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Illinois Association of School Business Officials UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2020 / v.27 / i.03
LEGISLATIVE ISSUE
Evidence Based Funding:
THE NEXT ISSUE: NON-TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS Matching Student Needs with Creative Solutions
Update and Moving Forward
Learn about the work of the Professional Review Panel to study and review the implementation and impact of Evidence-Based Funding, as well as recommend changes for continual improvement. Cover Story By Susan L. Harkin
24
LOOKING FOR PAST ISSUES? Visit ISSUU.com and search for Illinois ASBO.
Illinois Politics in 2020:
Are You Ready to Engage?
Being an effective advocate for your school district and for the larger PK–20 education system is one of the most important aspects of your career in education. By David Wood
14
www.iasbo.org
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HUMAN RESOURCE MANDATES PERSPECTIVE
FROM-THE-PODIUM What’s on the Horizon? Staying Aware & Finding CLARITY. 07
Get HR considerations for the numerous statutes enacted in 2019, impacting the minimum teacher salary, teacher shortages, minimum wage and the TRS excess salary limitation.
FROM-THE-OFFICE The Battlefield of Legislative Advocacy. 09
FROM-THE-FIELD A System Built on Trust. 11
SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 The Impact of the Minimum Wage Increase: Staffing, Salaries & Employee Groups. 19
20
By Kimberly C. Chambers, Ed.D., pHCLE
Site-Based Expenditure Reporting:
Where Are We Now? With the first year of the new site-based expenditure reporting behind us, districts and business officials can now use this data in meaningful ways to make student-centered, strategic and sustainable decisions. By Sara R. Shaw
30
how a bill really becomes a law Revisit the process of getting a bill passed through the legislature, including all the twists and turns along the way. By Ben Schwarm
34
RESOURCES
Analyzing the Impact of the Minimum Wage Increase See the results of an Illinois ASBO survey to school business officials throughout the state to understand the impact of this new mandate.
38 #dd9933 Red: 221 Green: 153 Blue: 51 #0a9de2 Red: 10 Green: 154 Blue: 226
DREAMS BECAME REALITY Vision 20/20 led to meaningful and lasting change by serving as a blueprint for public education policy. Entering the year 2020, take a look at what we have accomplished and what key issues remain.
40
By Michael A. Jacoby, Ed.D., SFO, CAE
#81d742 Red: 129 Green: 215 Blue: 66 #dd3333 Red: 221 Green: 51 Blue: 51
#dd9933 Red: 221 Green: 153 Blue: 51 #0a9de2 Red: 10 Green: 154 Blue: 226 #81d742 Red: 129 Green: 215 Blue: 66 #dd3333 Red: 221 Green: 51 Blue: 51
ON MY LIST Learn to lead with courage and authenticity in this book review from Dr. David Bein, SFO, from Barrington CUSD 220.
45 The Final Word Curtis Saindon
Asst. Supt./Business, CSBO Woodridge Elem. SD 68 Curt’s role is to keep his superintendent, board and school community abreast of both recently enacted legislation and potential/pending legislation that will have an impact on their district at a local, state or national level.
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www.iasbo.org
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THE
MAGA ZINE Illinois Association of School Business Officials
CALENDAR OF
Northern Illinois University, IA-103 108 Carroll Avenue DeKalb, IL 60115-2829 P: (815) 753-1276 / F: (815) 516-0184 / www.iasbo.org
EVENTS
UPDATE Editorial Advisory Board
Check out www.iasbo.org or the latest Calendar of Events included in the UPDATE mailing for full seminar listings including location and PDC sponsorship and register for professional development today. April 2020
March 2020 June 2014
S 23 1 8 15 22 29
M 24 2 9 16 23 30
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W 26 4 11 18 25 1
Date
T 27 5 12 19 26 2
F 28 6 13 20 27 3
S 29 7 14 21 28 4
Time
S 29 5 12 19 26 3
M 30 6 13 20 27 4
June 2020
May 2020
T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 1 2 5 6 7 8 9
S 26 3 10 17 24 31
M 27 4 11 18 25 1
T 28 5 12 19 26 2
W 29 6 13 20 27 3
T F S 30 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30 4 5 6
Event Facilities Professionals Conference
S 24 31 7 14 21 28
M 25 1 8 15 22 29
T 26 2 9 16 23 30
W 27 3 10 17 24 1
T 28 4 11 18 25 2
F 29 5 12 19 26 3
S 30 6 13 20 27 4
Location
3/5/2020
8:00am
3/11/2020
12:00pm Lunch & Learn Webinar: GATA Update
Lombard
3/13/2020
8:30am
Bookkeepers Conference
3/13/2020
9:00am
Effective Financial & Strategic Comms Among CSBOs, Supts & Admin - AAC# 3663
Online
3/17/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1813 - Evaluating the Effectiveness of Tech Integration in Classrooms
Online
3/20/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1876 - Before the Crisis: An Introduction to Student Safety Assessment
Online
3/25/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1266 - Reducing Conflict & Working with Difficult Employees & Parents
Online
3/27/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1859 - Understanding & Supporting Instructional Coaching: Toolkit
Online
4/1/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1231 - School Security: A Proactive and Holistic Approach
Online
4/6/2020
9:00am
Delegate Advisory Assembly
4/7/2020
9:00am
Opt. Transportation-Ops, Claim Process & Transport of Students - AAC#1870
Online
4/15/2020
12:00pm
Lunch & Learn Webinar: What to Expect in an IRS Audit
Online
4/21/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1812 - What Connected Leaders Do Differently
Online
4/22/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1805 - Evolution of Education: Traditional Classrooms to Personalized
Online
4/23/2020
9:00am
Crisis Communication: Prepare, Respond, Reflect - AAC #3008
Online
4/28/2020
9:30am
2020 Legacy Project at EP!C
Peoria
4/29/2020 to 5/1/2020
8:00am
2020 Illinois ASBO Annual Conference
Peoria
5/5/2020
9:00am
Online AAC #1807 -Discipline at Work: Strategies for Behavioral Challenges
Online
Online Rolling Meadows
Naperville
PDC MEMBERS Ryan Berry Legal Issues Yasmine Dada Principles of School Finance Todd Dugan Technology James T. Fitton Budgeting & Financial Planning Raoul J. Gravel III, Ed.D. Communications Stephen R. Johns Ed.D. Planning & Construction Stacey L. Mallek Accounting, Auditing & Financial Reporting Patrick McDermott Ed.D., SFO, RSBA Public Policy, Advocacy & Intergovernmental Relations Thomas M. Parrillo Purchasing Sherry L. Reynolds-Whitaker Ed.D. Human Resource Management Brian Rominski CPMM, CPS Maintenance & Operations Anthony Ruelli Leadership Development Michael J. Schroeder Transportation Lyndl A. Schuster Ed.D. Sustainability Steven J. Smidl Special Education: Administration & Finance Mark E. Staehlin Cash Management, Investments & Debt Management Justin D. Veihman Risk Management Laura L. Vince Food Service BOARD & EXTERNAL RELATIONS MEMBERS Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. President Terence M. Fielden SAAC Chair STAFF MEMBERS Michael Jacoby Executive Director / CEO (815) 753-9366, mjacoby@iasbo.org Susan P. Bertrand Deputy Executive Director / COO (815) 753-9368, sbertrand@iasbo.org Craig Collins Statewide Professional Development Coordinator, (630) 442-9203, ccollins@iasbo.org Rebekah L. Weidner Senior Copywriter / Content Strategist, (815) 753-9270, rweidner@iasbo.org Tammy Curry Senior Graphic Designer (815) 753-9393, tcurry@iasbo.org John Curry Senior Graphic Designer / Videographer (815) 753-7654, jcurry@iasbo.org Laura M. Turnroth Communications Coordinator (815) 753-4313, lturnroth@iasbo.org
Illinois ASBO Board of Directors Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. President Mark W. Altmayer President-Elect Jan J. Bush Treasurer Cathy L. Johnson Immediate Past President 2017–20 Board of Directors Mark R. Bertolozzi, Kevin L. Dale, Eric DePorter 2018–21 Board of Directors Seth Chapman, Ed.D., Angela M. Crotty, Ed.D., Adam P. Parisi 2019–22 Board of Directors Maureen A. Jones, Tamara L. Mitchell, Nicole Stuckert
Illinois ASBO Board Liaisons
Terence M. Fielden, Service Associate Advisory Committee Chair Lisa Yefsky, Service Associate Advisory Committee Vice Chair Deborah I. Vespa ISBE Board Liaison Perry Hill IASB Board Liaison David Wood Governmental Relations Specialist Calvin C. Jackson Legislative Liaison
Privacy Policy
All materials contained within this publication are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed or published without the prior written permission of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. References, authorship or information provided by parties other than that which is owned by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.
For a Complete Listing of Spring Events Visit: www.iasbo.org/events/calendar
PERSPECTIVE / Board President
FROM–THE–PODIUM What’s on the Horizon? Staying Aware & Finding CLARITY Welcome to the Spring 2020 UPDATE! To begin, thank you to all the authors who have shared their time, energy and expertise to make this content available to us all as a great resource supporting what we do for our districts and the kids we serve. It is this level of commitment and sharing with our colleagues that truly sets Illinois ASBO apart as a leader in professional development. The legislative landscape here in Illinois is always changing. It is critically important for each of us to remain aware of both what is being discussed and considered in Springfield as well as what legislative items have actually been approved. This edition of the UPDATE is dedicated to legislative items such as the EBF model, ESSA, new HR mandates, legislative advocacy and a revisit to an article on “How a Bill Becomes a Law.” I am excited about this edition’s content and how it can help us all stay engaged in the legislative process.
Dean T. Romano, Ed.D. ASST. SUPT./BUSINESS SERVICES GENEVA CUSD 304
SIMPLY SAYING
If this is your first time hearing about our CLARITY theme, it is based upon being intentional about determining who you want to be in the future. CLARITY Check-in… Well, we have reached my last opportunity to connect with everyone prior to the big unveiling of all the achievements that CLARITY has brought within our membership this year. I cannot wait to hear the success stories and meet the future you in Peoria!
I hope you find value in the CLARITY conversation throughout the year. From weight loss, to project achievements, to vacations, to professional growth, to relationships and even new family additions, finding your own CLARITY can make things happen!
If this is your first time hearing about our CLARITY theme, it is based upon being intentional about determining who you want to be in the future. Success comes from purposefully setting aside time to find your personal and professional clarity. You will be amazed at what you will accomplish when you find your clarity and invest in YOU.
