Advocacy

Forced Superintendent Sharing Bill and PE Mandate to be heard at 1 p.m. today at Senate Education Committee

We need to make our voices heard today on two pieces of legislation that will be heard at 1 p.m. today at the Senate Education Committee.

The so-called forced "shared superintendent" bill (SB 1287) has been re-introduced and SB 1189 would strip away flexibility for physical education that was part of the bi-partisan education funding reform law in 2017.

We're asking you to fill out witness slips online today before the 1 p.m. committee on each bill to send a strong message to Senators that these pieces of legislation would be harmful to school districts.

Click Here to fill out a witness slip as an opponent for SB 1287 on the shared superintendent bill.

Click Here to fill out a witness slip as an opponent for SB 1189 on physical education flexibility.

Here's background on each bill:

SB 1287, Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris
SB 1287 strips away local control from school boards and puts the decision to voters, who likely are not as educated about school matters as elected officials.

The legislation amends the school code to say that if at least 5 percent of the school district's voters in the last consolidated sign a petition to share the services of a superintendent or other administrator it triggers a referendum.

This bill goes beyond stripping away local control. Superintendents manage million of dollars, and many are also asked to serve as principal as well. Unnecessarily forcing one superintendent to run two large businesses is likely going to result in additional compensation or the hiring of additional administrative staff.

Of course, the ability to share a superintendent currently exists and is presently utilized by school districts in Illinois. This referendum process mandating superintendent sharing completely ignores the critical importance of a good selection process for the leader of any business or organization, particularly a local school district.

SB 1189, Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora
SB 1189 would be a mandate on physical education in Illinois. The bill requires students in kindergarten through 12th grade to engage in a physical education course. Minute requirements would be:

• 150 minutes per week for elementary schools.
• 225 minutes per week for middle, junior and high school.
• The bill also limits the PE waiver to two years, and it may only be renewed two times (not to exceed a total of six years). The bill would take effect July 1, 2019.

We oppose this bill because it would be a new physical education mandate and divert Evidence-Based Funding dollars away from the classroom. It could also be extremely costly for some school districts if they have to add time to the school day or divert time from other subjects to PE.

Furthermore, it will be near impossible for some districts with limited space to comply with the law and may force them to use construction dollars.

School leaders value the importance of physical education and have begun providing fitness instruction and activities far exceeding the former PE structure. Students have also had more opportunities in areas such as fine arts and additional academic offerings because of the change in 2017.

Maintaining flexibility for physical education is what is best for students.

Sincerely,
David Wood
Governmental Relations Specialist
Illinois Association of School Business Officials
&
Diane Hendren
Director of Governmental Relations
Illinois Association of School Administrators