McHenry County Blog

Want to participate in extracurricular activities at Huntley High School next year?

Then you have to be willing to submit to random drug testing.

The school is not just talking student athletes.

It’s everyone in extracurricular activities.

(See end of article for effective date recommended by the administration.)

I remember attending a meeting in the library of Crystal Lake Community High School in 1969 when my little sister was a senior.

Someone asked the superintendent if there were drugs in school.

He said there weren’t.

On the way home I asked my sister about what percentage of the kids used drugs.

“About 10-15%,” I think she replied.

Fast forward forty years and finally a school board has decided to do something that might actually discourage drug use.

At least among the maybe 50% of high school students who participate in extracurricular activities.

How many Huntley High School students do you think will decide that maybe extracurricular activities aren’t for them this coming year?

10%?

15%?

That would be 5-7% of the “good kids.”

Administrators tried to kill the program–approved last February–with arguments about

• how costly it would be
• how costly it would be to run all year
• how athletes who reach the state finals will be subject to testing anyway (State Rep. Jack Franks’ House Bill 272, signed and effective today, requires random “performance-enhancing substance” drug testing of at least 1,000 high school athletes in 25% of the state’s high schools.)
• how procedures had not been written yet

How ironic that school administrators would want their school board members to get into the minutia of writing procedures.

The mantra I’ve always heard is that school boards are supposed to deal with policy an leave the details to staff.

Six months after policy was set, staff seemed to be still fighting the policy.

It is easy to see that bring a pioneer in high school drug testing will being all sorts of consequences.

Think of big Johnny not being able to be on the football team.

Better yet, think of Johnny’s father’s reaction when he is kicked off the football team for testing positive for drugs.

Think of senior Suzy’s parents trying to find out the real reason she doesn’t want to be in the club s in which she has been a member for the last three years.

In any event, the administrators’ excuses and arguments didn’t work.

The board turned around the discussion and said it’s not the board’s job to write the procedure, that’s what administrators should do.

Who’s going to be affected?

All athletic teams, plus

• Scholastic Bowl



• Marching Band
• Chorus
• Color Guard
• Community Service Club
• Dance Club
• Drama and Group Interpretation
• Fishing
• Journalism
• Math Team
• Music
• National Honor Society
• Speech
• Student Council
• Theater

If you interested in the details of the program, as outlined in a District 158 memo, click here. On the left hand side of the page near the top, you can find the memo.

You’ll see that smokers and drinkers of alcohol may get kicked out of extracurricular activities, not just illicit drug users.

Who will be tested?

A maximum of 10% of students in extracurricular activities up to 12 test times per year, Monday through Saturday. (Strangely, it seems administrators are thinking about testing during summer vacation.)

Breath alcohol and urinalysis tests are proposed.

Students found to be cheating will be banned from extracurricular activities for the rest of the year.

At their own cost, parents may have a second verification test taken. The cost mentioned at the meeting was $150.

But, not to worry about this fall.

It seems the administrators’ belief that waiting six months to “get the word out about testing” meets the boards’ direction to “implement” the plan.

They haven’t even created a data base of high school students, as if that would be difficult.

According to the memo from Terry Awrey that won’t be completed until November.

No testing is contemplated until December, as nearly as I can determine.

Ignoring drug testing for this fall’s football season appears a deliberate part of the administration’s part.

Regular people may think “implement drug testing” means actually start doing drug testing.

Maybe nine months after the school board directed its implementation.

First the Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald finds Carpentersville District 300 violating the Open Meetings Act to switch Jacobs High School graduation ceremony from the school to Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

Now this enterprising reporter has discovered that one of District 300’s employees may have “mishandled more than $100,000 of student activity funds at Dundee-Crown High School.”

And this was going on during the referendum to raise the school district’s tax rate by 55-cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The claim was that extracurricular activities, including sports, would have to be drastically cut. The first rebuttal was that extracurricular activities and sports made up less than 1% of District 300’s budget.

