Springfield, Illinois PPS

After spending a few years as a small group of committed parents who sought to share a positive message about public education, Springfield PPS (SPPS) burst onto the scene with a new agenda following the defeat of a sorely needed referendum vote in the spring of 2002.  Suddenly membership has swelled as parents realize that they must be more involved and see SPPS as the vehicle to keep them focused and organized.

During the 2002 summer, SPPS conducted several planning sessions to determine their focus areas for the 2002-03 school year.  Within the larger goal of building leadership capacity among its members, a new structure for accomplishing their work emerged.  Five Initiative Groups, or I-Groups, will coordinate SPPS activities.  The I-Groups are:

• Budget Education & Monitoring - SPPS wants to ensure that parents and the larger community understand how to read the district's financial documents and how to be a part of the budget planning process.
• District Strategic Planning - with all the issues facing Springfield's public schools, SPPS is committed to working with the district to develop comprehensive strategies for the future.
• Public Engagement - SPPS is challenging the greater Springfield community to take responsibility for its role in public education for all children.
• Parent Involvement - with the help of SPPS, parents across the district are discovering new ways to engage in the processes and decision-making of their public schools.
• Student Achievement/Leave No Child Behind/Program Evaluation - with the increased emphasis on student learning, SPPS is doing its part to keep its members informed on student achievement and engaged in the evaluation and improvement of instructional programs.

The chapter also identified eight issues they want to track including:

• Teachers' Contraacts
• Effects of Budget Cuts
• School Construction
• State Legislative Issues
• District Map
• CISS
• School Board Reform

To keep this all-volunteer organization running, individuals or the chapter's Executive Committee are also addressing a number of administrative areas:

• Membership Services
• National PPS Clearinghouse Resource Organization
• Contact with PPS National
• SPPS Website Development
• Community Relations
• Fundraising
• Action/Information Alerts
• Chapter Newsletter
• Membership Meeetings

Stay tuned to this chapter as it seeks to become a powerful tool for reform and improvement in Springfield.

2002