Leadership Matters - August 2013

Cliff McClure Paxton-Buckley-Loda CU 10 Corn Belt Region

“The biggest challenge is to continue to implement and maintain, with integrity, mandated as well as local initiatives and services designed to promote student achievement in a climate of uncertain financial

stability. These include but are not limited to: Common Core State Standards, PARCC, RTI, Early Childhood, School Safety, Continuous Staff Professional Development, Transportation, PERA Requirements and Personnel. Continue the cautious, thoughtful, and conservative allocation of human and fiscal resources. Working individually and in collaboration with IASA, emphasize to the ISBE and Legislature the critical importance of a reliable and sufficient revenue source to adequately operate and maintain these programs. “

Dr. Kevin O’Mara Argo Comm 217 Cook South Region

Victor White, III Prairieview-Ogden CCSD 197 Illini Region

“I feel that our biggest challenge remains the funding uncertainty surrounding the state's support for teaching and learning. The proration was kept constant, but is still woefully inadequate to meet the needs of our schoolchildren. The looming pension ‘fix’ that will almost certainly demand that school districts either wholly or partially fund the normal costs going forward will only serve to exacerbate the situation. I just don't see it getting better in either the short or long term. I will continue to be fiscally conservative, budgeting for less than I hope for on the revenue side and working with our staff and Board of Education to minimize negative effects on our kids.”

“In a word: finance. We did RIFs and most likely will have to do it again. Also we are putting an education referendum for vote in March 2014. Along with the new teacher evaluation, lunch rules, loss of transportation funds, the list can go on and on.”

Dr. Steve Webb Goreville Comm Unit 1 Shawnee Region

“Balancing budgets while maintaining top tier education excellence with potentially drastic increases in costs due to the state legislature’s attempts to transfer their responsibilities onto local school districts and, thus local taxpayers. These

“moving targets” expenses and “prorations” (cuts) in promised anticipated revenue are causing us to increase class sizes and decrease offerings without a firm grasp on what we are actually going to need in revenues to support our program

expenses.

We are making minor cuts in many areas in hopes of staving off the seemingly inevitable total programming cuts.”

9