001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Good evening. This is the Board of Education meeting being held on Tuesday, April 21st. I'm calling the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. If you can please call the roll. Mrs. Troutman? Here. Mrs. Hassler? Here. Dr. Henry? Here. Mr. Bresnahan? Here. Mrs. Arvanitis? Mrs. Slowinski? Five board Mrs. Asif? Here. Five board members present, two absent. Can I have a motion to go into closed session? I move that the Board of Education move into closed session to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity. 5 ILCS 122 C1. Collective negotiation negotiating
002matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. 5 ILCS 122 C2. And discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act, whether for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by section 2 .06 5 ILCS 122 C21. I second. Motion made by Mrs. Asif, second by Mrs. Troutman. Please Please call the vote. Mrs. Asif? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Five eyes, zero nays, two absent. Motion passes. The board will now move into closed session. Yes. >> Mhm. >> Good evening and welcome to the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, April 21st, 2026. The Board has been in closed session
003for items listed on this agenda since 6:00 p.m. We have seven board members present and zero absent. At this time, I ask that we please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay, we're going to start with our spotlights and recognition. Thank you all for waiting so patiently for us. Um if you are here for the Illinois Athletic Directors Association All-State Academic Team, we have Samantha Zeiner. Did I say How do you say it? Shayner, thank you. Please come forward. All right, Sam, be strong. Good evening, everyone. My name is Rob Wagner. I'm the Assistant Principal for Athletics at York. It is my honor to introduce you to Sam Shayner. Sam is a senior at York. Recently just made the decision to she'll be attending Michigan in the fall. Uh so, she was just accepted. Congratulations.
004Sam is one of two IADA, which is the Illinois Athletic Director Association, All-State, All-Academic Team. This is a balance of academics and athletic achievements. Each school in the state is allowed to nominate one male and one female. And then from there, it's voted on by the IADA who receives that. Sam was our female recipient of this award, and last month you met Hunter Stepanich, who was our male. York is one of two schools only in the state to have both male and female recipients. >> Sam has participated in two sports all four years. She's been participating swimming, water polo, and soft softball her freshman year. Uh and she is one of 39 student athletes in the state to win this award. Congratulations on this remarkable achievement, Sam. Hi there. Congratulations on all of these amazing
005accomplishments. I'm going to read the board proclamation. Whereas Samantha Shayner, a senior at York Community High School, has been named to the Illinois Athletic Directors Association All-State Recognition Team, an honor that celebrates student athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and leadership. And whereas the Illinois Athletic Directors Association selects one female and one male student student athlete from each of its districts, recognizing individuals who exemplify a strong commitment to achievement both in the classroom and through participation in interscholastic athletics. And whereas to be eligible for this distinction, nominees must be seniors who have participated in at least two IHSA-sponsored sports during each of the previous two years, reflecting a sustained dedication to athletic involvement and personal growth. And whereas Samantha has distinguished herself as a dedicated member of the girls swimming and water polo programs
006at York, demonstrating discipline, perseverance, and a commitment to her teammates. And whereas her ability to balance the demands of rigorous academics and multi-sport participation reflects her strong work ethic, time management, and character, serving as a model for student athletes through York Community High School. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education hereby recognizes and congratulates Samantha Shayner on being named to the Illinois Athletic Directors Association All-State Recognition Team and commends her for her outstanding academic achievement, athletic dedication, and commitment to excellence. Congratulations. Thank you, Samantha. We wish you great luck and much success at Michigan next year. Uh item B on our spotlight recognition is Mike Dunn. Can you step up? This is the IBCA Coach of the Year. Hello again. Good evening. It is my honor
007to um recognize Mike Dunn, who has been the head basketball coach and a educator at York High School the last 6 years. Uh this year you're going to meet some Well, you're going to meet some of the basketball players today uh in regards to their recognition, but Mike is the reason for that. We also have two other coaches that are here, Coach Pearl and Coach Howard. If you please raise your hands and be recognized. Very seldom in athletics and team sports it is it just an individual recognition. This was truly a team this year. Our boys had I've never seen more grit and heart and will play all together in regards to a season. Uh Mike is the leader of that and this year it was his sixth year. Uh, overall his coaching record is
008176 over 150 career uh, wins and losses. At York, he's 112 and 69. He is this year's Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year. This year the Dukes were 32 and 6. 32 wins is a school record. It's never been done before. The Dukes were also the Jack Tosh Consolation Champions. Uh, we were just one point away from being probably in the championship game. We lost our first game and then won the next three to be consolation champions. They were 11 and 1 in the West Silver Division, uh, which is a very tough basketball division, co-champions for the WSC, IHSA Regional Champions, IHSA Sectional Champions, IHSA Super-Sectional Champions, and IHSA 4A Finals, the first team ever to make it to the Final Four in York history. Congratulations, Mike. What's cool about Coach Dunn is
009that, and correct me if I'm wrong here, your great-grandfather 105 years ago was the first coach of the York basketball team. So, that's pretty cool. So, his family takes the once a Duke, always a Duke to the extreme. Whereas Mike Dunn, head coach of the York boys varsity basketball team, has been named the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year, a prestig- a prestigious honor recognizing excellence in leadership, program development, and on-court success. And whereas Coach Dunn led the York Dukes to a historic 2025-26 season, guiding the team to 32 and 6 overall record, a West Suburban Conference Silver Division co-championship, and the program's first appearance in the IHSA Class 4 final four 4A final four. Culminating in a fourth-place finish in the state. And whereas Coach Dunn has established a culture of accountability,
010discipline, and teamwork, empowering student-athletes to compete at the level at a high level while representing York Community High School with pride and integrity. And whereas his leadership has had a lasting impact on the York basketball program, fostering growth, resilience, and commitment to excellence both on and off the court. And whereas his contributions extend beyond wins and losses, positively influencing the broader school community, and setting a standard for the athletic and personal achievements within Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education hereby recognizes and congratulates Mike Dunn on on being named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year, and commends him for his outstanding leadership and dedication and contributions to the student-athletes' success. Hey coach, it was a lot of fun
011to win. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. >> And continuing our celebration of an awesome varsity boys basketball season, uh we ask that the York boys varsity basketball team please step up to the podium. Just go to the >> Uh yeah, if you can just right, that's good, and face out. Yep, there you go. Thank you. Hi uh again, I'm uh Mike Dunn, I'm the varsity boys basketball coach and social studies teacher at York High School. This is my sixth year at York, uh 20th year overall. And uh talk a little bit about our our basketball team this year, but first off, start with thank yous. Uh thank you, Dr. Campbell and the District 205 School Board for all your support this season and our run. Uh Dr. Campbell,
012we appreciate you being at the supersectional. I thought you ran in the court with us when we were chopping around. Uh our athletic department uh led by Mr. Wagner, uh Mrs. Young, Mrs. Fischer, the countless hours that they invest into not only the boys basketball program, but athletics, 36 sports. Um they're always at school, and they're very, very they're the best, so we appreciate you. Our administration at York, our training staff, all our great parents uh for all their support. And then obviously our players, uh we are we had some very busy boys tonight, so obviously spring sports and doing a lot of stuff, so uh not everybody was able to to make it, but two key uh players of our uh group this year, seniors Costa Campus and Jackson Rennick, um were reasons why
013we were able to get down to Champaign, and uh nobody would ever expect that, but they stepped up right up. They were the the ultimate senior leaders, and these are not just basketball kids, these are football kids, they're basketball kids, track kids, and they are what York is all about, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I love these guys to death. And then, obviously, you know, winning a a coaching award, that wasn't me. I got the best staff in the state. Coach Pearl has been with me since day one. Coach Howard that's here also, but Coach Emmel, Coach Nardi, and Coach Vollmer guys that invest a lot of time into our program. And our obviously our student athletes, they all have families, they all have children. And they really sacrifice a
