Grayslake D46 consultant returning part of $75,000 fee

Former Grayslake Elementary District 46 board member Michael Linder is returning to public coffers about a third of the $75,000 he’s projected to earn from a part-time consulting job there.

Linder indicated in a letter to school officials that while he appreciated being selected as a facilities engineering consultant, he understands finances are tight and wanted to return some of the fee. He couldn’t be reached for elaboration.

Elected to the District 46 board in 2007, Linder cited changes in his schedule when he resigned the volunteer post in November.

Linder, who retired from a career of managing large corporate operations, has industrial engineering experience. The 68-year-old Texas Tech University graduate does his consulting work from a District 46 office.

At a recent meeting, District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll read the letter Linder wrote to board President Mary Garcia. In it, he said his usual consulting fee is well above the $75,000 the district offered him for one year.

Linder wrote he’d accept the $75,000 that was approved last month, but understood the school board’s “dilemma” about his compensation. Similar to other school systems, District 46 has been grappling with financial woes.

“In the spirit of my commitment to the board and the community, I gift back $27,000 of the salary proposed during the first year of the contract. I do not want anyone to feel I’ve taken advantage of the situation,” Correll quoted Linder as writing.

“As my agreement began in December, I have attached a bill for professional services rendered.”

School board members were to vote Jan. 5 on a recommendation for Linder’s hiring, but Correll said action was postponed because she needed to conclude interviews with other job applicants. Linder’s part-time contract was approved in February.

Garcia said it appears Linder was working for the district two months before his consulting contract gained approval because he was ending volunteer duties for a new air-quality system at Avon Center School in Round Lake Beach.

“He was wedded to that project,” Garcia said of Linder. “That was his baby.”

Garcia said she expects the school board to ask Correll about Linder’s December bill at a meeting Wednesday night.

Proponents of Linder’s deal have said his expertise will be valuable and more than pay for itself because he’ll help to preserve expensive buildings. Critics contended it was another example of government insider hiring.

Linder is an independent contractor, so he won’t receive benefits from District 46. Correll has said neither the district nor Linder will pay into a state pension plan for public-sector employees.