001Hi, and we convene into open session township high school district 113 regular board meeting on Tuesday, March 3rd 2026 at 7 p.m. The recording secretary will now call the roll I would like everyone else who is present to identify themselves Executive secretary Katherine Anderson Chief Human Resources Officer Deputy Superintendent Karen Ritter Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment Karen Ritter Chief Communications Officer Tanya Cronus Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Will Dwyer Principal of Deerfield High School Mira Antti Assistant, excuse me Executive Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Shayla Howland Superintendent First up our board reports and there's only my report. It's extremely brief tonight I just wanted to denote that the district in DA had one collective bargaining session on February 26 Since our last board meeting and during that meeting we discussed article 7
002and 9 and our next meeting will be March 9th Moving on to administration information reports. Dr. Howland. Thank you. Good evening everyone. Thank you for being here While tonight's agenda may appear light it includes some of our most significant work the administration staffing recommendations We recognize that staffing season is often a period of high stress for all stakeholders However, it is also the primary way or one of the ways we turn our values into reality for our students Unlike elementary districts our high schools function similarly to small liberal arts colleges Our staffing is driven by student choice the specific experiences and courses our students choose to have We review these selections with extreme care Aligning our sectioning decisions with the following core commitments with our new strategic plan and school improvement plans in place We
003now have a clear framework for decision-making This means we are Prioritizing student growth in very intentional ways some of which may look different than it has in the past We are distinguishing between district priorities also and nice-to-haves to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability We are moving from general support to skill-based instruction Something intervention, excuse me something that has been consistently discussed over the past two years In our board meetings and amongst staff this includes tier one Universal strategies used by all teachers every day including our specialized centers for targeted tutoring Also covered we've been engaging in work around tier two and tier three Which is more intensified focus for interventions and supports focused on literacy math and SEL Just want to name that we have been evolving As a district and our supports may look different,
004but they're being delivered Sometimes in different and more nuanced ways Our district has a long-standing goal of improving our student ratios Specifically, we've had conversations around 70-30 in regards to special education While we have tracked classes in small class sizes, this makes for a complex puzzle We are taking even though this is the reality. We have been taking Real action this year and our decisions We conducted deep ratio reviews of all of our courses That involves students with IEPs Where ratios may deviate due to class size or specific student needs we have added additional resources and coaching Additionally, you will see when we get to this point in our conversation Or maybe not but I'll name it special education actually represents one of our highest areas of increase for staffing this year We remain steadfast
005in our support for EL services at both Highland Park High School in DHS this includes not just staffing but behind-the-scenes work like instructional resources and Solidified progress monitoring Finally, we must be mindful of shifts in our enrollment as it relates to staffing as well for context We are navigating a shifting enrollment landscape something we've talked about earlier this school year With Deerfield High School enrollment being down by 110 students in Highland Park High School Enrollment being down by 30 students. We use this data to ensure we have enough Space in all of our classes for anyone new to our district who comes in between now and the start of the school year for any reason who enrolls in our in our District to make sure that we have enough space for them to join our
006robust offerings In our district later this evening. Dr. Anderson will provide a more detailed overview of these shifts during the discussion period but I wanted to just provide some context and also let everyone know if there are ever questions around our processes and procedures and The thought process behind any of our decisions feel free to reach out. We're happy to answer any of your questions I just ask that you keep what I just shared in mind as we engage in these discussions later As well as some of the strategic priorities that I mentioned. Thank you Next up our foyers so we have Not processed any foyer since our last board meeting and then moving on to excellence and effort Good evening us again So the halls of Highland Park High School are buzzing with initiatives
007that prioritize both civic leadership of our students and the Individualized support that they need in order to thrive the social studies department is currently launching its annual community development projects CDPs this hallmark of the civics curriculum challenges students to move beyond theory and into the realm of real-world Impact by conducting needs assessments and interviewing school leaders and stakeholders students identify tangible ways to improve life at Highland Park High School These projects have a proven track record of creating lasting change for instance the histories of Latina Dodd curriculum proposal Originated from students seeking more explicit representation of their heritage within our social studies senior course offerings Similarly during the cafeteria's construction CDP students were given a seat at the table to weigh in on critical design elements like seating arrangements In fact many of the physical
