M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 2 Vol. 80, No. 2

READING • WRITING • ARITHMETIC • BEANS • BALLS • BUSES

Why is it that some people are

able to sit down and write so

effortlessly and others struggle to

compose a simple e-mail? It’s the

same reason, perhaps, that some peo-

ple can pick up an instrument and

play anything by ear, but others could-

n’t play very well even if they prac-

ticed every day for a year and had the

music in front of them.

Ask some writers and they may

talk about “writing” things first in

their head by organizing their ideas

and thinking about the ultimate goal

for the story. Others make precise

outlines, organizing their thoughts

in a structured picture of what they

want to say.

And even though people may be

adept at writing, they are not always

adept in the same way. Someone who

writes technical pieces may not have

the first idea about how to start a nov-

el. A novelist might not be able to

think and write in terms of the “invert-

ed pyramid” that is so important for

a newspaper article.

Often people struggle with just

putting down their thoughts. In the

comic strip “Zits,” teenage Jeremy

recently sat at the kitchen table with

a ream of paper in front of him. When

his mother asked what he was doing,

Jeremy said he had to finish his jour-

nal that was due the next day. When

was it assigned? Last September. How

much had he written? Not one word

so far. “Do you remember what we

were doing on …?”

For those of you who have

teenagers, I know you’re smiling now.

You’ve seen your child leave a writ-

ing assignment until the last possi-

ble moment. Recreating four and a

half months of a journal may be over

the top, but needing five pages on a

president when they’ve chosen some-

one too recent to have much written

about them is par for the course.

Or maybe you’re smiling because

you can remember staying up all night

to finish a paper that had been assigned

two weeks ago … or at the beginning

of the semester … and you didn’t get

around to writing it until the night

before it was due.

We’ve all read something at one

time or another that has made us say,

“Huh?” Think about the instructions

that come with anything that needs

to be put together … from a model

airplane to a new entertainment cen-

ter. Did you ever wonder if the peo-

ple who prepare the instructions ever

had any instruction in writing?

Writing affects everyone’s daily

lives. Even those who say they have

not read a book in years (whether on

paper, Kindle, Nook or iPad) have

read a menu, the directions to a video

game or the crawl line at the bottom

of the TV screen. In order for any of

that to appear, someone … some-

where … had to write, and write effec-

tively.

The cover story for this issue

of The Journal deals with writing —

both the physical activity and nur-

turing the creative process.

Whether cursive or keyboarding

wins the battle might be inconse-

quential when it comes to living a

successful life. But encouraging stu-

dents to write and to be evaluated on

their writing will still be important,

whether they’re putting a pen to paper

or typing words into a computer.

Whether your district includes

cursive writing instruction and when

to begin that process can be board

level questions when asked in the

correct way. What does the research

say to support cursive writing? You’ll

find that, as with other subjects, it’s

varied. To help stimulate that dis-

cussion, you’ll find a list of board lev-

el questions included with this cover

story.

***

When you say something repeat-

edly and someone actually listens, it

can be a wonderful thing … especially

when you’re dealing with Congress.

That’s why we’re certain that past

IASB president Christy Coleman of

Geneseo is very happy.

Each year when she has attend-

ed NSBA’s Federal Relations Network

Conference in Washington, D.C., Cole-

man made certain that every repre-

sentative, senator or staff she met

with from Illinois recognized the

importance of the “E-Rate” program

to districts like hers. E-Rate reduces

the cost of Internet access for high-

need schools and libraries, a service

that might be in jeopardy without a

waiver from the Consolidated Appro-

priations Act for FY 2012 and pro-

tection from the Anti-Deficiency Act,

which could tie up funding com-

mitments.

On the last day of January, NSBA

announced that more than $2.25 bil-

lion in E-Rate discounts will be avail-

able to school districts without

interruption for the next two years.

Congratulations, Christy! They

listened.

Vol. 80, No. 2

M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 2

ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL(ISSN-0019-221X) is published every other month by the Illinois Associationof School Boards, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929, telephone217/528-9688. The IASB regional officeis located at One Imperial Place, 1 East22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120, telephone 630/629-3776.

The JOURNAL is supported by the duesof school boards holding active member-ship in the Illinois Association of SchoolBoards. Copies are mailed to all schoolboard members and the superintendentin each IASB member school district.

Non-member subscription rate: Domes-tic $18.00 per year. Foreign (includingCanada and Mexico) $21.00 per year.

PUBLICATION POLICYIASB believes that the domestic processfunctions best through frank and opendiscussion. Material published in the JOUR-NAL, therefore, often presents divergentand controversial points of view which donot necessarily represent the views orpolicies of IASB.

James Russell, Associate Executive Director

Linda Dawson, EditorGary Adkins, Contributing EditorDiane M. Cape, Design and

Production ManagerDana Heckrodt, Advertising Manager

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Cover by Corbin Design, PetersburgHeadline type courtesy of Sophie Mayfield

May/June Third R: ArithmeticJuly/August First B: Beans (Finance)

COVER STORY

14 | Writing: Practical skill or dying art?From penmanship to curriculum, writing will face a gauntlet of changes in the near future as the CommonCore State Standards prepare to shake up the way students are taught.

Alice Armstrong

16 | Sidebar: Questions board members should ask about writing

18 | Sidebar: Types and forms of writing

FEATURE STORIES

4 | A parting view …Governing duties differ at Association levelLearn how IASB’s board of directors functions in a way that keeps members from being at odds with what is in the best interest of their local districts.

Michael D. Johnson

8 | Improve board performance by harnessing board conflictGovernance is best performed by a “corporate body” that allows natural diversity to have a voice that finds a focused way forward.

John Cassel and Cathy Talbert

9 | Sidebar: Governance conversation can break the stalemate

11 | Fulfilling its purpose:Why board governance?A director of board services for the Indiana School Boards Association provides his rea-soning as to why communities need locally elected or appointed school board members.

Michael T. Adamson

20 | Students pay respects to overused wordsSee how one teacher held a “funeral” to make her students use more interesting words.

Valerie Wells

26 | Famed coach offers leadership pyramidSchool leaders could learn a lot from late college basketball coach JohnWooden.

Dennis White and Greg Reynolds

T O P I C S F O R U P C O M I N G I S S U E S

REGULAR FEATURES

Boiler Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Practical PR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Ask the staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside back cover

2 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

Two days ago, I was havin’ break-

fast down at Amy’s Café with

my good friend, George, who works

for the phone company. He spends

most of his time repairing downed

wires.

“Say, Georgie boy,” I began. “Don’t

you ever get tired of fixing the same

old stuff all year?”

“No way, Gus! I like the old infra-

structure! We all know that telephone

wires should be put underground and

that telephone poles are obsolete, but

I like the job security. Hey … you

work in a school. Maybe you can help

explain somethin’ to me.”

I told him I’d try, but that I’m not

an educational expert. I just keep the

place clean. George then directed my

attention to the menu.

“Look at the top, Gus. What does

it say?”

“Amy’s Café.”

“That’s right! Had no trouble

readin’ that, did you?”

“No. I can read along with the

best of ’em.”

“Now, Gus, what do they call that

style of writing?”

“Cursive, I think.”

“Right again, Gus! Cursive! That’s

the style they taught you to use after

you learned to print, way back in the

1800s, when you went to school!”

“I’m not that old, George. Well,

not quite. What are you gettin’ at?”

“Just at how nicely ‘Amy’s Café’

is written. The letters are formed per-

fectly.”

“Well, George, that’s probably

because it was done at some print-

er’s by a computer.”

“Doesn’t matter. Now, look at

this.”

George reached into the inside

pocket of his coat and produced an

envelope. He passed it across the table

to me while the waitress was pourin’

us some more coffee.

“This is a letter my sister’s daugh-

ter sent me, just last week. Sis is tryin’

to get her to send a real, hand-writ-

ten letter now and then, instead of

always usin’ e-mail. The kid’s in high

school. Just read the first few lines

and tell me what it says.”

I read the first few lines, as direct-

ed.

“Let’s see,” I began. “It says, ‘Hi,

Uncle George … I’m really bummed

out! Car got rear-ended!’”

George took the letter back, and

called the waitress over.

“Agnes. Do me a favor and read

the first few words of this letter. Tell

me what it says.”

Agnes stared at the letter for a

few seconds and then ventured her

guess.

“Gee, George … I think it says,

‘Hi, Uncle George … I’m really burned

out! Cargo’s upended.’ Does your

niece work at some shipyard?”

“No, Agnes, no she doesn’t. You

know, I had to call her up to ask her

what she’d written. You know what

it’s supposed to say?”

Agnes and I couldn’t guess.

“Hi, Uncle George … I’m really

busted up! Carl got suspended.”

George informed us that “Carl”

is his niece’s boyfriend.

While Agnes made out the bill,

George produced two slips of paper

Gus, the custodi-

an at Eastside

Grammar, is the

creation of

Richard W.

Smelter, a retired

school principal,

now a Chicago-

based college

instructor and

author.

Confused friend longsfor well-taught cursive

by “Gus”

B O I L E R R O O M

Probably looks like

my dog’s signature,

too, if I could get him

to hold a pen!

from his wallet.

“Now,” he began. “These are two

prescriptions I have to get filled down

at the pharmacy. One’s from my wife’s

doctor and the other is from my doc-

tor. The wife’s doctor’s last name is

O’Meara, and my doctor’s last name

is Dombrowski. Look at the signa-

tures, Gus. Can you tell one signa-

ture from the other?”

I studied the signatures careful-

ly … just two, similar-looking, squig-

gly lines. I informed George that I

hadn’t a clue as to which doctor wrote

which prescription.

“Precisely, Gus! You can’t even

tell that one’s an Irish last name and

the other is Polish! And, guess what?

They both look like my dog’s vet’s sig-

nature! Probably looks like my dog’s

signature, too, if I could get him to

hold a pen! Must drive the druggist

crazy! I think there’s this company

that makes the same signature stamp

for all the doctors! Totally illegible!”

“So, George, what’s the bottom

line? I gotta run.”

“Just this, Gus. Tell those teach-

ers to teach cursive better. Bring back

the beauty, and clarity, in hand-

writing! Tell them to teach their stu-

dents the plain, old-fashioned charm

of the handwritten letter! Heck!

We live in a world of abbreviated text

messaging!”

I thought about what he’d said

as I drove to work.

Perhaps we are living in a world

in which beauty and simplicity have

been cast aside by ugliness and speed.

Perhaps we’ve grown too attached to

our electronic devices.

I thought I’d stop by Mr. Keck’s

office to ask him what he thought

about all of this.

I never got to see him. He was

too busy text-messaging somebody.

PresidentCarolyne Brooks

Vice PresidentKaren Fisher

ImmediatePast PresidentJoseph Alesandrini

IASB is a voluntary association of local boards ofeducation and is not affiliated with any branch ofgovernment.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Abe LincolnRoger Edgecombe

BlackhawkJackie Mickley

Central Illinois ValleyThomas Neeley

Cook NorthPhil Pritzker

Cook SouthTom Cunningham

Cook WestJoanne Zendol

Corn BeltMark Harms

DuPageRosemary Swanson

EgyptianJohn Metzger

IlliniMichelle Skinlo

KaskaskiaLinda Eades

KishwaukeeMary Stith

Lake CountyJoanne Osmond

NorthwestBen Andersen

ShawneeRoger Pfister

SouthwesternJohn Coers

Starved RockSimon Kampwerth Jr.

Three Rivers / TreasurerDale Hansen

Two RiversDavid Barton

Wabash ValleyTim Blair

WesternSue McCance

Chicago BoardJesse Ruiz

Services AssociatesSteve Larson

“It’s not true, but it sure keeps the tailgaters away.”

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 3

4 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

Editor’s note: In September 2000,

Michael D. Johnson became

just the fifth full-time executive direc-

tor in the 98-year history of the Illi-

nois Association of School Boards.

He retired from that role in May 2007

and returned in July 2007 as exec-

utive director emeritus to focus on

the transition to a new executive and

to help with fundraising for the Asso-

ciation. He will relinquish that role

and end 11-plus years of service with

IASB in June 2012.

This is the fourth of five articles

Johnson will write for The Jour-

nal, outlining what he and the Asso-

ciation have done and where he

believes both are heading. In this

issue, Johnson reviews the role of

the board of directors in Association

governance.

Just what is the role of the board

of directors in Association gover-

nance? Who are they and what do

they do? How do they impact local

member districts and their school

boards?

These are questions any non-

profit association might face. The

answers are equally important to the

Illinois Association of School Boards

and how it operates.

The Association’s constitution

provides that major policies be estab-

lished by an annual delegate assem-

bly and places governance in the

hands of an elected board of direc-

tors. The board of directors — made

up of officers and regional directors

— employs an executive director and

approves annual budgets to carry out

the work of the Association, through

its offices in Springfield and Lom-

bard.

