The headline was

“Law clients demand
more for the money”

The subhead was

“Recession changes perspective
on existing ‘billable hour’model”

Those who attend board meetings of local governments can see differences.

Some fight like cats and dogs.

Others talk so little you’d guess all decisions have been made ahead of time.

But there are other differences.

Cities and villages almost always have lawyers sitting right up there with the board members, manager and clerk.

Not so school districts.

District 300 Supervisor of Communication Services Allison Strupeck, emailed me,
‘We do not regularly have an attorney at the open session of our Board meetings.  It’s very rare that we’d have an attorney there.

“However, we do sometimes have an attorney for our closed sessions, depending on the topic.”

Same with Crystal Lake High School District 155. Attorneys come for disciplinary hearings, for instance, but not for regular meetings.

And I’ve never seen a lawyer at a Huntley District 158 School Board meeting.

The recession has hurt not only the businesses who are “demanding more for their money,” as the Tribune headline says, but local governments.

So, I’m wondering why city councils and village boards need to have lawyers present, while school districts don’t.

Especially when money is specifically designated for special ed use.

Even if the Federal law allows such a diversion (which it does—half can be diverted).

We’d also like to think elected officials wouldn’t allow such an abuse when brought to their attention.

Then there’s what is going on in Huntley District 158.

I wonder if it would be if school administrators or board members have a special needs child.

Board member Aileen Seedorf seems to understand the long standing law which says the district is required to provide an appropriate education to every child. At the July 14th town hall-style meeting, School Board member Shawn Green did express what I took to be sincere concern about how the Federal stimulus money on special education would be spent.

I have written about how the administrators have proposed how to spend the Federal Stimulus funds.

A lot of the money is still being recommended to expand a reading program used in regular ed which the special ed parents don’t want.

The moms and dads don’t want it because there is no vendor-independent research that shows it works with special ed children.

The attention spans required for the programmed instruction are about 20 to 30 minutes. That’s a long time for challenged kids.

It seems likely that the massive expenditure will be redeployed into regular student use when it becomes obvious that the program doesn’t provide much benefit tospecial ed students.

The special ed parents want programs that will work for their children.

From what I heard at the July 14th town hall-style meeting with administrators and school board members, those parents would give those decision-makers the old grade of “needs improvement.”

It would take quite a reporter to capture their disillusionment.  I surely am not skilled enough to convey it.

But, it is clear to me that administrators need to listen to the parents of special education children and not spend a huge sum on a reading program the parents don’t want and for which the parents can find no credible research that says will work.

I remember the education I received from a District 300 mother back in the 1970’s when special education laws were being crafted.  I remember her every time I drive past her Huntley Road home on the way to Spring Hill Mall.  She said to finance her son’s education at Summit School, they had subdivided their property and would sell of the lots.

Unfortunately, most of the parents with special ed kids in Huntley School District 158 don’t have similar resources.  If the Huntley School Board doesn’t provide for their children’s education, ones who might be able to cope in society will just “slip through the cracks,” as the trite cliche says.

It’s really much more serious than that.

Ask a parent.

“Message from the Superintendent:

“Some D300 teachers and principals are allowing their students to watch President Obama’s national address to American school children at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.

“The topic is the importance of education and setting/meeting goals.

“Parents who do not want their children to watch this Presidential address can contact their teacher so the teacher may make other arrangements for their children.”

It appears that District 300 is allowing parents to opt out of the “opportunity,” just as Crystal Lake Grade School District 47 is.

Huntley School District 158, on the other hand, is foregoing the opportunity. Here’s what Crystal Lake High School District 155 is doing.

She was indicted two weeks ago, the story says, but the police couldn’t find her.

It certainly has taken a long, long time.

Back in January I asked School Board President Joe Stevens what was happening and he sent me this email:

“Regarding the $100,000 suspected lost from the student activity fund, we have now completed our forensic audit and it does validate such a loss occurred.

“We fully expect to recover all of the money through our insurance provider.

“The matter now rests with the States Attorney awaiting further action.

“You may feel free to use this in your blog.”

The 46-year old woman who was arrested is Lisa Burkhart-Foster and she lives in East Dundee.

The money disappeared from 2004-2006.

In an August 6, 2007, letter to Daily Herald reporter Emily Krone, District 300 School Superintendent Ken Arndt releases a timeline which includes

• 2005 : Central Office employees identified concerns with student activity accounts and began pursuing answers to their concerns
• September 2006 (after the rate hike and bond referendums, I would note): D300 launched a series of proactive steps to research, define, and correct the root cause(s) of the bookkeeping problems.
• July 2006: D300 filed a police report on the matter with after determining that embezzlement was probable.
• July 2007: D300 filed papers in Kane County Circuit Court seeking financial documentation to help answer the remaining questions, which are relevant both to District’s insurance claim and possible criminal charges.

