IASB Journal November December 2022

November/December 2022 Vol. 90 No. 6

Illinois Compares

Compare and Contrast Our State

Illinois Bills By The Numbers

Teacher Leadership Indicators

Front Page

T

The leaf project is a rite of passage for students and parents in many districts, including my family’s high school in central Illinois.

I say parents because the project is assigned in the first year of high school, before kids are old enough to drive themselves and each other to the local leafy hotspots. No park, preserve, or arboretum has every leaf on the list; we know this because we have tried.

The project is assigned in late September, as dusk arrives earlier, which is why you’ll see people prowling side roads and backyards with flashlights, after practice and dinner if you’re lucky, in the rain if you’re not.

It’s a community-wide annual event, with social media firing up with leaf lists, crowdsourcing of key locations, and cries for help.

The leaf project is a really fun outdoor learning experience, a community challenge, and an incredibly stressful assignment, sometimes all in the span of an hour. The list changes every year, lest anyone get complacent with subsequent children. Each student is required to identify, collect, press, and label leaves from a list provided by the teacher. There are two dozen to find, but in recurring dreams (OK, nightmares) it might as well be two hundred.

The emerald ash borer destroyed most Illinois ash trees but ash leaves remained on the list. Dogwood has hybrids and multiple varieties but you must find the right one. The teacher knows the difference. The shagbark hickory leaf looks a lot like a black walnut.

It would, of course, because we’ve learned that hickory is a member of the walnut family so you have to examine the leaf stems and bark ... but I digress. Both are on the list.

Each leaf must be maintained in a pristine freshly picked condition until the grade is in the gradebook.

If in the meantime a leaf curls, crumples, or changes

2 • Illinois School Board Journal

color, the student may be allowed to go pluck another one for half credit.

Everyone recalls the year when one teacher — presumably and understandably overcome by the distinct anxiety of 13- and 14-year-olds — told one class that a photo of the leaf was sufficient, sending gusts of leafy rage among the other students who were still required to collect and preserve.

The legendary leaf project assignment hits at the same time every year, just as boards of education approve budgets and districts begin anticipating the release of the School Report Card. This issue of the Illinois School Board Journal looks at rites of passage in the education community and, like the hickory to the walnut, we compare Illinois to neighboring and comparable states in certain data-driven facets of K-12 education.

After we’ve considered those comparisons, and drawn what we can from them to assist us in our work, we can let them go until next year. In this issue’s Practical PR, we are reminded by Eric Steckling, Director of Communications for Deerfield SD 109, to set comparisons aside and “highlight the unique and special things that your district has to offer.”

By the way, there is a ginkgo just inside the playground at the community park. There is a sassafras on the bike path halfway between the park and the first bridge. And there are cypresses in the lake at the public gardens; bring a ladder.  Theresa Kelly Gegen is Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal and can be reached at tgegen@iasb.com.

Table of Contents COVER STORY and Contrast: 13 Compare How Illinois Stacks Up

By Theresa Kelly Gegen

By comparing Illinois to its neighbors in funding, governance, accountability, and other areas of K-12 education, we gather ideas of where we are today and work towards excellence in decision-making for local school districts.

REGULAR FEATURES

FEATURE ARTICLES Training Offered 19 toMicro-Credential Support English Learners

2 Front Page 4 Leadership Letter

Taking Steps to Meet the Challenge Ahead

By Aylaynah Rose Garibay and Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro

The Latino Policy Forum and DuPage Regional Office of Education offer a new series of English Learner Administrator Academies in the form of micro-credentials.

Indicators of Teacher Leadership: 22 Comparing Illinois Teachers’ Perceptions

5 From the Field

Plan Ahead to Welcome New Board Members

7 Advocacy Angle

Illinois Introduces a Staggering Number of Bills

10 Communications Corner Annual Exhibit Features Facility Transformations

By Jana Lynn Hunzicker

Discover what teachers think about teacher leadership in terms of influence, roles and responsibilities, functions, competencies, skill sets, worldviews, and social networks.

28 Practical PR 33 ICYMI 34 Milestones 35 Insights

July/August 2019 Vol. 87 No. 3

Kara Kienzler, Associate Executive Director Theresa Kelly Gegen, Editor Bridget Kusturin, Advertising Manager Jennifer Nelson, Copy Editor Katie Grant, Design and Production Jeff Armbruster, Typesetting

ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOA R D JOURNAL (ISSN-0019-221X) is published every other month by the Illinois Association of Sc hool B oa rd s, 2921 Ba ker Dr ive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929 (217) 5289688. The IASB regional office is located at One Imperial Place, 1 East 22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120 (630) 629-3776.

The JOURNAL is supported by the dues of school boards holding active membership in the Illinois Association of School Boards. Copies are mailed to all school board members and the superintendent in each IASB member school district.

Non-member subscription rate: Domestic $20 per year. Foreign (including Canada and Mexico) $25 per year.

Publication Policy IASB believes that the domestic process functions best through frank and open discussion.

Material published in the JOURNAL, therefore, often presents divergent and controversial points of view which do not necessarily represent the views or policies of IASB. Copyright © 2022 by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the JOURNAL is published six times a year and is distributed to its members and subscribers. Copyright in this publication, including all articles and editorial information contained in it is exclusively owned

by IASB, and IASB reserves all rights to such information. IASB is a tax-exempt corporation organized in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

November/December 2022 • 3

Leadership Letter

Taking Steps to Meet the Challenge Ahead

By Thomas E. Bertrand

A

After the tumultuous past few school years, it was refreshing to see the return to in-person learning across our country.

Along with the excitement of the promise of a new school year, many students and staff returned to school this fall with invisible backpacks overflowing with needs. Perhaps it was the trauma of personal loss; the disconnect from friends, family, and dedicated educators; or issues of learning loss.

The pandemic has and will continue to have a

... [B]elief is not a strategy, nor is hope.

It is critical to connect these beliefs to concrete goals and measurable indicators of success that will improve outcomes for every child.

lasting impact on the needs of students and staff.

The challenge ahead is to reconnect and recommit to meeting every child where they are — with no exceptions.

School boards believe in the shared moral imperative to meet every child where they are and to ensure that every child has access to high-quality educators, a safe and welcoming learning environment, and excellent academic and mental health programs and services. But belief is not a 4 • Illinois School Board Journal

strategy, nor is hope. It is critical to connect these beliefs to concrete goals and measurable indicators of success that will improve outcomes for every child.

Many boards of education have responded to the impact of the pandemic and these “backpack” issues by resetting strategic plans and goals. A vital part of this process is to obtain clarity regarding two important questions. What do we want to accomplish? How will we know we have met our goals?

The Achilles’ heel of effective school board governance is often the lack of agreement or clarity about desired outcomes and the lack of trust in the data or evidence that will be used to support the board in its policy, decision-making, and monitoring roles.

In fact, disagreements on a board can often be traced back to a lack of confidence in the quality of information members receive. Mistrust in data or evidence provided can also lead to individuals seeking their own evidence — feeding a downward cycle of mistrust.

Clarity regarding expected outcomes and the measures of success that the board will use in monitoring the district’s progress are the critical initial steps to crafting an effective response to the lasting impact of the pandemic.  Thomas E. Bertrand, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

From the Field

Plan Ahead to Welcome New Board Members

By Lori Grant

A

Another election year is upon us, and in a few short months your board will likely have at least one new member. In some cases, the board will see a majority of new members. Are you prepared to welcome them?

The moment a new board member takes the Oath of Office, they are officially a voting member, with equal authority to the seasoned veterans who return.

With this in mind, it is crucial to welcome and get your newest trustees up to speed quickly. The time to plan for their arrival is now.

New board member orientation is a crucial part of the sixth Foundational Principle of Effective Governance: The board takes responsibility for itself. It is a vital role of the board to seek continuity of leadership, especially when there is board member turnover. Taking the time to be intentional about onboarding your new members will not only set them up for success but will also start the important process of building and maintaining a high-performing and effective, trusted team.

Here are some suggestions for the first 90 days to set your newest teammates up for success: • Help the new board member feel welcome.

• Set up a meeting, ideally in the first week, with the superintendent and board president to learn about the new board member — goals, talents, passions, and connections. In turn, begin to share the information necessary for the newcomer to understand the culture and complexities of the school district. Be prepared to answer questions with candor. Review the strategic plan, current projects, finances, collective bargaining, and key staff contracts. Get to know each other and begin to establish a working relationship.

• Encourage individual board members to reach out with a note or phone call. Consider the assignment of a returning, experienced “board buddy” or mentor for continual connection in the first year.

• Arrange school visits to introduce new board members to staff and students. Learning directly about the work of teachers and administrators is informative and often gives board members a new perspective. Being where the children are is always an inspiration!

Share a new board member welcome packet/ handbook with materials that the individual can ponder and formulate questions around, to minimally include: • School calendar and board meeting dates for the year • Other meeting descriptions and expectations including committee meetings and closed session meetings.

• Established board protocols, agreements, and communication expectations. If these have not been established for the board team, consider a board self-evaluation workshop to get everyone on the same page.

• IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance, often referred to as a board member’s governance job description.

Encourage Professional Development

As stated earlier, getting a new board member up to speed on the complexities of the district is vital.

Equally crucial is for the new trustee to understand November/December 2022 • 5

IASB Board of Directors As of October 15, 2022

PRESIDENT Simon Kampwerth Jr. VICE PRESIDENT Mark Harms IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Thomas Neeley TREASURER Tim Custis ABE LINCOLN Christopher Gordon

NORTHWEST Chris Buikema

BLACKHAWK David Rockwell

SHAWNEE Sheila Nelson

CENTRAL ILLINOIS VALLEY Tim Custis

SOUTH COOK Joyce Dickerson

CORN BELT Nick Sartoris DUPAGE Thomas Ruggio EGYPTIAN Lisa Irvin ILLINI Michelle Skinlo KASKASKIA Linda Eades KISHWAUKEE Robert Geddeis LAKE Marc Tepper NORTH COOK Alva Kreutzer

SOUTHWESTERN Mark Christ STARVED ROCK Jim McCabe THREE RIVERS Liz Campbell TWO RIVERS Tracie Sayre WABASH VALLEY Mandy Rieman WEST COOK Janice Roeder WESTERN Sue McCance SERVICE ASSOCIATES Mark Jolicoeur

The vision of the Illinois Association of School Boards is excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education.