014lot of that time for our basketball program, and I appreciate you guys, and anything that we did today or did this year myself is because of you guys. We appreciate you. Thank you very much. And then, our varsity team, as Mr. Wagner kind of read down the accolades, 32 and 6 overall record, school record in wins, Jack Tosh consolation champions. And obviously the Jack Tosh tournament is the largest in the state with 32 teams, which is basically running two tournaments in one, and that is obviously Mr. Wagner and what he does and our our whole athletic department being able to do that. But losing the first game and then winning four in a row, which is like basically winning a normal tournament in any other one, is really a special. What the West Suburban obviously
015conference in every sport is as competitive as in the state, and to be able to go 11 and 1 and win a share of the conference championship. Regional, sectional, super sectional champions, first final four in school history. All that's great, and all those success and the accolades of that, but what's special are these guys right here. And that's what what it matters, and that's why we got into it. And I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of York, and it's been a dream come true. And as as you heard, I have a lot of ties and legacies that go back to Clarence D. East, and that is why I'm just so proud. So, thank you guys very much and appreciate you. You know, I stand up here a lot and talk
016to our students and and congratulate them on that stuff, but my favorite thing is when you say first time in York history, it really means something. Um, you are part of a group of athletes that have come before you and some that will come after you that have set a high bar for our student athletes at York, and you should be so proud of yourselves. Um, it is uh an honor to stand up here on the behalf of the Board of Education and the moms and the dads that are so proud of you to tell you how deeply proud and just excited for you that we are. Um, so, whereas the York boys varsity basketball team advanced to the 2026 Illinois High School Association Class 4A boys basketball state finals, earning a fourth-place finish and
017securing the first final four appearance in school history. Whereas the Dukes compiled an outstanding 32 and six overall record and were named West Suburban Conference Silver Division co-champions, their first conference title since the 2019-20 season. Whereas the Dukes entered the postseason as a number two seed and delivered an impressive playoff run, defeating Bartlett, Glenbard West, Glenbard North, Glenbard East. We got all the Glenbards in there. And St. Ignatius, to which I'm very happy about, you know, cuz I mean, seriously. Sorry. Um, and St. Ignatius to earn a trip to the IHSA state finals. Whereas the Dukes stood only stood out as the only public school team to reach the IHSA Class 4 A final four. I think there's nobody in District 205 that doesn't know how important that is, and impressive that is. One zip
018code, 60126. Um highlighting the team's exceptional talent, preparation, and determination. And whereas this historic achievement reflects the dedication of the student athletes, the leadership of the coaching staff, and the unwavering support of families, staff, and the Elmhurst community. Whereas the team's success serves as a source of pride for Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205, and inspires future generations of of student athletes to pursue excellence both on and off the court. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education hereby recognizes and congratulates the York boys varsity basketball team on its fourth-place finish in the 2026 Illinois High School Association Class 4A State Finals, and commends the team for its outstanding season, dedication, sportsmanship, and commitment to excellence. Congrats, guys. One. Two. Yo, I have to get a fist
019bump from that dude. What dude? The one in the gray shirt? Yeah, with the Animal Blaschke? Yeah. >> Sorry about that. Okay. And last but certainly certainly not least and a lot of really good members of our audience up here who've been very professional and respectful and patient. Uh we have Conrad Fisher coming up to uh be our spotlight. Good evening, members of the board, Dr. Campbell, colleagues. My name is Dr. Ephraim Martinez and I am the very proud principal of Conrad Fisher School where we teach students that when we do good things, good things happen. Tonight, we are not going to present to you. We are going to let our students show you who we are. But before we begin, our students would like to say hello to their families. If you could excuse
020us for just one moment. Hello family. Hi. Hello. Hi. Hello. Buenas tardes. My name is Bruna Figueroa and I'm a fifth grader at Fisher. At our school, belonging means your voice matters and people actually listen. It means you're not just in the classroom, you're part of it. Hi everyone. My name is Giselle Placencia and I am in fourth grade. Belonging means even if you're new, you don't feel alone. It means people notice you, include you, and help you feel like you belong the right way. Hello everyone. My name is Makayla Jurjevic and I'm a fourth grader at Fisher. Belonging means learning learning feels different. It makes you feel like you can try even when something is hard. Good evening. My name is Mateo Sadio and I am a fourth grader. Belonging means having teachers who
021believe in you even before you believe in yourself and that changes everything. Bonjour. My name is George Nora and I'm in third grade. Belonging means we don't just learn subjects, we learn how to treat each other in the right way. Hi, my name is Hannah Harrison and I'm in third grade. Belonging means knowing that you matter every single day and that someone at school cares about how you feel. Every morning at Fisher begins with a morning meeting. Students greeting each other by name, they share, they listen, they connect. This work is grounded in social emotional learning aligned with castle, but most importantly it is grounded in data. When we analyze our Illinois five essential survey, we saw an opportunity. Our supportive environment show students what students were experiencing. There were lower levels of peer support,
022lower levels of students to teacher trust, and only moderate feelings of safety. And we know from research that when the schools strengthens these conditions, students outcomes follow. So, we made a decision. We made social emotional learning a school wide priority. And we anchored this priority in one daily practice, morning meetings. Because when the students feel safe, when they feel connected, they are ready to learn. In Mrs. Martinez's fifth grade class, we don't just follow rules. We help create them. That makes us feel trusted, like our ideas matter, and we are part of something important. When I'm having a bad day, she notices, even when I don't say anything. She can tell something is wrong. She takes time to talk to me, to listen, and she reminds me that I matter. And when someone believes in
023you like that, it helps you believe in yourself, too. When I came to Miss Odalis's class, now Miss Vasquez because she got married, I didn't know anyone. I felt shy and kind of invisible. I wasn't sure if I would fit in or make friends, but she noticed me right away. She made me feel welcome, included, and comfortable being myself. And now, I have friends. I feel confident and I truly feel like I'm a part of everything. Miss Stern made writing something I actually enjoy. Before her class, I didn't really like writing. It felt hard and I always didn't know what to say. But she showed me how to express my ideas and now I feel proud of my work. And Miss Giovanoni, she has a way of making us smile even on hard days. Even
024when things are tough, she brings positive energy into the room and that makes a big difference for not just me, but for everyone. Mrs. Balanch makes learning fun and exciting. She explains things in a way that makes them easier to understand. And she always find a way to keep us engaged even when something feels challenging. She help us stay focused and keep us motivated to keep every keep trying. And Mrs. Jansen always tell us we can achieve big goals. She pushes us to do our best and reminds us that we are capable of more than we think. After a while, you start to believe it, too. Miss Blasing helps us solve problems when we don't get along. Instead of just telling us what to do, she helps us talk it out and understand how the
025other person is feeling. She helps us not She helps us understand each other, not just react. And that helps us make better choices next time. And Miss Eduñate, she makes sure we never give up in math. Even when something is really hard, she stays with us, she explains it in a different way, and encourages us to keep trying. because for we don't quit. We keep going until we understand. Ms. Heredia helps us when we're struggling with school or with friends. She listens to us, takes us seriously, and helps us figure things out. She makes us feel safe to talk about what we're going through. Ms. Torres and Ms. Pochin, our social workers, remind us that we all matter. They help us understand our feelings and treat others with kindness. They show us that it's okay
