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New rules aim to remove snack foods from schools
Federal changes to take effect next year
Candy bars and high-calorie sports drinks are scheduled to be removed from school vending machines and cafeteria lines as soon as next year, and replaced with healthier fare. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rules announcement June 27 will affect all foods sold in the nation’s 100,000 schools.
Changes will come by expanding fat, calorie, sugar and sodium limits in foods sold during the school day. This will not only involve foods sold on the “a la carte” line in cafeterias, but also foods sold around schools, which never have been regulated before. The new regulations also allow states to regulate student bake sales.
The new rules, required under a child nutrition law passed by Congress in 2010, are part of the government’s effort to combat childhood obesity.
Many schools already have made improvements in their lunch menus and vending machine choices. Standards put into place at the beginning of the 2012 school year already regulate the nutritional content of free and low-cost school breakfasts and lunches subsidized by the federal government.
“Not only do we know about the regulations, but we are ahead of the game,” Rockford SD 205 Chief Operating Officer Todd Schmidt told the Rockford Register-Star in a June 27 story. “This fall, thanks to our 21st Century Schools construction program, we will have five more production kitchens installed in our schools. This means our staff can cook fresher, more nutritious meals on site for our students,” Schmidt said.
He said fresher, more nutritious meals already are being offered in Rockford public schools. Pizzas feature whole grain crusts, reduced sodium and low-fat cheese. Baked goods have reduced sugar. Gatorades and iced teas are offered in diet versions only.
One of the biggest changes under the rules will be a near-ban on high-calorie sports drinks, which many beverage companies added to school vending machines to replace high-calorie sodas pulled in response to criticism from the public health community.
The new guidelines would not apply to after-school concessions at school games or theater events, goodies brought from home for classroom celebrations, or anything students bring for their own consumption.
The USDA so far has shown a willingness to work with schools to resolve complaints that some new requirements are hard to meet. Last year, for example, the feds temporarily relaxed some limits on meats and grains in subsidized lunches after school nutritionists said they weren’t working.
But school leaders say food regulations can impose unique challenges and unexpected consequences when put into practice, including costs.
“Good or bad, pop and snack machines were a revenue source for school districts. When they are gone, there is really nothing to replace (it),” Superintendent Michael Smith, Tuscola CUSD 301, told Time magazine for an online story dated June 28.
“My experience is , students don’t eat more school meals when snacks are taken away. I certainly understand the argument about unhealthy snacks, but I don’t believe when students are turned away from them they automatically turn towards healthy nutritional lunch items,” Smith told Time reporter Alexandra Sifferlin.
Smith estimates removing the machines may end up costing his district a few thousand dollars a year.
IASB divisions elect new officers, including two new directors
Eight IASB divisions have elected new officers since April 2013. Two divisions to date have elected new directors to serve on the IASB board as a result of the April elections and/or expiration of member terms of office. These director changes, listed by division, home city and school district, are as follows:
Abe Lincoln – Lisa Weitzel, Springfield, Ball-Chatham CUSD 5, replaced Roger Edgecombe, Maroa, Warrensburg-Latham CUSD 11
Southwestern – Rob Luttrell, Troy, Triad CUSD 2, replaced John Coers, O’Fallon CCSD 90
Other IASB officers new to their division posts since April this year, listed by division, home city and school district, are:
Abe Lincoln – William L. Alexander, New Berlin CUSD 16, vice chair
Black Hawk – Janet Neff, East Moline SD 37, vice chair; and David Rockwell, Rock Island SD 41, resolutions chair
Corn Belt – Gail Ann Briggs, Towanda, McLean Co. Unit District 5, Normal vice chair
Illini – Ginger Kielhorn, Tuscola, Arcola CUSD 306, Douglas, vice chair
Kaskaskia – Edmar P.W. Schreiber, Sorento, Bond Co. CUSD 2, Greenville, vice chair
Shawnee – Kate Fakhoury, Carbondale, Giant City CCSD 130, vice chair
Southwestern – Mark S. Christ, Fairview Heights, O’Fallon THSD 203, vice chair
Wabash Valley – Steve Marrs, Olney, East Richland CUSD 1, vice chair; and Carol Ruffner, Mason, Effingham CUSD 40, resolutions chair
More changes are to come soon because some divisions will not vote on new officers until the fall division meetings. One such division, West Cook, will vote on a new director to succeed Joanne Zendol, who has retired.
