From the Journal Star: “In a surprise move Monday, the Peoria District 150 School Board terminated its contract with treasurer/controller Pam Schau, an at-will employee, effective immediately.”
The district isn’t saying why they fired Schau — they can’t discuss personnel issues. But Schau herself told the newspaper that Superintendent Lathan called her after the meeting and told her “the board felt I was not providing sufficient leadership in the area of accounting.”
Schau’s contract allows her to be fired without cause, according to the paper. She’s been employed by District 150 just over a year.
From the May 24th Board Meeting minutes:
“Ms. Schau reported that when the budget was adopted in September it was based on the prior year and had some flaws and now we have documented all needed changes. An amended budget has been prepared that shows our best estimate of how the district will end the year. Administration is recommending that the amended budget be put on display for 30 days and a hearing be held on June 29, 2010.”
When comparing the revised budget presented at that June 29 meeting with the original budget dated the prior September, one of the prime differences was that “Purch Serv” (an expense) from the operating budget was $4MM higher than budgeted, with no real change in operating revenues (thus the operating budget as a whole was $4MM worse than previously expected). The natural question is how much of that difference was an admitted error and how much was due to overspending, presumably by others in authority?
Personally, I think Pam Schau walked into a mess (see – http://peoriachronicle.com/2009/02/27/district-150-finances-in-question/) with very little time (two months) to put forth a completely error-free budget. However, after a year’s time, the Board and Superintendent felt she hadn’t, or wasn’t able to, make enough improvements to avert future, material, budgetary mistakes (and perhaps other issues). Of course, there was also the Maine Township budgetary problems involving Pam Schau that CJ posted earlier (though I still think he reached as to Schau making the entire $6.5MM “error” š )
For what it’s worth, she seemed like a nice lady (not that it matters) honest (she acknowledged the budget mistakes) and hard working and I hoped and thought she would do a good job for D150. I suspect she made many improvements, but not enough in the end.
Dennis in Peoria, I understand your point–looking at it from Dr. Lathan’s point of view. However, I am not sure the board members should be giving Dr. Lathan such sweeping power. Ultimately, they are responsible to the taxpayers. They, not Dr. Lathan, are the ones who broker the contracts–and they don’t know any of these people, their work ethics, etc. How many more contracts can District 150 afford to buy out–shouldn’t the risk be considered? The large number of such appointments is unprecedented.
One more thought–has anyone calculated the cost of these new administrators’ salaries versus the cost of the previous administrators? In other words, what is the cost of Dr. Lathan’s reorganization? For instance, closing Woodruff was supposed to save money (I would assume not just in teachers’ salaries). However, Terri Dunn has been placed in a newly created (and probably unnecessary) position at a very high salary. I believe that she, at least, should have been placed in one of the positions filled by the “outsiders.” Do we know how much has been paid–if anything–for relocation costs, etc.? Gosh, does anyone think that maybe Pam Schau might have questioned the wisdom of overspending at such a time? Did anyone catch how she corrected herself last night after she said “I” instead of “we.” What was that all about? It appeared that she “forgot” to follow some instructions that she had been given previously.
To Jon……….I haven’t heard the name but I knew the hiree was black. First of all I would like to say that if it is Greg Collins, in my opinion, from what I know he is very good man and I think he will do well in that position.
As I told Sharon and she dismissed me that the successful applicant was going to be black. If they did hire Collins, it is not the one that they wanted to hire but they had to find a black applicant whose years of service were more than two of the white applicants had in order to make it look like they were being fair. The hiring process was definitely discriminatory.
Now again to Sharon….I was apparently wrong on the particular one that I knew they wanted to hire but I wasn’t wrong in my telling you that they hiree was going to be black. That part was deceided ahead of time.
I can’t believe the Board is allowing Lathan to develop her empire of cronies right out of the gates. Usually, the challenge is to keep a manager from doing so over time. I’m usually with the Board, but granting an unproven Superintendent such vast power, particularly considering the published salaries, is lunacy. She should only have had such power and discretion after some time in the seat establishing herself as an effective and astute leader.
Hope she’s good…
Still no word from Jim on the payout to Schau. Is it about $40,000 as Week 25 reports, or is it much less as Laura Petelle mentioned yesterday? $40,000 is a huge chunk of money to throw away.
Nontimendum,
What? An executive in a new position should be able to pick and choose, and form their own team. It really isn’t much different in the corporate world… at least not for successful executives. One should not accept a position of that level if they could not form their own leadership team.
Considering the number of years it has been since we had a decent administration in District 150 and how entrenched local views are, bringing in people from the outside to shake things up should be a welcomed relief.
