For certain we must understand the current deficit and the impact on the future of this district. When I hear comments like this I wonder why we don't understand that if you give a raise now that D46 will need to cut staff both teachers and other to cover the deficit not much later. This is about the reality of running out of money, a real reality. Do you actually believe Grayslake would pass a tax referendum in this economy? I sure don't !!!

We all want and feel we deserve a raise. "Give them a raise", it's easy to say when your not the one paying for it. However if you rent or own in Grayslake D46 you are paying for it. So go ahead and put a referendum on the ballot, or tell your employer you won't work until you get a raise and let's see what happens?

By the way all of us can be replaced and there are +/-600 applicants for every open position including teachers. It is a shame that unions insist on putting people in positions they should not be in. Teachers have a choice and they don't need to let it happen. To me not having a choice to support your own family income is why right to work employers and states are making more and more sense. I wouldn't want some fool putting my job at risk to make a political point in an economy that clearly lacks cash flow in a school district that is openly in deficit. This is a fools play in my mind. By the way if there is a strike the union staff & employees won't be on striike and will still get paid.

Money Facts-
It just doesn’t add up. The teachers, administrators, and other staff members have all been taking pay freezes off and on over the past 3 or 4 years. Where has the money gone?
According the the Dec. PMA presentation given at the Board meeting, the overall budget for this year shows that District 46 has no money and needs to go into deficit spending. The exact numbers were not really explained. I did find a footnote on the bottom of slide 16 a little interesting.
It states, “Additional Note: Previous projections excluded certain fund balances that were considered restricted. Per the district no current operating fund balances included in the projections are restricted and are available for current expenditures.”

This statement leads one to believe that the board has money that is not considered “current operating funds”. As such, then these funds would be restricted and not part of the PMA financial report. Doesn’t the board pay PMA to report on such matters as they see fit? I will have to dig a little more on the ISBE website to find out more about the budget filed there compared to what the board says they have. Stay tuned...

that is based on you being able to respond to this.who taught you to read and write?A TEACHER. who paid for your education? property taxes.if there are people who think they can do better ,step up.you want to save money?elimanate the swimming pools and sports and concentrate on the education

ummm, Jeff - are you from around here? District 46 is a K-8 district. No swimmng pool. We pay huge fees for our kids to participate in all activities. ($225 for basketball alone). We do not have a lot of luxuries here. Our high school has no pool either - we are not the North Shore. Get your facts straight please. Understand our tax situaion...I have a house valued at under $280,000, and pay $14,000 in property taxs. Of that $14K, over 70% of it goes to the schools - district 46 for K-8, and District 127 for high school. We have a real crisis here - taxes are out of line with property values, D46 is woefully mismanaged, and is looking at deficit spending for the forseeable future. There is simply no money. In a perfect world it would be nice to just pay everyone more, but we are very far from a perfect world in Grayslake. There is really nothing left to cut here. The gifted program was eliminated years ago, we have to share art and music teachers across the schools...and art and music are likely first on the chopping block if we have to pay the teachers more. I would rather keep all those programs but if the union pushes too hard, those will be cut, or gone next year.

jeff...I went to school in the '60s and '70s and my teachers never once considered, talked about, or threatened to go on strike. Teaching is their job, doing your job does not automatically qualify you for a raise. It seems your teachers did an extremely poor job if you think thats how the world works. Back here in reality, it isn't that easy to just say "they deserve it".

January 16...odd date don't ya think...oh wait, its just after winter break and coincidentally the day after payday. I guess is all about the kids after all and not about money.

Parents find childcare? You are assuming that everyone is divorced or dual income family. What a greedy assumption.

The question of a lockout was mentioned, but board attorney Kevin Gordon said that would "raise a whole set of issues." He said the district favors having more time to prepare and ultimately avoid "disrupting the educational process." They would want to negotiate until the last minute if they could, he said.

I think your idea has merit Jose. Angela, thank you for relaying what the board attorney said. I was there and one thing that I noted was that he didn't say it can't be done. Jose's idea removes the "disruption of the educational process". It forces the strike when the children aren't scheduled. It gives the district holiday time to negotiate. Seems to me this idea, while it may raise some issues, it also just may solve the problem.

@HelloKitty stated, "Kids cost money if you dont have the money dont have kids !!" Are you saying that anyone without kids doesn't have to pay? I'm guessing not and that statement was just hyperbole.

Second, the district is already deficit spending. If they dip into the ed fund any more, they will not have the money to sustain them throughout the year without short term borrowing. Short term borrowing (TAW - Tax Anticipation Warrants) are very expensive. Once the district starts down that path, they will very quickly spiral into a sever financial crisis where the state may very well step in and take control. The community loses virtually all input and direction at that point.

