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School Board News Bulletin
January, 2003

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Academic warning list draws fire from educators

State Board to consider NCLB 'adequate yearly progress' plan

State Board approves proposal to simplify alternate assessment

New terrorism insurance law impacts self-insurance pools

State could hold up year-end state aid payments until July

IASB Division Dinner Meetings

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Grants available for school lighting efficiency upgrades

Drug-free support grants available

ILLINOIS SCHOOLS

Finance Authority appointed for Hazel Crest District 152.5

TRIP report available

Suburban leaders confirmed to join State Board of Education

NEWS HEADLINES

RESEARCH REPORTS

Illinois rates high in post-secondary student preparation

Report reveals financial woes of Illinois public education

THE NATIONAL SCENE

Some small schools benefit from move to four-day week

WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

FRN conference to aid lobbying by board members

IASB to offer job fair for teachers and administrators

RECENT MAILINGS FROM IASB

Academic warning list draws fire from educators
Critics say board chairman erred, ignoring state law and professional advice

The Illinois State Board of Education recently released a list of 661 schools from 125 school districts that have been placed on the Academic Early Warning List (AEWL). The list includes only those schools that have had at least 50 percent of their students failing to meet state standards the last two years.

"The warning list is one of our most important tools for identifying which schools need significant help and for channeling resources to them," said State Superintendent of Education Robert E. Schiller. "The list is a structured way of letting the public know how Illinois schools are doing. It leads to a structured way of working with local school communities to improve academic performance."

Controversy, however, surrounds the new AEWL. Superintendent Schiller had been working with a task force he created to look into student assessment. At its most recent meeting, the task force voted down a motion that called for using the "50 percent exceeds standards" benchmark, and instead, approved a proposal using a 40 percent benchmark. Yet the state board, led by pro-business Chairman Ron Gidwitz, used "administrative policy" authority to issue this list, instead.

"There are several problems with this development," according to the Statewide School Management Alliance. "First, the obvious disregard for Superintendent Schiller's task force. Experienced education professionals, legislators and the superintendent have spent many hours to prepare a sound task force report, only now to have portions of it ignored by the board." But there are other concerns as well.

The standard agreed to at the task force meeting, using the 40 percent mark, would have created a list of about 200 schools that failed to meet standards. Business groups represented at the meeting had pushed for using a 50 percent level, but that motion was defeated. Mike Skarr, former ISBE member and current President of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, represents business interests on the assessment task force. He was quoted as stating: "We will not muster political and/or financial support, in my opinion, for our public education system until we create a greater sense of 'crisis.'"

The AEWL is very similar to the federal Title 1 "School Improvement List," but the AEWL includes schools that do not receive Title 1 funding. The new federal No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to move to a single accountability system in 2003.

The 2001 AEWL consisted of 594 schools from 65 districts, but included only elementary schools. Thirty districts with a total of 63 schools earned removal from the AEWL because of improved 2002 scores on state assessments. Additions to the AEWL for 2002 numbered 160 schools, of which 128 are high schools.

The 2002 Academic Early Warning List in county order may be accessed at the Web site, www.isbe.net/ pdf/02aewl.pdf.

The federal government's NCLB Act has led to a continuing discussion and concerns about the education reform program.

The Illinois Association of School Boards will be monitoring these developments to offer links to resources, articles and Web sites about NCLB. Concerns, questions and comments about NCLB may be directed to IASB at: nclb@iasb.com.

Useful Web sites on complying with NCLB:

• Illinois State Board of Education: www.isbe.net/nclb/default.htm
• U.S. Department of Education: www.nochildleftbehind.gov/
• National School Boards Association/ Council of School Attorneys' resource documents: www. nsba.org/cosa/Hot_topics/nclba.htm
• National School Boards Association/Council of School Attorneys: www.nsba.org/cosa/Hot_topics/child.htm

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State Board to consider NCLB 'adequate yearly progress' plan

At its December 18 meeting, the Illinois State Board of Education turned down new regulations recommended by a task force regarding adequate yearly progress (AYP) for schools under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

NCLB sets a goal of getting all of the nation's students to meet state standards by the 2013-14 school year, and the law requires states to measure AYP of schools toward reaching that goal. Schools would have to meet AYP targets for their entire student body, as well as for each of eight demographic groups of students.

