001e e e e e e good evening everyone if there are any students from either High School who's here for AP recognition Romeo will please report to the cafeteria and bowling BG right outside the cafeteria thank you e for e for e e [Music] good evening welcome to the Monday February 24th Valley View regularly scheduled school board meeting I would ask that you silence your cell phones rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance led by board member badas thank you moving down the agenda board affirmation statement member H our mission is to empower every learner to be college career and life ready and to develop grow and Achieve as a productive citizen thank sir uh agenda Dr Wood yes good evening board president quickle tonight we are seeking your approval of the agenda
002as presented there a motion I'll move second motion second is there any discussion seeing none hearing none a roll call vote please member bis yes member Campbell yes member H yes member suterland yes secretary sakur yes vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes student staff recognition Dr Woods spotlight video yes tonight's spotlight video is Michelle Gunther um Wilco she's a criminal justice instructor so what gives somebody the right to access something without a warrant and that would be with exent circumstances so what is that um something that would create an emergency situation for a police officer or somebody to enter some place without a warrant my grandfather was a police officer in Daytona Beach Florida and so every summer we would go and visit the family uh my grandmother owned a home on the ocean
003it was really really nice and my grandfather would come home uh with alligators in the back of the truck and then you know he would like pull up on a fourwheeler on the beach and I said that is exactly what I want to do so it just interests me his job seems so interesting and uh it really wasn't a calling besides I thought it looked really cool back in the day and that's why I decided to do it you pick one of the chairs lift up the towel and decide what how to want you want to collect that one piece of evidence so you guys can go ahead and do that and you'll make a connection in that piece of evidence to the crime scene when you get a chance to get in the crime
004scene okay just one person is doing the collection of that it was just by chance that I saw that there was was an a law enforcement uh educating job open at Wilco and I was like oh that's the counterpart that's the Will County counterpart of like a gabc in grany county and then I applied for the job and had an interview and tried to sell myself on why it would be great for the for the classroom and they hired me so read the scenario first it's better to be General and to change the classification later does that make sense be give it a general classification and then once we determine later on maybe that there is actually a crime we'll change the classification later on we are preparing for a mock trial that's going to
005be one of their activities that they're doing and that's also an additional three credit hour class through jolet junior college so they're working on and we also do crime scenes and we um do scenarios and then we talk about different kinds of charges the individual could be charged with um obviously we talk about constitutional rights you know what their rights are and it's and how difficult really the job is even if you're in the law enforcement perspective that it's a very you have to be extremely bright to understand the law you won't know all the laws but you have to learn how to look up those laws and you have to be able to connect them there has to be intent there has to be the criminal act and it has to be a crime
006so it's to have them really understand what that means with some of our activities that we do in the class classroom when your students first come into your classroom what are some of the misconceptions they have about what law enforcement is and what the job is like it's actually much more tedious process um it's very professional job I think that some students may not think that there's a lot of professionalism in the law enforcement uh Community um there's more transparency today than there ever has been um that it uh there are steps to take and you're you're if you don't take those proper steps that you can actually go to jail for doing your job incorrectly so I feel like that reality and understanding that is is probably the biggest misconception that they come in
007or that they can solve something very quickly you are in the midst of your final year as a teacher you're retiring at the end of the year what's next for you after this school year comes to an end I have already some uh travel plans I'm going to go to Australia I'm going to spend a month in um Arizona with family and my husband is getting a promotion um at his job and so he's still working but I'm looking forward to getting some things done around the house and I'm a worker I enjoy working I'm happy to come back anytime that they need me to run an exercise or something so I'm always going to be part of Wilco um I'm just going to do a lot more things that have been on my bucket
008list that I've put to the [Applause] side so um board president quickley and uh members of the board and our audience just like to say um this was a non-traditional um staff spotlight video um will um County Area Career Center provid service to not only uh BHS and rhs but also um other high schools in the Will County area and essentially what happens there is our students get opportunity to explore different careers I had a chance to um visit uh not too long ago and it was pretty cool to see the different PODS of um careers that are offered from welding to um veterinary sciences to um uh CNA work so just I'm extremely appreciative of the Loveless service that's provided by U Mrs Gunther and um director Elizabeth Kaufman and the other Educators there
009they do a tremendous job supporting students in our school Community thank you Dr Wood uh and just as a note vice president Zach is our appointment to that board and meets regularly with them and provides us updates on those things so thank you very much uh moving down the agenda is chess team Romeoville High School principal Kinder you got a whole gaggle of people there I see so yes we do good evening president Quigley members of the board Dr Wood members of senior leadership members of the audience members of the community my name is Derrik Kinder very proud principal at Romeoville high school and is my honor tonight to introduce our two rhs chess sponsors we have Mr Steve stefansky and Dr Mike marrow good evening and thank you again for having us here tonight
010uh we really appreciate it and to see all the parents out here for not only our chess kids but all the other students uh earning Awards uh Dr Morrow and I had taken over the chess program this year uh it was a first uh for the two of us so was a pretty large learning curve for us uh but we're looking forward to the future Seasons as uh co-sponsors of the chess program uh we did go to qualify for the state meet this year and at the state meet I'm not sure if you're aware of Chess uh the ihsa holds one of the largest chess tournaments in the country imagine just around 1100 kids uh students in one big giant room with dead silence playing Seven matches over a two-day period we got up early
