001Mhm. >> Uh my name is Mark Miller Cornejo from Belvidere High School and I'm the choir director there. Uh and today we've got most of the Belvidere High School choir leaders. Uh we're excited to be here with all of you. Uh we have two songs that we're going to sing today. Um both which were performed this past Saturday at Belvidere North High School. Um they hosted our region IHSA music organization contest. Uh and we're proud to say that we got a division one rating at that performance as well as our acapella choir. And um a division two rating for our bass choir and for our band as well. Um so um we are going to start with a song called A Beautiful Friendship um in the Vocal Jazz genre. >> [music] [music] [singing] [music] [singing]
002[music] >> Thank you. Uh we've got one more song that we're singing also from our contest set this past Saturday. Uh and this piece is called Don't Give Up by Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb and Barry Gibb. >> [laughter] [clears throat] [music] [screaming] [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. Cornejo and of course the students from BHS choir. We we appreciate your talents and performance. We always appreciate when you can open up our board meetings with such a positive and inspiring tone. So, thank you. Uh thank you for your performance. We really appreciate it and don't give up. I'll give YOU THAT SOMEDAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS EVENING. THANK YOU FOR being here. It was wonderful. >> All right, it is now 6:20 and we are out of closed executive session. We will reconvene the
003regular meeting of the Board of Education with the pledge to the American flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> [laughter] >> Okay, roll call, please. Mr. Gieser Meyer. Here. Mr. Herrera. >> Here. Mr. Hempke. >> Here. Mrs. Hauk. Here. Mr. Mueller. Here. Mr. Piggie. Here. Mrs. YOUNG. OKAY. BEFORE WE START THE REGULAR meeting of the Board of Education, as a reminder, all board members are expected to follow our approved meeting norms and board protocol. Are there any items on the agenda that any members of the board would like to amend or remove? Seeing none. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the agenda of the regular
004meeting of the Board of Education on April 20th, 2026 as presented? So Second. Okay, member Hempke made the motion. Member Mueller seconded the motion to approve the agenda of the regular meeting of the Board of Education on April 20th, 2026 as presented. Discussion? Roll call, please. Mr. Hempke. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Gieser Meyer. Aye. Mr. Piggie. Aye. Mrs. Hauk. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. We will now have our district celebrations and at this time I would like to turn it over over I would like to turn over the recognition portion to Dr. Shaw. All right. We have five District 100 seniors who were named as all-state musicians by the Illinois Music Education Association and [clears throat] attended the the Illinois Music Education Conference this past January in Peoria. These students completed a rigorous audition
005and application process competing against thousands of students from throughout the state for a limited number of seats. If we have these individuals here, I'm going to ask you to come forward when I call your name. Isaiah Campbell, Kai Hoban, Lucas Hempke, Cassandra Carl, and Roberto Archuleta. Additionally, TJ Decker from North High School earned a spot on the crew for the Illinois High School Theater Festival's all-state production of Newsies this past January held at Illinois State University. Mr. Decker completed a rigorous application and interview process competing also against thousands of others. TJ is the first student in the history of North High School to earn a position in an all-state theater production. Is TJ here? I don't see him. All right. Well, thank you all FOR BEING HERE. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> CONGRATULATIONS AND FANTASTIC
006JOB. Miss Hadley is going to take your picture right behind you. And if I see a couple parents with can with cameras, feel free to come up as well if you'd like to take a picture. ALL RIGHT. AND WE ALSO HAVE OUR BOARD SHOUT-OUTS. The following people have been nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in D100. Our first recognition is Kelly Cotter from Caledonia Elementary School. During the storm on March 6th, Kelly Cotter went above and beyond for students and families. She stood outside in the pouring rain for over an hour greeting parents and making sure student pick up ran smoothly and safely. Her positivity, dedication, and commitment to keeping everything organized made a huge difference during a challenging situation. Kelly did an amazing job coordinating the pick up process and ensuring
007families felt welcomed and supported despite the weather. Thank you, Kelly, for your incredible teamwork and willingness to go the extra mile for our school community. This one is submitted by Renee Mandujano and Matthew Fry. And as we mentioned in a previous board meeting, so many people that went the extra mile in that situation in Caledonia. So, THANK YOU, KELLY. MEGAN HIRSCH. ARE YOU HERE, MEGAN? I do not see her. Megan Hirsch. Mrs. Hirsch is extremely passionate about her job. She treats everyone with respect and love. The difference she makes in everyone's life is absolutely incredible. If I'm going to think to to proceed with my teaching career, I can only wish to be half as good as her. She's the best. Thank you for all you do. Submitted by Tina Toke Toldy. Toldy, I think
008it is. So, CONGRATULATIONS. >> [applause] >> DEBORAH MOSSMAN. AH, there she is. Mrs. Mossman works incredibly hard at Prairie School and always goes above and beyond for her students and her co-workers. Her dedication, positivity, and caring heart make our school a better place every day. Thank you for all you do. Without you, we would all be lost. Jenna Schuster from Seth Whitman. I would like to recognize Jenna, our special education teacher, for the incredible impact she has on both students and staff. Jenna is a true partner in every sense of the word. She is a joy to collaborate with and consistently goes above and beyond to support our classroom. What sets Jenna apart and her is her genuine commitment to all students. While she serves students on her caseload, she takes the time to build
009relationships with every child in the classroom creating an inclusive and supportive environment where all learners feel valued. Jenna brings a deep and thoughtful understanding of how to support diverse learners. She's always willing to share her knowledge, problem-solve, and collaborate to ensure students receive the best possible support. Her expertise paired with her positive attitude makes a meaningful difference in our daily in our daily work. Beyond her professional strengths, Jenna helps make our pod a truly wonderful place to be. Her dedication, her kindness, her team-first mindset elevates everyone around her. Thank you to Jenna Schuster. I NEED A PICTURE. THANK YOU, GUYS. BUT WE HAVE WE HAVE MORE, RIGHT? >> We got more. We got more. We'll bring you back up when you when you bring the group picture at that point. All right, we have Jessica
