001Hello, I'm Dr. Michael Smith, superintendent of the West Aurora schools. Welcome to this edition of our board recap video series highlighting key takeaways from our January 2026 meetings. We start with highlights from our January 5th regular meeting and information. Mrs. Anna Gonzales, Director of Community Affairs, presented a community affairs update highlighting events taking place across the school community. As the new year begins, the high school presented its winter play, The Crucible, from January 15th through the 17th. The district also welcomed the East West rivalry basketball game and recognized honorees during the Athletic Hall of Fame events. In addition, several parent workshops are underway, including the Parent Cafe series and an informational session focused on preparing for state testing. Mrs. Marti Neahring, executive director of student and family services, and Dr. Angie Smith, associate superintendent of
002operations, presented updates to two board policies Policy 8.030 visitor to and conduct on School Property and Policy 7.150. Agency and policy interviews are not new policies, but updates to existing language to ensure alignment with recent state law requirements during their presentation and January 5th and further discussion on January 20th. Mrs. Neahring and Dr. Smith outlined the district's procedures for conduct of visitors on school property, which includes all governmental agencies. They also discussed the many resources available to district families, including the district's micro-food pantry, the Craig Family Resource Center, which provides medical, mental and behavioral health resources, crisis intervention services, and restorative practices. These resources are accessible to families as needed and reflect established Board of Education policies. We will look to approve the policy updates on February 2nd. I also presented information on two potential
003upcoming student trips during the January meetings. One trip would be for our student group to travel to Peoria to attend the IMEC All-state Music Conference, which was approved January 20th. The second would be for our student group to attend the Western Illinois University Showcase of Bands in Macomb, and this is up for approval on February 2nd. In discussion, Dr. Angie Smith presented results from several bid openings that were held for upcoming capital projects. On January 5th, she discussed the bids for the seal coating, tuck pointing, and roofing projects. These recommendations were all approved during the January 20th meeting, with seal coating awarded to Patriot Pavement Maintenance Incorporated. Tuck pointing awarded to Grove Masonry Maintenance Incorporated, and roofing awarded to GE Riddiford Roofing. During the January 20th meeting, Dr. Smith presented the bid results for the
004interior renovations, which includes work on the Blue Field house at West Aurora High School. This recommendation will be up for approval on February 2nd. In action, the board approved the annual financial reports for 2024-2025, as they had been discussed in prior meetings. Now, on to the rest of the January 20th, 2026 meeting. In “Those Who Make a Difference,” Mrs. Anna Gonzales in concert with Dr. Dawn Marmo, newcomer and homeless outreach administrator, recognized local community partners who provided donations to help our local families. The donations included coats, backpacks, and school supplies that are needed for many of our families. In attendance last night were members of the United Autos Worker Local 1178 to accept their certificates. In information, Dr. Tom Davidson, Executive Director of Data, Research, and Accountability, provided a mid-year data overview of districtwide student
005performance and progress metrics to monitor and ensure student growth. The presentation reviewed district-level trends in proficiency and growth, highlighting i-Ready reading and math data across the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years, While acknowledging an expected implementation dip associated with newly adopted instructional resources. Key indicators included an 89.3% high school graduation rate, improved 9th-grade on-track rates, and attendance trends, along with ongoing ACCESS testing and upcoming 5-Essentials survey data. Internal measures including learning walks, professional learning communities, classroom assessments and baseline data for new instructional tools were used to evaluate instructional effectiveness. And that's a look at our highlights from the January board meetings. Thank you for joining us. And we'll see you next time.