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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
| Name | Firm, Business or Agency | Representing | Testimony | Salary |
| Mary Ticknor | Lemont High School District 210 | Lemont High School
District 210 | Record Of Appearance Only | $226,323 |
| Merryl B. Brownlow | Riverside District 96 | IASA | Record Of Appearance Only | $155,563 |
| Dr. Donna S. Leak | CCSD 168 | IASA | Record Of Appearance Only | $222,720 |
| Paul McDermott | Forest Ridge School District 142 | Forest Ridge School
District 142 | Record Of Appearance Only | $165,083 |
| Angela Crotty | Midlothian School
District 143 | Midlothian School District 143 | Written Statement Filed | $159,847 |
| Scott McAlister | James Hart School | James Hart School | Written Statement Filed | $132,432 |
| Dr. Teresa Hill | South Holland School District 151 | South Holland School District 151 | Record Of Appearance Only | $216,117 |
| Heather Rose | Forest Ridge School District 142 | Heather Rose, Forest Ridge School District | Record Of Appearance Only | $91,208 |
| Steven Gress | Alsip School District 126 | Alsip School District 126 | Record Of Appearance Only | $147,077 |
| Sene Garrett | CCSD 168 | CCSD 168 | Written Statement Filed | $13,234 |
| Branard Barrett | CCSD 168 | CCSD 168 | Written Statement Filed | $17,749 |
| Dr. Kimako Patterson | Prairie-Hills District 144 | Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144 | Record Of Appearance Only | $205,886 |
| Betty Jones | District 233 | Parent | Record 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 118 | Palos CCSD 118 | Record Of Appearance Only | $198,131 |
| Carrie Ablin | Prairie-Hills District 144 | Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144 | Record Of Appearance Only | $116,437 |
| Kenneth Scott | Prairie-Hills Elementary District 144 | Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144 | Record Of Appearance Only | $93,047 |
| Doctor Karen
Fitzgerald | Prairie Hills Elementary School District 144 EA 144 | Prairie Hills Elementary School District | Written Statement Filed | $78,451 |
| Stephen Geraci | Burnham Elementary | Burnham SD 154.5 | Record Of Appearance Only | $115,219 |
| Johnnetta Miller | West Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147 | West Harvey Dixmoor School District 147 | Record Of Appearance Only | $194,761 |
| Shelly Davis Jones | Dolton School District
149 | IASA | Record Of Appearance Only | $301,578 |
| Shelly Skarzynski | Wood Dale School
District 7 | Shelly Skarzynski | Written Statement Filed | $134,835 |
| Kevin McKeown | Andrew High School | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $137,006 |
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