Helping Kids Learn

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Helping Kids Learn
Helping Kids Learn
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
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Introduction

• For more than 25 years, Illinois schools were
  chronically neglected and consistently
  underfunded.
  
• But in the last four budgets, weve increased
  education funding by record levels, raised
  standards, expanded preschool and cut red tape.
  
• Our reform plan will build on our successes from
  the last four years and boldly move forward.

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1976-2002 Neglected and Underfunded Schools
Improving Education
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
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Education Funding 1976-2002

• After accounting for inflation, state funding
  only increased by an average of 0.5 each year
  between FY76 and FY03.
  

ISBE Funding, in millions
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Years of Declining Funding

• In fact, in four different years under all three
  previous governors, funding actually went down.

Thompson
Thompson
Edgar
Ryan
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Where the Money Went

• Instead of dedicating money to Illinois schools,
  previous governors wasted state taxpayer dollars
  on
  
• A bloated payroll of up to 70,000 employees.
• Corporate Loopholes costing our schools over 500
  million a year.
  
• Special Purpose Funds that put funds special
  interests ahead of funds for schools.

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2003-2006 Helping Kids Learn
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Helping Kids Learn

• By working together, Governor Blagojevich and the
  General Assembly have taken major steps to help
  our schools, including
  
• 3.8 billion in new funding for schools.
• Higher graduation requirements for the first time
  in 21 years.
  
• Launching Preschool for All so that every 3 and
  4 year old will be able to attend preschool.

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More Money for Schools

• 4 Years 3.8 billion in new funding

1,534
1,119
New Education Funding, in billions
789
3.8 Billion

400



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Education Funding After 2002

• After adjusting for inflation, weve increased
  spending six times faster than the previous
  administrations.
  

ISBE Funding, in millions
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How Do We Compare

• After four years, Governor Edgar had only
  increased education funding by 10.
  
• After four years, Governor Ryan had only
  increased education funding by 12.
  
• After four years, we have increased state
  education funding by 27, dedicating more new
  money than any administration in Illinois history.

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Changing Priorities

• We changed state priorities so the budget worked
  for our schools and our students.
  
• The state payroll is 13,000 employees smaller,
  saving over 800 million a year.
  
• We transferred more than 1 billion from Special
  Purpose Funds for schools without reducing their
  balance.
  
• We closed corporate loopholes, generating hundred
  of millions of dollars.

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Preschool for All

• We launched Preschool for All, increasing funding
  by 135 million since 2002 a 75 increase in
  funding.
  
• The program ultimately expands preschool to every
  3 and 4-year-old in Illinois.
  

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Other Accomplishments

• We raised high school graduation requirements for
  the first time in over two decades, requiring
  students to take more math, science, reading and
  writing intensive courses.
• We raised the dropout age to 17 and reduced the
  dropout rate to its lowest level ever -- 4.
  
• We eliminated the teacher certification backlog
  and cut more than 500 pages of unneeded rules and
  red tape.
  
• We expanded meal subsidies to 40,000 more
  children.

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The Next Steps
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The Next Steps

• To continue to improve our schools, we have to
  ask ourselves, What does a child need to learn?
  They need
  
• A Good Place to Learn
• Strong Teachers and Administrators
• Quality Materials
• Enough Time to Learn
• The Financial Resources to Get It Done

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Performance Accountability

• We're going to use some of the increase in state
  resources to target specific areas in our school
  system that have historically underperformed.
  
• But these resources will not just be given away.
  
  
• Were going to target this funding towards
  services we know will make a difference for
  struggling kids.
  
• And we're going to take over failing school
  districts that refuse to embrace reforms and make
  changes.
  

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A Good Place to Learn
Fund School Construction Create Small Schools and
Identity Schools Encourage District Consolidatio
n

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Improving Education
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Fund School Construction
PROBLEM Too many of our students are learning in
old school buildings with overcrowded classrooms.

