There are some quite interesting comments about family employment of Crystal Lake District 155 Board members under the article
Scott Coffey Critiques District 155 School District Budget
Only one of the connections do I know to be accurate.
The next school board meeting is at the Crystal Lake District headquarters at One South Virginia Street Road at 7:30 on November 21st.
That’s the night that the school board backed by the teachers union will vote upon a higher tax levy.
Oh course they do.
The teachers union tries every election to get as many teachers, ex teachers or spouses or parents of teachers into school boards so they get every raise and benefit they demand or they threaten to strike.
This is the main reason our taxes are so very high.
I don’t mind paying well for our teachers.
Many certainly deserve high praise and pay for all that they do.
It’s just getting ridiculous now and the board is failing to see that we just can’t afford it anymore.
Possibly the previous board is to blame and should be held responsible for the buildings needing so many repairs.
Obviously they didn’t keep up with this and now this new board wants to raise taxes for neglected repairs.
Makes no sense when the school district is sitting on 100 million in slush funds.
I wonder how many are related to teachers in D47?
Probably way too many.
It should be a conflict of interest and those related to teachers should be in ineligible to serve.
For decades, the District 155 Board consisted of well regarded local business men and women most of whom had been born and raised in the District and attended District 155 and it’s feeder schools.
Board Presidents included Bob Wilbrandt, Dan Malone, Jim Bishop, Bill Goodwin, Bob Boncosky, Rich Naughton, all local well known and accessible.
That is no longer the case.
Only the voters are to blame for the makeup of the Board and obviously all of the teachers have a vested interest in a friendly Board.
So, all but one board member has a family member employed by the district?
Is that right?
Along with the vote on the levy increase, it may also explain what the board is doing (or not doing) with respect to the recommendation to close a school.
At the September meeting the Board approved spending $57K with the architects to study whether to move the district’s offices and/or the Haber Oaks special ed programs into the vacant space at CL South HS.
I called the CFO to discuss several issues regarding this strategy.
My key concern was that by moving either operation into CLS, that move would preclude the district from ever being able to consolidate one of its schools.
In other words, by consuming all of the excess capacity at CLS, the district would not be able to effectively add any incremental student load across the rest of the district.
Obviously, the key beneficiaries of this outcome (other than the architects who continue to rack up fees at D155’s expense) is the teacher’s union.
There cannot be a Reduction In Force if the district no longer has the classroom space available to relocate the students that occurs when shutting down a school.
4 of the 7 Current CHSD 155 Board Members have 5 relatives (possibly 6 relatives) employed by CHSD 155:
Board President Adam Guss – wife Wendy Guss is an Art Teacher at Cary Grove HS.
Vice President Jason Blake – wife Sharon Blake is an English Teacher at Cary Grove HS and also teaches a class at Crystal Lake Central HS.
Amy Blazier – No known relatives employed by CHSD 155.
Rosemary Kurtz – No known relatives employed by CHSD 155.
Ron Ludwig – Son Ryan Ludwig is an English and Math Special Education Teacher at Cary Grove HS. Also, son in Law Michael Mayers is a Math Special Education Teacher at Cary Grove HS.
Nicole Pavoris – No known relatives employed by CHSD 155.
Dave Secrest – Wife Patti Secrest is a nurse at Prairie Ridge HS. An Angela Secrest Welder is an English Teacher at Crystal Lake Central HS – is that his daughter?
Relative-gate…unless you work in the White House…tic, tock, tic, tock…
These are the same people that can vote go give family members a raise (or them selves).
Believe Jason Blake voted AGAINST raising the levy along with Rosemary Kurtz.
Tick Tock – those in the White House are not able to vote themselves raises.
I’ve got to point out that a lot of those well-known and accessible board members praised above raised taxes too.
But don’t let me intrude on the ranting….
Those well know past members also over taxed residents to the tune of a $100 MILLION DOLLARS!
A cursory review of the D47 board would reveal many of the same reciprical relationships.
While the County Republican (Tea) Party has been hard at work ripping each other to shreds arguing over the county and township fiefdoms (salaries) they have all but handed the county to self serving government unions.
Electing the head of the racist Midwest Minuteman the chair of the county party will not even be the final nail in The coffin, because it’s already in the grave and covered with six feet of Terra firma.
2018 Levy Increase LTE
Community High School District 155’s board has voted to tentatively raise your taxes, again. Don’t like it?
Call 815-455-8500, email board@d155.org, and wright to Adam Guss, Ron Ludwig, Amy Blazier, Dave Secrest and Nicole Pavoris at One South Virginia Road, Crystal Lake, IL. 60014.
Make sure you thank Rosemary Kurtz and Jason Blake for standing up for you.
The final vote will occur on November 21st at 7:30 PM at One South Virginia Road in Crystal Lake, IL.
Show up or shut up and remember to be respectful.
Every school board member serves because they care about our community and give countless hours away from their families and their jobs, to serve our community.
They receive no money for what they do.
Do you really dislike this continuous taxation?
Run for the school board and start attending meetings now, so as to be somewhat educated.
Share your pain, they just don’t understand.
And tell all your neighbors and friends to do likewise.
John Pletz
Crystal Lake, IL. 60014
Angel Llavona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZ6rOBUwZw