010Romano, Cara Anderson, Carolina Bonilla Eslava, Megan Hirsch, Rachel Houston, Megan Franklin, and Nicole Carrion. Come on up. Yeah, I was like, I see you out there. Come on up. As we wrap up our time with play-based kindergarten cohort one, I wanted to take a moment to share my sincere gratitude for each of these kindergarten teachers. Being part of a first cohort is never just about professional development, it's about having the leadership and vision to try something new for the sake of our students. Your willingness to lean into the messiness of play-based transitions and your bravery in leading the way for our district has been nothing short of inspiring. Thank you for all of your work this year. Truly being in these classrooms is an absolute delight. I love what you're doing with our students. It's
011going to be a difference maker for our district. This is from Dr. Johnson, but we are so excited about the future of play-based kindergarten here in D100. Thank you. ALL RIGHT, AND WE GOT ONE MORE BIG GROUP HERE. We got Candy Bloom, Michelle Dusey, Jim Freesman, Chris Kuberski, Chrissy Morgan, Sarah Rain, John Rosado, John Deery, Michelle Eckland, Jessica Full, Elizabeth Gonzales, Billy Lewis, Janine Marie, Emelita Riley, and Michael Yates, and Matt Sly. Come on up if you're here. All right. I'd like to recognize the incredible work of our ACT Task Force. This group has built a roadmap for student success that goes far beyond a single test date. Through their efforts, we've seen an integration of ACT readiness into the student experience from the transition to mastery prep for practice tests to the half-day training
012for teachers and targeted prep sessions for students, this task force has ensured that every student has the tools they need to succeed. They've also prioritized the human side of the data, ensuring students are are reviewing their own score reports, setting personal goals, and being celebrated for their focused effort, growth, and achievement. I also want to specifically recognize our high school assistant principals, Michelle Ecklund and John Rosado, whose site level coordination was essential in making sure these practices were implemented smoothly in our high schools. I have full confidence that this coordinated effort has given our students the tools and the confidence they need to succeed and look forward to celebrating their growth with you later this spring. To the task force and to our APs, thank you for your relentless commitment to our students and their
013future opportunities. No small task. Thank you for the work that you do and congratulations. >> [applause] >> And that will include our shout-outs. And Janine's going to take all of your pictures. So, come on back up, please. >> [clears throat] [clears throat] [laughter] [clears throat] [applause] >> Okay, at this time, I would like to invite any board members who have anything or anyone they would like to give a shout-out to. I do. Yes. I want to shout-out the students from I think he just left Mr. Deary's AP Language and Composition course at Belvidere North. Those students recently competed in the annual Lead Ethics Case Competition at NIU. And Mr. Mr. Smalls was there, too. We spoke to some of the students over there. They asked us a bunch of questions. The case was about ethical
014problems within the bonus market. So, we talked to them and they asked us a whole bunch of questions. We also found out out of 53 total teams, Belvidere North took second and third place in that competition. Yes. Yes. So, I just want to shout those kids out for the work they did. They were so interested in asking us questions and curious. And when I saw that, it just made me real proud of those students. So, I just wanted to shout them out for that. Thank you, Mr. Piggy. Any Is there anyone else who would like to make any comments, celebrate anything? Okay. See you now. See you then. We will now have our student council report starting with Belvidere North High School, presented by Escarria Quintero. Hello, my name is Escarria Quintero and I'll be
015giving you the Belvidere North board report. Caledonia says, "We're flying through this this school year at Caledonia. All of our students have finished IAR testing and we are hoping for new for some new growth. We are We have our Donut and Grown-Ups event coming here at the end of the month. And we are looking forward to celebrating two of our fifth graders at the IPA Leadership Breakfast on the 21st." Lincoln says, "We have been working hard and are happy to say that our third and fifth graders have finished their IAR testing. We will host a house/building tour for our potential Perry families on the 23rd. Our PTO is getting ready to host our annual Let's Glow dance, which will be fun for families." Perry says, "All third and fifth graders' IAR testing is completed. We
016have We have 100% completion rate. Fifth grader Fifth grader leadership breakfast on April 22nd, two students were recognized for their leadership skills at Perry Elementary. At the end of March, we had Belvidere North High School students come to Perry with helping hands and helped work with our students in different classrooms." Seth Whitman says, "Seth Whitman has been very busy this month. Our reading team hosted March Madness Battle of the Books, where staff have read different award-winning books and determined the winner. If you haven't read Don't Trust Fish by Nathan Hale, then you should. We have hosted our annual reading night. This year's theme was Wild About Reading. This consisted consisted of our spirit week wild animals assembly and ended with a book fair on our reading night, where each pod hosted hands hosted hands-on activities."
017Central Middle School says, "Our students did a wonderful job with their IAR testing and we're happy to have one more test done this school year. This month so far, we celebrated paraprofessional appreciation day, school librarian appreciation day, and national assistant principal week. We also hosted our fifth annual multicultural fair and always so grateful to have an event where families and community members come out to celebrate together." Belvidere North says, "We had a busy start to our spring by welcoming the class of 2030 to Belvidere North for their freshman preview night. We also hosted our ACE Think Bowl, which recognizes our top 5% of graduating seniors. We also have been doing a lot of ACT prep and spring sports have also kicked off and we're looking forward to the success successful couple of months. Thank you."
