Thank you to
The Doings newspaper and editor
Chris LaFortune!
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/westernsprings/news/3036990,western-springs-d107funds-012411-s1.article
Interesting. This would have
never happened without The Doings
editorial by
Chris LaFortune which sent
Superintendent Fredisdorf reeling.
Below you see the agenda items for the January board meeting. These were decided upon at the
December board meeting.
"Items submitted for the January 2011 agenda include: Mid-year review of non-tenured teachers and administrators, Town Hall Meeting Planning, Approve Community Relations (Sec, 8) Board Policies, Curriculum Council Update, Declassify Selected Closes Session Minutes, Review Legal Services, Approve Elimination of Registration Fees and District 181 Withdrawal From LADSE."
Nowhere does it mention discussing the abatement of bonds at the January meeting!
On Friday, January 14 the board of education had a tentative agenda online for the January 19 meeting. This agenda didn't mention using surplus funds to abate bonds either or that the finance committee would be making a report at the January meeting.
Abating bonds wasn't even on the radar, until
this article came out in The Doings on January 13, 2011.
Surprisingly, on the morning of Monday, January 17, this appeared on the
agenda:
Finance Committee Report of Board Fiscal Policy 4:20.
Apparently, between Friday night and Monday morning, the finance committee met and decided to abate some bonds resulting in a tax reduction for all district homeowners. They hold weekend meetings? Who knew?
At the January meeting, board member
Rick Rigley had to get his two cents in by lambasting The Doings stating, "The Doings failed to do their homework as the January 19 Board of Education agenda included a strategy to responsibly provide tax relief without recklessly placing the district in a position where it may need to cut programs or raise additional revenue via a referendum."
Really? Can you find that verbage anywhere on the January 19th agenda? You can't, because it is not there. The apples don't fall far from the trees in this district.
Giving money back to the taxpayers was suggested by board member
Karen O'Halloran at the February 17, 2010
meeting when discussing fee based programs much to the disbelief of her fellow board members.
According to the board
minutes: "Specifically he (
Mirabile) asked whether her intent was to reduce the tax rate.
Board member O'Halloran responded her intent would be to reduce the tax rate and return the money to the taxpayers."
"The School Board analyzes finances every year and reports to the community on an annual basis,
Fredisdorf said. This year, the finance committee looked at providing tax relief by applying some of the district's fund balance to debt service."
Wow! This was never even mentioned at any board meeting until The Doings article brought it to the public's attention. And for that, we thank them!
That's what the superintendent gets for banging his drum and trying to promote his board candidates for re-election. It backfired! And we love it!
