Doug Martin's Minooka 201 Blog

Links to Most Read Topics

2012-02-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

I decided to add a post with a link to the most read topics in this blog (as more posts are added, finding these posts becomes harder):

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting and Finance Committee Meeting

The Back Door Referendum

Link to Updated Financial Projections for Minooka CCSD 201

These posts have garnered hundreds of "views" by readers, making them the most popular posts on this blog.

Minooka 201 Salaries, Benefits and Contracts for 2012

2012-02-24T10:01:00.000-06:00

The Minooka CCSD 201 salary, benefit and contract information for 2012 (including collective bargaining agreements) is available on the District website. Click here and here to be taken to this information.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2012-02-19T07:46:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, February 22, 2012. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Media and Its Effects on Our Children (Especially Our Daughters)

2012-01-27T15:43:00.000-06:00

Sexism is still rampant in our society, and the media (TV, Internet, print, etc.) is constantly bombarding our children with messages that reinforce that sexism. Our daughters learn false messages about their place in society, messages that tend to convince them that certain roles are only open to men and that only certain behavior is appropriate for women.

Well, there is a new movie out which deals with the topic of sexism and the media. No, it is not a big budget Hollywood production. It premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival and has received some acclaim. The movie is entitled "Miss Representation." Click here for the "Miss Representation" website to find out more about the movie and, perhaps, to find a screening.

Link to Updated Financial Projections for Minooka CCSD 201

2012-01-20T19:14:00.000-06:00

Click here for a link to the updated financial projections which Mr. Gegenheimer presented to the Finance Committee on January 19, 2012. I encourage you to review this presentation. Pay particular attention to pages 12 and 18 of the slide show. Page 18 shows the deficits that Minooka CCSD 201 will run in the future unless we adopt additional deficit reduction measures. Page 12 shows the significant assumptions that were used to produce the projections. You should note in particular assumptions numbered 1,2 and 9. Assumption number 1 is what is, in large part, driving the deficit problem. The assumption states that our costs will increase at roughly 3% per year. Now 3% does not seem like a lot. However, 3% per year is a description of what in math is called an "exponential function." The interesting thing about exponential functions, as any math teacher can tell you, is that the quantity described by any exponential function where the growth rate is greater than 1 (such as here where the rate of growth is 1.03 per year or 3% growth per year) grows at an ever-increasing rate due to the "magic" of compounding. Click here for a graph of an exponential function, and you can visualize what I mean. This phenonmenon of exponential growth in expenses is what is bankrupting our federal, state and local governments. It comes down to a failure to control costs. Without aggressively controlling costs, the only way to stave off deficits and eventual bankruptcy is to continually increase taxes. This, of course, shifts the problem with the exponential function to the taxpayer and merely delays the inevitable, since there is only so much the taxpayer is willing or able to pay (and we should recognize that those industrial and commercial taxpayers who ostensibly don't get to vote in our elections for school board or our referenda do have the ability and willingness to "vote with their feet" and leave a district where taxes become too high for them to bear or significantly higher than other districts where they might locate). Now, while our district has a deficit problem, we do not yet have operating debt (as opposed to debt from capital improvements) nor are we anywhere close to bankruptcy. This does not mean, however, that we should not aggressively attack our deficit problem by controlling costs. On the contrary, it is precisely now that we should be making cuts, since smaller cuts now will preclude the need for larger cuts later. Assumption number 2 states that the district's equalized assessed valuation (EAV) will remain flat for three years then grow at a rate of 3% per year. The problem with this assumption is that it likely paints an unrealistic picture of the future. EAVs in Illinois are based on the market values in the prior three years, so the 2011 EAV is based on market values for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Real estate market values continued to drop throughout 2011 (as most of us know all too well) and this drop is not yet reflected in the district's EAV. The 2012 EAV will most likely be another 3 to 4 percent lower than the 2011 EAV. Even if real estate values stabilize in 2012, the 2011 decrease is not reflected in the projections. Assumption number 9 states that there will be a gradual increase in the total tax rate after the 2011 levy. There are a couple of problems with this assumption. First, this would require successive votes of the school board in each of these years. Second, without this assumption, the financial projections would be worse than what has been presented. I have asked for this assumption to be removed and the projections to be revised. I will post them as soon as they are available.

