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School Board News Bulletin
November 1998

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Deerfield District Leader McGee named State Superintendent

Election yields only minor shift in party balance

How business can support leadership training for school board members

Academic watch list schools are fewer

Normal elementary teacher is Illinois Teacher of the Year

Ask the big questions about student achievement

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FEDERAL UPDATE

Congress OKs new class-size plan, funds 30,000 new teachers

Applications invited for second year of e-rate

Courts can’t ban books

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Target policies to boost student achievement

Anonymous hotline may help locate troubled students

Directory of operating grants offered

Help kids learn to deal with bullies

DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL LAW

RESEARCH REPORTS

Record numbers of students attending schools

Middle schools need fewer topics in math, science courses

WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

"Seven Habits" workshops announced

Motorola & IASB complete first year of board development workshops

Recent mailings from IASB

Classified Ads

The first Illinois Superintendent of Education to be chosen directly from the ranks of local superintendents in Illinois, Glenn W. "Max" McGee has been selected as the sixth appointed state superintendent. McGee has spent 23 years as a teacher, principal and local district superintendent in the state.

Now in his seventh year as superintendent of Deerfield District 109 in Lake County, McGee, 48, was selected by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) from almost 100 candidates for the position. He will formally assume the post January 1, and in the meantime will be working with the ISBE and its staff to gain an in-depth background in preparation for taking office.

McGee is recognized as an exemplary superintendent, and as an individual who works effectively with people from all areas of the state to build coalitions to work on behalf of improving education. As a member of the Executive Committee of Education Research and Development (EdRed), and President of the Lake County Superintendents, he has worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle. He has authored position papers and legislative language for numerous school improvement measures, including special education funding reform and reading grant eligibility.

"I am deeply honored to have been chosen to be Illinois’ next State Superintendent," McGee said. "A strong foundation has been built for students," he said, referring to the ISBE’s Leadership Agenda. "I believe that we can use that agenda to achieve high standards for every student in every school every day."

As Superintendent of Aptakisic-Tripp District 102 in Buffalo Grove from 1986 to 1991, McGee led the district to recognition as one of the top suburban districts. He developed and implemented a system to integrate technology in the curriculum district-wide and passed two referendums to build two new schools and a major addition.

At Deerfield, his accomplishments include development of a culture of continuous quality improvement with both a district and school quality review system. He is also credited with improving student performance while decreasing per pupil expenditures, and adoption of a bond referendum.

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Election yields only minor shift in party balance

The November elections resulted in relatively minor shifts in the power structure in Illinois government, with election of a new Republican Governor, George Ryan, to replace another Republican Governor, Jim Edgar. Meanwhile, Republicans added one seat to their majority in the Senate and Democrats added two seats to their majority in the House.

Although about 12 House seats were thought to be up for grabs, only two were seized by the opposition party. The Democrats picked up the 59th district House seat in Lake County currently held by Lt. Governor-elect Corinne Wood. Democrat Susan Garrett defeated Republican Christopher Stride. In the 63rd district in McHenry County, Democrat challenger Jack Franks narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Mike Brown, who had been appointed to that seat.

In hotly contested House races in south Cook County and in southern Illinois, the incumbents were able to fend off challengers. With the two additional seats, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan will control the chamber with 62 Democrat members; House Minority Leader Lee A. Daniels will have 56 Republican members. The Democrats survived the last two years with the bare minimum necessary to control the chamber, 60 members.

In the State Senate, President James "Pate" Philip added one more member to his Republican caucus. All incumbents won in the most heavily targeted races.

Governor-Elect George Ryan’s defeat of Glenn Poshard (52 percent to 46 percent) means Republicans will have retained control of the state’s highest office for three consecutive decades.

Voters reportedly approved 59 of 73 school building bond issue questions (80 percent) in November, and eight of 16 referenda to increase school district education fund rates. A report on official referenda results will be contained in the December Newsbulletin. Unofficial results are available on the Illinois Association of School Administrators’ Web site at www.iasaedu.org/ref113.htm

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How business can support leadership training for school board members

Businesses, law firms, and individuals may support leadership training for school board members by making tax deductible, charitable contributions to the Illinois Association of School Boards. These contributions, no matter their size, allow IASB to provide additional training opportunities and resources for local school board members.

