McHenry County Blog

Just like McHenry County College, Elementary School 47′s Board has a major infusion of new blood.

Virginia Visin retired.

Incumbents Rob Routzahn and Ruth Scifo ran for re-election.

Pretty similar to the MCC Board of Trustees’ contest.

A former principal, Betsy Les was the third of what I have dubbed “the incumbent slate” for the District 47 Board.

Running from the outside were Donna Ricci and Eileen Palsgrove.

Les had lots of signs, four-by-four foot and regular yard signs.

Routzahn and Scifo shared yard signs. There were a good number.

I saw one joint sign for Ricci and Palsgrove.

Donna Ricci

Of the candidates, I only heard one in campaign mode.

That was Donna Ricci.

She asked for and received permission to speak to the Nunda Township Republican candidates’ night crowd.

Besides that and the signs, the only campaigning I saw was a post card.

It was sent on behalf of Ricci and Palsgrove by the Pro-Life Victory Committee.

I assume the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association, CLETA, informed its members of its favorites.

The list used was probably the same one that Arne Waltmire used for his McHenry County College campaign mailing that hit my precinct on the Saturday before the election.

Waltmire is the Regional Director of the Illinois Education Association, but he came in seventh of nine candidates in the MCC Board of Trustees race.

That headline is not quite correct.

I found but one yard sign for the losing candidate for the Crystal Lake Grade School District School Board.

I did see a yard sign for Carlo Anello after I voted.

In any event, the top three were convincing winners were

• Robert Fetzner – 1987
• Nancy Gonsiorek – 1958
• Ryan Farrell – 1862
• Carlo Agnello – 850

I was told the top two on the list were endorsed by the Crystal Lake Elementary Education Association (CLETA).

District 47 Sample Ballot.

The people on the ballot for the Crystal Lake Grade School District 47 School Board number four:

• Robert Fetzner
• Nancy Gonsiorek
• Ryan Farrel
• Carlo Agnello

There are three to be elected.

I’m ashamed to tell you that my level of knowledge about the candidates and where they stand is about as low as in any election in my experience.

I see yard signs in people’s yards that I know and respect for all of the candidates, except Agnello, who doesn’t seem to have yard signs.

No literature has reached me, even my subdivision of Country Club Additions has over 420 homes that can be covered by two people in a car.

Four years ago Gonsiorek ran on a platform of saving music and art and was informally endorsed by elementary school teachers.

This year I’ve been told that CLETA, the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association, interviewed candidates. Further that they favor Gonsiorek and Fetzner. Whether that is an official or unofficial endorsement, my source did not know.

Governor Pat Quinn thinks that consolidating schools will save big money because fewer administrators would be required.

The average Crystal Lake High School District 155 teacher salary is $91,573.

Reading the Daily Herald article, I notice that no mention is made of equalizing up elementary school teacher salaries to the level paid by the overlying high school districts.

$68,489 is the average teacher salary in the Cary Grade School District, the one is such financial trouble recently.

All Quinn mentions is saving $100 million in administrative costs. That’s well under one-half of one percentage of what’s spent on schools in Illinois.

In Fox River Grove the average grade school teacher makes $60,507.

Pretty much peanuts, in other words.

In the Prairie Grove Elementary School District underlying Crystal Lake High School District the average salary is $59,840.

The Northwest Herald has bought into the argument, also incorrectly assume that consolidating hundreds of school districts in Illinois will save big money.

The largest of the District 155 feeder schools, Crystal Lake District 47, pays its teachers $57,788 on the average, according to the 2010 School Report Card.

“… there’s no good reason why towns such as Cary, Crystal Lake and McHenry should have separate elementary and high school districts.”

That’s what the Northwest Herald wrote Thursday.  (Look quickly.  Soon you will have to pay to see it.)

Might I suggest that a salary comparison be made?

Look what took me less than ten minutes to find.

High school salaries in District 155 are higher than those in Crystal Lake Grade School District 47, Cary Grade School District 26 and Prairie Grade School District 46.

Let me list them:

• Crystal Lake District 155 – $91,573 (412 teachers)
• Cary District 26 – $68,489 (198 teachers)
• Fox River Grove 3 – $60,507 (41 teachers)
• Prairie Grove District 46 – $59,840 (68 teachers)
• Crystal Lake District 47 – $57,788 (564 teachers)

The weighted average of grade school teachers in the three districts is $60,505.

The difference between the average weighted elementary school salary and the District 155 High School teacher’s average salary of $91,573 is $31,066.

Let’s do some multiplication.

First, let’s estimate. You know, what grade school students are taught to do.

What’s $31,000 times 900?

Hey, that’s over $25 million.

The exact figure is $27,058,486 my calculator says and it didn’t take tens of thousands of dollars paid to some Northern Illinois professors to figure that out.

So, let’s be rational and assume no teacher would be willing to take a pay cut and all grade school teachers would want to be put on the same salary schedule now enjoyed by area high school teachers.

Looking at these figures, it is hard to believe they would not expect an average raise of $31,000 if consolidation were to occur.

