001All right. I'm going to going to call to order this March 12th, 2026 meeting of the Forest Park D91 Board of Education. May I have a roll call? >> Jed Brewer. >> Here. >> Andrea Marlowe. >> Here. >> Monique Cotton. >> Here. >> John Lyons. >> Here. >> Steve Rummel. >> Here. >> Shannon Wood. >> Here. >> Monica Angelo, here. >> For those who care to participate, please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the >> to the flag >> of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Mr. Lyons, the mission statement, please. >> Our mission, in partnership with home and community, is to educate each individual child in a safe and nurturing
002environment. We will foster respect and self-worth, teach skills relevant to com- uh comp- uh literary life, and promote academic success and creative expression. We will encourage the appreciation of rich cultural diversity of our community, and instill a sense of wonder for the future, and enable our students to become lifelong learners and responsible citizens of the world. >> Thank you, Ms. Cotton. The vision statement? >> Forest Park Public Forest Park Public School District 91 will be acknowledged by all as a safe, nurturing, and diverse learning community that establishes the highest standards for innovations and continuous improvement to achieve academic excellence and global citizenship for each individual child. >> Thank you, Mr. Rummel. The equity imperative, please. >> Recognizing that systemic bias has plagued our educational system, we commit to nurturing dialogue around all issues of inequity,
003including culture, race, faith, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and different ability as they pertain to classroom practices, school and district structures, and policies and procedures. We support actions removing barriers to opportunities that allow children to reach their full potential. >> We, Forest Park Board of Education, would like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional lands of the Peoria, Potawatomi, Miamia, Sioux, and Kickapoo people, and pay our respect to elders, both past and present. Sorry. Number four, consent agenda for the board. Is there anything anyone would like removed? All right. Um may have a roll call? >> Jedburg. >> Motion. >> Sorry. A motion to approve the consent agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Now, roll call. >> Jedburg. >> I. >> Andrea Morel. >> I. >> Monique Cotton. >>
004I. >> John Lyon. >> Abstain. >> Steve Rummel. >> I. >> Shannon Wood. >> I. >> Monica Angelo. I. >> Bless you. Uh number five, correspondence? No? Okay. Number six, matters of consideration from the public? Okay. Moving right along. Uh number seven, recognition of the 2025-2026 Scotty Award winners. >> [applause] >> Tonight, we're going to recognize our school citizens of the year Scotty winners. Each student has a has a representative from the school to read a bit about them. And and why they received this recognition. After it is read about each scholar, then we're asked them to come back up and we'll take a group photo and we got a little plaque for each scholar. So, I'd like to call Mr. Bacon up first. I have to turn this on. >> Hey readers. It's on.
005>> Green light should come on. There we go. >> All right, let's start over. Good evening, beloved board members and Forest Park community. My name is Kevin Bacon. I'm the proud assistant principal of Forest Park Middle School. And I got to say I'm pretty fired up to be able to recognize uh our Scotty Award winner uh for this school year. Um Scotty Award winners are known for uh their tremendous leadership, their character, and uh having a heart for service. And really this embodies uh the values of ROAR that we have, right? Building strong relationships, seizing every opportunity for leadership and growth, and demonstrating characters uh character traits uh through agency and resilience. And this student does that. As one of our uh staff members uh wrote in their submission, "He consistently demonstrates strong leadership qualities.
006He is respectful and compassionate towards others and always takes his academic responsibilities seriously. Another staff member wrote this. He has strong relationships with staff as well as fellow students. He is helpful to others who may be struggling. He always has a positive attitude and he is a problem solver. He is a peacekeeper and he is dependable in resolving conflicts or disagreements if they arise. And then a third staff member captured it quite concisely. This student truly is an excellent representation of what it means to be a panther. In addition to demonstrating these qualities in the classroom, he does so on the court as well representing our school as co-captain of the boys varsity basketball team this year and some insider information. Tomorrow he will be named co-captain of the boys varsity volleyball team as well.
