Post by gatordog on Jul 31, 2009 7:56:42 GMT -5
Trib article
Downers Grove school board and new member clash
High School District 99 school board wields anti-nepotism policy against one of its own
By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah | Tribune Reporter
July 23, 2009
Suing her school district didn't help Deborah Boyle make any friends on the board that oversees two academically acclaimed high schools in Downers Grove.
And after she won a school board seat of her own in April, things didn't get any better. Boyle wasn't allowed to vote on a benefit package for district employees. She was not assigned to a committee. And, as of this week, she is banned from some of the board's executive sessions.
Community High School District 99 board members say they're trying to enforce a district nepotism policy and avoid conflicts of interest for Boyle, whose brother is a history teacher and head football coach at Downers Grove North High School. The district has spent more than $7,000 to have an attorney draft guidelines for following the policy.
But some citizens say school board members are just being petty.
"This isn't high school," said Elaine Johnson, whose Downers Grove blog (DGreport.com) has been fired up with posts and residents' comments about the issue for weeks. "School board members don't get to choose whether or not to accept a duly elected member as part of their group."
It's not uncommon for people whose children go to a district's schools to be interested in serving on the board, so the spat in Downers Grove raises broader questions about what comprises conflict of interest.
Boyle raised a few concerns of her own at a board meeting this week. She questioned whether District 99 board members whose children are in the band should abstain from voting on band uniforms. Or whether those with a child in the special education program should abstain from votes on issues related to the program. She pointed out that some board members received campaign donations from teachers unions, yet vote on teachers contracts.
"Obviously the policy is directed at me," she said, telling the other board members, "You don't need to like me, but we have to respect each other."
But board members say the district of 5,500 students has had an anti-nepotism policy since 1976.
"She has a right to run, but there are issues she can't vote on," said school board President Julia Beckman. "You can't have a brother, sister or husband employed by the district and then vote on how much they make."
The district's half-page guideline, approved Monday, states, "in applying the policy [that a board member abstain], the item in question must have a reasonably direct, identifiable monetary benefit to the relative." It adds that board members should also avoid voting on matters that improve their relatives' working conditions, such as a change in class size, "if the adjustment was unique to the employee or a relatively small segment of the department that included the employee."
Boyle argues that union issues are not a matter simply concerning her brother, but rather 500 employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
In blog comments and at the public meeting Monday, some residents said they did not have a problem with Boyle voting on a contract for the teachers union or attending closed-door meetings about the issue.
"It's the single biggest outlay that they vote on," said frequent school board critic Gregory Boltz.
Illinois Association of School Boards executive director emeritus Michael Johnson says many school districts have nepotism policies, but they're often directed at board members who have spouses or children employed by the district.
"When you're talking about siblings who live on their own and the board member wouldn't be gaining financially from a decision, I don't think you'd have to exclude yourself, but it would be better if you do," he said. "It's like voting on a contract involving your best friend, you'd want to avoid that appearance."
Boyle's problems began when she took District 99 to court in 2006 in an unsuccessful attempt to get a boundary exemption allowing her son to attend Downers Grove North, the school his family had attended and supported for generations. Opponents reminded voters of the suit during the spring board campaign, predicting that Boyle would bring "contention" to the board.
As she tried to address the board Monday, Boyle was often interrupted by fellow board members quick to point out perceived misstatements.
When the public was allowed to speak, critic Boltz began questioning board members about their alleged conflicts of interest, and the meeting quickly descended into chaos.
Boltz said two board members belong to a political organization that rents a meeting room in the district even though they vote on rental rates, and board members tried to quiet him.
He then got into a shouting match with board member Megan Schroeder after he questioned how her daughter was chosen to give a graduation speech at Downers Grove South two years ago. Then Beckman cut the meeting short, bringing down her gavel and calling for a quick motion to adjourn.
Beckman said she and Schroeder sit on the Downers Grove Township Democratic Organization, which rents a community room once a month, but they get no special treatment.
