Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl warned that Illinois House Bill 3793 could force district to cut services.
Members of the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education Monday night attempted to plan for the financial future of the district amid uncertainty created by legislation awaiting action in Springfield. House Bill 3793 would amend the state’s Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) to prohibit school districts from increasing their tax levy if the total equalized assessed valuation (EAV) of property in the district (excluding new property) decreases from the previous year. District 86 business manager Jeff Eagan told board members that the EAV for the district is projected to decline five percent from last year. Board member Dr. Richard Skoda expressed confidence the district would be okay if House Bill 3793 passes…
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Administrators outline switch to an individual growth model for measuring student achievement that includes an emphasis on student well being.
The U.S. Senate this week is considering a bipartisan overhaul of the federal No Child Left Behind Act that would end the increasingly unrealistic requirement that all students in all public school districts in the country meet or exceed state standards in certain academic areas. While some of the details in the new legislation remain unresolved, Hinsdale Township High School District 86 officials believe it will move toward an individual growth model for measuring student achievement, something they said during Monday’s school board meeting they have been working on for some time. “We look at student growth, as opposed to the snapshot the state looks at, where they compare one class to the next,” Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl said. “…
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
School board plans to explore funding options for project that would also include electrical infrastructure upgrades at both Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South.
The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education Monday night continued the process of exploring options for air conditioning all classrooms at both its campuses. Board members were told the project would cost $13.2 million, which would include upgrades to the electrical infrastructure at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South. Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl said the project was consistent with the district’s Master Facilities Plan. “This lasers in on what was deemed a high priority item by the Master Facilities Planning Committee,” Wahl said. He said about half the instructional space at both campuses currently is air conditioned. Rick Wise of Gilbane, Inc. told board members that the project would affect about 60 …
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Board members wanted more time to get their questions answered.
The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education this week delayed action on a pair of proposed resolutions that would establish parameters for the district to intervene in appeals of commercial property tax assessments before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). One resolution would authorize the Chicago law firm of Scariano, Himes and Petrarca to intervene in PTAB commercial appeals if a successful appeal would reduce the assessed valuation by $100,000 or more. The other resolution, offered by board member Dr. Richard Skoda, would rescind the law firm’s authority to intervene in such cases on the board’s behalf. However, the board would reserve the right to intervene in commercial appeals on a case-by-case basis…
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Two board members wondered about a possible conflict of interest and sought a presentation from the district’s investment advisor.
The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education will ask a Naperville investment firm employed by the district to make a presentation at a future meeting after a pair of board members suggested a conflict of interest may exist. District 86 participates in the Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund (ISDLAF), which provides investment opportunities for school districts. It was formed 17 years ago as the result of a meeting of the executive directors of the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the Illinois Association of School Administrators, and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. The ISDLAF Board of Trustees is comprised of school officials. However, the address listed on the ISDLAF home …
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Board members wants to develop a policy before accepting the gift from Hinsdale Central PTO.
The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education this week tabled action on a donation to the district of equipment that would enable board meetings to be streamed on the Internet. The offer came in a letter from the co-presidents of the Hinsdale Central PTO, Terry Edwards and Maria Pierce, dated Sept. 15. Edwards and Pierce wrote that they had heard “considerable interest” from parents in having the meetings available online. “It would be a most effective way for our community to see and hear first-hand the dialog of these meetings,” Edwards and Pierce wrote. “Many residents cannot meetings because of schedule conflicts, physical disability or other obligations.” Edwards and Pierce said streaming the meetings online would …
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
School board members approved a surplus budget this week, but not without the usual back-and-forth.
Residents of Hinsdale Township High School District 86 can now review highlights of the budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year on the district’s website. The same presentation that was presented to school board members Monday night by business manager Jeff Eagan is available under the documents heading on the business office page. The board voted 5-2 in favor of adopting a budget that anticipates $82.8 million in revenue and $82.6 million in expenses. Dianne Barrett and Dr. Richard Skoda were the only board members to vote against the budget. Although the overall budget projects a surplus of $174,000 for the fiscal year, Barrett expressed worry about a deficit in the education fund estimated at $456,000. “I’m still concerned about the ed …
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The district's legal firm will no longer represent the district in residential cases before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB).
The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education voted 6-1 Monday night to stop intervening in residential property tax assessment appeals. The Chicago legal firm of Scariano, Himes and Petrarca has represented the district in cases before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) in which residential property owners were seeking a reduction in assessed valuation of greater than $100,000. In July, at the request of Board President Dennis Brennan, the board voted to suspend its intervention in residential assessment disputes for 60 days so that it could study the issue. Last month, the board held a special meeting with Downers Grove Township Assessor Theresa Cockrell to gather information on the topic. “I think most of …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
But some board members questioned the cost.
With overnight temperatures threatening to drop below 40 degrees and daytime highs in the 60s, local schools probably aren’t going to be using their air conditioning much over the next several days. Next week, however, temperatures are expected to approach 80 degrees, and that could mean some hot classrooms for students at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools. The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education is looking into ideas for making both high school campuses fully air-conditioned. Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl told board members this week that about half of the learning space at each school is not air-conditioned. The air conditioning issue came up during a board discussion initiated by President …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl says money and delivery of services are being questioned.
Hinsdale Township High School District 86 has taken the first step in a process that could lead to the district ending its membership in the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education (LADSE). LADSE is a cooperative which provides special education programs for its 16-member school districts. Three high school districts are in the cooperative—District 86, Lyons Township District 204 and Riverside Brookfield Township District 208. In a memo to the District 86 Board of Education this week, Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl reported that he informed the LADSE Directing Board that the district was “in a study year to review its continued membership in LADSE. … The study year is the first in a two-year notification process… If a decision is …
chet everett
11:36 am on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Pandering to angry but less than thoughtful voters may be a way to get re-elected but it is a poor way to craft legislation. The byzantine process of assessing property values and then hearing appeals to those assessments and then levying taxes to fund governmental services introduces a great deal of lag in the way to values track both residential prices as well as the incomes that commerical … more ›