Welch gets sensitive over questions posed to asst supt/girlfriend

On February 25 at Proviso Math and Science Academy the Proviso Township High Schools (District 209) board of education held its regular meeting. The meeting included discussions of various items like standardized tests, attendance and graduation details. Also, Board president Emanuel “Chris” Welch treated former board president Theresa Kelly rudely. And the unpleasantness escalated when Kelly asked questions about Assistant Superintendent Nikita Johnson.

The first tiff between Kelly and Welch in open session was over approving the January minutes. Kelly thought there were enough abstentions to keep the minutes from being approved. Welch rudely told her that she didn't know Roberts Rules of Order. Since the incident happened first thing after executive session it is possible the bad blood was carry over from the closed session.

Welch really lost his cool when Kelly raised the issue of whether Assistant Superintendent Nikita Johnson was going to be working at District 99 (Cicero Elementary Schools) next year. Johnson confirmed that she had interviewed for the position. She issued a non-denial, saying that she hadn't signed a contract with District 99. Johnson said, “I have not been offered the position... I have not received an offer.... I'm employed at this district. I work hard every day.”

Johnson was on the agenda as “Authorize Asst. Superintendentto begin FY09 Budget process”. Kelly claimed this was properly the purview of the superintendent. Welch responded that the board could delegate it to someone else under Illinois law.

A fairly widely discussed rumor holds that Welch and Johnson have been dating since at least summer, 2006, shortly after Johnson was hired.

Johnson explained with she was a highly sought after “young professional” and claimed to be frequently recruited for positions. This may be true. But if she was so highly recruited, why isn't she taking a position at a school district without financial and political connections to her boyfriend? Welch is primarily connected to Cicero through District 209's law firm, the DelGaldo Group.

Welch got quite angry with Kelly over asking whether Johnson would actually be implementing the budget she'd be writing. I was taking notes, not videotaping, so below is a partial transcript of Welch's response to Kelly's questions.

“All you do is grandstand and do things that are inappropriate.... Shame on Mrs. Kelly.... [Johnson] is qualified.... You're questioning her professionalism. Why don't you become a professional?” At one point Welch called Kelly “ignorant.”

After the meeting I exchanged some friendly words with Welch. He asked if I thought Kelly's questions should have been raised. I responded that it was fair to ask if the person writing the budget would be around to implement the budget. Welch said it should have been raised in closed session. I sorta shrugged. After thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Kelly raised the issue in the right place.

From one perspective it's kinda a personnel issue. But it's definitely a budget issue. The district is already stretching Illinois law to delegate the budget away from the superintendent and to an assistant. This unusual practice is compounded by the irregularities that the board is delegating the budget to the board president's girlfriend (who happens to be the neice of board member Robin Foreman) and that Johnson's leaving before the budget is implemented. These are both issues that raise concerns about if the budget will be legitimate, or just some gobbledygook to appease the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Because of ongoing poor management District 209 has to provide its budget to the ISBE.

So, holding a discussion of the budget in executive session (closed session) would violate the Open Meetings Act. While Welch and Johnson may have preferred not to discuss Johnson leaving to work at a smaller elementary school district in open session, it seems to me Illinois law prohibits discussing it as a budget issue in closed session.

Stroger tax increase proposal

President of the Cook County Board Todd Stroger says it's essential to raise taxes... big time... to prevent cuts in vital county services.

Chicago Tribune (Mickey Ciokajlo):

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger wants to triple the sales tax and double the gas and parking taxes to pay for 1,130 new county jobs and cover rising costs.

Stroger's critics are skeptical. They point out that in the past Stroger preferred to cut essential services for the poor, rather than jobs for his cronies.

A Sun-Times editorial expressed significant skepticism.

Ah, but look what happens in 2009, when the county gets a full calendar year of those new taxes. It collects a staggering $981 million in extra money -- which Stroger admits is way more than the county will need. But don't worry, he says. He'll simply find a way to put the extra money back in taxpayers' pockets. He says he'd cut the parking tax and the gas tax, maybe even the real estate tax, which amounts to $720 million a year. He's not sure.

"We'll repeal the other taxes and the 2 percent will keep us going," he told the Sun-Times editorial board.

In other words, Stroger wants us to trust him.

Mary Mitchell (Sun-Times) gives a defense of Stroger's tax increase proposal.

If you want to weigh-in on the Forest Preserve portion of the tax increase there will be a hearing at the Maybrook Courthouse on Thursday at 6 PM. See Sun-Times (Steve Patterson).

Proviso wants unions to accept furloughs

Proviso Township High Schools (District 209) business manager Nikita Johnson has asked the unions to consider taking two-week furloughs. The threat to the unions is that if the employees [UPDATE: don't] accept the furloughs then employees will need to be cut.

