The headline is from the third sentence of a January 7th letter of recommendation written by Terry Awrey.

He was Cheryl Kalkirtz’ boss while she was employed at Huntley District 158.

The entire letter is below.

On January 11th, Kalkirtz submitted a letter of resignation offering to end her employment on June 30th at the end of her employment contract.

On February 1st, Kalkirtz departed Huntley under circumstances one could describe as

• “unusual,”
• “mysterious” or
• “unexplained by the district,”

your choice of words or phrases.

Could it be a majority on the board of education and likely Supt. John Burkey didn’t think having “a proven professional” who “has earned the respect of the Administrative Team” was reason enough to keep Kalkirtz employed through the first year of her contract?

Or was something else at work?

What other on-the-job-performance-related qualities did Kalkirtz boss praise her for?

If you read the letter below (click to enlarge), you will see Associate Superintendent Awrey writing:

“I find her to be highly intelligent, motivated and committed
to the educational success of each and every child.”

This hardly seems like a list of reasons for Kalkirtz to be no longer employed.

Did Awrey have any reservations about Kalkirtz?

It certainly doesn’t seem so from what he wrote:

“I recommend Mrs. Kalkirtz without reservation.”

Of course, getting praised by the number two guy in an organization does have its limitations.  The basic  one is that one is not in charge.

So who decided that Kalkirtz needed to no longer be employed as a proven, well respected Huntley professional who is highly intelligent, motivated and committed to the educational success of each and every child?

Huntley principals and other administrators may take note how you, too, could be highly praised one day and be thought of apparently very differently soon thereafter.

The phrase “we would never do something like this” takes on a different meaning when you look at in the context of Cheryl Kalkirtz employment.

So far, no good-reason explanation has been advanced for why board members and Supt. Burkey didn’t allow Kalkirtz to finish her contract, which ended until June 30th.

Huntley has done so in the past for other next step higher up administrators.

What happened can probably be found filed in a locked file cabinet in the office of Lauren Smith, Director of Human Resources under “Employee Morale – Bad.”

How can you have so many fair-minded, public-spirited, caring, well-meaning individuals as top administrators and board members and have this happen?

Maybe someone can answer that question.

Join Huntley School District 158–where you can be exceptional administrator or employee one week and no-longer-employed a few weeks later.

Remember.

It’s all for the children.

The original opening sentence of yesterday’s Daily Herald’s article on former Special Education Director Cheryl Kalkirtz read,

“Recently released documents show a former special education director in Huntley Unit District 158 overstated her qualifications on her job application.”

For some reason, it changed to

“Documents obtained recently by the Daily Herald paint a contradictory picture of what transpired when a former special education director in Huntley Unit District 158 applied for her job last year.”

You might think this is the real reason behind Kalkirtz’ leaving Huntley School District 158.

Au contraire.

There is far more to it than an employment application, which Kalkirtz may not have personally filled out.

Apparently reporter Jameel Naqvi knows about Cheryl Kalkirtz’ resignation on January 11th, but you can’t tell it from the Daily Herald headline (which editors, not reporters usually write).  Here’s the original headline:

Ex-Huntley Dist. 158 special ed. chief pumped up job application

Here’s the revision:

Question Ex-Huntley Dist. 158 special ed. chief pump up job application?

What Supt. Burkey did comment on in the article relative to Kalkirtz’ resignation was,

“Burkey said the brief statement was the only letter Kalkirtz submitted.” (emphasis added)

If so, I wonder about this letter, which McHenry County Blog has obtained a while back:

It’s addressed to Superintendent John Burkey.

And to school board members.

Could it be that Burkey doesn’t read letters of resignation from top administrators?

Or doesn’t remember?

We know several board members received copies of Kalkirtz’ January letter of resignation, weeks after she had departed.  They were hand delivered to board member’s homes.

Apparently Burkey didn’t pass along Kalkirtz’ resignation letter, addressed also to board members, when Kalkirtz submitted it on January 11th.

If I were on a school board, I’d certainly want to see a letter like this.

Especially with all the controversy about Special Ed.

Below is Kalkirtz’ January 11th letter of resignation with print large enough print to read.

Burkey apparently begged Kalkirtz to stay with the district after she first met with Associate Superintendent Terry Awrey.

They two met with Supt. Burkey to discuss Kalkirtz’ resignation.

