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School Board News Bulletin
February 1996

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The Governor urged the state to create a network that will run a high-tech cable for direct Internet access, called a T1 line, to every school district. He also proposed that the state pay monthly line charges for each district.

"Technology can be one of the great equalizers of educational opportunities across Illinois. Or, unchecked and unguided, it can widen the gap between affluent and poor school districts," the Governor said.

In addition to extending T1 lines, the Governor and the State Board of Education have been working to develop two other technology proposals. One is an expansion from 6 to 8 regional hubs for learning technology. The other is to provide start-up grants and planning assistance to ensure that districts in low-income areas will have access to computer technology. There was no mention of how these expanded programs would be funded.

School funding was next on the Governor's list, as he mentioned the commission established last year to address the issue of equity in education. The Governor said, "We don't want another study. We want an action plan." The deadline for the commission's report is March 31, 1996.

Governor Edgar also commented on property tax revenues, "I'll say again what I've said many times for many years throughout this state: we rely too heavily on property taxes to fund education in Illinois." He said he intends to address these issues during the current legislative session.

On school reform, the Governor applauded the effects of the Chicago school reform measures enacted last year. He said some of the same measures could be very effective across the rest of the state, especially, those measures that increase the flexibility of local school districts. Another reform measure pushed by the Governor was a call to the legislature to adopt the charter school proposal. The charter school initiative supported by the Statewide School Management Alliance and developed in cooperation with the Governor's office, and many other organizations, stalled in last year's legislative session.

Other proposals contained in the Governor's address included a graduated gaming tax to be placed on riverboat casinos. Aside from the 5 percent received by local governments all additional revenues would be earmarked for education. The Governor's wants the additional funds to be used to support the health insurance program for retired teachers enacted last summer.

Unemployment insurance reform, additional welfare reform, violence prevention and railroad safety also were priorities in the Governor's address.

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The group said the state needs "an action plan, and quickly" to reform the inequitable manner in which state funding is distributed to Illinois public schools.

In a January 10 press release, the coalition concluded: "we feel it is imperative that Governor Edgar takes a hands-on, assertive approach with every member of the General Assembly to make enactment of education funding reform a reality; not merely wishful thinking as has been its history...That our education funding system does not work is not news. What would be news would be to hear that the `education governor' and his colleagues in the General Assembly took immediate action, before the gavel fell on the Spring 1996 session."

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Not yet clear is who would attend the schools or how students would be chosen. Homeless children and kids in long-term foster care, however, should be prime target populations, according to the Sun-Times.

The idea already has won support from some quarters in the legislature and from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Corporate sponsors are being lined up to support one of the schools, the paper reports.

Critics, however, may conjure up dour images of orphanages. The Sun-Times' answer: "Don't call them orphanages. Call them boarding schools. Name one Groton and other Exeter. Such schools were good enough for George Bush, John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt. They would be a godsend for kids who have never had a parent who cared if the homework was done, if a curfew was obeyed, if there was a square meal on the table," the Sun-Times said December 10.

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A National Cancer Institute study published in the November issue of Science confirmed that, as each generation comes of age, there is a substantial increase in the rate of HIV infection as people enter their late teens and early twenties.

HIV-related illness is the leading cause of death among people ages 25 to 44.

The ads, developed with input and evaluation by young adults, encompass a wide range of messages. Topics include the promotion of abstinence, the importance of communicating with parents, and the relationship of alcohol use to staying in control.

For more information about the ad campaign, contact the CDC National AIDS Hotline at 800/342-AIDS.

For more information about school programs and policies to address HIV/AIDS and school health issues, contact NSBA at 703/838-6722.

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The Illinois State Board of Education made that announcement January 8, stating that each of the 36 districts can use up to $5,000 of the grant amount to complete a community-based technology plan by June. If a district's plan meets baseline requirements, the full amount of the grant will be awarded.

The state board is allocating $2.4 million of the $15 million appropriated for learning technology to this initiative to help improve the equity of educational opportunities across the state. In each of the state's six technology regions, six school districts were invited to participate, based on their low per-pupil equalized assessed value (EAV) in comparison to neighboring districts.

Grants range from $30,735 for St. David District 87, with 49 students, to $224,460 for East St. Louis District 189, with 12,964 students. To ensure that each project is sustainable, each district had to commit to full participation in the project's intensive planning process. Each district will provide matching funds of either 10 percent or 25 percent of the grant, based on EAV per pupil.

