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School Board News Bulletin
March 1995

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Governor Jim Edgar unveiled a state budget in March that includes an increase of $196 million in funding for elementary and secondary education. Schools would receive nearly one-third of all new funds allocated under the plan. The plan provides for up to a $71 million increase in the state aid formula--well below the $111 million level proposed last December by State Superintendent of Education Joseph Spagnolo.

Proposed increases include $60 million for the Teachers Retirement System (TRS). This is enough to fund fully the state's obligation to retire the unfunded liability of the system as provided in legislation adopted last year. It is not enough, however, to address a severe deficiency that has cropped up in medical insurance coverage for retired teachers. Without additional state funding, experts say, retired teachers might see the cost of their insurance premiums skyrocket.

The governor's budget includes a $17 million increase for matching grants for technology and a $9 million increase in funding for early childhood education. The plan also includes generous increases for orphanage tuition.

Edgar's proposed allocation to schools represents only 35.1 percent of appropriations in the general revenue fund. The governor had promised during his re-election campaign to provide schools with at least 36 percent of all general revenues. The governor said the $196 million provided to schools, however, is well on the way towards delivering on his campaign promise of providing $1 billion over the next four years.

Unfortunately, the governor's budget is rather precariously balanced. It predicated upon the continuation of a controversial tax on nursing homes and hospitals. Many lawmakers want that tax scrapped, but scrapping it would leave a $727 million hole in the budget, thus undermining any hope for significant school funding increases this year.

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Governor signs waiver bill

Governor Edgar has signed breakthrough waiver legislation (S.B. 22) long sought by IASB and the Illinois School Management Alliance.

The new law allows school districts to request waivers of rules and regulations promulgated by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) or modification of School Code mandates. Districts can request waivers when they can demonstrate that the intent of the rule or mandate can be addressed in a more effective, efficient or economical manner. Waivers also can be requested when necessary to stimulate innovation or improve student performance.

The local school board must submit the request to the ISBE within 15 days of board approval, but after appropriate public notification and hearing. The ISBE then has 45 days to act on the request or it is deemed approved. Boards may make appeals to the General Assembly.

Four areas are exempt from waiver requests:

1. teacher certification;
   
2. special education;
   
3. teacher seniority;
   
4. teacher tenure.

An approved waiver or modification may remain in effect for up to five school years and may be renewed upon application by the school district.

The new law also allows for the transfer of funds between the Transportation, Operations and Maintenance and Education Funds. It would allow for a transfer between any of these three funds but would limit the amount transferred to 20 percent of the monies actually received in the fund receiving the transfer. Transfers would be allowed only after a public hearing, and only to meet one-time, non-recurring expenses.

"We are limited only by our own creativity, ingenuity and ability to work cooperatively to address the needs of children in our communities," said Wayne Sampson, Executive Director of IASB. The comment was made at a bill signing ceremony in the governor's office. Other invited guests present at the bill signing included IASB President Stan Morgan, and IASB Governmental Relations Director Pete Weber.

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Don't get slammed

High technology communications has spawned another scam, called "slamming." A fly-by-night company claims to have your verbal authorization to change long distance carriers and sells your business to another long distance company. You end up with a new carrier and, if you aren't alert, you may not notice.

Under current law, verbal authorization to change carriers is all it takes and there is no proof whether you did or didn't. To avoid this, simply give your long distance company written instructions to not make a change without your written authorization.

Thanks to Dennis Stonewall, business official for Danville C.C. School District 118, for alerting us to this problem and solution.

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Gingrich: Rethink U.S. education system

The entire U.S. education system needs to be rethought from the ground up, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) told school board members at the Federal Relation's Network (FRN) conference in Washington, D.C., February 6.

The FRN conference allowed school board leaders to meet with members of Congress to present National School Boards Association (NSBA) legislative advocacy priorities for this year. More than 750 local school board members, including 16 from Illinois, participated in the meeting, making it the largest FRN conference ever.

Besides meetings with Speaker Gingrich, the FRN delegation met with Illinois members of the House and Senate. FRN members attending the conference from Illinois were: Julia Beckman, C.H.S.D. 99, Downers Grove; Elizabeth Eichelberger, Plainfield District 202; David Evans, Joliet District 86; Sandra Jordan, C.H.S.D. 230, Orland Park; Renee Kosel, Lincoln-Way District 210; Chester LeSure, Harvey District 152; Gerri Long, Lombard District 44; Stan Morgan, Bismarck District 1; Robert Reich, Bourbonnais District 53; Freddi Beth Schmutte, Aptakisic-Tripp District 102; George Robinson, Harvey District 152; Jay Tovian, Villa Park District 45; Barb Wheeler, C.H.S.D. 99, Downers Grove; Dorothy Witted, West Harvey- Dixmoor District 147; Earline Wilson, Hazel Crest District 152.5; Eugie Wilson, Hazel Crest District 152.5.

