2025-04-22 Community Unit School District 201 Regular School Board Meeting

001[Music] Um, I'm calling to order our April 22nd, 2025 CUSD 2011 school board meeting. We'll start with roll call. Adena Hoover here. Whitney Rogers. Jessica Rodono here. Carlos Aia here. Angela Stey here. Kevin Marin here. Leah Conover here. Will stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. We will proceed with the approval of minutes. The chair will entertain a motion to approve the minutes of the April 8th, 2025 regular meeting of the board of education as presented. So move. Second. All those in favor? I. Any opposed? Motion carries. The chair will entertain a motion to approve the minutes of the closed session of the April

0028th, 2025 regular meeting of the board of education as presented. So second. Uh all those in favor? I I. Any oppose? Motion carries. At this time, we have pop public comment and we have um looks like we have one um person submitted for public comment. Um basically, at this time, I just want to um reiterate that um this is not an engagement time. The board would consider your comments and its decisions. For those comments or questions requiring a follow-up response, the board president or superintendent will follow up. At this time, we have Gina Allen. Hi, my name is Gina Allen. Thanks so much for your time this evening. Uh, my husband, Jose, and I moved to Westmont in 2019, and we have two children. Uh, my oldest, Alba, is almost three and a half years

003old and is autistic. As her father and I both work full-time, uh, Alba attends daycare at Guiding Hands Academy on 63rd Street off of Cass Avenue. Guiding Hands is located in Westmont, only 6 minutes and one 1.8 8 miles away from South School, but it's outside of the district's boundaries. I've been informed multiple times because I have asked multiple times um that the school's transportation policy does not permit any outofd district busing and that even though my daughter's IEP calls for specialized transportation as a related service she needs, the school doesn't make exceptions um to this policy and will not arrange for her transportation um from outside of the district. Uh I'm here today to discuss the rigidity of that transportation policy and what it means for uh high-risisk preschoolers. I understand that the students

004who attend South are considered high risk um of being behind their peers upon entering the school system, whether that's because they come from a certain socioeconomic background, uh speak only a foreign language in the home, are born to teenage parents, have developmental delays, or have a disability. Um I asked South, "Well, what do working parents do about transportation then? like what do you suggest? Um South suggested that I take my child who already struggles with transitions and move her to Westmont yard um another outofd district daycare facility that has the ability to bus children to and from South's half-day sessions. I didn't understand that at first being kind of new to the area. Um why would they recommend moving my preschooler to another outofd district uh daycare? Um then I realized there really are no

005in district daycare centers except one. Um, I found Bethl uh early learning center from on the DS DCFS website. It's a small parochial school. Um, the district has no other solutions but to suggest that a private daycare facility transport children to the to the local preschool. Um, but even if I was inclined to move my daughter from a daycare where she's thriving to Westmont yard solely because Westmont yard's able to bust my child to South, Westmont doesn't actually bust children under the age of four. So that doesn't help children who would transition to preschool from early intervention at age three. At the end of the day, there's no school choice for parents to preschoolers. South is your only option. You can't change districts based on your child's daycare location. There's no option for a full

006day of school. There's only the half day and there's no before and afterare option except for this one Pringle uh solo uh parochial school. There are no daycare centers within the district that students can be busted to and from under the current policy. As a result, I've had to ask myself, you know, should we change daycarees to Westmont yard or parochial school um so Alba can go to school even though we risk regression at best? Should we change our work shift so that we can take her ourselves though our new shifts will result in less time at home with our children? Should we reduce the amount of hours we work if possible and lose income? Should I quit working entirely and try stay-at-home parenting, hope that I've budgeted properly for a one-inccome household, and then

007that, you know, that a decent job will be waiting for me uh when the kids are both in school full-time? Should we simply skip preschool altogether, bring all but to private therapy instead, hold our breath each year until we hit our insurancees out of pocket maximum, and then continue being zombie parents, constantly tired from shuttling around from appointment to appointment during business hours and having to make up lost time at work on even in evenings or on weekends. I recognize that the questions I've asked are questions all parents ask themselves that everyone has logistical problems. But there's a particular risk here to these at risk preschoolers, some of whom may yet have undiagnosed disabilities because so many disabilities are incapable of being diagnosed at preschool age or the wait list for an appointment with a

008developmental pediatrician right now is a year long or longer. The unintended consequence of a rigid of a rigid transportation policy uh with respect to these preschoolers is that at risk children uh may not be receiving the services they need. All that came from early intervention and was eligible for preschool when she turned three in January, but she hasn't started receiving services yet cuz I don't know what I I haven't made a decision about what to do yet. Uh my employer's generosity and flexibility has limits and I told him this was a tempor my temporary schedule. It's going to be temporary. She's going to school soon. Um, I'm concerned not just about my child and my family, but all families that need to utilize a daycare center and need to get their child's speech, occupational, and

009other therapy services. Um, so my questions for the board are, you know, is there really no possibility of making an exception to the current transportation policy for my daughter? Uh, if not, can the policy be modified? Perhaps a new route specifically for preschoolers could be created that could run downcast to the five large preschools off 63rd, Chester Brook, Peter Pan, Westmont yard, Guiding Hands, Spare View, Kinderare. Four out of five of those are in the village of Westmont. So for a new parent who shows up and doesn't understand district boundaries, you know, you think I live in Westmont, schools in Westmont, my preschool's in West, there shouldn't be an issue here. I ask you to wrap up, please. Oh, yes, sorry, two. Um, has any research been done to determine what the needs of the

010incoming and current families are? If so, can that be shared? And then can I help in any way? I'm not sure what skills I have that would be useful, but perhaps I could do some grant research or gather data from parents or daycarees. Um, I want to do whatever I can if it means that I can help prevent at least one high-risisk, you know, kid from slipping through the cracks. Thanks again for your time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. If there are no other um speakers, we'll move along to the agenda. Thank you. Um, we at this time have staff recognition and all the presenters. [Applause] So, we're going to start with our retirees. And first, we have Alice Riley. We are honored to recognize and celebrate the retirement of F. Alice, a beloved

011and respected LBS resource teacher who has served our district since 2001. Most recently supporting our K um and first grade students at Miller, Alice has shared her expertise and advocacy for learners with unique needs. Her calm presence, support, and ability to meet every child where they have made a lasting difference is count in countless young lives. Colleagues describe Alice as not only a trusted educator, but also a mentor and team player. Her contributions have helped shape an inclusive and nurturing learning environment across our schools, and her legacy will continue to inspire educators and students alike. We thank Alice for her years of devoted service and wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement. We'll continue the next [Music] Hi everyone. I'm Lindsay Petersac, principal of Manning and I'm here to celebrate Carrie Frank who

012is here this evening. So I have some words for her. It is an honor to take a moment to this evening to celebrate someone who has quietly and consistently shaped our school community in so many ways. Carrie Frank as she prepares to retire at the end of this school year. Car's career spans decades. I won't say how many uh and buildings within this district. Within district 2011, she was an early leader in technology, gifted educ education, and back when computer labs were new and tech integration was still uncharted territory. She worked in nearly every school in our district, always with flexibility, a spirit of innovation, and a willingness to support others through change. But it's been in the last the last eight years, the time that I've had the privilege of working alongside of her,

013where I've seen firsthand just how much impact she truly has made. As a second grade teacher, Carrie brings calm, consistent, and compassion to her second grade team of colleagues who we often have sh um said share a brain, which I I really think has um become true. And I'm sad that that's going to shift after this year. Uh she builds strong relationships with her students, always leading with patience and positivity, but her impact stretches far beyond classroom walls. As a new teacher mentor, Carrie has become one of the very first faces that our new staff in the district sees. And each year, she's tasked with providing ongoing support along with her teammates uh and guidance to new teachers, reminding them that this work is both challenging and deeply human. One moment that stands out and

014one I'm always going to remember and take with me is when she shared one of the activities that the team was going to do this one of these most recent years and it was the story of the Marold effect. Marolds are great companion plants. If you don't know, I've become a gardener myself. Uh and the analogy was used with new teachers is to find people that are going to bring the best out of you and to be positive. and she reminded me that environments that where it can be really hard and really tough in moments to find people to lean on uh and be intentional about who you surround yourself with. So that's something that I carry about um with me in in those times cuz sometimes we need to be the marold and sometimes

015we need the marolds around us. Carrie, thank you for the years of care, the the quiet leadership and the way you've poured into others without ever needing the spotlight. You will be missed and you will always be remembered. Congratulations on a beautiful career and welldeserved retirement. [Applause] [Music] Not yet. And it's her birthday. Happy birthday. Director Kevin. Okay, go ahead, brother. Good evening everyone. I'm Dr. Kevin Wack and I'm the principal of Westmont High School. And tonight we get a chance to recognize and celebrate the career of Sue Pachelli, who's been the nurse at Westmont High School for the last 14 years. Sue, I just want to say thank you for so many years of service. A little bit about Sue. She's here tonight with her husband Rich. They've been married for 40 years. That's

016quite the accomplishment. Uh she also has three children, Nate, Patrick, and Gabby. Uh and Patrick's actually a graduate from Westmont High School. And Sue told me today that without the help of Leanne and our TAs that or with the help of them, Patrick was able to graduate and he's an alumni now of Westbound High School. So she was very grateful and thankful for all the support from them. Uh so she's been with us for 14 years. Prior to that though, she was at Loyola University Hospital where she worked in the NICU. She did that and then she had her family and she came over to Westmont. She worked as a sub part-time for about 3 years. She then got her chance to be full-time with us due to a misfortune of one of her colleagues.

