McHenry County Blog

The Northwest Herald published a long letter of resignation from former Cary School District 26 School Board President David Ruelle.

He just resigned as the school district’s finances are tanking.

One item in the letter was Ruelle pointing out;

“For the third year in a row, the District exceeded its expenditure budget.”

He omitted how this is prohibited under the Illinois School Code. Must not have any meaningful consequential in the law.

So why would a board member, who became board president, allow such overspending with apparently inadequate accountability for Superintendent Brian Coleman?

Is it because his wife is a teacher in Cary District 26?

I’ve never gotten this “serve on the school board with a wife on your payroll” approach to public service.

It’s not exactly a phenomenon. Huntley School District 158’s past President Mike Skala has a wife who is a Huntley High School teacher. She was even co-president of the teachers’ union.

It always stuck me as a conflict of interest or at least an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Apparently Skala agreed, because, last time around, he didn’t participate in the union negotiations.

But, back to District 26.

You can find the salary/compensation info for the ex-school board president’s wife Elizabeth Rulle on the Champion web site.

There you can see;

Ruelle, Elizabeth A – $92,821

That is more than Thom Gippert , Principal of Maplewood School, is reported to make in the same database.

Gippert, Thomas R – $89,084

Ruelle voted to not close Maplewood school.

Mrs. Ruelle’s compensation also compares favorably with Principal Chad Nass at Briargate School in the same database.

Nass, Chad W – $88,864

The above is 2008 data.

District 26 has the highest average teachers’ salaries in McHenry County for all elementary or unit school districts, according to a chart published by the Northwest Herald.

That’s probably because of a school board caved a couple of years ago when the teachers went on strike.

Ruelle didn’t formally vote for his wife’s current teachers contract. He abstained.  He apparently did negotiate the contract’s compensation for the 2006-8 contract, plus terms and conditions.  The 2008-11 contract had the same terms and conditions as 2006-8, just different salary schedules.  He abstained on that vote, too.

It’s hard to believe this is perfectly legal in Illinois with all of our ethics and conflict of interest laws.

Wait a minute.

No, it isn’t.

The Illinois Education Association (the teachers’ union for most teachers outside of Chicago) is one of the most influential special interest groups in Illinois.

One of the provisions that Ruelle did not get removed from his wife’s teachers’ contract is this:

2. A post-retirement lump sum payment of $20,000 to be paid after the certified staff member’s last day of creditable service and after the last paycheck for regular earnings (after July 1st of retirement year) as a non-elective employer paid contribution into a post-retirement tax sheltered 403(b) annuity.

You can find it using this link. Go to electronic page 27.

Does any school district around, besides Cary, have this cash retirement wealth transfer?

Ruelle’s letter of resignation complaining about being fiscally responsible reminds me of a scene from the movie Casablanca. Maybe this dialogue will remind you of it:

Captain Renault:   “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on, in here!”Croupier walks over and gives Renault a lot of money.

Croupier:  “Your winnings, sir.

Captain Renault:   “Oh, thank you very much.”

It’s fair to say that Ruelle wanted his board to vote for another tax increase referendum.

When you have lump sum $20,000 give aways in a teachers’ contract, in view of the current economy, it’s easy to explain why residents would vote “No” to using their money to ratify such a policy.

= = = = =
For those who need more of an explanation about the dialogue from “Casablanca,” I offer this from MSNBC:

Remember when Captain Renault, looking for an excuse to close down Rick’s, declares himself “shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here,” just before the croupier hands him his winnings?

Ever since, people have used that double-adjective to describe the false innocence of public officials: those who know the score, benefit from the score, and then loudly condemn the score.

You have to hand it to the Cary Grade School Board.

It’s majority is holding a tax hike referendum in the middle of the biggest recession since the early 1980’s. Here are the details posted by the elementary school district.

And, here is minority school board member Chris Jenner’s position against the referendum:

Chris Jenner’s Personal Position
on the April 7
Bond Referendum Question

I voted against putting the referendum on the ballot. Excellent schools have sound facilities and current technology – I support that.

With our district already $26 million in debt, and considering the current economic climate, I don’t support asking taxpayers to further increase the D-26 debt load with no clearly defined spending plan.

We must find more efficient and creative financing means than simply enriching the same old folks that cash in every time school bonds are issued.

Significant sums of money are involved in the issuance of school bonds, and the process goes with little scrutiny in most cases. Should the voters approve the referendum, I will work to ensure the bonds are sold as cost-efficiently and as transparently as possible.

I’d like to see the district seek approval for major capital projects individually, and explore whether vendors might work directly with us on financing. The district should also investigate the possibility of obtaining waivers from costly government regulations such as the Prevailing Wage Act.

Two firms that stood to gain financially helped bankroll the Butler School District 53 bond issue last month, according to an Oak Brook Suburban Life article by Lane Kelley.

And, you know what, the name of that friendly blond from Wm. Blair and Company popped up again.

You remember Elizabeth Hennesey.

She was the one sitting in the audience of the Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 Board meeting in December.

She was the contact person who worked on Carpentersville District 300’s pay-no-principal-back-for-years, plus paying an additional $11.8 million for the privilege.

Hennesey did not return phone calls to the Suburban Life reporter.

I can empathize with the reporter. Hennesey wouldn’t return my phone calls either.

The other big donor was the political action committee for bond counsel Chapman & Cutler.

Catch this part of the article:

Butler Superintendent Sandra Martin said the district was not involved in the contributions, “and there certainly was no guarantee of any work in the future,” she added.

