Feds open an investigation of Lincoln Way ex-Superintendent Wyllie.
Hey Fred,
Been a long time since I’ve emailed you. Hope all is going well…happy and healthy.
I’ve been extremely busy working with the Lincoln Way Area Taxpayers Unite group trying to stop the closing of Lincoln Way North High School. Very sad…
But during this journey we’ve uncovered so much corruption, mismanagement, and insider deals that it will make your head spin. We were in court last Friday and were told to expect a decision via mail by June 20th.
Unfortunately it’s left me no time to gather my thoughts and write another article. Hopefully soon though.
Below is an article which broke at 3 p.m. today…The Feds are now involved and are finally going after the former supt. Lawrence A. Wyllie.
Take care and have a great summer,
Lee R. Talley
Proud Retired Educator
May 23, 2016
U.S. Dept. of Justice ‘investigation’ ongoing into LWD210, Wyllie
by Meredith Dobes, Contributing Editor
Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 was subpoenaed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to testify before a grand jury May 18 at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, according to a subpoena released Monday, May 23, by Taryn Atwell, community relations director for District 210.
District 210 was required to bring to the hearing a variety of documents and recordings from Jan. 1, 2000, to present, many of which related to former superintendent Lawrence Wyllie. The subpoena was dated May 4.
The former district leader retired in 2013, but his tenure recently has come under scrutiny. Financial decisions, some made directly by Wyllie without board approval, are being questioned. Results of a comprehensive agreed-upon procedures audit of May 2006, February 2007 and December 2009 bond issues determined the district spent money “inappropriately” in accordance with State law during his tenure.
The records requested included salary and compensation information for Wyllie; other forms of reimbursement to Wyllie, particularly relating to travel and training; complete personnel files for Wyllie; reimbursement records for unused leave for Wyllie; attendance reports and applications for leave for Wyllie; requisition and approval forms for all payments made to all American Express and other credit cards used by or on behalf of the district or Wyllie; all records related to the Superintendent’s Emergency Fund(s) at the district; School Board policies and procedures; School Board meeting memorandum, minutes, details and recordings, including from closed sessions; records related to misappropriation of federal, State and local funds, including bond funds, restricted funds and student activity funds from 2006-present; and all records related to the district’s participation in the E-Rate program.
Atwell said both district and School Board members have been advised not to comment on any items pertaining to the investigation and did not answer any questions related to the subpoena.
Joseph Fitzpatrick, public information officer with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, said the district cannot confirm or deny the existence of investigations and can only comment if criminal charges are filed.
Fred Klonsky 
Fred,
They will never get it all here. Very dirty. It goes to expenditures noted above but also the construction of 2 schools, contracts etc,
As for closing school, it never should have been built in first place, but hey, it’s other peoples money.
Now the dickheads want to pay $5MM + just to keep it open.
Need 3 schools half full of students. The more the better.
What a freaking waste.
The former superintendent getting $300K ++ living in Florida.
Good job people in bring this to LIGHT!!!! Once again, school bds. should be run by professionals. Most of the time parents in the community do not have the skills to manage a BIG business. Yes, it is a business. Hey, what about the teacher in dist. 39 getting a pension of 166,000 per MONTH?? Times that by 12….just under 2 million….
“Hey, what about the teacher in dist. 39 getting a pension of 166,000 per MONTH?? Times that by 12….just under 2 million….”
Where did you here that?!
He has been writing this nonsense to me for months. No evidence. No citation. No link. Nonsense.
Fred, I have given you this link before. Maybe you miss placed it..
Take a look Fred.
The link. Openthebooks.com
All state/local pensions. Yr 2015
Lea A. Drell. Wilmette Sd 39. 166,314 per month. Look at it. Is it a miss print???
Yes. It is total BS.
http://www.rebootillinois.com/2015/04/16/editors-picks/kevin-hoffmanrebootillinois-com/whos-collecting-the-biggest-illinois-pensions/36422/
These are yearly pensions. Nobody collects what “Lea Drell” is reported to get. Not even close.
Good job…. Are you really that gullible that you believe a schoolteacher is getting a $2,000,000 per year pension? The largest pension now being paid to ANYONE from T.R.S. is the pension to Dr. Wyllie (an administrator, not a teacher) of some $312,000 per year. If you were really someone from the Lincoln-Way community, you would know that.
Your comment about school boards being run by “professionals” sounds like something Mayor Rahm would say. I would disagree with your statement. Look at what goes on at C.P.S. with it’s elite, appointed school board. No corruption there? Really?
Corruption is often the result of apathy on the part of voters. Elected school board members are perfectly capable of overseeing school finances if they choose to put forth the effort. It is not rocket science. Unfortunately, some run to promote personal interests, rather than the interests of the community, and are easily co-opted once elected.
In the case of Lincoln-Way, it appears a corrupt central office administration plundered a school district for personal gain, while the public ignored them. I, like many others, hope that these thieves are held to account for violating the public trust. Time will tell.
If you had read about Wyllie and company 10 years ago, everyone was singing their praises. Other districts were chastised for not being more like Lincoln-Way. Now there is nothing but silence. I guess those school boards of “average citizens” really did know better. Even though Wyllie was “the professional”.
I wonder if you simply view this situation as an opportunity to promote your own agenda of “elitist” control of schools. There also seems to be a strong element of “teacher pensions are too high” here (with your your ridiculous and obviously false example).
I would hope that most see Lincoln-Way’s situation for what it is. A sad example of what can happen when citizens fail to get involved in the operation of their schools. Good school boards are the result of cooperation between involved parents, employees, and community members. Not appointed “professionals”.
In lieu of a prison sentence or fine, they should have Mr. Wyllie serve for a ten year period as a substitute teacher in one of Chicago’s inner-city schools that has been a victim of misappropriated TIF funds.