011in the morning played uh three three matches pretty early and then started our fourth match on the first day at 6:30 so the the kids played again about eight or nine hours straight throughout the day and came back the next day with about another six or seven hours of playing uh so we were really pleased on how well we did uh Dr Mo i' like to introduce our our team again congratulations for a great season um our captain and one board Elias Pescador next Brian gagos Gian Carlo [Applause] Martinez Gideon Awin [Applause] onia Maria shu [Applause] and finally Gian Marco Martinez [Applause] all right uh moving down the [Music] agenda stem cathlon bvsd Middle School winners AVM good evening Dr Wood president quiggle senior leadership and school board members and Community my name is Bill
012Norman I'm the proud principal of Martinez Middle School I am excited to stand before you this evening to recognize and honor our 2025 at Valley View stem cathlon champions from Martinez Middle School our stem Club is sponsored by Miss Kristen Fernandez and Miss Martha zlow before we introduce our Champions I would like to recognize Mrs Martha zlow for her 17 years of service and dedication to the AVM Community Martha will be retiring at the end of the school year please join me and have a round of applause for [Applause] Martha Christen and Martha come on up well this year I was so proud to watch our students as they competed in the stum cathlon they had number of challenges engineering challenges that they had to use their problem solving skills with and nobody nobody fought
013nobody uh took over they had great uh Team skills they had great sportsmanship uh we were in it for the the fun of it all we weren't in it to win we didn't even think we were going to win we were just in it to have fun and use our minds and work in a team and I am so proud of them and you should be too thank you and now to acknowledge these wonderful AVM stem Stars we're going to call them forward Michael Adams [Applause] Abby [Applause] brand Parker [Applause] carnethon Juliana Crowder Lara Diaz [Applause] Victoria [Applause] dzel Ace [Applause] Grant Owen [Applause] Holzman Kaden sner Gino [Applause] Vasquez and bringing up the Caboose Grant [Applause] Watkins thank you so parents and students we don't expect you to stick around uh after this we
014know you you guys have homework and what have you to get to so uh we appreciate you coming out uh just a little casual announcement there uh moving down the agenda we have AP band placement student recognition Mr Merrick good evening and thank you members of the board president Quigley Dr Wood senior leadership and community and staff members for having us here tonight I am Chuck Merck proud assistant principal for activities and AP test at bber high school the following students from both rhs and BHS have distinguished themselves as the best of the best I would like to give you some background about the recognition that these students are receiving tonight AP Scholars those are students who scored three or higher on at least three advanced placement exams AP Scholars with honors are students who
015scored a three or higher on at least four AP exams and had an average score of at least 3.2 Point 3 25 on all of those exams AP Scholars with distinction are students who scored A3 or higher on at least five AP exams while earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all exams attempted Illinois State Scholars our students who are in the top 10% of their graduating class according to the grade point average we will introduce each group and the students will introduce themselves and mention which award or what recognition they're here for first our AP Scholars castanos AP [Applause] scholar Valerie cejudo AP [Applause] scholar Ryan Duffy AP [Applause] scholar Ashley Franco AP scholar Jordan Elizabeth jumra AP scholar Elizabeth Hernandez AP scholar Emily Irwin AP scholar Joshua Irwin AP scholar Sophia
016humis AP scholar Lois qu KUSI AP scholar y MOS AP scholar Thomas mcdermit AP scholar jasine Nicks AP scholar IET kintana AP scholar oi Sayed AP scholar zanab say AP scholar JJ stanic AP scholar With Honor Jason verveck AP scholar With Honor [Applause] Ryan verac AP scholar With [Applause] Honor Amanda Lama AP scholar with distinction Vanessa Moore AP scholar with distinction Claudia Ramirez AP scholar with distinction Leia tharo AP scholar with [Applause] distinction Miriam Tay AP scholar with [Applause] distinction Gabriella kessie AP scholar and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Michaela Owens AP scholar in Illinois State scholar Fallon Pierce AP scholar and Illinois State scholar Kyra Pierce AP scholar and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Isabella Roberson AP scholar and Illinois State scholar Siri wonky AP scholar and Illinois State scholar kayen Zoo AP scholar and Illinois
017State scholar ganu AP scholar with honor and Illinois State scholar ignasio esamia AP scholar With Honor an Illinois State [Applause] scholar dianara manares AP scholar with honor an Illinois State [Applause] scholar Issa Andora AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar Liam gr AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Dylan Hoy AP scholar with distinction uh what was the last one Illinois State [Applause] scholar Shelby lurger AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar Lucas marot AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Jacob NIS AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Katherine pel AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar Emanuel sandal a PE scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar you want me to pause for a couple seconds to take a seat we only got
018about another 75 State Scholars behind me here so all right we're ready to rock and roll Mr Merck already explained all of our honors and now we have the Romeoville High School distinguished Learners here at rhs Elenor you ready come on oh um Elanor Brady AP [Music] [Applause] scholar Ava Hensen AP [Applause] scholar Ella Gage AP [Applause] scholar Dominica zakowski AP scholar Andrew Tai AP scholar ELO Guerero AP scholar James Estrada AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar Zachary gura AP [Applause] scholar Joey chavoy AP scholar Gabriel ssky AP scholar Francisco Gonzalez AP scholar Diego Aras AP scholar a an Pacho uh AP scholar Jordan Wilson AP [Applause] scholar Saul rozo AP scholar Julia KY AP [Applause] scholar Isabella Royo AP [Applause] scholar Jazelle Carrera AP [Applause] scholar Addison Jones AP scholar and Illinois
