Blogs

Veto Session Action (or perhaps, Inaction)

By Michael Jacoby posted 26 days ago
Veto Session Action (or Perhaps, Inaction) Happy Monday! The veto session has indeed been surprisingly tranquil, with the legislative body displaying a noticeable lack of activity when it comes to voting on new proposals. One cannot help but notice the marked contrast from the usual bustling atmosphere within the chambers. The quietness of the veto session has given rise to questions about the reasons behind this approach. Is it a strategic move to deliberate more thoroughly on complex issues, or is it indicative of a larger legislative spring session? Only time will tell. Property Tax Omnibus HB 2507 (D-Kifowit), which was issued ...

Advocacy Alert – Summary of Signed and Vetoed School Interest Bills

By Michael Jacoby posted 08-28-2023
Summary of Signed and Vetoed School Interest Bills We hope you are all having a fantastic start to this new school year! While you all have been preparing to open your school buildings this summer, the Governor has been busy signing bills. He has officially signed (or vetoed) every piece of legislation that passed both chambers in May. Below please find information about important education bills that have been vetoed or signed into law. VETOED BILLS The Governor issued several vetoes for a variety of measures, but one in particular did impact an education bill. HB3643 (Rashid; D-Berwyn) would have required ISBE to enter into ...

Legislators Wrap-Up Spring Session

By Michael Jacoby posted 05-27-2023
Legislators Wrap-Up Spring Session One Week After Scheduled Deadline Happy Weekend! One week past the scheduled adjournment date, the General Assembly has wrapped up the Spring 2023 session with a budget that once again is positive for K12 schools, and also includes a historic investment in Early Childhood Education for the state’s youngest learners. The budget bill ( SB0250 ), which was filed on Wednesday evening, allocated an additional $350 million for Evidence-Based Funding — $300 million of which will flow into the formula via tier money, with $50 million being allocated for another round ...

103rd General Assembly Update

By Michael Jacoby posted 05-19-2023
103rd General Assembly Update Happy Friday! We had hoped to also be wishing you a “Happy End of Session Day,” but unfortunately, we won’t be able to do that because today will not be the last day of session as originally scheduled. As of this morning, neither a budget bill or a budget implementation bill have been filed. Wednesday, May 17 was the final day a budget could be introduced and still see the legislature adjourn as scheduled. Nothing happened on Wednesday, but there was still hope that if a bill was dropped yesterday, Thursday the 18, legislators could wrap up in the early morning hours on Saturday. Unfortunately, Thursday came and went without ...

Protect Local Control - Oppose SB 990

By Michael Jacoby posted 05-10-2023
Protect Local Control - Oppose SB 990 Happy Wednesday, Despite ongoing lobbying efforts against SB 990 by school management and labor groups, the measure is set to be heard in the House Executive committee today. If it passes out of committee, the bill may be called for a full vote on the floor before the end of the week. As we have written previously in calls to action, SB 990 represents a significant infringement on local control in that it would drastically limit a school district’s ability to sell property at its highest potential value. Additionally, the bill would incentivize municipalities and townships to view district property ...

Call To Action: Opponent Witness Slips Needed

By Michael Jacoby posted 04-24-2023
CALL TO ACTION: OPPONENT WITNESS SLIPS NEEDED Good Afternoon & Happy Monday! This week marks the week of deadlines for bills to be passed out of House and Senate committees, and as a result, we are expecting a large amount of bill movement in the next few days. We are writing today to request your help in demonstrating opposition to several bills that we expect to be heard this week. Please file a witness slip IN OPPOSITION to SB 990 . The legislation was filed on a shell bill in the Senate by Senator Curran (R-Lemont) before it moved over to the House. Representative Burke (D-Oak Lawn) now has the legislation and it is scheduled ...

Make Your Voices Heard!

