001This is the board of education meeting being held on Tuesday, November 18th, 2025. I'm calling the meeting to order at 5:33. If you can please call the role. >> Mrs. Stoutman, >> here. Dr. Henry, >> here. >> Mrs. Lewinsky, >> here. >> Mr. Brezahan >> here. >> Mrs. Arvanites, Mrs. Asip, and Mrs. Hustler. >> Four board members present, three absent. Can I have a motion to go into close session? I move that the board of education move into close session for the placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students 5CS122C10. Discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the open meetings act whether for the purpose of approval by the body of the minutes or semiannual review of the minutes as mandated by section 2.065 ILCS122C21. >> I
002second the motion. >> Motion made by Miss Troutman, second by Mr. Breznahan. Can I please call Can you please call the vote? >> Mrs. Troutman? >> Yes. >> Mr. President? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky? >> Yes. >> Dr. Henry? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Asive? Mrs. Hustler? Mrs. four eyes, zero nays, three absent. Motion passes. The board will move into close session. Hello. Good evening. Welcome to the board of education meeting on Tuesday, November 18th, 2025. The board has been in close session for items listed on the agenda since 5:30 p.m. We have six board members present and one absent tonight. At this time, I ask that we stand for the pledge of allegiance. Okay, we got a few people here in matching shirts. We have our spotlight and recognitions tonight and we want to thank
003you for being here. First up, we are going to recognize our boys golf team for their third place state finish. If you are here to be honored for that, please step forward into the center of the alley and face the parents. [applause] with that. [clears throat] >> Well, no, actually I didn't hit a shot all year. These kids hit all the shots, which uh should be very proud. But uh thank you for having us tonight for the recognition. Um we actually had a really good season. So the I just give you kind of synopsis of the season and then um and then thank you again for recognizing us. So uh season started out pretty good. We won an invitational down at the state course and that was awesome. There were six teams down there and
004they were all really good. Uh during the season we were eight wins and two losses. Uh at the conference meet our conference was so tough we actually finished fourth in the conference which is interesting. Uh we um we were again a couple of invitationals that we did well at. Uh really shined at the regional and sectional. So we went out to the regional and uh my friend Colin here was two under power at the regional. Uh that was at Buffalo Grove Golf Course and our senior sale was even. Um and we won that against some really [clears throat] good teams. So I knew we were going to be pretty good. Went into the sectional hardest sectional in the state and that is up north. So, uh, Nutrier, Lyola, Glen Brook North, Glen Brook South, all
005the schools that are really good, uh, up north. And, um, it's kind of interesting. We were eight under par as a team. By the way, my friend Gage was five under. Gage was awesome. And Grant was, uh, one under, and then Colin was three and our two freshman were one over par, and then S was one over. So, we were awesome. Eight under par as a team, you'd think you would win. We were third. So they've nutrier uh won that at 11 under and Evston was second at 10 under and we were uh third at eight. So now we go down state. First day we're in fourth. Uh we're only three strokes back of getting a um a trophy. So first holes go through. Colin's three under through three holes. And I look at his
006I see his dad. I'm like, "How's Colin doing?" He goes, "Well, he's about as good as he can do. He's three under through three really hard holes." Uh, everyone else was just playing and by the time we got to the sixth hole, we're ahead. So, we're in third place. By the way, first and second are 18 strokes in front of us. Fifth is like 12 strokes behind us. It was either us or Hersy. And that's kind of what it came down to. So, we played the sixth hole, which is hard. Tripled, two doubles. I think we had a couple of bogeies in there. Now, we're not up anymore. And one of the things that we basically as as coaches and and the kids are kind of motto in the team is keep fighting no matter
007what happens. You bogey a hole, you triple a hole, we gota you got to keep fighting. And uh sure enough, like Colin, I'll throw you on the bus a little bit. Tripled uh six birdied seven. I don't know how far was that putt on birdie. That that putt on seven must have been 60 feet maybe. And it just goes right in. I'm like, "All right, we're fighting. That's good." Like that's awesome. Uh so now we're behind and we get into the last hole. By the way, now we're tied. So into 17 we're tied and the really the third place trophy's on the line here. And uh in 18 we had six boys, three of which if you want to raise your hands, birdied 18, our final hole. Uh Colin, Colin and Gage birdied that hole.
