Warwak Still in Town, Still Meeting with Kids

Despite his dismissal from Fox River Grove School District 3 last fall, former teacher Dave Warwak is still setting up secret meetings with some of his former students in Fox River Grove and is still distributing literature to them.

The latest incident happened May 23 outside the McDonald's restaurant. Notifications were sent by Warwak to students over the Internet. At the meeting, he distributed copies of a self-published book more than 700 pages long titled, "Peep Show for Children Only." The book includes photos of several of his former students. The photos were published by Warwak without permission.

Police were notified and have reviewed the material. Warwak has not been charged with a crime, though civil litigation is still possible.

Warwak Implements Not Implemented

Following Dave Warwak's appearance at the February 25th meeting of the District 3 Board (where he passed out Earth-shaped stress balls to Board members and charged the district was responsible for future illnesses to students because of the recent meat recall) came word today that Mr. Warwak apparently met with some 8th Grade students and gave them vegan-themed pens to distribute to other students riding the bus today. Word quickly spread to Dr. Mahaffy, Middle School principal, and the writing implements were quickly confiscated.

Mr. Warwak might want to stick to distributing his vegan messages to adults in the future.

Warwak Fired

Dave Warwak was dismissed unanimously by the Board yesterday at a special meeting that took place just prior to the regularly scheduled Board meeting. Despite the earlier time, many parents in town attended the meeting to support the community, the school district, and the administration in an action that was widely expected.

The meeting opened with public comments. Those making comments were limited to three minutes of speaking.

First off, Cindy Pilz addressed the Board. With her permission, here are her comments to the District:

"Thank you to Dr. Krause and Dr. Mahaffy for their expert handling of the recent personnel problem facing the district. They have led with dignity, and shown great diligence in making things right at the Middle School. Both would likely say that they are just doing their jobs, but issues of this caliber don’t appear in the training manual. Their self control and patience have been thoroughly tested and they have come out with grades of “A” in my book. On behalf of myself and my family, thank you for protecting our children’s best interests and our parental rights over all other concerns."

Next up was Steve Beyer. He addressed the Board with these comments, also included here with his permission:

"I am here to support the board of school's decision to fire Mr. Warwak. I have a major concern in Mr. Warwak's mental stability based on what he said to my son in class and giving out a book to him that was not approved by the board as part of the Art Department's curriculum.

"I have also read Mr. Warwak's comments in the paper, on PETA's website, and on MySpace, and again am concerned about his mental stability, and the safety and well being of our children.

"It appears to me that Mr. Warwak does not understand that what he is doing is wrong, and that our kids are not guinea pigs for him to teach non-art-related information. Our kids are in this class to learn about art. Mr. Warwak is using his classroom as a platform for vegan ideas and our kids have no choice but to listen to him.

"It is time for the board to send him home for good and let him spend his time teaching all those who want to listen to his ideas in a non-classroom setting."

Lastly was Mr. Warwak himself. He started by chastising the Board for limiting him to three minutes, while they spent weeks building a case against him. He again cited the policy for Teacher's Institute to provide humane and moral education and said that in the years he's been teaching in the district, he was not once given this education. He charged that the school goes out of its way to suppress his teaching of veganism and animal rights. Every time he tried to teach it, Warwak said, Dr. Mahaffy tried to stop him. He said the system is set up to censor him.

Warwak handed out cards to Board members that said "Do you want to know a secret not many people know?" on one side, and "Look up 'Factory farming'; look up 'vegan'" on the other. He said that right now, in many cities, people are handing out cards like this to children.

He also railed against the milk posters in the lunchroom, saying they were misleading. "When was the last medical journal you read about milk?!" he shouted to Dr. Mahaffy. He again made a plea for the school lunch program to become completely vegan and yelled to the Board, "you're killing my friends!"

Many of his comments were directed not to the Board, but to the audience and media representatives at the meeting. When Pat Hughes, Board President, requested that Warwak address his comments to the Board at a Board Meeting, Warwak shot back, "The world is my audience. I'm speaking to them." At least twice, the Board allowed Warwak to go over his allotted three minutes.

After a long executive session, where Mr. Warwak was again invited to address the Board away from the audience and the media, the Board voted 7-0 to dismiss Warwak. They issued a press release that detailed the reasons for Warwak's termination:

1. Warwak had stopped teaching art and without telling the board, the Principal, the superintendent, or the students' parents, converted his art classes into classes on veganism and animal rights. The board stressed that Warwak did not merely mention his vegan beliefs during his classes or casually mix in comments about animal rights during art projects, but rather from the beginning of the school year, he dedicated his instruction to preaching to fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders that eating meat, milk, and animal products was bad and that following a vegan lifestyle was good. According to the board, Warwak spent entire classes on veganism and animal rights, telling students that animals were tortured to make the meat they ate, assuring them that they would live ten years longer if they became vegans and having students read aloud from books advocating veganism. He also distributed tracts published by "PETA" and "Vegan Outreach" and directed students to Google terms such as "slaughtering" and "factory farming" which would take them to websites with graphic depictions of animals being slaughtered. The board noted that Warwak continued this conduct even after being told by administrators to stop.

2. After converting his art classes into classes on veganism and animal rights, Warwak told his students not to tell their parents or teachers or principal about what he was teaching them in his classes. Warwak told his students that parents would be mad, teachers would be mad, and the principal would be mad, so "let's keep it a secret."

3. Warwak repeatedly refused to answer questions from administrators and the district's lawyer about what he had been teaching and what literature he had distributed to students. On Monday, September 10, 2007, Warwak left a meeting set up by the district to interview him regarding parents' complaints about what was being taught in his art classes. Warwak walked out of that meeting without answering the district's questions, saying, "I don't like this at all. It's not about me and I refuse to participate in this [expletive]."

Board President Pat Hughes said, "Warwak shouldn't have secretly turned his art classroom into a zone of indoctrination. This is a democracy and other people have a say over the curriculum. Mr. Warwak shouldn't be allowed to impose his personal views on a captive audience."

Board Vice-President Steve Knar said, "The Board respects the right of all employees to follow their own belief systems and respects the diverse opinions of the individuals who make up our school community. This isn't about whether veganism is good or bad. It's about the right of the district to be informed about the instruction taking place in the classroom and its ability to control the curriculum. What Mr. Warwak could not do, and remain an employee of the district, was to unilaterally turn his art classes into classes on veganism and animal rights, tell his students not to tell their parents about it, and then refuse to answer the district's questions about what was going on in his classes."

According to news reports, Warwak has threatened to file civil charges against the district following his dismissal.

