BDC Asking for Support of Cermak TIF Extension

The Berwyn Development Corporation is asking all Berwyn school districts for support regarding a possible 12 year extension of the Cermak Road TIF. At a recent District 100 school board meeting, Tony Griffin, executive director of the Berwyn Development Corp., fielded questions from board members along with Phil McKenna, a financial consultant. Basically, the city and the schools will need to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement that may allow for the TIF to "pay back" some of the incremental surplus to the districts over the 12 year extension. A conservative estimate for District 100 was $91,000 per year. The letters of support will be brought to Springfield and then the terms of the IGA will be negotiated this spring/summer. This is the first time in the life of the TIF that other taxing entities have been involved in decisions and the first time that the schools have been offered any kind of relief. Joanne Zendol clarified, "So, we used to get nothing, and now we'll get something?"


This article in The Berwyn Life hints that the Morton College Board may not offer the letter of support. District 201 Board of Education has not yet acted on the request from the BDC.

There are many residents and Berwyn officials who believe that the Cermak TIF is crucial in the economic development of Berwyn going forward. There are others who are concerned about the amount of funds that schools and other taxing entities "lose" during the life of the TIF, especially given the lack of economic development that has occurred under the TIF in the past 15 years.

At the District 100 meeting, Michelle Skryd of the Berwyn City Council accompanied by the new Main Street administrator pointed out that in the past year or 2, the TIFs have been audited for the first time and there is progress in the "Superblock" development. The Main Street designation for Cermak Road is just beginning to take shape in the form of marketing efforts and assistance to existing and new businesses. The extension of the TIF along with the success of the Main Street initiatives could have a great positive impact on the economic development of the area. If the TIF extension does bring about considerable economic development, the payoff for the school districts (and city) could be significant in the form of increased tax revenues and property values. Still, in a community with so many financial challenges, it is a difficult decision for these other taxing entities to make.

The BDC currently has 6 of the 8 letters requested, with Morton High School Board 201 and Morton College set to make a decision within the next few weeks. It is not clear whether the TIF extension will be possible without all 8 letters. The BDC will present information to the Morton College Board regarding the TIF extension at the April Board meeting on April 23rd.

Save the Date for Rock the Vote!

It is time again for our annual Rock the Vote concert! This spring we will offer information on the education policies and platforms of local, state and national candidates. We will again be raising money for $1000 scholarships for needy and deserving Morton West High School graduates headed to college. Please mark your calendar for this important and fun event!

Raffle and Silent Auction prizes
include:

Cubs Tickets, museum passes, restaurant and
theatre gift certificates, a 2 night stay in Lake Geneva and much, much more!

Location and Date TBA
$40 per person

open bar, food, raffle and...

Goat Rodeo!

RSVP to Berwyncares@yahoo.com to reserve your tickets!

16th street Theater in search of teen actors/writers.

Do you like writing?

Have you ever wanted to act?

The West Side Stories Youth Project is a youth theater ensemble of writers and performers based at the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn. Prior experience is NOT required! You will learn performances and writing skills from professionals while creating and performing unique pieces of theater. This program is FREE to Berwyn residents.

Program Dates: April 7th - June 8th

Mondays and Fridays

3:45-5:45

To Apply: You must be between the ages of 13-17.

Download an application at www.16thstreettheater.org.

Or pick up at North Berwyn Park District

1619 Wesely Avenue, Berwyn.

Applications are due by Monday, March 17th.

For more information, contact Gaby Ortiz at gaby@16thstreettheater.org or at (773) 392-9926.

Berwyn Arts Scholarships...$1000 each!

This spring the Berwyn Arts Council will award two $1,000 fine arts scholarships. Two deserving Morton West High School graduates will be selected from those who are continuing their education in dance, theater, visual arts, literature or music. Student must be a Berwyn resident. Money was raised by the BAC at last year’s Cartopia event. Please contact Scholarship@berwynartscouncil.org for more information.

And the Winners are……

The money raised at the fall kids concert at Fitzgerald’s has been used to fund several projects for Berwyn teachers. Berwyn teachers were asked to submit proposals for mini-grants up to $500 via The Berwyn Challenge at Donorschoose.org and BerwynCARES chose favorites to fund. We hope that we are able to provide a little relief to teachers who face budget struggles on a daily basis. There are currently 31 proposals worth $13,395 on The Berwyn Challenge and 18 have been fully funded! In part, because of BerwynCARES promotion and solicitation of private donors like you, the $7,625 raised so far will impact 5770 Berwyn students.

In addition, we’d love to spread the word about DonorsChoose. We encourage teachers to continue to use the web site to promote future projects to their friends and families, as well as their students’ friends and families. Thank you again to our caring supporters who made this possible by generously giving us your precious time, incredible talents and, by sponsoring and attending the event.