017Uh, with that though, she said one of her fondest memories was the fact that everyone brought down all these sweets and treats to her during her first year where she said she indulged in that and that was difficult, but she felt very welcomed and supported in her first year and that's one of her fond memories. Sue did a great job of really helping us navigate the COVID experience, the pandemic. She did a phenomenal job in terms of communication, supporting families and students work through that so that we can uh you know help our students be successful in all the capacities possible. Uh one of the things she's looking forward to after retirement though is going up to Wisconsin where she has a a new summer house or vacation house and her family's going to go

018spend time up there. She's got grandkid grandchildren right now. She's expecting another one in June. So that's something that she's truly looking forward to. What she's going to miss though is really being a part of, you know, Westmont High School and being with her staff and her teammates. She really had a strong bond with them. She's going to miss seeing them every day. One of the things she did say though is, you know, something for us to consider is that the challenges and the uh support that our students need now is much different than it was when she first started. And that we have to do everything we can to really support them uh on a daily basis with that. And Sue, you did a phenomenal job not just supporting our students, but also supporting

019our staff on a daily basis. And for that, we will always be grateful. Thank you for an outstanding career with us. Thank you for all of your support. Congratulations. And good luck with your next chapter in life. So, thank you. [Applause] Where's my flower? I'm sorry. for you as much as you want. You should just have him say something. Do I do nine? Hi everybody. uh Jack Balderman, superintendent, and I am here to honor our colleague, my friend, our friend, such a dedicated, talented, intelligent uh colleague of ours, Dr. Naen Norris, who uh when I think of Naen, the first thing I think of is servant leader. What is it going to take to help out my colleagues? Because we're focused on students, and that's what Naen has always been about. What is it going

020to take? She's a problem solver. She uses her wisdom and her skills to do whatever it takes to better our district with a focus on her colleagues and our students. And she is the ultimate team player that way. Ever since I first met her and that's what her reputation is. How can I get the resources to make this a better district to serve our students? That's Dr. Naen Norris. She There was a time where every student in this district didn't have technology, right? One to one. So Naen led that effort in a masterful way, in a fiscally responsible way, uh, in a way to get people training. That's Naen Norris. She fought for coaches in this district and actually helped to usher in an era where it's an expectation that we have coaches in the

021buildings supporting our amazing teachers. She's here tonight with her wonderful husband, Jeff. And we're fortunate because she's not going to completely uh leave us. But the year she has given us as a servant leader, as a problem solver, as the most ethical uh driven leader, if we need Naen, it's a whatever it takes response. There's been times when I had to call on her late times, weekends, doesn't matter. Naen is going to be there to serve others in this district. and it has been such an honor to work with you and everybody knows you as somebody who is here to give all of your talent and wisdom for the betterment of our students and our teaching staff and your fellow administrators. So, thank you so much Dr. Norris for your amazing work in your time

022here in CUSD 2011. [Applause] I want to also add Subacelli, it was great working with you for 11 years. Very supported by you. Did great for our kids. Next, we'll go to those who excel. Um, and we'll start with Kevin. Right. We did have a video that was supposed to be a surprise for Miss Jakabowski over here from our students, but I'll share that with her tomorrow. Just some love from our students just expressing how much they appreciate her and how much she means to them in terms of inspiring them. But tonight's a really special night for us. we get a chance to recognize, you know, Miss Jacabowski who is a community member and an alum as well as somebody who's been in CUSD 2011 longer than I have in terms of like helping mentor

023our students and being a great role model, inspiring our students to really dream big, to push themselves outside their comfort zone. And that's just truly who she is. You know, she's not just an English teacher. She sometimes can be a mom, a friend, somebody that, you know, holds high expectations for students when sometimes they don't want to live up to that. You know, she works tirelessly for our students in terms of setting high expectations, supporting them, finding out what kind of support that they need in terms of closing the learning gap and emotional gaps so that they can feel confident and they can be successful when it comes to academics. And that's expressed in this video. Um, you know, students wouldn't just do this disingenuously. They really care about Miss Jagabowski because that's who she

024is as a person and that's how she works with not just our students but with our faculty. You know, her role is an English teacher, the department coordinator, instructional coach. She does a lot for our culture. You know, you can't necessarily label all the things she does for our school. And we've had a lot of success because of individuals like Miss Jacabowski. And she sets the tone for our building in terms of working hard and holding people to high expectations and pushing beyond boundaries that they thought were even possible. Uh and that kind of leadership, you can't put a price tag on that. You can't quantify it. You can't truly express that in words. Uh, so I feel very lucky and blessed to have her as one of our building leaders, but somebody that is

025so passionate about our students in our school, in our community, who gives everything that she has on a daily basis, whether it's at 5:00 in the morning responding to a text message or 8:00 at night putting together a Google form or grading papers until midnight. These are the types of things that our teachers, especially Miss Jacabowski, do on a daily basis that sometimes we take for granted and sometimes it goes unnoticed. Um, but it's my responsibility as a principal to be the biggest cheerleader and the person that wants to celebrate and recognize the hard work of our teammates. And tonight, I'm so proud to be able to express this in terms of Miss Jacabowski being recognized for those who excel. She truly embodies that. and this is a well-deserved honor. So, congratulations, Miss Jakabowski. Thank

026you for all of your hard work. Keep it up. We need you. Tomorrow's a big day. We got our juniors taking the ACT. So, we're hopeful that they, you know, they step up like they have all year. They've been working hard. And she's, you know, one of the people that helps instill this confidence that our students are going to have tomorrow morning when they start that test. So, thank you. Congratulations. [Applause] I I have to add because I've worked with Anna for the last 13 years, there are several students who would never have made it throughout high school without Anna. They never would have graduated without her. And I'm so proud of her because she's persevered. She's a constant learner and now she's a national leader when it comes to literacy and helping teams literally

027all over the nation help to become stronger in their practices. So, she not only has a powerful impact on our students at Westmont High School, but she is truly a national leader and recognized by some of the best in the business for her expertise. I'm going to add a little bit too just as a testament of a parent um talk about someone who's instilled confidence and I've seen it with my firstborn. I have a senior right now. um truly like um from a quiet young lady who um you know was daunted by testing in this and you've instilled so much in her that I like I just I'm very happy um with what you've done and in awe of what you do and I see the responses from the kids and thanks for cheering us

028the the kids on at games and everything. So congratulations. Thank you. Um, we're going to continue um with Einda Belind Melendez. Einda serves as a full-time dual language teaching assistant at Miller Elementary. Her profound knowledge of biling bilingual education and second language acquisition has been a cornerstone of her exceptional work performance. She seamlessly um bridges linguistic and cultural gaps, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where every student feels seen, heard, and empowered in their kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Whether supporting academic instruction, fostering students language skills, or engaging in cultural celebrations, Erinda enriches the educational experience in ways that resonate deeply with our diverse school community. Erinda comes in every day with a smile and has a positive attitude. We are so grateful to have Erinda as a member of the Mustang family and is

029a perfect candidate to receive the Those Who Excel [Applause] Award. Next, um we have Christy Patech. I say that correctly. Thank you. I was like always second guessing. Christy serves as a full-time reading and math interventionist at Miller Elementary School. Christy is an outstanding reading and math interventionist who impacts extends far beyond the classroom. Her expert or I'm sorry, her expertise, dedication to student success, collaborative spirit, and positive influence on our school community makes her an invaluable asset. One of Christiey's greatest qualities is her commitment to ensure student success. She embodies the belief that every student deserves the opportunity to succeed regardless of background or learning challenges. This belief drives her to go above and beyond to ensure that all students feel valued, supported, and capable of achieving their fullest potential. Christy demonstrates a tireless

030commitment to building a school culture that is inclusive, respectful, and geared towards the success of every child. Christy is welld deserving of those who excel of the those who excel award and we are so thankful she is a mustang and next we have Nancy Nanolik Nancy serves as a full-time reading and math interventionalist at Miller Elementary School Nancy is an exceptional educator who com whose commitment to students colleagues and the broader commu community has created a lasting impact. She played a pivotal role in developing and implementing the district's dual language and English learner programs, enhancing instructional practices and ensuring families were informed and supported. Her expertise in language acquisition and datadriven instruction has consistently driven student achievement while her compassion and dedication extend well beyond the classroom. Whether raising funds for families in need, stepping

031in during staffing shortages, or leading parent workshops, Nancy leads with empathy, initiative, and an unshakable belief in equity. Her presence has strengthened school, sorry, school culture, fostered meaningful relationships, and uplifted both staff and family in powerful enduring ways. We are proud to have her accomplishments as a Mustang and for winning ISBE's those who excel [Music] award. And now I invite Lindsay. This year it's an honor to recognize and celebrate Carrie Bowerine as a recipient of those who excel award. [Applause] She has once again many roles in this district and for that uh she was nominated. I've had the pleasure of getting to know her uh not just in my tenure at Manning but I actually met her while working at the high school many many years ago. And from that time I knew that I

