D214 12/12/2024 Board of Education

001e e e up work e are e to test test test T test test test t test test testest one two test two test test test two t two two t two t for test one two test one two test test one two test one two test one two test one two test e e good evening my proverbial gavl here welcome this is the business meeting of Township High School district 214 board of education for Thursday December 12th 2024 with the secretary please call the role dling viito heinan Palmer Ral Walker kzer present we have a quum thank you before we stand for the pledge I'd like to call up uh Dr hubber principal of High School good evening and welcome uh my name is Brad Hubbert and I'm super proud to be the principal

002at Wheeling High School and prior to the pledge tonight we have an opportunity to recognize a group of students and staff members from Wheeling uh for something that they've done that's been significant for our school and after a six-year Hiatus uh through the passion and the vision of a couple of Staff members through the incredible leadership of some student leaders and through the vulnerable and really engaging participation of student volunteers this year Wheeling High School brought back snowball for the first time which was an incredible event that happened a few weeks ago and it's my honor and pleasure to introduce you to Dr Greg Wallace one of our staff sponsors who is going to introduce some students that made snowball happen at wheeling and then we will lead you in the pledge so thank you

003for being here and here's Dr Wallace [Applause] good evening everybody and thanks for inviting us um to say a little bit about our program I'm Greg Wallace and I'm honored to be one of the faculty sponsors of operations snowball at Wheeling High School joined of course with my co-sponsor spet Lana fastov skaya who's at an avid conference in uh Dallas right now along with our assistant principal Angela Hawkins um operation snowball at its core is a drug and alcohol prevention program founded on the principle that if I make a positive impact on you it empowers you to make a positive impact on others and the effect builds just like a snowball rolling down a hill but for Wheeling High School operation snowball is so much more snowball is a chance for us to reinforce the

004positive relationships that make Wheeling Wildcats who we are our November 2nd retreat was a day of motivational speakers team building personal stories acceptance growth and personal affirmation it brought together 80 Wheeling teens on a Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. till 10 p.m. over 30 Wheeling staff members 13 Wheeling alumni as well as community volunteers from the Wheeling police department and Omni Youth Services it was truly a celebration of how positivity can transform the hallways of Wheeling High School enough from me let's hear what our students and our faculty participant has to say so my name is Nikki pusis um I'm a staff member at Wheeling High School um and to keep it brief I am incredibly grateful that I got to be part of something so special um I always tell my students that there

005is a time and a place for everything um and snowball was most certainly the time and the place to make some really really incredible and meaningful relationships I could be up here all day but I think it's even more important to see what the students have to say from a teacher perspective I didn't know many of these students I teach freshmen they're mostly upper classroom uh upper classman um but now I get to see some students that I never knew before and I know them now there are staff members that I didn't know before that I know now um and probably the greatest part is just hearing what all the students have to say Weeks Later how much they en enjoyed it and how much they're looking forward to it next year so that's my

006my two [Applause] pieces hi my name is in I'm from realing high school and I'm a student leader of the operation snowball and I'll say operation snowball was a little Retreat session at the school which was led by students and then made by students which is really new new experience at our school that I've never experienced before and it taught me how to accept my mistake and forget myself and that I know that now I know that everybody around me support each other and feel the bonding together which taught me really great lesson to be myself thank [Applause] you hello my name is is Sharon isia one thing that I learned from our operation snowball was that we are mostly more often in our phones that socializing with people mostly one thing that I see

007every day is that friends being in tables of being on there talking with other people they're on their phones which really for operation snowball was really different when I got there I was really nervous I was a little bit scared and it was really it changed the perspective that I see every day which was we collaborated a lot with each other and we spent time together we made memories really pretty memories I would like to make with other people for next year and I feel that this operation snowball was a change for me and for the people that participated thank you [Applause] hi my name is Ayanna salaka um and I have the privilege of being a snowball leader but as well as about a year ago last year I was also a participant at

008prospects snowball and um this was during a time of my life where I felt really alone at this time my mom was diagnosed with cancer and so that kind of thing is a very heavy burden to deal with on your own um during this time I was also experiencing um loss of friendships as well um having the responsibility of being an older sister and then also dipping grades and it was my junior year so there was a lot going on in terms of How High the stakes were with college um Coming the following year and so when I attended snowball at Prospect um it kind of gave me this vessel to open up and kind of talk about all these struggles um with people that I don't really know which kind of gave me a

009sense of comfort and so with that experience I was able to help other people open up at our snowball at wheeling and um I think creating a safe space for others is very important in a school environment and I'm glad I could provide that and I was provided with it as well thank you um good evening everyone my name is Ariel losner and I'm a senior at willing high school and I had the distinct privilege of being a snowball leader and I'll probably remember the day we did operation stoneball for the rest of my life because uh for one it was the day after college applications were due so I was completely mentally drained and I also had an sat on the same day before the operation snowball event so by the time I got

010to snowball I was just completely drained but despite that I still decided to show up you know and I think it's was definitely a good decision on my part because not only did I have the opportunity to be a leader and guide others toward discovering themselves and helping themselves find their identity but I think at its core operation snowball is not only as Dr Wallace said something to help prevent against drug use but it's also a great opportunity to have authentic human connection and in this world of social media I think those opportunities are few and far between so like it was said not having your phones for the entire day and going through that whole experience was certainly transcendental and it's really helped me not only as a leader but also everyone else who

011is there to really be able to be vulnerable be able to talk with one another and listen to each other instead of just sticking with the same old same all so when when it comes down to it I think such opportunities are great for every participant really to find themselves and really know theirself so I I would just say that we should definitely have more of these opportunities in the years to come thank [Applause] you hi I'm Erica Pelon I'm a senior at Wheeling High School like everyone said um operational snowball is a great opportunity for everyone to just do it in their life if I could describe operational snowball in one word I would say it's very impactful as we all know Wheeling is a relatively smaller Community but that doesn't mean you know

012everyone what operational snowball does is that it allows you to meet people you know or you don't know and gain a better understanding of them in a really different way and it's crazy how in one day for like 12 hours you get to do like all these bizarre activities and ask like these crazy questions and at the end of the day you just feel like you're all family with one another so if I could really promote operational snowball I feel like everyone every d214 school should have operational snowball because it's going to build a really great Community within that school and now can everyone please stand for the pledge of the allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under

013God indivisible with liberty and justice for all for spe [Applause] yeah well uh students are exiting the stage we uh started this practice this school year where we highlight uh one of the schools and tonight of course was Wheeling High School but thank you appreciate it next on the agenda is the approval of the agenda for tonight December 12th can I have a motion in a second please there's been a motion in a second please call the rooll fito heinan dling wel Walker and czer hi thank you can I have approval of the for the business meeting of November 14th 2024 open and closed Motion in a second please there's been a motion in a second please call roll dling heinan fito R Walker ker I can I have a motion in a second for

014the special meeting December 2nd 2024 been a motion in a second please call a roll dling Hinman Vero R Walker Ker I thank you next on the agenda is recognition of the Board of Education Dr R all right a few times a year we get together and celebrate some of our students tremendous success across our building so Mr Magi is going to guide us through as we celebrate some of our our outstanding accomplishments from our kids this year uh thank you Dr row uh would vice president Walker please join us up on stage um students as I call your name or group please come up along uh with principal and coach or advisor after you received your certificate please uh remain standing up here for photos Okay first up will life students Jesus Aguilar MOA

015Faith hack Christopher [Applause] Schultz Peter [Applause] Steinberg and Kevin [Applause] stury the academy at Forest views Lewis barowski [Applause] and hery William [Applause] pocklington and maximilan suus unable to attend is Tony Tali from Prospect high school district 214 Special Olympics had two teams competing in the state Flor hockey competition sponsored by the Chicago Blackhawks in Bedford Park the games were filled with energy talent and sportsmanship in the first match up against the wells Warriors it was a close battle ending with the score of 16-13 and the second game against the ca comets strong teamwork and defense led the district 214 Falcons to a gold medal Victory with a score of 9-3 congratulations to the team and Coach Jim Raby [Applause] we good okay ni uh golfer uh Courtney Beery from buffal Grove High School couldn't

016join us tonight uh but she had an incredible season after earning medals at the ihsa regional and sectional tournaments Courtney competed at the ihsa state finals at Hickory Point Golf Course in foresight this October on day one she tied the single day ihsa record with remarkable five under 67 by the end of day two Courtney secured third place in the state improving on her fourth place finish from last year congratulations to Courtney and her coach Jeff GES will hery Colton Gamino and Prospects Nate siki and Noah Easter please come up each year the Champagne News Gazette and the Illinois high school football coaches association recognize the top football talent in Illinois the News Gazette selects 33 standout players for its Allstate team while the IHS FCA names All State teams by playoff classification honoring 22

017players per class this year Nate sichi and Colton Gamino earned spots on the news gazette's prestigious team and Noah Easter was named to the the class 7A Allstate team by the IHS FCA Colton Gamino has been her's starting quarterback for the past three years Colton threw for 2,265 yards and 20 touchdowns this season as well as rushing for 668 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns we're excited to see what his future holds as he heads to us UCLA next year to play football Nate had an outstanding season with 47 catches 950 yards and 14 touchdowns earning first team MSL East All Conference honors he excels academically with a 4.44 GPA and actively participates in our community service events Noah was a standout player on and off the field throughout his high school career as a senior

