Leadership Matters November 2013

Matters NOVEMBER 2 0 1 3 I ASA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Leadership

IASA Conference stresses leadership

In this month’s issue

Additional Items

 Teacher Supervision Advanced Training in the Danielson Model P. 15  Complimentary workshop on Common Assessments to be offered at Triple I P. 23  Another look at the County School Facility Occupation Tax P. 24  Amendment moves ROE consolidation deadline up to November P. 26  Moon Scholarship program available P. 26  Coaching for Leaders program offered in Mundelein P. 29  ISDLAF+ Update P. 29  IASA News in Brief P. 30  Getting to know your IASA Board Members P. 32  IASA Calendar P. 33

Vision 20/20: Opportunities for involvement P. 16

49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens P. 4

Quiet satisfaction: Superintendent’s story about cutting through government red tape P. 20

School safety seminars set for Carbondale and Barrington P. 18

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 11

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State Superintendent steps up for kids, schools with 5Essentials decision

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and State Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch often come under fire for decisions and mandates that we as superintendents view as not being in the best interests of public education or the

“I want to thank Dr. Koch for listening to our concerns as superintendents and principals on the front lines of public education, and for making a courageous --

Message from the Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark

reductions in force -- and then attempting to use some statistical norm to compare one district to another or one school to another. I want to thank Dr. Koch for listening to our concerns as superintendents and principals on the front lines of public education, and for making a courageous -- though not politically popular -- decision that clearly was in the best interest of using the information from the survey to improve schools rather than to rate them. In this first year, there were instances of districts receiving more surveys than they had teachers or students. The first comparative ratings that were sent to districts showed instances of more than 85 percent of respondents answering “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” to a question only for the statisticians’ rating to come back “Neutral” or “Weak,” apparently because not enough people chose “Strongly Agree” - - meaning “Agree” ended up being counted as a negative response. The purpose of the survey is to give school administrators information to use internally for improvement and that is exactly how we intend to utilize the data. Dr. Koch and his staff at ISBE have pledged to work with us to improve the next survey that will be administered in an attempt to make the information more valid and reliable and give us a better tool with which to work. For people who really care about improving education instead of some artificial ranking, those are the types of decisions of integrity that should be applauded, not criticized. though not politically popular -- decision that clearly was in the best interest of using the information from the survey to improve schools rather than to rate them.” —Dr. Brent Clark, IASA Executive Director State Superintendent Dr. Christopher Koch

children we are charged with educating. But when Dr. Koch and ISBE make difficult but fair and correct decisions despite predictable backlash from certain reform groups and the media, I think those stances are cause for us to stand up and show our support. Recent examples include:  Changing the Certified School Nurse mandate rules;  Proposing rule changes to allow local school boards to determine class size and ratios for special education and all students. We still have work to do to get this issue approved by the ISBE Board, but Dr. Koch has been supportive; and  Holding off publishing the flawed comparative ratings from the first statewide 5Essentials Survey To no one’s surprise, reform groups and some editorial boards took Dr. Koch and ISBE to task regarding the 5Essentials Survey despite all of the problems that had been identified with the survey itself. The editorials’ main point seemed to be that the state spent some $600,000 to administer the survey (money that probably could have been better used in the classroom), so they need to report the summative rating regardless of the quality of the data. In reality, ISBE is making all of the raw data available to anyone who wishes to access it by the simple act of clicking on a link. Citizens would be well served to read that data and form their own opinions as opposed to accepting some statistical ranking that compares the climate of downstate schools to Chicago Public System schools, rural schools to urban schools and poorer schools to richer schools. To be perfectly clear, we are not at all fearful of the results of the survey, but we do have serious concerns regarding the reliability and validity of comparative ratings given issues regarding the security of the survey, the applicability statewide of certain questions on the survey, administering the survey at the same time pink slips were being given to teachers in districts that had to implement

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

Top Right on Page 5: Christine Bryant, a 14-year-old freshman from Goreville and the reigning “Miss Illinois Photogenic,” opens the 49 th Annual IASA Conference with the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. In the background is IASA President Dr. Steve Webb, superintendent of the Goreville Community Unit District 1. In his opening remarks, Webb said “We’re here together to discuss strategies, best practices and learn from each other because we are superintendents. We are THE education leaders, and no matter what acronyms they throw at us, we stay the course to maintain educational excellence because that was our mission yesterday, that is our mission today, and that will most certainly be our mission tomorrow. I appreciate your tenacity.”

Top Left on page 5: IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark presents the IASA Exemplary Service to Education Award to Jim Broadway, an education journalist for the past 43 years, who publishes the State School News Service and has been a staunch advocate for public education. An education reporter since 1970, Broadway talked about the persona of educators, saying “What you do in society is more crucial to the success of our nation than other professions.”

