Valley View CUSD 365u Board Meeting 3/23/2026

001It's a lot. Hey, hey, hey. Good evening. Welcome to the regularly scheduled Valley View School Board meeting of March 23rd. would ask that you silence your cell phones. Uh rise and join us in the pledge of allegiance. If any of the guys from the VFW want to come down and lead or just want to lead from the back, that would be fantastic. Somebody come down. >> They're coming down. Gentlemen, >> come on out. Thank you and welcome. Whenever you guys are ready, United States of America for all. >> Thank you gentlemen and ladies right to the agenda. Where are we at here? >> Dr. Wood. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Mission statement. >> Jen, >> member >> Shroa. >> Our mission is to empower every learner to be college, career, and life ready, and to develop,

002grow, and achieve as a productive citizen. >> Thank you, Dr. Wood. The agenda. >> Yes. Thank you, board. President Quigley, we are seeking the board's approval of the agenda as presented. >> We have a motion. >> Motion and seconded. All those in favor say I. >> Post same sign. The eyes have it. Moving down the agenda. Student and staff recognition spotlight video. Melissa Hillyard, first grade teacher, Independence Elementary School. Now, this is comprehension, meaning understanding what I read. If I make a mistake when I'm reading, am I going to hear it and correct it or retell it? I can tell what happened. And that is something we're really going to focus on today. Literacy is the most important skill a human can possess. And why is that? Because literacy and reading is everywhere. You get

003in your car, you have to read those road signs. You go to the grocery store, you have to read the boxes on the cereal. I tell my kids, go read at Target. It doesn't matter where you read. Literacy lays the foundation. In first grade, we're building that foundation. Without that solid foundation, they won't have those skills necessary to go on to be lifelong learners. Success criteria. I am successful when I can share the main idea and tell one supporting detail. So when you're reading with us today, you have to be active, right? You have to be thinking about what you're reading. As a student in second and first grade, I struggle with with reading and I needed help and I had some very empowering teachers that really showed me that that school was fun and

004that I can do this. So ever since third grade, that was my job. I never entertain any other job. I knew from third grade on, I was going to be a teacher. My sister and I played school every night at home. We had a little classroom. We were ready. That was all my beginning teacher preparing. Um, why a teacher? Why not a teacher? Alex, can you give me a different detail? >> Who's he? >> Little monster was was giving him food, but he got lost. >> Oh my gosh, you guys did it. you met our learning target. In first grade, a critical thinker starts with students, I believe, taking ownership of their learning. We want that intrinsic motivation. So, when my students are reading, I always tell them, you need to be active readers. You

005need to ask those questions. You need to talk to your partners and tell what is that main idea? What are those details? Um to be engaged. A critical thinker also brings it into math. Bring that reading into math. Our our math curriculum is very readingheavy and so is our science. So we start with that that reading curriculum and we bring it to every subject and we are constantly engaged. My whole room is scattered with books, books in hand. Put down your devices and start reading and be active and again be those critical thinkers. That is my big thing and it is books in hand. real reading all the time. Whether it's looking at those pictures from my earliest readers, sounding out those words, reading fiction, reading non-fiction, challenging themselves to read that next level. So,

006it is books in hand every day, all day in here. >> He What is this one? >> Here. Oh my gosh. We didn't know it yesterday, but we know it today. And what is this one? >> Said. So, these words, these two words are are hard because we can't really sound them out. Tricky word. >> Oh, >> good job, Paxton. Time for dinner, right? You're calling. Who's doing a lot of calling in our story? Who had to call for something? Who had to call? >> Uh, Little Monster. >> Oh, and who was he calling for? >> Spot. >> Yes. Very good. So, we are going to continue reading about Little Monster and Spot. Remember your reading goal. I take it personally when my kids don't succeed because they deserve to succeed. And when my students

007aren't succeeding, I own that. I have to think, what do I need to change so that my kids can succeed when they're in my classroom during the day? So, I actually do a lot of reflecting as a teacher. Recently, I wasn't happy with where some of my students were. So, I um took advantage of my coach in our building and we are meeting and I'm making positive changes and I have to tell you it's paying off. My kids now are mad when reading is over. Are excited to write because we promote reading and writing together. Has he seen Spot yet? >> Because he did. No, because he says Spot was here. He doesn't see Spot hiding in that tall grass. when you have the the job the very critical job to change children's lives every

008single day and to get them ready for what's next in their life. I can't imagine doing anything else but being a teacher. I love it. I'm passionate. Um and my kids deserve to have the best and I try to give that every day. All right, moving down the agenda. Girls basketball allstate qualifiers. Bowling Brook High School. >> Okay. Good evening, members of the school board, members of senior leadership, and the Valley View community. Uh my name is Pat Woods, and I'm the assistant principal for athletics at Bowling Brook High School. I also want to give a special shout out to all those being recognized tonight and a special mention to all those who served our country tonight. I'm here on behalf of coach Chris Smith who was unable to attend. He's our girls basketball coach

009at Bowling Brook High School due to a previous family commitment. I would like to introduce two of our exceptional student athletes. Not only have they reached an impressive level of success on the basketball court, but they have also excelled in the classroom. Their achievements reflect a strong commitment to what it truly means to be a student athlete. There this success would not be possible without the unwavering support of their families. I would also like to cap the season briefly. Uh they won the conference championship uh for the second straight year. They won a regional championship and we don't talk much about that last game where we were this close, lost by a point to get to the Sweet 16. So, congratulations to their team on those accomplishments. First up, Sydney, stand right up here. Sydney

010Dodd, who is a junior forward, is a two-time IBCA all-state honore and has also earned all conference and all area recognition. The best part about Sydney is she will be back again next year because she's only a junior. Natalie, you want to come on this side? Okay. Next up, we have senior guard Natalie Fmpong. Natalie is also a multi-year IBCA all-state selection and has been recognized as all area and all conference. Natalie has surpassed 1,700 points uh scored during her high school career. She's had an amazing career. We were just talking about college of choice and she's working on to figure out where she's going to go on and play at the next level. How about a round of applause for both of these girls? Well, she's finished up shaking hands. It's school spirit week,

011so that's why everybody's dressed like they are up here. So, uh I know in the board we were uh white socks and Cubs were pretty much split, but I because of the spirit of the week decided to go with this. So, >> I and I here we go. Um come on down next. Where we at? Uh, sorry. Isa or ESA wrestling state qualifiers. >> Thank you, board president Quigley. I got the memo and I wore my Brooks. They're my favorite team. Um, thank you, Steam board members, senior leadership, Dr. Wood, and our community members. I am Patrick McInness. I'm the principal at Brooks Middle School. Today, I'm here to recognize two state qualifiers. Um, at 70 lbs, Cameron Thompson, and at 65 lbs, state champion, Luca Bartles. Both of these young men work hard both

012in the classroom and on the mat. They are led by Coach Dagenheart, Coach Doyle, Coach Pelgi, and Coach Fowler. So, without further ado, Coach Fowler with a summary to the season. Hello everyone. Uh my name is Nate Fowler, wrestling coach at Brooks. And as Mr. McInness said, I'm joined by Coach Pledgy, Coach Deenheart, and Coach Doyle. I'd like to thank the school board. I'd like to thank Dr. Wood uh for allowing us the opportunity to recognize these two young men tonight. Uh, I would also like to congratulate the other coaches from Jane Adams that are here tonight and Humphrey who I believe will be here next month uh for their accomplishments as well uh throughout the season. Wrestling is a very demanding sport and it requires a lot of perseverance, sacrifice. It is the longest

013season especially at the middle school level and it takes a lot for uh the wrestlers and the coaches to get to this point. So, it's a really real accomplishment. We had a lot of great success this year at Brooks uh both from an individual and team perspective. We finished with a record of 15 and six as a team with multiple place winners at the homer invite, Dale Keith invite. We went 4-0 at the Richland DS and we were also the winners of the inaugural best of Valley View DS as well uh where we went 3-0 as a team. Uh enough about the team. I'd like to recognize these individuals. First, we have Cameron Thompson, 70 pounds. And Cameron is a seventh grader. This is only his second year as a wrestler. He finished this season

014with a record of 30 wins and six losses. He took fifth place at the homer invite, first place at Dale Keith, first place at regionals, second place at sectionals, and at the state tournament, he went two wins and two losses. His goal this season was to qualify for the state tournament, which obviously he did. And not only did he do that, he surpassed that goal, winning multiple matches, and was just one match away from placing at the state tournament. Uh, something interesting about Cameron is he had 16 pins this year and five technical falls. So, of his 30 wins, 21 of them were by superiority, meaning that the match ends prior to when it is supposed to, the time would allow. So, that's a really amazing accomplishment from Cameron. Great season, and I look forward

015to seeing what next year has in store for you. Congratulations. Luca is next. Luke is a sixth grader and he finished this season with a perfect record of 35 wins and zero losses. He was the homer invite champion, Dale Keith invite champion, regional champion, sectional champion, and ultimately a state champion. He's Brook's first state champion since 2012, and he is only the second undefeated state champion in Brook's history. Great season by Luca. You can also tell that both of these young men are incredibly humble as well. Uh, great season, Luca. I'd like to briefly end my time tonight with a call to action. IESA has sanctioned girls wrestling at the middle school level and a state series for the 2027 school year. Uh Brooks had 15 girls wrestlers on our roster last year. Every other

016middle school across the district has girls wrestlers as well. Uh we have a a blossoming IH IHSA program and I believe that it we need to do what is right and get an IESa program across the middle school level as well uh to support those individuals. Thank you. smile. Big smile. Uh good evening on behalf of uh Miss Ruiz, Dr. Hy, and Jason Lab Roan, uh the Jane Adams Middle School uh administration for uh administration athletics. Uh my name is Art Tansel. I'm here with uh Dave Pavey. Ed Hassleberg is not here this evening. Uh talking briefly, uh Shyeleri here is uh fourth place uh champion this year and I'm going to talk about him here in a moment. Just wanted to uh thank you guys for the time and also please give consideration to

017what uh Coach Fowler just mentioned cuz it is an up and growing thing. We had six kids this year uh young lady. So it it's definitely growing and it's continuing on. In fact, she's not here this evening, but we had an IKWF wrestler who wrestled for us most of the season and then went to the IK state series and did as well. Uh she actually shared the spotlight with this young man when they did their walk out before state. So, it is growing. Please consider it. Thank you. Uh on that note, I'm here with eighth grader uh Shyel Lasseri. He started with us in uh sixth grade and uh I was just asking him because I can't remember back from yesterday. He's like, "Yeah, I only won like two matches that year." I'm like, "Yeah,

