LM May 2017 Final

21Honored for their accomplishments toward better schools:

• Introducing a co-teaching program pairing a special education teacher with a regular education teacher in junior high and high school classrooms for English, language arts and math. That plan helped reduce the percentage of students identified as needing Individualized Educations Plans (IEPs) by a third, from 21 percent to 14 percent. • Partnering with Monsanto to introduce new STEM technology such as 3D modeling and z-Space workstations for students. • Implementing a new, privately-funded, four-year LIFE 101 curriculum that focuses on life skills such as personal financial management and budgeting. • Implementing the “Shaping, Planning, Leading” project to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the school district. • Helping the Sesser-Valier Elementary School achieve designation as a federal Blue Ribbon school. • Having Mount Carmel High School rank among the state’s top five schools in PARCC test scores for Math and in the top 15 in English/Language Arts. • Implementing Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum. • Implementing the State Farm “Celebrate My Drive” program that raised $250,000. • Winning the Safe Schools Healthy Students grant of $2.8 million. • Working with community members to campaign and successfully pass a 1% County Wide Facility Sales Tax. • Maintaining high standards in curriculum, instruction and student learning. • Providing a safe learning environment for students and staff. • Maintaining a fiscally responsible budget despite challenging times and state cuts. • Implementing a staff culture of respect, collaboration, trust and shared responsibility. • Maintaining positive union relations for the past 12 years. • Building a positive relationship with community members.

• Attaining the state’s highest financial recognition every year despite being a tax-capped district that receives less than 25 percent of its revenue from property taxes. Taylor and the Board of Education have won grants to address needs in technology, infrastructure and Qualified School Construction Bonds to cover HVAC needs. • Lincoln students have • Erecting the nation’s largest solar array for a public K-12 institution • Becoming the only district in Illinois to earn a Platinum rating from the Southern Illinois Purchasing Cooperative for a green cleaning initiative • Transforming the district’s libraries into research centers that have become hubs of student activity and inquiry based learning

Dr. Jason D. Henry Sesser-Valier CUSD 196 Egyptian

Dr. John Asplund Farmington Central District 265 CIV

Timothy Buss Wabash CUSD 348 Wabash Valley

Dr. Darryl Taylor Lincoln Elementary School District 156 Cook South

shown academic improvement, including on the 2016 PARRC assessments. Taylor credited the Board, his administrative team and staff for addressing the needs of a diverse student population, and the students for setting short- and long- term goals for learning.

Dr. Scott Goselin Bradley District 61 Three Rivers

17 continued next page...