026to ask for help and that we are never alone. And Ms. Godinez, she makes us laugh and helps us believe in believe in ourselves. She brings joy into the classroom even on hard days and reminds us that we are capable of doing great things. What you are hearing is not accidental. It is the result of intentional practice every single day. And we measure that impact. Through the five essential survey, we have already seen growth in peer support for learning, student to teacher trust, and students reporting feeling safe. But it doesn't stop there. When we improve how students feel, we improve how students perform. At Fisher, ELA proficiency increased from 35% to 49%. Math proficiency increased from 31% to 47%. Attendance tells the same story. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 34.6% to 9%. And overall attendance increased
027to over 95%. This is not a coincidence. This is what happens when you build the right conditions for learning. Because at Fisher, we believe something simple. We get 1% better every single day. And over time, that 1% better becomes transformation. At Fisher, we are heard. We know our voices matter, and that changes how we show up every day. At Fisher, we're included. No matter where you come from, you feel like you belong. At Fisher, we are supported. When something is hard, we don't give up because our teachers don't give up on us. At Fisher, we are challenged. Our teachers push us to be better and help us get there. At Fisher, we learn how to treat others, and that helps us not just in school, but everywhere. At Fisher, we know we matter. And when
028you feel that, you can do anything. This is Conrad Fisher. Because when we do good things, Good good things happen. AWESOME. AWESOME. AWESOME. EPHRAIM, I think I think you're in the running for I don't know, I don't want to throw this out there, but strongest spotlight of the school year so far. ONLY I MEAN, WELL, THE MESSAGING is very clear, and I appreciate all of you being here tonight, and and you guys did such a wonderful job. You know, there are adults who can't do what you just did. To speak in a room filled with a bunch of adults in suits, uh that pressure. But, you know what got you through it? Your confidence, knowing who you are, and knowing what you want to do and who you want to become is going to be
029the most important thing. I do have to congratulate and say thank you again to your principal, Ephraim. I mean, what a turnaround. Uh 4 or 5 years ago, uh we were in a much different place. And I think I speak on behalf of the board when I say how fortunate we are to have you here with us and doing the work that you're doing for our children. Thank you so much. The staff that you're leading, who I know is all also here tonight and who they're following, uh thank you to you all, too. Your work every day matters and the kids are saying it. And and thank you to the parents who've hung with this program and really have seen what uh in the long term the impact is on your children and uh we
030thank you for your support and your participation and your encouragement of of your children to to be a part of the church uh sorry, the um Conrad Fisher School community. Soon to be Churchville, but we are not talking about Churchville. I'm sorry about that. Um so, yes, thank you to everyone for being here and what a great job. Congratulations again, you guys did great. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to public comment section of the board meeting. Uh the public comment section of the board meeting provides an opportunity for community members to share information and perspectives with the Board of Education. And while the board does not respond during public comments, we are listening and thoughtfully considering the messages being shared. Each of us has high uh high level of expectations for our community, and
031we ask that public comments are respectful and do not mention any individuals by name. There will be up to 30 minutes allocated for public comments with up to 3 minutes per public comment speaker concerning items on this agenda. The board secretary to my right will give a reminder when you have 30 seconds left. Let's begin. I'm not sure how to say the last name, Amy Secone? Amy Leschinski, sorry. Okay, sorry about that. All right. Speaking of public speaking, this is not my strong suit. I am the girls head coach for York at Track and Field. I have three children that have been through the district. I grew up in the district. This place means so much to me. So this is something I want to say thank you for and this is something that I
032want to bring up and make more people aware of. Um this is also notable to me because you know, every single time there's a board meeting, we're recognizing extraordinary students and extraordinary educators. Um what we're recognizing though is the outcomes, what happened at the end. I want to draw everybody's attention back to this beautiful documentary that was made last year by the D205 Communications team. They produced a documentary that was called This Is How We March. I'm not musical. I've never been in a band. I have you know, that's not my background. I'm in athletics. I watched this documentary with my children and had chills and tears the whole time. The the level of commitment and dedication that these members of the band and their directors poured into the work that they do was just
033riveting and just so heartfelt and meant so much to me. And again, I don't have a background here and I just respected and loved it so much. So what brought to my um what I was thinking about is is is imagine if we could have gone behind the scenes with this run for this basketball team and seen what a week was like, a preparation for a game was like. Um you know, as parents we have an idea of what they go through, um, but we sometimes don't remember what it was like for us when we were young people handling tremendous, extraordinary pressure and stress, and just shining. Um, it happens all over at York High School. We have state champions for debate and law and all of these different things that happen all over the
034school. Again, imagine if we could just get a glimpse into the behind the scenes. And I also remember a takeaway for me, um, you know, we can open a yearbook and we can look at some black and white photos and we can tell stories and we can do things like that, but imagine 20 years from now, 30, 40 years from now that these high school students can actually share this was my experience. This is what I got to do in high school and this is how I felt and this is what I overcame and this is what we this is what we did. This was our legacy and our our our our impact from the time that we were there. So, I would ask, I would like to implore, I don't know who I reach
035out to, I don't know what letters or petitions I need to sign, but if if these documentaries can be produced, um, also I want to say the Department of uh, production and communications at the school, YTV, the things that they do as students, they could do this. Thank you. Um, they could do this stuff. So, even the student involvement would be amazing. So, anyhow, I would love to see more of this from York High School. We have so much to be celebrated and so much to be proud of, but I also want us to be able to celebrate the journey. So, thank you so much. Thank you. It's okay. I think we have another, right, Kelly? Our next public comment, uh, Laurel Shurmenti. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Um, I'd like to share
036two recommendations based on my experience as a parent of elementary students in the district. Um, first is is access to large print text. My daughter has a documented vision challenge and after months of works with her eye doctor, one key accommodation in her 504 plan is access to large print text. What we've discovered unfortunately is that this accommodation is difficult to meet. Not because of lack of will, but because many required books in the district are not available in large prints. For example, there are two books that my daughter is currently assigned at the end of fourth grade that are simply not published in large print. So, I've searched, the school has searched, they're simply not available. I'd like to recommend that when the board approves curriculum materials, availability in large print should be included
037as a formal selection criteria. If the book is approved, the district could also consider ordering a small number of large print copies up front so they're available even if that edition goes out of print later. Um, sorry, I'm a little nervous, too. Woo. While I understand the district often recommends digital alternatives such as reading on an iPad, that solution does not work for every child. In our case, it's specifically not recommended by our daughter's eye doctor as extended screen use increases eye fatigue and worsens her symptoms. So, for some students, a physical large print book is not simply a preference, it's actually a medical necessity. So, adding this criteria up front would prevent families and school staff from having to scramble later and ensure that accessibility is built into decisions from the start. The second
038point I have is about extended MAP testing time. As we're in IAR and MAP testing season, I want to share a concern about the NWEA MAP assessment. I recently learned that one of my children regularly spends two to three hours completing just the ELA portion of the MAP exam. Um, I understand that the test is technically untimed, but according to the NWEA website, the vast majority students complete it in 45 to 55 minutes per section. I understand the school provides 60 minutes for ELA and 75 minutes for math. What I did not understand was that my child is missing one to two hours of instructional time multiple times a year due to her extended testing without my knowledge. That amount of time should be a red flag and in my view should trigger parent notification.
