M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 3 Vol. 81, No. 2

PLUS: RELEVANCE PARADOX • CENTENNIAL YEAR • 10 BOARD SERVICE MYTHS

Phenomenalgrowth fordual-creditprograms

2000

14,6

33

82,9

82

2011

567%increase

Students seem to be in a hurry

to grow up and get on with their

lives as evidenced by the growing

popularity of Advanced Placement

courses and the dual-credit or dual-

enrollment programs featured in this

issue’s cover story.

One of the keys to making such

programs work is communication

between secondary schools and high-

er education. Unfortunately, such

communication sometimes is lack-

ing.

High school students are under

more and more pressure to do their

best: get the best grades, participate

in school activities, do community

service, etc. Applying to a college

or a university has become a full-time

job in itself … and the application

process begins early.

As school board members, you

want to make certain that the stu-

dents who graduate are prepared for

their futures … whether that’s at a

two-year or four-year institution of

higher learning, a technical or trade

school, or at a job.

To do this, they will need to get

the best advice from the guidance

counselors in your schools. Their

transcripts will need to be sent to col-

leges, universities and trade schools

when requested. They will need to

have completed the course work they

must have to get into the institution

of their choice. And they should have

the life skills they will need to han-

dle all the rest.

Working hand-in-hand with local

colleges to make the most of dual-

credit and dual-enrollment programs

gives high school teachers … and stu-

dents … the opportunity to see exact-

ly what is expected at the college level.

We often hear how some students

are not prepared for college. That

they require remedial coursework in

order be successful at the next level.

That would seem to stem from a lack

of communication between the two

levels.

All through elementary school,

teachers say, “This is what you will

need to know when you get to Mrs.

Smith’s class next year.” While it

could be said that all information

is more of a building block for every-

thing else they will need to know

in life, students should start to rec-

ognize this as the expectations that

adults have for what they will need

in the future.

One expectation that has been

a staple for many college-bound stu-

dents is the idea that they can take

Advanced Placement classes and, if

they score well, can get college cred-

its. In other words, they are allowed

to proficiency out of a 100-level course

and go straight into higher-level course

work, banking the hours of the low-

er level course.

Many students work exceeding-

ly hard to get good grades in these

classes. Earning credits through AP

scores not only speeds the time

between high school and career, it

saves the family money on tuition.

Six or more hours of credit can trans-

late to half a semester or more of

tuition.

However, the rules may be chang-

ing. Dartmouth University has

announced that, as of 2014, it will no

longer exchange AP scores for col-

lege credit in any subject. Their ratio-

nale: 90 percent of incoming

psychology students who received

the highest score of “5” on their AP

psychology exam failed an experi-

mental exam given by Dartmouth.

The article from the university also

indicated that Yale does not accept

AP scores for credit either.

The hallmark of AP classes has

always been pinned on rigor. These

classes purportedly put bigger demands

on students … demands that more

closely match the work they will be

doing in college. But if 90 percent

of students who came from all across

the country can’t pass an exam at the

college level, then something must

not be quite right.

Read this issue’s cover story on

dual-credit and dual-enrollment class-

es carefully. While questions still arise

about whether high school instruc-

tors can teach material usually taught

at a higher level, the opportunity to

get credit for college work while still

in high school, or to enroll in college

while still in high school, may be bet-

ter served by dual-credit/dual enroll-

ment programs than by classes

designated as Advanced Placement

that do not provide the necessary rig-

or for the next level.

Correction

In the January/February cover

story by Jason Lembke and Dou-

glas Ogurek, “What if there’s anoth-

er way … Educational settings to

foster student success,” Glen Crest

Middle School referenced on page 12

should have been identified as part

of CCSD 89, Glen Ellyn.

Vol. 81, No. 2

M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 3

ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL(ISSN-0019-221X) is published every other month by the Illinois Associationof School Boards, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929, telephone217/528-9688. The IASB regional officeis located at One Imperial Place, 1 East22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120, telephone 630/629-3776.

The JOURNAL is supported by the duesof school boards holding active member-ship in the Illinois Association of SchoolBoards. Copies are mailed to all schoolboard members and the superintendentin each IASB member school district.

Non-member subscription rate: Domes-tic $18.00 per year. Foreign (includingCanada and Mexico) $21.00 per year.

PUBLICATION POLICYIASB believes that the domestic processfunctions best through frank and opendiscussion. Material published in the JOUR-NAL, therefore, often presents divergentand controversial points of view which donot necessarily represent the views orpolicies of IASB.

James Russell, Associate Executive Director

Linda Dawson, EditorGary Adkins, Contributing EditorDiane M. Cape, Design and

Production ManagerDana Heckrodt, Advertising Manager

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Cover by Corbin Design, Petersburg

May/June Education abroadJuly/August Classroom technology

COVER STORY

12 | Phenomenal growth for dual-credit programsInstead of succumbing to “senioritis,” many students are taking advantage of programs that earn college credits while they’re still in high school.

Hans A. Andrews

13 | Sidebar: Defining the terminology14 | Sidebar: Unique dual programs

FEATURE STORIES

4 | Centennial celebration …Association enters years of growth, expansion

The second 20 years of the Association saw the creation of the regional division structure and IASB headquarters moved to Springfield.

Linda Dawson

8 | Ten common myths of school board serviceSome things said about serving on a school board persist, even though they are not true.

Sandi Barry and Terry McCabe

22 | The ‘relevance paradox’ of school reorganizationHaving access to essential information may help communities dealwith issues of loss associated with consolidations and mergers.

David M. Mills

27 | Education finance issues still linger 67 years laterA report prepared for a 1946 Tri-County Division dinner meeting has a message that still rings true in 2013.

Burt McRoy

T O P I C S F O R U P C O M I N G I S S U E S

REGULAR FEATURES

Boiler Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Practical PR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Ask the staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside back cover

2 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

The missus and I attended East-

side’s eighth-grade graduation

ceremony last June, like we always

do. It gives us a warm feeling about

our school when we see so many of

our students ready and well-prepared

to enter high school.

I like to think that my job as cus-

todian had somethin’ to do with their

success. I hear that kids learn better

in a clean environment.

A few years ago, the valedictori-

an was Mary Cunningham, a real

know-it-all. I don’t mean that in a

negative sense … Mary really does

know it all.

I spoke to Mr. Keck at the recep-

tion in the multipurpose room fol-

lowing last year’s ceremony. I brought

up Mary and asked him if she was still

knockin’ folks’ socks off with her

knowledge.

“You know, Gus, Mary’s proba-

bly the brightest student to ever attend

Eastside. She had an estimated IQ of

160.”

“Yeah,” I responded, “but that

doesn’t mean she’ll do well in real life

… out there in the real world, where

she has to hold down a job. Remem-

ber Johnny Stevenson … the kid who

was valedictorian about 10 years

ago?”

“Who can forget that case?

Showed all the potential and wound

up unable to hold a steady job.”

“Yeah … then he got busted for

holding up a convenience store. What

a waste of a good brain. See, Mr. Keck

… you never can predict the future,

even for the sharpest kids.”

“So true, Gus, but I don’t think

Mary will encounter much difficulty

in the job department. Let me tell

you what happened since she left

Eastside.”

I poured myself a cup of coffee

and filled my paper plate with an

assortment of homemade cookies

baked by the PTA ladies. The missus

and I listened intently as Mr. Keck

continued.

“Well, the high school teachers

were so impressed with Mary’s mas-

tery of every subject that they rec-

ommended her for the school’s dual

credit program and sent her off to

college to take some higher-level

courses.”

“Wow! Mary’s really on the fast

track!” I responded.

“That’s just the start. The col-

lege professors recommended that

Mary be given a high school diploma

immediately and enroll in college

classes full time. Mary took the col-

lege entrance exams and got a per-

fect score in every subject.”

“Has that ever happened before?”

“If it has, Gus, I’ve never heard

of it. Anyway, Mary wound up enter-

ing college at the tender age of 16.

She’s especially skilled in mechani-

cal and electrical engineering. So,

what does she do next? She wrote

several papers on mag-lev power

drive systems for railroads and the

papers were published in several pro-

fessional engineering journals.”

(That’s the kinda drive system

that relies on magnetic levitation to

actually make the train float a few

inches above the ground.)

“That’s really impressive, Mr.

Keck, but I sense you’ve got more info

on Mary.”

“Yes, I do, Gus. An engineering

firm in Ohio read a few of Mary’s arti-

cles and offered her a job at their firm

for a reputed salary of well more than

$150,000 a year.”

“Holy cow! What did Mary do,

drop out of college?”

Gus, the custodi-

an at Eastside

Grammar, is the

creation of

Richard W.

Smelter, a retired

school principal,

now a Chicago-

based college

instructor and

author.

Perfect is only perfectwhen it’s spelled right

by “Gus”

B O I L E R R O O M

“No, Gus … Mary’s too sharp to

make such a stupid move. She knows

that she’ll only get so far without a

college sheepskin … and in her case,

several sheepskins. No, she stayed

in college, but petitioned the college

board to enroll her in a college-cred-

ited work-release program, so she

could work half-time for the engi-

neering firm and continue taking col-

lege courses online.”

“So, Mary’s in Ohio making

$75,000 a year and whippin’ through

her courses on the Internet?”

“Well, that was the case for a brief

time. Six months ago, she published

her first book, and her situation

changed again.”

“What was the book about? Engi-

neering?”

“No, Gus … or not exactly. It’s a

mystery novel about the murder of

some researcher in an engineering

firm. It’s getting rave reviews. The

book reviewers are starting to call

her the new Agatha Christie. A major

publishing house just offered her a

huge retainer if she’d write at least

one mystery a year and publish exclu-

sively with them.”

“Define huge,” I interjected.

“Somewhere in the neighbor-

hood of $600,000, Gus. She has a

real cross-over bunch of readers. Pro-

fessional engineers like her novel

because there’s quite a bit of new

engineering theory in it. The mys-

tery fans read her professional arti-

cles because her theories are so

mysterious.”

“So, now Mary’s sittin’ in some

easy chair in Ohio pullin’ down

$675,000 and still takin’ online col-

lege courses?”

“Yes, but that’s changed, too,”

responded Keck.

“What do you mean, Mr. Keck?”

“Well, Mary graduated from col-

lege this past June, after putting in

only three years, but they called her

back because they’d added up her

credits wrong and she was short six

hours. That’s two courses shy.”

“How did she cope with that?”

“She enrolled in two electives …

women’s soccer and women’s bas-

ketball. I hear she’s the leading scor-

er on both college teams.”

“Figures, Mr. Keck. She sounds

like she can do anything.”

“Yes, Gus … what they call a

renaissance woman. But she’s not

perfect. She’s still the world’s worst

speller … just like she was at East-

side. In spite of her vast knowledge,

she still uses an out-of-date word-

processing program that doesn’t have

‘spell-check.’ Her editors go nuts

because it takes so long to correct

her spelling errors. She habitually

spells engineer with a ‘j’ instead of

a ‘g’.”

This bit of knowledge made me

feel better. Perfect people are fright-

ening, somehow.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” added Keck.

“Tune in ‘Dancing With the Stars’

next week. She’s one of the finalists.

She can tango with the best of them!

Then, there’s her new vocal album

… several beautiful renditions of Slo-

vakian folk songs. She has perfect

pitch.”

With this bit of information, I

was frightened all over again. I think

that if I ever met Mary Cunningham

in the future, I’d be unable to speak

and run out of the room!

Then again, I might stick around

… but only if I could challenge her

to a spelling contest.

PresidentCarolyne Brooks

Vice PresidentKaren Fisher

ImmediatePast PresidentJoseph Alesandrini

IASB is a voluntary association of local boards ofeducation and is not affiliated with any branch ofgovernment.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Abe LincolnRoger Edgecombe

BlackhawkJackie Mickley

Central Illinois ValleyThomas Neeley

Cook NorthPhil Pritzker

Cook SouthTom Cunningham

Cook WestJoanne Zendol

Corn BeltMark Harms

DuPageRosemary Swanson

EgyptianJohn Metzger

IlliniMichelle Skinlo

KaskaskiaLinda Eades

KishwaukeeMary Stith

Lake CountyJoanne Osmond

NorthwestBen Andersen

ShawneeRoger Pfister

SouthwesternJohn Coers

Starved RockSimon Kampwerth Jr.

Three Rivers / TreasurerDale Hansen

Two RiversDavid Barton

Wabash ValleyTim Blair

WesternSue McCance

Chicago BoardJesse Ruiz

Service AssociatesSteve Larson

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 3

4 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

If the first 20 years of the Illinois

Association of School Boards were

relatively obscure and quiet because

of a lack of staff, the next 20 years

might be named the “Miracle-Gro”

years as the Association grew from

30 member districts in 1934-35 to

840 by the end of fiscal year 1951-

52.

During these growth years, the

nation found itself dealing with the

Great Depression, World War II and

the Korean War. Adolph Hitler became

chancellor of Germany in 1933,

promising “parliamentary democra-

cy,” and then dissolved the Ger-

man parliament within two days after

becoming chancellor. Within four

months, Germans were told to boy-

cott Jewish businesses, and Jewish

students were barred from school in

that country.