008And Gage was playing with a young man from Hersy and he was three over going into that hole. And I on six on five he hits like a 230 yard 3-wood to 15 feet on a par five. And I'm like, "Wow, this kid's really good." He doubles it. That really is a three-stroke swing. And we ended up uh with us playing the 18th hole as well as we did. There was a lot of happiness afterwards because 2019 we finished fourth. Um and just leave you with this. [clears throat] Excuse me. 2019 we had a third place in the state and we had a sixth place in the state and we were fourth. This year we did not have an all stater top 10 is all state and we really played well as a team. Every
009single kid here contributed to the team throughout the whole season and uh that's what we're really proud of is that this was a golf team not individuals. So uh congratulations to these kids. Thank you for recognizing them. That's awesome and we appreciate it. >> [applause] >> Hi guys. On behalf of the board of education, congratulations. Um, you guys had an outstanding and hard-fought season. From a first seot in the early summer heat to the final rounds this fall, you showed what true grit, sportsmanship, and teamwork look like. Every practice round in the rain, every extra bucket of balls at the practice range, um, every moment you had each other's backs on the course paid off in clutch performances, personal bests, and memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you were battling conference rivals, grinding through
010tough conditions, or celebrating those birdies that turned matches around, you represented York High School with class and determination. To our seniors, thank you for your leadership, for your heart, and for leaving the program stronger than you found it. Coaches, families, and the entire community are so proud. Enjoy this well-earned moment. We are so proud of you. And now, I'll read your official board of education proclamation. Whereas the York Community High School boys golf team represented Elmherst Community Unit School District 205 with pride, skill, and commitment through the 2025 season, demonstrating steady growth and strong character on and off the course. hand. Whereas, the Dukes earned an impressive third place finish at the IHSA Class 3 state a 3A state tournament, posting a remarkable 607 team score in championship play. A performance that reflects their consistency,
011resilience, and competitive excellence on one of the state's biggest stages. And whereas the team's success was built on months of discipline, preparation, teamwork, and focus. and their ability to rise to the occasion under championship pressure speaks to the maturity and determination determination of each athlete. And whereas this outstanding accomplishment is a testament not only to the athletes dedication and hard work, but also to the leadership and mentorship of their coaches along with their unwavering support of families, school staff, and the broader York community who have encouraged the team throughout their journey. Whereas the York's boys golf team's achievements serve as an excellent inspiration to student athletes across district 205, reminding our community of the power of perseverance, collaboration, and striving towards a common goal. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Elmharst Community Unit School
012District 205 Board of Education proudly recognizes the York Community High School boys golf team for their third place finish at the IHSA Class 3A state tournament and extends its warmest congratulations and appreciation to the athletes, coaches, and supporters for their remarkable season, their exemplary sportsmanship, and their commitment to excellence. Nice job, boys. Can we bring it in a little bit? Oh, I got you. >> Uhhuh. Got you. All right. On three. Ready? One, two, three. All right. Yes, please. Start over here. Make your way around. Thank you, coach. We put this >> Again, a very large congratulations to our golfers and their families for their support throughout the season. Congratulations. And to those who are graduating, good luck. the rest of you. Can't wait to see what you do next year. >> Have a great
013night. [applause] >> Okay, item B on our spotlight and recognition. Another fan favorite around here, the PSRP, PAR professionals and school related personnel appreciation day. [applause] just want to say on behalf of the board, so happy you're here, but also thank you for your commitment to our district, your schools, our children and families. Um, it's always a interesting moment to see when you walk into a school as a parent, right? And what's going on when I ring that bell? From the moment I ring the bell to the moment I'm walked to whatever classroom I'm going to or coming back and watching interactions of our par profofessionals with our students, our families and our staff overall. You are the heart and soul of our district and you make everyone's day better and for that we thank
014you. It's hard to come to work with that enthusiasm and that uh vibrance every day. I understand that and uh want to show some uh want to demonstrate that appreciation for what you do because that matters and it has a great impact on people no matter how large or small they are. So, thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and your attention and everything you give to our school district. I hope you have a great PSRP day, appreciation day, and uh looking forward to see you all as we move around. Anything else? [applause] Anyone else? We're good. Oh, forgot the [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] >> [music] >> outstanding efforts of nearly 6,000 elected school board members across the state of Illinois. U November 15th, which was actually Sunday, is designated as school board
015members day. This day provides an opportunity to build awareness and appreciation for the vital role that locally elected board of educations play in our representative of democracy. So on today, district 205, we are continuing to celebrate schoolboard appreciation day and we extend our deepest gratitude um and appreciation for your steadfast leadership, your dedication and your unwavering commitment. Your thoughtful governance and commitment guides our district in fulfilling our mission to educate, engage, and empower every student. Because of your vision and your stewardship, our schools remain focused on ensuring that all students graduate prepared for college, career, and life. And so today, on behalf of the administration and our community, we honor and appreciate your continued commitment to excellence, to equity, and to the success of every learner in our community. So, we're going to share a
016brief thank you video at the end of our board meeting today during our communication highlights. Can we please say thank you by giving them a round of applause? Thank you. Thank you. Looking forward to the video. We'll go on to public comments. Do we have any public comments tonight or anybody who wants to address the board who's in the audience? Okay. Oh, yes. All right. Well, thank you. We'll skip over public comments and go straight to the approval of board meeting minutes. We have the committee of the whole minutes from October 21st, 2025 and the special board meeting minutes from November 5th, 2025. Are there any changes to those minutes? Seeing none, those meeting minutes stand as presented. And the approval of the close session minutes from October 21st, 2025 and November 5th, 2025. Those
017meeting minutes stand as presented. Item number seven is going to be our only report and presentation tonight, but a very important one. Item A is our estimated tax levy. I will turn it over to Mr. Blumquist. >> Thank you. You said important and I also want to say it's a very exciting presentation today. >> I like exciting. >> This is part of our regular cycle in between budget adoption and budget development for the following school year. This is part of our strategic plan around financial and operational effectiveness to generate financial pro projections that provide long-term financial sustainability. Throughout this year, we've been talking about the the goals of our finance and operations uh uh strategic uh plan elements is creating and sustaining high quality programs, highquality facilities and stable financial structures. And that is part
018of this uh discussion on the estimated tax levy. We will cover three things in this presentation. First of all, we're going to be talking about the importance of the tax levy, what that means to this community. We're going to talk about where we come up with the calculations and what those estimated calculations are at this time. And then we'll go through the timeline for how we execute the tax levby. You've seen this graph before. Uh we are very fortunate to have a community that is very supportive of our schools. Uh representing 84 84.6% of all of our revenues are based off of property taxes which are part of the tax levy. Uh while this community support is is is necessary, it's also very important um to have that local support because then we're less reliant
019on state and federal revenues which can especially at a time like this when uh there are so many budgetary uh conversations happening at the state and federal level. Uh they are very much uh more in question. When a school district is highly supported by its community, everyone wins. Financial support of public schools makes our community attractive for both families and for businesses, which then not only improves our school systems, but improves all the homes and businesses around us. It improves their property values. It improves its attractiveness to everyone coming here to Elmherst um and and the surrounding area. In addition to the value that it brings monetarily, it also brings a lot of of of value in terms of how we can support our students. And it is because of this community support that I
020want to reiterate what we heard last month that we have been able to achieve the highest number of exemplary schools here in district 205 in our history. Uh and all of our schools are either exemplary or commendable. that is because of the community support that we have through not only part uh engaging and and accessing our educational system but also in terms of supporting it financially. So now I'm going to take you through a little bit of the calculations in terms of how we come up with the estimated tax levy at this time. We don't have all the exact numbers quite yet, but that is the purpose of this discussion uh with the school board so we can submit it to the counties uh to make their final calculations. I want to draw your attention
021to how the calculation is made in terms of how it affects the property taxes that are issued in the spring and again in the fall. We we always base our uh decision- making on the tax levy off of the prior year tax extension. We know that is is a finite number of $141,291,879. That's what was extended last year. Extended is a little different than levied. Levied is what we ask for. Extended is what the county calculates in its final calculations. That amount is then uh subject to an increase uh that is either the consumer price index or CPI for short or it is capped by what is we call PEL and you might have heard this in previous presentations. PEL says that uh that increase is capped at 5% or CPI whichever one is less.
