Homepage of Chester-East Lincoln Dist. #61

site updated - 05/13/2012

Skyward Family/Student Login CEL Handbook (.pdf) Supplies List (.pdf)

Recently Updated Content:
Cool Tools (05/07)	Bids/Proposals (02/02)	School Lunch (May)
Student of the Month (04/17)	May Lunch Menu (04/30)	Board Policy Manual

Community Forum Presentation  (PowerPoint Viewer)

---

Information:	posted: 05/11/2012
Community Forum Follow-Up Survey Results
click here to view report

---

Information:	posted: 05/10/2012
Projected Serious Budget Cuts in Education without Significant Medicaide Reform
The education budget is beginning to take shape in behind-the-scenes negotiations in Springfield, and a good analogy might be a house of cards where removal of one card could cause the entire house to collapse. The "cards" in this case include General State Aid, transportation dollars, Medicaid cost savings and even passage of a cigarette tax. What do cigarettes have to do with General State Aid for public schools? Revenue from a cigarette tax is part of the formula to save $2.7 billion in Medicaid. If the Medicaid savings fall below that amount, all programs stand to be cut by a proportionate amount. There also has been some discussion about rolling some of the education individual line items into GSA, the largest of which might be transportation. While we certainly believe GSA needs to be fully funded, we have big concerns that transportation funding could disappear in the GSA mix because the distribution formulas for GSA and transportation are quite different when it comes to downstate vs. Chicago. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Chris Koch is continuing to ring the alarm bell regarding the education budget that soon will start winding itself through the General Assembly. Koch has sent a message to education stakeholders throughout the state warning that the education budget "is in jeopardy of significant reductions" as the legislature attempts to balance the budget. Koch also provided a spreadsheet that details district by district the impacts of reductions to General State Aid amounting to $258 million, $500 million and $750 million tied to the Medicaid situation. GSA already had been reduced by 5 percent this year and we had projected another reduction for FY2013 even if the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) received what it had requested. Koch also provided a copy of the resolution the House is using to set spending limits. Koch wrote: "I think it's important as we get closer to the deadline that all parties have this information so they understand the difficult decisions that lawmakers are being faced with. While these reductions are estimates using the best data we have available, the impact to Illinois schools will clearly be devastating as you can see." In addition to the cuts to GSA, transportation and other parts of the education budget, there remains a very good possibility that the legislature will take action to shift the state's portion of the pension costs to local school districts. No details have emerged regarding how that plan would be implemented, but legislators have said they have not heard much from schools regarding the negative impact of the pension shift. Obviously, it is in everyone's best interests in public education to make certain your legislators understand what these potential cuts would mean to your district in real terms. If you have concerns about any or all of these potential cuts, now is the time to make your voice heard. House votes to end free health insurance The House voted Wednesday afternoon for the state to no longer provide free health insurance for retirees. By a 74-43 vote that included 35 "yes" votes from Republicans, the House passed SB1313, which now goes to the Senate.   While the action does not directly affect the health care offered through the Teachers' Retirement System, it should be noted that the governor has also talked about ending the state subsidy of more than $85 million for the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) health insurance program. SB1313 would affect some 80,000 retirees including state workers, university employees, judges and lawmakers. The state now spends an estimated $876 million in health insurance subsidies that were promised to state workers and university employees who had 20 or more years of state service. Lawmakers qualified after four years of service and judges after six.   While the health insurance issue does not have the same constitutional implications as the pension issue, observers think the legislative action will be challenged in court from a contractual standpoint.   Pension discussion ongoing While we have yet to see any bill language regarding pension reform, the issue has remained a hot topic of discussion in Springfield. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel testified Tuesday at a hearing in front of the Illinois House Personnel and Pension Committee.   Emanuel talked about reigning in Chicago's pension system and his plan sounded very similar to the one the governor has proposed for the state systems, including raising the retirement age, making employees contribute more and lowering the cost of living adjustment (COLA). Meanwhile, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) are said to be trying to reach an agreement on the framework for pension reform. As legislators enter the home stretch of the spring session, which is scheduled to conclude by the end of the month, the issues critical to public education remain moving targets. We will continue to monitor the action in Springfield. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.  Diane Diane L. Hendren Chief of Staff/ Director of Governmental Relations Illinois Association of School Administrators

