Same excuses as always from the tax gobblin school districts.

What a crock of doggy doo. If you or I lost 16% of our income we would have to cut back to make up the difference. With the "public" service people, including teachers, have not learned is that they also have to learn to live within their means. The tax rate went up to make sure that the schools and other public Service do not lose what they made last year. Any other excuse is just CR*P

Why should oak forest tax payers have to pay for this? Find other ways to fix ur problem! Got to get out of this county!!!

Tax and Spend Tax and Spend. Keep voting for the same people this is what you get! Familiarity, Breeds Contempt!

http://bhsd228.schoolwires.net/cms/lib6/IL01001099/Centricity/Domain/18/2012-0515Regular.pdf

This is the minutes from the May board meeting.

Reading the minutes from the meeting I see mention of PTAB (property tax appeal board). Looking at the minutes from all the meetings you see this a lot. Are all these people appealing their taxes, who decides this?? I also see where these appeals appear to be costing the district money for lawyers and appraisals. The least this board could do his hire lawyers who operate a business in our district.

Ridiculous! I need to get out of oak forest,I can't even send my kid to public school for free,because all of the slime,garbage that comes in from the ghetto areas! Have to spend $$$$ for private! Wtf,I'm paying for ghetto ass kids to go to school on my tax dime!

I am not happy about the tax increases also. I have chose private education which is faith based. All children deserve the best education no matter what their parents' financial contribution to the community is. We have wonderful services in our town. Our library is outstanding. If you are truly unhappy with your tax bill, look at what services you are paying for and at least try and enjoy them. We have great parks and park district activities. We have police and fire protection full-time. Public works are quick to remove diseases trees and snow. Our village is clean and we have good water supply. My tax bill is expensive, but we have good services.

Historical EAV’s & Tax Rates
The Finance Committee discussed the recent levy and the decrease in EAV by $290,000,000 which
caused a negative impact on the tax rates. This is a result of the reassessment and not based on the district
increasing the levy.

That statement came out of the June Finance meeting for 228. Maybe someone can help me out here; If my property value went down and I pay a percentage to 228, why am I paying more?

The minutes for these public boards are intentionally difficult to understand. Shame on them!

Your assessed value went down by cook county. The city municipalities lost money as did all other local communities so in turn the multiplier for the taxation was increased therefore the villages could have more money to balance their budgets. The residents bear the burden of increased taxes even residents on a senior freeze were affected. Really no one caught any tax relief.

Caution this is why the government wants drones to be flying over the U.S. they expect a U.S.tea party . They do not want to loose what they are stealing from every tax payer, and will use any means to keep their share of the billions of tax monies they are sending to their friends aka contracts that do not get looked into.If our pay went up at the same rate as theirs (as well as benifits) we all would be millionaires Just think if all our employers had to fund our retirement the same as politians as well as medical we all would be doing just great.

I didn't live in OF yrs ago but please tell me why certain parts of OF residents pay into sandburg school if they put the $ into 228 wouldn't our taxes reduce?

District 228 boundaries do not necessarily match OF city boundaries. Also OFHS is pretty much maxed out on capacity, witness the trailers they teach some classes in.

I think Bill Kendall and his staff should take at least a 50% pay cut..Be a Leader..

The good all days are Gone!!! Lets outsource their jobs to China....

They have the average salary posted on the BHSD228 website in the proposed new report card for the school. While it's a lot of money I find it interesting that they don't post the average administrators salary or the school boards expenses. When we have a board member on here for almost 20 years controlling the finance committee, it appears to me she is hiding behind the skirts of President Stearns and calling all the shots. Her sons law firm does business with 228, she controls Midlothian Park District where she hides behind another 228 board member who handles FOIA requests by personal visit only. Both 228 and MPD are involved with the questionable Bremen Township Trustee of schools which had a coup some months back. Where guess who was made president? Debi Stearns. You see this board member got mud on her face some years back and now calls the shots from behind the curtain a la the wizard of OZ. No we're not in Kansas anymore Toto this is Crook County were it's not what you know it's who you know. So if you want to restore education to our schools we need to hold the boards feet to the fire on money and test scores.

