April 2025 Regular and Special Meeting of the D128 School Board with Audio Description

001District 128 logo fade into board member seat at a table. Jim Batson. [Music] Good evening. I'd like to call the um regular board of education meeting to order uh for April 28th. 20 is it 28th? Yeah. Already? 2025. Uh we'll start with um pledge of allegiance flag over there. Everyone stands for the pledge of 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. Everyone returns to their seats. Thank you. Can we have a roll call? Carol Jim Batson here. Cara Benjamin here. Don Carmichael here. Cara Drum here. Lisa Hessel here. Mish Kotwall here. Sonel Karnney here. Okay, everybody's here. So um we started a little bit early because our next agenda item is we're going

002to uh move to convene close session uh for a short time here um for uh collective negotiating matters 5CS120 C2C2. So, I need a motion to move into close session. Car Michael so moved. Second. Okay. Um, any comments? Roll call, please. Benjamin, hi. Carichel, hi. Drum key. Hi. Hi. Hel Carney. Hi. Batson. Hi. Okay, we will move into close session and we will be back out approximately 700 p.m. to continue with the rest of the board meeting. Thank you. Text on the screen says the board is in closed session. Fade into board member seat at a table. Jim Batson. Wait. Okay. Um, thank you all for your meeting here. Uh, I need a motion and a second to return to open session, please. Hustle move to return to open session. Carmichael. Second. Um, all in

003favor? I. Any oppose? No. Okay. Um, just real briefly. Well, I just wanted to momentary pause. Uh, acknowledge the unusual sequence of events here. We just came out of close session and the reason for that will be obvious here in in just a a brief moment. But this will be an unusual night to begin with. First of all, a very good night because of all the student recognition. And then um we'll be doing a lot of um um action up here with the existing board to close out the the work that they've been doing uh over the last month, over the last uh uh so much time. And then uh another exciting part of it will be to seat new board members later on. So we will have that uh a bit later. But I

004just wanted to acknowledge that uh it it is a bit unusual but it's a good night. This is a very good night um board meeting. Uh so momentary pause. Uh I'm going to uh review the agenda briefly. We have an action on a teacher union contract which will be uh very good. Uh we have a public hearing on a driver education waiver. This is u uh a thing that we do on a regular basis to uh for uh uh some driver education waiverss that we're required to do. We have a few communication items here. Some student recognition uh public comment, teacher union report, uh ESP uh uh union report. Uh we have um some reports from our student uh schoolboard reps, a few foyer requests, a superintendent message, and then we have a consent vote

005agenda. A lot of things that we this board had discussed and worked on in committee earlier in the month. Uh we have a few action items. Um uh discipline improvement plan, payment, uh uh employment of employees, uh that weren't uh discussed earlier in the month. Um um annual uh education support uh staffing report uh education support professional staffing report a textbook adoption uh driver education waiver the action from the the conversation we will have shortly um um uh we're looking at a new board management system we'll be voting on uh set a budget hearing date uh and approval of uh cafeteria change order, some change that came in over the threshold of our change orders. Uh we have some information items. Um uh a budget preliminary update. Um we'll have board comments and events. Uh

006ISB report seedall. Do we have anything from Seedall? No. Okay. And then uh we we'll move to adjourn that meeting and then we'll talk about the next meeting in a little bit. So to get us started off here, um we want to take a uh our first action item here. Um pause for technical difficulty. Why am I not seeing the Y? Pause for technical difficulty. Jim Batson. Sorry, little change in plans here. Um, I need a motion to approve the agreement between the board of education of Community High School District 128, Lake County, Illinois, and the Libertyville High School, Vernon Hills High School Federation of Teachers, Local 504 IFT/ AFL CIO for July 1st, 2025 through June 30, 2030. Hel so moved. Carmichael second. just louder than you or not. Yeah. And quicker. They're getting

007really good at this just as they're getting ready to depart. Okay. Uh any comments, questions? Okay. Um just also a bit of comment on this. Uh from my perspective, this is actually work in progress. The teachers union are actually working on this at the this point in time. So they're sort of simultaneously voting with us, but they have several days to be able to do that vote. So, while we would love to tell you all the good news that's in this contract, we can't talk about any of the details at this point in time except for you got the hint of the the fact that it's a 5-year contract, which is great news. Um, but um we're going to vote on it with this board because this board is the board that's been doing all

008the work uh leading up to this uh this contract agreement. So, uh, we're wishing the, uh, the union well with their voting process, but we will now take a roll call. Carmichael, I. Drum, I, Esel, I. Cotwall, I, Karnney, I, Batson, I, Benjamin, I. Um, motion passes. Uh, that's good news. Uh, I also want to personally thank the individuals that were involved with this, the the the folks, the administrative team that was involved with this, the board members collectively, um, Lisa who sat at the table with us as well, uh, Rey uh, who also contributed, the union uh, team that worked very collaboratively with us. We're this just a great process and we're very excited for this contract to be uh you know hopefully ratified by them and so they're working on that as we

009speak. So more on that to come but um that's good news. Um moving on we have a uh public hearing for renewal drivers education. I want to declare the u hearing open. Tom Centez. Who's going to take this? Dr. Clintus. Uh, yes. This is something that, um, districts in Illinois have the opportunity to do. The state law requires that students have a minimum of six hours of behind the wheel on the road training as part of a driver's education program. However, uh districts do have the opportunity to supplement or to substitute, excuse me, to substitute some of that time with the use of drivers education simulators. And um if we are going to utilize simulators, we need to obtain a waiver from the state of Illinois. This waiver is good for five years. Um, for

010many years, um, District 128 Libertyville High School specifically has used drivers education simulators as a way to, uh, support our driver's education program. So, our students get four hours of time behind the wheel and two hours of time through the simulator program. Uh, you as a board have historically approved that um, waiver, which we then send to the state. Uh this is just our our um our year to request this renewal. If you agree to this and uh we send it to the state board, it is good for five more years. Jim Badson. Okay. Um as part of the hearing, we have a public comment opportunity for this particular topic, the driver education waiver. So if anyone has would like to speak on that topic, we will have another public comment section here coming up

011shortly. So okay, seeing none, I'm going to uh Does board members have any questions or comments on this? Okay, I'm going to declare the uh hearing closed. Moving on. Uh communication. We have lots of student recognition that we want to get to. Dr. John Gileiam approaches the podium. All right, thank you everybody. I'm John Gilliam, principal of Vernon Hills High School and uh I want to welcome everybody tonight. Uh as spring rolls around, you know that we tend to have uh large celebrations because many of our student activities uh are coming to a close uh and so tonight we get to celebrate both the close of some athletic uh events and uh teams as well as some competitive clubs. So uh lots of both Vernon Hills and Libertyville. We're going to get Vernon Hills out

012of the way, then Libertyville will follow. Uh so I'm going to first introduce uh coaches Proise, Elliot, and Choy. Maybe Mr. Proise is coming first to talk about the Vernon Hills Science Olympiad. [Applause] Hello. Good evening. I'm joined with our elite coaching staff here with science teachers Yan Choy and Amy Elliot. Okay, so Science Olympia, just to kind of give you a little warm-up to this, uh it is a long season. It spans from September through April. Uh students compete in uh their 15 person teams across 23 events. And their events range from build events, they design and engineer a device to perform a task. Uh they code, they program. Um there are lab or task events such as chemistry, forensics, material science or optics. Uh there's also study events that cover a diverse field

013across all sciences such as microbiology, environmental science, entomology, physics, engineering, earth science, astronomy, and chemistry. So in order to compete at this level, students must study at the college and even graduate level in order to be successful at this level. Uh so we are proud of our team's seventh place uh overall finished at this year's state event. I'd be remiss if I did not remind everyone that it's truly a collective team effort and even though we're recognizing nine students tonight, it was really our collective team um that we are that brought together the victory and uh celebrated this accomplishment with us. Uh so tonight we will recognize nine students for winning their medal at the state level competition that was held at U ofi a couple weeks ago. All right, so starting off in fifth

014place is uh Joshua Zong and Ana Sabberwal. power student approaches the podium. Okay. Fourth place for Chemlab also Ana Sberwell and Katik Mandway. Fourth place in gene regulation that would be Sevesh Dota and Michael Deng. Fourth place in protein modeling, Ryan Tol, Michael Deng, and Sevesh Doda. Second place overall in anatomy and physiology is William Proise and Cavia Romesh. And finally, also in second place for robot tour, Koutik Manway and Muhammad Yusf. Congratulations students. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members for about the next 30 seconds. [Applause] Dr. John Gilliam approaches the podium. Okay, so that was Vernon Hill Science Olympia. Now we're going to go with Vernon Hills swimming coach Jim Partardon. Welcome coach Parardone. [Applause] Coach Jim Parardone approaches the podium. And I did make the the big mistake. It's

015swimming and diving. Swimming and diving. Thank you for that. All right. Good evening and uh thanks for having us here. We're very excited and it gives me great pleasure to announce that uh we had six state qualifiers in the sport of swimming and diving and these six guys who can make their way to the front right now and I will introduce them individually in a second. Student approaches the podium but these six guys um they're the ones that actually hit the state cuts, made the uh put in all the work, all that stuff, right? Hit the dives they needed to hit. And while we're going to recognize these six guys, which are not seen are the 53 of their teammates who are behind these guys, pushing them every day to become what they are and

016and without those other teammates, these guys don't shine. So, um, but these guys right now, this is their night. And, uh, it gives me great pleasure to announce this. In no particular order, we have Will Rendle, 13th place in the 100 breaststroke, 15th place in the 200 medley relay, and eighth place in the uh 4x50 relay. Thank you, Will Blackmer. 15th place in the 200 medley relay, sixth place in the 4x 100. Yuri Plaxton, third place in the 200 free, second place in the 100 free, fourth place in the 4x50, and sixth place in the 4x100 relay. Cody Blummenfeld, uh, 15th place in diving. Dan Burke, fourth place in the 50 free, 15th place in the 200 medley relay, eighth place in the 4x50 relay, and sixth place in the 4x100. And finally, Edgar Chan,

01715th place in the 200 medley relay, eighth place in the 4x50, and sixth place in the 4x 100. And these six athletes uh managed to score enough points to give Vernon Hills their highest state finish ever, which was an eighth place finish in the state of Illinois. Thank you very much. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members for about the next 30 seconds. [Applause] Ray Albin approaches the podium. All right. Good evening everyone. Uh I'm Ray Alman losing papers from Libertyville High School and we too have a lot to celebrate in the spring. So uh we're going to get moving with our teams. And first up, we're going to have Sarah Greenwag, Jennifer Brandt, and Kimberly Weinberg come on up and tell us about LHS debate. LHS debate team coaches approach the