The mission of the Illinois Association of School Boards is to Light the Way for its members by developing their competence and confidence through a robust toolkit designed to build excellence in local school board governance, including • Premier training experiences; • Networking opportunities for mutual support; • Valuable benefits, pooled services, information, and expertise; • Advocacy on behalf of public education; and • A platform for a strong collective voice on common interests and concerns.

6 • Illinois School Board Journal

their governance role. Encourage a growth mindset and have an expectation of continued professional development.

Begin with mandated training information, which includes the following. Note that IASB offers an online training bundle that includes these required trainings, as well as Basics of Governance training.

• Open Meetings Act Training (completion is required within 90 days of taking the Oath of Office) • PDLT/PERA Training (completion is required within one year of taking the Oath of Office) Consider gifting a book or two about their new school board governance role. Some of my favorites include The Art of School Boarding by Jim Burgett, The Governance Core by Davis Campbell and Michael Fullan, and How Not to be a Terrible School Board Member by Richard Mayer.

Direct the new board member to IASB.com, the Association’s website, which is packed with board member resources, information, archived webinars, and other online learning opportunities.

We all know the importance of first impressions when bringing on a new team member. Those first 90 days go by quickly. Take the time now to plan and prepare a positive and productive welcome and set the tone for a high-functioning governance team.  Lori Grant, Ed.D., is IASB Field Services Director for the South Cook, Three Rivers, and West Cook Divisions.

Advocacy Angle

Illinois Introduces a Staggering Number of Bills

By Zach Messersmith

Illinois will better understand the importance of their role as advocates for students and local communities.

During the current Illinois General Assembly session, over 12,000 bills, resolutions, and Constitutional Amendments have been introduced. While that number is staggering, it may be even more shocking that a vast majority (10,013) of those are substantive bills. It would be easy to ascribe this to the 102nd General Assembly making up for lost time due to the pandemic, but as you see in the chart below, the introduction of upwards of 10,000 bills is not a new trend.

While 10,000 is the magic number for the Illinois General Assembly, other states do not line up in a similar pattern. We compared the number of bills introduced in state assemblies across a selection of states. We attempted to choose states with smaller populations, larger populations, and similar populations. We also chose a random sampling that covered the country from coast to coast.

The sheer volume of bills introduced in Illinois is mind-boggling when compared to these states, however, that does not tell the whole story.

While school board issues cover a wide range of topics in the

12,000

Bills Introductions by General Assembly 10,000

House Bills

3,679

6,329

99th

3,459

6,632

100th

3,649

6,000

101st

4,034

5,879

102nd

4,207

5,815

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

6,000

4,476

4,975

4,000 2,000

10,000

0

4,185

Pennsylvania

98th

Bills Introductions

by State

8,000

Illinois

Senate Bills

10,022

Iowa

If you have heard a Legislative Update of the Illinois Association of School Boards Government Relations staff in the past few years, you have seen citations of statistics about the number of bills filed in the Illinois General Assembly and how many of those impact public school districts and boards of education. While these statistics are important, they only paint a partial picture. To help complete that picture, let’s compare Illinois to other states and discuss the total number of new laws impacting public schools in Illinois.

With this information, we hope school board members in

California

I

1,080

Ohio

Since January 2021 and the start of Illinois’ 102nd General Assembly

November/December 2022 • 7

IASB Administration and Staff As of October 15, 2022

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Thomas Bertrand, Executive Director Tulsi Srinivasan, HR Director Chris Montrey, Admin. Assistant

GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS Shelly Bateman, Associate Executive Director Zach Messersmith, Director Deanna Sullivan, Director Mary Ellen Buch, Admin. Assistant

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Jennifer Feld, Chief Financial Officer/Associate Executive Director Karen Faith, Assistant Business Manager Patrick Shea, Assistant Manager, Technology Camille Gillette, Specialist III Ruth Ann Ferris, Receptionist Sally Kimmel, Receptionist

FIELD AND EQUITY SERVICES Nakia Hall, Associate Executive Director Reatha Owen, Senior Director Patrick Allen, Director Arlana Bedard, Director Lori Grant, Director Perry Hill IV, Director Laura Martinez, Director Natalie Williams, Director Yolanda Chavez, Admin. Assistant Jenny Harkins, Admin. Assistant Nancy Johnson, Admin. Assistant Chelsea Reimann, Admin. Assistant Cindy Rispens, Admin. Assistant Shantel Rotherham, Admin. Assistant Gretchen Watson, Admin. Assistant

MEETINGS MANAGEMENT Carla S. Bolt, Director Natalie Duke, Assistant Manager EXECUTIVE SEARCHES Thomas Leahy, Director Tim Buss, Consultant Jim Helton, Consultant Dave Love, Consultant Alan Molby, Consultant Patricia Sullivan-Viniard, Consultant Mary Torgler, Admin. Assistant OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL Kimberly Small, General Counsel/Associate Executive Director Maryam Brotine, Assistant General Counsel Debra Jacobson, Assistant General Counsel Ummehani Faizullabhoy, Assistant Director Michael Ifkovits, Legal Assistant

BOARD DEVELOPMENT Dean Langdon, Associate Executive Director Sandra Kwasa, Director Kathryn Bulava, Assistant Director Rhonda Cass Mackiney, Assistant Director Haylie Noltensmeier, Admin. Assistant Linda Zulaski, Admin. Assistant COMMUNICATIONS Kara Kienzler, Associate Executive Director Theresa Kelly Gegen, Director Heath Hendren, Director Jennifer Nelson, Director Isaac Warren, Assistant Director Bridget Kusturin, Admin. Assistant

POLICY SERVICES PRODUCTION SERVICES Angie Powell, Senior Director Katie Grant, Director Nicholas Baumann, Director Toby Chiles, Lead Print Shop Operator Boyd Fergurson, Director Jeff Armbruster, Print Shop Tammie Ng, Director Operator/Graphics Breanna Rabacchi, Assistant Manager Staff emails: First initial and last name Emily Tavernor, Assistant Manager preceding iasb.com John Fines, Admin. Assistant Tasha Levy, Admin. Assistant Jennifer Robinson, Specialist

8 • Illinois School Board Journal

Illinois General Assembly, IASB spends most of its lobbying issues in the Education Committees. In addition to the Senate Education Committee, the House Elementary and Secondary Education: School Curriculum Policies Committee, and the House Elementary and Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing, and Charter Schools Committee, IASB tracks legislation in dozens of additional committees.

During the current 102nd General Assembly, IASB tracked 1,126 House and Senate Bills.

The number of bills impacting public education in Illinois is more than all bills introduced in the Ohio Legislature. While the importance of IASB tracking and influencing bills cannot be understated, the ultimate number is 289. Two hundred and eighty-nine bills impacting public education have become law in this General Assembly, with still more potentially to come. When we look at Ohio again, we see that it has enacted 101 pieces of legislation into law in its current General Assembly. That is not 101 new school laws; that is 101 total new laws, including school issues like consolidation, but also other non-school issues like bird sanctuary license plates.

I must admit that as a Michigan football fan, it is difficult for me to say anything good about the State of Ohio, but Ohio takes the opposite approach to legislating that Illinois does.

While there are many reasons for this disparity, and Ohio is a clear outlier (just as Illinois is) among the states we looked at, it

should matter to Illinois school board members because IASB has a clear Position Statement on limiting bill introductions. IASB Position Statement 3.03 reads: “The Illinois Association of School Boards shall encourage the Illinois General Assembly to limit the quantity of legislation introduced in each two-year period to allow time for each bill to be researched, debated, and thoroughly investigated before action by the General Assembly.”

As you can see in the photo on this page, over the past 20 years the School Code has grown significantly. Not only has the volume increased but the mass is up as well with IASB’s printed school

code service now weighing in at 6 pounds. Several years ago, the Illinois House of Representatives adopted a resolution warning of the dangers of heavy backpacks. Let’s hope our students are taking the safe route and opting for a digital copy of the Illinois School Code.

While the directive is clear for IASB, school board members are not off the hook. IASB Position Statement 3.01 also clearly outlines the need for member involvement by stating “The Illinois Association of School Boards shall continue its legislative involvement and encourage increased legislative activity by local school board members at the district, division, and state levels while providing

leadership in guiding those board members in their efforts to seek public support of legislation essential to good school government.”

We hope that seeing the data behind bill introductions in Illinois encourages you to get involved in the legislative process.

To have success in limiting bill introductions in January, conversations with General Assembly members about the volume of new laws impacting Illinois schools need to start now.

While advocating on behalf of your school district and your community can seem like a daunting task, it all comes down to basic relationship-building. The first question you need to ask is, “Who is my Legislator?” Once you know who you are reaching out to, it takes three simple, but important steps: Form relationships, hone your message, and engage your community.  Zach Messersmith is Director of Governmental Relations for the Illinois Association of School Boards. For more information on how to advocate on behalf of your school district, check out the Advocacy tab on the IASB website at IASB.com.

November/December 2022 • 9

Communications Corner

Annual Exhibit Features Facility Transformations

T

By Kara Kienzler

The success of a school design project primarily depends on what the district needs. Beyond that, such projects can be looked at in terms of aesthetics, flexibility, security, and innovation, and numerous other factors.

IASB recently hosted a small group of architects and school officials to review school design projects entered in this year’s Exhibition of Educational Environments competition. It took a full day for the six judges and one moderator to carefully review all 17 entries. Whether a small special project, major renovation, or brand-new school facility, each project showcased the transformation with before-and-after images.

included aging infrastructures, overcrowding, and the need for flexible learning environments to support innovation, collaboration, and student wellness.

