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School Board News Bulletin
November, 2003

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Tax expert & state official separately urge income tax boost

Supreme Court will hear controversial Pledge case

Greater flexibility needed in NCLB; Mayor Daley

Band teacher named Teacher of Year

ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Award spotlight shines on superior high-poverty schools

ISBE tardy in releasing state and individual school report cards

Summary of state report findings

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Illinois teacher salary study published online by ISBE

Healthy School competitive grant applications due by Dec. 1

NEWS FROM IASB

IASB's winter division meetings listed on Web site

IASB updates report on employee records and law

THE NATIONAL SCENE

E-rate funding available for school technology

NSBA conference set for March 27-30, 2004

LEGAL F.A.Q.

NEWS HEADLINES

WHAT'S NEW

Tax expert & state official separately urge income tax boost

Very different plans would bail out schools as deficit spending reaches all-time high

While more funding for public schools is badly needed - as evidenced by the estimated 78 percent of Illinois school districts now running deficit budgets - more funding will require income tax rate increases. So said Ralph Martire, executive director for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (formerly known as the Illinois Tax Accountability Project) during a forum on school funding on October 21 in DeKalb.

Martire thus echoed a call from Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to raise income taxes in order to aid education and cut property taxes (see "Quinn pushes plan for constitutional tax swap," in the October 23 Newsbulletin). But while Quinn's plan calls for increasing the income tax only for those with incomes above $250,000 a year, Martire suggests a universal individual income tax rate increase, raising the rate from 3 percent to 4.5 percent. He also supports an increase in the corporate income tax rate from the current 4.8 percent to as much as 7.2 percent to obtain the revenue needed to increase funding for public schools.

Martire said over-reliance on property taxes - which provide over 55 percent of school funding in Illinois - is one reason why nearly 80 percent of the state's school districts are operating with deficit budgets. Because property taxes are local revenues, education funding - and quality - are tied directly to resources available in the local tax base. Martire said property tax wealth per pupil in school districts in Illinois ranges from a low of around $8,000 to a high of well over $1.5 million. Low property tax wealth school districts have a harder time raising adequate revenue to provide their students with a quality education, Martire said.

But where a child lives should not determine whether he has access to a good school. Other revenue must be earmarked for schools, and the state must come up with the funds soon, Martire added.

Both Martire's and Quinn's proposals are in response to the growing number of districts now in deep financial difficulty, usually resulting in deficits and cuts in educational and extra-curricular programs and services, as well as growing short-term debt.

"We have a problem funding education in Illinois because our state fiscal system is badly broken," Martire said.

Martire's Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is a bi-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) think tank on fiscal policy, and is committed to ensuring that tax, budgeting, economic, spending and fiscal policies in Illinois are sound and fair, promoting economic growth for all Illinoisans and achieving revenue collection thoroughly but simply.

School administrators interviewed about Martire's plan agree something must be done to change school funding soon or more districts will be forced to make painful decisions. Additional districts will need to decide which major programs to cut, for example, what essential staffing to reduce or how to build adequate new facilities during growth cycles - all while revenue is eroding.

To make matters worse, the State Board of Education recently heard from its staff that the state budget for next year appears to be more troubled than the current year. Many one-time infusions of new funding are gone, and corporate personal property tax revenue is expected to be significantly reduced.

For more information about the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and Martire's suggestions, visit the Web site at: http://www.ctbaonline.org/ .

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Supreme Court will hear controversial Pledge case

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on October 14 that it will review last year's federal appeals court ruling that found it is unconstitutional for public schools to lead students in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. A High Court ruling in this case - which does not call into question the constitutionality of the Pledge itself - is expected by next June.

The appeal was filed by the Elk Grove, California school district after a federal court in San Francisco ruled in favor of an atheist father's claim that a reference to "one nation under God" offends his beliefs.

The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with the father, ruling that teachers could not lead recitals of the pledge. That ruling said Congress had amended the pledge in 1954 to include the phrase "under God," which is not permissible language for teachers to use in leading students in a recital. Specifically, the court ruled that such classroom use of the pledge violates the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against government establishment of religion.

Source: EdWeek, "High Court to Review Pledge Decision," October 15, 2003.

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Greater flexibility needed in NCLB; Mayor Daley

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is urging federal education officials to change the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which he says unfairly stigmatizes students and schools.

Daley told the 47th annual fall conference of the Council of the Great City Schools he had sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Roderick R. Paige asking him to offer greater flexibility in NCLB.

"I know this law is intended to benefit students," Daley told urban educators on October 23. "But let's face it, in a lot of ways it just doesn't make sense and it doesn't work."