It is the school boards job to provide oversite and ensure that the new administration doesn’t devolve into cronyism and corrupt behavior. In the meantime, cut her some slack and let her get on with the job she needs to do.
Let’s see what she can do with these new people.
Well said Mahkno. We shall see if she will be successful, but a new super should be able to form her own management team.
Dennis,
The accounting clerk openings are listed on the D150 website. There are detailed job descriptions there.
Sharon: They were supposed to save money with the closing of Kingman and Tyng too. I haven’t seen or heard of a report showing all that savings. I do know, however, that nearly every employee of Kingman had a job before the end of the school year in which it closed. There was only ONE teacher who wasn’t placed somewhere else and she was part-time. Believe me, her salary wasn’t the $300,000 dollars they said they would save. The “myth of savings” which comes with the closing of a school doesn’t seem to state the fact that anyone with tenure gets an automatic placement somewhere. So, just how is it they save money by closing a school because it certainly isn’t anything to do with salaries? It isn’t to do with busing because Kingman students went from a majority number walking to school to everyone being bussed. The closing of schools and eliminating of positions many times is just a game of moving people around and continuing their salaries which, in my eyes, equals a ZERO dollar savings. There, I’ve proven I am not worthy of an administration position within the district because I have used too much logic and common sense. Shoot, that means I won’t qualify for the BoE either. Now I’m sad. š
The tenured teachers bump the non-tenured teachers. The teacher count goes down.
Lynn, I never dismissed you because you said the person chosen would be black; I didn’t dismiss you; I carried on a discussion with you. However, I was unhappy with the racial tone of your comments. I could hardly have argued with you about whether or not the person would be black–I knew nothing about the issue except what you were telling me.
I, also, believe that the superintendent should be allowed to establish her own management team–in the past out of town supers were allowed only two to three associates, not heads of departments, etc. Also, previous superintendents did choose department heads (maybe not a whole new group from the getgo); however, most were chosen locally. While those chosen may have been friends of the superintendent, they were, also, known well by teachers, principals, etc. Except for an interest in the cost of this new team, I am ready to wait to learn their vision and how they communicate and relate to those who have to carry out their vision. I hope everyone remembers that no plan in District 150 ever works if the teachers aren’t on board. A leader’s greatest task is to get everyone convinced and excited about the vision.
Sharon, very well said.
Inasmuch as I can appreciate the argument that a CEO can hire their team, I believe that hiring outsiders as principals stretches the team too far and demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the community. Here are a few questions for consideration:
1)How many teachers in 150 have their principal’s credentials?
2)How many teachers in the area have their principal’s credentials?
3)How many teachers not called back have their principal’s credentials?
It might only be two more families in central Illinois that are impacted by these two principal positions but it would be a great way to begin to develop some good will in the community by keeping those hires local.
Sharon: “One more thoughtāhas anyone calculated the cost of these new administratorsā salaries versus the cost of the previous administrators? In other words, what is the cost of Dr. Lathanās reorganization?”
Yes. I saw a preliminary calculation this week. It is not quite an apples-to-apples comparison because of very different methods of organization, but I am comfortable with the current cost. When the org chart and the salaries are finalized, I’ll be happy to go over it with anyone who wants to see it.
Wow: News25 has updated its story, which now reads: “According to her contract, the district is required to pay Schau a fraction of her annual salary. That amounts to slightly more than $12,000.” The original story said 1/3 of the salary and $40,000 (and that still appears in the story summary when you search the story, but the story itself has been updated), which is incorrect.
Laura-
Thanks for clearing that up š
teachingrocks:
On the district website (under the news link) is a presentation from Pam Schau (regarding the revised budget) in which she also explains the savings from Tyng and Kingman.
See http://www.psd150.org/News.aspx
Sharon the only “racial tone” (in your opinion) is that we knew that the new security chief was going to be black. Any other race, even if he or she was more than qualified for the job, wasn’t going to get the job. That point was well proven…Wasn’t it?
If you want to describe people believing that ALL people should reasonably expect the hiring process to be conducted EQUALLY….as talking in “racial tones” then we agree with your decription.
I don’t even remember seeing that hiring on the posted agenda….Was it? Nor was it mentioned in the newspaper article but it apparently it happened…..So much for a TRANSPARANT administration….Right?
Disrict150 Observer, thanks for the tip.
I just hope that people don’t expect grade averages to go up overnight. But I predict many negative folks will call for Dr. Lathan’s head come October when the 2009-2010 District report cards come out, and they show no or little improvement…even though she was not totally on the job yet.
We just have to give her the tools, the time…and the patience to let her do what it takes to turn around Dist. 150.
Yes, Lynn, you’ve proven something alright.