Warwak to be dismissed at Special Board Meeting

The Agenda on the District 3 Website shows that Mr. Warwak is scheduled to be dismissed at a special Board meeting at 5:00 PM on Monday, September 24. The regularly scheduled Board meeting will still take place at 7:00 PM the same evening.

More Warwak Stories

Reports today are that Dave Warwak has not been fired, but that he won't return to classes until District 3 begins serving all vegan lunches.

Chicago Tribune

Daily Herald (the headline erroneously reports Warwak intends to sue the district; in fact, Warwak has threatened to bring child endangerment charges against the district. The threat is of criminal, not civil, litigation.)

Northwest Herald (which has been reporting this from the beginning)

The Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph (Can USA Today be far behind?)

A lot of the commentors (at the sites that allow readers to post comments), ask why Warwak has not been fired as of yet. Dr. Krause has said that Warwak is still employed, but offers no further comment.

If I'm not mistaken, the School Board members would have to fire Warwak (if that is the action that will be taken), not the administration (unless the Board has given Dr. Krause the power to do so in certain circumstances). This would explain why Dr. Krause and Dr. Mahaffy continue to say that Mr. Warwak is still employed. Maybe the subject of his continued employment will be on the agenda at the September 24th Board Meeting. If it is, it is possible it would come up during Exectuive Session, then be announced in action at the end of the meeting. Maybe the budget won't be the only item discussed in public comments....

Warwak Threatens to File Charges Against District 3

The Northwest Herald is reporting that Dave Warwak is threatening to bring legal action against District 3. Warwak's attorney said he may as the McHenry County State's Attorney's office to file charges against the district for child endangerment and violating the Illinois School Code. These charges would stem from the district's request that Mr. Warwak stop lecturing students on animal cruelty and the dangers of eating meat.

The article says that Mr. Warwak was not fired during today's meeting with Dr. Krause, Dr. Mahaffy, the district attorney and a representative from the teacher's union. There was no mention made as to when, or if, Mr. Warwak would return to classes.

Fox River Grove Middle School Teacher Ousted from School

The Northwest Herald and CBS 2 Chicago websites reported that Dave Warwak, art teacher in the Fox River Grove Middle School, was removed from the school by Dr. Krause and Dr. Mahaffy for espousing views promoting a Vegan lifestyle and denouncing cruelty to animals.

According to the reports, Warwak refused to comply when Dr. Krause and Dr. Mahaffy asked him to stop distributing literature and discussing his viewpoints on vegan living and animal cruelty.

For now, Warwak is still employed by District 3, though no further comment was given by the Administration or members of the Board.

Personnel-ly Changing

I know, it's been a while since the last post.... Sorry about that....

Some big personnel changes were announced at last Monday's meeting.

The first one came in a letter of resignation by Board Vice-President Bob Nunamaker. His letter stated that he was resigning as of August 1st to spend more time with his family.

The last two came after a lengthy Executive Session. The Board announced that Dr. Jackie Krause will retire after the 2007-2008 school year. Dr. Tim Mahaffy will take over as Superintendent in July 2008.

Dr. Krause said that she originally planned to retire in two years, but the recent retirement of her husband led her to the decision to retire a year earlier. She said she plans to stay active in the community after she retires.

Breaking: Teacher to be Added

Last night, the Board unanimously approved adding one teacher for the next school year to work at the Middle School. More to follow......

Phone System Hang Ups?

When District 3 approved its new, $29K phone system, one of the selling points of the proposal was that the new system would be cost-neutral, or very close to that, because the new system would give the district more bandwidth than it needed. The school district would then lease the extra bandwidth to village agencies, such as the Library, to recoup the costs of the system.

According to sources familiar with the proposal, the Library's decision to lease District 3's phone capacity is not exactly a done deal.

As mentioned in a previous post, the initial cost savings projection provided to the Library amounted to more than the Library spends for phone service (which might prompt the question: Will the Library receive one lump payout of the "savings", or would checks be sent on a regular basis?). Subsequent cost-savings analysis provided to the Library did not give that board a good estimate of what the costs would actually be by leasing the District 3 phone capacity, and what the actual savings might be. For the past couple of months, the Library Board has not even discussed the topic in its meetings.

According to sources, the Library Board is still open to the idea of leasing the phone capacity. The Library likes the idea of helping District 3 recoup costs, and likes the idea of improved phone services; however, the Library does not appear to be in favor of any changes that will increase its costs for phone service. If all things were equal, of if cost savings were reasonably demonstrated, then the Library might still go ahead with leasing phone service from District 3. Without these assurances, though, District 3 may have to find another way to recoup the costs of its new phone system.

Catch-up

"I've been one poor correspondent
I've been too, too hard to find
But it doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind."

-- America, "Sister Golden Hair"

Well, that took a long time......

I haven't posted in quite a while. And I really don't have much of an excuse. It's been busy, very busy; work, family, work, work...... Work has been a big part of it. It's just been relentless, and down time is very hard to find.

While I haven't been posting (and shame on me!), I have been attending the meetings. Since Monday night at 7 PM is the next board meeting, I'll try to do a capsule of some of the things that have been happening in this post, then add some of the detail later.

Monday night's meeting is a Public Hearing on the proposed budget. If you can, please come to the meeting and have your voice heard!

The proposed budget presented by Dr. Krause at the last board meeting projects a surplus of 0.58%, which is significantly lower than the surplus projected in previous years. Dr. Krause cited increased fuel costs and less money from the state (due to about 100 fewer students in the district than a few years ago) as some of the reasons. She also said that she was intentionally conservative in her estimates.

Tim Kassel presented what turned out to be his last presentation of the test scores data analysis to the board. Despite the findings the analysis has yielded and the changes to the reading program brought about by the analysis, and despite that Tim Kassel has been providing his analysis and assistance to this study over the last year at no cost to the district, the board did not entertain a motion to continue the study. So, the effects of the changes made in the system, and the probability of the gap in reading level as students approach 8th grade will not be measured using the same methodology as the previous study. As of the last meeting, no alternative measurement study was discussed.

The board reiterated the district's purchase of the new $29K phone system. At the June meeting, Dr. Krause and former Board Member Don Rose, who is representing vendor Siemens, proposed the idea of leasing the system rather than purchasing it outright. This would spread the cost over five years instead of requiring the district to pay the entire amount up front. Leasing would cost the district $33K over five years instead of $29K for purchase. The board voted unanimously to purchase rather than lease the system. Board members voting to purchase included Bob Nunamaker, who previously voted against the system and seemed to favor leasing at the meeting prior, and Steve Knar, who expressed interest in a more modest phone system at the previous meeting. Knar abstained from the vote at that previous meeting that initially approved the purchase of the system.

