U-46 Board Meeting - Aug 4, 2025

001[Music] or I'm sorry, August 4th, 2025 board of education meeting to order. Roll call, please. >> Miss Ker, Miss Khan, Miss Martin, >> here. Miss Nolan, >> Miss Schwarz, >> here. Miss Thomas here. President Owens >> here. May I have a motion to move into close session to discuss individual student disciplinary matters pending probable or imminent litigation the appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees specific individuals who serve as an independent contractor in a park recreational or educational setting or specific volunteers of the public or legal counsel for the public body. The purchase or lease of real property for the use of the school board. The setting of a price for the sale or lease of real property owned by the school board. An internal audit control weakness. Identification of potential fraud

002risk areas. Known or suspected frauds and fraud interviews. Collective negotiating matters between the school board and its employees or their representatives or deliberations concerning salary schedules for more one or more classes of employees. Review of close session minutes and individual student matters. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Miss Kerr. Yes, >> Miss Martin. >> Yes, >> Miss Nolan. >> Yes, >> Miss Schwarz. >> Yes, >> Miss Thomas. >> Yes, >> President Owens. >> Yes. >> Motion passes. We're in close session at 5:46 p.m. [Music] Heat. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] If I could have everybody's attention, please. >> Thank you. I am going to resume the August 4th, 2025 board of education meeting at 7:03 p.m. If I could have everybody stand as We are able for the pledge of allegiance.

003Thank you. Before we move into our strategic plan reports, uh, tonight's agenda item includes item 16A, a work session change order for plan operations, Elgen High School pool upgrade and bleacher replacement project number 247 seeking approval of a change order from Omni Construction Group Incorporated in the amount not to exceed $459,5 to address the capital project which is currently under To avoid interruption of this project, I'm seeking a motion to amend the agenda to address this item tonight during discussion action as item 12E. If this amendment is passed, I am directing administration to add item 16A to the regular meeting agenda for the August 22nd, 2025 board of education meeting for the purpose of ratifying the vote. I have a motion to amend the agenda to move item 16A from the work session to discuss

004action item 12. >> So moved. Second. >> Any questions or discussion? Roll call, please. >> Miss Kirk, >> yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. Schwarz, >> yes. >> Miss Thomas, >> yes. >> President, yes. Motion passes. >> Thank you everyone. Okay, so tonight uh First item on our open agenda is strategic plan report. Dr. Johnson. >> Thank you, President Owens. Uh this evening provide a school readiness report for the opening of the 2025 2026 school year. Uh to begin, Mark Moore, assistant superintendent of human resources, will provide an update. >> Uh good evening. So school starts one week from today and you Every year so far we are almost ready and on the staffing side we continue to hire as quickly as frankly as we can in all categories. For

005example for teachers we have already hired 309 new teachers from outside the district. There are 17 more of a few hours ago and I'm sure we've got more requests to hire since then. So my team on the HR side is continuing to work through hiring. We do have a number of vacancies in all areas. Teachers, there are a number of vacancies still in their group. Bus drivers are improving. You may have seen the billboard. We received when people apply for jobs, they say one of the questions we ask where you hear about us. As of two weeks ago, 18 people had said from the billboard on something new in Chicago, which we're going to target Chicago. Hopefully some of the teachers that no longer have jobs with CPS for us. We'll see if that's successful

006or not. Uh so we will be as ready as we can for next Monday and the people that have been recommended to hire that we will continue to process it to go for school. >> Thank you for that. Do board members have any questions or Dr. Johnson? >> Okay. Thank you. >> Next, I would like to welcome Dr. Ann Williams, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, and Sheila DS, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, to provide the next update on school readiness. Thank you and good evening. Um, I'll provide a quick quick update on our major construction projects and then I will turn it over to our assistant superintendent of operations to get into the nuts and bolts of everything else operations. But as most if not all of our board members know, Hawk Hollow is ready to accept

007students. Um, we will be ready to accept all of our seventh graders on Monday. As it relates to Kimble, we have been conducting daily inspections since last week, including Saturday and Sunday. and we are also confident that we will be ready to accept students there. I do want to take this opportunity to thank the principal and the assistant principal for their patience and flexibility with us as we construct around them over the next two years. Um and then the last project is Kenyon Woods. Um that addition did not impact the main building, so we expect to be ready there as well. And with that, I'll turn it over to Miss DS to get into the other areas of operations. >> Absolutely. Soite46 is obviously a huge initiative. However, there is a ton of other projects

008and exciting things happening in the district. Um, and I asked the operations teams to share what they would consider some of their highlights and I got pages of information. And so I am just going to share with you a few of the many amazing things that are happening in the operations department. So food service is introducing snack bars this year at all the middle schools. Additionally, they are unveiling some new middle school um new menu items, including a new burrito for the elementary schools and chicken wings, which were requested by the students at the secondaries. Um they're also adding some additional vegetarian options. Transportation boasts of 32 candidates who received and accepted offer since June 1st. So, they're really excited that they are um narrowing um the vacancies that they have within their department. They

009have um year over year and so they're excited about that. Plan operations has been very busy this summer. Um the Basco office they programmed 41 new FOBs for new hires this um year over the summer. Browns completed their annual bright and shiny program um and they boasted of 900 cubic yards of mulch and over 600 plants throughout the district maintenance custodial and capital project teams. They completed over a hundred unique projects including new flooring, gym refinishing, parking lot revisions, roof replacements, and the first phase of Bartlett um the Bartlett Pathway project. Um the warehouse has processed over 90 curriculum purchases which included several new adoptions and culminated in the asset tagging of thousands of textbooks which are all delivered and at the schools ready to be distributed which is exciting. But wait, there's more. Information

010Services is also excited to announce that all Chromebooks are labeled and ready to be assigned to students in grades 1, five, and nine. Teacher laptops are also in the buildings waiting to be distributed the first week of school. And then all of the internet active displays that were um on the docket for year two um for high schools and middle schools are currently being delivered and processed. And so again, this was just a very small snapshot, but the operations have done a ton of work and so a big kudos to all of the team members who have contributed and then thank you once again to the board of education for supporting the work that we do every day. Thank you. >> Next we have Lola Stovich, deputy superintendent of instruction to provide the update. >>

011All right. So on the instructional side, we have been busy all summer long working to prepare our schools and return for the return of our teachers this Wednesday and return of our students on Monday. Over the course of the summer, we help we hosted our dual language academy. We had over 115 teachers participate in that learning. We hosted over 80 teachers at the AVID conference in Chicago. A couple of weeks ago, we hosted over 150 instructional administrators to kick off the year in alignment with our strategic plan. And just this past week and last late last week, we hosted over 260 new teachers at new teacher orientation, getting ready to get into our classrooms again in alignment with our strategic plan and focusing very heavily on our instructional clarity framework. As Sheila had shared, we

012have a lot of new curriculum and resources and our has also been hard at work all summer planning very meaningful professional development for our teachers. We've been also hosting back to school events at our school, learning opportunities for our staff and for our students. A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our freshman connection and middle school experience. And for the first time, uh we hosted kinder camp for some of our incoming kindergarters at 10 of our sites. And today we hosted seniors for college jumpart. We're ready to welcome back our teachers for their SIP day on August 6th. They'll be participating in professional learning, uh, districtwide professional learning and some optional professional learning on August 7th and 8th. And we're extremely excited to host Ready, Set, Go for all of our DYA educators on August

0138th. Anybody have any questions so far? >> So, I I want to extend a thank you to our teams for all of the workh get ready for a brand new school year. We have just as many non-instructional staff members who work relentlessly uh in preparing for the welcoming of students for a new school year. Across 55 sites, 90 square miles and hundreds and hundreds and thousands of square footage buildings are flipped every year to be ready to welcome students in. Um, additionally, I think we have this misconception that the buildings completely in the summer to allow us to do this work. And in reality, we host summer programming, we host summer school, we host summer camps. Um, all of those things continue to support our students throughout the summer and of course support staff development,

