May LM 2019 Special Issue_press

At the high school level, Jarrett added, EBM helps support its academy, which provides students with real world experiences with local businesses, among other things. “EBM is really giving Rockford students the chance to have the same opportunities as wealthier districts,” he said.

Rockford Public Schools #205

Enrollment: 26,040 FY18: $8.3 million Type: preK–12 FY19: $8.9 million

The infusion of EBM dollars is supporting major changes at the elementary and pre-K level, as well as preserving Rockford’s College and Career Academy, Superintendent Dr. Ehren Jarrett said. Last year, the district piloted what it calls “innovation zones” to help improve student achievement at elementary schools. The idea, developed in conjunction with the teacher’s union, will lengthen the elementary day by 45 minutes in exchange for additional dollars to be used to meet additional building level staffing needs. The EBM will also allow Rockford to sustain an early childhood investment that includes an FY19 investment of over $2 million in local funds. The expansion has allowed a significant increase in all day early childhood seats. “We see early childhood as a long-term intervention that is a good use of the funds,” Jarrett said. “We can really sustain a program like this because of EBM.” Rockford is also using the dollars to hire additional kindergarten teachers to keep classroom sizes at 20 students or below, Jarrett said, as well as add assistant principals at the elementary level. The extra administration in the building will free up principals from things like cafeteria and recess supervision and allow them to dedicate more time to increase instructional support and leadership.

Schaumburg CCSD #54

Enrollment: 15,003 FY18: $416,225 Type: preK–8 FY19: $404,250

Schaumburg District 54 was one of eleven school districts in the country recognized as a Model PLC for its exemplary work in establishing a high-achieving professional learning community in 2018. The collaborative processes and

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LMMay 2019 Special Edition

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