Junk Removal in Hinsdale, IL

The records reveal a personnel investigation at Hinsdale Central in August.

Patch Staff

|Updated Thu, Oct 31, 2024 at 9:38 am CT

HINSDALE, IL – School board members, even the president, are considered part time.

But according to Hinsdale High School District 86's August legal invoice, board President Catherine Greenspon had more contacts with the district's law firm than the full-time superintendent.

On Wednesday, the district released its August legal bills in response to a public records request from resident Yvonne Mayer.

The district's former law firm, Chicago-based Robbins Schwartz, billed the district $132,000 that month, an unusually high amount.

Last week, the school board voted unanimously against paying the firm, with members saying they wanted a fuller explanation.

Find out what's happening in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Patch analyzed the 124 pages of the legal bills.

In August, Kari Smith, assistant superintendent of student services, appeared in 101 items in the bills. She deals with student matters and special education issues.

Coming in second was Deb Kedrowski, the superintendent's administrative chief of staff, whose name appeared in 83 items.

In the third position was Greenspon, who was listed in 60 items. She edged out Superintendent Michael Lach, who appeared 58 times. Board member Peggy James was next at 22 times. Filling out the list were various staffers.

At last week's board meeting, two members said they had no contact with the law firm. Another said she inquired about the bills, while still another said he reached out to the firm just once. (One member was absent.)

But Greenspon and James remained silent, not saying how often they reached out to the firm.

For her part, Greenspon's name appeared in sections of the heavily redacted bills dealing with the board's fight against a controversial proposed tax district in Clarendon Hills, board policies, personnel and Freedom of Information Act requests. And James, the board's policy committee chairwoman, was listed in the parts about policies and the Freedom of Information Act.

The board, particularly Greenspon, has been accused of micromanaging the administration. One of the board's more prominent critics is Greenspon's predecessor Erik Held, who decided against running again last year.

"They desire more and more micromanagement and direct responsibility of the day-to-day District operations," Held said in a June email to the board. "That is well beyond your purview, and inserting the president at all times between the superintendent and district attorney is a glaring example of this."

Held was commenting on a new policy in which the superintendent must notify the president when consulting with the attorney.

According to the bills, a fifth of the costs went to the district's battle with Clarendon Hills over a tax increment district, or TIF.

The next biggest category – 17 percent – involved bill titles that were blacked out, presumably because of the privacy of attorney-client communications.

Student matters and Freedom of Information Act requests each took up 11 percent of the costs. The other top topics were a personnel investigation (10 percent), special education (9 percent), board policies (7 percent) and personnel (6 percent).

The investigation appeared to involve a personnel issue in the athletic department. The items listed the names of Jodi Bryant, assistant superintendent of human resources; Michael Jezioro, Hinsdale Central's athletic director; and Bill Walsh, Central's principal.

In early September, Robbins Schwartz ended its relationship with the school board, saying District 86 was "unreasonably difficult" to serve.

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The letter about Medicare Advantage was sent to local senior citizens.

Patch Staff

|Updated Thu, Oct 31, 2024 at 5:45 am CT

HINSDALE, IL – If you have traditional Medicare, you can go to the Hinsdale hospital for care.

You don't need Medicare Advantage to get service.

A recent letter from the hospital's chain – UChicago Medicine Advent Health – may require clarification.

In the message, the chain informed senior citizens about the Medicare open enrollment period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

"To help find the best Medicare health plan for your needs and make sure you are still able to get care with UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, we have partnered with Chapter, a team of licensed independent Medicare advisors," the chain said in the letter.

Find out what's happening in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Those with traditional Medicare can get care at any hospital that takes Medicare. Virtually, all do, including the Hinsdale hospital.

According to the Medicare website, those with traditional Medicare "can go to any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S."

Patch asked the hospital chain about the letter. Its spokeswoman, Julie Busch, said the letter was intended to provide a helpful resource for Medicare patients to ensure they fully understand their coverage options through traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan.

"The complexity and number of choices now available under Medicare health plans can be overwhelming for a patient," Busch said in an email. "Our partnership with Chapter is designed to provide our patients with a free resource to help them navigate this complexity and help the patient find the best Medicare plan for their unique situation."

If patients choose a Medicare Advantage plan, she said, their coverage is different or restricted depending on whether their healthcare providers are contracted with the Medicare Advantage plans known as "in-network" or "out-of-network."

"UChicago Medicine AdventHealth wants to ensure our patients understand which Medicare Advantage plans we are contracted with and can accept their insurance, allowing our patients to receive their highest level of health care benefits and coverage," Busch said. "We do participate with traditional Medicare and several Medicare Advantage plans."

Hinsdale resident Linda Burke is among those who received the chain's letter. She said it was misleading.

