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Dennis Brennan

Saturday, April 6, 2013

What is the Role of a District 86 Board Member?

The four candidates in attendance at Thursday night's candidate forum gave their answers.

What is the role of a board member? The four Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education candidates that attended Thursday night's candidate forum at Hinsdale Middle School gave their response in the video above. Edward Corcoran is the first speaker. He is followed, in order, by Kay Gallo, Roseanne Rosenthal and Dennis Brennan. Whose answer is best? Tell us in the comments. If you missed the forum, we live-blogged it. Check out Patch's real-time notes from Thursday night here.

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Keith Skibicki

10:31 pm on Monday, April 8, 2013

Mary will you admit you spread false information. It's seems like Barry is very informative. Thank you Barry for clearing up the details.   more ›

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Letter: 'Build on Excellence' in D86 by Voting Brennan, Gorgol, Gallo, Rosenthal

The following is a letter to the editor submitted to Patch by Hinsdale resident Sue Pircon.

District 86 voters will once again be heading to the polls on April 9 and I strongly ask for your support for candidates Dennis Brennan, DeeDee Gorgol, Kay Gallo and Roseanne Rosenthal.   Each brings an individual expertise to the board and will seek to continue balancing financial challenges while maintaining an excellent educational standard. They have a vested interest in the school, each having had children enrolled in District 86, and are committed to providing a curriculum that will challenge the students and provide the foundation for success in the future.  They are also committed to ensuring a diverse offering of extracurricular activities while always looking at the district's finances and operating within a balanced budget. They…

John Regan

11:47 am on Friday, March 29, 2013

Mr. Jensen, First off, please leave the personal comments aside. I never made reference to my personal circumstances, which are irrelevant to the Board election, if you don't mind. I don’t plan on making any reference to yours. Now, you said the state is preventing the board from raising the tax levy above the tax cap, so therefore we are led to believe that the board is fiscally responsible? …   more ›

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Resident Objections to Tax Levy Increase Fail to Sway District 86 Board

The $75 million request represents more than a 4 percent increase over the current levy

Concerns expressed by several district residents and two board members at Monday night’s Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education did not convince a majority of the board to stop a tax levy increase. By a 5-2 vote, the board gave final approval to a $75.5 million levy request, which includes $73.1 million for capped funds like education and operations, a 4.5 percent increase over the 2011 tax levy of $69.9 million. Two dozen spectators packed the Black and Gold Room at Hinsdale South High School for the meeting, with the majority appearing to be present for the tax levy discussion. Several addressed the board on the topic during the public comments section at the beginning of the meeting. George Logan said the levy …

Rick Cazzato

6:35 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

S. McCarthy, as a taxpayer and educator, I agree with you regarding District 86. I moved in the district so my children can attend the schools. The teachers in District 86 have my full support.   more ›

Friday, September 28, 2012

D86 Board OKs Sending Cease-and-Desist Letter to 'Hinsdale High Schools' Website

Board President Dennis Brennan will write and send the letter asking the anonymous operators of the oft-critical website to change its name.

The District 86 Board of Education voted 5-2 Monday to authorize Board President Dennis Brennan to compose and send a letter to the operators of the Hinsdale High Schools website that asks them to cease and desist using the site’s current name. Richard Skoda voted against the motion along with Dianne Barrett. Skoda said the district could be in for a “wild goose chase” depending on how the anonymous operators respond. “I just see this running up a lot of time,” he said. All that was authorized Monday was the sending of the cease-and-desist letter, though Skoda and Barrett both questioned if board members were willing to go to court over the website’s name. “The board would have to have a future discussion about that,” Brennan said. Sign up…

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

D86 Board President's Request to Go After Controversial Website Will Get Vote

Dennis Brennan said his request for authorization to send a cease-and-desist letter to the operators of Hinsdale High Schools is about proprietary rights of the district; board member Richard Skoda said it's about politics.

The District 86 Board of Education will indeed vote later this month on an item that would authorize Board President Dennis Brennan to send a cease-and-desist letter to the operators of Hinsdale High Schools, a website often critical of the district that Brennan and several other board members believe is violating the district’s trademark policy with its name. “We have a right to our name, we have a copyright, and a trademark right,” Brennan said during a Monday night discussion that got heated on a couple of occasions. The president, who wasn't present last month to provide context for his request, said he believes the use of Hinsdale High Schools as the title of the website violates Board Policy 8.22 which, according to its wording, is…

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

D86 Board President Again Going After Website Critical of District

The website called Hinsdale High School posts often-critical opinions and was formerly the campaign site of board member Richard Skoda and two other candidates.