The following 8 projects were fully or partially funded by BerwynCARES up to $500 per project totaling $2,982.13:

Bibliotherapy For At-Risk Students
I am a social worker in a school district where the students are about 70% Hispanic and 64% low-income. The students that I have are dealing with a variety of issues ranging from divorce and gangs to disabilities such as autism and mental retardation. I am starting some new bibliotherapy groups that would allow students to deal with their problems through the use of books. We will use books that discuss the same issues we are dealing with, and use ideas from the characters in the story to help ourselves cope. The problem I am faced with is not having any copies of the books I would like the students to read. I need multiple copies of several different books so that the students will be able to read the books along with me in group. We also need some art supplies that will be used to make self-reflection projects in relation to the bibliotherapy groups. Many of the students in my district do not have books in their homes. Many of them do not go home to households that most of us would condsider nurturing. They carry their own problems, as well as their family's, to school with them everyday and need an outlet or a way to cope. The bibliotherapy group is part of my solution to the problem. Please help me provide this opportunity to these kids. My students need 1-6 copies of 6 book titles, from "Esperanza Rising" to the "Kids Divorce Workbook", and 7 various arts and crafts supplies from markers to journaling books. The cost of this proposal is $432.

Give The Poor Kid A Chance!
I teach 7th grade math at a fabulous middle school. We are a low-income school with mostly minority students. Since the majority of our students come from low-income families, most of them do not own their own calculators. I think that being able to effectively use technology is necessary for my students to succeed. I believe that students in poverty deserve the same resources as students from wealthy families. A calculator is a small but significant resource. I wish that I could buy all of my 150 students their own calculators, but instead I am asking for a class set that I will be able to use for years to come. I chose this specific calculator because it has a two line display, so the students can see what they typed and the answer at the same time. This will help them (and me) to identify mistakes. It is also a solar calculator, so I will not have to replace them for many years! With your help my students can take advantage of a technology that wealthier students are already accustomed to using. Let's give these disadvantaged students a resource to help them succeed! My students need 28 TI-30XII Scientific Calculators. The cost of this proposal is $520.

A Visit to the 50 States
"Teacher, is Illinois the CITY we live in?"
Hi. I am a third grade teacher at an amazing school in a challenging community. We live and learn in a low-income neighborhood where resources are limited. Our school is 85% Latino and there is a language barrier amongst many of the students and their parents. Teaching students where they live in relation to their city, state, country, and the world is very difficult without a classroom map. I cannot count the number of times I would have loved to pull down a map and quickly show them places we've learned about. Third graders in my classroom are drawn to maps. They love the visual image. It creates such meaning, especially when ELL students learn best with a visual representation. A classroom pull-down map of the USA and the world would benefit my students and their learning on a day-to-day basis. At the beginning of the year, students become interested in the world when we start learning about planets and Earth. At the end of the year, I challenge my students to learn the location and spelling of all 50 states. Throughout the year, in all subject areas, places are named that my students need to know. But most of all, my third grade students have a difficult time locating their own state, let alone country. They think Chicago is a state! Wow...Can you believe that? Think back to when you were in school... Do you remember your classroom having a map? Isn't hard to believe that there are classrooms without maps? With your help, you will make it possible for my students to learn about their home. With your donation, you will help inspire students to learn about countries around the world. With this classroom map, you will help engage all 25 of my students in active and hands-on learning everyday. Our classroom needs a large USA/World Political Map. The cost of this proposal is $264.


Let's Table the Issue in Berwyn
Safety and six year olds are first in my first grade classroom that is tucked away in a small school in a low income community. We currently have desks with heavy lids that cause many unsafe situations in our room. Fingers get "smooshed" as the desks move and/or the tops fall down. It is also not unusual for a desk to tip over as a student pushes too hard on the top. Tables would completely erase these problems in our class and it would alleviate some of the district's need for desks in the upper grades. Unfortunately budget constraints make it a low priority right now. Your help will ensure the safety of our students and it will allow us to focus on the ever important job of learning to read. My students need 5 tables to accommodate all 20+ children at one time. The cost of this proposal is $1,006.


South Berwyn First Graders are Floored!
My first graders in this low income community deserve the best and we want them to have it! With the focus on reading in a test driven school system, the children need so much authentic material to connect them to their world and to give reasons for reading. My first graders love maps and love knowing where the postcards and leaves from our exchanges are coming from. I want to take advantage of that love and use it to help my students become the most they can. We sit on the floor everyday to have our class meetings, read stories, play games, etc. The rug we sit on is a cheap one that I buy and have to replace every two years. I would like to take advantage of the opportunity to use that rug we sit on to do more than just cover the floor. I want it to enhance the children's learning. You will make it possible for my students, who rarely get to experience the world outside of their home, to travel the country and learn about the world around them. They will walk from one state to another as they describe their trip, the changes in weather, the direction of travel, etc. They will know their world. My project needs a United States carpet for class. The cost of this proposal is $548.

I'm Ready to Act...Where's the Script?
I teach middle school drama/speech grades 6 - 8. We are a title I school district in a high-risk community where most of students are minority and low-income. Our new drama / speech program was created to promote public speaking skills in a community where many students are English language learners. Our students do not have daily access to formal speech skills. They learn to speak in slang, but learn to speak very little formal language. Our students need to develop the speaking skills the need to succeed after school in interviews, in college, or in the workplace. I need to create a library of age appropriate performance materials that students can use to improve their public speaking. Students will learn to perform monologues, perform short plays, and participate in reader's theater. You can make it possible for these children to become better public speakers and create a brighter future for themselves. My students need 15 book titles including titles on monologues, readers theatre, short plays, scenes, and other topics. The cost of this proposal is $348.

