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School Board News Bulletin
February 1997

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Governor renews call for school funding reform

"I heard them say they didn't need a vote of the people, which I have favored, to force them into action. So I say, let us act," the Governor urged.

Edgar pointed to last year's report from his Commission on Education Funding for the State (known as the Ikenberry Report) as an outline of school funding reform.

The Governor proposed a $1.5 billion reduction in local property taxes supporting schools, accompanied by "increasing some state taxes to offset the revenues to school districts." He cited the Ikenberry Report suggestion that the minimum level of support per pupil should be set at $4,225.

While he did not get into specifics about which state taxes he would like to raise to offset property tax cuts, Edgar did say "the income tax is the fairest."

Later the Governor said a plan put forward by the education community, known as the Fair School Funding Plan, should be used as a blueprint for change "in the mix" with the Ikenberry Report plan. Both plans call for raising the foundation level of per-pupil spending, increasing the state's share of school funding, reducing disparities in educational resources, and providing substantial property tax relief.

Proponents of the Fair School Funding Plan-including teachers, parents and school leadership organizations such as IASB-said their plan meets the needs of all schools and does more to provide funding equity than does the Ikenberry plan. Specifically, they said their plan, unlike the Ikenberry plan, would:

• generate enough new revenue to resolve problems with funding adequacy and equity;
• create equity in funding from one district to the next, without merely "bringing the top down" to a more uniform level;
• require the state to pay its fair share, 50 percent of the entire cost of public education;
• assure that all districts will be winners (unlike the Ikenberry plan, whereby many districts would lose funding after a three-year hold harmless provision expires);
• not jeopardize property tax relief through the planned expiration of an ill-conceived hold harmless provision. Pressure to raise local taxes could increase with the expiration of the hold harmless provision in three years, according to advocates of the Fair School Funding Plan.

Organize a TV turnoff effort

The third annual National TV Turnoff Week, sponsored by TV-Free America and endorsed by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, will take place April 24-30, 1997.

To organize a TV Turnoff in your school, contact: TV-Free America, 1611 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 3A, Washington, DC 20009; phone 202/887- 0436. TVFA will help participants get started, and for $10, will send an organizers' kit that includes a guidebook, bumper stickers, pledge cards and an information packet.

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Clinton plans tutors for young readers

So far, 20 college presidents have pledged to dedicate half their federally funded work-study slots to students willing to work as reading tutors.

To make it easier for colleges to respond to the President's "America Reads" challenge, Clinton said he would waive the requirement that colleges pay 25 percent of the costs of the work-study reading program.

"College students can work their way through school while teaching our children to read," the President said.

The America Reads program is one of three education initiatives proposed by the President, along with tuition tax credits for higher education and a $5 billion school construction program, which would be financed through sales of part of the broadcasting spectrum.

The literacy proposal calls for 30,000 reading specialists and tutor coordinators, including 11,000 AmeriCorps volunteers, to help organize a national network of one million reading tutors. The proposal also includes:

• Parents as First Teacher Challenge grants would be awarded to national and regional groups that have demonstrated success in helping parents teach their young children to read.
• The Head Start program would be expanded to include a million preschool-age children by 2002. The program currently serves 800,000 children.

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Court rulings point up need for policy

A federal jury in Binghamton, New York recently rejected a young girl's claim that school officials ignored her complaints that boys in her class sexually harassed her. She said the harassment continued to such an extent that she needed to transfer to a private school. Eve Bruneau, now 15, sued the South Kortright Central School District for damages.

In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, another federal jury found three Ashland school administrators (but not the district) responsible for the verbal and physical abuse inflicted for five years on an honor student. The student, Jamie Nabozny, was harassed by other students because he is gay.

Before the Eau Claire jury considered damages, the Ashland school district agreed to a $900,000 out-of-court settlement on behalf of a middle school principal, and a high school principal and assistant principal. The district also agreed to pay Nabozny $62,000 for medical services.

Attorneys say both cases send strong messages to school boards. NSBA General Counsel August W. Steinhilber calls the ruling in favor of the South Kortright school system "a demonstration of good school board policy." To guard against these kinds of lawsuits, he said, "school districts must have student sexual harassment policies in place, conduct an annual awareness training program for all staff, and follow through on every complaint."

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Arts education award nominations due

Awards recipient categories include Artist, Arts Educator, IAAE Organizations, Industry, Public and Community Service, and School Administration. Forms for nominations may be requested from the IAAE office at 312/750-0589, fax 312/750-9113 or email saitlin@netural.com.

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Multicultural teachers job fair planned

Last year at the fair, more than 50 school districts from across the state interviewed over 400 candidates for teaching positions. The candidates came from 10 states and 100 different universities--some were experienced, some were seeking their first job in the teaching profession. School leaders who anticipate staff openings are urged to attend this event.

