McHenry County Blog

A press release from School District 300

D300 headed to Springfield to lobby against Amendment 3

This is where District 300 opponents will gather to rally against continuing local taxpayers' subsidy of Sears.

D300 has invited all taxpayers, parents, students, and education employees to caravan to the Lincoln Statue at the State Capitol this Monday, Oct. 24, to lobby against Amendment 3 of State Senate Bill 540, which could be voted upon as early as the next day.

This legislative field trip is the district’s last chance to stop this misleading and misguided legislation before the State Senate makes its final decision.

More than 11,000 people have signed a petition opposing this legislation.

The Village Boards in Algonquin, West Dundee, and Sleepy Hollow have all passed resolutions supporting the district’s position, and the Village Boards in Gilberts, Carpentersville, and Hampshire are expected to follow suit this week.

Sleepy Hollow officials called the lack of transparency in this legislation “reprehensible.”

Here is the message that Board President Anne Miller sent this afternoon (Oct. 18) to all D300 staff members and parents about the October 24 trip:

“Good afternoon.

“This is District 300 School Board President Anne Miller calling to alert you to a very important day in the history of our community.

“This Monday, October 24th, will be a day that defines our community for the next 15 years.

School Board President Anne Miller

“This Monday, ALL District 300 families, students, faculty, staff, and community members of ALL ages are STRONGLY encouraged to caravan down to the State Capitol Building in Springfield.”Together, we will lobby the State Senate against Amendment 3 of Senate Bill 540, commonly known as the Sears EDA.

“The district will email information to all of you today regarding the schedule for Monday and how to join the caravan by car, bus, train, or plane.

“However you decide to get there, please GET THERE. We have cancelled our School Board meeting for October 24th because of the extreme importance of this urgent situation. This is literally our LAST CHANCE before the Senate makes its final decision.

“We must turn out in large numbers in Springfield to show the state leaders and the news media exactly WHO will be hurt by this legislation.

The "No Way EDA!" sign on the inside of this Mercedes is hard to read, but I spotted it.

“OUR community will be hurt!

“We will be hurt for the next 15 years!

“We will lose $200 million.

“We will lose district jobs.

“We will lose district programs. District 300 needs to be made part of the solution.

“Don’t miss your chance to be a part of history.

“Bring your family and friends to the State Capitol this Monday, October 24.

“We WILL be heard.”

Anne Miller

Four years ago a Friend of McHenry County blog made the prediction that Anne Miller would be elected President of the District 300 School Board.

It didn’t happen then, but it did this year.

Here’s the update from my source, obviously a fan of Miller:

“Anne Miller has finally been elevated to the Board Presidency of D300. A very long-time coming, and long overdue, in my opinion.”

I’m pleased to have received a press release from District 300 explaining who has filed for school board and print it below.

The election will not be one based on one-man, one-vote.

Because of the state law governing the Carpentersville school district, only three people are allowed to serve on the board from each township. Undoubtedly that law was enacted in order to keep one populated township from ruling a school district, ignoring more rural neighboring areas.

CARPENTERSVILLE – Six individuals turned in their paperwork by today’s 5 p.m. filing deadline (Jan. 26) to be candidates in the April 7, 2009, School Board election.

Three people will be elected to the District 300 Board on April 7, each to a 4- year seat. Those who filed petition paperwork to be candidates are (in alphabetical order):

• Dave Alessio (listed as Dundee Township)
• Dorota Jordan (listed as Rutland Township)
• Robert Lee (listed as Dundee Township)
• Anne Miller (listed as Algonquin Township)
• Tracey Perez (listed as Dundee Township)
• Karen Roeckner (listed as Dundee Township)

Three of these candidates from Dundee Township simultaneously filed their petition papers in the D300 Central Office, at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 (the first day that papers were accepted). Therefore, the District will hold a lottery at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, to determine ballot order for these candidates. They are: Alessio, Lee and Roeckner.

No more than two people from the same township can be elected on April 7.

The law states there cannot be more than three D300 Board members from the same township, to ensure a fair distribution of representation across the District.

The four sitting Board members whose seats are NOT up for election this April (Chris Stanton, John Ryan, Joe Stevens, and Monica Clark) each live in a different township: Rutland, Algonquin, Dundee, and Hampshire, respectively.

The three seats up for election are now held by Miller, Roeckner and Mary Warren.

Warren, a teacher in Crystal Lake, is not seeking re-election. Alessio previously served in an appointed Board seat in 2006 and 2007.

