001it in the agenda, but we're going to do that. Jackie, roll call. Kristen Bailey, Nick Atwood. Am I here or You're here. Yeah. >> Yeah, I'm here. Steve Myers. I'm here. Jose Jacquez. Here. Christopher Boys. Here. Mark Sherwood. I'm here. Nancy Binott. All right, and we only have one item, which is item eight, ELDC building design and update. This is an action item. Tammy. So, who's talking to us about this? All right. Oh, okay. Don't be shy. Everybody can talk. Everybody can talk. He was actually have two items, so we might do it. All right. Well, thank you again, board members, and good evening. I'm Lisa Becker. Thank you. >> [laughter] >> Not the greatest start. Good evening. Thank you. I'm Dr. Lisa Becker. I'm the assistant director of student and family services. Um, I'm
002here to uh present what you all had requested about reconsidering a uh 24-classroom ELDC, and I have many friends here from the ELDC that will jump in and answer questions um as needed. It's just a quick update, um so you can see uh some of the conversations we had. We met a couple times to look at what that meant. And really, there was two points that we wanted to make sure that we considered and and expressed to you all um that the four classrooms, of course, come with additional kids, but also families and staff, right? So, when we're looking at the budget, um those have to be considered as well. So, it's things like hallways, mechanical rooms, just the ground space, of course, has to be increased, um but also our family meeting rooms, work
003rooms, toilets, storage air areas had to be reconsidered. So, we looked at at those as well. Um and four classrooms, it's a little bit different than when, of course, we're talking about classrooms in elementary school. Our classrooms hold double the amount of kids at two different parts of the day. So, really it's it's around 125 extra students. So, what that means in terms of making sure we have enough sensory space, gross motor space, things like that. So, we took all of those considerations and of course, thanking Tammy who's doing a lot of quick work with Scott and getting some numbers turned around rather quickly. So, by our work and estimation, that would increase the square footage from around 60,000 square feet to 71, almost 72,000 square feet and the budget would increase from 41.78 million
004to 50.55 million. And then we just have a couple of pictures up there to kind of show what our current space looks like when we have families in there. So, um we're happy to answer any questions you may have. Just a voice. Clarifying, based on 71,900, that means this building would roughly be just a little under the size of Mitchell then, correct? It's bigger? It's actually larger than Mitchell. Mitchell is 70,000 square feet. Tammy, when if someone were to bid out an elementary school or a middle school. High school I know is a different animal altogether. But, and they said um I want to compare it to let's say Rosette. How many classrooms do you describe Rosette with? Not numbers, but are the music rooms, the band rooms, the the um health room, are those
005counted as classrooms? No. No. >> Not when they are program specific like that. Um in the example of a middle school, I would not include band music um I'm sorry, band, orchestra, choir uh because those can only be used for those purposes and they are filled through the whole day in those purposes. It is also the classrooms rotate into those spaces. So, when maybe another example is at Mitchell. Um we are a three-section school there. We have three sections of every grade, but there's also music and art and OTPT. Those rooms that are rotated into throughout the day of those three sections of classrooms, but we would lose that space if we opened a another classroom. We talked last meeting you asked about, well, it kind of is already a 24 even if we don't
006increase it because um there's the gross motor spaces, there's the different pods that have some size to them and that. But, if that happens, then we lose a gross motor space. We aren't going to We would have to say, "Okay, here's another 20 bitty barbs going into the space to make that a classroom." And then we lose that space for the purpose intended. >> [clears throat] >> I I I do have a question on the numbers. Maybe this is an an our mere question. Um we're basically increasing space by 20% and it correlates almost exactly to a 20% [clears throat] um cost increase. So, we're going from 41.78 million to 50.55 million. What do How does this affect our reserves? Sure. Uh cuz we we did plan this project to be paid totally out of
