001I call on March 19th, 2026, regular meeting of the Board of Education to order. Kate, will you please call the roll? Mrs. Danniger? Ms. Maloney? Here. Mr. Aitken? Here. Mrs. Warren? Here. Dr. Pinter? Here. Ms. Timm? Here. Mr. Goldberg? Here. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining us tonight. I'm going to shift our order of business slightly this evening by moving consent agenda prior to our recognition portion of our meeting, as there are some personnel recommendations on the agenda that I believe are appropriate to approve and celebrate before we move on to all other recognitions this evening. Dr. Gault, would you please share the items on the consent agenda for the board's review? Thank you,
002Mrs. Maloney. This evening for the board, I have the approval of the open and closed session meetings of the Board of Education regular and emergency meetings held on March 5th, 2026, acceptance of the Treasurer's Report, approval of the Bills Payable List, approval of the District Activity Bills Payable List, approval of a one-year contract extension for Landscape Services, approval of a one-year contract extension for Custodial Services, approval of the board meeting calendar for the 2026-27 school year, approval of the IHSA renewal for 2026-27, and then approval of the personnel report, which includes stipends for March 19th, 2026, employment of certified staff, change of certified staff, resignation of certified staff, employment of non-certified staff, resignation of non-certified staff. I do want to point out to the board this evening that you'll notice the name Mary Grundin. She
003is the Spencer-Lumas Assistant to the principal. She is retiring after 20 years of service, and so really just want to thank her for her service to our district. We will miss her, but we wish her the best in her new journey, so thank you, Mary. And then also we have two other items, employment of administrative staff and change of administrative staff. At this time, I would like to please call up our building principals who are recommending candidates to the Board of Education for consideration, and so there should be a few of you coming to the microphone. Whoever gets there first can go first. Okay. All right. Good evening. I am very excited to come here and recommend that Brittany Reif join our administrative team at Middle School South as an assistant principal. Brittany has had
004an experience as both a physical education health teacher at both the elementary and middle school levels, and has most recently served as a dean of students at Lake Zurich High School. Throughout the interview process, her positive energy, student-centered mindset, and commitment to building relationships made it clear she would be a perfect fit for our community. With her collaborative approach and proactive problem-solving skills, I know she will be a dedicated advocate for our students, a resource for our families, and a vital partner for Leslie and me. We would be incredibly thrilled to welcome her to the MSS family. Go Eagles. Good evening. I would like to recommend Mr. Ryan Lazar for the position of assistant principal at Middle School North. First, I'd like to acknowledge the interview team. It was a very competitive pool, and our
005district leaders and our building staff engaged in a very thorough process and identified a very strong candidate for this role. Ryan brings over two decades of experience in education, including service as a teacher, assistant principal, and most recently, a principal. His background reflects a lot of work that we have been focusing on in D95, particularly of MTSS, SEL, PLC work, data-informed school improvement, and supporting our multilingual learners. Ryan is already connected to our community as a parent of two children at Spencer Loomis, and this perspective strengthens his commitment to our district. Based on his experience, leadership, and alignment to our district priorities, I am confident in recommending Mr. Ryan Lazar for this position. For May Whitney, it is my honor to recommend for hire Christina Dastis. I saw her in here. She's here. She came
006through the interview process just as a breath of fresh air. Her energy, her enthusiasm, her commitment to students, it just shone through the entire time. She has a plethora of experience, K-5, teaching multiple grade levels, K-5, and also middle school as well. I think one of her biggest assets in terms of understanding how students learn is overseeing the MTSS process. In her role, it was more RTI, but understanding how students close gaps, but then now her current position is advanced learning specialist. Not only does she have an understanding of closing gaps, she also has an understanding of how to push all learners forward, and we cannot be more excited to have her. Thank you for being with us, Christina. Good evening. It is my pleasure to introduce Eileen Woolney to the Board of Education as
007a dedicated instructional leader and experienced mathematics educator. Eileen currently serves as a math division head where she leads professional learning, supports teacher growth, and uses data-driven practices to improve student outcomes. Her background includes leadership and curriculum development, mentoring staff, and advancing school improvement initiatives, all while maintaining a strong presence in the classroom. We are excited to recommend Eileen and are confident she will make a meaningful impact on our students, staff, and broader school community. Thank you for sharing some information about each of our candidates. I also want to just remind the board, as you're considering approval this evening, please note that the assistant principal positions at both of the middle schools are not new administrator additions, but rather a change, and so rather than a dean position at each middle school we feel at this
008time, after careful analysis, it makes more sense to us to have another assistant principal at both buildings. That way we have a more comprehensive approach to students, families, and staff. Thank you, Dr. Gault. May I have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda as prepared and presented by the administration? So moved. Second. Thank you, Doug, and thank you, Lisa. Are there any questions? All right, Kate, please call the roll. Mrs. Warren? Yes. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Mr. Goldberg? Yes. Ms. Timm? Yes. Ms. Maloney? Yes. Mr. Aitken? Yes. So thank you very much. We do have something for each of our new administrators, so if you could please come forward at this time, we would greatly appreciate it, and congratulations to each of you for joining District 95. We will now recognize our student
