Joint Annual Conference preview outlines events as planning aid
A preview for the 2007 Joint Annual Conference in Chicago was mailed in mid-September and is available online at: http://www.iasb.com/jac/conferenceoverview2007.pdf .
Information contained in the preview includes a master schedule of all events; descriptions and time slots for more than 110 panel sessions to be offered over the three-day conference; descriptions of eight pre-conference workshops to be offered on Friday, Nov. 16; the lineup of participants in the Carousel of Panels on Saturday, Nov. 17; descriptions of panels for board/district secretaries to be offered on Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17; and biographical notes for this year's three general session speakers.
The official Conference Program with room assignments for all events, an index of participants, hotel maps, a panel planner by topic and time, and an index of all exhibitors will be available as soon as conference registration opens at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 16.
Conference registration packets and badges will be mailed Nov. 2 for registrations received prior to the Oct.12 deadline.
Carousel of Panels
Imagine one large room where 28 important panel presentations will be offered at one time and then twice repeated. That describes the "Carousel of Panels" event planned for the 2007 Joint Annual Conference. Over a one hour and 45 minute time block, you can pick and choose to participate in three different panels of 30 minutes each.
The Carousel will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, 1:30-3:15 p.m., Sheraton 5, Ballroom Level IV at the 2007 Conference. The presentations will include:
EEE event
Winning school designs will be on display in the Riverside Center exhibit hall at the 2007 Joint Annual Conference, including photos of finished school projects completed by architects and other design professionals. Featured designs will be those earning recognition and awards in the 2007 Exhibition of Educational Environments, sponsored by IASB Service Associates. The winners were chosen Sep. 20 at IASB headquarters in Springfield.
This annual design competition seeks entries from firms engaged in any aspect of designing public school facilities, whether such facilities are intended for instructional, recreational, administrative or other use. To be eligible to win, construction projects had to be completed in time for occupancy with the start of school this fall.
Whenever you have some free moments at the 2007 Joint Annual Conference, be sure to look over the display of these winning school designs. Competition sponsors say you're sure to find some intriguing and innovative ideas for designing, constructing or equipping public school facilities. More about this event and a list of the 2007 winners can be found at: http://www.iasb.com/jac/eee.cfm.
Metzger, Alesandrini nominated as officers for Association
The IASB Delegate Assembly will elect Association officers on Saturday, Nov. 17, during the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago. IASB's nominating committee has endorsed the following slate of officers: Mark C. Metzger, Indian Prairie CUSD 204, Naperville, as president, and Joe Alesandrini, Pekin CHSD 303, as vice president.
Metzger is completing his second term as IASB vice president and has been a member of his local board of education since 1991. The district has more than 28,000 students housed in 32 buildings. He has served as president, secretary and committee chair of every committee on his local school board.
Metzger joined the IASB Board of Directors in 2001 when he was elected statewide director-at-large. He was elected director of the DuPage Division in 2003, and has been a member of the IASB executive committee since 2004. Metzger is chairman of the Resolutions Committee and has served as an alternate delegate to the NSBA Delegate Assembly.
He has long been an IASB delegate, a presenter at the Joint Annual Conference and at National School Boards Association and Illinois Association of School Administrators conferences. He has also presented at IASB LeaderShop offerings, and holds both LeaderShop Academy membership and Master Board Member status, which he has maintained since 1997.
Metzger owns the Law Offices of Mark C. Metzger, Aurora, where he practices in the areas of administrative and governmental law, and business bankruptcy law. His community activities include being a member of the board of directors of Rush-Copley Medical Center, and a church volunteer. He is a former member of the Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce.
Vice president nominee Alesandrini has served as treasurer of the Association for the past two years, having previously served in that post on an interim basis. Alesandrini is president of the Pekin school board and director of IASB's Central Illinois Valley Division. He has been an IASB director since 1997, and presently chairs the Audit Committee for IASB.
Alesandrini is chief financial officer of Modal Marketing, Inc., in Pekin. He is treasurer and past president of the Pekin American Business Club (AMBUCS), and advisory board member of Pekin Hospital Progressive Health Systems. He has been honored for support of Boys and Girls Club of Pekin, and other youth organizations.
The nominating committee met Aug. 24-25 to interview candidates for the Association's leadership positions. The committee this year is chaired by Ray Zimmerman, and members are: Roger Edgecombe, Roger Pfister, Carol Farnum and Joanne Zendol (Joanne Osmond and John Metzger are alternates).
