MCC Meeting Tonight Will Discuss Vicky Smith’s Salary

Vicky Smith

Vicky Smith

I posted this article before I went on vacation and guessed–incorrectly–that it would be about salary increases.  Sorry about that.

Turns out that it was about buying the 20 acres next door for $1 million.

The salary meeting will apparently be June 27th at 6:30.

See Report 13-132 when it is posted.

It will certainly be worth an article and your attendance, if you are worried about how your tax dollars are to be spent.

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When the “old” McHenry County College Board renewed President Vicky Smith’s contract after rejecting pleas from incoming Board members to allow them to make that vote, left out was her salary.

The agenda the outgoing Board posted

“…recommended that the Board of Trustees approves extending Dr. Smith’s contract through June 30, 2015 and to set compensation as discussed in Closed Session” (emphasis added).

That’s a no-no.

So the salary wasn’t set.

And the new salary is supposed to start on July 1st.

Check here for the time and agenda.  Last month it was 6 PM.


Comments

MCC Meeting Tonight Will Discuss Vicky Smith’s Salary — 12 Comments

  1. I can not think of anything more disrespectful to the taxpayers of this County then a pay raise for the highest ranking administrator at this time, in this economy.

    Absolutely, no ifs, no ands and no buts.

  2. I suggest that the Agenda for the 6:00PM Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees does not meet the requirements of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The Agenda does not describe in sufficient detail any actions to be taken at the Meeting. In fact, it does not alert the public that ANY action will be taken.

    The Board could figure this out without spending hundreds of dollars with its law firm for a legal opinion.

  3. You could suggest that Gus, but you’d be wrong.

    Generally, objections to the form of the notice of the closed meeting are not well taken, so long as the public body cites the specific exception to the Open Meetings Act. See Henry v. Anderson, 356 Ill. App. 3d 952, 955, 827 N.E.2d 522, 524 (4th Dist. 2005).

    Further, no final action can be taken in closed session. See 5 ILCS 120/2(e) (“No final action may be taken at a closed meeting. Final action shall be preceded by a public recital of the nature of the matter being considered and other information that will inform the public of the business being conducted.”).

    They can’t do much in the closed meeting except agree as to how they’re going to handle the issue at a future open meeting.

  4. Could it be Vicky Smith is a prime example of Common Core? Just Asking!

  5. It would be interesting how the board analyzes Vicky Smith’s results over the year and any fair market review of wages (hopefully, they don’t use the “prevailing wage” logic of today).

    Maybe an actual pay REDUCTION may be in order.

    Wouldn’t this be novel.

  6. It would be interesting if the McHenry County Blog analyzed Vicky Smith’s results over the year and any fair review of her accomplishments (hopefully without baleful pessimism).

    Maybe an actual pay RAISE may be in order. Wouldn’t this be novel.

  7. What would the results be Patrick . . . creating an image?

    Students need to be taught the tools to learn, once they can read they can teach themselves, with the help of a teacher.

    Image is but a waste of money . . .

  8. I have to agree with “Another Watcher” any analysis on this site would be biased against Vicky Smith.

  9. Brent, I think you misunderstood my comment. The taxpayer’s do not need to see image put out there for PR . . . they want to see results.

    Whether it be a Junior College or a 4 year . . . between the cost and no jobs, they can not keep paying these salaries.

    Fluff will not pass the smell test anymore.

  10. To Another Watcher,

    just a few points of clarification.

    1. What would be the results of analyzing Vicki Smiths’ accomplishment impartially without injecting baleful pessimism to comments on this blog? Well, maybe an objective, non-partisan, a-political, analysis which is what education should be: non-partisan, a-political, and with an objective perspective of what works, not what will cost less because decrepit taxpayers are falling into the age-old stereotype of complaining when their kids get out of school that they shouldn’t have to pay for property taxes anymore that go to Education. Ben Franklin said there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. Well add education funding to that because without it, our country’s future is severely at risk.

