Unbelievable gains in student growth. Impressive results. Closing the achievement gap. Raising the bar. These are just several of the comments that we heard from staff during the first round of our district’s 90-day school improvement planning process. We are in the teaching and learning business and our staff members take this work very seriously.

Early in the year, school teams take an in-depth look at what has been working, identify which practices they would like to continue and determine the areas in need of improvement. They thoroughly analyze all available data as they develop their school improvement plan to increase student learning.

The  plans are monitored at both the school and district levels on a continuous basis. This process was adapted from successful business practices and has been critical in helping to ensure that all 27 of our schools and the district as a whole are keeping a tight focus on meeting the student learning goals approved by our Board of Education.

The first review cycle has recently been completed and our data indicates that student achievement is at an all-time high. Information that is shared during these meetings not only becomes the basis for individual school improvement plans, but also provides us with priority focus areas that need districtwide support.

Several years ago, it became obvious that we were not seeing the type of growth in reading in the primary grades that we would expect. In response to this finding, the Department of Student Learning worked with groups of primary-grade teachers and reading specialists to develop a specific plan for improvement. In only its second year of implementation, schools are reporting extremely positive gains in the number of students meeting grade-level reading expectations.

Another districtwide area of focus has been restructuring the services that we provide to our English Language Learners. Even though the achievement level of our English Language Learners was one of the highest in Illinois, it was not good enough for District 54.

Due to the significant gains that these students are making, our district was selected as one of only ten districts across the country to participate in a best practice research study being conducted by the United States Department of Education. The Department of Education is planning to disseminate their findings to other districts for replication.

A common theme that schools will be working on this year is the expansion of enrichment opportunities for students who are achieving at high levels. Teachers will be placing greater emphasis on teaching creative problem solving and incorporating higher-level thinking skills into their daily teaching.

Our staff continues to share that this planning process is one of the most meaningful activities in which they participate as educators. It helps them to thoroughly analyze specific student and schoolwide achievement data, compare themselves to other schools and collaboratively develop specific action plans that are monitored on a regular basis.

We often hear criticism that public schools underperform, make excuses for the lack of student progress and do not prepare students to be competitive in the global market. I am proud to say that this is not the case in District 54.  During the review meetings one of our teachers said it best. “Goals can be meaningless and data just numbers until we put a student’s name and face to it. Data and goals only become meaningful when we develop specific plans and monitor our progress to ensure that all of our students reach their full potential. This is what we do at our school, this is what we do in our  district and this is why our students are so successful!”

District 54 staff, students and community members will celebrate American Education Week Nov. 13-19 with a variety of activities.

The NEA has chosen the theme of Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility as it celebrates the 90^th annual American Education Week. The theme highlights the importance of providing every American child with a quality education and the message that this goal is everyone’s responsibility.

District 54 schools have invited parents into the classroom for an up-close look at what a typical day is like for their children.

District 54 also invites its partners from all 27 schools to a celebration of these relationships on Nov. 16. Four partners will be honored as Super Partners:

• Jersey Mike’s
• Motorola
• Hoffman Estates/Schaumburg Rotary
• Elk Grove Village Rotary

District 54 thanks all the partners, parents, students, staff, School Board members and everyone else who contributes to our mission of Ensuring Student Success.

In a move to improve communications with all members of its community, District 54 is launching a new e-newsletter, instead of the quarterly Visions newsletter, which had been emailed to all parents and staff.

If you sign up for this newsletter, you will receive an email after our School Board meetings with news from the meeting and other information about District 54. The School Board meets once or twice a month. However, we will also use the e-newsletter to communicate important, time-sensitive news as necessary.

Currently, we only send news to families of District 54 students, employees and a select group of key communicators. By hosting this signup online, District 54 will be able to reach out to families of children who haven’t entered school yet, individuals planning to move into our community, local businesses and organizations, alumni and their families, and anyone interested in news about District 54.

Privacy is important to us; therefore, we will not sell, rent, or give your name or address to anyone. Also at any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe.

