Saturday Soapbox: Cook County
Is it Vitality Spa or Vanity Spa?
Park districts run mini-golf courses and banquet facilities and restaurants. But at what point do such ventures -- even if they're self-sustaining or actually raise money toward other recreational programs -- go beyond the boundaries of a park district's mission or unfairly compete with the private sector? It seems that the Buffalo Grove Park District is butting up against that line -- some have said crossing it -- with its plans to offer hair-waxing and eyelash-tinting at Vitality, the spa the district runs. It's understandable, even commendable, that public entities try to find new revenue streams outside of raising taxes or setting mandatory fees. And some of the spa services, like massages, have therapeutic benefits. But there's something peculiar about moving into the arena of what could only be described as vanity offerings. Buffalo Grove Trustee Jeff Bruce Kahn noted some critics have asked him, "What's next? Haircuts?" Perhaps an even better question would be: Botox? That's a debate worth having.
Sarah Jerome, video star
Kudos to Sarah Jerome, superintendent of Arlington Heights Elementary District 25, for willing to be lampooned over the school district's new "cupcake ban." Jerome was interviewed for the MSNBC video feature ZeitGeist, which pretended to be outraged that the district has outlawed sweet treats in the classroom to celebrate birthdays. Jerome handled it with good humor and got her point across -- we want to de-emphasize food as being the point of the birthday celebration, she said. We're with Jerome on this one, and say, give it time. It'll take a few years before children coming up through the system stop correlating birthdays with classroom cupcakes, but eventually they will. And they'll be healthier for it.
Above and beyond the call of duty
Kudos to the sharp-eyed and compassionate crew over at WCS Sports Performance in Buffalo Grove. They noticed that one of their teenage clients had suspicious balance problems and twitching in one foot and urged his family to seek medical attention right away. The diagnosis: a brain tumor, the treatment of which will surely be aided by the fact it was caught earlier than it otherwise might have.
When only a law will work
Seems ridiculous -- though unfortunately necessary -- for our state to now have a law cracking down on speeding through a construction zone. Who in their right mind goes flying through an area where men and women are walking and working? The reality is, too many drivers do, and hopefully Jeff's Law -- in honor of Jeff Heath, an IDOT worker killed by a driver while directing traffic in a construction zone -- will completely eliminate this problem. But we're guessing too many still won't get the message.
He still doesn't get it
Elgin Area School District U-46 President Ken Kaczynski is in complete denial if he thinks "our community was reeling from the change that seemed to happen suddenly upon us" when former Superintendent Connie Neale took indefinite sick leave and later retired. No, Ken, the taxpayers are reeling because your school board gave Neale a $60,000 raise and a compensation package, including lifetime health benefits, that this year will cost them more than $535,000, months before she bolted from the district and moved to Missouri. Moreover, they've been paying $1,100 a day for Interim Superintendent Mary Jayne Broncato until the board chose Jose Torres to take over. So if the community is reeling from anything, it's all the money being spent on leadership these days.