Less properties to tax? Maybe because we are being taxed TO DEATH and people can't stand it anymore and foreclose, sell, leave, etc. meanwhile Woodland doesn't even have air conditioning and closes when it is over 80? Ridiculous.

Is it too early for an April Fools joke?!?! I know it won't be too long until we get the hand-wringing and the "It's for the children" line from the teacher's unions as well. NO NO NO!

As I read this my heart is heavy. Mr. Ray Millington, red flags shouldn't go up? Sir, I don't know how easy it is for you to continue to have money ripped from your pocket, but I do know how hard it is for me. I am on a fixed income. I find your attitude about taking any of my income, an abomination. With all due respect, you couldn't balance your budget. What an ideal world this would be if your position required you to do so before you impose a gross increase of my taxes.

"Monday's school board meeting, which was not attended by members Michael Carbone, Kip Evans or Shannon Smigielski, was the first of several tax levy presentations that will be held."

You three are a complete joke.

You're the joke. Carbone, Evans and Smigielski know they will be overridden on the tax increase, just like they are every year. Can't wait to get rid of the 4 useless board members who can't balance a budget, and who only know how to raise taxes to the max every single year. "It's tradition". Sickening. You think it's such a good idea, why don't you write a check to cover the difference,, "Faxton"?

The district has a deficit, some schools don't have air conditioning, but yet the school board still receives their bonuses?? What do we get in return?? Increased taxes! I am disgusted, you guys are an e'ffing joke.

So it is to be that some of the members of the D46 Board are not much different than what we replaced years ago and won't stand tall for the community that elected them to office. Goodness are you really that afraid to do responsible government?

Now let's see first you will cave into the strike demands, Then come to the community hat in hand and tell us we must have the tax increase to pay for what we contracted for. It is one of the oldest school district ploys in the book and I think you need to be preapred for it to fail.

I say it iis time for a hard civic lesson and you will lose the tax referendum because people out here are hurting and you fail to get the message. You will then be forced to cut even more to balance the budget this will all be because you lack the courage to start doing what must be done today. Economic times have changed and it is tiime to adjust, adapt, and bite the bullet. You were elected to do the hard things, so do them. Rather than face the Union, the striking teachers, and the adminstration you plan to go to the community and ask to increase all of our taxes. THAT'S VERY FUNNY !!!

Let me go right to the front of the line and wish you GOOD LUCK in this economy !!! This lunacy in government trying to take the easy way out by passing it to the taxpayers has to stop and the people on the board that insist that in an almost critical economy that taxpayers pay more should be voted out of office !!!

You didn't notice that the notice for this meeting came out to the public on Sat for a Monday morning meeting? That is because they need to give a 20 notice before voting and getting it to the state and Ellen almost dropped the ball. Not much time for the public or some of the board members to make the meeting. Besides we know Carbone, Evans and Smigielski are against it.

When will the school board get it? Yes, your budget has decreased along with every homeowner in the district. Instead of increasing to keep current standards you need to do like every other family and cut. If it's the fancy computers or music classes or increase class sizes, whatever. You need to cut. Yes it won't be popular but the most important aspect of a school is to teach the basics not tax the crap out of the homeowners to keep what you had when times were good. You already have forced homeowners to pay the highest taxes in Lake County, WAKE UP!

More tax levies-are you insane!! Do you want more foreclosures, you are going to tax people out of their homes??? The tax assessing in Grayslake is outright wrong already, someone needs to assess the awful Lake/Avon Twn tax assessors and D46's books. GL taxpayers are drowning just to pay their taxes, their families are suffering and for what...D46 bonuses, teacher's strike, D46 Board poor decisions, Village spending money on unnecessary Center Street columns...boo hoo - be glad to have a job & look harder to find the $$, always looking for taxpayers bail out! How much more do you want to destroy GL, do you want to see GL homeless & more businesses leave? PATHETIC

Angela-When was the press notified of the meeting?