039I'm not here to propose a specific time cutoff for that notification. That decision is yours, but I do believe that families should be informed when a child requires significantly more time than expected, especially when it results in a substantial loss of instructional time. Parents can then partner with staff to determine whether that amount of testing time truly is appropriate for their child. For some students, they may need those 3 hours. For my child, that was not the right choice and I would have appreciated knowing that sooner. 30 seconds. Thank you so much for your time and for considering these recommendations. I share them in the spirit of improving accessibility, transparency, and well-being of the students in our district. Thank you. Great. Thank you to everyone who took the time to voice their concern, support, or
040perspectives with the Board of Education. Common practice of the board is to follow up with public commenters after the board meeting as needed. Board meeting minutes. Item A is the approval of regular board meeting minutes from March 24th, 2026. Are there any changes to those meeting minutes? Seeing no changes, those meeting minutes stand as presented and the approval of closed session meeting minutes from March 24th, 2026, those meeting minutes stand as presented. We'll move on to reports and presentations. We have one report tonight and it's school year 26-27 the facilities usage fees. I'll turn it over to Mr. Blomquist. Thank you very much. Uh this is our annual uh review of our facility rental rates. Um and I I want to key in on one particular area. We have examined all of our rates as
041well as um all the parameters around our rentals and we're bringing to you suggested changes which we will bring for approval in the main board meeting. I want to reinforce the three main reasons we we have facility rentals and we have a facility rental handbook. First of all, we want to make sure that we have adequate spaces for all District 205 activities. That is always a priority in the use of our facilities. However, when those facilities are not in use by District 205 activities, we do want to make it accessible to the community whenever possible. And finally, we want to make sure that when we rent to these spaces that we cover any costs that are associated with running our schools during out of out of school hours. This slide demonstrates the the general costs
042associated with facility rentals. And you can see that the one on the bottom is in bold. And the reason why is those top three are very nominal costs. You can understand wear and tear on equipment and facilities. Yes, when people use the gym, there is wear and tear on those gym floors and on the basketball nets. If they're using if they're using AV equipment, there is wear and tear on those pieces of AV equipment. We also have heating cooling costs. When the when the building is in use, we want it to be at a comfortable temperature. When it's not in use, we try to try to do cost-saving measures on the use of our utilities. And of course, there's other consumables like cleaning and garbage that go along with using using our spaces. However, the
043largest cost, just like the largest cost in our budget, revolves around staffing. We need presence a district presence for our events. We need them to help set up and tear down. We need them to clean and we need them to make sure that the doors are unlocked when they need to and when and they are locked when when the event is over. And sometimes we need additional security or audio visual. Those are the largest costs because we we pay for the staff to be there on the premises. So, I'm going to focus on that because um uh we did take a look at our comparable districts. Our actual rental rates for the rooms are fairly comparable with our comparable districts. But, we want to key in on are we covering the cost of our staff?
044When staff are there already, uh e- even though they are there, there is an expectation that they are um are going um and checking on the event and cleaning up after the event. So, there are natural costs incurred in the fact that those staff members have to cover additional duties beyond their normal uh cleaning duties for the evening or for the weekend. You can see the hours here. Um at York, uh we do have staff um on the premises from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day, including Saturdays and Sundays. At all other buildings, uh they are only there uh Monday through Friday. And so, these normal hours are assessed when an activity is happening during those hours in any of our buildings. We do waive this fee for park district. Uh they are a
045partner and a community uh uh a a public entity within our community. And that's why we partner with them. Outside of those hours, and I won't cover those hours because essentially it's every other hour that wasn't explained in the first one, uh we do have additional costs that we need to cover. Uh we have we don't have staff in those buildings, so we need to uh send staff over there, make sure it's cleaned up, make sure it's secured. And for that reason, we do charge um a higher amount uh during those overtime hours. And you can see $51 per hour Monday through Saturday, and Sundays uh carry a particular premium because it is hard to to staff Sunday events. Again, waived for the park district, but for all others, they pay those overtime hours. The
046suggested change to this revolves around setup and teardown. We have noticed an increase in the requests for specialized setups. It It is It doesn't take a whole lot of time for for a custodian or maintenance employee to set up a couple tables and chairs. That might That might take half an hour on the front end, half an hour on the back end, and for that reason we are happy to provide that service. They can still accomplish their duties, but we are noticing a large amount of setups that require an extensive amount of time, and for that reason we want to assess. If you're going to ask us to put together an intricate setup, we would like to provide additional staffing to help with that setup so the other employees can accomplish their goals their their
047objectives during their regular time. For that reason we are suggesting that if a setup and teardown exceeds 1 hour, that we would charge $50 per hour, and this would be applicable to all groups, including park district. Sometimes we don't know exactly how much time is being used to to set up until it actually happens, and so we would reserve the right to say we estimated it's going to take 3 hours to set it up, and we would we would report out it did actually take 4 hours, and we might assess an additional fee if we or if there are additional requests that come in as they are setting up. In addition, we have had situations where they where certain groups have requested spaces, and during the event they have begun using other spaces. We take
048into account when they reserve their spaces, that takes care of the cleaning, that takes care of you you know, everything that I mentioned earlier in the presentation. And so if they're going to use additional spaces and we we take note that they have used additional spaces, we would like to assess an additional fee of up to $50 for each unapproved space per hour after the event has occurred. And finally, I do want to cover some of the things that are not necessarily about the rental rates themselves, but I just wanted to reiterate our commitment to our to our neighborhoods and our and our rental partners. I we're going to to continue to reiterate to our our partners that we want to be good neighbors, especially in in some of our schools that that have minimal
049parking. We want to make sure that we're being very respective respectful for those surrounding those schools while also enabling our attendees to still have somewhere to park. So we're just going to reiterate that with our rental partner groups. It's already language within our our rental handbook to remind them to use the parking lots whenever possible and we're going to remove any barriers that are preventing them from using using our school parking lots. Finally, we are having conversations about how to enhance our procedures around safety. We have staff on site, but we want to make sure that our custodians are doing the custodial work and at the same time we can ensure that we are providing safe safe buildings not just for our our rental partners, but even before and after those rental periods. So our