SORRY I'M LAUGHING MY @@@ OFF -- I can remember no time in the history of my being in Grayslake where the D46 budget had 8.9 million of anything that wasn't already budgeted to cover an imminent expense, spent or allocated or awaiting writing a check to pay for those teachers. Remember D46 must pay for the rest of the school year. Public accounting is not dollars in dollars out like a local cash business. Tax proportions are collected from property tax and then allocated and set aside for use during the full school year against the planned and expected budget determined by expected planned and contracted costs.

If they had 8.6M in the ed fund that wasn't allocated to salaries and pensions NO ONE WOULD BE IN THIS DEBATE and the teachers would have a settled contract.

Why is it that so many think a school district must be hiding money, not using money, or won't allocate it toward some future goal. Things are generally always cash flow tight and it is a lot harder to find places to cut a few dollars than you might think.

Run for the board and give it a try, you will see reality very fast. Cash flow -- The reality is you will know on the very the first day you get sworn in exactly how tough D46 finance is between contracts, unfunded mandates, and demands from all sides that many times can defy logic and reality. Your board is trying to do the right thing for the whole community. They are the only defense the community has.

I'm no longer on the D46 Board and as a past President of the Board then I simply put could not say what would happen because the isssue and the costs are not settled.

BUT AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I WOULD DO AS PRESIDENT TODAY!!

If I was forced to deficit spend further everything would be on the table, I'd need to talk about everything from facilities, adminsitraiton to teacher staffing and curriculum. You see you can only deficiit spend so far and then you must pay the piper.

A deficit specifically in the Ed fund. Goodness -- I'd hate every minute of my time on the board if it came to pass but here goes ---- recess & the staff, lunch and the monitors, sports during and after school, gym, art, and music would all need to be reviewed because the core courses are not an option to most of us and at any cost would need to be retained. I'd also be forced to consider cuts to aides, non tenured teachers, we would head toward larger class size and perhaps even delays in some materials for teaching, then finally if the budget continued out of sink layoffs of tenured staff woulld no longer be an option, support staff, and some adminstrators too.

The good old days are gone - manufacturing money is not happening in this economy in D46 so everything would need to be considered. Let me share with you for your unpaid board member it would be the most painfull thing anyone could ever do but FOLKS "REALITY" - THINGS ARE NOT GOOD IN THE ECONOMY !!!

@SJ, I have sat down with a couple board members (Sue & Karen) and explained to them a plan that would help them bring long term fiscal sustainability to the district. The plan does not cut teachers or classes. It also raises starting salaries.

I did provide them some other areas where cuts could be made, but they are do not solve the problems like a contract does. They are in the order of a few hundred thousand over a few years. These should be discussed later once the contract is settled, since for now they would be just a distraction.

Mr J. While I agree they could be a distraction, it all boils down to the same issue, MONEY. The board is saying there is no money which is most likely so, the Citizens and Buisness owners are saying don't raise my taxes, and the Teachers are asking for a raise. So where will the cuts come from to accomplish this task? I understand you have talked to Sue and Karen, I just was wanting your honest opinion on this matter. If you chose not to give details then I will just drop it.

@SJ, I am not providing specific details publicly right now out of respect to the negotiations process. If the strike does happen I will gladly release more details at that time if it would help bring a faster resolution. I'd be happy to speak with you privately about the details though if you wish.

Some of "these parents" use thier vacation days to stay home when thier children are sick. Some of "these parents" accrue vacation time and have none or very few days available at the beginning of the year. There is a school calendar that "these parents" depend on, and schedule vacation time around. So for some of "these parents" there is a financial burden or lost vacation days related to a strike.

The Village of Grayslake and School district #46 are two totally separate entities. It's that simple.

It's nice to realize that the town of Grayslake is debt free - and it is sad to note that we let the school districts like D46 build debt when it should have been stopped perhaps a few years ago.

Being a school board member is a tough unpaid job - best wishes to all of you.

I'm with PB&J in trying to understand why the district has reported a surplus of $8.9 million in its financials and to the state, but is reporting a $1.2 million deficit to the union and taxpayers. Both figures cannot be right. Who is being deceived? The state, union, taxpayers, or all of the above?

Why do you have stockpiles of Vicodin, Norco, Oxycodone, Xanax, Valium in your house?

Personally, I'm not sure Mr. Bellomo is a real person. His posts read like something out of "The Onion."

