District 47 School Board, Character Counts

Your vote is important tomorrow...

"Four District 47 School Board seats are a part of this election.  However, there are two candidates who are running for these seats on a platform that I find disturbing. Their agenda is to prevent the implementation of Character Counts and the Common Core.

These two candidates are Donna Ricci and Eileen Palsgrove.  
 
I hope that you will take the time to read all of this because I want you to base your decision on facts.

Character Counts

Character Counts (CC) is a program that District 47 recently adopted to help us prevent bullying and reinforce positive and appropriate behavior in our schools.

It is a framework centered on basic values called the Six Pillars of Character:  trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.  It is embraced by thousands of schools, communities, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

It is endorsed by most states (red and blue), the President and the U.S. Congress.  It is nonprofit, not religious, not political.  As a matter of fact, it is used by both secular and faith-based groups throughout the country.  It is not a curriculum or add-on, but a way to frame conversations and teach values that have always been taught in our schools and that are in line with the values of our community and our parents.

This program supports the primary and important work of parents and families.  District 47 felt the need to adopt the program partly because of the increase in requests from parents to do more about bullying.  CC is already a fixture in McHenry.  

McHenry Area CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition

The McHenry Area CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition was formed to establish an environment where all individuals personally embrace the principle that character does count, at all times and in all places.

The coalition is involved in local events including McHenry High School’s Town Against Tragedy speaker series and St. Baldrick’s Day childhood cancer fundraiser.

The coalition also participates in Project Sticker Shock, which is a statewide program reminding consumers that providing alcohol to minors is illegal, unhealthy and unacceptable.

Funds are used to support these types of activities and to recognize individuals within the community who show good character.

District 47 hopes to be the foundation from which Character Counts grows in our community and that it will be  embraced in District 155, the City of Crystal Lake, the Crystal Lake Police department, the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, and other community groups of all kinds.

Imagine my surprise, and that of board members, when two individuals decided to make opposition to CC the basis of their candidacy for the Board of Education on the premise that values should be taught ONLY at home and not at school.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that establishes a single set of clear educational standards that states voluntarily adopt for kindergarten through 12th grade in language arts and mathematics.  

The standards are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared for credit bearing entry courses in two or four year college programs or entering the workforce.  

The standards are clear and concise to ensure that parents, teachers, and students have a clear understanding of the expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and mathematics in school.  Forty-five states have adopted the Common Core Standards, including Illinois.

Here they are known as the New Illinois State Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core (a mouthful!).

They are:  1) fewer, clearer, higher; 2) internationally benchmarked; 3) based on 21st century skills; and 4) evidenced based.

All public school districts in Illinois will be assessed on some of these standards using interim assessments beginning this year, and a new system called the PARCC assessment system (which will replace ISAT’s) with a target implementation date of the 2014-15 school year.

District 47

D47 welcomes the new standards and the higher expectations it puts on our district and on our students to better prepare them for the world they are heading into.  

But it is not just the standards and tests that produce results – great teachers, well trained and supported in their classroom, do.  The reality, though, is that implementation of the Common Core Standards and the new assessment system is not optional for our district, but mandatory.

There are problems with the State of Illinois’ implementation of the new standards and assessment plan as parts of it lack clarity, are not paid for, and the pace is not ideal.  

It will require school districts to administer the new assessment via computer technology which has a huge impact on school districts, including D47, which does not currently have the technology available to give district wide assessments in a short time frame entirely on computers.

District 47 is currently working on how it will implement this requirement, including budgeting for and procuring the necessary hardware to fulfill it, a challenge to say the least.  

However, the District does not have control over this issue, and everyone currently on the BOE understands and supports the concept of the Common Core Standards and the higher expectations for its students.  The existing BOE will continue to do the best job possible implementing Common Core, while also doing everything it can to continue to hire and support great teachers and a great curriculum, things that are REALLY going to make the difference.

The two new candidates previously mentioned, opposing the incumbents in the election, have said that they oppose the “common core agenda”.  What does this mean?   Such a statement displays a lack of understanding of the issue, playing on people’s emotions rather than the facts of the matter.

Our community is not well served electing men and women to the school board who have a specific, ideological agenda they intend to promote but rather by electing thoughtful, responsible, respectful people who first and foremost care about the education and well-being of our children.  They must understand that the issues facing school districts are complex.  

Students and their families are diverse, as is the faculty and administration.  We are under incredible financial pressure, as are many of the families who live in District 47.  

It is important to elect people who respect and reflect a diversity of opinion, but in the end put the overall education of students and the well-being of our community before all other things.

Jeff Mason, Rob Routzahn, and Ruth Scifo have demonstrated this and deserve our vote."
 

Please vote this Tuesday, April 9th.

Best regards,
Andrea Tuszynski