Welcome to the Regional Office of Education #3

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Mulberry Grove CUSD #1
Vandalia CUSD #203

Summer Food Service Program Opt-Out Hearing
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
8:45 AM

ROE #3 Professional Development Center
1500 Jefferson St., Vandalia, IL 62471

Regional Superintendent Julie Wollerman will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 8:45 AM at the ROE #3 Professional Development Center in Vandalia, Illinois for the purpose of taking testimony regarding Mulberry Grove CUSD #1 and Vandalia CUSD #203 proposals to opt-out of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

SFSP is mandated by PA 096-0734 and requires a school district where at least 50% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals and have a summer school program to provide meals at summer school. A school district shall be allowed to opt out of the summer food service program requirement if it is determined that, due to circumstances specific to that school district, the expense reimbursement would not fully cover the costs of implementing and operating a summer food service program.

Assistant Regional Superintendent Annette Hartlieb will hear testimony from the school districts and interested community members. The Regional Superintendent shall, by March 1, inform the school districts of her decision, along with the reasons why the exemption was granted or denied, in writing. If the regional superintendent grants an exemption to the school district, then the school district is relieved from the requirement to establish and implement a summer food service program.

Signed into law on August 31, 2017, Public Act 100-0465, also known as the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, made sweeping changes to education funding in Illinois. In making changes to state financial support to schools, the Act also repealed Section 18-8.05 of the School Code, which required an instructional day to be a minimum of five hours. As such, there is no current statutory minimum number of hours or minutes that constitutes an instructional day. This change provides districts with maximum flexibility to ensure that student needs determine the method and timelines of instructional days rather than the needs of regulatory and compliance systems.

The definition of an Instructional Day is explained in this memo from ISBE: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Instructional-Day-Memorandum.pdf

Thanks to everyone who helped to make the Professional Development Institute a success!

We received a nice follow-up note from Keynote Speaker Craig Zablocki that we'd like to share with everyone:

https://lists.roe3.org/institute/Note-From-Craig-Zablocki.pdf

The Institute Book and Book Additions are still available.

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) recently shared the impact of the Foundational Services funding that was distributed via Regional Offices of Education throughout the State in a variety of professional development programs. A presentation that shows the progress measured in districts participating in those programs can be viewed at https://lists.roe3.org/pd/IARSS_Presentation_2018-07-11.pdf

PEL and ELS-CTE licenses may renew beginning April 1, 2018.

ELS-PARA licenses may renew beginning April 15, 2018.

SUB licenses may renew beginning May 1, 2018.

The cost of renewal is $50 plus card user fee.

1. The ROE can give them their login.
2. They can choose "forgot password" when logging in.

1. Call - (217)557-6763
2. Choose option #2
3. You will need to enter your IEIN followed by the pound symbol (#) -OR- your social security number (with no dashes) followed by the pound symbol (#) [that's a hash tag for our more tech-savvy associates]
4. You will need to enter your date of birth followed by the pound symbol (#). When doing so, you must enter using 2 digits, 2 digits, 4 digits (MMDDYYYY). . . i.e., 04211984 . . . followed by the pound symbol (#).

The ROEs of Area 5 have joined together to bring you the necessary academies for renewing your evaluation approval. We have quality presenters who understand your need for material you can USE and not just talk about. See our list of offered academies here. 

The Regional Office of Education #3 serving Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery Counties is now offering the TASC Test at its Hillsboro Office.

The TASC test is a high school equivalency test recognized by the State of Illinois and will assess five subject areas: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, as well as measure examinees’ readiness for college and the workforce. Passage of the TASC test will provide the same result as passing the GED test - a high school equivalency diploma from the State of Illinois.

• ILLINOIS TASC TESTING FLYER (PDF)
• TASC BROCHURE (PDF)
• UPCOMING TASC TEST SCHEDULE IN HILLSBORO (PDF)

A list of the TASC test study materials can be found on TASCTest.com. Questions can be directed to Sarah Huckstead at the ROE #3 Office in Taylorville at (217) 824-4730.

For residents who are interested in a computer-based test, the GED can be taken at various locations. For the ROE #3 area, testing centers are located in Springfield, Centralia and Mattoon. Other testing locations can be found at the website www.GED.com. Interested test-takers are encouraged to work with their local adult education provider at the community college to help prepare for whichever test they choose to take.

Job Openings in Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette, and Montgomery Districts