Click here for a link to the Finance Committee page on the district's website. The meetings of the Finance Committee are open to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2012-01-20T13:58:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, January 25, 2012. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Finance Committee Meeting Today

2012-01-19T11:31:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the short notice, but I almost forgot. There will be a meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Finance Committee today, January 19, 2012. The Finance Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. If you want to have some input into the Minooka CCSD 201 finances, you may want to attend this meeting. There should be updated projections as to the financial position of the school district in the coming years.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-12-09T21:21:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, December 14, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting and Finance Committee Meeting

2011-11-12T11:12:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, November 16, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Also, there will be a meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Finance Committee on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 (the day before the school board meeting). The Finance Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. If you want to have some input into the Minooka CCSD 201 finances, you may want to attend this meeting. You can at least get some information about when and by what amount the school board will eventually seek to raise your property taxes. It may not be this year or next year, but you can be assured that in the next few years the school board will seek, either by a rate hike referendum or a "back door referendum," to raise property tax rates. (For an explanation of a "back door referendum" see here.)

Is Rhode Island the "Canary in the Coal Mine"?

2011-10-24T16:31:00.000-05:00

The problem of state and municipal pensions is something that has been building for decades. Years of over-promising and under-funding created the problem. But the burst of the housing bubble, the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent three years of little to no growth and high unemployment have brought the problem into sharp focus. When the economic tide was rising, many of the problems could be hidden and politicians and the public could engage in the ever popular game of denial called "kicking the can down the road." Now that the tide has gone out, it is becoming clear who was swimming without any pants. This crisis will lead many municipalities to declare bankruptcy in order to get out from under the crushing burden of their pensions. States will face a similar crisis, but since they currently can not declare bankruptcy, they will deal with the problem in other ways. Rhode Island seems to be further along in the process than some other states. However, many other states, including Illinois will face similar problems (to understand the scope of the problem, click here). Illinois has already enagaged in one round of pension reform. It is likely many other rounds will follow.

What does this have to do with schools you may ask? Plenty. You see, many states, such as Illinois, will be forced with the choice of cutting back on its pension promises or cutting back on funding for current services such as education. The reason is simple. The state legislature will realize (hopefully soon) that raising taxes is not the answer, since it will lead to capital and human flight from the state to "greener pastures." The most recent Illinois state income tax increase has already contributed to this process. Such capital and human flight reduces the tax base in Illinois thereby leading to lower tax revenues than anticipated (indeed it is possible that such rate increases could lead to lower tax revenues than previously collected under the lower rate). Further tax rate increases have a similar effect, leading into a self-reinforcing cycle of economic destruction. Many states and municipalities have already learned this lesson the hard way (see here and here). (Economics teaches that human beings respond more or less rationally to incentives and change their behavior in response. Even journalists understand it.)

How will this affect Minooka 201 taxpayers? Well, I expect that more of the burden of funding education will be shifted from the state to the local taxpayer. Currently, the state of Illinois provides 15% of our education fund revenue (approximately $4 million) and 67% of our transportation fund revenue (approximately $1.7 million). If the state decreases its contribution, then we will be faced with the following dilemma: the school board with either have to increase the tax levy on local taxpayers or cut expenditures to offset the decreased state funding (or some combination of the two). Bear in mind that if the school board seeks to raise the levy on the local taxpayers, a similar process to the one described at the state level is likely to occur at the local level. As the levy is raised, this will tend to induce capital and human flight out of the school district (businesses and people, after all, have a choice in terms of where to locate, and some will not be able to afford the increased taxes). In essence, the state will have kicked some of their problem "downstairs" to the school district. (They may, of course, kick some of their problem to the municipalities as well.) Another option, and the one that I recommend, will be to do what many private businesses have done in this economic crisis . . . find ways to deliver the same quality product or service at lower cost. This, of course, is easier to say than to implement.