Chicago education leaders recently met with Paige's staff to express their concerns about the law, which requires annual student testing and imposes sanctions on schools that consistently do not meet ever-rising standards and do not improve their test score results. Under the law, listed schools whose test scores repeatedly do not meet federal requirements must offer students the option of transferring to schools whose standardized test scores are improving.

"Not only does that list unfairly label schools, demoralizing staff and confusing parents, but in many cases it is not even a legitimate criticism," Daley wrote in the letter to Secretary Paige.

The mayor said that 72 percent of the elementary schools in Chicago listed as failing to meet standards actually improved their test scores from the previous year. "They are not failing. They're basically improving, and their teachers and students need positive support, not a negative labeling of their school."

Daley called the federal NCLB law an "unfunded mandate," and estimated Chicago schools would require an additional $200 million to provide school services to all the students eligible for them under the federal law.

In a written statement, Paige said Chicago District 299 can improve its schools by offering tutoring services earlier, creating more charter schools, and using technology to expand opportunities for children.

"Unfortunately, he (Daley) chooses to focus on how ‘tough' this law is for the adults in the system, rather than on how this powerful bipartisan law will help the children who need it most," Paige said.

In addition to Daley's letter to Paige, U.S. Senators from North Dakota and South Dakota also have asked Paige for a review of the law. They question how the NCLB mandates will affect rural school districts, where they say the requirements could prove increasingly unwieldy.

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Band teacher named Teacher of Year

Mt. Prospect High School music and band teacher David Morrison, of Township High School District 214, Arlington Heights, was recently named the 2003 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

Morrison, who has been teaching for almost thirty years, was chosen from among 14 finalists in the Illinois State Board of Education's Those Who Excel awards program. David and about 300 other excellent educators, school staff, parents and community volunteers were honored on October 22 as part of the 29th annual event.

In announcing Morrison's selection, State Superintendent of Education Robert Schiller said, "Teachers with David's strengths and dedication are the reason Illinois education continues to improve. His commitment to helping students learn, coupled with his own passion for continuous learning make him an educator to emulate."

As Teacher of the Year, Morrison will spend the 2003 fall semester speaking at teacher workshops, educational conferences and civic and community meetings. If you are interested in booking Morrison for a speaking engagement, visit the Web site at http://www3.dist214.k12.il.us/speaker/dmorrison1.htm.

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ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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Award spotlight shines on superior high-poverty schools

At its October 22-23 meeting in Rock Island, the Illinois State Board of Education launched a recognition program for high-poverty schools that have demonstrated what ISBE calls "beat the odds" academic performance. Superintendent Robert Schiller announced the inaugural "Spotlight Schools" awards for 26 schools around the state - including urban, suburban, and rural schools.

To qualify a school must have at least 50 percent of its students below poverty level, and at least 60 percent of its students in 2003 must meet or exceed standards in math and reading, among other requirements.

As these schools again demonstrate, recent educational research has shown that poverty is not an unassailable roadblock to educational achievement. Among the factors correlating to improved achievement, household income provides only a 9.92 percent impact, compared to a 33.29 positive impact from having a home atmosphere favorable to education, according to education researcher Robert Marzano.

Thus, according to Marzano, poverty places a relatively minor limitation on student achievement; home atmosphere is three times more significant as an influence on student achievement.

Five schools in northwestern Illinois received the awards on October 23 and the others were to be presented in four receptions to be held around the state. The full list of winning schools, and the districts they represent, are: A.R. Graiff Elementary, Livingston C.C. Dist. 4; Berrian Elementary, Quincy Dist. 172; Blackhawk Elementary, Freeport Dist. 145; Carruthers Elementary, Murphysboro C.U. Dist. 186; Davie Elementary, Anna C.C. Dist. 37; Dewey Elementary, Quincy Dist. 172; Earl H. Hanson Elementary, Rock Island Dist. 41; East Richland Elementary, Olney, East Richland C.U. Dist. 1; Franklin Elementary, Belleville Dist. 118; Gordon School, Posen-Robbins Elem. Dist. 143-5; Hardin County Elementary, Elizabethtown, Hardin Co. C.U. Dist. 1; Harding Primary, Monmouth Unit Dist. 38; Jefferson Elementary, Berwyn North Dist. 98; Jefferson Elementary, DeKalb C.U. Dist. 428.