014team development as well. So, I have a tremendous thank you to all of our team members who make that possible. I think board of education um all of the proposals that you readily approve throughout the school year magically arrive and then get distributed or implemented or assembled or put together ready uh for students. Want to thank our team members for their endless uh agreement and willingness to do what our students need to be able to meet the goals of that brand new strategic plan that we'll be working at unpacking. And our colleagues who are so very We're all just ready to see our students back in session on Monday. So I send them all a hearty thank you. You see our buses, our equipment, our machinery absolutely on the roads at all hours. I get

015text messages asking me things like should there be a 46 truck out at 3:30 in the morning? Yes. Yes. Absolutely. At this time they're probably hauling mulch or preparing to start delivering something as soon as possible. So yes, legitimate. It's not a quiet season. Um, and I am so very appreciative and thankful for the work of this extensive team. So, thank you to all. Look forward to seeing you all next week. Thank you everybody for your time and putting this presentation together, all the information. Thank you to all staff members. I know just as Dr. Johnson has said, it's a big lift to get ready for nearly 34,000 students. So, All right. Well, is right where she is because she is also responsible for our next strategic plan update, which is the 2026 2027 boundary

016transition update. So, while we haven't officially started the 2025 2026 year, we have plans uh underway as to how we're going to make these exciting transitions for the school district. So, My story will present an update to the board of education on what to expect in the way of our transition planning for the 2026 2027. >> All right. Good evening and thank you for the opportunity to present this evening. Tonight's update outlines two major transitions taking place in the 2026 2027 school year. First, our boundary realignment that will impact many students and families across the district. and second the movement of sixth grade from elementary schools into our middle schools. Both are significant changes and require thoughtful coordinated planning. So tonight we'll cover where we are now, the actions that are already in motion, and

017what's coming next. The goal here is to ensure the board remains informed throughout the year as we lead this districtwide effort. The transition is about more than just changing our maps. It's about equity, access, and responsible planning. We're redefining the educational experience for our students. And simultaneously, our rebalanced boundaries promote access, equity, and community cohesion. We're balancing enrollment, supporting new and closing facilities, and working to make sure every student and staff member experiences a wellmanaged transition. We've made significant progress over this past summer. Our feeder patterns and program locations are set, and we've confirmed middle school space planning for incoming sixth graders. We're also coordinating closely with multiple stakeholder groups and finalizing tools to begin engaging families in the fall so that they know where they're going and they're ready to get there. Our focus

018this fall will be on outreach, engagement, and readiness. We'll hold community forums. We're sending home school assignment letters later this fall, and we'll be showcasing our new school through highlight videos and events. Our staffing work will begin in earnest and middle schools will begin planning for welcoming a full sixth grade cohort. Um we finalized our middle school transition course selection because this year we're going to have to not only um get course selections for sixth graders but also our fifth graders. So, we've been working, our team has been working with our administrators, our sitebased administrators and district administrators to map all of that out along with our counselors. For this school year, you will receive regular monthly updates on all aspects of this transition, and we'll make sure you're hearing about what's happening with staff,

019students, school events, programs, and facilities. Your feedback and support will help keep this transition grounded and student centered. This transition marks a major step forward for U46. We are laying the groundwork now to ensure that every student, family, and staff member is informed, welcomed, and set up for success. We know that change is complex, but we're planning early, involving all voices, and we'll work to ensure a smooth transition for everyone. So, with that being said, you'll be expecting more updates, more detailed updates throughout the year, but if there are any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. >> Thank you. And board members have any questions? So for the 25 26 school year, I believe it was in spring families had access to exception forms. When can families look for those during this school year

020for the 26 27th school year if they were interested? Um probably in later fall. Our goal is to get everything finalized and assignment letter sent out so that families know where they're they're assigned to for next school year with the residency exception process to be open sometime in early to mid November. >> Thank you. Anyone else? Thank you. >> Thank you. >> The next item on our agenda is public comment. >> And we do have public comments this evening. Yeah, there should be a video that will provide an overview. >> Good evening. We are now opening the public comment portion of the board of education meeting. Those who completed a request to speak card will be called to provide comments in the order in which the cards were received. Online participants have been provided meeting

021access via Zoom. Written comments emailed to boardw6.org or have been posted to the agenda for public viewing. To ensure that all comments are heard, speakers must comply with the following procedures. Individual comments are less than three minutes and comments may not mention the name or personal information of any student other than the speaker's own child. Please note that while board members listen to speakers, they do not respond to comments or answer questions. Thank you. particip. access. Our first speaker this evening is Jose Perez. Uh the last time I was here, you may recall that I spoke on the positive impact that these education support professionals had on me when I was a 46 student. Today I would like to speak a little about me and what I do. I have been a educational support professional

022since 2019. I graduated high school in 2019. Um so that means that I have the world of education hopefully never will. Working in education is my personal vocation um and a calling that a lot of individuals receive but not always succeed in the state. I have worked in this district for two years and going on my third school year. Working in U46 has been the best experience in my educational career. I have worked as a special education ILP educator and now as a homechool a had my fair share of stories. Trust me. However, the impact that I have left on these kids and families um have been the most rewarding. Knowing that these parents have a peace of mind knowing that their children are in a safe hands in every single day is one thing,

023but knowing that these parents can see the same results of progress in their children's educational, social, emotional development is the most rewarding. However, they may not know exactly what we have done to get to that point. Um we endure a lot as educators. Aside from the physical and emotional toll on us, we still have to be the best versions of ourselves every single day. Personally, I can go on and on and on about this um and about how I have affected students in a positive way as well as how they have affected me personally in a extremely positive way. Um however, I want to talk about the impact of being a pair educator has made has made on my family and myself. Um working in education, especially as a support professional comes with its Recently,

024I've had the opportunity to continue my education and I'm closer to reaching my professional goal. This meant that I had to choose between my education and my second job. Um, unfortunately, I decided to sacrifice the extra income and focus on my education to further serve my community and set an example to other students that believe that they can't reach their own ambitions solely because of their social economical status. Um, as a result, I am living paycheck to paycheck. I understand that this is my sacrifice. However, working two jobs and I'm serious about this, selling cheese, I make fresco um should never be the norm essentially. Um one job should honestly be enough and as a par educator, I'm more than just a support staff. Um I am vital I'm a vital part to the instructional

025team. I bridge the gap between students and their success. I help make learning accessible, effective, and inclusive for every child. My role directly strengthens classroom instruction and empowers both teachers and my students every day. Thank you. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Our next speaker is Michelle Baldwin. Good evening. I'm Michelle Baldwin. I've been in the district for more than 14 years. I am a library para and I love my job. I'm here tonight to explain to you a about what pair of professionals do and to encourage um encourage you to make sure that when you are considering our contract negotiations that um we need to come to some agreement to have a fair contract. We do so many things in the district and so many things for students and for teachers and we federal guidelines

026that giving kids extra minutes that they need and making all the pieces to the puzzle come together. In my building alone, we do a happy dance when kids come into the library and they work with their with their people and they make their reading scores. And you can see where they start and how they scaffold and how they do better. And if they miss a week for whatever reason, then we have no control over how it goes up and up and up. You do the happy dance when the kid gets to the end of the page. Sometimes when he gets to the end of the book, but the important thing is they get the chance to work with a person one-on-one or sometime in small groups. When a student makes progress, that's wonderful. It's the

027best that you can that you can want. When my ILP kids come into the library and they pick the books that they want and one of them decides that they want to read to me instead of me reading to them, that's a win. It is one of the coolest things that could ever happen. But I get to see that or their teacher and some of their assistants in their classroom get to see that. having another PAR work with a child who's been struggling with math for the whole school year and then seeing her at the end of the school year walk out of the library and have a smile on her face because maybe for the first time in a while it actually clicked and she feels confident enough because of the one-on-one one-on-one attention

028that she's gotten to go back out and try and do that in her I just wanted to make you understand that we do so many things and we should have an equitable wage. A wage where we can support our families and support ourselves so that we can continue to give as much as we give when we work. That's what's important. We need a wage that we can afford and that we can pass on to others. ensure that we are going to be better and we are going to do better and that we are going to have success. That's what it's all about and I thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Tina Pitah. Good evening. My name is Tina Pisto and standing right next to me is Sarah Mohler. We are the president