018Noah rushed for 1,315 yards and 21 touchdowns on his way to being named All Conference All State and MSL East offensive player of the year Noah is an excellent student with a 4. 43 weighted GPA he has also served his community by volunteering his time working with our youth football programs congratulations Colton Nate Noah and coaches Tom Nelson and Dan debu [Applause] next up we have the hery boys soccer team if you would please hold your applause until all students are up on stage uh first off we have arram alivov Johnny tinu lean Burke meak Bryant Adam bugaj yuck KLA Owen divine Joe Ferell darney kishek Jacob kazara Casper lewitz Nate ma Daniel murack Adam musinski Diego Ortiz Ray Reyes Teddy Reyes Nick vandemar students Jimmy karos Alex matura George pascos and Adrian saskowski could

019not be here this evening this remarkable team led by a dedicated group of seniors made history by securing her's first ever State Soccer Championship along the way they set new school records for most shutouts in the season 13 and the most wins in the season 19 Adrien smakowski and Rey Reyes earned prestigious All State honors while Nate mabery and Casper lewitz received all sectional recognition above all this team emited the true Spirit of unity always supporting one another and showing what it means to play as a cohesive unit congratulations hery boy soccer team coach Michael rosn and all of the hershy hery soccer coaching staff congratulations [Applause] Rolling Meadows Christian jablonsky Alex kinsky and marceli okonsky were unable to attend tonight but they also earned well-deserved Allstate honors for soccer this year their achievements are

020Testament to the hard work and dedication and they have represented Rolling medows High School with Excellence at the state level congratulations Christian Alex marceli and Coach Brett [Applause] Olen will prospects Veronica zenida please join us Veronica zenida from Prospect High School achieved an impressive third place at the 2024 ihsa 3A cross country state championship competing on November 9th against 235 athletes she earned All State honors for the second time in her cross- country career this marked a significant improvement from her six Place finish in 2022 Veronica completed the race just 1.5 5 seconds away from breaking the school record congratulations to Veronica and Coach Pete we [Applause] Ella Houston from Buffalo Grove High School is unable to be here tonight but her achievements this year speak for themselves she kept off an outstanding Junior swim

021season by finishing second to the state in the 500 freestyle throughout the season Ella claimed both the sectional and MSL championships in the event while also breaking the previous School record this marks her second Allstate finish in the 500 freestyle congratulations to Ella and her coach Michael mcpartland will Prospect High School Xander Atkins Maddie bronder Amanda fineberg Sarah George Amelia maslowski Dylan May Molly Mt and Stella Palm please join us on stage more than 1300 students competed in the national student media contest at the Jaa nspa National journalism convention in Philadelphia in November and only 92 of them were given the ultimate honor of a superior rating incredibly Prospect had seven of them Junior Xander Atkins for commentary writing senior Mandy bronder in yearbook copy caption writing Sports sophomore Sarah George in yearbook copy caption

022academics Junior Dylan May for review writing senior's Emilia maslowski and Molly Mt in broadcast feature senior Amanda feenberg in feature writing and Junior Stella Palm for newspaper layout incredibly Amanda Molly Amanda and Stella were all the only ones in the nation in their categories to earn a superior rating making them the best in the country at what they do additionally the prospector was voted the 10th best large school newspaper in the country in the annual nspa best of Show competition a great team award for the prospect journalism program congratulations to all the members of the night media program and their advisers Jason block and Nicole stz [Applause] okay thank you good evening everyone my name is Lenny Walker I serve as the vice president of the board of education for d214 we have a little

023um ceremony that we always give we're very proud of all the students and their achievements and I'm especially glad to be up here you know my kids went through Wheeling have four kids that graduated over 10 years in the building I have to tell you the The Pride that goes into that operation snowball is unbelievable my son was a leader for a couple of the years and it changed his life when you talk about becoming vulnerable in a safe place that's what it's all about and I think you heard it through all the voices of the students here so if you have the opportunity take advantage of it it will change their life going through school and making them more confident going through everything now we talk about everybody else in the room all the

024student athletes great achievements it's unbelievable what you do for the community and I hope everybody realizes that everybody gets behind you it's proud moment for everybody here in your schools and across 214 so don't take that lightly if you graduate this year feel free to come back we always welcome to see alumni come back in here here and we welcome you with open arms one thing we do always we know it doesn't happen by itself so if we can have the parents the grandparents the siblings of the kids stand up if you would please we like to give everybody a round of applause we know there's a lot of navigating a lot of arguments in the car a lot of I don't want to talk talk about it on the way home we all know

025how that goes but the plain and simple fact is family is important and if we're lucky enough to have a family thank you for supporting everybody and remember we're all part of the 214 family thanks for being here tonight thank you uh that concludes the uh student recognition portion of the meeting we're going to take a few minutes to go back in the boardroom you're all welcome to come to our board meeting if if you like but uh take care and if you celebrate a holiday happy holidays and wish you the best in the new year thank you [Music] w [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] um going to reconvene the board um meeting um call the RO please J here fito here heidman pres R pres Walker here and

026crater uh here next on the agenda is our public hearing for the tax levy um it is 7:36 PM the public hearing for the 2024 tax levy is now open the hearing provides an opportunity for the public to address the Board of Education regarding the 2024 tax levy um Mr kayy could you please provide a brief overview yes good evening Madame President uh we are here to as you said do a brief overview uh we discussed the estimated Levy at the November board meeting and uh we're here to look at the uh final Levy through this uh 2024 tax levy truth and tax station hearing um as you can see here's our timeline we are here at December 12th uh the decision point and final approval of the levy and uh pending board approval this

027evening we will file it with the county before uh the end of the calendar year we did go over the importance of the levy last month uh 91% of our revenue is coming through local sources um within that uh the property tax revenue uh funds 82% of our expenditure budget and then as we discussed last time the levy is split up into two installments um that does touch two fiscal years uh the board had asked last month about the collections for 2023 so we added this slide to illustrate uh the levy request versus the actual extension for the uh 2023 Levy and as you can see um what we had requested slightly less than what was extended um essentially what happens is the county will then look at our actual assess value and the actual

028new property and then uh provide us a loss and collections factor to ensure that we uh achieve the full Levy uh due to us and then on The Debt Service Levy they they put a 5% loss Factor on that uh on top of what our debt service schedule calls for and again our known and unknown variables we know our prior year extension and the CPI from December of the prior year and that's a rolling 12- month CPI and then our unknowns are the uh assess value and then the new property that the assessor will provide our assumptions again as a review uh 3.4 uh% CPI Consumer Price Index from December of 20123 our new property uh at 98 uh million and that's a little bit higher than our fiveyear average because we do have that

029one Tiff from Wheeling rolling off and that's going to provide about an estimate of about $18 million of additional value into um our total assessed value and then we uh bake in a uh an estimated change to the existing AV of of 3% negative so it's a 3% decrease and this is according to our historical uh figures as we look at our trianal assessment uh typically rolling into that uh trianal we see a bit of a a backdown of those values as required by PA 10289 we're providing our uh pre- audit fund balances again from our general ledger um we have our friends from Baker Tilly here tonight with the audited figures but for consistency sake we're providing the same figures we did uh in the last presentation and again our final tax levy request

030there's no change from what we showed you last month um again we are increasing the transportation um significantly to keep up with Transportation costs and make sure that that uh fund balance remains solid uh and overall we're looking at a 4.3% increase uh for our cap funds and then a slight decrease on The Debt Service but again that's according to our debt service schedule there's a new one this year Public Act 103 0394 requires us to disclosure operating cash uh reserves so the operating funds um as defined by ISB are the Ed fund fund operation and maintenance and transportation fund and essentially what this test is doing is it's looking at our three years average of expenditures in those funds and saying do you have over two and a half times of those average expenditures

031in fund balance and as you can see we're at about half 50% so we do not exceed that um if we did we'd have to also provide a uh a fund balance reduction plan uh to the community so the next steps we the meeting during the action items we will uh ask for the board to approve the tax levy and again we'll bring it to the uh County by the end of the month I'd be happy to entertain any questions uh since this is the public hearing uh ask if anyone wishes to address the board regarding the tax levy we will be discussing it later on when we take the vote but no one has signed up to talk about the tax levy so there's no one else who wish to address the board regarding

032the tax levy this concludes the public hearing for the 2024 tax levy for Township High School district 214 at 7:41 p.m. she said we'll take action later on this evening thank you thank you Mr key next on the agenda is public comments and we do have two people that uh have signed up uh before I call the first person let me read this the Board of Education and the district value comments from the community at our meetings as well as emails we appreciate everyone appearing before the board and treat all with courtesy and respect the Board of Education asks each person to please limit all of their comments to three minutes however several people want to address the board on similar topics the board president May limit the time to two minutes per person the