---

Information:	posted: 05/09/2012
Movie In The Park
Lincoln Outdoor Movie Night Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 8:00 pm Rain Date: June 2, 2012 Featured Movie: Cars Postville Park, 5th Street and Washington Street Presented by Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club with thanks to our sponsors. Executive Producer Sponsors: Rick Hamm – State Farm Insurance, Integrity Data, and the Lincoln Courier. Free Fun for the Whole Family! Bring your lawn chairs & blankets! click here to view flyer

---

Information:	posted: 05/07/2012
2012 Spring Arts Extravaganza
Concert Document P.1 | P.2

---

Survey:	posted: 05/03/2012
Community Forum Follow-Up Survey
Click Here for Survey  Survey Closes 05/09/2012 at 3:00pm

---

Information:	posted: 04/30/2012
CEL Food Service Revenue vs. Expenditures Community Forum Follow-up
There were questions at the community forum on April 24, 2012 on how the CEL food service program expenditures and revenues have been determined in relation to why the Board of Education is exploring the idea of sharing food services with LCHS. The information contained below was gathered from two sources, the Annual Financial Report, which is a legal document prepared by an outside auditing firm and submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education each October.  The other document was obtained from FRIS on the ISBE website which documents all payments from State and Federal sources.  Both sets of documents can be found at http://www.isbe.net. To clarify, there are several factors that need to be analyzed when looking at the viability of a program.  Total revenues need to be compared to total expenditures, not just budgeted amounts. Although each year the actual expenditures for Food Services (AFR expenditure number 10-2560) were less than the budgeted amount, the revenues were not high enough to cover the cost of the program. The accompanying documentation shows that in order to truly analyze expenditures and revenues, you must look at several sources. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who may have questions. If you have additional questions, please contact Jennifer Hamm at 217-732-4136. Fiscal Year School Year Total Revenues Sales and Free/Reduced Payments from State and Federal Sources Total Expenditures AFR Line Item 10-2560 and IMRF Expenses in another Support Staff Line Item Total Profit/Loss   2009   2008-2009   $92,805.09   $103,167.34   -$10,362.25   2010   2009-2010   $91,163.62   $112,901.62   -$21,738.00   2011   2010-2011   $92,520.73   $111,712.00   -$19,191.27   Total Losses for FY 09- FY 11   -$51,291.52 FY2009 Support Document FY2010 Support Document FY2011 Support Document

---

Information:	posted: 04/26/2012
Here's the scoop on CEL's 16th Annual Student Art Exhibition
	Date: Monday, May 7th Time: 7:30-8:30pm Place: Learning Center and adjacent hallway. click here for more details

---

Information:	posted: 04/24/2012
Our Book Fair is Coming!
May 4th - May 8th The whole school is excited about our upcoming Book Fair.  An amazing selection of books is headed our way!  At the Book Fair you will find the latest and finest titles for kids, as well as books of interest to parents.  Mark your calendar for our Family Event where the whole family can join in the fun.  And, you can contribute books to your child's classroom library.  The Book Fair is a great way to get everyone excited about reading. See you there!  (click here for more details) Rachel Shew - Librarian

---

Information:	posted: 03/08/2012
Nominate CEL for a $25,000 Grant
Monsanto is once again sponsoring a grant program for $25,000 to a public school district in each crop-reporting district. Please help the chances for CEL by nominating the school district. To nominate, you must meet the following criteria: Must be 21 years or older and actively farming a minimum of 250 acres of corn and/ or soybeans and/ or cotton, and/ or 40 acres of open field vegetables, or at least 10 acres of vegetables grown in protected culture. You cannot be seed dealer or spouse of a seed dealer. click the link below for more details Monsanto Grant Opportunity (.pdf)

---

Information:	posted: 02/28/2012
Transportation Bidding Information (.pdf)

---

Help Wanted:	posted: 10/06/2011
If you are interested in being a volunteer for the School Store, CELebrations, or serving on a PBIS Committee, please contact the school office. We want to encourage parents and families to take an active roll at Chester-East, thank you.