These budget problems at the state and local (and federal) level are not going away any time soon. These issues are going to be with us for many years to come. The game of "kicking the can down the road" is no longer an option.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-10-22T17:55:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, October 26, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting and Budget Hearing

2011-09-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, September 28, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by a Budget Hearing at 6:45 p.m. in the gymnasium. The Budget Hearing will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 can be found here. The proposed budget shows deficits in a number of budget categories: Educational, Operations & Maintenance, Debt Service, Municipal Retirement/Social Security, and Capital Projects. Of these, the two operating funds, Educational and Operations & Maintenance, are the most critical. The proposed budget shows a deficit of $899,418 (or approximately 4%) in the Educational fund and a deficit of $714,200 (or approximately 33%) in the Operations & Maintenance fund. Current fund balances will only carry the district for a few years. So the choice facing the school board, like so many other government entities, will be to either cut expenditures or raise taxes and/or fees (or some combination of the two) in order to balance the budget over time.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-08-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, August 24, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-07-22T14:24:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, July 27, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-06-17T16:50:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, June 22, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Link to Agenda for May 25, 2011 Board Meeting

2011-05-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, May 25, 2011. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting and the regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Each of the meetings is open to the public and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-05-16T12:27:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, May 25, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. I will post the agenda once it is available, but we will be announcing the winners of the American Legion Essay Contest for the 7th and 8th grade students. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Link to Agenda for April 27, 2011 Board Meeting

2011-04-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting, the Reorganizational Meeting and the regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by a short Reorganizational Meeting to seat the newly elected board members. The Reorganizational Meeting will then be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Each of the meetings is open to the public and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-04-14T09:21:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. The agenda has not been published yet, but we should be discussing a possible new running track and related facilities for the Junior High School and Intermediate School campus, as well as seating the recently elected members of the school board.

Unofficial Election Results for Minooka CCSD 201 Board Seats

2011-04-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

Based on the returns from Grundy, Kendall and Will counties, the following are the unofficial results of the April 5th election for the Minooka CCSD 201 school board:

Alan Skwarczynski (incumbent) 903*
David C. Hill (incumbent) 736
Kevin Hannon 749*
Joe Frieders 514
Kathe Brozman 894*
Timothy Guy Bartoli 537

* Indicates three highest vote totals.

Consolidated Election is April 5, 2011 for Minooka CCSD 201 Board Seats

2011-03-21T07:12:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, April 5th is the Consolidated Election for many municipal, school board and special district positions. Early voting is already underway (March 14 to March 31). The following are links to Grundy, Kendall and Will County early voting information. For the Minooka CCSD 201 school board, six people are running for three seats. Below are the names of the six candidates:

Alan Skwarczynski (incumbent)
David C. Hill (incumbent)
Kevin Hannon
Joe Frieders
Kathe Brozman
Timothy Guy Bartoli

Click here to view the entire sample ballot/candidate list for Grundy, Kendall and Will County.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-03-11T13:40:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, March 16, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars. You can find the agenda for each of the meetings here.

Next Minooka 201 Finance Committee Meeting and Our Deficit Problem

2011-03-10T08:59:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Finance Committee is today, March 10, 2011. The Finance Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Finance Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. We will be discussing a new deficit reduction plan to further address our operating deficit.

Next Minooka 201 Policy Committee Meeting

2011-03-01T21:20:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Policy Committee is Tuesday, March 8, 2011. The Policy Committee meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Policy Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Link to Agenda for February 23, 2011 Board Meeting

2011-02-19T08:39:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, February 23, 2011. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting and the regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Each of the meetings is open to the public and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-02-17T07:48:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, February 23, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Next Minooka 201 Finance Committee Meeting and Our Deficit Problem

2011-02-09T15:22:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Finance Committee is Tuesday, February 15, 2011. The Finance Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Finance Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. We will be discussing the state of the District's finances. As I have said before, we are still operating at a deficit and are currently projecting deficits for the foreseeable future as shown in the chart below:

Without additional incremental deficit reduction measures now and over the next few years, there will come a time in the next few years (after the District has burned through its cash surplus) when the District will be faced with a choice to make very large cuts that may affect entire student programs or raise property taxes (or a combination of the two). I believe that if we take additional steps now and over the next few years, we can avoid being faced with a huge deficit problem in the future.

If you pay property taxes to the District and/or have children who attend District schools and you would like to share your views regarding how to deal with our deficit problem, please be sure to attend the Finance Committee meetings.

Six Candidates Run for Three Minooka 201 School Board Seats

2011-02-02T22:22:00.000-06:00

Six people have submitted petitions to run for the three Minooka CCSD 201 school board seats that will be filled in the next Consolidated Election on April 5, 2011. The six people are Al Skwarczynski (incumbent), David Hill (incumbent), Kathy Brozman, Joseph Frieders, Tim Bartoli and Kevin Hannon.

