Huntley Dist. 158 parents continue to question stimulus spending plans

After months of heated debate, Huntley Unit District 158 officials this week released plans for spending $1.6 million in federal stimulus dollars designated for special education programs.

Cheryl Kalkirtz, the district's special services director, said the plan calls for using $830,000 of the funds this year on instruction and educational technology, with the rest being reserved for the next school year.

Nearly half - $360,000 - of this year's funds would purchase software and materials for the Read 180 and System 44 reading programs.

Another $20,000 would be spent on special education quiet rooms at Leggee Elementary in Huntley, and $35,000 would buy interactive classroom projectors called "SMART Boards."

Other items seemingly have little to do with instruction.

According to the plan, $9,000 would be spent on printers this year. Next year, the district would spend $4,800 on filing cabinets, and another $1,600 on a copy machine and printer for special education meetings.

The plan has drawn sharp criticism from some parents of special education students. Eight of them spoke out Thursday before the school board.

"A lot of us are questioning things like the printers and the filing cabinets," Kathleen Trautmann, mother of a student at Leggee Elementary, said Friday. "To me as a parent, this is a one-time special grant. We may not see that type of grant again."

Others voiced concerns about devoting so much money to the Read 180 curriculum.

"They can't justify why this reading program is better over another. They just want it," Conley Elementary parent Sara Deifucci said.

The funds come through a grant tied to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. All of the money must be spent on special education.

Half of the money can be spent on existing special education initiatives.

Over the past several months, parents and district officials have clashed on exactly how to spend the money.

In September, district officials surveyed parents and staff to determine how the funds should be spent. Only 63 parents responded.

"The district missed the mark with the survey," Trautmann said in a memo issued to other special education parents. "If drafted differently, the survey could have provided the district with a much broader insight."

School board members may vote on the proposal at their Nov. 12 meeting.