2-06-25 Regular School Board Meeting For C.U.S.D. 95

001Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming this evening. I would like to call the order of the February 6 2025 community school district 95 Board of Education meeting. Will you please call the roll Kate? Mrs. Warren here. This is Dan agar Here, mr. Etienne here. Mr. Goldberg here. Mr. Hay here. Ms. Maloney here Dr. Pinter here if you all rise and please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance under God Thank you again, I have a few comments this evening before we get to our regular meeting Good evening members of the community parents staff and students Thank you all for being here this evening our district stands at the heart of our diverse and vibrant community And it is my privilege to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to creating a safe Inclusive and supportive environment

002for every student who walks through our doors in Recent times questions surrounding immigration have prompted concerns and uncertainties for many families Let me be clear our district is not involved in immigration enforcement Nor do we collect any information regarding the immigration status of our students? This is in line with Illinois law and more importantly Reflects our dedication to ensuring that every child receives a high quality education regardless of their background or circumstances To ensure that we handle any potential immigration related issues responsibly and with minimal disruptions to our schools We have put clear procedures in place the district administration staff and building administrators have been directed to respond swiftly and Appropriately to any inquiries from external agencies. They will gather information and immediately communicate with the superintendent's office Ensuring any situation is handled at the

003district level the front office staff are instructed to screen all visitors Including federal agents and direct them to wait outside or in the vestibule They are not authorized to discuss students staff or any requests, but will notify the building administration immediately The building administrators will verify credentials gather relevant information and ensure these matters are addressed the district office They will also promptly contact the superintendent's office All other staff are reminded to refrain from initiating discussions about immigration matters with students If a student brings up these concerns, our staff is trained to listen with empathy Offering coping skills and seek building leadership support when needed additionally at the secondary level Discussions about immigration and subjects like ELA and social studies will remain fact-based Politically neutral and aligned with the curriculum above all we are guided by

004principles of respect empathy and confidentiality in all of our interactions with students families and staff We will always work closely with our legal team to ensure compliance with laws while upholding the highest ethical standards Our focus remains on providing a safe and nurturing learning environment where every student can thrive We stand together as a community to support one another and we are committed to ensuring that our schools remain a place where every Child feels valued respected and protected Thank you for your trust and partnership Let us continue working together to provide the best possible future for all of our students Thank you. May God bless you. I wanted to to say one other matter that's come up this week a few comments There were some questions raised about The district's vulnerability of having federal funding

005cut off and let me say that we have approximately a hundred and twenty million dollar a year budget it's a lot of money and About two percent of that are about two and a half million dollars comes from federal government. It's not a lot it's mostly grant money and Were those funds to be cut off completely? Let's say worst case and I don't see that happening. Honestly What were that to happen? Would we have to make some adjustments? Yes. Is it devastating? Absolutely not We may have to defer some investments and it's hard to say at this point, but it is not a devastating thing We do not receive very much money from the federal government. So we're very fortunate We have a healthy fund balance. We have numbers of levers that we can pull

006to make adjustments. So At this point in time again, we have no direction to do anything Nothing is changing at the moment But we're the worst case to happen where those funds are no longer available to us It is not going to make us give an impact on our district. Thank you for that Okay, next up we have challenge coins. I believe Peter you have some start with this evening. All right I'm excited. I'm excited to celebrate an outstanding an outstanding high school science teacher and Hopkins Whose passion innovation and unwavering commitment to students make a lasting impact every day she continually challenges herself to grow and showing her students receive the best possible learning experience One student said she was my favorite teacher in all of high school And although biology is not the

007easiest class According to this student. She made it understandable and digestible as a one-time short-term biology major myself, I really Appreciate a really great science teacher But beyond her engaging and student focus teachings exemplifies compassion and leadership in every situation one of the most powerful testaments to a character came during a school lockdown and Amid uncertainty and fear She remained calm Reassuring her students and easing their anxiety with her steady presence and care You know one student stated if I had to choose any class to be During a lockdown it would be in Miss Hopkins class So her dedication kindness and ability to inspire make her an invaluable part of a school community Thank you, Mrs. Hopkins for let you know and here you are. She received a challenge gone from me Peter one sec.

008Can I just say I second miss Hopkins because I had her in the 90s and I still remember her Awesome, that's awesome. Yes. I mean her. Yeah her influence and her impact has been felt for years Another true lifelong learner and dedicated educator. I'm excited to celebrate and highlight is Jennifer Clark and He's an educator who continuously pushes himself his colleagues and His students to grow currently pursuing his doctorate He exemplifies the importance of education in the classroom and in the classroom During his doctorate, he exemplifies the commitment to learning that inspires us all his passion for innovation and ai is helping position our district at the forefront of educational advancement through Mr. Clark's research and forward-thinking mindset is not only expanding his own knowledge But also enriching our entire learning community We were fortunate

009enough to have him more recently at a saturday special board meeting where he provided some insights on ai and You know, we we found that That I mean his his focus on that area at this point in time is extremely valuable to the district And so we are excited to have him You know and all the district personnel Um Focusing on that area and helping us navigate the next frontier that that many have called comparable to the internet itself So we are grateful for his dedication expertise and vision. Thank you. Mr. Clark For your incredible contribution and all that you do for our students and the staff And the district. Thank you Thank you peter Well, I have a couple of celebrations myself this evening The first is for a student Jacob danowitz jacob is

010a senior lake zork high school. I first met him as a sophomore When I mentored his team in the incubator program that year jacob and his teammates earned second place and received nearly $4,000 in funding from the foundation for the product fish and go In his junior year jacob's team dwindled to just two members due to graduations But he and his remaining partner continued to refine and evolve the product Later that year jacob bought out his partner my kind of guy and became the sole proprietor of the business Now in his senior year i'm still mentoring jacob And i'm fortunate to continue to work with him as he moves the product into its initial production phase He exemplifies the qualities we admire in our students perseverance commitment and determination Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits jacob has

011also been a dedicated member of the football team for all four years of high school He's excited to continue his journey next year by studying business in college jacob's remarkable drive and resilience make him a shining example of what our students can achieve Secondly, i'd like to take a moment to highlight another shining example of the positive culture and teamwork with our district Dr. Andy Lambert Andy is the assistant principal of operations and student life. He's an exceptional leader and dedicated staff member Since joining us over nine years ago as athletic as athletic director during a challenging time for our sports programs Andy has consistently maintained a student first mentality in his current role. He continues to lead by example recently Dr. Lambert collaborated with a dedicated group of students to organize a successful car

012show at lake zurok high school our first ever After countless hours of work This year's event has even more than doubled in size featuring additional cars food trucks and sponsorships With all proceeds going to the wounded warriors wonderful charity This initiative is a testament to the incredible teamwork dedication and passion within our school community And by the way things like that that any does are not in his normal job jar This is extra duties that he's doing outside of his normal duties because of his passion for our students We are grateful for dr. Lambert's ongoing efforts to help our district thrive Thank you all once again for being here and for continuing commitment to our schools. Let's move forward tonight's agenda Before we go on to public comment Mrs. Warren, we do want to just

013take a moment to congratulate you new Grandparents, so congratulations in that basket is a grandma basket. So Congratulations, it's awesome Can we call you grandma? Is that okay? Can we call you grandma? Is that okay? She's only five days old I Wait until she starts talking and before I forget folks My opening remarks will be posted in written form to our website here very shortly They're up as we speak even better. Thank you Okay, we'll move on now to public comments. We do have One person signed up. We have jesse Atkinson, is that right? I hope I said that right, please All right Your penmanship is not great. I'm just gonna say thank you for coming Thank you. Good evening. Good evening I'm the extremely proud parent of a district 95 graduate While I no

014longer have a student attending school here as a taxpayer and a member of the community I'm here tonight to support our d95 students teachers and staff in response to troubling executive orders issued by the current president Mr. Goldberg, I appreciated your mention of immigration at the top of the meeting But I was particularly distraught at the executive order issued last week That threatens to rescind federal funding from schools that support their transgender students in ways that include honoring those students preferred names and correct pronouns As i'm sure you know, there are other provisions of this order that are problematic for education and I encourage everyone here to go read it But for my short time this evening, I will focus on its potential effect on transgender students Executive orders are of course not lost schools

015are not required to comply with these orders and I encourage the leaders of district 95 to remember that I also encourage all of us here to remember our district's mission empower every learner to achieve personal excellence And its values which include among other noble goals equity integrity and respect I am here this evening to share my gratitude to the board as well as our district staff for your support of the lgbtq Plus students in our community And to encourage you to cling to that mission those values and our very strong and effective existing policies to continue to support these students They are facing unfair and baseless attacks from the most powerful people in our nation They need our support and encouragement now more than ever I have seen and experienced firsthand how the district's inclusive