But 1933 was also the year for a

number of amazing feats. Construc-

tion began on the Golden Gate Bridge,

the monument at Mount Rushmore

was dedicated, Wiley Post made the

first solo flight around the world in

seven days and 19 hours, the first dri-

ve-in theater opened in Camden, New

Jersey, and two venerable magazines

— Newsweek and Esquire — began

publication.

The weather was in the news for

much of 1933 as record cold tem-

peratures hit Texas (-23°), Wyoming

(-63°) and Oregon (-54°) in Febru-

ary. In July, San Luis Potosi, Mexico,

hit a world high temperature of 136°.

And in November, the “Great Black

Blizzard” (part snowstorm, part dust

storm) raged from South Dakota to

the Atlantic.

Illinois was in the news as the

“Century of Progress” world’s fair

opened June 1 in Chicago, followed

by the first major league All-Star Game

on July 6 at Comiskey Park.

The year marked a milestone for

IASB as well, as the organization

moved its offices from the Urbana

Free Library to Springfield in 1933.

The following year, the Tri-County

Association, which represented school

boards in Cook, DuPage and Lake

counties, merged into the Illinois

State School Board Association.

By 1935, Illinois found itself in

a position that sounds much like it

does today. The theme of the 1935

annual conference was “How Can We

Save Our Schools?” Charles W. Roe,

president of the Rockford Board of

Education, addressed the conference

on money issues, saying that financ-

ing schools had been “a most per-

plexing and intricate question” for

the past decade.

His address called for more boards

of education throughout the state to

affiliate with the 22-year-old statewide

Association and for a more equitable

distribution of state tax money among

school districts.

“The trouble is, the state has nev-

er done it’s share,” Roe said, adding

that his district was still short $2,345.82

from the 1933-34 school year, was

owed $95,587.93 from the current

year with nothing yet received, and

had claims against the state that had

not been paid for 1929, 1930 and

1931.

Roe’s call for more members must

have struck a chord, as the Associ-

Linda Dawson is

IASB director/

editorial services

and editor of The

Illinois School

Board Journal.

Centennial celebration …

Association enters yearsof growth, expansion

by Linda Dawson

Part II — 1933-1952This is the second in a year-long series that will detail the his-

tory of the Illinois Association of School Boards from its inception

in 1913 through its 100th anniversary on December 13, 2013.

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 5

ation added 88 more districts by Oct.

31, 1936, and 11 more joined after

the first of November, according to a

report from A.D. McLarty, IASB exec-

utive secretary.

Association objectives

During the mid-1940s, the Asso-

ciation published a list of eight basic

objectives for the organization. Some

of these objectives were reached. Oth-

ers still remain in some form today.

1. Local control must be preserved.

2. Present system of taxation for

schools is outmoded.

3. Teacher problems (salary, social

conditions and retirement secu-

rity) demand continued attention.

4. Urge wisest solutions to effective

school reorganization.

5. Unit districts should be encour-

aged by removing restrictions and

limitations.

6. Urge continuation of a school board

committee to deal with railroad

tax objections.

7. Expand regional divisions through-

out the state.

8. Urge cooperation with school

boards and other agencies for the

advancement of public education.

Effects of consolidation

Prior to the mid-1940s, small,

local school districts were the norm,

and with some money coming from

the state, albeit sometimes slowly,

few incentives existed for districts to

consolidate or merge.

However, that picture changed,

according to William Phillips, asso-

ciate professor of educational lead-

ership at the University of

Illinois-Springfield and an expert in

the field of school consolidation.

“In 1945, the legislature gave

unit districts equal taxing power to

dual districts and, in addition, unit

districts were given a lower qualify-

ing rate for entrance into state aid

reimbursements,” Phillips said. “In

effect, unit districts now had finan-

cial parity with dual districts, and the

lower qualifying rate for state aid pro-

vided a powerful incentive for the for-

mation of unit districts.”

As a result of the legislation, the

number of districts in Illinois declined

from more than 11,000 to less than

5,000 by 1950, Phillips added.

So as the actual number of dis-

tricts in the state was dwindling, the

percentage of member districts was

STAFFOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORRoger L. Eddy,Executive DirectorBenjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive Director

Meetings ManagementPatricia Culler, Assistant to the Executive DirectorCarla S. Bolt, Director-designeeSandy Boston, Assistant Director

Office of General CounselMelinda Selbee, General CounselKimberly Small, Assistant General Counsel

Executive SearchesDonna Johnson, DirectorDoug Blair, ConsultantDawn Miller, ConsultantThomas Leahy, ConsultantDave Love, Consultant

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESJennifer Feld, Associate ExecutiveDirector/Chief Financial Officer

Production ServicesDiane M. Cape, Senior Director

ADVOCACY/GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONSBenjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive DirectorDeanna L. Sullivan, DirectorSusan Hilton, DirectorZach Messersmith, Assistant Director

AdvocacyCynthia Woods, Director

BOARD DEVELOPMENT/TARGETING ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH GOVERNANCEAngie Peifer, Associate Executive Director

Board DevelopmentSandra Kwasa, DirectorNesa Brauer, Consultant

Targeting Achievement through GovernanceSteve Clark, Consultant

COMMUNICATIONSJames Russell, Associate Executive DirectorGary W. Adkins, Director/EditorialLinda Dawson, Director/EditorialJennifer Nelson, Director, Information ServicesGerald R. Glaub, Consultant

FIELD SERVICES/POLICY SERVICESCathy A. Talbert, Associate Executive Director

Field ServicesLarry Dirks, DirectorDean Langdon, DirectorPatrick Rice, DirectorJeff Cohn, DirectorBarbara B. Toney, DirectorLaurel DiPrima, Director

Policy ServicesAnna Lovern, DirectorNancy Bohl, ConsultantAndrea Dolgin, ConsultantJackie Griffith, ConsultantWayne Savageau, ConsultantBrian Zumpf, Consultant

IASB OFFICES

2921 Baker DriveSpringfield, Illinois 62703-5929217/528-9688 Fax 217/528-2831

www.iasb.com

One Imperial Place1 East 22nd Street, Suite 20Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120630/629-3776 Fax 630/629-3940

6 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

increasing. It was noted in the Bul-

letin that consolidation often led to

new members rather than the loss of

a member when two districts joined.

New way to organize

As the Association gained more

and more districts, members began

to organize themselves into what

would eventually become IASB cur-

rent regional division governance

structure. It would take time and plan-

ning, but different counties through-

out the state began to meet and form

bonds of governance closer to home.

Just as many school board mem-

bers will meet this

spring for division

dinners, either at

a school or other

venue, board

members began

meeting in the

mid-1940s to

expand Associa-

tion activities and

learning oppor-

tunities beyond

the annual con-

ference.

IASB’s first

division was actually the Tri-Coun-

ty Association of School Boards rep-

resenting Cook, DuPage and Lake

counties, which merged with IASB

in 1934. It would be another decade

before the idea of divisions would

catch on, but once it did, they orga-

nized quickly.

In the October 19, 1946, issue

of School Board News Bulletin, Robert

Cole, IASB executive director, wrote:

“During the course of this com-

ing year, the Association plans to

develop new and more divisions. Sev-

eral areas of the state have already

asked us to start a division, and before

we are through we shall have divi-

sions which will reach every part of

Illinois. It will take some time to cov-

er the state.”

Some of the divisions listed below

may look similar to the divisions that

exist today. However, many were

much larger when they were creat-

ed, and some no longer exist, having

given way to a later system of orga-

nization.

Information available on divi-

sions, their first meetings and offi-

cers before 1952 include:

Blackhawk met April 10, 1946, at

Moline with representatives from

Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island

counties. Kenneth Telleen of Cam-

bridge was elected as the first chair-

man.

Egyptian met September 19, 1946,

at West Frankfort, but no record

was given to IASB of the first coun-

ty representatives, although some

were said to have traveled more

than 100 miles to attend the meet-

ing. Bob Krebs, who later became

Association president, of Mount

Vernon was elected as the first

chairman.

Southwestern met December 12,

This map of Illinois from March 1956 shows how IASBdivisions were organized at that time. Some were muchbigger than today’s versions. Others had not been envi-sioned as yet.

IASB presidents1933-34 W.F. Confrey, LaSalle

1935-36 Leo W. Chulock, Maywood

1937-38 B.B. Voris, Waterloo

1939-40 Ira E. Garmin, Bellwood

1941-42 Harold W. Norman, Bannockburn

1943 M. H. Detweiler, Zeigler

1944 Alden B. Mills, Evanston

1945-47 Earl H. Beling, Moline

1948-49 E.E. Clark, Naperville

1950-51 Reinhard Wilson, Centralia

1952-53 Robert Krebs, Mt. Vernon

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 7

1946, to discuss organization of a

division to serve Madison, St. Clair

and “adjacent counties.” No oth-

er information from that meeting

was available. G.W. Hoelscher of

Granite City was listed as the chair-

man in a September division report.

Illini met January 16, 1947, and first

records show it was to serve a “50-

mile radius of Ur bana and Cham-

paign.” O.D Mann of Danville was

the chairman listed in the same

report.

Starved Rock met February 13, 1947,

in LaSalle to appoint a planning

committee and met again in Ottawa

on April 23. H.L. Kistler of Peru

was listed as chairman in the Sep-

tember division report.

Northwest met February 5, 1948,

at Mount Morris with representa-

tives of Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee,

Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and

Winnebago counties. A.R. Bogue

of Rochelle was elected as the first

chairman.

Wilrokee met March 31, 1948, with

representatives of Iroquois, Kan -

kakee, Will and a portion of Ford

counties in Kankakee, with plans

to meet there again October 5. No

other information was reported

about the division except meet-

ing dates through the end of 1952.

Abe Lincoln met February 14, 1949,

at Jacksonville with representa-

tives from Adams, Brown, Cal-

houn, Cass, Christian, Greene,

Hancock, Jersey, Macoupin, Mason,

McDonough, Menard, Montgomery,

Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler

and Scott counties.

Wabash Valley met September 21,

1949, at Olney with representa-

tives from Clark, Clay, Crawford,

Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham,

Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, and

Wabash counties. Bayard Heath of

Crawford County CUSD 2 was elect-

ed as the first chairman.

Central Illinois Valley met April 12,

1951, at Pekin High School to orga-

nize a division for Fulton, Mason,

Marshall, McLean, Peoria, Stark,

Tazwell and Woodford counties.

T. E. Wiggins was selected as the

first chairman at a meeting on May

3.

Currently, IASB has 21 regional

divisions that meet at least twice a

year to provide members with con-

tact from the organization closer to

home. That contact offers the oppor-

tunity for professional development

through panel sessions and speakers,

as well as the opportunity to hear

first-hand from Association officers

and staff regarding issues affecting

education.

Comparisons1913 1933 2012

Federal spending $0.72 billion $4.6 billion $3,563 trillion

Consumer Price Index 9.9 144.5 231.4

Unemployment 4.3% 25.2% 7.9%

First-class stamp 2 cents 3 cents 45 cents

in the SPOTLIGHT this issueEssentials of Illinois School Finance

www.iasb.com/shop/or call 217/528-9688, ext. 1108

A Guide to Techniques, Issues and Resources

Sixth Edition

8 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Each election year, citizens decide

to run for their local school

board and some approach the job

with preconceived ideas of what the

job will be and what they want to

accomplish on the board. Among

those ideas are some persistent myths

that veteran board members have

learned are just not true.

Myth #1: I can speak and write

as a private citizen about school issues.

Be very careful if you think you can

continue to speak or write as a pri-

vate citizen on school issues once

you are a board member. Even if you

just sign a letter to the editor or an

opinion piece with your name and

town address (usually required for

publication) the news media will pick

up on who you are.

Your district may have a policy

that outlines who may speak for the

board. Usually that is the board pres-

ident, but it can be a board member

who has been designated because of

expertise in a certain area. If you are

saying anything that borders on slan-

der of a staff member, you may be liable.

Myth #2: I can stay involved with

school related groups. You may think

you’ll be a great reference for them,

but it may inhibit interaction in the

group. You’re not just one of them

anymore: you’re a board member.

Let them know you’ll advocate for

them, but you don’t want to do the

work of staff.

This also can become an issue of

intimidation. Check with your board

president regarding any potential

issues of conflict.

When you’re a board member

and a parent, however, your parent

hat always should come first. There’s

no reason you can’t volunteer in your

third-grade student’s classroom if

you’ve always been the one to help

with cutouts and copying for the

teacher. Just be sensitive to larger

issues and let someone else “carry

the water.”

Myth #3: No more 7-0 votes! I

am here to “rock the boat!” As long

as they are reached independently,

is there really anything wrong with

a 7-0 vote? Of course not. Look at

the process by which you reach a

unanimous vote. Many boards have

two or three readings on policies

before adoption, which is plenty of

time to make suggestions and changes.

So how do you convey your rea-

soning behind 7-0 votes? You can

recap the process by which you

reached your decision: “This item

was vetted in committee and this was

the recommendation.” Try to engage

the vocal minority voices in your

community to diffuse the possibility

of an issue “going viral” with misin-

formation.

Also remember, even if the vote

is split, the board should stand togeth-

er on the decisions that are made for

the district.

Myth #4: I have a mandate from

the voters! We hear this often. A board

member had support from a group to

gain election and then six months

down the road a call comes from the

leader of that group asking why the

board member “hasn’t done anything”

regarding a specific issue.

