September 2025 Regular Meeting of the D128 School Board with Audio Description

001District 128 logo. Fade into board members seat at a table. >> Jim Batson. >> Good evening and welcome. Welcome to the uh District 128 Board of Education meeting for September 29th, 2025. Uh if you would rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance. >> Everyone stands for the pledge of >> allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God and justice for all. >> Everyone returns to their seats. Jim Batson. >> Okay, thank you. Roll call, please. Carol, >> pause for roll call. >> Yeah, we got a full house. There's no room at the table here. >> Nina Austin >> here. >> Jim Batson >> here. >> Rald Deshmuk >> here. >> Doug Flegal >> here. >> Middleish Cotwell >>

002here. >> West Poland >> here. >> Jim Batson. >> Okay. I'm going to review the agenda real quick. Um we under communication we'll have an invitation for public comment. We'll have a student uh schoolboard rep uh reports. We have a couple foyer requests, a superintendent report, and then we'll follow that with a consent vote agenda uh to vote on. Action items tonight is uh uh a resolution, actually a a resolution and a board policy that was inadvertently um uh not listed last month, so we come circling back around to fix this one. um a board governance handbook, uh employment of employees, uh Vernon Hills High School graduation agreement, um uh an approval of bids for the LHS cafeteria, and thenformational items as usual. So, uh this one's a summer school annual report, employee compensation report.

003Uh and then we'll have our traditional board of uh education comments and events, IASB report, which I have two things to discuss. Seedall report. Do we have we have some seed doll updates? >> Uh we'll review uh future agenda items. We do have uh an executive session after uh all this is done. Uh we'll go into executive session and I'll give the reasons at at that point in time, but we'll have no action as we come out of executive session. So um bear with us on that. Okay. So back to the top under communication, we have invitation for public comment. And we have a number of people here listed. So, let's start with Jake Schulman. >> Camera turns to podium. Jake Schulman approaches the podium. >> And just a reminder, we have uh three minutes.

004And we have this new fancy timer up here so you can sort of get a uh idea of where you are in your in your status. So, thank you very much. >> Does it just start when I start? >> Just start. Yeah. >> Cool. >> So, my name is Jake Schulman. I was a 2019 BHS graduate. I gradu graduated from Indiana University as an education major. I then received my MBA from Northern Illinois University. And since I've left this district, quite a bit has changed. The part of the story that my brain is fixated on for whatever reason is where you allowed an 18-year-old male adult legal male with a penis to change in the girls locker room, forcing the girls to strip in his presence against their will. This is systematic sexual harassment and

005blatant sex discrimination. And you, the school board, have stabbed the girls in the back in the name of liberalism. Fake liberalism. You pretend to be sweet men and women, but your actions show the truth. You brainwash and manipulate the students into accepting this violation under the guise of tolerance. The girls will never forget this betrayal. Our community will never forget how you silence their voices, labeling them transphobic, regressive, close-minded, and bad for daring to speak for their well-being and safety. Despicable. It's despicable. Sexually perverted and sick. You sacrificed their well-being to push a narrative that mainstreams mental disease. And we are thwarting the spread of social contagion through reestablishing civil rights in this school which have been illegally and obviously eroded. Your board is crumbling under the weight of your failures. Lisa Hessle was forced

006to resign. One down, more to go. We are coming for you legally, nonviolently, but we're coming for you. The laws violated by the district for which we as community members can indeed sue in a civil class action suit are as follows. Sexual harassment and sexbased discrimination under title 9 of the education amendments of 1972. Federal law. Sex discrimination under the 14th amendment's equal protection clause of the US Constitution. Federal law. Sex discrimination and sexual harassment under the Illinois Human Rights Act. State law. Failure to prevent harassment under the Illinois School Code. State law, retaliation against the students, violating title 9 and the first amendment of the US Constitution, federal law, violation of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, protect students with disabilities from discrimination and psychological torment, federal law, violation of the Illinois

007Mental Health and and Developmental Disabilities Code. A violation of the Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence and Higher Education Act. momentary pause >> and sex discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, born out of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, which has been completely flipped on its head. >> Momentary pause. >> And if we members of this community, negligently and lazily do not launch a civil class action suit, we have failed. The ball is on our side of the court. Furthermore, I have communicated with the FBI. They are aware of the situation. They know names. This is not a joke. The FBI is looking into this malpractice and vicious sexual perversion and psychological torment and manipulation. >> You're three minutes. >> One down. More to go legally, nonviolently. >> Thank you. >> Uh Jill Giovanetti.

008Thank you. >> Jill Giovanetti approaches the podium. Hi. Uh, my name is Jill Giovanetti. I'm a TA in the special services department at Libertyville High School and also a parent of two Libertyville students. TA positions in district 128 are currently understaffed, which leaves us unable to provide services and supports to students that the school is legally obligated to provide. We're understaffed because the administration refuses to recognize the value TAs bring to the school. They refuse to pay us a competitive wage. Area high schools such as Lake Forest, Mundeline, and Warren to name a few, all have higher starting pay rates than Libertyville does. How are we expected to stay fully staffed when applicants can drive an extra 15 minutes and earn more? Instead of raising rates to be competitive with the market and attract qualified

009applicants, the district administration has decided to use a temp agency to fill vacant positions. This is in direct violation of the ESP union contract, which includes TAS as members. The contract states that the union will be recognized as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment for full-time and part-time educational support personnel employees of district 128. Not only is this in violation of our contract, it's a slap in the face of every TA currently working in this district. We've been told time and again that they can't afford to raise our wages, yet they turn around and offer TAs hired through the temp agency um up to 30% more than the starting rate for regular firstear TAs employed directly through the school. What sense does it make to compensate

010temps who have no loyalty to the school, no motivation to build relationships with students at a higher rate than people who have been showing up day after day, year after year to support our schools. And that's exactly what we TAS do. We show up through remote learning during COVID for students who others have given up on before school, after school, even over summer break. We show up for some of the most vulnerable students in our schools. Let me be clear when I say that we currently have the most dedicated, caring, and qualified staff working at Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools. You won't find people willing to do more to support our students academically, socially, and emotionally. We work with them in the classrooms, at clubs, and activities. But right now, we are unsupported, disrespected,

011and unheard. I hope you will think about everything you've just heard and realize how important not only TAs, but all support staff are. The district can't function without us. And it's time that we receive the respect and recognition that we deserve. That starts with following the contract and not using temp agencies to fill union protected jobs. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Andy Kimmel. >> Andy Kimmel approaches the podium. [Music] >> Hi, I'm Andy Kimmel, a resident of the district 128 for over three decades now. At a recent committee meeting, I was grateful to have the chance to speak in favor of the district's gender support guidelines and related laws and policies promoting acceptance of all students. It was the first time in all those years of living around here that I felt the need to

012speak to the board. But I fel I found that my morals, ethics, and religion compelled me then and now to speak out on behalf of the oppressed. My faith calls me to make people feel included, not excluded. And I believe that create creates better schools and communities for all of us. At that meeting, I heard from many neighbors who share concerns about the treatment of students from diverse backgrounds or with different gender identities. Tonight, I'd also like to voice my support for the district's public comment policy. Three minutes per person is a legal and reasonable limit. It allows the board to hear what the public has to say without allowing one person to try to hijack the proceedings. Some speakers consistently ignore your rules and greatly exceed the time limit, seemingly to push their own

013political ambitions. They showed disrespect for the board and for their fellow citizens. It's only fair and just to switch off their microphone after three minutes. had nothing to do with what they were talking about, everything to do with them not following the rules. Please know that I appreciate the work you do as publicminded neighbors guiding our school district. I back your efforts to support all of our students, showing them how celebrating diversity benefits us all. Thank you. Thank you. >> Suzanne Newman approaches the podium. [Music] >> Hi, my name is Suzanne Newman. I have lived in and paid taxes to District 128 for over 30 years. I know there's an open board seat, so I researched qualities that make for an effective board member. Here's what the 6,000 members of the Illinois Association of School

014Boards said in a March 2025 survey. The most important reason voters elected them was for their knowledge and experience. They were chosen because voters believed they would represent all citizens of the district and their most important motivation for running was valuing public education. They also described the characteristics of effective board members. A thoughtful and deliberative approach to the position, a constructive attitude toward teamwork, a willingness to work to be well-informed about local, state, national, and global education. an ability to represent the entire community, not special special interest or partisan political groups, and an open-minded and respectful temperament to respond to challenging events. What we do not need is a candidate who cannot accept that voters rejected their far-right anti-American politics as recently as April 2025. who is a local spokesperson for a Florida-based extremist group

