BALANCED CALENDAR

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BALANCED CALENDAR MOLINE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO.40
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Why a Balanced Calendar?

• The current calendar was designed for an agrarian
  society.
• The traditional calendar was not designed to
  enhance instruction then, and it does not do so
  now.

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What is a "Balanced Calendar?"

• Evenly distributes days students attend
  school/vacation over the 12-month calendar.
• Many different variations (but not to be confused
  with extended year).
• Most common is called single-track.

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Definition

• A Balanced Calendar is an alternative to the
  traditional September-June calendar that provides
  for continuous learning. Students attending a
  Balanced Calendar receive the same amount of
  instruction 180 days per academic year as
  students attending traditional 9-month calendar
  schools.

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Single-Track Balanced Calendar

• Number of days students in attendance is same as
  traditional calendar
• Reorganize year to provide learning that is more
  continuous
• Redistributes vacation throughout year
• Creates Intersessions

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Multi-Track
National Association for Year-Round Education
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What are Intersessions?

• Provides a 10-day or 15-day break between each
  45-day period of school
• Provides remedial/enrichment opportunities for
  students
• Provides Staff Development opportunities for
  teachers

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Single Track Models

• Many models exist (ie 45/10, 45/15, 60/20,
  90/30, etc.)
• Most common is 45/15 which means
• Students attend school 45 days (9 weeks)
• Students have 15 days vacation/intersessions
• Schedule repeated four times per school year
• Can be modified based on specific community
  needs

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Calendars
National Association for Year-Round Education
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National Association for Year-Round Education
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Traditional v- Balanced Calendar 2005-06
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Advantages of Single Track Balanced Calendars

• Continuous Learning
• Allows learning continuity and reduce learning
  loss
• ESL and At-Risk students suffer greatest summer
  learning loss
• Shorter, more frequent breaks minimize learning
  loss

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Enhanced teacher planning and instruction

• Reduction of teacher fatigue, burnout and higher
  teacher morale
• Reduction in teacher absences
• Continuity of instruction leads to better quality
  of instruction
• More efficient and productive to plan curriculum
  for shorter blocks of time
• Teachers overwhelmingly positive

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Remedial and enrichment opportunities for
intersessions

• Increased learning opportunities due to access of
  immediate remediation
• Opportunities for teachers to experiment with
  different curriculum and grade levels
• Enrichment activities
• Support for struggling student

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Catalyst for curricular change

• Change in how curriculum is delivered due to
  restructured time periods
• Lesson plans become more strategic (ie
  academically advantageous to plan curriculum and
  assessments to coincide with cycles)
• Learning more organized around key ideas and
  engaged in thematic learning vs. the cover the
  curriculum approach

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Academic and social outcomes for students

• Positive effect on achievement (balanced calendar
  vs. traditional calendar)
• Grades 4, 5, and 6 students scored significantly
  higher in math and science
• Significant gains in reading achieved by at-risk
  students (Kneese, 1994)
• Effective maintenance and improvement of overall
  academic performance (Kneese, 2000)
• Outperformed students 83 of the time based on 58
  measurable categories of academic growth (Kneese,
  2000)
• 2000 Advanced Placement Index (API) scores show
  schools on balanced calendars outperformed gains
  recorded for traditional calendar schools
  (Kneese, 2001)
• Grade 3 students in balanced calendar schools
  outperformed a matched population in schools with
  traditional calendars (Moore, 2002)

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Improved attitudes toward school and learning

• Reduction in vandalism and crimes
• Increased enthusiasm and motivation of students
• Increased positive feelings about school
• Decline in dropout rate
• Improvement in student attendance
• Increase participation in extra-curricular
  activities

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Better use of educational resources

• More cost effective to provide remediation and
  enrichment programs
• More efficient use of computer labs (due to
  intersessions)
• Utilization of facilities increases

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Potential challenges

• Availability of childcare
• Need for and cost of climate control in buildings
• Conflicts with other traditional district
  calendars
• Facilitating building cleaning/repairs
• Families/siblings on same schedule
• Complexity of scheduling family vacations

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Potential Challenges (continued)

• Continuing education coursework for teachers
• Resistance/emotional reaction to change by
  stakeholders
• Athletic participation
• Time lag between balanced calendar and community
  resources becoming available
• Basic accommodations in routines of district

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Moline School District No. 40 Facilities
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• Includes 21 school related facilities
• Facilities total 1,200,000 square feet
• Facilities average 61 years old
• The national average age for a school building is
  44 years old

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Status of Mechanical Systems

• One school facility is air conditioned and brings
  in code required ventilation. (retrofitted in
  1992, A/C added in 2001)
• Four other facilities have had mechanical system
  upgrades providing heating and ventilation. (2
  facilities in 1978, one in 1991 and one other in
  1992)
• Sixteen other facilities have original mechanical
  systems with minor boiler upgrades.