Then, the district admitted low-balling State Aid to Education, when Huntley School Board member Larry Snow pointed that out. Then Northwest Herald reporter (now Communications Director for District 300) Allison Smith did a story confirming that. Eventually, the board itself agreed.

And, guess what?

The ignored state aid was more than enough to pay for the student activities used by the tax hike committee as a major argument to vote in favor of the referendum.

Now, even the money paid by the students or obtained to subsidize those programs apparently turns up missing.

School districts in the southeastern part of McHenry County seem to have a problem handling money.

First, payroll money at Huntley School District 158 turned up missing.

Now, student activity money in District 300.

I wonder if it’s because of the water.

Huntley School Board member Larry Snow had this to say on the matter:

”Reconciling checking accounts is fundamental to having internal controls that detect and prevent theft and fraud.

The average taxpayer knows that their high-paid school administrators should be balancing the District’s check books.

“During the referendum, political statements were made that D-300′s C.F.O. is an expert and that they are being judged by those who are not experts. How much good judgment do you need to know that checking accounts need to be balanced?

“In the article ‘School Board Member Mary Warren said poor oversight of student activity funds had been a problem for more than five years.’ It doesn’t take an expert to know that you don’t let poor oversight continue for year after year.

“Liberal school board members praise school administrators as experts, but, then, after the referendum the facts come out that there’s been ‘poor oversight’ and a ‘problem for more than five years.’

“They are ’experts’ when they want to reward their friends with bonuses and salary increases, but allow them to keep their jobs even after admitting there’s been a “problem for more than five years.”

At least District 300 is trying to find the money and, presumably, get it back.

District 158 has at least as much it might recoup from administrators given health benefits without board approval, but don’t hold your breath waiting for its board to follow District 300’s example.

First the Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald finds Carpentersville District 300 violating the Open Meetings Act to switch Jacobs High School graduation ceremony from the school to Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

Now this enterprising reporter has discovered that one of District 300’s employees may have “mishandled more than $100,000 of student activity funds at Dundee-Crown High School.”

And this was going on during the referendum to raise the school district’s tax rate by 55-cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The claim was that extracurricular activities, including sports, would have to be drastically cut. The first rebuttal was that extracurricular activities and sports made up less than 1% of District 300’s budget.

Then, the district admitted low-balling State Aid to Education, when Huntley School Board member Larry Snow pointed that out. Then Northwest Herald reporter (now Communications Director for District 300) Allison Smith did a story confirming that. Eventually, the board itself agreed.

And, guess what?

The ignored state aid was more than enough to pay for the student activities used by the tax hike committee as a major argument to vote in favor of the referendum.

Now, even the money paid by the students or obtained to subsidize those programs apparently turns up missing.

School districts in the southeastern part of McHenry County seem to have a problem handling money.

First, payroll money at Huntley School District 158 turned up missing.

Now, student activity money in District 300.

I wonder if it’s because of the water.

Huntley School Board member Larry Snow had this to say on the matter:

”Reconciling checking accounts is fundamental to having internal controls that detect and prevent theft and fraud.

The average taxpayer knows that their high-paid school administrators should be balancing the District’s check books.

“During the referendum, political statements were made that D-300′s C.F.O. is an expert and that they are being judged by those who are not experts. How much good judgment do you need to know that checking accounts need to be balanced?

“In the article ‘School Board Member Mary Warren said poor oversight of student activity funds had been a problem for more than five years.’ It doesn’t take an expert to know that you don’t let poor oversight continue for year after year.

“Liberal school board members praise school administrators as experts, but, then, after the referendum the facts come out that there’s been ‘poor oversight’ and a ‘problem for more than five years.’

“They are ’experts’ when they want to reward their friends with bonuses and salary increases, but allow them to keep their jobs even after admitting there’s been a “problem for more than five years.”

At least District 300 is trying to find the money and, presumably, get it back.

District 158 has at least as much it might recoup from administrators given health benefits without board approval, but don’t hold your breath waiting for its board to follow District 300’s example.