032wanted to learn from her and still learn every single day. Uh in a small district like ours, it's powerful to have educators like Carrie, teachers who truly understand the art of what teaching is and understand that we are too learning every single day about our profession and growing continually as Carrie does because it is truly an art and a science and somewhat of crafting as well, which she likes to do just in her side uh in in her spare time. Uh Carrie leads by example, not only through her instructional practices, but also through her leadership roles, which are volunteer, might I add. As the vice president of the WTA, she works collaboratively with administrators and colleagues, and is always with a student first mindset, which we see poured into every day in the classroom, every

033conversation that you have. Uh and it's truly important to understand that she is always solution um minded and will always come to the table trying to find what is best for all all parties involved. Her recent uh partnership in the classroom with a new teacher uh has been such a great experience to both observe and has been inspiring even for myself as an administrator. uh where she's able to model her own expertise uh and share great examples for students as well. And she pushes so many of our students to go above and beyond what they could even expect for themselves. She pours her energy into developing others while striving for herself to learn, which I know sometimes I I push uh her and I know that um she pushes me, but I think that is

034where the best learning takes place and it makes her truly special. Please join me in congratulating Carrie on this welldeserved recognition. We're lucky to have her. This district is lucky to have her and the staff is better because of her. Yes. I want to just add uh Carrie is an amazing teacher, but she and her partner Heidi Nardini should write a article or a book on union leadership because they will protect their people and do right by them while remaining always student centered and problem solving orientated and they are models for what union leadership should be about in this country uh to go with her exceptional teaching and I'm so grateful for you and your leadership in this district and all you give to us. Thank you Carrie. [Applause] Uh good evening. My name is

035Naen Norris and one of my many roles is to be the director of technology and I want to thank Mr. Balderman for his kind words that they meant a lot to me. Thank you so much. I'm honored to recognize my exceptional team of technology specialists including James Carrera, Jeremy Batista, Pedro Rodriguez, and Chris Springer. They've been nominated for the Isby those who excel award. Their work exemplifies what it means to be genuinely student centered in an educational technology support role. The team consistently goes above and beyond their traditional roles. Jeremy co-sponsors the Asian-American club, the STEM club, the school plays, fostering creativity and in and inclusivity. Pedro collaborates with the junior high technology service team and mentors a few and fourth and fifth grade students, encouraging student innovation and collaboration. Chris's patience and her good

036humor. We all know anyone, any parent, any staff member who's had to call about skyward questions. She is your gal. Jim is the person you want. When issues arise that seem uncsurmountable, the commitment to our students is evident through everything they do. They respond immediately to classroom technology needs, implementing systems that support diverse learners. Last week during testing, they just walked around. They were told by teachers, "We're just relaxed just knowing you're here." They understand the purpose is not just maintaining the networks and repairing devices. Your primary mission is to put students at the heart of their work providing rem providing and maintaining the right tools to do their job. It is my honor to to thank them for this for their role. Thank you very much. [Applause] Um, we have uh another person that

037um I would like to start to recognize, but um I feel like our fellow board members will also u do the same. And I want to take this time to recognize Angela Steady. Um, Angela um joined our team when she was elected four years ago um to this position, but that's not where as I've seen and witness her work began. I've um I knew an before she knew me because she was an active um parent um and collaborator and team person putting students first I think since I moved into the district. and I've always seen you um you were a role model then and you still are um taking on more continually putting more on your plate but always and we know um probably some of your huge um giving time is not recognized um

038as a board member or PTO member or what have you. You you're always giving to kids in this district. So I want to take this time and say it's an honor. Um, I know you're not done because I know you can't stay away from these kids in Westmont. So, I'm gonna see you somewhere. You stand on the committees at least. Um, but um, I want to myself I want to recognize you and thank you for all the time and um, love you put into this community. So, thank you. Next, I want to echo that too. We have an amazing board and an you are people centered to the core and I'm so grateful that we've had the chance to work together and who you are as a human being is inspiring to me and all

039you give to others and your compassion is so deep. Your commitment to our community is so incredible. It's a very special gift that you've given to our community and I feel honored to have worked with you. Thank you. I just want to know who's going to keep up with all the upcoming events whenever whenever you're gone. I I also knew Ang before she knew me because of the same the same thing. Anytime I attended anything, you were there. Uh whether I didn't even know you were on the school board. Um and you're always involved in everything and I hope you stay involved. Thank you. I'm going to miss having you on the board here, but I will see you around a lot. So, so, thank you. Yeah, it's been nothing but awesome to get to

040know you as a board member for the last four years and know you so much better, but I know you're I know you're deeply dedicated and we'll see you all everywhere. And I echo what everybody said. Honestly, I think it's hard to capture everything you've contributed in words. Um, I think everybody's done a really nice job, but your presence will be deeply missed around this table. Um, I think we're hardressed to find somebody who cares so deeply and is so inclusive and thoughtful and compassionate. And, um, when Adena said something about the love you have, love is like the word that resonates that I think of when I think about you and how you've led and will continue 100% to lead in this community in all kinds of ways. We'll miss you. I want to

041give a quick shout out to Mike to her husband because I think he lives in our concession stand. Thank you, Mike. He's been volunte. Yes. So many volunte. Okay, we don't um we're not going into class uh close session at this time. Um we are moving along to our presentation of election results. They've been posted in board docs. Um they have been posted in both uh board docs to look at specific numbers. I don't have that here. Um um but the results have been attached there and they were certified and made official today, April 22nd, 2025. So I'm going to call um before I say that are pictures being taken. I instruct can I think they're going to go take their pictures. I don't know if she wants to record this. Okay. I think Y's

042getting the pictures. Yeah. Okay. She got it. Okay. Oh, I don't know if they want pictures of this. So, I'm going to invite our I think they have it. Edith there is there. I'm going to invite our um newly elected board members for this cycle um to step forward and we are going to um read the oath of office. So we have Leah Conover, Jessica Rodono, Kevin Marin, and Lauren Zakiri. [Music] And they face that way. Um, you can the camera. So, you guys can grab this because I'm sure you're not going to remember as I read it. So, you can grab it, hold it, and turn around. Here. Thank you. Sure. Right. Do you raise your right hand? So at this time we'll repeat after me except for the part where you say your

043own name. So I state your name. I do slely swear or affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of member of the board of education or I'm sorry board of education of West CUSD 2011 in accordance with the constitution of the United States the constit constitution of the state of Illinois and the laws of the state of Illinois to the best of my ability swear that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of member of the board of education in order to [Music] constitution state of the laws of the state of Illinois. I further swear or affirm that I shall respect taxpayers interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's assets. I shall respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's

044assets. I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members and others who seek a hearing before the board while respecting the privacy of students and employees. I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members and others who seek authority before the board while respecting the privacy of students and employees. I shall recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at the public board meeting. I shall recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at the public meeting. I shall abide by majority decisions of the board while retaining the right to seek changes in

045such decisions through ethical and constructive channels. I shall abide by majority decisions of the board while retaining the right to seek changes and such decisions through ethical and constructive channels. As part of the board of education, I shall accept the responsibility for my role in the equitable and quality education of every student in the school district. As a part of the board of education, I shall accept the responsibility for my role in the equitable and quality education of every student in the school district. I shall foster with the board's extensive participation of the community, formulate goals, define outcomes, and set the course for CUSD 2011. I shall foster with the board extensive participation of the community, formulate goals, define outcomes, and set the course for CUSD 2011. I shall assist in establishing a structure and

046an environment designed to ensure all students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework. Assist in establishing a structure and an environment designed to ensure all students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework. I shall strive to ensure a continuous assessment of student achievement and all conditions affecting the education of our children in compliance with state law. I shall strive to ensure continuous assessment of student achievement and all conditions affecting the education of our children in compliance with state law. I shall serve as education's key advocate advocate on behalf of students in our community school to advance the vision for CUSD 2011. I shall serve as education's key advocate on behalf of students and our community schools to advance the vision for CUSD 2011.

047I shall strive to work together with the district superintendent to lead the school district towards fulfilling the vision the board has created, fostering excellence for every student in the areas of academic skills, knowledge, citizenship, and personal development. I shall strive to work together with the district superintendent to lead the school district toward fulfilling the vision the board has created, fostering excellence for every student in the areas of academic skills, knowledge, citizenship, and personal development. Congratulations. [Applause] [Music] We'll have everyone up in a minute, but I'm just going to before you guys sit down. Yes. So, it's part of our custom at this time when we have a new election and um the swearing in of our next um student board, I mean, I'm sorry, school board member um to our district that we um entertain

048a motion to adjourn send sine. So, this is a temporary um adjournment. We do have um some refreshments but we will uh continue our board member um board meeting with our new member. So I need a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjurnn. Second. All those in favor? I. Any opposed? We are adjourned for the motion. So let's stand for a picture pictures with hands or something before. So not we're going to do pictures now. So we're journ Okay. Okay. We the whole board. Yeah. And then both and if you come up with us, we'll start. I know. What do you all want me to do? Please are off center. Seriously. Perfect. Right. Then I got you satisfied actually. A little bit. It matters. PR. Come on. What is actually in the middle of your head?