018podium. Hello. Thanks for having us tonight. We're so excited and proud of all that the debate team has accomplished uh this season. Um, we debated a lot of different topics. Everything from the recognition of Somali land as a separate country, um, whether or not the US should continue arming Taiwan, um, border surveillance, um, and most recently the use of AI in education. Um, believe it or not, in about 75% of the cases, the Pro team won that one. So, a lot of people believing that AI is the future. Um, and I think our students use a lot of AI to help them in their debate prep. So, um, we can vouch for that. Um, but it's been a really, really great season. We have amazing, um, seniors that will be leaving us and also, um,

019a couple of juniors who are going to continue in leadership positions next year. Um, and these are just four kids who make up two varsity teams um, who competed at state. Um, both of these teams qualified for the elimination rounds, which means that they had um gotten at least one four out of at least six of their preliminary rounds. Um, so both of our teams made it to what's called the octafinals and then unfortunately because of bracketing and seating, they hit each other in the octafinals. Um, but that meant we had quarterfinalists. So that was really exciting. Um, so I want to first recognize our octa finalists and amazing team of Khloe Yang and David [Applause] Tarinowski. Um, and then our quarterfinalist team was a team of Leanne Lynn and Andy Trobe. Students receive certificates

020and takes pictures with school board members for about the next 30 seconds. [Applause] Rayal Bin approaches the podium. All right, moving on to the next team. We will have the LHS mock trial team represented by Coach Dennis Duffy to come on up. Coach Dennis Duffy approaches the podium. Good evening. Uh, I've been coaching the MAC trial team for 19 years. The, uh, kids are amazing. This has been the best crew that I've coached probably in the past decade. Uh very accomplished. We start in August and go through the u state finals in March and we had three kids um out of our 10p person team recognized as some of the greatest witnesses and attorneys in the uh in the state which is really exciting. We had a criminal case involving um teenage parties, some bad

021brownies, maybe a little fentanyl in there, maybe not. Depends upon which side of the case you were on. So, um it was a lot of fun. Kids had a ball and um I'm really sad to see this season end because the kids had such a great time. uh we really came together and unfortunately we're graduating our president uh Isabelle, but she's here because she's one of the people that won the best attorney award. So without further ado, I'd like to invite them down. Our loss is a college mock trial team's gain. So, uh, Isabelle Chung and Nina Hernandez. We had a third winner, who couldn't be with us today, Jessica Yan. So, students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members for about the next 30 seconds. [Applause] Ray Bin approaches the podium. Next,

022just like Vernon Hills, we had a lot of success with our science olympiad team as well. And tonight, Brandon Merchesen is going to come up on behalf of his fellow coaches of Paul Karnstat and Jennifer Khan to talk about the science Olympiad team. Brandon Merchesen approaches the podium. Hi everyone. Thanks for uh for having us today. So uh I I won't explain what science olympiad is because uh Mr. Proise over at Berner did a great job. Uh but we also took our team down to state a couple couple weeks ago for Science Olympiad. Uh getting an 11th place overall in division doubleA. Uh and we are so so proud of uh our kids that were able to compete. Um they are just such an awesome crew and they are really they're just really the best

023and brightest students that I've ever interacted with. Um so this is my my first year as a science Olympia head coach. Um the head coach Paul Karnstead and uh our other assistant coach Jennifer Khan weren't able to be here tonight. Uh but I do want to recognize our medalists in the different state events that we had to science Olympiad. So we'll call them up here. Uh we have in the uh disease detectives event fifth place Eddie Lee and Finley [Applause] Weinstein. We have in fourth place in material science uh again Eddie Lee and Alan Wong who is not here today. Um uh third place in the optics events we have Arya Manhhati and Shu Vari uh who are were not able to make it today. Uh but they deserve a clap a recognition of course.

024Uh and finally first place overall in state we have uh Eli Sway and Eddie Lee. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members for about the next 30 seconds. [Applause] [Music] Ray Albin approaches the podium. All right. Next, we're gonna have Aaron Wellington come on up here and explain what HOSA is and our award winners in that activity. Aaron, Aaron Wellington approaches the podium. Good evening everyone. Thanks for having us here tonight. It is great to be here. So, what is HOSA? It is one of the newest competitive clubs uh at Libertyville High School. It stands for Health Occupation Students of America. It's a national organization and if Prem could stand up for a minute. I know the board is familiar with Prem. Go ahead and stand up. Prem Prem is really the

025one that deserves all the credits. Uh last year we had five students go to the state competition led by Prem and he came to me at the start of the school year and asked me if I would be willing to be the sponsor for the club this year and I said absolutely. um we rallied the troops and we got 20 students to compete um to qualify for the state competition. The qualification round is an online competition um that the students have to take basically an entrance exam so to speak to qualify for state. And of our 20 students that took the exam, 12 of them actually qualified for the state competition, which was really impressive. Um of those 12 students, 10 of them were able to compete at the state competition. We took 10 students

026down to the state competition. Uh they did extremely well. We had four students qualify in the top 10 in the state. Three of those students actually qualified for the national competition. In order to do that, you have to have a top three finish in the state. Um and we were competing against schools that had 100 to 200 to 300 students on their team. And I was really impressed and proud of how our students did. So, our four students that qualified for state and did extremely well at state. Uh, first we had Nicole Matthew who took fifth in the state in medical spelling. Student receives certificate. Next, we had Premacharia who actually qualified in two events. Uh, Prem took second in medical law. So he qualified for nationals in medical law. He also took fifth in

027biotechnology. [Applause] Student receives certificate and then they also have partner competitions and the most competitive partner competition in the state is the CPR and first aid competition. There were approximately 40 teams that qualified for state in this. And two of our students, Cesaly Hamburg and Olivia Venus, took third in the state and qualified for nationals. Student receives certificate. So, we are really hoping and excited that we can grow HOSA into something bigger at Libertyville for years to come. I'm really proud of the job that these kids did this year. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members. Raal bin approaches the [Applause] podium. Next is our FCCLA award winners and this team is coached by Kristen Tarant. And here tonight representing them, Katie Gallivan. [Applause] Katie Gallivan approaches the podium. Thank you so

028much. Um, I'm Katie Gallivan. Unfortunately, Kristen Tarant could not join us tonight. FCCLA stands for Family Career and Community Leaders of America, and it's our professional organization for family and consumer sciences. We have competitions in the culinary arts as well as in child development and clothing construction. Um, all of our participants received gold medals at the state competition and I don't think we've ever had a more successful team in all of my years of coaching. Um, so I would like to recognize um those students now. So, Mirabella Marubio, who received a gold medal for um semiformal and formal wear um [Applause] construction, Ava Bestel, who also competed in semiformal and formal wear construction, who cannot be here tonight. Lauren Ryan and Sophia Griffith, who competed as a team for um momentary pause preschool lesson [Applause]

029plan and Alicia Bannon and Madison Sears who competed in preschool um children's literature. [Applause] Thank you so much. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members for about the next 30 seconds. [Applause] Rayal Bin approaches the podium. [Applause] And for our final awards of the evening, we're going to bring back to the floor uh Brandon Merchesen to talk about our state champion wise team. Brandon. Brandon Merchesen approaches the podium. Hello again. And uh I would like to invite just our entire wise team to come up with me uh bringing with our first and state champion trophy. So, Leanne, who else? I saw I think Hayden, Jordan, Finley, Eddie, just join me up here because these these guys were all instrumental to our first place win. Pause for applause. So, um this is again

030me. I'm one of the wise coaches along with our science department chair, Pete Dawson. Uh, and this, you'll notice that there's a lot of the same kids up there, too. Um, I have had the privilege of working with these kids since they were freshman or sophomores, uh, just joining our school. Uh, to give you guys a little bit of background about our WISE team, so WISE is the worldwide youth in science and engineering. We actually were a two-part club. We prepare for two competitions in the year. The first one is the National Science Bowl uh put on by the US Department of Energy um where we compete in buzzin trivia style questions um all on science and engineering and STEM related topics. Uh this year uh is the best we've ever done in science bowl

031uh getting second place in the regional competition and just narrowly missing out in a bid to nationals. Uh but these guys came back with a vengeance for academic challenge competition last week. Um, academic challenge is a Illinois state competition where they are competing in subject area, curricular exams, uh, all in the same topic, science, engineering, uh, categories. Um, and for the first time ever, uh, we got a first place in states with this group, beating out Stevenson, uh, which I just like to throw that out there, uh, for, uh, their, uh, state championship. So, uh, we brought 13 kids down to compete and kind of like Science Olympiad, it is a team effort. Um, I'm going to announce the the category medalists, but every single one on our team was important to, uh, this victory.

032So, our category medalists uh, in no order are um, Eli Sway in chemistry and and math getting a first place medal. Um, Arian. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. Um, Arian manhati getting a third place medal in physics. Uh, Eddie Lee getting a third place medal in chemistry. Ian Lee getting a second place medal in computer science. Mark Swanson getting uh, another tied for first place medal in math. uh and Shupe Varsny getting a second place medal in computer science and a first place medal in [Applause] physics. Um so these were uh like I said this is a crew of students that have had uh since they were freshman or sophomores entering the school. Uh and unfortunately the the road is over for us. There's no national competition for uh academic challenge, but um we fortunately have

033a pretty young team. I'm sad to see two of our members leaving. They are graduating seniors. Uh but for the rest of these guys, they are going to run it back next year. So, uh please congratulate them. It is all them and amazing. Um Oh my gosh. Wait. Okay, hold on. I got to back up. Sorry. Sorry. Um, I I missed a science Olympian medal because it was in the bottom of my stack. Oh, Tasa, I am so sorry. Wait, wait, Tasa, come here. Okay, going back to me like 12 minutes ago. Uh, Tasa Patil with a third place medal in optics for science. Okay, now back to the wise team cuz he's also part of that. They did great job. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board members for about the next

03430 seconds. [Applause] Ray Albin approaches the podium. Our list was so long. I thought we had I thought I was done. We have one more. We have a swimmer, actually a diver, sorry, sorry, a diver here this evening, uh Hayden Cook from LHS who finished 13th in diving at the state competition. Uh while Coach Herman's not here, we still want to recognize Hayden for his outstanding performance. And let's Hayden, come on up. Students receive certificates and takes pictures with school board [Applause] members. Everyone returns to their seats. Jim Batson. Congratulations to everybody. It's always a great night with all the uh student recognition. This is some of the my favorite board meetings. Momentary pause. Okay, we're just going to take a moment uh let the folks leave that uh have other places to go. students

035and families leave. Yeah. Okay. All right. Uh now is the moment for a public comment. We have a number of folks here. Uh I will remember folks uh that it's a threem minute per person limit. Um momentary pause. We should be able to get through all these relatively quickly. So, I'm not going to concern myself with an overall limit at this point just yet. Uh, so, uh, I believe this is the order that we're looking at. Uh, Isaiah Isaiah Collins or Xia Collins. Momentary pause. I hope I'm pronouncing that close. Exya Collins approaches the podium. Hi, my name is Xia Collins. I'm a sophomore at Vernon Hills High School. I moved here from Georgia six months ago and like anyone else stepping into a brand new school, I was nervous, but something amazing happened. Right

036away, I was introduced to the Black Student Union. The moment I got to Ver Hills, BSU became more than just a club for me. It was a space where I felt seen, welcome, and understood. It helped me make friendships that I know will last. And most importantly, it gave me a voice. Being a part of BSU opened doors to me and others to speak up, to share our stories, and to be heard, including this opportunity to speak to you right now. That's what DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion is all about. It's about making sure every student, no matter where they come from or what they look like, has a place where they belong, a chance to be heard, opportunities like this one to speak, to be seen, and to share exactly what DEI helps create.