018THANK YOU, ESCARRIA. WE WILL NOW HAVE OUR STUDENT COUNCIL REPORT FROM Belvidere High School, presented by Jocelyn Smotha. Hello, everyone. My name is Jocelyn Smotha. I'm the student council vice president at BHS. And this is the the report. Um from Washington Academy says, "Washington Academy had a strong and productive month highlighted by the incredible effort and perseverance perseverance, excuse me, shown by our third through fifth grade students during the state IAR assessments. We are proud of the focus, determination, and positive mindset our students demonstrated. And we're equally excited to share that major behavioral incidents decreased by 24.5% across our K through five classrooms. Our staff continues to support and celebrate student growth, reinforcing a culture of high expectations and collective efficacy across the building." Meehan Elementary School says, "First, Meehan would like to celebrate that
019we have reduced major incidents by 27% compared to this point last year. Also, we are proud of our students for their dedication and hard work during IAR testing over the past month. We extend a special thank you to our K through two students for their encouragement and support of their peers in grades three through five throughout the testing period. Finally, we would like to recognize Mrs. Jones, our music teacher, for the wonderful second and third grade concerts held just before spring break. Our students delivered outstanding performances." South Middle School says, "SMS had an eventful end of March and beginning of April. Congratulations to the SMS Math Counts team for advancing to the state meet for the second consecutive year and to the SMS Scholastic Bowl team for winning the NCJ C Conference Championship. Our students
020successfully completed the IAR assessment before spring break and we are now preparing for the spring MAP assessment, which begins at the end of this month. The final sports and clubs have started, including Girls on the Run, Garden Club, Art Club, tennis, golf, and track. Thank you for your continued support of SMS students." Belvidere High School says, "This month we are celebrating paraprofessional appreciation day, school librarians day, assistant principals appreciation week, administrative professionals day, and senior class appreciation day. We also have our senior class trip to Wrigley Field with Belvidere North on April 23rd. Students prepared well for the ACT and we look forward to learning from the results. Go Bucs." And then, Everest High School says, "Looking forward to graduation." Thank you. THANK YOU, JOCELYN. WE WILL [clears throat] NOW HAVE OUR BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS
021starting with the Educational Services Committee on April 1st. Mr. De Sumer or Mr. Mueller, do you have anything you would like to highlight or share from Ed Services? Over the long run. Yeah. There there was a contract renewal coming before before the board tonight. We recommend approving that. It's with the Northern Illinois Association and they've been providing us with services for students with disabilities. Mr. De Sumer, does anybody have any questions? And that's funded through grants. That's right. Okay. Any further questions for Mr. De Sumer, Mr. Mueller, Dr. Carson, or Dr. Carson Dr. Johnson regarding the minutes from this meeting? Okay. Moving on to Policy and Personnel. Mr. Piggy, do you have anything you would like to highlight or share from the Policy and Personnel Committee minutes? Not a lot. Look really good meeting. A
022couple of policies on here for roll call later in the meeting. I have nothing to split out. Okay. Does anyone have any questions for Mr. Piggy or Dr. Edie for that matter? Okay. The following policies following four policies were brought forward from the policy and personnel committee for first readings. And we won't be include and will be included in the April agenda for final reading and approval. Does anyone have any questions? It should be a May agenda. >> [clears throat] >> So, they will be included on the May agenda for final reading and approval. Does anyone have any questions or comments on the following policies brought forward for first reading? >> [clears throat] >> Okay. So, then moving on to business services committee on April 14th, Mrs. Hawk or Miss Mr. Hemke, do you have
023anything you would like to highlight or share from the business services committee meeting minutes? Yeah, well there's a lot that will be discussing as roll call items, so I'm not going to talk about them. Um there's also a lot of consent agenda uh items that will be uh voting on that we recommended to approve. A lot of it is um renewals of contracts that we generally do. Um the one thing that I did want to bring up that was um had we had some discussion on was related to the renewal of the um dual credit and the running start program. And some of the discussion that that garnered was around helping families to make the decision on what's the best path because it becomes very confusing for families when they get there to know which
024direction to head with all of the different options for that. So, that was one thing that I just wanted to bring up that we had some good discussion about that. We talked about maybe having a workshop or having a having a special task related to that. Develop a decision tree that would be useful for families to help them navigate that decision. So, it's a confusing decision sometimes. So, that's all. Yep. Thank you, Mr. Hemke. Does anyone have any questions for Mr. Hemke, Mrs. Hawk, or Mrs. Armstrong? Okay. At this time, members of the public and employees of District 100 may make public comments. As a reminder, any person appearing before the board is expected to address the board only at the appropriate time and follow the directives of the board president and to maintain order
025and decorum, identify oneself, limit comments to 3 minutes, and conduct oneself with respect towards others, and abide by board policy 8:30, visitors to and conduct on school property. At this time, would Mr. Dan Snow please come forward? Good evening. Again, thank you for your service. I know it's a daunting task. Um unfortunately, I'm going to give you the uh sad to see that uh six of you voted to close Perry and give kudos to Mr. Mueller for supporting the staff there um Perry. That's it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Snow. Okay. At this time, would Caitlin Lease please come forward? Good evening, members of the Board of Education. My name is Caitlin Lease. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I follow board meetings closely and I hear important conversations about initiatives, programs, and
026district work. What may be missing at times is a clear picture of what is actually happening in classrooms. So, tonight I'd like to share the perspective of a student-facing teacher. When people hear elementary teacher, many still picture something simple. A lesson, a story, maybe a worksheet. But the reality of teaching in 2026 is far more complex. In a single day, I am not just a teacher. I'm a reading specialist analyzing phonics, fluency, and comprehension. A math instructor differentiating for students who are years apart in readiness. A behavior specialist teaching regulation, problem-solving, and social skills. A case manager implementing accommodations and tracking data. And a communicator working with families and colleagues. And often, I am doing many of these things at the same time. Beyond academics, there's another layer of work. We are often the steady
027adult in a child's day. We notice when something isn't right. We tie shoes, wipe tears, calm fears, and celebrate small victories. We are the ones to say, "You can do this." when a child is ready to give up. We also celebrate growth that others may never see. Reading a word for the very first time. Solving a problem after multiple attempts or simply making it through the day. At any given moment, I may be teaching while redirecting behavior, adjusting instruction, and supporting an overwhelmed child all while ensuring every other student continues learning. Our classrooms are more diverse than ever, academically, emotionally, and developmentally. We meet students where they are, whether they are just learning to read or already thriving. Whether they are ready to engage or struggling to feel safe. And behind the scenes, there is
028even more. Analyzing data, planning instruction, preparing materials, entering information into multiple systems, and aligning everything to evolving standards and expectations. None of this is visible in a snapshot, but this is the work. Teaching today is not a single role. It is a profession that requires expertise across multiple disciplines all within a single school day. And that work requires time and support to be done well. And despite that complexity, what drives us is simple. We show up every day because we believe in our students. To continue doing this work well, it is important that the full scope of teaching today is understood. Because when we talk about supporting schools, we are not just supporting a role. We are supporting the people who carry this work every day for every child. Thank you for your time and
029your continued commitment to our students and schools. Thank you, Mrs. Lease. >> [applause] >> At this time, would uh Mrs. Maggie Garcia please come forward? >> [laughter] >> Hi, my name is Maggie Garcia and I teach at Central Middle School. I am a Tier 2 teacher and that's what I wanted to share some information tonight about. Two teachers can do the exact same job, work in the same classroom for the same number of years, and contribute the same percentage of their salary to retirement. Yet one can retire around age 57 and the other must work until 67 to receive the same full benefit. That difference is called Tier 2. I would like to briefly explain an issue that is quietly shaping the future of the teaching profession in Illinois and directly impacting schools districts' ability
030to [snorts] recruit and retain teachers. That issue is the Tier 2 pension system. Tier 2 applies to every Illinois teacher hired after January 1st, 2011. Teachers hired before that date fall under what is known as Tier 1. Both groups pay roughly the same amount into the pension system, about 9% of their salary. But the benefits those contributions earn are very different. Under Tier 1, a teacher could retire with full benefits around age 55 with approximately 35 years of service. Cost of living increases were guaranteed at 3% annually and compounded, helping retirement income keep up with inflation. Under Tier 2, the rules changed significantly. Teachers now work until 67 to receive a full pension. Early retirement is technically possible at 62, but it comes with a permanent reduction of about 6% for every year before 67.