022This year's calculation is based off of the consumer price index from January of 2023 to I'm sorry, December of 2023 to to December of 2024, which is 2.9%. You multiply that by the existing extension and then you divide it by the equalized assessed value of all properties in district 205 and you come up with what's called the tax rate, the capped tax rate. From that point, that tax rate is then applied to all the property values um on an individualized basis throughout all of district 205. Once that capped calculation is calculated, then they also take into account any new property that has acred uh throughout district 205. And we're going to be talking about that uh a little bit later on in this presentation. So I first want to talk about uh CPI or PEL.
023As I mentioned before, I kind of jumped the gun on this uh on this uh slide. Uh but you can see over time we have averaged about a 2.5% CPI uh throughout the last 10 and 20 years. You noticed that there's a slight bump just a few years ago that exceeded that 5% cap that PEL uh caps every school district at. At that time the the tax levy could only increase by that 5% despite the CPI being at above 6% both of those years. This year it is the CPI is at 2.9%. So that is the basis of our calculation this year. In the past, we have received feedback and questions regarding if if the if the cap is at 2.9% but I get my property tax bill, why might my increase be a little
024different than 2.9%. So, we provided you with a a graphic to demonstrate part of it is based off of your increase in property value. Based off of the information we have right now, we estimate that property values in district 205 will likely increase about 8% this year. Uh based off of the county assessors, that means an average home of $500,000 last year, an average home will have increased in value to $540,000 this year. If we were to take that and apply the tax levy calculation with with the 2.9% CPI, we would expect to see that um that home's property tax would increase about $165 for the entire year or because it's paid in two installments essentially $82.50 per installment. That's if it's the average growth of that home. Now, if that home instead grows at
025a at a slower rate than other properties in district 205 and the value is only $530,000 because that property value hasn't increased at the same rate, we could expect them to pay only $80 more per year or $40 more per installment. However, if a home's property value exceeds that of the general community and it has a value of $550,000, applying the same tax rate but with a higher uh increase in home value, we would expect that property tax increase to be about $328 per year or $164 per installment. So once that cap tax rate is complete, that is for all existing homes and and businesses and other uh other properties here in district 205. After that capped uh calculation, the county then adds any new property. And new property is not just new homes, new
026businesses. It's also anything really that that requires a permit. So, if there's additions, um if there's enhancements to uh to properties, they include that as part of new construction. So, you might look at our community and say, "We're pretty much built out. I don't imagine we would have a whole lot of new construction." We do have a lot of new construction. And you can see that trend that we've been averaging between 25 million and $45 million every year for at least the last six years. We have uh spoken with the assessor's office and gotten a preliminary estimate of how much new property we have in the district this year and we estimate it to be at about $30 million this year. So, I provided you with a paper copy of this slide because I know
027these numbers are a little uh harder to read um on the screen, but this is the calculation that we use that combines both the capped rate and the new property growth. I'm going to draw your attention uh first to the left side. The left side says the prior year extension. That's the exact amount that I mentioned earlier. That's what our calculation is based off of. In the middle of this page, you can see the weighted extension based off of the prior year's extension. This calculation is based off of all the assumptions we have at the moment. So, you can see that the tax levy increase would go from roughly $141.2 million to $146.5 million, an increase of about $5.3 million. our estimated tax levy. We want to capture as much new all of the new
028property as we can. And because this $30 million is just a preliminary number, we do ask for a little bit more than what we estimate we will be receiving. So for that reason, if you look to the far right, the final levy amount is 147.7 million. and that is uh in case we receive the new property growth uh beyond $30 million. This would not increase anything beyond the CPI cap for existing homes. Uh case in point, uh earlier this week we were calculating it at $25 million of new property growth. And when we got an updated assess uh updated estimate from our assessors that brought it up to $30 million, we saw an increase in the total levied amount by $300,000. We want to make sure we capture um all of that potential revenue from
029new property as we can without affecting um existing homes. From those calculations, uh we we come up with an with an estimated uh uh tax rate of 3.7343, which would continue our history. As you can see on this slide, we are the the bar on the far left of each of these clusters. We are the lowest tax rate out of all uh neighboring unit districts that we compare ourselves to. We're proud to to say that we are making the best possible use of every taxpayer dollar and really uh providing high quality education at the same time. We anticipate that that would still stay the same um as as we are uh as we are calculating this 3.7343 tax rate. So, the other question that we want to make sure that we address through this presentation
030is uh why do we have this tax levy increase that shows $5.3 million of additional uh tax levy request? And the core reason is because expenditures are subject to that same inflationary pressure uh that we see within the tax levy uh computation. And you can see on here, I've just grabbed a few of the elements that we already have quantifiable data to say what we know to be the case a year from now on the costs of some of these these contracts or uh expenses. Health insurance renewal we expect to increase at at an 8% clip every year. Trans our transportation contract and our athletic trainer contract is increasing by 5%. food, ordering our food for uh for our students to receive breakfast and lunch. We're seeing an average of an increase of 7% on
031the same orders that we we've made from from year to year. And we've already talked about in the past utility rates are on the rise. We're starting to see especially uh a demand on electricity because of all the data centers, all the AI uh facilities that are pulling in a lot of electric electricity use. When you put together all of our expenditures based off of our five-year financial projection that we talked about two years or two weeks ago, uh uh we are averaging just over a $5 million increase in all expenditures just by holding all of our expenditures at the at the rate of inflation. And when CPI is at 2.9% and when we expect that uh that other sources of revenue will will be held relatively flat, um the amount of revenue we will
032raise through this tax levy will increase about the same as our expenditure inflationary increases. As I mentioned before, we are assuming based off of the conversations we're seeing in Springfield and in in Washington DC that our federal and state funding are expected to remain flat. We are hoping that they remain flat. There's a chance that they experience a dip. We want to be somewhat guarded without uh without without panicking that uh that these sources of revenue may uh may uh dilute over time. So we are being very guarded in our assumption that we expect these funding sources to remain flat. This chart was presented two weeks ago as well and I wanted to draw your attention to this because this uh this five-year financial forecast model represents if we were to levy the amount that