IASB is organized exclusively for tax exempt purposes. Its status as a charitable corporation allows donors to receive a tax deduction for their contributions.

Please contact IASB if you, your business or law firm wish to make a tax deductible, charitable contribution. Depending upon IASB’s needs at the time of your contribution, the donation will be used for such purposes as workshops, speakers, receptions, scholarships, dinners, research, publications and/or special projects. Your support will be recognized in printed materials, display signs, donor representation at events, public announcements and introductions from the podium, or printed acknowledgment in publications.

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Academic watch list schools are fewer

Sixty Illinois schools recently heard the good news that their students have demonstrated enough progress to get the schools removed from the Academic Early Warning List (AEWL), the ISBE reported in October.

Thus, the practice of grading schools by their scores on state standardized tests—and giving state assistance to AEWL schools for their school improvement efforts—has led to the removal of 60 of 122 Academic Warning List schools. Last year 29 downstate schools and 93 schools in Chicago were placed on the list.

Only 71 schools are on the AEWL for the 1998-99 school year, after the removal of 23 downstate schools and 37 Chicago schools, and with the addition of seven downstate and two Chicago schools.

What is more, according to Interim State Superintendent of Education Robert Mandeville, most of the schools remaining on the list for another year have been able to demonstrate some progress.

"We have much to celebrate with this year’s Academic Early Warning List due to the increased focus on improving children’s achievement throughout the state," said Mandeville.

Schools are designated for the list when they have more than 50 percent of students failing to meet state IGAP expectations for two years or when IGAP scores show significant decline over three years. (In the latter case, significant decline is defined as a 20 percentage point or greater drop from the percentage of "does not meet" scores in the benchmark year.)

A school is removed from the list if more than 50 percent of students meet or surpass state IGAP expectations. Alternatively, in the case of declining scores, schools are removed if their proportion of students not getting minimum scores equals or is less than their average for the past four years.

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Normal elementary teacher is Illinois Teacher of the Year

Catherine Bissoondial, a fourth-grade teacher at Glenn Elementary School in Normal, has been chosen 1999 Illinois Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made at the twenty-fifth annual Those Who Excel banquet, Saturday, October 17 at the Holiday Inn O’Hare International in Rosemont.

To schedule the Illinois Teacher of the Year to speak to your school district, community or organization, please phone 309/888-6987.

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Ask the big questions about student achievement

A recent NSBA publication challenges school boards to ask the big questions about student achievement, including the following:

* How does our school system define student achievement? Are we clear about what we want students to learn in our district?

* Are our students prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century—not just in an academic sense, but also in terms of the technological, organizational, and sociocultural demands of the next century?

* Does our school system have a vision and a plan for raising the achievement of all children?

* Are our student achievement goals, plans and progress reports set forth in clear and quantifiable terms and broadly shared within the school system, with parents and the general public?

* Are our teachers, administrators and other staff committed to, and held accountable for, achieving the goals and standards of our school system?

* How do we involve parents, the business community and other members of the public in the development and implementation of, and accountability for, our student achievement goals?

* What next steps can our school board take to lead the effort to raise student achievement in our school system?

Adapted from Raising the Bar: A School Board Primer on Student Achievement, National School Boards Association, 1998.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Thursday-Saturday, "Seven Habits" 3-Day

January 14-16 Workshop, Rend Lake

Thursday-Saturday, "Seven Habits" 3-Day

January 21-23 Workshop, Collinsville

Friday-Sunday., "Seven Habits" 3-Day

January 22-24 Workshop, Freeport

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RESEARCH REPORTS

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Record numbers of students attending schools

An estimated 52.7 million children are attending the nation’s schools this year, as the offspring of baby boomers continue to set enrollment records. An annual U.S. Education Department analysis found this year’s enrollment surpassed last year’s record by 500,000 students.

Source: USA Today, "School bell rings in student record," September 8, 1998.