If you have a success that you would like to share, or if I can encourage and support you personally, PLEASE reach out to me as I would be excited to support you as you strive to become your best self.
www.iasbo.org
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Illinois ASBO is Your
Legislative Resource Whether it’s keeping you up to date on the latest happenings in Springfield or working behind the scenes with other organizations to advance policies that benefit schools, Illinois ASBO is your partner in the legislative process.
Catch up with the Issues on the Advocacy Blog
Learn About Advocacy Partnerships
Listen in on Hot Topics on the Advocacy Podcast
Access EBF and ESSA Resources
Learn How You Can Get Involved Through the DAA
Visit www.iasboadvocacy.org to get connected!
PERSPECTIVE / Executive Director
FROM–THE–OFFICE The Battlefield of Legislative Advocacy Each year our legislature and governor engage in a dangerous dialogue regarding schools. We go through a regular season we call a legislative session where new bills are introduced in the form of “mandates” on schools. Mark Twain once said, “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” That is certainly true for schools and taxpayers in Illinois and is one of the reasons we (the Statewide Management Alliance) often find ourselves taking defensive positions against new laws and reform initiatives. We are battling against the continual erosion of freedom at the local level to make decisions regarding the instructional and operational elements of delivering educational services to students.
Michael A. Jacoby, Ed.D., CAE, SFO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO ILLINOIS ASBO
In order to alter our “defensive” position, the Alliance partners created a vision for education in Illinois and we called it Vision 20/20. And here we are in 2020! See my article on page 40 for a summary of the impact of this effort and check out the website for more information: www.Illinoisvision2020.org. SIMPLY SAYING
The Alliance partners created a vision for education in Illinois and we called it Vision 20/20. And here we are in 2020! As the Alliance partners worked through the development of Vision 20/20, we spent a great deal of time talking about both school funding and accountability. It so happens that those were the two most amazing outcomes of Vision 20/20 – Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) and Balanced Accountability. The EBF reform was outlined in detail in the initial Vision 20/20 brief as early as 2014 and I am absolutely amazed at how much of our initial plan held together to emerge in final legislation in 2017. Obviously, you can’t pass this type of legislation on your own, and many other individuals brought their expertise to the table to come to the final reform, but what an impact it has already had throughout the state! Balanced accountability was the idea that district and school accountability should be based on something much broader than just a score on a single high-stakes exam. At
the time, every state in the nation was been asked to develop a new system of accountability, decide on what measures would be included and what proportion of the accountability determination would be made on each type of measure. We really wanted 49 percent in keeping with the ESSA regulations that required the “majority” of accountability to be associated with a test score. But our then Governor Rauner determined that our percent would only be 25 percent. While that was disappointing, the eventual work on that 25 percent was driven by Vision 20/20 and its proponents. Now it is 2020. What will be the key issues on the table this year and how will you engage? Take a look in this issue to learn how the process works and go a little deeper in your understanding of some of the “evergreen” issues that seem to never go away. Hopefully, we will again hold the line for local control. Join us in that battle! www.iasbo.org
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More Days. More Marketplace Time. More Networking.
MORE WAYS TO CONNECT IN PEORIA! The Annual Conference returns to Peoria on April 29 - May 1, 2020 in a two and half-day format packed with opportunities to find clarity on how you can be a resource to Illinois school districts. Prepare now to bring your services and expertise to the table and connect to the industry in new ways.
ILLINOIS ASBO
2020 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION IS OPEN: WWW.IASBOCONFERENCE.ORG
PERSPECTIVE / SAAC Chair
FROM–THE–FIELD A System Built on Trust The focus of the Spring 2020 UPDATE is legislation and its impact on school districts. I have witnessed first-hand the impact of Springfield on school districts over the course of my twelve years serving as a board member in Naperville CUSD 203. The legislation always seemed to be more reactionary in nature and generally did not take into consideration the full financial impact to the district. We held an annual legislative breakfast with Indian Prairie SD 204 and Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 200 to meet with our local legislators. The breakfast was a good venue to positively vent frustration and hopefully educate the legislators about the processes and needs of education. As we sought to build trust.
Terence M. Fielden DIR./K-12 EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTORS, INC.
I also served as the IASB DuPage Division Resolutions Chair. Our prime deciding point on passage of a resolution was always: “How/or will the potential legislation from the resolution serve the entire state?” Often the resolution would be modified during the debate to make the intended outcome more beneficial. We were entrusted by the IASB Divisions to guide the interests of all board members. SIMPLY SAYING
School boards depend heavily upon trusted community relationships that are built and maintained in the interest of student success. In the back of our minds was the reactionary risk that is always present in Springfield, resulting in more mandates despite the best efforts by the resolutions committee. I would often state in open session at my board meetings, “I get the underlying point of this mandate, but I just don’t understand why Springfield is not looking at successful districts as their model?” Some might think that there is a general lack of trust in school boards that drives legislation into passage. School boards operate based on local control and community trust. There is not a single member that would seek to undermine the education of the children served. School boards depend heavily upon trusted community relationships that are built and maintained in the interest of student success.
There is no question of whether there is a real financial impact from legislation that carries reporting or monitoring mandates. There is only so much money available and the money should not be spent on producing more reports saying that a district is spending the money efficiently. As you read the articles in this issue, you might lament all of the negative impacts of Springfield’s latest mandates. Or, you could take the time to share with the Illinois ASBO community all the positive things you achieved in your district despite the mandates. Illinois ASBO has a great resource in peer2peer and there is an opportunity to share successes and learn from each other. We would love to hear your stories about how you were able to reach a legislator and build a bridge of trust.
www.iasbo.org
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CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Carmen Ayala
Dr. Kimberly Chambers
Susan Harkin
State Superintendent of Education Illinois State Board of Education
Dir./Human Resources Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125
Chief Operating Officer Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 300
The first woman and person of color to permanently hold the role of State Superintendent, Dr. Ayala has held a wide variety of roles in her 36-year education career, including serving from 2012-2019 as the superintendent of Berwyn North School District 98, where she steadily turned around lower-performing schools. cayala@isbe.net
Dr. Chambers is the Recording Secretary for the American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA), a Past President of the Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators (IASPA) and the AASPA 2018/19 Herb Salinger National Personnel Administrator of the Year. kchambers@d125.org
Has been a school business official for over 13 years. Susan is the Vice Chair of the State Evidenced-Based Funding Professional Review Panel and serves on the ISBE ESSA Site Level Financial Reporting Committee. A Past President of Illinois ASBO, she now serves on the ASBO International Board of Directors. susan.harkin@d300.org
Sara R. Shaw
Ben Schwarm
David Wood
Sr. Mgr./Fiscal & Academic Solvency Illinois State Board of Education
Deputy Executive Director Illinois Association of School Boards
Governmental Relations Specialist Illinois ASBO
At ISBE, Sara builds bridges between program areas and finance so that state K-12 policy and practice can support schools more holistically. Her portfolio includes ESSA site-based expenditure reporting, integrated strategic and financial planning and Evidence-Based Funding support.
Has been working in and around the Capitol for his entire career, with 30 of those years handling legislation for IASB. Ben heads the IASB Governmental Relations Department as chief lobbyist and leader of the Alliance legislative team.
Has worked on state and local budget and finance issues since 1981 at the Illinois Bureau of the Budget, Illinois State Board of Education and Bloomington SD 87 where he served as the Chief Finance and Legal Officer prior to joining Illinois ASBO.
sshaw@isbe.net
bschwarm@iasb.com
dwood@iasbo.org
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Illinois Politics in 2020
Are You Ready to Engage? As we look back at the last decade of educational progress in Illinois, it is clear that being an effective advocate for your school district and for the larger PK–20 education system is one of the most important aspects of the jobs of those involved in education. Daily, local municipalities and particularly the General Assembly in Springfield are making decisions which both directly and indirectly impact educational organizations. At the local level, we only have to look as far as the many Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreements which reduce property tax revenue for school districts or the increasing number of local building code decisions which increase building costs by treating school districts as developers rather than governmental partners. At the state level, we only have to look as far as the annual state budget and the recent implementation of the new Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula. Clearly, our voices are needed to identify key issues and impacts of the choices politicians are considering and to advance policy that improves educational outcomes or to stop, slow or weaken policy that makes such progress more difficult.
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2020
By David Wood
ARTICLE
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS SPECIALIST ILLINOIS ASBO
A United Front
Understanding the Process
In recognition of the need for such advocacy, the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance (MA) was created by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (Illinois ASBO) and the Illinois Principals Association (IPA). Their work consists primarily of three main areas of advocacy:
To understand our work and how and when to participate as an individual, or as a school district advocate, you need to understand the general legislative process and schedule. A bill must pass both houses and then be approved by the governor. Passage or specific language can be influenced/ changed at multiple steps along the way, including when its initially drafted, in committees, on the floor or through veto or amendatory veto by the governor. The main legislative session is typically January–May and the veto session convenes October–November.
1. State Funding (budget, school construction, pensions and taxation) 2. Labor and Employment and Curriculum 3. Program Mandates and Regulation MA government relations staff meet weekly during the legislative session to review all education related legislation and develop strategy for the most important bills. Most of our lobbying work consists on informing about successes, needs and issues faced by school districts. Given our lack of resources, it is more akin to public relations – communications and persuasion – than lobbying and contributions. We are guided more by our ability to maintain long-term positions and relations as statewide education organizations bolstered by our many local members than by more parochial and personal relations. A good portion of our role is simply to report on and interpret what is happening in Springfield for our members.
Understanding main influencers is also important. Typically, this is leadership and those in appropriate committees but can include others who are viewed as experts in specific issues. It is always important to understand the party and personality impacts and select sponsors with the wherewithal to shepherd a bill through their chamber. Most legislation needs a simple majority to pass and become immediately effective. Bond authorization and other full faith and credit debt requires a 3/5 majority vote. To be immediately effective, a bill which passes after May 30 must also have a 3/5 majority vote. There are many rules defining the legislative process which are used to great effect by leadership, but they are beyond the scope of this discussion. In the end, you can rely on the MA to keep you informed through regional meetings, conferences and legislative updates (Alliance Legislative Report, Capitol Watch, etc.). You can also track legislation directly on the Illinois General Assembly website.
Fundamentally, while Illinois strongly supports the concept of local control of education, the General Assembly is responsible for the School Code and many other statutes which set the ground rules for how school districts operate. www.iasbo.org
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HOW TO FILE A WITNESS SLIP It can be very important to file witness slips. This can be done only when a bill is in committee. Before any testimony is taken in committee, they note the number of slips for and against the bill and amount and source of the slips can be meaningful. Any person or organization can file a slip on any bill. There is no ability to attach written testimony.