050next steps around this Uh, as I mentioned, we will bring these, uh, new suggestions to the, uh, rental handbook at the May 19th meeting. In July, we annually meet with our community partners. We will reiterate some of the language, uh, either existing language or updates to the language, and then the new rates will take effect in August, uh, with the start of the school year. This time, I turn it back over to you. Thank you. Any questions or comments from the board? Courtney? So, do you think it's possible that we can set up, I don't know, like categories? Like, if you, you know, included in your fee is 25 chairs and two tables, and then like incrementally go up, so people know ahead of time what they're looking where the extra money kicks in? Just
051so, I don't know. And I'm sure I'm just making up those numbers, and I don't know what other equipment and setup would be included. If, you know, if you need audio-visual, this, you know, I don't know. Just to make it clear ahead of time. I just don't want us to be accused of, oh, it's subjective based on group or partic- You know, I just, if we can make it clear somehow. I'm just the idea per- I mean, I'm just You just see the idea person. >> the idea. You Can you make that happen? I recognize I don't have a plan for this suggestion, but I'm just saying it. Yes, I recognize that, uh, if there's too much ambiguity, then it's, uh, well, what can we expect? And, uh, we don't want it to be, uh,
052well, was was was that person setting up just moving a little slower that day? We don't want it to be based off of that. So, I think we can create some guidance around what you can expect an hour, um, what what could a setup in a half hour and a take down in half an hour look like. >> Great. Or how much it include, right? Like, how many tables and chairs and stuff. Okay. Thank you. And I wanted to go back to the park district thing where you had mentioned that some things were waived in agreement with them. And I'm I'm making an assumption, but I want to put it out there for anybody who's paying attention to us tonight, that that agreement is a shared agreement, but works both ways. We we utilize quite
053a bit of the park district's facilities, and so that they take care of those expenses on their end when we're in their space, and then we take care of those expenses that you're waving when the park district is using our spaces D12 5 spaces. Would that be an accurate assumption? That is an accurate assumption. We we do meet with them on a regular basis to talk about their spaces and our spaces. Obviously, they're going through some extensive renovations right now, so we're not using their spaces quite as much right now, but yes, we certainly have that partnership on an ongoing basis. Anything else from the board? Okay, thank you for the presentation. We'll move on to the reorganization of the Board of Education. Every year, according to board policy, the board has an opportunity to
054nominate or appoint board leadership for the next year. Uh I guess it starts in May, or no, it starts immediately, actually. Sorry. Hello, Athena. Um starting immediately. So, uh we will go through that process of opening nominations for our three leadership positions, which include the pre- president, the vice president, and the secretary. And I will turn it over to Dr. Henry. I nominate Athena Arvanitidis for president. Is there a second nomination? Is that what I'm supposed to do? I did that. Yeah. And then is there a second for for Athena? They have to second. Right, that's what I said. Is there a second for Athena? I'll second. Is there any other nominations? Okay. Seeing none, can we call a vote? Mrs. Lewinsky? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Mrs. Assef? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes.
055Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Arvanitidis? Yes. We'll go on to vice president and we'll ask for nominations for vice president. Just say it. I I nominate Kelly, Dr. Kelly Henry. For vice president. >> I'll second. And Courtney seconds, so nomination by Mrs. Assef for Kelly Henry, vice president, second by Mrs. Troutman. Are there any other nominations? Seeing none, can we please call the vote? Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mrs. Assef? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Mrs. Lewinsky? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Arvanitidis? Yes. Seven eyes, I didn't do that on the last one. Zero nays, so that passes. And then we'll move on to the nomination for secretary. I nominate Kelly, Mrs. Kelly Assef for secretary. I second. >> it. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Brian. Brian seconded, so nomination for Kelly Assef to be secretary made
056by Dr. Henry and a second from uh Mr. Bresnahan. I got formal this time. Um are there any other nominations? Okay, can we please call the vote? Dr. Henry? Yes. Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Lewinsky? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mrs. Assef? Yes. Mrs. Arvanitidis? Yes. Seven eyes, zero nays. Motion passes. Very good. So, we are retaining our board structure of leadership. Uh just a little note, I know that on our agenda it says that we will be uh let me get the correct language here. Where am I establishing the regular meeting dates, time, and location? We are going to keep that in draft form as of right now. We just need a little more time to iron out a couple um dates. And so, we'll look to solidify the this calendar in May
057at our May board meeting, okay? All right, we'll move on to the consent agenda. Is there anything that anybody would like to pull from consent? Okay. Can we have a motion for the consent agenda, please? I move that the Board of Education approve the following consent agenda items: A, personnel report; B, financial reports; C, FOIA Freedom of Information Act requests; D, district-wide exterior door replacement projects; E, Jefferson and Emerson bathroom renovation projects; F, Churchville ceiling replacement project; G, resolution authorizing individuals to act on behalf of District 205 403B plan. Can we have a second? I'll second. Motion made by Kelly Asif, second by Kelly Henry. Can we please call the vote? Mrs. Asif? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Mrs. Hasler? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mr. Bresnihan? Yes. Mrs. Ervanidis? Yes. 7 aye, 0
058nay. Motion passes. And I always just like to throw in that a lot of this stuff was talked about in committee meetings, right? So, it's not that it has not been talked about for the community, um talked about at length in many separate committee meetings. Thank you for the reminder. Okay. Action agenda items. We have item A is the hiring of the Emerson principal. Is that Dr. Campbell? That is. So, our administration team launched a very extensive and thorough search to find the next Emerson Elementary School Principal. One with a driving mission to bring a top talent that would ensure continued student growth and success. A rigorous multi-step process began. And community input was incorporated throughout the entire process. There were over 73 applicants that applied. Just let that sit. And 15 were selected to
059be screened, and six of those applicants participated in a second round. And I want to note that during the second round, candidates presented a 10-minute presentation that included data overview, priorities in terms of engaging and also in standard test interview questions. And a lot of those questions were directly aligned to the feedback that we received in the staff and community survey. Three applicants were selected to participate in the third round at Emerson, and the candidates also had an opportunity to tour and be interviewed by two groups. One of those groups being direct engagement with Emerson staff members, as well as second group being a part of the superintendent cabinet, board representation, as well as parents. So, this was definitely a thorough and engaging process. I'm so excited to share tonight that the candidate's strengths and