009staff of the month. Ms. Malik has prepared a short celebration video to share. Mr. Cardella, please play the video. It is a great pleasure this evening to introduce students, staff, and volunteers. He approaches new learning experiences with enthusiasm. Good evening, and welcome to the District 95 Board Awards. It is a great pleasure this evening to introduce students, staff, and volunteers who truly represent the values and the vision that support the District 95 mission to empower every learner to achieve personal excellence. Tonight we begin with our Student of the Month Awards. Tyler Hadzima, Young Adult Center. Tyler is exceptionally welcoming and has built positive relationships with all of his peers by showing kindness, inclusion, and respect in his daily interactions. He approaches new learning experiences with enthusiasm and consistently advocates for his needs in a confident
010and respectful manner, demonstrating strong self-awareness and communication skills. His positive attitude and commitment to personal growth reflect the qualities highlighted in the District's portrait of a graduate, making a meaningful impact on his peers and the classroom environment. Matteo Camila Arce, Lake Zurich High School. Matteo possesses a strong curiosity for learning and regularly seeks out opportunities to challenge himself academically, especially as it relates to his German language studies. Recently, Matteo participated in a German language competition for high school students at the University of Illinois Chicago, and this summer he will travel to Germany to further develop and strengthen his language skills. Additionally, next fall his family will also host a German exchange student from the high school's partner school in Nittenau as part of the exchange program. Matteo's responsibility, initiative, and passion are inspiring and will
011take him far in life. Andrew Diaz, Middle School North. Andrew exudes kindness, respect, integrity, and hard work. He understands what it means to be a responsible learner and practices it each and every day. He appreciates those around him and makes sure to let them and others know, always thanking his teachers for their help and often sharing pictures and stories about his family with those around him. Andrew is one of a kind, and his thoughtfulness and perseverance uplift the MSN learning community. Andrew exudes kindness, respect, integrity, and hard work. He understands what it means to be a responsible learner and practices it each and every day. He appreciates those around him and makes sure to let them and others know, always thanking his teachers for their help and often sharing pictures and stories about his family
012with others. Andrew is one of a kind, and his thoughtfulness and perseverance uplift the MSN learning community. Amanda Musso, Middle School South. Amanda exemplifies curiosity, creativity, kindness, and connection. Filled with enthusiasm and purpose, she constantly seeks new knowledge, asks thoughtful questions, and eagerly shares her discoveries. Amanda thinks outside the box and develops innovative solutions to complex challenges. But what truly sets her apart is how her creativity is rooted in kindness, humility, and respect. By valuing diverse perspectives and treating others with genuine care, she helps create an inclusive, supportive environment and naturally builds meaningful connections. Gabriella Moro, Isaac Fox. Gabby truly lives out the portrait of a graduate characteristics every day. She comes to school with a great attitude, a genuine eagerness to learn, and most of all demonstrates empathy and compassion. She is a strong
013advocate, asking for help for herself or a classmate when it is needed. Recently when a classmate was sad, Gabby immediately got up and gave her a hug, letting her know everything would be okay. She also shows real leadership through her problem solving and her courage to stand up for friends when someone is unkind. Mr. Rogers said, look for the helpers, and that is exactly who Gabby is. Sophia Stutzler, Mae Whitney. Sophia consistently shows characteristics and behaviors aligned to the district's portrait of a graduate. She is caring, respectful, a problem solver, and eager to learn. Sophia strives to do her best academically with a thoughtful problem solving mindset and resilience. She shows remarkable compassion for her peers, offering support and encouragement during learning activities and purposeful play. She is a natural peer model to others and
014a wonderful student, classmate, and leader. Macy Mcgluion, Sarah Adams. Macy brings the portrait of a graduate traits and the district 95 mission to life each day. She is a confident self-advocate who takes ownership of her learning, intentionally positioning herself for success and communicating her needs with respect and responsibility. Beyond the classroom, Macy participates in chorus and battle of the books, highlighting not only her talents, but also her curiosity and eagerness to learn. Most importantly, Macy leads with kindness. She is welcoming and inclusive, making others feel valued and supported. Her positive attitude, strong work ethic, and caring spirit make her a wonderful role model for her peers and a joy to have in the classroom. Zachary Rinn, Spencer Loomis. The Spencer Loomis Special's teachers are proud to recognize Zachary. He consistently rises to meet challenges, persevering
015as he learns ukulele in his general music class and the French horn in band. In the library, he is collaborative, working to build strong entrepreneurial skills with his classmates and confidently presenting and defending his ideas to staff members. His leadership shines in Eco Club, where he is fair, responsible, and always willing to lend a hand. In all areas of his education, Zachary's advocacy, communication, global citizenship and commitment to his own growth and future readiness is evident. Nicole Nicola. Seth Payne. Nicole demonstrates the qualities of the district's portrait of a graduate every day in kindergarten. She is an active, empathetic listener who goes out of her way to help and encourage her classmates in a kind and respectful manner. Nicole is a hard worker who strives to do her best. When faced with challenges, she is
