Not the time to relinquish control
This responds to the editorial titled "Settle the District U-46 Bias Suit Soon," published in the Daily Herald Aug. 15.
It's time that the members of this community understand more fully what is entailed in settling the lawsuit. It is past time that we stop throwing rocks from our glass castles.
From the beginning, the board has wanted to settle the suit. Settling the suit with Futterman and Howard is more than giving money to lawyers. Futterman and Howard want control of the school system. They want to be the final arbiters of decisions made by your elected board of education and their selected chief executive officer. They want nothing less than to call the shots and direct the education of 41,000 students, 5,000 employees, and control of our almost $400 million budget.
We do not believe that the community is ready or willing to pay such a high price to settle the lawsuit. And it's about time that we all get on the same page regarding this.
Suppose that one of our 11 U-46 towns was sued and that eventually the plaintiffs and town decide to settle. If the plaintiffs in this hypothetical suit were like Futterman and Howard, they would want to approve all the town council's decisions, they would want the mayor and town manager to report to them on the town's affairs once every quarter for the next 10 years, and they would want the town to pay their legal fees.
Of course, the town leaders also would have to hire their own lawyers, resulting in skyrocketing legal fees, which might siphon funds from operational funds. Would they settle for the good of its citizens at such high a price? We don't think so.
Or suppose that one of our local hospitals was sued. If the hospital's lawyers were settling a hypothetical suit with the likes of Futterman and Howard, the settlement might include approval of all decisions made by the hospital's board of directors. Plaintiffs, if following the Futterman and Howard script, might, for example, want to approve the hospital's decision to move to a new location and tell the hospital that, in fact, the hospital cannot move to that location. The plaintiffs would want to review every doctor's degree, educational preparation, work schedule, and have a say on the actual instruments used by doctors.
Would the hospital settle at any cost? Would they give up control? We don't think so.
The record is clear, wherever Futterman and Howard have sued (Rockford, Freeport, Champaign, etc.) they seek to control the school system. By setting themselves up as the developers of plans, reviewers of reports, or ultimate decision makers, they ensure that they continue to get paid. The real losers in all of this are the students and the taxpayers.
It's time. It's past time that the communities of District U-46 exert pressure on the likes of Futterman and Howard and hang a "not welcome" sign. The board of education has been placed in the difficult position of reacting to this lawsuit. Over the past years, U-46 has improved its finances and improved student outcomes. While we have more work to do as we seek to continuously improve academic achievement for all, we are moving in the right direction.
For the good of the students and taxpayers, we are committed to maintaining control of our school system and have resolutely decided to focus on teaching and learning.
José M. Torres
Superintendent of Schools
Elgin Area School Dist. U-46
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=227748">Editorial: Settle the U-46 bias suit soon <span class="date">[8/15/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>