Fenton High School Board of Education Meeting August 23, 2023

001I will I would like to call August 23rd 2023 regular board meeting of the Fenton Community High School District 100 board to order you may have a roll call Figueroa here Goodrich your Cade here Kovac present Lewis here Rozinski here Rego here please join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States so James you repeat our mission statement sure our mission statements to cultivate successful passionate empowered Learners through rigor relevance and relationships our Fenton belief statements successful passionate empowered Learners Thrive when we provide a safe caring and welcoming environment diversity equity and inclusion unify our community school in home collaborate as one we Champion Innovative teaching and engaged learning with state-of-the-art facilities we Infuse social emotional learning into academics and culture we prepare students to fulfill their civic responsibility we immerse students

002in authentic life experiences the Bison way students and adult at Fenton High School create a safe caring empathetic environment where we believe in each other respect diversity communicate openly grow together and hold each other to high expectations to become the leaders and innovators of the future Cameron do we have we have public comments as a reminder public comments are limited to three minutes per speaker with the overall limit this evening of 30 minutes hey Patrick Escobedo [Applause] um before I begin speaking this evening I just want to point out and ask that this stated board policy posted on the website actually allots five minutes per speaker is that that stated printed board policy still in effect president Lewis and members of the Board of Education my name is Patrick Escobedo my student taught at Fenton

003the spring of 2004 and I'm in my 19th year of teaching here in our English Department like all of my fellow teachers I love the amazing students and Community we have here but I come to you tonight as president of the fence and Education Association on behalf of our entire Association who have been working without a contract now for more than a week to urge this board to correct the course of these negotiations while there is still time for the last several months the board has responded to public comments with a statement that says in regard to contract negotiations we want to make sure Fenton has a fiscally responsible budget so we can continue to provide our students with robust academic and extracurricular programs we are cognizant of our fiduciary duty to the taxpayers of

004Bensenville and Wooddale and we have great teachers here at Fenton we will continue to support our teachers by competitive compensation that's fair on both sides I'm here tonight to tell you that the FEA agrees with you you see we also support robust academic programming which is why we are fighting to keep our bison orange intervention course fully sectioned into contract revised to be more effective for our most struggling students we have been told at the table that the Board of Education would consider it quote a win to remove the course from the contract but our students win when they get the academic support that they need we call on this board to approach our contract negotiations as a time for collaboration for what is best for students not as a contest with winners and losers

005we also know the vital importance of fiduciary responsibility which is why our salary proposal follows State recommended best practices that prioritize the Financial Health of this District while still making Fenton a destination District that can attract and retain the best teachers the board wins when the students offend High have the best Educators in the building working with them every day to help them grow as learners and we agree that Fenn has great teachers we also know that being a great teacher takes time which is why we will continue to reject the board's demand that we give up our prep time to be assigned to last minute mandatory unpaid subbing assignments your great teachers need time to thoughtfully plan and prepare great lessons for our students they use that prep time to work with colleagues to

006contact parents to give feedback to grade plan and assess and to work with students most important of all we have been told that taking away this precious time would be another win for the board but the FBA believes the board wins when the students at Fenton get the best education from teachers who have been given time to plan and prepare thoughtfully in closing I think it is important to acknowledge how critical this situation is becoming nobody wants a strike the teachers and students want to be in the classroom doing the wonderful magic that is education the parents and community members who elected you want their kids in school and you want that too that is the most important thing we all agree on please take this time and correct the course of these negotiations before

007it is too late and thank you for your time and I thank you for your service [Applause] Amiga umidi [Applause] um greetings members of the board my name is I'm a former student I'm also the son of Mabel yumari who is a previous board member as well thank you for this time I'm going to be extremely brief I know we have a number of people that would like to speak um my mom wanted me to say specifically that this this process occurs often right this you guys are working in collaboration teachers in the board you guys work together on behalf of the students and as you negotiate you just want you guys to keep that at the Forefront of your mind that this entire process is predicated on doing what's best for the students we're

008adults we have you know balancing a budget or any other aspects that we have to take into consideration are obviously important but at the same time the students have to come first I I know both sides are willing to make compromises and I think as long as we keep that perspective in line that we can we can solve this issue without any other further discussion um lastly is me as a student I owe everything to Fenton uh whiz Pat Mr Escovedo is literally my favorite teacher I got here right when he started student teaching and um we still have a relationships till today um I of three graduate degrees later I still call him to help me go over my writing um and the work that they've done like while I Was Here let alone

009even after is just indicative of how committed the teachers here are to not only helping the students but building them up and supporting them as they go on to the next stage so sorry I just encourage you all to remember that and put the children first put the students first and I'm sure that we can find a reasonable resolution thank you Stephanie O'Neal foreign my name is Stephanie O'Neill formerly Runge and I graduated Fenton High School in 2011. when I attended Fenton I was a part of and led so many programs including the soccer program basketball band marching band interact student council class board NHS Varsity Club math team and speech team I did as much as I could and I loved every single second of it after graduation I earned my chemistry degree with

010a minor in secondary Ed from the University of Illinois and then my master soon after that I'm currently starting my ninth year teaching in district 214 at Buffalo Grove High School I dreamed of being a teacher my entire life but it wasn't until my time at Fenton until I truly found my reasons why as an alumni and current teacher myself it pains me to hear that Fenton teachers currently are fighting for tier 2 intervention supports adequate teacher plan time salary and much more within negotiations outside of the academics all of the programs I did at Fenton are ones that teachers did in addition to their job of teaching students in the classroom plan time is essential for not only successful classrooms but also meaningful extracurricular programs as an example marching band requires planning for a

011whole week's worth of Camp prior to school starting and two-hour nightly practices once the school year starts speech team took up my entire Saturdays during the seasons which means it took up my coaches time too my math teachers would offer study sessions outside of class time for each test and I would meet regularly with NHS during my lunch teachers are already working outside of the school day with prep periods so decreasing plan time would hands down decrease the success of your extracurricular programs and also your classroom success as well as a teacher of primarily El students a majority of my students are successful because of the tier 2 supports that are in place for them at my school we have an academic support class students are enrolled in and tutoring available during all lunches for

012all students eliminating tier 2 supports here at Fenton will put Fenton students behind their peers their same age due to programs that are available at other schools investing in teachers and investing in resources inside the classroom are how you get students to achieve more not by doing the opposite when I heard that Fenton teachers were working without a contract I felt compelled to speak here today for no other reason than to share my story and explain how it all started here at Fenton with the teachers that gave up their time so freely to give me the opportunities that made me the person I am now there will be fewer stories like mine if you if there are fewer teachers like the ones at Fenton just this past year I have been witness to the teacher

013resignation epidemic that is currently facing our country losing a colleague I worked closely with I stand proudly with the teachers that still come to work every day here at Fenton to continue to help students despite the extreme stress these negotiations must be causing and despite the lack of support this also shows for them I'm so lucky to be able to touch the lives of students every day thanks to the teachers that were a part of my story while I was here at Fenton I plead with the board to give future students that same chance please know that the choices you are making will put fencing students behind other students their same age and the programs that truly help students Thrive inside and outside the classroom will suffer as a result thank you Delilah Johnson hello

014my name is Delilah Johnson and I'm a part of the recently graduated class of 2023. as an incredibly involved student during my time at Fenton I feel as if I am qualified to speak on behalf of my class when I say that a big part of my and other students successes have been the support of our teachers Fenton teachers go above and beyond with resources and opportunities to allow their students to succeed for example the FHS music department has struggled post-pandemic to uphold their numbers the program has been growing smaller yet the music directors have done all they can to continue to uphold the standards for current students sarity Williams director of choir has lost two choir classes yet still continues to help choir tradition keep quiet keep choir Traditions alive for her students Garrett

015George director of the Bands regularly checks in with this you cannot mention staff names due to the Board of Education rules and procedures of the Bands regularly checks in with the students to see what improvements need to be made to make the band better these teachers also incorporate leadership roles into their curriculum giving students opportunities to lead amongst their peers and providing students toolkits for Success After High School [Applause] sorry can't see my thank you a big factor in the success of Fenton music programs is the prep time for directors during prep times directors pick music create lessons and meet with student leaders the board is proposing to turn prep time into unpaid subbing which can be harmful to an already suffering music program these teachers have continued to work hard for their students while

016still on an expired contract we are lucky to have teachers that are willing to continue to work with students while not having an updated contract but it is unethical for these working conditions to proceed to the board you cannot expect to have successful students if you are not equally supporting your teachers thank you for your time David Johnson I'm her dad I don't like to see my kid cry because of your rules that's Jive man and that to me has Illustrated where your priorities are cut the time short and he made that kid cry and that's Jive I don't know why you all are here if you don't love these kids I got two of them one just graduated one's a sophomore here now they are both received honors received rewards because of these features

017my kids are smart but without the guidance of these teachers who knows where they might have ended up [Applause] nobody becomes a teacher to be rich nobody becomes a teacher because there's money to be made in that negotiation nobody becomes a teacher to get a big fancy car to wear those fancy clothes and to impress people have become teachers because they love to his kids and for you to ignore them and to ignore their wishes you should listen to what the teachers suggest the teachers have only one thing at heart and that is our kids foreign can you repeat the name Joseph Puzo [Applause] uh good evening my name is Joseph Puzo and I graduated in 2020 as I stand before you today I'm reminded of the journey that has brought me to this moment

018my entrance into high school was marked by excitement and desire to feel closer to adulthood however my life up to this point had been influenced by various forms of trauma which casted a unique lens that through sorry which I viewed this world this perspective often made it challenging for me to relate other to others and to fully Embrace life's possibilities at that time the concept of embracing life's challenges as opportunities for growth seem distant for early high school years my early high school years were a struggle the weight of my past experiences sometimes felt like an insurmountable burden appreciating the value of my own life and the opportunities before me wasn't something that happened overnight it was a gradual process when that required self-discovery Reliance and the support of those who believed in me the

019introduction of Bison orange being implemented into my schedule and sophomore year was the moment for me the turning point however admits the difficulties a turning point arrived this class that would change the directory of my high school experience and ultimately my life bison orange became more than just a subject it was a source of inspiration and empowerment it helped me recognize my worth acknowledgment my potential and unlock the determination to overcome adversities the impact of Bison orange and Miss Torres had on me especially it wasn't just academic it was deeply personal it provided a safe space where I could challenge my preconceptions and engage in meaningful conversations with peers counselors and especially my teachers it was within these discussions that I found my voice and began to understand that my perspective mattered this class became

020a Beacon of Hope during times when hope seemed scarce as my high school Journey progressed so did my transformation gradually I shed the weight of my past embracing my potential and finding the courage to advocate for myself and others today I stand here as living proof that growth is possible even in the face of adversity I wouldn't be standing before you advocating for what is just and logical if if not for the support and guidance of these classes and I want to stress that the significance of Bison orange extends beyond my personal story it impacts reaches its impact reaches students who like me may carry burdens and face challenges that often others can't comprehend you know like me carry burdens and face challenges that others can't fully comprehend if this class were to be removed

