Board of Education 4-22-25

001Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. It's a little weird. Mm hmm. I am reconvening into open session Township High School District 113 regular action meeting on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 701 recording secretary will now call the role. Mr. Pira. Yes, please. Mr. Braza. Yes, please. Dr. Elliott Schremer. Yes, please. Oh my god. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. I would like everyone else who is present to identify themselves. Tom Krieger, Chief Human Resources Officer. Lisa Delaco, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Instruction and Assessment. Karen Warner, Chief Communications Officer. Ryan Amher, Chief Operations Officer. Holly Montes, Superintendent of Finance. Hallie Fleischer, Principal at Highland Park High School. Katherine Anderson, Principal at Dearfield High School. Ron Kasbaum, Chief Information Officer. I want to say like, yes, please, but I don't have a reason to. Executive Director of

002Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Jayla Howland, Superintendent. May I have a motion to approve the agenda as presented? Is there a second? Is there any discussion? Hearing no further discussion, we'll proceed to a vote. All of those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. The motion carries. The board would like to recognize our outgoing board member, Jody Shapiro. We have a short presentation, including a resolution that I will read to honor Ms. Shapiro. Following the recognition of the retiring board member, we will administer the oath of office to the newly elected board members and adjourn the current board, Sene Dei. That means that the current board has no scheduled date to reconvene. The newly seated board will then conduct a reorganization meeting and elect officers. A resolution and appreciation of Jody Shapiro. Whereas Jody

003Shapiro has demonstrated generous dedication for six years to the students, families, staff and community members of Township High School District 113 by serving as a board member of the Board of Education from April 2019 until April 2025. And to Deerfield Public School District 109 for seven years immediately prior. And whereas Ms. Shapiro served as the president and vice president during her tenure, providing leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccination clinics for staff, students and community members. And whereas Ms. Shapiro served as chair of both the facilities and human resources committees, as well as a member of the diversity, equity and inclusion, finance and MOU committees. And whereas Ms. Shapiro served officially as a liaison to True North Education Cooperative 804. And whereas Ms. Shapiro served as a member in approving the first collective bargaining

004agreement with the District 113 Education Association. And whereas Ms. Shapiro helped oversee the buildings of the life skills labs at both schools, the renovation of the Highland Park High School Library, the Highland Park High School cafeteria and the Deerfield High School Performing Arts Center. Therefore, be it resolved that we, members of the Board of Education of Township High School District 113, Lake County, Illinois, recognize and thank Ms. Jody Shapiro for her outstanding and dedicated service to Township High School District 113 and express our profound appreciation on behalf of the students, families, staff and community of the district. Thank you, Jody. Moving on to the oath of office for our new board members. The results of the consolidated election held on April 1st have been canvassed. Jaime Barraza, Richard Heineman and Julie Lupa, Jenny Lupa, I

005don't know, your alter ego, were elected to four-year terms. Alexander Brunk was elected to a two-year term. Would the elected board members please stand and Alex will have you come up and take, replace Jody's seat. Please follow after me. I. State your name. Do solemnly swear. That I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the member of the Board of Education of Township High School District 113. That I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the member of the Board of Education of Township High School District 113. In accordance with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the laws of the State of Illinois to the best of my ability. In accordance with the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the laws of

006the State of Illinois to the best of my ability. I further swear that I, sorry, I further swear that. I further swear that. I shall respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's assets. I shall respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's assets. I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members and others who seek a hearing before the board while respecting the privacy of students and employees. I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members and others who seek a hearing before the board while respecting the privacy of students and employees. I shall recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can only be

007made by a majority vote at a public board meeting. I shall recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at a public board meeting. I shall abide by majority decisions of the board while retaining the right to seek changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels. I shall abide by majority decisions of the board while obtaining the rights to engage in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels. As part of the Board of Education, I shall accept the responsibility for my role in the equitable and quality education of every student in the school district. As part of the Board of Education, I shall accept the responsibility for my role in the equitable and quality education of every student in

