Um and then they reflect on it after their observation. So that's sort of something we've started and we'd like to continue to do that um next year. The next action step is to develop a look for tool um that empowers teachers to assess the effectiveness of not only our CKLA curriculum but also our whole literacy block. So when we say a look for tool, what we mean is a guide that helps identify the key elements of the curriculum and how successful um those elements are and whether or not we need to build some PD around any of those pieces. Um, and lastly, and I think um, one that's very important and a lot of times we focus on the things that aren't going so well, but I added an action step here to recognize and celebrate the professional growth of our educators. This is important work.
So you can accept, you can reject. It's up to you. We can continue doing doing business the way we've been doing business. We can put it out for a proposal and we can see what we come up with and then make a determination. But if we're going to do something, we do need to get going at least, you know, like really quick here to get the proposals out in preparation for next year. And again, the final, you know, approval will come back to the board. on what you choose to do. And again, I'm not bringing OPA here as Opa is the one because they're going to bid it just like anybody else. They're not they are a company that is very entrenched here in this Midwest part of the United States. I brought them here just for you guys so you'd have some information. So I would I would like for us to go to a request just for request for proposals and see what we get.
So, do we know um for sure? I know. So, we're getting rid of the fryable asbestos this summer, but if we have different areas that are nonfryable, do we know where those are? Is it in the mortar like on the outside? Would that how would that change things if we do cut into um I wouldn't expect it to be um we would get it tested uh before the project started but something that small just cutting in an opening and and retying stuff in I mean you're talking 5,000 bucks max and that's pretty conservative. So from an asbestous standpoint, I I don't think that it would be anything to to cause concern. The exterior wall that you're butt up against, would you not? We wouldn't touch that, would you? Would you just build? We wouldn't touch it. There'd be a 2-in expan. The concrete would the concrete would tie into the existing building with an expansion joint, but everything else would have a 2-in expansion joint.
Thank you, motion. Any questions? All right. Then seeing none, again, this is an action item. If we can have a motion and a second and all in favor I. Thank you, ladies. Thanks, ma'am. Item 8B, our elementary and middle school counselor social worker salary placement schedule as well. All righty. As part of our the ongoing analysis that we're doing in HR regard organization and comparing it to the tri city area, we're requesting approval, we've attached um two um placement schedules. This is just for new staff and one is for the um elementary middle school counselor and it also can be a social worker and this position is paid out of the safety grant um and then a portion of it out of classroom site funds. Um the second one is for um the uh guidance counselor salary placement schedule and that's for the high school because those particular counselors have a longer um um calendar.
So I think what this team has done is pair down the when to contact to only what's statutoily required now whereas it seemed in the past some of the things didn't seem to align with statute and there were um places where there was indications to do it outside of those requirements but you might remember better Adriana that's my recollection. No. Yeah, that's what I recall as well that we've kind of already like done that one. That'll probably be one of the thematic things that we can add uh for the presentation. And that also ties into that extra one the board sent our way. And that was the reason I think the board sent it was to make sure that whatever we were doing in relation to the immigration components that we it's almost sort of the opposite in a way because the board's thinking was well this one maybe shouldn't be as aligned as the other ones because we have the ability um in those cases to have more rights to say no based on the Fourth Amendment etc etc.
Does anybody have any questions on that? Just take a look at it. Um we have a month to go through it. So, did it work well last time? Is that June 9th is when we have a board meeting in June 9th and afterwards you guys got together and Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I think we keep the same format. That worked well. Okay. It works much easier with the new evaluation format. Um, the next regularly scheduled board meeting will take place on Monday, May 12th, 2025 with close session beginning at 6:00 p.m. Uh, can I please have a motion to move to close session for purpose of uh appointment compensation to support performance dismissal litigation negotiations and property motion? Second, Ash and Vivian. All in favor?
Um and that really involves all that participatory planning we just talked about. We take that same approach to our projects as well and make sure that we're having an inclusion inclusive process for that. So we want to get feedback from your district leadership, your building leadership, your staff and your students and implement that into the project all all along the way. And with that uh brings us to our closing remarks. I cannot stress enough how much we want to be your architect, how much I want to be your architect and work on that team as a as a parent in the district. Um I think that we are the best team. We bring um not only a depth of experience from across the Midwest and Chicagoland, but literally up and down the Randall Road corridor with your neighbors. And we've been successful implementing and planning projects for all of them for many many years.
Um which is huge. So we're excited about that opportunity. Um we did give priority to our highv value programs. programs are designated high value for the state. Um and so we would be looking at our um welding, computer integrated manufacturing, which is a pathway we're looking to expand. And then engineering and construction. So we hope to fund other programs as well, but those will be the um priorities that were given and budgets were submitted. So teachers have already put in like what they would like to see to grow those programs and that's part of the application. Our fourth goal is to increase the numbers of teachers attending state and national conferences and summer professional development offerings. I know in the 10 years that I've been here, I've never been able to take a teacher to a national conference. I've been fortunate enough to go um but that just isn't something we've ever had in the budget for our teachers.
about that tomorrow. So, that's actually that's a good really exciting. It is. We're going to have choice. Yes. And licensed teachers. Yes. Uh from the secondary perspective, um last Monday at the high school, we had a visit from the IDOE that was geared towards work-based learning. And what they were really coming to do is visit the PEK program and see how workplace learning challenges operate. and um the career center is able to showcase what they do, but just understanding that our PEK program with freshman and sophomores, they aren't doing their internships yet. And we do have some revisions to that with a PEK PCAP merger of which we will be presenting what those changes are at the May 19th now board meeting. So to be continued with that from the junior high uh four students received a perfect score on iLearn math checkpoint three and they weren't all honor students.