033public comment agenda item will be the only time that the Board of Education will hear public comments during the meeting although comments may be made on most any matter related to the operation of schools comments will not be allowed identifying individual students or staff members as this is the Board of Education business meeting the board practice is not to respond to public questions or comments at this time because this is not an open-ended Forum however we do listen carefully if requested a written response will be provided please ensure that Miss Keys uh has your full name and address on the signup sheet to be fair and consistent to addressing the board the same protocols and procedures must be in place for everyone on the podium the green light indicates your time is started the yellow

034indicates 30 seconds remaining and the red light indicates three minutes have expired would Mr Keith MO ow I hope I'm saying that right please come to the podium thank you president kzer thank you my name is Keith moons I live in arlingon Heights we put all our kids through 25 and 214 so it was great to see this assembly tonight and it reminds me of EX How High Caliber students we have coming through here and with that in mind I come tonight to ask that the vill that the school board vote no to approve of the upcoming memorandum of understanding in my my view the school districts are essentially getting nothing by approving thatou but lower tax revenues I mean kickstarting economic traffic and impact studies does not really pay for any books around here

035today so far I've yet to hear anything about the estimated Revenue loss to our school districts when this mou will be approved tonight the bearers are going to pay 40% of last year's tax bill at 10% rather than a 25% assessment president kryer which is common the 25% is common for commercial standards in Cook County if no development occurs by a certain date their assessed value will only increase by the CPI two to 5 per. I wish my property could be treated this way the project is deemed financially infeasible without local tax subsidies and the pilot program has not yet been approved and that leaves tiffs only at this point and we all know how those turn out our taxes go way up to subsidize those tiffs this mou was negotiated Behind Closed Doors by

036Village staff since at least August of 2023 before it was rubber stamped by the vill Board of Trustees on Monday in my opinion this whole process appears to be just appears to be the Bears wrangling the loser bearers I like to call them Le recently wrangling a for a much lower tax bill out here why they continue to try to work out a deal to probably and to stay in Chicago so I ask you again to please vote no on this mou tonight and let's put uh the education and funding of our educ as much as possible to get the types of students we saw tonight first thank you thank you sir next is uh Mr Craig Horwitz truste that is my uh property taxes from 1988 through the present it's small if you want

037a better copy of it I'll be glad to give it to you I wish more president said something like that they would be probably enraged Craig orits Buffalo Grove my comments tonight are on theou uh I've been tracking the ongoings of this property um of the old Arley tonight's racetrack that the board tonight is going to consider a resolution and I've read the the mou I moved into uh my house and my property taxes were $1,800 they've reached over 7,000 let it be known that every reassessment I appeal my property taxes to the CCA board of review and PAB even though I routinely show 15 comps of lower building AV I received no relief from any of those entities in the last five years my building AV has risen over 40% in two years alone

038with the show hands I wonder how many people's incomes have risen 40% in the last two years I didn't think so I've read on page C4 this document that you're going to consider tonight and it says a tiff will be insufficient for stadium development I then read on C7 it says estimate of Tiff for residential development now I know full well what tiffs are Buffalo Grove is building our second Town Center with a tiff it built the first town center with a tiff I asked the board if it ever comes in front of you because tonight's resolution has nothing to do with a tiff but it's in the documentation and I asked this board if you ever are approached with a tiff I ask you not to approve it and here's why I've used this

039many times this basically signifies that whenever government wants more money what you do is you turn on the money faucet and out it comes from people like me and you and you I'm not interested in supporting a private Enterprise which I don't know what the numbers are but I believe the Bears are in the top 10 in terms of value in the NFL but more to the point I'm not interested in subsidizing a private Enterprise and I hope that this board if it ever comes to a tiff remembers the money faucet enough's enough and I hope to get some resolution in feedback of C7 because it's concerning to me and apparently it was concerning to him too thank you thank you sir uh that is all uh that i' signed up for public comments next

040on the agenda is the superintendent report Dr Ro all right thank you president C I've got a few things this evening I'd like to highlight and uh and I'm actually glad he's here because I wasn't sure he was going to make it but I am pleased to share with you all uh that Jeff wle principal of Buffalo Grove High School has been named IPA north cook principal of the year um absolutely Jeff will be honored and it will be honored and is in the running to be named Illinois principal of the year at a banquet in the spring I want to congratulate him and support his work by acknowledging his tremendous impact on the learning and working environments at BG he's established a great building culture um and is focused on students and fostering Innovation

041he's so welld deserving of this honor and I'm proud he is on our team and I congratulate him and his recognition is welld deserved Jeff congratulations um next this evening I'd like to to update on on our strategic plan last night we held our final in-person strategic plan steering committee uh we reviewed key elements of uh District 24 strategic plan Guided by extensive stakeholder feedback gathered through surveys presentations and and these meetings that uh we just had last night uh parents students and staff and community members have shared valuable insights including positive reactions to the students centered uh and Innovative approaches guiding the plan um the survey is still open so I encourage everyone to check out um the dedicated website on our on District 214's website to the Strategic plan and take an opportunity

042to share your thoughts and help us shape the future district 214 in the coming months we'll develop a detailed implementation plan with clear metrics and Milestones to track our progress the feedback we received last night will play a crucial role in uh refining our strategies and ensuring that our vision really meets the needs of our students staff and Community I think everyone has taken the time to take the survey uh that's impacting the work and I look forward to presenting the final plan to the board uh later in the school year and then finally this evening I want to uh share some some more great news we are very proud to share that all six of District 214's high schools uh have earned recognition with advanced placement honor rooll the achievements reflects the commitment to

043expanding access of AP um courses and supporting Student Success it's a testament to the hard work of our students tremendous staff and Leadership providing Equitable rigorous learning opportunities for our students students nationally just over 5,000 high schools were honored this year uh demonstrating the value of AP programs preparing students for college and accelerating their path towards graduation we're excited to continue creating opportunities for our students um who are excited in excelling earning college credit while still in high school that's all I have thank you thank you Dr Ro next on the agenda is a board member updates Mr Walker would you like to start just have a couple announcements the the uh district 214 is looking for industry Partners to Mentor student interns this a great opportunity to bring fresh ideas to the team tackle

044important projects and connect with motivated young Talent if you're ready to partner with us visit d214.org you can find the sign up form on our homepage second and last announcement from me would be the registration is now open for Community Ed winter and spring classes whether you're looking to learn something new stay active or connect with your community we have something for everyone to sign up go to C e. d214.org thank you thank you Mr Dustin this is a great time of year for um Fine Arts concerts uh plays um I've attended a number of them over the last few uh over the last week or so prospects was last Sunday her's had one last Sunday also holiday concerts music at uh Wheeling when before play at Greece at at hery it's amazing to see

045the talent U musically U on the plays Coral uh you really have to get to see these and uh there's more that are coming up uh over the this weekend and uh up through when we actually uh stop for the holiday so I've enjoyed it tremendously and uh credit all the staff that have really put together in a very short period of time a number of things that have to take place specifically when we've got finals going on uh right before the holidays thank you thank you Mr Hinman anything uh just a big thank you for um the privilege to attend the iasb conference uh the weekend before Thanksgiving um lots of things to learn lots of people to see um really gets you uh Mo motivated a little more um and then also last

046last night I was here for the strategic planning meeting and again that has been a wonderful experience uh I'm really anxious to see what we end up with uh it's been a lot of fun so far thanks I'm glad you said it was a lot of fun miss roal do you have anything just a reminder um along the lines of you know Partners working with us uh that afford students opportunities for internships so those are open through the next month I believe and I strongly encourage having had my own son have an internship and I think it really prepared him well to go to college and get an internship there as well um along the lines of what Mr dling had to say yes great fine arts program saw BG's Orchestra on WGN this week

047so it it's great to see that not only locally but a little broadly that um our students are recognized because it really is a great um Community for fine art here and yes plenty of plays BG did 12 Angry jurors so nice uh nice opportunities to have some culture here thank you thank you Mr F ridle I'll start with uh I was a judge at the uh the Newbie uh Deca contest at elov high school on November 21st and I know there was some members of audience that were also judges it was a great event it was very impressive to see these kids all dressed up and uh presenting their their their goals and also their proposals it was really very interesting um next is the nsseo update uh I've been pretty much sending the

048updates after the meetings I hope you guys get a chance to take a look at it you're always welcome to ask any questions like us tonight they had their audit review um they talked a little bit about their strategic plan as well and um they have a big professional development day of learning which is set for January 6 at various sites they have well over right now I heard it's almost up to 1,200 attendees are expected with 25 to 27 sessions scheduled which is pretty incredible uh last but not least I'll make an offer to everybody sitting at this table that I will be at Wheeling High School on December 23rd for the annual Wheeling boys basketball Hardwood Classic I'll be working the concession stand in the morning through lunchtime so if anybody wants to

049stop by and I will certainly buy him a donut or a piece of pizza that's all I have thank you I'm going to be brief tonight uh I'm uh I'm a the district 214 Delegate for uh the Illinois Association Schoolboard delegate assembly which took place on November 23rd 2024 the Illinois schoolb Association received 19 resolutions of which 13 were considered three were uh had a do not present and three were appealed 429 delics approved the following accepted the financial report we're in the best shape we've ever been approve the delegate assembly rules and approv Tracy and Mark hars as vice president and president respectively items removed from the Kent agenda but were approved the due language ebf school funding and tax incurrent financing accountability items on the consent agenda approved Faith law which is centralized

