BI-COUNTY BRIEF - OCTOBER 2009

 

Volume 7, Issue No. 3

October 2009

INCREASED TRANSPARENCY WITH NEW FOIA LAW
In January of 2010 a new Freedom of Information Act that affects school districts in regard to information requests from the public will go into effect. Under the new law, a record is anything pertaining to the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form or characteristics, having been prepared by or for, or having been or being used by, received by, in the possession of, or under the control of any public body.  This includes information contained in "electronic communications" and documents prepared "for" the school district.
The law specifies the following for disclosure: records relating to obligations, receipt, and use of public funds, certified payrolls under the Prevailing Wage Act, arrest reports maintained by criminal justice agencies (with a juvenile record exception), and settlement agreements, with redaction of exempt information allowed.
The law exempts from disclosure "private information," unless disclosure is required by FOIA, state or federal law, or court order; personal information that, if disclosed, would constitute an "unwarranted invasion of privacy," which is defined as the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which privacy rights outweigh the public interest in obtaining the information; and records protected from disclosure under certain enumerated statutes, including, for example, FERPA, ISSRA and the Library Records Confidentiality Act.
The Act requires schools districts to designate one or more employees or officials to act as its FOIA officers.  These officers must complete initial and annual training courses and develop a list of documents or categories of records that the district must disclose upon request.  When a FOIA request is submitted, a school district must respond within 5 business days of receipt of the request.  Public bodies may not charge requesters for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal size copies, and may only charge 15 cents thereafter.  If the copies are in color, the public body may not charge more than the actual cost for reproducing the records.  For more details, access the full text of Senate Bill 189 at www.ilga.gov.

TIM SCHNOEKER EXCELS
Congratulations! to Coulterville's industrial technology teacher Tim Schnoeker, who will receive the Award of Excellence at this year's "Those Who Excel" banquet October 24 at the Pere Marquette Hotel in Peoria.  Always impressed with Tim's enthusiasm and love for teaching, OKAW Director Jim Heil calls Tim "a great example of a caring, dedicated teacher's providing pertinent, worthwhile learning activities for his students with very limited resources." One of Tim's outstanding programs is Coulterville High School Manufacturing Enterprises, a company with supervisory and labor positions formed to teach his students to design, produce, market and distribute a product at a profit.  Another is his Beyond the Classroom Window program that takes his students into different communities in service.  From assisting in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive or assembling Easter baskets for Coulterville Care Center residents locally to rebuilding hurricane damaged homes in Mississippi,  Mr. Schnoeker's students use their skills to help those in need.  Superintendent Obernuefemann concurs: "Our Coulterville family is very proud of Mr. Schnoeker and his accomplishments.  He exhibits those intrinsic qualities that take an educator beyond the norm into the realm of exceptionality."

GIFTED EDUCATION SEMINAR BEGINNING IN JANUARY
Attention Classroom Teachers!  Watch for the newly developed Gifted Education Seminar for classroom teachers being offered across the state.  Classes in the bi-county area will begin in January.

·         Learn to identify and meet the needs of gifted students in your classroom.

·         Explore ways to differentiate instruction for all levels of achievement.

·         Participate in a 45-hour seminar with a unique combination of face-to-face and 
          computerized interactive instruction.

·         Investigate the four modules:  Getting a Perspective on Gifted, Knowing the Gifted Child, 
          Differentiation, and Curriculum and Program Models.

·         Earn 45 CPDUs or University credit, which is available at an additional cost.

Watch for the Gifted Education Seminar flyer in your mailbox.  Classes will begin in January and will be offered in a variety of formats to fit your busy schedules.  Contact Rosie Gardner at rgardner@roe45.org with any questions. 

PUBLIC ACT CREATES NEW ROE ADVISORY BOARD
A new Advisory Board will be formed to advise the Regional Superintendent of Schools about the planning and delivery of professional development programs and services.  The new law requires the Board to have at least 9 members who are all employed in positions requiring certification by a school district, in a special education cooperative, in a joint agreement or in an ROE program.  A majority of the Board must consist of teachers within the region, who will be selected by the Regional Superintendent.  Previous Boards consisted of 7 citizens, 4 teachers and 2 administrators and served the bi-county region well for many years.  The last such Advisory Board held its farewell meeting September 30, 2009 and was recognized for its dedication and hard work.  The Regional Office has appreciated their time and energy.

