Issue # 11M

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Byron C.U.S.D. #226District Newsletter

District's Financial and Facility Statusby Dr. Margaret Fostiak, Superintendent

For those of you who are old enough to rememberthe movie, Cool Hand Luke, you probably recall thatmemorable line “what we have here is a failure tocommunicate.” As I travel throughout our learningcommunity, it is apparent that there are misperceptionsand inaccurate information being circulated about the ByronSchool District. As I read the Letters to the Editor andlearn about non-existent sources of taxation, I ponder themotivation of people who seemingly want to believe that“the sky is falling” rather than express confidence in theintentions of their local leaders. I admit these are cynicaltimes. Our faith has been shaken by the plight of oureconomy and leadership at the federal and state levels.Attacking the school district, however, at a time when theBoard of Education has decreased its tax levy, decreasedits tax rate, and reduced student fees for the upcoming2009-2010 school year seems to be misplaced anger.

We have heard there are rumblings in thecommunity that your school district does not have sufficientfinancial resources to pay for the completion of the newByron Middle School. That banter is simply not true. Thedistrict has sufficient funds in its Capital Projects Fund tocomplete the building and do the related site improvements.The Mary Morgan improvementproject needs to continue aspromised - without a tax rateincrease. A recent Health LifeSafety study of that facilityindicates that it will cost more torepair than replace the olderportions of that facility. This is notabout the superintendent’s desireto have all new schools. This isabout having a school thatprovides a healthy and safelearning environment for Byron’syoungest citizens.

The economicuncertainty that was caused bythe devaluation issue of ByronStation in the mid-1990’s spunthe district to enter a ten year

period of deferred maintenance. That deferral has led to ourneed to rebuild parking lots, repair and replace roofs, replaceobsolete fire alarm systems, replace old energy-inefficient lightingfixtures, install security systems, and replace the vintage 1980Byron High School swimming pool mechanical system. Webegan to implement those necessary improvements during thesummer of 2007 in coordination with our other major constructionprojects. Each subsequent summer, additional projects arescheduled for completion. During the summer of 2009, we willbe reconstructing parking lots at Byron High School and replacingthe swimming pool mechanical system at Byron High School.The funds for those 2009 projects are being secured through theutilization of existing Operations & Maintenance funds, existingHealth Life Safety funds, and a permanent transfer of $300,000in Transportation Fund dollars. I want to assure you that theBoard of Education and this administration is committed to themaintenance of healthy balances in each of the operating funds.For the past three years, the Illinois State Board of Educationhas bestowed its highest “Financial Recognition” status on theByron School District as a result of the required independentannual audit of our finances.

Our next Town Hall meeting will be on March 16th at 7p.m. in the Board of Education Meeting Room. Please attendthis meeting to obtain additional information.

New Byron Middle School Gym

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by Dr. Margaret Fostiak, SuperintendentSince the District’s Strategic Plan that was

approved in 2007 is near completion, it is time to begin

anew. Community members that are interested in helping

guide the future of the school district are invited to attend our

first District Leadership Team meeting of the new school

year on September 14th at 7 p.m. in the Board of Education

meeting room located at Byron High School. To assist us in

the meeting planning process, we ask that you call Donna

Dyal at 815-234-5491 Ext. 220, to indicate your intention to

attend the meeting or email her at www.byron226.org. Thank

you in advance for your participation in this important work.

A multitude of projects kept the district staff busy

this summer. The Byron High School parking lots were

completely redesigned and reconstructed. The Byron High

School swimming pool’s original mechanical and filtration

system was completely replaced. And of course, the con-

struction of our new Byron Middle School was completed.

The new school opened its doors to students on August 18th

and the Byron Civic Theatre held its first performance in the

middle school’s new theatre on August 14th. The official

grand opening of the new Byron Middle School will be on

September 27 at 2:00 p.m.

The children of the community have a beautiful

new playground at Mary Morgan Elementary School thanks

to the efforts of over 100 volunteers and the generosity of

area businesses. Countless volunteer hours were donated the week-

end of August 14-16 and over $13,000 was contributed by local

business owners to help fund the project. Special appreciation goes

to Christine Lynde, Deb Lenz and Daryl Grobe for their project

leadership.