Center photo on Page 5: More than 500 superintendents and school administrators attended the 49th Annual IASA Conference October 9- 11 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. The IASA’s 50th Annual Conference is scheduled for October 8-10, 2014.

Bottom Left on page 5:

Bottom Right on Page 5: Business executive and author Jamie Vollmer – once a harsh critic of public education who now is one of its leading advocates -- was the first keynote speaker and talked about building community and public support for public education. He said his most important words of advice were that school administrators need to have conversations about public education “on the community’s turf and at the community’s convenience.” He shared his “Five Ss” for how to turn around public opinion, including: 1) Stop badmouthing one another in public, 2) Shift attention from the negative to the positive, 3) Share something positive about your schools using your social network and all means at your disposal, 4) Sustain the effort, and 5) Start now! Despite everything being thrown at school administrators, Vollmer said “Public education is a miracle. And this is its most hopeful time.” He explained that “We have never been in this place before, where we are required to do everything we can do to unfold the potential in every student. It used to be that not every student needed a degree to make a good living, but that agro-industrial economy doesn’t exist anymore. We have reached a point where the moral imperative and the practical need to educate every child are now the same thing because our once highly forgiving economy is gone.”

Jamie Vollmer holds up a poster titled, “The Ever Increasing Burden on America’s Public Schools”. The poster lists responsibilities, mandates and laws that have been imposed on public schools since 1900. The poster is more than 3 feet long and lists 98 different items. The posters says “By the beginning of the 20th Century, America’s leaders saw public schools as the logical place to select and sort young people into two groups— thinkers and doers– according to the needs of the Industrial Age. It was at this time that we began to shift non- academic duties to the schools. The trend has accelerated ever since...The contract between our communities and our schools has changed. It is no longer, “Help us teach our children.” It’s, “Raise our kids!”

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens t l I f t t l

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

Top Photo on Page 7: IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark and a panel of Vision 20/20 subcommittee members made a general session presentation on the initiative to develop a roadmap for public education in Illinois. “This is by far the most ambitious project we’ve ever taken on in the association,” said Clark, who headed up the Vision 20/20 panel along with ECRA President and CEO Dr. John Gatta, and Barrington Superintendent Dr. Tom Leonard. Also on the panel were Vision 20/20 work group representatives Unity Point Superintendent Dr. Lori-James Gross (Leadership & Organizational Transformation), Columbia Superintendent Dr. Gina Segobiano (Governance & Finances), and Skokie Superintendent Dr. Quintin Shepherd (Digital Learning & Assessment/ Accountability). Depicting IASA member superintendents as a fleet of ships that could be mustered into a powerful armada, Dr. Clark encouraged members in every part of the state to help spread the vision for public education that is being developed for Illinois children by Illinois educators. “We understand that what works for schools in Harrisburg may be different than what works for schools in Barrington, but if legislators from polar ends of the state are hearing the same message about our plan for public education, that’s how we make it connect,” Clark said. He urged superintendents to help spread the message by sharing information on their school websites and Twitter, including stories in their newsletters and presenting details at public meetings in their communities.

Bottom Photos on Page 7: More than 40 runners and walkers competed in the IASA’s inaugural ‘Super’ 5K ‘Run/Walk that literally began at dawn on the Lost Bridge Trail just down the road from the Crowne Plaza. The runners and walkers took off on the 3.1-mile trail at 6:45 a.m. and were back in time for the day’s first sessions. The top three men finishers were St. Joseph Ogden Superintendent James Acklin, Pennoyer Superintendent Brad Voehringer, and Bartonville Elementary Superintendent Lan Eberle. The first three women to finish were Michelle Young, wife of Nauvoo- Colusa Superintendent Dr. Kent Young, Carrollton Superintendent Dr. Kerry Cox, and Lisa Fetcho, wife of Hamilton County Superintendent Jeff Fetcho. The first baby to finish was 2-year old Dylan Young, pictured being pushed by his father.

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

Top left photo on Page 9: Keynote speaker Susan Relland had what she described as a “front-row seat” for the congressional debate that resulted in passage of the Affordable Care Act when she was an attorney working in Washington, D.C. Relland, who now is vice president of the American Fidelity Assurance Company, took the audience through the controversial and complex legislation known as “Obamacare” that is at the center of the political tug-of-war that resulted in the recent federal government shutdown. She focused much of her attention on the Free Rider Penalty, the main section that deals with employer responsibilities. She explained many of nuances as they apply to school districts and answered many questions from the audience. “There are lots of different levers that school districts can pull,” Relland said as she covered topics such as how eligibility for health insurance coverage is determined, various strategies school districts might consider and the potential fines that districts may be subject to depending on the path they choose to follow.

