CAT Tracks The Southern Illinoisan

BY JOHN D. HOMAN
THE SOUTHERN
[Sun Nov 24 2002]

CAIRO -- Cairo Association of Teachers President Ron Newell said the membership is convinced that the administration and school board are working with the Illinois State Board of Education to restructure the learning process at the high school at the end of this school year.

"At least that's the perception," Newell said.

Last summer, the junior high was labeled as a choice school by the federal government (as part of the No Child Left Behind program), meaning that junior high students could enroll in the school of their choice this fall, if accepted by a neighboring school district, and still reside in Cairo. No neighboring school district, however, accepted the Cairo students, citing crowding.

"But then," Newell said, "our membership was told by an ISBE representative (Sheryl Poggi, acting division administrator) last week that the high school could be declared a charter school, allowing for it to be restructured at the end of the school year if student test scores this spring aren't considerably higher than they were last spring."

An ISBE report reveals that from 1999-2001, the percent of Cairo high school students below state standards increased from 68 percent to 78 percent when taking the ISAT/PSAE reading test. Moreover, the percent of students meeting or exceeding mathematics standards has remained very low, at 5 percent in 2002.

Newell said charter school restructuring options might include a working agreement with Shawnee Community College to oversee the educational needs of the students or a private enterprise such as the Edison Corporation or Sylvan Learning Center to fulfill those needs.

Should restructuring occur, about 20 teachers at the high school could lose their jobs.

"As teachers, we recognize the academic problems in the district are substantial," Newell said. "We were hoping the ISBE would be more supportive and work with us more -- give us some direction.

"We've tried to hold the kids accountable and demand higher standards, but when we have, we run into problems with the administration or board who pull the rug out from under us and tell us that they don't want any kids to flunk out."

Newell said he believes the high school is being targeted for restructuring because some of the teachers there have been identified by the administration and board as "radicals" from the strike.

"I think we're in uncharted waters here," Newell said. "We've contacted the Illinois Education Association to check and see if a restructuring is legal or not when you take into account contracts that have been signed."

Wade Nelson, public information officer with ISBE, said all the state is trying to do is enhance the learning process for Cairo students. There is no planned takeover.

Nelson said specific recommendations have been made to the board, following a two-day trip to Cairo by a 16-member team Oct. 9 and 10.

Robert Isom, Cairo school superintendent, said that should a restructuring occur at the high school, it would not be a retaliatory move by the board.

"Nor is the ISBE conspiring to bust the union," Isom said. "We've been trying to address the lack of student achievement at the high school since I've been here. The board is concerned about this lack of achievement as determined by test scores."

Isom said the high school has been on the state's academic warning list for the last five years.

"It's imperative that we keep two things in mind," Isom said. "First, student achievement has to increase. Second, we make every effort to improve or enhance the learning opportunities for students."

Isom said he hopes the Cairo board and the state board can come to terms on a performance agreement by the early part of next month.

"The agreement may involve some reallocation of district resources so that additional services can be provided to students at the high school."

Asked how secure jobs were for teachers at the high school, Isom would not speculate.

"It (losing teachers) would be a concern to the district," he said. "But under the circumstances, we have to consider some draconian options. I would not deny that we have some teachers who are doing an excellent job at the high school. The fact remains, however, that the high school has been on the academic warning list for five consecutive years. Scores have not risen, but rather declined.

"What I am sensing is that the ISBE expects a significant increase in achievement as measured by the Prairie State Achievement test in the spring. Whether that can be attained or not, I don't know, but it's certainly a worthy target to shoot for."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

618-997-3356 x15807