This publication is also available as a PDF file
Joint Annual Conference registration and housing now available online
Registration to the 2014 Joint Annual Conference began on June 9. That’s when all instructions and forms for registration and housing were posted on IASB’s website.
The forms may be filled in online, but the appropriate number of copies of each must be printed and mailed to IASB.
Conference planners recommend that school districts mail in registrations, room reservation forms and appropriate fees as soon as possible because demand for housing is always high and the allotted number of rooms at special conference rates goes fast.
Participating hotels this year, and their room rates, are:
• Hyatt Regency Chicago (headquarters), $183
• Sheraton Chicago (headquarters), $183
• Embassy Suites, $193
• Fairmont Chicago Millenium Park, $175
• Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, $174
• Marriott Chicago Downtown, $174
• Swissotel, $176
• Westin Chicago River North, $175
Conference registration fee is $405 per person (family members are complimentary).
There is also a $200 nonrefundable deposit for each guestroom. (One must already be a paid registered attendee to obtain conference housing.)
All the necessary forms and instructions are available on the IASB website, at: https://www.iasb.com/jac14/. The forms online there include school district registration and housing forms and instructions, as well as affiliate registration and housing forms and instructions.
For more information, call 217/528-9688, ext. 1115, or 1140, and speak directly with a IASB Meetings Management staff person.
The theme for the 2014 Joint Annual Conference is “Make the Connection.”
2014-2015 Illinois School Code Service now available with print and CD versions
The 2014-2015 Illinois School Code Service is now available from IASB. The newest edition is offered in a package that includes both the 2014 Illinois School Code and next year’s 2015 School Code Supplement.
Each copy of the Code and Supplement come with a CD version that carries the full text of the Code , plus annotations with case law and other references, all State Board of Education rules, and the text of court cases cited in the annotations. The CD is equipped with the Folio Views search engine for easy searching, saving and printing on any personal computer equipped with Microsoft Windows.
Current through all of the 2013 legislative session (including December), the 2014 Code also carries a large number of additional statutes pertinent to the public schools. It includes the following statutes: Illinois School Code and Related Acts, Professional Services Selection Act, Emancipation of Mature Minors Act, Truth in Taxation Act, Local Records Act, Prevailing Wage Act, School Visitation Rights Act, Employees Tort Immunity Act, and the Prompt Payment Act.
The Code also includes pertinent election laws, pension laws, and selected sections from many more laws.
A complex index is also included to make finding the current law on school-related matters easier.
The 2014 Illinois School Code and CD will be shipped upon receipt of order, while the 2015 School Code Supplement and CD will be automatically shipped in May 2015. The two are combined to eliminate the need for ordering the Supplement, thus saving districts time in receiving the Supplement and saving IASB the extra cost of handling a separate order.
The regular price for the 2014-2015 Illinois School Code Service is $65 each, while the price for IASB member districts is $55, plus $7 per order for shipping within the continental U.S.
Note: IASB has discontinued free distribution of one free copy to member districts. In order to keep the price as low as possible, and to maintain the flat fee for shipping and carton sale discounts, additional sales were needed. The price of the 2014-15 Illinois School Code Service is $5 less than the previous edition.
Districts must plan to work with school board election law changes
Recent changes in state election law significantly changed school election procedures. The school board secretary’s election responsibilities were greatly reduced and other changes left the school board president with no election responsibilities.
Before statutory changes took effect in 2013, school board members served as an electoral board that heard objections to nominating petitions of board candidates and voter petitions. But board candidate nominating petitions now must be filed, instead, with county clerk or the board of election commissioners of the county and objections are to be heard by the county officers electoral board.
The board secretary still has certain tasks and duties to perform as a local election official, including the task of publishing the legal notice of the time and location for the filing of nominating papers with the county clerk or the board of election commissions of the county. Although this task is optional, it would no doubt be helpful to candidates in the wake of the 2013 changes in the law that shifted the lawful responsibility for receiving such nominating paper filings away from board secretaries.
The remaining election duties of the board secretary as required by law are: 1) to receive all voter petition filings and school board resolutions that call for placing propositions on the ballot at a regular election; and 2) to certify public policy questions to the election authority for any referendum to appear on the ballot, including the wording of the school board resolutions or voter petitions that establish such ballot propositions.
IASB has prepared a new document on the 2015 school election procedures. Answers to frequently asked questions about the changes to election procedures, as prepared by Melinda Selbee, IASB General Counsel, and Alan Mullins, Scariano, Himes & Petrarca, Chtd., can be found online at: https://www.iasb.com/elections/ElectionFAQ2014.pdf.
Referenda resolution deadline
August 15 is the last day for school boards to adopt referenda resolutions for 2014.
The next election for which school boards can place tax and bond referenda on the ballot is the Nov. 4 general election.
