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October 2019 LeadershipMatters

Chad Watkins General Counsel

Ben Boer Research & Data Analysis

Proud to Welcome Two New Additions to IASA Team

Plus 2019Annual Conference Photo Spread

Maine Township High School District 207: Re-examining Career and College Advisement

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We are proud to announce Chad Watkins and Ben Boer have joined IASA. Chad will serve as General Counsel and Ben will be our new Director of Research and Data Analysis. Learn more about these two individuals in a Q & A story. LEARNMORE ABOUT IASA’S NEWEST ADDITIONS

7 Maine Twp HSD #207 re-examines career and college advisement

Series Part XI: Making a Difference

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IASA News in Brief

10 Hamilton County students build new administrative office 13 Relive photo memories of this year’s Annual Conference

IASA Calendar of Events

Volume 7, Issue 10 October 2019 LeadershipMatters 19216 Jason Nevel Director of Social Media & Publications jnevel@iasaedu.org

2648 Beechler Court Springfield, IL 62703-7305 217.753.2213 800 Woodfield Road, Ste. F109 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4717 847.466.5075

Graphic Designer Marjorie Gladish mgladish@iasaedu.org

1200 West Main Street Marion, IL 62959-1138 618.364.0501

www.iasaedu.org

Scan here with your phone’s QR code reader to get the IASA APP— Don’t have a QR reader? Go to or and search for IllinoisASA.

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Message From the Executive Director IASA Begins NewChapterWith Addition of Two NewMembers to the Team

Dr. Brent Clark

Many of you are also wondering about the search for an Associate Director of Professional Development. Similarly to the process we used to find Chad, a committee has been formed to interview candidates. Our goal is to have someone named in November in order to give them time to work with the IASA Professional Development Committee before Dr. Voltz retires on June 30, 2020. Once the board makes a selection, we will send out an announcement. I want to thank all of the sponsors, exhibitors, presenters and moderators at the IASA Annual Conference. Without you, the conference would not be possible. As is the case every year, a tremendous amount of work went into planning this conference, so I hope everyone enjoyed the experience and took something you learned back to your district. FYI, we recorded Ignite presentations and are publishing them to the IASA Video Library for you to go back and watch. To close, I want to let you know IASA will soon be releasing a new podcast with ISBE on School Designations, which will go live on the Illinois Report Card on Oct. 30. The podcast will be a helpful resource for you on understanding designations, how to access resources from ISBE and tips around having conversations about the designations with stakeholders. You can subscribe to the IASA Podcast anywhere you can listen to podcasts. We also share it on social media and in our Eye on Education daily newsletter. Enjoy this fall weather and the rest of the first semester. Yours for better schools,

I have been fortunate during my time as executive director of IASA to have great continuity with our staff, but every association inevitably faces change. IASA began a search for a new general counsel this summer, and I’m proud to announce we have found someone who I believe is up to the challenge. Chad Watkins comes to IASA from the Tueth Keeney law firm, where he represented school districts throughout Illinois. Chad, who begins at IASA October 15, graduated from Northwestern University and earned his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was a special education teacher in Washington, D.C. A committee made up of members of the IASA Board of Directors guided IASA in the selection process, and Chad emerged as the unanimous choice. I feel confident his knowledge of school issues, enthusiasm to work for IASA and passion for public education will make for a smooth transition. Chad will be visiting IASA region meetings soon, so be sure to welcome him to the team. That’s not the only change at IASA. Ben Boer will serve as IASA’s Director of Research and Data Analysis. Adding this position, which will function similarly to an independent contractor, will be critical this legislative session to provide IASA with data analysis on issues, such as funding the Evidence-Based Funding Model, property taxes and school consolidation. I can’t think of anyone in the country more knowledgeable on these issues than Ben, who formerly worked for Advance Illinois and was instrumental in the development of EBF. We are fortunate to add his unique skillset to our team and help IASA make compelling and data-driven arguments to the legislature on the biggest issues facing superintendents.