021it would be a disservice to those who would need it the most let's ensure that the future is behaved with opportunities for growth and empowerment for all in conclusion my journey at Fenton High School began with challenges and uncertainties but it was the transformative power of Bison orange Miss Torres Mr Welsh Dr Mitchell and all of my Educators have brought me here today I urge you to consider the ripple effect of your decisions how they impact your lives the lives and shape futures by preserving this class you're investing in the potential for growth empowerment and positive change thank you for your time and consideration thank you Lori Puzo okay I'm a proud patent alumni my husband his siblings his mother and all four of our boys have graduated from Fenton having this privilege of being

022part of the Fenton mold has left an indelible mark on our lives and when we say I'm referring to Fenton High School I'm referring to the teachers the counselors the Educators all that's what makes fun things I firmly believe that we request I firmly believe that the requests put forth by these educators are entirely Justified without being excessive during our time at Fenton it was a second home for our kids it was provide valuable support it complement what we strive to achieve at home the dedicated Educators and counselors at Fenton have consistently stood by our side with four Sons each possessing a unique learning style Fenton's methodology has enabled them to cultivate successful essential life skills even during covid I believe that the administration of Fenton always truly stood behind their Educators and acknowledged the

023significance of their skills in today's educational landscape teachers must constantly equip themselves to cater to the ever-evolving needs of the students and provide and prepare them for the forthcoming Journeys which in turn enriches our community this approach encompasses not only continuous academic growth but also emotional development in my view these teachers absolutely Merit everything they are requesting my 13 years as a fat mom I wish witnessed various programs come and go the sports program remained untouched the academic honors flourished it seems like an Administration when administrators in Illinois are looking to cut costs majority look at moving curriculums from mental health and Behavioral Health and well-being programs let's just get rid of it just dissolve it throw it away no one will notice that's certainly not the fattened essence the Bison orange s team asked

024Joe and I to come speak about the Bison orange program because they wanted to remove it from the program I did not hesitate I am deeply passionate about ensuring that this program and others related to mental health and well-being are not overlooked or removed due to cost savings who's really saving certainly not the students Fenton always offered well-rounded education and that includes academic and emotional development to pair our kids prepare our kids for the future and for the community I am reminded constantly that the positive influence that Miss Torres and the Bison team had with my son the support was instrumental in helping him navigate through various aspects of his school life from ongoing his court coursework fostering social and emotional growth completing assignments fostering neutral environment equip them with the essential coping mechanisms and

025strategies to maintain and help his anxiety I truly believe if we if it I truly believe that if it weren't for the dedicated and guidance provided by Ms Torres and the Bison orange team I cannot fathom where our son or our family would stand today the impact that we have had on this personal development and our family Dynamics is nothing short of transformation this is why I urge the school board to earnestly consider the value of the program of Bison orange thank you for your consideration Benji Rodriguez hello everybody my name is Benji Rodriguez um I graduated here in 2019 and um quick um if you had the pleasure you know to teach me you know I'm not the brightest I wasn't the best kid so with that being said I just really want to

026shout out a teacher that really how do I say she really gave me a lot of self-confidence in myself you know if it wasn't for Miss Taurus I probably wouldn't have graduated if it wasn't from his Downing Mr Welsh I don't think I forgot about you you know if it wasn't for these teachers man these people they would I wouldn't have graduated I would have probably still been trying to chase my GED probably would have I don't know probably would have been in jail or something without these people without the teachers without Miss K Miss Torres man I don't know where I would have been you know she would have take she would take me out of lunch she would take me out of a bike what was it bison time the where you would

027do your homework she would take me out of all these classes just so I could finish my homework I could do my study a little bit more because I had the potential I really did have the potential I just didn't I didn't have the the worth she gave me that worth it she made me believe myself like you do this you do this you get a a every once in a while and I did I graduated you know [Music] thank you very much tantillo good evening my name is Pat tantillo I taught English and coached golf at Fenton from 1973 to I know until 2007. I thought the Puzo a name ring uh Bell I agreed to beer tonight I don't know too much about the specific items being negotiated but I was on the

028executive board for most of my stay and my job was as head of welfare and ethics to put the package together at the cement to submit to the board typically we had way too many proposals we tried to make pare it down a bit and we'd actually have the teachers come in and sell it to the community as it would have to be possibly sold to the board and we had some touchstones and one was was it reasonable did it adhere to the contract it had taken the needs of the community and the students as well as the teachers um was it reasonable was it fair did it also take in the needs of most of the faculty and not the people who frankly wrote the wrote The Proposal so when the people came in

029and submitted to us a lot left they weren't very happy but we were able to pair the package down to say eight to ten items and then of course our negotiators would present it to the board and guess what I'd like to say is I like the board to look at their proposals like The Faculty to look at theirs I'm sure they have and check for those touchstones are you being reasonable does it adhere to the contract is it feral anyway I I had a heck of a Time here at Fenton and Miss teaching not enough to sub I [Laughter] thanks for having me Michael Manzell or marzel [Applause] good evening ladies and gentlemen of the board fellow alumni teachers so beloved I come here today my name is Michael marzak I'm a 2011 alumnus

030of this wonderful institution and I want to start off with a quote education then beyond all other divides of human origin is a great equalizer of conditions of men the balance wheel of the social Machinery by Horace Mann education is the reason I stand in front of you today with a smile on my face and joy in my heart education is the reason and cause of all of my successes and accomplishments education paved the way for the future of the marzak family my post-secondary and graduate accomplishments have sprung from the roots that this phenomenal institution has been printed on my young brain at the time the reason I chose to be here in front of you today is because these professionals are some of the best in the world while I remember plenty professors and

031lecturers from a plethora of classes the Fenton teachers are the ones that have made the biggest impact on my life because they lit the fire they started the inkling that led to me becoming a lifelong student the inkling that turned me a child from a poor and single-parent household to a veteran of the United States Army a speaker a writer a leader and a lifelong student I stand here before you appalled to hear that these outstanding educators are working without a contract and that you are not willing to meet their requests every child has a right to a proper and professional education especially students at a public Institution teachers didn't join this profession to become wealthy their profession is a pursuit of altruism at its finest they chose to educate young minds of a public

032institution and they deserve every penny and every resource they require to accomplish this mission we can look at it from a societal perspective proper education equals betterment of society at large or you can look at it as a business if you will you have the opportunity to invest in these teachers and I say invest because by investing and supporting their Endeavors you are investing in the future generation of the members of your community members that have properly educated as I have been by teachers like Mrs rohandra Mr Escobedo and many many others here will not only contribute more financially but also socially holistically and morally to your community education as Horace Mann stated is a great equalizer by stripping it of value by not providing the resources necessary you are taking away its power and

033thus harming your community I urge you to provide these teachers with the proper salaries resources and support that they need they are your Frontline soldiers of the future of your community streaming you are stripping them of their metaphoric ammunition and that is your failure to lead and your failure to provide an equal opportunity to all children children that like me and other Americans deserve equal opportunities to create their future thank you for listening and Siri Cardenas [Applause] antieri Cardenas or Anthony [Applause] [Music] hello good evening my name is atsiri Cardenas I graduated with the class of 2022. I'm a sophomore attending college of DuPage majoring in early childhood education I'm also a co-teacher at an educational center caring for young children ages two to five I found an interest in early childhood education when I

034took classes offered here surrounding that career Miss Weiner and Miss Nelson taught an excellent class that allowed me to be in a lab with children and learn new content every day my passion is to nurture and guide my own future students now my passion might be different compared to the compared to their passion since they are high school teachers but we share one thing in common we want to educate and make a difference however in order to share their passion they must be working in a safe environment that protects them in many ways a huge Foundation to an excellent school is teacher well-being teachers spend approximately 46 of their time at a school to take into account they may also run extracurriculars after school like clubs or Sports even staying after to help a student

035so if teachers are dedicating this time it is extremely important that they are working under a fair contract a contract that ensures them a fair pay a safe environment where these teachers can work collaboratively collaboratively with other with everyone for the benefit of these students not only that but to not strip away time that these teachers need in order to gather and plan for the day so I'd personally like to thank all of the teachers who have guided me in any way teachers like Mr Escobedo and Mr Berry who have spent countless one-on-one time with me throughout bison time to ensure that I can strive Mr Sade and Senora damaro who created such a positive working environment for me and my peers to learn Miss Raj miss Avila Peterson miss Mills who always cared about

036my mental well-being and were always so proud of my accomplishments these teachers have truly shaped who I am today and given me the knowledge that I will share for the rest of my life their well-being is just as important as these students walking in these Halls thank you foreign how many more do we have left we have four president Louis keep it going Jennifer selecki so lucky I'm sorry if I mispronouncing her name [Applause] good evening president Lewis the members of the board my name is Jennifer salaki and I'm a special education teacher here at Fenton High School I also serve on the Executive Board of the Fenton Education Association as Union secretary and I am part of the FEA negotiating team this is my 23rd year here what has kept me at Fenton are

037the moments I share with my students in the classroom and the relationships that I've built with my FEA family I am here tonight to address the board regarding the district proposal to take pre-teacher prep time for unpaid subbing assignments we have a tentative agreement regarding internal substitution and we're surprised with the district's latest proposal including internal subbing that substantially robs us of our plan time without compensation you probably already know that teacher's work extends far beyond the classroom prep time is not is key to not only planning lessons but also to engaging in meaningful dialogue with students parents and colleagues in fact Fenton teachers work on average an additional nine hours each week the equivalent of a regular work day but I must tell you that special ed teachers at Fenton are not the average

038teacher in that sense each has a caseload of at least 16 students who are entitled by law to an annual review meeting these meetings are held during our prep time and the reports take hours to write but even this is not the most impactful contribution to the students we serve special ed teachers often use prep time to support the most vulnerable students recently a student of mine in college algebra needed additional time and support on an assessment I sat with her during my prep time and watched her work and rework a problem sitting through frustration and the desire to give up until she figured out the answer this is not the kind of perseverance that is likely to happen in a situation alone in a testing center which is where she would have gone if

039I had to serve an unpaid sub position supporting her kind of tenacity is exactly what we want to do as Educators but we must be available to our students in Daily prep period special ed teachers provide not only academic support to students who seek help with essay writing research projects math problems and more but also simple reassurances as well as crucial emotional support when they are in crisis we help students of all ability levels understand consequences and Coach them to take steps to advocate for themselves these things do not happen in the classroom alone they take one-to-one time it costs nothing to support students in this way but to them it is invaluable so I'm asking this board as elected officials of the school to see to it that good quality teachers from any Department

040are not lost because of the potential change in working conditions it is not only special education teachers who do a variety of specialized things with their time please send the message in actions and access words that you truly value Fenton teachers thank you for your time and for your service Chris McCollough [Applause] good evening board my name is Chris McCullough I'm a resident of Bensonville and I served on the Bensonville School Board of Education for two for four years two of those years as president of the board I also serve as a faculty member at a large institution in Chicago where I teach pre-service teacher education courses and courses focused on leadership at the building level in the district level I have a son in bsd2 and I want the best education for him and