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Middle schools need fewer topics in math, science courses

Michigan State Education Professor William Schmidt says his analysis of the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) shows pupils from other nations outscore American eighth-graders because foreign schools cover fewer, more demanding concepts in grades five through eight.

"We try to do more at every grade level than everybody else…we have textbooks that are simply bigger than textbooks anywhere else in the world," Schmidt explained. (Note: the Newsbulletin has previously reported on research showing Japanese mathematics textbooks are shorter, better integrated and more to the point. Just one American math textbook examined in the study employed an approach similar to Japanese textbooks: Invitation to Mathematics, by Boster, et al., from Scott, Foresman & Company. Results of the comparative study appeared in the American Educational Research Journal, Volume 32, Number 2, Summer 1995, pp. 443-461.)

Schmidt says TIMSS results suggest U.S. fourth-graders are substantially ahead of their peers in science and math, but by the eighth grade American students are falling behind.

Schmidt believes the curricular decisions middle schools make—not external socioeconomic factors such as poverty—have the biggest impact on student achievement.

For more information, contact the U.S. TIMSS National Research Center, Michigan State University, College of Education, 455 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1034; phone 517/353-7755; Web Site, http://ustimss.msu.edu.

Source: Education USA, October 5, 1998.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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Target policies to boost student achievement

A new publication developed by IASB, in cooperation with the school boards associations in four other states, will enable boards to focus on student learning by developing policies that directly impact student achievement.

Targeting Student Learning: The School Board’s Role as Policymaker is a new tool designed to address the standards-based environment that now pervades public education. It is specifically designed for local school boards and superintendents to use in focusing policy-making on proven student learning issues, while maintaining a comprehensive approach to policy.

The material is intended to supplement the policy and training services available from IASB and other state school boards associations, the first and best source of state and local policy assistance.

It begins with a framework for school district policymaking, emphasizing the key components to effective policy development, adoption and maintenance. Based on this framework, the material explores those policy topics targeted on student learning which should be emphasized in policymaking.

Books are priced at $12 each, plus $3.50 shipping and handling for the first book and an additional .50 for each additional book. Orders may be placed by contacting the nearest IASB office, at extension 1119.

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Anonymous hotline may help locate troubled students

To prevent school violence, the Illinois Attorney General’s office, the state police, and the PTA are now operating an anonymous telephone tip-line (800/477-0024) that allows students to report potentially violent situations. Promotional posters (see illustration on page x) for the statewide tip-line were distributed to all Illinois middle and high schools beginning in October.

Trained personnel will answer anonymous callers’ reports of guns, knives, or violent threats at school and relay the information to the appropriate police department. Officials also can immediately refer emotionally upset callers to mental health professionals.

For information about the program contact Betsy Goolet, child policy advisor, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, at 217/782-0043.

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Directory of operating grants offered

Operating grants can be used to support general operating expenses that sustain a school’s usual activities, which can be a real boon to financially overburdened school districts.

That’s why the Directory of Operating Grants might be a sound investment. It contains roughly 800 foundation profiles, each identifying verified areas of support, geographic restrictions, grant range, and previously awarded grants. The updated book features a state-by-state arrangement of foundations and a useful subject index that includes over 17 categories.

The cost of the Fourth Edition is $59.50 per copy plus $6 for shipping and handling. The Directory can be ordered from the publisher: Research Grant Guides, Inc., Dept. 3A, P.O. Box 1214, Loxahatchee, Florida 33470; phone 561/795-6129.

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Help kids learn to deal with bullies

A new book, Taking the Bully by the Horns, by Kathy Noll and Jay Carter, and a dedicated Web site http://members.aol.com/kthynoll/bully.htm, are now available to help young people deal with bullies, child violence, and self-esteem. The initiative is supported by many schools, parents, and children’s organizations.

The Web site contains an article by Kathy Noll that includes statistics from the U.S. Justice Department, instructing adults on how to prevent children from becoming a statistic on school grounds.

For more information, contact Kathy Noll by e-mail at: kthynoll@aol.com.