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I A S A P R O U D T O W E L C O M E T W

ChadWatkins: Associate Director/General Counsel We are excited to welcome Chad Watkins to the IASA team as general counsel. Chad will officially begin October 15. Below is a short Q&A with Chad to help you get acquainted with IASA’s new general counsel. Q : Whydidyouwant toworkfor IASA?

Public education is my passion. In this role at IASA, I will have the opportunity to improve outcomes for our kids statewide through advocating for school district leaders. Q : Whatpastexperienceshaveyouhad thatpreparedyoufor thisopportunity? For the past 4 ½ years, I have practiced education law and represented Illinois school districts on student, personnel and board governance matters. Prior to becoming a lawyer, I taught special education and coached girls’ basketball in Washington, D.C. In this role, I will serve as chief legal counsel to the IASA Board of Directors and Executive Director, provide advice to association members regarding their employment matters, work with committees on matters involving legislation and attend region meetings to speak with IASA members about the association’s programs and activities. Q : What’sonethingaboutyouthatwould surprisepeople? I’ve been to all 50 states. Q : Didyouhaveaneducator inschool that wasarolemodel or inspirationtoyou? I’ve had so many teachers that have made a difference in my life. But the most significant are the two high school teachers who I am lucky to call mom and dad, Patty and Pat Watkins. Q : Whatwill beyour roleandduties withIASA?

Bio information Hometown: Swansea, IL Current City: Columbia, IL Education: B.A., Northwestern University; M.Ed., George Mason University; J.D., Washington University Family: Wife, Sarah; Kids, Katherine (5) and Blake (9 months)

Answer: BonusQuestion:CardinalsorCubs?

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O N E W A D D I T I O N S T O T E A M :

Benjamin Boer: Director of Research and Data Analysis We are thrilled to add Ben Boer to the IASA team in the newly created role of director of research and data analysis. Ben will be a tremendous asset this legislative session. Below is a short Q&A with Ben to help you learn more about him and his new role at IASA. Q : Whydidyouwant toworkfor IASA?

Having worked with IASA on funding, I got the opportunity to work with many districts across the state. All the superintendents that I worked with are incredibly dedicated to their craft and to supporting students. IASA provides an opportunity to work with a cross section of districts that, I hope, I can help through the use of data and research. Q : Whatpastexperienceshaveyouhad thatpreparedyoufor thisopportunity? I have been a data guy for a long time. My background is in computer science and I worked as the Vice President of Technology for a company that sold software systems to school districts. The goal of the software was to help districts improve their data use in supporting professional development and later with student achievement data. As I have worked in policy the last 10 years, using data to support policy decisions, in particular the development of the Evidence-based funding model was a jumping off point for the current position. Q : Whatwill beyour roleandduties withIASA? All things data! And the use of research as well. As Brent has discussed, the coming years will continue to see conversations about funding, taxes, student achievement, and accountability. The ability to bring data to each of these conversations will be key to making decisions. For example, while property taxes are somewhat higher than the national average in Illinois, the degree that they are too high is proportionally less than our state investment in education is too low. Lowering property taxes without a dramatic increase in investment (above and beyond the minimum level now being invested) would be very hard for districts.

Bio information Hometown: Harrington Park, New Jersey Current City: Chicago Education: B.S. and M.S., Brown University

M.P.P. University of Chicago Pursuing Doctorate Education Policy Studies Wife, Rachel; Kids, Charlotte (14) and Mia (11)

Family:

Q : What’sonethingaboutyouthat wouldsurprisepeople? That’s really hard! Perhaps how much I like the outdoors. I like to mountain bike and hike. My wife, kids and I went to Alaska for our 20th wedding anniversary and went sea kayaking for 5 days, camping and such. It was incredibly beautiful. Right after the boat dropped us off in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilization, a bear walked down the beach we were camping at, luckily we screamed at it and it went away. I really never want to have to use bear spray.

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Team ... cont’d.

Q : Didyouhaveaneducator inschool thatwas arolemodel or inspirationtoyou? The reality is that I have had great teachers through-out my schooling experience both here in the US and in Holland where I did 4 years of school. In particular, my math and science teachers including Mr. Mclosky in 4th grade, Mr. Hess in 6th grade, and my chemistry and math teachers in high school. It probably goes without saying that the teachers and administrators that I worked with on EBF have been a constant source of inspiration. In addition, my father-in-law is a former math teacher and middle school principal—his equanimity is something that I have amazing respect for.