033we have estimated here tonight. And you can see that red line represents our low point of the year. And currently uh as it stands right now, that low point is really hugging that Z line, which means we want to make sure that we always stay above that that line so we can make sure that we are timely with all of our payments and we can commit the necessary resources in order to provide the highest quality education for our students. The green line represents our June 30th balance, which is after we receive that first round of property taxes that we're talking about with this levy. Our tax levy timeline is governed by the state of Illinois. So, we have to make sure that we present all of this information well ahead of time. So, you can
034all consider the estimated tax levy because we will be asking you in December to adopt the tax levy calculations. This year, we are not required to hold a hearing, a truth and taxation hearing because we are not asking for anything more than we are not asking for the 5% statutory uh hearing requirement. uh that 2.9% CPI plus the new property growth equals the equivalent of a 4.59% increase in our total tax levy. We are still going to hold the hearing because we want we want to provide the public with um an opportunity uh to ask questions and to to give their thoughts. In December at this board meeting, we will adopt the tax levy and then it will go to both Kain or both Cook and DuPage County to run the calculations and to to
035confirm the new property growth as well as uh as well as confirm uh the CPI calculations that we discussed tonight. Those property taxes then those bills will be sent out in April or May. uh we hope for both of those counties and the first installment is generally due in June and the second installment is due in September. It's really important to point out the timing of those because the first installment is actually due as part of this fiscal year. It has already been built into the budget that uh you adopted in September. The second installment will take place during next fiscal year which will really inform us as we start developing next year's budget. uh beginning uh in January. And that concludes my presentation. >> Thank you. Sorry, I was taking a note. Any questions,
036comments, conversation from the board? >> Kelly, just a quick comment. Just thank you. I thought that was very well organized and well laid out and very simplified and I very much appreciate it. So, thank you. [snorts] >> Anything else? >> I'll just say yes. Thank you for putting that together and breaking it down in a nice simple and understand way. Thanks. >> Anything else? Okay. And so, we'll have another opportunity to discuss this at the next meeting where it will be put to the board for vote. All right. Thank you for that. We will go on to let me get out of here. The consent agenda and um hold please one second. There we go. Is there anything anyone would like to pull from the consent agenda? Okay. Can we have a motion for the
037consent agenda? >> I move that the board of education approve the following consent agenda items. A personnel report. B financial report. C, Freedom of Information Act request. D, approve posting of the 2425 school report card, and E, approve maintenance grant. >> I'll second it. Motion made by Miss Troutman, second by Mr. Arvanites. Uh, can we please call the vote? >> Mrs. Troutman? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Arvanites? >> Yes. >> Mr. Breznahan? >> Yes. >> Dr. Henry? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hustler? >> Yes. >> Mrs. As? Six eyes, zero nays, one absent. Motion passes. on our agenda action item. The first one is to approve the 2526 course proposals. I will turn that over to Miss Lions. Thank you. [snorts] In accordance with policy 640, curriculum development, new courses are presented
038to the board of education and community in the fall before being implemented the following school year. The course proposals for 2026 2027 were presented as a report at the last board of education meeting on October 21st, 2025. The course proposals for 2026 2027 are now a consent agit agenda item on tonight's meeting. So for the 2627 school year, one course is presented for adoption in the course of study at York Community High School. There is also one requested shift from a current year-long course to a semesterl long course as well as two updates to the naming conventions of current courses for the 2627 school year. The following course is proposed as a new course for the 2627 school year, recreational games for life. This will replace the current course, dance fitness. The following course offered
039at York High School is proposed as a shift from a year-long course to a semesterl long course for the 2627 school year. Manu manufacturing to honors and the following two courses offered at York High School are proposed as name changes only. Functional skills is the current course name and the proposed course name is functional life science. Vocation is the current course name and the proposed course name is life science of vocation. During last month's board meeting, two questions were raised regarding course proposals regarding students readiness to access manufacturing to honors and students interest in physical education electives. After follow-up conversations with the career technical and physical education division, the team provided the following information for us regarding the manufacturing 2 honors proposal. Manufacturing one and two are currently offered with dual credit through the college
040of du page, enhancing the curriculum by aligning it to college level expectations and strengthening students post-secary readiness. Two years ago, manufacturing 1 shifted from a year-long to a semesterl long course, giving the department proven experience in streamlining content while maintain maintaining strong student preparation. This summer, the department will further refine coursework in both manufacturing one and two to ensure students complete manufacturing one with the skills needed to excel in all subsequent manufacturing lab courses. Regarding physical education elective proposal, regarding the proposal to the proposal to replace dance fitness with recreational games for life, the team noted that while there was no formal student survey conducted, they routinely assess interest through elective course requests. Dance dance fitness requests have steadily declined over the past seven years, and it has been five years since more than one
041section has run. This decline may be due in part to students opting into the dance sequence, which includes dance one, dance 2, concert dance, as well as world dance. These courses run as semesterl long repeatable options and can count as both PE credit for grades 10 through 12 or fine arts credit for all grades. Thank you. If there's more questions, I'm happy to answer them. >> Can we have a motion? I move that the board of education approve the following one new course for 2627 one current year-long course shifted to a semester long course and two current courses change name changes sorry >> I'll second motion made by Miss Troutman second by Dr. Henry are there any comments from the board okay can we call the vote >> yes >> Dr. Henry >> yes >>
042Miss Lewinsky >> yes >> Mr. Brezahan. >> Yes. >> Miss Hustler, >> yes. >> Miss Arvanites, >> yes. >> Miss Asfiff, >> six I zero naz, one absent. Motion passes. The next item on the agenda is the approval of the proposed 26 27 and 2728 school year calendars. Who do I turn this one over to? Joe. >> Good evening. Thank you. Um after review of the district calendar committee's proposal, uh we recommend that the board approve the school calendars uh presented for the 2026 27 and 202728 school years. Um as presented, uh we hope we are hopeful that both staff and families um benefit from the u the two-year proposal um for planning purposes as well. um a few just a few noteworthy items uh that were that were discussed and prioritized within the committee.
