Saturday, June 24, 2006
Ethics of Huntley School District 158 Board Member's Hiring Questioned
The Daily Herald’s Jeffrey Gaunt wrote a fascinating story about the legality/ethics of Huntley School District 158 Board’s having hired one of its out-of-work members for a $101,000 job Wednesday at a dinner time meeting.
One of his sources was the lawyer for the state school board association. She said
Often, those hiring decisions are made in rural school districts that have trouble filling certain positions.
Huntley no longer qualifies as rural. The only evidence of the milk cows that Mayor Richard Daley’s grandfather may have inspected is at the McHenry County Historical Museum in Union.
Apparently, something, maybe the original job description required that the person hired have educational experience.
As Gaunt’s story says, Glen Stewart
Obviously, the educational establishment wanted to keep those jobs for people in their educational track.
So, dropping the educational certification requirements strike me as a plus, not a negative.
That Stewart apparently took part in the process which changed the qualifications so that he might have a chance to get the job in question has raised questions. David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform told the Daily Herald
The fact that he and the other five school board members who selected him were part of the B.E.S.T. political action group that so misunderstood what the last referendum would do is troubling. So is the six-member majority’s refusal to take seriously the financial accounting discrepancies that obviously exist, as is their refusal to release the outside auditor’s management letter, which the auditor said was an important part of the audit.
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The photo above, which just popped up from the pile beneath my computer is of Stewart extending his hand of thanks to Huntley School Board President Mike Skala.
One of his sources was the lawyer for the state school board association. She saidOften, those hiring decisions are made in rural school districts that have trouble filling certain positions.
Huntley no longer qualifies as rural. The only evidence of the milk cows that Mayor Richard Daley’s grandfather may have inspected is at the McHenry County Historical Museum in Union.
Apparently, something, maybe the original job description required that the person hired have educational experience.
As Gaunt’s story says, Glen Stewart
was one of 14 applicants for the job, has no formal work experience in education administration and, as a member of the board, agreed to drop the certification requirements that would have precluded him from applying for the position.I wrote a story on March 6, 2006 entitled, “Why Aren’t Businessmen in Charge of School Finances?” It is about a state law passed in 1975 (and initiated by a teachers’ union) requiring school business managers to have a master’s degree in education was ill conceived. The law was passed when the country was in a recession and all sorts of competent business people were being laid off.
Obviously, the educational establishment wanted to keep those jobs for people in their educational track.
So, dropping the educational certification requirements strike me as a plus, not a negative.
That Stewart apparently took part in the process which changed the qualifications so that he might have a chance to get the job in question has raised questions. David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform told the Daily Herald
the awkward part is that Stewart was involved in the decision to change the job requirements.I don’t automatically assume that the soon-to-be ex-Huntley School Board member Glen Stewart won’t be able to do an adequate or even good job. It’s hard to see how an infusion of business skills into the educational establishment could do harm.
“If they vote to create a position, and then leave public office to take the position, you have to wonder.”
The fact that he and the other five school board members who selected him were part of the B.E.S.T. political action group that so misunderstood what the last referendum would do is troubling. So is the six-member majority’s refusal to take seriously the financial accounting discrepancies that obviously exist, as is their refusal to release the outside auditor’s management letter, which the auditor said was an important part of the audit.
= = = = =
The photo above, which just popped up from the pile beneath my computer is of Stewart extending his hand of thanks to Huntley School Board President Mike Skala.
Comments:
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While there are genuine questions about the hiring, it was all legal and professional and above board. The people complaining about this incident should suck it up, and be ready to bring this issue up come the April 2007 school board elections. Until more board members like Larry Snow are elected, there is little that can be done to change this situation in Huntley D158.
It may have been legal, but I question whether it was professional or above board. It's also legal for board members to negotiate and vote on a teachers contract that their spouse is covered by. Does that make it right or mean they should do it?
People should be outraged and keep complaining and making a racket till a message that this is an unacceptable way to do business gets through. Keep this behavior and the D-158 board's ineptness and buffoonery in the forefront so no one forgets about it come April, 2007.