A complete listing of current division officers can be found at IASB’s online database at: https://www.iasb.com/divisions/.
Introductory webinar aimed at informing district-level school improvement planning
As Illinois districts and schools continue to adopt the Rising Star on the Illinois Interactive Report Card (IIRC) system for improvement planning and for other key initiatives such as Title I district and schoolwide planning, school board members may wish to learn about the continuous improvement process and how to navigate the IIRC tool, according to State Superintendent Chris Koch.
An introductory webinar to Rising Star on IIRC, designed for school board members and developed by the Illinois State Board of Education and IASB, is hosted by and available for viewing at the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) website at: http://www.brainshark.com/IllinoisPrincipalsAssoc/rs_board .
“ISBE highly recommends that school board members view this recorded webinar,” Koch said.
Rising Star essentially was created and first hosted by the Center on Innovation and Improvement (CII), and was then introduced to the Illinois Interactive Report Card (IIRC) in 2012. It is now the state’s official system of record for school and district-level improvement planning. Rising Star supports an evidence-based, research-informed team deliberation process using proven indicators of effective practice and distributive leadership, officials said.
To gain access to the new Rising Star system on IIRC requires two steps:
1. Participation in a required professional development webinar, and
2. Access to the MyIIRC password system
District and school users of Rising Star on IIRC will need to participate in the required professional development webinar, according to state officials. This 90-minute webinar is meant to ensure success in navigating the system and supporting the team deliberation process. This process, informed by research, incorporates indicators of effective practice and data within a leadership framework.
Once participants have viewed the webinar, IIRC will be notified and the participant’s district/school will gain access to Rising Star on IIRC using individual MyIIRC account information, officials said.
When users log in to MyIIRC the link to Rising Star will be on the “dashboard” under the “Rising Star E-Plans” tab.
If participants do not have a MyIIRC account or do not receive access to Rising Star on IIRC within a week of viewing the webinar, they are being urged to contact Melissa Perez (see contact information below).
For additional information regarding Rising Star or technical support, please contact:
Melissa Perez
Rising Star on IIRC Help Desk
melissamperez@niu.edu
815.753.9629
Stephanie Benedict
Rising Star Help Desk
sbenedict@adi.org
217.732.6462
Note: A panel at IASB’s Joint Annual Conference in Chicago will be focusing on the IIRC and School Board members. It is called: “Generating Positive PR with New State Report Card,” and will deal with using the School Board Member Guide to the Report Card.
The panel is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22, starting at 1:30 p.m., Hyatt Columbus E/F Ballroom.
Writing skills tests set to return next spring for Illinois high school juniors
After a two-year hiatus, Illinois high school juniors will be tested on their writing skills again next spring in state standardized tests.
In response to the state’s budget crisis, the Illinois State Board of Education decided to remove the writing assessment. State lawmakers did not allot an extra $2.5 million to pay for the exams in high schools across the state, raising hackles among critics of the legislative budget process after Democrats celebrated not having to cut education funding for the first time in four years.
State education officials say they are hunting for a way to pay for the tests, possibly by seeking an extra appropriation from lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Illinois and most other states are transitioning to a new Common Core Standard, with new emphasis on literacy and math. With the new Common Core beginning in about a year, there will be new state assessments.
Advocates of restoring the writing test say its return is in anticipation of major state education reforms that stress critical thinking more heavily.
Joint Educational Support Professionals Conference Sep. 24
The Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and Illinois Association of School Business Officials will again join forces this fall to present the bi-annual Joint Educational Support Professionals Conference.
This event is designed to provide professional training for district office employees, both those who work in the central office and those who work in the school office.
The keynote address will be presented by Sydne Kalet, a time management expert, who will introduce strategies to thrive amid all that vies for school support-staff members’ attention on a daily basis – emails, voicemails and everything in between. Breakout sessions are planned on electronic board packets, school finance, social media, the Illinois Program Accounting Manual, Internet safety, P-card usage, IMRF, board minutes, record retention, and OMA and FOIA laws.