Batteries For Roll-Up Keyboards
I teach Middle School music in a Chicago area school with high gang activity and mostly low-income households. Our students get excited about music class and we love offering positive experiences. The roll-up keyboards are one of their favorite activities. Our keyboards need AAA batteries that have to be replaced often. Each set of roll-up keyboards is shared between two teachers and used all year long for different students each quarter. These students LOVE learning the keyboard and this is a great experience for them to have in school. It really helps them feel accomplished and successful. Hopefully, that transfers to their other classes. My students need a large supply of AAA batteries for roll-up keyboards that are shared among two music teachers in our school. The cost of this proposal is $252.

Read It Like You Talk It!
High poverty, but high motivation! My third grad regular education students are primarily from Hispanic families, and most are the only English-speaking family member. Our ESL program is flooded, and many students don't get the focused assistance they need to learn English. Listening to books on tape increases student fluency - their ability to read smoothly, with expression, and with proper pacing and volume. Like one little boy in my class said, "Fluency is reading it like you talk it!" In our classroom listening/recording station, students get the chance to listen to a book on tape, and then make their own. After listening to the book read by a "professional", the students give it a shot on their own, by recording themselves reading a book out loud into the tape player/recorder. Then they listen to themselves, and can hear their personal areas of strength and weakness. This is by far the most popular activity in our room, and the students LOVE to hear themselves reading out loud! It has really helped to improve their oral reading abilities! The problem is that we only have one tape player/recorder, so the students have to wait long periods of time, usually three weeks, before their next turn. By having multiple tape players/recorders in the room, each student would be able to use the listening and recording station at least once a week. This would really increase the fluency of my eager readers! My students are carrying the weight of generations before them on their backs. Most of them are the first ones to learn to speak English in their families, and must translate and read for everyone else, despite their limited reading ability. This project helps them improve their reading skills, which is a life-long gift! My students need 5 Califone Cassette Player Recorders. The cost of this proposal is $449.

ISATS begin, Spanish Speaking Students to Test in English

I read with interest Arne Duncan's comments about Spanish speaking students taking the ISAT tests in English in this Tribune article. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-no-image-04mar04,1,377129.story

Click here to read a past blog post about ISAT testing of English Language Learners in Berwyn.

Looking for Raffle Donations

Dear BerwynCARES members:

We are looking for donations of gift certificates or merchandise for a raffle that will be part of our annual spring fundraiser in early May to fund scholarships for Morton West High School students headed to college next fall.

Do you have any business contacts or ideas for raffle prizes? Would you be willing to solicit businesses for donations? WE NEED YOUR HELP! Ideas include:

Restaurant Gift Certificates
Theatre, Sports or Event tickets
Airline tickets
Hotel packages
Toy store, family, or childrens retail
Services
Salon/spa gift certificates
Museum passes
Any other themed baskets/packages

Please contact Shana Marshall at marshallshana@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping.

Call to Action...yes, that means you!

Here is a copy of the letter sent to the Berwyn Life last week. Please take this opportunity to act! Attached above is letter for you to print, sign and send. That was easy! We also hope that those that can will attend the March 12th Board of Education Meeting at Morton East.

Berwyn Life Newspapers
7222 W. Cermak Road, Suite 505
North Riverside, IL 60546

February 24, 2008

Dear Readers:

We write to ask that you voice your concerns to the District 201 Board of Education regarding the findings of the High Schools That Work consulting group. High Schools That Work is an “effort-based school improvement initiative founded on the conviction that most students can master rigorous academic and career/technical studies if school leaders and teachers create an environment that motivates students to make the effort to succeed.” High Schools That Work was hired to study District 201 schools and make recommendations. Their findings are alarming! According to the report, less than 6% of students complete the core curriculum, 30% of all students taking a math course fail, and 59% of assignments given to students are below the proficiency level. These findings were reported publicly at a District 201 School Board meeting last fall with little or no discussion or reaction from the School Board.

Morton has one of the shortest school days in the state. It currently has no Curriculum Director and the per pupil spending is far less than surrounding districts. No wonder only around 30% of students at Morton West meet or exceed state standards. Our graduation rate is 76.7% compared to the state graduation rate of 85.9%. The next school board meeting is March 12th at 7:00p.m. at Morton East. Berwyn CARES respectfully requests that the School Board respond to the High Schools That Work report with a specific plan to address the findings before the end of this school year. This plan should be available for the public on the district website. Please join us at the March 12th School Board meeting or write, call or e-mail the Board of Education expressing your concerns regarding the High Schools That Work report. Contact information is:

District 201 Board Of Education
3145 S. 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 222-5700
District201@JSMorton.org

If you prefer to e-mail CARES, you can send your message to berwyncares@yahoo.com and we will forward those on to the School Board at the March 12th meeting.

Sincerely,
Berwyn Citizens Aligned to Renew Education for StudentsShelley Titzer, President