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The Illinois State Senate passed legislation to allow students in poorly performing Chicago school to receive a voucher to attend a private school. This is great news for the children of Chicago. However, it should be expanded to the entire state. All children deserve equal funding, not just some kids in Chicago. It is time to start funding the child and stop funding the bureaucracy.
Below is the story and my interview on Fox News Chicago tonight on Illinois pensions:
UPDATE: The Illinois Legislature passed some semblance of pension reform tonight. See more details at Illinois Review.
Palatine District 15 is looking to issues bonds (borrow money) without voter approval. This money is to be used in their working cash fund and in new construction projects. The problem is they are not getting voter approval to do this because legally they don’t have to. This is called a back door referendum.
According to school board member Tim Millar:
The bond issues will nearly double our debt from $63,000,000 to $114,000,000. This approximate $51,000,000 includes the bonds and the interest over the life of the bond. This is a $51,000,000 tax increase over 20 years to all D15 tax payers.
You can read how the school district spins it at their website
Basically, what is happening is the district wants to increase and extend the debt the district owes with new debt. The taxpayer gets saddled with current and a larger future debt and they don’t even get to say yes or no. This is just more government arrogance and the trampling of taxpayers. To stop this atrocity, visit Tim Millar’s site and help him gather signatures to force the district to put this on the ballot.
Truth In Accounting has the following on Illinois financial troubles:
The revised numbers indicate that Illinois’ unfunded promises for state employees’ health care benefits now exceed $39.9 billion. As of June 30, 2007 this amount was calculated to be $23.9 billion. We have yet to determine why this liability went up by $16 billion in one year.
Illinois is also the worst offender in funding pensions [Emphasis mine]:
The worst case was Illinois, with a $54 billion gap between the cost of the benefits it had promised to pay retirees over the next 30 years and the amount it had set aside.
“Recessions and investment losses played smaller roles in the creation of this problem,” said Susan K. Urahn, the center’s managing director. “To a significant degree, the $1 trillion gap reflects states’ own policy choices and lack of discipline.”
The State Legislature has a spending problem and have for years. The taxpayers cannot and should not bail them out again with a tax increase. They have proven over and over again, they cannot be trusted with more of our money.
From Bill Zettler (Champion News)
By Bill Zettler
RE: Retirement Benefits for State Employees vs. Non-state Employees.
NOTE: 320,000 of Illinois 6.5 million workers (5%) are eligible for state pension and retiree health care.
The pensions in the state have gotten out of hand are a burden on the taxpayers of this state, especially since the state has no sense of responsibility in funding them properly. Below are some of the highlights (See the full list at Champion News)
3,597 Illinois “Public Servants” Receive $100,000 Plus.
Pensions In 2009 Up 12% From 2008.
I’ll type up my notes when I have time. Until then, you can watch the 2 hours of meeting online. Thankfully they, did not record the blank time of 1 hour during closed session at the beginning of the meeting. Be patient, it takes awhile for the video to load.
This is a call to action for transparency advocates. Next Wed, Feb. 3rd there will be meeting of the Grayslake School Board. Joe Calomino of the Americans for Prosperity will be speaking along with myself in requesting the school districts places it’s check register online.
You can read the original request here. The district has been spending frivolously in this economy (links below) and now is trying to find over $2 million in cuts. Despite this, they have not been willing to provide data to the public on how they spend their money. We must now demand an end to the practice of no representation without information. To put it simple, “No Info, No Taxes”.
Please join us next week. You do not have to speak, just have your presences felt by being in the audience.
Here are a few past stories of district expenditures:
As many of you know I have been fighting for transparency in Grayslake District 46 for several years. To this end I am working with Americans For Prosperity (AFP) to help finally make this effort a reality. The following is the letter sent to each school board member and Superintendent Ellen Correll last week:
The purpose of this letter is to inform the Grayslake School District 46 Board members that several parent groups and citizen activist have contacted my office (Americans for Prosperity: www.afpil.org) requesting our assistance in educating the Grayslake School District 46 Board members on the values of transparency within government bodies. Specifically, Americans for Prosperity will be educating and engaging the general public on the need for the Grayslake School District 46 Board to develop and produce an on-line check register.
