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Aug 28 - DIST 214 POOLS STATUS REPORT
We received this e-mail response from Superintendent Dr. Liz Ennis:
Subject: Update-Pool Planning
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2002 15:21:41 -0500
To: Chris Arce
From: Liz Ennis
I hope that you won't mind hearing from me via email rather that snail
mail. I know you are anxious to know more about facilities plans. As you
may recall from our recent brief conversation last Thursday, the
administration intends to advise the Board of Education about the design,
cost and potential locations for the first swimming pool soon. I
anticipate being ready with this informaton in the month of October. I
believe that the Board will support building a pool so that it will be
available for the opening of the 2004-05 school year. As I mentioned and
you already knew, the Arlington pool will be closed for 2003-04.
Therefore, we will be earnestly searching for another facility to
accommodate JHHS and RMHS for that year.
You may be thinking that it is taking us an awful long time to come up
with the answers which you are anxious for. Let me explain- - the
facilities projects now underway are substantial in cost and scope. Other
projects are on the planning table and have been for some time as we
prepare for increased enrollment. The addition of 4 pools presents a
substantial shift in financial planning and therefore we are being
tentative about making a commitment to the Board about the dollars that
will be available now and in the future. But even at this juncture, we
are positioned to recommend that we build a pool beginning this coming
summer. I know that you want to see a plan for all four. We are working
on a financial plan for the district which will give our Board the kind of
information they will need to consider a long range plan for not only
pools but other needs as well. I hope this perspective helps as you
continue to communicate with other community members who wish to know of
"pool progress". If I can answer other questions, please drop me a line.
Elizabeth A. Ennis, Superintendent
Township High School District 214
2121 S. Goebbert Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Phone: 847/718-7601
Fax: 847/718-7609
lennis@dist214.k12.il.us
Pool Situation, Sept. 5
In June, the Board voted not to provide the Arlington Heights Park District with $3.5 million dollars to renovate Olympic pool which is used by Rolling Meadows and Hersey swim teams. In response, the AH Park District has decided to change the extent of the renovation, but more importantly, begin in the Spring of 2003. The renovation is expected to take a year. Therefore, Hersey and Rolling Meadows have no swim facilities for the boys and girls swim teams next fall and winter.
As described above, the Board seems prepared to begin building pools, but A.Q.U.A. has at least two concerns at this time. First, the schedule for use in the Fall of 2004 is not soon enough for the hard working boys and girls that will be seniors in the Fall of 2003. Secondly, there have been reports of plans for 6 lane pools. If we are spending the money, why get substandard facilities? Any high school facility should have 8 lanes or a diving area to allow concurrent swim-dive practices.
Please attend the next Board meeting on Thursday Sept. 26 at 7:30 to show your support of the Board building pools.
District 214 Aquatic Facilities NEWS
This site is temporarily being used to keep information for a citizens' group (AQUA - Advocating Quality Understanding of Aquatics) supporting the addition of aquatic facilities at the Distrtict 214 High Schools.
With great support from the high school parents and the community, the Board appears to be ready to start building aquatic facilities at the schools. We need to keep the Board on track with this issue and your attendance at the Board meetings is very important. Past information and news articles are in the 'NEWS' and "HANDOUTS" sections in the column at the left.
The current issue is the status of the boys and girls swim seasons for 2003. The loss of Olympic pool leaves Hersey and Rolling Meadows without facilities for next year. We also need to monitor the Districts ideas concerning the size, configuration, and promptness of new facilities.
Next Dist 214 Board Meeting:
Thu. October 24
always at 7:30pm, Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights, IL
Meetings are the second and fourth Thursday of the month
PLEASE ATTEND THIS MEETING. We need to monitor the Board's commitment to building aquatic facilities in a timely manner, and insure the feasibility study is completed promptly and does not overlook important issues.
From the Daily Herald Report on the May 9 Meeting
Dist. 214 pool plan focuses on Olympic
By Erin Holmes Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on May 10, 2002
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 officials Thursday floated a
tentative proposal to rehab and expand some pools now used by students and
explore the possibility of building a new one.