008and academic improvements that you see around our school Began as blueprints that were dreamed up by our civic students I can't wait to hear what they will dream to transform for our school next while the social studies team empower students to change their environment and our conditions that will allow all of our Giants to thrive and Our special education team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the same environment is tailored to every learner This year they do they debuted a new placement process that centers on meaningful IEP discussions Precisely aligning course selections with the specific supports and instructional minutes that every student requires Our case managers have embraced this transition with remarkable grace and attention to detail Ensuring that students schedules reflect a true commitment to student growth as well as
009what each learner needs This commitment to the whole student extends deeply into our wellness initiatives Highland Park High School Counseling and our health teams are proud to partner with Alyssa's mission to implement the SOS signs of suicide prevention Program within our health classes this evidence-based curriculum uses the act acknowledge care and tell Technique to give students a clear action plan for if or when they or a friend are struggling By utilizing the brief screen for adolescent depression be sad. We are proactively identifying at-risk youth reducing stigma by normalizing mental health conversations and Empowering our student body with the tools to bridge the gap to professional help and supporting one another While we take these serious steps to protect our students futures We're also making space to celebrate their present journey this spring We are bringing
010some March Madness energy to our ninth to our ninth graders through the freshman facts tournament in FAM our freshman advisory and mentoring Students have done have identified and organized their defining ninth grade moments into four competitive regions first trends that were everywhere second shared school experiences third comforts and fourth unexpected surprises the bracket captures the authentic Highland Park High School experience from the near constant presence of neato cubes and the dominance of goldfish snacks To the come-from-behind victory at the winter pep rally for our freshmen as they vote their way toward a goat freshman moment The activity creates a joyful space for our newest Giants to recognize the shared memories and routines That have made their first year at Highland Park truly manageable and memorable So, thanks for the team for coming up with such
011an amazing experience And I think I saw on socials that the charity drive raised a hundred thirty-one hundred and twenty two thousand four hundred sixty seven dollars Yeah Dr. Dwyer and I also saw the picture of you being taped to the wall. So congratulations And some of the perpetrators are here tonight, so if security could escort Yes, if you lost a bet I did I did but charity won so it was okay Yes, we have also it's been a busy time at DHS just a lot in the last week Our math department sent seven members to the consortium for teachers of multilingual learners and secondary mathematics For a full day workshop in the Glenbrook district topics included strategies promote academic expression Supporting multilingual learner students in the mainstream math classroom and meeting the needs of
012all learners And we're looking forward to how this shared learning is going to continue to help us grow our instruction for our multilingual learners at DHS Over the last few weeks the Deerfield English Department had two field trips for senior students Mr. Riggler took his AP lit course to students to the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre to attend a 70-minute production of Hamlet The class had just finished reading and analyzing the play and it was a thrill to see it brought to life in a condensed version Miss Martin, mr. Belava and mr. Plinsky students in English for competition and collaboration brought their students as Chicago wolves hockey game The classes are reading the novel bear town by Frederick Bachman a story about a Swedish hockey club Students were able to make connections between the characters and the
013plot in the story and the thrill of attending a professional hockey game And these two field trips were the final two trips for senior English classes this year Every single one of our senior students had the opportunity to attend a field trip It's been a great year of learning outside the walls of the classroom I also want to give a big thank you to our theater program last week's production of Pippin was nothing short of amazing the set the choreography And most of all the singing were professional caliber the students performed for a packed house all three nights and perhaps more importantly They put on a special performance on Wednesday morning for our soon-to-be freshmen from districts 109 and 106 The soon-to-be warrior saw a first-rate performance and got to spend time that morning in
014their future home And it's also a really good recruiting ploy so very very well done. I Also want to congratulate our varsity boys basketball team they captured the regional championship on Friday night defeating Carmel High School And they now vie for the sectional title beginning tomorrow night at 7 p.m. And warrior gym, which we will be hosting We will face off against Wakanda and the winner will play Friday night for the sectional title Also hosted a Deerfield High School at 7 p.m. So if you want tickets, I know a guy And then last but not least I do want to take a minute and I want to thank our Deerfield parent network last week They hosted a workshop titled teens and the law and this workshop. It's a mainstay in the Deerfield parent network Schedule
015every year, but like all events it was really informative and tailored to the Deerfield community and the district 113 community as a whole they have been just an incredible organization for me to work with this year as I Come to the tail end of my first year here at Deerfield and I really appreciate all of the support They give DHS and the entire D 113 community Thank you both very much Next we'll be moving on to information reports every two years We take the opportunity to hear brief reports from the various supporting organizations To our district as outlined in policy 8-90 these organizations will be presenting over the next several meetings and tonight We have the Highland Park High School PTO Shannon Flynn welcome Thank you, and then I hit the green tip, okay, perfect.