037That's why diversity groups like BSU matter. They give students a place to belong, a place to celebrate who they are and where they come from. A place where different backgrounds and cultures are not only accepted but appreciated and uplifted. Vernon Hills is full of amazing diverse students. And when we create when we create spaces for that diversity to shine, we support groups that reflect and represent different voices that make our schools stronger, more more united, and more inclusive. So yes, diversity groups should absolutely be a thing at Vernon Hills because they don't just bring students together to help us grow, understand, and support one another. And honestly, that's what every school should be about. Students at Vernon Hills have shown strong commitment to diversity groups through active participation, leadership, and organizing events that are that

038promote inclusion, awareness, and respect. These groups such as BSU, Lasso, ASA, and SAGA. Within these safe spaces, students can express their identities, share experiences, and educate peers. Many students dedicate time outside of class to plan cultural celebrations, host open discussions, and advocate for equity in our school environment. This commitment this commitment reflects not only our passion, but also our understanding that diversity groups is essential to building a stronger, more understanding community. Defunding these groups will be a step backward. It would send a message that the voices of many students are not valued and that the work of creating an inclusive school culture is not a priority. Diversity groups empower students to lead, to grow, and to make their school a place where everyone feels seen and supported. Removing that supports risk silencing those voices and

039undoing the progress that has been made. Thank you for your time. Thank you Thomas. Jim Batson there. Kira Thomas. Kira or Kieran. Thank you. Kira Thomas approaches the podium. Good evening board members. My name is Kira Thomas. I'm currently a junior at Burn Hills High School. I'm on the exec board for Black Student Union and I'm the on the equity leadership team. Today I'm here to share my experiences about Black Student Union, also known as BSU, and about affinity groups. I have met some of the most amazing people, friends who have become family to me and who I will know forever in my life. Being at a predominantly white school comes with its own sets of challenges. And at times it's been difficult to feel seen or even feel normal. But BSU has changed that

040for me. In BSU, I have found a community of students who look like me, who understand my experiences and who have helped me feel a sense of belonging. It gave me a space to be myself unapologetically. It helped me grow and be more confident and comfortable with who I am and my identity. I will always be grateful for what BSU has given me. A voice, a purpose, and a place to call home. Growing up in a district where there are so few many black families, I often felt lost. But through BSU, I have found myself. It is not just the students who make BSU a special space. The teachers play a huge role, too. They have created an environment where we feel genuinely safe and supported. In moments when it feels like the world is

041rooting against us, they are the ones cheering us on. Miss Powell, for example, is like a second mom to us, we say. Seeing her every week brings a sense of comfort and belonging. that means everything to our group. If BSU were taken away, we wouldn't just be losing a club. We'd be losing a community, a safe space, and something we truly look forward to. We need to ensure that BSU and other Infinity groups continue for generations to come. If I had to come to Virgin Hills High School without BSU, I honestly don't know where I'd be, but I know I would not be standing here today speaking to you all. Younger students deserve the chance to be a part of a community where they see themselves reflected, where they feel safe, seen, and supported, where

042they know they won't be judged for who they are. Without BSU, they will never have the opportunity to figure out who they are in a predominantly white school. BSU has opened up countless opportunities for our students. Right now, we are planning an affordable college trip to several H.B.CU over Indigenous People's Day weekend. For many of our students currently in BSU, this will be their first time ever setting foot on a college campus. Some don't know much about college or even if it's the right path for them. This trip could be a turning point that inspires a student to pursue a higher education. Without BSU, experience like this and the doors they open wouldn't be possible. Lastly, before I finish, some people of D128 uh talk about our groups being racist and that they certain kids

043feel left out. We minority groups have been left out for centuries. Why is it that every time we have something of our own, it gets taken over or taken away from us? We have never we have never told any other races that they are not allowed in our group. We even encourage others to come to our group so they can be educated. When we all understand each other, that is what will make America a beautiful country. I want you all to take a m a moment and I urge you to continue funding these groups because if we take this away, kids will be losing an opportunity. What is the benefit of making these kids lose their sense of belonging and home within schools? Thank you. Thank you, Emily. Emily Oing, I think Emily Oang approaches

044the podium. My eyes are bad. Sorry. Hi, Emily. [Music] Good evening board members. My name is Emilio Changeng, a junior at Vernon Hills High School and a member of Black Student Union. I'm here today to urge you to keep funding um keep the funding for the affinity groups in Vernon Hills High School. As a student who moved here my freshman year second semester, I can under I understand how hard it is to integrate into a new environment. I came from a school where my sister and I were the only black students and there was no black student union also known as as BSU or any space where we could um feel connected. Feeling like you belong is so important not just socially but academically as well. Studies show that students sense of belonging can significantly

045improve their academic re outcomes. When I moved here I found BSU. It changed everything for me. It gave me a sense of belonging and provided a place where I felt supported and connected. Our school's mission statement is about preparing students to be dreamers and doers, aware, resilient, healthy, inquisitive, nimble, and global. But how can minority students accomplish these goals if we don't have a space where we feel valued and heard? In our mission statement, we talk about participating in change for the greater good. But how can we do that when we have no group that together has a voice that creates change? We also mentioned that students should seek to understand the different experiences and realities of others. But once again, how can we accomplish this if we don't have a platform to share our

046experiences? We speak about persevering through difficulties and overcoming adversities. But without these groups, where do we turn to when we face challenges that others might not understand? Daring emphasizes on the value of diversity, but how can we truly value it if we don't have these affinity groups like Black Student Union to represent and support us? Lastly, I've seen posts attacking affinity groups and DEI initiatives. It is disappointing to hear um people speak about inclusion and belonging as if they were burdened. Dismiss dismissing these groups as unimportant shows a dis a deep misunderstanding of their true purpose. Cutting funds would not only betray the values of our school upholds, it would send a clear message that only some students are worthy to support. I still believe we can do better so that each student leaves here

047as graduates who are truly prepared to be daring. Thank you very much. [Applause] Kamar H. Kamar Hares approaches the podium. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Kamar Hores. I'm co-president of our Black Student Union and a proud member of our equity, leadership, and inclusion team. I'm here tonight because conversations around defunding programs that directly support students of color, students like me, is not just disappointing, it's dangerous. Attending a predominantly white institution as a black young girl is not easy. We walk through the halls navigating stereotypes, isolation, and the burden of representing your whole race. That is a weight we never asked for. But the programs you're discussing of removing, they are safe spaces that help us carry that weight with pride, with support, and with purpose. One point I've heard brought to

048this board is that students of color do not care about these programs. That cutting funding funding will not make a real impact. That couldn't be further from the truth. We show up every Friday morning meeting, every afterchool event, every volunteer opportunity. We are there. We give our time, our energy, and our hearts to these programs. And the numbers prove it. More students show up every day. Interest is growing because our need is real. Funding for these affinity groups is not a waste. It is a blessing. These programs are investments in our growth, our leaderships, and our sense of belonging. They create spaces where students who often feel invisible finally feel seen. They teach us to lead with co- with confidence to build community and to believe in our potential. Every dollar spent on these groups

049goes towards empowering the next generation of leaders, teachers, advocates, and change makers. The value they create cannot be measured in a budget line. It's measured in the lives they change, the friendships that they forge, and the hope they give us that we cannot succeed. Not just despite our circumstances, but because we had people and programs that believed in us. But what happens when the ones who advocate for us are no longer there? What happens to Miss Powell and Mr. Woody, the two black staff at Burton Hills High School, when they retire? Who will be left to understand our experiences? This is more about funding. This is about a network and a future you are at risk of dismantling. The word minority means less in numbers, less in representation, but that should not mean less in

050support. It shouldn't mean our programs are the first on the chopping block. If if anything, it should mean we receive more, more protection, more investment, and more understanding. We are asking not just for funding, but for your belief in our value. Thank you, Charlotte Hills. Charlotte Hill, come on up. Charlotte Hill approaches the podium. Hello, my name is Charlotte Hill and I'm a current junior at Burn Hills High School. I wanted to tell the story about an old coach who wasn't the best, but taught me a lot about DEI. My sophomore year of high school, I was elected as the captain of our own junior varsity girls lacrosse team and still am. Oftentimes, our old coach would exclude players causing them to quit the sport and lower attendance. And as a as a JV as

051a JV captain, I really didn't I didn't enjoy it because first our our program was it wasn't getting a lot of funding in the first place. And as somebody who really truly enjoys the sport and sees it as an escape from the school day, this it made me very upset. And so even when I would try to communicate with my teammates and try to get them to stay, they would often tell me, "Our coach doesn't listen to us. We feel excluded." I even had people telling me that coaches made them cry because they felt like they weren't being included with the group or they felt like they weren't being listened to. Other times I would see our coach would prevent players from communicating and connecting with each other, making them feel isolated and absolutely humiliated

