001since 5:00 pm 501 sorry thank you the uh board of education was in closed session to discuss minutes sorry for the discussion of minutes lawfully closed under the open meetings act whether for purposes of the school board approval um of the minutes or semianual review of the minutes as mandated by the act the appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees or legal counsel including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee or legal council to determine its validity. Litigation when an action against, affecting, or on behalf of the school board has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal or when the school board finds an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of
002the closed meeting. collective negotiating matters between between the school board and its employees or their representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees and student disciplinary cases. I will entertain a motion to come out of closed. So moved. Second. Motion and a second have been heard. Please call the role. Mrs. Patton. McMillan. I. Gerky. I. Blastic. I. Kelly Black. I. Winsky. I. Kush. Hi. Kazinsky. I motion passes. We are in open session. Good evening and welcome. Uh our mission is to empower students to develop a learner's mindset, demonstrate adaptability, communicate effectively, think critically, and become global citizens. Please call the role. Mrs. Ben board members present this evening, Charles Kush, Christine Girky, Joe Cosminski, Amanda McMillan, Melissa Kelly Black, Holly Blastic, and Mark Winsky, student ambassador present, Lexi Kende. All
003right, please join the board of education as we welcome the Elmwood Elementary School Eagles to come and uh lead us in the pledge of allegiance. All right. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, thanks so much for coming here. Like we were just said, my name is Matt Langus. I am the principal of Elmwood Elementary School. Today, we have brought with us for the pledge of allegiance our Girls Plus math club. So, they're going to go ahead and introduce themselves now. My name's Lily and I'm in second grade. I'm Kaylin from third grade. I'm Eie from third grade. I'm Ray from first grade. I'm Lily from third grade. I'm Mina from first grade. I'm Emry from second grade. Hi, I'm Aaron Mian Browning. I'm a fifth grade teacher at Elmwood and I led our girls plus
004math club. We were lucky enough to have 43 girls participate in our club this year. was second and third grade girls who were excited about learning math. Because we can't have all of our members here to do the pledge with us, we did include some of their banners. It's math about me. So, the girls identified numbers about their lives and then turned them into math problems. So, thank you so much for having us today. All right. So, Oh, thank you. Here we go. Give a round of applause for the girls. So, we at Elmwood are a dual language school, which means we have courses taught in both Spanish and English. Raise your hand if you're in our dual language program. Very nice. So, that means we do things a little differently. We're going to do
005the pledge in both English and Spanish today. Um, and we do that just to make sure all of our students, regardless of native uh native language, are able to pledge allegiance to our country on a daily basis. So, here we go. I gonna put down the mic because I know I'm loud. So there's our flag. Ready, ladies? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. You ready for Spanish now? Here we go. [Music] All right. Thanks so much everybody. We'll have them stay right here for just a minute. Mrs. Zagas is going to take a couple quick pictures of the group. and you'll stay right there still. If there are a couple parents that
006want to come up and get a little bit better of a picture, you are welcome to do so. And it's obviously a very busy time of the year as the end of the school year approaches. So, thank you to Elmwood students for giving us a little time and their families for getting you here. Let's uh thank them one more time. [Applause] All right, it is time for good news. Item four on the agenda. Good news. Great. I'm happy to share some good news stories uh this evening. Uh Ranchfield Elementary hosted its first ever multicultural night on Friday, April 25, welcoming over 1,000 attendees for an evening filled with family, culture, and connection. Families shared their cultural stories. Students enjoyed vibrant performances, and guests received passports to travel the world, collecting stamps as they explored different
007cultures. Special thank you to Mrs. Michelle Bahadori and dedicated cabinet committee members leading enthusiastic family volunteers for making this incredible night possible. A heartfelt thank you to the Madison Junior High School home and school for going above and beyond during teacher appreciation week. Daily treats and surprises brought smiles to the faces of staff throughout the week, making this year's celebration truly special. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to supporting our teachers. Lincoln's sixth grade PI World Masters Team has earned first place in the nation in the prestigious World Masters Challenge. This competition encourages critical thinking by challenging students to master complex vocabulary and complete analogies that express various kinds of logical relationships. Throughout the school year, students participated in three challenge meets, building on their knowledge with each round in competing against schools
008nationwide. Congratulations to all our sixth grade PI students for earning this incredible honor. Finally, this evening, student business teams from Nepal Central High School and Nepal North High School took the stage for Nepal 203's business incubator pitch night, showcasing their innovative ideas to take their businesses to the next level. Six finalist teams, including two wildcard teams voted in by the audience, competed for additional funding. First place went to Rome Travel, second place to Classify, and third to Bamboodi. Congratulations to all the students, mentors, and volunteers who made this event a success. And then to uh conclude good news this evening, we're going to have our two student ambassador reports. We have Lux Aendi from Nepal North High School here and Kamani Smith from Napil Central has joined us. So, whichever one Yeah, I was going
009to say I just graduated. Is it on? Okay. Uh good evening members of the board. My name is Lux and I'm a junior at North, almost a senior. So excited for senior year. Uh first, I have some good news from sports. Boys gymnastics got fifth in the state. And apologies if I mispronounce your name. Stars Calaba was second overall. Badminton had a good season, too, getting ninth in state. And last but not least, our boys and girls water polo won their sectionals and are headed to state this weekend. On April 28th, our school held the freshman Jamarie to invite incoming freshmen to check out uh different clubs and activities we offer at school. There was an amazing turnout and many clubs got applications from freshmen. I was there to represent the Black Student Leadership Association
010and we had a lot of students of color color sign up and I'm so excited for next year. Prom was on May 3rd and the theme was Great Gatsby. The students loved it. I personally didn't go but a lot of my friends who went told me they really enjoyed it this year. We also just had graduation on May 18th, which was really bittersweet, but congratulations to all the class of 2025. The blood drive, a pint for Kim, came to North and uh we were able to obtain a new record of 20 pints this year. That's all. Can't wait to see you guys next year. [Applause] Good evening. Um, thank you for having me for my last and final meeting. It's been a great two years. Um, if you somehow don't remember me or recognize me,
011I'm Keani Smith. I'm a senior at Neighborville Central. Um, and I'm an ambassador and I've been representing us for the past two years. Um, as we wrap up April and basically wrap up May as well. Um, I want to take a moment to reflect on all the amazing things that have happened at Neighborville Central this past month month. From performances and athletics to school spirit and academic milestones, it's been a month full of energy, talent, and celebration. Our school spirit was on full display at prom this year held at the Matrix Club for the first time on April 26th. I did go to prom and it was amazing. It was really nice. Um the new venue brought a modern and exciting vibe to the night and it turned out to be an unforgettable evening for
012all of us filled with dancing, laughter, and memories that we will carry with us. The new rowdies for the 2026 school year have been selected. They had their debut in the hallways today with their speakers. Um I wasn't there to see it, but I'm assuming it was great. I'm wishing them an exciting and loud following school year. So, good luck to them. And our art department, our theater absolutely crushed it with their spring musical Greece from May 1st to May 4th. The tech crew and the performers, they did amazing. Our band, orchestra, and choir concerts performed on um the 12th, 13th, and 14th of May, and they truly left memorable and talented performances. In our athletics, our girls track and field team has several senior athletes making their way to state with a few underassmen
013joining them as well. Um, I would name them, but there's a lot, which that's good news. So, yeah, we have a lot of kids going to state, which is amazing. Um, our boys volleyball team also had a great run highlighted by a solid 2 victory against Wanzi Valley on May 2nd, showing the kind of teamwork and focus that defines Red Hawk sports. Moving on, our senior awards were held on May 6th, congratulating our seniors who are future educators, Illinois Global Scholar Award winners, seven semester 4.0 students, and so much more. It was amazing. Following that, we had our commemorative ceremony for our seniors where CJ Getting gave an inspirational yet relatable opening speech and senior Kimani Smith followed him commemorating the class of 2025. It's on YouTube if anyone wants to see me speak. Um,
014we then moved on to our commencement ceremony where seniors Nina Ralph and Henry Alman gave speeches that I may or may not have shed a tear to. All in all, it was a really amazing ceremony that I am very glad to be a part of. And while my job at Neighborville Central may be complete, there's still so much more to look forward to, more concerts, competitions, and chances to make the most of your time at Neighborville Central. So whether you've been competing, performing, or just showing up to support your friends, thank you for helping make Central a very special place. Let's keep the momentum going and finish the school year in a strong way. Again, thank you so much for having me these past few years. It's been [Applause] amazing. Okay. Okay. We have reached
015the point in our agenda for public comment. The board of education welcomes comments from the public at its meetings. Citizens who wish to address the board of education should identify themselves by name. Comments by individuals shall be limited to three minutes. If the individual is representing multiple individuals or group, they shall be allowed to speak for 5 minutes. The board respectfully requests that speakers refrain from commenting about specific individuals. As I call an individual for public comment, I will also designate the next speaker so they have an appropriate time to prepare. Um board no. In accordance with board policy, uh issues raised in public comment will be taken under advisement by the board of education, but will not be discussed this evening. Issues raised during public participation may be added to future agendas or addressed
016by administrative staff. Because the questions raised in public comment address district operational matters, the superintendent is the board's designate to coordinate response to public comment and will apprise the board accordingly. Board policy 2142 encourages understanding and interaction necessary for responsible citizenship. The board of education seeks to create a learning environment in which, among other things, all families, students, teachers, administrators, and staff are welcomed, valued, and respected. As outlined in Board of Education policy 2.230, individuals addressing the board should conduct themselves with respect and civility towards others. Individuals are free to express their criticism regarding decisions or policies, but the board of education expects that they refrain from personal attacks on our superintendent, board of education members, and administrative staff. At this point, I would like to welcome Michelle Peterson and our next speaker after Michelle
017will be Dorothy Powers. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. Is this on? We're good. Okay, good evening. I'm not from this district, but I come before you today as a mother, a former D1 athlete on a full ride softball scholarship and a US citizen committed to truth and righteousness. Thanks to Title 9 and to the courageous women who fought for fairness in sports, I earned the chance to compete at the highest level. But what's happening now threatens everything Title 9 stands for. Last week, a boy competed in a girls conference track meet here in your district. I'm not here to argue policy, but to speak truth. This is not just about fairness. It's about how we care for and guide our children. Genesis 1:27 states, "God created mankind in his own image, male and female.