• Our school construction program has a five-year
  waiting list of schools that need significant
  renovations or even full replacement.
  
• We need to fund school
  construction to build
  new schools and repair
  those existing schools
  that
  can be repaired.

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Fund School Construction

• Our plan proposes 1.5 billion in new school
  construction funding for schools across Illinois.
  
  
• This money will help growing schools expand and
  help schools with outdated facilities upgrade.

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Small Schools
PROBLEM Different schools have different needs.
Our schools need to be designed individually to
help their students learn and perform better.

• One emerging reform is Small Schools, where a
  larger school building is broken up into several
  independent schools operating within the larger
  building.
• These small schools are designed to be more
  specialized and devote more personal attention to
  individual students. We would help school
  districts create Small Schools both financially
  and logistically.

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Identity Schools

• We should also create Identity Schools.
• Identity Schools are focused around a theme
  chosen by the school like arts, technology,
  language or agriculture. This gives students
  training and focus in specific areas.
• The State would be there to provide
  the resources and funding that
  a school would need
  to successfully
  undergo this
  major transformation.

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District Consolidation
PROBLEM There are 875 districts around the
state, each with its own curriculum. By the time
many of those students come together for high
school, teachers have a tough time getting them
on the same page.

• In some areas with multiple elementary districts,
  ninth grade teachers have to spend months just
  trying to figure out what preparation students
  had in their elementary schools.
• Forming unit districts with one curriculum can
  help lead to more aligned learning.

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District Consolidation

• Some districts cant form unit districts under
  the new law because their property taxes are too
  high.
  
• New funding incentives would be set up to help
  those school districts lower their property tax
  rates, and form unit districts.

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Strong Teachers and Administrators
Affording Special Ed Teachers Educator Mentoring
Programs Improve Education Colleges Performance
Pay for Teachers

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Improving Education
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Strong Teachers

• Studies have consistently shown that, controlling
  for demographics, students with access to good,
  well-equipped teachers do better than students
  without.

Teacher quality is
critical, and so is the
quality of the
principals
providing leadership in the
schools.
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Affording Special Ed Teachers
PROBLEM Schools are required by law to provide
special education teachers, but they often dont
have enough funding to cover the cost.
In the long term, our investment in preschool
will help reduce special education costs
(preschool reduces the need for special education
by 41).
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Affording Special Ed Teachers

• But in the short term, we need to keep increasing
  funding for the children who need it most.
  
• Increasing state funding for mandated
  categoricals from 97 to 100, and increasing the
  state's rate for personnel reimbursement by
  several thousand dollars, will help school
  districts across the state, including many
  suburban districts.
• Schools are already required by federal law to
  provide these services. We need to give them the
  resources to help them afford it.

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Educator Mentoring Programs
PROBLEM Teachers and administrators need to stay
up to speed on the best teaching techniques.

• This year, Illinois started funding teacher and
  principal mentoring programs, and continued to
  fund the Grow Your Own teacher program.
  
• More funding for those programs means better
  teachers and better student performance.
  
• This plan requires better and stricter mentoring
  for school district superintendents, aligning
  them with requirements for teachers and
  principals.

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Improve Education Colleges
PROBLEM The colleges that teach our teachers are
not training new teachers in the subjects our
schools and our students need the most.

• Right now there are teacher shortages in some
  areas and surpluses in others.

This plan provides incentives for colleges of
education that produce graduates trained to teach
in the areas our schools need.
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Performance Pay for Teachers
PROBLEM Teachers and schools are not rewarded
for positive performance, so good teachers and
bad teachers are compensated similarly.

• We should be a national leader in offering
  performance pay for teachers.
  

We must work with teacher unions and management
to reward teachers and schools whose students
show academic improvement.
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Quality Materials
Improve Textbook Quality Improve Technology Impr
ove School Libraries
Improve CTE Curriculum
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Improving Education
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Improve Textbook Quality
PROBLEM 80 of school districts currently use
books that are over 8 years old.

