Hiring practices add to school costs

As a taxpayer and retired Illinois teacher and administrator, I too have often wondered how local school boards get away with paying administrators hundreds of thousands of dollars to "resign" and then refuse to justify or explain these expenditures to those they represent. When pressed, they make ambiguous or disingenuous comments about "disagreement on district direction."

Having worked in several districts, I have a few observations. First, local boards and residents should take a much closer look at the contracts and "separation agreements" being offered to administrators. Often search firms and even some board attorneys convince boards that they must offer very attractive (some might say "bloated") compensation packages and incentives, including contract buyouts, to remain competitive, especially when a superintendent, already retired from another state, is being recruited. Are there really that few qualified in-state candidates? The contracts are often written in such a way that if a "separation" becomes necessary, the local board is not required to provide an explanation to anyone.

Second, as a result of these secretive contracts, superintendents are frequently recycled in Illinois, with the receiving district having no knowledge of the reasons, whether legitimate or not, why the candidate separated from the last position.

Third and perhaps most frustrating, the political atmosphere in Illinois allows and even appears to encourage this "behind closed doors" wheeling and dealing. It has been going on for decades, and despite numerous press reports, nothing changes. Some of our local school boards seem to have devolved into the typical political organization that is ripe for corruption, thrives on cronyism and certainly doesn't exist for the benefit of the taxpayers (or their kids!).

Connie Donovan

Arlington Heights