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.

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.

In my precinct letter, I characterized the incumbent slate as those already on the District 47 Board of Education, plus Betsy Les, a retired principal.

The other two on the ballot qualified as “outsiders,” in my view.

Here is a post card that was mailed on behalf of those two–Donna Ricci and Eileen Palsgrov:

The address side is below:

Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 has four seats up for grabs in April’s election.

Terms are expiring for

• Jeff Mason
• Rob Routzahn
• Ruth Scifo
• Virginia Visin

So far three people have filed petitions for the openings:

• Jeff Mason
• Rob Routzahn
• Betsy Les

Filing is open until the close of business on December 26th.

Those thinking about running need to file a Statement of Economic Interest with the County Clerk and attach its receipt with a staple to one’s petitions and Statement of Candidacy. And, be sure to number the pages.

Yesterday Crystal Lake Elementary School Superintendent Donn Mendoza sent Crystal Lake Library Director Kathryn Martens the following email:

“Attached is the operational information you requested.

“As per our discussion, last night, our Board directed me to commence a study and an analysis from a cost and programmatic perspective relative to what a school closing might look like in District 47.

“The study would be initiated with the intent of providing them with a long range view of what this would look like.

“That is to say I would not expect the study to be completed and presented to the Board with any type of recommendation until sometime toward the end of next school year or the during the year after.

“Please call me if you have any questions.”

Below is the spreadsheet of building information for District 47:

Also noted is that District 47 is 47.8 square miles.

The Northwest Herald has a fascinating article about the possibility of the Crystal Lake Library District using a Crystal Lake Grade School District elementary school.

Wednesday night the Board held a meeting in which the following was on the agenda:

AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRING DISCUSSION AND/OR BOARD APPROVAL
5.1 Discussion on D47 Facility Use – Dr. Mendoza

Naturally, I am seeking more information.

But, let’s assume the Northwest Herald story is accurate and the Elementary School District is thinking about re-visiting the possibility of closing a grade school.

When I wrote my article about the possibility, I suggested either Husmann or South Schools could be converted to housing for seniors. Both have advantages. Husmann because it is within walking distance of Downtown and across from the library building and South because it one story with a basement.

See

Which Grade School to Close

for more details.

And enrollment continues to fall:

• 2007 – 9,124
• 2011 – 8,359
• 2012 – Down another 300 the NWH reports, although I cannot find enrollment figure on the DE47 web site

So down about a thousand since the recession started.

Now comes forth a new option.

Having the Crystal Lake Public Library use one of the grade schools.

There are several problems with such a possibility.

Crystal Lake taxpayers might get stuck with paying for a grade school twice.

The library is a City library.   That means those living outside of Crystal Lake cannot use it without paying what they would have paid in property taxes had their homes been inside the City limits.

However, the school district boundaries are much larger.  Lakewood, part of Prairie Grove, part of Lake in the Hills and lots of unincorporated subdivisions surrounding Crystal Lake helped Crystal Lake residents pay for the schools.

The other consideration is that when Prairie Grove is developed, there will presumably still be the need to a new grade school building.

Perhaps the School Board would consider renting an elementary school to the Library Board, just in case the economy takes off again, providing the need for another grade school.

It would seem to me that we would not want to follow Huntley’s example in which the taxpayers were forced to pay for schools twice.

The Huntley School District sold its high school and either a nearby grade or middle school to the park district.

Now, the park district boundaries are closer to the school district boundaries in Huntley than are Crystal Lake’s limits to those of District 47, but most Huntley area taxpayers ended up paying for the schools twice.

That, of course, is an argument for consolidation of governments…unless one thinks paying for public buildings more than once is a good idea.

An email from District 47 Superintendent Donn Mendoza:

Subject: Exciting Opportunity for District 47′s Middle School Students and Families

Dear District 47 Middle School Families:

The purpose for this correspondence is to inform you that all three District 47 middle schools will be hosting Rachel’s Challenge assemblies as well as an evening event in early October. Specifically, the dates are as follows:

• Bernotas Middle School- Wednesday, October 10th @ 8:00am- Students
• Lundahl Middle School- Thursday, October 11th @ 8:00am- Students
• Beardsley Middle School- Thursday, October 11th @ 1:00pm- Students
• Beardsley Middle School – Thursday, October 11th @ 7:00pm- Community Event for Parents and Community Members

As you are probably aware, bullying issues have received increased national attention in recent years-and rightfully so. The issue has become more prevalent across the country, but it is important to understand that it has been met with increasing local efforts by the schools and community to proactively eliminate bullying among our students and also assist you in your efforts as parents in positively shaping the character of our youth. McHenry County’s new regional superintendent of schools has been working with area districts to identify these programs and bring more light to the issue and our efforts.

