final school board presentation 2.19.13

7/29/2019 Final School Board Presentation 2.19.13

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Concerned Citizens for

Smithton School (CC4SS)

School Board Presentation

2.19.13


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Agenda

Belief Statements

Growth Assumptions (population, housing, school)

Financial Considerations

Current Tax Implications Future District Financial Considerations

Process Transparency

Additional Items for Boards Awareness

Final Items

Alternate Option

Other Education Issues in Smithton

Our Request


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Belief Statements

We believein a strong, quality education for our communitys children.

We believeSmithton School must act to address student capacity.

We believeA new middle school is an excessive option. A want in a

time of need.

We believeA rigorous analysis of the factual data leads to a differentconclusion.

We believeThe school bond referendum should not be passed, so theSchool Board will be forced to review other options.


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Growth AssumptionsPopulation

HousingSchool


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Smithton Growth Assumptions

The Vote Yes Committee claims population growthfueling large future class sizes, based on 2010 Censusdata. Predicts 2013 1st grade to be 60+ students

Predicts 2014 1st grade to be 69 students

Source: 2.6.13 Vote Yes Community Mtg.


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CC4SS Response:

2010 census data for Smithton CCSD #130 does not

enable accurate prediction of future enrollment.

FACT: 2010 Census data indicates 298 under 5 children in the school

district.

K-2 current enrollment = 163 students

This would leave 135 students in remaining 2 ages of this cohort (avg. 67.5

students / age) Calculating to the full 298 isnt accurate, as it assumes 100% of district

children will attend CCSD #130.

No allowance for Home Schooling or Private School (St. Johns, St. Peter & Paul,

etc.)

Source: 2010 Census Data CCSD #130 District from National Center for Education Statistics


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338333

298

280

290

300

310

320

330

340

350

10 to 14 Years 5 to 9 Years Under 5 Years

2010 Census - CCSD #130

Total # Children in Age Cohort

FACT: 2010 Census data shows the youngest age cohort is significantly lower than

children already in school!

11.8%

decrease

Source: 2010 Census DataCCSD #130 District from National Center for Education Statistics


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The Vote Yes Committeeclaims existing home sales inthe Smithton area is a validmetric for measuring the

influx of young families.

CC4SS Response:

Existing home sales is not a valid metric, unless specific demographic data

is available about the household composition of both buyers and sellers

We believe a better metric for measuring community growth within the

district is new home construction (although this is still a flawed metric,

unless specific demographic data is analyzed)

Source: 2.6.13 Vote Yes Community Mtg. and Q&A document on Vote Yes Facebook page


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Housing growth has slowed substantially.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Smithton Building Permits for

New Houses

7 are vacant

spec homes!

Source: New housing permits issued inside CCSD #130 district Smithton Village Hall


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School Enrollment is Stable

Source: ISBE (09 12 links on CCSD #130 website) & 13 provided by school administration

'09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19

K-8 470 507 490 502 505

6-8 168 178 176 174 156 167 163

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550 Smithton Total Enrollment

Since housing

slowdown, total

enrollment has

stabilized!

Using current

enrollment data,

middle school will

decrease after 14!


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57

59

61

63

65

67

69

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

2010 Census - CCSD #130

Avg # Children/Age within Age Cohort

333

298

338

87 6 5 4 3

2 1 K

5457.6

54.3

Source: 2010 Census Data CCSD #130 District from National Center for Education Statistics , Current

enrollment provided by school administration.


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Growth Assumption Summary

School age population within the school

district is NOT on a growth trajectory!

New home construction within the district is

down substantially from the peak!

The peak middle school enrollment will have

graduated before the new school is built!


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Financial Considerations


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Current Tax Implications

Increased taxes for 20 years Length of bond duration

While we expect few to like higher taxes, the biggerconcern is the state fiscal crisis and what impact that hasfor future financial concerns.

