Leadership Matters - October 2013

School board member pedals across  Illinois to support public schools  By Michael Chamness IASA Communications Director

Wayne Tate loves to ride his bike. He also is a big supporter of public schools. And he is combining those two of his favorite things as he bikes his way across the state to raise money for his school district and to help spread the news about the funding plight of public schools in Illinois. “I’m calling it ‘Biking 4 Books’ and I really want to help raise awareness about what school districts in Illinois are facing,” said Tate, who just began his fourth term as a school board member in Marion Community Unit District 2, serving as board president for part of that time. “I did a ride for the Rotary Club nine years ago during the celebration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This time I wanted to do something for schools.” He kicked off his bike tour of the state on September 28 at the downtown square in Marion, located in Williamson County in deep Southern Illinois. He plans to go north up the eastern side of the state, across the northern tier of counties and back down the western side of the state to attend a board meeting back in Marion on October 15. He then will head up the middle of the state, culminating at the State Capitol in Springfield during the October 22-24 Veto Session. His trek will last

funding for schools, which has been cut by 11 percent the past couple of years, he also is attempting to raise $100,000 for the Marion school district to purchase Chromebooks for students. The project has its own website at www.biking4books.com , where donors can pledge an amount per mile or just make a donation for the Marion fund-raising effort. You also can sign up to receive Tate’s daily blog of his trip. Tate is paying expenses for the trip itself out of his own pocket. He hopes to be hosted overnight at some stops and also plans to stay at campgrounds. Readers also can track Tate’s trip on the website as he plans to write a daily blog. Tate said he plans to stop at school districts in the 101 counties to collect first-hand information about the impact the state funding cuts are having and to rally support for restoring General State Aid. He also hopes to speak with state senators and representatives along the way. So what exactly prompted Tate to hop on his bike and pedal his way around the state? “I guess people could say the idea came from a strange mind,” he said. “But public education is so important to the future of our communities and our state, and schools just cannot afford to make more cuts. If this ride helps draw more attention to this problem then it will have been worth it.” School Board member Wayne Tate left from Marion on September 28 to begin a 1,000-mile bike tour of Illinois.

about three weeks, cover more than 1,000 miles by pedaling about 70 miles per day, and take him to 101 of the state’s 102 counties (all except Cook, where Chicago has a different school code and funding code). Tate’s “Biking 4

“I’m calling it ‘Biking 4 Books’ and I really want to help raise awareness about what school districts in Illinois are facing.”

Books” mission is two-fold. In addition to raising awareness about the importance of restoring the General State Aid - Wayne Tate, member of the Marion School Board

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