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School Board News Bulletin
January 2002

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ISBE proposes $250 million increase in funding; New State Superintendent cuts top staff positions

Ernest Wish succeeds Max McGee as Superintendent of education

Congress underfunds new ESEA by $4.3 billion

IASB Division Dinner Meetings

NSBA hosts All new voucher strategy center clearinghouse

Board members are entitled to tax deduction

McGee accepts new position as superintendent in Wilmette

Congress passes bush education plan to require yearly testing in grades 3 through 8

Heyworth board member enthused by Chicago school tour of Lincoln Park High

NEWS HEADLINES

FEDERAL UPDATE

Illinois FRN delegates to lobby

DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL LAW

WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

More than 200 clinics and workshop scheduled for NSBA conference

NEWS FROM IASB

IASB issues how-to guide to superintendent evaluation

More equitable fee system established for IASB services

IASB Web site offers annual conference wrap-up, photos

Seventh annual multicultural job fair for teachers and school administrators set for March 16

RECENT MAILINGS FROM IASB

The Illinois State Board of Education voted January 4 to propose an $8.5 billion budget for the coming year, with most of that money going directly to local districts, as advocated by school management interests. The agency’s budget proposal—which requires legislative and gubernatorial approval—includes a $250 million boost in state funding, a 4 percent increase.

General State Aid would receive a $67.6 million boost, after a $230 million hike last year, and the foundation level would increase from $4,560 per pupil to $4,680 per pupil.

The plan recommends holding the line on new spending at the $250 million level by reallocating and reducing various line items. These adjustments include reducing by $45.4 million the $72 million block grant based on average daily attendance for use as needed.

School lobbyists are vehemently opposed to that cut. "That is too big a hit on the attendance block grant," said IASB’s Ben Schwarm, of the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, "because that is money that goes right into classrooms, and helps local school districts educate students."

Adjustments were also made by reallocating $3 million from Charter Schools, $2.1 million from the Teachers Academy for Math and Science, and $3.3 million from other lines, including agency operations.

The proposed budget would fully fund mandated categorical programs, such as special education and transportation. It would fund teacher retirement at the statutorily required level, according to ISBE.

Although school management lobbyists had urged the state not to fund any new programs in the present budget crunch, ISBE’s budget did propose funding one new initiative, "teacher mentoring and induction," with a $5 million price tag. "It may be a fine program, but it is just not affordable out of this budget, and other programs will have to suffer to pay for it," said Schwarm.

Newly appointed interim State Superintendent of Education Ernest Wish announced January 7 he will cut 15 managers’ positions at the ISBE during the first phase of a three-part reorganization designed to "do more with less."

Wish said the re-organized agency will be more understandable to the staff and public and able to bring about improvements in providing service, with a particular emphasis on value-added programs for school district management.

Wish said the reshuffling and downsizing is unrelated to $25 million in reductions being made at the agency for the current fiscal year on orders from Governor George Ryan. Ryan’s order for agency cuts came in response to slow growth in state revenue amid the current economic recession.

Wish said the state budget crunch likely means Illinois school districts won’t receive as much new aid from the state as in the past. He said the board must do a better job of assisting local districts so they can "do more with less."

Ben Schwarm, of the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, responded to the reorganization and budget proposals by simply stating that, "We are all for anything that promises to improve services to school district management." The Alliance represents boards of education and other statewide local school management organizations.

State Superintendent Wish, a former Chicago accounting executive with little or no background in elementary and secondary education, was recently hired to replace Superintendent Glenn "Max" McGee until a permanent replacement can be found.

It is possible the state board will choose someone other than Wish for the permanent position. Board chairman Ronald Gidwitz of Chicago said the board supports Wish’s plans in the meantime because "he’s making changes the board feels need to be made . . . regardless of who is the superintendent."

Sources: Illinois State Journal-Register, "State school chief to cut 15 jobs," January 9, 2002; and State Board of Education budget proposal, ISBE.

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The ISBE recently designated Ernest R. Wish of Chicago to serve as interim State Superintendent of Education while it seeks a permanent replacement for Glenn W. McGee. McGee resigned effective December 31, 2001.

Wish was with the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand for 37 years, including 17 years as Managing Partner of the Chicago office, until taking early retirement in 1992. His governmental experience includes service as chairman of former governor Jim Edgar’s Illinois Health Care Reform Task Force, and as the appointed City Clerk of Chicago and director of the city’s revenue department.