018He created them." This design is not random. It is divine. When we tell kids that they become something else, we don't affirm them. We confuse them. There are not only anatomical differences between males and females, but also hormonal differences that affect strength, endurance, and physical performance. These realities matter, especially in competitive sports where fairness and safety must be protected. As a mother of a son who was unlawfully groomed by a male teacher at age 15 and the teacher was 34, I know the impact of confusion and manipulation. After a three-year legal battle, we secured the first precedent setting unlawful grooming conviction in the United States. That experience opened my eyes to how easily children can be led astray when adults abandon boundaries. What we're seeing now is part of a broader agenda. Solinsky's rules for
019radicals outlined a plan to reshape culture by targeting faith, family, and truth. One tactic is confusing the next generation and schools have become the battleground through 51c3 status and federal grant dependence. Many school systems are pressured to comply with ideology for funding. When truth is traded for money, children become the collateral damage. Your district's mission to raise global citizens. That language allows aligns with global agendas like the UN UN's agenda 2030 and the world economic form's push for a one world government. As a US citizen, I believe we should raise responsible American citizens rooted in truth, morality, and sovereignty, not children molded to fit a global governance that conflicts with biblical values and constitutional freedoms. Our own governor's family, the Prriskers, are part of the World Economic Forum and push for this ideology. Found a
020foundation funded by James Pritzkar, who now goes by Jennifer Prrisker, a transgender billionaire, has invested millions in DEI initiatives that reframe youth, education, healthcare, and culture. He has made millions of dollars in donations to medical institutions to expose strategy to influence mental, emotional, and sexual development of children. These donations are not charity. They are cultural engineering. The Pritsker family has donated more than any other group in Illinois to fund gender transition procedures for minors. They are tied to the WF and Tom Prrisker, CEO of Hyatt Hotels, is listed on page 45 of Jeffrey Epstein's black book under 13 different phone numbers. One of Illinois's most powerful families is linked to the world's most prolific pedophile in an agenda to destabilize childhood. In March of 2023, this district adopted a program called District Leadership Forum through
021the Education Advisory Board. Though promoted as a student success program, EAB's strategy aligns heavily with DEI ideology. One of its top funders, Vista Equity Partners, is affiliated with the World Economic Forum. Our next speaker will be Dorothy Powers and Dorothy will be followed by Shannon Edcock. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. Thank you for having me. My name is Dorothy Powers. I'm the proud parent of six and grandparent of seven. According to medical science, what separates male and female is a complex process involving DNA, genes, and hormones. Typically, two XX chromosomes are female and 1 X and one Y are male. Anatomical sex is determined at about six weeks after gestation. Scientists know that anatomical sex is not binary. There are at least 14 viable combinations of X and Y chromosomes found in humans. Those
022who are not binary XX and XY are referred to as interex. About 1 and a half% of our population exhibits interex characteristics generally known only to them and their doctors. Interex is not a choice. Humans like you and me, all of us are born that way. The brain begins to take on a gender as gonatal receptors appear in the brain at about 25 to 40 weeks. In that 20 weeks or more after sex is established, illness, trauma or other events can decouple the sex of the brain from the already developed physical sex, anatomical sex. The point is that being trans or non-binary is not a choice, but actually a very common part of nature. It's been acknowledged by cultures and religions around the globe for centuries. What separates us is a chance of nature. Few
023dispute the important role of athletics in education and human development. The social aspect is a major component along with the development of competitive spirit. Illinois law mandates inclusion because it promotes personal growth and respect. It's not about politics. As I know, our personal identity is adversely affected when a student is forced to compete in a gender with which he or she does not identify. Education is a choice. America began providing public education in 1635. Will Neapville continue the proud American tradition of forward progress or try to justify exclusion for those who are non-binary? Of course, I inclusion and thank you all. And thank you. Our next speaker is Shannon Adcock and Shannon will be followed by Mike Label. Good evening. Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, a social welfare advocacy organization. My hat, thanks to
024XXXY Athletics, displays XX and XY, female and male chromosomes. XX cannot become XY and vice versa. There is no transformation. There is no trans. For this district to claim otherwise is a lie. A lie so egregious you might as well scrap all biology classes. Recently, parents in district 203 sought away's help after the Neighbor Prairie Track meet where a male competed on the girls team winning multiple events. Parents demanded answers, but the district vaguely cited the Illinois Human Rights Act and guidance. That act covers bullying, harassment, not letting boys invade girls bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports teams. This district secret policy, enacted without board approval, spits in the face of the Open Meetings Act. Most parents in District 203 and 204 had no clue their daughters would be competing alongside biological males. The Illinois Human
025Rights Act doesn't specify this allowance, and the state board's guidance is not law. It's a suggestion and a bad one. Today, Wake Illinois filed a federal civil rights complaint against District 203 with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for violations contravening Title 9 protections. With the Department of Justice and Department of Education task force, we're confident this will lead to policies that uphold Title 9 for all students. Visit awake.com for Title 9 and for complaint information. So four years ago, I first publicly spoke to this board and I said DEI ideology is chaos. It's harming kids. It is abusive. Now in 2025, you've got boys stealing girls victories, leaving young girls sobbing on the track. This isn't inclusion, it's oppression. You're exploiting the boy, too, and it's disgusting. I hope they freeze every
026dollar of the 8.9 million you've budgeted for 2026 until you abide by Title 9. To the kids caught in this mess, girls crushed on the track and the boy misled into chaos, we're so sorry. You deserve better than the adults failures. But there's hope. There is hope. And that's why I'm here because we're fighting for fairness and we will win. On behalf of Awake Illinois, I'm Shannon Adcock and we cannot be [Applause] cancelled. Our next speaker is Mike Label. Mike will be followed by Doug McGregor. Good evening and welcome. Uh, good evening. I'm Mike Label. I'm a longtime District 203 parent. We're grateful for the service of many outstanding teachers and coaches, but also profoundly concerned with the priorities of the district leadership, as well as a subset of adults set on imposing transgender ideology
027upon our kids. I'm here tonight to address the recent events that were widely publicized regarding what was understood to be a biological male competing in a seventh grade girls track meet at Jefferson Middle School. I hold no animist toward the student and his family or towards students in similar situations sincerely grappling with issues of gender during adolescence. However, I'm here to speak on behalf of families and and to directly address any adults in positions of influence that are allowing this agenda to escalate and bear responsibility for its consequences. There are numerous reasons to oppose the community should oppose the district's current path regarding transgender students participating in girls sports. Notably the following. First, it runs counter to federal guidance on Title 9, jeopardizing a portion of District 203's funding, which could therefore impact the broader
028student population. Second, it creates an unfair playing field for our daughters and can lead to related concerns around the safety of such spaces, including locker rooms and bathrooms. Third, with tacid approval from educational leadership, it it perpetuates confusion amongst other students and can also contribute to elements of social contagion that have already been well documented. We're told this is a personal decision that only affecting one student, but it's now being coerced in a school environment upon our kids and our families. There is a very real scenario where this circumstance becomes even more widespread in in district 203 across all levels undermining girls sports. These situations place feelings over reason and force other students and families to participate in something we all know is a lie. Parents know this and kids understand this as well. And
029finally, recent polling from Gallup, Pew, NBC, CNN, New York Times all have consistently shown that between twothirds and 80% of Americans support students participating in activities that match their biological gender. This is a mainstream view around the country and Neighborville 203 is an exception or can be an exception to where the families stand on this issue. I urge the district to change its course and also encourage families and fathers to stand up in good conscience and send a positive message in defense of our kids and girls sports. Please do the right thing. Thank you for your consideration. Our next speaker will be Doug McGregor. Doug will be followed by Bobcena. Apologize if I didn't pronounce that correctly. Before my time starts, I'm going to ask Dr. Bridges to please pay attention like everybody else. Give
030this body the respect it deserves. Thank you. My name is Doug McGregor. I'm a taxpayer and father of three Neapville North graduates. Six years ago, 203 hired Dr. leagues as its new DIDI director. The primary goal, as evidenced by a presentation with graphs and test scores, was to close the black white achievement gap. I met with Bridges and presented strong evidence that this had been tried elsewhere and failed miserably. He was unccurious and dismissive. So I asked him, "What are you going to do when this fails?" He said, "Then I should be fired." Many of us knew then the achievement gap was just a Trojan horse for DEI's real objective, pronouns and the radical LGBTQ plus agenda. The disgrace I I would like my time back if they're going to interrupt. The disgrace that happened
031on that track last week is now national embarrassment. It happened because just like during CO, you failed to lead, Dr. Bridges. Unfairness is an understatement. Neighborville parents will spend literally tens of thousands of dollars on sports throughout their daughter's lives. Travel teams, coaches, summer camps, traveling to tournaments and meets, etc. And when their daughter steps up for her chance to win a state championship or medal, she'll lose to a biological male. That once in a-lifetime moment gone because of DI's political agenda. Gender affirming care. How many people here know anything about it or where it came from? Is a scientific fact based on studies rigor rigorously performed? Not a chance. How many people again? I want more time if they're gonna interrupt. How many time How many people have heard of John Money and his
032preposterous theory about male female development? Well, here it is. He believed that chromosomes and anatomy were irrelevant to the development of masculine feminine identities, behaviors, and interests. Instead, he believed that children get those traits based on how they are treated in the first years of life. Thus, male and female traits are socially constructed, not innate. He coined the term gender identity in 1957. This is the theory that Dr. Leaks is using to shape district policy that put that boy out on the track last week. Not science, not biological facts that babies are born either XY male or XX female with trillions of cells stamped XY and boys, XX and girls. There is no gender spectrum. It's just a madeup theory dreamed up in a studies department on a college campus somewhere like this one. In
033the late 1980s, academics including Judith Butler and Susan Striker established the disciplines of queer theory and transgender studies. Like money, they believed that gender was nothing more than a social construct used to oppress racial and sexual minorities. And they denounced the traditional categories of man and woman as a false binary that was conceived to support the system of heteronormativeity, i.e. the white male power structure and that had to be de deconstruct deconstructed. Transgenderism was the ticket. They argued that if men can become women and women men, the natural creation could be done. I got a couple more seconds. Uh sir, sir, the t time has been called. Time has been called. Sir, your time is up. I was interrupted. The next speaker is uh Bob Scrazenia. Sorry if I'm mispronouncing your name. It's very it's
034very Irish. But before you start, I will I will ask the audience to um try to refrain from interrupting speakers going forward, please. Okay. Thank you. Uh, now I'm old enough to remember when adults who obsessed over children's genitals weren't allowed within 500 yards of a school. Those were good times. Now those folks draped themselves in overpriced designer label clothing and white hats and for some reason proudly proclaimed that they were successful in exposing their kids and everyone else's to disease while dabbing at flop sweat and lobbing sad little threats at a board who was just trying to keep kids of the district learning and focused. They claim to want to protect girls. Yet, they have become quite emboldened by the election to the White House of an adjudicated rapist and the fact that the
035head of the US Department of Education is Linda McMahon, who herself is married to a rapist and who, amongst many other things, is credibly accused of sex trafficking and the cover up of steroid use, which led to at least one murder suicide. The fact that they saw these people take over and thought finally our voices will be heard should tell you all you need to know about awake Illinois. The only way they could possibly make a strike against others was to wait for literal criminals to come to power. It would be sad if it wasn't so appalling. They also like to uh wield religion as a cudgel to attempt to make some point. So I'll counter with this actual fact. I have four daughters, one of whom is trans. Of those four children, only one
036was baptized. I'll let you figure out which one that was. Now, I have custody of all four of my daughters. And as I said, you know, they're all girls. Right now, they're all at home alone. If the awake lunatics are to be believed, I need to rush there and save my three sis kids who are no doubt getting what? Peeped at in the bathroom or assaulted or beat at baseball or something. I don't know. whatever bonkers thing they want you to think that trans people are going to do next. I'll finish with this. Um, I always hope that our children will take the best from their parents, but the difference between the basically this side of the room and those folks is that our kids have so much more better to choose from. Thank you
037for your time. [Applause] Our next speaker is Andy. Andy will be followed by Melissa Rea. Good evening and welcome. Thank you. Thank you all for having me here. Um, love the trans. Respect the trans. The trans are fine the way they are. Having said this, the facts absolutely show that trans activism is bad for the trans. If you love the trans, you work against trans activism. You have not heard these facts because cancel culture is about keeping those facts away from you. The evidence for this is right here in this room and how they are attempting to shout down the other side to prevent you all from hearing real facts. You can get real facts on the do no harm website. Bad ideas are different from actual human beings. So the trans and trans activism
038are two separate things. Our position is that we love the trans, but we are against trans activists controlling society through coercive character assassination. That is what bullies do. The trans are above that. For evidence, for what I'm saying, look at the vicious talk that has already been spoken right here in an attempt to keep people from speaking. That is coercive character assassination. Otherwise known as the language of bullies. This is why they are wrong. If they were right, they wouldn't be speaking so nasty. They would just explain the facts. If you love the trans, then you get all of the facts from both sides. Put your emotions, prejudices, and even the feelings of your friends to the side and with your mind only come up with a plan for what is the best thing to
039do to help the trans. The trans activists have not done this. Their policies are based on their emotions only. This is why we see the bizarre phenomena of trans activists fighting against therapy for children and instead pushing for permanent sex chain surgeries for children. That is a policy based on their feelings, not facts. So what are we witnessing? This entire movement is about keeping less than 1% of the population and their allies from getting bad feelings while simultaneously traumatizing the feelings of a group that is 50% of the population, biological females. To this board, I say you are harming females if you vote to support the trans activists. You're literally voting to harm a group that is 50% of the US population while supporting less than 1%. Love the trans. Respect the trans. The trans
040are fine the way they are. But letting the trans activists harm huge numbers of women in the name of the trans will only create a backlash that the trans will suffer from in the future. If you love the trans, you fight against trans activism. I'll pray for all of you. God bless you. Our next speaker is Melissa Rea. After Melissa, we have Jennifer Robinson. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. I've been a District 203 community member for 27 years. I worked in the district on and off for most of those years while raising my two sons who are both proud Neapville Central grads. I also enjoyed time volunteering in their schools. My ties to District 203 are wide and deep and have been a significant part of my life. I am here speaking here tonight
041in support of the district and to explicitly call out something that I have always found District 203 to do exceptionally well. something I had the opportunity opportunity to learn over and over again during my career here and that is effective education requires relationship. Whether your students are three or 43, the quality of your relationship directly impacts your effectiveness as an educator. Students of all ages and adults, too, protect trans youth. Protect trans youth. Does that trans learn best when they feel safe to take the risks required to learn and grow. All educators know this. The great ones know that building relationships is the most important part of their job. The very best teachers at every level see, understand, value, meet, and support every child and family exactly for who they are. and the best administrators
042demand and support this in their teachers. District 203 is full of the very best educators. So, I want to express express my deep gratitude for the countless big and small ways that staff, teachers, administrators, and board members do this day in and day out. It is profoundly important work. It can be exhilarating and exhausting, often in rapid succession. But never forget that being truly student centered and maintaining excellence in education requires it. I believe that my feelings are shared by most of the district 203 community. We see and support your efforts on behalf of on behalf of every student in the district, but also know that we are watching because a school system that values every student is what we demand and expect. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Our next speaker will be Jennifer
043Robinson. Jennifer will be followed by Tim Thompson. Good evening and welcome. Thank you. My name is Jennifer Robinson and I am a resident of Neapville. I am a cisgender female, a feminist, a former athlete, and a District 203 parent of three children. I am actually missing one of my own children's band concerts to be here tonight because I thought it was that important. So, I thought it was important to be here because we have a group of adults within our community that have chosen to target a child within our own community. We have a group of adults within our community that have chosen to identify publicly, record without consent, dox, and target a child within our community. And that should be wrong regardless of your politics. That should be obvious. And yet here we are.
