District 65 Administrators to Recommend Placement of TWI Program: Creation of a Language Academy Is on the Table

By Larry Gavin

At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Program Policy Committee of the District 65 School Board asked Superintendent Hardy Murphy to develop recommendations for the placement of the Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program. Everything including the possibility of creating one or more language academies to house the TWI program is on the table.

This year there are 31 TWI classrooms at seven different schools. If a language academy is created to house the TWI program, it will require devoting one of the District's magnet schools or an attendance-area school to that purpose.

"I think one thing we need to decide right off the bat is whether we're interested in a language academy or academies, because if that is either on or off the table determines everything else," said Board member Julie Chernoff. "We need to decide, are we supportive of converting one or more schools into a language academy or academies, or if that's completely out of the question and is too disruptive or it's not in the direction we want to go."

Committee chair Marianne Kountoures said, "I don't think anything should be off the table. … I think any structure needs to be looked at, any option, so whether it's converting a magnet, converting a local school, or leaving it the way it is, I think it's up to the administration to come back with a recommendation." She added that the Superintendent knew and could take into account community values, impact on the community, the No Child Left Behind Act and implementation.

Mary Rita Luecke outlined four possible options that could be used to house the TWI program:
· One or more language academies.
· Continuation of the status quo, i.e., distributing the TWI program throughout the schools.
· Implementing an alternative bilingual program, such as one-way immersion, in addition to the TWI program, but with caps on the TWI program.
· A combination of these options.

The Committee asked Dr. Murphy to analyze these options and to present to the Board recommendations and an analysis of the spill-over implications and costs of each option. Dr. Murphy will likely present a preliminary outline of the types of options the administration will evaluate, the different factors that will be analyzed in connection with each option, and a timetable at the Board's meeting scheduled for September 25.

The committee members agreed that no schools would be identified in this preliminary outline.

TWI growth projections
Uncertain projections about the growth of TWI add another dimension to the decision-making process. The District projected that the TWI program would need to expand this year to accommodate 85 Spanish-dominant students at the kindergarten level, and the Board approved an expansion from five to eight TWI kindergarten classes to accommodate the projected growth, with the three new classes to be located at Kingsley, Willard and Walker Schools.

Dr. Murphy said "an unprecedented drop occurred" this year in the number of Spanish-dominant children entering kindergarten, after several years of linear increases. Only 58 Spanish-dominant students have enrolled in the District's TWI kindergarten classes, 27 fewer than projected. As a result some TWI classrooms are under-enrolled.

Paul Brinson, the District's chief information officer, reported that at Kingsley, there are only three English-dominant and four Spanish-dominant students in the TWI kindergarten class; at Willard, there are nine English-dominant and three Spanish-dominant students.

Dr. Murphy said the administration will decide fairly quickly whether to consolidate the TWI classes at Kingsley and Willard. Assuming that the remaining seven kindergarten TWI classes had 50 percent Spanish-dominant children, the average TWI kindergarten class size would be about 16.5 students.

Board members discussed the need to obtain better demographic information and better projections to assist them in deciding on the placement of TWI. The administration will discuss this issue with market research professionals Bernadette Schleis and Valerie Kretchmer, who presented a proposal for collecting survey data to assist the District in the placement of TWI. The Committee decided not to proceed with a survey of the community.

TWI and an alternative program
Dr. Murphy said that the administration is committed to continuing the TWI program. He added, though, "The real issue for us is from a demographics standpoint and a facilities standpoint, can we continue an expansion of the dual language immersion program? … The real question is are we going to develop another program alternative that will be a companion to dual language immersion? ... I think we're going to have to have more than one option."

Dr. Murphy said that if the District had an alternative program, the District could have a core number of TWI classrooms and use the alternative program to accommodate additional students and students who entered the District after the school year started.

In response to Ms. Kountoures' comment that "TWI is not giving us the results so far for LEP students," Dr. Murphy said, "It's important to make sure that programs have a chance to prove themselves. The dismantling of any program that has the kind of magnitude and the presence in this District that TWI does is going to have a destabilizing impact on the District."

He added, "Any decision we make regarding a language center, whichever option we choose as we go forward, also has to look at the index whether of not we are destabilizing our community."

Washington School
Washington School houses more TWI classes than any other school and concerns were raised last year that the program was having an adverse impact on the general education program at the school. In an effort to bolster the general education program at Washington, the administration said at the Board's March 20 meeting that the District would plan to establish two general education classes at the kindergarten level at Washington this year and that no transfers would be allowed out of Washington to the magnet schools.