I am real all right, I am a disabled Veteran of 20 years decorated Navy service, I read like the Onion? Really? Have you ever suffered so much pain that you cannot get out of bed, do you wear metal in several parts of your body? If not then shut your pie hole....I do not have stockpiles of drugs laying around, I have what is prescribed for pain and nerve damage. I also do not need to be telling you my personal business but have already shared. The stockpiles are in all of the other parents homes. Don't put your head in the sand, every parent of a high school student has had drugs missing and think they just miscounted. Kids know they can get up to $5 bucks a pill it is easy cash. I dare everyone to get a home drug test kit that includes the mentioned medications and test your kids.

Last night's meeting was one-sided because the union wasn't there to represent their side. They could have shown up, but wouldn't. And undoubtedly, they gave the D46 teachers a directive to not speak. The homeowners are the ones footing the bill for these raises, and we have every right to speak our mind on this topic. If I ask my boss for a raise, it isn't paid out of my neighbor's property taxes.
And yes, the union DID request 2 lane changes in the 2013-14 school year, one in September, and a 2nd in March (if I recall the correct months). Of course they see that there is no purpose to the pay freeze in 2012-13...which is why the board didn't accept their proposal.
By no means do I think this board is perfect. However, this is like the perfect storm. There is no quick fix for this situation, and I blame the Union. The days in which we needed Unions is over...it's time IL (the state and the local gov't) starts re-thinking the way things are done. This is not a time when teachers are worried about working conditions. This union is solely fighting for money. We all know the union isn't blind to the economy, so exactly where do they believe this money will come from? Is it supposed to fall from the sky?

Bravo -- !!!

What does a good teacher "deserve"? Specificity would be helpful.

The budget is in deficit; doesn't take a genius to see that. The reserves are adequate to cover the district, without borrowing, into 2015. That's gives us 3 years to keep our promises and solve our spending problem.

Terri - that is a dangerous route. The federal government plays that game all the time, and so does the insolvent state of Illinois. Is that really the way you think we should go....promise to look at ways to cut spending in the future, and extinguish our savings today? You seem quite familiar with D46 finances. There are few areas left to cut, and those that have room for cuts seem to always be off the table. AND...if the state funding decreased, which is likely, those reserves will not last even 2 years. AND...if the state pushes the pension liability to the districts, the reserves are gone. i don't think dipping into the reserves is a wise choice.

Terri...that's called "kicking the can down the road"....just an FYI...that's how United States got itself $16 trillion in debt. Do the least painful thing possible now in hopes things will get better in the future...most people who lives their lives this way end up at the same place...bankruptcy.

Here is what people like you and teachers don't understand.... nearly every (if not every) home in D46 is worth less now than it was 5 years ago and many have been foreclosed upon. People are hurting. Many have lost jobs and many more have gone without a raise (and don't complain since they still have a job)...if the teachers don't care enough to not ask for more, while so many of those who fund their salary are suffering, why would we care about what the teachers want?

Answer..we don't. If the offer is so bad here, pack you bags and go elsewhere. Good riddance. There are hundreds of applicants for every teaching position that comes open and I am sure some, if not many, are as good or better than the one they are replacing.

If tonight's choir concert at GMS is any indication they will be back tomorrow night for the band concert. Which makes me not want to go to my daughter's concert. I am all for Lock Them Out!

But if we don't wait until January 16 they won't get their paid holidays and besides that's the day after payday....coincidence?

I appreciate and agree with your comment M&M. I certainly am not advocating for replacement of any of the teachers. I think that they do a bang-up job with the kids and I can appreciate the many hats that they wear. From my perspective, I think that the public generally has a high regard for the teachers. I was very happy to see how the teachers were supported during the town hall meeting. I do, however, take issue with the Union’s approach to the situation. I know that they represent the teachers, but it seems that they are stuck on issues/matters that benefit only a select few (retirement and the flex spending). It seems that they have absolutely no problem with cutting staff in the next couple of years in the interest of getting the above two maintained in the contract. That is concerning! Further, the Union's points in their "informational" flyers to the public are misleading. Consequently, we have to have an open forum with the Union leadership, but I am 100% convinced that they will not allow that to happen. The unfortunate thing is that if they did have the open forum, they would hear how much the public appreciates the teachers, but we are in a very bad financial situation right now. Believe me, if the Union can show me where the money is to support their demands, I would support as high a raise for our teachers as possible and would support all of their other requests.

M & M ...when you take a job like teacher, where you are paid with taxpayer money, this comes along with the job. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. So when my salary is dependent on your property tax money I will gladly put myself in their shoes.