044Since I am missing that band concert, I wanted to take a few minutes and just thank the 203 school district and the 203 school board for teaching our children how to coexist with people that are both alike and different than we are in order to be global citizens. I wanted to thank you to continue following the state law and for supporting all of our students, especially for those whose simple existence puts them in the crosshairs of a group of people that for some reason cannot seem to find peace within their own hearts. Thank you. [Applause] Um been asked to remind everyone to conduct oneself with uh respect and civility towards others and otherwise abide by board policy 8.30 um which is to conduct oneself with respect and civility towards others. Thank you. Our next speaker
045is Tim Thompson. Tim will be followed by Amanda Zickerman. Ziggman. Zikman. Let's try that. Good evening and welcome. Hello. Thank you. My name is Tim Thompson and I'm a taxpayer and father of two. Well, here we are again. Once again, I have to come here to thank you for doing your job and upholding Illinois law. Once again, the leaders at Wake Illinois, DuPage County Republicans, and everyone's least favorite city councilman have attempted to bring negative national attention and rile up their base to attack you and try to pressure you into bending or breaking that law. But I'm not worried. I'm proud to say I voted for every member on this board. We elected you to follow the law and to do the right thing. You've never let me down, and I know you won't today.
046I'm only here as a friendly reminder that we've got your back. You've heard some vague threats tonight about Title N lawsuits, but don't worry, that group never does anything but lose. Don't listen to our spin. Just look at the facts. Not that any of this is surprising. This is just another in a long list of ways that they're attacking and devaluing public education. To anyone out there watching, don't be fooled. It was never about ra a race and it was never about an athlete. This is an attempt to further marginalize a group and tell them that they don't belong, that they aren't good enough. The message is clear. If you dare to be different, if you look differently, think differently, or feel differently than them, they won't accept you. They'll use our public leaders to
047paint a target on your back and set you as an example to make others terrified to step into the light. But one of the things I love about this district is its inclusivity. Don't let them take that from us. As always, thank you for all you do. On behalf of all reasonable thinkers, my name is Tim Thompson, and as always, challenge accepted. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Amanda Zikman. Perfect. Yep. And Amanda will be followed by Beverly Trafton or Trappton. Good evening. My name is Amanda Zigggerman and I'm a parent of two district 203 students, one at Lincoln and one at Central. Today I speak to you in support of transgendered students and transgendered student athletes. I am proud to live in a state that protects a student's right to participate in sports
048that align with their gender identity. I thank you for supporting and following this law. Other parties will tell you that they believe this is a disservice to our cisgendered students and especially our female athletes. As the parent of two students in the district and as a woman, I reject the notion that allowing transgendered athletes to participate in sports is detrimental to our students. Losing a race is disappointing. It is okay for our students to experience disappointment. We cannot protect our children from all the disappointments in life, but we can encourage them to develop resilience. This growth mindset will benefit them in innumerous situations. If we truly want to protect our students, all of our students, we will work to address the issues that currently threaten them. Bullying, drug use, school shootings, global warming, human trafficking,
049and loss of bodily autonomy, to name a few. The use of a student's image, likeness, or name to further a political agenda is abhorrent and unacceptable. Essentially, it is bullying on a local and national stage by adults who should know better. To the students and families who are being targeted, I am so sorry you are experiencing this hate. I applaud you for living as your authentic self and I support you and your right to participate in any and all activities you desire. Like many of the parents and members of your school community, I stand with you. You are not alone. Thank you. Our ne our next speaker will be Beverly Trappton. Beverly will be followed by Elias Ortega. Mr. Superintendent, Mr. President, board. Uh my name is Beverly Beverly Trafton. I've been a neighborville president
050for about 28 years. Um my uh child went through uh Neap uh elementary Washington Junior and uh Neapville North and uh it was a wonderful experience. Um I know of your district 203 has been the envy of Illinois and honestly it's one of the best districts in the in the United States and um and I appreciate the efforts to make it so and um and I appreciate uh the more efforts to continue to continue along that path. I'm also a woman of trans experience. Um, I can tell you just a little bit of uh personal testimony that being trans is is even, you know, the best of circumstances with a lot of support through parents and family and friends and schools and and and all kinds of social things. Um, there's a lot of trauma
051involved. There's a lot of trauma in the best in the best of all p uh examples. uh when you bring in elements of hatred and animous um um doxing and and just vile behavior into that mix. The trauma gets extreme. Um and you've always in the past focused on the students. Um, parents are all well and good, but we care about the kids and we care about all the kids and I just wish that you would just continue your practices um along those lines and take care of our kids. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker will be Elias Ortega. Elias will be followed by John Oul. Good evening. I am Dr. Elas Ortega, presidents of Midvolon Bar Theological School in Chicago, Napleville resident, taxpayer, and I support our transgender students and King. Their ex existence
052bears witness to their cou the courage and bravery to those who understand that they need to claim their full humanity in the face of those who hate it. I am speaking also to you as a parent in this school district. One of my teens is a track athlete. I am also a theological educator working alongside learners of multiple faith traditions and that follow with care the developments impacting those members in our communities that are most impacted and vulnerable. We're also committed to understanding that bodily autonomy is a human right. As a person of color, through all my life, I have experienced the harassment by police authorities because of the color of my skin, dismissals and undermining in context of learning and employment because of my accent or the assumption that I was an affirmative hire
053in spite of my achievements. Over my time as an educator, I have seen improvements and greater access brought about broader conversations of inclusion, equity, and diversity. And I have seen more students strive regardless of class, race, or ability than I have seen before. And that is starting to change. As a parent of children of color in our district, I have almost now daily conversations with them and their friends as they are experiencing the same fears that I did growing up. The attacks trying to dismantle civil right protections like Title N also have other consequences as they draw more attention to policing and surveillance practices. As my 15year-old child recently experienced with an encounter with a local police officer downtown simply for being a child in the town that he is growing up. I think that
054it is not only irresponsible, but I also think that it is a moral failure to use our children as sheep in a political game for ideologies that are based in fear and coercion. And as a religious educator, I also think that it is a theological malpractice to turn to sacred texts and religious traditions that call us to love one another for our collective freedom and use them on turn for practices of hate. What I hear when we are attacking Title N is that the life of my children, my life and many others of us who are the margin are not valued in this time and in this town. And that is worrisome. I exist, my children exist, trans children exist. It is also the adults to figure out the work that we need to do
055in these times for their protection and their safety and not only for the children today but for their children so that we can all thrive. Our next speaker will be John Oul. John will be followed by Nichollet Whitesman. Good evening. My name is John Ult. I'm speaking tonight as a father, a neighbor, someone who believes in everything the child made in the image of God. I'm here because a junior high tear's girl, a beloved child of God, is being pinpointed. It is not just being targeted, but being targeted by a political agenda. That's not just wrong, it's harmful. As a person of faith, we are called to love our neighbors, to speak for the vulnerable and to make space the table for everybody. That includes trans kids. Kids should be able to show up as
056their full true selves on the field, in a classroom, in their communities. Sports are about a teamwork, confidence, and belonging. Every student deserves that chance, including our trans students. This is not about politics. This is about people. This is about a child who just wants to play with her friends and be accepted for who they are. We should be working to lift that child up and protecting all students, not single them out for harm. Trans kids aren't up for debate. They are not a threat. They are not a problem that needs to be solved. They are children of God. They are children. Trans kids belong here. They belong on teams. They belong to need to be supported. They belong in this community. As a parent of district 203 children, as a parent of a marginalized
057child, actions like this speak volumes to what you think of them, how they think of themselves. And more importantly, they need our support. They need not our silence. They need us to speak up and be their voice and be there for them because if they can't trust the adults that are around them, the people that are supposed to love them and cherish and protect them, thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Nichollet Whitesman. Nichollet will be followed by Diana Torres Hawin. Okay. I I'm not an elegant speaker. I am just a mother. I've lived in Neapville for 40 years. I had three sons. They went to all the Neapville schools. That's why we came here. Good schools. My oldest son works for uh Ford Motor Company. He's in cyber security. My middle son works at
058a financial institution that writes software for probably some of your financial uh dealings. My youngest son is a counselor. They did very well. My oldest son was diagnosed as ADD when he was in school. He went to the doctor and they gave uh requirements for the classroom that he should sit close to the teacher and certain things that he should do. The district did nothing. My middle son was pushed through a plate glass window in high school and he was uh suspended, but we worked it out to where he worked with the grounds crew. My youngest son was bullied so bad that he may have committed suicide and that's why he got into counseling and how he got in there. I just hope that even though they did have some difficulties in the school and
059I know this was long time ago too, I know you've done much better now in helping these children. I just want to say that I hope that you do the right thing with this new situation. Let the child play. Thank [Applause] you. Our next speaker is Diana Torres Hawin. Diana will be followed by David Wade. Good evening and welcome. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Diana Torres Hawin and I'm here as a District 203 parent and community member to ask this board to keep standing up for all students, especially transgender youth who deserve to feel safe, respected, and included in every part of school life, including sports. Here's the truth. The Illinois Human Rights Act protects every student's right to participate in school programs, no matter their gender identity. The IHSA also supports that
060right, clearly saying that students can play on teams that match who they are. These aren't loopholes. They're protections rooted in law, research, and what's right. And major groups like the American Psychological Association and AAW, a girl and women's advocacy group, stand behind this kind of inclusive approach to equity. Pushing trans students out of sports doesn't fix anything. It spreads fear and misinformation, and it hurts kids who are already carrying so much. Groups like Human Rights Campaign and the League of Women Voters have made it clear these bans are not about fairness. They're about politics and they create a hostile environment for young people who just want to play, connect, and belong. If we really want to talk about fairness, let's talk about the actual gender gaps. Only 43% of girls play high school sports compared
061to 59% of boys. Girls teams often get less funding, fewer coaches, worse facilities. Title N is over 50 years old, and we're still fighting for basic equity. The answer is not to exclude others, it's to invest more. The real threat to girls sports aren't trans kids. their inequity, underfunding, and lack of followthrough. If we care about fairness, let's focus focus on fixing those things. Let's lift all our kids up, not tear anyone down. We have a choice to lead with fear or to lead with care. I sincerely hope we choose care. Thank you for your commitment to our community. Our next speaker will be David Wade. David will be followed by Ava Genevie Scarro. Good evening and welcome. My name is David Wade. I have students in district 203 schools. I wrote a whole speech
062about this tonight and wind up trashing most of it in in light partially what I'm hearing. Let me just say nobody wants to harass anybody here. Nobody wants to disenfranchise or harm or uh negatively impact anybody. What we do want is to ensure basic fairness for our girls. Now, a biological boy who identifies as a girl is not at any advantage or disadvantage when competing against boys in most sports. He or she or whatever pronoun you prefer is in fact at a significant advantage when in most sports when competing against girls. And this is not arguable. This is not up for debate. I think to the vast majority of students, parents, and neighbor taxpayers, simply having transgender identifying students compete with their birth sex is perfectly acceptable. Now, if we want to go the extra
