LW 210 Paid $21K for PR Services: Report

NEW LENOX, IL — While mired in the mess over financial mismanagement, Lincoln-Way District 210 earlier this year spent $21,792 to help shape its communications and public image.

The Daily Southtown reports that as reports peeled away at the district's dire financial status, the district used the firm to assist during a lawsuit that tried to halt the closure of Lincoln-Way North and as reports revealed how the district had misused bonds.

A representative for the firm Jasculca Terman told the Southtown that they were brought in to lend "communications support," and "strategic counsel and to develop clear and accurate communications around these issues."

The district paid the company through its law firm Hauser Izzo. The total paid breaks down to $18,327 paid to Jasculca Terman and $3,465 that went to Hauser Izzo.

The school district was placed on the state's financial watch list in 2015, leading to the shuttering of Lincoln-Way North as a cost-saving measure. The public has decried the administration's decisions, calling their actions rash and unnecessary among other options available. The administrators have maintained that closing the school was the most effective solution to improving the district's financial situation.

Staring down the district's financial state, many have criticized officials' decision to spend on PR. A representative for Jasculca Terman rebutted, stating "timely, forthright and effective communications are a worthwhile investment — especially when the issues are complex and important to the community."

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