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Saturday, June 1, 2013 •
The only daily newspaper published in Marian Central’s McHenry Co. Robert O’Brien
GIRLS SOCCER • SPORTS, C1
Caps off to Marian Central, J’burg grads
PR wins semifinals, 3-1; will play for state title
Shannon Patinella
Legislature fails to reach pension deal
Admin costs rise to 17 percent By KEVIN P. CRAVER The McHenry County Mental Health Board’s critics were much closer to the mark than its leaders as to how much the agency spends on administration, according to its end-of-year report. The board’s 2012 annual report released Tuesday puts the amount the board spent last fiscal year on administrative expenses at 17 percent. That’s almost three times the 6 percent that the board and its former president have quoted as criticism of its size and spending has mounted. The main reason for the almost threefold difference
is that the Mental Health Board categorized more expenses as administrative in its 2012 annual report than it did in the 2011 report from which the 6 percent figure emerged. Of the $14.9 million the Mental Health Board spent in 2012, it spent just under $2.5 million on administrative expenses. It includes salaries and benefits paid out to administrative employees, day-to-day operations, finishing the significant expansion of its Crystal Lake headquarters and starting to pay back the $3.5 million it borrowed to do so, according to the report and records obtained under the Illinois
See REPORT, page A6
Virtual charter president resigns; appeal in doubt By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com CARPENTERSVILLE – The Virtual Learning Solutions president has resigned nearly three months after the nonprofit unveiled plans to create a virtual charter school that drew the ire of 18 Fox Valley school districts. Sharnell Jackson said she voluntarily resigned last week from her post as president of Virtual Learning Solutions for personal reasons. The nonprofit formed in February to advance a controversial, online-only charter school in the Fox Valley that spanned 18 districts, including Carpentersville-based District 300. Jackson wouldn’t elaborate on the reasons for her
AP photo
Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, listens to the debate on the House floor Friday before the spring session was adjourned at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield.
Outraged lawmakers call for special session How legislators voted
resignation, which happened around the time Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law that prohibits the creation of virtual charter schools in Illinois until next April. “I still believe in virtual schooling and support it, but I no longer am a part of Virtual Learning Solutions,” Jackson said. “I resigned for personal reasons.” She did not know when the remaining board members of Virtual Learning Solutions would decide on her replacement as president. Jackson’s resignation comes after all 18 districts rejected Virtual Learning’s charter proposal. The nonprofit unveiled its plan to
CONCEALED CARRY n Passed Illinois Senate 45-12-1 Yes votes: Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry; Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington; Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles n Passed Illinois House 89-28 Yes votes: Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo; Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills; Rep. Tim Schmitz, R-Batavia; Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake; Rep. Barb Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake
No action taken n PENSIONS: The House adjourned without taking up the pension bill, a day after the Senate rejected a House-backed plan. n GAY MARRIAGE: The House sponsor of a measure that would allow same-sex marriage decided not to call the bill for a vote.
See CHARTERS, page A6
LOCALLY SPEAKING
By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com Illinois lawmakers left the state capitol Friday without resolving the state’s $100 billion pension crisis, an elusive legislative priority that had local legislators demanding an immediate special session to address it. Standing on the floor of the Illinois House, Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, called for Gov. Pat Quinn’s resignation if he didn’t show the leadership to order lawmakers to return to Springfield and fix the state’s $100 billion unfunded pension liability. The House and Senate passed competing pension legislation earlier this month, and lawmakers weren’t able to agree on which measure to send to the governor. Friday was the final day of the session. “Nothing is more important,” Franks told the Northwest Herald. “Our state is going to become insolvent because of this. If the governor
HUNTLEY
JACOBS, DUNDEE-CROWN SQUARE OFF The Jacobs and Dundee-Crown baseball teams finished at the bottom of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division, but they meet Saturday for a sectional championship. The winner advances to Monday’s 7 p.m. Rockford RiverHawks Supersectional against either St. Charles East or Wheaton North. For more, see page C1.
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
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CLASS OF 2013 • LOCAL, B1
Report backs Mental Health Board’s critics kcraver@shawmedia.com
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doesn’t call us back in a special session, he ought to resign because he is not leading.” Answering his critics, Quinn said in a statement following the House’s adjournment that he will call legislative leaders together in the next week to come up with solutions for the state’s pension crisis. The Chicago Democrat says the people of Illinois want the Legislature to put an agreement on his desk. The governor’s office says the unfunded pension liability grows by $17 million per day, squeezing out funding for education and other areas of the budget. Illinois has the nation’s worst state-pension crisis because lawmakers for years skipped or shorted payments. Legislators have tried for years to solve the problem but have repeatedly failed. The legislature on Friday also failed to take decisive votes on bills
See LEGISLATURE, page A4