Gingrich, the most talked-about House speaker in recent years, authored the Contract with America. The contract, which House Republicans pledged to seek to enact, would change the way the federal government operates. The contract includes 10 major pieces of legislation that among other things would require a balanced federal budget, give the President line-item veto power, and enact term limits for members of Congress.

Following his keynote address at the FRN Conference, Gingrich spoke informally with NSBA officers and suggested that NSBA draft its own Contract with America. It could then meet with him to discuss it, he said. NSBA reportedly is pursuing the invitation.

Gingrich's speech questioned many assumptions about the U.S. education system, from structuring schooling around students' ages, to stressing pedagogy over content. If students can graduate high school in three years, we should give them 80 percent of the value of the last year in the form of a scholarship to college, the Georgia Republican proposed.

The current system of requiring everyone to spend four years in high school is "subsidized dating," he said. "We're maintaining a fabric of education within which they can pursue their social life. This is crazy."

If adults need more education, put them into the classroom along with schoolchildren, Gingrich told school board members. "Erase your assumptions about age-based education. If you have a 45-year-old who needs to learn, put him in a class where he can learn." Anyone who receives unemployment compensation also should be in school," Gingrich proposed.

He says those stressing the professionalism of teachers place too much emphasis on "the abstract theory of teaching" rather than on what is taught. The emphasis on credentialism is also a mistake, he says, calling it "crazy" how the lack of a teaching license keeps excellent teachers out of the classroom.

He said local school boards should allocate more of their district budgets to education technology. Right now districts spend about three-tenths of one percent of their budgets on technology, he said, but they should increase that to at least 3 or even 10 percent.

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Clinton budget calls for modest increase in education

President Bill Clinton has proposed a modest increase for some of the major education programs for next year. Yet the real test will come when Congress begins weighing the importance of education along with other pressures to balance the budget, cut taxes, and raise defense spending. The Clinton budget for fiscal 1996 proposes a 5.5 percent increase in K-12 education programs.

"Some elements of the President's budget are heartening," says NSBA Senior Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick. "But we are concerned about areas he's proposing to cut, including impact aid, school improvement [formerly Chapter 2], and the new school infrastructure program."

"In this budget environment, it's more important than ever for school boards to be strong advocates for the investment in education," Resnick says. "School board members must hammer home the message that investing in education is investing in the future of our nation's children."

Congress not only is taking a hard look at whether funding increases are necessary. Leaders may seek to rescind money already appropriated for targeted programs. This includes a $100 million school construction and renovation bill enacted in the fall. The Clinton budget also recommends that the program be ended, despite opposition from some fellow Democrats, including Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois.

Among the programs targeted for large increases, the Clinton budget proposes: an 86 percent increase for Goals 2000, a 60 percent increase for the school-to-work transition program, 130 percent more for the newly expanded professional development program, 100 percent more for immigrant education, and a 107 percent increase for education technology.

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Accurate risk assessment urged

After school districts across the country spent $10 billion to remove asbestos, scientists now say the substance is not as harmful as originally thought.

That experience underscores the need for accurate risk assessment. Too bad government officials did not know just how minimal the health risk is from asbestos in buildings. If they had known the facts, school leaders could have used that $10 billion to hire more teachers, buy more books or do the many other things they need to do to educate children.

"Schools cannot afford to abate questionable environmental hazards, abate them in an unnecessary way, or abate them down to a level that is beyond a meaningful risk," says Barb Wheeler, Board President of Downers Grove C.H.S.D. 99, and a former President of IASB.

Wheeler--a candidate for NSBA secretary-treasurer, and a member of the NSBA Board of Directors--testified about the importance of accurate risk assessment at a U.S. House subcommittee hearing in February. The hearing addressed proposed legislation on unfunded mandates (H.R. 9) that requires federal regulations to be "based upon realistic consideration of risk."

The bill says "the priority-setting process must include scientifically sound, objective, and unbiased risk assessments, comparative risk analysis, and risk management choices that are grounded in cost-benefit principles." Unfortunately for the nation's schools, such a law did not exist when federal EPA guidelines on asbestos were established in the 1980s based upon a scientifically discredited four-year-old study.

