McHenry County Blog

When the “old” McHenry County College Board renewed President Vicky Smith’s contract after rejecting pleas from incoming Board members to allow them to make that vote, left out was her salary.

The agenda the outgoing Board posted

“…recommended that the Board of Trustees approves extending Dr. Smith’s contract through June 30, 2015 and to set compensation as discussed in Closed Session” (emphasis added).

That’s a no-no.

So the salary wasn’t set.

And the new salary is supposed to start on July 1st.

Check here for the time and agenda.  Last month it was 6 PM.

Embedded in the McHenry County College meeting agenda last month was evidence of three new programs designed to train local residents for the job market.

The Board voted to approve spending $25,000 for Jean Rogers, a Physical Therapist and Assistant Professor Emeritus of Physical Therapy from Northwestern University, to write the curriculum for a physical therapist assistant program.

It also applied to the Illinois Community College Board for permission to start an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Web Design and Development and Certificates in Web Development, Web Marketing and Advanced Web Techniques.

Job openings are not predicted and local firms where internships would be available are not identified.

Finally, an application has been submitted for permission to the ICCB to offer an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Engineering Technology and Certificate in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining,

Seventy-six job openings per year are projected. Average annual salaries are $50,600.

Internships are expected to be available from

• TC Industries, Crystal Lake
• Scot Forge Company, Spring Grove
• Coilcraft, Inc., Cary
• Vo-Tech, Crystal Lake

The plot is thickening concerning McHenry County College’s robotics program.

One of the concerns expressed during the campaign by newly-elected Board members Tom Wilbeck and Chris Jenner was inadequate consultation with local businesses.

To determined the scope of the contracts I filed a Freedom of Information request asking for who at what firms were contacted.

What I got in reply to that question is the list of the Advisory Committee, which you see below:

With the controversy about whether all communications between McHenry County College staff and Trustees, I filed a Freedom of Information request asking for any contract language which would address that topic.

Look at the reply:

Although the McHenry County College Board has taken no action to authorize the solicitation of bids for the $42 million health club, etc., addition that would increase usable space about 90%, look what popped up on the construction “hot tips” web site:

= = = = =
In the fastest turnaround ever for a Freedom of Information Request, MCC’s Laura Brown called within minutes to tell me she didn’t know where it had come from.

“We have not done anything,” she said.

= = = = =
I asked BidClerk what prompted the posting and got the following reply:

“Thank you for contacting BidClerk.com.

“Our reporting staff got in touch with the project contacts to see about getting any updated information on the project wherein new documentation was added.

“We adjusted the timeline of the project accordingly and now that updated information is listed on our website.”

= = = = =
The MCC reply to my Freedom of Information request for documents relating to the BidClerk posting:

“The College does not have documents responsive to this request.

“Nor has the college approved or released any documents for bidding regarding the Health Sciences Education proposed building.”

= = = = =
And, a follow-up from the MCC FOI Officer:

“We followed up on this information.

“The information was obtained by an article that was printed in the Chicago tribune about the feasibility study.

“Bid clerk have agreed to remove the information.”

To create “a talent pipeline to replace the workers that are currently retiring…in the highly technical
field of manufacturing,” the McHenry County College Board voted 5-2 at its Thursday Board meeting to approve over $2.3 million in remodeling and construction of new space.

A last-minute alternative was brought up by newly-elected Trustee Tom Wilbeck as a result of his and Board President Ron Parrish’s three-hour visit with Vince Foglia and Vince Foglia, Jr., at their Sage Products plant in Cary.

Referring to the cost of President Vicky Smith’s proposal, Wilbeck observed, “It’s growing by the presentation.”

Wilbeck argued that “more of a conversation with the end users was needed.”

Talking with the Foglias led Wilbeck to the knowledge that “the robots have to be torn down and rebuilt every year” and that “the software is done remotely.”

“They claim to be the largest robotics user in the county [with] thirty-four technicians and need more,” Parish said.

He conveyed an offer for the college to run the robotics program in space at Sage.

They would “help us teach [students and allow them to] learn to apply in a broader context than we could do on our own.”

In addition, the Foglias offered “ancillary equipment, a real, real experience, jobs and interest in talking to us about internships…exactly what we’re wanting to do here.”

Parish reported the message he got was, “Nobody’s talked to us

“I’d just like us to explore one more alternative–

• space
• training
• internships
• ancillary equipment

Parish contended that the two programs–machine tooling and robotics–were being combined “out of necessity.”

He also pointed out that the Federal grant of $500,000 was “really $380,000.

“We could much more than that if we worked in a more cooperative way with Sage.

“I’m not ready to vote on it.”

