The Illinois Loop believes that this is only a start. To be truly operating in full candor, a school district should not be waiting for citizen petitions. The following important information should be available up-front, on the district's website as well as readily available for public inspection on-site:
Board Policies: The collected "board policies"
of the school district, including administrative procedures, should be readily available
in print and online. In some states this is required by state law.
(About 40 Illinois districts have their Board Policies available
here.)
Detailed curriculum standards.
Syllabus for each course
Identification of specific textbooks and other major curriculum
and instructional materials, by grade and subject
A list of textbooks and instructional materials used in the district, revised annually by administrators
under the Superintendent's direction.
Anyone may inspect any textbook or instructional material in person, with reasonable rules established
for dates and times of access.
Statement of commitment to intellectual diversity in hiring
Statement of commitment to balance in treatment of controversial issues
Results on state tests
All group and summary tabulations of any standardized tests taken
that go beyond the required state tests (e.g., Iowa Test of Basic Skills)
Percent distribution of teacher-assigned letter grades
Statement on prohibition on district business with contributors to election or referendum campaigns (pay-for-play).
Detailed budget (not merely the very brief outline that is required by the state)
The district check register, showing all payments
Complete CV for key administrators, including
the superintendent and assistant superintendents, curriculum directors,
and school principals.
These are the people who run your children's school.
You should be able to read information on who they are.
Contracts with key administrators
Salaries and bonuses of key administrators
Negotiated union contracts
Teacher salary schedule
District's Master Schedule
Breakout of degrees earned by teachers, categorized by
degree subject and awarding departments.
Degrees awarded by ed schools
should be reported separately
from degrees awarded by other college departments.
Ed school Ed.D. degrees should be reported
separately from Ph.D.'s.
Identification of hired or retained educational consultants, facilitators, workshop presenters
and contractors, including names and web site addresses.
School Board meetings
Notice and agenda of upcoming board meetings
Complete copies of "board packets" (documents provided
to board members at each meeting)
Minutes, taken in sufficient detail to understand each issue in question,
the nature of various stated positions, and resolution
Minutes should be taken by someone other than
a school administrator or other board employee
Committees:
If a committee or task force was created by
and is responsible to a primarily public body (e.g., a school district), then it
itself is also considered a public body and is thus subject to the
Open Meetings Act.
Notice and agenda of upcoming committee meetings
Names and email addresses of participants, including
board members, district employees, and local citizens
Identification of leader or facilitator(s)
Detailed minutes of meetings
All documents distributed at meetings
Teacher workshops and in-service programs
Full descriptions of content, facilitators, speakers
Dates and time alloted
All materials distributed
Budget information on related expenditures, outside speakers and suppliers
Video or audio tape should be available for viewing by board members (at least!)
as well as by parents and citizens
E-mail addresses for all board members.
This may be an address for each member individually, or a "group address" such that a single mailing
goes to all board members. Unfortunately, some districts have been known to go to great
lengths to shelter their board members from hearing public comments!
Public surveys: If any public surveys are conducted or commissioned by the
district, the complete results, rather than carefully excerpted tidbits, should be available
in print and online.
A general description of what is happening in each class: current unit or topic
Current long-term assignments, plus goal and description of any major project
Student status: grades, homework completion