Now, I’ll admit that I have not made detailed comparisons to take into account the longevity bonus that high and grade school teachers get.

Maybe after making such adjustments the raise for unifying the pay schedules wouldn’t average over $31,000 a grade school teacher.

Pick your number and multiply it by 871.

Then, compare that mid-$20-some million number with the $100 million statewide savings that Quinn projects in savings from unneeded administrators.

Anyone think the savings by getting rid of redundant administrators within the Crystal Lake-Cary-Fox River Grove-Prairie Grove area would approach $25 million?

So why is the Governor proposing something that is going to cost every part of the state with both high and grade school districts big money?

Would I be being too cynical to suggest that Quinn may be trying to reward Illinois Education Association members who supported his re-election?

Would anyone think Illinois union leaders would let teachers in the same unified district be on two different pay scales?

The IEA Uniserve Directors would be knocking at school administrators’ doors the day after a merger.  Maybe before.

The entrance to Disney World's Fantasy Land looks so enticing, but what's beyond looks like a carnvial to me.

Proof is how teacher unions won’t allow a consolidated school district to use even two different pay scales.

The elementary physical education teacher that teaches kindergarten P.E. classes is on the same pay scale as the high school math and science teachers.

Only in editorial and Quinn Fantasy Land unions would be helping to save money.

The result would be teachers hearing the sound of “Ca Ching!”

Years later you would likely read editors bemoaning how this couldn’t have been foreseen.

But that’s what collective bargaining will bring if all school districts are shoved into the unit district mold.

It will be the result of collective bargaining. You know, what the fight in Madison, Wisconsin, is all about.

Remember the big to do about changing the junior high school schedule in Crystal Lake?

I don’t usually go to District 47 board meetings but that mid-December night I was in the audience at West School and wrote a story on the 5-2 decision.

The teachers had put on a full-court press to defeat the proposal, including yard signs.

After the decision, the teachers made good on their threat to get involved in the board elections and retaliated with a campaign to gain more teacher friendly board members at the spring election and picked up a vote.

Not as an organization, their leaders said, but the yard signs for the teacher-favored candidates were often at the same places the previous “NO CHANGES” signs were.

There was a board meeting recently where teacher satisfaction surveys were apparently reviewed. The teachers used the survey to express their continuing displeasure at the December, 2006, curriculum decision.

“hippiechick” posted the following on Huntley Neighbors:

“Did anyone else hear about what went down at the last CL school board meeting? It blows my mind that Green’s comments made it into both NW & Daily Herald, but this one seemed to get missed.

I received a call from a friend who teaches in CL and attended the board meeting. He/She said that one of the school board members stated that teachers are nothing more than glorified baby sitters and they should be kissing the feet of those who hire them! Apparently there was more, but that was the highlight. Yikes!!

“I know we have some CL teachers on the forum. Did anyone else hear about this?“

I asked District 47 Superintendent Ron Miller about the story and here’s his reply:

”While my memory isn’t what it use to be at my advancing age I am pretty positive that no board member made that direct statement. We were presenting the results of the student and teacher surveys that we did surrounding the new middle school day change we made this year. Upon reading some of the critical comments that were made by teachers I do believe that a comment was made that the decision to change the day and add more minutes to math and science has been made and that teachers that didn’t like the decision ‘needed to get over it.’ A reference may also have been made that some teachers care about themselves more than their students as it related to the negative comments that were written about the change.

“I’m pretty sure I would have remembered if a board member said that our teachers are nothing but baby sitters and should be kissing our feet for being hired. Every one of our board members respects the passion and commitment that our teachers have towards providing educational excellence for all students – as do I. Most of our teachers will tell you that I firmly believe that this district is as good as we are because of our teaching professionals.”

Others who attended the board meeting agreed that what “hippiechick” reported was incorrect.

Remember the big to do about changing the junior high school schedule in Crystal Lake?

I don’t usually go to District 47 board meetings but that mid-December night I was in the audience at West School and wrote a story on the 5-2 decision.

The teachers had put on a full-court press to defeat the proposal, including yard signs.

After the decision, the teachers made good on their threat to get involved in the board elections and retaliated with a campaign to gain more teacher friendly board members at the spring election and picked up a vote.

Not as an organization, their leaders said, but the yard signs for the teacher-favored candidates were often at the same places the previous “NO CHANGES” signs were.

There was a board meeting recently where teacher satisfaction surveys were apparently reviewed. The teachers used the survey to express their continuing displeasure at the December, 2006, curriculum decision.

“hippiechick” posted the following on Huntley Neighbors:

“Did anyone else hear about what went down at the last CL school board meeting? It blows my mind that Green’s comments made it into both NW & Daily Herald, but this one seemed to get missed.

I received a call from a friend who teaches in CL and attended the board meeting. He/She said that one of the school board members stated that teachers are nothing more than glorified baby sitters and they should be kissing the feet of those who hire them! Apparently there was more, but that was the highlight. Yikes!!

