May LM 2019 Special Issue_press

We’re trying to prepare our students for that next step, whether it’s college or career; we know technology is an important...tool for that next step. —Dr. Michael Schiffman, Freeport SD #145

Enrollment: 4,200 FY18: $1.3 million Type: preK–12 FY19: $943,076 New state dollars are allowing the district to reduce the size of elementary classrooms, add instructional coaches and take steps to address the teacher shortage, Galesburg CUSD #205 Superintendent Dr. John Asplund said. According to Asplund, classroom sizes in Galesburg were sometimes as high as 27 students per room. Thanks to an influx of new state dollars, the district is ramping down classroom sizes to a maximum of 25 students. Another major plan to boost student performance is adding 10 instructional coaches to work one-on-one with students, Asplund said. The district is currently in the hiring process. A fine arts teacher was also recently hired thanks to EBF, he added. “We went through $4 million in cuts and are using the Evidence-Based Funding Model as a template to how we can bring staff back,” Asplund said. The teacher shortage remains a major concern in Galesburg. One way the district is combatting that, Asplund said, is to offer loan forgiveness to new teachers. Paraprofessionals and nurses, both positions that have been a struggle to fill, are also started out at a higher rate of pay, he added. “The biggest thing EBF has done is given us the ability to stop cutting,” Asplund said. “We’re now able to put money back into buildings and focus assistance toward the neediest students.” The new curriculum, Schiffman added, is more viable for students and aligned to Common Core and Illinois Next Generation Science standards. It also features both digital and traditional resources. “We’re trying to prepare our students for that next step, whether it’s college or career,” he said. “We know technology is an important piece and a tool for that next step.” For social-emotional supports, the district added social workers, making it so each of the district’s 12 buildings is staffed. EBF dollars also allowed the district to hire Behavior Support Personnel, a Family Resource Coordinator and properly fund its PBIS program. “We continue to see the need for preparing kids socially and emotionally, so they continue to have a growth mindset,” Schiffman said. “It really goes back to taking care of our kids and meeting the needs that they have.” Galesburg CUSD #205

The biggest thing EBF has done is given us the ability to stop cutting. We’re now able to put money back into buildings and focus assistance toward the neediest students. —Dr. John Asplund, Galesburg CUSD #205

7 LMMay 2019 Special Edition

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