NEW ILLINOIS CELL PHONE LAW
High school students should be aware of a new law taking effect January 1, 2010.  Starting that date it will be illegal to:

·         Send or read a text message while your car is in traffic….

·         Send or read an e-mail message while your car is in traffic….

·         Use a cell phone in a SCHOOL or CONSTRUCTION zone without the use of 
          a hands-free device.
Fines for violation of these laws will start at $75.00.  Begin practicing good habits now.

VHS EARNS 2009 ILLINOIS OUTSTANDING AGRICULTURE PROGRAM
Valmeyer High School can be very proud of its garnering a 2009 Illinois Outstanding Agriculture Program Award.  The award, given by the National Association of Agricultural Educators, recognizes the nation's most successful agricultural education programs based on teaching philosophy, effective classroom and experiential instruction, development of partnerships and professional growth.  Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Howard Heavner, despite setbacks during the flood of 1993, has continued to grow and improve VHS's agriculture program to the point that today it includes a comprehensive curriculum, a successful FFA program, a computer lab, a farm, a greenhouse, aquaculture tanks and a grape and bramble nursery.  "It is no surprise that our Ag program would receive such an award," says Superintendent Charron.  "'Excellence' is the standard we are striving for in all of our programs and activities."

ILLINOIS PROTECTS ITS STUDENTS WITH NEW VAN LAW
An Illinois school transportation law effective July 1, 2010 makes it illegal for schools to use 11-or-more passenger vans for any type of student transportation. This includes curricular events, such as to and from school, to alternative schools and academic field trips, and non-curricular events, such as sports, academic competitions and intramurals. The new law addresses major safety issues of transporting students in vehicles that are not engineered for passengers. While school buses are reinforced with sturdy sheets of metal, the sides of vans are reinforced with cardboard because they are designed to carry cargo, not people. Numerous accidents have claimed precious lives: 6 South Carolina children in 1999, 4 Texas student athletes in 2000 and another 4 in 2002, 5 Tennessee children in 2002, and on and on.  Illinois legislators have enacted this law to further protect Illinois' children.  

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 5, 2009	TRS Information Meeting	Waterloo High School	4:30 p.m.
October 6, 2009	TRS Information Meeting	Sparta-Lincoln Middle Librarry	4:30 p.m.
October 7, 2009	Mentoring-Communication	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 149	4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
October 9, 2009	Jerry Valentine IPI Workshop	Reid's Harvest House - Chester	8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
October 13, 2009	Mentoring-Communication	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 123	4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
October 21, 2009	Planning Meeting-Spring Activities	Waterloo ROE	9:00 a.m.
October 22, 2009	Substitute Teacher Dinner	St. Patrick's Parish Center	4:30 p.m.
October 23, 2009	Superintendents' Council	SWIC, Red Bud - Conf. Rm.	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
October 27, 2009	Best Reading Practices Grades 4-12	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 152	8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
November 3, 2009	I-Bio Tech	SWIC, Red Buc - Rm. 217	8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
November 3, 2009	Ind. & Mentoring Leadership Team	SWIC, Red Bud - Conf. Rm.	9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
November 13, 2009	Principals' Meeting	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 152	8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
November 17, 2009	Best Reading Practices Grades 4-12	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 152	8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
December 8, 2009	Best Reading Practices Grades 4-12	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 152	8: a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
December 11, 2009	Guidance Counselors' Meeting	SWIC, Red Bud - Rm. 152	9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

 

 RETIRED TEACHERS MEETINGS

October 12, 2009           Monroe County meeting            Monroe County Annex, Waterloo                     11:00 a.m.               

October 13, 2009           Randolph County meeting        Ol' Farmhouse Café, Chester                               Noon