To that end, we are writing to inform you of this exciting opportunity for our students, families and community members by way of Rachel’s Challenge which has reached over 17 million people since its inception.

For context, Rachel Scott was one of the unfortunate victims in the 1999 Columbine High School Tragedy. As per the website at www.rachelschallenge.org.

Each day 160,000 students do not go to school because they are bullied, teased and harassed. By turning the story of a tragic death at Columbine High School into a mission for change, Rachel’s Challenge is helping create safer learning environments and making a world-wide impact.

Rachel’s Challenge is a series of student empowering programs and strategies that equip students and adults to combat bullying and ally feelings of isolation and despair by creating a culture of kindness and compassion. The programs are based on the writings and life of 17 year-old Rachel Scott who was the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Rachel left a legacy of reaching out to those who were different, who were picked on by others, or who were new at her school. Shortly before her death she wrote,

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”

Rachel’s Challenge was started by Rachel’s dad and stepmom, Darrell and Sandy Scott when they realized that the writings and drawings Rachel left not only had an impact on her friends and classmates, but also resonated with students around the world. Although Rachel was a typical teenager who even wrote about her “ups and downs,” she had a passion and conviction that she would someday change the world. The Scott family knew her story and passion had to be told to inspire others to make their world a better place.

The community event on October 11th at 7:00pm will serve as follow up to the assemblies. Families are invited to the evening presentation and we expect that other community leaders will be in attendance as well.

As not only the Superintendent of District 47 but also and perhaps even more importantly a parent of two District 47 students one of whom is of middle school age, I have always been impressed regarding the manner in which members of this community have consistently worked collaboratively to positively shape our youth.

This event is designed to build upon and support the rich tradition within this community of providing positive learning experiences for our children such that it has a lasting impact on them into adulthood.

In all of my 17 years as an educator, I have never experienced anything as powerful and as moving as the Rachel’s Challenge assembly I attended last year.

I am thrilled that Rachel’s Challenge is coming to District 47 and I certainly hope that you are able to join us in what I know will be a lasting and very impactful experience on the evening of October 11th. Should you have questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. You may also visit www.rachelschallenge.org.

Parents may choose to have their child forgo the assembly. If this is of interest to you, please contact the administrators of your middle school. Students of parents who choose this option will be provided an alternate building location in which to work during the assembly.

Very Best,

Donn P. Mendoza, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

A press release from the Illinois Policy Institute:

Illinois Policy Institute to host debate on teacher pension reform

Debate 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14 at McHenry County College in northwest suburban Crystal Lake

CHICAGO (Aug. 13, 2012) – On Tuesday, Aug. 14, the Illinois Policy Institute will host a debate aimed at exploring who should pay the employers’ share of teacher pension costs: local school districts or the state.

Tuesday’s debate will be held in the auditorium at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. The debate starts at 7 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

The Crystal Lake debate will be moderated by state Rep. Tom Morrison and Kevin Lyons, news editor at the Northwest Herald newspaper in McHenry County. Panelists will include:

• Mike Sayre on behalf of the Illinois Education Association;
• District 47 school board president Jeff Mason; and
• the Illinois Policy Institute’s Diana Sroka Rickert, an award-winning journalist on the topic of pensions.

In June, the question of who should pay the “employer” portion of teachers’ pensions prompted legislative talks over pension reform to come to a standstill. The results of a new poll commissioned by the Illinois Policy Institute finds that public opinion on this issue is mixed, not only across the state but across the political spectrum.

The poll found that nearly half of likely Illinois voters oppose asking school districts to pay the employer share of teachers’ pension costs, while the other half of likely voters are split between indecision and favoring this proposal.

“The Institute’s poll indicates that the public needs more information on how local pension accountability would affect schools and taxpayers, and that they’re confused about who owns this policy in the statehouse,” said Kristina Rasmussen, executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute.

“To improve understanding of this issue, the Institute is launching this statewide tour to engage stakeholders and move toward consensus on much-needed pension relief.”

In addition to Monday’s stop in Crystal Lake, the Illinois Policy Institute is planning debate stops in Rockford, Skokie and Kane County. Debates already have been held in Quincy, Carbondale, Lemont Springfield and Decatur.

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The Illinois Policy Institute sponsored a candidates’ night at MCC in October, 2010.  Democrats ducked the Congressional part.  The Institute call the appearance a “Turnaround Tour.”

I have to say I am disappointed that Crystal Lake District 47 has no idea of how much it might cost to shift the financing of teacher pensions from state taxpayers to local taxpayers.

In a Freedom of Information Request, I asked for the ““estimated increase in local taxes in total and by home if teacher pensions have to be paid by property taxes, as being considered by the General Assembly.”

The reply:

“District 47 does not possess records containing the information you are requesting.”

Wouldn’t you think the administration and school board might be interested in that number, even if the plan is no longer under active consideration?