It’s easy to be vocal during a con-

tested campaign and often said that

candidates campaign in poetry but

govern in prose.

Learn how to count. One mem-

ber on a seven-person board is not a

majority. Always do the math regard-

ing the number of calls received ver-

sus the number of students affected

by the issue. Your real mandate is to

do what is best for all the children in

the district.

Myth #5: As a former teacher (or

other role) I know exactly how the

school system operates. The learn-

ing curve for being a school board

member is more like a steep grade,

especially when it comes to under-

standing laws and finance.

Sandi Barry is

communications

and marketing

coordinator for

the Maryland

Association of

Boards of Educa-

tion and a school

board member in

Maryland; Terry

McCabe is asso-

ciate executive

director for the

Maine School

Boards Associa-

tion.

Ten common mythsof school board service

by Sandi Barry and Terry McCabe

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 9

Yes, you do bring an expertise to

the board that has value, but you need

to understand what your new role is.

We knew a teacher/union president

who ran for the board in order to get

the superintendent fired. That per-

son finally let go of the issues that

came with being a union represen-

tative when she realized what the

board was doing for children.

If you have difficulty under-

standing your new role as a board

member, talk with your board pres-

ident, superintendent or someone

from your state school board associ-

ation to gain clarity.

Myth #6: I don’t need to read

or attend training to understand the

issues. Continuous learning is impor-

tant. At one of our trainings, we met

a woman who had been on a school

board for eight to 10 years — she was

the epitome of experience. She relin-

quished her seat on the board for a

few years but missed it, so she got re-

elected. We saw her at a new board

member training session, and she

said she knew she had more to learn

and that things can change quickly,

especially with laws and finance.

Find out what your association

has to offer in terms of professional

development. If others on your board

are the ones resistant to training,

report out what you have learned and

lead by example. Ask someone to go

with you the next time and tell them:

We need to model continuous improve-

ment for our teachers and staff.

Your board meeting packets are

another area that needs to be read

and understood. If you’re not doing

your homework, it slows things down

at the meeting.

Myth #7: I have all the new ideas!

New board members do provide fresh

blood and a new sense of purpose for

district work. But, please, be respect-

ful of experience that your veteran

board members provide. School dis-

tricts have a collective history just

as do communities. An orientation

program that includes a component

of district history (facilities, redis-

tricting, busing, etc.) can help inform

new board members so they can get

up to speed.

Myth #8: School staff can say

“No” to my requests. Often staff mem-

bers are intimidated by board mem-

bers. Be sure to use the chain of

command for any requests, or you

risk putting staff in an awkward posi-

tion. They may think they could lose

their job if they don’t comply with

your request.

Remember, it’s not your job to

direct day-to-day operations. The

authority conferred on you by being

a board member rests with the board

as seven members sit to deliberate

and vote. As an individual, outside of

the meeting room, a board member

does not have authority.

Myth #9: School board service

is my full-time job. It may seem like

that sometimes — especially at bud-

get time. But you need to find that

often delicate balance between your

board/district life and your person-

al/family/professional life.

Top 10 reasons for being a board member by Bill Phalen, former Calvert County, Maryland, board member

Obviously not every reason for being a board member is a myth.

Here are 10 good reasons to run for a position on a board of edu-

cation, some of which obviously are tongue in cheek:

1. You love a challenge.

2. You really enjoy the baked chicken served at banquets.

3. A teacher made a difference in your life.

4. You try to understand opinions that differ from your own.

5. You like to sit on hard chairs for extended periods of time.

6. You are firm in your beliefs but have the ability to compromise.

7. You want all children to be successful in school.

8. You know every child has the ability and right to a good educa-

tion.

9. Not only do you like evening events, your spouse likes you to

go to evening events.

10. You believe you can make a difference.

“It looks like new chalk is the only equip-ment upgrade we can afford this year.”

10 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

If you find yourself operating at

helicopter level with policies that

direct administration, you need to

step back and start working at the

board level. Revisit information you

might have received regarding your

role as a school board member!

Myth #10: I’m the only one “in

it” for the kids. Give your fellow board

members the benefit of the doubt.

In their way, they are “in it” for the

kids, too. Each of us may express that

in a different way.

When we ask board members,

they have plenty of “myths” of their

own, including:

• We can do whatever we want regard-

less of the law.

• Being on the board will give me

the power to change … .

• Best of intentions aren’t always

visible.

• It’s gonna be easy!

• I can advocate for my child.

• The community is going to sup-

port the board.

• Coming to a training conference

is a vacation!

Development – Policies that provide for good board processes, a strong board-superintendent relationship, appropriate direction and delegation to the superintendent, and district ends.

Updating – Policies that are current with legal requirements and provide for effective board governance.

Review – A process that assures board policy continues to accurately support the board’s mission, vision and goals.

Monitoring – A process that assures board policy is being followed and is having the intended effect.

Communicating – A process that allows easy access to current board policy by theboard, staff, students, parents and the community.

If your board needs assistance in any of these areas, contact IASB Policy Services today!630/629-3776 or 217/528-9688Ext. 1214 or 1125bzumpf@iasb.com or alovern@iasb.com

IASB Policy Services IASB Policy Services Provides custom, in-district services and workshops

to assist your board with all aspects of its policymaking role:

Prime location inwestern Chicago

suburbLease includes utilities, amenities. For details orto make an appointment

to view the space,contact Melinda Selbee:

630/705-3568

Office SpaceAvailable

Office SpaceAvailable

12 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

C O V E R S T O R Y

When Stacey R. Lee graduat-

ed from high school in a

Southeastern Illinois town, she had

something her classmates were only

beginning to contemplate: a college

degree.

That was 12 years ago, when it

was in vogue to let fellow classmates

know you were “blowing off” senior

year because your basic requirements

for starting college had been met by

the end of your junior year of high

school. It also meant taking mostly

elective courses to fill the senior year

and coasting through to graduation

with few challenges.

In 2001, the National Commis-

sion on the High School Senior Year

found little inter-connection exist-

ed between K-12 schools and high-

er education. The systems were

operating very independently of each

other. Researchers said the senior

year was pretty much a lost

cause:

“For a variety of reasons, student

motivation drops in the senior year.

Short of a miserable failure … prac-

tically every college-bound student

knows that what they have accom-

plished through Grade 11 will large-

ly determine whether or not they

attend college, and if so, which col-

lege. As a result, serious preparation

ends at Grade 11.”

A co-chair of the National Com-

m i s s i o n

said that

while the economy and the nation’s

workforce were in rapid change, many

colleges and secondary schools were

“standing still” — doing almost the

same thing over the past quarter of

the century.

Secondary schools were using

honors courses and Advanced Place-

ment (AP) to motivate and keep high

performing students interested in

school.

At the same time, community

colleges were dealing with issues of

their own. In 1998, Donald E. Puyear,

former executive director of the State

Board of Directors for Community

Colleges of Arizona, outlined four dis-

tinct issues:

• Transfer articulation — making

the transition from a two-year to

four-year college as seamless as

possible;

• Distance education — making learn-

ing accessible even though stu-

dents are far from the actual

classroom;

• Remedial education — “catch-up”

classes for those not fully prepared

for college in certain subjects ; and

• Concurrent enrollment of high

school students in community col-

lege courses.

What a difference 15 years can

make!

Hans A. Andrews

is a former sec-

ondary school

business teacher

and counselor.

He retired as col-

lege president for

Olney Central

College in Illinois

and is now the

Distinguished

Fellow for Com-

munity College

Leadership. He

helped start the

first dual-credit

program in

Illinois.

Phenomenal growthfor dual-credit programs

by Hans A. Andrews

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 13

Phenomenal growth

Dual-enrollment and dual-cred-

it programs have been booming in

every state during the past 15 years.

In 2008, authors Richard Lynch and

Freida Hill noted that the state of

Georgia enrolled 17,442 high school

students in state technical, industri-

al or business college programs

between July 1, 2001, and June 30,

2004. This was a 93 percent increase

over the three-year period.

This growth in technical colleges

has become one of the major shifts

in dual-enrollment programs, which

previously had focused on high per-

forming students. And seldom had

programs been developed with eco-

nomically and educationally disad-

vantaged students in mind.

In fall 2007, 64,910 students were

enrolled in dual-credit classes in Texas.

The Texas Higher Education Coor-

dinating Board identified this as a

five-fold increase over 1999 enroll-

ment. In “Doubling the opportunity

for success,” Susan Reese reported

that Alamo Community Colleges

enrolled more than 5,500 students

that fall.

The Illinois Community College

Board, which maintains statistics on

dual-credit enrollments, shows a very

large growth in Illinois. Rob Kerr,

ICCB’s director for career and tech-

nical education, says enrollment grew

from 14,633 in FY 2000 to 82,982

student enrollees in FY 2011. That

equates to a 567.5 percent increase

in dual-credit enrollments just in this

state.

A National Center for Educational

Statistics report found 98 percent of

the community colleges, 77 percent

of public four-year colleges and 40

percent of private four-year institu-

tions were enrolling high school stu-

dents in college courses for credit.

Some early beginnings

Writing in 1999 for the Jour-

nal of Secondary Gifted Education,

C.R. McCarthy said: “If we let your

child learn the next grade level cur-

riculum now, what will we teach him

or her next year? Neither teacher nor

parent finds tolerable the image of a

12th grader, or even occasionally a

younger student, sitting through a

year of school with nothing to learn.

The most acceptable remedy has been

to dole it out at a pace too slow for

bright students.”

Syracuse University has been a

dual-enrollment leader, starting its

program in 1972 by offering courses

in New York and several other states.

It became a model for other univer-

sity programs over the years and has

now expanded to 165 classes, with

more than 8,000 students in four

states.

Through Project Advance, Syra-

cuse partners with more than 180

high schools to offer qualified high

school students the opportunity to

enroll in SU courses for credit. These

basic introductory courses fit well

into most college and university cur-

riculums and are the same as taught

on the main university campus.

Project Advance originated to

address growing concerns about

“senioritis”: senior-year boredom

among capable high school students

who complete most graduation require-

ments by the end of their junior year.

From the original six schools in the

pilot, the program now serves more

than 165 high schools in New York,

New Jersey, Maine and Michigan, with

the largest concentration in New York.

According to Project Advance, approx-

imately 8,000 students enroll annu-

ally in SU courses, taught by more

than 700 high school faculty mem-

bers with SU adjunct instructor

appointments.

The National Association of Con-

current Enrollment Programs (NACEP)

was started in 1999 by a number of

colleges with dual-enrollment pro-

grams and has offered itself as an

accrediting body since 2004. Mem-

bership includes universities, com-

munity colleges and some secondary

schools. Elena Sampson, NACEP

membership chair, referred to the

programs in dual-enrollment/dual-

credit as “the best kept secret in terms

of college-cost savings”

Defining the terminologyThe terms dual-credit and dual-enrollment offer a degree of confusion

for many educators, students and parents. The Illinois Community CollegeBoard uses the follow definitions, which are fairly universal across thecountry, although wording may vary slightly:

Dual-Credit is an instructional arrangement where an academicallyqualified student currently enrolled in high school enrolls in a college-levelcourse and, upon successful course completion, concurrently earns bothcollege credit and high school credit.

Dual-Enrollment is an academically qualified student who is stillenrolled in high school but also enrolls in a college-level course at the com-munity college. On successful completion, the student exclusively earnscollege credit, but no high school credits are earned.

14 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

The association now has stan-

dards of excellence, research and

advocacy of programs as part of its

key mission.

Outcomes for students

In The Dual-Credit Phenome-

non! Challenging secondary school

students across 50 states, I summa-

rized various outcomes that students

can obtain by enrolling in dual-enroll-

ment or dual-credit classes:

• An opportunity to enroll in college

course work while still in high

school;

• An opportunity to gain marketable

technical or vocational skills not

offered by the secondary school;

• An opportunity to earn up to one

semester of college credit prior to

(or immediately following) high

school graduation;

• An opportunity to earn up to one

to two years of college work prior

to (or immediately following) high

school graduation;

The completion of a semester, a

year or even two years of college cred-

it may involve attending summer pro-

grams while still in high school or the

summer following graduation.

Virginia’s community colleges

list these advantages on their website:

• Provides college-level instruction

to high school students, during reg-

ular school hours.

• Accelerates a student’s college

career and provides quality, afford-

able education close to home.

Unique dual programsNumerous experimental programs are being devel-

oped to meet the needs of students who are ready for col-

lege work while still in high school.

In February 2010, The New York Times announced

a program that will offer high school students a way to

graduate two years early. By passing a battery of tests in

English, math, science and history, a 10th grade student

will be able to move into a community college program.

Organized by the National Center on Education and the

Economy, the program began in 2011 and is modeled

after high-performing programs in Denmark, England,

Finland, France and Singapore after initial funding through

the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

As reported in Community College Times, Waubon-

see Community College in Illinois has been running the

Dunham Academy on an inner city campus in Aurora.

It has provided a means of integrating students into a

highly respected college challenge with start-up funding

from the Dunham Fund, a local foundation. Students

come from the underserved student populations of both

East and West Aurora high schools and include a high

percentage of low-income, ethnic minorities and/or first

generation college students.

A study of 17,442 dual-enrolled students, con-

ducted with the Technical College System of Georgia

from 2001 to 2004, found the following results for

dual-enrolled students:

• High school-technical college dual enrollment increased

93 percent over the period of the study.