018you did." And then in seventh grade, he got hurt because he also plays football and he was out the entire season. Uh so, uh this year in eighth grade, he's like, "Coach, I'm gonna be back. I'm gonna do it. I'm going to do it." I'm like, "Okay, okay. We'll see." And I say that only because as Mr. Fer mentioned, we start at the uh beginning of December, end of November, and we go through March. And uh Cheyel was very tied up with uh football. Uh what's the name of your team that you guys did well in? >> Uh Darian Swarm. >> Darien Swarm. And they went down state. So he was his whole month of December was caught up with that. So literally Shyel did what he did and accomplished what he accomplished in two

019months time. Uh I don't know if you guys are aware but wrestling is a lot different than conditioning with football. So it it it's a different skill set. They go together but it's different. So he did a lot in a short amount of time. He was a regional champion. He took second at state uh second at sectionals and then uh he took fourth at state. So without further ado, Shael, this is for you man. Congratulations. I hate it when the wrestler's here because it reminds me when I was skinny. Believe it or not, I wrestled 112 my freshman year of high school. >> Patrick, please bail me out. >> Yeah. I'll refrain from all comments right now. Um although I will say good job on the Illinois garb and if it mattered I would have

020a Cubs jersey on right now too. So um I'm back Pat Woods of Bowling Brook High School and this time I am proud to introduce Major Thomas and our outstanding ROC drill team. Clap it up for him. This year, for the first time, our BHS drill team was invited to the nationals in Ohio. Our drill team represented themselves and BHS extremely well. And here's Major Thomas to talk about our nationally recognized team. >> Hi, I am Major Thomas. Good evening and thank you for um recognizing our BHS Air Force DOTC drill team. I have with me um just representatives. Our drill team is almost 50 cadetses. So I brought the commanders, but this is the overall drill team commander, cadet captain Damen Gonzalez, and he oversees 11 teams. Um what the teams did, what the

021cadets did in Dayton goes beyond um trophies and placements. They represented Bowling Brook High School, the community, and the district with professionalism and pride. This was our first time competing at a national level in 25 years. So, they made that return um by placing in the top 10 and bringing home three trophies, including our very first national champion ever. So, good job. Um they competed against 27 teams across the country to include internationally from Germany and Japan. So, and there's not many Air Force stc units in the area. So, they only had three competitions before they went to Dayton. So, the fact that they placed where they placed was great, a surprise. I I I didn't know what to expect, but they did an awesome job. Um the early mornings, the late evenings, the weekends,

022they had a level of consistency and dedication that a lot of people don't see um because they just see them at school. but they're at school all the time. Uh, but with that came some stress, some anxiety, some tears even until they stepped onto the drill team floor. But just so you know, if you step on the drill team floor and you're crying, that's points off. So, you cannot cry on the drill team floor. So, they persevered through it all. So, thank you. So during that it wasn't all just work work work. They did get to um some valuable exposure. They vi visited the United States uh Air Force Museum and Wright Patterson Air Force Base. So they got a chance to make a real world connection with some of the lessons we teach in

023class and the mission and legacy that they represent. Um what stands out the most is not like what they did but how they did it. Uh, every place we went, they got compliments on their um how well disciplined they were. Overnight trips always make me a little nervous. So, they made it easy to to trust them. And even something as simple as checking out the hotel brought unsolicited um compliments about their behavior. So, they make they make this job real easy for me. So team, thank you so much for um supporting one another, staying focused, setting the bar high, and holding each other to that standard every single day. Thank you to the board. Thank you to BHS admin. Thank you to the supporters. Thank you to the parents because the parents are there just

024as much as we are. Um these cadetses are a reflection of when high expectations meet hard work. So I couldn't be more proud of them. You go. Thank you, Major. Master Sergeant, Master Gunny Sergeant, >> Master Gunnery, Sergeant E9, I just got demoted there. All good. All good. All right. All right. All right. How How's everyone doing? Good. Okay. Uh, acknowledge the fellow veterans here. Acknowledge the board. Thank you so much. Thank you for the uh community uh for being here showing the support for this uh program. So hey Bowling Brook Air Force JRTC congratulations. Uh I am well aware what it takes to get to that to that level. So and you're going to hear uh me say a few things with regard to my team but couldn't be more proud of you guys

025as well particularly that national champion. But man way to represent. So good job. Good job. Okay. Um, those of you that have been around for a little while, the Marine Corps JRTC program used to go to drill nationals, and that was the one down in Daytona, Florida. Gee, I wonder why everyone wants to go down there, right? Um, but that was that was when it was basically paytoplay. If you could fund your way down to Florida, you could compete at nationals. Well, the landscape of JRTC has certainly changed uh particularly in these last couple years. You have to go through a rigorous uh qualification process. So, the beginning of the school year and up to uh first part of second semester, we go to a lot of local competitions, get our reps in and do

026our best that we can. Then we go down to Indianapolis in February and that's where you have to qualify up against the region's best and you have to qualify and be designated one of the top five drill programs in the region. Our region consists of Minnesota, Illinois, Tennessee, all the way over to uh West Alagany, Pennsylvania. So you're looking at about 15 16 states that we got to beat out. Romanville is one of the top five. We've been one of the top five for quite a while, but this year marked a little bit different. We were top five and that gave us uh gave us an opportunity to videotape our disciplines and our events. And then that videotape was sent to a private contractor down in Texas and then they freeze frame, zoom in, they

027take a look at uh the very best uh from all the regions and they select the top five drill top nine drill programs in the nation. and Romaville this year was one of them. So, it's been a while just like Bowling Brook. It has been a while, but I can uh say that it was the first time first time in the state of Illinois that a Marine Corps JRTC program got selected for nationals. Okay. Obviously, very historic. Uh, I want to acknowledge, uh, you know, this is years in the making. I've been here a little while, years in the making. It just doesn't flip a switch and we go to nationals. All right. I want to acknowledge all the previous cadetses, parents that were part of my drill team that elevated the caliber so we

028can stand in front of you now as a national caliber program. Okay. Um certainly couldn't uh have done it without them. When we go down to Georgia this year, uh we will be judged by nothing but Marine Corps drill instructors. Nothing but. And that's what they do. Um, so I can't wait to go down there, put our best foot forward, you know. I cannot wait to go down there and compete. I love competing and I will take this team over anybody. And we're going to see how well we do at the national level. A small program such as this competing against some heavy hitters. Five other previous national champions will be there previously. We are one of only three in the nation. First time going to nationals. So, we got a mountain of a a

029mountain to climb as far as hey, sometimes we don't know what we don't know, but we're going to go there not be intimidated. We're going to go there, represent this program, RHS, Valley View, every one of you here in this community. So, be absolutely proud. Be proud of these cadetses and what they've accomplished. And I thank you all for your support. Okay. Thank you so much. All right. On April 8th, we will have a national sendoff night. So, I'm going to invite the entire community where you will see uh the entire team perform their national events. It'll be right in uh RHS in the main gym at 4:30. So, I invite everybody. You'll see some flyers and some uh social media posts out there. So, uh you are all invited to that. We can't wait.

030Okay. So, ready to go cadetses? Yes, >> sir. >> I'm going to call these uh names and then u they'll go in there and shake their hands. But let's let's do this one more time in front of the community. One, two, three. >> Oh man, we we can do better. One, two, three, >> fire. Okay, here we go. Cadet Captain Neon Abanz. This is the drill team. Okay. Caitlyn Moreno, Leah Pichy, Keith Beechler, Melanie Orlono, Aiden Brady, Caesar Ortiz, Brandon Atkins, Cody Rivera, Satie Jail, Isabella Andrade, Janelli Mendoza, Tristan Wyn, Sebastian Hernandez, Fatima Palammore, Lucy Sadler, Jasmine Oamoa, A Davalos, and Joanna Nunley. Okay, that was the national drill team Romaville. We're privileged to have some talented cadetses and I want to turn it over to my colleague first Ephron Casesus who is the head

031coach for the national Raider team. >> All right. Thanks, John. appreciate it. Good evening to the board members. Good evening to my community. Good evening fellow veterans. It's number five. So, uh you know what a what a season. What a drill season. And uh you know it's a very special season for us because not only is it our first time attending drill nationals, but it is also our first time, our first year competing as Raiders. So what is Raiders? Raiders is a program that requires a can do attitude, grit, teamwork. Exactly. while accomplishing obstacles under pressure, not giving up on yourself or your teammates. And so, you know, there's a lot of that is asked from these young men and women uh from this program. And while we're practicing and getting ready for drill nationals,

032these young men and women have also been getting ready for Raider Nationals. So, the cadets of Romeoville High School will be will be representing us and the community at Fort Knox, Kentucky from April 16th to the 19th. And uh we're going to be competing over with over 300 other Raider teams. And so there there's a lot that's been that that we've learned uh when it comes to these obstacles, what it takes, physical fitness, uh mental endurance, and the different obstacles that they're going to be uh the different obstacles that we're going to be uh up against when we go up to Fort Knox, Kentucky. So, it's been a it's been definitely a learning curve. So, some of the events that we're going to be partaking in Fort Knox, Kentucky will be the physical team test,

033which consists of a half a mile with obstacles dragging a 250 50 lb dummy uh carrying 60 lb ammo cans. Um, another event will be a cross-country rescue, uh, which consists of a, it's a onem course, uh, with other obstacles such as an 8ft wall mud pit, uh, climbing over walls, under, uh, we're going to be carrying weighted rocks, uh, with 120 with a 120 lb stretcher. Another event that we'll be competing uh, will be the one row bridge, which is a 60oot. They're going to be building a bridge out of a rope uh 60 feet from one end to the other. And uh there's going to be eight cadetses that go across over a creek. Uh fourth event will be a greater gauntlet which consists of a onem course, 11 obstacles overall going again

034going over and under different uh walls, climbing the 12oot wall, getting everybody over uh cargo nets. Uh, and one of the final events that we'll be doing is a 5K run. So, there's plenty of there's plenty of miles that these young men and women have endor. And I I'll tell you that it's it's amazing to see what they can do at such a young age, never giving up and uh instilling the uh the can do attitude, the spirit of core in in each other. And and it's a it's a great feeling to see these young men and women. And I'm sure that once we go down to Fort Knox, Kentucky, they won't let you down. So, wish us luck. And without further ado, you guys ready? So, our Raider team also has a present for

035each and one of you board members. Um, so go ahead once I call your name, shake their hands, and then you'll give uh give them your your Raider badge. You'll see what I'm talking about here in a second. Nani Banes, Kayn Moreno, Keith Beechler, Melanie Ariano, Aiden Brady, Caesar Ortiz, Brandon Atkins, Sebastian Hernandez, Fatima Palomar, Logan Blake, G Gabriel Andua Jaden Velasco. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> If you can zoom in on this, if not, we can do it later. We'll take a picture and put it on the website. Thank you. Um, I know some of you are concerned about the ROC program at Romeoville High School, as are we. uh we are pulling together as much information as we possibly can to keep this a very viable program. Obviously the dedication of the

