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Sunday, December 22, 2024

South Suburb educators oppose Illinois school efficiency bill

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More than 130 Illinois public school administrators who signed witness slips in opposition to a bipartisan bill that aims to consolidate Illinois school districts make six-figure salaries, according to an analysis compiled this week.

Twenty-four employees of school districts in South Suburbs were among those who have signed witness slips against House Bill 3053, which would attempt to direct more funds into the classroom.

School district administrators around the state who have expressed opposition to the bill number more than 400, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.

The bill, authored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), is now being reviewed in the state Senate. It passed the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously in March.

HB 3053, the Classrooms First Act, requires the formation of a panel that would review which of Illinois’ 852 school districts should be consolidated to improve efficiency in the public education system. The overall goal would be to reduce the number of districts in the state by one-quarter.

As of last year, the average Illinois school district served 2,400 students, the sixth-lowest level among states with student populations of more than 1 million, according to the institute.

The panel, dubbed the School District Efficiency Commission, would not force districts to merge, but its recommendations would be put before local residents for an up-or-down vote.

Spending on district-level education bureaucracies in Illinois is nearly double the national average, according to the institute, suggesting that a consolidation plan could result in more efficient spending of taxpayer dollars.

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Local School District Employees Opposed to HB 3053

NameFirm, Business or AgencyRepresentingTestimonySalary
Mary Ticknor Lemont High School District 210Lemont High School

District 210

Record Of Appearance Only$226,323
Merryl B. Brownlow Riverside District 96IASARecord Of Appearance Only$155,563
Dr. Donna S. Leak CCSD 168IASARecord Of Appearance Only$222,720
Paul McDermott Forest Ridge School District 142Forest Ridge School

District 142

Record Of Appearance Only$165,083
Angela Crotty Midlothian School

District 143

Midlothian School District 143Written Statement Filed$159,847
Scott McAlister James Hart SchoolJames Hart SchoolWritten Statement Filed$132,432
Dr. Teresa Hill South Holland School District 151South Holland School District 151Record Of Appearance Only$216,117
Heather Rose Forest Ridge School District 142Heather Rose, Forest Ridge School DistrictRecord Of Appearance Only$91,208
Steven Gress Alsip School District 126Alsip School District 126Record Of Appearance Only$147,077
Sene Garrett CCSD 168CCSD 168Written Statement Filed$13,234
Branard Barrett CCSD 168CCSD 168Written Statement Filed$17,749
Dr. Kimako Patterson Prairie-Hills District 144Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144Record Of Appearance Only$205,886
Betty Jones District 233ParentRecord Of Appearance Only$92,861
Aretha Williams Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144 EA 144 President Education Association 144 Literacy Coach Written Statement Filed$14,377
Andrea Sala Arbor Park School

District 145

Parents and students of Arbor Park in Oak Forest Record Of Appearance Only$160,714
Anthony Scarsella Palos CCSD 118Palos CCSD 118Record Of Appearance Only$198,131
Carrie Ablin Prairie-Hills District 144Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144Record Of Appearance Only$116,437
Kenneth Scott Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144Record Of Appearance Only$93,047
Doctor Karen

Fitzgerald 

Prairie Hills Elementary School District 144 EA 144Prairie Hills Elementary School District Written Statement Filed$78,451
Stephen Geraci Burnham ElementaryBurnham SD 154.5Record Of Appearance Only$115,219
Johnnetta Miller West Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147West Harvey Dixmoor School District 147Record Of Appearance Only$194,761
Shelly Davis Jones Dolton School District

149

IASARecord Of Appearance Only$301,578
Shelly Skarzynski Wood Dale School

District 7

Shelly SkarzynskiWritten Statement Filed$134,835
Kevin McKeown Andrew High SchoolSelfRecord Of Appearance Only$137,006
Source: Illinois General Assembly

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