• The majority of students enrolled in industrial or busi-

ness programs.

• For the most part, enrollees mirrored the high school

population as a whole. The main differences were that

more students from low-income groups and the tech-

nology/career prep were now taking more college-lev-

el courses than would have been expected based upon

their historical data. (Most all of the 17,442 dual enrolled

students experienced academic success in the dual-

enrolled technical college courses; a total of 9,358

transitioned into a Georgia public college after high

school graduation.)

• The program proved that economically and educa-

tionally disadvantaged students can succeed if given

the opportunity to enroll in college courses. This was

not the focus of the more traditional dual-credit or

dual-enrollment programs.

In Louisiana in 2008, the Shreveport-Bossier cam-

pus reported it had students enrolled in the following

areas of career technical education: culinary arts, graph-

ic communications, network specialist, drafting and

design technology, carpentry, air conditioning and repair,

automotive technology, and several others.

In 2001, Jackie L. Davis and I found the following

courses being offered on the Olney Central College cam-

pus for technical and career students: collision repair,

automotive service, Cisco networking, web designer cer-

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 15

• Enriches the course opportunities

for outstanding high school stu-

dents both in academic course-

work and in career and technical

education.

• Allows students to enter college

with credits applicable to their

degree program.

• Helps students understand the rig-

or of college work as well as col-

lege faculty expectations.

• Provides access to college resources,

facilities and services such as advis-

ing, career counseling and men-

toring.

These advantages can usually be

found on websites of each partici-

pating college. They are similar from

state-to-state and college-to-college

but there are unique programs that

offer other advantages.

Student feedback

The Columbia County (Georgia)

News-Times reported the following

in 2011: “Erika Blair was Harlem High

School’s STAR student but attended

the Advanced Academy program start-

ing at age 15 at the University of West

Georgia in Carrollton. When she grad-

uated from high school in 2011, she

also completed her sophomore year

of college.”

Surveys of students enrolled in

dual-credit or dual-enrollment class-

es while in high school have been

highly supportive of having the pro-

grams continue in their secondary

schools. Comments of students who

tification, woodworking and industrial maintenance.

Chris Plummer of Market Watch studied what was

happening in dual-credit and dual-enrollment programs

around the country in 2008. A unique program in Utah

had high school students obtaining two years of college

credit during a summer session after they graduated.

These two-year college graduates are then offered uni-

versity tuition discounts at 30 percent of the normal rate

during their junior and senior year at the state’s public

universities.

Plummer also showed that Arizona permits students

of any age to participate in dual-enrollment classes, not

just juniors and seniors as stated in previous guidelines.

He found New York state offering more than 60 classes

to more than 100,000 juniors and seniors, who had to

have a minimum B- average to enroll. California offered

both juniors and seniors a $1/credit dual-credit classes

that were offered to other students but still had open-

ings to take the dual-credit students.

In “Motivation, student engagement and dual-cred-

it programs,” Nick Soave reported dual-credit has start-

ed in some Canadian provinces as a way to help motivate

students in secondary schools. Ontario’s program allows

students to take up to four credits that count at both the

secondary school and college level as in the United States.

During the 2009-10 school year, only about 1.3 percent

of Ontario students enrolled in college-level dual cred-

it programs. At that time there were no programs tar-

geting their students at risk.

Writing for the United States Department of Edu-

cation, Melinda Karp, Thomas R. Bailey, Katherine L.

Hughes and Baranda J. Fermin produced an analysis of

state dual-enrollment polices in 2005. Among their find-

ings were that Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico,

North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and West Virginia

all have state policies that provide for oversight of pro-

gram quality.

In Tennessee, superintendents must approve course

content. West Virginia has extensive state policies and

procedures for dual-enrollments with oversight for qual-

ity control.

At a statewide conference in Chicago in 1988, 16

people showed up to learn about the beginning programs

in dual-credit offered in Illinois. At that time only two

community colleges districts out of 39 offered dual-cred-

it programs.

In the fall 2008 in Springfield, more than 250 peo-

ple participated at the Dual-Credit Summit, sponsored

by the Illinois Community College Board. All 39 college

districts were offering dual-credit programs by then and

representatives at the meeting were from the commu-

nity colleges, state and private universities, governmental

agencies, nonprofit social agencies, superintendents and

principals of secondary schools, employment agen-

cies, and state legislators.

16 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

continued on to college or universi-

ty studies following the Fast Forward

Program enrollment of the Univer-

sity of North Carolina-Greensboro

were:

• I think Fast Forward is the best-

advanced learning program there

is.

• I am closer to graduating because

of transferred credit.

• I hope the program stays at my

high school and others. It’s a ter-

rific way to prepare for college. I

love that my college credit was-

n’t dependent on one test!!

• The Fast Forward Program gave

me the chance to get classes out

of the way. I will be a junior in the

fall, credit-wise — but it will only

be my second year of college. This

is a great opportunity!

Other students, two years after

graduating from Marquette High School

in Ottawa, Illinois, responded to a

survey I conducted about their

program:

• The instructors were the best teach-

ers I ever had. The program made

me understand what college will

be like. It took the fear out of me.

• Teachers were always willing to

help. They didn’t hold back mate-

rial they didn’t think we could

handle.

• The program was all around excel-

lent. The way the instructors treat-

ed me was great because they didn’t

seem to think of us as any less than

those students on campus.

• They gave us a chance to experi-

ence college. The differences

between high school and college

really showed. The teachers are

excellent!

• The experience was extremely valu-

able. They gave me enough hours,

so that with summer courses, I can

graduate in three years.

• It has been the most valuable learn-

ing experience that I received at

MHS.

• Two of the community college pro-

fessors are the best I’ve had in my

college career so far.

This type of feedback is very com-

mon as students see the value of the

challenge of dual-enrollment and

dual-credit programs during their last

two years of high school.

Making it work

The key to dual-credit and dual-

enrollment courses is the quality of

the instructors assigned to teach these

students. University professors, com-

munity college teachers and sec-

ondary school teachers are all used

to teach these classes. Secondary

teachers must have the same cre-

dentials as the other two college lev-

els. For transfer classes, a master’s

degree in the field of study is usual-

ly required.

Secondary teachers in technical

and vocational areas must also meet

the same academic or experience

requirements as community college

or university faculty. Due to a lack of

facilities and high technology equip-

ment in most secondary schools, the

courses most often are held in com-

munity college or university class-

rooms and labs and are taught by their

teachers. Where vocation and tech-

nical centers flourish in secondary

school settings, then basic level class-

es can be offered there and often the

vocational-technical teachers at the

center teach the course syllabus of

the college course.

One of the unplanned, but sig-

nificant, outcomes of the Marquette

High School program in Ottawa in

the late 1980s was the change it cre-

ated throughout the school system.

The college tested all candidates

for college English courses that were

going to be offered in the fall. A fair-

ly high percentage of students the

first fall did not pass the entry exam

and did not qualify for the college

level course. They were directed

back to the school’s senior English

course.

This put pressure on those Eng-

lish teachers in grades 8-11 to bring

these students up to the level they

would need to pass the entry exam

for college English. Each year the per-

centage improved for students being

ready as teachers learned what need-

ed to be accomplished at each level

to have them ready for college Eng-

lish by their senior year.

Parents soon found that their

students were able to start full-time

college studies after high school grad-

uation at an advanced level. Whether

at a community college or universi-

ty, students could enroll earlier (as

returning students), enroll in more

advanced classes and some started

as a sophomore right out of high school.

A few students, who have been able

to complete a two-year associate

degree, start as college or university

juniors, a phenomenon that is grow-

One of the unplanned, but significant,

outcomes of the Marquette High

School program in Ottawa in the late

1980s was the change it created

throughout the school system.

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 17

ing rapidly.

Parents also felt a financial bur-

den lifted for either 25 percent to 50

percent of the cost of college leading

to a baccalaureate degree. This could

range from $6,000 to $35,000 or more

a year depending on whether the con-

tinuing enrollment was in a state or

private college.

Prognosis

How can I summarize the many

changes in this fast-growing program

during the past 20 years?

All 50 states are now participat-

ing. Most have developed guidelines

to help direct the growth and coor-

dination between K-12 schools and

higher education. The U.S. DOE now

recognizes these programs as an inte-

gral and important part of the edu-

cational change it endorses.

Is dual-enrollment/dual-credit

the most dramatic and meaningful

program in education over the last

40 to 50 years? With the way it has

gained such wide acceptance in all

areas of education, it would appear

it might well be the number one pro-

gram added during those years.

It has already expanded well

beyond its early roots of preparing

students in the more traditional trans-

fer course offerings of a freshman

year of college. It now offers a two-

year Associate Degree option. It also

introduces students from all economic

and social levels to opportunities in

college baccalaureate transfer cours-

es, as well as technical and vocational

educational programs.

The future of such programs will

be limited only by the imagination

of the movement’s leaders and the

schools that choose to get involved.

Editor’s note

Hans A. Andrews’ book, The Dual-

Credit Phenomenon! Challenging

secondary school students across

50 states, is the only comprehensive

book in the market on the topic. He

can be reached at andrewsha@sbc-

global.net.

ReferencesHans A. Andrews, The Dual-cred-

it Phenomenon! Challenging secondary

school students across 50 states, New

Forums Press, Inc., Stillwater, Okla-

homa, 2001

Jackie L. Davis and Hans A.

Andrews, “Dual credit: Delivery options

for secondary students,” On Research

and Leadership Update, Champaign,

18 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

Illinois, 2001

Sam Dillon, “High schools to offer

plan to graduate 2 years early,” The

New York Times, February 18, 2010,

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/edu

cation/18educ.html?_r=1

Dual credit, Illinois Community

College Board, http://www.iccb.org/dual-

credit.html, 2011

Donnie Fedder, “Harlem STAR stu-

dent nearly halfway to her college

degree,” The Columbia County New-

Times, 2011, http://newstimes.augus-

ta.com/stories/2011/04/06/new_6116543.

shtml

Scott Jaschik, “The spread of dual

enrollment,” Inside Higher Education,

2005, http://www.insidehighered.

com/news/2005/04/07/dual

C.R. McCarthy, “Dual-enrollment

programs: Legislation helps high school

students enroll in college courses,”

Journal of Secondary Gifted Educa-

tion, 1999

“Benefits of accreditation,” Nation-

al Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment

Partnerships (NACEP), 2011, http://

nacep.org/accreditation/benefits-of-

accreditation/

Melanie Brisbon, “Letting the data

do the talking,” Community College

Times, December 5, 2008

Melinda M. Karp, Thomas R. Bai-

ley, Katherine L. Hughes and Baran-

da J. Fermin, Update to state dual

enrollment policies: Addressing access

and quality, Community College

Research Center, Columbia Universi-

ty, New York, 2005

Richard Lynch and Freida Hill,

“Dual enrollment in Georgia’s high

schools and technical colleges,” Tech-

niques, October 2008

National Commission on the high

school senior year, U.S. Department

of Education, Washington, D.C., 2001

Chris Plummer, “College-cost

breaks: States offering discounted col-

lege classes to high schoolers,” Market

Watch, September 9, 2008, http://www.

marketwatch.com/news/story/pick-

ing-up-college-credits-maybe/story.

aspx?guid

Project Advance, About us, Syra-

cuse University, April 5, 2011, http://

supa.syr.edu/about/index.php

Donald E. Puyear, Concurrent and

dual enrollment of high school stu-

dents in Arizona Community Colleges:

A status report, Arizona State Board

for Community Colleges, Phoenix, Ari-

zona, 1998

Susan Reese, “Doubling the oppor-

tunity for success,” Techniques, Octo-

ber 2008

Nick Soave, Motivation, student

engagement and dual credit programs,

Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance,

2011, http://www.ousa.ca/2011/02/02/

motivation-student-engagement-and-

dual-credit-programs

“Teen graduates from college, high

school just weeks apart,” The Daily

Times, Ottawa, Illinois, May 15, 2001

Virginia’s Community Colleges,

Dual enrollment: Get a head start on

your education, 2011, http://vccs.

edu/Students/DualEnrollment/tabid/670/

Default.aspx

IASB FacilitatedSchool BoardSelf-Evaluation

Working together … better!

Last year over 160 Illinois School Boards learned thatself-evaluation is a key step toward a better board.

Board members say:• Good chance to build some teamwork.• Allowed everyone to express their thoughts.• Agreeing to do things differently (we were in a rut

of repeating the same patterns over and over).

Benefits include:• More effective leadership for the district• Improved teamwork• Successful board meetings

Contact your field services director to begin planning your next board self-evaluation workshop. Springfield 217/528-9688 • Lombard 630/629-3776

Watch for more information online and in yourmailbox prior to the April 2013 election!

Mandatory Training &

New Board Member Workshops2013

May 10-11Crystal Lake, Holiday Inn

Effingham, Thelma Keller Convention Center & Hotel & Suites

May 17-18Glen Ellyn, Crowne Plaza Lombard

Carbondale, Holiday Inn Conference Center

May 31-June 1Glenview, Wyndham Suites

Normal, Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

June 7-8Freeport, Highland Community College

Collinsville, Gateway Center

June 14-15Tinley Park, Holiday Inn

Springfield, Crowne Plaza

June 21-22Moline, Stoney Creek Inn

Champaign, Hilton Garden Inn

Choose from 12 locations throughout the state.

