Archive for category: Superintendent’s Comments

Dr. Lynda C. Andre
March 12, 2019

• Approval of K-12 Science Curriculum and Purchase of New Science Instructional Materials
• March 22 Teacher Institute Day Plans
• School Messenger Parent Portal
• Revised 2018-2019 School Calendar

Approval of K-12 Science Curriculum and Purchase of New Science Instructional Materials

At last night’s meeting, the District 7 Board of Education approved the revised K-12 science curriculum and the recommendation for purchase of instructional materials including textbooks, digital content, and new science equipment.

As promised during the “Prop E” Education Fund referendum, the District is on track with the plan to update all curricular areas, including the purchase of textbooks, and to restore the curriculum development cycle. The next academic area to undergo a curriculum study will be K-12 Social Science. A committee will be convened in the fall of 2019 with a planned implementation date of August 2020.

I’d like to thank the District 7 administrators and teachers on the committee, led by Director of Curriculum Cathie Wright, for completing this comprehensive curriculum revision over the course of the school year. The revised science curriculum is aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards, which include the Next Generation Science Standards, so that our students will be receiving a standards-aligned curriculum, replacing a 10-year old curriculum. Teachers will begin professional development on the new curriculum and become familiar with the new instructional materials at the upcoming Teacher Institute Day and throughout the spring and summer. Students will receive new science textbooks for the 2019-2020 school year.

March 22 Teacher Institute Day Plans

In addition to science curriculum professional development workshops, District 7 teachers will be practicing Part 2 of the 4 E’s Program on March 22. We are very grateful to our local law enforcement partners – the Edwardsville Police Department, the Glen Carbon Police Department, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, for their participation in the training that will take place at each District 7 school. The 4 E’s approach to armed intruder preparedness began last October.

The District’s goal is for all 950 employees to receive training in this critical component of our emergency plans before the end of the school year. We thank our law enforcement partners in advance for their leadership and willingness to help all thirteen District 7 schools practice this training.

School Messenger Parent Portal

If you haven’t already done so, please remember to sign up for the new parent app that will consolidate all emails, phone calls, and text messages from the District into a new communications app. Parents and employees can:

• Set communication preferences for calls, emails, texts, and more
• Receive all kinds of school messages (classroom and group updates, activity alerts, school and district notifications) in one single app
• Review messages on any device – smartphone, laptop, etc.

Go to http://go.schoolmessenger.com to download the SchoolMessenger mobile app for Apple and Android devices or use the web-based version from your internet browser to sign up.

With the new SchoolMessenger app, parents, employees, and community members have 24/7/365 access to important school notifications such as weather and emergency alerts.

Revised 2018-2019 School Calendar

The revised last day for student attendance is: Friday, May 24, 2019.

The revised last day for teachers is: Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

Dr. Lynda C. Andre
February 12, 2019

• Focus on Finance Report: Implementation of Proposition E Financial Goals
• Lincoln School Alumni Foundation Donation
• School Messenger Parent App

Focus on Finance Report: Implementation of Proposition E Financial Goals
At Monday night’s regular meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations, Dave Courtney provided a financial update to the board and community on the progress being made toward District 7 achieving financial stability as a result of the passage of Proposition E in April 2017.

With the passage of Proposition E, the District has begun the slow process of restoring financial stability, fulfilling a promise made to the community. However, the District and Board of Education must continue to carefully monitor expenditures to avoid returning to the financial uncertainty the District has experienced since 2009.

For the first time in eleven years, the District has a balanced budget and is on track to begin reducing the Education Fund debt during the 2018-2019 school year. It is projected that, assuming financial conditions and state funding remain on track and expenditure increases are controlled, the District will pay off its Education Fund debt by the end of the 2019-2020 school year and should then be in a position to achieve a 10% fund balance reserve by the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

Two of the promises made to the District 7 community during the Proposition E campaign were:

• Achievement of a balanced budget by June 30, 2019 as required by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and
• Elimination of the District’s accumulating Education Fund debt.