Upon election of new top officers of IASB, President Marie Slater will become Immediate Past President. As usual, the new officers elected will assume office at the close of the annual meeting of the Delegate Assembly, which this year falls on Nov. 17.
State survey on nature, quality of state services sent presidents
IASB has distributed a two-part survey to the board presidents of all member school districts. The Survey of Illinois School Districts is conducted annually by the lieutenant governor's office in order to gather feedback on the need for and quality of the services of the Illinois State Board of Education and the Regional Offices of Education.
State law (105 ILCS 5/2-3.112) requires this annual survey about the nature and quality of state services being delivered to school districts. By statute a service evaluation committee under the lieutenant governor's direction is impaneled each year; it is composed of seven members, including representatives of IASB and the Illinois Association of School Administrators.
Part I of the survey evaluates the services and functions of the Illinois State Board of Education. Each of its 40 questions asks respondents to rate the ISBE performance as "excellent," "satisfactory," or "needs improvement." Similar ratings are used in Part II, a 22-question survey that assesses the services and functions of the Regional Offices of Education.
IASB has mailed the surveys to each member board president. Surveys may be filled out and mailed to: Office of the Lieutenant Governor, c/o Ted Gibbs, 100 West Randolph, Suite 15-200, Chicago, IL 60601.
An online version of the two surveys from the lieutenant governor is also available from IASB at il.schoolboard.net. Log-in access is required. To log-in, enter your username: firstname_lastname (lower case, no spaces); and password. If you have never logged onto schoolboard.net, the password is iasb (lowercase, no spaces). If you have already logged onto schoolboard.net, use your current password.
Once you have logged in, go to "My Groups" pull-down menu and click on the "Board Presidents." When the Board Presidents page opens, scroll down to surveys and click on Parts 1 and 2 of the Lieutenant Governor Survey.
Please complete both surveys; the questions should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. When finished, click on "submit." (Note: if desired, make a hard copy of the survey responses before submitting.)
The deadline for returning completed surveys is Nov. 1. Quinn will tally the results and submit a written report of the surveys to the governor, the legislature, ISBE, and ROEs by Dec. 15. Results of the 2006 education surveys can be viewed online at: http://www.standingupforillinois.org/find/library.php.
State superintendents' conference speakers share advice
Achievement gap wanes but parents must step up
Racial achievement gaps have narrowed substantially in the past 40 years, according to a Harvard University economist and public policy lecturer, and they could be closed within another generation. But to do that, the social origins of the problem must be addressed both by schools and parents.
"We have to find ways to help kids fit socially," said Ronald Ferguson, closing speaker at the 30th Annual Superintendents' Conference in Springfield, tying the rise of ‘Hip Hop' culture to a decrease in reading scores. "The challenge is to put parents on the hook without taking schools off the hook."
Ferguson pointed to statistics that show that parents who demand high accountability but also show a great amount of warmth have children who are high achievers, no matter what their ethnicity. At the other end of the spectrum, the same is also true: low demand and low warmth lead to low achievement with no substantial difference in any racial category.
The difference, he added, is the percentages that show many more black and Hispanic children have parents on the low end of the spectrum.
That 62 percent of the achievement gap has disappeared in the past 17 years is cause for optimism, Ferguson concluded, but "we still have a lot of work to do."
The conference opened with a presentation by Jennifer Presley of the Illinois Education Research Council and Steve Tozer, a professor of policy studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, who provided statistics to debunk the myth that 50 percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years and don't come back.
Presley showed how the rate of teachers leaving was much greater in the 1970s (56 percent) and that Illinois loses just 27 percent of its teachers currently. And those who leave and come back have shorter gaps in their teaching employment history, she said.
Tozer offered that the greatest single leverage point schools have for improving student learning is the principal, but that most school leaders don't know how to get students to perform above their neighborhood status.
That doesn't mean it isn't being done. Tozer's scatter graph of reading performance showed a number of high-poverty, high-achieving schools in Illinois. The challenge, he said, is to find out what makes those schools successful.
In his first conference address as state superintendent, Christopher Koch said his agency continues to look at ways to streamline paperwork for districts as well as looking for ways to ask for less and make the data do more work.
While he doesn't foresee any big changes with the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, he did say that all states will be allowed to apply to use growth model assessments. Illinois has been working slowly and diligently on a proposed process to help insure that what the state proposes the next time might be acceptable.
On the subject of the budget, Koch said schools "did pretty well," but he cautioned that fully funded mandated categoricals will not be assured until a budget implementation bill passes.
