CCSD 46 Board of Education Meeting: April 8th, 2026

001Okay, good evening, everybody. We're going to go ahead and get the meeting started. Welcome this evening to the Community Consolidated School District 46 Board of Education meeting, Wednesday, April 8th, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. here at Frederick School. We need a call to order and a roll call, please. Mack? Here. Braden? Here. Nash? Here. Halverson? Here. Hune? Here. Miller? Here. And Weidman? >> Here. Great, thank you. Please join me for the pledge. Thank you very much. I need a motion to approve the agenda for this evening, please. So moved. I'll second. Miller? I. Mack? I. Halverson? I. Weidman? I. Braden? I. Hune? I. And Nash? I. Okay, thank you. Agenda approved. Okay, that brings us to the public comment portion. I Are there any more on the sheets down there? I only I have two

002sheets here. And I'll read through the names. Okay, so the public comment is one of the most important parts of a board meeting, and so we are here to, as always, listen. Couple of reminders, as always, you have 4 minutes or less to make the public comment, and then I'll try to stick pretty close to that, but as I am with my students, I usually let it go a little bit beyond, so I'll try not to interrupt you. Uh we are asking that you are addressing the issue at hand, and there are no personal attacks on staff or board members. If that does happen, I will stop you in the middle of your comment and move on to the next person on the public comment sheet. We also do ask, as well, that we will

003likely address any inaccuracies that we hear. Normally, the board is here to listen, and we do not respond during public comment, but as we have been in dialogue with the community over the past several weeks, if we hear any inaccuracies, we will attempt to correct them here in real time. If not, we will be getting back to you after the board meeting at another time. Okay? So, we'll go ahead and begin. I'm just going to go down the list in order of the sheets that I have. So, Ms. Flores, you are first. Uh good evening. My name is Quoi Flores, and I am the president of the Grayslake Federation of Teachers. I have also spent 27 years serving the students of this district. I want to speak directly to the decision to move forward with

004this staffing plan. Over the past several weeks, our members showed up again and again. They spoke thoughtfully, respectfully, [music] and with one consistent focus, the students. They asked for transparency, for genuine consideration of alternatives, and for decisions grounded in what is best for kids. What we heard in response was that this process was thoughtful, reflective, and student-centered. But we have repeatedly asked to see the data behind these decisions, the methodology, the criteria, the rubrics, and that has not been provided in any meaningful or formal way. We are being asked to trust a process that we have not been allowed to see. And when that unseen process results in cutting the very people who work directly with students and staff every single day, it is fair to question what student-centered means. We did not come without

005solutions. We brought forward real, responsible alternatives, ways to reduce costs without removing people from students' lives. As far as we have been told, those options were not seriously explored. At the same time, we are being told that additional administrative support is necessary. It is difficult to reconcile those two things, cutting positions that directly serve students while maintaining or adding positions that do not have that same daily impact, especially when those positions are being sustained on the backs of the very staff who will yet again be asked to do more with less. That is not collaboration, and it is not what we were led to believe would happen. So, I need to say this clearly. Trust has been damaged. You asked for input. You received it from the people closest to students, from the people doing

006this work every day. You created a feeling that made people believe their voices could shape the outcome. And then you moved forward in a way that made it feel like there was never any real chance of change. That matters. Because next year, leadership will be different, but we will still be here. We will be here with the students who feel the impact of these decisions. We will be here carrying the weight of what was removed. And we will be paying attention. We will monitor outcomes. We will track what happens when these supports are gone. And if those outcomes decline, we will come back and say clearly and without hesitation, "We told you this would happen, and it did not have to." This is about students. It is about the adults they rely on every day.

007And it is about a decision that prioritized maintaining a plan over the needs of our students. And that is something we will not be able to forget. And we stand together because from this point forward, we will have our own backs. We will continue to show up for our students. We will continue to do our jobs with integrity. But we will also remember this moment. Because leadership is not just about budgets and processes. It's about trust. And right now, that trust has been broken. Thank you, Ms. Flores. Ms. Miller? Hi, my name is Jennifer Miller, and I'm the vice president of the Grayslake Federation of Teachers. Reality in our schools, a response from the 2026-2027 Enrollment and Staffing Plan, presented by the Grayslake Federation of Teachers Union and the Grayslake PSRPE Union. Why this FAQ

008exists. The district recently released an FAQ explaining the proposed staffing changes for next year. That document focuses on numbers, structures, and logistics. What it does not fully reflect on is what these roles look like in the real classroom with real students every single day. This FAQ shares that reality using the voices and experiences of the staff who do this work. Reading support, district claim. Fewer students are qualifying for reading intervention, so fewer reading assistant positions are needed. Reality in our schools. Reading assistants are not limited to a small group of students receiving intervention. They're embedded throughout the entire school day, supporting instruction, reinforcing skills, and ensuring that students can access grade level content. They provide tier two and tier three interventions, including specialized decoding programs for students who cannot yet read multi-syllabic words. They run

009small groups. They support writing. They modify kids assignments. They provide in-class support so students can participate in core instruction. They also support multilingual learners and students who are just below proficient proficiency. These are often the students who, with the right support, avoid falling significantly behind. Removing these positions does not mean that fewer students need help. It means that fewer students will receive it. Voices from our staff. Because we would be losing 40% of our reading staff, the number of students who receive help would be dramatically impacted. Many students would not receive pull-out instruction or in-class support, including multilingual learners and students on the cusp of needing intervention. Over half of the current students would not receive reading small group instruction. And speaking personally, I have a class of 22. Six kids get reading help. That

010won't help happen next year. Students who require tier three decoding programs would likely not receive these services because specialists would have too many students. What this means for students. Students will receive less individualized instruction, less frequent support, and fewer opportunities to build foundational reading skills. Many will fall further behind before qualifying for help. What this means for staff. Teachers will be responsible for delivering core instruction while also meeting a wide range of intervention needs without the support that currently makes that possible. And I would like to add that teachers are not trained in um all of the interventions that are being currently used. Social emotional learning, SEL. District claim, SEL support will continue through classroom instruction and administrative support. Reality in our schools. SEL coaches provide direct [music] instruction, small group support, staff training, and

011school-wide systems that help students regulate emotions, build relationships, and stay engaged in learning. This work is proactive. It prevents behaviors from escalating and supports students before they reach a crisis point. These roles also support staff through coaching, modeling, and professional development. Without them, that support does not disappear. It shifts to staff that are already managing full classrooms and multiple responsibilities. Voices from our staff. Students would lose consistent proactive support in emotional regulation, problem-solving, and relationship building. There These responsibilities do not go away. They get redistributed to already overstaffed work. One teacher told me, "I don't know what I would have done without you this year. You saved my teaching career." What this means for students. Students will have fewer opportunities to learn and practice essential social emotional skills, leading to increased frustration, behavior challenges, and

012disengagement. What it means for staff. Teachers will now be expected to take on additional behavior and emotional support responsibilities without the time or the training to do so effectively. Thank you. I'm Lynn Misalunas. I am the secretary for the Grayslake Federation of Teachers. Continuing where Jen left off, we have media center and library support. The district claim, media centers or media services will continue with adjusted staffing. The reality in our schools, media assistants and specialists do far more than manage books. They teach students using Illinois literacy, computer science, and IL standards and work with teachers to connect those skills to classroom learning. They also support school-wide needs like broadcasts and MAP and IAR testing. They provide training and daily support for staff and students in the programs and technology used across the school. They also

013plan for and oversee media media assistants to keep everything running smoothly. They maintain the systems that keep the media center accessible and organized for all of our students. Reducing these roles reduces instruction, access, and overall quality. The voices from our staff. Every single student comes to the library each week. Without full-time support, that experience changes for all of them. Students will not have help finding books that match their interests and needs. There will be times the media center may have to close due to lack of supervision. What this means for our students. Students will have reduced access to books, less support in developing reading habits, and fewer opportunities to engage in meaningful literacy experiences. What this means for our staff. Teachers will lose a key support system for instructional materials, research support, and curriculum integration.