007our reserves. That was the plan. So, how what kind of financial situation does it put the district in going forward? I know if we wait to do this, it's going to cost us even more, but I want to find out from the close point from right now, so So, just as a reminder, just in in the past uh board meeting, we actually went and revised our tax levy, right? So, we actually took down about 3.5 million under levy, which affects us continuously for the next few years. In addition, we're adding 10 million. So, our projections that we had previously kind of uh are not the same, right? So, we went back, we looked at the projections. Uh we're looking uh that by fiscal year 2029 uh our our reserves will go to 39 39% or
008about 65.8 million. >> [snorts] [clears throat] >> So, and so this might, you know, affect like how we view uh the timeline for visual 420. That's what I was asking. tax and what effect it this would have on that. I know it's long-term on that, but I know if we wait to do this with the need, this project would cost us a lot more, so just wanted to find out where we stand. Okay. We talked yesterday or let's see, me last week about if I gave you your the board gave you a 96 classroom building, you you try to get that full. Right? This is the goal anyway. But, you guys come to us with the 20. We were trying to figure out 24 because that's what we passed it for. Do you think the
009the community is sufficiently supported with a 20 class the class 20 classroom building that you brought to us? Are you asking Shannon specifically? Shannon, come to the mic. You're in the hot seat. Hi [snorts] everybody. Um yes, so I think uh right now looking at our numbers um and where we're at today, I do think that we I mean, I have no doubt that we could fill a 20 classroom building. Um as far as you know, what that looks like 2 years from now, it's hard to say. Um but right now based on our current numbers, I have no doubt that we could fill a 20 classroom building and I that also depends on how many full day classes we want to have as well. Um so as far as the 24 classroom building, you
010know, I personally I am you know, leaning towards that option only to make sure that we're able to um meet the needs of our community. Just from a personal standpoint, um but just looking at our wait listed numbers as well as classrooms. I know there's been a a tremendous increase in our bilingual population um in our classroom. So I would love to incorporate more of that perspective, whether that's full day, um what that looks like as well as you know, multiple bilingual classrooms. And one of the things that I can say cuz I popped into a couple of our DC rooms across the district within the last month and just some of our other kindergarten classes and the difference in students that went through ELDC versus students that have transferred in from other districts, I
011mean, it is like it's a world of a difference. Where even some of the students at ELDC who are on IEPs and some of the specialized classrooms are still beating some of our students that are in kinder, first, and second because they just have that foundational support at a younger age. So, the big thing for me on having those four extra classrooms is it enables our ability to do full day more easily. And with full day, we can really get more of our students at just the baseline for where a student should be by kindergarten. So, that now when they start getting into kindergarten, that teacher is not worried about oh, like are they still in a diaper and haven't been gone through potty training and things like that where obviously you guys, as gracious
012amazing people, will handle that, but it really gets a lot of our kindergarten students to a baseline where they need it, and I just I don't want us as a board to make the mistake that I feel the last two buildings we've built, and I personally can take blame. I was one of the main drivers on you're going to make Mitchell smaller. Like we're not doing that. And now we're already like, oh shoot, we probably should have made Mitchell a little bigger. So, I would rather that we do it right to begin with instead of kicking the can down the road to a future boards to eat that cost. So, I agree with Chris especially about, you know, I would love to see more of the full day options cuz I know, you know, when
013I talked to you when I went to to check out the ELDC, we have parents who don't have transportation, and so it's very very difficult for them to get on a city bus, escort a three to a five-year-old to the ELDC, and then turn back around again after, you know, they're home for maybe 30 minutes. And so, we have a lot of folks in this community that don't have good transportation. And so, an all-day option makes that a lot easier, and hopefully we'll be able to work out, you know, working with the city and other folks to try to get, you know, bus routes and things like that that'll go out there and service that building considering the volume that we're planning to put into it. >> [clears throat] >> Um so, I do think
