2014 IAHPERD State Conference “Real Costs of Public Education” November 20, 2014 Pheasant Run Brent Johnston Legislative Co-Chair Illinois High School

2014 IAHPERD State Conference

“Real Costs of Public Education”

November 20, 2014Pheasant Run

Brent JohnstonLegislative Co-Chair

Illinois High School & College Driver Education Association (IHSCDEA)

[email protected]

Today’s Presentation Goals

• Trends of How Districts use Waivers and Student Fees to Remove Teaching Positions

• Cause and Effect of High Student Fees

• Contracting Out Public Education – Is It Legal?• Are Tenured Veteran Physical Education

Teachers’ Jobs Safe in Illinois?• Comparing Real Costs Between Course

Disciplines

The Status of Education In Illinois

• Illinois ranks in the bottom; 49 out of 50 of all states in the nation regarding state funding for education

• Schools have gone without proper funding support now for over 3 decades

• Non-Core courses are most affected by the lack of funding

Driver Education In IllinoisDriver Education In IllinoisA Decade of TroubleA Decade of Trouble

Concerns For The Future Survival And Concerns For The Future Survival And Delivery Of High School ProgramsDelivery Of High School Programs

IHSCDEA Legislative Task ForceIHSCDEA Legislative Task Force

We have been putting out fires since 2004We have been putting out fires since 2004

Trends of How Districts use Waivers and Fees

• In 2002: 8 districts apply for driver education waivers. High end $ 200.00

• In 2004: 43 districts apply for driver education waivers. High end $450.00

• Rep. Pihos Legislation in 2012 allowed $250.00 student fees (no waiver needed)

• In 2014 – Waivers – Niles $450

New Trier $500

1. What is the point in having a law if you can get a waiver to avoid it?

2. Why is the discipline of driver education expected to “pay for itself” when other courses students elect to take are not?

3. At what point do course fees become too much and are no longer affordable to students and their parents? 4. When do Illinoisans draw a line in the sand and say “enough is enough regarding waivers above $250?”

5. Why are abnormal course fees allowed to be charged for a mandated safety course before students are charged similar fees in such areas as extracurricular activities and sports?

Questions To School Districts in 2014

Enrollment in PHSDE has decreased in some schools by 38% between 2008 and 2012

(2008) 175,611 Total Sophomores 161,586 Blue Slips Issued (92%) (2012) 175,654 Total Sophomores 100,173 Blue Slips Issued (57%)

•Demographics – 2012

•57% of eligible Illinois DE (sophomore) students (100,123) are from the Suburban / Metro areas (Suburbs, Rockford, Springfield) •An additional 20% of eligible DE students (35,131) are from the Chicago Public School System

•23% of those eligible DE students (40,400) are from Rural areas

Cause and Effect of High Cause and Effect of High Student FeesStudent Fees


Number of Blue Slips Issued to Public

High Schools in 2012

Total # of Sophomores Enrolled……………….175,654Total # of Blue Slips Issued by ISBE………….100,173

Suburban / Metro Public Schools (57%)….…(57,098)

Chicago Public School System (20%)……....(20,035)

Rural Area Public Schools (23%)………...….(23,040)


Number of Certificate of Completions for Commercial Schools in 2012

Total # of Sophomores Enrolled……………….175,654

Total # of Completions Issued by ISOS…...……37,402*

Summary of Our Results

In 2012, of those sophomore students who did take formal Driver Education

73% of Sophomore Students took PHSDE

(100,173)

27% of Sophomore Students took CDTS

(37,402*)


• In 2012, out of 175,654 eligible DE sophomore students 137,575 blue slips were issued by ISBE and ISOS

• In that same year 38,079 sophomore students received no formal Driver Education at all

• This represents 22% of all eligible students that never took Driver Education

• What happens to them???

IHSCDEA Research Indicates

• Eligible students that don’t take PHSDE are not entirely being captured by Commercial Driver Training Schools (CDTS’s)

• From 2008 to 2012 the number of students that enrolled in CDTS’s only went up slightly…around an average of 1% (or) 400 - 450 students per year

• During that same span of time, however, PHSDE lost on average 38% whereby the CDTS’s only picked up 1-2% of those students each year


• Of those students who did not take DE in 2012, please note that none of the 38,079 students enrolled into a Commercial Driver Training School (CDTS) as those numbers were previously already statistically accounted for

• This means that this remaining 22% of the eligible students are still statistically unaccounted for as they elected to not take training at either a PHSDE or CDTS driver education program


• Research indicates that the remaining number of eligible DE students (38,079) are simply waiting until they are 18 years of age to obtain a driver’s license with no formal instruction whatsoever

• As a result, fatality rates for the 18-21 year old age group, in both Illinois and nationally, have steadily increased 15-18% over that same period of time

Total Students vs. Blue Slips


The Impact on Other Illinois Drivers•In a 5-year span of time (2008 to 2012) the total # of potential drivers

aged 16 to 21 in Illinois = 878,270 novice drivers

•Of that # of novice drivers, 22% (or) 193,220 young drivers are untrained as well as inexperienced and are not

subject to any GDL requirements

•If only those drivers were on the road with you at the same time, approx. every 5th car driving by would have a person driving

that has little or no knowledge of how to control a car!