From color palettes to flooring installations, from the addition of social stairs to the widening of corridors, the judges shared perspectives and commentary on a multitude of design decisions. They opined on finishes and materials and considered the use of resources within strict budgets. The judges acknowledged the urban constraints of a limited footprint versus open land with more options to expand. They considered safety issues with sight lines, traffic flow, and building entrances. Energy

IASB maintains a data file with over 650 school design projects submitted over the 35 years of the annual Exhibition of Educational Environments competition.

Each year, architect firms submit projects with permission from the school district clients. In addition to images, the architects provide data and narrative to describe how their solutions meet the client’s (district) objectives. District challenges 10 • Illinois School Board Journal

reduction and sustainable design features such as motion sensors for lighting, geothermal systems, and recycled flooring were noted.

This year there were seven projects that stood out to the judges as deserving of award recognition.

All project entries will be on display November 18-20 at the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago.

Here is a sample of some of the projects on display: • An enlarged and renovated middle school cafeteria that can transform into a venue to host after-school poetry slams and wrestling matches.

• A colorful elementary school with learning nooks carved into the hallways.

• A high school that glows throughout the community at night with multicolored LED exterior lighting.

• A media center in a new elementary school that includes a slide to add some fun for students.

• A building program implemented across two separate campuses, each with its own distinct personality.

• Wetlands converted to a solar array that provides educational opportunities and supports the district’s goals of financial and environmental stewardship.

• Revitalization of an elementary school that sat dormant in a community for a decade.

• A new black box theater to reinforce a high school’s focus on the arts.

• A high school renovation that transforms classrooms into an advanced manufacturing lab to represent the first step in a district’s investment in CTE. • A STEM facility addition that features a gravity deck catwalk for physics-based projects.

• A student commons area to link learning, foster connection, and promote wellness.

For anyone researching or planning a school facility design, IASB maintains a data file with over 650 school design projects submitted over the 35 years of the annual Exhibition of Educational Environments competition. The collection contains data, illustrations, and commentary, and search parameters include student

Last year’s Exhibition of Educational Environments

capacity, county, district name, grade levels housed, or specific use.

Details about the competition, sponsored by IASB Service Associates, and this year’s award winners are available at IASB.com. If you are attending the Joint Annual Conference take a moment to view the Exhibition of Educational

Environments displays for ideas and inspiration.  Kara Kienzler is IASB Associate Executive Director for Communications and Production Services. To view a video in which judges share their thoughts on the 2022 competition, visit the Journal resources page at iasb.com/Journal.

November/December 2022 • 11

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Cover Story

Compare and Contrast: How Illinois Stacks Up

By Theresa Kelly Gegen

W

What are your opinions on New York vs. Chicago-style pizza? Spring vs. autumn? What do you think of Chagall and O’Keeffe? Hamlet or Macbeth? Lincoln and FDR? Bears, Packers, or maybe even Colts? Mac vs Windows? Wind vs. solar? Blues, country, or hip-hop?

Everyone who grew up writing “compare and contrast” essays will understand the question: How does Illinois compare to other states when it comes to education? A variety of

national data agencies and educational entities work on research such as this, and we’ve compiled and distilled selected reports here.

Illinois is the seventh most populous state and 25th in area.

It’s home to rural, suburban, and urban areas; fields, homes, and skyscrapers; languages, ethnicities, and cultures. The schools and school districts in Illinois run from tiny to huge, and each has its own identity and traditions. With all

that, Illinois has also been called the most typical, or as National Public Radio announced in 2016, the most “perfect” state.

“So, we attempted to quantitatively evaluate the critique — and try to come up with which states actually were the most representative of the average of the entire country, in what we’re calling the Perfect State Index. In creating the PSI, we looked at five categories race, November/December 2022 • 13

education, age, income and religion. The Overall Winner: Illinois” Leadership commentator John C. Maxwell said, “The only one you should compare yourself to is you.

Your mission is to become better today than you were yesterday.” But here, we’re going to ignore that first part — and do a bit of comparing — in order to get an idea of where we are today and perhaps become better tomorrow for the advancement of K-12 education in Illinois.

Funding

Illinois’ Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula is in its fifth year of implementation in distributing state funds for education and has the purpose of a more equitable distribution of state dollars to the

14 • Illinois School Board Journal

neediest districts. Prior to 2017, Illinois funding ranked among the least equitable states in funding distribution. Even when Illinois was contributing more total money to high-poverty districts compared to low-poverty districts, and even when the state was providing a higher percentage of its funding to the highest poverty districts, there remained large gaps in local funding due to differences in local ability to generate money for schools.

At that time, most school districts operated at 70% of what they needed to educate their students.

Advance Illinois wrote in the summer of 2022, “While we still have a ways to go, five years into implementation, we can celebrate that EBF has successfully begun to close resource equity gaps across

Illinois.” EBF sets cost factors and uses them to determine the cost of educating the students in a district, setting the Adequacy Target. The formula measures each district’s local resources in comparison to the Adequacy Target. Through EBF, the state then distributes additional state funds to assist districts in meeting their Adequacy Targets. A key component of reaching adequacy is local resources, mainly property tax bases, which vary dramatically from district to district across the state or even between neighboring districts.

Using 2020 data from NCES, Illinois school districts receive 54% of their revenues from local sources, 40% from the state, and 6% from federal funds (this is exclusive of funds distributed through federal programs tied

Table 1 FY20 ($ in thousands)

Revenues

Local Revenues

% Local State Revenues

% State

Federal Revenues

% Federal

United States

794,568,095

356,835,188

45%

377,341,078

47%

60,391,828

8%

Illinois

39,071,160

20,942,210

54%

15,728,126

40%

2,400,824

6%

Indiana

13,777,624

4,035,331

29%

8,710,782

63%

1,031,511

7%

Kentucky

8,757,350

3,001,240

34%

4,751,147

54%

1,004,964

11%

Missouri

12,347,541

7,480,480

61%

3,794,955

31%

1,072,106

9%

Iowa

7,408,114

2,946,928

40%

3,930,911

53%

530,276

7%

Wisconsin

13,082,031

5,741,891

44%

6,483,833

50%

856,307

7%

Ohio

26,417,647

13,718,534

52%

10,763,752

41%

1,935,360

7%

Pennsylvania

34,047,550

18,691,298

55%

13,058,176

38%

2,298,077

7%

Source: Institute of Education Sciences, Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: FY 20 (Table 1)

to COVID-19 relief programs).

Nationally, school districts are 45% locally funded, 47% state-funded, and 8% federally funded. Table 1 compares Illinois revenues and sources with those of neighboring states (Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa, and Wisconsin) and states nearest to Illinois in population (Ohio and Pennsylvania).

In FY20, the national average for expenditures per pupil for public elementary and secondary education was $13,489 for the 50.5 million public school students in the U.S. Of this, $8,158 (60%) was instructional costs and $4,832 (36%) categorized as

support costs. New York, at $25,273, spends the most per student, and Utah, at $8,287, spends the least.

Illinois spent an average of $17,483 educating just under 2 million public school students, which is more per pupil than the national average but the percentages align with the national numbers. Of that, $10,819 (62%) was instructional costs and $6,257 (36%) support costs.

In these calculations, support services include instructional staff support, general administration, school administration, operations and maintenance, student

Table 2 FY20 Expenditures in Student ($ in thousands) thousands Enrollment

Cost Per Pupil FY20

United States Illinois Indiana Kentucky Missouri Iowa Wisconsin Ohio Pennsylvania

$13,489 17,483 10,798 11,370 11,397 11,986 12,794 13,729 17,172

682,217,081 33,895,711 11,352,772 7,868,145 10,376,141 6,200,533 10,943,582 23,199,551 29,748,924

50,575,201 1,938,813 1,051,411 691,996 910,466 517,324 855,400 1,689,867 1,732,449

Source: Institute of Education Sciences, Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: FY 20 (Table 8)

National Rank Cost Per Pupil 10 35 36 35 30 25 20 11

transportation, and other support services. It does not include food services, which is a separate category; in Illinois food service makes up that last 2% of expenditures.

Table 2 compares Illinois expenditures and per-pupil spending with those of neighboring states and states nearest to Illinois in population.

Under EBF, 2022 information from Advance Illinois indicates “that the formula is working exactly as planned.” New state money through the formula — new tier funding — totaled $1.57 billion and is being distributed to property-poor districts serving students from low-income households. As of FY23, the average percent of adequacy for students from low-income households was 77%, up from 68% in FY18.

Accountability

Illinois’ vision for K-12 education includes “Illinois is a state of whole, healthy children nested in whole, healthy systems supporting communities wherein all citizens are socially and economically secure. Illinois’ state plan under November/December 2022 • 15

the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), approved in 2017 is “based on multiple measures of school performance and to promote best practices for sustained change.”

Illinois’ ESSA plan includes in its introduction, “In Illinois, we believe that a universal culture of high expectations is fundamental to creating and supporting the conditions that provide the best opportunities for all students. ESSA fosters the conditions for Illinois to implement a holistic, comprehensive, and coordinated system of support that prepares each and every student for academic excellence and postsecondary success.”

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) dives deep into the states’ accountability models, stating “States have leveraged the flexibility under the Every Student Succeeds

Act (ESSA) by integrating existing school improvement systems with ESSA requirements or establishing school improvement requirements in addition to federal expectations.”

One familiar “front page” of accountability in the state is the Illinois Report Card, an annual report released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) that offers data points to show how each school and district are progressing on a wide range of educational goals.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has a similar data program. Indiana has a similar, more narrative-driven system, with the requirement that these are published in the local newspaper.

National efforts to define and measure accountability historically struggle to separate the threads and

to draw comparisons within a wide range of models, measures, and plans, not to mention the magnitudes of differences between states, districts, and schools. The National Center for Education Statistics, an agency of the U.S. Department of Education, offers tools for comparison.

This includes the “Nation’s Report Card,” produced National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), in which comparisons can be drawn from a vast variety of data. For example here is a comparison of Illinois eighth graders to those of surrounding states, using the most recent data from 2019.