041for all of the children of our community and of our residents an investment in our teachers and this was stated earlier tonight an investment in our teachers is truly an investment in our children our most sacred assets collective bargaining negotiations for our teachers impact students and communities significantly I've been through the process myself and I know how educative it can be I'm deeply saddened and disappointed by the lack of leadership in the current bargaining process I encourage you to listen to our professional Educators hear their stories understand their concerns respect their expertise no one understands the social sciences and the impact of teaching and pedagogy better than our educators after all it is our teachers who are in our classrooms with our students every single day they are the ones who have mastered classroom management

042even when others are fearful of the outcome of repercussions of things that could be challenging that they encounter they are the ones who work most closely with the Bright Young Minds in our community so now I ask you to take a moment take a moment and remember your why those of you who serve our community why did you volunteer your time to become a school board member why are you here tonight I would imagine that you like me decided to take on this role because you care about our students education that you like me want to see them succeed you want to make sure they are prepared to be strong citizens and community members upon graduation so I am asking if you were called to serve because you care about our students and want them

043to receive the best education possible why not listen to The Experts our teachers are here for the very same reason the teacher team is highly responsive to the needs of both the community from student to taxpayer and the district as Mr Escobedo stated on June 28th and I respect this so much from our teachers the teachers have done the math they know the district has the funds to meet their request without raising taxes I'm here tonight to ask you to make a to make reaching a fair agreement a priority we need to resolve the contract so everyone can go back to focusing on the most important thing for all of the communities that we serve are students who are also our children Brittany Bo wellmers [Applause] foreign members of the board my name is Beau

044wilmers I am a 25-year member of the community a former resident of Wooddale and current resident of Bensenville a proud 2012 graduate of FHS I use the he him pronouns and I'm very upset when I arrived at Fenton in 2009 I was not in good shape my high school years were some of the darkest of my life and I'm not good at asking for help I was even worse back then but because of the because the district hired strong Educators I was supported they were the trellis that allowed me to grow often in spite of myself towards the Sun many times in my four years at Fenton I had a teacher there to support me at the level I needed and the level I would accept and it's time for me to return the favor

045per the board's mission statement said already tonight the mission of Fenton High School is to cultivate successful passionate empowered Learners through rigor relevance and relationships and yet per the FEA the board is asking teachers to accept a contract that would increase class sizes give teachers less power in school committees cut their planning time via unpaid setting and cut Support classes with students with higher needs further the board salary proposals are far below what comparable districts offer I simply do not see how our teachers are going to create successful passionate empowered Learners when you force them to stretch a salary that is already insufficient by moving their planning time to outside of school hours so that you can make them sub for free education is the foundation upon which a strong Community is built and teachers

046are the scaffolding that scaffolding is held together through the wildest times in recent memory and this is how you would like to repay them shame on you let me find my spot I know that I was not the only kid that walked in Fenton's Halls that was going through the darkest times of their life and I am far from the only person that received the kind of support that only a properly supported teacher can provide do your part to keep the burgeoning members of this community growing sometimes in spite of themselves towards the sun fix this contract immediately thank you [Applause] president Louis are no further public comments right negotiations we want to make sure Fenton has a fiscally responsible budget we can continue so we can continue to provide our students with a robust

047academics and extracurricular activities we are cognizant of our fiduciary responsibility and our duty here to the taxpayers offensive building to Wooddale and yes we have absolutely great teachers here and we and we could we will continue to provide support continue support to our teachers and provide a contract that's fair for both sides thank you for your comments tonight Eric house next item recognition Sam that's 100 my name is Sarah kowalmore it's fine it's fine it's fine go ahead good evening my name is Sarah Cowell Moore and Fenton High School runs deep in my family well our roots are short they are Mighty my brother Adam graduated in May of 2005. he was a wrestler played volleyball and Fenton Bison football is where he found his people his passion and his drive that he's turned into

048a career I graduated in May of 2006 was involved in band choir theater speech the music department was a space where I gained my best friends honed my craft of playing the flute and earned lifelong colleagues theater and speech is why I'm able to stand here before you to tonight delivered to deliver this message with the confidence and passion that Nicole Hendricks Mike Mitchell Melissa Rausch and Patrick Escobedo instilled in me my mom Debbie was born a band booster president for five years and a force to be reckoned with she was also a huge supporter of anything that we did after our dad passed in 2000 she Dove head first to making sure that we were loved and supported and that additional support came at the help of Fenton activities you could always see heard

049football games videotaping Adam during the fields on the quarters and with me and the band during halftime he still has a picture with her on his senior football night on his fridge to this day in October 2006 our mom died and the world stopped not just our world but everyone's World in ways that we didn't expect Mike Mitchell canceled play practice the day of her wake for the theater Department to come and pay their respects teachers past present retired administrators principals all came to pay their respects spent in 100 teachers showed up for us and in return we took all of the money that was donated to our family and turned it into the Deborah Alcoa Memorial Scholarship in 2007 that helped support one four-year band member and one four-year choir member to study higher

050education now my brother is taking the skills that he learned from the coaches here and is coaching his own high school team in Indiana as well as developing his own training program I have studied music played in some of the most beautiful concert halls in the Midwest and I have even been working with a very Fenton speech teammates and coaches that have come up with me and connected me back to the school again the teachers deserve our support because in my darkest days they have supported the kowal family and we stand with them today tonight and always I'm here with no horse in this race no kid at the school just teachers who have become friends and the drive to support the next generation of students who I've watched grow up students who I've worked

051with through speech have come to have come through and gone on to do great things and those great things can only continue when those things are done with a fair contract and the hard-working teachers of District 100 deserve it [Applause] good evening if we could have Alejandro Diaz come forward with his coach Chaz Taft [Applause] okay Alejandro you and I have next game just so you know anyway we want to honor Alejandro here today for his uh class 3A All-State honorable mention honor Alejandra was a clear leader of this past season as a junior and they returns back for us again this year so we're really thankful for that and now we have to beat the school record of 24 wins that you helped set for last week oh yeah he said for sure okay

052not a problem but anyway Alejandro was also all Upstate Aid conference as well as early in the spot on The Daily Herald all area team so we're really excited to introduce him here tonight and his coach Chad's Taft is going to give a little more details on the season all right coach Jazz Taft thank you guys for acknowledging him um it's been a pleasure for the last couple years to coach him it's unbelievable his uh character work ethic everything you could imagine I mean just from his parents support from him it's been great so last year he gets I mean I will mention Allstate 3A averaged 17 points a game for us five assists per game five rebounds a game three steals a game one block a game took 15 charges now this is kind

053of a club that's he's he he missed he shot 55 percent from two um 37 percent from three 87 percent from the free throw line so there's a club that's a 50 40 90 Club in the NBA and there's only nine people who have done that and he's a few percentage points off as a junior that's doing man so that's one of his goals so he was unanimous all-conference he missed all-conference Player of the Year in the upstate eight by one vote he was obviously the Chuck Mitchell all-tournament team he was Daily Herald all tournament team but probably one of the best things that about this whole thing is that he has a 4.5 GPA I believe in the top 10 in his class helped us do a 24-8 record 15-3 in the upside eight

054we set the school record for wins with 24 which was previously 21 in 1920 um and right now coming back next year we got six six seniors coming back with with quality playing time and he's got his running mate back so we're pretty excited about this season coming up so hopefully everybody could come out to the games give us some huge support they're great to watch okay Alejandro so I was like give a quick thank you to my parents for putting the time effort and money into me my coaches and teammates for believing me and giving me the confidence to perform well and that I'd like to give a special thanks to coach Taft here coach Taft is a great guy from you know opening the gym early to let us shoot to staying after

055to watch some film um he does everything to get the most out of his players and that's the reason I believe that I got I'll I'll stay honorable mentioned so I just like thank coach Taft thank you out attack okay we're going to take a picture right up front here family if you'd like to be in the picture or take the take a picture also feel free to come up one step forward do you want to be in the picture thank you [Applause] our next items okay this way [Laughter] hi Mary I'm so glad that James has invited me to be part of your retirement video it gives me an opportunity to tell you how much I appreciated working with you besides having fun and becoming good friends we always enjoyed our time together I

056so much appreciated your patience and kindness towards me your talents your expertise always made our work together more productive and effective I know that during your retirement you're going to be able to spend a lot more time with grandchildren and traveling with your husband please take this time to have fun and enjoy those days congratulations again and best wishes on your retirement with many years in the future I hope to see you soon Mary bye-bye hello Mary and congratulations on your retirement even though I'm not a Fenton I always felt like you made everyone feel wonderful and special and you were a wonderful person that I could go to ask questions get help you supported us with compliance and other things that we needed you are an amazing person and Fenton will truly miss you

057but congratulations on your retirement and keep in touch hi Mary I want to wish you all the best I really enjoyed working with you even on those late board meeting nights when we were often the last people leaving the building enjoy your retirement happy retirement Mary thank you for always taking such good care of us we're going to miss you I just wanted to say congratulations uh on your retirement I want to thank you for all the years of your service and all the things that you've done to support us to support me um it's been great at the campground uh hopefully you can continue joining us on our annual camping events but I wish you the best I hope you enjoy the next chapter of your life and keep in touch you're always a

058bison we love you [Music] Mary I just want to say congratulations on your retirement thank you so much for all of your work your defense Community we appreciate all that you've done for us over the years I just want to wish you a wonderful [Music] hi Mary it's been great working with you for these past eight years I wish you all the best from retirement and I look forward to joining you soon take care congratulations on your retirement Mary um I have fond memories of us working together for your support professionalism and just a superior character um I I hope you do everything you want to on your retirement or as little as you want you deserve it it's just been great to get to know you and also getting to know you as all

059the best we are [Music] happy [Music] with you enjoy your vacation enjoy your grandbaby enjoy your vacations hi Mary this want to give you a quick shout out and thank you for all your years of service here at Fenton thank you personally for all the times you've helped me along the way whether it was when I was in the assistant superintendent for HR or currently is principal you've always been there and always helped me figure out whatever I need to figure out and you've done this such a nice Manner and we've had a good friendship over these years and I want to wish you the best in retirement whatever you choose to do I've got some pictures behind me maybe go to Florida at least and just enjoy yourself uh and really enjoy your retirement

060moving forward thank you again I'm Mary Happy retirement thanks for all you do we'll miss you hi Mary congratulations on your retirement it's bittersweet we've been through so much I'm excited for you to take this next uh next adventure with your family but good to miss you so much we've done so much together from all the pantries and food drives uh the Countess hours pounding the pavement for the referendum all of our work doing the curb Mass I don't know what I'm gonna do without you but I'm so excited for you to spend more time with the little one and um I may just look up to you for so many so many reasons one of which that just so much stands out is the crisis we went through with with the pandemic and we

