District Administration - January 2007 - (Page 57)

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /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 characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in Unknown on line 0 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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