Using the analogy of running a race, the presentation suggested starting at a 40% level for reading and math, with increases being gradual, not necessarily 5% per year, yet reaching 100% by 2014.

Board members said they were dissatisfied with the new standards set for schools by this proposal. They asked State Superintendent Robert E. Schiller to reconvene the task force to revisit this issue and come back at their January meeting with a tougher recommendation.

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The State Board of Education in December approved recommendations of the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA) subcommittee of the Assessment and Accountability Task Force that aim to simplify and improve the assessment of students with disabilities.

The changes are designed to alleviate concerns raised by teachers of students with disabilities that the current way the test is given does not ensure that student progress is accurately measured.

The IAA uses a portfolio format to reflect student learning through student work products, charts, graphs, pictures, teacher and parent notes, and other relevant documentation. During three collection periods teachers collect evidence of student progress in the same subject areas assessed through ISAT and PSAE. In 2002, students' IAA portfolios were scored using a six-dimension rubric (student progress, link to the standards, self-determination, multiple settings, use of support, and social interactions).

In the recommendations approved by the board, specifications for what is "counted" were made, with a new emphasis on linking student progress with instruction to standards. Further, two collection periods during the school year, rather than three, were adopted. The system is further altered by a requirement that only certified teachers be used in scoring portfolios.

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A terrorism insurance bill signed into law by President Bush Nov. 26 includes a provision the National School Boards Association has lobbied for -- school districts that are self-insured or use self-insured risk pools could be eligible for federal assistance. That provision was not included in earlier versions of the bill.

The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (H.R. 3210) requires the insurance industry to provide coverage for terrorism and requires the federal government to reimburse the insurance industry for as much as $100 billion a year in claims resulting from terrorism. Many large-scale construction projects have been halted since Sept. 11, 2001, because insurance companies would not provide coverage for damage caused by terrorist acts.

But while the act does allow self-insured entities to be covered under the bill, it calls for the secretary of the treasury to determine if the act should apply to them. This decision must be made before a terrorist incident occurs.

NSBA will be working to urge the Treasury Department to ensure that school districts are covered under the act.

"It was the intent of Congress to apply the provisions of the act to public school districts that are self-insured or use self-insured risk pools," states a Nov. 25 letter from NSBA Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick to Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill.

Excluding school districts from this coverage "could lead to increased insurance premium costs, decreased choice in carriers or insurance, or loss of coverage for acts of terrorism," Resnick states. "Construction of new schools, as well as major refurbishing of existing facilities, will be adversely affected without equal access to terrorism coverage." As a result, "all school districts and taxpayers would be subject to increased costs."

School districts and other governmental entities join self-insurance pools because they can get better rates and because there are fewer private companies willing to insure them, NSBA notes.

As many as two-thirds of the school districts across the nation participate in self-insurance pools, says James Sandner, president and chief executive officer of Brokers' Risk Placement Service. Brokers' Risk manages pools for the state school boards associations in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota and provides re-insurance coverage for more than 20 other state associations.

More than half of the 2,000 school districts in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota pool their property and liability coverage, Sandner says. In Illinois more than 65 percent of the school districts bought workers compensation coverage from IASB-sponsored pools.

"It's hard to tell what impact the new law will have on school districts until we see how the treasury secretary rules on it," says Dubravka Romano, associate executive director of the Texas Association of School Boards and head of the TASB Risk Management Fund, a separate legal entity created by TASB.

Sandner predicts the treasury secretary will allow self-insured pools and self-insured entities to be covered under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. "The only question is, will it be voluntary?"

The act is mandatory for insurance companies, he says, but some pools "might not want to participate because of concerns that it might lead to more regulatory oversight." Currently, some pools operate autonomously without regulation.

Source: NSBA, School Board News, December 10, 2002.

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Many school districts soon may be faced with budget cuts in light of state government's financial straits. As a result school districts may not receive all of the state aid they thought they would get this June, school administrators say.

The State Board of Education estimates by 2004 there will be a state education budget deficit of $3.5 billion, according to Board Chairman Ron Gidwitz.

To make matters worse, superintendents add, districts are being told they can expect to receive much less reimbursement from the state for transportation expenses than districts anticipated.

The state board has told school administrators that their 23rd and 24th state aid payments could be frozen and the 22nd payment could be prorated unless the legislature appropriates more money this spring. That word comes from Ball-Chatham C.U. Dist. 5 Superintendent Bruce Hays and Rochester C.U. Dist. 3A Superintendent Thomas Bertrand.