043Um the committee attempted to start the school years later than what has been um presently in place. Um as well as the last couple school years as we know um teacher institutes have uh in recent history been on the the first I'm sorry the second Monday and Tuesday of August with the first day of student attendance on Wednesday. Um we are attempting to gradually um move that back later into August while also having the competing interest of trying to balance student instructional days between semester 1 and semester 2 at our high schools and preserving a final exam schedule and a semester um a clean semester ending prior to winter break. Um we are of course trying to um be in alignment with our DUP page regional office of education specific to um items such as
044winter break, spring break, our spring um county institute day for um both internal and external professional learning opportunities for our staff. Um, and also I wanted to point out that not this coming uh school year we're proposing but starting in 2720 I'm sorry the 2027 2028 school year uh we are proposing um with both superintendent cabinet and committee um input and agreement that we want to shift the October institute day which is typically historically has been the Friday prior to uh Columbus Day weekend and move that to August to um move to a model where we have instead of having two institute days for teachers prior to the first day of student attendance u moving that to three days. We feel that the um additional day of of institute and moving that um will better
045serve our students and staff um specifically looking at um collaborative time increased collaborative time um and just day one readiness for students. We know that every really every hour is precious when we're talking about staff getting prepared um to work with with with their [snorts] not just their their classrooms, but also their colleagues. Um looking at specifically instructional priorities as well as their school improvement plans and really getting into those um learning opportunities as well as those um activities in alignment with their school improvement plans um as as the school year starts and commences. So again, the um the superintendent cabinet uh recommends uh the proposed calendars as presented. Um and we are in alignment with our district calendar committee which is comprised of all of our employee groups um as well as uh representatives
046from the elementary, middle, and high school levels. >> Can we have a motion? I move that the board of education app uh approve the 2026 27 and 20 2728 district calendars as presented. >> I'll second motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Miss Hustler. Can uh any comments from the board? >> Dr. I was just going to make just one quick comment just that I think of all the things I hear about from the community, it's why do we have to start so early is the number one thing I hear. So I was just really excited especially for the 2027 school year starting August 17th. I did a little cheer when I was reading through the um board doc. So thank you for all that work. [snorts] >> You're welcome. >> Anything else? Um, I'll
047just add, um, thank you for the explanation of the process that it took you that you that you took to get here and who was involved in that. I think sometimes people don't understand or don't know. I know I didn't up until recently, the process and who all was involved. So, thanks for also speaking to that. >> Okay. Can we call the vote? >> Dr. Henry, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hustler, >> yes. >> Mr. Breahan, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky, >> yes. Mrs. Troutman. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Asip. Mrs. Arvanites. >> Yes. Six eyes, zero nays, one absent. Motion passes. Item two C is the approval of the resolution regarding student residency. Student C. Mr. Blumos. >> Sorry. This uh this item was discussed in close session. I turn it back over to you. Yeah.
048What What did you say in the motion? >> No, no, this is for this one. >> Yeah, I think that's a typo, I think. >> Yeah. So, you'll read it then. Okay. Sorry. Thanks for sending that back to me. Um, can we have a motion? >> Yeah. I move that the board of education finds and determines that student C has not been a resident of the school district since the start of the 2025 2026 school year. I'll second. Oh, that's me. Motion made by Dr. Henry, [laughter] second by yours truly, Mr. Arvanites. Um, can we call the vote? Dr. Henry? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Arvanites? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Mrs. Troutman. >> Yes. >> Mr. Breznahan. >> Yes. >> Mrs. AsF Mrs. Mrs. Hustler. >> Yes. >> Six eyes, zero
049ns, one absent. That motion passes. Item D is the approval of the resolution regarding student residency. I will go straight to a motion. I move that the board finds and determines that students D and E have not been residents of the school district since the start of the 2526 school year. >> I'll second. Motion made by Miss Troutman, second by Mr. Breznahan. Can we please call the vote? >> Mrs. Troutman? >> Yes. >> Mr. Breznahan? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hustler? >> Yes. >> Dr. Henry? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Asip? Mrs. Arvanites? >> Yes. Six eyes, zero nays, one absent. Motion passes. Item E is the approval for the resolution regarding student residency. Student F. This one I will turn to. >> The motion. Yeah, that's the motion. >> Do it.
