Former D 57 board president blasts community survey

A former District 57 school board president is slamming a survey current board members mailed to 9,000 Mount Prospect residents this month, saying it leaves out key cost-cutting options.

The survey asks residents if they would accept class sizes larger than 21 to 25 students and if the district should eliminate programs like art and music to save money. It also seeks input on a potential tax increase and whether fees for textbooks, sports and extracurricular activities should be raised.

But it doesn't mention reducing administrator salaries and benefits, or eliminating administrator positions as a budget reduction option, former board president Rich Benson said.

“I am personally outraged by the thought of cutting art and music,” said Benson, who served on the board from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2007 to 2009. “Through studies, it has been proven that music education enhances student achievement, particularly in math and science.”

Benson — who said he has no plans to run for the board again — said the current board has made other serious missteps, including voting to outsource the district's bus system and the firing of Westbrook School Principal Jan Ewing in October. The board never disclosed the reasons behind Ewing's dismissal despite a public outpouring of support for her.

“That caused a lot of hard feelings,” Benson said. “It went against the wishes of a lot of parents.”

Current Board President Joseph Leane defends the board's decisions, adding that while the survey doesn't mention layoffs, it's something the board will have to consider.

“I haven't spoken to Mr. Benson, but if he has questions, I suggest he get in contact with our superintendent or business manager,” Leane said.

Benson said the current school board is also spending too much money on capital projects, including last summer's renovation of Westbrook to house first graders.

It's a decision Leane stands by.

“The district has been dealing with overcrowding for years and we had the building and the space,” he said. “It made rational sense.”

District 57 doesn't have any major projects planned for the next couple years, and will only spend capital improvement money to maintain facilities, Leane added.

The District 57 survey also asks residents to weigh in on a 32-cent tax rate hike which would have the owner of a $300,000 home paying an additional $305 per year.

Benson called that survey question “futile.”

“The result is quite predictable,” he said in an e-mail.

Residents have until Jan. 24 to fill out the survey.