Open Illinois.org

Would Your School District Make the Open Books Honor Roll of Illinois? 

Is your school district willing to open the books? Become a Liberty Leader and learn what you can do to make your school district more transparent. Adam Andrzejewski, executive director of For the Good of Illinois, has initiated a movement for bringing transparency and accountability to school districts across Illinois. 

Do you want to take part? Ask your school district to post its check register! 

HONOR ROLL:  School Districts Already Posting in Illinois, courtesy of FortheGoodofIllinois.org.

Updated: August 28, 2008

BOND COUNTY COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D2 
BUDGET $15 million 
Superintendent, Melanie Allyn, (618) 664-0170 
Click here to go to the school board website, then click the board packet of the month you want to see.  The packet contains the check register.

BOURBONNAIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL D53 
BUDGET: $20 million 
Superintendent Dr. Myron V. Palomba 
Click here to go the boarddocs page.  Click on the + next to the meeting of the month you want to see, then click on the + sign next to “Routine Business/Consent Agenda”.  Then click on “Approval of Bills and Payroll”.  To left, there will be links to the bills payable, which are the check register.

COLLEGE OF DUPAGE, Glen Ellyn 
BUDGET:  $238 million 
David Carlin, Trustee, (630) 747-3989: “In the internet age, taxpayers shouldn’t have to file Freedom of Information Act requests to get information that should be made readily available to them online.” 
WEBSITES: College of Dupage; Board of Trustees. 

COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D300, Carpentersville           
BUDGET: $185 million 
Allison Smith, Communication Supervisor, (847) 426-1300 ext. 304: “While there have been occasional questions about items listed in our bills payable for Board approval, the questions have certainly not been overwhelming.  If anything, by proactively posting this information, it generally enables us to keep our taxpayers and media to feel more comfortable about D300’s business practices. We also put all of our FOIA responses online, as well.  We’re really trying to use the Internet to open things up and engage our community in ways that weren’t possible in the past.” 
Click here to go to the board packets page, then click on the board packet for the month you want to see.  The packet includes the check register.

ELMHURST SCHOOL DISTRICT 205 
BUDGET: $109 million 
Superintendent Lynn Krizic, (630) 834-4530 “After you had contacted me in May on behalf of your organization, For the Good of Illinois, I had met with the Assistant Superintendent of Finance with regard to having our check registry posted as a supporting document on our Board agenda.  After a discussion, we both believed that this additional  information could further assist us in achieving our communication goal with our community” 
Click here to go to the school board meetings page.  Then, click on the agenda of the month you want to see.  A link to that month’s check register will be on the “financial reports” section of the agenda.

GENOA-KINGSTON COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D424 
BUDGET: $17 million 
Superintendent: Scott E. Wakeley, (815) 784-6222 
To see the check register: 1. Click here to go the boarddocs site 2. Click the + next to the meeting date you want to see 3. Click the + next to “Consent Agenda” 4. Click on the “Consent Agenda link 5. Click on the Board report PDF, which is the check register.

HARLEM UNIT DISTRICT 122 
BUDGET: $73 million 
Superintendent: Dr. Julie Morris, (815) 654-4500 
1. Click here to go to the board calendar 2. Click on a regular board meeting.  3. Click on the image under “Attachment” 4. Under the “Approval of Bills” section of the budget, the month’s checks are posted.

HERSCHER COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT #2 
BUDGET: $20 million 
Superintendent William Davison, (815) 426-2162: Voted 4-2 on June 9th, 2008 to become transparent.  Documents to be posted are forthcoming on their website.

HUNTLEY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL D158 
BUDGET: $72 million 
Superintendent John Burkey, (847) 659-6158: “Posting promotes transparency about what we’re spending taxpayers’ money on, and we have had absolutely no problems with public  inquiries.” 
Click here to go to the school board page.  To the left, there will be links to recent meeting packets, which include the check register.

ILLINOIS VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 
BUDGET: $31 million 
President: Dr. Jerry Corcoran
Click here to go to the check register page.  Click on a month to see the check register.

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 3 
BUDGET: $23 million 
Superintendent: Keith Oakes, (217) 586-4995  
Click here to go to the school board agendas page.  Then, click on the link under “Date & Agenda Packet” for the month you want to see. Then click on the “Bill List” link, which is the check register.

MUNDELEIN CONSOLIDATED HIGH SCHOOL D120 
BUDGET: $28 million 
Superintendent, John Barbini, (847) 949-2200 
Click here to go to the board page. Under recent items, click on “attachments” for the date you want to see.  Under “consent agenda”, click on “SAF bill list”, which is the check register.

NILES TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL D219  
BUDGET: $103 million 
Superintendent, Nanciann Gatta 
Click here to go to the board packets page.  Click on the packet for the date you want to see.  The packet includes the check register.

OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST HIGH SCHOOL D200  
BUDGET: $70 million
Superintendent, Attila J. Weninger, PhD “OPRFHS/District 200 does post its check register information online and has not experienced increased public inquiries or added District work as a result of this transparency.”   Click here to go to the agenda, minutes & packets page.  Click on the packet for the date you want to see.  The packet includes the check register.

OAK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL D97 
BUDGET: $63 million 
Superintendent, Dr. Constance Collins, (708) 524-3000 office: “Posting our check register has been standard operating procedure in our district for many years.  It has not caused an increase of public inquiries, and provides an easily accessible record of expenditures.” 
Click here to go the board packet page.  Click on the date you want to see.  The packet includes the check register.

OTTAWA ELEMENTARY DISTRICT 141 
BUDGET:$20 million 
Superintendent: Craig Doster (815) 433-1133 
The check register will be posted online after future board meetings.

PALATINE COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED D15 
BUDGET: $130 million 
Superintendent, Dr. Daniel Lukich 
Click here to go to the agenda/minutes page.  Click on “Agenda Attachments” for the date you want to see.  The check register will be part of the attachments.

REED CLUSTER D225U
Superintendent John Asplund
Website

SHERRARD COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D200  
BUDGET: $15 million 
Superintendent, Dr. Rebecca Rodocker. 
Click here to go to the boarddocs page.  Click on the date you want to see.  Under “financial reports”, click on the month’s bills.  To the right there will be a link to a PDF of the month’s bills.  This is the check register.

VALLEY VIEW COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D365U 
BUDGET: $189 million 
Superintendent, Dr. Phillip W. Schoffstal, (815) 886-2700 
Click here to go to the board meetings page.  Click on the board packet link for the month you want to see.  The packet contains the check register.

WAUKEGAN COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D60 
BUDGET: $155 million 
Superintendent Dr. Donaldo Batiste  
Click here to go to the board meetings page.  Click on “Payables Summary”, which is the check register.

WEST AURORA SCHOOL D129 
BUDGET: $115 million 
Superintendent: Dr. James Rydland 
Click here to go to the board meetings page.  The check register can be found under the accounts payable column. 

WEST CHICAGO CHSD 94 
BUDGET: $29 million 
Superintendent: Dr. Lee R. Rieck 
Click here to go to the approved bill list page.  Click on the month you want to see the check register.

WHEATON COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL D200 
BUDGET:$147 million 
Superintendent: Dr. Richard Drury, (618)682-2002

Know more? Let us know!