D200 School Board Election - April 7

CyberAgent has left a new comment on your post "Run for D200 School Board?"

"Dr. Katherine Lechner (Dr. Kathy) is one of the eight currently running for School District 200's Board of Education. As mentioned, this is a volunteer poisition that requires a great dedication to the residents of Woodstock and the surrounding areas. Dr. Kathy has represented D200 in the past (1997-2005) and is once again looking for votes on April 7th. Please visit www.klechner4d200.com to educate yourself as to this fine candidate's qualifications."

The original article was posted January 17, 2009. I know Dr. Lechner and am happy to support her candidacy by posting this Comment where, hopefully, it will be read now, shortly before Election Day.

Your vote counts. Vote for Dr. Lechner on April 7th.

District 200 and Special Education

Be sure to read the article from Saturday’s (September 1, 2007) Northwest Herald about the family with the 5-year-old son diagnosed with autism. Read about this family’s experience with District 200.

The reporter did not cover in depth what kind of “hearing” the family is involved with. My guess is that it is either Mediation or a Due Process hearing conducted by the Illinois State Board of Education.

There are over 900 Special Education students in District 200 schools. Parents of these students desperately need to be educated on the legal rights of these students, their children. I heard someone say once, “If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any.”

Please read the Northwest Herald article and comment there or here.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/09/01/news/local/doc46d92d2108f60326035735.txt

$150 Over-Charge for Driver’s Education

On April 28, 2007 the Northwest Herald carries an article on Page 6B about McHenry High Schools' Driver’s Education fees. If you had, have or will have a student in any driver’s education, be sure to read it. Go to http://www.nwherald.com/ and search for keyword “Vanover”.

Two years ago I raised this exact issue with Woodstock District 200 and asked them to explain and justify why a student was charged more than the $50 State-mandated maximum fee for driver’s education. Students were assessed $150 for the Between-the-Wheel driver training program. As I dug into the issue and learned about a Waiver that the Illinois State Board of Education would grant, I found that, yes, it was improper to include teacher salaries in the expenses of operating the driver’s education program. Salaries were to be covered as an expense of the high school and school district. HOWEVER, if the District filed an application for Waiver with ISBE for higher expenses and went ahead and listed salaries and IF ISBE approved the Waiver, then the high school could charge more than the $50 State maximum fee, even though an improper (illegal) expense (salaries) was included in their calculations.

And so a number of “creative” school districts did just that, including Woodstock D200. What I was unable to figure out was why and how ISBE could approve a violation of State law and why D200 would ask ISBE to approve a violation of the law. But it did, and they did. The result is that hundreds of students have paid an extra $150 to take driver’s education – a course required for graduation.

What should students and their parents do now? File complaints with District 200 and demand a refund of the $150 that they were over-charged.

Better yet, D200 should do the “right” thing and, before students and parents can begin to file complaints, D200 should be pro-active and inform parents that the excess fees will be returned promptly and start issuing checks!