“It’s important to note that this increase is not because of action taken by District 228,” Kendall said. -- If the district raised the levy, they raised the tax and the statement by Kendall is a bald face lie. His statement would only be true if the district did not increase the levy.

The increase in school registration fees to $300.00 was a direct action of the 228 finance committee. This committee is headed by Evelyn Gleason who will not be paying this fee. People need to keep an eye on this board they do not have the kids best interest in mind. They use the schools as a jobs program for there friends and family.

228 Master Plan revealed at last years budget meeting. Our taxes just are not high enough.

He added that the district is being very careful and utilizing its ability to borrow to maintain a manageable deficit. He then showed a schedule of the debt services for the coming fiscal year and projections through 2016. O'Malley said that after 2016, the district could be debt-free, something that is almost unheard of.

O'Malley said this could be possible through two options: a tax referendum or the district's borrowing power. He said the ideal would be the referendum, because it would have no fees associated with it. While borrowing would incur fees that the district would have to pay back.

“If we can get the community members to buy into a tax rate increases like we did in 1995

http://www.brementts.org/uploads/MinutesApproved20110817.pdf [Note page 6]
http://www.brementts.org/uploads/MinutesApproved20120106.pdf What law firm does Debi have in mind?

http://bhsd228.schoolwires.net/cms/lib6/IL01001099/Centricity/Domain/18/Finance2012-0313.pdf

PTAB is apparently a deal for over $25k with no competing bids

http://bhsd228.schoolwires.net/cms/lib6/IL01001099/Centricity/Domain/18/2012-0320Regular.pdf

note attorney PTAB Resolution

http://www.sragahauser.com/attorneys/william_gleason.shtml

Is this fine looking young man any relation to the Finance Chairperson???

I wouldn't want to speculate.

When Dist. 228 actions cause more and more in legal fees, which go to the law firm of the son of the longest sitting member, Evelyn Gleason, where is the incentive to focus on the kids? The good people of the district continue to pay for her mistakes (remember Mitchell). It actually seems the more she screws up the more business her kid gets. The more the rest of us that have to pay her sons law firm. She was publicly upset when the BTTS stuck the district with legals fees from it's board members. But how upset could she really be when it just meant more business to her kids law firm (much more) I've heard of helicopter parents for kids in college but gee Evelyn let him live his own life already, apparently you don't feel he could make it on his own. Has this board ever pursued a competing bid? Now I know why you want to stay on the school board, it's for your kid, not the kids of the district. This money should go to the classroom.

Robbed again.

It looks like the math is wrong. At least I hope it is. A $14 increase per $1000 in value, means a $2800 increase for a $200,000 home. That means a lot of for sale signs going up.

Maybe we are all being forced to pitch in so the Olympians don't have to pay tax on their winnings. That is the way MARXIST SOCIALISM works.....and fails. If someone stops paying.....everyone pays more $$$$. It is also a PONZI SCHEME that only benefits those at the top.Marxist/Socialism is DECEPTIVE robbery of the 99% that always ends in trickle down poverty and trickle down fascism...Blame the failure of MARXIST SOCIALISM and KEYNSIAN ECONOMICS.....it always ends in the complete bankruptcy of the PEOPLE......when the 99% can't pay for everyone else anymore..that is when the COMMIES offer to "fix " the problems they create with COMPLETE COMMUNISM....DON'T LIKE IT....? VOTE OUT THE ALINSKYITES..

Marxist Socialism is a set up to fail for the 99%....disguised as other things such as the KEYNSIAN MONETARY POLICY of the FEDERAL RESERVE.....SECRET SOCIALISM ....PROGRESSIVE TAXATION.....It is instituted by fake money lending.....fiat currency.....fraudulent investing.....social security......Medicare.....property tax.....OBAMACARE....IT IS SNEAKY COMMUNISM...The politicians have failed US.

The fraudclosures are blighting our communities as well... EVERYONE is paying for $1.2 QUADRILLION DOLLARS IN UNSUSTAINABLE CREDIT DERIVATIVES BANKSTER FRAUD...!

I think Ozzie Guillen put it best when he said they are all liars and the are all full of it.