FRIDAYProfessional Development Leadership Training for School Board Members

Every school board member elected OR re-elected in 2013 MUST complete this training withinone year of taking the oath of office.

and

Open Meetings Act Training for School Board MembersEvery school board member newly elected in 2013 MUST complete this training within 90 daysof taking the oath of office. For board members who have already completed the OMA training,an alternate, exciting training opportunity will be available for this portion of the day.

SATURDAYThe Basics of Governance

Newly elected board members will hit the ground running with this essential board training workshop! This workshop also fulfills the governance overviewrequirement for admission into the LeaderShop Academy. Veteran board members who have already attended The Basics of Governance may choose to attend with the newly elected members on their boards.

20 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

P R A C T I C A L P R

Architects of the dual-credit pro-

gram at West Aurora High

School have dubbed one of this year’s

senior class members the “First Com-

pleter.” The student, Angel, is expect-

ed to finish his fire science certificate

of achievement, which is 23 college

hours of study, a few weeks before he

graduates from high school.

Angel is one of hundreds of West

Aurora High School students who will

graduate this spring with much more

than a diploma. This past fall, thanks

to an unprecedented, expanding rela-

tionship with Waubonsee Commu-

nity College (WCC), 597 West students

took 2,213 credit hours in college-

level courses with an outstanding 88

percent success rate. The savings to

district families exceeds $250,000

even at affordable community col-

lege rates.

Though impressive, this expand-

ing West Aurora/WCC partnership is

closing in on an even more ambitious

goal: next year’s qualified incoming

freshmen actually will be able to grad-

uate from college with an associate

degree when they graduate from high

school.

The challenge will be to com-

municate all the new possibilities to

families so students can take advan-

tage of them.

Dual-credit courses allow a high

school junior or senior to earn col-

lege credit and high school credit

simultaneously for a course. The con-

cept fits perfectly with challenging

economic conditions and a growing

need for a better-educated workforce.

Earning dual-credit makes a student’s

transition to the collegiate campus

smoother and increases the likeli-

hood that the student will graduate

from college.

Partnership formed

Shawn Munos, West Aurora High

School’s assistant principal for cur-

riculum, wanted to create a dual-cred-

it program with the depth and breadth

that could reach nearly every stu-

dent. She found a partner with a sim-

ilar vision in Dora Phillips, WCC’s

community education program devel-

oper.

Together, the two crafted a pro-

gram that serves:

• highest achieving students who

are college bound and seek chal-

lenging classes that could coor-

dinate with honors and AP

offerings;

• solid, hard-working, college-level

B students who are going to go

on and be successful.

• dual-language Spanish-speaking

students who need to develop skills

in their native language;

• career and technical education

(CTE) students who have a cho-

sen career interest and would be

transitioning to the community

college for certificate programs;

and

• test-challenged students falling

Mike Chapin is

community rela-

tions director for

Aurora West

USD 129 and a

board member of

the Illinois chap-

ter of the Nation-

al School Public

Relations Associ-

ation.

Communicating a chanceto graduate two ways

by Mike Chapin

Columns aresubmitted bymembers of

Senior Jazmin Espino, above, partici-pates in a discussion of an essay in adual-credit English course at WestAurora High School.

Pho

to c

our

tesy

Aur

ora

Wes

t U

SD 1

29

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 21

below the college readiness bench-

mark ACT scores.

Many of these students are capa-

ble of taking dual-credit classes from

credentialed instructors that allow

them to earn all the credits they need

for their freshman year of college gen-

eral education requirements.

Some, like Angel, will even attain

certification in fields like certified

nursing assistant (CNA), phleboto-

my technician or firefighter, with the

ability to work in those fields after

high school graduation.

The high school also offers four

Spanish classes — two courses to

promote upper-level Spanish lan-

guage skills in native English speak-

ers and two courses to advance reading

and writing skills for Spanish speak-

ers in their native language. These

transfer-level classes can be used in

a traditional liberal arts college pro-

gram or as part of a bilingual career

path.

Another ground-breaking pro-

gram addresses college readiness

needs. Too often students end up

needing four years to finish a two-

year college degree because they must

first complete remedial, develop-

mental classes.

The new West/WCC program per-

mits students to complete the full

developmental math and English

course sequences during their junior

and senior years of high school. When

these students are successful, they

can enroll in college and be acade-

mically ready to walk into a general

education or career program with-

out needing further remediation. This

saves them tuition money and makes

them far more likely to complete their

college coursework.

More than 20 additional cours-

es are under development for 2013-

14. The emphasis will be on science,

technology, engineering and math

(STEM) and CTE classes.

Think six, not four years

Given this new opportunity for

students to earn college credit, an

associate degree or certifications

while still in high school, incoming

freshmen and their parents have to

begin thinking of a six-year plan of

education, at least, or they are going

to miss something available to them.

Equally important, the high school

counselors must be able to answer

every question about a path a stu-

dent should be taking.

Munos has been working one-

on-one with counselors. In addition,

WCC has just developed a dual-cred-

it handbook for families. It answers

basic parent questions such as how

will this impact my student’s GPA

and what is the difference between

a learning enhancement class and a

transfer-level class.

“To me the ultimate goal is every-

one walks in here with this opportu-

nity,” said Munos. “We will push you,

push you and push you and if you

don’t take it, okay. It is there for every-

body, regardless of your ability, dis-

ability, or lack of success prior to

us.”

West Aurora seniors Erika Garcia, front,and Briseidy Andrade take notes in adual-credit English course at WestAurora High School.

Senior Ivan Rangel, above, reads anessay in a dual-credit English course atWest Aurora High School.

Pho

to c

our

tesy

Aur

ora

Wes

t U

SD 1

29Ph

oto

co

urte

sy A

uro

ra W

est

USD

129

22 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Twenty-five years of school reor-

ganization efforts by the Illi-

nois State Board of Education (ISBE)

is a tale of two perspectives: one log-

ical and the other emotional. The log-

ical perspective is rich with efficiencies

and incentives from on high; the emo-

tional perspective from the field is

ripe with attachments and challenges.

The top figure at right is a word

cloud generated from the text of three

boilerplate school reorganization fea-

sibility studies issued under ISBE

guidelines in the last decade. The bot-

tom figure is a word cloud generated

from the text of three qualitative stud-

ies that catalogued community reac-

tions to school organization in the

Midwest in the last 25 years.

When juxtaposed, these two word

clouds illustrate a stark contrast in

perspectives for school reorganiza-

tion. Moreover, they represent a para-

dox that would appear to be

irreconcilable. But as Sergei Korolev,

architect of the Soviet space program,

says about difficult circumstances

and situations: “There is no such

thing as an unsolvable problem.”

The solution rests with under-

standing and addressing the “rele-

vance paradox” inherent in change

and complex systems — like school

reorganization.

A “relevance paradox,” as

explained by financial advisers The

Calverton Group, occurs when indi-

viduals, professionals or groups of

professionals are unaware of essen-

tial information that could guide them

to better decisions or help them avoid

inevitable, unintended or undesir-

able consequences. Lacking the infor-

mation, they don’t see its relevance,

so they don’t seek it. They only seek

information and

advice they think

they need as

opposed to what

they actually need

to meet their own

or the organiza-

tion’s goals.

What is the

“relevance para-

dox” in Illinois

school reorgani-

zation?

Feas ib i l i ty

studies preach

what community

stakeholders need

to hear about the

efficiencies of reor-

ganization (beans,

basketballs and

buses). However,

community stake-

holders pray for what they actually

need to build the capacity to reorga-

nize (trust, flexibility and empathy).

These two conflicting views must

be reconciled so that the feasibility

study rationale and stakeholders’

emotions are on the same page.

By the numbers

Between 2002 and 2012, ISBE

awarded approximately 115 school

David M. Mills is

superintendent

of Jasper CCSD

17 in Fairfield, Illi-

nois, and an

adjunct professor

of educational

administration at

Murray State Uni-

versity in Murray,

Kentucky. He is

also a member of

the inaugural

cohort of the Illi-

nois School for

Advanced Lead-

ership.

The ‘relevance paradox’of school reorganization

by David M. Mills

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 23

reorganization feasibility study grants

to 281 school districts. During this

time, statutory reforms were enacted

to better facilitate reorganization ref-

erendums between multiple districts,

and reorganization incentives were

expanded to include joint high schools.

These initiatives, combined with

poor state and national economic

conditions and declining enrollments

in many districts, should have gen-

erated strong interest in school reor-

ganization.

However, an analysis of ISBE

funding disbursements does not sup-

port this assertion. The advancement

rate of feasibility studies to a refer-

endum for reorganization of any type

was only 28 percent.

Randy Dunn, who was Illinois

state superintendent of schools from

2004 to 2006, reviewed the above

data and said: “What we’ve done so

far, in my view, hasn’t exactly accom-

plished what needs to be accomplished

in Illinois.”

The most telling analysis of sta-

tistics germane to ISBE school reor-

ganization feasibility study grants dealt

with the success rate of school reor-

ganization referendums during this

10-year period. Of approximately 30

school reorganization referendums in

Illinois, 24, or approximately 81 per-

cent, were successful ballot measures.

The search for truth

The highly successful advance-

ment rate of reorganization referen-

dums passing between 2002 and 2009

became the foundation for a quanti-

tative casual-comparative research

study conducted in 2010. Answers

were sought to the following questions:

• Where has the reorganization

process faltered?

• How could the feasibility studies

be improved so districts were bet-

ter prepared to manage change?

• What happened differently in reor-

ganized districts that participated

in the feasibility grant program and

saw the process through to a suc-

cessful referendum?

For the purpose of the study, nine

school districts were identified from

241 school districts that participat-

ed in the ISBE reorganization feasi-

bility study grant program. They were

subdivided in two groups by region

and status.

For the region subgroup, three

districts were indentified from each

of the following parts of Illinois: north-

ern, central and southern. For the sta-

tus subgroup, three districts were

indentified from each of the follow-

ing reorganization outcomes: stalled

study, failed referendum and suc-

cessful referendum. All of the districts

contacted were small- to medium-

sized with student populations PreK-

12 less than 1,200. All of these districts

served rural and remote communi-

ties of less than 2,500 people.

Nick Osborne, a principal ISBE

reorganization consultant and pro-

fessor at Eastern Illinois University,

has identified the following six steps

that a complex system passes through

on the way to change:

• Sensing the problem

• Gathering data to confirm suspicions

• Analyzing the data

• Engaging in individual dispositional

dialogue

• Engaging in group dispositional

dialogue

• Entering the “spin zone” to either

retire the issue or to pursue change

This working concept of change

was very applicable to this study and

helped to further subdivide the study

into three phases of leadership:

• Logical (the first three steps where

the argument for reorganization is

made)

• Emotional (the dispositional dia-

logues where the grief process is

dealt with)

• Transformational (critical mass is

The Continuum of Change

24 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

put to the test in the spin zone to

either retire the issue or pursue

change)

In short, each phase works in

conjunction with the others to build

the capacity for change as illustrat-

ed in Osborne’s Continuum of Change

graphic on page 23.

Those who were superintendents

in the districts at the time of their

reorganization feasibility study were

contacted in spring 2010 and agreed

to participate in a survey to gauge

their district’s experience. The sur-

vey instrument was on-line and divid-

ed into four components:

• General demographic information

about the school district for cross

analysis purposes;

• General perceptions of the district

going into, during and coming out

of the school reorganization feasi-

bility study;

• Identification of stakeholder respon-

sibility and effectiveness in the

three realms of the Continuum

of Change (logical, emotional, trans-

formational) throughout the school

reorganization feasibility study;

• Reflective commentary from the

superintendent respondents regard-

ing his or her experience in a school

reorganization feasibility study.

Where it’s faltering

Districts that had stalled studies

and failed referendums relied, almost

completely, on administrators or

board members to navigate the emo-

tional elements of fear, loss and grief

when it came to preservation of both

their community and school. It

appeared as though the Committee

of Ten, the statutory group appoint-

ed to represent the community

throughout the process, was an after-

thought once the feasibility study was

complete.

This is where selecting a credi-

ble, confidant and influential Com-

mittee of Ten, early on, becomes so

important to the reorganization

process. Findings from successful

reorganizations show that the Com-

mittee of Ten can best shoulder the

responsibility of building the capac-

ity necessary to pursue and achieve

reorganization once the board applies

for a feasibility study and the prin-

cipal consultant reports the study’s

findings to the community.

Three consistent themes through

both subgroups emerged as recom-

mendations to improve the process:

1. The research suggests that more

attention to the process of change

be considered when working with

the myriad of stakeholders involved

in school reorganization;

2. The research specifically suggests

that guidance in building com-

munity consensus for reorgani-

zation is vital to the success of a

referendum; and

3. The research shows the commu-

nity appreciates an explanation and

understanding of the conditions

causing the need for a reorganiza-

tion feasibility study prior to the

delivery of final study findings.

The research also indicates that

a practical significance exists in dis-

tricts that saw the process through

from study to a successful referen-

dum in the “logical” and “transfor-

mational” realms on the Continuum

of Change. In the “emotional” realm,

successful districts experienced sim-

ilar difficulties as those where a study

stalled or referendum failed. But what

differed was the degree of effective-

ness of stakeholders working to effect

change.

