District leaders not putting kids first

In the Feb. 16 Daily Herald, the spokesman for Maine Township High School District 207, Mr. Dave Berry, stated “it’s difficult to know if the assumptions are going to be valid and reliable” in regards to the availability of state funding for schools. Average teacher pay in District 207 is $98,694 (source: IIRC). Average administrator pay in District 207 is $143,168 (source: IIRC). As result of pension spiking the average District 207 retiree pension is $65,393; total pension cost in 2009 was $35,500,791 for 497 retirees (source: TRS); 10 percent of these retirees collected $100K-plus pensions. Little wonder the state and taxpayers are having problems meeting these monetary demands.

Ms. Ellen Correll, superintendent of Grayslake Elementary District 46, states in the same article that “ . . . she’d almost rather see a cut in the money that’s promised to schools if it meant getting a guarantee the cash would actually come.” She goes on to state, “What bothers me the most is that we’re talking about kids and their lives.” Yet this is the same superintendent who just this past December gave out $435,000 in bonuses to teachers and administrators with federal money meant to provide programs to assist those same kids. I find Ms. Correll’s statement reeks with hypocrisy.

Now I read in the Daily Herald that Lake County schools may get 35 percent less in state aid for transportation. District 46 chief school business official Mr. David Tylavsky says that “District 46 expects to receive at least $500,000 less from the state for transportation. That gap would have to be covered with local tax money.” Sure could use that $435,000 bonus money now! Unbelievable.

Ken Hofrichter

Elk Grove Village