During these difficult economic times it is appropriate for

us to report to our constituents on our financial status. The good

news is that our tax rate continues to decline and your costs for edu-

cating students in Byron is substantially less than your neighboring

school districts. The chart below shows current certified property

tax rates for each school district.

Our adoption of zero-based budgeting practices and com-

prehensive planning have made it possible to finance improve-

ments from our operating funds while continuing to lower your tax

rate and build fund balances to guarantee the financial health of the

school district. When I became Superintendent on July 1, 2005, the

district’s total fund balance was $4,324,130. On June 30, 2009,

that fund balance is documented at $9,874,694. The financial

health of the Byron School District has increased dramatically over

the past several years without the benefit of a negotiated long-term

agreement with Exelon. It is the intent of the Board of Education

and your Superintendent to continue to lower your tax rate in the

years ahead while continuing to make necessary improvements.

New Strategic Planning Process to Begin!

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ByronUnit 226

DixonUnit 170

ForrestonUnit 221

MeridianUnit 223

OregonUnit 220

Polo Unit222

Rochelle HS 212 andRochelle Gr Sch 231

$ 3.707 $ 4.928 $ 5.207 $ 4.937 $ 4.638 $ 4.628 $ 2.532 + $ 2.974 =$5.506

New Byron Middle School

Building the new playground

Volunteers install new swings

Byron CUSD 226 Expenditures - June 30, 2004 vs. June 30, 2009Education Fund 2004

$ 16,876,289.00 Operations & Maintenance 2004

$ 2,577,016.00

Education Fund 2009

$ 15,870,243.00 Operations & Maintenance 2009

$ 1,847,839.00

Transportation2004

$ 1,987,008.00 IMRF/Social Security 2004 $ 535,710.00

Transportation2009

$ 2,296,656.00 IMRF/Social Security 2009 $ 490,791.00

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Test Scores . . . The Rest of the Story

by Robert A. Baker – Curriculum, Instruction, and AssessmentCoordinator

Test scores. What good are they anyway? To answer this

question, you really need to find the answers to two additional ques-

tions. The first question is “To which test are you referring?” The

second question is “What further questions(s) are you trying to

answer using the data?” The Byron School District currently uses

several tests to acquire information that we use to improve learning

and teaching. A brief description of some of these tests will help us

understand what each test can do for us.

The first major tests that we use are NWEA’s MAP tests.

NWEA stands for the Northwest Evaluation Association, and MAP

stands for Measures of Academic Progress. This test is taken on the

computer and is customized for each child, meaning it adapts as

each child proceeds through the test. Each question on this test is

determined by whether or not the child got the previous question

right or wrong. The purpose of this test is to pinpoint a child’s cur-

rent academic achievement level in the subjects of math, reading,

and language usage. We can also use this test to monitor student

growth and to monitor a student’s growth in these subjects over

time. We call this longitudinal data.

We currently give MAP tests in the fall and the spring,

with some students taking them also in the winter. This is the most

reliable, valid, and useful test that we give students because it

allows us to get accurate information about individual students,

individual classrooms, individual buildings, and as a district. This

test also allows us in the fall to predict state testing competency.

Over the past two years, it has predicted within a percent or two

how we would do in the spring on the state tests. The MAP tests

allow us to compare apples to apples across the system.

The state requires us to give ISAT tests to students, grades

3-8, each spring. Third grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, and eighth

grade are tested in reading, math, and writing. Fourth grade and

seventh grade are tested in reading, math, and science. The infor-

mation we get from these tests is useful in the sense that it helps

confirm what we’ve already figured out from the MAP tests.

However, to be honest, there are some very glaring problems with

the test.