016affirming policies and approach Make a positive impact on lgbtq plus kids and their families District 95 has been a leader in our area and I have long felt fortunate that I was able to send my child to school In an environment that supports and celebrates students as they are The simple mechanism of a gender support plan for example is so empowering for students Respecting their identity ensuring their safety is the foundation for allowing these students to succeed in our in their school environment This in combination with many other supports helps make sure we have healthier happier kids Who are free to learn and grow with equity and authenticity? My experience with d95 has been that there is a genuine desire from the administration through the staff to care for all of our kids I am

017confident you will refuse to comply with these executive orders because I know that you know, they are not law However, I also ask you to proactively support the transgender students in our community and their families by publicly Reaffirming the district's commitment to empowering every learner with integrity equity and respect They need to hear from you. Thank you Thank you for coming jesse Okay, next up is the consent agenda. Dr. Gault Thank you, mr. Goldberg this evening I have for you the approval of minutes from the open session board of education meeting held on january 23rd 2025 approval of payrolls approval of the personnel report resignation of certified staff Employment of non-certified staff resignation of non-certified staff and then stipends for february 6 2025 Okay, I need a motion to approve the consent agenda as prepared

018and presented by the administration may have that motion, please Second, thank you peter. You call the roll, please kate Mr. Aitken Yes Mr. Habe. Yes, this is warren Yes, mr. Goldberg. Yes Mrs. Danniger. Yes Dr. Pinter. Yes. Ms. Maloney. Yes Thank you all Next up is the superintendent's report. Dr. Gault Thank you again. Mr. Goldberg. Um this evening I have several items that I do intend on sharing i'm going to try to go through them fairly quickly I know we have presenters tonight, so I have to try really hard not to be long-winded But we have a wonderful donation to the lake syrac high school orchestra and just want to thank echo incorporated they have donated 1500 to support future orchestra performances and we have such gratitude to them and their continued partnership with our

019district You did receive several communications And so I wanted to just make sure that you were aware you received one today about board member election candidates And mr. Goldberg did respond just so the board is aware. I know that came later today and then Parent communication related to food service concerns A student's ability to charge a meal without having money in their account was a concern as well as a desire for the food To always be healthy and then just considering more parent controls over food choices for their children and that we We've sent a couple of messages back to that parent, but we haven't been able to connect And then family communication regarding concerns related to school times for middle school students alongside sleep needs for students and that was specific to middle school

020and so Dr. McArdle did have a conversation with the individual related to that Um, we had an awesome teaching and learning meeting this evening And so that's where the bulk of my information is going to come from I am going to go a little bit fast I do believe that the presentation is really really thorough so i'm just going to send the actual presentation to you because Everything was pretty much written out that we talked about tonight So summer semester, we always look forward to getting ready for summer school Some might not realize that we start this early, but we started back in the fall preparing for summer And so we did change our location for the upcoming year the last past few years It's been held at may whitney elementary school. We have changed

021that to isaac fox and middle school south We had committed to trying some different sites around the district And so we're gonna we're to try it there and then collect some feedback. And then of course our high school is housing um Summer school as well as our young adult center Leadership has been selected and are ready and preparing to staff all of our programs and so appreciate all of them You'll notice that some are individuals at the district level and then others are at the building level And so greatly again greatly appreciate them We had some conversation this evening as it relates to the timing of summer school As the board knows when we take days off for inclement weather or other things um that Create a situation where we have to extend our regular

022school year It does impact our ability to start summer school on a specified date And so what we talked about this evening was just making sure that we had At least a range of dates that we could provide families and just communicating that certainly You know if we have another inclement weather day Um, or if we have several inclement weather days, we would have to extend that out push it out a little bit So we're going to get that information out. Mrs Stallion is going to work with her team and so definitely appreciated that conversation this evening We have a lot of interest in summer school for certified staff. We have 84 It is three more than we had previous We have non-certified staff interest. We do have some additional hiring that needs to take

023place and as the board is aware Um, if we do have to move to a situation where transportation needs to be contracted out It does become more costly, but we're working with Mrs. Twedell and trying to Gain drivers for summer programming Many different offerings were discussed so you'll see those up there I'm not going to go through all of those but you I know the board is well aware that the Invitation programs that we offer at certain grade levels bridges bilingual kindergarten kickoff Reading math success. Um, all of those things are typical things that we would offer And then of course our extended school year is offered for those students who qualify for those specific services Um as far as courses at the high school, they're pretty typical that you'll see that we offer Most

024summers I would say i'm going to draw your attention again preparation for sat prep Courses act prep and while we have switched as a state to act It is important that we continue to offer the sat prep opportunities for our students And then hot off the press it's not up yet but we are Switching we typically send information in a pdf to families about summer school. We're excited that our partnership Within our our district is allowing us to go ahead and start placing that on The website so it'll be easy access for parents. They'll know where to find it And everything will be in one space and so very excited about that. They won't have to refer back to previous email communication Timeline we went through Basically, what's going to happen when just a brief

025june is typically session one july is typically session two and we do try to start a little bit after the school year ends like I had mentioned and then And prior to the school year starting because Believe it or not our staff is preparing for the upcoming year and we need to be able to allow them access to our buildings As soon as we possibly can Elementary school math replacement. We had a lot of conversation about this and Essentially, i'm not going to go through all of the slides But really I just want to draw your attention It is going to come back to the board of education to consider a name change right now It's currently called math replacement We are looking to align that process to what the work we've done at the

026middle school level And so if you'll continue and just if you wouldn't mind going to slide 16 You'll note that We're looking at making some changes. So advanced math and you'll notice that that is very common language across our middle school Now we made that switch originally I also want to just point out very excited that the department They've worked so hard to ensure that we have many more on and off ramps for students And so that gives students opportunities to trial it if it doesn't work out they can take a step back but then they can also continue to move forward and so Really nice work in that area You'll notice that we've moved forward so that advanced math in grade three would incorporate all of the grade three Curriculum but also part of

027grade four and then for fourth grade It would be the other half of grade four and then all of grade five Etc and what this is going to allow us to do is to ensure that no student is is participating in mathematics Or in skills and lessons that they have Never been taught before so we want to make sure we we tighten that and there are no gaps in learning So again really awesome work So the board what you can expect is you can expect us to bring that back for board approval furniture replacement Again, i'm just going to walk through this very quickly what I would appreciate is if we can maybe head down to slide 21 We spent a lot of time the curriculum An instruction department as well as the high school

028administrative team and committee Taking a look at furniture and using furniture really as a resource to help us to continue to Challenge our students in different ways challenge our our staff And also to support our staff with their instructional strategies Allow for greater flexibility allow our staff to have more options Within within their own classroom, and so this is just an example layout of what business might look like Please note board that when you see des It doesn't mean that they're necessarily a regular desk for everyone There's going to be opportunities for students to have standing des for students to be able to vary that height For students to stand at a desk for students to sit on a stool at a desk and so Really excited about the work that's been done here Some

029varied options as it relates to some stools that will again allow kids to be have movement opportunities And so you'll see some pictures of some things they were able to choose from You look at mathematics they too have some different opportunities and I I do want to point out because this is very similar at Middle school and at high school our students our math instructors have really made learning visible for them And so oftentimes if you were to walk into a math classroom, you won't necessarily see them sitting You'll see them maybe sitting at the beginning. They'll be up and they'll be working at a white board So Again, it just it's providing greater opportunities for our staff to be able to be creative and for our students to engage more in a dynamic learning

030space English did something a little bit different. They chose some soft seating That's going to be a part of their learning space as well as some other options for furniture So you can take a look one of the options for the soft seating is in the corner Excited again for students to have that opportunity when you take a look at world language They have lots and lots of conversation And so they chose some setups for tables that will allow students to be face to face Have the opportunity to speak very clearly back and forth with each other, especially as they're learning a new language And again, they put in some soft seating. They have some different shaped desks to make all of this happen in their rooms And then lastly you'll see an example layout

031for staff office space I do want to share with the board that you know Our first our first tier is to go in on the first floor and to replace all furniture or most furniture across the the first floor For students and for classrooms for typical classrooms. We also look then and thank you. Mrs. Stallion and team Dr. Walsh and dr. Lambert as well as mr. Gimme We also took a look at our staff Layouts for their own space to complete work to work in teams You know grading etc, etc and so These would be in tier two, but I I would like to say to the board That we I understand we have a budget We're gonna we're gonna work really really hard to get it under budget so we can do tier one

032and tier two We may go slightly over but I do want the board to know that you know, our staff spaces are specifically for them It's for them to continue to do work that needs to be done outside of the typical classroom And so I do want to remind the board that when we invest in our staff So that they have the right seating the right tools They have options too for comfortable seating, etc That's an investment in our staff. And so I do want to remind the board of that Although mrs. Stallion has told me she is working super hard to ensure that that cost Hopefully lands under budget, but just don't be surprised if I come back with a little bit over Because I think this piece is really really important to our