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Dave Alessio is seen on the top right. Anne Miller is seen below Alessio. On the bottom left you can see Mary Warren talking to Karen Roeckner.

I’m pleased to have received a press release from District 300 explaining who has filed for school board and print it below.

The election will not be one based on one-man, one-vote.

Because of the state law governing the Carpentersville school district, only three people are allowed to serve on the board from each township. Undoubtedly that law was enacted in order to keep one populated township from ruling a school district, ignoring more rural neighboring areas.

CARPENTERSVILLE – Six individuals turned in their paperwork by today’s 5 p.m. filing deadline (Jan. 26) to be candidates in the April 7, 2009, School Board election.

Three people will be elected to the District 300 Board on April 7, each to a 4- year seat. Those who filed petition paperwork to be candidates are (in alphabetical order):

• Dave Alessio (listed as Dundee Township)
• Dorota Jordan (listed as Rutland Township)
• Robert Lee (listed as Dundee Township)
• Anne Miller (listed as Algonquin Township)
• Tracey Perez (listed as Dundee Township)
• Karen Roeckner (listed as Dundee Township)

Three of these candidates from Dundee Township simultaneously filed their petition papers in the D300 Central Office, at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 (the first day that papers were accepted). Therefore, the District will hold a lottery at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, to determine ballot order for these candidates. They are: Alessio, Lee and Roeckner.

No more than two people from the same township can be elected on April 7.

The law states there cannot be more than three D300 Board members from the same township, to ensure a fair distribution of representation across the District.

The four sitting Board members whose seats are NOT up for election this April (Chris Stanton, John Ryan, Joe Stevens, and Monica Clark) each live in a different township: Rutland, Algonquin, Dundee, and Hampshire, respectively.

The three seats up for election are now held by Miller, Roeckner and Mary Warren.

Warren, a teacher in Crystal Lake, is not seeking re-election. Alessio previously served in an appointed Board seat in 2006 and 2007.

= = = = =
Dave Alessio is seen on the top right. Anne Miller is seen below Alessio. On the bottom left you can see Mary Warren talking to Karen Roeckner.

The following four candidates filed their petitions for school board on the first day possible in the Carpentersville School District:

• Anne Miller
• Rob Lee
• Karen Roeckner
• Dave Alessio

All but Miller are from Dundee Township.

The other three will be in a lottery for first, second and third place on the Dundee part of the ballot on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 10:00 A.M.

= = = = =
The three involved in the lottery for ballot placement are on top. From left to right, they are Karen Koeckner, Robert Lee and David Alessio. Anne Miller is the woman shown at the bottom of the article.

The following four candidates filed their petitions for school board on the first day possible in the Carpentersville School District:

• Anne Miller
• Rob Lee
• Karen Roeckner
• Dave Alessio

All but Miller are from Dundee Township.

The other three will be in a lottery for first, second and third place on the Dundee part of the ballot on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 10:00 A.M.

= = = = =
The three involved in the lottery for ballot placement are on top. From left to right, they are Karen Koeckner, Robert Lee and David Alessio. Anne Miller is the woman shown at the bottom of the article.

It must be the silly season.

The Huntley School District 158 Board of Education has decided to allow convicted felons bid on contracts like the hurry up, rush, rush one for snow removal.

And Carpentersville District 300’s board has decided that the appearance of conflict of interest is, well, no problem. You can find reports of the in the Daily Herald’s

and Northwest Herald’s

Only the two newly-elected board members John Ryan, sponsor of the proposal, and Monica Clark, his running mate, voted for the language that would prohibit companies who contributed $5,000 to district tax hike committees from doing business with the school district for two years.

Read some of the comments from Daily Herald reporter Jameel Naqvi’s article:

“’This type of policy is hampering the business of the district,’ (Mary) Warren said, noting that the district already has issues receiving enough bids. ‘I think this is absolutely unnecessary.’

“Roeckner agreed.

“’We have never had this problem in our district,’ (Karen) Roeckner said. ‘I will still vote no.’

“Board President Joe Stevens echoed Warren’s and Roeckner’s concerns earlier Monday.

“’It’s fine for vendors to contribute to referendum campaigns,’ Stevens said. ‘I have not seen any evidence of “pay-to-play.”‘”

The Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald picked these gems up:

“’We hold ourselves to high standards, and we maintain our credibility by our actions,’ board member Mary Warren said.