031Tier 2 pensions are also calculated using more years of salary, are subject to a cap on pensionable income, and receive smaller cost of living increases that may not keep pace with inflation. To put this into perspective, imagine two teachers who both start teaching at age 22 and both spend 35 years in the classroom. Tier 1 can retire at 57 with a stable pension that grows with inflation. Tier 2, after the same 35 years, would only be 57 years old, still 10 years away from full retirement eligibility. If that teacher retired, then their pension would be permanently reduced. To receive the full benefit, they have to keep working until 67. That is closer to 45 years. That difference matters. For decades, teaching attracted people who were willing to accept lower salaries than many other professions because
032of that trade-off. Younger educators entering the profession today are doing the same work, making the same pension contributions, but facing a system that offers less security. Because of that, many younger teachers are not viewing education as a lifelong profession anymore. Instead, they increasingly see it as short-term employment, something they may do for 5 or 10 years before moving on. This shift has real consequences for school districts. Because the future of our pension of our profession, the stability of the teaching workforce our students depend on is directly connected to it. And as leaders responsible for the future of our schools, your voice carries weight beyond the district. Thank you. [snorts] Thank you, MRS. GARCIA. >> [applause] >> AT THIS TIME, WOULD MR. FORT ZACHARY PLEASE COME FORWARD? My name is Fort Zachary and I'm here tonight
033to read a few things into the record. First, thank you, Mr. Mueller. Thank you for your courageous stand, for believing in Perry, and for the support you have shown since the vote to close Perry. It has been sincerely appreciated by the Perry family and will not be soon forgotten by the community. Second, thank you, Dr. Eddy, for letting me move to Caledonia in my current position as an ESL teacher. Given the circumstances, I know you did not have to do that. My family and I sincerely appreciate it. However, my question still stands. What of the teachers, the Perry staff just as just displaced? Third, I would like to congratulate Dr. Shoud. I have been involved in local politics when I lived in California and here in Illinois. I know how the game is played in
034the simplest of terms. This was a political fight. You played the game masterfully and you won. Perry lost. I can respect that. No hard feelings, nothing personal. I know you are all doing what you think is right for District 100, Belvidere, and children. I have tried to be respectful and professional with my disagreements. I have tried to not make it personal and not blindside you, giving you fair [snorts] warning of what I think privately before saying it publicly. If any of you have disagreed with that or have taken offense with anything I have said or done, I humbly apologize. >> [gasps] >> And yet for many of us, staff, parents, and children, this was very personal. Many feel the way this was done was wrong. The promise of just 2 years ago was not honored.
035The options put before this board and the speed at which this decision was reached have created doubt. And while technically legal because the detailed due process for closing a school laid out in the Illinois statutes does not apply to communities of less than 500,000, the spirit of the process was clearly bypassed. In sum, you have lost more trust with this community than you realize. I personally am convinced you made a huge mistake. The value of a small neighborhood school to a small town cannot be replicated or replaced. I think unloading a vacant 126-year-old multi-story building that has lost its ADA exemption is going to be harder than you think. I think building a brand new centralized EC center will turn into the financial money pit you feared Perry would be. And I think you started
036down a path that leads to higher taxes for this community with little to show for it. Time will tell if I'm back here to tell you I told you so. In the meantime, I hope the community of Belvidere takes Perry's closure as a wake-up call. The ancient Greek philosopher Pericles once said, "Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics won't take an interest in you." The policies that come out of local politics are the ones that affect you and yours most. You can't put forth no one for the local school board and just let the powers that be fill the void. >> [clears throat] >> No matter how undesirable you may find it, being actively engaged in your hometown is how you keep the public policies and institutions you
037value. >> [clears throat] >> Your vote can be your voice. Let your school board hear it in the next election. Thank you. Thank you, MR. ZACHARY. >> [applause] >> OKAY. AT THIS TIME, WOULD MR. ANDREW KITSON PLEASE come forward? As I said before, I'm back again. Little different perspective on things right now. I heard each and every one of you, many of you after the teachers left, say "Take care of them." Mr. Dees and I heard you say "Make sure and say take care of them." I don't know if you meant the students or the teachers. The teachers were promised. They were made promises that they would have first choice at options. Within 4 days, that promise was broken. Why did the teachers not get the full list of open positions? Not all of the
038teachers at Perry were given that full list of open positions. Only until someone made noise, did someone ask the full list of positions. I ask you as a board, ask yourselves, why was that done? Why did not all the teachers have the opportunities that other teachers had? Why do we have a math interventionist going into a classroom that hasn't been in a classroom in years, going in into a classroom when there's a math interventionist position open? I've been told they're going to get rid of that position. Yet, the rumor is that a soon-to-be former administrator is going to slide into that position. Now, whether that rumor is true or false, it's out there. Right? Someone thinks that's what's going to happen. So, what happens? All of this All of these things trickle down. It trickles
039down to the families. It trickles down to the taxpayers. It trickles down to everyone and it affects everyone. You sat there and made a promise to take care of this. You made that promise and within 4 days, that promise was broken. I can disagree all day that I think Perry should have stayed open. That's my personal opinion. You guys voted on your personal opinion. Again, thank you, Mr. Mueller Mueller, for the support you showed these teachers. That's beside the point. That decision is done. How you move forward is what matters. Trust and integrity should not be that difficult to expect of someone running the district this size. Trust has been broken. Integrity has been lost. How are you going to get that back? That's the question you need to be asking yourselves, how you're going
040to get that integrity back and that trust back cuz once it's broken, it's very difficult to get back. Thank you, MR. KITSON. AT THIS TIME, IS THERE ANY OTHER individuals that would like to come forward and make public comment? Okay. Seeing none, the next item on the agenda are consent agenda items. Are there any items on the consent agenda any members of the board would like to take out for separate consideration? Hearing [clears throat] none, do I have a motion and a second to approve consent agenda items number 1 through 19 as presented? I move. Second. Member Hemp Key made the motion. Member Hawk seconded the motion to approve consent agenda item number 2 through 19 as presented. Any discussion? Okay. At this time, I'd like to acknowledge the following donations. $500 from Barbara Sloan
041on behalf of former South Middle School Principal Pete Sloan memorial for Belvidere South Middle School counseling staff. A mini fridge, Belvidere's protein shake kits, Expo markers, and erasers, uh pencils, snacks, and treats from Belvidere Walmart store number 3597 team for Belvidere Central Middle School teachers. Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. Hemp Key. Aye. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. Dees Meyer. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Okay. Next on the agenda are roll call items starting with revisions to existing Board of Education policies. Are there any policies under roll call any members of the board would like to take out for separate consideration? Okay. Hearing none, do I have a motion and a second to approve roll call items number 1 through 3 as presented? So moved. Second. Okay. Member Piggy made I'm sorry.
