Retired Educator Provides Money-Saving Guidance to Lincoln-Way 210 Board of Education Before August 13, 2015 School Closure

Lee R. Talley is a resident and taxpayer in Tinley Park.

Talley is also a retired educator and administrator, and former Board of Education member from Thornton Township High School District 205.

When Talley addressed the Lincoln-Way 210 Board of Education last July, he said he was drawing from his own experience in a financially troubled school district.

"I'm here to speak as a retired educator who worked under circumstances that are more extreme than what you're currently facing," Talley said in his speech.

Talley said Lincoln-Way 210 residents are already facing a huge tax burden. That measures could be taken to save and use resources more wisely.

In the speech, Talley listed a few ways money could be saved and told the Board that even the smallest of savings add up.

"So here's a reminder: pennies add up to nickels, nickels add up to dimes, dimes add up to dollars," Talley told the Board.

This is the first of four speeches made by Talley in the past year. His other speeches will be published her in days ahead.

Delivered at Lincoln Way High School District 210 Board of Education meeting on July 1, 2015.

Lee Talley's speech in full:

"GOOD EVENING. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD AND ITS MEMBERS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. AND PLEASE NOTE THAT MY COMMENTS ARE NOT PERSONAL. THEY'RE BUSINESS.

"MY NAME IS LEE R. TALLEY. I AM A RESIDENT AND TAXPAYER IN ... TINLEY PARK. I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT LINCOLN WAY NORTH IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD HIGH SCHOOL.

"I BECAME VERY CONCERNED WHEN I READ THAT LINCOLN WAY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 210 IS IN SERIOUS FINANCIAL TROUBLE. I WONDERED, "HOW COULD THIS BE?" YOU SEE I ASK THIS BECAUSE THE PROPERTY TAXES IN MY AREA ARE VERY HIGH.

"IN 2013 DISTRICT 210'S PORTION OF MY TAX BILL WAS $2,355.23. IN 2014 THEY WERE $2,412.47 -- AN INCREASE OF $57.24 -- OR 2.4% (.0789 INCREASE OF THE MULTIPLIER). ACCORDING TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THE 2014 INFLATION RATE WAS .8% -- MEANING MY INCREASE SHOULD HAVE ONLY BEEN $18.84. THIS MEANS THE DISTRICT'S SPENDING IS OUTPACING INFLATION BY NEARLY 300%.

"AND NOW THE DISTRICT IS THINKING ABOUT A REFERENDUM TO ASK FOR TWO 5% TAX INCREASE IN CONSECUTIVE YEARS. FOR ME, THIS WOULD MEAN AN INCREASE OF $124.00 EACH YEAR, OR $250 AFTER TWO YEARS. MY TAXES ARE ABOUT $12,000 A YEAR. AS I TOLD THE WILL COUNTY BOARD AND THE TINLEY PARK VILLAGE BOARD, WE ARE OVERTAXED RIGHT NOW.

"MY TAX BILL CONSISTS OF 12 DIFFERENT TAXING BODIES. IF EVERY ONE OF THEM RAISES MY TAX $25.00 A YEAR, THAT'S A $300 INCREASE EVERY YEAR. YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY TAXING US OUT OF OUR HOMES. WE CAN'T AFFORD IT, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US ON A FIXED INCOME. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A REFERENDUM. I'LL TELL YOU NOW THAT IT WON'T PASS, AT LEAST NOT IN BROOKSIDE GLEN.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO DRIVE THE CADILLAC AND DRINK CHAMPAGNE WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE MONEY TO DRIVE A CHEVY AND DRINK BEER.

"NOW I'M NOT HERE TO RAIN ON ANYBODY'S PARADE AND I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO COME OFF AS SOME KNOW-IT-ALL WITH ALL THE ANSWERS BECAUSE I AM A HUGE SUPPORTER OF EDUCATION AND STRONGLY BELIEVE IN GOOD SCHOOLS. BUT I'M HERE TO SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE AS A RETIRED EDUCATOR WHO WORKED UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WERE MORE EXTREME THAN WHAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY FACING.

"I WAS A TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR IN THORNTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 205 FOR 28 YEARS. I WAS ALSO A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER BACK IN 1980'S. BACK IN THE LATE 1990'S WE FACED A DEFICIT OF NEARLY $100 MILLION. THINGS LOOKED DIRE BUT WE WORKED HARD AND GOT CREATIVE TO PARE IT DOWN TO AROUND $5 MILLION IN SEVEN YEARS.

