The High School District 230 Board Thursday approved a budget, highlighted school safety measures following area social media threats and reprimanded a board member for publishing his opinions on local politics.
The board also swore in a new member, Chris Kasmer, to replace Patrick O’Sullivan, who resigned last month due to moving outside the district boundaries. Kasmer, an Orland Park resident who is also president of Carpenters Local 1027, will serve until April 2025, when the position will be up for election, according to the district.
Board President Lynn Zeder spoke out against board member Mohammed Jaber, who criticized what he said is Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau’s plan for three new TIF districts. Zeder cited board policy designating the president as the board spokesperson to the media and said it prohibits board members from taking “individual action that might compromise the board or district.”
Zeder said Jaber’s interview with a local paper was “on a matter in which the board is involved with sensitive proceedings with the village.”
“While disappointed and displeased, it was not made clear that he was speaking as an individual and not for or on behalf of District 230,” Zeder said.
Jaber prepared a news release in which he criticized TIF districts, saying the village shouldn’t take such action before releasing financial audits. He expressed concern that TIF districts redirect millions of dollars in property taxes into “a fund of uncertainty” at the expense of local schools, the Orland Park Library, the Orland Fire Protection District and the village of Orland Park.
“It is irresponsible to create three new TIF districts that will redirect property taxes from these four government agencies and force them to find ways to replace the lost money without fully knowing the precise financial situation of the Village of Orland Park,” Jaber said in the release.
Zeder did not immediately respond to questions about Jaber’s comments and why they were unacceptable for him to publish as a board member.
District officials unanimously approved the budget for the upcoming year, careful to explain their understanding of residents’ frustration with the schools’ role in historic property tax increases for the south suburbs. Due to a lack of state funding, District 230 receives about 90% of its funding from local taxes, district officials said.
“It’s a just a reality in the state of Illinois at this point,” John Lavelle, assistant superintendent for business services. “For many, many school districts, especially in the collar counties in the Chicagoland area, state sources haven’t changed a whole lot.”
Lavelle said District 230 is a tier 2 school district, that translates into at most 18% of new funding from the state. Federal funding supports special education departments and offers grants for specific programs.
The district ended up with a slight surplus, less than 1% of the $178 million budget, Lavelle said. The district strives to have about six months worth of operating funds available at the end of each year to prevent the interest incurred from short term borrowing.
“We’re not looking for rate increases; we’re not looking to borrow money in the future,” Lavelle said.
He said the district will seek to levy additional funding, which voters will see on the November ballot.
In response to the nearby Rich Township High Schools and Park Forest-Chicago Heights District 163 going into “soft lockdowns” last week due to social media threats of violence, Superintendent Robert Nolting highlighted security measures taken at Sandburg, Andrew and Stagg high schools.
Nolting said over the past seven years, the district added security staff for after-school programs, hired three school resource officers, instituted background checks for visitors and changed the entry and exit system for students.
“These things do come at a cost, but our district I think has done a great job realizing that that cost is not worth making our schools unsafe,” Nolting said.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
