Time for Change at LFHS



We have much to be proud of in our community.  Our schools are one of our greatest treasures-- we have remarkable teachers, talented children and devoted parents who expect great things now and into the future.  However, I agree with Susan Garrett, our former State Senator, who commented in the Chicago Tribune about  the relationship between our current School Board and the administration of our school:  “There’s not enough oversight….It really comes down to a matter of transparency.”  I concur and would like to share my concerns about our school board:

• I am concerned about the “we” versus “they” attitude which permeates the board’s tone and manner both publicly and privately.
• I am concerned the Board’s Shared Services Committee acts as a Super-board, meeting in closed door sessions on matters State law requires be deliberated by the full High School board.  Click here for recent agenda.
• I am concerned current  board members and school leadership repeatedly claim the $54 million construction project came in ‘on budget,’ when in fact, according to Illinois State Board of Education records and school check ledgers, the project cost our community over $67 million, $13 million over budget.
• I am concerned the board issued $7.5 million more debt on top of the $54 million eight months after the project was completed without disclosure to the community. 
• I am concerned LFHS paid $3 million to 3 computer vendors during the referendum project and has paid $300,000 per year since then and yet lacks an adequate technology plan to guide its decisions.
• I also am concerned the LFHS board issued debt to raise money for District 67 elementary schools --without the knowledge, consent or in the best interests of Lake Bluff and Knollwood taxpayers.
• I am concerned the LFHS Board President did not publicly disclose her family’s relationship and interest in Pepper Construction Co., which completed the $54 million project that actually cost $67 million.
• I am concerned there is no record of the public meeting at which the Board reviewed and approved the original Pepper Construction contract as required by State law.
• I am concerned that the LFHS School Board President was one of only two Board members on the Board’s Operations committee which vetted the construction bids and developed a recommendation to the Board for her family’s firm.
• I am concerned that on the recommendation of our new Superintendent, the Board awarded a no bid construction management contract to that same construction company last month.
• I am concerned that even though the construction project was closed four years ago, the financial staff presents ever changing financial information and fluid numbers that do not reflect all the funding sources and costs.
• I am concerned the LFHS Board votes every year to pay the Communications Director as an independent contractor instead of as an employee—exposing our district to IRS scrutiny, including fines, interest and penalties.
• I am concerned the board voted to award an unprecedented no-bid 3 year contract to the same Communications Director, despite a history of communications shortcomings relative to other area high schools and public reaction to her lucrative pay.
• I am concerned Miller Cooper, the school auditor for the last six years, again was not able to identify any aspect of the high school’s internal controls which could be improved, despite the many complexities introduced by the Shared Services Agreement with District 67.
• I am concerned that after questions were raised about our schools’ internal controls in a November 2012 Chicago Tribune article, our board voted for a new and unprecedented no-bid 3 year contract with that same auditor, Miller Cooper.
• I am concerned the Board voted unanimously to consolidate the school’s bank accounts at a bank where the then-Superintendent served as a paid member of the Bank’s Board of Directors. 
• I am concerned that in defense of the Board’s unanimous vote on the bank matter, the High School Board President claimed she does not know what a bank board does, even though she has served on our school boards for 16 consecutive years.
• I am concerned the Board calls special meetings on important public matters with little public notice and then summarizes 2 and 3 hours of content in one single sentence, such as here and here.
• I am concerned community members attending Board meetings have no access to the materials discussed and that the school requires a formal Freedom of Information Act request to be filed to obtain the materials which should be in the public domain.
• I am concerned the Shared Services Agreement has effectively resulted in higher administrative costs and nearly doubling administrative salaries, which runs counter to its stated purpose and takes away resources from teachers and students in the classroom.
• I am concerned that our school leadership has written off an entire generation of Lake Forest High School kids by graduating students unprepared and uneducated in critical digital literacy skills, especially considering how much the digital information landscape has fundamentally changed the way we all live our lives today.
• I am concerned the $54 referendum project did not adequately address the infrastructure needs in certain areas of East Campus to accommodate widespread online access for teachers and students.
• I am concerned the Lake Bluff Middle School students have to go back in time when they matriculate to the Lake Forest High School because most LFHS teachers don’t permit the use of personal computers in their classrooms. 
• I am concerned the West Campus Administrative staffs are well equipped with the latest and greatest digital devices but teachers in LFHS classrooms are not.
• Most importantly, I am concerned that we ought to be focusing our limited resources and attention where they have the most impact—in the classroom, and not on the areas where our children are not the direct beneficiaries or where their interests are not the primary focus.

I believe it’s time for a change in the board culture.   It’s time to raise the bar of conduct back to the level worthy of our community’s high standards and expectations.  And it’s time for an independent voice who delivers accountability and transparency. 

To get this independent candidate on the LFHS Board, increase the power of your vote by only voting for Ted Moorman, LFHS District#115 Board of Education on April 9.