Advance registration is required. Space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Sanetta George Jackson, Director of Field Services, IASB, 200 West 22nd Street, Suite 249, Lombard, IL 60148; phone 630/629-3776.

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Waiver requests due by March 21

For more information or to get an application form, call Shelley Helton, Sharon Neely, or Sally Vogl at 217/782-0541.

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Research Reports: Facts and figures for school leaders

International study finds U.S. students in middle

Nations whose students outscored the United States include the Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan, Korea, and Singapore.

TIMSS researchers also analyzed curricula and educational practices in the 41 nations. Their results contradict some popular notions.

For example, young people in the United States not only do not watch more television than their Japanese peers, but they get more homework. Also, American schoolchildren spend more time in class than German or Japanese students, TIMSS reports.

Commenting on the findings, Al Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote: "TIMSS is unequivocal about what the school systems of successful nations share--and it is not vouchers or charter schools or any of the other jazzy schemes that we are being urged to try."

He added, "Nearly all of these nations have clear and rigorous national or state curriculum standards, and everything they do in the schools is hitched to these standards."

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Special ed continues to grow

There were 5.43 million students in special education in 1994-95, says a new report, up from 5.27 million in 1993-94 and 4.43 million in 1987-88.

More disabled students than ever before are in mainstream classrooms. The department reports that in 1993-94, 43.4 percent of disabled students ages six to 21 attended regular classrooms, with non-disabled students at least 80 percent of the day. That compares to 39.8 percent in 1992-93 and 34.9 percent in 1991-92.

In other findings:

• In 1994-95, 15.1 percent of students ages six to 21 had specific learning disabilities, 20.8 percent had speech or language impairments, 11.6 percent had mental retardation, and 8.7 percent had serious emotional disturbances.

• The fastest growing disability category in special education is, "other health impairments," due to an 89 percent increase in students with attention deficit disorders from 1990-91 to 1994-95.

Study reports lagging achievement among minority students

That is the finding of the Education Trust, a national research group that hopes its 1996 State and National Data Book will serve as a wake-up call for the nation, according to Kati Haycock, the organization's director. "We've stopped paying attention to poor kids. And we're beginning to see the effects when you stop paying attention."

At the heart of the report is an analysis of test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which reveals striking gains in minority student achievement between 1970 and 1988.

The gap between black and white student achievement declined by about one-half, and the gap between Hispanics and whites fell about one-third, the report says.

But recent scores suggest the trend has stalled--and reversed in some instances. In 1969, black 17-year-olds tested in science scored 54 points behind whites (on a scale of 500), 45 points behind in 1986, and 49 points behind in 1994. Hispanics narrowed the gap in reading skills from 41 points in 1975 to 22 points in 1990. The gap widened to 33 points in 1994.

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The National Scene

More boards switch to electing members by district

But the trend has been toward district-based elections in recent decades. Political activism and litigation have attacked at-large elections for limiting minority participation and voting strength. While the big push for change came in the 1970s and 1980s, at least 100 school systems have switched to district-based elections since 1994, and this has become an issue in a growing number of Illinois communities.

But it is not easy to argue the relative merits of at-large and district-based elections, says NSBA Senior Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick. Board members elected at large are vulnerable to the influence of special interest groups, he said. And board members elected in district-based elections are quite capable of putting student needs above politics.

"There are arguments for both," he says. "A lot depends on the size of the district and the local political scene. For most districts the arguments are not compelling."

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N.J. law aims for funding equity

The law sets broad new curriculum standards for public schools and raises state spending by $286 million a year--to nearly $4.3 billion--to help districts achieve them.

The bill requires each school district to spend $7,200 per pupil in the coming year, but makes allowances for wealthier districts that want to spend more. Following passage of the bill, state officials learned that one sentence apparently buried in the 72-page bill allows parents to choose a public school outside their home attendance area at state expense.

The average per pupil expenditure in New Jersey last year was $9,967, nearly twice the average in Illinois.

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Recent mailings from IASB

January 24: Call for proposals for annual conference panel presentations, mailed to board presidents and district superintendents.

January 24: Letter announcing IASB Multicultural Teacher Placement Job Fair, sent to district superintendents.

February 3: Student discipline workshop announcement, sent to board presidents and district superintendents.

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Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus

More than $562 million was invested in the Certificate of Deposit program, at rates ranging from 5.20 percent for a 30-day certificate to 5.80 percent for a one-year certificate. For more information about ISDLAF+, call, toll-free, 1-800/221-4524.

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IASB School Board News Bulletin
Illinois Association of School Boards