Impact On Illinois Physical Education Teachers

As more and more students leave PHSDE, fewer DE instructors are needed

Since many of these DE instructors have seniority over other colleagues in their department, they simply cross over to PE or Health and “RIFF” other instructors due to seniority

In 2012, roughly 38,000 sophomore students elected to not take PHSDE

The equivalent number of PHSDE instructors that potentially were lost during that same year (2012) based on that number of students statewide is approximately 158-237 teachers

Cause and Effect of HighStudent Fees

• Cash-strapped school districts are looking for $$$ to run non-core courses such as Driver Education

• Administrators are undermining the intent of the Driver Education Act by raising student fees so high that students can no longer afford to take this mandated safety course at public schools

• Safety concerns notwithstanding, in the last 5 years 400-500 PE teachers have either lost their jobs or retirees have not been replaced due to cutbacks in PHSDE

Contracting Out Public Education Is It Legal?

• Not only is it legal…it’s already happening!!!

• PHSDE is already being “contracted-out” by school districts in Byron, North Boone, Genoa-Kingston, Pecatonica and several other high schools near Rockford

• These high school districts are “supposedly” using ISBE certified instructors that teach in commercial driver training schools and use student fees AND state reimbursement to pay for it…all legal using the waiver system with little or no ISBE checks and balances

Potential Impact on Current PE / Health / DE Instructors

• Are PE and Health courses safe because they are mandated by Illinois law?

• ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

• PHSDE is also a mandated Illinois law, but school districts and administrators found a loophole around it

• Free Public Education is at a paradigm shift…vouchers, student fees, contracting out, and Merit Pay are just the beginning of a new way to fund education in Illinois


• So you might ask… “What’s saving PE as a vital course here in Illinois?

• Is it because administrators and BOE’s are concerned with childhood obesity? Is it because recent research indicates that brain activity improves with physical activity?

• Nope!!! It’s because administrators don’t know how they would save any $$$ since it would take (2) teachers and (2) classrooms to replace just (1) PE instructor!


• If the PE mandate was suddenly dissolved, a typical larger school district would likely “RIFF” 3-4 Physical Education teachers or more

• Problem is…administrators would also need 6-8 classroom teachers to replace them and logistically, where do you put them…in the gymnasium or swimming pool?

• Schools would need to build hundreds of additional classrooms and hire hundreds of classroom teachers


Opting out of Physical Education!!!Athletes…Marching Band Members…Cheerleaders

What Student Group Is Going To Be Next?

•Waivers from PE to students who belong to a local Fitness Club???

•School Districts that “contract out” Physical Education to a fitness club, club sport, or trainer???

Are Tenured Veteran Physical Education Teachers’ Jobs Safe in Illinois?

• The teaching profession is the only modern-day profession whereby a person is penalized for more experience and more education!!!

• For example, let’s say you are a 10 year certified and tenured PE / Health Instructor, but one of the bottom 3 on the seniority list in the department that also includes driver education.

• You have a wife, 2 kids, a new car, and a mortgage payment. You also have your Master’s Degree + 15 hours past your Master’s making roughly $60,000 per year.

• By today’s standards…financially you’re living a somewhat comfortable life with few worries


Every year since 1994, the IHSCDEA has been fighting the Illinois Legislature on bills that would completely demandate PHSDE.

If we ever lose that constant fight, this is what you can expect. All 3 of those driver education instructors no longer have a course to teach because your school decided to drop PHSDE.

However, they are not out of a job because all 3 instructors have more seniority than you do. They come back to PE or Health and start bumping 8, 9, & 10 year tenured teachers who now are the ones that get “RIFFED” by the school district


Here then lies the reason as to why I am presenting to you today and why our 2 professional organizations need to join legislative forces and constantly work together…

“Where is a 33 year old 10 year veteran tenured PE / Health instructor who has 15 hours past his / her Master’s Degree making $60,000 + a year going to find a job at another school?”

Simply stated…you won’t!!! Not only would you be competing for jobs with entry level college graduates, but you’ll also be competing with hundreds and hundreds of just recently “RIFFED” Physical Education / Health instructors that are experiencing the same fate as you are


Elementary and Middle School PE / Health teachers think you are off the hook here?

Not if you are in a Unit District. High School instructors will start bumping Middle School and Elementary School instructors as everyone will be going into “survival mode.”

Your only option to safeguard your family and yourself…

Get as many PE / Health endorsements and certifications as you possibly can at all levels…Elementary / Middle School / High School…including your Driver Education Endorsement


The IHSCDEA Board of Directors has instructed its entire membership to begin seeking teaching certification endorsements in course disciplines outside of the PE / Health / Driver Education fields.

Those seeking a Master’s Degree (or) Master’s + start thinking outside the “PE Box”…Type 75…Counseling Degree…Science endorsement…coursework to get you closer to a Physical Therapy Degree…you may be closer than you think!!!