Answer: BonusQuestion:CardinalsorCubs?

Get Inspired. Superintendents are already difference makers in their community, but why does it have to stop there? In June 2020, IASA will bring a superintendent and a school board member from 10 to 11 school districts across Illinois to engage in a global service project in the Dominican Republic to repair and restore schools. The tentative dates for the service project will fall between June 10–18, over seven days and seven nights. Through the generosity of foundational partners, each participant selected for the service project will only be responsible to pay $500 in order to participate. Open your hearts and get inspired and fill out an application today. Click here to apply.

Made possible by these generous sponsors:

Coordinated by:

Maine South senior Brian Campbell completed an internship with the Niles Fire Department last spring where he participated in hands on activities working directly with the firefighters in the department.

Maine Township High School District 207 Re-examining Career & College Advisement

What if we’ve been wrong about career and college advisement in U.S. high schools? Recently, the Wall Street Journal published a piece that challenged the conventional thinking that has driven much of career design in high schools and colleges in America. The article, “Your Parents’ Financial Advice Is (Kind Of) Wrong,” unpacks the imprecise mindset of “college for all.” Driven by the student debt crisis and employment and economic trends, the topic is suddenly gaining more traction in mainstream media and By Dr. Ken Wallace, Superintendent Maine Township High School District 207

within the consciousness of everyday Americans, including our students. At Maine Township High School District 207, we have been paying attention to the U.S. macro data on student debt, underemployment, as well as jobs distribution for the better part of a decade, leading to a total redesign of our career advisement program. Previously, our high schools were designed to insure that students graduated on time and largely enrolled in college. Like most, our schools sent explicit messages that the path to success was continued...

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Re-examining ... cont’d.

Chart 1. Underemployment Rates For CollegeGraduates

Sources: US Census Bureau and US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (IPUMS); US Department of Labor, O^NET. NOTES: The underemployment rate is defined as the share of graduates working in jobs that typically do not require a college degree. A job is classified as a college job if 50 percent or more of the people working in that job indicate that at least a bachelor’s degree is necessary; otherwise, the job is classified as a non-college job. Rates are calculated as a 12–month moving average. College graduates are those aged 22 to 65 with a bachelor’s degree or higher; recent college graduates are those aged 22 to 27 with a bachelor’s degree or higher. All figures exclude those currently enrolled in school. Shaded areas indicate periods designated recessions by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Percent 60

50

40

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Recent graduates College graduates

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1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

In the 2013–14 school year, District 207 started re-examining everything, including where jobs actually exist. District 207 wraps around the northeast side of O’Hare Airport in Chicago. Using data from the United States Bureau of Labor statistics, our District 207 Career Coordinator began analyzing jobs data and visualizing that data ( Chart 2 ) for us to better understand the actual jobs picture. What does the evidence say? The majority of good jobs (jobs that exist and pay a livable wage) are in the space beyond a high school degree but before a four-year college degree. Jobs like Computer Numerical Control mill operator, electrician, plumber, welder and a host of medical professions. The list goes on, and these jobs are often unfilled because of the “one-way” career advisement that we’ve practiced. Our data mirrors the nations. TheBIG Idea Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses have been taught since 1997 in American High Schools and more recently middle schools. Their program research has shown that students in PLTW courses are more likely to major in a STEM-related field and work in STEM careers. Because PLTW is a project-based STEM-focused curriculum, the theory is that students get to “try on” what the work really looks like while in high school. I asked this question of our team in 2014: “What if we tried to replicate that for every possible career in which our students had interests?” We then set out to do just that. This is a brief synopsis of our work:

primarily, if not only, accomplished through enrollment in and successful completion of a college degree. Federal legislation like the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the subsequent standardized test-driven push also contributed, helping close career and technical wings in high schools all over the nation. It happened in District 207; in fact my predecessor as the Assistant Superintendent in District 207 was on record in support of this push saying, “We aren’t training plumbers after all.” Except, it turns out, we actually were. In recent talks on the subject, I tell this story and then play a video in which Matt Rioch, a 1995 Maine South graduate, appears and tells the audience that he is the owner of Park Ridge Plumbing, employs three licensed plumbers and is “Ken’s plumber.” This gets a nice laugh but underscores the folly of the thinking that led us here in the first place. Turns out that even with NCLB , indoor plumbing didn’t go out of style, nor did electricity, auto repair, dental hygiene, cybersecurity and the majority of essential services that we forget are obtainable without a college degree, pay a livable wage and can be obtained without a mountain of debt. In fact, the WSJ piece highlighted what has been true for many years, especially during the NCLB era: a third to one half of all college graduates are underemployed, working in jobs that do not require a college degree ( Chart 1 ).

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Chart 2. EducationRequired for Top100 Jobs inMaineTownship

2. We hold ourselves accountable to our service to students. When we began this work we had 74 business partners. Today we have more than 600. Once a student has identified a career interest we work to provide a series of authentic career experiences in that field, preferably an internship. We have worked to be flexible in providing these experiences to make them work for our students and business partners. We want to provoke responses from students, including if a particular career is NOT for a student. We want students to find their own path. The work in this area is a big lift and is asking a research question that has likely never been asked to find an answer that doesn’t exist: how many average iterative career experiences would we need to build to get to a 90 percent “match rate” for thousands of students over time? We don’t know yet, but we are studying that question, for which we may not have an accurate answer until five or 10 years from now. We have added partnerships with a variety of professional trade groups as well to help develop career paths for each student. 3. Once a student and family is confident in the career match, we have analytic tools that help us provide ‘Return on Investment” career and college counseling. One of our tools, JobsEQ, allows us to search by zip code to find mean starting salaries in any career as well as growth projections. Using that information we are working with families to design a responsible education path for each student that seeks to get students to a career of high interest in as short an amount of time as possible in a cost responsible way. Asking if we’ve been wrong about career and college advisement truly has led to transformative work in Maine Township High School District 207. Two of the three schools in our district are majority minority high schools, and I feel there is literally no greater work in equity than to change the trajectory of a student’s life. That is especially true for traditionally under-served populations, and I feel our help will lead students to a good career that pays a livable wage, creating access to a better life not only for that student, but also for his or her children moving forward. It’s also as central to the success of public schools and our democracy as it is to the lives of our students.

4year+ Associates/ Certificate HighSchool/ On-the-Job Training

22% 35%

43%

Source: US / IL Bureau of Labor Statistics, IDES & EMSI data (December 2018)

1. Each student has an individual “career plan” that is part of our four-year checklist of career advisement and experiences that are all considered “Tier 1” (every student gets it) strategies. We expose students to a variety of career exploration opportunities, both through interactions with staff and also with a variety of “next generation” career software applications that have real-time jobs data to help students and families make better decisions. Our design thinking ( Chart 3 ) is based on helping students find their “WHY” (passions, interests, dreams, strengths, big problems to solve) first before working on “WHERE” that happens. We believe, and are developing ways to study our work longitudinally, that if students can first find a match in a career field of high interest (we steer toward those with a livable wage) that they will persist on their education path, from certification to apprenticeship to college degrees.

Chart 3.

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DIY: Hamilton County Students Build Administrative Office

“I want to make this a career,” he said. “This class has given me the experience I need.” The idea to have students in the district’s most advanced vocational class help build a new administrative office began last year. Several factors made it possible. Hamilton County voters, years ago, approved a countywide one cent sales tax to fund school construction, providing the revenue needed for the roughly $275,000 project. The condition of the district’s current administrative office— an old, two-story funeral home—made it so there was little pushback from the community, who also appreciated the district shaving thousands of dollars off the overall cost by having students do much of the labor. The driving factor, though, was the desire to give students in Hamilton County a new hands-on learning experience and

By Jason Nevel Director of Social Media and Publications

A reminder of what jumpstarted his path into the building trades won’t be hard for Lane Campbell to find years from now. The senior at Hamilton County CUSD #10 and 12 of his classmates are helping build a new administrative office in the district, located adjacent to the new junior/senior high school right off Illinois Highway 142. The students have been hard at work on the 4,800-sqaure foot metal building since the beginning of the school year and, if all goes well, hope to have it ready for Superintendent Jeff Fetcho and his staff to move into as early as Jan. 1. For Campbell, the project has meant waking up and going to school has never been more fun.