050Okay. Sorry. Then we'll go to the motion. Sorry about that. Can we >> I move that the board of education table this item. >> Second. >> Okay. [laughter] Mo. >> I'm going to give it to Sloinsky. Motion made by Dr. Henry. A second by Miss Lewinsky. Can we please call the vote? >> Dr. Henry? >> Yes. >> Miss Lewinsky? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Stoutman? >> Yes. >> Mr. Breahan? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hustler? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Asive? Mrs. Vanites? >> Yes. Six I zero ns one absent motion passes. Item F is the approval of the resolution regarding estimated amounts necessary to levy levy for year 2025. Mr. Bloom question. >> This item captures the discussion we had where we are not required to hold a truth and taxation hearing in December. However, we would
051like to hold a uh hearing anyways regarding the tax levy estimation. >> Can we have a motion? I move that the board of education approve the 2025 estimated levy, set a hearing date for December 16, 2025, and publish notice of this hearing in advance of the adoption of the levy as presented. >> I'll second motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Miss Hustler. >> Can we call the vote? >> Dr. Henry, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hustler, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky, >> yes. >> Mrs. Troutman, >> yes. >> Mr. Breznahan. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Asip. Mrs. Arvanites. >> Yes. Six eyes, zero nays, one absent. Motion passes. We are going to go on to item G, which is the resolution providing for the issue of not to exceed $15 million general obligation school bond series
0522025A of the district for the purpose of altering and reconstructing school buildings and purchasing and installing equipment therein for fire prevention and safety, energy conservation, and school security purposes. providing for the levy of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay the principle and interest on said bonds and authorizing the sale of said bonds to the purchaser thereof. Mr. Blumquest, >> thank you. And I'm very grateful to be joined uh by Miss Elizabeth Hennessy uh who is going to take us through uh the bond uh sale uh that we uh conducted today. Uh but just a reminder, this $15 million of life safety bonds is part of a larger scale of life safety uh work items that have been identified and approved by ISBY. All of our schools have been approved by Isby. Uh the total
053estimated amount of work on our life safety items is just over $20 million over the next five years. At this time, I will turn it over to Miss Hennessy, who's going to talk through uh the rates that we were able to secure both for these life safety bonds and uh skipping ahead a little bit, we'll also talk about the the rates that we were able to secure uh for the working cash bonds. >> Thank you very much and thanks for having me. So, um, as Joe mentioned, this presentation encompasses the issuance of both the series A health life safety bonds and the series B working cash fund bonds. So, um, if you recall, the working cash fund bonds are being issued to take care of capital projects over the next three years, which will reduce
054some of the pressure on the operating funds. and the life safety bonds are going to address uh approved health life safety projects which are the district is now required to do after approval by the state and the ROE. So this chart and I'm sorry the numbers are small. You may recall from our discussion back in September about the issuance of these two pieces of bonds. The proposed series 25A uh are repaid over 10 years. Uh we are looking today at an interest rate of 3.22%. Uh back in September we were looking at 3.75%. So interest rates have come down uh very nicely as we went into our sale this week. The working cash bonds are repaid over five years. Uh the rate today is 3.10%. That's inclusive both rates are inclusive of all cost of
055issuance and the interest cost. Back in September, the working cash estimate was 3.32%. So, we've had some very nice movement in the market. Uh, and we're able to get in the market today. Importantly, this chart shows that the tax payment for the owner of a $500,000 home will not increase beyond what they paid last year for bonds. So these bonds are put uh the working cash bonds are part of the limited uh bonding authority the district has within its debt service extension base. Prior bonds have expired so there's no increase there. And then the working cash bonds are um implemented in a way that are not is not going to increase the tax levy over the next 10 years as they are repaid. So the graphic kind of shows how those bars um the blue
056dark blue bars are referendum bond payments. The light green are the working cash bond payments and the orange are the life safety bond payments. And you can see that dash line represents the tax rate. Google I see is doing a number on my slide so I apologize. >> It's okay. And then the question um I want to answer with these charts again apology that the numbers are small is how did the district do versus other similarly rated bond issues in the market um this week and last week. And just to recap uh Joe and and I went to standard and pores and the double A+ bond rating which is the second highest rating you can possibly get was renewed. So congratulations on that. Um so that was maintained. So we went to the market today
057with that double A+ bond rating. There were a lot of issues in the market. Uh we started yesterday um a few basis points higher came in a little bit lower in the earlier maturities and a little bit higher in the later maturity. So altogether between pre-pricing and final pricing today uh the rates were pretty similar. We had Shamberg in the market yesterday with a $27 million issue. And the way we can see if our bonds are priced similarly to other bonds in the market on different days is the spread to the AAA MMD index. So when you see those spread similar for similarly rated bonds, that means your bonds are in the market. So Shamberg with a larger deal and larger maturities. Uh very similar at a 28 and 29 spread to the AAA municipal
058market data index. Grace Lake is a double A rated issue in the market last week. They have much higher spreads. Your double A+ is getting you uh some good traction there. If we go to the next page, we've got uh Mount Prospect Park District. Another double A+. Our spreads to the MMD are right on top of where this issue is. Again, another double A+. Uh this was um a large issue. 46 million issued at the end of October. Again, rates change every day. So that's why we focus on the spread because that allows us to measure to the index and to see how comparable your your rates are. We've got Northbrook 27. They're aaa as is new trare. Um and you can see how we compare there. And then we also have a Fremont school
059district 79 which is a double A1 which is a Moody's version of your double A+. So you can see that 28 29 30 32 basis point spread. I'm sorry I'm talking bond talk here, but what this chart again is trying to show you guys is that your rates are very comparable to other uh Illinois issues even though they were priced on different days. >> So, um I'd be happy to answer any questions. The rates that you see in this presentation are reflected in the bond resolutions that you're approving tonight. um including those uh all-in uh rates for again the life safety bonds 3.22% and for the working cash bonds 3.10%. >> Thank you Elizabeth. We'll have a motion before we open up to the board. So can we have a motion please? I move that
