State Advisory Committee Report

The Special Advisory Committee report and background documents are available at here. I haven't gotten through all the appendices yet, but the report itself makes for some interesting reading.

The findings agree with many commentators that the district's academic tipping point came in 2003 when the district reversed a four-year increase in accreditation points form 23 to 64, dropping to 39 points in 2005. The district's financial tipping point came in 2001. Since then the district has fallen from a $63 million positive fund balance to a $30 million deficit.

As for the recommendations themselves, they rely on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's decision regarding the district's accreditation.

Situation 1. If the district loses its accreditation the committee recommends DESE create the three-person transition committee only (italics in the original) if the School Board, Aldermanic President, Mayor Slay and DESE agree on the three members.

Situation 2. If the district retains accreditation, the committee recommends creating: A. a committee to monitor and supervise the district and B. that the state legislature appoint a board with full authority to take over if the district 1. runs a $10 million plus deficit, 2. is managing on borrowed money and 3. if the district does not meet the standards for full accreditation. Currently the district would meets all three conditions; it has a $30 million deficit, borrowed money from the 1999 deseg settlement, and it can expect, at best, provisional accreditation.

If in Situation 1, there isn't an agreement on the appointees to the transition committee, the Advisory Committee recommends moving to the recommendation in Situation 2.

The DESE website says the district is provisionally accredited as of December 2006.

Any and all changes, of course, depend on DESE which could implement the recommendations, do something completely different, or do nothing at all (unlikely).