016persistent, always trying again and encouraging others to do the same. Nicole comes to school every day with a smile on her face, ready to learn. Moving on to our adult recognitions, we begin with our volunteer of the month. Karen Gore. Mae Whitney. Karen Gore consistently exemplifies Mae Whitney's core values through her extraordinary leadership and service as PTO president. She oversees all PTO committees with organization and heart, ensuring that every event runs smoothly and centers on students, often stepping into various jobs to ensure success. Her leadership reflects the portrait of a graduate qualities of advocacy and effective communicator as she brings families and staff together with clarity and positivity. Whether coordinating volunteers behind the scenes or solving last-minute challenges, she models a growth-oriented mindset and unwavering commitment to students. Karen's dedication strengthens the partnership between home
017and school and creates joyful connected experiences for the entire Mae Whitney community. Staff member of the month, Karen Palm, Middle School North. Ms. Palm embodies the district values of respect and collaboration in everything she does. Colleagues often call her the heart of MSN, reflecting the way she builds relationships, supports others, and contributes to a positive school culture. She is welcoming, organized, and deeply committed to ensuring that both students and staff feel valued. Through her leadership with the Bright Spots group, she helps new teachers feel connected, encouraged, and included from the start. Ms. Palm's integrity and perseverance shine in her daily work with students. Families frequently share that she goes beyond teaching content to truly understand each child as a learner and as a person. She helps students develop organization, confidence, and independence while making sure
018they know they are cared for and capable of success. Colleagues describe her as a mentor, cheerleader, and trusted advocate, someone who stands firmly in students' corners and leaves a lasting impact long after they leave her classroom. Congratulations to all of our district 95 award recipients. We will conduct our presentation of award certificates. I have a few directions to provide for this recognition. When your name is called, please come up to the board members who will be lined up on my right near the table once you are presented with your certificate. Please stand between the tables at the front of the room so that we can capture some photos. Once we finish all the award announcements, you will be invited to enjoy some cake. At this time, board colleagues, please join me at the table. Okay.
019Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for being here. So as Mrs. Maloney said, when I call your name up, you're going to come up and go straight over to the board members and then come here in the middle, and we'll take a picture at the end, okay? Let's start with the Young Adult Center, Tyler Hadzima from Lake Zurich High School, Mateo Canila Arce from Middle School North, Andrew Diaz, from Middle School South, Amanda Musso, from Isaac Fox, Gabriella Morrow, from May Whitney, Sophia Stetzler, from Sarah Adams, Macy Mcgluion, from Spencer Loomis, Zachary Rinn, Seth Payne, Nicole Nicola, and our volunteer of the month from May Whitney, Karen Gore, and last but not least, our staff member of the month from Middle School North, Karen Palm, who brought her entire cheering section with her. Okay.
020So we're going to, I'm going to organize them for a photo. Mrs. Zuby is going to take a photo for the district, then all of you as parents, you're going to be welcome to come up and take your own photos, okay? So just bear with me for a minute. Okay, parents, feel free to come right up and take pictures. You can come up, it's okay. Keep smiling. You're doing great. Keep smiling. Any more? Is that it? A couple more. Okay, great job, you guys. Go to the back of the room and have some cake. I think they gained it. The next item on the agenda is the superintendent's report. Dr. Gault. Thank you, Mrs. Maloney. This evening I have several items for the board. First of all, we did have, you did receive one communication
021of note, and that was an anonymous concern related to administrator supervision at the middle school level. I have reached back out, but I don't have it, I don't have any more information for you yet. Additionally, donations, we have three very generous donations. The first one is Echo Incorporated, $1,500 to our high school orchestra, and then we have Craig and Sherry Pierce, Sr., that is $1,000 to the robotics team, and then Gene Haas Foundation, $3,000 to the robotics team. So thank you, thank you, thank you to all of those groups for their very generous donation. Additionally, we did have a facilities business and operations meeting this evening. I would say that I greatly appreciated, while Ms. Dannegar could not join us this evening for the board meeting, she did join us remotely for our facilities meeting,
022and so thank you to her for that. Both Mrs. Warren and Mr. Goldberg were present at the meeting. We first started off with the D-wing and so had some really good conversation about the work that's going on on our second floor of the high school. We are rapidly trying to make sure that we get everything out of that area so that we can begin demolition, and just a huge shout out to our high school administration team and certainly to Dr. Lambert, who leads that work. We really appreciate his efforts as well as technology and our facilities department, and so we should be ready to begin demo on Monday. We believe that that will be about 10 days. The part of the demolition that requires more sound will be handled while students are on spring break,
023and so we're very appreciative of that and those efforts. And then all classes have been moved out of the D-wing. They were moved out actually a week earlier than anticipated, which was very helpful as we worked to remove items out of that area. And so another shout out to our staff, who have been incredibly flexible and willing to just lend a helping hand to make sure that we are in a different space and ready to go for our students. There has been a wonderful selection process for the furniture. I will note that that bid did come in just a slight bit higher than what we had anticipated. I have reviewed all of the furniture alongside Dr. Lambert and believe that that is the right way to go. All of that furniture is necessary for the
