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School Board News Bulletin
June, 2006

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This publication is also available as a PDF file

ARTICLES

Officials mull latest school finance plan

Study highlights community efforts to reconnect dropouts

Funding allows 'Grow Your Own' to expand

Recent court decisions now on IASB Web site

School Code, Law Survey books are available to school districts

School merger reform highlights legislative action

Districts can use new process for appealing AYP

Feds consider enforcement options over tutoring shortfall

NEWS HEADLINES

ILLINOIS DISTRICTS

Blog safety urged by state's attorney in Will County

Libertyville district limits student blogs, enacts pledge

District saves money by fighting tax appeals via coalition

NEWS FROM IASB

IASB seeks nominations for next officers

Policy department offers reference tools on audits

NEWS FROM ISBE

Council on preschooling offers early learning study

Web site offers career path information for teachers

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Officials mull latest school finance plan
Governor would create $10 billion by leasing Illinois State Lottery

It seems we're continuing to push the responsibility for funding our services off into the future and taking away assets we may need in the future," says 1994 Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Illinois comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch. Netsch made the comment in reacting to Governor Rod Blagojevich's plan to lease the Illinois Lottery to raise $10 billion for education.

Blagojevich unveiled his new education reform plan on May 23 at a press conference in Chicago. The plan calls on the state to invest over $6 billion in education in the next four years, with $1 billion in the first year to be spent on the following:

• $250 million to increase the foundation level (an estimated $250 per pupil);
• $200 million for increased special education funding (including increasing the current $8,000 special education personnel reimbursement amount);
• $60 million in pre-school expansion to help fund his Pre-school For All Kids Program;
• $200 million in targeted programs for under-performing students (see details below);
• $40 million for text book replacement (require school districts to replace text books on a six-year cycle with funds going first to schools that need books the most); and
• $200 million for other reforms (see details below).

In addition, the governor proposes $1.5 billion for school construction. Approximately $50 million would be included in the first year budget for school construction debt service.

The funding source for this education investment would come from the sale or lease of the Illinois Lottery, consolidation of services, and reducing administrative costs. Specifically mentioned were the ideas of "consolidating procurement, health insurance, and construction." These proposals were discussed two years ago in the legislature as a part of what became SB 3000, the massive changes in the State Board of Education agency.

School leaders were generally optimistic about the plan, but with some reservations. Charleston CUSD 1 Superintendent Gary Niehaus called most of the ideas in Blagojevich's proposal "positives," but wondered how likely they are to come about.

"There aren't many points I'd find fault with," Niehaus said. "The big question is solid funding. He's found the plums. He's found what would appeal to most educators." But Niehaus said he wasn't sure what to think of Blagojevich's plan to sell public stock in the state lottery.

"I question the legality of something like that," he said, adding that such a change would probably need legislative approval.

The governor's opponent in the fall gubernatorial election, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, called the plan a "stunt," adding it won't improve education and will cost the state money. "I don't think it accomplishes what it says it's going to accomplish, and it's a big scam," she said.

The governor's proposal would also require school districts to publish – on the property tax bill – their spending on administrative costs for the district.

The governor stated that "we're going to use some of the increase in state resources to target specific areas in our school system that have historically underperformed, but these resources will not just be given away. We're going to target these resources toward services that we know will make a difference for struggling kids. We will take over school districts that refuse to embrace reforms and make changes." A State management team would first come to the district to provide help, but if such help is rejected or if student performance does not increase, the state will take over the district.

The governor proposed the following programs for underperforming students:

• Mandatory after-school tutoring; and
• Extending the school year for up to one month.

The governor also proposed funding several new education reforms:

• Providing funding for school districts to provide full-day kindergarten;
• Providing funding for parents to attend educational programs at the school to become more involved in their children's education;
• Providing additional funding for school libraries;
• Providing additional funding for school technology;
• Providing additional funding to update the curriculum for Career and Technical Education; and
• Providing additional funding for colleges and universities to produce teachers to teach in shortage areas.

What happens next with the proposal? Legislation will have to be introduced and approved by the General Assembly in order to enact it. But the legislature is not scheduled to convene again until November. School leaders will have plenty of time to react and take positions on the proposal before that time.

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Study highlights community efforts to reconnect dropouts

A new report called Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth finds there are thousands of committed educators and community leaders across the country who are doing whatever it takes to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream. For a look at the economic costs of dropping out for the individual see chart on earnings above.

