Findings: Schools concerned about pension funding
CARBONDALE – Dec. 15, 2014. Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon announced the findings of an annual survey of school board members today. The Service Evaluation Survey asked school board members to rate the services provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Regional Offices of Education (ROEs).
"I would like to thank all the districts that participated, giving us valuable feedback," Simon said. "I would also like to thank the Illinois Association of School Boards for their assistance in notifying districts about the survey and encouraging their participation."
The survey asks school board members about topics ranging from interpersonal communication and responsiveness, to whether requests of ISBE or their ROEs were resolved satisfactorily. It also asked about school board members to rate their satisfaction with the state institutions' handling of things like state and federal mandates, pension funding and assessment.
While school districts gave ISBE and ROEs high marks in areas like leadership, communication, and responsiveness to requests for assistance, they also expressed a desire for financial support to enable ROEs to continue to improve services, especially for smaller districts. School districts also indicated that ISBE and the ROEs need to direct effort toward Common Core implementation, testing technology and professional development, and need to advocate for basic issues like funding.
Simon is the state's point person on education reform. Under state statute, the Lt. Governor's Office is required to conduct the Service Evaluation Survey annually. You can read the survey here.
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