015with the mission to undermine public education and which follows the playbook of 1950s anti-Ivil rights groups who shares on their social media accounts Tik Toks from extremist groups who have threatened violence against our community and our schools or one who claims to speak authoritatively. on educational and constitutional law when their expertise lies elsewhere. I support your mission to give our kids an education that prepares them to meet the challenges of the future. No one benefits when we look to repeat the mistakes of the past. Thank you. Thank you. Karen, I think it's >> Karen O'Hare approaches the podium. >> Um, hello. My name Can you hear me? My name is Karen O'Hare. I've lived in district 128 since moving to Libertyville in 1989 with my husband Pat and daughter Ellen. Ellen graduated from Libertyville Libertyville

016High School in 2001. Her passion was music and she played cello in the LHS orchestra. After graduation, Ellen studied music at Depal University and music therapy at the University of Kansas. She now owns and operates a music therapy business. Her education and experiences at LHS helped her not only to explore and develop her interest in music, but to become the creative, compassionate, and open-minded person she is today. I believe that all students at LHS should have the same opportunity my daughter had to obtain a top-notch education and to explore their interests and passions without experiencing roadblocks or being excluded from opportunities to learn, grow, and express themselves. I strongly believe we should endeavor to create a learning environment where all our students feel respected, supported, and encouraged. We should not allow prejudice based on race,

017ethnicity, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity to hamper the opportunities and self-expression of our students. I am disappointed that some parents in our district think that discrimination is okay as long as it's directed at transgender students. Someone close to me is a is transgender and I know the difficulties they they have encountered in trying to simply live their authentic life. Something many of us take for granted. We have an opportunity to open our minds and hearts to transgender individuals and and ensure that at the very least we provide a supportive public education experience. I support District 128's gender support guidelines and I encourage the administration and the board to continue in accordance with Illinois law to uphold the rights of transgender students. Thank you. Thank you, Crystal Larson. >> Crystal Larson approaches the

018podium. [Music] >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Crystal Larson and I'm the executive director for the LGBTQ Center Lake County. My spouse is a proud LHS grad of 1993, and I'm pleased to say that she once even got me to cheer against my alma mater, Carmel High School, at a cross town game. However, that's not why I'm here tonight. I'm here simply to say thank you. Serving in public office is something I'm quite familiar with. As an elected public servant of 8 years, I've sat where you sit tonight, and I know intimately the sacrifices you all make in order to serve your community. But allow me to acknowledge the result of your sacrifices has been no less than spectacular. Under your combined leadership and building on the leadership of your predecessors, you

019have two of the best schools in the state of Illinois. No small achievement. I congratulate you on that success. Now, I know we've all heard recent and ongoing arguments about the inclusion of transgender girls in bathrooms, locker rooms, and team sports, and how that's leading to the downfall of the quality of education in your schools. But I ask you plainly and simply to consider this one question. If allowing transgender girls to fully participate as the gender they know themselves to be is so damaging to the education of the students here, how is it that both D128 schools are ranked above more than 23 other national schools, many of which exist in states that ban trans students from existing. I know there's pressure from the community to end these practices, citing executive orders and elected mandates

020and court cases that have little or no impact here in Illinois. Yes, there are concerns about federal funding, but as I hear from numerous sources, as long as Illinois maintains their sovereign right to protect marginalized people, that funding is going to be withheld anyway. The decision about bathrooms and track teams and prom queens isn't going to change that outcome. And quite frankly, making any decision to deny those rights to students would likely violate Illinois law. So, do you think removing transincclusion will improve overall educational outcomes? Probably not. Will it change individual students lives? Absolutely. I'm certain of that and not for the better. So, tonight I urge you continue to follow your highly successful strategic plan and continue your work towards a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture. one where girls, including transgender girls, don't

021have a reason to fear who's next to them in a bathroom or on a sports team. They're simply accepted as equals alongside people of all all genders. And finally, I'd like to thank you for inviting my organization into both of your schools last year so that students had the opportunity to talk with me about what we could do to help educate and advocate for the LGBTQ community. I hope you can afford me that opportunity once again to be a resource and continue a strong partnership. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Michelle, is it Garrett? Thank you. >> Michelle Garrett approaches the podium. >> Hello, I'm Michelle Garheim. I'm a taxpayer and a uh parent of a daughter here at B. I'm choosing to speak this evening to show my support for the current board of education

022and teachers of this district based on conduct of some community members over the past year. I'm appalled by some of the behaviors of the members of this community. For those that are not aware, select members of this community have chosen to share board member names on national social media pages as well as curriculum. In addition, district address, the district address and contact information has been shared, encouraging people outside our community to contact the district and tagging highranking members of the federal government. I think everyone in our community is aware of the discord in this country. I do not think that D128 is immune. So, I question the motives of these behaviors. What why attempt to bring this kind of attention to our community? What are you trying to gain? These behaviors could potentially put the

023safety of our community at risk, our kids, our teachers, our administration, and our elected officials. I feel the need to remind everyone these are kids. Sometimes home is not a safe space for them for a variety of reasons. I I absolutely believe that school should be. I do not believe D128 is grooming our children. I believe that they are providing vetted factual resources for the kids that have questions and are seeking answers but may not have support at home. Shame on every single one of you. For those not happy with the curriculum, rigor, or culture of D128, moving to this community was a choice. The public school system was a choice. Years ago, I chose this community for the school excellence and diversity. I am from a small town that had virtually no no diversity.

024So I'm profoundly proud of the cultural differences in Vernon Hills. I am proud that Vernon Hills is ranked number 11 in Illinois by US News and World Report 2025. Everyone in this room makes choices every day. Some minor, some life-changing. Everyone has options, so I'll remind those naysayers that staying is a choice, and so is leaving. Lastly, I have an action request for the board based on behaviors from past meetings. I ask the board to consider revising the policy manual for conduct at meetings. I would like the board to consider a measured expulsion of community members that do not conduct themselves with respect and civility per section 830 of D128 policy manual. I also action the board to add provisions related to continue to continue inducements on social media to sue the district and encourage

025bombardment of the district and board members when when they do not agree with current policies. These behaviors disrupt the work of the board, the administration and support staff as well as our teachers which ultimately hinders the excellence the educational experience of our kids. I implore you to make decisions to protect our community and our children. Thank you. Thank you, >> Brandy Gasser approaches the podium. >> Hi. Uh, my name is Brandy Gasser. I am a taxpayer and parent of a future uh, very future uh, Libertyville High School student. Um, I know we've talked a lot today already about the gender support guidelines. I'm here also in support of them. Just a couple of quick facts to put out for kids. Policies like this, this gender support literally save lives. It literally saves lives. LGBTQ in

026a recent study, 12% of LGBTQ students have attempted suicide. When you look at just the trans and non-binary students, 14% of trans and non-binary students have attempted suicide. compared that to 7% of uh their non-LGBTQ peers. Living in an accepting an affirming community reduces the risk of attempted suicide by 50%. That's huge. That's lives saved by having policies like this. Um and as far as you know the whole thing of going behind parents back because the kid doesn't feel safe, that is not an indictment on the school. That is not an indictment on the student. That is an indictment on the parents. Because if a child is that afraid of being their authentic and true self at home, that is a failure on the parent to provide a nurturing environment where they where their child

027knows that their love is unconditional. Because if a child is that afraid to be themselves at home, they must think their child their parents love for them is conditional. And that is not okay. Uh I also grew up uh not from around here. I chose to move here to buy a home in this district to raise my daughter in an environment where she will be accepted no matter what she turns out to be. I grew up in a different state in a different area. It's not easy to live in a place where everyone is the same and being different uh is not only not tolerated but not accepted. I mean it it uh from my high school several students have come out as LGB members of the LGBT community that they only felt safe to

028do so when they were well away from the school environment. And that's sad. That's sad that they had to miss out on years of their life because of intolerance. So, I would just like to reiterate that I support this. This is a great community. This is the reason we moved here and any attempts to change that, you know, Tennessee is building new houses every day if you want an environment like that. Thank you. Uh, Matthew, is it Hickle? Hick Hickey. Okay. >> Matthew Hickeyi approaches the podium. >> Good evening. How are you? >> Good. >> My name is Matthew Hickeyi. I'm a father of a uh proud LHS student. Just want to say that public schools are one of our most vital public institutions. They bring together our children and all of us from every