008the school district. I shall foster with the board extensive participation of the community, formulate goals, define outcomes, and set the course for Township to High School District 113. I shall foster with the board extensive participation of the community, formulate goals, define outcomes, and set the course for Township to High School District 113. I shall assist in establishing a structure and an environment designed to ensure all students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework. I shall assist in establishing a structure and an environment designed to ensure all students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework. I shall strive to ensure a continuous assessment of student achievement and all conditions affecting the education of our children in compliance with state law. I shall strive to

009ensure a continuous assessment of student achievement and all conditions affecting the education of our children in compliance with state law. I shall serve as education's key advocate on behalf of students and our community schools to advance the vision for Township High School District 113. I shall serve as education's key advocate on behalf of students and our community schools to advance the vision for Township High School District 113. And I shall strive to work together with the district superintendent to lead the school district towards fulfilling the vision the board has created, fostering excellence for every student in the areas of academic skills, knowledge, citizenship, and personal development. I shall strive to work together with the district superintendent to lead the school district towards fulfilling the vision the board has created, fostering excellence for every student in

010the areas of academic skills, knowledge, citizenship, and personal development. Welcome to the board. Thank you. We have a welcome panel to you as the lead board member. And I do want to open the floor for any short public comments as it relates to the retirement of an appointment of our board members. Sure. I would like a three minute clock. Turn on your mic please. Thank you. Okay. 22 years ago I was asked to be a PTO rep to a school board. Never did I think that this is where it was going to bring me to for 22 years. But I also have to say, it was some of the most rewarding work I've ever done here in our district, particularly through some of our darkest days. There have been many, many hard decisions. I haven't

011always agreed with all of them, but I've always known that we've made every one of them with the best of all intentions. Couple people I want to thank. I think truly this board of education is probably one of the most supportive group of people I have ever worked with in my entire life. Even when I wanted to leave and y'all kept convincing me to stay. I'm glad I did it. Brian, our district would not be the place that we are today without all the things that you did for us through COVID and what you've continued to do for us and you will be sorely sorely missed here. So I wanted to make sure that. Sounds like an Oscar thing and I don't mean it to Ali. You tried to teach me finance and I really

012tried to learn and I'm really sorry the learning curve was released. Mira, you have allowed all of us to grow in such a safe place here and to learn about the DEI journey and all of the things that we are all learning and evolving and all the way through 2025 and you've given us such a safe place to learn those things. I am beyond excited for 113 and what you all have with Dr. Holland is your new leader. My husband can attest that the day we hired you, I came home and said, would you kill me if I ran again? So but I am so truly excited for what you all have in front of you. It has been a pleasure to sit amongst you all and to serve this community. Truly. I will absolutely

013miss the work, but most of all, I'm really going to miss all of you and Ken's going to make fun of me. But it's because of who you all are and I thank you all for that. Thank you. Good job. Thanks to that. Well, before I talk about Jody, I want to recognize the board, Dr. Holland and the cabinet. You guys are just doing fantastic work here at 113. I follow all the board briefs and all the notices. You see, I lead a very interesting life and you continue to put the students first from everything from the strategic plans, the day to day decision. You guys just doing a fabulous job. You know, people used to tell me that being on the board was a thankless job and I would quickly say, nope, it's a

014job filled with thanks. So thank you to the board. So Jody, there you are. So first thing I thought about about Jody is her acts of kindness, family and friends and extended family and friends. And being there on the first day of school for the teachers and greeting the bus drivers in the morning with coffee. And yes, she is a licensed bus driver. And of course, the pandemic days of she was there. They started having the training program. She's there. The vaccine, she's there. She was everywhere. It's fantastic. But so now I just want to talk about her leadership style on the board. So Jody was fearless. No matter how complex or critical the problems, Jody attacked it with no fear. Particularly at a time where maybe she should have been a little scared. She