049I don't know. He's living outside. What you want me out of the way? I got it. I am not photobombing. Last thing we want to do. Yeah. We watch the car like this. Okay. People running for the exits throwing up. Please don't make her mad. Jack. really. Oh, get some cake. Go get some cake. We'll be reconvening and coming back in a few minutes. And coming back. Not for you. No. Unless you want to get a picture of the board. Get cake. Do what now? We got it. No, not I'm not. I think so. Right. Did they say where? How long is this break? Five minutes. I have no idea. Did you see me during the We're calling to order uh resuming our board meeting. Um we'll start with roll call. Dina Hoover here. Whitney

050Rogers. Jessica Rodono here. Carlos Avia here. Lauren Zakiri here. Kevin Marin here. Leah Conover here. Okay. At this time, it's part of our procedure to elect um uh nominate and then elect uh officers for the board and we will be starting with um the board president. So, as a discussion before we make a motion, um we did have a policy and and changed a policy um with this um board and most of the members here with um having two-year terms for our officer positions. Um and um it is something that this board with working with all of the great help that we have um and the knowledge and um some expertise and thoughts and um connection with the community that we all have something to give as part of uh our roles on the board.

051So it doesn't stop and generally you heard the oath earlier that we're all equal partners in this and we uh together we make one decision. And it doesn't take apart from the thoughts that we individually have. But when a decision is made, we have one and then we have leaders with that. So we start with the president um role. Um at this time I will nominate first. You have to nominate. So I nominate Leah Conover for our board um member president role and then you ask if there any other nominations. Are there any other nominations for board president? Okay, there are none. The chair will entertain a motion to name Leah Conover as board of education president for two-year term. No, we went to one year. No, it used to be two. We went to

052policy. Policy says two. We updated the the policy says two. Okay. Yeah. Can I get a second? I second that. And then do we'll have roll call. Mr. Marin. Yes. Miss Conover, yes. Miss Rodono, yes. Mr. Airi, yes. Mr. Aia, yes. Miss Hoover, yes. Congratulations. We'll move to the office of vice president. I'll take nominations for the vice president. Oh, Carlos Aia. Are there other nominations for the role of vice president? The chair will entertain a motion to name Carlos Avia as the vice president of the board of education for a two-year term. So moved. Second. Roll call. Miss Conover. Yes. Mr. Rodono. Yes. Miss Becky. I'm sorry. Mr. Aia. Yes. Miss Hoover. Yes. Miss Sakiri? Yes. Mr. Marin? Yes. Motion carries. Congratulations. And now we'll move to the officer role of secretary. I nominate

053Jess Rodono. Are there any other nominations? The chair will entertain a motion to name Jessica Rodono as our secretary for the board of education for a two-year term. So move. Second. Roll call. Miss Sakiri? Yes. Miss Rodono? Yes. Mr. Aia? Yes. Dr. Hoover? Yes, Mr. Marin. Yes, Miss Conover. Yes. Okay, motion carries. Congratulations. Um, next we move into the appointment of board committees. So, for many years, the board of education has maintained committees to work or I ask one question. Do we switch or uh you have to sign up again? There should everyone should have a sheet in front of them which they're going to fill in and give back to me tonight. I'll just take this role with Oh, yeah. Oh, right now you switch. Yeah, you can. Yes. Mhm. Do we have to

054Hm. Do you want to switch right now? Cuz you are elected the new board. Maybe after closed. Okay. Yeah. Let's Let's keep a good thing going. And you milk this. All right. Uh for many years, the board of education has maintained committees to work with the administration examining key certain key elements in the CUSD 2011 operation. The committees have been finance, policy, strategic planning, facilities, and public relations. As designed, the committees have been actively involved in several important areas. The administration has appreciated this type of board involvement. It has been custom of um of the new board. Okay. All right. So, we have usually what we've done is not necessarily um nominating, but we have a signup sheet and we've kind of held to that. So, this will be passed around as we move along

055the agenda. We sign up for um committees and um it is asked like from our board kind of rules that we sign up for at least one committee but you can do more than one um if if there is three in a committee. We just we kind of we uh organize in a way that if three um members are present that we have to post uh for opening open meetings act that we have to post those meetings. um make it aware because three members are present at one time. So I think we've talked about doing just regardless because we just need to post our committee meetings, right? Well, we we just that's one way to communicate our committee meetings, right? But we posted in a certain way which is fine but actually even more than

056that many times because of our schedules and work schedules there have been you know two people. So um we'll pass that around and then we document once we kind of assure where everybody is placed at that time and we definitely discuss this more at our board retreat to be determined. Any other questions or comments regarding the committees? Didn't we adjust strategic to be a board? We had some strategic planning committee meetings last two years and I feel like we adjusted them to just be a board like a what did we do? You remember what I'm talking you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, we kind we we done like a district-wide meeting that was part of our uh strategic planning and so um I feel like we called it but I don't know if it's

057this strategic planning committee or if we called it like just a board like everybody was on it. Oh yes. So everyone sign up for strategic but we will leave it there for now and then um it's something that definitely we should have. I think the last uh big one that we had before the referendum was like a district-wide with multiple administrators looking at our goals and reexamining those. And I know um something that you've wanted us to look at districtwide um to do like some more uh shaping and redeveloping where we are and making it, you know, something that's uh current and works well with us. So I think it's something this board just has to organize a little bit better when we want to do that and how um you would want to do

058that, Jack, and kind of handle that. But I I I would I think it'll be an important and very um um umformational gathering exercise for our community once we do have it. So I look forward to that. Uh we'll move with the agenda and um uh establish our board meetings. So the chair will entertain a motion that the regular meetings of the community unit school district 2011 board of education be held as identified on the notice schedule of regular meetings of the board of education um of community unit school district 2011 as presented. So it's something that's uploaded to the board docs before we vote those that before we um take the motion. I just want to at this time see if there are any questions or comments about the list of meetings or the

059way I do have a co a question or comment. I don't know which it is. We'll see as it comes out. Um I thought we talked about maybe mixing up location once in a while and I know that that we can we can do that prior to a meeting. We can change the location. Um, and I I really want us to think a little harder and maybe actually put some meetings at the high school at Manning at the at the actual buildings themselves. This is nice, but I I think with everything that we've been talking about, I think it's really important for us to consider holding meetings in the buildings themselves. And um that is we're obligated every year to post this by a certain date. Yeah. Right. um with the constraints that you know

060with recording and use of staff to get those things done. That's the juggle of it and um um scheduled times it's hard to schedule that like almost a year out. Um but recognizing that that you know we are always forward thinking if it's something we plan to do and get ahead of it that you know if there's a change in location which we've done before um that we plan that early enough that we can get it scheduled we can check to see if we have um um our tech um um our tech support um available to do that cuz that's also like considering just um that there is employees of the village or the district that we just consider those things that that's there's a cost and then organization of that like I I like

061that idea. Do we do committee meetings at the various buildings instead? Those aren't televised. You know, I definitely love the idea of the committee meetings being right before board meetings. So, wherever the board meetings are happening, how it makes it makes it better for the public. I think I I did jot down a note of like the this room for the committee meeting isn't uh it's not set like let's have a great conversation that's part of the reason today you know so we do need to have we should have a conversation about that right it'll it came up at the last board meeting via public comment but I think it has come up a couple of times um of moving right our our location. So we should have a larger conversation about that as a

062board if that's where we want to go to. And then also um we need to talk about committee meeting dates also something that we we have to get this schedule out the board meeting schedule out and posted by a certain date. Um I think it behooves us to solve our committee meeting dates as well very quickly. Those are not as required here. But then we can really take a look at this is our board meeting. Here's when we here's our facilities and and have those dates set so that we can all get them on our calendars. Our community can get them on their calendars so we can have that deeper conversation in like a meeting or two. Maybe it's something that we work on over the summer. What do you guys think? Or would you

063want to work on it sooner? Would you want to work on I don't think it's the top priority. I just since we're since we've got it in front of us, it reminded me that we had talked about it and I yeah having the conversation sometime so that even I mean I don't I don't know the exact number what are there like 18 17 17 meetings on here. So like if two of them were were at one of the you know if we could get if we could get into each of the buildings great that would be four or five I guess with you know so I just um I just want to keep in mind my thoughts on that that um you know why I agreed to set that but as we think about it

064cuz we say we want our community with us in those buildings and I know it separates things but I said many of our board meal um uh we get minimal attendance. We get large attendance with our committee meetings and that's where we want the heart of people seeing our building. So, I just I know we said we'll have a conversation, but just to think of if we want um um our a larger audience and take advantage of that. Let's take it for the times that committee uh meetings where people are more involved. It's not as formal um that we have those in our buildings and press for those because they're longer, they're different days. I think we I I love that we have our community meetings for myself as a schedule like right before our

065board member meetings, but sometimes I feel like we need more than an hour. Um and those larger ones that those are the ones I want more of the community involved in in um in our buildings for that cuz there's more involvement more participation. So I think like as we when we ever re revisit this in a couple of weeks like I think it makes a lot of sense for our facilities committee meeting to be in the buildings and so figuring out like once we have this schedule of meetings or I mean I guess deciding I think whichever committee meetings we can let's attach them to board meetings but I think we could probably all agree that facilities makes a lot of sense to be in the buildings. Um, and are there any others that we

066feel strongly about? So, getting schedules out and seeing I think it's still a goal to see like two meetings like you said, Carlos, two meetings be on location. Let's figure it out and get all of that and and see if we can get it scheduled ahead of time so we can get all of our support that we need, whichever is possible. Jack, do you think it's possible to have potential dates for each of these committee meetings for next year by the next board meeting, two board meetings, cuz it kind of sounds like we need to get to let's get our committee meetings scheduled and maybe that's the board meeting that we have deeper conversation about what should be where or whatever, right? So, and I know that Edith was talking about potentially matching up some

