RETRACTION

The Subject Statements made on the Proviso Insider on July 12, 2007, July 19, 2007, August 27, 2007, and December 15, 2007 regarding Burton S. Odelson, Mark H. Sterk and Odelson & Sterk, Ltd. are hereby unconditionally and unequivocally retracted and the Proviso Insider regrets the publication of those statements on the blog which were made without factual basis.

Bus Program Is A Tremendous Success at Proviso High Schools...

Forest Park, IL...Proviso Township High Schools are riding high as officials report the positive impact of PTHS 209’s transportation program.

Since the District began its free busing services it has had a significant impact on average daily attendance. In August 2008 the district began to offer free transportation for Proviso East and Proviso West to address truancy rates, improve average daily attendance (ADA), and improve overall student achievement. It was also designed to offer vital support to students and parents. Data collection and analysis shows that the program has done just that, and many students agree.

“The bus has definitely helped me,” said Proviso West junior Noemi Hernandez of Berkley. “I don’t have to walk to school. I get to school on time. I don’t have to pay to ride to school; and when it’s cold, my parents don’t have to pick me up.”

There are similar sentiments at Proviso East.

“The bus helps me and my family so much,” said Proviso East senior Melissa Borjas of Melrose Park. “It helps us save money because now I don’t have to pay for public transportation and it helps me get to school on time. I was having problems getting to school on time. I had to walk over five blocks just to catch the PACE bus to school. Now I just walk right out to the corner and wait for the bus. I’m never late.”

Since the transportation program was implemented, there have been dramatic decrease in the number of chronic late arrivals, while more moderate improvements have been achieved in monthly ADA percentages. In August 2008 prior to implementation of the transportation program, ADA was at 87% in January 2009 the rate was 94 %. Overall, because students are experiencing more time in class, student achievement is expected to improve. At both Proviso East and Proviso West the data shows that the percentage of grades issued in the range of A-C increased, while the percentage of grades from D-F decreased.

“While there are many factors that have contributed to the positive change in school climate, and an improvement in student achievement, there is no doubt that the transportation program has made a significant difference.” said PTHS 209 Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart. “I am very proud of how receptive out students and parents have been.”

In April, the PTHS 209 Board of Education received a full report on the impact of PTHS 209’s transportation program. The information was more welcomed news for the Board of Education who, in the past few years, has approved a wave of initiatives that focus on school improvement.

“We, on the Board of Education, are so pleased that this program has accomplished exactly what we hoped it would,” said PTHS 209 Board Member Robin Foreman. “Our students are getting to school safely and on time. They’re spending more time in class and we are seeing improvements all around. Everything that we do is about supporting our students and our communities. This program is one of many that we’ve implemented over the years and we are just delighted to see that it is having such a positive impact.”

Proviso High Schools Removed From Financial Watch List!!!

Proviso Township High Schools is poised to celebrate. After two years, the school system has officially been removed from the Illinois State Board of Education’s financial watch list.

“With the hard work of the Proviso Township High School Board of Education, the administrators, and the voluntary financial oversight panel, the district has greatly improved its finances and is no longer on financial watch,” said Illinois State Board of Education Division Administrator Debbie Vespa. “They have been working very hard—I know.”

PTHS 209 Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart echoed that sentiment and commended her administration for a job well done.

Each year, the state board analyzes school districts' finances and designates them as financially sound, under review, under warning or--in the worst case--on a financial watch list. After implementing an intense deficit reduction plan and working with Proviso stakeholders to better manage finances and reduce deficit spending, PTHS has moved from financial watch to the second highest category.

This feat is especially remarkable considering the financial crisis many schools are facing in the state of Illinois. This month, the Illinois State Board of Education released its annual report on the financial health of school districts. As expected, in the current economy, the picture is grim with few exceptions. However, Proviso Township High Schools has been on a steady school improvement track. Finances have been one of the district’s top priorities. While most school districts have standing deficits of tens of millions of dollars, Proviso’s operating deficit for FY09 was under $1 million. This is a victory that PTHS 209 attributes to the hard work of administration, the Board of Education, and the cooperation of PTHS stakeholders.

“We are extremely happy and proud that our hard work and collaborations are moving our school district forward,” said Dr. Nikita Johnson, PTHS 209 Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations. “That is what it’s all about. Our focus has been on our students. We have had to constantly analyze how we can best serve them; how we can continue to improve our academic programming while also improving and monitoring our finances.”

