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Monday, May 6, 2013
PROMOTING READING • LOCAL, A3
PREP BASEBALL • SPORTS, B1
Bookcase Project delights preschoolers
Coaches cautious with pitch counts
Vaughn Jones
Lissa Thompson and son Jackson Brovelli
DeKalb schools weigh pre-K plan Board to consider $719K proposal to consolidate early childhood programs at Chesebro By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The new members of the DeKalb school board will begin their term discussing the merits of having a permanent early childhood/pre-kindergarten education program. Vickie Hernan-Faivre, Mary Hess and Victoria Newport, along with the rest of the DeKalb School District 428 board, will weigh in Tuesday on whether to spend $719,000 to
consolidate the EC/Pre-K program at Chesebro Elementary School. Chesebro has not been used for educating students since 2011. The startup cost for the program includes $425,000 in renovations to the building, records show. Superintendent James Briscoe said there are educational and financial benefits to having a EC/Pre-K program in one location. The district has early childhood programs at
Brooks and Tyler elementary schools, and a pre-kindergarten program at Jefferson Elementary. “It’s just good for kids, good for learning, and a great way to utilize resources more efficiently,” Briscoe said. Briscoe said the centralization would allow teachers to be more creative in teaching and intervening with potential problem children. The presentation board members will see cites numer-
ous studies that show the potential for savings. A 2005 study from the National Association for the Education of Young Children states that “for every dollar spent on high-quality early intervening programs, we can save $12 in the future.” But district officials also state in their documents that there are no immediate cost savings associated with the move. Briscoe acknowledged that one of the bigger challenges with the program is its op-
erating costs. The district will have to hire additional staff for Chesebro – including a custodian, a health assistant, secretary and part-time administrator – at a total of $210,000 a year, with other costs coming in at $73,000. The school district has a budget deficit of $2.3 million this school year. “There are a lot of things the board will have to work through,” Briscoe said.
If you go n What: DeKalb School Board 428 Board of Education meeting n When: 7 p.m. Tuesday. A reception welcoming the new board members will begin at 6:15 p.m. n Where: DeKalb High School Cafeteria, 501 W. Dresser Road, DeKalb
See BOARD PREVIEW, page A6
Lawmakers have options
CINCO DE MAYO
CELEBRATION a city staple
2 potential ways to address Illinois’ pension problems By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Photos by Erik Anderson for Shaw Media
Laura Gagalski of Sycamore photographs her son, Aidan (not pictured), while a goat reaches for some food in her hand Sunday in the petting area of the 16th annual Cinco de Mayo festival in downtown Sycamore behind Taxco restaurant.
Sycamore’s Cinco de Mayo festival marks 16th year By STEPHANIE HICKMAN
Voice your opinion
shickman@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Jesus Romero was worried the weather might be a factor in the turnout of his annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. But he didn’t expect it would be a beneficial one. “I’m overwhelmed,” he said, “I’m so excited. We prepared for a lot less. [The weather] was way too nice.” More than 1,000 community members wandered the streets of downtown Sycamore behind Taxco Restaurant on Sunday for Romero’s annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. Guests enjoyed traditional Mexican food, dancing and activities including pony rides, face painting and a rock climbing wall for the children. The event has become a Sycamore staple, and many local families, including Barb Larson’s, visit the celebration
How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Let us know at daily-chronicle.com.
Callie Countryman, 4, of Sycamore gets her face painted by Madelyn Loellke, 15, a freshman at Sycamore High School and the vice president of the Art Club. every year. “We come out to support the community and help out Jesus [Romero],” Larson said. Romero, owner of Taxco Restaurant, which supplied food for the guests, started the event 16 years ago in an effort to raise money for his local
Relay for Life team. He had planned for a small fundraiser, but ended up trying to accommodate about 500 people. He recalled running out of food and not being able to keep up with the “disaster.” Despite the chaos, Romero managed to raise about $600.
The next year, he tripled that amount in fundraising. The event has been a Sycamore tradition ever since. After almost two decades of holding Cinco de Mayo events, Romero has raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofit organizations, which he credits to the supportive community. “I’ve been so blessed to be in Sycamore,” he said. This year’s event benefitted the Kishwaukee College Foundation’s scholarships and the Kishwaukee Education Consortium, a private culinary arts program on the school’s campus.
See CINCO DE MAYO, page A6
CHICAGO – After years of trying, lawmakers return to Springfield today with something they haven’t had before: two potential options for finally addressing Illinois’ multibillion-dollar pension problem. Last week, the Illinois House approved legislation sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, marking the first time the chamber has advanced a unilateral pension proposal in four years of debate. Senate President John Cullerton and union leaders also announced they had sketched out an as-yet-undisclosed plan that a Cullerton spokeswoman described as “substantive.” Now, lawmakers must weigh each proposal, including how much money it could save the state and the likelihood it could survive an inevitable court challenge. The Illinois Constitution states that membership in a pension or retirement system “shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.” Union leaders have vowed to file lawsuits against any plan they think violates that language. If the Illinois Supreme Court sides with them, the state could be right back where it started – but with an unfunded pension liability even larger than the current $97 billion shortfall. Cullerton believes his plan is clearly constitutional and Madigan’s is not. Madigan counters that his proposal will pass court muster, save more money and would reduce the liability by $30 billion. It also seems to be the measure with the most momentum and bipartisan support, as well as backing from Gov. Pat Quinn. The Chicago Democrat said last week that his plan “obviously does not make everyone happy,” but that it’s necessary to deal with the state’s severe financial problems. Those problems are outlined in a nine-page preamble that Madigan included in the legislation to show the courts what the state was up against when the legislation was approved. He and other supporters believe justices will find that Illinois’ dire finances justify cutting benefits, despite what’s in the constitution. The plan also has support from Senate Republicans, said Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno. “We are certainly hopeful we get an opportunity to vote on [it],” Schuh said. Rikeesha Phelon, a spokeswoman for Cullerton, said he will ask Senate Democrats to calculate the risks when they meet this afternoon. “The end of that calculation may be ‘Let’s go for it,’” Phelon said, referring to Madigan’s bill. “We’ll have to see.” Here’s a look at the options:
Madigan Plan • Applies to four of the five public employee pension systems: teachers, public university employees, state workers and legislators. Not included are judges, who may have to rule on whether the legislation is constitutional.
See PENSION, page A6
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A2 A3 A4
National and world news Opinions Sports
Weather A4, 6 A7 B1-4
Advice Comics Classified
B5 B6 B7-10
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