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More than 130 Illinois public school administrators who signed witness slips in opposition to a bipartisan bill that aims to consolidate Illinois school districts make six-figure salaries, according to an analysis compiled this week.
Thirteen employees of school districts in Lake County were among those who have signed witness slips against House Bill 3053, which would attempt to direct more funds into the classroom. School district employees opposing the bill include local superintendents.
School district administrators around the state who have expressed opposition to the bill number more than 400, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.
The bill, authored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), is now being reviewed in the state Senate. It passed the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously in March.
HB 3053, the Classrooms First Act, requires the formation of a panel that would review which of Illinois’ 852 school districts should be consolidated to improve efficiency in the public education system. The overall goal would be to reduce the number of districts in the state by one-quarter.
As of last year, the average Illinois school district served 2,400 students, the sixth-lowest level among states with student populations of more than 1 million, according to the institute.
The panel, dubbed the School District Efficiency Commission, would not force districts to merge, but its recommendations would be put before local residents for an up-or-down vote.
Spending on district-level education bureaucracies in Illinois is nearly double the national average, according to the institute, suggesting that a consolidation plan could result in more efficient spending of taxpayer dollars.
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Local School District Employees Opposed to HB 3053
| Name | Firm, Business or Agency | Representing | Testimony | Salary |
| Christine Green | Lake Zurich CUSD 95 | Lake Zurich CUSD 95 | Record Of Appearance Only | $98,526 |
| Julie Brua | Gavin School District 37 | School District Superintendents of Lake County, Illinois | Written Statement Filed | $174,725 |
| Lonny Lemon | Oak Grove 68 | Oak Grove 68 (Lake) | Record Of Appearance Only | $218,670 |
| Lynette Zimmer | Lake Villa School
District 41 | Lake Villa School District 41 | Written Statement Filed | $208,902 |
| William Newby | Grass Lake Elementary School | Grass Lake School
Community | Written Statement Filed, Record Of Appearance Only | $149,978 |
| Susan Gavin | Self | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $58,450 |
| Colleen Pacatte | Gurnee School District 56 | self | Record Of Appearance Only | $194,560 |
| Ellen Mauer | Spaulding School | Representing myself as an educated citizen, a school administrator, a former board member about this issue. | Written Statement Filed | $140,000 |
| Kevin Simmons | District 56 | Self | Record Of Appearance Only | $136,263 |
| Bob Gold | Big Hollow School District 38 | NA | Record Of Appearance Only | $189,825 |
| John Herrin | CCSD 46 | CCSD 46 | Record Of Appearance Only | $101,500 |
| Sheila Peckler | Gurnee School District 56 | Gurnee School District 56 | Record Of Appearance Only | $171,515 |
| Tamara Kroc | Gurnee School District 56 | NA | Written Statement Filed | $150,794 |
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