Next Minooka 201 Policy Committee Meeting

2011-02-02T22:03:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Policy Committee is Monday, February 7, 2011. The Policy Committee meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Policy Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Link to Agenda for January 26, 2011 Board Meeting

2011-01-22T20:25:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, January 26, 2011. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting and the regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Each of the meetings is open to the public and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Link to Updated Financial Projections for Minooka CCSD 201

2011-01-16T21:03:00.000-06:00

Click here for a link to the updated financial projections which Mr. Gegenheimer presented to the Finance Committee on January 13, 2011. I encourage you to review this presentation. Pay particular attention to page 18 of the slide show. This shows the deficits that Minooka CCSD 201 will run in the future unless we adopt additional deficit reduction measures. Click here for a link to the Finance Committee page on the district's website. The meetings of the Finance Committee are open to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Next Minooka 201 Finance Committee Meeting

2011-01-12T08:36:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot!!! The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Finance Committee is tomorrow, January 13, 2011. The Finance Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Finance Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. We will be discussing the state of the District's finances. As I have said before, we are still operating at a deficit, so we may be discussing additional budget cutting measures. If you are interested in the District's finances, please be sure to attend.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2011-01-11T06:44:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is Wednesday, January 26, 2011. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Next Minooka 201 Policy Committee Meeting

2011-01-06T15:22:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Policy Committee is Monday, January 10, 2011. The Policy Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Policy Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Minooka 201 Audit Report 2010 (or What Was All That Accounting Talk About?)

2010-12-21T12:56:00.000-06:00

Those of you who attended the November 17, 2010 meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board and stayed for the business portion of the meeting may have been wondering what the lengthy discussion between our auditor and myself was about (those of you who did not attend were saved the boredom of listening to a discussion of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 5). Well, in accounting jargon, what we were talking about were "contingent liabilities." "Contingent liabilities" are potential obligations that a school district or other entity may be faced with having to pay in the future. They can arise in a variety of ways, but they are generally the result of losing a lawsuit or settling a lawsuit out of court. In the case of Minooka CCSD 201, the contingent liabilities at issue arose from appeals of property tax assessments on two separate pieces of property. Now contingent liabilities, according to financial accounting standards (SFAS 5) must be disclosed on an entity's financial statements when they are "probable" and the liability can be "reasonably estimated." This is what the discussion was about. Our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010 were subsequently approved at the December 1, 2010 special meeting. Click here for a link to the Minooka CCSD 201 audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010. The contingent liability disclosure is on pages 34 and 35.

As you can see from the financial statements, we are dealing with very large expected liabilities in terms of our annual budget (in one case $5,700,000 and in the other case $2,800,000, for a total of $8,500,000). These numbers represent the "estimated" liability (a best guess given current information), so the ultimate liabilities could be greater or less than the "estimated" amounts. The good news is that we have some large fund balances. The bad news is that these liabilities are also large. In fact, if they had to be paid today at the "estimated" amounts, our fund balances would be reduced by roughly one third.

Those who read the article in the Morris Herald regarding our fund balances (the same article appeared in November 25, 2010 edition of the Southwest Herald) might want to consider that article in light of the financial statement disclosure regarding contingent liabilities. Once you subtract the amounts represented by the contingent liabilities, our fund balances would be one third less than that shown on our balance sheet and our budget.

Fitness Machines and Track Proposal

2010-12-12T14:34:00.000-06:00

A number of people who read the agendas for the December 15th meetings asked for more information regarding the "PE/Fitness Equipment" and the "Track Proposal" (Items E and F on the Committee of the Whole agenda). So, I thought I would post a brief description of both items.

First, the "PE/Fitness Equipment" is a proposal to purchase weight training machines, treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bicycles for each of the Minooka Intermediate School (the 5th and 6th graders) and the Minooka Junior High School (the 7th and 8th graders). Click here for the proposed fitness room layout at the Minooka Intermediate School, and click here for the proposed fitness room layout at the Minooka Junior High School. The total cost is estimated to be approximately $200,000 (or $100,000 for each school).

