September, 2009 Legislative Updates
Local Update
Submitted by Colleen Johnson
Indian Prairie School District 204 launched Board Docs, a new on-line tool that increases the transparency of the Board of Education's work and provides enhanced communication with the community. The on-line distribution of board materials replaces the old method of compiling, printing, binding and distributing a limited number of paper documents for each board meeting. Meeting agendas and supporting documents are now available on-line to the community. In addition to increased access and improved efficiency, this software also reduces the cost and time associated with producing paper copies.
Through the board's website at http://board.ipsd.org, the public will have unprecedented access to information that board members review to make decisions. This access will allow community members to view information prior to a meeting and see what action was taken by the board after a meeting. Documents are automatically archived and accessible by meeting date or by using the comprehensive search feature.
Board members look forward to providing this new on-line system to the community. "We are please to provide open and transparent access to board materials and hope the public will take full advantage of this new resource," Board President Curt Bradshaw said.
Crone Named U.S. Blue Ribbon School
Reported by on 9/16/09
For the second year in a row, one of District 204's middle schools was selected as a National Blue Ribbon School. The U.S. Department of Education announced Crone Middle School is one of the 314 schools across the country to be honored this year. Gregory Middle School was recognized last year.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Crone Middle School met the initial criteria of having students achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on standardized tests. The state of Illinois nominated Crone at the end of last school year based on performance and student achievement data. The school then submitted an application reviewing its achievements.
Principal Stan Gorbatkin said the award represents a sustained commitment to excellence and is the result of the hard work of students, parents, and staff. "I commend the staff for continued dedication and advocacy for all our students."
Only 16 schools in Illinois were selected for this year's honor. Gorbatkin and Lead Teacher Sara Johnson will represent Crone Middle School at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 3.
District 204's ACT Scores Increase
Reported by on 8/19/09
Indian Prairie School District 204 officials announced ACT scores for the 2009 graduating class showed a considerable increase from last year. This year's average ACT composite score of 23.8 is a significant increase from last year's score of 23.4.
District 204's students continue to outperform the state average of 20.8 and the national average of 21.1.
Overall, the district has seen strong growth on ACT scores over the past four years. Today's score of 23.8 is a full point higher than the 22.8 score achieved by district students in 2005.
The ACT is a college entrance exam taken by approximately 98 percent of Indian Prairie students. The test has a maximum score of 36 and assesses college readiness in English, math, reading, and science.
The Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education named Kathryn Birkett as the next Superintendent of Schools beginning July 1.
Birkett has dedicated her career to District 204, beginning as a teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School in 1979. Over the next three decades, she moved up through the district, serving as Assistant Principal at Waubonsie Valley High School from 1987 to 1991 and principal of Steck Elementary School from 1991 to 1996. She opened Neuqua Valley High School in 1996, and served as the school's principal until 2004.
Birkett then went on to serve for three years as Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education. In that role she assisted with the creation of the district's Frontier program for high school seniors earning dual college credit and followed up with a successful plan to increase enrollment in the program's second year. She also helped facilitate budget reductions to assist the district in maintaining a strong financial position. Since 2007, Birkett has served as Deputy Superintendent, where she has been instrumental in overseeing preparations for opening Fischer Middle School and Metea Valley High School, including staffing, equipment purchasing, and facility planning. She also created an Education Team comprised of various departments to better facilitate on-going communication and goal-driven decisions, and helped draft and implement the Board of Education's ambitious targets and goals for the next few years. "Kathy has the perfect blend of district knowledge and strong leadership skills that it will take to achieve District 204's aggressive goals for student excellence," notes Board President Curt Bradshaw.
been recruited for the superintendent position in area districts during the past year, but had chosen to decline the offers because of her commitment to District 204. The board will sign Birkett's three-year contract at its June 22 meeting. After the meeting, her contract will be posted on the district's website at http://ipsdweb.ipsd.org/News.aspx?id=24033
State Legislative Update
Submitted by State Rep. Darlene Senger
I have heard from many of you regarding the devastation that will be caused if the state cuts funding to social service providers by 50%. I have been deeply saddened by real-life stories about what these cuts would do to the developmentally disabled, early childhood education, seniors who rely on home health care, battered women, abused children, the homeless, and the mentally ill.
Recently in Springfield, I voted for a plan that would have allocated an additional $2.2 billion for existing community service provider contracts. The legislation would have freed up the funds for human service agencies through short-term borrowing without raising taxes on Illinois families. Although it passed in the House, the proposal failed in the Senate, amid rumors that the Governor lobbied against it, despite it being his proposal in the first place.
The Governor continues to switch gears by calling for an income tax increase, more spending, less spending and then vetoing a budget bill which is said to contain the funding levels which he initially requested. When we return to Springfield next week, it is absolutely crucial that we have decisive leadership that is focused on a combination of cuts and reforms through bi-partisan negotiations.
I will continue to advocate for reforms that will not financially cripple taxpayers during an economic recession or threaten the livelihood of our most vulnerable residents. I introduced legislation to require a 3/5 vote to approve any tax increase. I believe during today's tough economic times when most families are cutting back, we must look at reforms before voting for any type of tax increase.
I believe we must reform Medicaid which makes up 40% of the state budget and serves one out of five Illinois residents. While our population has shrunk over the last several years, Medicaid spending has increased by $6 billion. I believe we can save the state money by implementing a managed care program. We can also reform the state's pension system, put a moratorium on all new spending, and enforce furlough days for state employees. We must also apply cuts across the board, instead of cutting off the lifeline to those who need us most.