Top right photo on Page 9: Dr. Steven Baule, superintendent of North Boone District 200 in Poplar Grove, was named the recipient of the 2013 Van Miller Distinguished Practitioner Scholar Award, which was presented by Dr. Donald G. Hackmann, Professor of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois. Baule, who serves on the IASA Professional Development Committee, was cited for his leadership and work in the area of social networks for schools.

Bottom photos on Page 9: Professional development and networking among superintendent colleagues are two of the main benefits of the IASA Annual Conference and attendees had opportunities for plenty of both during the two-and-a-half day conference.

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

Top left photo on Page 11: Robert Wolfe, the chief financial officer for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), was part of a panel of top ISBE administrators who held a one-hour session during the conference. Among other items discussed, Wolfe told superintendents to plan for an 85 percent proration of General State Aid for the 2014-15 school year if the budget remains flat. GSA currently is being prorated at 89 percent for the second year in a row despite ISBE submitting a proposal for full funding of GSA.

Top right photo on Page 11: IASA Associate Executive Director for Professional Development Dr. Richard Voltz conducts a breakout session to provide an update on the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC). Dr. Steve Isoye, superintendent of Oak Park/River Forest District 200 and also a member of PEAC, also was a presenter in the session that was moderated by Waterloo Community District 5 Superintendent James Helton.

Bottom photo on Page 11: The first two IASA School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL) classes got together for a reunion of sorts during the IASA Annual Conference. The inaugural ISAL class graduated in the summer of 2012, while the ISAL II class is a little more than halfway through its two-year cohort.

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens

Top photo on Page 13: Former Illinois Superintendent of the Year and 2010 Van Miller Award winner and author Jim Burgett closed the 49 th Annual IASA Conference with passionate remarks about leadership in challenging times, and he offered attendees some basic tips developed from his 38 years as a teacher, principal and superintendent. Burgett listed six steps that school leaders need to take to effectively lead their districts through trying times. They included: 1. Transfer ownership of financial challenges to staff and to the community. Burgett said this can be done by explaining how the world’s economic crisis is the root cause of the financial distress that has hit school districts. He noted that the ripple effect has resulted in jobs being lost, salaries being decreased, the lowering of property values and, ultimately, the loss of some entitlements. By explaining the events, Burgett said superintendents can help create what he termed a “whineless connection” that teachers, faculty, staff and the community can understand is not the fault of the school district or the community. 2. Focus on your mission. He noted that if you cannot recite your district’s mission statement then you really don’t have one, the point being that if the mission statement doesn’t guide everyday decisions, then it isn’t being utilized properly. He used the mission statement of Galesburg District 205, created by a student, as an example of a great mission statement that is used in practice there. Galesburg’s mission is simply “Helping students achieve their dreams.” 3. Cultivate your Board of Education. Burgett listed a few ways to accomplish this, including coordinating the efforts of the board, teaching processes to the board, developing team spirit, building consensus, inspiring confidence, trust and understanding, and moving mountains when necessary. 4. Be visible in the community. He offered dozens of examples, but cited three of his favorites as sliding into school events and shaking the hands of at least 10 people, preferably people he didn’t already know, visiting each classroom the day before the holiday break, and presenting a superintendent’s Student of the Week Award. 5. Eliminate the weakest links. Burgett said education is a profession where we should not tolerate “C” teachers, faculty, staff and administrators, that we should have “A’s” and should be leading the “C’s” to become “B’s” on their way to “A’s.” If they refuse to meet those expectations, then they must be replaced, he said. 6. Lead with compassion. He said the key to leading with compassion was to try and understand what teachers, faculty and staff have to go through in trying to be successful in their jobs given all of today’s demands and pressures.

Bottom left photo on Page 13: IASA President Dr. Steve Webb presents the honorary IASA gavel to immediate Past President Dr. Kathryn J. Robbins. In his closing remarks, Webb told a story about his late father, Bob Webb who used to be a teacher, coach, athletic director and principal in Goreville for more than 31 years. “A former student was visiting with Dad one day and he said, Mr. Webb, do you remember back when I was in 5th grade and you got on to me for staring out the window? You said, ‘Ricky, you’ll never make a living looking out the window. Mr. Webb, do you know where I work? I work at the Marion Federal Prison as a guard. These last two months I’ve been stationed at one of the towers. Mr. Webb, I stare out those windows every day… and they pay me!’ “Dad died in 2006 but he got the opportunity for over a year to hear stories like that and many others of the lives he so passionately cared about for all of those years because that’s what we do as educators — we don’t just make a living, we make LIVES!”

Bottom right on Page 13:

Several of the IASA Past Presidents were in attendance at the 49 th Annual IASA Conference.

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49th Annual IASA Conference through the camera lens t l I f t t l

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Acknowledgement of Conference Sponsors IASA would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support. Thank you for helping make our conference a success!