029and vice president of DUIA which stands for District E46 Educational Assistance. We represent over 700 pair educators, sign language interpreters, home school leaons, library par educators, and pual accompanist. Some of us have been employed in this district for only a few days, while others for over 30 years. We work in every school building throughout 46 from early childhood through transition. The one thing we all have in common is our desire and commitment to see our schools and students succeed. I'm personally going into my 29th year of employment in this school district. I've seen some huge changes in public education over my professional career. I've also seen the school district make changes to try to move in directions to accommodate these changes. Some have been hugely successful while others have continued to be a struggle. But

030I truly believe that continuing to focus on the children we serve gives us the best chance to be successful. One of the best ways to serve students is to support the adults that work with them. No staff member works closer with students than a DUI member. We do this work because this is our community. These students are our students. They are our children, our grandchildren, neighbors, and friends. Unlike some employee groups, the majority of us live within U46 boundaries. The wages we make support not only our family but our community. There is a misconception by some that the wages we are paid are some sort of thank you compensation for a group of moms with a sweet deal deal to be able to work when our children are in school and be home when they're

031not. This is a lie. We are a group of dedicated professionals who have chosen this career path. We have licenses required by the state and intend and attend ongoing professional development to best serve our students. We presented our financial package to the district on June 30th. We are not asking for but demanding a wage that allows us to not only live but thrive in our community. Data shows that there is a worker shortage, but in truth there is also a wage shortage. We must be competitive in the market to attract what workforce is available as well as retain the dedicated ones we do have. We understand that our employment package includes availability to health insurance as well as IMRF and that these are shared costs by the district. But most people looking for employment right

032now aren't looking for a pension that they may or may not be able to access sometime down the road, nor health insurance if they are eligible under their parents, a spouse, or another provider. They are looking for an hourly wage that allows them to pay for housing, food, student loans, transportation, and other basic living expenses. And the wages we are offering just can't do that right now. There are currently over a 100 vacancies for PAR educators in our school district. That's over 100 employees that are not in our classrooms giving direct services to our students. >> And I I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're at your three minutes. If I could have you summarize. I have one little paragraph left. We are asking the district and this board to make the decision to support our

033students by supporting us. In truth, it's the only choice if our shared goal continues to be the success of our students. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Our next speaker is Isella Gonzalez. Good evening board members and all the peers that are here supporting us tonight. Um my name is Cella Gonzalez. Um I am a parent. I am very thankful to the district because my son was born with a hip displacia and when he went to preschool thanks to the parents he achieved his goal to be able to work. Um I had been in the district for 10 years. Uh I am a homeschool and um I really believe that I found my true passion and I love to serve my community. Um, I love this job and I'm agree that sometimes we do a lot

034of things. For example, we support the the teachers, we support the principal, sometimes we are babysitters in the office, you know, taking care of students. I don't mind do extra work because my passion are the kids. That's my way to driven in life. And Uh I am very thankful for the district that gave me the opportunity to be part of this community and this district. Uh but I also feel that the wages are very low and sometimes we need to get a second job to provide for our family members and um especially me uh I provide for my parents in Mexico and my siblings. So it is a difficult moment that sometimes we go into a lot of different situations and the money is never enough. So I am very thankful for everything that you

035guys do for our kids, but I hope you take in consideration what we asking you guys for. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Renee Sweeney. >> Good evening board and Dr. Johnson. I am Renee Sweeney. Um this evening I'm speaking to you on behalf of my colleague Karina Marin who cannot be here. She's working her second job. Um, Karina is on our two-year board. She is a member of our bargaining team and she's also a member of the professional development committee. She's worked for the district for 23 years. She currently works as an early childhood pair at Illinois Park. She asked me if I would speak for her this evening since she could not attend. Um, the rest of these comments are her direct words. Um, she highlights the

036struggles that face PAR educators who might have to juggle multiple jobs. In Karina's words, our primary role is to help our students thrive and support our teachers. But many of us also work part-time jobs as a necessity to meet ends to make ends meet. This brings unique challenges. Versely time of a significant issue with a full day's pace, a full day spent preparing materials and assisting students and managing activities, fitting in a second job can feel very overwhelming. This is a constant juggling act that will lead to exhaustion mentally and physically. The emotional toll is another challenge. Teaching is the passion that we strive for, but we are stretched thin. It becomes difficult to maintain enthusiasm and empathy for the experiences of our children that come every day and need us to be on financially.

037Many of us have taken on additional wages as a parent educators often in insufficient pay. This is frustrating especially when we are dedicated to our students on their growth and balancing two jobs is more than can affect our personal lives. Finding time for self-care and our families become hard. Social interactions often get pushed to a side. In closing, I understand I ask for understanding and support for PAR educators. We are devoted to our students. We are devoted to our district and we need your support. By raising awareness and challenges can work towards more supportive environments where one job is enough. Thank you. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Our next speaker is Miguel Ooa. All right. Hello. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Miguel Ooa. I am a MLP intermediate para educator at

038Sigmore Trails Elementary in Bartlett. Um, I am going into my fourth year already, which is actually really wild to believe and I actually really can't wait to get started again. Um, I'm also an on-ag again, off-again college student, which I'll bring up again in a moment. Um, the work we do, it is incredibly meaningful. These are there are challenges, don't get me wrong, but wow, it's been a rewarding experience. I come from um before I was a parent, I worked in retail for about 15 years. Completely different experience. I've always wanted to be in education and eventually become a teacher. Um, but it is a rewarding experience so far and it's been worth it. Um, seeing student growth, whether it's them speaking their first full sentence in their AAC device or learning to manage their

039emotions, to self-regulate, to advocate for themselves, it's a kind of success that really stays with you. Some of my proudest moments has also been already seeing former students in the community and the excitement when they light up and recognize you and it just reminds you of the impact goes far beyond what we just do in the classroom. Some of my proudest moments have been from that. Um but those moments do come with a cost at times emotion emotionally physically and financially. I've supported students through emotional struggles while running academic centers. It takes patience, a lot of heart, and a lot of energy. Um, every day, every single day. It's a choice that we make to be there, though, and to be the best that we can be for our students. Financially, it's been tougher. I've

040had to pick up a second job last fall through the spring just to stay afloat. And I'm not alone. As some of my colleagues have already mentioned, um there are several um DA members here that cannot be here today because they are working a second job. Um some of us um yeah, work a second job. Um and then honestly with a lot of the bills lately and then for me, I have student loans um and the the the hold has been lifted. Some of my paychecks only last about 48 hours these days. Um, and if it weren't for my partner's income, I don't think I would be able to honestly afford anything. So, I am very very grateful to be in the position I'm in. Um, and then earlier I did mention that I am

041an off student student loans, but now that uh I am part of the Horizons for You program now, which I want to say thank you to the district for that kind of opportunity because honestly it I would not it would not be a realistic thing for me. Um, I feel that the opportunity for these situations can change, especially now, now that public education is more than ever under pressure. Investing into Paris isn't just about fairness. It's about stability, support, and student success. We are needed. We are essential. We are worthy in recognition. And we are worthy of the respect that is deserved. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Laura Hernandez. >> Hi. Um, I'm Laura Hernandez. I'm a parah at Oakill Elementary and I attended my last two and a half years

042of high school in U46 and graduated class of 96. Um my husband and I have three graduates of U46 and one more future graduate. I began working for U46 in 2017 as a substitute parah and I'm so glad I began work as a parah that way. I subbed at different schools and I was fortunate to see the many many different roles that paras fill for our large U46 community. It was beautiful to see the connections that teachers and paras have with students from prek through teenagers. The excitement, the joy, and the comfort that students have knowing they can rely on the presence of paras at their school. That's the steady relationships shares in difficulties as well as milestone accomplishments. Paras know their students so well. Their everyday needs, their likes and dislikes, accommodations needed and

043often required. Often they even get to know their students uh families. Quite a bit of paras stay with their students for multiple years and they can they can and do advocate for students when it comes to their education. as well as emotionally. I began working at Oak Hill in 2021 and I work with kinder through sixth grade students assisting our interventionists and teachers and I love being there. I love being there for the students to cheer them on every day. I get to encourage their growth and their curiosity. and I've been lucky and very fortunate to work at Oakhill. I've been able to assist students with math and reading during their elementary school years. I've seen them change, grow, and become more independent learners. While it can be an honor to serve the community, our