In Math, Illinois eighth graders had an average scale score of 283, listed as not significantly different from any neighboring state except Wisconsin, which “performed

Understand Governance, Increase Your Influence IASB’s The Basics of Governance course available 24/7 at the Online Learning Center This premier training experience was developed to provide board members and superintendents with an overview of effective school board governance and provides you with an opportunity to: • • • •

Identify the role and work of the school board.

Distinguish board work from that of the superintendent and staff.

Understand how each member relates to the full board.

Recognize effective board and board member best practices.

For further information or if you have questions about IASB’s Online Learning Center, contact onlinelearning@iasb.com, or Linda Zulaski, (630) 629-3776, ext. 1212.

16 • Illinois School Board Journal

significantly higher” at 289, and Kentucky, “significantly lower” at 278. The highest state was Massachusetts at 294. In Reading, all neighboring states performed statistically similarly to Illinois’ score of 265. Only six jurisdictions performed significantly higher, the highest state being Massachusetts at 273.

Across the country, achievement and accountability metrics have been paused or temporarily changed due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on education.

Current Events

Teacher Salaries: According to Education Week, the national average public school teacher salary for 2020-2021 was $65,293. Salaries vary widely by state, with Illinois, at $70,705, ranked 12th. New York at $90,222 was first and Mississippi at $46,862 was last. Neighboring states all had lower average teacher salaries with the nearest being Wisconsin at $59,992.

Teacher Shortage: In data reported by The 74, the teacher shortage in Illinois is comparable to that of the nation. Illinois reported 1,703 vacancies in 2021-2022. The estimated teacher position vacancy total nationally was 36,504. Using the metric of vacancies per 10,000 students, Illinois at 8.76 was lower than our neighbors in Indiana (9.48), Kentucky (12.25), and Wisconsin (30.9 per 10,000) and lower than Missouri (0.43) with Iowa data unavailable.

Sex Education: ECS reports that 29 states mandate some form of sex education. Illinois does not mandate school districts teach sex education, but for districts that do, the Keeping

Youth Safe and Healthy Act, passed in August 2021, includes national sex education standards developed

by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. This does not override local decision-making granted to school districts and parents can review the curriculum and/or opt their children out of sex education classes.

SEL: Illinois through ISBE has state Social and Emotional Learning Standards built on three goals: development of self-management and self-awareness, use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships, and demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors. These goals are based upon work done by CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning), and are used nationwide.

Other Legislation: ECS reports that, in 2022, states have passed 172 bills directly related to K-12 education, and another 320 are pending. Illinois is at the top of the charts, with 43 bills enacted — in 2022 alone. See page 7 for more on the legislative impact on Illinois education.

Governance

Illinois has, according to the Illinois School Report Card, 852 school districts which are governed by a board of education. At the state level, ISBE oversees PK-12, administering public education in the application of state laws that pertain to school districts.

Section X of the Illinois Constitution states “A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons

to the limits of their Capacities.

The State shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public educational institutions and services.

Education in public schools through the secondary level shall be free. There may be such other free education as the General Assembly provides by law.

The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education.”

Boards of education in Illinois are responsible for employing the superintendent, setting policy for management and governance of the school district, maintaining facilities, setting teacher salaries, establishing policy for determining curriculum, and reporting data to the state board of education. School boards set the school district’s budget, approve expenditures, and maintain contracts. Boards of education in Illinois have seven members, who serve staggered four-year terms that are determined by elections held bi-annually in odd-numbered years.

Illinois school board members are unpaid.

Illinois’ governance model is fairly standard across the United States, although there are some notable differences, even within states. Some localities have elected school superintendents. Some school board members receive a stipend or salary, including Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, Virginia, and most recently Colorado. Indiana school districts can pay board members up to $2,000 per year. Missouri school board members can receive a stipend. In Wisconsin, the board can set its November/December 2022 • 17

salary. Iowa, like Illinois, does not pay school board members.

Some school boards have three seated members, most have seven, and some large districts nationwide have over a dozen. In the states surrounding Illinois, laws indicate smaller school districts have five school board members; larger districts have seven, nine, or 11. In Wisconsin, for example, an elementary or high school district can have three school board members; if it’s coterminous with a town or has a population of 500 or more it may have five school board members. A district with elementary and high school grades may have three, five, seven, or nine members, and a common or union high school district may not have more than 11.

Nationally, some school board members are appointed, while others are a mix of appointed and elected. Some school board elections are partisan and others, including Illinois, are not.

As noted, Illinois has 852 school districts per the Illinois Report Card, serving a state population of 12.6 million people. In 1983, Illinois had just over 1,000 school districts.

Indiana has 295 school districts, Kentucky 175, Missouri 212, Iowa 368, and Wisconsin 426. Among states with the most similar populations to Illinois, Pennsylvania has 12.8 million residents and 501 school districts.

Ohio has 11.7 million residents and 597 school districts. Texas and California have more school districts than Illinois.

ECS classifies Illinois in its Model II of state education oversight: Voters elect the governor, who then appoints either all or 18 • Illinois School Board Journal

most of the members of the state board of education. The state board, in turn, appoints the chief state school officer. Missouri and Kentucky follow similar models.

Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin follow different models.

Illinois school board members must complete Open Meetings Act training within 90 days of taking office, and additional training on education and labor law, finance and accountability, and fiduciary responsibility in the first year. Of Illinois’ neighboring and comparable states, only Pennsylvania has similar legislation. The Keystone State requires its department of education to provide a training program — including academic programs, personnel, fiscal management, governance, ethics,

and open meetings — for new board members. Ten other states have similar requirements for board service.

Theodore Roosevelt is quoted as saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Comparing Illinois to its friends and neighbors encompasses both “like vs. like” and “apples to oranges,” depending on perspective, era, common factors, and mitigating circumstances. Another way of looking at it might be this from an unknown source, “Don’t compare the sun and the moon; they both shine in their time.”  Theresa Kelly Gegen is Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal. For links and resources associated with this article, see the Journal resources link at iasb.com/Journal.

Equity:

An Educational Imperative Gain a better understanding of the board’s role in creating a culturally responsive school environment through an in-district workshop aimed at understanding •

WHY educational equity is needed

•

WHAT is educational equity

•

HOW to make it a reality in your district

For more information, please contact Sandra Kwasa, (630) 629-3776, ext. 1213 skwasa@iasb.com

Feature Story

Micro-Credential Training Offered to Support English Learners

By Aylaynah Rose Garibay and Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro

N

Nearly one in four children in Illinois speaks a language other than English in the home. In 2019-20, there were 261,454 students classified as English Learners, roughly 12% of the student population.

In addition, almost every school district in the state offers English Learner instructional programs to support the unique learning needs of those students.

Until now, there has not been a sustained series of trainings designed to build the skills of school leaders who are responsible for student outcomes in those programs. Unique factors impact the learning trajectories of English learners over the long term, and administrators and school leaders can benefit from increasing their skillsets and expertise in best practices for working with English Learners.

Through advocacy and analysis, the Latino Policy Forum builds a foundation for

equity, justice, and economic prosperity for the Latino community. By catalyzing policy change, the Forum works to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies, and strengthen community leadership. The education team of the Latino Policy Forum envisions Latino and English Learner (EL) children across the educational continuum as having equitable educational opportunities.

Administrator Academies in the form of micro-credentials.

Read on to discover the unique content and job-embedded activities within the EL-focused micro-credential and the types of credit an administrator can receive upon successful completion of a micro-credential.

What are Micro-Credentials?

In Illinois, school leaders are required to have ongoing professional development. Earning such

Micro-credentials are an exciting new form of jobembedded professional development with tasks that are relevant to your school community.

The Latino Policy Forum is proud to partner with the DuPage Regional Office of Education to offer a series of English Learner

credit is accomplished by signing up for Administrator Academies that are either conducted online or in person. The Administrator November/December 2022 • 19

Academy offerings are published

by Regional Offices of Education, Intermediate Service Centers, or professional organizations such as the Illinois Principal’s Association, the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, or the Illinois Association of School Administrators.

Recently, Illinois has implemented a new model of targeted trainings that offers the opportunity to participate as an individual in a cohort or as a team. Micro-credentials are an exciting new form of job-embedded professional development with tasks that are relevant to your school community.

Topics include relevant current-day situations that school leaders face such as equity in education, fostering social-emotional development,

and English Learner Education.

Each micro-credential is designed to increase an individual’s capacity to lead school-wide change.

The learning within each training is meaningful and substantial, therefore it is recommended that administrators sign up for no more than two annually. The artifacts produced as part of the micro-credential support planning and implementation of new goals at either the school or district level.

Earning micro-credentials on a particular topic over time builds expertise.

What is Unique about the EL Micro-Credential Series?

The series of English Learner Administrator Academies, in the form of micro-credentials, are based

on the Illinois English Learner Handbook and feature examples of high-quality programs here in Illinois. The Latino Policy Forum created the handbook in partnership with the Illinois Principals Association, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and Illinois Association of School Boards (links available below). The micro-credential trainings feature ways to implement best practices for English Learners and support their academic success.

This micro-credential series is recommended for school leaders who are working in schools where there is a subgroup of English Learners enrolled. It is also beneficial for district-level EL program directors who are looking for targeted professional development related to their responsibilities.

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20 • Illinois School Board Journal

There are currently four trainings that lead participants through steps that support the school improvement process. The practices in these trainings were designed by experts in the field of English Learner education who have successfully implemented systemic change which in some cases transformed entire communities.

What Types of Activities are in These Trainings?

Themes covered in the trainings include • Understanding staff attitudes toward English Learners education: Are staff attitudes and beliefs in line with research and best practice?

• Evaluating the quality of programs: Do existing programs contain all the necessary

components to ensure student success?

• Understanding student performance through an English Learner lens: Which metrics tell more about growth and long-term success for English Learners?

• Building school-community buy-in for programmatic changes: How can you build a stakeholder group that will take part in the change process and provides meaningful insights?

School administrators can earn the annual Administrators’ Academy credit or professional development hours by signing up for one EL micro-credential. The timeline for completion is around three months. Any subsequent

micro-credentials earned in the same year count as hours of professional development credit.