060the board of education approve the issuance of bonds not to exceed 15 million for the purpose of addressing life safety survey work items. I'll second motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Miss Lewinsky. Um, thank you for that. We'll open it up to the board. I just wanted to comment that, you know, the information I think Elizabeth that you're sharing with us is hot off the press and uh not currently available on our board docs, but it is in the process of being posted. So, thank you for getting such important information because we're about to potentially head into a similar environment and it's it's always nice to see how other um bond proposals are fairing in the marketplace before we have to make a decision. So, thank you for that. Uh I'll open it up
061to the board. Courtney. So, I just want um just to I'm going to vote no. And I just kind of want to indicate like I have expressed my concerns and questions about the issuance of both the 25 and A and B bonds um during the course of the last board meeting and two finance operation meetings. Um, so I I don't want to belabor the point tonight, but I do want to just say thank you to Joe and his team um because I really do and Elizabeth and I do appreciate all the work that was put in to try to um explain um what the need for the bonds were. Um, and so I don't want that to go unnoticed because, um, Joe and I have spent a lot of time preparing for finance committee meetings
062and in committee meetings discussing this issue. Um, so I don't want that to go by the wayside. So I I really do appreciate all the work that's been going into it. Um, but I just wanted to lay that out there for the community. Beth. >> Um, so I also want to say thank you for finding creative solutions to keeping our district in the best financial standing that we can be in. Um, and making sure that we're being good stewards of the taxpayers's money and also making sure that we have a healthy um, financial outlook for district 205, for our students and our staff and and so on. Uh, I appreciate all the work that's been done. I know you've left no stone unturned. You and your team and all of our administrators as you're making
063decisions about, um, resources, staffing, um, all kinds of things that affect our budget and make sure that we're not wasting a single penny and that we're finding, um, more cost-effective ways to do things energy related and other. So, I appreciate that. I know you guys are always looking into other revenue streams and um trying to keep things as stable as possible, but also being creative about if there are other ways that we could bring in even small amounts of revenue to help offset some of that um the costs that are rising in the district. Um so that being said, I think that I I like the proposal here because as you know, when Dr. Campbell came into our district, we put a strategic plan in place and we have been on this path of uh
064continuous improvement and a ton of work has been done by by you and your team and all of our staff and our data shows that that work that we've done is paying off and creating an environment where we have increased student growth, student academic achievement. uh this the environment the educational environment for our students is improving in all of the areas that we have had an opportunity to touch through our strategic plan. And I think that one of the really valuable things that we had as a tool during that work was some financial flexibility and being able to, you know, when we saw there was a need for to implement an initiative, a new resource, staffing differently to support our students, we had the means to be able to do that. And I just want
065to make sure because I know that our work is not done and we have uh we're still on the path of continuous improvement and we still have other uh areas in across the district that we are evaluating and analyzing to make sure that all of our students are getting um what they need in district 205. And I want to make sure that as we continue to do that work that we we still have that financial flexibility to be able to, you know, when we're talking about possibly adding a couple staff members or if we're looking at um a class size in a certain situation or we're looking at using a facility in a different way to meet the needs of students that we have that financial flexibility to be able to do what's best for
066our students. So, I just wanted to explain my reasons for um why I'll be voting yes for this at this time. Thank you. Anything else from the board? >> Okay. I'll just add in closing and I know we have two separate pieces here, but I think the discussion is kind of happening because they overlap a little bit. I just want to put it in the room that the board has had substantial conversations about this topic over the course of the last two to three months. I'd say is when we first started maybe talking about this. Um I think we're at two finance meetings on this topic and a board meeting. So a lot of in-depth dialogue and learning and understanding uh not only about uh bonds and how they affect our community, bond sales and
067how they affect our community, but also a real true look at our financial outlook as a district and what needs are ahead of us. I think Joe just did a nice presentation in the last bullet here, uh, sorry, in the, uh, tax levy presentation about the reality of where our finances are. And although we're in a good place, I I also concur with what Beth is saying around financial flexibility and how important it is to have that in today's educational environment because kids needs are changing and so are the districts and we have to be able to be able to respond to those needs. Um, I think our community expects that from us as board members and leaders. Um, and and the unique opportunity that that's presented itself tonight is that, and Elizabeth, I'm going
068to quote you, that we, uh, this bond sale does will not increase from what was paid last year in bonds on the tax bill. So, um that's a unique opportunity for the district to um maintain their revenue sources and also establish themselves for future students and boards and administrators. Um, anything else from the board? Okay, we'll call the vote. >> Dr. Henry, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky, >> yes. >> Mrs. Troutman, >> no. >> Mr. Breahan, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hustler, >> yes. >> Mrs. Asive, Mrs. Vanites. >> Yes. Six eyes's. No, sorry. Five eyes, one nay, one absent. Got it. Um, motion passes. Item H is the resolution providing for the issue of not to exceed $8.5 million general obligation limited tax school bonds series 2025B of the district for the purpose of increasing
069the district's working cash fund providing for the levy of a direct annual tax to pay the principal and interest on said bonds and authorizing the sale of said bonds to the purchaser thereof. Joe, is there something else to say or are we moving forward? >> Uh, I I'll just say the working cash bonds. I I mentioned the life safety bonds that was identified through our life safety survey that's conducted every 10 years. These working cash bonds um as as Miss Hennessy uh did point out uh they're being used to support our cap our annual capital projects uh transfer uh to support high-quality facilities um and strengthen our fund balance in the process. >> Thank you. Can we have a motion? I move that the board of education approve the issuance of bonds not to exceed
0708.5 million for the purpose of increasing its working cash fund. >> I'll second. >> Motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Miss Hustler. I don't know that we need to open it up to the board again, but I will pause. >> Okay. Can we call the vote? >> Dr. Henry, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hustler, >> yes. >> Mr. Brezahan, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky, >> yes. >> Mrs. Troutman, >> no. >> Mrs. Asive, Mrs. is our vanities. Yes. Five eyes, one nay, one absent. Motion passes. That is a brain, you know, little workout. Okay. Item I on the action items is the resolution of the board of education transferring money from the ed fund to the debt services fund. We'll go back to Mr. Blumquest on this one >> one last time. So this uh