029neighborhood, family, and belief into a shared space where we learn not only reading, math, and science, but to live together as fellow citizens. That's the public part of public education, the charge of public education. This mission is more important than ever. Public schools are uniquely positioned to build bridges of understanding, not only among students, but across generations. As today's childrens grow into tomorrow's parents, our neighbors, and our community leaders, when children learn the history, struggles, and contributions of people different from themselves across lines of race, religion, gender, heritage, and orientation, and ability. They develop empathy, critical thinking, and the resilience needed to live in a diverse democracy. Illinois re Illinois law reflects this civic vision. The Illinois inclusive curriculum law ensures that all individuals and their contributions are part of our shared story, giving students

030a fuller, more accurate understanding of our society without requiring anyone to abandon their beliefs. Inclusive classrooms foster belonging, improve well-being, and reduce bullying and harassment, especially for LGBTQ LGBTQ plus youth and children with special needs. This is about more than curriculum. It's about creating safe, respectful, equitable schools for every child. To fulfill the promise of public education, we must invest in this work, training educators, strengthening curricula, supporting marginalized students, and measuring progress while standing firm against the efforts to roll back inclusion and weaken those hard fought for protections. Inclusion is not a luxury. Inclusion is not a political favor. It's not a voting block. Inclusion is the foundation of a fair public school system and the key to a strong representative civil society. By supporting public schools where children learn what connects us, they gain

031the tools to navigate differences to practice building solutions together. And we help our communities in doing this by supporting our schools, to help our D7, our D128 communities go stronger, more just, and more united. And in doing that, and controlling what we can control and working at the local level, we move closer to the promise of our nation's founding. Out of many, one for today and generations to come. Thank you. Thank you, >> Joel Kreller approaches the podium. >> Hello, my name is Joel Krelller. I'm a mom here in Libertyville. I have three daughters. I'm I'm here today to focus on one thing. One thing being that we are being told that DEI and the gender support guidelines are somehow a liberal agenda. They are somehow expensive. They are somehow led by this corrupt agenda.

032Both of these policies have been in place since 2016. They're not new. We're not newly deciding to treat trans kids with respect. We're not newly deciding that we should have inclusion and equity and diversity. These policies have been here since 2016. What is new is the fear-mongering, the radical fabrications, the radical distractions which are here to divide us, stir us up, and create fear. Perfect example, what we are seeing tonight, what we saw at the last meeting, what we saw at the meeting before. I want to give you a quote from September 13, 2016. A D128 board member named Scott Luch Luck, I don't know how to pronounce it. Give it to me, I don't know, gives the quote, "We are leading on this instead of walking behind. We were at one point leaders in

033our diversity and our inclusion and our equity, and we have been for nine years. Nine years this has been here. Why all of a sudden are we all talking about it again? It's fear-mongering. You're seeing it on the national level. Are trans kids new? No, they are not. They have been here from the beginning. DEI is not an ideology. It is a datadriven response to a documented achievement gap that we're still seeing. >> Momentary pause. >> The last thing that I want to say, this is a distraction. You guys are doing great. This policy was ahead of its time when it came out in 2016 and it is still here. It is not new. We are not all of a sudden allowing trans individuals into our community and into our locker rooms and into our

034bathrooms. These policies are old. What is new is the attention and the attention is devastating and it's dangerous. >> Momentary pause. >> I'm going to stop there. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, Lena Skavachi, is that right? Sorry, my eyes aren't all that great to try to read this. >> Lena Skuaji approaches the podium. >> Good evening, members of the board and the district 128 community. Um, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Lena Skolachi. I am a math tutor at Vernon Hills High School and this is my eighth year serving in this district. I am here to address the clear and serious violation of our ESP collective bargaining agreement, a document that was negotiated in good faith to protect both the interests of this district and the rights of its

035employees. Our collective bargaining agreement language states that our union is a sole bargaining agent for ESP and that the district agrees not to negotiate with any other organization or employee regarding any matter covered in our contract. On August 7th, 2025, a public posting was made by Deltat Group Incorporated seeking to hire pair professionals within District 128. This posting was made public even before the district posted it to the G128 website, which finally occurred on August 14th. The district made no effort to recruit prospective employees. They could have posted the job publicly on websites like LinkedIn. They could have marketed the job to college students at College of Lake County or even Lake Forest College. The administration could have attended job fairs within Lake County to recruit employees. They could have renegotiated our starting rate and

036to help incentivize future employees. Instead, the district did not take any of these actions, but rather decided to use taxpayer dollars to fund Delta TR and knowingly violate our contract. We understand staffing challenges. We are a part of the solution every day. However, bypassing our agreement and outsourcing positions at a higher rate is both fisc fiscally irresponsible and disrespectful to those of us who have chosen to dedicate our time to serving the district's most highest need students. Besides the direct violation of our contract, the district is willing to pay a starting rate of up to $27 an hour. This is $6.40 40 cents higher than our negotiated starting rate. This starting rate is 31% higher that than the starting rate that was negotiated in good faith and 15% higher than my current rate with this

037being my eighth school year in the district. How are we to interpret this move other than as a message that temporary workers are worth more than the dedicated, loyal, and experienced staff who are invested in our students and schools. It's demoralizing. It undermines morale. And frankly, it sends the wrong message to our students and our community that commitment and professionalism are worth less than the quick fix. >> Excuse me. Your 3 minutes is up. Can you wrap up? >> Yeah. Um, violating our contract is not just a legal issue. It's a matter of trust. We urge you to take immediate steps to correct this and recommmit to supporting the people who show up every day, not for $27 an hour, but for the love of this work and the belief in what public education should

038stand for. >> Thank you, Barney Navaro. Marne Navaro approaches the podium. Good evening. I am Marne Navaro, District 128 taxpayer, lawyer, and incoming parent. I speak for myself. Despite the coordinated and personal attacks here tonight, this is about policy and safety. These are not radical exaggerations or fear-mongering. This happened. District 128 does not deny that this happened. Three parents of the girls in the locker rooms have spoken thus far. This happened. I've previously spoken about District 128's unlawful gender support guidelines and how under the guidelines, this administration permitted two, not one, males to walk in with no warning and observe the minor girls indisposed and changing and ultimately to adversely possess the LHS girls locker room for a semester and displace a dozen or more minor girls. Because the district won't a answer the parents

039questions, I recently issued a FOYA to request among others the administrative guidelines underlying the policy. This community will not be surprised to hear that District 1228's response was predictably incomplete. First, Mr. Kelly, the District 128 FOY officer, denied numerous of my valid requests. This is par for the course. Hide the ball from the parents, community, and taxpayers. Second, what little was provided confirms that there is absolutely no objective criteria or process by which district 128 decides to grant or deny a GSP for use of opposite sex bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports. No objective criteria such as a medical or psychological diagnosis of gender dysphoria. No requirement of legal name change. No requirement that someone consistently present as the opposite sex over an extended period of time. No requirement of parental advanced notice or consent. It's

040completely arbitrary self-identification that can vary by the day and hour. District 128 also refused to answer how many GSPs have been requested and granted. If District 128 is so confident that their policy is safe and legally sound, why won't they answer these simple questions? The response also confirms what we already knew, that the parents were afforded no advanced notice that biological men would be using the LHS girls locker room. Instead, after the fact, they sent an email that if someone desires more privacy, they can relocate to alternate facilities. That flips logic on its head and puts the burden on the girls and the parents to opt their girls out of the locker room without any advanced notice. They need to because they have not been warned that biological males have access to the private spaces.