District 86 Board President Dennis Brennan’s is requesting board permission to demand that a website critical of the district cease and desist using its current name, but any new reasoning he has won't be explained until next month. Brennan was not present at Monday’s District 86 Board of Education meeting, which featured an action item in the agenda’s president’s report that if passed would have authorized Brennan to present a written cease and desist notification to “individuals historically associated" with the website titled Hinsdale High Schools, according to the item’s wording. Hinsdale High Schools, found at www.hinsdalehighschools.com, publishes anonymously written posts that are often critical of District 86’s administration and …

Ron Landers

1:14 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The site originally financed by Skoda, Manley and Davidson as a POLITICAL site, now spews attacks against the school district while using the school identity in violation of the district's policy. That isn't freedom of speech any more than I have the right to libel someone on this comment section. Perhaps some would say that you can say anything anonymously and it's all coveered by our freedom of…   more ›

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Board Access to Documents Again an Issue for District 86

The school board considered making board agreements on official document access policy.

The issue of board members’ access to district documents is once again creating tension on the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education less than two months after board member Dianne Barrett's much-publicized records lawsuit was dismissed. The board is considering making board agreements adopted last summer on access to documents official district policy. The agreements call for board members to “make efficient use of time and resources of the district.” Furthermore, “requests for information should not be a nuisance nor burdensome for the administration.” The board agreements define nuisance as “requesting documents within the archives of the district without pending action.” Burdensome is defined as “an inordinately …

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Karen Smith

1:16 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012

Hello Board, I was unaware of Diane Barett suit prior to any of my numerous complaints. I do believe Diane should be allowed to see documents, testing, settlements, complaints by parents. Spring 2010 4 IL students emergency removed from Clearview Horizons a Non-Public placement by each parent . 2 students from HC Special Ed dept. Parents safe guarded kids. My notifications prior fell on deaf ears…   more ›

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

D86 Board Considers Steps to Encourage Civility at Meetings

An incident in the audience at the board's Dec. 12 meeting prompted a review of protocol.

Passions sometimes run high at Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education meetings and Board President Dennis Brennan sought at Monday night’s meeting at Hinsdale Central to ensure that those passions don’t run amok. Brennan said his push to promote civility at meetings was prompted by an incident that occurred in the audience during the board’s last meeting Dec. 12 at Hinsdale South. “At the last meeting, we had one of the residents stand up and tell us there was apparently some kind of threat in the audience,” Brennan said. “I know our meetings have become exciting to some extent. People want to give their opinion.” Brennan said there are two opportunities for audience members to address the board at every meeting—at …

chet everett

2:28 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Too often the reason for the lack of civil discourse begins with a basic disconnect -- whether it is the various members of the BOE or concerned citizens or parents / students that want to maximize the value of their education the priorties of the "cut taxes" crowd are so at odds at with the those who seem oblivious to desires of others within the broader community -- that hostility is met with …   more ›

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

D86 President to Dianne Barrett: Pay the District Back

Board President Dennis Brennan asked board member Dianne Barrett to pay more than $50,000 in legal fees incurred by the district in her lawsuit against him and Superintendent Nicholas Wahl.

The fallout from a judge’s decision Friday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Hinsdale Township High School District 86 board member against the president of the board of education and the superintendent spread over Monday night’s school board meeting like an angry dark cloud. Board member Dianne Barrett had sought a court order to gain access to documents pertaining to the district’s special education program. But Judge Thomas Dudgeon dismissed the case Friday, citing restrictions delineated in the Illinois Student Records Act. Board President Dennis Brennan, named as a defendant in the suit along with Superintendent Nicholas Wahl, passed out a copy of the judge’s order to board members Monday night during their regular monthly meeting at …

Carol Klener Jablonski

8:05 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Dan Leigh raises some points that I agree with. I would not want my child's name revealed and available to Ms. Barrett's whim. I ask that all of the Board members attend some team building seminar as well as some orientation as to their duties. All of the Board members; this includes Ms. Barrett. You all need to work together for the betterment of the district.   more ›

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Pending Legislation Clouds District 86 Levy Discussion

Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl warned that Illinois House Bill 3793 could force district to cut services.

Members of the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education Monday night attempted to plan for the financial future of the district amid uncertainty created by legislation awaiting action in Springfield. House Bill 3793 would amend the state’s Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) to prohibit school districts from increasing their tax levy if the total equalized assessed valuation (EAV) of property in the district (excluding new property) decreases from the previous year. District 86 business manager Jeff Eagan told board members that the EAV for the district is projected to decline five percent from last year. Board member Dr. Richard Skoda expressed confidence the district would be okay if House Bill 3793 passes…

chet everett

11:36 am on Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pandering to angry but less than thoughtful voters may be a way to get re-elected but it is a poor way to craft legislation. The byzantine process of assessing property values and then hearing appeals to those assessments and then levying taxes to fund governmental services introduces a great deal of lag in the way to values track both residential prices as well as the incomes that commerical …   more ›

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