The IASB board of directors estab-

lishes policies governing the Associ-

ation and setting standards for its

management and operations. These

governance policies establish ends

for the Association, including a state-

ment of its mission, define the lim-

its on executive authority of the staff,

set forth board procedures and describe

the board/staff relationship. Taken

together, these governance policies

provide clear direction for the staff

organization.

Although IASB board policies

can provide considerable insight into

the governance process for local boards

of education, the governance poli-

cies of a not-for-profit association dif-

fer from those of a public school

district.

In fact, there is a significant dif-

ference between a local board of edu-

cation that is elected and the corporate

board that is appointed and respon-

sible for IASB governance. The con-

stitution, policies and practices of

this board combine to create a gov-

ernance structure designed to keep

directors from having to choose

between what’s good for the Associ-

ation and what’s good for their local

district.

Let me give a few examples:

Our board of directors does not

vote on dues every year. Instead, dis-

trict member dues are based on a for-

mula that fluctuates by local

enrollment, budget, etc., so that it

Michael D.

Johnson is

executive

director emeritus

of the Illinois

Association of

School Boards.

This is part four

of a five-part

series.

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

A parting view …Governing duties differat Association level

by Michael D. Johnson

The IASB Board of

Directors set the

standards for the

Association staff,

provide leadership

and model it for

local boards.

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 5

may go up or down in a given year. If

the directors had to vote on it annu-

ally, that could impose a hardship on

their local district and put them in

conflict with their local interests and

fellow board members.

And because our directors sup-

port an Association budget and dues

structure that does not place 100 per-

cent of the budget burden on mem-

ber dues, local districts can pick and

choose what fee-based services they

prefer or need. This also increases

the accountability required of staff

to members, staff to the executive

director, and executive director to

the board of directors.

Likewise, IASB directors adopt-

ed a formula with inflation factors to

set the annual conference fee that

doesn’t require them to act every

year, or force them to make arbitrary

decisions to raise or lower or freeze

registration fees based on emotions

or conditions. The formula is set, and

the fees are predictable and fairly

adjusted.

Here’s another example. The Del-

egate Assembly is charged with vot-

ing on Association position statements,

via resolutions submitted by local

school boards, but the board of direc-

tors is largely removed from this polit-

ical process. The directors who do sit

on the resolutions committee screen

and hear rationale for these resolu-

tions, but they themselves do not cast

the decisive vote on them.

Lobbying is an essential part of

our work, but it is not handled by

the directors. And because this

authority is given over to Associa-

tion staff, IASB is always well rep-

resented at the table when

negotiations on critical education

issues are decided. Very few other

associations enjoy this type of sup-

port and autonomy. And the results

show when potentially damaging leg-

islation or mandates are minimized

or eliminated.

So what does this board of direc-

tors do?

They set the standards for the

Association staff, provide leadership

and model it for local boards.

It’s not uncommon for the direc-

tors to see and hear reports and

demonstrations of new programs or

services developed by Association

staff. Although they do not approve

or disapprove these programs, direc-

tors do approve the budget that allows

staff to research and implement the

programs and services the Associa-

tion provides to local districts.

I credit our board of directors for

advocating for IASB’s entrepreneur-

ial spirit. That support encourages

the Association staff to be leaders in

our fields, to look forward and antic-

ipate what members need, and to find

the best people and resources to pro-

vide it. IASB has always been the

leader that other state associations

follow and look to for guidance.

Because governance of the Asso-

ciation is based on geographic rep-

resentation, it also allows for regional

input and differences. For example,

each of our 21 divisions has its own

bylaws, which vary by division and

expand or contract how they gov-

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6 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

ern locally. That allows for division

dinner meetings to reflect what the

local board members want and need,

and not carbon copy a template that

IASB staff or the directors might dic-

tate.

Each division is also responsible

for electing the person it wants to

have a seat on the IASB board of direc-

tors. There is no term limit, per se;

rather, directors serve so long as the

division supports them, and pro-

vided the directors continue as local-

ly elected school board members.

The one exception to this is the

one-year terms that our Association

officers serve. Each officer can serve

two consecutive years, so if a person

moves up the ranks from vice pres-

ident to president to past president,

their maximum career service is

six years.

At that point, they can join the

“old goats club” of IASB past pres-

idents. This distinguished group rep-

resents the history of the Association

and provides invaluable wisdom,

experience and support for those

coming up the ranks. They also help

new officers and directors avoid

repeating any mistakes from the

past.

What qualities make for an effec-

tive director or outstanding offi-

cer?

I’ve had the privilege of working

with many good ones and a few great

ones in my 11-year tenure. I believe

those qualities include a capacity for

leadership, a grasp for seeing and

doing what is best for the entire state,

and a commitment to serve above

and beyond the hours spent at local

board meetings. Although we try very

hard to keep their local service ahead

of any service they provide as direc-

tors, the ones who survive — and

thrive — at both are those individ-

uals who can accommodate and bal-

ance these commitments without

conflict.

If you want to learn more about

the Association’s governance poli-

cies, go to the IASB website and click

on this link: http://iasb.com/pdf/Gov-

Policies.pdf. And if you want a cur-

rent list of the officers and directors,

you can find it in the front of this mag-

azine, or by linking to it at:

http://iasb.com/whatis/officers.cfm.

Next issue: the transition of exec-

utive directors

STAFFOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORMichael L. Bartlett, Deputy Executive Director

Meetings ManagementPatricia Culler, Assistant to the Executive DirectorSandy Boston, Assistant Director

Office of General CounselMelinda Selbee, General CounselKimberly Small, Assistant General Counsel

Executive SearchesDonna Johnson, DirectorDoug Blair, ConsultantDawn Miller, ConsultantThomas Leahy, Consultant

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESJennifer Feld, Associate ExecutiveDirector/Chief Financial Officer

Production ServicesDiane M. Cape, Senior Director

ADVOCACY/GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONSBenjamin S. Schwarm, Associate Executive DirectorDeanna L. Sullivan, DirectorSusan Hilton, Director

AdvocacyCynthia Woods, Director

BOARD DEVELOPMENT/TARGETING ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH GOVERNANCEAngie Peifer, Associate Executive Director

Board DevelopmentSandra Kwasa, DirectorNesa Brauer, Consultant

Targeting Achievement through GovernanceDebra Walden, ConsultantSteve Clark, Consultant

COMMUNICATIONSJames Russell, Associate Executive DirectorGary W. Adkins, Director/EditorialLinda Dawson, Director/EditorialJennifer Nelson, Director, Information ServicesGerald R. Glaub, Consultant

FIELD SERVICES/POLICY SERVICESCathy A. Talbert, Associate Executive Director

Field ServicesLarry Dirks, DirectorDean Langdon, DirectorPatrick Rice, DirectorJeff Cohn, DirectorBarbara B. Toney, DirectorLaurel DiPrima, Director

Policy ServicesAnna Lovern, DirectorNancy Bohl, ConsultantAndrea Dolgin, ConsultantJackie Griffith, ConsultantWayne Savageau, ConsultantBrian Zumpf, Consultant

IASB OFFICES

2921 Baker DriveSpringfield, Illinois 62703-5929217/528-9688 Fax 217/528-2831

One Imperial Place1 East 22nd Street, Suite 20Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120630/629-3776 Fax 630/629-3940

www.iasb.com

8 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Conflicting perspectives, ideas,

values and styles are the

essence of a board. Most organiza-

tions — and certainly all associations

— do best when they are a true expres-

sion of what their members want.

The subtle complexities required

to be “on point” are why most orga-

nizations choose to be governed by

a board of directors, rather than an

individual.

A board of directors is a group of

equals who gather around funda-

mental questions like: Who are we?

What do we care about? What are we

trying to do? Most organiza-

tions find

themselves caught in a mixture of

competing answers to these and oth-

er questions. To find common ground,

the board must bring members’ var-

ied expectations together at one table

for the purpose of collectively creat-

ing a unified way forward.

The importance of diversity

Board governance works best

when there is a healthy, vigorous

debate over tough, key questions,

according to Patrick Lencioni, author

of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:

A Leadership Fable. “If team mem-

bers are not making one another

uncomfortable at times, if they’re

never pushing one another out-

side of their emotional com-

fort zones during

discussions, then it is

extremely likely that

they are not making

the best decisions for

the organization,” he

writes in his book,

stressing that if the nat-

ural diversity found on

every board is honored

and nurtured, a focused

way forward will emerge.

And make no mistake:

A focused way forward is essen-

tial, as board governance works best

when the board comes to agreement

about the organization’s purpose and

direction, and then empowers the

CEO and staff to execute it.

Think of it like this: While man-

agement is best centered in one per-

son who is accountable for the whole,

governance is best located in a “cor-

porate body” that articulates an orga-

nizational mission and embodies the

ethos and culture of the whole. For

that reason, healthy, productive con-

flict should be valued and nurtured

around every board table.

Common conflicts

Effective boards welcome diverse

opinions and work by disabling con-

flict. The members of these boards

find the experience rewarding because

they are able to make a satisfying con-

tribution to the organization.

Unfortunately, many boards are

not healthy. Either they don’t see the

value in productive conflict or they

are handicapped by debilitating dis-

agreements, such as the following

common board conflicts:

• The board disagrees about its job.

Sometimes board conflict is what

might be called “structural.” If

board members do not agree about

the board’s job — and how the board

relates to the CEO — they will

Cathy Talbert is

IASB associate

executive direc-

tor, field services

and policy ser-

vices. John

Cassel retired in

2011 as IASB

field services

director for the

Starved Rock,

North Cook and

DuPage divi-

sions. This article

appeared in Janu-

ary/February

issue of Forum

magazine, a

publication of

the Association

Forum of

Chicagoland,

and is

used with

permission.

Improve board performanceby harnessing board conflict

by John Cassel and Cathy Talbert

Healthy, productive conflict

should be valued andnurtured around

every board table.

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 9

Governance conversation can break the stalemate

In many ways, association boards are a lot like local

school boards. One task of every school board is to deter-

mine exactly how much money the local community

should invest in public education. It’s not surprising that

in today’s world, some board members get elected with

the sole agenda of dramatically limiting district expen-

ditures.

This can be a ready-made recipe for conflict. Typi-

cally, all board members profess commitment to fiscal

responsibility. However, most seated board members are

looking to balance a variety of commitments and values.

It’s one way to think about the work of a school board:

Its job is finding the right balance between educational

excellence, community needs and fiscal responsibility.

Most school boards self-consciously work at finding

a balance. So when someone shows up who believes

finances trump everything, conflict erupts.

Some boards work through the conflict; others get

stuck and reach out for assistance, seeking help from the

Illinois Association of School Boards. Often a board with

this dynamic will be stuck in a “money” conversation:

budget line items, expendable programs, unnecessary

expenses and non-negotiables. As an antidote, IASB

attempts to help the board and its members move

from defending individual positions to identifying com-

mon interests. It encourages board members to pause

and reflect on all that they value for their school district,

their community and their children. It encourages an

explicit “values” conversation. What do we really care

about? How can we really hear and respect each other’s

values? Do fiscal concerns really stand alone, or has this

theme emerged because it’s hard to see the values behind

program decisions?

Most of the time, this true “governance conversa-

tion” (What do we really care about?) gets boards past

their stalemate. A high-functioning board of diverse views

really is the best vehicle to balance competing values in

tune with community well-being.

arrive at the table with different

understandings of the task at hand.

Every board should have regular

opportunities to ask, “What’s our

job?” “How do we want to do busi-

ness at this table?” Wise boards

review their charge regularly and

work from a set of written board

agreements and policies about

group norms, roles and responsi-

bilities.

• The board fails to function as a

team. Becoming a team requires

time and effort. The board must

establish leadership expectations,

communication patterns and behav-

ioral norms. It’s doubly compli-

cated because the board must

establish its internal structures

and then figure out how they relate

to the CEO. With board members

and CEOs coming and going, it’s a

never-ending process. Many boards

simply do not dedicate the time

required for these formative tasks.

Wise boards know board orienta-

tion and teambuilding is essential,

and time well spent. Sometimes

you need to slow down to speed

up.

• A few “difficult people” control

the board’s agenda. The most pop-

ular workshop at many board con-

ferences is “dealing with difficult

people.” How, one wonders, did

all these difficult people get appoint-

ed to boards? Certainly, recruit-

ing and appointing new board mem-

bers is a task that boards should

take very seriously. Nevertheless,

many boards are troubled by both

internal and external players. On

investigation, one discovers many

of the internal “difficult people”

are not truly dysfunctional peo-

ple who could care less about the

organization, but rather consci-

entious members who do not feel

heard, included or respected, or

who do not understand existing

agreements about the board’s job

and procedures. Every board must

spend time developing a culture

that is truly respectful of what each

10 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

board member brings to the table.

Communication patterns should

embody the reality that informa-

tion is power and all members are

kept in the loop. Board orienta-

tion should be thorough and care-

ful.

Mission: collaborative conflict

All board members owe their

organization — and each other — a

willingness to listen carefully and

respectfully, an eagerness to share

their honest and best thinking, and

a commitment to move forward togeth-

er.

