the illinois school board journal, september/october 2014

TheSTORM after THE STORM

IN THIS ISSUE: DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 Vol. 82, No. 5

You can’t direct the wind, but

you can adjust your sails.

Variously attributed to author H.

Jackson Brown Jr., activist-histori-

an Bertha Calloway, singer-songwriter

Dolly Parton or simply as a German

proverb, this quote reflects a moti-

vational approach to dealing with

change. In this issue of The Illinois

School Board Journal, we consider

adjusting sails to the wind, both fig-

urative and literal.

Recalling the literal winds of the

tornado outbreak of November 17,

2013, the Journal focuses on the

storm after the storm. With no part

of the state safe from the destructive

forces of nature, the most compelling

stories are those in which school offi-

cials share how they adjusted their

sails: working through recovery, ensur-

ing a safe return to school for stu-

dents, and offering advice and counsel

for school leaders to use when it hap-

pens again.

In Illinois, damaging tornadoes

struck communities as far as 300

miles apart, from Frankfort in Will

County to Brockport in Massac Coun-

ty. Damage estimates exceeded $1

billion and community life was dis-

rupted. In “Tornado aftermath cost-

ly for Illinois schools,” on page 6, we

consider the impacts to school dis-

tricts, in terms of physical damage,

emotional trauma, immediate expen-

ditures and future costs.

Throughout Illinois, school offi-

cials have emergency plans in place.

On page 12, “Washington districts

take action,” we learn that every event

brings its own set of challenges. Wash-

ington school district administrators

were able to rely on their expertise,

training, planning and peers — both

from within and outside the strick-

en community — to lead their dis-

tricts to recovery.

Roger Alvey was superintendent

of Elmwood School District 322 when

that community was struck by a tor-

nado in 2012. In the immediate after-

math of the November tornadoes,

Alvey worked through the night to

prepare a document – equal parts

practical checklist and uplifting sup-

port – for his peers. Washington school

officials lauded Alvey’s efforts. Now

the superintendent of Illini Bluffs

CUSD 327, Alvey was kind enough

to share his work with the Journal.

See “Checklist for tornado recovery

efforts,” page 17.

When the wind of change blows,

some build walls, while others build

windmills.

Figuratively, wind is a carrier of

change. Found originally in a Chi-

nese proverb, “wind of change” was

famously used to herald decoloniza-

tion and anticipate apartheid in South

Africa, in a 1960 speech given by

British Prime Minister Harold

Macmillan. Depending on your age

and perspective, it was used even

more famously in a 1990 song by the

German heavy metal band Scorpi-

ons to celebrate the end of the Cold

War. “Wind of Change” is also the

title of several other songs, many

publications, a pale ale, and at least

one kite shop.

A wind of change has come to

The Illinois School Board Journal.

As the new editor of the Journal, I

am looking forward to developing

content that covers issues and trends

that are important to Journal read-

ership, and offering resources to sup-

port board members in their work.

However, one of my first duties

as editor was a change I didn’t want

to make.

The death of author Richard W.

Smelter in March will bring to a close

Gus the Custodian’s 43-year run as

the voice of the “From the Boiler

Room” column (see page 2). I’m told

Gus’s crafty insights had a small

but appreciative following, and I regret

that there won’t be more.

Although the long-running and

occasionally long-winded Gus is gone,

I hope the Journal won’t be void of

wit and humor. Do you think you’re

funny? Does anyone else? Might you

or someone you know be a public

education humorist, commentator,

essayist and/or satirist? I’m accept-

ing nominations.

Theresa Kelly

Gegen is editor of

The Illinois School

Board Journal.

She joins the staff

of the Illinois

Association of

School Boards

from the Diocese

of Springfield in

Illinois, where she

developed special

publications and

worked on the

Catholic Times

newspaper. Her

communications

background also

includes non-prof-

it work and sever-

al years in college

athletics adminis-

tration.

continued on page 3

Vol. 82, No. 5

ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL(ISSN-0019-221X) is published every other month by the Illinois Associationof School Boards, 2921 Baker Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929, telephone217/528-9688. The IASB regional officeis located at One Imperial Place, 1 East22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120, telephone 630/629-3776.

The JOURNAL is supported by the duesof school boards holding active member-ship in the Illinois Association of SchoolBoards. Copies are mailed to all schoolboard members and the superintendentin each IASB member school district.

Non-member subscription rate: Domes-tic $18.00 per year. Foreign (includingCanada and Mexico) $21.00 per year.

PUBLICATION POLICYIASB believes that the domestic processfunctions best through frank and opendiscussion. Material published in the JOUR-NAL, therefore, often presents divergentand controversial points of view which donot necessarily represent the views orpolicies of IASB.

James Russell, Associate Executive Director

Theresa Kelly Gegen, Editor

Gary Adkins, Contributing Editor

Heath Hendren, Contributing Editor

Dana Heckrodt, Advertising Manager

Kara Kienzler, Design and Production

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

FEATURE STORY

6 | Tornado aftermath costly for Illinois schoolsThe tornado outbreak of November 2013 caused over $1 billion in damage, resulted in great property loss andcaused immeasurable emotional trauma as it impacted communities across Illinois. School officials are antici-pating the future costs of safety and recovery.

Gary Adkins

8 | Sidebar: Emergencies influence legislation

12 | Washington districts take actionSchool officials in Washington coped with unique challenges after a tornado devastatedneighborhoods in their districts.

Heath Hendren

15 | Graphic: The most destructive tornadoes of Nov. 17, 2013

17 | Checklist for tornado recovery effortsIn the immediate aftermath of the November tornadoes, Superintendent Roger Alvey createda checklist for dealing with the impact of a natural disaster, from assessment to rebuilding.

Roger Alvey

20 | Safety plans start with vulnerability assessmentsSchool districts should assess their ability to manage a natural disaster by identifyingareas of greatest damage risk and considering the at-risk population.

Gary Adkins

22 | Sidebar: Disaster plan resources

OTHER FEATURES

23 | Ten do’s for effective board meetingsExperienced school board members understand the importance of running a “good” board meeting.

Kara Coglianese

REGULAR FEATURES

Front Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside front cover

From the Boiler Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Ask the Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside back cover

On the cover: Olivia Smith, then a sixth-grader at Central Intermediate Schoolin Washington, created the artwork on the cover of this issue of The IllinoisSchool Board Journal. Olivia’s art previously was featured on a collection ofsurvival stories shared by students at Central after the tornado. The Journalthanks Olivia for the artwork and also Brian Hoelscher, principal of CUSD51’sCentral Intermediate School, for his assistance. Used with permission.

November/December Administrative salaries

January/February Funding public education

T O P I C S F O R U P C O M I N G I S S U E S

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

4 THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL / SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

In September of 1971, Gus the

Custodian stepped out of the

boiler room and onto the pages of The

Illinois School Board Journal.

The creation of David Carr and

Clifford Chaffee, members of the ele-

mentary education faculty at North-

ern Illinois University, the first “From

the Boiler Room” column was pub-

lished in the same issue as a piece on

principal salaries – $12,000 to $24,000

at the time, a report predicting what

education would be like in the Year

2000, and the IASB’s response to The

Illinois Constitution of 1970 and its

mandate creating the State Board of

Education.

In that inaugural column, the fic-

tional custodian, Gus, lamented that

his fictional school, Eastside Gram-

mar, was in a ping-pong arms race

against Westside Grammar School

(also fictional). The competition

between Eastside and Westside was

a feature of many columns to come.

They even made old Bessie Waite

teach decimals and fractions to our

third-graders. Guess third grade

was too easy before. I don’t see that

it makes much difference with the

amount of paper on the floor.

Also making regular appearances

in “From the Boiler Room” was Mr.

Keck, the fictional principal of East-

side. According to Gus, Mr. Keck was

one smart fellow, always knew best,

had all the answers and could do no

wrong. Most columns ended with the

tagline “… ’cause he’s the principal.”

Mr. Keck is wantin’ a confer-

ence with me right after recess that

I got to remember. S’pose he has more

deciding to do. He does pretty good

after he talks with me – that is, about

decidin’ things. After all, that’s his

job, ’cause he’s the principal.

In his 43 years of custodial com-

mentary, Gus could be a powerful

purveyor of sarcasm, yet from the

beginning he offered inspirational

quotes, related conversations he and

Mr. Keck had on school reform and

passed along book and article rec-

ommendations that were both non-

fiction and not fictional.

Upon Chaffee’s retirement in

1985, Carr, then on the faculty at

West Georgia College, continued to

provide Gus’s folksy wisdom as a solo

effort. In January, 1991, he was joined

by Richard Smelter, then principal

of Capron Elementary School in North

Boone C.U. District 200. Carr had

been Smelter’s advisor at Northern,

and he selected Smelter as his co-

columnist after making a list of “the

most sarcastic people” he knew. In

their first official collaboration, Carr,

Smelter, Gus and Keck tackled the

problem of radon gas.

That’s why we should be grate-

ful for real problems like asbestos

fibers and radon gas. Saves us hav-

ing to invent them.

Sort of like 20 years ago or so,

when we went and tore down all

the walls between the classrooms,

and 15 years ago, when we put them

all back.

In July 1997, Carr retired as the

collaborative voice of Gus. Smelter

continued to write “From the Boil-

er Room,” saying that using “gen-

tle (and sometimes not-so-gentle)

sarcasm is the best method I know

of to remind these folks that the pro-

fession is still dominated by regular

types who have not failed to notice

their foibles.”

Smelter’s commentaries started

with droll story-telling and ended

with “’cause he’s the principal.” But

in between were specific, common-

sense recommendations to school

board members and administrators.

Sometimes Gus went a little off-top-

ic, lamenting annual holiday letters,

considering the power of pizza and

taking note of district romances (again,

Theresa Kelly

Gegen is IASB

director/editorial

services and

editor of The

Illinois School

Board Journal.

Farewell to theBoiler Room

by Theresa Kelly Gegen

B O I L E R R O O M

PresidentKaren Fisher

Vice PresidentPhil Pritzker

TreasurerDale Hansen

ImmediatePast PresidentCarolyne Brooks

IASB is a voluntary association of local boards ofeducation and is not affiliated with any branch ofgovernment.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Abe LincolnLisa Weitzel

BlackhawkJackie Mickley

Central Illinois ValleyThomas Neeley

Cook NorthBarbara Somogyi

Cook SouthVal Densmore

Cook WestFrank Mott

Corn BeltMark Harms

DuPageRosemary Swanson

EgyptianJohn Metzger

IlliniMichelle Skinlo

KaskaskiaLinda Eades

KishwaukeeMary Stith

Lake Joanne Osmond

NorthwestBen Andersen

ShawneeRoger Pfister

SouthwesternRob Luttrell

Starved RockSimon Kampwerth Jr.

Three RiversDale Hansen

Two RiversDavid Barton

Wabash ValleyTim Blair

WesternSue McCance

Chicago BoardJesse Ruiz

Service AssociatesMichael Vallosio

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 5

fictional). Among the on-point top-

ics that Smelter’s boiler room pro-

tagonist tackled: thermostat wars,

curriculum challenges, childhood

obesity and buzzwords.

Why, if you’re not walking

around the school bragging about

how many of your paradigms you’ve

shifted lately, you’re about as mod-

ern as a poke bonnet… I guess a

great educational insult would be

to say to someone, “you miserable

paradigm non-shifter!”

In May 2004, Smelter removed

Gus’s customary cap and took a seri-

ous turn, writing as himself on the

subject of school funding, noting that

there is “nothing even remotely com-

ical” about short-changing children.

To the extent to which we fund

children’s education at different lev-

els, to that extend do we treat chil-

dren unequally. To the extent to

which we treat children unequal-

ly, to that extent do we violate their

civil liberties vis-à-vis equal pro-

tection under the law. To the extent

to which we violate their civil lib-

erties, to that extent we are shamed.

Gus returned with his usual

aplomb in the next column, and

continued true to form until this past

spring.

