By being a member of the Illinoi

By being a member of the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools you receive each month during the school year an issue of the Electronic Report. The purpose of this Report is to provide brief synopses of developments with the Illinois Coalition of Non-Public Schools, legislative updates, and information of interest to our nonpublic school administrators. Additional information may be obtained by following the hyperlinks that are imbedded throughout the Report. Through the use of the Electronic Report, the Board of ICNS intends to communicate with each of our member schools the importance of the work being done on your behalf.

If you were a member last year, have you renewed for 08-09? The membership renewal form can be accessed at the ICNS web site.

Each issue of the Report includes information as to what is happening in Springfield related to nonpublic schools in Illinois. As there has been no major legislative developments for us over the summer and early fall, we find ourselves waiting until the new General Assembly is seated in January of 2009 for any proposals to be developed. It would be the desire of ICNS to focus attention on an agenda that includes:

Starting in 2008, our accredited nonpublic schools began to receive funding under the state School Safety Grant program. In October, the Illinois State Board released its grant calculations for this year. The allocation is based on last year's attendance. The grant reimburses our schools at a rate of $36.01 per student. Your school should receive its first installment very soon if not already. Here are the calculations, and please remember your schools are listed by county: http://www.isbe.net/funding/pdf/ADABlockGrantFY09.pdf

In the previous Report, it was shared with you that nonpublic schools would be receiving free pubic alert radios. Maybe you are one of the schools that received more than one radio from the distribution by the federal government and are wondering how this happened and what you can do about it. According to a representative from CAPE, the schools with two radios received them because there is a preschool listed in their files. If a school received three, it may be because they are listed as an elementary school and preschool on USDE files (2 radios), and a preschool on Health and Human Services (1 radio). For all radios follow these steps:

How nonprofit groups can respond in an economic crisis
In the widespread angst over the nation's economic woes, what about the nonprofit world? How will the crisis affect philanthropy? What should nonprofit leaders do? One set of potential answers can be found in an online "Economic Q&A" from Changing Our World, a philanthropic services company. Economic downturns are nothing new, the company notes, and experience always tells us to "start with the certainty of facts before crafting strategies ... [for] an uncertain future." That said, how bad might things get for philanthropy in the coming months? If the decline is "real," says the Q&A, the only rational approach is to "move forward." More to the point: Diversify your revenue sources, "re-examine your case for support," tell your story every day, thank donors often, start cultivating potential board members from places that may recover more quickly than others, keep seeking funds, "work with donors [and] negotiate the terms of giving," and "consider a board mini-retreat" to address issues and strategies.
http://www.changingourworld.com/site/News2?abbr=abt_&page=NewsArticle&id=6573

Government Wants Kids to Buckle Up on Small School Buses
Transportation and education officials are hoping kids will wait until reaching their destinations before unhooking the [seat] belts, which will be required nationwide in smaller school buses under a new rule spurred by the deaths of four Alabama students in a 2006 crash. Along with equipping smaller buses with lap-and-shoulder seat belts for the first time, seat backs on all new buses will be raised to 24 inches -- up from 20 inches -- over the next three years. The seat belts will only have to be installed in new buses weighing 5 tons or less, and the requirement will not take effect until 2011.

Likely candidates for Secretary of Education
If President-elect Obama is like his recent predecessors, he'll take several weeks to select a secretary of education and his choice will most likely have a background in elementary- and secondary-level schools, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle weighs possible candidates for the top spot at the Department of Ed, drawn from Obama campaign advisers, current and former governors and state education officials, policy research professionals, and people Mr.. Obama knows through personal friendships or Illinois ties. These are: Linda Darling-Hammond, a campaign adviser and education professor at Stanford University; Arne Duncan, chief executive of the Chicago public school system; James B. Hunt, Jr., a former governor of North Carolina who served on the federal Commission on the Future of Higher Education; Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona; Andrew J. Rotherham, a campaign adviser and co-founder of Education Sector; and Jonathan Schnur, chief executive of New Leaders for New Schools. Among other names floated are W. Gaston Caperton III, president of the College Board; Robert E. Wise, Jr., president of the Alliance for Excellent Education; Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; Governor Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia; Sharon P. Robinson, president of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Michael Cohen, president of Achieve; Joel I. Klein, chancellor of the New York City public schools; Paul G. Vallas, superintendent of the Recovery School District of New Orleans and a former chief executive of the Chicago public schools; Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington, DC, public school system; Michael Johnston, director of the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts; and retired general and former secretary of state Colin L. Powell.
http://chronicle.com/free/2008/11/6631n.htm

IRS DEDUCTION

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424) that Congress passed and the president signed includes a two-year extension of the $250 deduction allowed by teachers in private and public schools for expenses incurred for certain classroom materials. These consist of expenses, not in excess of $250, paid or incurred by an eligible educator in connection with books, supplies (other than nonathletic supplies for courses of instruction in health or physical education), computer equipment (including related software and services) and other equipment, and supplementary materials used by the eligible educator in the classroom.

Captain Planet Foundation: Grants for the Environment
The Captain Planet Foundation funds hands-on environmental projects to encourage youth around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: schools and nonprofits. Deadline: Dec. 31, 2008.

Action for Nature: International Young Eco-Hero Awards
AFN International Young Eco-Hero Awards recognize the individual accomplishments of young people whose personal actions have significantly improved the environment. Maximum award: $500. Eligibility: youth ages 8-16. Deadline: Feb. 28, 2009.

Bill of Rights Institute: Essay Contest
High school students nationwide are invited to participate in the Bill of Rights Institute's "Being an American" essay contest, which explores the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. Maximum award: $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to Washington, DC. Eligibility: U.S. students grades 9-12. Teachers must submit students' essays. Deadline, Dec. 1, 2008.