Post by title1parent on Dec 1, 2009 6:20:26 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=340645&src=
A big step for Round Lake schools
Daily Herald Editorial 12/1/09
Congratulations to Round Lake Unit District 116, which stands to be the first school district to emerge intact from state financial control.
Drowning in red ink in 2002 when the Illinois State Board of Education asserted control, the 6,900-student school district is expected to take over its own financial affairs after a formal vote of the state board in January.
It's a compliment to the Round Lake school board - which the state believes is capable of taking the reins - but also a sizable challenge.
Numerous hurdles face the Round Lake schools. Among them:
• Hiring a superintendent. District 116 CEO Ben Martindale answers to the state, and a superintendent must come on board to replace him once state oversight ends. It is crucial to choose the right person to help guide the school board through a thicket of thorny issues.
• Keeping solvent. Though its education fund is now $25.7 million in the black, District 116 relies heavily on state funding. The state budget is a mess, leaving districts like Round Lake vulnerable unless they find other sources of revenue.
• Improving academic performance. Well over half of 11th-graders scored below standards on reading, math and science in 2009, with only reading showing a 4 percentage point gain from 2008. The middle school and all elementary schools failed to meet state standards. Recent initiatives like a full-day kindergarten are a step in the right direction.
School board President W. Guy Finley of Round Lake, a District 116 alum, and school trustees have sought training from the Illinois Association of School Boards to help tackle the tasks before them. We trust they've been taking notes during seven years of state oversight.
But the job ahead is not theirs alone. Local residents have a stake, too, and an obligation to be involved. In fact, as Finley notes, a return to local control puts taxing powers back in the hands of property owners, compared with the state caretakers' ability to raise taxes as needed without a referendum.
They're your schools. We challenge community members to help District 116 make the grade by sharing time and expertise, responsibility for educational success and interest in how the schools operate.
District 116 can seize a wonderful opportunity - solvency at a time when many neighboring districts are struggling, a teacher contract that doesn't expire until 2014 and the ability to work closely with the state financial panel through the 2010-2011 school year.
We trust it's up to the task.
A big step for Round Lake schools
Daily Herald Editorial 12/1/09
Congratulations to Round Lake Unit District 116, which stands to be the first school district to emerge intact from state financial control.
Drowning in red ink in 2002 when the Illinois State Board of Education asserted control, the 6,900-student school district is expected to take over its own financial affairs after a formal vote of the state board in January.
It's a compliment to the Round Lake school board - which the state believes is capable of taking the reins - but also a sizable challenge.
Numerous hurdles face the Round Lake schools. Among them:
• Hiring a superintendent. District 116 CEO Ben Martindale answers to the state, and a superintendent must come on board to replace him once state oversight ends. It is crucial to choose the right person to help guide the school board through a thicket of thorny issues.
• Keeping solvent. Though its education fund is now $25.7 million in the black, District 116 relies heavily on state funding. The state budget is a mess, leaving districts like Round Lake vulnerable unless they find other sources of revenue.
• Improving academic performance. Well over half of 11th-graders scored below standards on reading, math and science in 2009, with only reading showing a 4 percentage point gain from 2008. The middle school and all elementary schools failed to meet state standards. Recent initiatives like a full-day kindergarten are a step in the right direction.
School board President W. Guy Finley of Round Lake, a District 116 alum, and school trustees have sought training from the Illinois Association of School Boards to help tackle the tasks before them. We trust they've been taking notes during seven years of state oversight.
But the job ahead is not theirs alone. Local residents have a stake, too, and an obligation to be involved. In fact, as Finley notes, a return to local control puts taxing powers back in the hands of property owners, compared with the state caretakers' ability to raise taxes as needed without a referendum.
They're your schools. We challenge community members to help District 116 make the grade by sharing time and expertise, responsibility for educational success and interest in how the schools operate.
District 116 can seize a wonderful opportunity - solvency at a time when many neighboring districts are struggling, a teacher contract that doesn't expire until 2014 and the ability to work closely with the state financial panel through the 2010-2011 school year.
We trust it's up to the task.