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sure students fill out legal consent forms and that the work is done by upperclassmen who have taken some vocational classes in their freshmen and sophomore years, so they understand safety issues and the basics of how to use power tools and other skills needed on the job site. While students are doing much of the work, some of it had to be left to professionals. A contractor poured the concrete foundation and installed the roof and exterior walls, although students chipped in when possible, like putting up the building façade, Fetcho said. The interior work is where students have been busiest, framing all the walls and doors. Pretty soon, the students will hang drywall and doors, as well as install the trim and paint the walls. An electrician will wire the building, but the students will help with the process too, Fetcho said. “The students have been involved from the ground up,” he said. Even more exciting for Hamilton County CUSD #10 is the doors the project is opening up. Fetcho said the district has already had preliminary talks with city officials about students building homes in the community where dilapidated buildings now stand. It sounds like Hamson and his students will be on board.

provide them with the training needed to pursue a career in the trades. “We’re a small community, and we need people who have the skills to work in the trades here,” said Jeff Fetcho, who’s in his eighth year as superintendent. “This project is providing them with a multitude of opportunities that you just can’t simulate in a classroom.” However, none of that would matter if Hamilton County CUSD #10 didn’t have the right teacher to manage 13 students on a construction site. Two years ago, the district hired Josh Hamson as its vocational arts teacher. Hamson turned to teaching after 12 years of running his own construction company and 18 years total in the building trades. Having an opportunity like this to train young men and women for a career in the building trades is why he left his business, Hamson said. “This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “You can see firsthand how much the students are learning and how much they are enjoying this.” Before breaking ground on the project, the district had to figure out the logistics and determine how much of the work could be done by students. The master schedule was changed and Hamson’s class was double blocked and double credited, so students could spend

about 90 minutes each morning at the job site. The district elected for a metal-framed building because of the cost. Fetcho also recommends to superintendents interested in following suit to make

“This is definitely my favorite class,” said Noah Colclasure, a senior. “I have loved doing this, and I now am definitely interested in a job in the trades.”

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2019–2020 SENATE BILL 7 Performance Rankings Tool SOFTWARE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

All Illinois School Districts are working to comply with the requirements of education reforms. For years, the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) has worked to provide support via the Senate Bill 7 Performance Rankings File . This program gives districts a method of managing district positions aligned to local qualifications, teacher’s credentials, and performance ratings. The program compiles this local data and creates reports needed to comply with Senate Bill 7. The 2019–2020 file has been enhanced with updates in response to user ideas, and is ready for you to purchase and download. The cost of using this software has never increased and the annual licensing fee is $275 for members and $550 for non-members.

Find the access request form at http://www.iasasurveys.org.

Please note that previous versions of the IASA Senate Bill 7 Performance Rankings File are no longer supported. Also, the service method for the 2019–2020 software will be via email only.

This software was originally reviewed by the Senate Bill 7 teams from the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and the Illinois Education Association (IEA). The 2019–2020 version of this software builds on the knowledge gained from hundreds of users.

Annual Conference 55th ALookBack OnThreeDays of Sharing& Learning More than 600 people attended IASA’s 55th Annual Conference, September 25-27 in Springfield. We hope everyone left the conference re-energized and ready to face the challenges ahead. If you want to read recaps of each day, here are links for Day 1 , Day 2 and Day 3 . However, in this edition of Leadership Matters, we want to share the fun memories of three terrific days with a photo collage. Check that out on the next four pages. Also, we want to let you know we recorded Ignite sessions and are posting the presentations in the IASA Video Library. You can find that here . Thank you to all of our sponsors, exhibitors, presenters and moderators for making the 2019 Annual Conference possible. We couldn’t have done it without you.