First, the usefulness of these tests is limited. To be quite

honest, ISAT tests sometimes make us believe we are doing better

than we think we are. It is assumed that meeting state standards

means that a student is in a good position to succeed. However, that

depends on how high the bar is set. The State of Illinois, although

not the lowest, does not set the bar all that high. In the subject of

math, depending on the grade, one would only have to achieve any-

where from the 15-20%ile nationally. To make this simple, if our

nation was comprised of 100 children, a student scoring at the 20th

percentile would only be scoring better than 19 other students. In

the subject of reading, depending on the grade, one would only

have to achieve anywhere from the 22-35%ile nationally. The

tables below show competency levels by grade and also show the

inconsistency from one grade to the next.

One of the most glaring inconsistencies happens between

the seventh and eighth grades in the subject of reading where 7th

graders are required to score 10%ile points higher to achieve a

score of meeting the state standards than they will in eighth grade.

As you can see, meeting state standards on the ISAT is an inconsis-

tent, moving target. For this reason, the usefulness of ISAT results

is limited at best. These results are actually analogous to an autop-

sy. MAP results, on the other hand, are more like those we get from

a regular check-up.

The other required state test is the PSAE. PSAE stands for

Prairie State Achievement Examination. This test is given to high

school juniors in the spring. Students are tested in reading, math,

science, and writing. They also take the ACT test that colleges use

to gauge a student’s college readiness. The ACT is the most wide-

ly accepted college entrance exam. Unlike the ISAT, no correlation

study has been done for the PSAE. It is safe to say, however, that

one would have to achieve at a level higher than the 40th percentile

nationally. This is why PSAE scores are lower in comparison to the

ISAT results.

Whereas the ISAT scores make us believe at times we are

in better shape than we are, the PSAE results make us believe we

are doing worse than we are. The disconnect between the ISAT and

PSAE is evident to anyone looking at the results. The average per-

son on the street, not knowing this information, would logically ask

the following question: “How can our kids score so well in the

grade school and middle school but then score so much worse as

juniors in the high school?” Now, you know “the rest of the story”

as it pertains to the ISAT and PSAE.

This is not to say that these tests are not important.

Politically, and publically, they have gained much importance, as

this is what we see posted in the newspapers every year. However,

as far as helping students achieve and grow, the state testing results

are limited. MAP testing results, on the other hand, are very help-

ful.

But what about the ACT? Is this a valuable test? I think

the answer to this is a resounding “yes” if you are trying to predict

college readiness. In fact, MAP testing can be used for the same

purpose. At a recent NWEA Midwest Seminar, we learned that

MAP testing scores on reading and math could be correlated to the

ACT and college readiness. In fact, we learned that to score a com-

posite score of 20 on the ACT one would have to perform national-

ly on the MAP tests at approximately the 62%ile. This is important

because it will allow us to very roughly gauge a child’s or a grade’s

college readiness levels throughout our system using MAP scores.

Is this an exact science? The answer is absolutely not. However, I

believe it is the best indicator that we have and one way we can

measure the effective of our schools to produce “college ready” stu-

dents. Below are two tables that illustrate the current levels of stu-

dents in the Byron school system who are “on-track” to be college

ready measured by their ability to be “on-track” to receive a com-

posite score of 20 on the ACT as junior. Obviously, the older the

student, the more predictive these numbers are.

Math Reading

Grade Meets Standards Grade Meets Standards

3 20%ile 3 35%ile 4 15%ile 4 27%ile 5 20%ile 5 32%ile 6 20%ile 6 25%ile 7 19%ile 7 32%ile 8 20%ile 8 22%ile

*Source, NWEA’s Illinois Correlation Study

% Students Meeting/Exceeding State Standards ISAT Results Reading 2009 Mathematics 2009 Met State AYP Target=70% Mary Morgan ES 93.3 96.1 Yes Byron Middle School 90.5 92.6 Yes

% Students Meeting/Exceeding State Standards PSAE Results Reading 2009 Mathematics 2009 Byron High School 66.2 50.4

Byron High School - Eight-Year Trend Data – Average ACT Composite Score Grad Year

2002Grad Year

2003Grad Year

2004Grad Year

2005Grad Year

2006Grad Year

2007Grad Year

2008Grad Year

200921.5 21.0 21.3 21.5 22.1 21.1 22.1 21.7

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Using Spring 09 MAP Results to Measure College Readiness

Using the 62%ile to Correlate with Receiving a 20* or better on

the ACT Portion of the PSAE

*Excluding the University of Illinois, we know that about 1 in 4 stu-

dents attending the other state universities received a composite score

of 20 or lower on the ACT. We also know that the college readiness

standards by subject according to ACT are as follows: English 18,

Math 22, Reading 21, and Science 24.