063mile, and you maybe we should, let's organize an open or co-ed division of play, you know, then for sports like track and field, girls can opt in on that. It'll be interesting to see how many actually do given that it's there's some unfairness, but at least there's an optin there. Right now, in coming here tonight, I couldn't help but notice a lot a lot of people, good number of people here who may be hurting, who may be, you know, in fear of being invisible or unagnowledged. And I I promise you, I don't want that. Okay? I I I just want you to look me in the eye and tell me it's okay for my athlete daughter to and or her teammates to have zero chance to win, zero chance when competing against somebody who is
064in a male body. Is is that okay? Thank you. Our next speaker will be Ava Genevie Scarro. Ava will be followed by Jason Copeland. Good evening and welcome. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um I'm Eva Jean Vivv Scarboro, a very out transgender woman and a member of the Neapville community for the past 10 years. born in the early 50s to a father who was a nuclear chemist and later to be a deputy director of the mass spectrometry lab at Argon until Alzheimer's ended that career far too early and an English major mother who in her time here served several years on the library board. Um and I moved here to caregive for her in her final years and decided to stay on. Um, it turns out that my birth doctor and they didn't see
065the whole story about me at my birth, but only an inappropriate inappropriately plumbed book cover stamped with an M. It took me the better part of 50 years to understand I'm not an abomination freak or horribly broken as I had been led to think in those years. and then by a fundamentalist church, the moral majority, the media, movies, ignorant political mumbo jumbo, even though I tried to comply with those beliefs. In 2006, I came out. And then four months later, I began to volunteer with an organization in Los Angeles, which as part of the LA City School District hosted an annual LGBTQIA youth event called Models of Pride. Oh, the wonderful energy and freed spirits of those young folks finally having a space spa safe space to open up without being judged by foolish dogmas
066and ignorant bigots. Those events confirmed in me the rightness of my transition. I am a follower of Christ too since May 4th, 1980. The Bible tells about St. Paul who said in the context of sexuality and gender let's look at nature and see what it says and then made some terribly incomplete observations and came up to a came to a horribly wrong conclusion. He lacked the scientific method and the necessary tools to do a true in-depth observational study. But the cannon many fanatics still adhere to remain remain stuck on that same old trope. And it has been taken up by known and locally active hate groups like our detractors who think it proper to expose a targeted minority group of our youth to derision, bigotry, public shaming, and very possibly violent harm to follow. This
067is a very dangerous and irresponsible thing that they unleash in our school districts. I believe you are all painfully aware of the risks of allowing it in a scholastic foot allowing it a scholastic foothold. I stand here to thank you and praise the Neapville school districts and you distinguished board members tonight for continuing over my over my past 10 years of being an observant Neapvilleian. Your continued support for all our youth and creating a clear and positive path for each student to fully participate in all scholastic activities in appropriate ways for them to feel whole and accepted. you here in district 203 rock. Stay the course even through the noise and static caused by the religious cult nationalist fanatics and a very corrupt bunch of hoodlams in present- day politics who oppose such freedoms. Thank
068you and may God keep you keep blessing your [Applause] efforts. Our next speaker will be J Jason Copeland. Jason will be followed by Jenny George. Hi, thank you very much. I'm a parent in District 203, graduate uh from District 203 uh and a taxpayer. So, I'm glad to hear so many people uh praising inclusivity here tonight. If you ignore the fact that someone's daughter was excluded from participating in their own conference championship trackmate and others placed lower than what they actually earned, it's almost believable. The next election for seats on this school board should be laser focused on one question. What's the acceptable amount of genetic boys allowed to participate in girls sports divisions? If the answer is anything other than zero, that person isn't qualified to be on a board overseeing the protection and
069education of children at any level in this district. And when the new board replaces Superintendent Bridges, any applicant for his job who answers anything other than zero should not be eligible for hire. That's why the question is really all that matters. If leaders in this district are grossly incompetent on something so basic, how can they be trusted with anything? We should not tolerate any adults in positions of authority who are this incompetent when it comes to make sure spaces created exclusively for our daughters are exclusive to our daughters. No girl should be denied participating in a conference championship because a genetic boy is taking that spot. No girl should have to be any place lower than the one they earned against all other girls because a genetic boy finished first, second, fifth, it doesn't matter.
070It's 100% possible to be compassionate towards and supportive of any child experiencing gender dysphoria while also having firm boundaries and requirements for sports participation, locker rooms, and bathroom usage. As dads, moms, and taxpayers, we should be demanding those boundaries because it is at a basic level. Every single person in this room knows that it's just plain wrong. This is not an intellectual exercise. This is not a thought experiment. It's as fundamental as it gets, and it's not that difficult. My nearly 9-year-old daughter gets it. Recent events had me curious for her perspective. So, I asked her, she thinks it would be weird and unfair for a genetic boy to be able to compete against her or take her spot on a team, even if the boy believes they are a girl or feels like a
071girl. She doesn't think the kid is weird. She thinks that allowing kids in sports meant for girls is weird. And she's 100% correct. [Applause] Our next speaker is Jenny George. Jenny will be followed by Ann Marie Tomic. Good evening and welcome. Sorry. Good evening. My name is Jenny George. I'm a longtime parent in the district and I'm here tonight to advocate for the protection of female sports and female only spaces for the students in this district. As I understand, we have a young man in seventh grade who has decided that he wants to compete on the girls track team. Instead of helping him understand that he's not a girl and can never be a girl, the district has decided to allow him to compete against our female athletes and steal their spots and medals. To
072any sane person, this is wrong. But for some reason, the district not only allows it, but encourages it. You're not only trampling on the rights of female students and putting them in danger, you're putting this district at significant risk of lawsuits and a loss of $9 million in federal funding. And all for what? So boys can dominate girls and erase their athletic accomplishments and their rights to privacy. You're basically saying to every single female student in this district, you will undress in front of boys if we tell you to. You will compete against boys if we tell you to. You will sacrifice your own rights if we want you to. and you will like it. And if you don't, you can be the one to go to find a different place to dress or find
073a different sports team to compete on. You're telling the girls in this district that they must submit to the whims of boys. Personally, I think it's sick and depraved. Now, sincerely, I want every single student in this district to have access to athletics, including every transgender student. There's an easy fix to all of this. create a separate locker room and a separate bathroom and a separate sports category for transgender students or like a previous speaker said an open category that anyone can participate in. The other option is you require every athlete complete compete in accordance with their biological sex. Let me just give you a personal anecdote to show the disparity between male and female athletes. My son is a high school track athlete. He runs three events, the 3200, the 1600, and the 800.
074He ranks 321st in the state among all boys in the 3200. In the girls category, he would be number one. In the 1600, he ranks 311th among all boys in Illinois. He would rank number one in the girls category. In the 800 meters, he ranks 365th among all boys. In the girls category, he ranks number one. Your job is to represent every student in this district, but you have turned your back on half of them. Put aside your political ideology and your political aspirations. Please, this is not about Springfield. It's not about JB Pritsker, and it's not about Donald Trump. This is about protecting our female students. Women's sports exist to offer a competitive st space for female athletes. When males enter those spaces in competition, it is women and girls who are pushed out
075out of races, out of records, and out of recognition. This is not progress. This is a huge step backward. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker will be Anie Tomic. An Marie will be followed by Jacqueline Garrettson. Hey, good evening and welcome. Sorry. Welcome. Thank you. Thanks for being here. Um, thanks for taking the time to listen because I know you're getting pummeled all over the place. Um, my name is Amory Tomic. I speak for myself and uh, somebody mentioned something earlier about being embarrassed. And I'll tell you what's embarrassing. Embarrassing is plastering a minor's face all over social media. um embarrassing is using a kid's name on social media that's a minor. That is aborn. It is mean, cruel, gross. It is weird and it is sick. Okay, that's uncalled for. You should be ashamed
076of yourselves to even think you can do something like that. I'm thanking our district. I am um very pleased with 203 the leadership for protecting all of our students who enter our public school buildings doors and help them reach their full potential as other public schools should be doing across our country. Public schools are amazing. I love public schools. We see all walks of life. Uh we work with a huge a very diverse um group of people. And this is life. Public schools provide education for all citizens regardless of their background or their circumstance or their gender. Providing opportunities for our students to gain skills to be productive members of our diverse society is something else public schools do. Public schools provide opportunities for students to be active members in a democratic community. Public schools
077provide students with the foundation and skills to pursue college, trades, entrepreneurship, military, the workforce in our changing world. I'm a public school teacher. I love any and all kid that walks through that darn door. Um, I will love any kid that comes through that door, all walks of life that they experience, including our LGBTQ and any any other marginalized um population. They are one of us needing our love, needing our support, our protection, and our encouragement, public school. Um, and our students deserve the continued love and support. I'm thankful that DO3 continues to support all of our students, marginalized or not. I'm an ally and I'm a safe space. And if we want to get down to some of the facts about what's going on with in the um trans world with sports, IHSA at
078this point has three male to female trans athletes. Three. That's it. Okay. Maybe 23 overall. You got three that are male to female. That's what you guys are whining about. NCHSA also has rules. and um um uh regulations that are making accommodations um to make it safe and to make it fair. NCAA has rules and regulations that allow trans athletes to compete as well. And the highest level, our Olympic level, they also have regulations and allow transgender transgender athletes to compete. We're talking middle school kids where you got hormones flying all over the place. You've got a wide range of athletic ability between all people time. [Applause] Our next speaker will be Jacqueline Garrettson. Jacqueline will be followed by Elizabeth Lynn Himlman. Good evening. My name is Jacqueline Garrettson and I stand before you uh
079not as just as a concerned citizen but as someone who grew up here in district 203. I walked the halls of Kingsley Elementary, played at Riverwoods, learned discipline and drive at Madison Junior High and carried the Red Hawk spirit throughout Neapville Central High School. This community shaped who I am. It va it taught me values, common sense, fairness, and the courage to do what is right even when it is not easy. But that Neighborville, the one that many of us remember, feels like it's slipping away. Just last week, a young boy competed against girls in a track meet and he dominated. I want to be clear. I do not blame the boy boy. He is a child following the lead of the adults around him. But I do hold those adults accountable. Those who know
080better and say nothing. Those that have traded truth for fear and leadership for silence. This isn't a debate about inclusion. It's the truth about fairness. Title 9, the landmark federal civil rights law, passed in 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program receiving federal funding. It was enacted to ensure that girls and women have equal access to educational opportunities, including athletics. Title 9 is not just a box to check or a footnote in history. It's a binding legal promise that girls would have a level playing field and a fair chance to compete, win, and pursue their dreams. That promise is being broken here in District 203. When a biological male competes against girls, it undermines that law and everything it was meant to stand for. It steals podiums, scholarships, and sends a
081message to every girl that her effort, her training, and her sex can be erased for the sake of avoiding controversy. We are teaching our daughters that their silence is expected and that adults won't protect them when it counts. So, I ask you, where is your courage? Where are the women leaders, the fathers, the coaches, the educators and board members? Who will speak up for the girls? If we can't stand up for fairness in something as foundational as school sports, what else are we willing to compromise? This isn't about hate. It's about justice. It's about the quiet girls with scraped knees and big dreams who are watching adults twist themselves into knots to explain why they no longer matter. To the girls that are watching, know this. That you are not invisible. You are not unimportant.