044local community, it can also be mentally, emotionally, and for some physically exhausting. And yet we come back year after year ready to support our students, teachers, admin, and staff. And love always shines through at our DUIA end of the year celebration. It is a beautiful thing to see so many paras applauded for their many years of service. And I hope those numbers multiply. To the paras that are here and the ones who couldn't make it due to their second jobs. As a member of the community, I appreciate everything you parents do for our children. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Michelle Bach. Hi board and Dr. Johnson and board. My name is Michelle Bach. I have served as a parah for U46 for the last nine years. I've been working in the role

045of library parah both in elementary and our middle school role um in our middle schools. I find this library parah role to be very unique opportunity. I have had the honor to get to work with every single student in our schools because they all come through every week in elementary and then every other week pretty much in our middle schools. I get to see every student. I am somebody who remembers a face for ever once I see your face. So I see these kids for years to come. My ch my daughter just graduated from South Elgen High School. My son is starting junior year at South Elgen High School. I go on after working in Clinton and seeing these kids grow up for years before moving to East View Middle School. I see these kids,

046they remember me, I remember them. It's it's been awesome. Um, I was a business professional. I was a businesswoman turned stay-at-home mom. When my youngest entered first grade, he was in full day school for the first time. This was my time to reenter the workforce. I could have gone back and made real money again, right? But I chose to continue to be available for my children. And after volunteering at Liberty Elementary's book fair, Scholastic Bookf Fair, and I found out this was a library parah running the school library, right, which still shocks me that we don't have certified librarians. We need we need these library paras, right? They are so valuable and libraries are so valuable, right? We we make such a difference day in and day out. And I saw what our library librarian

047did at that school. I said, "This is a library parole. I I would love to do this job for my re-entry to the workforce." And so I sought that job, right? And now it was pretty much like I was still a mom volunteer even when I was working. based on the salary. Well, here I am nine years later. That's because I feel like I'm making a difference, right? My husband still says, "Michelle, why don't you go back and get a real job?" That's sad because I do have a real job. I make a difference. And I see the difference that our paras make day in and day out in these buildings. And I tell you what, the teachers, a lot of our teachers would be lost without our paras, right? We make such a difference.

048It really saddens me that our paras have to work multiple jobs just to make just to try to make ends meet, right? That's not that's not right. They give so much of themselves to these students every single day, right? We need to do better. I am a U46 community member. I'm active in our community. I'm a parent. Like I said, I've served this district for nine years. And we are not, this is not real money. This is not livable. This is not thrivable for people. I'm in a fortunate situation, right? My husband is our bread winner. There's a lot of people who are just getting by, but they are showing up every single day to make a difference. >> And I hate to interrupt you, but you're at your three minutes. >> I just ask

049you to please, please think about this and consider this as our contract is negotiated. Thank you so much for your time. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker is Devon Graph. Um, good evening members of the board. Thank you for hearing me. Um, I considered writing a bunch of stuff down and, you know, rehearsing ahead of time. Um, but instead I wanted to share kind of a story that happened just today regarding why our wages are just not livable. Um, I respect everybody who's got kids and and families and all that. Um, I have a single income. I don't have kids. I don't have pets. I don't have a car payment. I don't have medications. I'm fairly lucky that I don't have a bunch of extra um, expenses to worry about. Um, but I paid

050my rent today and I have $20 left in my checking account right now. Yeah. Um, so if there's a phrase like living that explains higher than or lower than living paycheck to paycheck, that's me. Um, I have $20 left in my account right now. Um, I am currently going to school to become a teacher. Um, I'm a parah at Bartlett High School. Um, which I love doing. Um, I have always wanted to teach. I've been an educator for 22 years and I barely make that much an hour. Um, so I have been trying to figure out what I'm going to do to cover my bills for the next couple weeks. Um, I kind of have a second job. I housesit and I babysit dogs. I love dogs, ladies, but I'm allergic to dogs. So, I

051put myself into itchy, coughing, sneezing to get the bills paid. And I am grateful that I have friends who let me babysit their kids and babysit their fur kids, but um, that's not going to be a viable option forever. The kids I babysit are starting to age out of that. Um, so I like everyone else am requesting that you consider putting our faces to these stories because everyone here has a story about why this wage is not livable. But we all also have stories about why we still come back and do this and why we love it despite the fact that our wages are not livable. I am grateful that I have good insurance through the district. I am grateful that I've applied for um the Horizons for you but haven't heard back yet. I

052am so grateful to have those opportunities, but I'm an outlier. I'm 43. I'm single. I I have cheap bills, but my money still doesn't pay for it. So, I'm asking you all to please consider this as our renegotiate or as our contract renegotiations are up to think about people who have $20 left in their checking accounts or folks who don't, but also think about our faces to our stories and why everybody is here tonight because everybody's got a story. And um that's why I didn't rehearse anything because the thing with the rent today, I felt that was perfect to share. And when you don't know when your next money is coming, that's what lit the fire under my butt to be here. So, thank you very much for hearing me out. I have 8 seconds.

053I will yield the rest of my time. So, thank you. Please consider us when renegotiating these contracts. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our final speaker this evening is Delona Yucas. >> Well, she she took my opening because I started with the speech, too, and I thought, "No, I I just can't even do that because I need to just speak from my heart to you." And I've right now I work in a transition in at Southgun High School. I love it. Sometimes, you know, we're the last ones to help these young adults to become as independent as possible and that can affect their home life and their life when they go to get a job. It affects so much. and I have worked at the district for 28 years. I started out in middle school in

054well at that time they called it the BD room. Now it's the ED room and I'm now at South Algen High School but I worked in MOP before going to transition. I have been there in the district for 28 years because all of a sudden I was faced with I was a stay-at-home mom with four kids and then I'm going through a divorce and think what am I going to do? I have no job. I'm going to be divorced now. I have four kids. I won't have money for daycare. So I thought, okay, I I'll go to the district. And I got a job here thankfully because I could be home when my kids were. But even after they were gone, I stayed because I loved it. Um but at the time I didn't think

055about it. I was getting uh child support and maintenance. Life was pretty good with my income I made from the school. But that ends every year since then. It's been harder and harder and harder to survive. Every every paycheck, I think, what bills am I going to pay this week? Because I know there's not going to be enough for every bill. So, I have to choose which one. Okay. What utility do I not want to be turned off? And I would just love to be able to live comfortably. I don't have to have extras. That doesn't bother me. But I would just like to live comfortably. And I will at this point I will have to work until I'm 70 years old because that's going to be the only way I can make the most

056with social security and my pension. And would you believe what I have figured out? That's going to be just about double what I make right now. That is so sad to think I'm I'm going to have to wait till then to retire so I can get that money, but by then, who knows what the cost of everything else will be. >> Thank you. >> Oh, one thing I wanted to show you. I just wanted to show you a t-shirt that our teachers in the transition program make. Paris make transition possible. And that's so true. Without parents in transition, there wouldn't be transition. >> Thank you. Okay. The next item on our agenda is other business board member and superintendent updates. Do board members have any updates? >> Go ahead. >> Um, I just want to

057a little bit all of us as uh board members were able to be at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Hakala Middle School which is fantastically cool. Um it was really really exciting to be there and see all the bright open windows and everything. So it was really fun to share that with my fellow board members. So thank you and good luck to all them on Monday. I did have a good laugh that everyone in the building is figure out where they're going, not just the new students. So, yeah, and I want to thank all of the the operations department that that made that event possible and all of the the staff members that um came and celebrated with us and all the public that came out to to celebrate as well. It was

058a really good good turnout and we're very excited to see students back in that school. >> I want to share some thank yous as well. Certainly to our board of education for the ongoing support and the vision for updating our instructional spaces and making updates to our instructional strategies for the outcomes of our students. Want to thank our communities. None of this would be possible if our communities hadn't rallied and come together uh to support our referendum proposals uh and this effort that we have. So very appreciative of the ongoing support of school district 46 and our work to enhance our student outcomes. So, thank you. >> And that brings us to foyer requests. Dr. Johnson, >> uh, we have six Freedom of Information Act requests available on the public domain of board docs. They