No final decision has been made. Thursday's debate took board members into
deep water, generating questions about costs, efficiency and usability
that officials said they'll answer at the next meeting.
The discussion was in part a reaction to residents who in the past several
months have pleaded with the district, which now has pools at two of its
six high schools, to add pools at the remaining four.
Under the plan laid on the table Thursday, District 214 would chip in
about $3.4 million to add another competitive pool to the Arlington
Heights Park District's Olympic Pool site and enhance it.
That would allow students from both John Hersey and Rolling Meadows high
schools, who use that facility now, to have more practice time and newer
facilities that meet updated Illinois High School Association standards.
The plan also calls for studying the feasibility of adding a pool to
another district school - the plans mention Prospect High School - at an
estimated cost of $5.5 million.
Some board members said they supported the proposal as is, but others
threw out other suggestions, including terminating the deal with the
Arlington Heights Park District altogether and simply embarking on a plan
to build more pools.
Among the key issues:
• Wanting the best for all kids - pools at schools can offer swimming as a
physical education course
• Expenses - building pools is pricey, but so is renting other facilities
and busing kids back and forth
• Equality - the plan at this point still wouldn't bring District 214 up
to par with other districts that have pools in all schools, some said.
There also was the question of whether signing on now with Olympic would
mean ending the possibility of ever adding pools, at least in the near
future, at either John Hersey or Rolling Meadows.
Thursday's pools discussion drew about 60 parents, students and community
residents to the school board meeting. They still were commenting on the
issue as of late Thursday night.
The matter is set to come back to the board for further discussion at its
next meeting, set for May 23.
The Current Situation
Dist. 214 has 6 schools; Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Rolling Meadows, Hersey, Prospect, and Elk Grove. Only 2 schools, BG and Wheeling have pools and the BG pool is actually a Park District facility, not a District 214 facility. The swim teams for RM and Hersey use Olympic pool in Arlington Heights. Time is shared between them and the community. Prospect shares time at Wheeling pool with the Wheeling team. Elk Grove uses the Pavilion pool (no diving).
The four schools without pools have their teams bussed or upperclassmen drive to the practices. This is expensive, dangerous, and poor time management. There are also questions of safety and security at the off site pools.
Recently, the IHSA has required diving starts to be into no less than 5 feet of water. Olympic and the Pavilion cannot meet these requirements. The diving Boards at Wheeling and BG overlap the swimmng area resulting in an unsafe condition and difficulties in scheduling practices. The IHSA and Dist 214 have approved water polo as a spring sport. For water polo, there is not only a JV and Varsity team, as during the fall girls season and boys winter, but Boys and Girls JV and Varsity teams.
The biggest issue is not for athletics, but a philosphy that all of the students in District 214 should have access to aquatic facilities during school. Confidence in the water is a lifetime skill that should be acquired by all of the students, not just swim team members.
From Arlington Post - May 16, 2002
Money, land shortages thwart pool plan for schools
BY BARBARA BELL
STAFF WRITER
Don’t expect a decision from the High School District 214 Board of Education on swimming pools in the immediate future.
The board is considering an agreement with the Arlington Heights Park District in which District 214 would pay 40 percent or $3.4 million of the $8.4 million renovation costs at Olympic Swim Center. That would increase the pool time for the boys and girls swim teams at Rolling Meadows and Hersey high schools.
Currently, only Buffalo and Wheeling high schools have pools. The other four schools in the district use other public pools for their swim teams. District 214 is the only high school district in the northwest suburbs that does not have a pool at each high school, and a large group of parents are pushing for pools to be built at the four schools without them.
The School Board is considering building a pool at Prospect High School or Hersey, where there is enough land. But a pool probably would never be built at Meadows because of a lack of available land.
A pool at Hersey could be shared with Meadows, and a pool at Prospect could be shared with Elk Grove High School.
“At this point, we don’t know what to do,” said Robert Zimmanck, president of the School Board.
John Hillary, associate superintendent for educational services, estimates that a new pool suitable for physical education and competition would cost $5.5 million.