This is ridiculous. We can't refinance or sell our house because it's worth 72% of what we paid for it 5 years ago. Yet our property taxes went up 19% last year. How is that not enough? The school board, teachers, unions, administrators need to understand THERE IS NO MORE BLOOD IN THESE STONES!! The board members need to attend the meetings. If they are being scheduled with no prior notice, the person(s) in charge of that need to be identified and held accountable. We're all broke. Balance the budget without gutting your constituency. As Bob and Marvin said, make do with less, because less is what we all have. No raises, no bonuses, no strikes, no stupid brick columns. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

Question, why was a special meeting, a presentation no less, done at 9:00 a.m. on a Monday morning following a long holiday weekend? The kids had a day and a half of school last week so how were the parents going to be notified of this meeting? Shouldn't we have been notified earlier than Sat. of any presentation so we could attend too? We constantly hear about "transparency" but this is as veiled as it gets!
The presentation wasn't for Jose-public, I didn't even know about it til I read this.I couldn't have gone anyway, I have to work to pay for the insane taxes this board takes. If this meeting was so special how come the parents were notified of it on Sat.? How did anyone know about the meeting other than those who subscribe to the district e-news email notification?
What about all those business owners? Were they notified?
WP is right. They had to schedule a meeting because they didn't plan right.
The presentation is scheduled for December 5th. The hearing on December 20th. That's 15 days not the 20 days notice needed between presentation and hearing.
This was a scheduling cluster.....by those who set the schedule for the presentation and hearing. They screwed up.
Now they are going to raise my taxes. The word inept is used a lot in regards to this board, they prove it true at every turn.

Because it was as close as they could get to a closed door secret meeting... Shame on the board members who allowed this types of meeting to be set.

I think it is time to take a close look at who these people are and the administrator who suggested this type of session. It is a close as you can get to a violation of the open meetings act without crossing the line. That is not the spirit of the law and public disagreements are a part of democracy. When they are running for re-election? Whose term is soon to be up? It seems perhaps a few members have been there too long and are too close and forgot that Grayslake elected them?

The Schools Ate My Money
You all know how this works - it happens every year right around the holidays. These meetings are kept very quiet and made very inconvient for anyone to attend. And ever so quietly, while we complain about D46 - D127 is having their meetings to raise our taxes. We need to get to the source of the loop hole that allows the schools to do this every year. They need to be made more accountable for how they spend our money. They work for us!

Totally agree! Elections are next April I believe, and Ray, Keith, Karen and Michael's seats are all up for election. They will lose my vote if they vote for this tax levy and cave with the teachers strike. Oh, and don't think the "4" won't renew Ellen contract before all this and probably another salary increase on top of that. We need new people, people who are there for the right reasons and not playing these type of games and only representing themselves.

You all know how this works - very quietly at the end of the year, the schools have these meetings to raise our taxes. They think people are too busy to notice and while we complain about d46 - d127 is quietly having their meetings to raise our taxes too. It's a double whammy! We need to find out how as citizens we can get this loophole closed so the schools can not do this at the end of every year. It's the easy way out for them without any accountability to raise our property taxes.

It's high time for the taxpayers to "STRIKE"!!!

Folks. You're now paying 4% of your house value in taxes. You're getting the shaft. Move away.

It seems to me, the board is being very short sighted. By continuing to raise our taxes they are forcing businesses and homeowners out of Grayslake. Many people won't even look in Grayslake because of the taxes. This is simple math, people moving out, no one moving in equals a big tax decrease for the schools. No one wins.

The district should be very happy they are getting what they are. Our houses are not selling for what they are accessed at. The district should be getting a lot less than it does already.

I've been to a couple of board meetings and it seemed like a joke. Two of the members sat there rolling their eyes when people were commenting. Then I was told the members don't have to respond to comments from the public! The people might as well have been talking to the wall, which would have done as much good, the board did just as they pleased anyway.

I (and everyone else it seems) want to know where the money is going. District 46 pays more per child than almost every other district in Lake Co. I am tired of hearing that they will have to cut the children's school day, music, arts... These are just as important as the basics. Having time for the arts sparks children's interest, imagination and learning. The answer is not in cutting teachers. Cut the administrators and their salaries if they can't get the job done on that big of a budget. The board needs to work within their budget, we all do.