033staff Additionally, I will will be working with mr Erstad anytime that you replace furniture in a location where it has sat for many many years on carpet And painted walls. We will need to freshen up carpet and paint and so that's something else that we're working with. Mr. Erstad on um We still have some work to do as it relates to next steps for furniture so We have our partner from bold Coming out and I believe there we have representatives coming out again tomorrow to work with the cni team as well as our Administrative team at the high school and really they're going to be confirming and ensuring that all of the furniture That is going to be purchased fits very beautifully within every single space Regardless of the size of the room because we

034have some rooms that are varying sizes from others And so appreciate just the detail and the amount of time That our high school administrative team As well as the curriculum and instruction team have put into this because even when you have an outside partner There's a great deal of responsibility that falls on building leadership as well as district leadership And then just going to go through some upcoming events and then some exciting news So I did add to your calendar so you can see here. There have been several things that have um have been added so Lakeserrick high school theater romeo and juliet is coming So if you would like to see that, please make sure that you purchase tickets I am quite certain based on their past performances that this is going to be

035another excellent opportunity for all of us Joni's closet valentine's day dance is coming on february 8th. We have our film festival on february 11th Um, and then and film festival is sponsored by our education foundation We have kindergarten information night coming. I am Really really excited because I have a kindergartener that will be joining in on the fun And then our district art festival, um 6 pm on february 12th. So you can see lots of things coming up in the very near future Um, mr. Goldberg asked me to make sure that I did announce that we typically do support the chamber Our our area chamber and so they have their annual awards coming up and that is on february 21st If you would like to attend, please let Either myself or kate know because we

036want to get you signed up and then your lake division meeting board Please. I know mr. Goldberg sent you a message, but you are being honored Um and because you are An excellent board and isb has noted that as well. So you'll be honored at that meeting. So again, please let Kate or myself know or both of us that you intend on going because we do have to let them know We have sorry we have the gala coming up again. That's another foundation Event pitch night is coming. I know many of you Enjoy being a part of that, please make sure that you set time aside for that event and then lastly a really important event for our entire county is our Educator of the year event. It is at 5 pm on may 7th

037I really hope that the board will participate again, as you know our district Supports that event greatly mrs. Malik and her team start very early in the morning getting everything set up We help doctor carter's office. We've had a meeting We have some other superintendents and districts that we're bringing into the fold. So they're going to start supporting as well Um, so i'm excited about that and then we are planning for two of our students to be the mc at that event So it would be great if you could be there And not to mention we have several teachers that we will be bringing forward with nominations Exciting new news the dance team places second at state So congratulations to them very very proud I'd also like to add that the late breaking news the

038middle school north boys basketball team won the regionals last night That's awesome. Yeah, thank you And then wanted to just I want to share this because we just talked about furniture And I I shared with you that that is an investment in our staff. I had the privilege of walking Middle school north. I was unable to make the other building on the date that they had selected but I was able to walk into Multiple classrooms throughout the entire building with our partner as well as building leadership and Staff was so excited They're excited about the opportunity to apply different different layouts And procedures to students and have students engage in that process and students have voice in that process as to how rooms are being set up One teacher said it was a game changer

039He completely changed the way that he had his room set up and it allowed him to always have eyes and ears on all students at all times But he was literally over the moon You know they the staff said it took a little getting used to because the first week You know students were excited about the new furniture And so they did some teaching about their tools not toys And so that took a little bit of time that it is working really well And just that furniture is a resource for our staff to be able to best support their instruction And so we're going to be spending some more time on dynamic learning spaces and learning for our staff professional development in the fall and then lastly I just wanted to showcase so I had

040the opportunity and I I really want to thank our elementary principals For their leadership in this area So baylor as you all know goes to may whitney and he's an ec student They invited ec students also to have an opportunity to see kindergarten classrooms So he could not wait. He had a great time. He met the principal and the assistant principal He thought they were awesome. He woke up this morning thinking he was going to kindergarten I had to break it to him that he was not But I really want to thank our elementary schools for continuing to invite Others in so thank you Thank you. Dr. Gault Okay, we're going to move on to reports to the board the first item being the design challenge update Come on up folks First of all, thank

041you all for coming this evening Mr. President. Thank you I am privileged to be a part of this team that is here before you tonight and this is just a small representation of that team of members of the District 95 community that participated in this whole process We're not done yet But again, we're I think it's a solid foundation this is a for those of you who may not be aware this is for the district to Investigate the opportunity of looking at other designs for the d wing of the high school. So We're just wanting to again bring you a quick update and then give it back to you. So with that i'll turn it over to the panelists Good evening. My name is john walsh. Dr. John walsh a principal of lake zurich high

042school So i'm here to talk about the first committee of three committees that came together to talk about Um this process so the first committee that came together was the design challenge committee And you can see the people up there who participated in this committee. We had administrators teachers we had district office as well The facilities facilitators were myself and angela stallion And what we were really tasked to do was to look at what are the future career opportunities that are going to be out there? For our kids, but also what are the future career opportunities that our kids want to do? And then we also looked at a lot of different innovative spaces that were out there So we had a group come in and share a lot of different Types of classroom options

043that our teachers could have had and what we really wanted to leave that group with Was some design challenge guidelines that could give the architect. What is our vision? What do we want to go? What is part of our process so that we can ensure whatever spaces we put up there in the d wing? Will be future ready for whatever subjects will be taught 20 years from now. All right, so Good evening everybody. I'm kristin lajeunesse roach. I'm one of the art design educators at the high school the first Our first actually day and a half that we met as a full committee was truly to Establish the guidelines for this design challenge It was a time for us to understand the purpose and the background as well as the entire scope of the project

044We learned about the many phases that this project was going to take While as dr. Walsh said forming the foundation for our selection process What was really informative for all of the committee members was? The presentations that he had spoke about So the future readiness presentation had employability competencies as well as those career trends and interests Whether those be global state and then also our secondary students At the end it was one of our favorite parts was the inspirational activity where we were able to work in Various stakeholder groups and then creatively designed flexible. I should say potential flexible Learning spaces which really helps at the stage for our future work I'm juliana dezano. I'm a spanish teacher at the high school And that really helped us to get to the point where we were

045ready to figure out how we were going to evaluate The different architectural firms that submitted Proposals to us. So once we were able to go through those different activities and those presentations we Worked together to kind of finalize what we were really looking for and our design challenge guidelines that were posted on the district website And sent out to potential firms to work with us From that we kind of went through a set of evaluation rubrics to make sure that with some Like scenarios some different potential scenarios where we were able to really focus on iterator Reliability of those rubrics to make sure that we were giving fair feedback and fair A fair chance to each firm that was brought in front of us From that we got the request for the rfq the refresh

046request for qualifications Which we then shared like I said on the website and two potential firms on december 2nd Good evening. My name is grace bonemart and I am a math teacher at the high school Before we move on to the interview committee. I'm just going to give a brief overview of the rfq timeline So the rfq was published on december december 2nd and from there in order to be considered Firms had to attend a mandatory walkthrough at the high school on december 6th in which 11 firms actually attended From there after the walkthrough firms were able to send in questions to the high school and those were due by december 17th And then we gave ourselves up until december 20th to respond After our responses were given submittals were due by january 17th And

047then from there we held committee interviews on january 24th and 29th in which you know, we heard we interviewed five firms Hi, andy lambert assistant principal at the high school. Uh, so the second phase was the actual interview and as you can see up there Those were the individuals who participated. Um, i'd like to thank, uh, dr Romano and mr. Erstad for facilitating, uh those interviews The five architect firms came in over two days and presented their designs to the committee During that time each committee member evaluated the each firm on their presentation as well as each design which that information then was sent to the next committee to Move the selection down to three architect firms Okay, so we had several steps to go through this again We kind of worked through our rfq

048and selection criteria validation when we went through those different exercises to make sure that our rubrics Are we're really looking for what we value as a district in creating spaces that are Tools for our students in places where they can grow as our curriculum and everything else grows with us So we did Again post those on december 12th We were reviewing and submitting rfq questions or answers to those questions on the 19th We had some for unfortunately some committee members were not able to make both meetings So we invited some different stakeholders from the high school some different teachers so We could keep that extended amount of voices to be heard And they had a kind of makeup day on january 16th to go through the rubrics as well to make sure they were up

049to date on our qualifications Again january 24th and 29th. We heard from all five of the firms that were submitting proposals and we were able to Share our feedback ask questions and really Select the three that we preferred to submit to the board pending further board approval After the interview phase we moved on to the recommendation committee You can see the people who are part of the recommendation committee on the slide above I want to point out dr dean romano again who was the facilitator of that committee So what we did on february 3rd is we took a look at the data that came out of the interview process And we used the selection Process that follows policy 2170 the procurement of architectural engineering and land surveying services And what we did is that recommendation