• We will require districts to replace their
  textbooks on a six-year cycle.

We would provide an additional 40 million to
replace old textbooks on a shorter cycle.
We will distribute funds first to
the districts that need new books the most.
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Improve Technology
PROBLEM Right now, many of our classrooms are
out-of-date because many districts dont have the
resources to buy new technology thats available.

• By making a real commitment to providing cutting
  edge technology in classrooms serving
  low-performing students, we can help to reach
  kids in a whole new way.
• We also need teachers trained to use the new
  equipment and technology.

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Improve Technology

• For example, some internet services provide video
  on demand for a wide range of academic subject
  areas.
  
• Others provide practice in
  reading and mathematics
  on a computerized program
  that provides continual
  feedback and
  progress reports.
• Other programs allow parents to track assignments
  and news about the school.

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Improve School Libraries
PROBLEM Teachers need libraries with better
materials and resources to help teach their
students.

• Students and teachers need school libraries with
  better materials and resources.
  
• Funding can also be used to provide materials for
  programs like arts and education, band
  instruments, and other activities.

This plan provides resources for schools to
upgrade their libraries and hire new librarians.

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Improve CTE Curriculum
PROBLEM Our state curriculum for most Career and
Technical Education (CTE) is outdated.

• Successful CTE programs help students learn job
  skills so they can go on to higher education and
  get jobs that pay well.
  
• Weve committed funding to update the curriculum,
  but we need to make sure schools have the
  resources to actually teach the new curriculum.

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Enough Time to Learn
Continue Preschool Funding Offer Full-Day Kinderg
arten Expand After-School Tutoring Extend the Sc
hool Year
Improve Parental Involvement
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Improving Education
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Continue Preschool Funding

• We have increased pre-K funding by almost 75
  over the last four years.
  

State Early Childhood Spending, in millions
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Continue Preschool Funding

• Illinois is already a national model for
  preschool, and one of the top states for
  providing preschool to at-risk kids.
  
• We know that kids who attend preschool are better
  at reading and writing, less likely to be in
  special ed, more likely to graduate high school,
  and less likely to get in trouble.

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Continue Preschool Funding
PROBLEM There are still thousands of at-risk and
middle class kids who dont have preschool yet,
especially three year olds who need a head
start.

• Thats why we need to continue
• funding Preschool for All until
• all 3- and 4-year-old children
• have the opportunity to enroll in
  a high-quality
  preschool
  
• program.

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Offer Full-Day Kindergarten
PROBLEM Even though some kids need more time to
learn and develop, there are still schools that
dont offer full day kindergarten.

• Illinois already funds full-day kindergarten
  better than most states in the country.
  
• Full-day kindergarten
  students here are treated
  like any other full-time
  student in the K-12 system.

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Offer Full-Day Kindergarten

• Some districts particularly in Chicago and the
  collar counties have a hard time making the
  transition to full-day kindergarten where they
  dont have it.
• The way the formula currently works, the
  districts expenses increase two years before it
  gets the additional money from the state.
  
• Transitional funding would help districts that
  dont have full-day kindergarten begin providing
  it.

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Mandatory After School Tutoring
PROBLEM For some kids, the regular school day is
not enough time to learn what they need to know.

• After school tutoring has been proven to be
  effective, and helps students keep up through the
  school year.
  
• No Child Left Behind requires tutoring, but
  doesnt fund it.
  
• We have to provide the funding and resources to
  offer more tutoring programs, and we have to
  ensure that students who need after school
  tutoring take advantage of it.

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Extend the School Year
PROBLEM Kids at risk of academic failure lose
significant ground over the summer break.

• By extending the school year and upgrading summer
  school programs, the state can make sure that
  kids dont fall behind over the summer.
  
• Summer school gives students a chance to learn
  subjects theyve had problems with in smaller
  groups.
  
