January/February July/August 2019 2020 Vol. 88 87 No. 1 3
JAC19: Transform Vision into Reality
Telling Your Story
2020 Census in Illinois Education
Front Page
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A new decade brings new opportunities for public education in Illinois, and Illinois school board members can be counted upon to make the most of them. While addressing the challenges communities face, be they common issues across the state or concerns local to one school district, school leaders use all the information they can gather, be it locally, nationally, by reading, in person, or through personal experience. With this issue of the Illinois School Board Journal, we encourage you to share the stories of your district, and consider solutions for your challenges you may not have thought of yet. The education community in the state is joining leaders at the local, state, and national levels to encourage participation in the 2020 census. Illinois’ efforts, as noted by Governor J.B. Pritzker in December 2019, will offer “the highest per capita investment” in ensuring a complete and accurate count “to secure the resources necessary to execute our vision for Illinois.” In our story “Full Count,” starting on
page 11, learn more about how local education leaders, the most trusted individuals in a community, are being urged to participate in local census efforts in 2020. The Journal looks at numbers in other ways. In a commentary directed at school board members, security expert Doug Levin talks about what you need to know — and your district needs to do — about cybersecurity. Read “K-12 Cybersecurity: The Role of the School Board” on page 16. Also in this issue, school districts are encouraged to share stories derived from the information found in the Illinois School Report Card. And another set of very important numbers — the dwindling and concerning number of teachers for Illinois classrooms — is addressed once again in this issue in a commentary by educator Bill Marzano. The 87th Joint Annual Conference counted hundreds of educational sessions, thousands of attendees, and millions of personal interactions, networking opportunities, ideas shared, opportunities seized, connections made, and visions brought into focus. If you attended the Conference, we invite you to account for your time, to share what you learned with your communities. If you didn’t, we invite you to consider participating in the future. Either way, readers can experience the Conference in text form through the pages of this Journal. In the New Year and the decade beyond, let’s stand up and be counted, think both inside and outside the box, collect wisdom wherever we can find it, and share stories with our communities. Please join IASB in “Lighting the Way” for public education in Illinois. Theresa Kelly Gegen is editor of the Illinois School Board Journal and welcomes you to email her at tgegen@iasb.com.
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Table of Contents FEATURE ARTICLES
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Full Count: Illinois Education and the 2020 U.S. Census By Theresa Kelly Gegen
The education community in Illinois has a stake in an accurate U.S. Census count. School board members can help secure the resources needed to educate current and future student populations.
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K-12 Cybersecurity: The Role of the School Board By Doug Levin
Four questions help school boards determine their preparedness to manage cybersecurity risks.
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Story Time for School Districts
REGULAR FEATURES 2 Front Page 4 Leadership Letter
Stories are for Telling
5 From the Field
What Type of Cheese is Your Story?
By Theresa Kelly Gegen
Discover how the Illinois Report Card can be used by school districts to tell their stories.
20 JAC19: Transforming Vision into Reality By Kara Kienzler, Michael Hudson, and Katie Grant
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The 2019 Joint Annual Conference brought thousands of leaders together to turn educational visions into realities for students and communities.
Partnerships Create Pathways to Meet Illinois’ Teacher Shortage By William “Bill” Marzano
Read a proposal to leverage the state’s higher education system to train the future educators needed to meet the statewide teacher shortage.
July/August 2019 Vol. 87 No. 3
Kara Kienzler, Associate Executive Director Theresa Kelly Gegen, Editor Heath Hendren, Contributing Editor Britni Beck, Advertising Manager Katie Grant, Design and Production Isaac Warren, Graphics
7 Legal Matters
Ready or Not: Sweeping Student Data Privacy Law Impacts Illinois School Districts
36 ICYMI
E-Learning for Emergency Days
37 ICYMI
Is Your Board Working as a Team?
38 Milestones 39 Insights On the Cover: Images from the 2019 Joint Annual Conference by photographer Michael Hudson.
ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL (ISSN- 0 019-221X ) is published ever y other month by the Illinois Association of Sc hool B oa rd s, 2921 Ba ker Dr ive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929 (217/5289688). The IASB regional office is located at One Imperial Place, 1 East 22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120 (630/629-3776). The JOURNAL is supported by the dues of school boards holding active membership in the Illinois Association of School Boards. Copies are mailed to all school board members and the superintendent in each IASB member school district. Non-member subscription rate: Domestic $18 per year. Foreign (including Canada and Mexico) $21 per year.
PUBLICATION POLICY IASB believes that the domestic process functions best through frank and open discussion. Material published in the JOURNAL, therefore, often presents divergent and controversial points of view which do not necessarily represent the views or policies of IASB. Copyright © 2020 by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the JOURNAL is published six times a year and is distributed to its members and subscribers. Copyright in this publication, including all articles and editorial information contained in it is exclusively owned by IASB, and IASB reserves all rights to such information. IASB is a tax-exempt corporation organized in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
January/February 2020 3
Leadership Letter
Stories are for Telling
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By Thomas E. Bertrand
The last school event that I attended as a district superintendent in 2018 was high school graduation. It was my final occasion following a hectic week that closed out my 26 years in the school district. I recall the physical and emotional drain that I felt that week. I must admit that I was not looking forward to attending a student’s graduation party following the ceremony. However, this invitation came from David. David, an 18-year-old with Down Syndrome, worked part-time in our district office. David’s a big guy. But, he is a Teddy Bear — as gentle and kind a soul as you will meet. I would playfully tease David about the fact that he was a Cardinal fan, talk with him about upcoming Marvel movies, and give him a little scare — as I am known to do on occasion. David responded in kind by attempting to scare me on several occasions.
What if ... we shared a story each month or quarter that reinforces what we believe, what we do on behalf of our children and our families? I knew that I could not miss David’s party, so I stopped on my way home from the graduation ceremony. When David saw me come through the door of the private room at the restaurant, he jumped up from his seat. He politely excused himself as he quickly worked his way from his table across the room. He greeted me with the kind of hug that one reserves for a long lost friend. He proceeded to introduce me as “Dr. B,” his “boss,” to every family member at the party. It was a final and decisive reminder of why I chose the path of an educator. What we do matters — regardless of our position in a school district. Leadership matters. 4 Illinois School Board Journal
I share this story often for two reasons. First, the small things that we do for one another and for our students make a much bigger impact than we can ever imagine. To quote Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The other lesson is about the importance of sharing our stories. The culture of any organization is defined by the behavior of its members and is reinforced by the stories that members tell. When I told the story to my district staff on our last day of school following graduation, I connected it and aligned it to our strategic priority to connect every child with a caring, committed adult. What if — along with annual reports of test scores, student discipline, and attendance reports — we shared a story each month or quarter that reinforces what we believe, what we do on behalf of our children and our families? What are some of the events in your district’s history that illustrate the core values of the system and the good things that are happening for your students and families? Who are the staff who live out your values as an organization? During my time as a superintendent, I found that many of these stories were known by staff, but never shared beyond a department or team meeting. It is important to have a system for capturing these stories. Think about how you can collect and archive these stories to share them with your stakeholders. There is so much good work happening in our schools and with the families we serve and stories strengthen our connection to our community and with one another. Thank you for all that you do in support of quality public education for nearly two million Illinois school children. Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.
From the Field
What Type of Cheese is Your Story? By Dee Molinare
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We have been hearing about the importance of telling “your story.” In fact, the Illinois State Board of Education has provided school districts with a guide to assist in the telling of your story. Without a doubt, the popularity of “the story” telling has gained the attention of us all. So what is the story? Your district’s story should be clear and concise. You could say it should be firm like a Parmigiano-Reggiano, with a vigorous, robust flavor. That full-bodied flavor would inform your community of the progress the district is making toward the district’s goals. Goals? Yes, goals. If you have not as a district taken up the work of strategic planning/goal setting, with stakeholders, this would be an ideal time to begin the process. The strategic planning process involving stakeholder participation provides the board an opportunity to engage in two-way conversation that is purposeful with your community. The planning process ensures the values and beliefs of the community are represented in the strategic plan. Once the strategic plan is determined, finalized, and adopted by the board, the conversation then becomes ongoing as the district communicates the progress back to the community towards the goals. The monitoring of the progress to the goals utilizing data provides factual information to share with your stakeholders. You are telling the story of how you are spending the community’s money, their tax investment. And then what exactly is their return on that investment. This is the story. Firm, full of flavor, and vigorous! As you strive for your story to have a rich umami flavor profile, it is also important the story is succinct. As Jeffrey Goelitz, attorney for Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP, emphasizes, “In
communicating with the community, the board should aim to have a united story. A board that is telling different stories to different constituent groups causes fractures, confusion, and mistrust in the community and among its staff.” It takes effort and time to repair the fractures, confusion, and mistrust. By having a unified story that is content-driven by the district’s strategic plan, this can be avoided. If your story is more like a Swiss, (noted, nothing against Swiss cheese), the holes could cause questions from your all stakeholders. Those holes allow the opportunity for the gaps in the story. Those gaps will be filled in by others. These types of holes, or gaps, allow for your district’s story to be told in a way that may have inaccuracies. Inaccuracies could lead to rumors. It can be challenging and time-consuming to dispel rumors and inaccuracies.
The goal would be to get “in front of the story” with honest ownership of the problem and most importantly the plan to address the problem. Therefore, it is best to be proactive with the story rather than reactive. Open, honest communication while telling your story will go a long way toward building trust among all stakeholders. Inform your community of opportunities for areas of improvement. Highlight the plan to be implemented that provides progress toward the goal of improvement. Is there any way to involve stakeholders? Building partnerships within your community not only increases the trust but January/February 2020 5
builds the ownership of the community in their community school. Brett Clark, communications director for Maine Township THSD 207 states that “One of the core tenants of any public organization, especially schools and school districts, is to ensure that information provided is transparent and accurate. This is true when things are going well and it is especially true when things are not going well. This approach engenders stakeholder trust and positions the district or school as the accurate and trusted information source in all situations.” When there are those times of difficulty within the organization, whether it be not meeting goals or public scrutiny over some action of the district, it is critical the story be told accurately, succinctly, and timely. The worst is to wait for the story to be told by others. The delay in the information can create skepticism and lack of trust by your stakeholders. The goal would be to get “in front of the story” with honest ownership of the problem and most importantly the plan to address the problem. Another pitfall is to not tell your story. Make sure the story you are telling is your district’s unique story. Avoid a manufactured or processed story like you would a processed cheese. It is not healthy for anyone. Also, be sure to share the history of your district. Those old-aged stories are interesting, consumable, and palatable just like a moldy Gorgonzola or Stilton. The exciting aspect of storytelling is that it parallels to three of IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance, which are in essence the board’s job description. The three principals addressed are: 1. The board clarifies the district purpose. 2. The board connects with the community. 5. The board monitors performance. You can be confident you are fulfilling your role as a board member when you are “storytelling.” As a servant leader of the district, you are the cheerleader for the district. Enjoy telling your district’s story along with a flavorful cheese of your liking. Dee Molinare, Ed.D. is Field Services Director with the Illinois Association of School Boards for the DuPage, North Cook, and Starved Rock divisions.