What this means to our system is that we need to be

careful about which numbers we listen to and for what pur-

pose. All of these tests have worth, some more and some less.

I believe that one of the most important aspects to measure is

how our system is doing at creating college-ready students.

This is not to say that this is our only purpose, just one pur-

pose that is worthy of tracking.

It does us absolutely no good as a system to compare

the results of one particular grade level to another. Instead, we

should monitor specific students and specific grade levels

across time for the purpose of increasing their achievement.

Comparing last year’s ACT scores to this year’s scores is

interesting, but when you do this, you are truly comparing

apples to oranges. When using MAP testing results, we can

truly compare apples to apples and do so over a long period of

time.

Anyone who understands coaching understands that

the true measure of effectiveness is not comparing one team

with another but rather the growth of a single team over time.

With that said, we would also agree that it is also important to

set the bar at a level that is predictive of success and to make

sure that the methods of coaching are sound. The trick of the

matter is to determine how high the bar actually has to be set

and then to determine the test results that give us the most reli-

able and valid information about how we are doing on

our journey to reach that bar. And now you know at

least some of “the rest of the story.”

Math

Grade - Spring 2009 Percent of Class on Track to Receive 20

Number of Class on Track to Receive 20

RIT Score

K 65% 65 of 100 162 1 70% 73 of 104 181 2 68% 69 of 102 195 3 60% 77 of 128 206 4 58% 72 of 125 216 5 54% 55 of 102 225 6 53% 61 of 115 230 7 49% 66 of 135 235 8 60% 78 of 130 239 9 46% 59 of 129 241

10 51% 78 of 153 244

Reading

Grade - Spring 2009 Percent of Class on Track to Receive 20

Number of Class on Track to Receive 20

RIT Score

K 74% 74 of 100 159 1 78% 81 of 104 176 2 64% 65 of 102 194 3 56% 72 of 128 204 4 56% 70 of 125 211 5 60% 61 of 102 216 6 59% 68 of 115 220 7 44% 60 of 135 224 8 52% 68 of 130 227 9 51% 66 of 130 229

10 49% 75 of 153 231

May High School Students of the Month: Stillman Bank rep.,Marty Grant, William Hogan 9th, Carly Wolf 10th, Melissa Ritter11th, and Anthony Wittemeyer 12th, Byron Bank rep., Brent Baker

Lisa LaBay recognition for "Candy for a Cause" and her teacherMrs. Boyle and Principal Barton

Randy Jurasek, Ann VanLankvelt, and Gene Miller,were recognized for theirservice as members of theBoard of Education

Haley Snodgrass andRyan Reeverts, 5th

graders, honored atthe IPA Student

LeadershipRecognition withPrincipal Barton

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Byron High School 2009 Spring Athletics and Activities Round-Up

Girls TrackIHSA Sectional Champions (5

th year in a row)

13th IHSA State Team Finals

MVP: Paige Knodle Most Improved: Cara Cortese, Taylor Kuhnen Captain: Mariah McMullen, Morgan Hoover,

All Big Northern Conference

Chloe Wild: High JumpPaige Knodle: Pole Vault, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles

State Qualifiers:

Cara Cortese: 4 X 100Relay Taylor Kuhnen: 4 X 400 relay Angie Renfro: 4 X 100 relay, 4 X 400 relay Nikki Kozak: Pole Vault Lisa Ringstmeyer: 3200m run Heidi Scheffler: 4 X 100 relay Chloe Wild: High JumpPaige Knodle: 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, Pole Vault, 4 X 400 relay Chantalle Falconer: 3200m run Mariah McMullen: 4 X 400 relay Joslynn Northrop: 100 hurdles Heather Ketcham: High Jump