Second, the "Track Proposal" is a proposal to construct an all-weather track, soccer field and other track event areas inside the bus loop at the Minooka Intermediate School/Minooka Junior High School campus. Click here for a proposed layout of the track and soccer field. The total cost for this project is estimated to be approximately $1.5 million.

If anyone has further questions regarding these proposals, please do not hesitate to send me an email at dpmartin1775(at)yahoo.com (replace the "(at)" with the "@" sign).

Email Subscriptions Now Available

2010-12-12T13:38:00.000-06:00

By popular demand, I have now added email subscription capability to my Minooka 201 blog. Basically, how this works is you subscribe using your email address. After performing a couple of steps to authorize the subscription, you will receive an email of every new post to this blog. Now, you no longer have to check this site from time to time to see if I have added something new. Each time I add something new, presto, you receive an email. The subscription "gadget" appears just after my bio information on the right. Just enter the email address where you would like to receive updates, click the "Subscription" button, follow the steps to validate the subscription, and you are ready to receive updates.

Link to Agenda for December 15, 2010 Board Meeting

2010-12-11T08:57:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, December 15, 2010. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting, the Truth in Taxation Hearing and the regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Truth in Taxation Hearing regarding the 2010 tax levy starts at 6:45 p.m. in the gymnasium at the Minooka Primary Center. The Truth in Taxation Hearing will be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Each of the meetings is open to the public and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Online Education: The Future of K-12 Education?

2010-12-10T19:12:00.000-06:00

The internet has changed our lives in many ways, from the way we get our news to the way we shop to the way we keep in touch with people. It also has the potential to change the way in which we educate our children. Many parents who homeschool their children have used the internet for years to access quality curriculum (click here to visit the website of one such online education provider). In addition, in the past few years, many states have started "virtual schools" where public school students can take many or all of their courses online. Recent studies have shown the use of online courses is growing rapidly for K-12 education. Click here for a report from an education consulting firm that keeps up with developments in the use of online K-12 instruction by individual states.

According to the report, the Illinois Virtual School (click here for their website) had approximately 2,500 course enrollments last year (down from about 2,900 the previous year). Florida, by comparison, is one of the leading states with respect to the use of online instruction for K-12 education with over 200,000 course enrollments last year in the Florida Virtual School (click here for their website).

While still in its infancy, online K-12 education presents some interesting possibilities for the future: from expanding course offerings to fit the varied interests of students to allowing students to do some or all of their courses online rather than in the traditional classroom.

Government Transparency: Part III (Video Recorded Meetings?)

2010-12-07T16:34:00.000-06:00

Another issue that arises when thinking about government transparency is the question of video recording meetings. Given our current state of technology, it would be relatively easy to video record the Minooka CCSD 201 school board meetings and post the videos to a website where people could view them on their computers. With our busy schedules and so many other things competing for our time, it is difficult for many people to attend school board meetings. Video recording would allow interested persons to watch school board meetings with ease and convenience. There is, however, some time, effort and expense that must be incurred to video record meetings and then post them to a website. So, I would like some feedback from those of you who read this blog. Would this be something that you are interested in? Do you think that it would be worth the time, effort and expense? You can either submit a comment to this blog or email me at dpmartin1775(at)yahoo.com (replace the "(at)" with the "@" symbol).

As you are considering this issue, consider that many other local government bodies in Illinois, including school districts, make videos of their meetings available to the public. Click here, here, here and here for examples of some local government bodies that make video recordings of their meetings available.

Minooka 201 Annual Statement of Affairs for 2010

2010-12-04T18:34:00.000-06:00

The Minooka CCSD 201 Annual Statement of Affairs for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010 is now available on the District website. Click here to be taken to the annual statement.

The Back Door Referendum: Part II

2010-12-03T17:09:00.000-06:00

My first post on the "back door referendum" has provoked quite a few comments (I have declined to publish the comments to protect anonymity). Some concern has been raised that Minooka CCSD 201 may be considering a "back door referendum" in the near future. At this time, there is no cause for concern. My initial post on this subject was merely for informational purposes. To my knowledge, the Minooka CCSD 201 school board has not had any discussions about an imminent or proposed "back door referendum." If this issue arises in the future, I will publish a post on this blog. It will then be up to the voters to decide if they want to force the school board to put the question to the voters of the district in a subsequent election. According to Illinois law, petitions can not be circulated until a school board has voted on and approved a "back door referendum" and thereby started the 30 day time clock. Interested persons can, however, begin getting together and planning to gather signatures. With decent prior planning and the help of the internet and email, it would be relatively easy to gather the signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters of the district. The people who gathered signatures in the recent Palatine SD 15 case were able to gather hundreds more signatures than they needed.