Here are some thing you might want to consider:
1. Teachers get pay raises based on a union contract, not their performance. Does your job work this way?
2. Once a teacher is tenured it is nearly impossible to fire them unless they commit a criminal act. Does your job work this way?
3. In D46, teacher's have received a pay increase every year for as long as the Superintendant can remember (her words). Does your job work this way?
4. A teacher gets summers off, three days at Thanksgiving, two weeks at Chrismas, a week in the Spring, plus personal and sick days they can take on a school day. Does your job work this way?
5. Obviously they don't care if your property taxes have to go up, causing some of your neighbors to lose their home, so long as they get theirs. Does that sound like they are emotionally attached to your kids? They don't even care if they put them on the street.

If they care so much like you claim they do, why do they not stand up to the union thugs who are supposed to represent them, join the real world, and realize the beaten down taxpayers have no more to give?

Teachers perform or they lose their jobs.

Tenured teachers can be remediated or fired. The district does it everyday. Should they do it more? Maybe, but it's work...there is a process in place for good reason.

D46 teachers have taken freezes often. Ms Correll was mistaken.

A teacher does not get summers, winter break, spring break or Thanksgiving off. They are paid to work 190 days and they work them or lose pay. There are no students in the school on those days, so, they don't have anyone to teach. Further, I believe most in the private sector get sick days and personal days...I do.

I wouldn't dignify your last point with a response.

There was an opportunity to dialog with teachers the other night at the band concert; although the teachers weren't allowed on school property. One of the posters here scowled at them and didn't bother to look at their side. Many took the time to listen...me for one.
The flex issue was far more complex. While it will go away on its own through attrition, I think something should be done to scale it back...gently and fairly. The boards proposal was designed politically to polarize the teachers.

Terri - disrupting a band concert is not the appropriate forum. You should know better - you say you are fair minded. If the teachers really want to talk to the public, then they should create a real forum where actual discussion can take place, not at a protest. And before you say it was not an official protest, it was not a genuine effort at dialogue.

I had plenty of dialog with several teachers...some we agreed, some we didn't. Some liked my ideas and agreed to pass them along. There was no disruption...I heard the whole concert. And, no, it was not a protest.

Terri you think you know me but you don't. There were many parents and posters here who scowled at the protestors. And that is what it was, protesting. Using a child's concert, celebratory function, to get your side out? Classless. Hold a forum. Have a meeting. Do it with the adults, NOT in front of the kids.
The working conditions in this district are beautiful. The parents are helpful and dedicated. Average pay. Nice kids. Good coworkers. There is very little room to complain about a day in the life as a worker here.
No doubt their will be protesting (opportunity to dialog with teachers-SCOWL!) at the concerts scheduled next week right? As many as you think took the time to listen there were far more who fumed at the inconsideratation and disruption. Completely NOT about the kids.

That is NOT the place for dialogue. It was disruptive to a number of families I spoke with. It the teachers/union want real dialogue, then they should call a town-hall type of meeting - not put signs in your face and disrupt the concert. The families I spoke with wanted to go to the concert to see their kids, and many have to rush home from work and rush through dinner to get there on time. The last thing they wanted was to engage in discussion about the current impasse. It was simply not the time nor the place. If they do it at the middle school concert, I thinkg that will be wrong as well. If they want a dialogue, then they should set up an appropriate venue.

I know you're he##- bent on a lockout. You made that clear in the meeting and to teachers at the band event. Why lock-out? Why not settle it right now? Why not sit down at the table today and avoid lock-outs & strikes?

Looking forward to reading your discoveries!

There has never been a pay freeze. The union agreed to a smaller increase for one year, but NEVER a freeze, and NEVER a cut in pay. Please get your facts straight. We are in a deficit - the $8 million or so is fund balance, required by law. The district must have funds on hand to cover expenses that come due before tax revenues and state funds hit the bank. Why is that so hard for people to understand. With deficits looming for the next few years, there is no way to replenish those funds if they are spent, which is why it is imperative that they not get spent. If that account gets too low, then we run the risk of the state intervening and taking over our finances.

I am mistaken on that part. You are correct on the reduction part. Thank you for clarifying. However, something is a little rotten with the board. Still looking for more facts, but have learned that the terms "Working Cash Flow" is different than "Cash on Hand". Apparently the board never talks about, or presents the total cash on hand. I would like to know more about their reserves. Cuervo, do you have a source that could shed some light on the missing money trail?

This is wishful thinking accounting folks. This district is in deficit as I understand it and incorrectly reading the budget does ot make a positive cash flow.
Please p;eople if your going to qwork so hard do it accuarately. I suggest you need to talk to the D46 superintendent, the board, and the business manager and not each other.