Americans for Prosperity is a national grassroots – government watchdog organization. We have state-based chapters in 25 states with over 800,000 members nationwide. The Illinois chapter of AFP was formed in August of 2006. Currently, AFP-IL has over 20,000 members throughout the state with over 800 members residing in Lake County, Illinois.
We’re focused on sound public policy issues such as fewer taxes, less government, a more transparent and accountable government and more personal freedom. Our mission is pretty simple; AFP-IL educates and empowers citizens to hold their elected officials accountable for how they spend our tax dollars. .
For the past two years, AFP was the leading force behind a bi-partisan effort to pass the first ever, transparency legislation in the state of Illinois. Through all our battles, exposing government waste, filing lawsuits against our state’s governor and senate president, testifying at numerous committee hearings, fighting the efforts of the special interest groups and certain lawmakers who were opposed to government transparency, I am proud to say, that on August 17, 2009, Governor Patrick Quinn signed our transparency legislation (House Bill 35) into law.
House Bill 35 will create the “Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal (ITAP)” requiring the Department of Central Management Services to create an online searchable web site with information regarding state expenditures, tax credits, state employee salaries, and state contracts.
AFP believes that taxpayers deserve to know how their money is spent. Traditional budget publications are often inaccessible, incomplete and very difficult for ordinary taxpayers to understand. This opaque process creates a perception of bureaucrats funding unnecessary or even corrupt programs. It is incumbent upon government to make proper use of technology to provide transparency in government.
AFP believes that an online database, with technology familiar to most citizens can be used to create accountability and openness. Creating an on-line check register for the Grayslake School District 46 would bear little cost, and would allow spending information to be easily accessible to the public. This is a nonpartisan issue and follows common-sense principles of good government.
Our Founding Fathers believed that the source of America’s greatness was its people, not its government. This led Thomas Jefferson to state the following reflecting on government transparency:
“We might hope to see finances of the Union as clear and as intelligent as a merchant’s books, so that every member of Congress and every man of any mind in the Union should be able to comprehend them, to investigate abuses, and consequently control them”
Jefferson’s statement rings true for every level of government, especially here in Illinois. I respectfully encourage the Grayslake School District 46 Board to embrace these concepts and provide your constituents with the open government our Founding Fathers intended.
I look forward to discussing this issue with the Grayslake School District 46 Board at future school board meetings. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions and/or concerns.
Sincerely,
Joe Calomino
State Director
Americans for Prosperity
200 S. Wacker, Suite 4000
Chicago, Illinois 606060
312-768-2373 – Officejoe.calomino@afphq.org
www.afpil.orgCC.
Ellen Correll
Keith E. Surroz
Karen L.Weinert
Susan Facklam
Ray Millington
Michael C Linder
Mary Garcia
Michael Carbone
I will continue to update you on the efforts and call for you help in letting the school board members know that we need transparency in their spending. The district is facing cuts of over $2 million dollars again this coming year and we need to know where all the money has gone. How much money was really spent on sending teachers/administrators to Disney World? What other trips have been taken and how much have they cost?
Here are a few past stories of district expenditures:
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Are you tired of the ever increasing property taxes? Tonight you have an opportunity to speak out at a special meeting of the District 46 school Board. The board will be reviewing their projected budget shortfall and voting on their tax levy increase. Yes, that is correct, an increase in their levy.
As I have explained many times before, the school district gets a raise every year that is 5% or CPI, whichever is less. So each December, schools and other taxing bodies levy as much as they can no matter what they actually budget to “maximize their revenue”. This is done whether the community can afford it or not. Watch the video at the Lake County website for more information on the Budget/tax levy cycle & assessment/tax bill process: http://lakecnty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=266.
The school is already using their typical pass the levy or the cuts will be more drastic. See the following note from another forum:
To see some how the Grayslake High School District 127 has been overtaxing us every year as well see:
**Note: The forcast shows that D46 will need to make $2.5 million in cuts for the 2010-2011 school year. That number will be $3.5 million if the board votes against a Levy.
If the school district controlled their labor costs better, they would not be in this situation. I have suggestion to them the past 2 contract negotiations that they limit raises to CPI. This would control their labor costs and thus their budget properly.
Here is the board agenda for tonights meeting including contact information for the board members. Please contact them today if you are not going to be able to attend the meeting.
