LM Sept. 2018

NewsInBrief

October is National Principals Month, which includes Principals Week (October 21–27) and Principal Appreciation Day (October 26). These designations are used to recognize the essential role of principals in creating great schools. National and state resolutions are made supporting the events, and top government officials often make public acknowledgements about the importance of principals. Here are some ways you can celebrate the principals in your district: • Write a note of encouragement and thanks to your principals. • Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper highlighting what your principals do for your district (and make sure to mention it’s National Principals Month). • Use social media to highlight the hard work your principals do. • Recognize your principals at a school board meeting. See more ideas here on how to recognize your principals. #ThankAPrincipal National PrincipalsMonthComing up inOctober 2018–2019MoonScholarshipProgram Are you a superintendent or an aspiring superintendent? Are you pursuing graduate study to become the best superintendent you can be? Do you know there are scholarships available through the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) to help offset the costs of your coursework? Established in 1993 in memory of Dr. James V. Moon, a former superintendent at Morton High School District, the James V. and Dorothy B. Moon Scholarship program is committed to improving the education and qualifications of school administrators. Since its inception, 111 scholarships totaling over $241,658 have been awarded to current or aspiring superintendents. Practicing school administrators in Illinois qualify if they are college graduates pursuing an advanced degree in educational administration at an accredited college or university. Several scholarships ($2,500 minimum each) are awarded each year and are paid directly to the college or university to cover tuition, fees and/or textbook expenses. To obtain more information on the application and awards process , click here or contact Jodi Gillespie at 217–753–2213 or email a t jgillespie@iasaedu.org .

Public Acts 100-465, 100-578, and 100-582 require that public school districts and laboratory schools that serve any students in kindergarten through 12th grades shall describe in a district-level spending plan how they will utilize the Evidence-Based Funding (comprising Base Funding Minimum and Tier Funding) they receive from this state. Note that the annual spending plan is separate and in addition to Annual School District Budgets already submitted annually to ISBE. This plan is designed to be incorporated into the annual budget process and submitted to ISBE by Sept. 30 of each year. The Acts require specific identification of the intended utilization of resources for low- income students, English Learners, and special education. Resources for completing and submitting EBF spending plans are available on the EBF home page , including slides from the webinar on Tuesday, September 10 . Any questions specifically regarding the EBF spending plan may be directed to EBFspendingplan@isbe.net . Evidence-BasedFundingSpending PlanResources The Illinois State Board of Education released its report on its one-year study investigating the teacher shortage in Illinois. The report, “Teach Illinois: Strong Teachers, Strong Classroom,” is posted online here . As part of the study, ISBE and the Joyce Foundation conducted over 40 focus group sessions and heard from more than 400 teachers, parents, students, principals, superintendents, college of education deans and other partners. There is still time for your voice to be heard on this issue— one of the most critical facing public education in Illinois. The ISBE report will be open for public comment through October 2 . Commenters can submit feedback to TeachIllinois@isbe.net . We strongly encourage you to review the report and provide feedback to ISBE. Here’s a quick overview of policy recommendations put forth by ISBE: IASA will continue to monitor these proposals and will have more information for you as it proceeds. Your Chance toWeigh Inon ISBE Year-LongTeacher-ShortageStudy

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