• We will help underperforming districts extend
  their teacher contracts by at least a month, so
  that schools can plan for and implement a 10
  month school year.

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Improve Parental Involvement
PROBLEM If parents arent involved in their
kids education, its tougher for a child to do
well in school.

• Programs that train parents to advocate for their
  children, help create websites that assist
  parents in steering their kids through school,
  and help parents keep track of their kids
  assignments and progress all help parents get
  involved.

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Improve Parental Involvement

• By funding classes and programs at the school for
  parents to attend, the state can help schools get
  parents more involved in their kids education.
  
• In addition, a statewide council on parent
  leadership could help parents share ideas and
  communicate with state and local education
  officials.

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The Financial Resources to Get the Job Done
Increase the Foundation Level Reduce Administrati
ve Costs Funding Our Plan in Year One Funding Ou
r Plan Over Four Years
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Improving Education
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Increase the Foundation Level

• Over the last four budgets, weve increased the
  foundation level by 774.

Foundation Level
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Increase the Foundation Level

• Increasing the foundation level is a necessity in
  any education reform plan to make sure that
  schools with the greatest needs receive the
  funding they require to operate.
• Many schools have shown they can help their
  students succeed, and we need to help them cover
  rising costs with increased support.
  
• But when students arent succeeding, were not
  just going to just give schools more money --
  were going to target the money to programs that
  will make a difference.

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Reduce Administrative Costs
PROBLEM Districts need to cut their
administrative costs to put more money into the
classroom.

• If a district cuts administrative costs, they can
  pass those savings on to taxpayers.
  
• By consolidating procurement, health insurance,
  and construction, we can lower costs and put more
  money in the classroom.
  
• We would also require districts to publish their
  spending on administrative costs directly onto
  property tax bills.

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Funding Our Plan in Year One

• In year one, we will invest 1 billion
• Increase the Foundation Level 250 million
• Increase Special Education Funding 200 million
  
  
• School Construction Debt Service 50 million
• Preschool Expansion 60 million
• Programs for Underperforming Students 200
  million
  
• Textbook replacement
  40 million
  
• Other reforms 200 million

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Funding Our Plan Over Four Years

• Over four years, we will provide 6 billion to
  fulfill this education reform plan (not counting
  total capital for school construction.)

Total Funding, in billions
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Moving Forward
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
Improving Education
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Take Over Failing Districts

• We will give the districts every resource and
  every opportunity to take advantage of these new
  programs and turn themselves around.
  
• But we will not stand by if schools dont use
  these resources and still dont succeed. We will
  get tough on failure.
  
• If that means aggressively taking over failing
  school districts, then thats what the state must
  do.

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Take Over Failing Districts

• Every district should know that the first time it
  hears from the state, the state will be offering
  help and advice.
  
• We will bring in management teams to provide
  training and guidance to administrators in
  failing schools, and stay there until its done
  right.
• But if the district turns down the help, and
  student performance still doesnt improve, then
  the state will take over the district.
  
• For example, in Calumet Park, the state is
  already stepping in to make sure special ed
  students get the teaching they need.

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Long-Term Planning

• The state should create a truly meaningful
  council of elected officials, education,
  business, and community leaders to help shape
  long-term education policy.
• The intent of the council is to develop a long
  term, comprehensive plan for education at every
  level in Illinois, p-16, for decades to come.
  
• The council would build on the accomplishments
  and progress of the past four years and continue
  the process of ensuring that Illinois will lead
  the nation in the quality of education it offers
  its children.

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Moving Forward

• There's no magic formula that fixes our schools
  and helps our kids learn.
  
• But if we give our kids better places to learn,
  good teachers, better materials, and enough time
  and attention, odds are they'll improve.
  
• That's what this plan attempts to do, through a
  combination of new ideas and doing a better job
  with the things we already know.
  
• It will take hard work, cooperation, a tolerance
  for change, and time. But with enough of each,
  we can do it.