050committee identified the top three firms And what will happen is then we will just pass that along to the board of education who will be responsible for the final selection of the firm Okay, so where do we go from here? This presentation was actually put together and we've continued to work So let me tell you the things that are on this list we've already done So we have with the recommendation committee finalized the top three firms for the committee to share Based off of the data that was collected in all of these phases We have then or will be providing the list to the board of those specific firms for them to be aware We've reached out to each one of those firms today Letting them know that they are being invited back for an

051interview all three As of about two hours ago have confirmed that they will be in attendance and are looking forward to coming and meeting with the board for that process Now we will be putting together a final report or at least an update to all of the committee members And I want to pause for just a second There has been a lot of hours put in by the committee members and it has been fantastic And an honor to work with them their diligence and Forthright thinking in this and the questions that have been asked It's just been a real pleasure. So thank you to the committee for all that hard work Now what we'll be doing is Again sending out of a note so that the interview committee will know who those three firms are

052because they don't know No one knows and we're not talking about it until we get through to the next stage And that's intentional a lot of respect for all of the participants in the process Uh, then we will be doing some reference checks. So each of these three firms will have a reference done for At least three different school districts that they have identified that they have worked with We will then also be doing a reference check through Our partner and other construction managers because since we are a district that believes in the use of a construction manager partner We want to make sure that the architects that we're considering Work well in that process because not all school districts do that and so we want to be able to have that as a component

053of the information that we're collecting to be shared with the board of education as part of your Next hard work of ranking and going through the interview process The last thing that we're going to do is that we had a commitment at the beginning to work with our construction manager to validate the estimates that were established as part of the proposals that have been provided as Evidence of their interest and understanding of the district. So that work will be done as well Again, the board's work now is to hold a special board meeting To interview three firms that date's been set and those items have been confirmed And then at the end of that process the board is Being asked and expected to rank those three firms What will end up happening is after they've

054been ranked the administration will work with the top firm To try and reach an agreement The reason that there's a ranking that there's three is that because in statute we as a district can't ask what they charge We can't get into those questions Because it's a professional service. So we will have to select based on their qualifications and then move to negotiate If for some reason and in my entire career it's never happened in my experience But if for some reason you can't reach an agreement With the top firm you move to the second and if not the second and the third That is the reason that there's a ranking as opposed to a single selection Our goal is to be able to get through that negotiation. We are hopeful for a march 13th But

055obviously we have to work through attorneys and they're not always as prompt But our goal is to push as hard as we can to have an agreement set by 13th No offense intended to those that know what i'm talking about Um, and with that i want to pass it back to you. Mr. President Thank you. First of all, thank you so much to all the committee members for all the time. I know As being a part of it you guys put a ton of work into this and it really shows and it's very important That we hear all the voices the stakeholders for this And I also think you guys have done a wonderful job setting the board up so that we'll get You know some quality presentations hopefully be able to make a well-informed

056decision at the end But again my personal congratulations and thanks to all the work you did. So i'm gonna open it up now Do we have any questions from the board members for the panel? Peter Just a comment. Um, thanks a lot for all of the work that you do and I think You know, I i've heard a little bit about the time and effort only always you've put into it. We really truly appreciate that um Dr. Galt was kind enough to walk me through the area and I know it's important work You know and and you know that we are very very much concerned about The budget constraints that we have and trying to stay within that But having said that we're excited that it's a it's a worthy investment Within the budget and

057and we're excited about that. I just want to add one other comment, too I see that you have this element for the cost estimate validation, which I think is very very helpful um You know just to press a check what they're what the numbers that you get but perhaps you may want to elaborate a little bit about what you You anticipate that portion of the work covering sure So one of the things about the cost estimate is that it ties back to the specific Can you pass down that microphone? All right. So one of the things about The the process is that in the actual scope of work as part of the design challenge We had called out for a four and a half million dollar Investment total and that is for all of the

058components that are actually going to be bid out There are also a few other items. For example, the construction manager cost Construction management cost is included in that 4.5 million, but there are other components of this that are going to be for Ff and e so furniture fixtures and equipment Those are items that are outside of that scope So if you remember and I know we've talked for several years now with regards to the potential of doing the work in the second floor We've always been using about a six million dollar target for the project And so those items are actually outside of the four and a half So our total budget for the project all in is six million But for the scope of work that the design is going to be actually Being

059bid out to cost that's with a four and a half million now Since we've had that in the scope we wanted people to design to the budget because it's one thing to design It's another thing to design to a budget And so we have asked all of the firms to provide us with a cost breakdown of what their proposed design would cost It's not going to be as succinct as if it were Finalized and there was a done because one of the things to keep in mind here is that we're just looking to select the firm We will then take a pause and go back and work through the high school's administration the staff Involvement as well as district office administration to determine. What is the actual design going to look like? and so For

060right now We just want to make sure that what they provided us with matches up with what we believe our construction manager would agree is it's in line Again, it's just more of an accuracy component Then we actually start the process over and move towards a final design that the board will see and take action on in the future date Can I thank you peter? Go ahead, please i think it's just important for maybe us to get a reminder of the public Why is this area important to be renovated? What are some of the challenges currently? Why are we focusing attention on it? I don't know if dr. Walsh if you want to answer that I would say that the classroom sizes are unbelievably small We are trying to fit 28 to 30 kids in

061a classroom and it is really really packed in there If you are a teacher trying to get between desk or sometimes it's even hard to set up desk in an appropriate manner Just because the rooms are so small I would also say if you've ever been up in the d-wing the walls are Yeah, they're just they're movable walls like they're not movable You can't but if you push on them the walls will move and the sound between the classrooms is you can very easily hear What's happening between the classrooms? And you know, I would argue that probably from the time it's been built until now. It really hasn't been touched So, um, it's probably one of the oldest parts of our building But I would say really what it is is For me personally is

062those sizes of those classrooms are about 560 square feet and what you really need is 900 to a thousand square feet in like a classroom Thank you Anyone else? I have a question. Yeah, um christin so back when we were in high school, are we talking about the same? Like the same classrooms that we were dealing with back then because I remember these Yeah, the only thing kelly that has changed since then is they don't have the large study halls in the center Those are not broken down into smaller Classrooms than the ones that we learned in for english and geometry of the day They're very small very very small and from from what I recall I could have A friend in the other classroom and we could pass notes between the walls. Yeah, correct

063Yeah, and so it's also kind of unsafe the 70s are still on the wall, too What are the yearbook pictures from the 70s excellent, yeah, so I can definitely tell you that they're small space You can hear the other classrooms and as a teacher. I would be sort of concerned about safety, too. So yeah Thank you. Anyone else lisa? I just a comment. Um Thank you for all the work and especially going through this. I don't think everyone truly appreciates how many hours you spent Being a last minute replacement on the interview committee I have to say what impressed me the most I had read through the rfp because that was shared with us or rfq but You guys are true teachers. You know how to assess things You know how to assess architects and

064so I really appreciated The questions that you put together, but also you put percentages with them in matter of importance So I want to make sure the board has access to that information You guys are closest to this you've thought through this for months now And I think that's the kind of information the board needs to have also just as another tool as I because all I hear from curriculum and instruction is We have a lot of people that can do some really fancy tap dances and make everything look really pretty but when they started digging into the The tools and had the teachers take Those learning tools into the classroom and really use them is when we figured out what the most effective Product was and I almost think that's somewhat what we need

065for the architect things is not who has the best fanciest presentation but also using all of the information and And thought process that you guys have put into this through the months To help us make our decision because not everybody's been I mean I ended up touching in a little bit last minute But a lot of people haven't really Touched this as much So I think that's huge that tool that you guys created. I think can help even beyond And I I do want to thank mr Goldberg because I think he he put some additional thought into this as well and so He he did request because one of the things you want in a partner is you want them to be able to demonstrate that they Can make change based on Additional information and

066so the board actually is going to get to see probably some things that are a little different And so i'm excited for you um because you're going to get to see Do firms make you make changes based on feedback? How how responsive are they so i'm excited for that process So I thank you for putting that forward. Um as well as an additional interview Mr Goldberg felt that that was really important to this process so that you could meet with Each architect and and we've shared this with the committee previous But it is a it is your architect So you ultimately the architect is yours and so it is your choice So um, but I also just want to say while they did a lot of work on this In order for them to be

067here listening to presentations They also had to do a lot of work to prep their classrooms while they were here And so that in as a past teacher that in and of itself is a lot So they prep for an entire day actually an entire two days To be here just for the interview process and then additional time when they were in meetings So I do thank you. It was a lot of time and and a lot of work different from I don't want to say just the participation but just the participation. So thank you And once again, thank you all so much. Can I say something? I don't know if I want to go if you want to go first Or no, no, please go ahead. Um one quick question for um For dean