Annual School Calendar at iasb.com lists legal deadlines
The Annual School Calendar for 2007-2008 was recently published by IASB in order to assist school districts to prepare their local school calendars. It is now available on the IASB Web site at: http://www.iasb.com/law/cal08.cfm .
The calendar is not distributed in a printed version; however, it is posted online so that it is available more quickly and allows for revisions to reflect any new legislation enacted or the correction of any errors.
Subscribers to IASB's Online Update [to subscribe mail to: onlineupdate@iasb.com] will be notified of any revisions to the calendar.
Highlights are as follows:
1. This year's calendar reflects recent changes to Daylight Savings Time, which this year ends Nov. 4, 2007, and resumes March 9, 2008.
2. The state's General Primary Election has been moved from March to Feb. 5, 2008. This change results in earlier deadlines for submitting public policy questions and certification of the same. Public Act 95-0006, effective June 20, 2007, made these changes.
3. Public Act 95-0496, effective Aug. 28, 2007, changes the reporting requirements for high school students enrolled in accredited courses in community colleges. This Act removes the requirement that the school report to the regional superintendent. Instead, schools now report directly to the State Board of Education.
4. The same Act also changes the reporting requirement for drop-outs. PA 95-0496 eliminates the requirement that regional superintendents report the information to the State Board of Education.
Dates contained in the updated calendar comply with all statutory deadlines contained in the Election Code, School Code and selected acts of the General Assembly. The calendar does not contain dates imposed by the State Board of Education or its regulations.
Annual conference to again host school board secretaries
IASB this year is expanding a two-day training strand for school board and district secretaries and clerks or recording secretaries at the 2007 Joint Annual Conference. This year's event features 12 topics plus a "meet-and-greet" session.
Sessions for board support professionals will run concurrently on both Friday, Nov. 16, and Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Swissotel, Chicago. There is no separate registration fee for these programs, but participants must be paid registrants for the conference.
These professional development opportunities are open to school board members and district staff who serve as board secretaries or who perform the duties of the board secretary, including superintendent secretaries and administrative assistants. Substantive topics to be covered include: Manuals, policies and updates; The role of the school board: governance basics; Electronic board packets; Boot camp for new board secretaries; Working with difficult people and challenging behaviors; IWAS (ISBE web application security); Burn out and stress; School board meeting protocol; Handling media inquiries with confidence; "FISH" (building an enthusiastic attitude); Legislative update; and Networking for board support professionals.
Registration is available online at www.iasb.com/jac07/.
For more information about the in-service strand for board support professionals, phone Holly Jack, at ext. 1229, or check out the IASB Web site, www.iasb.com, for information about the 2007 Joint Annual Conference itself.
Other conference highlights will include: 115 panel sessions, with sessions scheduled each day of the conference to address the concerns and meet the needs of school board members; a special tour of Chicago public schools on Friday, a seminar for school attorneys, also on Friday; workshops designed specifically for school administrators by the Illinois Association of School Administrators, and those for school business officials by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.
Another feature returning this year will be a conference bingo game, to be played downstairs in the exhibit hall at the Chicago Hyatt, in Riverside Center. Sponsored by IASB Service Associates, the game will feature a $75 prize for those who can complete their bingo card by visiting every Service Associates booth to get their card stamped. Participating booths will be identifiable by a specially marked balloon.
Conference registrants may also attend any of the General Sessions, Panel Sessions, and the Hyatt Comiskey Room, where IASB services are explained by Association staff, as well as the conference bookstore, exhibit hall, and other events and venues of the Joint Annual Conference.
Many strike notices but few teacher strikes seen in 2007
A total of 22 school districts have received intent-to-strike notices this year, but only two teacher strikes had occurred as of Oct. 1. Most of the threatened work stoppages ended in contract settlements.
The first strike this school year was in Harlem District 122, Machesney Park, in far northwestern Illinois. A total of 516 teachers struck on Aug. 21 and ended Aug. 27.
The second was in Cahokia CUSD 187. The Cahokia strike involves about 300 teachers and 200 service workers and secretaries. The teachers' contracts expired Aug. 12 and the service workers' contract expired July 1. A strike began on Sept. 17 and ended on Sept. 28.
The news was much better in another recent labor dispute, when the district and employees settled quickly without a strike in Mahomet-Seymour CUSD 3. The district is located in east-central Illinois, near Champaign, with 350 certified and non-certified staff. The employees filed notice of their intent to strike on Aug. 14, but a tentative settlement was reached eight days later, on Aug. 22, heading off a strike.
