Leadership Matters August 2013 issue.pub

Ron Jacobs Riverdale Comm Unit District 100 Blackhawk Region

Dr. Jason D. Henry Sesser-Valier Comm 196 Egyptian Region

“In my view, the biggest challenge for school personnel heading into the 2013- 2014 school year is meeting the needs of all children while coping with education

“I feel the biggest challenge I face

heading into the new school year is finding time and resources to provide meaningful professional development for teachers. In the past, we used Block Grant funds to help provide this training to our staff. Now, without those funds, combined with the number of mandated changes we are trying to implement, it places further stress on both the budget, and our teachers. To address this challenge, we attempt to train our best teachers, and ask them to present what they learn to their colleagues. This gives these teachers ownership when they are either asked to attend a workshop, or they request to attend one. They also understand that it is sort of a privilege to get to attend a conference, and not a ‘right’ as perhaps it once was. We also will use many of our own ‘experts’ to train their colleagues, as well as utilizing our Regional Office of Education. In simpler terms, it all boils down to time and money!”

reform initiatives of outside, political groups. We plan to focus on meeting students’ needs based on local community needs, and pay attention to, but not be distracted by, the ebb/flow of reform initiatives so that when our local goals align with reform initiatives, we can benefit from the larger dialogue.” President-Elect Scott Kuffel Geneseo Community Unit District 228 Blackhawk Region “The biggest challenge for 2013-14 is continuing down the path towards student growth for principal and teacher evaluation, particularly in those areas that are not as easily ‘quantifiably calculated.’ It seems self-evident to me that a teacher of a Building Trades house with 20 students, who successfully completes an 1800-square-foot house, without incident, and high student engagement, and can sell it for a profit, has demonstrated student learning and value-added growth, but we're never quite sure if that meets the letter of the evaluation regulations. Likewise with that choir teacher or art teacher, who typically are more performance- or product-based in their teaching and assessment, but who do not have the same metrics that a math teacher may have available. I plan to address the challenge by being as resourceful as possible in working with our faculty, administration and with those colleagues from IASA who have great answers and experience in these areas.”

Dan Marenda La Salle Elementary District 122 Starved Rock Region

“Since I have a property poor school district that is very dependent on General State Aid, having the finances to maintain our programs and keeping staff employed is an ongoing challenge for my district. We have spent down our fund balances rather than cutting teachers and programs and now face the tough decisions that come as the fund balances are reaching critical levels that would not support another deficit budget year. We cut two staff positions and are not replacing two other retiring teaching positions. We are also planning to borrow the maximum possible in the Working Cash Fund in order to supplement the inadequate revenue in the Ed Fund. We have already cut back in spending on supplies and other discretionary areas. We are changing to self insurance for our Major Medical insurance in order to save additional dollars. We continue to advocate for full funding of the General State Aid formula.”

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