The teachers union thought it was doing pretty well to negotiated a 19.5% pay increase over four years.

And all the unions have either tacitly supported the board majority controlled by Eugene Moore and Emanuel "Chris" Welch or actively campaigned for them.

What's two weeks out of 52? 3.8%. So if the teachers got a 5% pay raise this year they'll lose most of it to the furloughs.

Maybe the unions should start electing representation that advocates for the interests of the members, not the interests of the political bosses.

D209 BOE meeting to approve budget tonight

Proviso Township High Schools (District 209) board of education has its regular meeting tonight. Documents: agenda (pdf), documents and the budget (pdf).

The meeting will be 7 PM at Proviso East High School.

school budget issues

Next Monday, the board will vote on the 2007-08 budget for Proviso Township High Schools (District 209).

The Forest Park Review encouraged everyone to study the document.

BTW, the State of Illinois may have fouled-up the system of collecting property taxes by not passing legislation in Springfield. See Phil Kadner (Daily Southtown), h/t Capitol Fax Blog (Rich Miller).

The state needs to pass legislation that sets the level of the property tax bills. The county can't determine the amount to bill property owners until the level is passed into law. And if the county doesn't get the property tax money then the schools don't get their property tax money, which is their primary source of income.

From a theoretical perspective, property tax revenue is supposed to the most reliable. The cyclical nature of the economy causes income taxes and sales taxes to fluctuate. However, property owners are expected to absorb the economic uncertainties with property taxes. That is, the property owner pays $X not matter if the economy is booming or in the doldrums.

From Kadner:

"I told my school districts that we can expect to lose $300,000 a month, or about $10,000 a day, just in the interest we would have made off of the property tax money, had we received it and put the money in an interest-bearing account," said Rob Grossi, treasurer of Bloom Township schools.

Finally, we know what the township treasurer of schools does. In weird budget situations s/he gives a quote to the newspaper.

Blagojevich needs a favor from "What was she thinking?" Judy

I watched Chicago Tonight last night, and I understood that Gov. Rod Blagojevich had offered the CTA $24 million to avoid the so-called doomsday scenario for the CTA.

But apparently, there's a wrinkle to the plan. The RTA board has to decide whether to accept the money. See Sun-Times (Monifa Thomas, Chris Fusco and Dave McKinney).

The argument against accepting the money is that it's money borrowed from the next fiscal year. If the legislature and governor don't pass a comprehensive solution the RTA and CTA will start the next fiscal year in a deeper hole which may lead to even more extreme cuts and fare increases.

Also, the quick fix doesn't commit the state to provide money for infrastructure fixes. And if you've taken the Blue Line to O'Hare Airport you know that the tracks include numerous "slow zones".

And who sits on the RTA board of directors? One of them is Judy Baar Topinka.

Blagojevich's former GOP gubernatorial opponent Judy Baar Topinka was more direct, saying the governor could expect "a flat-out no" from her and other RTA board members on Friday. "To not include [funding for] Pace and Metra or a capital plan, this is just a payday loan," Topinka said.

Should the governor's bailout plan fall through, making cuts on the CTA almost certain, Topinka said CTA riders should blame Blagojevich and the General Assembly, not the RTA.

Topinka has a difficult situation to play. She's raising valid issues. And she should use her leverage to extract concessions from Springfield-types. But cutting services and raising fares is pretty much "going nuclear". Topinka has the power to screw-up a bunch of people's lives. She should use it... wisely.

District 209 budget

The Proviso Township High Schools (District 209) budget for academic year 2007-08 is on display this month. See the D209 website (pdf).

Has anybody studied the budget? What have they learned?

Broadview budget hearing TONIGHT

From the West-View News:

What: Public Hearing for Broadview Fiscal Year 2008 Budget
When: Wed. August 15th 7:30 to 10:00 pm
Where: Village Hall, 2350 S. 25th Ave.

Broadview has had various issues with its budget over the years. Notably it has had to make extreme cuts in fire and police services.

It was reported Broadview lost its budget once. Although since the original story, another explanation has emerged. Broadview didn't lose its budget; village leaders just didn't want the auditor to see how egregiously the actual spending differed from the budget that was passed. So they concocted a story about "losing" the budget.

ED, Fields appears on Viewpoints [D209]

Arnie Bryant had the superintendent of Proviso Township High Schools (District 209), Stan Fields, PhD, on "Viewpoints From the Other Side" today.

Fields gave his usual performance. Test scores suck. The district has been deficit spending for the last decade. He's cut the projected deficit $9 million. Proviso citizens shouldn't be satisfied. Fields implied he's a force for change.