068the fee Does that include the electronics of technology? Yes, so that that's excluded from the 4.5. That's correct. Okay, good to know And then I just wanted to say I know how much time you guys have put into this and so it really is a huge Thank you and the volunteers to come here. There weren't like 20 people raising their hand to come and volunteer tonight So thank you all for showing up tonight and putting an extra time beyond all of the time that you already devoted So I appreciate that. Thank you. Yeah, and I think just to echo my fellow board members We sincerely appreciate all the hard work I mean ultimately you guys are going to live in this space. You're going to use this space, right? Our job is to listen to

069all the voices And make an informed decision based upon the information you're going to provide us and help us with so We sincerely appreciate it. I think we're all looking forward to the outcome of the process and have a nice evening. Thank you Okay, next up on reports to the board is the 2025 2026 geometry resource adoption Mrs. Stallion Okay, it's an audio, okay lovely. Okay. Great. Thank you. Thank you Thank you This presentation outlines the 2025 2026 geometry resource adoption proposal. The presentation will look at the resource Good evening. This presentation outlines the 2025 2026 geometry resource adoption proposal The presentation will look at the resource adoption process stakeholder feedback and evaluation process The geometry resource recommendation and budgetary considerations best practice suggests that school districts review content resources Every four to five years

070to maintain alignment with evolving standards research based instructional strategies and diverse student needs A structured approach was used to ensure rigorous evaluation stakeholder involvement and alignment with district priorities The process began with identification of key instructional priorities Alignment with illinois learning standards for mathematics and illinois mathematic thinking practices Along with meeting the criteria of the district 95 instructional model These principles shape the criteria used for resource selection and evaluation The evaluation tool identified robust criteria and indicators that allowed for quantitative and qualitative scoring for data collection Along with opportunities to capture teacher voice and feedback An extensive review was conducted using every ports and cadka Chicago area directors of curriculum alliance audits Leading to the selection of five potential resources The district 95 resource evaluation tool was used to assess alignment with curricular standards and

071instructional effectiveness Based on the initial evaluation the top two resources were selected for further review The process followed a structure timeline in october The geometry committee was formed with geometry teachers along with members of the department of curriculum instruction The department of curriculum instruction began to review potential resources Between november and december the geometry committee examined sample materials and conducted trial lessons in the classroom In january teachers continued to pilot lessons within the classroom gather student and parent feedback and complete the evaluation tool This timeline ensured that the resources were reviewed through a systematic process involving classroom trials teacher feedback and stakeholder input The goal was to determine which resource best supports instructional effectiveness student engagement And meeting the needs of the district 95 curricula illinois mathematical standards and thinking practices Along with the district

07295 instructional model to ensure a data-driven decision input was gathered for multiple stakeholders Teachers used the district 95 evaluation tool and conducted in classroom trial lessons Students provided feedback on usability engagement and real world application Parents and guardians completed surveys regarding accessibility and effectiveness of at-home support materials This feedback was critical in making an informed recommendation after a third review HMH into math aga 912 into geometry is recommended This resource best meets district instructional priorities and stakeholder needs key strengths include alignment with the illinois mathematical thinking practices A focus on conceptual understanding reasoning and problem solving and a comprehensive digital platform This resource is designed to enhance student success by fostering critical thinking collaboration analytical practices and engagement These elements contribute to a rigorous and engaging learning experience In addition this resource includes advanced digital

073tools that enhance instruction through real-time feedback adaptive learning and progress monitoring These features support a responsive and data-driven instructional approach Finally the resource provides multiple pathways to meet student needs One way is through a variety of assessments that allow for assessment throughout the learning process adaptive instruction Extended learning these tools ensure that every student receives the appropriate level of support and challenge Teachers rated the HMH into geometry resource highly for alignment with priority standards supporting student-driven mathematical exploration and effectively fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills In addition teachers valued that the resource allowed students to take ownership of their learning the resource provides opportunities for students to choose problems explore multiple solution paths and articulate reasoning through discussion This approach enhances engagement and deepens understanding by encouraging students to think critically and apply geometry concepts

074in a meaningful way In looking at student feedback a significant number of students reported curiosity about real world applications How concepts connected to careers and further exploration of advanced mathematical ideas? Many students expressed interest in how geometry extends into areas such as architecture engineering and physics In addition students related that they knew the purpose of the lessons and could keep track of what they were learning While also keeping track of what they needed to do to get better at the skill or concept Students also reported that they found the resource engaging as they were able to make connections to real life application Some examples students included were design projects Calculating material usage and problem-solving scenarios. These connections help students see the relevance of geometry beyond the classroom Parents and guardians reviewed family support materials and

075provided input on how effectively they could assist their students Feedback indicated that the resource provided structured clear and user-friendly tools to help families reinforce learning at home Many families appreciated the accessibility of online tools and step-by-step guidance Parents and guardians were asked to assess the ability to use the resources to help understand what students were working on in the classroom Results showed a positive trend in parent confidence in assisting students. Thanks to the resource provided This ensures that students have support beyond the classroom Reinforcing learning at home pending board approval. The total cost for adoption is 55,330 dollars and 49 cents which includes 400 student digital licenses for five-year access 125 physical student books and 12 teacher resources including teacher edition books It also includes professional development and training for staff This investment ensures that

076students have access to a high quality rigorous geometry resource A sincere thank you to the geometry committee members for their work in evaluating these resources Their expertise and insights were instrumental in ensuring that the best possible resource was selected for recommendation Thank you for your time this evening and we welcome any questions you may have Folks any questions from the side? Good evening this presentation I had a quick question. Maybe it's a repeat performance I just wanted to get this side first. Okay. Oh, I just wanted to comment. I Believe it was when we were relooking waiting of assessments or something was when we learned That geometry was pretty much having to create their own curriculum So I got to believe these teachers are so thrilled and i'm sure the parents are as well to

077have a resource to help That's online and I was actually pretty impressed because when you think about geometry is pretty much just one class To have 52 parents respond There's a need for this so thank you very much for all this work and i'm sure the teachers are very happy about it, too Thank you. Lisa natasha Yeah for the resource Um, how did how was the adaptability as far as like using it for eighth grade cp honors classes? So that's part of what we do with the enactment of the curriculum in the resource So that's why it was vital to have all those teachers looking at it and working at teams and trialing it at the various levels To make sure it met those students needs and so across all three of those groups. They

078highly recommended adopting this resource And then I know geometry kind of doesn't it's kind of a little bit of an outlier when it comes to math But do you feel like it'll integrate well with our other math curriculum? We do and just a reminder It's a resource and so it's just looking to see how it best supports our district 95 curricula to meet the needs of our students I guess I should have used the word resource So i'm thinking of the language and and basically the way the resource is used by the students Will it be easy transition if we're using a different resource for algebra and for calculus and all those things? Yes, one of the exciting pieces about this resource is we're going to also have access to some of the other Courses

079and so if there's a piece that we need to bring in to be able to bridge that gap We're going to be able to do so Awesome. I'm excited. I've had Two students now go through the geometry and I think this is a great added value to our students Thank you natasha anyone else on the side I just want to say thank you for the Engagement of the various stakeholders. That's huge and I think our district in particular does a great job with that But this is yet another example. So thank you Thank you. So ladies. Thank you for coming this evening. Thank you for the lovely video Let me just say that you know, I think i'm i'm going to speak now as a Somebody who has a graduate degree in electrical engineering maybe

080done a little bit of math You know, this is such a fundamental thing. So so geometry is the first time A student has to think in three dimensions And that's always the sort of tough part my experience with my three kids was just getting over that hurdle of thinking in three dimensions not thinking linearly and so You know one of the things i've noted that's happening in education relative to math specifically is the ability to use Virtual reality augmented reality to be able to see in three dimensions, right? So If you if you go to the con academy website You'll see a lot of really cool demonstrations where they've integrated augmented and virtual reality into things like geometry because You know, we're we're three-dimensional beings. We look at things in three dimensions We don't look

081at things in a two-dimensional sphere like a you know computer monitor so i'd be really curious to see if there's opportunities in this curriculum to be able to integrate the use of tools like that because It seems to me like from a perspective of learning and understanding the fundamentals not just answering a problem That's just rote, you know, that's not that's not understanding right? So that's just you know solving a problem I'm wondering if you all looked at Anything tools like that and the possibility of integrating those sort of curriculum I think there's the potential for doing that in the future right now. Our focus was finding a resource that would Support our curriculum support our students and our families and our teachers But I think that's a possibility we could look at down the