Aug. 15 is the last day for a school board to adopt a resolution putting such public policy questions on that ballot (10 ILCS 5/28-2).
Likewise, Aug. 28 is the last day for the board secretary to certify public policy questions to the election authority for referendum at that Nov. 4 election (10 ILCS 5/28-5).
After the election, Nov. 25 is the last day for the appropriate canvassing board to canvass results of referenda submitted to the voters at the Nov. 4 election (10 ILCS 5/22-17).
A list of remaining dates and deadlines for the November election is available online at: https://www.iasb.com/pdf/cal_1314.pdf .
Proposed school funding formula changes mapped out by state leaders, then shelved
In the first week of May, the state provided lawmakers with a model of what the proposed funding reform changes contained in Senate Bill 16 would mean to local school districts. SB16, legislation sponsored by state Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), proposes a system where most state funding for schools is means tested and distributed based upon local ability to pay, thereby increasing equity.
Under the bill, shelved for now, resources would be prioritized through a weighted formula based on student need and provide greater transparency on how funds are spent at the school level.
The bill contains a multi-year phase in period (Year One 15 percent, Year Two 40 percent, Year Three 70 percent and Year Four 100 percent). The legislation is the result of a study conducted by a bipartisan special Senate committee led by Manar.
To date neither Gov. Pat Quinn nor House Speaker Michael Madigan has paid much public attention to school funding reform.
“Anytime you make significant changes to the formula without additional new funding, some districts will gain and some will lose,” according to state superintendent Chris Koch. “SB16 does not address adequacy. However, it could be a significant part of the puzzle to correct imperfections in our current formula that have been exposed during the recession,” Koch said.
The Illinois State Board of Education’s model predicting the potential General State Aid impact on local districts of SB 16 is available online at http://www.isbe.net/EFAC/default.htm .
“We have presented the data in several ways and are still working on additional modeling, including spreadsheets to provide data points for each district to aid you and your constituents in understanding our simulation,” Koch stated in his May 12 newsletter to school district superintendents.
To get answers to specific questions about the data, send an email to sb16info@isbe.net .
Technology revolving loans now available for grades 9 to 12 at 2%
High school district administrators are reminded by the state that FY 2015 School Technology Revolving Loan Program (STRLP) application materials are now available. These have been posted to ISBE’s webpage at http://www.isbe.net/ed-technology/html/revolving_loan.htm .
This year the loan will be offered for school districts serving grades 9-12. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 1. The loans will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis, state officials have said.
The School Technology Revolving Loan Program (STRLP) is a three-year loan with a 2 percent interest rate. The amount for which each school district is eligible to apply is listed on the website.
New school ag studies programs sprouting up
Amid dwindling farm totals, STEM trend and job growth aid boom
High school agriculture studies programs have been sprouting up in more places recently, both in Illinois and around the country, even as the number of farms has dwindled and school budgets have tightened.
Over the past three years, Illinois schools have added 10 such programs, bringing the statewide total to 315 high school ag programs, and 73 middle school programs.
The growth appears to result from the fact that ag program curriculums are rich in science and math and are stepping stones for college-bound students looking for careers in growth areas of the state’s economy.
Tens of thousands of jobs open up each year in the field of agriculture, and roughly half of those jobs are filled by college grads with degrees in agricultural studies, according to a May 3 news report by the Associated Press.
New jobs are opening up in everything from urban forestry to renewable natural resources and genetic engineering of crops, the Associated Press reported.
“There’s a shortage of workers in a number of [ ag] careers, and the number of those jobs is staggering,” confirms Harley Hepner, the Illinois State Board of Education’s chief consultant for agriculture education. “Schools that understand we can get students in the ag program know they’re going to be taxpaying citizens with good-paying jobs.”
Meanwhile the ag curriculum is considered a model for studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Classes typically include animal science, plant and soil science, advanced animal and plant science, natural resources, and so forth. Many such courses today earn students valuable high school credits.
Illinois high school and middle school programs reached 29,202 students in agricultural education courses last year, according to the National Association of Agricultural Education (http://www.naae.org/advocacy/profiles/state/illinois.pdf).
The organization also notes that agriculture is the largest industry in Illinois, employing 25 percent of the state’s workforce. Officials say there are more than 300 agricultural related careers in Illinois, and marketing the state’s agricultural commodities generates more than $9 billion annually, while the agribusiness industry contributes over $13.5 billion to the state’s economy, according to the NAAE.
As mentioned, agricultural education student enrollment in Illinois continues to trend upward. It has more than doubled over the past 25 years, the numbers rising as shown in the following chart.
Typical of this growth is the High School FFA chapter at Pecatonica CUSD 321, which has grown from enrolling about 20 students 10 years ago to a total of 54 this year. The school’s ag studies program today has nearly 150 students.