036staff and the students is not to be questioned. Uh we just need some more recruits if we possibly can. Uh but I can guarantee you that there's not a person in this room and particularly not sitting up here at this day that is not going to do everything within our efforts to keep this program uh well keep it what it is and and expand on it beyond that. And I want to thank all of the uh instructors and the cadetses for all their work uh who rob Marine Corps. Thank you very much. Uh moving down the agenda, consent agenda items. Dr. Wood. >> Yes. Tonight we're seeking the board's approval of Seven consent agenda items as presented. 7.1 board meeting minutes March 9th, 2026. 7.2 Executive Session meeting minutes. March 9th, 2026. 7.3 Trips for

037Romeoville High School. 7.4 Trips for Bowling Brook High School. 7.5 Illinois High School Association Membership Renewal. 7.6 Six gift to Brooks Middle School and 7.7 student activity contracts Scholastic Bookf Fair Jane Adams Middle School. >> We have a motion move. >> Second. >> Motion and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, hearing none. A roll call vote, please. >> Member Pipkin, >> yes. >> Member Hy, >> yes. >> Member Shrova, >> yes. >> Member Burus, >> yes. >> Secretary Sutherland, >> yes. >> Vice President Campbell, >> yes. >> PresidentWigley, >> yes. uh leazison on reports. Any and all from my right? Any and all from my left? >> Yes. Hello. Um first of all, I just wanted to give a commendation and I know I'm biased, but I was able to see the um presentation

038the of Matilda at Bowling Brook High School and it was phenomenal. So, I just commend all the students, all the cast and the crew as well as all the teachers. Um, and I'm a booster, so all the other boosters who dedicated lots of hours and lifting and selling and feeding people. Um, but it it turned out so miraculously and I was fully s um surprised and proud of my daughter Janella as well as um Miss Honey and all of the cast did a fantastic job. So that was my first one. The second one was in regards to Wilco. I had the opportunity to um use a proxy vote um on behalf of board me or um secretary board member um Sutherland and it was wonderful. It was wonderful to see how much is offered at

039Wilco. For those who may not have ever had the opportunity to know, we have this um available to us, Wilco is a um multi- school district um supported entity that allows for um precise and specific uh teaching and training in several areas from EMS to fire services to health professionals to heavy equipment to welding and all kinds of things for our students and it's phenomen phenomenal to see all that they cover and um there's there was a lot of recognition. They too have um students going down to Skills USA um and I do want to commend the students who are doing that. Um they also have dual credit um everything from aviation to um and this is at JJC we would have that dual credit that is being offered with Wilco. Um but they have

040uh I know there were several of them. I can't go through all of them because I was brand new. It was my first meeting, but um but it was it was wonderful to see all of that is offered through Wilco. Um and so it's it's worth it. Um we support them and I'm very glad that it's available to our students. And so I was glad to be there and I'm commending all of the students who are going down for all their different areas for the skills USA April 23rd through 25th as well as um the um there were students who were very successful in other areas. So just wanted to point that out as well. That is all. Thank you. >> Thank you. Boardly is on reports. Miss Hayden. >> Good evening members of the

041board and community. I'm Hayden, a Bullen Brook High School seniors. I would like to begin by congratulating the Brook Theater. Over the past several weeks, their members were have worked incredibly hard to bring their spring musical Matilda to life and it was a tremendous success. Congratulations to everyone involved and a special thank you to the seniors who have just completed their final year at the Brook Theater. Your dedication and talent have left a la a lasting impact. A huge congratulations also to Caleb Wallace who won gold for a short film that Axo and Donovan Wallace Provine who won gold for a short story. Moving on, elementary and middle school students have are continuing with their IER assessments this week. These tests are important an important way to measure growth and progress towards grade level standards

042in math and reading. Keep pushing forward and finish strong. You've got this. As I conclude, I would my my final time speaking in this role, I would like to end by recognizing and celebrating the importance of Women's History Month and Disability Awareness Month. March is a time to reflect on the progress that has been made and to honor the individuals who have led the way in creating change. Because of their courage and determination, milestones like the 19th Amendment granted women the the right to vote, opening the doors to opportunities that once seemed out of reach. Similar similarly, disability rights movements led to indiv le led to the individuals with disabilities education act ensu ensuring that all students have access to support and accommodations they need to succeed. Both movements remind us of the power of

043perseverance, advocacy, and unity. They show us that progress is possible when people come together to challenge barriers and push for better futures. I encourage everyone to take time to learn more about the inspiring stories of this of those who shaped these movements. Thank you. Uh audience participation, there's anybody who wishes to address the board this evening, please step forward, state your name, uh kindly keep your comments to three minutes or less. If you have documents to present, please hand those off to the clerk. And if you want to be contacted, uh make sure you give her your information for contact as well. >> Welcome. >> We're good. All right. Uh, hi. I'm Dustin Wel. Uh, I'm a teacher here. I'm a graduate here, a parent, and community member as well. Uh, I wanted to get

044up and just say something about the ROC program. Uh, first of all, I would like to thank all of the board members, administration, staff members who have taken the time, uh, to speak and meet with the parent group advocating for our Romeville ROC program. Uh low enrollment numbers have been an ongoing issue, but has looked it's been looked over year after year. Uh until this year, uh we felt blindsided by what appears to be an abrupt cancellation. Uh we don't understand why this year was different than most or in the past. Unfortunately, this program seems to have been one of the best kept secrets in the district. It shouldn't have been. Uh they should have been recognized, promoted, and allowed to display their hard work at every moment. Everyone in the community should have already

045known about this fantastic program. They are the best of the best. When we show up at competitions, the other teams know it. The amount of accolades and trophies they win in any given year could overflow a trophy case. Master Guns and First Sergeant go above and beyond day in and day out. They teach responsibility, leadership, character, reinforce our family values, and provide support and service to our community. I don't say this to point fingers. I bring this up so that we can all learn from it. All of us, the parents, the staff, district leadership, and the community. Some things in life are worth saving and fighting for, no matter how small the chance they may be. This is one of those moments. I want to take this moment to tell Master Guns and First Sergeant

046a massive thank you and a congratulations to the entire program and all their success and for being there for my family. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Joe Sutton here on behalf of Fox Valley Marines. On behalf of Fox Valley Marines Detachment 1233, I am proud to offer this letter of support of Romeoville Junior ROC program. Our organization has maintained a positive and meaningful partnership with Romeoville Junior ROC. Over the years, through joint events, ceremonies, community service efforts, we have had the opportunity to witness firsthand the dedication and professionalism of both the cadetses and their instructors. This partnership has strengthened the bond between our veteran community and the next generation of leaders. Our experience working alongside the cadets and instructors have been overwhelmingly positive. The instructors demonstrate exceptional mentorship, instilling

047discipline, respect, and responsibility in their students. The cadetses consistently show a high level of motivational pride and willingness to learn, qualities that reflect the strength of the program's leadership and structure. The Romeoville Junior ROC program has also shown a deep and genuine commitment to supporting the veteran community. Whether participating in memorial ceremonies, assisting in veteran focused events, or simply show a respect and appreciation, these young individuals embody the values that honor those who have served our nation. One of the most impressive aspects of the program is the culture it fosters. Teamwork, selflessness, and leadership are not just taught. They are lived out by the cadets every day. These values are evident in how they conduct themselves, support one another, and represent their school and community. Additionally, the program has made a significant impact through its

048commitment to community service and volunteerism. The cadetses consistently step forward to serve, demonstrating a strong sense of civic responsibility and desire to make a difference and a positive difference at that. These efforts distribute meaningful meaning contribute meaningfully to the community, the local community, and set the example for the peers. In closing, we strongly support the continued success and growth of of Romeoville Junior ROC program. It is an outstanding example of youth, youth development, leadership, training, and community engagement. We are we are honored to stand alongside them as partners and look forward to many more years of collaboration. Thank you. Thank you. Next up. Good evening, PresidentWigley, Vice President Campbell, members of the board, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Pollson. My name is Luke Golki. I'm the proud parent of Wyatt Golki. He's a secondyear cadet. I

049would like to share a letter of support for the JOTC program that has been given to us by Lucero Garcia, an alumni parent from the JOTC program. He specifically talks about how his son struggled with his behavior, confidence, following through with schoolwork and was pre-diabetic before starting JOTC. Dear members of the board, my name is Luciro Garcia. I am the parent of a former cadet who graduated in 2023. I am writing to share the importance and impact this program has brought my family and son. My son Christopher Baker started middle school. He struggled with stepping out of his comfort zone and following through with schoolwork. I remember receiving a call just about every week regarding his behavior and incomplete assignments. He also faced health challenges at the time and he was considered pre-diabetic. When it

050was his time to transition to high school, I decided to enroll him in the MCJOTC program. At first, he was hesitant. I explained to him, I understand it sounds like a very intimidating program, but you never know. It might help. You might like it. And so his journey began. The first weeks were the hardest. It was something he was not used to at all. Despite his challenges, he continued and completed all four years in the program. Later, I learned he wanted to quit within the first few weeks. He stated it was hard, but he never gave up or even mentioned quitting to me. Today, he is grateful that he stayed. Before the program, my son was a very quiet person, kept to himself, and lacked confidence. Over the years, I saw him grow into a

051more confident and determined young man. His physical health improved. He developed some discipline. And he learned valuable life skills such as teamwork, volunteering, and even how to write professionally. Most importantly, he is no longer pre-diabetic. This program is often misunderstood. It is not a boot camp environment, but rather a structured and supportive program focused on mentorship and helping students grow into responsible, confident young adults. After completing MCJOTC, my son did not join the military. Instead, he pursued technical school and is now working as an automobile mechanic working for a union. He is responsible, hardworking, and financially independent. Because of the mentorship he received from Master Guns and other instructors at the time, I can confidently say that without this program, my son would not be where he is today. For these reasons, I respectfully ask

052that you reconsider maintaining and funding this program so that other students can benefit from the same life-changing experience. Thank you for your time and consideration. And I would like to add, I've seen many of the same changes in my own son. >> Evening. >> Good evening. Uh, my name's uh, Ernest Dico. I'm the commander of the Lockport Veterans of Foreign Wars. >> There you go. Thank you. >> All right. Ernest do Rico, commander of the Lockport Veterans of Foreign Wars. These are my comrades. As we go on the battlefield, on or off the battlefield, we leave no man or woman behind. And as I see it, we are leaving these students behind. That's the way we see it. I don't know who's what we have to do, but we cannot leave these students behind. Do

053what you have to do to save this program. Like he said, structure kids that the students, they get structure. When they go put their resume in for a job, they look at that junior ROC. I'm a father of three, actually four, but three of them were ROC students at Lockport. That program is no longer. My oldest one was uh first CAB army Europe. Then he got out, did contract work. Now he works for the federal government. I can't tell you what he does, but Yes. And uh but we need to save the program for these uh students and it's don't leave them behind. Please, we can't do that. They're our future. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh evening everybody. My name is Mark Bowman. I'm a SR major. long time in the army, but

