District Administration - January 2007 - (Page 57)
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/mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 FINANCE
MANAGEMENT NCIAL RESCUE many locals are calling the success story of the
district the “Round Lake Miracle.” By Joe White DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION
Rou nd Lake Area Schools District 116 experienced a series of enrollment
spikes over the past four decades like no other neighboring district.
Affordable housing attracted a large number of Hispanic families,
prompting crowded single-residence homes. This dynamic left school
administrators at a loss, watching more and more students show up and
unmotivated; and the district business office—overwhelmed with
parents’ complaints and daily stress—barely functioned. Even local
business people squirmed when the topic of their schools came up. “It
used to be difficult to look people directly in the eye when talking
about the school district,” remembers Jill Gross, former president of
the Round Lake Chamber of Commerce. “When I walked the school grounds 15
years ago, I defi nitely did not feel good about the experience.” Round
Lake History The first residents of the Round Lake area hailed from the
town of Hainesville, settled in 1840 outside of Waukegan, Ill. According
to town records, Abraham Lincoln visited Hainesville several times. Its
adjoining lakes, ideal for fishing and swimming,would become a vacation
destination for Chicago and Wisconsin residents. Tiny summer cottages
began to dot the area towns. When the Depression hit in the early 1930s,
many were forced to make these cottages their full-time homes. Decades
passed. In the 1960s and 70s, the area’s affordability attracted an
influx of Hispanic families. By the late 1980s, the school system began
to feel the affects of overcrowding. The combination of an ineffective
school board that let maintenance go and some poor administrative
decision-making set the district’s finances spiraling. With its seven
schools in peril, a sense of hopelessness began to disappoint staff,
seeping into the attitudes of the students and community alike.
“Attitudes are like water,” reflects CEO Dennis Stonewall. “They
always seek the lowest level.” “It used to be difficult to look
people directly in the eye when talking about the school district. … But
today, that whole attitude has changed.” —Jill Gross, former president,
Round Lake Chamber of Commerce for school. In fact, about 6,700 K12
students from 40 countries fi lter in to the district’s eight
buildings’ classrooms every day. Wit h the second-highest property tax
rates in the county over a decade ago, the school board kept stretching
the budget to benefit students. The former board members wanted to retain
the same level of education for students as they always had, even while fi
nancial woes mounted. But something fi nally did give: their pride. So in
an effort to reduce district spending, maintenance was the fi rst thing
to go: Hallways fi lled with trash while food and candy wrappers strewn
on floors invited pests. And a chain of negative events followed: the
truancy rate soared; staff members became disengaged
www.DistrictAdministration.com FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY A s part of its
responsibilities to state taxpayers, the Illinois State Board of
Education, or ISBE, closely monitors school districts that encounter fi
nancial trouble. Round Lake fi rst appeared on the ISBE radar screen in
the late 1980s. The district had to undergo a series of steps that the
state outlined to try to fi x the problems, but it didn’t work. It
wasn’t until 1992 that the district’s fi nancial woes earned it a
spot on ISBE’s dubious “In Financial Difficulty” list. Amid
increasing debt, shrinking test scores and high truancy, the state board
appointed a Financial Oversight Panel in 2001 to provide a watchful eye on
the school board’s fi nances. The appointment guaranteed a $1.4 million
state January 2007 57 duoJP.indd 57 12/13/06 3:41:38 PM Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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http://www.DistrictAdministration.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2007
Contents
Editor's Letter
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Overheard on the Pulse...
Teaching Techniques for Supervisors
Why Buy New When Used Might Do?
Past Becomes Future
Financial Rescue
Speaking Out
The Online Edge
Research Corner
Problem/Solution
Computer Literature
New Products
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times
District Administration - January 2007
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