In response to a recent request, Riverside-Brookfield High School District 208 will soon begin an online posting of all the bills it has paid. On Monday RB Superintendent/Principal Jack Baldermann and Business Manager Christopher Whelton met with Adam Andrzejewski, director of ForTheGoodofIllinois.org, a group that promotes transparency in government. The meeting was in response to Andrzejewski's appearance before the District 208 school board last week when he requested that RB post its check register online.
After the meeting Baldermann said that RB would move quickly to post all of its vendor payments online.
"We're going to go forward as soon as possible," said Baldermann.
Monday afternoon Whelton was trying to figure out the best way to convert the information that is in packets delivered to each school board member into a PDF file that could be posted online.
Andrzejewski was pleased with the how quickly RB officials agreed to his proposal.
"The Riverside-Brookfield administration, from the night of our presentation forward, warmly received our financial transparency proposal," said Andrzejewski in an e-mail. "Superintendent Baldermann quickly reached out to me to schedule a discussion of implementation. During our 20 minute meeting, he never questioned the need and only wanted to make sure the information received proper highlight on the Web site. At RBHS, public spending will now be done publicly with all checks posted on the school's Web site."
Paychecks to employees will not be posted.
It is not yet clear whether the payments posted will be posted after the school board formally approves the payments at its monthly meetings or whether the expected payments will be posted before the board actually votes on them.
Baldermann said Monday that he thought payments would only be posted after the board approved them.
Andrzejewski said he would prefer the bills be posted before they are voted upon.
"In a perfect world they would post it before the meeting, but to post it after the meeting is not bad either because they're holding themselves accountable for the decisions they make," said Andrzejewski.
RB District 208 now joins 36 other school districts in Illinois to adopt financial transparency by posting payments according to Andrzejewski. Other local school districts that post their check registry include Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 and Elmhurst Unit School District 205. Lyons Township High School District 204 does not post its check register or bill payments online.
Andrzejewski was contacted last summer by Jill Hennessy a leader in a group of RB parents that explored the idea of creating a private fundraising group for RB. As part of the pursuit of that idea the group conducted a number of focus groups with RB parents last spring and summer. One issue that repeatedly came up was a desire among many parents for more financial transparency from RB. After reading a newspaper story about Andrzejewski's group in July Hennessy telephoned him.
Monday Hennessy was thrilled to learn that RB has decided to put its bill payment information online.
"That's great," said Hennessy. "I'm extremely pleased."
The information should be online by the December school board meeting Baldermann said. At that meeting the school board may formally vote to approve posting bill payments online.