Special Meeting Agenda
Board of Education
Community Consolidated School District 46
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Middle School
7:00 P.M.A. Call to Order
B. Roll Call
C. Establishment of Quorum
D. Pledge of Allegiance
E. Public Comment
F. Discussion Item:
1. Review of PMA forecasts – Brad
2. Continued discussion of Levy
G. Action Item:
1. Approval of Taxation Hearing Resolutions Items:
• Certificate of Tax Levy
• Resolution Regarding Amounts Necessary to be Levied for the Year 2009
• Certification of Resolution Regarding Amounts Necessary to be Levied for the Year 2009
• Resolution to Levy Certain Special Taxes for Special Education District IMRF Purposes
• Certification of Resolution to Levy Certain Special Taxes for Special Education District
IMRF Purposes
• Resolution to Levy Special Education Tax
• Certification of Resolution to Levy Special Education Tax
• Resolution to Levy Working Cash Tax
• Certification of Resolution to Levy Working Cash Tax
• Resolution Publication Truth and Taxation Notice
• Certification of Resolution Publication Truth and Taxation Notice
H. Adjourn
Thank you for attending the meeting of the Board of Education. You are reminded that these are meetings held
in public but are not public meetings. You are welcome to address the Board during “Public Comment.” You
are asked to limit your remarks to under four minutes. Guidelines for Public Comment are available at each
meeting along with the current agenda. Board members and/or administrators may be contacted to respond to
specific questions at:Board Members Schools
Michael Carbone 223-3540 ext. 5648 District Office 223-3650
Sue Facklam 548-2930/223-3540 ext 5565 Avon School 223-3530
Mary Garcia 223-3540 ext 5691 Prairieview School 543-4230
Michael Linder 223-3540 ext 5692 Woodview School 223-3668
Ray Millington 223-3540 ext 5678 Meadowview School 223-3656
Keith Surroz 223-3540 ext 5679 Park School 201-7010
Karen Weinert 548-0436/223-3540 ext 5664 Frederick School 543-5300
Middle School 223-3680The District web site address is www.d46.org
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On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed our Constitution setting the stage for the greatest country in the world. We are the shining city on the hill as Ronald Reagan said. People around the world want to come here for the freedom and opportunity we enjoy here in America.
Please answer the following questions:
* Do you believe in the original meaning and intent of the Constitution?
* Are you tired of the excessive spending?
* Are you tired of the power grabs and other violations of our Constitution?
* Are you worried about our ballooning national debt?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then please join the Sam Adams Alliance and sign their petition stating you believe in the Constitution. The petition will be sent to both the Republican and Democratic Parties. Tweet the petition and it will be automatically sent to them.
Remember too, that is is our job as citizens to hold our politicians accountable to the Constitution. Government can only do what we allow them to do. Call and visit your elected officials and consider running for office yourself to defend the Constitution.
Please forward this to all your friends, familes and email lists in celebration of the wisdom and foresight of the founding fathers and those that have served and died to protect and defend this great nation and document.
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Below is the text of the speech or at the Whitehouse website. District 46 Superintendent will be pre-screening the speech at 11 AM this morning and then allowing the students to watch it between 1 and 3 PM. The will be no accompanying curriculum will not be done. I would like to say thank you to Superintendent Correll for being proactive and sensitive to the community in this decision.
I have also seen several comments on the local forums about why this President’s address is being politicized. I thought I would address that here. First, he is not the first President to have his intentions questions. President George HW Bush was questioned as well.
In my opinion, Presidents should make encouraging speeches to students. The thing they should not do is politicize it. President Obama politicized this speech when the Dept. of Education sent out curriculum to accompany this speech that was self adulating. This has since been changed once the outcry started. But the damage was done, and the speech itself was then suspect.
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School EventArlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
The District 46 school board will be holding a community forum tonight. The discussion will be about the finances and the upcoming school years budget.
Grayslake Middle School
6 PM
The last community forum information can be found at Live Blogging D46 Community Forum Meeting
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I an live blogging the responses from the school board community forum. Please check back for updates throughout the night. Currently there are approximately 75 community members in attendance. This excludes school board members and school administration. My comments in (parenthesis).
