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"Health care is going through some
tough economic times. We need to cut operating expenses," Hester
said.
Eldredge has been with ALMH for almost
five years and built an award-winning program, the Healthy
Communities Partnership, of which the hospital is a major sponsor.
"Dayle’s done a wonderful job here.
She’s built a great program for us and the community, and we’re
grateful to her for all her hard work," Hester said. "She’s leaving
in the interest of the partnership continuing. If we didn’t tighten
our belts, some programs might have to be discontinued."
Even though Eldredge will no longer be
director, HCP will continue to function, Hester said.
The partnership is a collaboration of
health care providers, law enforcement, education, social services
and civic organizations that work to improve the health and welfare
of all the citizens of Lincoln and Logan County.
It involves other agencies as well as
ALMH, including Family Medical Center, Lincoln/Logan Chamber of
Commerce, Logan County Health Department and Logan-Mason Mental
Health.
The organization has five task forces,
the Domestic Abuse and Violence Task Force; Alcohol, Tobacco and
Other Drugs Task Force; Healthy Families Task Force; Senior Issues
Task Force; and Rural Health Partnership. The Rural Health
Partnership operates the mobile health unit, often called the "Corn
Bus" because of the pictures of rural life on the body of the unit.
The rural health van regularly visits 14 communities to offer health
services.
Eldredge is especially concerned that
people realize the mobile unit will not be phased out.
"People do not need to be concerned
that the mobile unit or any other HCP program will be going away.
The mobile unit will continue to visit the communities it now visits
and continue to be fully staffed," she said.
She said the cost of her salary is now
going to help offset the cost of the programs.
"The hospital has historically absorbed
a lot of the expenses, and the programs are the big picture.
Eliminating the position will free up revenue for the hospital."
She believes the organization is now in
a good position to continue without her, and she will be working
closely with Hester on the transition.
"I think it will be fine operating
without me. The chairpersons of the task forces are very committed
and the mobile unit staff wonderfully competent.
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"I’m like a mother hen, but instead of
chicks leaving the nest, the mother hen is leaving.
"I have truly enjoyed my work here, and I hope I am fortunate enough
to find work in the community and switch over from being the
director of HCP to being a volunteer."
Hester said the belt-tightening that
has eliminated Eldredge’s job has been going on for the past seven
years because of drastic cuts in state and federal programs.
"Reimbursement from Medicaid through
the state of Illinois has declined dramatically. We have also had
significant reductions in reimbursement for Medicare patients, and
here in Lincoln Medicare patients are the largest component of our
patient base."
Medicaid is a big drain on the
hospital’s budget, he said, because of drastic cuts the state of
Illinois has made in reimbursement.
"We get only 68 cents on the dollar for
every Medicare patient we treat. That means each time we give a
patient $100 worth of care it costs us $32. Because of the softening
economy, we have more people qualifying for Medicaid. The number of
patients is getting bigger and bigger, and the budget to pay for
them is getting smaller and smaller."
Seven years ago, ALMH had 340 full-time
equivalent employees; today it has only 235, Hester said. Almost all
of those 105 jobs have disappeared because of retirement or
resignations, and the vacant positions were not filled.
"We have been cutting costs by
controlled change, not massive layoffs, and doing it in the most
responsible way to provide first-class care to the community," he
said.
"Probably only four people I can name,
including Dayle, have been affected like this. Dayle’s leaving will
be noticed because she has such a public presence in the community."
Hester does not see the financial
picture getting better in the near future.
"It would be
irresponsible for us not to tighten our belts and keep on providing
first-class care to the community. We are positioning ourselves to
survive during a period we think is going to be even more
challenging than today. We have to tighten our belts so we will
always be here ready to serve patients."
[Joan Crabb]
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Janet, who retired in June after 21
years as principal at Central and Adams schools, said he plans to
run for another term on the board in the April 1 election. He is
also starting Monday as interim principal at Heyworth Elementary
School, where the former principal resigned.
The two other District 27 board members
whose terms expire, Shelly Allen and Joe Brewer, both said they are
considering running for another four-year term.
Rick Spahn, project manager at S.M.
Wilson, the construction management company for the Central School
building project, asked the board to approve a new bid package for
casework in the school office. The revised plan, approved by
Principal Christa Healy and Central teachers, will cost only $4,985,
rather than the $6,700 the former plan cost, and will provide more
open space.
Progress on the new school is moving
along well, according to Superintendent Robert Kidd, and the
building is about 40 percent complete. Most of the superstructure of
the gym is done, and work has started on the roof of the classroom
wing. Most of the sheeting and studs on the outside of the classroom
wing are up, and electricians are running conduits and sheet metal
workers running ductwork inside.