But Chris Arce, a District 214 parent who attended last week’s School Board meeting, said such a pool could be built for $3.5 million. Arce told the board she could back up her statement.
Zimmanck said the board wants more detailed information on pool construction before making a decision and wants to look at both Hillary’s and Arce’s construction costs.
“We know we have to do something,” Zimmanck said.
If a pool can be built for $3.5 million, he said the board would likely reject a partnership with the Arlington Heights Park District.
Roger Key, the park district’s director of recreation and facilities, said he would like an answer from District 214 in two to four weeks. Park officials postponed a decision on the Olympic’s renovation after they were approached by District 214.
“I know this is a tough decision they’re weighing,” Key said of District 214 officials.
For District 214 to be able to host swim meets and water polo competition at Olympic, a new pool, 8 feet deep with six lanes would have to be built. As it is now, Olympic Pool isn’t deep enough to have swimmers enter the pool from blocks during a meet.
If the park district builds a second pool at Olympic, it would provide Hersey and Meadows swim teams with two pools during practice. That would double their pool time, Hillary said.
“To me, this is a no-brainer,” said board member Stan Eisenhammer. “For $3 million, we get a pool that can serve two of our high schools.”
But the board is concerned about the swimming facilities Prospect and Elk Grove use. Prospect shares the pool at Wheeling and Elk Grove uses Pavilion Pool, which is owned by the Elk Grove Park District.
Zimmanck said the board is a long way from being able to make a decision on what to do about District 214’s lack of swimming facilities. “I see this going on for some time,” he said.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
In order to have your voice heard, we suggest attending the next District 214 Board meeting. There is a schedule on this page. The meetings are at the Forest View facilities, 2121 S. Goebert Rd., Arlington Heights.
You can also let your opinions be known to Board by mailing a letter to the address above or e-mailing them as shown below:
akreutze@dist214.k12.il.us
seisenha@dist214.k12.il.us
wdusslin@dist214.k12.il.us
mcooper@dist214.k12.il.us
lbragaw@dist214.k12.il.us
bblaine@dist214.k12.il.us
rzimmanc@dist214.k12.il.us
Please copy your letter or notes to the Daily Herald and the Pioneer Press newspapers.
Thanks for your support.
Daily Herald Report on the May 23 Board Meeting
Dist. 214 wading through pool plan
By James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on May 24, 2002
The fate of swimming pools in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 remains cloudy at best.
School board members discussed the merits of sharing renovation and construction costs for the Arlington Heights' Olympic Pool facility Thursday night. In a 60/40 split, District 214 would put in $3.4 million and the Arlington Heights Park District would pick up the remaining $5 million.
The park district requested the school board decide by June 14 if it wants to enter into what would be a 20-year contract to build and maintain the facility. All construction would be completed by early 2004 if the go-ahead is given.
Wearing sea-blue shirts with "AQUA" imprinted in white on the front, swim team members, parents and coaches turned out to support the construction of pools at the each of the district's high schools in lieu of the Olympic project.
The AQUA contingent said the district would be better served in the long run by pools they own rather than lease. The district could begin with one pool at one school as a first step. Such an action would benefit the entire student body and boost the performance of school swim teams, members of the contingent said.
Board members said the initial decision must be to decide if swimming should be part of the district-wide curriculum before pools are built. However, if the district enters into the Olympic project, the earliest it would be free of any cost obligations could be 10 years, a clause the district wants to insert.
That could mean another decade without pools for schools that don't have them already, or costs for a facility the district wouldn't use adding to the cost of pool construction at school buildings.
District staff said Prospect High School is currently the only school that would have no trouble accommodating a new pool building, as it sits on 60 acres.
A pool could be added at Rolling Meadows at the expense of parking spaces north of the existing field house. Hersey would have to lose its only soccer field to get a pool. And Elk Grove High School would lose one of its three softball fields to make room for a pool.
School board members will decide whether to move ahead with the Olympic facility at their next board meeting, June 14.