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As reported in the January 29 Business Week, the lesson EAI learned from its Baltimore experience is not to over-promise on results. The magazine asks, however, whether "public schools and the profit motive [can] coexist." Regardless of EAI's setbacks, Americans remain "frustrated" with the performance of schools and many "remain willing to entrust outsiders with reform," writes the magazine.

The magazine reports that several private companies currently oversee about 77,000 students nationwide and are "quietly" securing new management contracts.

Business Week notes the five leading for-profit public school management firms include: Chris Whittle's Edison Project, which operates schools in four cities; Ombudsman Educational Services, which has contracts with 150 school districts in nine states to work with students with severe disciplinary or academic problems; Public Strategies Group, a firm that is in its third year of running the Minneapolis school district; Sylvan Learning Systems, which boasts 57 public school contracts to provide reading and math tutoring; and EAI.

Lowering expectations has become the guiding principle of the Edison Project, notes the magazine. Initially, Whittle envisioned a network of 1,000 schools, which he soon whittled down to four, with three additional contracts signed for next year. "We don't go where we aren't invited," said Whittle.

The modest successes of these other companies should "help break down resistance to for-profit school management," writes Business Week. The magazine predicts that eventually "capital could flood into an industry whose potential vastness already has captivated Wall Street.

A spokesman for a venture capital firm, Patrick Boroian of Sprout Group, was quoted as saying the field of for-profit education management is "on the verge of exploding." Boroian added: "This reminded us of the health-care industry 20 years ago."

Source: National Education Goals Panel, Daily Report Card, January 18, 1996.

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Large turnover seen in board elections

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HISTORICAL COMPARISONS
Member Turnover on Illinois School Boards
At Biennial Elections

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Submit nominations by April 15 for awards

A committee reviews nominations, and award recipients are determined by a majority vote of the IASB Board of Directors. Specific criteria for the Harold P. Seamon Distinguished Service Award include: 1) exceptional service and commitment to public education in Illinois; 2) innovative and creative approaches to meeting the challenges facing public education and 3) enhancement of local, lay control of, and responsibility for, the governance of public education by school boards.

Judged annually, the award may be given to an individual, agency, corporation, or other appropriate nongovernmental organization. The activity or service for which the nomination is made should extend statewide or have an impact on a large region of the state. To make a nomination for the award, send a letter explaining how the nominee fits the three criteria to: IASB Awards Committee, Illinois Association of School Boards, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, IL 62703-5929.

Honorary memberships are given to those who have rendered distinguished service to the Association or to public education in general. Current board members are not eligible for IASB awards. To nominate an individual for the honorary membership, send a letter to the address listed above, explaining why the nominee should be chosen. Please write on the envelope "Awards Committee."

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Evaluation forms net winners & ideas

The winners, along with 331 other conference goers, shared feedback with conference planners regarding their experience. The feedback proved extremely valuable, according to several planners.

"There is an on-going effort to plan a conference which meets the needs of participants and is snag-free," said John Cassel, an IASB Field Services Director.

The responses to the 1995 conference were overwhelmingly positive. More than 98 percent of the respondents rated the overall conference "excellent" (50 percent) or "good" (48 percent). The highest-rated event featured James Kern, who spoke on Sunday morning (81 percent of respondents said "excellent). Planner had attempted to make the delegate assembly more "user friendly" and the ratings--on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being excellent--went up from the 3.08 scored in 1994 to 3.28 in the current year. Forty-eight percent of respondents found their hotel accommodations "excellent."

Women tend to give slightly higher ratings than men (or maybe they really like it better). In a similar fashion, administrators score higher than board members and veteran attendees (three or more conferences attended) tend to give higher scores than new attendees.

Some comments: "I learned a lot this weekend. Thanks!" "The elevators are not adequate." "I like it better when panels give out handouts." "Technology Fair great, but more time is needed." "Great Conference!"

Next year, look for response cards and make your own views known. Your Association and your colleagues will thank you for better conferences. And may you win a prize!

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The U.S. Education Department is one of several federal agencies for which no fiscal 1996 appropriations bills had been enacted when budget negotiations between Congress and the President broke down. Most school districts are not facing delays in federal funding because most of the major K-12 programs--including Title I, Title II, Safe and Drug-Free School, special education, and vocational education--are "forward funded," said Under Secretary Mike Smith. Money appropriated for those programs in 1995 is still being distributed now.

