A Night Out for Nancy

The Alumni Club at

The Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake

March 6, 2005

6-10 pm

Nancy Kiefer has been a resident of Fox River Grove for over 14 years. During that time she has served as an active volunteer in many FRG programs, including the PTO, religious education and as president of the FRG special events committee. Since the end of January, Nancy has been hospitalized with a severe form of pneumonia and a blood infection.

It’s time to return to Nancy and the Kiefer family all that they have given to us. A fundraiser is being held at the Alumni Club in Crystal Lake.

Come and join us for a fun time for a great cause.

Snacks, drinks, raffles, billiards.

A $10.00 donation is requested but no amount is too small or too great. Donations will also be accepted at Harris Bank, just ask for “The Nancy Kiefer Help Fund”

All proceeds will go to the Kiefer family to cover expenses they have incurred due to this unfortunate illness.

For further info please contact: b.dudzinski@sbcglobal.net

Hill! Hill to Michigan?

The Saginaw (MI) News reported yesterday that one of the candidates for superintendant of Bullock Creek's schools is our very own John Hill. Hill will interview with the Bullock Creek Board of Education Saturday morning.

Link to story:
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1109173846237461.xml

So, instead of retiring south, maybe John will head north when he leaves District 3?

Steve

Meet the New Boss

District 3 hired Karen Machroli as the principal for Algonquin Road School for the 2005-2006 school year. The vote was unanimous, 6-0 (Don Rose absent). Machroli currently serves as principal for Hiawatha Elementary School in Kirkland, IL, in Hiawatha School District 426. She has been at this school since at least the 2001-2002 school year.

You can see an overview of Hiawatha Elementary School, with results of recent test scores, here.

District Donations

At the January 24th Board Meeting, Supt. Hill noted, during the superintendant's report, a couple of donations made to the district. One anonymous donor gave $5K to the district to pay the activity fee for students who will be on the Middle School track team. Because of this donation, which was made specifically for this purpose, athletes on the track team will not have to pay the $100 fee for participating in track.

Supt. Hill also acknowledged the Fox River Grove Rec. Council for its donation of $2800 to the district to help pay for bleacher improvements that were done this year in the middle school.

Board Member Gerry Blohm remarked that when times are darkest in District 3, the community comes through. Supt. Hill echoed the sentiment, saying that Fox River Grove is the most amazing community he's ever seen, and that the spirit of volunteerism is ingrained in the values of this community.

District 3 -- By The Numbers

A treasurer Report was presented at the January 24, 2005 Board meeting by Bob Blumberg. Mr. Blumberg noted that the District's current accounts are in Money Market funds at Harris Bank, where they receive an enhanced Money Market rate. Supt. Hill added that all of the District's funds are in interest-bearing accounts.

Then, came the Tax Anticipation Warrants. These are loans made to the District because tax money will not be received before certain bills and payments are due, so the District needs to borrow money in anticipation of taxes that will come. Since the election is in April, and the county clerk's office can't assess property taxes until after the election, so tax payments and tax distributions to District 3 will be pushed back approximately 3 weeks. Supt. Hill expects that the district won't see any local tax dollars until the end of July.

So, the Board approved by a 6-0 vote (Don Rose was absent) a Tax Anticipation Warrant for $1.3M. Supt. Hill said that he was trying to keep the dollars requested as low as possible because of the interest the district will need to pay on the warrant. He also said that hopefully, as the district's fund balances increase, the need for Tax Anticipation Warrants would be reduced or eliminated. He added, "We didn't get into this [financial situation] overnight, and we're not going to get out of it overnight."

Supt. Hill estimated that the District's cost for issuing the warrant be $25K in interest and fees. Board member Bob Nunamaker asked if there was some way of the district getting a better rate on these warrants. Supt. Hill and Mr. Blumberg answered that, because the bonds issued for a Tax Anticipation Warrant are so secure, that they don't think they could get more than 1/10th of a point better in the rate.