Leadership Matters - March 2013

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Matters MARCH 2 0 1 3 I ASA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Leadership

IASA, IASB, IASBO to offer insurance plans for schools

In this month’s issue

February survey results: Small percentage of schools employ School Resource Officers Of those who responded to February’s Leadership Matters survey question regarding School Resource Officers (SROs), 74% said they did not employ SROs compared to just 26% who do. Among the comments offered by superintendents were: “We share an SRO with our neighboring district and the alternative school that leases one of our buildings. We do not compensate this individual. Basically, he teaches DARE and serves as our liaison when issues surface.” “We are supposed to have one through our ROE, but I have never met or seen this officer.” “Our local rural police do have a presence in the school, but that is spotty at best. They are very good at quick response.”

Survey call to action! P. 3

It’s Spring Training for public education, too P. 4

IASA, IASB, IASBO to Offer Health Insurance P. 5

Unfunded mandates lead to educational disaster P. 7

IASA Interactive Calendar P. 9

Leadership Week through the eyes of an IASA Member P. 10

News from the IASA Regions P. 15

Special Ed Class Size Mandate P. 13

School Nurse dilemma P. 16

Additional Items  TRS analysis of the various pension proposals P. 18  ISBE releases presentation on exchange of certificates for licenses P. 18  ISDLAF+ Monthly Update P. 20

Get to know your IASA Board Members P. 19

Unemployment compensation becomes budget issue for schools P. 20

 IASA developed

workshops/ trainings can help you P. 21

2648 Beechler Court Springfield, IL 62703-7305 217.753.2213 800 Woodfield Road, Ste. F109 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4717 847.466.5075

IASA Newsletter Editor Michael Chamness mchamness@iasaedu.org

Assistant Editor Mary Ellen Buch mbuch@iasaedu.org

1200 West Main Street Marion, IL 62959-1138 618.364.0501

Volume 1, Issue 3

Survey call to action! Please help us gather data on impact of education budget cuts, unfunded mandates This month’s survey is especially important as IASA is attempting to gather statewide data on the impact of budget cuts on school districts this school year (FY13) as well as the cuts that are being planned for FY14. Also, we are gathering data on the impact of some of the largest unfunded mandates.

The cumulative statewide and regional data will be used in our discussions with legislators as we go through the budget process in the General Assembly this spring. In order for the information to be considered statistically accurate and significant, we need to get a good response rate from our membership. The online survey includes 11questions. The data collected could prove very important in our budget negotiations this spring. The questions include:

Driver’s Education unfunded mandate?  How much would it cost your district to implement the Certified School Nurse mandate?  Where would the dollars come from to pay for hiring Certified School Nurses? Arts At-risk students Technology Reducing General Education class sizes Support for Special Education students in General Education setting Other  For any of the above unfunded mandates, if you could redirect those dollars, where would you redirect them? Arts At-risk students Professional development Reducing General Education class sizes Support for Special Education students in General Education setting Technology Other

 How many FTE (full-time equivalent) positions did you have to cut or absorb for your FY13 budget?  What percentage of your FTE positions do the FY 13 cuts equal?  How many positions will you have to cut or absorb in FY14?  What percentage of your FTE positions will the FY14 cuts equal?  Please rank the following budget factors, with 1 being the biggest negative factor on your budget: Cuts to General State Aid Cuts to Transportation Unfunded Mandates Drop in local tax revenue  How much does it cost your district above federal or state funding to comply with the current unfunded mandate regarding Special Education class size?  If the Physical Education mandate were removed, how much money would that save your school district?  How much does it cost your district above state funding to comply with the current

The survey also asks for the name of your school district and the IASA Region in which your district is located. This is only to help us sort the data by region. The data will only be displayed in the aggregate, not by individual district. Thank you in advance for your help on this survey. Please click on any of the questions above to access the survey.

It’s spring training time for public education, too

conflicts with the regional and sectional basketball tournaments, but we want to make sure we schedule it at a time when legislators are going to be in town. For those that were unable to attend, there is a wrap-up story on Page 10 in this publication, and the story also contains links to videotapes of the speakers’ presentations. Those presentations also can be accessed through the Video Library on our IASA website ( www.iasaedu.org ). Speaking of the website, as many of you already know, we had some problems a few weeks ago when our website was hacked into and had to be taken off- line for several days. No personal information was compromised and we were able to get a temporary site up and running within a week. Ironically, we already had started accepting proposals for a new site a couple of weeks before the old site was compromised. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by

Not only are Major League Baseball teams like the Cardinals, Cubs and White Sox immersed in spring training, but it also is time for leaders in public education to make sure we are fully ready to handle the fastballs and curveballs sure to come our way during this spring session of the General Assembly. The governor is scheduled to deliver his Budget Address in just a few days (March 6). The process then will begin in earnest