"With roughly one-third of our young people dropping out of school — one-half among young people of color — recovery and reconnection must become a top priority of public school districts," the study's authors state.

America's high schools apparently are at the top of the agenda of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which helped fund the study, with help from the National School Boards Association and other concerned organizations.

The new report notes that "high school reform would be greatly enhanced by the kinds of leadership and innovation displayed daily" by those whose work is highlighted in the report. The largest section of Whatever It Takes describes dropout recovery activities in 12 U.S. communities.

The new study was conducted by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional development organization based in Washington, DC. The study is available online at: http://www.aypf. org/publications/WhateverItTakes.htm

At press time IASB was joining a broad base of educational organizations to sponsor a special conference dealing with the unique needs and challenges of Illinois high schools. The event was held on June 19 and 20 in Bloomington.

"The High School Challenge: Rigor and Relevance Meet Reality" featured nationally acclaimed presenters and speakers.

See the July Newsbulletin for coverage.

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Funding allows 'Grow Your Own' to expand
By Linda Dawson, IASB

With state money now approved, supporters from all across the state celebrated the progress of the Grow Your Own Teacher initiative at a third annual conference in Chicago in May.

The program, which has roots in the now six-year-old Nueva Generacion program started in Chicago, is expanding into additional groups, including four in Chicago, one in the south suburbs, and others in East St. Louis, Rockford, Rock Island/Moline and Springfield. A total of $3 million is earmarked in the 2007 state budget to fund up to 10 groups.

The goal is to change the definition of "high quality teachers" to include the idea of a community connection plus excellent content knowledge, said Anne Hallett, director of Grow Your Own Illinois.

"We're helping people who didn't have a chance to go to college to finish their education," she told the more than 120 conference attendees. "We won't be producing a set of teachers that are anything less than the highest quality."

The most powerful messages came from current "Grow Your Own" students who spoke of supporting each other through carpools and study groups in order to attain their dream of teaching in their neighborhood schools. After six years, some in the Nueva Generacion group are just two or three semesters away from that dream. Others, just starting in the program, know it may take time, but the goal of teaching in their own classroom is a strong motivation.

That motivation is also what led Illinois Senator Iris Martinez (D-20, Chicago) to sponsor the GYO legislation during her first term in office. "At the end of the day, the ones who will benefit will be our children," she said.

For more information on the GYO initiative, visit http://www.growyour ownteachers.org/.

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Recent court decisions now on IASB Web site

Check out IASB's Web site at http://www.iasb.com/courts/ for a newly updated summary of recent Illinois court decisions, including legal citations to the cases described. The list was compiled by Melinda Selbee, IASB General Counsel.

In the most recently added decision, a court denied a father's request to enjoin a school's policy that prohibited him, as a child sex offender, from attending his children's school activities.

To learn more about this and other cases, visit the IASB Web site at: http://www.iasb.com/courts/ .

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School Code, Law Survey books are available to school districts

New 2006 editions of both the Illinois School Code and Related Acts, compiled by Lexis Law Publishing Company for IASB, and Illinois School Law Survey, by Brian Braun, will soon be available from IASB. (Both have been delayed for several weeks by technical difficulties at the publishing houses.)

Both are expected to be shipped soon, and the School Code comes with a CD ROM version that is compatible with nearly all computers. Both are current for laws in force as of January 1, 2006.

The CD contains the full text of the School Code, and it features full annotation for each statute, including legislative history and judicial rulings.

Complete new editions of these works may be ordered from IASB Publications now at extension 1108.

Illinois School Law Survey is compiled and written by Attorney Brian A. Braun, an attorney with Miller, Tracy, Braun, Funk & Guenther, Ltd., and it is published in alternating years by IASB. The Survey is a popular layman's guide to school law that uses a question-and-answer format to address issues commonly encountered by board members and administrators.

Illinois School Law Survey presents more than 1,400 questions and answers in 27 chapters on such topics as student discipline, the educational program, education of the handicapped, teacher employment, collective bargaining, school elections, public meetings, budgeting, property taxes, and state aid. Answers are based on state and federal statutes, court decisions and government agency regulations and are current as of January 1, 2006.

It is available from IASB for $30 a copy ($25 for IASB member districts), plus $5 per order for shipping. See ordering information below.