With that in mind, all board mem-

bers should support and hold them-

selves accountable for the decisions

the board makes. If the board’s process-

es do not generate the respect and

appreciation they deserve, not all

board members will consider them-

selves accountable for board deci-

sions. The result is a weaker

organization.

The bottom line is this: Boards

that function on the primary work of

the board and build a culture of trust

and respect will find themselves doing

powerful work. The diversity of per-

spectives around the board table —

which is so helpful — will come togeth-

er in a unity of purpose, propelling

the organization toward its mission

and enhancing the lives of all stake-

holders.

In modern society, the ability to

engage one another with civility and

respect during a meaningful exchange

of ideas is in jeopardy. As servants of

the body politic and the common

good, boards are in a position to change

that by embracing productive con-

flict. It’s an important challenge —

and all association board members

should rise to the occasion.

Development – Policies that provide for good board processes, a strong board-superintendent relationship, appropriate direction and delegation to the superintendent, and district ends.

Updating – Policies that are current with legal requirements and provide for effective board governance.

Review – A process that assures board policy continues to accurately support the board’s mission, vision and goals.

Monitoring – A process that assures board policy is being followed and is having the intended effect.

Communicating – A process that allows easy access to current board policy by theboard, staff, students, parents and the community.

If your board needs assistance in any of these areas, contact IASB Policy Services today!630/629-3776 or 217/528-9688Ext. 1214 or 1125bzumpf@iasb.com or alovern@iasb.com

IASB Policy Services IASB Policy Services Provides custom, in-district services and workshops

to assist your board with all aspects of its policymaking role:

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Why board governance? It is

a question that is forever

asked by critics of public education

governance and one that receives

varying amounts of press when the

wind of political criticism blows

toward school boards and their role

in the governance process. Regard-

less of its origin, it remains a good

question and one that begs more than

a cursory answer. Why has the egal-

itarian governance over public edu-

cation been assigned to a group of

elected and/or appointed members

of the local community? Is this a

time-worn governance model? Does

it still work?

History and hindrances

Local control and an unwaver-

ing drive for representative govern-

ment was the precursor to school

boards in mid-17th century colonial

America. Pioneers and householders

established school committees and

those committees evolved to hiring

schoolmasters and keeping the school

house in repair and heated during

the winter, buying supplies, assess-

ing student progress, evaluating per-

formance and monitoring truancy.

This system of control by school com-

mittee spread across the country and

these committees performed many

of the same roles as today’s school

boards. (NSBA, 2006)

Representative governance over-

sight by a locally elected and/or

appointed group of citizens mirrors

most other forms of oversight offices,

each representing the voice of their

constituencies in their individual

capacities as public officials. Iron-

ically, there has almost always been

a tendency for other elected offi-

cials, as well as private citizens alike,

to view school board positions dif-

ferently from other offices, when, in

reality, a school board member is as

much a public official as other office

holders. Additionally, other public

official’s incursions into areas of edu-

cational governance are probably

more frequent than what is realized

in other offices. Perhaps that is

because other elected and/or appoint-

ed officials find public education to

be an easy diversionary target, or

perhaps it is because a few well-cal-

culated sound bites regarding edu-

cation are a sure way to garner a few

more votes at the polls, or it may

simply be that, in the grand scheme

of things, the general consensus is

that school board members occupy

a lesser, more subservient, office.

Regardless, it is easy to understand

why school board service is often

described as a thankless job, but this

is a different issue altogether … or

is it?

The real question

That is the question isn’t it? Why

do board members continue to place

themselves, their reputations, and

their families in an arena of public

scrutiny? Why do they endure the

derisive comments and thankless

criticisms of their constituents, as

well as from other public officials,

when from all outward appearances

there are seemingly no benefits to be

realized?

Without pretending to under-

stand the mindset of any individual

who willingly places himself or her-

self in front of the firing squad of pub-

lic opinion, it is important to examine

some tenets of school board gover-

nance that are uniquely different than

most other public offices. Although

this may not altogether explain the

psychosis behind anyone’s desire to

serve public education in this day

and age, it does provide some insight

regarding what board members under-

stand about the office that many do

not.

Michael T. Adam-

son is director of

board services

for the Indiana

School Boards

Association. His

article appeared

in the Fall 2011

issue of The Jour-

nal and is used

with permission.

Fulfilling its purpose:Why board governance?

by Michael T. Adamson

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 11

Distinctive differences

One of the most distinctive dif-

ferences between the office of a school

board member and other elected posi-

tions is that in many states this office

is non-partisan. This stance is some-

what hard to defend considering that

the election process is steeped in par-

tisan politics, but it is true nonethe-

less.

The election process for school

board members, not unlike their par-

tisan counterparts for other public

offices, is only the vehicle utilized to

determine which candidates will serve,

but that is where the similarities

between school board candidates and

candidates of other offices end.

Although board members do not serve

party politics and, ethically, they can-

not serve a party and be true to the

board office, public education gov-

ernance is impacted by partisan pol-

itics and ultimately must govern in

compliance with legislation result-

ing from partisan politics, but that is

the extent of the partisan influence

upon the primary tenets of school

board governance.

Public education is simply that

… education that is available for every

child of the public … and that means

all the public. If that is true, then

board members must embrace and

represent the cause of public educa-

tion by governing indiscriminately.

The children in Indiana (as well as

Illinois) schools, for all real and prac-

tical purposes, do not have a politi-

cal affiliation. Their need for education

is not dependent upon whether they

come from homes that are democ-

ratic, republican, libertarian, inde-

pendent, tea-partiers, and so on.

Consequently, responsible public

education governance oversight can-

not be contingent on these issues

either. That means that board mem-

bers, who may have strong party affil-

iations and political opinions, must

lay aside those positions to consider

what is best for education, regardless

of politics. That is perhaps easier said

than done, but it is the only defend-

able position possible.

Another difference is that edu-

cational issues are all that school

board members are required to

address. Board members are only

responsible to deliberate upon the

means whereby they can meet the

educational objectives of their school

[district]. This is the only elected

position that can truly state that edu-

cation is their only concern and it is

this benefit of the office that acts as

the enabler of the non-partisan posi-

tion.

Finally, board members are rep-

resentatives of the culture and cli-

mate of the communities they

represent. They are a group of men

and women who regularly meet for

the sole purpose of addressing the

needs of public education in their

local school [district]. Their job is to

establish the policies and allocate the

resources for public education to

occur according to federal and state

guidelines while reflecting their com-

munity’s goals and objectives. (John-

son, 2010) This is no small task

because it often requires a school

board to meld potentially divergent

opinions into single expressions of

leadership governance for their school

[district].

Why do we govern by boards?

A better question is, “Who would

you rather be responsible for pub-

lic education governance?” Critics

of the current governance system

claim board service no longer meets

the needs of public education, but

that statement is, minimally, an over-

ly simplified and convenient con-

demnation. It is easy to say that the

current model of governance has failed

and should be replaced, but with

what? Furthermore, with renewed

accountability expectations in all

areas of education, what single indi-

vidual or group do you trust to do

what is best for education in your

local community, to emphasize and

reflect the educational values that

your community believes are most

important?

There are many reasons public

education is governed by boards of

Public education is simply that … education that is available for

every child of the public … and that means all the public. If that is

true, then board members must embrace and represent the cause of

public education by governing indiscriminately.

12 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

locally elected and appointed citi-

zens, other than being the way we

have always done things. Public edu-

cation is governed by boards because

multiple perspectives help ensure

that the best decisions are reached

in matters affecting a broad con-

stituency; governance by boards pro-

vides checks and balances when

individuals from different backgrounds

and experiences converge, thereby

discouraging the domination of lead-

ership by a single individual; public

education is governed by boards

because local control is an inherent

value of a free democracy. These rea-

sons express what the Founding

Fathers long ago recognized as the

benefits provided by local expression

and control over the affairs of our

lives.

Is there a better way?

If we were redesigning public

education governance, how would

we develop the model? Ideally, gov-

ernance would not be relegated to a

single individual to prevent a one-

dimensional focus in policy and deci-

sion-making. We would want the

governing body to have an experi-

ential understanding of local values

and we would insist that they under-

stand the culture of the communi-

ty. The system of governance

employed must be flexible enough

to reflect a local identity but robust

enough to ensure that students are

equipped to meet the challenges of

the 21st century. The system must

have strong accountability measures

in place that are realistically estab-

lished using data and that are regu-

larly reviewed for progress and

alignment to educational goals and

objectives.

This sounds like a good begin-

ning. But wait, isn’t this what we have?

Granted, not every board performs

as well as it should; not every school

[district] challenges students to reach

their fullest potential to the degree

that they should, and not every com-

munity shows their value for educa-

tion beyond more than cursory

support. But that does not mean that

the governance model is broken, only

that it needs revitalizing where it is

not performing to expectations.

The challenge

Part of the dilemma of board gov-

ernance is that resources to promote

public education at the local level are

dramatically impacted by the politi-

cians who wave the educational ban-

ner for personal interests. That is not

to say that those individuals are not

interested in education, only that

education is a value that they are will-

ing to compromise, to varying degrees,

to blend educational objectives into

an overall political platform that often

capitalizes on the general public’s

collective misperceptions regarding

educational issues. For politicians,

education represents only one of

many interests they target as a respon-

sibility of their office. Consequent-

ly, part of the challenge is to somehow

raise the value of education beyond

partisan politics.

The final part of the challenge is

to conscientiously and consistently

elevate the collective governance

knowledge of school board members

to better equip them for the rigors of

board service. Current research

emphasizes the value of board train-

ing and professional development

and the boards that have embraced

that reality are consistently performing

at greater levels of effectiveness in

their school districts. (Maeroff, 2010)

School board governance left the

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn era long

ago and whether board members rep-

resent [districts] in dense urban areas,

the most remote and isolated rural

areas, or anywhere in between, the

demands of the office require mem-

bers who have the practical and intel-

lectual knowledge to represent the

cause of public education effective-

ly.

ReferencesP.A. Johnson, “Leading for Learn-

ing: Leadership Practices of Effective

Boards,” ERS Spectrum, 2010

G.I. Maeroff, School Boards in

America: A flawed exercise in democ-

racy, New York: Palgrave Macmillan,

2010

National School Boards Associa-

tion, Becoming a better board mem-

ber (third edition), Alexandria, Virginia:

NSBA, 2006

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 13

IASB SERVICEASSOCIATES

The best ofeverythingfor schools

IASB Service Associates provide quality products and services for schools. Membership is by

invitation only. A list of Service Associate firms is on the IASB website and in this Journal.

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14 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

C O V E R S T O R Y

If the computer had existed in the

1700’s, would Thomas Jeffer-

son have penned the Declaration of

Independence? Probably, but not in

his elegant script for he well may have

learned keyboarding skills instead of

cursive writing in grammar school.

Would the Declaration of Inde-

pendence be any less profound if Jef-

ferson had typed it in Times New

Roman? Probably not. But some neu-

roscientists concerned about the

impact of raising children on tech-

nology worry that the Thomas Jef-

fersons of tomorrow may be unable

to think deeply enough to conceive

of such profound ideas.

Recent research demonstrates

that heavy use of technology impacts

many aspects of human development.

From inhibiting the growth of social

skills and deep, abstract thinking

to creating active addictions to social

networking and texting, too much

technology in the lives of children

may cause them to suffer life-long

struggles in … and outside … their

academic careers.

Charged with educating and

socializing society’s children, public

schools must teach children how to

use technology to their advantage

without growing overly dependent

on it or letting it take control of their

lives.

How can schools accomplish this

goal? Perhaps they can do it through

more rigorous instruction in writing,

both the physical and intellectual

exercises.

Curriculum in Illinois

Educators are expected to teach

skills identified in their district’s cur-

riculum. Today, much of that cur-

riculum is driven by the Common

Core State Standards (CCSS).

An initiative of the National Gov-

ernors Association aimed at bring-

ing uniformity and rigor to the nation’s

classrooms, CCSS has been adopted

by Illinois, along with the vast major-

ity of other states. In 2014, the state

plans to replace the current set of

standardized tests with assessments

Alice Armstrong

of Springfield, Illi-

nois, is a high

school English

teacher, free-

lance writer and

copy editor.

Writing: Practicalskill or dying art?

by Alice Armstrong

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 15

aligned to CCSS. Consequently, class-

room teachers will be teaching skills

identified in the CCSS.

For elementary students, these

standards now identify keyboarding

but not cursive writing skills. Cur-

sive writing was already receiving

short shrift in many classrooms pri-

or to the adoption of CCSS. Now, cur-

sive writing instruction may well be

doomed to extinction as teachers will

be too busy to give attention to skills

outside of the curriculum.

Many parents and educators view

this trend toward technological skill

development as progress for public

education, and as a much-needed

leap into the 21st century. Others,

however, feel just as strongly that this

change signals a retreat, in the name

of progress, from teaching a basic skill

with which many children struggle.