050state agency for employment history review and Health Care coverage delegates amended uh an existing position regarding polling places the following um do not adopt resolutions were appealed however they did not Garner the two-thirds required votes to be heard by the delegates cell phone usage office the Inspector General and criminal background checks for Schoolboard candidates and that's the end of my report next on the agenda is a discussion item for the annual audit Mr key thank you Madame President um we've got Mike Mallet from Baker Tilly joining us at the podium he's going to give a very brief but very exciting presentation on the audit but before we get to that I do want to recognize um Jim Palmer our com troller is here this evening he is the lead on the audit um and uh

051he is a CPA licensed in the state of Illinois and uh he's essentially the quarterback for this so he's the one working with the audit firm to ensure that all of our department uh information uh flows through his office and uh we meet all our deadlines um I'm going to steal a little mic's Thunder and just say that we uh were able to accomplish all this earlier than we have I think in the last well since before the the pandemic so pretty exciting I'm gonna turn it over to Mike yeah thanks Tim and thank you everybody for your time this evening um I'll reiterate thanks to Jim and Tim and their team um this year was months earlier than it's been the last few years you've had a lot of changes in your systems and

052Personnel um and you really have a good group in place that allowed you guys to get back on track in terms of timing of the audit um made our job a heck of a lot easier this year so then thank you to them um Tim gave me a deadline because he he's got a hot date later know I'm joking um so I'm going to go a quick overview of the kind of high points what do we do during the course of the audit a few big picture you know items that go over and then obviously if you have any questions feel free to inter up me as I'm going here um so first I'm going to talk about each of the deliverable reports the first is the big report the annual comprehensive financial report that

053is the picture of the district's Financial Health for the entire F schal year ending June 30th 2024 all the number numbers in there are your numbers we help you guys put together that report and for the prescribed formats in accordance with Accounting Standards um but all the numbers are your information that's being presented to the public in use of the of the financial statements the only thing coming from us is that independent Auditor's report and what that says taking it in delayment terms rather than the fun accounting language is that we're giving an unmodified opinion and that means we're giving you the highest level of assurance that the information presented in the financial statements is accurate and can be relied upon to make sound business decisions and for users of financial financial statements to understand

054how the district performed during the year where the Financial Health is as of June 30th 2024 um we beat up a lot of things to get there we look at your controls your process we look at your performance related expectations with your budget process and analyze all that to a pretty significant degree um and ask a million questions of these guys to make sure that we have a great understanding what happened during the year in order to form that opinion just a couple really quick notes on the the big report itself if you're going to focus on too many any big area look at the management discussion and Analysis in the transmitt letter there are two sections at the beginning they give you that high Lev picture of what happened during the year it's kind

055of the big bang for your buck if you will the rest of the port can get pretty granular and is a great to have on your nightstand if you want to fall asleep sometimes um but those two I definitely recommend everybody read as it gives you the true big picture of what happened during the year um just a couple quick highlights from the rest of the statements themselves just want to note that your your funded stus for your pensions the trends are continued to be improved as investment performance just Nationwide and in the p funds have improved I am refer in particular you're in a very healthy position due to the advanced funding you did in Prior years what that means in a dollar and cense standpoint is that you're going to have to provide

056provide fewer dollars on a go forward basis to imrf to fund that pension as the Investments that you've accumulated in that fund uh will do the work for you so that's a great position to be in so I always like to point that out it's very IMF is very healthy in particular that's the one you can control your funding a little bit whereas TRS is very prescribed by the state and really is that the under their control in terms of that's being funded um additionally like know your your debt margin is incredibly healthy that's the measurement of your capacity to issue debt that basically means that you don't have a lot of debt out there for the scap scope scope and scale of the district you're using oper operating revenues to support operations which is

057what you want and not necessarily going on to the debt Market to fund things and have to pay down through interest in the future um there are a couple other quick changes like the point out uh there were some internal processes allow for you to get invoices and Bill we work with contractors a little faster to get some of those costs incorporated in a more timely fashion so you see this year a little bit of jump in some of the items like your accounts payable so pulled a little bit of those cost it might have been something that hit next year into this year kind of a onetime adjustment as you improve some internal processes um it is an improvement but you're going to see that reflected if you're looking numbers year-over-year um additionally there

058was a $20 million transfer from your operations and maintenance fund to your capital projects fund I know you guys approve that um that's just indicating that the revenues used the funding sources use to support Capital project initiatives are coming from your your operating revenues you're not going out to the markets to issue debt to support that that's why you have to make those transfers over um lastly overall it was a strong year while overall your fund balance decreased about $7 million that's really driven by a $32 million investment in capital work during the year you take that out you're a a pretty healthy Surplus across the district for the year so uh fiscal year 24 really was a strong financial year um from a high level picture there outside of the big annual comper fin

059report there are a number of different reports we have to issue in conjunction with that one is isb's annual financial report it's a basically regation of your financial information along with a bunch of compliance work we have to do in accordance with isb's uh mandate to oversee all school districts in Illinois the only thing I like to point out in there is one we gave a clean opinion on that report and also they provide what's called a financial profile score which is a measurement of the district's health and it's a perfect 4.0 out of 4.0 which is excellent means the district is in great financial standing you know in the eyes of hisb uh there's also our work with your federal spending it's called The Single audit we issue a separate report on that we

060basically Deep dive not only into how you spend your federal dollars but also the processes and controls you have in place to ensure that you are in compliance with all the different rules and regulations around Federal Awards uh not just that you're lucky to be in compliance in a given year but that you have the structure in place to ensure you're remain in compliance in the future um this year we in particular we looked at two major significant programs your Esser funding which is your arpa funding um and also your title one low-income funding those are the two program that came through the rotation this year uh the results of our testing resulted in no issues of non-compliance we also issue another opinion there related to overall District controls and processes and we had no

061findings report in that opinion as well so kind of a clean bill Health in terms of controls both from a district-wide standpoint and specifically related to Federal uh award management lastly there is one final report we'll be working with and finalizing it's a comprehensive Consolidated year and financial report it is a required report by the governmental accountability and transparency unit which is another state agency that requires financial information and just another prescribed format uh that was put in place to uh provide a mechanism for other state agencies other than is to have better oversight over the financial performance and reporting of uh local governments in Illinois that receive funding from other state agencies it's duplicative for schools because isby had a great process in place but you have to do it anyway so we're working

062through that final thing it's always the last step of the process that we do after all the other reports are issued so we'll be finalizing that um so those are all the different opinions related to your financial information the one last deliverable is What's called the audit results and insight letter which is our communication as the audit to you as the governing body that encompasses a assortment of required Communications we have to make as part of the audit standards um it basically goes over our responsibilities your responsibilities as the governing body in the audit process uh a big picture of what our audit plan was any risks we identified um did things go according to plan and if any issues came up I like to always say that you want that letter to be really

063really boring because that means things went well those letters aren't designed to give you a pat on the back or a high five when the auto went well it's meant to identify problems uh so I'm glad to report that letter is incredibly boring in that we were able to go through our audit everything went according to plan we had no major issues or difficulties within the process there are no major findings of any variety we identified that we aren't you know that we would have to capture in there that may not have been captured anywhere else in the other opinions um so really ultimately is the summarization of a strong year kind of a get back on track if you will a lot of ways from a timer perspective and kind of reaping the benefits

064of some of the new systems and processes you put in place along with having some um some good folks in place to get things done so with that that finishes my prepared remarks uh any questions open it up to the board Mr dling um I'm always interested in the uh Auditor's report specifically uh under the supplemental information and and uh I was delighted to see the uh final statements is uh that all of our supplementary information is fairly stated in all material aspects for the year uh and and that's always good uh that means that we're doing their job yes reporting it the other thing that I found of interest uh although although I knew that but in your report under Roman numeral 10 it lists uh uh the locations that we have all the

065buildings mhm and looking at those uh and it it gets into certainly some of the capital projects we're looking at we've got buildings uh our schools are going from 60 years old uh uh to 57 years old each one of them and if anybody that owns a house know that there's roofs that have to be put on air conditioning everything else and that's what we're experiencing along those lines um I was also delighted to see that since 2010 we have received the highest rate from isbe as far as financial management uh of of the of the finances within within the district which was is always rewarding to see um but uh thank you very much for your report thank you thank you anything Lenny nothing so a few a few years ago the baker Tilly

066representative said I really look forward to reading your report and I really do because you see all my tabs here I like it I like it yet no geki but I I my questions were answered ahead of time thank you Jim I I I really appreciated that and um I I really do look forward to reading it so anyone else okay well thank you very much for your time tonight thank you thank you Mike okay next on the agenda is 12.1 can I have a motion in a second please so moved second there's been a motion in a second um before I turn this over to Dr Ro I'd like to say a few remarks here um as someone who has had the privilege of serving on the board of education many years I know