1). Many people in the community would like to become more involved with the School Board and the Schools in D46. Listed as one of the goals of the BOE, is reaching out more to the community. While presenting their SIP Reports, Administrators expressed a need for more parental involvement. Are the Board Members and Administrative staff aware that their demeanor, expressions, and tone, yield feelings of being “unwelcome” and “condescended to”? Would at least 1 Administrator and 1 BOE Member address this and help the Parents at the Forum understand how we can be more involved in discussions with the BOE along with the Administrators at their respective schools?
Ellen Correll – PTO, PTF, Ellen’s Brown Bag lunches, read to children, many opportunities at all of the buildings.
Mary Garcia – if you have problems, go to the Principal. She does. Want to have a good relationship with the community.
2). Would it be possible to review the policies currently in place for student conduct (and consequences) in the classroom, school-grounds, and buses? Would the Policy Committee consider meeting with members of the community and note their suggestions on policy modification?
Ellen – all policies listed in parent handbook and directly relate to Illinois state regulations. Start with principal and contact her if needed.
3). There are reports that the Education Fund has a “surplus”, a “rainy day fund” if you will, of somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million dollars. What is the dollar amount in this fund? You have stated that some programs and personnel were eliminated due to low enrollment; what was the reason for not obtaining the balance of programs and personnel by utilizing a small portion of what is in the Education Fund?
Brad Goldstein – Surplus like a savings account used to pay day to day operations. Showed slide created by PMA showing 3 year spending. PMA, no affiliation with banks. Not in risky investments. 66% form local taxes. Sept. is the highest balance each year. 80% funds go to salaries. Recommnedation is to have 6 month cash on hand. Financial profile score of 4 (slide) showing 180 days on hand. May 4.4 million $ fund balance. Should be used for 1 time expenditure, not sustainable to use for saving jobs. Jobs are recurring revenue.
Shannon Smigielski – Why not take some of the money in savings to rehire some of the staff? PMA showing we are in the red 3 out 4 years except for 2010.
Ellen, Don’t want to spend too much so have to start borrowing.
4). With the State of Illinois in financial straits and D46 having $2.7 million dollars pending payment from the State, what provisions are being made should the monies not be provided as expected?
Brad – on target if State pays its bills. Would utilize fund balance if State did not pay.
5). We submitted the idea of moving toward more paperless options from the schools. The response we received is that paperless options are being looked at.
Please expand on that: Is the technology in place? Has a cost analysis been done to see how much it would cost to put a system in place? How much money will the district save? Have you considered using 1 school or a small group of parents to test a system on? How can the community help this become a reality?
Ellen – Technology is not yet, but are working toward that. Currently looking at virtual backpacks, started central registration, more flyers on website, emails at some schools, online report cards and grades. Want emails from community.
Mary – PTO flyer online for Meadowview.
Sue Facklam – striving to make sure how to reach parents without computers.
6). Have Band/Chorus fees been discussed further or decided on? If the BOE decides that fees for programs will be implemented, will it be in the ‘09/’10 year?
Ellen – tabled for next year, no new fees.
5). With 7 schools in our district, has any research been done on the impact of adding on to some current buildings and selling off other buildings to consolidate fees for property, building, teachers, staff, technology, etc.?
Ellen – ISC building is being emptied and could be sold. Tech moving into disctrict office. Special Needs and curriculum in Avon. Closing and selling a school not an option right now.
6). Are the Park Campus Buildings being used to capacity? If not, how much is not being used? Can you provide the approx. cost for maintaining the un-used portions? What are the plans for filling the buildings to capacity?
Ellen – following Kasarda report (population study). Park is experiencing student growth. May use some special needs to Park next year. All classrooms being utilized at Park.
Shannon – have parents been given opportunity to change schools if a school’s classroom size is higher than a parent wants?
Ellen – that has not been discussed yet.
7). Will you please provide an explanation for purchasing 258 Laptop computers? Could the purchase have been made utilizing less sophisticated laptops, in an effort to reduce cost?
a). We were advised that the BOE Members, Administration, and Tech Dept. have agreed that Tech Hardware Expenses will be way down in the next years to come in order to keep the Ed Fund money to pay for teachers salaries. Are the new Board Members aware of this and can we rely on you to follow through on this “promise”?
Ellen – a lot of new curriculum supplementals require computers. IEP’s must be done on computer, attendance is taken by teachers online.