015did it with absolutely fearless. And so I just want to give a picture of what it was like to be and you guys served on the board with her. But and I know you're going to appreciate this. What it's like to have been on the board with her, particularly as her vice president for a couple of years. And so I'm just going to give a basketball. We'll put it in basketball terms. So in basketball, when the player is getting ready to take a three point shot and the fan or the coach looks up and goes, no, no, just that's just don't take that shot. Maybe you scream it in your head or you scream it out loud. Well, there were kind of described there are lots of times where Jody and her just she would

016grab the microphone and say, OK, I know I'm not supposed to say this. I shouldn't say this. I know you're but it's just out there. And I just have to say this. And in my head, I would sit there across her and go, no, no, no. And then she would deliver it with grace and with style and with class and with passion. And I would say, yes, I knew she was going to do it all. So thank you, Jody Shapiro. Is there a motion to adjourn DNA? So moved. Is there a second? A roll call vote, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please. All night. Yes, please. She's gone. Yes, please. Yes, please. The motion carries. Great. We are adjourned. Thank you. Thank you. OK. I call to order the Township High School

017District 113 reorganization meeting on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 717. The recurring secretary will now call the roll. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. It is recommended that Ali Mahente, Assistant Superintendent of Finance for District 113, be appointed to serve as treasurer of the Board of Education. For a one year term, may have a motion to approve this recommendation. So moved. Is there a second? Is there any discussion? Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Mr. Heineven. Yes. Ms. Luboff. Aye. Mr. Nieder. Aye. Mr. Baratha. Aye. Mr. Brunk. Aye. Dr. Elliott-Shermer. Aye. Ms. Newman. Aye. The motion carries. The school code requires that we readopt our schedule of board meeting dates at our reorganization meeting. It is recommended the Board of Education approve the schedule of Board of Education

018meeting dates for the period beginning July 2025 through June 2026 as presented. May I have a motion to approve this recommendation? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Is there any discussion? Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Ms. Luboff. Aye. Mr. Nieder. Aye. Mr. Baratha. Aye. Mr. Brunk. Aye. Dr. Elliott-Shermer. Aye. The motion carries. Now that our new board is seated, it is time to assign board members to examine bills and salaries for the next year in accordance with our usual procedure and policy. It is recommended the Board of Education approve the assignment of board members to examine bills and salaries for the period beginning June 2025 through June 2026 as presented. May I have a motion to approve this recommendation? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Is there any discussion?

019Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Mr. Nieder. Aye. Mr. Baratha. Aye. Mr. Brunk. Aye. Dr. Elliott-Shermer. Aye. Mr. Heineman. Aye. Ms. Luboff. Aye. Ms. Newman. Aye. The motion carries. We will now move on to board reports. I am going to ask the board that by Friday, the 2nd of May, about 5 o'clock, if you could please give me your preference of the two committees that you would like to serve on next year. As a reminder, there will be the Finance Facilities Committee, the Policy, the Education, a True North Representative, an HR Liaison, an Ed Red Representative, and a TIF Liaison. I had the opportunity to attend Genocide Awareness Day at both schools last Tuesday. The stories of Mr. Kamil and Mr. Reich shared were breathtaking in their scope of both despair and

020hope and forgiveness. I also had the opportunity to sit next to and talk to Andrew who started DHS Genocide Awareness Day when he was a junior back in 2016. Rick and I also joined Karen Warner at the Highland Park neighborhood meetings that began yesterday and will continue over the next several weeks around the community. Today, April 22nd, is School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. We thank our dedicated drivers who are the first smiles our students see each morning and the last wave each evening. Your professionalism and care ensure our students start and finish their school days safely, and we thank you. And finally, a final note, I would like to thank Jody Shapiro for her 10-year service to both District 113 for the last six years and District 109. As both a formal leader, president during