059will also be available on the school district's U46 website later this week. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, next item on the agenda is consent agenda. Dr. Johnson. >> Thank you, President Owens. This evening on consent agenda we have personnel report and workers compensation cases, minutes of board meetings, resolution for the disposal of surplus personal property, preschool furniture, bid for assessment and accountability and student success fall practice act bid. Plan operations high school auditorium wireless intercom system. Proposal information services copers proposal office of teaching and learning NCTM 2025 annual meeting and exposition contract specialized student services AMN healthcare incorporated related services and behavior support team contract renewal specialized student services psychologist services contract renewal specialized student services speech and language therapy services contract Contract renewal, specialized student services, Easter Seals, Metropolitan Chicago. Contract renewal, assessment, accountability,

060and student success school climate and culture training. Contract renewal curriculum and instruction K12 science and planetarium. Pearson contract renewal information services infinite campus student information system and occupancy permit one. Kimble Middle School renovation repair permit number 31-1511. >> Are there any items that board members would like removed from the consent agenda? >> Hearing none, may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda as read into the record? >> So second. >> Roll call, please. >> Miss Kurt, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, >> yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. >> Miss Schwarz, >> yes. >> Miss Thomas, >> yes. >> President O. Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Next item on the agenda is discussion action. Dr. Johnson. >> Our first item, itemized bills for August 4th, 2025. Robin Cornelison, executive

061director of financial services will respond to questions from the board of education regarding the attached bills. Administration recommends the board of education approve the list of bills in the amount of 39,28,497.82. May I have a motion to approve the list of bills in the amount of 39,28,49782 cents? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Any questions for Courtney Nelson? Hearing none. Motion, please. Or I'm sorry. Roll call, please. >> Miss Kurt. >> Yes. >> Miss Kun. >> Yes. >> Miss Martin? >> Yes. >> Miss Nolan? >> Yes. >> Miss Schwarz? >> Yes. >> Miss Thomas? Yes. >> President Owens. >> Yes. Motion carried. >> Our next item is the 2026 2027 board of education meeting schedule. Trisha Olsen, chief legal officer, will present the 2026 2027 board of education meeting schedule. Administration recommends approval of the

0622026 2027 board of education meeting schedule. >> May I have a motion to approve the 2026 2027 board of education meeting schedule? Second. >> Any discussion or questions for Miss Olsson? >> Roll call, please. >> Miss Kerr, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, >> yes. >> Miss Martin? >> Yes. >> Miss Nolan? >> Yes. >> Miss Schwarz? >> Yes. >> Miss Thomas? >> Yes. >> President Owen? >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Our next item is a resolution approving the shy bond of treasurer. Dr. An Williams, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, and Robin Cornelison, Executive Director of Financial Services, will present the attached resolution approving Charity Bond of Treasure. Administration recommends the board of education adopt the resolution. >> May I have a motion to approve the resolution approving SH bond of treasurer? >> So moved. Second.

063>> Any questions? >> Okay. Roll call, please. Miss Kirk, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. Miss Schwarz, >> yes. >> Miss Thomas, >> yes. >> President Owen, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. The next item on our agenda is approval of a multi-year performance-based employment contract between Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Johnson and the Board of Education of School District U46. This contract would be in place between July 1st, 2025 through June 30th of 2030. So, I have just a little bit before I read the the motion into the record. Um, tonight I have the distinct honor to present a five-year renewal contract between the board and U46 Superintendent Dr. Johnson. Our initial three-year agreement went into effect in July of 2023. Over the course

064of the last two years, Dr. Johnson has led our district with a deep commitment to the current and future success of our students. Dr. Johnson's focus on equity and innovation in teaching and learning, her strategic guidance in our continued facilities work, and her thoughtful leadership in operational matters has been a tremendous asset to U46. Although we are just over two years into the current contract, Jo Dr. Johnson has satisfied her established goals. These goals included formative data collection for our U46 initiative, U46 rising initiative, revisions to the current five-year pathways plan, continuation and further development of the 5-year Unite U46 facilities plan, and development of a new strategic plan for the district. The resolution that will be presented this evening acknowledges that Dr. Johnson has met her current performance goals, leading the way to a

065new performance-based multi-year contract. Dr. Johnson's new performance goals build upon her past work and are now aligned to that new strategic plan, providing Dr. Johnson and her staff with a clear direction forward. These goals including attainment of foundational literacy and numeracy skills, continued academic growth and mastery, enhancing the climate and culture of our schools, and preparing students for life beyond their K12 career are rooted in equity and in our district's vision of a U46 graduate. An empowered leader, an inquisitive thinker, a collaborative communicator, a tenacious leader, learner, and global change agent. Each year through the term of the contract, Dr. Johnson and the board will determine specific steps and metrics for each of the goals that are outlined in the contract, such as determining the path toward 90% attendance under goal 2A, ensuring that we

066are making continued forward progress. This contract renewal is our acknowledgement of Dr. Johnson's tireless efforts and dedication to U46, and that we have the utmost confidence that under the terms of this new contract, Dr. Mr. Johnson's leadership will continue to move this district and our students forward. And we are grateful to have the opportunity to continue to work toward our shared goals of innovative and equitable education for all operational excellence and most importantly student success. And Dr. Johnson, I just want to thank you for the last two years um and everything that you have done for the district so far. And I look forward to the next five years. So, I'm going to read the motion into the record and then if anybody has any questions or discussions, we can take that from there. So,

067may I have a motion to approve the following resolution? Be it resolved by the board of education of school district U46, Kain Cook, and Dwage counties, Illinois as follows. Number one, the board hereby establishes performance goals through June 30th, 2030 as referenced on the multi-year performance-based employment contract, the current contract, between Dr. Johnson and the board, and the board Dr. Johnson and the board, and that the board is therefore authorized by law to enter into a multi-year performance-based employment contract with Dr. Johnson as superintendent. Number two, the board hereby approves and authorizes the president and the secretary to sign an agreement with Dr. Johnson establishing a multi-year performance-based employment contract substantially in the form of attachment exhibit A for the period of July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2030. This resolution shall be in full

068force and effect upon its adoption. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. >> Miss Kurt, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, >> yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. >> Miss Schwarz, >> yes. >> Miss Thomas, >> yes. >> President Owens, >> yes. >> Motion carried. [Applause] May I may I read something as well? Um, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the board of education for your trust and confidence in me and for extending my contract as the superintendent. I am so very deeply honored by your continued support and your collaboration in our work in U46. I want to also extend uh my tremendous appreciation and thanks to our extensive team in school district G46. Your trust and your support is everything as we work

069to move forward. Um as a as a former teacher and coach, I often liken what we do to being the like ultimate team sport. And there is no way that any of this would be possible without this extensive team of people who are so committed and passionate about what we do. And I thank our team 46 for your work not only over the past two years but previously as well to get us to this point. Same to our board of education for all your years of service as well. Building upon those who have come before us. Leadership continuity is a powerful foundation for meaningful progress and I am excited to continue building on the important work we've started together as guided by the vision of the board of education and your direction as leaders. Your

070commitment to our shared vision ensures that we can maintain momentum and deliver on the promise to our students. Promise that was helped drafted by our students. So, you know, there's going to be accountability that we provide a safe, caring environment where every student experiences the joy of learning and is empowered and prepared for a successful future. Thank you for your partnership, your belief in our mission, and your unwavering dedication to the success of our students and the achievement of each and every student every day. [Applause] Thank you. So now we have uh based on our amendment to the um agenda earlier tonight, we have item 12E. >> Correct. Uh item 12E is change order plant operations Elgen High School pool upgrade and bleacher replacement project number 247. Sheila DS assistant superintendent of operations and Jolene

071Lenman capital project coordinator will present the attached change order and will respond to questions from the board of education. So, I will ask for a motion to approve the change order from Omni Construction Group in the amount not to exceed $459,5. >> So, move second. >> Do we have questions for our panelists? >> Okay. Roll call, please. >> Miss Kerr, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, >> yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. >> Miss Schwarz, >> yes. >> Miss Thomas, >> yes. President Owens. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Next item on the agenda is work session. Our item this evening we have board policy policy updates. Trisha Olsen, chief legal officer, will present proposed changes to the following board policies. Administration