June 4: E-mail from Mr. Blaine
Dist. 214 Board member Bill Blaine issued an e-mail on June 4 outlining his proposal concerning pools at the high schools. The full text of his e-mail is in the 'HANDOUTS' section. This is the first really good communication we have received from the Board. He lists 5 points outlined below. Remember this is just his proposal and has a ways to go before adoption by the entire Board. Please attend the June 13 Board meeting.
1)Formally adopt the policy of placing a District owned pool at each site.
2)Do not participate in the Olympic pool renovation, but continue to use the facilities for competitive swimming until new pools can be constructed.
3)Immediately take the steps necessary to build build a pool at Hersey , Rolling Meadows , or Prospect.
4)Place Hersey, R.M., and Prospect into the FIP process with priority to Elk Grove...The remaining 2 schools would follow in a reasonable time frame within the District's financial capabilitiies.
5)Analyze the contract with the Buffalo Grove Park District concerning the relationship with the pool at that high school.
This is just a first step proposal. We need to attend the next Board meeting to STRONGLY encourage adoption of this proposal.
June 13 Board meeting
At the Dist. 214 meeting on June 13, the Board voted to not proceed with the agreement with the Arlington Heights Park District in renovating Olympic Pool. They also voted to initiate a feasibility study for adding aquatic facilities to the high schools. No schedule for this study was issued.
PHS and District 214 Aquatic Facility Report - 29Oct03
A group of swimmers' parents met with Prospect H.S. Principal on Oct. 29. Our group was 9 swim parents (Hineman, Caldwell, Luft, Andracki, Bergsten, Farris, Warner, Walsh, and Fairburn). The school was represented by Rogers (Principal), Minter (Assoc. Princ.), Good (Assist. Princ.) and Guisti (PE Dept. Head). I think things went as well as expected. They said they were pursuing the possibility of a pool. There are already plans to add locker rooms and training room out towards the tennis courts and when they were being designed, the possibility of a pool was taken into account. Guisti did not deny that there was some resistance to adding a pool, from some of the staff. But it appears that he will not let those impair his support of aquatic facilities. Guisti seemed to be excited about the possibility of someday adding an aquatics program to the curriculum at PHS.
Minter mostly mentioned financials and the fact that the money is not currently there. We did not deny that, but mentioned that the District 214 Board now seems to be committed to adding aquatic facilities and they can/will find the money or sell bonds or whatever it takes. I think the PHS people recognize this. That is in contrast to our meeting last year when they were much more reluctant or disenchanted with the idea of aquatic facilities.
It sounded like Dave Good had discussions with John Hillary (District 214 activities) and mentioned the fact that it looked like Hersey may be back at Olympic next year. But he wasn't sure what would happen with Rolling Meadows. Good indicated that R.M. was not enthusiastic about swimming at Elk Grove next year and they may return to Olympic also, or perhaps continue with Buffalo Grove? Good also indicated that Prospect's association with Wheeling is very good and everyone seems happy with how it is working out. But of course it would be better to have on-site facilities. It also sounded like Prospect may add a Frosh/Soph coach next year if the number of swimmers keeps increasing, as in the past. This year was the first that the IHSA recognized a Frosh/Soph level for swimming.
The pool at Elk Grove is reportedly on schedule and on budget. It was not unexpected to find the underground soil extremely damp because of the schools proximity to Salt Creek. This caused some changes and required deeper footing for the foundation. The concrete forms were in place for pouring the foundation a couple weeks ago. In a conversation with Bruce Bazsali, the Head of the PE Dept at Elk Grove, he indicated that the school institute days this year will be devoted to aquatics training exclusively. He expects all of the PE staff to be capable of teaching basic swimming lessons. There will also be 2 or 3 people trained in pool operations and most of the staff is expected to have lifesaving or WSI (water safety instructor) ceritification. He seemed very excited about the added facilities and new curriculum possiblities. This is important, because the success of the EG pool will impact the chances of building another pool in District 214.
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Elk Grove Construction
Here are some more photos of construction taken Dec. 18 and 23, 2003.
It was very impressive to see the crane move those immense roof beams and wall panels. The crane operator positioned them with the ease and grace of putting a jigsaw puzzle piece in place on your kitchen table.
