Leadership Matters Summer 2015

Despite education budget, schools not immune to Statehouse drama It’s shaping up to be not only one of the wettest summers ever in Illinois, but also one of the most frigid times in the Statehouse as Governor Bruce

 Creation of a General State Aid Commission to come up with a new school funding. The commission is required to submit its report by the end of 2016.  The state making payments into the Chicago teachers’ pension fund. While overshadowed by the budget impasse and the possibility of a state government shutdown, the property tax freeze issue could have major implications for school districts that, on average, depend on local property taxes for two-thirds of their revenue. IASA Conference lineup set The IASA Annual Conference scheduled for September 30-October 2 is shaping up to be another great opportunity for professional development and networking. By popular demand, we are moving this year’s conference to downtown Springfield at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and the Prairie Capital Convention Center. The downtown location offers a wide variety of restaurants, shops and attractions within easy walking distance. Keynote speakers this year include:  Karen Beerer , Discovery Education’s Vice President for Professional Development, whose presentation is titled “Leading the Learning in a Digital Age: Why Now?”  Consuelo Kickbusch , an educator, author and motivational speaker who founded Educational Achievement Services, Inc. Her presentation is titled: “Valuing Diversity.”  New Illinois State Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith , whose presentation is titled “Moving Forward.” This issue of Leadership Matters includes an in-depth profile of Dr. Smith. Registration for the conference will open up by the end of July, so please save the dates September 30- October 2! In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the situation at the state capitol. I urge you to communicate with your state legislators to let them know how the property tax freeze would impact your school district. Best wishes for a great summer, and I hope you are able to find the time to enjoy family and friends and recharge your batteries!

Rauner and the Democrat- controlled General Assembly continue a high-stakes political showdown over the state budget. When someone finally blinks or a

compromise is reached is anyone’s guess, but many observers think the stalemate could last deep into the summer. The governor deftly avoided one of the biggest public pressure points by signing the education budget while vetoing the rest of the state budget. By doing so, he avoided the specter of some schools not being able to open in August. Even though school administrators now know their districts will have a budget, that doesn’t Message from the Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark “Turnaround Agenda” is a property tax freeze that could hamstring many school districts. There have been various plans floated, the current one being for a two-year property tax freeze. The proposal that passed a Senate Committee last week also included changing the school funding formula, something Democrats insisted be part of the package. For their part, Republicans want limits on collective bargaining and prevailing wages and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said her party could not support the version passed by the committee. Senate President John Cullerton said he would hold the bill and make changes as they negotiate. Senate Bill 316, Amendment 1, includes more than just a two-year property tax freeze. Other items of interest include:  In addition to the freeze for the levy years of 2016 and 2017, all counties would fall under the Property Tax Extension Law Limit (PTELL) instead of the roughly one-third of the counties that currently have tax caps. After the two-year freeze, the tax caps would be tied to the Consumer Price Index and be capped at 5 percent.  A supplemental grant to limit the General State Aid loss for the neediest school districts, similar to what was included in the education budget for FY2016.  A clause that says no district shall receive less of a percentage of GSA than it receives in the 2015-16 school year. mean schools are immune from the drama. One of the major items in the governor’s

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