One of the features of the new phone system is that the district will have extra capacity, which it is trying to lease to other public entities in town, such as the Fire Department and the Library. This was a topic of discussion at the last Library board meeting, but the Library board had some questions about the savings opportunities of the new system. It seems the savings opportunities presented were greater than the Library currently pays for service. They have asked Don Rose for a more detailed analysis of the savings opportunities of switching to the school district's phone service.

If you haven't heard yet, Chicago Magazine has selected Algonquin Road School as the top school in McHenry County! Congratulations to the Board, the administrators, the teachers, the students, and all who made ARS the top school! Also, thank you to Chris Ruckoldt, Laura Rosenthal, and Sarah Edwards for bringing this to my attention! If you haven't seen the Chicago Magazine article, it is available at the Library.

More to come.....

Be a Contributing Writer for Partnership for Schools

I know that there are those loyal, faithful readers of this blog, who wait each month to read items from the Board Meetings. And wait.... and wait... and wait.....

And I apologize. I try to write stories on a more timely basis, but work, family, and other obligations do sometimes get in the way.

And I know there are loyal, faithful readers of this blog who think, "I could write this stuff faster than Steve does!" And they may well be right!

What I'm getting at is, if you are a reader who feels this way, however justified you may be, you can help! You can be a Contributing Writer to this space.

How do you do such a thing? Well, really, you just show up at a Board Meeting with pen and notepad, and write what you see. You can stay for a whole meeting, or just a part of it. You can write about all of the business at the meeting, or just about a topic that interests you. You can attend every meeting, but if you find you can't, just show up at meetings when you can.

See how easy it is?

To contribute a story, you can e-mail it directly to the website, or use the websites e-mail form. I can post your story unedited, or I can run it through a spell- and grammar-check. Whatever you like. Your stories are attributed to you.

And don't feel weird about me or someone else writing about the same thing you're writing about. You may have a different point of view, or notice something that everyone else missed. You may catch a comment made that no one else was able to write down. The key is, the more voices, the better.

If you want to be a Contributing Writer, you don't have to let me know in advance (although you can if you like), you just have to go to a Board Meeting and write about something. You will be doing a great service in the community, and, since the blog is read by a few newspaper reporters, you may just break an important story. It could happen!

Plus, you would receive my eternal gratitude! If you're looking for ways to help the community, and you have some time on Monday nights, please keep us in mind.

Thanks!

How Two Board Members Approved a $29K Phone System

A correction from the teaser for this item, the cost is around $29K, not $30K. Call it a rounding error.

Supt. Jackie Krause introduced this item by saying that the current phone system is 5 years old, and has had one hard drive failure. There is no backup system for the phone system or any messages left. The cost to upgrade the software alone is$6500.

The new system will have the software upgrade plus a new server, backup capability, one number for the public to dial, and will be using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) using wireless access in the village. Dr. Krause also intends for the district to recoup the costs by leasing extra bandwidth to the village and the library.

Dr. Krause said the current system, which uses a T1 line, costs the district $17K, but that Brian Sawyer has negotiated this down to $15K. She says the current T1 line is slow, especially during peak hours. Sawyer said that current speeds can get to 1.5M in the Middle School, and around 400K at ARS. The issue is that when the system gets a lot of traffic, the phones get priority over internet usage.

Board Member Steve Knar noted that a lot of businesses run on 300K of bandwidth. He asked whether the district should encourage parents to use e-mail rather than call the schools whenever possible. Dr. Krause said that parents prefer to call the school instead.

Former Board Member Don Rose attended the meeting to describe the new phone system as a representative for the company doing the new phone system. In response to current Board Member Tom Mollet's comment that the fire signal uses a T1 line, Rose said that SBC (now AT&T) has a dedicated circuit for alarms that cannot be removed.

Rose went on to say that with the increase in internet capacity, that voice mail could be delivered via e-mail. In response to current Board Member Pat Hughes' question about how reliable the wireless access would be, Rose said that the system would have a standard phone line backup. He also said that the system should be installed over the summer to keep from impacting the school year, and that it should be done this summer because the current contracts are up for renewal.

After current Board Member Bob Nunamaker noted that much of the cost savings would be realized by the district because of Sawyer's negotiation of the T1 costs, and would not be a part of installing a new phone system, Dr. Krause emphasized the features of the new system. She said that the district would be able to back up e-mail, while Dr. Tim Mahaffy said that the district would be able to track down voice messages and identify prank callers. Dr. Krause also said the new system would be able to automatically dial homes with pre-recorded messages to alert parents of snow days during the school year.

Knar responded that he felt the district was going for the "Cadillac phone system," and asked if all of these features were really needed in order to serve the district. He said that the Board will have to explain why it's spending $29K on a phone system when the savings are effective over 5 years. He said the district is putting a lot of money out up front, but only getting a trickle back.

Knar then asked if this project was going to a single vendor, and Dr. Krause replied that it was. Knar asked if the Board can do a $29K expense to a single vendor, and Dr. Krause replied yes, because it is an upgrade to an existing system.

Former Board Member Don Rose said that the library could contribute $3K, plus a portion of the phone bill. Current Board Member Bob Nunamaker said, since the district is concerned about its cash flow, they should consider leasing the system. Dr. Krause replied that the phone system would be paid for in FY07. Rose said that a lease would cost around $600 per month over 5 years. Knar replied that the disadvantage is that the district would need a new phone system in 5 years. Rose noted that in 5 years the system would likely be obsolete, since the lease does not include software upgrades. That would require a separate service contract.

In the end, neither Knar nor Nunamaker were swayed to buy the system, but the motion to buy the system passed anyway, even though only two Board Members voted for it. You see, the meeting was not well attended; President Paula Zasadil, Vice-President Doris Sadik, and Board Member Gerry Blohm were absent. Only Nunamaker, Knar, Mollet, and Hughes attended the meeting. Mollet and Hughes voted for the new phone system, Nunamaker voted against it.

One of Knar's concerns was that the full Board was not in attendance to hear and vote on the proposal, and he argued to have the discussion tabled to the next meeting. But Don Rose thought that might delay the installation of the system, if it were approved, and impact the school year. Mollet and Hughes voted in favor of the system, Nunamaker voted against it, but Knar chose to abstain from the vote, thus allowing the motion to pass on a vote of 2-1.