019State scholar Sophia Reyes Illinois State [Applause] scholar Enrique CL Ramirez uh Illinois State [Applause] scholar Leonardo Velasquez AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Dominic Rosado AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar elette Chri AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Melanie Ortiz AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Cameron mcshaw AP scholar with distinction and Illinois state state scholar Melanie Marquez MOS AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Anthony Gomez AP scholar with distinction in Illinois State [Applause] scholar Jason Zamora uh AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar SP Pena AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar Payton loo AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar [Applause] Julia kinsky AP scholar with distinction and Illinois State scholar Julian ruaka AP
020scholar with distinction and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Sienna green AP scholar with [Applause] distinction ninic gam AP scholar with honor and Illinois State [Applause] scholar Emily Kerman AP scholar with honor and Illinois State scholar Christo Garcia Rodriguez AP scholar With Honor in Illinois State scholar Sean ree AP scholar with honor and Illinois State scholar Luis gutiz AP scholar of Honor Robert Mueller AP scholar With [Applause] Honor Ashley Rolo AP scholar With [Applause] Honor Francisco Figaroa AP scholar with honor and Illinois State scholar [Applause] Eva go AP scholar With Honor Ren Joel Garcia AP scholar With Honor Michelle Maldonado AP scholar With Honor Yar muletta AP scholar With Honor good evening wow what a wonderful group congratulations to all the students and the [Applause] parents I'm Karen triesenberg I'm one of the field service specialist with
021the Illinois principles Association and it's my honor tonight to be here to recognize the Middle School Illinois principal's Middle School principal of the Year Sonia [Applause] RZ on February 3rd I had the honor of meeting some of the board members um and uh superintendent Keith wood uh board members Victor Zack thank you for being there that day Liz Campbell and Vicky um suterland it was a pleasure to meet all of you and to surprise Miss Ruiz with that award some of you were aware that she um was the region director for the Three Rivers region um part of the nomination is she was nominated as a Three Rivers uh principal of the Middle School principal of the year and then her name along with 21 of our other regions was submitted to the state and
022she was then elected as the Middle School principal of the Year miss Ruiz will also will be recognized at our State Conference in October and again it's my honor to present her with this certificate from your board as well as Miss rwis would like to give a few comments so congratulations again thank you good evening president Quigley superintendent Dr Wood our esteem members of the School Board District leadership and guests so again my my name is Sonia Estella Ruiz proud principal of Jane Adams and I stand before you today humbled full of gratitude as I accept the Illinois Middle School principal of the Year award this isn't just an individual honor it's a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our entire team at Jane Adams each teacher staff member and student who strives
023to create a community of excellence and opportunity this award is also a reflection of all the support and encouragement sacrifice is and love for my family this award is much theirs as it is mine I never imagined to be the Middle School principal of the year that's not something I was saying I was going to do so I'm going to share something about me um I was born in Mexico and my mom with immense courage and love swm across the river with me in a plastic bag to ensure that I survived and had a better life her actions were an embodiment of the sacrifices that she was willing to make for my future she taught me that regardless of risk and challenges we can accomplish it anything my story like many others is one rooted
024and resilience is a story where survival meant constantly proving my worth from a very young age I knew others saw me different because I wasn't from here I knew that I always I always had to work twice is hard to be seen as an equal but I also knew that no matter how much I had to fight I had a family who believed in me and that belief has been the driving force in my life so today as the principal of Jane Adams Middle School I see my role not just as an educator and a leader but as a living example to the students we serve I'm here because I want them to know that their dreams too are possible I want them to see that they belong that they don't have to leave their
025Community to receive a high quality education that the doors we open here at Jane Adams and all our school at valie are not just for our students there're a promise to our families that we will support them that we believe in them that we will Empower them to reach Heights that they might not have thought possible I also want to make sure that students know this that no matter where they were born what color their skin is or their first language was that they matter they are valuable they belong each and one of our students deserves to see the worth reflected in their opportunities they have here at their schools this is award this award is a reminder to all of us that representation matters and that we have a duty to create a world
026where all students can Thrive so this award represents the values we hold as a district that every learner every day it is a testament to the power of community to the power of showing up every day for our kids and and helping them realize their full potenti potential in closing I want to thank my family my team my students our families and the Illinois principal Association for being part of this incredible journey again this recognition may be mine but it's built on the belief and support that I receive through my journey and it's also built on the collective effort of everybody at Jane Adams who works tily to make sure that every student feels seen heard and valued I also want to thank the school board and District leadership for giving me the opportunity to
027be a leader in our district and to all of our students especially those who may feel like Outsiders in this world know that you too have a place here your goals Your Dreams they're Within Reach if I can be here today so can you so thank you again for this honor let's keep working together to build a future where every child has the opportunity to thrive right here in their own Community thank you [Applause] e [Applause] we are going to do a picture with all the AP students but the bleachers aren't big enough uh if if you're not paying attention in this school district that is what you just saw what it is all about when you're up here we don't always get a lot of fun things that happen but this watching what you