007It is with great pleasure and an honor for me to share just some of the pride and joy of FPMS with this year's Scotty Award winner Lamont Matthews. >> [snorts] [applause] >> Congratulations Lamont. >> [applause] >> Does he say something now? >> No. >> [laughter] >> You're good? >> First, [clears throat] I would like to say thank you for the Scotty Award. Means a lot to me that I got awarded with this award that represents leadership. And yeah, that's really it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Um next up is LeGrand. >> Good evening, D91 board and D91 community members. I'll start off by reading the official blurb that I gave to Principal Bogdan when Kat was selected for our building, Scotty. Kat Duffy has been a student in District 91 since the
008beginning of her education. Field Stevenson has had the privilege of calling her a shark and helping her grow as a student since third grade. Kat is a dedicated scholar who is committed to excellence. She models exemplary behavior for her peers. She is respectful, responsible, and safe at all times. Kat looks for ways to bring joy and positivity to her community. Outside of the classroom, Kat likes karate and creating different kinds of art. Kat is a star pupil and devotes her energy to doing her best. We are extremely proud of Kat and are confident that she will continue to represent the Scotty Award values as she continues her education in middle school and beyond. I always have a hard time picking from all of the fifth graders who I would nominate, but Kat has really stood
009out since the beginning of the year. I feel kind of odd talking about you when you're behind [laughter] me. But, she has just been such a wonderful young woman to have in our classroom and our classroom community since the first day. She is so wonderfully intrinsically motivated and loves learning, and I've got to see her grow as a learner this year, which has been such a privilege as her teacher. One of the things that I really admire about Kat and want to highlight is that she's willing to take risks. Things aren't always easy, and we learn and make mistakes, and Kat has really grown in her capacity to make those mistakes and learn new things. So, I couldn't be more proud as her homeroom teacher, as a fifth grade teacher, and as a member of
010the Field Stevenson community. >> [applause] >> Uh thank you for this award. >> [applause] >> Next up is Miss Prezini. >> Hello. I get the pleasure of actually getting to talk about two amazing students, which is very exciting. Um I'm going to start in the order that they're listed. Um first from Garfield, we have Julia. She is always so kind, respectful, and responsible in our classrooms, like all of our classrooms. It was not a surprise that she was chosen um for our Scotty Award. She consistently follows school's rule school rules. She's willing to help classmates and teachers. She has a positive attitude, makes good choices. She's an example for others to follow. She shows excellent leadership qual- qualities. She follows all the three B's pretty much all the time. She's a great role model to
011her classmates by modeling good choices. And on more than one occasion, she's actually been active in including and befriending students from Miss Hoffenkamp's class on the playground and intentionally seeks out students who may not have someone to actually play with. We're really proud of Julia. She's a delightful and insightful child who demonstrates kindness to everyone she encounters. She serves as a positive role model for her peers, and we're fortunate to have her as a member of our school community. We're proud to call her a Garfield Grizzly. >> [applause] [laughter] >> Do you want to say anything? >> Thank you very much for this award. >> [applause] >> Thank you. I know it. And next we have from Betsy Ross, Leanna. So, Leanna is the true meaning of a shining star. At lunch, she'll clean up
012without being asked to do so. She'll also help an entire table clean up their garbage if if need be. She sees something, she does it. She works really hard to get that done. She's always the first to be ready when it's time to settle down line up. In her classroom or at specials, she's always respectful of her teachers and her peers. She's willing to help. She models and encourages others to follow the three B's and make sure everyone feels included. She'll sometimes even sacrifice what she's doing to help others feel special or feel better. Leanna consistently demonstrates kindness, respect, responsibility. She's a quiet leader. She leads by example. She treats others with kindness and respect and is always striving to do what's right. Through her positive attitude attitude and natural leadership, she sets a strong
013example to her peers. >> [applause] >> Thank you Thank you for this award. >> [applause] >> And And now if you just ask if the four Scotty Award winners would come up, we do have a plaque for you. We'll standing in the front and take a picture with you. >> [applause] >> Parents, we thank you for coming out. You're welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting, but you do not have to. If you feel like leaving now, you're more than welcome to head out now, but thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right. Number eight. Sorry. Number eight, interim superintendent report. Dr. Hubbard. >> Yes. Um starting off with some recognition, had um, our sixth grade scholars go to the Chicago Metro History Day um, this past weekend and