054when I retired, I took part in Jerus Chicago Southshore College Prep. Um, it's amazing program and tonight we met some amazing cadetses. Um, I know what they did to get to where they are, but these battalions are pretty large. Okay, the best part about this program are the cadets that weren't here tonight. Um, don't forget that this program takes anybody who signs up to want to be a cadet. anybody that walks in the door wants to be this, you know, take part in this program while they're in high school, they can do it. Okay, that's the best part that I saw. Um, and it matters. We talk about structure and everything else. But it's just being a part of a group and having focus and meeting new friends um that represent the community. As you

055saw the group that was here tonight and um my high school in Southshore just by staying within the program is staying in school and finishing high school major about 80% of them graduated from high school and moved on to college just by being in that program that was a big push because it gave them something to do something together as a team to get done. So just I know it's up in in the long run it's not going to be up to us a lot of us in the room that if this program stays or not but it's worth trying to do whatever we can to save that. Thank you. >> Thank you ladies and gentlemen. My name is Robert Mloud. I'm a 20-year Naval veteran and I have I've coached football at another high

056school a long time ago. Let me tell you something. These programs that you've got, you need to cherish and keep. We have our young people coming into high school as kids. They're going to leave the high school as young adults and going out into life. I've seen it. They are looking for what is given by these programs. They're looking for leadership, mentorship, and they're looking for a way to go in life. Whether they go in the military or not, what they learn in these programs, whatever you have in the high schools, they're going to take with them and carry them on for the rest of their lives. So, you've got Bowling Brook and you've got Romeoville. You need to cherish them. you need to keep them and do whatever you got to because you got

057other programs in these high schools that the students need to have an opportunity with. You heard a couple of young kids in wrestling. I've wrestled and I've coached wrestling. You're right. It's a demanding sport, but is a disciplined sport just as these programs are. And that's what we need. Board members, thank you for letting me speak for a couple of minutes. Thank you. Thank you. >> Good evening, President Quigley, Vice President Campbell, members of the board, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Pollson. better. My name is Suzanne Peachy. I am the proud grandmother of First Lieutenant Leah Pachy, who was a thirdyear cadet here. And tonight, I would like to share with you a letter of support for the JR2C program that's been given to us by the Lockport Park District, written by Ben Regel, the director

058of recreation, and Sarah Hamilton, the recreation supervisor. We hope that it shows it's not just support for the program from our parents and cadets, but it's from the community and the difference that students are making within the community. Dated March 18th. Dear President Quigley, members, members of the ward, and superintendent Wood, I am writing to you on behalf of the Romeo High School Marine Corps, JR JOTC unit. Over the past several years, this amazing group of young people have assisted our agency to facilitate our annual military history event known as the Lockport Township Park District as Military History Weekend. The military history event features a series of battle reenactments from a variety of eras of American warfare as well as an assortment of activities that honor our nation's brave veterans over the past 15 years.

059Well, as a veteran community as a whole, attendance for the weekend festival continues to soar into the thousands of spectators, vendors, reenactors, and veterans alike. In working with the Romeoville JOTC, I have unit I have had the privilege to witness the works of some of our community's finest young people. The individuals involved with this program exhibit a strong sense of professionalism, leadership, and a calling to serve the community. These cadets embody all of the values that align with military history days. The effort that we see from these young men and women each year is unmatched and a testament to their leaders in education. The contributions of the JO2C have been pivotal in our efforts to provide the best possible event each year. Their services have proven to be invaluable as we strive to honor history

060and provide an amazing experience to the residents of Will County. It was with great passion that I expressed my admiration for the JOTC program and encourage her future growth. Sincerely, Ben Reagel, Lockport Township Park District, and Sarah Hamilton, Lockport Challenger Park District recreational supervisor. Thank you. You know, as educators, we all know as parents and educators that students success is predicated on their involvement in activities in school. This is an invol, this is an activity that keeps these students motivated and involved. their graduation rates high are higher, the grades are going to be higher. So, we need to make sure we provide these opportunities for our students. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> Evening. Uh, good evening, President Quickley, Vice President Campbell, members of the board, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Pollson. My

061name is Crystal Wel. I am a parent of Garrett Wel. He's a four-year cadet and I'm hoping to be also a parent of a cadet, a f a first year cadet next year. Um, I would like to share a letter of support from the for the JR OC program that was given to us by Joseé Alejandro Barto Martinez, CEO of the Glendel Parade Store. I would like to share a portion of his three-page letter, but encourage you to read it in its entirety when he where he summarizes the research done on the positive impacts of program participation. To it it may concern, I write in strong support of the Marine Corps's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corpse, the MCJOTC program at RHS and respectively urge the Valley View School District Board of Education to reconsider the

062decision to decommission this program at the end of the 2627 school year. I bring to to this letter a perspective informed by both military service and decades of experience supporting JOTC programs nationwide. I serve as a major in the US Air Force Reserve, currently commanding the 433rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland. I also I am also the CEO of Glendale Parade Store, a 77year-old San Antonio-based company that has supplied JOTC programs across the country with uniforms, drill rifles, flags, and ceremonial equipment. Through both of these roles, I have seen firsthand what JOTC programs do for the young people who participate in them. I have also re viewed the research. When a program like Romeoville is decommissioned, those students do not automatically find equivalent support elsewhere. The program disappears. The gap remains.

063The cadets and the instructors at Romeoville who qualified for N nationals in both drill and Raiders represent exactly the kind of long-term committed participants Rand, the name of his company, identifies as realizing the program's most significant benefits. These are not students who enrolled in JRTC for a semester to fulfill a PE credit. These are students who showed up, pushed through, and excelled at a national level. They are the proof point for everything this program is designed to accomplish. To contradict the contradiction with national policy at a time when Congress has mandated the expansion of JOTC programs nationwide, the decommissioning of a high performing program like Romeville's moves in precisely the wrong direction. The Department of Defense currently funds JRTC at 309 million per year across all service branches because the country has determined that this

064investment is worth making. Closing programs at the local level while expanding them at the federal level is a contradiction that harms the students caught in the middle. I strongly encourage the board along with the state and federal representatives to explore every available path alternative funding mechanisms community partnerships and federal support support channels before allowing this program to close. Respectfully, Joseé Alejandro Barto Martinez. >> Thank you. >> Evening. >> Hello. Good evening. Um, President Quinley, Vice President Campbell, members of the board, Dr. Wood, and Dr. Pollson. My name is Jacqueline Gil. I'm a proud parent of Satie Gil, who's a third year, and she's a staff uh staff sergeant cadet. I would like to share a letter of support for the JOTC program that has been given to us by Romeoville Police Department written by resource

065officer Mark Zabilki to whom it may concern. I am writing to express my gratitude for the dedication and support of the ROC program at Romeoville High School um has provided to the Romeoville Police Department and the community of Romeoville in regards to their involvement in multiple community events. For the past several years, our OTC students have proudly raised the colors in honorable and respectful fashion at our national night out event where the goal is to make positive and lasting connections with our local community in Romeoville. ROC has also provided or part I'm sorry participated in the Special Olympics plane pole event that Romeoville Police Department was involved in with our own pool team with the goal of raising funds in support of Special Olympic athletes. Um, I have had the privilege as a school resource

066officer on campus of Romeoville High School for the past 5 years to see many ROC students rise to the occasion both in their academics and school spirit involvement at major sporting events, school prep rallies, and beyond. I additionally had the honor of judging a school talent show where the ROC showed off their impressive skills and received an award and acknowledgement by the panel of judges. I've come to know many of the students involved in the ROC program as polite, respectable, and community oriented young individuals. The students involved in ROC are a testament to the program's effectiveness. Kind regards, school resource officer Mark Zabilki. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good afternoon. I am Garrett Wel, a student at Romeoville High School and a four-year cadet in the Romeoville MCJOTC program. I'd like just to start

067off to say everything that's been said by the supporters here is absolutely true. Through my four years, I have seen three years of cadetses grow, mature, and become great citizens, great participants in the community. And I've seen a many important life skills be created and be advanced in this program. If you were to ask me like four years ago to come up here and speak, I probably be able to do it. But because of my participation in the lessons I've learned within the MCJRT preville, I have had the cou I've earned the courage and I've made myself come up here and help to speak about the program. Um all the lessons I think it's all these uh all the recognition I think is a testament from from the community here. A testament to the effect

068the program has on this community and the uh just everything around here. I'm really grateful for it and I want to see my brothers and the future generations be able to participate in this program. So, thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening, PresidentWigley, Vice President Campbell, board members Dr. Wood and Dr. Pollson. Uh, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight. My name is Elizabeth Blake and I have a son currently enrolled in the JOTC program as an LE1. At the last board meeting, we discussed some of the vital benefits that the MCJOTC program provides for high school students such as higher attendance and graduation rates while lowering the likelihood of truency and inschool suspensions. Tonight, I would like to discuss the curriculum beyond the vague awareness of military subjects and

069commonly held assumptions of what cadets actually learn. Let me show you just a portion of what cadets have the opportunity to explore in the first year as LE1s. And thank you, Nicole. Before you, you'll find various skill categories such as leadership, citizenship, personal growth, responsibilities, etc. But as we look deeper, we see invaluable lessons like the leader within and ethics, morals, and values. For example, what does it mean to be a good leader? According to the Marine Corps, a good leader is someone who balances mission accomplishment with troop welfare, embodying specific traits of character, judgment, and proficiency. A good leader is expected to be a person of honor, competence, and action. Who puts the mission first while taking care of their people. These are the exact markers of a good leader in the workplace such

070as meeting KPIs and project milestones while empowering their team to positively leverage their own unique skills and abilities but with the additional elements of proper ethics, integrity, and virtue sprinkled in for good moral measure. What is the difference between a right and a privilege? In the patriotism skill set section under cit the citizenship category category two cadetses learned that here in America rights are inherent entitlements enjoyed by all that cannot easily be taken away such as free speech while privileges are conditional benefits that must often be earned or maintained and can be revoked such as driving. The area of physical fitness is one that most people could site as a major JOTC learning objective. But did you know that under the personal growth and responsibilities category, they also explore topics such as personal hygiene, suicide

071awareness and prevention, drug and alcohol intervention, managing your stress, nutrition, and proper table manners. Because don't we all wish that more people knew how to eat with their mouths closed at a restaurant or movie theater? What about developing strong interpersonal social skills such as having the confidence to respectfully address people in conversation, looking them in the eyes while speaking, courteously saying please and thank you, and maintaining one's bearing during both positive and difficult interactions. They practice indispensable skills such as productive note-taking and communicating effectively through writing and private and public speaking. My goodness, even learning to become a better listener is in their syllabus. being patient and actively absorbing cues through verbal and body language without mindlessly counting the seconds until it's our time to speak again. I'm sure we all could use a refresher