Illinois School Code

The 2006 Illinois School Code and Related Acts is current through the 2005 legislative session. In addition to the School Code, this volume includes all or portions of two-dozen other statutes applicable to schools, ranging from the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act to the Truth in Taxation Act. The CD ROM edition it comes with carries full text of the code, with full annotations for each statute, including legislative history and judicial rulings. The CD also offers hypertext links to the text of court cases and agency rules. The CD can be used with any standard Web browser computer.

Copies of the School Code are $35 each ($30 for IASB member districts), plus $5 per order for shipping.

How to order

Both the Ninth Edition of the Illinois School Law Survey, and the 2006 Illinois School Code may be purchased from IASB in any of the following ways:

• Call 217/528-9688, ext. 1108
• Visit the IASB online bookstore to shop for it at: http://www.iasb. com/shop/
• FAX your order to TAMMY at 217/528-2831
• By mail: IASB Publications, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703.

Buyers will be asked to provide the following information:

• The title of the item(s) they want and the quantity.
• Their name, organization (if appropriate), mailing address, and daytime telephone.
• Shoppers may pay for their purchase by check or credit card or purchase order.

Member prices are available to IASB Member school districts (board members and employees), and to members of IASB Service Associates and Illinois Council of School Attorneys.

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School merger reform highlights legislative action
'Slow going' predicted for consolidation push

New school-related legislation adopted this spring covers a wide variety of topics, including a bill that aims to smooth the road for school mergers by removing some of the primary roadblocks and getting needy districts to talk about mergers again.

Whether the legislation, SB 2795 (Shadid, D-Peoria), which Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to sign into law, will produce quick action or more long-term results is unclear, school lobbyists and plan advocates agree.

"We don't know if all the questions have been answered yet," said Ben Schwarm, IASB associate executive director for governmental relations. "It's going to be slow going."

While the bill is designed to "add greater flexibility and efficiency to the reorganization process," it still requires that any reorganization will be approved by the voters, and that no reorganization will raise taxes without approval by voters in affected districts.

It would eliminate minimum EAV and population requirements for formation of unit districts and school district combinations. In addition, it would:

• eliminate size limits for school district conversions;
• authorize elementary districts within the same high school district to consolidate even if they are not contiguous;
• allow a unit district to be formed from a high school district and any elementary district that approves consolidation (may only be formed from dual territory with tax rates suggesting the newly formed district can be viable at unit district rates);
• allow a high school district to combine with a unit district as long as both districts approve and are physically contiguous;
• standardize requirements for resident signatures or board approval of petitions for all types of reorganizations;
• and standardize hearing requirements and review and approval by the Regional Office of Education for all types of reorganizations.

At the beginning of 2006, Illinois had 875 school districts, including 200 with just a single school, a far cry from the state's 12,000 one-room schoolhouse districts in 1940. There were over a thousand school districts even 20 years ago, but supporters of consolidation say there's a need for even more consolidations.

Advocates claim that combining small districts can usually cut administrative costs, offer enhanced schooling opportunities and provide an easier transition from middle school to high school.

But critics say mergers can also cause smaller communities to lose their identity and their voice in what and how their children are taught. They add that education research actually supports the retention of smaller schools, while distance learning technology can often fill in many of the opportunities once missing in small districts.

Of course recently adopted legislation awaiting the governor's action is not limited to the topic of school district mergers. Listed below are some of the other significant education bills approved by the General Assembly this year.

SB 49 (Schoenberg, D-Evanston), regarding pre-retirement salary boosts for educators, addresses unintended consequences of last year's SB 27 (Public Act 94-4) by specifically exempting some salary components from the 6 percent salary limitation, such as state-paid salary over which the school district has no discretion.

SB 585 (Cullerton, D-Chicago) amends the Open Meetings Act to redefine a "meeting" to include gatherings, whether in person or by telephone call, video or audio conference, electronic means (such as e-mail, chat, and instant messaging), or other means of contemporaneous interactive com- munication for the purpose of discussing public business. It stipulates that a quorum must be physically present at a board meeting and permits participation and voting by other members by audio and video conference.

HB 1463 (Flider, D-Mt. Zion) provides for the cancellation of the drivers' license or permit of any person under 18 certified to be a chronic or habitual truant.

HB 4310 (Kosel, R-New Lenox) originally contained language to require board members to receive training approved by the Regional Office of Education. As adopted it merely lists board duties and requires that newly elected board members take an oath of office.

