Okay, so over 20 years. So where's the data or how has that changed in people's people's eating habits? Uh there are data available. We can make sure we can provide that. Okay. >> Yeah. Because I really want to see the money that we're spending or going to spend, and what do we what Ooh, what is actually taking place cuz, you know, again, it it sounds good. You train these people, they go into the community, you talk about community-based, but you're talking about four people going into the community. Okay, so they go into Kalihi, they talk with, you know, the schools. The The schools should be the one implementing nutrition in the school program. I don't know why we need this these individuals to to include it cuz I know when we went to school, we had the nutrition, we had you know, all the families, all the different different ways to eat and so forth.
And I'm here tonight and I'm going to get tearary because I was so excited to see everybody here and the way that we're showing up as a community. Um, the recent Women's History Month post recognizing Sarah McBride, I support the district sharing that post and I want to explain why. Um, first it was history. It was a history post. Sarah McBride is the first openly transgender person elected to state senate in the United States. That was a historic milestone in America public American public life. Women's history month has always highlighted women who broke barriers and made history. And recognizing historic first is exactly what these moments are for. Second, I want to talk about the students. I know and care about a number of Betavia students who are of the LGBTQ community. I care about them and I love them. They're part of our family.
Uh funding has allowed us to provide additional school-wide learning experiences. This week, um in addition to having family literacy night, we're also inviting a local author to spend the entire day at Forest, where she'll get to interact with every single grade level doing read-alouds and even a lunch with students, um and spending time with each group intentionally. In April, we will welcome Educating Outside the Lines back to Forest for the third consecutive year to support disability awareness. And then later this year, students will also participate in assemblies focused on literacy and social emotional learning. Uh this year we've also focused on enriching the unstructured times of the day, like recess. Um we've introduced indoor recess carts that are filled with hands-on STEM materials and collaborative puzzles or games that students can work on together. Uh we love watching them to see how they use the materials.
And uh that That's uh That's my highlights for right now. Any questions for me? Good job, Jake. >> Thank you. Uh my name's Keith Pells. I'm the um associate principal for curriculum instruction at North High. Uh so Jake is my counterpart at South. Um I I would uh I'll just very similar highlights. So our AP business and personal finance also going to be uh kicking off with three sections just as it as it will at South. That's That's awesome. Another highlight in the business realm would be uh we're going to be able to offer managerial accounting honors for the first time as a stand-alone course. We've been We've been stacking it or running it um with other courses in the past to to serve those students, but we're able to uh with the popularity of that move forward um with one section of that. Uh I also want to highlight, and it is on the under 20 list, the accelerator um uh course as well.
>> Any discussion >> hearing? None. If we could take a vote, please. >> Yes. >> That motion is approved. Next up, we have item 8.3, the approval of the new assistant superintendent of teaching and learning to begin July 1st, 2026. Dr. Thomas, >> I am very excited to announce that uh Shane Burkemeer, Dr. Dr. Shane Burkmeer is being recommended for the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning uh for next year. Uh just to give a little bit of background, it uh the interview process actually involved the screening of 38 applicants with the first round of interviews with seven candidates and a final interview of three candidates. Um so it was quite a large pool of very talented people and Dr. Burkemeyer absolutely did a great job. So we're very excited to have her. Just a little about her background. Uh Dr. Dr. Burkemeer received her bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Indiana University and she completed her master's degree as well as her doctorate in educational administration from Aurora University just this last fall.
You will in in April you'll be approving the uh the man the new policy manual. Thanks to uh Scott, Andy, and and a several others that are sitting in this room who worked with ISBE to do that. The policy in there will be the October 15th policy, but we would make an uh a second resolution stating that we would want to be moving that to uh first day exclusion. And then they would change that later on. If the board agrees to that.
Any questions for us? >> I have a question. >> Yeah. Um did you say we are in the implementation phase right now? Can you clarify that? >> You are in the implementation phase. >> And so what does that mean? So what that means is that we have already over the last three years we've brought both entities together. We've actually it's been a lot. >> So we brought prekk together for these days um set time aside protected release time right to bring these two entities together all of the teachers. This room is filled with those teachers twice a year and they're able to have conversations and those conversations then have led to where we have partnered them up for observations. And so they've been able to go and visit each other's classrooms and see instructional practices being done, but then also coming back to their own classrooms and beginning to implement.
