Belvidere could change way school board is elected - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

By Ben Stanley
Rockford Register Star
Posted Oct. 29, 2014 @ 8:00 am
Updated at 10:23 AM

BELVIDERE — A proposition to change the way Belvidere Board of Education members are elected will be on the Nov. 4 ballot.

As it stands, four of the board’s seven members must live in Belvidere Township and three must come from the four remaining townships in the district. The proposition is to elect all board members at-large, which means it wouldn’t matter where board members live as long as they reside within the school district.

Ten of the 13 school districts in Boone and Winnebago counties elect school board members at-large, according to Boone Winnebago Regional Office of Education Office Manager Tom McCullough. Belvidere, Durand and Rockford school districts are the only three that elect board members differently. Voters in Durand will also be asked this election whether or not all school board members should be elected at-large.

Superintendent Michael Houselog said that one reason the Belvidere School District decided to pursue at-large elections is to make it easier to appoint board members in case of a resignation.

Currently, the district must fill a vacancy with someone who meets the same residency requirement.

“For vacancies, it’s made it very difficult,” Houselog said of the district’s current school board election system. “In the past, we haven’t had people to fill those positions. We had people ready and able but they weren’t from the right township.”

Boone County Board member Bill Pysson said that he suggested the district pursue at-large elections for Belvidere Board of Education members nearly two decades ago, but has since changed his mind and would rather keep the current election system in place.

“I find it very surprising that the board is trying to do this,” Pysson said. “There’s an overrepresentation of board members that reside in the Belvidere North high school subdistrict ... Belvidere High School does not really have a representative on the board.”

According to Pysson, the current township residency restrictions were put in place more than 50 years ago when several subdistricts in School District 100 merged.

“When they merged, some of those townships really wanted to make sure that their voice would be heard, so the requirement that there be some non-Belvidere Township representation was put into the merger requirements,” Pysson said.

Above is from:  Belvidere could change way school board is elected - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

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Comment from this article on  District 100 Watchdog: http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2014/10/belvidere-could-change-way-school-board.html

Allison Reid-Niemiec said...

The concern over 50 years ago was to make sure non-Belvidere township had a "voice" on the school board. The same concern is just as valid today as it was 50 years ago. In regards to Superintendent Houselog's statements, I offer the following. Since June 2010, there have been 4 board resignations: 1) Ted Stenerson in June 2010 (seat filled by Robert Torbert appointed July 2010); 2) John Powell in Aug. 2012 (seat filled by Larry Cunningham appointed Sept. 2012); 3) Larry Cunningham in June 2013 (seat filled by Ron Ramos appointed July 2013); and 4) Ron Ramos (seat filled by Jason Colson appointed Oct. 2013). The fact that the seats were each filled by the board, within 30 days, directly refutes Superintendent Houselog’s statement, “In the past, we haven’t had people to fill those positions. We had people ready and able but they weren’t from the right township.” Is Superintendent Houselog saying the individuals that filled the vacated seats were not “ready and able?” I am also unsure who Superintendent Houselog is referring to as “we” in his statement. “We” cannot be the school board as he is not a voting board member, nor does he have the authority to appoint members to open seats. As for the Boone/Winnebago Regional Office of Education Office Manager Tom McCullough’s statement that 10 of 13 school districts in Boone/Winnebago elect board members at-large, this is inaccurate. There is a minimum of 4 districts that do not vote at-large. Pecatonica #321 being another district that is divided into townships and elected by township. The remaining 9 of 13 districts vote at-large, but with election differences between each district. Some vote at-large, but do so because they are not divided into townships (e.g., Hononegah #207); some districts are divided into townships, vote-at large, but are restricted by total number of members from any one township (e.g., Winnebago #323); some are not divided into townships, vote at-large, but have a limit on number of members from a congressional district (e.g., North Boone #200); and some districts are divided into townships and vote at-large (e.g., Prairie Hill #133). Outside of Boone/Winnebago County, Marengo #154 and Genoa Kingston #424 both vote at-large, but are also not divided into townships. The rationale for this proposition is both unsupported by facts and is inaccurate. Why are we, as taxpayers and community members, being told untruths? Why is this an acceptable practice? What is the true rationale and what are we not being told?

October 29, 2014 at 10:04 PM