024area, and I just really appreciate their efforts. For example, they ensured that we had furniture that would be able to handle all students no matter their size, if they're super tall or if they're on the shorter side. And so I just really appreciate all of the time and consideration that has gone into that, as well as I know the board will ask later, so I won't answer you now. There was student voice involved, a lot of it, as well as staff voice, so very appreciative of their efforts at the high school. The collaboration zone in the middle is a mixture of furniture that's suitable for a group, individual, and extending the classroom experience, and so really excited to see how that translates during the instructional period. Also the safety netting in the end zones, which
025you had approved, is going to be started and completed during the week of spring break, so that's awesome. Mr. Erstad's group is now hiring or going to be hiring student workers for the summer. Looking to hire about 20 students to support all of the efforts that need to go on during the summer. Food service, we had a short conversation about that. CPI renewal rate was adjusted just slightly, and Ms. Kaiser indicated that there's two different ways that that can happen. It can be CPI food or it can be the all group, the CPI all, we do follow the CPI food. In one year it was to our benefit. This year there was a slight increase, but I think that that all evens out. The department was also able to secure, meaning the business department, was
026also able to secure a lock on the next three years for lunch meal prices, which is exceptional. I'm really impressed with Ms. Kaiser in particular and her ability to negotiate, especially during today's times where prices seem to continue to go up, so greatly appreciate her efforts in that regard. Then we talked a little bit about transportation and our van purchases that we're wanting to make. There are six vans, they come in at about $405,000, and I believe $405,000, I might have some extra zeros, so sorry. That's not accurate, we're not pying that many, we're broke already, so sorry. They're not solid gold, I promise, they are not, but really excited about those coming our way and then we do have an opportunity for another T.A.W. as the board knows that being able to help another
027district in the area and then have some benefit to our district as well is always beneficial to both parties. This one is approximately April 8th through June 29th at 4.4%. Great meeting, since I made an error on the vans, I don't know, Mr. Goldberg, if you have anything you would like to add about the meeting this evening. That's why you're not the CFO. I just want to really shout out to the entire administration, we've been talking about the second floor for actually for like seven years because it was the one project that didn't make the cut when we did the referendum, it was the one thing that we couldn't do that we wanted to do. The fact that it's finally coming to fruition, that we can do this for our students and our staff is
028fantastic. I know a tremendous amount of thoughtful work went into this. I think your furniture selections are awesome, all the things that make that space so special, the technology piece of it. I think for our students it's going to be just an incredible space and I just want to really extend my appreciation to the entire staff for all the hard work, again, seven years of talking about this. We're finally at the point where we're going to push go and start the demolition so, you know, I know it's going to be a great space. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Goldberg. We do have some fun and great things to share with the board as well. So Middle School South and Middle School North had the battle of the books here at district office and
029we had one group called the Marshmallows and another group called 41. Congratulations to everyone who participated and Marshmallows ended up on the winning side of that competition. And then something that we have not done here before, we had a superintendent, well two superintendents for the day and so I agreed to work alongside with Joni's Closet and they were able to raffle off that experience to one student who then was able to invite a friend to join to definitely make it a more fun experience. As you can tell, the girls had a great time. Huge shout out to all, everyone in this administration center because I think that they just made this visit for Sadie and Vivian, one that they will not soon forget. So a huge thank you and then loved the business office started
030this out where they kiddingly asked the two new superintendents if they were willing to give raises, at which time they looked at me and I said this, no, and so they then in every department decided to tell them they could not have raises and at one point Mrs. Stevens shared the bullhorn and when they asked she turned it on to the alarm sound. So witty, so cute, I had a great time with the two superintendents, so who both want to work in public education, mind you, one as a high school social studies teacher, she says history teacher, I should get that right, and then one as a school nurse. And so they did say if we get a job in Lake Suric, could we please have our offices together, we both want to be at
031the high school. So we had a great time, it was a wonderful experience. And then we did have another opportunity of course to celebrate Sarah Adams and so they did some really awesome things all week long with students and celebrated with our kids, with our staff, you can see some pictures there, and then we did have an evening event and so that was a wonderful event, Mr. Aitian and Mr. Goldberg were able to attend that event, we had a lot of families there and so it was just wonderful to go ahead and celebrate all of the hard work of our students, our parents, our staff and our administration. And then lastly just some important dates, I did go ahead and I did add in the middle school promotion so that's included here now, that was
032my miss last time, so you'll notice that that is up here, excited to head out to the Lake Division meeting, if you are still wanting to go and we can try and get tickets you can just let Kate know and she will work on that for you. That's all I have for you this evening Mrs. Maloney. Can I just add something, I know you did a shout out to the administration at the high school for getting ready for the D-Wing but I also have to do a shout out to the staff and the students, this is a huge disruption to lose that many classrooms after three quarters of the year and you're used to your routine and where you go and so for teachers to be willing to teach in unfamiliar spaces and some of