“Very few of my students come from a farm anymore, and even fewer are ever going to be on a farm,” notes Brenden Schultz, a Pecatonica High School ag teacher. Schultz’s comments were reported in the Rockford Register Star on May 9 in a story titled “Interest sprouting in Pecatonica agriculture education programs.”
“But something like engineering seed corn or designing the components for tractors and combines, those areas are ever-growing. Some of my students don’t know it yet, but I see them going into those kind of technical or science-based agricultural careers. They have the skills and the interest,” Schultz was quoted as saying.
He told the newspaper he recently added a class in biological and physical science applications in agriculture to his schedule. The class is heavy on technology and applied sciences — everything from aerodynamics and fuel efficiency to hydraulics and pneumatics.
Other classes Schultz teaches are horticulture, which reportedly appeals to an increasing number of students interested in plant, landscaping and greenhouse management, animal sciences and anything that deals with technology.
Anyone interested in ag studies programs can find a wealth of resources, including grant information and application forms, on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website at http://www.isbe.net/career/html/cte_ag_ed.htm .
The state agency has added a new matrix on that web page to provide a quick glance at the appropriate sequence of courses for such programs. The ISBE matrix, online at http://www.isbe.net/career/pdf/ag-ed-matrix.pdf, is only a guide to aid in the development of approved Agriculture Education programs. Thus, not all approved courses are listed. Additional questions can be directed to ISBE’s chief ag consultant Harley Hepner at hhepner@isbe.net .
IASB hosts new workshop on community engagement
IASB hosted its first community engagement workshop on Saturday, Apr. 26 for a group of 18 LeaderShop Academy Fellows. Attendees were invited to the Association’s Springfield headquarters for the training program that developed out of IASB’s community engagement report, “Connecting with the Community: the Purpose and Process of Community Engagement as Part of Effective School Board Governance.”
Academy Fellows were chosen as the inaugural audience because of their commitment to utilizing IASB training opportunities. To earn Fellow status, board members must complete a total of seven core and five elective workshops, making these individuals an ideal audience to gather feedback on the newly created workshop.
Angie Peifer, IASB board development consultant and chief architect of the workshop, facilitated the program with Reatha Owen, IASB field services director.
Peifer said the training opportunity expands on IASB’s recently created community engagement resources by demonstrating the correct techniques needed to foster proper community engagement.
“The intent of the workshop is to help board members think about the importance of an ongoing, two-way conversation with their communities,” Peifer reiterated.
Throughout the workshop board members were challenged to think differently about ways to effectively engage their community. Attendees participated in a variety of group activities to familiarize themselves with the necessary steps to prepare an effective community engagement campaign.
IASB defines community engagement as “the process by which school boards actively involve diverse citizens in dialogue, deliberation and collaborative thinking around common concerns.”
It was often repeated that purposeful community engagement must be an “ongoing, two-way conversation.” Whereas most boards do a very good job of advocating progress and success, listening was cited by members as the bigger challenge.
“Community engagement is not just to inform the community about district progress and events, but to hear from the community about their values, concerns and aspirations for public education,” Peifer continued.
During the workshop, facilitators stressed five key principles that boards of education need to keep in mind as they begin their conversation with community:
• Pursue civic engagement, not public input.
• Engage people as citizen owners, not customers.
• Discover the voices, not simply demographics.
• Seek synergy, not consensus.
• Educate, not merely inform.
In addition to the five principles, workshop attendees were encouraged to clearly communicate and articulate the purpose to the community. IASB has adapted a “public participation spectrum” created by the International Association for Public Participation to help with this step.
Audience members were informed that when looking at the chart, as they move rightward from “inform” toward “collaborate” their board should seek more community participation. To demonstrate how boards should choose their purpose and promise to the public, each table group was presented with two case studies representing factual data from districts in Illinois (district names were changed to conceal their identity). Each group then chose one case study that would be used for a couple of exercises identifying crucial steps of community engagement.
As each group worked collaboratively they were asked to determine their general purpose, objective and promise to the public. They were then asked to use the information from the case study to decide who should be the “voices” involved and develop a recruitment plan to engage those participants. The final group activity was to identify resources and decide what information needs to be shared with possible facilitators before determining who will assist the school board with the community engagement process.
Towards the end of the training session attendees were asked why they felt community engagement is important and what benefits their district may realize from effectively engaging the community. Workshop participants listed numerous possible advantages: fewer rumors; better understanding of all opinions; increased transparency, accountability and public involvement; a more informed citizenry; additional people sharing their vision for public education; new dialogue and trust between the board and residents; a better understanding of both sides’ values and concerns; and proactive leadership.
Participant Rob Rodewald, board president of Bourbonnais SD 53, indicated his board was going to use the techniques explained during the workshop. “We have wrestled for a long time with community involvement and how to roll it out for our district,” said Rodewald. “Myself and one of my colleagues have already been talking about what we can do to begin to use this training in our district.”