"Briefly, the letter raises fear that if you don't check your Medicare coverage by calling the phone number of 'Chapter' Medicare guides, you might not be able to receive treatment at Hinsdale Hospital," Burke said in an email to Patch. "This, of course, is a lie. Like virtually all hospitals, Hinsdale accepts Medicare with Medigap."

She said Medicare Advantage plans have major drawbacks.

"(The letter) fails to note that Medicare Advantage is run for profit, with very limited provider networks, geographically limited networks, burdensome prior authorizations, and frequent denials of care," Burke said. "None of these facts are mentioned in the letter."

In a statement, Chapter's chief executive, Cobi Blumenfeld-Gant, said his firm assesses all Medicare options – Medicare Supplement, Part D and Medicare Advantage plans.

"We are the only unbiased Medicare advisor in the country: we look at 100% of Medicare options (even those that don't work with Medicare advisors) and our advisors' compensation does not change based on plan enrollment type," he said.

However, Burke said in an interview that Chapter cannot claim to be objective when it allows its name to be used in misleading advertisements for a particular Medicare Advantage brand.

"I am not saying that our real healthcare providers at Hinsdale or LaGrange Hospitals have anything to do with promoting Medicare Advantage. People who actually treat patients are heroes," she said.

She pointed to a statement on Chapter's website: "Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract."

The school board voted against paying a $131,770 bill from a firm that ended ties with the district last month.

Patch Staff

|Updated Fri, Oct 25, 2024 at 11:50 am CT

DARIEN, IL – One Hinsdale High School District 86 board member said Thursday that "there is no excuse" for the latest legal bill. Another member called the amount "appalling."

At a meeting, the board voted against paying for the $131,770 bill from Chicago-based Robbins Schwartz, the district's former law firm.

In a statement late Friday morning, Joseph Perkoski, Robbins Schwartz's managing partner, said the district authorized the firm's work and that the firm has ensured a smooth transition to protect the district's interests

He also said the board gave no warning beforehand of its intent to vote against the invoice.

"As always, our focus is to serve school districts to the highest standard, working directly at the Board’s direction in collaboration with administration for the benefit of students," Perkoski said. "The level of legal work is determined by the client, not the law firm, and in this case, Robbins Schwartz acted in full alignment with the District’s needs and directives. Although we terminated representation, we have been committed to addressing pending matters as quickly as possible throughout the transition."

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Perkoski said the firm would reach out to the district to address the matter further.

At the board meeting, member Abed Rahman wanted to discuss the bill. It was the highest since the board hired Robbins Schwartz as its main firm in January.

"This is just too much," he said. "There really is no excuse for this."

Member Heather Kartsounes, a lawyer, agreed.

"I find this bill to be appalling," she said. "I have reviewed the bills from August in great detail. I struggle to understand how the invoice got this high."

She said she wanted to go back to Robbins Schwartz to have a "very serious discussion" and seek more details.

Board President Catherine Greenspon said she asked the firm in June to divide its invoices by matter and substance because the information was confusing.

"It has not happened," she said.

In some cases, Greenspon said the firm was involving three, four or five attorneys on calls, driving up costs.

"The previous firm did not bill this way," Greenspon said.

In early September, Robbins Schwartz terminated its relationship, saying District 86 was "unreasonably difficult" to serve. Over the last year, the district's legal bills have been far higher than neighboring school systems.

Kartsounes said the narrative in the community was that board members were driving up legal costs. But she said that was not the case.

Kartsounes said she has only called the firm once and that was to get an explanation on the bills, never for legal advice.

Members Rahman and Asma Akhras said they never had called Robbins Schwartz. Member Jeff Waters, for his part, said he spoke with the firm for an hour for an explanation on a proposed tax district in Clarendon Hills that District 86 opposes.

Greenspon and member Peggy James did not say how often they had spoken with the firm. Member Terri Walker was absent. In July, she was the first member to publicly express concerns with the rising legal bills.

The board voted unanimously to not pay August's bill. Members asked administrators to get more information about the costs.

Days before Robbins Schwartz terminated the relationship, the district held a special meeting to hire Oak Brook-based Engler, Callaway, Baasten & Sraga to handle "select students, special education and other matters." Those matters had been handled by Robbins Schwartz.

Recently, the district sought proposals from law firms to compare their offerings and prices.

Robbins Schwartz's relationship with the district began with a secret meeting before a new board majority took office on May 3, 2023. The firm met with a few current and incoming members.

Upon taking office, the board hired the firm as a special counsel to handle the legalities of ousting then-Superintendent Tammy Prentiss.

Before the board chose Robbins Schwartz as the main law firm, members talked for months about issuing a request for proposals, comparing firms' prices and offerings.

In January, though, the board changed course and appointed Robbins Schwartz, bypassing competition. It did not explain the change.