On the next slide, you'll see we do have one elective course recommendation that was mentioned earlier today and that's our 2136 workplace Spanish. So, just as clarification, 2136 has been board approved and we are using that course here in MSDLT. um our committee felt strongly that we have some students who are um proficient in their written and oral language also in um ASL and in uh French. And so the recommendation is right now the state only offers workplace Spanish. And although we could just use that course code for some of those students, um we want to make sure that their transcript reflects the language that they are utilizing. And so right now in the state that process would involve um filling out a course waiver proposal through the DOE um to offer workplace French and workplace SP uh ASL. On the third slide, you can see we do have one recommendation for a weight adjustment.
So looking at that, um I love to be in schools in classrooms. I've been making an attempt to visit every single classroom in the first 90 days. Okay. As I meet with people, um one of the things that I continue to try to find out and this has been fascinating. I do like I use a SWAB acronym which is it's almost funny but that SWAB is actually strength weaknesses opportunities and I don't like the T that's why I substituted for a B um and the B is barriers you know I just figured I feel that that's less threatening I can do that interview within like but casually informally I can do that within five minutes so and you find out a lot of information which can guide you forward and in your work with every single person. Um, also being that this is a school district, the the top responsibility, the top priority is while you're building while you're building relationships, you have to pay attention to the teaching and learning that's going on because that's why we're here.
It's hard work and we need to celebrate um, that hard work and including when you know someone steps out of their comfort box for a minute and and try something new. I think we need to celebrate that. Um, so I'm looking to build that in as something that is part of our process and part of our day um, every day of the year. Um, and also taking that and encouraging teachers to do some professional development within the school based on things that they've tried and what they've learned um, from those trials. So that is teaching and learning. So under focus area two, safe and supportive schools, when we're talking about building the capacity of our students and staff for their social emotional wellness, our first action step is related to collaborating with the behavior coach um to expand our use of proactive behavior management strategies, fostering social emotional learning, and providing targeted support to our students.
What's the cost to have a proposal done? It's just time for our time. 15. So, so what about the administrators? I'm sorry. What do you think about all this? I comments from my building and I would support us maybe exploring another opportunity because we're not committed if we explore it. Yes, agree. And I' I've worked at a district that actually used ULA and uh kids responded very well. I can tell you what, their Caesar salad is topnotch. And I don't eat school lunch ever, but I will eat that. Um, and kids will go back and they will they will get seconds on it. It is their food presentation is is very very solid from my experience. Most definitely the options um and that you know what I said if you just put the slides up and make it the signs would make the food look better I guess more enticing for the kids.
So, all of your steel, your roof, all of that. Um, your roof would have a two-part flashing in order to allow it to expand and contract. Um, so, but no, nothing would would touch it. Do we know if ABCC would be on board or okay or So we visited with Sarah multiple times today even and they said you know really if we wanted to attach to the school they could see a lot of pros in that rather than it being kind of off on its own. Um and they didn't have the only thing they said and Dalton checked in on this today was it it has to have its own address and Dalton called in today and visited a little bit about that. So that would be that would be 620 Alberl Street would be the address for that building. So it would it would have its own address.
they work more hours because they have to be there before school, get kids registered, change their schedules, and then clean up after graduation and make sure everybody's on track to to graduate. So, we're looking for approval for both of those and they're behind um the cover sheet and like I said, one's going to come from the safety grant, the other one is our just for guidance counselors. And one of the things that we found out that it will change one of our uh uh employee salary that's u listed in the um personnel report to make it fair and with um that person's education and experience. This put us pretty much right in the middle of our neighborhood. Yes. Yes. When I looked at um the other districts in our area and I looked at a few outside of the area, it's right in the middle where they're trying to Yes.
Yeah. Okay. Uh, so are we are is anybody having any heartburn about deleting that last bullet? I'm okay with it. [Music] Delete. Evan has spoken. Wonderful. Um, any other recommendations or any other edits to the uh recommendations that we've had before? I'm looking specifically at that third one. I mean, that's the this would be the second year in a row. And if we're I mean, I I like the idea of it. I know it's come up a lot. Um, I don't know if it's come up at your site with with hate speech and stuff and um and I would always appreciate guidance on how to approach that. I've always considered hate speech uh much uh in a different category in a different lane than calling somebody a poopy head or something like that. Um, but that's just me and the guidance would be would be helpful in having those conversations with parents um and with stakeholders and with students.
And I think that uh it's my job is going to be to make sure that we have those resources and that full breadth and depth of our of our entire company at your at your disposal and ready to make this successful. So with that, we will open it up to questions. So um with the master plan uh what do you anticipate the timeline or not the time though the time frame to uh conduct that for us? Sure. Yeah. It does vary but uh usually a master plan process can take 8 to nine months. You're going to have that community engagement. We would add the first three or four months. We want make sure we have that factf finding done and in and the fact booked and at their disposal for those meetings. Um and then it's usually be four to five months on a on a on a master plan process to have that community engagement involvement.
And so we're looking specifically at the ACT Vision Conference in December um so that they can go and network with their peers and see. And I think what they'll find is what I found. Um we're in a really good position locally. um we're doing some very neat things that are um really ahead of the curve and so for them to get to see that and bring back new ideas um to share with the staff I think would be really exciting and so um this budget would support that so it wouldn't be additional cost to the district the great take care of it so um that is what that basic grant application looks like we know in the past um typically we would receive notification in Mayish from the state um we don't know what that will look like with kind of the changes at the federal level but we would anticipate a similar timeline Typically, when we are given our award, we're given our budget.
So that is awesome. That is fantastic. Yeah. They're also working on their curriculum maps to create common quarter assessments much like what is happening at the high school. And then upcoming events on May 8th, they have the reality store, which is to help teach eighth graders financial literacy. That's it.