I have also received a number of questions regarding bonds and school finance in general. In the near future, I will attempt to explain certain aspects of school finance. At the most recent school board convention (a couple of weeks ago), I attended a number of seminars, one of which was on the topic of school finance and issuance of school bonds. I will share what I learned.

Plainfield CCSD 202 Budget Survey

2010-12-02T12:32:00.000-06:00

Many school districts in our area and around the state are experiencing budget problems similar to the problems we are experiencing here in Minooka CCSD 201. Plainfield CCSD 202 is one of those school districts that is also trying to eliminate its budget deficit. As part of their deficit reduction process, they have used the internet to gather comments and suggestions from their constituents. Click here to view their web-based deficit reduction survey.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2010-12-02T06:26:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is December 15, 2010. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Special Meeting of the Minooka 201 School Board

2010-11-24T15:03:00.000-06:00

A special meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 1, 2010. The special meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Click here for the meeting agenda. As noted in the agenda, we will be discussing district provided health insurance as well as the 2010 audited financial statements. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Next Minooka 201 Policy Committee Meeting

2010-11-23T22:44:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Policy Committee is Tuesday, November 30, 2010. The Policy Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Policy Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Link to Agenda for November 17, 2010 Board Meeting

2010-11-16T16:53:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, November 17, 2010. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting and regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Please take the time to attend.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2010-11-15T03:36:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is November 17, 2010. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

The Back Door Referendum

2010-11-12T18:03:00.000-06:00

Typically when school districts such as Minooka CCSD 201 want to raise additional property tax revenues or sell additional bonds, they must put a rate increase referendum or a bond referendum on the ballot and ask the voters to approve the referendum by a majority vote. Illinois law, however, provides the school board with another option, which has come to be known as the "back door referendum." Essentially, the way it works is that the school board is allowed to vote to issue "working capital" bonds. Once the school board approves the working capital bonds, any resident of the district who wishes to protest the issuance of the bonds has 30 days to gather the signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters in the district. If they are able to do this within the 30 day time limit, then the school board must put the issuance of the bonds to the decision of the voters in a referendum at the next election. If no person protests the issuance of the bonds and gathers the appropriate number of signatures, then the school district is allowed to issue the bonds. This turns the usual bond issuance process on its head. Under the normal process, bonds are only allowed to be issued upon a majority vote in a referendum. Here, bonds are allowed to be issued unless the protest of 10 percent of the registered voters forces a referendum. Hence, the term "back door referendum." The bond issuance sneaks in through the back door unless 10 percent of the registered voters close the back door.

Because voters typically do not keep a watchful eye on their elected representatives and because the time frame to gather the required signatures is fairly short, "back door referendums" are usually successful. Since this process has been available to school boards, there are very few instances in which voters have forced a referendum. The difficult economy and the internet may change that, however. In the past year, some concerned citizens in Palatine School District 15 were able to force a referendum on the issuance of $27 million in "working capital" bonds. In the recent election on November 2, the voters in that district voted "NO" on the referendum by a vote of 67 percent to 33 percent. You can read about it here, here, here and here.

Veterans Day at Minooka 201

2010-11-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

Veterans Day is November 11. Some of the Minooka CCSD 201 schools will be having Veterans Day activities on Tuesday, November 9, and the remainder of the schools will be having Veterans Day activities on November 11.

Next Minooka 201 Finance Committee Meeting

2010-11-02T07:01:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 Finance Committee is Tuesday, November 9, 2010. The Finance Committee meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. Finance Committee meetings are open to the public, so everyone is welcome to attend. We will be discussing the state of the District's finances. We are still operating at a deficit, so we may be discussing additional budget cutting measures. Please be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Minooka 201 Salaries, Benefits and Contracts

2010-10-28T22:11:00.001-05:00

The Minooka CCSD 201 salary, benefit and contract information (including collective bargaining agreements) is available on the District website. Click here and here to be taken to this information.