Joe Nowak – Hadn’t bought computers in about 6 years. Only replaced computers that broke. Laptops for students being pulled out for teachers. 300 machines to labs with first round, 2nd round bought for teachers. They are in the service of students even if in hands of teachers. Joe shopped for computers. Will be training them over the next couple of years on the new technology.
Mary – As a teacher it is frustrating waiting for a computer to boot and be ready to use. Looked at other types of laptops as a part of the tech committee. Cheaper computers don’t allow students to do what they need to do because of less memory.
Sue – Had a tech committee that asked Joe questions. Benchmark needed a laptop 3 yrs old or newer. Joe asked for money to be used from FY09 budget. BOnd money bought from bond money for Frederick and Avon. Park money came out of furniture and supplies.
Shannon – money is still coming from our taxes, when cuts were getting ready to be made. All for getting teachers the needed equipment. Why 258, why not 150 to start? why not 100 to start when teachers are being cut?
Joe – 258 gave every certified teacher a laptop. Took the opportunity when the funds were available. Tech gets cuts when budgets are tough.
Brad – would needed new software, needed additional staff and training staff on if we bought $300 Dells instead of Macs.
Mary – didn’t want to come back in 3 years to buy more computers.
Ellen – NCLB has a goal of being computer literate by 8th grade. Digital Directions – China, India, Korea and Japan priority to make students literate to compete.
8). Will you please explain why the district opted to obtain 38 SMART Boards (when many districts have 1 or none)?
a). Currently, only 5 District Personnel have been formally trained on the SMART Board; What are the Districts plans for further training of those who have not been formally trained?
Mary – has a smart board in her classroom. Cannot do without it. Must have it get students engaged. Works with the education foundation with D46 Foundation. Prairie view has received smart boards from the foundation. It is just a tool allowing the teachers could not do before. can do “hide the answer” for the class. Training was phenomenal. It trained the trainers.
b). Cost of this training?
Ellen – 5 trainers in the district. they will now train
c). What is the lifespan of a SMART Board?
Mary – Software has the lifespan, the board is just a tool like a projector screen.
9). Have the Administrative Salary increases been determined?
a). If yes: By what % per individual?
No
b). If no: When does the BOE foresee this decision being made?
Mary – Hopefully July 8th board meeting
c). Has the BOE considered tying salary increases to CPI with a cap?
Mary – has not been discussed
d). What about Salary Freezes or Decreases?
Has been discussed
10). Is the BOE aware at this time of any upcoming cuts that to be made? (Can the BOE give us any idea on items or areas that will be looked at in the event that more cuts need to be made from us getting less revenues than we have expenses?
Ellen – believe they will have a balanced budget this year.
Sue – talked about cuts in spring, and expect FY10 budget to be balanced and will continue to monitor spending. In Dec, start looking at FY11 budget. Need to commend our Administration for working with the BOE in how these cuts could be made.
11). Why were we caught so completely off guard with the CPI? The economy has been in a recession since late 2007; did the PMA projections in 2007 & 2008 show this?
a). What provisions are being made to make sure we are covered when our housing assessments start to decrease and revenue declines as a result?
Ellen – currently planning on 0.1% CPI. (Assessments aren’t likely to go down – more later on this)
Brad – weren’t completely caught off guard. CPI based on December to December #. There tax $ based on CPI. Typically figure on 2.5%. Starting planning cuts in Decemeber when they knew CPI was 0.1%. 80-90 cuts made in non-human resource ways. PMA – utmost and respected company in school projects. IMRF going up 1% this year, will costs district $60,000. Tax bill did not go down this year. Rolling 3 year avg and hopefully go back up to 2.5%. Look 5 years out. Start talking in Oct. about what programs work or not. Too soon to start talking about next year. “We like status quo in school districts so we can monitor our growth.”
12). Is the Staff Development Budget being reduced for ‘09/10?
a). What % of the projected budget is for travel?
b). Have reductions been made in this area for everyone from administrators, teachers, to non-certified staff? If not, will reductions be made in this area?
c). How much of the Staff Development budget is allocated for Blue Ribbon of Excellence, Inc.? How much of the Superintendent’s Professional Development Account is allocated for Blue Ribbon of Excellence, Inc.?
d). Will any administrator, teacher, or staff member (certified or not) be attending the National Conference in Dec. 2009 @ Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando Florida?