052humiliated, including me. However, our new coach, Vince Strong, he's not here tonight, but he's a great coach. Our new coach practices DEI routines often. He recognizes each player's unique experiences and strengths, deepening our connection between my teammates, and enhancing our performance on the field and even in classrooms. When the student is exposed to this diversity, equity, and inclusion, it improves attendance, promotes personal growth, and gives students a voice. Without DEI, my teammates voices wouldn't be heard. And without DEI, my voices of my classmates, even standing behind me, supporting me, would not be here. they wouldn't be heard. I really want my classmates to be heard, not for just me or to make myself or them look good, but for everybody. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Michaela. Michaela B. Pause for response. Is Michaela

053here? Okay. Michaela Bowling approaches the podium. Hi guys, good evening. My name is Michaela Bowling and I'm a senior at Vernon Hills High School. As president of our Black Student Union, I'm so glad to be here tonight to be able to talk about something that is incredibly important to the world of education as well as really personal to me. I want to first dive into the acronym of DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. These words are not just concepts. their foundation to a supportive community where every student is given the opportunity to feel belonging. And today, I'd like to break down the role of DEI in my life and why it is important to me as I prepare to leave Bernon Hills High School. I've been a biracial student who spent my entire academic journey and

054predominantly white schools. And because of that, DEI initiatives have been a life-changing force in my education. The support I've received from the faculty at Vernon Hills High School, including Miss Powell, Dr. G, and Mr. Woody have been extremely helpful and instrumental in overcoming barriers, addressing inequities, and opening up opportunities that not h might that might not have been available to me otherwise. Throughout my 12 years of schooling, my race has and ethnicity have been an an extremely impactful part of my experience. I've often been the only dark-kinned girl in my classes, and that has profoundly changed who I am today. My high school experience in particular has been an extremely unique journey to me. After enduring a number of racial harassment encounters as a sophomore, I made the difficult decision to move away as a

055junior and go to Arizona. It was there that I realized the power of community that I had at Vernon Hills and the importance in finding a space where I felt supported and understood. When I returned to Vernon Hills, I was determined to make a difference in my community. and I worked with BSU as we coordinated a club of leaders to be able to communicate what our members needed as well as collaborated with other affinity groups through various activities and events. To me, this year has been a fresh start for our club, more organized, personalized, and unified, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see the positive changes it has brought to our community. As a graduating senior, one of my greatest concerns is ensuring the the continued success and unity of the club, as well

056as keeping the faculty involved. One of the initiatives that I'm particularly proud of is our girls group, a branch of BSU female identifying members that meet every Thursday during a randomized class period. The group consists about 15 underassmen, five of my girls who just spoke to you, and Miss Powell and Miss Heinline. Momentary pause. I've taken immense pride in serving as a mentor to these students as I'm the only senior and it's been extremely rewarding to be able to see how they've grown. Momentary pause knowing that sorry as a senior knowing that they have a community where they're heard and valued is extremely important to me which is something I didn't have when I was their age. None of this would been have been possible without the strong faculty and support. From allowing us to

057leave class to providing us with snacks, activities, and field trips, our DEI coordinator, Mr. Larry Vaughn, has been an extremely part impactful part of our journey. I'm deeply concerned that the efforts to try to remove advocates like Mr. Varn could take away the safe support spaces that are crucial for students like me. Mr. Varn is truly one of a kind. His thoughtfulness, intelligence, and proactive approach has made me feel heard and valued throughout my high school experience. During my sophomore year, I was a part of a group that went on a field trip for our our history teacher, Mr. Woody's new African-American studies class, an experience that was life-changing for many students, some of whom who had never traveled before. We visited black historical sites in Georgia and Alabama, and even rode the Sky View

058Ferris wheel in Atlanta. An off the itinerary experience Mr. Varn generously funded himself. Momentary pause. The trip inspired me to begin advocating for black students at Vernon Hills. And thanks to educators like Mr. Varn, I'm now on the path to major in social justice and education so I can help others find the same sense of belonging that I've experienced. I hope as you listen to my story, you understand just how vital Mr. Ven support has been to students like me. His work has made a lasting support in my life and I believe it will continue to uplift others long after I leave. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunities he has provided me and countless other students and I sincerely hope that he continue to make a he can continue to make a difference in the

059lives of future D128 students. Thank you. Thank you. Leo Shiff Leo Shiffron approaches the podium. Hello, my name is Leo Shiffron and I'm a junior at Vernon Hills High School. I'm a member of the executive board of Jewish student union and I was nominated by the JSU sponsors to be a part of the equity leadership team. Within the equity leadership team at VHS, I've been heavily involved with considering and examining the inter student relations with my peers. Specifically in regards to thinking about ways we can make VHS a more inclusive and equitable environment within my specific subgroup of ELT, we examined schoolwide statistics from the Panorama equity and inclusion survey that reflect discrimination in VHS. What we noticed was that feelings of representation DI and cultural will cultural awareness improved favorably. However, responding to witnessing

060discrimination and knowing how to respond to discrimination decreased. Therefore, for us to stu and students to learn more, we hosted a lunch and learn inviting students to share their experiences with intentional discrimination and microaggressions. In the process of creating this presentation and listening to the students, not only was it very meaningful to engage with the more specific view of the experiences of Vernon Hills High School, but educational in terms of what could be done better. I personally feel as though the issue each subgroup of ELT introduced is very important to developing the specific aspects of DEI. However, it is definitely just the beginning of this journey towards greater equity and inclusion at Evern Hills High School. Continuing to allow students to coordinate and develop activities such as the lunch and learn and the activities developed

061by the other subgroups are absolutely critical towards enforcing DI DEI efforts at VHS and making it a better place. Thank [Applause] you Dakota Olson. Dakota. Oh, okay. Um, momentary pause. Is it Hannah Al? Hanan Al Reyes approaches the [Applause] podium. Good evening. My name is Hanan Al Reyes and I'm a junior at Vernon Hills High School. I'm the vice president of our Muslim student association as well. This past year, I was given the opportunity to join the equity leadership team established in the school. Before this year, I had no idea this team was a thing, and I did not know what I was signing up for. But my mom convinced me to accept the invitation, saying it would be a good opportunity to learn more about how diverse my school really was and get a

062better sense of the work being done to offer more inclusive programs within the system. My mom was right. This program has helped and shaped me more than I could have imagined. To begin, I was able to gain a better sense better understanding of how much effort our teachers in our school were putting into making our our school environment more inclusive and comfortable for anyone and everyone. This program gave me the chance to be a part of this positive change and allowed me to gain so many new perspectives on these issues along the way from a a variety of voices. This last Thursday, a few of my fellow peers and I were able to give our own presentation on a prevalent issue within our school revolving around equity and inclusion. All because of this program. With

063this presentation, we were able to hear even more voices primarily coming from the student body themselves and we got an idea of the things that the students thought could be improved in our school and heard their own personal stories. I truly believe that these programs are important and should remain an integral part of our school's foundation because they give people opportunities to expand their perspectives and learn more about others and their points of view. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Leila Ramy Leila Rammy approaches the podium. Good evening everyone. My name is Leila Rahmi and I'm a senior at Vernon Hills High School. I'm the president of Muslim Student Association and I am also a part of the equity leadership team. Last year in my Spanish class, I created a project with my vice president of

064MSA about the importance of sticking to your roots no matter what um and no matter where you are. Here in Brendan Hills, we have a diverse student body and most importantly, we have so many minority groups of with affinity clubs that foster a sense of family and connection. This is something that's really important to me and I'm sure is to many other students as well. The fact that we have so many minority groups and the fact that we are such a diverse school is something that we must take advantage of. Continuing to fund these programs centered around equity and inclusion is an is essential in order to become an inspiration for other schools surrounding our district. Many students at other districts look to our school for the continuous commitments to improving our equity goals and

065creating an environment where all students are welcome and appreciated no matter what. Um, this is very important to everyone and their families and I hope you take my words into consider to consideration and how this will impact our overall school and future generations to come. Thank you. Thank you, Andy. Andy Tro Tr [Applause] Andy Trobe approaches podium. Hello, my name is Andy Trobe and I am a junior at Libertville High School. I'm here tonight to share why diversity programs at LHS have been meaningful both to me personally and to our broader school community. These programs have not only shaped my own high school experience, but are also helping to build a stronger, more inclusive environment for everyone. There are two programs in particular that I want to highlight tonight. The first is LHS's student diversity

066council. Over the past school year, I've been a member of this new group. Meeting monthly, we have created a space where students from diverse backgrounds can come together, share perspectives, and develop ideas for improving our school. It encourages students to think critically and collaboratively about issues of inclusion and equity, both of which are central to our district's daring mission. The second is LHS's Jewish Culture Club. Our goal is to share aspects of Jewish culture, history, and traditions with the wider student body. In a school with a very small Jewish population, Jewish Culture Club has become a space where both Jewish and non-Jewish students can come together to learn about and celebrate Judaism. In a world where anti-semitism is rising at an alarming rate, Jewish Culture Club has given me an opportunity to foster understanding, combat

067bigotry, and strengthen our school community. From hosting a chocolate seder for Passover to organizing Jewish Jeopardy, JCC has made a real and positive impact at Libertyville High School. Programs like the Student Diversity Council, Jewish Culture Club, and many others across our district play a critical role in creating a welcoming and informed school environment. They promote empathy, celebrate cultural differences, and create a sense of belonging that benefits all students, not just those directly involved. Thank you for your continued investment in these vital programs and for helping to build a school community where every student feels welcomed, valued, and included. Thank you. Thank you, Trudy or Truly Valdez. Tatiana Valdez approaches the podium. Hi, my name is Tatiana Valdez. I'm a junior at Libertyville. I have been a part of lasso and attended this Latinx summits for

068the last three years. What this group has shown me goes beyond tangible matters like the Latin Latinx flags and foods. It also includes the intangible or the sense of community. Going into high school, I had a finite understanding of myself and my culture. However, through these bi-weekly meetings, I have began uncovering more about my identity. This group has expanded my knowledge of the way we as Latinos navigate um among our our other peers, more specifically in white dominated spaces. The lasso group has been established in both Vernon Hills and Libertyville High School, giving an opportunity for Latinx students to find themselves in groups where they and their cultures are acknowledged. Once a year, these schools unite to discuss the importance of to discuss the importance of people like us, people like Latinos to communities like

069ours. This last summit, students and staff had the opportunity to work together, bringing in inspiring speakers like Luis Duens and some of our very own studentled breakout sessions to address Latinx representation and its importance. When two potentially rivaling schools come together to celebrate Lasso, it shows us the value of these groups and the impact on our students, to push to push aside the wildcat and the cougar, and to understand that we are both cats. Although in different habitats, we are a community of Latinos nonetheless. Groups like Lasso encourage students to become more aware of who they are in positive ways, but also in negative ways, which are addressed and resolved in these meetings. The discussion of topics such as racism, privilege, and how we tackle self-esteem are all examples of the ways in which Lasso

070works with the students at changing the way they approach tough situations. As a junior myself, I've had these crucial conversations which are important to pass down onto underclassmen who may be experiencing similar matters. These groups are vital in our understanding not only of ourselves but of each other. They communicate a strong message that our color matters. And as we grow, it's important that we do not become insensitive to such sensitive affairs. Thank you. Thank you, Zoe. Zoe Aarno approaches the podium. Um, hello, my name is Zoe Oserno. I'm a senior at Libertyville High School and I'm part of the Lasso board. I'm the co-president and I also attended the Latinx Summit this year and all four years I've been in LHS. The Latinx Summit is a really important event because it's not just an event.