For most of the 20th century,

third-graders across the nation

clenched pencils in their little hands

and labored to link loopy letters into

legible words.

Why, techies wonder, would any-

one put a child through that misery

when a computer keyboard is avail-

able? It’s like teaching kids to tie

shoelaces when they could use Vel-

cro. But, just as using Velcro does not

teach fine motor skills, it is not always

available, nor is it always desirable.

Learning to write in cursive, like

tying a shoe, not only enhances fine

motor skills, but it can arm a child

with a practical skill that can be used

in almost any situation quickly and

conveniently.

Yes, children also need key-

boarding skills in order to navigate

modern life effectively. But Marc Pren-

sky, author of Teaching Digital Natives

— Partnering for Real Learning, likes

to point out that most of today’s kids

are “digital natives.”

According to a 2010 study spon-

sored by the Kaiser Family Founda-

tion, 93 percent of American

households have a computer and 66

percent of children ages 8 to 18 have

their own cell phone. Having used

technology practically from the

moment they left the womb, these

children already know how to use a

computer and navigate a keyboard

upon entry into kindergarten.

In contrast, kids are not learn-

ing to write cursive before they start

school. Few who do not get cursive

instruction in elementary school will

learn it on their own, so how will they

learn to sign their names? Most will

not. Already a large number of high

school students can only print their

names. Having no distinct signature

may be a handicap in adult life.

While it is true that many elec-

tronic transactions no longer require

a signature, plenty of paper contracts

still do need a “John Hancock” and

probably will for decades. The day

may arrive when contracts are sealed

with eyeball scanning or something

similar, but that day is still far in the

future. In the meantime, a signature

is a necessity.

Cursive as a thinking skill

Writing in cursive remains a fast,

convenient alternative to printing. A

students’ inability to write and read

cursive writing may actually slow

down instruction.

Teachers must print when writ-

ing on the board and making nota-

tions on student papers, a much more

laborious mode of communication

than script. Students printing their

notes rather than writing them in cur-

sive can fall behind and demand that

the teacher slow down. Such tech-

nologically dependent children may

not be prepared for keeping up with

a college professor’s lecture or a boss’

instructions, and their demands to

slow down won’t likely be met.

Are convenience and speed alone

reason enough to spend time and

money teaching kids to link their let-

ters in sinuous script? Maybe. How-

ever, there are other important reasons

to keep cursive alive.

Research reported in Develop-

mental Science indicates that the

physical act of writing helps cement

learning, a truth that can be seen, lit-

erally, on a functional MRI scan. When

the brains of children learning to rec-

ognize letters on a keyboard and push

the button are compared to brain

scans of children learning to write

with pencil on paper, the scans clear-

ly and consistently revealed much

greater brain activity associated with

the act of writing.

The 2010 study, led by Karin Har-

man James, assistant professor of

psychology and neuroscience at Indi-

ana University, indicated that the use

of fine motor skills in children is

Learning to write in cursive, like tying

a shoe, not only enhances fine motor

skills, but it can arm a child with a

practical skill that can be used in

almost any situation quickly and con-

veniently.

16 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

strongly linked to learning. Thus, chil-

dren who put pencil to paper have

a firmer grasp of spelling and con-

structing ideas than children who use

a keyboard. Somehow, says James,

“ … the act of drawing out letters

strengthens learning.”

This notion is supported by pro-

fessors in other disciplines as well.

According to Donna Werderich,

assistant professor of language arts

at Northern Illinois University: “We

don’t have data showing the effects

of taking away cursive, but there is

data showing a correlation between

putting pen to paper and the thought

process: expressing thoughts and pro-

cessing information.”

The physical act of writing exer-

cises the brain in a way that typing

does not. What’s more, well-devel-

oped fine motor skills are important

all on their own.

Daily life requires the use of these

skills for everything from tying shoes

to braiding hair to locking and unlock-

ing doors. Anecdotal evidence sug-

gests the decline in cursive instruction

is accompanied by a decline in the

manual dexterity of many children.

A few years ago, teachers at Penn

Manor elementary schools in Penn-

sylvania, where cursive had been all

but cut from the curriculum, noticed

a significant increase in the number

of children needing occupational ther-

apy and wondered if the lack of cur-

sive writing was responsible. In

response, these educators decided to

increase the time devoted to teach-

ing cursive writing, and discovered

that the need for therapy decreased.

Some special education teach-

ers believe cursive instruction also

helps children overcome dyslexia and

dysgraphia, with findings published

in The Cursive Writing Approach to

Readiness and Reading, by Phillip

J. McInnis and Sandra K. Curtis.

Dyslexic and dysgraphic students

reverse letters when they read and

write. In their experience, these spe-

cial education teachers see an improve-

ment in reading and writing fluency

when using cursive. They theorize

that the continuous nature of cursive

reduces the frequency of letter rever-

sal.

In 1995, McInnis wrote that teach-

ing dyslexic children cursive first

helps eliminate letter reversals because

it reduces the potential for errors that

can come with picking up the pencil

from the paper to form letters indi-

vidually.

Dying like Latin

Still, not everyone is convinced

that teaching cursive writing is nec-

essary or desirable. In fact, many edu-

cators and parents argue that cursive

writing ought to go the way of Latin.

It has outlived its usefulness, they

say, and with the curriculum jam-

packed as it is, teachers have no time

Just like the reading program profiled in the Janu-

ary/February issue of The Illinois School Board Jour-

nal, school board members should maintain a “balcony

perspective” when it comes to district writing programs.

However, board members also need to ask the proper

questions of administration to make certain that what

is being taught regarding writing follows the direction

that the board has set for the district.

The following represent some board-level questions

that might be raised for discussion regarding writing in

the district:

• Are our students receiving instruction in cursive writ-

ing? If so, at what grade level does it begin? Is there

reinforcement in subsequent grades?

• Do teachers from different grade levels talk about writ-

ing instruction and compare what they are asking of

students?

• What sources of research do teachers in the district

use as a basis for writing instruction?

• What amount of time do teachers spend on writing

assignments?

• If the district conducts writing tests, what are the scor-

ing trends for the past five years? Ten years?

• If the district has discontinued writing tests, have

teachers seen a change in written classroom work?

• Has the district received feedback from local employ-

ers regarding students’ abilities to write effectively on

the job?

Questions board membersshould ask about writing

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 17

to devote to an archaic form of com-

munication.

Sharon Eilts, a special education

teacher in Cupertino, California, gives

voice to an opinion many of her peers

hold: “Cursive instruction, although

lovely and a reminder of earlier times,

has no place in modern education.”

Susan Greenfield of Oxford Uni-

versity may offer some support to this

line of thinking. In a recent study

she conducted, adults who had no

experience with the piano were divid-

ed into three groups.

One group spent five days in a

room with a piano, taking instruc-

tion and drilling lessons on the key-

board. A second group spent five days

in an identical room but engaged in

zero interaction with the piano. A

third group in another identical room

was instructed to play piano in their

mind’s eye for five days.

Follow-up brain scans confirmed

the hypotheses for two of the groups

but netted surprising results in a third.

Predictably, the piano players’ brains

showed significant changes in the

brain structure responsible for con-

trolling finger movement. Again pre-

dictably, the brains of those who had

no interaction with the piano showed

no changes.

However, researchers were

stunned to find that the brains of the

people who only imagined playing

the instrument changed nearly as

much as those who had actually put

fingers to keys.

“‘The power of imagination’ is

not a metaphor, it seems,” she con-

cluded. “It’s real, and has a physi-

cal basis in your brain.”

Is less more?

Kids spend so much time inter-

acting with technology at home that

keeping the emphasis away from tech-

nology during the school day may be

what kids need. At home, the 2010

Kaiser study also reports, the aver-

age child age 8 to 18 spends 7.5 hours

per day, seven days a week using some

sort of electronic media. When mul-

titasking with various forms of media

is figured into the mix, 10 hours of

consumption is squeezed into that

7.5 … and that does not include com-

puter use for homework.

Many people worry that this

much technology in the lives of chil-

dren can be harmful to their intel-

lectual development. Jordan Grafman,

chief of cognitive neuroscience at the

National Institute of Neurological Dis-

orders and Stroke and a member of

the Dana Foundation, an organiza-

tion dedicated to compiling and shar-

ing information about brain research,

is one of these people. He fears that

children who spend too much time

with technology will develop lazy

thinking habits.

Grafman notes that while kids

can get lots of information quickly,

“Fast is not equated with delibera-

tion.” He worries that spending too

much time with electronic media “…

can produce a tendency toward shal-

low thinking. It’s not going to turn off

the brain to thinking deeply and

thoughtfully about things, but it is

going to make that a little bit more

difficult to do.”

Oxford University’s Greenfield

has similar concerns.

“Already, it’s pretty clear that

the screen-based, two dimensional

world that so many teenagers — and

a growing number of adults — choose

to inhabit is producing changes in

behavior,” she says. “Attention spans

are shorter, personal communication

skills are reduced and there’s a marked

reduction in the ability to think

abstractly.”

None of this bodes well for devel-

oping students who can write clear-

ly and effectively, for writing well

requires abstract thinking skills.

Illinois application

Traditionally, once students learn

the mechanical skills of writing, teach-

ers begin to focus more attention on

the development of content and the

quality of ideas students include in

their writing. For nearly 20 years, to

hold teachers accountable for instruc-

tion and students accountable for

learning, Illinois administered writ-

“Already, it’s pretty clear that the screen-based, two dimensional

world that so many teenagers — and a growing number of adults —

choose to inhabit is producing changes in behavior. Attention spans

are shorter, personal communication skills are reduced and there’s

a marked reduction in the ability to think abstractly.”

—Susan GreenfieldOxford University

18 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

ing tests to students in every few grade

levels from third grade through junior

year.

However, those tests have been

eliminated during the last few years

to save money and time. Last sum-

mer, the state eliminated the last

state-issued composition test from

the11th-grade Prairie State Achieve-

ment Exam (PSAE).

The elimination of writing from

the state’s spring assessments means

teachers will probably focus more

instruction on what the state does

test: reading, science and math. While

one can argue about whether testing

should drive curriculum, the simple

truth is that it does. Teachers and

administrators are under great pres-

sure to produce high test scores, so

the teaching of writing may get less

attention in some schools this year.

Springfield School District 186

will not be one of them, however,

according to Margie Buyze, literacy

coach in the district. She insists

the state’s elimination of the writing

portion of the PSAE is not letting the

districts’ language arts and English

teachers — or their students — off

the hook.

“I do not think the fact that writ-

ing is not being tested on our state

assessments has impacted the impor-

tance of solid writing instruction in

our district. It’s an essential element

of our Tier 1 literacy instruction,”

Buyze says. “Tier 1” refers to initial

differentiated classroom learning that

all students experience under Response

to Intervention strategies.

In fact, in some ways, omitting

the writing tests may improve instruc-

tion.

“Actually, without the pressure

of the ISAT,” Buyze notes, “teachers

have expressed that they have more

freedom to explore different genres

and topics.”

Still, District 186 continues to

administer its own writing tests.

“The district pays an outside

company, MetriTech, to hand score

a writing assessment for all grade sev-

en and nine students once a year,”

she said. “This is in an effort to val-

idate our scoring process and to keep

our expectations consistent and high.

Students take the assessment in

December, and we receive the results

in February.”

The state does plan to resume

administering a writing test, though

no one is quite sure at the moment

what that test will look like or when

it will be in place. A new achievement

test, one designed to reflect the cur-

riculum driven by Common Core

State Standards, is in the making now,

and the state hopes to have it in place

by 2014.

With ‘Common Core’

A positive aspect of writing instruc-

tion outlined in CCSS does not reflect

Types and forms of writingIn addition to two styles of pen-

manship (printing and cursive), the

art of writing, according to educa-

tion.com, also takes at least six dif-

ferent major forms: narrative,

expository, descriptive, persuasive,

journaling/letters and poetry.

“Because students are learning

the distinctions between various gen-

res, it’s important that teachers use

the correct terminology and not label

all writing as ‘stories,’” says Gail E.

Tompkins, writing for book publish-

er Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall.

Descriptions of the six forms of

writing are:

Narratives involve retelling famil-

iar stories, developing sequels for sto-

ries that have been read and creating

original stories that have a beginning,

middle and an end to develop plot

and characters.

Expository involves collecting

and synthesizing information to give

directions, sequence steps, compare

things, explain cause/effect rela-

tionships or describe problems and

solutions.

Descriptive involves observa-

tions and choosing precise language

to convey sensory details, create com-

parisons with similes and metaphors,

and make writing more powerful.

Persuasive involves using log-

ic, moral character and emotion to

win others over to a particular view-

point by use of clearly stated posi-

tions, examples and evidence.

Journaling/letters involves writ-

ing to themselves or known audiences

in a personal, often less formal style,

to share news, explore new ideas and

record notes.

Poetry involves creating word

pictures and playing with rhymes and

other stylistic devices to create vivid

yet concise language that can be

arranged in different ways on a page.

