McHenry County Blog

Here’s the latest news from Crystal Lake Community High School about the camera found in the boys’ locker room:

Crystal Lake Community High School

Dear Parents,

We are contacting you with an update on the situation at Crystal Lake Central.

Due to the quick investigative work by our school resource officer, other members of the Crystal Lake Police, and our deans, the police now have a student in custody who they believe acted alone.

Still, we have searched all locker rooms and washrooms at each District 155 school, and have not found any additional recording devices.

Please understand that because there is an ongoing investigation, we cannot provide more details at this time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Johnnie Thomas
Superintendent

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Here’s the original email to parents.

Here’s the press release from the CL Police Department.

And here’s what parents were told this afternoon:

Crystal Lake Central High School.

Dear Central Parents,

We are writing to inform you of an unfortunate incident that occurred at Crystal Lake Central High School today. A student discovered what appears to be a video recording device in a boys’ athletic locker room.

We take incidents like this very seriously, and a full investigation was launched immediately by our school resource officer and other members of the Crystal Lake Police Department. We also immediately inspected every locker room and bathroom at Crystal Lake Central and the district’s other high schools. No other devices were found. The recording device has been turned over to law enforcement authorities.

We are fully cooperating with the police investigation, and are very disappointed that someone would commit such an act. Pending the results of the police investigation, we will pursue criminal and disciplinary action to the full extent possible under the law and school policy.

What we can discuss about this situation is very limited because it involves an ongoing police investigation, but if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Steve Olson. In addition, please be aware that we have our full array of social workers, counselors, and school psychologists available to support your child should he or she have any issues processing this situation. If you or your child has any information regarding this incident, they should contact the Crystal Lake Police Department directly.

The safety and welfare of all of our students is a top priority and we continue to work with the Crystal Lake Police to ensure that this issue is resolved in a thorough and expedient manner. Thank you for your support of our school district and our students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Johnnie Thomas, Superintendent and Steve Olson, Principal

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Here is the Crystal Lake Police Department’s press release.

An email to parents from the Superintendent:

Dear Parents:

As details of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut continue to be released, people across the country and in District 155 remain shocked by this senseless act of violence. The thoughts of District 155 teachers, staff, and administrators go out to all of those affected by Friday’s events.

In the wake of the tragedy, it is natural for District 155 parents to ask what we are doing to ensure the safety of our students locally. Your children come to our schools each day and you expect that they will return safely after the final bell. We are committed to ensuring this safe return, and we make safety the number one priority each day.

To that end, District 155 has many programs in place to create a secure environment in which your child may learn and thrive. The district has partnerships with local law enforcement agencies that provide the backbone for our students’ safety.

South High School has a new gator.

All four high schools have a school resource officer, a member of the Crystal Lake or Cary Police Department who has specialized training to work in a school. In partnership with this officer, we craft and maintain crisis plans, carry out drills and simulations, investigate rumors and threats, and maintain order throughout the school. Each school has a building-specific crisis plan and these are updated and practiced by staff in cooperation with first-responders.

In addition to partnerships with local police, the district has taken several preventative steps. This includes deterrents like

• our guest check-in system
• controlled points of entry
• the use of keyless access
• video surveillance
• the wearing of visible staff IDs
• security guards at each building, and of course,
• our visible and vigilant staff

The district also engaged an independent analyst to conduct a security audit of our facilities. Further, I have met with area superintendents to coordinate our crisis plans.

Please remember that you and your student can play an important role in school safety. We ask that you comply with the sign-in and ID procedures when you visit the high schools. We encourage you to speak with your child about how he/she can help keep the building safe by reporting visitors who do not have a badge, ensuring that exterior doors close behind them when they exit or enter the building, and informing teachers or administrators about safety concerns that they may have.

Lastly, please be aware that District 155 employs an automated calling system to alert parents should a crisis arise. This is the same system that we use for school closing due to weather. For non-urgent situations like a snow day, the system uses the primary phone number and email address listed in your Skyward Family Access account.

For urgent, crisis situations like a code red lockdown, the system will call and email all parent numbers and addresses listed in your account. Please ensure that this information is current in your Family Access profile. A video tutorial including instructions how to update this information is on the District 155 YouTube page.

Please know that we take all threats and rumors seriously, and we thoroughly investigate each instance with our partners at the police department. Together, we take appropriate action to punish those imposing the threat. Should a threat be deemed viable by community law enforcement agencies, we will contact you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to me or a member of your school’s administrative team.

Finally, I wish you and your family happy holidays. I hope you are able to use winter break to spend time with your children and other loved ones. We look forward to seeing your student when school reopens on January 7, 2013.

