Secrecy, Controversy and Politics
Six years later and not much has changed in District 15
It was almost 5 ½ years ago when I attended my first Community Consolidated School District 15 Board of Education meeting and whether it was reasonable or not, they had me at the first drop of the gavel. Maybe it was the formality of the surroundings or the passion of the citizens in the room – whatever it was it ignited a spark that rapidly grew.
At the time, the K-8 elementary school district was immersed in controversy. The February 2005 tax rate increase referendum failed by less than 200 votes. A school board election quickly followed in April. Three of the 4 incumbents were unseated including the president. The newly formed Board of Education disagreed on whether the entire $12 million of cuts previously announced actually had to be implemented.
Most of them were but many of them were not.
Attendance at board meetings by residents and employees increased dramatically that year and continued into the next. It quickly became apparent that when it comes to school boards – change is not always welcome and in fact can be quite explosive.
There were heated debates on everything from a member's inability to obtain financial documents from the administration to fears of posting information online. It wasn't pretty to watch; in fact it was embarrassing at times to even be in the audience. However for those of us who stuck with it and attended regularly, we received quite the education as to how local school board politics can be just as nasty as those witnessed in Springfield or Washington D.C.
Now flash forward to District 15 today. There is a $27 million bond referendum on the Nov. 2nd ballot brought on in part by the district's lack of transparency. The attorney general's office recently rejected the administration's claims that the former superintendent's privacy outweighed a "reasonable" person's right to know why he was paid $185,000 to resign. Yet residents still are in the dark because the documents that would answer that question have been "sealed and segregated" and available only by subpoena.
In addition, three school board members, including the president, are up for re-election this April. Sound familiar?
What if anything has changed in District 15?
From someone who has attended and reported on more than 60 school board meetings, I can confirm that Palatine township residents now have more information at their disposal than they could even have imagined back in 2005.
Not only are the meetings available on DVD but board policy has been changed to permit all non-confidential documents to be posted online. There are PTA and citizen group web sites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and YouTube channels – and online newspapers. Parents and residents alike can read, watch, listen and form their own opinion. The resources are there. If only they take the time.
Controversy and politics might always be a given when it comes to government entities.
But secrecy – no, it should never be accepted by any "reasonable" person.
mary vanek
7:56 am on Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The secrecy is the key to the problem. If the board would discuss matters such as the bond issue in public, before making decisions, then perhaps the public would be more trusting. But we have no reason to trust this board, especially when the board president tinkers with the meeting minutes, trying to change them to suit his purposes. Also, Chapman needs to go. He is dragging D15 down the same hole he dragged D211, borrowing millions of dollars to fill budget gaps, with no regard to the consequences.
Nancy Murtaugh
2:25 pm on Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Although I am many years and over a thousand miles away from my D15 board service, I remain interested and, indeed, fascinated by the doings of the D15 board and the struggles of the school district to maintain its excellence. I commend you for your dedication to reporting on the meetings and events there. Having seen the "school business" from several sides, I can tell you that things are not always as "dark" as they might appear. Most board members truly have the best interests of the students and the taxpayers uppermost in their minds always. However, vigilance at election time is important. If you don't vote, you don't have a voice in how things are done.