I called the show and asked Fields what specifically he's cut to achieve the $9 million dollars in savings. He kept trying to get away with the answer, "If you read the budget on the web..."

Finally, I pinned him down. Fields claims he's achieved savings by cutting improperly let contracts. When I asked for examples he said he could recall any specifics names.

Here's what I suspect is happening. Fields $9 million savings exists because of accounting sleight of hand. The original budget overestimated expenses and underestimated revenue. By merely correcting the numbers Fields (and business manager Nikita Johnson) created the illusion of large savings when they really have achieved more modest savings.

I also asked about Fields letting the big contract with Technivista for the new website. Earlier Fields had extolled the benefits of requiring a bidding process for contracts. I asked Fields about the website contract. IIRC Fields claimed there was a bid process, but he quickly used the evasive answer of saying the process fully complied with the law.

If Fields did cut corners or outright break the law, do you think he'd say?

"Yeah, I broke the law on that one. My buddies the Schoeder brothers made a mint and they agreed to kickback part of the money to Welch's school board candidates."

Fields answers about the website increased my suspicion that the process wasn't on the up-and-up. One piece of speculation I've heard is that the district justified not bidding out the website work because it fell under the exception for "professional services". Lawyers and accountants can be hired without a bidding process.

Also, Fields question on the district hiring process was pretty much an admission that he engages in patronage hiring. He said he's inclined to hire people who are recommend to him by people he trusts. It might be a good follow-up question to ask who Fields trusts to recommend candidates for hiring.

I'm hoping to get a copy of the tape, so I can quote Fields verbatim.

GOV, how team Stroger jerks around commissioners on budget

I was talking to a staffer for one of the Cook County commissioners and he was complaining about how team Stroger is manipulating the budget process.

The budget County Board President Todd Stroger submitted had numerous errors. Things were included that shouldn't have been in the budget. Other line items were excluded that shouldn't have been. Also, Stroger deliberately moved some items "off budget" temporarily claiming they were cut.

For example, thirty personnel from the juvenile center were listed as cut when really they were moved to being under a state grant that is provided for medical services to the juveniles.

To make the budget process even more confusing team Stroger is constantly submitting updates to the budget as the commissioners are trying to evaluate it and make amendments.

The suspicion is that team Stroger is being deliberately non-cooperative and confusing to make it impossible for the commissioners to honestly appraise the budget and cut things that can be cut.

GOV, County Board fields complaints about Stroger budget

Most of the Cook County Board of Commissioners took testimony from citizens who were overwhelmingly county employees about President Todd Stroger’s proposed budget. The hearings began at 6:30 PM last night (Tuesday) in the Proviso East Auditorium and lasted past midnight. I left slightly after 11 PM. One hundred fifty people signed the list to speak. When I left the 70th person had not yet spoken.

Of the people who spoke there seemed to be agreement that new revenue was the answer. Some suggested the county health system be more aggressive at billing the state, insurers and patients. Others explicitly or implicitly argued for a tax increase.

Everyone agreed that Stroger’s proposed 17% across-the-board cuts would disrupt the services now provided. Although most of the speakers addressed health care, the sheriff’s department and the courts (State‘s Attorney, public defenders and deputy sheriffs). I don’t remember people speaking about the effects to the offices of the Clerk (David Orr), Treasurer (Maria Pappas), Clerk of the Courts (Dorothy Brown), the courts (judges), Recorder of Deeds (Eugene Moore, who was present) or the Board of Review.

Does this mean that these silent portions of county government can absorb the cuts with no disruption of services, like the Recorder of Deeds? Or were they less organized about getting on the list to give statements? Regular citizens who didn't sign-up in advance were effectively excluded from speaking because so many employees and insiders were pre-registered on the speaker's list.

Below are some of the major arguments being made about county government.

Commissioner John Daley, chair of the finance committee, said that if the other commissioners would go along with a tax increase the county wouldn’t be facing these cuts.

Most voters think property taxes are too high. And voters have shown serious skepticism about raising property taxes further in affluent liberal enclaves like Oak Park. The commissioners who oppose tax increases are almost assuredly representing the popular sentiments of their constituents.

Some have observed that homeowners can afford to be stingy about county services because the county’s services are largely used by the poor.

Politicians like John Daley can get behind tax increases easier because he is supported by a political machine funded by taxes. I suspect that there is a strong correlation between commissioners level of support for a tax increase and how much they benefit from patronage politics. Commissioners who rely on the political support of county employees support tax increases. Commissioners who rely on the political support of homeowner voters oppose tax increases.