Similar good news came in Rockford District 205, where negotiators reached an agreement on Aug. 27, just ten days after employees had filed a notice of intent to strike. The agreement covers 2,000 teachers, nurses and professional staff.
Some school districts are still faced with intent-to-strike notices, including:
Source: Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) Web site at: http://www.iasaedu.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/05/25/4475d4f21edb4.
Board members resign based on past district employment
Four school board members in Moline CUSD 40 resigned on Sep. 17 after they were told that their status as former school employees represented an unavoidable conflict of interest.
Ben McAdams is a retired district superintendent and Gary Brown a former building-level administrator. Linda Davis is a former elementary school teacher and Jeff Quick is a former teacher and coach.
Their resignations were triggered when they were officially informed that their health insurance policies as district retirees created a conflict. Continued service on the board allegedly could have made future votes invalid and exposed them and the district to possible litigation.
After Quick, Brown and McAdams were elected in April, the question arose as to how the seven-member board would vote on issues such as group insurance benefits when four of them were retirees.
To get an answer, the district turned to the Illinois State Board of Education and the Rock Island Regional Office of Education and its attorney. They wrote back that the four had an "impermissible" conflict of interest, no matter what they were voting on.
"I don't think anyone sitting in this room wasn't caught off guard by this," school board president Kathy Weiman said during the four school leaders' final meeting.
Superintendent Cal Lee noted that the Illinois School Code does allow the spouse of a retired employee receiving insurance benefits to sit on a school board, but the School Code does not specifically address the Moline district's situation. It merely addresses the issue of abstaining from voting.
State Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, is planning to introduce legislation during the upcoming veto session, which began Oct. 3, that would ease any legal conflict of interest and allow former district employees receiving insurance benefits to serve on school boards.
The Moline school board intends to fill its four vacancies by soliciting letters of intent from residents and will appoint new members within 45 days.
Robert M. Cole awards given for good school board news coverage
Eleven newspapers received awards in the 27th annual Robert M. Cole Awards competition for 2007, including the Belleville News-Democrat, which earned first place in the large daily newspaper category.
The Cole Awards are sponsored by the Illinois Association of School Boards and conducted by the Illinois Press Association to recognize newspapers that are doing an outstanding job of covering local school boards and emphasizing the community's connection with local public school districts.
The Belleville paper was not the only first-place Cole Award winner. The Times, Ottawa, won first prize in the medium-size daily category, the Times-Republic, Watseka, won first prize in the small daily newspaper category, and The Doings, LaGrange, won first prize in the non-daily newspaper category.
The News-Democrat also earned 2nd place in the large daily newspaper category, followed by the Pantagraph, Bloomington, in 3rd place.
The Pekin Daily Times earned 2nd place in the mid-size daily newspaper category, while second prize for small dailies went to the Morris Daily Herald. Earning 2nd place in the non-daily category was the Coal City Courant, and 3rd place went to the Ledger-Sentinel, Oswego. Honorable mention was awarded to the Village Voices, Lena.
Winning papers' reporters, stories, and judges' comments are:
Named in memory of the first executive director of IASB, the Robert M. Cole Award recognizes outstanding coverage of education issues that emphasizes the community's connection with its local public school district.
Winners were announced Friday, Sep. 21, at the annual convention of the Illinois Press Association. James Russell of the IASB communications department presented plaques to first place winners.
There were 26 entries for this year's school board coverage awards. Members of the Virginia Press Association judged the contest.
Share school concerns with those in Congress
Learn about federal issues and participate in the federal process by attending the National School Boards Association's Annual Federal Relations Network Conference in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 3-5, 2008. The main topics will be reauthorization of NCLB and funding for IDEA (special education). Take this opportunity to discuss these issues with your congressman and senators. If you might be interested in attending, please stop by the legislative booth at the Joint Annual Conference in November.
Education week theme: Great Public Schools
The theme for "American Education Week," coming up Nov. 11-17, is "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility." (See poster on p. 5.)
The theme highlights the importance of bringing together educators, school staff, parents, students, and communities in a unified effort to build great public schools. During American Education Week this year Illinois will celebrate School Board Members Day. An IASB and School Management Alliance initiative, a proclamation of the day was enacted by state lawmakers via HR 162 (Kosel).
Because school boards are partners in building great public schools, school leaders need to be aware of the education week theme and that an online toolkit is available. Organizers say it is filled with activity ideas, media tips, promotional materials, and background information at: http:// www.nea.org/aew/toolkit.html.