014Teacher on special assignment, the TOSA. The district claim, support for staff and instruction will continue through existing leadership structures. The reality in our schools. The instructional support role of a TOSA is the system that keeps instruction strong across all of our buildings. They work in every single building each week coaching teachers, modeling lessons, and providing real-time support that directly impacts 400 to 700 students. They accelerate new teacher growth, strengthen experienced teachers, and ensure that students are not impacted by staffing changes. Their work improves instruction immediately, not months later. Voices from our staff. I impact between 400 and 700 students each week through classroom support and teacher coaching. Without this role, instructional quality will decrease, especially for students supported by new teachers. This position bridges staff, buildings, and district initiatives in a way that cannot be

015replicated. What this means for our students. Students will lose real-time instructional support, leading to less responsive teaching, weaker classroom experiences, and fewer supports, especially in the Title One and high-need settings. What this means for our staff. Teachers will lose coaching, mentorship, and immediate problem-solving support. New teachers will take longer to grow, feel more overwhelmed, and are more likely to leave. Thank you. I'm Amy Forrest. I'm the treasurer for the Grayslake Federation of Teachers. I'd like to highlight our special service facilitators. The district claims that their support for staff and instruction will continue through existing leadership structures. The reality in our schools. These positions serve as 504 case managers for approximately 80 students and help coordinate nearly 400 IEP and 504 meetings each year. They ensure accommodations are understood and implemented correctly, maintain legal compliance, and

016support crisis response in buildings. They provide direct coaching and mentorship to special education teachers, especially those new to the profession, helping with IEP writing, data collection, behavior planning, and classroom strategies. They also train staff in crisis prevention and de-escalation to safely support students with challenging behaviors. Voices from our staff. I support about 80 students directly through 504 management and impact many more through staff coaching and training. My role ensures legal compliance and allows case managers to focus on students instead of paperwork. I provide hands-on support to teachers managing complex behaviors so students can stay safe and in class. What this means for students. Students with the highest needs will lose access to trained staff who support behavior, safety, and successful participation in the classroom. What this means for staff. Without this role, case managers will

017take on significant additional responsibilities, reducing time for direct instruction and support tied to IEP goals. The overall impact on students. Across all areas, a clear pattern emerges. Students will experience less individualized attention, fewer interventions and supports, increased difficulty accessing grade level content, more behavioral challenges without proactive support. The students most impacted will be those who already need the most support. The overall impact on staff. These changes shift responsibilities, not remove them. Staff will experience increased workload, reduced support systems, greater pressure to meet diverse student needs alone, increased stress and burnout. Final thoughts. These roles exist because they meet real needs in our schools. Reducing them does not eliminate those needs. It shifts the burden onto fewer people and leaves students with less support. Our students deserve consistent direct support from trained professionals. Our staff deserve

018the support systems that allow them to do their jobs effectively. Thank you, Ms. Miller, Ms. Misalunas, and Ms. Forrest. Ms. Wansel? I have to take off my glasses to read, so. Um good evening. My name is Amy Wansel. I've been teaching at Woodview School for the past 22 years. But more than that, I am a 30-year Grayslake resident, and my children attended D46, Meadowview, Frederick, and the middle school. Tonight, I come here disappointed, saddened, and troubled that this board has decided to accept the staffing plan presented by the current administrative team. The cuts are short-sided and only continue to build the admin team while doing a disservice to the students who need us most. As I said, I've lived in Grayslake for 30 years. And once again, this board and administration continue to follow in

019the footsteps of the past. The first and only cuts that happened in this district are to certified staff, PSRPs, and student services and programs. Never in the 30 years that I have lived here have the cuts come from the district office. Let's take a little trip down memory lane. Remember when there was that elimination of music, art, and PE? PE? We were told, "Don't worry. Those can be covered by the classroom teachers." Sounds familiar. Well, my own my children still respond to that and go, "I can't believe they got away with that, Mom. We needed those things." When it was realized that this method wasn't what's best for students, cuz trust me, you don't want to hear me sing, you don't want to see me draw, and this body doesn't work out. So, those positions

020were brought back. But, it was not to the level that they were previously. Music dropped to once a week and art was shortened. And don't get me started on all the fabulously talented music, art, and PE teachers that this district has lost because of the traveling and sharing between buildings. I digress. But, we as the educators in the trenches worked with it and made it work. That's what we do. Make it work for the kids so they don't even notice. Then, 2 years later, the district threatened to remove those programs again. Thank goodness parents stepped in, had a say, but knowing how important it was, the union decided to take a pay freeze to save those positions. Now, we fast forward to where we are today. Again, cuts to staff and programs that directly affect

021students, reading assistants, library media assistants, SEL coaches, TOSA, student service facilitators, information specialist, data coordinator, and classroom teachers. But, don't worry. We will readdress this position if we see the need. That's the response we get. Well, as we've seen in the past, these positions may come back, but not in their current best form. It will be a modified form, a band-aid stuck onto the problem. We will lose all the gains that we have made and become once again reactive instead of proactive. But, we are so lucky to be adding administrators, four assistant principals, and a principal at ECC. What we have seen is it's more important to get an assistant for an assistant for an assistant. And looking closely at our district, we tend to be too top-heavy. I did a quick search and found

022that in our district there will be when all these are done, 28 administrators. While just down the road in Lake Villa, there's only 14. Woodland, which is quite larger than us, has 31s. Has 31. Sorry, no s. The raw numbers make D50 look top-heavy, but the ratios show that D46 actually has the most administrators per student and D41 is the leanest. And on all that top-heavy weight is going to be carried by staff who have been loyal to this district, in it for the long haul. But, guess what? Many of us are getting ready to retire. The new staff members are not going to have that same loyalty to you that we have. They're going to leave the district that paid for ones that pay more, actually support student needs. And again, who suffers? All

023the students needing the supports you have taken away. Those students who need SA SEL lessons, those students who you have let down again. Taking supports from teachers and students to give it to administration. Really? Thank you for your time. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you, Ms. Wonsil. Ms. Gibson. You overflow. Okay. Ms. Boxer. All right, I'm going to try and do this. Um for nearly three decades, I have proudly served District 46, a place I've long admired for its students-first philosophy and its respect for the professional expertise of its faculty. However, after 30 years in education, I can no longer remain silent as the foundation of our district shifts. We have moved away from a collaborative environment where teachers were integral integral to the decision-making process. Recently, critical decisions regarding student placement and academic progress

024have been made with zero input from staff members who know what's best for students. It is disheartening that reading specialists were not consulted for progress monitoring data and math teachers were excluded from discussions regarding student academic suitability. Despite the concerns voiced by parents and staff at recent meetings, the administration's decision to take a step back has not resulted in meaningful listening or a commitment to student-centered outcomes. This shift in leadership strategy appears to rely on the hope that teachers will simply absorb the impact of these cuts. While our dedication to our students is unwavering, our plates are over Our plates are overflowing and we cannot realistically fill the void left by the removal of our essential reading assistants and everybody else. It is particularly illogical to dismantle the very support systems that are currently producing

025improved reading results. Furthermore, the decision to trade our social-emotional learning SEL program for additional assistant principal positions is a move from a proactive culture to a reactive one. Rather than teaching children how to navigate their emotions and build lifelong coping skills, we are choosing to wait for them to fail and then sending them to an administrator for discipline. Watching our most valuable learners lose the support they need is truly heartbreaking. This is not the district I have devoted my entire personal and professional career to, and I'm devastated by the current trajectory. We entered this profession to empower children as readers and individuals. To do that effectively, we need an administration that values our expertise and prioritizes the actual needs of the classroom over reactive administrative restructuring. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Ms. Boxer.