Wish has also served as a trustee of DePaul University for more than 25 years, including three years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

The state board also announced November 15 it hopes to complete its search for a new superintendent by July 1, 2002.

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Congress has completed action on a fiscal year 2002 appropriations bill that includes a record 16 percent increase for education, or $6.7 billion more than the amount approved for 2001. However, the appropriations bill doesn’t match the new requirements in the recently approved Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And for some programs, Congress appropriated less money than was authorized in the ESEA bill (H.R.1).

The federal spending bill boosts education department funding from $42 billion to $49 billion, with funding for ESEA specifically raised from $18.7 billion to $22.1 billion (an 18% increase), far less than originally sought. Implementing the new testing regime required by federal law, analysts say, could cost many times the amount Washington provided.

While H.R.1 authorizes $26.4 billion for a variety of K-12 programs, Congress appropriated only $22.1 billion for those programs. H.R.1 authorizes $10.35 billion for Title I, while Congress appropriated only $9.6 billion. The Title I basic grants program would see some minimal cuts.

The appropriations bill boosts funding for Reading First state grants, a literacy program for children in the early elementary grades, from $286 million last year to $900 million this year. It also appropriates $75 million for a new reading program aimed at preschool-age children. Both of these initiatives are authorized in H.R.1.

Congress appropriated $7.5 billion, an increase of $1.18 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA originally committed the federal government to paying 40 percent of the cost of special education, but this year’s increase only raises the federal commitment from 15 percent to 17 percent.

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Below is a partial list of scheduled upcoming IASB division spring dinner meetings. Meeting plans are still in the works for some divisions. Watch for announcements with details to be mailed soon.

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The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has long supported initiatives to strengthen public schools and has opposed measures, such as vouchers and tuition tax credits, that undermine public education, according to NSBA. Thus, in recognizing the push for vouchers, tuition tax credits and other privatization measures in Congress and state legislatures, NSBA recently created a voucher strategy center—a clearinghouse of information to help school districts and public school advocates address these issues. The clearinghouse is available online by visiting: www.nsba.org/novouchers.

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School board members are allowed to take a deduction on federal income tax returns for non-reimbursed expenses arising from board service. The cost of driving to and from board meetings is one such deduction. A school board member must itemize deductions in order to qualify. For further information contact the IRS or see IRS Publication 526, "Charitable Contributions," containing guidelines pertinent to board member deductions. Free copies of this publication are available from the IRS and may be obtained via fax or mail by calling 800/829-3676.

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Glenn W. (Max) McGee, State Superintendent of Education for the past three years, recently accepted a five-year contract as Superintendent of Wilmette Elementary School District 39, beginning July 1, 2002.

In August, McGee and the State Board of Education agreed he would not seek an extension of his contract as State Superintendent when it expired December 31.

In his time as state superintendent, McGee led the implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards and developed the Prairie State Achievement Exam, an innovative 11th grade assessment that includes as a component the ACT college entrance test.

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Congress recently passed the Conference Report to H.R. 1 containing the comprehensive overhaul of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which includes yearly student testing in grades 3 through 8.

The bill (H.R. 1) was signed January 7 by President George W. Bush, the author of most of its major concepts. "Most bills are signed at the White House. I decided to sign this bill in one of the most important places in America — a public school," Bush said.

The bill contains a number of new, under-funded mandates for schools, something IASB has long opposed. Thus the reaction from local school districts was overwhelmingly negative with regard to mandates for additional standardized testing.

"It is a lot of feel-good stuff, like ‘accountability.’ I am all for accountability, but we have to look at issues that really matter. It’s more than just a test once a year," said Albert Humpage, Jr., Superintendent of LaSalle Elementary District 122.

Some of the provisions of the legislation, however, are already in place in Illinois. Illinois already has state assessments aligned to academic standards, for example, although not annual assessments as required by the bill. Illinois also has a school report card, and new teacher re-certification requirements as the legislation requires. Now all other states will have them.