“I know we have some CL teachers on the forum. Did anyone else hear about this?“

I asked District 47 Superintendent Ron Miller about the story and here’s his reply:

”While my memory isn’t what it use to be at my advancing age I am pretty positive that no board member made that direct statement. We were presenting the results of the student and teacher surveys that we did surrounding the new middle school day change we made this year. Upon reading some of the critical comments that were made by teachers I do believe that a comment was made that the decision to change the day and add more minutes to math and science has been made and that teachers that didn’t like the decision ‘needed to get over it.’ A reference may also have been made that some teachers care about themselves more than their students as it related to the negative comments that were written about the change.

“I’m pretty sure I would have remembered if a board member said that our teachers are nothing but baby sitters and should be kissing our feet for being hired. Every one of our board members respects the passion and commitment that our teachers have towards providing educational excellence for all students – as do I. Most of our teachers will tell you that I firmly believe that this district is as good as we are because of our teaching professionals.”

Others who attended the board meeting agreed that what “hippiechick” reported was incorrect.

Take a look at this email from A+, a tax hiking group, composed of a lot of teacher unions, including

• the Barrington Education Association,
• the (Carpentsville) District 300 Education Service Personnel Association,
• Cary-Grove Education Association,
• the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association (CLETA),
• the Dundee Township Democratic Organization,
• Elgin Community College/Adult Education,
• Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice,
• Girl Scouts-Sybaquay Council,
• Illinois Migrant Council,
• Kane County Health Department,
• Local Education Association District 300,
• McHenry Classroom Teachers Association,
• McHenry County IFT Local 1642,
• Obama for America/Chicago,

Prairie Grove Teachers’ Association, among others:

Colleagues:

The time is now.

Today, a proposed state budget for FY 2008 was unveiled, calling for $568 million in additional money for education.

Some of the details of this proposed budget:

* $308.8 million to increase the foundation level by $400 to $5,734.

* $185.5 million to fully fund mandated categoricals.

* A minimal (2%) increase for Illinois’ public colleges and universities.

* $10 million for a block grant program for private schools.

After analyzing this proposal, IEA GR and governance have determined that the organization must oppose this “no-solution” budget.

It is imperative that you and all your colleagues, friends and neighbors immediately contact every member of the Illinois House and Senate and urge them to reject this budget plan.

Talking points

* This budget uses one-time money to fund education. Education needs and deserves a permanenent, predictable and sustainable revenue stream. No more year-to-year Band-aid budgets!

* This budget does little to address the inequities in the Illinois school funding system.

* This budget diverts money from public schools to private schools. Public dollars are for public schools.

If this budget can be stopped, we will be well-positioned, in the days and, if necessary, weeks to come, to push for a modest increase in the state income tax to fund education.

Colleagues, this is a crucial time. Contact your Illinois State Representative and Senator immediately.

Tell your legislator, whether you are represented by a Republican or a Democrat, that you expect them to vote “NO” on this “no solution” budget and that you want them to support an income tax increase for education.

We will keep you informed of any significant developments as they occur.

Take a look at this email from A+, a tax hiking group, composed of a lot of teacher unions, including

• the Barrington Education Association,
• the (Carpentsville) District 300 Education Service Personnel Association,
• Cary-Grove Education Association,
• the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association (CLETA),
• the Dundee Township Democratic Organization,
• Elgin Community College/Adult Education,
• Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice,
• Girl Scouts-Sybaquay Council,
• Illinois Migrant Council,
• Kane County Health Department,
• Local Education Association District 300,
• McHenry Classroom Teachers Association,
• McHenry County IFT Local 1642,
• Obama for America/Chicago,

Prairie Grove Teachers’ Association, among others:

Colleagues:

The time is now.

Today, a proposed state budget for FY 2008 was unveiled, calling for $568 million in additional money for education.

Some of the details of this proposed budget:

* $308.8 million to increase the foundation level by $400 to $5,734.

* $185.5 million to fully fund mandated categoricals.

* A minimal (2%) increase for Illinois’ public colleges and universities.

* $10 million for a block grant program for private schools.

After analyzing this proposal, IEA GR and governance have determined that the organization must oppose this “no-solution” budget.

It is imperative that you and all your colleagues, friends and neighbors immediately contact every member of the Illinois House and Senate and urge them to reject this budget plan.

Talking points

* This budget uses one-time money to fund education. Education needs and deserves a permanenent, predictable and sustainable revenue stream. No more year-to-year Band-aid budgets!

* This budget does little to address the inequities in the Illinois school funding system.

* This budget diverts money from public schools to private schools. Public dollars are for public schools.

If this budget can be stopped, we will be well-positioned, in the days and, if necessary, weeks to come, to push for a modest increase in the state income tax to fund education.

Colleagues, this is a crucial time. Contact your Illinois State Representative and Senator immediately.

Tell your legislator, whether you are represented by a Republican or a Democrat, that you expect them to vote “NO” on this “no solution” budget and that you want them to support an income tax increase for education.

We will keep you informed of any significant developments as they occur.