After imploring her to stay, Kalkirtz agreed.

A few weeks went by.

Days after Burkey got a new three-year employment contract approved by the board, Burkey apparently decided to have Kalkirtz leave abruptly, rather than her continue through the school year, as she proposed in her January 11th resignation letter.

It’s an interesting way to treat a professional who resigns and commits to finishing out the school year.

When you read the original letter, the Daily Herald’s headline comes across as quite a smear job on Kalkirtz.

Will the Daily Herald take Burkey to task for being less than truthful when he said there was only one resignation letter when there were two?

We’ll see.

The Daily Herald seems to be making a big issue about whether Kalkirtz was truthful.

Will they now hold Burkey to a lower standard?

Or ask why Burkey apparently didn’t check out Kalkirtz’ credentials before hiring her?

Maybe Burkey did and thought that, if she were going to be receiving her endorsement soon, then that would be okay, as Burkey did with the Assistant Special Ed Directors who also were required by state law to have their endorsements when they took their jobs.

It looks as if Burkey recommended several people for jobs that required endorsements, got the board to approve them and, then, after Kalkirtz submitted her January resignation letter, singled her out.

After all, none of the people running Special Ed in any school district that belongs to SEDOM, the Special Education District of McHenry County, needs to have a Special Ed Director certification, because the SEDOM Director Kathy Wilhoit’s endorsement is sufficient.

If this isn’t what happened, Burkey can set the record straight the same time he admits there was a previous resignation letter.

When you read Kalkirtz’ original resignation letter below you can understand why Burkey might want to say the letter never existed.

You might also understand how it came about Kalkirtz departed Huntley.

There’s one thing administrators and board members should know about confidentiality clauses; they don’t apply to when the documents are already beyond someone’s control.

Lots of people with the district talked about Kalkirtz resigning when it happened on January 11th.  The grapevine gushed out news about it.

People outside of board members and administrators not only had a copy of Kalkirtz’ January 11th resignation letter, but other documents as well prior to any agreement being entered into between Kalkirtz and the district.

Below is the text of the January 11, 2010, resignation letter from Cheryl Kalkirtz:

January 11th, 2010

Consolidated School District 158
Board of Education Members
Dr. John Burkey, Superintendent
650 Academic Drive
Algonquin, IL 60102

I am providing you with this letter of resignation, upon the completion of my contract for the 2009-2010 school years, for your approval as I have selected to look for other employment at this time. I would like to cite some particular examples for my decision to not stay with the district, also offering artifacts, correspondence or concrete examples for my departure, as an experienced administrator who has persevered at a district with many changes or dis structure that was placed before her.

The bullet points as below, generally describe my reasons for not choosing to remain at District #158 next year:

• The administrative design for the Office of Special Services from day one has required a different structure, as experienced cabinet members could have prevented so much change, and even one assistant director’s resignation during this school year, as that administrator has still not been replaced.
• I started the school year, needing to rapport build with a new office staff, who I was encouraged not to trust, causing disharmony in our immediate office setting. Still, we grew as a family, office staff are extremely dedicated and loyal, and I have observed trustworthiness and professionalism.
• I would mentor 3 new assistant directors to oversee the district’s special education populations, with a disproportionate structure for supervision responsibilities. The cabinet has heard my ongoing concerns regarding themes of our office and has not always included me with problem-solving strategies.
• I have represented reports, to the best of my ability, with other cabinet members either changing reports on the fly or have been asked to change reports sporadically, without ensuring accuracy in the completion of reports that I would need to represent formally.
• Communications to my superiors, verbally or via e-mail, have not always been acknowledged, as a new administrator to the district, regarding decision-making for my department.
• I was unable to participate in staff development, or have a leadership role for Special Services staff to have Institute Day opportunities to meet throughout the year, as past practices periodically allowed for this. I was not even formally introduced to the district by my superiors at the district’s opening Institute Day, and neither was my new administrative team from the get go.
• Fiscal data has not been collaborative.
• Curriculum and assessments for special needs students have been authoritarian style versus collaborative, and I have found that the Curriculum Director has required my providing her with reports about curriculum and criteria for establishing curriculum for the near 1,400 students who we represent, versus recommending curriculum according to her expertise and background or being advised to adopt programs that may or may not be successful for our students, due to former animosity between herself and my predecessor.
• Caseloads and workloads for staff have been an ongoing struggle, as workloads for Special Education Staff became a legal requirement last spring into this fall with the state board of education, with my coming onboard to a new district. This fact has been a thorn in the office of Special Services throughout the entire year and relationship building has been limited during an average work day, as my administrative team has been limited for addressing many of the workload concerns. Finally, this winter, the district is establishing committees to follow through with workloads, represented by the Human Resource Office, respectfully.
• District wide initiatives, such as RTI that leads to special education eligibility, PBIS, action-planning, the District’s first Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education, managing data with different fiscal databases, and strengthening special education compliance without an IEP database, has been a difficult and unique process, with a redeveloped administrative Special Services Team and a strong need for more clerical support, when compared to the other offices in our district. Morale has been an ongoing concern, additionally. All of the points listed are important to me, as how I am publicly perceived as a public school administrator.