The Committee of Ten in this

study’s three successful reorganiza-

tions took on the bulwark of the emo-

tional and transformational tasks

involved, and shared this responsi-

bility with the community. In those

districts, the theme of reorganization

as a means to preserve community

identity dominated the dialogue and

was shared by the stakeholders

throughout process.

Keys to successful reorganization

The research also suggests three

keys to unlocking successful school

reorganization: illustrating reorga-

nization as a means to fortify com-

munity identity in changing

demographics; selecting a credible

and influential group of wizened heads

to serve on the Committee of Ten

to represent the school and commu-

nity early in the process; and having

the primary stakeholders in a reor-

ganization effort understand and

accept their roles and goals on the

change continuum.

Superintendents who partici-

pated in the study were quick to add

quotes to their commentary sup-

portive of reorganization as a tool for

community identity:

• “The sum of the whole is greater

than its parts.” — Aristotle

• “All progress has resulted from

Districts that had stalled studies and

failed referendums relied, almost

completely, on administrators or

board members to navigate the emo-

tional elements of fear, loss and grief

when it came to preservation of both

their community and school.

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 25

people who took unpopular posi-

tions.” — Adlai E. Stevenson II

Another aspect of understand-

ing a school’s role in maintaining com-

munity identity is through the study

of place attachment. Methods exist

to measure community place attach-

ment and can help elicit an under-

standing of what the driving role of a

school is. Is attachment to a school

functional and based on dependence

or is attachment to a school emo-

tional and based on identity? Help-

ing a community come to terms with

both changing demographics and

understanding the attachment to their

school goes a long way in brokering

peace in a time of grief.

The most influential group of

stakeholders in a school reorganiza-

tion, the Committee of Ten, has no

professional representation to pro-

vide them guidance or support. Every

stakeholder in the process from fac-

ulty/staff to administration to board

of education to regional office of edu-

cation has both a professional orga-

nization and ISBE to lean on. The

Committee of Ten has no parent orga-

nization; therefore, it takes a very

unique individual from the com-

munity to serve in the capacity.

Great lengths must be taken to

ensure the right people are selected

to represent the community. Meth-

ods exist to identify community pow-

er structures and should be used by

school boards and administrators to

find those who can bring the capi-

tal of credibility and influence to the

table.

Additionally, it is important to

look at school reorganization more

as a process than an event. An analy-

sis of community power structures

may need to take place a couple of

years prior to a reorganization feasi-

bility study and initially take on

the structure of a community col-

laborative committee to address the

broad spectrum of changes that edu-

cation reform will have on rural school

and community partnerships.

Rural and remote communities

in the Midwest face a triple threat of:

• rapid depopulation,

• the failure of an agriculture-indus-

Discover theDifference!

Your policy manual is more than a reference book and IASB’s School Board Policy Online service is more than just a way to publish your manual online.

Contact IASB Policy Services today for information:630/629-3776 or 217/528-9688, ext. 1214 or 1125 • bzumpf@iasb.com or alovern@iasb.com

With School BoardPolicy Online your district can:• Access policy content quickly to

inform board decisions

• Know policy content is secure on a protected, backed-up, off-site server

• Search keywords and phrases to get relevant results broken down by policy section and number

• Post administrative procedures at no additionalcharge

• Streamline the online policy update process by also using PRESS Plus

• Review prior policy versions in a policy archive

Visit IASB.com for links to district manuals currently

published through SBPOL.

26 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

trial-energy economy to produce

the same level of middle income

jobs as a generation ago, and

• heightened social and emotional

problems.

These threats have thrust com-

munities into some difficult conver-

sations about survival. Only part of

this dialogue is about the reorgani-

zation and consolidation of schools.

Former U.S. Senator Paul Simon,

in his book Our Culture of Pander-

ing, wrote about difficult conversa-

tions and he didn’t mince words on

the conscious incompetence of many

leaders to avoid confrontation on

major issues: “Pandering is not ille-

gal, but it is immoral. It is doing the

convenient when the right course

demands inconvenience and courage.”

It is imperative that the fate of

rural schools remain a matter of local

control. District administrators and

boards of education must begin the

process of researching alternatives,

making projections, identifying peo-

ple of influence and credibility in the

power structure of their communi-

ty, building the capacity for informed

decision making, and engaging stake-

holders in meaningful dispositional

dialogue about change.

In Leading Change, Douglass

Reeves provides an excellent cau-

tionary metaphor about making dif-

ficult decisions:

“It is not possible to make a per-

fect decision when leading change in

a school. Education administrators

must choose between which calcu-

lated mistake they will make in the

best interests of the students under

their charge. The first mistake is to

enact change with evidence that is

not perfectly effective, which makes

you vulnerable to short term criti-

cism and complaining of cynics. The

second mistake is to fail to act in light

of evidence, which exposes your long

term judgment to those you were

entrusted to help and failed.”

All things considered … what

calculated mistake will your district

choose to make for the next gener-

ation?

ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS

An effective superintendent can mean the differencebetween a school district that achieves average results anda school district that excels. Let our time proven and costeffective process help you find an educational leader whocan take your school board’s vision and turn it into reality.

IASB is YOUR advocate.• IASB searches are comprehensive and customized to meet your

individual district needs.

• Each IASB search is based on the Qualifications andCharacteristics determined to be important by the Board ofEducation for their next Superintendent.

• Included with every superintendent search is an in-district work-shop designed to help build positive relationships among thenew board-superintendent team.

For information contact:

2921 Baker Drive One Imperial Place

Springfield, IL 62703 1 East 22nd Street, Suite 20

217/528-9688, ext. 1217 Lombard, IL 60148

630/629-3776, ext. 1217

www.iasb.com/executive

The Gold Standard of Executive Searches

ExecutiveSearchESExecutiveSearchES

The Gold Standard of Executive Searches

THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013 27

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

This report is sent to you because

it raises some fundamental

issues about the financing of public

education in Illinois and the future

policies of our Association.

Most of us who served on school

boards during the last depression will

not forget the financial headaches

which we nursed. Have we any assur-

ance that those headaches will not

return?

Burt McRoy, retiring chairman

of the Tri-County Division, does not

have all of the answers, but in his

report he states a positive belief that

board members and administrators

could cure public school financial ills

if they will. What do you think?

Robert M. Cole, executive direc-

tor, IASB

***

This being my final meeting as

chairman of the executive commit-

tee of Tri-County, I feel an urge, as

well as some obligation, to report to

you on the progress of our Associa-

tion. The chairman receives no com-

pensation, but perhaps he earns the

right to make a few remarks based

on his experience.

If we add up all of the individ-

ual abilities contributing to the admin-

istration of education in Illinois —

the school boards, the administra-

tors, the Superintendent of Public

Instruction and the county super-

intendents, the educational depart-

ments of the great universities and

the teachers’ colleges — it is diffi-

cult to believe that we have been

unable to make any fundamental

improvement in the educational sys-

tem in Illinois. Our failure does not

result from any lack of agreement

on objectives, but rather the lack of

leadership, organization and deter-

mination.

Much of our needed leadership

can be supplied by the school admin-

istrators, not as an organization but as

individuals acting within their own

school boards. The administrators, as

an organization, will always be limit-

ed in their effectiveness because of a

natural public suspicion of self-inter-

est. Individually, however, they can, if

they will, stimulate almost every school

board in this state and thereby wield

a tremendous influence for a better

system of education in Illinois.

The members of school boards

must come to realize the need for

statewide improvements in our edu-

cational system. School boards are

so occupied in solving their own dis-

trict problems that they have no time

for state problems — and yet it is the

state problems which are causing the

district problems.

Board members must also real-

ize that the pressure of their personal

affairs and the transient nature of

their tenure have prevented them

from giving the continuity of leader-

ship which we need. This leadership

must be supplied by full-time repre-

sentatives so that the whole program

for a better educational system in Illi-

nois will be carried on unaffected by

the turnover of individual members.

The limited and brief experience of

our Association in the past two years,

with a full time staff of only two men,

is a small sample of what we can

accomplish.

It was just three years ago this

spring that several of us submitted

to the executive committee of Tri-

County a plan to make the Illinois

Association of School Boards a vital

factor in the improvement of the sys-

tem of education in this state. It was

our belief that school boards could

be a strong influence in the advance-

ment of education in Illinois.

We believed that school boards

were in need of much greater service

and would readily support a program

which rendered real value. The exec-

utive committee agreed to make a

start — in a small way — twice what

some thought was possible and about

one-tenth of our proposed plan. Nev-

ertheless, it was a start, and the next

fall the state convention of our Asso-

Education finance issuesstill linger 67 years later

by Burt McRoy

Burt McRoy was

chairman of

IASB’s Tri-County

Division, which

consisted of

Cook, DuPage

and Lake coun-

ties in the mid-

1940s. He

prepared this

report for the

May 16, 1946,

Tri-County

Division dinner

meeting. The

report was

reprinted in the

August 5, 1946,

issue of the

School Board

News Bulletin,

with a preface by

Robert M. Cole,

IASB’s first

executive direc-

tor, July 1, 1943

to January 1,

1969.

28 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

ciation unanimously approved an

increase in the dues.

Since that date, in only 30 months

to be exact, we have replaced a part-

time secretary with an executive

director and a field secretary, both

on full time; we have had both a school

building consultant and a legal coun-

sel on part time. We have increased

the active membership of the Asso-

ciation from 600 school boards to

over 900 school boards and have made

the annual convention too large for

the city of Springfield.

We have created regional organi-

zations of school boards, such as the

Blackhawk Division in Rock Island and

Moline, which is already challenging

the best efforts of our own Tri-Coun-

ty — and we have been responsible for

reorganizing a national association of

school boards with a potential of 400,000

school board members.

While no one person or organi-

zation can properly claim credit for

favorable legislation, we were able to

participate on a full-time basis in the

last legislative program — the most

successful on record for public schools,

including the greatest increase in

appropriation for state aid — adop-

tion of a school code — and contin-

uance of the county surveys for school

reorganization.

Our executive director and our

field secretary will this year partici-

pate in over 250 general meetings of

school board members and will per-

sonally discuss special problems with

at least 700 of our 900 member boards.

In the past two months alone, they

have covered over 10,000 miles in

the state of Illinois.

We have rejuvenated the School

Board Journal, published four study

pamphlets specially written to the

intelligence of board members, and

are now rendering a fast news bul-

letin service supplying the latest infor-

mation on school problems to over

6,000 board members and officials

throughout the state.

Here in Tri-County we tackled

the giant problem of railroad tax objec-

tions, and have recently reached a

written agreement with representa-

tives of the railroads — an agreement

which should be the basis for mutu-

al understanding and the saving of

thousands of dollars to schools. We

have grown from one dinner meet-

ing a year to a banquet and five con-

ferences three times a year, and

increased our attendance from 150

to over 500.

Yet the fundamental fault of our

educational system in Illinois remains

untouched: the financial insecurity

of the school revenue. True, we have

had an increase in state aid and a fur-

ther approach to equalization, but the

greater part of the school revenue still

depends on local real estate taxes,

with the ever present threat of changes

in assessed values and costly legal pro-

ceedings from tax objectors. Our efforts

thus far have been limited to plugging

the leaks and patching the cracks

— but we need a new foundation for

school revenue — a foundation which

will guarantee financial security from

one year to the next.

There seems to be a general

impression that schools are enjoying

a long awaited popularity, that ref-

erendums to build new schools and

increase tax rates will be approved

with little opposition, and that more

and more money is available for teach-

ers’ salaries.

Some persons are looking for-

ward to Full Valuation under the But-

ler Bills as the real Promised Land.

But do we know just how much mon-

ey we can count on for the next five

years? We have studied the law and

we have our own interpretation, but

there are other interpretations. Are

you certain just what your school’s

income will be? Would you person-

ally guarantee it? And yet you must

plan a program, and sign contracts

based on that income. What then, if

you don’t receive it?

(Editor’s note 2013: The Butler

Bills, which went into effect Janu-

ary 1, 1946, required that assessed

valuations would be the full, fair

cash value or 100 percent and all

tax rates would be cut in half, with

certain limitations that would remain

in place for five years unless the Bills

were amended. The complex system

took five pages to explain in the

December 22, 1945, issue of the School

Board News Bulletin, and the impact

was addressed frequently in subse-

quent issues.)

Some improvement in school

income should be no surprise with

the national income at an all-time

IASB SERVICE

ASSOCIATES

IASBService

Associates provide quality

products and services for schools. Membership

is by invitation only. A list ofService Associate firms is on the

IASB website and in this Journal.

The best of

everything for schools

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 29

Lyle J. Huffman, 81, died January 18,

2013. He had been a member and a

past president of the Arthur school

board.

J. Norman Jordan, 88, died January 24,

2013. He had been a member and

secretary of the Blue Mound school

board.

Elmer King Jr., 87, died January 15,

2013. He served on the Groveland

Grade School board and was elect-

ed to the first board of Morton CUSD

709, serving from 1970 to 1981,

including two terms as president.

He also served as chair of IASB’s

Central Illinois Valley Division.

Paul A. Koeller, 93, died December 13,

2012. He previously served on the

Flanagan Unit 4 school board for 24

years.