Cary’s Chris Jenner, who shepherded an anti-pay-to-play rule though Grade School District 26, was quoted as saying,

“It happens in a lot of places. It happens more often than it doesn’t.”

Two firms that stood to gain financially helped bankroll the Butler School District 53 bond issue last month, according to an Oak Brook Suburban Life article by Lane Kelley.

And, you know what, the name of that friendly blond from Wm. Blair and Company popped up again.

You remember Elizabeth Hennesey.

She was the one sitting in the audience of the Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 Board meeting in December.

She was the contact person who worked on Carpentersville District 300’s pay-no-principal-back-for-years, plus paying an additional $11.8 million for the privilege.

Hennesey did not return phone calls to the Suburban Life reporter.

I can empathize with the reporter. Hennesey wouldn’t return my phone calls either.

The other big donor was the political action committee for bond counsel Chapman & Cutler.

Catch this part of the article:

Butler Superintendent Sandra Martin said the district was not involved in the contributions, “and there certainly was no guarantee of any work in the future,” she added.

Cary’s Chris Jenner, who shepherded an anti-pay-to-play rule though Grade School District 26, was quoted as saying,

“It happens in a lot of places. It happens more often than it doesn’t.”

McHenry County Blog is a little late (well, two weeks late) in this hat tip to Cary School District 26 Board Member Chris Jenner.

Remember last September when Jenner passed a pay-to-play prohibition?

It prohibited school vendors from contributing to school board candidates or to referendum campaigns.

Jenner’s idea so impressed District 300 board candidate John Ryan that he put it in his platform.

Tuesday, Jeffery Gaunt of Daily Herald featured Ryan’s proposal. The article was headlined:

Interestingly, District 300 Superintendent Ken Arndt pooh-poohed Ryan’s attempt in the Daily Herald article:

“One board member’s idea does not carry more weight than any other’s,” Arndt said. “Sometimes board members fail to recognize that.”

Vendors contributing to District 300 “Vote Yes” committees has been a staple for at least this decade, as you can see from the links in this District 300 story show.

On second thought, I’ll put the links in this story:

1) Carpentersville District 300 (and here and here and here and here and here and here and here) and

2)Woodstock 200 (and here and here) helped finance their tax hike committees with contributions from school vendors and potential school vendors.

But the Northwest Herald editorialized against Jenner’s proposal.

Two weeks ago State Rep. John Fritchey, a Chicago Democrat, followed in Jenner’s footsteps and passed House Bill 1 without a dissenting vote.

The Associated Press’s lead sentence was

The Illinois House overwhelmingly backed legislation Wednesday that’s meant to combat Illinois’ reputation as a “pay to play” state where companies wanting government business are expected to donate money to key officials.

It would only apply to those doing more than $25,000 worth of business with a state official, but it’s a start.

Those bidding on contracts worth at least $10,000 would have to list all contributions to the statewide official in question.

The bill is now in the State Senate.

= = = = =
The photograph of the man sitting is of Chris Jenner representing District 26 in its fight to stop Cary’s Tax Increment Financing District across from the train station on Route 14. Newly elected District 300 board member John Ryan has his picture to the left.

One more thing. I have been calling Advance 300, the District 300 tax hikers since the group re-invented itself. Now I see that Jeff Gaunt refers to them similarly:

“pro-tax hike group Advance 300.”

McHenry County Blog is a little late (well, two weeks late) in this hat tip to Cary School District 26 Board Member Chris Jenner.

Remember last September when Jenner passed a pay-to-play prohibition?

It prohibited school vendors from contributing to school board candidates or to referendum campaigns.

Jenner’s idea so impressed District 300 board candidate John Ryan that he put it in his platform.

Tuesday, Jeffery Gaunt of Daily Herald featured Ryan’s proposal. The article was headlined:

Interestingly, District 300 Superintendent Ken Arndt pooh-poohed Ryan’s attempt in the Daily Herald article:

“One board member’s idea does not carry more weight than any other’s,” Arndt said. “Sometimes board members fail to recognize that.”

Vendors contributing to District 300 “Vote Yes” committees has been a staple for at least this decade, as you can see from the links in this District 300 story show.

On second thought, I’ll put the links in this story:

1) Carpentersville District 300 (and here and here and here and here and here and here and here) and

2)Woodstock 200 (and here and here) helped finance their tax hike committees with contributions from school vendors and potential school vendors.

But the Northwest Herald editorialized against Jenner’s proposal.

Two weeks ago State Rep. John Fritchey, a Chicago Democrat, followed in Jenner’s footsteps and passed House Bill 1 without a dissenting vote.

The Associated Press’s lead sentence was

The Illinois House overwhelmingly backed legislation Wednesday that’s meant to combat Illinois’ reputation as a “pay to play” state where companies wanting government business are expected to donate money to key officials.

It would only apply to those doing more than $25,000 worth of business with a state official, but it’s a start.

Those bidding on contracts worth at least $10,000 would have to list all contributions to the statewide official in question.

The bill is now in the State Senate.

= = = = =
The photograph of the man sitting is of Chris Jenner representing District 26 in its fight to stop Cary’s Tax Increment Financing District across from the train station on Route 14. Newly elected District 300 board member John Ryan has his picture to the left.

One more thing. I have been calling Advance 300, the District 300 tax hikers since the group re-invented itself. Now I see that Jeff Gaunt refers to them similarly:

“pro-tax hike group Advance 300.”