Statewide testing under NCLB shows mixed results
The percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards for The Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) statewide increased from 77 percent in 2006 to 79 percent in 2007, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The biggest gains in the ISAT, which measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards were achieved by third graders.
In contrast, the statewide average of students meeting and exceeding standards for high school students in the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) fell from 54 percent last year to 53 percent this year. The PSAE measures the achievement of students in grade 11 relative to the Illinois Learning Standards for reading, mathematics, science, and writing. The most notable decline was seen in reading scores, where pass rates dropped from 58 last year to 54 percent this year. Math scores had been improving the previous few years, while reading results have dropped two years in a row. Science scores rose by less than one percent this year to 51 percent.
As with the ISAT, the PSAE results give parents, teachers, and schools one measure of student learning and school performance. The State Board of Education released the statewide averages in mid September. Individual school results will be released later this year.
In another test called IMAGE, the percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards increased to 63 percent from 62 percent last year. The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) measures individual student achievement for English language learners relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. IMAGE is administered to qualifying English language learners or limited English proficient students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11.
The statewide testing results are used for NCLB purposes to compare schools and school districts against national goals. Schools that do not meet the standards can face tough sanctions.
A comparison of the results from 2006 and 2007 ISAT and PSAE are summarized below.
State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch stated that while ISAT and IMAGE results are promising, the state is seeing some decline with PSAE data, "which suggest that there is still much work to be done, particularly at the high school level.
"While it is important to take time to celebrate our accomplishments, we must stay committed to improving the outcomes for every student," Koch said.
Insiders say high school leaders need to continue their efforts to improve their outcomes through specific actions outlined in their School Improvement Plans. Such plans are a requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act for all schools receiving Title I funds that do not meet Annual Yearly Progress goals on the PSAE .
Record numbers take AP tests; SAT scores soar higher
A record number of Illinois high school students took Advanced Placement (AP) tests in 2006-2007, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. More than 55,000 public and non-public juniors and seniors took AP tests, representing a 9.9 percent increase over 2006. In addition, the state also saw a significant increase in all minority groups taking AP classes.
AP Examinations provide students the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities by demonstrating students' ability to do college-level work in a given discipline in a secondary school setting. Rigorously developed by committees of college and AP high school faculty, there are 35 AP Exams in 20 subject areas.
In addition to the record number of students taking the AP tests, there was a 7.9 percent increase in the number of tests being scored high enough to receive college credit. An individual student may take more than one test and the number of tests taken increased by more than 10,000 in 2007 to 98,000. AP classes and tests are taken by high school students, often for dual credit with higher education institutions.
Overall, African American and Puerto Rican participation in AP tests was up more than 30 percent. The number of those students taking AP tests increased by 32.6 percent to 7,479. Puerto Rican participants in AP testing increased by 34.3 percent to 857. Previously many minority students who most need help from programs such as AP apparently had been left behind. For example, African-American students, who made up 14 percent of the nation's student population last school year, were only 7 percent of the participants in 2006 AP testing.
The latest AP test results were released by the College Board, along with the annual SAT results, which once again increased statewide as Illinois students outperformed their counterparts across the nation. Illinois' composite math score of 611 was 96 points higher than the national average and two points higher than last year. In the reading section, Illinois students averaged at 594, or 92 points higher than the national average and five points higher than last year.
Since 1997, Illinois' reading scores have increased 32 points – from 562 to a high of 594. The state's mathematics scores have also jumped 33 points from 578 in 1997.
The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills students need for academic success in postsecondary education. The test is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. Each SAT test is scored on an 800-point scale.
Governor will support bill for school construction money
Support promised if passed without strings
Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he will support a bill that gives $150 million to schools for long-awaited construction grants, so long as it isn't loaded down with other spending. School districts and state legislators had complained for some time that Blagojevich scuttled their effort this summer to provide funding for 23 school districts that had previously qualified for state assistance (see School construction in limbo: governor holds bill for 60 days' in the September Newsbulletin.)
These districts have waited more than four years for promised state assistance. Some of the schools impacted need general fixups, while others need new buildings. Superintendents from the districts say that as time passes, construction costs grow higher and buildings become less safe. Some districts have raised local property taxes to come up with replacement money while waiting for the state to deliver its share of matching funds.
After a news conference on Sept. 4 by lawmakers and school superintendents calling for corrective action, the governor's office said Blagojevich will support a bill awarding the money as long as it isn't tied to other spending proposals.
"We should help the school districts on the waiting list as well as the many districts all over Illinois with growing infrastructure needs," said Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch. "The governor will support a clean appropriations bill if lawmakers send him one, but that still doesn't help hundreds of schools that are not yet on the waiting list."