Other winners include: Leland Elementary, Chicago Dist. 299; Lincoln Cultural Center-Montessori Elementary, Kankakee Dist. 111; Maple Grove Elementary, Metropolis, Joppa-Maple Grove Unit Dist. 38; Michael E Baum Elementary, Decatur Dist. 61; Petty Elementary, Sumner, Red Hill C.U. Dist. 10; Sainte Marie Elementary, Sainte Marie, Jasper Co. C.U. Dist. 1; Vergennes Elementary, Vergennes, Elverado C.U. Dist. 196; Washington Elementary, Quincy Dist. 172; Westhaven Elementary, Belleville Dist. 118; Whittier Primary School, Peoria Dist. 150; Willow Hill Elementary, Willow Hill, Jasper Co. C.U. Dist. 1; and Ziebell Elementary, Posen-Robbins Elem. Dist. 143-5.

The Spotlight Schools awards grew out of research done at Northern Illinois University in 2002. This project is one of NIU's P-20 initiatives, an extensive program of activities intended to strengthen quality and coordination across the educational continuum from pre-school through post-graduate school. For more information, visit www.p20.niu.edu.

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ISBE tardy in releasing state and individual school report cards
List of schools not making ‘adequate yearly progress' under NCLB grows

State Superintendent of Education Robert Schiller released local school districts' 2003 school report cards several days late this year, on November 4 (state law requires districts to release the reports by October 31). A statewide summary of the local results, called the Illinois State Report Card, can be down-loaded from the agency's website at: www.isbe.net .

The state report includes a list of 581 schools - out of a total of 3,919 schools statewide - designated as being in federal "school improvement status," meaning those schools that have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress for two consecutive years as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The number of schools in "improvement status" rose 10.4% from 2002.

In addition, 44 percent of Illinois public schools did not meet all of the new federal standards under NCLB, largely because subgroups within a school can now prevent it from "making annual progress." This can occur now either because 37 percent of each student subgroup does not meet test standards in math or reading or because at least 95 percent of any group of students has not been tested.

In order to make sufficient annual progress under NCLB, schools must make certain that 40 percent of all students meet state standards in both math and reading. Grade schools must produce an attendance rate of at least 88 percent and high schools must turn up a graduation rate of at least 65 percent.

Information about any particular school's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under NCLB is contained in the individual school report cards. The AYP reports are based on test scores, test participation rates, and attendance rates (for elementary and middle schools) or graduation rates (for secondary schools).

The state and individual school report cards now include results from the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE), along with the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA) which tests students with significant disabilities.

The expanded document now also includes a full presentation of data from the state's limited English proficiency test. It also includes data that indicates teacher experience and credentials by high and low poverty schools.

For the first time, data for the school report cards was collected electronically. The change eliminates an inefficient paper process that required manual input of data from districts, but, ironically, glitches in the new software used in this all-electronic gathering of data was partially blamed for the state's four-day delay in releasing the report cards. A slow outside vendor and delays in reporting by some school districts were also blamed by ISBE staff.

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Summary of state report findings

High school graduation rates are more accurate this year, according to ISBE, incorporating better reporting from the state's large urban districts. The state's graduation rate posted at 86 percent, moving .8 percentage points above the 2002 level and well above the 76.3 percent mark reported on the first school report cards in 1986.

Student information and achievement: Achievement results were released and discussed at the end of July (see "ISAT scores mixed, PSAE scores flat over test years," in the August 22 Newsbulletin).

Attendance: The student attendance rate in the 2002-2003 school year was flat at 94 percent. Low-income enrollment rose to 37.9 percent, up from 37.5 percent the previous year and considerably higher than 29.1 percent reported in 1991.

The chronic truancy rate and the student mobility rate were down for 2002. Chronic truancy was down to 1.9 percent, just below the 2002 level of 2.0 percent and the high of 2.4 percent in 2000. Chronic truancy is defined as having 18 or more absences without valid cause in the previous 180 days of school. The mobility rate was down to 16.4 percent from the 2002 rate of 16.5 percent and lower than the 21.9 percent in 1990. Mobility rate is based on the number of times students enroll in or leave a school during the year.

Education workforce: The number of teachers in Illinois' classrooms is up and student/teacher ratios are down. The overall number of teachers increased by about 3,000 to 129,068 - slightly improving student/ teacher ratios. At the elementary level, ratios dropped from 19.1 to 18.4; and at the secondary level from 18.3 to 18.2.

The state report also shows a wide variance in the percent of classes not taught by highly qualified teachers between high and low poverty schools. While low poverty schools report only one-half of 1% of classes are not taught by teachers who are highly qualified teachers, high poverty schools report 5.4% of these classes.

Data collected on teachers for the report indicate that the average teacher and administrator salaries are up 3 percent from 2002, generally consistent with, or slightly less than, the average Cost of Living Allowances over the past five years.