021COVID, and informal leader with her vast institutional knowledge, she will be missed. I want to thank Rick Heineman, Jaime Barraza, and Jenny Lupa for continuing to serve on the board for a new four-year term, and welcome Alex Brunk to the board. We are fortunate to have him join the board with his eight years of District 112 board experience. Thank you and welcome. And that concludes my president's report. Is there a True North report? Yes, there is. True North held its Leadership Council meeting on Wednesday, April 9th. The meeting started with the Leadership Council recognizing Katerina Schutman from District 113. She's been a student, a part of the True North vocational program, and was celebrated as a team player with excellent collaboration skills at the Green Bay Animal Hospital in Wilmette. There was a presentation by

022Professional Learning and Coaching on their revised data-driven process and their increased collaboration between districts. By the end of this March, 7,960 educators had attended True North professional learning sessions this school year, with 96% of those attending saying the professional learning will positively impact their professional growth or their students' growth. True North steering committee members updated us on the strategic plan for induction program, which includes mentoring. And the plan has been updated to include the whole of staff's time with True North, from recruitment through the time that they will be leaving True North. The Leadership Council received the preliminary tuition and service rates for the 2026 fiscal year. The final budget draft will be posted publicly on May 7th. There was also an update on Glenview District 34 and Glenbrook District 225's intentions to withdraw. True

023North is working to make sure it can continue its mission, maintaining stability and reducing financial pressures. Superintendents will be meeting with Dr. Schneider at the end of April to discuss alternatives. We also had an update on Illinois House Bill 2390. It's been revised to provide clarity on steps on which a member district can withdraw from any Illinois cooperative and provide instructions for joint agreements to provide provisions for asset and liability distribution. True North will keep the Leadership Council informed about this bill's progress because it has direct impact on what we're going through right now. The next meeting will be May 7th at 7 p.m. Thank you. Moving on to administration information reports, Dr. Holland. Good evening, everyone. So we are at the tail end of strategic planning. Our team has diligently developed a draft, a

024draft of a comprehensive plan designed to integrate the diverse perspectives of all of our stakeholders. As the final stages of refinement are underway, your valuable feedback is requested prior to its finalization and submission to the Board of Education. The survey will open tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23rd, and will close Wednesday, April 30th at 5 p.m. Everyone's pretty used to at this point, the quick turnaround of the feedback. Your input will be brought to the strategic plan team for our final meeting, which will take place on May 6. Your time and insights are greatly appreciated. As has been previously announced, District 113 is moving to a new website. The communications department has been working with staff on content migration and training. We now want to make sure families are aware that the launch date is May 1st.

025There may be intermittent periods when the website is unavailable immediately prior to and immediately following the launch. In order to ensure tech support from the vendor, the launch must take place during business hours. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. In the event of an emergency, District 113 will contact families and staff using its emergency notification system. Please note that during the website transition process, page URLs are changing. This means any links you may have bookmarked to the current site or embedded anywhere will break. If you have any questions, please contact our communications department at communications at this 113.org. And the communications department will say we'll send a message as well as include information in the principal's newsletters so families are aware. In addition to hiring happening at our schools for various positions, we are

026finishing up our hiring here at the district office. My recommendations for approval for the executive director of facilities management, the assistant superintendent of student services and assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction and assessment roles will all be brought to the board at our May 13th board meeting. On Tuesday, I was able to attend some of the planned activities and presentations at Highland Park High School and Deerfield High School for Genocide Commemoration Day. The messages shared throughout the day were extremely powerful and they were very relatable. Thank you to the student-led groups and the sponsors at each school for planning and organizing a powerful day of learning. Through storytelling and the opportunities to learn from the past, we were all able to reflect on taking a strong stance against hate and being upstanders and advocates for kindness,

027empathy, care, and love. I also want to comment on the engagement of our students. There were moments during the day when you could have heard a pin drop in our large auditoriums. Our students were attentive, engaged, and extremely respectful during a day of great gravity, yet a day where we were all inspired towards action. Graduation season is upon us. Our school and district administrators have been meeting regularly to plan for our graduations. Highland Park High School graduation takes place on Wednesday, May 28th at Rovinia Festival at 5 p.m. The Deerfield High School graduation commencement takes place on Thursday, May 29th at Rovinia in Highland Park. The ceremony starts promptly at 5 p.m. Rovinia will be engaged in extensive renovations during our graduation season next year, making it impossible to have our graduation ceremonies there next