The full IASB community engagement report and an executive summary can be found at https://www.iasb.com/training/connecting.cfm.
Future training opportunities on community engagement will be available at the 2014 Joint Annual Conference and later at in-district workshops, tentatively scheduled to begin in December.
BuyBoard program offers purchasing cooperative
A national purchasing cooperative known as BuyBoard is IASB’s latest sponsored program, and is designed to save participating school districts time and money when purchasing products they use every day.
Through collaboration between the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and several state school boards associations, most Illinois school districts will now be able to use BuyBoard.
The program was developed to comply with state laws that require government entities to make purchases from an approved list of vendors who have gone through a competitive procurement process. The aim of the program is to give districts the advantage of leveraging a cooperative’s ability to obtain bulk discounts and combine that with the ease of online, web-based shopping and ordering.
It can be used to purchase anything from pencils to laptop computers, and everything in between, from a list of participating vendors. Besides schools, the program is also used by municipalities, county governments, community colleges and other organizations around the state and nation.
Membership in the cooperative is free, but it does require the local board to either share its board meeting minutes or adopt a resolution in order to document its decision to join the Cooperative. Participating districts must also sign an Interlocal Participation Agreement.
Users are given a member log-in that allows them to shop using one of the following three options:
1. Search – enter a search term and select from: All (default) , which returns all descriptions and pricing sheets containing the search term; Vendor Discounts Only, which displays the percentage discounts offered by vendors off their published catalog or list price; or Catalog Pricing Only, which displays a specific vendor’s catalog and unit pricing available through the BuyBoard. The search will return any portion of the term found in the vendor name, a short item description, full description, part number, brand or pricing sheet (PDF documents provided by the vendor and containing catalog or price pages).
2. Vendor Search – this enables users to select and view a specific vendor’s percentage discount catalog pricing. Users can enter a search term to look up items by keyword.
3. Browse Vendor Discounts – this displays the entire list of commodities with associated contract categories. Users can simply select the contract category to display the percentage discount offered by the vendors from their published catalog or list price.
Participants may request additional discounted pricing or get a written quote from one or more vendors. Program organizers say this is a good choice if a potential buyer plans to purchase large quantities of items or several expensive items. Pricing sent through the RFQ feature is confidential and vendors will have no knowledge of other vendors’ price quotes, the organizers add.
“This kind of program saves money for schools by pooling school district purchasing power to get better deals on purchases that all schools and districts make,” explained IASB Executive Director Roger Eddy. A survey conducted by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing found that 86 percent of cooperative members save at least 10 percent on their cooperative purchases, Eddy added.
NSBA officials said they highly encourage the participation of local school vendors. In fact, by participating, local vendors to schools will have greater business opportunities with a wider variety of local governments. Vendors can register with the Cooperative at http://www.vendor.buyboard.com to receive notice of future proposal announcements.
Illinois, like many states, has competitive bidding law that is mandatory for school districts. “Before making a purchase in excess of $25,000 or a lower amount as required by board policy, districts must contact their own attorney to determine if there is an applicable exception to the competitive bidding requirement,” said Melinda Selbee, IASB’s General Counsel.
More information about how the BuyBoard program works, including instructional videos and a Power Point presentation, is available on the NSBA website at: https://www.nsba.org/services/state-association-services/service-partnerships/buyboard-national-purchasing-cooperative .
Organizers are encouraging interested IASB member district leaders to take a test drive by visiting the BuyBoard website and the following information: user ID: nsbademo, and password: Demo4you.
To learn more, visit: https://www.nsba.org/services/state-association-services/service-partnerships/buyboard/become-member#sthash.lfZ20m4p.dpuf .
Topics set on six full-day, three half-day, preconference workshops
The 2014 Joint Annual Conference will offer board members the choice of six full-day and three half-day workshops. Registration is now open for these optional professional development opportunities, to be held on Friday, Nov. 21.
The pre-conference workshops will be held at the Chicago Sheraton Hotel and are open to those who have already registered for conference.
The six full-day workshops include:
• The Basics of Governance
• Connecting with the Community: The Board’s Role and Work in Community Engagement
• Making Meetings Matter
• Leading Leaders: The Job of the Board President
• Introduction to Collective Bargaining for School Board Members & Administrators
• Professional Development Leadership Trainings (PDLT) and Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) Training for School Board Members (this session will meet the state’s mandated training requirement for those board members still needing it.)
The three half-day workshops include:
• The Board and its Superintendent: Developing and Maintaining an Effective Relationship (P.M. only)
• Media Interest or Media Circus: How school board members can manage their message in a big, new media world (A.M. only)
• The Trust Edge (two sessions; A.M. and P.M.)