060areas of growth were considered alongside the panelist's feedback, the community input, the review of so many artifacts. And after all of that input was reviewed, Ms. Jill Zapata, current Fisher Assistant Principal, is being recommended to this board as the next Emerson Principal. Throughout the process, it was consistently clear that among a pool of highly qualified candidates, the diverse experience, the success that Ms. Zapata has had, and we saw a glimpse of that tonight during the Fisher spotlight under Dr. Martinez' leadership, has made her the best candidate for the position. Ms. Zapata comes to us with over 15 years of educational experience spanning from classroom to bilingual teacher, assistant principal, director of multilingual services. She has served as our assistant principal since 2024, and she's provided leadership in critical areas including curriculum, instruction, student sent student
061services, as well as school operations. And currently serving within the same elementary feeder pattern as Emerson, she is so excited to become its instructional leader as the building principal. So, tonight, Board of Education, I would like to make a recommendation to the board for the approval of Ms. Jill Zapata for the position of Emerson Elementary principal. Can we have a motion? Not yet, Courtney. I'm really excited. I move that the Board of Education approve Ms. Jill Zapata for the position of Emerson Elementary School principal effective the 2026-2027 school year as well as the additional onboarding days outlined. I'll second. Motion made by Ms. Hostler, second by Ms. Troutman. Are there any comments from the board? I just a quick comment. I know that Dr. Campbell outlined the robust process that the district went through to
062select a principal and I think I just want to reiterate that that is not something that she or her cabinet took lightly. And I just want to commend the team. It takes a lot of time and effort and hours and and structure and just being very deliberate in terms of, you know, your approach. And so, I know that a lot of people don't get that insight when they when you know, these positions are being selected and it's such an important position. So, I just want to commend you and thank you for your leadership in making sure that we follow such a structured robust process in making these decisions. Thank you. I just can Can I say? Before or after? After? Just excited to see the what we saw in the Conred Fisher presentation, you know,
063flow over into the, you know, other communities and have the same effect there. So, it's exciting to hear that tonight and that you are a part of that work. So. Okay. Can we call the vote? Mrs. Hostler? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mrs. Asif? Yes. Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Ervanides? Enthusiastically, yes. Seven eyes, zero nays, motion passes. Just wanted to reiterate and say welcome Jill to the role. Uh and of course just serendipitous that Conrad Fischer was here with a spotlight right before um this this hallmark moment for you, but just wanted to congratulate you being a part of Nicky and I were part of the interview process and um just very impressive all around and and happy to see uh what is happening at Fischer having an opportunity to
064expand and and and move into other parts of of our Elmhurst D205 elementary school. So, congratulations. Thank you. Thank you so much. Uh good evening members of the Board of Education, uh superintendent and cabinet. Um and colleagues and friends. Um I am honored and humbled uh to serve as the next proud principal at Emerson. Uh it is truly a privilege and I am so grateful for the trust that you are placing upon me. I would like to thank Dr. Martinez uh and the entire Fischer community. It's really been an honor and a a a again a joy to lead alongside with him. Um and we've accomplished some really great things. Uh I would like to thank the district leadership team. Very appreciative for all of your supportive leadership um and ongoing support. I'd like to
065thank my family. Thank you Noah for waking up. It's a late night for him. Thank you for being here and for all of your ongoing support and endless love. Uh I'd like to thank the interviewing committee at Emerson. Uh I am so um uh proud and impressed by their strong and deep commitment to student excellence. I really want to build on the foundation uh that's already been established and put in place, and I am so eager to work with everyone to ensure that every student thrives um to receive getting the resources they need uh socially, emotionally, and academically. So again, I am honored to be the next proud principal at Emerson Elementary, and I really look forward to working with all of you to ensure that we are engaging, educating, and inspiring. So thank you
066again. I think there's a party gift. You're already a part of D205, but I had to get you some Emerson swag. Thank you so much. Congratulations again, Jill. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay, item B is instructional materials recommendation for the 2026-2027 school year. Oh, I get so excited. Ms. Lyons. All good. And Yes, the the children, yes, of course. Thank you. Okay, so thank you. Um On February 24th, during the presentation to the Board of Education entitled Monitoring Progress and Taking Action, Academic Assessment Results and Instructional Materials Recommendation, the D205 Learning and Teaching Department recommended instructional materials for use in the upcoming school year 2026-2027. These recommendations were based on data collected throughout the school year, aligned with student needs, and supported by research. Then, the materials went on to public display
067from Monday, March 2nd, 2026 to Friday, April 10th, 2026. And during that time, any interested citizens could express their concerns, suggestions, or complaints on the materials displayed um for that public review. To date, we did not receive any um responses or public feedback um nor anyone coming into the district office to review the materials. Um and so, as such, the District 205 Learning and Teaching Department recommends the following instructional materials for approval. Um the first one being for our AP English Language and Comprehension course entitled The Language of Comprehension or Composition. The novel Horse for AP Literature. Physics Curriculum and Instruction for AP Physics. Biology for the AP course for AP Biology. And finally, Perspectives Intermediate French, A Cultural Approach for our French 3HACP course. Thank you. Thank you. Can we have a motion? I
068move Oh, who started? Go ahead. Okay. Go for it. I move that the Board of Education approve the following instructional materials for use in the upcoming school year 2026-2027. AP English Language and Composition. It's a lot of people. Shay, Alves, Horowitz, Cortes, and Escobar. At 2023, The Language of Composition, Fourth Edition, Bedford/St. Martin's. AP Literature, Brooks, 2022. Horse, Viking. I don't know why I think this is funny. Um AP Physics, Physics Curriculum and Instruction, 2026, Physics LE Learning Environment. AP Biology, Morris, Castagnetti, Laprie, Raelia, 2026, Biology for the AP course, Second Edition, BFW Publishers and French 3H ACP Manley, Smith, and McMann, 2026. Perspectives Intermediate French, A Cultural Approach, First Edition, Vista Higher Learning. I'll second. Motion made by Ms. Assef, that was a mouthful, seconded by Ms. Hassler. Uh are there any questions or
069comments from the board? Okay, can we call the vote? Mrs. Assef? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Mr. Bresnihan? Yes. Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Urbanides? Yes. 7 aye, 0 nay, motion passes. Next up is the Foundation 205 donation. I'll turn it over to Ms. Daniels. Thank you so much. The uh Foundation 205 was created in 1989 dedicated to innovation in education and the advancement of excellence for all Elmhurst public school students. Dedicated to supporting all D205 students, Foundation 205 provides funding through multiple sources each year. Tonight, I'm going to outline and request approval of donations for three of those sources. Their annual three themes grants. Going to pause and try saying themes grants again. Their annual themes grants awards this year with an astounding $266,000 in awards supporting a total of
