HERRIN, Ill. - We've had a reader write in discussing concerns about the upcoming election as it affects Herrin Community Unit #4 School District.
We'll let the reader tell you about it in his or her own words; here's the letter in its entirety.
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To whom it may concern,
With the election being on April 2nd for many local school boards, we feel that there is a particular election you should possibly pay attention to and bring some issues to the forefront of people's’ minds.
It has come to the attention of many concerned citizens that there was quite a lengthy and drastic court case going on that concerns the Herrin Community Unit #4 School District.
Apparently, under the helm of past superintendent, Mark Collins, a vast amount of sales tax money was incorrectly spent. Ron Osman uncovered this and sued the school district (under the business P & S Grain, LLC).
It has been revealed that Herrin Unit #4 has lost this case to the tune of around $2 MILLION dollars. At a time when school budgets are so tight, this is huge.
Here is the Case Docket on Judici: http://judici.com/courts/cases/case_information.jsp?court=IL100025J&ocl=IL100025J,2010CH9,IL100025JL2010CH9P1
Mark Collins retired approximately 3 years ago as superintendent of the district. He made A LOT of money due to an extremely high salary during his tenure.
Now, he is running for school board. He has chosen to run for a two-year unexpired seat that was vacated due to a board member’s early resignation. He is the only candidate running for that spot, except for a write-in, Robert Jilek. (Robert is currently on the board but his term is up. We assume he decided to run as a write-in after learning that Mark Collins is uncontested in his race.) It is a huge concern that a former superintendent who, according to this case, flagrantly misappropriated/spent funds will now possibly be back in a situation where he has a say in how new monies brought into the district are being spent. This election will also seat the board members who will be responsible for picking the new district Superintendent when Dr. Terry Ryker retires in 2021. It is also a possibility Dr. Collins’ nephew, Ryan Lowe, will be applying for that position. He is currently an assistant principal at the Herrin Junior High School.
This issue is huge for the taxpaying citizens, parents, and most importantly, students of Herrin CUSD. Please look into this and bring light the ramifications of Dr. Collins’ possible election to the school board.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.