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-Programmatic needs are driving the desire to
enhance the learning environment by providing a
conditioned space.-Operating budgets require
that enhancements be made without increasing
energy consumption or maintenance costs.
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Considerations for mechanical system upgrades

• Meeting current ventilation codes
• Evaluating life cycle costs of mechanicals
• Identifying energy consumption/reduction/payback
• Determine if buildings are in the Districts plan
  for future continued use
• Can we justify the expenditure to upgrade all
  existing buildings

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First cost vs. life cycle cost

• New systems will need to provide for current
  ventilation requirements therefore increasing the
  amount of outside air to be heated or cooled.
• Determine the appropriate mechanical system for
  each building based on best life cycle costs.
• Improve building envelopes and use newer
  technologies to control operating costs.

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Cost estimates for recommended systems

• To replace existing systems with traditional
  heating only systems that allow for future air
  conditioning capacity equals 41 million
• Additional cost to add traditional A/C at the
  time of construction equals 15 million
• Additional cost to use geothermal technologies in
  place of traditional systems equals 3 million
• Additional cost of 3 million to replace casework
• Total estimated cost equals 62 million

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Energy Costs

• Current utility costs while providing heating and
  ventilation only 1.05 per square foot
• Future utility costs after recommended
  improvements and A/C added .79 per square foot

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Construction Costs

• Average cost per square foot for recommended
  improvements equal 57 per square foot
• Construction costs of new buildings equals 125
  to 200 per square foot

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Decisions

• Will the District air condition buildings
• Determine type of systems and technologies to use
• Analyze current buildings and their ability to
  meet program needs
• Determine the best facilities plan that provides
  for enrichment of instruction and efficiency of
  operations

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Action

• Begin the implementation process in a manner
  meeting program needs and within an appropriate
  fiscal plan.

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FINANCINGWhere are we now?Where do we go from
here?
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Financing Where are we now?

• Statutory Bond Limit for Moline School District
  No. 40 is approximately 101 Million.
• Current Bond Debt is approximately 9.5 Million
  or using less than 10 of capacity.

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Financing Where are we now?
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Financing Where are we now?

• 2005 Tax Levy Rates
• Fund Levy Rate
• Educational 3.2700
• Tort Immunity 0.1470
• Operations Maintenance 0.7500
• Special Education 0.0400
• Fire Prevention Safety 0.0500
• Transportation 0.1270
• Facility Leasing 0.0500
• Illinois Municipal Retirement 0.0800
• Social Security 0.1084
• Working Cash 0.0500
• Bond and Interest 0.4784
• Total Levy Rate 5.1508

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Financing Where are we now?

• Property Tax on Average Homeowner (1)
• 2004 2005
• Average Household Market Value (2) 110,000
  110,000
• EAV 1/3 of Market Value 36,667
  36,667
• Owner Occupied Exemption 5,000
  5,000
• Net Home Valuation 31,667 31,667
• School Tax Levy Rate (3) 5.1108
  5.1508
• Household Tax Amount 1,618.43 1,631.10
• Change from 2004 to 2005 12.67
• Change form 2004 to 2005 0.78
• December CPI (Urban) Index 3.40
• (1) Only Represents MSD40 tax levy.
• (2) Does not take into account inflation of home
  values
• (3) Tax Levy based on 100 per Equalized Assessed
  Value

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Financing Where are we now?

• Average Homeowner pays 1,631, which allows an
  educational opportunity for 7,600 Moline
  students.
• Out of this 1,631, approximately 150 goes to
  support 3.5 Million of facility projects
  (asbestos removal, roofs, HVAC, windows, etc).

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Financing Where do we go from here?

• 150 supports approximately 3.5 Million of
  annual facility projects.
• Assume 3.5 Million for 10 additional years would
  support approximately 35 Million of projects.
• This would represent a tax neutral position to
  the average household.

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Financing Where do we go from here?

• Assume an additional 3.5 Million each year over
  the next 10 years -- for a total of 70 Million
  of projects.
• Average Taxpayer bill would increase
  approximately 200 per year for 10 years.

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Where do we go from here?

• Balanced Calendar
• Facilities
• Financing