028saw tonight is certainly one of the things that certainly makes this job worthwhile and I want to thank all the students the parents the staff the teachers everybody that's involved in the successes that these kids have and there's really one important thing you guys in the front row here that are paying attention you know why it's really important to have a scholarship stuff one word money and as a parent who had one I can tell you it saves you a lot of money down the road if you're an AP scholar and all the other good things that come with that so uh when you're going College Bound and you're filling out all those paperworks and they say oh by the way you qualify for the XYZ scholarship at this University and since you got this
029thing you qualify for that but that thing right there is hugely valuable so congratulations to all involved in this and again like I said if you're not paying attention uh this is what that's th this is what that is all about so so thank you to all involved in that so moving down the agenda Treasures report Mr Ren apparently there's no report this evening that correct no report yeah I gave you some mic time all right consent agenda items Dr Wood yes tonight we are seeking your approval of eight consent agenda agenda items as presented 7.1 board meeting minutes February 10th 2025 7.2 executive session meeting minutes February 10th 2025 7.3 vender contract Anderson's book fair Jamie McGee Elementary School 7.4 resolution 2522 for the disposal of surplus personal property 7.5 Illinois Municipal retirement fund
030benefit protection leave 7.6 gift to Jonah sock Elementary School 7.7 rville high school trips and 7.8 Bowen Brook High School trips is there a motion second motion and seconded by somebody uh is there any discussion seeing none hearing none a roll call vote would be in order member Campbell yes member H yes member suterland yes member badis yes secretary sakur yes and I have a question go ahead vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes moving down the agenda liazon reports uh from my left oh I had a question yes you kind of went skipped over me there buddy um on 7.4 the disposal of surplus personal properties do they actually dispose of them or do they give them to schools that might need these things that are still in good shape the idea is to
031find Community Partners that we may need that kind of thing and at the absolute lasting is trash right okay so we do if we can find well that's the goal of this is to make sure that we have the right you know people have a need and we have a something they need but we would start with our Community Partners and so on and so forth thank you yep keep the resource here thank you uh let's see moving on the agenda board Le on from the left from my right I got a few announcements um Romeoville high schools uh Marine Corps ROTC won a championship over the weekend and we also have bowling Brook's Air Force rooc c a first place finish also uh I do sit on the Wilco board I do want to
032just read something about Michelle Gunther after a remarkable and impactful career We Gather to honor and celebrate Michelle Gunther a distinguished instructor at the career center in the field of Criminal Justice Michelle commitment to education her underlying dedication and her profound influence on students and colleagues alike have left a mark in our community Michelle Gunther embarked on her teaching career with a passion for criminal justice bringing a wealth of knowledge and practice practical experience to the classroom over her eight years of service she was educated countless students equipping them with the skills and insights needed to excel in a field of Criminal Justice her Innovation teaching methods and dedication to students success have consistently inspired those fortunate enough to learn under her guidelines Michelle your retirement is more momentous occasion for all of us you
033have touched many lives through your work in your country contributions will be remembered and cherished thank you for your titless dedication your passion for teaching and your unwavering commitment to your students enjoy this new chapter and may it bring you the happiness and fulfillment you richly deserve in retirement thank you Michelle thank [Applause] you uh any other board lers I have one quick one uh as I mentioned at the last meeting the governor was slated to give his state of the budget or State of the State and budget address he did that last week uh there was great concern that the budget was out of whack by $3.2 billion in and I don't mean in a good way uh and that he did address that and has now reduced by uh finding some funds and
034some positive projections from gambi governor's office of managing budget uh that uh the state is only maybe looking at a billion dollar or a billion point2 uh shortfall which is in a $55 billion budget not as bad as it seems and hopefully they can find some place to sew up some of those holes and not uh put the burden on taxpayer that being said uh he did indicate that the evidence-based funding will be fully funded to the tune of I think $350 million John is that correct something in that neighborhood that's correct uh we don't know exactly what those dollars will mean to us but maybe something in the neighborhood of one or two% uh over what we got last year so uh that being said that's somewhat good news from Springfield and as I
035said at the last meeting I do not envy the legislative uh leaders and legislators that represent us in Springfield that have to go down there and make some hard decisions if they have to make Cuts so uh student ambassador leaan report Sienna Grant Miss Grant if you would please the microphone is your good evening to the board and audience my name is Sienna Grant and I am your representative from Romeo B High School for the Board of Education tonight um I'm also an AP schol scholar With Honor I didn't get to go up there but um I just wanted to say [Applause] that okay so we're gonna start with our our house shoutouts this is just things that happen in our district and our school that we would like the public to know um first
036the Romeoville and bowling High School chess teams both attended the ihsa state chess finals this weekend of February 14th and 15th and as we heard from Dr Morrow and Mr stefansky they had a great time um second our Spartans cheer team plays 13th at the ihsa State cheerleading final in the co-ed division so congratulations to our Spartans third Romeoville speech sent the most students five total in six categories in school history to the ihsa speech sectionals fourth we would like to wish good luck and congrats to Junior danela Santander and sophomore henness filigrana with records 34-6 and 22 to8 respectively from the rhs wrestling team as they head down to the ihsa state tournament next weekend next several high schools both within and outside the SPC conference got to experience the annual black teen Summit
037AT jolet Junior College on Valentine's Day to hear from speakers on how to use the internet and social media to our advantage next rhs's Latin American student organization got to attend the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute conference or us in downtown Chicago two weeks ago where they got to hear from inspirational speakers and attend the College and Career Fair next this weekend rhs mjrc was invited to compete in a three-day drill competition in Fort Wayne Indiana where they placed first in multiple events as well as first overall and qualified for the interservice J OTC Nationals in Daytona Florida shout out to all the unit leaders who brought the team to victory for more information you can view Master Gunnery Sergeant courtiers Instagram um next we would like to thank the board for recognizing the state