    2. Second, what in Sam hell’s name are you talking about when you mention image or creating an image? I am whole heartedly confused.

    3. Please read this sentence: “Students need to be taught the tools to learn, once they can read they can teach themselves, with the help of a teacher. Image is but a waste of money” You said it, and I disagree with it. Students should be taught effective critical thinking skills, on top of being able to read, write, and do math/calculus/trig/geometry. And, again, what the heck is image?

    4. I am still confused about your comment, especially when you said, “The taxpayers (no apostrophe needed) do not need to see image put out there for PR… they want to see results. Whether it be a Junior College or a 4 year… between the cost and no jobs, they cannot keep paying these salaries.” Please clarify.

  11. Everything about public education is political.

    Politicians approve pay, benefits, pensions, collective bargaining rules for exclusive bargaining agents, bonds to be competitively bid or negotiated, bonds to be referendum or non-referendum, and the list goes on and on.

    If MCC or anyone is so delusional as to think in this economy a majority of the public wants to pay for newspaper ads promoting MCC and Vicki Smith, they are nuts.

    If MCC or anyone is so crazy as to think the majority of the public wants to pay property taxes for bonds issued without voter approval, they are insane.

    The public knows how to use Google, the telephone, guidance counselors, friends, neighbors, and other sources to figure out what MCC offers, they don’t need a newspaper PR piece.

    Where is the analysis of what Vicki Smith has done good and bad?

    Have you ever seen the performance criteria in contracts against which community college presidents and
    PreK-12 Superintendents are measured.

    Mostly such goals and objects are very easily achievable.
    I’ve never seen one which was not achieved.

  12. First, McHenry County Bloggers, sorry about the long response to Mark’s comment and it taking me 3 days.

    But, please, just to clarify a few points… Everything about public education is not political. Appealing to the popularity or the fact that many people do something as an attempt to form validation of an argument does not make it true – it’s called the bandwagon approach and is a fallacy.

    Also, politicians may set the rules for pay, benefits, pensions, collective bargaining, but it is on the school to set bonds and also create referendums.

    Additionally, what is wrong with having a newspaper ad?

    You sound like a Texas Sharpshooter picking a very narrow statistic to fit an overarching theme of overspending despite the fact that your presupposition couldn’t be farther from the truth.

    IN THIS ECONOMY?!

    A newspaper ad probably costs between $100 to $500 depending on the paper. Look at the forest Mark, not the trees.

    And, to call me crazy for wanting MCC to issue bonds, well, you apparently don’t know the VALUE associated with community colleges.

    I’m sorry I wasn’t born into a family that could pay for my entire education.

    And I’m sorry I wish that our community and county as a whole push for more affordable education so Jon Q public has a shot to make it in this economy.

    Also, you asked, where is the analysis of what Vicki Smith has done?

    Good or bad?

    Great question, maybe you should find that before espousing less than truthful and mostly opinion based rhetoric.

    And finally, your anecdotal evidence supporting the presupposition that the performance criteria in contracts measuring community college presidents and Pre K-12 superintendents includes “mostly…goals and object[ives that] are very easily achievable” means that Vicki is doing a crap job is what is called the Burden of Proof fallacy.

    It means that you are saying the burden of proof lies NOT on you who are trying to prove Vicki is doing a shite job, but on Vicki, whom the claim is being made about.

    That said, how about you pull out your Google, telephone, guidance counselor, friends, neighbors, and other sources to figure out what Vicki Smith has offerred as being an administrator.

    If you know anything about John Peters, the outgoing President at NIU, you would know that promoting the college President is a foremost thing to do as press garners an increase in donations to a university.

    It’s simple marketing.

    Maybe that $500 ad will lead a few McHenry County citizens to reinvest in their local college.

    Lastly, and quite seriously – Mark – I’m not insane, or crazy.

    That’s just an ad hominem fallacy attack and MCC Freshman in speech class would learn that.

    It’s a great class, you should apply!

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