Nashville #49 Superintendent’s Updates – September 20, 2017

It is very hard to believe that we have already passed the mid-way point of the first quarter!

We are off to a great start here at Nashville #49 and are extremely proud of what our students have accomplished already this year!

Our baseball and softball teams are ready to begin postseason play this week. The baseball team is the #1 seed in the Shiloh regional and will play the semi-final game on Wednesday at 4 PM. The softball team is also the #1 seed in the Breese regional. They also will play in the semi-finals on Wednesday at 4 PM.

Good luck to Coach Tebbe, Coach Heseman, Coach Winchester, Coach Pelker, and all of the players this week!

We also have our after-school clubs in high-gear already this year.

The kids have loved Mr. Ben Crawford’s Ultimate Frisbee Club so far this year.

Mrs. Carrie Taylor will also begin her first year as the sponsor of the popular Lego Club that will begin meeting in the very near future.

Ms. Alisha Sabo will soon lead the kids at the Baking Club sessions and Mrs. Kathleen Roper will soon be leading the kids in space exploration during the Astronomy Club meetings.

Thanks to all of these sponsors and to our families for participating in these wonderful co-curricular activities!

Please find some important upcoming dates and activities listed below:

September 28-FY 18 Budget Hearing and School Board Meeting

October 4-McTeacher Night at the Nashville McDonald’s (4 PM-7 PM)

October 6-11:30 AM dismissal and NCHS Homecoming Parade

October 9-No School (Columbus Day)

October 13-End of the 1st Quarter

October 17-Parent/Teacher Conferences (4 PM-8 PM)

October 18-Parent/Teacher Conferences (4 PM-7:30 PM)

October 19-11:30 AM dismissal

October 20-No School

Finally, I would like to update the community on some important data that pertains to our school district. Much of this information, including state averages, will be officially released by the Illinois State Board of Education on October 31 via the Illinois School Report Card.

Our 2017 PARCC state assessment scores increased by almost two percentage points from last year and rank among the highest in our region. 65 % of our 3rd-8th grade students approached, met, or exceeded the standards set forth by the ISBE, including 31 % who met or exceeded those standards. The district recognizes that test scores are important, but a well-rounded overall program is essential for students to be successful. We are very proud of these accomplishments and appreciate the hard work of our teachers and students!

The Nashville #49 Board of Education and I are equally proud of the fact that our district has been able to maintain a high level of success despite the financial difficulties of Illinois.

Nashville #49 finished the 2016-2017 fiscal year with a positive budget balance, even though Illinois still owes our district over $120,000 in delinquent payments for transportation, special education, and the Pre-School Grant.

We also received an almost perfect score (3.9 out of 4.0) on our estimated 2018 Financial Profile Rating. Additionally, the district will again be filing a balanced budget for the 2017-2018 school year with overall expenditures estimated to be over $150,000 less than last year.

We also work very hard to keep our costs at a reasonable level while still providing our teachers and students with the resources that they deserve.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education’s ILEARN ranking system, Nashville #49 fares extremely well when compared to similar school districts throughout the state. Out of the 369 elementary school districts in Illinois, here is where our district ranks (#1 being the highest costs and #369 being the lowest costs):

*Our district’s Operating Expense Per Pupil ranks 296 out of 369 elementary districts in the state and is over $4,000 less than the Illinois average cost per pupil.

*Our district’s Per Capita Tuition Charge ranks 280 out of 369 elementary districts in the state and is over $3,400 less than the Illinois average tuition charge.

*Our district’s overall tax rate ranks 267 out of 369 elementary districts in the state. Nashville’s K-12 tax rate of 4.98409 compares very favorably to the latest available overall Illinois average K-12 rate of 5.16280.

We are exceptionally proud that our district excels while we continue to address the difficulties and challenges that currently exist. However, we would not be able to enjoy these successes without the support of our families and our community. Nashville #49 is truly one of the finest elementary school districts in Southern Illinois and we look forward to continuing this tradition into the future!