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Vision 20/20: OpportuniƟes for involvement “We are asking Illinois superintendents to interview their students and record responses to the question, “What would the perfect school look like in your mind?” We will also conduct a statewide art competition requesting students to illustrate their vision for the perfect school. A winner will be selected from each IASA region and the winning submissions will be featured in the final IASA Vision 20/20 document. Specific details and submission information will be announced later this fall.”

On October 8, 42 Vision 20/20 representatives from IASA’s 21 regions and two advisory members gathered in Springfield to continue their work to create a vision for the future of education in Illinois. The initial subcommittee meeting on June 6 led to the following focal points for discussion. We ask all IASA members to join the dialogue and share this information with their district’s stakeholders: The focus of the initiative is student-centered. The initiative is a forward-thinking process designed to unite the Illinois education community around a vision to improve education in Illinois. The initiative will document the consensus among Illinois educators for creating a desired future vision of education in Illinois. The initiative will provide a common voice from the Illinois education community to guide state policy. Subcommittee members have the great responsibility to represent their region’s interests and development of the final package. Support their efforts by promoting the initiative on your district website, in newsletters, and at community meetings. We would like to thank all survey participants for their input to the statewide superintendent survey! The second subcommittee meeting on October 8 tasked members to work with the survey data to formulate visions for their areas of focus. These survey results are available on the initiative website, www.illinoisvision2020.org . Each superintendent, school district, and student in Illinois can become involved in the initiative We are asking Illinois superintendents to interview their students and record responses to the question, “What would the perfect school look like in your mind?”

We will also conduct a statewide art competition requesting students to illustrate their vision for the perfect school. A winner will be selected from each IASA region and the winning submissions will be featured in the final IASA Vision 20/20 document. Specific details and submission information will be announced later this fall. As stated earlier, this project is student- centered . As such, we must be sure to include the voices of our students in the Vision 20/20 initiative. Have fun engaging your students with creating a new vision for the future of education in Illinois! In the meantime, you may stay connected with the initiative through the following channels: All Vision 20/20 initiative information may be found on the initiative website, www.illinoisvision2020.org . Interested parties may follow the initiative’s progress via Twitter @ILVision2020. Please forward any questions regarding the Vision 20/20 initiative to questions@illinoisvision2020.org.

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Suggested Vision 20/20 Talking Points

1. The goal of Vision 20/20 is to develop a roadmap for public education in Illinois, specifically looking at the areas of Governance, Finance, Digital Learning, Assessment and Accountability, Leadership, and Organizational Transformation. 2. For too long, the real educational professionals in Illinois – the practitioners – have been reacting to mandates and plans fostered by politicians and reform groups. There has been a leadership void. A good analogy is a ship without a captain, navigation system or charted course being tossed around in stormy seas. Public education in our state is at a crossroads. Instead of surrendering, quitting or sticking our heads in the sand, it is time to stand up and fight for the children of Illinois and their future education. 3. Vision 20/20 will be an Illinois plan developed by Illinois educational leaders for Illinois children. 4. The key to implementing the Vision 20/20 plan must be at the grassroots level, one community at a time, in every region of our state. It is about planning for the future and it is also about regaining more local control over local schools. 5. 661 superintendents in the state participated in a survey. Less than 20% of those educational leaders agreed that public education in Illinois is heading in the right direction. 6. The top five priorities of superintendents, according to the survey results, are: 1) Funding of public schools in Illinois, 2) High-quality teachers, 3) High-quality administrators, 4) Flexibility of local school districts to meet the needs of students, and 5) High standards and expectations for students. 7. Some of the types of issues the Vision 20/20 committees are focusing on include:  Governance: Those who draft educational policy/reform must work closely with those who implement policy/reform.  Finance: State revenue must be predictable and appropriate to meet the basic mandates of a public education in Illinois.  Digital Learning: All students require access to a reliable broadband network and appropriate hardware in order to prepare for a modern world of work.  Assessment & Accountability: The primary purpose should show academic growth of our students and lead instructional decisions.  Leadership: The more difficult the moment, the more leadership matters.  Organizational Transformation: Bold solutions are required, stresses are becoming too great to ignore 8. Once a plan is finalized, achieving unity in support of that plan. Each school district can be viewed as a ship and the superintendent as the captain of that ship. If all of our ships are joined together, we can amass a mighty armada. If the same message is being heard by legislators in every region, from polar opposites in our state, from urban and rural districts, rich and poor districts, north, south, east and west, that’s how we can make Vision 20/20 connect and become a reality in Illinois.