Richard Smelter died on March

6, 2014. A retired public school admin-

istrator, since 1977 he had also served

on the adjunct faculty of Oakton

Community College in Des Plaines.

He was an historian and novelist in

addition to being an administrator,

professor and columnist. He was also

a semi-professional musician.

With Smelter’s passing, so

passes Gus.

Gus was head custodian at East-

side Grammar School for 43 years.

He and his wife, Pearl, lived down

the street from Eastside. He was also

a “top-notch fisherman and not a

bad dancer.”

Sources:

“From the Boiler Room,” IASB

Journal, September-October 1971


Journal, March-April 1980


Journal, January-February 1991


Journal, January-February 1998


Journal, May-June 2004

Still in the Boiler Room, IASB

2009

The Journal is published to sup-

port IASB’s vision of “excellence in

local school board governance sup-

porting quality public education.” To

promote that vision, and to make the

Journal inviting and relatable, please

join me. I will be actively seeking

member input, not only for topic

ideas, but also for the content itself.

What would you like to see on these

pages? What’s your story? What are

the trends, topics, problems and

solutions affecting your school?

Send an email to tgegen@

iasb.com, call me at (217) 528-9688,

ext. 1104, bend my ear after a con-

ference, meeting, marching band

parade, soccer game or cross coun-

try meet, and see me at the Joint

Annual Conference in November.

Let’s adjust the sails. Let’s build

windmills.

The Front Pagecontinued from inside front cover


District goals constitute a sig-

nificant piece of the board’s expec-

tations. A board that has not recently

engaged in goal-setting will want to

undertake this work. If the board has

developed broad goals, then super-

intendent goals and targets will need

to be developed that are appropriate

for the evaluation instrument.

Next, the board and superin-

tendent also need to agree on what

measurements will be used to deter-

mine whether a particular goal has

been met, and whether the admin-

istration is in compliance with writ-

ten board policy. A measure may be

qualitative or quantitative. Perfor-

mance should be based on enough

data and informed opinion to avoid

personal biases and “gut feelings.”

Finally, the board needs to put

its expectations in writing into an

evaluation instrument. While it is

tempting to “borrow” an instrument

form another district or source, a

board that views the superintendent

evaluation as part of the overall dis-

trict planning process recognizes

the need to develop an instrument

based on its own unique needs. Using

a template or sample from another

source is perfectly acceptable; how-

ever, the content will be unique to

each district.

For more information, download

the publication “The Superintendent

Evaluation Process: Strengthening

the Board-Superintendent Relation-

ship” at www.iasb.com/training/

freepubs.cfm.

STAFFOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORRoger L. Eddy,Executive DirectorBenjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive Director

Meetings ManagementCarla S. Bolt, Director

Sandy Boston, Assistant Director

Office of General CounselMelinda Selbee, General CounselKimberly Small, Assistant General Counsel

Executive SearchesDonna Johnson, DirectorDoug Blair, ConsultantThomas Leahy, ConsultantDave Love, Consultant

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESJennifer Feld, Associate ExecutiveDirector/Chief Financial Officer

ADVOCACY/GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONSBenjamin S. Schwarm, Deputy Executive DirectorDeanna L. Sullivan, DirectorSusan Hilton, DirectorZach Messersmith, Assistant Director

AdvocacyCynthia Woods, Director

BOARD DEVELOPMENT/TAGDean Langdon, Associate Executive Director

Board DevelopmentSandra Kwasa, DirectorNesa Brauer, ConsultantAngie Peifer, Consultant

Targeting Achievement through GovernanceSteve Clark, Consultant

COMMUNICATIONS/PRODUCTION SERVICESJames Russell, Associate Executive DirectorGary W. Adkins, Director/EditorialJennifer Nelson, Director, Information ServicesTheresa Kelly Gegen, Director/ Editorial ServicesHeath Hendren, Assistant Director/CommunicationsKara Kienzler, Assistant Director/Production ServicesGerald R. Glaub, Consultant

FIELD SERVICES/POLICY SERVICESCathy A. Talbert, Associate Executive DirectorField ServicesLarry Dirks, DirectorPerry Hill IV, DirectorLaura Martinez, DirectorReatha Owen, DirectorPatrick Rice, DirectorBarbara B. Toney, Director

Policy ServicesAnna Lovern, DirectorNancy Bohl, ConsultantBrian Zumpf, Consultant

IASB OFFICES

2921 Baker DriveSpringfield, Illinois 62703-5929217/528-9688 Fax 217/528-2831

www.iasb.com

One Imperial Place1 East 22nd Street, Suite 20Lombard, Illinois 60148-6120630/629-3776 Fax 630/629-3940

Ask the staffcontinued from inside back cover

Join your Association in support of its new initiative!

This campaign will be the theme for

this year’s School Board Members’

Day on November 15, 2014.

Additional activities will be held at

this year’s Joint Annual Conference.

Learn more about how you can help your district and

community to build support for public education.

Connect with us at: www.iasb.com/standup

@ILschoolboards

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One of the largest November tor-

nado outbreaks in years tore

across Illinois and six nearby states

on Sunday, Nov.17, 2013. The result-

ing $1 billion in property damage,

loss of life and disruption in the way

of normal life have been extremely

hard on families, health care providers,

emergency responders, businesses,

cities, counties, and of course, school

districts. Recovery remains incom-

plete for the hardest-hit communi-

ties and schools, particularly for those

in Washington and Gifford. Even now,

10 months after the storms, debris is

still being cleared, building and repairs

continue, the toll on financial resources

and emotions is rising, and a new

school year begins with the ongo-

ing uncertainties of school safety.

There has been ample reporting

on what happened that day, but the

most significant aspects to these

storms were their timing, intensity

and scope.

The timing of the event, hitting

in mid-November, was highly unusu-

al. The tornadoes were the first storms

ever recorded in November with an

EF4 rating on the Enhanced Fujita

Scale (see key, page 7). Of course, a

tornado can strike at any time of year

and at any place on earth. That these

particular storms struck on a Sun-

day, when schools were unoccupied,

undoubtedly reduced the number of

potential injuries and fatalities. It was

reported that many of those whose

homes were destroyed were at church

and out of the tornado paths when

they hit residential neighborhoods

that morning and afternoon.

The number of tornadoes and

their locations were also unusual.

The National Weather Service issued

nearly 150 tornado warnings that day.

Official warnings were issued for the

same tornado multiple times after

separate sightings were reported;

nonetheless, a total of 73 separate

tornadoes were finally confirmed,

making it the fourth-largest outbreak

of tornadoes on record in Illinois.

Twisters were also confirmed that

day in Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana,

Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. But

The author, Gary

Adkins, is IASB

director/editorial

services and edi-

tor of Illinois

School Board

Newsbulletin.

Tornado aftermath costlyfor Illinois schools

by Gary Adkins


the most powerful and most dam-

aging storms occurred in Illinois,

killing eight people.

The EF4 that tore through Wash-

ington, located near Peoria in IASB’s

Central Illinois Valley division, struck

with winds estimated at 190 miles per

hour. That’s where the greatest total

property damage from the tornado

outbreak occurred, along with one

death and 122 injuries. The later deaths

of two citizens were attributed to the

injuries each suffered in the Wash-

ington tornado. The other EF4 hit New

Minden, located near Centralia in the

Egyptian division, killing two people

and injuring two more.

Several EF3 tornadoes blasted

across the state that day, as well,

including one in Gifford, a town of

about 975 people located 15 miles

northeast of Champaign in the Illini

division. There, the twister tore through

the center of town, destroying 30

homes with winds of up to 125 miles

per hour. Another EF3 storm struck

Brookport, a town of about 1,000

located on the Ohio River near Metrop-

olis, in IASB’s Shawnee division, where

the tornado killed three people and

destroyed dozens of homes.

Financial costs

As of mid-August of this year,

total damage has been estimated at

$1.067 billion, with $935 million of

that loss accounted for in Washing-

ton. And while private insurance is

expected to cover most of it, local

officials are concerned state money

in the form of disaster relief won’t be

nearly enough to take care of other

related recovery costs.

“We’re going to continue to beat

this thing,” said Washington Mayor

Gary Manier in a recent interview

with WICS Newschannel20. “We’re

close to 50 percent of the permitting

process of the 1,108 homes damaged.”

That number is now closer to 70 per-

cent as work continues.

Manier anticipates Washington

governmental units will receive about

$20 million of $45 million in dedi-

cated state aid that is earmarked to

recover from all the tornadoes. While

generous, $20 million is not going to

cover all expenses, which will also be

affected by future tax revenues.

Because so many homes and busi-

nesses were lost, property tax rev-

enue will be lower for at least the next

two years, or until all of the buildings

are rebuilt and occupied, and prop-

erty values restored.

“Our loss is actually because of

property tax,” Manier continued.

“Those homes are no longer there.

Their tax bills will be a lot less for the

next two years. Until they are all rebuilt,

we are going to miss that property tax

and that’s going to impact our schools,

library and park districts.”

Overall, Tazewell County super-

visor of assessments Gary Twist esti-

mates that Washington lost an

estimated 12 to 15 percent of equal-

ized assessed value for the 2014 levy

(for taxes owed in 2015). That’s low-

er than the 47 percent originally esti-

mated, but still a serious financial

burden. At Washington CHSD 308,

for example, 58 percent of the dis-

trict’s operating budget of $15.6 mil-

lion is derived from local taxes. If

these numbers hold true, based on

estimates as of last year, the result

could mean a $1.35 million hit to Dis-

trict 308. That is on top of a loss in

state funding that has been cut

$750,000 in just the past three years.

Of the three districts in Wash-

ington that had extensive losses, tax-

payers in Central SD 51 pick up the

highest proportion (64 percent) of

the local budget. That means that the

$9 million budget could take an

$860,000 hit.

“We don’t have control of either

one of those,” added Washington SD

52 Superintendent John Tignor, in

an April 2014 WICS Newschannel 20

interview. Regarding the potential

loss in property tax revenue, Tignor

said that depends largely on the 2014

construction season that is ending

soon. “We’ll get a picture as the build-

ing season continues and we are able

to get a better idea of what the rebuild

rate might be.”

Although individuals and busi-

ness could receive federal funds after

the tornadoes, FEMA denied the state’s

request for assistance to local gov-

ernments. But even if that request

had been granted, replacing lost

tax revenue is not something the Fed-

eral Emergency Management Agency

does, according to FEMA spokes-

woman Deanna Frazier.

“It has to be physical damage,”

Frazier says.

EF SCALE

EF 3 Second Rating Gust (mph)0 65-85 1 86-110 2 111-135 3 136-165 4 166-200 5 Over 200

The EF scale still is a set ofwind estimates (not measure-ments) based on damage. Itsuses three-second gusts esti-mated at the point of damagebased on a judgment of eightlevels of damage to 28 indica-tors such as different types ofstructures and trees.


Attendance, enrollment and

transportation

In District 308, 116 high school

students (or about 10 percent of enroll-

ment) and 15 staff members lost their

homes. The campus re-opened four

days after the tornado struck.

District 52 lost 293 homes, dis-

placing 127 students and their fam-

ilies. School was closed for five days.

The other grade school district

affected by the tornado, Central SD

51, lost homes and school property.

Twenty-three of 150 staff members,

including Superintendent Chad Alla-

man, were displaced by the twister,

as were 140 of 1,279 students. The

district closed its two schools through

the Thanksgiving Holiday and

reopened Dec 3. In addition to the

damage to residences, about $150,000

in direct damage was caused to the

roofs of Central Intermediate School

and Central Primary School. Much

of the repair work was completed

in December, 2013, during the win-

ter break.

According to school officials,

enrollment trends in the three Wash-

ington districts have remained con-

sistent and do not appear to be

impacted by the tornadoes. District

52 actually increased by six students

during the school year.

