Our Goals

The Rich Township Coalition For Better Schools 2011-2012 goals are to:

• Share information about successful policies, programs and practices. The new reform school board of the future has been given a very clear mandate in the April 5, 2011 elections: to improve student achievement, trim costs, support parent and community participation, make the district more accountable and transparent and end nepotism and insider preferences in favor of hiring the best and the brightest. That was the foundation for the two new school board members campaigns. Now that the April 5, 2011 elections are over, the new board with two new members and one incumbent member, have begun to change the school district along these lines. The new board is intent on improving student achievement which requires formative assessment and evaluation, transparency, open communication among stakeholders, community involvement and participation, and as that begins, the tax payers have already been shocked by some of the things that have taken place. The old school board must respect the wishes of the taxpayers and support the changes, not obstruct them or try to confuse the issues to protect their friends. The public deserves the right to know what has occurred with the board which has kept the school district failing for over a decade and to be fully informed as the new board moves forward.  The National School Board Association has emphasized eight key areas that successful school boards must focus on  are  vision, standards, assessment, accountability, alignment, climate and culture, collaborative relationships/community engagement, and continuous improvement.

 

• Secure a slate of trustworthy child-and-community-centered-candidates who will be successfully supported into office by the Rich Township High School Coalition for Better Schools 227 community in the April 2013 elections and who will support our goals to:

• Share information about successful policies, programs and practices to achieve positive results for student achievement.
• Learn the job and be willing to professionally evaluate the school district on an ongoing formative data-driven-basis throughout the school year and to hold the school board and district accountable and responsive to parents, students, staff, and community. Evaluation is not a ten-minute event at the end of the school year, but rather a year-round monthly-quarterly-formative activity of meeting with the district administration to determine where we are as a school district. School board members are on the front lines of public education and need to be better educated, realistically prepared, and deeply committed to the work that must be done to ensure development and maintenance of a successful school district.
• Realistically monitor and collaboratively assess student achievement data on a monthly-quarterly basis at both open school board meetings and in closed sessions with the superintendent and administrative staff.
• Encourage, listen to, and respect the free expression of opinion by fellow board members and tax-paying parents and citizens who seek a hearing before the school board. Positive and inspiring visions will require the widespread involvement of  the community and students whose lives will be influenced and shaped by the school district vision. Powerful visions are the fruits of endless hours of  collaboration and dialogue among the school communities key stakeholders.
• Respect the tax payers interest by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's academic, instructional and financial assets.
• Work toward developing informed, cooperative, and collaborative relationships with other 227 board members as well as with other successful school boards in Chicago's south suburbs.

•  Build broader public community unity and support across the eight school district 227 communities and with neighboring school districts by developing committees to serve as:

• Board of Directors Committee (Can create a link to the coalition on their website)
• Political Action Committee (Promote coalition's shared vision)
• Community Representative Committee: Work toward goals of having an Educational Commission in each of district 227's eight communities and having a community representative from each commission for each of the eight communities.
• Parents Committee (inform The Coalition on students and community)
• Citizens Committee (Participate in Coalition meetings, forums, and in building consensus)
• Students' Committee (Share data and information about school success)
• Administrators Committee (Arrange presentations and learning opportunities)
• Teachers Committee (Promote Coalition's shared vision with your organization) 

• The Rich Township Coalition For Better Schools is a diverse coalition of educators, parents, youth, community based and education and school success advocacy organizations from high school district 227 whose intents is to reach out to other school districts in the south suburbs and beyond in supporting the concept of community control but disagrees with how it has been implemented in district 227. The reform policies that have already been in place in our state for four decades as a result of school reform and community control have not led to the turn-around of our three high schools in some of our Chicago South Suburban highest needs communities. For instance, the achievement gap within high school district 227 community has not budged in over a decade and achievement gap based upon student achievement data and student learning has actually dipped. School board malfunction, malfeasance, lack of transparency,  community shutdowns, and ineffectiveness have resulted in reckless budget spending and lack of implementation of the democratic reform laws and practices that have already been passed in the state and national legislatures.  Consequently, lack of leadership and vision can lead a school board and district to put too much emphasis upon controlling others and not enough emphasis upon training programs, informing the school community, and realistically facing challenges that must be faced and overcome to achieve academic success.   Our goal is to assist those who can think for themselves and want a better way forward  with emphasis upon helping administrators, teachers, and students succeed.  As a coalition we can insure that  academic impediments are overcome.   We will  support open government and democracy that  can lead to more success by insuring that the process of  government is open to  administrators, teachers, parents, and communities  having a voice in their own internal affairs and the decisions that affect the future of our community and the quality of education students receive.

• The reforms that we will outline in The Rich Township High School Coalition for Better Schools goals and by laws will make the state-mandated community control of our schools a reality and workable by selecting school board members who advocate for students and the public interest. Our recommendation will be developed through a rigorous process that will involve a community discussion by which education policies and reforms for school improvement will be developed. In doing so, we can maintain the truth, integrity, and trust that our families and communities have put in school board 227. The board is responsible for putting in place the  keystones for students to learn and achieve  their full potential. The primary agenda of school boards must be  raising student achievement and involving the school district community to achieve this goal.