067of those committee meetings, some of the at least the PR with events like our big like STEM night worked out really really well, right? Like do you think that it's realistic cuz I do think that a big win that we had this past year was and the last couple years is we scheduled these meetings for the whole year and I don't want to get I don't want to fall backwards, right? Um in that cuz we can always adjust. We need yes we need time we need to know right but we can always adjust something that's already scheduled it's much harder to schedule something that is that is not not even there right so I I do think that at least having the starting date for all of our for all the committee meetings for next

068year set so that we can all start there and then maybe but do you so yeah I know Edith has some ideas about this as well so do you think it's realistic to have those dates and I realize we've got with committee meetings at least scheduled the uh connected to the board meetings or we could schedule separate or yeah just at least starting that here's the first meeting for finance here's the first that's the minimum I think we're asking I think they have to be scheduled for the year look the finance meetings are like there's they're already we have this many and we have to have this many like there should we already know when the finance meetings already have to be because they're controlled by the budget to a lot of an extent to

069a huge extent event and we've had all these meetings this year and many of them prior to our board meetings already. So, we've already got a bit of a base schedule to work off of. We we could have a rough draft in May and a solid draft in June. We always we can always add committee meetings, right? Always add. So, let's do our base and then if we want to add a finance committee meeting separate from the board meeting, we can always add but we should have our base. We should have our Yeah. policy has to meet twice a year. We already know that when press, right? That's already that's driven by press also, right? So like that stuff that is that we've already had scheduled and I think PR met every other month this

070year or tried to meet every other month this year. Part of it is that you uh also want the locations, right? You want we want those established or you want to just do committ? The committee meetings are the most important. Okay. And then we can go from there. I don't want I don't want location to hold up us scheduling the committee meetings for the year. Okay. Well, that like I I know we could get a rough draft in May and then get a get some feedback from you all and have a final draft in June. I mean, it's just a matter how many committees do we have? I mean, there's like right and they're going to meet a couple times each. some of them a little bit more. It's we can do that. The one

071thing I would caution us and I love the idea especially getting into some of our other buildings for all the reasons we know why, but it does present some logistical difficulties for the when we televise these meetings just to keep that in the radar. So, I think we should uh choose them carefully. Yeah. They cannot be live streamed. Yeah. We know that we can't live stream when we're doing it from location. Yeah, but we could start looking at See, that's the only thing I went on a little more time. We do a rough draft, but then if we're going to try to coordinate with events, cuz you're right, the night that we had the meeting, STEM night backed up was really smart. But yes, we can have something for the May meeting cuz we're meeting

072May 13th. I think that also helps our parents too. We're asking our parents to be involved, right? Like you're already coming out for you're already coming out for fine arts night. You're already coming out for international, right? like most of those are not Tuesdays. Yeah. So, so at the the point that we are now, we have a list of scheduled uh dates, time, places at least for our board meetings and that's set with a possibility of changing one or two um and possibility. I'll leave that there. but also a plan for our committee meetings that we are we have a goal of having a ten t tentative schedule for May um that looked at some baseline meetings knowing that we can always add more uh but that's not final and we'll discuss it in May

073and then June um whatever feedback or if we're adding or tweaking that we can work to finalize at least those initial dates. So, I'll go back to the um motion to um um accept the regular meetings of the community unit school district 2011 board of education meetings. Um and then a motion and then so moved. Second. Roll call. Miss Sier, yes. Mr. Aia, yes. Miss Dr. Hoover, yes. Mr. Marin, yes. Miss Conover, yes. Miss Rodonia, yes. Motion carries. Um, next we move to the appointment of our IASB representative. Um, the chair entertained. Well, I nominate Kevin Marin. Any other nominations for that role? No, but can I second it? Yes from our will turn out to be our outgoing representative. If there are no other nominations, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the

074appointment of Kevin Marin as community unit school district 2011's Illinois Association of School Boards delegate. So moved. Second. Roll call. Mr. Aia. Yes. Dr. Hoover. Yes. Mr. Marin. Yes. Miss Conover. Yes. Mr. Rodono. Yes. Mr. Cury. Yes. Yes. That sounds like a special rant to us. Mhm. What is my experience? At this time, we the chair will entertain a motion to enter close session to discuss personnel issues, student discipline, the superintendent evaluation, and review of close session minutes. So moved. Second. Roll call. Mr. Aia, yes. Mr. Marin, yes. Missuri, yes. Miss Conover, yes. Dr. Hoover, yes. Miss Rodono, yes. So, I need someone to take notes, hit record, and then you need to log every time someone comes in and out. Yes. Okay. board is returning from closed. By the way, you have access to

075Okay, I don't. Okay, guys. Moving right along. Um, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Uh, personnel recommendations. Ronald O' Conor, uh, CSBO. Stephanie Just, assistant principal, Manning Elementary School. Brandy Campbell, superintendent intern. Jessica Viscara, fourth, fifth grade dual language math teacher. Megan V, uh, special education teacher, Miller. Number two, approval of the April 2025 expenditure report. And number three, uh, ratification of March 2025 regular payroll. So moved. Second. Roll call. Mr. Marin, yes. Miss Sakiri, yes. Miss Conover, yes. Dr. Hoover, yes. Miss Rodono, yes. Mr. Aia, yes. Motion passes. Right. Okay. Moving into our information and discussion portion of the evening. Uh yeah. Right. Mhm. Okay. Every time every time you like I'm like down here. Uh discussion number one, Westmont High School schedule change for the 2025

0762026 school year. So, just to remind everybody, the um admin from Westmont High School came to our last board meeting and gave us a nice presentation on the adjustments that they would like to make be make to the schedule change, namely um not doing early dismissal on Wednesdays, brand new. Um so, in board docs, you can see that presentation and then you can also see the approval of it. So is there any I had a question just as it came up like the unit being a unit district thing. Are we obligated? Yeah. Yeah. That you know I kind of know the answer but well I think I know the answer. Are we obligated that that all schools do this or is it okay that just the high school is not having dismissal? um it's okay

077that they so the elementary school and then even clearing up um confusion for our our community our parents that this is doesn't mean it takes place at the junior high that they're extending or what have you. This is just the high school. Yes. And if and that's something that's okay at unit district. Yes. I I really appreciate the administration coming to speak to us about that and the reasons why and as many of our decisions is it's a student centered um um decision and sounds like it's going to have good applications and even something that we can track the data and keep kids in the building like that. Okay. So, we will be voting on this in action items later tonight. Just a heads up. Um, okay. Number two, summer school 2025. Jack, you want

078to you take No, we got superstar Dr. Braun here. Yeah, I can make this I can make this quick, too, because you have it all in front of you. It's because we said the word data like you come running. Yeah. No, I'll highlight the changes for you just so you know, but it is it's all it's all right there. So the only changes from last year to this year um so June boost so the elementary summer school for um the incoming first through incoming four or five students or it through incoming fifth grade students um it's longer this year. So last year it was only 11 days. This year it's 23 days. So that's the big change there. Um and then ESY is just growing a little bit. That one is grant funded. Um Tiffany

079Teresi is is taking the lead on that one. Um, and that one's growing a little bit this year, but the STEM, the jump start to kindergarten was extremely successful last year. We're keeping that again this year. It really was helpful to get those kindergarten students um prepared and ready to be in school. Um, and it really was that it was a jump start to kindergarten. So, it was super great. The jump start to dual language was super successful last year, too. Um, Edith Corrington did that one. Um, and made that really fun for our kids. Just a cool experience. Yeah. Yeah. And jump start to kindergarten with Samovich's baby and that was awesome too. But so that's all the same. The junior high is almost exactly the same. Um they have their reading and math

080rising which is invitation only for incoming sixth through eighth grade students um based on academic performance. The step up for the class of 2020. So that day where the incoming sixth graders come in and then they have the compact ACC math which is really um helpful for our students to make a jump um from common core math to math one for their eighth grade year. And then the high schools the same offerings as last year as well. Um they have the credit recovery so kids can um you know students who are significantly credit and skill deficient they can have an opportunity to recover some of those credits. The jump to AP geography is also a really fun cool experience to help kids transition into that AP geography. The trans transitions in English and math um

081same as last year to help any students with literacy and math skills who were in literacy workshop or um math workshop, freshman orientation to help with those incoming freshmen. Um, and then the summer bump honors math pre-calc cal and it's really to help kids um, learn at those high levels so they can have more rigorous coursework. So, we're just looking for approval for that today. But, um, it's a lot the same as last year. It was really successful last year and we're just continue. We want to continue with it. I have a super quick question. Have all the invites gone out for those invite only? They have not yet. Okay. because um we were waiting until this meeting. So tomorrow a lot of them will go out tomorrow actually. Awesome. Thank you. Just want to

082say for it's in 2013 there was no summer school in CUSD 2011. Oh wow. I mean like no programs and look what we've evolved to. Mhm. And it's for every kid on from the kids who are struggling the most to the kids who failed and need to get boosted back up again to kids who want to be enriched. It's the whole continuum. It's really special what we fund. And so I could go on and on, but not too long ago in the near re there was nothing. No summer school. It's really wonderful and it gets stronger every year. I love that you guys tweak it every year. Like Yeah. Really? Mhm. There's learning something every year. Anybody else? Thank you. Thank you, Carla. Thanks, Carla. Okay, moving right along. 2025 2026 student fees. The question

