Let’s start this post out by saying that we’ve got no personal beef with Maine Twp. High School District 207 Superintendent Ken Wallace.

But just how ridiculous is it that the D-207 School Board – save for member Mary Childers, the only “no” vote – recently voted to give Wallace a 5-year contract extension after only four years on the job?  Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville received only a 3-year contract extension, and that was after winning his second Stanley Cup in four years!

What leads to such bizarre decisions by our elected School Board members?

A rumor that Wallace was going to declare for free agency?  A report on TMZ that Wallace will be directing the next Batman movie?  A job offer from Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 that included a $20,000 raise and an Arby’s franchise?

Last week’s Park Ridge Journal story (“Dist. 207 Supt. Granted 5-Year Contract Extension,” Oct. 16) and this week’s Park Ridge Herald-Advocate story (“District 207 superintendent gets five-year contract extension,” Oct. 21) provide little more than the following insight, compliments of Board president Margaret McGrath:

“Dr. Wallace has demonstrated exemplary leadership, not only in setting the tone for the professional development of teacher leadership and classroom innovations that are resulting in improved education and opportunities for students, but also in effectively managing and resolving budgetary, personnel and student issues.

“The extension of his contract ensures invaluable continuity as the district follows through on several initiatives, the continued success of which has been integrated into his contract in the form of performance goals.”

Can one fit more meaningless bureaucratic buzz-terms – “exemplary leadership,” “professional development,” “teacher leadership,” “classroom innovations,” “invaluable continuity,” “several initiatives,” “continued success” and “performance goals” – into a mere two paragraphs?

We doubt it.

When you read horse hockey like that, you can be pretty sure that there’s way more foam than beer in the glass.  But from what we’ve seen of the D-207 Board members over the past several years (with the exception of Childers and former member Ed Mueller), they are masters of foam over substance.

Where are the performance metrics – that objectively measurable, hard-number data that proves the achievement of Maine Twp. High School students actually has increased over the four years of Wallace’s tenure?  All we’ve seen over the last four years is a decline in performance and rankings, even for the flagship of the D-207 fleet: Maine South.  And the most notable headlines involving D-207 we can think of during his four-year tenure have been the ones related to the Maine West hazing scandal.

According to the Journal and H-A articles, in addition to the 5-year contract extension Wallace was also given:

• a $3,000 raise (1.5%, from $206,916 to $210,000) in his base pay, and locked-in 1.5% increases in each of the following four years;
• 22 vacation days and 12 sick days (almost 7 weeks) per year, the former of which he can accumulate at the rate of 5 per year up to a total of 69 (for cashing in and adding to his salary for purposes of pension calculation when it’s time to retire?);
• 82 sick days (or over 16 weeks worth) to start the contract;
• a boost in his car allowance from $450 to $600/month; and
• a reduction, from $30,000 to $25,000, in the amount of liquidated damages Wallace would have to pay D-207 if he bailed on the District mid-contract.

But perhaps the most significant benefits conferred on Wallace by the new contract are eligibility for two separate “merit pay” increases, one for up to $26,000 and the other for up to $25,000.  He picked up the $25,000 increase for the 2011-12 school year, which bumped his pay for that year up to $221,950 according to a TribLocal story from June 7, 2012 (“D207 superintendent gets pay raise, $25K job-performance bonus”).

Caesar’s sports book in Vegas isn’t even posting a betting line for Wallace getting at least one $25,000 bonus: it’s virtually a sure thing with this current Board, which means that his new salary effectively will be $235,000 during the coming school year, and could soar to $260,000 if that second bonus kicks in.

School superintendents, like presidents and governors, are often unfairly blamed for their predecessors’ mistakes, and unjustifiably credited for their predecessors’ accomplishments due to the delayed effects of governmental decision-making.  But presidents and governors only get re-upped for only four years at a time, if at all; and the voters are the ones who get to do the re-upping.

How likely is it that the voters would give Wallace a five-year deal, even without all the compensation and vacation/sick day increases?

Can you say “NFW”?

Is D-207 a 1.5% better school district than it was last year?  Will it be 1.5% better in each of the next 5 years?  Was student performance 1.5% better last year than the year before, and will it be 1.5% better this year versus last?  Is the property tax bite D-207 takes out of the taxpayer 1.5% less than last year, and will it be 1.5% less in each of the next 5 years?  Do these kinds of things even matter to the D-207 Board?

Can you say “NFW” again?

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