067that agreements of this magnitude require time dedication and steadfast commitment to doing what is best for our students staff and schools tonight's vote on the memo of understanding is a culmination of months of thoughtful negotiation and collaboration between high school district 214 Community Consolidated School District 15 Township High School District 211 the Village of Arlington Heights and the Chicago Bears football club we understand that the Bears have not yet finalized their decision about Arlington Heights but this mou ensures that if and when they do commit to our community we are prepared to move forward in a way that protects our schools this agreement reflects our shared belief in the value of partnership and planning and ensures that our schools will receive the financial resources necessary to support any new students from this development covering both

068operational and capital needs collaborative funding mechanisms such as payment and Le of taxes pilot con cep will bring fairness and predictability to our budgets transparency and accountability will guide every step of the process ensuring the community's voice is heard and respected this agreement is a positive framework and a strong commitment to preserving the high standards of Education that Define district 214 it ensures that our schools have the resources to support every new student from the Redevelopment area and provide exceptional opportuni that prepare them for a successful future I want to thank Dr Ro for his leadership and vision throughout these negotiations I also want to thank my colleagues at Community Consolidated district 15 and Township High School District 211 for their commitment to this collaborative effort together we have worked to create a framework that

069reflects the best interest of all of our districts and our communities we serve to the Village of Arlington Heights thank you for your leadership and championing a development that holds the promise of economic growth and opportunity and to the Chicago Bears we appreciate your willingness to engage as a true partner in this process we also want to thank the many community members who have shared their perspectives and engaged in this process your voices have helped guide our priorities and your continued involvement will be crucial as we move forward this mou is a blueprint for progress and partnership and I'm excited about the potential future it sets in motion Dr Ro thank you president ker um to to highlight on top of that tonight's vote on the memorandum of understanding is the culmination of months of

070thoughtful negotiation and collaboration between district 214 district 15 District 211 the Village of Arlington Heights in the Chicago Bears football club the document that you are considering this evening reflects our commitment to ensuring that the Redevelopment of Arlington Park site is managed to prioritize the long-term interests of our students schools and Community it res it results from months of careful negotiation and collaboration among the three School Districts The Village and the Chicago Bays each organization whether it be the school district's Bears or Village of Arlington Heights brought their key concerns to the table for theou discussion the school districts consistently sent a common message that was documented in theou that message included full financial support for any new students that may come from any residential development on the property true voting power for any Tiff

071decision or Pilot likee agreements and a tax agreement that is in line with the most recent Cook County assessor's office assessment which Rises between two and a two and 5% if there is no completion of Stadium building milestones in the next three tax years while the Chicago bearers have yet to commit to Arlington Heights this agreement reflects our Readiness and optimism it provides a road map that balances the opportunities presented by this Redevelopment with the protections needed to safeguard our schools and Community I want to thank my colleagues in district 15 and District 211 the Village of Arlington Heights and the Chicago Bears for their collaboration and dedication throughout the process finally I want to emphasize that theou is a foundation it is is not the Finish Line it is the Des it is designed

072to protect our schools while embracing the opportunities this development could bring our primary focus remains in the long-term interests of our students and schools now to provide more detail on theou in the negotiations process I'd like to introduce franic attorney and our great partner Eris delanis who has been an integral part partner during to the three school districts as we navigated this complex negotiation he'll provide some more detailed summary as well as some in insights and then he and I are happy to answer any questions that you may have thanks for being here Eris thank you uh yeah good evening everyone thank you for uh having me here this evening uh let's start with the uh agenda what I am hoping to cover is really a key timeline of events uh Randy Reckless The Village

073manager did a very nice job on Monday summarizing theou and a presentation that he had done I want to focus really on three particular sections of the of theou that are of keen interest to the school districts uh we'll talk about sort of what the next steps are here uh I will provide a legislative update you know as you know we've been working very closely with John Dunn and Matt glavin from Coen OK Conor they are the the lobby is acting jointly on behalf of all three school districts so they've provided some written comments that I'll go over as well and then answer any questions that that we've got so really uh you know here's the old lington Park our our friend that was there for decades that everybody was familiar with and then uh

074this is the plan that was put out by the Bears back in uh really it was kind of Summer of 22 roughly you can see how the property is laid out this is the imagery that we have the stadium would be up in that Northwest triangular piece and then there's Salt Creek Running north to south and the rest would be a mixed District of commercial uh retail Museum Hall of Fame Fitness the metro station there Etc so uh the density of the residential as presented in the drawings that we've seen is significant and would would generate based on District estimates like 350 to 400 students so not an insignificant number if it were ultimately built out as it is and that would clearly be a multi-year process um so uh here's the key timeline and

075and the one thing I want to emphasize is this whole the whole approach that the three school districts have taken here has always been driven by how are the districts to have the financial resources for both providing education on an operational level if there is a large number of students where does the money come from for Capital Improvements whether that's one classroom addition or a whole new school building so that's really been the primary focus so as far as the timeline is concerned the the initial uh really news that broke so to speak was really in the fall of 21 when it was reported that the Bears had put the the site under contract it's 326 Acres it's got two Highway exits it's got a metro stop it's a remarkable site uh in April of

07622 Dr Hines from district 15 sent an initial inquiry to the mayor of Arlington Heights really focused exclusively on hey what's going to be happening here do we need to be thinking about the presence of a tiff District what is the potential student generation she she Then followed up in July of that year with an additional letter asking uh similar questions uh and then there was the presentation at hery high school that probably some of you attended as well that was a big deal with Ted Phillips the president of the at the time of the Bears George mccy a very thorough presentation uh and then uh there was the closing in February of 2023 uh 2023 they paid $197 million uh there was a big meet and greet meeting in April of 23 uh at

077Kimble Hill school which is one of the district 15 uh facilities where the representatives of the three School Districts The Village and the bears were all there that was a very positive meeting clearly it helps to you know people seeing each other and and putting faces and names together and then um the next part of this was uh August uh the village attorney for Arlington Heights circulated a draft mou so that was really like 17 months ago when we saw the first version of this document uh we had a meeting in November of 23 with the districts and the village officials at at a district 15 facility uh the superintendant met with bears officials at halis Hall in January of 24 we had a big meeting in this room with with the Bears also in

078January of 24 and then really the last big group meeting was October of this year where we went through the last San points of theou and nailed it down as a final document that you're being presented with this evening so I've hit the key dates but there were many many meetings where Dr row and Dr small and Dr Hines would sit down with Randy Reckless or with the mayor of Arlington Heights or talking to Kevin Warren and working through some of the issues so these are the Highlight dates there were many many events happening sort of in the background as well but let's look at uh I want to focus on section four section four deals with residential development which is a primary concern of the school districts and as Dr Rose said theou provides

079for full uh the coverage of the full per pupil cost from every pupil who is living in the development there and attending a school of either any of the three school districts so those students costs will be covered by the property taxes generated at that facility that cost won't be spread out to other property owners uh in the community if student generation is significant there's also provisions six funding sources for Capital costs so that could be a classroom it could be an addition it could be an entire new building that is sort of an unknown at this point because the residential piece is very much uh information the next section that's important is the use of tax increment financing so the use of tax increment financing and it says it in in theou is very

080much not favored for the stadium portion that that wouldn't be a very viable tool for economic development in the stadium portion and it absolutely cannot be used if there is both a stadium and a pilot in place if there is going to be a tiff where the stadium is located the approval process is by weighted voting of the members of The Joint review board so when a tiff is created a joint review board is composed of the schools the park district the library municipality normally it's one entity one vote and normally it's only a recommending body but under the terms of theou if there is a tiff where the stadium is located it will be weighted voting and the school districts generally speaking and in this community as well would have more than 50% of

081the votes so it would be a very much a collaborative undertaking and given the scope of the project you would expect there to be com complete Community buyin among the affected taxing districts IIs last night at 15 the board member asked about why not a tiff so do you want to explain that a little bit while you're while you're on the yeah absolutely ala so you know so with a tiff District the full amount of taxes need to be paid in so if a stadium has a a fair cash value of $2 billion and then it has an assessed value of 500 million equalized 1.5 billion it's a very it's a very large tax bill all those taxes have to be paid in twice a year first and second installment those taxes would not go

082to the school districts they would go into the Tiff increment so it doesn't really benefit the schools to have that and it makes it financially cumbersome to even function with that sort of a tax burden what the pilot does is it freezes a base amount and we I'll get to it but I can talk about it now uh it freezes a base amount where sort of your regular property taxes are applied the base amount of taxes above that is a negotiated pilot payment in Li of taxes so the developers the Bears whatever the case may be would have to reach an agreement with the school districts and the agreement on the pilot payment is also with weighted voting by the local review board which gives you very much a full seat at the table in

083what that ultimately will look like so that's if there's Tiff at the stadium if there if there's Tiff that it does not include the stadium this is also an enhanced voting requirement it's got to be a majority vote of the districts present normally like I said with a tiff District even if every member of The Joint review board votes no the municipality can still move forward with the project here they've got to get a positive majority vote if there's Tiff in the non- stadium portion of of the development so that's section 5A which is hugely important to the school districts 5B is the section on on pilot and again uh one of the commitments the school districts are making with the village and the Bears is to jointly uh cooperate to promote pilot legislation and

