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Illinois School Board Journal
March/April 2007

Celebrating 75 years 'on paper,' more or less
by Linda Dawson

Linda Dawson is IASB director of editorial services and Journal editor.

As was noted in the January/February issue, The Illinois School Board Journal marked 2007 by beginning its 75th volume. By most standards, that should mean that the publication is 75 years old.

Unfortunately, when you trace its history, the dates make it slightly younger … a mere 72. Why the discrepancy? Former editor and now IASB Deputy Executive Director Jerry Glaub chalks it up to "fuzzy math" somewhere along the line, resulting in a numbering error.

Whatever the cause, the Journal has found its way to school board members' mail boxes on a regular basis for a very long time. And that in itself is cause to celebrate.

The first issue of the Illinois School Board Bulletin (the name of the publication changed to Illinois School Board Journal in 1940) was published in March 1935, just two years after the Association moved from its offices in Urbana to its first office in Springfield.

The 1930s were a tumultuous time for Americans. The country had been in the grips of the Great Depression since the stock market crashed in 1929. The average salary was $1,368 … annually … but that was only for those lucky enough to have a job. Unemployment during the "Dirty '30s" reached 25 percent.

The '30s were also the decade of increased governmental regulation. The Social Security Act was enacted in 1935 to provide income for the nation's elderly. Workers gained the right to unionize the same year with passage of the Wagner Act. And Joseph P. Kennedy, who unbeknownst to him was parenting a future U.S. president, an attorney general and a U.S. senator, became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

During the '30s, boxing matches spurred the sales of radios, which also became the famous vehicle for President Franklin D. Roosevelt to communicate with Americans through his "Fireside Chats."

According to the Kingwood College Library's American Cultural History file, the 1930s also were "a perilous time for public education." Because many landowners had little money, property taxes often went unpaid, leaving districts scrambling to keep schools open.

"School terms were shortened. Teachers' salaries were cut," the account at http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade30.html reads. "One new teacher was paid $40 a month for a five-month school year — and was very glad for the job!"

Public school districts in some areas began charging tuition, which forced parents to pull their children out of school.

But on a lighter note, the first "Dick and Jane" reader was published in 1931. Millions of students learned to read with these simple primers, which began with "Look. See Dick. See Dick run."

During the 1930s, milk was 14 cents a gallon, bread sold for 9 cents a loaf and round steak was 42 cents a pound.

Enter the Bulletin

With its move to a Springfield office and publication of The Illinois School Board Bulletin, IASB wanted to attract more districts to the Association. In 1932-33, Illinois had 11,966 school districts. In 1935, just 311 districts were members of the Association, or less than 3 percent. Now that number is reversed, with only 2 percent of Illinois' 872 school districts who are not members.

While IASB's Resource Center maintains an archive of publications, it does not have a copy of the Volume 1, No. 1 issue from March 1935. The state library, however, holds a copy.

That first Bulletin consisted of 36 pages, including a full-page advertisement that encouraged boards to join the Association with the following message:

"When a school board joins the Association, it means that the school board officials are making a serious effort to give 100 cents worth of educational service for each tax dollar expended."

All that was necessary, the ad said, was for a board to pass a resolution and send in a check for dues. A sample of the resolution was included, with small print underneath stating, "The Illinois State School Board Association is constantly working in the interest of your School Board" — evidence that no matter how much times change, some things remain constant.

In addition, the first Bulletin carried an article on advantages of membership; a copy of the Association's Constitution with a schedule of membership dues; information on how the Association was divided into regional districts; and a rundown on convention proceedings from the 20th Annual Convention in 1934, including the address by then-president W.F. Confrey of LaSalle School District 122 and a summary of panel discussions.

On page 11, the first Bulletin also published a "Code of Ethics" for school boards, taken from the proceedings of the Fourth Annual Convention, California School Trustees' Association in September 1934. While the Code of Conduct used currently by the Association is rather short — just seven commitments accompanied by five goals for the board as a whole — the 1934 version contained 18 points including:

"School directors should not keep the people of their districts in ignorance concerning the condition of the schools."

"No School Board member should obstruct the development of school plans and programs, nor should he interfere in any way with their efficient execution. If he cannot co-operate with his associates it is his duty to resign."

"No School Director should try to influence the vote or other action of the board members, or of any employee through threat, promise of reward, deception, exchange of vote, or by any other means than legitimate open discussion where the only appeals are to the merits of the proposition under consideration.

"It is unethical for any School Director to try to obtain a position in the schools under his direction for any near relative or member of his immediate family."

"It is the duty of School Boards to place whatever educational opportunities the community can afford within reach of all the citizens."

"If the rights of the children are being denied and if the schools are being subordinated to local and partisan politics, to the control of cliques or to exploitation for personal gain, it is the duty of Directors to apprise the public of the facts and seek through legitimate channels to remedy the evils."

"Believing in the value and necessity of education, and in their obligation to the state to uphold the cause of public schools, Directors should not hesitate to do what they can personally to advance education in the community, the state and the nation."

While many of the districts named as having representation on the Legislative and Membership committees from 1935 no longer exist, the values from that Code of Conduct survive, as has the Journal.

Just as the early Bulletin was used as a vehicle to reach school board members and superintendents in Illinois, The Illinois School Board Journal and the Illinois School Board Newsbulletin use their pages today to inform the membership on Association programs, activities and broader issues in public education.

In 1935, no one would have envisioned that both publications would be available instantaneously through electronic means by a series of simple clicks on the Internet. Times change, but the work of local school board members and the education of children remain as important to those who serve today as they were when this publication began 72 years ago. Or 75. But who's counting?