061had this miracle of having a vaccine show up and James brokered a brilliant deal and the very first person of 5 000 unvaccinated people saw with you and all of us were doing this this gutsy mission of trying to roll out vaccines or a virus that had never been seen before and you were the very first person that all of us who are undocinated and potentially risk you were the first person to welcome people into the building and just so fearless and I look up to you for that so thank you for everything you've done and I can't wait to hear of all the Great Adventures you go in hey Mary enjoy your retirement enjoy your growing family and your travels I'm going to miss you so much we had so much fun these last

062eight years our journey together was filled with laughter ups and downs and so many accomplishments thank you for being you an authentic energetic and caring individual thank you for loving and supporting our Fenton students staff parents community members Board of Education and administrators thank you for walking by my side and giving me a kick in the butt when I needed it you are the best big hug te amo mucho Ciao Bella ciao Mary [Music] [Applause] Mary yes gosh when I first came on as a board member I think I spoke to you I don't know how many times in those first three months and you're always patient kind and because I was oh God I'm calling her so much at some point in time she gonna stop answering the phone or stop responding to the

063emails but who knew you had that much patience yeah we're gonna miss you and you were very instrumental at me getting acclimated here and I really appreciate it thank you very much thank you to all of you it's been great working here I can't believe that 17 years has actually passed by so it's uh you know I've had great growth while I was here like I said starting in special ed and then going into HR and then in the current position that I'm at right now and it's been it's been wonderful you know with the diversity of of each position and getting to meet staff and families and working with the kids it's just been a wonderful experience so I thank you all for giving me the opportunity to do it so well [Applause] I'm

064gonna miss you uh we're gonna miss you I have to say that you are um not only outstanding at what you do but you're an outstanding person you always are uh have a sunshine sunshiny personality but you know exactly what you're doing all the time we know that when you're around that things are going to get done and uh so you're truly truly going to be missed not only as a person but as an employee I will I will miss everybody I can guarantee that but I'll be in touch we'll have a great time on your trip to Italy oh that was last year this year's Greece on your trip to Greece we'll send pictures send pictures thank you Mary and my time it was difficult because it was a transition and I believe I

065was the moons that need more help because I was constantly lost and I don't even know how to get my password and I'll be honest and I lost and many times and it doesn't matter how many times I asked Mary she always answer without a smile what can I do for you yes yes and you know that helped is right here in our heart because he was not helping myself he was helping the kids because we were for them and I really appreciate what you have done thank you for being a wonderful person and always smiling even when we were here until midnight you were right right here and I I it's an honor to have met you and worked with you and you dress amazing Mary I don't know if you remember the first

066time I met you was during the vaccine last one Leo dragged me in you know not kicking and screaming but you know we're excited um and then if it wasn't for you getting helping with the process of getting here onto the board and then being that sounding Rock of you know uh questions comments and just helped me through all of that and just being a great person and great administrator um we are definitely going to give big shoes to fill so and I'm pretty sure the young lady next to you is is sizing those up pretty well but uh you're going to be very deeply missed and though our time has been short it has been wonderful so thank you I'm gonna keep it short thank you enjoy retirement the two days of it was

067great I'm looking forward to my next one that's all I could say is thank you and I'm hoping to go longer than two days imrf tells me 60 days it has to be all right a minimum of 60 days to go so that's good but thank you again because I know that you're all here for the right reasons you know what you're doing just stay strong and continue the good work thank you thanks Mary can we take a picture one last big picture Rick we need you underspected uh Jim so could you take this picture thanks again all right we ready I'll take a few thank you [Laughter] the next item is informational items uh James fantastic we'll kick it off right to uh Dr Benson here start of the new school year Sam all

068right great thank you very much well since our last board meeting we've had a lot going on um yeah we could next slide please there we go we started with our freshman orientation and the whole front gym was full of kids it was great we had our link crew members there tremendous experience a lot of fun thank you to our link crew sponsors for organizing all this so that's how we kicked it off also that week we had our textbook pick up over 1200 families came through that day so it was it was run efficiently and we got everyone through ready for the school year and then of course the first day of school was a great success we had our freshmen come in at eight o'clock and be able to go through their schedules

069and then the rest of the building came in at 10 o'clock so that was great currently we are right in the midst of what we call our class meetings where each individual class comes down to the auditorium we talk about expectations this year's themes our student ownership where you own your future obviously the the messages different to the seniors because they're they're now the leaders of the building as opposed to freshmen so we cater that message depending on what class today we had the sophomores who are glad not to be freshmen anymore so they have a new role to play also so this year we're doing behavioral type meetings and then we're going to have another set of meetings maybe on academic supports and academic themes this week is spirit week as you could see

070neon is today and uh so I'm really excited about that tomorrow's sports day that'll be a little less flamboyant than today probably but uh and then of course we're all bison so we come back with bison gear on Friday the involvement fair is actually tomorrow we call it involvement Fair because we want our kids to get involved in something and last year we went right over 70 percent of our kids were involved in some sort of activity or or Athletics and this year we we hope that that goes up even higher so that's an important day for us and of course don't forget our open house August the 31st starting at 6 15 and going till nine o'clock it's always a well attendant event as parents can come in we go through sort of what

071we want to emphasize for this school year and then they can walk their kids schedules we also had a very robust summer school that we previewed at the last uh board meeting here's some numbers here you could see first session almost 300 students and second session we had less offerings and as you could see less students but overall over 400 credits were earned this summer which is a tremendous way for kids to get caught up or to get ahead or whatever their purpose was for coming in this summer so another great summer is we pretty much have school year round here if you think about it we want to continue that tradition for those that need it that's a lot of data there and I'm not going to take a ton of time but basically

072as you can see uh we broke down the credits and and what we're looking at as far as obviously heavy emphasis on math which was very successful some kids needed more individualized attention this summer and were able to receive it um we also have what we call Summer matters like incoming freshmen literacy and math skills so that was important that they come in and try to get off to a fresh start a lot of our kids they really need that type of instruction especially if you talk about our multilingual students just to keep up with with working on their speech skills over the over the summer so that's an important program for us and of course a newcomer perhaps new to this country we get them acclimated to what fenn's all about they need a

073little bit more support as they come in here's some nice pictures of the first day of school some high fives some T-shirts for the students are banned obviously was playing and uh here's one family that came in and we said hey let can we get a quick picture just to show that it still is a family experience in high school right where we drop off the kids to uh especially the freshmen to a new start here's some other pictures that we took actually look at this day one here we are actually learning in the classroom as you can see some Hands-On science activities and again we're demonstrating our bison Pride thanks Sam just real quick start of the school year our enrollment numbers as of Monday this will go up and down uh but real

074quickly ninth graders big class this year 396 our sophomores at 3 48 our Juniors at 362 and seniors at 3 43. uh students with an IEP about 213 or 4 almost 15 percent current 504 these are accommodations at 68 students 4.5 percent LEP or ell we are at 26 at 378 that continues to tick up current low income count this is very early uh folks still have to turn in and folks who are watching turn in your free and reduced lunch forms we're at 7782 at 53.2 percent and our current count uh for our students that could attend tcd is 104. current enrollment right now is a total of 14.49 it's continued to decrease slowly we are calculating five years from now we will be in the 1300s okay so it's something to keep an

075eye on the number of teachers 113 SEIU there's 13 uh these are our our custodians and maintenance and grounds folks our flaws or our Tas our secretaries our security guards there's 28 of them bus drivers at 18 at will at 17 and administrators at 14. so once again we'll keep you up with the demographics I'll pass this on to Kate with new teachers orientation all right we had our new teacher orientation this is one of my favorite parts of the year we have a great new class of in of incoming staff so there are seven new teachers one new administrator and then we also have uh you can see up there uh Duke Novak who filled in for uh FMLA last year and then was hired on so he was kind of like a halfway

076new teacher but wanted to be a part of the orientation which was great so they were in for three half days and uh it's really great we have a lot of Administrators and teachers teacher leaders in the building students come in to work with our new staff John Aguilar who many of you know we are doing it we did it the community tour again so they got to drive around and see kind of the big highlights of Bensonville and Wooddale which they really enjoyed in gen it's really like the architectural boat tour like he gives them all the history that he never knew um and so it's a great experience and then of course they have some time to work in their classrooms get to know their peers so it's a really it's one of

077the best groups of new teachers that we've had I mean really really strong groups so we're excited about them where do we get access to that to architectural tour I know I'm okay with the raffle as long as it's stacked in my face all right um any of the teachers the new teachers residents of the community or there um Let me let me go back let me run through my head I don't know that anyone going to the first picture Jim is a resident of the community um no I don't think so that guy in the far right is yeah one of the things that's kind of talk about this group of teachers is that uh we have one teacher who's a brand new teacher but most of them come with some experience so that's

078nice a lot of times we have a lot of brand new teachers Alexa Flores um is a brand new El teacher but it really is a group that comes with um some some nice experience how many of our teachers currently are actual Bensenville or Wood Dale residents that I don't off the top of my head we can look there we could get there I'd appreciate that please thank you um so then uh we kicked off the year following new teacher orientation with two staff Institute days so on Monday August 14th we had our certified staff come back and then on Tuesday August 15th we have the entire staff come back um so it's really nice to get everybody together to set the tone for the year so a couple of things that we're focusing on

079this year as Sam talked about are our big themes our student supports and student ownership so we talked a lot about the academic supports that many teachers and Specialists came in over the summer to really work on these supports things that we already had to build up and so that's part of mtss which we've talked about our multi-level tiers of support the other major push that we have academically is from a professional development perspective we're really focusing on multilingualism as James pointed out we have 26 percent of our kids who are labeled as English language Learners at Fenton but we know that that number is much higher the number of students that speak a different language at home so we're really focusing on that with our teachers this year so we're going to continue with

080culturally responsive practices as some of you read over the summer we're going to continue learning from that book throughout the year but then we're also going to be focusing on a book called The ell teachers toolbox so we're going to be talking about this with our instructional coaches they're going to lead some training we'll talk about it in department meetings our teacher-led PD in our Institute days but we really want to make sure that we understand and continue to understand that multilingualism is really an asset that our students are bringing with them and to make sure that we can offer the proper supports as our El numbers grow so we're really excited to delve into that work all right really excited about this one we got some special guests here from Mr Boyd to Mr

081Rubio and some of our students and our teachers here please step up Mr Rubio if you could start us off this is our German exchange program update hi good evening everybody I've got a few students behind me one all the way from Germany [Music] [Applause] We snuck him on the plane back with us I'm just kidding he's uh he's here enjoying his uh fall semester so uh we've I've got a short video that I'll have uh Dr Batson play in a bit um as you know thanks to the support um of U.S board members as well as the generous donation from the Bensonville Foundation this past June Fenton was able to send 20 students three teachers and myself to Rockville a rural town in southern Germany by the the board the Swiss border for the

082trip of a lifetime um the video you're about to see shows many of the highlights from the trip but before we played I wanted to thank you genuinely in person for enabling us to pull off this experience for our students so thank you Fenton board of education for supporting such a meaningful Endeavor thank you Mr antenko and Dr Benson and the Fenton Administration for empowering me uh to to plan it and make the opportunity a reality for our students uh thank you to the teachers and staff who donated uh to our our kids fundraising efforts in the spring thank you especially to Melissa Roush Candice damado and Alexis Herrera who were the best and most balanced team of adult chaperones we could have asked for thank you to Mr Lindsay and Susan Boyd who um