084that's where the Coen oconor team is going to play in instrumental role they are heavily engaged in that world and they will be looking out for your interest in making sure that the legislation uh is is the way we are hoping it will be uh part of any pilot will be a required pilot incentive agreement so as I mentioned a moment ago the pilot incentive agreement has to be approved via weighted voting so again the school districts have a full seat at the table on that there's four key aspects of the pilot incentive agreement one what is that base year when does the pilot start does it start in 2027 does it start in 2030 that's negotiated through the agreement what is the base assessment uh amount you know is it X Y that that's

085all part of it uh what is the amount of the annual payment above your normal property taxes and then how are the capital needs of the three school districts address those are the four key ingredients in that pilot incentive agreement and again they are determined based on the weighted voting of the local review board uh the last part of this agreement that I think is hugely important is the the agreement has been described and I've read it it's called a property tax settlement and that is part of part of this thing but it's really only part of it so the the key components from the school district's perspective of how do you account for the cost of new student generation and capital needs how are tips going to work how how is pilot going to

086work but on the property tax piece this is what we've gotten I thought it's important to have a history of the market value so when Arlington Park was an operating race course the value there market value was only around $33 million which was a remarkably favorable assessment for them in 2022 the Church Hill Downs was still the owner and they were paying the taxes they agreed to a market value of 95 million in their last full year of ownership in 2023 there was a hearing before the Cook County board of review the board of review is charged with setting the assessments and Market values on properties every year when people appeal to them they are you know most of those folks are certified Illinois assessment officials this is their bread andb butter work they landed

087at a market value of 125 million in 2023 remember the property was improved up until just December there was a grand stand there were all sorts of dormitories and other buildings on the site uh as of January 1 of 2024 the property is vacant land all the demolition work was completed as of December 15 there is one small Maintenance building still on the site and that's just used to house like a tractor and some other equipment to maintain the vacant land so for 2024 the agreement is keep the value at 125 million but at now the vacant land level of assessment which is 10% and there's no argu uing that it's not vacant land for 2024 that is an accurate way of characterizing the property and then for the next 3 years the assessment years

08825 26 and 27 these are the years the Bears if they move forward here will get their all their studies completed they will get their land entitlements completed they'll get zoning for the property the property will stay at that $125 million as vacant land and but keep in mind how the Kook County property system works it's a triang system so the 25 value will be determined as of a date in less than 3 weeks January 1 of 2025 is literally three weeks from yesterday and then as you know with your homes and maybe business properties your own that the value generally stays the same for all three years of the triennial so whatever the the determination is the 125 million as of 1125 that would hold for the try which is how most every other

089property in Co county is treated if if they are moving forward it would be subject to adjustments depending on progress in the zoning and the entitlement process but that those are the three sections that I think merited some additional conversation just to further elaborate on why this document is addressing the the needs of the school districts in this whole process so uh this is uh material from Coen oconor neither John dun or Matt were able to be here tonight but basically sort of the highlights from them are uh the the Illinois general assembly is in the final days of its two-year cycle uh there's a a lame duck session scheduled to start on January 2nd run through January 7th on January 8th a new 104th General Assembly will be inaugurated that kicks off the spring

090session which will go through May 31st so any prior legislation you may you may remember Senator Gillespie's Mega project bill you may remember representative moin's kind of modified Mega project Bill those bills all sort of come to rest and they would need to be reintroduced in the 104th General Assembly now the the team at Coen is meeting regularly with legislators including the you know leadership in the House and Senate that's what they're doing on your behalf they're also uh regularly in contact and working with the lobbyists at the Village of Arlington Heights frankly working closely with the lobbyists for the Village of Arlington Heights and then the plan for the upcoming session is ensure that the school district's needs are met in any legislation that's introduced uh you know if you read the cranes article

091uh earlier this week there there was very much of a sort of cool reception in the upcoming legislative session to any type of uh Public Funding for privately owned uh athletic stadiums so that's essentially you know what what we're talking about here given that it's a tough budget year with a projected deficit it' be harder for that to happen and then the Coen folks are always talking to the city of Chicago they know what's going on in terms of rumors of different sites Lakefront Michael ree Etc and they'll be keeping everyone apprised on that so uh that's it if if there are questions I I'm happy to answer any questions board members go go ahead thank you very much for your presentation very informative so I understand you know this this isn't about the Bears

092coming to Arlington Heights or not this is about protecting our district our students and it it sounds like this mou seems to cover a lot of those areas where if there are if there's housing built in the area the corporate that um private company will be paying for those students if they need to 10 any of the three um school districts including that is correct yes it would be and it it wouldn't be I think you said the company it would be sort of a combination of whatever normal property taxes are impact fees Tiff distribution pilot payment Etc yes all right so we the students who would be attending 214 for instance would be protected because they would be they would have funds that wouldn't have to come out of additional budgets here or anything

093that is correct yes okay and then if there's a a certain amount of those students then there would be funding provided to our district or whatever District those students are attending for additional building accommodations things like that that is correct yes okay so it really sounds like it it's theou is designed to protect our student future students and and our district accurate yes okay so when I look at that and that that sounds really great but I I still hear a lot of concerns from the public so if don't do this what are we at risk other than everything that I've just said so if we if the district does not go with theou so you you would so let's use Tiff as an example so let's say uh the the the project moves forward

094there's no protections like we've got here and let's say the village wanted to do a tiff District not say on the stadium but anywhere on the site uh you you would have to be living with the normal very municipality fa uh favoring Tiff statute which is you get one vote you may have 40% of the tax rate but your vote is equal to say a taxing body that has a tax rate at 2% or of the overall tax bill uh even if the joint review board were to reject and find the development not eligible as a tiff it doesn't matter the village can simply go forward with a three-fifths majority rather than a simple majority you would have no protections like you do now for student that are generated and attending your schools you would

095have no possibility um for Capital Improvements if if you did need to do say in addition to a building or add a classroom here and there things like that so this is covering those essential pieces that are directly affecting the school districts that was the goal from day one that's what we've got all right thank you very much anyone else Mr duson known you I've been on the board and uh I I really appreciate every time I hear a presentation by you because it's always specific it's always detailed and it's always at a level that I understand and uh I really appreciate that and you've done a great job with uh with the school districts and getting to the point where it's where it's at so thank you very much thank you anyone else okay

096um Eris I appreciate your um your discussion tonight I I did attend the village of Arling tonight's meeting on Monday as well as District 15's uh um board meeting last night where they approved the um the memo um there there weren't any comments last night at district 15 but when I was at the Village of Arlington Heights um seems to be a I don't know what the word is about school districts and you know um we're asking for a lot but I I think that I hopefully with people the word greedy comes to mind I've heard that in the public and it's not it's not that it's just that we need to protect what our future is going to be here with all these students and um I I really appreciate the understanding about a

097pilot now I get it you know um Randy kind of breezed over it a little bit but um that's why I wanted you to talk about why a tiff is not possible Randy just said it it wouldn't work well you you didn't tell us why it didn't work so uh why it won't work excuse me but um uh after Monday's Village meeting I I called Dr R and I said okay I got some ideas about this legislation and so um we're talking about um getting other people involved in this and um for it to move forward because if the pilot doesn't go through what happens to with this mou so uh it does allow for Tiff on the stadium the language specifically says that Tiff is not favored but you could have and again it

098would happen only if the weighted voting joint review board were to to move forward and approve it so it would have to be designed in such a way that it would not have an adverse effect on the school districts and so just kind of imagining what that would look like in the absence of pilot there would be uh adequate funding for every student generated which we already have in here there would have to be a provision for Capital Improvements there might be guaranteed Surplus payments that would come out which is allowed under the Tiff act uh Tiff eligible expenditures for other Capital Improvements so if you didn't have a pilot that's probably what it would look like right right and I think that's what the public needs to understand and I think if you don't

099mind me interjected what's important to really note is you know we said this is this is a foundation it is a foundation this is a long long way to go um you know the rep speaker Welch Governor pritzer have been very very open and very very blunt about the temperature in Springfield um for public subsidy for a stadium that's a huge hurdle we pale in comparison to to that hurdle um there has been you private Equity conversation has not occurred on the Bears side of things the Bears haven't even said they're coming and if they don't that's their choice but if they do this provides the framework as as Mrs Ral said we are um protected in terms of if if if it is student generating we're protected even if they if the um the

100pilot uh agreement or whatever legislation comes down that we may not have a control and if the legislation says this is what you get take it or leave it we're covered if it sends students so it's it's an enormous protection for us if it generates kids um and again it's the foundation there's so much work to be done we step to the side until um and the village and and and the bears talk about impact and the metro station and traffic and the traffic study people are waiting with baited breath for that um so there there's a lot of there's a lot of conversation that still has to occur and the village still has to say you know stamp yes we're we're ready for you to come they have a lot of questions that they