As I have touched upon several concerning areas, as listed, please know that my original enthusiasm and intended dedication has always remained sincere and proactive, amidst the many changes placed before my office and programs.

To turn so many known obstacles around in such a short period of time, also with directives from my superiors to change how we function as an office with so much frequency or lack of communication, administrative guidance has been unclear, limited toward me for opportunities to understand the direction of how leadership wants me to interchange with understanding future designs or new directions for the district via long term goals.

In conclusion, my predecessor, from what I have heard, experienced all of these concerns and articulated these similarities to her superiors during her tenure with the district.

Respectfully, I will miss the collaborations and relationships that I have developed through our district and our Special Education cooperative and I hope that the district learns from an experienced district level administrator who tried to positively persevere at a district that needs to reconsider their foundation for professional learning communities for all of their stakeholders.

Below are four snippets from Huntley 158’s board meeting of March 4th. If you had taken the time to listen to or be at the board meeting, you would have heard the quotes below. (My apologies for any minor discrepancies.) Before each quote you see the context of what was being discussed.

1. After the board discussed the Middle School Handbook and how it had a homework policy in it for Huntley middle schools, Huntley High Principal Dave Johnson stepped up to the rostrum and commented on the absence of a homework policy in the high school handbook:

Mark Altmayer

“I think it would be difficult to come up with a policy.”

2. When the board was discussing whether further cuts should be planned for, Chief Financial Officer Mark Altmayer referred to $1.4 million by saying:

“It’s a lot of money, but it’s not that much money.”

3. When the board was discussing the appointment of a new board member to replace Shawn Green, who resigned at the end of the meeting, board member Donald Drzal commented on whether candidates should answer questions from board members at a public meeting:

“It’s not healthy to allow for a public Q & A.”

4. When Superintendent John Burkey’s proposed to have the last day of school for students be only two hours this year before a long weekend several board members balked, beginning with board member Aileen Seedorf questioning how this made a lot of sense.  After a lengthy discussion by the board Burkey offered this admission:

“I didn’t ask any parents about this.”

If administrators or board members were wondering at times about the audience reaction, these quotes might provide some hints.

Earlier today I posted the “Notice of Vacancy” sent out by Huntley School District 158.  I noticed that it did not seem to mesh with school board policy.

Now the district has sent out a revised version of its original notice, which is below.

The difference seems to be that three reference letters are now not required, but may still be submitted with one’s resume.

Maybe you can find other differences.  The original requirements are found here.

Notice of Board Member Vacancy – revised
03.05.10 p.m.

At the Committee of the Whole March 4, 2010 meeting, the Board of Education of Consolidated School District 158 of McHenry and Kane Counties, Illinois received the resignation of Mr. Shawn Green, Board President. Mr. Green has served the District as a Board Member since April 2005.

Interested parties in becoming a board member and applying for the vacancy, please submit your information as follows:

• A letter of interest
• Resume and up to three references

Submit to: Naomi Fettes, Executive Assistant and Board Operations, Consolidated School District 158, 650 Academic Drive, Algonquin, Illinois 60102.

Applicants are also required to provide proof of the following:

• A United States Citizen
• At least 18 years of age
• A resident of the State of Illinois and CSD158 and Illinois for at least one year
• A registered voter in the State of Illinois and McHenry or Kane Counties, Illinois

Deadline for submission by close of business day before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 18, 2010

Contact the Superintendent’s office at (847) 659-6103 or via email at nfettes@district158.org for further information.
The Board will review the resumes, that will be made public, and discuss the next step at the March 18, 2010 regular Board meeting.
Policy 2:40

A Board of Education member must be, on the date of election or appointment, a United States citizen at least 18 years of age, a resident of Illinois and the District for at least one year immediately preceding the election, and a registered voter.