083who booked all our flights and accommodations and made all uh planned a lot of the activities for us thank you to the Bensenville foundation for generous donation that really made the difference for us and thank you to our new German families and friends at our partner school leipeness gymnasium for their overwhelming Hospitality so I think we will play the video so you can see some highlights and then I'll say a little bit more and then I'll let some of the students speak and it'll be brief so can we play the video [Music] thank you Festival Foundation [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] thank you Bensonville Foundation [Music] thank you foreign [Music] there's some Olympic wrestling going on USA was 2-0 I think against Germany right here [Music] thank you Bensonville Foundation [Music] come on [Music]

084thank you Bensonville foundation for helping us meet our German friends [Music] yeah so now we're just those were just some of the photos um I think the students could have done there were so many cool photos that couldn't make it on the slideshow um I want to say that our kids represented Fenton and the communities of Bensonville and Wooddale uh so well in Europe you would have all been so proud to see how they were on the trip as the leader of the trip I was constantly in awe and grateful for their maturity responsibility flexibility joy and willingness to be open on the trip our students began their stay in Europe by spending the first weekend in Zurich and sightseeing their lint Museum of chocolate FIFA Museum of soccer the city center I think we're

085all going to cherish our memories of our day trip to the Alps where we were at the top of Europe a lot of cool memories there and then from then on it only got better our partner School sent a charter bus to pick us up from Zurich to bring us all the way to rottweil where our host families were waiting to welcome our students and take them home for their two-week stay our kids attended school with their newly made host brothers and sisters and saw firsthand how different and magical educational system can be uh it was great to hear some of their observations and ideas to bring back uh but and the above all the most beautiful and fulfilling part of the entire experience was to witness how our group of 20 students bonded so

086quickly and deeply with their German hosts um I know they've got they still interact they're on group chats they still are they're excited about the return trip and are already excited to plan some activities for them we've got a meeting during bison time this coming Tuesday to start planning it out so that was so amazing to see it was just a perfect trip so with that I'll let um whoever wants to say Dominica you want to yeah go for it in German oh yeah hi my name is Dominica and I was one of the participants on the exchange trip to Germany when I heard about the possibility of an exchange I had been intrigued our school was during an exchange with our students no way now I had not been learning German but I could

087not let an opportunity like this pass I am forever grateful for my host family in Germany for agreeing to bring me into their home they showed me their culture and food and which really gave me the first hand experience of how it is living outside of the U.S contrary to it being a trip to Germany my host family agreed to take me and another student Andre from The Exchange to Strasbourg France I can only say honestly say that it was the highlight of my trip the beautiful churches and architecture Were None like we have in Chicago such a trip is very important for future students to not only learn a new language but to experience a new culture from the two weeks I've been there I've made a new group of friends such as Claudia

088and my new German friend Ian and learn some of their language grew stronger in my ability to meet new people and the chance to hang out with students that from friends and they may not have before it not only has brought us close with friends in Germany but it also has brought us closer here at Fenton till this day we are talking in our group chats like Mr Rubio said and we're planning on what we should do in um Chicago and we are all working together to make sure they're gonna have the best time here at Fenton and in the states thank you yeah so that was that was our trip um thank you thank you I just really wanted to say thank you to Lorenzo his hard work he worked tirelessly under a very

089very short amount of time to make this trip work for our students and he did a wonderfully amazing job at supporting our students and us as chaperones so I really really really am thankful for your leadership and the work that you put into it so thank you to Lorenzo before you get on there just want to personally thank you folks that don't know this story he was hounding me at um was it open house or yeah it was open house last year at this time I'm like who's Lindsay Boyne who's Lindsay boy Mr on Tango and Mr Lindsey Boyd is looking for him like he's got a kid named Ian from Germany and and so forth so it was uh just want to give credit to creditors to Lindsay thank you for this idea thank

090you for the fruition great idea and we're gonna bear the fruits of all of it and one more time Zoe we call him he's Mr Rubio Lorenzo but we call him Zoe our team calls himself Zoe thank you for taking the lead on this we appreciate it hi my name is Lindsey Boyd and yes I did Hound him and Mr Vincent and Bruce and Lorenzo and everybody else to try to get this program established the reason why you should continue this program and why you should go forward with it is is not only does it teach your children about the world and expand their mind to the different opportunities and occupations and the ability to work with somebody else to negotiate to be cohesive in what you do it also is I went to the

091Naval Academy okay I grew up as a military brat and I lived all around the world an experience like this gives them the ability to see and to think outside the normal box of the community in which they were raised the nice thing about this program that we have that you have established right now is not not only will you be able to send a group of students to Germany you'll be able to receive students from Germany here who can still expand the ability of the students here to understand the European framework the mentality and some of the other things that go along with that but there's an additional plus because we're talking about they went on a two-week stadium and then there was another two-week stay there is a program that is affiliated with

092what they did which is called the German American academic partnership it is a U.S state Department assisted and funded slightly program now they don't give all the money for the students to go there but part of the students that went there this year part of their funds came from the gap program now there were some that paid for for teachers there was a little bit that paid for students it wasn't the amount that that pays for the full thing but what you have to understand is if the state department thinks that this is something good for students then and they put some money behind it that means that overall in the U.S as a community it is something that we need to stand behind now the plus that you're going to get behind this is

093also in here is here for a year from what while you can send a student to rockwild the same way for a year know the school that it's going to be at you'll have an idea of what's going on in the participation and the thing that schools had to sign on to at the beginning was a cooperation agreement in which they would cooperate with one another to maintain a high level of Education cultural and otherwise and that's what you saw in this program when it went forward this year so uh just like I beat on good try Lorenzo but it's not going to work so what you have to what I believe you need to understand is that when you're looking for colleges for your kit for the students to go to if they have

094this in their in their background they're going to get looked at more highly if they've developed this these skills that they learn on this they're going to have a step ahead and isn't that what education at this school is about giving your students a step ahead so I applaud you for moving quickly to get this program done because you did you moved quickly and you and you and once you guys said that you were gonna you were gonna support it it was 100 and there was no questions asked on how to get it done I want to commend you for that but I want to challenge you to continue it I want you to try to send a student overseas next year for a full year you can probably do a couple I as a

095as a businessman in the community will help support you in getting that done and I'm sure there's others that we can find thank you thank you thank you thank you so thank you maybe Claudia could go there next year all right thank you um yes guten tag V Gates you guys have a very strong Advocate there um as the German exchange student I just want to say thank you to everybody here who made that possible that I have such a awesome experience here it was just a month till now and it's gonna be 11 more and I'm really looking forward to that and that month I spent here now I spend in really really good Hospitality with my dad and my mom and with a lot of friends I made through the German exchange so

096the whole thing with the going away from home was not that bad because I knew people here you all made that possible you made that possible that I can stay here and stand here in front of you all and thank you for that opportunity I now have and I just wanted to say thank you it's hot in here all sweating you're wearing suits I I've know how that feels so I'm just gonna say thank you to everybody um I look forward to see you all again thank you all right is that American football or uh there we go just got to clarify thank you sir all right next up is also a video Mr uh Dr Betts and do you have a clicker for me all right James could you use could you use the

097mic up there we had a drone video here of our water mitigation you could tell it's working you see that pond over there go ahead John dude interact always here our water retention is we'll be able to hold 880 000 gallons of water much bigger than an Olympic-sized uh uh swimming pool there it is right there as you could see the turf has been pulled out Old Turf track and field has been pulled out we're going to work on both sides of the bleachers coming up here is a drainage right underneath so water will Flow Away from the field right underneath the track it's going to be that slide there so you see the the pipes they're 68 inches it's going to go underground making sure our fields are dry and into the water tank

098please and there it is let's take a pause right there Jim uh it's uh from the stadium is 14 feet high that that the water retention on the other side by the baseball it's about six or seven eight feet tall there so the greatest going towards the water tank as you could also see if you look at the front of the building on the very top of the screen there are also doing work on the side of the building thank you Jim as well as the front so all that go all that water is going to flow go ahead Jim show them how it flows down that way okay which will which will save our parking lot our Parkway our walkway and our fields play so retention um wall pause right there Jim uh visitor

099side as you guys know gravel Falls there we're going to put an end to that as well as a retention wall on our walkway from the front of the building will also be built there so it protects our walkway as well as our parking lots and building and the bones of the building let's stop real quick there Bruce later on is going to talk about fences fences are important we have already had a bid for the internal fences all internal fences as when you watch the football game or or things like that track the internal fences are four feet tall uh the external around the field is six feet that's what that's what Bruce is going to talk about okay we need something consistent and modern bulldozers busy work we meet with these guys every

100week so we feel real comfortable we feel real good of where it is it's moving we understand where the the movement and where it's going stop right there real quick Jim as you can see it's all if you look at the water tank hole over there it's it's pretty much all earth right and starting next week they're going to start pouring concrete lots and lots of concrete okay to build that base go ahead Jim pause right there we're also making sure so the water water retention is right behind the football the stadium there so where's that water going to go to it's going to go underneath the railroad tracks and into Irving Park they got a a water system there that all of these extra water will will flow into we're trying to build that

101they're building the the connection as we speak that's it that is it next slide I'll go I'll do it from here so our Mantra has been demolition excavation and drainage and concrete pouring right now folks we're really at concrete pouring it's going to take two days of concrete pouring to to complete this pouring job so there it could catch the water and hold it there like like a retention pot keep going next slide okay so here's what we have done so fence building and site demolition has been completed track demolition has uh work has been completed as well as a track field you've seen that their excavation around the perimeter of the field have also been completed excavation of the new storm detention system has begun north of the stadium and the concession stand the

102tie-in which are the pipes that's going to go from our water retention plant out there to Urban Park starting to work there and uh they will probably complete that in a couple weeks preparation work has begun in front of the building for the storm water tie-in work so we're trying to these the word tie-in is basically pipes underneath the ground from the front of the building to the water tank water tank Auto fin where in say railroad tracks where to the railroad tracks where's that location Jim if you could go back let's see if we could find it if there's a picture of the stadium right right there uh bottom basically right there right underneath there you see that it's going to go to those trees over there but the piping is Going Underground is

103that an existing connection do they have to push it through they there's an existing condition there that we're going to connect to oh fantastic yeah we're ready to go they are ready to go we're really happy with the process all right I'm going to take my seat forward once again we meet once a week now is the stem Wing update um this will take place after the water mitigation but we're doing a lot of prep work now to make sure that's moving ahead and next slide I presented this to you a couple of months ago the different stages of the architectural design process you guys were part of phase one and phase two big picture how are we going to pay for this the timing and so forth right now so we just finished phase