The training will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Sep. 24, at the University of Illinois, Springfield. Conference cost including lunch is $150. Complete information and registration materials will soon be available via the Illinois ASBO website at: http://illinoisspc.com.
Compromise pension reform bill seen as in offing
The House and Senate formed a conference committee June 19 assigned with working out a compromise on their differences on reform for the state’s badly under-funded pension system. Conference committees are charged with working out a compromise when both chambers cannot come to an agreement on key legislation. The process is rare and has not been used in recent years.
Gov. Pat Quinn requested that a conference committee take up pension changes after lawmakers could not agree to changes in a special session called by the governor.
A proposal will have to receive a simple majority vote to pass out of the committee and on to the full House and Senate, where a simple majority in each chamber would send it to the governor for signature.
The Illinois General Assembly last utilized a conference committee to work out a legislative compromise in December 2005.
Legislative leaders named the members to the committee. The appointees mirror the partisan and pension reform views of those who appointed them. House Speaker Michael Madigan named Chicago Rep. Arthur Turner, Riverside Rep. Michael Zalewski and Northbrook Democrat Elaine Nekritz, the speaker’s point person in pension talks this spring.
House Minority Leader Tom Cross tapped Naperville Rep. Darlene Senger and Quincy Rep. Jil Tracy.
Senate President John Cullerton appointed Evanston Sen. Daniel Biss, Chicago Sen. Kwame Raoul and Aurora Sen. Linda Holmes.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno chose Palatine Sen. Matt Murphy and Bloomington Sen. Bill Brady.
“The house-senate committee conferencing on pensions has given no indication as of yet when it might finish writing a compromise reform bill for consideration by lawmakers. But some say a proposal could be ready this summer,” said Ben Schwarm, deputy executive director of IASB.
Nine strikes called in Illinois in 2012-13
Although the 2012-13 school year began with a significant number of labor issues, the pattern dissipated by year’s end. This past school year, nine strikes were called, with six in the fall of 2012.
Only one impasse has been reported since March 14, according to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, in Ottawa THSD 140 . Posted on July 22, it concerns salary and benefits differences in the district with an enrollment of more than 1,500 students and nearly 100 teachers.
Several threatened work stoppages this past year ended without a strike and in amicable contract settlements. The three strikes that occurred in 2013 lasted a total of 19 days and impacted fewer than 11,000 students. The strikes in 2013 included the following districts:
• ‑Grayslake CCSD 46 , with an enrollment of 4,000 students, where 325 teachers went out on strike on Jan. 16 and lasted three days.
• ‑West Chicago SD 33 , with an enrollment of 4,000 students, where 280 teachers walked out on Feb. 4 and ended three days later.
• ‑Dixon CUSD 170 , with an enrollment of 2,800 students, where 166 teachers went on strike Feb. 28 and ended March 13.
“The September 2012 walkout by Chicago District 299 teachers set off a small rash of other strikes in Illinois. Lake Forest teachers decided to strike that same week over similar issues, followed closely by four more Chicago-area teacher strikes,” summarized one labor spokesman. “But the trend has slowed, and it is hard to say why.”
One theory is simply that governmental units have run short of money. “The fact that most school districts in Illinois are hard-pressed financially right now may have something to do with the fact that we have had fewer strikes lately,” said Ben Schwarm, IASB deputy executive director.
Impasse and final offers are posted on the state labor board’s website at: http://www2.illinois.gov/elrb/Pages/FinalOffers.aspx.
School boards required by law to pass balanced budgets by September 30
The end of the first quarter of the fiscal year is fast approaching. In nearly all Illinois school districts the quarter comes to a close on Sep. 30, which is also the last day for the school board to adopt its balanced budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
Although the law requires school boards to adopt a balanced budget, the governing statute does not set a penalty for adopting an unbalanced one. But an unbalanced budget does trigger a statutory requirement that the school district must adopt and file with the Illinois State Board of Education a deficit reduction plan to balance the budget within three years.
The school board’s annual budget must be filed within 30 days of its adoption with the county clerk and the Illinois State Board of Education. The key budget deadlines, for adoption and filing, are contained in state law at 105 ILCS 5/17-1 and at 35 ILCS 200/18-50.
Conference preview booklet on way with schedule, panel listings
A preview of the 2013 Joint Annual Conference will soon be available online with a master schedule of the major conference events, descriptions and time slots for all panel sessions and pre-conference workshops.