Minooka 201 Salary Information

2010-10-26T06:53:00.001-05:00

As an Illinois public school district, Minooka CCSD 201, reports its salary information to the Illinois State Board of Education on an annual basis. The Family Taxpayer Foundation is an organization that provides this information in a easy to search format. Click here to be taken to the page where you can search for salary information. Just enter "Minooka" in the box marked "District" and click the "search" button. Then choose "Minooka CCSD 201" and the salary information will appear. Click here to be taken to the Family Taxpayer Foundation home page. It may also be interesting to search other nearby districts for comparison.

Minooka 201 Audit Report June 2009

2010-10-24T09:57:00.000-05:00

The Minooka CCSD 201 Audit Report dated June 30, 2009 is now available on the District website. Click here to be taken to the audit report.

Representative Democracy

2010-10-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

A local school board, such as the Minooka CCSD 201 school board, is an exercise in representative democracy. The Minooka CCSD 201 school board is better able to make informed decisions when residents of the school district voice their concerns and opinions. I realize that most people lead hectic lives, so if you don't have the time to attend school board meetings and voice your concerns and opinions in person, please feel free to send me an email at the following email address: dpmartin1775(at)yahoo.com (you have to replace the "(at)" with the "@" symbol-I spelled it out in an attempt to foil spammers).

Now, it is impossible for any representative body, including the Minooka CCSD 201 school board, to satisfy all of their constituents at the same time. Each person has their own opinions and concerns which may conflict with the opinions and concerns of others. But, I believe government works best when it is transparent (shares all possible information) and held accountable (voters continue to stay involved and vocal, not merely during election season).

Link to Agenda for October 27, 2010 Board Meeting

2010-10-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board will take place this Wednesday, October 27, 2010. Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting and regular Board Meeting. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting. Please take the time to attend.

Minooka 201 FOIA Request Information

2010-10-22T03:25:00.000-05:00

Minooka CCSD 201 now has its FOIA request information posted on the District website. Click here to be taken to the FOIA request information.

Next Minooka 201 School Board Meeting

2010-10-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Minooka CCSD 201 school board is October 27, 2010. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the regular Board Meeting at 7 p.m. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Government Transparency: Part II

2010-10-14T11:43:00.000-05:00

In researching how other local governments (including many here in Illinois) are striving to become more transparent, I came across the following website of the Illinois Policy Institute. One of their major projects is called the Local Transparency Project. As part of the project, they conduct "transparency audits" of local governments. You can read all about it by clicking on the link above. One page of their website provides a list of items that they believe should be provided on a local government's website, their rationale and examples of Illinois local governments and others (including links to those government websites) that provide such information. Sunshine Review is another resource for government transparency.

Government Transparency

2010-10-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

In a democratic Republic, government is the servant of the people, not their master. As such, government entities must operate in such a way to enable the people to hold their public servants accountable. Transparency is the key to enabling people to hold their public servants accountable.

In the words of a couple of important Illinois statutes:

"It is the public policy of this State that public bodies exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business and that the people have a right to be informed as to the conduct of their business."
- Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/1.

"Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of government, it is declared to be the public policy of the State of Illinois that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees consistent with the terms of this Act. Such access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest."
- Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140/1.

As one of your elected public servants, I would like to see Minooka CCSD 201 run in the most transparent manner possible (consistent with applicable privacy laws).

To further transparency in Minooka CCSD 201, I am recommending the following steps be taken:

1. Posting of board packets (prior to school board meetings) to the District website. Any information for executive sessions should be removed and distributed to school board members separately.
2. Posting of District financial information (including the long form budgets, audits, Treasurer's reports, and monthly lists of bills) to the District website.
3. Posting of contact information (phone number and email address) of current school board members to the District website.
4. Posting of salary & benefit information to the District website.
5. Posting of all contracts (including vendor contracts and collective bargaining agreements) to the District website.
6. Posting of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer contact information (as well instructions regarding how to submit FOIA requests) to the District website.

I believe these steps are fairly easy given the current state of District technology. I also believe these steps will go a long way to ensuring that Minooka CCSD 201 is run in a manner that is transparent to the public. If anyone has any additional ideas regarding transparency, please feel free to post a comment.