072recommends adoption of the proposed changes. Good evening board members. I'm happy to present a variety of um updated board policies for your consideration this evening. Um I plan on walking through each board policy and I'm happy to take questions or concerns from the board when you have um when they might arise. Uh the first board policy for your presentation tonight is 2 colon 260 which is the uniform grievance procedure. This is a policy that was impacted by uh litigation and recent federal changes to title nine. The title nine provision that you have referenced both in this board policy and throughout the remainder of the policies this evening are reflected to re uh um resemble or to be the 2020 iteration of regulations that were implemented regarding title 9. And so the 2024 uh implementing regulations

073that had previously been in place have been overturned by federal legislation on this point. So you will see updates to uh references and to um various language changes throughout this board policy and others to reflect the updates that the federal government has made to title 9. >> Just so that we can move through these at at some reasonable pace. If you have questions, raise your hand and I will keep watching after Miss Olsson goes through each policy. >> Thank you. Next, I present board policy 2265, which makes similar changes as I just described in board policy 2260 regarding how Title 9 is treated. Next, I present board policy 4.15, identity protection. There are very minor language changes throughout this board policy to address updates regarding cyber security and personally identifiable information as it's used under

074grant awards. There's no other substantive changes in this board policy. I'm also happy to present board policy addressing food services. The only changes that are made in this board policy address are addressed in a footnote update that specify according to legislation that was passed public act 103176 that addresses the requirement uh for school districts to follow uh the opportunity in the event of a statewide master contract is uh obtained to provide halal and kosher meals to students. Otherwise, there's no changes in that board policy. Board policy 480 is updated uh to address district property. Um that is the section addressing accounting and audits rather. Um there is now a specific change regarding grant allowances when uh the district uses grant funds to purchase physical property. Uh and sometimes that uh the grant funds um specify

075how the funds are to be specifically limited or the disposition of those properties then this board change uh directs that there will not be any disposition unless the grant fund provides as much uh then I present to you board policy 5 colon 10 equal employment opportunity non-discrimination and minority recruitment the language that is updated in this board policy is made to reflect changes to title As I described earlier, I also present board policy 5 col 20 which addresses workplace harassment prohibited. Also in this policy, there are changes made to update uh the references to title 9. As I mentioned earlier, I also present board policy 5 col 60 which only updates minor citations in footnotes for this board policy. There's no other substantive changes to describe to the board. I present board policy 5 colon

076100 which addresses the staff development program. The changes in this board policy and other board policies that I will mention tonight are made to reflect language that passed into law with public act 102466. That law addresses issues related to trauma responsiveness, domestic violence uh initiatives to address when that occurs in our student population as well as students who are pregnant or who are raising families. In this specific board policy, the policy changes are made to address training to uh impact those topics per law. It also addresses um an ISBY requirement that the state board of education out guidance on law enforcement reciprocal reporting and it addresses how the board of education would receive and respond to that guidance when it is uh put out by the state board of education. I'm happy to present board

077policy 6 colon 150 which addresses home and hospital instruction. That policy change also reflects changes made by public act addressing pregnancy, parenting, domestic violence. And in in this provision which addresses home and hospital instruction, it does provide certain instances when students who are impacted by those issues may avail themselves of home and hospital instruction. That's correct. Did I read something different? >> 6150. >> Okay. >> I will double check the information that's provided online and make sure it is appropriately reflected. Um I also present board policy 6235 uh which is a board policy addressing access to electronic networks. The changes that are made in this board policy reflect safe safe and ethical implementation of AI. Um it requires that there would be a district AI plan and responsible use guidelines for the implementation of artificial

078intelligence. It would require that the district comply with any requirements that are put into place by law and address additional training for staff that may be required um to ensure that they are appropriately informed of how to implement AI appropriately in the classroom. And would require that there be an annual update of the district's AI responsible use guidelines and plan that are developed according to this board policy. >> So under the plus comments. It talks about um general assembly in December 2024 that recommended the Illinois State Board of Education provide guidance on the use of AI in schools best practices. Is this as a result of that or or is is still working on providing that guidance? >> The guidance that is linked there um is in connection with the task force recommendations. There will

079be additional uh guidance that is put out based upon those task force recommendations. However, >> okay. Is there like an estimated date of when >> I will review um and and provide that information um either to the board through a memo or before our um next discussion when when these matters are before the board for adoption. >> Thank you. So, are we able to I'm just kind of planning ahead. Um, at our next meeting have this item out separate so that we can fully uh further discuss this, especially given the Fed has just rolled out some AI initiatives. It' be nice to further discuss this policy and what we're putting in prior to voting on it. >> I am happy to have this be separated out. Thank you. Anyone else? Next, I present board policy

0806310, which addresses high school credit for nondist experiences, course substitutions, and re-entering students. This board policy has very minimal changes that are made to footnotes only to update uh references to statutory citations or internal references in the document. I'm happy to present board policy 7 colon 10 which addresses equal educational opportunities of students and as previous board policies have done this would address updates based upon changes to title 9. Similarly I present board policy 7 col 20 harassment of students prohibited which makes changes based upon updates to title 9. I'm also happy to present board policy 7 colon 50 school admissions and student transfers to and from non-district schools as I mentioned earlier public act 102466 makes certain changes based upon a student's pregnancy status parental status or domestic violence status uh here those factors

081uh would be uh considerate considered mitigating factors when addressing student issues of discipline including suspension and expulsion I'm happy to present board policy 760 which uh using that same public act addressing student pregnancy, parental status, and domestic violence will now address that a student's residence or interdist transfers can be considered to address those elements should they be occurring in the student's life. I'm happy to present board policy 7 addressing attendance intruency. Using that same public act addressing students who are parents are parenting, pregnant or have experienced domestic violence. This updated policy would permit a valid cause of absence to be for doctor's appointments or other appointments to tend to those issues. I am also presenting board policy 7 colon 180 the prevention of and response to bullying intimidation and harassment. There are minor changes to

082language in this board policy to reflect updates to title 9. I'm also presenting board policy 71 185 teen dating violence prohibited. Just as the previous piece of policy, this is making updates to address title N changes. I'm presenting board policy 7 colon 190 addressing student behavior. The changes to this board policy are made to address um a new provision of prohibited student conduct that centers on sexing and provides a definition of sexing. It also reflects changes made uh due to a change in law. The general assembly last year um has prohibited the use of corporal punishment in the classroom for the first time in the state of Illinois and so this board policy has been updated to reflect that statewide change. Please note that that has not been permitted in school district 46 for some

083years now. Finally, there is an additional change in this board policy that describes the cell phone prohibitions that schools may be implementing and specifically described that when a cell phone is a component needed for a student's IEP or 504 plan that that would not be a permissible use of punishment for a student if they are using the phone for that purpose. I'm also presenting board policy 7 colon 200 addressing suspension procedures. It expands the mitigating factors that may be considered when reviewing a student suspension status to address sexual violence, domestic violence, or a student's status as a parent or a pregnant individual. Um, and that is in connection with the public act that I've been mentioning tonight 102466 in the state of Illinois. Also presenting board polic 210, which makes those same changes I just

084described regarding mitigating factors that can be considered during a disciplinary process, but does it for expulsion instead of suspension. I'm also presenting board policy 7250, student support services. As with other bills, I'm sorry, as with other policies tonight, this makes updates uh according to the of legis legislation 102466 requiring that there be um an opportunity to inform students on an annual basis of the availability of counseling uh without parent consent under a provision of law that may be provided for students who are 12 years of age or above as well as ensuring that there is certain um support for students who are parenting um are pregnant or have experienced domestic violence. I'm also presenting board policy 7255 which is a new section of board policy. This is directly in response to the legislation that I've

