This past winter, Glen Stewart, then-Chief Operating Officer and, before getting that over $100,000 a year job, a member of the Huntley School District 158 Board majority, wanted to extend the $2 million per year contract of the guys doing the janitorial work without going out for bids.

Superintendent John Burkey backed him up. The guy who gets paid close to $100,000 and is in charge of building and grounds was against bidding, too.

“The board pushed to rebid it, and that was a good move,” Burkey told Northwest Herald reporter Tom Musick

I pointed out that $2 million amounted to 5% of the school district’s operating budget. Even more, if utilities were excluded.

That was right after newly-appointed and now departed Chief Financial Officer Stacie Talbert has concluded–in writing yet!–

Taxpayers were fortunate to have watchdogs Larry Snow and Aileen Seedorf on deck.

I pointed out that I had prepared bid specs for the purchase of natural gas from the wellhead for state government in the mid-1980’s. We went out for bid and saved the state taxpayers $1 million a year.

So, the “we don’t have to go out for bid” approach by school board majority buddy Stewart made no sense to me.

It didn’t make sense to the school district’s Financial Advisory Committee either.

Kim Sjaka even took the recommendation to go out for bid off the board’s consent agenda. Skaja publicly told the board that it would cost more money (than current provider GCA’s offer to renew for more than $2 million a year), if the District went out to bid.

Good sense prevailed and the Huntley School District went out for bid on custodial services.

Well, the results are in and the district stands to save almost 3/4 of $1 million over the next three years because Snow and Seedorf didn’t let Stewart get away with just renewing the contract.

Stewart is no longer an employee of District 158.