A couple of our members had the pleasure of meeting Katie Stuart recently. She's running to replace Dwight Kay for state representative in district 112 and is being endorsed by the IFT for her support of teachers and the middle class.
Best of luck, Katie! As the end of the school year approaches, we wanted to take a minute to recognize all of our Local #434 members who are retiring this year. We thank you for your many years of dedicated service, and we will ensure that your legacy continues by making District #201 a great place to go to school and work.
This year's retirees are: Scott Baer - Night School - 30 years of service Patrick Watkins - East Campus - 30 years of service Tom Birkner - West Campus - 22 years of service Linda DeBoer - East Campus - 32 years of service Carol Harms - East Campus - 22 years of service Cheryl Logston - East Campus - 11 years of service Jennifer Sage - West Campus - 22 years of service Brian Mitchell - West Campus - 31 years of service Sherry Habermehl - West Campus - 33 years of service Diana Sims - West Campus - 17 years of service Terry Farrell - East Campus - 19.5 years of service Sharon Orr-Woods - East Campus - 8.5 years of service Eighty years ago, six teachers at Belleville Township High School, one of whom had taught for 9 years, were dismissed from the district. While the reason for these dismissals was unclear, it was soon apparent that there was no just cause for these random firings. In fact, the principal at the time said that the teachers' work had been "entirely satisfactory."
Students took notice. The following Monday most students at the high school had organized a walk-out. They marched on West Main Street in front of the school, shutting down the driveway to the auditorium. They soon marched downtown and protested in front of the offices of board members. Although all teachers were eventually reinstated, the need for a union quickly became apparent. On November 18th, 1935, the American Federation of Teachers Local #434 was affiliated under the American Federation of Labor. This school year marks the 80th year of our union serving the schools and community of District #201. Happy anniversary! All who knew Chyriell Drain-Hill are still adjusting to life without her huge smile and larger-than-life presence. Chyriell passed away suddenly on Sunday, April 17, 2016.
Chyriell graduated from East St. Louis Sr. High School in 1979. She received her BS in Education in 1983 and her MS in Education in 1990 from Illinois State University. She was the Assistant Director of Admissions for ISU from 1984-1991. She taught Special Ed for two years at East St. Louis, followed by seven years with Cahokia High School’s Special Ed department. She started at Belleville East in 2002 and served as Director of Counseling for the past twelve years. Her commitment and dedication to students was exemplified by her last College Bus Tour in March. Despite her health concerns and not feeling well, she said she had to do it “for the kids”. Her focus was always on what was best for kids. She set high standards for her students, and she knew they would rise to meet them. She had a knack for being able to talk straight to students and help them see how their choices and behaviors were impeding their success. They knew she was sincere and accepted her advice. After her passing, many students came forward to leave notes and make statements attesting to this. Chyriell was known to be bold and outspoken at times. A woman of faith, her pastor said at her funeral that she feared no one but God. It made no difference to her if you were a church bishop, a superintendent, or state senator; she spoke her truth and expressed her ideas with passion and conviction. She would do whatever was necessary for people that sought her help. One of her greatest gifts as a counselor was to make everyone feel heard. She could be in a huge hurry, but you’d never know it, and she’d never show it; she’d make you think that she was waiting in her office just for you to go talk to her. It’s no wonder so many students referred to her affectionately as “Mama Hill”, or their “school mom”, or “second mom”. She was happy to help ANY student who was lucky enough to walk into her office. And that’s why students…and parents…and East faculty… would flock to her office; they knew she’d take good care of them! She had an enviable ability to work with people. It was inspiring! And it’s not something that someone could imitate; it was a gift, … uniquely hers. Chyriell will be remembered for her infectious laugh and easy smile. She definitely was “one of a kind” and will be missed by all. Chyriell’s church is establishing a scholarship in her name. Donations may be made to New Life in Christ Church and may be mailed to: New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church 689 Scott Troy Road Lebanon, IL 62254 For District Employees The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that the District 201 provide employees with a 1095 form showing their health insurance benefits. These forms will normally be distributed with the W-2 earning statements in January, but due to a lack of regulatory guidelines by the IRS, the deadline has been extended to March 31st for employers. Employees do NOT need to submit these to the IRS with their 2015 tax year forms. Simply check the box that indicates that coverage is in place but the forms are not distributed yet. For the 2016 tax year, the forms will need to be included with federal returns. The 1095 will show: 1) employee and district information 2) Type of coverage and ACA classification, monthly cost, and a reason if not offered 3) Dependent information. State of the State Governor Rauner did his state of the state yesterday, and in a surprising move, he took education out of the discretionary fund and made it a stand-along budget bill. Rauner called for an increase in early childhood education which does not impact District 201, but he also did call for the General State Aid (GSA) to be fully funded at $6,119, something the state has not done for years. Mr. Mentzer is almost certain that this will come with some stipulations requiring the legislature to enact pension reform as well as attempt to curb collective bargaining. There will have to be an income source dedicated to the funding as well, most likely a negotiated tax increase with Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton. There were some progress in pension reform talks between the Senate President and the Governor, but these apparently fell apart when the Governor tied them to ending collective bargaining, something that Cullerton refused to address. The state budget outstanding balance is currently $3,568,444.35 to District 