041District 128 has genderneutral facilities at both campuses. Why would those few alleged but not diagnosed trans students not be required to use those facilities so all students can be safe and not risk feeling surprised, frightened, traumatized, or leared at? Why do you think that one or two individuals have greater rights than our 1580 girls? They also refuse to answer who makes the GSP determinations and what are their alleged qualifications? How do you think it's appropriate for a public school with unnamed individuals in charge of making determinations with no objective criteria, no disclosed specialized training to socially gender transition a student without advanced parental knowledge and consent? It's hard to imagine a more blatant assault on the primacy of parental rights. Board members, follow course with your competent and biggest feeder districts, District 70 and District

04273, and follow federal law and Title 9 and protect all our students and tax dollars. Thank you very much. [Applause] Uh, Rebecca Gables. >> Rebecca Gables approaches the podium. >> Good evening. My name is Rebecca Gables and I am the parent of two recent Libertyville High School graduates. Thank you to the teachers, staff, administrators, and members of the board for your hard work. I feel very fortunate that our kids attended schools with such excellent, caring, and supportive staff and volunteers. Although the incident last year where a trans student entered a girl's locker room has stirred emotions from a small group of parents, I am not convinced the student body as a whole feels the same way. After hearing about the concerns at a board meeting last year, I asked my daughter, who was a senior

043at the time, what had happened. She had told me she hadn't heard about it and it never came up afterwards either. For context, she had assigned seating in her classes and interacted with a wide variety of students daily. I asked her how quickly she usually heard about major events and she said usually within a day or two. I don't want to diminish any students feelings because I can understand how the situation would be disconcerting, but the fact that she only heard about this from me and not from her peers suggest it wasn't a major concern among students themselves. Second, I've noticed that some of the same individuals raising this incident also bring up declining test scores and the need for rigor. I agree academics are important. Our high schools consistently rank among the top 25

044in Illinois. And while the test scores have declined, that's a national trend, not unique to our district. Instead of rehashing an incident from a year ago, I believe it would be more productive to focus our energy on supporting teachers and administrators in their core mission, education, and on working together as a community to address the broader challenges affecting academic performance. I hope as a community we can focus on the future, working together to ensure that all of our students continue to thrive. Thank you. >> Thank you. And we appreciate everyone that comes to uh speak to the board. I will ask if there's anyone else that would like to address the board at this time. John >> John Hetszel approaches podium. >> Good evening. John Hetszel. As mentioned before, I have two daughters in the

045school district. Last uh meeting two weeks ago, I said that flag represents liberty and justice for all. And it does. I don't think there's anybody in this room that doesn't feel that everyone deserves a fair and equal um existence in this school district. The problem is is that there are people and narratives that are being put out there that want to elevate subgroups above others. And as having daughters that are 15 and 17, personally, I'm not comfortable with boys being in the girls locker room. I think that's inappropriate. There are genderneutral bathrooms that they can change in, especially if it's just one or two students. They're not being segregated. it's just not biologically possible to do what you're saying because it's just science. So, at the end of the day, I think we need to

046be more balanced in what we're doing here. Um, there seems to be about 30 people in this room that continue to be a posi that continue to have smear campaigns against people and all we're trying to do is say that we need to have a balanced school district where everybody is treated the same, which they are, live and let live. and somebody who commented a little while ago about a threeminute law. That's not true. Um Jim Batson, Lisa Hustle, you go back and look at board meetings prior to 2020, they let people go on for five or 10 minutes. So why are they now not allowing that? Because it's a rule. It's not a law. So, we just need to be sure that we're being very equal in how we handle all the students in

047this school and not elevate certain subgroups above others. And it is true if you do look at the test scores and whether it's a national average or not, the brown, the black sped, IEP, and white students test scores have gone backwards the last five years. the Asian and Indian population and Indians consider themselves Asians um has helped sustain our high ranking but the other scores have gone backwards and we've had a policy now for five years that doesn't even list academics in it. So that mission statement you've got to look at that and say well that's not really working. Maybe we need to look at things and try to fix what's broken because there are some broken things in the district. As far as the GSP goes I don't think anybody has any problem. The

048students don't have a problem with the trans kid even though we no longer have a dress code anymore because the trans kids in particular the boys trans wear shorts and fishnetss and their scrotums are hanging out in the classroom. That's inappropriate. That's all I'm going to say about the matter. I just think we need to have a lot of balance and get back to the basics here in this district. [Applause] >> Anybody else wish to speak? Please, >> Jennifer Rich approaches the podium. >> Good evening. Uh, my name is Jennifer Rich. As always, thank you for taking time away for your from your own lives and families for the benefit of our kids and our community. I know on many days lately that can't be an easy choice. I particularly want to express my deepest

049thanks to Lisa Hessle who de devoted six years of her life to our schools. I know some people in this community didn't agree with some of her positions on things. I for one appreciated the thoughtfulness that she seemed to bring to those positions. I hope she has wonderful things planned for the personal time she's getting back as a private citizen. As you gear up to select her replacement, I thought I'd share what I would be looking for as someone who has had students at LHS for the past five years with three more years to go. First, someone who really listens to kids. They are brilliant and have I'm looking at you guys and have so many of the answers that we are looking for and I don't think we listen to you guys enough. Second,

050someone who recognizes all that is great about our schools. It's weird as a parent to sometimes hear folks in the community describing our schools in ways that don't actually reflect the great experiences that my kids and their friends have every day in their classrooms and also in the theater and the lunchroom and the library and the softball field and the football field. And finally, someone who is measured in the face of uncertainty. No matter what you think about what's going on in this country right now, I think we can all agree that we're in for some rocky times. A steady hand matters now more than ever. These are things that may not show up on a traditional resume, but these are not traditional times. I urge you to be thoughtful about your choice. Thank you.

051Thank you. Anybody else? >> Okay, we'll move on. Um, next up is our student school board rep. So, listening to our students, here we go. Olivia Bush. >> Okay. Um, hello. Good evening, members of the board. I'm Olivia Bush. So, my report is going to be centered around a theme that remains at the core of our school community, which is school support. In recent weeks, a number of issues have surfaced that highlight the importance of ensuring students feel seen, valued, and protected within our schools. Students who identify as Jewish or Hindu have shared that their religious holidays are often overlooked in the academic calendar. One student, Noah Scop, senior, explained that it's hard to celebrate fully when I'm worried about missing assignment or tests. Another reflected, "Sometimes it feels like my holiday isn't seen as

052important as others, which can be isolating." Others suggest that meaningful recognition can be simple but impactful. By recognizing the diversity of our student body, the district can send a clear message that all cultures and traditions are valued. Our school's participation in the Yellow Ribbon program reflects an ongoing commitment to suicide prevention and student mental health. During the program, student leaders organized awareness activities, distributed yellow ribbon cards with crisis hotline, crisis hotline numbers, and facilitated classroom discussions within uh our daily bulletin, and others encouraged open dialogue. As one student noted, it made easier it made easier to reach out for help, while others shared that talking about suicide prevention openly makes it less scary. Programs such such as the real ribbon are essential in reducing stigma and ensuring that students know help is available. The recent

053school shootings in Colorado and Minneapolis, along with the assassination of Charlie Kirk, has left many students unsettled and concerned. One student noted, "These events feel normalized. I didn't feel less safe, but it shows how shootings are brushed off in our society, which is not okay." Others valued the school's response, saying, "I thought Dr. Young's message was very appropriate, mature, neutral, and reassuring. Statements like this help put students minds at ease while keeping us informed." This type of proactive and empathetic leadership sends a powerful message that our students voices, fears, and well-being matter deeply. Thank you, [Applause] >> Anukica Talleti. >> Good evening. My name is Anukica Tati and I'm really excited to share how VHS has been impacting the school and local community. Within the school, the VHS community community liaison, Miss Prada, and Dare

054to Empower adviser, Mrs. Rash, have been working to coordinate a community closet stocked with supplies students can readily access. Mrs. Rash said that for a while, we have known there was a need for this closet based on different requests our students have had, and we want to be able to help them with things they need with their privacy emphasized. People from the community have also offered to donate things like toiletries. Mrs. Rash mentioned how Dare to Empower plans to collect donations at their meetings. This project will allow VHS to involve both community members and students by accepting donations to stock this closet and provide for this amazing initiative that will support so many students. Another exciting upcoming event that was proposed by junior Mera Davaluri to the Future Medical Professionals of America Club is a

055CPR certification class at BHS. This class is already open to students for registration and will provide certifications to students in two sessions, equipping them with an important skill that will not only enable them to gain positions outside of school, such as being a lifeguard or in internships related to healthcare, but it can also help them save lives. Out in the local community, senior Cavia Romesh, among many other VHS students, has been volunteering at hospitals to gain exposure to healthcare and experience interacting with patients. Kavia shared how volunteering at Advocate Condell has been meaningful to her because she supports patients and their families during stressful times and as a result she has gained stronger communication skills and deepened her perspective. For VHS students, volunteering at institutions like hospitals not only allows them to help those they

056volunteer with, but they also gain valuable experiences and life skills. In conclusion, students at VHS are change makers and constantly work to help BHS and the local community with the help of staff. often even coming up with new and innovative ways through which to do so. Thank you so much. >> Ashvar Ramesh. >> Hello, my name is Ashra Mesh and my report this week will continue to focus on student perspectives. I'll specifically be talking about school spirit and programming as well as academic support for standardized testing. Homecoming week was a success for VHS students. Senior Clare Troy described it as extremely good, highlighting the strong participation in the school activities and spirit days. At the same time, she pointed out areas for improvements with the dance itself, stating the additional activities would have improved the

057day. Christine Lee noted how there quote wasn't much needing to change with the dance, mentioning her appreciation for the inclusion of ice cream and a cooling fan in the room. Ryan Jen noted long lines at photo stations since there were just two available while Annabelle Lapjoy reviewed the overall programming as positive but would have liked to see the forward decorations expand on all the VHS campus floors. Together these perspectives show that the overall positive state of school spirit is continuing and the programming is going well at Vern Hills High School. Moving on to academics, many students expressed the need for improved standardized testing services. Audit Nike, a senior, shared that while grammar topics were occasionally covered in English classes like AP Lang, dedicating more time to the ACT and SAT tips would yield higher results.