Ellen – (using flip chart) State has requirements for knowledge. $80,000 divided across buildings based on enrollment in each school. Some State funds to be used to PD, some special ed. Example – Title 2A. NCLB – all students must meet or exceed standards by 2014. Have curriculum needs in technology. “How do we move our district from good to great?” Need school improvement not just one student. Why Blue Ribbon – Ellen started it to move from good to great as a school improvement. Needed to know the good and the bad. 9 categories came out the effective schools research. Federal Blue ribbon program uses the same categories as the Blue ribbon schools we use. Listed the 9 categories. We did not go into this to buy awards as stated in the paper. It was worthwhile. Doesn’t feel bad about the expenses. Blue Ribbon information listed on website. Best use of PD money she has ever seen. Used PD money for new curriculum. Jeff Knapp (Woodview) – Blue Ribbon gave them a lot of information on what is working. Created a subcommittee to help go through it to improve. Using the Brain Research to improve. Gave us directions and pieces they needed for each school.
Laura – worked in the school district for 15 years. The evaluations helped us put our priorities in the right place. Very positive and beneficial.
Mary – gave out a gasp when saw the cost of Blue Ribbon. Looked at the Blue Ribbon website. Teachers brought back knowledge. Teachers want to host a Blue Ribbon conference here in Grayslake.
From Handout – Blue Ribbon Categories:
- Student Focus and Support
- School Organization and Culture
- Challenging Standards and Curriculum
- Active Teaching and Learning
- Technology Integration
- Professional Community
- Leadership and Education Vitality
- School, Family and Community Partnerships
13). What can the community do to help the Members of the Board? Superintendent? Administrative Staff? Schools?
Mary – need more community support at board meetings. Dry but give a lot of information.
Ellen – need more forums, email her. Do forums 2 or 3 times next year.
Audience Questions (I am paraphrasing):
Sabrina – 2 kids in D46. If a class gets larger, stick a new staff member or assistant in there. What is the difference in keeping staff in an additional classroom?
Lynn- Utilize staff wisely because they can’t do layoffs during the year.
Sabrina – Lost with some homework. Education has changed year to year. Can district provide sources to help with this?
Suggestion noted.
Colleen – Don’t question intent, but would like to know more of the decision process in making purchases like the laptops. Wants more transparency.
Mary – We’ve gone over the issues for many of the questions. What do you need from us to know what was on the agendas?
Colleen – will be more aware. Want to help but not sure where to go.
Keith – Need to be more clear on board agendas. Still your responsibility to look and see what is on the agenda.
Nadia – When are agendas put on website before meeting?
Ellen – posted the Wed. before. Meetings changing to Wed and agenda will be posted on Fri.
Nadia – Can there be feedback after public comment?
Mary – Frustrating to not get answers. Ellen made a committment will right down names and correspond directly.
Sue – try diligently to get back in touch about an issue. Contact us.
Sabrina’s husband – suggest answering question by posting on the website.
Lynn Barkley – Board meetings and agendas on the website.
? – use the individual school PTO as a resource.
? Springer – Have good teachers, but some have been let go. Kids switched classes. What is making schools parent friendly and how does it affect Blue Ribbons and improving schools.
Mary – tough decision, sat with administration to make these decisions. Will be wathcing and have already hired a floater.
Brad – there will be 2 secretaries at Prairie View
Sam – Any thought to getting community feedback in make cuts?
Mary – had several meetings open to the public, very poorly attended.
Sue – All board members here with administration for a special meeting to discuss this.
Shannon S – message did not get out to the community. They would have been here if they had known.
Mary -Will work on better communication with the community. Put it on website, on agendas, PTO presidents knew.
Mark – Business processing for many years. Important to measure for quality. Would you consider re surveying the community if they see the improvements? Can this survey be run yearly.
Mary – will redo survey. will look at the cost.
Karen – how do we get people to take the survey?
Mark – there is free or cheap software you can use.
Pam – will the video be on the site for an extended period of time for others to watch?
Yes
Pam – can we submit more questions for next forum?
Mary – Can email Ellen directly. Shannon can post answers on the Yahoo group. Group can aggregate questions and send on to Ellen
Note: all board members present except Mike Lindner. Ended up having about 80 people in attendance.