104two there and we're moving into schematic um sorry design development and that involves feedback from our staff and that's what we've been doing we're how is our classroom going to look next slide so we our staff including administrators are meeting with our Architects and gilbane our construction manager every two weeks the first uh first meeting was really with the CTE staff then we brought in the Cs staff computer science then we brought in the math I'm sorry the the science uh the biology and physics science teachers into the conversation we have visited other schools and visited their stem Wing we're planning to visit one more Dr Batson not this Monday Monday but the following Monday this Monday and we're going to Vernon Hill High School where they just built it next slide now just to

105continue with the conversation in regards to the mitigation process we're going to talk about the stadium fence bed Bruce yep so um so we know this is a little bit late in coming but we did I think it was important and wanted to bring it to you to preview it tonight then ask the board to act on it on Thursday but we've been in conversation obviously with Bill being on an ongoing basis we did evaluate the fencing around the whole property and as Mr tangle said the the inner fence area around the football field the four foot fence that is already kind of in the plans and has already been approved however to make it a more consistent product better quality and just just to enclose it in a more aesthetic way I guess you

106could say and remove all the galvanized fencing that would would otherwise remain this would be the black coated vinyl fencing that would match the internal fencing around the football field so we we think it would be wise to keep a consistent look and replace the old galvanized fencing so we did a seek out bids to get pricing on that we had two bidders bid on it the incumbent or the initial fence contractor who has the inner fence area was not the low bidder however it's not unusual the contractors worked with our construction manager I should say has worked with contractors in those kinds of situations before so they didn't see any any issue with that they knew uh you know they've worked with this contractor they've checked their references action fences is who they are

107so they're comfortable recommending them to award this bid to them and they so they were the low bid so um you have a letter from gilbane making a recommendation it would be paid for through the contingency um with what's in part of the project as it stands right now um but we do support that recommendation and we would ask the board as I said to act on it on Thursday if you're comfortable with it to approve the additional fencing around the property is this an additional expense we had unaccounted for or it would be an added expense and but it would be paid for from the contingency but yes it would be extra gotcha this makes no impact on our restroom process fantastic something in passing that uh that the project continues to come under

108budget is that correct it continues to be under budget yet once we if we do here otherwise or it's tracking otherwise we will certainly keep the board apprised of that but right now it's it's uh the bids are coming in under estimations we're happy with that we hope it continues that way and so that's kind of where we're at today because is this thing on a schedule yes yep we've got good weather and these guys are working fast something about the fence real quick is a 1975 building it's it's broken it's like kind of like um you'll have some fenced and no fenced and some fence then it's broken it's ripped and so forth it's something that we're gonna have something beautiful we want to make sure that we have the right facilities around it

109as well to make sure it stays beautiful is the nature of the fence to keep Community out of the track keep people off of the track that's one I believe animals as well we do have we have called the police during the weekend for folks coming into our property I mean we're right I mean folks drive from the highway from different neighborhoods and so forth we've even had a couple weeks ago folks just running with their with their dogs while it says there's construction on there so I think with the facilities with the new facilities as well as the concession stands and the technology inside we want to make sure as possible with uh with this um got some feedback when we have like the public bathrooms and things that are not public with the

110bathrooms I think that we're going to be having out there um are we going to be putting increased security you know those bathrooms will be locked when there's no activities okay yeah but I just know if we're gonna have extra cameras or extra security being put in as we're right we're doing the sizable investment so Dr Batson and his technology team is definitely that's one of the of one of our projects new facilities we need better security including camera and then are we extending our Wi-Fi out over this entire area as well fantastic thank you this Stadium even after everything is completed it's not just an interim while working this is yep kind of like we have a fence now it's just broken right we want to make sure it's replaced ready to go inconsistent

111so it looks the same not white not brown I mean there's it's a rainbow so it's a hodgepod just a year ago by let's just put it in here and and so forth and it's in bad shape it's a protective fence how much is it 62. 62 660 dollars yeah and this and this is way around the whole thing right so and this could there's an investment 75 25 years we're looking at um once again just want to reiterate it's not on the discussion action item tonight it came in a little bit late we're putting it in tomorrow night during your professional it's a special meeting right before we go to your special meeting we're going to have an action item there as you saw on your agenda so we're gonna why why do we

112need this to to take place right away because we want to move on it because if we don't move on at the prices could go High I mean it was bidded already so we want to save money and we don't want to be delayed another month we would have to wait until September and this was Yousef this was it was there was two bidders and these they were the low bid yeah and just to give folks some some perspectives on this right like I had a my personal house here a bid for offense to be put in and that's just over my little you know less than a third of an acre and that came in at about twenty thousand dollars to have a fence put in so when we're talking 60 for this I

113gotta figure out who you guys are talking to because that's a heck of a deal so you know there's something to think about that's kind of why I was asking if this was a temporary super legitimate I was asking is this just for construction or is this a permanent permanent yeah okay right any other question I know we can and went faster any water mitigation questions or um stem wing okay good next slide we got more to go uh just a friendly reminder tomorrow we have a workshop all right starting at six uh uh here at Fenton um your Association Illinois Association School Board will be here Dr Alana Bedard will be the facilitator so looking forward to that meeting next slide strategic plan Dr Batson before we move on if we have another meeting

114here tomorrow and this room is like this is there another room we can use because I'm not coming okay tomorrow I'm not coming understood okay we'll probably get a cooler one uh probably uh in 302 or 304. Mr if it's just the board you could use something thanks district office as well as well we want to make sure we spread out we got plenty of room uh the best strategic plan 2.0 okay just a brief update it's you know it's it's summertime We've Ended our uh our last school year uh that was the uh end of the first year of strategic plan 2.0 so this is the second go around with our strategic plan so uh we had a lot of accomplishments um the Strategic plan that there's a dashboard on the website for those

115of you who have not seen it uh it's actually under the administration page uh you can you can go there and uh look to see all the the goals the action items to support those goals and the progress towards those and you'll find that the vast majority of them were were 100 complete and those that weren't will be then moved forward into the second year if there's some some straggling things uh left to do so it reflects at the end of the first year we're finalizing the action plans for this current year just starting so you will see an additional dashboard coming in the next month or so with those new action plan items but just a a brief highlights on this past year very successful we uh the teaching of learning and that area

116we began our Trek into the Dual credit and internships we further are working that and we're very successful in in arranging for some of that our social emotional growth as uh Kate I had mentioned earlier with the mtss that's a big push this past year and to get some new mtss tools and supports in place student life we had as was also mentioned earlier increased in extracurricular student participation a rather substantial increase and that's good news that was one of our goals securing the future two big things just talked about the water mitigation and stem Wing projects those were on the plans and if you go back when we wrote this plan we had no idea we would be where we are today and we were quite a long way through that uh that process

117another goal for that uh securing the future was another thing that I we I would not have guessed we would have been able to uh succeed quite so quickly but securing the future are the Fenton Foundation um and that was a very successful project this year diversity equity and inclusion uh were parallel plans with the Strategic plan supporting that it's the equity action plan or maybe the Strategic plan supports the equity action plan it's a two-way street but that plan was was developed and put in place and continues and in the communication collaboration and Community as you've heard a couple months ago maybe uh the new website that we launched and actually Mr cambric over here had a great deal of effort in that and being successful and launching that new version and some significant

118alumni Outreach and really moving forward with some programs along that area so lots of really good things accomplished through that strategic plan we look forward to some additional accomplishments this coming year I had a question on that family now that we have the Fenton Foundation are we going to be migrating our donation process instead of funneling that through the 501c3 of the Fenton or of the Bensonville Foundation I'm going to start leveraging that foundation for donation pass through I'm probably not the the person to answer that but I I think they're uh I don't think we're just going to clarify are you saying to to disband it or or no make it more efficient I guess um so but currently today for like our Advanced AP um interest our Advanced AP interest entrance exam donation

119page for example that process is facilitated through the Bensenville Community Foundation it's a 501c3 they're doing it as a donation pass-through now that we have our own Foundation are we looking to kind of consolidate those sorts of donation opportunities through our own Foundation are we going to continue to use the Benton I got a quick answer to that one let's uh I would recommend we hit hit up both foundations to maximize the the the results of of asking for donations yeah so I just wouldn't just go to to defend Foundation the Finn Foundation but I would definitely also go to the Bensonville Foundation let's do both as well I don't think one excludes the other no it doesn't you know they're both complementary I think there's there's room for both and so yeah it was

120I'll follow up with you and it's it's not actually about asking for money it's that the Bensenville Foundation is acting as a 501c3 pass-through so that way when I donate I get my tax benefit for the donation we still get the money here but if we have our own Foundation does it make sense to stop directing to the Bensenville Community Foundation and start directing to our own for that pass-through but we can talk more on this later apologies for the derailment so the Bensenville Foundation has other sources of donations so if we were to start trying to rob them to us people that they know and are familiar with may not realize or recognize that so might as well have two sources right and if their contacts are leading towards helping high school students and

121I think it we can always do both like James said cool thank you thank you this next one is just an invite to the board I've sent this I put this in your calendar it's a kaboom project with the Bensonville Park District as you guys know Kaboom is a national nonprofit organization trying to end Place space and Equity so real quickly we're going to build a playground um uh one of the Bensonville Park District playground in Arbor it's actually is in Wooddale so a couple of us saying myself Bruce and Jose will put on our work clothes and swing a hammer for about an hour or two if you would like to join I know Reed is coming at about 11 30. um to to work a little bit and get some lunch uh you'll

122be there but it's a real great a real gift not only to the students that will play there but it's a gift when you do good stuff you know when you when you give them back to the community once again we're teaming up with Joe Velez and his team another great idea so Mark de Candler September 14th 8 A.M to 4 pm that doesn't mean you have to work from 8 AM we're gonna probably work from 8 to 10 30. just put it on your radar this is one of I think the best parent Outreach we have at Fen I I think it is the best so Saturday October 7th it won't be here because of construction so it'll be at White Pines um folks that have been awake lines there's a nice white tent

123there okay let's get my hand all right really excited about that but once again the the founder of Hermes is Leo Lee you want to say anything actually it was in between us yeah we were talking with the well probably you know that we were talking with James and I invite James I said James you want to share a taco [Laughter] I said well I think a good place and we'll start talking and I bring it to the kermes and I saw he saw all the goodies around says hey why we cannot bring it to Fenton I said listen I've been dealing for years to bring that one to Fenton and I was rejected many times and this is the reason I bring you over here and let's see that we can get it unfortunately

124go with we were shut down two years in well the rest is history you know that uh this is going to be our third and a little by little um this wheel is turning into a big wheel and I hope that we can uh push together and I see many many opportunities and I believe we can work together with the teachers they said that they are willing to work and they push together we can get it bigger and bigger and bigger and well do you hear from James last year we collect some money and the girls you know the one in Orange they keep asking I have a well not a meeting but you know they call me for a party and said hey we are ready for the next care Mass when it's gonna

