After a tabling initiated by board member Christopher Easton at their last regular meeting, the District 118 School Board has now passed a-quarter million dollars worth of scheduled raises for administrator, non-union, and flat salary positions. The administrator raises include all principal positions, and department directors such as Curriculum and Special Education. This action was taken during a special meeting Monday night (July 27th).
The vote was 6-1, with Easton voting no; and saying that despite a deficit reduction during the previous fiscal year of over $8 million down to $1.6 million; there are still major hurdles ahead. He mentioned a possible fiscal cliff with insurance coming, perhaps around Thanksgiving or Christmas; while also saying that 118 is now in the bottom 1% for Illinois school districts when it comes to how many days worth of operating funds are in their account.
But board president Darlene Halloran countered that other school districts in Illinois have not gone through what 118 has in recent years. One 800 pound gorilla still in the room is the undisclosed amount that was paid to former Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddis for her separation agreement in the spring of 2025. At that time, she had been on leave since her last in person appearance at a board meeting in October of 2024.
Halloran stated that, first, the salary increases passed Monday night are going to people who have helped District 118 sharply reduce their deficit, and they have earned them. And then second, Halloran stated that, yes, legal action from the current board against the Geddis settlement could still happen.
AUDIO: It’s a personnel issue that we have to be careful talking about. However, the public is well aware of settlements that were established by the previous board. It was a huge financial situation. And we are still working our way through all of that.
It was current board member Toni Towne who filed an unsuccessful restraining order against the settlement as a member of the old board’s minority that voted against it. While Towne had no comment on what might still happen next, she did look back on why she attempted the restraining order. And she compared her goal, to the goal often expressed by Board Member Easton.
District 118 Board members Christopher Easton (1st Picture, left), Alice Payne (2nd Picture, right) and president Darlene Halloran (3rd Picture, second from right) express opinions prior to Administrator – non-union salary increase vote.
AUDIO: I was just trying to stop a payment that they didn’t even know the total amount. I was pushing the same way Christ Easton is pushing for our fiscal responsibility to the public. I think there were unknown dollars that the board agreed to, and I was trying to stop that.
CIMG also spoke with 118 board member Kim Corley after Monday night’s special meeting. She had no comment on whether the board is seeking the assistance of an attorney on the Geddis settlement issue. But she did say that the vote on the administrative, non-union, flat salary wages was absolutely the right thing to do; especially with how much the deficit was reduced.
AUDIO: And this isn’t just administrators too. I want to point that out. This is secretaries; this is like payroll secretaries. This is our non-union flat salary workers. There’s no way we can, on the backs of our people, not pass this. I think it’s nothing short of a miracle. They had a couple financial workshops that they invited the public to, that they showed us what they were doing. And they worked so hard to get that deficit down to that $1.6 million. Quite frankly, I’m shocked that they were able to do it.
Superintendent John Hart told CIMG that one thing from the past that many school districts, including 118, looking back now, might have done differently; is how COVID relief money was spent. Was it more on “needs,” or more “on wants?” The next regularly scheduled Danville District 118 Board meeting is set for Wednesday, August 5th.