Click to enlarge.

The theft was discovered in 2007 while the 55-cent tax hike and $185 million bond referendum was on the front burner.

A forensic auditor was brought in…to prove up the case, I guess.

The regular District 300 auditor found nothing amiss.

I’ve extracted those from McHenry County and present them below:

Carpentersville School District 300
2006-07 $28,347 (Hinshaw & Culbertson)

Elgin Community College
2006-07 $47,500 (Advanced Practical Solutions)
2007-08 $60,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions)

Harper College
2006-07 $84,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions)
2007-08 $126,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions – $60,000; Alfred G. Ronan Ltd – $50,000; Michelle Teresa Olson – $6,000; Zack Stamp Ltd – $10,000)

Huntley
2006-07 $45,000 (Morreale Public Affairs Group)
2007-08 $65,507 (Morreale Public Affairs Group)

Johnsburg
2006-07 N.A. (Advanced Practical Solutions)
2007-08 $35,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions)

And who are these lobbying firms?

Advanced Practical Solutions
Milan Petrovic, Shqipe “Sheri” Osmani, and Matthew R. Pickering were the exclusive lobbyists; the firm also reported contractual relationships with All-Circo, Government Navigation Group, Roger Marquardt, and two other firms. The firm also reported Dan Shomon, Fidelity Consulting Group, Illinois Governmental Consulting Group, and Roger Marquardt, as clients.

Morreale Public Affairs Group
Kim Morreale was the exclusive lobbyist.

Olson, Michelle Teresa
Michelle Teresa Olson is the exclusive lobbyist. The firm also listed Cullen & Assoc as a client.

Ronan, Alfred G., Ltd.
Alfred G. Ronan and Cheryl Axley were the exclusive lobbyists. The firm listed Miguel Santiago and Thomas J. Walsh as clients

Stamp, Zack LTD
Zack Stamp, Kevin McFadden and Steve W. Kinion were the exclusive lobbyists. The firm also reported contractual relationships with B-P Consultants, Cullen & Assoc., Zack Stamp Consulting, and one other.

Robert Lee, the youngest one running for the Carpentersville District 300
school board proposes a new recognition possibility for students.

Read about his idea for a “Certified Diploma” below:

ROBERT LEE PROPOSES DISTRICT 300 CREATE A CERTIFIED DIPLOMA PROGRAM

EAST DUNDEE – Robert Lee proposed the creation of a Certified Diploma Program, highlighting its emphasis on a community based education that includes academics, community service, and social development.

“Our communities center themselves around schools. Having three high schools in District 300, with roughly 6,000 students combined, offers us an opportunity to both prepare them for future success after District 300, as well as prepare younger students for their success in District 300,” Lee said.

“Schools and communities are inseparable. We should develop an education which expands the scope of learning to accommodate that reality.”

Lee said the Certified Diploma Program would be an option students can use to receive a higher tier diploma from District 300 by focusing on four components.

Students who

• average a 3.0 GPA,
• complete ten hours of community service during each academic year of high school attendance,
• provide a personal statement of their educational experience, and
• receive two letters of recommendation from mentors in the community

will be eligible for a Certified Diploma.

“Schools cannot expect to educate students in an environment completely separated from that which exists outside the school.

“This Certified Diploma Program will not only teach students the important academic lessons they must learn, but also the cognitive and social abilities necessary to put academic learning to good use.

“Academic and professional studies show how community based learning is integral in today’s modern world.”

Lee emphasized the benefits of collaborating with multiple community entities to help implement this program. Further, he pointed out the emphasis on the student’s responsibility in completing the requirements will take minimal resources and not distract from the classroom environment.

“Over time, this program will become self perpetuating. As older students interact with younger ones in various activities, they help to build an ethic of community the younger students take with them as they grow. In the long run, this program will build a better community within our schools and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

“Everyone in our community has a reason to care about District 300. It’s time District 300 start to help build communities that believe that.”

Here’s what it looks like. First the front:

Now the back:

Advance 300’s Nancy Zettler is one of those interviewed. This is what is under her picture:

Nancy Zettler, co-chair of Advance 300, a group that organized support for a recent funding referendum, believes that the anti-tax lobbying has gotten too strong and that a pro-tax lobby needs to strike back. She spoke to us in northwest Dundee.

Besides Zettler, the following people were interviewed:

• Nate Roth
• John Near
• Jerry Jacobs
• Teresa Stupa
• Matt Bishop

If I could find the links again, I’d make it easy for you to listen to them, but I can’t. (I can’t even tell you what year the interviews are from, but I found others from Maywood, Waukegan and Harvey.)

You can click on each image and read what WBEZ has put under their pictures, however.