The cost is $230 for full-day, and $145 for half-day, workshops. This fee includes all materials, a continental breakfast, luncheon and breaks. The half-day morning workshop includes breakfast; the half-day afternoon workshop includes lunch. Participants may register for two half-day workshops for a total of $230, which includes both breakfast and lunch.
All nine workshops qualify participants for School Board LeaderShop credit, with some listed as “core” courses and others as “elective” courses.
Core courses include:
“Basics of Governance” will focus participants on board and board member roles and responsibilities and what effective school district governance looks like. Participants will also have an opportunity to try out some tools and procedures that make a school board effective and to sharpen their own decision-making skills…plus a great deal more.
Topics will include:
• the role and work of the school board and how to distinguish it from the role and work of the superintendent and staff
• the school board’s relationship to the community
• how each member relates to the full board
• some practical tips as well as pitfalls to avoid
“Connecting with the Community: The Board’s Role and Work in Community Engagement” will explore what it means when IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance state that: “TheSchool Board engages in an ongoing two-way conversation with the entire community.”What isthe board’s role in this work and how does the board begin? Why should a board want to engage its community?
Participants in this newest IASB core workshop will:
• understand what community engagement is and how it differs from public relations
• understand the key principles of effective community engagement
• understand and practice how to fulfill the board’s role in community engagement efforts
• consider why effective community engagement is essential to public education
“Making Meetings Matter” will cover the effectiveness of board meetings, asking attendees if they are satisfied with the length of board meetings and whether meeting agendas align with district’s goals/priorities. This interactive workshop will challenge participants to evaluate their meetings. Participants will learn how to become better at conducting and managing school board meetings.
“The Board and its Superintendent: Developing and Maintaining an Effective Relationship ”(half-day P.M. session) will cover how an effective school board works to develop and maintain a productive relationship with the superintendent – in a relationship consisting of mutual respect and a clear understanding of respective roles and expectations. Those who attend this workshop to learn how to engage in a deliberate process that benefits the board, superintendent and district.
Participants will:
• review the characteristics of a high quality relationship
• learn a framework for identifying relationship issues
• consider steps to develop a more productive relationship
• analyze a case study to apply their new knowledge
“Professional Development Leadership Training (PDLT) and Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) Training for School Board Members” willfeature selected members of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. They will lead training that satisfies the requirements for mandatory board member training per Public Act 097-0008 and includes instruction in education and labor law, financial oversight and accountability and fiduciary responsibilities. This panel also will fulfill the requirement for PERA training for school board members. (Every school board member elected or re-elected in 2013 MUST complete this training within one year of taking the oath of office.)
Elective courses include
“Leading Leaders: The Job of the Board President” will explore the school board president’s challenging responsibilities and duties.
Topics will include:
• relationships with the rest of the board and the superintendent
• legal responsibilities
• keys to effective meetings
• parliamentary procedure
• managing board conflict
• communications
• teamwork
“Introduction to Collective Bargaining for School Board Members and Administrators” will cover what every school board member needs to know about collective bargaining – and every administrator, too:
• what the law requires of school boards and employee unions
• steps involved in bargaining labor contracts
• alternative processes
• politics and psychology of school bargaining
• roles and responsibilities of boards and administrators
• how to handle labor disputes
• how to keep labor relations problems from destroying human relationships
“Media Interest or Media Circus: How school board members can manage their message in a big, new media world” (half-day A.M. session), featuring media relations consultant Eric Robinson, vice president of Frontline Public Strategies, a public relations and marketing concern. Robinson served as press secretary for Governor Jim Edgar and has served as a senior media advisor to state and federal elected officials. He will explain what motivates the media, how to take appropriate action in a media crisis and how to communicate clearly and effectively to your stakeholders in today’s new media world.
“The Trust Edge” (A.M. and P.M. sessions),will featurepresenterDavid Horsager, business strategist, college professor, keynote speaker and author of the national bestseller THE TRUST EDGE: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom line. This session will focus on why the unique common denominator of the greatest leaders and organizations is trust. It is a bottom-line issue that has the ability to accelerate or destroy any relationship, business, or industry. The lower the trust, the more time everything takes, the more everything costs, and the lower the loyalty of everyone involved. However, greater trust brings superior innovation, creativity, morale, and productivity. Everything of value is built on trust from financial systems to relationships.
Workshop participants will be awarded 10 Master Board Member points for a full-day workshop or 5 points for a half-day workshop in addition to the 30 points earned for Conference attendance.
How to register for Friday workshops
Workshop space can be held with advance payment by check, purchase order or credit card. Advance registrations will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, so long as space is available. Advance registration can be mailed or faxed to:
IASB Registrar
2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929
FAX 217/528-2831
Registration and payment can also be done online by visiting the conference registration website: https://www.iasb.com/jac14 . Confirmation will be mailed in early November to registrants at the addresses listed in IASB’s database. For questions about the workshops, contact Judy Williams, ext. 1103, or Michelle Uher, ext. 1144.
