Welcome

D i s t r i c t 1 2 6
Alsip, Hazelgreen and Oak Lawn Elementary Schools
11900 South Kostner Avenue Alsip, Illinois 60803
phone: (708) 389-1900 fax: (708) 396-3793

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	Superintendent's Welcome

Welcome to the Alsip, Hazelgreen and Oak Lawn District 126 web site! We are pleased to be able to share information through this wonderful vehicle afforded by our technology resources. District 126 is firmly committed to web technology for all of us…students, staff, parents, and community alike. We have tended to think of learning as something that children do but we now view learning as a life-long activity. Web technology certainly provides a method to enhance communication. But just as significantly, it allows all of us unlimited opportunities to access knowledge and gain experience in using that information. We hope our site proves useful to you. Enjoy your visit!

Superintendent, Mr. Robert Berger

District 126 OverView

By way of welcome, please allow me to take this small opportunity to tell you a little bit about us. We are located in the Chicago south suburbs with boundaries roughly being Pulaski Ave. on the east, Central Ave. on the west, 107^th St. on the north, and 127^th St. on the south. Our district comprises most of the Village of Alsip and a corner of Oak Lawn.

We are an elementary district with four schools, three of them grades pre-kindergarten through 6^th grade and the fourth being our junior high with grades 7 and 8. Our District 126 family has 1700 of the best kids and 220 of the best educators one could possibly hope to find. We have been, and always will be, the place "Where Children Come First".

Educational Programs

Core classroom programs produce successful learners and supplemental programs provide a breadth of experience for all children.

	Student achievement is assessed to be above state and national averages, and District 126 graduates do very well at the high school and post-secondary levels.
	The faculty and administration is putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive curriculum review that has shown immediate results and holds great promise for continuous improvement for the future.
	Achievement, as assessed by the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, has improved in each of the three years of that particular measure, placing us among only 23% of the Illinois school districts that can make that claim.
	Computers and other technologies are increasingly integrated into everyday instruction. Students will be ready to function in the digital workplace and society.
	Because all children must succeed, support and enrichment programs provide whatever it takes. Instruction is differentiated to fit needs.
	Co-curricular programs such as fine arts, health and safety education, and student advisement provide the essentials that make student life so memorable. A wide range of extra-curricular clubs and teams develop talents and provide leadership opportunities for all who care to participate.

Our schools are great places to teach and to learn and to develop.

School District Finances

The financial environment of District 126, like others, is constantly changing. Under the good stewardship of an experienced and dedicated Board of Education, the District has learned how to work smarter, harder, and leaner and yet maintain and/or expand programs and services to children.

	Under the Illinois system of funding for public education, property owners within District 126 are the primary source of revenue, contributing 84% of the total (the State share is 12% and the federal share is 4%).
	The local share has actually decreased in recent years as a result of aggressive grant and reimbursement strategies that have increased state and federal revenues.
	Ours is an economically vibrant community with diverse residential, industrial and commercial properties. As a result of a strong tax base, property owners enjoy one of the lowest tax rates in the area. The total rate ranks 2^nd lowest of the 26 rates applicable in Worth Township.
	The District has exercised creative financing and fiscal restraint in response to increasing pressures. Judicious borrowing and cost containment, but never at the expense of children, have been carefully employed. For example, bonding authority remains at 75% of ceilings (meaning only 25% of the ability to borrow has been utilized); administrative expenditures rank 35^th lowest of the 385 elementary districts in Illinois; and the last time voters were asked to approve a rate increase occurred 28 years ago.

The challenge will become even greater in the years immediately ahead. The cumulative impact of tax caps is taking its toll. State support for public education in Illinois ranks 48^th lowest among the states and the economic downturn will have an even greater impact. Increases in expenditures inevitably outpace increases in revenues. An increasingly complex society demands more from schools, and we must find a way to meet all the needs of all the children. With the continued support of our community, District 126 will rise to the challenges of the future.

School District Facilities

Children attending District 126 schools enjoy the benefit of clean, attractive, and safe learning environments. There is a regular program of facility maintenance, repair, and upgrade. Some of the more recent projects have been a major renovation of our oldest school; building a state-of-the-art technology infrastructure and network; re-roofing; lighting retrofits and other energy conservation measures; and tuck pointing and masonry restoration. All buildings meet or exceed all health and safety codes. Our facilities, however, are aging. Future years will require even more in the way of replacement and modernization of equipment and systems. The Board of Education, in conjunction with architects and engineers, continuously updates long-range facilities improvement plans, including financing strategies, to ensure that our children, staff, and community continue to have top-notch school buildings.

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