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DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL LAW

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The use of affidavits in student disciplinary hearings questioned

A recent Illinois appellate decision makes student disciplinary hearings more problematic than before. While the decision leaves one questioning what more school officials could have done, it does provide some guidance. Colquitt v. Rich Township High School Dist. No. 227, (8-14-98, Ill. App.).

The facts involving the incident were disputed. The only point of agreement: two groups of students had a verbal confrontation outside the gym after school. According to the administration’s case, Lemont threatened another student with a gun. This claim was supported by the affidavits of the three students who were threatened. Their affidavits were used because the individuals were no longer students at the school. Another student witnessed the incident and made the same observation, that is, that Lemont threatened another student with a gun. This student-witness, however, was afraid of retaliation; thus, his affidavit was used instead of live testimony.

Lemont told a different story. He maintained that it was the other student, a known gang member, who threatened him. Lemont, however, was expelled for gross misconduct, harassment, and verbal intimidation. He urged that his procedural due process rights were violated for two reasons: first, the failure to record the hearing make it impossible to detect bias, and second, the admission of the affidavits denied Lemont the right to cross-examine witnesses.

The Court was not concerned about the failure to transcribe the disciplinary hearings. Indeed, the hearing officer’s detailed hearing summary allowed a reviewing court to determine where the manifest weight of the evidence rested. The fact that the hearing officer is a district employee does not require schools to record hearings in order to avoid potential prejudice. Here, the lack of a transcript did not impair Lemont’s due process rights.

The Court, however, found against the school regarding the use of affidavit testimony. Courts across the country have not consistently agreed about the use of affidavits in student disciplinary hearings. An affidavit, being just a sworn statement, is less creditable than a live witness’s testimony because it cannot be cross-examined. For this reason, in order for a hearing to be fair, the accused must generally have the right to cross-examine witnesses. Live witnesses, however, are not always available

Where, as in this case, an administrator testifies about the witness’s credibility and trustworthiness, courts have allowed the use of affidavits. Pragmatically, schools frequently have no other means for obtaining evidence. Lacking subpoena power, school administrators cannot compel students to attend disciplinary hearings. More significantly, however, administrators sometimes need to protect a student-witness’s anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Here, the Court was unpersuaded by the administration’s difficulties obtaining evidence. On balance, the student’s private interests outweighed the administration’s interests favoring the admission of affidavits. Although the trial court evidentiary rules are inapplicable to student disciplinary hearings, the opportunity to cross-examine adverse witnesses is a fundamental concept of a fair hearing.

Nothing about this decision changes the goal for public schools: they will continue to aggressively pursue violators of their conduct rules and they will continue to protect student-witnesses. This decision, however, inspires definite suggestions for disciplinary hearings. The most obvious suggestion is for schools to involve their attorneys in this quasi-judicial proceeding. Another obvious suggestion is for the hearing board or officer to make lengthy, detailed summaries of the testimony or arrange for the hearing’s transcription.

Perhaps the most significant lesson from this decision is for those who will present the case against a student charged with violating a school rule, usually an administrator.

Whenever possible, testimony from a live witness should support each element of the case. Administrators should continue to take affidavits or statement from all student-witnesses as soon as possible after the incident. Later, after determining that using a student-witness is desirable, the student’s parents should be contacted and cooperation sought. When a student-witness refuses to testify, the administrator should collect all facts supporting the reason for the refusal. If the reason is fear of violence or retaliation, the administrator should have someone prepared to testify who can support the existence of a significant risk of harm if the student were to testify. When student affidavits or statements are used, the administrator should elicit testimony from the person who took the affidavit showing why the affidavit is truthful and trustworthy.

These are but a few of the suggestions warranted by this decision. As each case is unique, what constitutes the best evidence, as well as how to obtain it, will vary from case-to-case. However, administrators should be relentless in pursuing and presenting the most creditable, reliable—the best—evidence in each case.

Melinda Selbee is IASB’s general counsel.

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Workshops & Meetings

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"Seven Habits" workshops announced

Do you ever get so busy running that you forget where you’re going? Then you might want to attend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People workshop to discover a new sense of direction.

