GRAC full packet 022516 reduced

ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

Thursday, February 25, 2016 – 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Crowne Plaza, Plaza F

Springfield, Illinois

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

II. APPROVAL OF THE SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 MINUTES (Pages 1-6)

III. FORMULATION OF THE 2016 SPRING LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
A. IASA Legislative Program for 2016 (Page 7)

IV. DISCUSSION ON HOT TOPICS
A. Budget Issues
1. ISBE’s FY 17 Budget request talking points(Pages 8-10)
2. ISBE District Detail Report (Pages 11-37)
3. Capitol Watch (ISBE FY 17 Budget proposal focuses on students in need
(Pages 38-40)
B. Education Funding Reform
1. SB 1 Education Funding Reform (Pages 41-46)
2. Vision 20/20 – Evidence-based model (Pages 47-48)
3. Governor Rauner’s 2016 State of the State address – 10-point set of long-term
goals for education (Pages (49-50)
C. Pension Update
1. Cost shift
D. Vision 20/20 update
1. Teacher and substitute shortage (Pages 51-67)
2. IBAM
E. KIDS Assessment
1. DuPage and Lake County concerns regarding KIDS assessment (Pages 68-74)
F. Tax Caps
1. SB 318 (Pages 75-79)
G. TAP Assessment

V. LEGISLATIVE ISSUES FROM THE REGION

VI. HOT BILLS LIST (to be distributed)

VII. OTHER BUSINESS
A. IPAC and APAC (Pages 80-83)
B. IASA Legislative Activities Calendar (Pages 84-85)
C. Illinois House and Senate Calendar (Pages 86-92)
D. Election Dates
1. Primary Election March 15, 2016
2. General Election November 8, 2016

VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS
A. There are no meetings scheduled through June 30, 2016.

IX. ADJOURNMENT

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ITEM II. September 16, 2015 Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee Minutes

Draft until approved at the next GRAC Meeting

ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS & ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

Wednesday, September 16, 2015- 10:30 a.m.
IASA Office - Springfield, Illinois

I. CALL TO ORDER/
The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m. by Chair Dr. Kevin O’Mara.

II. ROLL CALL

Dr. O’Mara welcomed members and roll call was taken.

Present: Dr. Kevin O’Mara, Chair
Dr. Scott Doerr, Co-Chair
Dr. Sheila Harrison-Williams, Co-Chair
Dr. Judith Hackett, Co-Chair
Mr. Cliff McClure, Co-Chair
Mr. Adam Ehrman, Abe Lincoln
Dr. Jay Morrow, Blackhawk
Dr. Lindsey Hall, Central Illinois Valley
Dr. Darryl Taylor, Cook South
Dr. Edward Condon, Cook West
Mr. Gary Tipsord, Corn Belt
Dr. Gwynne Kell, DuPage
Mr. George Wilkerson, Egyptian alternate
Mr. Andrew Larson, Illini
Mr. Michael Kelly, Kaskaskia
Ms. Lea Damisch, Kishwaukee
Mr. Thomas Mahoney, Northwest
Dr. Steve Webb, Shawnee
Ms. Leigh A. Lewis, Southwestern
Mr. Jay McCracken, Starved Rock
Dr. Sonya Whitaker, Three Rivers
Dr. Kerry Cox, Two Rivers
Mr. William Fritcher, Wabash Valley
Mr. Ralph Grimm, Western
Dr. Brent Clark, IASA
Ms. Diane L. Hendren, IASA
Ms. Sara G. Boucek, IASA
Ms. Shannon Bellini, IASA
Ms. Mary Ellen Buch, IASA
Dr. Calvin Jackson, IASBO

Absent: Dr. Scott Thompson, Cook North
Dr. Prentiss Lea, Lake

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IASA Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee Meeting
September 16, 2015
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III. FUNCTION OF THE GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

Chair O’Mara noted that information regarding the committee had been emailed to
members and was included in the packet as informational.

IV. APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 19, 2015 MINUTES

Chair O’Mara noted that a copy of the February 19, 2015 Minutes were included in the
packet as informational. Mr. Cliff McClure made a motion to approve the Minutes as
noted. The motion was seconded by Dr. Judy Hackett and approved by a voice vote of
the committee.

V. CONTINUOUS SESSION UPDATE

A. Property Tax Freeze

Ms. Hendren discussed the property tax freeze, specifically talking about SB 318
(Cullerton, D-Chicago). The bill was broken down in to three sections: enacting
property tax freezes for two years, ending the current General State Aid (GSA)
funding formula for schools and establishing pension fairness for all districts.
Additional information was included in the packet as informational.

1. Governor Rauner’s Property Tax Freeze proposal

A legislation summary of Governor Rauner’s property tax freeze proposal
was included in the packet as informational. The summary discussed
property tax freeze, school funding reform and local control of collective
bargaining.

In January, the vote will go back to a Simple Majority. The state has never
been this far into the year without a budget.

