L a k e P a r k H i g h S c h o o l B o a r d
Highlights
OctoBER 2006 Vol. 30,
No.3
Incentive offered for support staff to retire
School security stepped up in wake of other shootings
Students honored for test achievements
Retirement incentive offered to cut staffing costs
The Lake Park High School District 108 Board of Education approved a
retirement incentive program for support staff with the hope of saving money through attrition and
lower salaries for replacement workers.
The plan is similar to the plan offered last year, however, it will not be
considered again until 2012.
Support staff such as secretaries, teacher aides, hall monitors and
custodians who are 55 years old by June 30, 2007 and who have a minimum of 20 years in IMRF are
eligible. Employees will be offered $1,250 for every year of service over 20 years to a maximum of
$12,500. The money would be paid over a minimum of four pay periods and also increase the
individual’s IMRF pension annuity.
There are 17 employees that would qualify for the program, but it will be up
to the individual to accept the incentive. No one will be forced to retire. Last year, the
incentive program was offered and it saved the district $182,122 in staffing expenses for the
2006-07 school year. This year’s incentive program gives employees more notice to decide if they
wish to participate, said Dr. Marge Eskey, executive director of personnel.
Jeff O’Connell, assistant superintendent for business, said the district is
facing a deficit of about $650,000 and could save thousands if people who take advantage of the
program are not replaced. At minimum, replacements would be hired at lower salaries than the
long-time employees, also reducing staffing costs.
The board voted unanimously to offer the plan one more time before taking it off the books until at least 2012.
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School security stepped up in wake of other shootings
Lake Park officials have implemented additional security measures in the wake
of the recent spate of school shootings across the country. A visitor at the Board of Education
meeting Oct. 23 raised the question.
At East Campus all doors locked before 7:30 a.m. except the main entrance,
accessible off the circle drive. All parents who drop off their children before 7:30 should drop
them off in front of the building.
After 7:30 a.m., the regular drop off points will be open until the start of
school at 8:05 a.m. Parents can drop off at the south end of the building in the lot adjacent to
Acacia Lane or at the back of the building. Monitors will be stationed at those doors for extra
security. The circle drive will be closed for buses.
At 8:05, the entire building is locked down and all visitors must be buzzed
in at the front entrance. In addition, the School Police Liaison officers are increasing their
presence at both campuses. Officers at both East and West Campus will be in uniform with marked
squad cars parked in front of the buildings.
“It’s a nice deterrent. It’s important that any passerby knows there is a
police officer inside,” said East Campus assistant principal Phil Wright, who implemented the
security changes at East. Roselle Police Chief James Kruger Jr. allocated the marked squads to the
schools. “Every time a school shooting hits the news, it makes you take a hard look at things to
ensure we are doing all we can to prevent something happening here at Lake Park,” Wright
said.
This increased monitoring supplements the security system already in place,
which includes surveillance cameras on the outside and interior hallways and public areas of the
building, front desk security and visitor badges.
At West Campus, students can enter at the west end of the building from the
senior parking lot or through the front main entrances before school. All other doors are locked
for security. When the first bell rings, only the main entrance is open, where visitors must sign
in before given access to the building.
In addition, the district is implementing a web-based crisis planning tool
that standardizes descriptions and job functions so that district personnel can work seamlessly
with emergency personnel in a crisis situation. The district also participates in a Village of
Roselle School Safety Committee, which includes staff from all emergency departments and sender
schools.
Students honored for test achievements
The following students were honored by the Board of Education at its
regular meeting Oct. 23.
Elizabeth Necka
—National Merit Scholarship semifinalist
Sonia D. Menon
– Semifinalist in Achievement Scholarship Competition
Their selection was based on test scores of the 2005 Preliminary
SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and represent less than one percent of the U.S. High
School seniors.
To become finalists, the students must have a record of very high
academic performance, be endorsed by their school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm their
earlier qualifying test performance. The approximately 15,000 semifinalists will compete for one of
3,600 national merit scholarships.
Keith E. Chaves and Sara Sanchez – National Hispanic Scholars
This year, more than 175,000 PSAT/NMSQT takers nationwide identified
themselves as Hispanic, and 4,700 of those students have been recognized as National Hispanic
Scholars or Honorable Mention Finalists based upon their test scores and academic
achievements.
No monetary award is associated with this selection. However, the
College Board provides the names of selected students to subscribing colleges and universities.
Many of these institutions actively recruit these students and may offer financial support based on
the College Board’s recognition.
National Merit Commended:
Sixteen
students have been named Commended Students in the 2007 National
Merit Scholarship Program. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are
being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among
the top five percent of more than one million students who entered the 2007 competition by taking
the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
(PSAT/NMSQT).
The commended students are: Michael Aument
Stephanie Behnke
Michelle Block
Tiffany Boncan
Joshua Cannata
Keith Chavez
Alexander Chen
Christopher Flanagan
Steven Gregor
James Hancock
Radu Mirea
Emily Noonan
Jonathan Padish
Shannon Page
Jack Shen
Mary Vogel