District superintendents say it will take strong action from the legislature this spring in order to unfreeze the fiscal year-end payments.

Districts get 24 state aid payments annually, and by law, the final two payments go out in July, according to Wade Nelson, Illinois State Board of Education spokesman. Over the past few years, former Governor George Ryan has reinstated the traditional practice of releasing year-end state aid payments in June. State government's fiscal year ends June 30.

Nelson confirmed, however, that the final two state aid payments of this school year have been scheduled to be released in July, with the final payment prorated.

In 1992, during another state budget crunch, the final state aid payments of the concluding school year were distributed after June 30, passing the buck to the next fiscal year. That practice continued until June 1998.

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Below is a partial list of the next upcoming IASB spring dinner meetings. Watch for announcements to be mailed soon.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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Grant applications are due by February 17 from school districts that wish to improve lighting quality in the classroom, and cut operating and maintenance expenses.

Those are just some of the benefits of upgrading to energy efficient lighting systems, according to the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, which is now offering grants of up to $120,000 to Illinois school districts.

To qualify for a grant, lighting upgrade projects in existing schools must reduce electricity demand by at least 10kW. But projects may be no further along than the lighting evaluation and design stage. Projects where installation is underway or complete do not qualify.

The grants may be used for energy-saving upgrades to the lamps, ballasts and/or controls in existing indoor lighting systems. A common eligible upgrade is replacement of T12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts.

Grants will cover up to $800 per kilowatt (kW) of reduction in electricity demand that the lighting upgrade, as installed, yields. Grants will be limited to:

• No more than $40,000 per school.
• No more than $120,000 per school district.

For information on guidelines, how to apply for the grants, etc., visit the Web site at www.Illinoiscleanenergy.org/programs/schools.htm.

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Nearly 150 federal grants of up to $100,000 each will be awarded to community coalitions that are working to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and other federal agencies now are requesting applications for the fiscal year 2003 Drug-Free Communities Support Program to reduce substance abuse. Approximately 50 grants of up to $100,000 each will be awarded to community coalitions.

Applications must be received by March 11, 2003. All applications must be completed online using the Grants Management System accessible on the Web site at ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted. For further information contact: drugfree@ncjrs.org.

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ILLINOIS SCHOOLS

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State Superintendent of Education Robert E. Schiller announced December 23 the appointment of a five-member School Finance Authority for Hazel Crest District 152.5. Schiller emphasized that the community now can be assured that schools will remain open for the entire school year.

The Hazel Crest district was nearing insolvency until the General Assembly passed legislation to authorize establishing the School Finance Authority and provide for access to a state emergency loan if private lending sources can't be found to provide enough funding to complete the year. Then-Governor George Ryan signed the legislation December 6, and the state board acted Dec. 9 to establish the Authority.

Michael Johnson, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Boards, said he had hoped for a more comprehensive solution. "I think there was a feeling that something else might come out of this (legislative) session, a look at the issue of adequacy and equity in educational funding," Johnson said.

Members appointed by Schiller include two members of the previously formed (and now expired) Financial Oversight Panel, Lawrence E. Hupe and Edward M. O'Malley. Additional members are Barbara Toney and two residents of the Hazel Crest district: Steven Wright of Markham and Mary Emily Grant of Hazel Crest.

Hupe is the chair of the Financial Oversight Panel and has been designated by Schiller to be chairman of the School Finance Authority. He was the Worth Township School Treasurer for nearly 30 years.

O'Malley most recently served as director of fiscal services for Rich Township High School District 227 in Olympia Fields. He previously served in the business offices of three other school districts and a special education cooperative.

Toney is an associate with The Bickert Group, a school superintendent search firm, and a former teacher in Bloomingdale District 13. She was active in IASB as a member and President of the West Chicago Elementary District 33 Board of Education.

Wright is a financial counselor with CitiStreet and previously held financial positions with American Express, Wadell & Reed, Firstar Bank and Chrysler Credit Corporation.

The state board provided an authorized emergency grant of $283,000 to the district after the Financial Oversight Panel (FOP) was established in October. The district also recently received $1.5 million through a member initiative from the General Assembly. In addition, the FOP was able to borrow $1.7 million for the district through issuing Tax Anticipation Warrants. These resources have allowed the district to meet payrolls up to this point and to begin paying overdue bills that total over $1 million.