082And there were people that will fight for you. Let's return to a Neapville that knows how to lead, not by following trends, but by standing on truth. I urge this board to reaffirm its commitment to Title 9 and to take concrete action to uphold the law's intent, protecting fairness, equal opportunity, and a level playing field for all students, especially our girls. name. Thank our next speaker is Elizabeth Himlman. Elizabeth will be followed by Liz Campbell. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. Thank you. I am a Neighborville resident. I'm a pastor in this community and I'm a parent of a seventh grade student on the track team at Lincoln Junior High School. Both my child and I support full inclusion for transgender students in every aspect of our schools, including sports. I ask the school board
083to continue supporting our transgender students and to work harder to protect the private health information of every student if we truly care about our children's safety in this district as we say we do. As a faith leader and a parent, my daily work is both to practice and to teach the love of neighbor. I'm here to ask you to be accountable, to live into the school district's mission, and to support every single student in being a global citizen. Regardless of your beliefs, caring about our neighbors is in the DNA of this community. Transphobia, hate and exclusion have no place in our community or in our education education system. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Liz Campbell. Good evening. Liz will be followed by sorry Donald R. Zan Zanaker. All right, I'll start again. Good
084evening, board, administration, and community. I hit stand here for one reason and one reason only. I didn't know that we were going to have all the engagement tonight. I came on behalf. I've been a sub in this district for 28 years. And I come here because those Elmwood students that love me and love my different self is here. And I intentionally bring my culture to them every day and they love on me. So to the uh uh fellow school board members, some of you guys know um to the principal and to those students that came, I came to support them and tell you about all the good things that I know because I mostly subbed at Elmwood because the love is just so much that when I come in there and get the hugs that
085I I just turned up in because I hadn't subbed in a long time today that I was so emotional. I said that's it for today. Now I said I got to come back on Friday to have the excitement you knowh about you know when we having just play day and so I just come to tell you about all the great work that are here in the district but I'm just sitting in on Elmwood and all those beautiful kids and how they came they came in the English and the Spanish language with the pledge. So I just want to say a shout out to Elmwood because that's where I live most of the days. So I just want to tell thank you for what is happening across the district but I can testify what is happening
086at Elmwood and the love that we feel there. So good evening community boards and staff. Okay. Our next speaker will be Donald Zan Zaniger. Pretty close. Donald I'm I'm trying. Speak German. Donald will be followed by John Higgins. I'm Donald. Good evening. Welcome. I'm a lifelong resident of Neapville. I was here when there was Ellsworth, Neap, and Washington. That was it. Two different school districts. I taught my entire career in this district in the this district uh as a junior high school math teacher. You have done an extraordinary job of having a a policy and having your administrators execute it and your teachers uh deal with it with the individual children, your bus drivers, your school nurses, your school secretaries. treating all of the children, not just those that are most gifted, but those on
087the edge, those who most need you. In the last four years of my career, I had three children who in elementary school had tried to commit suicide. You have to have a situation, a policy, a program that treats all of the children. It's not one versus the other. It's about all of them. My career was not just about teaching the most gifted, but those the most vulnerable. And that is what you must continue to do. I know there have been a lot of people suggesting that that's not possible. It's difficult, but it's not impossible. You must proceed every day, every year. proceeding to do that for all of the children, the most gifted, the most vulnerable. If you do not do that, Neighborville will not be a great school district. It has been and it
088shall be if you continue that way. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker will be John Higgins. John will be followed by Peter Schulman. Good evening and welcome. Good evening members of the board, Superintendent Bridges, especially to the new members of the board once more into the breach. Dear friends, uh welcome to the a difficult concept and difficult issue to talk about. Um, my name is John Higgins. I'm a member of the community here in Neighborville and also a taxpayer. I have two students in the district in elementary school. I'm here tonight uh because uh I'm concerned about a lot of the issues that people have spoken about. I'm a father. I have a daughter and I understand a lot of the concern about I understand a lot of the things that people come here and
089they worry about what's going to happen with their daughters. Uh, and the same time I think you need to address what that fear is. What that fear is based upon. I'm a trained attorney, been an attorney for 32 years. And I like to look at the premise of people's arguments. Look at what it's based on. The fear you're hearing tonight about transgender students is that there's just thousands of them and they're going to invade girl sports. The truth is there are more kids that have gotten measles in West Texas than there are transgender students in this whole godly country and they're not going to invade anybody's sports. They're not going to take much from that's the truth. But what is it based on again? You'd like to some of the people in the community and
090some people outside our community are here. most of them, including the person that's filed the Title N complaint and not from our district. And so they're bringing their outside influences to our district. They don't belong here. They don't pay taxes here. But what is it based on again? They don't want to attack the kids because that would make them monsters and that's not going to get them anywhere. So they don't want to attack an LGBTQ kid and they're gonna say, "I love the kid and I don't want to hurt the kid." Of course, if you go on Awake Illinois's Twitter feed, you'll see a whole bunch of posts from people that doxed the kid, have the kids zoomed in on their face, and they retweeted it and liked it, but they don't want to dox
091the kid. They don't want to hurt the kids. Sure. Got it. Uh what it's really about is fear. Again, LGBTQ fear. A lot of that is based on their particular biblical style of life. Some people believe in it, some people don't. As a public school system, we don't follow any particular religion. But really, they don't want LGBTQ kids around. They don't believe that they exist. Especially trans kids. They don't believe it. That's what they've created because that's the only way that they're they can get around it in their biblical view. So, what created it? It's not the kids' fault because they're just kids. What created it? Well, really, it's all of you and teachers unions and teachers and really rich Democrats [Applause] time. Our next speaker is Peter Schulman. Peter will be followed by Hugh
092Dunmar. Uh, good evening and welcome. Good evening. My name is Peter Schulman. I'm a 35 plus year district 203 resident and a taxpayer and I'm a product of public schools. Neapville community I'd like to acknowledge and thank the board for the time and effort that they give to the school district. Neighborville Community Unit School District 203 has been teaching and supporting its students at a level commensurate with that of the top schools in Illinois and many other states for that matter. Quality education is not cheap. You get what you pay for. But District 203's costbenefit ratio annually bests its academic rivals. It is a true value. Neighborville is not the same as it was 35 years ago and more, and neither is the school district. District 203 has seen great greater change, notably the diversity
093of its student body more in the last 20 to 25 years in the preceding 80 years. to continue giving its students an education that would keep them competitive in the changing times. It recognized the need to diversify its programs and methods to serve a more ethnically and racially varied student body. Do better to ensure equal treatment of all and include everyone regardless of their gender or orientation. Yes, DEI. The three letters that some people want us to think is really a four-letter word. Change is difficult especially for concepts that someone has no education or background to comprehend or is adverse to critical thinking, credible science and medicine. It's then their nature to resist it instead of trying to learn and understand. There is a minority in town that wants Neighborville schools to go back to
094a time when it virtually had no racial or ethnic diversity. A town that for 80 years was a sundown town in when homophobic slurs were openly used. These people led by Awake Illinois are an anti-government group. Some say a hate group. The internet gives them and their supporters a voice and appearance far greater in size than reality and often anonymously obscures their out of district or out of state residency. They make unsubstantiated claims, promote old tropes and conspiracy theories and generally just spew hate. They are merchants of fear. They are not representative of Neapville. They claim that they want to protect children. And yet Awake Illinois and a city councilman publicly identified and outed a minor child. They are here to threaten, extort the school district like they have done to others in the state.
095Awake Illinois is a bully in sheep's clothing. As educators, administrators, and board members, you're familiar with bullies, their tactics, and the damage that they do. We cannot allow Wake Illinois to bully us and our students and help them achieve their real goal. The same goal that is that of a MAGA depart MAGA Department of Education and the national groups that fund and train Wake Illinois. A goal which is not about educating and protecting children, but about the demolition of public education and controlled our public schools with a curriculum that is steeped in radical Christian nationalism. District 203 has a history of doing the right thing and its graduating students are proof. Now is the time more than ever for District 203 to stand tall for its students. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Hugh
096Dunar. Hugh will be followed by Tanya Lee. Good evening and welcome. Good evening, Mr. President, Mr. Superintendent, distinguished members of this board, my fellow citizens. I'm here tonight to represent common sense. I'm a U resident of Neapville, proud American, and I just paid my first installment of taxes, and lo and behold, as always, the largest amount of my taxes goes to the school district. That's fine. You guys got a great school system. This is what I want to ask you tonight, though. our great and esteemed president. I can't even say his name. It's so wonderful. Donald J. Trump has passed an executive order has signed an executive order banning males and female sports. Now, that is going that has taken place at the federal level. It's coming, ladies and gentlemen. It's coming here. As blue
097as this state is and as blue as you are trying to make Neighborville, it's coming. So I implore you as a taxpayer, please. Common sense, turn this foolishness away. Transgenderism is a social contagion. It's going to come back and it's going to cost us, my fellow citizens, a lot of money to fight history because it is changing. And those of you who think that you can become a man can become a woman and a woman become a man. Sorry, sorry to break it to you. I represent common sense. That's impossible. And the doctor does not assign anything at birth. God assigns it at conception, folks. And that's the way it is. And you can't change that. Now, you can condemn religion. You can condemn people that don't agree with you. But take it up with
098him on judgment day because this this is stupid. Out and out stupid. Have I made my point? So that being said, say it again. That being said, our great and esteemed president Trump 2028 has gotten well, he's a dictator. He can do it. Has passen with our money at that's our expense. So, thank you for the work you do for being here tonight. But let's get with the program, folks. Let's get with the program. MAGA. [Music] Our next speaker will be Tanya Lee. Tanya will be followed by Brandy McNeely. Good evening and welcome. Good evening board members. My name is Tanya Lee and my pronouns are she her. I am the chair of the parents and caregivers advisory board for TransUPFront Illinois. As the parent of a trans middle school child who has endured attacks,
099bullying, and suicidality due to the hate he receives for simply existing, I want to thank you and encourage you to continue following the Illinois Human Rights Act, ISBY guidance, and state law. During a time when attacks on trans kids, ranging from locally to federally, are on display constantly, I look for the good news to share with my kid. stories like school districts enforcing the rights of their trans andgender non-conforming students. Stories of folks showing up to all sorts of schoolboard meetings like this to defend and support these vulnerable humans who so badly just want to exist in peace. We need more stories like that. These kids need to see that there are still plenty of adults out there who are willing to do the right thing. They need your support now more than ever. So,
