Community Unit School District 200
State of the District Address
Gary T. Catalani, Ed.D., Superintendent
Wheaton Chamber of Commerce
March 17, 2005

Thank you for inviting me to speak about our fantastic school district, Let me begin by introducing the members of the Board of Education that are here today:

I would also like to introduce Kathy Myers and Denie Young. Kathy is our liaison to the chamber and does a fantastic job obtaining grant monies for our school district and Denie serves as our Director of Communication.

I am very pleased to be here today as you continue to carry on a conversation about community. Our community is strong because we have a vibrant business community, a strong and efficient city government, an active park district, and a comprehensive school system. As an organization, you have ensured that a dialog and discussion occurs about the importance of these groups to a vital community.. I’d like to start the discussion about public schools with a quote from former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw:

Based on Mr. Brokaw’s statement, it is important that we discuss what makes for quality school systems so that we can all take a stand on the great common ground known as public education.

I am pleased to report that the state of Community Unit School District 200 is moving to higher levels of greatness. We use these words because we believe in the work of Jim Collins and his book Good to Great. Collins suggests that Good is the Enemy of Great. So we are not willing to settle for being good – we demand greatness. Collins also states that great organizations strive to get the right people on the bus. In District 200 we are blessed to have a fantastic faculty and staff that are dedicated to our primary mission of teaching and learning. As demanded by NCLB – we work to leave NO Child Behind. Finally, we have a wonderful community that supports and demands quality schools. From the very supportive parents to the fantastic students that walk through our doors every day, from our strong partnerships with our business community to the cooperation we share with the park distinct and local governmental agencies – our school district has all the ingredients to achieve greatness. So let me provide you with some examples of greatnesses:

• District 200 has received the highest ranking in Expansion Management Magazine’s nationwide analysis of 2,800 school districts that offer high school programs. The ranking is based on college entrance exam scores, graduation rates, the community’s financial commitment to public education, and the education and income levels of the community’s adult population. The study is conducted annually to help companies decide where to locate a new facility. It concludes that communities with the most successful districts spend more money on their schools, both in higher teacher salaries and per pupil costs. Those same districts also tend to have parents with higher levels of education than those in the lower performing districts. District 200 is one of seven Illinois districts to earn the gold ranking out of 24 included in the study. Its overall ranking is at the 91 st percentile, placing it and other gold ranked districts among the top17 percent in the study, which included 34.5 million students.

• The District consistently earns the Bright A+ award, given by a Kansas City based relocation firm, to honor school districts that are among the top 5% in the state based high academic performance.

• For a number of years, the District has also earned the What Parents Want Award from SchoolMatch, an educational consulting and research firm. This award also recognizes the district’s high academic achievement, but also considers other factors that parents want in their child’s school—small class sizes, competitive teacher salaries, above average expenditures for instructional purposes.

• Two of our elementary schools—Whittier and Wiesbrook—just received the state’s first Academic Excellence Award from the Illinois State Board of Education in recognition of their consistently high scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. Schools have to meet or exceed those standards at the 90% or higher rate for three consecutive years to earn the award.

• Ten seniors in the Class of 2005 earned the title of National Merit Scholar Semifinalist and 33 others were named commended students in the program. The finalists represent the top scoring one percent of the testing group, while the commended students rank in the top five percent.

• Two Wheaton Warrenville South seniors earned a perfect 36 on the ACT.

• The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has recognized 217 District 200 high school seniors as Illinois State Scholars based on their strong academic achievement.

These are all indicators of a school district moving toward greatness. One of the things that helps move our district to higher levels of greatness is the fact that our Board yearly sets high priority goals that provide direction for the work of everyone in the organization. The three high priority goals for this year are as follows:

In order to move our district to higher levels of greatness, we must work to:

1. Build a new middle school in the southwest part of the school district.
2. Develop a vision and mission statement for District 200 based on focus group feedback and survey results.
3. Develop a long-term financial plan – based on the new mission and vision statement.

Let me briefly summarize the work on each of these goals:

1. Build a new middle school in the southwest part of the school district.
   Dr. Catalani discussed the following issues related to this goal:
• Advantages of new construction
• Costs of renovation vs. building new
• Appraisal of Hubble property
• Board commitment to hold a referendum to secure funding for the new school.
• Appointment of Hubble Committee last winter.
• Investigation of available sites
• Relocation of activities currently at Hubble.
• Study of attendance boundary changes after site is selected.
• Communication through newsletters, web pages, public meetings, face to face
• Recent involvement of Wheaton City Council
  
2. Develop a vision and mission statement for District 200 based on focus group feedback and survey results.
   Dr. Catalani discussed the following issues related to this goal:
   • The Focus group process
   • Stake Holder survey
   • The development of a new vision and mission statement
     
3. Develop a long-term financial plan based on the new mission and vision statement.
   Dr. Catalani discussed the following issues related to this goal:
• The appointment of a citizens committee this summer.
• Board will approve a plan in late winter.

As an aside, we just learned this week that we have maintained our Aa3 bond rating from Moody’s Investor Service. The rating was affirmed as we prepare to refinance $15.7 million in existing debt to save taxpayers approximately $1 million dollars in interest costs. The rating reflects the district’s expanding tax base, moderate debt burden and previously stable finances. By the way, the refinancing does not extend the bond repayment schedule nor does it provide any additional operating revenues.

These are the goals that are guiding our journey toward greatness. Along the way our students and staff are providing a lot of success stories. In closing, let me share a few of those good news items with you:

• The Wheaton Warrenville South Speech team continued its winning ways by placing second in the IHSA state speech competition.

• Students at Hubble Middle School took first place in the regional future Cities Competition with Franklin Middle School a close second. The Hubble team competed for the national championship in Washington and placed 12 th in the nation.

• Wheaton North High School’s Scholastic Bowl is defending its third consecutive state championship title this weekend after winning the sectional tournament last week.

• A Wheaton North High School student is one of 16 students in Illinois and 260 in the nation to qualify for the Mathematics Olympiad.

• A Hubble Middle School teacher was a Golden Apple finalist is this year’s competition, an honor that recognizes excellence in teaching.

• A Wheaton North teacher and coach was named the most recent AA Boys Track Coach of the Year.

• Last year’s boys volleyball team at Wheaton Warrenville South High School won the state championship.

This is just a sampling. Our students are excelling in the classroom, on the playing field, and in musical and dramatic performances every day. As a school administration, we thank you for your support of these students and for your commitment to help us on our journey from good to great.

Thank you.