Other highlights of the new ESEA include:

• A requirement for states to implement reading and math assessments every year for grades 3-8, beginning in 2005-06 (Illinois currently tests reading and math in grades 3, 5 & 8);
• A requirement for states to participate in 4th and 8th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments in reading and mathematics tested every other year;
• A requirement for the federal government to pay all costs of the required NAEP testing and help with the cost of developing and implementing annual assessments;
• A provision mandating that in order to receive federal funding states must develop the assessments and standards, or if already in place, administer the assessments;
• A provision that adds flexibility for school districts to shift or transfer federal dollars to other federal education programs that more effectively address their needs and priorities;
• A requirement for states to define "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) of students and for students to accomplish that objective. If states and districts do not meet the AYP in consecutive years, specific corrective action must be taken.
• Schools will have to test students in science in three grades—at one grade during each of the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
• Test results must include individual student scores and be reported by race, income, and other categories to measure not just overall trends, but also gaps between, and progress of, various subgroups.

Public schools where scores fail to improve two years in a row could receive more federal aid, but if scores still fail to improve, low-income students could receive tutoring or transportation to another public school. Public money can go to private companies and religious institutions to pay for such tutoring or transportation.

These provisions replaced a Bush proposal in which federal funds would have been withheld from the worst-performing schools and made available to parents for private education vouchers. While vouchers are not contained in the bill, President Bush may propose an education tax credit later in the year, aides said.

Among the mandates in the bill, schools must raise the percentage of students who are proficient in math and reading to make 100 percent of students proficient within 12 years. Schools also must close gaps in scores between wealthy and poor students and white and minority students.

Schools meanwhile will have to develop annual "report cards" that show their standardized test scores compared with both local and state schools.

Text of the complete legislation (1,184 pages) can be found on the House Committee on Education and committee work force Web site at: http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/107th/education/nclb/conference/leglanguage/leglanguage.pdf

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The Heyworth Unit 4 school board newsletter for December featured a front-page story by Unit 4 board member Tom Jannusch on the positive impression left upon him and two fellow board members by a visit to Lincoln Park High School as part of the Chicago schools tour at the 2001 Joint Annual Conference. Following are excerpts from his thought-provoking article:

Lincoln Park High School is one of Chicago’s most successful public high schools. Its student population of over 1,850 in grades 9-12 is a fascinating representation of demographic diversity . . .

LPHS offers college preparatory magnet programs in addition to being a neighborhood high school. In 1981, Lincoln Park High School became a fully accredited member of the International Baccalaureate Program, a rigorous academic program that is recognized by leading universities throughout the world.

LPHS has the largest number of Advanced Placement course offerings in the city through its Double Honors/Advanced Placement Program. The school has cooperating relationships and exchanges with schools in France, Germany, and Morocco. LPHS also offers a Performing Arts Magnet Program in instrumental music (orchestra and band), vocal music and drama. Approximately 70% of LPHS students attend due to one of the magnet programs….

But what we saw was a school not that different at all from ours. Other than the geographic location and the ethnic diversity, many other factors are the same. The expenditure per student is not greatly different. The average class size, the students per teachers, students per administrator, physical condition of the buildings—all relatively similar…And with all the stereotypical challenges that Chicago Public Schools must face, we would have expected a school that was at the bottom of the academic rankings. Yet we were enlightened to see the opposite.

When you walk through the front doors of Lincoln Park High School, you can feel the passion for achieving. The presence of higher expectations from each and every student was prominent. The rigorous core curriculum challenges every student to want to achieve beyond the average. The underlying philosophy of the school’s administration is that intelligence is something that is developed, not something that you do or do not have.

We visited four classrooms in session, unannounced. We just walked in at the lead of the vice principal who had been assigned to our subgroup of eight. Each of the classrooms had the same comfortable synergy. It was evident that each teacher was less concerned about the mundane process, but more about keeping the classroom alive and focused. (Likewise) let us raise our expectations for ourselves and our students. I’ll start with me.

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The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards reports 162 Illinois teachers—about 44 percent of those who completed the national certification process last year—were certified. Over the past several years, an additional 185 Illinois teacher had won certification, making Illinois the ninth-leading state in the country for total number of nationally certified teachers. The voluntary program demands that interested teachers undergo 500 hours of work in analyzing their classroom practices. The state board has obtained the support of union and business leaders in the past two years to get even more teachers nationally board certified. This funding increase has allowed the state to pick up most of the initial $2,300 entry fee. Teachers who earn national certification get a one-time stipend of $3,000 from the state. (December 27, Chicago Tribune) … The growth and development charts used for America’s children for more than 20 years will be updated with charts that better reflect the various ethnic and economic makeup of the country, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently announced. The new growth charts can be found on the CDC’s Web site at www.cdc.gov/growthcharts . (January 7, Reuters) … Americans who lack a high school diploma run a greater risk of death than graduates, an analysis of vital statistics indicates. Differences in education may largely explain the link past research has found between income and death rates, according to Andreas Muller of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. (January 4, Reuters)

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FEDERAL UPDATE

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A delegation of IASB school board members will join hundreds of others from across the nation in Washington, DC to meet and lobby federal officials February 3-5. The event marks the 29th annual Federal Relations Network (FRN) conference in the nation’s capital.