125be so um I'm counting on you guys and I believe we can make this happen this time thanks Leo all proceeds goes back to our students that's the best part uh one more two more things for me next revised February board meeting so we're going to change the board meeting due to the Casbah conference that most of you will be attending our board meeting with a scheduled for February 21st is moving to February 28th so folks could attend that conference it was about a book band they're requesting how many letters or requests we have received in regards to Banning a book a specific book we have not received anything so that has been resolved that that's it for me uh president uh Lewis our next item is consent agenda may I have a motion to

126approve the consent agenda as presented so moved second roll call Rego yes Figueroa yes Goodrich yes paid yes call back yes radzinski Yes Lewis yes motion passed committee committee reports Bensenville Community Foundation oh we skipped some skip nine sir sorry we'll discussion items actually sure let's go first discussion item is the tentative budget Mr Martin okay um are these discussion or action items discussion action items so we are taking action yeah um the 22 23 24 budget excuse me the tentative budget is presented to the board for review and further discussion it is intended to form obviously uh and we it will reflect some additional changes when we bring the final budget to in September um 27. so the next steps or tonight's step is August 23rd obviously attending the budget is presented for discussion

127and then after that it'll be thanks Jim it'll be placed on display as required by School code and it'll be published in the newspaper as well along with the public hearing that will happen on the 27th that'll be noted in the publication in the paper and then September 27th that'll be the evening we would have the hearing and then subsequent to that presenting and approving the final budget so that's kind of the the plan of how it works for the adoption so I I do I wanted to go through a few slides here I'll try to be brief and I know it's late and everybody's warm um but I did want to start and review kind of how the budgets put together and developed so here's the legal requirements I kind of mentioned this a

128little bit uh the public available to the public prior to 30 days prior to adoption the public hearing will be in the newspaper you have to adopt it by September 20th 30th or rather our board meeting is the 27th and then we submit to the State Board of Education after that so factors that impact the budget I'll try to run through these pretty quickly I know many of you are very familiar with this but the fund balance obviously property tax levy projected enrollments Staffing and benefits Collective bargain agreements capital projects infrastructure longitude term revenue and expenditure projections and deficit spending reduction plans we do operate and maintain eight funds bolded ones there uh the Ed fund the operations and maintenance Transportation Municipal Retirement and working cash are what we consider our operating funds and Debt

129Service capital projects and life safety are what we call non-operating or special purpose funds and those are our five operating funds that you just saw on the previous page and those are all fall under the tax cap our sources of revenue uh property taxes our corporate personal property replacement taxes student fees and other fees uh interest on investments our state sources our evidence-based funding ebf formerly General state aid mandated categorical payments that's our transportation state aid and some other smaller grants Federal sources are title one two and three grants idea grants Perkins Esther two and three we had a one last year and the year before but with that one that money has been spent so we have Esther two or three in this year's budget we'll talk about that a little bit later on

130and then the national school lunch program those are our federal sources the types of expenditures that we have instructional programs all of our teachers would fall under that Arena core classes and whatnot support services and administrations so our social workers our psychologists our counselors District administration building Administration would fall under that category operations and maintenance all the plant operations facility maintenance utilities that type of thing would be under there technology is part of the Ed fund Jim Batson's budget Chromebooks technology infrastructure transportation we have a separate Transportation fund we Levy and budget for that fund capital projects that's going to be a big one this year folks we'll go through that in just a few minutes and then our debt service where we pay our bonded debt the various objects and this is kind of

131a Illinois State Board of Education uh budget speak of how we classify the categories salaries employee benefits purchase Services supplies the materials Capital outlay dues fees and other and then tuition so the initiatives we just talked about the Strategic plan Dr Benson talked about that there's funding that has to support those initiatives our capital building improvements our technology upgrades this year we have some bigger projects happening that will be primarily e-grade funded so the Federal Federal grant monies will offset those costs we have some bus purchases and leases that are happening and our ESR supports so some of the key budget drivers for this year property taxes are up 2.1 percent local Revenue just over that uh cpprt that is we're going to see a big dip there that's from the Illinois Department of Revenue

132a 29 decrease you know we have received for the past couple years about a million dollars more than what we typically have received the state's been very generous with that but this year we're told we're going to get a 1.2 million dollar decrease and that'll affect the Ed fund and imrf is where those monies are accounted for yes ma'am that's the corporate personal property replacement taxes those yeah that's what that is and that comes from the state evidence-based funding held flap dance the state funding source other state aid this is going to be primarily our Transportation uh Aid that is gone up um because we transported and traveled more miles so that's based on our claim our latest claim and then our federal sources are projected to go down 3.2 percent primarily because we're reduced

133title grants the Esther funds are going down just because we've been spending those down so overall operating fund revenues are projected to decrease slightly by 1.3 percent and then our expenditures um and this is overall in our operating funds again so just kind of focusing on that Arena salaries up 4.8 percent benefits 12.9 purchase Services 14.8 uh supplies 19.2 equipment 70 that seems like a lot but it's it's not a real big budget uh tuition 15.2 percent so we're projecting the operating fund expenditures to go up to 10.9 percent um some of the Esther initiatives again uh this is the last year we'll have these funds so we continue to utilize those funds towards learning loss and uh with an emphasis in SEL areas as well our mtss multi-tiered system of support coordinator we're offsetting

134some salaries on the director of post-secondary and the assistant principal with essers monies the SEL counselor that's a 1.0 FTE social worker of 0.5 learning lab uh the equivalent of about 2.0 ftes and HVAC Improvement so the Esther budget is about 554 000 this year that's across the Ed fund and operations and maintenance and it's projected to go down about 11.7 percent it was 600 and fifteen thousand I think last year roughly over six hundred thousand so when we look at it as a whole operating fund revenues in the blue across the top line there the local sources are the 33 109 394. the state sources two five five three six eight two Federal sources one million eight sixty nine sixty one for a total of 37 524.037 and that's that uh basically a flat

135uh adjustment to state federal and local sources across the operating funds the expenditures and the operating funds again the blue line across the top salaries are that 21.3 million benefits are four point six million I think that says I can't read my uh screen there purchase Services three million 650 supplies one million 663 equipment 372. tuition 4.1 that's a bigger increase you can see that 38.7 percent increase if you look down that column on the very bottom that's kind of driven by a two-fold we've had a big increase in tcd student enrollment 23 students and expansion of our netsec operations with an additional classroom here uh so supporting those students for a growing program uh and then our non-caf expenses are the 146 705 so overall it's uh the operating fund expenditures across all those

136five funds are 36 million 52 909. and that's about a 10.9 percent increase yes sir yeah I some of this stuff is new to me supplies you know stuff affecting close enough so I can figure that out equipment is what that would be like Capital pieces a lawnmower for example or um you know major technology well it's worth a hundred and fifty thousand dollars uh well that's it's a variety of things across all different funds it's it's purchases out of the Ed fund the operations and maintenance and transportation so buses buses would come out of that as well buses would be part of that increase all right and tuition dues and fees you have like 25 words or less to help me understand that yeah tuition would be outside placements for students and our netsec

137program so students that can't be served within our district are placed at Farmer out they're sent to other schools outside agencies yeah read the biggest player on this one is our special ed students that have to since we do not have the facilities or the staff to assist with a particular disability we pay tuition to that Services we pay netsec yes sir I thought they were going to be making money for us but no we pay them but they also pay it it depends there's two two locations go ahead can still read we are paying for our students to go out to nedsec we're providing classrooms and they are providing us rent on those classrooms right so the thing that you're thinking of is we had to spend money to convert to classrooms yeah I

138was okay with that right but when it comes to serving our special needs students we don't have the facilities here for all the different types of special ed so we as you say farm that out but it's a it's a it's a thing that all the different schools do everyone puts into nedsec so that way we can have specialty teachers and administrators that can manage those particular situations yes that is federal and you know government mandate so it's not something that we can option into or out of so I'm sorry we can't option into or out of participation it is what it is but what drives the million to I'm guessing that's there's also tcd which is the technical college development so we have more students going to that we have tcd which is part

139of the College of DuPage kids that want to do vocational during our times their classes like uh for example correct because we don't have those programs here at Fenton so think of like the Automotive Training correct cosmetology CNA cosmetology is that just for special needs kids no that's for anybody that's it so somebody wants Automotive Training because we don't have a garage we send them out that's correct and then we pay for it that's correct yes we need to qualify for it it's not just a sign up and go right right you know there's a qualification for it so there's part of it too to a cost saving for our district as well because uh they should build a garage well there's about someone facetious right there's 16 programs out there and growing and um

140we don't have those 16 programs here at Fenton to build a program like that it would probably be triple or quadruple that amount we can see there that's a great question it's a great question um so the total for the operating funds to have 36 million 52 909 and that as I said is about a 10.9 percent increase so moving on to the edge fund that's our largest fund that's about 80 of the of the total and operating funds um the budget is at 27 million 745 525 followed by the state federal for a total of 31 million five twenty nine eight thirty nine and that's a slight decrease in revenues of 1.1 percent and then our head fund expenditures the budget there across the line again the blue line is 30 million five eighty

141seven 190 that's about a 10.8 percent increase so uh and you'll see further on the slides that um you know revenues are flat or declining slightly expenditures are going up but we're still going to end with a balanced budget in the headphone what's your go back one Jim one more go back there what I'm trying to get at after all this is what's the net for the Ed fund well I saw they had total revenues I don't know three six three seven letters that'll I'll show you how to slide is coming up and that'll show that I'm there um and they're magic and then operations and maintenance um and I'm just gonna really focus on the uh operating funds initially here the budget um as the 2.8 million all the way over to the right

142that's uh for revenues that's about a six point seven percent drop as you can see the federal funds are dropping by 66 percent that's again the federal eser monies that we're talking about is where you're seeing a big dip there and that's what's driving that decline the expenditures um are the two million eight eighty four seven eighty six they're about up about 16 and a half percent so we did have increases um you know in salaries those are contractually paid for [Music] um under our collective bargaining agreement with the SEIU we also put in their placeholders for additional salaries for extra events summer workers that type of thing um you know so that that's kind of built into the budget as well benefits are whoever is enrolled into certain programs we did have about a

14310 increase in our health insurance increases so that's kind of driving that change there purchase Services would include the the busing as I mentioned earlier for outside busing Services I should say the purchase of buses would fall under the um Transportation Transportation yeah I'm sorry we're in operations excuse me um supplies they are going up General supplies cost of everything we're kind of seeing that with inflation um from paper goods to cleaning supplies um we're seeing increases there there is some tuition costs part of that is our tcd tuition for the operations end of it it's a portion of its budget in the operations and maintenance fund and that's for transporting our student that's for the uh that's for students that's for the plant operations at TCP we're charged a portion of that right okay

144thank you uh the transformation fund revenues um we have local state uh funds there the local funds are property taxes and interest income the state sources would be the our transportation state aid and that's off of our claim that we submit every year so our revenues are 1 million 276 856 are up about 22.6 percent and really the state aid is driving that and that's due to transporting more kids throughout the day our expenditures salaries are going up about five percent 928 348. um here's where our purchase services are that 21.6 percent 566 948 that's for our outside transportation services that we pay for and our lease would come out of there as well supplies are relatively flat tuition is relatively flat that would be for more for permitting for the bus drivers they're renewal

