Not that I don't agree with you, but I would be worried about opening a Pandora's box. Does anyone on this page have knowledge about how it would work?
Not that I don't agree with you, but I would be worried about opening a Pandora's box. Does anyone on this page have knowledge about how it would work?
My understanding (from Grossi's public discussions) is that the pattern is basically this:
1) The ISBE/State puts the District into some kind of status where they have to submit a budget reduction plan (this is currently the situation).
2) District gets low on operating cash and has to take out a "tax anticipation warrant" in order to get funding, which is basically a short term loan on incoming tax revenues, in order to pay for operating costs. (Grossi stated this may be the situation as soon as 2025)
3) If the District fails to reconcile the situation with a budget reduction plan and continues to use tax anticipation warrants, the ISBE/State will notice.
4) ??????
5) The ISBE/State appoints some kind of receiver/supervisor.
It's not clear to me how #4 step works, I assume it is through the ISBE Regional Superintendent, who has the authority to remove the Board and Superintendent but I am not 100% sure on that.
I lived in Detroit when it went bankrupt and a receiver took over the schools. You do not want a state takeover -- you lose all local control, the union contracts get smashed up, and some random guy downstate will make all the decisions.
I feel like at this point some random guy downstate (Mr Smith) is just what is needed to take over because they would probably apply common sense and start from the ground up with a fresh budget funding the basics, like teachers and assistant teachers, etc. I think they really need a тАШfundamentals firstтАЩ approach to budgeting at this point, as the special considerations are how we got to where we are today with spending on stuff that is extraneous to educating youth.
I have some bad news for you about the ISBE, the people who would be taking over.. TheyтАЩre the ones who gave D65 awards for Foster School Funding, CREATE65, and two years of budget awards (while the budgets had -$10 surprises). I think the old boss might be worse than current boss!!
Like the award that Sergio said we were going to save $5 million on bus transportation and voila, we won an award for expertise in financial management. I recall the FB Army promoting the award to silence anyone who questioned it. Ugh. So bad.
Tom - thank tou for putting the ISBE into context with noting they were the ones behind the bogus awards for HortonтАЩs initiatives. So then they are not at all just some random technocrat guy downstate doing what makes sense to an accountant - sounds like they are more like the Horton deep state network of consultants that Horton would trade favor currency with as part of the educational-industrial complex.
There is little literature about takeovers in Illinois or elsewhere тАФ particularly post-pandemic. But a 2021 Harvard study of school takeovers nationwide indicated that the tradeoff is generally loss of local control for financial help rather than academic improvement. Authors Beth E. Schueler and Joshua F. Bleiberg state in their abstract, тАЬOn average we find no evidence that takeover generates academic benefits. Takeover appears to be disruptive in the early years of takeover, particularly to English Language Arts achievement, although the longer-term effects are less clear. тАж Leaders should be cautious about using state takeover without considering local context and a better understanding of why some takeovers are more effective than others.тАЭ
I hear you. I honestly donтАЩt know the answer. But local control isnтАЩt working. Let me say that again тАФlocal control isnтАЩt working. Our town doesnтАЩt care. Full stop. And in the meantime our most at risk kids are being failed year in and year out. So what gets us to the clearest reset button the fastest?
Not that I don't agree with you, but I would be worried about opening a Pandora's box. Does anyone on this page have knowledge about how it would work?
My understanding (from Grossi's public discussions) is that the pattern is basically this:
1) The ISBE/State puts the District into some kind of status where they have to submit a budget reduction plan (this is currently the situation).
2) District gets low on operating cash and has to take out a "tax anticipation warrant" in order to get funding, which is basically a short term loan on incoming tax revenues, in order to pay for operating costs. (Grossi stated this may be the situation as soon as 2025)
3) If the District fails to reconcile the situation with a budget reduction plan and continues to use tax anticipation warrants, the ISBE/State will notice.
4) ??????
5) The ISBE/State appoints some kind of receiver/supervisor.
It's not clear to me how #4 step works, I assume it is through the ISBE Regional Superintendent, who has the authority to remove the Board and Superintendent but I am not 100% sure on that.
I agree that we need to avoid a state takeover, but ISBE isnтАЩt a group of ogres.
Sounds like "be careful what you wish for"
I lived in Detroit when it went bankrupt and a receiver took over the schools. You do not want a state takeover -- you lose all local control, the union contracts get smashed up, and some random guy downstate will make all the decisions.
I feel like at this point some random guy downstate (Mr Smith) is just what is needed to take over because they would probably apply common sense and start from the ground up with a fresh budget funding the basics, like teachers and assistant teachers, etc. I think they really need a тАШfundamentals firstтАЩ approach to budgeting at this point, as the special considerations are how we got to where we are today with spending on stuff that is extraneous to educating youth.
I have some bad news for you about the ISBE, the people who would be taking over.. TheyтАЩre the ones who gave D65 awards for Foster School Funding, CREATE65, and two years of budget awards (while the budgets had -$10 surprises). I think the old boss might be worse than current boss!!
Sergio Hernandez also works for ISBE, so those awards just seem like a weird ouroboros of self-congratulation.
Like the award that Sergio said we were going to save $5 million on bus transportation and voila, we won an award for expertise in financial management. I recall the FB Army promoting the award to silence anyone who questioned it. Ugh. So bad.
Tom - thank tou for putting the ISBE into context with noting they were the ones behind the bogus awards for HortonтАЩs initiatives. So then they are not at all just some random technocrat guy downstate doing what makes sense to an accountant - sounds like they are more like the Horton deep state network of consultants that Horton would trade favor currency with as part of the educational-industrial complex.
A Round Table article from Nov 9th...
There is little literature about takeovers in Illinois or elsewhere тАФ particularly post-pandemic. But a 2021 Harvard study of school takeovers nationwide indicated that the tradeoff is generally loss of local control for financial help rather than academic improvement. Authors Beth E. Schueler and Joshua F. Bleiberg state in their abstract, тАЬOn average we find no evidence that takeover generates academic benefits. Takeover appears to be disruptive in the early years of takeover, particularly to English Language Arts achievement, although the longer-term effects are less clear. тАж Leaders should be cautious about using state takeover without considering local context and a better understanding of why some takeovers are more effective than others.тАЭ
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2024/11/09/here-in-evanston-dont-wait-for-the-state/
I hear you. I honestly donтАЩt know the answer. But local control isnтАЩt working. Let me say that again тАФlocal control isnтАЩt working. Our town doesnтАЩt care. Full stop. And in the meantime our most at risk kids are being failed year in and year out. So what gets us to the clearest reset button the fastest?
A new board of reform candidates in April
Thanks