016Okay. All right, great So, let's see. I'm gonna Here we go. Okay So I am first of all, I'm taking the place of Jenny Butler today She is on the district 112 board and they are having a meeting at the exact same time So I am representing a very big shoes to fill so our organization is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the partnership between families and how in Highland Park High School staff while advancing student welfare and enriching academic and extracurricular Programs through volunteering and financial support and we've got our executive board Jenny Butler myself and Jerry our co-vice presidents. We've got VP Communications Rosa Rovadello Treasurer's Dana Dranek Secretary Carly Jones and we've got two members at large Rob Doherty and Emily Fairman and then we have parent reps for each
017grade and these people all Their main task is to keep our Facebook pages updated to make sure that each of the classes are feeling connected And then we've got our committee chairs. So we've got discretionary grad night hospitality media and technology paint the town blue parents night out and pie sale and then we have we you know, I just have to thank all the many volunteers that help our Committee our committees run and help all of our events run too. So it takes a village for sure Okay, so Our activities we've got PTO meetings that are open to all of our parents that are held with principal Fleischer our administrative team and department chairs We do a lot of fundraising to support programs and grants we supply hospitality for our staff and we host community
018events and we support those in need in our community and We also focus on curricular and student activities grants So at our PTO meetings We host a combination of virtual and in-person all through the year We take a couple of months off December, which tends to be like a very busy time and then again February But other than that we start in August with in-person meetings and we had a really successful in-person meeting where The administrative team and all the department chairs introduced themselves to the new parents that were attending It was a very full-packed house, which was exciting September October November and January have all been virtual and each time it's been another department that attends So counseling department in September math in October fine and applied arts came in November and then in
019January the counseling department came back and they Explained course registration and of course like lots of Q&A is because that it's a hot-button topic A lot of a lot of information shared there March so this Thursday will be our second in-person meeting and we'll be covering AP courses and assessments, which will be nice April will be the science department overview and may will be the social studies department overview So fundraising is You know is our main purpose To enable us to do all the things that we do So we have a variety of things through the year one of them being our membership dues, which Brings I think the most that it actually brings the most money for us We also have direct donations that parents make we have a few businesses that Sponsor us
020and they are posted on our website we host a pie sale each November where we get pies from elegant farmer and Students or parents and teachers even to buy those and we also don't donate Quite a few pies to the Marin County Food Bank as well. We do a brick sale where we do, you know Commemorative bricks and they are installed near the athletic entrance. So kind of by the pool around the the flag back there and then we do a parking permit raffle, which is huge for us to That's always the most popular offer students an opportunity to win a free parking spot in the senior lot Which is like such a ginormous prize. So that's huge And another thing that we spend our time on is hospitality because we love supporting our staff
021They're amazing and we want to make sure that they feel loved so we start the year with a staff Institute welcome day breakfast and then We do the dinner for open house and then sort of monthly treats, you know each month we do something So we did breakfast treats a candy bar back from winter break in January. We did like a pizza day We just did Valentine's Day cookies and don't tell but we're doing shamrock shakes Very soon and then we end it with a staff appreciation lunch in May Another let's see. Okay. There we go. Oh Shoot my good. Okay. Okay paint the town blue. This is how we support our community or like rally our community we generate school spirit in our town we We paint our windows for homecoming and we partner
022our student activities groups and our athletics Teams along with the businesses in the town and we have approximately 30 little bit over 30 student groups 30 businesses and then a slew of Staff and parents volunteer to help, you know, keep the mayhem at bay And it's it's a wonderful event. It is always we kicked that off In 2020 and it was like so transformative because it was one of the things one of the few things we could do in that year Because it was outside and it just sort of really brought the school spirit back. So we we really love that event Okay And then oh, yes, so we have instituted a new committee this year the community support committee And this is one that we've we're really proud of it's to help our students
023who needs financial support Those that are feeling, you know insecure like housing insecurity and experiencing hardship we've partnered with blessings in a backpack and our HPH is social workers to stock the students snack and essentials pantry and we provide free lunch assistant during that there's sort of like a Downtime between when you apply for a free and reduced lunch and when your applications processing there's a gap there And so we fill that gap to make sure that those kids are getting lunch until they are approved for that And then we also distribute grocery gift cards and winter coats and assist the social workers with meeting other needs of the students by partnering with other Agencies and individual donors. We're just sort of really trying to fill any gaps that that are identified and it's it's
