Grayslake District 46 boss deal up for vote

Grayslake Elementary District 46 board members next week will make another attempt at deciding whether to extend the superintendent’s contract.

Ellen Correll’s proposed contract extension through the 2012-13 academic year had been scheduled for a board vote Aug. 10. However, the matter was postponed after some elected officials voiced concern about the process.

District 46 board President Ray Millington said he doesn’t expect another delay in calling for a vote on Correll’s proposed deal, which is on the agenda for a meeting Wednesday. The session starts at 6:30 p.m. at Grayslake Middle School.

Millington said Friday that Correll deserves to stay as District 46’s boss.

“We’ve made continuous improvement in the performance of schools as measured by standardized tests,” Millington said.

At the Aug. 10 session, board members Shannon Smigielski and Kip Evans said it appeared Correll’s deal was being pushed toward a vote that night prematurely, and they asked for more discussion. Board members voted 5-2 in favor of a postponement.

Evans, who was elected to his first four-year board term in April, said newcomers had yet to receive their “due rights” to provide feedback on Correll.

Smigielski, who also is new to the board, said she needed more time to make the best possible decision about Correll. She said she was troubled by incomplete district policies and called for a stronger ethics clause in Correll’s contract.

Millington credited Correll for initiating millions of dollars in budget cuts since 2009.

“She’s helped pull us through some tough times,” he said.

Correll’s annual salary and benefits deal of roughly $223,000 runs through the 2011-12 academic year.

In June, board members agreed with an independent investigator’s recommendation to issue a letter of reprimand to Correll that resulted from a complaint. It accused her of improperly using district equipment to send political emails supporting two board candidates.

Correll said she responds quickly to emails and did not deliberately or intentionally want to help the campaigns of incumbents Susan Facklam and Mary Garcia in the April election. Facklam won re-election while Garcia fell short.

Hired in January 2005, Correll came to District 46 from Corning Painted Post School District in upstate New York, where she had been an assistant superintendent of instruction. Her first District 46 contract covered three academic years.