Reasons making an individual ineligible for Board of Education membership include holding an incompatible office and certain types of State or federal employment. A child sex offender, as defined in State law, is ineligible for School Board membership.

LEGAL REF.: Ill. Constitution, Art. 2, ¶ 1; Art 4, ¶ 2(e); Art 6, ¶ 13(b).
105 ILCS 5/10-3 and 5/10-10.

With the resignation of Huntley School District 158 Board President Shawn Green, the remaining members are seeking applicants to replace him.Applications are due by March 18th.  Below is the notice that has been distributed:

Notice of Board Member Vacancy

03.05.10

Shawn Green chairing a board meeting.

At the Committee of the Whole March 4, 2010 meeting, the Board of Education of Consolidated School District 158 of McHenry and Kane Counties, Illinois received the resignation of Mr. Shawn Green, Board President. Mr. Green has served the District as a Board Member since April 2005.

Interested parties of becoming a board member, should submit their resume and letter of interest to: Naomi Fettes, Executive Assistant and Board Operations, Consolidated School District 158, 650 Academic Drive, Algonquin, Illinois 60102.

Deadline for submission by close of business day before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 18, 2010 Requirements (as per Policy 2:40) in the volunteer position are listed below:

• Letter of Interest addressed to: Naomi Fettes, Executive Assistant and Board Operations
• Proof of Citizenship
• Proof of Residency as resident of CSD158 and Illinois for at least a year
• Proof of Voter’s Registration, for either McHenry or Kane Counties, Illinois
• Resume and three Letters of Reference
• Verification of at least 18 years of age

Contact the Superintendent’s office at (847) 659-6103 or via email at nfettes@district158.org for further information.

The Board will review the resumes, that will be made public, and discuss the next step at the March 18, 2010 regular Board meeting.

Policy 2:40

A Board of Education member must be, on the date of election or appointment, a United States citizen at least 18 years of age, a resident of Illinois and the District for at least one year immediately preceding the election, and a registered voter.

Reasons making an individual ineligible for Board of Education membership include holding an incompatible office and certain types of State or federal employment. A child sex offender, as defined in State law, is ineligible for School Board membership.

LEGAL REF.: Ill. Constitution, Art. 2, ¶ 1; Art 4, ¶ 2(e); Art 6, ¶ 13(b).
105 ILCS 5/10-3 and 5/10-10.

Strangely enough, the board policy, seen below, does not require letters of recommendations:

Consolidated School District 158 2:70
Page 1 of 1

Board of Education
Vacancies on Board of Education – Filling Vacancies
Vacancy

Elective office of a Board of Education member becomes vacant before the term’s expiration when any of the following occurs:

1. Death of the incumbent;
2. Resignation in writing filed with the Secretary of the Board of Education;
3. Legal disability of the incumbent;
4. Conviction of a felony, bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime or of any offense involving a violation of official oath or of a violent crime against a child;
5. Removal from office;
6. The decision of a competent tribunal declaring his or her election void;
7. Ceasing to meet the residential requirements contained in The School Code;
8. An illegal conflict of interest; or
9. Acceptance of a second public office that is incompatible with Board of Education membership.

Filling Vacancies

Whenever a vacancy occurs, the remaining members shall notify the Regional Superintendent of Schools of that vacancy within 5 days after its occurrence and shall fill the vacancy until the next regular Board of Education election, at which election a successor shall be elected to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. However, if the vacancy occurs with less than 868 days remaining in the term, the person so appointed shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term, and no election to fill the vacancy shall be held. Members appointed by the remaining members of the Board to fill vacancies shall meet any residential requirements as specified in The School Code. The Board shall fill the vacancy within 45 days after it occurred by a public vote at a meeting of the Board.

Immediately following a vacancy on the Board of Education, the Board will publicize it and accept résumés from District residents who are interested in filling the vacancy. After reviewing the applications, the Board may invite the prospective candidates for personal interviews (emphasis added).