072in that subject, no doubt. Into the second page, they learn about public service and career exploration and preparation. There's no better time than freshman year to be begin considering your future endeavors. Further down, we see lessons on uniform regulations and the proper execution of drill and ceremony. While on the surface on the surface, it appears standard and indicative of typical military training. But when you consider what it means to be an individual working cohesively within a group with other individuals ahead of you, to either side and behind, you begin to appreciate the core principles of cooperation, reciprocal facilitation, and integration. And this is precisely what we aim to achieve in working together with all of you. The mutually beneficial goal of JOTC program reinstatement. We look forward to further conversations with a solutions mindset and

073collaborative collaborating effectively as a unified voice. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. I know you're tired of us tonight. I'm so sorry. Um, and I do have one more handout. So, you guys are taking a whole stack home with you today. Um, but I just want to say thank you so much for letting us all be here today. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to come up and um, express ourselves. And um, I know I said last time that I wanted to start off my comments by saying thank you. And I mean to make right on that. So I want to first start off by saying thank you so much to board member Hail. Now board member Hail was the first person who emailed us back. He sat down with us at Fat

074Ricky's over soda for 45 minutes and he gave us two very good points that he probably doesn't even realize that he gave to us that um have led to bigger conversations and new avenues for us to look into. So, I want to say thank you so much to board member Hail for being willing to meet with us um when nobody else was at that point. I want to say thank you to Dr. Pollson and to board member Badurus. After the last meeting, um these two went out in the hallway. They stayed out there with us until after 1000 p.m. and they had a conversation with us. They gave us some homework to do. They gave us the opportunity to get back with them with that information that they requested. Uh Dr. Dr. Pollson, you emailed

075us late last night um in a response to an email we sent to you. I really appreciate that. Um I also want to say thank you to PresidentWigley. You called us this past Wednesday from Springfield. Um you talked about getting greater advocacy at the Springfield level. You asked us to provide you with a list of solutions. We didn't want to just hear about problems, but we also want to look at solutions. You gave Liz and myself about 24 hours to get that to you. We got that back to you. Thank you so much. You said something in that conversation that I had to write down. You said, "I think we're all in the same canoe. We just need to start paddling in the same direction." And I thought, "This man doesn't even know what he

076said because one of the events that the cadets have to do for Raiders is carry a canoe across the field um as a team in a timed event." And I just thought that was so apppropo that you said that. It was like God winking at us in that moment and I appreciate you saying that. Um, and Vice President Campbell, I know we're both from the Southside. I appreciate you and that phone call that you made to me on Thursday. We had a 35minute conversation. We talked about what are the next steps we can do. Um, we were really struggling, feeling like we were alone out there, that people weren't necessarily listening in the same way we wanted to. You turned that around. You gave us a lot of hope for the weekend. I can't wait

077to keep working with you. Thank you for that phone call. Uh the last thing I want to talk to you guys about is just exactly what PresidentWigley requested. Uh we don't want to just talk about what are the problems, but what are the solutions? Have we found any? And in the last 30 days, myself and Liz, a lot of parents who are here, um stakeholders within the community, um the middle school principles, people have come together to talk about what are some solutions that can help us get those extra recruits because we're not far off from the goal that we need. So, if you guys want to take a look, you can look at the legislative policy support that's in place right now, program benefits, but please flip to our second page where it says

078challenges and our plan to address them. And I want to thank board member Badurus who has already looked at one of these challenges and said, "Man, I'm happy to help you guys uncover some more information to help you do that." So, um, if you have not met with us yet, if you would like to, um, I would be really willing to, um, meet with some of you guys, I have some, um, contact information, I think, for a few of you. Um, but we're here. We're ready. We're willing to put in the work. We are present. We love a handout. We're happy to go knock on doors. Um, please reach out to us if there's any way that we can assist you in these efforts to keep our program alive. It's needed. Thank you all so

079much. We're so grateful. Thank you. >> Oh, that's a tough act to follow. Good evening, Dr. Woods, Dr. Pson. I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Kelly Schneider. I am a lifelong resident of Romeoville. Um, not only has my parents gone through Valley View School District, but I have as well K through 12, as well as both of my children. Um, my youngest graduated as the latest of 2024. She was also the Golden Apple winner in Valley View. So, she's at Lewis University right now to pursue her dream to come back to Valley View one day and teach high school. It is her dream and she's working towards it. I guess I'm here for something a little different tonight. I'm going to jazz things up a little bit. I've been kind of

080putting this off for a couple of years. I am a uh school bus driver for Valley View and let me tell you, I truly have one of the best jobs in the world. Hands down. Um, one of the reasons I wanted to come tonight was to truly thank the community. First and foremost, thank you for trusting me, especially with your children each and every day. Um whether it's the weather, traffic, you name it. Uh going back for whatever reason it may be, the community. I have met so many wonderful community members along the way. I've met great students, great parents, grandparents, you name it. And I am truly very honored and privileged to work for such an outstanding district. And it's even it hits home a little bit more for me because I am a

081Valley View prodigy. You know, I I went through the district and it's nice to be able to work in the district in which you attended. So, it's nice to continue to give back to the community. Um, and I'm even more proud, like I said, of my daughter who will also be wanting to give back to our same community. Um, to the coaches, I'm a standby athletic driver. I drive some of the best coaches on the planet. Uh, BHS volleyball, if you've ever had an opportunity, some of the best coaches ever. Um, Romeoville, again, there's, uh, Coach Robin, um, Mrs. Rio, Coach Louise, all of them out of Romeoville. Any coach I've ever had dealings with has been so good to us as drivers. And I I want to personally thank them as a driver. You

082can say thank you, but sometimes that thank you really just isn't enough. So, I wanted to express my true gratitude to the board. We have some great people in our district. Let me just say that. We have some outstanding educators, great coaches. We have top-notch bus drivers, monitors. Uh I work with people that truly care about these children, care about when they're sick, if they're not feeling well, if they're hurt, um if they forgot something. You truly build bonds with these kids over the years. And it's it you just can't put words onto that, you know. And I tell people all the time that I have the best job in the world. And I think they look at me like I'm crazy, but I promise you, I really have the best job in the world.

083I But again, I couldn't do my job every day without my dispatch team. They keep us going on the roads. They tell us where we're supposed to go, when we're supposed to be there, at what time. our uh shop guys. They keep us safe on the road each and every day. And for that, I'm truly very grateful. Um to our office staff. Uh we have great office staff. They're always very caring. They have smiles on their faces, you know, and just when you think you're having a blah day, one of them there is either going to throw a snack at you, throw a smile at you, and truly make you feel as though you're important. And it matters. Um it's to me it it means a great deal. I have done many jobs in the

084world, but never have I had a job so rewarding. And I truly can't thank them enough. You know, I'm I it's it's an honor um to work for Dave, who I saw him out there, Mr. Dave Richards. He's a great boss to work for. Very listen. He always has a listening ear. He's always ready to give you that guidance when you need it to help you out. And it's appreciated. It is absolutely appreciated. Um people joke all the time about the dynamic duo because my other half drives us well. And we truly enjoy what we do each and every day. Um it's an honor. It really is an honor to work for this district, to be able to drive for this district. We have the nicest equipment possible. Um, it's always nice when you roll

085up to another school and they're like, "Yeah, we got 30 pounds of dust and rust hanging off our buses and here we are nice and clean." >> Can you wrap up your comments, please? We have other speakers. Thank you. >> So, again, my reason for coming up today was because I really wanted to thank you as a board. I wanted to thank the community and thank my entire office staff and as well as all the bus drivers and monitors that work their hearts out every day for our students in our community. We really do have one of the most important jobs in the world and thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a great district. I appreciate it. Thank you. >> Evening. Good evening. Jim Fischer, James Ellard Fischer, as you

086can find me on the internet for supporting women's rights. So, I have three kids. Two of them made it through the school. Uh, one is still going through the school. Uh, I got a call from the middle guy who's in college today. He wanted to know how to spell Ellard in my name. He was filling out paperwork. He didn't call me to ask me how to spell it. He googled the internet and saw that there were folks that were fighting me to fight women's rights and bring them back. So that's all I can say about that. I also want to say that someone said this is women's history month. Great. Thank you. In fact, I had a daughter and my wife my wife took my daughter for the first time to vote decades ago. That

087could not happen. So, I ask everybody in the community, man or woman, stand up for your rights. And if you're a man, stand up for women's rights. Thank you. >> Good evening. Please state your name. >> Good evening. Uh, my name is Jason Summers. I am a lifelong resident. I am also a proud graduate of Bowenberg High School, class of 99. My brother is also a proud graduate of Bowling Brook High School, class of 2002, and currently is a PE teacher at Humphrey Middle School. I am here to respectfully ask the board to seriously reconsider uh the moves they intend to make this evening. We need to protect our teachers. We have great teachers. Hence, I've been through this district. My brother's been through this district. My two's children are going through this district. One's

088in high school right now as a sophomore is in our wonderful uh special needs programs and my youngest is currently a seventh grader at Brooks Middle School. Uh my I guess you can say my family is deeply rooted in Valley View School District. My mother is also a retired teacher for this district. My father is a retired school bus driver for this district. So I'm asking each and every one of you to please reconsider your moves this evening and let's keep these teachers employed. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. >> Good evening. Um I would I'm Cadet Alvarado from um >> Closer to the microphone, please. There you go. >> Uh I'm Cadet Alvarado from the JRTC program and I'm here asking you to reconsider uh shutting the program down. Um, in eighth grade I

089had a really bad phase and I was severely depressed. I didn't want to go to school and then kind of transferred over into my freshman year and my attendance got really bad and then I remember I went into lunch and I saw this girl and she was in uniform and everything. She looks so cool. I was like, I really want to do that but I was scared. And then I talked to this one girl and she was in my Spanish class. She's so sweet. She told me, "Well, you should talk to our instructors." And I remember Master Guns, he really wanted me to join. He's like, "You can do this. You just like he really convinced me." So I brought home the paperwork and my mom, she's like, "Are you sure you want to do

090this?" I'm like, "I I want to try something new." So I tried it and July me would have never came up here. I would have never been able to speak in front of all these people and like my leadership has grown. I'm able to learn new things, talk to new people that I would have never done before. And that's things that this program has taught me. So, it's little things like that that matter. It's the people in the program. I built a family out of people I would have probably never talked to before. and I probably spend more time with them than I do with my actual family. So, it's it's the little things that matter and some people don't see it. I've never really known anything about like community service, what I needed, and

091they explained things about college, scholarships, all of that. I did my first color guard. I was so scared, but you know what? They pushed us through it. My instructor, he's like, "You got this. Just breathe. You guys can do this." So, why are we shutting down such a good program that offers so much support to these cadetses? We like this big family of people and I there's some of them here. I love them so much. I probably would have never thought, hey, let me go talk to that girl. Let me go talk to him. And it's I just don't understand. Like I get that it's the numbers and maybe it's some funding, but look what such a small program can bring a big impact. >> Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. And to

