Savoy

Today's NG:

Before voting unanimously to approve $2.3 million in cuts and revenue enhancements, several board members said they were satisfied the district has done that as well as it could.

The cuts also include: reductions in departmental budgets at the district level (not building budgets); the elimination of three director jobs and one special education administrator job; and the end of the extended-day program at Stratton Elementary School. The district also proposes selling land near Barkstall Elementary School and Dr. Howard Elementary School, and putting an energy savings program into place.

Discuss.

This happened last night, and the NG article has been up for a while, but I've had a slightly busy day:

Champaign school district Superintendent Arthur Culver got a one-year extension on his contract, in large part because of his work in helping the district successfully satisfy the requirements of its federal consent decree.

The school board evaluated Culver in closed session Tuesday night and voted 4-3 to extend his contract for an additional year, to June 30, 2014.

The three board members voting against the contract extension did so because they don't agree with having a contract extended beyond three years, not because of any dissatisfaction with the superintendent's performance, they said.

One of those board members, Sue Grey, noted the district's teachers and support personnel have three-year contracts. She said she doesn't want to vote for a contract extension beyond her term on the board.

I agree that Culver did an excellent job in stewarding Unit 4 through the end of the Consent Decree.   I don't agree that his contract should perpetually be four years from expiring.  And I agree with those Board members who don't want to push the contract into the term of the next Board.  Grey, Lockman and Novak are absolutely correct in voting against this extension.

Today's News-Gazette:

The board Wednesday gave the MTD staff approval to look into annexing properties including the Stone Creek subdivision in Urbana, the Boulder Ridge and Sawgrass subdivisions in Champaign, areas north of Interstate 74 in Champaign and Urbana including Frasca Field, a commercial area north of Interstate Research Park in Champaign, a new addition to the Myra Ridge subdivision in Urbana and a small area in Savoy west of Colbert Park.

In addition to discussing the annexations at next month's meeting, the MTD board would be required to hold a public hearing on each of the proposals, said MTD Director Bill Volk.

Every year in January, Volk said, the MTD assesses whether new areas in the community are eligible for annexation. Under an agreement the transit district has with Champaign, Urbana and Savoy, areas are eligible for annexation if they are contiguous to current MTD boundaries, if they are not taxed as farmland and if they are within the corporate limits of one of the municipalities.

Discuss.

The Federal Lord Judge has finally signed off on the negotiated end to the Consent Decree.

The Champaign school district’s consent decree case is officially over.

Federal District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade entered an order Wednesday afternoon approving the proposed settlement agreement reached by the school district and the plaintiffs this summer.

"The Consent Decree is hereby terminated in its entirety."  Yea!

Today's NG:

The Champaign school district needs to cut $2 million from its budget for each of the next two years, says its chief financial officer, Gene Logas.

Logas talked to school board members at a Monday night study session about his predictions for the district's finances for the next two years and his suggestions for making cuts to balance the budgets.

Logas recommended the board consider $2 million in cuts next year, as well as issuing working cash bonds and further spending down its fund balance.

Logas predicted the school district will end this fiscal year with a deficit of nearly $4 million.

Discuss.

Annexed:

The village officially has ownership of a portion of Curtis Road after the board unanimously approved Wednesday night to approve annexation of approximately 18 acres of right of way.

By annexing the property, between Prospect Avenue and about a quarter-mile east of Mattis Avenue, the village will be able to continue construction of the nearly $11 million Curtis Road improvement project, despite opposition from Champaign Township.

Today's (morning!) News-Gazette:

The school district spends, on average, about $150,000 per month on consent decree-related fees, for its own lawyer, the plaintiffs' lawyer, and all consultants doing work on consent decree issues, said Gene Logas, the chief financial officer for the district.

That's nearly $2 million per year.

Logas anticipates that expense will decrease by about $1 million in the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1, and he's budgeted that much less in the proposed 2010 budget.

Logas noted the legal fees will continue in July and August, as the district prepares for the Aug. 3 court hearing. And some bills from the current fiscal year will come in for a few more months, he said.

Also, both sides can appeal whatever ruling the court makes, Scott said.

"It's likely to be tied up in litigation for some time," she said.

Ugh.  This is the gift that just keeps on giving.

