Thursday, September 28, 2006
Bunge Cord Budget at Huntley School District 158
You don’t have to go to Thailand to enjoy watching bunge jumping.
You can see similar action at Huntley School District 158, if you get its budget revisions.
Just ask any school board member.
You can even see some tonight at 6 if you just attend the board meeting.
I’ll let you judge which part of the bunge cycle will be on display.
It’s almost the last day for school districts in Illinois to pass their budgets for the fiscal year that started last July 1st and Huntley hasn’t been able to put one together yet.
Based on what happened in mid-June to the previous year’s budget—which was almost over—the School Board Majority Six (now Five) is willing to amend its financial plan any time it’s convenient.
I received this email today from an obviously irritated Larry Snow, one of the two school board members not in the “Majority Five” club.
Someone would say, ”The budget’s up,” meaning it had been downloaded to our computers.
I would start going through page-by-page looking for stupid stuff.
Sometimes I would not have had time to look every page of the budget, which meant, of course, I only scanned the line items, before the Speaker would call for a vote.
Following Springfield’s example is not exactly the height of governmental transparency.
= = = = = =
The bunge jumper is in Thailand. The photos were found on Plunkett-Guide.com.
You can see similar action at Huntley School District 158, if you get its budget revisions. Just ask any school board member.
You can even see some tonight at 6 if you just attend the board meeting.
I’ll let you judge which part of the bunge cycle will be on display.
It’s almost the last day for school districts in Illinois to pass their budgets for the fiscal year that started last July 1st and Huntley hasn’t been able to put one together yet.
Based on what happened in mid-June to the previous year’s budget—which was almost over—the School Board Majority Six (now Five) is willing to amend its financial plan any time it’s convenient.
I received this email today from an obviously irritated Larry Snow, one of the two school board members not in the “Majority Five” club.
"Is this how D158 residents want their School District managed?Snow wonders,"Plain and simple. The District 158 Board did not have a final budget document to review as it members went to bed on Wednesday night.
"Could a vote of 'Ridiculous' be appropriate tonight?"
"Shouldn’t we get at least 24 hours to look at a budget?"This reminds me of budget vote days in the General Assembly.
Someone would say, ”The budget’s up,” meaning it had been downloaded to our computers.
I would start going through page-by-page looking for stupid stuff.
Sometimes I would not have had time to look every page of the budget, which meant, of course, I only scanned the line items, before the Speaker would call for a vote.
Following Springfield’s example is not exactly the height of governmental transparency.
= = = = = =
The bunge jumper is in Thailand. The photos were found on Plunkett-Guide.com.
Comments:
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The Humpty Dumpty "Budget" in District 158 surely seems to be made of "joke and smoke".
You wonder if all the King's horses and all the King's "Men" can ever put the District's finances together again...... Accurately.
Of course they'd have to be able to count how many horses they own or lease and how many "men" are on duty so that could be an issue given D158's past history and the reluctance of its board majority to demand accuracy.
Pick a number, any number is what many in the public think is going on.
One day it's in the red, then black, then more or less of black or red - outside a normal leeway.
My friend suggests there's some D158 calendar side-by-side with one of those spin the wheel things with 100 excuses listed between the tiny metal spokes. And that someone in charge says "Gee, what should I tell them (the public, the media, and truth demanding board minority) today?" and does "The Spin".
I used to tell her she was cynical, however, that has now changed to me trusting her brains and opinion - over any comment from a well-paid (by the taxpayers) School District 158 administrator.
Budgets aren't supposed to be games of chance.
Here an error, there an error, everywhere an error, error - with an oops oops here and an oops opps here....is how my friend thinks of the board majority's contribution.....
---------------------------------
Here's a business question for every taxpayer -
If you were the owner of a private company - big or small - and your "Number People" kept presenting you with "Baloney and Apology Baskets" - how long would you be able to stay in business - OR - how long would it take you to replace those "Number People"?
You wonder if all the King's horses and all the King's "Men" can ever put the District's finances together again...... Accurately.
Of course they'd have to be able to count how many horses they own or lease and how many "men" are on duty so that could be an issue given D158's past history and the reluctance of its board majority to demand accuracy.
Pick a number, any number is what many in the public think is going on.
One day it's in the red, then black, then more or less of black or red - outside a normal leeway.
My friend suggests there's some D158 calendar side-by-side with one of those spin the wheel things with 100 excuses listed between the tiny metal spokes. And that someone in charge says "Gee, what should I tell them (the public, the media, and truth demanding board minority) today?" and does "The Spin".
