Correction Time re This Article about Citizen Oversight

This article is corrected and bumped up for visibility. I misread the minutes of the Financial Advisory Committee meeting of August 2nd. It was not Huntley School District 158 Chief Financial Officer Mark Altmayer whom the minutes say advocated abolishing … Continue reading

Tidal Wave of Opposition Overwhelms Trustees’ Desire for New Grafton Township Offices

With over 700 registered voters in attendance, electors at the Annual Town Meeting overwhelmingly refused to follow the script laid out by Ancel Glink partner Keri-Lyn Krafthefer. There were so many people in attendance that the 700 pink ballots designed … Continue reading

Burkey Accepts No Raise This Year after Salary Hike of $70,000 since 2006

Huntley School District 158’s Superintendent John Burkey got about a $40,000 salary increase to come to Huntley in 2006. In this fourth year as Superintendent his salary currently is $178,000. He began in Huntley at $145,000. After three years of … Continue reading

Is Huntley School District Cover-Up Unraveling? Part 2

Yesterday, the first half of a report was published on what happened on the special ed front at the parents advisory committee meeting and the subsequent school board meeting. What follows, concludes that report. Board member Aileen Seedorf questioned a … Continue reading

Is Federal Special Ed Funding to Be Used to Expand Regular Ed Programs?

We would like to think government employees wouldn’t take money away from special ed children and use it for regular education. Especially when money is specifically designated for special ed use. Even if the Federal law allows such a diversion … Continue reading

Parents of Special Education Children in Huntley School District Petition 158 Board

In mid-May, the Huntley School Board was approached by some disappointed and frustrated parents. At both the Finance and the board meeting, the moms of kids with special needs felt empowered to speak about the education their kids are or … Continue reading

Will Huntley School Board Violate the Open Meetings Act Tonight? And What About Sweetening Retirement Benefits?

You need a quorum for a board meeting. Right now the Huntley school board has only one board member as a carryover for its Finance Committee. That would be Kevin Gentry. Hard to have a quorum with one committee member. … Continue reading

Teachers’ Friends on School Board Make Costly Last Minute Change in Salary Hike Formula

I wrote about how a measure of inflation, a cost of living index in the form of the Consumer Price Index, has been only 1.1% for the last 12 months. In that article Friday, I suggested tax district officials would … Continue reading

Teachers’ Friends on School Board Make Costly Last Minute Change in Salary Hike Formula

I wrote about how a measure of inflation, a cost of living index in the form of the Consumer Price Index, has been only 1.1% for the last 12 months. In that article Friday, I suggested tax district officials would … Continue reading

Policy Not Practice – Of School Superintendents and Outside Auditors – Part 1

Compliance with Huntley School Board policies is apparently for students, not Huntley’s fiscal administrators. School Board member Larry Snow along with board member Aileen Seedorf got a board policy (4:15) put on the books that says financial irregularities have to … Continue reading

Policy Not Practice – Of School Superintendents and Outside Auditors – Part 1

Compliance with Huntley School Board policies is apparently for students, not Huntley’s fiscal administrators. School Board member Larry Snow along with board member Aileen Seedorf got a board policy (4:15) put on the books that says financial irregularities have to … Continue reading

$1.5 million that Wasn’t Real – Part 1

Where? You won’t be surprised to find out this is about Huntley School District 158. Those were the numbers that were talked about as errors as a result of the 2007 audit. If you think an audit reassures residents that … Continue reading

$1.5 million that Wasn’t Real – Part 1

Where? You won’t be surprised to find out this is about Huntley School District 158. Those were the numbers that were talked about as errors as a result of the 2007 audit. If you think an audit reassures residents that … Continue reading

"Go To Bid" Pressure from Larry Snow and Aileen Seedorf Leads to More Than 3/4 of $1 Million Custodial Services Savings for Huntley School District

This past winter, Glen Stewart, then-Chief Operating Officer and, before getting that over $100,000 a year job, a member of the Huntley School District 158 Board majority, wanted to extend the $2 million per year contract of the guys doing … Continue reading

"Go To Bid" Pressure from Larry Snow and Aileen Seedorf Leads to More Than 3/4 of $1 Million Custodial Services Savings for Huntley School District

This past winter, Glen Stewart, then-Chief Operating Officer and, before getting that over $100,000 a year job, a member of the Huntley School District 158 Board majority, wanted to extend the $2 million per year contract of the guys doing … Continue reading