A fourth local district, Washing-

ton SD 50, was minimally affected by

the tornado, and school resumed

there after three days.

Because of so many displaced

students, the school districts have

had to deal with additional trans-

portation costs in order to accomo-

date students who moved to nearby

communities for an extended time

(see page 12).

Tornado damage and the brutal

winter weather that followed caused

the area districts to call off classes

for as many as 14 school days. Only

the five allotted emergency days were

made up in District 51. Days missed

throughout Illinois eventually were

deemed “Act of God” days by the Illi-

nois State Board of Education, which

meant they did not detract from state

aid under the funding formula, which

is based on attendance days

Emergencies influence legislation

In the wake of natural disasters, legislators look at

potential changes in state law to minimize future

tragedies and speed up or encourage recovery efforts.

Recent legislation has resulted from the 2012 Leap Day

tornado outbreak and the November 2013 tornados that

devastated several Illinois communities.

Some initiatives seek to help rebuilding efforts, while

others look to strengthen safety standards in the form of

increased preparedness, such as standards requiring drills

for severe weather, shelter in place and evacuation. More

recently, state policymakers have turned to structural

specifications for buildings that house students.

This year, legislation was approved by the Illinois

house and senate requiring storm shelters in newly-built

school facilities. House Bill 2513, at press time awaiting

the governor’s signature, would mandate that all new

school building construction include a storm shelter that

meets the minimum requirements of the ICC/NSSA Stan-

dard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters.

However, the Illinois Statewide School Management

Alliance opposed the bill. While certainly a worthy cause,

this mandate comes with a steep price tag at a time when

districts continue to struggle financially and the uncer-

tainty of state funding remains a likely problem in the

years ahead. As school board members are aware, pass-

ing referendums for new construction is no easy task in

today’s world, and that task gets more difficult when the

cost to taxpayers continues to rise.

“Some school architects estimated that this would

increase the cost of school projects by a million dol-

lars per project,” said Ben Schwarm, IASB deputy

executive director. “Like most of these proposals, the

intent is good. But if the state believes that it is a high

enough priority to require that school districts be com-

pelled to add this new construction, the state should

prioritize its budget to pay for it.”

Storm shelters are clearly one option. But school

districts have other options when it comes to protect-

ing students from natural disasters. Some older schools

have retrofitted and reinforced interior hallways to cre-

ate a “shelter” in the existing structure. This meant

strengthening walls with additional concrete and rebar


Gifford CCSD 188, a district of

218 students, sustained direct tor-

nado damage to the roof of its bus

barn. Although only moderate dam-

age to three of the district’s five bus-

es was reported, the district planned

to build a new garage, at a cost of

$220,000, and replace one older bus.

Most of the cost will be paid by dis-

trict reserve funds. Superinten-

dent Rod Grimsley told the Rantoul

Press on July 27 that if there are still

children living outside the school

district who were displaced by the

tornado, the district will continue to

transport them to school, as required

under state law.

“All but one or two families had

their plans for residency back in

Gifford figured out before school

ended in June,” Grimsley said. “We

are continuing to work with families

to help them as much as possible.”

Emotional trauma

While visible scars of the disas-

ter are beginning to fade, the emo-

tional wounds can remain raw,

particularly for school children.

According to the National Child

Traumatic Stress Network, the lin-

gering mental health impacts of liv-

ing through tornadoes can leave

children feeling traumatized for

months, if not years. Psychologists

label this post-traumatic stress dis-

order, also known as PTSD, which

is triggered by any disturbing outside

event and may have long-term effects.

PTSD is a condition in which trau-

matized individuals “can’t stop

remembering.”

Tornado watches and warnings,

severe thunderstorms and even dark

clouds can trigger bad memories for

some. For years to come, Washing-

ton or Gifford children (and adults)

may experience reliving the fears and

other emotions of the day the torna-

do roared through their towns.

Experts say tornados threat-

en the usual assumptions of safe-

ty because their paths are erratic.

In some neighborhoods, certain

houses are completely leveled,

while others sustain little dam-

age. This inconsistent pattern

and ensuring hallways have 90-degree bends at each

end so they do no act as wind tunnels. Other schools

have installed heavy steel shutters that can lock into

place if a tornado is approaching. Some of these shut-

ters can even be used as frames for marker boards, so

as not to take away from the school atmosphere.

Other recent state policy proposals have focused on

community recovery. In order to speed recovery and

ensure that citizens and business rebuild within that same

community, Illinois has put in place two new property

tax relief laws for those impacted by a natural disaster.

Public Act 97-0716 emerged in response to the dev-

astation Harrisburg suffered in a 2012 tornado. The law

created the Natural Disaster Homestead Exemption,

which provides a property tax exemption for a home-

owner that lost a home and replaced the dwelling with

a new home. The owner is able to receive a homestead

exemption equal to the difference in property values

between the new home and the home destroyed by a nat-

ural disaster. To receive the property tax benefit, the

homeowner must rebuild within two years and the

new structure must not be greater than 110 percent of

the previous home’s square footage.

“We opposed Public Act 97-0716 as well” Schwarm

said. “To be fair not only to taxing bodies but to other

property tax payers, assessment of property taxes needs

to reflect the actual value of the home. The language in

the bill was not tight enough to assure that the value of

the new home reflected the actual taxes being paid.”

A similar measure was approved in 2014 for small

businesses that were destroyed in November 2013 by

tornados and other natural disasters. Senate Bill 3259,

now Public Act 97-0911, phases in property taxes over

a 15-year period for small business owners who rebuild

after a disaster.

Also approved in 2014 was a disaster-related ini-

tiative, now Public Act 098-0701, which limits to 10

percent the amount of compensation an insurance

adjuster can receive when representing a consumer in

a disaster claim.

—- by Heath Hendren


can cause feelings of guilt in those

spared, or unfairness in those

recovering.

Mental health professionals say

they have witnessed many different

emotional reactions in children and

adults exposed to a severe tornado,

including feelings of insecurity, unfair-

ness, anxiety, fear, anger, sadness,

despair and worries about the future.

Nightmares, falling grades, regres-

sion, even self-harm can sometimes

result. There may also be problems

with absenteeism, self-medication and

recklessness among older students.

Counseling is sometimes indicated.

Anticipating the next event

As last November’s widespread

tornado outbreak demonstrated, every

school district in Illinois faces severe

weather risks, and the costs associ-

ated with preparation.

In Illinois, legislation has been

approved by the house and senate

requiring storm shelters in newly-

built school facilities; which could

add $1 million to new-construction

costs. Experts warn that retrofitting

shelters may not be the best solution

for existing schools.

One of the first steps in identi-

fying the best available shelter options

in a school is to determine to what

degree one is needed. This may include

a vulnerability assessment geared

toward extreme wind events. The

assessment of the threat level is based

on the probability of an occurrence

of an extreme wind event of a spe-

cific magnitude at a specific location

(see page 20).

Harold Brooks, an expert on tor-

nado science and statistics at the

National Severe Storms Laboratory

in Norman, Oklahoma, told the New

York Times in an April 29, 2014 sto-

ry why communities in tornado-prone

areas should not necessarily tear

down all their schools and construct

reinforced buildings:

“[For] new construction, I’d do

it [just like in homes]. Otherwise, it’s

not a particularly cost-effective way

of saving lives. Around here, about

10 percent of tornadoes occur dur-

ing school hours. The most in any

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state is around 20 percent, for Alaba-

ma. If you’re interested in protecting

lives, you need to focus on where peo-

ple are when tornadoes hit, which is

most likely at home. Nationally, we’ve

averaged about one death per year

in the last 55 years. In school trans-

portation vehicles (buses and vans,

not kids being taken to and from

school in their family vehicle), around

16 kids 5 to 18 years old are killed

per year, and 14 high school students

die directly or indirectly as a result

of football.”

Regardless of the rarity of deaths

from tornadoes at school, because of

their potential danger it is wise for

schools to prepare for them, accord-

ing to Steve Satterly, director of school

safety and transportation at the CSC

Southern Hancock County, Indiana.

He suggests developing a written plan

that allows the school the capability

to pre-emptively close ahead of severe

weather warnings received from an

Emergency Management Agency direc-

tor. Such plans spell out, in writing,

under what conditions school may be

released early. If one is not current-

ly used, schools may obtain and prop-

erly test a reverse 911 system or

emergency notification system to

instantly communicate with parents.

Danville CCSD 118 schools

recently approved the use of an app

designed and maintained by a Jostens

company, based in Oklahoma. Accord-

ing to Danville webmaster DeWayne

Towe, “Their big selling point as far

as how it works was when the torna-

do came through Moore, Okla. It was

the end of the school day, [and] admin-

istration sent out a notification to

parents: ‘Your kids are safe, they’ve

all taken shelter, the buses aren’t run-

ning, do not come to the school.’ Once

the tornado passed, they were to send

out another notification to parents.”

Public schools are required by

the Illinois State Board of Education

to conduct severe weather drills once

a year. Many school districts do so

more often. Darien SD 61, for exam-

ple, leads students in drills in Sep-

tember, soon after the school year

begins, and again in March, at the

start of tornado season.

During those drills, an announce-

ment is made. Students go — as a

class — to a designated site. For most

classes in the suburban Chicago dis-

trict, that site is one of the school’s

learning centers. Students get on the

floor, generally in the kneeling posi-

tion, duck their heads down and cov-

er the back of their necks. Teachers

take attendance to see that all the

students are accounted for. If all stu-

dents are there, the teacher holds up

a green sheet of paper. If someone is

missing, a red sheet is held up and

staffers talk by radio as they check

for that student.

Officials say students need to feel

safe, and conducting drills is an impor-

tant part of that.

“We like to let people know we

have security plans in place, severe

weather plans in place, so when some-

thing happens, it’s not a new event

for us. We try to keep the children as

calm as possible, as if it’s a routine

matter,” District 61 Superintendent

Robert Carlo said.

Plans and drills aside, Carlo said

that even though his district’s three

schools are safe, “for any tragedy, you

can only plan so much.”

Ten months after the events of

Nov. 17, stricken Illinois communi-

ties are returning to normal. As heal-

ing continues, recovery costs are

counted and lessons learned are

shared. The new school year has begun

in the impacted communities.

References:

“Tornado Aid Likely Won’t Cov-

er Recovery Costs,” WICS-TV

Newschannel 20, Springfield, archives

from April, 2014

“What You Should Know about Tor-

nadoes,” the National Child Traumat-

ic Stress Network, http://www.nctsn.org/

“Resources for School Person-

nel,” the National Child Traumatic

Stress Network, http://www.nctsn.org/

“14 Severe Weather Survival Tips:

Vulnerability assessments, using safe

rooms, following the two-wall rule

and planning for students with spe-

cial needs are just some of the steps

your campus must take to prepare

for a tornado,” by Steve Slattery,

h t t p : / / w w w . c a m p u s s a f e t y

magazine.com

“We like to let people know we have security plans in place, severe

weather plans in place, so when something happens, it’s not a new

event for us. We try to keep the children as calm as possible, as if

it’s a routine matter.” – Darien District 61 Superintendent Robert Carlo



What makes natural disasters

so difficult to plan for is their

level of unpredictability. Dealing with

unknown or unforeseen conditions

may start with the initial event in

first response, but continues as con-

sequences compound during the

recovery period.

All school districts have policies

in place to deal with disasters and

tragedies, it natural or man-made.

However, it is impossible to fully plan

for the unknown. Responses will

necessitate specialization and adap-

tation. Transportation, volunteer

coordination, charity distribution,

insurance documentation, and as

determining when students should

return to class become the respon-

sibility of school leaders.

When an EF4 tornado struck the

town of Washington in November

2013, few could have anticipated the

scope of destruction. At a time when

most school districts were preparing

for the Thanksgiving holiday recess,

the only things expected were tour-

nament games, the first signs of win-

ter, and the Joint Annual Conference,

which would be held six days later.

The Washington community has

four public school districts: three

elementary and one high school.

