Holly Jack Award nominations due September 30

There is still time to submit nominations for IASB’s Holly Jack Outstanding Service Award for 2019. Districts are encouraged to recommend board or district secretaries who go above and beyond to serve staff, school board, community, and students.

Eligible nominees must be a district employee (superintendent’s secretary, superintendent’s administrative assistant, school board recording secretary, etc.) who has performed the duties of the board secretary for a minimum of five years.

The nomination form, with the signatures of the superintendent and board president, must be submitted by September 30. Letters of support from individuals, inside or outside the district, may be included but are limited to five or fewer.

The Holly Jack Award was created to honor the memory of long-time IASB employee Holly Jack, who worked as a field services administrative assistant and was instrumental in developing the secretaries’ training offered at the Joint Annual Conference. The honorary award will be presented in November at the Conference in Chicago during the Administrative Professionals’ Program.

Click here to view past winners. For more information about this year’s award, contact Peggy Goone by phone at 217-528-9688, ext. 1103; or by email at pgoone@iasb.com. 

Fall Division Meetings offer an array of topics

Topics have been announced for IASB’s Fall Division Meetings. All scheduled for October this season, they begin with four October 1 events, including Starved Rock Division’s visit with State Superintendent of Schools Carmen I. Ayala, Ph.D. discussing “Today’s Opportunities to Lead with Equity.

The North Cook Division will also feature the topic of educational equity, with “Equity: An Educational Imperative” presented by Bea Young and Susan O’Halloran on October 16

Click below for more and the complete list of dates and topics.

Nominations sought for 2019 Burroughs Award

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is inviting nominations of local board presidents for the Thomas Lay Burroughs Award for the state's outstanding school board president.

The award was created in 1991 in memory of the late ISBE chairman, who was at one time school board president for Collinsville CUSD 10. The Burroughs Award is presented each November at the Joint Annual Conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and Illinois Association of School Business Officials. This year’s Conference is November 22-24. The award will be presented on Sunday, November 24.

The Burroughs Award is intended to recognize extraordinary leadership on behalf of education at the local level, especially through characteristics similar to those shown by Burroughs. The criteria for this award recognize leadership on behalf of improved student learning and educational excellence, on behalf of equal educational opportunities, and/or in resolving a crisis or major difficulty.

Last year’s recipient was Richard J. Nogal, president of the CHSD 230 (Orland Park).

Nominations can be submitted to ISBE Board Services Coordinator Ana Arredondo, via email at aarrendon@isbe.net, with “Burroughs Nomination” as the subject. The deadline for nominations is October 4, 2019. Click here for complete nomination information.

Upcoming webinar:The Culturally Responsive Board

IASB will host a free webinar to discuss how cultural differences on boards of education can lead to innovation and a more inclusive district. 

Presenters will talk about communication, decision-making, and other challenges that may occur when different cultures are present on a school board. Presenters will also emphasize that differences that are understood, embraced, and valued can lead to great things for the district and a more productive board of education.

The hour-long webinar, entitled “The Culturally Responsive Board” will begin at noon on Tuesday, September 17. Registration for the webinar is available through IASB's Online Learning Center. Visit iasb.com, and select the "My Account" button to log in. From there, choose the Online Learning tab at the top of the page.

Individuals who can’t participate in the live webinar should plan to “attend” the archived version, which will be available 24-48 hours after the live event. All past webinars are available through IASB’s Online Learning archive free of charge.  

Federal Legislative Report 116-05

FISCAL YEAR 2020 (FY20) APPROPRIATIONS

As both House and Senate members return to Washington, D.C. after their August recess, the main focus will be FY20 appropriations, as the end of the current fiscal year is September 30.

In late July, Senate and House leaders reached an agreement on a two-year budget deal with President Trump, separate from the FY20 appropriations process. The measure increases aggregate spending by $320 billion over the next two fiscal years and lifts the debt ceiling until 2021. Included in the increase is an aggregate $57 billion increase for non-defense programs, including education. Absent a deal to increase the spending caps established by the Budget Control Act of 2011, federal education spending was expected to decline for the next fiscal year.

For FY20 appropriations, as reported in the last Federal Legislative Report (116-04), the House passed their version in late June, which included substantial funding increases for education. The focus is now on the Senate where staff had been working over the August recess to prepare for a push for a final vote before the end of September. However, it has been reported recently that Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) has indicated he intends to decrease the allocation for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee by $5 billion and redirect the funding for President Trump’s proposed border wall expansion. Senate and House Democrats have expressed opposition to this decision, and there are no indications that there are enough votes to approve this shift. It is uncertain if the Senate can complete their work before the end of the fiscal year with this idea on the table.