LEGAL REF.: 105 ILCS 5/10-10 and 5/10-11.
CROSS REF.: 2:40 (Board Member Qualifications), 2:60 (Board Member Removal From Office)
ADOPTED: May 17, 2001

Tonight was Huntley School Board President Shawn Green’s last meeting. He resigned to pursue policy concerns in a different arena, perhaps even another elective office. (He was elected a Republican Precinct Committeeman February 2nd.)

Green warns against using the schools for “social indoctrination” and decries the possibility of any future education fund tax increase.

Below are his remarks:

School District 158 has made tremendous strides in the last five years, and no rational argument could be made against that statement. By no means do I take personal credit for our achievements; it has been a real collaborative effort between the Board of Education, administration, staff members, the students, and the community as a whole. Still, we should never let our success get in the way of continuous improvement. As the saying goes, “good enough is the enemy of great.”

We still have many hills to climb and many things we need to do better, but there is no denying the fact that in terms of academic achievement, fiscal accountability, transparency, and overall district effectiveness, we are much better off now than we were five years ago. It has been truly rewarding to have played a part, however small, in making that happen.

There are a few personal accomplishments that I am most proud of, such as authoring a resolution in opposition to HB2354, and another calling for a legislative ban on public school employee strikes. Both resolutions received unanimous support from my fellow board members.

I am also proud to have been instrumental in exposing the destructive agendas of certain self-proclaimed “community watchdogs”. (Watchdogs serve a vital purpose, and their efforts are usually worthy of praise. But when the watchdog destroys the furniture, ruins the carpeting, and bites your kids, it becomes a liability rather than an asset.)

Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of my tenure on the Board is the knowledge that I never played politics in my role as a board member. One of my reasons for stepping down is to devote more time to local political issues, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that I will seek another elected office in the near future. But every decision I made as a board member was based on my belief that it was the right thing for the district, not because I was looking to score points with one group or another.

I encourage the Board and administration to remain on the current path, and continuously look for ways to improve.

I urge you to always be mindful that leadership and authority are not automatically synonymous. I also ask the community to be involved.

This is OUR school district-it doesn’t belong to the Department of Education, or bureaucrats in Springfield, or the IEA–it belongs to us; as residents of the community we have a duty to be informed and hold our decision-makers accountable. The same is true for all levels of government.

There’s an essay, commonly attributed to 18th century British professor Alexander Tyler, which outlines the stages of democracy: from Bondage to Spiritual Faith, to Great Courage, to Liberty, to Abundance, to Complacency, to Apathy, to Dependence, and back into Bondage.

I’m afraid our society currently rests somewhere between Apathy and Dependence, and it’s time we get our acts together before it’s too late.

I will personally remain involved, albeit in a much different capacity now, in school district affairs.

I expect the district to spend within its means, never find itself in a situation where another Education Fund referendum is necessary, and refrain from the social indoctrination practices so common in many school districts across the country. Keep moving forward, and I will be a vocal advocate; start moving backward, and I will become a determined adversary. I am confident the Board, administration, and staff will continue to do the right things for District 158, and it has been an honor to work with you and serve the community these last five years.

I officially tender my resignation from the Consolidated School District Board of Education, effective immediately.

Respectfully,

Shawn Green

I have cited Huntley School District 158 as a model of transparency. I did so most recently for all to see at a Crystal Lake City Council meeting when I was perturbed that I could not find the council packet on the internet on the city’s brand-new web site.

I thought I got a favorable response, but last weekend I went looking for the information that the council folks had already received and there was nothing to be found.

Asking City Manager Gary Mayerhofer about when it might happen, I was told that staff was ready, but waiting for direction from the council. Based on that representation, I didn’t ask again during the public comment section. If by the next meeting I attend it is not up, I shall, as you would expect, make mention of it again.

In any event, the Huntley School District was the web site I pointed to as what I hoped Crystal Lake would emulate.

But outside of the board packet’s posting, the Huntley School District is no model of transparency, even though outgoing School Board President Shawn Green represented as such.

Why would I say that?

While McHenry County government has been known to reply to a Freedom of Information request in less than 24 hours, the Huntley School District tends to take the pretty much the maximum amount of time allowed by law.

And, in the instance of my search for anyone employed by District 158 with a Special Education Director qualification, as defined by the Illinois State Board of Education, the term “dragging of the heels” is too mild to use.

On Monday, February 8th, I asked for the following:

“One document for each person having a special education director endorsement on their administrator’s certificate, as verified on the State Board of Education web site.”