PTHS 209 Board President Chris Welch said, “This took strong leadership from our Board of Education, and it also took collaboration from all of our stakeholders. So, this is a cause for celebration. Most importantly, it is a strong indicator that we are on the right track in all aspects of our school improvement initiatives. This accomplishment gives us momentum to keep moving forward and to keep getting better.”

Johnson said, PTHS 209 administrators and the Board of Education will continue to work together in order to maintain the fiscal health of Proviso Township High Schools. Administrators remain cautious yet optimistic as a fiscal crisis and funding adjustments at the state level will require school districts statewide to continue to closely monitor finances and spending through 2011.

Former Maywood Mayor Ralph Conner Dies

According to the Proviso Herald, Former Maywood Mayor Ralph W. Conner has died.

Conner was born in Maywood and was involved in activities concerning black student support for Fred Hampton.

In the late 1970s Conner worked for the village of Maywood as a commercial loan specialist and served as the economic development director, the enterprise zoning administrator and the director of planning and development. He also served as building commissioner and on the staff for the Zoning and Planning Board of Appeals.

Conner ran for mayor in April 2001. Conner served as village president until April 2005.

He also ran for Proviso Township assessor and Cook County assessor.

Conner was hired as public affairs director in April 2005 by the Heartland Institute.

Charles Flowers Arrested For Theft...Faces Additional Charges!!!

According to published reports in the Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Southtown and Chicago Tribune, Charles Flowers, the embattled superintendent of the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, surrendered to authorities today at the Cook County courthouse in Maywood on public corruption charges.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has scheduled a press conference for 3:30 p.m. and is expected to announce criminal charges against Flowers for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the bankrupt agency.
Flowers and the agency are already fighting a civil suit brought in July by the state's attorney's office for failing to repay a $190,000 loan from the county. The suit alleges Flowers defrauded the county because he knew the agency could never be repaid due to its shattered finances.

The charges are the result of a separate criminal probe into allegations that he used agency funds for his own personal gain. Last year, a state audit found that the agency--which handles teacher certification and inspections for suburban schools--was $1 million in debt and accused Flowers of using a work credit card for personal use as well as giving a $6,000 advance to a relative he hired to work for him.

Proviso East Security Official Struck and Killed By Car...

The death of the 57-year-old man who was killed Friday night when he was struck by a vehicle in Maywood has been ruled an accident.

A Saturday autopsy by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said George Smith, 57, of 929 W. 19th Ave. in Bellwood, died of multiple injuries in an auto vs. pedestrian accident. The accident happened at 1st Avenue and School Street in Maywood, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The victim, George Smith, 57, of 929 W. 19th Ave. in Bellwood, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead at 8:47 p.m. Smith was employeed at Proviso East High School as a school security official.

Maywood police were not immediately available Saturday night. School officials are preparing to have grief counselors available for students on Monday.

Is Charles Flowers' Office Closed For Good?

According to the Daily Southtown, Charles Flowers might just be the last regional superintendent in suburban Cook County.

Legislation in the works calls for abolishing the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, as members of a committee backing the measure continue to toil away at a plan to efficiently distribute the responsibilities if the office disappears.

"We need to redesign the system," said Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Des Plaines), who introduced the bill to dissolve the office. "The real problem is the schools are not getting the services they need. I think eliminating that office is the best way to get those services."

Forest Ridge School District 142 Supt. Margaret Longo is leading a committee of academic, legal and financial minds proposing to disperse the regional office's current responsibilities to the three Intermediate Service Centers.

Suburban Cook's regional office - plagued by a lack of funding and being the largest in the state, with more than 140 school districts and 25,000 educators - is the only county in Illinois with the intermediate centers, which are charged with a number of duties other regional offices complete on their own.

The plan would be to work within the regional office's $1.5 million budget, increase assistance and bring the services closer to the teachers, Longo said.

"We understand the fiscal climate of our state," Longo said. "We just want a more effective use of our monies and time."

In effect, a number of districts that have run into roadblock after roadblock with Flowers' office have been operating without the regional office.

"It's been close to a year that I've even had to call them," said Atwood Heights School District 125 Supt. Tom Livingston, who, like many area superintendents, has directed his staff to neighboring regional offices and intermediate offices. "The call-back time, especially when I'd have an emergency like a student who may be considered homeless, was a problem."

It wouldn't be the first time the Legislature voted to do away with a regional office with a reputation of nepotism, bureaucracy and reckless spending. In 1991, lawmakers abolished the Cook County regional office of education, only to establish the suburban Cook County office, thanks in part to some heavy politicking.