Attending board members will gain valuable information on the new ESEA law and on vouchers, and learn how to help push for mandatory full funding of special education.

The FRN is a nationwide organization of local board members, coordinated by the National School Boards Association, the Illinois Association of School Boards, and school boards associations in other states.

The full day of lobbying is scheduled for February 5. Beforehand, FRN delegates will get briefings on the education issues before Congress. Source: NSBA.

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DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL LAW

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The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) contains many issues so confusing and complex that federal courts must routinely sort them out. The Illinois Council of School Attorneys’ Special Education Committee is writing a position paper to present as testimony during IDEA’s Congressional reauthorization this year. The position paper’s introduction identifies our motivation: we wish to express how certain provisions in IDEA are thwarting our clients’ efforts to provide children with disabilities a free appropriate public education. When complete, the position paper will be available on the IASB Web site. We hope it will inspire conversation about the identified problems and prompt legislative solutions.

One IDEA enigma involves the least restrictive environment requirement. Special education students have a statutory right to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). How must a district balance the student’s right to receive educational benefits against the law’s preference for inclusion? A recent Illinois federal district court decision addressed this question.

The case involves Beth, a 13-year-old girl with Rett Syndrome – a form of autism. Her motor skills are estimated between five and seven months. Estimates of cognition range from one to six years. Beth primarily communicates through eye gazes. She was in a regular kindergarten class in 1994-95 with services provided by a special education cooperative. In 1997, the school district recommended that Beth be placed in a self-contained educational life skills program. There the teachers are specifically trained and experienced in dealing with students with severe cognitive and communication disabilities.

Beth’s parents rejected this placement and Beth continues in the elementary school under IDEA’s "stay-put" provision. In 2000, the impartial hearing officer ruled in the district’s favor; this ruling was affirmed by the Illinois Northern District Court in 2001. A review of this decision is pending before the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

The IDEA’s primary purpose is to ensure that disabled children have access to educational opportunities. School districts are obligated to provide services reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits. This does not, however, mean that the child must receive an optimal education. Congress left local school authorities wide discretion as to how to achieve this mandate.

The IDEA does, however, require that disabled students be able to interact with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent possible; this is the crux of the least restrictive environment (LRE) requirement. The IDEA thus incorporates two goals: the presumption in favor of inclusion and the need for an individualized placement decision reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits. School districts must balance education benefits with mainstreaming to determine the appropriate placement for each disabled child.

The District Court concluded the appropriate measure for determining if a student’s placement meets the least restrictive environment requirement is a test adopted by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1989. This test asks first whether education in the regular classroom, with the use of supplemental aides and services, can be achieved satisfactorily for a given child. If it cannot, the test asks whether the school has mainstreamed the child to the maximum extent appropriate.

Two other Circuit Courts of Appeal have also adopted this test. Three Circuit Courts use a different test that asks feasibility questions – something the Fifth Circuit believed was better left to an administrative determination. The Seventh Circuit, second only to the U.S. Supreme Court for Illinois districts, has not addressed the question. The Seventh Circuit will now have this opportunity because Beth’s parents appealed the District Court’s decision.

The Seventh Circuit denied IASB’s petition to participate in this case as Amicus Curiae. This denial is, however, no indication of how the Seventh Circuit will rule on the case’s merits. Beth B. v. Lake Bluff School District No. 65, No. 00 C 4771 (N.D.Ill. 9-13-01), pending before the 7th Cir., No. 01-3673.

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WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

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The National School Boards Association’s 62nd Annual Conference in San Diego, California, April 6-9, 2002 will feature a wide variety of professional development workshops and clinics to help school leaders expand their efforts on behalf of their students and their community.