The same day, FOI Officer Lori Woods replied,

“Are you requesting a copy of their certificate?

“If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.”

My reply:

“I really don’t care if it the certificate or something referring to the certificate. “

Woods:

“Okay, thanks.  I’ll get working on that ASAP for you.”

My reply:

“The basic question is whether anyone in the district has a certification to be a special ed director.

“I can’t find one.”

On Friday, February 12th, I received this reply from Woods:

“The response to your FOIA regarding documentation of Special Education Director endorsement is attached.

“If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.”

That certainly is within the five-workday returned turnaround time, but consider the answer from Human Resources Director Lauren Smith that was attached:

Huntley School District Human Relations Director Lauren Smith

“I am not clear how to move forward on this request. Based solely on the question, I cannot provide a document for all persons with an endorsement as a special education director.”

Smith’s parsing of my words reminds me of President Bill Clinton’s:

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

Being the persistent type, I filed a new Freedom of Information request on Friday, February 12th, saying,

“It seems to me that my Special Ed certification request was pretty clear, clear enough to ask the IL AG’s office in an appeal and get a letter sent to District 158 the way one was recently sent to Grafton Township officials.  Instead, for a very brief time (I do not promise to wait 5 days, just to delay until the thought of an appeal enters my head again), let me give you another chance with the re-wording of the question you see below:

“I request all documentation provided by the Regional Superintendents Office or State Board of Education that evidences each district employee who holds or has held a Special Education Director endorsement during the 2009 – 2010 fiscal year, including any employee who was employed by the district in FY 2009 – 2010, and any certificate or copy thereof of in possession of the district that evidences the referenced employees’ holding or having held the referenced endorsement.

“A simple ‘We have no record of any such evidence that a Special Ed Director Endorsement has been held by any of our employees during Fiscal Year 2009-2010′ will suffice, if that is the situation.” (Emphasis added.)

Seven days later, I received this reply:

“The response to your FOIA for Special Education Director endorsement is attached.

“If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.”

Now, Human Resources Director Smith has discovered,

“Upon review of certified staff members, including administrators, there is not an employee as of this date with a Director of Special Education endorsement.”

Ver-r-r-r-y in-ter-r-r-r-r-es-s-s-t-ing, as the Laugh-In Nazi would say.

Not that I think Green had any knowledge of the games his staff was playing, but I would point out this answer was received the day after Green praised the district’s transparency.

It was not received before I got fed up at not having receiving a timely answer to my question of February 8th, though.

I would suggest the kiddie games evident above are unworthy of a local government aspiring to be known as a “model of transparency.”

= = = = =

The 800 number of the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access folks is 877-299-3642, by the way.  Complaints may be filed by email.  The email address is PublicAccess@AtG.State.IL.US.

The interview process for hiring a new Special Ed Director in Huntley District 158 included parents. They got to interview the final three candidates. This was after administrators conducted initial interviews, checked out candidates’ credentials and recommended three final candidates.

Lauren Smith, Chief Human Resources Officer, emailed parents who were in on the interviewing, the document at the bottom of this article.

As you can see to the left, the District represented to parents that Cheryl Kalkirtz already had her endorsement for Special Education Director.

This was the administration’s document and the district’s representation.

There was no footnote of “pending,” “applied for” or “based on applicant’s application.”  (See bottom of this article for the all the information supplied parents.)

Administrators were telling parents before hiring Kalkirtz that Kalkirtz had the Director endorsement.

Karen Aylward apparently also made such a representation to parents for herself at the August Parent Advisory Committee meeting.

What is more interesting is how the job description that was used to hire for the position omitted any requirement for an endorsement for Special Ed Director.

Reprinted below  is the job description that was used last year.

You have to wonder

• Why parents were told in writing that Kalkirtz had her endorsement
• Administrators apparently omitted the requirement from the Director job description.
• Why Supt. Burkey and top administrators thought it was acceptable to show parents that Aylward had a Director’s endorsement when it turns out she doesn’t.

Meanwhile knowing this, Burkey is quoted in the Daily Herald today,

“The director of special education does have to have the director endorsement,” Burkey said. “We would only hire someone if we believed they had those qualifications.”

Really?

Shouldn’t the law be quoted correctly in a newspaper?