A multitude of examples can be

found within each form of writing,

including newspaper articles, tech-

nical manuals, business letters and

contracts, books (both fiction and

non-fiction) and e-mails.

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 19

new thinking, but brings an old phi-

losophy back into focus: writing across

the curriculum.

A 2011 article published by the

National Council of Teachers of Eng-

lish (NCTE), points out that “read-

ing and writing cannot be learned

once and for all; these skills repre-

sent complex arrays of capacities that

vary from one discipline to another.”

In other words, the writing style

and documentation format used in

the sciences look very different from

those used in literature, which look

different from those used in history.

The CCSS make clear an expecta-

tion of teachers in all disciplines to

incorporate writing appropriate to

their subject matter into the course

work.

If implemented, this writing pro-

gram has the potential to improve

student learning, which should trans-

late into higher test scores. Howev-

er, it will not be easy or inexpensive

to implement.

Districts will have to invest heav-

ily in professional development to

prepare all teachers, even those who

teach P.E., to incorporate writing into

their lessons. However, if the expe-

rience of Brockton High School in

Massachusetts is a legitimate mea-

sure of the success such an approach

can deliver, the investment would

reap big dividends.

In 1999, Brockton’s test scores

were dismal, some of the lowest in

Massachusetts. The faculty and staff

implemented a rigorous program of

reading and writing in every class-

room regardless of the course. Over

the past decade, their scores have

steadily climbed and now are among

the highest in the state. Researchers

tracking Brockton’s progress and

approach assign much of the credit

for their success to this reading and

writing across the curriculum.

Implementing such a program

in Illinois high schools would not be

easy even if districts would be will-

ing to invest in the necessary pro-

fessional development. Writing is

hard work and many students resist

hard work, though ironically, they

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20 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Dressed in black, including a

spectacular church hat, Julie

Fane lowered her voice to the appro-

priate funereal tone and announced

to her fifth-grade class at Muffley

School that they would be attending

a funeral, inviting them to guess

the guest of honor.

No, she said, not the fish, who

were swimming in the tank in appar-

ent good health. Not Steve Jobs, the

recently deceased mastermind behind

Apple.

Taylor Prasun knew. “Is it words?”

Fane laughed. “Taylor’s a genius.”

Since the start of the school year,

Fane has kept track of the most

overused words in her students’ work,

and the 12 top — or bot-

tom — were laid to

rest, never to be used again this year:

“amazing;” “good;” “said” (the entire

class gasped when they heard that

one); “great;” “big;” “awesome;” “bad;”

“because” (the most overused of the

group, Fane said); “happy;” “look;”

“nice;” and “beautiful.”

Students were paired off and

made black construction paper tomb-

stones for the deceased words while

Chopin’s “Funeral March” played in

the background, and afterward they

trooped outside to lay the words to

rest in a grave previously dug by Fane

and her “accomplice,” student Trai

Dobbs, who said he didn’t know why

his teacher wanted him to help her

dig a hole but did it anyway.

It’ll be hard to avoid the words

on the list, said Will Evans, especially

the word “said.”

That’s the idea, Fane said. Her

students tend to get into a rut in their

writing, and she wants to challenge

them. The tombstones will be dis-

played on the walls, with “ghostly

cousins” attached to them, each bear-

ing a synonym for the dead word.

Students can use the words when

talking, just not when writing.

“This is a lesson they’ll remem-

ber for a long time,” Fane said.

Taylor guessed what was hap-

pening because she has a friend who

was in Fane’s class last year who told

her.

“We went on the (school) play-

ground and found the graves (from

last year),” Taylor said.

Valerie Wells is a

staff writer for

the Herald &

Review newspa-

per in Decatur,

Illinois. Her arti-

cle originally was

published Octo-

ber 29, 2011,

and is used here

with permission.

Students pay respectsto overused words

by Valerie Wells

AMAZINGr.i.p. BEAUTIFUL

GREAT

BADHAPPY

LOOKNICEr.i.p.

SAID

P R A C T I C A L P R

Jay Wojcik is

director of com-

munications for

Lombard SD 44

and a member

of the Illinois

chapter of the

National School

Public Relations

Association.

How to be good stewardsof community tax dollars

by Jay Wojcik

Lombard SD 44 is proud of its

reputation for being fiscally

responsible in good and bad finan-

cial times. Just as many stakehold-

ers are making cuts in their personal

budgets and finding new, creative

ways to save money, so is our school

district.

Here are three examples of how

we are good stewards of communi-

ty tax dollars:

Residency review

For more than 17 years, District

44 has received the Bright Red Apple

Award. Although more than 860 school

districts in Illinois are eligible for this

award each year, less than 75 districts

qualify each year.

The award is presented by

SchoolSearch, a Kansas City-based

firm that provides comparative school

district information for corporations,

home builders, school districts,

libraries, real estate professionals,

legislators and relocating families.

The award is based on data compiled

in the Illinois State Report Card.

To earn the award, District 44

had to meet or exceed the elemen-

tary state averages in academic per-

formance, pupil/teacher ratio, expenses

per pupil, education level of teach-

ers and average teacher salary.

Achieving Bright Red Apple sta-

tus and offering wonderful programs

and services makes the district a place

where our community parents want

to send their children. However, it’s

also a place where parents who do

not reside within our boundaries also

want to send their children.

Educating non-resident students

causes a financial burden. It costs

the district $11,422 to educate a child

and nonresidents contribute no edu-

cation tax dollars to offset that

expense.

To remedy this, the district has

hired National Investigations Inc. to

confirm the residency of all incom-

ing kindergartners — about 300 chil-

dren. To date, the firm has found

12 kindergarten students who do not

live in our attendance area.

In addition, about two-thirds of

these students also have older sib-

lings enrolled in District 44. Accord-

ing to James Blanche, district

superintendent, “Ensuring that all

the students in our schools live in

our district is a cost-saving measure.

In some grades it means not having

to open another section of a grade

level and thereby avoids the costs

associated with an additional class-

room, materials, computers and a

teacher.”

The district plans to make resi-

dency confirmation an on-going pro-

cedure. “Tax dollar resources in the

state are getting tighter and we want

to make sure we are stretching our

taxpayers’ dollars as far as we can,”

Blanche added.

Medicaid reimbursement

Through the efforts of special

education and related services staff,

District 44 was able to recoup approx-

imately $260,000 dollars in reim-

bursements for 2010-11.

“All of Lombard District 44’s spe-

cial education students will be able

to benefit from the revenue generat-

ed from Medicaid dollars,” said Ellen

Teelucksingh, assistant superinten-

dent for special services. “These

monies must be spent on educational

resources that will ultimately improve

the instruction, programming and

support provided to Special Educa-

tion students in the District.”

Teelucksingh said obtaining these

Columns aresubmitted bymembers of

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 21

22 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

funds was possible because, in accor-

dance with the Illinois Healthcare

and Family Services (HFS) Medicaid

reimbursement program, some activ-

ities performed by medical profes-

sionals and staff in a school-based

setting are eligible for partial reim-

bursement with federal matching

funds from the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services.

The basis for this relationship

between Medicaid and education was

established by the Medicare Cata-

strophic Coverage Act (Public Law

100-360), as amended in 1988. Under

this plan, Medicaid pays for costs of

direct, medically necessary services

provided to eligible children who have

disabilities as provided by the Indi-

viduals with Disabilities Education

Act (IDEA). In Illinois, services that

may be claimed for School-Based

Health Services’ Medicaid reim-

bursement are:

• Audiology

• Developmental assessments

• Medical equipment

• Medical services

• Medical supplies

• Nursing services

• Occupational therapy

• Physical therapy

• Psychological services

• School health aide

• Social work

• Speech/language pathology

• Transportation

These services are frequently

specified as “necessarily related ser-

vices” in Individualized Education

Programs (IEPs) developed by schools

for children with disabilities. When

provided under a child’s IEP, the ser-

vices are eligible for federal Medic-

aid reimbursement, usually half of

the established cost to provide the

service.

Schools may also claim some

costs associated with the adminis-

tration of the program, in addition to

direct medical services. Allowable

administrative claims include out-

reach activities designed to ensure

that the entire student community

has access to Medicaid-covered pro-

grams and services. Local Education

Agencies (LEAs) may claim costs for

specific administrative activities, as

well as costs incurred for implementing

and monitoring the Illinois state Med-

icaid plan, according to Illinois School

Based Health Services (http://www.

sbhsillinois.com/).

Credit rating

At the beginning of the 2011-12

school year, Moody’s Investors Ser-

vice upgraded District 44’s credit rat-

ing from Aa3 to Aa1. The new rating

reflects the district’s financial posi-

tion characterized by sound man-

agement and high reserve levels,

below average debt levels and large

tax base.

Moody’s, a credit rating agency

for commercial and government enti-

ties, ranks the credit-worthiness of

borrowers using a standardized rat-

ing scale and is one of the “Big Three”

credit rating agencies.

Tod Altenburg, assistant super-

intendent for finance and facilities,

said that “ ... this is very positive news

for District 44. A higher credit score

means that a lower interest rate would

be charged if the District had to bor-

row money. This action by Moody’s

is a strong endorsement of the sound

educational and financial operations

of the district.”

District 44 also has received the

Association of School Business Offi-

cials International (ASBO) Certifi-

cate of Excellence in Financial

Reporting for the past five years.

Earning and maintaining share-

holder support is one of District 44’s

four short-term goals for 2011-12.

The goal reads: “In order to ensure

the district’s future financial stabili-

ty, the district will continue to iden-

tify revenue enhancements such as

staff turnover savings, Medicaid reim-

bursement funds and energy cost effi-

ciencies. Additionally, the district

will continue to identify expenditure

reductions through an on-going review

of staffing levels and resources. The

district seeks to realize $750,000 in

funds as a result of these financial

practices.”

The three examples given here

show how District 44 is honoring its

commitment to make the most effec-

tive use of our taxpayers’ dollars and

achieve the district’s goals.

should discuss with the board attor-

ney and agree on how your district

will handle the records created and

stored by board members on their

private e-mail accounts and person-

al electronic devices. Use the board

attorney to educate board members

further about records retention and

disclosure and the preferred best

practices for your district. An agreed

practice should then be reflected in

the board policy manual.

Ask the staff continued from inside back cover

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 23

Donald P. Doerle, 85, Vernon Hills,

died December 13, 2011. He was for-

merly a school superintendent at Dia-

mond Lake SD 76, Mundelein, for 14

years. He was also a naval veteran of

World War II and the Korean War.

Robert Draper, 83, Ohio, died

November 30, 2011. He had served sev-

eral years on the Ohio Grade School

board of education. He was a real estate

broker, licensed auctioneer and a cer-

tified appraiser, owning Draper Real

Estate and Auction Service, and a farmer.

Lawrence J. Evers,

90, Springfield and for-

merly of Greenview,

died December 10,

2011. He was a former

Greenview CUSD 200

school board president.

He farmed in the Greenview area, was

a director for 33 years of the National

Bank of Petersburg and had previous-

ly served as Greenview’s mayor.

James K. Funk, 77,

Nokomis, died Decem-

ber 9, 2011. He served

on the Nokomis CUSD

22 school board for nine

years. He retired from

the U.S. Postal Service after 28 years,

working in Nokomis and as the post-

master in Witt. Funk was a founding

member of the Nokomis Boosters Club.

Roger W. Harding,

96, Pontiac, died

December 19, 2011. He

had served as president

of the Oswego CCD 434

school board, and was

also on the Pontiac District 90 board.

He farmed his entire life in the Ponti-

ac area. Harding had served 15 years

on the St. James Hospital Advisory

Board and was a life member of the Pon-

tiac Elks Lodge.

Todd F. Harmey-

er, 50, Beardstown, died

January 16, 2012. He

was a former member

and past president of

the Beardstown school

board and was a current member of the

Cass County Board. He had been the

director of public works for Beardstown

for 23 years.

John Herrin, 77,

Dawson, died Decem-

ber 16, 2011. He had

served 10 years on the

Tri-City CUSD 1, Buf-

falo, school board. In

1954, he launched a career in the fer-

tilizer business and continued in the

profession as president and CEO of Her-

rin Ltd. until January 2000. He went

on to become vice president of Brandt

Chemical Co.

LeRoy J. Harris, 100, Glen Car-

bon, died January 20, 2012. He had

been a school board member in Glen

Carbon in the 1950s until consolida-

tion. He began his work career as a min-

er for Glen Carbon and then worked as

an electrician at the Granite City Lock

and Dam, retiring from there as Lock

Master. He received his Eagle Scout

Badge at age 89, 69 years after earning

it.

Robert G. Holmes,

87, Bloomington, died

December 11, 2011. He

was a past president of

the District 87 school

board. Holmes retired

as vice president/general manager of

Country Mutual Insurance Co., Bloom-

ington, in 1989, where he had worked

for 26 years. He was also a past presi-

dent of the Illinois Insurance Infor-

mation Service.