I used to tell her she was cynical, however, that has now changed to me trusting her brains and opinion - over any comment from a well-paid (by the taxpayers) School District 158 administrator.
Budgets aren't supposed to be games of chance.
Here an error, there an error, everywhere an error, error - with an oops oops here and an oops opps here....is how my friend thinks of the board majority's contribution.....
---------------------------------
Here's a business question for every taxpayer -
If you were the owner of a private company - big or small - and your "Number People" kept presenting you with "Baloney and Apology Baskets" - how long would you be able to stay in business - OR - how long would it take you to replace those "Number People"?
The budget goes beyond the administrators....how about the board members accepting this process?
And how about Quagliano, didn't he say last year that he and the advisory committee were going to lead the way to have this done right and timely???
Why is Snow the only one speaking out? Why isn't Quagliano and the advisory committee adding comments to criticize?
Didn't they provide guidance to the prep of the budget?
Didn't the Board and admin listen to them either?
According to the pioneer press, how long will the board put up with the HR dept giving inaccurate info? Or is the HR director taking too much time off work getting a district paid degree?rather than doing the job being paid for.
The Board or Burkey should consider cleaning house.
act scores, lack of curriculum support, budgets, audits, board flip flops, where will it end?
This is really a shame that is being accepted as a taxpayer supported service.
Where is Skala's leadership, oh yeah, where try to look for it now, it has never been there before.
come on get to your business....
do not you know that you are there for the kids
And how about Quagliano, didn't he say last year that he and the advisory committee were going to lead the way to have this done right and timely???
Why is Snow the only one speaking out? Why isn't Quagliano and the advisory committee adding comments to criticize?
Didn't they provide guidance to the prep of the budget?
Didn't the Board and admin listen to them either?
According to the pioneer press, how long will the board put up with the HR dept giving inaccurate info? Or is the HR director taking too much time off work getting a district paid degree?rather than doing the job being paid for.
The Board or Burkey should consider cleaning house.
act scores, lack of curriculum support, budgets, audits, board flip flops, where will it end?
This is really a shame that is being accepted as a taxpayer supported service.
Where is Skala's leadership, oh yeah, where try to look for it now, it has never been there before.
come on get to your business....
do not you know that you are there for the kids
ohhhhhh....do you hear that sound???
it's very very quiet at the BEST camp.....not a peep...nada....Ms. Meyers, are you asleep, deaf, or just moving on to other places to blather more false data?
I guess building exceptional schools together doesn't include an accurate budget....
sickening, isn't it?
it's very very quiet at the BEST camp.....not a peep...nada....Ms. Meyers, are you asleep, deaf, or just moving on to other places to blather more false data?
I guess building exceptional schools together doesn't include an accurate budget....
sickening, isn't it?
D158
2% or more was the original goal cushion/direction from the board.
1% was the preference of the former poltiical action committee that supported the long term board members who pursued reelection in 2005.
(Hire more, spend more,not knowing what the real dollars available are. Mandatory spending should come first doesn't always seem to apply.)
1% was what the board majority agreed upon in the last month or so based on wide swinging numbers that many just call errors beyond belief.
The newspapers are now lauding the administrators for getting 1.4% - ignoring the original 2% (or more.)
And the numbers last night are still in question.
Last night some other excellent financial questions were asked and not answered. They weren't exactly new questions or concepts either.
They came from Snow and Quagliano....not from the board majority and not from the board majority president. Two of the board majority members were not in attendance. If meeting regulations allowed, the others could just as well have phoned in their YES votes and the meeting could have ended in 5 minutes allowing for the pledge, stand up, sit down and minutes of the vote.
You might have wondered if the meeting was only for "show". The majority shows up, tries not to yawn too much, contributes a thinking eye squint once in a while, etc.
If you know the game and the players you would have wondered why the CFO /District STILL did not have important information that the outside auditor was going to provide. You would have wondered why the District wasn't on the phone every day pursuing the info instead of giving the strained - gosh I work SOOOOOOO hard - facial expression.
You would have wondered many things - and even as you wondered - you would already know the answers.
District 158's board needs an infusion of common sense in the form of replacing long term board members and in the form of demanding that well paid, executive level administrators get the job done - right and on time. Or they get out of D158's "Dodge".
2% or more was the original goal cushion/direction from the board.
