By now most New Year’s Eve hangovers should have dissipated, but we predict that the following two political hangovers from 2008 will continue to cause headaches for the honest, taxpaying citizens of Park Ridge well into 2009:
It’s Baa-ack! The Park Ridge Herald-Advocate reported this week that the Park Ridge General Caucus for Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 will meet January 7, 2009, in the Field School auditorium. (“School caucus to endorse candidate for 64, 207 slates,” December 30)
For those of you who don’t pay attention to such things, the Caucus is a semi-official looking but make-believe quasi-organization of unelected “delegates” that springs up every two years to hand-pick candidates for both the District 64 and District 207 school boards for whom it then collects petition signatures and, if somebody dares to run against its slate, campaigns for the slated candidates using unspecified “dues” and a war chest, the amount of which is not disclosed on its website, http://caucus.park-ridge.il.us.
Over the past decade, only 2 non-Caucus candidates have dared to challenge a Caucus slate for any of the 18 available slots on the Dist. 64 board – only one successfully. And that successful candidate, current board member Ted Smart, won election in 2007 in a race that was theater of the absurd: after challenging the Caucus slate Smart tried to drop out of the race, but his decision came too late for his name to be taken off the ballot; and he ended up defeating Caucus candidate Shlomo Crandus, 5,062 to 3,495.
Enraged Caucus members suggested that Smart’s election was the product of anti-Semitism, and they demanded that Smart refuse the seat to which he was lawfully elected. Those demands were reportedly accompanied by threatening telephone calls to Smart’s home. But in the almost two years since his election, Smart has shown himself to be the typical go-along-to-get-along, rubber-stamp Dist. 64 board member.
So expect the Caucus to once again round up the usual suspects – basically decent, unremarkable folks whose main qualification is that they are pleasant and unlikely to rock the boat despite the facts that: (a) Dist. 64’s budget keeps going up; (b) its teachers and administrators continue to receive higher salaries for jobs that are more secure, and provide better benefits, than those of the taxpayers who are paying the freight; and (c) no Dist. 64 school shows up on the annual lists of the Top 50 ISAT high achievers for either elementary [pdf] or middle [pdf] schools.
UPDATE 1/2/09 @ 2:35 p.m.
We just received a copy of an e-mail [pdf] from Caucus Chair Phil Eichman which further illustrates what kind of farce the entire Caucus process appears to be, especially as it relates to Dist. 64: Although the Caucus claims (on its “About Us” web page [pdf]) that its candidates “first undergo a rigorous and lengthy interviewing process…[and] appear several times before Caucus delegates to make policy presentations,” Mr. Eichman’s recruitment e-mail clearly shows how the Caucus leadership seems willing to consider for endorsement anybody who fills out an application and shows up on Jan. 7.
We can only guess that, at least for the Caucus, “rigorous and lengthy” aren’t what they used to be.
We also wonder why the Caucus hasn’t posted on its website the completed “extensive application” forms for candidates Lawson, Gentile, Uhlig, Mueller, Barsanti and Derrick, so that the public who the Caucus purports to serve can get an idea – before the endorsements are made – of exactly what qualifications and ideas these candidates bring to the process.
Salt, Overtime, Cause Budget Woes. The Herald-Advocate also reported this week that that the City’s Public Works department is in full budget-busting mode as it runs low on salt and high on overtime for its snow plow drivers (“Brutal December weather eats through Park Ridge salt supply,” December 30).
Due to escalating prices, the City reportedly is already $190,420 over budget while paying roughly three times the $40 per ton that it spent for salt last year. And in order to conserve the costly salt the City has utilized more plowing, hence more overtime pay. We don’t have a problem with that trade off, as roadway safety is of paramount importance. But with a City budget that was already sporting a yawning budget deficit of $1.7 million – on the heals of a similar hole last year – things are not looking promising for City finances. Again.
Fortunately, Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim still holds out hope of a “mild winter,” although he has not indicated on what information (the U.S. Weather Service? The “Farmer’s Almanac”? The color bands on the Wooly Bear caterpillar?) he is pinning that hope. And The Zinger doesn’t even dare to whisper how much bigger the budget hole will get once the cost of repairing all those potholes that are already springing up all over town is figured in.