Livingston District 4 gets oversight panel

Meanwhile, ISBE announced three former school district superintendents with substantial finance experience will serve on a Financial Oversight Panel (FOP) for Livingston District 4.

The State Board of Education voted Dec. 18 to establish the FOP to help the Livingston district address its growing financial problems.

State Superintendent Schiller appointed Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville professor Curtis Smith, a former school superintendent at two school districts in Ohio, to serve as chairman of the FOP. Robert Stuart, retired superintendent of Edwardsville District 7, was also appointed, along with former O'Fallon C.C. District 90 Superintendent Maurice Hesse.

The state board established an involuntary FOP because the district's finances are deteriorating and ISBE said the district did not follow the financial plan approved by the state board for the 2001-2002 school year.

The state board is authorized by law to impose a FOP on certified districts that do not adhere to approved financial plans. Livingston's previous plans had shown modest reductions in outstanding debt, and the FY2003 plan was approved in June contingent on the continued reduction of outstanding debt.

But a recent audit of the district raised numerous concerns regarding declining fund balances and the necessity of borrowing further, according to ISBE.

Source: ISBE, December 2002.

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A final report on the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) has been filed with the Governor and General Assembly by the Teacher Health Insurance Task Force. A copy of the report is available for downloading from the Web site of the Teachers Retirement System (pdf format requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader). A new IASB Web site link under "What's New" also points to the report. To examine a copy, visit: www.trs.state.il.us/Final TRIP Report.pdf.

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Former Gov. George Ryan recently appointed Joyce E. Karon, 63, of Barrington and Gregory N. Kazarian, 40, of Lake Forest to serve on the Illinois State Board of Education. The state board oversees public education policy, and is responsible for hiring and firing the state superintendent.

Karon is a professor at Northern Illinois University, a former information technology coordinator at C.U. District 220, Barrington, and a consultant for school and public libraries. Karon is a founding member and former officer of the Illinois School Library Media Association, and she has served on various committees of the state board of education.

Kazarian, is a partner in the law firm of Pedersen and Houpt. Two years ago he was a Republican state senate candidate in District 30, Lake County, but was defeated by Vernon Hills Democrat Terry Link. The son of educators, Kazarian advocated stronger local control of schools, new teacher recruitment and training initiatives to attract good teachers, along with expanded flexibility for schools in the use of state funds.

The term of office for the new state board members runs until January 14, 2009. IASB member districts adopted a policy in November that calls for replacement of the appointed state board of education with a regionally elected one.

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Nearly two in three male detainees and three in four females in Illinois juvenile detention facilities have psychiatric disorders, such as drug problems, according to the December Archives of General Psychiatry (December 12, Reuters) ... Decatur District 61 allows schools to ban the use of spray deodorant, cologne, and hair spray by students and staff if the scents cause major allergy problems. (December 28, Peoria Journal-Star) ... State Senator-elect James Meeks (D., Chicago) wants fellow state legislators to double the state income tax. "My contention is that the 1 percentage point income tax hike recommended by (the governor's) Education Funding Advisory Board will not solve the problem," Meeks said (December 17 column by Phil Kadner, Chicago Daily Southtown) ... Illinois Farm Bureau delegates recently declined to urge school boards to set dress codes as a way of improving student discipline. Delegates debated it for nearly 45 minutes before voting it down (December 11, Bloomington Pantagraph) ... Parents and teachers in several states are turning to fund-raisers to pay teachers' benefits and salaries. This could become more common as two-thirds of states report falling revenue, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (December 26, The Associated Press) ... Teens' use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco has declined, according to a new government survey of students in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades. The survey, Monitoring the Future, by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, found declining numbers of kids using illicit substances of most kinds (December 16, The Associated Press).

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RESEARCH REPORTS

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Illinois K-12 schools earned a grade of B+ for their performance in preparing students for post-secondary education, according to a recent report card on higher education.

"Measuring Up 2002: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education" was produced by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The national report graded states in five key areas based on quantitative measures, and states were graded in relation to other states.

Illinois also got an A grade for participation, which concerns the opportunities a state offers for education beyond high school. "The proportion of high school students in Illinois who go on to college immediately after high school remains high," the report found. Illinois also was highly ranked among all states in the other areas the study covered.