100I urge you to be on the right side of history and humanity. Please keep it up and fight like a mother for trans rights. [Music] Our next speaker is Brandy McNilly. Brandy will be followed by Quinn Champ Quincy. Yeah. Yeah, Quincy or Yeah. Yeah. Quinn, either one. Okay, Brandy. Good evening and welcome. Thank you for having me. My name is Brandy McNeely. I just want to start off by saying I am inclusive. My brother's gay. My best friend's gay. I've always been in support of gay and LGBTQ rights. Um, I don't hate anybody and I don't fear anybody. I like anybody who makes me laugh. We're on the same team then. I love a good sense of humor. My daughter did compete last Wednesday at the Neighbor Prairie Conference. I was unaware that there would
101be a biological male on the team. I watched my daughter and her friends work so hard over the course of this track season and they were so excited to go. So, I was very disappointed to hear what had happened. I was not made aware as a parent that this was going to happen and I feel like we should have been made aware. I've lived my entire life as a biological female. If you look at me right now, you can tell I should not compete against any male. I should not compete against any males behind. Look at this gentleman right here. Clearly, I should not compete against him. And my daughter should not compete against biological males either. There is a reason why we have male and female sports, and it's to protect people like me
102and my daughter. I mean no harm to any child. I'm not against any child. I just accept my biology. I accept my daughter's biology and I am for girl sports day in girl sports. I'm just here to protect my child because she does matter, too. And I thank everybody here who came out to protect girls sports and to protect my daughter and allow her to participate in girls track with just other girls. Thank you guys and have a good evening. Our next speaker is Quincy. Hello, Quincy Crump. Thank you so much for giving me the time to speak. I appreciate everybody on this board and uh everybody who's taken time out of their day to have this very long meeting. So, thank you. I've been in the other room and I've been listening to the
103comments that have been said here tonight on both sides and I'm just very concerned by the lack of compassion I'm hearing for this child whose safety has been put at risk by being doxed, by having her face and her information put out there because someone didn't like her being with the other girls. And it's it's just such a shame to see so much hatred within and without this great community. I admittedly am not from here, but uh I do spend a lot of time up here and I just have a lot of concern for the trans kids in this school district who are seeing what these adults are saying about them and about their peers and also the cisgender kids who are seeing this too and are thinking that this kind of hatred and bullying
104and behavior is okay. And I just have a really deep concern for all of these students seeing this kind of thing go down. And I really hope that you guys will continue to support all the students here, whether they are transgender or cisgender, as they all deserve the same education and the same opportunities. Thank you. Okay, our next speaker will be Mandy Bert. If Mandy's in the other room, I apologize for uh not giving the heads up. Okay. And then uh after Mandy will be Jesse Miller. Good evening and welcome. Thank you. I'm not an expert when it comes to sports. Just ask my high school track coach. As such, I didn't plan on speaking tonight, but I can't stay quiet. You see, while I might not know much about sports, I do know a
105thing or two about kids. I've been a teacher for nearly two decades. I've earned several advanced degrees and a national board certification. I'm also raising two kids in District 203. Here's one of the things that I know. There's a statistic that says approximately one in 10 teenagers will attempt suicide. That's frightening. It unnerves me every time I hear it. And I hope it alarms you, too. Those statistics are even scarier for marginalized kids and teens. That's why I make it a point to let my kids and my students know that hate has no place here. Or I thought it didn't. That is until I saw a recent title wave of hatred that certain groups unleashed online against a trans athlete, including privacy violations like photos and video footage, as well as comments calling for violence
106against that athlete. These comments are disgusting, inappropriate, and the very last thing that our kids need to hear from us as grown-ups. The privacy violations need to stop. The name calling needs to stop. I might not have all the answers, but I do know that hate will never make us great. It won't keep our kids safe. It won't lower those terrifying statistics and it would serve us all well to remember that. Thank [Applause] you. Our next speaker is Jesse Miller. Good evening and welcome. Good evening. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to speak. Um, I just wanted to say it really saddens me to hear a lot of the language that's not only happening in this schoolboard meeting tonight, but also across our entire country. This is a child and yet there
107are dozens of people here tonight that are okay with bullying a child. She deserves to play sports, play girl sports because she is a girl. I am a college professor. Many of you have spoken on the biological nature around sex and you are correct. Sex is biological. However, the narrative that females are XX and males are XY is actually an oversimplification of biology. There is an infinite amount of chromosomeal arrangements that the human species can be XXXYXX XXY. It's infinite. I can't go into all the details. Um, and we also know that this chromosomal arrangement is infinite because we know of the existence of interex people. It is estimated that every one in 100 people is interex. I've also heard several of you say that biological males have an advantage in sports over biological females.
108This is also not true. The only reason we believe that is because we believe it is socially acceptable for young boys to build up their muscles. There are differences in where biological males and biological females build up their muscles. Absolutely. But there is nothing that proves that biological males are stronger than biological females. This is I'm I'm getting slightly off the point, but I still had to say it. Just like sex is a false binary, so is gender. Gender is also its spectrum. It's something that we feel and it's something that we choose. I know to many of you in this room you think I'm spreading ideology, but this reaction is rooted in fear. I am truly sorry that this world has become so scary for you that you are terrified of something as simple
109as a kid playing a sport. I genuinely hope that every single person in this room who's come out against this child tonight is able to let go of this fear and meet us halfway across the table. And if you genuinely are, I am open and willing to have that conversation. Thank [Applause] you. Okay. Thank Thank you to all who spoke. Um that will conclude our public comment period. Next item on the agenda, monthly reports. Um, okay. Got it. Okay. No, no monthly reports. Oh, okay. Loaded in board docs is a number of monthly reports from our Treasury report, investments, insurance report, and budget report for your perusal. I'll ask. Okay. Item number seven, action by consent. Jose, you said you wanted to pull 7.05. Okay. Are there any other five Any other Okay. All right.
110Okay. [Music] Um Oh, sorry. Yes. Thank you. Where's my little note? There we go. There we go. We have reached the business portion of our meeting. Uh as a reminder to the community, the board understands and has affirmed through our board agreements that it is each individual member's responsibility to prepare for each meeting. Additionally, we understand that is our individual responsibility to effectively communicate our concerns either to the superintendent or board president prior to any meeting in a timely manner. Board members have also agreed that avoiding no surprises is paramount in displaying respect for all district administration and the community. In the spirit of no surprises and in accordance with IASB best practices, the board has tasked itself to send questions in advance of each meeting to the superintendent. This practice allows the superintendent to
111provide the best possible answer for the community. Additionally, it allows for maximum efficiency during the meeting, the community's meeting. Those same questions may also be asked in open session along with new ones that may arise during discussions. If you ask a question, please state if you sent that question ahead of time. Mrs. Patton, what time was the email sent to the board members alerting us that board docs was loaded and ready for our review? An email was sent and delivery confirmed at 400 PM Thursday, May 15, 2025, and no emails bounced back. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Bridges. Did you receive questions from board members in advance of tonight's meeting? Yes, I received questions from all board members. From all board members. Well, thank you. Okay, we're back to our agenda. Action by consent. Okay. So,
112um I was informed by uh the board member originally scheduled to do bills and claims that they were not going to perform that duty. So, I took that on. I wanted to just thank uh Mark Winsky uh our one of our newest board members. Been around what a week and a half, two weeks. Right into the fire, my friend. um uh for joining me in that um in that process. And uh as always, thanking Michelle Swope for reviewing the bills and claims with us and answering my questions and Mark's questions. She had two of us to contend with, so um we really appreciate her her diligence and her follow-up. Mark, did you have any thoughts around the process? Yeah, thank you, Charles. Uh I I I just want to say uh it was a great
113experience uh doing the bills and claims and shadowing uh Charles uh on Friday and and just so everyone uh I learned a lot from it and I just want to share this. Uh first it gives the board uh the opportunity to review the expenditures uh made by the district uh to meet our governor's oversight responsibilities concerning the district's adherence to district procedures. This is not an audit, nor does it replace the required approval and procedures that the district has in place. Second, I found it to be an opportunity to learn more about the district's accounting practices, the suppliers that work with the district, and the services the district provides to our students, including curriculum, extracurricular activities, placements, transportation, and facilities. I want to also thank Michelle Swopee for the time she spent with us on
114Friday afternoon and the followup that she's done. Uh it was a pleasure uh working with her and learning more about the process that the district goes through when we work with our suppliers. Thank you. Okay. Yes. Oh, question. Um actually I had a statement regarding this um the bills and claims. So if we could pull it then statement. What are we pulling? Um, because as you know, I was the board member. I've been trying to work with you to find a way that we could resolve the issues with bills and claims so all parties feel comfortable. You did not respond to me. Um, and I have a statement I'd like to read because I would hope I'm hoping that we can have some resolution on this matter. As a school bard member, I am a
115trustee of the community's funds and I have a fiduciary duty to make sure that the district is compliant with all state and federal laws regarding financial oper operations. I am not wanting to interfere with the district's district's operations, but according to our own policy 2.20 20 powers and duties of the school board of education. Under number three, it says approve approving payment obl obligations and aspects of the district's financial operations. I can if I do not follow my duties, I can be removed from office. I could face civil liabilities and criminal charges if I don't follow the laws while exercising reasonable diligence and prudence. The Illinois Administrative Code Part 100 recommends for accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and auditing. It establishes requirements for school district budgets and accounts as mandated by section 2-3.27 of the Illinois
116School Code 105, ILCS 5-2-3.27. School districts must use a classification system that tracks each fund and all accounting requirements. Schoolboard members are entrusted with tracking and keeping accountable for the use of the taxpayers's funds. The codes enable schoolboard members to easily identify for each item in the budget what the fund is the money in or from, the function which identifies which department or office is involved, and the object or service. Ultimately, the school board members are responsible for all expenditures and revenue. Bills and claims is a process that our board uses to verify that all the funds spent for the past month are for legitimate purposes as described by the budget in accordance with accounting laws. Currently, an individual board member receives a list of approximately $30 million worth of charges. The information provided only
117states who the funds went to and how much was given. It does not use the budgeting and accounting requirements of the Illinois administration code 100 that includes the required fund, the function and the object accounting information. Therefore, board members do not know who is the who uh we don't know that the purpose of the funds spent and why they were spent, what department they came out of. Um Mr. Francis's department must use the codes and follow the legal requirements. So these reports are generated each month. So this leads me to the following questions. I will state that I have asked for the bills and claims to be presented in that format since that report is already being generated so that I actually know where the funds are going and I can account for the accountability
118and I know where our funds are going. Especially when we're talking about budgets right now and we have concerns about having enough money. Again, it's my job to see where it's spent and that the procedures are being followed. So, my three questions are why are board members given less than the required amount of information about the expenditures especially when they can be removed from office, face civil liability or be charged as a criminal. My second question is when I have asked for the information from Superintendent Bridges, he has told me that he is not obligated to answer any of my questions or provide any information unless there is a vote taken and a majority of the schoolboard members direct him to answer the question or provide the information. Where in board policies does it say