101need answered this protects us so we can now be uh you know supporters of of of the two to work that out from the sideline thank you um any other discussion coordinat I want to uh address something that you kind of said and that is when we talk about the community there's always two sides right now there's the side that says that the school districts are being greedy and that's why the Bears are not coming and there was also a site that says that the Bears are fleecing us and and part of the problem which you kind of showed in one of your slides there is that the property tax process is so confusing I mean it's hard to believe that the value of that land went up when there was nothing on it when

102it was a viable racetrack the property taxes were a lot less that to me is just a head scratcher and then it really poses part of the problem is that the property taxes for us are very important because that's how we operate as a school district but while the bears want certainty in their taxes for me as a board member I want certainty too on our legal expenses that's the one thing we really haven't talked about is that you know the Bears appealed their 2023 taxes and it's still ongoing and we're paying legal expenses that we shouldn't have to pay but that's we're just going to do that dance continuously if we don't do theou the Bears will just come back and appeal year after year after year and we'll have to hire you Aries

103no offense a and pay more money that we need for our capital projects it's really important um there's a lot of things you said tonight that I really support in theou you pointed out what where it really can help us as a district and and provide some security and some you know peace of mind but like many in the audience many in the village I have reservations too and the reservations are are three-fold number one we really need the traffic and impact study that's number one number two which really has not been talked about at all it's just kind of gone under the under the fly as under radar and that is Metro Station you know we've heard from legislators at a recent dinner that the biggest thing in the state budget next year is

104the the transit fiscal cliff that's happening for the Metra CTA and the RTA and I you know from the race track perspective that Metro station was a gold mine because people just get on that take it to the track go in if the Bears do build a stadium even if they have their residential or the retail that that Metro station is is important to the ex success of their Project M and if they don't have if the Metro doesn't have the money and we don't have that station that's going to make that traffic stuff even more of a nightmare and then last but not least it's the student um population study you know I heard on Monday where Randy said that it was 46 students from a big project in downtown and it didn't say

10546 high school students he just said 46 students in total and you just pointed out it might be 300 for for this project so we really don't know and and and you know we need to know what the numbers are and district 15 is even more important for them so those are three things that I have reservations about I'm sure others probably do too maybe in the audience maybe we at this table but those are the reservations I have about theou is that we really need to have those three three things get addressed at some point for us to know really what's we're facing down the line and a lot of it comes from what the bear is going to do with their property so Mr I'm glad you raised the points that you raised

106because it's too important points that have circulated around um that we might as well take the opportunity just to to to clear you know Mr Reckless on Monday did say 46 or 42 students the 3450 or 400 student number that that Aris mentioned and we've mentioned consistently from the beginning is based on if you want to go back to the the photo of um the proposed property is based on that image and based on that image District at the onset of this I don't I can't remember the name of the firm that they that they engaged Johnson research group was it John Johnson research John research who took this image and based on their experience projected 350 to 400 students from this area so it is very raw and and not exceptionally accurate but if

107this is all we have they took a stab it what can we expect if if if we are talking about a student generator so that's where that number came from so that's really important and because Randy's right the Downtown Arlington Heights sends about 46 students to our school districts 25 of them are district 214 students very few students given the size of that uh that development and what the village has said and committed to that they will only Zone this area for some of that condo um maybe town home but not single family homes which is more likely to be student generating they are predicting that it will produce similar numbers of students as Downtown Arlington Heights but none of us actually know that so that's that's why it's so important for us to have

108these conversations and why it's so valuable for the m to reflect that however many students are are generated that we're we're taking care of we're made whole and then the other point that you made that I think is incredibly value because this has taken a um the media has really loved to to tout this as a property tax settlement and it's a property tax issue this is so much more than property taxes that is a tiny piece of this big puzzle um but what's really important is we as a school district do not set the property value that is done by the Cook County Assessor um and that's been mixed in this lost in in this conversation the entire time you know we intervene um because out of due diligence of protecting our you know

109our taxpayers and and our resources uh when a a especially a major corporate entity like this appeals their taxes we do it with every war it's not just because it's the Bears so um but we do not set property value it's a very important note we merely respond and um and react to um Mr K's assessment thank you yeah I meant to I meant to say that how it's been at least two decades since we started appealing taxes yeah it would have been probably in 1997 that's when pb's jurisdiction was extended to Cook County that's right right we we set a level of 300,000 and then they started going below that and we gave the the authority to to appe even like to 280 or something so appealing taxes with us is is not a

110big deal I you know cuz we've been doing it for almost three decades yeah that's right and when we are successful all the other taxing bodies on your tax bill benefits from us being successful in in intervening in in in an in an appeal that's right ala that's correct yeah so I um another thing people probably don't know but um they um one of the trustees Bundy and I talked about that um the impact study and they have 60 days from something I I forget what it is yeah the trigger date is when the board of review finalizes the 24 assessment at the 125 million because what the assessor did in 2024 is he bumped the value up from the 125 the board had set it at in 2023 up to about 170 million so

111the agreement would by agreement and the board of review has all the documentation would bring it back to 125 again once that is adjudicated then that triggers their uh obligation to move forward with these studies and if I remember correctly the hearing that we had with in last year was in February so should be early 2025 or or even it could be as early as next week because they're moving faster on Palatine Township yes fantastic yeah raise this one to the top of the Scrolls that would be nice okay there's a motion and the second on the table call the rooll fito yes heinan hi dling yes wal I Walker yes and quiter I motion carries 60 thank you 1212 approval of change um Eros thank you very much I really appreciate it um 1212

112approval of Bard policy changes Motion in a second please so moved second coloroll Walker yes dling yes fito yes Hinman I Ral I and quit sir hi motion carry 60 um Motion in a second for 1213 please so moved second uh Dr o you want to do a little explanation for this thank you I do this is one that I have been uh excited about for a little while um and um it's it's a it's I think it's a big deal um the data sharing agreement uh before you is a milestone in our relationship with our Center districts uh you when I was hired I what not in the interview but one of the early conversations we had actually was during um goal setting in the very first go around you asked me and emphasize

113the importance of uh strengthening our relationship with our CER districts uh that's something that uh that I have not only taken and run with but I've enjoyed uh enjoyed that that process because we have very we have seven very eager wonderful superintendents and school districts that are um eager to collaborate with us so this agreement formalizes a sharing of our student data um back and forth with those those Cinder districts in support of improvements for all districts Cinder districts have expressed the desire to monitor performance of students that they graduate and send to us through their freshman year to identify the effectiveness of their programs and instruction district 214 is eager to um to dive deeper into core instructional preparation performance to better prepare um for students as they enter our schools and then collaboratively

114it allow us to identify areas um where we might be able to improve and collaborate to strengthen those ties and create a a more consistent uh entry point um for all students in our districts for everyone to u to succeed in areawide growth and Improvement is what is is a step that I I believe this will get us towards so um all six six of our our CER districts are here within approved intergovernmental agreement um and your approval will allow us to to to move for they have all approved at their respective school boards board members Dr Ro I always worry about the information that's shared and so are our students protected like what kind of information will be shared right only districts will only see uh their student data that they have sent on

115to us and that student data is shared via cohort it's not on an individual basis it's more um grade level academic uh strand um related dat it is okay thank you and vice versa individual students we we contact them on an individual basis for students uh of specific concern for IEP 504 or students we should be paying particular interest in thank you anyone else really happy about this Dr R you know when we um we when we did the agreement with the math and all the um districts came on board I think this is another another step with u intergovernmental cooperation and I really appreciate it co fito yes heinan I dling yes Rock I Walker yes quiter I motion carries 60 thank you next is the uh 1221 can I have a motion in

116a second please so Mo second there's been a motion in a second discussion please call dling yes fito yes hinan hi Ral hi Walker yes kitzer I motion carry 60 1222 Motion in a second please second discussion please call a roll dling yes Walker yes fito yes heinan I Ral I and czer I motion carries 60 thank you 1223 Motion in a second please so moved second thank you um Dr o you want to give a little bit update on this one actually I'll kick it over to Mr key oh okay hello thank you yes uh for our insurance Cooperative the secondary school uh Cooperative risk management program or affectionately known as scrimp um in our world that includes lien 212 M 207 Palatine 211 uh Glen Brook 225 in our district pardon me it's

117a risk sharing pool that we are a part of and uh the motion before you here or the uh recommendation before you is to add our ins Insurance supervisor Kelly Janice is the alternate representative uh for the co-op and that would replace our uh former director of uh finances okay discussion colell wal hi ding yes fito yes heinan I Walker yes Ander I motion carries six Z thank you uh 1224 Motion in a second please so moved second Motion in a second Mr key anything uh this is just uh an action item to uh affirm that we are in compliance with uh board policy 4 col 82 uh that uh I'm designated as the bond record keeping compliance officer for the district I'm uh affirming that we are in compliance with all um uh record

118keeping and uh reporting um measures for our bonds uh between 2016 2020 and it is uh essentially just an annual action that we do have to take discussion call fito yes heinan I dling yes b i Walker yes kiter I motion carries 60 thank you 1225 Motion in a second please so moved second there's been a motion in a second any other discussion about the audit appreciate it thank you again uh Colo dling yes Ral I furo yes heinan I Walker yes critzer I motion carries 60 1226 please Motion in a second so moved second there's been a motion in a second we had the presentation earlier about the tax levy any other discussion call the roll dling yes heinan I fito yes r i Walker yes en Court sir I motion carries 60 thank

