Board Meeting Highlights - February 2015


Below are highlights from the District 39 Board of Education meeting on February 23, 2015

Video of the meeting is available here.


 

Board Committee Reports

  • Facility Development
    Alice Schaff reported. Summer construction bids were discussed: Highcrest - bus driveway and roof; Central - Learning Commons; Romona - addition and boiler. Next meeting - March 19 - 9:00 am at the MEC.
  • Insurance Advisory
    Karen Donnan reported. Data and insurance rates will come in May. Proposal for the benefits consultant contract was discussed. Next meeting - May 4 - 4:00 pm at the MEC.
  • Educational Foundation
    John Flanagin reported. Trivia night raised over $10,000. At a recent Science Olympiad competition, D39’s Varsity team placed 10th out of 21 and Junior Varsity placed 6th out of 21. Distinguished Citizen event honoring D39 alum Sydney Martin is April 30. Rack*It public art project unveiling featuring D39 artists is May 9th. Next meeting - March 25 - 7:00 pm at the MEC.


 

Announcements from the Superintendent

  • DAR Essay Contest winners were recognized; first place essays were read, Alexander Rietz (7th) and Megan Hoffhines (8th). 
  • WJHS Coding Class update - Based on feedback, plans for a coding class are being revised. An updated plan will be presented in March for a class that will be part of 8th grade related arts offerings with focus on developing apps, games, and animation. 
  • The ISBE KIDS waiver requests from Wilmette, Barrington, and Glencoe are all being denied. ISBE revised its implementation timeline, slowing down the entire process and feels waivers are no longer necessary. Wilmette, Barrington, and Glencoe all agree the delay does not change the view that KIDS is an assessment redundancy. All intend to go through the appeal process. 

 


 

Information items 

  • Mrs. Horowitz – English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Review Update – The ELA curriculum review, which began in 2013-14, continues with focus this year on integration of reading and writing, initiation of the curriculum mapping process with formulation of an ELA philosophy, and early exploration of materials. The review will continue in 2015-16, with implementation in 2016-17.
  • Mrs. Horowitz – D39 Curriculum Review Cycle – This detailed report on the curriculum review cycle included the components of the process, the current status of each curricular area, and plans for the coming years.
  • Dr. Lechner – Cold Weather Practices – The District’s review of cold weather practices included changes being implemented, reviewed, or piloted to allow schools to safely stay open in very cold weather.
  • Ms. Buscemi – Student Fees 2015-16 Draft – The Board of Education will approve fees at the March meeting. Small increases in fees for school lunch and Connecting Kids Preschool are recommended. Issues related to bus fees were discussed:
    • Early registration is encouraged to allow the District to plan routes and avoid overcrowding, which leads to bus delays.
    • A combination of early bird discounts and late registration fees are being considered with June 12th as the cut-off date either way - discounts before that date or late fees after.
    • A registration cut-off date of July 1st is recommended; students registered after that date will only be accommodated if space on existing routes permits.
  • Policies – There is an ongoing review of Board policies, with Personnel Policies being the main focus currently: First read and second and final read policies were included. 


 

Board Action

The Consent Agenda was approved including the following:

  • Personnel Report dated February 23, 2015
  • Support Staff Union Letter of Agreement
  • Employee Benefits Consultant Contract
  • Student Transportation Contract Extension
  • Summer 2015 Construction Project Bids
  • Resolution Reauthorizing Participation in the Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund
  • First Reading Revised Personnel Policies 5:100, 5:150, 5:170, 5:195, 5:200, 5:220, 5:260, 5:270; New Policy 5:130; Delete Policies 5:160, 5:210, 5:225, 5:240, 5:250, 5:275, 5:280, 5:300, 5:320, 5:330, 5:340, 5:400 and 5:440
  • First Reading Revised Business and Non-Instructional Policies 4:130 and 4:140
  • First reading Instruction Policy 6:236 Recommended for Deletion
  • Second and Final Reading Revised Personnel Policies 5:10, 5:20, 5:30, 5:40, 5:80, 5:90, 5:120; New Policies 5:35, 5:60 and 5:70

The next meeting of the District 39 Board of Education will be on Monday,
March 23, 2015 at 7:00 PM at the Mikaelian Education Center.