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School safety seminars set for Carbondale and Barrington  IASA and CrisisGo are partnering to put on one-hour school safety seminars on Thursday, November 14 at 9 a.m. in the Media Center at the Carbondale Community High School and Tuesday, November 19 at 2 p.m. in the Guidance Resource Center at Barrington High School. The seminars will include a demonstration of a new emergency response app for school administrators, faculty and staff members and is open to school administrators, legislators and the media. The program will include remarks by IASA Executive Director Brent Clark, a presentation of how the app is relevant to school districts by Jeff Arnett, chief communications officer for the Barrington 220 School District and an overview of the app by CrisisGo President/CEO Jim Spicuzza. “The safety of students, faculty and staff trumps everything else and when I saw the CrisisGo plan for the first time I knew from my years as a school administrator that this app was a really good idea whose time has come,” said Clark, whose career included being a teacher and principal as well as being a superintendent in three different school districts before becoming the head of IASA, the state’s largest association for school administrators, in 2006. “The challenge of old-model crisis planning has always been making the bulky three-ring binder approach more useful for administrators, teachers and staff. The CrisisGo app simplifies crisis communication by creating faster ‘finger-tip’ access to resources and information in an emergency,” said Arnett, who has been advising the app designers. The Barrington all-hazards emergency plan has served as a pilot project during the developmental phase. The seminars are free of charge. Anyone wishing to register for one of the seminars may do so by contacting Mary Ellen Buch at mbuch@iasaedu.org or by calling her at 217-753-2213. New school crisis response app can help bring safety plans to  life

When you install CrisisGo’s emergency response app on your designated employees’ smart phones, ipads, or desktops, they can instantly have access to the same information that currently sits in that three- ring binder. With the touch of a finger, administrators can transmit either an audible alert or text notification to specific individuals or everyone in the district. With maps stored right on their mobile devices, all staff, including substitute teachers, can know how to exit buildings safely. They can use other maps to see where fire extinguishers and defibrillators are located. Teachers can have their student rosters on their phones and can take roll after a crisis for reunification purposes. When an incident occurs, everyone can instantly access checklists of what to do in that specific emergency. For those faced with communicating with the public or media, loaded communication scripts can be accessed for each type of incident for helpful reference. CrisisGo is designed specifically for the K-12 industry, and through our partnership with IASA we have an in-depth understanding of your environment and the myriad of challenges you face as a school administrator. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you transform your emergency response plan and put it into the hands of those who need that information most, please contact us at 618-997-2114 or email us at sales@crisisgo.com .

By Rebecca Renshaw Director of Marketing for CrisisGo

By now, you probably have spent significant time working on your district’s emergency response plan. You and your first response team have met with your local police and fire departments and many of you have sat down with your area emergency management agencies to carefully craft a plan that, hopefully, when an emergency happens, will keep everyone at the district safe. Maybe you have even already had a few drills with your response team members based on your updated plan. If so, you should be commended for doing all you can to keep your teachers, staff, and students safe. Yet, after all of your hard work and effort, why would you want to put your emergency response plan into a three-ring binder and place it on a shelf somewhere? For information that critical, you can’t afford to tuck it away somewhere to do nothing but gather dust. Research shows that 75 percent of workers carry their phones to work and have them within three feet of them at all times – and that number is growing. So, why not turn those phones and other mobile devices into a personal security platform that provides crisis alerts, as well as the tools to respond appropriately in those first critical moments of a potentially dangerous situation?

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Quiet saƟsfacƟon: Superintendent’s  story  about cuƫng through government red tape  Ridgewood High School is

located in Norridge, just seven miles from a runway at O’Hare International Airport, which, depending on which civic boosters one listens to, is either the busiest or second busiest airport in the world. Proximity to O’Hare is, of course, a major driver of the economy in the West Cook Region, but that economic engine is also a very loud one. On a clear Friday evening in the fall, planes preparing to land on Runway 27L are stacked up over the school and football fans can count as little as 30 seconds

Dr. Robert Lupo  Superintendent of  Ridgewood   Community 234

between arrivals. As one who grew up in Norridge, I can attest that it has always been thus. People pause in mid- sentence while on the phone or in their backyards. Non-air conditioned schools would have to choose between the cacophony of windows open and the stifling heat of windows closed. Airplane noise, it seemed, would just be a way of life. But, in 1996, things around O’Hare began to change with the creation of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC). As the Commission states, it “is the only organization that is dedicated to reducing aircraft noise in the communities around O’Hare International Airport. It was established in 1996, following an invitation from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to suburban mayors to begin constructive dialogues on aircraft noise issues with the goal of reducing the noise.” With that invitation, 28 municipalities and 16 school districts became part of an entity dedicated to working with the city of Chicago, O’Hare Airport, the FAA, and the individual airlines in developing ways to reduce the effects of noise on communities around O’Hare. Two of its signature achievements are the residential and school sound insulation projects. The Residential Sound Insulation Committee helps reduce the effects of noise on homes, while the School Sound Insulation Committee does the same for schools. The saga of Ridgewood’s adventure in soundproofing began in 1997, when the district joined the ONCC and was tested to determine if the noise levels inside the building warranted a sound