071It's a place to help. It's a space for Latino students to know that they belong and that they are heard and that they are valued. This is a place where we can build a community and also celebrate our culture. It's a place where we know that our heritage is something we should be prideful and not hide. I'm also part of lasso and in lasso it is very it is a very important club because we talk we cover um valuable issues I remember my first day in lasso I wasn't president I was just joining the club and I saw the president the then president and she was going to college and she was going to become a doctor and she was striving for impossible things that I thought that Latinos or that I believed that I

072wasn't able to achieve. But seeing other peers being able to achieve and reach and strive that far made me um sorry made me want to strive and reach and become more than I thought I was. I also helped uh co-create the multicultural feast which is a feast that involves other cultural clubs and unites them bringing them bring their cultural foods and cultural um artifacts or talents to show us and demonstrate each other's uh each other's aspects of our culture. And I believe that this is very important because it allows us to help grow and learn and burst out of our bubble and see new perspectives and learn about new ways to interact. I want to thank you all for investing in all these programs. And I'm a little nervous right now. And I know most

073people back there were also really nervous, but I could tell everyone put in lots of effort. And if you guys ever if you guys stepped outside, you could see everyone reading their stories and editing and making sure it was perfect because this is a very important topic to us and we just want you guys to know that we want to thank you for investing and for your continuation of your investment. Thank you, Olivia. Olivia approaches the podium. Good evening. My name is Olivia and I'm a junior at LHS. I am on the executive board for AsianPacific Islander Union and I'm also on our school's diversity um council. When I moved here as a freshman from a different state, I went from being a part of the racial majority to being in the minority. At first,

074it was a tough adjustment, but affinity groups gave me a familiar space to make friends. I could take comfort in our shared life experiences, cultures, and languages while also exploring our countless differences. Additionally, the Panorama survey continues to be an effective window into the student population. Its results show that there is certainly more work to be done regarding equity and inclusion. In my experience, the Student Diversity Council has been a great source for student perspectives on ways to improve. Thank you so much for supporting these programs. Your continued support will help students feel valued, connected, and empowered to be themselves. Thank you. [Applause] And I believe this is Ethan Hill. Ethan Hill approaches the podium. I hope I was uh Thank you so much. Good evening everyone. Um not just the board, but really everyone

075for being here. Um I can say a lot about diversity and inclusion. Um we all know the groups are really vital uh to creating and fostering an environment where our students can learn and grow and develop not just academically but emotionally um and socially. Um affinity groups are uh crucial. Um they really foster belonging and a sense of well-being. um listening to these students here uh makes me reflect back on my own um high school experiences where I was often the only brown person in in the room and and so I just tried to hide um and not be seen and not be heard and to uh to blend in. I don't want that for my children. That's not why I chose Vernon Hills High School. I'm the parent of a Vernon Hills High School

076graduate um as well as uh twins who are juniors here and I just can't say enough about how much uh the diversity and inclusion programs have meant and have have changed them. Um I could also say um you know that it it has helped them learn to uh speak up for themselves to speak out um which I think is the foundation of our society here right it's not just about academics but it's about learning and growing emotionally as well uh I am very proud and very inspired by all of the young people here today who came up and and spoke um and who who've worked on their their talk to communicate the importance of this Um, and then I also wanted to just take a moment and talk about um, just really embracing diversity in

077general. We heard that a lot here, but um, my oldest uh, child um, uh, also has additional needs in addition to being a person of color and just how Vernon Hills has really helped to support and develop him into the person that he is today and just uh, to appreciate uh, neurodeiversity as well. So, thank you so much. Thank you. I just make a a brief comment. While it's always we always appreciate hearing uh people come speak to the board. It's important um part of our communications. Uh and while it was very joyful to celebrate all the students earlier, it's even better to hear the student voice and it's more important to us to hear the student voice. And I commend all these students that came up here very articulate um and and spoke before

078the board and congratulate you and thank you for for coming and uh joining us tonight. Okay, we will move on. Uh is there a teacher union representative here tonight? Pause for response. They're busy. I know. So, yeah. Okay. Uh, is there an ESP representative tonight? Okay, come on up. Jen Shepard approaches the podium. Good evening, Board of Education, Administration, and Student Board representatives. I'm Jennifer Shepard. I'm the president of the D128 Education Support Professionals Union. I'm excited to be here tonight to thank our outgoing board members and welcome our new board members both for the district and for our union and for our student representatives that'll take their seats next month. Um it's been a busy year for our members as we are able to collaborate with district administration in several ways. Momentary pause. Our

079labor management team, Jackie Role, Dan Schmidt, Lena, and myself have met with district administration monthly to address concerns, collaborate on solutions, and meet the needs of our members. Our building representatives met with the building principles at LHS and BHS to discuss building level ideas and questions and to ensure that everyone was heard and supported and address any concerns that were brought to us by our membership. And we appreciate you taking that time. Our members stepped up to work on a job description committee, an IT committee, a professional development committee, and more. Our members have truly appreciated the opportunity to finally use their voices and take a seat at the tables in a collaborative way. Our inaugural executive board, myself and Lena as co-presidents, Kurt Heinsburgger as vice president, Tammy Fischer as treasurer, Jackie Role, Dan

080Schmidt, Jason Paulus, and Jill Giovenetti as building reps are at the end of their term. Beginning on May 1st, our recently elected executive board will continue their work. The new board will be myself continuing on as president. Vice President will continue to be Kurt Heinsberger. Tara Shonfeld has stepped up to be our new secretary and Jill G. Vanetti is going to move to be treasurer. Our LHS building reps will be Jason Paulace and Janet Spencer. And our VHS building reps will be Matt Hardy and Mark Small. So, we'll have a combination of new blood and, you know, us old folks. Um, we're excited for this future of our union and we're looking forward to seeing where these new leadership positions take us. We would also like to address the ESP staffing proposal that will be

081discussed later today that was presented to us by the administration. First, we want to sincerely thank our administration for the significant improvements made to staffing process this year. We truly appreciate the time, collaboration, and thoughtful effort that went into it. and we recognize the progress made compared to past years. So, thank you. At the same time, we would like to highlight two areas where we believe there are important opportunities for further growth. Academic support for social studies and the reallocation of ESP staff within the MTSS framework. Our social studies department currently has no structured academic support outside of the classroom. Momentary pause. Over the past five semesters, 132 students have earned a DRF in government. 84 students have earned a DRF in US history, both of which are graduation requirements. Our union firmly believes that

082every student deserves access to the resources they need to succeed. And to help address this, we proposed adding ESP support to provide tier one classroom assistance and drop-in tutoring through the MASH and the Ark. Although this specific quest request was not included in the final staffing plan, we remain hopeful that the board and administration will continue to explore better ways to support students in meeting these critical academic milestones. Second, we fully support the addition of certified staff to the MTSS model and we are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate during the committee meetings to work on the MTSS system. We are concerned about the reduction of English and science tutor positions and wish that rather than reducing these ESP roles. Our suggestion to reallocate them into departmental prof paraprofessional positions for English and science had

083been accepted. This would strengthen our tier one classroom supports and increase student engagement. It would provide immediate in the- moment assistance to students who need it most. But we look forward to continuing to use our voices to advocate for our students with our board and our administration. We deeply value the partnerships that we have forged and we look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that all students have everything necessary to thrive to survive and thrive. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, more student voice. Our U student schoolboard representatives prematuria Uh good evening everyone. As the school year comes to a close, LHS seniors are looking toward the future and celebrating all the accomplishments they have achieved throughout their high school career. Many seniors have made decisions regarding their post-graduation plans. Whether that is attending

084high school, joining the workforce, enlisting in the military, or exploring other exciting opportunities. To honor the achievements of the senior class, LHS along with gen generous community sponsors has awarded many scholarships to seniors at two scholarship breakfast ceremonies. These scholarships are helping students ease the financial burden of their future plans. Additionally, as students finalize their postgrad plans, they are being featured on the senior decisions Instagram page, allowing other students to support their future plans. The upcoming issue of Drops of Ink will also showcase seniors and their their post-graduation choices, ensuring that every senior is recognized. A major upcoming event uh is senior day, taking place before school on May 2nd, which will serve as the joyful culmination of every senior's hard work and a launch point into the next chapter of their lives. This event

085will feature photos, snacks, and a vibrant atmosphere to celebrate all seniors postgrad plans. Senior day is not only about marking the end of our time in high school, but it's also about embracing the future with enthusiasm. Lastly, seniors have been celebrating their final days at LHS through the ABC countdown, where seniors dressed to a theme in alignment with the letter of the day. Some seniors have also made up their own days. Senior Lucas Kresaminsky and his friends turned the kickoff day for Kay into kayak to school day. And they did exactly that. and they kayak to school this morning. So overall, LHS does a wonderful job supporting seniors as we embark on our next journey and supporting seniors overall. Thank you. Victoria Dios Martins D Costa. Good evening everyone. I hope everyone has had a

086wonderful month. Today I will talk about the AP test LHS will be conducting. AP test which stands for adv advanced placement will be conducted May 5th until May 16th. These AP tests can allow students to receive college credit for certain classes depending on their score on the test and have the ability to skip certain classes in college if they choose. These AP tests are graded on a scale of 1 through five with one being the lowest score and five being the highest score possible. Depending on the class and what credits colleges will accept, a three and above is considered passing. LHS offers a total of 31 AP classes as part of our curriculum guide which students can choose from depending on their prerequisites and grade level. Depending on the class and how many students have

