Leadership Matters - March 2013

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

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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

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