When a bill is posted in committee, you can select the committee and then select the bill you want to slip. You simply need to identify yourself and who you represent (yourself or your school district) and whether you support or oppose the bill. If you want, you can select GA Dashboard on the main GA page and create a permanent page to track legislation you select including managing all your witness slips.
Three Ways to Communicate
1. Be realistic, they will not always be able to support your position. 2. Be patient, issues often return for further discussion. 3. Be correct and concise.
Important Tools Illinois General Assembly
www.ilga.gov • Bill and Public Act Status • Committee and Session Schedules • Witness Slips
Management Alliance, IASB
www.iasb.com • Advocacy and Policy Services & School Law • Alliance Legislative Report (ALR)
Management Alliance, IASA www.iasaedu.org • Capitol Watch
Management Alliance, Illinois ASBO www.iasboadvocacy.org • Advocacy Alert Blog • Delegate Advisory Assembly (DAA) • Peer2Peer • Podcasts and Social Media
Management Alliance, IPA www.ilprincipals.org
Illinois State Board of Education, ISBE www.isbe.net • Professional Review Panel • School Construction Task Force • Property Tax Relief Task Force: https://iasbo.tools/tax_relief
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2020
Best Practices Relations with Local Legislators
• Reach out to local legislators. • Coordinate with other districts regionally; form coalitions. • Meet in their local office and invite them to district events. • Know their assistants. • Know their preferred method of communication. • Include them in newsletters and other ongoing communications. • Communicate across time, not just when an issue develops, including the “off-season.” • Thank them, even if you lost. Remember, this is a long term give and take relationship. • Attend fundraisers when appropriate.
Engagement in the Legislative Process
• Understand your issue and how it fits into the timing/status of the GA process. • Know the other side’s position. • Leave something in writing. • Personalize the issue to your district and provide data. • Be firm but know the need to compromise. • Don’t “burn bridges,” issues tend to cycle. • Keep your word. If you don’t know, say that. • Do not: - Argue, threaten or lose your cool. - Write a book. - Write form letters (except witness slips). - Promise something you cannot deliver. - Come unprepared. - Expect to get your way.
ARTICLE / How to Engage in Illinois Politics
Why Your Voice is Needed
Relationships are Key
The MA can only do so much directly; it relies extensively on the power and breadth of its members. The simple fact is, legislators listen far more to you and other local constituents than to MA lobbyists. It is extremely important to understand that this situation can be cut both ways. Invariably, some of the worst bills come as the result of specific local decisions that lead to a constituent complaint and then general legislation affecting all school districts. At the last Alliance Legislative Summit, a legislator explained that it was easier for him to sponsor legislation affecting all school districts than to try and work out a specific constituent issue with the local school district.
An important context to advocacy is that it is not just about understanding the process and using tools to keep informed. Advocacy is mainly about long-term relationships with your local legislators. We encourage all school districts to know their local legislators and to periodically reach out to them regarding legislative and local school district issues. The more you know about them (context of their district, party, committees, leadership or other legislative positions, etc.) the more effective you can be. Understand how they prefer to be contacted (email, text, phone, etc.) and build relationships with their office assistant and staff who are often important gatekeepers and schedulers. Invite them to your schools, board meetings and community events.
We have experienced this phenomenon in committee as well. Legislators far prefer testimony from individuals and local representatives than from MA lobbyists. Behind the scenes we can provide information, but to be most effective this must be backed up with personal and specific contact from our members. When we support or even push a specific legislative initiative, we are far more likely to succeed if a local school district works with their local legislator than for the MA lobbyists to try and move it.
As with any relationship, do not wait until you need something; establish a long-term relationship focused on your local school district issues, challenges and successes. Include other local and regional school districts, when possible, so the relationship is about that broader community of interests. Communicate and be available when they call. Be helpful and consultative. Tell your local story but understand there are other sides to the issue.
What Your Peers are Saying Read the comments and observations of fellow Illinois ASBO members who have been involved in recent efforts to pass legislation related to school district purchasing and property tax issues.
Advice
“Be honest/accurate and don’t over or under sell what will be accomplished by the legislation. Be flexible and prepared to compromise.”
“Be ready at a moment’s notice to attend to the needs of the legislative process, including waiting for hours/days where nothing actually happens. Don’t get angry or frustrated. Have your materials and witnesses in order.”
“Talk to as many people and organizations as possible to build a constituency who support your change and to understand who may oppose you and why.”
Outcomes
“Their efforts involved working with ISBE, IEA/IFT, third party contractors, GA leadership, other school districts and others to ensure any opposition/issues were addressed or at least muted.” “They worked to find sponsors and appropriate vehicle bills which could be used to move the bills efficiently.”
“Despite this initial work, in all cases, unanticipated opposition and issues came up which delayed/ complicated the process. Resolution may include changing bills and sponsors.”
By Dr. Carmen I. Ayala
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (ISBE)
A Powerful Tool
for School Improvement New Financial Dashboard on Ed360 Supports Collaboration Between Fiscal and Academic Teams More than 750 Illinois school districts have opted into Ed360, a free data dashboard from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), since its statewide launch in February 2018. Ed360 empowers educators with near real-time data from ISBE’s data warehouse, including student performance, educator licensure and now – school district finances. ISBE added a new financial dashboard to Ed360 in early 2020. The dashboard provides access to many data points from ISBE’s existing financial applications. Easy access to financial data on the same platform as academic data supports districts in holistic planning and budgeting. ISBE emphasizes the importance of strengthening the bridge between fiscal and academic teams to ensure students’ needs are driving the allocation of resources. Ed360’s new financial dashboard and other enhancements to its academic data support deeper collaboration to improve student outcomes.
The financial data currently available in Ed360 includes:
• Annual Financial Report information — including
revenues, expenditures, financial profile score, fund balances and trends and peer comparisons for up to 10 years. • Budget forecasting tool — designed to assist districts in preparing various scenarios to forecast future budgets for planning purposes. • Grant management information — including grant cycle, current status and grant budgets. • Program reimbursements — including allotments, budget, unexpended budget, expenditures, disbursements and payment schedule. • Evidence-Based Funding — including adequacy level, local resources, state contribution, student population allocation and trends and peer comparisons for up to 10 districts statewide.
Spoon River Valley CUSD 4 opted into Ed360 in January 2017 as one of the state’s pilot districts. Superintendent and District Technology Coordinator Chris Janssen said that, thanks to the financial dashboard, his district has “the ability to consider both the academic and financial aspects of the district and use that data in both realms in a way that can help guide and improve the instruction and entire experience for our students.”
Ed360 also added an “On Track Progress” indicator to individual student records. The indicator displays whether 10th through 12th grade students are on track for graduation based on their number of credits earned and number of core course failures. Research shows that early identification and individualized interventions are key to boosting graduation rates. Educators now have the tool they need to track the effectiveness of supports provided to students identified as not on-track at the end of ninth grade.
“It is so great to have a tool that we can take the information we are already uploading to the state and have it display in a format we can use as well as being able to put it at the fingertips of our teachers in the classroom,” Janssen added.
Other academic data newly added to Ed360 includes daily student attendance, PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 assessment data and two new opt-in services: Ed Leaders Network and Renaissance Star.
Learn more about opting in and getting the most out of your Ed360 access at: www.isbe.net/ed360
PERSPECTIVE / On the Profession
SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 What will be the estimated financial impact of SB 1 (minimum wage increase) on your district? estimated impact for our district in the next year is around $400,000. The hardest “ The part of increasing our new staff to a $15/hr minimum wage will be getting our veteran employees to understand why they are making almost the same amount of money as a new employee. We can’t afford to increase wages that substantially for every single hourly employee. So, there will not be much of a pay gap between a one-year employee and a 20-year employee.” MICHELLE BROWN Business Manager, Unity Point CCSD 140
law will have minimal impact for us this next year, but around $130,000+ per year “ The once fully implemented. When EBF was put in place, an area multiplier was put in place that recognizes that the cost of living is different in various counties. The State needs to apply the same logic to minimum wage. The amount that I will spend extra in salaries due to SB1 exceeds what I’m getting in new EBF dollars.” PHIL COX Superintendent, Salt Fork CUSD 512 will start feeling the impact in Jan. 2021 as it pertains to our employees. It changes “ We the dynamics of how many non-certified employees are re-hired or newly hired, but we still have to meet the students’ needs, therefore, budgets will have to increase. These increases will impact the Food Service Department, Special Education Department and summer high school student workers job opportunities as most will have to be eliminated in July 2021. In FY20 we will feel the impact from outside vendors – the bus company, custodial company, utility companies, HVAC, plumbing and electrical. We have already started receiving notifications that costs will be increasing due to the increase in wages.” TERRI GILLE Business Manager, South Beloit CUSD 320
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SENATE BILL 1? Turn to the article on p. 38 to see the results of a recent Illinois ASBO survey on the impact of the minimum wage increase.
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HUMAN RESOURCE MANDATES: Legislative Issues and Impact
By Kimberly C. Chambers, Ed.D., pHCLE
ARTICLE
DIR./HUMAN RESOURCES ADLAI E. STEVENSON HSD 125
The summer of 2019 brought a variety of legislative changes to the education arena in Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly enacted and Governor Pritzker signed, over 600 bills by the end of August. Among them included the legalization of recreational marijuana, changes to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (ILERA), new timelines for filling school board vacancies and the requirement that single-occupancy restrooms be outfitted with non-genderspecific signage. In addition, there are a number of statutes which impact the work of human resource professionals in the educational setting. It is crucial that educational administrators keep up-to-date on legislative changes to keep their district in compliance with recently enacted rules and statutes. Of course, this summary is intended to assist you, but it should not replace consultation with your district’s legal counsel. When in doubt, please check with your attorney!
MINIMUM TEACHER SALARY INCREASE (Public Act 101-0443)
The 2019 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Illinois Teacher Salary Study notes that for 2018/19, the lowest starting teacher salary in Illinois was $28,477 while the highest was $59,121. In an effort to raise salaries for those on the lower end of the spectrum, the legislature has established minimum teacher salaries for public schools in Illinois effective starting with the 2020/2021 school year. Required minimum salaries will be: • 2020/21: $32,076 annually • 2021/22: $34,576 annually • 2022/23: $37,076 annually • 2023/24: $40,000 annually The Public Act also includes language increasing the minimum annual salary following the 2023/24 school year. The minimum salary, subject to review by the General Assembly, shall be the minimum of the previous year plus a percentage increase equal to the Consumer Price Index for the previous school year. Finally, the law requires that the Professional Review Panel submit a report to the General Assembly by January 31, 2020 noting how the EvidenceBased Funding formula “may aid the financial effects of the changes made by this amendatory Act.” Astute readers will note that this is not a promise of additional funding being provided to meet these new requirements.
