L a k e P a r k H i g h S c h o o l B o a r d
Highlights
SEPTEMBER 2006 Vol.
30, No.2
Teacher designs simulation for presidential library
Strategic Plan maps goals to 2010
Enrollment continues to climb after start of school
District erases most of budget deficit
More cuts needed for next year
The Board of Education approved a $44 million
budget for 2006-07 at its Sept. 25 meeting that reflects a 91 percent reduction in the budget
deficit.
“Our goal this year was to bring the deficit
down to $500,000. We got it down to $114,300. We’re proud of that; the team is proud of that,” said
Jeff O’Connell, assistant superintendent for business services. The board asked for a budget with
no more than a $500,000 spending deficit, down from the $1.4 million budget deficit in 2005-06,
excluding construction.
Several factors worked in favor of the 2006-07
budget, including lower retirement costs and steady costs in health benefits. The budget deficit
shrank further between the proposed draft in May and the final draft approved Sept. 25 due to
changes in actual personnel costs, interest earnings, grants, and a host of small items. In
addition, the district enjoyed a $1 million, one-time, unanticipated revenue boost through the
refinancing of its long-term bonds that funded the school construction and renovation
project.
Board Member P.J. Olzen, who is a member of
the finance subcommittee of the board, said he agreed that the district had come a long way this
year. “There was a lot of hard work involved in getting the numbers down to where they are,” Olzen
said.
“We’re making headway toward that goal of a
zero deficit,” said Board Member Martin Tasch.
O’Connell said work has already begun on next
year’s budget, which currently projects a $700,000 to $800,000 deficit.
“If we can’t balance the budget we’re going to
have to give the board good reasons why. We know our marching orders,” O’Connell said.
2006-07 budget adjustments
Cost savings
$92,000 -- Teachers hired at entry level
to replace retired teachers
$175,000 -- Support staff positions
eliminated through retirements
$50,700 -- Reduced supply budgets
$26,000 -- Elimination of theme
graders
$45,500 -- Reduced equipment
purchases
Revenue enhancements
$29,500 -- Student registration fee
increase of $10
$7,000 -- Parking fee increase
$30,000 -- Admission fees at athletic
events
$73,750 – A new $25 technology fee
$1 million -- Refinancing the
construction bonds
New costs
Increased student enrollment required
1.5 additional teachers.
Update mainframe and system database at
a cost of $200,000.
Teacher designs simulation for presidential library
Lake Park students to participate in pilot
Social Studies teacher Don Fulmer is going to
let his students in on some top secret information. Some of it has been “sanitized” and others
completely cleared, though 40 years ago it was “Top Secret Eyes Only.”
The information comes from documents he
researched at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas over the summer. He also
has audio clips of phone conversations and press conferences that haven’t been heard since they
were broadcast in the ‘60s.
Fulmer reported to the Board of Education on
his trip during the Instructional Spotlight portion of the Sept. 25 board meeting. He was invited
back to the Johnson library for a second time after spending a month there in 2005 to build an
experiential learning curriculum with the library’s archives. Johnson’s presidency was rich with
historical significance, from the Civil Rights Act to the Vietnam War. Fulmer narrowed his project
to a single day that turned out to be a turning point for the Vietnam War, July 21, 1965.
Through documents, photographs, audio and
video files, Fulmer has created a simulation that will put one set of students in the shoes of
President Lyndon B. Johnson and divide the rest of the class into the shoes of his eight advisors
who were present during a meeting on the military action in Vietnam.
He will pilot the curriculum with his Advanced
Government class and it will be adapted for the library in Austin and for teachers to use across
the country.
“When I first got there it was
overwhelming how much information there was. But each day built to this climax. It’s going to be
really exciting to see this implemented,” Fulmer said.
Mr. Fulmer got started on this project after
taking students to the Truman Library in Independence, MO., which had a simulation in place for the
Berlin Airlift. After taking students there for two years, he was invited to research at the
Johnson library along with four other teachers in 2005. He was asked back in 2006 to develop a
student simulation like the one at Truman. The Lake Park Educational Foundation awarded Fulmer a
mini-grant of $1,000 to help defray his living expenses.
“I’ve seen the simulations work – when you see
a student two years later and they tell you that the best thing they did at Lake Park was the
simulation, you know you must be doing something right,” Fulmer said.
Strategic plan maps goals to 2010
The Board of Education reaffirmed the Lake
Park High School Strategic Plan extending it as the blueprint for operations through 2010.
The five priorities were first adopted in June
2003 after a yearlong initiative that included community input and an adhoc committee of staff,
residents, parents, business leaders and board members which formed a new mission and vision
statement and the strategic plan objectives and action plans.
The committee reconvened last spring to review
the objectives, progress made and targets for the future. The resulting document includes new
indicators of success targets for each area.
“One of the most significant outcomes of the
process is that the team reaffirmed the five priorities,” said Superintendent John Butts. “We were
also able to be more pointed in what we wanted to accomplish.”
2006-2010 Strategic Plan
-
We will STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE in all of our programs and practices
Targets include a balanced budget; a Capital Improvement Plan; continuous improvement in quantity and quality of student community service and senior survey outcomes. -
We will CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY to maximize family and community involvement.
Targets include increased community education classes, maximize the use of facilities by outside groups; expand outreach activities to families, and increase business partnerships. -
We will MAXIMIZE THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY to improve instruction, administration and communication.
Targets include increase use of Edline with parents; integrate basic technology competencies in the curriculum; use curriculum mapping to align with state standards; seek grants and outside funding sources; and increase teacher use of technology in the classroom. -
We will SERVE AND SUPPORT STUDENTS to help them be successful.
Targets include maintain a graduation rate above 95 percent and a dropout rate of less than 1 percent; increase alternative programs, increase student mentors; and increase student involvement in activities and athletics. -
We will ensure that each student has access to CHALLENGING CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION in an active learning environment.
Targets include an average increase of 6 points between the freshman EXPLORE and the junior level ACT tests; increase to 70 percent students meeting and exceeding standards on the Prairie State Achievement Exam; increase integration of subjects; increase teacher professional development; and increase teachers working in teams to develop curriculum.
Enrollment continues climb after start of school
Enrollment at Lake Park High School has grown
by 44 students since the official sixth-day enrollment count, reflecting changes in the mobility in
the district as well as the recruitment of fifth-year seniors to finish their high school
education.
At East Campus, 14 new students registered
since the sixth day of school.
At West Campus, staff actively recruit seniors
who didn’t graduate to re-enroll and get their diploma. Enrollment at West has increased by 24
students since the sixth day, with 17 of those as 13
th year seniors.
The school offers a variety of alternatives
for 13
th year students, from traditional setting, to evening classes and computer-based
classroom curriculum for make-up classes.
In 2005, the school’s dropout rate was .3
percent.
“The recruiting efforts of the staff are
reflected in these numbers. We work hard to see that every student has every opportunity to
complete their education at Lake Park,” said Martin Quinn, West Campus principal.
SIX DAY COUNT – 3,019
09 – 740
10 – 799
11 – 723
12 –
728
13 – 29
ENROLLMENT on SEPTEMBER 21 – 3,063
09 – 750
10 – 803
11 – 729
12 – 735
13 - 46