This year’s event will be the 81st Joint Annual Conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Association of School Business Officials in Chicago.
A total of 112 panel sessions have been planned over the course of the three-day conference. Included are many panels designed to help school districts save money, boost revenue or explain school finances.
For example, the session on Budgeting during Difficult Times will feature state education officials who will review statewide finances and explain what the current precarious state funding climate means for schools in FY 2014 and beyond.
The conference will also include pre-conference workshops, a tour of Chicago public schools, a Carousel of Panels, professional development activities for board and district secretaries, coffee and conversation sessions, three inspirational general-session speakers, annual Delegate Assembly, exhibit hall, and bookstore.
Additional activities are also being planned in conjunction with IASB’s 100 th anniversary. Details on those events will be announced soon.
Early registration is $390 per registrant. After Oct. 25, the registration fee will be $415.
Members can find both registration and housing forms and instructions online at: https://www.iasb.com/jac13/registration.cfm. These forms can be filled out electronically but must be printed and mailed, along with payment, to IASB’s Springfield office. Forms cannot be faxed.
The preview will not include room assignments for events; that information is held until the Conference Program is published. It is only available at the conference in November. However, those who want to plan their conference in advance will be able to utilize an online schedule planner. That tool will go live in early November and will be available on IASB’s Members-Only website. The planner allows users to schedule all events (and multiple events in the same time slot), and print the document for their personal use.
The same website will also offer handouts of PowerPoint presentations and other materials used at many of the panel sessions.
Registration for the 2013 Joint Annual Conference is continuing and the numbers are similar to the 2012 report. In fact, three of the 10 conference hotels already have been filled; they include Embassy Suites, Swissotel and Fairmont, according to IASB meetings management staff.
More information about this year’s conference can be found at: www.iasb.com/jac13 /.
Two new staff additions bring valuable skills, background to serve members
IASB recently announced two staff additions, with the hiring of Heath Hendren in the communications department, and Reatha Owen in the field services department. Both joined the staff July 15.
Owen will serve as a new field services director serving the Blackhawk, Central Illinois Valley, Corn Belt, and Western Divisions of IASB. She is replacing Dean Langdon, who recently was named IASB associate executive director for board development and TAG. Owen is a professional trainer and certified teacher and has worked in the area of public education for the past 13 years. She has also served on the Lincoln CHSD404 school board for six years.
Hendren will serve as a new assistant director of communication. He previously served as a senior communications analyst on the Illinois legislature’s staff, bringing over seven years of public relations experience to IASB. He also has experience in managing websites and social media into current outreach platforms.
Claims of charter schools advantages questioned
Research study proves ‘next to nothing’ NEPC reviewers maintain
Two nationally prominent universities have come to very different conclusions on the impact of charter schools.
University of Colorado Boulder researchers announced June 27 that a recent study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University proved “next to nothing” about differences between charter schools and traditional public schools.
This contradicts CREDO’s own announcement claiming that “charter school students now have greater learning gains in reading than their peers in traditional public schools.”
The Colorado review said that the CREDO study showed only a tiny impact on the part of charter schools: “less than one hundredth of one percent of the variation in test performance is explainable by charter school enrollment.”
Specifically, the reviewers said students in charter schools are estimated to score approximately 0.01 standard deviations higher on reading tests and 0.005 standard deviations lower on math tests than their peers in traditional public schools. The National Charter School Study 2013 examined charter schools in 27 states.
The review of that study by Andrew Maul and Abby McClelland from the University of Colorado Boulder was published by the National Education Policy Center, with funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.
The CREDO study attempted to identify differences in student performance at charter schools and traditional public schools.
Its primary findings were: (a) a small positive effect of being in a charter school on reading scores and no impact on math scores; and (b) a relative improvement in average charter school quality since a 2009 CREDO study.
Maul and McClelland, however, found “significant reasons for caution in interpreting the study’s results.”
Certain technical concerns, they claimed, could easily implicate differences in the study’s results that are substantially larger than the highlighted results attributed to differences between charter schools and traditional public schools.
Even if concerns over the study’s analytic methods are set side, however, Maul and McClelland point out that the study itself shows only a tiny real impact on the part of charter schools.