042Member Hawk made the motion. Member Piggy seconded the motion to approve roll call item action item number 1 through 3, revisions to existing Board of Education policies 5:30. I'm sorry. 3:33. Sick days, vacations, holidays, and leaves. Policy 6:40, curriculum development, and policy 6:160, English learners as presented. Discussion? Roll call, please. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. Dees Meyer. Aye. Mr. Hemp Key. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Okay. Passes. Okay. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the Northwestern Illinois Association contract renewal as presented? I'll make the motion. I second. Okay. Member De Sombre made the motion. Member Hemke seconded the motion to approve the Northwestern Illinois Association contract renewal as presented. Discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye.
043Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. Okay. [clears throat] Do I have a motion and a second to approve the Washington Academy and Belvidere High School roof restoration as presented? I move. Second. Okay. Member Hemke made the motion. Member Hawk seconded the motion to approve the Washington Academy and Belvidere High School roof restoration as presented. Discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the maintenance grant RFP recommendation as presented? So moved. Double check the agenda. Yeah, for on interactive panels. >> Yeah. Okay. Sorry about that. Okay. So that must be a folder then. It might have been. Okay. Oh. Oh, I don't know. Interactive panels. So
044just go by this top and then this bottom. All right. Okay. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the interactive panel secondary schools second wave as presented? I move. Okay. >> [snorts] >> Second. Member Hemke made the motion. Member Piggy seconded the motion to approve the interactive panel secondary schools second wave as presented. Discussion? Mr. Bell, is there anything you want to highlight? This is in our replacement plan that we have for technology. It's going to put in panels in the other classrooms that we did not get to last summer or this year. So um [snorts] it's part of our technology refresh plan. Any questions for Mr. Tyler? I'm sorry, Mr. Tyler Bell. >> [laughter] >> All right. Roll call, please. Mr. Hemke. >> Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. De Sombre. Aye.
045Mrs. Hawk. [clears throat] Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. Okay. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the granite POTS line replacement as presented? I move. Second. Okay. Member Hemke made the motion. Member Mueller seconded the motion to approve the granite POTS line replacement as presented. Discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mrs. Hawk. >> Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. >> [snorts] >> Do I have a motion and a second to approve the Organic Life renewal as presented? So moved. [snorts] Second. Okay. Member Hawk made the motion and member Piggy seconded the motion to approve the Organic Life renewal as presented. Discussion? Mrs. Armstrong, anything you want to highlight? No. Um this is the third renewal of
046our four-year options with them. Um they are limited by CPI increases. Um the state mandates the contracts that are allowable award the first year from an RFP. They do one-year extensions. After next year's renewal, we will have to go out to bid again for the services. So this is just a routine uh renewal. Uh we are seeing increases in participation in the last month or so. We continue to expect that participation to grow. Uh and we have started the uh process of re-verifying our CEP numbers to see if we can re-qualify again for the coming year. Thank you, Mrs. Armstrong. Any questions for Mrs. Armstrong then? Okay. Roll call, please. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. Do I have a
047motion and a second to approve the Wellness Center RFP recommendations as presented? I move. Okay. Second. Okay. Member Hemke made the motion. Member Hawk seconded the motion to approve the Wellness Center RFP bid package 01A and asbestos abatement as presented. Discussion? Mrs. Armstrong, anything to highlight? No. I think we covered it pretty well in business services. It was a rebid process. So this is hopefully to get the process started in moving that clinic so we can make space for the Everest expansion. Okay. Any questions for Mrs. Armstrong? Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mrs. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Okay. Motion passes. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the clinic internet connection as presented? I'll make the motion. Okay.