085been mentioning a few times tonight 102466. It addresses generally speaking supportive services to students who are parents expected parents or victims of domestic or sexual violence. It requires that there be a program developed and implemented to support those students, including providing supportive services both in the classroom and on our website. Additional training to staff members to inform them of responsibilities under law. a process to ensure that students are referred for those supportive services by employees or agents or contractors who believe or suspect that a student may be a parent, expected parent or a victim of domestic or sexual violence. That there be review and investigative procedures when there is a complaint that is raised by a student. That there be supports for students, including missed work and opportunities to make sure that their education continues

086while they are receiving supportive services. that there be a resolution process and confidentiality for students who are undergoing a review or investigation of any complaint that they may raise. I'm also happy to present tonight board policy 7270 administering medicines to students. There's an additional change regarding self- administration that now uh permits this policy to apply to supplies to monitor and to treat um diabetes whereas previously there had only been a reference to medication and not supplies. As well there's reference that students are able to self-administer medicine necessary to treat epilepsy in accordance with the student seizure action plan. I'm presenting board policy 73 attend tonight. Restrictions on publications and elementary schools. There are very minor changes made to this board policy and only in the footnotes regarding non-s substantive updates. I'm presenting board policy 7315

087restrictions on publications in high school. Similar to the previous bill, this is only making very minor changes in internal references and language updates. In the footnotes, I present to the board's policy 7 colon 340 addressing student records. As with the last two pieces of policy, this only makes very minor changes to the footnotes. Finally, I'm I'm presenting board policy 830, visitors to and conduct on school property. And this reflects only minor changes to the footnotes and legal rep legal references. Thank you, Miss Olsson, for walking us through all of those changes. I know that we went through those quite quickly, so if we have additional questions, Don, start. So, I have a I have a more generic question regarding our policy updates. Um, how do we handle in our policy updates when we're running across

088items that are not in agreement at the fed level versus the state level? We are starting to see more of that. So, I'm trying curious what that plan looks like. Thank you for your question. I think it's important to recognize that uh we must comply with requirements of federal law and uh whether that's issued courts or whether that's issued by the legislative authority, but also with our state uh law where there is tension, we expect that there will be litigation on that issue potentially. And so we have to be mindful of how that litigation would play through the court system. Um but there is um also a concept of federal supremacy which is if there is two um pieces of law on point and one is a state law, one is a federal law, the

089concept federal supremacy may come into an analysis uh that we would have to gauge whether or not uh one uh component of law uh would be a primary uh issue to consider. But at this point in time um with the policies that we have been introducing there has been no direct conflict. Um I would be sure to point out if there was to be a conflict in our board policies um moving forward. Thank you. And I guess follow questions protection now for LGBTQ plus transgender students and staff but state law. Could you discuss that a little? I mean this issue of bullying for example, how how might that be? Yes, I'm happy to explain that. Um the reason that you are seeing changes to Title 9 is because that is truly a federal um law

090and that is not something that the state um has control or say over. That said, the state does have control over its own pieces of legislation. So you um should be aware of, for example, the Illinois Human Rights Act, which does provide um very specific protections against discrimination and harassment for individuals on a variety of protected categories, including sexual orientation, um gender, gender identity. Um, and so while we may see changes that are being made to our board policies, specifically a board policy addressing title nine, which we have in board policy 2265, that does not reflect the entire scope and breadth of protections that individuals would have under the board's policies due to our protections we have in other sections such as under section seven, which addresses student rights and incorporates our state protections. under

091the Illinois Human Rights Act. Another example is the board policy that um I'm proposing that the board accept tonight addressing students who are parents, expected parents, victims of domestic violence or sexual violence. Um that is not necessarily tied to any federal protection. There's no corresponding federal law addressing that element. That was a point of emphasis that the state wished to make sure that Illinois citizens and Illinois students were protected from. So that will be very Illinois specific. So you may see in the future um very Illinois specific board policies or uh footnote citations addressing Illinois portions of law versus federal portions of law. But as I mentioned to board member Martin, we have to comply with both federal and state components. Any additional questions? Okay. So, and we will be bringing these these we're not

092approving these tonight, obviously. We're bringing them back for um for board policy and we will bring um a portion at least back under discussion action. >> Uh board policy 6235 will be separated from the rest and I will make sure that the board receives information on policy 6150 regarding home and hospital instruction. >> Great. Thank you. Okay. Next item. Uh, thank you, President Owens. Our next item, uh, we have the Bartlett High School STEM Academy engineering curriculum resource proposal. You're This is actually going to operate like a three for one, uh, type of deal this evening, but we'll still work through each each proposal. So, coming forward, we have Melena in Delulkovic and our um assistant director of postsecary success, gifted, talented, and magnet programs. and uh Michelle Chapman, our director of post-secary success as

093well to provide the board of education with information relating to the Bartlett High School STEM Academy engineering curriculum resource proposal. Good evening and thank you for the opportunity to present Magnet Academyy's curriculum resource proposal for school year 2026 27 specifically for STEM Academy at Bartlett High School, lead academy at Streamwood High School and Beacon Academy at South Elgen High School. Our goal is to ensure all magnetmies offer rigorous, relevant and aligned curriculum. This proposal seeks to adoption, excuse me, seeks to adoption of updated engineering curriculum at Bartlett High School STEM Academy and the implementation of the new dual credit courses in the lead academy at Streamwood High School and Beacon Academy in South Elgen High School. These changes are rooted in enhancing student engagement, supporting interdisciplinary learning, and aligning with Elgen Community College dual credit

094and pathway requirements. This proposal is tightly aligned to a strategic plan specifically goal three and goal four. Each of themies have formed a committee of experts who engage deeply in research and development. These are the committee members for STEM Academy, lead academy and Beacon Academy. This timeline this uh this timeline outlines our multi-year planning process which began in year 2020. This is when the committees were formed in each of themies and we had concluded the work in the fall of 2024 with finalizing the curriculum and dual dual credit proposals. The Department of Postsecary Success and STEM Academy team recommends text and resources stipulated by the ECC and U46 member of understanding to be made available for teachers of indicated classes for the school year 2025 2026 school year and implementation of new curricular resources and

095materials, assessments, and rubrics will be mandatory for the 2026 2027 school year. The PLTW curriculum aligns with NGSS, ELA, and math standards. We are proposing two new courses for STEM Academy. For 9th grade, that would be PLTW engineering essentials, which would replace integrated technology. And then 11th grade, we would uh implement or propose one additional course, PLTW aerospace, which would then give students an 11th grade uh options, three different options. This would be the STEM Academy course sequence. Recommended resources. PLTW creates a comprehensive list uh for needed materials to run the course in order to make implementations. And the Bartlett STEM Academy already has items such as the CAD 2D infusion 360D software. We have 3D printers, general manufacturing hand tools and large manufacturing machinery. This is our breakdown of the cost. The department of

096postsecary success and lead academy team recommends tax and resources stipulated by the ECC and U46 memo of understanding be made available for teachers and vindicated classes for the 2025 2026 school year. Implementation of new curricular resources and materials, assessments, and rubrics will be mandatory for the 2026 2027 school year. These courses are aligned to meet ECC academic requirements. This includes the assessments, rubrics, course objectives, and learning targets. The proposing courses are two uh one in the ninth grade which would be business 100 introduction to business to replace business for innovators and for 11th grade um that would be entrepreneurship 101 entrepreneurship to replace incubator edu. These are the recommended resources for both um business 100 introductions to business and entrepreneurship 101. This is the breakdown of our cost. The office of postsecondary success in Beacon

097Academy recommends text and resources stipulated by the ECC and U46 memorandum of understanding be made available for teachers of indicated classes for the 2025 2026 school year. Implementation of new curricular resources and materials, assessments and rubrics will be mandatory for 2026 2027 school year. The courses were developed specifically to meet ECC academic requirements. This includes the assessments, rubrics, course objectives, and learning targets. These are the following courses for proposal. Communication design 230, introduction to videography for 9th grade. Communication Design 233, video editing and field production for 10th grade. Communication design 234, video editing and studio production for 11th grade. And then for 12th grade, implement a proposal of a new an additional course, fundamentals of speech. These are the recommended resources. This is the breakdown of our cost. In school year 2025 2026, we will