HR CONSIDERATIONS Although every district is required to meet these minimum annual salaries, additional questions are likely to arise during collective bargaining: • If your district raises its minimum salary by ten percent to meet the minimum for a BA, Step 1 teacher, what about the salaries just above that? • Will you raise those salaries, or will this mean that your BA, Step 1-4 teachers, for example, would be at the same salary as a BA, Step 1 teacher? • Does that make sense from an equity perspective? • How would that impact teacher retention? • Will your union ask for a similar increase for all members, regardless of salary schedule placement? • How will your district respond to such a request?
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Even if your district does not have unionized ESPs, you will be wise to consider the impact on other employees.
MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE Public Act 101-0001
When considering wages for all of the non-licensed employees in a school district, Illinois minimum wage comes into play. Educational Support Personnel (ESP) including school custodians, paraprofessionals, maintenance workers, transportation professionals, food service professionals and clerical staff are all affected by changes to the minimum wage. The General Assembly has enacted minimum wage increases which, by 2025, will reach $15.00 per hour. New minimum wages for employees who are 18 years of age or older and who work more than 650 hours per year are below: • January 1, 2020 – June 30, 2020: $9.25/hour • July 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020: $10.00/hour • January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021: $11.00/hour • January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022: $12.00/hour • January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023: $13.00/hour • January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024: $14.00/hour • January 1, 2025 and after: $15.00/hour
HR CONSIDERATIONS • Yes, all districts will be required to apply these new hourly minimum wages for affected employees, but what are the implications for collective bargaining? • Even if your district does not have unionized ESPs, you will be wise to consider the impact on other employees. If your district’s ESP positions are categorized by position and some positions pay more than others (due to additional skills needed, more responsibilities assigned, or different values placed on different positions), how will a change to some wages affect others? • Will you increase wages for all positions by the same percentage that the lowest-paid positions (under the new minimum wage requirements) are increased?
CHANGE IN TRS EXCESS SALARY LIMITATION Public Act 101-0010
Do you remember the days when TRS would recognize up to 120 percent of a teacher’s previous year’s salary for the purpose of retirement calculations? I do! In June 2005, that limitation was decreased to 106 percent of the salary and salaries in excess of this limitation would be assessed as an additional contribution to be paid by the TRS member’s school district. Then, in a quickly signed piece of legislation effective July 1, 2018, the six percent rule became a three percent rule. School districts scrambled to update their collective bargaining agreements and districts which were in the midst of bargaining experienced a bit of an upheaval as they navigated this piece of legislation. On June 5, 2019, the FY2020 Budget Implementation Act redlined this section of the law effectively returning the three percent excess salary limitation back to the six percent limit. 22 |
UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2020 Fall 2019
HR CONSIDERATIONS • In 2018, did your district make changes to its collective bargaining agreements to reflect the change from the six percent limitation to the three percent limitation? • Were changes made to administrative contracts? • What position will your board and district take should the request be made to move back to six percent limits? • Does your Collective Bargaining Agreement have a clause (“reopener language”) which allows or requires bargaining should legislative changes affect wages, hours, or terms and conditions of employment?
ARTICLE / HR Mandates Eyebrow
ADDRESSING THE TEACHER SHORTAGE
Basic Skills Test: Public Act 101-0220 & TRS Retiree Return to Work: Public Act 101-0049 Most districts in Illinois – as well as most of our colleagues across the country – are experiencing a shortage of candidates to fill licensed positions. Based upon information provided via the ISBE Unfilled Position Survey, as of October 1, 2019, there were 4,193 unfilled licensed positions in Illinois for the current 2019/20 school year! In an effort to alleviate the teacher shortage, the Illinois General Assembly removed the requirement that candidates successfully pass the test of basic skills. In the past, candidates for either a Professional Educator License (PEL) or Educator License with Stipulations (ELS) were required to successfully complete the test. This, accompanied by last year’s legislation to create licensure reciprocity with other states, is aimed to reduce barriers to becoming a teacher. In addition, the legislature extended the TRS Retiree Return to Work Program through June 30, 2021. This program was previously scheduled to sunset as of June 30, 2019. The program allows retired TRS members to return to the classroom and teach in a designated teacher shortage area for an entire year. In addition, all retirees may return to work for 120 days/600 hours per year.
HR CONSIDERATIONS In thinking about utilizing retired teachers in the classroom, either for a 120-day position or for a full-year position, there are several things to consider: • How will you pay these employees? • Will they be placed on your faculty salary schedule (MA+30, Step 35, for example)? • Will you create a retired teacher salary rate? • Will they ask for compensation in lieu of the TRS payments that you may make for other teachers? • Will they be eligible for your insurance plans? • Will they be considered members of your union/association? • Will they be covered by your CBA?
Please check TRS’s July, 2019 Bulletin for more information: https://iasbo.tools/TRS72019
Keep Up with Changes Although there are oftentimes legislative changes which affect school districts and human resources in particular, the summer of 2019 saw an unprecedented amount of state-level legislative action in this area. Keeping abreast of legislative updates (new laws, court decisions, etc.) will allow you to keep your district in compliance and avoid issues. Your legal firm likely produces and distributes legal updates. Consider registering for legislative updates from other firms, as well. Generally, these are available by visiting the firm’s website and registration is free and easy to do. This will keep you up-todate on changes and be in a position to understand them to the benefit of your district.
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EVIDENCE
BASED FUNDING Update & Moving Forward
ARTICLE
On August 31, 2017,
Public Act 100-0465, the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act (EBF), was signed into law with the intent to “ensure every Illinois student receives a meaningful opportunity to learn irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or community-income level.” Specifically, the legislation aims to: • Provide resources to every school for a high-quality education. • Ensure that all students receive the education to graduate from high school with the skills required. • Eliminate the achievement gap between at-risk and non-at-risk students. • Satisfy the States’s obligation to assume the primary responsibility of funding public education. • Reduce the disproportionate burden placed on local property taxes to fund schools. Many educational advocacy groups supported the legislation. Illinois had long been touted as having one of the least-equitable K-12 public education funding models in the United States due to its over-reliance on property taxes to fund education. The law made sweeping changes how the state would provide funding to its school districts. As with many legislative bills of this complexity, several items could not be resolved before passage. Instead of delaying the bill, the legislators created a Professional Review Panel (PRP) that would be responsible for addressing these items. The PRP would also be responsible for evaluating whether any increased funding led to improved student outcomes.
By Susan L. Harkin
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/CSBO COMM. UNIT SCH. DIST. 300
Professional Review Panel Duties and Timeline Public Act 100-0465 Sec. 18-8.15. reads, a Professional Review Panel (PRP) is created to: • Study and review the implementation and effect of the EBF. • Recommend continual recalibration of and future study topics and modifications to the EBF. The PRP is to make recommendations to the Illinois State Board of Education, the General Assembly and the governor. The handoff to the PRP included everything in the kitchen sink with a very aggressive timeline. Those timelines were as follows: • Annually, the panel will review the recalibration of gifted, instructional materials, assessment, student activities, maintenance and operations, central office and technology elements. • Within three years, the panel will review the allocations and funding in the model related to technology, local capacity target and hold harmless. • Within four years, the panel will review the allocation and funding in the model related to alternative, safe and laboratory schools, college and career acceleration strategies and special education. • Within five years, the panel will review the allocation and funding in the model related to comparable wage index, maintenance and operations, at-risk student definition, poverty concentration funding and benefits. • Within five years after implementation, the PRP is required to complete a study of the entire EvidenceBased Funding model to determine whether or not the formula is achieving state goals. • Items assigned with no specified time in the statute included an annual spending plan and early childhood.
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Professional Review Panel Members
First Year: Panel and Committee Work – Is the Funding Model Working?
There are 27 members on the panel. Voting members are appointed by the state superintendent and non-voting members are appointed by each of the four General Assembly caucus leaders and the governor. The state superintendent appointments include representatives from school districts and communities reflecting the geographic, socio-economic, racial and ethnic diversity of this state. The state superintendent is also required to ensure that the membership of the panel includes representatives with expertise in bilingual education and special education.
The Illinois EBF model is relatively complex. The first portion of the model calculates an adequacy target or dollars necessary to educate their students based upon 34 unique cost factors for each school district. The second portion of the formula measures a district’s local resources in comparison to the adequacy target. The last part calculates how far a district is from its adequacy and assigns a tier to allocate additional state funding. Districts that are the furthest away from their adequacy target are to receive the most tier funding.
The PRP members are as follows: • Legislative – Two state representatives, two state senators, Office of the Governor representative • K-12 Education – Two board members, two superintendents, two school business officials, two principals, two regional superintendent of schools, two educators, Chicago Public School representative • Advocacy – Two teacher union leadership (IEA/IFT), two educational advocate representatives • Others – Two at-large representatives, special education representative, Parent Teacher Association representative, state college representative The panel members provide a broad-based representation of educational constituents.
Upon the first review of the distribution of new tier state funding, the model did address getting funding to school districts that were the furthest away from adequacy. As indicated in ISBE’s FY18 EBF Quick Facts, 89 percent of the $366.6 million of new state funding went to the districts farthest away from adequacy. As shown below, 79 percent of the new FY18 funding went to districts serving at or above 53 percent low income, 85 percent of all black students and 75 percent of all Latino students in Illinois. While the funding model is providing additional resources to the intended student population, the annual $350 million that is currently allocated will not fully fund the model until FY51. The State made an initial promise to fund the model in ten years. As shown in the chart on p.27, the State will need to increase its funding by $8.6 billion to achieve its promise.
Distribution of Year 1 Tier Funding $140,690,286
$150,000,000
$83,397,309
$100,000,000
$66,383,046
$44,783,979 $50,000,000 $8,976,733
$22,230,434
District Low Income %
0 % - 22%
23% - 35%
36% - 52%
53% - 66%
67% -100 %
CPS -78%
% of all White Students in State
23.0 %
22.7%
23.6%
17.5%
8.7%
3.9 %
5.1%
9.7%
10.2%
% of all Black Students in State % of all Latino Students in State
3.9 %
5.6%
5.5%
13.0%
16.9 %
29.5% 23.7%
42.4% 34.4%
Source: CTBA analysis of ISBE FY18 EBF Distribution Full Calculation, Enrollment by Race from ISBE 2017 Report Card Data
ARTICLE / EBF Update
Amount Needed for Full Funding FY19 FY20 Total Dollars Needed to Fully Fund EBF
$7,350
Total New Money Put into EBF since FY20 Shortfall/Surplus
$7,504 $779 -$6,725
FY25
FY30
$4,371 $4,676 -$3,592
$779 $8,572 $0
The funding is beginning to close the equity gap; however, the dollar amount needed to fully fund the model is significant. Source: CTBA analysis of ISBE FY19 EBF Calculation using Bureau of Labor Statistics ECI historical data
First Year: Committee Work The panel had its first meeting in June of 2018. Due to the aggressive timeline outlined in the law, six committees were established to begin working on the items handed off to the panel. These committees included: • Equity — Responsible for ensuring that the elements and distribution of EBF addressed equity and reviewed all recommendations through a lens of equity. • Evaluative Study — Responsible for developing the research framework that would be used to evaluate whether the formula was meeting the state’s educational goals. • Format and Scope of the Annual Spending Plan — Responsible for evaluating the data that should be part of the Annual Spending Plan. • Recalibrate per Pupil Elements — Responsible for evaluating the per-pupil amounts in the formula and recommending a recalibration if deemed appropriate. • ROE Committee — Responsible for addressing funding for our alternative schools within the model.
