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Dr. Brent Clark
Message From the Executive Director
Recognitions AsWe Close 2019; Preparations
for the Tax Debate to Come in 2020
Looking ahead, one thing you can bank on is the spring
legislative session won’t be boring. I suspect we haven’t seen
the end of public corruption investigations, and the Illinois
Senate will have new leadership after members select a new
president on January 19.
The big issue for school districts, however, will be what
happens with property taxes. The General Assembly will
likely act on a report issued by the Property Tax Relief Task
Force detailing recommendations for short-term and long-
term property tax relief.
IASA will not be silent on this issue, I promise.
In October, we hired Ben Boer as our new director of
research and data analysis. One of the issues Ben has
studied is the effect a potential property tax would have on
school districts. We will share his research with the General
Assembly and have a sit-down meeting with the governor
and his staff and emphasize the significant impact a freeze
would have.
In addition, IASA is rolling out a new initiative to get
superintendents more prepared for the debate that is coming
around property taxes in Illinois. On page 16, you can
learn more about what we plan to do. I hope each of you
can take part in this initiative and learn more about how to
use the Evidence-Based Funding Formula as a strategic
communication tool to detail what it actually costs to provide
students with access to a high-quality education.
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and can find
time over the holiday break to spend quality time with
your families, as well as relax and get rejuvenated for the
remainder of the school year.
Thank you for all you do, and I will see you in 2020.
The drive home from Chicago always provides ample
opportunity to reflect on all the great interactions and
inspirational messages I heard at the Joint Annual
Conference. As I headed south on Interstate 55, IASA’s
Women in Leadership pre-conference session came to
mind. The second I walked into the room, the energy and
excitement was palpable. Female superintendents were
reconnecting, sharing stories and supporting one another.
A lot of people deserve credit, but Dr. Courtney Orzel’s
passion and enthusiasm propelled Women in Leadership to
another level.
Witnessing that was a reminder the IASA Board of Directors
selected exactly the right person at the right time to push our
tradition of high-quality professional development forward.
Dr. Orzel will begin as IASA’s Associate Director of
Professional Development on July 1, 2020. I look forward
to seeing her put her personal touch on professional
development and find new ways to support the needs of
superintendents across our very diverse state.
Also at the Joint Annual Conference, we had the opportunity
to honor the 2020 Illinois Superintendent of the Year.
Dr. Kevin Blankenship, dual superintendent of Scott-Morgan
CUSD #2 and Winchester CUSD #1, is a tremendous leader
who works tirelessly to improve the educational environment
for students. If you’re planning to attend the National AASA
Conference on Education in San Diego, be sure to stop by
our reception honoring Dr. Blankenship. You can find details
about the event on page 8.
To close, I want to touch on the fall veto session and preview
the spring legislative session.
There weren’t many fireworks during veto session, but
we were pleased the legislature took a step forward in
addressing the 900-plus unfilled paraprofessional positions
in Illinois.
SB 10 restores a provision that allows paraprofessionals to
receive a license from ISBE if they pass a competency test.
A legislative drafting error eliminated that pathway.
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LM Month 2019