Market Value of Home Annual Tax Increase

$100,000 $224.98$200,000 $449.96

$300,000 $674.93

$400,000 $899.91



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Illinois - Four Years Ago

Funding

Has Been

Bad

Source: May 2009 Report from St. Clair County Property Tax Committee


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And its Getting Worse

Illinois Ranks Last for Funding Education through 2011

Source: National Education Association Rankings and Estimates Research December 2011


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Were Beginning to See the Effects

State funding is and has been well below budget.

95% in 2012.*

89% in 2013.*

Some project another

10% cut next year.

Source: EFAB report to IL Gen Assembly dtd. Jan. 2013: www.isbe.state.il.us/EFAB/pdf/final-report-01-13.pdf


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Future District Financial Considerations

Many project future state funding cuts & predict a transfer ofteacher pension responsibility to the local school district!


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Future District Financial Considerations

New Middle School = Increased Operating Costs

Estimated at $670,000 annually, an increase of~15-20% vs. current year.

Includes additional administration, utilities, teachers,

operations & maintenance, food service and

transportation. Initial estimates provided in November community

meetings were ~$800,000.



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Future District Financial Considerations:

Tax Increase Triple Threat

Bond Referendum

State Cuts &Teacher Pension

Increased

Operating Costs

Higher

Taxes

and/or reduced funding for education programs!


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Financial Concerns Summary

Significant increase to current taxes (+22% vs. 2011). Will district citizens be able to handle this increased burdenor begin to seek

other options?

Current Illinois funding levels driving schools to:

cut non-essential programs seek bond financing for current operations

close schools

Future Illinois actions may: cut funding further

transfer pension expenses to the local district

Known operating cost increases will make it harder to maintain andimprove our well-rounded education programs and funding.


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Process Transparency


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We Believe a More Transparent Process

Could Have Been Achieved in Q4 2012

We question the validity of the Nov. community meeting study results: Several attendees completed multiple surveys

Several attendees indicated confusion over wording for option ranking

As outlined earlier, we believe factual inaccuracies were provided to the publicprior to their vote for a preferred school option.

Results were used as key rationale for New School recommendation to Boardof Education

Need for existing school optimization not referenced in

Administration letter sent to parents and referenced in local media.

The original New School option presented at November

community meetings only covered the $10.23 MM construction

cost, not the additional $1.6 MM building optimization for theexisting school.


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Current Transparency Concerns

Since the January 15th school board vote to place thereferendum on the ballot, we are concerned aboutseveral actions by the board/administration and/or theVote Yes for Prop S committee.

We have concerns the district may not be in full compliancewith applicable election and ethics laws, specifically the:

Election Interference Prohibition Act State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (hereafter referred to as

the Ethics Act)


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Election Interference Prohibition Act

The Illinois Association of School Boards

provides a summary of this act. Our concerns

relate to the highlighted sections below:

Source: IL Assoc. School Boards & IL Council of School Attorneys - www.iasb.com/law/FAQreferendum207.pdf


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WW (Content)

Source: School District website & 2.13.13 Wednesday White envelope


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PresentationContent

Architects have a direct linkage

to Committee.Has the school board provided

any compensation for this

connection?

Source: Vote Yes Campaign Org. document, St. Michaels 2.17.13 bulletin, 2.6.13 Vote Yes Community Mtg.


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Ethics Act

We are concerned the board and administration isbeing used inappropriately by the Vote Yes for Prop Scommittee, especially as it related to the prohibitedpolitical activities listed in the Ethics Act.

Some Visible Examples: Inclusion on Vote Yes for Prop S Campaign Organization documents

Being introduced as board/teacher reps at public meetings

Distribution of materials through the Wednesday White envelopes

Having school administration present allowable factual information,but on and within Vote Yes for Prop S presentation templates.

Source: IL Assoc. School Boards & IL Council of School Attorneys - www.iasb.com/law/FAQreferendum207.pdf


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Ethics ActWW

DistributionOfficial listing:

Sch. Board Mbr, Administrator(s)

& Teacher(s) as

Steering Cmte. Members

School Committee:Chair should be a strong administrator.