Elaine Knight, District 27 librarian,
presented a report to the board on the district’s library program,
part of the requirements to receive a State School Library Grant of
about $880 next spring. The grant, from Secretary of State Jesse
White’s office, provides about 75 cents per student.
Kidd reported that the district is in
compliance with state health life/safety requirements. The only area
of concern was a slightly bowed wall in the gymnasium at the present
Central School. Since that school will be demolished after the new
Central School and the new junior high school are built, the
district will try to avoid spending money to correct the problem.
However, money will have to be spent at
the junior high school, also scheduled to be razed, because of a
leaking boiler. About 20 pipes will have to be replaced, Kidd said.
The fire alarm system in the present Central School also needs to be
improved, he said, which can be paid for out of the life/safety
fund.
Six seventh-graders and seven
eighth-graders were named board scholars for the first nine weeks of
school, having earned A’s in all classes, including band and
physical education.
Seventh-grade scholars are Arielle
Alley, Aleisha Baker, Jaci Gandenberger, Kristina Logan, Mick
Montcalm and Daniel Garrett.
Eighth-graders are Kaeley Fitzsimmons,
Jonathon Liesinger, Julianne Papesch, Hannah Snyder, Sonya Twist,
Timothy Wiser and Brandon Rohn.
Kidd announced that a public hearing on
the District 27 tax levy will be held at the next board meeting Dec.
18. He said he did not have an official figure yet but estimated the
levy would be about $1,405,000.
Kidd also handed out copies of the
latest Illinois District Report Card, a school progress report put
out each year. This year’s 65-page document is in a new format and
shows how the district and each individual school compare with state
averages in mastering core subjects. The document, which covers the
2001-2002 school year, also gives figures on racial and ethnic
backgrounds of students, staff-to-student ratios, teacher salaries
and school expenditures by function.
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In past years, the progress report was
sent to all parents of District 27 students, but this year, because
it is much longer, it will be posted on the school website,
http://logan.K12.il.us/les27/. The report requires Adobe Acrobat
Reader (click
here to download). Parents
who would like a paper copy can get one by calling the school.
The report shows that last year,
District 27 students were 91.6 percent white, 5.5 percent black, 1.7
percent Hispanic, 1.2 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, with no Native
Americans.
Districtwide, average class size was
17.6 in kindergarten, 19 in first grade, 19.7 in third grade, 17.2
in sixth grade and 16.2 in eighth grade. Pupil-to-teacher ratio was
17.2-to-1.
District 27 teachers’ average salaries
were less than the state average, $40,346 to $49,702.
Administrators’ salaries also averaged lower, $76,344 to $87,987.
The district spent a larger percent of
its budget on instruction, 56.3 percent, than the state average of
45.8 percent, and a smaller percent on support services, 29.5
percent to the state average of 32.3 percent. Other expenditures
were also lower than state averages, 11.2 percent to 19.5 percent.
Districtwide, the overall performance
on all state tests was slightly above the state average, 60.9
percent to 60.1 percent. Performance on the Illinois Standards
Achievement Tests (SAT) was also slightly higher, 63.1 percent to
62.7 percent.
District 27 students in all grades
tested except eighth grade also were higher than state averages,
with the exception of fifth-grade writing scores.
Third-grade students in District 27 who
met or exceeded state standards in reading were slightly higher than
the state average, 62.8 percent to 62.2 percent. In mathematics,
76.9 percent met or exceeded standards, compared with 74.2 percent
statewide. In writing, 62.8 percent met or exceeded standards
compared with 56.6 percent statewide.
Fourth-graders met or exceeded science
scores 71.9 percent compared with 67.1 percent statewide. They met
or exceeded social science standards 62 percent to 59.9 percent.
Fifth-graders who met or exceeded
reading scores were slightly higher than the state average, 59.6
percent to 59.1 percent. In mathematics, scores were also close,
63.7 percent in the Lincoln district to 62.8 percent statewide. In
writing, fifth-graders fell below the state average of 58.8 percent,
with only 51.2 percent meeting or exceeding state standards.
Seventh-graders districtwide scored
well on science, with 83.4 percent meeting or exceeding state
standards compared with 73.3 statewide. They also scored slightly
better in social science, 59.1 percent compared with 58.6 percent
statewide.
Eighth-graders last year fell behind
state standards in all three areas tested. Only 53.5 percent met or
exceeded state reading standards, compared with 68 percent
statewide. Only 41.5 percent met or exceeded state standards in
mathematics, compared with 52.5 percent statewide, and only 50.4
percent met or exceeded writing standards, compared with 62.5
percent statewide.
The report
card includes test results for each individual school in the
district as well as written comments from the principals of each
school.
[Joan Crabb]
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