028year. Rovinia has been a great partner to our district and has made us aware of this early enough, which is allowing us to work to determine our plans for next year's graduation. The team is already working on a plan and vetting our options, and our communication at this time is focused on this year's graduations that will occur at Rovinia. We will begin to communicate more about next year following this year's graduation, so there's no confusion. Both schools have links on their home pages for information pertaining to the class of 2025 graduations, including information about prom. So in terms of tonight's reports that everyone will hear over the next two board meetings, the District 113 team, specifically cabinet members, will share different informational reports to provide updates regarding some of the efforts and work that has

029been taking place in the departments or aspects of our district that they support. While our May 13th meeting will take place here at district office, I also want to remind everyone that our May 27th meeting will take place at Highland Park High School in the cafeteria to accommodate individuals who may want to attend due to our presentation of the strategic plan. We will be sure to communicate this change to the entire school community as the date nears. So there are presentations and updates tonight. There will also be a few at our next meeting, and then at our May 27th meeting, we will present our strategic plan to the board, but that meeting will take place at Highland Park High School. Thank you. And the plan is this is setting somewhat of the cadence, a template

030of what meetings will look like next year in regards to informational reports throughout the year. Correct. Which plan? For example, the professional learning growth and development plan, the MTSS support plan, these types of reports will become kind of regular cadence in our board meetings. So next year, with some of the shifts to our committee structure as well, we'll on a more regular basis provide updates regarding what's happening in our schools, our progress, our growth, rather than having a series of reports at the end of the school year. Yes. Fantastic. Great. FOIAs? Yes. So these are the FOIAs that were received and responded to since our last board meeting. Excellence and effort. Who is going first? I go first. Mike goes on first. All right. Thank you. So first, something that has become a beautiful tradition.

031Deerfield High School is Heart of a Warrior and is modeled after a program that has run at Highland Park High School in the past as well. So on Monday, 12 students were acknowledged at our fourth Heart of a Warrior ceremony. These students embody the values of a DHS warrior such as kindness, respect, and inclusivity. These students go out of their way to assist others to develop caring and meaningful relationships with their teachers and peers and show strong personal growth and perseverance. They also stand up for others, have a positive attitude in our models of cooperation, collaboration, and engagement. I would like to thank Dr. Moore, Ms. Corlitz, Ms. Amstutz, Ms. Salih, and Mr. DiMaggio and our dedicated staff committee who make this event possible. And thank you to all of our students and their families

032who are able to attend. It is a beautiful way to kind of wrap up the school year and just recognize our students for all the amazing things that they do. Next, brighten my daisies. Flowers have a way of brightening our days, especially as we transition from winter to spring. To that end, some of our students are involved in an entrepreneurial initiative called brighten my daisies, through which they design, create, and deliver flower arrangements to staff members. This project, guided by Ms. Zantinucci, the transition coordinator, not only fosters creativity and business skills, but also provides hands-on experience in managing a small-scale floral delivery service. By coordinating the production and distribution of flowers, students engage in key aspects of entrepreneurship, such as production creation, customer service, and logistics, demonstrating practical application of business principles in a real-world

033setting. Speaking from personal experience, being a recipient of these flowers and also having the opportunity to share my gratitude for others, this has truly made this business an incredible experience for our entire school community. So a big shout-out and congratulations to all of our students and our teachers for making this business a huge success and brightening the days of so many. Next, the network of environmental science teachers, NEST, will hold their annual meeting at Deerfield High School on Friday, May 16th. And Dr. Jeff Hoyer, one of the founding members of NEST, will host the meeting for the last time as he is retiring this year after 25 years of teaching AP Environmental Science at Deerfield High School. NEST is open to all area high school environmental science teachers. Each year, 25 to 30 teachers from

