IASB Constitution and Position Statements Update

The Illinois Association of School Boards’ Position Statements have been updated, and a Belief Statement added, to reflect priorities adopted by the Association’s Delegate Assembly in November of last year.

The 2021 IASB Constitution, Position Statements, and Belief Statements are available on the IASB website and will be mailed to member districts in early February.

The new Belief Statement relates to Educational Equity and holds that the Association will encourage member districts “to integrate the principles of equity and inclusion in school curriculum, policies, programs, and operations, ensuring every student is welcomed and supported in a respectful learning environment.” Belief statements express significant values commonly held by local boards of education; they may or may not call for action to be taken by the Association.

New position statements include 6.21 E-Learning Election Days, that IASB will encourage legislation allowing school districts to use an e-learning day or remote learning day in lieu of closing a school or the district on an election day. The new 6.22 Local Control Pandemic position statement provides that IASB will encourage lawmakers to take a regional approach in response to national health emergencies.

The new 5.14 Teacher Prep-Reading Instruction supports initiatives in teacher preparation programming with scientifically proven methods of reading instruction that promote student literacy. Position Statement 5.15 Teacher Shortage supports efforts to direct the Illinois State Board of Education to expand the issuance of provisional teacher licenses to all curricular areas.

IASB’s position statements on Charter School accountability were reaffirmed. The 2020 changes include amendments to and deletions of out-of-date or no longer relevant position statements.

An objective of IASB is “to aid and assist boards of education in performing their lawful functions and to promote, support, and advance the interest of public education in Illinois.” To best achieve these objectives, the Association operates within the framework of its Constitution, Position Statements, and Belief Statements.

In the IASB Resolutions Process, each resolution is originally proposed by a local school board, reviewed by a 21-member Resolutions Committee, and then brought before the Delegate Assembly. The adopted resolutions are updated in the Constitution and set IASB’s policies and establish the legislative direction of the Association and its member districts. The Delegate Assembly is typically held during the Joint Annual Conference, each November in Chicago. The 2020 Conference was canceled; the Delegate Assembly was carried out in a virtual format.