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IASB Board of Directors As of December 15, 2019
PRESIDENT Thomas Neeley VICE PRESIDENT Simon Kampwerth Jr. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Joanne Osmond TREASURER Linda Eades ABE LINCOLN Bill Alexander
NORTHWEST Chris Buikema
BLACKHAWK David Rockwell
SHAWNEE Sheila Nelson
CENTRAL ILLINOIS VALLEY Tim Custis
SOUTH COOK Lanell Gilbert
CORN BELT Mark Harms DUPAGE Thomas Ruggio EGYPTIAN Travis Cameron ILLINI Michelle Skinlo KASKASKIA Linda Eades KISHWAUKEE Robert Geddeis LAKE Marc Tepper NORTH COOK Alva Kreutzer
SOUTHWESTERN Mark Christ STARVED ROCK Jim McCabe THREE RIVERS Rob Rodewald TWO RIVERS Tracie Sayre WABASH VALLEY Dennis Inboden WEST COOK Carla Joiner-Herrod WESTERN Sue McCance SERVICE ASSOCIATES Jason Vogelbaugh
The vision of the Illinois Association of School Boards is excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education. The mission of the Illinois Association of School Boards is to Light the Way for its members by developing their competence and confidence through a robust toolkit designed to build excellence in local school board governance, including • Premier training experiences; • Networking opportunities for mutual support; • Valuable benefits, pooled services, information, and expertise; • Advocacy on behalf of public education; and • A platform for a strong collective voice on common interests and concerns.
Legal Matters
Ready or Not Sweeping Student Data Privacy Law Impacts Illinois School Districts By Debra Jacobson
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Effective July 1, 2021, school districts in Illinois must be ready to implement major changes in how they handle student data when using educational technology. On August 23, 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law significant amendments to the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA, Public Act 101-516), which are intended to further strengthen privacy protections for online student data and increase parent access. Illinois follows a handful of other states that have recently passed similar student data privacy laws. Before these latest amendments, SOPPA only regulated operators of websites, services, or applications used and marketed for K-12 purposes. However, beginning July 1, 2021, public school districts and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) will have to comply with new requirements when it comes to their handling of students’ covered information. SOPPA defines covered information as personally identifiable information (PII) that is (1) created or provided by a student or parent to an operator, (2) created by or provided to an operator by an employee or agent of a school for K-12 purposes, or (3) gathered by an operator for
K-12 school purposes. PII includes not only names, addresses, and the like, but other information that personally identifies a student such as geolocation information, voice recordings, search activities, and even food purchases. The new SOPPA requirements that impact school districts fall into four main areas: agreements, transparency, security, and parent rights. Given the scope of these changes, this law is likely to present implementation challenges and questions for small and large districts alike. These requirements are more extensive than what districts are required to do under existing student record laws, such as the Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA). Agreements
Whenever an operator seeks to receive covered information from a school district, it must enter into a written agreement with the school district. Agreements entered into, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2021, must contain all of the following provisions; otherwise the agreement will be deemed void and unenforceable. • List of types of covered information to be provided to the operator;
• Statement of the product or service the operator is providing; • Statement that the operator is acting as a school official under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and will not disclose covered information to third parties unless permitted by law, court order, or the school district; • Description of how costs and expenses incurred by the school district for a breach will be allocated between the operator and school; • Statement that the operator must delete or transfer to the school district all covered information within a specified time period when it is no longer needed for the purposes of the agreement; • Statement that the school district must publish the written agreement on its website, or make it available for inspection at its administrative office if it does not maintain a website. The law also expressly prohibits a school from selling, renting, leasing, or trading covered information, with the exception of written agreements between districts and operators for the January/February 2020 7
distribution or sale of class photos and yearbooks. As districts prepare to implement this law, a critical first step will be to take inventory of existing agreements with operators, including click-wrap agreements that are commonly used by operators in connection with software licenses and online applications. Questions about whether particular products or services are subject to the SOPPA requirements should be referred to the board attorney. Transparency
Several provisions of SOPPA are now aimed at providing parents and members of the public centralized information about how student data is being used in school districts and when the security of that data is breached. More specifically, each school district must post on its website (or make available for inspection at its administrative office, if it has no website): • A clear, layperson explanation of the data elements of covered information that the district collects, maintains or discloses to any person, entity, third party, or governmental agency. The explanation must include how the information is used by the district, to whom it is disclosed, and for what purpose it is disclosed. • A list of operators the school district has written agreements with, a copy of each agreement (certain redactions are permitted under SOPPA if the school district and operator agree), and business address of each operator. Agreements must be posted 8 Illinois School Board Journal
Illinois Association of School Boards Administration and Staff OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Thomas E. Bertrand, Executive Director Benjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive Director
MEMBER SERVICES Dean Langdon, Associate Executive Director
Meetings Management Carla S. Bolt, Director
Field Services Reatha Owen, Senior Director Patrick Allen, Director Lori Grant, Director Nakia Hall, Director Perry Hill IV, Director Sandra Kwasa, Director Laura Martinez, Director Dee Molinare, Director
Executive Searches Thomas Leahy, Director Timothy Buss, Consultant Jim Helton, Consultant Dave Love, Consultant Alan Molby, Consultant Valorie Moore, Consultant Patricia Sullivan-Viniard, Consultant OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL Kimberly Small, General Counsel Legal Services Maryam Brotine, Assistant General Counsel Debra Jacobson, Assistant General Counsel Policy Services Ken Carter, Director Angie Powell, Director Boyd Fergurson, Consultant ADVOCACY/ GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS Benjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive Director Susan Hilton, Director Zach Messersmith, Director Deanna L. Sullivan, Director Ronald Madlock, Assistant Director ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Jennifer Feld, Associate Executive Director/ Chief Financial Officer
Board Development Nesa Brauer, Trainer
COMMUNICATIONS/ PRODUCTION SERVICES Kara Kienzler, Associate Executive Director Theresa Kelly Gegen, Director/Editorial Services Heath Hendren, Director/Editorial Services Jennifer Nelson, Director/Information Services Isaac Warren, Assistant Director/Digital Communications Katie Grant, Assistant Director/Production Services CONTACT IASB Springfield Office 2921 Baker Drive Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929 217/528-9688 IASB Lombard Office One Imperial Place 1 East 22nd Street, Suite 20 Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120 630/629-3776
Staff Email: First initial and last name preceding @iasb.com
within 10 business days after entering into them. • A list of each subcontractor to whom covered information may be disclosed (operators must provide their lists to schools by July 1 and January 1). • Procedures parents may use to carry out their rights under SOPPA. • A list of breaches of covered information going back five years, with a few exceptions. Districts must also provide more specific information about a breach to the parents of affected students, along with consumer resource contact information. Except for the second item in the list above, districts must update all of this information on their websites on a bi-annual basis, no later than 30 calendar days after the start of each fiscal year and each calendar year. Security
A week rarely goes by now that a security breach involving K-12 public schools isn’t reported in the media somewhere in the country. These incidents highlight the importance of cybersecurity measures and staff training on good security practices. When it comes to security of student data, SOPPA does not mandate a particular standard, but schools will have to implement “reasonable security procedures and practices that meet or exceed industry standards.” The law requires ISBE to develop guidance on this topic and make it available to districts on its website. SOPPA also codifies a data governance best practice by requiring
boards to adopt a policy for designating which employees will be authorized to enter into written agreement with operators. Districts may also choose, but are not required, to designate a privacy officer to manage their compliance with SOPPA. Parent Rights
The amendments to SOPPA give parents greater access to their students’ covered information, including rights to: • Inspect and review their student’s covered information; • Request a paper or electronic copy of covered information from the school, even if that information is maintained by an operator or ISBE; • Request corrections to factual inaccuracies contained in a student’s covered information if the school determines such an inaccuracy exists. ISBE is required to adopt rules to address parent requests for copies of student information. It is important to note that SOPPA does not relieve districts of their ongoing obligations to comply with FERPA and ISSRA, nor does it limit a parent’s rights to records under
those laws. Unlike ISSRA, however, parents do not have a private right of action under SOPPA if they believe their rights have been violated by a district (such a right was contained in an early version of the bill). The Illinois Attorney General has the authority to investigate violations of SOPPA and pursue relief in court under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Policies and Procedures
Finally, the amendments to SOPPA require ISBE to develop and make publicly available model student data privacy policies and procedures, including a notice for parents. IASB’s PRESS editors plan to collaborate with ISBE this year on policy and procedure materials for districts. In the meantime, ISBE, through the Learning Technology Center of Illinois, and other education technology organizations have started to offer professional development opportunities on SOPPA and its implementation in schools. Debra Jacobson is Assistant General Counsel for the Illinois Association of School Boards.