034high schools all over Chicagoland get together to learn about their environment from local experts and to share lessons and other resources. The focus of this year's NEST meeting will be on outdoor labs working in the woods and the outdoor classroom at DHS. After lunch, teachers will get a tour of the Somme Nature Preserve at the corner of Waukegan and Dundee Roads. The tour will be led by the legendary Steve Packard, who transformed how ecological restoration is done around the world by students and adult volunteers. And on that note, the outdoor classroom at DHS has just received official certification as a wildlife habitat. So a big shout out to Dr. Hoyer as he wraps up his extraordinary teaching career at DHS and also has made a huge impact on so many environmental science programs around the

035Chicagoland area. And now over to Highland Park. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. So first, I want to say thank you to Dr. Holland, Ms. Anne Newman, Representative Bob Morgan and members of our caregiving community who joined us on Tuesday, last Tuesday for Genocide Commemoration Day. I want to also thank our student leaders involved in Education for Remembrance Club, the District 113 Foundation, Mrs. Lindsay Meyer and Joe Breisowitz for organizing the day and truly providing a moment for us to be grounded in hearing powerful stories of resilience and be reminded of our collective responsibility to stand up against all forms of hate. I want to thank our entire student body for their deep level of engagement, as Dr. Holland mentioned, and reflection during this community learning opportunity. Next, I have some giant shout outs for our students

036receiving accolades based on their work in our advanced filmmaking course. Simon Finkel and Cameron Janitzky were nominated for a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Emmy for their short film EX1L3D. Rodrigo Sanchez was also nominated in the Public Service Announcement Category for Tenemos Una Voz. Simon Finkel and Cameron Janitzky also secured third place at the Screen Test Local Film Festival for that same film mentioned earlier. And Cameron Janitzky again and Duncan Drake achieved 10th place in the IHSA State Finals for their film Unscripted. Congratulations to these students for their outstanding accomplishments in storytelling and filmmaking. I was able to see most of these films during the film festival at Focus and they're creative, thought provoking, and truly inspiring. Next, I have some updates in regards to innovation and creativity in our Career and

037Technical Education Department. In Introduction to Business, since January, students have built and operated six student-run businesses, each led by student managers and a CEO. From concept development to marketing, pricing and sales, they've shown impressive teamwork and entrepreneurial skills. Their hard work culminated in weekly sales throughout April with an eagle eye for me as I was walking down the hallway and reminded me that I looked real hungry and needed a snack. And that, no, I didn't need cash, whatever I had they would take. They have one final business set to launch in May. Also in our Introduction to Engineering Design and Civil Engineering and Architecture course, students are tackling real-world problems through the Shark Tank Project. Brainstorming, prototyping, and 3D printing innovative solutions to pitch to a panel of sharks. Meanwhile, our Civil Engineering and Architecture

038students are designing a library using professional tools like Revit and applying concepts like load calculation and fire code research. Their learning will culminate with a Chicago Architecture Center river cruise connecting classroom knowledge to real-world design. In our Incubator class, students are preparing to pitch their business ventures at Highland Park High School Competition Pitch Night in May. We have two teams currently, Court Control and Bite Blocker. They've already been selected for their innovation, branding, and professionalism. More teams will be added soon, making this event a celebration of student creativity and entrepreneurial drive. In Creative Cuisine, lastly, students are starting their Healthy Eating Unit, cooking balanced meals and healthier treats while learning about nutrition. Their unit ends with a healthy food truck project where students design menus and recipes based on healthy living concepts. It's a fun,

039hands-on way to apply culinary skills and promote wellness. That's my update for today. Thank you. Thank you both so much. Moving on then to a professional learning growth and development plan, Dr. Holland. Sorry, I'm just making sure it's working. I think I'm going the wrong way. Okay. Good evening. This presentation and report is intended to provide insight into our areas of focus for professional learning, growth, and development within our district, while also highlighting the value and importance of staff learning in service of student growth. You will also notice that this presentation is directly aligned with one coming up focused on MTSS. Oh, boy. It was just working. There we go. Our focus on inclusive school communities is really about supporting teaching and learning for every and each student in ways that support their individual growth