033them are actually teaching in the open space of the hub which takes a lot of courage to do out in the open with everybody there, trying to teach a class, I'm sure that's a challenge but the administration has done a great job, I understand they have signage about, you know, did you forget where you're supposed to go now, here's a handy little chart of where you're supposed to be because you're going to a different room so to make this as smooth and easy as possible when you're throwing it in at the end, I know whenever we have these big projects that involve closing a portion of a school for part of the school year there's always that angst of that happening so kudos for doing this well and it seems like it's going to be
034just fine for everyone through the end of the year so thank you. Thank you Lisa. Moving on to reports to the board, Mrs. Malik shared the communication and community relations and power 95 action plan update in the board packet, are there any questions for Mrs. Malik? Well thank you for a very thorough report Mrs. Malik. Our next agenda item is the natural gas procurement update, detailed information on this topic is included in the board packet, are there any questions for Dr. Romano? I just make a comment since I was involved in the discussions, I'll say that, you know, I think we made a really wise decision locking in and we did obviously, world events are changing the picture rapidly and so the fact that we could lock in a very favorable rate for 24 months,
035I think we picked the right medium of time and cost, I believe that and I'm hopeful that, you know, in 24 months it will be a very different looking picture for us but I think we have some very good certainty around our cost for natural gas now for two years and I think the rate that we got, even our broker was actually surprised and had to do a double check to make sure it was true so, you know, again kudos to Dean and his team and Katie for pulling this all together but I believe we put ourselves in a great position for that energy source, thank you. And I'd like to thank you Doug for jumping in in my absence on that so I really appreciate your time and expertise and all that you've done
036for that so thank you. So any questions? Thank you Dr. Romano. The next item is discussion without action, our discussion without action item is the food service update and future contractual terms. Mr. Cardella, please start the presentation Mrs. Kaiser has provided. Good evening, tonight I'll be providing an update on our district 95 food service programs, including participation trends, program highlights and recommendations for the 2026-2027 school year. As part of our mission to empower every learner to achieve personal excellence, our food service program plays an important role in supporting student wellness, engagement and readiness to learn. As a reminder, we currently operate with two high quality food service providers. At the elementary and middle school levels, we partner with Whitsun's Culinary Group under the National School Lunch Program, which ensures strong nutritional standards. At the high
037school, we partner with Quest Food Management Services, allowing for greater flexibility and innovation in offerings, including the Bears Den. Both partnerships reflect our commitment to providing exceptional experiences for our students. Tonight's update will focus on four areas, participation and revenue trends, our food service partnerships, proposed changes for kindergarten through eighth grade for next year and proposed changes for the high school over the next three years. The goal is to give you a clear picture of our current program performance and where we're headed next in continuing to enhance the student experience. I'll now walk through participation and revenue trends, which serve as one of our strongest indicators of student satisfaction. At the elementary and middle school levels, participation has fluctuated slightly in some buildings this year. However, when compared to the 2023-2024 school year prior to
038transitioning providers, overall participation remains higher. This tells us that students are continuing to engage positively with the program and we will continue working with building teams to strengthen participation across all schools. This chart shows the full 2024-2025 school year from August to June compared to the current portion of the 2025-2026 school year from August to February for lunch revenues. It's important to note that these figures are prior to operational expenses such as equipment and kitchen supports. Overall, these trends reflect a stable and sustainable program that continues to support student needs. These charts show breakfast participation and breakfast revenues for the full 2024-2025 school year from August to June compared to the partial current 2025-2026 school year from August to February. We're continuing to see steady engagement in breakfast participation since expanding the program. Access to
039breakfast is an important component in supporting student focus, energy, and readiness to learn throughout the day. At the high school level, we continue to see strong growth in both participation and revenue. Breakfast has increased the average number of lunch meals and lunch a la carte items sold per day, year over year, which reflects both student engagement and satisfaction with the program offerings. In addition to participation and financial stability, I'd like to highlight how our food service partnerships are actively supporting students and enhancing the overall district experience. At the K-8 level, we've aligned offerings with updated guidelines, including removing or reformulating items with artificial ingredients and synthetic dyes in our snacks. Winsons has also enhanced the student experience through special events, including pop-up lunch opportunities with guest chefs, which have been well received by students. And
040who doesn't love some Grinch hands or Grinchy smoothies? Mmm, yum! We've also placed a strong emphasis on student voice. At the middle school level, we've met with student leadership groups to review wellness initiatives and conduct food tastings. Students provided thoughtful feedback and meaningful suggestions on menu items and program improvements. These meetings are also in the works to begin at the elementary buildings later this spring. In addition, Winsons is partnering with our sustainability committee to plan pilot composting which is planned to begin at May Whitney during the 2026-2027 school year. This will support both environmental responsibility and also our district's strategic plan. At the high school level, student engagement continues to be a highlight. Through partnership with the culinary program, student teams developed original menu items that were evaluated and selected for featured offerings. When these