But unless an agreement is reached soon, Smith says, school boards will have trouble planning their budgets for 1996-97 without knowing how much federal funding to expect. State legislatures will have the same problem.

Meanwhile, grant competitions for bilingual education and other programs were expected to be held up because of the repeated furloughing of federal workers, said Smith.

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$112 billion needed to repair schools

A new GAO study finds 10 states lack regular funding for repairs, including Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. And 27 states do not regularly collect data on the condition of school facilities.

Spending on schools as a portion of overall state budgets is decreasing, down from 22.8 percent of state budgets in 1987 to 20.3 percent in 1994.

"America can't compete if our students can't learn, and our students can't learn if our schools are falling down," says Sen. Carol Mosely-Braun (D-Illinois), who requested the report.

Contact the GAO at 202/515-6000 for more information. A single copy of the report, "School Facilities: States' Financial and Technical Support Varies," is free from the GAO. Write the GAO at P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20884.

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Corporations make pledge for learning

The initiative is part of the department's Family Involvement Partnership for Learning, an informal coalition of more than 170 national organizations that promote children's learning through the development of family-school-community partnerships.

"These business leaders understand that being family friendly is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do," said Riley. It can help an employer recruit and keep top workers, improve productivity, and increase employee motivation and loyalty," he added.

By signing the promise, business leaders agree to "identify a contact person, authorized to explore and develop options for company involvement in our family-school-community initiatives; take action to implement programs; share best practices after evaluating programs annually; and form partnerships to promote, implement and improve family-friendly policies and practices."

Common approaches include: allowing time for employees to get involved in schools; initiating, implementing and supporting specific programs that promote family involvement in education; and providing resources to employees about how to become more involved in their own children's education.

For more information, contact the Family Involvement Partnership for Learning at 1/800/USA-LEARN.

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Examples include dates to honor school employees (such as Professional Secretaries Week, School Counseling Week, and Teacher Appreciation Week), birthdays of famous people, and major religious observances.

The listing of special days, weeks, and months includes a summary of the significance of each observance, and the name and address of the sponsoring organization that can provide further information. Copies of the planning calendar (stock number NA-0206) are available for purchase from Educational Research Service, 2000 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201; phone: 703/243-8316. The price is $30 plus 10 percent of total sale for postage and handling (minimum $3.50).

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Get tips on education & technology

Through essays, ideas and tips, the book presents the knowledge and opinions the experts shared during a two-day strategic planning conference sponsored by Milton Hershey School. The meeting was part of that Pennsylvania school's effort to implement state-of-the-art educational technology for students.

The book also includes a glossary and checklist against which schools and libraries may compare systems.

For more information or to obtain a copy for $29.95, contact Milton Hershey School, Office of Communications, P.O. Box 830, Hershey, PA 17033-0830; 717/534-6045 or fax 717/534-3527.

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School-to-work guide on Internet

A key hazard: student workers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must be paid at least the federal minimum wage.

"School-to-Work Opportunities and the Fair Labor Standards Act--A Guide to Work-Based Learning, Federal Child Labor Laws, and Minimum Wage Provisions" is offered by the federal school-to-work office. The Internet site is:
http://www.stw.ed.gov .

For additional information, contact: The National School-to-Work Learning & Information Center, 400 Virginia Avenue, Room 210, Washington, DC 20024; phone 800/251-7236; fax 202/401-6211.

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The statistics were reported in the National Education Association's "Rankings of the States, 1995."

According to the report, local jurisdictions last year provided almost 48 percent of school revenue, while states provided 46 percent and the federal government provided 7.2 percent. The report also notes that the graduation rate was up a whopping 2.3 percent over the preceding school year.

The report has been published annually since 1957. For more information contact the NEA at 1201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-3290; 202/822-7200.

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Schools use limited privatization

The NSBA survey of 3,000 board members found 62 percent of board members have thought about privatizing overall school district operations. Apparently only one large urban school district has done so.

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This year's institute--a two-day skill-building program for school board members, superintendents, public information officers and others--is set for March 29-30 at the Westin Southcoast Plaza, Costa Mesa, California. The featured speaker is David Berliner, author of The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud and the Attack on America's Public Schools, a book that debunks many myths and misunderstandings about public schools today.