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September 25–27, 2019

Annual Conference 55th

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For Making Our

55th

Thanks to our Premier Sponsors:

Thanks to our Legacy Sponsors:

Th Y to

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a Great Success... nnual Conference

Thanks to our Presenters:

Thanks to our Moderators: Heather Baker Daniel Booth Dr. Kelly Carpenter Thomas Davis Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat Dr. Kyle Freeman Jessica Funk Amanda Geary Christopher Grode Dr. Laurie Heinz Dr. Crystal Johnson Lance Landeck Dr. Michelle Lee Dr. Michelle Lindenmeyer Dr. Terry Ryker Timothy Schurman Dr. Gabrielle Schwemmer Dr. Bhavna Sharma-Lewis

Shawn Achor Dr. Carmen Ayala

Dr. Erin Knoll Dr. Teresa Lance Dr. Robert Lang Dr. David Larson Dr. Jason Leahy

nk u ll!

Anita Banerji Buster Barton Dr. David Bartz Dan Bridges Sandye Brown Aaron Davis Andy DuRoss Dr. Adam Ehrman Dr. Beth Flores Dr. Jennifer Garrison Dr. Jennifer Gill Dr. Sheila Greenwood Ralph Grimm Dr. Lindsey Hall Dr. Patrick Halloran Dr. Mark Hansen Mary Havis Dr. Darryl Hogue Dr. Sue Homes Jessica Iovinelli Dr. Crystal Johnson Dr. Gary Kelly Dr. Jennifer Kelsall

Dr. Thomas Mahoney Dr. Anthony McConnell Dr. Travis McGuire

Danette Meyer Dr. Dale Mitchell Dr. David Moyer Barney Mundorf Kim Pakowski Jordan Pelton Dr. William Phillips Dr. Matt Rich Diane Robertson Dr. Paul Schrik Dr. David Schuler Dr. Karen Sullivan Victoria Tabbert Dr. Henry Thiele Dr. Nicholas Wade Dr. Ken Wallace Dr. Don White Melina Wright Dr. Gary Zabilka Rebecca Shi Kent Stauder Matt Stines

Dr. Kate Sievers Dr. Jeff Stawick

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Continued Support of EBF Would… Galatia CUSD #1 plans to continue to look for new ways to provide additional supports for students. The district plans to continue to provide instructional coaching for staff, professional development and potentially add new staff.

Enrollment: 443 FY18: $65,172 Type: preK–12 FY19: $73,294 How EBF has made a difference Additional funding from the state has transformed teaching and learning in Galatia CUSD #1. Evidence-Based Funding allowed the district to hire an additional part-time agricultural instructor and an extra elementary teacher, dropping elementary classroom sizes from nearly 40 students to 20 in the affected grade. “Once we lowered class sizes, it became so much more manageable for everyone,” Superintendent Shain Crank said. “Our teachers can now devote more time to individual students and help them succeed.” Galatia CUSD #1 also used EBF dollars to hire two extra paraprofessionals, providing students with another level of support. In addition, EBF made it possible to hire a consultant to provide in-house professional development to teachers. The consultant, coupled with the additional staff, helped push Galatia CUSD #1’s school designation from the Illinois State Board of Education from Underperforming to Commendable at the junior high level and increased the overall scores of Galatia CUSD#1 on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. “For a small community with about 450 kids that is a great accomplishment,” Crank said. “The students are what we are all here for, and to see the kids benefit from better instruction and smaller class size has been tremendous to watch.” We are recruiting students of color and low-income students and getting them excited about taking classes they previously thought were only for other kids. “With over 40 percent low income, and 30 percent students of color, we need to continue to raise the bar and give opportunities for our students,” Wakeley said. Galatia CUSD #1 FY20: $95,250