The complete text of the bills listed above is available on the General Assembly's Web site at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/. Type the bill number in the box on the left side (for example, sb2191), then click on "full text."

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Districts can use new process for appealing AYP
Rule changes take effect for presenting rationale

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently announced a new appeals process school districts should follow regarding their AYP status. ISBE says that under the new process school districts may appeal their district or school status pertaining to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the federal NCLB Act directly to ISBE.

According to ISBE, districts must begin the appeals process by sending a letter from the district superintendent to the Illinois State Superintendent of Education, listing the issue and rationale for the district's appeal.

A school district must submit its appeal within 30 days after receiving notification of its status from ISBE, or by September 1, whichever is later. Timeframe restrictions apply to the immediate prior year (for example, notification in summer 2006 of school improvement testing would be based upon student assessment in spring 2006) but no year prior to that timeframe may be appealed.

Once an appeal is received, ISBE staff must permit the district to meet with them (either in person or over the telephone) to informally resolve the issues raised in the request. An informal review of the materials by ISBE staff will follow through an appeals facilitator to ensure that any technical errors are addressed. If issues still are unresolved, the appeal will be scheduled for a hearing before ISBE's Appeals Advisory Committee.

ISBE will give the district written notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing. This written notice must be provided at least 21 days before the hearing date, and the notice must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested. The school district may be represented by an attorney throughout the proceedings, and ISBE's General Counsel will represent the state. Both the district and ISBE will be afforded the opportunity to file written briefs before the hearing.

The school district must submit its written brief to the following address: Illinois State Board of Education, Office of the General Counsel, 100 North First Street, Springfield, Illinois 62777-0001.

ISBE must submit its brief to the district and provide both the district's and the State Board's briefs to each member of the committee. The district's brief will be due seven days after the district's receipt of the notice of opportunity for hearing. ISBE's brief is due 14 days after its receipt of the district's brief or, if no brief is filed by the district, 14 days after the notice of opportunity for hearing is sent. After briefs have been submitted, no party shall submit additional information to the committee unless so requested by the committee's chairperson. ISBE will provide a signed assurance to the committee that any calculations at issue were double-checked.

At the time its brief is filed, either the school district or ISBE may request an opportunity for oral argument before the committee. Each party will be given 30 minutes for argument, and the school district may reserve 10 of its 30 minutes for rebuttal. Committee members may ask questions during such argument. If neither party requests oral argument, the committee may request that the parties make an oral presentation on the date scheduled for the hearing.

Within 30 days after the hearing, the committee shall submit a written recommendation for action to the Illinois State Superintendent of Education and shall state the reasons for its recommendation. All recommendations shall be based on an objective evaluation of the district's claims and a review of ISBE's data and calculations. The committee may recommend that the State Superintendent affirm or reverse the decision of ISBE, in whole or in part. The State Superintendent shall thereafter make a recommendation for action to the Illinois State Board of Education, and the board shall make the final determination.

The state law on appeals is contained in the School Code at: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.25m. A Web link to the law may be found at: www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp .

Rules on this issue were recently filed and have been in effect since April. The full text of the rules related to AYP Appeals is available in Part 1, Subchapter a, Section 1.95 Appeals Procedure, online at http://www.isbe.net/rules/archive/pdfs/oneark.pdf.

For more information on the appeals process, contact ISBE's Appeals Facilitator, 100 North First Street, Springfield, IL 62777. Phone: 217/782-6510 or Fax: 217/782-3097. Or e-mail: glieberm@isbe.net .

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Feds consider enforcement options over tutoring shortfall

Many students eligible for tutoring assistance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 are not receiving it. Nationally, nearly 2 million students qualified for tutoring help in the 2005-06 school year. But only about 10 to 20 percent of that number actually received any tutoring, according to officials with the U.S. Department of Education, largely because many parents aren't aware of the help available under the law, but also because the law lacks any strong enforcement provisions.

The tutoring numbers are particularly low in urban areas. The Los Angeles Unified School District reports that about 132,000 students were eligible for after-school services this past school year, yet only 20,000 received it. In Broward County, Fla., nearly 30,000 public school students were eligible for tutoring, but only about 250 received it.

NCLB asks districts that don't make adequate yearly progress on standardized tests to spend a fifth of their Title 1 federal poverty grant money on Supplemental Educational Services (SES)—the law's term for tutoring services. But many districts are not spending that much.