087registered, there is a test for each AP class with some starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp, known as morning tests, and others starting at 12:00 p.m. sharp, known as afternoon tests. At LHS, there will be a total of 1,041 students taking some sort of AP test, with many students taking more than one test. Students who are taking an AP test were assigned testing rooms for the day of their test and are told to show up 30 minutes prior to testing. Students so far have reported that they enjoy taking advantage of the AP testing opportunities because it can potentially save them money while being in college. So to everyone testing, I hope it all goes well as they wish. Thank you. Sire Abraham. Tonight, I'd like to briefly update you on LHS's senior nights for our student

088athletes. Over the past few weeks, spring sports such as Babmonton, soccer, water polo, and more celebrated their senior athletes, recognizing their dedication, leadership, and achievements during their time in the program. Each senior night event has been a heartfelt moment for the athletes with their families, coaches, and teammates showing up to support them. This year, as a senior, I definitely understand why there's so much positive feedback resulting from these nights. Many seniors have shared that they feel genuinely appreciated and valued by their team and they're grateful and they're grateful for the opportunity to reflect on their years of hard work. Some mentioned how meaningful it was to be recognized individually while others appreciated the chance to celebrate alongside their teams one last time. Miam Salmi, a member of the girls tennis team from the fall, mentioned

089how her teammates had created individual posters for each athlete. And on each poster, there were photos of the team throughout the season along with personalized notes from the other team members. She recalls it to be a very sweet gesture and is sure that it is one she will always remember. Celia Kathleina, a spring and fall athlete, has experienced both seasons senior nights, but but she says, "While both my senior nights were very heartwarming, my spring one truly feels like my official closure to high school athletics. Overall, se senior nights have strengthened school spirit and created lasting memories for our graduating athletes. They assist in sending them off knowing that they have left a la a lasting legacy for the teams and students who will follow in their paths. Our seniors thank everyone who has made

090these nights so meaningful. Thank you. Daniela Gomez and good evening board. I'm excited to give a fun synopsis of things that have been occurring this month at VHS. Beginning with the equity chat which I was lucky enough to attend during my lunch period. A diverse, equity, inclusion team, which many of you just heard from, led a discussion about our panorama results focusing on how students can speak up against discrimination. An area where our survey showed a 6% decrease. Students Leila Lami, Hanano Reyes, Kira Thomas, Leo Surfin, Nali Marquez, Kamaro Harris's, and Sanvigo Jenny truly demonstrated the daring values by creating a safe space for personal experiences to be shared. Furthermore, on positive student recognition, the NHS induction recently took place for this year's junior class. Leonor Newman, newly nominated director of service, says, "I loved

091the speech given by Mr. Healey during our induction. I thought it was a great ceremony that allowed us to learn more about what the NHS truly means and how it relates to our school's core values." Mr. Healey, a retiring AP calculus teacher who has worked at BHS since its opening, will be greatly missed, though we wish him well in retirement. On the math side of things, this weekend, VHS went down to state in Bloomington and came out as state champions. Vice President Zoe Meta says that it was super fun and exciting cuz we haven't won in a while, but especially as seniors, it's super rewarding to see our progress throughout the years. Additionally, our student hosted our school our school hosted an excellent performance of Clue, which I loved watching. Jonathan Pro, a senior who

092played Mr. Watssworth, says putting on Clue, a very complex show, had its hard moments. Figuring out the doors and all the moving sets were definitely a huge part of rehearsal. The show sold out on opening night, requiring 40 extra seats, our first sellout since co. Jonathan, like other seniors, also participated in senior spirit week featuring Bring Anything But a Backpack. This this week seniors are having another spirit week that will end with decision day this Friday coupled up with a senior celebration before school hosted by the CRC. Now off to Iman Eman Da. Good evening board. I'm very excited to share some fun news regarding incredible accomplishments by BHS students. To begin, Vernon Hills recently hosted two affinity group summits. One of which was the Lion Next Summit including participants from Lasso. Rihanna Aoyo said

093that the event was a great way to build connections with fellow Latinx students. In addition to this, April 17th marked the second annual AsianAmerican Pacific Islander Summit. This event included playing community building games, attending student led workshops, a fun family dinner where we brought in the whole community and an excellent game of AAPI themed trivia. Junior Ken So, a member of the Asian Student Association, said the summit was a fun experience where he was able to connect with people of his community and form new friendships. It allowed for so many people in the AAPI community within BHS and LHS to come together and celebrate our shared cultural identity, promoting our similarities and differences. What an excellent night to celebrate community. Next up, April 8th and 9th were our statewide ACT testing days. This year, hundreds

094of juniors took part in the ACT, while freshman and sophomores took their own preACT, and seniors enjoyed a few days of post-secary planning. Prior to the ACT, the ORC hosted several review and study sessions for juniors to attend. At these meetings, students learned about test taking strategies for each section of the ACT that allowed them to feel more confident going into the test. Finally, the second annual BD SEM debate took place April 16th and had a focus on medical policy and its effect on minority groups. Eight teams, four pro and four con, each competed to both right and orally demonstrate that they had the best argument regarding medical policy in the US and its effect on minority groups. After the initial round, one pro and one con team each went up against each other. In

095the end, a pro group won. Arushi Panda details the event was an incredible experience because it gave her the chance to educate herself on a key issue in America and that she left the event with key insights that will serve her well in her career. That's all for me. Next up, Griffin. Griffin Nichols. Thank you. Good evening board. I'm thrilled to say that Vernon Hills has had quite a few awesome events happening this month. Most recently, our school is hosting one act plays, which are plays that are one act long. Our students aren't just actors, but they're also playwrights. I had a chance to speak with one of the directors of these one act plays, Sierra Overick, who's having a blast being a director, stating, "I really enjoy having this experience." She went on to

096explain how fellow students have to audition and she has to pick students who best fit her play. She is directing the play the job in interview where two people are interviewing for a job at the same time at Build-A-Bear Workshop. It sounds like it'll be an awesome watch and I encourage you all to see not just the job interview but all the plays Vern Hills has to offer. In March, we had a Vich give where our students raised money for our sister school in Uganda. It was a minute to win it and our aim was around 15,500. Our students blew that estimate out the water raising around 3,100 that dollars for our sister school. Almost the double our estimate. Sorry, over double our estimate. I for one am proud of our students for this and

097you should be too as this money is going to go to a great cause and I can't wait for future fun raising efforts to raise even more. This past week, we also had the Cougar class act award where many students were recognized for their good deeds around the school. student who Leo Shiffron who spoke here earlier today was one of these students and in and in an interview when I say what he enjoyed most from the Cougar class acts ceremony was being able to put a face to the individuals who are putting a significant amount of effort into jobs that are often thankless but bear in an enormous significance to making a Vern Hill such a better place. To wrap it up for tonight, I want to highlight senior Joy Ning with the Northern Regional

098Exhibition, took home an honorable mention in the drawing category and second place in live art figure drawing. She stated, "I thought the art show was really fun and it was awesome to be surrounded by other creatives. It was the definitely a valuable experience overall." That's all for us tonight. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] You guys have one more meeting. Jim Batson. Um on to uh next agenda item. F is foyer request. There's a bunch of foyer requests here. Um unless somebody has any questions or anything, it's there for your reading. Uh agenda item G, uh superintendence report. Yes. I have one item for tonight. I want to take a moment to express our heartfelt thanks to Cara, Don, Cara, and Sonel. We very much appreciate your dedicated service to our district. Know that your leadership,

099commitment, and hard work will have a lasting impact on students and staff and our community. On behalf of the entire District 128 community, we deeply are grateful for your years of service to District 128, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors. As a token for appreciation, we're honored to present you with some plaques recognizing your service, as well as a photograph at this time. [Applause] Board members, receive plaques and take a photo for about the next 30 seconds. I caught [Music] myself. That's [Music] [Applause] Everyone returns to their seats. Jim Batson. Okay. Momentary pause. Moving on. We have a um consent vote agenda. Need a motion and a second. Carmichael move to approve the consent vote agenda. Benjamin second. Okay. Any questions or comments? Actually, I should have asked if there was

100anyone wanting to pull something out, but I understand there wasn't. So, okay. Can we have a roll call, please? Drum key. I Hessel. Hi, Cotwell. Hi, Coly. Hi, Batson. Hi, Benjamin. Hi, Carmichael. I Okay, motion passes. Uh, action items. A uh the ISBY discipline improvement plan. Brian Kelly. Yes. The Isby discipline improvement plan was presented to the board at the U. um PMP committee meeting and we are bringing it here um with a recommended action for the board to approve the discipline improvement plan for school year 2526 as uh presented Jim Batson. Okay. Can I have a motion please uh to approve the uh D128 discipline improvement plan for the school year 2526 as presented? Carmichael. So moved. Second. Any questions or comments? This was discussed at committee as mentioned earlier in the month. So,

101uh, roll call, please. Hessel, hi. Cotwell, I. Coy, I Batson, I. Benjamin, I. Carmichael. Hi. Drum. I. Motion passes. We have a group of um folks here for employment of employees. These are employees that have come in since the committee meeting. So, we didn't have an opportunity to see these previously, but we've had them since last week in our board packet. Uh, can I have a motion to ex approve the employment of uh employees as listed? Hel so moved. Carmichael. Second. Any questions or comments from the board? Okay. Roll call, please. Codwell. I. Col. I. Batson. I. Benjamin. I. Carmichael. I Drum Key I Hessel I Okay, motion passes. Uh, next item C is the annual uh education support professional ESP staffing report. Um, again, this was reviewed um at some length in committee earlier

102in the month. Can I get a motion to approve the annual ESP report staffing report? Carmichael move to approve the annual educational support professional staffing report as presented. Coney second. Okay. Any questions, comments? Okay. Thank you. Uh, roll call please. Carol Cole Carney. I. Batson. Hi. Benjamin. I. Carmichael. Hi. Drum. Hi. Esalt. Hi. Cotwall. I. Motion passes. Uh, next on the agenda is the uh 2526 uh school year textbook adoption uh requests. Again, this was discussed at some length in the committee earlier in the month. So, we need an U drum key. Motion to approve the 2526 textbook adoption request as presented. Benjamin second. Uh, just to be certain, it's at the amount of $52,5156. Any comments or questions? Okay. Roll call, please. Carol Batson. I. Benjamin. I Carmichael. Hi, Drum Key. I Hustel. I