048Second. Okay. Member De Sombre made the motion. Member Hemke seconded the motion to approve the non the non I'm sorry. Member De Sombre and member Hemke I'm sorry. Member De Sombre made the motion and member Hemke seconded the motion >> [clears throat] >> to approve the clinic internet connection as presented. Discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. >> Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Motion passes. Okay. Do I have a motion and a second to approve the Belvidere Educational Support Staff Agreement 2026 to 2029 as presented? >> [snorts] >> So moved. Okay. Second. Okay. Member Hawk made the motion. Member Piggy seconded the motion to approve the Belvidere Educational Support Staff Agreement from 2026 through year 2029 as presented. Any discussion? Dr. Eddy, anything
049to highlight? No. I don't think so. We're uh it was a it was a great process and I think both sides are happy with how it how it turned out. Any questions for Dr. Eddy? Okay. Roll call, please. Mrs. Hawk. Aye. Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. De Sombre. Aye. Mr. Mueller. Aye. Mr. Hemke. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Okay. Motion passes. The following items have been added for discussion and will be coming up for further review or and or possible action in the future. Background information has been provided and the board may ask questions and or request clarification at this time. Okay. Okay. I'd like to turn uh this portion of the meeting over to Dr. Shug for administrative reports. All right. We've had several long board meetings in a row. So we have a few months
050worth of superintendent comments. I'm going to uh hit the highlights still for you relatively quickly. Uh there's so many things happening in the district um and it's hard to get them all, but uh I'm going to just hit a few of the things that happened over the past few months. Uh our first slide is me and elementary. Uh like many of our uh schools celebrated World Read Aloud Day way back on February 4th. We had guest readers from the community um and our school district that came out to do some of that reading. I think we had uh board member Piggy over there uh as well. Um lots of superstars. Uh they I think my students were a little disappointed since they had uh lots of more famous people than their superintendent who did uh
051did the reading, but uh it was a ton of fun and I really um appreciate that opportunity every year. Uh at Central Middle School, we had the Great Kindness Challenge. Um we celebrate this across the district um organized by the student support team over at uh Central. Students created Valentines for emergency responders, a thank you banner for staff members, posters encouraging sign uh kindness, and the NGHS, which is the natural National Junior Honor Society, helped organize a drive to collect new hats and gloves for Carpenter's Place. Uh so, really really um nice work that's happening uh for our students at Central and again, celebrated across the district. At Lincoln, uh we have Lincoln and Heritage Woods that have established pen pals. Uh some of our Lincoln fifth graders went to Heritage Woods to meet their
052pen pals. Uh they've been communicating with their senior pen pals since September. The seniors and the students played bingo and they had time to talk and get to know one another. Uh I have uh the privilege of uh serving with Don Pearson on Rotary, and she commented about how fantastic this was. Uh so, a really fantastic opportunity for both our students and our seniors. Uh Belvidere Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-Off. Uh Mr. Piggy and I had the opportunity uh to attend the Belvidere Commerce Chili Cook-Off and we sampled Mr. Piggy. Do you remember how many chilies? >> [laughter] >> 20-something? >> It was over 20 chilies. It was incredible. Uh and we we judged them all uh and with no fear, our community uh created some great chili and it was a great opportunity for
053us to network with people uh from across the community. Uh a ton of fun uh that was had there. We also had uh Congressman uh LaHood uh visited our school district for the first time since I've been here as superintendent. Uh and it was really wonderful. He uh engaged with us, asked us lots of really fantastic questions, and also made us all look very short in the picture. Uh we had the opportunity to talk to him about uh early childhood, CTE, and uh so much more, uh and we're looking forward to welcoming him back later this spring. Uh at South Middle School, we had the Scholastic Bowl. Uh the Belvidere South Scholastic Bowl team was victorious at the NCJC tournament with victories over Belvidere Central and Prairie Knolls to finish their season undefeated at eight
054and zero. Uh and uh really really really performing well. Our student faculty games took place at uh Belvidere Central Middle School. Uh they had a blast at their student faculty games. Uh their teachers managed to pull ahead by one point for the win. Uh a huge shout-out goes to our PBIS advisors, Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Wilowoka, for organizing a great event for the PBIS student team. Uh and again, many of these events that take place across the district. Uh so so really fun. Uh CTE students visited R&D Fields, a local leader in housing component manufacturing, such as Trust Design and Production. They opened their doors to our Belvidere construction students, and they shared many different aspects of the company, from designers to field installation, giving our students a valuable real-world perspective of what a post-high
055school career can look like in the construction industry. Uh we are so fortunate to have so many great community partners uh and have opportunities like this for our students. South Middle School Junior Renaissance. Before spring break, South Middle School awarded nearly 400 Junior Renaissance students who demonstrated significant achievement or growth related to academics, behavior, and punctuality. Again, we're highlighting what happened at South, which is incredible, but again, so many fantastic things across across the district in terms of that achievement. Uh we're seeing some really great progress at all of our schools. The Pet Robot Project uh in Project Lead the Way Computer Science for Innovators and Makers. In sixth grade, the students had a fun hands-on unit where they designed and programmed a robot that acts like a pet. The students coded the micro:bit so
056that the face moves and displays a word on the LED, as well as makes their pet robot sound. Uh again, fantastic things happening across the district. Uh and just last week, I think it was, that we uh had the opportunity to go to the middle school pasta challenge. Uh Organic Life hosted a middle school pasta challenge. We had 16 students uh from both middle schools. I had the chance, along with uh Mrs. Young and Mr. Comer, to judge uh eight different pasta dishes created by our students. Our first place winner was chicken alfredo, and it's going to be featured on an upcoming lunch menu. And it was really extraordinary. I mean, the kids were uh creating their own recipes, cooking over a flame. I mean, it was really quite fun. Uh very very very impressive.
057Uh and another night, uh as with the chili cook-off, that I did not require dinner. Um but so, those are the students and >> [laughter] >> our superintendent comments. Any questions? All right, we've got strategic plan updates. Uh and I'm going to start by turning over to Dr. Carson. Uh we've been waiting on giving the strategic plan mid-year summary, and he's going to hit the highlights of that for us. Oh. We'll start with our strategic plan updates, as Mrs. Hadley has up on the screen, and that's perfect, Mrs. Hadley. Thank you. And goal one, Dr. Carson, would you like to highlight anything? >> Sure. So, three things to call your attention to is this week we have our math action plan team members are going to attend a professional development session called math therapy, so
058it's really on building students' self-concept as a mathematician and helping them to build their resilience and willingness to work through difficulty. Um and then one that's on there, you also heard me update from the the students uh student council updates is that this is testing season. This is the time of year we measure how we're doing, and so uh just wrapped up our IAR testing and ECT testing. Um and then we have math coming around the corner and AP tests uh coming up as well. And then one other assessment to point out is our stamp uh assessment, which is what we use to measure our students' proficiency in Spanish. And so, that's part of uh what they perform on in order to get the Seal of Biliteracy. Any questions? Thank you. Goal two, Dr. Johnson.