024been I think it's been good so far Okay In order to get parents support or just parents involved because I think at the high school level I parents see each other at activities or sports But you don't see each other in the pick-up-and-drop-off line like you did when your kids were little and so we have Been doing parents night out once a year Prior years we did steep ravine was revenue brewery at the time and then Just last weekend. It was at toadstool pub. So just a gathering of parents. It's just kind of fun and keeping us all together Okay So the hugest the like it the most significant way that we're spending our fundraising dollars is on our curricular grants and our student activity grants and so here's We've we've awarded Nearly thirteen thousand
025dollars so far this year for seven grants. I don't know what the timing is, but I'll quickly walk through We had a freshman advisory and mentoring grant that funded a field trip to the Heller Nature Center and We purchased this is gonna be hard science spectro photometers spectro photo meters I Feel like emphasis emphasis on the wrong syllable Anyway, so that was that was exciting We oh, yeah, we supported access to Northern Illinois's human gross anatomy lab for the students that you know, that was hard for them to Fund so that they could participate in cadaver lab learning, which is huge. So cool Let's see world languages. We provided a grant there to enrich cultural learning through authentic materials a Chinese calligraphy artwork artist workshop and immersive real world language experiences We funded a really
026cool professional dance for the camera project which helped students create like film Their pieces for portfolios. So that's like really hard to create a portfolio and so we helped we helped provide that And then supported a large-scale collaborative mosaic installation exploring community and belonging and then the swing choir We purchased wireless microphones and receiver to support a return to show choir format and enhanced performances across assemblies concerts and musicals so lots of equipment there which It's great to for us to be able to fill those gaps and then student student activities grants, so we Rewarded nearly seventy five hundred dollars to ten different groups And so for all of these groups were we're really looking for like unique ideas And things that reach as many students as possible And so for these student activities grants
027there we did cultural programming for the modern Israel Club we Reduced financial barriers for annual field trips for the black student union We have the education for remembrance which was a school-wide genocide and Holocaust education program featuring guest speakers We purchased new titles for the book club We extend expanded an art installation for our Asian Pacific Islander student coalition Provided elementary sports clinic and student leaders at leadership symposium programming for our girl up club Provided supplies for the educators of tomorrow provided materials for DECA and Supported the annual Chicano College Bowl for the hispanos unidos and funded performance microphones for matcap And that is a lot, but that's it Thank you. Does anybody have any questions? Great Thank you. Okay. Thank you guys There is no one signed up for public comment So we will
028be moving on To our discussion items and there is one item up question. Dr. Holland. Did you want to start us? Sure, so this is connected to my remarks. Dr. Kathy Anderson is going to provide an overview of the Current state of our staffing recommendations Sure. Thank you. Dr. Holland so there are two documents that you'll see which have a memo about our staffing recommendation and then also the What you see before you a spreadsheet breaking down licensed staff administrators and so on so I'm going to provide a little bit of details about this information So as dr. Holland indicated this staffing season the district focused on achieving greater parity than ever before with continued attention to ensuring course names and Numbers were accurate and consistent across both schools during the course registration process While
029this process came with some challenges We are deeply grateful to our staff for their collaboration patience and commitment to making these important updates possible This alignment was critical because it established a common course catalog allowing the district to make Suctioning or class scheduling and staffing decisions with the shared understanding across schools and programs So throughout the suctioning process, we closely monitored class sizes to ensure balance and equity across both schools Particular attention was given to maintaining appropriate class ratios as Outlined in the collective bargaining agreement and adherence to the 70-30 guideline for classes that include students with IEPs In addition, we sustained our co-teaching model which pairs general education and special education teachers to support inclusive classrooms These efforts ensure that all students regardless of program replacement benefit from well-supported instructional environments that reflect district-wide
030planning and equitable resource allocation Following suctioning we moved into the staffing process During which several important updates were made to ensure that similar roles were listed under the correct departments for consistency and comparison For example last year DHS listed school nurses under health services while Highland Park High School listed them under student services Aligning these designations enables more accurate tracking of like roles across the district We also refined how administrator positions are represented Although the staffing summary shows an increase of 2.0 district administrators. The actual number has decreased by 1.0 this apparent Increase reflects a correction as three district level positions were previously listed under the individual high schools inside of under the district Overall the district has seen a net reduction of 3.9 certified administrator FTEs and 3.675 licensed staff member LSM FTEs for