And so, with the official approval of only two Board Members, District 3 will get a new, $29K phone system.

Painfully Slow Summary from Last Meeting

Yes, I know...... where the heck are the postings? Well, I apologize, but I've been much busier than expected. I simply haven't been able to find the time.

The next meeting is Monday, June 26, so I'd better find some time to post these. I'm still quite busy, so these will be sort of "Reader's Digest" items. Except for one item that is so... unique... that it deserves its own posting. It'll be called "How Two Board Members Approved a $30K Phone System"

-- Item --

The June 26 meeting will also be a public hearing on the amended budget for FY06. If you would like to comment on the budget, I encourage you to attend the meeting at 7:00 PM, Monday, June 26. The meeting will be held, as always, in the Middle School Library.

There were no Tax Anticipation Warrants requested at the last meeting, and Supt. Jackie Krause said that the district treasurer believes the district will be able to meet its obligations through interfund loans, and no TAW's will be needed for the fiscal year. Excellent news!

-- Item --

Something interesting came out at the beginning of the last meeting, when the Board paid tribute to Betty Foley, who left the district at the end of the school year. In her remarks during the meeting, Mrs. Foley introduced several teachers who were in attendance. Among the teachers was Beth Achey, who was introduced by Mrs. Foley as the new 4th Grade teacher. What is interesting, at least to me, is that this move had not come up during any Board Meeting I attended. But, a check of the District 3 website shows that the want ad placed for a 4th Grade teacher has come down, which would indicate that some official action was taken by the Board to move Mrs. Achey from Spec. Ed. to 4th Grade. I'm just curious about when this action was taken.

-- Item --

The new Facilities Director postition that caused some discussion turned out not to be a new position at all, but a renaming of Rick Miller's position. According to Dr. Krause, the position was renamed to reflect the additional duties that Mr. Miller is already performing in the district.


-- Item --

Board Member Steve Knar got an opportunity to say "I told you so" to the Board, but graciously declined to take it. He remarked on a measure brought before the Board earlier in the school year to join a legal action contesting the assessment of property tax on an apartment building on Opatrny. Mr. Knar said that the apartments are being turned into condominiums, and as such, will generate more in property tax for the district than they would under either assessment given to the apartment building. Mr. Knar opposed the earlier measure for the district to join the legal action, and the measure was defeated.

I'll submit the telephone system story in a separate posting. Thanks for your patience.

Meeting Preview

Preview for tonight's Board Meeting at 7:00 PM in the library of the Fox River Grove Middle School:

• There is some budgetary biz on the agenda for tonight's meeting. The Board is set to approve $200 Million in interfund loans, in an effort to stave off Tax Anticipation Warrants. At last month's meeting, Supt. Jackie Krause said that it was still a possiblity the district would seek a TAW, but there is no discussion of a TAW on the agenda for tonight.
• A hearing date will be set for Public Comment on a revised Budget.
• The District is set to hire a Facilities Director for the 2006 - 2007 School Year. The hire, and the job description, are scheduled to be approved tonight.
• There is no mention of hiring for the 4th Grade teaching position. The District is hiring a 4th Grade teacher to replace Betty Foley, a 5th Grade teacher, who is retiring at the end of the current school year. If there is no major change in enrollment or funding next school year, this means that the current 4th Grade class will retain the largest class size for a third year as they enter the 5th Grade next year. If there remains no major change in enrollment or funding after next year, the stage will be set for the current 1st Grade to be divided into two classes of approximately 30 students when they enter the 3rd Grade in the 2007 - 2008 School Year.

If you are able to attend the meeting, please arrive a few minutes before 7:00 PM in the library of the Middle School. Remember, if you wish to address the Board during the Public Comment portion at the beginning of the meeting, you must sign in at the table in the front of the room. If you are not able to attend, you may submit a question or comment to the Board via e-mail.

Re-making the Grades

The Board unanimously approved modifying the grading scale for the 2006-2007 School Year, putting each letter grade in a 9-point range.

The change came at the suggestion of teachers who felt that the current scale funneled students to the C and D grades, since those bands have an 11-point range, and away from the A and B grades with a 9-point range each. Dr. Mahaffy noted that this proposal was not the same as previous proposals to adjust the grading scale to a 90 (A) – 80 (B) – 70 (C) – 60 (D) scale.

Board Member Gerry Blohm asked if the district has had a problem getting students into high school. Dr. Mahaffy said that when students are identified as having a problem getting out of middle school, the school will work with the students after school to get them what is needed for graduation to high school. He stressed that the district helps these students, and that there is no social promotion for them. He also said there is an opportunity for some struggling students to take outside remedial courses, which are paid by the student’s parents. He said if the students did not complete the courses or pass the tests to graduate to high school, they are not offered a chance to retake the program. Dr. Mahaffy said that if the middle school did not do any intervention, about five students a year would be retained in the 8th Grade.

Blohm said that he would like to see the middle school use the same 90 – 80 – 70 – 60 grading scale that the Cary feeder schools use. He said that it is traumatic for students who do not graduate to high school along with their classmates.

Board Vice-President Doris Sadik disagreed with Blohm, saying that, while she could agree with the reasons for adopting the proposed 9-point grading scale, she wouldn’t want to lower District 3’s standards because other feeder schools have less challenging grading scales. Blohm countered by saying that he’s not proposing lowering standards any further than a typical school, to which Sadik replied, “Is that what you want to be?”

ARS Principal Karen Machroli said the school district from which she came had a 90 – 80 – 70 – 60 grading scale, and she felt that some of the students promoted from the lower end of the scale weren’t as well-prepared.

The Board voted unanimously to approve the new 9-point grading scale.

Tax Anticipation Warrants May Not Be Warranted

The Board did not issue Tax Anticipation Warrants (TAW) as expected, but did approve the issuance of warrants in the future if they are needed. The move came after a presentation of the District's cash-flow analysis, which was better than expected. It now looks like the District can get through April and the better part of May without needing the warrants. The District can loan itself money from the Transportation Fund to the Education Fund if necessary.

If District 3 can get through the next 2.5 months, no TAW will be necessary because the June property tax distribution will be coming in.

Instead, the District adopted a resolution approving the issuance of up to $500K in TAW if Supt. Krause decides they are needed. The district's cash-flow will be reviewed for the April 24 Board Meeting. Dr. Krause said if the budget shows the district will be $200K short, she will consult with Sarah Ireland and Tammie Beckwith Schallmo, the consultant from UBS Investment Bank, on a course of action, but that her preference is for the district to loan itself money from the Transportation Fund. If money is loaned from the Transportation Budget, it would need to be repaid upon receipt of the next distribution of property taxes. It is projected that the issuance of TAW will cost District 3 $5K in interest and fees.