A Message from the IASA Executive Director

toward an end of May deadline for hot-button issues like the FY14 budget, pension reform, the cost shift and the Property Tax Extension Law Limit (PTELL). The next 30 days are a perfect time to reach out to your legislators and let them know how these items will affect your school district. We recently sent IASA members a link to our new online Superintendent’s

the problems with the site going down. The temporary site will support all of our major website needs while the new website is being developed. The new site, which we hope to launch by July 1, will be dynamic and user-friendly. I mentioned earlier the strategy of using the next 30 days to reach out to legislators. Also, we have been in discussions with

Toolkit , which contains white papers on the hottest public education legislative issues as well as a template for creating a school communications plan. Each issue paper contains a section on the background of the issue, an explanation of the issue, suggested talking

State Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch about getting some mandate relief on the issues related to Certified School Nurses and class size restrictions for special education students. Dr. Koch has listened to our concerns and seems committed to working out compromises that will provide our overburdened school districts with some relief. A critical 45-day public comment period begins March 8 regarding the mandate pertaining to special education class size and the 70/30 ratio for general education classes. It is vitally important that we respond in force to support Dr. Koch in his attempt to grant us relief on this mandate in the best interests of all students, including special education students. It promises to be a lively spring for public education. Thanks in advance for doing your part to make sure our team is ready to go!

points and links to a variety of resource materials about the issue. By utilizing the same online flipping book technology and format as we use in this newsletter, we have the ability to update issues or even add new issues as circumstances dictate. Those who attended our first-ever IASA Leadership Week last week not only got to hear some fabulous speakers address very timely topics, but they also were able to participate in our Legislative Advocacy Day at the capitol as well as a reception for legislators. I have seldom seen the energy I witnessed after our members returned from visiting their legislators. Those one-on-one meetings make an impression on the legislator, and they absolutely are the most powerful force we have in affecting public education policy. Based on the initial feedback of attendees, we intend to continue Leadership Week next year, possibly moving it to early March to try and avoid

Brent Clark

IASA, IASB, IASBO to offer members comprehensive health insurance By Michael Chamness IASA Director of Communications

The IASA, the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO) have developed the Illinois Schools Employee Benefits Consortium (ISEBC) that includes a proprietary fully insured, comprehensive group health insurance plan that will offer member school districts the opportunity to provide employees health benefits at affordable prices. “This plan offers our member districts greater purchasing power and more stability in premium increases,” said IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark in announcing the initiative. “This is a unique opportunity for IASA member school districts to join together and form an alliance to purchase their employee benefits and receive a premium discounting previously available only to the largest employers. “We are extremely pleased to be able to offer this unique service to our members at a time when school districts and employees are in need of cost-saving options that provide quality care,” Clark added. IASB Executive Director Roger Eddy said the

them the flexibility and options they need to better balance their budgets.” UnitedHealthcare®, one of the nation’s leading benefits providers, will underwrite this program. The customizable benefits package includes: Flexibility with Deductibles: A district has the option to completely

partnership is the best way to do business in this economic climate. "This represents an opportunity for school districts to take advantage of a joint purchasing power related to one of the most significant costs associated with employee benefits,”

customize their own plan or choose a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) with deductible amounts of $500, $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000, or a Health Savings Account (HSA) with deductibles of $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000, giving employees complete flexibility based on their needs. For districts that self- insure a portion of the deductible, this plan will accommodate that option, too. As many as six health plan options can be selected per district. Flexibility with Coverage: Our group plan offers not

“This plan offers our member districts greater purchasing power and more stability in premium increases. This is a unique opportunity for IASA member school districts to join together and form an alliance to purchase their employee benefits and receive a premium discounting previously available only to the largest employers.”

Eddy said. “It is most certainly the type of collaboration that makes sense. In fact, this type of collaboration is one of the expectations laid out by the Classrooms First Commission. We are pleased to join the IASA and IASBO to offer this opportunity to our members." IASBO Executive Director Dr. Michael Jacoby noted the advantages for school districts struggling to balance their budgets. “As healthcare costs continue to rise, districts truly need a program like this,” Jacoby said. “It gives Dr. Brent Clark IASA Executive Director

only single and family coverage, but also employee- and-spouse-only coverage or employee-and-child/ children-only coverage. Life Insurance Coverage: Each employee may have $10,000 of life insurance with matching $10,000 accidental death & dismemberment coverage. Districts

(Continued on page 6)