With growing concerns regarding current Regional Supt. Flowers - who is the target of a criminal probe by the Cook County state's attorney's office for alleged financial and ethical misconduct - the calls to do away with the office once and for all are now louder than ever.

Flowers did not return calls for comment.

"It's just a shame that someone's lack of leadership and ineptness can cause a whole office to collapse, but if it will better serve the teachers, it has to be done," said Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman (R-Orland Park).

Both Nekritz and Longo emphasize the legislation, which is expected to come up for a vote in the spring session, targets only suburban Cook's regional office, not any of the other 44 statewide. No one even filed for the 2010 race for Flowers' spot, a spokeswoman for Cook County Clerk David Orr said.

A number of Southland districts rely on the intermediate center in Chicago Heights, and they can lean even harder if the legislation goes through, executive director Vanessa Kinder said.

"I think it's a very good, sound plan," said Kinder, who serves on the committee. "We already have a great reputation in our districts, and we're in their back yards."

STILL CLOSED

In a rush to avoid almost certain eviction for failure to pay more than $10,000 in back rent, regional schools chief Charles Flowers packed up the regional office of education and moved into a Broadview office building.

Seven working days later, Broadview officials closed it for not having the proper paperwork - namely an occupancy permit.

That was Nov. 10. As of Thursday afternoon, almost a month later, the office remained closed.

Not that anyone calling the regional office's general number would know. The voicemail message makes no mention of it. Only a message on the Web site reads "closed until further notice."

Numerous calls to the village of Broadview's building department were not returned.

Congressman Danny K. Davis to run for Re-Election for Congress, Drop Out of Race Against Todd Stroger

According to published reports in the Chicago Tribune, veteran U.S. Rep. Danny Davis today dropped his bid to challenge Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and said he will seek re-election to Congress.

Davis had hedged his bets by filing petitions for the Feb. 2 Democratic primary for county president as well as for the seat in Congress he has held for 13 years. A run for board president would end his career in the House.

"I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for Cook County Board president and instead will run for reelection," Davis said at a morning news conference. He said he likes being a congressman and "I'm good at it."


Davis said he realized that it would be "politically dangerous" for candidates from the same political and community base to run at the same time.
Stroger still faces a crowded field of challengers that includes Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, 4th, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien, the only white candidate for the Democratic nomination.

Black ministers earlier this fall had said they were worried the number of black challengers to Stroger could result in blacks losing the post, which an African American has held for more than a decade.

Davis said he met with Stroger Sunday as part of his decision process. "I talked with (Stroger) about the information I had and I talked with him about about the challenges of the race," Davis said.

Davis said it was a difficult decision but unity was the prime consideration. He said he will make an endorsement in the race but hasn't decided yet who it will be.

Several Democrats have filed to run for Davis' 7th District seat, but could opt to drop out now that he's staying in the federal race.

Todd Stroger Files to Run for Re-Election for Cook County Board President...

According to the Chicago Tribune, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger late Monday afternoon filed his paperwork to run for for re-election.

By waiting until just before the filing deadline, Stroger secured the last position on the ballot, which is considered second best to the first spot.

"I feel great," Stroger said after filing. "I feel like 150 pounds of dynamite."

Stroger joins a crowded Democratic field for county board president. It includes Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown; Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, 4th; and Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Chicago, has filed for both county board president and Congress. Davis will need to choose between the two by next Monday.

Stroger filed petitions with about 22,000 signatures. Nearly 8,150 valid signatures are needed to withstand a challenge. He has been considered politically vulnerable in the wake of a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase he pushed through the county board in February 2008.

Theresa L. Kelly Advised and Supported By Charles A. Flowers...

Where would Proviso Township High School District 209 be if Theresa L. Kelly and her cronies had won majority control of the school board following the 2007 School Board elections? According to state election records, Theresa L. Kelly received her financial and political support from disgraced Regional Superintendent Charles A. Flowers and his former staffers like Willie Mack. Flowers made numerous donations to her campaign and also sent recorded telephone messages to residents on her behalf. With Flowers as her advisor, would Proviso look like the Regional Superintendent's office? Most observers think so. After a scandal plagued year, Flowers has decided not to seek re-election in 2010, and he is desperately hoping to avoid legal trouble from the State's Attorney's office after his office was raided in July 2009. Voters will have a turn to oust Kelly in 2011. Stay Tuned.