Forrest R. Koenen Jr., 65, died Novem-

ber 12, 2012. His 30-year career

included employment as district

superintendent of both Marseilles

ESD 150 and Ohio CCSD 17.

David S. Lindberg, 73, died December

29, 2012. He previously served on

the Elmhurst CUSD 205 school board

for 16 years.

Marvin Lohnes, 84, died January 18,

2013. He had served on the Rankin

school board for a number of years.

William R. Manuel, 81, died November

27, 2012. He previously served on

the Mansfield school board.

Louis P. Martens, 92, died December

31, 2012. He served on the Heyworth

CUSD 4 school board during the

1960s.

Norman “Mike” Mihaljevic, 89, died

January 10, 2013. He previously

served on the Zion SD 6 school board.

Jack Noyes, 83, died December 5, 2012.

He had served on the school board

of Barrington CUSD 220, and as

its president.

James R. Plumer, 72, died December

22, 2012. He previously served three

terms on the Toulon school board.

Keith Pope, 99, died January 16, 2013.

He had served on the Atlanta CUSD

20 school board.

Robert Earl Rellinger, 85, died Novem-

ber 29, 2012. He was an active school

board member for Queen Bee SD

16, Glendale Heights, for 32 years.

Wallace Reynolds, 80, died December

26, 2012. He previously served on

the Belvidere CUSD 100 school board.

Carl Rinkel, 82, died January 23, 2013.

He had been a member of the Triad

CUSD 2 school board.

Dorothy Schneider, 70, died Decem-

ber 20, 2012. She was a former mem-

ber of the Lake Villa District 41 school

board.

Peter D. Scully, 84, died December 16,

2012. He previously served as pres-

ident of the Dwight THSD 230 school

board.

George Michael Shur, 70, died Novem-

ber 25, 2012. He served on the DeKalb

school board from 1991-99, and was

president, 1995-99.

E. Pauline Crowley Voelcker, 95, died

December 23, 2012. Voelcker retired

in 1977 after 36 years teaching. She

then served as a board member of

the Cerro Gordo CUSD 100 school

board for 17 years.

Gregory A. Webster, 62, died Decem-

ber 4, 2012. He served on the Dal-

las City District 336 school board

for 12 years, and was president of

the board two years.

Philip K. Whitehouse, 88, died Decem-

ber 10, 2012. He served as a school

board member and was the long-

time president of CUSD 300, Car-

pentersville, serving on the board

from 1965 to 1978.

The Illinois School Board Journal

welcomes news about or from Illinois

school leaders. News may include but

need not be limited to accomplishments,

changes in position or duties, retirement,

death and other milestones related to

board/district duties. For more infor-

mation about submitting news items,

phone the Communications Department

at 217/528-9688, ext. 1138, or e-mail gad-

kins@iasb. com.

high. But when the retraction starts,

the first popular cry is for a reduc-

tion in taxes, and, particularly, local

taxes. The danger in our education-

al system today is that we are plan-

ning better schools and raising

professional salaries, but without one

single assurance that the income on

which this program must rely will be

available to us in the future. We are

rebuilding on the same revenue foun-

dation which was washed away in the

last depression.

The Chicago schools with their

400,000 children receive under a spe-

cial law an annual levy in dollars guar-

anteed by the state legislature and

known as the “pegged levy.” No mat-

ter what happens to assessed valua-

tions or tax rates, the schools of

Chicago are assured this income and

can plan their programs according-

ly. If the state legislature can provide

this financial security for the 400,000

school children in the city of Chica-

go, why should they not provide the

same financial security for the 765,000

school children in the rest of Illinois?

We can achieve this financial

security whenever we are strong

enough in leadership and organiza-

tion to combat the inertia of people

continued on page 31

Milestones continued from page 32

30 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

A Directory of your

IASB ServiceAssociates

IASB Service Associates are businesses whichoffer school-related products and services andwhich have earned favorable repu tations for qual-ity and integrity. Only after screening by theService Associates Executive Committee is abusiness firm invited by the IASB Board ofDirectors to become a Service Associate.

Appraisal ServicesINDUSTRIAL APPRAISAL COMPANY — Insurance

appraisals, property control reports. OakwoodTerrace - 630/827-0280

Architects/EngineersALLIED DESIGN CONSULTANTS, INC. —

Architectural programming, site planning & design,architectural and interior design, and constructionadministration. Springfield - 217/522-3355

ARCON ASSOCIATES, INC. — Full service firm spe-cializing in educational facilities with services thatinclude architecture, construction management, roofand masonry consulting, landscape architecture andenvironmental consulting. Lombard - 630/495-1900;website: www.arconassoc.com; e-mail: smchas-see@arconassoc.com

BAYSINGER DESIGN GROUP, INC. — Architecturaldesign services. Marion - 618/998-8015

BERG ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, LTD. —Consulting engineers. Schaumburg - 847/352-4500;website: http://www.berg-eng.com

BLDD ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architectural and engineering services for schools. Decatur - 217/429-5105; Champaign - 217/356-9606; Bloomington -309/828-5025; Chicago - 312/829-1987; website:http://www.bldd.com; e-mail: sam.johnson@bldd.com

BRADLEY & BRADLEY — Architects, engineers andasbestos consultants. Rockford - 815/968-9631; web-site: http://www.bradleyandbradley.net/

CANNON DESIGN — Architects. Chicago - 312/960-8034; website: www.cannondesign.com; e-mail:kleonard@cannondesign.com

CM ENGINEERING, INC. — Specializing in ultra effi-cient geo-exchange HVAC engineering solutions forschools, universities and commercial facilities.Columbia, MO - 573/874-9455; website: www.cmeng.com

CORDOGAN CLARK & ASSOCIATES — Architectsand engineers; Aurora - 630/896-4678; website:www.cordoganclark.com; e-mail: rmont@cordoganclark.com

DESIGN ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architecture, engi-neering, planning and interior design. Hillsboro -217/532-5600; East St. Louis - 618/398-0890; Marion- 618/998-0075; Springfield - 217/787-1199; e-mail:rgarber@hurst-rosche.com

DEWBERRY ARCHITECTS INC. — Architects, plan-ners, landscape architecture and engineers. Peoria -309/282-8000; Chicago - 312/660-8800; Elgin -847/695-5480; website: www.dewberry.com

DLA ARCHITECTS, LTD. — Architects specializing inpreK-12 educational design, including a full range ofarchitectural services; assessments, planning, feasi-bility studies, new construction, additions, remodel-ing, O&M and owner's rep services. Itasca - 847/742-4063; website: www.dla-ltd.com; e-mail: info@dla-ltd.com

DLR GROUP, INC. — Educational facility design andmaster planning. Chicago - 312/382-9980; website:www.dlrgroup.com; e-mail: dbane@dlrgroup.com

ERIKSSON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, LTD. —Consulting civil engineers and planners. Grayslake -847/223-4804

FANNING/HOWEY ASSOCIATES, INC. — Schoolplanning and design with a focus on K-12 schools.Park Ridge - 847/292-1039

FGM ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS, INC. — Architects.Oak Brook - 630/574-8300; Peoria - 309/669-0012;Mt. Vernon - 618/242-5620; O’Fallon - 618/624-3364;website: http://www.fgm-inc.com

GREENASSOCIATES, INC. — Architecture/construc-tion services. Deerfield - 847/317-0852, Pewaukee,WI - 262/746-1254; website: www.greenassociates.com; e-mail: greig@greenassociates.com

HEALY, BENDER & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Archi -tects/Planners. Naperville, 630/904-4300; website:www.healybender.com; e-mail: dhealy@healybender.com

IMAGE ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architects. Carbondale- 618/457-2128

JH2B ARCHITECTS — Architects. Kankakee - 815/933-5529

KENYON & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS —Complete architectural services for education. Peoria- 309/674-7121

KLUBER ARCHITECTS + ENGINEERS — Buildingdesign professionals specializing in architecture,mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and fireprotection engineers. Batavia - 630/406-1213

LEGAT ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architects. Chicago -312/258-1555; Oak Brook - 630/990-3535; Wauke -gan - 847/263-3535; Crystal Lake - 815/477-4545

LZT ASSOCIATES, INC./LARSON & DARBY GROUP— Architecture, planning, engineering. Peoria -309/673-3100; Rockford - 815/484/0739; St. Charles,MO - 630/444-2112; website: www.larsondarby.com;e-mail: dhenebry@larsondarby.com

MECHANICAL SERVICES ASSOCIATES CORP. -HVAC, plumbing and electrical design. Crystal Lake -815/788-8901

MELOTTE-MORSE-LEONATTI, LTD — Architectural,industrial, hygiene and environmental service.Springfield - 217/789-9515

PCM+D — Provide a full range of architectural ser-vices including facility and feasibility studies, architec-tural design construction, consulting and related ser-vices. East Peoria - 309/694-5012

PERKINS+WILL — Architects; Chicago - 312/755-0770; website: www.perkinswill.com; e-mail: mark.jolicoeur@perkinswill.com

RICHARD L. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC. —Architecture, educational planning. Rockford -815/398-1231

RUCKPATE ARCHITECTURE — Architects, engi-neers, interior design. Barrington - 847/381-2946;website: http://www.ruckpate.com; e-mail: info@ruckpate.com

SARTI ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INC. —Architecture, engineering, life safety consulting, inte-rior design and asbestos consultants. Springfield -217/585-9111; e-mail: sartiarch@sartiarch.com

WIGHT & COMPANY — An integrated services firmwith solutions for the built environment. Darien -630/696-7000; website: http://www.wightco.com; e-mail: bpaulsen@wightco.com

WM. B. ITTNER, INC. — Full service architectural firmserving the educational community since 1899.Fairview Heights - 618/624-2080

WRIGHT & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Architecture andconstruction management. Metamora - 309/367-2924

Building ConstructionBOVIS LEND LEASE — Construction Man -

agement/Program Management. Contact JohnDoherty. Chicago - 312/245-1393; website: www.bovislendlease.com; e-mail: john.doherty@bovislendlease.com

CORE CONSTRUCTION — Professional constructionmanagement, design-build and general contractingservices. Morton - 309/266-9768; website: www.COREconstruct.com

FREDERICK QUINN CORPORATION — Constructionmanagement and general contracting. Addison -630/628-8500; webite: www.fquinncorp.com

HOLLAND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC. — Fullservice Construction Management and GeneralContracting firm specializing in education facilities.Swansea - 618/277-8870

MANGIERI COMPANIES, INC. — Construction man-agement and general contractor capabilities. Peoria -309/688-6845

POETTKER CONSTRUCTION — Construction man-agement, design/build and general contracting ser-vices. Hillsboro - 217/532-2507

S.M. WILSON & CO. — Provides construction man-agement and general construction services to educa-tion, healthcare, commercial, retail and industrialclients. St. Louis, MO - 314/645-9595

THE GEORGE SOLLITT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY — Full-service construction manage-ment general contractor with a primary focus on edu-cational facilities. Wood Dale - 630/860-7333; web-site: www.sollitt.com; e-mail: info@sollitt.com

TRANE — HVAC company specializing in design,build, and retrofit. Willowbrook - 630-734-6033

TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY —Referendum assistance, conceptual and masterplanning, budget assistance or verification, partici-pant in panels, construction management and con-sulting. Chicago - 312/327-2860; Web Site: www.turn-erconstruction.com; Email: ghill@tcco.com

Computer SoftwareSOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. — Administrative

Software. Tremont - 888/776-3897; website: http://www.sti-k12.com; e-mail: sales@sti-k12.com

Environmental ServicesALPHA CONTROLS & SERVICES, LLC — Facility

Management Systems, Automatic TemperatureControls, Access Control Systems, Energy SavingSolutions; Sales, Engineering, Installation,Commissioning and Service. Rockford, Springfield,Champaign: toll-free 866-ALPHA-01 (866-252-4201);website: www.alphaACS.com; e-mail: info@alphaacs.com

CTS-CONTROL TECHNOLOGY & SOLUTIONS —Performance contracting, facility improvements and energy conservation projects. St. Louis, MO -636/230-0843; Chicago - 773/633-0691; website:www.thectsgroup.com; e-mail: rbennett@thectsgroup.com

MARCH-APRIL 2013 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 31

ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP — A comprehensiveenergy services and performance contracting com-pany providing energy, facility and financial solutions.Itasca - 630/773-7203

GRP MECHANICAL CO. INC. — Performance con-tracting, basic and comprehensive building renova-tions with a focus on energy and mechanical mainte-nance services. Bethalto - 618/779-0050

HONEYWELL, INC. — Controls, maintenance, energymanagement, performance contracting and security.St. Louis, Mo - 314-548-4136; Arlington Heights -847/391-3133; e-mail: janet.rivera@honeywell.com

IDEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, INC. —Asbestos and environmental services. Bloomington -309/828-4259

OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHSOLUTIONS, INC. (OEHS) — Industrial hygiene,microbiological evaluations and ergonomics.Chatham - 217/483-9296

RADON DETECTION SPECIALISTS — Commercialradon surveys. Burr Ridge - 800/244-4242; website:www.radondetection.net; e-mail: kirstenschmidt@radonresults.com

SECURITY ALARM SYSTEMS — Burglar and firealarms, video camera systems, door access systems,door locking systems, and alarm monitoring. Salem -618/548-5768