On December 23rd it looks like the shell of the building is almost done. There is still a lot of work to be done inside the building, but at least they will be out of most of the weather. The pool is expected to be used for the fall girls swimming season.
Dec 18, 2003 Meeting with Superintendent Ennis
A group of ten parents and an empty nester met with Dr. Ennis to discuss continued construction of aquatic facilities at District 214 high schools. Parents represented Hersey, Prospect, Rolling Meadows, and Buffalo Grove high schools. The Administration side also included Jim Popernick from finance and John Hillary from programs. It was reported to us that Elk Grove pool was on schedule and the teachers and administration at EG were enthusiastically preparing for its use
next fall.
Current plans are for Rolling Meadows to share the new Elk Grove pool next fall. Negotiations will be made with the Arlington Heights Park District in an attempt to allow Hersey to use the refurbished Olympic pool next fall. It was hoped that plenty of time would be made available for swim meets, boys (winter) and girls (fall) practices and water polo (spring). The District may also request summer pool time (possibly outdoor) to allow for camps.
Discussion of new facilities included the fact that current FIP (facilities improvement plans) could not accomodate as large an expediture as an aquatic facility. The next chance for another facility would likely be in the budget for the 2006-07 school year. We expect to be approaching the Board this winter or spring to see if bonds might be issued to allow for the building of the next high school pool.
April 11 Board Meeting
At the Board meeting April 11, we were told that we would be invited back for discussion on either April 25 or May 9. When we are given a definite date, we would like to have a HUGE turnout to show community support for this effort. Also, during the April 11 meeting, a proposal for performing a "feasibility study" for a Fine Arts Center for the District failed. The attending representatives from D.U.S.T. did a great job in presenting their views and supporting our efforts. Thanks.
Next Community Support meeting: Mon. Apr. 29, at The Sports Page (Rand Rd. north of Thomas), 7:30pm.
Next Dist. 214 Board meeting: Thu. Apr.25, Forest View, 7:30pm. (Hersey will provide speakers)
POOL DISCUSSION AT BOARD MEETING, MAY 9
This next Board meeting, May 9, will include discussion of Aquatic Facilities. John Hillary of the District 214 Administration will present his proposal to the Board. The Board is then expected to discuss the proposal. Following their discussion, the floor will be open to the citizens. We would like everyone interested in providing expanded aquatic facilities at Dist. 214 high schools to attend and show their support.
My notes from the May 9th Board Meeting
These are simply my notes and comments concerning the May 9th Board Meeting. We were last on the agenda, apparently becasue it was known to be a long discussion. This was too bad for the students that were present. Discussion did not begin until almost 9pm. John Hillary's presentation predominantly concerned the agreement with Arlington Heights Park District and renovation of Olympic pool. This will cost over $3 million and provides enhanced facilities for the competitive swimmers only, not the student body. There was a short description of a possible pool design, similar to that currently under construction at Barrington High School. It would cost $5.5 to 5.7 million. This information seemed to be an afterthought that was put together in the last week, in order to appease the community.
In reviewing the AHPD renovation proposal, the Board did not have enough information to make an educated decision. There were still unanswered questions about the continued use/rental/cost of Olympic pool after the renovation. Some Board appeared to support providing aquatic facilities directly at the schools.
In the community discussion, MaryAnn compared the 214 pool situation to a newly wed family that is renting, but needs to bite the bullet and buy a house. Co-op with the Park Districts was a band-aid to save the funds for building pools at the schools. Well we have been co-opping for over 30 years. Isn't it time to build our own pools?
Other parents and students presented considerations that need to be accounted, including busing fees, student time wasted on buses, access to the general student body, locker room security, high usage of all aquatic facilities, cross training and rehab for all athletics, etc.
Chris ended the discussion with "Shame on us for not acting sooner and making our demands known - Shame on the Board if you choose the band-aid instead of the cure"
MORE DISCUSSION is scheduled for the next meeting, May 23.