insulation grant. Through that year and through subsequent years Ridgewood appeared in the top 10 of schools experiencing excessive levels of noise, but funds were limited and never seemed to extend far enough down the list to address the high school’s problems. Fast forward to 2004, at which time Ridgewood was again tested and deemed to qualify for funds. The FAA announced that Ridgewood and two other schools would soon be given the opportunity to receive sound insulation funds. In 2005, after getting preliminary numbers on the cost of the sound insulation project, the FAA changed its qualifying criteria and the three schools were determined to be no longer eligible for funding. The story of how this decision was reversed and how Ridgewood became the single largest recipient of sound insulation funding in history starts here. From the beginning, the district reached out to Mayor Richard M. Daley, to senators and representatives, and even Secretary of Transportation Raymond LaHood. The FAA remained intransigent and the school was told to forget it. In the meantime, in 2006 taxpayers passed a bond referendum for $40 million that would allow the school to complete its long-term facilities plan. At that point the Board of Education decided to go forward with the renovations without the additional funds that might accrue from the FAA. Ground was broken for a new field house and the school was in full construction mode. As superintendent, I believed that it was worth one last-ditch effort to ask for a reversal of the FAA

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(Continued from page 20)

decision. I asked the Board to give me at least one more year to try to secure the soundproofing funds and they agreed, but they were unwilling to put off the rest of the projects any longer than that one year. The argument that the district had was that every other school in the area that Ridgewood serves had received soundproofing funds, including those even further from O’Hare’s flight paths. Eventually, through the efforts of the ONCC, representatives of the City of Chicago Department of Aviation as well as local FAA representatives agreed to visit Ridgewood. But the most important discussion we held was with staff members of U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, who agreed to try to get the congresswoman to visit Ridgewood. She did more than just visit. She met with students, attended a Government class, took a tour of the school and announced that she would support us until something was done about the situation. True to her word, she fired off letters to the FAA, the Chicago DOA, and Secretary LaHood on our behalf and continued to work with the district on an information campaign to convince the powers that be of the inequity of their decision. Eventually, through intervention of Mayor Arlene Mulder of Arlington Heights, the president of the ONCC, a resolution was passed supporting our eligibility. Because of Congresswoman Schakowsky’s intervention, we were eventually granted an audience with an FAA assistant director if we were willing to come to Washington D.C. to meet and put this whole thing to rest once and for all. Their agreement sounded like a not very veiled attempt to tell us to get off their backs, as the Chicago DOA had told us earlier. So a small delegation of representatives from the ONCC, Ridgewood, and High School District 214 flew to Washington for a meeting and what we were pretty sure was the “big brush-off.” After all the FAA was in turmoil; it had been overdue for reauthorization from Congress for several years and Congress was in the middle of one of its government shutdown pouting matches that threatened to bring everything to a halt. In this atmosphere our group met with an FAA assistant director for airports and a number of other bureaucrats who seemed not in the least interested in our plight. Clearly, someone had told them to give us a chance to say our peace and send us off with the illusion of being heard. We spoke for about 10 minutes, with maps, pictures, and all manner of data to back up our cause, but it soon became apparent that our time was just about up. The assistant director was in the process of telling us why she could not provide funds

“We spoke for about 10 minutes, with maps, pictures, and all manner of data to back up our cause, but it

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky soon became apparent that our time was just about up. The assistant director was in the process of telling us why she could not provide funds to us or the 700 other schools that required sound insulation due to lack of funding when the door to the conference room opened and Congresswoman Schakowsky walked in. Suddenly, the FAA employees in the room straightened in their chairs and turned to hear her speak.”

—Dr. Robert Lupo, Superintendent of Ridgewood Community 234

to us or the 700 other schools that required sound insulation due to lack of funding when the door to the conference room opened and Congresswoman Schakowsky walked in. Suddenly, the FAA employees in the room straightened in their chairs and turned to hear her speak. She looked at our maps, which showed dozens of schools surrounding Ridgewood that had been insulated, and announced that it was ridiculous that this one school had not been included in the program. She also proclaimed that she was not going away and asked that the FAA once again visit Ridgewood. This took place in the fall of 2009. Soon we were told that the same assistant director would, in fact, visit all three schools in the spring. This time around we took another tour of the school and, thankfully, it was a clear enough day so that flight paths over the school were not altered. At the end of the event, Congresswoman Schakowsky announced that she would “not go away” until what she considered an injustice was righted. Soon we were informed that the FAA had agreed to another test. If noise achieved the 60db level used by the ONCC to qualify schools, we would be included in the next cycle of funding. In July we were tested, met the threshold, and were qualified for

(Continued on page 22)