103Cotwell. Hi, Coy. I Okay, motion passes. Uh, next on the agenda is the driver education waiver. Uh, this is not only discussed at uh committee meeting earlier in the month, but was also reviewed earlier this evening. Um, so I need a motion to approve the driver education waiver renewal for simulator use. Carmichael. So moved. Hessle second. Any questions, comments? Roll call, please. Benjamin, I Carmichael I. Drum I. Hustle. I Cotwell. I. Cole Carney. I. Batson. I. Motion passes. Item E. Uh, oh, I'm sorry. Item F, uh, board meeting management system. Um, we're moving uh to, uh, board book. Uh this is basically the system that we use to manage all our documents uh for our board meetings. Uh I need a motion to approve the use of board book as the new board meeting management

104system. Benjamin. Uh I move to approve the use of board book as the new board meeting management system. Hel second. Okay. Any questions or comments? Okay. Again this was discussed earlier in the in the month. It's actually going to be a cost savings in addition to improved system. So we have a uh roll call please. Carmichael I. Drum key. Iel I. Cotwell I. Coy I. Batson. I. Benjamin. I. Okay. Motion passes. We have the um um need a motion to schedule the FY 26 budget uh hearing meeting. Uh we're proposing June 9th, 2025. I move to approve to schedule the FY26 budget hearing for June 9th, 2025. Carmichael second. Any questions or comments? Roll call, please. Drum I. Hell, I cotwall I. Col. Batson. I. Benjamin I. Carmichael. I. Okay. Motion passes. Last on the

105list is the um uh approval of the LHS cafeteria change order. Dan Stanley, we have any background you need to Yeah, that that wasn't part of the committee meeting. This was something that came up more was, you know, when we went to for the tour and looked at the courtyard. Um, this is a change order uh that will uh give Gilbane uh more room to do more work basically quicker adding another person on the ground uh to help us get this done on time. Um, so because it's over the $50,000 threshold, the board has to approve it. Um, the tra it it says 140, but really it's only 90 because 50 is coming from a another source that's already been bid. Really, the change is for 90,000 and it's within our contingency. We actually have

106only had two change orders. This one and another one. Uh so far we'll have more be we'll have more coming for sure, but as of right now, uh it seems pretty straightforward. Correct me if I'm wrong. Part of the reason that this is happening is because uh it was just too noisy. Like there was uh work happening, so they had to go to a second shift so that they could do some of that work and not disturb the flow of education. is that um I that is part of it also just the the the timing of the project and um needing needing more work done at more hours than what we originally had scheduled to get it to get the things done on time for Okay, I need a motion to approve the change order

107ATP 0020 for the LHS cafeteria in amount of $90,000. Carmichael so moved. Quall second. Any questions or comments? Roll call, please. Heli. Cotwall. I. Coli. I. Batson. I. Benjamin. I. Armich. Hi. Drum. Hi. Okay. Motion passes. We have a coupleformational items. Uh, preliminary update from the FY26 budget. Dan Stanley. Uh, excuse me. So, um, just, uh, FYI, normally around this time we would have a preliminary budget, but really due to the status of the teacher negotiations, I wasn't quite able to put something together like that. Uh, but what we do have are revenues for us to look at, which is a really important thing. So, we can see revenues at 3.19 more than what next year is. Uh, and then staffing is going to be based on the staffing plans like one that was produced

108or approved tonight for the ESP and then for the teachers and admin as well. So, uh, we'll get working on, um, and we are working on, uh, developing the rest of our budgets, but also the tenative budget in May. So, you'll see a lot more detailed information very soon. Okay. More to come on that. Any questions from the board? Okay. Um, board comments and events. I would like to start out by echoing uh what Ray said earlier and thanking all the the four folks that are uh leaving us this evening. Wishing you very well. Um this has been a really great board. It's been a just a fantastic um experience. Um we've been had our challenges of course but I think uh what we've been able to accomplish especially in the last um so many

109months um we've hired a great new superintendent. We've negotiated a great five-year contract with the union that we hope will be um uh ratified here soon. I think we've really set the district on a good path moving forward. Um, but a lot of that had to do with the four of you individuals and your contributions and uh, you know, hard work for on behalf of this board. So, I want to personally thank you and thank you on behalf of the the community for all the work that you've done and don't be strangers. Uh, come back and tell us how we're doing. Yeah. Anyone have a it's our time to speak. I I just have a Oh, go members. Absolutely. Did you want to say something? No. I want to hear what you have to say.

110No. So, I'm taking us in a slightly different direction. So, if any of the outgoing board members wanted to say something, I I just wish there were more there was any Kleenex here because I see a lot of you have wet eyes here. Don Carmichael. Yeah. I I would like to uh thank the administration for their tireless efforts. You all have done so much in the last six years. We've been through a lot and you have weathered it uh with true grace. So, I just want to say thank you for everything that you have done. And to my other board members, thank you for uh you know making this a pleasant place to be. So, Cara Benjamin, I'll just quickly say uh thank you to the community for the opportunity. Uh, and thank you to

111um my fellow board members who I served with. It's been an honor, a pleasure. Thank you to our district administration who continually impresses me and our community every single day showing up for our kids. Thank you to our board uh student board reps for joining us on this journey the last from the last four years, but uh the latest and greatest obviously. And uh I'm I've said it once, I'll say it again. I'm th still still thrilled that my kids will be uh attending uh Vernon Hills High School in just a short time. So can't wait to experience it on this side of the user end. Thanks for having me. It's been real. Cara Drum. Uh I don't know what else to say to add to that. Thank you everybody for supporting us through some

112really some successes and some challenges. It's been a wonderful experience and I really uh most importantly I wish our new Ben board members success because uh when you are successful we're all successful. So I appreciate our community and trusting all of us with this really important role and I know you will carry on and do wonderful things. We're rooting for you son Carne and and for me just on a serious note want to say thank you to all of you. You're incredible. Uh you're very passionate about every person that walks in this building and thank you for that and good luck to all of you as you move on to uh new things in your life. Good luck to our new new board and we'll be cheering for everybody here. Don Carmichael want to add

113one more thing. Uh thank you to our teachers for your tireless efforts and to the ESP and think of the storms that you weathered over the last six years. Uh this district would not be in the place that it is without your tireless efforts as well. So thank you. Anybody else? Okay. And now we get the cane. Not quite yet. We got more work to do here soon. Not quite. I just um I serve uh on the executive board of Ed and I wanted to uh make a plug uh to everybody here including our new board members. Um June 12th is the second annual Ed and Lake um regional office of education mini summit um that includes breakfast uh amazing breakout sessions and a keynote presentation. Um it's free for all ED READ members and

114this district is a member of ED. So, you'll be receiving in your email from Carol a link to the registration. If you would like to attend on June 12th, Carol will register you. So, I hope that you'll consider joining. It'll be a great uh experience. Ed is a wonderful organization. It's a nonprofit that's a legislative advocacy group for uh quality public education. We represent all of the suburbs uh the suburban uh many if not most of the suburban school districts. So, it's a really uh great way to get uh sort of your feet wet as a new board member and to uh network and meet uh board members in other districts as well as other superintendents. So, thank you. Any other board member comments on relative topics? Okay. Uh no IASB report, no seedall report.

115Uh we got our list of future agenda items, but many of you aren't really too concerned about that. This is just what I want to see. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Does it start with and end with an um you come back and hold us to that. Okay. Public comment. Okay. So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to adjourn this meeting and unless anyone really needs to go somewhere, take a break. We're going to start then right into the next meeting. So, uh I need a motion and a second to adjourn this meeting. Carmichael move to adjurnn. Kwwell. Second. Okay. Do we need a roll call? Or do we? Pause for discussion. All in favor? I I I. Any opposed? So no, that's yours, too. I might as well say I'm opposed. Okay, she did

116it. Okay, motion passes anyway. Okay, so we'll move right into a call to order um this the special board meeting. Yeah. Okay. We're gonna give Carol a moment here. That's why we're changing our Yeah. We're going to change our system here. Make it easier to use. Pause for note takingaking. Jim Batson. Okay. So, we will call the um special board meeting to order at 8:53 on a uh April 28th. Um with the roll call, please. Oh. Um, Jim Batson, uh, here. Cara Benjamin here. Don Carmichael here. Cara Drum here. Lisa Hessel here. Middleish Cotwell here. Solo Carney here. Okay. So, I'm going to review quickly the um agenda and how this is going to work. We're going to um have our our board secretary um acknowledge the election results. Uh we will appoint a president

117prom for the uh a portion of the meeting. Uh then we will um adjourn the sitting board. Ca. Okay. Hey, I got that right. Um and then we'll sort of do another opening, a call to order, a roll call. Uh we'll administer the oath of office to our new board members once they're up here. Uh and uh we'll have some board officer elections and um momentary pause some other business related to uh designating office secretary that kind of thing. um uh discussion uh chairpersons um committee chairpeople and ISB and seed doll assignments delegate assignments we'll talk about that uh and then we will take the new board and go into executive session for a little bit we need to bring them up to speed on the things that we talked about earlier so we'd like

118to do that briefly and then there will be no action item after that so we should get through this pretty quickly so First on the agenda, since it's a new meeting, we do have an invitation for public comment if anyone wants to uh uh make a public comment. Pause for the public. Okay, seeing none, uh we're going to move on. Um I would would like to ask the uh sonal, our board secretary to inform us of the election results. Sonal Karnney. Right. As board secretary, I will read the official results of the consolidated election of April 1st, 2025 and proclaim the following as elected for a full term of four years. West Poland received 6,171 votes. Mileesh Kotpal received 5,65 votes. Doug Flegal received 5,663 votes. Rahul Deshmuk received 4,412 votes. Next, I will read

119uh the official results and proclaim the following as elected for a term of two years. Nina Austin received 3,726 votes. Thank you. Uh, okay. So, um, I move to accept the official Community High School District 128 Board of Education election results from the April 1st, 2025 Lake County, Illinois consolidated election as present. Carmichael second. Any comments? No. Roll call, please. Batson. I Benjamin. Hi. Carmichael. Hi. Drunk. Hi. Hel. Hi. Cotwell. Hi. Coy, I Motion passes. Okay, we have one more quick thing. I'm going to appoint Lisa as the um president prom for the re the beginning of the reorganization of the board and I need a motion to adjourn. Um we have to approve the appointment. Oh, do we have have a motion on it? Okay. All right. I'm sorry. All right. I didn't know

120we needed a move to approve Lisa Hassel as the president promot. Any comments? Roll call, please. Pause for roll call. Sorry, I didn't see that. Carmichael. Hi. Drum key. I Carney, I Batson, I Benjamin, I. Okay, motion passes. Thank you. Um, we need to uh have a motion to adjourn the retiring board. Senior DA Batson. So moved. Carmichael. Second. Pause for note takingaking. Pause for roll call. Ready for roll call. Okay. Drum key. Hi. Halt. Hi. Cotwell. Hi. Coney. Hi. Batson. Hi. Benjamin. Hi Armich. Hi. [Applause] Lisa Hessle. Okay. I will call to order the special board meeting for reorganization of the board of education at 9:01. Um if we when you are ready, Carol, take your time. We are ready for a roll call. [Music] Pause for roll call. Roll call. Nina Austin. Hello.