145of their permits and things like that would come out of that line item so a an increase of about 9.8 percent in the transportation fund I am our social security these are benefits um for our all of our staff for our staff who are announced certified staff who are enrolled in the Illinois Municipal retirement fund and Social Security they pay that the district pays their portion of it of course and then uh Medicaid for all staff is comes out of this fund so that's the local Revenue there you're seeing about a 10.6 percent drop that's the only source of income for this fund and that drop is because of the court for personal property replacement taxes a portion of that is accounted for in this fund and that is why it's dropped because of the

146reduction in the corporate personal property replacement taxes yeah so that's that's why that Revenue has gone down there but this is this fund's in very good shape financially uh and then there's our expenditures of 906 thousand two ninety nine a two and a half percent increase and then here capital projects so here's our big uh changes this year um so the the local dollars they have a 32 million seventy five thousand that's a combination of the bond sale that the board already approved one of them there's another one anticipated to come up in January and then interest income is part of that of the local sources so that's our local dollars for Capital project revenues uh projected for next year what was the 256 last year that's just an odd number to see up there

147that was um interest incomes all that was yeah so it was a pretty pretty small amount there that was paid uh funded there accounted for there I should say um so the capital projects so this what um you know we're going to account or we have to account for um our water mitigation project is going to be funded out of here and our stem project so those types of projects are required to be funded and paid for out of a separate operating fund and that fund is this fund the capital projects fund so we've got two categories there budgeted under purchase Services 2.4 million that basically would be paying for architectural fees and services and then the equipment uh Capital line item there the 7 million 469 that would be for the contractors that are

148actually performing and building the building and Performing the work for the water mitigation pit that we saw earlier and this anticipated stem Wing so next year we're projecting and this is based on cash flow needs from those two entities the architect and gilbane of the nine million 876 664. so that's the projection at this point for capital projects for next year and then read I think this is what you're the bottom line here across the funds each fund is listed here in the left column all the way down from the Ed fund and these are just the working cat or our operating funds on this page I'll lay down to working cash we've got their beginning fund balances the added revenues the expenditures projected we are showing under working cash the second row from the

149bottom if you look under expenditures we're showing a transfer an expenditure of four hundred thousand dollars and and uh we're uh recommending a transfer from that fund into Transportation because that fund is is struggling a bit the state aid just doesn't keep up with the um expenses that are occurring there so uh we would right now it's in there we would present that at the in the final budget as well and then we would the board would approve that via a resolution at a later date but that's where we're at kind of what the administration fund and working cash exchange there so total ending funding balance of 27 million seven fourteen three seventy four at the bottom right there all the way on column and then the non-operating functions as we said that we have

150The Debt Service Life Safety we really don't do anything with that fund and then capital projects so the subtotal for those three areas all the way over the estimated ending balance of 32 million seventy two thousand five thirty nine and that's based on the revenues that we spoke about and the expenditures um and the ending balance so when we look at all the funds when we combine the operating and the non-operating funds we're looking at um an ending balance of 59 million seven eighty six nine thirteen you know when you when you when you put the capital projects in there and you know a few other things you really start to move away from you know what I would call operating income and I what's that you know so that's on this page right here

151the 27 million 714. that's an estimated fund balance but then you had revenues of what 37 or 37 yeah look at the third column read revenues all the way at the bottom the 37 million 524. so Reed okay Revenue so you're looking at about okay now get you to the million one yeah 71 yes yes so what's what's missing on here I think for you is that there's oh yeah the beginning balance at the at the front there right that's the 26 643 all right and then our variance being added to it that gives us the 27 714 on the next Slide the the jump from 27 to 59 is because of the bondage I don't need an accounting course just talking through I just asking the questions regarding the formatting does that make sense

152then what um well you're gonna you're a million dollars ahead between the beginning and the ending yeah beginning and the end of the year round turn yes for the operating funds yep okay I know I buzzed through that pretty quick sorry about that but uh any questions or comments that you may have I would happily answer them the uh estimated costs for the negotiations coming to completion is included in this budget there's a placeholder in there right now uh depending on whatever that final agreement is there there may have to be a final adjustment to it okay how are we handling that with the budget approval are we approving it with that potential variance or we would if we don't know what that is by September sounds good thank you sir yeah sure what's the

153next step so the next steps we would ask the board to uh approve the tentative budget to put on display um tonight there's a motion in your packet and then this is the tentative budget this is the tentative budget yes there's still time for comments so is that right before we move to approve yes okay I would like to add one item um this is an article from the Daily Herald and I'm going to guess as a consequence it was based off of last year's numbers and they Source the Illinois State Board of Education they looked at 100 school districts and the cost per student for Fenton was six th highest which means there were 94 other school districts on a per child basis per student basis that spent less so as Fenton was one

154of the more exposed one of the most expensive costs for students in comparison to their peers and I have copies of this many but he wants to see it um then glancing through some of the expenses tonight the cards and checks cut you know it looks like they're I would hope somebody would take to you know look for some opportunity to see if there are places where things could be done perhaps you know more efficiently so um I realized some things are going up but my concern is some things are being you know perhaps aren't getting the kind of uh looked it would be beneficial to perhaps save a few dollars on the larger scheme of things that's a it's a great comic if I could just and this is just to let you know

155read what we try to do we're all one way till we combat and generate new revenues is for Grants right for example we're playing for this three million Grant um for the tri districts another example is we just was awarded to Grant a matching Grant a maintenance Grant Bruce yes from the state yes so um and I think in general we really try to make sure any purchases that we do purchase basically the rule of thumb that that Bruce all taught us is show me three bids or show me show me three resources and try to go for the cheapest but I understood what you are agreed what you said thank you well and I would just add to that I agree with with Mr antago just said but uh this is an estimate of

156course I you know of a budget um I can't make a guarantee but we have been fortunate to come in under budget I'm expense side for the past probably four or five years so there is some contingency in there there has to be for the unanticipated expenses that may happen and Equipment breaks down or a pipe burst uh forbid that happens but um you know those types of things occur so there there are some contingencies in there you may have a motion that the Board of Education to prove the 2023-2024 tentative budget as presented in place in our public display in the district office it is further recommended that the board schedule a public hearing at 7 pm during regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday September 27 2023 prior to adoption of the final budget so

157moved second roll call Rego Figueroa yes Goodrich no paid yes Kovac emphatic Yes rodzinski Yes Lewis yes motion passed this next item is a DuPage County IGA Mutual Aid it is what it is next slide and what it is is an agreement among schools and other taxing bodies as well as First Responders to assist when there is a catastrophe events this really took place about two a year and a half ago with the school shooting particular Highland Park where we decided as a county if any catastrophe like a school shooting happens that all of our resources will go into play because a single school district is not prepared or has the capabilities to to manage and to serve if an event like that does take place who created the IGA it was the DuPage County

158State Attorney and the regional office of of Education superintendent all of the schools and DuPage have signed this IGA they're signing it now in probably next month depending when they have this on their agenda I think this is really a powerful agreement among schools as well as a DuPage County State Attorney I highly recommend this that we signed this IGA as soon as possible there is a fee of 250 dollars in regards to that and the most important thing is that this IGA does not replace existing agreement to the local police fire of other agency those things exist once again this is a huge catastrophe sort of event like a school shooting or a trained derailment or that's around us is that uh 250 dollar fee yearly yes this is the cheapest insurance we can

159get yeah yes and we could pull out with a 60-day notice if we decide not to be part of the agreement any other questions if none may I have a motion that the Board of Education prove the intergovernmental cooperation agreement for Mutual assistance in response to crisis in the public schools of DuPage County substantially in the Forum presented by the superintendent and to authorize the president and secretary to sign the agreement so moved second roll call Rego yes paid yes Kovac yes radzinski yes Figueroa yes Goodrich Yes Lewis yes motion pass committee reports been Seville Community Foundation all right so we met last month we exhausted out the rest of the Subaru fund for those of you who don't know Subaru gives us a sizable amount of money every year that we Dole out to

160Grants to benefit the community of Bensonville so that went well uh I also took the opportunity there let them know about our Capital project that we're doing here and they seemed interested to know more so we'll continue to give them updates as things go and uh they are excited to hear about our German exchange student process there so I wanted to invite formerly to have as many students as we can get to go over to the next uh meeting to kind of give that emphatic thank you I saw wonderful pieces in the video and uh we'll get that over to them and with permission from the board here I would like to if they would like to put a link it on their site as well so be working with them to do that but

161otherwise everything is uh hunky-dory over there so any questions all right thank you board Dei committee uh we haven't met yet but since this is this committee is for the world of Education we're going to start setting I mean we're going to proceed and see the parameters what are we gonna do and especially we got three board members that they haven't attend to the E-class and I believe a James he has the information and I believe you're going to hear for us next month yes I work in those States once established board Finance facilities committee um as you know has already been discussed at Stanley I mean the water mitigation is completely well up and going fully and there's early preparations they've done for the stem win so and I believe next month we have

162an update next month we have a finance facility meetings for a board meeting at 6 pm and we will go further into once again to talk about the water mitigation as well as the stimulant fantastic wardrobe video too uh I don't think we'll have one ready thank you board policy committee we met earlier this evening we have some policy updates that uh recommended most of them are predominantly footnote in nature and we have some new laws that are coming down most of which are things we already do and or have already put into our policy and procedure process so good on us but nothing impactful or exciting there Beyond some footnote updates so thank you iasb delegate um well hope to see you again tomorrow boy for our Workshop home tomorrow in a cool area

163in a cooler area absolutely John we're out of smiles let's just get this over with you Linda nothing to report net Set uh we had a meeting uh August 14 and uh we got two meetings it was the operational meeting and the government meeting and it was a long meeting for me um officially it was used the public hearing for the budget and the presentation for the new director or the organization and Jim Nelson resigned while he was retired and we got a new director which it was familiar with the procedures he was working there for four years four years start putting them yes yes thought so we got a new director and they are working right now in the Strategic plan because they've been working five years with our strategic plan and I believe

164in the couple months we're gonna hear about that it's all what I have to report our next board meeting is Wednesday September 27 2023 at 7 00 pm prior today we have a finance and facility committee meeting at 6 pm a question um Bruce he said that we would be voting on defense bid tomorrow is that correct yes okay thank you may have a motion and a second to go into closed session for the father five out of five Illinois CS 120 2c1 the appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific and employees of Fenton School District 100. five Illinois CS 122c2 Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees section two oh six five Illinois CS

165122c 21. discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the open meetings act whether for the purpose of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated five Illinois SCS 122c9 student disciplinary cases roll call Rego yes call back yes radzinski yes Figueroa yes Goodrich yes Cade Yes Lewis yes let's take a five minute break foreign very good may I have a motion and a second to adjourn so move second no call Rego yes Figueroa yes you good Rich yes paid yes full back abstain redzinski yes Louis yes thank you are we done yes yes we're done