You can go to the applicable state law

ISBE 23 ILLINOIS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 25.300 SUBTITLE A SUBCHAPTER b SUBPART E: REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPERVISORY STAFF

and read

g) Nothing in this Section is intended to preclude the issuance of a provisional certificate under Section 21-10 of the School Code.

(Source: Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 1582, effective January 12, 2010.)

So when the Daily Herald quotes in a February 18th article,

“”The district cannot lawfully employ someone in this position who does not have this certificate,” state board spokeswoman Mary Fergus said.”

Fergus apparently forgets about provisional certificates.

The newspaper could have been fairer to Kalkirtz and its readers by pointing this out.

The allowance of a provisional certificate could hardly be more plain.

When she was selected last year, administrators and parents thought Kalkirtz was the best overall candidate and the board gave her a one year contract. They hired her.

Mere mortals cannot put themselves into Supt. Burkey’s mind, of course.

We do know that District 158 told parents that Kalkirtz had the endorsement in question and we know that there is an exception under the law for a “provisional certificate.”

And we know that the requirement for the “endorsement,” now being trotted out as the reason Kalkirtz is no longer with the district, was not important enough to include in the job description when she was hired.

We do not, however, know the motivations for Kalkirtz’ leaving the district.

Neither do we know the motivations for Burkey’s current behavior.

Maybe she was getting too close to the parents’ negative point of view of the Huntley School District’s Special Education services.

I had heard that she submitted a resignation letter which Burkey refused to accept. That was two weeks before she left. Maybe she was fed up with the lack of support from the administration.

By the way, Assistant Directors also have to have their Director’s endorsement under the same law:

“Section 25.365 Director of Special Education.  This endorsement shall be required for directors and assistant directors of special education beginning July 1, 2005.”

This is at least the second year that Assistant Director Aylward doesn’t have this endorsement as an Assistant Director.

For some reason, the Daily Herald reporter did not mention the exception in the law or the other documents in this article.

It would have been nice if the article had included

• a more complete picture of the applicable law,
• how Huntley made an exception for Kalkirtz and is
• is now making an exception for Aylward, not to mention
• what went on when Kalkirtz was hired.

Burkey appears to be treating former Special Ed Director Kalkirtz and eventually-to-be Interim Special Ed Director Aylward very differently when it comes to not having a Director’s endorsement.

One can only wonder.

= = = = =
Qualifications of three candidates for Special Ed Director emailed to parents before last year’s selection of Cheryl Kalkirtz:

Candidate #1

Positions Held

• Social Worker
• Assistant Principal
• Principal
• Experiences in both K-12 Districts and Special Education Organization

Certifications

• General Administrative
• Director of Special Education
• School Service Personnel – Social Work
• Non-violent Crisis Intervention

Candidate was responsible for the introduction and implementation of informal reading and spelling assessments for baseline instructional planning and progress monitoring of students. Other strengths/achievements include the introduction of scope and sequence documentation for grades K-12, integration of PBIS, worked on curriculum committees, participation on Transdisciplinary [SIC] Special Education/Regular Education initiative team, and the recruitment of related service personnel (speech pathologist, social workers, psychologist, and physical/occupational therapist), and on-going professional development.

Basic experience includes social work, compliance, staff evaluation, professional development and budget responsibilities.

17 years experience in the field of education, more specifically in relation to special education. Highly-qualified, candidate has earned an M.S.W. degree from University of Illinois at Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin. Administrative degree from Northeastern Illinois University.

Languages – French (Polite)

Candidate #2

Positions Held

• Teacher
• Principal
• Coordinator of Special Services
• Special Education Director

Certifications

• Teaching 09/10
• General Administrative
• Director of Special Education

Strengths include implementing district run special education programs addressing all levels of disabilities. Other strengths/achievements include the development curriculum, implemented regular education teams for pre-referrals, the recruitment of related service personnel (speech pathologist, social workers, psychologist, and physical/occupational therapist), and on-going professional development. Developed an active parent advisory organization.

Basic experience includes design of service delivery and curriculum, grant writing and maintenance, compliance, staff evaluation, special education identification process (from pre-identification to IEP) and budget responsibilities.

Over 20 years experience in the field of education, more specifically in relation to special education. Highly-qualified, candidate has earned an M.S.E.D. degree from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree from the Drake University.