Regional Superintendent Charles A. Flowers Moves Office...

According to the Daily Southtown, a quiet Charles Flowers sat sandwiched Monday between landlords accused of keeping derelict buildings and tenants with stories of rent checks lost in the mail.

The regional schools chief appeared in eviction court Monday - the deadline to move out of the Westchester space his office leased and pay more than $10,000 in back rent. But before standing in front of the judge, Flowers and the folks of Westchester School District 92 1 / 2 had reached an agreement the judge signed off on.

Flowers, who voluntarily moved out of the school's building Friday, gets 120 days to pay the $10,762 in back rent he owes the district.

School district attorney Jeff Goelitz said Flowers blamed his inability to pay the rent on late payments from the state.

"If they receive the money from the state, they have to pay up within 24 hours of receipt of it," Goelitz said.

Flowers' office is nearly $1 million in debt, according to a state audit. The Cook County state's attorney's office is investigating Flowers for alleged financial and ethical misdeeds and suing him for defaulting on a $190,000 taxpayer-backed loan.

The new location for the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education is at 2600 S. 25th Ave. in Broadview. The regional office's corner space in the two-story office building - which backs up to a warehouse and is flanked by a nearby trucking company's semi trucks - was open to the public Monday.

Flowers' office has been paying back rent in installments, according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. In July, he was about $20,000 behind on rent for February through July.

State law requires the county board in every county except Cook to provide a suitable space for the regional office. The state hasn't paid out the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education or any other regional office of education since July 1, Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Mary Fergus said.

The state has set aside more than $70,000 in state grant money for Flowers' office, but the comptroller has yet to cut the checks, Fergus said.

"We're backlogged over $3 billion in bills going back to the first of August because the revenues just aren't there," Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes' spokesman Alan Henry said. "I'm sure (Flowers' office is) in the queue somewhere. I'm not sure when they'll get the money."

Flowers, who did not answer a reporter's questions Monday, is due back in court Feb. 8. If he hasn't paid up in 120 days, it's up to the school district to take the next step.

"The board's option would be to go to court to ask the (regional office of education) to make good on the order, to pay up," Goelitz said. "We haven't had that discussion yet."

Costco Looking to Buy Kiddieland Property...

According to the Proviso Herald, an executive of Costco says the discount membership club wants to buy the former Kiddieland site in Melrose Park and open a store there. Dick DiCerchio, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of Costco, says "the plans are to go forward" to purchase the property at North and First avenues. "We are interested and have filed a letter of intent with the current property owners," he said. Kiddieland closed on Oct. 4 after operating for 81 years.

Proviso West Football Earns Playoff Birth!!!

The Proviso West football team has earned a playoff spot for the first time since 1974. The Panthers, 5-4, will play Taft, 8-1, on Friday or Saturday of this week. Stay tuned for further details.

ROE Flowers About to be Evicted...

According to the Daily Southtown, Charles Flowers has two weeks before a judge will boot him and his staff out of his rented office space - making it possibly the first time a regional schools office has been evicted.
Nearly $10,000 behind on rent for the offices he leases from Westchester School District 92 1/2 , Regional Supt. Flowers has until Nov. 2 to pay up and pack up, attorneys said Monday.

"The board of education [wants to] recoup the unpaid rent, and they want to gain possession of the office space," district attorney Jeff Goelitz said.
Flowers is the target of a criminal investigation by the Cook County state's attorney's office. The SouthtownStar first reported on the alleged financial and ethical misdeeds of Flowers and the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education - which is nearly $1 million in debt.
The Westchester school board filed eviction papers on Sept. 29, and Cook County sheriff's officials served the office Oct. 7. Flowers' office owed $9,933.36 at the time of the filing. That did not include rent for October and November - $3,429 per month - which is about $7,000.
The case was continued Monday after both parties agreed to hold off until Nov. 2, Goelitz said.
"The ROE believes that some of their financial difficulties are due to the state not sending their payments on," district attorney Terry Hodges said.
Even if he makes good on the nearly $17,000, the district wants him out.
This should come as no surprise for Flowers. Documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests reveal Flowers' office has a sporadic track record when it comes to making rent.
In July, the board sent a letter to Flowers telling him he had five days to make good on the $20,000 in back rent for February through July.
Business manager Julie Stearns proposed a payment plan that entailed almost weekly payments of $5,000, including the initial $5,000 charged to a credit card, documents show.
When the office failed to make good on the entire back rent by the agreed upon deadline of Aug. 21, the board moved for the eviction.
"We did try to work with him," board president Barbara Stanger said at the time.

