This is the third page of the early October letter that Huntley School District 158 Board member Larry Snow sent to some of his constituents.

It focuses on

• class size (generally in the mid-20’s),
• budget increases (an 18% salary and benefits increase over last year; spending going up over twice as much as enrollment increases) and
• the lack of any specific goals for high school graduation rates. (I remember reading an article i the 1990’s that Huntley High School had the highest graduation rate in McHenry County.)

Class sizes have remained pretty low. They are:

We have 100 full time classroom teachers (plus 3 part time) for 1,743 high school students.

We have 35 top administrators, directors, principals and assistant principals. (About $3.9 Million in total cost) In addition we have 4 assistant directors, and 8 coordinators, etc. There is plenty of “management” to expect good management from.

The budget increases overall spending by 12 %. That’s after you adjust it downward for the timing of bus and copier purchases. The per student increase in spending is 5% while the enrollment increase is 7%. Here are the enrollment, and spending (operating funds) numbers for the 2008 budget and the increases over the past 3 years.

The budget shows an 18% increase in proposed salaries and benefits over last year’s budget.

I’ve tried repeatedly to get our Superintendent and five board members to see we need to have a goal for the percent of our students who go directly on to college. The issue isn’t what that goal should be but that there should be one. Our Superintendent is against having this specific goal and the board members who tell you “We set high standards in our District.” are the same ones who voted against having any goal for this. Mrs. Seedorf and I believe this goal should exist and that it should be in our current strategic plan. Successful organizations usually have a very precise goal – if they truly consider achieving it to have any importance. Being held accountable speaks to setting and actually achieving goals.

Hard decisions and definitive goals matter. Not having to take remedial courses when entering college matters. Students, Parents, Administrators and Teachers are all charged with certain responsibilities. Our children’s 21st Century, competitive futures can’t afford a campfire sing-along approach to academic excellence. Swaying to self-praise music while running away from important goal setting is “easy” but is it acceptable to you?

If you agree, perhaps you can help persuade our Superintendent to change his mind and set a specific goal for going directly to college. It’s “easy” to aim at a nonexistent target or to aim for less instead of more. We, and our children, pay for and deserve better than “easy”.