The Grayslake School Board has scheduled a community forum for this Wednesday night at 7:30 pm at Grayslake Middle School. Please attend and tell everyone you know about this forum. The more people that attend, the more likely it will be to have future sessions. Listed below are the final questions. Yes, there were more, but they had to be trimmed because of the time alotted for this forum.
1). Many people in the community would like to become more involved with the School Board and the Schools in D46. Listed as one of the goals of the BOE, is reaching out more to the community. While presenting their SIP Reports, Administrators expressed a need for more parental involvement. Are the Board Members and Administrative staff aware that their demeanor, expressions, and tone, yield feelings of being “unwelcome” and “condescended to”? Would at least 1 Administrator and 1 BOE Member address this and help the Parents at the Forum understand how we can be more involved in discussions with the BOE along with the Administrators at their respective schools?
2). Would it be possible to review the policies currently in place for student conduct (and consequences) in the classroom, school-grounds, and buses? Would the Policy Committee consider meeting with members of the community and note their suggestions on policy modification?
3). There are reports that the Education Fund has a “surplus”, a “rainy day fund” if you will, of somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million dollars. What is the dollar amount in this fund? You have stated that some programs and personnel were eliminated due to low enrollment; what was the reason for not obtaining the balance of programs and personnel by utilizing a small portion of what is in the Education Fund?
4). With the State of Illinois in financial straits and D46 having $2.7 million dollars pending payment from the State, what provisions are being made should the monies not be provided as expected?
5). We submitted the idea of moving toward more paperless options from the schools. The response we received is that paperless options are being looked at.
Please expand on that: Is the technology in place? Has a cost analysis been done to see how much it would cost to put a system in place? How much money will the district save? Have you considered using 1 school or a small group of parents to test a system on? How can the community help this become a reality?6). Have Band/Chorus fees been discussed further or decided on? If the BOE decides that fees for programs will be implemented, will it be in the ‘09/’10 year?
5). With 7 schools in our district, has any research been done on the impact of adding on to some current buildings and selling off other buildings to consolidate fees for property, building, teachers, staff, technology, etc.?
6). Are the Park Campus Buildings being used to capacity? If not, how much is not being used? Can you provide the approx. cost for maintaining the un-used portions? What are the plans for filling the buildings to capacity?
7). Will you please provide an explanation for purchasing 258 Laptop computers? Could the purchase have been made utilizing less sophisticated laptops, in an effort to reduce cost?
a). We were advised that the BOE Members, Administration, and Tech Dept. have agreed that Tech Hardware Expenses will be way down in the next years to come in order to keep the Ed Fund money to pay for teachers salaries. Are the new Board Members aware of this and can we rely on you to follow through on this “promise”?8). Will you please explain why the district opted to obtain 38 SMART Boards (when many districts have 1 or none)?
a). Currently, only 5 District Personnel have been formally trained on the SMART Board; What are the Districts plans for further training of those who have not been formally trained?
b). Cost of this training?
c). What is the lifespan of a SMART Board?9). Have the Administrative Salary increases been determined?
a). If yes: By what % per individual?
b). If no: When does the BOE foresee this decision being made?
c). Has the BOE considered tying salary increases to CPI with a cap?
d). What about Salary Freezes or Decreases?10). Is the BOE aware at this time of any upcoming cuts that to be made? (Can the BOE give us any idea on items or areas that will be looked at in the event that more cuts need to be made from us getting less revenues than we have expenses?
11). Why were we caught so completely off guard with the CPI? The economy has been in a recession since late 2007; did the PMA projections in 2007 & 2008 show this?
a). What provisions are being made to make sure we are covered when our housing assessments start to decrease and revenue declines as a result?12). Is the Staff Development Budget being reduced for ‘09/10?
a). What % of the projected budget is for travel?
b). Have reductions been made in this area for everyone from administrators, teachers, to non-certified staff? If not, will reductions be made in this area?
c). How much of the Staff Development budget is allocated for Blue Ribbon of Excellence, Inc.? How much of the Superintendent’s Professional Development Account is allocated for Blue Ribbon of Excellence, Inc.?
d). Will any administrator, teacher, or staff member (certified or not) be attending the National Conference in Dec. 2009 @ Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando Florida?13). What can the community do to help the Members of the Board? Superintendent? Administrative Staff? Schools?