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(Continued from page 21)

funding that fall. By April 2010 we were taking bids with an astonished FAA representative who soon realized that the total would surpass $24 million. She gulped and we shrugged our shoulders. Eventually, the total grant for sound insulation would surpass $28 million and construction would take more than two years to complete. In June of 2013, Ridgewood hosted a “Sound of Silence” celebration to showcase the $68 million in renovations that have taken place in the last six years. We are astonished to have achieved this against all odds. In my short speech at the time of the celebration I thanked all of the people who had brought us to that moment, but reserved my greatest praise for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who refused to let us give up. I had the privilege to witness firsthand what a member of the United States Congress can achieve when dedicated to a cause. It was a stark lesson in politics and power. I would urge you to remember our story when you are asked to contact your representatives in Springfield and Washington. Building that relationship is crucial. I had been going to meetings and symposiums chaired by Rep. Schakowsky for several years before the events recounted above. We had met on several occasions with her aides on a variety of topics. They had called on us to support some of her causes and attend some of her functions. So, when we called on her office for assistance, her aides knew us by name and could speak intelligently about our situation. Even though we were by far the smallest school in her district, tucked away in a corner of her district that usually votes Republican, she could associate names with faces and causes. This made all the difference in the world.

“I had the privilege to witness firsthand what a member of the United States Congress can

achieve when dedicated to a cause. It was a stark lesson in politics and power. I would urge you to remember our story when you are asked to contact your representatives in Springfield and Washington. Building that relationship is crucial. I had been going to meetings and symposiums chaired by Rep. Schakowsky for several years before the events recounted above. We had met on several occasions with her aids on a variety of topics. They had called on us to support some of her causes and attend some of her functions. So, when we called on her office for assistance, her aides knew us by name and could speak intelligently about our situation. Even though we were by far the smallest school in her district, tucked away in a corner of her district that usually votes Republican, she could associate names with faces and causes. This made all the difference in the world. “ Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

—Dr. Robert Lupo, Superintendent of Ridgewood Community 234

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Join Our Half-Day Workshop at the Joint Annual Conference Friday November 22, 2013 8 a.m. to Noon Hyatt Regency Hotel Columbus C/D Chicago, IL 8 - 8:40 a.m. Andy DuRoss, Superintendent of Schaumburg CC #54 Common Core Implementation and PARCC Assessment Readiness 8:40 - 9:20 a.m. Kyle Cole, Chief Academic Officer, Nobel Network of Charter School Noble Street’s Model for Autonomy, Assessment, and Accountability 9:20 - 10 a.m. Dr. David Schuler, Superintendent of Township HS #214 Using Common Assessments for Principal and Teacher Student Growth Components

Complimentary Workshop on Common Assessments to be offered at Triple I IASA is offering a complimentary workshop during the IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference that will be conducted by education management experts. These sessions will demonstrate to new and seasoned superintendents the role of leadership in transitioning to common core and performance based principal and teacher evaluation.

Registration Fee: Complimentary ! To register, click here

Questions? Contact Kim Herr at 217/753-2213 or kherr@iasaedu.org

Schedule and Presenters

10:30 - 11:10 a.m. Melinda Spooner, Illinois Executive Director of the Achievement Network Focusing on the How: Using Common Assessments to Support Teacher Development in Transitioning to the Common Core 11:10 - 11:50 a.m. Anne Weerda, Director of Curriculum & Assessment of Winnegabo School District and Beth Summers, Principal of Freeport High School; both are Co-founders of "Kids at The Core" How Common Assessments are Used in Education 11:50 a.m. to Noon Question and Answer Session

Refreshments sponsored by American Fidelity Assurance Company

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Another look at the County   School Facility OccupaƟon Tax

Office of Education (ROE) issues the money to any school district having territory in the county where students attending that school live in the county adopting the sales tax. Schools receiving these funds are required to keep these funds in a specific, separate account designated for school facility purposes. Who benefits? Both the school district and the community can reap benefits by implementing a county wide sales tax. While the district benefits from access to additional funds, the community benefits as money generated through the county sales tax can potentially replace some of the dependence on local real estate taxes. The county sales tax also allows all school districts to benefit directly from tax generated based on their student enrollment, not just on the local business base. This new revenue source for school facilities is also significant because the tax is not based on property wealth and state foundation level funding sources but rather on whether the student attends a school where the county sales tax has been adopted. Because each district’s percentage of the tax is adjusted annually, if enrollment increases the school district will be eligible for more money from the pool generated. While the county sales tax has its positives, it also has a few negatives. The first is that this is a tax and will result in a slight cost increase in merchandise for consumers. The other negative is that it is regarded as a “regressive tax,” one that affects lower income population more than upper income brackets. But the County School Facility Occupation Tax Law does provide significant revenue potential for school districts. This law is beneficial because it spreads the income generated to all the school districts in the county, even when the majority of the sales revenue may only be accrued in one part of the county. By encouraging voters to support a local sales tax increase, the school district could gain tremendous revenue without making the voters in their district incur a property tax increase. How it works Under the County School Facility Occupation Tax (Continued on page 25)