First Year: ROE Committee Recommendation Alternative schools provide optional educational programs for expulsion eligible, truant and alternative learning students. As mentioned before, additional funding through the model is based upon a local education agency’s tier funding level. Since alternative schools do not receive local funding, they cannot be assigned a tier or receive tier funding. Some of the panel members believed this was an oversight in the model and there was an easy fix to allow them to receive tier funding.
The ROE Committee brought a recommendation to September 2019 PRP meeting. At the meeting, the proposal was not received with a warm reception from the panel members. Some panel members had strong opinions about making any changes to the formula so early into the implementation. These opinions ranged from wondering why this issue was being prioritized over other PRP items to not wanting to allow alternative schools access to tier funding. The PRP narrowly approved a temporary proposal to provide tier funding to portions of the alternative school programs. However, not getting more funding to the at-risk students served by our alternative schools was troubling to our legislators. In June 2019, legislators passed legislation to allow alternative schools to receive tier funding for all programs, making the first real modification to the EBF formula.
Second Year: Retooling On June 14, 2019, PA 101-0017 was signed into law, which made changes to the leadership of the PRP. The legislation named the state superintendent as chair to better align the panel with the State Board of Education. The legislation also made procedural changes to the panel aimed at providing the PRP with the opportunity to focus on specific issues that have the most significant impact on Evidence-Based Funding. The new law allows the General Assembly and State Board to “assign” study topics to the panel. In addition to these topics, the chairperson may direct the panel to study existing assigned issues. The panel is also now responsible for a quinquennial evaluative study. The PRP currently has four working committees to continue the work passed off to them. Those committees include the Evaluative Study, Recalibration, Local Capacity Target and Equity Committee. www.iasbo.org
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Professional Review Panel Future The PRP continues to oversee the new funding model, ensuring Illinois no longer has one of the leastequitable K-12 public education funding formulas in the United States. The aggressive timeline of the panel is now gone. The commitment to ensuring every Illinois student receives a meaningful opportunity to learn irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or community-income level still exists. The path to fully funding the model is not resolved. I believe our legislators are committed to ensuring all students will be provided with a high-quality education and have the required skills upon graduation. I believe our legislators are committed to eliminating the achievement gap between at-risk and non-at-risk students. I believe our legislators are committed to ensuring that the state will assume the primary responsibility and relieve the disproportionate burden placed on local property taxes to fund public education. These commitments are undoubtedly a tall order, but I believe our state’s and the Professional Review Panel’s resolve to do so is commendable. I encourage all of us to become familiar with the elements in the EBF model. I encourage all of us to dialogue with our administrative teams as to how we are using our EBF dollars and if they are aligned to evidence-based practices. If we want our legislators to keep their commitment, we must show how our additional resources are leading to improved student outcomes. By doing so, we will proudly demonstrate how Illinois dared to address its funding formula and, in turn, transformed itself into one of the best education systems in the nation.
I encourage all of us to dialogue with our administrative teams as to how we are using our EBF dollars and if they are aligned to evidencebased practices. 28 |
UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2020
EBF in Action: Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 300 Carpentersville, IL
Susan Harkin, Chief Oper. Officer/CSBO 21,143 Students % 5.5% 3.6
White – 46.6% Hispanic – 38.6% Asian – 5.7% Black – 5.5% Other – 3.6% Low Income
42 %
5.7% 46.6%
38.6%
English Learners IEP Students
17%
16 %
Tier 2 – 64% of Adequacy FY20 New EBF – $3,314,298
Pros: Additional dollars have created the opportunity to talk about where our greatest needs are and to allocate resources to address those needs. For the longest time, D300 has been a financially strapped school district doing without many educational programs that would normally be considered a basic service. With our diverse student population, we can now discuss how to provide supports to students with the greatest needs.
Use: D300 has used their additional dollars to hire additional instructional coaches, guidance counselors, interventionists and social workers. We have maintained our elementary average class size ratios at 1:20 students. Our focus has been to improve instruction and provide social-emotional supports to our students. We have also addressed priority safety and security concerns identified in the district safety plan.
Concerns: We are very proud to have all of the district schools designated as exemplary or commendable on our school report card for the past two years. While D300 is committed to using its resources to support evidence-based practices, there are many competing priorities for any additional funding. We feel it is essential to provide flexibility to school districts on how to spend their dollars as we best understand our student needs and district priorities.
ARTICLE / EBF Update
How Three Districts are Improving Education School District U-46 — Elgin, IL
Wauconda CUSD 118 – Wauconda, IL
Dr. Jeffrey King Deputy Supt. of Operations/CSBO 38,395 Students
Hispanic – 54.9% White – 26.0% Asian – 8.3% Black – 6.3% Other – 4.5% Low Income
61%
4.5% 6.3% 8.3% 26%
54.9%
English Learners IEP Students
34%
15%
Tier 1 – 59% of Adequacy FY20 New EBF – $20,592,013
William Harkin Assoc. Supt. of Business Services/CSBO 4,636 Students
White – 61.2% Hispanic – 29.8% Other – 4.5% Asian – 3.3% Black – 1.8% Low Income
35%
4.5
% 3.3% 1.8
%
29.8%
61.2%
English Learners IEP Students
13 %
15%
Tier 2 – 74% of Adequacy FY20 New EBF – $235,144
Pros: The greatest thing that the EBF dollars have
Pros: The greatest thing about the new
assisted with is adding educational programs and services at U-46 that other surrounding school districts are providing. It has facilitated discussions at the cabinet level about evidence-based practices, which have allowed them to modify their five-year plan in areas such as pathways. It has been a thoughtful process to ensure sustainability and fidelity in implementation.
EBF dollars is the state recognition of districts that are spending below the adequacy level to educate students. The state’s attempt to remedy that by putting additional dollars into the formula and direct those dollars to those districts farthest from adequacy is commendable. The additional dollars are forcing districts to have conversations on how to spend these dollars. It is also taking some burden off local taxpayers who currently provide the majority of their educational funding.
Use: With the new dollars, U-46 has been able to add middle school counselors, add social workers at every school, reduce K-2 class size, add more high school counselors, add elementary assistant principals at half of their schools, add 25 instructional coaches and go to 1:1 computer devices for grades 5-12. They have also increased their capital spend by $10 million as the average age of their schools is 55 years.
Concerns: Overall, the most significant concern is managing how the dollars are spent and being thoughtful in that process to what best supports sustainable student learning. To date, the district has completed an analysis of the U-46 current staffing and dollars spent to align with the elements in the formula to assist with how to spend future dollars.
Use: In the first-year of implementation, D118 used the dollars to fund construction projects to improve the student learning environment due to the lack of other funding from the state. Discussion on the use of future dollars is focused on the addition of staff to meet the ever-growing needs of their students.
Concerns: D118’s biggest concern is the state’s ability to fund the model going forward.
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By Sara R. Shaw
ARTICLE
SENIOR MANAGER, FISCAL AND ACADEMIC SOLVENCY ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (ISBE)
Site-Based Expenditure Reporting:
Where Are We Now? Last year I wrote in this magazine about school business officials and district leaders having financial responsibilities as leaders for student success. The topic was prompted by the new site-based expenditure reporting requirement within the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which mandates that every school district in the country report school-by-school spending data for the first time beginning with fiscal year 2019 data. I was – and continue to be – inspired by the advisory group that joined the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in designing the implementation of this new requirement. The advisory group’s business officials, superintendents and other statewide representatives told ISBE that they believed sitebased expenditure reporting could: • Make resource allocation more readily accessible to schools and stakeholders. • Empower districts and communities to assess and improve equity. • Enable districts and communities to gain a better understanding of the relationship between student outcomes and financial resources. • Enable districts, schools and the state to identify evidence-based best practices and opportunities to foster innovation between peers. Those beliefs formed the “value proposition” of our implementation of ESSA site-based expenditure reporting. Both the value proposition and the advisory group processes have drawn national attention from other states and advocacy groups impressed by Illinois’ collaborative approach focused on making the data meaningful. Yet the value proposition was only that — a proposition, an idea and a hope, not a guarantee. Ultimately, district leaders like yourselves would show us the true value of the new data. We are still learning from the field what the first year of implementation meant for districts through their reflections and actions. Two district leaders who served on the advisory group, and to whom we owe great gratitude, share their stories in this article. What is your story?
MAHOMET-SEYMOUR CSD 3 Dr. Lindsey Hall, Superintendent The new site-based financial reporting component on the Illinois School Report Card gave us the opportunity to break down our spending by student, per each building. Our data confirmed what we thought to be true — that spending in our two elementary buildings (PreK-2 and 3-5) and our junior high (6-8) were relatively similar, but spending per student in our high school was approximately $2,000 higher per student. Through discussion of the data, we confirmed this is due to the specialized classes offered at the high school level, which often require equipment or materials that are not used in the lower grades, plus the fact that our high school employs more staff per student than any other building. Each district has a distinct and unique story to tell with their site-based reporting and while our data did not unveil any surprises, it was helpful in that it provided another data set that we did not previously have. As we move ahead with staffing and programming decisions under Evidence-Based Funding, we will continue to monitor our site-based spending.
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MACOMB CUSD 185 Dr. Patrick M. Twomey, Superintendent As a member of the site-based advisory group, I had mixed feelings throughout the process concerning the burden this type of reporting could bring, especially to my colleagues in small rural districts. I believed my primary function as an advisory member was to keep the process as simple as possible. Dianne Hudgens, our budget coordinator, was instrumental during this planning phase as she had experience in a very small district and understood the resource limitations smaller districts would face.
limited funds we have. Our preschool program has its own school building and, as all programs of this type do, requires a small teacher-to-pupil ratio. These are our most at-risk students and they require a significant amount of support.