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Halloween is just around the corner, and with families making their final plans to trick-or-treat on the spooky day, a recent ranking from Instacart named a Chicago suburb as one of the best places for the pastime in the U.S.

To also perhaps provide a preview of sorts of the night for kids, a recent list from BetCarolina.com analyzed consumption data from Statista along with Google Trends from last October across all 50 states to determine each state's three favorite chocolate candies.

According to the list, Illinois trick-or-treaters are most likely to come across Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on Halloween, with Milky Way and Snickers rounding out the top three. Per Instacart, you can get candy and much more of an experience while trick-or-treating in the western suburb of Hinsdale.

The list assigned "scare scores" to different communities based on local Instacart purchases of candy, costumes and Halloween décor - rating different cities' Halloween spirit.

Hinsdale was given the fifth-highest scare score in the U.S. and the second-highest in the Midwest, a 99.7, only trailing fourth-place Birmingham, Michigan in the region.

Topping the list with a perfect scare score was Draper, Utah, with Lehi, Utah and Scarsdale, New York rounding out the list's top three.

No matter where you may be trick-or-treating, BetCarolina.com's list found that many of the most popular chocolate candies hold their appeal across the U.S.

Illinois was among the 19 states where Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were found to be the top candy, while Kit Kat, a candy that didn't crack the top three in Illinois, was named the favorite in 12 states.

As for Milky Way and Snickers, Illinois' second and third-favorite choices respectively, Milky Way was listed as the favorite chocolate candy in four different states, while Snickers reigned supreme in seven.

As far as other candies that were named a state's favorite, five states had M&M's listed as their top treat. Two states, Oregon and Virginia, had Twix come in as their top chocolate candy, while Kentucky was the lone state with Butterfinger at No. 1.

More information on the chocolate candy list can be found here.

Nine years of documents were taken offline from a popular public records portal.

Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 12:30 pm CT

HINSDALE, IL – Many were preparing to ring in the New Year on Dec. 31, 2023. It was a Sunday, near the tail end of students' winter break.

Nonetheless, a Hinsdale High School District 86 employee was working on a project at the apparent direction of at least some school board members.

The goal – to remove nine years of public records from the district's website.

Despite repeated requests for comment, no board member or administrator has offered a public benefit for this action.

When it comes to openness with the public, District 86 can point to a tradition that dates back to 2013. The district posts online the results of most Freedom of Information Act requests – officially known as the "FOIA Portal."

Find out what's happening in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It is a rare government body that does this. So does Hinsdale School District 181.

This goes above the state's requirements for openness.

Through a public records request, Patch obtained correspondence related to the decision to take the documents offline.

On New Year's Eve, District 86 employee Deb Kedrowski removed all the public records from 2013 to 2022. That was a major step back from the long tradition. The public was not told.

Late that afternoon, Kedrowski, the district's administrative chief of staff, notified administrators that the district would maintain a "3-year public records archive," which would include the current year and the two previous calendar years.

She also said requests before Jan. 1, 2022, would be "archived" from the portal. She did not explicitly say that the files would be removed from the website.

Kedrowski offered no reason for the move, other than to say it was part of "our FOIA continuous improvement efforts."

Two weeks earlier, Kedrowski emailed board President Catherine Greenspon and member Peggy James about the plan for "continuous improvement and to archive older FOIA requests."

She cited a discussion at an August meeting of the board's policy committee, which James heads.

During that meeting, James said, "Maybe there's an archive possibility of information if that's an appropriate method."

At the time, James did not indicate that she meant older record requests should be removed from the website.

Another twist to the mystery is that Kedrowski emailed a district lawyer, Steven Richart, a few minutes after her message to administrators on Dec. 31.

The entire message to Richart, who works for the Hodges Loizzi law firm, was blacked out, as was the heading.

But the district produced the document in response to Patch's request for records related to the removal.

In May 2023, Richart proposed the district do away with the public records portal, saying the district would be liable if the administration mistakenly placed private information online.

His recommendation drew the support of board member Kathleen Hirsman and board President Erik Held, members of the majority.

Minority members James, Jeff Waters and Debbie Levinthal resisted the idea. They said they get much of their information from the log.

Then two majority members, Cynthia Hanson and Terri Walker, agreed with the minority.

Of those members, only Waters, James and Walker remain on the board. None have raised public objections to the online removal of nine years of records.

In an email to Patch earlier this month, James responded to public criticism of the removal.

"The prior FOIAs have been archived, not erased," James said.

Both Patch and resident Yvonne Mayer filed public records requests for the older files. Complying this week, the district provided a link to the records, which are compiled as Google Docs files. It is not searchable or organized like the previous log.

Earlier this month, two usual allies of the current board – Kim Notaro and Linda Burke – both called for the return of the older files in some form.

The board's agenda for Thursday's meeting includes a discussion item titled "FOIA Log." No other details were given.

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