Three were significantly impacted

by the devastation left by the twister.

One of the first challenges fac-

ing school officials was deciding when

students could return. The deci-

sion depended on many factors: the

well-being of the students, faculty

and their families; building safety and

infrastructure concerns; and how to

physically get so many displaced chil-

dren to and from school.

“That was the toughest deci-

sion,” said Jim Dunnan, former super-

intendent of Washington High School

District 308. “It’s a very delicate bal-

ance. The reality is that school gave

quite a few kids a place to go.”

Washington High School reopened

just three days after the tornado struck.

On the first day back, 750 of the dis-

trict’s 1,200 students were in atten-

dance. The district imposed a one-hour

late start because of the logistics of

transporting children to school. Dun-

nan said it was important to ensure

that the actual building and surrounding

grounds were safe and secure, utili-

ties were functioning properly, travel

routes were manageable, and that

Heath Hendren

is IASB assistant

director/commu-

nications.

Washington districtstake action

by Heath Hendren

Photo taken November 18, 2013


school transportation was not inter-

fering with cleanup and recovery efforts.

“By returning to school, it allowed

us to identify those students who lost

a home in the disaster,” said Dunnan.

“Also, we didn’t jump right back into

academics. It was important to let

classmates socialize and see their

friends.”

The two elementary schools most

impacted took a little more time in

ushering younger students back to

school. District 52 reopened one week

after the tornado struck. Central Dis-

trict 51, where school facilities required

repairs, needed a little more than two

weeks to reconvene.

All three schools were prepared

with onsite counselors to help with

the transition. One-on-one and group

counseling allowed students to share

their experiences in a comfortable,

secure setting. Washington Township

Special Education Cooperative arranged

for Tazewell and Menard County school

districts to send additional counselors

to the impacted areas.

Central District 51 held a teacher

institute day prior to students return-

ing to allow counselors to meet with

staff and prepare them to meet the

needs of students when classes

resumed. District 51 kept addition-

al counselors in place throughout that

first week, and a volunteer organi-

zation brought in therapy dogs to help

accommodate students.

“Students were happy to return

to school, to see that their friends

and teachers were okay, and to return

to a normal routine,” said Central

District 51 Superintendent Chad Alla-

man, who lost his own home in the

tornado.

Superintendent John Tignor of

Washington District 52, whose home

was also destroyed, said that it was

important to give students a place to

see and speak to each other after fac-

ing such a devastating event.

“We needed to give students a

chance to re-acclimate. It was impor-

tant to provide a routine and some-

thing normal for them,” he said. “Being

back at school and the routine brings

back a sense of normalcy.”

But deciding the date for students

to return is only a part of the process.

Officials must still be able to transport

students, a critical factor for the Wash-

ington-area districts. While bus fleets

were not damaged by the storm, many

students were displaced and living in

as many as 11 different communities.

School officials determined the

best and most efficient option was to

coordinate a joint effort among the

three districts to get students to and

from school, no matter where they

were relocated. As stipulated in the

federal McKinney-Vento Homeless

Assistance Act, schools must provide

transportation for students who are

left homeless.

All three affected districts passed

resolutions to develop a coordinated

transportation plan, which called for

disciplined bookkeeping and an ear-

ly start to the day for many. They

pooled extra buses and assigned each

district an area of responsibility for

transporting displaced students. Dis-

trict 51 served the western region to

Peoria and Dunlap; District 52 sent

buses to communities toward the

north and east such as Mackinaw,

Roanoke and Metamora; District 308

transported students from the south

towards Pekin and Morton. This

meant that students from different

districts rode the same bus. They

had to be picked up and dropped off

at the various schools, and students

of all ages rode together.

The unique transportation pro-

gram worked well for Washington

schools, because the federal act allows

transportation costs to be split

between the district in which the

student was physically living and

the school the student was attend-

ing. In this situation there were three

districts that would also split the 50

percent share. This made costs much

more manageable for the Washing-

ton schools, but also required keep-

ing accurate, up-to-date records in

order to determine which other dis-

tricts would be billed for the addi-

tional 50 percent portion.

Because it was impossible to pre-

dict when those who lost their homes

would be able to return to reside in

Washington, the districts also extend-

ed the exemption provided for in the

McKinney-Vento Act for a year, allow-

ing the longer-term displaced stu-

dents to continue at their school as

in-district residents.

“We needed to give students a chance to re-acclimate. It was

important to provide a routine and something normal for them,”

he said. “Being back at school and the routine brings back a

sense of normalcy.” — District 52 Superintendent John Tignor


Ensuring students are taken care

of in the aftermath of such a disaster

is the first priority. But this disaster

also impacted staff and faculty. These

individuals have families and homes

to attend to as well.

Washington High School creat-

ed “disaster days” for employees, giv-

ing them additional flexibility in their

schedules to attend to repairing or

rebuilding their homes. Only a few

staff members took this leave time,

so the total cost to the district was

under $1,000.

Central District 51 had a similar

program. The board of education,

including two members who lost their

own homes, supported relaxed pro-

cedures for additional paid leave for

staff to attend to the repair or rebuild

of their homes. The Central board

also approved $1,000 disaster relief

payments for teaching and non-cer-

tified staff whose homes were lost or

damaged by the storm. A total of 21

staff members took advantage of the

disaster relief payments at a cost of

$21,000. The administrators declined

the payments.

The Washington districts also

discovered the need for a system to

distribute donations and charity to

affected students and families. With

hundreds of thousands of dollars

raised and families facing difficult cir-

cumstances, it was important to dis-

perse the needed funds and resources

in a fair and timely manner.

District 308 board member Tim

Custis said that dealing with the out-

pouring of support is something that

people don’t think about until faced

with this type of situation. “It is impor-

tant to develop a process fairly quick-

ly because you want to distribute

funds, materials and help to those in

need quickly and efficiently,” said

Custis.

Joe Sander, assistant superin-

tendent and business manager for

District 308, described the distribu-

tion process.

“The board set up a relief assis-

tance grant program and created a

Tornado Grant Assistance Applica-

tion to disperse the money. Then the

funds were distributed in categories,”

Sander said.

The first round of grants of just

under $1,000 was dispersed to all dis-

placed students and staff on Dec. 20,

2013. The second round of grants was

distributed in the beginning months

of 2014 to those who were impacted

but not displaced. The district is in the

process of issuing a third round of funds

that will likely be given in a similar

manner as the first round.

In addition to donations, volun-

teer efforts also played an important

role in the recovery. Volunteers proved

very useful for clean-up responsibil-

ities in the aftermath of the disaster.

The amount of debris scattered

throughout the city of Washington

and the school grounds was over-

whelming, but the effort of volunteers

was able to reduce the clean-up costs

for both the city and school districts.

Superintendent Allaman praised

the efforts of the people who came to

help after the disaster. “We had won-

derful volunteer support when we

called for a clean-up day for our facil-

ities and grounds,” he said.

Tignor said one of the unex-

pected problems his District 52 ran

into was debris clean-up on their

sports fields. Volunteers played an

important role. “We had had limit-

ed success. Some equipment worked

well, some did not. The best way to

really get it cleaned up was old-

fashion labor,” he said.

Other recommendations from

Washington’s experience include

assigning someone to work with vol-

unteers, and to begin documenting

the assistance volunteers provide

from the very beginning. Tracking

who is helping and how much time

volunteers are contributing can be

useful if the district is eligible for

federal assistance, because volun-

teer hours can count toward match-

ing funds.

Documentation also proves to

be important for insurance purpos-

es. Before and after pictures are help-

ful assets when recording damage.

Detailed records of school property

proved important in Washington’s

case. Because the majority of the tor-

nado’s damage was to residential

homes, a significant amount of school

property in students’ possession was

lost. Books, technology devices and

even sports gear and equipment need-

ed to be replaced. Having quality

records of those items increased the

chance of insurance coverage cov-

ering the lost property.

“Our school’s insurance did a

great job. We had approximately

continued on page 16

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Pekin 10:52 a.m.Rating: EF2 with estimated winds up to120 m.p.h.

Track: This was the first tornado of theentire outbreak, striking Pekin at 10:52a.m. Path was up to 100 yards wide,tornado tracked across the west andnorth sides of Pekin.

Impact: 10 people injured.

Washington 10:59 a.m.Rating: EF4 with estimated peak windsup to 190 m.p.h.

Track: Formed from the same parentcell as Pekin tornado and covered 46.2miles over 48 minutes, from 10:59 a.m.near East Peoria to 11:47 a.m. nearLong Point. Path width was up to one-half mile.

Impact: Three killed, 122 injured. Atotal of 633 homes, seven businessesand 2,500 vehicles were destroyed. Anestimated 475 additional homes weredamaged but not destroyed, whileminor to significant damage was sus-tained by numerous other structures.Many trees and power lines weredowned and power was out for days.

New Minden 12:04 p.m.Rating: EF4 west of New Minden inWashington County, with winds esti-mated at least 166 m.p.h.

Track: With a path width of up to 200yards, the tornado was on the groundfor 10.6 miles over nine minutes from12:04 p.m. southwest of New Mindento 12:13 p.m. near Hoyleton.

Impact: Two killed, two injured. Asmall farm sustained a direct hit withonly the foundation of the homeremaining.

Coal City/Braidwood 12:22 p.m.Rating: EF2 in Coal City, with estimat-ed winds up to 122 m.p.h.

Track: Tornado moved 12.9 miles over11 minutes from 12:22 p.m. near CoalCity to 12:33 p.m. near Wilmington. Itspath width was up to 200 yards.

Impact: Three injuries. Significantproperty damage to farms, residencesand to businesses near County LineRoad and I-55.

Gifford 12:45 p.m.Rating: EF3 with estimated peak windsat 140 m.p.h.

Track: With a maximum path width ofone-half mile, the storm tracked for29.7 miles over 30 minutes from 12:45p.m. near Thomasboro to 1:15 p.m.near Wellington.

Impact: Six people injured. 30 homeswere destroyed, more than 40 othersreceived major damage, and another125 had minor damage. 15 businessessustained moderate to major damageand the roof of a school bus barn atGifford CCSD 188 was moderatelydamaged. Hundreds of vehicles weredamaged or destroyed, and many treesand power lines were downed as well.

Brookport 2:20 p.m.Rating: EF3 with estimated maximumwinds 145 m.p.h.

Track: Tornado struck at 2:20 p.m. andtravelled 11.5 miles in Illinois (42 milestotal), beginning and ending inKentucky and straddling the OhioRiver. Maximum width was 500 yards.

Impact: Three killed, two in Brookportand another in nearby Unionville. Atleast 13 people were injured in Illinois.Dozens of mobile homes weredestroyed, many blown 100 feet ormore. One site-built home was leveledand a school bus was tossed throughthe air. Emergency management offi-cials reported 233 residences weredamaged, from Brookport east to thePope County line.

Impact: The most destructive tornadoes of Nov. 17, 2013

As the map indicates, other areas were impacted by tornadoes on November 17. Weather officials officially reported at least 70 tornadoes in Illinois.

Sources: NOAA, NCDC/NOAA, weather.com, NWS


$29,000 in claims,” said District 308’s

Sander. “We documented all of it,

made a list and submitted it to our

insurance. Insurance covered a lot

of the lost property that students had

at their homes.”

With policies in place to ensure

the safety of students and staff when

there is a threat of a natural disaster

while school is in session, Washing-

ton school officials recommend con-

sidering long-term impacts.

“Planning is important and it is

critical to have detailed plans in place

in the event a disaster strikes when

school is in session,” Allaman, of Dis-

trict 51, said. “The lesson that res-

onates long term is the importance

of having a contingency plan for hous-

ing students in the event schools are

destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.

School district officials should take

stock of space that is up to code, in

close proximity to their district and

available to house students on an

interim basis until temporary hous-

ing can be installed. To that end, it is

equally important to have contin-

gency plans in place to secure and

install temporary housing to educate

students while school buildings are

being repaired or rebuilt.”