Richard “Dick” Jaeger, 86, Gene-

va, died January 24, 2012. He had served

as a member of the Geneva school board,

was sales manager for the Elmhurst

Chicago Stone company for 35 years

and was a past president of the Illinois

Ready Mixed Concrete Association.

Glynn P. Johnson, 60, Hampton,

died December 18, 2011. He had served

on the Hampton SD 29 school board.

Johnson retired from the John Deere

parts warehouse, Milan, in 2009 after

30 years of service. He had taught and

had been a classroom instructor for

Junior Achievement.

Paul E. Johnson,

80, Pontiac, formerly of

Chenoa, died January

24, 2012. He was a for-

mer president of the

Chenoa Board of Edu-

cation. A veterinarian and consultant

to several large corporations, he also

served as president of the Chenoa Rotary

Club

Mitchell P. Kartalia, 98, Barring-

ton, died December 5, 2011. A resident

for more than 50 years, he formerly

served on the Barrington CUSD 220

school board. Kartalia had a 40-year

career with Square D Company, retir-

ing as the firm’s president, CEO and

chairman.

Clyde E. Kesler, 89,

Champaign, died

December 30, 2011.

Kesler was a former

member of the Cham-

paign CUSD 4 school

board. He was a professor of civil engi-

neering and theoretical and applied

mechanics at the University of Illinois.

He was active in a number of technical

and professional organizations, but was

best known as “the father of the con-

crete canoe.”

Gerald C. Kuenstler, 88, Olney, died

Milestones continued from page 32

24 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

January 9, 2012. He

served on the West Rich-

land CUSD 2 school

board from 1974 to 1977.

He was a retired farmer

and was also a former

member of the Olney Squarenaders and

the Knights of Columbus. He was “con-

servation man of the year” in 1972.

Robert I. Logan, 93, Highland Park,

died December 1, 2011. Logan was a

member of the Highland Park District

113 school board and had served as

president of Highland Park Hospital in

the 1960s. He had a 60-year career as

an attorney, banker, business execu-

tive and consultant. He later became a

noted photographer, selling his first

photo at age 90.

John L. Lund, 56,

Oregon, died Decem-

ber 21, 2011. He was a

former member of the

East Coloma SD 12

school board. A chiro-

practor, he began his career in Sterling

in 1980, moving his practice to Rock

Falls in 1981. He had served as an offi-

cer with the Prairie State Chiropractic

Association.

David A. Malinsky,

89, Ottawa, died

November 14, 2011. He

was a former district

superintendent for 19

years at Hononegah

CHSD 207, Rockton. Prior to that he

was a teacher and football coach at

Dupo and Sullivan for four years each,

and spent two years as a high school

principal in Donovan.

Merwyn Scott “Babe” Miller, 74,

Yorkville, died November 26, 2011. Dur-

ing the 1960’s he had served as a mem-

ber of the Yorkville school board. Miller

was a co-owner and publisher of the

former Plainfield Enterprise newspa-

per. Prior to that, he was employed for

many years as a guidance counselor at

Plainfield High School.

Gilbert T.H. Monke, 82, Mt. Olive,

died November 12, 2011. He was a mem-

ber of the Mt. Olive CUSD 5 school

board, and a life-long dairy and grain

farmer. He was a former member of the

“Town Clocks” bowling team.

Robert L. Morrison, 90, Beach Park,

died December 29, 2011. He was a past

president of the Beach Park CCSD 3

school board. In 1986 he retired as the

finance director for Lake County. He

also served on the boards of Immanuel

Baptist Church and Christ Communi-

ty Church.

Alfred Jack Mullen,

87, Silvis, died Novem-

ber 26, 2011. He was

a member of the Unit-

ed THSD 30 school

board, East Moline. He

had been a farm manager before serv-

ing as farm advisor for the University

of Illinois Extension in Montgomery

County. Mullen also volunteered as a

reading tutor at Ridgewood Grade School,

East Moline.

Hans W. Mueller, 89, Mokena, died

January 19, 2012. He had served on

both the Mokena SD 159 and Lincoln-

Way CHSD 210 school boards. He retired

from Caterpillar after 31 years and also

had served on the Mokena Village Board

for five years.

Jeanne Piesber-

gen, 65, Caseyville,

died December 12,

2011. She served on

the Collinsville Unit

10 school board for 20

years and also served as board pres-

ident for two years. She had been des-

ignated a Master School Board Member

by IASB. She was a hospital nurse

who spent most of her career in obstet-

rics.

Earl G. Reeves, 95,

Oswego, died Decem-

ber 7, 2011. He served

as president of the El

Paso Township High

School board and the

board of its successor, the El Paso unit

district. He had a 33-year career with

Pfister Associated Growers Inc. prior

to the company’s acquisition by Cargill

& Co.

Robert L. Rhinehart, 87, Hudson,

died December 7, 2011. He served on

the school board for McLean County

Unit District 5, Normal, from 1959 to

1975. He was a lifelong farmer in the

Hudson area and was a long-time mem-

ber of the Elks Club.

Nyle R. Schme -

deke, 64, Morrisonville,

died November 17,

2011. A lifelong farmer

and veteran of the Air

National Guard, he was

a past president of the Morrisonville

school board, a former supervisor of

King Township and a past office man-

ager at the local FS cooperative.

Dick L. Shepard,

90, Chillicothe, died

January 5, 2012. He

served on the Chilli-

cothe school board for

15 years. A farmer and

active in his community, he was a

member of the board of the First Nation-

al Bank of Chillicothe for 25 years. He

also was a member of George Wash-

ington Lodge 222 and the Scottish

Rite for 60 years.

Cecile M. Stern, 75, Springfield,

died January 18, 2012. She had served

on the Ball Chatham Elementary School

board. She had been the co-owner of

The Beadery in Springfield and was a

founding member of the Chatham

Library.

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 25

Kenneth Rae Tug-

gle, 65, Chrisman, died

December 13, 2011. He

served on the Chrisman

Unit 6 school board for

more than 10 years,

including several years as president.

He was a retired farmer.

Frank Ventura, 48,

Mokena, died January

16, 2012. He had served

on the Mokena SD 159

school board, resigning

last September due to

illness. A certified public accountant,

Ventura also had served on the Lincoln-

Way Area Special Education District

843 parent advisory committee and the

Lincoln-Way Area Next Steps Training

team.

James Henry War-

ren, 70, Deerfield, died

November 3, 2011. A

former Highland Park

superintendent, he start-

ed as a high school his-

tory teacher. Warren later worked as a

principal before taking a post as assis-

tant superintendent for THSD 113,

Highland Park. In 1978 he assumed a

job as superintendent in the south sub-

urbs. He returned to District 113 as

superintendent in 1983 until his 1994

retirement.

Brian Wisher, 66,

Washington, died Jan-

uary 10, 2012. He was

currently serving his

third year on the Wash-

ington CHSD 308 school

board. He was a PE teacher and dean

of students in District 308 for more than

25 years. He later served as the athletic

director at Springfield High School,

retiring in 2002 after a 35-year career

as an educator.

Robert D. Zimmanck, 84, Arling-

ton Heights, died November 18, 2011.

He had recently stepped

down after 23 years on

the THSD 214 school

board, the longest

tenure for any District

214 board member.

Zimmanck worked as a human resource

director at Arlington Plating for 18

years following his retirement from

Teledyne Post. He was vice chairman

of IASB’s North Cook Division from

2005 to 2011.

The Illinois School Board Journal

welcomes news about or from Illinois

school leaders. News may include but

need not be limited to accomplishments,

changes in position or duties, retirement,

death and other milestones related to

board/district duties. For more infor-

mation about submitting news items,

phone the Communications Department

at 217/528-9688, ext. 1138, or e-mail gad-

kins@iasb. com.

Open Meetings Act (OMA)Training for School

Board Members

• Designed for you to comply with the new OMA mandatory trainingrequirement

• Addresses uniqueschool board issues

• Offered this spring in each of IASB’s 21 divisions

A certificate of completionwill be provided.

For available dates andlocations, visit www.iasb.com and click on EventsCalendar, then ViewUpcoming Events.Space is limited, so register today!

26 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

The perception exists among

many community members

that school leaders exert a powerful,

if indirect, influence on teaching qual-

ity and student learning. Leadership

is a team process in the classroom

and the boardroom.

No one can run an organization

by themselves. A school superinten-

dent must work with the board of edu-

cation and the administrative staff

as a team. The way a team is led will

have a major impact upon the suc-

cess of the organization … in this

case, the school district.

Experience has shown that when

asked what they want from a leader,

team members will often identify

several values:

• Commitment to people, as well

as task.

• Desire to support and serve

the team, as well as lead from

the front.

• Enthusiasm, energy, inspi-

ration and sufficient

expertise.

• Willingness to shoulder

responsibility rather

than pass the buck.

• Ability to make the

team come togeth-

er to achieve more

than a group of individuals.

The late John Wooden, a cham-

pionship basketball player and arguably

one of the best-known coaches in the

sport, is an excellent example of a

team leader.

Affectionately named the “Wiz-

ard of Westwood,” he won 10 NCAA

national championships in a 12-year

period, seven in a row as head bas-

ketball coach at UCLA. His incredi-

ble 88 consecutive wins earned him

an unprecedented national coach of

the year six times.

He is a member of the Basketball

Hall of Fame as a player and coach.

And, at the time of his death in 2010

at age 99, the Associated Press report-

ed that he was one of the most revered

and beloved coaches in the world.

Renowned for his short, simple

inspirational messages to his play-

ers, Wooden’s baseline mantra was

his Pyramid of Success, written in

1948. Interestingly enough, this

book was used as often with his

players on how to be a success

in life as it was to be success-

ful in basketball.

Until his death, the for-

mer UCLA coach still kept

in touch with many of his

former players, but that

only seems natural for a

leader whose “pyramid”

includes friendship,

loyalty and team spir-

it as three of its 15

blocks.

Dennis White is a

former Illinois

school superin-

tendent who

now teaches in

the School of

Advanced Stud-

ies, University of

Phoenix. Greg

Reynolds is a vis-

iting assistant

professor at

Southern Illinois

University-

Edwardsville.

Famed coach offersleadership pyramid

by Dennis White and Greg Reynolds

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 27

Playing the game

Wooden was the classic example

of it not being about the number of

wins and losses: it’s about how the

game is played. In fact, his players

say they don’t recall their coach ever

stressing the importance of winning

a game. It was about sticking to the

fundamentals.

John Valley, who played under

Wooden on the 1969 and 1970 UCLA

national championship basketball

teams, said: “On the first day of prac-

tice, I remember him saying, ‘I’m not

going to be talking to you about win-

ning or losing because I think that’s

a byproduct of our preparation. I

would much rather be focused on the

process of becoming the best team

we’re capable of becoming.’”

At a workshop some years ago,

Coach Wooden explained, “Every-

thing starts with character.” He imme-

diately recited one of his most famous

quotes: “You should be more con-

cerned with your character than your

reputation because your reputation

is what others think you are, but your

character is how you truly are.”

Wooden said his leadership arose

from a “pyramid” and without it, his

teams would not have reached the

success they enjoyed. He effectively

intertwines success and leadership

in such a way that the power of his

pyramid can be the elusive road map

to success as a school leader.

In Pyramid of Success, Wood-

en defines success, in part, as the

peace of mind gained from knowing

you made the necessary effort to

become the best of your ability at

anything and everything you set as

a goal.

A school administrator may find

peace of mind most illusive. The work-

day pressure seems to never stop.

Teachers, students, staff, parents,

Wooden said his leadership arose from a “pyramid” and without it,

his teams would not have reached the success they enjoyed. He effec-

tively intertwines success and leadership in such a way that the

power of his pyramid can be the elusive road map to success as a

school leader.

28 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

community members and board mem-

bers alike are merely a few daily inter-

lopers.

Place these factors under the

umbrella of fiscal responsibility and

it is easy to understand routine in

school leadership is, at best, elusive.

Every decision has a price. Typical

work responsibilities that should take

20 minutes can be stretched to two

hours. The unintended consequences

brought about by previous decisions

can be overbearing.

Abraham Lincoln believed that

you can get there much faster if you

know where it is you are going. Coach

Wooden has provided an invaluable

legacy through his Pyramid of Suc-

cess road map that can provide the

type guidance to get to the destina-

tion of improved leadership.

Pyramid traits

Loyalty, friendship, cooperation,

enthusiasm and industriousness make

up the base of Wooden’s pyramid.

Without an effective leader, a nega-

tive void forms that is detrimental to

the entire school district.

Teachers, staff and students arrive

at the school every day seeking an

enthusiastic, friendly leader from

whom they can expect cooperation

as they go about the business of edu-

cating children. In a school with an

industrious leader, devotion to the

school’s vision and student learning

will be self-evident.

Self-control, alertness, initiative

and intentness make up the second

row. The school leader must under-

stand the complexities of effective

decision-making. It is only through

intensive and alert behavior this

occurs.