As a result, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings informed state education officials in a May 15 letter that "we are prepared to take significant enforcement action," including levying financial penalties, against states for continued noncompliance. That action could include requiring extra program conditions or added paperwork, entering binding contracts with schools or even withholding federal money.

Some local school administrators have wrestled with restrictive provisions of the federal law for over a year. Susan Smith, Mattoon school district curriculum director, still has some concerns about NCLB's tutoring provisions.

"If a school district doesn't meet Adequate Yearly Progress by the third year, the district has to offer supplemental educational services," Smith said. "What would be beneficial is if we could get those dollars before school districts don't meet AYP and then we could be proactive and use our own staff [to provide tutoring]. We would already have a program in place."

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NEWS HEADLINES

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Barry (June 2, Quincy Herald-Whig) The Barry and Payson school boards plan to hear more from the public about future reorganization options through non-binding advisory votes in each district. Voters will be asked whether they favor consolidation with neighboring West Pike.

Batavia (May 24, The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights) The high school board voted on May 23 to shorten the suspensions for students who violate their school's code of conduct. Students who drink alcohol or use tobacco or drugs will see some other changes, as well, such as the removal of the appeals process.

Carpentersville (May 23, Elgin Courier News) The board learned the state will increase the district's foundation level by roughly $170 per student for the 2006-07 school year, garnering about $34.4 million in new state aid for the district.

Chicago (May 15, Chicago Tribune) A group of about 20 parents and community leaders protested the cancellation of a court hearing on Chicago's 26-year-old desegregation lawsuit. A federal judge had canceled the hearing after the schools and federal officials came to a tentative agreement to release the system from court oversight on desegregation and equity matters by the 2007-08 school year.

East Peoria (May 17, The Journal Star, Peoria) The school board of East Peoria Community High School District 309 voted on May 15 to approve a new policy to institute random drug tests for all students involved in extracurricular activities.

Elgin (May 14, Chicago Tribune) Three families who say their children were treated unfairly joined an ongoing federal discrimination lawsuit brought by several other families alleging race discrimination by the local public schools.

Elgin (June 7, Elgin Courier News) Elgin Area District U-46 is looking at drafting district-wide standards for promoting students to the next grade, school board members told administrators on June 5.

Evergreen Park (May 25, Chicago Tribune) After long discussion with village officials, the District 231 school board unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement for shared use of the Evergreen Park High School pool and the village's sports fields.

Galesburg (May 19, The Register-Mail, Galesburg) High school administrators recently established tough new rules designed to prevent unruly behavior that might detract from the school's graduation ceremony.

Hume (May 17, Beacon News, Paris) The Shiloh CUSD 1 board recently began weighing the possibility of installing a commercial-size corn burning unit for use in one school building's heating system. Burning corn might allow the district to cut the school building's natural gas consumption in half, resulting in a significant cost savings.

Machesney Park (May 12, Rockford Register Star) As a result of an apparent computer glitch, the Harlem school district may have to return at least $454,000 in state and federal grant monies spent in error during the 2003-04 school year. Administrators informed board members about the problem during the board's May 11 meeting.

Mt. Prospect (June 07, The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights) River Trails Elementary District 26 board members recently ratified a four-year contract between the district and its teachers and support personnel. The board voted 6-1 to approve the contract after discussing the matter in closed session for about an hour.

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ILLINOIS DISTRICTS

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Blog safety urged by state's attorney in Will County

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow is asking school districts to help get the word out about the dangers students face when they post too much personal information or questionable photos on social-networking Web sites (for more information about such sites see "Disciplining students for disruptive 'blog' postings," in the May Newsbulletin).

In a letter, Glasgow told school officials his office's prosecutors are finding a growing number of local teens posting suggestive photos of themselves online, along with information that could conceivably be used by sexual predators to track them down.

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Libertyville district limits student blogs, enacts pledge

At its May 22 meeting a Lake County school board adopted rules designed to hold students accountable for what they post on Internet blogs and social-interaction Web sites.

The unanimous vote in CHSD 128, Libertyville, means that all students participating in extracurricular activities next year will have to sign a pledge agreeing that evidence of "illegal or inappropriate" behavior posted on the Internet could be grounds for disciplinary action.

District 128 — which includes Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools — has about 3,200 students, about 80 percent of whom participate in extracurricular activities, according to school officials.