Momence CUSD #1

Enrollment: 1,101 FY18: $392,447 FY20: $165,566 Type: preK–12 FY19: $216,274 How EBF has made a difference Prior to the passage of the Evidence-Based Funding Model, fund balances dwindled, staff was reduced and programs were cut in Momence CUSD #1. The district also became a mainstay on the state financial watch list. “Just like so many districts throughout the state, we went through some tough times,” said Superintendent Shannon Anderson. “What we have been able to accomplish in these last couple of years reinforces the belief that EBF would make an impact. We noticed it almost immediately.” For Momence Schools, the tide is turning. The district passed a balanced budget the past two years and is no longer deficit spending. In addition, the district has begun to add back programs that are making a significant impact on students. Momence CUSD #1 restored its high school agriculture program to full time, as well as its Family and Consumer Science Program. Furthermore, the district provided another level of support for students by reinstating a junior high guidance counselor. Two interventionists were also added—one in math and one in English at the junior high and high schools. Two social workers also came on board. “The social workers are extremely helpful in assisting our students in the social-emotional learning aspect of educating our students,” Anderson said. Continued Support of EBF Would … With the continuation of EBF, Momence is looking to continue the momentum with the reinstatement of a high school English position, which was cut in 2016, as well as a new math curriculum at the junior high. The district would also be able to continue developing its EL program by hiring additional staff and providing more resources and professional development opportunities for staff.

For Momence Schools, the tide is turning. The district passed a balanced budget the past two years and is no longer deficit spending.

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Difference ... cont’d. Series Part XI

The commitment to funding public education in a fair and equitable manner is already benefiting students in need. The continued focus will benefit the state of Illinois for generations to come.

“We have a lot of ideas on the table, and we’re going to continue to do that work over the next quarter of the school year,” Polanin said.

Riverton CUSD #14

Enrollment: 1,387 FY18: $591,649 FY20: $421,209 Type: preK–12 FY19: $457,229 How EBF has made a difference The passage of Evidence-Based Funding has halted years of cuts in Riverton CUSD #14 and allowed the district to rehire staff and restore programs that are most effective for students. With the increase in state funding, Riverton CUSD #14 added back some services to better support a growing special education population. The district also analyzed where the formula says schools can impact student achievement the most and hired an instructional coach at the middle school. Reducing class sizes was also a priority. The district hired a kindergarten and second grade teacher, bringing class sizes in those grades to below 20. “We tried to use EBF and focus resources on what is most effective for students,” Superintendent Brad Polanin said. Other improvements made possible in Riverton CUSD #14 because of increased state funding were the addition of a behavioral interventionist and a social studies teacher at the high school. Having a behavioral interventionist on staff frees up principals and assistant principals to focus more on being instructional leaders. Meanwhile, the extra high school teacher provided more flexibility in scheduling to expand elective opportunities for students and add a study hall, where students now have the option to take online courses. “We really tried to get creative and expand our electives and opportunities for students,” Polanin said. “We first needed to be able to bring on the extra staff in order to do that.” Continued Support of EBF Would… Riverton CUSD #14 plans to survey staff in the coming weeks to determine what programs it can restore or what new opportunities it can create for students in the district. One area the district could address is to continue to align its curriculum and instructional practices throughout the different buildings in the district.

SD #U-46

Enrollment: 38,764 FY18: $22.4 million FY20: $20.5 million Type: preK–12 FY19: $21 million How EBF has made a difference The passage of Evidence-Based Funding has provided significant support to the more than 38,000 students in SD #U-46 and has helped the district abate property tax levies for residents. The increased funding allowed the state’s second largest school district to lower class sizes for kindergarten through second- grade students. In addition, the district added more instructional coaches, giving teachers the ongoing guidance needed to improve professional practice in order to reach all learners. Last year, SD #U-46 also restored guidance counselors to each of its middle schools and added assistant principals to more buildings, including to 10 of its larger elementary schools this school year. Additional state funding also made it possible for the district to roll out its 1:1 technology program last year with Chromebooks for all high school students. This year, SD #U-46 expanded the program to fifth- through twelfth-graders, distributing a total of 26,000 Chromebooks since last year. Finally, SD #U-46 was able to make some long-needed upgrades to its more than 55 school buildings and facilities with new high school libraries, including some much-needed paint, as well as less visible changes that impact heating and cooling, building structures and general maintenance. “The commitment to funding public education in a fair and equitable manner is already benefiting students in need,” Superintendent Tony Sanders said. “The continued focus will benefit the state of Illinois for generations to come.” Continued Support of EBF Would… SD #U-46 plans to continue to make investments that go directly into the classrooms and provide students with more support and opportunities. Future increases will support a new teacher salary

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News InBrief

NewLunch toLearnWebinar Scheduled forOct. 18

InMemoriam

We are sad to share Dr. Jerry Ritchey of Mount Vernon passed away at the age of 84. In 1994, Dr. Ritchey became Unit Superintendent of Schools in Olney, where he served until his retirement.