038Scholars AP Scholars and National Merit Scholars from both Romeoville and Bowling Brook High School and finally rhs and BHS are are sending their Regional teams for scholastic bowl this Monday um next we have our old business um we're going to update you on our proposed districtwide spirit week which will be occurring in the spring of this semester um we met with the district principls assistant principles and other Administration in the district and receive very positive feedback and support from our teams on the concept of a district-wide Spirit Week um and the week will be from Monday April 14th to Thursday April 17th and this is the 4 day week and yeah we will also be posting more detailed information soon so be sure to be on the lookout for that um as for our new
039business there will be a board candidate Forum tomorrow February 25th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. held at the victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bowling Brook this is where our district ambassadors will be in attendance to view and interact with potential school board members we also encourage all early childhood and High School familyes to sign up for the parent teacher conferences on Thursday February 29th and Friday February 28th and finally March 26th rille High School will host our annual R house R culture event this will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and um as we approach the end of Black History Month we would like to reiterate that we as a district are committed to serving respecting and promoting the wide range of groups that comprise our students and staff we will continue to embrace our
040diversity and appreciate the differences of one another as these are the things that keep our district a welcoming home for all that being said we will be having this on full display at our our house our culture event on March 26th as just mentioned in new business and we encourage families to come out and join us on behalf of the ambassadors we thank the board for the opportunity to be here and we thank the audience for your time and attention thank you Miss [Applause] Grant great job audience participation is there anybody who wishes to address the board this evening if you do please step up to the microphone state your name and where you're from I you can yeah just go up after he goes or anybody else for that matter go ahead Jim hi
041I'm Jim fiser I'm from Toto Indiana but I've spent the last 20 years here in Bowling Brook raising a few kids Trevor faith and Gavin my pronouns today are Rosa Parks and no balls in the Stalls um my uh wanted to reiterate what you said Steve about the uh AP courses I've got a senior in college that took a lot of AP classes so he'll be able to graduate in four years which is kind of hard to do in college these days and he's got a minor too so the AP classes really help Leap Frog you in sometimes get you in some classes as a freshman that you can't get if you didn't get those AP classes so good crowd today I do want to make an announcement that there is an election coming up
042I can't get the board to say there's an election it's April 1st please vote if you you can vote if you're registered to vote please vote in addition to that tomorrow next to Hobby Lobby over at a church next to l h Lobby Hobby at 6:30 there's going to be a candidate Quorum or Forum there and so if you want to find out about the six candidates three that are on this board today three that are trying to get on to try to help this community please attend that meeting I believe not every candidate could make it but those that could please join finally as you decide to vote keep this in mind Proverbs 313 blessed are those who find wisdom those who gain understanding thank you thank thank you uh next up Miss Patel
043and Company please okay fire away thank you Steve uh good evening students faculty and the board members of the valley of school district we're honored to stand here before you my name is parito kapadia I need you to announce who's with you for the record gotcha thank you my name is Paro kapia I have bani Patel and Niha gadya and we are the board uh representing sanskriti a non-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting cultural heritage and community building in Bowling Brook we want to extend our heart heartfelt gratitude to the administration and staff of BHS for your unwavering support and partnership your willingness to provide us with a platform to share our cultureal Traditions has been invaluable as a symbol of our appreciation we would like to acknowledge the incredible diversity that Bowling Brook High School
044embodies as one of the most diverse school districts in the state you truly exemplify the beauty of cultural exchange and understanding our gerba night at BHS Drew more than 4,000 attendees around from across Chicago land and Beyond which is one of the largest Gatherings of South Asians in Chicago land Sanskrit is a movement connecting culture community and celebration join us for Holy 2025 on April 25th at the Central Parks and arino Center experience the joy of colors energy with us thank you once again being an integral part of our journey we would like to present this award as a token of our appreciation to Dr pasw pass cavage come on down Norma Ramirez Levy Wilson and Tom fank thank you [Applause] Mr blay will you get a photo of that thank you thank you for
045all for coming in your kind words and I I did attend those uh those events that you have and they're wonderful and if you haven't done the the Garba I highly recommend that you show up at one of them uh you will never see more people dancing in I guess I I wouldn't say in sync but they're certainly dancing at the same time and it's wonderful and it's very high high energy and very uh it's a wonderful uh cultural exchange and the food's fantastic too so thank you guys so much for coming out and appreciate that hi please state your name keep your comments to five minutes or less if you have documents you want to present to the board please do so following the meeting thank you no documents tonight um I'm Victoria Pipkin
046good evening president Quigley Board of educators superintendent Dr Wood um student ambassadors love you guys uh and our wonderful valy View Community I did want to make a comment um actually on the record after giving some thought it is Black History Month as well as um I have my own children here so my name again is Victoria Pipkin I am a mother of twin 15year olds um my son is a sophomore at Illinois Math and Science Academy which is Illinois's public residential high school um and my daughter is a sophomore at Bowling Brook High School and um both were raised in the Valley View School District and have attended Pioneer Elementary School uh the challenge program at RCC Hill in Romeoville uh Brooks Middle School where uh Dr Wood was principal at the time and