State Placers:

Paige Knodle: 1st 300 Hurdles, 5th Pole Vault, 6th 100 hurdles Chantalle Falconer: 9th 3200m run

Boys TrackMVP: Jeff Coltman Leadership: Devon Pace Most Improved: Eric Dinges Captains: Devon Pace, Jeff Coltman

State Qualifiers:

Chase Sanders: 3200m Run Jeff Coltman: 4x800, 4x400 Relays Eric Dinges 4x800 Relay Andrew McCarey: 4x800 Relay Brendan Walters: 4X800 Relay Devon Pace: 4x400 Relay Robert DeLaRosa: 4x400 Relay Jonathon Laxner: 4x400 Relay

State Placers:

4x400 Relay – 9th Place Jeff Coltman Devin Pace Robert DeLaRosa Jonathan Laxner

Girls Soccer:4

th Big Northern Conference

MVP: Suzy Rasmussen Offensive MVP: Suzy Rasmussen Defensive MVP: Rachel Sealby Most Improved: Amanda Steeves

All Big Northern Conference

Suzy Rasmussen - unanimousElizabeth Hodapp Rachel Sealby – honorable mentioin

Softball4

th Big Northern Conference

MVP: Colleen Lowe Most Inspirational: Amy ClineCaptains: Colleen Lowe, Alix Ware

All Big Northern Conference

Colleen Lowe – unanimous Kelly Lesniewski Alix Ware Kelsey Primrose Becca Lowe

Baseball2nd Big Northern Conference Sectional Finalists (Sweet 16)

MVP: Lucas Barber Most Improved: Travis KaneDefensive: Garrett Gustafson Hustle: David Boyle

All Big Northern Conference

Lucas Barber Big Northern West Pitcher of the year Adam Head Unanimous Garrett Gustafson Unanimous Brady SchefflerDavid Boyle Doug Lillibridge HM

FFA State Qualifiers:Landscape Design: Morgan Hoover 3rd, Chloe Wild, 5th, and Allen Fish 7th

Meat Judging 10th

Place Team: Zack Martin, David DuSavage, Jeff Rieck, Amber Seebruck and Zack SzuminskiLivestock Judging: Taylor Reeverts, Steven Bradley, Rachel Hanlin, David DuSavage and Keith GibsonFloriculture Judging 7

th Place Team: Morgan Hoover,

Allen Fish, Jeff Rieck, Josh Becker, and Zack SzuminskiHorticulure Judging: Morgan Hoover, Allen Fish, Jeff Rieck, Josh Becker and Chloe Wild

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State Medalists (4x400Relay)L to R: Jonathon

Laxner, Devon Pace, JeffColtman, Rob DeLaRosa

Departing for State (Participants andAlternates)

From the President’s Desk

by Mr. Dirk Meminger, Board of EducationPresident

From the outset of public education

over 200 years ago, communities and their

citizens have desired a closeness to and involvement in their

schools. The governing mechanism has evolved into the

school boards of today, the elected citizens who oversee the

public education of local children. Legally, the ultimate

responsibility for educating our young people rests with the

State of Illinois. We all know that is not really true – it rests

in our hands.

The basis of any school district’s operational and

educational experience is based upon the role of its school

board in providing adequate governance of the organization.

My discussion in this letter is based upon the Foundational

Principles of Effective Governance as stated by the Illinois

Association of School Boards.

The first principle of a school board is to clarify the

district purpose. The purpose seems obvious – educate our

children. The discussion /debate of a board and community

begins and continues with the questions of how the educa-

tional experience will occur and what students, district

employees and interest groups will receive what benefits or

services. The Byron board executes its responsibility

through a formal planning process and its monthly commit-

tee and board meetings. The purpose of our monthly

Committee of the Whole meetings, which are typically held

on the second Thursday of each month, is to receive infor-

mation surrounding each agenda item and engage in discus-

sion about those items. The business of the Board of

Education at its regular meeting, which is usually held on the

fourth Thursday of each month, is to vote on the agenda

items that were previously discussed. The role of the board

is to focus upon core values and general desired outcomes.