Source: ISBE.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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Illinois teacher salary study published online by ISBE

Although ISBE no longer publishes its Illinois Teacher Salary Study in print form, the latest edition, for 2002-2003, has been published on the Web and is available online at: www. isbe.net/research/pdfs/illinois_teacher_salary_study_02-03.pdf .

One advantage of the electronic version is that readers can search by keywords for topics or individual districts (you can compare your district and neighboring districts, for example).

The study, published annually by the Illinois State Board of Education, provides details on actual teacher salaries, salary policies, salary schedules and fringe benefits for every school district, arranged by district type. It includes, for example, median scheduled salaries for districts by enrollment size and geographic region. One drawback, however, is that the study covers only last year's salary data in this respect.

The study shows the median salary for beginning teachers for 2002-03 was $28,132 at the bachelor's degree level, and $31,173 at the master's degree level. The median salary was up 3.6 percent over last year's level for teachers with a BA without experience. The median salary was up 4.2 percent for teachers with an MA and no experience.

The Illinois Teacher Salary Study also shows medians of the maximum scheduled salaries for experienced teachers at these same degree levels are $41,545 and $51,505, respectively, and the median for the highest scheduled salaries is $55,884. These median figures were up by 4.2 percent for a BA (the highest increase in seven years), up by 4.2 percent for an MA (the same increase as last year, but above average for recent years), and up by 4.4 percent for the highest degree and experience level (also the same increase as last year, but above average for recent years).

The statewide mean salary paid for full-time classroom teachers increased by 3.8 percent last year to $49,676, the largest increase in at least five years. But most of this increase was the result of larger increases in Chicago, where pay reached a mean level of $54,766 on an average increase of 5.3 percent, compared to increases averaging just 3.6 percent downstate. Mean pay for downstate teachers was $48,601, but pay increases were only slightly higher than usual.

An analysis of this teacher salary data also shows that salaries for the state's 300 top-paid school administrators is not far out of line with salaries for the 300 top-paid teachers, if the three highest salaries in each category are disregarded. Under this approach, the top salary for administrators appears to be around $135,000, while the top salary for teachers is around $110,000.

The study also shows that 96 percent of districts (854 districts) had a negotiated labor contract with teachers last year, compared to roughly 94 percent of districts (also 854 districts) seven years earlier. The long-term trend is clearly toward having all teachers under negotiated union contracts, as only 37 Illinois school districts did not have a negotiated employment contract with teachers last year, compared to 51 districts in 1995-96.

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Healthy School competitive grant applications due by Dec. 1

The Illinois Nutrition Education and Training (NET) Program - funded by ISBE - will award competitive grants up to $5,000 to Illinois schools or districts that make a commitment to shaping a school environment that supports healthy food choices for students. Grant funds can be used to assists schools or districts in assessing their nutrition environment, planning for improvement and implementing improvements. For example, schools or districts could use the funds to integrate nutrition into core curriculum areas, develop a school or district nutrition policy that includes standards for all available food and beverages, implement a marketing program that promotes healthy food and beverage choices at school or establish an after-school program that promotes lifetime healthy eating for children. These are just a few examples of how the grant funds could be used.

For further information, visit the Web site at www.kidseatwell.org or call 1-800/466-7998.

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NEWS FROM IASB

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IASB's winter division meetings listed on Web site

Winter division governing meetings are just around the corner, with the first two such dinner meetings (Abe Lincoln Division and Corn Belt Division) set to be held on December 2. These important meetings and other IASB events are listed on the calendar page of the Association's Web site at www.iasb.com/calendar/calendar.cfm.

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IASB updates report on employee records and law

A newly revised report on employee records explains the law on records and what school districts need to do to comply. The author is Terrence M. Barnicle, Attorney with Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd., Chicago. The report is available online at: www.iasb.com/files/emp_records.pdf .

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THE NATIONAL SCENE

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E-rate funding available for school technology

School districts across the nation are preparing to secure their piece of the 2004 federal e-rate pie, including funds to help pay for affordable telecommunications and Internet access. This year $2.25 billion will be available nationwide.

The funds are awarded based on discounts ranging from 20 percent to 90 percent of the cost of eligible services, depending on the level of poverty as shown by subsidized lunch numbers from each school district and its urban-rural population mix.

Program funds can be used to discount such items as: servers, including the hardware and software needed to set up networks; communications fiber, and copper cabling and conduit; e-mail systems; network switches and routers; Internet access costs; local and long distance telephone charges; and customer-owned telephone systems (PBX's).