Although none of the districts

reported policy changes in the wake

of the tornado, what has become clear

in the months after the tragedy is the

importance of being prepared and

the ability to adapt to situations that

students, families and an entire com-

munity will face. Having open lines

of communication and a working rela-

tionship among administrators, board

members, and city and township offi-

cials is critical toward ensuring a sta-

ble recovery.

“You can never be fully prepared

for a disaster like the November 17,

2013 tornado,” said Allaman.

As Dunnan pointed out, “Deal-

ing with a disaster like this is about

the human side of things. It’s about

helping families and getting people

back on their feet. It gave people a

chance to pause and reflect, and

reassess what’s important.”

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Elective Credit:• Leading Leaders: The Job of

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As superintendents, we are trained

to prepare for events leading

up to natural disasters. We develop

crisis plans, conduct mandated drills

and make preparations to protect our

students to be safe in the event that

something of great magnitude occurs.

This preparation typically takes us

through the events leading up to the

occurrence of a serious incident, such

as a fire, flood, tornado, etc. But in

the days, weeks, months and years

following a natural disaster, we tend

to be woefully unprepared to see long

into the future and to anticipate what

issues and obstacles that will face

us both personally and from an orga-

nizational standpoint.

In my own experience in having

dealt with a tornado in the Elmwood

school district, and an unanticipated

flood more recently, it became evident

that clearly-identifiable processes and

procedures to follow in the days fol-

lowing natural disasters and in the long

term were simply not part of my admin-

istrative training and preparation. I strong-

ly feel that having a working document

or resource, as well as some amount of

professional development, would assist

us in our efforts to recover and would be

incredibly beneficial to our students, dis-

tricts and communities.

It is natural to be overwhelmed

physically, emotionally and psycho-

logically following a significant event.

For those who have never been through

it, there is an initial feeling of shock

and disbelief. It becomes even more

complicated when the event affects

you, personally, in the loss of mate-

rial possessions or perhaps your entire

dwelling, as evidenced by three of my

superintendent colleagues who lost

their homes in last November’s tor-

nado outbreak. Imagine the stress

placed on these individuals in attempt-

ing to run school districts while simul-

taneously attempting to care for their

own families! It is extremely difficult

to see any length of time into the

future when the immediate concern

is where you might find a place to live

and provide for your own family.

Every natural disaster is unique

in its own right. Tornadoes, in partic-

ular, are unpredictable in scope, loca-

tion, strength, direction and time on

the ground. Because of their unpre-

dictable nature, recovering from such

events becomes unique, each with its

own individual set of circumstances.

The Elmwood tornado of four years

ago, for example, decimated the busi-

ness district. Recent tornadoes in the

greater Peoria area destroyed resi-

dential areas. Situations require dif-

ferent thought processes and approach-

es to recovery efforts. However, there

are common themes. The following is

a list of things for school superinten-

dents, and all school leaders, to con-

sider in the wake of a tornado:

Step 1 — Assessment

The first 48 hours

Law enforcement and government

officials will take over at some point,

usually in the first hour or two follow-

ing the event. Leading up to that

takeover, school officials need to first

consider the extent of injuries and/or

fatalities and then the damage to school

property by asking these questions:

• Has the school been damaged?

If not, can it serve as a communi-

ty center or triage center?

• Does the community know they

have access to the school in the

event school officials are not reach-

able? Communication can be dif-

ficult or impossible.

• Are the buses usable? Are school

bus drivers reachable? Can buses

be used to transport both injured

and non-injured to triage cen-

ters, assuming roads are passable?

• Are generators available and oper-

able, to provide light and/or heat-

Roger Alvey was

superintendent

of Elmwood

CUSD 322 when

that district was

struck by an EF2

tornado in 2010.

Now the superin-

tendent of Illini

Bluffs CUSD 327,

Alvey began this

piece in the

immediate after-

math of the

Washington tor-

nado. Most of

the Washington

school adminis-

trators mention

him by name and

say this informa-

tion has been a

huge help in their

transition and

recovery effort.

Checklist for tornadorecovery efforts

by Roger Alvey


ing and cooling (depending on the

time of year)?

• Has the district contacted insur-

ance? Is someone taking pictures

of damage? Is someone logging

conversations and documents for

insurance purposes?

• Is someone keeping track of hours

worked by school personnel? This

can be used later for state or feder-

al assistance (IEMA or FEMA), which

could fill the gaps in coverage from

insurance, minus the deductible.

• Is someone designated to handle

returning calls, texts and other

messages from people simply want-

ing to see how the school is doing

and to offer assistance?

• Can any part of the school be opened

to outside agencies and/or busi-

nesses to temporarily relocate?

• Do first responders have access to

school resources (copy machines,

fax machines, computers ,

restrooms, etc.), if needed?

Step 2 — Communication

The first 48 hours

• Does the school have power? If not,

what means of communication will

be used to reach parents?

• Are landline phones down? Are cell

phones working? If voice data is

out, can school officials send texts?

• Is social media available?

• Have regular community meetings

been scheduled in order to com-

municate with the general public?

Remember, many affected home-

owners have no contact with the

outside world via the media, and

are generally overwhelmed with

addressing their own needs.

• When or if school can be resumed,

what activities need to be cancelled,

and for how long? How will can-

cellations be communicated?

Step 3 — Changing Mood

Day 3 to Day 7

During the first 48 hours, peo-

ple are incredibly busy assisting each

other, and there is generally a feel-

ing of esprit de corps. Donations pour

in from the outside, and many sto-

ries of heroism and self-sacrifice

emerge. Unfortunately, the mood

begins to change as homeowners are

barred from their homes out of con-

cern for safety, curfews are enforced,

and the emotional high begins to wear

off. Homeowners are turned away,

and in some instances, not even

allowed to re-enter their dwellings.

The mood shifts to a negative tone as

people realize the severity and mag-

nitude of the situation. Unless the

school has taken a direct hit, leaders

can formulate a plan to resume school

in an effort to regain some amount

of normalcy:

• Have arrangements been made for

counselors to be available for stu-

dents traumatized by the event?

• Can district employees make it to work?

• Are buses able to run routes, or

do routes need to be altered due to

impassable roads or because of lack

of students due to destroyed homes?

• Can the district expand bus routes

into neighboring districts to accom-

modate parents that might have

relocated with friends and fami-

ly? How far outside the district

can students reasonably be accom-

modated? Will the district provide

transportation even to students

living in town, i.e. within 1.5 miles?

• Should the district excuse students

from school for a period of time

after school resumes, recognizing

some are needed at their homes?

• Is it appropriate to allow the stu-

dent body to assist the communi-

ty clean-up efforts?

• Is someone continuing to update

the list of damaged items for insur-

ance purposes as well as hours

worked by school personnel?

• Can the district help with fundrais-

ing or collection of household goods

at the school?

• Has someone scheduled contrac-

tors to address any facilities needs

due to damage?

Step 4 — Recovery

1 Week to 3 Months

Depending on the locality and

severity of the worst damage, recov-

ery for a school district will quickly

include considering answers to the

following questions:

• Should the district waive lunch

fees for affected families? If so,

how long does that last?

• Are there going to be residency

issues? Are neighboring districts

understanding of the situation?

• Has the school board amended the

school calendar?

• Can the district resume practices?

• Can the district resume games and

activities, or would it be inappro-

priate to conduct activities in light

of the situation?

During this time, once school

district needs are being appropriately

addressed, district leaders can con-

sider the extent they can offer com-

munity assistance. When homeowners

and business owners begin to dis-

cover the amount of red tape associ-

ated with rebuilding efforts, local

leaders from all community enti-

ties can work together to ease the

transition to rebuilding.

Step 5 — Rebuilding

3 months to 3 years

As recovery continues, long-term

rebuilding efforts will also be under-


way. Important long-term questions

for school leaders include:

• What will be the effect of the loss

of property on the district’s assessed

valuation and for how long?

• How will enrollment be affected if

there is inadequate housing for

affected individuals?

• What effect will reduced atten-

dance have on General State Aid?

• What ramifications might there be,

relative to the IHSA participation,

for students living outside of the dis-

trict for an extended period of time?

• What is the projected loss of pop-

ulation and enrollment, due to

businesses that have been shut-

tered resulting in the loss of jobs?

• How does the district intend to

handle residency issues the year

after the disaster (assuming stu-

dents finish the school year in

which the disaster happened) when

houses are not complete?

• Is there a possibility that TIF dol-

lars may be used in rebuilding

efforts? If so, what effects will that

have on district revenue? Can the

district negotiate a term shorter

than the traditional 23 years?

• How will the building season be a

factor? Disasters in spring and sum-

mer provide for a lengthier build-

ing season. Disasters occurring in

the fall and could mean an extra

year of redevelopment.

• Is the district eligible for FEMA

dollars? If so, does the district have

adequate documentation to sup-

port the application?

Rebuilding efforts will eventual-

ly include celebrating successfully

dealing with nature’s adversity. Rec-

ognizing that there is a mutually sym-

biotic relationship between school

and community, develop a plan to cel-

ebrate successful recovery. For exam-

ple, honor first responders and vol-

unteers. Have media students assem-

ble a video, set to music, which shows

before the disaster, the immediate

aftermath, and during and after rebuild-

ing. Further documenting the cele-

brations and reactions can be used for

positive public relations for school and

community. Consider promoting these

efforts in the media and writing a Gov-

ernor’s Hometown Award application

in recognition of Herculean efforts as

a school and a community.

Through every step of the process,

all school leaders should take care of

their own health and that of their fam-

ilies during the incredibly trying time

following a natural disaster. Consider

reaching out to a network of colleagues

for both professional input and for

mental health. Superintendents are a

proud group of professionals; most

have a hard time reaching out for help,

personally or professionally.

We need to emphasize to our col-

leagues in education that long-term

planning is critical for the success of

the district and the community fol-

lowing significant events. Likewise,

we need to lean on each other dur-

ing times of crisis and realize we have

a network of folks to rely on.

I certainly do not purport to be

an expert on recovery from natural

disasters, but I do realize that our

professional development is woeful-

ly inadequate relative to events of

this magnitude and its respective

recovery effort. We are not alone at

the top, and we can make strides to

assist our superintendents and admin-

istrators to not only survive epic

events, but thrive in the process.

Board members say: • Good chance to build some teamwork. • Allowed everyone to express their thoughts. • Agreeing to do things differently (we were in a rut of repeating

the same patterns over and over).

Benefits include: • More effective leadership for the district • Improved teamwork • Successful board meetings

Contact your IASB field services director to begin planning your next board self-evaluation workshop.Springfield - 217/528-9688 Lombard - 630/629-3776

Working together ... better

Self-Evaluation is a key step toward a better board.

Field Services



School buildings with the poten-

tial to be in the path of a tor-

nado — that is, all school buildings

in Illinois — should be assessed for

potential vulnerabilities to wind dam-

age to property and people, and once

assessed, shelter areas need to be

implemented.

Such an assessment can be done

in two stages. The first is a general

survey of the school campus to iden-

tify those buildings, or parts of a build-

ing, that would be at greatest risk of

serious damage or collapse during an

extreme wind event. Building codes

are not designed to ensure that schools

withstand the kinds of winds even

the most modest tornado can muster.

The standard is to build schools to

resist 90-mph, straight-line winds.

The weakest EF1 tornadoes can sus-

tain gusts of up to 110 mph, and their

rotational winds put more pressure

on buildings than a straight-line wind

of the same speed, Iowa State Uni-

versity engineer Partha Sarkar told

Live Science in 2013.

“The buildings are simply not

designed to withstand that level of

wind,” Sarkar said.

The second stage of a building

vulnerability assessment needs to be

performed by a well-qualified and

experienced professional who can

identify the interior areas of a school

that can serve as the best possible

refuge from extreme wind events.