Complete information is available on the NSBA Web site: www.nsba.org/conference or call fax-on-demand at 800/934-3967. Source: NSBA.

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NEWS FROM IASB

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Evaluation of the superintendent is the subject of the latest publication from IASB. Entitled "How to Develop a Performance Evaluation Process," the 48-page booklet was produced by IASB staff as a resource for both boards and superintendents.

As its introduction says, the guide’s purpose is to "help the school board overcome the obstacles and develop a superintendent evaluation process that supports effective leadership for the district and is fair to both parties." The booklet provides a checklist of eight steps in developing and carrying out the evaluation process.

In addition to an appendix of related materials and other resources, the booklet consists of 10 brief sections: Superintendent Employment and the Law, Some Benefits of Regular Evaluation, Avoiding Common Errors, Focus on Performance, Examining School Board Performance, What is Needed to Get Started? Deciding What to Evaluate, Defining School Board Expectations for the Superintendent, The Annual Review: Comparing Performance with Expectations, and Developing a Schedule for Superintendent Evaluation.

A copy of the booklet has been mailed to the superintendent in each member school district. It’s also available for downloading or printing from the IASB Web site (www.iasb.com).

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In order to give all school boards equal access to its services, IASB is implementing a new way of charging for those services.

Heretofore, some in-district services have been available to boards at a fee and some were free. Beginning in January, 2002, virtually all in-district services will be fee-based. A board using the IASB board self-evaluation service, for example, will be charged the same as a district using a workshop on team building or goal setting.

Moreover, travel expenses will no longer be billed separately. The staff will now incorporate travel costs in the fees it charges for most in-district services so that all boards pay the same regardless of how far they may be located from an IASB office.

IASB will bill a school board $300 for up to four hours of in-district consulting or workshop direction and $300 for each additional four hours. The charge, exclusive of workshop materials, covers such services as goal setting, team building, school board self-evaluation, Franklin-Covey training, and workshops on effective governance and board-superintendent relations, among others. Some workshops involve specially licensed materials that will be billed at cost in addition to the basic workshop fee. The fee for other programs, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, varies with the number of participants.

Likewise, fees for superintendent searches and policy services must be based on variations in the service desired and on cost factors other than time that IASB staff spend in the district. School boards interested in these services should query IASB staff for cost information.

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Nearly 6,000 board members and administrators representing 794 Illinois school districts attended the 2001 IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference held November 16-18 in Chicago.

IASB’s Web site (www.iasb.com) offers a "2001 Joint Annual Conference Review." Look down below the "What’s New" links at the top of the page, and click on any of the conference topic links, which range from "2001 JAC in Pictures" (at www.iasb.com/jac01/pics.html) to the conference "Overview" (at www.iasb.com/jac01/attend.html). Summaries of a sampling of the most significant Conference panel sessions will be posted on the Web site by January 31, 2001.

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IASB — in partnership with IASA, IPA and other statewide education associations — will hold the seventh annual Multicultural Job Fair for Teachers and Administrators in Chicago, Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be held at Saint Xavier University in the Main Arena of the Shannon Center, 3700 West 103rd Street.

In its first six years the fair has enabled hundreds of teachers to be placed in schools across the state. Job fair coordinator is Donna Johnson, IASB director of field services.

There is no charge for students and others wishing to take part in the Fair as job seekers, but advance registration is required by March 4, and participants are asked to bring at least 25 copies of their résumé for distribution. Job seekers may register via email by sending their name, address, phone number, college or occupation, and how they learned of the Job Fair to jobfair@iasb.com.

Districts seeking assistance in identifying candidates for their personnel applicant pool should contact Loretta Cotten at IASB regarding registration fees and procedures. Reach her via e-mail at lcotten@iasb.com or phone 630/629-3776, ext. 1237.

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RECENT MAILINGS FROM IASB

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IASB regularly sends informational materials to all member districts. Here is a list of such items mailed to representatives in your district recently. For more information about any item, contact your board president or district superintendent or get in touch with IASB.

Multicultural Job Fair recruiter brochure, sent on 12/17 to board presidents and district superintendents.

Call for proposals for 2002 Joint Annual Conference, sent on 1/2 to board presidents and district superintendents.

IASB Constitution & position statements book, sent 1/9 to superintendents.

How to develop a performance evaluation, sent on 1/11 to superintendents.

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IASB ARCHIVES HOME

Illinois Association of School Boards

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703