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.

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.

Shawn Green speaking to Special Education Town Meeting attendees last summer.

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.

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

Shawn Green at last April 15th's TEA Party on Route 14 in Crystal Lake

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 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.

Crysal Lake City Council

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:

The parsed word response of Huntley Human Services Director Lauren Smith. Note that it took her only nine minutes to formulate her answer. Click to enlarge.

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,

It took twelve days to get this answer. Click to enlarge.

Very interrresssting.

“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.

Huntley School District 158 Speical Education Administrators Perry Yates, Karen Aylward, Stacy O'Dea, and Cheryl Kalkirtz, as shown on the district web site.

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.

The Huntley School District Special Education administrators' picture as it could have been cropped after Perry Yates left.

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

With only two of the four top Special Education administrators still working for District 158, cropping Cheryl Kalkirtz out of the right side of the photo would bring it up to date.

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.

Shawn Green at the Crystal Lake April 15th TEA Party at Route 14 and Main Street

Here’s a surprising press release from Shawn Green, the Huntley School Board president. He notes, as McHenry County Blog did earlier this year, that he is running for Republican precinct committeeman (Coral Township Precinct 3).

In April he told me of his initiative to have the school board oppose House Bill 2354.

The language he proposed to the school board follows:

“The Board of Education for Consolidated School District #158 opposes HB 2354.“We believe the provisions in this bill amending the School Code by removing the teaching of ’sexual abstinence until marriage,’ and adding the requirement for school districts to provide ‘comprehensive sexual health education’ are wholly inappropriate.

“These requirements take critical local control authority away from school districts, and the District 158 Board of Education strongly encourages our legislators to vote against passage of this bill.”

I was surprised to have seen him at mid-April’s TEA Party in Crystal Lake.

Just last Friday I saw him at the Patriots United county board candidates’ forum at McHenry County College. He told me of being a new father of a baby girl.

With that background, here’s his statement:

Shawn Green- CSD158 Board of Education President
21 January 2010

I have decided to become more active within the Conservative movement, and will soon begin serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman.

While no legal conflict arises from holding this position concurrently with the office of Board of Education member, it does create a personal conflict regarding the amount of time and effort I can devote to each. Heightened professional responsibilities and the recent arrival of my first child make it impossible to serve in both public offices with the dedication I demand of myself.

Therefore, I regretfully announce my intent to resign from the School District 158 Board of Education. I will remain in office until my replacement is chosen and seated.

It was always my intention to serve a single term on the school board.

However, in early 2009 as the deadline drew closer and the lack of candidates running for the board became apparent, I reluctantly filed my petition to run for a second term. The current board has now worked together for nearly a year, and I am confident they, along with my replacement, will continue to move District 158 forward.

I encourage the board members to choose a replacement who shares my commitment to academic excellence, fiscal accountability, and the conservative values reflective of our community.

District 158 faces many tough challenges ahead and I intend to remain involved, albeit on the sidelines, in school district affairs. But for me, the more pressing task at hand is dealing with the plethora of troubling issues at the national, state, and county levels.

The Democrat Party has been in power in both houses of the United States Congress since January 2007, and added the presidency more than a year ago.

They’ve had, for all practical purposes, complete control over the state of Illinois for as long as I can remember.

Liberal influence is on the march even in McHenry County as evidenced by the 2008 presidential election results.

What’s worse is the most radical thinkers are steering the Democrat agenda.

The Republican Party, until very recently, has been weak in its opposition and has strayed from its conservative roots. The results have been devastating economically, socially, and in terms of our national security.

It is time to change course, and I will do my part to make that happen.

It has been an honor to serve the students and tax payers of District 158, and I am proud of our accomplishments. As one chapter in public service ends for me, another begins;

I am eager to help revitalize the Republican Party, bring about a return to our founding principles, and halt the advance of the morally and intellectually bankrupt ideals of the far Left.

Respectfully,
Shawn Green

In that position, he is the one to whom appeals of Freedom of Information request are directed.

And, that’s what I did.

A story yesterday told of my effort to spring loss a couple of memos about Read 1 80.

Last night I got a call from Green saying that he had approved the release of what I was looking for, assuming that it could be found among the large number of documents in the shared computer files that popped up when “Read 180” was used as search words.

That’s progress.

I have never received a reply such as the one I just got from Huntley School District 158.

I had submitted my second request for memos relating to the two reading programs which Special Ed Moms don’t think will of much help to their children, but could be useful to kids in the regular education program.

The first, contained within a multi-subject request, didn’t catch the attention of District 158 enough to even be mentioned in the reply.

Being more patient than most people give me credit for—hey, what choice does someone dealing with government have?—I filed a second FOI request asking for the same memos.

Now, I have received the following reply:

“We are unable to comply with your request for ‘memos previously requested concerning Real 180 and System 44′ as the request is too vague.  Further information is needed (dates of memos, name(s) of person(s) to whom and from whom the memo is address, pertinent information contained in the memorandum, etc.) in order to comply with your request.“

If almost sounds as if I must have a copy of the memos before I can get a copy of the memos.

I have appeal that denial to School Board President Shawn Green. In my appeal, I wrote,

“It is my belief that there are two such memos, which it seems to me could be found by an FOI officer by sending my request to those who have been involved in the purchase of these programs. Or, if you have a centralized computer records system, just searching it using those two identifiers as search items.

“If your staff cannot find these memos or, if you deny my appeal, I shall refile my request after January 1st and see how the newly amended law works.”

Starting in the new year, disputes can be referred to the Illinois Attorney General for resolution.

Anyone able to help me make that request more specific than the one that has so far been denied, please email me at the address at the upper left of McHenry County Blog.

The only two empty seats were that of Board President Shawn Green and board member Kim Skaja. Skaja showed up after missing the academic spotlight and almost all of the parents’ public comments.  Green was absent, having told me that he would participate by phone if the special education agenda item were to be considered.

The parents’ advisory committee meeting on special ed had started at 6. It received record attendance. (Seen above are some of those who attended the July 14th meeting of the same committee.)

Many special ed teachers were in attendance.

At issue were staffing recommendations that has caseloads close to the legal maximum limit, for example, for speech pathologists in five schools.

The plan proposed by the administration for formal adoption has the burden being placed on individual teachers to prove they have too large of a caseload before adequate staffing is considered to meet the needs of the children.

“Prove it! with you doing all of the work” is apparently Human Resources Chief Lauren Smith’s new idea of working together and “collaborating” with the teachers.

The first item discussed by Special Ed Director Cheryl Kalkirtz was her suggestion to not have a December 10th parents advisory committee meeting.

She asked for a show of hands of those favoring not having the meeting.

The only hands raised were the administrators’.

When then asked how many wanted to have the meeting, a roomful of hands went up.

The attempt to gain approval to cancel the meeting at which the Federal stimulus ARRA IDEA spending would be discussed with parents failed. Apparently, their kids education was considered more important than Christmas parties.

One parent in 158, who is a special ed teacher in another district, made this point about the reading programs proposed to be financed with Federal funds:

“What are we doing to make sure it’s being implemented properly?”

When Kalkirtz seemed to try to brush off the point, wanting to move onto a different topic, a Special Ed Mom from the back of the room spoke up:

“I don’t think you heard what she was saying!”

It was fairly obvious from comments made by some of the teachers that this may have been the only time all of these teachers were in a room and asked or allowed to voice their opinions and ask questions about how the $1.6 million dollars should be spent.

It certainly did not appear that administrators had asked the teachers for their input on the revised list of expenditures.

Strange that teachers may have to attend public meetings if they want to “collaborate” with administrators on a group basis. Wouldn’t you think that would be included in the union contract?

Parents learned that, contrary to what Supt. John Burkey said at the previous board meeting, 60 Read 180 licenses had already been purchased for Heineman school. (When Burkey challenged a Special Ed Mom to file a Freedom of Information request on the topic the Thursday before last, I did. I’ll let you know when I get the response.)

The Moms knew this because, apparently as part of class time, a special ed student was assigned to unpack the boxes which were stacked up in a special ed room.

In addition, a special ed student received the Read 180 materials to take home so the parents could see what was going to be used for that student.

More tomorrow.