Nov 2003 :::

LT Community Advisory Council Minutes

November 20, 2003

At-Risk Students at LT and Programs to Support Them: Part II

  1. Call to Order and Announcements
  2. . The meeting was called to order at 7:03PM by Harriet VerGowe and Brian Clark. A motion was made to accept the minutes of the October 2003 meeting, was then seconded, and was approved unanimously by all members in attendance.

    Dr. Kelly mentioned that he presents a weekly report to the School Board, and that this is the best week he’s reported during his 12 years here! Specific points to be happy about:

    • There will be a TIF review meeting for the McCook properties. If the TIF is avoided, it could capture a lot of money for the taxing bodies, about $14.6 million!

    • The Illinois House approved the override of the governor’s veto of SB606 (UPS property…see more about this issue in the Min_Mar_03.htm). This could mean a minimum of $750,000 in extra revenue for the 2004-05. Previously the UPS building was taxed as though the property was vacant.

    • The La Grange Parking Deck is moving towards compromise, a scaled-back deck. The Village Board said they might rebate the last 2 year’s TIF monies back to the taxing bodies (2008 & 2009) …t his could be a windfall of about $2 million to District 102 and LT!

    • Principal Search…They are down to 7 finalists, with 2 candidates that everyone likes, so it will be a tough choice. The Board will hire the finalist on Dec. 16 th and will ask them to be here ~ 1 day a month until next July to get acclimated. The job starts in July 2004.

    FACILITIES:

     

    C. Report from School Board Member

    Al Polich said Dr. Kelly covered it all. The Board is in agreement (pro) on facilities improvements.

    II. At-Risk Students at LT and Programs to Support Them (Part II)Presented by Bobbette Pulliam, social worker

     

    Academic Support for Low Achieving Students

    A. The Transition Program

    The object of the Transition program is to increase the academic strength of students who tested (in 8 th grade) as being 2 years behind their class in Reading, Math, and English. Formerly, students needed to "fall behind" in all 3 categories to access the Transition program. Now more students are accessing the program, even if they are deficient in only one of the 3. Students are selected based on the Explore testing, 8 th grade semester grades, and by recommendation of their teachers.

    The program has 31 teachers and para-educator support staff. There is a "seminar class" that all students take which focuses on organizational skills, studying and test taking skills). Students are encouraged to set weekly progress goals and they meet with staff weekly for a progress report.

    This Freshman class started with 125-130 potential transition students, and this has been thinned to ~ 90 who are eligible.

    The Sophmore year has 68 students in the program. It is typical for 25-30% of the freshman class to "graduate" from transition and move into other levels. Some move to Prep, some to higher levels.

    In Junior year all Trans students are assimilated into the student body.

    1. What happened to the Co-teaching program?

    2. That was a Special Ed pilot program. The Board decided to discontinue it since the cost (per student) was prohibitive. They are looking to see how to do that work more cost-effectively.

     

    1.  
    2. The Special Education Program

      Presented by Joan Crawford and Brian Murray

      Special Ed (S.E.) is for children with disabilities which have been verified by specific testing and evaluations. There are about 380 in the program in LT (combined campuses) and 270 are learning disabled. Some of these students take Trans classes, although they are not part of the Trans program.

      Each S.E. student has a "case manager" who creates an Individual Education Program (IEP) that goes to the teachers. The manager communicates with the parents, and is a liaison between parents and teachers for problem resolution. There is a yearly IEP meeting for each student, with the aims of improving student skills.

      Student A is in the CSR (Curriculum Skills Resource) class and 3 Trans classes. She gets support in classes, and extra support in CSR. Help includes having her text read to her so she can do the homework. It could also involve the student dictating a paper to a transcriber. This would be provided to a student with reading disabilities.

      An Example:

      1. There’s a wide mix of students and disabilities, so how does this program help them all?

      2. They mix media…both written and verbal, to help each child integrate in a way that works best for them.

      The process for entry into Special Ed is: Child with difficultyà counselor monitors problemà referral for domain reviewà independent psychological evaluation with performance and ability testingà assessment of specific disability and other areas of disability like language pathology etc.à entry into Special Ed program.

       

       

      III. Drugs and Alcohol Use at LTPresented by Kris Blachinski

      1. Teacher Training Programs

      2. Teachers receive a one-day substance abuse awareness-training program. An outside speaker from a treatment facility comes to do the workshop. This is especially important for new teachers.

        Throughout the year other workshops are offered. Last April (for example) 4 adolescents who are in recovery came to speak to staff about their experiences. This was beneficial for the staff, and also helped fulfill the requirements of the adolescent’s recovery program.

        She also mentioned that a new(ish) problem is prescription drug abuse, and in particular, drugs that are now available on the internet.

        Student Intervention groups have been trained and they do yearly reviews on better ways to identify the problem and signs of abuse.

        This year statistics are up…more kids "caught".

        1. Is there any common denominator in substance abuse?

        2. Kids today are (in general) more stressed in school, and they are being held to higher standards and expectations than previously, both by parents and the colleges they hope to attend. Another issue is the "myth" some parents harbor that alcohol abuse is OK since it is prep for college.

        Parent University is now stressing the facts…that parents are responsible for student activities in their homes, and that those who supply a location for alcohol parties (in the hopes that this will keep it off the street) can end up facing serious charges and legal expenses. Don’t support kids drinking!

         

        B. Equal Treatment/Practices amongst student groups Presented by Principal John L. Young

        Some have suggested that sports kids are treated by a different (or lighter) standard than the rest of school students. (Please refer to The Sport Contract). In fact, sport participants are held to a much higher standard…24/7, not just when they are in school! The 2-page handout covers 2 separate situations. The "Sport Contract" (III Cumulative Consequences) is applied while the student is in the community. The second page (11. Possession, delivery…from the Handbook) can only be applied while the student is on the school premises, and if they are caught. The school must be careful not to make accusations without hard evidence.

        He recommends that parents not choose to be "friends" with their children…they need to be parents. He hopes the parents will work with the school to set limits on behavior. The coaches can set precedents by being a constant reminder about the effects of tobacco and drugs on health.

         

        IV. Small Group Discussion

        This is a complex issue, impacted by the double standard of adult behaviors (smoking, drinking). They suggest student leaders taking the anti-drug message to the grade schools. They suggested more intimate drug orientation meetings with parents rather than the present stadium type lectures.

        Table 2: Strategize on improving the school culture, making kids feel more connected to the school, and in holding parents more accountable for student infractions.

        Table 3: Provide parents with brochure on their legal liabilities if they provide opportunities for students to drink or abuse. Help kids handle peer-pressure, inform them how drugs/alcohol can impact judgement in driving and sexual decisions. Wonder if suspensions are part of student record?

        Table 4: Wants coaches to take on a bigger part as role models. They’d like to see more reassessment of the co-teaching program (reported results were good).

        Table 5: Want to see more training on over-the-counter drugs, suggests assemblies in the middle of the day (not at the end), encourage students to report activities, and wished the 4 adolescents who spoke to the teachers last year would also speak with the students.

         

        Feedback from Small Groups

        Table 1:

         

        V. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:08 PM. The next meeting is January 21, 2004, so happy holidays to all!

     
    There have been 6 meetings in the last 4 days regarding bond issuance (~ $17 million). There was a public hearing on Monday evening, and they are working with a bond consultant from Standard and Poors to get the best bond rating. Staff is also brainstorming with the architect on the details like how many lockers for the pool, how the ceilings will look etc. Bids in March to start construction by early spring.  
  3.  

Approval of Minutes of October 15, 2003 Meeting

Report of Superintendent