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School Board News Bulletin
May 1996

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Enrollment booming in DuPage, Cook counties

Three other Illinois counties also experienced an enrollment growth of 1,000 students or more: Lake County, with 4,081 additional students (up 4.06 percent); Kane County, with 3,112 additional students (up 3.93 percent); and Will County, with 1,426 additional students (up 2.22 percent).

McHenry County, along with other collar counties and Cook County, had the greatest enrollment growth over the past five years. On a percentage basis, in fact, McHenry County's five-year enrollment growth was the steepest, up a whopping 23.63 percent. On a per capita basis, however, Cook County schools led the five-year growth totals, with 32,813 additional students (up 4.59 percent), followed by DuPage County, with 21,733 additional students (up 18.07 percent). Other five-year totals in Illinois: Lake County, with an additional 15,178 students (up 17.00 percent); Kane, with 10,709 more students (up 14.97 percent); and Will, with 7,067 more students (up 12.07 percent).

Source: MDR's Enrollment Comparison Report 1995/96, Market Data Retrieval. For more information call MDR at 800/333-8802, or at 312/263-4169.

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Waiver petitions up by 139 percent

Reporting in the Superintendent's Bulletin newsletter of April 26, the State Board announced the approval of 141 of the 275 petition requests. Another 106 waivers those seeking waivers from statutory requirements were forwarded to the legislature for consideration. Meanwhile, 28 waivers did not require action: they were either returned to districts because they dealt with areas exempt from waivers, or they were withdrawn.

The State Superintendent of Education recommended that nine other waiver requests be denied. Those waivers included: a reduction in minimum instructional time, corporal punishment, substituting other tests for the Illinois School Improvement System, pre-kindergarten pupil transportation reimbursement, abridged school report cards, exemptions from IGAP, and school sprinkler laws.

Most of the 141 approved waivers dealt with routine matters, including 104 waivers of school holidays and 13 waivers of physical education regulations or law modifications. Of the requests sent to the legislature, 33 sought waivers of physical education statutory requirements, and 21 sought waivers of school improvement or inservice laws.

Both legislative chambers must adopt resolutions disapproving a waiver request in order to deny a school district's petition.

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News From IASB

Updated law survey now in print

Illinois School Law Survey, by Brian A. Braun, is designed for the lay men and women serving on school boards and in other official capacities. But the 568-page book also answers hundreds of legal questions commonly raised by teachers, parents, students, and others interested in the public schools. In fact, the book answers more than 1,000 questions about the laws governing Illinois schools.

For example, is a moment of silence for voluntary prayer permissible? What causes will support the dismissal of a tenured teacher?

The answers are in the book, and an extensive "quick reference index" makes finding those answers easy. All information is fully documented as to where the law may be found, and an explanation of legal references tells the reader how to locate statutes and court rulings for more information.

The fourth edition may be ordered through local bookstores or directly from the Illinois Association of School Boards. The Survey is available from IASB for $20 a copy, $16 for IASB member districts.

For more information or to place orders, call or write: IASB Publications, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703; 217/528- 9679, extension 108. Or FAX orders to 217/528-2831.

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Flier has tips on school-parent relationships

Entitled "Speak Up! Your Schools are Listening," the flier explains how a citizen can most effectively convey questions, comments or complaints to the school system. It explains the value of following a school district's chain of command and offers advice on how to communicate with a school board when the issue cannot be addressed effectively at the staff level.

The flier was distributed recently with the IASB School Public Relations Service. Districts that are not signed up to receive the Service can obtain a sample copy of the flier, along with camera-ready artwork for printing, by sending a request to the IASB Communications Department, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703.

Districts that are not signed up to receive quarterly mailings of the School PR Service also may do so at no charge by writing to the same address.

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WCSIT delivers rewards into the 21st century

Over the past several years, the WCSIT Board of Trustees has made several very successful investment decisions that have earned a healthy surplus for the WCSIT. As a result, the WCSIT Board has approved the following unprecedented plan:

WCSIT participants who are members of record on September 15 of the following year will be guaranteed dividends of at least 20 percent of their annual audited paid contribution amounts for the 1995-96 program year and the following three years. In the 1999-00 program year, the dividend amount will be reviewed and determined by the WCSIT Board of Trustees depending on the available surplus at that time (see case study).

Since its inception in 1982, the Illinois Association of School Boards-endorsed WCSIT has carefully crafted its program. The aim has always been to afford Illinois school districts comprehensive workers' compensation coverage at competitive rates, plus additional programs and services as benefits of membership. With more than 400 members, the WCSIT provides workers' compensation coverage to Illinois school districts.

The WCSIT has always been a viable alternative provider of workers' compensation coverage for Illinois districts. During the last 13 years, WCSIT member school districts have received approximately $5.8 million in dividends and distributions. Its qualified members can expect to be paid approximately $9 million during the next four years. Combined, this total is approximately $15 million in dividends and distributions for WCSIT members.