201. Debt Restructure of the District The District completed their debt restructure last month, which increased their working cash by $1,800,000 for this fiscal year. The same restructuring method will be used again next fiscal year. This restructuring did not impact our Standard and Poor’s Bond Rating of “A”, which is extremely high for municipal bonds in this current economic climate. State Audit The State of Illinois audit went very well thanks to the diligent work of the Central Office Administrative Assistants and Bookkeepers. The district did exceptionally well and only had a $26,000 correction to make which resulted from a change in coding of transportation funding for special education. Other local districts did not fare so well, some owing the state almost half a million dollars. District Grants Finally, Mr. Mentzer is working on three new grants for the district. Two are custodial, one to buy a new ride on floor cleaner for West and another for new snow removal equipment for both campuses. These two have been approved and are good to go. The third is a $25,000 grant from Monsanto to help cover expenses in the Ag classes. This is still pending. Congratulations to Dr. Brandon Hentze, this year's recipient of St. Louis University's Rogan Leadership Award! "Founded in 1959, Saint Louis University's 1818 Advanced College Credit Program is the oldest dual credit program west of the Mississippi and has a long-standing history of providing outstanding high school juniors and seniors the stand-out opportunity to earn college credit from Saint Louis University at their high school while earning their high school credit!" Recipients of the award have "demonstrated a superior commitment and dedication to the 1818 Advanced College Credit Program ... [in] the following ways:
The IFT is offering its members free worksite leadership training and internship opportunities at no cost. If you're interested, keep reading to find out more. Work-site Leadership Training Information:IFT Internship
It depends on your mindset, and how the adults in your life praised you growing up. In fact, praising a child's intelligence can actually be harmful. Check out the video below to learn more.
Illinois Is Still Shorting the District on Scheduled Aid Payments In a fiscal year, the State of Illinois is supposed to make four (4) quarterly payments to school for General States Aid (GSA). In the past, the state has failed to make this obligation. Through the FY2015, the State of Illinois still owes District 201 $3.65 million in GSA. In order to mitigate the problem of nonpayment, District 201 only budgets using an anticipated three GSA payments instead of four. This reduces the impact of nonpayment and allows the district to make a fiscally responsible budget. However, it is now a possibility that the State of Illinois will only make two of these quarterly payments instead of three this year as a result of the budget impasse. This pro-rated amount is in addition to the lack of full payment for mandated Special Education expenses by the State of Illinois. At this point in the FY, the district is $4.8 million in expenses over revenue for Special Education in order to meet state and federal mandates. There are several ways that the district is working to alleviate this potential shortfall. First, there will be a slight increase in the Transportation Fund which can be applied to the Education Fund. Second, the district will sell new bonds using referendum-approved payment. This will allow the district to raise income rates without raising the tax rate for constituents. It is hoped that the sale of these bonds will cover the difference in GSA payments that is expected. Third, the district is anticipating a brief uptick in the equalized assessed value (EAV) from 1.2% to 1.4% for the local quotient. Under the proposed state tax cap bill, this would most likely be the dollar amount that district can levy at in the future. In the meantime, the state budget crisis is still currently stalled. There is some movement on both sides to propose some substantive reforms to the budget process. It is hoped that these reforms will end the gridlock and begin moving the budget process forward. Currently the General Assembly needs a supermajority to override the governor's veto, but in January this drops to a majority, thus promoting more compromise on both sides. Cheaper Insurance Plans on the Horizon In insurance news, the Egyptian Trust has agreed to offer a added plan option to districts. Called the Mark to Market Plan, this new plan will allow the district to offer the exact same coverage to employees but with lower premiums and lower deductible. The new plan will not require employees to make any changes in their insurance, it simply provides a more efficient means of structuring district insurance. The revised insurance plan must be approved by the Union before it can go into effect. These meetings will happen in the next few weeks, and, if approved, the new plan would begin in January. Regularly Scheduled Budget Audit Is Underway Finally, the district is undergoing the regular state budget audit by the ISBE. The audit process takes about ten (10) days to complete and includes a review of the ADA by hour and name for student attendance in September, October, and December; a mile by mile list of travel expenses; all of the Special Education outlays (including the $800,000 for out of district programs for students); and all Title I and Title II funds. The district was notified only 8 days prior to the audit and the central office staff has been working diligently to prepare the needed paperwork. Each year, the IFT Robert G. Porter scholarship provides two $6,000 awards ($1,500 each year for four years) to outstanding high school seniors with no less than a cumulative "B" grade average. Applicants must be the children of IFT members or retirees. Click here for eligibility details and application instructions.
The award is entirely unrestricted as to race, religion or political affiliation. The applicant must be the son or daughter of a currently employed, active member in good standing of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the son or daughter of a member of an IFT retiree chapter, or the son or daughter of a deceased member who was in good standing with the Illinois Federation of Teachers at the time of death. The applicant must be a high school senior with a cumulative “B” average. |
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Proud alumnus, union member, and educator in District #201 since 2006. Contributors
Dr. Hentze is the author of High Finance with Hentze, a monthly blog that provides news about District 201's current financial state. |