047I stand before you not just as a parent but um I'm also a candidate for the school board as well but I'm committed to to wanting to work together to shape a brighter future I believe that Community is stronger when we celebrate our diversities and I wanted to make sure that that was out there that that is clear that that's where I stand that we need to focus our attention and our resources on our Student Success and support our teachers and our staff and they are all the ve the very pillars that make our schools Thrive our diversity is our strength we are known for it uh far and wide I know that that brought me and my husband and my twins when they were three years old to Bowling Brook um every student comes
048to our schools with unique experiences perspectives beliefs faiths all kinds of things and we value and we benefit and we build as a community because of that by embracing these differences we Foster an inclusive environment where every child feels seen valued heard safe and empowered to succeed and to thrive at the heart of our mission meaning valie School District's mission is that every again underline every learner receives the best educational Poss uh education possible every single day and a student first approach is necessary to achieve that goal when we invest in quality classroom resources effective academic programs robust mental health and classroom support as well as we support diversity equity and inclusive ini initiatives that is where we will see the benefit of investing in our children and every student will see that we will
049be able to see excuse me that every student will have a safe environment a nurturing space to learn they'll be able to grow and to prepare for the challenges ahead equally vital is our unwavering support for our teachers and staff they are the dedicated professionals who Inspire and guide guide our children every day providing them with the resources training and fair compensation they need not only recognizes their hard work but also ensures that our schools remain places of excellence and innovation in every decision we make let us remember that a United well supported and diverse School Community is the key to unlocking the potential of every student I hope we can all support and help build a future where every voice is heard and every learner thrives and our educators are truly empowered than thank
050you and happy black history month thank [Applause] you let's see moving down the agenda Miss Dado if you would please action item 10.1 action for 10.1 is the Consolidated action report for certified classified and administrative Personnel the administration is respectfully seeking your approval on all items as presented so second motion and seconded is there any discussion seeing none hearing none roll call vote please member H yes member suterland yes member bis yes member Campbell secretary sakur yes vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes resolution 2525 Action Report 10.2 resolution number 2525 is authorizing the dismissal of educational support Personnel for reasons other than reduction and force the administration is respectfully seeking your approval we have a motion motion and seconded is there any discussion roll call vote please member suterland yes member vurus yes member
051Campbell member hyle yes secretary sakur yes vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes 11.0 action reports on site Improvement for project RC Hill Elementary Mr Bren if you would please thank you at the uh November 18th 2024 board meeting an information report was presented identifying the need for site improvements at RC hill um the parking lots at RC hill have withstood extensive uh vehicle traffic and bus usage for many years and beyond their serviceable life the projectly was project was publicly advertised and bids were open and read out loud on January 24th four contractor submitted bids the lowest responsible bidder is mcra Construction company it is important to note that the district has been awarded a $750,000 nonmatch grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity which will be use for this site
052Improvement so also um wory noting that uh This was done with the assistance of Jar consulting which is the district's representation down in Springfield so the administration is recommending that the Board of Education approve the contract with mgra construction for the site improvements at RC Hill school for the total amount of $694,900 is there any discussion I just have one question do we get to keep the difference uh we'll make sure that we spend all $750,000 so roll call vote please member badas yes member Campbell yes member h yes member suterland yes secretary sakur yes vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes yes uh moving down the agenda I need a motion to Temporary adour the regular meeting to have a public hearing and a proposed interfund transfer don't move we have a motion we
053have a second is there any discussion all those in favor say I I post same sign the eyes have it uh we are now in Open Session Mr renich would you please give us an overview sure pursuant to section 17-2 A of the Illinois school code and the Illinois Administrative Code a public hearing is required to authorize the transfer of funds the transfers being uh requested tonight's meeting is for the 2425 budget from the education fund and the operation funds to the capital projects fund which the Board of Education had approved in September that it you're good all right uh based on Mr Ren's presentation are any comments from the board on this uh I will just say we do this frequently when when need be and then we reconfigure the funds later on in
054the year of the next year is that correct yes this was planned during the budget process as as I had mentioned and it makes sense um with these funds that we asking to transfer so thank you very much any comments from the administration any comments from the public seeing none hearing none I need a motion to close the hearing go back into regular session I'll move second motion and seconded is there any discussion if not all those in favor say I oppose same sign motion passes next up 11.3 Mr renic sure the Administration has recommended the Board of Education approve resolution 252 three and direct to School treasurer to transfer permanently an amount of $1,269 35 from the education fund to the capital projects fund and 1,836 367 from the operation maintenance funds to the
055capital projects fund effective prior to June 30th 2025 as presented is there a motion no move second motion and second is there any discussion a roll call vote would be in order member Campbell yes member badas yes member H yes member suterland yes secretary sakur yes vice president Zach president Quigley yes moving down the agenda Mr renic Sure establish L depositories the Illinois school code mandates at the school board School Bo Board of Education designate depositories for school district's funds the depository institutions were last reviewed in 2009 and the district has not updated the list uh approved since time establishing an updated list of approved depositories will allow the district to competitively bid its investable funds ensuring it secures the most favorable interest rates available this was presented at the information item at the last