026Ms. Barnbaum. My name is Kelly Barnbaum, and I am one of the reading specialists at Woodview School. I have proudly, like Ms. Boxer, worked in this district for 30 years. My own children attended District 46, so this community is not only where I work, it's my home. Um as Ms. Wonsil stated, many of us chose this as our home and stayed. I have stayed to the point where many of the parents, their kids that I have taught, their parents, and they are now at Woodview School. I'm here tonight because I am deeply disappointed and concerned about the proposed cuts, particularly to the reading assistants, because that is what affects the students I work with the most. These individuals are not supplemental. They are essential. They are vital a vital vital part of our instructional team,

027working every day with students who need targeted support to succeed. Some of these students may not be on my data sheet and qualify technically for reading services, but we know they need it, so we are lucky to have these wonderful assistants who can help us with that. Our reading our district's strong reading data did not happen by chance. It is the result of a collective effort, teachers, specialists, and reading assistants working together to meet students where they are. Because of the support, we are able to reach more students, provide interventions earlier, and pre prevent gaps from widening. Assuming these cuts move forward, that level of support simply will not be possible. Ms. Ms. Keegan and I are stretched thin with what we work with in our buildings. Fewer adults means fewer students receiving the help

028they need. And when that happens, we risk seeing our reading scores decline and the number of students needing intensive instruction increase. In the long run, this is not a savings, it is a setback. What is especially disheartening is that reading specialists, those of us working most closely with these students, were not consulted before these recommendations were made. Data on paper tells part of the story, but it does not capture the full reality of our students' needs and what we see day in and day out in our classrooms. Not every child, not every challenge fits neatly on a spreadsheet. These decisions will directly impact students and not for the better. When friends that are not in education ask me or say, "Oh, you're so lucky. You have four reading assistants. You must not have anything to

029do." I laugh and I tell them they are absolutely incorrect because they're not my assistants. They are not doing paperwork for me. They are not making copies for me. They are not cutting things out for me. They are directly impacting our students and their education. They might be carrying out instructions and plans that I leave them. They're not doing it for me. They're doing it for our kids. These These These decisions will directly impact our students and not for the better. I urge you to reconsider. I know it's not a precedent that has been set, but now might be the time. Were other options fully explored? Were cuts considered in areas that would not directly affect student learning? After 30 years in this district, I can say with certainty our students deserve the strongest support

030system we can provide. I asked you to protect the resources that are making a real difference in their lives every day. Thank you, Ms. Berenbaum. Mr. McFarland? Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. Uh my name is Michael McFarland. I am a parent of two current students in District 46 and a third entering kindergarten next year. When my wife and I were deciding where to put down roots about 13 years ago, strong schools were one of our top priorities. And District 46 was a big part of that decision. We've been strong advocates for the district for many years, including supporting the referendum last year. My wife is a kindergarten teacher and I also worked in the school district for a while, so I understand the complexity of these decisions and the

031pressure that both administration and board members face. I've also um seen firsthand though the impact this district can have. My second grader, Sammy, went from disliking and really actively um avoiding reading to now having a book in her hands at almost all the time to the point where we have to tell her to put it down to come to dinner. So, I'm here because I have concerns though. Um not just about the proposed staffing changes themselves, but but how the decision has been made and communicated. I recently shared a letter with the board outlining many of these concerns. Over the past week, I've taken the time to read the district's communications, review the FAQ, and reach out directly to Dr. Glickman for clarification. I appreciate that she did respond and helped to clarify distinction between

032reading specialist and reading assistants for me. Even with that clarification, my my concerns remain. While certified reading specialists are being maintained, the reduction in reading assistants and other roles are still um represent a reduction in overall instructional support support capacity, excuse me. Particularly in how flex- flexibility and broadly interventions can be delivered to students who need additional help. At the same time, we are adding administrative roles. This is a shift in priorities and it's one that deserves careful scrutiny. There's also a broader context that makes this difficult to rec- to reconcile. The community was recently asked to support increased operational funding following the retirement of an existing bond. And that request was approved. That reflected trust. Trust in the district's direction and stewardship. To then move forward with a decision of this scale without meaningful

033community engagement creates a disconnect that I think is important to acknowledge. Trust, once asked for, has to be maintained through transparency and inclusion. Equally troubling is the board's attempt to position itself as largely removed from the responsibility for this decision. The claim that staffing decisions fall solely within the purview of administration is at best an incomplete representation of your role. The board approves administrative hires, including the very positions being added, and sets the budget that enables these changes. Most importantly, the board is entrusted by the community to exercise judgment, not to defer it. Choosing not to act is still a decision. In this case, it is a decision to fully endorse a plan that removes critical academic supports while expanding administrative capacity. Staff and community members were given very little time to react before this

034was brought forward. The district then stated um it would pause to reflect on the feedback it did receive. Yet the plan is now moving forward without any meaningful change or clear explanation of how that feedback changed the out- the outcome. That does not feel like meaningful engagement. This is also happening just before a strategic planning, a process that's intended to gather community input on decisions exactly like this. So, I would ask, if this is truly the right direction for the district, why is it not being evaluated as part of that broader community-informed process? District 46 has built its reputation on strong academic outcomes and meaningful student support. This decision deserves the same level of care, transparency, and collaboration. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Mr. McFarland. Ms. Butt? Good evening. Um I'm here because

035this process and decision-making has been weighing heavily on my heart and on my mind. And I can only speak to what I know best, and that's my kids. And when they come home every day and I hear these stories about their interactions with the staff members that we're so lucky to have in our district, and to hear the joy that they have in visiting their media center and in getting to interact with people, that I'm just so grateful for those people and everything they do to make my son feel like he has a team and that it matters and that he matters. And so I think the more people that support our kids, they recognize and acknowledge that. Um as a teacher and as a Girl Scout leader, we teach our students and our kids

036that their voice matters. And I think we as community members want it to feel like our voice matters. And so I stand here for my children trying to share my voice, and what matters to me deeply is their passion for learning and the support that all of these staff members have given them. And it pains me to hear the sadness in these teachers' hearts that I want them to know that we care and that they spend more time with our children daily than a lot of us get to. And that I thank them for all that they do, and I know that they trust all of the support they've been receiving from all the staff members that we're talking about here today. Thank you, Ms. Butt. Ms. Gleason? Am I pronouncing that correctly? Hi. I'm

037Angie Gleason. I am another D46 parent. Um I have a son who's in first grade at Woodview, and I have an incoming kindergartner. Um and I just felt like I needed to come up here. Make a comment. After the last meeting, I regretted not stepping up and not having my voice heard. Um and I realize that these decisions have already been made and that this comment might mean nothing, but I'm here. Um my son, I think, is one of those cusp kids. He doesn't probably um qualify for these resources, but he has absolutely um been able to benefit from these resources. Um last year was a tough year for him as a kindergartner, adjusting to learning in a setting that was not play-based, in a setting where he had to sit longer, and there was

038less time outside, and there was a lot more fine motor. Um and reading was tough, and um he was blessed to have support from the reading team at Woodview, specifically Mrs. Shafer, who has just really created a love for reading for him. Um and as the other father mentioned, um he is one of those kids, too, where we're like, "You got to put the books down now, Julian." Um and I I believe as a parent that a love for reading is equivalent to a love for learning. And that is what we want as parents is we want our kids to develop that lifelong love for learning. My husband and I chose Grayslake, like pretty much every other parent here, because of this district. And I I'm disappointed. You know, I was disappointed when I found

039out there was no foreign language until high school. I was disappointed when I found out if my kid wanted to be in band, he had to go to school early before school started. Um and then these decisions have just brought on further disappointment. Um I want to say also that, you know, there was a comment uh about this being a decision being made for the children. A decision that um is supposed to support these very dysregulated children. Um, and I'm trying to understand how that is going to work. Um, one of the other reasons my son had a difficult time last year was because of distracting and quite frankly disturbing behavior. Uh, I got a phone call at one point that at recess he was pushed down on the ground and a student stomped on

040his stomach. Um, and my jaw just dropped to the floor. I don't understand how a five or six-year-old little boy is having that reaction. You know, he's a sweet kid. I've seen it. My That's dysregulation and now we're taking away a department or a service that is supposed to support kids that that need that support. Um, you know, feeling safe in the space where we're expected to learn is important and I don't know that our children are going to feel that without these roles, these people that are there in the classrooms, in the lunch room, on the playground supporting the kids day in and day out and instead essentially reallocating those funds to somebody who's sitting in an office. Um, that it doesn't sit right from a parent's perspective and you know, I I am

041just very disheartened. That is the word that I can say is I feel disheartened. Um, but I also feel, um, hopeful because I see a lot of parents that I know here and I know that we now feel like we have to take a more active role and we have to pay closer attention and we need to make sure that these types of cuts don't continue in the future, um, because you know, that's not why we're here and that's not why we love Grayslake. So, thank you for letting me speak. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Ms. Gleason. Ms. Krickel, I'm sorry. Sorry, is that pronounced it? Okay. Hi. My name is Lauren Krickel and I'm speaking tonight to express my disappointment with the district administrators, school board and any other participants in the decision-making process

042regarding the cuts to support staff that directly impact students. I'm speaking not only as a parent of two students at Woodview, but as a lifelong resident of Grayslake who attended Woodview, Lakeview when it was still Lakeview, GMS and graduated from Grayslake Community High School as it was when I graduated. I am also a former high school history teacher and the daughter of a District 127 school board member who was president of the board for 16 years. I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges that come with being a member of the decision-making team, but also know that the way decisions have been made and communicated to teachers, support staff, parents and community members is lacking and disregards the needs of students, teachers and staff. It is outrageous for anyone to believe that the upcoming redistribution of