All in favor of Whoops, before I Do we any discussion on that? No. Any questions or anything? Okay. We have motion and a second. And all in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. E2, consider approval of transition of the BC library secretary role to an Apex learning [clears throat] instructor. I'll make a motion to consider approval of the transition of the BC library secretary role to the Apex learning instructor. I'll second. Have a motion and second for the consideration and approval of transition of the BC library secretary role to an Apex learning instructor.
Now, we have not had to cancel any sports trips. However, we have had to cancel field trips this school year. What I can promise you is that I will be diligent and if there we were able to take a mini bus, we will take mini buses. We will save costs whenever we can. We will plan routes for the most effective and shortest route for cost and fuel shortages. However, I do recommend raising the extracurricular hourly pay rate to from what it currently is at. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Can you can you just tell me what the rate is? >> The current rate is $13.50 and I am proposing that and recommending that we raise it to $17 an hour. >> Which is which is still the lowest of the area school districts by $0.50. >> Correct. >> So you're totally for that? >> Do you We have had a budget shortage in that specific area for the last 2 years as we have not had as many drivers picking up ECA trips.
So, that was a huge thank you to her. Um, wanted to give a big thank you to Hannah Paris and our instructional assistants. Um, they do a great job of running our intervention groups and remediation for the kids. Hannah Paris has helped me tag team reading plans this year, which is new from the state. Again, anyone who didn't pass um, in second grade has to have a reading plan in third grade if they don't have an IEP. Um, so a lot of extra work, a lot of extra legwork there that she's um, put been a part in and our IAs who run remediation groups all of the time. So, we we definitely couldn't do it without them. Just want to thank Mr. Yole for his support. Um, he has been very great at approving my plans when they involve getting subs for professional days for our teachers to be able to test and has always been um, really supportive of my ideas to help us get in that one-on-one and small group testing um, which we've seen work so well from summer school last year to IREAD this year.
So whether it's a crosswalk because they have a specific certification or it's just pure concurrent credit you know high school and college credit we need to do that. And then HR, I'm just curious once they make that and and I'm sure you're hoping that a lot of them will work with your company because you got a fantastic company, right? Do you support them then after high school if they want to further because they can get some credit, >> but you know, do you support them as far as tuition reimbursement or whatever? I'm just curious. >> Absolutely. And that is the goal and and we make sure that we're very clear to the kids as they go through the program. We want you to be a part of our company. Whether that means you're going to a four-year program and coming back or you stay with us through that time and and we make sure that they >> That's fantastic.
Not that you can do anything about it, but if the state's pushing higher education, employment, and or enlistment, taking away the ASVAT is absolutely ridiculous. As a guy that served 22 years and retired from the military, I think that's absurd. Uh that that's not somehow taken into consideration, being pushed. Again, nothing that we can do about it, but still absurd. >> I agree with you.
We will definitely apply for reimbursement. And we are going to be offering our summer helpings as well. Dr. Harshbarger, will you come forward and just give a quick update on that, even though it's a little early, our summer food program? Yeah, we will be doing the summer servings. It will be at various sites that we used last year. So, I just I think it's so critical for our public to understand that not only are we bringing our children in for additional support, but we're also feeding them as well. All right. And we feed them at the schools. And then we'll also have the community-based program also. Yes, Ms. Lawrence. First, I know that this is a giant lift on the entire team. Um you guys have a monumental job like switching back and forth between all of you. I know all of you own different parts of the program.
So, we have a trash rack that covers um quite a you know, it's I think a foot by a foot covering a one inch orifice to make sure it doesn't get >> clogged. It's set aside from the actual opening so that if something does get stuck, there's another way for water to get through. >> Correct. There's inside the out control structure, there's a weir wall just going right down the center of it and the trash rack will be mounted um to that weir wall. >> Okay. or uh you know on the face of it. >> Okay. >> Sidemounted is what they call it. >> Um the reason I ask is because are these going to be in a readily accessible location to check and clean if necessary? >> Yes, this outlet control structure is directly next to the driveway. >> Well, well, that one is out in the open, but um what I was wondering is it is I thought you said it was also for the infiltration systems and they're all underground, right?