Being alert to the internal and

external climate of the school enhances

the type of self-control necessary for

making successful decisions.

Condition, skill and team spirit

are next on the list. Believe it or not,

Wooden did not always speak to ath-

letic conditioning as the defining fac-

tor for the success of his teams. He

claimed mental conditioning is the

necessary element to withstand crit-

ics and deal with success in a con-

sistent professional way.

Skill improvement can only occur

if the leader is willing to recognize

weaknesses and set a realistic plan

in motion to overcome and master

areas that are lacking. Wooden’s insis-

tence that self-glory take a back seat

to working together was the basis for

much of the teams success.

Poise and confidence are second

from the top of the pyramid. Confi-

dence is a must, because over-confi-

dence or issuing short, sharp directives

is not leadership. It is merely assertive-

ness, according to Ozan Onay in his

July 2011 Leadership blog. Assertive-

ness does not move an organization.

Onay quoted John Lilly, the for-

mer CEO of Mozilla, as stating that

leadership visualizes the successful

organization and goes about making

5th Biennial LeaderShopSymposium

June 16, 2012Lombard, IL

How You as a LeaderCan Thrivein Adversity

Presenter

Diane Reed, Ed.D.Co-Director and Associate Professor

in Educational Leadership, former superintendent and author of

Resilient Leadership for Turbulent Times

S A V E T H E D A T E

“I believeresilience is

the single mostimportant quality in a leader.”

Warren Bennis

By InvitationONLY!

Resilience is absolutely necessary for successful

leadership, and for a balancedand satisfying life. Plan now to

attend this exciting learningopportunity designed

exclusively for School BoardLeaderShop Academy members

and their superintendents.

Additional information and registration details will follow in early spring.

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 29

it so. Furthermore, leaders get oth-

ers to help move the organization for-

ward.

Onay also claims that fixating on

a convenient solution is motivated

by opportunism. Not all problems

have quick, easy, and painless con-

clusion. Leaders who understand

problems have a variety of solutions.

Wooden encouraged under-

standing problems first and allowing

solutions to arise from this enlight-

enment. Poise is not a byproduct of

problem solving; poise enhances prob-

lem solving.

At the top of the coach’s pyra-

mid is competitive greatness. A school

leader cannot retreat in the face of

daily responsibility. Success is often

measured by matching competitive

greatness to the problems present-

ed. The emergence of a type of com-

petitive self-satisfaction becomes a

strong motivator to overcome any

obstacle.

The challenge is to analyze your

own behavior with those pointed out

in Pyramid of Success to see where

you match-up. Read more about the

different building blocks and seek out

detailed descriptions of the pyramid

online.

If you find a high correlation,

congratulations! If you fall into the

category that indicates a less than

satisfactory correlation, know that

understanding and improving lead-

ership behavior is at your fingertips

through the pyramid.

Leadership within the school

organization can be defined many

ways. Coach Wooden provided prac-

titioners with a set of simple and pow-

erful tools. His book can become a

road map to gain self-satisfaction and

piece of mind knowing that the chil-

dren in your district get your best

effort every day.

These factors are particularly

intriguing because they challenge the

beliefs and traditional conceptions

of leadership. They push us to gain a

better understanding of how we relate

to others.

Furthermore, Wooden asks us to

examine how we distribute power

and authority. We consistently have

called on ordinary people to do extra-

ordinary work, and many times we

succeed. We can succeed more often

if we understand and implement the

tenets of leadership put forth by John

Wooden.

The notion of sustainable improve-

ment may well represent today’s major

learning edge in school leadership.

ReferencesOzan Onay, Leadership, http://

regardingwork.com/2011/07/01/lead-

ership/

IASB FacilitatedSchool BoardSelf-Evaluation

Working together … better!

Last year over 150 Illinois School Boards learned thatself-evaluation is a key step toward a better board.

Board members say:• Good chance to build some teamwork.• Allowed everyone to express their thoughts.• Agreeing to do things differently (we were in a rut

of repeating the same patterns over and over).

Benefits include:• More effective leadership for the district• Improved teamwork• Successful board meetings

Contact your field services director to begin planning your next board self-evaluation workshop. Springfield 217/528-9688 • Lombard 630/629-3776

30 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

A Directory of your

IASB ServiceAssociates

IASB Service Associates are businesses whichoffer school-related products and services andwhich have earned favorable repu tations for qual-ity and integrity. Only after screening by theService Associates Executive Committee is abusiness firm invited by the IASB Board ofDirectors to become a Service Associate.

Appraisal ServicesINDUSTRIAL APPRAISAL COMPANY — Insurance

appraisals, property control reports. OakwoodTerrace - 630/827-0280

Architects/EngineersALLIED DESIGN CONSULTANTS, INC. —

Architectural programming, site planning & design,architectural and interior design, and constructionadministration. Springfield - 217/522-3355

ARCON ASSOCIATES, INC. — Architectural, con-struction management and roof consulting. Lombard- 630/495-1900; website: http://www.arconassoc.com; e-mail: marketing@arconassoc.com

BAYSINGER DESIGN GROUP, INC. — Architecturaldesign services. Marion - 618/998-8015

BLDD ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architectural and engineering services for schools. Decatur - 217/429-5105; Champaign - 217/356-9606; Bloomington -309/828-5025; Chicago - 312/829-1987; website:http://www.bldd.com; e-mail: sam.johnson@bldd.com

BRADLEY & BRADLEY — Architects, engineers andasbestos consultants. Rockford - 815/968-9631; web-site: http://www.bradleyandbradley.net/

BERG ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, LTD. —Consulting engineers. Schaumburg - 847/352-4500;website: http://www.berg-eng.com

CANNON DESIGN — Architects. Chicago - 312/960-8034; website: www.cannondesign.com; e-mail:rdewar@cannondesign.com

CM ENGINEERING — Specializing in ultra efficientgeo-exchange HVAC engineering solutions forschools, universities and commercial facilities.Columbia, MO - 573/874-9455; website: www.cmeng.com

CORDOGAN CLARK & ASSOCIATES — Architectsand engineers; Aurora - 630/896-4678; website:www.cordoganclark.com; e-mail: rmont@cordoganclark.com

DAHLQUIST AND LUTZOW ARCHITECTS, LTD. —Architects and engineers. Elgin - 847/742-4063;Hinsdale - 630/230-0420; website: http://www.dla-ltd.com; e-mail: elgin@dahlquistandlutzow.com

DESIGN ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architecture, engi-neering, planning and interior design. Hillsboro -217/532-5600; East St. Louis - 618/398-0890; Marion- 618/998-0075

DLR GROUP, INC. — Educational facility design.Chicago - 312/382-9980

ERIKSSON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, LTD. —Consulting civil engineers and planners. Grayslake -847/223-4804

FANNING/HOWEY ASSOCIATES, INC. — Schoolplanning and design, with a focus on K-12 schools.Park Ridge - 847/292-1039

FGM ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS, INC. — Architects.Oak Brook - 630/574-8300; Peoria - 309/669-0012;Mt. Vernon - 618/242-5620; O’Fallon - 618/624-3364;website: http://www.fgm-inc.com

GRAHAM & HYDE ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architec -tural services. Springfield - 217/787-9380

GREENASSOCIATES, INC. — Architecture/construc-tion services. Deerfield - 847/317-0852, Pewaukee,WI - 262/746-1254; website: www.greenassociates.com; e-mail: greig@greenassociates.com

HEALY, BENDER & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Archi -tects/Planners. Naperville, 630/904-4300; website:www.healybender.com; e-mail: dhealy@healybender.com

HUFF ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INC. — Architects,engineers, construction managers and school con-sultants. Springfield - 217/698-8250; Champaign -217/352-5887

IMAGE ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architects. Carbondale- 618/457-2128

JH2B ARCHITECTS — Architects. Kankakee - 815/933-5529

KENYON & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS —Complete architectural services for education. Peoria- 309/674-7121

KJWW ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS — Facilityassessments, infrastructure master planning,acoustical engineering, architectural lighting, con-struction administration, systems commissioning.Naperville - 630/753-8500

LEGAT ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architects. Chicago -312/258-1555; Oak Brook - 630/990-3535; Wauke -gan - 847/263-3535; Crystal Lake - 815/477-4545

LZT ASSOCIATES, INC./LARSON & DARBY GROUPArchitecture, planning, engineering. Peoria - 309/673-3100; Rockford - 815/484/0739; St. Charles, MO -630/444-2112; webite: www.larsondarby.com; e-mail:dhenebry@larsondarby.com

MECHANICAL SERVICES ASSOCIATES CORP. —HVAC, plumbing and electrical design. Crystal Lake -815/788-8901

MELOTTE-MORSE-LEONATTI, LTD — Architectural,industrial, hygiene and environmental service.Springfield - 217/789-9515

PCM+D — Provide a full range of architectural ser-vices including facility and feasibility studies, architec-tural design construction, consulting and related ser-vices. East Peoria - 309/694-5012

PERKINS+WILL — Architects; Chicago - 312/755-0770; website: www.perkinswill.com; e-mail: mark.jolicoeur@perkinswill.com

PSA-DEWBERRY — Architects, planners, landscapearchitecture and engineers. Peoria - 309/282-8000;Chicago - 312/660-8800; Elgin - 847/695-5480; web-site: www.dewberry.com

RICHARD L. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC. —Architecture, educational planning. Rockford -815/398-1231

RUCKPATE ARCHITECTURE — Architects, engi-neers, interior design. Barrington - 847/381-2946;website: http://www.ruckpate.com; e-mail: info@ruckpate.com

SARTI ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INC. —Architecture, engineering, life safety consulting, inte-rior design and asbestos consultants. Springfield -217/585-9111; e-mail: sartiarch@sartiarch.com

WIGHT & COMPANY — An integrated services firmwith solutions for the built environment. Darien -630/696-7000; website: http://www.wightco.com; e-mail: bpaulsen@wightco.com

WM. B. ITTNER, INC. — Full service architectural firmserving the educational community since 1899;.Fairview Heights - 618/624-2080; website: http://www.ittnerarchitects.com; e-mail: debbiek@ittnerarchitects.com

WRIGHT & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Architecture, con-struction management. Metamora - 309/367-2924

Building ConstructionBOVIS LEND LEASE — Construction Management/

Program Management. Chicago - 312/245-1000

CORE CONSTRUCTION — Professional constructionmanagement, design-build and general contractingservices. Morton - 309/266-9768; website: www.COREconstruct.com

FREDERICK QUINN CORPORATION — Construc tionmanagement and general contracting. Addison - 630/628-8500

HOLLAND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC. — Fullservice Construction Management and GeneralContracting firm specializing in education facilities.Swansea - 618/277-8870

MANGIERI COMPANIES, INC. — Construction man-agement and general contractor capabilities. Peoria -309/688-6845

POETTKER CONSTRUCTION — Construction man-agement, design/build and general contracting ser-vices. Hillsboro - 217/532-2507

PROFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT,INC. — Construction management. Mundelein - 847/382-3680

THE GEORGE SOLLITT CONSTRUCTION COM PANY — Full service Construction Man -agement General Contractor with a primary focus oneducational facilitiesd. Wood Dale - 630/860-7333

S.M. WILSON & CO. — Construction managementand general construction services. St. Louis, MO -314/645-9595

TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY —Referendum assistance, conceptual and masterplanning, budget assistance or verification, partici-pant in panels, construction management and con-sulting. Chicago - 312/327-2860; website: http://www.turnerconstruction.com; e-mail: ghill@tcco.com

Computer SoftwareSOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. — Administrative

Software. Tremont - 888/776-3897; website: http://www.sti-k12.com; e-mail: sales@sti-k12.com

MARCH/APRIL 2012 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 31

Writing continued from page 19

Environmental ServicesALPHA CONTROLS & SERVICES, LLC — Facility

management systems, automatic temperature con-trols, access control systems, energy saving solu-tions; sales, engineering, installation, commissioningand service. Rockford - 815/227-4000; Springfield -217/529-3111; Toll-Free - 866/ALPHA-01

CTS-CONTROL TECHNOLOGY & SOLUTIONS —Performance contracting, facility improvements and energy conservation projects. St. Louis, MO -636/ 230-0843; Chicago - 773/633-0691; website:www.thectsgroup.com; e-mail: rbennett@thectsgroup.com

ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP — A comprehensiveenergy services and performance contracting com-pany providing energy, facility and financial solutions.Itasca - 630/773-7203

HONEYWELL, INC. — Controls, maintenance, energymanagement, performance contracting and security.St. Louis, Mo – 314/548-4136,Arlington Heights -847/797-4954; e-mail: janet.rivera@honeywell.com

IDEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, INC. —Asbestos and environmental services. Bloomington -309/828-4259

MECHANICAL INCORPORATED — New construc-tion, renovation, comprehensive and basic preventa-tive maintenance service contracts. Freeport - 815/235-1955; Hillside - 708/449-8080; Rockford - 815/398-1973; Fox Lake - 847/973-1123; website: www.mechinc.com; e-mail: pattie@mechinc.com

OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHSOLUTIONS, INC. (OEHS) — Industrial hygiene,microbiological evaluations and ergonomics.Chatham - 217/483-9296

RADON DETECTION SPECIALISTS — Commercialradon surveys. Burr Ridge - 800/244-4242; website:www.radondetection.net; e-mail: kirstenschmidt@radonresults.com

RCM LABORATORIES, INC. — Environmental, healthand safety services. Countryside - 708/485-8600

SECURITY ALARM CORPORATION — SecuritySystems & Fire Alarm Systems. Salem - 618/548-5768

Financial ServicesBERNARDI SECURITIES, INC. — Public finance con-

sulting, bond issue services and referendum support.Fairview Heights - 618/206-4180; Chicago - 800/367-8757

BMO CAPITAL MARKETS/GKST, Inc. — Full servicebroker/dealer specializing in debt securities, includingmunicipal bonds, U.S. Treasury debt, agencies, andmortgage-backed securities. Chicago - 312/441-2601; website: www.bmo.com/industry/uspublicfi-nance/default.aspx; e-mail: jamie.rachlin@bmo.com

EHLERS & ASSOCIATES — School bond issues; ref-erendum help; financial and enrollment studies. Lisle- 630/271-3330; website: http://www.ehlers-inc.com;e-mail: slarson@ehlers-inc.com

FIRST MIDSTATE, INC. — Bond issue consultants.Bloomington - 309/829-3311; e-mail: paul@firstmidstate.com

GORENZ AND ASSOCIATES, LTD. — Auditing andfinancial consulting. Peoria - 309/685-7621; website:http://www.gorenzcpa.com; e-mail: tcustis@gorenzcpa.com

HUTCHINSON, SHOCKEY, ERLEY & COMPANY —Debt issuance, referendum planning, financial assis-tance. Chicago - 312/443-1566; website: www.hse-muni.com; e-mail: rbergland@hsemuni.com; rcoyne@hsemuni.com

RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Full ser-vice Investment Banking firm. Chicago - 312/612-7814

ROBERT W. BAIRD & CO. INC. — Financial consult-ing; debt issuance; referendum assistance. St.Charles - 630/584-4994; website: http://www.rwbaird.com; e-mail: whepworth@rwbaird.com

SPEER FINANCIAL, INC. — Financial planning andbond issue services. Chicago - 312/346-3700; website: http://www.speerfinancial.com; e-mail:dphillips@speerfinancial.com

STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY, INC. — Full ser-vice securities firm providing investment banking andadvisory services including strategic financial plan-ning; bond underwriting; and referendum and legisla-tive assistance - Edwardsville - 800/230-5151; e-mail:noblea@stifel.com

WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY — Bond issuance,financial advisory services. Chicago - 312/364-8955; e-mail: ehennessy@williamblair.com

Human Resource ConsultingBUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES, INC. — Human

resource, safety and risk management, insurance consulting. Effingham - 217/342-3042; website: http://www.bushuehr.com; e-mail: steve@bushuehr.com

InsuranceHINZ CLAIM MANAGEMENT, INC. — Third party

administrator for workers comp and insurance claims.Chicago - 800/654-9504

Superintendent SearchesHAZARD, YOUNG, ATTEA & ASSOCIATES, LTD —

Superintendent searches, board and superintendentworkshops. Glenview - 847/724-8465

will often work very hard at avoiding

the work.

In fact, teachers can attest that

many students just plain refuse to

write. “Sally” may be willing to bub-

ble in A, B or C on a test, but if she’s

asked to write answers in sentence

form, she will leave the page blank.

This resistance to writing may

be a result of the lazy thinking neu-

roscientist Grafman frets about or

a result of a discomfort with writing

born of feelings of inadequacy. What-

ever the root cause, overcoming stu-

dent reluctance to write will present

a challenge for educators.

References

Karin Harman James, “Sensori-

motor experience leads to changes in

visual processing in the developing

brain,” Developmental Science, 13:2,

2010

Phillip J. McInnis, “Simplifying the

writing process,” Spring 1995,

http://www.nathhan.com/mcinnis.htm

Phillip J. McInnis and Sandra K.

Curtis, The Cursive Writing Approach

to Readiness and Reading, M/C Publi-

cations, 1982

Mark Prensky, Teaching Digital

Natives — Partnering for Real Learn-

ing, Corwin, 2010“Will this cover my car payment?”

William Delp was

named Superintendent

of the Year 2011 by the

Lake County superin-

tendents organization.

Award qualifications

focus on “caring,” “sharing,” and “learn-

ing.” Delp retired in June 2011 as the

superintendent of the Special Educa-

tion District of Lake County (SEDOL).

Delp had been very active in outside

organizations and made sure that oth-

ers were informed about important

issues.

Jerome Kern, a Lansing District

158 school board member, was hon-

ored in December 2011 with a Distin-

guished Service Award for his 40

consecutive years of service on the

board. “He’s one of the finest gentle-

men I’ve ever met,” board President

Joe LaBella said. Kern said the board’s

recent efforts to reduce the property

tax levy, eliminate debt and renovate

the Lansing district’s schools are among

his proudest accomplishments. “I nev-

er thought in my wildest dreams that

I’d be here as long as I have,” Kern said.

“There was always something around

the corner that I wanted to see accom-

plished.”

Dee Molinare, Tin-

ley Park, joined the

board of Lincoln-Way

CHSD 210, New Lenox,

on December 8, 2011.

Molinare will serve out

the term of David A. Izzo, who was

appointed to the Will County Board.

Molinare is an adjunct instructor in

mathematics and psychology for Joli-

et Junior College. She had been a mem-

ber of the Summit Hill SD 161 board

since 2001. She resigned from that

board prior to accepting the appoint-

ment.

In memoriamHobart C. Ault, 82, Fiatt, died Jan-

uary 30, 2012. A self-employed farmer

in Fulton and Warren counties, he retired

in 2000 and had served on the Cuba

school board and as a township road

commissioner.

Walter J. Bernatavich, 94, Spring

Valley, died December 29, 2011. He

served on the Hall THSD 502 school

board from 1954 to 1980. He worked

for Illinois Power for 31 years, retiring

in 1982. He was a Spring Valley com-

missioner from 1957 to 1965, and served

on the Bureau County Board from 1990

to 1998. He was active in local politics,

and served as a precinct committee-

man from 1942 to 2010.

Julius “Zeke”

Brown, 96, O’Fallon,

died January 11, 2011.

He had served on the

O’Fallon CCSD 90

school board. He had

been head of the electrical engineer-

ing department at Southern Illinois Uni-

versity-Edwardsville, teaching there

until his retirement.

Edward J. “Boogie” Bugos, 53, Can-

ton, died December 10, 2011. He had

served as a Canton Union SD 66 board

member for the past 10 years, and was

past treasurer. He had operated the

Canton Country Club

Restaurant, and recent-

ly worked as an insur-

ance agent. He was one

of the founders of the

Canton junior football

league.

Robert Phillip

Cahill, 75, an Illinois

Appellate Court judge

since 1992, died Decem-

ber 4, 2011. He served

for four years in the

1970s as a member of the Evanston/Skok-

ie SD 65 school board. He was appoint-

ed an associate judge in Cook County

in 1983.

Loren S. “Doc”

Cotton, 80, Atlanta, died

December 18, 2011. He

was a former member

of the school board at

Olympia CUSD 16, Stan-

ford. Cotton retired from S and S Con-

struction Company and was a member

of American Legion Post 341 in Atlanta,

where he was a past commander.

Natasha S. Deutsch, 80, Evanston,

died January 4, 2011. An Austrian immi-

grant when she was a child, she obtained

a master’s degree in sociology in 1952.

She served and presided over dozens

of committees, including the

Evanston/Skokie SD 65 school board,

United Way, Northlight Theater and

the John Howard Association. She also

established the Evanston Community

Foundation.

Milestones

32 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / MARCH/APRIL 2012

Milestones

continued on page 23

Question: I use my iPhone® all

of the time. Sometimes, I gen-

erate content or receive information

on it that relates to my duties as a

board member. Is it true that the FOIA

officer for the board on which I am

seated may search my phone and/or

release content or information from

it pursuant to a Freedom of Infor-

mation Act (FOIA) request?

Answer: Conducting public busi-

ness on a personal electronic account

or device is subject to disclosure under

the FOIA. If the content or informa-

tion on your phone is a public record

under the FOIA, who owns the account

or device is not relevant. Nor is it rel-

evant where, how or on what account

or device the record is created or

located. Rather, the Illinois Attorney

General, in Public Access Opinion

No. 11-006, has outlined that the key

question is: Was the requested record

prepared by or used by one or more

members of the public body in con-

ducting its affairs?

If the answer is yes, then it is a

public record and your district’s FOIA

officer may need access to your phone

to respond to a FOIA request, even

though your phone belongs to you,

not the district. This is true for oth-

er personal accounts and devices

as well, e.g., e-mail from personal

accounts, social media platforms

(Twitter, Facebook, etc.), and other

platforms yet to be invented.

In addition to FOIA disclosure,

destruction prohibitions in Illinois

law and rules for discovery in litiga-

tion impose more legal obligations

on the records stored on your phone

that pertain to your duties as a board

member.

The Local Records Act prohibits

destruction or deletion of any pub-

lic record without written approval

of the Local Records Commission.

Public record, for purposes of the

Local Records Act, is much broad-

er than the definition in FOIA. Delet-

ing a record without permission of

the Local Records Commission vio-

lates the Local Records Act.

There are also rules for litigation

that impose legal obligations that

apply to district records when law-

suits are filed or may be filed against

the district. These obligations start

when your district becomes aware of

a potential lawsuit. At that time, both

parties must preserve all electroni-

cally stored material and messages

concerning the subject matter at issue,

regardless of where the information

is stored. This is called a litigation

hold. If the information is deleted or

the board member was not aware of

the litigation hold and deleted items

that were subject to the hold, the

court may award sanctions against

your board and district, e.g., mon-

ey punishments and possibly an

adverse judgment.

Many attorneys in the field dis-

courage school board members from

the use of their private e-mail accounts

and personal electronic devices for

the dissemination of public records.

Best practice suggests that all com-

munications containing district records

be transmitted through district-pro-

vided accounts.

Your board and superintendent

Kimberly Small,

IASB assistant

general counsel,

answers the

question for this

issue.

‘Business content’ triggersFOIA, not who owns device

by Kimberly Small

A S K T H E S T A F F

continued on page 22

Public record, under the

FOIA, means: “all records,

reports, forms, writings, letters,

memoranda, … electronic com-

munications, recorded infor-

mation and all other

documentary materials per-

taining to the transaction of

public business, regardless of

physical form or characteristics,

having been prepared by or for,

or having been or being used by,

received by, in the possession

of, or under the control of any

public body.”

Public record, under the

Local Records Act, has a more

broad definition than FOIA.

2921 Baker DriveSpringfield, Illinois 62703-5929

Address Service Requested

NON-PROFITPRST STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAIDILLINOIS

ASSOCIATION OFSCHOOL BOARDS

www.iasb.com

“The difference between the rightword and the almost right word is thedifference between lightning and alightning bug.”

Mark Twain, American author and humorist, 1835-1910

“Most of the basic material a writerworks with is acquired before the ageof 15.”

Willa Cather, American author, 1873-1947

“As elected school board mem-bers, we must put aside our party affiliations and partisan principlesand do our job — which is to repre-sent the children and the local edu-cational agencies we were elected toserve.”

Martha Fluor, president, California School Boards Association, “Schools must take priority over partisanship,”California School News, July 2011

“Proficiency in oral language pro-vides children with a vital tool forthought. Without fluent and struc-tured oral language, children will findit very difficult to think.”

Jerome Bruner, American psychologist, Child’s Talk: Learning to Use Language, 1983

“High-stakes testing is distort-ing the very purposes of education,

demeaning the role of teachers, andturning our schools into test-prep fac-tories. If we truly want schools thatrespect professionalism and encour-age creativity and innovation, ournation needs radically different policies for testing and accountabil-ity.”

Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University and a historian of education

“An education isn’t how muchyou have committed to memory, oreven how much you know. It’s beingable to differentiate between whatyou know and what you don’t.”

Anatole France, French poet, journalist and novelist, 1844-1924

“Teaching provides a way to stayyoung at heart, to maintain a lifetime

of active learning ... . It is in everyrespect a profession of hope.”

Vito Perrone, retired director of teachereducation, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1933-2011

“Education is a progressive dis-covery of our own ignorance.”

Will Durant, American writer, historianand philosopher, 1885-1981

“Education is learning what youdidn’t even know you didn’t know.”

Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian,professor, attorney and writer, 1914-2004

“Data is not information, infor-mation is not knowledge, knowledgeis not understanding, understandingis not wisdom.”

Clifford Stoll, American astronomer and author

“I want to take some time before college to go free-range, dad.”