At least three bills have been introduced to take care of the districts in the fall veto session that was scheduled to begin Oct. 2.
A supplemental spending bill approved by lawmakers in May included $150 million for the 23 school districts awaiting promised state aid for construction projects. However, the bill also included money for many other programs, including a controversial 10 percent pay raise for the governor, lawmakers and other state officials.
Blagojevich signed the bill and waited until 30 minutes before it would have become law anyway. But the administration said the school construction money couldn't be used because the supplemental budget bill covered the budget year that ended June 30. It said school districts would have had to apply for the money during that budget year and that none had applied in time.
That prompted an angry response from some legislators. "They (local districts) heard for years they had all the paperwork in place, but there was no money," Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, said on Sep. 4. "Then we put the money in place, and they hear the paperwork is not in place."
Bradley was one of more than a dozen House members of both parties who appeared at a news conference to promote House Bill 4130, which would give the districts their money.
"This is an attempt for us to say, ‘What additional excuses could there be out there not to build these schools?'" Bradley said.
Ironically perhaps, the idea behind the current school construction program is that the influence of politics over funding should be kept to a minimum. Grant applications are subjected to a rigorous review process whereby two state agencies rank each application according to criteria such as whether a district has sufficient classroom space to meet a booming population.
Two similar funding measures have been introduced in the Illinois legislature this year, one of them by Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, whose district includes Rochester CUSD 3, which is in line for more than $10 million if the money is approved.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago has not taken a position on a house version of the bill. A spokeswoman for Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, said Jones still supports a more comprehensive capital bill but will consider legislation that at least takes care of the 23 school districts.
High schools asked to help connect the generations in meetings on campuses
The next wave of Generations Connect 2007 meetings are now underway, and are planned to run through November. These meetings feature intergenerational discussions held at high schools — as well as community colleges and universities — around the state, and are designed to increase the momentum for intergenerational leadership.
Generations Connect meetings establish communication between students and retirees. Project organizers say that by joining forces, younger and older generations can try to help bring new momentum to solve old concerns facing education. They are asking high school principals to sponsor local Generations Connect meetings on their campuses and in their schools from now through the end of the month of November.
Last fall, 30 university and community college presidents and chancellors hosted Generations Connect meetings. These meetings brought together retirees and students in a variety of ways, but the main goal was to encourage discussion between generations and take steps toward addressing concerns of preschool through college education. But in 2007, Generations Connect includes high school venues for the first time.
To ask a question about this project via e-mail write: generationsconnect@gmail.com.
Online registration is available for Generations Connect 2007 at: http://www.siu.edu/offices/iii/GenCon2007.html.
Additional information is available on the web site at: http://www.siu.edu/offices/iii/.
Carpentersville (Aug. 29, Northwest Herald) A measure that would forbid companies from donating to school political campaigns and doing business with the school district failed to get enough votes from the Carpentersville CUSD 300 school board on Aug. 27. Its goal would be to remove the possibility of a company "buying" a contract through a political contribution. "My intent here is to be future thinking, not reactive," the sponsor noted. "Just because it hasn't happened does not mean it cannot." But some board members suggested that the proposal limited free speech, while others said it needed more work.
Elgin (Aug. 16, The Daily Herald) A federal judge on Aug. 15 strongly advised the lawyers in the Elgin Area District U-46 bias lawsuit to discuss settlement. Both sides have stated their willingness to settle. The lawsuit alleges bias against black and Hispanic students in U-46, but the district has enacted a series of educational enhancements in recent years that administrators say are the key remedies sought by litigants. Initiatives include an audit of the district's bilingual program, all-day kindergarten for at-risk students, and class-size caps at schools with lagging test scores.
Gurnee (Aug. 7, The Daily Herald) Officials at Woodland Elementary District 50, Gurnee, plan to save district funds by not paying to educate children who should be in another public school system. Last academic year about 60 students who didn't live within Woodland's boundaries cost taxpayers nearly $579,000, school leaders said. To keep out children who don't belong, a proof-of-residency event will debut in coming weeks. The idea to verify residency each year was recommended by a committee of parents, staff and others in the community.
Laraway (Aug. 11, Herald News) A Joliet resident is back on the Laraway CCSD 70C board after it appeared he lost the April election by just a few votes. Some of Larry Peet's friends somehow discovered that voters in two Joliet precincts received the wrong ballot on April 17 and voted in the Laraway race, even though they didn't live in the district. Peet, a former board president, contested the vote through a lawsuit. A Will County judge finally determined the correct vote count, finding Peet had two more votes than his closest rival, earning him a board seat.
