State of Our Schools: Town Hall Test Score Summit

Cermak TIF Ends, Schools Benefit

I read with interest this article highlighting the impact of the newly expired Cermak TIF.  It is promising that our schools will be given a bit of help by the additional tax revenue that the expiration will bring.  However, it is worth noting that the city of Berwyn created a new TIF that covers the western part of the old TIF district as well as a portion of Harlem south of Cermak to about 31st street.  The new TIF will freeze tax rates at the present level with all new incremental revenue being invested into those businesses rather than schools and other taxing bodies.  It is also concerning that after 23 years of diverting funds away from schools, there is little in the way of new development and increased tax revenue for which those diverted funds were supposed to create.  The recent development of Harlem and Cermak, including the spruce up of the Cermak plaza  holds promise that the new TIF will invest the funds wisely to ultimately increase tax revenue.  Hopefully, our schools will not have to wait another 23 years for the funds they so desperately need.

Pick a Winner

Our Annual Kids Concert benefits Berwyn schools directly through support of The Berwyn Challenge at Donors Choose. Berwyn teachers ask, we help, students learn! It's that simple. Tickets ONLY $7. Order TODAY!

How Do Berwyn Schools Compare?

Recently, The State Board of Education released school report cards for each public school in the state of Illinois.  In an effort to provide clarity to parents and local residents, each year Berwyn CARES prepares a summary of school report card data for Berwyn's 13 schools along with an analysis of where each school ranks within the State of Illinois.  This information for 2011 will be posted on this blog and our website very soon.

This December CARES will once again host a town-hall style meeting to address the ‘State of the Test Scores’.   This event will take place on December 6, 2011 at 6:30 PM at the Berwyn Public Library.   School district administrations have been invited to provide a short presentation on where each district is headed.  There will be an opportunity for the audience and a CARES panel to ask additional questions and discuss the accomplishments and the challenges our schools face in light of this new data.    

Please plan to attend and spread the word to your friends and neighbors.  This is a great chance to become informed about YOUR schools and to join the discussion.  

Parent University this Wednesday

Parent University is an evening seminar series for parents that takes place at Heritage Middle School.  These events are free and open to the community (including parents whose kids aren't in District 100).

The next one is this coming Wednesday, Nov. 9, 6:30-7:30, and is titled Positive Parenting of Middle School Students. It will be a program on suicide prevention and awareness, which is a grim subject but an important one, especially when you consider that there are more suicides than murders in the U.S.  Click here for more details.

CARES hosts Boogers!

The name of the band is always a headline attention grabber!  Hope you can ALL join us for this rockin' event that is one of our main fundraisers each year featuring The Boogers with Istvan and his Imaginary Band.  Here are the details:

Date:  December 10, 2011
Place:  Fitzgerald's Night Club
Time:  Doors Open at Noon.
What:  A Kid's Rock Concert (really!  I mean it.)
Price:  $7 for a great cause.  All proceeds will go directly back into the school system in the form of Berwyn CARES Teacher Grants

Click here to order your tickets today.

Berwyn CARES Supports Morton West Student Performance

Berwyn CARES proudly partnered with the Berwyn Public Library, the 16th Street Theater and Morton West to support the Berwyn Reads program.  Our community read Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida and CARES sponsored a class at Morton West.  Students read the book and created presentations for the stage!

Please join us for a FREE community performance showcasing Morton High School students and their presentation of Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez. Led by 16th Street theater teaching artists Sam Roberson and Ashley Honore, each class focused on bringing one chapter of the book to life. 

Artwork by students of Gallery 16 and Morton High school and inspired by Parrot in the Oven also will be displayed. See below for details.

Sat, Nov 5 at Noon at Fitzgerald's, 6615 Roosevelt Road. Doors open 11am.
Event is free but you must call (708) 795-6704 x104 to reserve.  

District 98 Searching for New Superintendent

The Superintendent of District 98, John Belmont, will be retiring after this school year.  The Board of Education will be hiring a new leader.

This agenda indicates that the Board of Education may be considering using the IASB to assist in their search.  From the IASB website:

Recruiting and selecting a superintendent or other key administrators takes time and expertise, which is why the selection procedure and process must be planned carefully. IASB has developed a service to help boards prepare for that decision. The search and selection process includes conducting a needs assessment, collecting candidate information, keeping records and maintaining contact with educational agencies.

This process may include getting input from local residents.  Please contact D98 if you are interested in learning more.

Charter School Debate Comes to Berwyn

At last night's Berwyn CARES Board Meeting, a small group of residents gave a compelling presentation about a possible Charter School at the High School level in District 201.  Citing recent data from the state including a graduation rate of only 74.9% and only 26% of students meeting standards on the PSAE, the group concludes that some students of 201 would benefit from a different approach to teaching and learning, a more progressive and engaging curriculum, and decidedly higher expectations.   Their plan is to start small with about 125 freshman students and add a grade each year to have 400-500 students total enrollment in the 4th year.  All students in 201 would be eligible to attend with no admitting criteria.  If there are more applications than spaces, admission would be by lottery.  Charter schools receive the instructional cost per pupil (about $7500 in D201) which would amount to about 3 million dollars if enrollment reaches 400 students which is about 3% of the 95 million dollar D201 yearly budget.  This group will likely be presenting their request to the D201 board within the next year.  If rejected, there is a commission at the state level that may grant the charter in an appeal process.    

So, what do you think?  Go to the Berwyn CARES forum to join the discussion.