059Yes. Um one main thing I want to point out that's in 2B is that we did um pilot a mental health screener for our students at Everest. Um it's uh part of a team that is preparing for the um state mandate in two years, where we will have to screen students third through 12th grade. Um we're learning more information about that specifically from the state next year, but we wanted to get started in some of our own work, just because it's quite an undertaking. Um it is a positive direction, cuz as we screen kids um academically, just to make sure uh that no one's falling through the cracks and we understand where they're at and what they need, this would be that same type of concept, but we'd be looking at mental health. And so,
060um again, you'll hear more as that team continues to investigate [clears throat] the mandate and understand what it is and how best to support our students. And then I just wanted to point out in um 2C that we're continuing um to add some of that in-district job shadowing and internship opportunities for our students. Um and then also that our students have participated in some regional challenges, such as the Future Top Chef. So, between that and the chicken alfredo, uh we're we're going to have some great kids and great opportunities. Culinary giants. That's fantastic. Uh goal three is family and community partnerships. Uh we are uh excited about the work that's continuing to take place there. Uh some of the things that we have uh been doing over the past couple months is updating our website
061to reflect our community partners and resource directory for the district. Uh we've been working on this uh for really the past couple of years. Uh you can now really find all of our community partners on our website. There's a really nice search feature there. Uh and some of our um partners that are featured, highlighted, those that we work with on a real regular basis, uh you can find them as well. So, I really encourage you to hop on our website and check that out, and uh give us some feedback on that as well. Uh we are really really fortunate in this district to work really well uh with so many uh community partners, as well as community resources. Uh we also completed our family book study of The Anxious Generation. Uh it was a small
062but mighty group of parents uh that reflected on The Anxious Generation, uh provided some really really good feedback, uh and I think uh really helped us uh reprioritize some of the work we're doing here in the district uh around cell phones and screen time, and how we can do better to ensure that we are engaging our students with as many hands-on experiences as possible. Uh as well as giving them the opportunity uh to engage um in in uh opportunities that there's low risk uh and keeps them off of those uh off of those phones, letting them engage in decision-making and problem-solving. Uh if you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. Uh some really really good data in there and some really really good information. Uh we also have completed our district points of
063pride profile, and uh we will now be drilling down into each of our schools to have them create their individual uh points of pride profiles as well. Uh if you are a D100 alumni, I really encourage you to hop on Facebook and hop on to that uh district alumni Facebook page. Uh that's regularly being updated uh with some of the great accomplishments of our D100 alumni. And that will take us to goal four. Uh just a few things to point out. Uh our teacher sub fill rate uh continues to be uh solid in the in the mid uh 80s or 85% compared to 77% a year ago. Our para sub fill rate is 58% compared to 40% a year ago, so 10% better. Um and that takes the Just so you know, we have about
064the same number of uh fills. So, uh so those numbers are indeed 8 to 10% higher than a year ago, even though uh we have the same number of fills. So, happy about that and we're still trending up. Uh the last couple of weeks have been in the 80s uh and even in the in the low 90s on some days. Uh so, very happy about that. Uh our Mr. Man Gerald and myself are going to start rounding with our new staff. We we do that once in the fall uh around October, November and then we do it again I mean doing that again at the end of this month and into May uh just to support staff, uh find out how their year went. Uh our April positive results uh came back at 94% of
065staff and 93% of families reporting that they're happy with the district at this time. In comparison to last year at this time, uh it's it's exactly the same as as last April's results. Uh and then there's a lot of planning going in already for the for the SIP day uh at the start of next school year and also the new the uh 3-day new teacher orientation uh as well. So, already planning for the next school year and that is the goal four update. And goal five Mr. Armstrong. Um we of course uh we approved the bids for the clinic today. Um we are still taking a very preliminary look at phase two to bring to the board hopefully in June. I think that's what we're targeting at that point. >> [snorts] >> Um the fiber
066run to Everest High School was completed over spring break, so we have the 10 gig connection to that building now. Um the FY26 amendments and tentative budget will be presented in June. Uh but we will have our board workshop in May next week or next month uh to uh [clears throat] go over where we stand and kind of see those tentative amendments that we'll be making to this year's budget and looking at what we're seeing uh tentatively for uh that June meeting. And then we continue negotiations with BEA and the best Any questions from the board on any of those goals? Any updates? Yeah, Mr. Biggy. Uh we'll say I have a question about goal two. In addition to multiple in-district job shadowing, what does that mean? How does that work? Tyler, do you have
067a program that is using free lunch for example? Yes, so we have four interns from the high schools that help us in the technology department and I know that Matt has been working on expanding that to other departments as well. Um so, they help us with the repair of Chromebooks and tickets that they can help job shadow and what we do in the IT world. So, it'll be one of that on a hands-on experience that high schoolers can get to see how the actual, you know, next level would look if they went to the job that way. Okay. That's real cool. Any other questions from the board on Yeah, Dr. Jackson, could you give me just a real high level of the mental health screening mandate that is coming? When was it established? How much
068time did they give districts to respond and Yes, so we were notified um this year [clears throat] really of course at the start of the year um that um the ISBE State Board of Education is looking for um school districts not next year, but the year after um to be able to have screening for students. Like I said, very similar to what we do with academics, but on on the mental health side. Um So, essentially the state has announced that next fall they will give us more details on exactly what that is. But there's some things that we can um anticipate. So, they've obviously said 3rd through 12th grade um They have said that it would be once a year. Um There is what we call passive consent, so we would um make sure that
069parents and students are informed. It becomes more of an opt-out versus an opt-in. That's what that one refers to. So, those are some of the pieces that we know now. So, some of the things that we're working on with our counseling teams, um our social workers um is really just starting to say, "Okay, we have some of this information, and we just get it in [cough] bits and pieces. Um sometimes we get it through families reporting, students self-reporting, things along those lines. We don't have it in a screener for all students. So, what would we do when it's at a much larger capacity of of students? What would we do with that data? How would we respond? What would our standard operating procedures be? Those are some of the discussions that we're starting to have
070now. In addition to that, you'll likely see next fall um we will do a a research study similar to some of the others that we've brought to the board specifically on mental health, so that we can have an action planning team uh next year looking at what do we currently do? What does research say? And then what what should we be doing as a as a district? Um so, those are some of the pieces that we're working on. But really until next fall, I won't have the specifics. What I do know um is ISBE typically tells you kind of the parameters, um but they won't tell you the exact measures. Um and that's where some of the um companies that we've been working with will be able to show us a variety that will meet