043support staff will not impact students. I would like to speak on the experiences of my own children in their kindergarten and first grade years at Woodview. In kindergarten, my daughter had a student in her class who would have frequent violent outbursts that required the support of multiple staff members to keep not only Mrs. Georgia safe, but the five and six-year-olds who were in her care. These outbursts were physical and directed at Mrs. Georgia as well as at the students in her class. Each time these events occurred, the kindergarten hall was placed on soft lockdown and required the intervention of many adults in the building. Who were the staff who would jump in to help? The social-emotional learning team, the kindergarten assistants because there used to be more than one, and the reading assistants. In case

044anyone hasn't worked in a classroom in the last 10 years, these outbursts are becoming more and more common at all grade levels. And each time they occur, staff members must attend to not only the dysregulated student, but more are needed to supervise the other students and someone has to document what has happened, fill out necessary paperwork and then submit to the state as required by law. At minimum, three adults are needed to safely address such occurrences. When I spoke to the principal at Woodview about the situation when my daughter was in kindergarten and the fear that my daughter had had after watching Mrs. Georgia get beaten up, I was told that I was wrong, that there were plenty of support staff and that Mrs. Georgia was not in fact beaten up. She was just hit,

045kicked and punched. Semantics. This theme followed my daughter into Ms. Lanyard's class in first grade. The disruptions escalated to the point where her entire class would have to spend hours in temporary locations like the library, art room and music room to hopefully maybe receive some instruction those days. Good thing the library had media assistants who could provide support for those terrified students in times of crisis. The demands and expectations placed on teachers increases every year. They manage classroom instruction, curriculum pre curriculum planning, student assessment and behavior management across multiple subjects. They act as mentors, caregivers and collaborators with parents, support staff and administrators to support student development. All while being grossly underpaid in this district. Many teachers need to take on second jobs just to get by, but it seems like the district has the

046funds to provide more support for teachers and increase their salaries. Looking at the publicly available salary and benefits report, we have district officials making over $200,000, principals and assistant principals making over $100,000, and now we're hiring four new assistant principals at close to $100,000 each and expecting more of the teachers who are paid $44,000 a year. Will these assistant principals be the ones helping in moments of crisis? How will they take on the role of at minimum three different staff members simultaneously while also supervising recess because removing reading assistants eliminates the adults who keep our students safe at unstructured times. And will this happen while they also attend all IEP and 504 meetings, but also providing instruction in classrooms for social and emotional development? Oh, and lunch duty as well. I'm not sure about you,

047but it seems that that is an impossible amount of multitasking. While it has been said that the short-sighted and absurd decisions have already been made, expressing these concerns is still relevant and important. Our teachers and staff need our support and I for one will continue to advocate on behalf of both students and teachers. Your decision has only ignited more passion among teachers and community members alike. I look forward to being a more informed, impassioned and active participant at meetings regarding the direction of our district in the future. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you, Ms. Krickel. Okay, there are no more board uh there are no more public comments signed up at the moment, so there is a sign-in sheet. Yes. I have a pen. Yes, of course. Good evening. Um, my name is

048Danielle Sleozes. Um, I'm the proud parent of three children in D46. Um, one of which is dyslexic and um two of which often um who you've uh many of the teachers here have dealt with, um, deal with dis like dysregulation on a regular basis with them. So, this is important to us from a family perspective and from a community's perspective as well. Um, with regard to the staffing plan for the 2026-2027 proposed changes, um, the student-facing roles in reading, SEL, student services and instructional support while also expanding administrative capacity. With the changes of the scope, it is reasonable for the community to expect clear, data-based explanations for why these shifts are needed and how they will benefit students. The information has not yet been fully provided. The district's updated FAQ was intended to help fill

049in those details. Instead, it shows that many of the community's core questions remain unanswered. Even after substantial public engagement, the district is still asking families to accept reductions in direct student support along administrative additions without the underlying data that would allow the public to understand and evaluate the plan. And while some of this information may have been presented to the board, it has not been presented in the to the public in a way that demonstrates these decisions are grounded and evidenced or aligned with best practices. We know that the district projects a decline of about 90 students, but even the FAQ acknowledges the enrollment is not uniformly declining. Some schools and grade levels are increasing, yet the district still has not provided grade level or building level projections needed to understand where staffing projections make

050sense and where they do not. A single district-wide number cannot justify district-wide cuts. The district also cites rising costs and declining fund balance projections and claims the staffing plan will save estimated $700,000. But there is no explanation of how the proposed mix of cuts and additions addresses a deficit or why adding four new assistant principals is the most effective or student-centered response to financial pressure. With the clear without a clear financial analysis, the public is being asked to take the district's word for it. At the same time, the district continues to assert that fewer students need reading or SEL support, yet provides no screening data, no MTSS caseloads, no SEL or behavioral trends, no IEP workload analysis. These are not minor omissions. They are the very metrics that would demonstrate whether these reductions are appropriate.

051The absence of the data speaks louder than the district's assurances. And now the board's governance statement raises an even deeper concern. The board says it does not vote on staffing plans and will not blur the line between governance and administration. Yet in that same commission communication, the board declares full support for the administration staffing plan and state that it will move forward under the the board approved budget. You cannot claim to be hands-off while simultaneously endorsing a plan the public has not been allowed to see the evidence for. The board may not vote on staffing plans, but you do vote on the budget that enables them. You do have the authority to require transparency, and you do have the responsibility to ensure that the decisions affecting thousands of students are grounded in evidence, not summaries,

052not narratives, and not reassurances. And nothing in the board's recent communication or in the last meeting indicates the board has reviewed the underlying data, requested missing information, or how the administration accountable for providing a clear data-driven rationale. Supporting the administration's expertise cannot mean suspending oversight. Right now, trust is not simply eroding, it is being undermined. The board continues to describe these decisions, administration I should say, describes these decisions as student-centered, yet has not required the data that would demonstrate it. Restoring trust requires action. The board must require the full data set the community has repeatedly requested, enrollment by grade and building, intervention caseloads, SEL and behavior trends, IEP volumes, and a transparent financial analysis of showing how this plan addresses a district's deficit. I urge the board to pause implementation of this staffing plan until

053that information is publicly presented and independently reviewed. Transparency and accountability are essential. The community deserves decisions All right. Yeah, okay. So, the community deserves decisions grounded in evidence, not deference. And I will say from a personal perspective, this all feels very preventable. The way we communicate with our community can be done in a way that provides proactive communication and not reactive. And I'd like to thank all the teachers who made sure that the parents were aware of these decisions were happening. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Ms. Weiss. Hello. My name is Karen Weiss, and I was born and raised here in Grayslake. My grandparents lived here, my father lived here, and my mom taught first grade here. My children are fourth grade fourth generation Grayslake residents. I say this to you so you

054can understand that I have a lifelong commitment to the education of this community, as so many other people do here. You can see how many people have showed up that have been here for generations. My children have received the reading interventions from this district and are now thriving because of these people in this room. So, thank you. They are thriving because of these people. I want to remind myself and you that we all want the same thing. We just [applause] [music] don't agree on how to get there in this who cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school. The window to change that is in kindergarten through third grade. That window is right now in these buildings with your students. This district is

055proposing to reduce its assistant staff during this critical window. Um in your communications, you've been quick to highlight that these staff aren't necessarily losing their jobs, but you won't acknowledge the students that will suffer as a result of this plan. So, I'm here to remind you that your decision will cause my 6-year-old child suffer when he struggles to access his education. I also want to remind you that under Illinois law, the district is required to screen every K through two student for reading difficulties and provide intervention to those at risk. That's not optional, that's a law. And I have not received an answer from the board or administrative or even my building principal to the question, how will this district fulfill its legal obligation to provide reading intervention to at-risk students with even fewer reading

056assistants? I am not asking this board to reverse a decision. I am asking for something much, much simpler. I want a written answer explaining how these legally mandated reading interventions will be maintained for students who depend on it, and this this answer should exist before this plan is finalized. And if it does exist, I would ask that it be shared with families. Your communication said that every perspective heard helps inform the decision-making process, and I'm just asking for evidence that this one did. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Ms. Stanzikowitz, am I pronouncing that correctly? Did I get close? Much like any teacher of mine growing up, as soon as I started a st- I knew it was me. Uh Stanskavich. Um Hi, everybody. Uh so, this is my second time speaking at a