Kiki Demopolis and several other Washington parents complained that the administration had not established two general education classrooms at the kindergarten level and had allowed a number of students in the general education program to transfer to magnet schools. Ms. Demopolis asked, "Why couldn't we have a year to let Washington stabilize, with a fabulous principal, to show the community as a whole and especially the community coming into Washington in the future that people want to be at Washington and that we have two general education classes and we're likely to have two general education classes?"

Dr. Murphy said that only 24 or 25 students enrolled in general education classes and the Board had determined it would not offer classes with only 12 students. Once it became apparent the numbers would not justify two general education classes, students were offered the opportunity to transfer to magnet schools to reduce the size of the one general education class that would be offered, Dr. Murphy said.

Ms. Demopolis also told Committee members, "I want to make sure that the administration knows that we as a school, and most of my TWI friends agree, that Washington does not want to be a language academy. I know I can't speak for Washington School as a whole, but I can speak for myself, my friends and people I know."

Oakton School
Karen Johnson, an Oakton parent, raised concerns about Oakton School where TWI, an African-Centered curriculum and general education classes are offered. She said, "We were promised a Language, Literacy Cultural Center. I do think we need updates on that." Ms. Johnson added, "There are three long-standing families that I know of that have decided to leave the District because of the instability at the school."
On March 20 the Board approved the administration's recommendation to make Oakton a "Language, Literacy Cultural Center" in an effort to unify the school. Under this initiative, conversational Spanish was to be put in as part of the fine arts rotation and students were to be brought together every six weeks to celebrate culture at the school.

$200,000 Shortfall in $59 Million Budget

202 Budget Close to Being Balanced

By Jennie Berkson

After two years of multimillion dollar budget cuts, the District 202 School Board is now considering a budget for 2006-07, which has only a $200,000 planned shortfall.

"This budget takes a giant step towards returning to our history of balanced budgets," said Bill Stafford, chief financial officer. "A lot of this has to do with hard decisions made in prior years.

As a result, we are still receiving the highest financial rating the State can offer." Mr. Stafford also said that the District receives an Aa1 rating from Moody's, which is "the second best that can be obtained."

Total operating fund revenues for the district for fiscal year 2007 are projected to be $59,246,822, against operating fund expenses of $59,468,330. That represents a $221,896 deficit, which will occur in the Social Security and IMRF [retirment] Fund.

Mr. Stafford said key factors influencing the budget are tax caps and salaries and health insurance costs.

In his report to the School Board at its meeting on Sept. 11, Mr. Stafford explained that the District's ability to fund "the normal growth in educational expenses is constrained by unfunded mandates and tax caps. Tax caps limit the growth in annual taxes to the Consumer Price Index."

The Consumer Price Index has been relatively low in past years, between 1.6 percent and 2.4 percent. This year the CPI was 3.3 percent.

"This has assisted us in the revenues we've been able to generate," said Mr. Stafford.

More than 80 percent of the District's revenues, which are up 5.4 percent for this fiscal year, come from property taxes.

Although federal aid has declined, new property in Evanston generated approximately $430,000 in additional tax income. State aid has increased by about $150,000. In addition, higher interest rates positively impacted the District's return on investments.

The District's expenses increased only 4.3 percent. Salaries and benefits make up almost 75 percent of the expenses for the District.

Mr. Stafford told the Board that the District has a contract with the teachers' union through 2008, and a support-staff contract through 2010. The food-service employees' contract will be negotiated this year.

The 2007 budget also benefited from the retirements of 14 teachers and administrators in June, many with long tenures.

Most were replaced, but the new teachers came in at significantly lower salaries.

Higher employee benefits costs, something which Mr. Stafford pointed out was "not unique to our District" limited the possibility of balancing the budget.

Despite the continued budget shortfall, the 2007 budget includes funding for three new programs and facilities for students as well as an updated security system.

ETHS will participate in Project Lead the Way, a nationwide pre-college engineering program.

A new state-of-the art language lab will handle up to 60 students, doubling the capacity of the former facility.

The teaching kitchen, which was originally built in the 1960s, will be updated to serve students studying culinary arts.

Finally, the school's video-camera security system is being replaced with an updated digital-based system (see accompanying story).

The School Board will vote on the budget at its Sept. 25 meeting.

Reception for New ETHS Superintendent.

About 100 persons attended a reception sponsored by the District 202 School Board for the Evanston community to welcome Dr. Eric Witherspoon. Pictured with Dr. Witherspoon, the new superintendent of District 202, in the Planetarium Courtyard of the high school, are Barbara Zimmer, center, community service coordinator for the high school, and former District 202 Board member Dan Phillips.

ETHS Will Upgrade Security

By Jennie Berkson

The Evanston Township High School Safety Department is implementing a variety of new programs aimed at ensuring a safe and secure learning environment under the direction of Frank Kaminski, who became director in July.

