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More than 130 Illinois public school administrators who signed witness slips in opposition to a bipartisan bill that aims to consolidate Illinois school districts make six-figure salaries, according to an analysis compiled this week.
Twenty-eight employees of school districts in Metro Peoria were among those who have signed witness slips against House Bill 3053, which would attempt to direct more funds into the classroom.
School district administrators around the state who have expressed opposition to the bill number more than 400, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.
The bill, authored by Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), is now being reviewed in the state Senate. It passed the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously in March.
House Bill 3053, the Classrooms First Act, requires the formation of a panel that would review which of Illinois’ 852 school districts should be consolidated to improve efficiency in the public education system. The overall goal would be to reduce the number of districts in the state by one-quarter.
As of last year, the average Illinois school district served 2,400 students, the sixth-lowest level among states with student populations of more than 1 million, according to the institute.
The panel, dubbed the School District Efficiency Commission, would not force districts to merge, but its recommendations would be put before local residents for an up-or-down vote.
Spending on district-level education bureaucracies in Illinois is nearly double the national average, according to the institute, suggesting that a consolidation plan could result in more efficient spending of taxpayer dollars.
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Local School District Employees Opposed to HB 3053
| Name | Firm, Business or Agency | Representing | Testimony | Salary |
| Terry Vaughn Jr. | Metamora Township High School | Metamora Township High School | Record Of Appearance Only | $71,000 |
| Marjorie Greuter | East Peoria CHSD 309 | East Peoria CHSD 309 | Written Statement Filed | $173,291 |
| Michael Beckett | Unit 6 | self | Record Of Appearance Only | $76,008 |
| Dale Heidbreder | Central School District 51 | Central 51 | Written Statement Filed | $138,814 |
| David Black | Norwood SD 63 | David Black, Norwood School District 63 | Record Of Appearance Only | $129,532 |
| Matthew Klaska | VIT Elementary School | VIT Unit School District #2 | Written Statement Filed | $68,390 |
| Chad Jones | Hollis Grade School | Hollis Consolidated District #328 | Record Of Appearance Only | $82,417 |
| Damon Hackett | Dunlap CUSD 323 | Damon Hackett | Record Of Appearance Only | $117,397 |
| Jeff Keller | ROE 53 | Public Schools | Written Statement Filed | $7,251 |
| Linda McMaster | Sparta Lincoln School | District 140 | Oral | $34,465 |
| Sean O'Laughlin | Metamora Township High School | Sean O'Laughlin | Written Statement Filed | $142,857 |
| Elizabeth Crider | Peoria ROE | Peoria ROE | Record Of Appearance Only | $119,783 |
| Billie Link | Pekin District 108 | Pekin Disirict 108 | Written Statement Filed | $184,299 |
| Pat Minasian | Washington Grade School District 52 | NA | Record Of Appearance Only | $131,619 |
| Andrew Brooks | Delavan CUSD 703 | Delavan CUSD #703 | Record Of Appearance Only | $134,684 |
| Valerie Hauge | Delavan District 703 | Valerie Hauge | Oral, Record Of Appearance Only | $43,056 |
| Lesa Eeten | Delavan CUSD 703 | Delavan CUSD 703 | Written Statement Filed | $46,216 |
| Kevin Knaggs | Delavan High School | Kevin Knaggs | Written Statement Filed | $50,759 |
| R. Mathew Plater | Havana CUD 126 | Havana Community School District | Record Of Appearance Only | $181,598 |
| Robin Bell | Delavan Community Unit School District 703 | Robin Bell | Written Statement Filed | $58,119 |
| Jeff Hinman | Tremont CUSD 702 | The Illinois School Alliance | Record Of Appearance Only | $152,600 |
| Ryon Kramer | Delavan CUSD 703 | Delavan CUSD 703 | Record Of Appearance Only | $75,381 |
| Alison Knapik | Delavan High School | Delavan High School | Record Of Appearance Only | $44,031 |
| Sally Lessen | Delavan High School | Sally A. Lessen | Written Statement Filed | $46,691 |
| Tracie S. Butler | Delavan CUSD 703 | Delavan CUSD #703 | Record Of Appearance Only | $63,044 |
| Glayn Worrell | Pekin Public Schools Dist 108 | Pekin Public Schools District 108 | Record Of Appearance Only | $134,938 |
| Chad Gripp | Bradford CUSD | Bradford CUSD #1 | Record Of Appearance Only | $110,256 |
| Kirsten Parr | Illini Central CUSD 189 | Illini Central CUSD 189 | Record Of Appearance Only | $65,365 |
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