Conference Day 2&3

Day 2 at the Annual IASA Conference included a "new superintendents" workshop, vision 20/20 workshop, a workshop on impending insurance changes, and a rather gloomy forecasting presentation from the Illinois State Board of Education. In the ISBE presentation, it was announced that next year we may be looking at a more severe proration of our state assistance. Currently, we are funded at 89% of the state rate of approximately $6100/student. Next year it may drop as low as 85% and there is no guarantee that the State will not lower the foundation level from $6100ish. This combo would be disastrous for us and all schools downstate. This morning (Day 3) I am attending a technology 1:1 workshop that focuses on Google Chromebooks. The Chromebook is the device we are currently leaning towards deploying in the near future. After this workshop - it is back in car and up to Astoria for a Common Core Workshop.

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IASA Annual Conference Report 1

Today, is the second day of the Annual Illinois Association of School Administrators Conference. The conference is held in Springfield, Illinois. There are 800+ school district in Illinois and it would appear that most of those districts have sent their superintendents to this conference. Yesterday, I attended a workshop with superintendents from our western Illinois region, as well as superintendents from the Chicago area and other larger districts. It is very informative to listen to the issues that affect rural and large districts in different ways. Each day has keynote speakers and breakout sessions. I have attended a financial workshop and student growth model breakout session to this point. Today, we are hearing about the IASA's new Vision 20/20 plan to make the voice of school leaders, teachers, students, and parents the sounds that our legislature listens to. This program is an exciting change in the mindset is public education leadership from reactive to proactive. I will share more on this initiative over the next few years.
Have a great day!


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Great Homecoming Weekend

I just wanted to congratulate our kids on a great homecoming weekend. The high school administration noted how much fun the students seemed to have during the week. They were very involved and energetic during the different spirit days. The volleyball team was victorious on Thursday and the football team won a great game over North Fulton on Friday. I attended my firsat South Fulton homecoming dance on Saturday and was very impressed with our students’ behavior and appearance. It looked as though they were having a very enjoyable evening.