“She added that the district’s current bidding process worked well and that campaign contributions all were open to the public for scrutiny.”

Fitzgerald then notes,

“The longest-sitting board members – Warren, Karen Roeckner, Anne Miller and President Joe Stevens – voted against the policy Monday night.”

I guess all the vendor contributions printed in McHenry County Blog (the ones Warren points out are “all open to the public for scrutiny”) here and here and here are just coincidences.

Not even a wink, wink, nod, nod.

And there should be no concern even though this school superintendent says soliciting vendors is a way to raise tax hike campaign money.

It’s not a very high percentage of the money District 300 vendors receive.

But it certainly doesn’t look pure and clean like schools want taxpayers to believe they are.

It rather resembles Governor Rod Blagojevich campaign fund raising, doesn’t it?

Local dailies have pointed to the $5,000 that long-time school architect Burnidge Cassell Associates contributed at the official beginning of tax hike committee Advance 300’s campaign to hike taxes in 2006.

The Daily Herald even editorialized in favor of Ryan’s proposal.

So far, however, neither the Northwest nor the Daily Herald has picked up on District 300’s architect’s bragging about raising $100,000 for a district tax hike committees in letter dated February 25, 2005.

Here’s what was in the application for further work:

Whether impropriety or just bad judgment on the part of the vendor was involved in that 2005 request for “Architect Services for Life Safety Reporting,” it certainly smells.

Two of the board members who did not vote for the policy—Miller and Chris Stanton—indicated they had questions about enforcement. I believe Miller is an attorney and, in any event, a district willing to spend money keeping a citizen advisory board member from getting information expeditiously ought to be willing to spend some figuring out how to enforce conflict of interest language.

Maybe when September comes, the board will get more serious about an issue that helped defeat Board President Mary Fioretti.

= = = = =
The top photo is of Carpentersville School District 300 Board member John Ryan. Underneath is a shot of board members Mary Warren and Karen Roeckner. Board President Joe Stevens is to their right.

Below Stevens is board member Anne Miller.

It must be the silly season.

It must be the silly season.

The Huntley School District 158 Board of Education has decided to allow convicted felons bid on contracts like the hurry up, rush, rush one for snow removal.

And Carpentersville District 300’s board has decided that the appearance of conflict of interest is, well, no problem. You can find reports of the in the Daily Herald’s

and Northwest Herald’s

Only the two newly-elected board members John Ryan, sponsor of the proposal, and Monica Clark, his running mate, voted for the language that would prohibit companies who contributed $5,000 to district tax hike committees from doing business with the school district for two years.

Read some of the comments from Daily Herald reporter Jameel Naqvi’s article:

“’This type of policy is hampering the business of the district,’ (Mary) Warren said, noting that the district already has issues receiving enough bids. ‘I think this is absolutely unnecessary.’

“Roeckner agreed.

“’We have never had this problem in our district,’ (Karen) Roeckner said. ‘I will still vote no.’

“Board President Joe Stevens echoed Warren’s and Roeckner’s concerns earlier Monday.

“’It’s fine for vendors to contribute to referendum campaigns,’ Stevens said. ‘I have not seen any evidence of “pay-to-play.”‘”

The Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald picked these gems up:

“’We hold ourselves to high standards, and we maintain our credibility by our actions,’ board member Mary Warren said.

“She added that the district’s current bidding process worked well and that campaign contributions all were open to the public for scrutiny.”

Fitzgerald then notes,

“The longest-sitting board members – Warren, Karen Roeckner, Anne Miller and President Joe Stevens – voted against the policy Monday night.”

I guess all the vendor contributions printed in McHenry County Blog (the ones Warren points out are “all open to the public for scrutiny”) here and here and here are just coincidences.

Not even a wink, wink, nod, nod.

And there should be no concern even though this school superintendent says soliciting vendors is a way to raise tax hike campaign money.

It’s not a very high percentage of the money District 300 vendors receive.

But it certainly doesn’t look pure and clean like schools want taxpayers to believe they are.

It rather resembles Governor Rod Blagojevich campaign fund raising, doesn’t it?

Local dailies have pointed to the $5,000 that long-time school architect Burnidge Cassell Associates contributed at the official beginning of tax hike committee Advance 300’s campaign to hike taxes in 2006.

The Daily Herald even editorialized in favor of Ryan’s proposal.

So far, however, neither the Northwest nor the Daily Herald has picked up on District 300’s architect’s bragging about raising $100,000 for a district tax hike committees in letter dated February 25, 2005.