057school board meeting. Uh very essentially due to this issue. Um and I want to just start off by asking a few seemingly simple questions. Um do any of you guys up here have students in the district that will be impacted by these cuts? Um and then when was the last time any administrator taught an in-person elementary grade level class? And then, aside from the last meeting when was the last time the school board heard the opinions or perspective from the educators? And I do not say this as a slight to the educators. Um my dad is a local high school teacher of over 40 years. I grew up in honors and AP curriculum, and I was a tutor throughout middle and high school, and then in high school finishing up being the NHS tutor chair,

058right? I've coached a couple of sports growing up. I had wanted to go into education while I was in college. Um but before I even left high school, my dad had told me to not become a teacher. Um it is mostly thankless, and you receive heat from all directions. You'll be underpaid and overworked. And you'd just do say at this point in my life, I am not a teacher. I listened to him. Um and it is sad to me that now, 2 months in a row, I am trying to say the same thing um with not as much preparation as all these wonderful people before me, but just as a parent who feels the need to go on record to just say that I feel this decision is short-sighted. Um everyone who has spoken before

059me this evening has said it much more eloquently and fact-based than I have. But they echo they echo the thoughts that I also have, which is we are doing good things at the moment. Why are we changing that? We have It takes years to get evidence of progress. We are feeling progress. You don't take away what is enabling that progress before you get to like an end goal. Like and not even just a goal, but we could be a shining example of other school systems. And again, what I said last time, my husband and I there were I'm from Mundelein, right? I went to District 120, District 76. That's my background. I didn't move to Mundelein. I moved here after I moved back from living in South Carolina for college, right? I want my kids

060to have the best opportunity, and I really enjoy what this district has to offer, and I would love for it to stay and increase at that level. But getting rid of people who are so essential and just like the most minute thing that I didn't even realize was part of this, my son being in kindergarten. My daughter will be in kindergarten next year. Um but there's a boy in his class, I won't use his name. Um who hasn't been like when they do their carpet time, they have a bin, and he has access to all these things that allow him to fidget and be present and allow the other students to learn. And my son came home from school saying, "Hey, I have a friend at school who he has this bin of things, but

061[clears throat] he just he sits there and he plays with these things when we're on the rug, and we all get to talk. And we all get to hit, you know, we listen to Ms. Cunningham. And for him to say he knows that his friend needs these, and to for a six now six-year-old to realize that his friend is benefiting from this program that I at last meeting I heard is a new program in the district. Um to hear direct evidence from my son who knows no better than to just simply mention this at the kitchen table. Um that alone to me speaks volumes. And I really hope that you all consider how deeply this is impacting everybody, and I know with the last few communications over the last two two to three weeks it

062sounds like you might be, but please revisit it again. Please. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, everybody. We're going to move on to the board report section. I do have a statement to share as well as part of this, but I'm going to go off my script for a minute and just introduce myself to the people in this room that I do not know, although I do know many of you. My name is Steven Mack. [clears throat] I'm currently serving as the board president, but I am a father. And I am a teacher. And I am a 24-year resident of Grayslake as well. And the investment in education that I make on a daily basis in partnership with you and in partnership with the community is something that has informed my life for a

063very, very long time. Teachers sitting in this room have directly directly impacted my children. They would not be where they are without you. That is not at question in any of the decisions that we make. You have impacted people in my family so much that they do things that I was not able to think they could do a long time ago. From Isabella who receives special services here to Christian who is now a thriving sophomore at Grayslake Central to Abigail who will be graduating in a few weeks. So, my life is spent in the classroom. I know what burnout can be. I feel it every day. The decisions we make at this table are not easy and never will be. You being here tonight is incredibly important. You being here at the last meeting is

064incredibly important. Heck, you being here at every meeting is really important. That's what the dialogue is about. Over the past several weeks, we've heard that feedback clearly and powerfully, including tonight, from teachers and staff, community members. And like I just said, we are acknowledging that those feelings are very, very real. We experience them ourselves sitting here listening. We experience them in the daily lives that we all engage in in the community, whether it's our jobs, our family, or school. You expressed concern, frustration, and a deep sense of uncertainty. So do we. These are not small things. They reflect how much you care about your work, about your colleagues, most importantly about your students, about my children, about the children of the board members sitting around here and previous board members. That care is the foundation

065of the district. You have expressed that. We recognize that. We agree with that. At the same time, we do have to speak importantly and plainly about the responsibility that is before a board. We are charged with ensuring the long-term health and stability of the district, not only academically, but organizationally, financially, and strategically. That responsibility often requires us to make decisions that are not always easy, as you know, but are necessary to preserve the strength and the future of the district. The staffing plan reflects some of that reality. It is not about diminishing the value of any individual or role. It does require potential adjustments to how we deploy those resources to meet the needs of our students now and in the future. I also do want to be clear about the board's roles. Some comments

066that I have received via email and tonight and across my time on the board dismiss the distinction between the role of a board and an administration. And there is a very clear distinction for very good reasons. The board's responsibility is to set direction, to establish those strategic priorities, and to ensure accountability both for us, for our administration, and for our district. We do not manage the day-to-day operations. That work does belong to the administration, who are tasked with implementing plans in ways that align with our vision and respond to the realities of our schools. We hire one employee, and that is the superintendent. That is the person that reports to us and runs the district. This distinction is not about distance. It is about clarity so that each part of the system functions effectively and

067in service to the students. Supporting this plan does not mean we have dismissed the concerns that we have heard. We have read every email. We have responded to most, if not all, of the emails. We have offered to get together and talk with people. Dismissing the concerns is not true. It does mean recognizing that leadership sometimes requires us and I have come to this conclusion over the past couple weeks to hold two truths at one time. That change can be difficult but sometimes it also is necessary. We do expect the administration to carry out this plan thoughtfully with respect for the professionals who make this district strong. We also share and it was mentioned earlier this evening an expectation that this decision will be monitored closely that we will get regular updates as a board

068and that during strategic planning we can continue to move forward with discussions about these things. We as a board remain committed as always to listening to asking our hard questions to ensuring that we are making or trying to make the best decisions in the interest of the students in the district as a whole. And I will continue to thank you all for the rest of my life for what you have done for my family. Our shared goal is a school system that is stable effective and [clears throat] positioned for the future. Thank you for letting me speak and thank you once again for doing everything you've done for our our students. This is the board report section as well. I do have to remind the board that next week April 15th Wednesday is the IASB

069dinner that we are going to for training purposes but I am opening for comments from other board members who wish to share. Second. Um I have two board reports. One is not related to the staffing plan but I'm going to get to that. I'm going to do the the CAG first. Um I wanted to remind you I've been participating in the citizens advisory group for the 120 bypass and wanted to give you an update on what's going on with that. Um so for in review if you haven't thought about this for a bit the 120 bypass is a 1 to 1.8 billion with a B dollar project. It will impact Woodview, Park and Prairie View students most directly. It adversely in fact also adversely impacts the habitat of 46 endangered species. Um This is one

070option that the Department Illinois Department of Transportation or IDOT is considering to remedy traffic congestion and also traffic safety on 120. So why should we care about this? Because on this map you can see the blue line A1. This is the preferred IDOT uh option for the one for relieving some congestion and safety. And if you go to the next slide please Daryl. You can see that that road will run south of Waterbury and north of Park East High School effectively with a five lane highway um separating our walkers our students from their school in addition to some other impacts. One of which is the health of students. It will increase diesel fumes significantly which have a particularly noxious impact on young students because their lungs are just forming and because they have a quicker

071respiration rate so those toxic fumes burrow into their lungs. It also has an impact on student cognition through noise pollution. At this point there are over 500 noise receptors is what they call this. These are spaces where people gather and noise also impacts cognition. We know this from much research in urban areas. That is one option. Another option is to fix existing 120. Don't get them confused. 120's in both of them. One is the bypass for 120. Fixing 120 is another option. This is the one that's been favored by residents during citizens advisory group meetings. These include much more cost effective solutions um including roundabouts and expanding to three to five lanes which runs through downtown Grayslake. That will impact Woodview students but not as many. Another impact um I'm going to back up a

