2011 Year-End Message 2011 from Dr. Renée Schuster,
Superintendent
As we reach the end of 2011,
it’s time to reflect on the highlights of the year in our schools. I am pleased
to report:
- Scores on state
assessments continue to place us in the top percentiles in Illinois and DuPage
County. Over 97 percent of our students exceeded or met standards. All of our
schools are on the Illinois Honor Roll and received the Academic Excellence
Award for the third consecutive year. As NCLB requirements raise the bar, we
should all understand the significance of all nine of our schools making AYP.
For the first time, we have a subgroup that did not, and we are doing all we
can to strengthen performance in all groups, grades and schools.
- We have a
balanced operating funds budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. We
owe this to careful monitoring of spending, a clear expectation for organizational
efficiency, and a contract with our teaching staff with a salary freeze this
year. We acknowledge that the financial climate across the nation has been challenging,
and we are committed to providing an excellent education in the most cost
effective manner.
- We continue to
update our goals and strategic plan. With the Board of Education, we developed these
goals to guide our district this year:
- All students
will demonstrate academic excellence;
- The District
will engage in long-range planning focused on fostering academic excellence and
defining and achieving financial viability;
- The Board and
District will promote community engagement opportunities and demonstrate
transparency; and
- The Board and
District will support recruitment, retention, and professional development of
exceptional staff in all facets of elementary education. In addition, we have planned
for initiatives through 2013-14, including items that will require proactive
management and related areas of staff development
- A major contribution to our planning process came from Community
Engagement meetings in 2011. We listened to our stakeholders and included their
highest priorities in our planning. We also surveyed staff, parents and
community members to gauge their satisfaction and find areas in which we can
improve.
- A pilot conducted by the @d181 Initiative is probing the
future direction for instructional technology. Working with our Foundation and
parent-teacher organizations, we are comparing grade 5 classrooms in which
students are using laptops or tablet computers at two of our schools. We hope
to determine the combination of tools that will best support teaching.
As I mark the midway point of my second year in the district, I
continue to be amazed at the tremendous support for education in our community,
the talent of our teaching and support staff, and the positive partnerships
with our parents. This is a wonderful place to teach, learn and to be a leader.
Thanks for your support for public education, and especially our
educational program in Community Consolidated School District 181.
Sincerely,
Dr. Renée Schuster, Superintendent