Paula - not responding to public comments is normal for every board anywhere -- they can't have a public discourse because no one board member holds any more power than another so for any one to comment for the whole board is just something that can't happen.

Now that is not to say the eye rolling and low level board negative actions to a comment from the public are correct. they are not, they are disrespectful regardless how silly and uninformed a public comment can get. It just is a citizen trying to say what they think is best. Not being on a board they don't always know the rules or the game.

When these types of disrespectful things happen, eye rolling, and badly scheduled meetings to avoid the light of day, you already know it is time to start thinking about electing new board members who might just remember that before they were board members they were part of this community and that when they leave the board they will be again. The reason I woulld not run for a second term is because this power thing seems to happen to most people who are on a board too long. Many long term board members stop respecting the community that put them there and start to feel they are so on top of it they know better than anyone else what to do next. So many just forget the oath of office that they swore to uphold. When this happens it is time to replace them. You just wish they had the wisdom to just know their time is over and resign.

I am pleased to see more people use their real names and stand tall and publicly state what they feel and believe. Thank you for coming out of the shadows it makes the comments more heartfelt and honest and sends a clearer and better message to the board, regardless of your view, positive or negative, who I am certain is reading the Patch.

Paula and "Nightcrawler" - if in fact that is your real name, according to 2010 numbers from localschooldirectory.com, SD46 spent $9,463 per pupil, state average was $11,055. These numbers actually back us up better, as they beg the question, "Just where the hell is our money going if our children are getting just 85% of what the average Illinois student is getting!?!?" I'll sit down now and wait for your eye-roll.

Incorrect, not idiotic. To us Chumbalones in Grayslake, it feels like we're Number One.

City Name Schools Students S:T Ratio Median Income

Antioch 10 5,035 15.7 $56,481
Beach Park 5 2,162 16.4 $56,553
Grayslake 16 5,713 13.3 $73,143
Gurnee 9 10,388 15.5 $75,742
Lake Bluff 4 951 30.7 $114,521
Lake Forest 15 4,082 12.2 $136,462
Lake Villa 11 4,070 15.6 $65,078
Lake Zurich 8 4,944 16.5 $84,125
Libertyville 14 5,543 15.4 $88,828
Lindenhurst 5 1,134 15.9 $74,841
Mundelein 17 7,303 15.2 $69,651
Round Lake 7 4,261 16.8 $58,051
Round Lake Beach 4 1,713 18.0 $59,359

Grayslake has more schools and administrators than 2 of our closest neighbors.
localschooldirectory.com

How is this information collected?? I can't count the number of schools listed for Grayslake..

Chuck,
Did you notice these numbers were from 2010? There are not 16 schools. They say there are 9 in K-8. They are including Park West and Park East as two schools, and they are saying that Prairieview and Early Ed are two schools. This is only one school (Park is one school, Prairieview is one school). Technically, there are only 6. It also says that there is only 13 kids per teacher and that there are only 280 teachers. According to the Union poll, there was at least 320. This is an old statistic.

The press and the commentors like to think its all about Grayslake...it's not...it's Hainesville, Round Lake(s), Lake Villa, Third Lake, & Grayslake. The majority of the students in CCSD 46 come from communities other than Grayslake. That's why its proper name is Community Consolidated School District 46.

Chuck, I can not understand what your data shows. What is the S:T information you are trying to show. If you need a list of the schools in D46 I can help you with that.
Avon
Meadowview
Woodview
Prairie View
Park School
Frederick School
and GMS.
Does not seem like too many schools to count.
Park is K-8
Frederick is 5-6
GMS is 7-8.
The rest of D46 schools are K-4.