082road and I think miss delian would have something to add to that piece Okay. Thank you So, you know, I say this all the time. So if i'm a broken record, I apologize Remember that no resource meets the needs of our curriculum. This is a resource That will satisfy The majority of the standards if not all of the standards that we are bound to teach What a resource never does Is satisfy all the ways In which we teach kids So it won't be embedded within this resource if it is great if it's not we continue to use the curriculum to adapt and to offer Opportunities for additional resources Supplemental resources which would be You know augmented reality virtual reality tools that we can bring in and what that will do is it will elevate That

083resource and bring that resource to life for kids. That's a teacher job The resource is the resource the teacher is the magic And they're going to come and say to us this resource is great angela, but we need x y and z to really make it come to life for kids and that's where we step in and say Yeah, and then we build that into the curriculum The resource is a piece of the curriculum. So angela. I appreciate that again I'm sure you guys are aware of these things and look again. I I think that there's that That technology has the possibility of significantly revolutionizing the way that we deliver education like that again because we are three-dimensional beings And so i'd love to see you know as we move forward in this i'm i'm

084sure this is a wonderful Uh set of resources for us, but I do believe that you know Going forward best practices will include using those other tools I'll just say Once you understand how you can You can basically describe anything in the physical universe in a differential equation your life will change forever Did mine anyway Thank you all very much. Thank you so much ladies. Thank you Okay, we're moving on to the 2025 english language arts resource adoption k-8 Another video. Thank you Good evening, and thank you for joining us tonight. I'm katie dangler joined by brooke crowley We are thrilled to welcome three outstanding educators who played an integral role in the resource adoption process jackie ryan a first grade teacher at spencer lumis Elizabeth warren a fifth grade teacher at sarah adams and

085jen lippert a sixth grade teacher at middle school north Their insights and contributions have been invaluable and we're excited to have them join us this evening We're thrilled to share our english language arts resource recommendation proposal This presentation outlines our process findings and proposals for k8ela resources To start let's address the rationale behind our review process best practices recommend revisiting and updating educational resources Every four to five years to keep pace with evolving standards new research and the diverse needs of our students The last review occurred in 2020 making this an opportune time to ensure our resources align with current pedagogy and current student needs Our agenda tonight includes an overview of our resource adoption process and a detailed recommendation for both middle and elementary school ela resources By the end of this presentation, you'll

086have a clear understanding of why these choices best meet the needs of our students and educators Our resource adoption process was guided by three key frameworks the d-95 curriculum The illinois comprehensive literacy plan and the d-95 instructional model These guiding principles ensured consistency and alignment throughout the review The three key frameworks guided the department of curriculum and instruction in developing the d-95 resource evaluation tool a scoring tool was central to our evaluation Promoting unbiased and informed decision making as highlighted by kelly oliveiro isaac fox assistant principal Our journey began with extensive research and collaboration Using ed reports and kadka's recommendations we selected 13 resources for initial review by the curriculum and instruction team After presentations sample reviews and scoring the top three resources for both k-5 and 6-8 were brought to the ela committee for

087deeper exploration Carly nicoletti a learning support coach emphasized the value of this groundwork in ensuring high quality options were available for our review Our process was deliberate and thorough spanning from september to january The process included onboarding and professional development of our committee members Resource presentations modeled lessons in classroom demo lessons and scoring providing a consistent and supportive process Committee members like jackie ryan and joel alvarado Praised the process's variety and opportunities for discussion while cindy green noted the benefits of trialing multiple resources back to back Stakeholder feedback played a pivotal role in our decision making teachers provided insights via the d-95 resource evaluation tool and committee discussions Students shared feedback using a tailored tool and parents were engaged through surveys and access to preview resources This comprehensive feedback informed our final recommendations For middle

088school, we recommend amplify ela This resource offers high quality diverse texts that integrate reading writing speaking and listening Its rigorous approach fosters critical thinking collaboration and analytical writing Amplify also includes robust digital tools to support dynamic and responsive teaching Amplify ela offers a robust collection of resources texts and digital tools designed to empower teachers to effectively meet their students diverse needs As jen libert highlighted amplify stands out for its flexibility and strong support for various teaching and learning strategies Amplify has garnered recognition from the knowledge matters campaign for its ability to spark curiosity And affirm student identities while integrating technology seamlessly Amplify ela's inclusivity rubric ensures the program reflects a commitment to representing diverse voices and perspectives By evaluating texts and materials for cultural relevance Inclusivity and authenticity the program promotes equitable learning experiences That

089validate and celebrate students identities and broaden their understanding of the world Teachers like christin lackey otis highlighted how amplify engages students and provides a pace suited to today's learners While students provided feedback in collaborative learning environments In addition, we developed a specialized survey instrument for parents and guardians Included in the survey was background information on the resource adoption a summary of our process And resources from our top two products for caregivers to preview Then parents and guardians answered questions Eliciting feedback on resource navigation and understanding their students classroom work Full survey results are included in your board memo The proposed package for amplify ela includes digital licenses and optional blended materials for teachers and students This flexible model ensures both accessibility and affordability while meeting the needs of our educators and learners For elementary grades,

090we recommend benchmark advance This resource excels in explicit systematic phonics instruction vocabulary development and integrated supports for accessibility Its engaging visuals and variety of assessment tools ensure it meets diverse student needs Teachers like amanda boyer noted how the engaging visuals and interactive materials captivated students enhancing their learning experience Teachers gave benchmark advance slash adelante high scores for inclusion of diverse content text variety and multimedia integration benchmark advance Slash adelante has also received numerous accolades including the american consortium for equity and education's product of the year award in 2024 This prestigious award highlights products that effectively address diverse learning needs Promote accessibility and support educators in creating equitable learning environments for all students benchmark advance slash adelante commits to diversity of texts and authorship Teacher karen lodewick noted that the resources supported connected learning experiences and

091engagement with her second grade students Jennifer kapsinski a may whitney teacher also noticed increased engagement with her students Included on this slide is a snapshot of student feedback, which is also provided in your board packet Like with our six eight resource. We elicited caregiver feedback for our k5 recommendation Participants were then asked to provide feedback regarding the ease of navigating these resources and their effectiveness in helping them understand their child's classroom activities The comprehensive results of this survey are detailed in your board memo The benchmark advance slash adelante package includes comprehensive teaching materials student consumables and digital platform access It's designed to support both in class and independent learning while fostering professional development for educators We owe a tremendous. Thank you to our ela committee members who dedicated countless hours to this process Their expertise

092and commitment ensured a thorough and thoughtful evaluation That concludes our presentation. We're happy to answer any questions you have about the process or our recommendations Thank you for your time and consideration Thank you. I'll start over here any questions on the site? Um, well, I do want to begin I looked at all the survey questions and they were extremely impressive. I think that's wonderful I also want to give a huge kudos to all the teachers that piloted it piloting three literacy curriculums back to back As a fellow teacher, I applaud you. That's crazy But i'm really glad that you were able to get a really good insight on what all of those curriculums work I had one question. I'd written it down, but I remembered it and um Dr. Stallion, this is probably for you.

093Mrs. Stallion. Um, I I noticed at the end for our benchmark adelante. It shows that the grades k through five get Um complementary classroom libraries of 114 but the Spanish Is that the same? Do they also get the complementary library? Or because then under Spanish it said fifth a quantity of 15 Yes, both All of our classrooms will get the complementary uh trade book libraries Um it the the quantity that's referred to that's the amount of classrooms that are receiving those I just wanted to make sure if that wasn't like how many books Okay No, I believe that each trade book library set Um has I I I shouldn't even speak to the number. I can't remember. I believe it's it's at least um 10 titles that go specifically with all of the knowledge Strands

094for the program and then there's additional reading components throughout and um I have used this resource. I think it's wonderful. So thanks. I've used it actually as a bilingual teacher So I only know it from the adelante side. I don't know if you had any Bilingual teachers piloted it, but it's a really great program Thank you, Natasha Anything else on this side? Yeah. Well, we talked a little bit about it in the teaching and learning committee Thanks a lot again for all of the time that you spent on this um as I you know as I Joke with my colleagues over there um After spending months and months and all the hours into it. I'm not going to sit on the button I don't like it. So um What's what's really um, what's really struck

095me is you had a really sound process to really engage The appropriate stakeholders you have teachers, you know I was reading a lot about Chicago where there is some dispute about from a top-down process But but I do think here we we really engage um the teachers and the students involved and um and the parents as well and I also saw You know again, you know looking at our portrait of the graduate right there. Um, um I'm very much aware that and you made a point of saying that you had culturally sensitive resources and that um What we do try to build on cultural competence as well So so so that was very very attractive to me But I looked at all of the survey data and the parent one Obviously, it's good that you