There are four EL Micro-Credentials in a series toward earning a micro-endorsement. This can best be accomplished over the span of two academic school years, thereby earning two AA credits and additional professional development hours. Enrollment information for the EL Micro-Credential is available at the resources link below.  Aylaynah Rose Garibay is Senior Consultant to the Latino Policy Forum.

Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro, Ph.D., is the Director of Education at the Latino Policy Forum. For links and resources associated with this article, see the Journal resources link at iasb.com/Journal.

November/December 2022 • 21

Feature Story

Indicators of Teacher Leadership: Comparing Illinois Teachers’ Perceptions

By Jana Lynn Hunzicker

E

Even if educators cannot articulate or agree on what teacher leadership is and is not, they “know it when they see it.” This article reports the findings of a statewide study conducted to better understand which indicators of teacher leadership Illinois teachers consider strong and which indicators they consider weak. The article compares teachers’ perceptions across three demographics: region of the state, school setting, and percentage of low-income students.

22 • Illinois School Board Journal

Teacher leadership has alternately been described in terms of influence, roles and responsibilities, functions, competencies, skill sets, worldviews, and social networks. Different perspectives offer valuable contributions, yet varying notions of teacher leadership create ambiguity.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2022), an indicator is a gauge or sense that allows a person to draw a conclusion. Because teacher leadership is so vaguely

defined in both research and practice, indicators can assist teachers in using their tacit knowledge to recognize and define teacher leadership. In other words, they “know it when they see it.”

Using an online survey, data were collected for this statewide study between October 2019 and February 2020. An invitation to participate was sent via email through Regional Offices of Education and superintendents to teachers. All teachers

employed in an Illinois public school at the time of the study were potentially invited to participate in the survey, except Chicago Public Schools (excluded due to extensive requirements for getting permission to conduct research) A total of 177 teachers completed the survey, which included a rating exercise, a ranking exercise, and 12 survey questions.

The majority of respondents were women. All grade ranges from PK-high school were represented, and teachers from all regions of the state participated (except Chicago). Here we address the study’s second research question: Which indicators of teacher leadership do Illinois teachers consider strong and which do they consider weak?

Indicators of Teacher Leadership

Seven indicators of teacher leadership can be used to distinguish teacher leadership from simply teacher professionalism: connections, credentials,

credibility, expertise, frequency, scale, and variety. The indicators: • Connections: A teacher leader is well-networked with others.

• Credentials: A teacher leader is trained or certified as a teacher leader.

• Credibility: A teacher leader is an exemplary teacher.

• Expertise: A teacher leader is an expert or “go-to” person.

• Frequency: A teacher leader engages in acts of leadership often.

• Scale: A teacher leader coordinates large-scale projects/ initiatives.

• Variety: A teacher leader engages in many different types of leadership.

To determine which indicators Illinois teachers considered strong and which indicators they considered weak, survey respondents were asked to rank the seven indicators from strongest, or most likely to identify a teacher leader (1), to weakest, or least likely to identify a teacher leader (7). Overall, respondents

ranked expertise and credibility as the two strongest indicators of teacher leadership and scale as the weakest indicator of teacher leadership.

Frequency, connections, variety, and credentials fell somewhere in between (see Table 1).

Next, teachers’ overall perceptions of the seven indicators of teacher leadership were analyzed by region of the state, school setting, and percentage of low-income students.

Region of the State

When the overall rankings of the seven indicators were compared by region of the state, teachers in all six regions ranked expertise and credibility as the strongest two indicators of teacher leadership (see Table 2). Teachers in five of the six regions ranked scale as the weakest indicator of teacher leadership, with teachers in Northern Illinois ranking scale fifth out of seven.

Similarly, teachers in five of the six regions ranked frequency and connections as either third or fourth

Table 1

Mean Rankings of Strongest to Weakest Indicators of Teacher Leadership Overall Rank

Indicator

Definition

Mean

1

Expertise

A teacher leader is an expert or “go to” person.

2.66

2

Credibility

A teacher leader is an exemplary teacher.

2.84

3

Frequency

A teacher leader engages in acts of leadership often.

3.67

4

Connections

A teacher leader is well-networked with others.

3.97

5

Variety

A teacher leader engages in many different types of leadership.

4.33

6

Credentials

A teacher leader is trained or certified as a teacher leader.

4.68

7

Scale

A teacher leader coordinates large-scale projects/initiatives.

5.85

November/December 2022 • 23

Table 2

Mean Rankings of Strongest to Weakest Indicators of Teacher Leadership by Region of the State Overall Rank

Central Illinois N=56

Chicago Suburbs N=59

Eastern Illinois N=14

Northern Illinois N=18

Southern Illinois N=19

Western Illinois N=11

Expertise

1

1

1

2

1

2

2

Credibility

2

2

2

1

2

1

1

Frequency

3

4

3

4*

3

3

4

Connections

4

3

4

3

6

4

3

Variety

5

5

6

5*

4

6

6

Credentials

6

6

5

6

7

5

5

Scale

7

7

7

7

5

7

7

Note: Asterisks identify rankings with a tied mean, indicating that the rankings could be reversed (e.g., 5, 4 instead of 4, 5). Shaded areas indicate variations from the overall and subgroup rankings.

of seven, and the same five regions ranked credentials and variety as either 5 or 6 out of 7. Again, the exception was teachers in Northern Illinois, who agreed with the majority on frequency but ranked variety 4, connections 6, and credentials 7.

School Setting

When the overall rankings of the seven indicators of teacher leadership were compared by school setting, teachers from rural and small town schools and teachers from suburban and city schools ranked the seven indicators identically to the study’s overall rankings (see Table 3). Teachers from urban school settings agreed that expertise and credibility were the top two indicators of teacher leadership, and that scale was the weakest indicator of teacher leadership, but this group ranked connection (3) and credentials (4) higher than the other groups, and frequency (5) and variety (6) lower than the other groups.

So, compared to teachers in small 24 • Illinois School Board Journal

Table 3

Mean Rankings of Strongest to Weakest Indicators of Teacher Leadership by School Setting Overall Rank

Rural/ Suburban/ Small Town City N=112 N=59

Urban (Not Chicago) N=6

Expertise

1

1

1

2

Credibility

2

2

2

1

Frequency

3

3

3

5

Connections 4

4

4

3

Variety

5

5

5

6

Credentials

6

6

6

4

Scale

7

7

7

7

Note: Shaded areas indicate variations from the overall and subgroup rankings.

towns, suburbs, and cities, teachers in urban school settings ranked connection and credentials as stronger indicators of teacher leadership and frequency and variety as weaker indicators of teacher leadership.

This finding suggests that teachers in urban school settings gauge or sense teacher leadership differently than teachers in small towns,

suburbs, and cities, perhaps due to differences in teaching responsibilities.

Percentage of Low-Income Students

Differences in perception emerged among teachers in schools with socioeconomic diversity. Teachers in schools with a 26% to 50%

low-income student population ranked the scale as the fourth strongest indicator of teacher leadership (as opposed to a rank of 7 by teachers in all other groups) and connections as the seventh, or weakest, indicator of teacher leadership (as opposed to rankings of 3 or 4 by most other groups). Teachers in schools with populations of about 50% low-income students ranked variety as the fourth strongest indicator of teacher leadership (compared to rankings of 5 or 6 by all other groups) and connections as the sixth strongest indicator of teacher leadership (compared to rankings of 3 or 4 by most other groups.)

In other words, teachers in schools with populations of 26% to 50% low-income students and teachers in schools with populations of about 50% low-income students ranked scale and variety as stronger indicators of teacher leadership and connections as a weaker indicator of teacher leadership than teachers in schools with both lower and higher percentages

of low-income students. This finding suggests that engaging in many different types of leadership on a larger scale is more likely to be recognized as teacher leadership in schools that have the greatest socioeconomic diversity.

Key Take-Aways

Several key takeaways emerged from comparing Illinois teachers’ perceptions of teacher leadership by region of the state, school setting, and percentage of low-income students.

First, in all comparisons, participating teachers agreed that expertise and credibility were the

strongest indicators of teacher leadership. In other words, being known as an expert or a “go-to” person and having a reputation as an exemplary teacher was how most Illinois teachers in this study recognized teacher leaders. Second, in almost all comparisons, participating teachers agreed that scale was the weakest, or at least a weaker, indicator of teacher leadership, although teachers in Northern Illinois and teachers in socioeconomically diverse school settings considered scale slightly more important than other groups. So, the Illinois teachers in this study felt that coordinating large-scale

Table 4

Mean Rankings of Strongest to Weakest Indicators of Teacher Leadership by Percentage of Low-Income Students Overall Rank

Fewer than 25% N=16

26% to 50% N=26

About 50% N=34

51% to 74% N=57

More than 75% N=44

Expertise

1

1

1*

1

1*

1

Credibility

2

2

2*

2

2*

2

Frequency

3

3

3

3

4

3*

Connections

4

4

7

6

3

4*

Variety

5

5*

6

4

5

6

Credentials

6

6*

5*

5

6

5

Scale

7

7

4*

7

7

7

Note: Asterisks identify rankings with a tied mean, indicating that the rankings could be reversed (e.g., 6, 5 instead of 5, 6). Shaded areas indicate variations from the overall and subgroup rankings.

November/December 2022 • 25

projects and initiatives was not necessarily a stronger indicator of teacher leadership than leading individuals or small groups.

The overall consistency of teachers’ perceptions of expertise and credibility as strong indicators of teacher leadership and scale as a weak indicator of teacher leadership provides valuable insight regarding how Illinois teachers perceive teacher leadership. More difficult to interpret were the indicators that emerged as neither particularly strong nor particularly weak.

Across comparisons, frequency emerged as the third strongest indicator of teacher leadership, although teachers from urban school settings ranked it as a weaker indicator. This finding suggests that engaging in acts of leadership often was noticed by most Illinois teachers in the study — but not all — as a strong indicator of teacher leadership.

