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News
School advisory committees take shape : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisSchool advisory committees take shape
| More than 30 residents apply to serve on finance, operations committee
| by Lyle R. Rolfe
| 11/22/2012
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Work is proceeding on the Oswego School District's Advisory Committees, Superintendent, Dr. Matthew Wendt told board members recently.
Wendt said they have received a large number of applications for two of the four committees: Finance and Operations and Teaching and Learning. The two committees are expected to begin meeting this month.
The other two committees, Facilities and Planning and Policy Development, will begin meeting in January.
"It has become more of a daunting process than what we first realized it would be because of the number of people who have come forward wanting to help us," Wendt said.
More than 30 people signed up for the Finance Committee, which will be headed by Board Members Mike Scaramuzzi and Brent Lightfoot.
Wendt said copies of recommended guidelines and procedures for all four committees were given to board members, but he did not share publicly what they were. He said this document, which also will include length of terms for committee members, will eventually become part of the district's board policies.
Wendt discussed in more detail items in the guidelines for the Finance Committee. He said they will examine the district's tax rates, review levies, and provide advice and recommendations on bonds and other financial matters recommended by the board.
He said he expects them to address legislative proposals such as pension reform because it could have a direct impact on the district's budget. There has been talk in Springfield about having local school districts pay more of the cost for their own teachers pensions.
"I can't think of a better way than having a Financial Committee appointed by the board to take that issue and imbed it, discuss it and potentially be ambassadors for us in Springfield," he said.
The Finance Committee, he said, will be involved with the budget, recommending policies around the financial situation of the district, grants, reviewing the local and state audits, and other items to be added by board members.
Wendt said they are suggesting the Finance Committee meet on the first Monday of each month at least through June 2013. Meetings would be expected to last 90 minutes to two hours, staring at 5:30 p.m., he said.
He did not say where they would be held, but meetings of all four committees will be open to the public.
Wendt said he will ask the board to approve at their next meeting Monday, Nov. 26 the documents he submitted along with the names of members for the Finance Committee along with meeting dates, times and location.
He is suggesting the first meeting be held on Monday, Dec. 3.
"Teaching and Learning is next," he said, but noted that the district has secretarial vacancies in this department.
Nearly 90 people volunteered for the committee, he said. Wendt, who is choosing all committee members, said it will be sometime before he works his way through these 90 volunteers.
Each committee is expected to have about 25 members.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Paul O'Malley will attend all meetings, Wendt said.
The deadline to volunteer for the Facilities and Policy committees was last Friday.
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