098focus on preparation, seeking board approval, acquiring resources, and providing training. School year 2026 2027 will focus on implementing curriculum resources and assessment ongoing job embedded professional learning and monitoring of uh various data. Over the following years we'll monitor implementation, continue training, review data to adjust practices and ensure program fidelity. The outcome, more students earning industry credentials, early college credit, and college and career pathway endorsement. We will regularly collect and analyze data including common assessments data, resource usage data, and dual credit issues to inform continuous improvement. This feedback loop will guide future work and future revisions. Thank you for the presentation. Do board members have questions, Don? >> Thank you for the presentation. I don't know how you got through that many slides so quickly. Um, so my first question is for the courses that appear

099to be the like the ECC dual credit courses. Are those being taught within our high schools or are students going to be going to ECC? >> That will be within our high schools. That is the goal. >> Okay. Do we need teachers certified to do that? Is that how that works? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Do do you do you know the cred do you need to know the credentials of >> No. Okay. >> Just >> Yes. That would be our teachers. That's the goal is to keep um those offerings in our building. >> We want to make sure that it's sustainable. >> I do have more but I didn't want to go again if someone else had questions. >> Anybody else have any questions or >> um Thank you for this presentation. I'm very

100excited about the additions to the STEM Academy like the civil engineering, architecture, aerospace engineering. Do have a question for the um lead academy going from incubator to um my apologies is it business 101 something like that. How does that change what the incubator looks like now? Like you have the used to have the pitch competition where you still have the pitch competition. >> Okay. And then um is it accelerator? I don't have I was trying to find the slides but um so then thank you. >> Slide 21. Yes. My apologies. >> Um so then accelerator would just be >> Yes. >> the same. >> That is correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Go ahead D. So my second question would be do any of these course changes change the number of required electives that students

101have to take in any given year and and then asking that because it would change their access to other electives thus making their schedules a little more difficult to manage. >> I don't believe that it does. Um I'm just going to go back. Go ahead. >> I'm going to just say for Bartlett it actually makes it easier. Um what what we've done instead of um requiring two electives sophomore year, we've moved those one of those electives to junior year. So then students have a choice junior year. So there's more options for students to take classes their sophomore year >> and that would be similarly for junior year. Yes, they would have one option out of the three. >> So that was based on the feedback last time. >> That makes sense. Thank you. And then

102my last question is about Bartlett specifically. Um and this is I'm stretching my mind because I should remember this. Um, if I remember correctly, they did a design and development course both junior and senior year at one point. Are they no longer doing a design course junior year and only doing one of these electives? >> They're only doing one of those electives. Okay. >> Um, because one of those courses became a capstone, so it it didn't make sense to keep it and then redo it into senior year. >> Oh, that sounds good. Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. >> I do have one other question about the STEM Academy. I'm not sure if that's a followup for Miss Martin's question. Slide 14. So for the new sequence in 11th grade, can students take more

103than one or these year-long electives if the students interested in trying to figure out they like aerospace or they like civil engineering but can't decide? I believe that the design was that students would choose one. However, if it does fit in their in their schedule, there's not sort of like you can only take one. They're more than welcome to take more. However, our hope would be that by the 11th year that it's more zooming in on the focus of their interest. >> Okay. And then they're year long or semester. >> They're year long. >> Thank you. You're welcome. >> Any additional questions? >> Thank you. >> Okay. I am still though going to read in then um to the record the other agenda items >> as they will all forward for the separate adoption. Uh

104so we have then uh item 13 C South Elgen High School Beacon Academy curriculum resource proposal which has also been presented now to the board of education and item 13D Streamwood High School Lead Academy curriculum resource proposal also presented to the board of education this evening. >> Thank you Dr. Johnson. And that brings us to uh agenda item 14, work session visa proposals. Our first proposal is a plant operations proposal for postage. Sheila DS, assistant superintendent of operations, will present the attached proposal summary and respond to questions from the board of education. Administration recommends approval of the proposal from Pittney Bose in the amount of $50,000 and requests authorization for district district administration to execute related documents. This expenditure will be charged to the operations and maintenance fund. Cost is included in the budget for

105the 2025 2026 fiscal year. >> Do board members have any questions? >> Next item. Next is a proposal for professional learning formative online assessment platform professional learning. Brian Tennyson, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning and Heather Fellow's director of professional learning will present the attached proposal summary and respond to questions from the board of education. Administration recommends approval of the proposal from Newella Incorporated in the amount of $59,400 and requests authorization for district administration to execute related documents. This expenditure will be charged to the education fund. The cost is included in the budgets for the 2025 through 2026 2027 fiscal years. >> Do board members have any questions? Okay. And finally, a proposal for teaching and learning Elgen Community College room rentals. Brian Tennyson and Heathers uh remain to present the attached proposal summary and

106respond to questions from the board of education. Administration recommends approval of the proposal from Elgen Community College in the amount of $140,000 and requests authorization for district administration to execute related documents. This expenditure will be charged the education fund. The cost is included in the budget for the 2025 2026 fiscal year. >> Do board members have any questions? Thank you. That moves us to work session contracts over 35,000. >> Thank you, President Owens. Our first is a contract for food nutrition services equipment purchase for meal packaging lines. Aaron Noak, director of food and nutrition services will will present the attached proposal and respond to questions from the board of education. Administration recommends approval of the contract with foreign plastics in the amount of $323,39.70 and requests authorization for district administration to execute related documents. This

107expenditure will be charged to the operations and maintenance fund. The cost is included in the budget budgets for the 2025 2026 through 2029 2030 fiscal years. >> Do board members have any questions? Sue? >> So obviously had issues with our current vendor. >> Yes, ma'am. >> So, are we putting them on sort of any sort of list saying no, we won't be buying stuff from you in the future or carefully? >> Uh, Maripac is not a packaging company. So, to say they're not a polymer company. Um, they are a mechanical company. >> Okay. So basically a Marrapac makes the machines in which um you would then source a a paper company like we had with paper technologies and those kind of things that make the dishes for it where forms plastic is a polymer company

108that sells and makes the polymer dishes and they also happen to make the machines that that run their dishes as well. So >> all all in one. >> Yes, they're all in one shop. So we wouldn't be purchasing anything from a pack. >> Any other questions? >> Thank you. >> Our next item is a contract office of schools professional learning consultant. Dr. Kyle Bunker, executive director of the Bartlett Network, will present the attached proposal and respond to questions from the board of education. Administration recommends approval of the contract with Hudsmith Bailey in the amount of $79,200 and requests authorization for district administration to execute related documents. This expenditure will be charged to the education fund. The cost is included in the budget for the 2025 2026 fiscal year. Do board members have any questions? >>

109So, as far as um the proposal and the schools that are participating? So, I see that Laura Hill and on Ontario Bill have previously participated. They're continuing. How were Lowry, Sunnydale, and Oakill um selected to to be added on to this proposal? >> They also participated last year as well. Okay. Sunny Sunnydale did not, but so they're new this year, but the other >> Okay. As well. >> Is this something that we're looking at expanding districtwide or how how are we progressing with this initiative? expanding districtwide, not with with Hudpath, but but looking at how these schools and the executive directors within the three networks can continue to leverage up that and make it broader so that we can take over the ownership of that. >> Okay. >> Great. Thank you. >> Any other questions?

110>> Thank you. >> Okay. Seeing as we moved uh agenda item 16A to our discussion and action section via a amend uh amendment to the agenda that was voted on earlier this evening. That is our last item on the agenda. The board will be moving back into close session. So I will need a motion to move into close session. >> So moved. Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Miss Kerr, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, >> yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. Miss Schwarz. >> Yes. >> Miss Thomas. >> Yes. >> President Owens. >> Yes. >> We're back in close session at 8:51 p.m. >> Thank you, everyone. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Now I have a motion to move. >> Miss

111Kirk, Miss I'm nervous that that didn't get on the video because the music is still playing. Is that >> It will very explicit. >> May I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Miss Kerr, >> yes. >> Miss Khan, >> yes. >> Miss Martin, >> yes. >> Miss Nolan, >> yes. >> Miss Schwar, >> yes. >> Miss Thomas, >> yes. >> President Owens, >> yes. We're journed at 9:58 p.m. [Music]