Here is District 300 School Board candidate Robert Lee’s comments on Carpentersville School District 300’s announcement that 46 non-tenured teachers would be let go, pending the appearance of unforeseen revenue:

ROBERT LEE STATEMENT ON DISTRICT 300 ACTION TO RELEASE TEACHERS FOR BALANCED BUDGET

EAST DUNDEE – Robert Lee released the following statement following the actions of the District 300 Board of Education to release forty-six non-tenured staff:

“Given our current economic conditions, I understand the rationale taken by the Board of Education to release these staff members.

“However, part of me also sees this as an opportunity to realistically evaluate how we conduct our business in District 300.

“This is an example of where processes influence the education students receive.

“It’s amazing to me that one year after over filling staff positions the District is then forced to cut.

“Eleven and one half positions last year were filled by the District when they were not required.

“If hind sight is truly 20-20, then our view of what is needed in the future should now be crystal clear.

“The processes by which we plan our budgeting and finances must be improved so that economic impacts like the one we are now experiencing are smaller and less damaging.

“I’ve said throughout my campaign that the methods by which our District uses to allocate resources and fund education has a direct impact on the education students receive.

“It’s not merely enough to make the statement that financial responsibility is a priority.

“Board members need to demonstrate it by constantly evaluating ways to improve the methods by which education is provided to all students in District 300, and candidates for the Board must demonstrate they have specific ideas to contribute to the betterment of District 300.

“The district made a promise to students that teachers would be available for their education. I would have voted in a similar fashion to the current board members, especially in regards to the fourteen teachers released for performance related issues.

“However, I would not have done so without a plan to avoid such drastic measures in the future.

“My proposals for Financial Impact Statements and improved quality measures would help in that regard.

“It’s my personal belief that if you’re not trying to improve, you’re on the road to failure.

“If this vote by the board is not a wake up call for improvement, I don’t know what is.

“Now is the time to act, and that is exactly what I hope to do if I am a board member for District 300. Our students deserve no less dedication than just that.”

Monday, March 9, 2009

Dear District 300 parents, community members, and staff members,

It is the responsibility of the District 300 Board of Education to provide a quality education for all children at a cost the community can afford. D300 leaders are committed to working within our means, to ensure we maintain this balance.

Despite the District’s good fiscal management and planning over the past several years, D300, like many school districts across Illinois and the nation, is entering a potentially difficult economic period in 2009-2010.

As you likely read in the February 2009 D300 newsletter, this is mainly due to two reasons, neither of which is in the District’s control: (

1) the economic recession’s impact on the December 2008 consumer price index (CPI), which will severely restrict the revenue that D300 can collect this school year under the tax cap law, and

(2) the potential for insufficient education funding from the state in the 2009-2010 school year due to the massive deficit now faced by Illinois state government.

Because the largest portion of any school district’s budget is personnel, this is always an area of focus when working to maintain a balanced budget.

Sometimes this forces a school board to make difficult decisions.

This evening (Monday, March 9), the D300 Board of Education voted in an open meeting to release 46 non-tenured (less experienced) teachers as of July 1, 2009, for either performance issues or budgetary reasons.

Fourteen of them were released due to performance problems and will not be rehired.

However, the remaining 32 teachers were released strictly for budgetary reasons.

This aspect of the vote was one of the most difficult and painful decisions that this School Board has ever faced.

But the D300 Board is not alone in the challenge of balancing a quality education with conservative fiscal planning during this economic recession. School districts near and far are releasing staff due to the precariousness of the state budget.

These 32 staff members constitute all of the first-year, general education (not bilingual or special education) elementary school teachers in D300.

They did not have performance issues, and they will be provided letters of recommendation.

The Board is releasing them now to meet the state statute on proper notification, allowing them time for their employment transition.

There are no current plans to release any other staff members due to budgetary reasons for the 2009-2010 school year.

The earliest D300 expects to know whether some of the teachers can return to a D300 classroom for 2009-2010 will be this June.

Whether or not some return to D300 will depend on subject-area needs, funding, and student enrollment figures (enrollment growth in the upper grades but a drop or stagnation in lower grades, for example).

Regardless, we expect a district-wide net loss of at least 15 teaching positions this fall.

In the months leading up to D300’s March 2006 referendum, virtually no one could have anticipated the dire economic situation now faced at local, state, and national levels.

These 32 releases are specifically intended to help keep the budget balanced so that D300 does not have to return to voters for years to come.

D300 expects for the most part to still be able to maintain the average elementary class size that was promised in the referendum, partly due to falling elementary enrollment and the steep drop in housing sales.

The D300 Board has chosen to be especially cautious now to protect local taxpayers over the long term.

Truly,

Joseph R. Stevens, President, Board of Education

Kenneth M. Arndt, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools

= = = = =
Dist 300 School District Superintendent Ken Arndt can be seen in the top photo, Board President Joe Stevens below. Both photos were taken at last winter’s Legislative Breakfast.