Workshop topics will include: winning at the polls (strategies for successful bond elections), on-camera spokesperson training, media relations tips, and debunking myths about public school failure. For more information call Judy Good at 916/444-3216.

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State Superintendent announces Premier Speakers Series

"The intent is to give all of us a chance to recharge the batteries and hear, in depth, the thoughts of some of the foremost thinkers and educators of the day," Spagnolo said.

Scheduled to speak are world-class school administrator, Deborah Meier; computer whiz and mathematics educator, Seymour Papert; and Harvard University Professor, author of the theory of multiple intelligences, Howard Gardner.

The first of these presentations, featuring Deborah Meier--co-director of Central Park East Secondary School, and co-founder of a network of public elementary schools in East Harlem--will be held the evening of March 7. The site is the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. Seymour Papert will appear May 28 at the Radisson Hotel Lisle-Naperville, and Howard Gardner will speak October 25 at the Field Museum in Chicago. In future these lectures will be held throughout the state.

Space is limited for the events and registrations are now being accepted. Special hotel rates are available. For more information contact the Illinois Resource Center, 1855 Mt. Prospect Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018; phone 847/803-3112.

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Women's history instruction offered

This will be the Project's 14th consecutive summer offering workshops designed specifically for K-12 classroom teachers, librarians and curriculum coordinators, gender equity and multicultural specialists. Participants will learn practical ways to use women's history to address concerns about educational equity in the areas of gender, race and national origin.

For further information about the training, contact the National Women's History Project, 7738 Bell Road, Dept. P, Windsor, CA 95492; phone 707/838-6000.

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Eligible students would receive all but 10 percent of the state's annual per-pupil allotment--roughly $4,500--for use in transferring to their choice school. Even private religious schools would be eligible to receive the state funds. Approximately 265,000 students, of the 5.3 million school children in California, could be eligible.

Source: Education Week, January 17, 1996.

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Voters favor moderates in school board races

Examples of contemporary school board elections were detailed in the publication, including one in Littleton, Colorado, where moderates scored a "surprise landslide victory" last November. A back-to-basics majority was deposed by candidates endorsing a plan to offer parental choice between more progressive education and traditional instruction for their children. Bill Cisney, the board treasurer noted "people feel the academic philosophy behind back-to-basics is okay, but were threatened by the 'top-down,' management-by-directive approach." People were saying "Don't do anything too radical or too extreme," he added.

The newsletter observes that voters in Fairfax County, Virginia, were able to elect school board members for the first time. Prior to last year's election, school board members in Virginia were appointed. Fairfax voters also selected "mainstream" candidates "versus those who supported the teaching of creationism," writes the newsletter. "The bottom-line issue isn't what political philosophies people subscribe to, but what their commitment to public education is," remarked Fairfax County Public School Superintendent Robert Spillane.

Source: National Education Goals Panel, Daily Report Card, January 10, 1996.

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Parent "audits" an option

Under a shared responsibility policy, the parents come to school for a prescribed time period and attend classes--or their wayward children are expelled. The principal of Charleston's Alice Birney Middle School says parents who have previously not been involved in the school undergo an attitude change once they really see what's going on in classrooms. Students benefit because they do not lose instructional time and, presumably, are strongly influenced by their parent or guardian to take their studies seriously.

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District receives 600 recycled computers

"The response was way beyond anybody's wildest expectation of what we'd receive," said Rick Murray, the school district's community relations director. "This has been a bonanza for the district's technology plan."

The New Mexico Computer Society has volunteered to check all 600 computers to determine which are usable now and which should be harvested for spare parts. For more information contact: Rick Murray, 505/842-3606.

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Anti-voucher suit filed

The program would pay tuition at private schools--up to $2,250--for approximately 1,500 children in grades K-3. To be eligible, a family must have a low income. Nearly all of the 51 private schools eligible to receive the vouchers are affiliated with various religions.

The coalition filed a suit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court January 10 seeking a permanent injunction. The groups charge the program violates the constitutional separation of church and state and would undercut public education by diverting more than $5 million in state funding from Cleveland public schools.

The Cleveland school district was placed under state receivership by order of a federal judge last March. In June, the Ohio legislature approved the pilot voucher program despite a 7-0 vote by the Cleveland school board against it.

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