“With a very large sample size, nearly any effect will be statistically significant,” the reviewers conclude, “but in practical terms these effects are so small as to be regarded, without hyperbole, as trivial.”
The Colorado review on the CREDO study can be found on the Great Lakes Center website: http://www.greatlakescenter.org .
New superintendents invited to luncheons at IASB for helpful sessions
First-time superintendents and superintendents new to Illinois have been invited to attend one of two new superintendent luncheons at IASB offices in Lombard on Aug. 7 and in Springfield, Aug. 15. The aim of these luncheons is to acquaint these new leaders of school districts with IASB’s foundational principles of effective school governance as well as Association products, staff and services.
Superintendents play a key role in the promotion of good governance and IASB stands ready to support that work. So the luncheons represent an opportunity for superintendents to learn the principles of effective school governance, the importance of a quality relationship with the board, as well as the resources available from IASB.
Plans called for participants to receive a complimentary copy of “Coming to Order,” IASB’s publication on effective school board meetings, along with a coupon to be redeemed for a future division dinner meeting reservation.
State plans to offer information, training to school personnel on new rules
ISBE’s Nutrition and Wellness Programs Division has begun reviewing new federal rules governing smart snacks in schools and will provide information and training to school personnel on the topic over the course of school year 2013-2014. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued an Interim Final Rule titled “Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.”
The competitive foods portion of the rule takes effect on July 1, 2014, the start of school year 2014-2015, as required by section 208 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). ISBE staff are carefully reviewing the interim final rule and will provide information and training to school personnel on this topic over the school year ahead. To reach the ISBE staff on this issue, phone 800/545-7892 or email cnp@isbe.net .
IASB Directors meeting in August to include governance work session
The IASB Board of Directors’ next quarterly meeting, Aug. 23-24 at the Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort, is expected to include a governance work session. It will also feature a new-member orientation, plus a learning session about BoardBook, which is the association’s online board agenda building service available to IASB member districts. The board’s meeting is to be bracketed by sessions convening the IASB audit and nominating committees.
The meeting will follow the board’s annual retreat and will continue its ongoing work on its governance plan. The board’s next meetings after the retreat is scheduled to take place at the Joint Annual Conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago, Nov. 21 and 24.
Policy manual development and maintenance service now offered to past customization users
Until now school districts had to have completed a full policy manual customization or update within the previous year to be eligible to subscribe to PRESS Plus, IASB’s full maintenance policy updating service.
IASB now is offering a seamless policy manual development and maintenance service to member districts that have completed a policy manual customization at any time since 1993, but may not have kept that manual current.
Like the full policy manual customization, this policy manual development and maintenance service provides the guidance of an IASB policy consultant and full customization of the manual to meet individual district needs. But because districts that have completed policy manual customization are already familiar with the IASB policy system, the development can be done faster, thus saving everyone both time and money.
For more information, call Anna Lovern at IASB, ext. 1125.
Fall division meetings set to cover topics from school funding to communications
A wide range of topics — from school funding matters to the latest communications ideas — will be covered at division meetings this fall throughout IASB’s 21 divisions.
Beginning Sep. 11 in the Starved Rock division and concluding on Oct. 30 in the South Cook division, IASB’s fall division dinner meetings are a good place to catch up on school leadership developments and to share ideas and solutions with fellow school leaders and IASB leadership.
The complete schedule is available at IASB’s online Events Calendar: https://www.iasb.com/calendar/. This calendar can be searched in its entirety, or events can be found in drop-down menus by division, area, event type, subject, or keyword.
The division dinner meeting represents a chance to learn more about hot topics in school governance and administration, and in some divisions about the biggest legislative developments affecting public education. The fall meeting is also the place where IASB Master Board Members are recognized.
The Master Board Member program recognizes and honors board members for the time and effort they devote to professional development and leadership activities within their district, and participation in IASB and NSBA programs and leadership functions. More information about the program is available at: http://iasb.com/training/mbm.cfm.
The fall division dinner meeting is also where IASB executives, directors, and division officers will present information of importance to members about the association and public education. Many of these dinner meetings are held at local school districts, while others are held at hotels or restaurants. “Regardless of location, all are designed to allow both new and veteran board members the opportunity to meet colleagues and network on common issues and concerns,” said IASB’s Cathy Talbert, Field Services Director.