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10  Illinois School Board Journal
Feature Story
Full Count Illinois Education and the 2020 Census By Theresa Kelly Gegen
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The decennial census is the largest peacetime mobilization in the United States. On the national level, decisions are made based on the census that impact everyone living in the U.S. On the local level, one missed individual, especially a school-aged child, can cost a community thousands of dollars over time. The census draws together communities for a common cause: gathering the fairest possible share of resources. Information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau describes the effort as “Counting Everyone Once, Only Once, and in the Right Place.” It’s simple — count
everyone in the United States every 10 years — yet so complex. Aside from the magnitude of the effort, the complexities include pitting civic duty against privacy concerns, taking accurate counts of a mobile population, reaching the hard-to-reach, calming the mistrustful, and getting the numbers as right as possible to ensure accurate representation and distribution of funds. The education community in Illinois has a stake in an accurate count. A community that doesn’t respond to the census may not receive its fair share of the resources necessary to educate its current
and future student populations. Census data directly affects special education dollars, Title I grants, school meals programs and early childhood education initiatives. Indirect impacts to the public K-12 education community are numerous, including Medicaid, housing, and paying for college. The Illinois Complete Count Commission, part of the state’s Department of Human Services, is working to educate communities, organizations and residents about the importance of the 2020 census. Working with that commission, The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) hosted the January/February 2020 11
Feature Story Census EDU Summit in Chicago to impress upon the education community the importance of participation. “The stakes are high,” said Illinois superintendent of education Carmen L, Ayala. “Missing one child means missing out on federal funding for that child for the next 10 years.” The Census
The United States Constitution established co-equal branches of government and the system of checks and balances. The first Article of the Constitution created the legislative branch, and the first Section of that defined the U.S. House of Representatives. And then, midway through Section 2, before establishing the presidency, the
judiciary, taxes, or national defense, the founding fathers wrote into the Constitution what we know now as the U.S. Census: “The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” — Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution The “Enumeration” determined, for starters, how many representatives each state gets in Congress. For Illinois, this is a matter of importance. Illinois now sends 18 members to the U.S. House of Representatives; the state has lost six members of its congressional apportionment since the
1970 Census. Illinois’ population has increased in that span, but not as much as that of other states. Officials fear the next census could again reduce Illinois representational apportionment, possibly by two members. Each Census also redraws the state’s U.S. legislative districts. Of related and vital importance to the census undertaking is the distribution of federal funds. A conservative estimate states that the annual disbursement of by federal agencies based on the Census count is $675 billion — or trillions of dollars over the 10-year census term. Governments — national to local — use census data to determine policies and public programs. Census data is used to build roads, hospitals, and schools.
Our Mission is Your Success A PREEMINENT EDUCATION LAW FIRM REPRESENTING PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT ILLINOIS 310 Regency Centre, Collinsville, IL 62234 618.301.4060 618.301.4080 Fax www.gmschoollaw.com
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Business — global to local — uses census data to expand operations and develop new products and services. All of the above, including the census itself, creates jobs. That the Census Bureau is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce isn’t by happenstance. The 2020 Census will ask for each respondent’s name, phone number, and address. Questions will include demographic information, the number of people at the respondent’s address as of “Census Day,” April 1, 2020, any additional people living or staying there, and the relationship of those people to the respondent. Most households will receive an invitation in the mail in mid-March; respondents can participate online, by mail, or by telephone. Households that don’t respond will be reminded via mail in late March and offered paper census forms in April. Census Bureau employees will visit households that do not respond by late April. Of Interest to Education
At its Census EDU Summit, ISBE brought the education community and social services providers together underscore the importance of the census to public education. Illinois is committing to a census promotional effort, from websites and summits to walking neighborhoods with local residents, in communities across the state. The cost of undercounting is high. Particularly in the education community, undercounting children ages 0-5 is costly in the long term, and that age is statistically the most likely to be undercounted in Illinois. An estimated 5%
The U.S. Census Bureau says that, nationally, 95% of households will receive their Census invitation in the mail. Just under 5% will receive the invitation via hand delivery by a census employee. Less than 1% of United States residents, mostly in remote areas, will be counted in person by a census taker.
of children from birth through preschool-age weren’t counted in 2010. The census categorizes hardto-count populations as hard to locate, hard to contact, hard to persuade, hard interview, or overlapping segments of each. Some are hard-to-count for reasons such as mistrust of government, lack of interest, lack of access, language barriers, and hypermobility. Further reasons, impacting children through school age, include neighborhood population density, complex living arrangements, homelessness, and lack of education on and access to census information. According to the Illinois Complete Count Commission, among the groups historically undercounted in the census are veterans; minority communities; college students; foreign-born Illinois residents (documented and undocumented); retirees spending summer in Illinois and winter in warmer climates; farm families residing in rural counties; persons living in large housing units or apartment complexes; children under age 5; and the homeless.
Ideally, the census is an apolitical undertaking. In today’s world, politics impose on everything. The discussion of adding a citizenship question put the spotlight on the potential for politics even as the 2020 Census was being finalized. Concern engendered by that conversation is a challenge to the completion of a full and accurate census count, as are questions about privacy, access, and government intrusion into private space. By law, the individual responses to the United States Census are safe, secure, and protected. Responses cannot be used against individuals in any way. There are no exceptions. “The Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about individuals, households, or businesses, even to law enforcement agencies,” according to the Bureau. Illinois and its education community are promoting participation across boundaries, lines, and ideologies, stressing the importance of the count to the state as a whole. “This is so critical,” said Darren Reisberg, chairperson of the Illinois State Board of Education. January/February 2020 13
“We know that there are challenges, to getting a complete count, but we can overcome it. We’ve learned in message testing that our schools are generally the most trusted messengers, even in localities where people are not trusting of government. Our communities look at our school officials as having the best interests.” Resources for School Districts
Children can’t complete the census — it must be done by an adult. Collectively, children have so much stake in the outcome, it’s natural that the education community would be involved and that promotion of participation of the census is happening in and through schools.
Furthermore, the U.S. Census sparks its own interest in kids. At every 10 years, for kids it’s rare, novel and exciting. The Census is math: Children love to count and be counted. As they get older, learning the real-world applications of data is meaningful when kids know they have a place in that data. The Census is social studies: With history, geology, political science, sociology, and more, the Census is a macrocosm of the social sciences. Once every 10 years, the U.S. Constitution figuratively knocks on the door (or taps the screen). The census IS the people in your neighborhood. The U.S. Census Bureau offers “Statistics in Schools,” a program offering free cross-curricular classroom materials for P-12 with
DIVISION MEETINGS Invest one evening, gain benefits throughout the year for yourself, your school board, and your district.
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Field Services
Attend an IASB Division Meeting at a location near you! Division Meetings provide
opportunities for networking, professional development, peer recognition, participation in Association governance, and learning about IASB resources.
Mark your calendars now! Visit www.iasb.com for a complete list of events and locations.
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hundreds of skill-building activities including storybooks, maps, calendars, videos, and even songs. School boards are encouraged to not only work with their administrators to consider these resources, but also be a part of their local communities encouraging participation. ISBE is promoting and encouraging school districts to host Census Nights in the spring, at which, “families and community members can gather in a safe and trusted space to fill out the census online.” Complete Count Communities, made up of local community leaders to educate and motivate residents to participate in the 2020 Census, are forming across the nation, including in Illinois. These will utilize local knowledge, influence, and resources to educate communities on the importance of participation; create localized messaging; and develop cooperative efforts across local communities. “This overall effort … is very heartening,” said Illinois Deputy Governor for Education Jesse Ruiz of the cooperation efforts between the educational, advocacy, and social service organizations to work together to fulfill Illinois’ count. “There are so many different communities. This provides one heck of a rallying point, for all of us. There’s no party issues, no regional issues. We all need to be counted. It’s in our common self-interest to work together.” Theresa Kelly Gegen is editor of the Illinois School Board Journal. Resources named above, and other resources for educators relating to the 2020 U.S Census are available at bit.ly/JF20Jres.
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Commentary
K-12 Cybersecurity The Role of the School Board By Doug Levin
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Born in the 20th century, most school board members are not experts in issues of technology, much less cybersecurity. Nonetheless, they are charged with creating policy and performing oversight of schools that are growing increasingly reliant on 21st century technology for teaching, learning, assessment, and school operations. In 2018, to its credit, the National School Boards Association launched an initiative, “Cyber Secure Schools,” to bring the issue of cybersecurity to the fore for its members, as well as to offer resources and strategies to help school board members fulfill their responsibilities. NSBA generously invited me to help frame the relevant issues facing school board members. While I primarily focus on helping school board members understand the evolving threat landscape facing schools (based on data compiled for the K-12 Cyber Incident Map), in my presentations I always strive to offer some advice on concrete steps that people can take to reduce (or better manage) the cybersecurity risks facing the use of technology in schools. To that end, I suggested that school board members might most productively engage their peers and district administrators on the topic of cybersecurity risk management by probing for answers to the following four questions:
here include how district administrators monitor the frequency and severity of these incidents (processes and metrics), what their process for responding to incidents is, and how and under what circumstances the board should be made aware of incidents when they occur.
(1) How many significant cyber incidents has the district experienced in the last few years?
(2) How do we measure the sufficiency and effectiveness of our district’s cybersecurity program?
Districts have long managed and tried to protect school communities from online scams, viruses, and other malware. Whether the result of actions of district employees, students, or school vendors, the district that has not managed the response to an incident in recent years is far and away the exception. In fact, claims of absolute security (‘we’ve never had a data breach or cybersecurity incident‘) should be met with considerable skepticism. Related questions
Perhaps the most important question facing board members is how to ensure that district administrators are appropriately managing school cybersecurity risks. This is a question of liability (districts have been sued for negligent security practices), as well as legal compliance under federal and state privacy and data breach laws. Which risks should be mitigated through policy, practice, and/or technology investments? For which risks should insurance
16 Illinois School Board Journal
coverage be sought? Which risks can be accepted? Has the school district adopted and implemented a cybersecurity risk management framework? Does the district benchmark its practices against other districts? Does the district subject itself to regular third-party, independent security evaluations? School board members should anticipate that when their district experiences a significant data breach or cybersecurity incident, school community members, state agencies and law enforcement, insurance providers, and the media all will come seeking a public answer to this question. (3) How much of our IT budget is being spent on cybersecurity-related activities and risk management?
The point of this question is not to suggest that there is a magic dollar figure or percentage of a school IT budget that should be spent on cybersecurity-related activities as evidence of good practice. Instead, it is to suggest that — as part of their fiduciary oversight of school districts — board
members should be able to crosswalk cybersecurity risk mitigation strategies to budget expenditures. Districts often seek to maximize technology budgets in ways that can obscure the total cost of ownership of initiatives within and across budget
... [S]chool board members might most productively engage their peers and district administrators on the topic of cybersecurity risk management ... categories (hardware, software, infrastructure, maintenance, support, training/professional development, breakage/obsolescence). In order to ensure that cybersecurity risk mitigation strategies are being carried out, board members should be able to identify those expenditures (and FTEs) in the district budget and to track them over time. In this way, board members can help ensure that their
January/February 2020  17
district’s risk mitigation strategies are sufficient or garner the data they need to re-allocate (or seek out) additional investments. (4) What metrics do we use to evaluate cybersecurity awareness across the district?