Macomb schools have been overcrowded for more than 25 years and we are in the process of building additions, undertaking renovations and preparing to build a new middle school. Now that we have reviewed the site-based reporting numbers, we are discussing all of the factors in terms of our Now that we have completed one cycle of reporting, my fears attendance centers and what their make up should be. have been put to rest and the value of this project is apparent. Do we move the early childhood program into our elementary After reviewing our site-based numbers, we can see and building, or do we leave it as is? We believe our program is talk about our own story and what the numbers currently tell second to none and part of that success comes from having us. While our expenditures are mostly balanced throughout their independent space. With that said, we all have budgets the district, one set of numbers did stand out. Our preschool to work within and site-based reporting has now given us a student expenditures were significantly higher than the rest topic that merits serious consideration. of the district. It was enough to warrant discussion, ask questions and make certain determinations. Site-based reporting gives data to tell our own story and to make sound decisions to address those issues, making it a Sometimes the obvious is not so obvious! We began peeling valuable tool for administrators across the State of Illinois. back the onion to ensure we were appropriately spending the
FINDING MEANING IN THE DATA In their reflections, Dr. Hall and Dr. Twomey both describe taking time to sit down and review their site-based expenditure data; their interactions with the data went beyond the technical compilation and submission. Their review led them to important analysis opportunities: Where was school spending even across schools? Where were there variances? What accounted for the variances? Once they had an understanding and explanation for the data, they reflected on whether the spending numbers aligned with the district’s values and priorities. In both of these cases, the answer was “yes,” the numbers did align.
Going through the exercise of justification positions both superintendents to make more informed resource allocation decisions in the future. As an example, Dr. Twomey points to how his deepened understanding of the preschool expenditures now informs his thoughts for the district’s overcrowding solutions. Integrating these financial data into district decision-making opens more opportunities to find student-centered, strategic and sustainable decisions.
If you are taking on this work yourself, we would love to hear about it! Learning how the value proposition is playing out in Illinois school districts allows us to connect district leaders like yourselves for peer-topeer learning and allows ISBE and its advisory group to strengthen our supports for districts. If you are not sure where to start to make site-based expenditure data meaningful, consider the opportunities on the next page and their potential power for your district. Reach us at site-based@isbe.net with any questions or to share promising practices and stories. Happy data analysis!
ARTICLE //Eyebrow Site-Based Reporting
OPPORTUNITIES DISTRICT
OPPORTUNITIES BUSINESS OFFICIALS
Analyze site-based expenditure data alongside student need data, student outcome data and district priorities and goals as an internal district leadership team. Potential guiding questions: • What story does the data show us? • Do we see connections between site allocations, student need and student performance? • What is surprising in the data? What is not? • Are there differences in site allocations? Were they intentional? Are they affecting student performance? • Where do we see the impact of dollars invested at the school level? • Are our site allocations leading our district in the direction that we believe is best for student outcomes and most equitable based on student need? • What are we going to do as a result of seeing these data?
Present the site-based expenditure data both internally and externally. Clear, understandable data jumpstarts conversations and informs decision-making. • Tip: Use the School Finance visualizations on www.illinoisreportcard.com to clearly display the data. • Tip: Refer to ISBE Reporting Guidance and other resources on www.isbe.net/site-based and IWAS to refresh your memory on what the data contain.
Review site-based expenditure data with principals to reflect upon how effectively the school is leveraging its resources for students. • Tip: To prime the conversation with principals, watch the webinar (below) and adapt the slides (below) designed by ISBE in partnership with the Illinois Principals Association.
Encourage others and yourself to always consider the site-based expenditure data side-by-side with student need data, student outcome data and district priorities and goals in order to put the finances in context and make them more meaningful.
Share site-based expenditure data with local boards of education. • Tip: For board members or anyone else unfamiliar with site-based expenditure reporting, ISBE posted short orientations to the data and to the Illinois Report Card visualizations (below). Use FY19 site-based expenditure data (and/or FY20 data estimates) to inform FY21 budgeting decisions. • Note: There is no requirement for site-based budgeting or schoollevel accounting, although districts may find these activities to be helpful as preparation for expenditure reporting. Tell the district’s story through various communication avenues. • Tip: Experiment with the sentence starter, “When we saw X, we did Y, because of who we are and what we believe in for our students.”
Undertake initial analysis of the site-based expenditure data on your own.
Analyze FY19 site-based expenditure data (and/or FY20 data estimates) to inform FY21 budget recommendations. • Note: While there is no requirement for sitebased budgeting or school-level accounting, districts may find these activities to be helpful as preparation for expenditure reporting. Help others think about sustainability. Within resource allocation discussions, it is easy to forget about the long game. Use three- to five-year projections to ask if your district is ensuring both financial sustainability and sustainable student success.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Overview: www.iasbo.tools/reportingoverview Slides: www.iasbo.tools/reportingslides
Webinar: www.iasbo.tools/reportingwebinar Visuals: www.iasbo.tools/reportingvisuals www.iasbo.org
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how a bill
really becomes a law
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What you learned in your school classroom will only get you so far in Springfield. Take an insider look at how the system really works from start to finish‌ and all the shenanigans that can happen along the way.
ARTICLE
“I’m just a bill. Yes, I’m only a bill. And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill. Well, it’s a long, long journey To the capital city. It’s a long, long wait While I’m sitting in committee, But I know I’ll be a law someday At least I hope and pray that I will, But today I am still just a bill.” For the most part, the legendary (at least for folks my age) “I’m Just a Bill” skit from Schoolhouse Rock in the 1970’s is pretty accurate here in Illinois. A bill must make it through two legislative chambers and be signed into law by the Chief Executive whether in Congress in Washington, D.C. or in the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield. But, oh, the shenanigans that can happen on the way. That Schoolhouse Rock bill never came to Springfield to get mugged by a Rules Committee, stuffed into a “shell bill” and tacked onto a provision in a 1,000 page “BIMP” bill that was voted on virtually sight unseen. WHAT YOUR TEXTBOOK WILL TELL YOU Section eight under Article IV of The Constitution of the State of Illinois succinctly expresses what must happen for the passage of bills in our state. A bill may originate in either the Senate or the House of Representatives, must be “read by title on three different days” in each chamber and must have approval of a majority of the members elected in each chamber before being sent to the Governor for his consideration. Sounds simple enough. Beyond the Constitution there are a few other hurdles for legislation to navigate. Both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois State Senate have their own “General Assembly Rules” that they adopt and that must, generally, be followed. This includes the use of committees and certain timelines that must be met. The exception, of course, is when the legislators decide that they do not want to follow their rules, which is always an option too. But I digress and will explore that a little later.
By Ben Schwarm
DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS (IASB)
For the vast majority of bills that are introduced, the usual course is followed. A bill in a spring legislative session in Springfield will be: • Introduced in either the House or Senate. • Read into the record on three separate days. • Considered by a committee. • Sent to the chamber floor. If approved, sent to the opposite chamber to repeat the same drill there. The process without any expeditious treatment will take about three months. But who wants to hear about that boring process? WHERE DOES A BILL REALLY COME FROM? Sometimes the idea for a piece of legislation actually comes from the legislator who introduces it. Mostly, though, the idea has come from a constituent who has had a problem navigating the State’s bureaucracy, from an interest group or lobbyist, or from some other think tank or organization that the legislator belongs to. My favorite is when a legislator says (this is much more common to hear from a Congressman in D.C.) that “I wrote the bill that . . . .” In my 27 years working in and around the Capitol, I’ve never known a legislator that actually “wrote the bill.” Legislators certainly make legislation happen, but it is staff, lawyers and lobbyists that usually do the actual writing. And in Springfield, truly o nly the lawyers at the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) write the official bill that is considered in the Capitol. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES AND RULES AND HOW TO GET AROUND THEM The General Assembly Rules in both the House and Senate versions allow for the use of committees. Standing committees are named in each chamber generally by subject matter. So, for instance, a bill that proposes to change the provision in the School Code regarding high school graduation requirements would likely be sent to the Education Committee in the Senate or the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee in the House. www.iasbo.org
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The real problem with the General Assembly Rules is that they are just that, rules. They’re not in the Constitution, or in state statute, but in a resolution adopted by each individual chamber.
When a bill is drafted and introduced, it will be “read into the record” in the chamber of origin. In the Senate, for example, there will be a day when the Secretary of the Senate (an appointed position selected by the Senate President) actually stands at the podium (the “well” as it is called by insiders) and reads the title of hundreds of newly introduced bills into a microphone before a usually totally empty chamber: “SB 230, a bill regarding education, SB 231, a bill regarding transportation” and so on. The Clerk of the House does the same thing in that chamber. After the initial reading, the bill is sent to the Committee on Assignment in the Senate – in the House, they call it the Rules Committee. This committee decides which substantive committee to send a bill. Sometimes a bill is never assigned to a “real committee” and languishes forever in “Rules” or “COA.” This is the first ironclad gatekeeping device for the majority party. The General Assembly Rules also require that a new bill be “posted” for a committee hearing at least six days before the bill will actually be considered by the committee. This is an attempt at transparency and for the public to become aware of legislation before the first vote is taken. And, really, this works pretty well. Amendments, however, only need a one-hour posting notice before a committee hearing. Things can start to get a little sketchy about this point as legislation can be “fasttracked” by deliberately attaching legislative language to a bill by amendment, thus avoiding the “sunshine” of the six day posting requirement. The real problem with the General Assembly Rules is that they are just that, rules. They’re not in the Constitution, or in state statute, but in a resolution adopted by each individual chamber. So, upon occasion, the chamber can just vote to “waive the rule requirement” if a majority of the chamber doesn’t want to follow that particular rule that day. For instance, they might want to consider a bill in committee that has not met the six day posting requirement, or better yet, they just want to send a bill directly to the chamber floor
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that has never had a committee hearing. If a majority of the members vote to do it, it is done. That is the power of the majority party. “I’m just a bill Yes I'm only a bill, And I got as far as Capitol Hill. Well, now I’m stuck in committee And I’ll sit here and wait While a few key Congressmen discuss and debate Whether they should let me be a law. How I hope and pray that they will, But today I am still just a bill.” SECOND READING AND LEGISLATIVE TIME TRAVEL After a bill is discharged from a committee, it goes back to the chamber floor and is read into the record for a second time. Second Reading is the amendment stage – the only time a bill can be amended. Many times the proposed amended language has already been agreed to in the committee hearing, but officially, the amendment is added on Second Reading on the chamber floor. Bills that the sponsor knows still needs some additional work could sit on the “calendar” (the House/Senate agenda) for weeks waiting to be amended. But here again is a time ripe for questionable antics. The reason for the three separate readings of a bill is to ward against someone jamming through an idea all in the same day. Theoretically, if a bill is amended on Second Reading, it couldn’t be voted on for final passage until the next day at the earliest (when the bill would have its Third Reading). But the suspension of time and time travel is a regularly occurring phenomenon in the State Capitol. Many times a bill will be moved from Second Reading to Third Reading properly, on separate days. But maybe a week later the sponsor decides the bill needs another amendment so the bill is “brought back to Second Reading.” Now it can be amended. However, and I am not making this up, the House Clerk merely announces that
ARTICLE / How How aa Bill Bill Really Really Becomes Becomes aa Law Law
the bill “has been read a second time previously” and the bill can be amended on Second Reading and called for a vote on Third Reading – final passage stage – not only the same day but in a matter of minutes. The tactic in most cases is benign and simply correcting a small glitch in the legislation. But the practice can allow for a deliberate skirting of the rules by tacking on a new or controversial amendment and get an immediate floor vote before allowing the public to comment. SHELL BILLS AND OTHER QUESTIONABLE PROCEDURES Sometimes the entire process is ignored from the start. Since there is a procedure for amendment and this requires a shorter hearing notice posting and therefore an opportunity for less people to see language before it is adopted, there are legislators who deliberately opt for this route. They will introduce a “shell bill” a piece of legislation that contains no substantive language but is moved through the process for later use. It might change the word “the” to “a” or “10” to “ten” in the Pension Code. Say the bill is approved by a House committee and then the full House and is sent to the Senate. It is discharged by the Senate committee still in the non-substantive form. Then on the Senate floor, an amendment is added to raise the retirement age in TRS to age 75. The bill is more than half-way through the process before anyone knew what the bill would ultimately do. Granted, it would need a couple of more votes but in this scenario those votes could be taken in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks.