Hey, Wayne, any chance that one of the reasons many Park Ridge streets already look like they belong in a war zone is because last year’s potholes weren’t repaired correctly due to lack of money? Or should we pose that question to Mayor Howard “The Coward” Frimark, who kicked off his re-election campaign by crowing about how well he has managed City finances?
10 comments so far
The D64 cuacus is a joke on the voters. They never endorse fewer people than there are seats open, and they never endorse more people than there are seats open. I guess it is just coincidence that the number of people qualified for endorsement by the caucus every cycle is the same as the number of seats open? They act like they are the election and the real election is just a formality.
one of my best friends was on the caucus (and nominating committee) several years ago and said that he finally understood why district 64 was as screwed up as it is, based on how the caucus went about choosing new board members.
he said members of the nominating committee let it be known from the very beginning who their choices were going to be, and nothing was going to change it. a couple of those candidates were among the least knowledgable (including an incumbent who should have known more just from prior service on the board), but they got the nomination and then the automatic endorsement.
and the one thing that all of the endorsed candidates were the least knowledgable about was finances, including tax caps, pension and health care benefits. he said it was scary how little they knew, and scarier still about how little they seemed to care about how little they knew.
I guess you can get involved this way.
Strategic Planning
“The development of a strategic plan is an exciting opportunity for a community to come together to create its vision for the future education of its children.” Superintendent Sally Pryor
To nominate on line click here .
An Open Invitation to Help Shape the Future of Education in District 64
District 64 will conduct a strategic planning process beginning in spring 2009. The new plan will guide our schools for at least five years beginning in 2010-11. Usually a major plan is done only every 5 or 10 years, so this is an important opportunity to help shape the future of education well into the next decade.
Currently, District 64 is seeking participants to create the plan — community members and staff who are persons of goodwill, are able to make decisions by consensus, and to subordinate their personal or special interests to the good of the organization. People can participate in one of two ways: by joining together with a group of about 30 people who will prepare the actual draft of the plan itself in intensive work sessions on April 23-25, 2009; or by joining with many more people next fall to work on Action Teams that will plan the steps required to meet the strategies in the draft plan.
Read more about planning process and how to participate (nomination flyer PDF )
A person does not need extensive experience with District 64 or to be currently involved in our schools to participate.
You may nominate yourself or someone you know whom you think would make a good participant. Please give us the name, contact information, and a short description of why you think the individual (or yourself) would make a good candidate. Be sure to specify interest in either the Strategic Planning Team in April or an Action Plan Team next fall.
Submit nominations to:
Dr. Sally Pryor, Park Ridge-Niles School District 64, 164 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068
or via e-mail to [email protected]
or on line here.
Questions? Dr. Sally Pryor – 847-318-4300
About the Upcoming Strategic Planning Process
The Board of Education has held several Committee-of-the-Whole meetings to discuss the approach that will be followed to develop the new strategic plan.
Here are some of the materials about the planning process:
Strategic Planning Process & Discipline Flowchart (PDF)
News release announcing strategic plan September 22, 2008 (PDF)
October 6, 2008 Committee-of-the-Whole meeting agenda and background memo (PDF)
October 6, 2008 Committee-of-the-Whole meeting minutes (PDF)
December 8, 2008 Committee-of-the-Whole meeting agenda (PDF)
Previous District 64 Strategic Planning 2006-08
Two brochures share the vision and goals of the Park Ridge-Niles schools. They provide detailed information about the District’s efforts to restore financial strength and met the needs of the whole child
Brochure: Strategic Plan 2006-2008 (PDF)
Brochure: Financial Outlook (PDF)
These goals are the result of a lengthy, broad community engagement process stretching back more than two school years. Early in 2005, the District 64 Board of Education and administration initiated a strategic planning process to guide the District as it looked ahead. The Board established as its primary goals:
meeting the needs of the whole child, and
restoring financial strength.
The Board wanted to hear from the District 64 community directly about these goals. Specifically, the Board wanted to determine what the Park Ridge-Niles community values regarding its public schools and how local residents perceive the challenges and opportunities faced by the District.