The unprecedented plan of guaranteed dividends is not the first benefit of membership for WCSIT's qualified members. In 1994, the WCSIT began providing the School Board Legal Liability program (SBLL). This school board errors and omissions coverage program is dependable and innovative in delivering a choice of legal providers via its legal defense provider system. This is the largest program of its kind for Illinois school boards.

Qualified WCSIT members have also been receiving treasurer's bonds in any amount up to $10 million since 1992. These two additions have been extremely beneficial and cost efficient for WCSIT members, but there is more. WCSIT also provides members with comprehensive loss control services through its two loss control offices.

For more information on the WCSIT's recent dividend plan or its valuable program, please contact Kimberly Kobos, Vice President, Hinz Professional Insurance Program Managers, Inc., WCSIT's program manager, at 312/906-8001.

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Case study: WCSIT's guaranteed dividend plan

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New family program fills school needs

The district and the DCFS representative soon established a successful working partnership that led to the appointment of a so-called Child and Family Team. Team members represented the school district, family and community, including a classroom teacher and school social worker. Representatives also included close family members and a clergyman. This team met every two weeks "to identify the family's strengths and to identify needs" that demanded attention for stabilizing the lives of troubled offspring.

The program typically addresses problems faced by one or more children of the same family. Superintendent Burcham says the results have been agreeable, as "the family has strengthened its ties with those who are most willing to provide it with help."

Once-unimaginable individual and family counseling is now available. The family, meanwhile, "is beginning to express hope that its state of crisis can be alleviated," Burcham states.

For schools, the likely value of this program is enormous, Burcham says, because it enables school personnel to play key roles in working out "solutions to major family problems which impact on a child at school." Social service experts add that the program has shown unbelievable success, and has gained nationwide attention from school psychologists and counselors, among others.

Burcham suggests that school leaders "learn to use it to help children when it is needed." For more information, call your nearest DCFS office or call DCFS headquarters at 217/785-2570.

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State-by-state SAT rankings deceptive: Study

The study, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildering: the Use and Misuse of State S.A.T. and A.C.T. Scores," was published in the Spring 1996 issue of the Harvard Educational Review. Compiled by Brian Powell and Lala Carr Steelman, it attempts to correct for a long-recognized problem by adjusting for the proportion of students taking the exam in each state. Many states shifted dramatically in the rankings using the authors' adjusted figures, including Mississippi, which fell from 16th to 50th. Illinois, which ranked 10th in the nation on SAT scores published by the College Board, moved up to 5th in the re-rankings by Powell and Steelman.

The authors found as well that the more money spent on schools, the higher the test scores.

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Fiscal 1996 federal budget adopted

The spending plan provides $350 million for President Clinton's Goals 2000 program, to help 12,000 schools raise academic standards and achievement. The House had attempted to cut all funding to that program.

Also included was a $14 million increase in appropriations for Title I grants to local schools to help 7 million children learn the basics in 50,000 schools. The House previously had passed an ill-fated budget plan which would have cut more than $1.14 billion from the $6.7 billion Title I grants program. The average school district would have lost at least 20 percent of its federal education funds under the House plan.

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The National Scene

Highland Park board wins national prize

The two winning school boards were chosen from school districts nationwide, and were singled out for their outstanding support for high-quality arts education during the 1995-96 school year. Nominations were made by the KCAAEN state participants and by state school board associations.

Township High School District 113 in Highland Park, Illinois, serves a much smaller number of students than the Milwaukee district, yet is equally committed to the value of arts in education. The district is made up of two high schools, one in Deerfield, and the other in Highland Park, together consisting of 2,767 students drawn from various communities located roughly 25 miles north of Chicago. The district has been remarkably successful in tapping community resources while providing an extensive integrated arts curriculum.

The arts curriculum in the two District 113 high schools consists of expansive four-year studies in dance, music, and the visual arts. Advanced study in the arts is available, and mentally challenged students are included in drama and visual arts classes throughout the four years.

Board member Diane Rochester summarized the board's reasons for its commitment to arts education: "It's important to provide our students with an opportunity to participate in the arts, because if they do not develop an appreciation for the arts as young people, they may never have the opportunity again. The arts enrich their lives; the arts nurture their souls."

For more information about the District 113 program, contact Susan Benjamin at 847/433-9527.

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NSBA offers discount on affiliate plan

As a national affiliate, participating districts join a network of more than 2,000 districts from across the nation. Through the program's grassroots activism, local districts can strengthen their voice on behalf of public school children nationwide.

Other benefits of membership include:

• Access to cutting-edge information on national education issues.
• Representation in the nation's capital.
• A link-up with a national network of new ideas through conferences and meetings.
• Unique programs fitted toward the needs of rural and small districts large districts and urban boards of education.
• The chance to win huge savings for one's district by saving on registration and enrollment fees for NSBA conferences and programs and on publication rates.