119that board members do not have the right to ask for information unless the matter is brought up on a formal vote, especially since the board policy clearly states that the superintendent's responsibility is to provide timely information. Our board has many practices that it does based upon the leadership's directives that are not in our policies or agreed upon and voted on by the entire board. These practices should be in written form for accountability and transparency. It is very difficult for me to perform a financial duty if the board leadership and the superintendent creates practices that are not transparent to all the board members and stakeholders. I believe I should receive timely access to information that is relevant to performing my schoolboard duties, especially when the information is available publicly through FOYA. So here we come down
120to if I require if I want this information in the accounting standards using the information that the laws and school code say that we should be using. I don't understand why I'd be blocked from it. Especially when I can foyer it. Why make me foyer? Why not just give me the report? And the biggest concern I have, we don't have in our policy that I should be blocked from information or any other board member that Mr. Bridges can't provide information unless it goes to a full vote. And the reason I bring these things up is these are practices that the school board uses that aren't transparent to the community. I'm asking for transparency. So, Charles, I do want to do this, but I would like to receive those. If I can receive them in that
121form and talk to our auditor and we're fine, I'm good to go. But I'm not putting myself in harm's way when I'm simply asking to follow the accounting that the law requires. You Oh, okay. Um, all right. So, this this this question has been raised multiple times and we've gotten our um attorney Robin Schwarz attorney Robin Schwarz uh to provide a legal opinion on this very topic. It is loaded into board docs and anyone in the public who would wish wishes to look and see can see it is in the public section of board docs. Um as is the check breakdown for our bills and claims for this month. Um and it states that uh as set forth below the board's role in the bills and claims process uh as with all its fiduciary functions
122is to ensure the district's professional administration has appropriate procedures in place which they are following uh to properly process bills and claims. In this respect uh the board's review of the bills and claims is not to make sure that all the bills are paid and that all claims are processed correctly but rather to make sure that the administration is complying with those procedures. Um, with respect to your uh, claim around being li legally liable or any of that kind of stuff, um, I would be very interested in seeing a written communication that you've received from an attorney that suggests that because I've gotten a legal opinion in my hands from an actual law firm, from an actual attorney in asking in answering this very specific question. So, I will quote from their note one more
123time. To believe that an individual board member's role is to personally sign off affirming that all processing of the district's bills and claims is correct is to lack a fundamental understanding of board governance. And this is a document that was put together by our at our attorney Robin Schwarz. You can put your hand out. I see you. I got you. Clearly, the proper processing of bills and claims is the responsibility of the administration. So, this is the um note that we've gotten. Furthermore, um as a board, we have uh a as as part of a consensus agreed that we this is a practice that we're going to do and to review the bills uh on a monthly basis and um if that we we can always revisit that as a collective board um and determine
124if we want to do something different collectively. But unless and until that happens, that is part of the responsibilities that each of us have right now. each of us um with the exception of you, you know, as by your own by your own uh admission um and the concerns that you've expressed have stated that you haven't done the the responsibility, but each other every other board member um with the exception of our new board members, although I would exclude the one who just did it last time with me this time, um has performed this duty. So, we can always revisit that as a board. If the board so chooses to try to revisit that, um we have we'll have an opportunity to do that. uh when we have our uh board um uh development meeting
125our uh thank you our self-evaluation as part of our process we can always revisit at that point but uh unless we as a collective group decide that we're going to do something differently which we can do so we can gladly revisit it but it is not going to be an individual board member's decision we will decide collectively what we will do and that is the way we've always done that and the way we should actually do that and that's a part of good governance So go ahead. I actually quoted from the letter that the attorney sent. So it very much says the responsibilities of a board member do include what I'm saying and I use the laws. I did the due diligence of looking at the laws and the requirements. However, if there was a
126disagreement about this, what I am disappointed in is that I sent you this ahead of time. I reached out to you so we could have a conversation. Instead of returning a responding to me, you instead spent the money to have an attorney write a letter and surprised me with it, which no surprises I don't think that's the way a board that collaborates and works together should work. Okay. So, if I'm to understand your your comment, you are accusing me of going out and spending money with an attorney. That that is what I just heard you say. Correct. You're you just accused me. You said me. You said you wrote to me and you said that instead of responding to you, I went and spent money with the attorney. Oh, I'm sorry. I I'm sorry. No,
127that is that is did I misunderstand what you just said? I will correct myself. See, I don't know who spent that money. I would assume since you're the But you said that I sent So then So are you are you claiming that this letter that is dated February 3rd is back was backdated because this letter was dated February the 3rd. You wrote me four days ago which was not February the 3rd. So I don't understand. This letter was loaded in Boardocks at that time. It was loaded before that. It was loaded in board docs. I said, "What date, Christine?" February 3rd. I contact this letter before that. You contacted me before February the 3rd in my role as president of the board when I was just placed in that role two weeks ago. Yeah. Before
128tonight's meeting. I didn't say before tonight's meeting. You just said that I spent the the money that I spent money that I reach that you reached out to me. Accepted that. So, let's not labor this. Let's move on. You want to move on? We can move on. I would agree with that. Let's move on. Okay, we're moving on. Uh, so I need to make a motion now. Oh, Charles, I'm so sorry. Yes, please. It was a while ago. So, did Were there any items pulled? Yeah, 05 was pulled. Okay, fantastic. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks. So, I'm going to make a motion. I make a motion to [Music] approve warrant number one68 068 through uh 1068526 and warrant number 9 0 0 1 14 or sorry 114 totaling 27,390,549.38 for
129the period of April 22 2nd, 2025 to May 19th, 2025. And items number 7.02, 7.03, 7.04, 7.06, and 7.07 on the consent agenda as presented. So moved. A second. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Please call the role. Mrs. Patton. Kazminski. I. Kelly Black. I McMillan I Winski I Gerky I Blastic I Kush I the motion passes. Uh item 7.05 waste recycling bids. Joe. Yeah, thank you. Uh so I just wanted to get a little bit of uh clarity and I I uh sent this ahead as well as several other uh board members I think had interest in um the recycling part uh of this bid. Uh I know we've heard from uh several community members and students uh in our schools who uh are looking for expanded recycling opportunities. And I just wanted to
130confirm that um the the waste and recycling bids do address the carbon action plan that we uh passed a couple months ago. There you go. Move up there to mics. Somebody loan her a mic. We can't hear you. Oh, thanks. This is going to take longer than the actual answer. Um so, um when if this contract is awarded, uh we will be sitting down with the contractor to ensure that the goals of our cap are being met as part of the contract. So, in the contract, we did specify that all locations are to have a recycling container and that there are six to seven different um items that we are requiring that they recycle. Um so, we'll sit down with them to make sure that um we're going to be able to easily roll that
131out to the schools. Fantastic. Thank you, Holly. Um this is one I sent ahead as well. Um I noticed that the recommended um bid was not the lowest but that was because there was a scope review and I suspected it might have related to recycling. So what was the um extent of that review? actually um this uh this the results of the scope review um for the low bidder actually it was very very close because if you'll see um the low bidder was only low on years two and three um and uh the other low bidder was low on years one but not two and three so when we uh did did the extension out they were very very close so I did a scope review on both and um Groot who um we are
132uh asking you to award the contract to accounted for everything um that was in the specifications. When I did the scope review with Midwest Paper Retrievers, they um didn't quite understand what we needed for the compactors that we use at both the high schools. And once they realized that, it was going to be a different price uh a different price point, which would have made them no longer the lowest bidder. Any other questions? I'll take a motion. Move approval of item 7.05, waste and recycling bids. Second. Uh motion has been moved and seconded. Um please call the role. Mrs. Patton. McMillan. I. Blastic. I. Gerky. I. Winski. I. Kelly Black. I Kush. Hi. Kazminsky. I Okay. Item number eight. Oh, sorry. Motion passes. Motion passes. Um item number eight, communications. Um item 8.01, written communications.
133I believe there are a number of different foyer requests. Are there? Yes. Loaded into board docs um for people's review. Uh item 8.02 board of education question. Yes, Melissa. Uh yes, with the written communications, I just had a question and I did send it ahead of time about uh it's been a typical practice for us to receive the copies of what was foyed and we did not this time. So I wondered what the difference was. There has been no change to our foyer process. I'm not sure because what you're referencing that I see them all there. They Yeah, they're there, but usually they list what was sent in the response. Those are there, too. I'm sorry, my it's not loading here. In the executive content, they're in the executive content section. Uh you sometimes if
134you are in the building and your system logs itself out, you have to log back in because your your login allows you executive content. Correct. So, if you log in, which in there? Yeah, I'm not sure it does. No, it does. Yeah, there's one, two, three, four, five, six. There's there's that one. It's not coming up on his either. Now, instead of They're there. There's one that there was no information. There's no record responsive to the request. So, there would be nothing. of arguing. It's just I I respect but it's there but it is there. I so I'm not going to I just it's we have to make sure that correct information is shared. It is there. One of them issued is completed and had no record responsive and it indicates that. So it is
135loaded there for you. Do you see it? All right. Well, I just in case I'll go back and check. I do know that things are are loaded later. Sometimes I print it all out. I don't want to argue. I'll go back and check. Please stop arguing. Did you do you see it on Christine's computer? As I just pointed out, Charles, I believe this list was changed and amended after it came out. No. So, there were no amendments to staffing or anything? No. Not to not to the foyers, but sometimes they are. I But not to the foyers. Not in this particular instance. Check and then if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Fine. Because I guess the reason I say this is there's been many times that I've actually been correct, but the board has said no.
136And I don't recall a time that I'm not willing to admit when I'm wrong. So, I'm saying fine. Excuse me. Wow. That was I I don't think you got to just hit it if you don't like what I'm saying. No, it's because you're out of order. We're not talking. That's for what? What? You're making accusations about misinformation being put in or not put in. And there's a proper form to do that. This is not the form to do that. You It's been We've been We You were talking about item this particular item. The information for this particular item has been loaded into Board Docs. So, that particular piece was incorrect. If there's other things that you'd like to say about that, then we can have that conversation. But the item that we're talking about, it
137was pointed out that the items were loaded into board docs correctly and on time. And if there's other things that you're saying, so when you make a general sweeping statement, that is not the point that we were talking about. We were talking about this particular item. It has been pointed out. It has been established that it has been loaded as as it was supposed to have been because we looked at it now. Yes. And that's when we're talking about it now. Okay. Um, item 8.02, Board of Education reports. Does anyone Do I have a Oh, Mandy. Hi, D. Hi. Hello. Um, okay. So, I am one of the representatives for LEND. Can't remember the acronym, but basically it's the policy people for DuPage uh uh school districts. If I may help you with that, please.