Note: Workshop participants may require a Thursday-night arrival and are being encouraged by event planners to consider this when completing housing forms.
30 panels chosen for ‘Share the Success’ presentations
Thirty panels were chosen from nearly 100 proposals submitted by school districts and related organizations for “Share the Success” presentations at the 2014 Joint Annual Conference. (See the accompanying list of panels chosen to be presented at the 2014 conference.)
The winners have been invited by mail to present their proposed 90-minute panel sessions at the IASB/IASA/IASBO conference, to be held Nov. 21-23 in Chicago.
Panel proposals were evaluated in March by a committee of association members on key points, including: 1) interest or relevance for today’s leaders; 2) clarity and conciseness of the proposed presentation; 3) clarity of the objectives and whether they are realistic to present in a 90-minute session; 4) evidence regarding whether the presentation will address the appropriate school board role on the chosen topic; and 5) evidence of creativity and an innovative approach to the issue or topic.
Those who submitted proposals not selected for presentations in the 90-minute panel sessions may still be offered an opportunity to present on their chosen topic during the conference. IASB will again be featuring many such sessions in a Carousel of Panels event on the afternoon of Nov. 22. The Carousel allows presenters a chance to make three, one-half-hour presentations on their topic in less than two hours, enabling attendees to gather a wide variety of information in a short time.
“This year’s Share the Success proposals are as good as we have ever seen,” said Nesa Brauer, an IASB consultant who worked with a Springfield panel of volunteers that helped to choose panel presentations from among the many proposals submitted by member districts.
A full description of all Conference panels and programs will be included in the Conference Preview, to be posted online by the middle of September.
School design award entries invited for IASB’s juried yearly competition
As mentioned in the May Newsbulletin, award entries are being sought now for the 2014 Exhibit of Educational Environments as part of the 2014 Joint Annual Conference.
The juried competition is open to firms engaged in any aspect of designing public school facilities. The facilities must have been completed in time for occupancy with the start of school in the fall of 2014.
Entries are due in IASB offices by July 19, and must be made by or with the written permission of the author/owner of the project design documents. Each entrant is limited to no more than two project entries per year, and no project may be entered more than once. There is a $300 fee for each entry, and a maximum of two entries.
Organizers say preliminary materials should be submitted by Sep. 15 to be evaluated Sep.18. Judging will be done in Springfield on a blind basis by an experienced jury of three board members or administrators and three architects appointed by IASB.
Sponsored by IASB Service Associates, the annual awards program is intended to encourage top design professional competition through peer recognition. Service Associates is a special arm of the Association comprising private firms that have demonstrated an exemplary record of providing quality products and services to schools.
Entry flyers were mailed in May to superintendents, school architects, regional superintendents and IASB service associates. Contact IASB’s Dana Heckrodt, ext. 1131, or email dheckrodt@iasb.com .
Directors eye FY14 budget, governing policies, performance, table visioning work
The board of directors for IASB met May 2-3 at the Association headquarters in Springfield for their quarterly meeting. They reviewed changes to and approved several governing policies, executive director operational expectations policies. Board members also conducted a board self-evaluation and tabled work on a new Association mission and vision statement.
The board also received an update on the FY 2014 budget and approved the FY 2015 budget, with expenses of $10.2 million.
Reports were heard on a variety of subjects, including executive searches, a survey on division meeting attendance, district membership updates, two new sponsored programs, Vision 20/20, the 2014 Joint Annual Conference, the 2014 NSBA Conference, IHSA, as well as new state education laws and proposed legislation.
They also heard from IASB President Karen Fisher, Executive Director Roger Eddy, and received advance copies of the Association’s commemorative centennial book.
Applications due for governance recognition awards
The deadline is fast approaching for school boards to file their application for consideration in IASB’s School Board Governance Recognition program.
The awards program acknowledges boards of education that learn and practice effective governance behaviors as identified in IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance, through participation in and support for board development programs and events.
The primary focus of this program is on full board development and participation rather than individual board member efforts.
“Effective school boards understand that excellence in local school board governance requires full board commitment to obtaining the knowledge, skills and abilities critical to good governance,” said Dean Langdon, IASB’s associate executive director, board development and TAG.
It is that commitment that provides the opportunity for the board to practice and model continuous improvement and life-long learning for the staff, students and community, according Langdon. In return, the board becomes better prepared to make a difference, to provide leadership for district improvement and to leave a lasting legacy for the district, the community and, most importantly, its students, he added.
Applications are available on IASB’s Members-Only website at https://members.iasb.com/login.cfm under the “IASB involvement” tab. To help facilitate what boards need to do to complete the application, a checklist is available for download now at https://www.iasb.com/training/governancechecklist.pdf . Additional information and details can also be found in an online tutorial video, available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5za076po3D8&feature= youtu.be .