071the river banks, but they're not necessarily going to say you have to use this version. Um there might be multiple versions for our our committee to be able to take a look at. I would assume there would be differences because a 3rd grader might look more like what you get when you go to a doctor's office where you're asked in general in the last couple weeks if you popped out or depressed. Whereas by the time you get into high school, um the questions will probably be much more specific. Um I also do know they're looking at anxiety, depression, and then as you get older suicidal ideation. Um and so, that's that's what I know at this point. So, [snorts] ISBE has yet to lay out the framework of requirements and but there are there are
072organizations that are already preparing tools Yes. that can But those and those then those will be have to be contracts. We'll have to have contracts to be able to use those tools. Have [clears throat] to Yes, so it it'll depend. Again, it's kind of a wait and see till next fall. Um the state could say, for example, "Here's some example versions in a PDF form that as a district you would have to give out that form, then collect it from the kid, then log it in, you know, a spreadsheet, then state how you're going to respond." Or there are platforms that do this in other states that do this in general um that would be able to um kind of expedite and organize the process a little bit a little bit more. Uh we have
073been using one. It actually was um approved by the full board um probably last April for us to pilot. It was a it was a free pilot. Um that's what we used at Everest. Um the students took it and we immediately went in another room and could see exactly how um they had responded and and what was flagged and what steps we needed to do next. Um so, like we said, this task force will probably look at some of the advantages of some of those programs keeping track of it ourselves. So, there's it's a lot of different moving parts. Yeah, and how to use the data, right. Okay, thanks for the high level overview. >> cuz it's it's big uh but I do feel very passionate um that this is going to be really good
074data to help our students. To help us help our students. Yes. Thanks. Any other questions on the strategic plan updates? Then Dr. Carson is very briefly going to hit the highlights of the mid-year update that is semester. First semester, yeah, thank you, Dr. Jackson. Yeah, so that's what we put together as an update. Uh we provide one to you as a board still definitely underway and a big lift for our teachers that are implementing that, but we're very excited about that along with incorporating some of the tools in special education of Slant and I Excel. Um elementary, as you know, complete their time study um cuz that was brought to you as um and then we have some new endorsements that we've made available for our students in auto and CNA. As was mentioned before,
075we had a book today on Anxious Generation and all sorts of new branding um brought to our our communications work. Um as Dr. shares every month, our sub rates are holding strong and you may recall that we got certified as a great place to work with 81% um of our staff saying that this is a great place to work. Uh and we had a safety audit completed and we are still working on implementing our SIS. Uh we had our gradebook training uh just last week, so that's not even in the mid-year report cuz that'll be in your end-of-year report, but I'm very excited to have our SIS roll out um progressing really well. So again, we're bringing these to you at the middle of the year in addition to our monthly updates and and the
076in the summer, we give you >> [snorts] >> a snapshot of the highlights from the current year of all of our work. Any questions on the mid-year plan update? SIS will be full force next year? Yes, so do I want to as we move into our new home in the digital world, yes. It will be daunting, but it will be a significantly better platform than we have right now. All right. Thank you, Dr. Carson. Uh and we have Ms. Fabioncheck with a special education update. Yes, so tonight I will share a very brief update on our implementation of the from the special education audit recommendations. Um the audit was completed 2 years ago, so last year we really kind of organized ourselves to review it and create some work groups and committees. I do want
077to mention that all of the action steps align to strategic plan goal one and two, so around um behavior as as well as academic achievement. So some of the steps So we have this monthly um meeting with special education building leadership committee. One of the things they um created was a web page uh with the district 100 continuum of services and our program descriptions. >> [cough and clears throat] >> I apologize. We can keep moving. Um and so that's the example of [snorts] the uh continuum describing different special education programs. Uh we also added a quarterly newsletter newsletter. Um and just sharing information and sending kudos to our staff members um who have been participating in various activities um uh around behavior plans as well as um our SLANT implementation and I excel. This is
078an example of our um training that we provided basically last year and this year, uh two different sessions on development of behavior plans and so that's our overall participation. Um and something that's really great and benefit to us is that all of those trainings around IEP writing and um behavior plan development uh all of it was done internally, so we did not hire any consultants. Uh it's basically we have multiple facilitators providing uh the training that will include our instructional coaches for special education student services specialist as well as our administrative team. Um and um another recommendation was uh around inclusion and best practices in inclusion and also we do have a a research study and that committee has uh uh done work since September and I will be bringing that up uh to the
079board in May as far as the recommendations go. And um some other celebrations. So we have actually been recognized by um SLANT company for our implementation of SLANT. Uh so this year we will have all of our resource elementary special education teachers trained and certified in SLANT, which is uh aligned um um to um the Illinois plan [snorts] uh uh literacy plan. Um we also added um I excel for progress monitoring at the high school level and uh something I'm really excited about is um uh transition to pilot program. So right now it exists at uh North uh only um but it provides uh job coaching and training in for our students who have the most severe developmental disabilities and uh we have coaches from the University of Illinois in Champaign, so this is a
080free resource to us. We're we're not paying for that coaching and they are providing uh us with assistance to develop the transition program. Example of that is our early childhood program will have two students from essential elements in high school supporting uh in teachers early childhood teachers doing uh book walks and and working with little guys and that's based on the survey that they uh want to work in the future with children. So that's that's something um really exciting. And then finally, we have been able to decrease our outplacements to therapeutic schools from 2 years ago by 60%. Um so we have some students who are continuing to transition back to our district schools and uh we have a plan uh for five more uh next year. The transition plan may sometimes take half a
081year because they will transition just by taking one class in one of in in one of our schools their old school and still be part of the therapeutic school. So it's it's a process. And um uh just some celebrations around uh SLANT again. Um we have um we've had uh our teachers basically share some resources and provide workshop during SIP day. So I just shared some pictures from that. And then um our uh students from essential elements high schools essential elements who participate in Special Olympics. So also just some pictures. I chance for Ms. Fabioncheck about the work happening in special education. >> [snorts] >> That concludes my administrative reports. Okay, thank you, Dr. Shug. See here. Okay, I will list the upcoming board meetings and events. For a list of upcoming board meetings, please
082refer to the Board of Education calendar. At this time, do I have a motion and a second to go into closed executive session regarding section two, heading C, exception heading number one of the Open Meetings Act to discuss the appointment or appointment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of public employees of the public body, or legal counsel for the public body, collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees, representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees, the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired, student disciplinary cases and litigation when an action when an action against affecting or on behalf of the particular body has been filed and is
083pending before a clerk for administrative tribunal, or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent. Do I have a motion? I'll make the motion. Okay. Second. Okay. Member DeSamour made the motion. Member Piggy seconded the motion to go into closed executive session. Roll call, please. Mr. DeSamour. Aye. >> [snorts] >> Mr. Piggy. Aye. Mr. Hamkey. Aye. Mrs. Hulk. Aye. Mr. Miller. Aye. Mr. Herrera. Aye. Okay.