092reiterate my previous comments, I can tell you we're going to do everything we can do. We're going to talk to our congressional delegation, people in Washington DC, anybody who has any influence over this program to uh make sure that the USMC provides us with uh instructors and so we can keep the program viable. I can't put it any more simple than that. Amen. I want and Nicole, if you're still here, I'm sure you are, but I want to thank you for uh the phone call and the bullet points and what have you. All those things are going to go into the letters we're going to send and some of the pressure points that we can try and bring to bear. Uh but it it's very very uh well, it's heartwarming to see these kids and

093how successful they've been. Uh I sit here as a proud uncle of two ROC. One's now a major in the United States Army. The other one's a captain in the United States Army. I know the value of what it brings to a family and to these uh young students. So, this is not lost on us by any stretch of the imagination. So, again, very grateful for your uh input and we will continue to try and drive this ball forward. So, thank you very much. And if there's nobody else behind the curtain, uh, we will move down the agenda. >> Action reports. Miss Donado, action report 10. >> Yes. Action for 10.1 is to approve the consolidated action report for certified, classified, and administrative personnel. The administration is respectfully seeking your approval on all items as

094presented. >> So move. >> We have a motion. >> Second. >> Motion and seconded. I think Mr. Madurus made the motion. Uh, is there any discussion? Roll call vote, please. >> Member Hy, >> yes. >> Member Shrova, >> yes. >> Member Burus, >> stay. >> Member Pipkin, >> yes. >> Secretary Sutherland, >> yes. >> Vice President Campbell, >> stay. >> President Quigley, >> uh, yes. Motion received requisite votes does pass. Moving down the agenda, resolution authorizing dismissal. >> And prior prior to 10.2, Two, we just wanted to acknowledge that with the approval of tonight's consolidated action report, we are pleased to move forward with four administrative hires, two of these positions are the result of a strategic reorganization of district leadership, while the two remaining fill essential vacancies for the upcoming school year. As Superintendent

095Wood noted during our last meeting, we remain deeply committed to fiscal stewardship. This reorganization of senior leadership combined with district and building level restructuring, specifically within the high school AP and assistant director roles, has resulted in a total net savings of over $735,000. By balancing our long-term financial stability with the need to recruit top tier talent early, we are ensuring our district remains competitive with our neighbors while staying accountable to our taxpayers. We do have some of our hires this evening that have just been approved. So, I would like to first acknowledge Mr. Mr. Duncan Powers. Mr. Powers, if you could please stand up so we can celebrate you. Mr. Powers has been serving in the role of interim assistant principal for the past year at Brooks Middle School. During this time, he has used

096his previous experience as a Spanish world language teacher to build connections and trust with students and families. He has spent time leading the building to ensure students have access to grade level standard instruction while also working closely with the attendance team to support increased student present presence at school. Mr. P's continued leadership with the building's equity team to ensure every student has a sense of belonging and is included. We welcome Mr. Powers back to the role of assistant principal at Brooks Middle School. Next, we have Mr. Kevin Patterson. If you could please stand. Mr. Kevin Patterson is being recommended for the human resources director position. He has committed the past 13 years of his career to the Bradley Burbanet community. First as a special education teacher at the high school district and then as the

097director of human resources and operations at the elementary school district for the past six years. In his time as director, he has overseen all functions of the HR office while also supporting transportation maintenance and operations. His expertise in conflict resolution and knowledge of policies and procedures along with his demonstrated longevity and commitment to his working community make him an asset for our district. Welcome to Valley View, Kevin. And next, I would like to invite Dr. Jan Lensy to the podium. Dr. Jan Lensy is being recommended for the assistant superintendent for educational services preK5 role. She has served in the role of executive director for pre-K5 educational services since September of 2024. Her accomplishments in her short time with the Valley View School District include supporting the growth and development of leaders and educators in understanding

098and applying professional learning communities at the elementary level. We will let her speak a little bit more about her accomplishments and uh her next steps in this role. Good evening, PresidentWigley, members of the board, Dr. Wood, and senior leadership. It is with gratitude that I stand before you to accept the position of assistant superintendent prek through 5. I am deeply honored and grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to working closely with our superintendent and our talented team to continue to bring the district's vision every learner every day to life for our youngest learners. Together, we will provide equitable, highquality learning experiences that prepare every child to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. I'm committed to partnering with our educators, our families, and the VVSD community to make this vision a reality. Thank you again for

099your trust. I'm so excited to continue to serve our students and district with dedication and passion. >> Thank you. Congratulations. And now I would like to welcome Dr. Lise Haney down to the podium. Dr. Haney is being recommended for the assistant superintendent for educational services 612. As a resultsdriven leader, Dr. Haney has orchestrated remarkable academic turnarounds and excels at bridging curricular gaps through vertical alignment with feeder districts and integrating complex portrait of a graduate goals into both local assessment and ACT standards which aligns beautifully with our portrait of a learner work here in Valley View. Dr. Haney, >> welcome. >> Good evening everyone and thank you uh assistant superintendent for educational services at Valley View District 365. I'm loving the sound of that. Um, first of all, I would like to thank the Valley View

100District 365 Board of Education, Dr. Terresa Pollson, and the hiring committee for extending this absolutely incredible opportunity for me to join a team here. Uh, during the interview process, it was clearly evident to me that this district is full of people who deeply care about their work and whose values align with mine, which was very, very important to me. I'd also like to thank Dr. Keith Wood. Uh, I had the pleasure to meet him a couple of Fridays ago as we were celebrating students in Springfield. So, I would also like to thank my significant other, Dr. Kim Ramadan, who made the journey here with me today, as well as my fifth grade teacher, who's also in attendance, Miss Lear Kaney. Give it up. otherwise known as my mom. Uh yeah, you heard that correctly. My

101mom was my fifth grade teacher. That was an interesting year. Y'all imagine coming to school without your homework. And your teacher knows exactly what you were doing or not doing the night before. So, still kind of getting over that. But in all seriousness, my mother has lived in this community for over the past 20 years plus. And my grandmother lives about eight minutes in nearby Planefield. And so I've been around here and I've always loved this community. And so to have the opportunity to uh join the team here really means a lot to me because of how I feel about this community. So I'd like to tell you about my philosophy of education. But first, I have to give you a little context first regarding how I came to my beliefs. So, it was almost

10220 years ago in my role as dean of high school students. And on this particular day, uh, one of my high-f flyers was sent to my office for the third time that week. And so when he entered my office, I look at him and I'm like, "Dude, again, come on, man." and he looked at me and said, "Hey, Joe, them classes be boring than a mug." Now, let me tell you about the word Joe. Okay, so at the time I was working on the west side of Chicago and the young people there, they called everybody Joe, just like uh most recently the young people called everyone bro regardless of your actual gender or familial status. Okay. Anyway, so the students like, "Hey, Joe, these classes be born in a mug." And I said, "So you're

103going to blame the classes?" And and he said, "Man, Joe, you need to go see for yourself." And so I actually took his suggestion to my principal and he told me to go for it. So I alerted all of his teachers that I would be shadowing the highf flyier that day and I spent the entire day in his classes. Now let me be clear. I am not disparaging his teachers in any way at that time. They were all teaching the way we were all taught. They were the classes were highly lecture-based. Uh there was very little student interaction and there was very little collaboration just students taking notes and completing assignments. Most students looked disengaged and many had their heads on their desks. And in one class, I kid you not, the teacher literally was

104asleep. And so I didn't want to look at the highf flyer at that time because I knew he just had a a look on his face. And when I finally uh looked over in his direction, there he was with the look. I told you so. Right. So I would end up taking that experience to inform my leadership practice and roles after that from K3 assistant principal to K8 and high school principal uh high school equity director and most recently high school assistant superintendent. Ultimately, the question that I posed to all of those teams was, can student achievement, discipline, and attendance outcomes improve if students were more engaged in their instruction? And the answer was a resounding yes. So, here is a super highly summarized description of what needs to be in place if we're going

105to give all kids the best opportunity to achieve at the highest level. First, students need instructors who absolutely believe that all kids can achieve at high levels and they have to believe that their actions have a direct impact on student outcomes. Second, instructional experiences must be highly engaging. Students have to take agency and ownership of their own learning if we want to see academic outcomes sore. Third, students must be allowed several opportunities to practice and receive feedback before they are graded. And finally, for students who are not experiencing success in the tier one general environment, we must shift from a remediation model to an acceleration model where students receive just in time scaffolds and supports so that they access highlevel rigorous grade level instruction. When those things are in place, student achievement soarses. So, is

106it July 1 yet? Cuz I'm ready to get to work. Thank you. Thank you. >> Looking forward to working with you, >> Dr. Wood. He may have you. >> I don't know. Can we do a He's flapping. He looks a little >> It is. It's not a competition >> and obviously his mom is in the audience. So we can >> you're a little older than you probably shrunk a smidge. >> Uh welcome aboard to the folks who have not been part of our family but uh those of you who have been part of the family, welcome to your new positions and we all look forward to working with you. Thank you so much. Uh Dr. Pollson and Mado, thanks for going out and finding us quality uh folks. Uh where we at here? Moving down

107the agenda. I got flipping through here. Uh >> 10.2 >> 10.3 >> 10.2 >> Oh, sorry. 10 point. >> The administration is respectfully seeking your approval for resolution number 2620 to authorize the dismissal of an educational support personnel employee for reasons other than reduction in force. There >> a motion. >> So move. >> Second. >> Motion and seconded. Any discussion? Roll call vote, please. >> Member Shrova. >> Yes. >> Member Buris. Yes. >> Member Pipkin. >> Abstain. >> Member Hy. >> Yes. >> Secretary Sutherland. >> Yes. >> Vice President Campbell. >> Yes. >> President Quigley. >> Yes. 10.3. >> Action item 10.3. The administration is respectfully seeking your approval for resolution number 2621 to authorize the non-renewal of certified administrative personnel hired under a temporary contract. >> Motion. >> Second. >> Motion and seconded. Is

108there any discussion? Roll call vote, please. >> Member Burus, >> yes. >> Member Pipkin, >> yes. >> Member Hy, >> yes. >> Member Shoa, >> yes. >> Secretary Sutherland, >> yes. >> Vice President Campbell, >> yes. >> PresidentWigley, >> yes. 10.4. >> Action item 10.4. The administration is respectfully seeking your approval for resolution number 2622 to authorize the non-renewal of a professional technical employee due to expiration of grant funding. Is there a motion? So >> move. >> Second. >> Motion and second. Is there any discussion? Roll call vote, please. >> Member Pipkin, >> yes. >> Member Hy, >> yes. >> Member Shroa, >> yes. >> Member Burus, >> yes. >> Secretary Sutherland, >> yes. >> Vice President Campbell, >> yes. >> President Quigley, >> yes. Moving down the agenda, Mr. Renich, >> no reports. >>