Applications are due by Aug. 1. Boards that meet the requirements will be awarded at fall division meetings and acknowledged in the IASB Information Room at the Joint Annual Conference in November. Boards may apply every two years.
Questions about the School Board Governance Recognition program should be directed to Judy Williams at extension 1103 or by emailed to her at: jwilliams@iasb.com.
Long-term trend: Division meeting attendance rising over recent years
Attendance at this year’s spring division dinner meetings appears to have been above par for such meetings in even-numbered years, with 1,976, or 29 percent of the eligible board members and superintendents registered. That total compares to an average registration of 1,872 over the previous three comparable totals for even-numbered years. (All numbers are registration numbers, not actual attendance.)
The number for 2014 was down from the total of 2,434 who registered for division meetings in the spring of 2012, but well above totals for the spring of 2010 (1,728) and 2008 (1,453).
“Registration counts in the spring of 2012 may have been greatly boosted by the state requirements for board members to get Open Meetings Act training, which was offered at division meetings that spring,” said Cathy Talbert, IASB associate executive director of field and policy services.
“Despite the anticipated drop we saw in spring registrants from 2012 to 2014, the long-term trend is definitely one of increased attendance at division meetings in recent years,” Talbert said.
An IASB survey of school board members who did not attend division meetings from January 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013 showed “time commitment too big” was overwhelmingly the main cause, with fully 62 percent of respondents giving that answer. The second most-commonly cited cause was distance, with 6 percent giving that response.
Comments from non- attenders surveyed commonly dealt with schedule conflicts, ranging from “it is just one more thing to add to a very hectic schedule,” to “our meetings are always on Thursdays, and I have a commitment every Thursday, otherwise I would attend.”
“One trend identified in the comments from those who could not attend a session was a commitment to attend division meetings in the future,” said Talbert.
Bement (May 5, The News-Gazette, Champaign) School board members voted unanimously to continue to house all grades in town. A consultant hired by the Bement and Cerro Gordo school districts recommended in January that Bement deactivate its high school of 127 students and fund their tuition in one or more neighboring districts. Cerro Gordo was seen as a logical choice. But after an extensive look, Bement Superintendent Sheila Greenwood said it would cost $809,000 in tuition to send high school students to Cerro Gordo, a cost the district could not afford.
Carpentersville (May 8, The Daily Herald) District 300 officials are weighing how to pay for a new administration building if an expected $35 million to $60 million the state owes does not arrive by the end of the year. The board’s finance committee on May 7 discussed the merits of using debt certificates versus borrowing from within the district’s budget to cover the cost. Debt certificates are interest-bearing bonds that do not require a referendum. “If we don’t anticipate receiving that money by December, this is our backup plan,” Chief Financial Officer Susan Harkin said of the options.
East Aurora (May 7, Aurora Beacon News) If the state gives East Aurora School District aid roughly as it did this year, the district’s new full-day kindergarten center would put the district about $352,000 in the red next year. The kindergarten program — which would significantly increase the number of hours many young students are in school — will make the district eligible for added state and federal dollars. East Aurora is likely to bring in about $1.84 million more to apply toward the kindergarten program if state funding remains level. Board President Raymond Hull told district administrators to plan for the worst from the state and advised them to look for ways to reduce spending.
East Peoria (May 8, Peoria Journal Star) District 309 Superintendent Chuck Nagel wants to reach those students who are habitually truant or who drop out of school because of circumstances beyond their control. Nagel is considering the concept of a twilight school/academy that would take place from 2 to 7 p.m.
Morton (May 6, Journal Star, Peoria) Morton District 709 administrators and staff have been brainstorming for years on how to offer state-mandated daily physical education at the district’s four elementary schools. The clock is ticking as the district’s final waiver ends after the 2014-2015 school year. A committee of staff and administrators has delved into facilities, staffing and curriculum concerns and the major problem of what to do with half-day kindergarten classes.
Naperville (May 09, Chicago Sun-Times) The Naperville District 203 school board got an update recently on a strategic planning process. Superintendent Dan Bridges outlined areas of focus, including promoting learning for all students, and communication with the community. For each area, the district has formulated goals and plans to achieve them. Bridges stressed the plan was a framework that could be modified as needed. The district has held public meetings in the past few months to get community input on a plan.
Peoria (May 11, Peoria Journal Star) Questions about legal costs and a charter school probe could be the hot topics at the next Peoria School District 150 board meeting. While the board is expected to vote on a three-year contract to hire a chief legal officer at $150,000 a year, not including benefits, a retired teacher plans to raise questions about the costs of the district’s four-month internal investigation of testing irregularities at Charter Oak Primary School. Legal fees for the probe came to at least $130,000. In a related note, the state’s subsequent investigation should be completed soon, according to ISBE. The investigation centered on alleged irregularities in how charter school teachers administered standardized tests to special education students and whether a former Charter Oak principal gave teachers the required training on administering the tests.