041items were introduced, participation significantly increased, demonstrating the impact of student voice and ownership in the program. I'll now walk through the proposed changes and recommendations for the upcoming school years. At the kindergarten through eighth grade level, contracts under the national school lunch program are renewed annually. Administration is recommending renewal of the Winsons contract with a 3.1% increase aligned with the CPI for food as outlined in the original agreement. To remain compliant with federal paid lunch equity requirements, we are also recommending a 10-cent increase in lunch and breakfast prices. These adjustments ensure the program remains financially sustainable while continuing to meet federal requirements and support high-quality offerings for students. At the high school level, administration is recommending moving to a three-year agreement with Quest. This includes a phased Quest meal price increase to $4.25 for the
0422026-2027 school year and $4.50 for the 2027-2029 school years, along with an increase in district rent revenue rising to 7% next year and 7.5% in subsequent years. This structure supports long-term program sustainability while continuing to provide high-quality, engaging meal options for students. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on strengthening communication, expanding sustainable practices and increasing opportunities for student feedback. Our goal remains to provide healthy, appealing and cost-conscious meal options that support our mission of empowering every learner to achieve personal excellence. In closing, we are very pleased with the performance of both food service providers, the level of student engagement, and the continued growth of our program. We appreciate the board's ongoing support in helping us provide high-quality experiences for our students. At this time, I'm happy to take any questions. Any questions from board
043members? I just have a comment. Go for it. Yeah, thanks for the presentation. I know, you know, cafeteria is really one of the key in this year of student success and achievement. So I'm glad that your numbers are looking really good, that they like the food, and congrats to our food service personnel and administrative staff that works on this. My question, I think for one of the contracts, you proposed extending it for one year and, you know, because that's part of the terms you have, you are allowed to increase it one year. But the second one for three years, can you, I mean, it's probably in the material, but I read it, but I couldn't tell why one was three years instead of the other one, just one year as well. So it gives us
044a chance to partner and continue to build upon what we're currently working towards with the team. We also were able to lock in the rates for ourselves, which is huge to be able for us And we're having, with the third year there, where there's no increase for our families, and then with that, we also get the increase on rent and the revenue side for ourselves. So it's kind of like that win-win on both sides for partnership. Dr. Romano, do you have anything to add? Sure. And one of the things that's important to note is that for the national school lunch program, the state requires us to do a one-year renewal only. We can renew that for up to five years, but we have to do them one at a time. That's the reason that for
045the K-8 program, we were bringing a single year. For the off program at the high school, we have more flexibility to be able to do that. And so we chose to do that because the offer that came in, and more importantly, the one that was negotiated, was very, very positive, and we felt the partnership has already proven itself to be successful for our students as their preference, as well as their participation. And so we wanted to take advantage of locking in, as Ms. Kaiser just articulated. Great. You know, I was being facetious about the first part of what I said. But meals are very important. So essentially, you feel comfortable with the service enough in the high school that you're willing to go to three years. And then for the other school, because the contract
046allows you to go every year and renew every year, you're going to take that path for a while? Is that the thinking? Yes, we have to bring it back every year for the other, for the K-8 contract, because it's under the National School Lunch Program. If we could have locked them in for three years, we would have. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Yes, absolutely. Anyone else? I love the fact that we gave our students, our culinary students, a real-life work experience. I love the competition, and I love the other student support when the winning sandwich was presented. That's really great. I think it's really nice for our families to know the cost of the lunch now is set, the basic quest meal for three years, which is great, especially with the rising cost of food right
047now, to know that's locked in. And I have to say, I think the biggest kudos is when I hear about how many staff members are eating lunch in our lunchroom, because they're like, it's well-priced and it's great food. It's a deal I can't beat. I can't bring food from home cheaper. So to me, that is like the win-win, the true sign of success when you have teachers that are like, I'm eating the cafeteria food. So true. Thanks. And I'll just say, I think I've eaten at the high school four or five times this year. Taco Tuesday, wings Wednesday. But it actually is actually really decent food, and one of the things that you didn't mention, Dean, was Dean gave a very quick shout out to Katie this evening in the committee meeting, because Katie's the
048one that negotiated the three-year contract, and he was very proud of the fine work that she did to lock those rates in the Work Hard Force. He mentioned that he probably could have done better himself, which is about the highest praise you're going to get. So anyway, thank you, thank you to the entire team for this work, and again, I think we're doing the numbers show it, right? Obviously, our students are enjoying the food more than they have in the past. It's actually pretty, you know, I can only speak to the high school. It's actually pretty decent food, so, you know, thank you for all, it's a really important part of the school day for a lot of our students and families, so thank you for all the work you guys do. Thank you. Dr.