B. Cost Shift

Information on HB 4272 was included in the packet as informational. The bill
discusses shifting the cost of pensions to school districts. A lot of legislative
members are against the cost shift. IASA will keep members informed and may
need members to reach out to their legislators on this topic.

C. Pension Update

1. Governor’s Pension Reform bill

A summary of Governor Rauner’s Pension reform bill was included in the
packet as informational.

2. Attorney General Madigan Pension appeal

An article from Crain’s Chicago Business, “Supreme Court gives Lisa
Madigan more time for pension appeal” was included in the packet. In

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IASA Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee Meeting
September 16, 2015
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addition, an article from the Champaign News-Gazette, “Jim Dey: No decision
yet on pension appeal from Madigan” was included.

In addition, Dr. Clark discussed the victory of the Pension Appeal process,
naming it one of our biggest victories.

D. Veto Session schedule

A final schedule for Veto Session has not yet been sent out.

VI. VISION 20/20 UPDATE

A. HB 2657 Education Licensure Reciprocity, HB 2683 Balanced Accountability
Model, Vision 20/20 21st Century Learning Center

Two Vision 20/20 bills passed through the General Assembly and have been
signed by the governor. The first bill HB 2657, now PA 99-0058 will ensure that
Illinois will pursue, hire, develop and retain highly effective teachers for public
schools statewide, regardless of where an individual received their initial educator
license.

The Second bill, HB 2683, now PA 99-193, creates a new balanced accountability
model comprised of two components, student performance and district practice.
This allows a more-rounded picture of school district rather than looking at one test
score on one day.

VII. FY 2016 BUDGET – SCHOOL FUNDING

A. Impact of State Funding on your School Districts’ budget

A copy of a PowerPoint created by Deb Vespa, ISBE, was included in the packet
as informational. It detailed impacts to school district budgets based on current
data.

B. FY 16 GSA Prorated 92% plus $85 million Limit Loss

A spreadsheet listing all Illinois school districts and how they would be affected by
the FY 16 GSA Prorated 92% plus $85 million Limit Loss was included in the
packet as informational.

VIII. SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED INTO LAW BY THE
GOVERNOR

A list of legislation that has been signed into law by the Governor was included in the
packet as informational. Members were told to contact Ms. Hendren with any questions
they may have.

IX. FORMULATION OF THE 2016 SPRING LEGISLATION PROGRAM

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IASA Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee Meeting
September 16, 2015
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The group discussed the current Legislative Program and made changes to both Section
I. Vision 20/20 and II. Instruction. The changes are listed below with the new text
underlined.

I. Vision 20/20
A. Highly Effective Educators
1. Recruitment, Retention and Licensure
a) Principals
b) Teachers
c) Student teacher candidates
d) Substitute teachers
e) School nurses

II. Instruction
A. Continuing support for the improvement of NCLB/ESEA language
B. To participate in the implementation process for a statewide growth

model assessment system

C. Review and restatement of state-wide assessment system(s) to reflect
the primary function of informing and improving instruction

X. OTHER BUSINESS

A. IASA Legislative Activities Calendar

A copy of the Legislative Activities was included in the packet as informational.

B. Illinois School Administrators Political Action Committee (IPAC) and the Alliance
Political Action Committee (APAC)

Information regarding IPAC and APAC were included in the packet as
informational, including IPAC and APAC membership forms.

C. Suggested talking points regarding IPAC

Talking points regarding IPAC were included in the packet as informational.

D. Time to Engage with Legislators article

An article discussing how to engage with legislators was included in the packet as
informational.

E. KIDS Survey – Discussion

The group discussed the KIDS assessment in detail. The assessment was initially
previewed as a readiness for students coming into Kindergarten rather than
accountability after Kindergarten. The group asked if this is an issue that IASA can
make a statement about. The KIDS assessment as it currently exists needs to be
reworked with discussion between IASA and ISBE. The new Position Statement is
listed below under IASA Position Statements.

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IASA Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee Meeting
September 16, 2015
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It was decided that in addition to creating a new IASA Position Statement
regarding the KIDS assessment, it would also be added to the September IASA-
ISBE Advisory Committee agenda.

XI. IASA POSITION STATEMENTS

The current IASA Position Statements were included in the packet as informational. If a
member sees something that needs to be updated or addressed, they should inform
Ms. Hendren.

A new Position Statement was created in regard to the KIDS assessment. It was sent to
members via email an approved. The new Position statement is below:

11.4 KIDS ASSESSMENT - The IASA shall urge the Illinois State Board of
Education to clarify the intent and purpose of the KIDS assessment program
and allow school districts that have systems of assessment (that meet the
requirement of research-based measures) and programs to meet identified
needs in place to “opt out” of administering the KIDS Assessment through a
waiver process:

 Provide an “approved list” of research-based assessments that can
continue to be used in lieu of the KIDS assessment

 For districts that cannot “opt out”
o Delay the implementation of this initiative until there is full
opportunity for quality training for all
o Decrease the number of domains required as well as the data
collection times (collect two times per year as opposed to three)
o Provide timely feedback that can be used to inform instructional
practices
o Provide in-depth, quality professional development to ensure
fidelity of implementation
(10/15)

XII. REVIEW OF 2015 IASB RESOLUTIONIS COMMITTEE REPORT

A. 2015 IASB New Resolutions-IASB Resolutions committee Recommends Do Adopt

The New Resolutions were included in the packet as informational. Members were
given a moment to review the New Resolutions. With no changes, deletions or
comments, a motion was made by Dr. Daryl Taylor to accept the New Resolutions.
The motion was seconded by Dr. Gwynne Kell and approved by a voice vote.

