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School Board News Bulletin
August 2000

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Survey indicates Illinois school administrator salaries are below average

Private and public schools more similar than commonly believed

Nation’s school-to-work program in jeopardy

American Education Week theme pledged

Thanks to Alliance PAC golf outing sponsors

NEWS FROM IASB

Two non-member districts join IASB

John Allen departs IASB to head ILP

David Love joins IASB staff as Field Services Director

LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Lawmakers gather input on "wildly inequitable" funding formula

Governor appoints education funding advisory board

Alliance survey finds proposed E-911 rules would cost millions

RECENT MAILINGS FROM IASB

A nationwide survey shows school district superintendents received salary increases averaging 5.7 percent last year, boosting the average salary from $106,122 the previous year to $112,158 (see accompanying table). The survey was conducted by a nonprofit research foundation, the Educational Research Service (ERS). In comparison, the mean average salary of district superintendents in Illinois was $96,348 in 1999-2000, up from $96,053 in 1998-1999, according to a Western Illinois University (WIU) study.

The ERS nationwide study indicates school building administrators received the largest salary increases among public school staff, averaging 6.6 percent, including principals and assistant principals at all levels. The mean salary for senior high school principals increased 7.3 percent, rising from $74,380 the previous year to $79,839 this past school year. Illinois principals generally receive lower salaries than the national average, with the exception of those in the northeast region of the state, where their average salary was $80,806, a comparison of the ERS and the WIU studies indicates.

Classroom teachers, according to the ERS survey, received a 2.1 percent salary hike for 1999-2000, as the average salary for public school teachers nationwide rose from $41,351 to $42,213. The mean average salary for classroom teachers in Illinois was higher than the national average, at $45,286 in 1998-99, after Illinois teacher salary increases averaged 3.6 percent last year, according to ISBE data. (ISBE teacher salary data for 1999-2000 is not yet available.)

For more information, contact ERS, 2000 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-2908; phone 800/791-9308.

Source: ERS Survey Snapshot; Percent of Change in Average Salaries Paid Administrators and Professional Staff, 1999-2000 over 1998-1999, Educational Research Service.

Source: Educational Research Service, public school salary studies, 1998-1999, and 1999-2000.

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It is sometimes stated that private schools are more accountable to parents than public schools, but two new studies suggest otherwise. Both studies, one from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a conservative education policy center, and the other from the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, seem to indicate the same thing: Inner-city private schools are more like inner-city public schools than they are like suburban private schools.

Likewise, the studies show suburban public high schools have more in common with suburban private high schools than with urban public schools. For example, in both lower-income public and private schools, one major complaint was parents’ lack of involvement. In higher-income schools, both public and private, the reverse was true: teachers complained of too much parental involvement.

"If our observations are valid, policy debates may miss important issues if they focus on whether educational quality can be deduced from schools’ public versus private organization," writes Richard Rothstein. Rothstein is the author of "The Behavior of Public and Private Schools," which appeared in the monthly journal The School Administrator.

Private schools’ claims of superiority are commonly based on the accountability to which parents hold them. The reports indicate, however, that the social and economic class of the school’s parents are better indicators of its accountability than whether the school is public or private. Source: The School Administrator, American Association of School Administrators, May 2000.

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Back in 1994, the federal government believed it knew a good way to revitalize some parts of high school through the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA). The program gave students a real-job experience that related to in-class academics. Now, in a new report, the American Youth Policy Forum says the program is in jeopardy once federal monies run out in 2001.

The report asks: "How can we as a nation maintain the positive momentum of the school-to-work movement and carry on promising initiatives and best practices once the STWOA sunsets in October, 2001?"

More than half the states have passed laws supporting school-to-work programs. The report lists "ten essential principles of School-to-Work" that can help policymakers sustain the programs. For more information and the list of principles, visit the American Youth Policy Forum at http://www.aypf.org.

Source: NEGP Weekly, National Education Goals Panel.

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November 12-18 will mark the 79th annual observance of American Education Week. The theme this year is Children-Teachers-Parents: Helping Students Achieve.

For information on celebrating American Education Week, visit the National Education Association website at http://www.nea.org/aew.

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The Alliance PAC golf outing to support school management was a success. The Alliance would like to thank the following sponsors for their participation in helping to make it a winner: ARAMARK; Cahill & Associates; Chapman & Cutler; FGM Architects-Engineers; Henry Brothers Company; Unland Companies; AB Dick Products; Dynegy Energy Services; Farnsworth Wylie Group; Miller, Hall & Triggs; Tremont Software; Unicom; Franczek Sullivan P.C.; The Larson Company; and The Millard Group-Admiral Maintenance. "Also integral to our success were the many volunteers who helped out from the IASB, IASA, IASBO, IPA and AB Dick," said an Alliance spokesperson. Next year’s event is scheduled for July 30, 2001.

A copy of our report, filed with the State Board of Elections, is (or will be) available for purchase from the State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL.