While the district’s IT department has a key role to play in providing input into district policies and implementing technical cybersecurity controls, everyone associated with the district has a role to play in keeping IT assets and sensitive data safe. In fact, board members would do well to view cybersecurity risk prevention similar to issues of school health and wellness, such as vaccinations or even hand-washing. All it takes is for one member of the school community to make a mistake — click on a phishing link, download a malicious file, or lose control of a sensitive file — and the security of the district could be placed at risk. As such, the district should have an education and awareness program in place (including by providing cybersecurity training to school board members themselves) and board
18 Illinois School Board Journal
members should know how the district is assessing its effectiveness over time. In most cases, school board members do not need to be technology experts to perform their policy development and oversight responsibilities with respect to cybersecurity. By focusing their work around a small set of key questions, board members — working in partnership with district administrators — can help to establish a culture of risk management that will position their school districts for success over the long-term. I applaud NSBA and the forward-thinking work they are doing on this issue and look forward to continuing to engage with them and others to offer practical tools and tactics to address the emerging cybersecurity issues facing schools. Doug Levin is president and founder of The K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center, which tracks school district cybersecurity events and offers resources for public school officials and administrators. Resources for the Center and others mentioned in this article are available at bit.ly/JF20Jres.
Feature Story
Story Time for School Districts By Theresa Kelly Gegen
U
Upon the release of the 2019 Illinois Report Card, the Illinois State Board of Education encouraged public school districts in Illinois to use the data to tell their stories — celebrate improvements, acknowledge progress, and identify challenges. Districts throughout the state, from Herrin to Alhambra to Dixon to Rockford to Skokie to Urbana have not only dug into the data to assess their progress and goals, but have also shared stories derived from that information with their communities. The Illinois Report Card, an annual report released by the Illinois State Board of Education that demonstrates progress on educational goals at the state, district, and school levels shows at the state level “… how historic increases in students taking and succeeding in rigorous college and career preparation courses — representing four years of continuous growth and reflecting Illinois’ investments in equity and opportunity. Illinois now has its most racially and linguistically diverse student population in recent history, which amplifies its gains.” The 2019 Illinois Report Card will include new data points, notably site-based expenditures as indicated by the state’s implementation of the federal Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA). Other new data points include student groups, civil rights data collection, alternative climate surveys, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and additional science data. For each school, the Report Card includes one of four summa-
used to compile the Illinois Report Card. When the reports are released in late October each year, districts can use the new data to tell stories — with students, staff, teachers, and the community, about the progress the district has made towards its goals.
tive designations — Exemplary, Commendable, Under-Performing, and Lowest-Performing — reflecting how well the school is meeting the needs of all students. This designation is based on eight indicators of academic success and school quality, weighted towards graduation rates in high school and growth in English/language arts and math in PK-8. The designations include student subgroups and racial/ethnic groups relative to the indicators. The district snapshot offers data compiled and aggregated from each of the district’s schools. This snapshot also includes the district’s financial capacity to meet expectations. Annually, school districts are required to submit the data
A wealth of information on understanding the Illinois Report Card and sharing the stories it produces is available through the resources link below. According to ISBE, “The Illinois Report Card … shows how the state, and each school and district, are progressing on a wide range of educational goals. The Report Card offers a complete picture of student and school performance in order to inform and empower families and communities as they support their local schools.” Theresa Kelly Gegen is editor of the Illinois School Board Journal. Resources associated with this article can be accessed via bit.ly/JF20Jres.
January/February 2020 19
January/February July/August 2019 2020 Vol. 88 87 No. 1 3
Conference School leaders show up to learn,JAC19: share, connectTelling Your Story Transform Vision By Kara Kienzler; photographs by Michael Hudson; design by Katie Grant
into Reality
2020 Census in Illinois Education
Public school leaders, educators, and innovators from across the state gathered in Chicago to participate in the 87th Joint Annual Conference with the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association cover_FINAL.indd 1 of School Administrators, and Illinois Association of School Business Officials. The three-day Conference, November 22-24, featured numerous sessions and programming designed to help school leaders transform their district’s vision into a reality. Representatives from more than 700 of the 850 public school districts in Illinois attended to discuss common education issues, share solutions and best practices with peers, and discover new strategies to take home.
20  Illinois School Board Journal
12/16/2019
From top: Kai Kight, first General Session speaker; Matt Mayberry, second General Session speaker; and Kelsey Tainsh, third General Session speaker.
9,716 Overall Attendance
A General Session held each day featured keynote speakers and awards recognizing Illinois education leaders. The Friday General Session set the tone of the Conference with board members sharing their motivations for school board service and continued leadership in a short video. Then, keynote speaker Kai Kight captivated audience members with his violin solo. Using his “air violin” as a metaphor, Kight challenged audience members to discover what their own music is. The second day began with an insightful presentation by former NFL linebacker Matt Mayberry about transformational leadership. Mayberry energized the crowd, speaking about the power of goals and culture. “Culture is the soul of an organization. You can’t see it, but you can feel it. It engages hearts
215
Exhibitors
114
Panel Sessions
and minds,” Mayberry said. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” On Sunday, Kelsey Tainsh closed out the Conference weekend with a powerful message about perspective. Sharing her journey to overcome a crippling stroke, Tainsh emphasized the importance of creativity when solving problems. Total attendance at the Conference* was 9,716, which included 3,198 board members, 1,031 administrators, 208 business officials, and over 1,200 exhibitor representatives, as well as school attorneys, education officials, state lawmakers, guests, and other representatives. Panel Sessions, an essential component to the Conference’s learning opportunities, were presented in eight different one-hour time slots on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In total, 114 sessions
8
Pre-Conference Workshops
710
School Districts Represented
January/February 2020 21
Top-Attended Panel Sessions 1 Legislative Issues Impacting School Districts
4 E-Learning for Emergency Days
2 What Will the Spring 2020 Legislative Session Bring to Schools?
5 IHSA Updates
3 You Can’t Make this Stuff Up: Legal Review
6 Vaping, Marijuana, Opioids: Prevention through Knowledge
covered a range of topics including state and federal laws, education funding, student learning and achievement, and many current education topics such as mental health and educational equity. Twenty-nine Illinois school districts presented Share the Success panels this year. The Carousel of Panels, a series of three 30-minute roundtable discussions, offered 29 additional topics and presenters. The presentations with the highest attendance were: “Legislative Issues Impacting School Districts” (344); “What Will the Spring 2020 Legislative Session Bring to Schools?” (330); “You Can’t Make this Stuff Up: Legal Review” (300); “E-Learning for Emergency Days” (240); “IHSA Updates” (240); and “Vaping, Marijuana, Opioids: Prevention
22 Illinois School Board Journal
through Knowledge” (220). Multiple panels on collective bargaining and school safety were also popular. The Carousel of Panels drew 214 attendees. Eight Pre-Conference Workshops were offered to give school board members essential training in the areas of governance and leadership. Registrations for the targeted half-day and full-day workshops were among the highest recorded, at over 1,200. New workshop offerings “The Happiness Advantage,” “Attention Pays,” and “Equity: An Educational Imperative” sold out weeks ahead of the Conference. Training for the job of board president, school finance, and balancing governance and transparency also reached registration capacity. Other training opportunities included an all-day seminar for
school attorneys, workshops for business officials on school finance, presenting, and debt issuance; and superintendent sessions on women in leadership and social and emotional learning support for educators. Two days of specialized training were offered to district employees who serve as board secretary or administrative assistant. Topics included technology/productivity tools, FOIA and OMA, planning for retirement, board policies,
Handouts that have been provided by Panel Session presenters are available on the Conference website through February 2020.
mental health and well-being, and round table discussions. NBC’s “Biggest Loser” contestant Sonya Jones encouraged both personal and professional development in her Opening Session message to more than 220 attendees. School board members and administrators were encouraged to invite their local emergency responders, school resource officers, and others who help prepare and carry out security procedures to attend a School Safety and Security Seminar on Friday. Experts discussed emerging trends in school security and social media threat awareness, drawing more than 200 attendees. Frank DeAngelis, former principal at Columbine High School, talked about the changes that have taken place since 1999 and how school shootings impact communities.
A n information room highlighted IASB’s support and expertise in the areas of governance, training, policy services and school law, and information resources. Visitors to the “IASB Info Center” met with knowledgeable staff to have questions answered and to learn more about programs and services available to school districts. On Saturday, IASB members held their annual meeting to elect officers and determine legislative positions of the Association. The IASB Delegate Assembly considered resolutions proposed by school boards about safety issues, school board elections, and special education funding. School boards voted against a proposed resolution that would call for the Association to support legislation that would allow
school districts to set school safety and student protection policies that would allow trained school teachers and staff to be armed. A related resolution, calling for IASB to support legislation that would create and fund a program that would assist school districts in hiring school resource officers, was adopted. The resolutions pertaining to student safety received heightened media attention. “Our board members are unanimous across this state in their desperation to protect our children,” IASB Executive Director Tom Bertrand said in an interview following the meeting. “I think where they disagree is the path forward to do that.” The 88th Joint Annual Conference will be held November 20-22, 2020 in Chicago.
*Attendance numbers based on preliminary data as of November 25, 2019 and is subject to change. January/February 2020 23
Delegate Assembly For a second year, the IASB Resolutions Process and Delegate Assembly drew unusual local and national attention because of the inclusion of the issue of armed teachers in Illinois schools. The Resolutions Process is one of the most important undertaken by the Association. School boards that are members of the Association initiate, write, and submit resolution proposals that are reviewed and recommended (or not) by a Resolutions Committee. The process culminates at the annual Delegate Assembly, at which the decisions reached by member boards of education determine the direction of the Association’s advocacy efforts on behalf of its members. School boards that seek to change or add to IASB’s position statements and belief statements are encouraged to take advantage of the Resolutions Process. As was the case in 2018, member school boards in 2019 voted against a proposed resolution that would call for the Illinois Association of School Boards to support legislation that would allow school districts to set school safety and student protection policies that would allow trained, armed school teachers and staff. The intent of the proposed resolution was to give local school districts the authority to decide what is best for their communities in the areas of school safety and student protection. The resolution was supported primarily by rural school districts with concerns about emergency response time and lack of financial resources to employ school resource officers. Districts opposing the measure opined that arming staff would not create a safer environment for their students. A related resolution, calling for IASB to advocate for state school safety grants for hiring school resource officers or school security personnel, was adopted. In addition to setting legislative priorities, IASB delegates elected Thomas Neeley, a member of the Morton CUSD 709 Board of Education, to a one-year term as president of the Association. Simon Kampwerth Jr., a member of the Peru ESD 124 Board of Education, was elected vice president. The Association’s immediate past president is Joanne Osmond, a member of the Lake Villa CCSD 41 Board of Education.