The next step in a vulnerability

assessment is to identify the at-risk

population. The Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA) describes

this group as “those people who are

unable to evacuate ahead of a storm

for any reason.” In a school, experts

suggest, that would be everyone on

campus. Identifying this popula-

tion is necessary for doing a proper

risk assessment as this determines

potential losses as a result of storm

damage. It is also necessary so

administrators can make sure ahead

of time that everyone at risk has a

place to go and can likely get there

in a timely manner.

After identifying the population

at risk, according to FEMA, it’s time

to conduct a risk analysis, the final

step of the vulnerability assessment.

FEMA describes this as, “The poten-

tial losses determined on the basis of

the vulnerability of a building and its

occupants to damage and resultant

death and injury of an extreme wind

event of a certain magnitude are com-

pared with the probability of occur-

rence of such an event at that location.”

There are three general risk lev-

els: low, medium and high. If leaders

have identified a moderate risk or

higher, a community safe room may

be considered.

When schools have completed a

vulnerability assessment, FEMA says,

it’s time to plan. For most schools

right now the best available shelter

area needs to be determined. If school

districts are going to build a safe room,

FEMA document P-361 should be the

guide as it provides specifications for

such a room. If schools wish to iden-

tify the best possible shelter avail-

able currently, they need to calculate

the square footage of the area need-

ed for such a shelter, and subtract

any unusable space, such as furni-

ture, columns, equipment, partitions

and anything that would interfere

with someone using that part of the

floor. This determines the usable

space in that area, according to FEMA.

From such a calculation, school

leaders can calculate how many peo-

ple can be safely sheltered there. Plan-

ners need to know the maximum

number of people in each building.

Take this number and multiply it by

five. For each person in a wheel chair,

multiply by 10. The resulting num-

ber, FEMA says, is the square footage

needed to shelter everyone.

For example, if a school has 560

students, 75 staff members and three

The author, Gary

Adkins, is IASB

director/editorial

services and edi-

tor of Illinois

School Board

Newsbulletin.

Safety plans start with vulnerability assessments

by Gary Adkins


students in wheelchairs, the FEMA

equation is:

(635 x 5) + (3 x 10) = 3,205

square feet of shelter space needed.

Generally the people who are

being sheltered will be sitting on the

floor in the traditional “duck and

cover” position facing the wall. As

part of the planning, schools should

take into account that FEMA con-

siders two hours as the maximum

time of occupancy. After that amount

of time, people can leave the shel-

ter to head elsewhere, provided the

storm has moved on, depending

on any damage.

Roof span is an important con-

sideration when placing a shelter area.

Span refers to the length of the beams

that support the roof. Also important

is the direction of the beams. The tremen-

dous stresses created by a tornado can

quickly overwhelm the ability of a roof

beam to support its share of the weight

of the roof, and to help provide struc-

tural integrity for the walls.

The maximum roof span is 25

feet. Any length beyond that risks

increasing the probability of roof

and/or wall failure during an extreme-

wind event. Long hallways are still

viable, as usually roof beams are per-

pendicular to the hallway. That being

said, it is best to check by taking a

look at the blueprints for the school.

The use of hallways during an

extreme-wind event has been debat-

ed extensively, especially after the

Joplin, Mo. tornado in May, 2011.

Video footage showed wind-blown

debris speeding through the hall-

ways, creating fears that students

sheltering in those hallways could

be injured or killed by the debris.

It is true that hallways that open

to the outside should be the last place

used because the doors to the outside

will likely fail, and students would

then be subjected to wind-borne debris.

However, a review of the research has

not shown a significant number of

fatalities from wind-borne debris,

according to Steve Satterly, direc-

tor of school safety and transporta-

tion at the CSC Southern Hancock

EXECUTIVESEARCHES

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County in Indiana. He was a survivor

of an EF3 tornado on Sept. 20, 2002,

and has since spent considerable time

researching school safety topics includ-

ing school tornado preparedness mea-

sures. Satterly says he has found the

vast majority of fatalities in an extreme-

wind event come from students being

buried under collapsed walls and roof-

ing material.

He suggests following the “2-Wall

Rule” when selecting a best possible

shelter area at school, making sure that

there are a minimum of two walls between

the shelter area and the outside.

Students with special needs

should be factored into school plan-

ning. Not only do schools need more

space for wheelchair-bound students,

but remember that many students

with special needs do not react well

to change, and an extreme-wind event

will create major changes.

Schools also need emergency

equipment for shelter areas. FEMA

recommends one flashlight (with

continuously charging batteries) per

10 occupants, as well as a first aid kit.

They also recommend a NOAA

weather radio (with batteries), and

a radio (with batteries) that can pick

up commercial stations. An extra sup-

ply of batteries is recommended, as

well as a device that will create a pierc-

ing sound without a power source

(such as an air horn), to be used to sig-

nal rescue workers if people get trapped

in the shelter. Schools also should have

a communications device other than

a landline phone. After a tornado, cell

phone coverage may be spotty, although

SMS text messages will often work

even if cell phone calls will not.

School administrators need to

develop a professional relationship

with their local emergency manage-

ment agency director. This relation-

ship will provide a means for the EMA

director to send schools warnings of

severe weather. Emergency managers

can also serve as a resource for a school

vulnerability assessment.

Assessment materials are pro-

vided by FEMA to assist in assess-

ment at http://www.training.fema.gov/

EMIWeb/emischool/EL361Toolkit/

SiteIndex.htm.

A host of resources is available to assist school districts

prepare disaster plans, including the Illinois Association of

School Boards and the Illinois State Board of Education.

PRESS, the Policy Reference Education Subscrip-

tion Service offered by IASB, offers sample policies and

procedures. PRESS recently updated materials on school

safety, including directing annual safety reviews. In 4:170-

AP1 of the Administrative Procedures regarding com-

prehensive safety and security plans, the annual safety

review is addressed this way:The District Safety Coordinator facilitates the annual

safety review meeting conducted by the School Board or

its designee, as required by 105 ILCS 128/25 and 128/30.

During the annual safety review, the law requires the

School Board or its designee to “review each school build-

ing’s emergency and crisis response plans, protocols,

and procedures and each building’s compliance with the

school safety drill programs.” If the school board uses a

designee, it should preferably be someone other than the

District Safety Coordinator to assure an unbiased audit.

The District Safety Coordinator assists the Board or its

designee to comply with annual review requirements,

including without limitation, the completion of a report

certifying that the review took place.

(For more information about PRESS, email the IASB

policy services staff at [email protected].)

The PRESS materials also reference the Illinois State

Board of Education’s online information, located at:

http://www.isbe.net/safety/guide.htm. The site includes

an annual review checklist, compliance information,

drill scheduling and documentation information. Dis-

tricts can also download a FEMA guide for developing

school emergency plans at: http://www.isbe.net/

safety/pdf/REMS-K-12-Guide-508.pdf, while a sample

school emergency operations plan can be located at:

http://www.isbe.net/safety/pdf/sample-sseop1113.pdf.

ISBE also offers a15-minute tornado preparedness

video presentation, showing the need for schools to recon-

sider their tornado shelter areas in hallways that have

exits to the outside. This video can be found at:

http://www.gallagherpost.com/cflms/f/modules/

Tornado%20Preparedness%20IL%20Schools/player.html.

The video includes a security surveillance camera video

from the Joplin, Missouri, school that was hit by a torna-

do on May 22, 2011, as well as further resources for Illinois

school boards.

— by Theresa Kelly Gegen

Disaster plan resources



One of the most important and

time-consuming jobs that

school board members have is to exe-

cute school governance through the

monthly school board meeting. Expe-

rienced school board members under-

stand the importance of running a

“good” meeting. Many have proba-

bly agonized through a few bad ones

to know how to best avoid them. Here

are 10 top “do’s” that school board

members should remember:

Have a good agenda. Having a

well-organized and prepared agen-

da that focuses on school governance

is essential. The board president and

superintendent should work collab-

oratively to plan and set the agenda.

Utilize a well-constructed con-

sent agenda. A consent agenda groups

the routine, procedural, and infor-

mational or self-explanatory non-

controversial items together in order

to streamline the full agenda. Items

to include in a consent agenda are:

minutes from a previous meeting,

informational items, monthly and

quarterly reports, committee and

staff reports, appointments requir-

ing board confirmation, approval of

contracts that fall within the organi-

zation’s policy guidelines, dates of

future meetings, etc.

Always come prepared. Make

sure that all board members read the

board reports before the meeting, so

that questions or concerns they have

may be addressed by the adminis-

tration ahead of time.

Create a welcoming environment

for each meeting. Make everyone who

is attending the meeting feel welcome

and valued. Personally greet and

acknowledge all members of the audi-

ence. Take the opportunity to pass

along a word of appreciation to any

district or staff member present to

let them know how much the board

appreciates their work.

Have district policies and hand-

books readily available. During board

meetings, always have a copy of dis-

trict policies and handbooks at hand

in case questions arise.

Stay focused. It is important to

stay focused on the agenda in order

to effectively and efficiently complete

the agenda items. Too often, a board

can get off-track if conversations are

allowed to begin about personal agen-

da items or stories. If an item needs

additional discussion to continue,

tabling it to the next meeting is an

option. An effective school board

meeting should typically not run past

two hours. If it does, there are either

too many agenda items and/or dis-

cussions that may not be related to

true governance. These items should

be reviewed for relevance.

Manage discussion items. When

items appear on the agenda that require

discussion, the board president should

ask if there is a motion to limit the

discussion to 30 minutes. Such a

motion requires two-thirds vote. Dur-

ing this discussion, it is important to

prevent repetition by several mem-

bers, and to look for new speakers on

the topic. This prevents one member

from controlling the floor.

Encourage equal participation.

Discussion items can sometimes be

monopolized by one or two speak-

ers. There are several parliamentary

procedures that can be used to address

this. For example, no one speaker

should speak for a second time when

there are members who wish to speak

for a first time. “Is there anyone who

wishes to speak? Sarah, do you have

an opinion on this?” Once a person

has spoken twice to a motion, then

he or she is finished with that motion.

This should be established as a stan-

dard operating procedure with each

new board.

Conduct frequent board assess-

ments. A board should have in place

Kara Coglianese

is currently the

superintendent

of St. George

School District

258, located in

Bourbonnais.

Ten do’s for effectiveboard meetings

by Kara Coglianese


a system to continually monitor, assess

and hold each other accountable. The

board president should periodically

give a quick survey after board meet-

ings to gather insight to the overall

effectiveness of the meeting. The sur-

vey provides the board with the oppor-

tunity to reflect and assess themselves

and their conduct as a whole. Based

on the data, goals for improvement

can be determined. This too, should

be a standard operating procedure.

Adhere to board governance. The

role of the school board is to:

1) Clarify the district purpose

2) Connect with the community

3) Employ the superintendent

4) Delegate authority

5) Monitor district performance

6) Take responsibility for itself

The board agenda and discus-

sions should reflect on at least one of

these areas. It is important for a board

to not get caught up into micro-

managing other areas of the district

that should be left to the adminis-

tration. Doing so can confuse the role

of the board and administration. Often

times, the community becomes

unclear about whom to voice con-

cerns, which can create confusion or

mistrust among stakeholders.

Overall, school governance con-

ducted through effective and efficient

monthly meetings is essential to keep-

ing the work of school districts mov-

ing forward. Practicing these ten

simple “do’s” is a way to accomplish

this important work.

References

BoardSource (2006). “The Con-

sent Agenda: A Tool for Improving

Governance,” http://boardsource.org/

dl.asp?document_id=484.

Carver, J. (2006). Boards that

Make a Difference: A New Design for

Leadership in Nonprofit and Public

Organizations. Jossey-Bass Pub-

lishers, San Francisco, CA.

Illinois School Board Associa-

tions (2011). Coming to Order: A

Guide to Successful School Board

Meetings.

Policy Services

If your board needs assistance in any of these areas, contact IASB Policy Services today!