138our new board members, especially Legislative Education Network of DuPage County. Thank you, Dan. Appreciate that. Um, anyways, so they are advocating on key educational issues for our county and there's a few things that they are highlighting every single week because it is a very busy time um because legislation the legislature ends at the end of May, right? So, one of the biggest things is uh that they're working really hard on is passing a balanced budget, which includes um some areas where there's disagreement. So, we'll see what happens with that because that will affect what um um how much money we're able to delegate to different programs. The other ones that they're really working on right now is the dual credit legislation. Um and they've been partnering with the community college presidents and the Illinois community
139college board and coming up with agreement of what that type of partnering would be to allow more school districts to have uh dual credit programming within their schools. This aligns with the vision 2030 project. Um, additionally, they had testimony on an FY28 foreign language requirements um looking at um h how to update that to be more in compliance with that kind of requirement for getting into college and for the high schools. Um they also have um an area around FOYA and OMA would provide relief to school districts that receive a number of requests generated by AI. Uh these FOYAS generated by AI and the requesters would be required to verify their identity um to ideally take off some burden um see Miss Patner over there smiling. Um but anyway, so that's some of the stuff
140that they're working on right now. Um, we actually have a formal meeting on Friday, so I look forward to attending that and providing more updates next time. Did anyone else have Joe? Yeah. Uh, I'll be uh fairly quick. Just a couple of uh uh items that I uh or events that I attended um over the last uh or since the last board meeting. Um we had the uh last workforce innovation meeting which was a nice networking event. uh right before the incubator pitch night. Um and that was a really uh a fun night. Um yeah, kind of a uh an opportunity to just kind of um talk to a lot of the people who uh participate in the incubator programs and the uh internship programs. uh and then uh attend the uh incubator pitch night
141where um there just so many creative ideas uh coming out of the our students at um uh North and and Central. U and I I believe this was the largest uh incubator pitch night um uh so far. Um I think 98 groups or something I think I heard. Um and then uh I um went on a visit to uh Lincoln, one of my adoptive schools. Um and uh they're uh closing out a really great year. Uh we heard in the good news about their uh first place uh national finish in the award masters challenge. Um so that was really exciting. Um and the uh the new uh PLTW and fax rooms there are really just amazing. I mean, uh, it's like chef level kitchens and things. It's incredible. Thank you, Christine. Mine's more of a
142business, uh, type item for board members. Um, shortly I'm going to start working on assignments for next year's adopted schools and committees. So, you'll receive an email from me. Just give me, you know, basics. I'll just need some basic information like work schedule conflicts. you know, you can't do a morning committee or um I'll also need to know what schools your kids are at because you won't have an adoptive school where your kids are at. So, just be on the lookout maybe in the next week or so. And then as soon as you can get that back to me, I can start going through and getting us placed for next year. Okay. Did anyone else have a board of education report? Yes. No. Board of Education report? No. Just want to show on my computer
143that I did not have the I know that those reports are over here. You need to be you need to be logged in to board docs. The public facing site wouldn't have it. It would have to be under your login. So if it's not logging you in, I I I can access the reports. Okay. When I came to the building today, mine gave that same yellow message and it was I was logged in at home and it looked like I was logged in, but that yellow message across the top made me relo and then I could access it difference. I think it's when I changed the Wi-Fi. No, no. I mean, if I can still view the reports, what would be the difference in the reports? Well, I could I was just saying when I
144was logged in, I could see it at home and I as soon as I got that yellow message, I think it's a technical glitch because when I relogged in, it did appear again. So, I'm going to I'm going to do show up. So, I'm just saying there might be a difference of opinions instead of arguing. No, it's not a difference of opinion. We can get the IT folks to take a look at your computer to make sure you here's here's what I'm trying to be helpful. I'm not being argumentative. You have to be logged into the system. If you go through the public facing like as a and you're not logged in under our domain, you will not have access to it to the executive content information which is what you're referencing. I will continue
145working on this. Go ahead. Do you have a board of education report? Um actually uh I was able to go to the incubator night and I have to say that was phenomenal. I think it if you have not gone, please do. I think it's one of the best programs. Um I know I was able to talk to some of the staff there. Um you know I would like for this to be opportunity. I think the process of going no matter what field you go into when you have to come up with a concept and see it through marketing, product development, you've got to pitch it. It doesn't matter what field, you need to know that skill, that skill set. I think it's also important because our kids see Instagram and all of this and they
146think, I'm just gonna it's so easy to start a company and make all this money. Um, our students were so wellspoken. Um, again, I was impressed and um the the winners um it was nice to see representation of good teams from both schools. I also that night went to the Oppy event um and that was wonderful. I like going I saw Mark there and um I was able to play with some of the uh Neighborville North badton team that we heard about earlier that did well. Um, and uh, I just want to thank all those. I know Nancy Chin was able to talk to her. I know that when our community comes together and supports each other, it enriches all of our lives. Um, I was we were sent an email and so I attended
147another event um, where a community members uh, honored some of our teachers. Um, and so I went to that. I'm trying to think what else. Uh and then my only last thing would be to say that uh like my other most my other board members or all of them we attended the high school graduations and passing out diplomas is the favorite part of this job for me to see our kids go off with success. Um, I just want to say thank you and and I know that our kids have the resources, the skills to dream big and do well in life. So, thank you for everyone that contributes to that for our kids. Thank you. Any other board of education reports? Okay. Um, I will absolutely positively agree with you. The graduation yesterday was a
148wonderful experience. I always enjoy that as well. Um it was great to see such promise crossing across the stage. So wonderful wonderful event. We had great weather at both schools I understand. So um all right uh item 8.03 president's report. The only thing that I will talk about um I did have the opportunity to attend citizens finance. That was this week, wasn't it? Yeah. Citizens finance committee. I went um um as a substitute for Christine. Um it was always great to get together with that group. Um Mike Francis did a wonderful job of uh presenting the information to uh a number of leaders within our community and uh kind of walked them through what our finances looked like and get some perspective from them. Um they seem pretty much in alignment with uh the way
149we were looking at things. Um and you know more to come as we as we learn more information we'll continue to share with that group but it's a wonderful process and getting that level of feedback. Dan, anything to add? I will do it when we get to the budget timeline. Okay. Awesome. Okay. Um the only other thing I'll talk about is um just for benefit of the community um we referenced it earlier in the meeting. The board uh goes through a process on an annual basis uh of a self-evaluation. Um and given that we have some new board members that were just seated. We're about to go through that process again. Uh we've got a date for uh middle of June. Um I will just remind my fellow board members if there are particular items
150um Christine and I are going to be working with our IASB rep to build the agenda for that. So, um, I sent out an email to everyone asking for agenda items. So, if you can get those to me, that would be great. Um, and I think think it's important for the community to know that as as a group, we go through these processes to understand and review the processes we go through um, our board agreements uh, and other things like that so that we can make sure that we're all on the same page and operating well together as a board. And that is a facilitated meeting from our ISB folks. So, uh, that is coming up soon. All right. Item 8.04, superintendent, staff school report. No report. Okay. Uh, item nine, discussion without action. Item
1519.01, 2025 2026, budget workshop. Okay. As a reminder, uh, to the community and also to the board of education, it is uh, budget preparation uh, time for us and readiness for the fiscal year 2026 budget. Uh the uh board of education received uh a presentation and received a copy of the tenative budget at our last meeting on May 5th. Uh the tenative budget was put on public display on May 9th. As Mr. Kush indicated, citizen finance adviserss did meet. Um we had excellent turnout um of of this committee this time and and great conversation. Actually, we went about an hour half hour over um which it was a good conversation and as Mr. Kush said overall generally supportive of the directions that the district is going and understanding of the uh information that has been
152been presented to us. So know that again some of the expertise around the table. Um our um development uh real estate law um lawyer who also has been on other public pension and other boards before um and a woman in the healthcare industry and off top of my head. So they're all kind of bringing in kind of their niche into the group. We had good conversation. Um this is the uh second of four uh NYU board of education have the opportunity for questions. Um we will also discuss this in a workshop on June 2nd. Public hearing was established for June 16th where we'll be asking the board to adopt the budget and a reminder uh needs to be done um by law by September 30th. Um as has been our practice because you kind of
153work at your own pace as you move through uh the budget. Uh we have uh received questions from board of education members and the questions and those responses are currently loaded in board docs. We know some more questions came in today. Those will be added to that document as we continue to work through them. Um so as you continue to dig deeper and deeper and have more questions uh please send those in and we again for the spirit of transparency will ensure that those are loaded. Mr. Francis, anything additional new information that needs to be presented? No, not at this time. Okay. So, uh, we'd be happy to any any questions that you have, questions from the board. Melissa, yes. Is it possible to get the worksheet that's filled out for the last budget with
154those codes that the the that's turned into the state each year? Are you referencing the state budget form? Yeah, the state budget form just became available um typically because we adopt our budget as early as we do, which is typically before any other school district in the state of Illinois. I've had to request uh the state board of education to get the form done before we adopt the the budget in June. I've had to do that every single year. Last week, I looked at the website and they actually had it posted for the first time uh prior to um the final adoption. So, we just downloaded it the other day and we will fill that out, but that's typically not presented to the board until the final um the night of the budget. Could could
155we just have it earlier? It helps with the formation of questions. Uh yeah, and I think that would be represent a change in practice and timeline as Mr. Francis said. And so that would again be changing work timelines and as part of the board agreements, one board member doesn't task the staff. So if the board feels that that's something that they want Mr. Francis and his team to establish as their top priority right now to ensure that that's done on June uh 2nd instead of June 16th. Uh I'd like to get that direction from the whole board. Christine, Randy, Amanda. Um I would like to know Melissa what is your case for how that would help you with answering question or asking questions specific to the board like what what is that what does the
156value add for you that would make it different because when we are asking questions when we see those large numbers doesn't help so there's a reason we break it down it provides the funds like I said earlier the codes provide the funds it gives more specific information and I should say that one of the things that I was also I didn't give my board report in the citizens committee meeting and one of the things that has come up is concerns about you know future budgets and having enough money and possibly having to do cuts down the line. So one of the things that helps is having an understanding. Are you all right? You okay? Yep. Do you need a minute or no? Keep continue would be to have that information. And the reason I ask
157more is that when I went to the budgeting conferences and when I did research from on the IASB and I went to their seminars and their online webinars, they do recommend that we review that report with those codes each month so we stay informed of how the budget is progressing and where we are on our funds. May I ask one more question to Mike, please? um with the um budget that you provide for us to look at, you use internal codes, right? Like you have one for personnel, you have codes for education, fund docu um transportation, that kind of stuff, right? Yeah, we we uh prescribe to the to the program uh accounting standards that is internally and in our summary and our budget book. So every every area has its own code and like
158each bucket has a different code and um there's fund numbers and stuff like that. So we have that's allocated to each of the revenues that we receive and stuff like that. Right. That's correct. I mean every school district in the state uses fund 10 is the education fund. We all use the same numbers. And so we in the budget workbook, we're looking at comparing of what we've gotten over the past couple years and what we anticipate for this year under the same revenue codes because it's pretty consistent, right? That's correct. Okay. And then the way that we spend money has been pretty consistent over the past several years. So it and it's pretty predictable based off of like staffing and that kind of stuff. Is that That's correct. I would like to point out that
159we are constantly trying to um code things appropriately into the right areas. Uh we we went through a new process this year of encumbering all salaries. So some of the areas that you see may especially in salaries and benefits that some areas have gone up or down that's a result of being more accurate. Okay. to having a say a a counselor or a a special ed teacher being charged where they're actually being charged in payroll is is more accurate into where the the exact function that they're being budgeted. Okay. And I would also like to say that the information regarding revenues and expenditures in the state budget form is no more detailed than what you have in in this document. Right. That's what I was wondering because like I I guess I you know not
160really paying attention knowing that aligns with what our you know the budget you've provided. Sorry, do you mind the budget you provided for us? Um so but that's just the state's codes versus our internal codes, right? But we have a way of using our accounting to fill in that information accurately based off of what the state is requiring for their filing. Is that correct? That's correct. And if you if you look at there's typically a number next to all of the lines that is the state code number. We take this document and translate it. It's just a different format. Gotcha. The state budget format is just a format that that every school district has to use because it's the same format. Right. This is a unique document to Neighborville 203. But the but the fund
161names, numbers, coding is all the same as it is for the in the state budget form. Yes. So it filters up to the budget level. So we know across the state if every state's using the same accounting language or numbers. That's correct. Then we know exactly where all the school funding is going in our state. Right. Okay. Um and then we dive it down even smaller internally so we know where every dollar and dime's going. Yeah. We have over 4,000 account numbers. Right. That's a lot that actually rolled into a document like this and then into the state budget form. Well, I have learned more about coding tonight than I thought I needed to. So, thank you, Mike. I appreciate that. Melissa, I just want to reiterate I was following what I've was advised by
162ISBY in the conferences and the budgeting in the webinar. So, this isn't a personal choice. This is what they advise board members to do. Okay. Other questions from the board? Okay. Um so we have how many times? Uh two more. So we have two more kind of looks at this. So um continue to review it and uh you know make sure you continue to get your questions into uh the superintendent so that we can get those answered um as we work towards the date where we have to actually approve the budget. Okay. Item 10.01. Oh, sorry. Item 10, discussion without with action. Item 10.01, 2025 2026 board meeting schedule. Having heard no concerns other than the one I voiced when the NFL schedule came out, um recommend you approve the calendar for board meetings for
163um 2526. Questions from the board? If there are none, I'll take a motion. Motion to approve item 10.01 2025 2026 board meeting schedule. Second. Motion and a second have been heard. Please call the role. Mrs. Patton. McMillan. I. Blastic. I. Winsky. I. Gerky. I. Kush. I. Kazminsky. Hi. Kelly Black. I. The motion passes. Item 11, old business. We have no old business. Item 12, new business. We have no new business. Item 13, upcoming events. 1301, schedule of events. Okay. Um, just kind of a preview for especially with our new board members. Uh, with the action now taken by the board on the approval of the meeting schedule, I'll begin working on drafting uh with board leadership a draft of uh board planning calendar and just the things you could expect on what the typical rotation
164would look like. Um, and we'll have that definitely in place hopefully by uh the time we do our board selfie eval. Um reminder that uh there is uh no student attendance, no school on Monday, May 26th. Uh last day of school is Tuesday, May 27th. Our next board of education meeting, your next opportunity for questions on the budget would be on Monday, June 2nd. Thank you, Joe. Uh so now that we have uh a date for our um uh board uh uh development uh can you uh can we get that on the agenda as well so that uh is public? Okay. Thank you. We'll make sure we get that added. All right. Item 14, adjournment. Item 14.0. Motion to adjurnn. I make a motion to adjurnn. Motion has been heard. Second. Motion and second have
165been heard. Please call the role. Mrs. Penn. Gerky. I. Kazinski. I. McMillan. I. Winsky. I. Kelly Black. I. Blastic. I. Kush. I. The motion passes. We are adjourned.