June 19 Daily Hearld
Northwest suburbs dive into the issue of pools...again
Daily Herald Reports
Posted on June 19, 2002
By Erin Holmes
Swimming pools are the topic du jour in Northwest Suburban High School District 214.
And it's not the first time.
The pushes for pools in all schools have come in waves over the years. But not until now - the school board voted last week to have officials study the feasibility of such an undertaking - have they made much of a splash.
Here, some snapshots of just a few of the key moments in the district's aquatics history.
• 1922: Arlington High School opened with no pool. Not one of the seven other schools that eventually opened were built with pools.
• 1977: Board discussed, to no avail, a suggestion of putting a pool at Elk Grove High School. By this point, Arlington, Buffalo Grove and Wheeling high schools acquired pools though park district deals, and putting one at Elk Grove would mean one pool for every two schools the district operated.
• 1979: Motions were made at more than one meeting to slap a referendum on the ballot requesting voter permission to sell bonds to the tune of $7.5 million (that later increased to a recommended $10 million; but note: one pool now in the district may cost $5 million on its own) to build pools at five remaining schools. Motion failed every time.
• 1979: Later in this year, the board voted to form a committee to study long-range pool planning. Obviously, building pools was not a suggestion that ended up panning out in the long run.
Eventually, Arlington High closed, making Buffalo Grove and Wheeling the only schools with pools. The status today: Two schools with pools, four without.
The school board last week made a milestone decision to not chip in on an expansion and renovation plan at Arlington Heights' Olympic Pool, amid concerns with cost, the agreement with the park district and the feeling that a pool at a school would benefit more kids than a pool at a park district.
Instead, officials will study the future of district aquatics.
A group of parents, teachers and students pushing for the construction of pools at all schools considered the vote a victory, though it does not guarantee the district will add even one pool.
Perfect polo players: Given the aforementioned subject, it's timely to point out that seven District 214 students have been named to Illinois High School Association all-sectional teams for water polo.
Three boys and four girls, representing Buffalo Grove, John Hersey, Prospect and Wheeling high schools, achieved the honor.
All four of those schools have water polo teams; all schools in the district will have teams in that sport next school year.
A voice for voc ed: School board Vice President Bill Dussling used an item in a recent meeting's consent agenda to put in a plug for an issue he holds dear: continued support of vocational education.
Dussling pointed to listed (very good) wages for trade jobs - wages with which the board was asked to comply and adopt - as a reason why it's important to encourage students interested in those careers to keep plugging away.
About 4.5 percent of District 214 students are enrolled in vocational education, according to figures updated last summer.
Last school year, officials offered a career day like those already offered for things like medicine, law, communications and education, for kids interested in vocational jobs down the road.
"We have to keep doing this," Dussling said, adding that the jobs pay well and offer solid careers.
Note of congrats: Read to Learn for a Brighter Future, an adult literacy program run through District 214's community education, should be proud of one of its own.
Longtime literacy tutor Nancy Dorsey has been named a 2002 Spotlight on Service award recipient - an honor bestowed by a partnership of groups committed to improving literacy in Illinois.
Read to Learn has been around since 1986, and Dorsey is the first tutor to log 1,000 hours of service. Her award recognizes her dedication to helping others reach new heights in the world of literacy.
Dorsey, a tutor at Arlington Heights Memorial Library and a women's shelter, used to be a teacher - of math, not English.
• Erin Holmes covers District 214. Contact her at (847) 427-4488 or eholmes@dailyherald.com.
Aquatic Facilites Discussion on October 24
On October 24, at the District 214 Board meeting, the future of aquatic facilities will be discussed. They will be discussing designs, timetables and plans for adding pools to the four schools that are lacking. There will also be presentation concerning what the Hersey and Rolling Meadows teams will do without Olympic for the 2003-04 season. Your attendance at this meeting is extremely important.
For more information, attend the A.Q.U.A. meeting at Prospect H.S. at 7:30 on Monday October 21. It will be in the Community Room.
Who is Mark Hineman?