These initiatives include an upgraded security camera system, a new assistant security director, required in-service training for staff, a mission statement drafted by staff, a Positive Presence Program which brings community leaders and clergy into the school and at dismissal time.

Mr. Kaminski, previously Chief of the Evanston Police Department, presented the new initiatives and other Safety Department activities undertaken since the beginning of school to the District 202 Board at its Sept. 11 meeting.

ETHS has had security cameras in place since 1999, but "the technology is outdated," Mr. Kaminski said. The system currently uses tapes, whereas the proposed new system will be digital. The $430,000 needed to upgrade the new system will be funded by the recent sale of life safety bonds. In a separate interview with the RoundTable Mr. Kaminski said bids have been received and a vendor chosen, pending Board approval at its Sept. 25 meeting.

In addition to upgrading the existing cameras, the Safety Department is proposing an additional 12 cameras to be placed on the outside of the school building and in parking lots. Also, a pilot program of hall television monitors has been implemented, placing six screens in the central hall at the high school. "Students see themselves on the screens and know that they are being observed," Mr. Kaminski said.

Finally, the Department is working with the Evanston Police Department to acquire a portable overt digital surveillance System (PODSS) camera that will be located on the east side of Dodge Avenue. Mr. Kaminski says the PODSS camera has a range of surveillance of up to a block.

Chasity Cooper, student Board representative commented that some students said the television monitors were pointless and that they felt intimidated by their presence. "I can see how they could be an enhancement to our safety, though," she remarked.

Mr. Kaminski said the management of the new security system will be assigned to Terrance Doby under the newly created position of assistant director of safety.

Also new this year was a required two day in-service for all safety department staff, which covered topics related to crisis planning, gangs, teamwork, substance abuse, terrorism, responding to racial and ethnic incidents and problem-solving.

Mr. Kaminski said the staff wrote a mission statement for the department. The statement reads,

"We, members of the Department of Safety, pledge our support and commitment to creating a safe and secure learning environment by providing reliable, dependable and professional service to the ETHS community."

Board Vice-president Jane Colleton said that she was glad to hear that there was an in-service training program. "The view of the safety department is often critical. People often say that they pick on good kids and not bad kids."

"I am always overwhelmed by how well-behaved 95 percent of the students are," said Board member Mary Wilkerson.

Superintendent Eric Witherspoon suggested that some Board members might like to come with him when he walks the halls or visits the lunch rooms to observe how the safety staff interacts with students.

Mr. Kaminski emphasized the helpful effect of the reinstated Positive Presence Program. "The Positive Presence Program is something the police department used a few years ago, and I thought it would be useful to do again to help with problems with fighting at dismissal time," he said.

"We have about 12 clergy members in the community who come, one or two a day, at dismissal time and provide a positive role model. We're working on having other community leaders come as well," he added, such as Second Ward Alderman Lionel Jean-Baptiste and members of the Kiwanis Club.

Student Rep Brings Energy and Spirit to School Board

By Jennie Berkson

Chasity Cooper became the student representative on the District 202 School Board after the PomKits' funding was cut.

When the District 202 School Board cut the funding for the fall season of the PomKits, Chasity Cooper gave up her desire to be Student Council President.

She decided to run for the School Board's student representative position instead.

"When we made our presentation to the School Board requesting that they consider funding the PomKits again, I saw that the School Board had the power to affect something that I really cared about," said Ms. Cooper. "I decided that I wanted to be able to get points across to the administration and be part of positive changes."

Although the Board did not reinstate the funding for the PomKits, Ms. Cooper and her teammates found a way to have the fall season program take place anyway. They convinced volunteer coaches, including Ms. Cooper's mother, Cathy Wideman, an ETHS media technician, to help them. They also won twice in State competitions over the summer.

Ms. Cooper's interests go beyond the PomKits. Her favorite subject is English, and she is active in the ETHS chapter of DECA (Distributive Education Club of America). She is interested in a business career and is looking forward to studying marketing and advertising in her senior year.

She is also the president of the North Shore chapter of Top Teens of America, a community-service organization that focuses on programs for senior citizens and on improving the status of women.

Ms. Cooper has also been involved in the Minority Student Achievement Network at ETHS. "I am concerned about the low test scores of many minority students and want to work with the Board and administration to help change this situation," she said. "I think it begins in the home but also [needs] teachers encouraging students. We also have a number of organizations at ETHS, like Latino QUEST and NAACP, which can help students do better."

School spirit is another concern for Ms. Cooper. "I am not just talking about pep rallies," she said. "I think the spirit at ETHS has dwindled a bit, and I would like to be part of bringing the excitement of being a student here back."