That is not how public accountiing works there is no rainy day fund like this there are ongoing bills all year to pay from property tax distributions that are not every month but only once or twice per year while payments extend for the full year. .

I guess my roof analogy was over your head. The surplus, plus gains in the contract, will give the district 3 years to analyze spending, put health care out to bid and myriad of other things to eliminate the deficit.

I would love for you to give me one concrete example of any tax-payer funded entity where this has happened. Sure - pay me today and I'll make cuts in the future. That is pure folly! The fed government, the state of Illinois, and countless other states have made such "promises", only to continue to increase spending, and look where THAT has gotten us.

Why not cancel winter break, have the kids and teachers in school, and get both sides to the table?

I guess that went over your head, why get the kids involved in this? Teachers are grown ups. Let them get these negotiations going over the winter break. Meet with their union, come back with something other than flyers being passed out. Kids don't lose any school and teachers don't lose pay because, as you indicated, they don't get paid during breaks....only for 190 days of work. Wait for a strike, they lose pay.

In my scenario, the kids wouldn't miss any school, teachers wouldn't lose any pay, there would be no strike or lockout.

Teachers don't lose pay in a strike. The school year gets extended and they still work 190 days with pay.

I understand the function of cash on hand. There would not be a negative balance, at any time the budget covers, until 2015. And that's if the deficit continued. It clearly cannot. A good contract can build in savings over time and a good board can find even more.

@ Terri: "A good board can find even more".......LOL! Seriously? Maybe the meeting on monday is so the board can rub two pennies together and then plant a money tree?!
Riddle me this Terri, what is the motivation of the board to lie about the financial status of the district? Do you really, do the teachers really believe that the board is just sitting on piles of money that they don't want to part with? Do you think that the auditors, state, PMA, and administrators of this district are all in cahoots creating spreadsheets and manipulating numbers so that they can withhold funds from the staff? Quite a conspiracy theory you have.
I'll ask you again Terri, what would the motive be to withhold funds, hide money, sit on stockpiles of cash, knowing the teachers are completely willing to strike and force the kids out of the school?

Jose
Someone could show you the money and you'd jump on the wagon to refund it to taxpayers. You're a very bitter person with an axe to grind.

Thanks WorriedParent: This is news to me. I never received notice of the time change.

Does anyone remember the year when the school board said there wasn't money in the budget to pay for art and music? They cut those programs and shortened the school day for an entire school year. New board members were elected, and all of a sudden there was money found in the budget ! All programs were reinstated and the school day no longer shortened. Just wondering if we're going down the same road again.

I don't care who you are; that's Hal, Lisa and Mr Jarratt's neurosis. There is no motive to withhold funds. The posters on this board just don't like teachers.

The poorest people in this community have the most respect for teachers. They know they care, feed & clothe them because they cannot. They may not have the biggest tax bills, but they get it.

Lets just attack them personally...LOL

Lennie- I think Facklam and Weinert were on the board that helped to reinstate art and music back into the school day.

Hi Terra Strain - Although you are correct whatever Terri is or is not that name is acting like what my kids call an internet troll. My kids say an internet troll is a person who won't identify themselves but throws stones to get people excited and creates trouble without sound solutions or reasonable responses. We don't know who Terri, or others like her are, Terri, could be a man, a woman, a child, a student, a teacher, or perhaps even a clandestine union rep stirring the pot. Terri can claim to be anyone, this is the internet people here don’t always tell the truth unidentified they have nothing at stake in the game
However today the politics here in D46, and nationally, has been to attack people you don't agree with personally and often. Do it harder especially when you don't have a valid argument. Teachers are not the issue D46, deficit spending, future cuts that I am certain will come later and will certainly impact our children to make up for any strike outcomes and costs. Yes the union might win while at the same time the children, the teachers and the community and D46 don’t. These costs are real and there is no district long term credit card. My view is simple the district should not deficit spend and the teachers can choose not to go on strike and face reality.

Continuing on with the unfounded personal attacks I see. It's hard to have an honest an open discussion with such antics.

Actually you have not said who you are at all -- !!!

Jose, I sincerely apologize of my post being so negative. I am just opposed to the notion that everything is perfect for the teachers in district 46 that you stated.
The teachers do love working in district 46. They love working with students and their parents.
It is the school board and their lack of professionalism and policies that do ultimately effect the teachers. (there was a board member last year who wanted to investigate every teacher's absence on a particular day!) There are a lot of issues, many unknown to the public, that do not occur in any other district that I know of... This is not all a case of terrible unions, there are some legitimate issues with this board. And of course teachers are not going to speak ill publicly about the board.