Schroeder said her daughter ranked within the top 2 percent of her class all four years at South, and faculty members selected her to give the address based on the strength of her graduation speech.
nahmed@tribune.com
Downers Grove school board and new member clash
High School District 99 school board wields anti-nepotism policy against one of its own
By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah | Tribune Reporter
July 23, 2009
Suing her school district didn't help Deborah Boyle make any friends on the board that oversees two academically acclaimed high schools in Downers Grove.
And after she won a school board seat of her own in April, things didn't get any better. Boyle wasn't allowed to vote on a benefit package for district employees. She was not assigned to a committee. And, as of this week, she is banned from some of the board's executive sessions.
Community High School District 99 board members say they're trying to enforce a district nepotism policy and avoid conflicts of interest for Boyle, whose brother is a history teacher and head football coach at Downers Grove North High School. The district has spent more than $7,000 to have an attorney draft guidelines for following the policy.
But some citizens say school board members are just being petty.
"This isn't high school," said Elaine Johnson, whose Downers Grove blog (DGreport.com) has been fired up with posts and residents' comments about the issue for weeks. "School board members don't get to choose whether or not to accept a duly elected member as part of their group."
It's not uncommon for people whose children go to a district's schools to be interested in serving on the board, so the spat in Downers Grove raises broader questions about what comprises conflict of interest.
Boyle raised a few concerns of her own at a board meeting this week. She questioned whether District 99 board members whose children are in the band should abstain from voting on band uniforms. Or whether those with a child in the special education program should abstain from votes on issues related to the program. She pointed out that some board members received campaign donations from teachers unions, yet vote on teachers contracts.
"Obviously the policy is directed at me," she said, telling the other board members, "You don't need to like me, but we have to respect each other."
But board members say the district of 5,500 students has had an anti-nepotism policy since 1976.
"She has a right to run, but there are issues she can't vote on," said school board President Julia Beckman. "You can't have a brother, sister or husband employed by the district and then vote on how much they make."
The district's half-page guideline, approved Monday, states, "in applying the policy [that a board member abstain], the item in question must have a reasonably direct, identifiable monetary benefit to the relative." It adds that board members should also avoid voting on matters that improve their relatives' working conditions, such as a change in class size, "if the adjustment was unique to the employee or a relatively small segment of the department that included the employee."
Boyle argues that union issues are not a matter simply concerning her brother, but rather 500 employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
In blog comments and at the public meeting Monday, some residents said they did not have a problem with Boyle voting on a contract for the teachers union or attending closed-door meetings about the issue.
"It's the single biggest outlay that they vote on," said frequent school board critic Gregory Boltz.
Illinois Association of School Boards executive director emeritus Michael Johnson says many school districts have nepotism policies, but they're often directed at board members who have spouses or children employed by the district.
"When you're talking about siblings who live on their own and the board member wouldn't be gaining financially from a decision, I don't think you'd have to exclude yourself, but it would be better if you do," he said. "It's like voting on a contract involving your best friend, you'd want to avoid that appearance."
Boyle's problems began when she took District 99 to court in 2006 in an unsuccessful attempt to get a boundary exemption allowing her son to attend Downers Grove North, the school his family had attended and supported for generations. Opponents reminded voters of the suit during the spring board campaign, predicting that Boyle would bring "contention" to the board.
As she tried to address the board Monday, Boyle was often interrupted by fellow board members quick to point out perceived misstatements.
When the public was allowed to speak, critic Boltz began questioning board members about their alleged conflicts of interest, and the meeting quickly descended into chaos.
Boltz said two board members belong to a political organization that rents a meeting room in the district even though they vote on rental rates, and board members tried to quiet him.
He then got into a shouting match with board member Megan Schroeder after he questioned how her daughter was chosen to give a graduation speech at Downers Grove South two years ago. Then Beckman cut the meeting short, bringing down her gavel and calling for a quick motion to adjourn.
Beckman said she and Schroeder sit on the Downers Grove Township Democratic Organization, which rents a community room once a month, but they get no special treatment.
Schroeder said her daughter ranked within the top 2 percent of her class all four years at South, and faculty members selected her to give the address based on the strength of her graduation speech.
nahmed@tribune.com