Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 issued the following announcement on Jan. 24.
I hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday season.
I am writing this article - the first of several I hope to send each week - to further communicate the successes and challenges we work with as a school community. Our community is truly fortunate to have such a wonderful school district, and our school district is fortunate to be in such a wonderful community. The relationship is reciprocal, and each is better because of the other. The end result is that we are better together.
Progress Made Toward Financial Stability, and How That Helps Classroom Sizes
The operations of a school district are multi-faceted. As has been referenced before, there are many moving parts. Key to this operation running smoothly has been the emphasis on finance management. Over the past five years, the school district has improved its financial profile significantly. We have recovered from a multimillion-dollar deficit, to a balanced budget. Our financial profile as shown by independent auditors has risen from a score of 2.65 (2013) to the highest profile category of 3.90 (2018), out of a possible score of 4.00. I preface this because it is the most significant factor that allows us to devote funding toward resources, programs, and personnel. This is important to note, because this has allowed us to hire staff as noted below, and allow us to continue to lower our student to teacher ratio.
Student/teacher ratio often surfaces as a key indicator related to student achievement and teacher effectiveness. For this reason, in 2017 the Board of Education adopted as one of its goals the following: All staff will be given support and resources for success including competitive compensation, appropriate class size, and mentoring.
Our Pre-K through 12th grade sixth day enrollment in 2015-16 was 4,661. Our Pre-K through 12th grade sixth day enrollment in 2017-18 was 4,689. Within this same timeframe, we increased the number of certified staff from 281 during 2015-16, to 295 during 2017-18. This resulted in lowering our teacher/student ratio from 25:1 in 2015-16 to a teacher/student ratio of 23:1 in 2017-18. We will continue to devote resources toward lowering class sizes as we move forward. With continued fiscal responsibility, the Board of Education plans to approve the hiring of additional certified staff next year, in addition to the eight new certified staff they approved for hire in August 2018. The eight positions this year are not merely replacement positions for those already on the payroll - they represent eight new positions. When the State Report Card is released for the 2018-19 school year, we anticipate that you will see an even further improvement in our teacher/student ratio. The same goes for positions next year - they will be new positions, not replacement positions, thus reducing the overall teacher/student ratio further. We are pleased with the progress that has been made in this area, and look forward to continuing this trajectory.
In closing, I would like to thank you for your support and engagement in our school community. The Ball-Chatham School District is one of the premier school districts in the state of Illinois. We have a rich history and a strong tradition. Through your support and partnership, we will continue to foster creativity, provide a challenging academic environment, and strive to be better each day.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5
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