Sincerely,

Dr. Johnnie Thomas
Superintendent

Crystal Lake Central High School

Here are the four people whose terms on the Crystal Lake High School Board are up next spring:

• Gary Oberg (Crystal Lake)
• Dave Secrest (Crystal Lake)
• Ann Somers (Cary/Trout Valley)
• Ted Wagner (Cary)

Thus far, Oberg, Sommers, Secrest have filed for re-election.

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.

Johnnie Thomas

An email from Crystal Lake High School Superintendent Johnnie Thomas:

District 155 Anti-Bullying Initiatives

Dear District 155 Parents & Guardians:

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.

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, I am writing to inform you of resources available for your children.

I hope this message provides you with the knowledge necessary to protect your children from bullies or discourage them from bullying behavior.

From the District 155 web site.

At District 155 schools, we have multiple programs in place to help your student transition from adolescence to adulthood. Under the Board of Education’s guidance, the district’s administrators, faculty, and students have worked to craft policies, procedures, and programs to help protect and educate students about this important issue.

The schools’ community service organizations help promote a culture of character, while education programs in and out of the classroom help provide guidance necessary to help our students become responsible citizens.

Specifically, we invite you to visit the District 155 website for more information about several key initiatives throughout the district.

These programs have resulted in nearly 90% of District 155’s Class of 2012 reporting that they felt safe while at school.

As we continue these efforts, and with your help at home, we believe we can further limit the reach of bullying in our schools.

Should you or your student need assistance with bullying issues, please contact your school and ask to speak with a social worker or guidance counselor about available resources.

Sincerely,

Dr. Johnnie Thomas
Superintendent
Community High School District 155

A Praairie Ridge High School Band parent was at Marengo Settlers Days Parade.

The Chicago Sun-Times ranked grade schools, middle schools and high schools using average scores on state achievement tests.

The paper’s analysis ranked the percentage of students who met statewide standards.

I scanned the results and found no grade or middle schools from McHenry County on the Top 50 lists for Chicago area schools.

The list’s cut off for grade schools was 79.25%, meaning that all grade schools in McHenry County had more than 20.75% if their students who did not meet state standards.

The middle school cut off was 74.05%. Using similar logic, one could conclude that almost 26% of those attending did not meet state standards.

For high schools, the Top 50 cut off was 63.84%, meaning, it appears to me, that all the rest of high schools had more than 36.2% of their 11th grade students who didn’t meet the standards.

Marengo High Schoool

There were, however, three high schools in McHenry County on the Top 50 Sun-Times list.

There were

• Cary-Grove at 68.2%, ranked 34th in the Chicago area, 40th in the state
• Prairie Ridge in Crystal Lake at 66.26%, ranked 41st in the Chicago area, 53rd in the state
• Marengo, ranked 49th in the Chicago area, 74th in the state.

On its web site, the Marengo High School District says,

“We are #49 and we are the only small school (less than 1000 students) and the only rural school on the list.”

2009-10 School Report Cards show the following costs per student:

• Cary-Grove & Prairie Ridge- $11,844 (District 155 average)
• Marengo – $12,145

Average teacher salaries follow:

• Prairie Ridge & Cary-Grove – $93,574 (District 155 average)
• Marengo – $67,857

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog published the percentage of incoming freshmen at McHenry County College require remedial math classes.

The best high school district was Huntley’s at 46% needing help to be able to take a college course.

Today, we look at the situation with regard to English.

It’s much better.

The average is only 11%.

So, take a look at the figures for each of the high school districts in McHenry County College District 528:
Previously, I typed out the results math results so people could find them with an internet search engine.  Today, we’ll do the same for preparation for college English, except going from best to worst.

• Alden-Hebron – 0%
• Richmond-Burton – 6%
• Marengo – 8%
• Johnsburg – 9%
• McHenry – 11%
• Crystal Lake, Cary-Grove – 11%
• Woodstock – 14%
• Huntley – 20%
• Harvard – 38%

Again, explanations are welcomed in the comment section.

The perecentges of incoming students from each of McHenry County College's high school district who have to take remedial math.

You can see the data above.

But, just to make sure people can use a search engine to find out how well each McHenry County College high school prepares its students who attend McHenry County College in math, I’ll type the results below:

• Harvard – 69%
• Johnsburg – 63%
• Woodstock – 52%
• Richmond-Burton – 51%
• Alden-Hebron 50%
• Marengo – 56%
• McHenry – 47%
• Crystal Lake, Cary-Grove – 47%
• Huntley – 46%

The sign on the wall inside Marengo High School says, "Where learning is value and excellence is the standard.",

Huntley High School does best in preparing McHenry County College students for college math.

“Only” 46% need remedial assistance.

What is going on when the best a high school district can do is 46%?

How did these incoming MCC students get out of high school?