By Michael Jacoby posted 04-17-2023
Call to Action: Make Your Voices Heard! Happy Monday! We are writing today with a call to action for four pieces of legislation that are scheduled to be heard in committees this week when the General Assembly returns to action from their spring break. We have two legislative measures that we are requesting you to demonstrate OPPOSITION to related to teacher tenure and employment. We also have two measures that are initiatives of Illinois ASBO and IASA that we are asking for you to sign PROPONENT witness slips for. OPPONENT WITNESS SLIPS NEEDED We have written about the bills related to teacher tenure a few times over the last few ...

Update on Senate Bills Pertaining to Education

By Michael Jacoby posted 04-03-2023
Update on Education-Related Legislation Friday’s deadline in the Senate for bills to pass out of the Chamber of Origin seemed quite mild compared to the marathon in the House. About 40 pieces of education-related legislation passed the Senate Friday. Like the House, Senators focused on the teacher tenure process, but there were a few measures dealing with financial planning, providing rural schools more representation on state task forces and changes to selling property that cleared the key legislative hurdle. Below is a summary of some of what transpired during the last week of Senate action. Teacher Tenure Following over a month of negotiations ...

Outlook for 103rd IL General Assembly Improving; Concerns Remain

By Michael Jacoby posted 03-27-2023
Outlook for 103rd IL General Assembly Improving; Concerns Remain A frenetic legislative session that has been marked by unfunded mandates has tampered down slightly after sponsors did not call their proposals for a vote before Friday’s deadline for House bills to pass out of the chamber of origin. However, a handful of concerning proposals — curriculum mandates, kindergarten reform, training mandates, special education changes and bullying notification and reporting — were approved in the House and now move to the Senate. Without question, the outlook for the 103rd Illinois General Assembly is much more positive today than it ...

United States Marine Corps. Leadership Traits: Part 4 | Integrity and Enthusiasm

By Stephen Chassee posted 01-25-2023
The holidays are over, and everyone has finished indulging. Hopefully, this was indulging in family time and not excess sweets. Perhaps it was in the blessing of giving to others, or maybe just some much needed time off. Maybe it was just some time to recharge since 2022 was quite the year. It was returning from Covid, getting “back to work” and “back to school” and somewhat back to normal. Will we ever fully return to normal? Are there things about the workplace that are going to be a permanent change? Do you think that we learned enough in 2022 to better understand each other, and to have more compassion, or do you think people went the other direction? Did ...

Leader vs Manager, Friend vs Foe, How are you Perceived?

By Kevin Dale posted 10-19-2022
Leadership can take many different forms and is portrayed differently by each individual. If you look at Leadership from a LIFO perspective, you will look at how you interact and work in each of the four quadrants (Supporting Giving, Conserving Holding, Adapting Dealing or Controlling Taking). You may also look at your Leadership Style through the eyes of John Maxwell as how you are fitting into the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Even though I have been through many different leadership trainings and academies over the last sixteen years in my role as a School Business Official, I have found that I don’t focus on just one. I have found that even though they ...

“Ode to Joy,” A Case of Inspired Gratitude

By Suzana Peterson posted 08-09-2022
In times of peril, it is easy to forget to have a spirit of gratitude. Indeed, it may even seem inappropriate to be grateful when there are so many struggles invading the peace that should be all pervasive in our world. As I was listening to my favorite piece of music, “Ode to Joy,” I was struck by its lasting beauty and power… and I was overcome with gratitude. Adding the Human Voice But why? And am I the only one so moved by it? In 1972, the Council of Europe made Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” its official anthem. Years later, in 1985, the European Union did the same. This symphony is considered by many leading musicologists to be one of the greatest works in ...

FY2023 Evidence-Based Funding Calculations are Now Available

By Michael Jacoby posted 08-08-2022
Evidence-Based Funding Calculations for FY2023 are Available The fiscal year 2023 Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) calculations are now complete, and the first of the 22 payments will be released on August 10. The following resources are now available on the ISBE website : FY 2023 EBF Quick Facts FY 2023 EBF at a Glance FY 2023 EBF Full Calculation FY 2023 / FY 2022 Comparative Analysis User Tool Please note that ISBE created the FY 2023/FY 2022 Comparative Analysis User Tool as a resource for districts to understand the data drivers that ultimately determine tier assignment and calculated tier ...