Comprehensive Health insurance story ——————————————————

(Continued from page 5)

may elect to increase the amount of coverage for all employees up to three times the employee’s Base Annual Earnings, up to a maximum of $250,000, making for one of the least expensive but most beneficial benefits an employer can provide. Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) Coverage: Our group plan offers

both STD and LTD benefits, including the fact that the carrier will ensure that specialized resources and

“ As healthcare costs continue to rise,

support remain in place to help the employee return to work as soon as safely possible. Dental Coverage: Our group plan offers a “passive” PPO dental option that provides the savings of a PPO plan with the

Other Specialized Services: Coverage also includes routine exams, “well-child” services, chiropractic care, outpatient services and prescription drugs. Cafeteria Plan: Our group plan allows your district to set up a “Cafeteria Plan” that fits the needs of your employees and allows them to have online access to their Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 24/7 and gives each employee their own debit card. COBRA Administration: In keeping with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), ISEBC will offer employees and their families the opportunity to purchase continuation of coverage under certain circumstances when they leave employment. Health Care Reform Compliance: There are countless regulations covering health care reform legislation. ISEBC will help you meet your compliance obligations by keeping you up to date on the reform

districts truly need a program like this. It gives them the flexibility and options they need to better balance their budgets. ”

freedom to see any dentist. The plan provides a $1,500 annual maximum and a $1,500 lifetime orthodontic maximum for children. Vision Care Coverage: Our group plan includes standard vision coverage in all medical plan options, with routine eye exams covered and co-pays and discounts on materials. In addition, a district may elect to offer one of two more robust vision plans tailored for employees. Out-of-State Coverage: Dr. Michael Jacoby IASBO Executive Director

“ This represents an opportunity for school districts to take advantage of a joint purchasing power related to one of the most significant costs associated with employee benefits. ”

regulations that affect your employee benefit programs and tax implications. Another feature of the ISEBC program that is different from some health insurance pools or consortiums is that there is no assessment or exit fee if a school district

UnitedHealthcare® has an extensive national and international health care network. Early Retirement Option: Any active

employee within an ISEBC school district and is at least age 55 is eligible to stay on a plan until they reach Medicare age.

Roger Eddy IASB Executive Director

decides to withdraw from the program. For more information, please contact Stan Travelstead at stan@iasaedu.org or Jeremy Travelstead at jeremy@iasaedu.org or toll-free at (877) 698-2247.

No-Balance Billing: All of the PPO options have a $20, $25 or $30 co-pay and “no balance billing” – the in-network provider agreement to accept claim payment from UnitedHealthcare® as payment in full for their services.

Unfunded mandates leading to educational disaster

and Senate Bill 618 are on the docket -- all dealing with the mandate question (UIS-Illinois Issues, February 11, 2013). Maybe there is some hope. What is acceptable? The arguments of the negative impacts of programs being closed and the impact on overall curriculum are frequently used. These may have been acceptable arguments in the past, but not in today’s financial environment with all the additional state and federal bureaucracy that is being imposed on local school districts. Programs are

The Illinois funding crisis has been a focus of media, school districts and taxpayers for the past several years. This is not surprising since Illinois is reported to be in one of the worst state financial situations

Dr. James T. Rosborg Director of Master’s in Education McKendree University

in America. This situation has negatively impacted the finances of all state agencies including school districts. Included in this crisis is the failure of the legislature to address unfunded

being closed throughout the state because of financial reasons. Vocational, gifted, physical education, fine/ practical arts and co- curricular programs are in peril. Would it not make sense to protect these programs and limit some unnecessary mandates in order to provide Illinois students with a well- rounded curriculum? What is currently going on? State Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch now

mandates being imposed on school districts. What can IASA do? What can the local districts do? In my opinion, educators have to stick with the facts and provide evidence to all stakeholders to formulate change. IASA has supported efforts in the past to deal with the mandate issue. Former Rep. Roger Eddy, now the executive director of the

Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), submitted a bill in 2010 to give school districts the option of ignoring some mandates unless fully funded. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) did not support the bill because of its concerns about the negative impact on school curriculum (Galesburg, The Register Mail, February 12, 2010). Also, in their 2010 position statement, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) found that “eliminating mandates in order to save money for local school districts is not an acceptable alternative” (IEA Fact Sheet, 2010). There are some proposals being brought forth in the current legislative session. Senate Bill 3000, House Joint Resolution 74, House Bill 4711,

recognizes that both Illinois Courts and the Legislature have gone too far. Superintendent Koch realizes the latest requirement of having Certified School Nurses is not attainable and the 2009 court ordered special education class size limit is putting school districts in deep financial distress. The special education directive is much more stringent than current federal standards. What are the results? In a conversation with Dr. Darcy Benway, Superintendent of O’Fallon High School District 203, she summed it up well: “To meet our financial obligations, we will have to make major