071this resolution is to transfer money uh to for the purpose of paying our capital lease payments. Those capital lease uh uh contracts are intended to uh to to support the district in our technology purchases uh copiers and uh student and staff devices. >> Great. Can we have a motion? >> I'm Oh, go ahead. >> No. Okay. [laughter] Not everyone at once. I move that the board of education approve the transfer of1,423,119.50 from the education fund to the debt services fund for the purpose of capital lease payments for fiscal year 2026. I'll second motion made by Dr. Henry, second by Miss Troutman. Are there any comments from the board? Again, another one that we discussed in finance committee um for those who'd like to take a look and hear what the board dialogue was like. All
072right, we'll call the vote. >> Dr. Henry, >> yes. >> Mrs. Troutman, >> yes. >> Mr. Breahan, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hustler, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lewinsky, >> yes. >> Mrs. Asive. >> Mrs. Arvanites? >> Yes. Six eyes, zero nays, one absent. Motion passes. All right, we're back to movie time, I think, here in a little bit. But moving on to superintendent's communication and D205 highlights. >> Before we get to our premier showing for this evening, um we want to recognize uh York some um very very exciting um York academic achievements. Uh we are proud to recognize several outstanding York High School students who have achieved extraordinary academic honors this year. Earning a perfect ACC score and being named a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist represents the highest level of academic distinction. accomplishments reached by fewer
073than 1% of students nationwide. [applause] These achievements reflect not only exceptional talent and very very much hard work but also the dedication of our educators and our families who support a culture of excellence across our schools. So once again, please join me in celebrating these remarkable students for their commitment to learning, perseverance, and leadership. They exemplify the very best of our district and serve as an inspiring role model for our entire school community. I want to just briefly um say those names. under the NMSQT we have um Gabrielle Bhin, we have Liam Fahi, Carolyn Hammond, John Kater, Colleen Mahoney, I'm sorry, Colin Mahoney, On [clears throat] Peele, and Alexander Sulick. For perfect ACT scores, we have Gabe Bhin, Liam Fahi, John Carter, Colin Mahoney, Maya Austerman, and Alex Zulic. Can we please give these students
074another round of applause [applause] also would like to share that on October 30th um we held our state of the district um and the state of the district highlighted the remarkable growth and the achievements as well as our continued areas of focus across District 205. Um it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our students, our staff, um our community partners who all make this progress that we've made possible. So for anyone who was unable to attend the event, we wanted to share that we have a link to the recording on our YouTube page and it uh will also be included in tonight's board meeting highlights this evening. So, we do encourage our community to um take a a pause and and watch and to see the amazing progress as well as our continued areas of
075focus. Now, on to our tonight's premiere. I'm going to kick it over to Miss Tanya Daniels. >> I hope everybody has their popcorn ready for tonight's premiere. >> So, as Dr. Campbell said, "Saturday was Illinois Board Member Appreciation Day, and while we uh did do a post on social media saying how much we appreciate your volunteer work and everything that you do for the D205 community, we cannot let a celebration go without creating a video. So, this video is for you to say thank you for all you do. Today we celebrate Board of Education Appreciation Day, an opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to the seven dedicated individuals who serve on the Elmherst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education. The work of a school board member is not easy. It's often unseen, yet
076it's always deeply impactful. Our board members devote countless hours to thoughtful decision-making, policy development, and budget planning. And it's all with one clear purpose, ensuring that every decision supports the success and well-being of our students and staff. Their leadership reflects a steadfast commitment to our mission of educating, engaging, and empowering all learners to be ready for college, career, and life. I am deeply grateful for their partnership, their courage in tackling complex challenges and their unwavering student centered focus. Together we continue to build on a strong foundation that makes district 205 a place where students thrive. Please join me in thanking our board of education for their tireless service and their enduring commitment to our community and its children. Thank you for that. That was very nice. Thank you for the message, Dr. Campbell, and for
077the work on the video. And just to to close out board of board appreciation day or week, you know, I just want to extend a sincere thank you to our board colleagues. Um I don't know that people outside of the seven of us know what we actually do all the time or how much time we're spending, but uh the commitment that you show and the respect that you have for not just uh each other, but also the administration, our families, our community, our staff, and our students is tremendous. and it's seen um and appreciated and so it's it makes it a lot more fun to be on a team when I'm working with people like you all. So, thank you. Okay, what do I got next? Board communications. I think Dr. Henry has one for
078us. Anybody else? Let me know. Okay. So, this weekend is the IASB uh conference and I will be attending um the delegate assembly and voting on behalf of Elmherst District 205 um for new board members. The delegate assembly um is where school board members vote on resolutions submitted by local school boards. If a resolution becomes adopted by the assembly, then it becomes a position statement and guides the IASB's advocacy work. Um, this year there's only one resolution that was submitted and did receive by the uh resolutions committee a do adopt. There were no do not present and no do not adopt resolutions. The one resolution was school bus safety funding which was submitted by Sycamore District 427. And the goal of the resolution is to establish a dedicated school bus safety equipment grant. And just
079for your own knowledge, the background information is there was a Senate bill 191 that requires all newly acquired school buses to include lap and shoulder belts starting in July 2031, but does at this point provide no state appropriation for adding this expense. And the quotes say it adds about $7,000 to $18,000 per bus. Um, so without fiscal relief, some smaller districts will be forced to divert education dollars away from classrooms or delay obviously the essential fleet turnover which undermines student safety. So the goal of this is to um have an a bus safety equipment grant >> available to schools. >> Correct. Great. >> Yes. >> Okay. So if anybody has strong opinions on that or wants to continue that dialogue, reach out to Dr. Henry >> before Saturday morning. >> Yes. >> Okay. [laughter] >>
080All right. Anything else from board members to report on? >> No. All right. Upcoming meetings. December 16th, 2025, we have a regular board of education meeting at 7 p.m. And on December 17th, we have a policy committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place here at District 205 center. And with that, it is 8:16 and our meeting is adjourned.