Saratoga (April 28, The Daily Herald) Saratoga School Board voted in April to approve a settlement, along with other districts and taxing bodies, on a property tax dispute. The settlement with Equistar Chemicals, now known as Lyondell Basell, results in Saratoga receiving a payout of about $11,000. More than a dozen taxing bodies will get such payments for tax years 2003 through 2012. The company will make a one-time payment of about $3.5 million, with Minooka school districts 111 and 201 receiving about $2.6 million between them.
Statewide (May 14, The Associated Press) A Sangamon County judge halted Illinois’ state pension overhaul law from taking effect, issuing a May 14 stay on the law until the court can rule on its constitutionality. Two attorneys representing plaintiffs in the case said that Circuit Judge Jon Belz issued the order to stop the pension law, which would reduce retirees’ benefits and increase their required contributions, from taking effect this summer. Parts of the law were to take effect June 1. The overhaul was designed to close a $100 billion deficit in five state pension systems. It was signed into law last fall. Five lawsuits challenging the law were consolidated in Sangamon County court. State employees and retirees claim the law is unconstitutional, saying it would improperly reduce obligated pension benefits.
Q&A on evaluations
With school leaders still grappling with unanswered questions about the process and responsibilities of teacher and principal evaluation, ISBE has been working on developing non-regulatory guidance for issues around such evaluations. The resulting material is available at http://www.isbe.net/peac/ . An email dropbox has been created, as well, for districts to submit their questions and concerns on these PERA topics. State agency staff, in consultation with the experts, will respond to such questions. Districts are being encouraged to submit their questions to pera@isbe.net.
Waiver request deadline
August 15 is the postmark deadline for waiver applications to be considered by the Illinois General Assembly this fall.
See http://www.isbe.net/isbewaivers/default.htm for public notice requirements for all waiver requests.
EFAB sets funding benchmark
Equitable funding for Illinois schools would require $4.8 billion more in state funds for FY 2015 than was provided to schools in FY 2014. The Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) recently voted unanimously to establish that benchmark, updating the previous recommended foundation level to reflect inflation. The change would increase the state’s per-pupil Foundation Level to $8,767 for Fiscal Year 2015.
Additionally, EFAB urged state legislators and Governor Patrick Quinn to take action to maintain state revenues for schools and to consider directing more resources to the State Board of Education to distribute to districts.
State law requires EFAB to provide education funding recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor every two years.
Summer office closings
IASB offices in Springfield and Lombard will be closed on four days in July in observance of the Association’s summer schedule and the national holiday.
That will mean the offices will be closed Friday, July 4 and on the following three Fridays, July 11, 18 and 25.
IASB membership high
IASB membership has remained at historically high levels the past several years, according to association records. Currently, 849 of the state’s 859 school districts, or 98.7 percent, are dues-paying members of the Illinois Association of School Boards.
IASB’s membership rate has been at or above 98.5 percent of all Illinois school districts since 2008. In 2007 it stood at 97.9 percent, with 17 nonmember districts, compared to just 10 nonmember districts today.
Two school districts joined IASB this year, namely St. Libory Consolidated SD 30, located in the Southwestern Division, and Ohio CCSD 17, in the Starved Rock Division.
The staff Field Services Director for the Southwestern Division is Larry Dirks, and for the Starved Rock Division it is Laura Martinez.
IASB membership records
IASB is appealing to member school districts to help update Association membership records in order to ensure that new members or addresses will be added to the database.
Member district listings are shown on the Association’s website, and any updates can be sent to the IASB Records Manager at the Springfield address shown on the left side of the Association home page at www.iasb.com or such changes may be sent via email to jkidd@iasb.com.
June 17 – Three Rivers Governing Board Meeting, Rockdale
June 23 – West Cook Governing Board Meeting, OakPark
August 22-23 – IASB Board of Directors’ Meeting , Bloomington-Normal
September 16 – IASB/IASA Professional Advancement Seminar , Downers Grove
September 23 – Shawnee Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Vienna
September 23 – IASB/IASA Professional Advancement Seminar , Springfield
September 25 – Wabash Valley Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Robinson
September 30 – Illini Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Mahomet
October 1 – Southwestern Division Fall Dinner Meeting, tba
October 2 – Abe Lincoln Division Fall Dinner Meeting, tba
October 2 – Egyptian Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Fairfield
October 21 – Kaskaskia Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Ramsey
October 23 – Two Rivers Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Virginia
November 20 – IASB Board of Directors’ Meeting , Chicago
November 21-23 – IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference , Chicago
November 23 – IASB Board of Directors’ Meeting , Chicago
For more current information, see www.iasb.com/calendar/