058As an art tutor himself, he expressed interest in the school recruiting additional adult tutors focused specifically on test prep and holding practice sessions over the summer or during the school year. Since many students like Audit currently rely on private tutoring to attain their high scores, it's important that all students have a level playing field. Overall, many students were excited and satisfied with the latest school events while also stressing the importance of practical academic resources. In the coming weeks, I'll continue to investigate and survey even more students on these areas of improvements. Thank you, >> Andy Trobe. >> Good evening, everyone. Um, as you may know, September is suicide prevention month and I'm honored to begin our report by sharing how LHS observed and reflected on this important cause. As a member of the senior wellness

059board, which works to promote mental health and build a more positive, supportive school community, I organized a schoolwide yellow out where students and staff wore yellow to show solidarity and raise awareness for suicide prevention. Another meaningful initiative was the staff and students speaker series held during lunch periods. LHS seniors shared their own experiences with mental health challenges and they offer strategies they've learned about seeking help and prioritizing well-being. A personal highlight for me was when my math teacher performed Yellow by Coldplay for link crew groups on the guitar. Our goal throughout these events was to leave every student with a simple but powerful message. You matter. I'd also like to highlight the QPR suicide prevention training that our wellness coordinator Dr. Nelson will lead tomorrow during lunch periods. This training equips students to recognize and

060respond when someone may be in crisis. Overall, LHS is working hard to educate, support, and take meaningful steps in the fight against suicide, and I'm extremely proud of the ways our school community has come together this month. Thank you, >> Ava Gratitor. >> Hello everyone. Good evening. Today, I will be talking about my experience and one of my favorite classes at LHS, outdoor ed. Outdoor is a PE class at LHS that allows students to learn outdoor skills such as shelter building, fire start, and kayaking, and more. My favorite part of the class is the outdoor cooking unit where we learn how to cook full meals over the campfire. This class allows students to spend a class period outdoors, enjoying enjoying the wonderful trails and woods of our school. Recently, outdoor red classes have been picking

061picking up the trash in LHS's outdoor classroom and the woods around LHS's property. While it might sound like a chore to many high schoolers, I speak from personal experience that this chore is a lot more fun than it sounds. My friends and I had so much fun scouring the woods to find trash. From picking up empty bags of chips in open fields to finding stray softballs in the woods behind the practice fields. I can confidently say I have never laughed so much in a gym class. The rest of my class also shared this sentiment. From laughing over old car parts they found to battling burr bushes. I can proudly say we had loads of fun helping clean up LHS and Butler Lake and keeping LHS environmentally healthy. Thank you, >> Ruhi Patil. >> Hi everyone.

062Lastly, we ended the month with a bang by celebrating homecoming. The excitement started a week before the dance when student council decorated our hallways in black and orange and clubs and sports painted the windows of downtown businesses for the theme passport to paradise. The energy continued with spirit days over the week, but Friday was the highlight with our big color war assembly. As a senior, I was decked out in blue, cheering on my class while watching the cheer and dance teams, the teachers performance, the homecoming court videos, and most importantly, the spirit cup competition. That evening, the football team capped out the day by defeating Mundeline. The perfect way to launch into homecoming weekend. Our extracurriculars came together for the parade Saturday morning to show school spirit and support our community. The weekend concluded with

063a dance at 700 p.m. featuring a DJ, a silent disco, and a photo booth. Overall, homecoming was the perfect mix of school spirit, community pride, and memories we'll carry will carry with us long after senior year. Thank you, >> Jim Batson. >> Thank you to all of you. Um, next on the agenda, some foyer requests there for your review. Uh, followed up by the superintendence report. >> Good evening, board of education, members of the community, students. Uh, I am pleased to bring forward our good news report for September 29th. Uh, first, congratulations to our 17 D128 seniors who were recently named 2026 uh, National Merit Semi-finalists. 49 seniors named National Merit commended students and the 126 D128 seniors and juniors named to this year's college board national recognition program. So very proud of uh those

064students. Also, congratulations to Vernon Hills High School senior Samantha Booze Calderon and Love uh Libertyville High School senior Cesaly Hamburg who were named 2025 Daughters of the American Revolution Outstanding Citizenship Award recipients. The award is presented annually to two D128 seniors, one representing each school. The faculty and staff at each school vote for the student who best represents the pillars of D, which are truthfulness and loyalty, cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others, personality, self-control, and responsibility, and an unselfish interest in family, school, community, and nation. We congratulate uh Samantha and Cesaly, >> Jim Badson. >> Okay, thank you very much. Next is our consent vote agenda. Does anyone have something that they would like to um remove from this? >> West Poland. >> Yes. Um I would like to pull 4D from the consent agenda,

065please. The destruction of close session audio recordings. >> Okay. Anybody else? >> Pause for response. >> All right. Uh can we have a motion and a second for the uh remainder of the consent vote agenda? >> Doug Flegal. >> Flegal. I'll make the motion. Austin second. >> Okay. Any further comments, questions? Roll call, please. >> Austin >> I. >> Batson >> I. >> Deshmuk >> I. >> Flegal >> I. >> Codwell >> I. >> Poland I. >> Okay. Motion passes. And then we're going to circle back around for 4D. >> West Poland. >> Yes. I pulled this out because um based upon um a letter that we received in June um from our attorneys, it is their recommendation that we put a pause on destruction or purging of any kind of documents right now. So

066that's why I had the item pulled. Yeah, this is just a a typically a standard every x number of months to go back and and destroy certain older recordings of u close session minutes and whatnot. So, um I think we can we should either not vote or we vote to to make sure that we do not destroy these for legal purposes. >> West Poland, >> right? We have to vote it down because it's on the agenda. Yeah. Okay. Yes. So, can we have a motion and a second? >> Poland. So, moved >> second. >> Okay. >> And just to be clear, we have to vote no. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just from a to >> because of how it's written on the agenda. >> Yeah. >> So, Carol, can we have a uh roll call,

067please? >> Pause for discussion. >> The motion as is. We just pulled it out and we're voting separate. >> Right. So, what's the motion for what you're going to do now? >> Somebody motion is >> Yeah. The motion is to approve the the destruction of close session audio recordings from February 25th, 2024 and March 18th of 2024. >> Pause for note takingaking. >> Yes, that's the motion. >> Dashmuk. >> No. Flegal, >> no. >> Cotwell, >> no. >> Poland, >> no. >> Austin, >> no. >> Okay. Motion does not pass. >> Thank you very much. Um, next up, we have a few action items. Um, this first one, um, Brian, you want to give just a quick background on what happened here? Oversight? >> Yes. In uh the July meeting, which was uh actually two

068meetings back toback at once, we had the um motion uh to approve the resolution, board policy 2125, board member compensation expenses and 560 expenses. We had those in the PMP meeting, reviewed them, and when we carried over right 10 minutes later to the board meeting, it didn't carry over to get approved. And uh when we went back to uh look at that, Carol caught that we um didn't uh actually the board didn't vote on it at the July board meeting. So we really need the board to vote on it. >> Jim Batson. >> Okay. So, we need a motion to approve the resolution to regulate expense reimbursements for board policies 2 col 125 board member compensation expenses and 5 col 60 expenses. >> Desm second. >> Okay. Motion in a second. >> Pause for roll