Clear and Present Danger form

By Barry Bolek posted 07-07-2022
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE WEBINAR: CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER DETERMINATIONS Pursuant to the Firearms Owners Identification (FOID) Card Act, when a student or other person demonstrates threatening physical or verbal behavior determined to pose a clear and present danger to themselves or others, school administrators must submit a report to the Illinois State Police within 24 hours of the incident. This reporting process is intended to identify and prevent individuals who pose a clear and present danger from legally accessing firearms or firearm ammunition by revoking the individual’s FOID Card or preventing them from obtaining a FOID Card in the future. Reports ...

12 Month Budget calendar

By Barry Bolek posted 07-06-2022
We have had a few request from some newer CSBO's that are looking for some ideas on a 12 month budget calendar and the cycle. If you are willing to share yours please reply to the post and post the document you use. Please and thanks!

Governor Pritzker Signs Legislation Bolstering Access to Healthy Food in Schools

By Michael Jacoby posted 06-30-2022
New law enables school districts to further partnerships with food providers that prioritize the health of students CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker today signed legislation to increase access to healthy food options in schools across the state, providing Illinois children with the well-rounded, nutritious meals necessary to maintaining a healthy learning environment. "Illinois students deserve healthy, sustainable food options at every turn," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Schools are a haven. They are where our state's children spend most of their time outside of the home-and our schools provide reliable, consistent meals for students, day in ...

Leadership Traits: Part 3

By Stephen Chassee posted 04-11-2022
United States Marine Corps. Leadership Traits: Part 3 Decisiveness and Tact: Two Traits That Work Well Together The world is changing rapidly as businesses, schools, government buildings and even entire countries begin to lift their travel bans, restrictions, and even mask requirements for COVID-19. So the question becomes, what have we learned from the pandemic? Thanks to the pandemic, you could no longer use the phrase "that's the way we have always done it" because, frankly, nobody had been down this road before. The pandemic was new territory for everyone. In an industry like the school business, there is barely time to handle the everyday duties, ...

Advocacy Alert: Update on Spring Legislative Session -- Where Bills Stand Today

By Michael Jacoby posted 03-08-2022
Update on Spring Legislative Session: Where Bills Stand Today The Illinois General Assembly sure operates at a different speed and schedule in an election year. Last year at the substantive deadline for bills to pass out of their chamber of origin, nearly 800 bills switched chambers in what was one of the most frenetic legislative sessions in recent history. The upcoming election has tempered the chaos while pushing up the start and adjournment dates to allow more time for campaigning. As of Friday’s deadline for bill passage, 293 pieces of legislation have passed the House ...

The Journey to Leadership

By Jillian Scholl posted 02-25-2022
“I believe you can be born to lead, or you can learn to lead. Either way, sometimes the journey to becoming a successful leader is not always linear.” A Born Leader I can remember back to as early as pre-school when I would take charge during playdates and decide what we were going to play, who would be doing what, and how they would be doing it. I loved to play “school” but was always the teacher and never the student. I guess you could say I was a bit “strong-willed” or “bossy.” I would say I had great leadership skills! As I grew up, my leadership skills grew as well. I took it upon myself to find opportunities to volunteer, help grade papers, ...

Update from Forecast5 Analytics, Now a Part of Frontline Education

By Michael Jacoby posted 02-17-2022
Illinois ASBO Members, Below is an update from our Partner, Forecast5 Analytics, now a part of Frontline Education: We are over a year into our acquisition into Frontline Education and are excited to finally be seeing some fruits of this new relationship. With change comes opportunity, questions and, in some cases, concerns. Considering these natural reactions and emotions, we want to outline some of the forthcoming changes. One aspect you should know up front – Frontline is deeply committed to not only maintaining but also growing our overall Partner Program through an increased investment in 2022. Illinois ASBO has been, is, and will remain an important ...