Richmond-Burton High School says home schoolers can participate in athletics and clubs, according to a Northwest Herald article by Kathy Gresey.

But, Carpentersville School District 300, which has a home school Dad on its board, turned thumbs down on the families that save it thousands of dollars a year, the NW Herald’s David Fitzgerald reports.

In Richmond, the vote was 6-0. While not officially allowed by school policy in years past, a half dozen kids have taken part in such property tax-supported activities.

Although Happy Briggs of Spring Grove does not home school, she led the fight in the northeastern corner of McHenry County, reporter Gresey writes.

In the much larger southeastern corner and northern Kane County school district, the school board decided to follow its attorney’s advice. The attorney seems to have been following the rules of the very private Illinois High School Athletic Association regulations, which are decidedly anti-home school.

The attorney also raised questions about liability insurance coverage.

Even home school Dad John Ryan, who brought up the issue, withdrew it from consideration.

This reminds me so much of a story my father told me his Tri-State Packers ttrade association lawyer in Washington told him while Dad was arranging for canning and packing industry witnesses on Capitol Hill during and after World War II.

The high priced attorney said, “Cal, there are two kinds of lawyers. Those who tell you why you can’t do what you want to do and those who tell you how to do what you want to do.”

Which type of lawyer do you think is on District 300’s payroll?

= = = = =
The picture is of John Ryan, home school Dad on the Carpentersville District 300 school board.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

Richmond-Burton High School says home schoolers can participate in athletics and clubs, according to a Northwest Herald article by Kathy Gresey.

But, Carpentersville School District 300, which has a home school Dad on its board, turned thumbs down on the families that save it thousands of dollars a year, the NW Herald’s David Fitzgerald reports.

In Richmond, the vote was 6-0. While not officially allowed by school policy in years past, a half dozen kids have taken part in such property tax-supported activities.

Although Happy Briggs of Spring Grove does not home school, she led the fight in the northeastern corner of McHenry County, reporter Gresey writes.

In the much larger southeastern corner and northern Kane County school district, the school board decided to follow its attorney’s advice. The attorney seems to have been following the rules of the very private Illinois High School Athletic Association regulations, which are decidedly anti-home school.

The attorney also raised questions about liability insurance coverage.

Even home school Dad John Ryan, who brought up the issue, withdrew it from consideration.

This reminds me so much of a story my father told me his Tri-State Packers ttrade association lawyer in Washington told him while Dad was arranging for canning and packing industry witnesses on Capitol Hill during and after World War II.

The high priced attorney said, “Cal, there are two kinds of lawyers. Those who tell you why you can’t do what you want to do and those who tell you how to do what you want to do.”

Which type of lawyer do you think is on District 300’s payroll?

= = = = =
The picture is of John Ryan, home school Dad on the Carpentersville District 300 school board.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

As reported Monday, the Belvidere School Board has figured out a way to save sports and extracurricular activities after pledging to kill them, if their spring referendum failed.

As reporter Jeff Kolkey put it,

If this were a game of chicken, Belvidere School Board members blinked first Monday night, possibly trading the long-term financial health of the school system for the good of the community.

How did they justify their 5-1 vote sitting before 650 (!!) residents?

They will spend down their surplus and counting on more, but not a lot more, State Aid to Education.

Here’s how the Rockford Register-Star reporter summed up what will happen:

Without an increase in local property taxes or significant increases in general state aid, the district will be borrowing money to meet payroll in about four years. With no tax increase and only conservative increases in state aid, the district’s $14.5 million education fund balance will turn into a more than $5 million accumulated deficit by 2012.

But just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, they’ll be back in February, the lowest turnout election in the two-year cycle.

Board member Dick Van Evera charged the audience thusly:

“This group has a responsibility and obligation to make sure the next referendum is a success — an overwhelming success.ra told the crowd. I charge all of you with this responsibility.”

