Monthly Archives: October 2016

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Happy Principal Appreciation Month – #Engage109 #ThankaPrincipal

“If he works for you, you work for him.”
– Japanese Proverb

thank-you-principals

In our school district we have six schools and six amazing principals! With 44 years combined as DPS109 principals, Mrs. Brett, Dr. Sherman, Dr. Schwartz, Dr. Bullis, Dr. Filippi, and Mr. McConnell lead our 3000 students. Daily they Engage, Inspire and Empower. They lead, our staff, they engage with our parent community, and they influence student learning and growth. The impact of a principal (and associate/assistant principal) is 2nd only to the teacher impact, leadership is HUGE!

 

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In the book School Leadership That Works:From Research to Results (2005) Marzano, et, al, the authors report on the impact of principal leadership on student achievement. Their studies reflect “meta-analyses” (studies of studies). Specifically they identify 21 Responsibilities of the School Leader (pp.41-64). A listing of responsibilities that have been “positively correlated” with 2nd order change (which means leadership behaviors that have been proven by research to impact measurable changes) are:

  • Knowledge of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
  • Flexibility
  • Change Agent
  • Ideals and Beliefs
  • Monitor and Evaluate
  • Intellectual Stimulation
  • Optimize

Source: The Balanced Leadership Framework: Connecting Vision with Action (Tim Waters & Greg Cameron, 2007) pp.12

Each of these leadership responsibilities, and the others, are found to relate to impact on the school, the culture, the student learning, etc. In DPS109 we’re proud of our principals and the impact they make and the legacies they imprint each and every day. Our principals lead and demonstrate these responsibilities and we work on leadership development as a regular part of our administrative training and development.

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This year we put together a video in celebration of National Principals Month (embedded below). We asked our most important stakeholders (our students) to share why they liked their principals.

The video is but a token of our esteem and appreciation for the myriad tasks, events, issues, ideas, decisions, etc. they partake in each and every day.

 

Thank you Eileen, Dave, Scott, Brian, Anthony, and John!

 

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ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

 

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Seeking Community Input – #Engage109

“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”
– General Norman Schwarzkopf

This year in Deerfield Public Schools District 109 we are partnering with ECRA Group for thimages (1)e Strategic Planning Process. In addition to surveying all employees, all parents and all middle school students this week, we have posted a link for the community.

Through our various social media and communication networks, we are getting the word out! If you are a member of the Deerfield Public Schools District 109, please take a few moments and complete the Community Survey – everyone’s input matters and we value your thoughts and opinions!

Please see a letter I shared this morning via our community email distribution list:

“If you can change a classroom, you can change a community, and if you change enough communities you can change the world.” – Erin Gruwell

Dear District 109 Community Members,

You provide a very important perspective about our schools, and I hope you will take a few minutes to share that perspective through our community survey. As part of our strategic planning process, we are seeking input fromall stakeholders and community partners, and I ask that you share your voice to help establish the priorities and guide the direction of District 109 schools over the next three years.

After you’ve taken the survey, please share this email or direct people to the District 109 website atwww.dps109.org and encourage your friends and neighbors without children in our schools to participate. 

Please Click to Take the Community Survey

Thank you for your partnership in supporting our students, staff and schools! 

Mike


Michael Lubelfeld, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Deerfield Public Schools District 109
517 Deerfield Road  |  Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 945-1844 x7231
http://www.dps109.org | http://dps109supt.edublogs.org/

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

 

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School Funding in IL – A work in progress

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

imagesFrom time to time I share information and news regarding the public education funding structure in Illinois.

From Article X of the Illinois Constitution:
"...The State has the primary responsibility for financing
the system of public education."
Despite the Constitutional statement that the State has the primary responsibility for funding the schools, Illinois actually has a bad funding model at present. In my district the state funding accounts for less than 5% of the budget. In fact, the local property tax revenue provides more than 90% of funding with the rest coming from federal sources. So where you live determines the quality of the schools or/and the financial solvency of the schools. Currently zip code/location determines public financial support for education. The state funding model is currently not equitable nor is it adequate for state supported public education funding.
The state offers a law that would allow Counties to set a 1% sales tax thachangeimaget could support infrastructure and construction costs. This sales tax would apply in a fair and equitable manner across the county – it’s in place in many areas in Illinois, unfortunately it’s not yet in place in Lake County.

Earlier this year, in August, I posted a video and links related to the Illinois Vision 20/20 initiative (see excerpts):

I have written about the Illinois Vision 20/20 initiative over the past few years in an effort to share policy information and proposed legislation that will benefit Illinois public schools and Illinois public school children. What I like about the initiative is that it is “for” as opposed to “against”, and the issues are relevant, timely and meaningful. The vision involves support for highly effective educators, 21st Century learning, shared accountability, and equitable and adequate funding.

For links to previous blog posts, click: A little bit more about Illinois Vision 20/20, and Taking a Stand for Public Education-Illinois Vision 20/20

A hot topic is school finance and the Illinois Vision 20/20 team has produced a video about the funding model supported and proposed by the coalition.

 

vision2020This year the Governor has commissioned a task force to look at and improve (I hope) the funding model for Illinois public education from the current bad model to an evidence based Adequacy/Equity model. “The commission will have a goal of presenting funding reform recommendations by February 1, 2017, in order to draft legislation for the spring session to take effect for Fiscal Year 2018.” (source linked above)

In addition to the Vision 20/20 video, I’m sharing a news clip on this same subject From Chicago Tonight – WTTW television (PBS in Chicago)

All citizens of Illinois should be educated and informed about civics, structures that support the public, education funding, and legislation (in my opinion). Since there are so many rules, regulations and complexities involved with school funding, it’s a moral and civic imperative, I believe, for the citizens of our state to know and understand the what, how, why, and where of this impactful topic.

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