Um, but what we'd love to do is hear any questions you have or any areas that you'd like clarification for. If we can do that today, if not for next week for you, then I know that we'll obviously have public speakout as well too. >> Thank you for that presentation. Um, yeah, it it was pretty quick. Um, and I will just note for the future that this is the kind of thing I would have loved to have seen five days ago to be able to look through it. >> Noted. >> Um, thank you. Um, in the meantime though, for now, I would like to open it up to public comment, give the members a little bit of time to percolate on their questions, um, and get them written down. Note them however you'd like. Uh, I'm going to stop sharing my screen. so that I can see folks online.
Um but at the end of the day, doesn't didn't change the fact that my parents couldn't afford fresh produce. We ate canned goods, you know, we we we ate what we could afford, and even when we could afford it, it's it's hard to prepare. It doesn't People don't have the time to prepare. People are working, parents are working, they go fast foods, they buy, you know, chicken and fried chicken, they go to Costco, they buy, you know, they buy ready-made stuff. I mean, that's a lifestyle, and I don't know that having all of these funds and these individuals are going to change it until you change the world and and, you know, people's people's way of living, which people have to work two jobs and their families, and so they end up not having the time to cook nutrition nutritious meals. So, I just don't know how this translates, and my concern is getting the funding to the people who really need it at this point in time.
They are not political talking points. They are real kids in this district. They participate in sports, perform in band and theater, belong to clubs and honor societies, and sit in classrooms every day with all the other students. Who are their friends and classmates? And when com conversations like this happen, like what we saw out on social media, it's important to remember that some of the kids being talked about in these debates are sitting in Matavia classrooms right now. Research shows that roughly 9 to 10% of teenagers def identify as LGBTQ. That means in any school, on any team, or in any club, there are students who fall into that group. We know something else that matters. Those youth experience significantly higher rates of depression and suicide attempts. And research consistently shows that one of the strongest protective factors is feeling accepted and safe in the communities around them.
About a month ago, a group of third and fourth graders decided to take, like the straws and connectors that they're building with, they challenged themselves during one indoor recess to create an entire perimeter around the gym to see if they could do it. Um little did they know the real challenge was when they had to clean up hundreds of pieces in just a few minutes at the time. Um which they did do, so both challenges they completed. Um >> [clears throat] >> and in response to students' uh feedback and just them asking for different materials or equipment that they might want, we've also expanded what we offer during outdoor recess um by adding these super cute ribbons that kids run around with and choreograph dances with, um catch and release games and footballs and many other things that they've enjoyed playing with. Um in addition to that at recess, our students continue to enjoy our inclusive playground, which supports active play and connection for all of our learners.
So that's the the year after the incubator um course. The There is a uh lower number of students taking that class, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it the students in there represent nine different businesses that they're moving forward with. So and um that's just really really cool to to hear um that that's happening within our building. Um uh in English, um one of the things that we've uh, been really working towards actually post COVID is our radio and TV program and our our enrollment in those is up as well. So, our radio uh, program this year saw an increase of 40% in requests and our TV saw an increase of 50% in requests. So, that's really cool to see that that's coming back. Our fine arts numbers at um, North are [clears throat] also up uh, particularly in the in the vocal classes.
Congratulations. Um her work experience she actually started her career as a teacher and if her name or her face seemed familiar that's because she worked at both Maplewood and at Deer Path early in her teaching career. So it is great to have her back. Um, in addition, she was an assistant principal in Huntley, later became the executive director of curriculum for Central Community Unit School District 301 and uh is currently serving as the director of teaching and learning and assessment in Palatine District 15. Uh, so it is my pleasure to recommend Dr. Shane Burkemeer for the position of assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Kerry School District 26 starting July 1st, 2026. >> May I have a motion to approve Dr. Shane Burke Meyer contract to become the next sup assistant superintendent of teaching and learning beginning July 1st 2026 as presented. >> So moved.