Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
More than 130 Illinois public school administrators who signed witness slips in opposition to a bipartisan bill that aims to consolidate Illinois school districts make six-figure salaries, according to an analysis compiled this week.
Thirty-nine employees of school districts in DuPage County were among those who have signed witness slips against House Bill 3053, which would attempt to direct more funds into the classroom. Local school district employees opposing the bill include the superintendent of the Bensenville Elementary School District.
School district administrators around the state who have expressed opposition to the bill number more than 400, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.
The bill, authored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), is now being reviewed in the state Senate. It passed the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously in March.
HB 3053, the Classrooms First Act, requires the formation of a panel that would review which of Illinois’ 852 school districts should be consolidated to improve efficiency in the public education system. The overall goal would be to reduce the number of districts in the state by one-quarter.
As of last year, the average Illinois school district served 2,400 students, the sixth-lowest level among states with student populations of more than 1 million, according to the institute.
The panel, dubbed the School District Efficiency Commission, would not force districts to merge, but its recommendations would be put before local residents for an up-or-down vote.
Spending on district-level education bureaucracies in Illinois is nearly double the national average, according to the institute, suggesting that a consolidation plan could result in more efficient spending of taxpayer dollars.
---
Local School District Employees Opposed to HB 3053
| Name | Firm, Business or Agency | Representing | Testimony | Salary |
| Joshua Schoot | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $88,911 |
| Melissa H. Kaczkowski | Roselle School District 12 | Roselle School D12 | Written Statement Filed | $190,175 |
| James Stelter | Bensenville Elementary SD2 | Dr. James Stelter, Superintendent | Record Of Appearance Only | $270,000 |
| Robert M. Carlo | Darien Public Schools | Darien Public Schools-District #61 | Record Of Appearance Only | $249,730 |
| Evonne Waugh | Bloomingdale School District 13, 164 Euclid Ave., Bloomingdale, IL 60108 | Dr. Evonne Waugh, representing opinion of self in my capacity as an experienced educator. | Written Statement Filed | $159,529 |
| Sean Nugent | Maercker School District 60 | Maercker School District 60 | Record Of Appearance Only | $177,087 |
| John W. Corbett | Wood Dale 7 | -- | Written Statement Filed | $218,432 |
| Colleen Peters | Roselle School District 12 | Myself | Written Statement Filed | $74,458 |
| Maureen Jones | Community Consolidated School Dist 89 | CCSD89 | Record Of Appearance Only | $184,531 |
| Patricia D. Volling | School District 45 | School District 45 | Record Of Appearance Only | $147,857 |
| Philip Ehrhardt | Benjamin School District 25 | Benjamin School District 25 | Record Of Appearance Only | $270,000 |
| Patrick Broncato | Woodridge SD 68 | Woodridge School
District 68 | Record Of Appearance Only | $220,879 |
| Christina Stimson | Roselle District 12 | Roselle D 12 | Written Statement Filed | $76,916 |
| Jenny Gabel | Roselle School District 12 | Self | Written Statement Filed | $85,013 |
| Dana Bethel | Roselle School District 12 | myself | Written Statement Filed | $84,357 |
| Alan Buttimer | Wood Dale School
District 7 | Wood Dale School
District 7 | Record Of Appearance Only | $118,803 |
| Cynthia L. Heidorn | Retired former school superintendent and
school business manager | self | Record Of Appearance Only | $61,476 |
| Lynn Panega | Lake Park High School District 108 | Superintendent | Record Of Appearance Only | $237,753 |
| Chris McClain | Glenbard Township HS District 87 | Glenbard Township HS District 87 | Record Of Appearance Only | $89,644 |
| Jeffery O'Connell | Lake Park High School District 108 | IASBO | Written Statement Filed | $212,040 |
| Laura Kahlfeldt | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $64,688 |
| Brian Leisering | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $62,000 |
| Rebecca Garretson | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $68,077 |
| Rebecca First | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $68,805 |
| Jessica Honaker | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $56,405 |
| Elizabeth A. Nelson | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $63,225 |
| Susan Hempe | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $65,946 |
| David Brach | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $80,344 |
| Sarah Brackmann | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $71,831 |
| Marianina Macmillan | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $78,218 |
| Lauren Manka | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $50,944 |
| Jessica Peters | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $78,963 |
| Kaitlyn Etchingham | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $53,935 |
| Lisa Angelacos | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $105,260 |
| Shona Dave | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $83,882 |
| Megan McDermott | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $58,193 |
| Ray Serbick | Self | Self | Written Statement Filed | $82,106 |
| Sonja Nasiopulos | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $56,168 |
| Kelly Lynn | Roselle School District 12 | Self | Written Statement Filed | $126,373 |
Alerts Sign-up