LM Oct. 2023hi

Message From the Executive Director Charting a Course For the Future Through Vision 2030

Dr. Brent Clark

mandates, post-secondary options for students and how do we make the teaching profession more attractive to young people. These conversations will form the basis of a new blueprint for public education in Illinois. I believe one of the reasons the excitement was tangible is because superintendents recognize we cannot wait any longer to chart a course for the future. The attacks on public education have intensified, the job market is shifting and many students are struggling to read at grade level. Over the next year, the Vision 2030 Workgroup will meet and education policy positions will form on these matters and other issues. We will ask for your input via a statewide survey released in November. When the time comes and you’ve had an opportunity to consider the Vision 2030 priorities, I hope you will join your peers from across the state in encouraging your school boards to pass resolutions in support of Vision 2030. That will help increase the visibility and profile of the policies and initiatives of Vision 2030 so the Illinois General Assembly and Governor will take note and consider making changes that will result in an education system that better meets the needs of all students. The time is now to chart a course for the future.

How do we chart a course for the future? More than a decade ago, leaders across our state began to drill down on that very question as the challenges facing public education mounted. Technology in schools was inequitable. General State Aid was beginning to be prorated. A teacher shortage was looming. Access to preschool needed to be expanded. The state’s accountability system was not differentiated. And, quite honestly, the traditional model of teaching and learning was outdated. From that, the idea of Vision 2020 was born. Statewide education organizations could no longer simply oppose legislative proposals. We needed to come together and chart a pathway forward for the Illinois General Assembly to follow. In the year 2023, it’s our responsibility to once again reflect upon the current state of education in Illinois and formulate priorities and policy positions that will serve as a framework for guiding advocacy efforts throughout this decade. That’s why I am incredibly excited for Vision 2030. On Oct. 18, we held our first meeting in Springfield with the Vision 2030 Workgroup. The team is composed of more than 100 superintendents and statewide education stakeholders. The ECRA Group will once again serve as the project design partner. From the outset of the meeting, the enthusiasm in the room was palpable. People were excited to engage in deep discussions on pressing issues such as unfunded

3 LM October 2023