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Despite Governor Ryan�s statement that he will propose reforms at the State Board of Education designed to reduce bureaucracy, eliminate unnecessary red tape and make the agency more accountable to taxpayers and the General Assembly," the ISBE budget did not appear to have any cuts in its operations budget. Categorical funding programs that provide funding for DCFS wards in schools and nonpublic special education facilities appear to be funded at 100% of need. The Orphanage Act Program, which was funded at $127 million last year, is proposed to get $113 million this year. The number of children served is stable, and where these reductions in cost come from is unclear. More detail will be provided in a mailing on the budget next week.

The Private Tuition line item was also reduced from $45 million to $40 million. The number of students projected to be served this year also increased, but ISBE reports that the proposed amount will cover 100% of need. The line item for Extraordinary expenses for public schools was also cut from $241 million to $230 million.

Alternative Education was increased from $16 million to $20 million, and Regional Safe Schools program is allocated $17 million. The Alternative Learning Opportunities Act is listed as a legislative priority for ISBE for this session of the General Assembly. Many thanks to Pat Ege from Cunningham Children�s Home and Pamela Kennedy of Ada S. McKinley Community Services for working on the Committee that drafted this legislative proposal.

Many initiatives are listed to assist with the educational workforce. CCA is meeting with ISBE officials next week to identify specific areas where the private sector can benefit from their numerous initiatives. A memorandum on teacher shortages and forms of assistance for CCA members will be mailed after that meeting. Along those lines, ISBE has filed emergency rules to change the PZZ or certification waiver process to make it less subjective and more easily attainable. More information will follow. (BRH)

Also available on the ISBE website is the Certificate Renewal Manual, which clearly articulates the new requirements. It is now CCA�s understanding, contrary to former ISBE notification, that any teacher in an organization that is required to have certification (as is the case with staff in nonpublic special education facilities), must meet the renewal requirements. Also, your Regional Office of Education is supposed to provide assistance with these requirements. CCA will seek clarification on the direction for schools in the City of Chicago, which has no Regional Office of Education. (BRH)

In an odd development, the Illinois Purchased Care Review Board has released yet another draft of their proposed rules. After more than a year of negotiation, this is an unwelcome development. CCA will review the new proposal and inform its members of any changes. Work still has to be done regarding IPCRB�s interest to change "enrollment" to "capacity" in the rate methodology. (BRH)

The death of both of my parents from terminal illness over the last nine months has left me with a sense of great loss. The many members who took the time from their hectic schedules to write and call is touching, and it helped. I am grateful for your generous spirit. (BRH)

Governor George Ryan gave his annual State of the State Address last Wednesday, January 31. In that Address, the Governor primarily tried to highlight the administration�s accomplishments over the past year across all fields. He paid special attention to the impact that his Illinois FIRST initiative has had on communities around the state. He also highlighted the fact that he has kept and will keep to his pledge to spend at least 51% of all new state revenues for education and workforce training. He also highlighted achievements in the human service area including the fact that Illinois has led the nation in the number of adoptions for children in the child welfare system. He also highlighted the amount of resources that have been made available for day care. He indicated that violent crime has dropped 8 percent and is now at its lowest rate in 27 years. There was a long list of other "accomplishments"--the full text of his speech is available from the CCA Office in Springfield. He also highlighted some new initiatives that the administration will be undertaking in the coming session of the General Assembly. Some of those new initiatives are: the development of a new school foundation level as well as the reform of the State Board of Education to reduce red tape and bureaucracy; designation of a panel to design a plan for universal access to pre-school and full-day kindergarten; a new airport in Peotone; formation of a new Illinois Children and Youth Commission to help coordinate statewide programs (no details of this initiative were released--we will be following up on this); a boost in the salaries of care givers who work with men, women and children with disabilities (the DD initiative that was proposed last spring and fall); elimination of approximately 100 unneeded advisory boards and commissions; prevention of state employees from soliciting or making financial contributions to political candidates; review of the workers� compensation system, etc.