014really just celebrate history at UIC. So, we want to recognize them and thank them for all the work that they put into that. Right? >> [applause] >> In addition, Field Stevenson Special Olympics participated in the rhythmic gymnastics competition on Sunday, March 8th. They competed in the ball, the ribbon, and the hoop portions of the event as a team. They came home with six gold medals, five silver medals, and three bronze medals. So, let's give them a round of applause. >> [applause] >> We've been stacking up medals for the past couple years, so that's amazing. Um, on May 3rd, they're also competing in the track and field Special Olympics. So, we wish them best of luck on May 3rd, also. >> Are any of them or their their coaches here tonight? >> Uh, I believe the
015director >> Ruth, are any of the coaches here? >> Yeah, thank [applause] you. >> Thank you. They have so much fun with it. It's amazing. And then tonight, this is the West 40 Spelling Bee. So, our very own Henry is competing. So, we're sending him positive vibes. Hopefully, he wins and goes down further in the competition tonight. >> [applause] >> We are proud to celebrate one of our own, Michelle Ro Ro Ro the library assistant and lunch coordinator at Betsy Ross School. Michelle's son, Brody, is competing in the US Paralympic Sled Hockey Team um, games. Brody is a dedicated athlete and is an inspiring example of determination, resilience, and excellence. Brody will play in the semi-final game semi-finals game tomorrow at 8:30 in the morning on USA Network and hopefully in the gold medal game
016on Sunday, March 15th at 10:00 a.m. on NBC. So, we wish him best of luck in competing. >> [applause] >> We are so happy to have a meeting like this. So much celebration to the students and um moving on to learning and achievement. Our middle school students put on an amazing show in honor of Black History Month. Thank you to all the staff that worked with them to put together this amazing show, Casey. If you didn't get an opportunity to see the long video, it's posted online. Um this is a short recap of the performance. There we go. >> [music] [music] [applause] [cheering] [music] >> I did both of >> [music] >> Give them a round of applause. [applause] For the past three years, we've been offering theater um programs for after school. We have
017more and more kids taking advantage of it, but we've also just been providing opportunities for our scholars to participate in more public speaking opportunities. And we're seeing them feel a lot more comfortable doing that, which is a great skill to learn as you get older. Moving on to talent recruitment and development. Um just want to share that we have our biometric screenings for staff to sign up April 14th and 15th. We hope that all staff take advantage of it and sign up. Um the link was in the newsletter, so hopefully um staff take advantage of that opportunity. Family community engagement. District 91 celebrated National Public Schools Week from February 23rd to the 27th by recognizing the important roles public schools play in the community by honoring our students, our educators, our family, and our partners
018who contribute to our school. Some highlights include four of our eighth graders who have been in districts since first grade said the pledge of allegiance at the Village of Forest Park's board meeting. We had district-wide spirit day. We provided um coffee to the staff. And we as as you seen in the video, we had a culminating event with the Black History performance by our middle schoolers. So, just want to honor them for all the work they did for that. Last Saturday was the 30th annual Forest Park St. Patrick's Day parade. We were proud to participate in it. We had staff members and families come out. The FPMS cheerleaders were showstoppers performing some of the favorite cheers down Madison Street. So, thank you to everyone who came out and helped out. Our education summit is just
019right around the corner on April 11th. This will be our third annual education summit. It goes from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00. Um we have over 20 organizations who will be having tables at the resource fair. And there's multiple sessions for people to attend. We're hoping that people come out and sign up. And make sure you register for it. Um I I know Jeanette and I are very pleased that we had no four-year this past month. It is a great thing when you don't have any. So, none to report on. >> Thank you. Number nine, committee reports, board policy, Ms. Cotton and Mr. Brewer. >> We have received the latest round of updates from IASB for our consideration. Uh I believe we're both mid-review as is Dr. Hubbard. And we anticipate um kind of putting together