07017 grants supporting K through 12 and beyond and orchestra and music. We also have the mission funds, which is dedicated to supporting D205 students created to provide financial aid to students and families who face economic challenges. The mission fund supports things like school supplies, materials, uh instrument rentals, intramural sports, summer school and extended learning opportunities, and food, clothing, or gas for work purposes. The amount that we're requesting for that donation approval this evening is 75,000. And then this year we also have something that's called experiential learning. Our learning and teaching team and our building leaders got together and created an outline for some experiential learning opportunities indirectly aligned to the Witten Wisdom curriculum. All of these learning opportunities would happen at all of our elementary schools throughout the year and in conjunction with each of
071the modules in Witten Wisdom and the donation for that is a total of $45,000. So this evening we're requesting a total of $386,000 in approval from Foundation 205. Can we have a motion? I move that the Board of Education approve a total not to exceed $386,000 in donations from Foundation 205 for the 2026-2027 school year for themes grant awards, mission funds, and experiential learning. I'll second. Motion made by Ms. Hostler, second by Dr. Henry. Are there any comments from the board? Um I'll jump in. Yes. So these are uh it's a lot of money that the foundation is donating and I just want to shout out to the foundation all the hard work they do. Um but also to our District 205 community for donating that much. I think that says a lot about their
072priorities in education. Um and also a big shout out to all the teachers and staff that write these grants for innovation that are very student forward. Um one thing I I love the experiential learning. Do you have an example? Yes. So and Katie can help fill me in because she worked with the team to to to create these. Um I'll pick the flying fox. So the flying fox conservation funds mammals in more is directly in alignment with the creatures features module in Wit & Wisdom. So, their animals will come in the animals that they're learning about will come in and they'll actually get to interact with them. That's awesome. So, and that's multiple experiences like that. That would be all All of them. >> Wow. >> That's excellent. Mhm. And is that one thing per
073unit or one thing per grade level or how's that? So, it looks like one thing per grade level. Katie, can you confirm or deny this? So, we um yes, it's one to two depending on having some alternate experiences. Um for example, for fifth grade, we have um a storyteller and if he can't be booked cuz he gets booked all over the country, we have an alternate um recommendation and so worked very closely with Principal Thomas out of field. Um and some of these experiences were previous themes grants for individual schools like our flying fox um experience and then from that we learned from our leaders um that that could be something we could equitably share across schools. And so, um some have one or two, but right now we're asking for one per grade level
074and potentially expanding that for the future. That's great. I love that you're working in collaboration with the foundation to provide these experiences. It's very cool. And I just want to add that you know, it's been a priority of the board for years to create consistency in student experiences and love that the the partnership with the foundation has you know, followed well well within that us you know, achieving or meeting that goal of having similar experiences in all of our schools. This is definitely a big way of getting there. All right, can we call the vote? Mrs. Hasler? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Assef? Yes. Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Mrs. Ervanidis? Yes. 7-0-0 nays, motion passes. Next we have the appointment of school treasurer and resolution approving surety bond of treasurer.
075I'll turn it back over to Mr. Blomquist. All right, I don't think my uh agenda item is quite as exciting as the last three, but uh it is Always exciting, Joe. It is the practice of this board on an annual basis to appoint a treasurer who is in charge of uh overseeing and safeguarding our district finances and to prepare the um upcoming uh budget for fiscal year 2027. Um in addition to that, the treasurer is required to be bonded uh by by an agency. Uh this agenda item covers both the appointment of the treasurer and the issuance of the surety bond. And who is the treasurer being appointed? Uh we are we are recommending that you appoint uh yours truly uh Thank you. >> Joe Blomquist as the treasurer. >> Just formalizing it, Mr. Blomquist,
076that we are that the recommendation is to appoint you as the treasurer. Uh can we have a motion? I move that the Board of Education approve the resolution appointing Joseph Blomquist as District 205 Treasurer effective July 1st, 2026 and to further approve the school treasurer's bond in the amount of 12.5 million at a cost of $15,97. For the term of March 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2027. Second. Motion made by Mrs. Troutman, second by Mr. Bresnahan. Um can we call the vote? Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Hasler? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Assef? Yes. >> Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Mrs. Ervanidis? Yes. 7-0-0 nays, motion passes. Item E is the resolution to transfer $4 million from the operations and maintenance fund to the capital projects fund. Back to Mr. Bloomquist. Thank you. This one's
077a little bit more exciting. Uh in in March we approved a $4 million cap summer capital projects uh plan. Um this year is a little different because uh back in the fall we approved the issuance of working cash bonds. This is going to be the first phase of moving some of those working cash bonds into the operations and maintenance fund, which is required first before we can move it from the operations and maintenance fund into the capital projects fund. That portion along with the other money that we have committed out of our operating budget uh will all go into the capital projects fund uh capital projects fund to fund all the uh all the work that was presented in March. Can we have a motion? I move that Oh. Gosh, we're just Who went first?
078I move that the Board of Education approve the resolution to transfer money from the working cash fund to the operations and maintenance fund in the amount of $505,296.97. I second. Motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Ms. Troutman. Uh can we please call the vote? Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Yes. Mrs. Hostler? Yes. Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Lewinsky? Yes. Mrs. Anderson? Yes. Mrs. Arvanitidis? Yes. Seven aye, zero nays. Motion passes. And I'll also remind us that we have um Sorry. Oh, there's a second motion? That's not in my notes. I'll do it. Oh, thank you. Then we'll go into the second motion, then I'll mention. I just wanted to say we talked about this at length over last meeting and in finance committee. Thank you. Second motion. I move that the Board of Education approve
079the resolution to transfer money from the operations and maintenance fund to the capital projects fund in the amount of 4 million. I'll second. Motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Ms. Hassler. Can we please call the vote? Dr. Henry? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Mrs. Assefa? Yes. Mrs. Troutman? Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Ervinedis? Yes. Six eyes, zero nays, one stepped out absent. Uh motion passes. Item F is the resolution authorizing settlement of pending litigation. Can we please have a motion? I move that the board approve the resolution to enter into a settlement agreement to resolve pending litigation with Diane Garcia. I'll second. Motion made by Mr. Bresnahan, second by Ms. Hassler. Uh can we please call the vote? Mr. Bresnahan? Yes. Mrs. Hassler? Yes. Mrs. Assefa? Yes. Mrs. Slowinski? Yes. Dr. Henry? Yes.