040and development. When we support each student, we are able to identify the specific needs that groups of students may have for acceleration, continued progress, growth, and enrichment experiences. We have a wide range of diverse learners across both of our schools and our district. The most effective way to support student growth and development is by supporting the growth and development of our staff. Professional growth and development opportunities are the biggest lever to enhancing student success. Investing in our staff and supporting each of them has a direct correlation with our ability to enhance learning and growth for our students. When looking at the criteria for effective professional development, it is essential for professional development to align with school and district priorities in order to provide a coherent experience for teachers and staff. Otherwise, it is easy for

041learning to seem as though it is not in service of a larger vision and direction. Professional development should be content-focused and be discussed in relation to how to apply it within the context in which application is intended. It should incorporate active learning. It should support collaboration and be embedded in the work experience. It should incorporate modeling and models of the desired outcomes and what they should look like. It should not only be training, but ongoing coaching and support for continuous learning and development. It should incorporate opportunities for feedback, reflection, and perspective sharing, and it should not be a one-and-done experience. It should be sustained and continuous. In other words, there needs to be a commitment to supporting ongoing learning. Throughout this entire school year, we have been examining our multi-tiered system of support, also known

042as MTSS. While the district has invested a lot of resources into MTSS, there is a need to bring our system into alignment and operating with clear purpose and intention. There are many supports in place, but clarity in their purpose, the inclusion of research and evidence-based practices in curriculum, and data cycles of improvement are essential aspects that need to be further solidified across our tiers. MTSS is the foundation for ensuring that we are addressing the diverse needs of our learners within our core instruction and have systems in place to know when students require more support than what is being provided in the core, which is tier one. The foundation of MTSS is essential and critically important to solidify. Tier one meets the needs of the greatest number of students across a wide range of learning needs.

043It also provides the greatest opportunities for teacher impact and for us to rally around shared opportunities and student potential. In order for us to be successful in our efforts to provide targeted supports at the tier two level for targeted groups of students who need more support, tier three interventions for students who need more intensive and more frequent support, special education, and students who also need enhancements and enrichment extensions, we must start with a clear system of support at the tier one level. Tier one should effectively address the needs of 75 to 80% of our students if there is shared responsibility around our support efforts within all classrooms and commonly shared spaces. Co-teaching is also a priority area for us to solidify as a district. Co-teaching is effective when there is a strong relationship between the

044educators in the instructional space, working in tandem and collaboratively to address the learning needs of the students in the class. Both educators share responsibility for the learning of students, but to do so, they must do it in a way that allows students to receive the support they need in an inclusive space in alignment with special education law. Students are able to be educated in the least restrictive environment and also receive especially designed instruction and support outlined in their IEPs. Co-teaching is not one teach and one assist, but rather positions both educators as experts who coordinate and align instruction to support the needs of all learners within a shared space. We have a significant amount of Kotal courses in our district and it is important to provide consistent and sustained learning opportunities for co-teachers in order

045to maximize the instruction and support received and obtained by students. Professional learning communities, also known as PLCs, are also a form of professional learning that will be embedded in the collaboration time built into our new schedule. PLCs are an ongoing process in which educators work in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. They're collaborative groups of educators who meet regularly to discuss teaching practices and to improve student learning. They use data to guide their efforts. PLCs are student focused and based on inquiry and play a crucial role in school improvement. These three areas are pillars for professional learning and growth for us. As we become stronger in these areas, we will also continue to revise, improve, and build upon these foundational growth experiences. Our Tier

0461 efforts will focus on instructional design, ensuring that our instructional planning is grounded in standards and has our intended outcomes and learning goals in mind. High leverage practices and evidence-based instructional practices will be used to meet the diverse needs of students in each class. Restorative practices will also be a part of our Tier 1 efforts. While restoration may seem like a reactive step, restorative practices are actually proactive measures that focus on strengthening relationships between students and students, students and staff, and students within the larger school community. They are focused on improving connections and relationships, which is essential for fostering a greater sense of meaningful connection, participation, and belonging for our students. Our Tier 1 efforts will be supported by our instructional coaches who will work with teachers and teacher teams. Co-teaching professional development will be