24 Illinois School Board Journal
Exhibit Hall
C 93 M 62 Y8 K1
C 10 M 90 Y 53 K2
C3 M 64 Y 81 K1
C 91 M 25 Y 76 K 10
Mark Your Calendar! • 2020 Joint Annual Conference Registration and Housing Opens June 2020 • Exhibitor Registration and Housing Opens February 2020 Recognized as one of the nation’s largest state education conferences, the Joint Annual Conference is a premier training event for school board members, administrators, and business officials. Join us in Chicago, November 20-22, 2020 for panel sessions, keynote speakers, and targeted programming to equip you with the support necessary to meet your responsibilities as a school official and become a highly engaged leader for your district.
January/February 2020 25
Commentary
Partnerships Create Pathways to Meet Illinois’ Teacher Shortage By William “Bill” Marzano
A
A comprehensive and integrated human resource management strategy is comprised of three components: recruitment, training, and retention. These key components of a strategic plan to meet the teacher shortage in Illinois were presented to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in November 2019, in effort to leverage the state’s higher education system to efficiently train the future educators needed to meet the statewide teacher shortage. Regarding recruitment, a statewide Educators Rising program was proposed at the cost of $1 million. Educators Rising is a national program sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers, which provides
26 Illinois School Board Journal
opportunities for high school students to learn about the field of education through clubs or classes and engage in early teaching experiences as tutors or mentors of younger students. A successful Educators Rising partnership in the Fox Valley region comprised of Aurora University and 16 high schools has demonstrated that this program consistently produces sizeable numbers of students interested in pursuing a teaching degree. Scaling this program to the statewide level can effectively address the recruitment issue by producing a sufficiently large and also diverse group of candidates to become the future teachers needed to address the shortage in the state. Regarding retention, re-establishing a New Teacher Mentoring program was proposed at the cost of $20 million. New Teacher Mentoring was established by law more than 15 years ago but has not been funded since 2009. The early-career support provided by this program demonstrated positive outcomes for both increased teacher effectiveness and reduced teacher turnover. Clearly, this program can effectively address the retention issue by ensuring that new teachers will have abundant support as they enter their first classrooms, will be groomed to succeed, and are more likely to stay in the profession. Between these two strong programs a strong training/teacher
preparation program must be in place. Illinois has a large and robust higher education system that can effectively train these candidates to baccalaureate completion and initial licensure. It is proposed that the two components of the state’s post-secondary system be leveraged so that efficient and cost-effective pathways of teacher preparation are discernible and available. Universities and Colleges
Illinois has a significant number of colleges and universities within its borders. The largest component of the system is the 12 public universities located throughout the state. In Fall 2018, enrollment for these institutions totaled more than 163,000 students. Additionally, there are approximately 150 private colleges and universities, both not-for-profit and for-profit. The large number and diversity of the colleges and universities in Illinois is an asset. There are many choices available, from large public universities, such as the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign to smaller private universities, such as Aurora University. Consequently, the system provides for both a wide range of collegial experiences and costs. Physical access to these higher education institutions is generally good, except for portions of rural Illinois (this is addressed later in this commentary). The Illinois Board
of Higher Education (IBHE) serves to oversee the 12 public universities and coordinate the efforts of the public universities, the private colleges and universities, and the public community college system. Public Community Colleges
Illinois is widely recognized for its large and comprehensive community college systems, which serve nearly one million students each year and provide access throughout the state with 39 college districts and 48 campuses. The design of the system is such that every resident of Illinois is no more than one-hour driving distance from the closest community college campus. The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) serves as an advisory board to its constituent colleges. In
addition to access, the system is noted for its affordability. Because each district derives revenue from its local real estate tax base, public community colleges are able to offer tuition rates significantly lower than those of colleges or universities. The future teachers developed by the proposed Educators Rising program thus have an array of options to select from to pursue a teacher preparation program. If the Educators Rising program is successful in recruiting a large and more diverse cohort of future teachers, a significant portion of these students may be first-generation college students and/or economically challenged. These characteristics create special considerations, and any early college experience will be of benefit to these students.
Early Start/Really Smart Partnerships
High school students can get an “early start” on their college work if their school has a dual-credit partnership with a community college. Dual-credit courses are college courses delivered in a variety of settings for which secondary students additionally receive credit towards meeting high school graduation requirements. Such partnerships are relatively common throughout the state and offer several advantages. First of all, the dual-credit courses are a relatively safe testing ground for college-level work. Studies usually reveal a positive correlation between early college courses work and later persistence and completion. Additionally, this completed coursework would allow students to
Policy Services assists the board with all aspects of its policymaking role PRESS — PRESS has two
components: the Policy Reference Manual of sample policies and procedures and periodic PRESS Issue updates to the Policy Reference Manual.
Update:
Communicate:
IASB helps the board continually update its customized board policy manual that was adopted through the Policy Manual Customization process.
IASB helps the board communicate by publishing its policies online for the public to access.
PRESS Plus
Implement/Monitor:
Develop & Review:
Policy Manual Customization IASB helps the board develop a customized up-to-date board policy manual based on PRESS and the board’s current practices for ongoing review by the board.
Administrative Procedures Project IASB helps administrators implement the board’s policies by creating a procedures manual that aligns with board policy and the district’s current practices for ongoing monitoring by the board.
School Board Policies Online
Boardbook IASB helps the board communicate by streamlining the preparation, distribution, and publishing of board agenda packets with a webbased app.
To learn more, contact IASB Policy Services today! Phone: 630/629-3776 or 217/528-9688, ext. 1210 or 1154 Email: kcarter@iasb.com or apowell@iasb.com
January/February 2020 27
take a lighter course load per semester as they start their regular college career. Such a condition also contributes to higher course and degree completion rates. Finally, these early start courses help to reduce the overall cost of higher education for the student and family. A recent initiative leveraging this dual-credit advantage is the Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois (SEPI) program. Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) is one grantee under this new program and is collaborating with John A. Logan College, Shawnee Community College, and area high schools. While in high school, students can take two of SIUC’s required teacher education program core curriculum classes through the partner community colleges and earn dual high school/college credit. Educators Rising clubs for recruiting future teachers are also a component of the SEPI program. Other progressive community colleges are increasing and initiating new dual-credit partnerships and arrangements. For example, Waubonsee Community College will soon launch a reduced tuition rate program to encourage more dual-credit enrollment opportunities for high school students to attend courses on-campus. Finally, the most aggressive version of an “early start” program would have high school students earning 30 college credit hours through Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit, resulting in a “1+1+2 Pathway,” one year of college credit earned during high school, plus one year at the community college and two years at the senior institution. Such partnership arrangements would clearly and 28 Illinois School Board Journal
significantly reduce the overall cost to completion. Thus, high school and community college partnerships can provide early college success and cost savings for our future teachers. The coursework gets them acting and thinking like college students and is a powerful complement to the Educators Rising program, which gets them thinking like teachers. Pathways to Degree Completion and Initial Licensure
As mentioned previously, a significant portion of the students who comprise the future pool of educators may be economically challenged. The cost of tuition and possibly room and board for certain paths to initial licensure may be more than daunting.
Excessive student loan debt may deter these candidates from pursuing the teaching degree, or as one parent succinctly said to me, “We hope our child can finish college with a monthly car-sized loan payment instead of a mortgage-sized one!” With the factors of access and affordability in mind, here are four discernible pathways with three different cost levels. Data were derived from the website CollegeCalc; for convenience and the sake of illustration, numbers were rounded slightly as follows: one-year average tuition at an Illinois community college = $4,000; one-year average tuition at a college or university = $18,000; oneyear average room and board for a resident student = $10,000.
Pathway 1 — Student begins at their community college, then transfers to a nearby college or university and lives at home. This option leverages both components of the higher education system and would have the lowest overall cost 2($4,000) + 2 ($18,000) = $44,000. It may be the optimal choice for students with extreme financial challenges and/or with familial considerations. Also, starting at the community college avoids admission standard barriers, and developmental course work is available as needed. Pathway 1 is the lowest cost option. Pathway 2 — Student begins at their community college, then transfers to a college or university as a resident student. This option also leverages both components of the higher education system and offers all the same advantages as Pathway 1. The total estimated cost will increase with the addition of room and board expenses for two years at the transfer institution: 2($4,000) + 2($18,000) + 2($10,000) = $64,000. There is a considerable range, however, associated with the average cost of $18,000 for one year at a college or university for tuition. The public universities fall below the average in the $13–15,000 range, while the private colleges and universities have the greater portion of their range above the average. The range for community college tuition rates is relatively smaller. All that being said, certain choices of universities or lower-priced private institutions can result in a total less than the estimated $64,000 total. Pathway 2 is a mid-priced option.