People should be outraged and keep complaining and making a racket till a message that this is an unacceptable way to do business gets through. Keep this behavior and the D-158 board's ineptness and buffoonery in the forefront so no one forgets about it come April, 2007.
Re: "it was all legal and professional and above board. "
Each to his/her own opinion. That's not mine.
Whether or not it's legal is still a question for me. Like everything else in D158, I imagine the whole truth will never be known and evidence will become part of the neverending Twilight Zone records that just aren't around for some reason.
However, even if it is legal, there is that nagging little word "right". This "game" of "technically" doing what's legal v/s doing what is right is not one I'd teach my kids. What I do personally, good or not good, usually only affects me. The hiring of this individual affects many, many people. I can just picture little kids coming home saying they can't get into or onto "something" because the clique runs the show. Exactly who is teaching them how to do that "clique" business - yep, the adults like those in this case.
The concept that this was handled in a totally professional and above board manner - sorry, can't buy those two.
Stewart has been involved in a lot of board/district business while his resume was on the table. That doesn't work for me. Somewhere on the IASB site re conflict of interest is the comment that everything should be done to avoid even the APPEARANCE of impropriety. So much for THAT wisdom as it applies to D158.
Huntley is no longer a place where 300 votes per person wins an election. (One board member has probably been around that long though.) It's not like there are only 1,000 people to choose from - of which only 10 might even come near being capable of handling the current "bigger world" of the finances and management that are now D158. (No offense intended to the folks of "old Huntley" - I've met some pretty terrific people who were in Huntley before the "city people" invasion came.)
Below is the CURRENT U. S. population estimate from the govt. Is it really believable that in these hundreds of millions of people - in a country where good paying jobs are rare that the best person qualified is a seated board member who is politically and socially tied to the board majority? And to the district by his spouse also being employed there?
http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html
U.S. POPClock Projection
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 06/24/06 at 21:24 GMT (EST+5) is
299,055,181
and counting.............
Each to his/her own opinion. That's not mine.
Whether or not it's legal is still a question for me. Like everything else in D158, I imagine the whole truth will never be known and evidence will become part of the neverending Twilight Zone records that just aren't around for some reason.
However, even if it is legal, there is that nagging little word "right". This "game" of "technically" doing what's legal v/s doing what is right is not one I'd teach my kids. What I do personally, good or not good, usually only affects me. The hiring of this individual affects many, many people. I can just picture little kids coming home saying they can't get into or onto "something" because the clique runs the show. Exactly who is teaching them how to do that "clique" business - yep, the adults like those in this case.
The concept that this was handled in a totally professional and above board manner - sorry, can't buy those two.
Stewart has been involved in a lot of board/district business while his resume was on the table. That doesn't work for me. Somewhere on the IASB site re conflict of interest is the comment that everything should be done to avoid even the APPEARANCE of impropriety. So much for THAT wisdom as it applies to D158.
Huntley is no longer a place where 300 votes per person wins an election. (One board member has probably been around that long though.) It's not like there are only 1,000 people to choose from - of which only 10 might even come near being capable of handling the current "bigger world" of the finances and management that are now D158. (No offense intended to the folks of "old Huntley" - I've met some pretty terrific people who were in Huntley before the "city people" invasion came.)
Below is the CURRENT U. S. population estimate from the govt. Is it really believable that in these hundreds of millions of people - in a country where good paying jobs are rare that the best person qualified is a seated board member who is politically and socially tied to the board majority? And to the district by his spouse also being employed there?
http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html
U.S. POPClock Projection
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 06/24/06 at 21:24 GMT (EST+5) is
299,055,181
and counting.............
Dundeeblogger,
We should not have to wait for an election and board regime change to expect our leaders to act in an ethical manner. Legal or not their act was atrocious.
DT
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We should not have to wait for an election and board regime change to expect our leaders to act in an ethical manner. Legal or not their act was atrocious.
DT
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