North Chicago (Aug. 15, News Sun) A parent trying to register her child at a Chicago-area school was allegedly questioned about her immigration status in early August before her child was eventually enrolled in school. As a result, the Illinois State Board of Education is reviewing the enrollment policy of the district, said board spokesperson Matt Vanover. School officials cannot make inquires of students or parents that may expose their undocumented status, according to a 1982 Supreme Court case that overturned a Texas law. ISBE is advising districts to review their enrollment policy to ensure it is consistent with applicable laws, as described in a guidance document online at: http://www.isbe.net/pdf/registration_guidance.pdf .
Peoria (Aug. 17, Journal Star) Forty individuals were recently selected from a pool of more than 75 to participate in Peoria District 150's "Grow Your Own" program for area non-traditional students pursuing teaching degrees. The state-funded program offers students forgivable federal and state loans if they earn degrees at area colleges and teach early childhood or special education at a District 150 school for five years. Twenty-seven program participants are currently employed by the district.
Peoria (Aug. 17, Journal Star) Attracting people back to the core of the city was on the agenda for a meeting between Peoria District 150 and the city council. The two sides had a public feud last summer over the proposed site for a new school. District 150 pushed for one location, as the city pushed alternative sites. A joint meeting between the full boards was tentatively scheduled for Sept. 18 to get past that issue and address larger mutual concerns, including urban revitalization.
Plainfield (Aug. 20, Herald News) The Plainfield CCSD 202 school board recently voted to delay implementation for another year on a plan to allow high school students to take the ACT exam only after they have acquired at least 12 credits. Without the delay, students who did not have sufficient hours would not have been allowed to take the test as a junior. But board members said this year's juniors did not have fair warning on the new district rule, which was approved in May.
Streator (Sep. 19, The Times) The Streator Township High School District 40 board voted on Sep. 18 to phase out the naming of class valedictorians and salutatorians. Streator Township High School will continue naming top senior leaders, but only for three years. Beginning in 2011, honor distinctions will be awarded to all graduates with grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher. Those with GPAs of 4.0 or more will be recognized as graduating summa cum laude. Magna cum laude status will be conferred upon those with GPAs of 3.5 to 3.99; and those with GPAs of 3.0 to 3.49 will graduate cum laude. The board rejected an alternative plan to immediately end the current honors approach.
Sigh of relief – schools may stop student drug promos
By Melinda Selbee
IASB's general counsel
A sigh of relief from school officials followed the U.S. Supreme Court's first opinion in twenty years on a public school's authority to suppress a student's speech. The case, Morse v. Frederick, was decided in June 2007. It involved a high school student's challenge to being punished for unfurling a banner across the street from the school during the Olympic torch rally. The banner said: "BONG HiTS 4 Jesus." The court held that "schools may take steps to safeguard those entrusted to their care from speech that can reasonably be regarded as encouraging illegal drug use."
The student, Joseph Frederick, testified that his motivation for unfurling the banner was to get on television. He argued that this bid for attention deserved constitutional attention and the lower court agreed with him. In fact, the lower court stripped the principal of her qualified immunity for suspending him despite her testimony that she thought the banner would be interpreted as promoting illegal drug use. The Supreme Court found that the principal's interpretation was "plainly a reasonable one." This is good news for school administrators whose decisions are made in school environs rather than in courtrooms.
The Supreme Court rejected Joseph's claim that the event was not school sponsored. Even though Joseph was off-campus, the court was persuaded that he was attending a school event because the principal had approved students attending the Olympic torch rally during the school day and teachers were present supervising them.
Presented with these facts, the Supreme Court framed the issue as "whether a principal may, consistent with the First Amendment, restrict student speech at a school event, when that speech is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use." The Court recognized the seminal decision on student speech, Tinker v. Des Moines, which held that student expression may not be suppressed unless school officials reasonably believe that it will materially and substantially disrupt the school. It also recognized the other two Supreme Court decisions addressing when school officials may suppress student speech – one holding that student speech may be stopped that is lewd and indecent, and the other when student speech bears the imprimatur of the school. These decisions, according to the Supreme Court, confirm that the Tinker requirement for substantial disruption is not the only basis for restricting student speech. Indeed the Court quoted other Supreme Court precedent for the proposition that the nature of students' constitutional rights is tempered by "what is appropriate for children in school."