080Mrs. Troutman? Mrs. Ervinedis? Yes. Six eyes, zero nays, one absent. Motion passes. I just wanted to say that this is a settlement agreement that does not constitute admission of any wrongdoing on behalf of the district. Item 11 on our agenda is the superintendent's communication. We'll turn it over to Dr. Campbell. Yes, so I have some really exciting highlights. We have some really exciting highlights to share this evening. I'm going to first ask my colleague um Mr. Joe Schum- Dr. Joe Schumacher to please start us off. Yes. Uh Thank you. We we first want to highlight an upcoming district-wide event um that I know all of us around this table look forward to and that's honoring our retirees as well as employees with 25 and 35 years of service at the upcoming annual retirement and recognition
081event. This event takes place Tuesday April 28th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the York High School Commons and this spring we are proud to graduate a total of 41 retirees across all of our employee groups while also celebrating 27 staff members earning 25 years of service and two earning 35 years of service. We value these staff members and their contributions to the student experience. Next we have a really exciting opportunity that will take place tomorrow evening. Ms. Daniels? >> Yes. Yeah, D205's dual language program and thanks again to Foundation 205 for funding this as well are bringing the Chicago Chicago Latino Film Festival to Elmhurst tomorrow night Wednesday April 22nd. The York Theater will have two free showings one at 6 and one at 6:30 of Run Seema. I'm sure I pronounce that incorrectly
082incorrectly but Run Seema Seemi Seemi Run Seemi a recent winner of the Tribeca Film Festival in Lima Film Festivals. The Deepak families have extended invitations to celebrate the Latino art culture and film through the lens of the heartwarming documentary. The film director will be in attendance and will hold a Q&A after each of the showings. You can either in the board highlights tonight click on the link, or you can scan the QR code to sign up for tickets, and community members and children are all invited to join and celebrate the arts and inclusivity along the Chicago Latino Film Festival that is held concurrently in Chicago. That's awesome. Back to me. This is this slide. It's lovely. I don't know if the slide needs introduction. I mean So, with e-learning, potential snow day closures, there's there's
083typically some confusion or can be confusion regarding the application of emergency days and just the last day of school. The board does not need to take any action as they have on in in prior years from time to time as needed since we have not experienced closures or used any emergency days, any of the five days that are on district calendar, the last day of student attendance remains Thursday, May 21st as originally planned. Joe, sorry. The last day of school, well, the 21st falls on a Monday on your calendar, so could we just double check this date? Thursday, May 21st is the last day of >> Okay, then you're then the graphic I apologize. >> May 21st, even though the calendar This is not Joe's fault, this is my fault. I apologize. It's okay, we
084don't have to place blame. This was to bring clarity. >> Yes. Yes. Clear is kind, and it it is Thursday, May 21st. >> Bring clarity. That is May 21st is >> not bringing Wait, okay, now we move, but let's be clear, May 21st falls on a Thursday in on 2026, and that is the last day of school, Thursday, May 21st. >> correct. That is correct. >> day of school, go ahead, Joe. Yes. The first day of school for the 2026-2027 school year is Thursday, August 13th. I just want to point out to the public that full calendars for the district for this school year and the next two school years may be located on our district website by simply clicking district and then calendars. Ms. Lyons, it's your turn to follow that. Yes. So, we
085had a wonderful visit last week that I just wanted to highlight at York High School. So, to celebrate the culmination of our most recent ninth grade English unit, we were thrilled to welcome acclaimed local author, Christina Henriquez, to York High School last Thursday. Thanks to the generous support of Foundation 205 and the wonderful contributions of our English teachers who reached directly out to this local um author. Our ninth graders recently finished studying her New York Times notable novel, The Book of Unknown Americans, and had the unique opportunity to engage directly with the author. This academic visit aligned with our school priorities around text and task complexity, offered students the chance to hear first hand about Ms. Henriquez's writing process and engage in Q&A regarding the narrative techniques and diverse perspectives that define her work. It
086was a special chance for our York freshmen to see how their lit how the literary elements they have work to master, such as dialogue, structure, and tone are applied by a professional writer. So, it was a wonderful event. I have video if you'd like to see it. I was a little fan girl. And last but certainly not least, the latest edition, the 15th edition of Community Connections newsletter is coming to your doorstep. In this, you can read about our teacher leaders program that is strengthening instruction across our elementary schools. You can meet excellent educator Lauren Yun, learn about how the Superintendent Student Advisory Council creates meaningful space for student voices across District 205, and dive into our new summer programming guidebook. There's one additional communication that I would like to share with the Board of
087Education and our community. I want to take the moment to share an update on the process of hiring our next York principal. As we wrap up this current year, our focus remains on finishing the year strong, while we also thoughtfully plan and prepare for the future. York Community High School is an an exceptional school, and we know that all roads here in D205 lead to York High School. With that being said, we are committed to ensuring that we continue to build on the strong foundation that is already in place. I recognize the complexity of the principal role, notably in a comprehensive high school located in a unit district, and the importance of identifying a candidate. It is essential to approach approach this process with care, with intention, as well as with the time needed to
088do so well. With that in mind, we are working to identify an interim principal leader that we will bring before the Board of Education for the upcoming school year. This will allow us to conduct a comprehensive, inclusive search for the next York principal beginning in the fall. Throughout this process, we are committed to maintaining continuity, clarity, and strong support for all York students and staff. We are grateful for the partnership of this community, and we look forward to engaging with our community along the way. That concludes the superintendent communication. Next, we will have an communication a communication highlight. So, as I mentioned, the 15th edition of Community Connections is about to hit mailboxes, and tonight's highlight is a snippet of one of the feature stories that is in the newsletter. The last spring, we launched
089a new initiative designed to strengthen instructional leadership across all eight of our elementary schools. Each building now has two teacher leaders, one focused on literacy and one on math, who continue teaching in their own classrooms while also helping guide professional learning and instructional alignment within their schools. This video accompanies the written piece in the newsletter, and the full length of it, this is just a snippet cuz it's kind of long, so the full length can be watched by either scanning the QR code in the newsletter, or by visiting our YouTube channel. Um a lot of what we do is we meet together to talk about um planning for staff development. Uh we get to do learning walks um where we're in other classrooms, and um then we kind of provide a teacher perspective um from
090those classroom observations, and then we can use that um so that we can better improve our curriculum implementation. This new role has allowed me to pop into some other classrooms and experience all of the different grade levels and then we can reflect on that together, but it's really allowed me to see the progression of all of our math curriculum and see some of those strategies start early on and kindergarten and see how they grow all the way up into fifth grade and just understand that entire progression. I think this is a really exciting thing that has been happening here at Jackson is to have people who are currently in the classroom who can speak to their peers about how changes to practice impact student learning. And so while as a principal and assistant principal and
091instructional coach we can certainly offer that perspective, someone who is experiencing it real-time things like implementing a new curriculum, things like making changes in the moment our teacher leaders really can provide a valuable perspective on that. Thank you. Next on our agenda is board member communications. Any board members with any updates or I didn't think so, but Nope. Okay. We have some upcoming meetings May 6th, 2026 is a committee of the whole meeting at 5:30 p.m. and May 19th is our regular Board of Education meeting at 7:00 p.m. Both meetings will be held here at District 205 Center in rooms 215, 16 and 17. And with that it is 8:43 and we are adjourned.