Yes, Jon, I think we all have proven something. LMAO
Dennis in Peoria–I don’t expect grade averages to go up at all, at least at Manual. With over 62% of the grades of last year’s seniors being As or Bs, I think grades should probably go down as standards are raised. As far as NCLB tests are concerned, by 2014 all schools have to reach 100% passing–that will never happen, so the program (I predict) will soon be reworked. When excelling schools throughout the country appear on watch lists, etc., the system will change.
Lynn, I might just be with you on the issue of posting. I know that posting jobs is just a formality (has always been) because in the end the person hiring gets the choice. However, to avoid the process altogether (if that was done) is not wise.
Laura, when you say you will provide the information to whomever is interested–that should be all taxpayers. For instance, when a position is on the BOE agenda for approval and when a program is being purchased (when anything that costs money is voted on)–why not just put the cost on the agenda? We will FOIA the cost anyway and we will try to publicize it as much as possible–so why shouldn’t District 150 just be up front from the getgo–and save all those FOIA costs. That said, Laura, I know you don’t make those decisions–I’m not criticizing you, at all. You provide about the only transparency offered by the district.
As to savings from Kingman, Tyng, and soon Woodruff, etc., a savings is only a savings if the savings aren’t spent on something else. The next question to ask is: What new spending ate up the savings realized by eliminating teaching positions? For one thing, any savings to the education fund is needed to keep up with payments to Edison and Johns Hopkins.
Thank you Sharon!!
From all that I know who they hired is a good choice. The complaint is HOW they hired NOT WHO they hired.
Sharon one other question for you……
I know that you and some other bloggers follow school board meetings more closely than we do.
Was this hiring even on any of the recent agendas???
As of Tuesday the name was already listed on thedistrict’s website as the contact person for security…..VERY FAST movement for a Monday night hiring. LOL
No, to my knowledge, the security chief was never on the agenda for a vote at the regular meetings. Stress: to my knowledge. Perhaps Laura could shed some light on that.
Sharon: “when you say you will provide the information to whomever is interestedāthat should be all taxpayers.”
I guess I was a little unclear; I said I’d be happy to *go over it* with anyone who wanted to see it … it was the “go over it” part I was meaning to emphasize … I assume the information will be publicly available, but I know some people will have more specific questions.
I believe the security chief only appeared on the general personnel report. This can be FOIAed, but I believe some of the information the Board sees is stripped from the report when FOIAed, because it is protected information. (But I think this is just, for example, reasons why someone left employment. I haven’t actually ever looked at the public version — they don’t get asked for very often — so I’m not sure.)
Perhaps the security chief was appointed at this Monday night’s meeting (executive session) and will, therefore, appear on the minutes after they are approved at the next board meeting. His name wasn’t listed in the July 26 minutes. I still want to know why we can’t learn the salaries of administrators up front–on the agenda or in the minutes. The same goes for programs. I haven’t taken the time yet to FOIA the cost of that Frontline program that will replace the person that principals call when they need substitutes. Why can’t we know “up front” what the cost is? The same goes for the renewal of the “Eric Bush” magic machine for which the board voted Monday night. That machine appears to have been in mothballs since Eric first introduced it to us and we were led to believe it would introduce a new era of transparency.
Imagine that….Information, LIKE A HIRING, being deleted from a report. You’ve gotta love the way they operate. You see, what I was talking about, Sharon, in the way this process has been conducted??
Of course that is what they make attorneys for…to figure out these discriminatory dealings. š
Lynn, I don’t think Laura said they would eliminate the hiring from a report–just details of a person’s employment history, etc.–which is and should be protected information. I do believe that all employees from cafeteria workers, security chief and staff, etc., up to administrators are all listed in the minutes that are posted after the minutes are approved at the next BOE meeting. If Collins doesn’t show up on the minutes after the next meeting, then we do have reason to question why not.
If you don’t like the way things are run in District 150, you need to take your race card playing behind someplace else. You are obviously miserable and steeped in insecurity, otherwise you wouldn’t constantly be falling back on the race card. Why Sharon continues to entertain your moving target discrimination claims is beyond me.
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Sharon, I guess it was just my misunderstanding, as I thought since that person signs a contract just like any other administator it would have been listed on one of the past agendas since the hiring has apparently already taken place.
Lynn, I didn’t start reading anything about Collins until after Monday’s meeting (when Emerge first put the info on her blog). I have never seen the info in the PJS, have you? I am assuming the board voted on his contract Monday night–which means the information will not appear until minutes for the August 9 BOE meeting are posted on August 23.
We didn’t know about it until his name was listed on the districts website yesterday as the contact person for security. It was not in the PJS news article that listed all of the other hirings at this past Monday board meeting.
