Being a member of the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools entitles you to receive this 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. 

ADVOCATING FOR NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS

If you look at the masthead of the ICNS web site, you will notice that we are identified as the “voice of non-public education in Illinois.”  In order to make our “voice” as loud as we can when addressing the needs of nonpublic schools, we need your help. The annual membership drive for ICNS is underway. School contacts should have received an application for the 2009-2010 school year. Membership dues are just  $50.  For those schools that have been members in the past, you know how valuable a resource it is to be a part of ICNS. For the work we do on you behalf, the knowledge gained and the information you receive with regularity, all provide important assistance to your work. If you have already renewed your membership, we thank you for your school’s support. If not, access the memberships form from the ICNS web site, and send it in today.  With you membership in ICNS, our “voice” can be heard.

ICNS BOARD NEWS

A decision was made at the October 13 meeting of the Board of Directors for ICNS that our organization will investigate the hiring of a consultant to work in Springfield throughout the spring legislative session. This individual would work on behalf of our Illinois nonpublic schools to:

• Restore the cuts in Transportation Reimbursement, Textbook Loan and Safety Block Grant;
• Seek an increase in the Education Expense Tax Credit from $500 to $1,000.

The impact of the reduction or elimination of reimbursement for these programs has been felt by all of our nonpublic schools.  Our hope is that a focused advocacy effort will help to restore these cuts by convincing legislators of the critical importance of these programs. 

BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS APPLICATION

Information about the Blue Ribbon Schools application process is now posted on the CAPE web site at http://www.capenet.org/brs.html.  The site includes the timeline, application form, Q and A, and previous winners with the schools’ applications.  First deadline:  Register by November 5, 2009, if you plan to apply. 

EDUCATION IN THE NEWS

• Obama Pushes for More School Hours - President Obama says kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe. http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2009/09/28/303282usmoreschool_ap.html?tkn=TXNF7Pl7l%252BOacv5dKl6gkHaSwhVn38h0wSuX

• CAPE Outlook - The October 2009 issue of CAPE Outlook, a monthly newsletter from the Council for American Private Education, is available for download as a free PDF document by clicking here or by entering the following URL in your browser: http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook348.pdf. In Outlook this month:

• NCES Predicts Coming Decline in Private School Enrollment  - The National Center for Education Statistics, the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States, has just released Projections of Education Statistics to 2018, the 37th report in a series begun in 1964 and the first to include projections of first-time freshmen in public and private post-secondary institutions. In addition to projections at the national level for key education statistics, including graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools, the report includes projections of public elementary and secondary school enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2018 at the state level. According to the report, total public and private elementary and secondary school enrollment reached a record 55 million in fall 2006, representing a 12 percent increase since fall 1993. Between 2006, the last year of actual public school data, and 2018, an enrollment increase of eight percent is expected, with increases for public schools and decreases for private schools. The number of teachers in elementary and secondary schools is also expected to rise in both public and private schools, with pupil/teacher ratios expected to decrease in both. Correspondingly, the annual number of new teacher hires is projected to increase in both public and private schools.  See the report: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009062.pdf

ILLINOIS LEGISLATIVE NEWS

In addition to dealing with the budget crisis, there were other legislative outcomes from the last session of the Illinois Legislature.

Senate Bill 611 (School Technology Revolving Loan Program)

Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) introduced this legislation to provide state recognized nonpublic schools access to ISBE’s long-standing Technology Revolving Loan Program, which offers loans to schools on a 2 year rotating basis between grades K-8 and 9-12. At least 90 percent of the loan must be used for technology hardware investments (computer hardware, technology networks, wiring, etc.) and the other 10 percent on computer furniture. The interest rates on the loans are controlled by statute at a low two percent and last three years. For more information, including applications, please visit the web site: http://www.isbe.net/curriculum/elearning/html/revolving_loan.htm.  This bill passed the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on August 28.

Senate Bill 613 (Low-cost Laptop Pilot Program)

This legislation requires ISBE to establish a two-year pilot project whereby the state will provide a low-cost laptop computer to each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a participating primary school and implement the use of educational software and computer skills training. The pilot program could include as many as 300 schools, but it is subject to appropriation. There was no appropriation in the budget this year. However, the definition of schools in the legislation would allow nonpublic school to participate, so perhaps in future years this program will become a reality. It passed the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on August 13.

House Bill 3982 (Transportation of Students)

This new law eliminates the use of 11-15 passenger vans for interscholastic or other school sponsored non-curriculum related activities. This change will bring Illinois schools into compliance with federal standards for transporting students by eliminating vans that have been deemed unsafe.
 
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that these vans, when transporting 10 or more occupants, have a rollover rate in single vehicle crashes that is three times the rate of vans with fewer than five passengers. These findings leave schools vulnerable to liability if a rollover accident involving such a van resulted in the death or injury of student passengers. Federal regulations prohibit school districts from buying or leasing such vans.
 
The new Illinois law will eliminate any use of such vans for interscholastic or school sponsored non-curriculum events. This new law has no effect on the use of First Division Vehicles (vehicles designed by the manufacturer to transport 10 or fewer persons). Non-curriculum related activities do not include transportation from home to school and from school to home or a trip directly related to regular credit-earning curriculum. The legislation passed the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on August 13. The requirement will go into effect on July 1, 2010.