121Just say here. Okay. Sorry. This is just roll call. I'm sorry. This is all new here. Okay. Jim Batson here. Rul Deshmok here. Doug Flegal here. Lisa Hessel here. Middleish Cotwell still here. Wes Poland here. Okay. Thank you. We note all members present. Um, it is now my honor to administer your oath of office. If I could ask all the new board members to please rise. Um, whenever you're ready, you're going to read it together and when you get to the part about your name, please state your name clearly and you'll all continue together. New board members, stand to read oath. Igal swear that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the member of education community high school district 128 in accordance with the constitution of the United States of the state

122of the laws of the state of Illinois I further swear that I shall respect interest by serving as faithful protector of school to the asset. I shall encourage and respect the free expression of my fellow board members and others who receive a hearing before the board while respecting the privacy of students and employees. I shall recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual decision only public. I shall abide by majority decisions of the board while retaining the right to seek changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels. As part of the board of education, I shall accept the responsibility for my role in the equitable and quality education of every student in the school district. I shall foster with the board extensive participation of the community formulary goals define outcomes

123and set the course for community high school district 128. I shall assist the estimation in the structure and environment designed to ensure all students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework. I shall strive to ensure a continuous assessment of student achievement and all conditions affecting the education of our children in compliance with state law. I shall serve as education's key advocate on behalf of students and our community school to advance the vision of more community high school district 128 and I shall strive to work together with the district superintendent to lead the school district towards fulfilling the vision of the boards has created fostering excellence for every student in the areas of academic skills, knowledge, citizenship and personal development. Congratulations [Applause] Lisa Hessle. Okay, thank you. Uh, moving on,

124we are going to have our board officer elections. Um, nominations are now in order for the office of president. Jim Batson is nominated. Are there any other nominations for the office of president? Pause for response. Hearing none, nominations for the office office of president are closed. Can we have a roll call vote, please? Okay. Pause for roll call. Batson. I Dashmuk I. Flegal I. Hustle. I. Cotwell. I Poland. I. Austin. I. Okay. Congratulations. Jim Batson is elected president of this board of education. And I will turn the reign back over to Dr. Matson for the continuation of our reorganization. Thank you and thank you for your support. Um next on the agenda is uh nominations are now in order for the office of vice president. Um and middle Coldwell is uh has been nominated. Are

125there any other nominations from the board? Pause for response. Any other nominations? No. Okay. Hearing none nominations for the office of vice president are closed. Um as uh need a roll call please. Dashmuk I. Flegal I. Hessel I. Cotwell I. Poland I. Austin I. Batson I. Okay. Congratulations. Mash. Momentary pause. Um need a motion to uh establish the provision that the secretary serve without pay before we choose a secretary. In the state of Illinois, you can have a paid board secretary, but we choose not to. So I need a motion and a second to um establish a provision that secretary will serve without pay. Kwall so moved. Second desmuk. Okay. Any questions or comments? Okay. Roll call, please. Flegal. Hi. Hel. Hi. Cotwall. I. Poland. I. Austin. I. Batson. I. Dashmuk. Hi. Didn't know you

126were going to be voting on so many things so quick. Uh, okay. Nominations are now in order for the office of secretary. Pause for response. There's three officer positions on the board. the president, vice president, and secretary. I'll do it. Can Can we make a nomination? Of course. How many spoken? Momentary pause. [Laughter] I'll second that nomination. Okay. Any other um nominations for vice president, for uh secretary? I mean, I'm sorry. Momentary pause. Oh, okay. Um, okay. Rahul was the first and Doug, were you second? Yes. For secretary Yeah. Just a a second nomination. Yeah. Yeah. Pause for note takingaking. Oh, I think there's just one person, right? Right. Exactly. Can we have a roll call, please? That's okay. These are always uh and and for those in the audience, I mean, we don't rehearse

127this. I mean, this is the first time we've all met and so it's sort of a and we're running without our systems because nobody has login yet. So, it's sort of always a little bit disjointed, but it all works out. So, appreciate your patience. So, roll call, please. Carol Flegal, hi. Hustle. Hi. Cotwell I Poland I Austin I Batson I Dashmok I Okay, motion passes. Um I'm going to call for a motion. I'll explain this real quick. A regular time meeting place uh and date as the second Monday of every month LHS at LHS for facilities and finance committee and program and personnel committee and the fourth Monday of every month at VHS for regular board meetings unless otherwise noted. So this is our our typical board meeting schedule. It comes in two parts. One

128is we vote on the standard. It's the second Monday and the fourth Monday. And then the next thing will be the actual calendar that defines the dates for the upcoming month. So just to make sure it's all clear. So um I need a motion to u um designate the regular meeting time and place. I'll make that motion. Okay. I second. Okay. Pause for discussion and questions. Any other questions from the board? Any concerns with those times? Okay. Uh, roll call when you have a chance. Hessel, I. Cotwall. I. Poland. I. Austin. I. Batson. Hi. Dashmuk. I. Flegal. I. Okay. Motion passes. And then I need a motion to approve the proposed uh committee and board meeting schedule as presented. And I don't Do they have it in? It's on the uh It's in the online

129board packet. So moved. Yeah. Thank you. Second. Momentary pause. Roll call when you get a chance. Pause for note takingaking. Pause for roll call. Um Poland I Austin I Batson I Dashmouth I Flegal I Hessel I Cotwell I motion passes. I need a uh motion to designate the office of the board of education as the administrative center 50 lake view parkway s sweet 101 Bernard Hills Illinois 6061 with the hours Monday through Friday 7:30 to 4:00 p.m. Go to also moved second. Second. Okay. Any questions, comments? Roll call, please. Austin, I. Batson. I. Dashmoke. Hi. Flegal. I. Hustle. Hi. Cotwell. I. Poland. I. Okay. Motion passes. Um, momentary pause. The the next one is has to do with the the committees. So, we have two committees. Um, pause for technical difficulty. No, no. Yeah, I'm

130on eight. No, no, no. I'm sorry. Yeah. Number eight. As board members designate a committee of their choice for consideration. Now, you don't necessarily have to do this tonight. What we do with our committees is technically three board members sit on each of the commit the two committees. We technically we unofficially run them as committees to the whole. They're just committee meetings and everyone tends to show up to both meetings. They run backtoback on that second Monday of the month. So, um if you want to take some time, think about it, drop me an email, drop Ray an email, whatever and which which committee you'd like to be on. Uh so we we don't have to figure that out tonight. So uh so we'll move on. Um because it's getting late and it's warm in

131here. So uh we need a a motion to appoint the superintendent to represent the district 128 at Lake County Tech campus as a board member. This standard practice so move. Thank you. Bmuk second. Okay. Thank you. Any questions, comments? Roll call, please. Patson I. Dashmuk. Hi. Flegal. I Hessel I Cotwall I Poland I Austin I Okay. Uh also they u need a motion to reaffirm the appointment of the assistant superintendent for finance as the school treasurer through June 30th 2027 and that will be Dan Stanley so moved. Thank you. Flegal second. Any questions comments? Okay. Um roll call please. Uh Flegal I. Heli. Cotwall. Hi Poland. Hi Austin. Hi Batson. Hi Dashmuk. Hi. Okay. Am I missing something? Okay. No, there's no more here, but I know there's more to go. Item six for discussion.

132Yeah. Uh so um this a little more uh uh urgent at least the first part. So the committee chairpeople um we have the two committees the program and personnel and the facilities and finance. Um we need uh individuals to chair those two department those two um uh committees. Um uh I know Midlesh you voice that might you might want to chair one of those committees. Uh I'm I'm actually thinking of a little bit different. I mean considering the new board members who are coming in and their backgrounds right. Um I was thinking again this is up for discussion but I was thinking of nominating Doug for the PNP. Doug comes with a background in organizational management. Okay. Um would be good and was thinking of Wes for the finance committee. Okay. You know anyone else

133have any interest or thoughts on that? That's fine. It's it's typically so what's unusual in this last so many months I've been chair of one of the committees but the president's typically not chair of one of the committees. So uh we're we're okay. Uh anyone have any other thoughts on we go with that? Yeah. Okay. Um so that'll start in two weeks. we can bring you guys up to speed with the you know who's involved and when we set agendas for those meetings that kind of thing. Uh so we'll we'll go with that and we'll I don't think we need a motion or anything do we? No. Okay. The other two on that I same item agenda item is the uh IASB and seedall delegate appointments. I'm more than happy to continue with the IASB.

134I actually have additional roles. I represent us on that uh with that group anyway. So it it fits with that. Uh if anyone uh and again it doesn't have to be tonight, but consider um being a delegate uh actually become a sort of a a board member for Seedall. It's our special education uh uh group that consortium that we and several other discs uh use and they provide support for us and we provide uh somebody that uh um um sits on their board that attends their board meetings and that thing that kind of thing. I think they're quarterly. I don't think it's they don't meet as often as we do. I'll put it that way. So, so give that some consideration and we can get some um dates and whatnot. We also have um in

135addition to that that yeah lays onto the the foundation uh we typically have a board member that at least one board member can't have more than two uh as lays onto the foundation. So give that some consideration and we can talk about that maybe at our our uh committee meetings coming up. Um okay so that's those uh next item is uh move to convene in close session for collective negotiating matters 5 ILCS 120C2 I need a motion and a second also moved second okay roll call please pause for roll call Hessel I cotwall I Austin I Batson I Dashmoke I I Okay, motion passes. We will not be taking any action after this. This is just a brief uhformational uh meeting about contract negotiations. So uh we will see you all next time. Thank you.

136Fade to district 128 logo. Fade to black. End of meeting.