Although connections ranked as the third or fourth indicator of teacher leadership across most comparisons, teachers in Northern Illinois and teachers in socioeconomically diverse school settings considered connections a weak indicator. This finding suggests that networking with others was

viewed as an important aspect of teacher leadership among many — but not all — Illinois teachers in the study. In fact, teachers in schools with populations of 26% to 50% low-income students ranked connections as the weakest indicator of teacher leadership.

This finding could suggest that in schools where teachers know everyone and/or lead on a smaller scale, networking is not a necessary — or not a recognized — aspect of teacher leadership.

While variety ranked as the fifth or sixth indicator of teacher leadership across most comparisons, teachers in Northern Illinois and teachers in socioeconomically diverse school settings considered variety a stronger indicator of teacher leadership. This finding directly mirrors the same teachers’ rankings of connections, suggesting that in schools with socioeconomically diverse student populations, engaging in many different kinds of leadership is more important to teachers — or more often recognized by teachers as leadership — than networking with others.

Although credentials ranked as the fifth or sixth indicator of teacher leadership across most comparisons, teachers in urban school

settings considered credentials a slightly stronger indicator of teacher leadership while teachers in Northern Illinois considered it a weaker indicator. In fact, teachers in Northern Illinois ranked credentials as the weakest indicator of teacher leadership. This finding suggests that, for the most part, teacher leadership training and certification were not recognized by the Illinois teachers in this study as important qualifications for teacher leadership.

Expertise and credibility trumped teacher leadership credentials across all comparisons.

Conclusion

Even when teachers cannot agree or articulate what teacher leadership is and what it is not, they “know it when they see it.”

The findings of this statewide study revealed that across three demographics — region of the state, school setting, and percentage of low-income students — Illinois teachers recognized expertise and credibility as strong indicators of teacher leadership, closely followed by frequency. While connections, variety, and credentials were considered moderate to weak indicators, most Illinois teachers in this study ranked scale as the weakest teacher leadership indicator of all. Across all comparisons, expertise and credibility trumped teacher leadership credentials.  Jana Lynn Hunzicker, Ed.D., is Associate Dean, Associate Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Education, Counseling, and Leadership at Bradley University.

References for this article can be accessed via iasb.com/Journal.

26 • Illinois School Board Journal

Here’s a glimpse of the many topics addressed in the 2022 Legislative Issue of PRESS: Board Member Elections and Ethics PA 102-798 time period for

Employee Conduct, Qualifications, and Leaves PA 102-729 teacher evaluation

board reorganization after elections • PA 102-664 board member statement of economic interests form

District Operations

PAs 102-752 and 102-753 FOIA • PA 102-562 private right of action for improper disclosure of disciplinary records • PA 102-676 Faith’s Law and PA 102-702 Faith’s Law Trailer Bill • PA 102-1088 board approval of district’s report on shared services/outsourcing • PA 102-895 disclosure of cash reserve balance at public hearings for budget and levy • PA 102-1011 food services bidding exemption • PA 102-761 plant-based school lunch option • PA 102-894 reporting attacks on school personnel • PAs 102-1032 and 102-805 school fee and fine waivers • PA 102-395 annual review of emergency and crisis response plans • PA 102-792 annual filing of threat assessment procedure

waiver • PA 102-708 teacher misconduct hearing procedures • PAs 102-712 and 102-717 substitute teaching expansions • PA 102-697 paid COVID-19 leave • PA 102-866 sick leave expansion • PA 1021050 bereavement leave expansion

Student Attendance and Records

PA 102-199 DCFS liaison required • PA 102-891 excused absence for civic event • PA 102-727 temporary prohibition on grade, transcript, and diploma withholding for unpaid balance

Curriculum and Instruction PA 102971 home gun storage safety instruction • PA 102-876 school counseling services • PA 102-864 graduation requirements • PA 102-1077 dual credit • PA 102-875 prohibits standardized assessments in grades PK-2 Student Health and Behavior PA 102-894 electronic filing of bullying policies each review year • PA 102-752 Student Confidential Reporting Act • PA 102-899 renaming Children’s Mental Health Act • PA 102-752 juvenile law enforcement records disclosure

And many more new Illinois Public Acts and new or amended regulations affecting your district.

Why Subscribe? Researched, written, and edited by the IASB Office of General Counsel and vetted by members of the PRESS Advisory Board, a PRESS subscription gives you access to: • Footnoted, legally-referenced policy, exhibit, and administrative procedure materials • PRESS Highlights Memos explaining recent changes to these materials Subscribers also have access through PRESS Online.

Policy Services

For more information please contact (630) 629-3776 or (217) 528-9688, ext. 1227

Practical PR

Don’t Just Compare, Share How Your District Stands Out

By Eric Steckling

W

We live in a society that likes a good list. The morning news will tease that “3 of the Nation’s Best Schools” are right in our backyard so you stay tuned after the break.

U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Education Rankings, citing a number of factors, sits Illinois at 11th out of 50 states. Another ranker, WalletHub, puts us in the middle of the pack at 23rd in the nation.

So which one is it? Is 11th good? Or is it a failure that we didn’t crack the top 10?

We tend at times to get caught in data and rankings. Test score data is a critical lens into the classroom and a measure of student achievement, progress, and opportunities for growth. Using test scores is likely never going away, but rankings, regardless of the category or metric, can and do change over time.

The ones mentioned above include some data from the 20182019 school year as part of their calculation. I would venture to say a few things in our world, chiefly a global pandemic, have impacted our educational system since then.

28 • The Illinois School Board Journal

As school leaders and communicators, context must be at the heart of what we consider when formulating a game plan for sharing information with our communities. Superintendents, board of education members, and other administrators all serve in this role, particularly if your district does not have a full-time communications professional on staff.

Often you hear about comparisons involving your school district, usually with a neighboring district or entity. Why don’t we have the program they have? Why are we spending more on a particular program this year than last year? When these situations arise, it’s important to establish your narrative through clearly defined avenues that offer differing levels of detail.

Most importantly, you need to meet your constituents where they are. Paying attention to how your

Columns are submitted by members of the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association

constituents consume information in 2022 is incredibly important.

You can’t reasonably expect the general public to read a 20-page report attached to the board packet. Some just want a high-level overview. I’m the parent of a kindergartner, preschooler, and infant. I’m lucky if I get 20 minutes to read or watch what I want on a given day.

In District 109, we publish a BOE Recap — within 24 hours of the meeting — that gives a general summary of everything that happens. It’s also included as a link in the next district newsletter, because we don’t assume people are closely following every event as it happens in our district. Just as importantly, some constituents will want to read or listen to every single word spoken about a particular topic, so it still is important to include that comprehensive report in the public packet.

There exists a real opportunity to create a conversation focusing on the positive. As my superintendent has been known to ask, what do you think people are talking about at the water cooler? It could be test scores or that recent board

meeting, but it could also be the adorable businesses that second-graders at Kipling Elementary School opened up, learning how to sell goods to classmates. It could also be that students at Caruso & Shepard Middle School have the unique opportunity to choose one of four languages to learn at the middle school level (Hebrew, Mandarin, French, or Spanish).

Your district could be the one that others compare themselves to, if you highlight the unique and special things that your district has to offer and empower students as part of the process. These are moments that aren’t measured by a number or figure. In Deerfield SD 109, our storytelling brand is called “What’s Good in 109” and it has been recognized with state and national awards through the National School Public Relations Association.

In District 109, we have a standalone web page that

Sticky Learning is on display at District 109 board meeting. Credit Deerfield SD 109.

showcases our “What’s Good” stories and it has become a mainstay on district social media platforms.

The signature moment at the end of each month is the “What’s Good” presentation at our Board of Education meeting. This is something that every district can replicate, even if you don’t have the services of a communications professional on your staff.

Our district tagline is “Challenge, Collaborate, Create!” and during the presentation, I briefly showcase pictures and video clips of good things that have happened at five of our six buildings during that month that exemplify those 3 Cs. We feature one “School of the Month,” where we work with principals and teachers to show all 3 Cs in action at that building.

Then, the whole segment is capped off by a student presentation from the School of the Month. This past month, it was three kindergartners displaying “sticky learning” by labeling a very gracious Board of Education member with Post-It notes and getting some laughs and plenty of smiles from

the room. On average, the whole segment lasts about 15 minutes.

These presentations are a fantastic way to set a positive and uplifting tone for each meeting and give our board members valuable face time with students.

That’s what we want people talking about on social media and around the water cooler the next day. Positive moments and interactions we create by reminding people why we are here and why we do this every day. Test scores and financial analysis will always be part of the process when your constituents look at your district and compare it to others next door, but I would implore you to make sure that those peak moments and opportunities for students to shine are put into the conversation as well.  Eric Steckling is Director of Communications for Deerfield SD 109. For links to the board documents and presentation associated with this article, see the Journal resources page at iasb.com/Journal.

November/December 2022 • 29

Service Associates Directory Appraisal Services INDUSTRIAL APPRAISAL COMPANY Building and fixed asset appraisals for insurance and accounting purposes.

Oak Brook (630) 575-0280

Architects/Engineers ARCON ASSOCIATES, INC. Full service firm specializing in educational facilities with services that include architecture, construction management, roof and masonry consulting, landscape architecture, and environmental consulting.

Lombard (630) 495-1900; www.arconassoc.com; sjmattes@arconassoc.com BERG ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, LTD. Consulting engineers.

Schaumburg (847) 352-4500 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 www.bldd.com CORDOGAN CLARK & ASSOCIATES Architects and engineers.

Aurora (630) 896-4678; www.cordoganclark.com; Tpowers@cordoganclark.com DEWBERRY ARCHITECTS INC. Architects, planners, landscape architecture, and engineers.

Peoria (309) 282-8000; Elgin (847) 695-5840 DLA ARCHITECTS, LTD. Architects specializing in preK-12 educational design, including a full range of architectural services, assessments, planning, feasibility studies, new construction, additions, remodeling, O&M and owner’s rep services.

