College of Lake County Federation of Teachers
Political Action Committee
Letter to the Editor
Ted Hazelgrove
FUND EDUCATION NOT CLC BOARD FOOD & ALCOHOL
Published: Daily Herald– Saturday March 24, 2007
I read the 18 March Daily Herald front-page story about the College of Lake
County Board’s expenses with great dismay, especially since I have benefited
from the positive history of politicians who used tax monies on behalf of
a greater good. My own education, you see, was possible only because of educational
initiatives funded through taxes and socially responsible legislation. Since
graduation, I have reimbursed those monies back to the granting offices, with
interest, imagining that my money would end up in the pocket of some other
future student with financial need.
Perhaps the CLC Board needs to be reminded of low-wage workers in Lake County
who want an education for a brighter future. With the Board’s 12.5%
tuition increase, a minimum-wage worker will have to work 53 hours (pre-tax)
to pay for a class and purchase a relatively cheap textbook (say, $75). Does
any of the CLC bookstore’s profit go to fund the Board’s dinner
and alcohol expenses?
Speaking of which, a Lake County resident who works for minimum wage would
have to work 512 hours to pay for the 2006 Board trip to Washington, DC which
cost $3,325.
That same worker would have to work 169 hours to pay for a $1,095 dinner such
as the one the Board members enjoyed in 2005.
The next time CLC’s Board members spend over $1,000 on single dinner,
I hope they keep in mind that the people in the kitchen as well as those who
are serving the food want them to keep community college education accessible
and affordable.
O. H. Michael Smith and John W. Lumber, two candidates running for CLC’s
Board this year, have both pledged to get control of tuition costs and address
bureaucratic waste. After reading the Sunday paper, I now see that the time
for changing CLC’s Board is now.
Ted Hazelgrove
Resident of Grayslake
-dedicated to improving the educational experiences
of the citizens of Lake County
CLCFT-PAC