While many Illinois districts have secured e-rate funds year after year, a number of school districts have not been able to plough through the complex, tricky application process to get funding. Some send in the wrong forms, forget to include the right information, or simply fail to apply on time. As a result, millions of dollars are left "on the table," resulting in lost funds that could have been used to upgrade entire school district telecommunications systems.

Here are a few tips to help make district e-rate applications work out:

• Use proper forms and instructions. Some districts send in the wrong forms, causing their applications to be automatically rejected. Send in forms early, at least two weeks before the deadline. The proper forms can be found online at www.sl.universalservice.org.
• Complete all three required forms:
• Form 470 is used for listing the services you need. It is due in mid-December and must be completed by the entity that will negotiate with potential service providers. It cannot be completed by a service provider who will participate in the competitive bidding process.
• Form 471, due by mid-January, is your actual request for funding. It is used to calculate the discount percentage to which the applicant is entitled. The minimum discount is 20% and the maximum is 90%. It also requires a list of your actual vendors, services, costs, and actual school locations involved in the proposal. Schools are required to pay the non-discounted portion of the services for which they receive discounts. The funding necessary to pay this portion must be budgeted and approved before this form can be submitted.
• Form 486 indicates that delivery of e-rate program services has begun.
• File separate Priority One and Priority Two requests. Priority One needs are funded first. These include telecommunications and Internet services, basically local and long-distance and monthly Internet service type fees.
• Enlist a high-level executive to take charge of the process. Experts suggest that a high-level district executive should take charge to make sure all forms are filled-out as required.
• Ensure your technology plan is approved annually. Your plan must be approved by your state or governing body. Certification of approval, including the name of the approval authority, is required.
• Work with vendors to receive your funds. Instead of sending one complete bill to the SLD each quarter for reimbursement, have your vendors do the hard work for you. These type of arrangements must be set-up in advance. A pre-planning meeting with selected vendors is a good place to start.
• Maintain written records for five years. The SLD performs random audits each year. Districts need to keep thorough records of RFPs, board resolutions, certified letters, and cancelled checks.

To apply, visit the applications area on the Web site of the SLD at: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp .

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NSBA conference set for March 27-30, 2004

Information is a powerful tool for any school leader. And the National School Boards Association's 2004 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, will put more valuable school leadership information within easy reach than any other national event all year.

That's why thousands of school board members, school administrators and other school leaders will meet in Orlando next March. To join them, register on the Web at: https://secure.nsba.org/register/annual/regform2004.cfm .

To get complete instructions on conference registration and housing reservations, visit the NSBA Web site at: www.nsba.org/conference/hotel/index.cfm .

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LEGAL F.A.Q.

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How well do you know Illinois school laws?

Q: What is a tax rate and how is it calculated?

A: A tax rate in Illinois reflects the dollars levied per $100 of equalized assessed valuation of real property. A tax rate is calculated by dividing the dollar amount of the tax levy by the total equalized assessed valuation (EAV) of the taxing district and multiplying the product by 100. Thus, a levy of $200,000 divided by a tax base of $20 million EAV would produce a tax rate of $1.00 per $100 EAV.

Source: Illinois School Law Survey, Seventh Edition, by Brian A. Braun, IASB, March 2002, Chapter 23, question and 23:175; for more information contact the IASB publications department at 217/528-9688, ext. 1108.

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Issuing a code of civility for police and teachers is one suggestion being advanced by a community task force charged with preventing a repetition of the infamous hazing fracas perpetrated in Northbrook last May. School administrators at Northfield Township High School District 225, Glenbrook, have posted a preliminary 63-page report on preventing hazing on their Web site, www.glenbrook.k12.il.us. (Chicago Tribune, October 23, 2003) … A new book, The Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom, by Todd Oppenheimer, maintains that technology - from TV to the PC - delivers much less than intended by schools. Based largely on expert opinion, the book concludes that placing computers in schools has been largely wasteful. (Christian Science Monitor, October 14, 2003) … Kids raised in homes where the TV is turned on most of the time typically spend less time on learning to read than do their peers, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation regarding media habits of children less than 6 years old. (The Associated Press, October 28, 2003) … Two public meetings, to be held by school officials and the East Peoria City Council in early November, will focus on the schools' proposal to increase the city sales tax rate by a half cent to raise at least $1.6 million needed by the schools. Board members and administrators of East Peoria C.H.S.D. 309 and Robein District 86 say the funds are badly needed to stave off deep cuts in student programs and instructional staff. A similar effort in Mt. Vernon led voters there to pass a quarter-cent sales tax increase for schools in April. (Peoria Journal Star, October 31, 2003).

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