020our questions and comments concerns between now and the next board meeting, I would gather. >> Um teacher negotiations is myself and Ms. Angelo. We met for our first one and set some extra dates. And more to come. It was just that. Um number 10, items for discussion, Dr. Hubbard. >> Um we are a member of the EBC to help keep our insurance costs down and over the past couple years our staff have been doing amazing job in helping that by being better consumers. Um, there's about 162 districts in the EBC. So, when we go out to the market to get different rates and different plans, that helps us out with having that large buying power behind us. Um, however, um, like all industries we are projected to experience a double digit increase in our premiums
021next school year. And as a member of the EBC, our loss ratio for our PPO program was 135.5%. Um, which puts us in that fourth bracket. So, our projected increase for next year for our PPO plan is 20.8%. >> Dr. Hubert, could you tell us a little bit more about that loss ratio? Just kind of walk us through that. Break down what terms we're dealing with here. >> Sure. Um, in plain and simple terms the the thing the loss ratio is for every dollar we paid the EBC this past year, they spent a dollar 35.50 cents on us. So, we actually saved money by being in the EBC because our our claims were much higher than what we paid. So, that extra cost got distributed amongst all the districts in the EBC. Um, sometimes we're
022on the positive end of that, sometimes we're on the negative end of that. This past year, we were on the positive end of that of sharing all costs with other districts. Here shows our HMO um, plan. Um, we are our loss ratio was 114.6%. for HMO plan. So, same as that concept is for every dollar we sent the EBC, they paid out a dollar 14 cents on our behalf. Which puts us only one tier above the um, average for the EBC. So, the projected rate is for the HMO 17.4% for next year. Um, that's significantly higher than as you seen for our trend for the past. I I shared this graph with you last week. Um for the past couple years, we've been able to absorb a vast majority of the costs because it was
023only single-digit increases, but this upcoming year it is not. I just want to share that to board as we prepare. We get those final numbers and then over the next month and a half sharing out some more information with you. I had a very productive meeting with um our insurance agent today. And during negotiations, there were some questions that were asked from um the district's team. I shared them with her she's going to come back with some of that information over the next couple weeks to share out. And I have that for you in the newsletters. >> Mhm. Just one question, if you happen to know, how much of this increase or that we that we saw was attributable to cost increase like just the cost of the service versus changes in the amount of
024the service we use? So, was it like more claims or just higher cost for the claims that we submitted? Do we have any idea that? >> Um so, they're saying on average, and she shared that some of that today, I believe it was about 18% is just the average of what across the nation what people are seeing and that's just the increase in cost. For us, our claims are higher cuz that's why we're there was 135%. So, we had a lot of claims this past couple years. She's going to do a breakdown of those claims for us and share some of that information. They don't provide anyone's personal information. They're just very general in it like you had X number of people in this group, X number of people in this group for a claim.
025That's it. They they don't share what the claims are for or anything like that. >> No, and I would I would not ask. I was just wondering whether it's activity, cost, or both. >> Yeah, I think it's a combination of both this year. And the projection is that next year it's going to be very similar. >> Thank you. >> That's all I have. >> Okay. May I have a motion to go into closed session to discuss the employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of employees and collective negotiation matters? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> We are now in closed session. We are back in open session. Um number 12, may I have a motion to approve the March personnel report? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Uh discussion as
026discussed in closed session, may I have a roll call? >> Jed Burge. >> I. >> Andrea Marallo. >> I. >> Monique Cotton. >> I. >> John Lyons. >> I. >> Steve Rummel. >> I. >> Shannon Woods. >> I. >> Monica Angelo. I. >> All right. >> Um may I have a motion to approve the certified personnel recommendations for reemployment for fiscal year 2026-2027. Um the full-time non-tenure first, second, third, and fourth-year teachers. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Um uh discussion was as discussed in closed session, may I have a roll call? >> Jed Burge. >> I. >> Andrea Marallo. >> I. >> Monique Cotton. >> I. >> John Lyons. >> I. >> Steve Rummel. >> I. >> Shannon Woods. >> I. >> Um Monica Angelo. I. Uh number 13, may I have a motion