"Illinois eighth-graders perform fairly well on assessments of math, but low-income eighth-graders perform very poorly on these exams," the report stated. "Illinois (is) a best-performing state on the proportion of high school students who score well on college entrance exams."

Source: "Report: Illinois among best in higher education opportunities," State Journal-Register, Springfield, Dec. 3, 2002.

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ISBE recently released a report called "The Condition of Public Education 2002," describing what Illinois public schools might expect under various financial scenarios. The intent was to provide a preview of the annual budget report released January 7, which called for a $518.1 million increase in education spending.

The key issues the report focuses on are Improving Student Achievement, Bolstering the Education Workforce and Improving School Funding. Each topic includes data showing the current status, challenges and some options for meeting those challenges.

This year alone, without a change in the foundation level, the state is looking at a shortfall of $22 million in general state aid that will play out in the 24th GSA payment as proration, according to the report. Just to maintain the GSA, categoricals and retirement would require an additional $300-350 million.

The entire report is available online by visiting the ISBE Web site at: www.isbe.state.il.us/docs/PubEdConditionFinal.pdf.

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THE NATIONAL SCENE

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A growing number of small, rural school districts across the nation are cutting the school week from five to four days. School officials originally hoped to stretch budgets, but many have found the change results in academic improvements, as well, according to the National School Boards Association (NSBA).

In many cases the schools have also switched to a block schedule, which means fewer but longer classes.

School districts in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wyoming have switched to a four-day week -- most of them small, rural districts.

"You get an immediate 20 percent cut in your food services budget, 20 percent in transportation and some savings in energy and custodial costs," said Robb Rankin, superintendent of the East Grand School District, which operates on the four-day plan. East Grand is extremely experienced with the four-day plan: The district began using the compacted schedule in 1982.

Illinois requires 180 days of pupil attendance each year, which would make the switch to a four-day week more difficult than in, say, Louisiana, where only 155.5 school days are required. The 180 attendance requirement makes a switch to the four-day schedule impossible, barring a waiver, for districts that want to retain the traditional 12-week summer vacation.

But Colorado and six other states have amended their statutes to express the minimum attendance requirement in hours rather than days. In Colorado, secondary school students must have 1,080 hours of instructional time, and elementary students 990 hours. Those requirements can be met on a four-day schedule with longer school days.

Source: NSBA, School Board News, October 22, 2002.

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WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

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IASB school board members will join hundreds of others from across the United States in the nation's capital to lobby federal officials February 2-4. The event marks the 30th annual Federal Relations Network (FRN) conference in Washington, DC.

Attending local board members will gain valuable information on the No Child Left Behind Act 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 4. Beforehand, FRN delegates will get briefings on the education issues before Congress.

Source: NSBA.

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Does your district have enough qualified candidates to fill all the expected vacancies in the 2003 - 2004 school year? Will you be able to fill teaching positions with "highly qualified" candidates, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act? Do prospective administrators know about the leadership opportunities in your district?

If not, you should know that IASB will hold its 8th Annual Job Fair for Teachers and Administrators Saturday, March 8, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at St. Xavier University, Chicago. The purpose is to assist districts in finding and hiring qualified teachers and administrators.

These fairs have identified hundreds of applicants at all grade and building levels. The Job Fair is a chance to meet many of these candidates early in the search process.

To reserve your district's spot in this important event contact Marion Hansen at IASB for more information regarding registration fees and procedures. You can reach her via e-mail at mhansen@iasb.com or call 630/629-3776, Extension 1221. Space is limited.

There is no charge for education majors, certificated teachers and administrators wishing to take part in the Fair as job seekers, but advance registration is required by March 4, 2003. Participants are asked to bring a minimum of twenty-five (25) copies of their resume for distribution. Visit www.iasb.com/files/jobfair_03.htm for more information about the fair. Job seekers may register via e-mail by sending their name, address, phone number, college or occupation, and how they learned of the Job Fair to jobfair@iasb.com or fax the information to 630/629-3940.

Job fair coordinator is Donna Johnson, IASB Director of Field Services. The event is an Equal Employment Opportunity.

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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 in the past month. For more information about any item, contact your board president or district superintendent or get in touch with IASB.

Call for proposals for 2003 Joint Annual Conference, January 3, to board presidents and district superintendents.

IASB Constitution and Position Statements, January 14, to board presidents.

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IASB ARCHIVES HOME

Illinois Association of School Boards

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703