The original 2018-2019 budget and current mid-year projection indicates that the District remains on track to reduce the Education Fund negative fund balance (debt) from $5.3 million to approximately $1.9 million by June 30, 2019.

In addition, as a result of having a balanced budget in the Education Fund this year, the District will not have to transfer tax levy funding from the Working Cash Fund ($700,000) to the Education Fund-beginning the restoration of Working Cash Fund reserves which have been depleted since June 30, 2016.

Lincoln School Alumni Foundation Donation
We are fortunate to have citizens in our community such as those in the Lincoln School Alumni Foundation who care about District 7 students, teachers, and families in the generous ways they have over many years.

Once again, this group of citizens’ generosity is only exceeded by their enthusiasm and commitment to our school district. Their donations have provided financial support to programs that benefit students; including, college entrance exam prep courses, middle school tutoring, elementary summer reading programs, and principal-led school initiatives.

On behalf of District 7’s 7,600 students and over 450 teachers, I want to express our sincerest appreciation to the Lincoln School Alumni Foundation for their most recent donation of $20,000.

SchoolMessenger Parent App
At Monday night’s board meeting, the District introduced the second of three communication enhancements for parents. After launching updated websites, District 7 is now releasing a parent app that will consolidate all emails, phone calls, and text messages from the District into a new communications app. Parents and employees can:

• Set communications preferences for calls, emails, texts, and more
• Receive all kinds of school messages (classroom and group updates, activity alerts, school and district notifications) in one single app
• Review messages on any device – smartphone, laptop, etc.

Go to http://go.schoolmessenger.com to download the SchoolMessenger mobile app for Apple and Android devices or use the web-based version from your internet browser to sign up.

With the new SchoolMessenger app, parents, employees, and community members have 24/7/365 access to important school notifications such as weather and emergency alerts.

Dear Parent/Guardians:

As we open the second half of the 2018-2019 school year, I want to reassure you that school safety and security remains District 7’s highest priority. We take this responsibility seriously and continue to actively review and improve security measures to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the safety of all students, employees, and visitors in our schools.

During the current school year, District 7 has taken significant steps to improve school safety and security through the following initiatives:

• Expanded the School Safety Officer (SSO) program to include daily coverage from 6:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. at nine elementary schools in order to address SSO coverage of Kid Zone, the District’s before and after school child care program
• Provided intensive armed intruder training to nearly 500 certified staff members using the national 4 E’s program
• Conducted an analysis of all classroom door locking mechanisms with recommendations for additional safety measures to be installed by the summer of 2019
• Increased the number of certified school social workers and school psychologists to assist in addressing student social and emotional wellness issues
• Upgraded video surveillance systems on all school buses

In addition, the District will provide 4 E’s training to another 400 non-certified employees before the end of the school year.

Strong and active partnerships with the Edwardsville Police Department, the Glen Carbon Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office provide the foundation for all aspects of the District’s emergency response plans. We are fortunate to have the highest commitment possible from these law enforcement agencies, not only in the development of security plans, but also in the response and support needed in situations that pose possible threats to our students and staff. This support includes regular inspections of schools and regular practice drills of all types of emergency situations.

We continue to ask that students tell a trusted adult if they see a concerning post on social media or receive an intimidating message, understand that cyber-bullying will not be tolerated and that hurtful comments can have serious consequences when directed toward a classmate and understand that participation in posting or sharing a threat to school safety will be taken very seriously by both the school district and local law enforcement agencies.

I ask you to share your expectations for responsible use of social media, including text messaging, with your child. Young children often have access to these powerful communication tools and may not understand yet the long-term legal and school consequences of posting or sharing threats and inappropriate photos.

Working together can be our best strategy toward ensuring the maintenance of a safe, secure and orderly learning environment for our 7,500 students in District 7. Thank you in advance for your support.

I wish you and your family a safe and healthy start to 2019!

Respectfully,
Dr. Lynda C. Andre
Superintendent