The Curtis Road jurisdiction saga continues:

Champaign Township Supervisor John Schmidt said he doesn't have any problem with Savoy and Champaign annexing property to gain control of Curtis Road, something he said they should have done in the first place and which city officials have admitted was an oversight. But Schmidt also said he didn't think it was the township's responsibility to make it easy for the municipalities.

"They were asking us to give them an asset of the township and not offering anything," he said. "It'd be like me asking you to give up your car."

Schmidt had suggested a meeting between the township and Champaign officials to try to resolve long-standing differences about annexation in return for surrendering jurisdiction of Curtis Road. When Champaign annexes property, it automatically becomes a part of City of Champaign Township, which shrinks Champaign Township's tax base. Champaign Township is south and west of the city.

"I was thinking, 'Let's sit down and see if this doesn't have to happen,'" Schmidt said. "But we get called blackmailers. That makes it seem to me like they don't have a real willingness to sit and talk about issues."

Discuss.

Today's NG:

A federal judge has denied a request for a comprehensive good faith hearing before the Champaign school district’s consent decree case ends.

District Judge Joe Billy McDade issued his order Monday afternoon. It states the consent decree does not require a good faith hearing at its termination. McDade also said such a hearing isn’t necessary to decide the pending motions to extend the consent decree.

Discuss.

Today's NG:

The district filed its objection last week to both proposed hearings, saying they are not necessary and would be a waste of judicial and district resources.

In the document filed Wednesday, Ashley said the court has the authority at any time to look at the district's good faith and compliance with the consent decree, and it did so in public hearingsa in 2002 and 2006.

The district's objection to a public hearing even on the court monitor's final report "suggests a troubling insensitivity on the part of the district to its minority constituents and to the community as a whole," Ashley wrote. She said the failure to provide a public forum for milestone events in public interest consent decree cases "shuts out the community and threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the decree."

Ashley also claimed the district suggested, in 2005, that a good faith inquiry would take place prior to the end of the consent decree. She said that admission is binding now.

Discuss.

Today's NG:

The plaintiffs in the Champaign school district's consent-decree case have filed a second motion seeking to extend the consent decree, in the areas of special education and alternative education.

The motion was filed Monday afternoon, the day before the two sides in the case appear in federal district court in Peoria to argue on a previous motion to extend the decree.

The motion, filed by plaintiffs' attorney Carol Ashley, says the district has not made progress in the area of special education.

"No other area of the district's operations boasts such a comprehensive absence of progress over the course of the last seven years," it states. "The racial disparity in referral rates for special education has not budged over the life of the Decree."

The goal of the consent decree is to eliminate unwarranted disparities between black and white students in assignment to special education, along with achievement, discipline, attendance and enrollment in gifted and honors classes, among other things.

Well, at least the plaintiffs are conceding significant progress in many areas.

And here's another story about today's hearings, regarding school assignments using socio-economic status instead of race.

UPDATED and BUMPED:  An email sent by Superintendent Arthur Culver to Board Members and Staff:

From: Arthur Culver
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 3:45 PM
To: u4staff
Cc: u4boe
Subject: Update on April 28th Consent Decree Hearing
 
This morning, I accompanied our attorneys, other district administrators, and Board members to federal court in Peoria to hear Judge McDade’s opinion on Plaintiffs’ request for a Limited Extension of the Consent Decree in the areas of student assignment and the addition of two strands of seats north of University Avenue. We were very pleased that Judge McDade agreed that the District could proceed with our new process of student assignment that replaces the use of race as an assignment criteria with the use of socioeconomic status. Our kindergarten lottery has been run using socioeconomic status, and we will be sending placement letters next week. We are extremely proud of the fact that the 2009 kindergarten lottery had the largest number of participants in district history.
 
Also at today’s hearing, Judge McDade discussed two additional motions filed by Plaintiffs yesterday. In addition to the earlier motion regarding student assignment and the addition of seats north of University, Plaintiffs filed a motion seeking a Limited Extension of the Consent Decree relating to Special Education and Alternative Education. The second motion filed by Plaintiffs yesterday asks for a Comprehensive Good Faith Hearing and a Request for Consolidation of Hearings.
 