"There was no accurate assessment of the risks," Wheeler says. "EPA ignored its own scientific panel, which denounced the study as `unconvincing,' `greatly overestimated,' `scientifically unappealing,' and `absurd.'"

She says early researchers failed to distinguish between two kinds of asbestos fibers. These are chrysotile asbestos, which is as harmless as ordinary dust and accounts for 95 percent of the asbestos used in the United States, and potentially lethal amphiboles.

As a result, the federal laws governing asbestos removal treat harmless asbestos the same as the dangerous variety.

"The school asbestos abatement program must be brought into line with this more developed scientific understanding," Wheeler says.

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State Board reorganization announced

State Superintendent of Education Joseph Spagnolo in February announced a major reorganization of the state education agency. He said the aim is designed "to enable staff members to more effectively fulfill the State Board of Education's mission."

Seven "centers of educational leadership," each with a specific focus relevant to the State Goals and the strategic agenda to support school improvement, will serve as the agency's primary operating units. These centers will be responsible for all the agency's current functions. Insiders say there is no intention to lay off staff as a result of the plan. Project Teams will draw staff from each of the centers, and the external entities, for a fixed time to address important school improvement efforts.

Reducing management levels to two, the change will focus staff attention on achieving the Illinois Goals and the state board's strategic agenda. "We must be customer-driven, externally focused and student-centered," Spagnolo explained.

The seven "centers," and the associate superintendents who will lead each, are: learning technologies, Cheryl Lemke; policy, planning and research, Richard Laine; professional development, standards and assessment, Brenda Heffner; educational innovation, reform & reengineering, Mary Jayne Broncato; business, community and family partnerships, Diana Robinson; finance and shared services, Gary Ey; and Accountability and Quality Assurance, Brenda Holmes.

Traditional departments may not appear as unit headings. But Spagnolo declared services for students will be maintained, the roles of specific services will be emphasized in the total effort to improve student learning, and appropriate staff contacts for specialized services will be assured.

The effective date of the reorganization is July 1, although some reporting relationships will be changed immediately. Agency contacts for specific programs remain the same until July 1.

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Bill Hill appointed to State Board

Governor Jim Edgar has appointed Bill Hill to the Illinois State Board of Education. Hill is immediate past president of the Illinois Association of School Administrators and a retired superintendent from Charleston Community School District 1. The six-year appointment becomes effective upon approval of the State Senate.

Hill has also been appointed to direct and promote Gateway Illinois Distance Learning activities regarding education, health care, and government statewide. That appointment, by the Illinois Telephone Association, was effective February 1.

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Those Who Excel nominations due

School districts should soon be receiving nomination forms and instructions for the State Board of Education's annual Those Who Excel awards. The deadline to submit nominations is June 15. School leaders must act quickly to nominate those, including board members, who have made outstanding contributions to their local schools. For more information, call the State Board of Education's public affairs office at 217/782-4648.

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File economic interest statements

State law requires the filing of economic interest statements by May 1 by certain school district employees. Generally those required to file statements include: local district superintendents, school business officials and certificated administrators, building principals, heads of departments, those responsible for negotiating contracts (including collective bargaining agreements), hearing officers, and employees responsible for supervising 20 or more employees.

The statements must be filed with the county clerk where the employee resides.

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Schools can benefit from donated supplies

A particular nonprofit organization, will distribute over $75 million worth of new, donated supplies and equipment--such as office supplies, computer software, and janitorial supplies--to schools and nonprofit organizations this year. That particular organization is called the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR). Recipient groups pay NAEIR $645 annual dues, plus shipping and handling charges, to cover operating expenses. The merchandise is free. Members average $7,000 worth of new supplies a year. A 300-page catalog is issued every 10 weeks. A moneyback guarantee covers all first-year members. Since 1977, NAEIR has collected and passed on over $500 million worth of new materials. For a free fact kit on NAEIR, call 800/562-0955 or fax a request to 309/343-0862.

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School experiments with parents as teachers

William Hart Elementary School in Louisiana is experimenting with a program geared to increase parental involvement in their child's education. The program is an after-school class in which parents and children work to improve the students' reading skills.

Approximately $4,500 in federal Chapter 1 money, set aside to support "innovative educational projects," funds the program. Parents and children meet for two hours, three days a week, and use computers to help enhance their children's reading skills. There also are skill games and "memory tests" which are all made fun with computer images.

School officials also plan to take parents and students on field trips, and to invite special educators and performers to meet with program participants.