Dr. Tim Mahaffy said that the deadline for teachers to order supplies has passed, and that teachers have been careful to order only supplies that are needed, instead of focusing on how much is in the supply budget.

New Extra-Curricular Activity Fees

The Board adopted a new Extracurricular Activity Fee schedule designed to more closely align fees with the costs of activities, although it will leave some activities shy of being self-funded. Overall, the new fee schedule will not cover $1,200 of transportation costs. If no changes were made, $3,300 of costs would not have been covered.

Here is the new fee schedule:

$125
Soccer (Boys and Girls)
Softball
Boys' Volleyball
Scholar Bowl

$100
Jazz Band
Basketball
Girls' Volleyball

$75
Band
Cross Country
Gifted Programs

$50
Chorus
Track
Cheerleading
Art Club

$20
Beta Club

Activities that require no fee (due to being self-funded)
Middle School Play (funded by gate receipts)
8th Grade Trip (funded by fund-raisers and dances)

Costs will be paid by the district for any team qualifying for a state tournament/contest. The Fee Schedule and costs of extra-curricular activities will be evaluated each year in the Spring, as long as District 3 has extra-curricular fees.

Over the past tow years, District 3 has spent around $14K for transportation for extra-curricular activities.

Board member Steve Knar argued against raising fees to a level he felt might adversely affect participation in extracurricular activities. He proposed raising all fees by 10%.

Board member Gerry Blohm and Board Vice-President Doris Sadik expressed the need to represent to the community that the programs are self-funded, as they told the community they would be. Sadik said that, until the district is in a position not to have to issue Tax Anticipation Warrants, the activities need to be self-funded. Blohm said that the activities are important, but the Board has to abide by what they said they would do. He said he could go along with the fee schedule that was approved because the Board was making an "honest effort."

Blohm said that liked the multi-tier fee schedule. He said he had no problem raising fees, since the biggest increase is $25. He said that he talked with several people in the community, and the most feedback he got was from people saying they didn't want their child's activity fees to go toward paying for another activity's bus trip. He noted that the parents of the softball players should be informed that their $125 activity fee still does not cover the expense of the activity.

Knar challenged Blohm's point, saying that Blohm wants to cover the expense, but he doesn't want to raise the fees to ensure the expenses are covered. Blohm countered that self-funded is self-funded, but he doesn't want to drop a bomb on people. Board Member Pat Hughes said he didn't think the Board was dropping a bomb on people, they were just saying what the costs are.

Board Member Bob Nunamaker noted that the fee increases may destroy the extra-curricular activities, but that parents already think that teams are not competitive, because the volunteer coaches are required to play all students equally.

Sadik acknowledged Nunamaker's argument that the quality has gone down, but until we see that, she said, the District should cover the costs. Knar said that every kid should have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities, and worried that raising fees would be a hardship to families on a tight budget. Knar voted against the new fee schedule, while Nunamaker, Sadik, Blohm, Hughes, and Tom Mollet voted in favor. Board President Paula Zasadil was not in attendance for this meeting.

Tax Anticipation Warrants to be Approved at Tonight's Board Meeting

The Board is expected to approve the issuance of approximately $567K in Tax Anticipation Warrants (TAW) during tonight's meeting, which starts at 7:00 pm in the library of the Middle School. Tax Anticipation Warrants allow school districts to borrow money when County tax distributions are late, enabling the School District to pay bills on time, instead of delaying payments until the tax money is distributed. In order to issue TAW's, the school district must, by law, perform a cash-flow analysis.

District 3 has issued TAW's the last few years. Last year's TAW cost the district $37K. This year's TAW is expected to cost the district $32K, even though the district is issuing TAW's for far fewer dollars than last year. The similarity in fees is due to changes in market conditions since last year, including higher interest rates.

At last month's Board Meeting, Supt. Jackie Krause said that the district has enough money in the bank to get through April, and may have enough to get through May, but that the comfort zone is not there. She said the district should issue TAW's now because, if a deficit is encountered in the budget, and the cash flow doesn't look as good as it does now, the district may not be able to secure as favorable an interest rate. She said that one extra student or need can throw a budget off track.

Middle School Activity Fees -- Possible Increases to be be discussed at Monday Night's Meeting

Middle School Activity Fees are on the agenda for the Monday, April 20 Board Meeting. Residents who would like to comment on Activity Fees will have the chance to do so during Public Comment at the beginning of the meeting, at 7:00 pm, in the library of the Middle School.

After the referendum was approved, the Board, in making promised budget cuts, heavily increased fees for extracurricular activities. In doing so, the Board said that each extracurricular activity would need to be self-funding.

As Supt. Jackie Krause said in the February 27 Board Meeting, an investigation of how fees stack up against costs of activities came when some parents suggested that the fees were too high, and may be offsetting other more expensive activities, or activities with lower participation. Each activity is intended to be funded within itself.

An analysis of the fees showed that a few activities were collecting fees in excess of their operating costs, but many other activities, sports most notably, collected fees at or under their operating costs. Also, transportation costs are not factored into the operating costs. Add these costs in, and the activity fees overall come about $3000 short of activity costs overall.

Dr. Krause further noted that, for the next school year, the State has warned that $12K or more from the transportation funds received by District 3.

This started a conversation as to what it means for an activity to be "self-funded". Does it include transportation costs? Is "close" good enough? What was promised to the community?

Vice-President Doris Sadik said that it won't look good to the community if the Board does not make sure each activity is completely self-funded. She said that taxpayers will look at it as their tax dollars paying for the activities.

Board Member Steve Knar said the the District is doing the community a favor by keeping the activity fees from increasing any more. He said that he doesn't want to spend more money than the District has, and he understands the need for fiscal discipline, but he just can't support raising fees at this time.

Middle School Principal Dr. Tim Mahaffy noted that the number of students drives the cost-per-student for each activity, and said that the next three years will bring smallest classess entering the Middle School in some time.

Board Member Tom Mollet wondered how close the activities could come to paying for themselves and still be able to call themselves self-funded.

A decision on what to do about the fees is expected to be made at the March 20 Board Meeting.

ARS Concession Stand Update

The damage to the concession stand at Algonquin Road School's baseball fields is expected to be completed in April, just before the start of the 2006 Little League season. At the January 24th Board Meeting, it was announced that contract negotiations between District 3 and Heartland Home Craft will be wrapped up soon, which will allow Heartland to begin the work.