Itasca (847) 742-4063; www.dla-ltd.com; info@dla-ltd.com DLR GROUP Educational facility design and master planning. Chicago (312) 382-9980; dlrgroup.com; mengelhardt@dlrgoup.com

30 • Illinois School Board Journal

ERIKSSON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, LTD. Site Planning/Studies, Civil Engineering, Traffic/Transportation, Landscape Architecture. Grayslake (847) 223-4804; Chicago (312) 463-0551; Mokena (708) 614-9720 FARNSWORTH GROUP, INC. Architectural and engineering professional services.

Normal (309) 633-8436 FGM ARCHITECTS, INC. Architects. Chicago (312) 942-8461; Oak Brook (630) 574-8300; O’Fallon (618) 624-3364; St. Louis (314) 439-1601; Milwaukee, Wisconsin (414) 346-7282 www.fgmarchitects.com GREENASSOCIATES, INC. Architecture/construction services.

Deerfield (847) 317-0852; Itasca, (847) 317-0852 Springfield

IASB Service Associates are businesses which offer school-related products and services and which have earned favorable reputations for quality and integrity. Only after careful screening is a business firm invited to become a Service Associate.

To learn more about IASB Service Associates membership, visit www.iasb.com or contact IASB at bkusturin@iasb.com

HEALY BENDER PATTON & BEEN ARCHITECTS Architects/Planners.

Naperville (630) 904-4300; www.healybender.com; dpatton@healybender.com

LARSON & DARBY GROUP Architecture, engineering, interior design, and technology.

Rockford (815) 484-0739; www.larsondarby.com; snelson@larsondarby.com

HURST-ROSCHE, INC. Architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design. Hillsboro (217) 532-3959; East St. Louis (618) 398-0890; Marion (618) 998-0075; Springfield (217) 787-1199; www.hurst-rosche.com

LEGAT ARCHITECTS, INC. Architectural and educational planners who specialize in creating effective student learning environments.

Gurnee (847) 622-3535; Oak Brook (630) 990-3535; Chicago (312) 258-9595; www.legat.com; atranter@legat.com

JMA ARCHITECTS Full service professional design firm specializing in K-12 educational design, construction management, strategic/ master planning, health/life safety compliance, building commissioning, and interior space design.

South Holland (708) 339-3900; www.jmaarchitects.com; allison@jmaarchitects.com KLUBER ARCHITECTS + ENGINEERS Building design professionals specializing in architecture, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and fire protection engineers.

Batavia (630) 406-1213

PCM+DESIGN ARCHITECTS Provide a full range of architectural services including facility and feasibility studies, architectural design, construction consulting, and related services.

East Peoria (309) 694-5012; www.PCMPLUSD.com; whelmick@pcmplusd.com PERFORMANCE SERVICES, INC. An integrated design and delivery engineering company serving the design and construction facility needs of K-12 schools. Schaumburg (847) 466-7220 PERKINS AND WILL Architects. Chicago (312) 755-0770

RICHARD L. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC. Architecture, educational planning.

Rockford (815) 398-1231; www.rljarch.com STR PARTNERS Architectural, interior design, planning, cost estimating, and building enclosure/ roofing consulting.

Chicago (312) 464-1444 STUDIOGC ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS StudioGC is passionate communityminded partner, committed to creating imaginative and well-designed facilities.

StudioGC offers innovative planning, programming, architectural, interior design, and cost estimates.

Chicago (312) 253-3400 TRIA ARCHITECTURE An architectural planning and interior design firm that provides services primarily to school districts in the Chicagoland area with an emphasis on service to their clients, and their communities.

Burr Ridge (630) 455-4500; www.triaarchitecture.com WIGHT & CO. A fully integrated design, engineering, and construction firm that partners with education leaders to create progressive, inspiring, and sustainable learning environments, while helping to manage risk and provide accountability in the delivery of work. Darien (630) 969-7000; www.wightco.com; bpaulsen@wightco.com WOLD ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS Specializing in Pre-K-12 educational design including master planning, sustainable design, architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, quality review, cost estimation and management.

Palatine (847) 241-6100

Building Construction BOLLER CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. Construction Manager and General Contractor specializing in building and renovating schools.

Waukegan (847) 662-5566 CORE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES OF IL., INC. Professional construction management, design-build, and general contracting services. Peoria (309) 404-4700; COREconstruction.com; mikaylavincent@coreconstruction.com

F. H. PASCHEN A general/construction manager with extensive experience in new construction and renovation of educational and institutional facilities in the public/private sectors.

Chicago (773) 444-1525; www.fhpaschen.com; aizzi@fhpaschen.com FREDERICK QUINN CORPORATION Construction management and general contracting. Addison (630) 628-8500 HOLLAND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC. Full service construction management and general contracting firm specializing in education facilities.

Swansea (618) 277-8870 IHC CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES LLC IHC Construction Companies LLC is a full-service construction management firm that delivers new construction, additions, and renovations for School District clients on-time and within budget.

Elgin (847) 742-1516 INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTORS, INC. (ICI) An award-winning construction management firm specializing in K-12 facilities. Our firm is currently partnering with eight Illinois School Districts on capital improvement projects.

Oakbrook Terrace (630) 641-6852 NICHOLAS & ASSOCIATES, INC. Construction management, general contracting, design and build.

Mt. Prospect (847) 394-6200 info@nicholasquality.com; nickjr@nicholasquality.com PEPPER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Construction management and general contracting services.

Barrington (847) 381-2760; www.pepperconstruction; jripsky@pepperconstruction.com POETTKER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Specializing in construction management, design/build, construction consulting services, and energy solutions for education clients.

Breese (618) 526-7213; www.poettkerconstruction.com

RUSSELL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. Russell provides successful, knowledgeable construction management and contracting services in the PreK-12 market from concept to completion and continuing care for your facility needs.

Davenport, Iowa (563) 459-4600; www.russellco.com; sbaumann@russellco.com S.M. WILSON & CO. Provides construction management and general construction services to education, healthcare, commercial, retail, and industrial clients.

St. Louis (314) 645-9595; www.smwilson.com; kristyn.newbern@smwilson.com; amanda.bohnert@smwilson.com TRANE HVAC company specializing in design, build, and retrofit.

Willowbrook (636) 305-3600

Computer Software, Supplies, Services COMPUTER INFORMATION CONCEPTS, INC. Infinite Campus student information System and Finance Suite, and Tableau Data Visualization/Analytics.

Greeley, Colorado (312) 995-3342 EDMENTUM We provide fully digital curriculum and assessment tools for educators to utilize in K-12 classrooms to establish blended and personalized environments and advance student learning.

Bloomington, Minnesota (952) 832-1570 COMMON GOAL SYSTEMS, INC. We offer cloud-based software solutions for student information management, student registration, state reporting, financial management and payroll, parent communication, scheduling, gradebooks, report cards, and more.

Elmhurst (630) 592-4200; www.common-goal.com

November/December 2022 • 31

Consulting EOSULLIVAN CONSULTING Illinois-based EOSullivan Consulting has developed a proven process the helps school districts with community engagement, survey research, messaging, informational campaigns and referendums.

Libertyville (815) 353-1991

Environmental Services ALPHA CONTROLS & SERVICES, LLC We deliver energy cost justified solutions that make the learning environment comfortable, secure, and efficient.

Rockford, Springfield, Champaign (815) 227-4000; www.alpaacs.com; jasonv@alphaacs.com VEREGY Dedicated to assisting K-12 education meet the challenge of providing healthy, safe, and educational appropriate learning environments.

St. Louis (636) 230-0843; Chicago (773) 633-0691; veregy.com; bsmith@veregy.com ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP A comprehensive energy services and performance contracting company providing energy, facility and financial solutions.

Itasca (630) 773-7201; smcivor@energysystemsgroup.com GRP MECHANICAL CO., INC. Renovating buildings through energy savings performance contracting to provide the best learning environment.

HVAC, plumbing, windows, doors, and mechanical services.

Bethalto (618) 779-0050 IDEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, INC. Asbestos and environmental services.

Bloomington (309) 828-4259 ILLINOIS ENERGY CONSORTIUM Sells electricity and natural gas to school districts, colleges, and universities.

DeKalb (815) 753-9083; www.ILLec.org; hwallace@iasbo.org ENGIE SERVICES U.S. Turnkey partnership programs that enable K12 school districts in Illinois to modernize their facilities; increase safety, security and efficiency; reduce operations costs; and maximize the lifespan of critical assets.

Chicago (312) 498-7792; sharon.uslan@engie.com

32 • Illinois School Board Journal

RADON DETECTION SPECIALISTS Radon measurements in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as all DCFS licensed spaces. We service the entire state of Illinois.

Westmont (630) 325-4443 or (800) 244-4242

Financial Services BERNARDI SECURITIES, INC. Municipal bond specialty firm; offers a full range of school bond underwriting services, including capital needs financing and debt refinancing.

O’Fallon (618) 206-4180; Peru (815) 587-8972; Chicago (312) 281-2014; jvezzetti@bernardisecurities.com BMO HARRIS BANK BMO Harris Bank’s experienced specialists can help you build a sound strategy to help close budget gaps, manage day-to-day cash flow and maximize your resources.

Chicago (312) 461-7895 EHLERS AND ASSOCIATES School bond issues; referendum help; financial and enrollment studies.

Roseville, Minnesota (312) 638-5250; www.ehlers-inc.com; tolszewski@ehlers-inc.com GORENZ AND ASSOCIATES, LTD. Auditing and financial consulting.

Peoria (309) 685-7621 ICE MILLER, LLP Nationally recognized bond counsel services. Chicago (312) 726-7127 KINGS FINANCIAL CONSULTING, INC. Municipal bond financial advisory service including all types of school bonds; school referenda, county school sales tax; tax revenue forecasts/projections.

Monticello (217) 762-4578 SPEER FINANCIAL, INC. Financial planning and bond issue services.

Chicago (312) 346-3700; www.speerfinancial.com; dphillips@speerfinancial.com; rmckenzie@speerfinancial.com STIFEL Full service securities firm providing investment banking and advisory services including strategic financial planning; bond underwriting; referendum and legislative assistance.