049Pinter? Yeah. Well, first of all, I just wanted to say my kids never complain. They love the food. It's really good. I have a question, though. So if it's like around 350, I forgot the actual number, it was right around there for the average price of the meal. Can I just ask, like, what is, do you, and if you don't know this, that's okay, but do you know what the average price people actually pay at lunch is? Because at least with my kids, it's way higher. And I think they're probably buying like five bags of chips or something, but. So elementary is 360 going up to 378. I don't have the, what each student tends to purchase or additional a la carte items priced out, but I could find that, pull that together. But this
050is an amazing price, like 350, I don't even know how. It really is. Yeah. It's great and it's really good food. And they complain about everything with food and they never say anything bad about the food. Good. I love that. I'd like to make one small comment about breakfast because I know that that was something that was very important to the district to be able to service and support our students as they start their day. And I don't know if everybody noticed it, but when we were taking a look at the comparative to last year's full year to this year's partial, when you got to breakfast, last year's total has already been exceeded by this year's partial. We are having much better success. Not necessarily success, but we're having more participation, which is a really
051good sign for the program. And I felt that that was worthy of noting. So. Thank you, Mrs. Kaiser. We really appreciate all the hard work here. Thank you for the presentation. Thank you. And I want to give a little shout out. We have a couple of guests from Witson's that are here tonight, Jennifer Malchow, the district manager and Siobhan Bolden, our general manager for our district, as well, came to join us to listen to hear all of the commentary and discussion. Thank you for coming. Appreciate that. Thank you. Again, Siobhan, I think every single time we get a picture of you up there, it's just you're doing some great acting, so I just wanted to say I noticed it again the second time. I know, I always watch your face, it's so funny. So you're
052requesting photo approval. Well, thank you very much. We move on to discussion with action. Let's start by getting a motion and a second on the table for the approval of purchase of staff laptop computers. So moved. Second. Thank you, Alicia. And thank you, Peter. Are there any questions? I don't think we have. I have one quick question. OK. So I'm going to, she's not, but Melissa Gray is here, and she's here to answer questions. Well, it's just a basic question because it actually, I thought of it based on the discussions yesterday with our interim superintendents. We were talking about how you were finalizing what people wanted, and I think there was a mention on, as we just saw, we have, well, one's not new to our district, but three people new to our district, and
053possibly some more. So is there like a cushion in this number to account for those people as well? Because they're not all identified yet. Correct. Yeah. We do additional sets of laptops, and then we do a second buy if we need to later on in the summer. OK. Thank you. Melissa, one quick question for you. Do we have a policy such that we would only purchase this type of equipment from US vendors like HP or Dell? We wouldn't buy foreign manufactured PCs. Is that a true statement? We've only ever bought Dell or HP. Yeah, that's right. I didn't know if that was a policy or not, and I'll say that it is a policy of many government organizations, whether it's DOW or even NGOs, that you only purchase from US-trusted sources, and that would be,
054in this case, HP or Dell. So I didn't know if that was a policy. I'm 100% behind that, by the way. So I don't have any qualms. You guys know what you're buying. You're obviously experts at this, but I just wanted to know if we actually had a policy. I think we actually should have a policy around that. I think it's a good thing for us. So Mr. Goldberg, what we can do is we can make that a part of the next policy meeting. We can review what policy we have in place, and then we can have some discussion around that. Yeah. I think we should follow best practices. Well, and also how encompassing that would be. Is it all purchases? Is it just computer technology purchases? Like what would that be? Yeah. In this
055case, it's- Well, there's a legal aspect to it. So we'll work with our legal team, but certainly we can bring it up to the policy group, and Mr. Goldberg and Mrs. Warren both sit on that, so absolutely can do that for you. Thank you, Melissa. Yes. Thank you very much. Kate, can you call the roll, please? Mr. Goldberg? Yes. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Mrs. Warren? Yes. Mr. Aitken? Yes. Mrs. Maloney? Yes. Mrs. Tim? Yes. All right. The next item for discussion is the approval of the D-Wing furniture. First, may I have a motion and a second? So moved. Second. Thank you, Doug, and thank you, Lisa. Are there any questions for Mr. Erstad or Dr. Lambert? Okay. Kate, please call the roll to approve the purchase of the D-Wing classroom and collaborative space furniture from Lowry
