Story distorted facts on conferences
Re: The story from Oct. 2 titled “School conference already costing some taxpayers more.” The rehashing of past practices in order to taint current initiatives seems to be part and parcel of the Daily Herald approach to journalism.
For us here in CCSD46 we have four new board members, a more collegial atmosphere, and a determination to continuously improve the education we offer to our students. The notion of continuous improvement applies to the board and administration as well, and events such as the IASB conference provide an opportunity to fulfill our obligation to be informed about the work we are doing on behalf of the people of CCSD46.
Here’s some information about our conference attendance this year:
This year we have 10 people attending the conference with a fee per person of $390. Last year we had five people attend the conference at a cost of $375 per person. In addition, some members are attending pre-conference courses on various topics for an additional $140 to $220 each.
Available classes include “The Job of the Board President,” which I will be attending, and a course on school district finance — a complicated topic that could fill a semester’s worth of courses in college.
Anyone who has attended a recent CCSD46 meeting or watched one online will know that we have discussed attendance at the conference at length, that travel policies are being revamped to ensure best practices, and some members are commuting to this conference daily via Metra or are reimbursing the district in whole or in part for their travel.
Poor journalism does not advance the understanding we need of the complex issues our district faces nor does it bring us together as a community. It’s unfortunate and I hope it improves. Until then, I can only urge people in our district to come to meetings or watch them online or talk to us to get a better understanding of what is happening in the district; they aren’t going to get it in the papers.
Steven Strack
School board president
CCSD46
Grayslake