(Continued on page 8)

Unfunded Mandates story —————————————————————————

paperwork. Have you thought about this in totality? Some of new unfunded mandates include: student growth component in evaluations, implementation of the Common Core Standards, PARCC Assessment planning and preparation, principal/teacher evaluation reform, superintendent/ principal certification changes, Student Information System (SIS), Rising Star, school improvement plans, supplementary educational services, Illinois 5 Essentials Survey, Employment Information System (EIS), certification to licensure, increased requirements for NCLB grants, Civil Rights data collection (federal mandate), RtI, SB7, and PERA. No one is questioning the intent or potential benefits of these mandates. Unfortunately, resources are limited . If funded adequately, with both human resources and money, these mandates would not be an issue. During this financial crisis in Illinois, compliance with the mandates comes with an unintended consequence — schools are now diverting much needed resources away from their current educational and instructional initiatives to meet the demands of all the new mandates. Although all of these programs look good on paper, together they are leading to a financial and educational disaster to go along with a public relations nightmare for districts. It is time to review all of the financial and paperwork mandates to determine if there is any research to support their continued existence. Let us renew our focus on today’s students so that they can achieve academic success with a variety of curricular opportunities.

(Continued from page 7)

cuts in our budget that will impact our regular education students and other needed programs to meet state-issued constraints. Special education students and programs have protections under the ‘maintenance of effort’

requirement. While no educator wants to increase the size of special education classes, it has to happen in these tough financial times.” The membership must strongly support Dr. Koch in his efforts to minimize the damage that has occurred in these two areas. His efforts will more than likely be opposed by advocates and unions. Districts must be actively engaged to secure the removal of these unnecessary unfunded mandates. We must have people in leadership that can factually say “enough is enough.” Another major area of concern is the 62 percent prorated reimbursement for mandated transportation. Because of mandates and the proration of state reimbursements, the lack of funds may potentially impact student health and safety. Our leaders have to come together to solve this dilemma as current finances demand adjustments to the current mandates. A new mandate has occurred in the last 10 years that has escalated to a huge workplace issue:

Dr. Jim Rosborg currently is serving in his eighth year as Director of Master's in Education at McKendree University and instructor of graduate classes in curriculum, school law, principalship, and school/ community relations. Rosborg has been active in the development of the new Illinois statewide Principal Preparation Program and IASA's School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL). For his efforts, IASA awarded Rosborg and fellow committee members their “Exemplary to Service to Education Award” in 2012, making him a two-time recipient. Currently, Rosborg is active with the Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (Illinois ASCD) and the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration (ICPEA) while also serving in an advisory capacity on the IASA Board of Directors representing ICPEA. In June of 2005, Rosborg retired after 11 years as superintendent of Belleville Public School District 118 and 33 years in PK-12 education having served as a teacher, school counselor, principal, assistant superintendent for curriculum, and superintendent.

March 2013

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Calendar Index

6 Budget Address

IASA Event

20 0

Legislative Event

Professional Development Event

Click on a color-coded date to open a link for more information about the event.

April 2013

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Leadership Week through the eyes of a member I hope those of you who were able to attend Leadership Week found it to be as valuable as I did. For those of you who were not able to make it, I wanted to share some highlights with you. State’s financial and pension crisis schedule was established that is impossible for our state to pay back — and the legislators knew that when it was passed. They truly “kicked the can” Dr. John Draper tears apart public education myths during his presentation that drew a standing ovation.

to us and now the state must face the consequences. The really important fact that Martire’s presentation made very clear is that we can eliminate the pension crisis by re-amortizing (restructuring) our debt. It won’t be a quick fix, but as he pointed out, it took us many, many years to get into this mess. Restructuring our debt over 45 years will fix our problem. It actually saves the State billions of dollars over the current repayment schedule. Additionally, Martire can show that reducing our benefits will not save TRS. Again, the rhetoric that reduction in retiree benefits is the solution is purely another sound bite for the private sector and re- election bids. If the restructuring Martire talks about was done, there would be no need for the cost shift. Again, please take an hour and look at his presentation. It will be worth your time – and it is what we need to be sharing with our legislators. (Continued on page 11)

I recommend taking a look at Ralph Martire’s presentation ( PDF document or complete video ). While I thought I understood Martire’s position

Chad Allison Superintendent Litchfield District 12

and data regarding the state’s financial crisis, I was almost embarrassed by what I didn’t know, and truly enlightened by the data Martire presented. It was amazing to see how easy it was to understand. As Dr. Clark stated in his introduction, “Ralph Martire is going to show you in 60 minutes how we can solve the pension crisis.” It was true, and really made me wonder why this plan isn’t being considered more strongly as a true solution. Help us spread the word! The basic concept regarding the pension crisis is simple. We have the problem because the state borrowed from the system to pay other obligations. We have had a structural deficit in place for many, many years. As a result, a repayment

