CARE 135 Aspects Disputed, Timeline for Superintendent Interviews Set at D135 Meeting

Clarification, 3:35 p.m. Tuesday, March 13

District 135 staff and administrators said they left the initial meeting with CARE 135 with the understanding the Ann Gentile was asked to attend the regular meetings to then relay messages back to the whole school board. 

"I understood it the same way as Ann," said D135 Interim Superintendent Dennis Soustek.

CARE 135 representatives said Tuesday that they did request that Ann Gentile correspond via email between the organization and the school board. Though the group does want other members to attend on a rotating basis to avoid conflicting with quorum rules.

Update, 5:58 a.m. Tuesday, March 13

Key points from Monday night's meeting include a new parents organization, interviews for superintendent candidates, debt restructuring expected to save the district hundreds of thousands and the noted departure of a staff member

CARE 135 is a new parents organization assembled to build clearer communication with the school board before final decisions are made. Members of CARE, which stands for Citizens Acting Responsibly for Education, were surprised to hear school board vice president Ann Gentile say she was appointed to be a communications liaison for CARE 135, when participants say no appointments of any kind have been made.

The group will be hosting monthly meetings and are looking for board members to visit, but on a revolving basis, especially to avoid the possibility of more than two board members appearing and thus making a quorum. 

Superintendent interviews will start in April, after Illinois Association of School Boards Executive Searches Consultant Dawn Miller presents the recommended candidates. As of Monday, 32 people have applied for the position, she said. Information about desired qualities in candidates taken from surveys by the public and by board members will be factored into the choices, Miller said. 

On April 12, Miller will present the picks to the board, and on April 16, interviews will commence.

Debt restructuring could save the school district over $810,000 by 2025, according to financial advisor Elizabeth Hennessy. Refinancing bonds from 2005 could net $618,000 in savings by 2025, and bonds from 2002 could bring in $199,375 by 2015, she said.

Bridget McGuiggan is moving on to a communications position with Burr Ridge-based District 181 that also covers Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills. Board members described her strong work ethic and unflappable positivity during the meeting, and parents afterward also offered encouraging words about her various contributions. She will continue with District 135 until June. 

Original Post, 6:21 a.m. Monday, March 12 

Orland Park Patch will next be taking live blogging to the Board of Education meeting Monday night.

We will be using the live-blogging system Cover It Live to give a minute-by-minute rundown of Monday night’s board meetings. This is still a new effort so we ask for that healthy dose of patience to continue through this round. You are welcome to ask questions and join in the discussion through Cover It Live, though the same rules will apply to comments as they do on the site.

Committee of the Whole begins at 7 p.m. followed by the full board meeting at 7:30 p.m. The transcript will remain on site after the meeting wraps.

Attached are the meeting agendas with what will be discussed tonight. Leading up to the meeting, let me know if there's anything you particularly want to know about in the comments.

Read on for past examples of live blogs.