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School Board News Bulletin
August 1999

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NEA delegates allow mergers of state-level NEA & AFT affiliates

New board members must be seated in November

NEWS FROM IASB

IASB fall division dinner meetings—1999

NATIONAL SCENE

Ford foundation to help five urban districts improve schools

American Education Week scheduled for November

RESEARCH REPORTS

Poll shows high schoolers not interested in teaching

Use of drugs starts early, report shows

Teacher licensing tests too easy, study says

Teachers do not feel prepared

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

New school PR handbook marketed

Apple journal is online

Preventing suicides is topic of new book

WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

Free seminar set on electric purchasing consortium

National technology conference planned

Despite continued opposition from some state affiliates, six state-level mergers of National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) organizations appear imminent, according to NEA officials.

That’s because five separate proposals on state-level mergers won approval in the representative assembly of the NEA at its annual convention recently in Orlando, Florida. The delegates thereby approved a change in NEA bylaws to create blueprints for state-level mergers. Mergers are most likely to begin in New Mexico and Montana.

The major teacher unions have effectively merged in two states already—Minnesota and Florida—even though technically the NEA’s old bylaws prohibited such mergers. The Minnesota and Florida mergers are permitted, however, under the new NEA guidelines, which are to take effect in September.

NEA delegates decided, however, that former AFT members in Minnesota must pay dues to both the NEA and AFT for all of 1998-99. Delegates narrowly rejected a proposal to waive the NEA dues for July and August for those Minnesota teachers who formerly belonged only to the Minnesota AFT affiliate.

The NEA assembly passed a resolution, however, directing union members and leaders to follow guidelines for combining the national chapters of the AFT and NEA. The guidelines were assembled through an NEA member survey.

Source: Education USA, July 12, 1999.

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Boards of education must hold an organizational meeting this year "within seven days after the first Tuesday after the first Monday," in November to meet statutory requirements. Thus, the period for holding board organizational meetings begins on Wednesday, November 3 and continues through Tuesday, November 9.

Canvassing votes will not be part of a board’s organizational meeting. The following business should be conducted during the meeting: new board members seated, board officers elected, and regular meeting dates set.

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NATIONAL SCENE

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Ford foundation to help five urban districts improve schools

Five big-city school districts—Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, and New Orleans—will implement a new approach to school reform, with the support of a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation.

Funds will not go directly to the districts, but will support technical assistance to them to help turn around low-performing schools. The school redesign project has two major elements: the creation of labor-management teams and the use of programs with a track record of results. Project leaders described the effort as "making more systematic something that now happens mostly by chance."

The project is sponsored by the State and Local Government Labor-Management Committee (SLG-LMC), which is composed of 29 national unions, public employer organizations, and education groups, including NSBA.

"Improving student learning is our top priority," said Hal Seamon, deputy executive director of NSBA, and former executive director of IASB. "Through strong leadership and the establishment of collaborative relationships with other education groups, we believe achievement levels can be raised significantly."

The NSBA has recently launched the Key Work of School Boards initiative to help local school boards, including those in urban districts, in their efforts to raise student achievement.

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American Education Week scheduled for November

IASB’s Joint Annual Conference, in Chicago November 19-21, will get under way this year during American Education Week. American Education Week is scheduled for November 14-20, 1999.

The theme for the 78th annual observance of American Education Week is "Students Today, Leaders Tomorrow."

For suggestions on how to celebrate the week in your schools, and other related information, visit the National Education Association’s Web site at http://www.nea.org/aew.

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RESEARCH REPORTS

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Poll shows high schoolers not interested in teaching

A Milken Family Foundation study shows only 14 percent of high school students have a "strong interest" in teaching and more than 55 percent have little or no interest in such a career. The survey cites lack of respect and low salaries as perceived drawbacks to a teaching career. The lack of interest was highest among African Americans (68 percent), and young men (62 percent). The report was cited in Education Daily.

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Use of drugs starts early, report shows

A new report says drug use often is a habit for children as early as fourth grade. The Parents’ Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) said 1.6 percent of fourth graders have smoked cigarettes, 2.1 percent have had beer and 2.2 percent have used inhalants within the previous month. About 0.4 percent reported marijuana use. Among sixth graders, the numbers increase to 7 percent for cigarettes, 4.7 percent for beer and 2.7 percent for inhalants used in the previous month. About 1.7 percent of sixth graders reported using marijuana in the previous month.

The nationwide study included 26,086 students in grades four to six in the 1997-98 school year, Education Daily reports.

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Teacher licensing tests too easy, study says

A study by The Education Trust, a Washington, DC-based group that fights for higher teaching standards, concludes that teacher licensing exams are too easy. The study, cited in Education Daily, found most states use low-level exams that rarely assess material beyond high school standards.

Source: Briefcase, Ohio School Boards Association newsletter, June 23, 1999.

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Teachers do not feel prepared

"Teacher education and professional development programs are not addressing realities found in today’s classrooms,’" according to U.S. Education Secretary Richard W. Riley.

