Questionable Spending Practices in Lake Forest School Districts

The 'Chicago Tribune' investigates spending during Harry Griffith's time as superintendent.

The Chicago Tribune reported this weekend on the questionable spending practices implemented by the Lake Forest's District 67 and District 115 school boards. While overseeing the two districts, which share administrators, former superintendent Harry Griffith was among the highest paid public school administrators in the state, with a salary of $362,000 in the 2011-12 school year alone, the Tribune reports. Besides his salary, he also reaped numerous other benefits – the school boards forgave him a $75,000 loan to buy a house, he traveled twice yearly to an educators conference at a resort in California, the district provided a car – as well as gas and maintenance – which they let him keep upon retirement. The Chicago Tribune also reported …

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Nancy J. Thorner

2:55 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

This is one individual who was extremely pleased when checking out MIchael Beacham 's website. The present Caucus organization has been in existence for many years. It is way past time for voters to have candidates to vote for who are free from any hint of past actions. These actions seem to have called forth all manner of pubic distrust over how candidates were selected in the past and …   more ›

Guest Essay

Lake Forest Education Association Responds to District 115 Board's Assertions

Board can negotiate a fair and equitable settlement and still have significant fund reserves.

The Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA), representing the faculty of Lake Forest High School, does not think a collective bargaining agreement, in this case between the LFEA and the District 115 Board of Education, should be negotiated through the media, but should be worked out by democratically elected representatives of each side at the bargaining table. But, the LFEA feels it must respond to recent Board and administrative assertions about the negotiations process that have been placed on the LFHS website and transmitted to the media. We assert that many of these claims are inaccurate and do not reflect the nature of the ongoing negotiations or the proposals each side has made. Board representatives have alleged that the LFEA is …

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