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.