Education Matters

District 15 Voters Just Say No

$27 million dollar working cash bond referendum fails by a 2 to 1 margin

It wasn't just a referendum in Community Consolidated School District 15 to authorize the school board to issue millions of dollars in working cash bonds.  I'd say it was a referendum on the school board majority that attempted to slip this one past the taxpayers.  It came down to a matter of trust – and two-thirds of those who voted yesterday made it clear. They did not trust their elected school board officials to make wise decisions with the authority to issue $27 million in working cash bonds. The decision the school board majority made last March to borrow millions of dollars without a plan in place to spend it – was not wise, it was reckless. That decision - to go for as much as they could get and possibly settle for less – didn't …

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Louise

5:53 pm on Saturday, November 6, 2010

Publishing incorrect and/or biased information and presenting it as the straightforward truth is irresponsible and ignorant. Said Celtic. So how would you characterize your phase “sycophantic tax watch groupie followers”? Many of those commenting certainly are not followers. They are leaders. As evidence: they created and organized the successful citizen petition drive in a very short period of …   more ›

Education Matters

Vote No to Move District 15 Forward

With Navigate15 – Charting OUR Course for Education

This Tuesday voters within Community Consolidated School District 15 boundaries have a unique opportunity to change the direction of their school district. Don't let it pass you by. Because of the efforts of your fellow citizens and 7,508 signatures on a petition, there is a referendum question on the ballot.  "Shall the Board of Education of Palatine Community Consolidated School District Number 15, Cook County, Illinois be authorized to issue $27,000,000 bonds for a working cash fund as provided for by Article 20 of the School Code?"  A "Yes" vote gives the district the authority to borrow $27 million that can be used for anything at any time in the next three years. The monies could be spent on capital projects only – and only $16 …

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D-15 Citizens Group Queries School Officials

Interim District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson took questions Thursday from Citizens for Accountability in D15.

This story has been updated. At times, the questions came in rapid succession for Community Consolidated School District 15 officials who appeared Thursday, Oct. 21 before a citizens group determined to defeat a Nov. 2 referendum. Still, the overall tone of the meeting hosted by Citizens for Accountability in D15 was respectful. Many of the 20 or so in attendance expressed frustration, but also acknowledged that interim Superintendent Scott Thompson was not the source of that frustration. "God bless him for coming," said Palatine resident and Citizens for Accountability in D15 member Mary Vanek toward the end of the 90-minute meeting. On Nov. 2 voters will decide whether to authorize District 15 to issue $27 million in bonds. The issue was…

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Education Matters

A Matter of Trust in District 15

No guarantees with the Nov. 2 bond referendum.

Trust. That is really what it has come to in Community Consolidated School District 15. There is a $27 million cash bond referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot. Interim superintendent Scott Thompson publicly has stated that if the voters approve the referendum, he will recommend that only $16 million be issued – and only for capital projects.  We are being asked to trust. Trust that the District 15 school board will respect Thompson's recommendation. Trust that they will respect the community that they serve. But can we? That question was asked at a PTA sponsored public forum yesterday by one very involved, very informed citizen.  She wanted to know what guarantees she had that the school board would follow his recommendation. How could she hold …

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D-15 to Receive New Financial Projections

Interim Superintendent Scott Thompson will make presentation at Oct. 13 school board meeting.

This story has been updated. The District 15 school board will get a new, more optimistic, picture of district finances at its meeting Oct. 13. Interim Superintendent Scott Thompson will present the new 5-year budget projections at the board's meeting at 7 p.m. at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School. The new 5-year projections were posted on the district's web site as part of the board packet. Thompson would not discuss the numbers specifically before the report was presented to the board, but said "there was a significant" difference between the new projections and the previous 5-year numbers.  Former Superintendent Daniel Lukich and Merilee McCracken who was assistant superintendent for business and auxiliary services compiled the …

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Education Matters

Why I Circulated the D-15 Bond Petition

Let your voice be heard Nov. 2nd.

To tell you the truth – I had no intention of getting involved in this one. Let someone else do it – I spent enough time going to school board meetings, writing up detailed notes on the weekends and then publishing them online.  I didn't even attend the March 10thCommunity Consolidated School District 15 Board of Education meeting when the resolution to borrow $27 million for a working cash fund was voted on – and narrowly approved with a 4 to 3 decision.  There was an article in the newspaper the next day and another a week later about a group of citizens looking for volunteers to circulate a petition. They wanted to stop the bond sale and let the voters decide the issue in November. They wanted to know why these funds were needed now and…

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Vicki Wilson

3:30 pm on Friday, October 8, 2010

Also, I don't know how anyone can dispute Jennifer Mondy. She has worked countless VOLUNTEER hours over many years attending, recording, and transcribing the Dist. 15 Board meetings because she knew there were people who wanted to attend but were unable to. She has provided an UNBIASED historical record of the Board meetings via Spotlight on the Board. If anyone wants to know what has gone on at …   more ›

Education Matters

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 …

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Palatine's D-15 Grapples with Referendum Issue

District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson said he will recommend the district spend less than it is asking voters for.

Although a November referendum would authorize Community Consolidated School District 15 to issue up to $27 million in bonds, Superintendent Scott Thompson said a lower figure is needed. Thompson said at Sept. 15 school board meeting that he would recommend the board issue no more than $16 million in bonds to be used solely for capital improvements, such as new roofs at schools, should the referendum pass. The bonds have been a hot topic in District 15 for months. The consideration by the school board to issue the bonds–$17 million for capital improvements and $10 million for a working cash fund–spurred public opposition. Thompson's recommendation essentially would drop the working cash fund portion of the bond issue and keep most of the …

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