Linda McGhee, coordinator of Jefferson Parish public schools, said she also is looking into childcare arrangements which would alleviate one barrier for parents who would like to participate in the program.

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Teacher-parent communication most effective

Need to communicate educational achievement to parents? Use direct teacher-to-parent conversations, suggests the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing.

"Parents [of third graders] overwhelmingly believe they learn most about their child's progress by listening to the teacher," the center reports. "Report cards, talking to the teacher and work samples received strikingly higher usefulness ratings than did standardized tests," the report continues.

"A small subgroup of parents, however, said they prefer standardized test results because they are cut and dried, aligned to instruction and easier to communicate. A few believed they are better for reporting progress in mathematics because `there is only one right answer in math.'"

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Top principal says don't drop out--tutor others

The national principal of the year for 1995 is a Kansas educator who sends potential high school dropouts to tutor younger children, an arrangement that benefits both groups of students.

"I don't think I'm the best principal in the country; I'm a representative of good principals," said George V. Tignor of Parsons, Kansas, who was selected for the honor by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Tignor says one of his management skills is to recognize good programs and replicate them. He got the idea for his anti- dropout program from a similar program in San Antonio.

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Vice President Al Gore says schools should get some of the funding raised by the Federal Communications Commission auction of licenses. He suggests the money should be used to link schools to the information superhighway. The Wall Street Journal reported that Gore hopes to work with Congress to find a way to fund high-tech communication links for schools. The Vice President made his remarks just before the FCC began auctioning 99 licenses to offer next-generation cellular services.

"When we invest our public resources, we should think about it as an investment in our future," Vice President Gore said.

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Don't fold the school lunch program into a block grant: Boehlje

NSBA president Boyd W. Boehlje told a House committee in February that the school lunch program is effective in helping low-income children to learn. Congress should not rush into rehauling it, Boehlje said.

The harmful effects of poor nutrition on children's learning are well documented, Boehlje said. "A recent report by Tufts University's Center on Hunger, Poverty, and Nutrition Policy states that `poor children who attend school hungry perform significantly below non-hungry, low-income peers on standardized tests.'"

He said a child who is hungry or undernourished is not only more likely to become sick but is less likely to succeed in school.

A proposal in Congress would consolidate all federal school nutrition programs into a block grant. Boehlje said this "almost certainly will mean that many fewer children will be served." Some districts might drop out of school nutrition programs entirely.

"While we support efforts to improve local flexibility and reduce paperwork, we believe this proposal runs a great risk of endangering the health and educational opportunities of the nation's children," Boehlje said.

On the average school day, 25 million children receive lunches through the federal school lunch program, he said.

"Of course, protecting the school nutrition programs from funding cuts would do nothing to prevent Congress from proceeding with significant welfare reform," he added.

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Technology grants available

School boards seeking funds to invest in technology may be interested in $27 million in federal Challenge Grants available next year to support innovative projects using technology in the classroom.

The grants were authorized this fall in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. They may be used for "actual curriculum tools, developing a library of information, purchasing software, or a range of things for training and equipment to boost the educational program." So says Jonathan Hoyt of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology.

Exact criteria for grant projects haven't been developed, but special attention will go to projects focusing on children from low-income families.

For more information, contact the Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Ave., S.W., Rm. 6236, Washington, DC 20202.

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A Teacher's Guide to the U.S. Department of Education outlines a variety of programs and services available from the department such as grants, publications and phone numbers. The guide is free. Call the Education Department's Information Resource Center at 800/USA-LEARN.

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Bus routing software is delayed

A News Bulletin item in January publicized free computer software on bus routing, offered by Murray Spitzer at the federal education agency. Many who called Spitzer to request it have not yet received the software, but help may be on the way. Spitzer recently called IASB to say he has been deluged with requests from all over the nation, including a big response from Illinois.

He has sent out several hundred copies but cannot handle the thousands of requests on his own. He is seeking help in each state with copying and distribution, and has talked with staff at the Illinois State Board of Education about getting their help on distribution. Watch the News Bulletin for word about if and how software will be distributed.

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New media kit offer "straight talk on schools"

The National Association of Secondary School Principals and the GTE Foundation have prepared a unique media program for educators in helping students achieve individual success.

"Straight Talk About School" features college student-athletes on the GTE Academic All-America Team, who describe their hard-won individual successes.

Issues discussed in the kit are dealing with stress, managing your time, staying focused, preventing burnout, and setting and achieving goals. Teachers, coaches, counselors, student advisers and other educators can use the kit to motivate students to reach their full potential, teach life skills, or open-up lines of communication.