A U.S. Department of Education poll of 3,560 teachers in K-12 classrooms found that just one in five teachers claims to be "very well prepared’’ for using computers in the classroom. Likewise, just one in five felt assured about teaching special education or bilingual students.

The study shows a pressing need to change how teachers are trained for changing classrooms, Riley said.

Source: Associated Press report by Anjetta McQueen, July 22, 1999.

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NEWS FROM IASB

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IASB fall division dinner meetings—1999

Fall division meetings of the Illinois Association of School Boards are scheduled as follows:

Sept. 7 Abe Lincoln & Illini Decatur

Sept. 9 Starved Rock LaSalle

Sept. 14 Wabash Valley Neoga

Sept. 16 Northwest Lake Carroll

Sept. 27 Two Rivers Alexander

Sept. 29 Kishwaukee Bartlett

Sept. 30 South Cook Country Club Hills

Sept. 30 Three Rivers Joliet

Oct. 4 Shawnee Marion

Oct. 5 Corn Belt Pontiac

Oct. 5 Egyptian Mt. Vernon

Oct. 5 Kaskaskia Hillsboro

Oct. 6 Central Ill. Valley Dunlap

Oct. 6 Southwestern Belleville (?)

Oct. 7 Western Canton

Oct. 13 DuPage Lisle

Oct. 14 Lake Mundelein

Oct. 28 Blackhawk Kewanee

Note: Abe Lincoln/Illini may hold joint meeting Sept. 7, 9, or 13; but no meeting is yet scheduled for North Cook or West Cook.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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New school PR handbook marketed

The National School Public Relations Association has issued a new school handbook designed to provide a framework on public relations, including practical models of superior PR for board members, superintendents and others.

The handbook, Public School Relations: Building Confidence in Education, illustrates why a good school-community relations program depends on three main ingredients:

1. Planning. Public school relations is a continuous operation that requires the board to make a commitment to establishing communications policies that call for effective analysis.

2. Systematic information gathering. Schools must develop an uninterrupted and systematic process for reaching out to internal and external audiences. This may be accomplished through various processes, including focus groups, audits and public opinion surveys.

3. Honesty. While accomplishments of the schools need to be communicated, school leaders must be willing, as well, to share problems and discuss what has been done to solve them.

The 274-page handbook is available for $54.95 from NSPRA, 14948 Derwood Road, Rockville, MD 20855; phone 301/519-0496.

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Apple journal is online

The Spring-Summer 1999 issue of the Learning Technology Review, Apple’s research journal for educators, is now available on the Apple web site at: http://www.apple.com/education/LTReview/index.html.

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Preventing suicides is topic of new book

A new book offers insight into detecting suicidal tendencies in children and youths, comforting troubled kids, and contacting helpful authorities. Titled The Power to Prevent Suicide, the book is $16.20, including shipping, from Free Spirit Publishing, 400 First Ave. North, Ste. 616, Minneapolis, MN 55401; phone 612/338-2068.

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WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

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Free seminar set on electric purchasing consortium

The Illinois Energy Consortium (IEC), recently formed by school management interests to enable schools to jointly choose electric power suppliers at lower rates, is offering a series of free seminars in early September.

The IEC was formed after more than 500 school districts expressed an immediate interest in the joint purchasing of electricity. IASB, IASA, and IASBO were involved in the initial planning and organizing and all have endorsed the IEC.

Consortium insiders say they believe the combined purchasing volume of up to 500 school districts will enable the IEC to attract strong, competitive power suppliers to offer more attractive terms. Thus, schools might be able to buy electric power on better terms than would be offered to an individual school district.

To learn more about the IEC informational seminars, phone 815/753-9350.

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National technology conference planned

NSBA has announced its 13th annual Technology & Learning Conference November 10-13 at the Dallas Convention Center. Keynote speakers are Steve Case, CEO of America Online; Mae Jemison, astronaut, scientist and educator; and Daniel Burrus, futurist.

New this year to the technology meeting is the School Technology Excellence Fair, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, November 13. The event will offer a first-hand look at how schools nationwide are successfully integrating technology-based tools and resources into their K-12 curriculum, administrative applications and community outreach efforts.

For more information, online registration or submissions, see http://www.nsba.org/T+L.

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IASB sets intermediate workshop on school board membership

An intermediate-level workshop for school board members has been scheduled for five locations in September and October by the Illinois Association of School Boards.

The Fundamentals of School Law and Finance workshop is designed primarily for new school board members, and will cover the basic knowledge that board members typically need for informed decision making. Experienced board members interested in a review or "refresher" and superintendents are also welcome.

The workshop will run all day Saturday on the following schedule: September 18, at The ServiceMaster Company in Downers Grove; September 25 at the Holiday Inn Express in Joliet and at Rend Lake Resort; Saturday, October 2 at the Holiday Inn in Rockford and the Ramada Limited in Springfield.

Tuition is $95 per person. For more information, call 217/528-9688, extension 1118, or 630/629-3776, extension 1221. Or check information at the IASB website at http://www.iasb.com.

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IASB ARCHIVES HOME

Illinois Association of School Boards

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703