Thanks Tom. I'm glad someone is finally looking into this. It was well-known way before Horton was hired that he owed tens of thousands of dollars to the City of Chicago thanks to NBC's reporting. That was a big red-flag for me when he was hired and I was concerned at the time how this might impact expenditure decisions.
The District's response to your query is woefully inadequate. You don't use the word, but they actually boldfaced lied in their response that the business was "immediately dissolved upon formation." It doesn't sound like they filed a LLC-35.15, which is the termination form for an LLC.
Out of a concern for transparency, Horton should release the internal operating agreement for the business and any tax returns.
Tom, can you either FOIA from the IL Secretary of State or ask the District to provide the LLC-5.5 form that Horton and his partners had to fill out? On the form it asks the purpose of the LLC. Why would you start a business and "immediately dissolve" it?
I think a legitimate follow-up is to ask about his other LLCs that he has been running while superintendent:
1. St. Chi Enterprises is a Missouri-based company he runs, currently is active and was established a couple of weeks after National Stand Up on 8 September 2020. Do they (or any individuals associated with St. Chi) have any contracts with the District? W
2. Altering the Education Xpectation. This one was established on 15 October 2020 and he uses it for his "leadership coaching" side gig for other districts. Note that this was set up about a week after the big piece on Evanston in the Wall Street Journal--likely an effort to leverage the national attention.
How can this consultancy be getting money if the LLC is dissolved?
The fact that Sergio Hernandez and the board decided to hire Horton without naming him publicly first puts a real stain on his judgment. I would like to see him and Maya Wilkins (not on the board at the time of Horton's hiring, but a current member) explain why they are fine with keeping the public in the dark about these contracts and whether they see any of this as a conflict of interest.
So you support the Republican parents rights bill that just passed it sounds like - the one that makes all school dollars spent transparent. And the dreaded notifying if parents if pronouns or genders are changing at school , and that the curriculum be posted and available. Oh no.
Thanks Tom. I'm glad someone is finally looking into this. It was well-known way before Horton was hired that he owed tens of thousands of dollars to the City of Chicago thanks to NBC's reporting. That was a big red-flag for me when he was hired and I was concerned at the time how this might impact expenditure decisions.
The District's response to your query is woefully inadequate. You don't use the word, but they actually boldfaced lied in their response that the business was "immediately dissolved upon formation." It doesn't sound like they filed a LLC-35.15, which is the termination form for an LLC.
Out of a concern for transparency, Horton should release the internal operating agreement for the business and any tax returns.
Tom, can you either FOIA from the IL Secretary of State or ask the District to provide the LLC-5.5 form that Horton and his partners had to fill out? On the form it asks the purpose of the LLC. Why would you start a business and "immediately dissolve" it?
I think a legitimate follow-up is to ask about his other LLCs that he has been running while superintendent:
1. St. Chi Enterprises is a Missouri-based company he runs, currently is active and was established a couple of weeks after National Stand Up on 8 September 2020. Do they (or any individuals associated with St. Chi) have any contracts with the District? W
2. Altering the Education Xpectation. This one was established on 15 October 2020 and he uses it for his "leadership coaching" side gig for other districts. Note that this was set up about a week after the big piece on Evanston in the Wall Street Journal--likely an effort to leverage the national attention.
Like National Stand Up, this has been involuntarily dissolved as of 8 April 2022. Interestingly, CPS appears to be cutting his LLC a check after it was dissolved: https://api.cps.edu/procurement/Supplier/DownloadSupplierPaymentsPDF?reportyear=2023
How can this consultancy be getting money if the LLC is dissolved?
The fact that Sergio Hernandez and the board decided to hire Horton without naming him publicly first puts a real stain on his judgment. I would like to see him and Maya Wilkins (not on the board at the time of Horton's hiring, but a current member) explain why they are fine with keeping the public in the dark about these contracts and whether they see any of this as a conflict of interest.
How long before #HortonInHandcuffs starts trending? can't come soon enough...
Evanston doesn’t really arrest or fully investigate all sorts of crimes anymore the list is in the link
https://patch.com/illinois/evanston/evanston-police-staffing-shortage-prompt-policy-shifts
So you support the Republican parents rights bill that just passed it sounds like - the one that makes all school dollars spent transparent. And the dreaded notifying if parents if pronouns or genders are changing at school , and that the curriculum be posted and available. Oh no.
Any interest from the local press?!