109Thank you. Action. Assistant Superintendent Service. Dr. Pollson. Yes. 12.1. Tonight we are seeking your approval to submit a state waiver application to the Illinois State Board of Education for the 2627 school year. The waiver allows us to bank instructional minutes on a regular school days and apply them to a full day school improvement day. This process follows our public hearing that was held already on January 26 and ensures that we meet in and are in compliance with Illinois school code. If you recall, we have done this process before to be very transparent. the um documentation that needs to be required in the minutes is very particular for the um Illinois State Board of Education. So, we are asking that we move forward with action and vote on it again so we can make sure that

110we have appropriate documentation. >> Motion second. >> That's not an action item, is it? >> Oh, it is next. I'm sorry. Motion. >> Motion and seconded. All those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Oh, no. Wait. We got a vote. >> Is a vote. It's a voter. If there is no action, no further conversation, roll call vote, please. >> Member Hy, >> yes. >> Member Shrova, >> yes. >> Member Badurus, >> yes. >> Member Pipkin, >> yes. >> Secretary Sutherland, >> yes. >> Vice President Campbell, >> yes. >> President Quigley, >> yes. >> Action report 13. Dr. Wood, >> no report. >> I know, but I have to go down the agenda, so we might as well do it. Uh, superintendent information reports. Dr. Wood, if you would please. >> Yes. Thank you,

111Board President Quigley. Um, like to present my superintendent update for March 23rd, 2026. And start off by recognizing our first registered member of the VBSD class of 2039. She is Matteline Nrefa who will attend kindergarten at Pioneer when the 2627 school year begins in August. She is quite excited and look at that magnificent pencil she has. All right, moving on. Last week, we had the honor of celebrating the staff and students at three schools across the district who attained an exemplary rating based on the 2025 Illinois Assessment of Readiness and other measures such as student growth, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism to name a few. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness, I AR, as um Hayden referenced earlier in her report, is a state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school

112district. I assesses the Illinois learning standards incorporating the Common Core and is currently being administered in English language, arts, and mathematics to all students in grades 3 through 8 across the district. Attaining three exemplary designations is an historical milestone for our district and we appreciate the efforts of BJ Ward Elementary, Hermanson Elementary and Jane Adams Middle School for their attainment. We were able to visit most classrooms at all schools and it was refreshing to see students throughout the building focused on learning and growth. In one classroom at BJ Ward, we saw students in Mrs. Gerny's fifth grade um classroom. Her students mentored the third grade students of Mr. Kaza's class to help encourage them since this will be their first time taking the AR as third graders. It was encouraging to see older students pouring

113into younger students to help them succeed and excel. We encourage all students to test their best during this assessment window. With the recent changes of cut scores on the IR, we look forward to receiving um truer results that adequately reflect our students readiness, which has the potential of shifting additional schools from commendable to exemplary. We um best wishes to all of our students and congratulations again to our three schools. Can we um clap it up for him? Um, continuing with our VBSD snapshots classrooms to community. On the left you see our annual secondary transitional experience program talent show and STEP student Verun Vzeretti displayed some of um his original paintings including this one which he donated to STEPP for display in the STEP campus building. If you'd like to see it, stop by. And on

114the right, Benolenberg High School boys basketball team visited Tibet Elementary for a special afterchool program. The clinic and scrimmage focused on helping players improve their skills on the court and also included discussions about teamwork, self-discipline, and the skills it takes to be an athlete. I would like to say thank you to all of our vendors, volunteers to include students and parents and district staff who participate in the family symposium last month. Parents from across the district were able to receive valuable information and resources to help their children succeed. And we could not have done it without the collective effort of all of our organiz organizations and volunteers. And to conclude, some important upcoming dates. March 27th is early release day. March 30th through April 6, spring break, schools are closed. Probably didn't have to remind

115anyone about that. April 7th, schools reopen, and April 13th is our next board meeting. That concludes my update for this evening. >> Thank you, Dr. Wood. Uh, cleaning services contract update. I'm assuming that's Mr. Renich. >> That's a correct assumption. Um, it an initial information report det uh detailing this bidding and evaluation methodology was previously presented to the board of education on February 9th. I just like to provide a board with a brief update on the status of this cleaning service contract. Um, we received a strong response to our bid request indicating a healthy interest in the district's needs. The next phase of our process is a comprehensive scope review. Our object our objective is to recommend a bidder who is not only the lowest but also the most responsive bidder. To clarify, being the

116lowest bidder does not always automatically guaranteeing an award. A responsive bidder must demonstrate they fully meet the spec specific requirements, quality standards, and labor expectations outlined in the bid documents. I'm currently working with our legal team to ensure the entire valuation remains fully compliant with the statutory bidding requirements in our district policies. It is the administration's goal to present a formal recommendation for your approval at the April board meeting. Um, next board meeting. >> Thank you. >> Panorama Education. Dr. Pollson, if you would please. >> Yes. Information item 14.3, Panorama for a renewal utilizing Panorama student success platform. This is a unified data collection system that has allowed us across the district um to support all of our data sets in one space. The resource is again utilized at all levels across the entire district.

117The platform ensures that our district meets the Illinois State Board of Education mandate for data based problem solving framework by integrating universal screening um in continuous progress monitoring of our students both academically and social emotionally by fulfilling this requirement for a multi-tiered system of supports. This allows us to provide documented evidence-based interventions necessary to support the whole child both academically and social emotionally. Again, this is just information and it will be brought back next time for action. >> Thank you. If you have any questions, talk to Dr. Pollson, please. Moving on the agenda, job descriptions. Miss Donado. >> Information for 14.4. Attached to the board packet are two job descriptions for review. These do these job descriptions reflect updates to current positions. The infrastructure and security operations manager allows for technology department to keep current

118with evolving infrastructure and security needs and the safety and security supervisor position will be posted as a vacancy due to retirement at the end of the school year and the updates reflect shifts in the role since its last approval in 2018. >> Thank you. 14.5 AFT. Not sure who that's good. >> It's me, >> Rich. Please. >> So, uh, the district has successfully concluded negotiations regarding the inclusion of the dispatchers into the transportation bargaining unit following an ELRB certification last uh July, which is the Illinois Education Labor Board Relations Board. Um, we both have reached an agreement, so we're very excited about that. Anou reviewed by our attorneys is included in your packet for review. Key changes are also highlight highlighted in that document. It is the administration's goal to present a formal recommendation for

119your approval at the April Board of Education meeting. >> Thank you. And Dr. Larry. Good evening, President Quizley, Vice President Campbell. >> I'd like to uh introduce Dr. Larry, who will be walking us through some of the district's critical safety projects. Dr. Larry has been instrumental in overseeing everything from digital mapping and camera infrastructure to specialized training required by Senate Bill 1519. His leadership ensures that our security systems aren't just in place but are evolving to meet the highest standards. Dr. >> That's basically everything I was going to say tonight. So, >> so I'm good right now. All right. Again, good evening members of the board, superintendent, uh our constituents, staff, we appreciate you. I'm Dr. Carter Larry, the director of safety and security with Valley View School District and here to just give a

120brief synopsis synopsis and update as to where we're at right now. So, as it stands right now with respect to our organizational chart, uh my right-hand man is our safety and security uh supervisor, Alan Hampton, who's retiring at the end of this year and will be big shoes to fill. Uh and the lady that actually runs everything is Raquel Buelos. and you know I I would be lost without her. Uh as it stands right now we have 65 direct reports with respect to the office uh itself and uh they're in elementary, early childhood, middle, high school and step itself. We are fully staffed as it stands right now. As of September, we focused um very hard on replenishing our sub pool and we've brought in 16 subs uh since September and uh training everyone uh

121within the district itself. So, we've actually have like a field training program that we've established with respect to training of new hires and or our sub uh security as well. things that I want to talk about. Uh, as assistant superintendent Ren Renish pointed out, uh, digital mapping. So, digital mapping was a state mandate. We are now in full compliance with respect to that. Uh, camera software and cameras themselves. We are consistently looking to update our system. Uh, we currently have cameras that have been in place since 2004. uh we are looking at the most coste effective ways to replace those items that have reached their end of life. Uh working with assistant superintendent Rendish, we have we have some plans in place that he'll obviously present to the board itself. So, with that being said,

122we're looking at a seven-year cycle with respect to increasing the camera footprint, replacing what needs to be replaced, and then doing a complete assessment of all the camera systems within the district itself. Uh, our reunification process. So if we have a violent critical incident uh within the district itself, we've worked with Will County uh and have trained with respect to our park district and our reunification process and we actually use the I love you guys reunification system which is the standard response system with respect to just about every district within the state of Illinois itself. Life safety systems is something Assistant Superintendent Renish will be presenting to the board uh in the near future. Uh something that's critical with respect to me and I know Doc Wood and I have been talking about for quite

123some uh for just the school year itself um traffic studies within both of our early childhood centers. Um there has been a significant increase with respect to enrollment at both EC's. uh with that there are times where traffic is backed up significantly uh causing a problem within the village of Bowling Brook and also at uh JME you know in Romeoville and so we've we have an individual who directs traffic but at the same time um it it's not a one-man job so we've been working with the village of Romeovilles and the villages of uh Bowling Brook with respect to What can we do to to reduce that um uh that that problem? Because no one wants to see traffic backed up from Brier Cliff all the way down to Bowlingberg High School. Nor do they

124want to see traffic backed up, you know, on Dollart from from JMC all the way down to Normantown itself. Uh so we will continue to work with both police departments and villages uh to help alleviate that concern itself. Um, next on deck is we had a tabletop exercise with respect to reunification in Bowling Brook. We'll be doing the exact same thing with Romeoville itself. Uh, then I'll talk about security training and SRO training with respect to Senate Bill uh 1519. I've already gone through uh digital mapping, our camera software, the increased uh footprint itself. Um with respect to the life safety systems, this is a life safety systems project. Um I have been looking at a weapons detection system whether it be through e well through EVA and we have recently um actually tested that

125system out at Bowlingberg High School at a basketball game which was very wellreceived. Uh the weapons detection system itself isn't intrusive in any way, shape or form. Um, and it actually allows for you to get, let's say, 3,000 people through the system in less than 35 to 45 minutes. And then at a packed basketball game, we were able to get everyone within the game prior to start of the game itself. Um, it is there purely to detect an item that for all intents and purposes, uh, has the mass and the the consistency of a firearm. That's it. So we can we can adjust the system to look for knives and things of those long lines. But as it stands right now, I just think that as we move forward in the future, I'm not so

126worried about our community members themselves. But we have a lot of people coming from the outside within the district to attend various functions. And now in the the world where we have a number of people who are concealed carry, uh even though we have signage throughout the district itself that unless you're a sworn police officer, um that you're not to have a firearm on the property itself. And so we just turn people away and we've been working consistently with both our local law enforcement agencies and they are excited as well if you know with bringing this in. So again, it's non-invasive. Um, I've demoed the the items uh across the county itself and again we had an opportunity and the system we've used is now at u the President Obama's uh library itself where they're