069call. >> Deshmuk. >> I flegel. >> I codwall. I >> Austin. I batson. I motion passes. Uh we have a um um approval, not an approval but a uh reaffirmation of our uh board governance handbook. This was written a number of years ago and it's expected that we reaffirm this every four years. I will remind the board that it's a living document. So we can make changes to it anytime we want. This just acknowledges that yes, we've read it and and and feel comfortable with what's with with what's in there and but uh you know, as we move forward, we can uh certainly take a look at that and and make any adjustments moving forward. So, this is a motion to reaffirm the board governance handbook as presented. >> Them motion to reaffirm the board

070governance handbook. >> Austin second. >> Okay. Any other questions, comments? >> Roll call, please. Flegal >> I >> Cotwell >> I >> Poland >> I >> Austin >> I >> Batson >> I motion passes employment of employees these are uh a few um additions uh since uh that have arised since the uh committee meetings earlier in the month >> momentary pause >> uh can we have a a motion to approve the employment >> legal motion to approve >> okay >> polling second >> okay any questions or comments Pretty routine. Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Cotwell. >> Hi. >> Poland. >> Hi. >> Austin. >> Hi. >> Batson. >> Hi. >> Dashbook. >> Hi. >> Fleek. >> I. >> Okay. Motion passes. We have a uh uh 2026 VHS graduation agreement. Dan, you have any

071brief >> Dan? Stanley. >> Yeah, this was not a committee. This came in after the FNF committee. And so this is for the graduation for Vernon Hills for this year at Rosemont Theater. Uh the numbers right there. More information is in the description, but it's pretty straightforward. >> Okay. Um, so we need a a motion to approve the agreement with Rosemont Theater for the 2026 DHS graduation in the amount of 44,650. This is a 3.84% increase over the prior year. >> Poland moved with one second. >> Any questions, comments? >> A question. So my question is since this is an annual agreement, is there an opportunity and we know graduation happens every year uh can can we have a 5-year contract or something so that maybe that can help us reduce the costs and the

072inflation adjusted and all those things that in any ways that can help us improve the final costs. Yeah, I would say uh at this point um the graduation at Rosemont is still relatively new to the system and so far it's been under an annual agreement structure. I think in the future we can talk about what that could look like uh in terms of graduation and multi-year agreements. For example, we we do often have multi-year agreements for Libertyville. Um and those are with places that we've been for a very very long time. Uh so those are that's something we can look at. I think that can give us some leverage in terms of negotiating a better price. >> Yeah, this will be year number three at Rosemont. >> That's correct. >> Okay. Um >> Okay, we

073have a motion in a second. Or we can we have a roll call, please? >> Poland >> I. >> Austin, >> I. >> Batson. >> Hi, >> Dashmuk. >> Hi. >> Flegal >> I. >> Cotwell. >> Hi. >> And motion passes. Lastly on the uh these items is the approval for bids for the LHS cafeteria remodeling. Um Dan, maybe a brief >> Dan Stanley. >> Yep. At the committee meeting uh we reviewed uh that there's additional work that we have to do that uh goes beyond the 10% uh threshold for change and requires additional bidding. So you can't just give it to the current trade contractor. You have to go out and bid and get every give everyone a fair chance. And so that was for additional concrete work and acoustical ceiling tiles. Uh so

074we have that information there. We received uh four bids on the concrete, three on the acoustical tiles and the low bid uh for concrete was Shafkus Brothers at 2 261,000 and on the acoustical ceilings uh panels that's with integrated specialty contractors which integrated specialty is the current contractor on site. And so that is a total combined of that bid package award uh for $378,393. >> Jim Batson. >> Okay. So we need a motion to approve the bids for additional work at the LHS cafeteria in amount of $378,393. >> Motion to approve the $378,393 expense for the LHS U cafeteria upgrade. Pull one second. >> Okay. Any questions or comments? >> Pause for roll call. >> Okay. Roll call, please. >> Batson. >> I. >> Deshmuk. >> Hi. >> Flegal. >> I. >> Cotwell. >> Hi.

075>> Poland. >> I. >> Austin. >> I. >> Okay. Motion passes. We have a fewformational items here. A quick uh summer school 2025 annual report. >> Tom Gentes. I just want to introduce um Ben Rodriguez, District 128 director of college and curriculum postsecondary um explorations and uh Amy Wiggins who is our uh was a former librarian at Libertyville High School and now is a team leader at Libertyville High School. Uh Ben served as summer school principal this summer and Amy served as an assistant principal. Um the other person who was unable to attend this evening is Dr. Debbie Beagle who was one of our assistant principles for summer school. Every year we give the board a quick um summer school report just to share with you um all of the events that occurred during the

076summer. Um, as you know, we have a first semester, a second semester, and then a third semester, which is our summer school. So, Ben and Amy are here tonight to share with uh the board and the community um a summary of our summer school report for the summer of 2025. >> Ben Rodriguez. >> Thank you, Tom. Good evening. I'm passing it to Amy right away. Yeah, >> Amy Wiggins. >> Gonna get started here for tonight. So, good evening everyone. Thanks for having us here. >> Pause for slide. >> There we go. Okay. So, first of all, we want to do just a quick overview of our summer school courses that were taught in person this summer. You'll see that we have a variety of different academic departments that are represented. And we also have a

077number of special services programs that Ben will speak about a little bit more here coming up in our presentation. All of these courses were taught by a certified educator, many of whom are our D128 staff members. Our second slide for the night looks at our one online learning course that we had. We did partner with Imagine Learning in order to offer a chemistry class this summer. That chemistry class had 12 students enrolled. We were hoping to offer the chemistry class in person. However, we could not secure a chemistry teacher neither from our district or outside of the district. So, we partnered with Imagine Learning in order to offer that for our students. It was taught by an Illinois certified educator and that certified educator supported our students throughout the summer, not only with their work,

078but also through those computer-based modules in order to get through the class. Looking at our enrollment data. So, first, this first snapshot shows by person, and it's broken down by our Libertyville students, our Vernon Hill students, and then also by the different programs and services that we offered. You'll see we had a total of 416 students this summer who participated and most of those 404 were in our in-person courses. Then if you look at the next slide, you'll see our enrollment data that's broken down by actual course enrollments. So students who took multiple courses, meaning they took a course in both June and July are counted twice. And we do see that slight increase over the past three years with continually more students enrolling in our summer school program each year. Ben Rodriguez. >> Thank

079you. Uh we also have for you a variety of demographic data to show how all students of different backgrounds and abilities are having access to our summer school programs. Um just like we do during our school year programs. Uh we also wanted to share our credits earned for students. You can see right there uh that initial credits earned um are the majority amount of credits being earned by our students in all of our programs whether it's initial credit um oversee overtaking credit recovery and repeat replace types of credit programs. Uh also we have a grade report. You can see that 90% of students in in-person courses are earning A's and B's. Uh that's a slight increase from last year which was at 89% and you'll see that 100% of our students in driver's education received

080an A. um which is an increase from last year as well. Um moving on to our special services programs, uh we have a variety of academic, functional uh and transitional programming to support students with IEPs uh who uh for those IEPs whose call for these kind of services. So we offer programs such as ISSA, incoming student success academy, student success academy plus for students in upper levels, uh the educational life skills academy, transition pathways academy and vocational work sites. So a variety of programs supporting students uh with special needs. Uh and you can see the numbers right there in terms of enrollment. Uh uh you can see that the total number of students uh enrolled in these programs was 47. That's about 50% of the number of students who were invited. So we invited about

081double that amount uh to come to these programs. Uh the the thinking behind why about half of the students aren't attending is that co-taught programs the increase of co-eing during the school year is helping students act get access to that high level programming that helps them get out of special education services. Um that's the thinking behind those numbers. I'm moving on to financials and future planning. Uh you can see right here an overview a snapshot of the financials for summer school. uh you'll see that uh these numbers the deficit it has in decreased uh uh from last year to this past school year. Um a lot of that we can owe to the uh the the price increase for initial credit. So in 2024 it was $200 for an initial credit, $100 for repeat and

082replace and zero for credit recovery. In 2025 it was $300 for initial credit, 150 for repeat and replace and still zero for the credit recovery. Uh we foresee another uh price increase for summer 2026 uh with 400 for the initial credit, 200 for repeat and replace and zero for credit recovery. Uh the reason for these price increases is to stay uh in in line with how other districts are servicing their summer schools and also to ensure that we're um being financially responsible with the the funding. Um one of the items that we are looking to review is the transportation fees which does not seem to be covering that cost um over multiple years. I'm now going to pass it over to Amy to talk about what was new uh for 2025. >> Amy Wiggins. >>

