LM Aug.2018

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Dr. Brent Clark
Illinois is back in school after a fast paced summer! As
you are immersed in the opening of the school year, here
are a few reminders on IASA programs that are designed
to help you launch a successful school year.
While we all want the school year to start off fully staffed,
this school year many of you are facing teacher shortages
that we have not seen in many years. The successful
passage of HB 5627 this year was a step in the right
direction to help address the ongoing shortage of regular
classroom and substitute teachers, but filling the pipeline
of teachers entering the profession will take much more.
In fact, we may see the teacher shortage issue get worse
in some areas before things get better. Rest assured, we
are working on this situation very closely along with our
Alliance partners and other education stakeholders and
we may see further policy actions proposed to address
this issue.
I know the start of school also brings heightened
concerns around school safety issues. While you are
doing whatever you can to ensure your schools remain
safe learning environments for your students, know we
are constantly adding resources and references to our
con on our website. Check back often for
the latest resource materials on the topic of safety.
And the start of the school year also means that the
annual IASA conference is just around the corner. Please
mark your calendar to attend the IASA Conference,
September 26–28. We hope to see you this year at our
fall conference in Springfield. We have a dynamic line-up
of speakers and educational sessions that you definitely
will not want to miss. See more on conference details in
this issue, pages 14–21, and by clicking Our keynote
speakers Dr. Rick Rigsby and Sue Enquist are sure to get
you energized through their motivational messages. State
Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith will speak at our closing
IASA isHere toHelp
inThisNewSchool Year
Message From the Executive Director
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session on what Illinois’ new funding and supports mean
for strengthening every school community in Illinois. Also
at the conference, you can make your selection from
over 20 break-out sessions designed to sharpen your
institutional knowledge and preparedness on a variety
of issues. A special feature at this year’s conference
includes a Women in Leadership session on the first
day of the conference as
our year-long Celebrating
Women in Leadership
series begins. Our
conference has something
for all superintendents
from the small to large and
urban to rural districts. We
are excited about this year’s program and look forward
to seeing you in September in Springfield!
As we head into the second year for the Evidence-
Based Funding Model, August 10th marked the day that
school districts received the first of 22 Evidence-Based
Funding payments for FY19. This represents both the
base funding minimum (BFM) amount often referred to
as the hold harmless provision and the new tier funding
for FY19. EBF payments will continue on the 10th and
20th of each month through June of next year. FY19
calculations are available at ISBE’s
In total, the passage of the evidence-based
funding model provides an additional $650 million for
public schools in two years. A special feature in this
issue of Leadership Matters explores ways that districts
are using their EBM funds to improve student outcomes.
Be thinking about how you can accurately explain
your planned spending for new tier funding as the
ISBE anticipates having an EBM spending plan report
available to districts around September 1.