As always, I will continue to stay on top of this issue and will keep you informed of future developments.
Sincerely,
Darlene Senger
State Representative - 96th district
Illinois Gov. Protects Part of Early Childhood Budget, But Still, State Funding Drops
Early education advocates in Illinois are breathing a little easier this month after Gov. Patrick Quinn restored over $85 million in funds for early childhood programs that the Illinois State Board of Education had eliminated during deliberations on the 2010 budget a few weeks ago. The board's cuts represented more than 32 percent of the 2009 budget and would have had disastrous results for state-funded preschool programs. But even with the governor's reparation, the early childhood budget will lose 10 percent of its budget -- a loss which could affect thousands of children in the state.
The $85 million, which Gov. Quinn pulled from a discretionary fund, will be added to the state's Early Childhood Block Grant, which provides funding for all early childhood programs operated by local school districts. Gov. Quinn reinstated the money after various advocacy groups and media outlets protested the board's decision to cope with an overall decrease in the education budget by cutting funding for early childhood education. Voices for Illinois Children, for example (whose founder, Jerry Stermer, now serves as Gov. Quinn's chief of staff), sent an email to supporters criticizing the state legislature's approval of the board's "irresponsible budget" and calling on the governor to use his discretionary appropriations to avoid the cuts.
The block grant is divided between various early childhood programs, such as Preschool for All, the Prevention Initiative, and home visiting programs like Healthy Families Illinois and Parents Too Soon. Each will receive approximately 10 percent less funding in 2010 than is available this year. Preschool for All, for example, received approximately $302 million this year. By our calculations, next year its operating budget will be roughly $272 million.
The total amount of the Early Childhood Block Grant -- $342.2 million-- remains higher than in fiscal years 2006 through 2008. But the 10 percent cut has caused early childhood advocates to worry that programs will be forced to serve fewer children, reduce opportunities for professional development, and let go of valuable resources, such as learning specialists.
Individual districts will have to decide how to absorb these losses, according to the state board of education, which noted that districts have the option of using outside sources of money to bridge the gap. According to local newspapers, some districts have already considered turning to rainy day funds or redirecting Title I and IDEA funds to eligible preschool programs.
Still, it's possible that some programs will have to reduce their enrollments. "We believe at least 9,000 fewer children will be able to participate in these programs," said Gaylord Gieseke, interim president of Voices, "and this means those children may not have the critically important experiences that prepare them to successfully enter school ready to learn and to succeed in school and in life."
Illinois' action follows that of Ohio, which was forced by recession-afflicted deficits to eliminate its full-day pre-K program -- the Early Learning Initiative -- in its 2010 budget.
Earlier this year, we singled out Illinois as an example of how a state might seek to reform its early education programs under President Obama's proposal for an Early Learning Challenge Fund. It would have been highly worrisome, not to mention ironic, to see Illinois suddenly making such drastic cuts just as Obama's proposal is now starting to take shape. Last month, Congress began to act on legislation that would authorize it, which HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have praised publicly. The fund offers "Quality Pathways Grants" to states that have taken steps toward integrating and promoting high-quality early childhood programs similar to what we have seen developing in Illinois.
We're encouraged to see Gov. Quinn restore $85 million to the block grant, and we hope that this year's cutbacks won't prevent the state from continuing to act as a model for alignment and collaboration between federal, state, and community preschool programs.
Federal Update
Submitted by, Colleen Johnson
House Bill Would Free Up Cash for Early Education
Early-childhood-education programs and school facilities would get major new federal aid under a bill approved this week by the U.S. House of Representatives that would cover the cost of that spending by revamping the way the federal student-lending program operates.
The House legislation, which passed Sept. 17 by a vote of 253-171, would scrap the Federal Family Education Loan Program, under which the government subsidizes private lenders to make federal loans.
Instead, starting in July of next year, all loans would originate with the William D. Ford Federal Direct Student Loan Program, in which students borrow from the U.S. Treasury. The change, largely based on a proposal put forward by President Barack Obama, would save about $87 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
The legislation must now go to the Senate, where a separate bill on the same issue is still being worked out in committee.
President's Address to Students on September 8
Reported by on 9/3/09
You may have seen on the news that President Obama is planning a national address on September 8 -- the first day of school for many children across America -- directly to students on the importance of education. According to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
Some parents have inquired if students in our school district will be watching the President's national address to students on September 8. We have not set aside time for our entire school district to watch the speech during the school day. Individual teachers or teams within schools have the option of showing this speech to students. Schools that are planning to show the President's address to students are sending an email message to inform their families.
As with any event involving a speaker at school, parents may contact the school if they would like to exempt their student from this activity.
If you would like to see the letter sent by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to school principals about this event, you can view it on the U.S. Department of Education's website
Legislative Actions
The following actions occurred in August 2009.
TRIP Rates
On August 17, Governor Quinn amendatorily vetoed HB 1098 due to the strained State of Illinois budget. He proposed that the bill become effective in fiscal year 2011 instead of the current fiscal year 2010. The bill reduces the TRIP rates in fiscal year 2010 for Illinois participants age 65 and not eligible for Medicare who choose major medical. An earlier provision that would have raised TRIP rates for out-of-state residents was taken out of the bill.