Here’s what was in the application for further work:

Whether impropriety or just bad judgment on the part of the vendor was involved in that 2005 request for “Architect Services for Life Safety Reporting,” it certainly smells.

Two of the board members who did not vote for the policy—Miller and Chris Stanton—indicated they had questions about enforcement. I believe Miller is an attorney and, in any event, a district willing to spend money keeping a citizen advisory board member from getting information expeditiously ought to be willing to spend some figuring out how to enforce conflict of interest language.

Maybe when September comes, the board will get more serious about an issue that helped defeat Board President Mary Fioretti.

= = = = =
The top photo is of Carpentersville School District 300 Board member John Ryan. Underneath is a shot of board members Mary Warren and Karen Roeckner. Board President Joe Stevens is to their right.

Below Stevens is board member Anne Miller.

It must be the silly season.

A District 300 Friend of McHenry County Blog came up the question of who will be the next District 300 school board president:

With the stunning victories of John Ryan and Monica Clark in the District 300 school board elections this week, it will be interesting to see who will succeed defeated Board Member Mary Fioretti as the President of the D300 School Board. 

Ryan and Clark, along with the other two winners on Tuesday, Chris Stanton and Joe Stevens, will join School Board Members Anne Miller, Mary Warren and Karen Roeckner on the new board which will be sworn-in next month.

So among these 7 board members, who will be the next president?

While it is unlikely newcomers Ryan, Clark, Stanton, as well as Stevens will ascend to leading the D300 board meetings, which of the other 3 would, or should, be the next D300 board president?

Between the 3 choices, this “Friend of the Blog” would prefer Anne Miller, who, given her election to the School Board in 1997, is the longest-serving member of the D300 Board.

Miller, who is an attorney by profession, would bring a legal mind to the head of the school board table, and she would help guide the D300 board in keeping in compliance with various laws, most notably the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information statutes.

Anne Miller

While Miller was initially elected to the D300 board with the backing of the then Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE), a previous incarnation of Advance 300, Miller’s outspokenness during her first term, most notably her standing up to CORE during the high school boundary changes debates of 1999, made her a target for defeat by the former leaders of CORE during the 2001 School Board elections, when a slate led by Mary Warren and Richard Traub were running.

Miller survived the electoral opposition to her first term and served with both Warren and Traub on the School Board, and was re-elected to a 3rd term in 2005 when all of the D300 school board members won election/re-election without opposition.

Miller has never served as D300 School Board President, but given her legal background and her seniority of service, this makes Miller the best candidate, in my own honest opinion.

What does everyone else think?

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The photograph is of District 300 board member Anne Miller.

A District 300 Friend of McHenry County Blog came up the question of who will be the next District 300 school board president:

With the stunning victories of John Ryan and Monica Clark in the District 300 school board elections this week, it will be interesting to see who will succeed defeated Board Member Mary Fioretti as the President of the D300 School Board.

Ryan and Clark, along with the other two winners on Tuesday, Chris Stanton and Joe Stevens, will join School Board Members Anne Miller, Mary Warren and Karen Roeckner on the new board which will be sworn-in next month.

So among these 7 board members, who will be the next president?

While it is unlikely newcomers Ryan, Clark, Stanton, as well as Stevens will ascend to leading the D300 board meetings, which of the other 3 would, or should, be the next D300 board president?

Between the 3 choices, this “Friend of the Blog” would prefer Anne Miller, who, given her election to the School Board in 1997, is the longest-serving member of the D300 Board.

Miller, who is an attorney by profession, would bring a legal mind to the head of the school board table, and she would help guide the D300 board in keeping in compliance with various laws, most notably the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information statutes.

While Miller was initially elected to the D300 board with the backing of the then Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE), a previous incarnation of Advance 300, Miller’s outspokenness during her first term, most notably her standing up to CORE during the high school boundary changes debates of 1999, made her a target for defeat by the former leaders of CORE during the 2001 School Board elections, when a slate led by Mary Warren and Richard Traub were running.

Miller survived the electoral opposition to her first term and served with both Warren and Traub on the School Board, and was re-elected to a 3rd term in 2005 when all of the D300 school board members won election/re-election without opposition.

Miller has never served as D300 School Board President, but given her legal background and her seniority of service, this makes Miller the best candidate, in my own honest opinion.

What does everyone else think?

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The photograph is of District 300 board member Anne Miller.