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NEWS FROM IASB

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Two non-member districts join IASB

Two central Illinois districts recently joined IASB for fiscal year 2001. The two districts are: Girard District 3, a unit district serving more than 1,000 students, located in Macoupin County; and Atwood-Hammond District 39, a unit district serving roughly 450 students, located in Piatt County. Girard District 3 is situated in IASB’s Kaskaskia Division, while Atwood-Hammond District 39 is in IASB’s Abe Lincoln Division.

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John Allen departs IASB to head ILP

The IASB Board of Directors met in Springfield May 19-20 and reviewed and accepted a budget for 2000-2001. The budget includes total revenue of $5.85 million, and total expenses of $5.74 million, with increases of roughly 5 percent in both categories over the previous year. The budget includes a surplus of $108,000, and continues the positive budget trend of past years while maintaining a healthy financial position for the Association.

Specific budget assumptions for fiscal year 2001 include staff participation in a multi-state coalition led by NSBA to create board development courses via the Internet. The IASB website, meanwhile, will continue to undergo improvements to "make it a truly invaluable tool for board members and administrators." In addition, the Association will pursue development of new school board video training materials, and will produce and distribute school board elections packets and conduct workshops for school board candidates prior to board elections next April.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors is set for August 25-27, 2000.

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David Love joins IASB staff as Field Services Director

Effective July 17, David Love of Springfield has joined the IASB staff as Field Service Director for the Egyptian, Illini, Shawnee and Wabash Divisions of the Association. Love previously had been serving as director of the Capitol Area Vocational Center, located in Springfield. He succeeds Angie Peifer in working with member districts located in southwestern Illinois.

David Love has an extensive background in Illinois education and has spent much of his life in the southern part of the state. He grew up in Robinson, taught vocational education in the schools there, and later worked out of the ISBE offices in Mt. Vernon.

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LEGISLATIVE ACTION

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Lawmakers gather input on "wildly inequitable" funding formula

In most years the Senate Appropriations Committee does not take a leadership role on education issues, but the panel usually is a key player in developing the state budget. That may change next spring when the school funding formula is expected to take center stage on the legislative agenda, in part because several components of the school funding formula are due to expire. As mentioned in the July Newsbulletin, the Appropriations Committee has recently created a subcommittee to study school funding.

While school leaders have learned not to expect much funding equity from Illinois lawmakers, the formation of the Appropriations subcommittee at a time when the state is in superb financial shape could offer a glimmer of hope. As the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette stated in its August 13 editorial, "funding of Illinois public schools is wildly inequitable, from the per-student funding level to the continuing reliance on the antiquated property tax system ... [but] if Illinois’ leaders really want to do more than mouth platitudes about taking the state into the new millennium, reforming the tax system and helping schoolchildren get a head start, this is their big opportunity."

The subcommittee, headed by Senator Brad Burzynski, met July 11 in Chicago and accepted testimony from the State Board of Education, school administrators and school board members. The panel met again August 10 in Springfield.

A third, more limited, meeting of the subcommittee is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 6 in Chicago, at 9:00 a.m., on the sixteenth floor of the James R. Thompson Center. This hearing will be limited to the topic of funding for categoricals and grant programs. The School Management Alliance is requesting school leaders who plan to testify at the September hearing to notify the Alliance by phone at 217/528-9688, extension 1132.

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Governor appoints education funding advisory board

The immediate future of school funding could be influenced to a large degree by Governor Ryan’s recent action in appointing a funding advisory board, as called for by Public Act 90-548, the school funding "reform" bill of 1997. Governor George Ryan appointed the 18 members of the advisory board in July and the board held its initial meeting July 28. The first meeting was largely organizational, but the group is scheduled to meet again August 25 in Chicago. The board’s primary assignment is to recommend a foundation level of school funding for the next several years. The panel is headed by former State Superintendent of Schools Bob Leininger, and includes other widely respected experts on school finance.

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Alliance survey finds proposed E-911 rules would cost millions

The Illinois School Management Alliance recently completed a survey on the cost of installing enhanced 911 (E-911) in public schools. E-911 is a phone system intended for high-rise buildings that automatically provides details about the location from which an emergency call is made. The survey form was returned by 367 school districts that operate 1,148 school attendance centers.

Findings: 29 percent of respondents said they use a type of telephone system that uses computers to select outside lines (mainly either a PBX or Centrex system); 17 percent (63 school districts) of those responding had obtained an estimate to make the necessary phone changes to become E-911 compliant. The total cost for upgrading just those 63 school districts was $4,148,689. The Alliance has met with the ICC to review these survey results.

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RECENT MAILINGS FROM IASB

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Not all IASB mailings are sent to all school board members. For speed or economy, some mailings are sent only to the board president or district superintendent. Here is a list of such items mailed recently. For more information about any item, contact your board president or district superintendent or get in touch with IASB.

June 14: 2000 Spring Session Digest of Bills Passed, mailed to board presidents and district superintendents.

July 24: Memorandum announcing the hiring of David Love as Field Services Director.

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IASB ARCHIVES HOME

Illinois Association of School Boards

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703