“This isn’t something we’ve done overnight,” former Board President Mary Miller said. “I’m a little take back at what you and Mr. Wilbeck have [done].”

“I’m educating myself,” Wilbeck replied.

“I have a lot of manufacturing clients crying for this,” the CPA Miller continued.

“It’s upsetting.  There’s a reason why we need the program here.”

“It seems to me it should be here,” added newly-elected Board member Molly Walsh.

“I’m concerned that other people won’t come.”

President Vicky Smith was next.

“We’ve been meeting with manufacturers for the last two years and Sage has been at these meetings. It is possible the people coming to our meetings was the Operations Manager or the Human Resources Manager. [You were talking to people] higher in the food chain.

“This project has robotics component and a machining component.

“We have to serve both of them.

“We have been meeting separately with the plastics and the manufacturing people. We can invite them.”

Smith pointed out that the machine tool would be in the space where the Black Box [Theater] is.

Trustee Linda Liddell pointed out that there was “a time element with the grant.”

“We have to start by this fall,” Smith told the Board.

Speaking to Parish, Walsh said, “The project you are proposing would only take care of half of it.”

“I don’t want to put a half a million dollars at a third party location. It’s like moving nursing equipment to a hospital.

“We’re already doing student teaching on some manufacturing equipment,” she added.

Heather Zaccagnini, who is in charge of the program, noted, “We have internships already. We do it completely on site for Scott Forge.

“If Sage would partner with us, it would be fantastic.”

“I find it helpful to come to my teachers when I need help,” Student Trustee Michele Lambert observed.

“I feel it would be a really big distraction [to have classes off site].”

“If we go through with the recommendation, will Sage still get the pool of people with the training they need?” Trustee Chris Jenner asked.

“Internship is really low risk,” Zaccagnini answered.

When the roll was called, Parrish and Wilbeck voted, “No.”

Contacted after the meeting, Wilbeck said,

“I would like to continue working with the Sage folks. It looks like we will have to add that to the curriculum.The $2mil addition was passed 5-2. At this time I don’t see a compromise.”

A lot happened at the McHeny County College Board meeting last week.

One of the more minor items, but perhaps significant for things to come, were new member Chris Jenner’s comments about a half a dozen non-bid items.

He didn’t question the legality of not seeking competitive bids, just the advisability.

“Just because we don’t have to bid something, does that mean we shouldn’t?” he asked.

Here are a couple of the items for which he thought bids could have been solicited:

• Xerox Phaser Printer ($10,381.13 )
• Upgrades to ventilation system of ceramics studio ($118,225)
• Upgrades in the fire alarm system ($107,250)
• Professional services to write the physical therapist assistant curriculum ($25,000)
• Software and services for disaster recovery ($71,607.60)
• MATLAB student and instructor software ($8,233.17)

The MATLAB software, it was explained, is used by local manufacturers.

Not on Jenner’s list was $8,792.70 of furniture.  Why that could not have been bid out or requests for proposals solicited is beyond me.  “KI of Green Bay, Wisconsin was selected to supply the furniture.”

The only explanation is, “The Interior Master Plan determined what furniture would be used and KI was the supplier of that furniture.”

At Thursday night’s meeting, the hottest topic was McHenry County College President Vicky Smith’s assertion that pretty much all questions about the college from Trustees had to go through her.

She cited language in her contract that said she was the “conduit.”

The specific language is

“The Board acknowledges that the President is the preferred conduit through which all internal constituencies of the College communicates with the Board and the preferred conduit through which the Board communicates to those internal constituencies.”

It wasn’t until “Member Comments” that Board President Ron Parrish broached the subject.

“We need some clarification with respect to communications between the Trustees and the staff and faculty.”

He asked if there were any guidelines.

“The protocol of the Board has been whenever [there are questions] that the Trustees ask the President of the institution,” Smith replied.

“It’s been the protocol at all the institutions I’ve worked at.

“The conduit is through the President.

“That doesn’t mean that a Trustee can’t stop and talk about general things before the college or the Board,” she continued.

“In fact, I’ve talked to attorneys about that.”

“The President’s office also knows the workflow, former President Mary Miller pointed out.

“We could be interrupting something they’ve been working on.

“I filter it through Vicky…I think that’s the route it should go.

Cynthia Kisser was next.

“I email Dr. Smith and carbon Ms. Kriegermeier, if I just want expedited notes from my last meeting, so Dr. Smith immediately knows what I want.

“I do the same thing if I want something from another staff member.

“I’m sending maybe two or three a day.

“I think it’s better to overload you, [rather than] making [staff members] think they may have to drop everything because [I call].”

“I do like it’s one control place,” Linda Liddell added.

“I love than,” Molly Walsh said.

“What’s the purpose of that?” Tom Wilbeck interjected.