1% was the preference of the former poltiical action committee that supported the long term board members who pursued reelection in 2005.
(Hire more, spend more,not knowing what the real dollars available are. Mandatory spending should come first doesn't always seem to apply.)
1% was what the board majority agreed upon in the last month or so based on wide swinging numbers that many just call errors beyond belief.
The newspapers are now lauding the administrators for getting 1.4% - ignoring the original 2% (or more.)
And the numbers last night are still in question.
Last night some other excellent financial questions were asked and not answered. They weren't exactly new questions or concepts either.
They came from Snow and Quagliano....not from the board majority and not from the board majority president. Two of the board majority members were not in attendance. If meeting regulations allowed, the others could just as well have phoned in their YES votes and the meeting could have ended in 5 minutes allowing for the pledge, stand up, sit down and minutes of the vote.
You might have wondered if the meeting was only for "show". The majority shows up, tries not to yawn too much, contributes a thinking eye squint once in a while, etc.
If you know the game and the players you would have wondered why the CFO /District STILL did not have important information that the outside auditor was going to provide. You would have wondered why the District wasn't on the phone every day pursuing the info instead of giving the strained - gosh I work SOOOOOOO hard - facial expression.
You would have wondered many things - and even as you wondered - you would already know the answers.
District 158's board needs an infusion of common sense in the form of replacing long term board members and in the form of demanding that well paid, executive level administrators get the job done - right and on time. Or they get out of D158's "Dodge".
Whose fishing hole is "b.e.s.t." in now and what kind of "pole" is that meyers lady using now? Is "b.e.s.t." going to empty that lake, too?
Why doesn't the Snow & Quagliano crew have more mates fishing from their boat?
The other swabbies are throwing lines and catching boots but looking from the northern horizon it seems the S.S. S & Q are catching the,, big ones,, for education and students.
Think the lake will flood one day and spread to other areas where the "minnow" schools get the "food" they were promised & "entitled"?
The other swabbies are throwing lines and catching boots but looking from the northern horizon it seems the S.S. S & Q are catching the,, big ones,, for education and students.
Think the lake will flood one day and spread to other areas where the "minnow" schools get the "food" they were promised & "entitled"?
September 29, 2006
As a former teacher, principal and superintendent of schools in New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, and California, I have some knowledge of education in the U.S.
My studies at the University of Dayton (B.A.), Xavier University (M.A.) and The Ohio State University (Ph.D.) with majors in English, Philosophy, Educational Administration, and Sociology have helped me understand public education.
I began my teaching career 51 years ago and I have come to the following conclusion:
TEACHERS UNIONS ARE THE WORST INSTITUION THAT HAVE PERVADED OUR SCHOOLS AND HAVE THE MOST DELETERIOUS AND NEGATIVE IMPACT ON EDUCATION.
There are four reasons for this conclusion. Based on the union proposals that I have studied and negotiated for the past 30 years, they all contain the same demands:
1) Unions want more money.
2) Unions want more fringe benefits.
3) Unions want less work.
4) Unions want more power.
That's it!
Of all the demands in their negotiations, I have NEVER seen one that redounds to the direct benefit of the child's education. Not one.
Read teachers’ contracts. If you find one item that will contribute to the direct, positive learning of the student, let me know. It will be a FIRST. (donbond007@comcast.net).
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As a former teacher, principal and superintendent of schools in New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, and California, I have some knowledge of education in the U.S.
My studies at the University of Dayton (B.A.), Xavier University (M.A.) and The Ohio State University (Ph.D.) with majors in English, Philosophy, Educational Administration, and Sociology have helped me understand public education.
I began my teaching career 51 years ago and I have come to the following conclusion:
TEACHERS UNIONS ARE THE WORST INSTITUION THAT HAVE PERVADED OUR SCHOOLS AND HAVE THE MOST DELETERIOUS AND NEGATIVE IMPACT ON EDUCATION.
There are four reasons for this conclusion. Based on the union proposals that I have studied and negotiated for the past 30 years, they all contain the same demands:
1) Unions want more money.
2) Unions want more fringe benefits.
3) Unions want less work.
4) Unions want more power.
That's it!
Of all the demands in their negotiations, I have NEVER seen one that redounds to the direct benefit of the child's education. Not one.
Read teachers’ contracts. If you find one item that will contribute to the direct, positive learning of the student, let me know. It will be a FIRST. (donbond007@comcast.net).
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