056Board of Education meeting so the administration is recommending that the Board of Education approve resolution 2524 the request to update the list of approved depositories which would allow the district to secure more Fable interest rates as presented so move second motion and seconded is there any discussion uh only that we try to get the best deal we can with the money that we are given by the taxpayers to get our maximum return on investment uh as we hold those funds going through the year and of course as we dispense them going later into the year uh that being said roll call vote would be in order member Campbell yes member H yes member suterland yes member bores yes secretary sakur yes vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes Educational Services Dr pson no report that's
057correct okay just making sure uh Dr Wood student discipline due process case a yes tonight we're scking your approval of student discipline due process case a as presented a motion motion and seconded is there any discussion roll call vote please member H yes member suin yes member Boris yes member Campbell secretary sakur yes vice president Zach yes president Quigley yes moving down the agenda superintendent information reports Dr Wood yes thank you for tonight's um superintendent update we're going to continue on in the spirit of Celebration and U recognition um first up we had over 19 Valley View School District staff members who were selected for the Illinois State Board of Education those who Excel Awards and the those who Excel awards are um given to um just about every category of Staff um but also
058includes U student I mean U parent volunteers and whoever makes a positive contribution to um the school environment just um very excited to um know that we had the most um nominations and recipients in any District um across the state of Illinois so that's quite exciting and we look forward to uh seeing them in person at the upcoming board meeting and I'm helping them celebrate in May um at the Gayla down state so quite quite a wonderful opportunity and continuing on with our celebration I see we get a couple of hand claps in the audience um our very own Aaron Clifford was nominated as a 2025 Golden Apple finalist she is in the running for a um for the final finalist and we're um waiting with baited breath to see how things turn out she's
059a family and consumer science teacher and I've had a um privilege of um attending some of her classes working with some of her students hosting some on the pre-service teacher students at um Brooks um few years ago just a phenomenal job that she does for our school community so very excited for her um this I want to [Applause] clap uh this past Saturday we had an opportunity to um host our very first family empowerment Symposium and uh this was the first um opportunity for us to be uh a district-wide event um it was the first of its kind and it was an opportunity for Community Partners um to come together to share resources um and network with each other and it was an opportunity for families to come out to visit um seek those resources
060but also attend breakout sessions where they received information um essentially to uh to help their students or themselves um get the resources that they need for ultimately to make sure that our students are doing uh have the opportunity to do the very best that they can um a variety of topics were presented we had well over 200 plus families who attended the event over the course of the day and we also had some members of the board um in attendance so thank thank you for um being there to uh participate and engage and then also to uh we have 48 District Community Partners set up in the cafeteria so it was a ton of resources that were um provided to the families um who were in attendance we also had um staff including uh the
061administrator family community engagement is out uh Mr Morales and i' just like to give him a special shout out because it took a tremendous amount effort to um coordinate um this event but also to Dr Mary Worster and her student services team for helping um be there as [Applause] well additionally um the brook staff I received some uh recognition too for just being willing to host the event and um facilitating every aspect of it in ter I mean anything from like getting tables out to um making sure we just have the day um carved out for this wonderful opportunity and that includes maintenance and security it truly takes um a team to um pull off an event like that so a lot of hard work and which is certainly appreciative of it and I also
062want to give a special shout out to uh the keynote speaker uh Mrs Dominique Robinson she's a founder of pretty me Inc and um her message was about essentially focus on Youth Empowerment and U the power of community which we certainly saw on display um on that Saturday the event ended with the performance by Middle School and High School dance troops which was quite impressive and a well-received performance by the Brooks Middle School salsa band Led by band director Brian Finn they were so good that as much as I don't like to dance I was also in my little corner and doing my little moves and um trying not to break a hip so it was just good stuff all around um it is time for our kindergarten to get in the game just a
063reminder enrollment begins February 28th and you can seek out additional information at the link provided and we want to remind everyone to enroll now enroll early to avoid um any delays and then um fees can be paid in July so enroll now you can pay later it's fine and just um finally some important upcoming dates February 26th and March 12th is early release days February 27th and um 28th are uh parent conferences for early childhood and high schools um no classes for students don't start celebrating and um no school on Monday March 3rd Casmir palaski day and Monday March 10th is our next board meeting that brings me to the end of my update thank you Dr Wood moving down the agenda Mr renich cleaning service contract yes uh Valley View School District is in
064its final year of a cleaning service contract with GSF cleaning company which ends on June 5th 2025 on February 14th the district solicited a request to bid for the three-year contract with two one-year extensions a mandatory pre-bid meeting was conducted on February 20th in which three biders attended bids are due on March 11th and just as a side note uh this is uh one of the largest outside contracts at the district uh executes it's worth about $4.7 million so there's a lot of work and intentional U work that goes into that so this is just an informational report for your review it's the administration's intent to bring this recommendation at a future board meeting so thank you moving down the agenda Robin Schwarz special ed attorneys who do work for the district Dr pson yes