Leadership Week ———————————————–——————————————

(Continued from page 10)

Legislative Advocacy Day/

Reception

I hope some of you were able to take the time to visit your legislators in their offices on Legislative Advocacy Day. This may have been the most beneficial part of Leadership Week. We had many members who were able to arrange meetings with senators and representatives and truly talk about topics in a very friendly environment for the legislators, their offices. I found the legislative reception to also be very beneficial. I can certainly tell you that I have not had the opportunity before to meet and speak to some of our Chicago legislators, and that was quite interesting. Unfunded Mandates We know everyone in the state is extremely frustrated with the unfunded mandates and subsequent contracts that ISBE is signing to carry out many of these mandates. The School Management Alliance (IASA/ IASB/IASBO/IPA) is working diligently on a new and unique strategy on this front. They are attempting to work with the P-20 Council leadership to review a number of mandates, while also

IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark delivers his State of the Association address in which he laid out the plans for Vision 20/20: An Illinois plan produced by Illinois educators.

education for the General Assembly. Their support could be very beneficial to this effort! Please begin discussing this concept with your legislators. This will only work if our local legislators understand and support the idea of local boards making decisions on what should be mandated. Vision 20/20 Dr. Clark said in his “State of the Association” address that IASA is embarking on an extensive strategic planning process that we hope becomes a true example of what Best Practices should look like in Illinois and stopping our agenda from being controlled by special interest groups with deep

planning to work with the General Assembly on legislation that would allow local school districts through their Boards of Education the local flexibility to opt out of mandates that they deem unnecessary or not in the best interest of their district and students. The initial response from legislators on the issue of allowing school districts to determine how to implement unfunded mandates has been positive. They wouldn’t have to be the ones to vote on eliminating a mandate such as PE or Driver’s Education. Those tough decisions would be up to the locally elected Board of Education based on their community’s needs. The way it should be! The P-20 Council is an advisory body on

(Continued on page 12)

Leadership Week —————————————————————————

Ralph Martire, left, laid out his plan to solve the state’s pension issue, while Illinois Emergency Manage- ment Agency Director Jonathon Monken discussed the state’s plans to help school districts address the school safety issues.

(Continued from page 11)

ways to develop teacher expertise, and the presentation on school safety by Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Jonathon Monken was extremely enlightening, addressing a number of things the state is planning to do and a number of no- cost or low-cost things school districts can do to address the issue of school safety. I had to return to Litchfield to take care of some district business, but I was told State Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch updated attendees on the upcoming education budget battle, addressed several issues and reiterated his support for eliminating the mandate for special education class size and the 70/30 ratio for general education classrooms. In closing, I believe many superintendents in attendance shared my feelings about Leadership Week. It was a truly wonderful experience to hear the facts from Ralph Martire and then have the opportunity to walk to the Capitol to share that information. We found that some legislators truly do not understand all of the facts and that they appreciate our expertise and viewpoints on public education. Make a call, visit their local office, or make the trip to Springfield. Personally, I have not done enough, but promise to do more for my district, our students, and the state. Our kids -- and my own kids --deserve it!

pockets. The Vision 20/20 group will include one representative selected by each Region and another representative from each Region selected by Dr. Clark. This will allow Dr. Clark to make certain we have a group of Illinois experts to cover each of the six areas of the visioning process and be truly representative of the entire state. This process will begin in the spring.

Please let your Region’s president know if you would like to be considered to represent your Region on this initiative. I believe this is going to be a wonderful opportunity to truly impact education in Illinois with a very positive approach. A lot was packed into the two days of presentations during Leadership Week. The presentation by Dr. John Draper tore apart many of the myths that pervade

Photos courtesy of Laura Kashner, Geneseo District 228.

public education and offered good ideas about how to start to turn that tide around by pointing out the great things that are happening in our very own school districts. He received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation. It definitely is worth watching his video (the highlighted link above). Dr. Anthony Frontier’s presentation focused on

Time to make our voices heard on Special Education class size mandate

State Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently agreed to review the unfunded mandate that limits the class size for special education and the definition of “general education classroom” as it relates to the ratio of students with disabilities in the classroom (the 70/30 ratio of students not required to have an Individualized Education Plan).

