In 2001 the East Maine School District #63 (EMSD#63) Board of Education and administration purchased for $560,000 cash, two adjacent single-family buildings located on the southwest corner of Central and Dee roads. This was done with little fanfare, no public participation or PROFESSIONAL WRITTEN APPRAISAL.
A reading of the EMSD#63 Agenda Document for July 18, 2001 covering the June 26th 2001 General Board Meeting, clearly stated, and without any other reasons given for the purchase, the following:
“... announced that the Board had purchased the property located on Central Road, north of the District administrative offices. She indicated that the properties would be used for storage of District files, and the Board would consider housing MTSEP special programs in one of the buildings.”
MTSEP is a special education cooperative serving 4 school districts, including Des Plaines Elementary District 62, East Maine School District 63, Park Ridge School District 64, and Maine Township High School District 207.
At the time of purchase, the 1131 Dee Road property, the one to be used for MTSEP testing, was considered unsuitable for public service and needed an additional infusion of approximately $175,000 cash from MTSEP and EMSD63 taxpayers. That brought the total investment in that property to roughly $460,000.
Now, after six years of apparent neglect, we discover that this same property is worth $285,000, only $5,000 more than when originally purchased. Also, a recent inspection revealed that the building is now considered unsafe, uninhabitable and in need of demolition. The reason? A recently discovered standing water problem located in the buildings crawlspace, the district says.
Dr. Williams and School Board are responsible.
Reasonable people may differ on whether these properties should have been purchased in the first place, considering the districts already known future academic and financial shortcomings. That said, once the decision was made to purchase the property, the superintendent and board were responsible to see that the properties were professionally appraised, inspected and maintained to protect the public’s interest.
Apparently this was not done!
Not that long ago EMSD#63 taxpayers were shocked to learn that the school district had become involved in an “Exercise Equipment Scam” that wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars. Now we have another scandal.
What should be done next?
In my opinion we need a complete public airing of this mess including one or more special public meetings.
Of course, I don’t expect anything concrete to happen regarding this matter any time soon!
It's just my opinion!
Your comments please!
Kenneth Butterly
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3 comments:
I am outraged!
Where are the papers? This is the first thing I've read on the subject!
I am upset at the school board and the administration of this district for purchasing these two parcels of land. We cut multiple programs in our schools a couple of years ago and had to go to a referendum to increase tax revenue to the district to reinstate the cut programs. I wonder how many other lame purchases we have made in the past that led to the financial ruin in our school district. I am so upset that we are condemning a building that we have invested so much money into just a few years ago. Does the board of education and the administration think that because they got a couple of years usage out of it, that it’s O.K. to waste our hard earned tax dollars and tear it down? I struggle to make ends meet some months. I struggle to afford prescription medication some months. I find too often that I have to cut back on basic necessities so that I can pay my bills. Finally, I struggle to understand why my tax dollars continue to increase for this school district when the spending seems to be out of control. I wish I made the salary that the Superintendent makes and I would have no problem paying the high taxes. I probably would not even flinch at the increases. Does this Superintendent even live in our district? I seriously doubt it, so why would she concern herself with the amount of taxpayer money she and her staff spend?
Someone asks, “Where are the Papers?” The newspapers only print what the school board and the leaders of the school district want them to print. It’s mostly controlled and canned. For example, the reporter from the Pioneer Press has attended a few meetings. But, on many occasions she comes at the beginning of the meeting and is handed an envelope from one of the administrators and then immediate leaves the meeting. She rarely sits for the meetings. Magically, an article appears in the Spectator Newspaper in which the reporter reports on the happenings in district #63 and speaks to the order of business that was conducted at the board meetings that she never attended. How is that objective reporting? So, this is why we never read about issues such as these.
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