It stands to reason that it is much easier for individuals to hit

the target if the target is clearly defined. We will be launch-

ing our next strategic planning process in September, which

is an excellent opportunity for community members to par-

ticipate in shaping the “targets” for the next several years.

The second principle of the board is to connect with

the community. That is certainly the purpose of this newslet-

ter as well as our town hall meetings. The board is interest-

ed in improving its communication and welcomes input into

how that can best be achieved. Communication may not

always result in complete agreement, but I do believe that if

open and honest, it should result in improved trust and

respect. The board has a responsibility to listen to the com-

munity. It is difficult in that it is rarely the case in which

community members and groups agree on an issue. It then

becomes the role of the board to choose a course of action.

That decision should be based upon the facts of the situation

and should also be guided by the general culture and out-

comes established in complying with the first principle.

The third principle of the board is to employ a super-

intendent, and hold her accountable for performance in

accordance with district policy and in maintaining progress

toward or completion of the district’s desired outcomes. The

Byron board has a multi year plan from which it establishes

annual superintendent goals. The superintendent then coor-

dinates the goals and activities of administrators to align with

those goals or targets and the administrators obviously com-

municate and work with district teachers and staff in moving

toward the goals. The board’s evaluation stops with the

superintendent. I know the board regularly approves

employment and termination of district employees, but we

are not involved in the recruitment and evaluation of individ-

uals other than the superintendent.

The fourth principle of the board is to properly dele-

gate authority. This sounds like the easiest of them all, but is

many times the stickiest to execute. The board’s role is to

develop policies that govern activities of the district. The

fact is that the board is in essence responsible for everything.

It fulfills this obligation through the development of proper

policies that make clear the desired outcomes and define the

operating parameters for administrators, teachers and others

to follow.

The fifth principle of the board is to monitor per-

formance. I have addressed this earlier by indicating the

process of holding the superintendent accountable for the

established outcomes of the district. Like any effective eval-

uation process, I believe it takes place throughout the year

even though the formal evaluation is documented annually. I

have yet to hear of a good reason for waiting for an annual

evaluation to communicate the belief we are off track or

behind plan. Likewise, there is no good reason to delay

appreciation for achievements throughout the year. In short,

with open communication there should be no surprises for

the board, the superintendent and most importantly, our chil-

dren.

The sixth principle of the board is to take responsi-

bility for itself. The board must be honest and open with one

another as well as the community. The Byron board has, dur-

ing my time on the board, met not only in planning sessions

to address the “targets” for coming years, but also specifical-

ly to strengthen the working relationship of the individuals

on the board. The board acts as a team. Its results are most

effectively generated when board members focus upon the

targeted outcomes. This should not in any way stifle individ-

ualism. Most successful teams I have seen or been a part of

were successful because of the individual talents and contri-

butions of their members. A team should not be constructed

all of one talent or skill, or in the case of a public body like

a school board, one mind set or view point.

Those are the basic principles of school board

governance and my input as to how they relate or are

executed by the Byron board. I hope this provides you

with some insight. Thank you for your attention and

interest in Byron District 226.

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Youu aree Cordiallyy Invitedd too Attendd thee Byronn Middlee Schooll Grandd Opening

Sunday,, Septemberr 27,, 2009

2:000 PMM –– BMSS Theater

Theree willl bee shortt ceremonyy followedd byy aa ribbonn cutting,,

refreshments,, andd thenn aa self-guidedd tour.

Pleasee plann onn attendingg too celebratee ourr community’ss commitmentt too itss childrenn andd qualityy educationall facilities..

Byron C.U.S.D.Schools696 N. Colfax Street

Byron, IL 61010

Postal Patron

Byron, IL

61010

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE PAID

BYRON IL 61010 PERMIT #39

BYRON

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