056McDonald in the amount of $386,784.30 as presented. Mrs. Maloney? Yes. Mr. Aitken? Yes. Mrs. Warren? Yes. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Mrs. Tim? Yes. Mr. Goldberg? Yes. All right. The final item for discussion with action is the approval of disposal of textbooks. First, may I have a motion and a second on the table? So moved. Second. Thank you, Lisa, and thank you, Peter. Are there any questions for Mr. Jacowich? I don't have questions. I just started. Thanks for the effort. Thanks for trying to find some useful way to dispose of the books. I did go down the list, and it was curious about those that didn't make any money and were not wanted, and those that were. But I certainly appreciate – and then the second part of it, for those that were not bought, I appreciate
057that you have a mechanism to give it to a charitable source where people might still find use for it. So I really appreciate that. Yeah, you're welcome. The state of Illinois rewrote their social science standards in 2021 and adopted them in 2022. The books that you see on there, which there is still some value in, is from – those books are from 2018. So there still are some schools out there that, for a small amount of money, are still willing to purchase them. The books that are on the bottom half of the list that there is no value for, the vast majority of those books, I led that curriculum adoption for those books in 2008. So those books are about 18 years old at this point. So there is no value to those books. The
058good thing about going through – like the books that we sell, the 502 books, a company will come and pick those books up. So they'll give us a small amount of money and they come and pick them up. When we donate books, we actually have to take those books to the facility as well. So even though it's a small amount of money, it also saves us in the terms of not having to deliver those books someplace. Thank you, Mr. Jackowitz. Kate, please call the roll to approve the administration's recommendation to sell textbooks that are no longer utilized by the district to textbook warehouse and to donate the remaining materials to SCARS. Mr. Aitken? Yes. Ms. Timm? Yes. Mr. Goldberg? Yes. Mrs. Warren? Yes. Ms. Maloney? Yes. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Ms. Maloney, before you go on
059to the next item, may I ask a question? Oh, certainly. We did not remember to ask the board if we would be allowed to go ahead and place the food service contracts on consent. Is that okay with you? Yes. Thank you so much. Sure. All right. We are going into closed session for the following reasons. The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, specific individual who serves as an independent contractor in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or a volunteer of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its
060validity. However, a meeting to consider an increase in compensation to a specific employee of a public body that is subject to the Local Government Wage Increase Transparency Act may not be closed and shall be open to the public and posted and held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 122C1. Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or the representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees, 5 ILCS 122C2. Student disciplinary cases, 5 ILCS 122C9. May I have this motion? So moved. Second. Thank you, Doug. And thank you, Peter. Kate, please call the roll. Ms. Tim? Yes. Mrs. Warren? Yes. Mr. Goldberg? Yes. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Ms. Maloney? Yes. We will be taking action after closed session this evening. We are back in open session and
061have two items for action. I have a series of motions prepared for the board to take action on with respect to the two student discipline cases we have just discussed in closed session. I will read the motion to uphold the administration's recommendation for both cases based on the outcome of the board action on those motions. I have additional motions to modify or overturn the administration recommendation prepared. Student 1, I need a motion to uphold the administrative recommendation for three days of out of school suspension for student, read the number, 20260226-01. May I have that motion and second? So moved. Second. Thank you, Alicia, and thank you, Dr. Pinter. Kate, please call the roll to uphold the administrative recommendation for three days of out of school suspension for student, 20260226-01. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Mr. Goldberg? Yes.
062Ms. Maloney? Yes. Ms. Timm? Yes. Mr. Aitken? Yes. Ms. Warren? Yes. Student 2, I need a motion to uphold the administrative recommendation for three days of out of school suspension for student, 20260226-02. May I have that motion? So moved. Second. Thank you, Doug, and thank you, Alicia. Kate, please call the roll to uphold the administrative recommendation for three days of out of school suspension for student, 20260226-02. May I have that motion? You already have one? No. Call the roll. Call the roll, please. Ms. Maloney? Yes. Dr. Pinter? Yes. Ms. Warren? Yes. Mr. Aitken? Yes. Mr. Goldberg? Yes. Ms. Timm? Yes. Then the next step is adjournment. May I have a motion and a second to adjourn open session? So moved. Second. Thank you, Peter. Thank you, Alicia. Those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Those opposed?
063The meeting is adjourned at 9.06. Thank you.