There has been an ongoing discussion among parents, D46 administration and D46 school board members about whether to hold an open forum with the community. A discussion is on the agenda for tonights meeting. The Daily Herald is reporting on this effort this morning.
Smigielski said the possibility for further budget cuts and the recent reduction of 29 jobs to save money are two reasons for the heightened desire for a forum. She said she has questions about why the district laid off employees, but spent thousands of dollars on new classroom technology similar to an electronic chalkboard and laptop computers.
Another parent, Laura Yoder, said she wants assurance financial decisions are being made in the best interest of District 46 children.
“I just think it’s really important for the parents and the board to work together, especially in these hard times,” Yoder said.
At the Gurnee-based Woodland district, officials see the community forums as a good way to allow parents and others to informally discuss issues with board members.
I would encourage as many parents as possible to attend the forum if it does happen. Holding it during the summer in al likelihood decreases attendance. I would hope the board decides to continue holding regular forums during the school year. It is time for the district to be more open and actually listen to the residents.
If you are looking for information from the parents perspective, continue to read my blog and I would encourage you to join the new Parents Forum group started on Yahoo that is listed in the comments.
Only 27% of aspiring teachers could pass the math tests. If you have any doubts why fuzzy math, everyday math, new math or whatever name the education schools come up with. Money is not going to solve this problem. Competition, alternative certifications and real world experienced teachers will have the greatest impact.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the results Tuesday. They say that only 27 percent of the more than 600 candidates who took the test passed. The test was administered in March of this year.
The teacher’s licensing exam tested potential teachers on their knowledge of elementary school mathematics. This included geometry, statistics, and probability.
To learn more about everyday math read the following links:
Several District 46 parents have been asking the school board to hold a community forum. The Daily Herald is finally reporting this story:
District 46 resident Shannon Smigielski said she and other parents want elected board members to host a proper forum so there can be give-and-take on major issues such as spending. Smigielski said the effort has been unsuccessful so far.
“We don’t want to have a ‘their side’ and ‘our side.’ We don’t want there to be such a great divide between the district board and us,” said Smigielski, who estimates she now has about 50 parents involved in an online group for District 46 issues.
District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll said officials aren’t against having a board forum. Board members tabled discussion on the idea at a meeting Monday, but it may arise in June.
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District 46 resident Sharon Hetz said spending and budget cuts would be areas she’d like to address in depth with the school board. Hetz also said she has questions about Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Awards given to two schools by a South Carolina education consultant hired by District 46.
More information on the Blue Ribbon awards the district paid for can be found at the following:
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This coming Friday, May 8th, there will be a blogger meetup at Carlucci’s Restaurant in Downers Grove, IL. This event is sponsored by the Sam Adams Alliance and Illinois Review. The event runs from 10 am – 4 pm and will feature Award Winning Investigative Journalist, Trent Siebert. Trent, now of the Texas Watchdog, is the reporter who exposed Al Gore’s hypocrisy of his Mansion’s energy usage.
Please join other Illinois Bloggers and community liberty leaders Friday. Register here or contact Emily Zanotti, Director of Web Strategies for the Sam Adams Alliance, at 312-920-0080 ext 314 or Email her at emzanotti@samadamsalliance.org.
There is a school board meeting tonight at Grayslake Middle School. One topic being discussed is the Superintendent’s contract. Please attend if you want your voice heard.
I’d like to suggest that the school board freeze pay or at least tie ti to CPI during these economic hard times. Woodland District 50 just froze the pay of their administrators.
Facing revenue declines similar to other suburban school systems, Gurnee-based Woodland Elementary District 50’s top administrators and managers agreed they should take the lead in a cash-conservation effort.
District 50 board President Bruce Bohren announced at a meeting Wednesday night that administration and middle management staff salaries will be frozen at current levels for the 2009-10 academic year. The freezes, and not replacing a departing administrator, are projected to save about $194,600.
“The board of education thanks the district’s leadership team for bringing forth this proposal,” Bohren said. It is appreciated.”
Bohren said the administrators and middle managers also won’t be eligible for bonuses, merit awards or other additional cash compensation for the next school year. He said the lone exception to the salary freeze is an assistant superintendent of support services who will receive a pay hike of less than 1 percent under a special retirement contract.
For more information on recent job cuts in the district, please read GRAYSLAKE ELEMENTARY CUTS 29 JOBS – WHO’S TO BLAME