Seeking your Driver Education Endorsement can provide you better marketability between schools and provide significant income from summer and non-traditional teaching hours


The ISBE Driver Education Endorsement is an integral part of a larger Master’s Degree program that is available at Northern Illinois University…

Masters of Industrial Management Department of Technology Northern Illinois University (NIU)

This type of Master’s Degree would allow an educator to find a new job in the Industrial Management Corporate Business World

What are the Real Costs of PE, Health, PHSDE and Other Disciplines?

• Criteria Used for the IHSCDEA Research Study

• Collection of School Data

• Comparison of Course Disciplines

• Rankings of Course Disciplines

• Accessing the ISBE “FRIS System”

• Using the Interactive Salary Comparison Spreadsheet

Criteria Used for the IHSCDEA Research Study

• School Enrollment• Departmental Teacher Salaries• Departmental teacher Benefits• Instructional Aides Salaries• Instructional Aides Benefits• Departmental Leaders / Facilitators Salaries• Departmental Leaders / Facilitators Benefits• Departmental Support Staff Salaries• Departmental Support Staff Benefits• Summer School Costs???• Departmental Travel• Textbooks (3 year average budget)• Capital Equipment (5 year average cost less depreciation)• Annual departmental supplies • Annual departmental consumables (not listed in supplies)• Departmental field trip expenses• Other pertinent departmental costs not listed above (please list separately)• Amount of departmental state aide / state reimbursement per student• Median instructor departmental salary + benefits• Mean instructor departmental salary + benefits• Total departmental costs (include only those costs listed above)• Total # of students taught in department• Total departmental cost per student (divide total departmental costs by the total # of departmental students)

Collection of School Data

FOIA Information Request – 400 Public High Schools Surveyed

1.List and briefly describe all student fees required by the school from the highest student fee

to the lowest student fee (include all academic, athletic, and extracurricular fees in the same

list.

2.List the official total average cost to educate a student in FY2012-13 that was listed in the

school’s report card as required by ISBE.

3.Give the median certified teacher salary including benefits for FY2012-13 for the entire

school.

4.Give the mean certified teacher salary including benefits for FY2012-13 for the entire school.

5.What was the total “instructional budget” of the school for FY2012-13?

6.What was the total “operational budget” of the school for FY2012-13?

7.What was the total “overall budget” of the school for FY2012-13?

Comparison of Course Disciplines

(6) Course Disciplines Were Compared in this Study

•English

•Math

•Science

•Social Studies

•PE / Health

•Driver Education

Comparison of Course Disciplines

Average Cost Per Discipline / Student(Rankings Listed Most to Least Expensive)

Mathematics $646.12 #1

Science $607.54 #2

English $592.74 #3

Social Science's $540.01 #4

PE / Health $436.22 #5

Driver Education $360.23 #6

Rankings of Course Disciplines

Average Discipline Rankings

Mathematics $646.12 #1

Science $607.54 #2

English $592.74 #3

Social Studies $540.01 #4

PE / Health $436.22 #5

Driver Education $360.23 #6

Conclusions of Study

A Comparative Cost Analysis Between Other

Disciplines and Driver Education

Discipline Taught % More Expensive Than PHSDE

Mathematics 44.2%

Science 40.7%

English 39.2%

Social Sciences 33.3%

PE / Health 17.4%

Driver Education N/A

Final Conclusions of Study

Public High School Driver Education

1st Most Costly 1st Most Expensive Discipline 1 out of 57 1.70%

2nd Most Costly2nd Most Expensive

Discipline0 out of 57 0.00%

3rd Most Costly3rd Most Expensive


4th Most Costly4th Most Expensive






Final Conclusions of Study

Out of (6) Disciplines Studied

•PHSDE Ranked in the 5th / 6th “Least Expensive” Slots in 82.5% of all High Schools Studied

•PHSDE Ranked in the Bottom Half of the “Most Expensive” Slots In 91.3% of all High Schools Studied

Professional ResourcesAccess the Association Website

www.ihscdea.org

Go to the very bottom and click on the following

Illinois State Board of Education- Driver Education Division

Again go to the very bottom and under “News and

Information” click on the following

2012-13 Driver Education Cost Report – (34-06) (4/14)

http://www.ihscdea.org/

http://www.isbe.state.il.us/funding/pdf/driver-ed-cost-rpt-12-13.pdf

Professional Resources

Calculating the Real Costs of Driver Education

How to Access the ISBE FRIS System Directlyhttp://www.isbe.net/funding/pdf/driver-ed-cost-rpt-12-13.pdf

1.Hold the “Control” Button Down and hit the “F” Key

2.Look for the “Search” menu bar that pops up

3.Type in your school name or school district # or name in order to access your school records

http://www.isbe.net/funding/pdf/driver-ed-cost-rpt-12-13.pdf

Thank YouQuestions? Comments?

Documents

2014 IAHPERD State Conference “Real Costs of Public Education” November 20, 2014 Pheasant Run Brent Johnston Legislative Co-Chair Illinois High School