Each kit includes a 30-minute video for students and a 5-minute introduction for teachers, a classroom set of Balance magazine, a leader's guide including how-to tips and follow-up exercises, and more. Cost for the complete kit is $40, including shipping and handling. To order Straight Talk or for more information, call 800/315-5010.

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Download your own federal database

Want to research basic federal education statistics? If you have access to Internet, you can do the research electronically. Check out "EDsearch: Education Statistics on Disk," a computer program and database combined, for use on IBM PCs. It is obtainable via the Internet from the federal education department's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI).

This statistical database contains hundreds of charts, tables and text files from the 1993 Condition of Education, the 1993 Digest of Education Statistics, and other key sources. The software totals 6.4 MB, and can be obtained from the federal education agency's Gopher, FTP servers, and World Wide Web on Internet: gopher.ed.gov, ftp.ed.gov, and http://www.ed.gov/.

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Minnesota charter schools reported

The research department of the Minnesota House of Representatives has prepared a report (December 1994) on charter schools in that state. It includes information about Minnesota's law, description of operating charters, opinions of school board members and parents, and policy implications. Copies are available by calling 612/296-6753.

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Workshops & Meetings

Site visit for technology: Arlington Heights

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) and its Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education are inviting school leaders to visit C.C. District 59 in Arlington Heights April 26-28 to see an exceptional use of technology.

The district's unprecedented efforts to implement technology across all curriculum levels will be on display. Through these efforts, each child has an opportunity to work across content areas using multimedia, computer- assisted instruction, problem-solving, and telecommunication tools.

The site visit will teach you how to map a continuing vision of school reform. You will also learn how to incorporate systematically the instructional programs and delivery systems necessary for such a new approach. District 59 will show visitors why it has been selected as the Internet Mentoring Support Center for the state.

District 59 leaders will share their experiences with everything from a special multimedia summer school program to software designed to promote whole language and writing improvement. The site visit will help illustrate how to build a district's vision.

Registration is $375 ($250 for ITTE network participants). For more information or to register, contact ITTE at NSBA, 1680 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-3493; 703/838-6722; fax 703/683-7590.

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Energy conservation expo/seminar set

Most school district superintendents could benefit from a greater understanding of the latest methods of reducing energy costs in their schools.

Fortunately, superintendents can attend, free of charge, a helpful energy conference April 19-20 at Holiday Inn South in Springfield. Many items on the agenda will be geared to schools. Murphysboro C.U. District 186 Superintendent Mike Mugge will speak April 20, for example, about an extremely cost-effective energy project underway in his district. Also on the agenda April 20 are specific approaches to energy conservation such as performance contracting, alternative lease purchase arrangements, public financing and more.

Sponsors say seminar topics and presenters were selected based on their ability to "Bridge the Technology Gap" from government and schools to utility companies and technical service industries. Each topic will be geared to show how a specific technology or service can become "user friendly." Concurrent seminar sessions are scheduled both days on topics from the Clean Air Act to understanding your utility bills.

Besides co-sponsors' exhibits, the expo also will feature 28 exhibits on environmental and energy concerns. Co-sponsors will include the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, as well as state and federal energy departments, Illinois Power Company (IP), Central Illinois Public Service (CIPS), Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO) and City Water, Light and Power Company (CWLP). The Illinois Commerce Commission will be the expo coordinator, and ICC Chairman Dan Miller will be the keynote speaker. The admission fee to the expo (waived for superintendents) is $25 per person (good for both days). A special housing rate of $45 single or double is available (ask for "APEC Energy Expo" rate). Free parking is provided on site. For more information, call APEC's toll free voice mail at 800/844-2732.

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Conferences on charter schools planned

A national charter schools conference is scheduled at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee, April 9-12. The event is being cosponsored by the National Association of Charter Schools and the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. For additional information, contact Dr. Ed Sontag, School of Education, U.W.-Stevens Point at 715/346-4349.

EDVentures '95 will be held in Minneapolis, July 13-15, 1995. The conference will feature charter school organizers and enterprising educators. Contact Chris Yelich, AAEPP, N7425 Switzke Road, Watertown, WI 53094; phone 800/252-3280 for information.

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Multicultural group plans open house

Education for Global Involvement, Inc. (EGI), a not-for-profit group, will host an open house, Sunday, April 23, 1 to 4 p.m., at North Lakeside Cultural Center, 6219 North Sheridan Road, Chicago. The organization, established in 1988, supports and coordinates efforts of teachers, administrators and other individuals and groups working to enhance multicultural international education.