My personnel report from this past Monday shows 99 hires or returns from RIFs (including Mr. Collins); 23 retirements, resignations, and other employment separations; and a number of people coming from and going to medical leave, maternity leave, and other leaves. The media reports do not list “all” the hirings because the media NEVER reports the entire personnel report.
Currently the Board only votes separately on certified administrator contracts, and has not (in the recent past, anyway) voted separately on non-cert administrator contracts, such as Mr. Collins’s (or Mr. Budzban’s, for that matter). There is no specific reason for this that I could discover other than “past practice.”
” Lynn Smith
August 11, 2010 at 6:11 am
To Jonā¦ā¦ā¦.I havenāt heard the name but I knew the hiree was black. ”
or
” Lynn Smith
August 11, 2010 at 2:54 pm
We didnāt know about it until his name was listed on the districts website yesterday as the contact person for security.”
yesterday was Aug 10
You can surely tell that I know what I was talking about in this discriminatory hiring process due to the number of pro-racism roaches coming out of the woodwork to blog.
On May 24th, Lynn Smith said:
“Sharon I guess weāve about done this topic to death so here a few parting wordsā¦ā¦.
By the end of June you will see that what I have told you about the least qualified applicant being named the new security chief will be happen. Although we could hold out hope that it will be the one with sexual harassment & DUI problemsā¦LOL”
Lynn, is that the part where we can surely tell that you know what you were talking about?
Lynn, when you said, on June 2nd,
“P.S. Sharon, when the new security chief is named you can just address me as āThe Great Karnakā JUST KIDDING”
Which part were you kidding about?
Lynn, I thought for a minute there that you had changed your tone–until your last statement or two. I was hoping.
I know this is off topic, but….
Does anyone know who took Mary O’Bryan’s position?
The person who took O’Bryan’s position is the retired head of SEAPCO. She will be mentoring someone till December, then that person will take over.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x482009566/Questions-remain-after-District-150-fires-its-treasurer
It’s amazing that Jon researched all of my previous comments but he chose to not list that I said the new security was going to be black. Had it not been for some controversy the new security chief would have been who I was previously talking about.
Because the district realized that they have made a major screw up in this hiring process they needed to find a black candidate that had more years than two of the white candidates that had already applied but were never interviewed for the job.
Jon, here is a little lesson for you…..When you punish one race because of wrongs in the past then that’s racism too.
One last thing Jon and I do mean one last thing…….The hiring of the new security chief was suppose to have been by the end of June but the contoversy over the hiring process delayed it. They spent the extra time scrambling to find the candidate that “represented the demographics of the student body.” Jon, that was a direct quote from someone at administration too!!!
“What? An executive in a new position should be able to pick and choose, and form their own team. It really isnāt much different in the corporate worldā¦ at least not for successful executives. One should not accept a position of that level if they could not form their own leadership team.”
First, unless you are the President of the United States, the owner of a company, or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, it is NOT typical to be allowed to “seat a cabinet.” I also don’t believe in coincidence, so I’m struggling with the concept that all these previous co-workers just happen to be the best candidates for the jobs here in Peoria. I’m also concerned that the published salaries seem excessive relative to what would have been required to recruit these particular individuals.
Again and sincerely, I hope she’s good…
Interesting PJS article on Schau’s departure.
Thank God Wolfmeyer confirmed he departure was “not connected to any illegal activity” I doubt anyone thought for a minute that Schau did anything illegal. She had a reputation for being ethical and transparent. My guess is that if she had conducted the internal investigation on Mary Davis’ financial doings, she would have uncovered what others in the district failed to find.
Wolfmeyer then goes on to say ” I see it as our new Superintendent coming in and putting together the team she feels she needs to accomplish the job we have given her to turn this district around”. What? I thought when Lathan was hired , Schau’s position was one that was named as being off limits to replace. Wolfmeyer’s quote make it sound like Lathan should be able to replace the Treasurer. It also makes it sound like she has someone else in the wings.
Pam, D150 has done you a favor by letting you go. Not only do you get the $11,000 but they will also have to pay you unemployment. Hold your head high. I am sure there are bigger and better things in your future.
Hey Laura Petelle, can you tell us if ANY of the new hires from N.C. are certified in IL. I heard it is a 12 week process…..which means they wouldn’t be certified to work in their capacity in IL until quite possibly October 1st, IF they had been hired by July 1st. Curious?
It will be interesting to see who the interim will be especially since they made the remark it might be from within. Maybe the boards intentions all along have been to make McKinsey the controller/treasurer. They first hire him as their internal auditor, then made him the assistant controller, and maybe now he will be the interim or permanent one. Hope they won’t make that mistake.