Thursday, March 15, 2012
Community Consolidated School District 15 teachers turned out for Wednesday's school board meeting to oppose planned budget cuts.
The District 15 school board approved about $6.1 million in budget cuts, despite a big turnout by teachers who said the cuts would hurt students. Classroom Teachers Council President Lisa Nuss also addressed the school board, decrying "mean-spirited bullies" who spread "proganda" about teachers to paint them in a bad light. The budget cuts are part of the district's effort to balance its budget and eliminate a projected $9.6 million deficit. The cuts would increase class sizes by elminating teaching positions and drop benefits for more than 100 program assistants. Although the cuts for the 2012-2013 budget year were approved, school board members instructed Superintendent Scott Thompson to continue to look for ways to reverse them before …
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Community Consolidated School District 15 is negotiating a new contract with its teachers' union.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
In advance of contract negotiations, CTC (the union representing CCSD15 teachers) started an ad campaign to discredit financial claims made by the school administration. In their ad CTC suggests the district has a history of "grossly inaccurate projections", obviously to convey the impression the district routinely underestimates revenue. For 2008 CTC demonstrates the district budgeted for a deficit of $2.5 million but experienced a deficit of only $206,000. So, it must have "found" over $2 million in unanticipated revenue, right? Wrong. Actual revenue came in $1.6 million less than projected. The reason for the lower ending deficit was the district took aggressive cost savings steps throughout the year to minimize the ending red ink. For …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Led by another strong performance from eighth grader Emily Jia, Plum Grove Junior High’s MATHCOUNTS team finished its 2012 season with a fifth-place finish at the state competition held Saturday, March 3, in Lisle.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Palatine resident Mark Evenson writes about pre-retirement salary bumps and impact of the practice on state pension costs.
- OPINION
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
Before a recent Illinois pension law targeting pay spiking went into effect, many school districts awarded upward of 20 percent salary increases in each of the final years for an employee planning to retire. After the new law, school districts were limited to 6 percent annual increases in the final years before they got penalized, but were still free to give larger increases if they wished. Take for example Palatine Township Elementary District 15, which for many years up until 2009 routinely awarded two or three years of between 15 percent and 20 percent increases for both teachers and administrators nearing retirement. In fact, between 2003 and 2008 two superintendents retired after each having received over $100,000 salary bumps across …
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The District 15 school board supported a plan to implement $6 million in budget cuts.
A plan to reduce District 15’s budget deficit by increasing class sizes garnered the support of the school board but brought concerned comments from some parents in attendance. Community Consolidated School District 15 has been grappling with how to close a projected $9.6 million budget deficit for the 2012-2013 school year. School officials scaled back their first plan – which included the elimination of band and orchestra and activity buses – after hearing from residents that those cuts would be too severe. The final proposal presented by Superintendent Scott Thompson to the board did not balance the budget. Rather, Thompson proposed a little more than $6 million in cuts, with the remaining $3.6 million deficit being covered with …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
District 15 officials will present his recommendation to balance the district's budget during Wednesday's meeting.
The District 15 school board will hear a proposal on how a projected $9.6 million budget deficit for the 2012-2013 fiscal year should be dealt with at its meeting Wednesday. The school board will meet at 7 p.m. at 1100 N. Smith Street. District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson already has said that his proposal to the board will not include the elimination of band orchestra – an option that previously was listed during a public forum last month. Thompson still will present a recommendation for about $6 million in budget cuts, with the remainder of the deficit being filled with about $3.6 million from reserve funds. Although District 15 has a significant budget deficit, the district also has about $55 million in reserves. District officials…
Monday, February 6, 2012
Band and orchestra will not be included in a list of recommended cuts being given to the school board at its meeting Feb. 8.
District 15 officials have removed band and orchestra from a list of potential budget cuts that will be presented to the school board Feb. 8. "We sought input from the community and the vast majority of people felt that this was some thing that should not be cut," District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson said. The school district sent out an email blast about the decision Monday afternoon. Although eliminating band and orchestra will not be part of Thompson's recommendations, the school board could still decide to cut the programs. Parent Brenda Cyr started an online petition in an effort to save the programs. As of Monday, Feb. 6 at 5:10 p.m. the petition had garnered 1,511 signatures. Cyr stated in the comment section of Palatine Patch …
Friday, February 3, 2012
Former assistant principal argues District 15’s motion to dismiss her federal lawsuit alleging wrongful termination is devoid of merit and must be denied by the court
Former Community Consolidated School District 15 assistant principal Elizabeth Wong filed a response Jan. 23 to the district’s motion to dismiss her federal lawsuit. In the document, her attorneys argue the district’s motion is filled with inappropriate comments and includes irrelevant claims ignoring established law. The federal lawsuit filed last October alleges Wong was terminated in retaliation for reporting her former supervisor Edward Nelson’s drinking and sexual harassment to district administrators. It further alleges two administrators intentionally interfered with her employment at the district. Wong's lawsuit states that her treatment by District 15 violated her First Amendment Rights and the Illinois Whistleblower Act. She is …
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Brenda Cyr has two children in Community Consolidated School District 15 and believes it would be a mistake for band and orchestra to be eliminated.
UPDATE: D-15 Removes Band, Orchestra From Cut List Potential budget cuts at Community Consolidated School District 15 has sparked an online petition that had garnered 1,209 signatures as of 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. The petition was started by Brenda Cyr who has two children — Ana, third grade, and Kyle, fifth grade — attending Lake Louise School. Cyr said it would be a mistake for District 15 to cut programs such as band and orchestra in an effort to close a projected $9.6 million budget deficit for the 2012-13 budget year. Cyr said her son Kyle, a straight "A" student, suffers from a medical condition that prevents him from being able to play sports. "He was very excited about the opportunity to be in band," Cyr said, adding that her …
Monday, January 23, 2012
District 15 is considering $9.6 million in cuts to balance its budget.
School District 15 could eliminate dozens of teaching positions in an effort to balance its budget. Music and arts would be the hardest hit programs, with district officials listing the elimination of elementary school band and orchestra as a possibility. The cuts also would increase class sizes in kindergarten through 8th grade. District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson led a public forum on the topic Monday. School officials want to close a projected $9.6 million deficit in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. About 75 people attended the forum. Many had questions and suggestions for district officials. Alex Kaempen said that one reason he and his wife moved into District 15 in October 2009 was because of the schools and the music program. "I can'…
CASA
8:59 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Given the discussions going on in Springfield where they are working to shift the cost of teacher pension contributions to school districts, I wonder what scenarios are now being considered as realistic and affordable by both parties? As I see it, any impression that D15 has spare funds is likely to be overturned by the spectre of the Springfield moves. As property tax payers are also income … more ›