As student representative on the School Board, Ms. Cooper intends to be a voice for students as well as to bring issues rasied by the Board back to students. Ms. Cooper says she "wants to help the Board make good decisions.... I also want to learn more about the community as a whole and be able to enhance the community as well."

202 Board Considers 2006-07 Goals

By Jennie Berkson

Dr. Eric Witherspoon presented a draft of the goals for District 202's upcoming school year with a continuation of past objectives and a new focus on measurable results.

"These are not new goals. They are a continuation of the goals set by the Board in recent years, goals focused on students and their educational achievement," he stated in his report to the Board at their meeting on Sept. 11.

Dr. Witherspoon presented three goals:
1) Strengthen instruction and curriculum to achieve measurable academic gains for all students and to accelerate the learning of students who are not yet meeting standards.
2) Provide academic and social supports for students, with a particular emphasis on students who struggle academically.
3) Assure that the District remains financially solvent and that financial decisions focus on student achievement and performance.

Each goal has four or five objectives, some with required levels of improvement or other measurable results. For example, one objective of Goal #1 requires a 2-percent increase in the percentage of black, Latino, low-income and special education students meeting or exceeding standards in reading and mathematics on the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). These subgroups are targeted by requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Other objectives include meeting or exceeding the current graduation rate for subgroups, a 5-percent increase in the percentage of black and Latino students completing advanced courses and a 5-percent increase in the number of students in all subgroups meeting or exceeding predicted gains in academic achievement as measured by the standardized EXPLORE, PLAN or ACT tests.

One objective for Goal #2 focuses on reducing by 10 percent the total number of reclassified students (those who lack sufficient credits for promotion to the next grade level), and measuring academic gains by students participating in the wide variety of support programs offered by ETHS. Another requires that the daily attendance record of recent years be maintained or exceeded.

The financial objectives of Goal #3 include focusing on value-based budgeting and financial planning. The administration will also develop a recommendation to the Board about extra-curricular activity fees by the spring of 2007.

Strategies to attain the objectives will include "the work of adults, faculty, staff, administrators, school board members and parents in helping student learn and raise their educational achievement," Dr. Witherspoon stated.

Community outreach, originally considered as a separate goal, will be incorporated as much as possible. Dr. Witherspoon said, "The need for community outreach and partnerships is more than a single goal or an end in itself."

Dr. Witherspoon reminded the Board that the goals were still in draft form and would receive additional input from the Board, the Curriculum Council and the School Improvement Team before they would be brought back to the Board for final approval on Sept. 25.

Board members had a variety of responses to the goals. Some were concerned about the fact that the objectives of Goal #1 seemed overly focused on only a portion of the student body.

Rachel Hayman objected to the fact that only students who were not meeting standards were being targeted. "You might have kids in honors classes who are struggling or bored. All students deserve a positive relationship with an adult in the ETHS community," she said.

Martha Burns emphasized the need to include all students. "Whenever we talk about goals, it's always either about minority student achievement or honors/AP," she said. She expressed her concern that the continued focus on the lack of achievement by students of color had a negative effect on the culture of the school.

Missy Fleming and Margaret Lurie echoed the inclusive sentiment. "I'd like to see all of the students taking advantage of the strategies," said Ms. Fleming. "Kids who we might not think of as struggling might still need help."

Ms. Lurie agreed. "In all my years on the Board, there are never concerns expressed about students in honors or AP classes. Kids are struggling there, too," she said.

Mary Wilkerson said she was pleased to see expected outcomes defined. "We shouldn't be afraid to measure ourselves," she remarked. She expressed some concern with what she considered an over-emphasis on college attendance, rather than being prepared for other careers of a more vocational or technical nature.

The transition from District 65 to the high school was a topic of concern. "We meet with all our counterparts at District 65," said Marilyn Madden, interim assistant superintendent/principal. "We are looking for ways to do more outreach to the middle schools."

Vice-president Jane Colleton asked the administration to be sure that there was good documentation about what works and what does not work and why. Dr. Witherspoon responded that there would be regular documentation and that the administration would report on progress against the objectives in the spring.

Dr. Witherspoon assured the Board he would take their comments into consideration when preparing the final goals for approval. "We'll be sure that we come back with a document to reflect the Board's response," he said.

"Our goals are about all students, each student realizing success at ETHS. We need to communicate high expectations for all. We have many talents here and many needs for different kinds of assistance which our goals will reflect," he added.

Calling all Evanston Middle-Schoolers

It is not too late to sign up for sixth- and seventh-grade fortnightly dancing classes, to be held on Friday nights at the Woman's Club of Evanston. Call Sabine Russo, 847-328-8248 or Paula Lerzak, 847-328-5976.