Coordinates and guides activities within the

schoolsstudent activities, open houses, etc. Presentation

Content

Source: Vote Yes Campaign Org. document, 2.13 WW envelope, 2.6.13 Vote Yes Community Mtg.


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Transparency Concerns Summary

We voice these concerns, not because we want topoint fingers, oppose this initiative on technicalitiesor impugn the character of the board oradministration.

Instead, we raise these concerns because theappearance of or actual violation of applicable lawscould:

impact potential voters ability to make informed choices.

expose district to future legal challenges/expenses.


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Additional Items for the Boards Awareness

The Vote Yes for Prop S committee has

provided misinformed or misleading

information.


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Examples

At 2/6 public meeting the following question was asked:

We believe this to be inaccurate, as we have come to

understand that Mrs. Berrys former classroom remains

empty and unused for classroom purposes (occasional

usage for meetings and a last period study hall).



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Examples

At 2/6 public meeting this

chart was used to

communicate the growth

projections of the Middle

School enrollment. This same chart has been used

in various forums since last

November

It indicates current enrollment

of 184 middle school students.

As we saw earlier, this is simply incorrect

the true current enrollment is 168!



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Examples

At 2/6 public meeting the following question was asked:

0 Search Results

0 Search Results indicating

a St. Louis study or article

What we did find, however, was the

referenced study had been conducted in

a poor, urban school district in New Haven, CT.


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Examples

We believe the current community meetings being positioned

as Design Workshops could give the false impression that a

decision for new school construction is already made.

We believe the Board Presidents resignation hours afterthe 1.15.13 vote and immediate assumption of the Vote

Yes for Prop S Chairman position could leave theimpression that the board validates and supports everypiece of disseminated information as fact.


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Examples

The prior point is further reinforced by the school districtsweb page, which still shows the chairman of Vote Yes forProp S as school board president.


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Additional Items Summary

We believe the public has a right to accurate

information in order to make an informed

decision.

Based on what youve seen, we hope the

board is compelled board and administration

to set the record straight to ensure the

public has access tofactualinformation.


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Final Considerations


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Other Education Issues in Smithton

The Catholic Churchs Belleville Diocese is about to conclude anearly 18 month study of parishes and catholic schools in SouthernIllinois.

It is widely anticipated nearly 20-25 parishes will be closed and

schools that are not financially viable will be consolidated.

If St. Johns and St. Josephs were to consolidate schools, would thatopen new options for us to consider (purchasing/leasing)? Would itresult in a larger than anticipated influx of new students to CCSD#130?

Final decisions are expected in the March/April timeframe.


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An Alternate Path

We believe several options exist for alleviatingclassroom space pressures at the current schoolsite.

We recommend a No vote to force the schoolboard to consider additional options.

Further, we recommend a more comprehensivecommunity engagement plan to identify theoptimal option.


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What Were Asking of the Board

We request the bond referendum be removedfrom the April election to allow a more robustevaluation of near-to-mid term solutions.

If the referendum remains on the ballot, then weask the district (board and administration):

to practice extreme caution relating to applicable election andethics statutes (including the removal of improper e-mail

addresses, presentations or other materials). to communicate to parents, through the WW, that previous

materials should not have been sent via the WW and toencourage parents and community members to informthemselves fully about the upcoming election.


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In Closing

We hope the board understands that our intention in raising these issuesISabout ensuring the best for our children and their educationnot justour pocketbooks.

We believe a more conservative approach towards near-to-mid termenrollment will improve our ability to remain a strong, vibrant center of

education well into the future.

We believe this and previous school boards have done a good job ofmaintaining fiscal prudence, making Smithton one of the rare schools thatis not in economic crisis. This positions us well to weather the comingstorm of state funding decreases.

We plan to present a fact-based, passionate and respectful point of viewto district voters. If, at any time, you believe we are not acting accordingly,then please hold us accountable.


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Thank You!

final school board presentation 2.19.13

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