072minute because I forgot to talk about Prairie View students. So now I'm talking about the not desirable option which is the 120 bypass. That will impact about 100 homes in Village Station. Um that road will run right through their backyard. Again with health and noise pollution um impacts. So if this is a concern of anyone in this room um there are three things you can do in the near future. One is to attend the next citizen advisory uh meeting which is in September and that date has not been announced yet. The second is on April 14th from 4:00 to 6:00 at the Round Lake Civic Center there will be a meeting that the county is is running. This is the Lake County Division of Transportation meeting and it's about Envision 2050. And so if you

073want your voice to be heard now is the time to do this even though the shovels won't go in the ground for many years um if they go in the ground. But this is the time because it's a PEL study and just super simply the PEL study is first and by federal environmental law citizens have to have a voice in large transportation projects. That then gets fed into a a federal study which includes an environmental impact assessment and then that uh impacts which alternatives are chosen. So now is the time to get involved if you're going to. Um and then the third action step is you can submit electronic comments if you're not going in person. Um there's a email address on the Envision 2050 site. There's also a comment section and then there is

074a survey you can fill out. So that I feel is important for all of us to know especially for Okay. Now I will go back to the staffing plan. I feel like um it might be helpful to understand why I do support the staffing plan right now. Before I say that I want to thank you all for coming for talking so eloquently also for speaking so professionally and not engaging in personal attacks. Super helpful. Um so thank you for coming and doing that work. So I thought it might be helpful again these conversations have gone on for a long time. Um some of them specific to this to the strategic direction of the district. Some of it's embedded in other conversations and it can be hard to follow and so I'm I'm offering this um

075just so you know how I'm making decisions. So when I'm listening to our administrative staff I'm looking through three lenses an economic lens a social lens and an environmental lens. And when conversations started about this the parameters that I had were one student needs would continue to be effectively addressed as far as we could tell uh that it would be cost neutral and then it became cost negative because of the operational deficit that we are currently holding and trying to reduce. The third is that we would not shift money away from the O&M department because I didn't want GMS to happen um again or anything like that because of the staff that it because of the stress that it puts on staff. And then I wanted to make sure that any negative impacts would be

076distributed over time and not fall on the exact same stakeholder groups every time. I did not have a parameter that no one would lose their job. And when this staffing plan was communicated to us I was really pleased and really thankful for an administration that made sure that in a in environment right now where other people are losing their jobs that those jobs stayed stable. I continue to support this plan because I have high confidence in the integrity and the intention of Dr. Glickman and her administrative team. I know from informal unguarded moments that they always have students and staff at the center of their decision making even when it's really tough. I believe in the recommendations and I trust them because of the lived experience that they and you have and because of the

077qualifications that they and you have. I trust that when I listen to them. But I don't just trust. I don't just defer. I also verify. And I don't think this is different from the rest of my board members but I don't want to speak for them. We have multiple ongoing formal and informal conversations in a lot of different arenas. I listen I know we all listen for how if and when the union was consulted and what they said. Uh we look at policies specifically section six several policies to look at what we've directed them to do similarly similar to when you're grading a paper if you ask your kids or your team to do something then you can't grade on different criteria. So we're looking through policies to make sure that our direction is clear

078and that it's still aligned with strategic direction. We look at student performance reports that Mrs. Gluck gives us and ask questions through email and through other um again informal informal conversations. We look at the demographic report. We have a long range facilities plan that we look at. We examine the district budget and meet with uh Dr. Wildman or Mr. Wildman for many meetings trying to understand the complexities of district finance. We've looked at the strategic plan. We've listened for whether the union representation has communicated how they've communicated what that tenor is and what the process is for that. And I in particular have conversations, I know other people do too, with our PTO leaders and other key volunteers who also see the impact and are so grateful for the work that you do. So, to

079say that we're not listening or that we are deferring is just not accurate. What I'm What I'm hoping to understand better because it's so complex and I don't know everything, I'm hoping to better understand and how we can improve community engagement, specifically partnerships with the libraries, with Liberty Prairie, with other local organizations, with our families, and with you. I'm looking at work-life balance and recognizing that we don't have a lot of data about this and we may want to consider that in strategic planning, some sort of quantitative qualitative assessment so we can look at the work-life balance not only of our teachers, but also of our paras, and also of our principals, and our administrators. So, it might be something that we want to think about. And I'm also wondering and going into strategic planning

080and thinking more about how we as a board might improve our processes so that we can make sure that we continually improve through the alignment between our policies and the results that we're looking for. I'm not asking for an evaluation. I am asking for feedback specifically on those three things. I know I've missed things. Again, there is so much that you do on the ground that I can't see. But, like Dr. Mack, I also was a teacher for 9 years. I've been a PTO leader. I've worked in grassroots. I've run summer camps and school great books programs in the schools. I understand. I see how tired you are. And we're trying. And these decisions are hard. Um and so I offer that just in in transparent in full transparency. This is how I'm making decisions.

081If you're giving me feedback, those three lenses matter: social, environmental, and financial. And I welcome them at any time. Um Thanks, Ms. Miller. I appreciate that. Um I know a lot of you in the room. Uh honored to know a lot of you in the room. Uh even people gave public comments disagreeing with us. Um this is democracy. So, this is what we signed up for. Um if you don't know me, uh I also am a uh more than 20-year resident of Grayslake. Um two kids who went through this system and benefited from people in this room. And uh some of those people and I have had very tough conversations over the last 8 years that I've served on this board. Uh for the good of students like my kids and all the other students

082that are out there. So, thank you for that continued dialogue and we don't always We don't always agree, but I'm glad that we can have that conversation. We've had hard conversations and we'll continue to have them. Um I don't have a lot to say about the decision except because I think Dr. Mack really uh really shared very well uh my my perspective um and and Ms. Miller also uh filled in some of that. I guess what I want to say is that how I make decisions is I first of all examine my own integrity. And then I look at how are we serving students day to day? 100% absolutely. We also have the added task of saying in 10 years, where will this district be? We also have to take the perspective of where were

083we 10 years ago and what is the work we have done to get here and how do we sustain that? I think one of our our great parents who spoke said it really well. We all have the same goal. We We have There are different perspectives on how we get to that goal. And that is sometimes why it's really hard to sit up here. But, it's what we signed up for. We come, we listen, we take it all in, and then with all of that, it we sometimes have to make decisions where we're constrained in by what we can do versus what we wish we could do. And >> [laughter] >> and uh and we own those decisions. We don't back down. Yes, we are governance, but we don't we don't back down or or

084say that this is distance. No, we are here in it with you living it. Our children who are in the this district are living it as well. So, not easy I would just want to say not easy decisions. I know that this one there is unpopular. That's why we raised our hands and said, "Okay, we'll be the ones to sit at the table and make them." And to sometimes get that disagreement. That's okay with me. I also want to say that I've had conversations with several of you about running for school board. And um it's a great opportunity and those of you who are looking to get more involved, I encourage it and would love to see you in the next election. Thank you. Ms. Nash Thank you. I just like to echo the sentiments

085of Dr. Mack, Mrs. Miller. Um I feel like, you know, those sentiments are very true for me as well. Mrs. Wayden. Um As many of you have already indicated, you know, District 46 is you moved here, you know, for um the schools, the community that we offer. I am a a transplant from Pennsylvania and had no idea of how where I was going to locate um when we moved here 12 years ago. And heard so many phenomenal things about the district, about the community, about the teachers, and that has been my lived experience and many of you here in this room have taught my children. And I've benefited, my family and my children have benefited from these very services. Um and they were one of the bubble kids, too. Right? Um where there wasn't a

086clear line of demarcation at you know, they qualify for IEP or a 504, but the support was there to lean in and make sure that they were elevated to the levels to continue to grow and achieve. And they have done remarkably well. And I'm proud of that. I'm proud of all the teachers here. I'm proud of all the staff here and I am immensely grateful for you. Truly. Dr. Mack said something that I wrote down that I wanted to share, which is that two truths can be um um correct at the same time. Right? Like just because we're in support of the budget and doesn't mean that this isn't heavy on the heart for us, too. We recognize like these are real resources, real support, real needs. And I think at the at the bottom

087at the bottom line was what's going to be the net net to our staff for me to make sure that especially in this economy, no one was losing their job. That while we wouldn't have dedicated staff, um particularly in the room, but we had a rotational plan or the administration would come up with a plan to make sure that there was still coverage, not a net loss to our kids. And I think one of the biggest things that I often hear in my place of business and work, and many of you may as well, especially our teachers, is doing less with more. And I think whether you're talking about education, business, no matter what sector you're in, like the constraints on on businesses, constraints on organizations to find ways and I say creative and that

