Showing Appreciation to Teachers By David F. Larson, Ed.D. Superintendent, Glenbard Township High School District 87 Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6 – 10) gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect on our children's teachers and to express our gratitude and thanks for all of their hard work in educating our children.   Teaching is arguably one of the least appreciated professions.  The expectations are significant.  Even before teachers meet their students on the first day of school, they have had to comply with strict certification requirements, understand detailed state curriculum …

By David F. Larson, Ed.D. Superintendent Glenbard Township High School District #87 At its March 4 meeting, the Glenbard District 87 Board of Education heard a report on the district’s new multi-year, comprehensive Instructional Technology Strategic Plan. A key theme of this presentation was how students and teachers will use collaborative digital technologies every day to transform learning and teaching. Also integrated into the presentation were key reflective questions. These purposeful questions were designed to ensure that this plan is not simply about new gadgets and new trends, but …

High levels of communication foster a positive parent/teacher relationship, which contributes to a student's success.  But how much contact and interaction is appropriate?  When can active parent engagement interfere with a young adult's necessary maturation and strides toward independence?  At what point does a parent go from providing valued hands-on support to becoming an obstacle to a student's growth? Sara Mosle, a teacher and journalist, addresses this issue in a recent piece in the New York Times.  She offers the following practical guidelines for how best to reduce the mutual …

Dear Glenbard West High School community,  Once again the community came through!  Because of the generosity of the people in the Glenbard West community all 85 ELL (English Language Learners) received a brand new beautiful Glenbard West hooded sweatshirt for the seventh consecutive year. The appreciation displayed by the students assured me once again that this project is worthwhile. ELL students have unique challenges at home and school and by receiving this gift they feel pride and they feel valued. It is surprising to them that people they do not know would want to do something nice for …

Pension Reform Observations As a new superintendent in Illinois, it has been intriguing watching the saga of the state's long-term troubled pension system.  The following are a few observations from a newcomer’s perspective regarding the lessons to learn from our pension woes:  Lesson One - Poor Stewardship Can Be Costly It is unfortunate that the consequence for the lack of political will and fiscal responsibility has been passed on to future generations. The current Legislature is tasked with fixing a system that commissions and task forces in previous decades had reported on.  In 1973, one…

By David F. Larson, Ed.D. Superintendent, Glenbard Township High School District 87 The recent news of the various pension reform proposals being presented in Springfield reminds me of the importance of fiscal stability within a public sector organization.  Just what are the fiscal practices and actions of a public-funded institution that result in balanced budgets and solvent position, despite the challenging fiscal climate?  When confronting a revenue shortfall or sudden increases in expenses, how do some public sector organizations experience duress and "meltdown" while others are buoyant …

Doubly impressive By David F. Larson, Ed.D. Superintendent, Glenbard Township High School District 87 Wow!  Two high school football teams from the same district playing for the state championship in their respective divisions on the same day!  Now that's both unprecedented and impressive! To have Glenbard North and Glenbard West advancing to the IHSA football state championship is not only an honor and celebration for Glenbard Township High School District 87, but also a clear reflection on our quality athletic program.  Glenbard high schools are known for athletic success, not only for …

Dear Fellow Citizens, Greetings. I hope this finds you and those you care about safe, happy and healthy. With the national, state, and county elections completed and concern for those on the East Coast and the holidays upon us, it is important that we do not lose sight of the importance of our upcoming local elections.  The Glen Ellyn Village Board and Village Library Board will turn over half of their membership next spring.  A new Village President and Village Clerk are also to be elected in April.  Glen Ellyn’s defacto primary for these positions will be held Saturday, December 1, 2012 at …

By David F. Larson, Ed.D. Superintendent Glenbard Township High School District #87 There are two compelling facts when we as educators study the predicted achievement level of students.  The first research-based fact is that when students are aware of an adult's confidence and belief in them, they tend to, through effort and intrinsic motivation, achieve at high levels.     The second intriguing fact is that a teacher can affect higher levels of growth among students when they personally believe their teaching will make a difference.   Unfortunately, there are numerous examples where we, as …

It's with a heavy heart that I write this post.  For more than a year I've served as the editor for Glen Ellyn Patch and Wednesday will be my last day. In my time as editor, my goal was to make the site a place for a two-way conversation. I didn't want the site to be a place where I was only dictating news and information. I hoped to form a new Glen Ellyn gathering place online. Before I took over, I didn't realize how much I would enjoy this job. So much so that at times it seemed more like a way of life than a job. I pinched myself almost every day while serving this community. I couldn't …

On behalf of the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce we would like to thank all of the 25,000 plus visitors that attended the 2012 Taste of Glen Ellyn.  We had a huge crowd along with four of the most perfect days that any festival would dream of.We would also like to thank all of the many, many Chamber volunteers who unselfishly gave of their time to make this event the most successful in the last 31 years.  Without your help this event could not happen.  We also thank the Village of Glen Ellyn, Police Department, Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company and the Village Public Works Department for their…

On March 20, 2012 the registered voters of Glen Ellyn will be asked the following question: Should High School District 87 be permitted to install and operate permanent stadium field lighting on Memorial Field at Glenbard West High School (consisting of two 60' tall and four 70' tall light towers) for after-dark athletic practices, competitions, and non-school related rentals? The Illinois Association of School Board states in its Foundational Principles of Elective Governance that “The School Board must be aggressive in reaching out to the community – the district’s owners - to engage …

  Right when school started this year a concerned parent posted the following petition:http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/allow-pe-waivers-again-in-glenbard-school-district-87.htmlSince that time, almost 400 parents throughout the district have signed this petition requesting that District 87 continue to allow this waiver from P.E. classes. The administration does not mention that without this waiver music and other elective programs such as foreign language, art, business, and industrial arts programs throughout the district will probably suffer a loss of enrollment since students cannot …

As long-time residents of our village, we would like to express our concern about District 87 plans to install 7-story light towers at Glenbard West in the heart of Glen Ellyn. We believe that the potential harm to the quality of life in the community is not an acceptable trade-off for the small percentage of students able to use night lighting for extra-curricular activities at the Memorial Park practice field. Additionally, plans to lease the field to outside organizations increases use to three seasons a year, with lights and the accompanying noise continuing as late as 10:00 p.m. every …

Glen Ellyn District 41 is about to commence negotiations for the next district-teachers contract. The last contract was for four years, ending in year 2011-12. By my calculations, many, if not most, teachers received annual raises of 7.5 to 8 percent, resulting in four year increases of up to 26.5 percent.  Teachers pay in from 12 percent to 30 percent of their insurance premiums. A single coverage (teacher only) HMO 2nd Advantage plan cost the teacher $60.74 monthly, for the $400 deductible plan. We cover the $445.45 balance.  Without even getting into the pension issues, I think that after …

The Village of Glen Ellyn is currently considering adopting an Ethics Ordinance on Feb. 14, 2011. This ordinance would apply to all elected and appointed officials as well as all village staff employees and vendors.   As a future trustee board member, I have serious reservations about this ordinance.  I have to wonder, why are we jumping from having nothing—not a policy, not a statement, not anything—to an ordinance that includes court, lawyers and monetary damages?  Why are we considering something that could bring staff into a court and be fined?  What happened in the Village to cause such …