031next year and you'll see that when you're looking at the spreadsheet you'll see some differences Across the schools about how those are shown and so we'll get into those as well First giving the continuing decline in student enrollment It became clear that we needed to balance administrator staffing between the schools and that identify areas to consolidate Responsibilities as a result six administrative positions were eliminated and two new shared positions were created These new roles will work closely with the principal teams to cover responsibilities Formally distributed among the eliminated positions. We highly we are Ensuring that these positions are present within our buildings because they'll have to be working closely with administrators and staff alike Next turning to the LSM FTEs both Deerfield and Highland Park High School continue to experience declining enrollment with approximately 140
032fewer students projected across the district for the coming school year DHS represents the larger decrease with about 110 fewer students which translates to roughly 560 fewer course requests to clarify approximately 25 course requests make up one class section and each full year class represents 0.2 FTE or one-fifth of a teacher's schedule Despite the overall decline some program areas are growing while other program experience reductions align with enrollment decline The average class size has been reduced from 20 students per section last year to 19 students per section this coming school year For DHS this results in an overall reduction of 3.675 LSM FTEs the reported 5.625 decreased and the memo includes the combined administrator and LSM reductions HBHS is experiencing a smaller reduction with about 30 fewer students according to roughly 75 fewer course requests Like
033DHS the average class size across all Highland Park High School departments is decreasing from an average of 20 students per section to 19 students per section For HBHS although there are department shifts due to these changes the total LSM FTE remains flat The reported 3.45 decrease in the memo includes the combined administrator and LSM reductions While these adjustments reflect thoughtful and data-driven staffing practices We also recognize that any reduction in FTE is difficult Changes of this nature are never a reflection of staff performance But rather the results of aligning resources with enrollment and program needs We deeply value the talent dedication and relationships our staff bring to our schools And we approach every staffing decision with great care and consideration for the people most impacted Do you have any questions about our staffing recommendation? It
034was a lot of numbers. Yes Are there any other any questions? Kathy, can you? just Quickly walk me through again DHS and Highland Park FTE reduction because the the 5.625 or the Yeah, the 5.625 How does that break down? Yeah, same with Highland Park. Sure. So The for Deerfield in Highland Park High School where it says license building staff it includes both administrators and LSMs and so if we take a look at DHS for the LSMs alone the reduction is 3.675 and the rest of that 5.625 is administrator FTE then for Highland Park High School, it's 2.95 and the decrease is The LSM staff is Actually flat. Whereas the reduction that you'll see is from administrators and As I indicated it appears that there is an increase in the two of the district staff members
035for it says transportation administration building It's actually a decrease. We there were three positions that were cut and then two that were were added So it's actually a decrease of one, but those positions The 3.0 were actually included in former years in the high school FTE And then and again, this is just for my clarity Can you walk through again? When you said with the decrease of you know, 110 of DHS and I think there's 40 at Highland Park students what that was Represents how many less course requests so they again and I'm just asking again because there was just a lot of numbers DHS there were approximately 560 fewer course requests whereas for Highland Park it was 75 fewer course requests. Thank you When do we get our next estimate of student population by
036school? We have one in the fall, right? I think to your point earlier with with high schools and the way that the courses work It's it's hard to be able to say X number of more students equals X number of FTE just because of the variance of a freshman Course load is very different than another freshman's course load So it's tricky or at the high school level to be able to say oh we have You know 30 fewer students 30 fewer students means, you know another classroom where like an elementary 30 fewer second graders means One less second grade classroom, they're so spread out that it's so difficult to even be able to calculate that Number of course requests is the operative number And so what is the next step in this process so the
037next step is to I mean This is our first presentation of this information. We always have some collaborative conversations along the way and At our March 17th meeting we'll bring a final recommendation for approval and what's driving this one of the things that drives The timing is that we need the state of Illinois Reduction in force is required by April 15. That's correct. Anything else? Fantastic. Thank you very much. Thank you Thank you We have nothing for action. So we'll be moving on to the consent consent agenda The next items are the consent agenda items including the consent agenda are provided to all board members and the public Are made publicly available prior to the meeting agenda a board member may pull any item for separate consideration Does any board member wish to pull an
038item for second for separate consideration? May have a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. So moved is there a second second. Is there any discussion? Hearing no further discussion a roll call vote, please. Mr. Barraza. All right, mr. Brunk. All right, dr. Elliott Schrimer. Aye. Mr. Heineman Aye, mr. Lupa. Aye Miss Newman. Aye the motion carries There being no further business may have a motion to adjourn the meeting. So moved is there a second second All those in favor say aye. Aye opposed say nay the motion carries This concludes the business of the Township High School District 113 Board of Education for this evening at 737 thank you very much for your time and participation