Elections are about differential turnout and the tax hike folks apparently think they are better organized than their opponents.

And, they’re probably right.

As reported Monday, the Belvidere School Board has figured out a way to save sports and extracurricular activities after pledging to kill them, if their spring referendum failed.

As reporter Jeff Kolkey put it,

If this were a game of chicken, Belvidere School Board members blinked first Monday night, possibly trading the long-term financial health of the school system for the good of the community.

How did they justify their 5-1 vote sitting before 650 (!!) residents?

They will spend down their surplus and counting on more, but not a lot more, State Aid to Education.

Here’s how the Rockford Register-Star reporter summed up what will happen:

Without an increase in local property taxes or significant increases in general state aid, the district will be borrowing money to meet payroll in about four years. With no tax increase and only conservative increases in state aid, the district’s $14.5 million education fund balance will turn into a more than $5 million accumulated deficit by 2012.

But just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, they’ll be back in February, the lowest turnout election in the two-year cycle.

Board member Dick Van Evera charged the audience thusly:

“This group has a responsibility and obligation to make sure the next referendum is a success — an overwhelming success.ra told the crowd. I charge all of you with this responsibility.”

Elections are about differential turnout and the tax hike folks apparently think they are better organized than their opponents.

And, they’re probably right.

It is no surprised when school boards threaten to kill sports and extracurricular activities if their voters don’t pass tax rate hikes.

If it less common for school officials to be proven to have enough money to avoid doing that before the election.

That happened at the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Rotary Club meeting a little over a year ago when Huntley School Board Member Larry Snow pointed out and District 300 Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates admitted that she had underestimated State Aid to Education. The same admission was made at a later school board meeting.

The amount?

More than enough to save sports and extracurricular activities.

The Northwest Herald even ran a chart on it front page before the referendum.

Nevertheless, the District 300 tax hike committee—Advance 300–and the district continued the ruse that sports and extra curricular activities would disappear, if the referendum did not pass.

The same strategy was used in Boone County’s biggest school district, Belvidere.

Saturday, Kevin Haas wrote a story for the Rockford Register-Star about how Belvidere School Superintendent Don Scholmann had—ready for this—found enough money to keep sports and extracurricular activities intact for the next two years.

Want to guess where he is finding the money?

Go on. Guess.

Sounding a lot like President Richard M. Nixon when he ran for president the second time, Superintendent Schlomann has a secret plan.

He’ll announce it Monday at the school board meeting.

But, it’s going to postpone the end of sports and extracurricular activities for two years.

And, surprise, surprise, it will depend on how much state aid to education shows up after this legislative session.

Or, maybe it will be a combination of that and drawing down the reserves that Rockford reporter Jeff Jolkey has found.

Catch this sentence:

Without a tax increase and without a budget cut, the district could run its new high school until 2012.

Too bad opponents of the Belvidere tax rate hike didn’t ask Larry Snow to take a look at the books and offer his analysis.

The truth about whether there would be enough money for extracurricular activities and sports might have been knowable before the referendum.

The story says the district only estimated $150 more per student but what’s being discussed is more than that.

District 300 estimated less than that for referendum propaganda purposes–$100.

And here’s the Belvidere superintendent’s explanation to reporter Kevin Haas:

If the Board of Education would have knowledge of what the state aid was going to be, they may not have run a referendum. But at the same time we still don’t know what that state aid is going to be. And we won’t know until July.

Excuse me, if I smell something I wouldn’t keep in the house.

The Rockford paper endorsed the referendum.

This was part of the editorial:

If it fails, sports and extracurriculars will go, at least for a year. Simple.

And here’s part of what one person wrote after reading that, low and behold, sports and extracurriculars might not die:

… the school system lies….I can tell you, Belvidere will never get another vote out of me, ever….

And, here’s another comment from an “No” voter:

Now their bluff has been called, and they have been shown up. So now Belvidere most likely will get to keep sports, and the new high school will be staffed, WITHOUT a tax increase.