At the end of his speech, Ryan reminded the audience of "the cold hard fact that the national economy is slowing down" and he warned and vowed: "There will be tough decisions to make again this spring"--not a good sign this early in the legislative season. The Governor will announce his budget on February 21 at which time he will lay out how he intends to fund these initiatives.

Again, anyone wanting a complete copy of the Governor�s speech can obtain one by calling the CCA office in Springfield. (RHM)

Ron Moorman, the Association�s CEO, Marge Berglind, the Association�s Assistant Director, Jim Sherman, the chair of the CCA Public Policy Committee, and Tom Nolan, the Association�s legislative liaison, met with various members of the Administration last Thursday to discuss with them our legislative priorities and our questions concerning the upcoming State Budget. We met with George Havanec, the Deputy Director of the Bureau of the Budget (Steve Schnorf, the Director, has been on sick leave) and reviewed with him our interest in assuring that there is an adequate cost-of-doing business for not-for-profit human services agencies particularly in light of ever escalating costs for such things as gas for heating and transportation, and the extremely high levels of turnover agencies are experiencing because of their inability to pay competitive salaries. Among other items, we also highlighted our interest in assuring that there be increased funding made available for the funding of community based juvenile services. Mr. Havanec was not at all encouraging as he talked about the upcoming State budget--he, of course, would not give any specific details of the budget since, as he indicated, it is still in the process of being finalized. It seems clear, however, that it is going to be an extremely tight budget and that we will have to work hard to insure that we get a fair cost-of-doing business adjustment. It sounded like they may revert to the process that was used several years ago--putting in either no increase or a minimal increase which we will have to negotiate with the General Assembly. All in all, it was a bleak picture, and we want to urge each and every agency, at every opportunity, to inform their legislators about the critical need for adequate funding for human service agencies. More details will follow as the budget is finalized and presented on February 21^st. We also met with Jackie Garner, the Governor�s Assistant on Human Services, to discuss this same set of issues. In particular, we discussed with her the expansion of the community-based Futures of Illinois Kids program that has been spearheaded by Lura Ryan, the Governor�s wife. We indicated our support for these efforts as well as the fact that there are a number of our member agencies that currently provide these services and/or are willing to work with the State to develop them. Earlier in the day we met with Rick Larison who is the Director of State Wide Performance Review and who is also the person through whom all new initiatives must flow to insure that these initiatives are not duplicative of currently existing programs. He was very receptive to our interest in the provision and expansion of services to juveniles across Departments. All in all, it was a day well spent. While all parties were supportive and interested in our input, it is very clear that they are very cautious about either new or expanded services in light of what will be a very tight state budget for next year. If anyone has any questions or would like more details about these meetings, they should feel free to call Ron Moorman. (RHM)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Human Service Departments here in Illinois, will be conducting a one-day workshop on February 22, 2001 from 1:00 -4:30 PM at the State of Illinois James R. Thompson Center in Chicago (in the auditorium on the concourse level). This training will deal with the responsibilities that agencies which receive Federal financial assistance through DHHS have to insure that they are in compliance with the OCR policy guidance. The intent of the workshop is to serve as a tool in the development, revision or maintenance of policies and procedures to ensure that persons with LEP can meaningfully access health and social services. In addition, federal matching funds or reimbursement may be available for expenditures related to the provision of oral and written translation as administrative activities and services. Space is limited so walk-ins cannot be guaranteed admittance. For registration information, please call Dolores Saber, Office of the HHS Regional Director, at 312-353-4144 or use e-mail at: [email protected]. (RHM)

Nearly 100 participants attended the Quality Improvement training on Jan. 30 -31 lead by Dr. Fotena Zirps. Even the threat of another winter blast could not dampen the spirit of the participants, most of which attended both days of training. Dr. Zirps proceeded with basic CQI fundamentals and lots of helpful handout materials to get even the novice started. She soon moved into advanced CQI and problem solving sessions. The training format included lively small group activities and plenty of fun while learning. Dr. Zirps went the extra mile to make sure the attendees got their questions answered and even restructured some of the training to accommodate needs of the group. A highlight for those staying overnight was dinner with the Doctor, an informal get together with the trainer to discuss any and all aspects of CQI. Several agencies sent groups of staff to the training and a few CEO�s even brought their entire management teams to the sessions. What a great way to get the CQI ball rolling. One of the more popular handouts was a list of CQI web sites that participants could use to access many of the current and best thinking of the field. As a final activity to sum up the two days, individuals practiced what they would tell others when they got back to their agency. One evaluation comment sums up the training best: "Dr. Zirps gave us the vehicle to be champions for excellence in our agency".