I am sure there is some explanation. Please share it or them in the comment section.

Joe Stefani.

Two years ago a 27-year old named Joe Stefani was elected to the Algonquin Library Board.

He used direct mail.

And, he knocked on a lot of doors.

In the meantime, Stefani has gotten a minor league baseball team off the ground in Rockford and served as a Republican Precinct Committeeman in Algonquin.

He has a flare for creating publicity, inviting Wisconsin Democratic Party State Senators to a Saturday, July 16th “Senatorist Night” at the Rockford Foresters’ game. (Those with union cards get in free.) A couple of the Senate Democrats may actually come. (Don’t forget that Rockford’s media market goes into Wisconsin.)

The precincts in Algonquin Township. Joe Stefani served as GOP Committeeman in Algonquin 6 on the east side of the Fox River. Click to enlarge the map.

2009 wasn’t the first time the Cary-Grove High School graduate ran for office. In 2005 he ran for the District 155 School Board, placing second in a two-way race to Karen Whitman.

Take a look at the precinct totals in Fox River Grove, where he grew up, and Cary where classmates’ families lived. They are respectable.

The baseball team is doing well and Stefani is still interested in the public arena.

Might he be a candidate for something in 2012?

How about the 52nd state representative district?

The newly-configured district has Algonquin, Cary and Fox River Grove in it. I haven’t seen a county-by-county breakdown, so I don’t know what percentages of the GOP primary vote is in Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry Counties. But there is a lot of area located in McHenry County.

As I have mentioned previously, I expect McHenry County Board member Donna Kurtz to seek the seat, even though not a lot of her District 2 is in the district which seems to have been drawn for the deceased Mark Beaubien. Odds are good she will be the only pro-choice candidate, but, regardless, with her and her mother former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz’ relationship with Personal PAC, she will receive the group’s endorsement and voter identification and turnout assistance.

The key to understanding the county remap alernatives below.

Lots of moneyed folk live in the Barringtons, of course.

A lot ran in the 8th congressional district Republican primary in 2010. All were fiscal conservatives and all but one was pro-life.

Someone like Stefani might decide to run for County Board in District 1.

Regardless of how which version of the map is found acceptable by the McHenry County Board, someone with a political base in both Algonquin and the Cary-Fox River Grove area would be a formidable candidate.

Especially, if he or she was willing to knock on doors.

The maps being considered by the County Board for Districts 1 and 2 are below. Stefani might be a candidate in District 1.

The original committee map and the one apparently worked out in a meeting with County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, Anna May Miller, Marc Munaretto, John Jung and Nick Provenzano which resembled a continuing game of draw poker with no new cards can be seen here.

The Chicago Sun-Times released a school teacher and administrator data base this week that some might find interesting.

“Salary data includes base, summer-, after-school pay, benefits, vacation- or sick-day payouts, pre-retirement salary bumps. Average includes only full-time employees,” says the print on top of the search engine page.

Not specifically mention, but included is the pension payments that taxpayers pay for teachers and administrators. Teachers are supposed to pay 9.4%, but many in McHenry County and elsewhere don’t. Those who must pay the employee share of Social Security might be envious of this negotiated deal.

First I looked for average salaries for high school teachers in McHenry County’s districts. You see the results below:

Average compensation for McHenry County's High School District's teachers.

District 300 is classified by state policy-makers as a Kane County school district, so it cannot be combined with the other districts in McHenry County.

You might find it of interest to compare the salaries with the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards.

Those high schools where students do the best are Crystal Lake and Richmond-Burton.

67.9% for Richmond-Burton High School District and 67.3% for District 155.  Both have a similar percentage of low income kids.  Richmond-Burton’s is a tad higher than Crystal Lake’s.

Compare the average compensation of Crystal Lake and Richmond-Burton and there is no contest.

Crystal Lake High School District 155 ranks 16th highest in the state with average compensation of $91,960.  $62,237 is Richmond-Burton’s average, almost $30,000 less.

District 155 is currently in secret negotiations with its IEA teachers’ union.

Even a cursory review of the salary data will show that teaching in a high school district is the way to make the most money.

As I have explained before, the legislator who wrote the Resource Equalizer State Aid to Education formula in the mid-1970′s was a high school teachers from a high school district.

State Rep. Gene Hoffman figured out how to make sure high school districts benefited most for the formula.  From the figures above, you’d have to agree he achieved his goal.

It doesn’t always work out as well as it does for Crystal Lake’s District 155 teachers. Marengo and Richmond-Burton are also high school districts. The others are unit district, meaning all 13 grades are governing by one school board.

I am sure some commentators will want to share their analyses of these statistics.

Not having figured out how to make charts, but wanting people to be able to search the data, I present below the raw data.  Get the headings from the image above.