Altmayer cheerfully beamed,

“There is not a ton of issues.”

And, in another breath, Altmayer matter-of-factly referred to how administrators came up with how the Federal Stimulus money should be spent:

“It was pretty much a disaster.”

McHenry County attorney Donna Kathryn Kelly ran for a 2nd Appellate Court judgeship.

I didn’t see any literature at the Republican Central Committee distribution day or I would have passed it out in my precinct, as I did for all the candidates who supplied it.

Two days after the election, I received the card in the mail with a first class stamp on it.

The Palatine postmark was January 29th.

So, how did first class mail take just one day short of a week to get delivered?

If I were Donna Kelly, that is what I would put in my letter to the regional Postal Inspector.

Or, maybe the Diane Kelly of Crystal Lake should send the letter. The post card I received had her return address sticker on it.

Such poor delivery is simply outrageous.

Kelly’s electoral performance puts her in a good position to run for judge in McHenry County,

Almost final McHenry County election returns for the February 2, 2010, primary election in which Donna Kelly polled more local votes than 2nd Appellate District winner Mary Schostok.

It seems appropriate to list the qualifications that she had on the palm card:

• An experienced appellate attorney
• 7 years as an assistant appellate defender for the Office of the State Appellate Defender, Third District
• Authored dozens of appellate court briefs
• Won numerous cases in the Appellate Court
• Argued and won 2 cases before the Illinois Supreme CourthouseFormer assistant public defender, Kane County
• 15 years experience in the criminal justice system
• Member of the Capital Litigation Bar
• Qualified to prosecute & defend death penalty cases
• 4 years as assistant state’s attorney in McHenry County
• Headed Gang Prosecution Unit
• Author of crime novel “Cop Eyes”
• Graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law 1994
• Graduated from Marian Central Catholic High School, 1986

www.ELECTDONNAKELLY.COM

Here’s what appeared in the Wall Street Journal about 8^th Congressional District Repubublican candidate Joe Walsh Saturday:

“The Tea Party movement boasts of at least one primary victory so far. Illinois venture capitalist Joe Walsh won a six-way contest on Feb. 2 to be the party’s nominee against well-funded incumbent Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean in a suburban Chicago swing district.

“‘I ran as a Tea Party candidate in the primary, and I’m going to run as a Tea Party candidate in the general,’ said Mr. Walsh, who spoke in Nashville. He said he is the candidate for voters who are ‘pissed off, scared, and angry’ at Washington.”

In Southeastern Illinois lies the County of Lawrence. I subscribe to the Sumner Press and saw the ad you see below:

The required referendum passed 1,557 to 1,385, according to Daily Record.

Money collected from the new tax will be distributed to all local school districts in proportion to the number of students in each district.

Once bonds are issued, the tax cannot be abolished until the bonds are paid off.

That, of course, means never.

Two Thursdays before the election (January 21, 2010), one of the local school superintendents wrote this letter to the Sumner Press:

Dear Editor:

Our elected school board members are obligated to assure our community the best possible school systems and facilities, all without excessive burdens on taxpayers. To balance our educational needs and costs is a difficult task.

On February 2, voters of Lawrence County will decide whether a 1% hike in sales tax on certain items (not the most essential) is the best solution to provide much needed improvements and upgrades to our school buildings and facilities.

The referendum on a County School Facility Sales Tax is the result of legislation sponsored by State Representative Roger Eddy and passed by our Legislature which, if approved by our voters, gives us a chance to assure needed improvements to our school facilities (including Lawrenceville High School) and for retiring bonds for Unit 10 construction, without raising taxes on essential items such as groceries, medical drugs and appliances, licensed vehicles, agricultural supplies and machinery, and without raising property taxes.

As taxpayers, we have created a Capital Development Fund which will pay 60% to 70% of the cost of such needed improvements and construction. But if we do not have the necessary “matching funds” (30 or 40% of the costs), our tax money is left on the table for other communities to obtain the facilities we need. The proposed sales tax on other items will provide the needed matching funds.Please attend the Public Forum at the Lawrenceville Central Christian Church this Thursday, January 21, at 5:00 p.m., to hear Rep. Eddy and school officials explain the effect of your vote. Please be an informed voter.

Our community needs, and cannot afford to lose, the educational upgrading and facilities this proposal will provide. I urge a “Yes” vote.

Sincerely,

Philip B. Benefiel

Can you see why I wrote my former legislative colleague, now Publisher Roscoe Cunningham and told him the superintendent was “math impaired.”

I wrote,

“He apparently thinks a one percentage point increase in the local sales tax is the same as a ‘1% hike in sales tax.’ (See letter posted online: ‘On February 2, voters of Lawrence County will decide whether a 1% hike in sales tax on certain items (not the most essential) is the best solution to provide much needed improvements and upgrades to our school buildings and facilities.’)

“Really!

“Let’s assume the local sales tax is 6.25%. If so, dividing one percentage point by and a quarter percentage points would yield a 15% sales tax hike.

“Politicians lie all the time about political issues, but wouldn’t you think a school superintendent would tell the truth?

“Or, doesn’t he really know the difference?

“I don’t know which is worse, deliberate deception or not knowing enough about percentages to get out of junior high school.

“Wishing we lived closer together and enjoying your now self-identifed weekly views of the world.”

And he published it with this reply,

“Cal, you are too hard on Supts. Seaton and Steagall. Each is a straight arrow. Antecedent on the numbers isn’t clear.

“We yet remember and appreciate the skill with which you skewered the ‘bad guys,’ across the aisle, in the General Assembly.

“Local GOP, to use Paul Powell’s line, ’smell the meat a cookin’,’ are confident that either McKenna, Dillard or Ryan will win November 2.

“See you in Springfield for victory celebration.

“Best to you and family,

“roscoe”

I can’t wait for school districts to try this in McHenry County. Rest assured that every county board member who votes to put such a referendum on the ballot will think my McHenry County Republican Cat Tax campaign was mild.

Happened on a reprint of the Friday story about the wrestling hazing investigation at Prairie Ridge High School by the Crystal Lake Police Department.

It’s on the NW Herald’s sports spin-off McHenryCountySports.com.

While it is little more than the police report McHenry County Blog ran here it does have one comment under the story.

When I wrote this story, I read this above the comment:

“There are 2 hours, 9 minutes remaining to comment on this story.”

The price was right when I bought five 24-can boxes of Diet Coke during the holidays at Jewel.

Five boxes for $10. The price it used to be.

The next time I went, it was five boxes for $11.

The old 24-can box and the new 20-can box of Diet Coke.

But I looked closer.

The boxes had gone metric.

Instead of having 24 cans, each box had only 20 cans.

Downsizing had hit the soft drink industry.