119you 1231 Motion in a second please so moved second there's been a motion in a second any discussion col Walker yes Hinman hi dling yes burito Yes W hi M cor sir hi motion carries 60 thank you 1241 Motion in a second please so mov second Mr Julie thank you we are seeking approval for two International trips for this upcoming June the first trip is the rolling medals high school music department and they offer in experience every other school year they roughly 60 students will be traveling to Ireland from June 1st to June 7th and the second is Elk grve high school for believe it or not their 36th annual exchange experience in Japan yeah cool questions board member H Hinman hi fito yes dling yes r hi Walker yes and sir I motion carries

12060 let's hope so thank you 125 you have announcements Miss Kendrick I do I have a great announcement the village of Buffalo Grove has received funds as part of the settlement agreement related to the opioid crisis These funds are authorized for use in community mental health and substance abuse initiatives and the village has chosen Counseling Services through Omni youth services and District dist 214 is an appropriate and necessary use of the funds to support the students and families of Buffalo Grove High School The Village will allocate an annual amount of $58,000 over a 4-year period to Omni for a licensed professional counselor inhouse at Buffalo Grove High School the counselor will provide mental health and substance abuse support tailored to the needs of the students and families principal Jeff wle and I had the opportunity

121to attend the village board meeting and we're happy to hear the comments from both BG police department and the village board members they were all grateful for this partnership and thrilled with the use of this funding the new counselor has been secured and we'll begin at BG next week great great news thank you go ahead Tim did you have another update okay yeah we have a a brief business services update um that it just looks like it didn't show up on the uh on the agenda but I just want to qu give a quick uh December 24 uh board update and we've taken a l your time this evening I'll make this brief uh want to acknowledge the payroll and benefits department for their work and setting up the 2025 calendar year to ensure that

122we're in compliance with the IRS changes uh and then the other item is is something that we're looking to discuss with the board this evening um as you are aware our food service director is retiring this year and uh we recognize uh that's an opportunity for us as a as a administration every time a position is vacated we've taken the opportunity to look and see what our uh best solution for that is in this particular case we're we're here tonight to ask the board's um Authority I guess to to do an RFP uh to seek a consultant for this one position um we feel that this gives us the opportunity to look at what the market might offer but certainly won't preclude us from a direct hire if the uh uh results of the RFP

123aren't favorable to the Board of Education um Our intention is to compare this model to a traditional direct hire for the position as I said um and the review of the results um will be made uh will be made by the administration and brought back to the board um our goal is to provide the best program for our students um one thing I want to be very clear on that we've talked internally about is uh this this uh particular action number one the board's not taking action tonight we're merely uh seeking further data um but it would only impact this one position that uh is a retiree position no other employees would be directly impacted by it I met with our food service director earlier this week and I met with the managers from all

124seven sites as well to assure them the same and uh we had really good dialogue there was a lot of concern amongst them and uh I asked them uh uh two things number one patient of course and and trust but uh to share this information with their uh teams as well um so that it would be clear that that this wasn't um uh a wall-to-wall Outsourcing conversation that we're having with the board that uh we are looking uh at the just the one position um and I think that's all that I have in the memo so I'd be happy to before you throw any any questions I just add to that thank you for that ask some clarity as says to our why and it really enhance and Hammer the why here uh as Mr

125key said anytime we have an administrative opening uh or an opening period we kind of evaluate um is it still relevant should we replace it as is should we re-evaluate our course of action and and with this particular um this particular position what we're after here is we're after information of what potentially could be um with a completely in-house program we are not a member of the national school lunch program meaning we do not have the same restrictions for what a a type a lunch is meaning um if a student gets to General Fe free and reduced lunch or a general type a lunch it's a set meal and we have total freedom and flexibility for what that can be um with if we get the right numbers and the right partner it is possible

126we could um increase the quality of that of that meal because of the purchasing power of a larger um inti other than a standalone School District as well as um the menuing and U and Partnership of a larger um business that this is what they do um there's the potential that we could not only save money but also generate additional Revenue with the allak cart items that that purchasing power could bring to us um that would be able to infuse dollars into our food service program to buy new equipment in our kitchens and start to turn over our cafeterias um and enhance those spaces with the revenue that it's self-generating um again we are after information at this point um based on whatever information we get from this RFP we would come back here with

127a full report for a discussion um and any recommendation based on what we learn we may not recommend to go a different route but if we don't look we won't know and again as Mr key stated the number one thing in in any RFP that we send to these uh potential partners would be that our employees are district 214 employees they remain district 214 employees it is solely for the director position thank you board members anybody prepared to talk about this tonight go ahead have we looked at our numbers uh what are students how many lunches have been bought like before covid to now what are our numbers looking like are student I mean you know we have the block program have they gone down because more students I know when I visit the schools

128I was surprised to hear that there were two students walk me into a lunchroom and they said oh I haven't seen the cafeteria yet this year because they're going out which concerns me that they're leaving campus they could stay there have a quick bite if we you know if there was different options or whatever and and you know stay there they they're they're safer still on the campus as opposed to traveling offsite during prime time um and possibly still studying while on campus so have we looked looked at those kind of numbers yes so to compare to the numbers prior to the pandemic during the pandemic and current would be very difficult because you may recall that the the school district went back this went back on the national school lunch program during the pandemic

129um because the government did subsidize for free meals for all and so that that did change uh a little bit and we we have we have shifted back to our our program but you know unlike a traditional national school lch program where you're looking at a per meal or a meal equivalent rate we we truly do work in dollars and cents and so I have to commend Christine froley our director and and her managers they they run a um a very solid business and it is self-sufficient and that has been consistent um it allows us to run the program but it does limit as Dr Rose said it could potentially limit our ability to expand um one of the challenges they see is is that you know depending on the campus there's certain campuses where

130there's a lot of options very close by for a student to go off campus and get those meals and so um it it is a complex uh equation for sure and uh again I did uh this is an opportunity for us to look at what's available and and as I said to our our staff that I met with this week this isn't a direct reflection on your performance um we're looking to supplement and make the right decision moving forward okay thank you anyone else yeah I just want want to thank Tim for uh putting this together because I I we got a lot of emails I had somebody approached me yesterday at the Strategic plan committee asking if we were Outsourcing the food service and I knew nothing about it I even went back out

131the board book to think I missed something so I'm glad you recognize the fact that it really it wasn't on the agenda but you did uh State exactly what's happening and it's nice to know that it would give some people at least peace of mind to know that we're not looking to Outsource the entire group right now thank you and and I just want to add or in the future I I just don't see that being a strategy we've looked at and um one thing I I failed to mention um Miss Ral when when I had my informal meetings with with members uh third party vendors in the market um one of the kpis they look at is the revenue per pupil and there's a peer District um the the lake forest district that went

132with a model similar to what we're looking to seek or looking to uh evaluate and uh their per pupil since 2017 has almost quadrupled um per pupil revenue and so um again it's not about it is about the money because that money goes back into the program by being um self-sufficient that money gets reinvested in the program whether it be equipment um uh to the staff as well I know that the board uh approved uh appropriate increases for that staff this year um we look as an opportunity for enhancements and so so um again looking at our per pupil dollars um right now versus pure districts that aren't on the national school lunch program um we certainly are lagging okay thank you for that update Shaban Dr Lopez oh wait a minute I need a

133motion in a second please sorry for 12 uh 61 intergovernmental agreement with Arlington Heights Library a motion in a second please so moved second Motion in a second Dr Lopez yeah this is just uh we currently have an agreement between hery high school and Arlington Heights moral Library an intergovernmental agreement that allows educator library cards we just want to extend that to our for few staff that are working in the schools throughout the district so they can a access the resources at that Library specifically some software that allows students to learn about skilled trades uh and so they'll get free access with this interg government agreement discussion two igas and oneou and one night yeah you're really rolling here uh call the roll please fito yes wal I dling yes heinan hi Walker yes and

134czer hi motion carry 60 um before I take a motion close session I just want to wish everyone um for U happy holidays if you celebrate a holiday I hope staff takes the time to rewind or whatever be with family have a good time and uh really appreciate all the work you do and to everyone out there just uh stay safe and have a Happy New Year so I need a motion to go in the close session for the purpose of discussing the appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees spe specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in an education setting or legal counsel for the public body Motion in a second please move second um we will be in Clos session for not that long okay whatever that is um but

135we will have um we will have um be there will be action afterwards um call roll Walker yes fito yes dling yes Hinman hi Rock hi enquir sir hi thank you [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] e [Music] oh [Music] e [Music] a [Music] w [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] close session and we have one action item Mr Walker please I move that we approve a motion to approve the human resources 14.1 14.11 approval of personal transaction reports for tonight second it's been a motion in a second please call a r Walker yes tesing yeso yes heinan hi I and quer motion carries I thank you motion to adjourn so so moved second there we go dling why not yes I fito want to stay here Ral hi Walker yes and C

136sir hi thank you meeting returned CLE tell me more clear [Music]