083for the board is, do you want to keep this fee status quo increased by 5% or increase by 10%. I did everybody get the document with the breakdowns in a board update I believe you're saying across the board 5% not specifics this is not up for action tonight correct no if you want some time to let it simmer given the hour and given all you've already done this evening this is hour this is hour four but it's okay uh just open it up to I guess questions that may not come but I look to get an answer to is the difference and what it means from that five to the 10%. Um you know like we have not been shy about saying that there are needs in this district that need to be funded. Um

084and um always looking for we're always being innovative of how and where but hanging on to the hat that we do not increase you know or we try to maintain not increasing but um uh fees but there's still different things that we have we have responsibility to our students to do but that comes at a cost. So, um I I I would need like a little bit more like what what does that mean um for us? Current 5% increase, 10% increase. Yeah. What does that mean for us? Do like with the needs that we have, do we need to go all the way to the 10%. Um just from what we're trying and I know we have issues where um with fees that are not paid. So, we're trying to balance that with the need

085for our students and what we need to, you know, move forward. So, do we I feel like we've asked about this before. Do we uh track or have a good insight into how those fees are utilized and if they're actually covering the costs of the specific Right. So, we've got a $40 fee for soccer, right? Um, all the kids pay it. Is the $40 fee from soccer. Do we know that it's actually covering the costs from soccer for that year? Do we have that? I feel like we've asked about it before, but we haven't gotten or that's one we pay a tech fee. Yeah. Is it answering or is it um supplying the needs? Are we spending more on technology than we're actually getting from our like that? I think even that I don't know.

086almost on the on the spreadsheet that was part of the board update. Like if there could be another column of like totals like this is the total cost to the district for this and this is how much comes in based on fees and sounds like like that's not something that sounds like a lot of work but um but I is that sounds like kind of what we're asking for. It does sound like that. Yeah. And then also um did we raise fees last year? No, we did not raise fees last year. That was the other thing I I I thought we wanted to do. When was the last time did we raise them? Yeah, I think we did have that answer. We have Kevin's last year that we raised them. So, and it was only

087one I believe it was a oneline item too cuz we raised like one of the line items and made a conscious effort to leave the other parts where they were. And I think we kept it at a minimum. So I think yes it's probably two at least two or three years ago it was our last increase with one item and I think we have to this is only my second year and we haven't done it of this and we did not raise last year I can't really speak to before we certainly paused them for at least two years during co I think the only I think we've only raised them at Kevin's last year I think that's accurate I think they've been raised one time in the last four years I think I mean personally

088I think it's hard to imagine us holding the fees the same again. Um, everything has gotten significantly more expensive. What has stayed the same? Literally nothing has stayed the same and our financial situation has not gotten better. Also, um, however, I I'm less likely to it's it's hard to say like 10% across the board without really understanding like are these fees actually are they are they right sized? Are the fees right sized? That is going to require more work than we can do before May 13th to be real with you to be able to disegregate it by fee, by account. Um, so that's and I don't and I'm just going to tell you I don't think it's that scientific, if you will, right? I think there's an estimation of different costs and fees. It goes

089into our general budget and then we fund the things we need in this district. That's that that said, Jack, I mean, and I get that it's a lot of work to put together an analysis like that. At the same time, if these fees were originally set however long ago and things have and and whether we've increased the fees at 2% a year or not or whatever it is, they all they are is a representation of what proportionally made sense at a given time that was probably a long time ago. And so just knowing whether I things are right size to your to your point to just to just raise them by 5% or 7% or 6.247% is just kicking the can down the road a little bit further on making sure that these fees. Not

090that they cover all the costs involved even so much as that they are proportionally correct is you know because it doesn't if they and that's just like a that's a that's a there doesn't need to be a detailed analysis to know that I I will get done the best analysis possible for our in the next few weeks. The other thing that might be helpful is to I hope that we're dealing with an interim CSBO right now. I mean, I could get behind a a smaller increase this year to to start and then work on the detail that makes sense with a deeper understanding from each and and you know getting the administrators involved like what programs what programs do we even still have anymore? Like I think about and this one just always comes to

091my mind every year. The the the planner like is a $5 fee for a planner that I have thrown out every single year and have attempted to get my children to utilize every single year and um have failed pathetically. Um but I have also never heard anybody who uses the planner, right? So like if the planner doesn't make sense anymore, like I don't need to pay $5 for it. That's a $5 that could better be utili. just some so yeah I could get behind a smaller across the board increase to to tweak it up for this year provided that we then pay attention over the next months go into next year and actually really or even like if part of that fee like we know like again not a detailed thing but we know the

092activity fee we are not covering something we need like we need a small amount increase even if we identify a few key areas that we know that has to increase. We have to do something about it. I I I would take that too. Just like yes, this is not every line item that is explained, but we know that the not we know that evening, but we could do some kind of analytics on it. No question. We have not raised fees. I'm pretty confident in at least we've raised them once in the last four or five years, which is um the other thing we can do is a comparison of what other districts are charging to get at least some kind of a fair comparison. So we can do um I'm when we charge, for instance,

093if you play soccer and you pay a $90 participation fee, we know darn well that does not cost of course. It just offsets the cost. So I can tell you right now it's it's not like we run the soccer program based on the fee we charge. It's meant to supplement and it's uniform across the board to not to not to encourage participation in one sport over another. So it's a uniform fee, right? So that's um the same with for instance the uh if you if you want to do uh a home economics course where there's a lot of food consumption and preparation uh it does not uh pay for the program. It offsets the cost of the program because there's additional cost to being a part of that program but it certainly does not pay

094for the program if that makes sense. It does. I think it's importantly said like I've said it as a parent um you know what is this paying for we we've talked about that too like how do we do that without having this long 100page pamphlet that's talks about the home x fee but saying something like even having that statement said to parents like you know I pay for this every year I've said it I pay for this every year what is it going to like I pay it every year and knowing that we are running supplies and things like that and this is offsetting. So even offset so I don't we we've talked about that. We don't necessarily have to add that but I I think it's important to be said or presented in a

095certain way. It's so much that we have to educate on but that's still one thing that I've heard other parents say and I've even said it as even a new parent because you don't want it to become another financial document that gets buried and it's like well then what happens with it you know and so I think that's what happens is to be honest it offsets the cost of the program. It doesn't pay for the program. just because there's an additional user fee for those programs. If we didn't have a soccer team or if we didn't have football or volleyball or if we didn't run home, there would be a reduced cost. So, it's meant to offset it but not completely supplanted. And I think that's a really important clarification to just advertise even more.

096And I also just um because I don't want anything to get taken out of context, Leo, when you said our financial situation has not gotten better. Like that's not because of anything irresponsible that we've done as a district. It's because of costs and needs and that's and and it's just that well and it's on I just wanted to Yeah. I appreciate you I appreciate you clarifying that. Yeah. Frankly, our financial situation from the federal government and is on questionable grounds. We don't know. So there's all kind's many things outside of our control. So I can do some kind of a rationale. We could do some kind of a comparison. But the third piece is we do not we've only raised it once in the last four years. Is that your recollection too, Shannon? Yeah, we

097have most years we do not raise the fees even though the cost of things increases. All right, I can get that ready. Uh and I do think that also speaks to some of to some extent some of what the community says about transparency, right? It's clarity. Hey, this is what this goes to, right? It it offsets and we've looked at it. We've looked at it about this every year. We've paid some attention to it every year. Do we need to talk about Oh, the transportation fees separate. Okay. Um Okay. Any anything else on student fees? Do you have enough direction? Yes. Cool. Okay. Moving right along. Board member um resignation. So, uh Miss Rogers resigned um and put in her her uh letter of resignation. Um and it does it is not for how do

098it is it's something that we you well it's submitted to the board secretary and then the president does present it to the board members and um Miss Rogers is a you know aware that we are um um it's not something that we have to ex formally accept but we are acknowledging a day um with her reasoning being um for her private reasons um but Again, I wanted um with that before we kind of go further like just acknowledge even um uh her work on a board, you know, it takes a lot to be a part of this and what you give up and uh the time you give up to do it. So, I just I do want to say we appreciate her um volunteering to be a part of this board and giving her

099expertise um uh during her two-year um span. So yeah, outside of that is not something that you know we kind of display further um yeah anyone that wishes to speak to her or try I'll say respect or privacy but if you're really pressed um you can contact her but the next thing for us is kind of discuss yeah so board policy is that we need to fill um open roles within 60 days of um of resignation so we are within that started the day of her resignation. Um we are in a unique situation um as far as time is concerned um as as an election has just happened. So um a very large portion of the population has said um who they would like to be board members. Um so it leaves us with an

100option. I want to I want to add that a very large portion of the population has said who they would like to be board and people who wanted the position spoke up prior to that and and went and went to went through the effort of becoming candidates for the role. Yes. Gathered their signatures, put their names on the ballot, went through the process I think of getting their names on the ballot very recently. Um so there is some precedent for us to um uh essentially extend the election results to the next um most voted next highest vote getter. Um it would require some suspension of policy. So what we would have to do because whenever we adjust policy we have to talk about the policy and then we can adjust it. So essentially, we would