Mark Hineman grew up in Des Plaines graduating from St. Emily's and then Maine West. In 1976, he graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelors degree in Engineering. He started working for a metallurgical engineering firm, performing testing and failure analysis. In 1979, he married his wife Jean and they moved into their current home in Mt. Prospect. He was active at the YMCA, helping teach Scuba and youth skin diving. Three children arrived during the 80's, Blake, Sarah and Laura. Though the 90's, Mark was busy keeping up with the childrens activities in school, baseball, basketball, music, swim team, plays, etc.
In early 2002, there was local activity supporting the addition of aquatic facilities at the high schools. AQUA (Advocating Quality Understanding of Aquatics) was successful in gaining facilities at Elk Grove. This was the first pool built by District 214. The pools at Wheeling and Buffalo Grove were both built by the park districts. Mark's activity in attending Board meetings continued because of the other education issues.
Mark plans to continue the high quality programs, fiscal responsibility, and innovative teaching that the community has come to expect from District 214. The current Board is heavily weighted with lawyers and Mark will bring a new view with an engineering prospective and more long range planning.
What is District 214?
High School District 214 includes an elected 7 member Board of Education that, from the power of the community, determines the policies of the District, curricular, financial, procedural, etc. The Board is assisted by the Administration including the Superintendent and staff located at the Forest View facilities. Each Board position is an unpaid position with a 4 year term. Four seats are chosen in one election. Then two years later, the other three are up for election on a continuing cycle.
Over 12,000 students attend six traditional high schools (Elk Grove, Rolling Meadows, Prospect, Hersey, Wheeling and Buffalo Grove) and three alternative schools (Vanguard, Forest View Alternative, and the Newcomer Center) for grades 9 through 12.
When and Where is the Election?
APRIL 5TH at your local polling place.
Why is Mark Running for the 214 Board?
In watching the Board of District 214 over the last three years, Mark has seen many successes. Mark wants to bring his engineering and technical expertise to the Board to not only retain this success but to make District 214 the very best it can be. High schools across the nation are saddled with fiscal restraints and high expectations, but from an international view point, our schools are still lacking. The strong points in 214 are its staff and its students. In allowing the staff to innovate, we can retain their enthusiasm and they are in the best position to understand the needs and the talents of the students
The current Board is comprised of several lawyers that have similar views. Mark would bring a new technical view with a mind open to new ideas. The average experience of the current Board is almost 10 years.
With a new Superintendent taking the helm in July, this staunch Board may be an impediment to his success and ability to implement fresh procedures and ideas.
The Board has been reluctant to provide, or at least communicate, long range plans. Mark would take steps to insure that adequate plans are in place for the future.
Our District is diverse and that contributes to our strength.
Some of the Issues
Financing of education is one of the key issues facing the District 214 Board of Education. There have been continued mandates, such as No Child Left Behind and special ed that required additional spending by the schools, but no financing is included as part of these mandates. With tax caps placed on budgets, the schools are challenged with finding new sources for funding.
The No Child Left Behind program is an outstanding concept, but its implementation in Illinois is lacking. The State put very difficult stipulations of the determination of Adequate yearly Progress (AYP). Many of these requirements have standards that are extremely difficult to meet. Rather than meeting specific standards, it may be more appropriate to compare to prior tests and determine how much education has been gained. As a Board member, Mark would work to provide more appropriate measures for No Child Left Behind.
There are current requests from both Wheeling and Mount Prospect for extension of one TIF (Tax Increment Finance) district in each community. The intention of a TIF district is to allow a specific area in a community tax relief in a blighted area, so that area can entice new business and renovation by freezing the current real estate taxes for 23 years. The plan is that though the school district may loose some funding during the 23 years of the TIF, the increase in property value will more than make up for the lost funding.
With the extensions proposed by both Wheeling and Mount Prospect, more than 90% of the normal (without TIF) revenue expected from the TIF district would be supplied by the municipality. The plans for these proposed extensions seem to provide the schools with most their expected revenue. It seems to be a plan that allows the community some economic vitality, with minimal effect on the revenue going to the schools. Mark believes that before final approval of the TIF extensions are made, thorough evaluation of the long term ramifications of the extension must be evaluated.
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