By Friday, our attorneys will respond to the Plaintiffs’ request to combine the hearings for Limited Extensions to the Consent Decree and to the motion for a Good Faith Hearing. Plaintiffs will have 3 days to reply after receipt of our response.
 
We have 14 days to respond specifically to Plaintiffs’ motions for a Limited Extension of the Consent Decree in the areas of special education and alternative education. During this same time period, the District was directed to meet and confer with Plaintiffs regarding a limited discovery plan and hearing schedule. We have previously responded to the motion for a Limited Extension of the Consent Decree in the areas of student assignment and seats north of University Avenue.
 
I will provide additional updates regarding the expiration of the Consent Decree as they become available.
 
I am sharing this information with each of you for two reasons. First, I want to keep you apprised of the process leading to the expiration of the Consent Decree on June 30, 2009. Second, I want you to know how much I appreciate all that you have done for the past seven years and before to meet the goals of the Consent Decree. We have all worked diligently on the legal and reporting requirements of the Consent Decree. We can all take pride in what we have accomplished for students. Plaintiffs and the Monitoring Team have acknowledged our success in many areas. We have acknowledged areas where we continue to seek improvement. Today, and always, I want to acknowledge the unbelievable talent, commitment, and hard work of our teachers, administrators and support staff. You give your best every day, and I will make sure that your efforts are recognized. Thank you for all that you do.
 
Arthur
 
Arthur R. Culver, Superintendent
Champaign Unit #4
703 S. New Street
Champaign, IL 61820

Encouraging:

In his last visit to the Champaign school district before a federal consent decree is scheduled to expire, court monitor Robert Peterkin said the district has made changes in the last couple of years that have made a difference for students and that have "enormous potential" for the future.

"I think they are in the best position they've been in to attack the problems brought up in the consent decree," Peterkin said, "but they can't claim total victory."

Peterkin, a Boston-based consultant who has been working with the district on equity issues for 12 years, spent the last three days meeting with administrators, teachers and students and visiting schools. He meets quarterly with district administrators and plaintiffs' representatives to monitor the district's progress on meeting the goals of the consent decree.

Discuss.

On Election Day, three votes separated Stig Lanesskog and Lynn Stuckey for the third and final spot on Champaign Unit 4 School Board.  An additional nine ballots (late arriving absentees and provisional ballots) remained to be counted today.  After that counting, Lanesskog is the winner by two votes.  I don't know if Stuckey will ask for a recount.

The NG article about yesterday's candidate forum:

The candidates generally agreed on a variety of issues:

– They said fixing the aging buildings in the district was a priority, and they advocated work to improve energy efficiency of the buildings.

– Several said the consent decree needs to end, but the district must continue to monitor equity issues and keep in place programs that will help eliminate the achievement gap between student groups.

– They were generally supportive of the concept of charter schools, but said such a school is not necessary in Champaign unless it could be shown the district is not meeting the needs of some students.

– Most said they would not support just one high school for the district, because it would be too large.

– All the potential board members said they would not be a rubber stamp for the district's administration. Current board President David Tomlinson noted he's voted against a number of recommendations, and the board often has votes that are not unanimous. Candidate Lynn Stuckey said she has no problem questioning decisions at board meetings.

The NG also endorsed incumbent President Dave Tomlinson and newcomers Stig Lanesskog and Tommy Lockman today.

Someone emailed me the website for Lynn Stuckey, running for Unit 4 School Board, and asked that I post it.  I'm happy to, but wanted to ask at the same time for websites or information about the other candidates for Unit 4. Please email them to me or post them in comments, and I'll add them to this post as they come in.

While we're at it - what questions would you like to ask the field of candidates running for Unit 4 Board?

And please use this thread to discuss the upcoming Unit 4 School Board election.  Thanks!

UPDATE:  Bumped with the updates.  Tommy Lockman has a website here.  Stig Lanesskog and Victor Mullins have a flier here.

UPDATE (3-27):  Bumped with more updates: 

• Jeff Kohmstedt has a website and posted some information here. 
• Stephanie Yousef also has a website.
• Dave Tomlinson, the incumbent President, posted some information here and is a regular IP.com participant.

