Ex-Argo Teacher Gets $266K Settlement

SUMMIT, IL – An Argo Community High School teacher received a $266,000 settlement in return for her resignation last year.

Under the pact, English teacher Heather Siegel-Hickman was required to seek the withdrawal of public records requests for Superintendent William Toulios' school credit card spending.

He appeared to use his card for personal expenses, including a mysterious item called "Sextpanthe." Patch reported on the spending in January.

Siegel-Hickman, president of the teachers union, entered the agreement last May.

At the May 22 school board meeting, members approved agreements with both Siegel-Hickman and the teachers union. The union agreement also called for an effort to withdraw the records requests.

Patch obtained the settlement agreement and the anonymous Freedom of Information Act inquiries through a public records request.

It is unclear who submitted the records requests last April to Argo because they were anonymous.

The school denied the requests, saying they were "voluminous." Such a designation can be asserted under state law, though a requester can file a complaint with the attorney general.

In the denial, the school asked an anonymous requester to provide a name and phone number to discuss scaling down the requests. But the requester wanted to stay anonymous.

Before the school released any documents, Toulios issued a warning to a requester.

"Note that if you fail to accept or collect the responsive records, the District may still charge you for its response (under the law)," he wrote. "Your failure to pay will be considered a debt due and owing to the district and may be collected in accordance with applicable law."

Siegel-Hickman, who has a doctorate, declined to comment. Toulios has not responded to requests for comment.

She is now the director of professional development for the Will County Regional Office of Education.

She worked at Argo for 24 years, ending with a salary of $160,000.

Argo did not reveal why it wanted Siegel-Hickman gone.

The agreements with Siegel-Hickman and the union listed four union complaints before the state Educational Labor Relations Board.

Under the union agreement, the complaints were withdrawn.

As for the anonymous public records requests, the agreement said if they are resubmitted, the district would not presume they were done so by Siegel-Hickman or the union.

Siegel-Hickman's agreement also included reference letters from Toulios and Principal Brandon Cotter.

Toulios called her a "valuable member" of the Argo faculty, saying she holds herself to high standards.

The principal said Siegel-Hickman was known for her "exceptional organizational abilities."

"She has successfully managed numerous responsibilities with efficiency and a keen attention to detail," Cotter wrote. "Her strong communication skills are evident in her ability to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively."