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•f F AGE 14 - FLAINDEALER - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9,1983 Taming The Educational Lion A decade ago we weighed the benefits of state aid against the mandates of an educational bureaucracy whose leverage was money. Was state aid a bonus or a bogeyman? < One answer emerged. Indeed, the shadow behind thewnus was a bogeyman and there was no way to make it disappear Education will always be part of our community, %hich makes it necessary to confront its problems with regularity. Have the old problems gone away? Are there new ones in their place? One element remains the same. Ten years ago the biggest business in McHenry was education. It has retained that standing, but the financial road leading to its successful operation has become filled with potholes. Education was important, complex and costly in 1973. It is just as important today, it is at least as complex, and it costs much more. Shortfalls has become a term synonymous with schools everywhere. It can refer to the bottom falling out of revenues from corporate personal property replacement or a cutback in government funding. In view of these shortages from any source, what kind of mandates can be made of schools today? It may come as a surprise to learn that few of them have changed. According to Dr. Richard Farmer, superintendent of McHenry Elementary School District 15, it has been a case of growing accustomed to the situation, aided by the increased usage of computers to reduce the paperwork. Until 10 years ago, elementary and secondary schools conformed to a recognition formula dealing chiefly with particular courses toT>e offered and requirements for teachers who instructed them. Suddenly, these schools were challenged by a bold set of regulations laid down by the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for recognition statu! They were given goals and exact dates for implementation. The word was final. The regulations, which have persisted, are definite, specific and unequivocal. In the beginning they prompted many educators to speak out against both the deadline date and the volume of work involved. Acceptance followed. But more recent high inflation, which produces fewer benefits for the expenditure of every dollar available for education, has inspired more questions. What happened in these schools when the written word denouncing mandates was forgotten by the public but the rules remained? The answer is that most schools conformed to the spirit, while not always managing to meet the letter of the law. Through the decade state aid has increased. In Elementary District 15, the $1 million for educational purposes and $100,000 for transportation have grown to $1,561,000 and $235,660, respectively, plus funds for various special education needs, reading programs, etc. In High School District 156 the $292,000 for education in 1973 is now at $1,127,530 and the $57,000 for transportation has taken a l e a p t o $ 1 5 0 , 6 9 9 . . . . Unfortunately, the additional money hasn t kept pace witn inflationary trends. , Is there hope in the future for schools beset by such strange sounding terms as RIF (Reduction In Force), by formulas that refuse to budge, and by funding cuts announced to accommodate an ailing Illinois Treasury? There is! " Public hearings have been held around the state concerning final staff recommendations on the State Board of Education s Phase I Mandates Studies. Even before the final meeting Feb. 23, the state board staff had compiled final recommendations. The folly of making rules that cannot be met has won recognition at the state level. In Special Education, class size requirements would be eliminated, leaving the decision to be made at the local level. In the area of Driver Education, there would be an elimination of both the classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction. Physical Education on a daily basis would be offered only as an elective in grades 11 and 12. ^ , Startling changes are these as the roar of the state educational lion becomes only a heavy growl. It is not yet a purr but the signs are in place., . , Until our McHenry schools - and hundreds of others throughout Illinois' - can meet the financial requirements of severe mandates, the bureaucracy appears to be correctly withdrawing its claws. From this in 1973 . . to this in 1983 Teacfc®' \J3î aoa»* ^,«i1 nee<*s i. 9°a ra6le "̂lir ^easurao' i After „ 7 ; - . eli­ de u*ti n9 01 si c*n 6 c ;«Ss-s, the 'tin. On ~**~sf^e 5Pe CU) be ^de requi e«uCl rent{ at ents on the 7a A* sed C*1 on •vei a tes t the S U f f re ^Su"PtU 'on that The bfjj the n9ual educat Ton* In addition, a particular methodology for teach­ ing bilingual is not prescribed, but is left to local discretion. In the area f°r ej. . of <*riVe roon b^J^endati° «̂»» "•ŝ ct,on. _ LAKELAND PARK & LAKELAND SHORES Carol Cominsky 385-7246 Election Day Is Approaching The Apr. 12 election day is fast approaching and there is still time to register to vote. You have until Mar. 14 to contact our registrar, Ray Bujak, who lives at 4504 W. Prairie. If you're new to the area or haven't registered before call Bujak at 385- 4146 to set aside a time to see him. Any registered voter who is unable to go to the polls on Apr. 12 can make arrangements with the registrar to cast an absentee ballot. DEBATE TONIGHT This is a reminder to be at the community house tonight, Mar. 9, for the debate of our aldermatic can­ didates. All residents of the fourth ward are urged to attend so they can meet Ronald Meuer, Ray Bujak, Ernest Schooley and Gary E. Snell. The debate will begin promptly at 8 p.m. LAID UP Poor Keith Westerfield is in a leg cast to his thigh because he tore the tendons in back of his knee while playing football. He'll be out of commission for six weeks while the injury is healing. He can be seen these days getting around in a wheelchair and wishing he was up and about enjoying the beautiful weather we've had. We send him wishes for a very speedy recovery. BRIDE-TO-BE When I heard about Keith's accident his mother also shared the news of a bridal shower given Sunday, Feb. 27, in the Lakeland Park Community house. The bride-to-be is her grand­ daughter Kathleen Macowski, who is marrying Pete Semen on May 7 in Wauconda. There were 35 guests who attended, bringing many beautiful gifts that every newlywed couple needs fo set up house. Jean Hrnciar and Kathleen's bridal party were the hostesses of the lovely afternoon shower. NEWS FROM HOME ...Home avenue, that is. Ken and Kathy Maxson's two sons share Feb. 18 for their birthdate. Brad turned eight and Adam is now four years old. A cake and ice cream party was given for the boys that day with their grandparents, aunts and uncles and some friends attending. We musn't forget sister Deanna was also there to sing "Happy Birthday" to her brothers. PLEASE CALL It has been some time since we've heard from anyone living on Park, Shore or Central. I look forward to your call this week. BIRTHDAYS Birthday wishes are sent to William Knor, Cynthia Bargo, Johnny Paul and Mike Mai on Mar. 9. On Mar. 10, Suzanne Michelle Moore and Amy Lynn Sweeney both turn 10; Kevin Justen will be 14; and Christopher Lawrence turns 18. Best wishes to Barbara Tiffany and Cheryl Winkle on the 11th. Mar. 12 is the special day for Pat Lasko, James Hahn and Arnie Doefert. another Cominsky, this time Jami Lynn, turns eight years old on Mar. 13. Brian Nuss and Pat Gilbertson add another year on the 15th. ANNIVERSARIES We have two anniversary couples celebrating this week. Frank and Linda Sweeney on Mar. 9; and Lester and Sherry Stephens on Mar. 12. Recruiter Speaks About Linguist Opportunities '84 Car Renewal Stickers On Sale Secretary of State Jim Edgar has announced that more than 1,400 Illinois financial institutions have begun over-the-counter sales of 1984 . passenger car renewal stickers. Edgar said the 1984 stickers went on sale Feb. 1 at 617 banks, 180 savings and loan associations, 16 credit unions and about 600 Chicago area currency exchanges. "This year 132 banks, savings and loan associations and credit unions were added to the program," Edgar said. "In 1982, financial institutions sold over two million stickers, or 37 percent of all stickers sold by my office." The 1984 renewal stickers . are purple and should be placed in the upper right corner of the rear license plate. Recently Sgt. Kim Keever and Lance Corp., John Stewart of the Marines and Rick J. Witowski of the Army talked to the foreign language students of Mrs. Quick (Spanish), Mrs. Meyers (French and German) and Mrs. Collard (Spanish) at West campus. The recruiters spoke about the value of a linguist in the armed forces, but other important topics were also discussed. Sgt. Keever (Marines) said that a linguist's job in the Marines would be 1) intercepting foreign messages and interpreting them, and 2) linguists would work in the U.S. Embassies across the world interpreting the country's language for the ser­ vicemen there. He pointed out that to enter the Marines, men must take an aptitude test and score a 30 or more on the test and women must score 50. The dif­ ference in scoring is due to the fact that women would be doing more intellectual than physical work. Keever said that no women would be put in combat situations. The Marines will finance 75 percent or more of a person's college education. They will pay up to 100 percent if the student is planning to study an area relating to work that he- she is doing in the Marines. Rick J. Witowski of the Army showed slides to the students on what the Army had to offer. The Army has a foreign language school in Mon­ terey, Calif., that is used by all branches of the service. The students were informed that both forces need people skilled in Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. People who enter the forces are usually sent to a foreign language school if they show the capability to learn a foreign language. The students were encouraged by the recruiters to get as much of one language as they can, preferably four years of intensive study while in high school. Later this year, other speakers will discuss career opportunities with students who are enrolled in foreign languages. 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