127testing it out as well. Uh we talked about the traffic safety uh at both EC's. Um, this will this is one of my major concerns that I want to alleviate with respect to the district. As far as Senate Bill 1519 is concerned, every school resource officer assigned to Valley View School District and as it stands right now, um, we have five, four on the Benberg side, one on the Romeoville side as well. Um the state has made the determination that as we move forward uh police are not out allowed to issue a monetary fine to students within our building and on our property. Um they can't issue fees andor tickets andor a citation as a school-based disciplinary act itself or as a consequence you know for a municipal code on school property on school property

128once you leave the property. All right. All gloves are off itself. But we've been working with them and at the last school resource officer convent uh conference met with multiple attorneys and then um actually had additional training through our law offices as well to actually break down and make sure that we have a full understanding of what the law in the Senate bill actually means itself. Security my staff again 65 direct reports. Um we've established a training program for school security officers um and have it has been restructured to ensure that all staff are thoroughly trained and well prepared for their various roles. Security officers participate in regular certification training including CPR first aid crisis prevention institute uh training as well our CPI training for crisis management and we have a heavy focus on deescalation

129stop the bleed train stop the bleed training uh this year this uh start of the school year human resources provided training uh with respect to face law uh and legal updates as well and then we also utilize The Alice training, the alert, lockdown, and form counter and evacuate training with respect to critical incidents. The continuous professional development ensures that security assistance make to my security officers, excuse me, maintain the necessary uh necessary skills to respond effectively with respect to emergencies and uphold the district's high standards. High standards. and making sure that we hold people accountable for the safety and uh well-being not only of our students but with respect to our staff as well. Um again SRO trainings anyone who becomes a school resource officer has mandated training that they have to receive. You have

130to go to school resource officer uh school uh and then uh we make sure again that they're updated with respect to Senate Bill 1519. With that being said, um, any questions or concerns? >> I have a comment first. SRO's are the student resource officers and I want to commend those who serve in our district as well as our security staff who does so much. And I think since I've been a booster at the high school, I see a lot more of what they do. So, I just want to say thank you so much for your team. Um, that was my comment. But then I did have a question. You said that I've talked about digital mapping. you have talked about it and then I've been blessed to be able to be on the security team

131so I've heard a little bit more when we have some of the working group discussions but can you describe what is digital mapping? >> Um so with respect to digital mapping we have an overall um outline of every map within excuse me every building within the district itself. Uh it provides a grid line uh details very similar to what we have in the military itself. And then so if Carter Larry had to go to Bowling Brook High School as a police officer and I'm very unfamiliar with the building, then um they're in a position that hey I need you to go to H14 which gives them the very specific direction uh with respect to that building where they need to respond. >> Thank you for that. And then the last time the last thing was

132what were our thoughts and plans on how will we use the life safety system? Is this going to be at every single door that people enter or are we using it kind of >> main entrances? Main entrances as it stands right now. So, we want to be cost effective. >> Thank you. >> Any additional questions? >> Thank you, Dr. Larry. And thank you for what you and your team do every day. All right. Legal services report. >> No report. >> Thank you. Association report 604. Apparently no report. Uh office personnel council 604. We're the same. Valley View Transportation. No report. Old business before the board. >> Yes. Yes, I have some questions about the old business that I thought we were going to discuss when we uh uh hired administration and um some of our

133uh community had thought that we were a little topheavy and the money that we're saving and I haven't heard those things discussed so that in plain simple form so that um our district students and staff and community would know what we're doing with our hiring. So noted and you guys want to get back to her on that or you want to talk about now? >> I can speak briefly to some of the savings that have occurred. Um so with the restructuring and reorganization of the senior leadership uh team, $190,000 was saved in the condensing of three positions into two. There was also additional district level restructuring positions that saved $311,000 approximately and the high school administrative adjustments um saved approximately $234,000 with a net savings of um close to $735,000. >> Can you explain to

134our community why we have nine assistant uh principles >> at each of the buildings uh at Romeoville High School and Bowling Brook High School? Each of the buildings have an organizational chart where the administrators at each building have and oversee specific areas. Those areas are either curricularly or um athletically and student services and so forth. There are different areas that each of the assistant principles supervise along with the evaluations of their staff. um looking at the student ratios, we also made sure that we allocated based on a equitable student ratio that was consistent with um other state ratios in the state of Illinois. >> Was there a net gain of administration in buildings or uh cuts? >> It was a net decrease. We also um removed or decreased 1.0 know um an assistant principal at

135BJ Ward due to their low enrollment as well because they have under 300 students. >> Thank you. Any others? All right. Any new business before the board this evening? >> Yeah. Uh I was uh able to take a tour of the district print shop. Uh John Reich and Keith Lac Lemiac >> Lcomiac uh gave me a tour of the building. Uh it was very impressive uh what they accomplished there for the district. Um I encourage all the board members um and people within the district to take a tour if they can. Um they have embroidery where they do uh department uniforms for nutrition services, security, facility operations, uh as well as sports uniforms, staff appreciation items, spearware, uh engravings, uh quick copy services, uh math, science, STEM, and forensic workbooks with approximately they said 100,000

136produced annually for our students. Um and that's just just some of them. Uh they have signed production as well. Um they were reusing some of the PPE from COVID to create awards. Um the things that they're doing there is extreme extremely impressive. Um and I think just the cost savings too of having the print shop as as an asset for the district is um incredible to see in action. Um so thank you Mr. Rish for uh offering that. Um and um I think one other thing is uh JRCC um really showed up today. Um and as that Mr. Quigley has stated uh I don't think anybody here on the board uh administration is um outside of your corner. We want to back you guys up. Um I would encourage Dr. Wood to share uh the

137letter that he submitted for the board. um showing that support as well since they did the same and giving us those letters. So, uh hopefully you can see, you know, that we're we're behind you on that. >> Thank you. All right. Anyone new business? If not, Freedom of Information, Mr. Blay is on the website and he is in the back. If you have those responses, sent to hit the Valley View FOYA log. Uh announcements by the board from my right. >> Yes. I'd just like to um announce that uh the concert that was at Brooks Middle School by Miss Batista was great and some of those uh member uh Pickkins some of those students were also in Matilda. So yeah, they were from Brooks as well. And so a shout out to all those and

138uh Miss Pimble, I think she was a retired music teacher that was long with uh Miss Batista in that uh spring musical for those Brook Middle School children. And also as it already was stated about Axel, you guys know what I like about acronym. So the AXO is announced by those uh students that had placed in a gold medal, but AXO stands for African-American Culture Technology Scientific Olympics. And not only was that, but the our tech person, Mr. Michael Hail, his daughter was also there. And I'm always got a shout out to him because I'm always here to give me another cord tonight. He's always my tech guy. So for all those students who participated and I know we'll probably bring some of them to this board, but just a shout out to all our

139students and for them to be rested and staff and have a a great vacation time and come back ready to make it through and endure to the end. and to all our new staff and all those and also uh they didn't say we have recalled some of those 34 uh reduction and forced uh people back into the district as well. So just everybody enjoy themselves and be blessed and be safe. >> Thank you. Any from the light the left? I just wanted to say a shout out to the Bowling Brook um cast and crew for the wonderful performance of Matilda. That was just fabulous and the band and lighting everything that goes into the production did a marvelous job and also want to thank member Pipkin for filling in for me for um at the

140Wilco board meetings. So I appreciate that and um enjoy your your spring break and uh come back ready to keep going. So, thank you again. >> I too just wanted to add because um board member uh Vice President Campbell actually said it too. We had middle schoolers in the performance. So, from both Jane Adams as well as Brooks Middle School, fantastic production. Fantastic production. It was so hardworking and I can't can't say it enough. And of course, you guys know I'm biased, but still it was wonderful even with my biased opinion. Was it was good. It was really good. Your daughter was great too. It was good. It was good. But I would be remiss. There was something I had wanted to say for those who are recognized who are going to the skills uh

141USA. I wanted to just say Liliana uh SAS I believe her name is uh Bowling Brook for law enforcement. I just wanted to point her out. We also had um Sophia Via Viachi uh Bolenbrook for emergency medical services. And then we had I thought we had one Romeo bill or maybe I looked at the other maybe that was a quarterly. Oh, I was looking at the quarterly. So then there's students who are recognized as students of the quarter because of their um welloing. So we had Aubrey Davidson for Auto1 Bowling Brook. We had um Aaron Brown for CNA Romeoville grade 11. Uh we had Latrell Motton for culinary at Bowlingbrook. And we had um Paulo Galvin, intro to health for Bowling Brook. And our last one for our district, Riley Buyers, u veterinary assistant to

142Romeoville. word. I missed >> Miguel. >> Oh, Miguel. I missed Miguel. Thank you very much. Miguel Nava Ortiz, uh, computer technology Bowling Brook. Thank you for that. So, I wanted to just recognize our students in the district who have um shined at Wilco and beyond. Thank you. >> All right. And I just look, I have one more thing. I know everybody's trying to go home. I got to be in Springfield 9 o'clock in the morning, too. So, let's roll. But I want to acknowledge Dr. Porson Pollson. She was at the Axel banquet uh also. So, I want to thank God for our staff that do participate in our community. >> Anyone else? Uh, Dr. Wood. >> Yes. Thank you, board president. just like to um extend a hearty welcome to our familiar face in a

143the same space over at Brooks to our u familiar um administrators um familiar face and new space and our um incoming administrators from different spaces um who are quite um ready to get to work um here in Valley. Welcome to the team. Uh just to reiterate what's already been said, uh anybody who has any information who can help us uh move forward with our ROC program, keeping it here, keeping it viable, uh we will we will value it and we will use it and it'll go into a not a file just to be filed. they will be going into a stack to be delivered and uh we appreciate those efforts and we'll be in touch with everyone. I want to thank my fellow board members for all their efforts, the administration, welcome to the new

144folks uh that are coming on board and uh again all the information that you got tonight. There's a lot of stuff going on here with hiring and rehiring and and what have you, but uh know this that we try to do these things in a in a comprehensive, well thought out, not shooting from the hip. We try to save money when we can. We spend money where we think it's appropriate. And I think some people don't necessarily understand all the focus and and things that go into the budgeting. And you know, we're very conscious of the conscientious of the taxpayers money, you know, and the fact that about 60% plus don't have children in our district, but they may have had them in the district, but we still have to be good stewards of the

145taxpayers money. All these things factor in and uh I think we're doing a yman's job. Uh the the administrators, and I want to thank them all for everything that's gone on. And again, uh, everybody help hope hope you have a restful break because there's not much time left in school once you come back from break. So, it's, uh, pretty quick and fast and furious as it were. So, uh, thank you and have a great night. That motion to adjurnn would be in order. >> So, move. >> Second. >> Motion and second. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Post. Same sign. Eyes have it. Have a good evening. Thank you.