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NEA to explore charter schools

NEA President Keith Geiger announced the five charter school sites that comprise the NEA's Charter School Initiative, in locations from Oahu, Hawaii to Atlanta, Georgia. The best charter schools today reflect "rigorous learning standards, site-based and shared decision making, a diversity of educational programs, freedom from red tape and a suspension of rules that may impede innovation," Geiger said.

The organization plans to make a "major investment" in its charter school initiative: an estimated $1.5 million over five years.

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American hosts sought for overseas educators

Founded in 1962, American Host has opened doors to more than 18,000 overseas educators who have shared their new understanding of America with their students, colleagues and friends in their homelands.

Information about the program and applications for participation may be obtained by writing the American Host Foundation, P.O. Box 803, Garden Grove, CA 92642; or phone 800/525-9866; or fax 714/537-5798.

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Bond issue results

Bond issues fared much better than tax referenda, which achieved only a 38 percent success rate.

In comparison with the success rate for building bond issues since 1989 (see accompanying chart), the March 19 results were above average. Only three elections since 1989 have produced better results for building bond proposals: March 1990 (65 percent success rate), March 1994 (73 percent), and November 1994 (67 percent).

Among the 12 bond issues that failed, a partial recount has been sought for at least one, a proposal that lost by two votes in Grant C.C. District 110 (Fairview Heights). The district, located in St. Clair County near East St. Louis, is seeking a recount in three precincts. Should the resulting vote count differ from the initial total, the district could request a total recount.

Successful building bond issues were: Porta C.U. District 202, Geneseo C.U. District 228, Pekin Community High School District 303, General George Patton District 133 (Riverdale), Dolton District 148, Lemont Township High School District 210, Woodridge District 68, Salem Community District 600, Oak Grove District 68, Bannockburn District 106, New Athens District 60, Belleville District 118, LaSalle District 122, Seneca Community District 170, Yorkville District 115, and Marshall District 2C.

Five school boards won both a bond issue and an education fund tax referendum: Warrensburg-Latham District 11, Oak Park & River Forest District 200, Milburn District 24, Round Lake Area District 116, and Freeburg C.U. District 77.

School districts that won education fund tax rate increases alone were: Niantic-Harristown District 6, Kirby District 140, Sauk Village District 168, Lindrop District 92, LaGrange District 102, Irvington District 11, Kaneland District 302, Johnsburg District 12, Lake Villa C.C. District 41, and Kildeer Countryside C.C. District 96.

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Legislative Action

Unfunded mandates prohibition dead

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Damaging constitutional amendments stalled

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School funding plans discussed

The Illinois House continues to look at the school finance issue as well. An expanded task force is meeting, possibly to make recommendations to improve the Daniels' bill. The Alliance has been meeting with the State Board of Education, other education organizations and legislative leaders to voice concerns.

"The issue has finally become the focus of discussions in the Capitol," said an Alliance spokesman. "We hope that the leadership in both chambers, the Governor and the education community will continue an open discourse on this issue and agree upon constructive improvements to our school finance system over the next few weeks."

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony from the House Speaker in early May and approved HB 2596 after amending it. This allowed discussion of the issue without "killing" the bill. After an agreement is reached the bill can be amended with any compromise language.

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LUST fund again in jeopardy

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Tax caps, vouchers and gimmicks loom

Another bill, which would implement a pilot private school voucher program in Chicago, was stalled in the House. Due to lack of support, HB 3533 (Roskam, R-Wheaton) was not called for a vote and therefore missed the deadline for House Bills to be heard before the full House. The issue seems dead, but could be resurrected later in the session by amendment or procedural gimmickry.

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Research Reports

Turn classroom aides into teachers: Study

That is the top finding of a new study called Breaking the Class Ceiling, which looked at 149 programs used to prepare classroom aides to become teachers. Funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the study said classroom aides last longer as teachers. While almost 50 percent of all new teachers quit the job within the first five years in urban settings, for example, former classroom aides have a low 7 percent turnover rate as teachers.

Copies of the study, Breaking the Class Ceiling, may be ordered for $34.95 from Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., 617/489-6000.

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School media centers feeling pinch

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Recent mailings from IASB

April 1: Updated Illinois School Law Survey book announcement, mailed to district superintendents.

April 4: Joint Annual Conference resolution submission form, to board presidents and superintendents.

May 1: School Board Legal Liability 1996-97 coverage update brochure, mailed to Workers' Compensation Self-Insur- ance Trust (WCSIT) member-district superintendent or business official.

May 10: WCSIT Dividend Plan Announcement brochure, sent to district superintendent or business official.

May 10: Illinois School District Agency (ISDA) Surplus Enhancement brochure, to ISDA member-district superintendent or business official.

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Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus

More than $474 million was invested in the Fixed Rate program (including Certificates of Deposit), at rates of 5.17 percent for a 30-day certificate to 5.58 percent for a one-year certificate. For more information about ISDLAF+, call, toll-free, 1-800/221-4524.

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