act. If the Governor vetoes a bill, it is taken up in the Veto Session in November and December. So it takes about a year for the entire legislative process. And that is how most legislation is handled. But what about the bill that was written and submitted as a conference committee report (the final agreement between the two chambers when each had differing language for a bill) approved by both houses, sent to the Governor, vetoed, had the veto overridden and became law in the same afternoon? It really happened; it was the 2.2 pension enhancement bill in 1998. And they even had a “bill signing” ceremony that afternoon when the Governor actually amendatorily vetoed the bill! That is when you say “the bill was greased” as it moved quickly through the process with no resistance. Only in Illinois. “I’m just a bill Yes, I’m only a bill And if they vote for me on Capitol Hill Well, then I’m off to the White House Where I’ll wait in a line With a lot of other bills For the president to sign And if he signs me, then I’ll be a law. How I hope and pray that he will, But today I am still just a bill.”
WHAT DOES THE GOVERNOR DO? This is not a rhetorical question. Once a bill is approved by both chambers the house of origin has 30 days to send the legislation to the Governor. The Governor, then, has 60 days to take action on the bill. So generally, a bill is introduced in January, the legislature meets in March and April to hold its committee hearings and adjournment is the end of May when most bills are called for final passage. The bills are sent to the Governor in June and he has until August to
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK: Dorough, B., Ahrens, L., Newall, G., Frishberg, D., Yohe, T., Mendoza, R., American Broadcasting Company., ... Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Firm). (2002). Schoolhouse rock!. Burbank, Calif: Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
Analyzing the Impact of the Minimum Wage Increase Senate Bill 1, signed into law this past February and effective January 1, raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour over six years. The minimum wage increases from $8.25 to $9.25 on 1/1/20; to $10 on 7/1/20 and $1 each January 1 until 2025. To help understand the impact of this new law on Illinois school districts, Illinois ASBO issued a survey in December 2019 to school business officials throughout the state. The survey had 155 respondents representing 52 counties, with FY20 budgets ranging from $2.2 million to $385 million.
Budget Impact
Over half of survey respondents (57 percent) stated that the new minimum wage requirements under SB1 would have minimal or no impact in the coming year. However, many districts who will not necessarily be impacted in the coming year stated future implications for their district. One example is Salt Fork CUSD 512. Superintendent Phil Cox stated that while their district will see a minimal impact this year, the impact will be at least $130,000 per year once the law is fully implemented.
For those who did quantify a budget impact for the first year of implementation, the impact ranged from as low as $8,400 to as high as $1.2 million.
Below are some future implications of the law mentioned by respondents: “Our primary concern is any ripple effect on inflation of salaries that are already above the minimum wage rate.”
“This will create competition for staff at a later point.”
“I have to start giving six percent raises starting next year to make it and I am not sure where the money will come from.”
“We anticipate the cost, upon hitting $15.00, to be in the range of $450,000 to $500,000 minimum per year moving forward.”
“It will require us to merge our schedules and give larger raises in order to meet the minimum wage.”
“The need to increase wages for paraprofessionals over and above the negotiation wage, resulting in multiple increases.”
One of the biggest concerns expressed is that raising the minimum wage could create a need to increase wages for experienced workers as well. One respondent stated, “This is catastrophic on our local economy. As we pay non-certified employees more each year, our certified teachers will be asking for larger increases as well to keep up.” Another stated, “As entry level is pushed up to $15, the employees just above $15 will also have pressure for wages increasing and so on and so on. The $15 minimum will eventually increase wages in general by hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.”
“The impact of SB1 is magnified for our district by the benefit cost increases tied to the wage increases across IMRF pensions, TRS/THIS costs, FICA and Medicare. Our IMRF rate, for example is 13 percent, meaning a $5 raise to $15 per hour actually costs us $17 per hour when factoring in IMRF alone. Staggering.” T.J. Bull-Welch, Business Manager, CSBO, Riverdale CUSD 100
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Want more stories? See how other districts will feel the impact of this law on p.19.
ARTICLE
Future Impact Only
IMPACT OF SB1 IN THE FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION Finacial Impact in the Next Year
Less than $100,000
Some to Significant Impact: Unspecified
Minimal to No Impact
$100,000 or More
Percent of Total 7.74%
$100,000 or More
7.74%
Less than $100,000 Some to Significant Impact: Unspecified
Future Impact Only
Minimal to No Impact Grand Total
14.84% 9.68%
60.00%
100.00%
Number of Districts
Average FY20 Budget
12
$55,372,577
15
$71,094,743
12
23
$47,513,276
$27,640,635
92
$48,450,624
154
$48,018,055
BUDGET IMPACT OF SB1 IN THE COMING YEAR
Employee Groups Impacted
The new minimum wage requirements impact a large variety of employee groups within school districts, as well as employees contracted out. The included chart depicts the percentage of respondents who stated that paraprofessionals, custodians and bus drivers would be among those most impacted.
Which employee groups from your district will be most impacted by SB1? Paraprofessionals Custodians Bus Drivers Other 0
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
(Paraprofessionals 60.61 percent, Custodians 37.12 percent, Bus Drivers 9.85 percent, Other 59.09 percent) The employee groups specified in the “other� category included food service staff, lunchroom supervisors, temp/student workers, secretaries, substitute teachers, custodial staff, security staff, crossing guards, playground supervisors, after school and summer workers.
A RIPPLE EFFECT While the results of this survey do not demonstrate a significant budgetary impact for a majority of respondents in the first year of SB1 implementation, the ripple effect of this new law will be significant for districts statewide. Many survey participants expressed concerns about future bargaining agreements, having to cut custodial paraprofessional staff and difficulty in attracting future employees. www.iasbo.org
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#d R G B
#0 R G B
DREAMS BECAME REALITY
#8 R G B
#d R G B
ARTICLE
Education is an investment in the future of our children, state and nation. It is our responsibility as educators to reflect upon the current state of education in Illinois and take action to create an education system that meets the needs of all students. This is the primary reason Vision 20/20 was developed in 2012-13 and launched in 2014 and here we are today in 2020. Let’s explore where we have been and what key issues still remain. The reality is that many times statewide organizations are better known for what they oppose rather than those things for which they stand. In November 2012, the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) initiated a visioning process in partnership with the Illinois Principals Association (IPA), the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (Illinois ASBO), the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the Superintendents’ Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity (SCSDD) and the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) to unite the education community and to develop a long-range blueprint for improving public education in Illinois. Together we stood for excellence in education for all children in Illinois and desired to create a common “roadmap” for real reform. Up to this point, education reform policies had often created a divisive relationship between educators and policymakers. Teachers and education leaders were often blamed for all of the ills impacting public education. Blaming someone, however, is not a solution to the challenges that education faces in our state or any other across the nation. We are all part of the system and need to work in partnership to conquer these challenges to create meaningful and lasting change. Vision 20/20’s policy platform reflected the views of educators from across the state and was representative of opinions from the southern tip of Illinois through the northern suburbs of Chicago. Although the City of Chicago operates under a separate school code, they faced many similar challenges. This vision was the result of input from over 3,000 key stakeholders, discussions with field experts and a review of current literature on best practices.
By Michael A. Jacoby, Ed.D., SFO, CAE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO ILLINOIS ASBO
We were very conscious that no single legislative attempt at school improvement could be developed, implemented, or successful without the support, devotion and hard work of all stakeholders. Vision 20/20 asked not just for state action, but also for local action and the support of educators across the state to fulfill the promise of public education. On behalf of the nearly two million schoolchildren in Illinois, we challenged the state legislature, the governor and all stakeholders to take action. In the end, our Vision 20/20 organizations contributed their time, insight and advocacy to the Vision 20/20 process. Together, we were committed to supporting and promoting the priorities of the vision and there were some incredible successes. First, let’s take a look at the vision itself.
OUR VISION The uniting purpose shared across zip codes and political party lines in Illinois was the overwhelming belief that public education plays a defining role in ensuring equal opportunity. It was our collective duty to do all we could to guarantee every student, no matter his or her demographic or geographic identity, had equal access to a quality education. As public educators, we believed public education worked. We rejected the premise that education in Illinois had failed but recognized its impact has not been equitably delivered to all student populations and that there were opportunities for continuous improvement. We believed the key to continuous improvement in public education relied on the wisdom and innovation of public educators who work with students every day. This was a continuous process. We were educators because we cared about the future of each and every student and for the opportunity to teach and shape the next generation. www.iasbo.org
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Through the Vision 20/20 process, four areas for prioritization emerged: highly effective educators, 21st century learning, shared accountability and equitable and adequate funding. Highly Effective Educators The quality of teachers and school leaders is the greatest predictor of student achievement schools can influence. By attracting, developing and retaining our state's best educators, we can have a profound impact on student learning.
21st Century Learning For success in life, students need more than knowledge of math and reading. It is time to expand the definition of student learning, commit to the development of fhe “whole child” and invevst in policies proven to link all schools to 21st century learning tools.