Visit http://www.legis.state.il.us to read biographies , review the sponsorship histories, and obtain addresses and phone numbers for legislators in your district(s). The site also contains current bill synopses, reflects sponsoring legislators, and indicates current status of the bill. Bills and resolutions can also be searched by House Bill or Senate Bill number. For more information or assistance accessing the site, contact [email protected]. (LLL)

For publication names, addresses, phone numbers and editorial names for publications in your locale, contact CCA at [email protected], or call Linda Lenzini at 217-528-4409. Please be prepared to identify the specific counties for which you need contacts. Or .if you have a media contact that you would like added to CCA�s media list, send it to [email protected].

(LLL)

If your agency has a website, you can be linked to the CCA website. This will enable visitors to the CCA website to simply click on your agency�s name and access your website. Send requests for linkage via e-mail to Linda Lenzini at CCA, e-mail address [email protected].

If your agency would like to receive media updates and advisories, template and CCA news releases, and other items of interest, please send name, agency name, title, and e-mail address to [email protected].

(LLL)

" Success Stories". These features, submitted by members or penned by CCA staff, share the successes that members have realized with innovative programs, new initiative, and hard work. If your agency has an innovative program or recent success story that you�d like to share, contact Linda Lenzini at CCA with the details.

CHILD WELFARE DAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL: APRIL 18^th, 2001
Governor George Ryan has declared April 18^th, 2001 Child Welfare Day in Illinois. Be a part of the celebration by participating in Child Welfare Day at the Capitol. For a registration form, contact Linda Lenzini at the Child Care Association via e-mail at [email protected], or by calling 217-528-4409. The form can also be downloaded on the Child Care Association�s website at http://www.cca-il.com. A pre-event lobbying seminar is also planned for the CCA Membership Meeting March 22^nd and 23^rd. Watch the Monday Report for details. (LLL)

The agenda is being developed for the Spring Membership Meeting at the Hyatt Woodfield and will be mailed to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you would like to make your hotel reservation you can call the Hyatt Regency Woodfield at 800.233.1234 or 847.605.1234. The Hyatt is holding rooms for CCA guests on March 21 and 22. The rate is $109.00 single or double. Please remember to say you are attending the Child Care Association meeting in order to get the $109.00 room rate. The Hyatt�s address is 1800 East Golf Road, Schaumburg, IL. (SKA)

Feb. 6 - Workshop on the Effective Research-Based Approaches to the Provision of Services to Youthful Offenders, presented by Dr. Edward Latessa. For more information, call 1-800-252-8045 or 217-522-2663

Feb. 8 � CCA Public Policy Committee Meeting, Chicago/Springfield

Feb. 13 � CWAC SACWIS Advisory Committee Meeting, LCFS, River Forest

Feb. 14 � CCA Residential Providers of Central / Southern Regions� Meeting, The Lodge, Oak Brook

Feb. 15 � Residential Meeting with DCFS and CCA Private Sector Agencies, The Lodge, Oak Brook

Feb. 19-20 � CWAC Retreat, (Downtown Chicago location to be announced)

Feb. 25-28 � 14^th Annual Conference, A System of Care for Children�s Mental Health: Expanding the

Research Base, Tampa Hyatt Regency, Tampa, Fl. Call Lyn Bryan at 813/974-4649 for information.

Feb. 28 � Healthy Families Illinois Workgroup, Chicago

March 2-3 � Spring DCFS/IFPA Foster Parent Conference�For more information call 800.637.1396

March 21 � CCA Board of Directors Meeting, Hyatt Regency Woodfield, Schaumburg

March 22-23 � CCA�s Spring Membership Meeting, Hyatt Regency Woodfield, Schaumburg, IL