overall cost: 4($18,000) + 4($10,000) = $112,000. On the low end, a student may select an institution and/ or secure financial aid to bring the tuition cost down to $10,000 per year. Even still, estimated total cost is $80,000. Pathway 4 is the highest cost option. A Tale of Two States
Pathway 3 — Student selects a college or university and lives at home. As with Pathway 1, it may be the appropriate arrangement for students with familial obligations. Although tuition rates will vary considerably with the institution selected, the cost will be limited to tuition. Utilizing the average rate of $18,000 per year, the estimated total cost is $72,000. That amount is larger than the $64,000 estimated for Pathway 2. However, as explained in Pathway 2, the range of tuition rates is quite large. Therefore, Pathways 2 and 3 are essentially in the same cost bracket, and a student may identify a college or university that keeps them in the $60,000 range for total cost. Pathway 3 is also a midpriced option. Pathway 4 — Student selects a college or university in the state and is a resident student. Again, tuition rate will vary considerably, and the cost of room and board must be added to the total. This arrangement would have the highest
It has often been said there are really two states within Illinois: Chicago and the rest of the state. This must be considered when the four above described paths are evaluated by students throughout our considerably large state. For students graduating from community colleges in the Chicago urban/suburban region, there will be many nearby choices for a transfer institution to pursue the lowest-cost Pathway 1 option. Four of the 12 state public universities, Chicago State University, Governors State University, Northeastern Illinois University and the University of Illinois-Chicago, are all located in this region, along with a plethora of private colleges and universities. Students can select their next institution based on cost, individual preferences, and other factors and continue to live at home if that is a financial and/or familial necessity. Hopefully, students can identify a “best fit” and “best deal” for their circumstances. Furthermore, arrangements already exist in the region by which a college or university recruits transfer students from particular community colleges. For example Aurora University partners with six nearby community colleges for the recruitment of their transfer students. These same characteristics hold true for students when those institutions are chosen for four January/February 2020 29
years by a “homebound” or location-bound student. Thus, Pathways 1 or 3 are viable options for students living in the Chicago metro area. There are, however, crucial teacher shortages in the vast rural regions of the state. These areas have community colleges but are not rich in other institutions of higher education. Therefore, Pathways 1 and 3 may not be viable options for students living in these areas. A cursory examination of an Illinois map reveals that a state university can be more than an hour’s drive from several points. The fundamental paradigm of the community college system was that every resident of the state is no more than one-hour driving distance from the closest community college campus. This paradigm can be applied to make state universities accessible so that the lowest-cost Pathway 1 option is available to students living in the “other Illinois.” Partnerships create Pathways: Let the University Come to You
What is proposed may be described as a “new-old” idea. In the late-1970s, Illinois State University
(ISU) sent its College of Education faculty approximately 60 miles north from its main campus to Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) in Oglesby. Students who had already earned the associate degree were able to take the full sequence of ISU junior and senior education courses at IVCC, thus completing their teacher preparation and earning a baccalaureate degree at home. Students from this special partnership quickly filled faculty vacancies in the local school districts. This model can be leveraged to create Pathway 1 partnerships and directly address the teacher shortage in the state’s rural areas. To start, it is recommended that the eight public state universities not located in the Chicago urban/suburban region partner with a public community college at which they would offer education courses leading to the baccalaureate and initial licensure. When one examines a map it is evident that areas of rural Illinois are more than an hour’s driving distance to a state university, but a community college partner can be identified that
is 60 miles or so from each of the state universities. The table below presents this initial list of proposed partners:. By reaching out and partnering with a “distant” community college, the universities are extending Pathway 1 access to students in the more isolated rural areas of the state where teacher shortages are pronounced. Through such a plan, nearly every student in the state who wants to become a teacher will have a reasonably accessible and affordable option. This proposal is the “grow your own” paradigm to the maximum, and it is needed to effectively address the critical teacher shortages in the less densely populated rural areas of the state. See map, page 31. Candidates may continue to live at home and avoid room and board expenses. This optimal accessibility and affordability will also attract non-traditional students who are homebound but interested in becoming teachers. For the eight partner universities (see proposal in the table below), it is assumed that the courses delivered at the partner
Proposed Pathway Partners Public State University
Public Community College
Eastern Illinois University
Illinois Eastern CCs: Wabash Valley or Frontier
Illinois State University
Illinois Valley Community College
Northern Illinois University
Highland Community College
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Kaskaskia College
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
John Wood Community College
University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign
Kankakee Community College
University of Illinois Springfield
John Wood Community College
Western Illinois University
Blackhawk College
30 Illinois School Board Journal
community college are additional sections that would not otherwise be offered and would be welcomed by the Colleges of Education which have experienced flat or declining enrollment in the past several years. It will be challenging to offer the wide variety of education courses needed for the different licensures. For example, secondary education majors need considerable course work in their subject matter. However, online coursework can help to alleviate this condition. The ISC/IVCC example of a creative Pathway 1 community college/university partnership for teacher preparation was cited from the past. There is also a contemporary example of this arrangement. In the fall of 2019, Elgin Community College (ECC) in partnership with Northern Illinois University (NIU) launched its Elgin Community College Cohort 2+2 with 15 students. Having completed an associate degree at ECC, these students are now enrolled full-time in junior-level education classes taught by NIU faculty at the ECC campus, working towards a B.S. in Elementary Education with Bilingual/ESL Endorsement. Even though ECC is less than an hour’s drive from NIU’s main campus in DeKalb, the advantages of this Pathway 1 option are attracting participants, who upon completion, will help to fill teacher vacancies in the Elgin region. The present proposal should best be seen as a starting point. Upon more detailed analysis of teacher shortages from ISBE data, the list of proposed community college sites could change. Also,
the eight public institutions were offered as starting candidates because of their size and larger faculty resources. Other colleges or universities can step up and become a partnership institution if there is interest and resources are available. Also, the partnership paradigm may have value and applicability in other areas of the state where access and affordability challenges are particularly pronounced, as with the NIU and ECC program. Conclusion
In summary, a comprehensive and integrated human resource management strategy is needed to meet the current teacher shortage of teachers in the state’s K-12 system. Fortunately, all the resources to address this challenge are available. A sufficiently large and more diverse crop of teacher candidates can be recruited in the states’ high schools through a statewide Educators Rising program. Furthermore, these future teachers can get an early start on their college work through dual-credit partnerships between community colleges and their district high schools. To increase access and affordability, creative partnerships between community colleges and senior institutions can provide the most cost-effective pathways for these students to pursue teacher preparation/initial licensure. Finally, the mentors to groom these future teachers for success and retention are available through funding and re-establishing the New Teacher Mentoring program.
In more rural areas where distance to educational opportunities is a factor, a community college partner can be identified that is 60 miles or so from each of the state universities.
Illinois is a great state, rich in resources, and capable of meeting the current shortage. William “Bill” Marzano holds an Ed.D. in post-secondary curriculum and instruction from Illinois State University. He is a former community college instructor at Illinois Valley Community College and administrator at Waubonsee Community College. Between those careers, he served as a senior human resource manager in the private sector. Now retired, he had extensive experience with dual-credit high school partnerships and senior university partnerships. Resources for this commentary are available at bit.ly/JF20Jres.
January/February 2020 31
Service Associates Directory Appraisal Services INDUSTRIAL APPRAISAL COMPANY Building and fixed asset appraisals for insurance and accounting purposes. Oak Brook 630/575-0280
Architects/Engineers ARCON ASSOCIATES, INC. Full service firm specializing in educational facilities with services that include architecture, construction management, roof and masonry consulting, landscape architecture, and environmental consulting. Lombard 630/495-1900; www.arconassoc.com; rpcozzi@arconassoc.com BERG ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, LTD. Consulting engineers. Schaumburg 847/352-4500; www.berg-eng.com BLDD ARCHITECTS, INC. Architectural and engineering services for schools. Decatur 217/429-5105; Champaign 217/356-9606; Bloomington 309/828-5025; Chicago 312/829-1987 CANNONDESIGN Architecture, interiors, engineering, consulting. Chicago 312/332-9600; www.cannondesign.com; sbrodsky@cannondesign.com CORDOGAN CLARK & ASSOCIATES Architects and engineers. Aurora 630/896-4678; www.cordoganclark.com; rmont@cordoganclark.com DEWBERRY ARCHITECTS INC. Architects, planners, landscape architecture, and engineers. Peoria 309/282-8000; Elgin 847/695-5840 DLA ARCHITECTS, LTD. Architects specializing in preK-12 educational design, including a full range of architectural services, assessments, planning, feasibility studies, new construction, additions, remodeling, O&M and owner’s rep services. Itasca 847/742-4063; www.dla-ltd.com; info@dla-ltd.com DLR GROUP Educational facility design and master planning. Chicago 312/382-9980; dlrgroup.com; mengelhardt@dlrgoup.com
32 Illinois School Board Journal
ERIKSSON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, LTD. Consulting civil engineers and planners. Grayslake 847/223-4804; Chicago 312/463-0551; Mokena 708/614-9720; www.eea-ltd.com; geriksson@eea-ltd.com FARNSWORTH GROUP, INC. Architectural and engineering professional services. Normal, IL 309/633-8436 FGM ARCHITECTS, INC. Architects. Chicago 312/942-8461; Oak Brook 630/574-8300; O’Fallon 618/624-3364; St. Louis 314/439-1601; www.fgmarchitects.com GREENASSOCIATES, INC. Architecture/construction services. Deerfield 847/317-0852, Pewaukee, Wisconsin 262/746-125 HEALY, BENDER & ASSOCIATES, INC. Architects/planners. Naperville 630/904-4300; www.healybender.com; dpatton@healybender.com HURST-ROSCHE, INC. Architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design. Hillsboro 217/532-3959; East St. Louis 618/398-0890; Marion 618/998-0075; Springfield 217/787-1199; dpool@hurst-rosche.com JMA ARCHITECTS Full service professional design firm specializing in K-12 educational design, construction management, strategic/master planning, health/life safety compliance, building commissioning, and interior space design. South Holland 708/339-3900; www.jmaarchitects.com; allison@jmaarchitects.com KLUBER ARCHITECTS + ENGINEERS Building design professionals specializing in architecture, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and fire protection engineers. Batavia 630/406-1213 LARSON & DARBY GROUP Architecture, engineering, interior design, and technology. Rockford 815/484-0739; St. Charles 630/444-2112; www.larsondarby.com; snelson@larsondarby.com