096got some comments, but wasn't as strong as some of the others. My understanding is is um You you take that information To also Think of ways and other tools that you could provide to parents to interact With the resource. Do you want to anyone you want to comment on what other idea? How does that actually work? That's exactly right that the results that we got from our parent community Ultimately help inform us and our committee on ways that we can support further support our families at home So in the areas where maybe they did not feel that it provided enough information about What their children are learning in the classroom that gives us the information then to say we want to make sure our some of our committee work is focused on that at-home piece

097that we're able to Effectively communicate to our parent community about what is happening in the classrooms So that that information really is another data point for us on future work that we'll have to start engaging in soon Thank you Thank you peter arlene Just wanted to say thank you and once again the agate the stakeholder engagement is just wonderful and love the follow-up So, thank you very much. Thank you folks anything over here All right. Um, I think this is awesome when I was listening to the amplify However, you presented that I was like you're pulling me in, you know all the stuff that I care about Um paying attention to diverse texts so important I grew up in this district this district When I was here was less diverse than it is now But

098we still have a lot of students that deeply need to understand cultures outside of their own It's very important to take with them into the world. We see it in in college where sometimes You know reading those books. It seriously makes a huge difference, especially when you grow up in a pretty homogeneous community, right? But then we've got Affirming student identities whoever did that presentation that you're pulling me in again diverse perspectives cultural relevance We need all of that. Um, also I trust mrs. Lackey otis. I know that she knows I don't she's not up here right now, right? okay, i've like met her once but I remember my student being in her class and just being so impressed with uh, The stuff that she was having them read at such a young age and

099i'm like, yeah, that's what my kid needs She needs to understand that this kind of stuff, right? Um, so with amplify I felt very strongly the way it was presented that that sounds like an excellent resource for our community benchmark You did note too The language is a little different. So I just want to make sure that um, the same types of things are also being Considered with benchmark because it says it meets diverse student needs Diverse learning needs but we're also meeting like cultural relevance, right? And then diverse identities and then so it's the same thing. It was just presented a little bit differently Okay So yeah for sure because I think during a time when we See the pullback on Everybody's story, you know, that's scary to me as a parent I want

100to make sure that my kids see the world through diverse eyes And so the fact that it seems like you all are really also, you know thinking about our students that way That is extremely important to a lot of parents in this district So both of these are covering that correct and i'll take that one because we got the entire list From bench we asked for the entire list of trade books and all the titles So that we could go through and ensure That we had diverse perspectives Cultures and experiences represented in the text within this resource and they are there. Excellent. Thank you so much. Good work Thank you Lisa, uh, just a comment because you did present this at teaching and learning last month But um, I think one teacher Touched on it.

101But the fact that you guys Sent out 11 requests for Boxes and boxes of books and then evaluated them all That was a huge lift for you guys to do and I appreciate that really looking at trying to see who hits all of these points because you had a very high list of what you were looking for resources to To present and then also for the teachers. I know they the comment was made last month That some teachers were like I couldn't just do a piece of this lesson. They really needed I needed to do the whole lesson So that's an even bigger lift when you're doing that with three Different resources and then trying to remember what did what what really works best what works best for the kids So it I totally appreciate

102this. I I firmly am on board with miscellaneous Of getting parent input student input as well as teacher input and actually using the tool as opposed to what looks bright and shiny and pretty And we think it's going to work and then you get it and it doesn't work. I mean how disappointing so Thank you for all this effort. It's definitely worth it and we're seeing it because Our resources are applicable and working for a long period of time. So that's that's very much appreciated. Thank you Thank you, lisa Ladies, thank you again for coming this evening. Really appreciate dr Gall has shared a lot with me on this topic And I know you guys have done just a tremendous amount of effort behind the scenes to get us to where we're at tonight that

103we can We can approve this at some point in the future One of the things I was wondering about and we've had a conversation like this several times now, what what would you expect to be The turn cycle for this in other words, how long will this resource be valid for? Is the review cycle for this curriculum going to be five years three years two years? What do we think? Where are we at with that? It will be five years. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to select a new resource You should realign Review your resource every five years. Is it working? Are we continuing to get the results that we need? Is it aligned to current evidence-based? practices Is it have the rigor? And most importantly, does it meet the needs of the

104students that sit in the desks today? Like it met the needs of the students that sat in the desks five years ago Sometimes in my career we've said yes and we've kept that resource and said yep, we've got it We need a couple of supplemental pieces, but this still works and in some cases Uh, we we have to move forward with a new resource because when we know more we do better So in five years, we're going to look at this and we're going to say did it do what we wanted it to do If it did we're going to recommend to you that we keep that resource if it doesn't we'll be back here again And mrs. Stallion the areas that we notice and we have a pretty rigorous school improvement process And I

105know there's some members out there here at the table We also take a look at our data each and every year multiple times during the year. They look at their data That also helps us to understand if we need additional resources as you had shared before So I want to make sure the board knows we don't wait five years We wait five years for the full potential adoption, but we're checking to make sure that we're meeting the needs of all of our learners and so They will absolutely i'm looking at them shaking their heads They will absolutely continue to do that do that school improvement process as well so that that's actually the answer I was looking for was You know, I I don't necessarily believe that We should have a rigid schedule like oh

106my gosh every five years We're going to do this because things change right and and this is a subject area in general where I think there's some volatility and therefore I love the idea of you know checking along the way and And you know if there's a course correction needs to be made or materials need to be added etc Or whatever we decide to do. I think that's good. I I i've had Many discussions over my time on the board with various administrators about why does it have to be Of x year cycle. Well, it should be I mean there's there's topics that make sense, right? That don't really need to be they aren't that dynamic if you will Um, this is one of them. I think is more dynamic And so I I love

107the idea of continuously looking at the material and determining if we should make changes every year Or however often makes sense. I don't know what the time frame is. But but yeah, I you know, obviously it's substantial investment I think I don't think you'll find the board is Totally in line with these are really really good investments to make right? These are the kind of best ones we like to make And I love the fact that we're we virtualize the material, you know, we're past the time of buying on textbooks um, so In closing, thank you all so much for all the work you do every day and thank you for coming this evening And if I could just say this, you know, we often talk about how you you know top down, right? I

108think you said that When we started this process, there was a particular resource that I had been reading about many of my Colleagues and other districts had used it. I have friends who serve in that Particular organization and I thought for sure that the resource that was going to be selected was this A resource this was the one I just felt it in my bones. This was the one They went through their entirety of their process and i'm checking along the way Hey, what do they think of this one and what do they think of this one and pretty soon? They said, you know angela that's not that's not going to be it And i'm like really And they yeah, that's not that's not the one that's not the one the teachers think is the

109right tool and i'm like You know who knows best? The teachers right and they brought the one that they know is going to meet the needs of kids So it this is absolutely not a top-down process this resource Both of these resources were selected by our teachers because they're the ones teaching our kids and I appreciate the work you did Thank you again Okay, we are moving on to discussion without action. The item on the agenda this evening is the apple annual purchase Thank you, mr President we are I guess presenting today the annual purchase to get our new kid our kiddos some ipads and Refresh some staff and get our keyboard cases where applicable Okay, are there any questions on this topic? We'll just come back to us next month for approval if we

110don't have any i'm by the way I'm really anxious to see what happens When the technology team moves through its device survey and looks at what next generation devices might be And I don't know if it's going to be apple or not but I do believe we are at a point in time where it does make sense to go back and look at that and Determine what the best because we've been on apple now for eight eight or nine years of ipads and again I'm not saying they're bad, but I do believe it's worth a relook. Thank you Yes, and I would like to ask if we could Have this placed on the 220 consent for approval Any concerns about that from the board members? The answer is yes. Thank you, sir Okay, and we're

111moving on to discussion with action. The item on the agenda is the energy reverse auction Okay, thank you. Um, so obviously there's a large write-up here that kind of walks through as a reminder We still have a guaranteed contract rate through the december month of 2025 So we're really very early in the process. Uh, we've done that for a couple of different reasons And I believe that the timing is actually to our benefit Uh, first and foremost is that as we're preparing the budget We had been made aware that the cost for acquiring our electricity Has anticipated to increase significantly as you saw here our rates are over a hundred percent in what is being requested for the threshold Let me assure you that that's the cap. That's the most that it would be we

112are anticipating That coming in less we did get some more feedback here even today from nania who is our partner With that we anticipate that our increases will come in maybe 20 to 30 percent or more Less than what has been set for the threshold again. This is our max cost a couple things that I want to just kind of highlight in the process is that This evening if you approve we would actually move towards doing the auction Next thursday And then what we would need to do is that because of the unique situation and the energy costs change every single day We need to actually commit and sign a contract on the date of the auction in order for it to be valid We would like to be able to have that authority to