To start receiving our e-newsletter, visit http://sd54.org/email-signup/. Please note that when you sign up on this site you will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. You must click on  the link in that email to complete your subscription. Also, feel free to pass this link on to a friend, neighbor or colleague so that they may sign up too.

School District 54 is looking for community members who would be interested in serving on the Budget Review Committee that will be reviewing the 2012-13 budget. The committee will begin meeting in January 2012, so that the administration can present a tentative budget to the School Board before the 2012-13 school year begins.

The Budget Review Committee, consisting of board members, staff and community members, meets for the purpose of obtaining input on the acquisition and allocation of resources.

Member Responsibilities

1. Attend up to six meetings from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Thursdays (January-June).
2. Participate in discussions on school finance.

To obtain an application for the Budget Review Committee, please visit our website, at http://sd54.org/committees.  If you have the need to speak to someone, please contact Ric King, assistant superintendent of business services, at (847) 357-5039 or RicKing@sd54.org.

Applications are due in the District Office, 524 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL  60194, by Dec. 2, 2011.

When the General Assembly continues the veto session on Nov. 8, one of the bills under consideration will be House Bill 3793, which will have a far-reaching, negative impact on District 54, all school districts and all other taxing districts in Illinois. We urge all state representatives to VOTE NO for HB 3793.

The bill requires that if the equalized assessed valuation declines in communities with tax caps, such as District 54′s community, the allowable increase in a taxing body’s levy would be 0 percent (or a higher rate if approved by voters).

District 54 opposes this bill for the following reasons:

• District 54 would lose about $2.3 million in tax revenue this year if this bill passes.
• Each tax levy is based on the previous year’s levy as a percent increase. Therefore, a reduction for one year is permanent, continuous and compounding.
• The tax cap already effectively limits a school district’s ability to increase its tax levy to 5 percent or the CPI (whichever is lower). For the 2011 tax year, the CPI is just 1.5 percent.
• District 54 has already experienced reduced revenue through cuts in transportation (a $1.4 million loss this year), special education (a $800,000 loss) and cash flow due to the state of Illinois making late payments.
• The bill eliminates a school board’s authority to levy based on the needs of its community. School board members are elected to make these decisions. The bill is a further erosion of local control.

District 54 examines our revenues and expenditures each year in an effort to live within our means, while at the same time providing a quality education and safe learning environment for our more than 14,000 students.

With taxing bodies limited to a 1.5 percent increase, the larger increase in property owner tax bills are due to other factors, such as property tax appeals and reassessments.

Support local education. Call your local legislator and tell them to VOTE NO for HB 3793. The bill was introduced by state Rep. Jack Franks, but it is co-sponsored by local Representatives Fred Crespo and Michelle Mussman.

To read the Illinois PTA Action Alert opposing HB3793, click here.

To read the letter sent by the District 54 School Board to local legislators, click here.

To find your state representative’s contact information, click here.

To read the full text of HB3793, click here.

The District 54 School Board approved a resolution estimating its 2011 tax levy at $154,939,769, exclusive of debt service. The requested 2011 levy is 1.2 percent higher than the 2010 extended levy of $153,105,818, exclusive of debt service.

The tax rate is subject to the tax cap legislation. The most District 54 can receive from existing property owners is 1.5 percent more than last year’s levy; however, the increase may be less. School districts also receive additional property taxes from new construction. Last year’s growth in new construction was 0.28 percent of the prior year EAV in District 54. However, property owners may notice a greater increase on their property tax bills, based on the Cook County assessment process.

In addition to the tax levy for programs and services, the District 54 aggregate levy usually would include an amount necessary to retire a portion of the principal and interest on our bonds. The School Board has elected to forgo the issuance of bonds to pay for upcoming capital needs, instead using accumulated reserves to pay for those projected costs. The Bond & Interest levy will be $0 in the 2011 levy.

The overall levy of $154,939,769 can be compared to the 2010 levy extension of $162,514,868, including debt service. This results in an overall tax decrease of 4.66 percent.

A public hearing will be held on the estimated levy at 7 p.m., Dec. 1, 2011, in the boardroom at the District Office at 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg. For more information, please call Ric King, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, at (847) 357-5011.