Local money generated through property tax is not able to meet the increasing demand for either facility improvements or new buildings in many school districts. To help remedy the problem, and over the governor’s veto, the County School Facility Occupation Tax Law took effect October 17, 2007. This new law provides an excellent opportunity for school districts to generate money through sales taxes rather than

William H. Phillips  IASA Field Services  Director 

property taxes. This tax money is available to all school districts having territory within the county where the tax is implemented, providing revenue that is dispersed equitably based on enrolled students residing in the county. The sales tax increase is limited to a maximum of 1 percent, or a penny on each dollar, and can be raised in increments of a quarter-percent. General merchandise is taxable (excluding vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, trailers, mobile homes, farm equipment and medical supplies), but the county sales tax will not be collected on food and drugs. Under the Act, money generated through the county sales tax can only be used for “school facility purposes,” defined as “acquisition, development, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, financing, architectural planning, and installation of capital facilities consisting of buildings, structures and durable equipment.” It can also be used for the “acquisition and improvement of real property; interest in real property required, or expected to be required, in connection with the capital facilities.” Usage also extends to updating systems for fire prevention, safety, security, energy conservation and disabled access. The tax is collected by the Illinois Department of Revenue and placed into the School Facility Occupation Tax Fund. Each month, the Department of Revenue dictates the specified amount to the state comptroller. This amount is then distributed to the regional superintendent of schools in the county where the tax was collected. The amount distributed to each local school is based on the fall housing report enrollment data. Thirty days after receiving the funds, the Regional

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County School Facility Occupation Tax ________________________

Illinois Counties that have passed the sales tax incentive

(Continued from page 24)

Law, either the ROE unilaterally, or school boards representing 51 percent of the county student enrollment that would like to implement the law, must submit a ballot question to the voters to be approved or rejected. Either way, the question must be placed on the ballot by the ROE as opposed to the previous law under which the county board had to approve placing it on the ballot. A sample question that could be put to the voters in any county would read: “Should (insert the name of the county involved) be authorized to impose a retailers’ occupation tax and a service occupation tax (commonly referred to as a ‘sales tax’) at a rate of 1 percent to be used exclusively for school facility purposes?” The question needs only a simple majority of votes countywide to be put into law. Once a sales tax question is passed in the county and the schools learn how much revenue it will generate, the district can sell alternate revenue bonds or “double-barreled” bonds. These bonds combine the benefits of revenue bonds with general obligation bonds. “Double-barreled bonds” means that if the original source of revenue, in this case the sales tax, somehow is discontinued a secondary property tax can be instituted to pay for the bonds that are sold. The following from Stas Bekman, a Canadian consultant and author, explains revenue and general obligation bonds: “Revenue Bonds are bonds that are payable from a pledge of the proceeds against a specific tax. Unlike General Obligation bonds and their unlimited ability to raise taxes, with these bonds, the issuer is limited as to its source for the revenue to pay the bonds. General Obligation Bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the issuer for prompt payment of principal and interest. Many bonds issued by a city, county, or school district, also have the added security that they can raise property taxes to assure payment. This guarantee is of an unlimited nature.” Alternate revenue bonds, which are the type of bonds sold for the new sales tax revenue, do not count against the district’s bonded debt limit or the Debt Service Extension Base if they are a PTELL district. Because of this, the school is permitted to sell bonds up to the amount that the revenue from the sales tax can support. The sales tax can be applied as long as there is outstanding bonded debt and cannot be eliminated as long as that debt exists. As long as debt remains on bonds issued by any district in the county, the county board is prohibited from terminating the sales

Cass

1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

Champaign

Franklin

Knox

Lawrence

Logan Macon Saline

Schuyler Warren Williamson

1% Jo Daviess 0.5%

tax.

Twenty years is typically the longest term for these types of bonds and in some rare cases, up to 40 years. Once the bond payment has been fulfilled for any bonds issued relying on the sales tax for payment, the sales tax can be eliminated. Currently twelve Illinois counties have passed this sales tax initiative. Cass, Champaign, Franklin, Knox, Lawrence, Logan, Macon, Saline, Schuyler, Warren and Williamson Counties have implemented a 1 percent school sales tax while Jo Daviess has implanted a half-percent school sales tax. Each election cycle more districts attempt to pass the sales tax and it is successful in a few more counties each time. Those that have successfully passed this sales tax enjoy a reliable and significant revenue source for building construction and renovation, reducing the strain on district budgets while improving their capital facilities.

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