Ghost of Neale can't linger any longer in U-46

Former Superintendent Connie Neale has been physically absent from Elgin Area School District U-46 since October.

She's been off the district's payroll for more than four weeks.

How long her ghost lingers, however, is another issue.

The school board last week learned 30 candidates have applied to be the next district superintendent.

Representatives from the Milwaukee-based superintendent search firm ProAct Inc. presented the school board with candidate applications collected since January.

According to board President Ken Kaczynski, 19 of the 30 applicants are from the Midwest, having "past or present ties to the greater U-46 community or Illinois."

A majority of those 19, then, have likely heard of Neale's infamous golden parachute. How many will expect a similar inflated pay package?

Two different protracted contract negotiations this school year both reflected the presence of Neale's specter.

After a year of negotiations, U-46 teachers in December filed an intent to strike, before accepting a generous pay package.

March 5, transportation employees took the district through four sessions with a federal mediator, eventually approving a four-year deal that allows them to continue to be the best-paid transportation union in the state.

In both contract offers, pay packages were better than what the vast majority of private-sector workers are getting.

To say Neale's deal caused resentment might be the understatement of the year.

Still, it must not distort reality any longer, especially when the economy is teetering on the edge of a recession.

As the search for a new superintendent draws to a close, board members must remember that taxpayers will likely be looking at a new leader's contract details with a watchful -- and increasingly wary -- eye.

U-46 can't afford another example showing that her ghost still hovers.

DaVinci's diverse "Roots": A word has many interpretations, especially during Immersion Week at DaVinci Academy. During the annual spring ritual, the school's teachers and students study a central theme or topic together, presenting findings to parents and guests.

As I roamed the halls of the Elgin school last Thursday, I was amazed to see how differently each class interpreted the "roots" theme.

In the kindergarten classroom, students showed off their root-vegetable sculptures. Fourth-graders each researched a theme on Latin and language roots. Middle-school language arts students put on a play about American immigrants of all religions, nationalities and ethnicities.

The week before spring break, I couldn't think of a better way for students use that pent-up energy!

Underage drinking meeting: As part of Alcohol Awareness Month this April, community residents are invited to attend Renz Addiction Counseling Center's Underage Drinking: Town Hall Meeting, from 8:45-10 a.m. April 8 at South Elgin High School. Attendees will hear representatives from the Kane County coroner's office, Kane County state's attorney's office, the Illinois Alcohol Drug Dependence Association, and Renz Center, on how they can prevent underage drinking and learn prevention strategies.

For more information, contact Renz Center's Marketing Director Deb Howe at (847) 742-3545, ext. 236; or visit www.renzcenter.com