While the final cost of the repairs is still to be determined, Supt. Jackie Krause said that the total will be $20K or less, and that the funds will come from the restitution paid by the families of the minors who allegedly started the fire last summer. After the reconstruction is done, District 3 and the Fox River Grove Rec. Council will share the cost of installing security cameras and lighting.

The Board unanimously approved the pending contract with Heartland Home Craft. Heartland Home Craft was expected to sign the contract soon after the Board gave its approval. Fox River Grove Rec. Council will manage the project and will report to the Board if reconstruction costs approach $20K.

Mike Bajorek of the Rec. Council also reported on the installation of a new storage shed at the baseball fields, to replace the one destroyed by last summer's fire. The new shed will be 14' x 14', bigger than the former shed, and will feature movement-sensored lighting inside. The Rec. Council will pay the entire cost of the new shed, which will be placed on the same site where the old shed stood. The Board approved this plan unanimously, pending an inspection of the site by Rick Miller.

Donations are being accepted for Equipment and Building Replacement at the Fox River Grove Harris Bank: 847-829-1920
Please refer to the FRG Rec Council Concession Fund.

Registration Fees, Lunch Prices to Increase

Registration Fees for District 3 schools will increase at least $5, and Hot Lunch prices will increase $0.05 for the 2006-2007 school year. In making the request at the January 23rd Board Meeting, Supt. Jackie Krause said that there has been no increase in registration fees for the last two school years. She also said that former Supt. John Hill suggested that Dr. Krause raise registration fees for the current school year, but Dr. Krause said she didn't feel the time was right to request an increase. However, she said that costs are increasing approximately 5% a year, and registration fees need to reflect this.

Dr. Krause added that she may seek another $5 increase in registration fees if tax anticipation warrants are needed. As for the $0.05 increase in school lunch prices, she said that the increase will closely cover the increase in costs, but that she was being conservative in her request because of families with more than one student in District 3. Dr. Krause estimates that the increase in fees will bring in approximately $3K.

The Board approval of the increase came after the Board denied a request by the ARS Kindergarten teachers, Debbie Randle-Hayes, Lora LeGrand, and Beth Diller, to increase Kindergarted registration fees by $29 in order to cover the cost of a prepackaged school supplies kit for each student. This kit is currently available to parents at registration for $29; the request was made to add the purchase of the kits to the Kindergarten registration. The teachers said this would provide needed consistency of school supplies across all Kindergarten students. Inconsistencies, said the teachers, used extra class time and caused stress to students when teachers teach the students about each supply, and students were unable to match the supply to their neighbor's. The teachers also said that some brands don't perform as well as others. The kits, currently available from the PTO and distributed by SchoolKidz, has all needed supplies in recommended sizes, and from recommended brands.

The Kindergarten teachers said that the $29 cost of the SchoolKidz kit was competitively priced with individual school supplies sold by area stores like Walgreens and Wal-Mart, especially when costs of fuel and time were factored in. They noted that stores may not carry all of the school supplies needed, causing parents to make multiple trips, or settle for brands that do not perform well or are not appropriate for Kindergarteners. The Kindergarten teachers emphasized that supplies should be developmentally appropriate and consistent. One example they noted was that permanent markers are sometimes substituted for washable markers.

Dr. Krause commented that the school district used to buy the Kindergarten school supplies for the students, but this was ended by former Supt. John Hill because of the cost.

In rejecting the addition of the cost of supplies to Kindergarten registration, Board members cited concerns of passing the increased registration fee to parents who already qualify for reduced lunch prices, or parents with multiple students going into Kindergarten. They also said that some parents prefer to try to shop for better prices on school supplies in retail stores. The kits are already available to parents, so some people are already choosing to shop on their own.

Board Member Steve Knar, supporting the $29 fee increase, said that the kits may be only a few dollars more than buying supplies from a retail store, and that difference is the cost of convenience. Board Member Gerry Blohm, in opposing the increase, said that he has to represent the whole community, and some people prefer to try to get school supplies cheaper by themselves. He wondered if there was a way for the PTO and Kindergarten teachers to show parents at registration that buying the SchoolKidz kits is cost-effective, and that parents really don't save money buying supplies on their own.

Voting in favor of adding $29 to Kindergarten registration to cover the cost of school supplies was Pat Hughes and Steve Knar. Voting against was Gerry Blohm, Bob Nunamaker, Doris Sadik, and Paula Zasadil. Tom Mollet was not present.

Tonight's Board Meeting

The agenda is up for tonight's Board Meeting, at 7:00 PM in the Middle School Library. From the agenda, it looks to be a relatively short meeting, at least until Executive Session. In Executive Session, the Board looks to be discussing whether or not to open minutes to meetings that have been closed, or leave them closed due to their "Confidential Nature". I'm hoping they will find a way to communicate to the public the nature of the minutes without breaching privacy concerns of individuals. Maybe there will be some redacted minutes released, or a summary of the minutes, or a time limit set on how long closed minutes can stay closed without further action. I suppose we'll see what they do after tonight's Executive Session.

There is also some time scheduled to talk about the Concession Stand at ARS. At the last meeting, Mike Bajorek and Vince Rosenthal made a presentation about the reconstruction efforts being done through the Fox River Grove Recreation Council. It was also announced that the families of the minors who allegedly started the fire last summer have made restitution for the cost of the damage.

Mr. Bajorek and Mr. Rosenthal, as part of their presentation, have discussed the possibility of adding security lighting and cameras to the area. The Board has been somewhat in favor of this, but both the Board and the Rec. Council have had some discussion as to who should pay for the lighting and cameras. Specifically, both organizations want to pay for them. Maybe tonight will bring some conclusion to the reconstruction plans and settle who gets to pay for the added security.

The agenda for tonight's meeting is here:

http://www.dist3.org/board/agenda.pdf

I hope to see you there. If you can't attend, watch this space for updates on what happened.

Good article on School Board politics

Here is a link to an excellent article by Marsha Sutton, which appeared in the San Diego (CA) Ranch Coast Newspaper Group. Although the column concerns a school board in Del Mar, CA, I think the issues of open, constructive debate and transparency are common to many districts, including District 3. See if you agree.

http://www.sdranchcoastnews.com/sdrcn%20pages/m31.html

Daily Herald Editorial on School Consolidation Changes

This was posted to the Discussion Groups (so if you've read it there, you're reading it twice), but I wanted to post a link to it for you Blog readers, too.

Note: You may need to register for this article at the Daily Herald. Registration is free.

http://www.dailyherald.com/search/searchstory.asp?id=135882

Set the stage for school consolidations

Posted Sunday, December 25, 2005

If there’s one thing Illinois has in excess — besides political corruption — it is school districts.
The state has 875 districts in all, including a bewildering and inefficient array of elementary and high school districts. That stands in sharp contrast to most states, where school districts usually encompass kindergarten through high school. Amazingly, 200 Illinois districts consist of only a single school.

If the Blagojevich administration has its way, though, the General Assembly will pass laws this spring that will make it easier for school districts to merge.

One change would permit some elementary districts to merge with the community high school district even if voters in one elementary district reject the idea. Another would allow elementary districts to consolidate even if they are not adjacent — the idea being that combining districts close to each other still would yield administrative efficiencies.

Yet another change would allow a high school district to merge with an adjacent unit district even if the elementary schools feeding into that high school did not first agree to become part of a unit district. Granted, the merger of a high school and unit district would pose challenges in creating fair pay scales and coordinating curriculum.

Nonetheless, these changes all represent good and overdue ideas that legislators would do well to embrace.

To read the rest of the editorial, click the link above.

Dec. 19th Meeting is Tonight

It continues to be hectic 'round here, and I still have some items to report from the November meeting. The December Board meeting is tonight at 7:00 PM. After tonight's meeting, I will post stories on the items I have not yet covered from the November meeting as well as stories from tonight's meeting. In some cases, it may be that I cover what happened at each meeting within the same story. I'll try not to make it too confusing, and thank you for your patience with me in getting the November items posted.

Nov. 28 Board Meeting -- Public Comment

Wow. It's been a month since I've been able to post. I know it's been busy -- work is relentless, and always asking for more; of course, it's the holiday season; and both kids have been in basketball. I was involved with a production of "A Christmas Carol" that was performed at the town's Tree Lighting Ceremony, which was, by all accounts, a great success. I traveled to Dallas and Washington DC for work.

Of course, all of this activity meant little time for me to post about the November Board Meeting.

So, hoping that late is still better than never, here's what I saw at the November 28 Board Meeting:

Tim Kassel, Vince Rosenthal, and Mike Bajorek spoke during the Public Comment portion of the meeting.

Keeping Score

Before Mr. Kassel spoke, Dr. Tim Mahaffy addressed the Board and the audience and said that previous to the meeting, Mr. Kassel had met with school administration and discussed the further analysis he'd done on test scores. Dr. Mahaffy said that one of the things discussed was that the analysis indicated that, as students move up and a Bell Curve were imposed on the test scores, that students tended to move away from the center of the curve. Dr. Mahaffy said that this finding fell along the lines of probability, that lower-end scores stay the same or get worse, and higher-end scores stay the same or get better. He continued, saying that the study has yielded valuable data, but that data collected in the future will be separate from the data used in this study because the data are no longer collected through Reading Groups.

Mr. Kassel said that he felt this subject has gotten to a point of some closure. He added that it took a long time to get to this point. He stated that the analysis confirmed some of his suspicions, that the high end of the Bell Curve had more students than the low end, but that the curve hides that the lower-end students don't really move up.

Tim Kassel's analysis documents can be found here:

http://www.partnershipforschools.org/GE_Differential_Analysis.pdf
http://www.partnershipforschools.org/Longitudinal_NPR_Analysis.pdf
http://www.partnershipforschools.org/Longitudinal_20GE.pdf

Dr. Mahaffy noted that, over time, bi-modal distribution is not apparent. If there's a concern that students are being left behind, he continued, there's a great place to look.

Board Member Bob Nunamaker wondered what was going to change now that District 3 has this data. We think an individual student is progressing, but is he? Mr. Nunamaker wondered. He continued, asking if we knew who these students were.

Supt. Jackie Krause said that the District knows who the students are, but Mr. Kassel doesn't. She said that in the analysis, they looked at composite scores for Reading, but teachers look at the students' needs. She added that they always want to look at students who are struggling on an individual basis.

Dr. Mahaffy added that every time the District reports on ITBS data, it is good news. He said that when they asked Mr. Kassel to look at the data, what they found was that the upper tail of the curve was more significant.

Mr. Nunamaker said that if the District has students reading below grade level, the teachers would know who they are. Dr. Krause agreed, saying that it is not a surprise to the teachers, since they work with the students every day and know what each student's issues are.

Dr. Mahaffy said that the analysis done by Mr. Kassel says that the District shouldn't be satisfied with growth initially seen in test score results. Dr. Mahaffy said that is valuable information.

Vice-President Doris Sadik wondered if the Diagnostic Reading Center influenced this data. Dr. Krause said that the District will see the results of the DRC with this year's test scores, when the first students who completed the entire DRC Program take the tests this year.

Dr. Krause said that the analysis of the Reading test score data turned out to be a good collaboration, and that all have learned from it. Mr. Kassel agreed.

Rebuilding Phase

Mike Bajorek, representing the Fox River Grove Rec. Council, addressed the Board next about the repair and reconstruction of the damage from this summer's fire at the Algonquin Road School baseball fields. He said he contacted several builders from the Cary-Grove Chamber of Commerce about the damaged concession stand. From all of the builders contacted, Mr. Bajorek said that GK Design/Build Services of Cary sent in an estimate, for $19,717.50. He said that the company did not need to develop plans to provide the estimate, but that they would like the approval to make plans for the reconstruction.

Dr. Krause noted that, in addition to the donations made from the community to the Rec. Council to rebuild the concession stand, that the families of the minors who allegedly set the fire have agreed to pay restitution. Mr. Bajorek said that the estimate covered the rebuilding of the concession stand and lighting for the stand, the school buses, and all four corners of the school, but does not include cameras (though it does include the electrical capacity to add cameras). In order for the reconstruction to begin, Serv-Pro estimates $500 to $1K to clean and disinfect the bricks. Wood would also have to be removed from the site. Mr. Bajorek remarked that most companies contacted about the reconstruction would not offer estimates for the work.

Board Member Steve Knar asked if the money would come from donations or from the families of the minors alleged to have started the fire. Mr. Bajorek said that the Rec. Council might be able to get donations of materials from Home Depot, Lowe's, or similar area stores, which would lower the cost of the reconstruction. He asked that the Board approve one or two contractors to do the project, so that the work can be better coordinated, and so that the Rec. Council won't be bound to having to report on progress to the Board at each meeting.

Mr. Bajorek said that he requested quotes from four companies, and that only one company actually submitted a quote. He noted that this was the company that is also doing the work for Cary-Grove High School's concession stand.