Registration is required for the dinner meetings and can be accomplished by phone, mail, fax or online. Links to brochures and registration will be posted on the online calendar of events as they are activated.
Students in grades 6 to 12 now required by state to show proof they got Tdap vaccine
Parents are now being required to get back-to-school shots for their children in Illinois, and that includes high school students. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) says there is a new requirement this year for students in grades six through 12 to show proof of receiving a Tdap vaccine.
Tdap in this context stands for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. The latter illness is better known as whooping cough. IDPH cites recent outbreaks of whooping cough, or pertussis, in Illinois as it stresses the need for protection and adherence to its new rules.
The State of Illinois requires vaccinations to protect children from a variety of diseases before they can enter school. Required up-to-date immunizations for a child entering any grade include diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, rubella and mumps. Haemophilus Influenzae Type B ( Hib) is required only for children entering preschool programming.
Hepatitis B is also required for children entering preschool programming, but is not required for children in kindergarten through fourth grades. Hepatitis B is, however, required for students entering fifth grade and above. Varicella (chicken pox) is required for students entering preschool programming through 10th grade.
Only students in the sixth and ninth grades needed to receive the Tdap vaccine last year. Now students must either show proof of having received a Tdap vaccination, or they must have an appointment to get it, or they must have on file an approved medical or religious exemption.
Students who got the Tdap shot last year, or got immunized with it any time since 2005, can simply show proof of having received the vaccine.
Aurora (July 16, Aurora Beacon News) East Aurora schools are being sued over a multi-million dollar food services contract in a suit alleging the district’s bidding process was flawed. Board members had been scheduled to vote July 1 on a $5.2 million contract to the second-lowest bidder, Aramark. The vote, however, was postponed, with officials citing the need to further review the bid documents. A lawsuit filed by OrganicLife, a Chicago-based company whose bid was reportedly $153,000 less than Aramark, is seeking to stop the district from awarding the food services contract to any other bidder. With the lawsuit pending, the board voted July 15 to award the food services contract to a Maryland-based company.
Bloomington (July 5, Bloomington Pantagraph) Under a planned new agreement local schools might share more information with police about potentially dangerous student behavior. Now in the hands of the McLean County Board is a proposed agreement between the county and 13 school districts that would allow school employees and police to exchange information on gang-related behavior and other activity that potentially affects school safety. McLean County Unit 5 and Bloomington District 87 school boards are expected to approve the measure before the start of the school year. Any information shared would not become part of the school’s records or be released to the public by the school.
Elgin (July 1, The Daily Herald) Elgin Area School District U-46 aims to mentor its most vulnerable students. Among its approximately 41,000 students, District U-46 had about 2,000 middle and high schoolers with at least two failing grades and five absences during the past school year. Their names went on a districtwide “2-5 list” so teachers and administrators could keep tabs on them. Incoming seniors on that list and those who have already dropped out of school will be the most sought-after groups for a new mentor initiative getting under way this summer. The district plans to work backward, bringing in juniors, sophomores and freshman as the number of mentors grows.
Geneva (July 5, Chicago Tribune) Geneva CUSD 304 soon will take a second look at offering full-day kindergarten. Right now, the district provides a half-day of instruction, or 2 1/2 hours, although the board has announced for a number of years that a full-day program is the long-term goal. Board President Mark Grosso said he had received several emails from parents in the past several months who would like to see a full-day option. Board members are looking for feedback from parents and taxpayers. They also want staff to do some research about what costs the switch would impose.
Palatine (July 5, The Daily Herald) Palatine Township Elementary District 15 officials are touting progress among English-language learners in a new district program. A recent report shows more students are eligible to “exit” their second-language program in 2013 compared to the previous two years. The state sets the exit criteria, requiring certain composite and literacy scores on the ACCESS test that measures English language proficiency. Administrators say new higher test scores support their belief that English literacy is best attained by first strengthening literacy in a student’s native language.