The regional workshop, to be held on six different sites around the state in January and February, is much more than an event. For many people, it begins a major change that helps them be more effective while promoting life balance and inner peace.

Led by IASB facilitators, the workshop includes interactive exercises, case studies, poignant video segments, and a chance to learn from the experiences of other participants.

Pre-workshop materials will include a Seven Habits Profile—a confidential tool to help participants evaluate where they stand in relation to living the Seven Habits.

At the workshop, you will get a comprehensive workshop manual and a Seven Habits Organizer—a tool designed to help you live the Seven Habits and achieve those things that are truly important to you.

Workshop cost is $350 per person ($325 in districts sending 4 or more individuals), which includes materials, and continental breakfast and lunch each day. It does not include lodging.

Dates and sites for the workshops are:

January 14-16, Rend Lake

January 21-23, Collinsville

January 22-24, Freeport

January 29-31, Deerfield

February 4-6, Bloomington

February 5-7, Shorewood

For more information, call IASB at extension 1118 (Jenny Harkins) or extension 1220 (Judy Niezgoda).

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Motorola & IASB complete first year of board development workshops

Organizers have finished the first year of IASB/Motorola Institutes designed to enhance leadership qualities and skills among individual school board members. Plans are underway to offer these unique two-day board development sessions again next year.

The first-year workshops have been extremely successful, particularly in terms of board member satisfaction with the benefits they have yielded. Participants say these benefits include improved effectiveness on their local school board, growth in personal leadership skills, and enhanced decision-making processes.

The workshops—offered from July through November—were the first of their kind in the nation, and were so effective that Motorola immediately announced plans to replicate them for school board members in Texas.

"My IASB/Motorola experience fortified my belief that all board members can and should act in leadership roles—individually and collectively," said Diane King, a member of the Unity Point District 140 Board of Education.

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FEDERAL UPDATE

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Congress OKs new class-size plan, funds 30,000 new teachers

Congress has approved a Clinton administration program aimed at reducing class size in grades 1-3 by providing $1.2 billion to help school districts hire roughly 30,000 new teachers. Illinois will receive an allocation of more than $50 million to hire an estimated 1,289 teachers, mostly in large urban school districts, because the program is targeted to high-poverty communities.

The omnibus budget bill also includes a new literacy program and major increases for some existing programs.

President Clinton hailed the new teacher initiative as a victory for his education proposals and called the $1.2 billion appropriated for fiscal 1999 a "down payment" on his $12 billion proposal for 100,000 new teachers.

Overall the omnibus budget bill increases total education funding by $3.6 billion, or 12.6 percent, over the current fiscal year. And, despite threats by some congressional leaders to cut or eliminate the e-rate program, Congress did not vote to do so.

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Applications invited for second year of e-rate

The application window for the second year of e-rate funding will open December 1, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The Schools and Libraries Corporation expects to begin issuing funding commitment decision letters within the next few weeks to approved applicants for this year’s program. First priority will go to applications requesting discounts only for telecommunications and Internet access.

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Courts can’t ban books

A federal appellate court has rejected a parent’s request to remove Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and a William Faulkner story, from the required reading list at her daughter’s school.

A parent complained the works are offensive to African-Americans and give rise to racially based harassment at McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona.

Courts cannot "ban books or other literary works from school curricula on the basis of their content," the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling states, "even when the works are accused of being racist."

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Recent mailings from IASB

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

October 20: Letter regarding school board elections packet, mailed to district superintendents and board presidents.

October 20: Elections packet, sent to district superintendents and board presidents.

October 29: State Local and Federal Financing for Illinois Public Schools book, to board presidents.

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Classified ads

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FOR SALE: Approximately 90 uniforms in good-excellent condition. Junior high school-age sizes, red blazers with "Morrison" embroidered on the shoulder, black trousers, ruffles, black bow ties. Contact: Morrison Junior High School, 305 E. Winfield Street, Morrison, IL 61270; phone 815/772-7264.

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Illinois Association of School Boards

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703