113do that We're going to work with nania to make sure that we feel that whatever selection Uh of the options is really kind of in the best interest of the district Uh is what we would target What I mean by that is that as you take a look at the other document what you notice is that there is up to A 60 month time frame So if it's a one year two year three year there are different rates from different suppliers Not all will go to five years some will go to four years So we want to look at what the overall auction brings us And take a look at what we think is going to be best and then we would need to take action on that day if for some reason If mr

114Erstead and myself along with nania don't feel like we are in a place where the numbers are really ideal We could choose not to take action and go out to auction at another time However, and this is where I was saying that there's a lot going on right now a lot of the electricity has a connection to canada and with regards to tariffs And so we might especially since there's now a 30-day window and that is still under discussion It might be to our advantage to take action right now nania shared with us that they are in the process of getting a hold of every single one of the clients that they hold that have a renewal within the next 12 months To have the conversation should they be out? So we are actually in

115that moment and we're already ahead of most for us to be able to take advantage of this So something we just wanted to bring forward. Um, mr President wanted to see if it's appropriate for us on that day after the auction closes and we look at that If we could work with dr galt and potentially reach out just to make you aware of what we believe is best because that way there's some additional connection with the process, although it's it's not required if you take action tonight the administration could but It's always best to to keep that out. Okay. Let's get the motion on the table in a motion to approve the administration to execute electricity supply contract for a term not to exceed 60 months Following a live reverse auction Provided the rates secured

116remain below the max approved auction thresholds as presented may have that motion, please so moved second Thank you, natasha. Okay questions from the board members I okay. Go ahead mark, please This first time obviously that i'm looking at this and I just want to make sure that I kind of understand everything going on Um if we were to go to if you were to decide to go to a five-year term First of all, is there any breakage? If we were to somehow want to change or is that kind of if we decide on five years we're locked in okay Um, and then in terms of the variance versus current we spoke about it not going above But then the way that i'm reading this is it would be 100 if we go five years. It's

117133 percent of our current By reading that's the that's the threshold that's being set and again what they did is they took a look at our current provider What they provided us with general rates gave a 10 percent threshold on top of that to give some flexibility Nani has also reached out to get a handful of additional Providers and say well, what would you if you're in this situation? What would you bid? And so with that information we anticipate to be 20 to 30 percent less than the threshold that we have set And so for us You're right it could be but that would be a conversation that we're going to be having live with naniya as to whether or not is that really the market or is it makes sense for us to just

118simply not move forward or You know what based on all the information that we have it does make sense for us to do maybe three years but not the five because as you even saw here the escalation is Rather notable when we get into the the fourth and fifth year as compared to the rate for three years again If we knew the answer what the future was going to be we'd all be rich And so what we want to do here is make our best intelligent Recommendation and to move forward in a place where we're conservative but still in a good place And so that's why we're looking at this I wanted to I want to piggyback off of what you just said because I I think that this is important an important note We

119went through a process before we were able to lock in And how how beneficial was that for our district? It was fantastic the rates that we received when we did this reverse auction were Were exceptional. That's why you're seeing such a huge increase here is that we had such an incredibly low rate To the market our timing was just really really good and obviously we were on the right side of that The the I guess benefit to going long term is knowing what we're locked into And if energy costs were to continue to go up, which I think everybody believes that they will then we know where we're at the small Chance that it would go down then we would be in a situation where it wouldn't be in our favor, but don't think that's

120good Yeah, and the conversation that we had today with Narnia is that if it were to drop significantly Something very significant is happening globally to have that impact because as there is a discussion around the the tariffs and drill for Resources there is an opportunity then for outside of the u.s Markets to come into that and if they were to do that that actually may increase Costs because now there's a supply decrease as available for local As compared to the competitive from extra So there's there's just a lot of moving parts and obviously I am not the pure expert on this I'm just working through what we've been Finding from Narnia and that's why we have them as a partner and I'm sorry. I just have one more quick question Uh, and so you talked

121about it that it's the auction is this Thursday This coming Thursday a week from today is what's anticipated. That's our sparse planned time And so if we were to agree to it then despite the fact that our contract does not end until December We're locking in then we're locking in then for january of 26 Right, but so if if the tariffs were to be implemented between next thursday and december We are locked in we are locked in. Okay. Absolutely. Okay. Thank you Focus anything over here. I do yeah I just what do we have in our budget for the assumption for 20 next year? That's why we're doing this now because right now we have a minor Increase not the significant increase that we had anticipated because we wanted to know by going through this

122process Even if we are not in a position to make the agreement happen We'll have a much better understanding of what we need to put into the budget So right now we have a placeholder for a minor increase We will be going what what's a minor increase. I don't have it. Okay, sorry I should have asked in advance three three cents per kilowatt hours what he put into the budget tax He showed us at the retreat. Okay projecting it to be probably double that at least Okay. Thank you. I have a question um um You don't have a crystal ball. I don't have a crystal ball. So you're going to go in and try to lock in for five years God bless you You know, we'll see how that turns out. But at the end

123of the day you're you're you're making um You you got to make some decision next week, whether you go one year two year three year four year five year um, and and as you yourself indicated their geopolitical Events that could affect it in the next five years that is outside of your own purview or anybody's purview. What do we have now? I mean what how when we we got a really good rate was it like just for one year or Five years Our car so what's for five years four years. It was four years. Mr. Erstad is dating four Okay, so we had four and that ends at the end of this year And and and it it you know, we did very well. So So now you're thinking five possibly but anything from one

124to Anything from none to one to two to three to four to five, right? Am I understanding that right? Yes, that's correct Okay, well But yeah, I mean I I you know, I I think you have some good experts working for you on that and I you know, I I feel a little uncomfortable going five year out. That's just me um But but you know, hopefully you'll get the information that will help you make that right judgment at the right time Thank you. Is that good? Dean, thank you for bringing this to us so Energy is a commodity Right tracks the commodity market. Here's the so there's a there's a really good Study that was done in the last couple years by I want to say it was john hopkins or mit's lincoln labs I

125don't recall which one where they looked at energy usage across america And you know your the average household go back 20 years is up almost double the amount of energy we use We have a lot more devices and stuff and of course the use of evs, etc And the problem is generation hasn't kept up with usage, right? This is a supply and demand. It's a classic economy It's it's it's a it is truly a commodity And so all of the projections are because and there's a rush to build new power plants and hopefully nuclear by the way And I believe that that you know your projections that were in the financial workshop were Optimistic about our energy costs very likely given the market. So I do think um You know going the auction the reverse

126touch auction worked beautiful last time I'm a big fan of doing that by the way, right? I think that's an awesome way to do it. I do think that we We it would be good for us if we get a favorable rate right, and I do think it's important for us to try to lock that in for three to five years because That does two things one It allows us to to budget with a high degree of certainty and what those energy costs aren't we spend a lot of money every year on energy by the way, and so The reason that we got I believe we got such a great deal this time was When we bought it, what time was it? When did we cut that deal? Pandemic and guess what happened businesses were

127shut down. There was an excess of energy It's a commodity the prices went down because there was an excess so in my mind Barring another catastrophe global catastrophe god forbid that should happen Then and given the ever increasing use of electricity. I believe that we're not that's likely not impossible But it is one outcome it goes down. It's very unlikely I believe the much greater likelihood is energy costs will continue to increase and so if we have a way of Getting a high degree of uncertainty at a good rate around our energy costs Then I think i'm all for it Yeah Okay, we call the roll, please Ms. Maloney. Yes Dr. Pinter. Yes, mrs. Warren. Yes, mrs. Danniger. Yes Mr. Etienne. Yes, mr. Goldberg. Yes, mr. Habe. Yes We are going to have a closed

128session this evening So I will need a motion to move into closed session for the following three reasons one the appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees Specific individuals who serve as independent contractor in a park recreational 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 a specific individual Who serves an independent contractor in a park recreational educational setting or a volunteer of the public body or against legal counsel for the public? Body determines validity. However I'm needing to consider an increase in compensation to a specific employee Of a public body that is subject to the local government wage increased transparency act may not be closed And shall be open to the public and posted

129and held in accordance with the open meetings act 5i lcs 120 slash 2c 1 Second litigation when an action against affecting or on behalf of the particular public body Has been filed in this pending before a court or administrative tribunal or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent In which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered in the minutes of the closed meeting 5i lcs 120 slash 2c 11 Lastly security procedures school building safety and security and the use of personnel and equipment to respond to an actual A threatened or a reasonably potential danger to the safety of employees students staff the public or public property 5i lcs 120 slash 2c 8 So vote second. Thank you peter You call the roll, please Mr. Goldberg. Yes

130Mr. Hayes. Yes. Ms. Maloney. Yes. Dr. Pinter. Yes. Ms. Warren. Yes Mrs. Danniger. Yes, mr. 18. Yes, we do not expect to take action coming out of closed session. Thank you