101have to suspend our um the policy that covers filling in um a vacated seat that says the 60 days. Um so we would suspend that policy and then we could appoint the new whoever received the next number of votes if they were interested. Um there are two other candidates. Um, so we could go back and and touch base with the person who who earned the next most votes and then if that person is not interested, we could also go to the person who earned the next next number of votes. So um, but obviously that is a suspending we should talk about it. I mean, are we allowed to do are we allowed to suspend policy in order to do that? It's not illegal. Oh, it's not that's not a Yeah, it's not a law of

102how we do it. We just the previous boards and it's common for boards to um fill vacancies a certain way. Um I think the biggest thing that stands is 60 days. That's probably our biggest obligation. Yeah. What was her exact resignation date so that we know 60 days from then? The 15th. I think we received it late at night. So the next last business day was April 14th. April 14th would do something. I mean, I think it makes so I think it makes so much sense because we just had the election and a lot of people in the community like just spoke about who they would like to see serve on this board and those people took all those steps like that is the most logical thing. My only gather signatures. My only hesitancy is

103that that's not what we've been doing in the recent past and so like I just want to make like but those were different times that those there were vacancies, right? We were nowhere near an election any time then then I think that makes perfect sense to proceed in a different way. Um that's my opinion. Yeah. Way policy. I agree. Election just happened. So yeah. So and this isn't something we have to decide today but definitely having this discussion and open to say where we are. Um the one thing I like to point out that either way it goes we are appointing someone. The board appoints them. Mhm. So, um, going through that against having someone present a letter, get references. Candidates had to get 50 signatures as a reference and present themselves to the board

104of elections. Actually, I feel like they've done more to make themselves a candidate than to write a letter to the board and we appoint them. So that's already some standards that have been put. But either way it goes, the the board is appointing a member. The other times we were not close to an election. And they even have that in our policies. If you're so close, then you'll wait the election. If it's so many years left, um I believe with this one, the person who's appointed will finish out the two years and then if they want to remain, they have to run and be elected. But yeah, so I just I just double checked. Um so it's it's policy 2-70 um that is the policy to fill a a vacancy and um policy 2-240 um

105does allow the board to suspend any policy not required by law um or contract. So this policy is not required by law or contract. It's something that that we have um that is board policy um that we've taken on. So um we can yeah you'd be waving it not so we would be we would be waving or suspending the policy either either or essentially um and it can be done in a separate vote or it can be done in combination with the vote to appoint a person to fill the vacancy. That's how you would write the motion. Um real quick just thinking about the timeline. So we said 60 days from the 14th of April. Is that right? Mhm. And we don't meet again until the 13th of May. So by the time we get

106the chance to meet again, we we will have burnt 30 days if neither of those two candidates wants the position. So should we discuss real quickly what we will do if neither of them want the position? So uh it's Tuesday. I can reach out to both of them if need be um to get an answer on that and have it in the board update by this Friday. Okay. Um I think yeah I think with with knowing that answer um kind of having a caveat to say that we are proceeding I think either way um well if for some reason they say no or this board is not interested in doing that um that that the all likelihood is that we'll have an extra meeting and we've done that before but we have special meeting special

107um and some of that um time we're putting in is special times to interview. So we more dates that we need to start to at least think about and come up with as we find out these answers. Um you guys recall we had um at least two special meetings for interviews for both for both times that we've filled um roles and then another special meeting um to appoint. So it it would put us in a regardless it's kind of regardless it's special needs proactively plan the dates and then if we don't need them we don't need them. I just wanted to understand how we would proceed. I I mean to to we don't we may not need to have the dates so we don't have to spend too much time on that. I just wanted

108to make sure I understood what plan B is in case plan A doesn't work out. That's all. And plan B would be that we would schedule a special board meeting sometime between now and the 13th of May. Right. Well, at the very we have to put um submit it and have give people time to submit their um request or their desire to be placed and then we're just scheduled times to interview. So you're saying potentially could it just be it could be added to the May 13th. So, so agenda the first thing if that so by Friday okay we would know if if we all want if we want to go with uh option A by Friday I can have an answer for the board um if on Friday that answer is nobody's interested Saturday

109the position can be posted so the posting has to happen first so and then you know and then we decide right seven or 14 days to probably seven to get your applications in or 14 days to get your applications in. Um, which kind of puts us around like the 13th. So, probably if we were to do interviews, it would be like the last two weeks of May. Um, regardless because we'd have to have some time for applications to come in for us to we could potentially review those applications on the 13th in close session because it's it's personnel. Um, and then go from there and I mean it would be tight, but we would get it under the wire. I got it for let me as clarification for option A um would we first so

110it it could be also for that timeline May 13th uh suspend our protocols and then placement of a person that same day. Yeah. Same day, same meeting. Yes, I think we can actually do it in the same motion actually. Yes. Great. Efficient. Yeah. So is that is option A the direction we're giving you is to that yes can can we like straw polling that we are on board with see seeing if um c the previous candidates are or I guess the the next candidate is interested in that and then that's what everybody wants to do. Yes. Yep. Okay. look in the board update on Friday. Okay, we'll have an answer on Friday and see where we go from there. Any other comments on that? Okay, next. Can I just say too this has been reviewed

111by our council. Yes. So this Oh, yes. Not like before we ever Yeah. Just so you know. So the last understanding, isn't it? uh need to discuss is the potential addition of a transportation fee. So um I'm if you recall this has been in the conversation for a number of years. Transportation is one of our most uncontrollable highest expenses. Um and it has really gotten rough since CO. So it's been in it's been in the conversation. I know that the um the business office has tossed around potentially adding a transportation fee over the last number of years. Um we're talking about this as a separate uh discussion item because because we have all of our existing fees, right? And and if we're going to do anything with those exist existing fees, but this would be

112a new fee. Um yeah, Jack, you got it's a you'd be surprised at what a limited scope it it contains. Shannon, can you help me with that? I mean, I've heard it will only impact 60 students in the whole district because we're required to give transportation to students who have to cross major barriers. So, Cass Ogden train tracks well only parts of Cass. So, the Manning Cass Manning Miller that is not considered hazardous. If you're crossing between Ogden and the tracks, if you cross Cass from to get to Manning side is not hazardous. We've not been able to get that deemed hazardous. They've tried a couple times. Okay. With the state and so it's like only the downtown area. Yeah. So it's really between Ogden and the tracks and those kids. So it really only

113picks impacts kids going to Manning and Miller would be our greater number of kids using it. Chris ran the numbers for me roughly and it's a really rough number you know um is about 60 kids out of 12 or 1300 because if you're free and reduced those still apply to the fees. So she removed those names. So out of the 600 kids, I guess between those two schools, we have, you know, 10%. Are you I'm sorry. You're saying that's how many people we would collect a transportation fee from? Yeah. Yes. Russ roughly currently based on what we have in Skyward. So do we know if those 60 people actually utilize transportation? Well, that we can't say every day or they could be one day a week. It could be Yeah, cuz we because we offer

114it, right? So, it's hard to tell if they are actually users of transportation or or walkers of transportation. The other thing to our district's credit is many districts charge a significant transportation fee and we do not. We have no fee for transportation that I'm aware of. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we have a lot of hazardous crossings. I'm just saying so it's standard practice to charge a transportation fee and this district does not. Okay. I'm I'm sorry. Sorry, I feel really stupid just because there's nothing on here. What are what are we what are we trying to ask? What is the to add a transportation? Well, we just it's been put on confused for for consideration. I'm going to tell you to not for 60 kids and what will be taken from that. I'm willing to

115table it. Yeah. I don't think it's Yeah. I honestly I'm I'm confused why it's only 60 kids and not like everybody who gets transportation. No, a lot of people are we're required to provide transportation. Yeah. Okay. We're required to provide transportation for everybody essentially within a 2-m radius and our entire district is a 2-m radius and then the hazardous crossings. So if you have to cross um if you have to cross the train tracks. So everybody south of 50 south of the train tracks we're required without a fee to cover their transportation anywhere cuz none of our these are people who aren't in that cohort who are getting transport. So they would have to be a that's the proposal. So even like Oakwood, right? Oakwood you would have to cross Ogden and Cass to get

116to any of our other schools on the south. So everybody in Oakwood would be required to have we're required to cover transportation to all of the elementarymentaries and then the elementarymentaries essentially going north right if you're in the downtown area again you're anywhere you have to cross Cass or Ogden which is where the junior high and the high school are um we're required to cover. So, it's really like Yeah, it's honestly I hate to be that person right now, but given how late it is and there's not even like an overview or information docu like I'm just I feel the access like I think we just table this for now. I don't even know. And it's something we we wanted that's on there because we have this stuff and some of the history is that

117because we went to grade level centers like before grade level centers we didn't Miller Manning there was no bus right you you walk there's no not even an option even for parents that said hey if I could pay can we get a bus but it became a new thing um not new but but it's with our transportation overall um and the cost that it incurs it was something that was and it came with information like we had to do our study of who would this apply to and so we had that as part of the discussion we didn't have before and we have numbers that say is it we're going to ask is it worth it but um still something needs to be done with transportation cost so that's not it but it sounds like

118there's not interest from the board in continuing to look at a transportation fee okay moving into action items so um board action on close session minutes so just a reminder that we do um destroy close session minutes standard operating procedure once a year. That's what this is. So the chair will entertain a motion to approve the board action on close session minutes as presented. So move second. Roll call. Missiri, yes. Miss Conover, yes. Dr. Hoover, yes. Miss Rodono, yes. Mr. Aia, yes. Mr. Marin, yes. Motion passes. So number two, destruction of verbatim close session minutes. Um so again this is an open meetings act. Uh it requires a bannual review of our closed session minutes. Um verbatim records can be recommended for disc destruction no less than 18 months following approval of the written minutes.