Edwardsville (800) 230-5151; noblea@stifel.com

WINTRUST FINANCIAL Financial services holding company engaging in community banking, wealth management, commercial insurance premium financing, and mortgage origination. Rosemont (630) 560-2120

Human Resource Consulting BUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES, INC. Human resource, safety and risk management, and insurance consulting.

Effingham (217) 342-3042; www.bushuehr.com; steve@bushuehr.com

Insurance PREVENTIVE HEALTH PARTNERS, SC Offer onsite vaccine services. We offer flu and other adult wellness vaccines including COVID-19. We also offer travel medicine advice and vaccines to students traveling abroud. Lake Bluff; llinois (312) 641-6228 and Wisconsin (262) 240-1031 THE SANDNER GROUP Insurance program management, marketing & claims services for workers’ compensation, property & liability.

Chicago (800) 654-9504

Office Equipment EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS BY FRANK COONEY COMPANY, INC. Furniture for educational environments.

Wood Dale (630) 694-8800; www.frankcooney.com; gregory@frankcooney.com

Superintendent Searches ECRA GROUP Superintendent searches, board and superintendent workshops.

Schaumburg (847) 318-0072

ICYMI

Sparkle to Success

By Candi Shaver, Superintendent A-C Central CUSD 262 Presenters: Diamond Lake SD 76 Board Members Joy Hall, Jon Hauptman, Margaret Kwon, and Elisa Bailis and Superintendent Bhavna Sharma-Lewis, Ph.D.

T

The panel “Sparkle to Success: The BOE’s Role in Positive Climate and Culture” offered how one diverse suburban school district transformed its trajectory from struggle to success by creating a healthy, professional environment and sustaining those conditions for positive change, teacher leadership, and student growth.

The panel opened with objectives: creating a needs assessment, developing a related action plan and timeline for implementation, and plans for a cycle of continuous improvement to evaluate, progress monitor, and measure results.

Presenters authentically shared the story of when Superintendent Bhavna Sharma-Lewis came to the district. Generally, lack of communication existed amongst stakeholders, family involvement was low, staff retention was of concern, budget and funding challenges existed, there were problems with transparency

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) features panel reports from the 2021 Joint Annual Conference.

Reporters are participants in the Educational Administration Intern program, a collaboration of IASB and the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration.

ICYMI

amongst the leadership team, and an overall poor climate and culture loomed over the district. Curriculum was not cohesive and facility issues needed to be addressed as did professional development programs.

Sharma-Lewis knew she needed to “seek first to understand” as the author Steven Covey put it, so their transition team listened and learned and provided for no new initiatives, instead choosing to take baby steps and hold meetings with stakeholders. They sought to put people first, ensuring an environment of belonging, safety, and love. The six areas of “leading with heart” as Diamond Lake calls it are communication, accountability, relationships, healthy teamwork, walking the talk, and focus on human capital.

The district developed a process which included assessing and evaluating current conditions, establishing priorities and goals, creating an action plan, determining measurable outcomes using data and evidence, and clearly communicating with all stakeholders.

What they found in the assessment was a lack of alignment between the mission and vision and the work of the district. From this, they established strategic priorities in the area of academics, professional experiences for staff, operational supports, finance, and communications.

Then Diamond Lake determined how to measure outcomes.

For academic excellence, they used a student SEL survey and STAR data. For professional excellence they measured staff culture and climate survey data. For operations they measured staff support resource survey data. In communication they used parent engagement survey data. The district also used its financial data.

Resulting from those initial efforts, Diamond Lake completed a five-year collective bargaining agreement, passed an $11-million-dollar referendum, improved facilities at all schools and branded the district with the hashtag #SparkleOn. The district has have a connected culture from boardroom to classroom with trust, safety, collaboration, relationships, shared voice and ownership, and gratitude, recognition and appreciation operating at peak levels at each level within the organization.  Candi Shaver, Superintendent at A-C Central CUSD 262, was a participant in the Educational Administrator Internship program at the 2021 Joint Annual Conference. ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) features panel reports from the Joint Annual Conference.

Reporters are participants in the Educational Administration Intern Program, a collaboration of IASB and the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration.

November/December 2022 • 33

Milestones

In Memoriam Olen “Butch” Borders Jr., 79, died August 2, 2022. At the time of his passing, Borders was a sitting board member at Centralia HSD 200. He was known as the “Golden Orphan” for his dedication to Central High School and its athletic teams.

Harvey E. Brown, 85, died August 21, 2022. He was a past member of the board of education for Polo CUSD 222.

Steven Cantrell, 70, died September 20, 2022. He was the longest-serving member of the board of education for Jacksonville SD 117 at the time of his passing and was also Vice Chair of IASB’s Two Rivers Division.

Anatole Crane, 89, died September 3, 2022. He was a previous member and president of the Fox River Grove CSD 3 Board of Education.

Elizabeth Burtonde Vogelaere, 98, died July 29, 2022. She was a past member of the Lake Forest SD 67 school board.

Roger E. Gundy, 91, died August 19, 2022. He had served on the school board for Flanagan-Cornell SD 74.

David Lee Harris, 85, died August 21, 2022. He was previously a member of the Warrensburg-Latham CUSD 11 Board of Education.

Carol Heiser, 86, died August 31, 2022. She was a past board member for the Fisher CUSD 1 Board of Education and directed a mentoring program at the high school for 10 years.

Kathy L. Johnson, 77, died August 26, 2022. She was a past staffer and later a board member for Woodstock CUSD 200.

Brad Steven Karich, 56, died February 22, 2022. He had served on the school board for Wood Dale SD 7.

34 • Illinois School Board Journal

Lowell Elijah Kepley, 92, died August 30, 2022. He served on the Ingraham Grade School Board in Clay County and was a school bus driver for Jasper Co CUSD 1.

Judith A. Magdich, 82, died August 9, 2022. She was a past member of the school board for Dixon Unit SD 170.

Joseph L. Marten, 81, died August 5, 2022. He was a past member of the Litchfield CUSD 12 school board. Marten also drove a school bus and was the state of Illinois school bus driving champion in 1975.

Rodney L. Moore, 48, died September 2, 2022. At the time of his passing he was a member of the Cairo CUSD 1 Board of Education. He was an entrepreneur who was known as one of the best DJs in the area.

Edward William “Bill” Morse Jr., 79, died September 26, 2022. He was a past member of the board of education for Community USD 300 in Algonquin.

Norma M. Nathan, 97, died September 14, 2022. She had served as a school board member for Bloomington SD 87. She graduated from Bloomington High School in 1943 and attended Heartland Community College 65 years later.

Richard H. “Rich” Neimann Sr., 91, died September 25, 2022. He was a past member of the Quincy SD 172 Board of Education and former CEO of Quincy-based Neimann Foods.

Karl William “Fig”Newton, 87, died August 26, 2022. He had served on the school board for Chester-East Lincoln CCSD 61.

James W. Popek, 73, died July 22, 2022. He was a past member of the Laraway CCSD 70C Board of Education.

Earl “Junior” Smith, 62, died August 6, 2022. He had served on the school board for North Wayne CUSD 200.

Bernard C. Sommer, 75, died September 20, 2022. He was a member of the East Moline SD 37 school board for 10 years.

Bill C. Staker, 84, died August 26, 2022. He served on the Aledo school board and at the time of his passing was farming in Mercer County with three generations of his family.

Earl Stuepfert, 65, died August 6, 2022. He was a past member of the LaMoille CUSD 303 Board of Education.

Cathryn Styczynski, 94, died August 1, 2022. She served on the school board for Polo CUSD 222. She is remembered for accompanying Polo High School music students at the annual IHSA Music Contests.

Henry Frank Tobler Jr., 91, died July 23, 2022. He had served on the board of education for Princeton HSD 500.

Thomas G. Weiskittle, 84, died August 20, 2022. He had served on the board of education for Riverside School Board in Adams County.

Danny Yates, 74, died August 21, 2022. He was a member of the Metropolis Board of Education in Massac County.

Rolland E. Zachgo, 85, died August 9, 2022. He was a 20-year member of the Gilman Board of Education in Iroquois County. 

Insights “... Job candidates — especially those coming out of teacher-preparation programs aware of the teacher shortage — are not afraid to leverage the situation to their advantage. ‘They come in as shrewd negotiators; they know they have the upper hand.’ What are they asking for? ‘Flexibility’ ...

That’s what people want.”’

funding for 2021 — a fallout from the financial hit the pandemic delivered to the state. The state board of education recommended adding more than $350 million into the evidence-based funding formula for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, but legislators stuck with the $350 million minimum outlined in the law.”

— Kevin Walton, Human Resources Specialist, via “What It Will Take to Recruit Teachers in a Tough Job Market” by Elizabeth Heubeck, Education Week, August 10, 2022

— “Will Illinois have fully funded schools by 2027? Not without ramping up funding, advocates say,”

by Samantha Smylie, Chalkbeat Chicago, September 28, 2022

When the state legislature created the evidence-based funding formula in 2017, it intended for schools to be fully funded by 2027, with at least $350 million added to the formula every year.

However, there was no new

“What are the tenets of teaching media literacy? … So the five are accessing information, how you evaluate different media platforms to better understand the general landscape, the economics and issues regarding

trustworthiness and source of information. That’s one. The second one is analyzing and evaluating media messages, how you deconstruct media representation and distinguish facts from opinion. The third one is creating media, how you convey a coherent message. The fourth one is reflecting on media consumption. How do you assess, like, the media effects on yourself but others to trigger emotions and behavior? And the last one … a very important one … is the social responsibility in civics.”

— Yonty Friesem, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Civic Media at Columbia College Chicago, via “Illinois now requires media literacy instruction in its high school curriculum” by Rachel Martin, National Public Radio, September 14, 2022

November/December 2022 • 35

NON-PROFIT PRST STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS

2921 Baker Drive Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929 Address Service Requested

#ThankABoardMember SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS DAY November 15, 2022

School Board Members Day recognition resources available at www.iasb.com