Lemont Patch is , which will be posted on the site weekly. If you're interesting in submitting a letter, e-mail Lemont Patch Editor Amanda Luevano at amanda@patch.com.
The following letter was written by Lisa Wright, president of the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education.
Dear District 113A Community Members,
Last week I was encouraged to see so many voters come out to show such significant interest in one of our community’s greatest assets, our schools. I admit I am disappointed in the referendum result, but I fully respect the decision of the community. As a board, we are committed to moving forward in a positive and productive way.
We will seek creative solutions to educate students while living within our financial limits and resource constraints. We will build on progress already made toward improving financial stability and accountability. We have already eliminated deficit spending, established and maintained a balanced budget, and adopted new processes to increase accountability and transparency. Additional processes, policies, and practices will be implemented as we strive for continual improvement.
I look forward to working collaboratively with the newly elected board to make decisions about the future of the district and to plan effective ways to engage key stakeholders. We have already begun to build personal relationships prior to new members being sworn in. In doing so, we have affirmed that we share the common goals of restoring financial stability, providing a quality education to all district students, and re-building trust and confidence in the Board as a whole.
The road ahead is not easy given the challenges that we face, but we are committed to ensuring that District 113A students will continue to receive a quality education from our dedicated and highly qualified staff. Board members are committed to the welfare of the district and to meeting the needs of all stakeholders — students, parents, staff and the broader community. We will continue to strive for improvements and demonstrate that we are good stewards of the significant financial resources that the community places in our hands.
Thank you for your interest and your support. Please join us at upcoming board meetings to listen to what is happening and to hear about opportunities to get involved in helping to shape the future of our district. For the board meeting schedule and other information relating to board business, visit us at www.sd113a.org.
Lisa E. Wright
President, Board of Education for District 113A
I have heard talk that some old sitting board members are not happy that Al Malley is a new member. Good Luck Al, you have courage and can be trusted. Bob Ognar
This is a PERFECT example of the double-talk the Community has been receiving from the Super, the Board President and others! She doesn't RESPECT the decision of the community - she said SHAME ON THIS COMMUNITY!!! There is great possibility that 50% of the Community voted no because of ALL of the rhetoric that constantly changed! GET YOUR FEELINGS IN ORDER and GET THE FINANCIAL BOOKS IN ORDER!
That's change I can believe in.
When I read Ms. Wright's letter, I saw it as someone acknowledging that the path has been and will be difficult, but she is bringing the spirit of cooperation to the job. She appears to be saying that she wants to work as a team and move forward to address the very real concerns still facing our district. Why does it always have to be a controversy? I don't know Lisa Wright personally, but I believe she sent the letter in a good spirit, and I'm sorry to see that anyone in the community would try to spin it any other way. Regardless of your opinions about the winners or the losers, we must stop the bickering and the nonsense and focus our efforts on improving the educational experience for our children using the funds available. Perhaps Bob and Therese can volunteer to work on a committee and make a more positive contribution to the community. That would be time better spent.
The funds available are much less because we are the LOWEST FUNDED large elementary school in Will, Cook, and DuPage Counties. That is a fact. You said "It was assumed the community would rise to the occasion and fix the problem". It IS the community's responsibility to fix the problem of being the lowest funded school. "Had the Unions and teachers agreed to a pay freeze, instead of laying a contractual burden on everyone, things would be different.".....How would things be 'different'? We would still be in a financial crisis. It would still be up to the community to give our pupils more funding so that they are not the lowest of the low-funded schools. It is not the teachers job to fund the school. How can you blame the teachers for the community not passing a referendum for the elementary school in over 40 years? Frankly, I am not sure how appealing it is for any teacher to work in this district anymore...their class sizes are immense, they have little job security, and a large portion of the community are making the teachers out to be greedy scapegoats who have caused this whole financial mess. I find that to be ridiculous.
113A teachers have accepted a significant increase in work via increased class sizes. They continue to give their best everyday despite a lack of resources. I don't know what they may or may not be willing to agree to in the current contract negotations, but I am sure they nor the Board expect increase amounts to be what they were in the past. For anyone to call the union "uncaring" is untrue and unfair. 113A union teachers have shown they care about our kids. Many community members know that. I hope our great teachers do not get discouraged by negative comments that are made here. While it may be politics to many posters, it's personal for the 113A staff members who give 110% every day, and attacking their character or motivation on a blog is simply unfair. As for the Board, it sounds like they are trying to get off on the right foot - I am hopeful they will make positive progress.
The definition provided on the site for 'Total School Tax Rate per $100' is the following: "Total school tax rate per $100 , an indication of district effort, is the district’s total tax rate for education (per $100) as shown on local property tax bills." Despite what your feelings are about unions, it does not change the fact that our district needs more funding. All of the other public schools in our category have union teachers as well, but they get more funding than district 113a.
If I understand District 113A's history correctly, the boards and administrations of our past decided to be very modest in the tax increases they levied, while many surrounding public school districts increased their taxes to the maximum allowable on a regular basis. They were, therefore, able to generate revenue much more quickly than District 113A, and they built reserves to protect them during times when the state was slow to pay. So, they may or may not have been deficit spending like 113A, but they had enough of a cash reserve to cover the gap when the state of IL was late in paying tax revenue to their districts. If all of this is true (again, asking for confirmation), then it might be the answer to "Why are we the lowest funded district?"