065thank you informational item 14.3 is regarding um we currently provide legal services with the support of Robbins and Schwarz for special education related Services only we are seeking approval for continued partnership um and we'll be bringing that forth at the March 10th meeting thank you any questions please talk to Dr pson or I assume that this will come through our legal counsel for to look at the contract as well thank you all right uh job restriction Miss D denado for 14.4 information report is a job description for review for the community- based itinerant speech language pathologist SLP position we will be bringing this job description to the next board meeting in March for Action the itinerant SLP position is a new Grant funded position out of the community outreach Grant thank you Legal Services report
066Mr O'Driscoll no report tonight thanks sir AF Valley View Council 604 curently no report valy View office Personnel Council 604 thank you Valley View Transportation local 3057 apparently no report moving down the agenda any old business before the board this evening any new business before the board this evening uh seeing none hearing none Freedom of Information Act as always are conveniently located and handled by Mr blay who's nodding in the the back of the room and agreeance and on our website any announcements by the board from my right president Zach fire away I just want to reiterate on Dr Wood about Brooks uh event over the weekend it was a great event it started off a little bit on the slow section time and then it really picked up and it was a full house
067there was no more parking in the parking lot by midday um these this opportunity they had the breakout sections found it very interesting sending your child to college without going broke your mental health strategies for middle and high school students supporting your elementary students K through five literacy and math and the DU language programs in vvsd making children strong and powerful plus others that were there it is very important that the community comes out for these events these are way to get information and give information to us through these events it truly was a great event thank you all who attended the Community Partners the staff worked came putting it together uh mayor Basta and also principal Patrick mcginness and his staff for hosting it and actually working very long and everybody else that was
068there we truly appreciate it thank you any from my left secretary scora okay I have a couple first of all if you have not been out to see the girls and the boys basketball teams play they will be at Bowling Brook High School this week starting tomorrow uh girls sectional games and boys Regional games will be held at Bowling Brook High School if you haven't seen either of these teams Now's the Time to see them they're exceptional also the annual Valley View educational enrichment Foundation dinner I'll remind you is March 7th coming up in a couple weeks and we need the that's our main event for the grants for the teachers that we get thank you I would concur and if you haven't seen some of these teams play you're missing a chance to see
069some of not some of the best players in Illinois but some of the best players in the country as well um also I I just want to reiterate the there was a comment made about the diversity of our district and our communities that make us we are we are the most diverse School District in the state I believe unless that's changed recently uh it was reflected by the number of kids who you saw walk through here tonight uh and and that are AP Scholars and a State Illinois State Scholars and it's it's an honor to be a part of that as a board member and also an honor to be a part of that as a member of this community uh there's also a mention that we don't necessarily we don't discuss politics up here
070because we don't discuss politics up here we're up here to do a job and that is the job of managing the school district and represent our community I I would commend everybody up here at the stas that they do a very good job of that and I want to thank them for their time uh there is an election coming up it's April 1st it's not April Fool's Day it's April election day for those who are on the ballot uh it takes a lot of nerve to put your name on a ballot uh there's lots of people who like to pontificate and talk and take shots and everything else uh but if you don't come up with uh new and great ideas then what's the point um but there's a saying in Spanish and I do
071not know how it goes but I know what it means and it says it's one thing to talk about bull fighting it's another thing to get in the ring so uh that being said we have now acknowledged that there's an election we've always known it uh but those of you who are eligible to vote I would encourage you to vote I would encourage you to talk to the people who are running for office ask them their opinions about things I'm sure that they will be happy to give it to you uh the best way to get that information in my humble opinion is in one-on-one conversations because some people aren't as good as public speakers as others and you can get a far better input from somebody and feel for what they intend to do
072as a board member uh than they ever can by standing up uh in front of bigger groups and again that's just my opinion uh but and I'm entitled to it just as much as anybody else is uh but that diversity you saw up here tonight with all those kids and it's been that way since my kids were in school it's been that way in this community and the communities that we represent and I am more than proud to say that I live in these community and have been a part of this for all these many many years so thank you for all those who acknowledge it uh and again uh also recognition of Black History Month uh this was probably the first year in many many many many years I have not I did not
073get to attend the event at bowling bber High School I always enjoy it uh I always learn something from it and I think that's one of the things that we uh makes our community what it is so and just all of it in encompassing so uh that's my comments foring any announcements by the Board of Education or by the administration Dr Wood thank you board president quickly no announcements by Administration this evening anybody I add in real quick president quigle um real quick just to clarify that um students all students do not have attendance on February 28th but there is school on the 27th but I have a job for you on the 28th and that is registration opens for all students on the 28th so on your day off encourage your family to get
074you enrolled for the next school year thank you Dr pson uh being no further busit before the board a motion to adjourn would be in order we have a motion we have a second all those in favor say I post same sign the eyes have it enjoy the warm weather while it lasts thank you and have a safe trip home