Schools
Mokena School D159 Member Pat Markham Considers Resigning
Pat Markham, who was elected to a four-year term in 2011, is considering whether or not to resign from Mokena School Dist. 159 Board of Education.
Mokena School Dist. 159 Board Member Pat Markham is pondering whether or not he should resign. Elected in 2011, Markham characterized the current board as having a "spending mentality."
For instance, he said he is opposed to the issue of tuition reimbursements for administrators. The idea of authorizing about $30,000 a year in tuition reimbursements for administrators goes against Markham's philosophy, which is largely built on reducing parent-paid fees for transportation and extra-curricular activities.
"Personally, I don't mind (tuition reimbursement) it if it doesn't create a deficit and the parents have been relieved of these excessive fees first," said Markham.
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Markham, the former president of the board, said he isn't fending off a foe. "I supported Danielle Didrickson's election. I voted for her as president (of the board.)"
Particularly, Markham said, the annual transportation fee rubs him the wrong way. Parents are being charged $200 a year per child to ride the bus to school. "If they have three kids, it's not going to cost anymore to run the bus (than it does for one child.) But that family pays $600 a year.
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He further objects to extra-curricular fees to play basketball and other sports at school.
Markham points to the district's $1.6 million surplus. It's time, he said, to start reducing fees.
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Since June, Markham has chosen not to attend the last two board meetings held June 19 and July 17. He also missed a committee meeting.
"I will not stand for any spending in any area, if fist we have not given consideration for the oppressive fees charged the parents."
Markham and Member Joe Spalla are the only ones left from the previous board. The others—Didrickson, Vice President Jim Andresen, Secretary Anna Briscoe and Member Cesta— were elected in April to four-year terms, 2013-2017.
Board Member Mike Ford, who was elected to a four-year term in 2011, resigned June 5. His decision was based on a disagreement with board leadership over an in-district residency rule. Ford sold his home in March. It sold much faster than he had anticipated, considering the current housing market, he said. The board gave him 90 days to re-establish residency.
He said by the time he was officially informed of the 90-day rule, he had less than a month to comply. He took personal offense at the board's action and decided to resign. He and his family had moved temporarily to unincorporated New Lenox, while making plans to return to the district.
Andresen said there was never an agenda to get Ford off the board. Ford resigned June 5 when he could not satisfy requirements to move back into the district in time to meet a deadline.
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