083Thank you. Yes. So, three things that were new for 2025 that we can celebrate. So, first of all, we did change the way we modify and take our attendance throughout the summer school day. We now take attendance in half-day increments. This not only supported our students summer school attendance, but it also supported their academic success in their classes and their safety and well-being. So, what was a little bit different this summer is we asked our teachers to take attendance twice during summer school. They took it first at 8:15 a.m. in the morning. That was for block 1 when students arrived for their day. And then in the middle of the day, students have a 20 minute break. We asked teachers to take attendance again at 10:40 when students returned from that break just to make

084sure again that we were supporting our students that we knew where they were that they were successful in their classes and that we could again follow our attendance policy but make sure that we were doing everything possible in order to make our students successful. The second thing we changed for this summer was for our e students. So we changed the name a little bit and the course requirement. We now had adventures in English and we also had some summer club experiences where they could practice their English speaking skills in real world environments. We also added an EL aid to our classes in order to support our teachers and our students during that summer school program. Some of those experiences they had outside of D128 is they went to places like Feed My Starving Children, Bernie's

085Bookbank, Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry in order to further their learning. And then the third thing we'd like to highlight is this year was the first time we ever had a summer school snack bar. And I'd like to give a very sincere and heartfelt thank you to Quest, to our board of education, and to our district administration for making this happen and to ensure that all of our students has access to food during their summer school program throughout the summer. This absolutely fulfilled a need and that we had in our summer school program and helped our students be successful. So, our summer school snack bar was open twice. It was open before school and then it was also open during our break and it was absolutely always packed during the break.

086I mean we had lines for very far with students getting their snacks during that break because this year we only offered snacks. We had things like muffins and chips and candy and bagels and cream cheese. It was very successful but we would like to do more looking ahead for the future. So for our last slide I'll turn it over to Ben who will talk about the future. >> Ben Rodriguez. >> Yes. So on the notion of food, uh we asked students about their uh feedback for the snack bar and the resounding feedback was they want more. Uh and so uh we are exploring the expansion of snack bar services to potentially include full meal options. So like a grill with a hamburger, pizza, those kind of things uh to give students access to those kind

087of food items. Um, also in that in that same vein of looking at adventures in English, we're working to expand exploration opportunities for students in summer school. Uh, whether that's new courses, new programs, we're exploring opportunities in field ecology, theater, test preparation for standardized tests, trying to support students in a variety of exploration and preparatory pursuits over summer school. Uh, we are also assessing the need for a summer social worker to support uh, students and family needs. uh we know we want to help continue to provide the best support for students uh regardless of the time of the year when they're working in our schools and so we're evaluating that need right now and of course we're continue to improve our collaborative process with all our different schools knowing that summer school welcomes students from

088across the district. Um so we will now open it up for questions and to thank you for your time >> Jim Badson. >> Any questions? Thank you. the the terrific report and it's great to see the growth and the the success of the the summer program. I think it's a really important program for many students and um thank you for your your efforts on their behalf. >> West Poland, >> I just have a couple questions. Um how are the courses that are offered determined because I know that you said that you're working to expand. So, how do you make that determination? >> Ben Rodriguez. >> Good question. Yeah. So that starts with uh uh the different departments at our schools analyzing their offerings and trying to see which offerings make the most sense over summer.

089Um so there's a variety of considerations with that whether are which offerings will have be likely enough to run in summer. Is there student interest in those offerings? Um that's one factor. One factor that we're trying to raise as well is that could summer be a testing grounds to see to see and ask hey this might be a new program that students might be interested in. let's see if we can run it in summer to see if there's um enough interest to see that that could might happen in the during the regular school year as well. So there's a variety of things. >> Um >> the process um >> process is that courses that would run in summer get proposed in the spring of the year before. >> Okay. >> So spring of 25 they

090would have been proposed. Then this fall they're further discussed by our teaching and learning committee and our building leadership teams. And then if approved, they go into the summer school uh program that gets released in December, January for summer of 2026. >> Okay, that it's a great segue into my next question. So, when does registration for summer school begin? >> Ben Rodriguez, >> January. Uh students will talk to their counselors during the course selection season. Um and that's when they typically have those conversations about summer school is with their counselors when they make those course requests for next school year. >> West Poland. >> All right. And then um last question, has there been any um consideration or thought about adding um some classes for incoming freshmen? >> Ben Rodriguez. >> Yes. Uh so that

091is actually one of the areas we're looking to explore uh new options. So this past summer we had a student success workshop that focused on students diagonally moving into uh upper levels. uh that team that led that program is now looking at and seeing is this program actually the program that would be a really great bridge opportunity for freshmen moving into uh whatever class level they're going into at the at the nth grade level. >> Yeah. And the administration has recognized, we have heard uh fairly consistently from parents, a desire for some incoming freshman courses as a way for kids to do a soft start and kind of learn about the high school and get acclimated to the environment as well as to either take some enrichment classes that may lead to like the high

092school offers more electives and opportunities than most of our middle schools are able to offer. This is a way potentially for some incoming freshmen to explore an elective area that may be of interest to them during the summer. Um, and also a way potentially to get on top of some courses that could be ones um that open up electives for them in the regular school year. So, that is something that um our summer school and teaching and learning team are looking very closely at and hope to start to expand in the near future. Yeah, that would be great. My um one of my students who's a sophomore, I enrolled her um at a it's like a fiveday study course um at CLC, but it would be really great if we could offer something like that.

093So, our students are actually coming into our buildings and kind of getting a taste of what it might be like. And that's one of the things we're rethinking because traditionally summer school had some very strict rules around how long the course needed to be and how many weeks it was and how many hours per day. And what our team is looking at are um there's a lot of students who may not necessarily want a course credit but may want an experience. That experience could be a week long or it could be three days. it, you know, just kind of offering students some enrichment experiences that may fall outside of the traditional summer school semesters, but be filling a need or an interest in students. And we're trying to take a fresh look at what we

094offer and um how those programs may attract students and and staff. >> West Poland. >> Right. Great. Thank you so much. >> I have a question. >> Nina Austin, >> you mentioned something about ACT prep. Has that ever been done before through summer school? Ben Rodriguez, >> that is a great Not that I Yeah, I'm getting the No. No. >> No. We have We have um offered ACT or SAT prep during the school year taught by our staff. We have not done it during the summer previously, but as you heard uh students talk about tonight, there is a growing interest by students to have opportunities to develop their um standardized prep or standardized test skills. And one of the things we're looking at is if summer school would be a viable option for that. >>

095Thank you, Rahul. Dash, >> I just had a comment regarding the course selections that it's it's a very robust and elaborate process, but I think it might also help that you may seek some feedback from graduates from the school uh who are in their freshman year in colleges and stuff. they may be able to provide some more unique perspectives from a college perspective uh college side in terms of what would be the more relevant courses that would have helped them to be successful in college. So those type of things I think you should seek out for that perspective as well. >> Pause for discussion. >> Anybody else? >> Tom Gulentzes. >> Just before we finish, Dr. Batson, just want to uh thank our summer school administration. What I want the community to understand is during

096summer, the same needs and um supports that we offer during the school year, students are coming to us in the summer and we have to offer many of those same supports, but we have a fraction of the staff. And so the summer school administration wears all kinds of hats working to support not just our students, but our teachers as well. and our summer school teachers, our summer school administration um did an outstanding job this summer um running our program. And as you see, our numbers continue to increase. Um we also think the programs will continue to increase. The offerings for students in terms of food and things are increasing and that's directly um due to the leadership of the team. >> Jim Badson, >> thank you. >> Okay, great. Great work. Thanks so much. >>

097Momentary pause. Uh moving on. Second item under the uh for information is the employee compensation report. And just a brief I know we discussed this in committee. >> Yeah. Uh this is an annual requirement by state law that uh this information is presented at a board meeting. Uh it's not something you have to take action on or anything. It's it has to be presented and then it'll get posted on our website uh by October 1st. And so >> Okay. Any questions or comments? uh board comments and events. Um I want to start by first of all um acknowledging and and thanking uh Lisa Hessel for her countless hours. Um as you probably all have heard she resigned over the last couple weeks and I wanted to personally thank her for her hours not only um