630/629-3776 or 217/528-9688 Ext. 1214 or [email protected] or [email protected]

Custom, in-district services and workshops to assist your board with all aspects of its policymaking role:

DEVELOPMENT – Policies that provide for good board processes, a strong board-superintendent relationship, appropriate direction and delegation to the superintendent, and district ends.

UPDATING – Policies that are current with legal requirements and provide for effective board governance.

REVIEW – A process that assures board policy continues to accurately support the board’s mission, vision and goals.

MONITORING – A process that assures board policy is being followed and is having the intended effect.

COMMUNICATING – A process that allows easy access to current board policy by the board, staff, students, parents and the community.



Bob Colvin, a

partner in Francis

Associates, a civil

engineering firm in

Paris, recently

received the 2014

Lifetime Achievement Award from

the East Central Illinois Development

Corporation. Colvin previously served

on the Crestwood School Board for

12 years.

The award honors the East Cen-

tral Illinois region’s most influential

community and economic develop-

ment leaders and most committed

volunteers. In expressing his appre-

ciation for the recognition, Colvin

emphasized that he is fortunate to

be part of a dedicated team effort

involving local government, educa-

tion, business and industry, and

the state, all cooperating to improve

the economy and the lives of citizens

of Paris and Edgar County. Colvin

was described by his nominators as

a selfless leader who has worked dili-

gently with state and local govern-

ment officials and school and business

leaders to make Edgar County a bet-

ter place to live and work.

He is currently serving as the pres-

ident of the Paris Economic Devel-

opment Corporation (PEDCO) and

has been a part of that volunteer orga-

nization since 1991. At present he is

part of an effort to bridge the gap

between the local schools, a college

and local manufacturers to develop

job training programs to meet local

industry needs. With the local school

districts, he has provided a major role

for the location, design and construction

of the new Paris Cooperative High

School set to open in the fall of 2015.

Diane Holder

was one of two for-

mer Stevenson High

School District 125

board members hon-

ored by the current

trustees on May 19 with a Heritage

Award. The Heritage Award is given

annually to individuals who have made

a significant impact on Adlai E. Steven-

son High School. Since its inception

in 1985, Heritage Award recipients

have included former faculty and staff,

community members, and alumni.

A former teacher, Holder is the

third-longest serving board member

in the district’s 43-year history, behind

current board members Terry Moons

and Merv Roberts, a former IASB

Director. Holder served for 25 years,

from 1983 to 2008, and was vice pres-

ident of the board for from 2000 to

2007. She was elected to the District

125 Board of Education in 1983 and

re-elected six times. She also spent

three years, from 1978 to 1981, on

the District 96 Board of Education.

Holder rose through the teaching

ranks to become principal of Aptak-

isic-Tripp Junior High School, and

she finished her career as Aptakisic-

Tripp School District 102’s assistant

superintendent for curriculum and

instruction before retiring in 2006.

Les Raff was

one of two former

Stevenson High

School District 125

board members hon-

ored by the current

trustees with a Heritage Award on

May 19. He served on the board from

1995 to 2011 and was president from

2000 to 2007. He had served as vice

president prior to succeeding Merv

Roberts as president. He was elect-

ed in November 1995 to the seat for-

merly held by William Gehl. Raff

successfully faced a number of chal-

lenges as president, including the

2002 tax-rate referendum, the retire-

ments of two superintendents and

the hiring of their replacements

(including the current superinten-

dent), and dealing with various issues

related to the school reaching its peak

enrollment in 2005.

The Heritage Award is given

annually to individuals who have

made a significant impact on Adlai

E. Stevenson High School. Since

its inception in 1985, Heritage Award

recipients have included former fac-

ulty and staff, community members,

and alumni.

Achievements

M I L E S T O N E S

Milestones

M I L E S T O N E S


In memoriamSteve Allen, 69, died July 30,

2014. He was a member of the

Pecatonica School Board from 1980

to 1984.

Donald F. Bode, 81, died June

28, 2014. He was a former Saunemin

school board member.

William D. “Bill” Burns, 72, died

June 30, 2014. He was a member of

the Gillespie school board from 1978

to 1993.

Dean Buzzard, 46, died July 11,

2014. At the time of his death he was

a member of the St. Elmo CUSD 202

Board of Education.

Marie Caauwe, 90, died June 15,

2014. She was a former member of

the Evergreen Park CHSD 231 Board

of Education.

Wanda Campbell, 86, died July

30, 2014. Seeing the need in the school

system of offering an education to

those children with a disability and

knowing a mandate was forthcoming

from the State of Illinois, she ran for

the Unit 5 School Board in 1972 and

was the first woman to be elected

to the board. She held the position

for over nine years. Because of her

determination and foresight,

Brownsville School for special needs

children was established.

Richard Canada, 78, died July

29, 2014. He was a member of the

Rankin School Board for many years

Philip N. Crusius, 57, died June

3, 2014. He was a sitting member of

the Arlington Heights District 25

Board of Education, a position he had

held since 2009.

Donald L. Davinroy, 73, died

July 22, 2014. He was a former

Collinsville CUSD 10 board member.

He was also a retired vocational

administrator and teacher with the

Venice, Granite City and Collinsville

School Districts.

Alfred A. “Al” DeCap, 87, died

July 10, 2014. He formerly served as

a member of Riverdale CUSD 100

Board of Education for 10 years.

Michael M. Duffy, 68, died June

20, 2014. He was the superintendent

of Durand CUSD 322.

Ralph R.E. Ellett, 88, died June

18, 2014. Ellett formerly served six

years on the Pleasant Valley school

board.

Robert Green, 85, of Du Quoin,

died on July 25, 2014. He had been

the track superintendent for 34 years

at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds

and was also a Du Quoin High School

board member.

Leonard R. Haas, 93, died June

15, 2014. He previously served on the

El Paso School Board for eight years.

Joseph Carl “Joe” Hageman, 89,

died July 4, 2014. He previously served

on the school boards for both Fair-

mount Elementary School and Jamaica

Consolidated Schools.

Dean Healy, 71, died July 25,

2014. He was a former member of the

Norris City-Omaha-Enfield CUSD 3

Board of Education.

David E. Jones, 74, died June 16,

2014. He taught two years in the Rock-

ford School District in the 1960s, and

served on the Pecatonica School Board

during the mid-1970s.

Richard Mann, 71, died June 25,

2014. He was a member of the St.

George School Board from 1983 to

1993 and was president for five years.

He was also a member of the Bradley-

Bourbonnais Community High School

District 307 Board of Education from

1993 to 2014 and was board presi-

dent. Mann was an IASB Three Rivers

Division officer.

Leonard Loid Martin, 90, died

July 12, 2014. He formerly served for

several terms on the LaMoille school

board.

H. Wayne Mullen, 74, died July

5, 2014. He previously was a mem-

ber of the Litchfield school board.

Thomas A. Pruser, 54, died

June 26, 2014. He was a former mem-

ber of the Clinton CUSD 15 Board of

Education.

Danny L. Rademaker, 75, died

June 14, 2014. He previously was a

member of the Delavan school board.

Luann Kaye Stemler, 60, died

June 5, 2014. She formerly served as

a Maroa-Forsyth school board mem-

ber, with most of her term spent as

board president.

Bruce Alvin Wieneke, 88, died

May 31, 2014. He began his teaching

career in Kincaid High School

teaching science in 1950. He later

served the Pana school district as

principal, assistant superintendent

and retired from his duties as super-

intendent in 1988.

George H. Wirth, 90, died June

24, 2014. A native of New Athens,

he served two

years as IASB

President, from

1970 to 1971, and

later as secretary-

treasurer for the

National School

Boards Association, from 1974 to 1976.

He served on the former New Athens

High School board of education from

1951 to 1954, and then on the New

Athens CUSD 60 board from 1954

continued on page 28

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 29SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014 / THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL 29

A Directory of your

IASB ServiceAssociates

IASB Service Associates are businesses whichoffer school-related products and services andwhich have earned favorable repu tations for qual-ity and integrity. Only after screening by theService Associates Executive Committee is abusiness firm invited by the IASB Board ofDirectors to become a Service Associate.

Appraisal ServicesINDUSTRIAL APPRAISAL COMPANY — Insurance

appraisals, property control reports. OakwoodTerrace - 630/827-0280

Architects/EngineersALLIED DESIGN CONSULTANTS, INC. —

Architectural programming, site planning & design,architectural and interior design, and constructionadministration. Springfield - 217/522-3355

ARCON ASSOCIATES, INC. — Full service firm spe-cializing in educational facilities with services thatinclude architecture, construction management, roofand masonry consulting, landscape architecture andenvironmental consulting. Lombard - 630/495-1900;website: www.arconassoc.com; email: [email protected]

BAYSINGER DESIGN GROUP, INC. — Architecturaldesign services. Marion - 618/998-8015

BERG ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, LTD. —Consulting engineers. Schaumburg - 847/352-4500;website: www.berg-eng.com

BLDD ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architectural and engineering services for schools. Decatur - 217/429-5105; Champaign - 217/356-9606; Bloomington -309/828-5025; Chicago - 312/829-1987

BRADLEY & BRADLEY — Architects, engineers andasbestos consultants. Rockford - 815/968-9631; web-site: www.bradleyandbradley.net/

CANNON DESIGN — Architects. Chicago - 312/960-8034; website: www.cannondesign.com; email:[email protected]

CM ENGINEERING, INC. — Specializing in ultra effi-cient geo-exchange HVAC engineering solutions forschools, universities and commercial facilities.Columbia, MO - 573/874-9455; website: www.cmeng.com

CORDOGAN CLARK & ASSOCIATES — Architectsand engineers; Aurora - 630/896-4678; website:www.cordoganclark.com; email: [email protected]

DESIGN ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architecture, engi-neering, planning and interior design. Hillsboro -217/532-3959, East St. Louis - 618/398-0890, Marion- 618/998-0075, Springfield - 217/787-1199; email:[email protected]

DEWBERRY ARCHITECTS INC. — Architects, plan-ners, landscape architecture and engineers. Peoria -309/282-8000; Chicago - 312/660-8800; Elgin -847/695-5480; website: www.dewberry.com

DLA ARCHITECTS, LTD. — Architects specializing inpreK-12 educational design, including a full range ofarchitectural services; assessments, planning, feasi-bility studies, new construction, additions, remodel-ing, O&M and owner's rep services. Itasca - 847/742-4063; website: www.dla-ltd.com; email: [email protected]

ERIKSSON ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, LTD. —Consulting civil engineers and planners. Grayslake -847/223-4804

FANNING/HOWEY ASSOCIATES, INC. — Schoolplanning and design with a focus on K-12 schools.Park Ridge - 847/292-1039

FGM ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS, INC. — Architects.Oak Brook - 630/574-8300; Peoria - 309/669-0012;Mt. Vernon - 618/242-5620; O’Fallon - 618/624-3364;website: www.fgm-inc.com

GREENASSOCIATES, INC. — Architecture/construc-tion services. Deerfield - 847/317-0852, Pewaukee,WI - 262/746-1254; website: www.greenassociates.com; email: [email protected]

HEALY, BENDER & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Archi -tects/Planners. Naperville, 630/904-4300; website:www.healybender.com; email: [email protected]

HYA EXECUTIVE SEARCH, A DIVISION OF ECRAGROUP, INC. - Superintendent searches, board andsuperintendent workshops. Rosemont - 847/318-0072

IMAGE ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architects. Carbondale- 618/457-2128

JH2B ARCHITECTS — Architects. Kankakee - 815/933-5529; website: www.JH2B.com

KLUBER ARCHITECTS + ENGINEERS — Buildingdesign professionals specializing in architecture,mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and fireprotection engineers. Batavia - 630/406-1213

LEGAT ARCHITECTS, INC. — Architectural andEducational planners who specialize in creatingeffective student learning environments. Chicago -312/258-1555; Oak Brook - 630/990-3535; CrystalLake - 815/477-4545