LEGAT ARCHITECTS, INC. Architectural and educational planners who specialize in creating effective student learning environments. Gurnee 847/622-3535; Oak Brook 630/990-3535; Chicago 312/258-9595; www.legat.com PCM+DESIGN ARCHITECTS Provide a full range of architectural services including facility and feasibility studies, architectural design, construction consulting and related services. East Peoria 309/694-5012; www.PCMPLUSD.com PERFORMANCE SERVICES, INC. An integrated design and delivery engineering company serving the design and construction facility needs of K-12 schools. Schaumburg 847/466-7220 PERKINS+WILL Architects. Chicago 312/755-0770 RICHARD L. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC. Architecture, educational planning. Rockford 815/398-1231; www.rljarch.com SARTI ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INC. Architecture, engineering, life safety consulting, interior design, and asbestos consultants. Springfield 217/585-9111 STR PARTNERS Architectural, interior design, planning, cost estimating, and building enclosure/ roofing consulting. Chicago 312/464-1444 TRIA ARCHITECTURE An architectural planning and interior design firm that provides services primarily to school districts in the Chicagoland area with an emphasis on service to their clients, and their communities. Burr Ridge 630/455-4500 WIGHT & COMPANY For over 77 years, Wight & Company has provided design and construction services for the built environment. As a pioneer of integrated Design & Delivery, we’ve worked with our clients to create exceptional, enduring buildings and spaces that enrich people’s lives and enhance the environment; Darien 630/969-7000; www.wightco.com; bpaulsen@wightco.com WM. B. ITTNER, INC. Full service architectural firm serving the educational community since 1899. Fairview Heights 618/624-2080
WOLD ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS Specializing in Pre-K-12 educational design including master planning, sustainable design, architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, quality review, cost estimation and management. Palatine 847/241-6100
Building Construction CORE CONSTRUCTION Professional construction management, design-build, and general contracting services. Morton 309/266-9768; COREconstruction.com F. H. PASCHEN A general/construction manager with extensive experience in new construction and renovation of educational and institutional facilities in the public/private sectors. Chicago 773/444-1525; www.fhpaschen.com FREDERICK QUINN CORPORATION Construction management and general contracting. Addison 630/628-8500; www.fquinncorp.com HOLLAND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC. Full service construction management and general contracting firm specializing in education facilities. Swansea 618/277-8870 NICHOLAS & ASSOCIATES, INC. Construction management, general contracting, design and build. Mt. Prospect 847/394-6200 info@nicholasquality.com PEPPER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Construction management and general contracting services. Barrington 847/381-2760; www.pepperconstruction; jripsky@pepperconstruction.com POETTKER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Specializing in construction management, design/build, construction consulting services, and energy solutions for education clients. Breese 618/526-7213; www.poettkerconstruction.com RUSSELL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. Russell provides successful, knowledgeable construction management and contracting services in the PreK-12 market from concept to completion and continuing care for your facility needs. Davenport, Iowa 563/459-4600
S.M. WILSON & CO. Provides construction management and general construction services to education, healthcare, commercial, retail, and industrial clients. St. Louis 314/645-9595; www.smwilson.com; judd.presley@smwilson.com STUDIOGC ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS StudioGC is passionate communityminded partner, committed to creating imaginative and well-designed facilities. StudioGC offers innovative planning, programming, architectural, interior design, and cost estimates. Chicago 312/253-3400 TRANE HVAC company specializing in design, build, and retrofit. Willowbrook 630/734-6033
Computer Software, Supplies, Services COMPUTER INFORMATION CONCEPTS, INC. Infinite Campus student information System and Finance Suite, and Tableau Data Visualization/Analytics. Greeley, Colorado 312/995-3342 EDMENTUM We provide fully digital curriculum and assessment tools for educators to utilize in K-12 classrooms to establish blended and personalized environments and advance student learning. Bloomington, MN 952/832-1570
Consulting DECISIONINSITE, LLC DecisionInsite provides the nation’s school district leaders with the technology, enrollment forecasts, and expertise they need to understand how enrollment impacts their district. Irvine, California 877/204-1392 ROOM READY Highly qualified audiovisual specialists who specialize in removing the complexity and ensuring that your audiovisual installations just work, both today and in the future. Normal 309/261-3794
IASB Service Associates are businesses which offer school‑related products and services and which have earned favorable reputations for quality and integrity. Only after careful screening is a business firm invited to become a Service Associate. To learn more about IASB Service Associates membership, visit www.iasb.com or contact Britni Beck at bbeck@iasb.com
Environmental Services ALPHA CONTROLS & SERVICES, LLC We deliver energy cost justified solutions that make the learning environment comfortable, secure, and efficient. Rockford, Springfield, Champaign 815/227-4000; www.alpaacs.com; jasonv@alphaacs.com CTS GROUP Dedicated to assisting K-12 education meet the challenge of providing healthy, safe, and educational appropriate learning environments. St. Louis 636/230-0843; Chicago 773/633-0691; www.ctsgroup.com; rbennett@ctsgroup.com ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP A comprehensive energy services and performance contracting company providing energy, facility and financial solutions. Itasca 630/773-7201; smcivor@energysystemsgroup.com GCA SERVICES GROUP Custodial, janitorial, maintenance, lawn and grounds, and facility operations services. Downers Grove 630/629-4044
January/February 2020 33
Service Associates Directory Environmental Services continued from previous page
GRP MECHANICAL CO., INC. Renovating buildings through energy savings performance contracting to provide the best learning environment. HVAC, plumbing, windows, doors, and mechanical services. Bethalto 618/779-0050 HONEYWELL, INC. Controls, maintenance, energy management, performance contracting, and security. St. Louis 314/548-4136; Des Plaines 847/770-5496; Maryland Heights, Missouri 314/548-4501; Doc.Kotecki@Honeywell.com; Kevin.Bollman@Honeywell.com IDEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, INC. Asbestos and environmental services. Bloomington 309/828-4259 ILLINOIS ENERGY CONSORTIUM Sells electricity and natural gas to school districts, colleges, and universities. DeKalb 815/753-9083; www.ILLec.org; hwallace@iasbo.org ENGIE SERVICES U.S. Turnkey partnership programs that enable K12 school districts in Illinois to modernize their facilities; increase safety, security and efficiency; reduce operations costs; and maximize the lifespan of critical assets. Chicago 312/498-7792; sharon@opterraenergy.com RADON DETECTION SPECIALISTS Radon measurements in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as all DCFS licensed spaces. We service the entire state of Illinois. Westmont 630/325-4443 or 800/244-4242; www.radondetection.net; KirstenS@radondetection.net
(continued)
Financial Services BERNARDI SECURITIES, INC. Municipal bond specialty firm; offers a full range of school bond underwriting services, including capital needs financing and debt refinancing. O’Fallon 618/206-4180; Peru 815/587-8972; Chicago 312/281-2014; jvezzetti@bernardisecurities.com BMO HARRIS BANK BMO Harris Bank’s experienced specialists can help you build a sound strategy to help close budget gaps, manage dayto-day cash flow and maximize your resources. Chicago 312/461-7895 EHLERS AND ASSOCIATES School bond issues; referendum help; financial and enrollment studies Roseville, MN 312/638-5250 FIRST MIDSTATE, INC. Bond issue consultants. Bloomington 309/829-3311; paul@firstmidstate.com GORENZ AND ASSOCIATES, LTD. Auditing and financial consulting. Peoria 309/685-7621; www.gorenzcpa.com; tcustis@gorenzcpa.com ICE MILLER, LLP Nationally recognized bond counsel services. Chicago 312/726-7127 KINGS FINANCIAL CONSULTING, INC. Municipal bond financial advisory service including all types of school bonds; school referenda, county school sales tax; tax revenue forecasts/projections. Monticello 217/762-4578
SPEER FINANCIAL, INC. Financial planning and bond issue services. Chicago 312/346-3700; www.speerfinancial.com; dphillips@speerfinancial.com STIFEL Full service securities firm providing investment banking and advisory services including strategic financial planning; bond underwriting; referendum and legislative assistance. Edwardsville 800/230-5151; noblea@stifel.com WINTRUST FINANCIAL Financial services holding company engaging in community banking, wealth management, commercial insurance premium financing, and mortgage origination. Rosemont 630/560-2120
Human Resource Consulting BUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES, INC. Human resource, safety and risk management, and insurance consulting. Effingham 217/342-3042; www.bushuehr.com; steve@bushuehr.com
Office Equipment FRANK COONEY COMPANY, INC. Furniture for educational environments. Wood Dale 630/694-8800
Superintendent Searches ECRA GROUP & HYA Superintendent searches, board and superintendent workshops. Schaumburg 847/318-0072
SIKICH, LLP Professional services firm specializing in accounting, technology, and advisory services. Naperville, IL 630/556-8400
ADVANCING PUBLIC EDUCATION IASB Service Associates provide quality products and services for schools. Membership is by invitation only. A list of Service Associate firms is on the IASB website and in this Journal.
34 Illinois School Board Journal
Milestones
Continued from page 38
Bertha Lucille Hundley, 83, died October 28, 2019. She was a former member of the Divernon school board. Anthony Jenkins, 86, died October 31, 2019. He had served his communities in numerous capacities including n the East St. Louis SD 189 school board. Herman Lee Kapustka, 84, died October 20, 2019. He had previously served on the school board that included the Roscoe community. Joan Katz, 86, died September 29, 2019. She was elected to the school board for Park Forest Chicago Heights SD 163. District 163, advocating for the desegregation of Park Forest schools. Milton H. “Milt” Koppenhoefer, 80, Metamora CCSD 1 school board for 24 years as a member and also as secretary. He was a director at large for IASB in 1998 and 1999. E s t he r Y. L ut z , 81, d ie d November 19, 2019. She was a school board member for 16 years for Fisher CUSD 1. Joseph Lyon, 90, d ie d November 12, 2019. He was a longtime library administrator and president of the TSHD 214 school board. Donald P. Mammano, 75, died November 2, 2019. He had served on the Ottawa Elementary school board and worked towards the construction Central Middle School. William Robert Mansell, 77, died October 23, 2019. He was a member of the Centralia HSD 200
school board for 12 years, including a term as president. William “Bill” Maslauski, 83, died November 20, 2019. He was a member of the Board of Education for Springfield SD 186 and was a member of the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame for service to youth sports. Dennis Keit h Matt hews, 84, died October 17, 2019. He had served on the Nokomis school board. Robert E. Meinhardt, 89, died November 7 2019. He had served on the school board in Mendota. Donald R. Moran, 86, died October 7, 2019. He worked in business education for years including retiring as vice president for finance of Parkland College. He was a member (emeritus) of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and served on the Rantoul High School Board of Education in the 1970s. Roberta Lee Ouper, 67, died November 2, 2019. She served on the Lake Villa School District 41 Board of Education. Dan Leon Pendarvis, 82, died November 13, 2019. He served on the Bushnell-Prairie City School Board and served the McDonough County Board for 23 years. Loren O. Ross, 93, died October 16, 2019. He had served on the Pa lmyra Northwestern school board. Wilbur W. Ruwe, 100, died October 14, 2019. He was a World War II veteran and a member of the Beason school board. Thomas Sandheinrich, 73, died October 16, 2019. He had served on the St. Libory board of education.
David Sa ndidge, 67, died October 28, 2019. He was a prior member of the Chandlerville school board. E m i l F. S ip olt , 9 9, d ie d October 17, 2019. He had served on t he school boa rd for t hen Shady L a ne school district in Fox Lake. Linda F. Smith, 76, died September 18, 2019. She was a school board member with Harmony Emge SD 175 for 27 years. Mark Tarter, 59, died October 27, 2019. He had been a member of the Canton Union SD 66 Board of Education. Wendell Turley, 84, died October 29, 2019.He had served on the Tri-City CUSD 1 Board of Education for 15 years. Hal Dean L . Vincent, 85, died Sunday, October 20, 2019. He was a lifelong Cambridge resident who served on the school board there. Terry Woodward, 71, died November 13, 2019. He served as a school board member for Altamont CUSD 10.