Parental Involvement: A Huge Factor in a Child's Education

2010-09-30T11:29:00.001-05:00

Many research studies have concluded that the single most important factor in a child's educational success is parental involvement (click here for a State of Michigan publication summarizing some of these findings). You read that right. It's not socio-economic status, per pupil expenditures, or access to technology. It's good old-fashioned parental involvement. It's parents taking the primary responsibility for their child's education (after all, the first and most important authority in a child's education rests with his or her parents) . It's parents setting high standards and ensuring their children work to achieve them. It's parents reading to their children and helping them with homework. It's parents asking questions about what their child is learning in school, what textbooks they are using, and what standards they are being held to. It's parents getting involved with their child's classroom, school and school district. It's parents holding the school board and administration accountable to spend the community's tax dollars in the most efficient manner to provide the best educational opportunities possible with those tax dollars.

If you are already involved, great! If you are not yet involved, why not? You could and should have a huge impact on your child's educational success.

Gifted Education

2010-09-23T09:12:00.000-05:00

Each year our administrators and school board members are invited to attend a joint conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and Illinois Association of School Business Officials. The conference is in Chicago in November. At the conference, various seminars are offered on issues of interest to administrators, school board members and business officials. One of the seminars I attended last year was focused on educational opportunities for gifted children. The presenters shared a number of techniques which school districts can employ to help gifted children at little to no cost to the school district (our District already employs some of these techniques). They also recommended reading a study funded by the John Templeton Foundation regarding the basis for and effects of these techniques. The study consists of two thought-provoking volumes (click here for volume 1)(click here for volume 2). If you have any interest in gifted education, it may be worth your while to read the study. You may also be interested in perusing the website of the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration at the University of Iowa.

School Board Nominating Petitions Available

2010-09-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

If anyone is interested in serving on the Minooka CCSD 201 school board, nominating petitions are now available for the April 5, 2011 election. Click here to be taken to the District information release regarding the nominating petitions.

Link to Agenda for September 22, 2010 Board Meeting

2010-09-20T11:01:00.002-05:00

Click here to be taken to the agendas for the Committee of the Whole Meeting, Budget Hearing, and regular Board Meeting taking place this Wednesday, September 22, 2010. The Committee of the Whole Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. in the board room (the old library) at the Minooka Primary Center located at 305 Church Street in Minooka. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be followed by the Budget Hearing and then the regular Board Meeting. Please take the time to attend.

Link to Financial Projections

2010-09-14T13:04:00.000-05:00

Click here for a link to financial projections which Mr. Gegenheimer presented to the Finance Committee on April 15, 2010 and are updated to reflect the deficit reduction measures that were taken or are being implemented. One thing it does not reflect, however, is a loss of approximately $700,000 of state aid for the 2010-2011 fiscal year (which the board learned about last month). Click here for a link to the Finance Committee page on the district's website. The meetings of the Finance Committee are open to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Link to Proposed 2010-2011 Budget

2010-09-11T13:47:00.005-05:00

Click here to be taken to the Minooka CCSD 201 proposed budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. And, for comparison, click here to be taken to the Minooka CCSD 201 budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Welcome to a New School Year!

2010-09-07T20:00:00.001-05:00

Parents, taxpayers and employees of Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201,

Welcome to a brand new school year! This is your school district. I would like to encourage you to attend our school board meetings and provide your input to the school board. Our school board meetings for the remainder of the school year are as follows:

September 22, 2010
October 27, 2010
November 17, 2010
December 15, 2010
January 26, 2010
February 23, 2010
March 16, 2010
April 27, 2010
May 25, 2010

School board meetings are now held at the Minooka Primary Center at 305 Church St., Minooka, IL 60447. A "Committee of the Whole" meeting takes place at 6:00 p.m. before the regular school board meeting in the Minooka School District Office board room (the old library). At 7:00 p.m., the school board moves to the gymnasium for the public recognition portion the meeting. After the public recognition portion of the meeting, the school board moves back to the board room (the old library) for the remainder of the meeting. Both the Committee of the Whole meeting and the regular school board meeting are open to the public.

At our very next meeting (on September 22nd), the school board will be discussing and voting on the budget for the 2010-2011 school year. Approving a budget is one of the most important responsibilities of the school board.

Again, I encourage you to attend (especially the business portions of the meetings) and provide your input. (You will need to fill out and submit this form at the beginning of the meeting to request to address the school board.) The decisions made by the school board affect every parent, child, taxpayer and employee in the district.