Financial ServicesAMERICAN FIDELITY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES —

Educational services specializing in Section 125compliance, 403 annuity administration, flexiblespending accounts, health savings accounts andhealth care reform education. Fairview Heights -314/504-1525

BERNARDI SECURITIES, INC. — Public finance con-sulting, bond issue services and referendum support.Fairview Heights - 618/206-4180; Chicago - 800/367-8757

BMO CAPITAL MARKETS/GKST, Inc. — Full servicebroker/dealer specializing in debt securities, includingmunicipal bonds, U.S. Treasury debt, agencies, andmortgage-backed securities. Chicago - 312/441-2601; website: www.bmo.com/industry/uspublicfi-nance/default.aspx; e-mail: jamie.rachlin@bmo.com

EHLERS & ASSOCIATES — School bond issues; ref-erendum help; financial and enrollment studies. Lisle- 630/271-3330; website: http://www.ehlers-inc.com;e-mail: slarson@ehlers-inc.com

FIRST MIDSTATE, INC. — Bond issue consultants.Bloomington - 309/829-3311; e-mail: paul@firstmidstate.com

GORENZ AND ASSOCIATES, LTD. — Auditing andfinancial consulting. Peoria - 309/685-7621; website:http://www.gorenzcpa.com; e-mail: tcustis@gorenzcpa.com

HUTCHINSON, SHOCKEY, ERLEY & COMPANY —Debt issuance, referendum planning, financial assis-tance. Chicago - 312/443-1566; website: www.hse-muni.com; e-mail: rbergland@hsemuni.com; rcoyne@hsemuni.com

SPEER FINANCIAL, INC. — Financial planning andbond issue services. Chicago - 312/346-3700; website: http://www.speerfinancial.com; e-mail:dphillips@speerfinancial.com

STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY, INC. — Full ser-vice securities firm providing investment banking andadvisory services including strategic financial plan-ning; bond underwriting; and referendum and legisla-tive assistance - Edwardsville - 800/230-5151; e-mail:noblea@stifel.com

WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY — Bond issuance,financial advisory services. Chicago - 312/364-8955; e-mail: ehennessy@williamblair.com

WINTRUST FINANCIAL — Financial services hold-ing company engaging in community banking,wealth management, commercial insurance premi-um financing, and mortgage origination. Willow -brook - 630/560-2120

Human Resource ConsultingBUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES, INC. — Human

resource, safety and risk management, insurance consulting. Effingham - 217/342-3042; website: http://www.bushuehr.com; e-mail: steve@bushuehr.com

InsuranceTHE SANDNER GROUP CLAIMS MANAGEMENT,

INC. — Third party administrator for worker's compand insurance claims. Chicago - 800/654-9504

Office EquipmentINTERIORS FOR BUSINESS, INC. — Classroom fur-

niture and classroom technology services, classroomtechnology assessment, space planning, CEU’s, andties to the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) foradditional environmental assessments. Batavia -630/761-1070

Superintendent SearchesHAZARD, YOUNG, ATTEA & ASSOCIATES, LTD —

Superintendent searches, board and superintendentworkshops. Glenview - 847/724-8465

as well as the malicious self-interests

that block improvement and thrive

on the disorganization of our educa-

tional system. An association of the

school boards in this state could be

one of the most influential factors in

legislation in the state of Illinois —

because school board members gen-

erally are locally elected officials rep-

resenting the majority of non-partisan

voters in their community. Such an

association, adequately financed,

properly staffed, and supported by

the school administrators, could

accomplish any reasonable objective

in improving the educational system,

even a new foundation for school rev-

enues and financial security.

There is great strength in the

local control of our schools, but there

is also a great weakness, and that is

the inability of one school district to

protect itself against events over which

it has no control. Only through an

association of our school districts can

we obtain sufficient strength to pro-

tect each district — an association

strong enough to match any political

or economic pressure which endan-

gers the operation of those schools

— an association not for the purpose

of running education in the state of

Illinois, but for the purpose of obtain-

ing a sound foundation for school rev-

enues so that the educational system

can run equally well in all districts

in all years.

This is the nine-tenths of the plan

which the executive committee once

hesitated to propose and which some

of us feel can no longer be postponed.

We have demonstrated in the past

two years what can be accomplished,

but this is a small part of the job ahead.

Our present contribution to the asso-

ciation will not accomplish our objec-

tives or solve our fundamental

problems.

We believe any amount would be

a small cost for the achievement of a

sound foundation of school revenues.

Why not lick the financial problem

once and for all — and get on with

the education? We had better lick

the financial problem soon because

the present economic conditions may

change suddenly and the local school

districts will be fighting for existence

— and local control may pass for-

ever.

Finance issues continued from page 29

Ken Baker, Charles -

ton, has been

chosen as an

honor ary life-

time member of

the Eastern Illi-

nois University

F o u n d a t i o n .

Baker has helped the community

by serving on the Charleston CUSD

1 school board, serving as president

from 1987 to 1988. Lifetime mem-

bership in the foundation is bestowed

on individuals who have demon-

strated exceptional and signifi-

cant support for the university. Baker

has been employed by Eastern since

1994 and has served as the director

of campus recreation since 2000.

He is a 1972, 1973 graduate of EIU,

having earned both his bachelor’s

and master’s degrees in education,

and then teaching at the Charleston

junior and senior high schools. Bak-

er later served the NFL as an on-the-

field official for 11 years, retiring in

2001, and as an instant replay offi-

cial from 2003 through the 2011

football season.

32 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH-APRIL 2013

Milestones

M I L E S T O N E S

Achievements

In memoriamBenton Charles Allen Jr., 80, died Novem-

ber 27, 2012. He served on the school

board of Galesburg CUSD 205 for

seven years.

William A. Bahnfleth III, 69, died Novem-

ber 29, 2012. He served on the East

Peoria SD 86 school board for more

than 16 years, including time as

board president.

James D. Beavers Sr., 92, died January

2, 2013. He served on the school

board of Lockport SD 92 from 1964

to 1976.

Charles Bennett, 89, died November

21, 2012. He was a former two-term

school board member in Arlington

Heights SD 25, 1961-67.

Ronald Blackstone, 74, died December

26, 2012. He served twice as a school

board member in Homewood-Floss-

moor CHSD 233, from 1979 to 1983,

and 1987 to 1998, including a term

as president. He also served as a

member of the Illinois State Board

of Education from 1983 to 1987.

Harlan E. Bruer, 93, died December 19,

2012. He had served on both the

Owego Grade School and Pontiac

High School boards.

Charles C. “Chuck” Cassel, 88, died

December 12, 2012. He was a for-

mer Astoria CUSD 1 school board

member.

Lyle V. Chambers, 94, died January 18,

2013. He was a past member of the

Lostant CUSD 425 school board.

Daniel H. Connor, 66, died January

3, 2013. He served on the Argen-

ta-Oreana CUSD 1 school board from

1996 to 2004.

Ruth Drunasky, 88, died January 11,

2013. She previously served on the

Byron CUSD 226 school board.

Mervin G. Frerichs, 76, died Decem-

ber 1, 2012. He previously served

18 years as a school board member

and was past president of the Arm-

strong THSD 225 board.

Freddie “Fred” Gallagher, 77, died Jan-

uary 3, 2013. He was a past presi-

dent of the Stewardson-Strasburg

school board, serving from 1969-

1985.

Eleanor L. Garcia, nee Arndt, 89, died

January 2, 2013. She was a former

member of the Waterloo CUSD 5

school board.

Gordon Gerlach, 95, died January

21, 2013. He served two terms on

the Panhandle CUSD 2 school board,

Raymond.

James E. “Jim” Griffith, 62, died Jan-

uary 22, 2013. He had been a mem-

ber of the Jasper County CUSD 1

school board.

Everett Jay “Doc” Harris, 87, died Jan-

uary 1, 2013. He was a former school

board member in Durand CUSD 322.

Henry E. Hatch, 86, died December 30,

2012. He was a member of the Avon

school board for 11 years, six of those

as president.

Frank “Fritz” Hess, 89, died January

2, 2013. He previously served on the

Utica school board.

Carl “Curtis” Hopwood, 72, died Jan-

uary 11, 2013. He previously served

on numerous community boards,

including the Nokomis CUSD 22

school board.

continued on page 29

Question: As a veteran board

member, I have been receiv-

ing materials and information about

post-election workshops. Aren’t these

designed for newly elected board

members rather than re-elected vet-

erans?

Answer: During the past two years,

legislation changed the requirements

for all board members regarding board

development and training. Prior to

2011, new board member training

was encouraged by the Illinois Asso-

ciation of School Boards, but it was

voluntary. All that changed when the

General Assembly mandated that all

board members should receive instruc-

tion in education and labor law, finan-

cial oversight, accountability and

fiduciary responsibilities through

Public Act 097-0008.

Every school board member elect-

ed or re-elected in 2013 must com-

plete this four-hour training within

one year of taking the oath of office.

IASB began offering this training

online in early 2012. Veteran mem-

bers who have completed this course,

Professional Development Leader-

ship Training (PDLT) have fulfilled

the four-hour mandatory training

requirement. However, those who

have not completed the course are

required to do so.

In addition, the Performance

Evaluation Training Act (PERA train-

ing) also stipulates that, in order to

vote on a certain type of expedited

teacher dismissals, board members

must complete training in that area.

For more information on the require-

ments of PERA, please refer to IASB’s

publication PERA Overview for School

Board Members, available online at

http://iasb.com/law/PERAoverview.

pdf. As a veteran board member, you

are not excused from any of these

mandatory requirements.

Most veteran board members

who will be re-elected have not yet

fulfilled the four-hour PDLT or PERA

training requirement.

The materials you have been

receiving provide information about

12 face-to-face workshop sessions

for the mandatory PDLT. We antic-

ipate that IASB will also be an

approved provider of the required

PERA training at that time, which

will be included in these sessions.

The sessions will be offered over six

weekends at 12 locations between

May 10 and June 22. For a list of the

dates and locations, please see page

19 in this issue.

All of these sessions are offered

Friday and Saturday. The Friday ses-

sion is designed to fulfill all manda-

tory training requirements for both

veteran and first-time board mem-

bers. The Saturday session provides

a day of comprehensive training on

the roles and responsibilities of school

board members designed primarily

for new board members. However,

veteran board members are welcome

and encouraged to attend with their

new colleagues.

Cost is $175 for either day, or

$325 for what’s being called the “two-

day boot camp.” The PDLT course

will count as a Core Workshop in

Leadership Academy and 10 Master

Board Member points.

Registration begins in early March

when all district superintendents and

board presidents will receive a mail-

ing outlining the details of the work-

shops. Registration forms also will be

available in early March online at

www.iasb.com.

Veteran board members will also

be able to complete the mandatory

training online. For more informa-

tion about the online version of PDLT,

please go to IASB’s website, http://

iasb.com/training/onlinelearning.cfm.

Now more than ever, these are

important professional development

events. Make certain that your new

board team gets started on the right

path by registering for the workshops

that members need to stay in com-

pliance with state statutes.

Angie Peifer,

IASB associate

executive direc-

tor for board

development and

Targeting

Achievement

through Gover-

nance, answers

the question for

this issue.

Veterans need new boardmember training in ’13, too

by Angie Peifer

A S K T H E S T A F F

2921 Baker DriveSpringfield, Illinois 62703-5929

Address Service Requested

NON-PROFITPRST STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAIDILLINOIS

ASSOCIATION OFSCHOOL BOARDS

www.iasb.com

“Instruction in youth is like

engraving in stones.”African Proverb

“What sculpture is to a block of

marble, education is to the soul.”Joseph Addison, English essayist and poet, 1672-1719

“The teacher must not confuse

information with education, other-

wise the student may become a well-

taught but wholly unlearning

individual.”S.E. Whitnall, advice on learning anatomy given in 1933

“I have witnessed how educa-

tion opens doors, and I know that

when sound instruction takes place,

students experience the joys of new-

found knowledge and the ability to

excel.”Daniel Akaka, U.S. Senator from Hawaii, 1924-

“The foundation of every state

is the education of its youth.”Diogenes of Sinope, Greek philosopher, 412-323 B.C.

“Everyone who remembers his

own education remembers teachers,

not methods and techniques. The

teacher is the heart of the educational

system.”Sidney Hook, American philosopher and pragmatist, 1902-1989

“The most valuable of all edu-

cation is the ability to make yourself

do the thing you have to do when it

has to be done, whether you like it or

not.”Aldous Huxley, author of

Brave New World, 1894-1963

“Genius without education is like

silver in the mine.”Benjamin Franklin, author, politician and inventor, 1706-1790

“Education not only opens doors

to your future, it sends you in the

right direction to find those doors.”Scott Gilliam, director of training at D.A.R.E America, from “The

Whole Child Blog,” January 10, 2013

“The treasury of Ameri-ca lies in those ambi-

tions and those energiesthat cannot be restrict-ed to a special, favoredclass. It depends upon

the inventions ofunknown men. Every

country is renewed outof the ranks of the

unknown, not out of theranks of those alreadyfamous and powerful

and in control.”

Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S.president, The New Freedom,

1856-1924

IASB Centennial

FROM 1913●

●

●

●

“Remember, he’s ambidextrous. He can be both heavy handed

and sleight-of-hand.”