Our Lunch to Learn webinar series resumes Oct. 18 with “Portrait of a Graduate.” The free, interactive webinar is intended to help superintendents learn how to create a community engagement process to help garner support in transforming your school system. The guests will be Dr. David Larson, superintendent of Glenbard District #87, and Dr. Karen Sullivan, superintendent of Indian Prairie District #204. Register for the webinar here .

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We continue to enhance the IASA Video Library , sponsored by American Fidelity and Blackboard, with new videos. We recently added several Ignite presentations from the IASA Annual Conference. More Ignite videos will be coming soon. You can also find Lunch to Learn webinars, watch a video to learn more about IASA Professional Development services or watch other videos about IASA programs and the history of the association.

2019–20School Year CalendarAvailable The 2019-2020 School Year Calendar is now available here . The calendar is compiled to assist you in planning your year and to-do list. Be sure to scroll to the end of the document because other important reminders are included at the end of the fiscal calendar. ISDLAF+MonthlyUpdate Click here to view the most current ISDLAF+ rates, economic indicators and general economic news brief. To obtain additional information regarding this IASA sponsored service, contact Dr. Donald E. Weber, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations/ISDLAF+ at 630–657–6435. To check daily rates, visit the ISDLAF+ website at www.isdlafplus.com.

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LM October 2019

Calendar of Events IASA Event Professional Development Event

Click here to view the IASA interactive Calendar of Events online.

Legislative Event Region Meeting (Contact your Region President for details)

October 2019

November 2019

Tues. Oct. 1

Year In Review:...School Law...

Fri. Nov. 1

Three Rivers

Mon. Nov. 4

IASA-ISBE Advisory Committee Meeting

Wed. Oct. 9

DuPage

Fri. Oct. 11

Kaskaskia

Tues. Nov. 5 Wed. Nov. 6 Thurs. Nov. 7

Abe Lincoln Cook West Cook South Kaskaskia

Wed. Oct. 16 Thurs. Oct. 17

Illini

House Perfunctory Session

Fri. Nov. 8

Wed. Oct. 23 Thurs. Oct. 24

Year In Review:...School Law...

Central IL Valley

Thurs. Nov. 14 Central IL Valley Tues.–Thurs. Nov. 12-14 GA Veto Session

Mon.–Wed. Oct. 28–30 GA Veto Session Wed. Oct. 30

Wed. Nov. 20

DuPage

Year In Review:...School Law...

Thurs. Oct. 31

Kishwaukee

Thurs. Nov. 21

IASA Board of Directors Meeting

Fri.–Sun. Nov. 22–24 Joint Annual Conference Thurs. Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Day

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2019–2020 Moon Scholarship Program Are you a superintendent or an aspiring superintendent? Are you pursuing graduate study to become the best superintendent you can be?

Established in 1993 in memory of Dr. James V. Moon, a former superintendent at Morton High School District, the James V. and Dorothy B. Moon Scholarship program is committed to improving the education and qualifications of school administrators. Since its inception, 115 scholarships totaling over $256,349 have been awarded to current or aspiring superintendents. Practicing school administrators in Illinois qualify if they are college graduates pursuing an advanced degree in educational administration at an accredited college or university. Several scholarships ($2,500 minimum each) are awarded each year and are paid directly to the college or university to cover tuition, fees and/or textbook expenses. To obtain more information on the application and awards process, click here or contact Jodi Gillespie at 217–753–2213 or email at jgillespie@iasaedu.org. Do you know there are scholarships available through the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) to help offset the costs of your coursework?

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, December 6, 2019

School Administrators Foundation for Education

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