LARSON & DARBY GROUP — Architecture,Engineering, Interior Design & Technology. Rockford- 815/484-0739, St. Charles - 630/444-2112; website: www.larsondarby.com; email: snelson@larsondarby. com

MELOTTE-MORSE-LEONATTI, LTD — Architectural,industrial, hygiene and environmental service.Springfield - 217/789-9515

PCM+D — Provide a full range of architectural ser-vices including facility and feasibility studies, architec-tural design construction, consulting and related ser-vices. East Peoria - 309/694-5012

PERKINS+WILL — Architects; Chicago - 312/755-0770

RICHARD L. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC. —Architecture, educational planning. Rockford -815/398-1231

RUCKPATE ARCHITECTURE — Architects, engi-neers, interior design. Barrington - 847/381-2946;website: www.ruckpate.com; email: [email protected]

SARTI ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INC. —Architecture, engineering, life safety consulting, interior design and asbestos consultants. Springfield- 217/585-9111

STR PARTNERS — Architectural, interior design, planning, cost estimating and building enclosure/roofing consulting. Chicago - 312/464-1444

WIGHT & COMPANY — An integrated services firmwith solutions for the built environment. Darien -630/696-7000; website: www.wightco.com; email: [email protected]

WM. B. ITTNER, INC. — Full service architectural firmserving the educational community since 1899.Fairview Heights - 618/624-2080

WRIGHT & ASSOCIATES, INC. — Architecture andconstruction management. Metamora - 309/367-2924

Building ConstructionCORE CONSTRUCTION — Professional constructionmanagement, design-build and general contractingservices. Morton - 309/266-9768; website: www.COREconstruct.com

FREDERICK QUINN CORPORATION — Constructionmanagement and general contracting. Addison -630/628-8500; website: www.fquinncorp.com

HOLLAND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC. — Fullservice Construction Management and GeneralContracting firm specializing in education facilities.Swansea - 618/277-8870

MANGIERI COMPANIES, INC. — Construction man-agement and general contractor capabilities. Peoria -309/688-6845

POETTKER CONSTRUCTION — Construction man-agement, design/build and general contracting ser-vices. Hillsboro - 217/532-2507

S.M. WILSON & CO. — Provides construction man-agement and general construction services to educa-tion, healthcare, commercial, retail and industrialclients. St. Louis, MO - 314/645-9595

THE GEORGE SOLLITT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY — Full-service construction manage-ment general contractor with a primary focus on edu-cational facilities. Wood Dale - 630/860-7333; web-site: www.sollitt.com; email: [email protected]

TRANE — HVAC company specializing in design,build, and retrofit. Willowbrook - 630/734-6033

Computer SoftwareSOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. — Administrative

Software. Tremont - 888/776-3897; website: www.sti-k12.com; email: [email protected]

Environmental ServicesALPHA CONTROLS & SERVICES, LLC — Facility

Management Systems, Automatic TemperatureControls, Access Control Systems, Energy SavingSolutions; Sales, Engineering, Installation,Commissioning and Service. Rockford, Springfield,Champaign: toll-free 866-ALPHA-01 (866-252-4201);website: www.alphaACS.com; email: [email protected]

CHEVRON ENERGY SOLUTIONS COMPANY —Specializing in eliminating risks and burdens of facili-ties modernization by providing turnkey guaranteedlong term solutions without the need for a taxincrease or voted referendum. Oakbrook - 312/498-7792; email: [email protected]

CTS-CONTROL TECHNOLOGY & SOLUTIONS —Performance contracting, facility improvements and energy conservation projects. St. Louis, MO -636/230-0843; Chicago - 773/633-0691; website:www.thectsgroup.com; email: rbennett@thectsgroup. com

ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP — A comprehensiveenergy services and performance contracting com-pany providing energy, facility and financial solutions.


GRP MECHANICAL CO. INC. — Performance con-tracting, basic and comprehensive building renova-tions with a focus on energy and mechanical mainte-nance services. Bethalto - 618/779-0050

HONEYWELL, INC. — Controls, maintenance, energymanagement, performance contracting and security.St. Louis, Mo - 314-548-4136; Arlington Heights -847/391-3133; email: [email protected]

IDEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, INC. —Asbestos and environmental services. Bloomington -309/828-4259

OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHSOLUTIONS, INC. (OEHS) — Industrial hygieneconsulting specializing in indoor air quality, asbestos,lead paint, radon, microbiological evaluations andergonomics. Chatham - 217/483-9296

RADON DETECTION SPECIALISTS — Commercialradon surveys. Burr Ridge - 800/244-4242; website:www.radondetection.net; email: [email protected]

SECURITY ALARM SYSTEMS — Burglar and firealarms, video camera systems, door access systems,door locking systems, and alarm monitoring. Salem -618/548-5768

Financial ServicesBERNARDI SECURITIES, INC. — Public finance

consulting, bond issue services and referendum sup-port. Fairview Heights - 618/206-4180; Chicago -312/281-2014

BMO CAPITAL MARKETS/GKST, Inc. — Full servicebroker/dealer specializing in debt securities, includingmunicipal bonds, U.S. Treasury debt, agencies, andmortgage-backed securities. Chicago - 312/441-2601; website: www.bmo.com/industry/uspublicfi-nance/default.aspx; email: [email protected]

EHLERS & ASSOCIATES — School bond issues; ref-erendum help; financial and enrollment studies. Lisle- 630/271-3330; website: www.ehlers-inc.com; email:[email protected]

FIRST MIDSTATE, INC. — Bond issue consultants.Bloomington - 309/829-3311; email: [email protected]

GORENZ AND ASSOCIATES, LTD. — Auditing andfinancial consulting. Peoria - 309/685-7621; website:www.gorenzcpa.com; email: tcustis@gorenz cpa.com

HUTCHINSON, SHOCKEY, ERLEY & COMPANY —Debt issuance, referendum planning, financial assis-tance. Chicago - 312/443-1566; website: www.hse-muni.com; email: [email protected]; [email protected]

KINGS FINANCIAL CONSULTING, INC. — Municipalbond financial advisory service including all types ofschool bonds; school referenda, county school salestax; tax revenue forecasts/projections. Monitcello -217/762-4578

MATHIESON, MOYSKI, AUSTIN & CO., LLP —Provides audit, consulting and other related financialservices to Illinois school districts, joint agreementsand risk pools. Wheaton - 630/653-1616

ROBERT W. BAIRD & CO., INC. — Financial consult-ing; debt issuance; referendum assistance. St.Charles - 630/584-4994; website: www. rwbaird.com;email: [email protected]; [email protected]

SPEER FINANCIAL, INC. — Financial planning andbond issue services. Chicago - 312/346-3700; website: www.speerfinancial.com; email: [email protected]

STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY, INC. — Full ser-vice securities firm providing investment banking andadvisory services including strategic financial plan-ning; bond underwriting; and referendum and legisla-tive assistance - Edwardsville - 800/230-5151; email:[email protected]

WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY — Bond issuance,financial advisory services. Chicago - 312/364-8955; email: [email protected]

WINTRUST FINANCIAL — Financial services hold-ing company engaging in community banking,wealth management, commercial insurance premi-um financing, and mortgage origination. Willow -brook - 630/560-2120

Human Resource ConsultingBUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES, INC. — Human

resource, safety and risk management, insurance consulting. Effingham - 217/342-3042; website: www.bushuehr.com; email: steve@bushuehr. com

InsuranceTHE SANDNER GROUP CLAIMS MANAGEMENT,

INC. — Third party administrator for worker's compand insurance claims. Chicago - 800/654-9504

Superintendent SearchesHAZARD, YOUNG, ATTEA & ASSOCIATES, LTD —

Superintendent searches, board and superintendentworkshops. Glenview - 847/724-8465

to 1976, holding the position of board

president for a number of years.

He was a highly respected figure

in the education community, with

numerous individuals seeking his

advice and guidance.

“George Wirth epitomized the

best in school board governance,”

said former IASB Executive Director

Hal Seamon. “He provided visionary

and inspirational leadership for his

local school board, the Illinois Asso-

ciation of School Boards, and the

National School Boards Association.

“Above all, he was a true gentleman

in the best sense of the word. It was a

privilege to have worked with him.”

Milestonescontinued from page 28

DIVISION MEETINGS

Mark your calendars now!Visit the IASB website for a complete list of events and locations:

www.iasb.com/calendar/

Invest one evening, gain benefits throughout the year for yourself, your school board, and your district.

Attend an IASB division meeting at a location near you! Division meetings provide opportunities for networking, professional development, peer recognition, participation in Association governance and learning about IASB resources.

Field Services

�

The questions for

this issue were

answered by

Laurel DiPrima,

former IASB field

services director

for the Kishwau-

kee, Northwest

and Starved Rock

divisions, who

has now retired.

Further inquiries

can be directed

to Reatha Owen,

IASB Field Ser-

vices Director.

Boards carry responsibility forsuperintendent evaluation

by Laurel DiPrima

A S K T H E S T A F F

The IASB field services depart-

ment recently released a

new publication, “The Superinten-

dent Evaluation Process: Strength-

ening the Board-Superintendent

Relationship.”

Question: What was the impe-

tus to develop this new publication?

Answer: Superintendent evalu-

ation is a key responsibility of a school

board. As trustee for its community,

a board needs to recognize how crit-

ical the board/superintendent rela-

tionship is to the ultimate success of

its district’s schools. Principle 3 of

the Foundational Principles of Effec-

tive Governance states that the board

employs and evaluates one person –

the superintendent – and holds that

person accountable for district per-

formance and compliance with writ-

ten board policy. Having hired the

superintendent as its chief executive

officer, the board delegates authori-

ty to him or her to operate the dis-

trict and provide leadership to staff.

The board then has the responsibil-

ity to monitor performance, to ensure

the district is making progress towards

its goals and is in compliance with

written board policy. The superin-

tendent evaluation process is the

most visible and arguably the most

important monitoring work in which

the board can engage.

Question: Why is superintendent

evaluation so critical?

Answer: In addition to ensuring

accountability, an effective evalua-

tion process gives the superintendent

and board an opportunity to identi-

fy professional development oppor-

tunities that can help the

superintendent improve his or her

craft, which ultimately benefits both

the superintendent and the district.

The evaluation also assists the board

in making informed decisions about

the superintendent’s contract and

compensation. Finally, by law, in the

State of Illinois, any multi-year con-

tract must include performance goals.

The board must evaluate performance

towards these goals before a contract

may be renewed.

Question: Why do boards some-

times struggle with this part of their

work?

Answer: The superintendent eval-

uation process can seem daunting.

First, some board members may feel

intimidated in assessing the perfor-

mance of a trained, professional edu-

cator, who often has advanced degrees

and considerable experience. Oth-

ers may be afraid of conflict – between

the board and superintendent or

among board members themselves.

Some may feel that their process

doesn’t allow for open and honest

communication. Apprehension about

this work usually is a sign that the

board’s evaluation process has not

been fully developed. Once the

“up-front” work is completed, eval-

uation becomes a routine part of the

board’s annual planning cycle.

Question: What is IASB’s approach

to this work?

Answer: There are several com-

ponents to a successful evaluation

process.

First, the board and superin-

tendent must agree on expectations.

The board may already have artic-

ulated these expectations in vari-

ous documents, including the

superintendent contract, job descrip-

tion, district goals, board policy, and

school improvement plans. Addi-

tionally, the board may wish to

incorporate professional standards

into its evaluation.

District goals constitute a sig-continued on page 4

Apprehension about this work usually

is a sign that the board’s evaluation

process has not been fully developed.

REGISTER NOW!www.iasb.com/jac14/

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Joint Annual ConferenceNovember 21-23, 2014•Chicago

This conference offers a wealth of choices from which to learn, improve, discover and share!

• Professional Development

• Networking• District Presentations

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the illinois school board journal, september/october 2014

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