They simply sat down, decided that they didn’t want to take pay cuts, and used the kids as pawns. Now the kids should be upset with the BOE for using them in their little game, instead of the voters that voted NO.

= = = = =
The homemade square yellow sign saying “BUCS BOOSTER” in a half circle on the top and “SUPPORT ATHLETICS” in a half circle on the bottom with “VOTE YES” in the middle was in front of a home with a “NO CHEMTOOL” sign in Garden Prairie.

The other pictures of signs were taken last fall before the November referendum. I didn’t see any of them this time around, but I’ll bet some were re-cycled.

Click on the text of the referendum question and see if you can understand it.

It is no surprised when school boards threaten to kill sports and extracurricular activities if their voters don’t pass tax rate hikes.

If it less common for school officials to be proven to have enough money to avoid doing that before the election.

That happened at the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Rotary Club meeting a little over a year ago when Huntley School Board Member Larry Snow pointed out and District 300 Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates admitted that she had underestimated State Aid to Education. The same admission was made at a later school board meeting.

The amount?

More than enough to save sports and extracurricular activities.

The Northwest Herald even ran a chart on it front page before the referendum.

Nevertheless, the District 300 tax hike committee—Advance 300–and the district continued the ruse that sports and extra curricular activities would disappear, if the referendum did not pass.

The same strategy was used in Boone County’s biggest school district, Belvidere.

Saturday, Kevin Haas wrote a story for the Rockford Register-Star about how Belvidere School Superintendent Don Scholmann had—ready for this—found enough money to keep sports and extracurricular activities intact for the next two years.

Want to guess where he is finding the money?

Go on. Guess.

Sounding a lot like President Richard M. Nixon when he ran for president the second time, Superintendent Schlomann has a secret plan.

He’ll announce it Monday at the school board meeting.

But, it’s going to postpone the end of sports and extracurricular activities for two years.

And, surprise, surprise, it will depend on how much state aid to education shows up after this legislative session.

Or, maybe it will be a combination of that and drawing down the reserves that Rockford reporter Jeff Jolkey has found.

Catch this sentence:

Without a tax increase and without a budget cut, the district could run its new high school until 2012.

Too bad opponents of the Belvidere tax rate hike didn’t ask Larry Snow to take a look at the books and offer his analysis.

The truth about whether there would be enough money for extracurricular activities and sports might have been knowable before the referendum.

The story says the district only estimated $150 more per student but what’s being discussed is more than that.

District 300 estimated less than that for referendum propaganda purposes–$100.

And here’s the Belvidere superintendent’s explanation to reporter Kevin Haas:

If the Board of Education would have knowledge of what the state aid was going to be, they may not have run a referendum. But at the same time we still don’t know what that state aid is going to be. And we won’t know until July.

Excuse me, if I smell something I wouldn’t keep in the house.

The Rockford paper endorsed the referendum.

This was part of the editorial:

If it fails, sports and extracurriculars will go, at least for a year. Simple.

And here’s part of what one person wrote after reading that, low and behold, sports and extracurriculars might not die:

… the school system lies….I can tell you, Belvidere will never get another vote out of me, ever….

And, here’s another comment from an “No” voter:

Now their bluff has been called, and they have been shown up. So now Belvidere most likely will get to keep sports, and the new high school will be staffed, WITHOUT a tax increase.

They simply sat down, decided that they didn’t want to take pay cuts, and used the kids as pawns. Now the kids should be upset with the BOE for using them in their little game, instead of the voters that voted NO.

= = = = =
The homemade square yellow sign saying “BUCS BOOSTER” in a half circle on the top and “SUPPORT ATHLETICS” in a half circle on the bottom with “VOTE YES” in the middle was in front of a home with a “NO CHEMTOOL” sign in Garden Prairie.

The other pictures of signs were taken last fall before the November referendum. I didn’t see any of them this time around, but I’ll bet some were re-cycled.

Click on the text of the referendum question and see if you can understand it.