Diane Hendren, Chief of Staff / Director of Governmental Relations

The next step in the process is a 45-day public comment period, which begins March 8 and closes April 22. It is vitally important that we make our voices heard on this issue by writing letters to ISBE supporting elimination of this mandate because the opponents to this rule change certainly will be responding. We will be issuing guidance in the next few days on how and where to respond. The proposed amendments to Part 226 (Special Education) have been posted on the ISBE site ( www.isbe.net ) and can be accessed by clicking here. Some of the language in ISBE’s Summary of Action related to this rule includes: Both Sections 226.730 and 226.731, which address class size, including a definition of "general education classroom", are being proposed for repeal. These requirements exceed those that are found in federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations and have resulted in several unintended consequences. The elimination of state requirements specific to class size will best ensure that each student with disabilities is placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE), as directed by his or her Individualized Education Program (IEP), and has access to the broad array of coursework available to his or her nondisabled peers, particularly in the middle grades and high school. Staff believes that school districts, through the IEP process, should determine locally the accommodations and modifications necessary to place students with disabilities to ensure LRE. The LRE mandate requires that the general education classroom, with whatever modifications and supports are necessary, be the first placement option considered for every student with a disability. It is the responsibility of the IEP team to make a determination of placement that provides the identified academic and other services that are necessary for the student to be successful.

Additionally, a student's placement in a self-contained special education classroom should not be restricted based on the child's disability or the percentage of time that the student spends outside of the classroom, as determined by the State. Instead, school districts, rather than the State Board, should determine the personnel needed to effectively respond to the needs expressed in each student's IEP. Currently, Section 226.730 sets forth the maximum class sizes for self-contained special education classrooms based on the amount of time each student with a disability spends in a general education classroom. "General education classroom" is defined as one in which at least 70 percent of the students do not have IEPs (70/30 ratio), utilizes a general curriculum, is taught by an instructor holding an endorsement for "general education" and is not designated as a general remedial classroom. Staff believes that these class size limitations can diminish the ability of the school districts to make decisions based on the needs of each student with a disability. Other concerns specific to the current rules are summarized below: The class size limitations do not consider the intensity or frequency of the services required for particular students since they pertain to all students with IEPs placed in a single classroom (except those who receive speech services outside of the general education classroom and who do not require modifications to the content of the general education curriculum). The class size limitations diminish administrative flexibility at the local level in implementing many education reform efforts, such as personalized learning or co-teaching strategies (i.e., use of both a (Continued on page 14)

Special Ed Class size unfunded mandates————————————————

(Continued from page 13)

general education teacher and a special education teacher). School districts have reported an increase in the size of some of its general education classes in order to conform to the 70/30 ratio, particularly in smaller districts or for certain types of coursework offered in departmentalized settings, such as career and technical education. By focusing on class sizes, the current rule may pressure school districts to meet the class size numbers rather than recognize the individual needs of children. The Superintendent’s Toolkit recently released by IASA includes a white paper on this issue. You can access the Toolkit by clicking here . In addition to the Special Education class size issue, we expect language to be forthcoming soon on the issue of the mandate requiring school districts to employ Certified School Nurses. The

Superintendent’s Toolkit also includes a white paper on that issue. We are expecting language that would delay the implementation of that mandate – scheduled for July 1 – and we will certainly be asking for your support on that issue when the time comes.

Southwestern Member news from the Regions ber News from the Regions

Westminster, Co., a suburb of Denver. He will replace Dr. Ann Riebock , who is retiring after seven years as superintendent. Sharon Desmoulin

Harezlak, who is retiring. Lori Franke-

Chad Allison has been named Superintendent of Illinois Valley Central District 321 in Chillicothe beginning July 1. Allison

Hopkins has been named Superintendent of Jersey District CU 100 beginning July 1. Franke-Hopkins,

Central Illinois Valley

-Kherat has been named Associate Superintendent for Danville District 118 beginning July 1.

Southwestern

currently is Superintendent of Litchfield District 12. He will replace Dr. Nick Polyak , who is leaving to become Superintendent of Leyden Community High School District 212 when Dr. Kathryn J. Robbins retires at the end of this school year. Dr. Robbins also serves as the President of IASA. Middle School was recently one of only five districts in the country to receive a Green Global Foundation award. They have used the money to help purchase a dishwasher to eliminate the need for disposable “sporks” in the cafeteria. Read the article here . Cook West Berwyn South School District 100’s Heritage

who currently is Principal of East Elementary School in Jerseyville, will replace Ed Settles , who is retiring. Steven M. Cobb has been named beginning July 1. Cobb currently is chief academic officer for Fort Wayne (Ind.) Community Schools. He replaces Dr. Lonny Lemon , who left to become Superintendent in Oak Grove District 68. Joel Murphy, the Quincy District’s Business Manager, was named Interim Superintendent until Cobb arrives. Roy Webb , Two Rivers Superintendent of Quincy District 172