"AT THAT TIME I WAS ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE OLD SICA CONFERENCE, THEN SERVED FOUR YEAR ON THE SWSC ACTIVITY BOARD, BEING NAMED ILLINOIS ACTIVITY DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR IN 2010.
WHEN I TOOK OVER AS ACTIVITY DIRECTOR AT THORNRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL IN 2002 I WAS HANDED A $17,000 DEFICIT. WHEN I LEFT NINE YEARS LATER THEY HAD A SURPLUS OF $64,000.

"HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID.

"WE REDUCED ACTIVITIES FROM 38 DOWN TO 12 STIPENDS. WE KEPT THE I.H.S.A. ACTIVITIES. WE CUT OUT LEVELS OF ATHLETICS AND MINOR SPORTS WHILE COMBINING OTHER'S INTO THREE-SCHOOL CO-OP TEAMS.
ACTIVITIES AND ATHLETICS WERE GIVEN THE DIRECTIVE THAT THEY ALL HAD TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING. SO WE HAD TO FUNDRAISE LIKE CRAZY. DURING MY TIME WE ONLY RAISED HOMECOMING TICKETS TO $20.00 AND PROM TICKETS TO $85.00, NEVER MISSING A BEAT. ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION WERE CHARGED A FEE FOR EACH SPORT.

"IN MY CASE, THE DOLLAR STORE BECAME ONE OF BEST BETS. WE SHOPPED THE SALES. PURCHASED ITEMS AT THE RESALE SHOPS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME TO DRAMA SETS. WE ALSO SOLICITS DONATIONS FROM CORPORATE SPONSORS AND VENDORS THAT DID BUSINESS WITH THE DISTRICT.

"WE ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF RULES -- WHATEVER WE DID HAD TO AT LEAST BREAK EVEN; AND ANYTHING THAT WAS PURCHASED HAD TO BE USED AT LEAST TWICE.

"WE ALSO SOLICIT DONATIONS FROM THE STAFF AND COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY AFTER ALL OUR DRAMA MATERIALS WERE DAMAGED IN A FIRE IN 2008. IN SHORT, WE WERE NOT TOO PROUD TO BEG FOR OR ACCEPT ANYTHING.

"OTHER CUTS WERE MADE ACROSS THE BOARD. OUR CLASSROOM BUDGETS WERE SLASHED BY 90%; WE HAD A THREE-YEAR PAY FREEZE, THEN A 3% SALARY REDUCTION IN 2011-2012. THE STAFF ALSO HAD TO INCREASE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO MEDICAL.

"ALL FREE-BEES FOR STAFF WERE ELIMINATED, INCLUDING T-SHIRTS, FOOD, AND GIFT ITEMS. WE KEPT ALL STAFF DEVELOPMENT IN-HOUSE SO AS NOT HAVING TO PAY OUTSIDE PRESENTERS. AND WE MADE CONSIDERABLE CUTS TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE.

"WE ALSO CHARGED FEES FOR EXTRA CLASSES AND DRIVERS EDUCATION; WE CUT BACK ON ELECTIVE CLASSES; AND WE SHORTENED AND COMBINED BUS ROUTES. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THINGS WE DID.

"THE DISTRICT WAS ALSO BIG ON WRITING GRANTS, NO MATTER HOW LARGE OR SMALL THE AMOUNT WAS. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTED. REMEMBER, WHEN YOU SPEND MONEY IT'S A DOUBLE-SPEND -- IF YOU WASTE MONEY ON SOMETHING THEN YOU TOOK IT AWAY FROM SOMETHING THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPENT ON.

"AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IN THIS DISTRICT WOULD BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS WHY THE DISTRICT MAILS HOME DIPLOMAS? YOU HAVE FOUR SCHOOLS WITH 400 GRADUATES; THAT'S 1600 DIPLOMAS MAILED HOME AT $5.00 A PIECE. THAT'S $8,000...OR $16,000 IF YOU USE MY METHOD. WHY? THINK ABOUT WHAT ELSE YOU COULD HAVE SPENT THAT MONEY ON?

"I WAS THE GRADUATION COORDINATOR AT TR. WE HAD THE GRADUATES MEET THEIR COUNSELORS IN THE CAFETERIA AFTER THE CEREMONY TO PICK UP THERE DIPLOMA. YOU ACT DISRESPECTFUL AT GRADUATION AND WE'LL SEE YOU ON MONDAY WITH YOUR PARENTS BEFORE YOU GET THAT COVETED PIECE OF PAPER. WE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. NOT ONCE!

"SO HERE'S A REMINDER, PENNIES ADD UP TO NICKELS; NICKELS ADD UP TO DIMES; AND DIMES ADD UP TO DOLLARS.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR WAY OF THINKING WHEN IT COMES TO FINANCES BECAUSE THE GOOD OL' DAYS ARE GONE...AND THEY AREN'T EVER COMING BACK.

THANK YOU."

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