Candidate #3

Positions Held

• Teacher
• Parent Advocate (official position assisting families during IEP conferences)
• Special Education Consultant
• Principal
• Coordinator of Special Services
• Special Education Director

Certifications

• Teaching 09/10
• General Administrative
• Director of Special Education

Strengths include educational leader for school wide curriculum. Candidate has had responsibility for the management of education and operations of educational facility and the implementation of IEP and Medicare software and management. Other strengths/achievements include the development, team, and development of RtI in multiple schools, development curriculum, providing parent support through the experience of parent advocate and special ed consultant, the recruitment of related service personnel (speech pathologist, social workers, psychologist, and physical/occupational therapist), and on-going professional development.

Basic experience includes service delivery and coordination of Special education, ESL, Gifted, TPI, and ESY. Grant writing and maintenance for IDEIA, extracurricular and community based programs, compliance, professional development, parent and community partnerships, staff evaluation, special education identification process (from pre-identification to IEP) and budget responsibilities.

Over 15 years experience in the field of education, more specifically in relation to special education. Highly-qualified, candidate has earned masters degree from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree from the Northeastern University.

Literate in Spanish

NCLB Highly Qualified in 23 subject areas

The news last week was that Huntley School District Special Education Director Cheryl Kalkirtz was no longer with the Huntley School District.

When I first asked about all emails commenting about her resignation, I was told by District 158 that the search capability did not exist.

Strange, since School Board President Shawn Green had told me that when he talked about my appeal of a Read 180 Freedom of Information request with Superintendent John Burkey, Burkey had a stack of information, including emails on the subject, sitting on the table in front of him.

Regardless, now Kalkirtz and Perry Yates are gone.

Perry Yates was a Special Ed administrator on Kalkirtz,’ team, as you can see from the photo still on the District 158 web site.

It is extremely unusual for an administrator to leave midyear while under contract.

The district has issued no public statement about either administrator leaving the district.

Kalkirtz started work in July, at the beginning of the district’s fiscal year, right about the time spending the Federal Stimulus money was the fat hitting the hot frying pan.

See

Huntley School District 158 Special Ed Moms Draw Blood, Board Divided – Part 1

Huntley School District 158 Special Ed Moms Draw Blood, Board Divided – Part 2

Huntley School District 158 Special Ed Moms Draw Blood, Board Divided – Part 3

Huntley School District 158 Special Ed Moms Draw Blood, Board Divided – Part 4

Huntley School District 158 Special Ed Moms Draw Blood, Board Divided – Part 5

A couple of weeks after I asked, the Daily Herald got Supt. Burkey to confirm Kalkirtz’ no longer being at work on Tuesday, the day of the Financial Advisory Committee meeting.

Unlike last time, Controller Mark Altmayer showed up for Tuesday’s meeting.

“I want to be as transparent as possible,” Altmayer said.

There were three new committee members at the meeting.

The question came up,

“Did the Special Ed Director leave?”

A group of parents with special needs students wanted to know as part of a public comment.

Altmayer said he didn’t know if he could comment.

No one had informed the committee members that Cheryl Kalkirtz was gone let alone when.

This was in spite of the Federal Stimulus (get ready for the initials) IDEA ARRA spending for special ed was topic on the agenda.

Members of the audience looked stunned at the possibility that the statement was true.

Someone in the audience said the Daily Herald had reported Cheryl Kalkirtz had left the district.

Financial Advisory Committee and School Board member Michael Andre came to the defense of the district, sloughing off such as report as coming from a newspaper.

That’s when another audience member said Supt. Burkey was quoted in the newspaper.

More tomorrow.

Sunday, the Northwest Herald published a guest column
by Huntley School District 158 John Burkey:

Facts about D-158’s fiscal outlook

Burkey took Executive Editor Chris Krug to task.

Here’s part of what Burkey wrote:

“Mr. Krug stated that District 158 had projected a $7.1 million deficit for 2011.”In fact, a budget with such a deficit was never presented.”

I find this to be an amazing statement when you can look at the self-identifying document below—

Proposed 5 Year Summary – Operating Funds Snapshot, Presented to the Board of Education December 3, 2009

—and see an operating deficit of $7,073,813 for the column labeled “FY11 Plan.”

Will the Northwest Herald let Burkey’s comment slide or will it defend the Krug’s and the Northwest Herald’s integrity?  (Click to enlarge any part of the table, its top, middle or bottom.)