WHAT NOW?

Charles Flowers has consistently refused to answer questions about the charges of financial mismanagement, but in the past he and his staffers have blamed the regional office of education's money problems on a lack of funding from the state.
State law does require the county board in every county except Cook to provide a suitable space for the regional office.
Cook County's unusual situation dates back to money problems with some of Flowers' predecessors. The state Legislature abolished the Cook County regional schools office in 1994 and resurrected it in 1995 - minus responsibility for Chicago city schools and minus any county funding for an office.
If Flowers is evicted, he still is legally responsible for providing services to the 143 school districts in his area, said Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Mary Fergus, who added she was not aware of any other regional office losing its office space in an eviction.
As for the public records, they are covered by the State or Local Records Act, which bans records from being destroyed or abandoned unless scheduled for destruction, said Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler.
"In short, they will have to ensure the integrity of the records by storing them somewhere or otherwise providing for their safekeeping until the matter is ultimately resolved," she said.

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FLOWERS' WOES

Since accusations of financial improprieties at the regional school office surfaced, Supt. Charles Flowers has faced a growing list of problems:
• He's the target of a criminal probe by the Cook County state's attorney's office.
• He's being sued for fraud over an unpaid $190,000 loan from the Cook County Board.
• The Illinois State Board of Education has moved to revoke his professional certificates, which could force him from office.

ROE Charles Flowers Appoints Johnny Diggs To Maywood SD89 Board of Education...

According to reports, Regional Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Flowers has appointed his former press secretary Johnny Diggs to the Maywood SD89 Board of Education to replace G. Ric Cervone who resigned in August. Diggs was appointed by Flowers after the Board could not agree on a replacement. The Board was reportedly split down the middle for Diggs and another candidate.

Teacher Mourned At Proviso Math and Science Academy...

In twos and threes, some crying, some talking, students at the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy spent their lunch hours Friday remembering their teacher, coach, mentor and friend, Tom Dix.

After a long, hard battle with cancer, Dix, 39, founder of the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy robotics club, died early morning Sept. 17.

"This is an unfortunate loss for the Proviso family. Our hearts go out to him and his family. He will be sorely missed," School Board President Chris Welch said. "He left an impression on PMSA that will live on for a long time. Our robotics program was extremely successful and the kids loved him."

Dix started teaching at PMSA in the 2006-2007 school year. School officials said the innovation lab where the robotics club worked will be dedicated to Dix.

"He took an empty shell and made it into a vibrant lab and used it in the way it was intended," PMSA Principal Ed Moyer said.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology program participant Jackie Moore, team manager for the Chicago Knights robotics team, said Dix was an honored FIRST knight.

"We met in May of 2006 when he was looking to start a (FIRST Lego League)," Moore said. "His passion for teaching and the value of FIRST was so great that he changed schools twice before he started the team."

Moore said of the many people she had helped form robotics teams, Dix was the most persistent and consistently committed.

"Shortly after aggressive (cancer) treatment, he managed to sit in the stands and cheer his team on last year," she said. "That is a memory of him that I will hold dear."

Parent and robotics club volunteer Jocelyn Gougisha said Dix was more like one of the students in the club than a teacher.

"His enthusiasm was like that of the teenagers," she said. "He put his heart and soul into it when he brought the robotics team to PMSA."

Gougisha said Moyer saw that enthusiasm and gave him support.

"You have no idea what it means to this area to introduce the kids to the world of robotics and engineering," she said. "He's inspired friends, parents and other teachers to come in and help. That's his legacy."

Moyer said Dix helped rebuild the physics program and spent countless hours working on the robotics program.

"The first year was entirely his own," Moyer said. "He was incredibly committed to kids and I deeply value that in a teacher. He was an amazing person."

The news of Dix's death spread through the building like wildfire, Moyer said, and many students knew about it before the staff.

"It impacted the robotics students the hardest, but he had made an impact on so many kids," he said. "Kids organized a gathering in his classroom during the lunch periods. It was the opportunity for students to say anything they wanted to. Or to not say anything. Some were crying. Some were drawing. They started signing the first robot they had made."

Moyer said staff wanted to make sure they were there to support students.

"This is our first loss as a community," he said. "It was hard. Today was better. Monday will get a little better still. He would have wanted the kids to go on."