Special EGI programs aim to prepare youth to be good international citizens, "aware of the richly diverse and highly interdependent local/global community," leaders say. EGI's programs stress cultural understanding, critical thinking, and cooperative learning.

At their open house, EGI will celebrate and recognize dedicated school and community leaders who share their mission. Teacher demonstrations and student projects will be featured, along with curriculum resources to review and purchase, art projects and other activities for children. Refreshments and free parking will be provided. For information call Cary Mondschean at 312/456-6122.

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Women's history curriculum seminars set

A multicultural approach to incorporating women's history into the K-12 curriculum will be the focus of intensive training seminars this summer. The sessions, July 10-13, 1995, will be held in Rohnert Park, California, gateway to Northern California wine country. One or two units of continuing education credit can be arranged. Registration closes June 15.

The $350 registration fee includes a 200+ page participant notebook of resource materials, plus books, a training video, and lunches each day.

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

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Simulcast to focus on reinventing government

A seminar on reinventing government and ways to rebuild citizenship is scheduled for April 11, at 240 Commerce West Building, 1206 South 6th Street, Champaign. The seminar, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., will feature alive video conference led by management consultant Ted Gaebler, co-author of Reinventing Government. Local commentary and observations will be offered in the afternoon, led by distinguished author and former state lawmaker James Nowlan. The seminar fee is $65. For more information call 217/333-4510.

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Research Reports

Demographic trends pose test for public schools

Current trends in demographics will present major challenges for American public education, according to a 1995 report by Educational Research Service (ERS) titled Demographic Factors in American Education. The report digests and analyzes population and school-related trends.

The top news item in the ERS report is that the U.S. Bureau of the Census has dramatically increased its projections of the school-age population. By 2005, according to the Census Bureau, the number of children to be educated will increase by almost 19 percent above the number in 1990. This will bring the school-age population to 53.8 million children and youth. Between 1990 and 2030, the school-age population is projected to grow by 33 percent, to 60.3 million.

One demographic trend in particular has enormous implications for schools. In about the year 2020, for the first time in our nation's history, the senior group is expected to outnumber the school-age group. A key result may be increased competition between senior citizens' groups and school-age children for limited financial resources.

Another important projection concerns the population trend among limited English proficiency (LEP) children--now totalling about 5.3 percent of the nation's school-age population. Illinois is one of five states with the highest number of such children. Seventy percent of all LEP school-age children in the nation now live in just those five states--California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and Florida. Yet those states contain only about 35 percent of all the school-age population.

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Few classrooms using Internet, survey shows

Only 3 percent of school media centers, classrooms, and laboratories have access to the information superhighway, a survey by the U.S. Education Department has found. The international computer network Internet is accessible, however, from about 35 percent of schools, according to the survey of 1,500 technology coordinators in schools.

"Only a small fraction of our classrooms have real access to new technologies that are becoming so central to the rest of our lives," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. Riley said this means valuable learning tools remain "out of reach" from most schools.

The survey results are contained in a report, "Advanced Telecommunications in Public Schools K-12." For a free single copy of the report call 800/424-1616 or 202/219-1513. Multiple copies can be ordered from the Government Printing Office's order desk at 202/512-1800.

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News from IASB

IASB proceeding with consortium to handle school bus driver testing IASB recently announced plans to proceed with establishing a statewide consortium to handle the screening of school bus drivers. IASB agreed to set up the consortium in order to head off problems and high costs many smaller school districts would face under the new statutory requirements. Complex new mandates on drug testing of school bus drivers will take effect January 1, 1996, covering school districts employing 50 or fewer drivers. The IASB consortium would ensure that mandated tasks related to the new laws are handled under contract with a private firm. Several competent firms already have been identified, including three that offer driver screening services to consortiums in other states.

Local school district enrollment in the IASB consortium is expected to begin during September. Brochures providing full details of the plan will be mailed with sign-up forms at that time.

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Offer NSBA report on shared decision making

Site-based management and other kinds of shared decision making are a hot trend in school governance these days. A new report on this topic-- prepared by NSBA's Liaison Committee--is now available. The publication, Shared Decision Making, is a position statement that describes under what conditions shared decision making may best advance the educational interests of children. IASB Executive Director Wayne Sampson served on the subcommittee that drafted the report. To request a copy call IASB Publications at 217/528-9679, ext. 108, and ask for item number 95-3.

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