088not necessarily meaning that it's a positive outcome that everybody likes, but coming up with solutions when you don't have the resources or the budget available, how do you continue to make it work? And this is heavy for us, but we also were looking at how do we make this work and preserve the teachers, the assistants, the staff that we hold so dear. Um I have so much respect and admiration for. And it's very disheartening for me to know how much work we've put into building our relationships between our community, our board, with our teachers unions and um um PSRP unions that um this very difficult decision is seemingly setting us back so far um and negating so much critical work and relationship building we've done over the years. Um, I want to thank you all

089for sharing your thoughts and your feedback because it has been heard. Um, it has been taken to heart. To the points that were also made, we also want to make sure that we are the district of choice 10, 20 years from now. And only way that we can ensure that is by being fiscally responsible in managing the budget that we have right now. You know, we know that there is gaps in funding at state levels and we continue to advocate um, for things like that as a board. Um, we have those conversations with our elected officials to help push the needle down in Springfield for us. But we're doing less. Um, we're doing more with less just as a collective, like not just in education, but as a collective, like community in all of the

090spaces that we live, work, and play. And I just ask that you guys continue to just try, and I know it's hard, but try to hold in your heart that we are all, um, operating with the a student-centered focus of doing always best for the students today and tomorrow. So, thank you all for coming out tonight. Ms. Hyun. Hi, I'm Maureen Hyun. Um, I'm coming up on my first year as a board member. And um, I just want to kind of echo what everybody has said and how much we appreciate people coming out and showing the support. Uh, I'm not going to be as articulate as as my colleagues here cuz I've got a lot of thoughts. Um, but I want to say that I came to run for the board um, after I was

091invited to participate in meetings for the referendum. Um, and was really moved. Uh, you know, I'm I'm a taxpayer in this district. I'm a mom of three boys who went through this and benefited from the the the teachers, the staff, and the administration um, of this district and I'm forever grateful for that. And when I sat in those in those meetings about the referendum, um, I knew it was not going to be easy uh, for this for that to pass because people's taxes are high and it's to come back and say we need this is hard. Um, and because I spoke up at a meeting, which when you do that, you have to be careful because then somebody asks you to run the committee. So, I ran, actually ran the um, committee the community part

092of the referendum and helped with that passage. And so, I understand from a lot of different perspectives how important this work is. And as much as I can talk forever about the teachers and the paras and the and the staff, I've been thinking about roofs a lot, um, because one of the things that came up in those meetings is if the referendum didn't pass, we weren't going to pay the we would pay for things like roofs and HVAC and facilities and we obviously saw what happened with JMS. And all of that speaks to the importance of infrastructure and long-term thinking. And it's it may be an unpopular thing to say, but administrators are a big part of that and I am so grateful for the team that we have. Um, and and the and and

093I understand the stress of those administrators and and the um, and the principals who do not have there's only a couple of of schools that have assistant principals. Um, you know, hearing stories about teachers being punched and reading assistants being the ones who are asked to do that and that's none of that reading assistants aren't trained, I don't think. I don't know if they are trained to to run interference in those situations. Maybe they are. I'll I'll do some research and find out. Um, but all of that's to say is this is a all about children and what's best for children even though the pieces might seem uncertain right now. Um, we are all here on the same team. And so, I really appreciate the the thoughts, the perspectives, um, because it all helps in

094in our understanding. So, thank you. Ms. Halverson. Hi, I just um, I don't think I have much to add. Everything has been stated very articulately. Um, I just wanted to say thank you to everybody who came to the meeting tonight and thank you for the people who were brave enough to share their opinions and their heartfelt passion. So, thank you. That concludes the board report section and I'm I'm serious. You can continue to call me and ask me to come for a cup of coffee. I would like to continue conversations. So, please do. It's important to us. I'm going to hand it over to Dr. Glickman for the superintendent's portion. Thank you, Dr. Mack. Uh, I too will address staffing in a moment, but we have a few other um, pieces of the superintendent's report.

095First, I would like to welcome to the table um, temporarily uh, Brad Goldstein, our interim chief school business official. He is familiar at this table, although not in this space as he was the chief school um, school business official in our district many years ago and thank you for being with us, Brad. Thank you for providing that interim support. I'm going to hand this over to Amy Gluck to talk about IAR for a moment. Sure. Uh, good evening. Uh, I am just going to share a few things about IAR, which is our Illinois assessment of readiness. I share that data with you each year. We are currently in the middle of that assessment. So, the window that we are um, assessing our students was April 1st through April 17th. However, students are not testing every

096single day. Um, just as a reminder, that test is made up of three math sessions, uh, which are 60 minutes a piece and two ELA sessions at third grade at 75 minutes and at fourth through eighth grade, it's 90 minute. Those are 90 minutes. And one of you this year was selected um, through the state to take a third ELA test for ELA. So, they often select one of the schools to do a field test. So, that is uh, what I is making up IAR and our third through eighth graders, the majority of them will be finished um, tomorrow, but some will be continuing to do makeups and some needed to do some with our half day today needed to extend that a little bit longer. So, that's IAR. Thank you. Um, I had the

097distinct pleasure last night of being at the Grayslake Village Board meeting to see some of our incredibly articulate articulate articulate um, that was funny. Um, students from JMS speak before the board. And they were speaking about the JMS um, community garden that is going to be created there. And board, you've heard our students talk um, in front of you before and they'll be back in a few weeks talk with you about it again. Um, but this is absolutely becoming a reality in partnership with the village. We will have some spaces for community members who are looking for gardening patches and um, and then for our students as well. So, the students spoke um, I believe it was about 3 minutes in front of the board, maybe a little longer, um, explaining what they're doing, thanking

098the board for their partnership, um, and it was just unbelievably exciting. I couldn't believe um, how adult these young students were. So, it was really exciting to see. And on to staffing. So, I um, thought long and hard about what I wanted to talk about tonight, what I wanted to share regarding staffing. I knew what I did not want to do. I did not want to go over ground that has already been covered either at our last board meeting or through the FAQ or through board messages or um, as it turns out through verbal messages from the board this evening. I didn't want to review information that has already been shared regarding student supports or the need for cost containment. I also did not want to be defensive. That is the last thing anyone really

099ever needs and certainly the last thing that we as a community need right now. That stated, it is my unenviable responsibility to ensure that accurate information is shared. So, that with that in mind, I do need to speak about a few things. Something new that I can mention is that tonight we heard about work that displaced staff members have taken on in their current roles. And of course, that is the truth. No question, because that's the nature of our staff. People jump in, they help. There is no one in school district 46 who is sitting around. But I do want to point out that quite a lot of the work that was talked about tonight is not necessarily how the positions were designed. So I want you to know that. Also, because students with disabilities

100were mentioned a few times, um I need to share that there will be no reductions in in services for students who with disabilities who qualify for IEP support. And again, just because I want to be accurate, our administrative team always very light and well under the state average ratio. We'll be going from 20 to 25, not 28. This is an addition of four building-level positions. Supports for students, including supporting students in crisis. The fifth position is simply because we are recategorizing an individual who leads the early childhood team, not adding any position. So now, what is left is simply acknowledging how important student support is to this school district community. As we have seen tonight, it is important to our families. It is important to our staff. It is important to the Board of Education,

101and it is important to important to our administrative team. No one likes discord, but I am glad that if we had to have it, it is around the very reason for the existence of a school district, and that is supporting students. I can confirm that our administrative team would never have brought forth a plan that we believed veered from that central purpose of supporting our children. And we commit to their success. And that, Dr. Mack, is the end of tonight's superintendent report. Thank you, Dr. Gluckman. That brings us to the consent agenda portion of this evening's agenda. I need a motion to approve the consent agenda which includes the personnel addendum that was sent to us earlier today. I'll move. Second. Okay. Braden? Yeah. I. Nash? I. Hune? I. Halverson? I. Miller? I. Mack? I.