014it's important that we have the space, if anything, just to have more full-day classes. We have a lot of working parents here. Tammy, I know we had our FFC meeting, and I think with the 24 classrooms yesterday, I think the number of students in each room was going to be about 17 to start with. I thought there was some mention of that. I'm sorry. Can I Can I What is the total How many students are we expecting when we open up ELDC in these classrooms based on the 24 classrooms to start? >> Yes. So, for our blended classrooms, that would be around 17 16 or 17. But for our full-day classrooms, we can go up to 20. Up to 20 in those. So, I'm going to Any one of the three of you. Um I
015don't mind being the tip of the spear, but I don't want to be an outlier. If we were to create one that's 24 um with that number of students, that many different programs are we that far out in front of our skis statewide? Is it kind of the norm? Are we behind the curve? Where are we with the rest of the districts in in the state? I'm Yes. So, [clears throat] a couple different ways to think about that. Um One, we toured different buildings. And when we toured the different buildings, a lot of them were Luda cohorts. All of them had mentioned that they should have added more classrooms. Um so, I think that you see that across you know, especially Luda districts. Um when we were doing our research a couple years ago, uh
016the University of Illinois puts out a great uh research project that looks at child care deserts and child care deserts. I know our ROE uh birth to three program looks at that a lot. And we are in a child care early childhood desert. And so, that's a piece of that information as well. Um Mr. Curtis has talked to Maybe you can speak to it specifically, but we've reached out to ISBE, talked about um just trying to look at what grants are available, things like that. And um, you know, it is we is really um, seeing the need more for this programming as well. So, I would say that those three sources um, together tell me that there is a need for this and um, yeah, that there there's definitely a need. We're definitely on the
017right side That's my strong feeling. >> the right side of the bell curve. Yes, both my feeling and my research would say yes. So, Tammy, is it too late for Chris to ask for 26 class? >> [laughter] >> 28 maybe? >> [snorts] >> We need more land. Can you get Can you get us some more land? No, not at this moment. All right, does anyone have any further questions? Then at this point in time, it is recommended that the board of education approve a total of 50.55 million to build a 71,900 square foot 24 classroom ELDC as presented and or amended. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. Second. Jackie, roll call. McGettrick. Yes. See Byers. Yes. Was it your first? Yes. Christopher Boyce. Yes. Mark Sherman. Yes. Dante Bynum. Yes. All right. Do
018I have any motion to adjourn? No. Oh, gosh, that's right. Thank you. [laughter] All right. Now on to new business. I don't Hey, student discipline. 042926A. This is information and action. It is recommended the board of education approve the expulsion and debate of student 042926A as presented. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Jackie, roll call. Steve Byers. Yes. Jose Jacquez. No. Christopher Boyce. Yes. >> Mark Sherwood. Yes. Fenty Bynum. Yes. Nick Atwood. Yes. Item B, student discipline 042926B. This is information and action. It is recommended the Board of Education approve the expulsion in abeyance of student 042926B as presented. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Jackie, roll call. Jose Jacquez. Yes. Christopher Boyce. Yes. Mark Sherwood. Yes. Fenty Bynum. Yes. Nick Atwood. Yes. Steve Byers. Yes. Item C, student discipline 042926C.
019Information and action. It is recommended the Board of Education approve the expulsion in abeyance of student 042926C as presented. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Jackie, roll call. Christopher Boyce. Yes. Mark Sherwood. Yes. Fenty Bynum. Yes. Nick Atwood. Yes. Steve Byers. Yes. >> Jose Jacquez. No. Item D, student discipline 042926D. This is information and action. It is recommended the Board of Education approve the expulsion in abeyance of student 042926D as presented. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Jackie, roll call. Mark Sherwood. Yes. >> Fenty Bynum. Yes. Nick Atwood. Yes. Steve Byers. Yes. Jose Jacquez. No. Christopher Boyce. Yes. Item E, student discipline 042926E. Information and action. It is recommended the Board of Education approve the expulsion in abeyance of student 042926E as presented. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second.
020Jackie, roll call. Fenty Bynum. Yes. Nick Atwood. Yes. Steve Byers. Yes. Jose Jacquez. Yes. Christopher Boyce. Yes. Mark Sherwood. Yes. All right. Now, do I have a motion to adjourn? So moved. Second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Boom! Amazing. Steve, you have things to sign. >> Mhm.