To receive this feedback, focus groups and surveys with parents (861 on-line), community members (400 telephone), and District 64 staff (306 on-line) were conducted in spring 2006. The results follow:
April 2006 Executive Summary – All Surveys (PDF)
March 2006 Parent Survey – Detailed Results (PDF)
In addition, a Strategic Planning Conference was held on April 5, 2006. More than 60 volunteers from all segments of the District 64 community carefully reviewed the survey results. They then discussed the community’s understanding and support of the Board’s key goals, and offered recommendations on how to improve communication and enhance understanding. The two brochures summarize the outcome of this strategic planning process.
PD:
Two quick points.
One, I do not know how much overtime has increased. I am sure there would be an increase in overtime just based on the amount of snow and ice we had this year versus a normal December. I would love to see how much of the overtime is actually based on the decision to salt less, although I am sure that is a figure that does not exist in any analysis done by the city.
Second, I hate pot holes too. But I do not think that the pothole situation is PR is any different then any other suburb I regularly dirve through (Skokie, Niles, Glenview, Deerfield, Northfield, Northbrook, Des Plaines). To somehow assume that Park Ridge has a worse pothole problem and then connect it back to lack of money so that last years holes could not be repaired properly, to me, is a huge leap.
Is that a tree I see? Yes! And there’s another tree over there! Why is Watchdog talking about a forest when there are all these trees?
Poor Anon, you really do seem to try Alpha’s patience.
I think what you aren’t seeing is that for the money, we may not be getting the best of services. It’s not a question of whether or not our potholes are better or worse in quality or quantity than the other towns you mentioned, but rather whether or not what we are experiencing could be better managed.
While I’m not all that familiar with all those other towns, I would like to point out that Park Ridge is 7 square miles in area, while some of those other towns are far larger, and with far more truck traffic due to their far larger commercial spaces.
I also recall reading that Niles is the number 3 commercial sales tax collector in the entire State. I would think the residents of Niles would be asking why their own streets aren’t in perfect condition, as you seem to indicate your driving and pothole experience in Niles mirrors your driving and pothole experience here in Park Ridge.
We pay a considerable premium in property taxes to live in Park Ridge. I would like to think the city is making spending on resident services their number one priority, but I have my suspicions and there is strong evidence of that being otherwise, unless one believes attempts at tax dollar give aways to Napleton Cadillac are a service to residents.
Are you mental, anon on 01.02.09 2:37 pm?
This isn’t a question of who has worse potholes. This is a question of why we have all these gaping potholes already in December, with at least 2-3 months of winter left. If all those potholes were properly repaired last year, it’s hard to imagine that the repairs would already be coming apart.
And if we’ve got this million dollar-plus deficit from last year, then it’s a good chance that we didn’t spend the money we could/should have to fix the potholes.
I guess I just see things differently and, yes, Alpha points that out on a regular basis. Of course when she does it, it is always in an amusing way which I appreciate.
As far as I know I am not mental. I am however at the moment, amazed. I have lived in the midwest for all of my 40 + years over half of them in and around the PR/Chicago area. As far as my memory is concerned, there is not a dramatic difference between this year and many others. You act like this is some new or different problem.
I have my frustrations and issues with our elected officials, many of which are accurately expressed by the people on this blog. But that does not mean I agree with everything.
My god, you look at the situation and your first answer is Howard sucks and if we did not have the budget deficit then they could have fixed the potholes with some space age compund that they should have been fixed with!!! Anon 1:26 said “This is a question of why we have all these gaping potholes already in December, with at least 2-3 months of winter left”. Excuse me, am I the only one who has noticed the December we just had. If I am not mistaken, we had like double the normal amount of snowfall, the plows were out more, we had freezing and thawing. All these things contribute to potholes, and by the way, not all the potholes that you see are old ones. Some of them are brand new. But lets just ignore these facts and and assume that PR is using low grade asphalt patches to repair the holes. If we were doing it on the cheap, would I not notice a dramatic difference when I drive from PR into any of our neighboring cities??
Is Derrick one of those wing-nuts who doesn’t want birth control taught in the Maine Twp. high schools. Maybe those people can also institute the virginity-pledge program and chastity rings, with the corresponding 10-point drop in the use of precautions for pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases for the pledgees who have sex anyway. Great idea.
Yup, Derrick was one of the parents that started the original discussions about the birth control section of the Biology curriculum. Just what we need on the school board.
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