B. 2015 IASB Reaffirmation of Existing Positions-IASB committee Recommends Do
Adopt

The Reaffirmation of Existing Positions were included in the packet as
informational. Committee members were given time to review the Reaffirmations. A
motion was made by Ms. Lea Damisch and seconded by Mr. Cliff McClure. The
motion was approved by voice vote.

XI. ADJOURNMENT

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IASA Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee Meeting
September 16, 2015
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There being no further discussion, Mr. Brent O’Daniel made a motion to adjourn the
meeting and Dr. Judy Hacket seconded that motion. The meeting was adjourned at 1
p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Kevin O’Mara, Chair
IASA Governmental Relations & Advocacy Committee

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Item III. A. Formulation of the 2016 Spring Legislative Program

IASA Legislative Program for 2016

The following includes the IASA Legislative Program for 2016 as modified by the IASA Governmental
Relations and Advocacy Committee at its meeting on September 16, 2015.

I. Vision 20/20
A. Highly Effective Educators
1. Recruitment, Retention and Licensure
a) Principals
b) Teachers
c) Student teacher candidates
d) Substitute teachers
e) School nurses
B. 21st Century Learning
C. Shared Accountability
D. Equitable and Adequate Funding

II. Funding
A. Special Education Funding
1. Support efforts to work towards a funding formula that reflects an equalized approach to
supporting students with the greatest needs and costs
2. Levy (Unfunded Costs) for Special Education
B. Support long-term solution to School Funding
C. Oppose all unfunded mandates
D. Maintain the financial stability of and prevent further erosion of benefits provided to public
school employees through the Illinois Downstate Teachers’ Retirement System
1. Not allow the cost shift to further erode financial base
2. Authority to levy costs for cost shift outside the Tax Caps
E. Support the Education Funding Advisory Board’s (EFAB) recommended Foundation Level and
fully fund current Foundation Level instead of prorating
F. Emergency Life Safety Relief
1. Exemption to the Tax Cap
G. PTELL Extension Limitation (Further Tax Cap Limitation)
1. Maintain current PTELL limitations (5% or CPI, whichever is lower)
2. Oppose any legislation that would result in further PTELL limitations (e.g., 0% limitations)

III. Professional Development
A. Seek state support and guidance in the area of using student growth in principal and teacher
performance evaluations

IV. Instruction
A. Continuing support for the improvement of NCLB/ESEA language
B. To participate in the implementation process for a statewide growth model assessment system
C. Review and restatement of state-wide assessment system(s) to reflect the primary
function of informing and improving instruction

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January 8, 2016 

ISBE FY17 budget proposal focuses on students in need
Plan calls for increase to General State Aid, more for poorest districts

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) unanimously approved Wednesday (January 6) State
Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith's proposed budget for the 2016­17 school year that calls for increasing
the foundation level for General State Aid (GSA) and fully funding it for the first time in five years.
To accomplish that goal, Smith's proposal seeks an estimated $312 million increase over the FY16
state funding to fully fund GSA (the final amount will be determined by the end of January when the
preliminary GSA forecast is completed by ISBE staff) and also to reallocate more than $300 million
from one of the special education fund line items (Funding for Children) into GSA to increase the
foundation level from $6,119 to $6,327.
"Using the laws that exist now, we looked very hard at how, in the context of those rules, we could
best maximize our funding. We think this is a deeply equitable approach," Smith said, noting that the
proposal would benefit 77 percent of the highest need children in public schools. "Some districts that
are funded under the Alternate and Flat Grant methods would lose some funding, but the maximum
loss would be limited to less than 1 percent. Districts in greatest need would get about a 5 percent
increase on average."
ISBE produced a district­by­district detailed report that shows that 641 districts would gain funding
under the new proposal and 211 would lose funding. The maximum loss was $106 per pupil (a 0.9
percent decrease) and the maximum gain is $436 per pupil (5.2 percent). The median is a $270 gain
(2.1 percent).
Smith's proposal is in line with the vision to push for more equitable funding that he has outlined since
he was appointed state superintendent in May of 2015. Illinois is at or near the bottom of all states
when it comes to providing state funding for public education. Using local wealth and concentration of
poverty as the two main drivers of the formula, General State Aid was designed to help even the
playing field between property rich and property poor districts. However, cuts of more than $3.7 billion

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