Time for schools districts to consolidate, control costs

As someone who has spent his professional life leasing vehicles to companies, I was surprised and disappointed to see the Daily Herald's "Driving on our Dime" series imply that school districts are being overly generous by offering car allowances to a few key administrators.

I agree with the sources in the article that there has been a decline in cars provided, or car allowances offered, in the private sector. However, the practice is quite alive and well and remains so widespread in both large publicly held companies and small privately held companies (where it is not unusual for the whole family to have cars). The number of employees and cost attached to offering this benefit far, far, outstrips the minimal costs of providing one to three administrators with an allowance, as is the case in the majority of school districts illustrated.

Further, this is not simply a perk. Committed superintendents are not sitting in their offices; they are in the schools daily, in the community meeting with residents, as well as meeting with state and local officials. I have zero problems with a superintendent and even one or two key administrators being provided with car allowance so long as the amount is reasonable.

There is no question that school districts in Illinois need to control administrative costs. Instead of talking about the few thousand dollars that car allowances represent, I will offer the suggestion that the time has come for the state require school districts to consolidate. The financial cost of administering separate elementary and high school districts, that in some instances are single-school districts, is inefficient and an expensive luxury whose time has long since passed. The saving will be in the millions, and I also believe the consolidated districts will be able to perform at a higher professional level.

Thom Higgins

Naperville