Shared Accountability A quality educatioin for all students cannot be ensured without the collaboration, compromise and hard work of both educators and legislators. With that in mind, it is necessary to expand educator responsibiliy in the legislative process, create a shared accountability model and restructure mandates to allow more local district flexibility.
Equitable & Adequate Funding All students in Illinois are entitled to a quality education. It is our duty to ensure our students have access to all necessary resources by improving equity in tlhe funding model, appropriating adequate dollars for education and allowing local school districts the autonomy needed to increase efficiency.
Educators understand the importance of statewide education policy. However, that policy should be crafted to provide districts the flexibility and autonomy to best meet the needs of the students they serve. Statewide, process-specific mandates in education, similar to over-regulation in the business world, do not result in the innovation needed to improve education and do not recognize the state’s diversity. We believed educators should be held to the highest standards and be given the flexibility to apply their experience and knowledge to match local needs in order to best support each individual student. The Vision 20/20 Policy Brief shaped a vision for public education in Illinois to guide educators, legislators, labor, businesses, parents and community members as we work together toward the common goal of fulfilling the promise of public education in Illinois.
FROM VISION TO ACTION In districts throughout Illinois, there were concerns regarding equity, access and opportunities for continuous improvement. Specifically, Vision 20/20 had identified four priorities for the State of Illinois in order to have the most immediate and profound impact on public education.
“We believe public education works.” Vision 20/20
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ARTICLE / Vision 20/20 Update
Vision 20/20 Priorities Highly Effective Educators
Shared Accountability
• Recruit and Retain High-Impact Educators • Provide Relevant Professional Development
21st Century Learning
• Develop the "Whole Child" • Preserve Instructional Time • Invest in Early Childhood Education • Link Students to College and Careers • Expand Equity in Technology Access
• Expand Educator Role and Responsibility in State Governance • Implement a Differentiated Accountability System • Restructure Mandates
Equitable & Adequate Funding
• Fund Education Based on Local Need and to a Certain Standard of Adequacy • Stabilize State Funding for Education • Enhance District Flexibility to Increase Financial Efficiency
FROM ACTION TO ACCOMPLISHMENT EQUITABLE & ADEQUATE FUNDING
Fund Education Based on Local Need On August 31, 2017, the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, or Public Act 100-0465, became law. Five previous grant programs were combined into a single grant program and distributed as Evidence-Based Funding. Those grant programs were: • General State Aid • Special Education - Personnel • Special Education - Funding for Children Requiring Special Education Service • Special Education - Summer School • English Learner Education In this new system, districts received the same receipts from each of those five programs again in FY18 as
a hold harmless provision we called the Base Funding Minimum. This ensured that no district would lose resources in the transition and on an ongoing basis. An additional $975 million dollars have been invested in education as a result of this legislation, with 99 percent being directed toward those districts farthest from adequacy.
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EDUCATORS
Licensure Reciprocity Public Act 99-58 was designed to streamline the licensure process for teachers and administrators and establish reciprocity with other states in order to increase the pool of qualified candidates for positions in Illinois.
www.iasbo.org
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Vision 20/20 was a long-term plan that challenged the state legislature and governor, along with all stakeholders, to take action to fulfill the promise of public education in Illinois by the year 2020. Recruit Teachers into the Profession By amending the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code, Public Act 100-0596 made changes to provisions concerning: • Licensure powers of the Illinois State Board of Education, the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board (including adding two members) • Types of licenses (including removing and adding certain endorsements on an educator license with stipulations) • Endorsements on PELs • Educator testing • Minimum requirements for educators trained in other states or countries • Application fees • License renewal • Alternative Educator Licensure Program for teachers • Alternative route to superintendent endorsement programs • Approval of educator preparation institutions
21ST CENTURY LEARNING
Link Students to College & Careers The Postsecondary Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act (Public Act 99-674), signed into law in 2016, took a student and competency-based approach to helping students achieve college and career readiness. Invest in Early Childhood Education The FY19 funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant is on the right path to support the greatest number of children who may otherwise not have access to highquality early-learning opportunities. The additional $100,000 meant that about 5,000 more children received services in FY19 than did in FY18. ISBE estimates that more than 97,000 children were served statewide in FY19, with approximately 72,000 of those children living in areas with high need. Expand Equity in Technology Access The FY19 Budget Implementation Act, HB 3342 (Public Act 100-587), provided $16.3 million from the School Infrastructure Fund to the Illinois State Board of Education for school district broadband expansion.
SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY
Implement a Balanced Accountability System Public Act 99-193 made changes concerning references to adequate yearly progress with respect to the Illinois State Board of Education’s recognition standards for student performance and school improvement, the State Board’s system of rewards for school districts and schools, the State Board’s system to acknowledge schools, state interventions and remote educational programs. It removed provisions concerning academic early warning and watch status. Instead, it required the State Board to establish a Multiple Measure Index and Annual Measurable Objectives for each public school in Illinois that addressed the school’s overall performance in terms of academic success and equity and set forth provisions concerning priority and focus districts. Expand Educators Role in State Government HB 4284 provided that, for Illinois State Board of Education appointments made after the effective date of the amendatory Act, three of the members of the State Board must represent the educator community. It set forth the qualifications for these members and made other changes with regard to the qualifications of members of the State Board. This bill was vetoed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner, overridden in the House and Senate and is now the law.
MOVING FORWARD Vision 20/20 was a process that lead to meaningful and lasting change by serving as a blueprint for public education policy and was intended to be a decisionmaking framework to guide ongoing advocacy and align public educators around a common vision for the future. In collaboration with lawmakers and other stakeholders, the policies outlined by Vision 20/20 that came to be, were enacted as part of a continuous improvement process to improve the education experiences and outcomes of all Illinois students for the benefit of the entire State of Illinois. The collaborative work must now continue and new priorities must be identified for the future. What we call that is still uncertain, but with certainty – Vision 20/20 made a significant impact on the lives of children for many decades to come.
For more information about the Vision 20/20 Initiative please visit www.illinoisvision2020.org
RESOURCES Leading with Courage and Authenticity The core of becoming a daring leader is being vulnerable. That usually is not a comfortable place to be and it takes work to do it, as Brown says, “embrace the suck.” To help with that, she walks us through myths about vulnerability, how to lead without girding our loins with armor and how we can counteract shame with empathy. Brown doesn’t just lay out a challenge and give us some pithy leadership mantras, she takes us through implementation. The second half of her book starts with identifying, professing and living our values. She then equips Have you ever screwed up? Even worse, us to be vulnerable as we work on have you had people on your team trust with others. A tool that particularly know you screwed up? What a horrible resonated with me was the BRAVING feeling. Maybe you have even worked Inventory, a conversation guide to to cover up your mistake. What is more transform relationships and build trust. I embarrassing than having people find it to be a helpful self-reflection tool who work for you know that you aren’t to see if I am earning the trust of others. as smart or as good as you think you should be? Dare to Lead ends with a section on resilience and how to rise up after If you are going to be an effective failure. Because, let’s face it, we have leader, you have to resign yourself to all had some of that, and stretching the fact that you are going to fail in front ourselves to be vulnerable is bound of your team. You will make mistakes to bring on a little more. It’s all worth and decisions that are not the best, and it. Being vulnerable, while seemingly you will say things that you should not. revealing weakness, actually reveals So what should you do? Cover it up? the strength that comes with courage Pretend it never happened? Or own it? and authenticity and brings out the best leadership in us. Do you dare to become a daring leader? That is the question put to us Go ahead, be a daring leader. I double by Brené Brown in her book Dare to dog dare you. Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
On Their List Book reviews from your peers on relevant career topics
Dr. David Bein, SFO Asst. Supt./Business, CSBO Barrington CUSD 220 An active member of Illinois ASBO and ASBO International, Dr. Bein served on the Illinois ASBO Board and is the chair of the editorial advisory board for ASBO International’s School Business Affairs. He is a regular speaker on topics including board relations, leadership and school finance.
If you are going to be an effective leader, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you are going to fail in front of your team.
www.iasbo.org
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THE FINAL WORD SPEAKING UP ABOUT SCHOOL LEGISLATION CURTIS SAINDON Asst. Supt./Business, CSBO Woodridge Elem. SD 68
My Roles is to Keep Everyone Informed My role is to keep my superintendent, board and to a larger extent our interested school community abreast of both recently enacted legislation and potential/pending legislation that will have an impact (good or bad) on our school district at a local, state or national level. To do that, I need to be active and involved in both local political action groups here in DuPage County, as well as the Illinois ASBO Delegate Advisory Assembly (DAA) and the ASBO International Legislative Action Group.
Top Concerns are Unfunded Mandates & Underfunding For recently enacted legislation, the top concern for schools is to ensure that the new Evidence-Based Funding model is appropriately funded by the state of Illinois in upcoming years. For potential/pending legislation, it is to ensure that huge unfunded mandates like a pension cost shift or a property tax freeze do not occur without a specific, steady and reliable source of revenues to cover the cost of the legislation. Unfunded mandates and an underfunded school funding formula are our greatest concerns at the state level.
Issues to Watch at the State & Federal Level At the state level, it would be ensuring that adequate resources are allocated to our public schools, especially if our revenue streams shift or new unfunded mandates are created. At the federal level, it would probably be to ensure that Medicaid Reimbursement Funding and Title Grant Funding continues to flow to our schools, as needed. We are a state where federal funds coming in do not equal or exceed federal tax dollars going out, and we need to try and change that over time.
What SBOs Can Do to Get Involved Get to know your local legislators and become one of their “go to” people for education issues, staying as involved as you can with local political action groups. Also, get involved with the Illinois ASBO DAA and actively read and pass along information from the School Management Alliance’s state legislative reports and ASBO International’s Federal Legislative Updates.
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2020
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DELEGATE ADVISORY ASSEMBLY Your vehicle for policy change is the Illinois ASBO Delegate Advisory Assembly. Three times a year, you can bring forward issues related to legislation, rules or policies that matter to you. Those issues are given a platform for discussion and are potentially put on the path all the way to Springfield! Bring Your Issue to the DAA: Submit your topic by Friday, March 27 to be considered for the April 6 DAA Meeting!
FIND OUT MORE AT: www.iasbo.org/daa
ONE DAY OF SERVICE. LASTING COMMUITY IMPACT. Tuesday, April 28, 2020 Network with a purpose to kick off the 2020 Annual Conference in Peoria at EP!C, a community facility that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with caregiving, education and employment services. For your day of service, you can choose help with a beautification project of their main facility or to assist in EP!C’s abundant garden. Join your colleagues to help make a difference!
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR THIS FREE EVENT AT WWW.IASBOCONFERENCE.ORG/LEGACY.