I meant to write 7, not 6 :)

RAISE THE RED FLAG! Historically the levy presentation has been in Nov. with the hearing in the 1st week of Dec. Why isn't that the case this year? Here is why: one board member who wants to increase your taxes (but ran on a platform that she wouldn't) Just left for vacation and won't be back until Dec. 16th. (hence the Early morning meeting- they wouldn't have had a quorum without her). Another member, planning to pull the wool over the taxpayers eyes, isn't going to be able to make the historically held meeting in the 1st week of Dec. Miraculously, they somehow all knew and maneuvered these meetings to accommodate their schedules to ensure the levy would pass. Don't be fooled by the snake oil, levy or not, this was a dirty & underhanded slide of hand. A red flag should most certainly be raised. As a taxpayer in this district, I am DISGUSTED!

Forgive me Tara for trying to understand but may I ask a question? The vote for increasing the levy is historically done the 1st week of Dec.? The school board will vote on the levy at the meeting on Dec. 19th according to the article. Are you saying that 2 board members who are in favor of increasing the levy, which increases property taxes, won't be at the meeting at that is why the vote was moved? They moved a meeting to accodomodate a majority vote? What is happening? Where is the integrity? Where is the respect for the community? Where is the respect for those who they represent? My heart isn't just heavy anymore, its damn mad! Outrageous!

Ray Millington, Karen Weinert, Keith Surroz, and Michael Carbone. They are the four board members whose term ends in April 2013. When they were elected in 2009, they ran UNOPPOSED.
They all need to be replaced. Will there be 4 people who are strong enough to run?
If I could I would but I have conflicts that eliminate me eligibility.
God help us all if there aren't 4 other people to choose from.

Why are names so important to you. I'd run, but I changed my name and seem to be guilty of the felonious activity of teacher support. Oh, wait...

If the teachers were respected & represented, there wouldn't be such huge discrrpencies in income for two teachers with similar qualifications. If their leaders (administrators) respected & represented them, they'd freeze their own 6 figure incomes to ensure the teachers were getting what they need. They'd forego their cell phone and gas reimbursement to provide a teacher with supplies for a classroom. They wouldn't hold impromptu meetings to pass a vote for $10,000 honorariums (it's not a bonus, it's an honorarium???) prove to the taxpayer that you can appropriately manage the funds you already have, and the taxpayer support will follow. As long as the mismanagement of budgets & funds continues, the lack of taxpayer respect will follow. And yes Pete, you read my above post correctly.

That is a fair question why are names important to me?

Because people who do not use their names can make any argument, from any position but will never get a vote. Using this forum to basically not have to take responsibility for their comments won't change any point of view the board has. Simply put each NO NAME is meaningless and can just vanish. On the other hand people who are out in the open are more likely to parse their words more carefully and will come out in public to defend their positions. At any decision making forum the shadows who won't come forward may make a lot of noise but have little actual say or impact on anything because they are just that shadows.

When I was a board member I had more respect for the person who agreed or disagreed with me that was willing to tell me to my face rather than hide in the shadows as a few are doing here by not using a real name. I did listen to those who came forward.

We had a newspaper article much like this a few years ago & as a board we would enjoy the critiques but that's it. We felt that we might actually better understand & respect their views even if we didn't agree with some of them if they just came forward and made a reasonable argument.

Some parents can't afford what D46 is trying to do & may be afraid someone will take it out on their children. My view, if you don't come out of the shadows and stand tall nothing will change because this banter without bringing it to reality will go no where.

Terri's a teacher.

Tara
As I've stated many times before, I am not a teacher. I have been in high level private sector work for over 40 years. I am not staff or union. I simply have a strong teacher supportive point of view.

Many remain shadows. Shadows are like what my internet savey friends call the internet trolls. They have a lot to say, they get into the middle of arguments, but generally no one can identify who they are or if they aree even credible.

obsessive [əbˈsɛsɪv]
adj
1. (Psychiatry) Psychiatry motivated by a persistent overriding idea or impulse, often associated with anxiety and mental illness
2. continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing
n
1. (Psychiatry) Psychiatry a person subject to obsession
2. a person who is continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing
obsessively adv
obsessiveness n

Point made -- no one mentioned a name ---