Board President Paula Zasadil said that her understanding is that an estimate of $23K in repairs and reconstruction was for the concession stand, less the cost of repairs to the fence.

Board Member Tom Mollet asked if the sturdy ladder and steep stairs to a possible upper level of the rebuilt concession stand would cause a problem, since they would not follow ADA guidelines. Dr. Krause said no, it would not cause a problem, because the upper level area is not for people, but for storage. Dr. Mahaffy said that another example of this is the ladder to the school roof, which also does not comply with ADA.

Board Member Pat Hughes asked if the company will come back to the Board with a more formal proposal. Mr. Bajorek said yes, the company intends to come back with a plan. Mr. Hughes wondered if the Board needed to have Building and Zoning Dept. Head Curt Ulrich look at the plan. Mr. Bajorek said that Curt does not have a blueprint for the concession stand, and that the work would not be as extensive as the Cary-Grove project, where a second story, elevator, and ramp are being added to the concession stand. Mr. Hughes said that Curt knows codes. Mr. Bajorek said that the Rec. Council can include Curt in the project, that they do not have a problem with that.

Board Member Steve Knar said that the lighting and the cameras should be done by District 3. Dr. Krause said that she agrees with this in principle, but that it was not in this year's budget. Vince Rosenthal, also representing the Rec. Council, said that the Rec. Council has been receiving donations from the community for the reconstruction, and that the Rec. Council would like to use these donations for the cameras and the lighting.

Dr. Krause said that it looks like the District has another cooperative, and that the Rec. Council and the District can partner to make the grounds more secure.

Mr. Mollet said that there is some extra cost to improve the building, and that the District could give money to that and to adding cameras. Mr. Knar said that he is OK with spending the money, because there is a need. Mr. Mollet said that he's OK with spending money, but not with spending money the District doesn't have. He said that the concession stand is of more use to the community than to the school.

President Zasadil noted that the discussion was over a pool of about $30K, and that it was important to note that the Rec. Council is not asking the District for any more money. Mr. Bajorek said that the Rec. Council doesn't care whether the Rec. Council or the District pays for the cameras. Mr. Knar said that he was comfortable spending the money, because the cameras benefit the whole school.

Board Member Gerry Blohm spelled out the priorities for the reconstruction as he saw them: 1) restore the building. 2) add cameras. 3) add a level to the concession stand.

President Zasadil said that the Board would like to get an estimate including cameras and building permits.

Mr. Blohm suggested fixing the building first, then do other improvements with any money left over. Mr. Bajorek said that the next step is to get a plan for the project.

Mr. Rosenthal added for clarification that, by adding a level to the concession stand, what the Rec. Council is proposing is that the pitch of the roof be changed by a foot and a half in order to provide more storage.

Dr. Krause asked if it would make sense to do a Plan A and a Plan B, one with the raised roof, and one without it. Mr. Hughes said that if we don't raise the roof now, we never will. He suggested raising the roof, then adding the lighting and the cameras.

Mr. Bajorek said that the Rec. Council gets donations from the community every time an article about the fire appears in a newspaper. So far, they have raised around $9K. Mr. Rosenthal said that the Rec. Council wants to cover the cost of the cameras, because there is a benefit. He reiterated that the Rec. Council is not asking the District for any more funding for this project.

Oct. 24th Board Meeting -- School Counts

Here are the class sizes reported at the Oct. 24th School Board meeting:

Algonquin Road School
Kindergarten
Students: 59
Classes: 3
Avg. Students per Class: 19.66

1st Grade
Students: 57
Classes: 3
Avg. Students per Class: 19

2nd Grade
Students: 66
Classes: 3
Avg. Students per Class: 22

3rd Grade
Students: 67
Classes: 3
Avg. Students per Class: 22.33

4th Grade
Students: 58
Classes: 2
Avg. Students per Class: 29

ECE
Students: 17 (7 of these students reside in District 3)

Fox River Grove Middle School
5th Grade
Students: 66

6th Grade
Students: 56

7th Grade
Students: 68

8th Grade
Students: 70

Oct. 24th Board Meeting -- Cargo Beep Beep

The Board unanimously approved the purchase of a used cargo van for up to $7K. The money comes from the Transportation Fund. Rick Miller has been using his personal vehicle, with mileage expenses of approximately $100 per month.

Before the vote, Board Member Bob Nunamaker wondered if the district could get one vehicle to be used for cargo and food transportation between the Middle School and Algonquin Road School. Supt. Jackie Krause said that this would not be workable, since food truck is used approximately 3 hours in the middle of the school day, and would be unavailable for cargo during this time. When Nunamaker asked if the district considered not serving hot lunches at Algonquin Road School, Board President Paula Zasadil told him he'd have a mutiny on his hands.

Oct. 24th Board Meeting -- From the Ashes

This week's Countryside has an article on the rebuilding of the concession stand and storage shed burned last August.

The reconstruction was discussed at the Oct. 24th Board Meeting. District 3 is involved in the reconstruction because the concession stand and shed are on Algonquin Road School grounds. The district owns the concession stand, but because the shed was not a permanent structure, it was not owned by the district.

Dr. Krause said that the repair costs to the concession stand and the fence that were damaged in the fire were estimated at $23K. If District 3 pays for the repairs, which are covered by their insurance, the deductible paid by the district would be $1K. Dr. Krause noted that the Fox River Grove Recreation Council was interested in doing the repairs (as indicated by the Countryside article), and that the families of the 14-year-olds responsible for setting the fire may be liable for the cost. She also said that increased lighting to the area may mean added cost to the district, but would increase security to the grounds.

Board Member Steve Knar said that repair estimates obtained from the Rec Council were in the range of $40K, and that the families of those responsible for the fire may not be able to shoulder all of the cost. He added that once the repairs are done, the district should consider leasing the concession stand to the Rec Council. Dr. Krause said that she would have to see if the district would be allowed to do this.

Oct. 24th Board Meeting -- Graduation Day

The Board approved moving 8th Grade graduation to June 1, 2005. Graduation was originally scheduled for May 31, but the Cary-Grove High School auditorium, where the 8th Grade graduation ceremony takes place, was previously booked for that day.

Oct. 24th Board Meeting -- Reading Group Study Update

Supt. Jackie Krause presented an update to the ongoing Reading Group study. (Those of you who are members of the Partnership for Schools e-mail group may have already seen the excellent analysis done by Tim Kassel, who lead the charge for the Reading Group study to take place. If you have not seen Tim's analysis, you can download a copy of it