Dec. 03--A longtime high-ranking aide to Chicago Public Schools chief Forrest Claypool was granted an exemption from the district's residency requirement over strong objections from the district's watchdog.
CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler wrote in a memo to Claypool and the school board that hiring Ronald DeNard, who owns a home in south suburban Flossmoor, was "unfair and inconsistent" with rules that require district employees to live in the city.
The exemption for DeNard, Schuler wrote, "chips away at the viability of the residency policy" and "creates an inconsistent 'tone at the top' regarding Board rules and policies."
Despite the concerns Schuler outlined in his Aug. 25 memo, the board voted 6-1 the next day to waive the residency requirement for DeNard and approve his hire as vice president of finance at an annual salary of $225,000.
CPS denied a public records request for Schuler's memo, but a copy was recently obtained by the Tribune.
In his memo, Schuler sought a "transparent and public vetting of the rationale" to exempt DeNard from a policy enforced for thousands of other school employees. But Claypool and the board discussed his hiring during a closed session.
Schuler, in a recent interview, said the board's decision renews questions about the effectiveness of the residency policy if top administrators are able to skirt it.
"Broadly, it could potentially raise concerns about preferential treatment for favored insiders," Schuler said. "And it could create a situation that could raise questions about whether the board's residency policy was consistent and equitable. It raises optics problems, in my mind."
Claypool said he stands by his decision to hire DeNard, who he said is needed in a time of financial peril for Chicago schools.
"This is the third turnaround that I've been involved in," Claypool told the Tribune's editorial board last week. "I have confidence in him. He's proven. I trust him. This is an extraordinary challenge. A lot is at stake, and I don't have time for on-the-job training or hit-or-miss hires of strangers."
DeNard is one of several officials Claypool brought with him to CPS from his previous post as head of the Chicago Transit Authority. DeNard also worked in a top finance job under Claypool at the Park District in the mid-1990s. The CTA, like CPS and other city agencies, has residency requirements for employees.