Park Ridge (July 8, The Daily Herald) Maine THSD 207 spent about $115,000 on an investigation that found staff members responded appropriately to hazing allegations. The bill stems from an independent probe launched in January. The district hired a Chicago-based law firm to review its response to reports that male athletes were subjected to hazing at Maine West High School in Des Plaines. District spokesman David Beery said the final tab came in “within range” of what school officials expected. In May, the firm’s lead investigator announced findings that Maine West staff members responded appropriately when two 14-year-old soccer players came forward last fall with allegations they were sexually assaulted as part of a hazing ritual. One coach was ultimately charged with misdemeanors, and charges against six juveniles were dropped.
Quincy (July 3, Chicago Tribune) The Quincy teachers organization has obtained a $76,760 grant to continue its campaign to educate the public about the “Common Core” state standards being adopted in Illinois. This marks the second straight year the local union has been awarded such a grant. The federation received a $75,000 grant last year to launch its educational campaign. Last year’s campaign included community forums, service club presentations, a website launch, plus flyers and 30-second public service announcements.
Statewide (July 8, Chicago Tribune)More than 1.1 million students, teachers and parents recently filled out Illinois’ first official statewide education survey, offering an unprecedented peek into thousands of classrooms.Responses, which were anonymous, provided details on how teachers teach, children learn and principals lead, with the survey’s goal to drive improvements in the state’s public schools.Local districts began combing through preliminary results last month, and parents and taxpayers are expected to see the final results in the fall through a website, state officials said.
Report on school funding
The Illinois State Board of Education’s School Funding Working Group plans to have a deliverable white paper ready by Aug. 15, the date of the next scheduled ISBE meeting. The goal is to produce a paper that has teeth and not just “nice words.”
The topics must include the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), flat grant districts, and poverty grant, to begin with. The panel members reviewed what the state school finance system should like in broad terms. The paper must include the shared responsibility of financing public schools; plus the outcomes ISBE wants, the panelists agreed at their first meeting June 19.
Preliminary scores posted
The 2013 preliminary results for the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) are now available for school district review in the Student Information System. Assessment score descriptions are online at: http://www.isbe.net/assessment/pdfs/asmt_scores_desc.pdf.
RtI Network conference set
Registration has begun for the Illinois RtI Network’s second annual statewide conference, “Integrating Initiatives and Advancing Implementation.” Districts are strongly encouraged to attend in teams, with a limit of three (3) attendees per district, according to event planners.
The RtI conference is scheduled for Sep. 23-24 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The two-day conference registration fee is $160 per person, and the deadline to register is Sep. 9. All participants must register online.
More information is available online at: http://bit.ly/1dzMQ0y .
Online applications
The Association’s online application process for school executive searches continues to work well, which means information about and from candidates can be accessed quickly.
It also means candidates can apply and modify their materials at their convenience, with applicants for previous openings having their materials kept on file for any future applications they may be interested in pursuing.
During the 2012-2013 school year, IASB conducted 33 superintendent searches, out of a total of 110 superintendent replacements in the state.
August 15 deadlines
Aug. 15 is an important deadline for schools seeking reimbursement for special education and transportation costs. Claims for special education costs or extraordinary related services must be transmitted by each local school district to the state superintendent by Aug. 15.
State law sets out those requirements at 14-7.02; and 14-12.01. Aug. 15 is also the last day to submit certification of all student transportation claims for reimbursement for the past school year that ended June 30 (29-5).
Legal deadlines calendar
IASB posts a new legal dates calendar online at the end of August each year. Staff members proof the calendar for accuracy with the Illinois State Board of Elections calendar (it is not yet online).
The ISBE calendar generally is not finalized until the middle of August. Dates for August and September of 2013 can be obtained, however, from the current calendar that is online at: http://iasb.com/pdf/cal_13.pdf.
August 15 – New Superintendents’ Luncheon, IASB, Springfield
August 23-24 – IASB Board of Directors’ Meeting, Oak Brook
August 24 – Leading Leaders: The Job of the Board President , IASB, Springfield
August 24 – Leading Leaders: The Job of the Board President , Carbondale
September 11 – Starved Rock Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Mendota
September 19 – Northwest Division Fall Dinner Meeting , Lake Carroll
September 24 – Illini Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Rantoul
September 24 – Western Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Macomb
September 26 – Central Illinois Valley Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Eureka
September 26 – Wabash Valley Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Lawrenceville
September 30 – West Cook Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Elmwood Park
For more current information, see www.iasb.com/calendar/