Illini

Desmoulin-Kherat currently is the turnaround/transformation officer for Springfield District 186. The Danville district is led by Superintendent Mark A. Denman, who announced he is delaying his retirement by a year, until 2015, at the request of the school board. Dr. Michael Lubelfeld has been named

Superintendent of Deerfield School District 109,

Lake

beginning July 1. He will replace Dr. Renee Goier , who is retiring. Scott Bloomquist will become

Dr. Paul Gordon has been named Superintendent of Glen Ellyn District 41 beginning July 1. Dr. Gordon,

superintendent at Canton Union 66 also serves as Brigadier General in the Army National

Superintendent of Winnebago District 323 beginning July 1. Bloomquist, who

Western

Northwest

Du Page

Guard. Read his profile in the Peoria Journal Star here .

currently is principal at Iroquois West Upper Elementary School in Thawville, will replace Dr. Dennis

currently is the chief academic officer of a K-12 school district that includes 52 schools in

Three Illinois schools compete for 'Green Ribbon' award Three Illinois public elementary schools are competing for a national award that recognizes environmental efforts. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced Indian Grove Elementary School and Euclid Elementary School, both in Mt. Prospect, and Prairieview Ogden South Elementary School as nominees for the “Green Ribbon” award. The Green Ribbon Schools award program recognizes schools that save energy, reduce costs, protect student and staff health and wellness, and offer environmental education. Indian Grove and Euclid pupils worked together to maintain a community garden, while Prairieview-Ogden students recycle juice pouches, chip bags and lunch containers. Click here to read more.

The school nurse dilemma Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” There is a good deal of opinion offered here. Hopefully it is supported by enough fact that it maintains credence.

 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), who have one year of medical but no academic training;  RNs, who hold two-year Associate Degrees in Nursing but no academic training;  RNs with three years of training and a diploma but no degree or academic training;  RNs with Baccalaureate Degrees;  Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) with a graduate degree or post-masters certificate; and  CSNs, which are RNs and hold ISBE Type 73 certification. Here is the tough part: Only RNs with Baccalaureates, APNs and CSNs are qualified to conduct medical reviews, and only CSNs are qualified to make educational recommendations. The issue of making educational placement recommendations will be revisited. I was a fortunate rookie principal in that I had a very competent school nurse for our 650 students.

This article about the school nurse situation comes from a number of perspectives. First is that of a long time — and long ago — school principal. The second is that of the former Executive Director of the Illinois Principals Association (IPA), and the third from the memory of a school nurse’s husband with an old axe to grind. This issue has been around for a long time. According to the Illinois Revised Statues, Section 10- 22.23 of The School Code of Illinois , Boards of Education are empowered to employ registered Dr. David Turner Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS)

We did not share her time with other buildings. She was an RN, and this was before the advent of the CSN requirement. She did all of the usual school nurse duties like keeping immunizations up to date and dealing with injuries and illnesses. She also checked on absentees for “real” illnesses and made home visits that kept our Average Daily Attendance (ADA) high. And, she attended IEP meetings with well-crafted medical reviews. No one questioned her qualifications or

professional nurses, and that all school nurses employed after July 1, 1976 must hold a School Service Personnel Certificate, Type 73. School nurses hired prior to that date were “grandfathered” into the system. Section 21-25 of The School Code outlines the Type 73 Certificate and the Illinois Nursing Act outlines duties and qualifications for Certified School Nurses (CSNs). In reality, and in keeping with The School Code, any school nurse who has been employed for less than 36 years

competencies. The Type 73 did not exist then and everything worked very well. Over the course of 20 years as a high school principal, I worked with a number of RNs, none of whom had CSN credentials, and, again, everything worked very well. During my years at the IPA, this issue surfaced a couple of times and faded away, but I gained an appreciation of its impact on schools and school districts. I also came to understand the importance of “a place at the table” in dealing with government agencies and the influence that the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) and the Illinois School Nurses Association (ISNA) had with the legislature and the State Board. The CSN rules and regulations did not originate with school people or legislators but with the (Continued on page 17)

should be a CSN. That is not the case. For a host of valid reasons, school districts have hired Registered Nurses (RNs) who do not hold Type 73 certificates, and ISBE has not aggressively forced the issue. The issue now seems to have boiled down to who is qualified to make recommendations regarding educational interventions, accommodations or modifications based on the findings of a student’s medical review. In other words, who can attend an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting and make a placement recommendation. There are a number of categories of licenses issued to nurses by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), including:

School Nurse dilemma—————————————————————————

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nurses associations! If you check their websites, you will see that they are urging people to write letters to convince (read “pressure”) ISBE to enforce the rules on CSNs. The School Management Alliance and IASA are again at that table dealing with that issue. Here is the old axe to grind: To make a long story short, my wife has a Type 09 teaching certificate, is also an RN, and has several years of experience in both fields. At one point, the local school district contacted her to gauge her interest in their school nurse position. She took the position and one of her motivations for doing so was to add some retirement credit to her years in TRS. She found she could not do that because she had no Type 73 certificate, so her job status as a non-certified person placed her in IMRF. She contacted ISBE, Professional Regulation and the nurses associations. No one considered that holding a valid teaching degree in addition to an RPN license was equal to a Type 73 — even though the coursework matched up. Those who were making this decision were insistent that she take additional specialized coursework to meet the requirements of a Type 73. At that time there were only three universities that had the required coursework and none of it was offered on-line and very little on weekends or evenings. Then there was the internship requirement of 300 hours under the supervision of a CSN. Too many hurdles. The main argument of those in support of CSNs is that an RN without the courses in psychology, education and special education lacks the knowledge necessary to make educational recommendations. At the time it seemed very odd to me that an RN with a teaching certificate was not qualified to do the things a CSN could do and could not be granted a Type 73 certificate. It seems that it is more about certification and status than it is about real qualifications based on skill and knowledge. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! The crux of this dilemma seems to center on the fact that only CSNs are qualified to make educational recommendations, particularly involving special education placements. In talking to a number of special education administrators, a couple of things became apparent: First, few of them have access to CSNs and did not view that as problematic. As an example, one Special Ed Co-Op reported having 14 schools districts and only one of them had a CSN. Up to this point, that was not viewed a problem, but certainly would be on July 1.

Second, when school nurses attended IEP meetings and reviews, their role was to provide medical information, not make recommendations. Placement recommendations are made by special education professionals based on the data they gain at IEP meetings; school nurses simply furnish part of that data. An example I was given involved information from a school nurse about a diabetic student who needed to take insulin during the school day. The nurse outlined the procedure and the times for administration plus information on the student’s symptoms. That information was to be passed on to the special education teachers if the student was recommended for placement. The school nurse made no recommendation. Another point here is that parents can provide medical information on their own and even can request their own physician to provide information. Often an RN from the physician’s office will attend the IEP meeting. It would be highly unlikely for that person to be a CSN. Are there advantages to having a Certified School Nurse? Obviously there are. It would be good if all school nurses were certified. But there are many things that would be good to have in schools but are not practical or affordable. Some food for thought:  Is this a problem that needs to be fixed, or Association and the Board of Directors of the National Federation of State High School Associations. He currently serves on boards for Illinois Energy Net and the Illinois Principals Foundation and is associated with a New York- based firm that does consulting work with non- profit organizations. Dr. David Turner is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), where his teaching concentrations are the principalship and the principal internship. Prior to joining the UIS faculty, Dr. Turner served 12 years as the Executive Director of the Illinois Principals Association (IPA). During his 20 years as a high school principal he served on the Illinois State Scholarship Commission, the Board of Directors of the Illinois High School

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ISBE releases presentation on exchange of certificates for licenses

The Illinois State Board of Education has created a 15-minute online presentation explaining the ongoing transition from a certificate system to a licensure system for Illinois educators. This is the first in a series of tutorials leading up to implementation of the new Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) system. ELIS will replace the Educator Certification System (ECS) on July 1, 2013. This particular tutorial gives an overview of the change from ECS to ELIS, including important milestone dates, the three types of licenses, endorsements, renewal cycles and other general information about the new licensure system. The narrated online tutorial can be accessed by clicking here .

Certificates For Licenses

TRS analysis of the various pension proposals Please click here to access the Teachers Retirement System analysis of the various pension reform proposals now pending in the General Assembly.

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are schools serving their students well without CSNs?  Is this an unfunded mandate that, given the times, is unaffordable in most districts?  Is it feasible under the current rules to upgrade currently employed RNs to CSN status?  Are there enough CSNs currently available to fill all of the school nursing positions? ISBE and Dr. Koch are to be commended for understanding and addressing this problem, listening to superintendents and delaying the July 1 implementation. But there is more to be done, such as:  Reviewing the whole situation in terms of what schools really need and can support in the area of nursing staff.  Evaluating who can actually do a medical review besides a CSN. The current rules seem arbitrary and do not give much credit to RNs.

 Increasing the opportunities for currently employed RNs to earn a Type 73 certificate by encouraging on-line, evening and weekend classes and reducing or eliminating the 300-hour internship for those who have experience.  Devising a mechanism for school districts to petition ISBE to keep currently employed RNs. Stay tuned!

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