119Uh so the chair will entertain a motion to approve the destruction of the verbatim closed session minutes from March 1st 2023 to August 30th 2023. So moved. Second. Roll call. Miss Conover, yes. Miss Dr. Hoover, yes. Mr. Rodono, yes. Mr. Aia, yes. Mr. Marin, yes. Miss Sakuri, yes. Motion passes. Uh, approval of the Westmont High School schedule change for the 2526 school year as we discussed earlier tonight and at the last meeting. Uh, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the changes to the Westmont High School schedule as presented. So moved. Second. Roll call. Mr. Dono. Yes. Mr. Havia. Yes. Yes. Mr. Marin, yes. Mr. Ciri, yes. Miss Conover, yes. Dr. Hoover, yes. Okay. Number four, approval of the Linewise um content filtering contract. So, um there's a board member in here that that

120uh Naen gives a little bit more information. Linewise is going to replace boss thing boss. And it's actually going to replace two items. And it has um so it's actually going to we're going to condense two current pieces of software into one. And this piece of software has uh a much larger scope also. Um any questions? Cool. No, I just I appreciate the cost comparison and breakdown. Yeah, that's it was super helpful and this makes 100% sense to Yeah, cuz it is a little bit more, but when you take into account that it is consolidated, actually replacing two things and it works and gives us much more ability like Yeah. Um, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the three-year contract with Linewise in the amount of $49,530 as presented. So, move second. Roll

121call. Mr. Aia, yes. Mr. Marin, yes. Mr. Ciri, yes. Miss Conover, yes. Dr. Hoover, yes. Mr. Rodono, yes. Motion passes. Okay. uh approval of the summer school plans for summer 2025. Um thanks to the advent teams for updating and tweaking this. We got a presentation on earlier tonight. The chair will entertain a motion to approve the 2025 summer school plans as presented. So moved. Second. Roll call. Miss Sakiri? Yes. Miss Conover? Yes. Dr. Hoover? Yes. Miss Rodono? Yes. Mr. Aia? Yes. Mr. Marin? Yes. Motion passes. Okay. Um the next two are again standard items that we do once a year. Um the title grants and title one. Um so the first one is approval of consolidated plan for title grants. There is a memo in here um in public content that shows our title grants

122and some details on it. Um and the grant application as well. Any questions? Cool. The chair will entertain a motion to approve the consolidated district plan for title grants as presented. So move second. Roll call. Miss Conover? Yes. Dr. Hoover? Yes. Mr. Rodono? Yes. Mr. Aia? Yes. Mr. Marin? Yes. Miss Sakuri? Yes. Motion passes. Okay. And approval of the title one schoolwide waiver. Um so again, there's a memo in here in public docs that explains this one in a little bit more detail. This is a standard process that we do once a year um to get our title one. The chair will entertain a motion to approve the title one schoolwide waiverss for Miller Manning and Westmont High School as presented. So moved. Second. Roll call. Dr. Hoover. Yes. Miss Rodono. Yes. Miss Ro or

123Mavia? Yes. Mr. Marin? Yes. Missuri? Yes. Miss Conover? Yes. Motion passes. Okay, moving right along. Superintendence report. Yes. Thank you. I'm going to be very brief here. If I can get this thing to advance. Can somebody give me Is there You got to scroll through. It's a PDF, Carla. That's how it downloaded. He just has to just show me, please. You should. It's not going to advance like the arrow. You just have to use this like Got it. scroll thing. Watch how quick I am. See? Got it. Yeah, we'll see. All right. So, we are we'll give more detail in the board update, but we're looking at reducing staff in positions districtwide uh for a total savings of $63,000. Uh that does not mean we have a decrease in our budget of $63,000. It means

124these are positions that are being uh decreased um primarily through retirement reducing twothirds of an administrative position reducing 3.1 certified positions but we have to add back another point4 for our dual language program because of the enrollment there a net decrease of 2.7 and reducing uh three non-certified positions uh funding we're very grateful to uh uh state senator Susie Gloak Hilton, State Representative Marty Douter, uh, and then their chiefs of staff, Nick Janini, and Susan Douglas, who we've been working with to, uh, uh, gain more funding for our district, and they've been very helpful, and we're optimistic, and we'll keep the board updated on that. New hires, uh, we have incredible people. I think we should be so proud as a district. Uh, these are unbelievably talented people who are beloved in their districts. they

125choose our district over other districts and several of them are taking pay decreases uh to come here and serve and we're most grateful for that. Our new CSBO Ronald Connor, a new special education teacher, Megan Vela, uh the principal of Manning, Dr. Kevin Ryan, the assistant principal, uh Stephanie Just, and then the superintendent intern, Brandy Campbell. Each of them is incredible. We're lucky to have them, and I'm really excited. Uh this is why we are seen as a destination district, rightly so. Uh as Chicago magazine noted, a hidden gem for families largely due to its highly rated schools. That notice is getting out there as are our accomplishments. This is just one of many. But the point is uh it's pretty outstanding that the word's out there in our community in the region throughout the

126state about the quality of our district and we're being able to uh garner some incredible talent and that's where the difference is made. Um and last but uh most importantly the students, teachers and admin in the district who work so hard. It's hard to express this. If you walk through these buildings, these kids and teachers are on point. They take it so seriously. We don't want them like stressing out about it. We just want them to be good people and give their best effort. Just give an excellent effort and wherever the scores land will be fine. But it really is incredible to see the commitment. Um, and I'm so proud of them. So, I think that's it. Yeah, that's it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Board reports. Anybody um I was asking

127for a quick uh anybody have quick recap for the PR committee meeting today? Oh, some key points. Yeah, I mean I was there. I can talk a little bit. I I we got some good feedback. I think it the the the idea um that we have going forward is to have listening sessions and I tonight felt a little bit like one of the the first ones that it was like a listening session in a lot of ways. Um there was there was a brief introduction by Edith as to you know what she her vision for these PR committee meetings going forward. Um and then I think we spent a good 40 minutes talking about fundamentally two two questions that she had for the for um the participants in the committee. Um one was uh I

128have do you want me to read them? I have a little No, I I I mean I know what they were. They're also right here. the the the the the one question was um what would you like to what alternatives would you like to have seen uh in in the referendum and the other is about what advice or or or in what ways would you like to engage uh on the referendum as a community. So those are the fundamental questions that were asked and and talked about. So again, good feedback, you know, it's um some of them were practical things like, you know, hey, if you're going to communicate with the community in in in written form, maybe have some of those whether whether it's a flyer or a magazine or whatever, have them distribute

129them at doctor's offices and places where people go. Um so I thought that was an interesting one. Um I think we tried to get some clarity around the definition of what a neighborhood school means. I didn't leave the meeting with a sense of of clarity around that topic. I I didn't I didn't it didn't seem clear to me whether that meant certain neighborhoods or whether that meant central like a central location with geographically speaking within the Westmont school district or or or whether that meant some neighborhoods versus other neighborhoods. It just wasn't clear to me. I don't I don't know that I got any clarity around that one. You were there too. Succinct. Well done. We are going to have listening sessions on May 19th, uh, June 17th and July 15th. And I think the

130main thing if anybody's listening is we are truly listening and open-minded. All options are on the table. We just want to better understand what it is the community wants and we're open to those ideas. Are those dates up on the website? They will be. Awesome. Um, just something else. I don't know if you guys seen another plug for Westmont and Westmont High School. The soccer team, the girls soccer team was featured, but they featured the high school. And I just like there are some key statements there that how, oh, you're a blue ribbon school doing wonderful things. And you're a diamond in the Where was this? This is on the news today. So, the the students were collecting to for a giveaway for people in need. I forgot the exact organization but uh those students

131gathered and many of our students do this but especially PRC but they gathered for this and then they featured them um speaking to some of the students but it's like yeah you guys are a diamond in the rough here in Westmont just 400 students and you do you are for the high school you know under 400 students and you guys are doing some great things like hm did he did he put that on a website already? It's on Facebook. Yeah. Yeah. It's on Instagram and Facebook, but I don't know. Cool little clip. Yeah. I did not see that. Great. Um, and then another thing I was just going to mention like another successful trip. I think this is the first year since co, but uh the eighth graders went to u had their field trip

132to DC and thanks to Mr. Ciello. I'm going to forget all the teachers that organized, but I know he's one of the main uh organizers, but seems like a successful trip. Um, lots of learning from the students. They had a great time and great that they hopefully can do it every year again. Mhm. Okie dokie. Uh, there's no need for close session. Um, is there any additional public comment? Okay, moving right along to upcoming meetings and events. We've got our cultural family showcase uh April 25th at 6 p.m. at Westmont High School. That's otherwise known as International Night. Correct. Yes. Um that is this Friday. Our elementary PTO meeting May 6th at 6:30 p.m. I believe this is officers maybe being elected. Um our BPAC meeting May 8th at 6 p.m. at Westmont Junior High

133School. The Manning Spring Formal is May 9th at 400 PM at Manning and our next CUSD 2011 board meeting is May 13th, 6:30 p.m. right here, Westmont Village Hall. Okay, no other communications. The chair will entertain a motion to adjourn. So move. Second. Voice vote. All those in favor? I I uh opposed. Motion passes. Uh 1009.