UPDATE (3-30):  Candidate forum upcoming:

Community members will have the chance to find out this week, at a candidate forum hosted by the Champaign PTA Council. The forum will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Mellon Administrative Center, 703 S. New St., C.

The Champaign school board has three open seats, and seven candidates are running for those seats. All seven have committed to being at the forum, said Nancy Hoetker, president of the PTA Council.

Lots of news today.  Unit 4 releases their building priorities if the countywide sales tax passes:

If the sales tax passes, he recommended the district take out a $70 million bond (equaling several years of sales tax income) that would cover construction for projects including adding a strand to Garden Hills Elementary and rebuilding B.T. Washington Elementary, at a cost of about $30 million. An elementary in Savoy would cost an estimated $18 million.

About $14.5 million would pay off existing bond debt, which Gene Logas, the district's assistant superintendent for financial services and operations, said would allow property tax abatement of about $32 per $150,000 in a home's value.

Logas said he's presenting the list now so voters will know how the dollars would be spent.

Discuss.

From the NG:

If approved by the board, family income will replace race as a factor in schools-of-choice decision-making.

The district's consent decree required the district to use race as a factor in deciding who goes to which school, said Dave Tomlinson, the school board president. Other deciding factors are a student's distance from a school, where siblings attend and the parents' preferences.

But the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against use of race in school assignments.

So at its meeting on Monday, the board will vote on whether to amend the way schools are assigned, so that children of families qualifying for the district's free and reduced lunch program will have that status used to help balance out incomes within schools. The board meets at 7 p.m. at 703 S. New St., C.

Discuss.

I'm late posting this, but I was out of town all weekend. 

The plaintiffs in the Champaign school district's consent decree case are seeking to either extend the consent decree, or to vacate it and have a trial on what they say are discriminatory student assignment practices.

The motion was filed Thursday in federal district court in Peoria. The consent decree is scheduled to expire June 30.

"This was expected," said school board President Dave Tomlinson. "We were hoping we'd be able to work things out without the plaintiffs seeking an extension, but we continue to believe we're on the right track."

Plaintiffs' attorney Carol Ashley said she will continue to try to work with the district, but "We are counsel to the African-American students in Champaign, and we don't believe all the elements of the consent decree have been met, and we're going to pursue those interests on behalf of our clients."

This request was expected, but it's also disappointing.  I'm at a loss for words as to how anyone can think the District hasn't made a good faith effort to address the space needs north of University.  And am I now left to hope for passage of the countywide sales tax in April in order to reduce the liklihood that the Consent Decree is allowed to expire?

I also wonder how much the plaintiffs' attorneys pushed for an extension simply to keep the cash from the District flowing into their law firm.  The millions of dollars paid over the years could have been put to much better use, not the least of which is funding new strands north of University.

There are School Board elections in six weeks.  Every candidate for Unit 4's Board should be asked whether or not they support an extension of the Consent Decree.

Yesterday's News-Gazette:

The Champaign school board reviewed two options for changing the boundaries for Central and Centennial high schools at its meeting Monday night.

Families will be able to learn more about the proposals and ask questions at forums at the two high schools Saturday.

"The way we communicate to our parents and the public is probably just as important as whichever plan is chosen," said board member Nathaniel Banks. "Any time you redistrict, there will be people who aren't pleased, but if we are as transparent as possible, that will serve us well."

Under one option, 729 students in the district would change from one high school to the other. The second option would affect 564 students.

Map of the redistricting options is here.

This is from the weekend, but I was saving it until Monday in the hopes that there might be more discussion of it.

The change in the schools of choice program comes as the district anticipates the end of its federal consent decree, which is scheduled to expire at the end of June.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2007 declared use of race in school assignments unconstitutional. Once the consent decree ends, the school district will no longer be allowed to use race as a factor in school assignments.

Alves said many schools around the country are using economic status for school assignment, including Cambridge, Mass.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Berkeley, Calif.

Parents in Champaign will see virtually no change in the choice process, Alves said. They won't have to produce any documentation of their income level. The district will use data on children receiving free or reduced price lunches as the measure of economic status for the choice program.

And, in a related note, interest in running for Unit 4 School Board seems to be awfully low.  School Board is one of the most thankless jobs in government, FWIW.