A tool for those who want to know where their tax dollars are going went up today on the Adam Andrzejewski’s web site, For the Good of Illinois.

Pick your school district (after signing) in.

Take a look at where the money goes from biggest to smallest vendor. You can put up to fifty vendors on a page.

I decided to look at Crystal Lake Grade School District 47.

I noticed

• $7.9 million for insurance
• $7.3 million to IRS
• $4.4 million to the Teachers Retirement Fund
• $1.3 million to the Illinois Department of Revenue
• $1.3 million to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
• $826,000 to Ameren Energy Resources
• $622,000 to Teachers Health Insurance
• $264,000 to CLETA (Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Assoc.)
• $179,000 to Woodstock Comm School Dist 200

Those above are just some of the first 50 listed in descending order.

Farther down I found these:
$3,069.74 to the McHenry County Treasurer

• $3,016.00 to the Crystal Lake Country Club
• $2,520.00 to the Il Alliance Of Administrators Of Sp[ecial Education]
• $2,240 to Ohio State University
• $1,958 to former District 300 Board member Mary Warren (who teaches in District 47 now)
• $1,250 to William Blair & Company Llc
• $1,213.20 to American Mobile Shredding
• $1,059.96 to the Rockford Board of Education

Take a look at how one of your school districts does with your tax dollars.

A email has been sent this morning soliciting parental opposition to State Rep. Jack Franks’ bill to prohibit the collection of more property tax dollars when assessments go down.

Apparently Superintendent Donn Mendoza and School Board President Jeff Mason were not privy to the widespread understanding among state representatives that the legislation was just another “headline” bill to enhance the re-election chances of Democrats who voted to hike state income tax rates by 67%.

As one suburban Republican joined at the hip with the Illinois Municipal League put it, “It’s all for show.”

In any event, below is the use of District 47 tax dollars to try to get you to contact State Senator Pam Althoff and State Reps. Mike Tryon and Mike Gaffney to allow the school district to be able to collect more money (3% next year), even though the value of your home has tanked.

It should be noted that Tryon and Gaffney have already voted for the bill.

Donn Mendoza

Dear District 47 Families:

Crystal Lake School District 47 had been closely following recent legislation (Amendment 6 of Senate Bill 2073) approved in the Illinois House of Representatives on February 21, 2012, which, had it passed in the Senate and been signed by Governor Quinn, would have had a significant impact on our ability to provide high quality educational services for students for whom we are responsible.

Jeff Mason

This is the third time in the past few weeks that this sort of law has been proposed.

Based on that, there may be additional attempts in the future.

We wanted to make you aware of the potential impacts, as we see them in District 47, were this type of legislation to eventually become law.

Currently, local taxing authorities, such as District 47, are limited to increasing taxes by the rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 5%, whichever is less.

Simply stated, the Franks Amendment to Senate Bill 2073 would have capped the ability of local taxing bodies, such as District 47, to raise the tax rate when property values decline unless approved by voters.

Effectively, the legislation would have capped the increase to 0%.

District 47 has lost over $8.6 million in revenue since the 2006-2007 school year with interest income down $2.3 million and State revenue down $6.3 million.

New property, which adds to the district property tax revenue, is down from $54 million in the 2003 tax year to $7 million in the 2011 tax year.

Since the current economic crisis began, our school district has managed its finances by cutting approximately $6.2 million in expenditures.

By the end of the 2012-2013 school year, we will have:

• Eliminated 72.5 positions through attrition and layoffs
• Frozen salaries
• Eliminated or reduced benefitsRestructured programs and contracts to secure savings
• Utilized $6 million in reserves to weather the loss of revenue in order to maintain our current level of programs and services

Should this type of proposed legislation eventually become law, we estimate given the current economic climate, that District 47 would have to initiate a discussion regarding

• the possibility of closing a school,
• significant staff layoffs thus further
• increasing class sizes and would consider a reduction in programs and services which have become part of District 47’s culture. Examples of these programs include but are not limited to Art, Music, Health, Clubs and Activities, Extended Curriculum, Reading Recovery, Band, etc.

As part of the community, we understand the property tax burden being placed upon everyone in a time of declining home values.

However, we cannot pull back from investing in our children’s future.

We believe that legislation such as Amendment 6 to SB 2073 damages the ability of local schools to provide quality education and would potentially be devastating to District 47’s students.

We encourage you to contact your state senator and state representative to discuss this. Local legislators include

• Representative Mike Tryon-mike@miketryon.com,
• Senator Pamela Althoff- Pamela@pamelaalthoff.net  and
• Representative Kent Gaffney- repgaffney@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Donn P. Mendoza, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
dpmendoza@d47.org

Jeff Mason, School Board President
jmason@d47.org

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Although State Rep. Jack Franks and Dan Duffy represent parts of District 47, their email addresses were not included in the message.