January/February 2020 35
ICYMI
E-Learning for Emergency Days By Dominick Lupo Moderator: Richard J. Voltz, Ph.D., Associate/Professional Development, IASB. Presenters: Nick Polyak, Ed.D, Superintendent, Leyden CHSD 212; Colleen Pacatte, Ed.D., Superintendent, Gurnee SD 56; Moses Cheng, Ed.D., Superintendent, Community High School District 94 (West Chicago)
E
E-learning days have become more widely used option to address the emergency closings that school districts face as a result of snow, extreme cold, or any other unplanned closure. The process for getting e-learning days approved by the state was a long process that involved a threeyear pilot program led by Leyden CHSD 212, Gurnee SD 56, and Community High School District 94 in West Chicago. In presenting the decision to push for e-learning days to be utilized in Illinois, Leyden Superintendent Nick Polyak emphasized that there is no good replacement for a day where students are in front of teachers. However, when it comes to replacing an emergency day (snow, cold, etc.) with an e-learning day rather than adding a day to the end of the school year, the e-learning day can serve as a better option. A key factor is that graduation dates and standardized test dates do not change when an emergency day is used, therefore, the days added to the end of the year are often not even factored into any growth measures. Polyak and co-presenters Colleen Pacatte of SD 56 and Moses Cheng of CHSD 94 shared their processes for planning the e-learning days in their districts, along with
36 Illinois School Board Journal
their key takeaways from their experiences. Although the high schools and the elementary schools had different challenges in regards to the preparedness of students and the technology tools available, the presenters had similar experiences and advice as it relates to rolling out an e-learning initiative. All three presenters agreed that getting as many stakeholders in on the process as possible was the best plan for success. Polyak conducted a committee that included teachers, students, parents, support staff, and administration, as well as technology staff, special education teams, and union representatives. The presenters stressed the importance of taking ample time to plan to make sure that all factors are accounted for. In fact Polyak stated that Leyden took up to one year to plan out all of the details. Pacatte stated that her district canceled professional development plans the year prior to implementation and turned all PD into e-learning planning sessions. The presenters stressed the importance of addressing the following questions during the process: • How do you account for families that do not have Wi-Fi access? • How do you track attendance for students?
• What time should the district communicate the need for an e-learning day? • How much work should be assigned, and when should it be turned in? • How does an e-learning day impact daily wage support staff? • How do you track teacher attendance, and what are their responsibilities throughout the day? • How do you support low incidence special education students? The pilot districts addressed these issues similarly, and the common theme was that flexibility and communication are absolutely critical when it comes to supporting students and staff throughout the process. Building common expectations for all stakeholders before implementation is critical, and building in deliberate flexibility will allow districts to appropriately address issues that arise as a result of e-learning days. All three panelists have experienced increased comfort and success with e-learning days during every passing year post implementation. Dominick Lupo is principal at Lincolnwood SD 74.
ICYMI
Is Your Board Working as a Team? By James Horne Moderator: Michael Raczak, Indian Prairie 204 School Board President Panelists: Members of the Indian Prairie CUSD 204 Board of Education
I
Indian Prairie School District 204 is a large unit suburban district that serves the communities of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, and Naperville. Academically, the district is traditionally high-achieving, yet it is faced with several challenges. Some of these challenges include class sizes, lean administrative staff, building construction, and uneven student distribution among the attendance centers. Considering the challenges, the success of the board of education is rooted in a belief in and dedication to established norms and procedures. The presentation at the 2019 Joint Annual Conference began with a review of governance as the manner in which rules, norms, and
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) features panel reports from the 2019 Joint Annual Conference. Reporters are participants in the Educational Administration Intern program, a collaboration of IASB and the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration.
ICYMI
actions are structured, sustained, and regulated. Board President Michael Raczak, noted the importance of this as he “ran as an individual against the people on this board, but once elected we all have to act as a team.” The community which the district serves has competitive elections and each individual who runs for elective office does so with their own vision for the work of the board. However, boards act as one and members on the board must act as a team. Valuing the established norms of governance, the board focuses its work on policy and budget review designed to support students. So that the board is functioning as a team, Indian Prairie School District 204 grounds itself in four theoretical constructs. These include: • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: This is the belief that all people need to feel safe and secure to share what they have to share. • Brene Brown on vulnerability: This is the belief that vulnerability is a powerful trait in effective leadership. As a board, the members established the norm that they are tough on issues but easy on people.
• Collective efficacy: The group’s confidence in its abilities are associated with the success of the group. The group believes in itself and this helps ensure the success of the group. • IASB’s Foundation Principles in Effective Governance: The school board takes responsibility for itself and its adherence to mission and policy. This requires self-evaluations and annual review of norms and practices. These established norms have permitted the board to focus its work. All members are dedicated to adhering to these norms and the board credits this along with their mutual respect for each other with their success. It is through their theoretical construct and agreed-upon norms that the board can focus its work on serving the mission of the district, to “Inspire all students to achieve their greatest potential.” To achieve this desired end, the board governs in a respectful manner of shared accountability and respect for their roles as members of the board. James Horne is high school principal for DeKalb CUSD 428
January/February 2020 37
Milestones
Achievements Ann Lopez-Caneva, school board president at Lockport THSD 205, was named the recipient of the Thoma s L a y B u r r ou g h s Award for Outstanding School Board President. The Illinois State Board of Education presents the award annually at the Joint Annual Conference. The criteria for this award include leadership on behalf of improved student learning and educational excellence, leadership on behalf of equal educational opportunities, and leadership in resolving a crisis or major difficulty. Lopez-Caneva was commended her pragmatic decision-making and listed achievements since her arrival to her current school board in 2013. The award was created in 1991 in memory of the late ISBE
chairman, Tom Burroughs, to recognize extraordinary leadership on behalf of education at the local level, especially through characteristics similar to those shown by Burroughs. Karen Fisher, past president of the Illinois Association of School Boa rds a nd boa rd member at Ot t awa THSD 140, was honored with the Alumni Achievement Award bestowed by the Canton Community College/Spoon River College Alumni Association. Fisher was IASB’s president from 2013 to 2015 and served on the Executive Committee for several years. Fisher was a school board member for Milton Pope School District 210 from 1979 to 1987; it’s now part of Miller Township CCSD
210. She has served on the Ottawa Township High School board for 30 years. She was part of the development of Illinois Vision 20/20, an initiative to unite the education community and establish a longterm plan to improve the Illinois public education system. Her professional career included working as a disc jockey, election coordinator, advising youthful offenders in the judicial system, and growing Christmas trees. According to the Ledger, Fisher, who graduated from Canton Community College with 40 students, recommends Spoon River College to today’s high school students. “I remind them of the high cost of fouryear colleges, and that statistics show that SRC attendees do better at fouryear colleges than a majority who start out at four-year colleges.”
In Memoriam Richard H. “Dick” Bird, 82, died October 6, 2019. He served on the Abingdon school board. Frank L. Bixby, 91, died July 20, 2019. He served as a member of the Evanston THSD 202 school board, including a time as president. Harold W. Brown, 92, died November 3, 2019. He had served on the Park Forest Chicago Heights SD 163 school board, including time as president. R ichard R. Cain, 81, died October 8, 2019. He served on the Collinsville Unit 10 School Board from 1976 to 1977 and 1980 to 1983, serving as president from 1981 to 1983. 38 Illinois School Board Journal
Ronald S. Cardoni, 75, died October 2, 2019. He worked as a lobbyist for the Illinois School Board Association and the Illinois Petroleum Council. Michael A. Damko died in November 2019. He was a former member of the Winthrop Harbor School District Winthrop Harbor SD 1 Board of Education. James Anthony “Tony” Ellis, 87, died October 12, 2019. He was a past member of the Penfield Grade School Board of Education. Melissa “Missy” Ann Free, 61, died October 9, 2019. She served on Eastland CUSD 308 school board for eight years with her final few
years as president, served on the Lanark City Council. Roland Joseph Gagnon, 97, died October 4, 2019. He served on the Pontiac THSD 90 school board for seven years and was an innovator in the physical therapy profession. Donald F. Goldsmith died October 14, 2019. He had served on a Highland Park board of education. Karl Alvin Shelden Heeren, 89, died November 13, 2019. He served on Winnebago school board for 12 years, four years as president. He was named the 2019 Person of the Year at the Winnebago County 4-H Fair. Continued on page 35.
Insights “The performance of American teenagers in reading and math has been stagnant since 2000, according to the latest results of a rigorous international exam, despite a decades-long effort to raise standards and help students compete with peers across the globe And the achievement gap in reading between high and low performers is widening. Although the top quarter of American students have improved their performance on the exam since 2012, the bottom 10th percentile lost ground, according to an analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics, a federal agency. The disappointing results from the exam, the Program for International Student Assessment … follow those from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, an American test that recently showed that two-thirds of children were not proficient readers.”
“Robert Goodman had planned to go back to work after chemotherapy. The Florida teacher … had to ask his fellow teachers … who transferred around 75 of their own sick days to him in credits. His story also resonated with a public hungry for an inspirational clip in a time when uplifting news seems harder and harder to come by … but there was nary any reflection on why Florida teachers must ask one another for their sick days. The problem isn’t that stories like Goodman’s shouldn’t exist; it’s that inspiration is the only narrative being pushed in a much larger, nuanced story about the social failings that brought Goodman to need such help in the first place.” — “Beware of the feel-good news story,” by Samantha Grasso, Vox, November 26, 2019.
— “‘It Just Isn’t Working’ Test Scores Cast Doubt on U.S. Education Reform,” by Dana Goldstein, New York Times, December 3, 2019.
“Amber Stott, CEO and a ‘food genius’ with the nonprofit Food Literacy Center in California, is doing her part to inspire youth to eat their fruits and vegetables through a program in partnership with the Sacramento Unified School District. Food genius is her preferred title — which is fitting for the knowledge she spreads … Stott graduated from the University of Illinois, where she studied African and women’s studies. She … recalled growing up in Illinois and having to drive to Iowa to get produce. America is consumed by fast food, unhealthy eating and lack of education about food nutrition, she said. The Food Literacy Center hopes to change that and inspire kids to learn about vegetables through classroom talks as well as hands-on experience growing and cooking.”
— “Start kids eating healthy now. How? Let them learn to grow, harvest and cook,” by Cameron Salerno, Sacramento Bee, December 2, 2019.
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January/February 2020 39
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Trends in Collective Bargaining for school board members
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