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District saves money by fighting tax appeals via coalition

In the past two years, Frankfort District 157-C has saved $75,000 through a coalition organized by school administrators to challenge questionable commercial property tax appeals, according to district superintendent Robert Madonia.

Madonia describes the process of operating the Frankfort Area Property Tax Appeal Coalition in the May-June edition of The Illinois School Board Journal, and discusses some of the concerns it is intended to address. The article notes, for example, that in some cases business owners automatically file tax appeals every year whether or not there's any justification.

"This process is part of good fiscal stewardship," he suggests.

For more information, read "Taxing bodies unite to preserve funding" on pages 12 and 13 of the May-June Journal, which is available online at: http://www.iasb.com/files/j050606_05.htm .

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NEWS FROM IASB

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IASB seeks nominations for next officers

The Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for the offices of president and vice president.

The following criteria will be used by the committee in considering nominees:

• leadership experience and general participation in IASB activities
• leadership experience on the local school board
• involvement with other education-related associations or organizations
• other leadership experiences
• special talent or interests of benefit to IASB as now constituted

Nominating forms are due to be submitted by early August, and candidates will be interviewed that same month. A slate of candidates will be presented to the Delegate Assembly meeting in Chicago.

To request necessary forms, interested candidates should write: IASB, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, IL 62703 or phone 217/ 528--9688, ext. 1102.

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Policy department offers reference tools on audits

IASB Policy Services has developed two reference tools to assist superintendents and other administrators as they prepare for ISBE audits. These items are designed to help with two kinds of ISBE audits:

Accountability – IASB offers a cross-reference chart that refers to the Policy Reference Manual.

External Assurance – IASB also offers a cross-reference tool for use with the NCLB Monitoring Instrument. It, too, refers to various sample policies and administrative procedures in the manual.

The charts are available on il.schoolboard.net to members of all groups under the News page heading (il.schoolboard.net).

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NEWS FROM ISBE

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Council on preschooling offers early learning study

The Illinois Early Learning Council recently released a report called "Preschool for All," which outlines recommendations that served as the blueprint for a recent proposal by the governor. Preschool expansion legislation also passed the Illinois General Assembly this spring.

As a result, Illinois became one of the first states in the nation to make all 3- and 4-year-olds eligible for state-funded preschool. The FY07 budget includes a $45 million increase to reach 10,000 additional children, with continued expansion planned.

The report is available for download at the Illinois Early Learning Council's Web site, and was scheduled to be printed in June. To view the report, go to: http://www.illinois.gov/gov/elc/reports/Preschool-for-All_051006.pdf

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Web site offers career path information for teachers

The Illinois State Board of Education has unveiled a new Web site aimed at helping those who want to pursue careers as teachers.

Prospective teachers as well as current teachers can benefit from www.TeachIllinois.org

The site is organized so that students who are looking for information about teaching in today's classrooms, out-of-state applicants who want to teach in Illinois, and current teachers can get to the information they need with only a few mouse clicks.

For those who are not yet teachers, most of the information that might be sought is concentrated under "Preparing to Become an Educator," "Resources," and "Today's Classroom." That last link lets the prospective teacher listen to and watch students and teachers describing classroom settings and teaching in their own words.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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July 4 – Independence Day

July 9-12 – National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Annual Seminar, Marriott Downtown, Chicago

August 25-26 – IASB Board of Directors' Retreat, Pheasant Run, St. Charles

September 4 – Labor Day

September 7-8 – ISBE Annual Superintendents Conference, Springfield Hilton

September 12 – Wabash Valley Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Robinson CUSD 2, 6:30-9 p.m.

September 20 – Professional Advancement Seminar: Seeking the Superintendency, Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center, Springfield, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

September 20-21 – ISBE Board Meeting, Chicago

September 21 – Professional Advancement Seminar: Seeking the Superintendency, Aramark, Downers Grove, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

September 23 – Rosh Hashanah

September 26 – Illini Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Villa Grove CUSD 302, 6:30-9 p.m.

September 28 – Southwestern Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Alton CUSD 11, 5:30 p.m.

For more information about coming events, see the IASB Web site at www.iasb.com/calendar/

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE -- This document is copyrighted © by the Illinois Association of School Boards. IASB hereby grants to school districts and other Internet users the right to download, print and reproduce this document provided that (a) the Illinois Association of School Boards is prominently noted as publisher and copyright holder of the document and (b) any reproductions of this document are disseminated without charge and not used for any commercial purpose.

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