In sum, the Supreme Court found that the "special characteristics of the school environment" and the government's compelling interest in stopping student drug abuse, allow schools to prohibit student speech that may be reasonably regarded as promoting illegal drug use. And while the four dissenting justices disagreed with the majority's First Amendment analysis, all justices agreed that the principal should not have been denied immunity for punishing Joseph.
How this applies to you: School leaders should be mindful that this decision's holding is very specific - only student speech that school officials reasonably believe promotes illegal drug use was involved. Thus, student speech that is political in nature, such as speech advocating the decriminalization of marijuana, is beyond this decision's scope. School officials should continue to analyze student speech using Tinker, that is, by asking whether the student speech will cause a material and substantial disruption to the school. If no disruption occurred or is reasonably foreseeable, school officials may not stop the speech unless it falls into one of the other basis for restricting student speech, that is, the speech is lewd or indecent, bears the school's imprimatur such as by appearing in a school-sponsored publication, or promotes illegal drug activity.
Ag ed grants distributed to 300 Illinois schools statewide
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently announced $1 million in agricultural education incentive grants to be distributed up to 300 schools. The grants can be used to upgrade equipment, train teachers and develop curriculum to educate children about the state's number one industry.
All schools offering approved programs in agricultural education at the high school level are eligible to apply for incentive grants.
In addition, the grants are assisting seven high schools in starting new agricultural programs this year. Those seven high schools are located in: Belvidere CUSD 100, Freeport District 145, Johnston City CUSD 1, Mattoon CUSD 2, Momence CUSD 1, Urbana School District 116 and Iroquois County CUSD 9, Watseka.
A complete list of 300 schools receiving the grants can be found online at: http://www.isbe.net/pdf/ag_ed_allocations_08.pdf.
Funding for school breakfast program start ups is available
ISBE recently announced the availability of grants to promote start-up funding for implementing School Breakfast Programs. The state-funded School Breakfast Start-Up Incentive Grant is designed to assist schools in overcoming some of the barriers associated with starting a new program and provides up to $3,500 per school for eligible costs. ISBE will accept grant applications until monies are exhausted or through June 30, 2008.
A school food authority (SFA) may complete an application packet for schools that will start a School Breakfast Program during the current (2007-2008) school year.
More information is available online at http://www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/breakfast_state.htm#start.
New member district added
IASB recently added another member school district, Cicero District 99, which brings the Association's member district count to 854. More than 98 percent of the state's 869 school boards are members of their association. There are only 15 non-member Illinois districts.
Cicero SD 99 is located in Cook County, in IASB's West Cook Division. Jeff Cohn is the member district's Field Service Director.
Gift ban law dangers seen
School leaders and their families attending the 2007 Joint Annual Conference need to be aware of stringent state restrictions enacted in 2005 on raffles or drawings or other giveaways.
The Illinois Gift Ban Law makes it unlawful for a school board member or administrator to accept prize(s) valued at more than $100 from any single vendor. Further, the $100 limit applies to the total of prizes from any one vendor won by a school official and his or her family members. Therefore IASB is advising that:
But school leaders will want to be vigilant to comply with the law.
IASB director resigns
Just before press time, IASB learned that Steven Hawk, director of the Association's Blackhawk Division, has resigned, after 14 years, from the Erie CUSD 1 school board. He has served on IASB's board since 2003.
October 17 — Central IL Valley Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Eureka CUSD 140, 6 p.m. – Dinner
October 19 — Annual Conference on Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
October 23 — Two Rivers Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Triopia CUSD 27, 5:30 p.m. Registration
October 23 — West Cook Fall Division Dinner Meeting, The Elmcrest, Elmwood Park, 6 p.m.
October 23 — Western Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Dallas Elementary School District 327, Dallas City, 6 p.m. – Dinner
October 24 — Blackhawk Division Fall Dinner Meeting, United THSD 30, East Moline, 6 p.m. - Dinner
October 25 — Kaskaskia Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Germantown SD 60, 5 p.m. Open House & Registration
October 29 — North Cook Division Fall Dinner Meeting, Rosewood, Rosemont, 6 p.m.
November 11 — Veteran's Day
November 15 — IASB Board of Directors' Meeting, Hyatt Regency, Chicago
November 16-18 — IASB, IASA, IASBO Joint Annual Conference, Chicago
This newsletter is published monthly by the Illinois Association of School Boards for member boards of education and their superintendents. The Illinois Association of School Boards, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, is a voluntary association of local boards of education and is not affiliated with any branch of government.
James Russell, Director of Publications
Gary Adkins, Editor
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