The commissioners who are skeptical of tax increases want to see waste and graft cut. How much waste and graft is there? Many people sense that there is significant waste and graft. The tax skeptics see Stroger cronies getting hired at exorbitant salaries and they suspect that these cronies are being put in place to facilitate schemes to over bill the county for unnecessary consultants.

Tax increase supporters mostly ignored waste in county government. Although there were some specific criticisms of the department that is supposed to bill for health services.

Some speakers attacked the abstraction of managers with high salaries, but these attacks seemed quite vague. And often they were combined with attacks on the salaries of the commissioners, as if cutting commissioner salaries would make it unnecessary to implement any cuts.

Many of the speakers were angry with Todd Stroger. Some came with signs that said, “Where’s Todd?” But many of the speakers seemed to attack the board of commissioners. This seemed to mostly happen because they were the only ones in the room to be angry at. Although one speaker--who made a point of saying he did not vote for Stroger--argued that the crisis was created by decisions that were made before Stroger was elected and the county board deserved blame because they failed to act on problems earlier and instead just passed the buck.

Some specific observations that made sense.

A man from the probation officers union suggested cutting satellite offices and consolidating management.

If baby delivery services are cut at Southside hospitals women will not be able to travel to Stroger Hospital before giving birth.

Dr. Gordon Schiff questioned the move to ask ambulatory doctors to resign with only some of the doctors to be rehired. He said it looked like doctors would be hired back based on politics, not medical skills.

Schiff further suggested that savings by scrimping on medical services would be wiped out by one large malpractice lawsuit.

A physicians assistant and a nurse practitioner each suggested the county could save money by replacing physicians with physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The PA also complained that the billing department wasn’t billing PA hours because of some problem with the software.

And when an assistant state’s attorney thanked Commissioners Forrest Claypool, Anthony Peraica, Peter Silvestri and Larry Suffredin for their support of law enforcement--which seemed pretty innocuous to me--a couple of the other commissioners kinda wigged out. Daley ranted at the ASA and told him, “You don’t have a clue.” Commissioner Deborah Sims claimed all four of the commissioners voted against the budget last year and equated that to them wanting the State’s Attorney to get no money. Suffredin quickly pointed out that he voted for the budget. I think by the time it was over Sims acknowledged only two of the four voted against the budget.

Of course one could argue that the shortcomings and shortsightedness of the last budget is largely responsible for this year’s crisis. But Sims was probably more than happy to avoid the tough decisions until after she was re-elected to a new four-year term.

ED, What's been cut from Proviso Township High Schools [D209]

Forest Park Review (Josh Adams, right column):

School administrators continue to tighten the belt at District 209, and based on a report given to board members this month, a projected $14 million deficit has been cut in half.

If Stan Fields could take a break from socializing with Eugene Moore and respond to questions I pose to him--apparently he wants to be open to everyone in the community except for me--I'd ask him, what's been cut from the budget?

My suspicion is that most of the deficit cutting has been "on paper" only. Fields, Welch and Nikita Johnson used accounting games to inflate the deficit at the beginning of the year so they could cut the deficit on paper.

I've been to most of the meetings and the specific savings have been pretty minimal. Apparently District 209 had a storeroom full of paper. By using the paper it already had the district saved like $300,000 (I'm working from memory). And the district saved about $60,000 on a photocopier maintenance contract.

What are the other savings?

Did the district cut Bob Libka? That would have saved $150,000 or so, right?
Did the district cut the insurance commissions paid to Eugene Moore? That would have saved about $200,000.
Did the district cut the payments to Danielle Ashley Communications, the PR firm that will probably being doing "in kind" work for the school board president's candidates in the upcoming elections?

And on top of failing to cut the political sacred cows, Fields added a ridiculously expensive contract for a website. It's almost $200,000 (for six web sites) with a $24,000 per month service contract.

So, I'm skeptical. What expenses has Fields cut?

GOV, county to take public input on budget tonight at Proviso East

Want to comment on the Cook County budget proposed by Board President Todd Stroger? Tonight is your opportunity. See Cook County Info Center.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6:30 p.m.
Proviso East High School
Auditorium
807 South First Avenue
Maywood, IL

What would you like to say?

Should Stroger attend the hearings to take the heat for his budget?

Stroger's spokesman says the budget was proffered in good faith. But Commissioner Bill Beavers, Stroger's closest ally, says the cuts to the Sheriff and health system aren't going to happen.

But if Team Stroger was trying to inflict so much pain the commissioners passed a tax increase, wouldn't it make sense to hold off on the patronage hiring until after the tax increase arrive? Is Stroger greed, arrogant or incompetent?