The challenge now is to keep the work alive. The team is solid with students and parents and community volunteers, but Moyer said he has to find someone with the background in science and engineering.

"We will miss (Dix's) leadership. All the things he took care of, we have to make sure those don't fall through the cracks," Moyer said. "We will see who we can recruit. But the kids have put in too much time and effort - this season is going to be for Mr. Dix."

There will be a memorial service honoring Dix at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at the 19th Century Club, 178 Forest Ave. in Oak Park. RSVP to Judy Erickson, jemessage1@yahoo.com or call (708) 386-4330. Donations are welcome to PMSA's robotics club and can be sent to Janet Redmond at PMSA.

(This story was written by Mario Bartoletti of the Proviso Herald Newspaper.)

Chicago Sun-Times Ranks Proviso West Football In Top 25!!!

The Proviso West Panther Football team has been ranked in the Chicago Sun-Times Top 25 for the first time ever. The Panthers, behind the strength of top national prospect Kyle Prater, have started the season 4-0 for the first time in the school's 51 year history. Prater has already been signed the USC Trojans.

Grocery Store Opening In Maywood Soon!!!

According to the Proviso Herald, the Village of Maywood took a giant step forward in finalizing a full-service grocery store by officially closing with Maywood Market LLC and Plaza Bank on Aug. 20.

The title to the 601 S. Fifth Ave. property was conveyed to the store owners and the financing was put in place.

"We are pleased that another major step has been taken so our community can have a full-service grocery store," stated Mayor Henderson Yarbrough Sr. "We eagerly anticipate that by Thanksgiving, Maywood Market will officially open its doors to our village," he added.

Since the closing, the developer has been actively rehabilitating the existing building and planning for improved parking on the site.

Maywood Market will contain a bakery, meat and seafood departments, a deli, frozen food section, fresh fruits and vegetables and dairy perishables. The grocery store will carry a full line of products found in major grocery stores, with a mixture of private label and national brands.

School DIstrict 89 Deadlocked Over Board Vacancy...

According to the Proviso Herald, although seven candidates showed up Friday with hopes of filling a vacant Elementary School District 89 School Board seat, no one was selected.

School Board members interviewed the potential candidates to fill former board member Guy Ric Cervone's seat until April 2011. Cervone resigned from the board seat after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges in July.

Those who were being considered for the board seat were: Johnny Diggs, Hugues Zoffoun, Corey Cooper, Gladys Culbreth, Antonio Favela, Veronica Lopez and Marsha Ballenger.

The board went into executive session to interview all of the candidates. But when the board reconvened in the open meeting, the six members were split down the middle on their selections.

A motion was made to appoint Diggs to the seat, but failed 3-3 due to lack of a majority vote. Board members Maria Urso, Jaime Anguiano and Loretta Gustello voted against his appointment and Lequita Neely, Regina Rivers and Grady Rivers Jr. voted in favor of it.

Another motion was made to appoint Veronica Lopez to the seat, but it also failed 3-3 with the three trustees who voted against Diggs voting in favor of Lopez and the other three board members voting against Lopez.

"I supported Johnny Diggs and we had to narrow it (the field) down and we could not come to an agreement," Neely said.

"Other names could have been called and that's what it boils down to. I wish we could come to an agreement. I had no idea it would be a stalemate. I thought we were going to be able to decide on a board member."

"If you are indecisive, you should abstain," she said. "So that (the vote deadlock) took me by surprise. Are you truly voting your conscience or are you voting to block something?"

The School Board has 45 days to choose a replacement. Rivers said the deadline for the board to choose a replacement is Sept. 28 and believes the board will not be meeting until next month, which is when their next scheduled board meeting will take place.

Illinois School code states that if a school board does not fill the vacancy within that time frame, the regional superintendent of schools has the authority to fill the seat within 30 days.

This isn't the first time the District 89 board has been evenly split in voting on issues. At their Aug. 13 meeting the board was split on whether or not to keep the district's health insurance broker.

Elementary School District 89 serves parts of Maywood, Bellwood, Melrose Park and Broadview.

Cook County Property Tax Bills Delayed!!!

A due date of no earlier than Nov. 16 is anticipated for the second installment of Cook County property tax bills for tax year 2008, according to information from the Cook County Treasurer's Office.

Final figures to print the bills have not yet been received by the Treasurer's Office. Bills will be finalized, printed and mailed out after other agencies complete their calculations and testing, according to the Treasurer's Office