102And Weidman? I. Thank you. We do have two action items this evening. I need a motion to approve the Organic Life Food Service contract as it has been presented to us. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Okay. I do have a quick question. [snorts] >> Yeah, of course, Ms. Miller. Go ahead. >> Um at the last meeting, and I did not remind you of this this morning or anytime since the last meeting, did we get the information back about locally grown food and how much of that is in our menus for our students? >> We do. Um we did. I shared that yesterday. Sorry, that was rude. In a communication It's okay. That's all right. I just need a moment to pull that information up. Uh Okay. So, I got information directly from um Organic

103Life. Great. And so, and actually it was with there were two questions from the board, so I'm going to answer both of those questions. So, um shared from the um leaders of Organic Life, we have 30 to 40% of our food is locally or regionally sourced. We purchase at the highest rate available, and the range depends on product seasonality. Local food is defined as products raised, produced, and distributed within a 400-mile radius of the school. So that's the answer to that question. Also, I believe at our last board meeting, or maybe the one before, um we had board member ask about um the fact that food and fuel costs are rising, and there was a question about whether that would affect um the contract that we have with Organic Life, and also very importantly whether

104or not it would affect the quality of food. So we asked that question as well, and the answer was, although food and fuel costs are rising, we have a contract in place, and this will not affect the quality of food we serve our students or the meal price. Welcome. Okay. Weidman? I. Miller? I. Mack? I. Nash? I. Braden? I. Hune? I. And Halverson? I. Motion carries. Thank you. I need a motion to approve the E-rate purchase as was presented to us at the last board meeting. So moved. I'll second. Any comments? Okay. Hune? I. Braden? I. Halverson? I. Miller? I. Mack? I. Weidman? I. And Nash? >> I. Motion carries. Thank you. We have no unfinished business on this agenda. We have no new business on this agenda. That brings us to topics for future

105agenda items coming up at the next board meeting. Well, let me to bring us all the way to the end of the year at this point. All right. Um April 22nd, we will have the pleasure of welcoming some athletes. So we have our wrestling team that's a combination of GMS, Frederick, and Park students coming to be celebrated for some wonderful successes. We also have our GMS Panther group. Um we have the panther who will be speaking with the board and um likely sitting at the board table as well. We have um an approval of our summer exterior work that we'll be bringing to you. Um and we're hoping that we'll be able to bring the consolidated district plan approval that is a document we have to complete every year. Um and you we always bring

106it to you, and we're hoping that we'll have that on April 22nd. Is that correct, Mrs. Love? You think so? Okay. We hope. Um most of April 22nd, however, will be strategic planning consultants' presentations, board. Um as I've communicated with you, um we have four consultants coming to the board to present. You board, you already um selected those four out of the seven that you were considering. So now it's time to narrow it down to one to lead strategic planning next year. Um you will have four different consultants come and speak to the board. Um 15 I've let them know that they have 15 minutes for presentation, 15 minutes for your questions. I believe um Mrs. Braden, you have offered to put a rubric together for that. Um and also work on the questions as

107well. Correct. Yeah, and if anyone wants to partner or has input, of course, but I'll put it together for people to react to. Wonderful. And because we, you know, we're getting towards the end of the year, and I know, boy, do you want to get a contract in place with a consultant, um the proposed plan, but I'd like feedback on it really right here, is um for you to to hear from all of them on the 22nd. You're going to have this rubric, so I will collect the information through the rubric, which will ultimately bring forth who has risen to the top. And then what I would do is communicate that to you, um and bring it to the board as an action item to bring forward a contract. But because that would be the

108first time you would have a chance to discuss it, right? You could then discuss whether or not that's the the um consultant you want to bring forward. So is that acceptable to all of you? So you can have a public conversation about it. Okay, great. All right. So that's April 22nd. That'll be about 2 hours of strategic planning consultants' presentations. Um I've already let Mr. Smith know that that might be a board meeting that his Panthers who come to the table might not want to stay for the whole thing, although it would be interesting if they did. All right. Um on to May 13th, we'll be starting with the policy committee meeting at 5:00. Um we did just, I want to say yesterday, receive a new press policy update, and so I've already distributed that

109to our administrative team who um takes a look at those policies and makes recommendations to the policy committee um regarding them. Um I'm going to ask Mrs. Miller, do you want to talk a little bit about the the plans for that meeting? Sure. Thanks. Um so wanted to thank Hillary for joining the policy committee. There'll now be four of us, so that's fantastic. Um so we'll continue the conversation about norms and agreements, and kind of hopefully nail those down. And then also, I sent a a Google form to you. I don't know when it was, a couple weeks ago. So if there are specific section two policies, uh believe there are a couple in the press really in the press update. Yeah, five. Five of them? Okay. So that's good timing. Um if there are

110additional policies beyond that that you want to take a look at together, it's just a good time, um especially cuz we have newer board members to do some onboarding with section two and then also just to review our processes and see what we think. So, no additional staff work for that is anticipated and but it might be a good idea. Section two is not the longest section by any means but it's not short either. So, take a look and see if if there's any additional policies you want to talk about. Um, and then the other thing is I will get the check-in question to you. I think that's a valuable way to start. I did have a question, um, just to think about, not looking for an answer right now, but is there a way

111that we can meet in a table that's a little more less spread out so that we can We can definitely work that out. Work that out. We'll work that out. Um, are open meetings to you. If anyone is interested, this is something that we would, um, welcome you, anyone to come to and that is the direction that is the policy is the voice of the board. If you've ever gone out to dinner with more than two people, when you say what where do you want to go and that conversation that ensues, it's difficult to come up with what our voice is so it comes through policy. You're absolutely welcome to to join us for that, too. That's it. Okay. All right. So, 5:00 policy committee meeting on May 13th. Um, then we've got Park Campus

112students coming. Our seventh and eighth grade girls basketball teams are going to be honored. We're excited for that. We also have Park, um, Campus Wolves coming to talk to the board, um, our upper grade students and again sit at the board. So, we're excited for that. Um, that evening we expect also to be able to bring approval of contracts for our our new assistant principals. Um, and then that strategic planning facilitator approval that that we talked about a little while ago. So, that'll be May 13th. And now we're into June and I want to pause and mention just got get people remembering about this. Starting in June, we won't be able to meet here because this building's going to be under construction for um, the updated media center here. So, we will be having, I

113believe, all summer board meetings at Avon. So, um, we'll keep reminding you. We'll keep reminding you but that's where we'll be. Um, if our policy committee meeting work or policy work on, um, May 13th isn't concluded in the hour that we have for that meeting, then we'll have another policy committee meeting at 5:00 on June 10th. If we don't need it, we don't need it. So, we'll see. Um, that evening will be a finance committee meeting, um, at at one point we were planning to do that in, um, in May but we've moved that to June 10th. So, that'll be, um, actually we'll be hearing from Mr. Goldstein who will be presenting the preliminary budget for the 2026-2027 school year. That night we'll also do our strategic plan update. So, um, we do that every

114year where our, um, team, our administrative team presents the work that was completed this year on the strategic plan and then the work that is planned for the upcoming school year, um, all with the knowledge that strategic planning, of course, will be happening in the fall but we have to have goals for the upcoming year. So, we'll have those. Um, and then, um, I believe that evening and I say I believe you'll understand why in a moment. I believe that evening we'll do the resource conservation committee update happening. We were wondering if we were going to do that on June 10th or June June 24th. Here's why I think it might be the 10th and this is a question for you, board. I have already heard from a number of board members that you will

115be traveling in the middle of June and won't be available June 24th. I know we also have some administrators who won't be available on June 24th. And aside from that potential resource conservation committee presentation, which we can do on the 10th, we don't currently have any other agenda items. Now, there's a long time between now and June 24th. I suppose other things could come up but the board has whittled down, uh, summer board meetings for the most part to one per month but we currently have two on the books in June. This is a very long way of me asking, do you want to cancel the June 24th meeting and just do all board business on June 10th? Okay. Okay, do we need to do anything at next board? Do we have to We'll just

116update the calendar. All right. So, on June 10th we'll also be doing resource conservation committee meeting, um, update and that will be our last board meeting of this school year. All right. Thank you, Dr. Glickman. Are there any additional comments? Okay. Thank you. We do not have a closed session this evening so I need a motion to adjourn. I'll move. I'll second. Okay. Hume? Aye. Nash? Aye. Miller? Aye. Mack? Aye. Halverson? Aye. Weedman? Aye. And Braden? Aye. Meeting is adjourned. Thank you everybody for being here once again. I know we have a student from Grayslake Central. If you want to come forward, we can get a picture with you if you need proof that you were at this meeting. Good night.