“I’m an elected official. If I want an objective conversation with an employee, I want to go directly.”

“I think it’s a matter of the policies and practices that the Board has established,” one of the two attorneys sitting at the front table said.

She pointed out that Smith’s contract “names her as a conduit…I do think it means a conduit both ways.”

“If looking for special information, then I email it to Dr. Smith,” repeated Kisser. “If she tells me to call [so and so], she’s not in on the telephone call.

“I don’t interpret that I can’t have a conversation.

“Just one brief example,” Wilbeck explained. “Two people today called to find out if it [the meeting] was going to be web broadcast. [I called Laura.]”

“If would have been better if you had called me because it wasn’t Laura; it was Al.”

“In the private sector it just doesn’t happen that way and it impedes communication,” was Wilbeck’s rejoinder.

“I don’t want to be restricted when I ask a quick question.”

Liddell, calling upon her private enterprise experience, said, “The difference is that we are the Board of Directors.”

She explained that in business communications from directors “went to the chairman.”

Wilbeck still was disturbed at the effect the President would impose by passing on his questions.

“We are not administrators,” Kisser stressed.

“When I was CEO of a not-profit, I ran that non-profit. I constantly want to do that [here, but] it’s a different role.

“If you want to find out about web streaming [maybe there are] others who want to know.

“This has been a learning experience for me, too. I found it frustrating.

“When you see the information has already come together in Ms. Smith’s head, you find out [the answer. Calling staff members] just gets [out of hand].

“Let me give you my perspective,” Parrish said.

“Frankly, I object to his.”

Both Liddell and Kisser tried to talk, but Parrish said, “Please, may I talk?

“One of the things we’ve [he and Smith] been able to do is meet on a weekly basis.

“I have two concerns.

“First, the President of the college has a lot of things on her plate. We can get those answers personally.”

“Second,” looking at the staff at the table, “You people are our friends. I have a responsibility for the continuing growth of the college and I can’t do that with[out communicating]. I do not want you my friends to be inhibited.

“I really believe it’s our responsibility to maybe talk about an approach that would provide a little more openness and get back to you with a difference proposal.”

“The way we’ve been doing things has worked well over the last ten years,” former Board President Miller said. She reminded her colleagues it was in Dr. Smith’s contract.

“We need to wait for our Board retreat.”

“You object to my talking to Vicky?” Parrish asked rhetorically.

“I don’t think so.

“It means ignoring the public angst.

“The recent problems of communications, misconceptions, accusations we’ve had in the past year can be resolved with better communication,” Parrish concluded before moving to comments of other Trustees.

By a vote of 6-1 with Student Trustee Michele Lambert concurring twenty-one people involved with custodial work at McHenry County College’s main campus and the Shah Center will lose their jobs on July 1st.

The cleaning up will be done by a company called RJB Properties for the next five years, assuming that a “tighter contract” can be agreed upon.

Annual savings are estimated to be $676,000 or a total of $3.2 million over the five-year life of the contract.

Currently, the company provides similar services to Huntley School District #158, Grayslake School District #46, North Chicago School District #187, the Chicago Public School System, the University of Chicago and the
Illinois Institute of Technology.

Former MCC employee and newly-elected Trustee Molly Walsh was the lone holdout.

“You know that I am opposed to outsourcing,” she said. “This is the first time the college has done something like this on such a large scale. I think it’s something we owe these employees.”

A college administrator pointed out the employees would be given first chance to be hired by the new custodial firm.

She asked if the twenty-one to be laid off would be offered outplacement services and was told that the college “does offer those services.”

Walsh inquired as to whether they would get free tuition.

For summer classes the answer was, “Yes,” but the Human Resources person replied that the Illinois Department of Employment Security offered such opportunities.

Walsh observed that many “have been at the college for a very long time and that’s why they are at the high end of the salary scale.

“I’m very skeptical.”

Former Cary Grade School Board member and newly-elected Board member Chris Jenner pointed out that his school district had done the same thing and “the vast majority ended up getting employed by the outsourcing company.”

“I suspect their wages are a lot lower and I don’t know whether they have benefits,” Walsh said before the vote was taken.

I have two attorneys tell me that a contract cannot be considered binding unless there is consideration.

Considering McHenry County College Board President Vicki Smith’s contract did not set her salary, some might argue the newly-constituted Board of Trustees might not be as restricted in their actions as some might suggest.

In any event, the next meeting is on Thursday at 6:30.

If you want to get a seat in the little Board room you better come really early.

Again overflow will be in the auditorium.

Folks who sat there tell me conditions were less than idea.

The audio could not be heard, perhaps, because the Board members did not use their microphones.  (Maybe they need longer stems.)