098on behalf of District 128 but on behalf of education in the region. She's been involved in in other uh education support organizations and really um you know uh has had a very positive impact on on a lot of people in a lot of organizations. So I want to thank her for for her hard work and uh years of service here. Uh but that also leads me to uh so there's a vacancy on the board right now and that application for anyone that's interested in applying there's an application on the website uh we take applications we as a board the board only uh reviews those selects uh finalists interviews and will eventually appoint a uh a board member to fill that role until the next election. Um, so if anyone's interested, uh, you know, feel free

099to to look at that on the website and, uh, complete that, uh, information for us. So that's what I have. >> Nina Austin, >> I'd like to second um, the motion about Lisa Hassel and appreciate all her hard work that she's done and what she's given to D128. Um, I'd also like to say I was at Friday uh, night's Vernon Hills homecoming game and also at Libertyville's homecoming parade on Saturday morning. It was awesome. It's great to see all the school spirit and across the teams and clubs involved and I was glad the weather held out for a great weekend. It was fun. Rahul Deshmog >> on a thank you note Lisa definitely a big big thank you to her but I also actually wanted I was holding my comments back and waiting for 6C

100to show up which is the item uh uh basically I wanted to thank the students the teachers and the community when you come up here and share your perspectives and as an independent board member that's how I will speak I think those are very very critical for us to make informed decisions the perspectives are diverse They come from different domains, student perspective, uh teachers and and the community members. Sometimes they are polarizing and very opposite to each other which is also very important for us to know and this together really helps the board at least for me to make informed decisions. So thank you for all that you are doing. Your engagement is important for us and I also believe that we have a lot of things that we can achieve together as long as

101we work together. So thank you. Thank you, R. Anybody else? >> West Poland. >> Uh, yes. Um, I attended the Vernon Hills High School first orchestra concert of the year and all four orchestras performed and I was very impressed. They've only been practicing together for a little over a month now and it was very impressive. So, I cannot wait to see um how much uh they improve um and the more complicated pieces they will be playing as the year goes on. I was also at the Vernon Hills homecoming game. I was working in the uh the boosters um to help the dance team raise money. So, I got to work see the grill which was a lot of fun. So, um if you haven't uh signed up to help with the grill at the Vernon

102House football game. It's a lot of fun. >> Did that many times. >> Yes. >> Anyone else? Okay, moving on. Uh IASB report. I actually have a number of things that I want to quickly get through here. First of all, uh, everyone received a copy of the 2025 resolutions, uh, report. Um, for those that are new new to this process, these are sort of the the the the information that the Illinois Association of School Boards uses to form its um, uh, priorities for the next year um, as it does its work. Um so um to get these approved we have what's called a delegate assembly as the IASB representative for our district. I attend that delegate assembly during the conference our our joint annual conference in November uh and we vote on these and it's

103a you know pretty rigorous process where we uh vote on each of these um resolutions. Um, what I would encourage you to do is read through these, get to know them. There's going to be some resolutions in here that the committee itself has um, suggested that we do adopt. There's some that they suggest we don't adopt. These resolutions come from all over the state. Any board can can submit resolutions. Um and then uh at the committee meeting in November and I would ask that this be put on the uh PNP agenda uh that we can sort of go not go through them in detail but if there's some things of concern that you disagree with the the proposed list that we can discuss those so that when I attend that uh delegate assembly in November

104I know how our board collectively wants me to vote on this. Um there's other things that we vote on. We vote on uh officers and things for the state organization, but it's it's really important that that we uh work on this. Also, um at the local level, the lakes division uh is holding its division meeting dinner uh coming up. Um, and at that meeting we also vote on our lakes division bylaws as well as a slate of candidates that form the executive committee for the lakes division of IASB which is primarily all the all the school districts in Lake County. Uh first of all there's uh suggesting a change to the bylaws and the the change quite simply is to add we have two directors at large on the this executive committee. The change is

105to to request two additional uh directors at large. So expanding the the U executive committee by two people. There's really not a lot formally that this organization does except for organize events within the Lake County uh uh division and we appoint somebody that serves on the statewide IASB board. Um, so I'm, you know, if if you have concerns over going from two to four, you can certainly talk to me, but I think we're um, you know, we would like to have more uh, feedback and more input from more districts in the in the uh, county. So, it's uh, I we think that this is going to be a good thing to to increase that. It's a multi-step process. We're going to vote at it at our upcoming meeting and then it's got to go to

106the state uh meeting and we'll probably see it again at the delegate assembly. So, it has to be approved by the state organization as well. Um, just as a you know in part of our discussion, there's a lot of divisions that have a hard time filling these roles because you get downstate and divisions are very spread out. They cover huge areas of the state. uh so it's much more difficult to get them to to uh to fill these vacancies, but we feel that there's enough districts here that want to have some participation that we should include those people. Uh the other thing is the uh nominating committee uh created a slate of officers for our lakes division. And again, if you have any concerns with the this slate, uh you can let me know. But

107um each district has a vote to uh uh that are participating in ISB. Um right now this latest uh director is Mark Ter from Kilder Countryside. He's been in that role for a while. He's the individual that's re uh is responsible for our division at the state level. The director is or the chair is uh Michael Francisco from Round Lake. Uh the vice chair is myself. Uh the resolutions chair is OD Paul who's been involved with these resolutions for decades I think. Um and then two directors of our one is Steven back from uh uh community uh consolidated school district 46 and uh Eileen uh Maloney from Lake Zurich um uh 95. Uh she's new to the slate u because of a resignation. So if you have any concerns or questions about those, it's it's

108in the agenda. The copy of the bylaws is in there, too. So that's my report. >> Nina Austin. >> Uh any seed doll? Yeah, I have a couple items to share. Uh the first is the CEDA board has begun its recruiting process of hiring the next superintendent working with hiring firm HYA to identify candidates based on the profile that's been built through the stakeholder feedback. HYA and the current seed doll leadership team are on track to present a recommended candidate to the governing board at the December 2025 meeting. That'll be um they would start and that would be for the 26 27th school year that superintendent. The other thing I'd like to share is um I went wanted to share my insights following my visit last week to the Gauges Lake campus of Cedo, the

109special education district of Lake County. The experience was both informative and inspiring. During the tour, I was struck with the enthusiasm and the dedication of the staff. Their commitment to creating a supportive learning environment was evident in every classroom and interaction I observed. Students were actively engaged in their learning, demonstrating both curiosity and energy in their activities. The positive environment across the campus contributed to a wellbeing and welcoming and encouraging atmosphere. I was also impressed by the range of technology available to students from classroom tools to specialized devices. It was clear that seedall is investing in innovative resources to enhance student learning. In addition, the mobility equipment I observed was both impressive and essential providing students with the means to access their environment more fully and participate with greater independence. I came to understand that

110much of this is made possible through the seed off foundation. Visiting gauges lake gave me or left me both inspired and grateful. It was a privilege to see the staff's dedication, the students engagement and the resources provided all come together to create such a positive environment. I walked away with a deeper appreciation for the incredible work being done at Cedall and the lasting impact it has on students every day. It's great. >> Thank you. Uh, next on the agenda, future agenda items. Um, Carol, maybe you can make a note either at the October or the November PMP meeting. Whichever one's got fewer things we could talk about the resolutions, uh, just put that on. Anyone else have anything to add or be concerned with with these? >> I have a question. Is there a D128

111foundation update? >> Rahul Deshmuk. I was just appointed as a board representative. I haven't yet attended any meeting but going forward I will be attending it. There was one in September uh that was I think 12th or 13th which I could not make it but going forward I should be able to provide some and there will be the >> because I know their big event is coming up >> coming up in November. Yeah. Early November. >> So we want to help promote that as much as possible. >> Absolutely. Okay. So, uh, as mentioned before, um, we're going to move into, um, close session. Um, >> momentary pause. >> Let me make sure I get all the right u the right things here. Uh, uh, need a motion to move into close session for uh, selection

112of person to fill a board uh, vacancy on the school board. 5CS120C3, placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students. 5 ILCS120/2C uh 10 uh the appointment uh uh appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees or legal counsel including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against us uh an employee or legal counsel to determine its valid validity by ILCS120C1 [Music] so moved >> poll second Okay, questions. Roll call, please. >> Flegal, >> I. >> Cotwell, >> I. >> Poland, >> I. >> Austin, >> I. >> Batson, >> I. >> Dashmuk, >> I. >> Okay, we will be, um, moving into close session. There will not be any action afterwards. So, uh, we thank you all for attending and good night. >> Text on the screen

113says, "The board is in closed session. Fade to district 128 logo. Fade to black.