027to approve the resolution for non-renewal for Maureen Hurley. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All right. Whereas the teachers listed below were employed for the 2025-2026 term as probationary teachers who are not completing their final probationary year of service. And whereas the Board of Education of Forest Park School District 91 has determined that these teachers shall be dismissed as of the end of the 2025-2026 school term and not reemployed for the 2026-2027 school term. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of Education as follows. Section 1, that the following teacher is are all teachers are hereby dismissed effective as of the end of 2025-2026 school term and not reemployed as teachers in this school district for the 2026-2027 school term. Maureen Hurley. Section 2, as soon as practical and no later than April 15th,
0282026, the interim superintendent or his designee shall deliver by certified mail, return receipt requested, email, and hand delivery the notice of dismissal substantially in the form of exhibit 1 attached hereto. Section 3, that this resolution shall be in full force and effect upon its adoption. Um adopted this day, the 12th day of March, 2026. Uh may I have a roll call? >> Jed Burrow. >> Aye. >> Andrea Marolla. >> Aye. >> Monique Cotton. >> Aye. >> John Lyons. >> Aye. >> Steve Roman. >> Aye. >> Shannon Wood. >> Aye. >> Monica Angelo. Aye. >> May I have a motion to remove item 14 from the agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call. >> Jed Burrow. >> Aye. >> Andrea Marolla. >> Aye. >> Monique Cotton. >> Aye. >> John Lyons. >> Aye. >>
029Steve Roman. >> Aye. >> Shannon Wood. >> Aye. >> Monica Angelo. Aye. >> Okay, number 15. Um under Dr. Hubbard, may I have a motion to accept the bid from Reed Construction LLC not to exceed $474,000 for science lab construction at Forest Park Middle School. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion? >> We are excited to be in the construction at the science lab the two science labs in the middle school. We received nine bids on March 6th. Uh Um And then the architect reviewed them and they're recommending that we accept the lead lowest responsible bid from Reed Construction for $474,000. Not to exceed that. The reason we're asking you not to exceed is cuz there's some alternatives there that we're still looking to see if we're going to go with them or not, but
030if we remove the alternatives, then it's going to be a a lesser amount. >> Is this starting right at the end of school year and a deadline for completion? >> Yes, it would be done over the summer. >> Mhm. >> May I have a roll call? >> Jed Burle. >> Aye. >> Andrea Marlowe. >> Aye. >> Monique Cotton. >> Aye. >> John Lyons. >> Aye. >> Steve Rammel. >> Aye. >> Shannon Wood. >> Aye. >> Monica Engler. >> Aye. >> And number 16, additional matters for consideration from the board. >> It's volleyball season at the middle school. Come out. >> Um on a I'd look up the date. March 24th, I'll be going down to Springfield for IASB I IASB, yes. Advo- advocacy day. It's hard to say. Um so, it'll be a full day
031in Springfield. I get to get on a bus with a bunch of strangers. Reminds me of the church bus in Indiana flashback. Um but we'll be going down there. So, part of it is just um we'll be collaborating together and then we're I'll be meeting with Kimberly Lightford. Um at some point we have an actual time scheduled. Um they're parting up us with a lot of people from the high school. 209 are going, so we'll all be meeting with her together. Um I was actually at an event with her before and she told me to make sure to stop by and see her anyway, so I was going to see her then. Um Speaker Walsh may be able to see us when we're down there. Um but it's basically going down and talking to your
032representatives, putting things in front of them. Um if between now and I have to be on the bus at 6:15, so don't send it on the 24th. Between now and the 22nd, if anyone has from the board has anything in particular you want me to nag a representative about, that's one of my favorite things to do. Go ahead and shoot it over. Um but it would be a full day of just seeing like how does it work there and doing all this stuff and then I'm sure I'll go sightseeing and look at something in Springfield. I don't know if that's on the agenda, it's on mine. Um but it'll be a good day. It's the first like I've been trying to do advocacy with them for years, but this is like the first big trip
033they had and see what that comes up in and hopefully it grows the program into what they've envisioned cuz they've had a lot of roadblocks um from when they first kind of opened it up, so I'm so excited to go Springfield. >> I know we um talked about it, but quickly I went to the um Black History Theater and previously it's just been a wax museum and I really wasn't sure how the theater part would work out, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a Friday night theater performance. I think the staff did a great job. Our scholars did a great job. I had a great time. Looking forward to next year. And um the parade was fun. I'm glad that we have our FPMS cheerleaders in there. It really is a great way to
034kick off the day and to see them you know show their spirit and kick it off and have everybody cheer for them. I love to show off our scholars. So thank you all for showing up. It was a little rainy and chilly, but we made it through and I think it was worth it. And with that, may I have a motion to adjourn? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor? I. It is 7:36 and this meeting has been adjourned.