047provided this spring and summer and throughout the entire school year. We are finalizing the design of learning sessions that cover key aspects of co-teaching and the different models that exist. The learning experience is intended to engage co-teaching teams together and provide them with opportunities to apply their learning between the sessions. As we continue to develop our internal capacity to support this work, we will also be supported by True North. Both of our schools are at different places with their understanding and exposure to professional learning communities. While it is important for teachers to have time to discuss curriculum alignment, schedules, and to coordinate their instruction, PLCs serve a very intentional purpose associated with making instructional improvements based on student work and student results. PLCs are best supported when there are PLC leaders, a schedule of meetings,

048and a concerted effort to collaborate around best practices and improved and tracked student outcomes. In addition to PLC leaders, PLCs will be supported by our instructional coaches as well as our department chairs. Professional development should impact individual growth and the growth of our system. There should be a systemic impact. While professional development initially focuses on individual growth, when designed strategically, it can cascade into wider systemic changes by influencing the behaviors and practices of a critical mass of individuals within the system. Professional development should build a capacity to support change and equip individuals with the necessary skills to identify system level issues, to analyze root causes, and develop solutions that address those issues rather than just treating the symptoms. PD should be collaborative. To achieve systemic change, as we often talk about, professional development should encourage

049collaboration across different levels of the system, fostering shared understanding and collective action towards desired outcomes. It should also enhance and expand leadership. Developing leadership skills within our workforce across our staff through professional development is crucial for driving and sustaining systemic change, as leaders will be able to champion new initiatives and influence others to adopt new practices. Finally, professional development should improve our entire system for all learners. If a school district wants to improve student learning outcomes systemically, PD for teachers that is focused on evidence-based teaching strategies, coupled with ongoing support and collaboration, can empower our teachers to implement changes in their classrooms, leading to broader improvements in student achievement across our district. A focus on Tier 1 co-teaching and PLCs, professional learning communities, will be key priorities for us for the next several years. It

050is not work that you just start and finish. It is ongoing and continuous and becomes a part of our ongoing and sustained efforts to improve in service of all of our students. To be clear, just because we continue to solidify our core and our base does not mean that we pause on our efforts to provide targeted supports and interventions at our other tiers. Next year, our focus will prioritize Tier 1 while also providing opportunities to expose our staff to various practices that will enhance our Tier 2 and our Tier 3 efforts. We will spend next year improving Tier 1 while also designing for improvements for Tier 2 and Tier 3 to embed in the years that follow. While we have slowed down this work to ensure that we create a model that is student-centered and

051align with best practices and research, it does not mean that we stop learning, growing, and designing for improvements. We are taking the time we need for collaboration, thoughtful design, and effectively implementing our desired goals. As we solidify our instructional core through Tier 1 co-teaching and PLCs, I am proposing that we consider a partnership with the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, also known as MCIE. MCIE is a known leader in efforts to improve systems to yield improved results for all learners with specific practices to improve services and instructional delivery for students with disabilities and learners who may have additional needs that sometimes make it challenging to actually identify where targeted support should be provided. In other words, they support districts in meeting the needs of diverse groups of learners. MCIE's model provides an opportunity for their

052team to spend time in our district, to learn about our learners, to build relationships with our staff, to build relationships with our families, to better understand our system priorities and our needs. They prioritize a partnership with stakeholders to design our path forward, improving our system and practices in service of improved outcomes. Their model incorporates a year of exploring our readiness in which they come here and partner with us to learn more about our system, to see where we are, and a year of design and implementation before fully launching. The pace of change would be specific to the contextual readiness and needs of our district. In other words, we can choose to go faster or slower, but they do help us assess where we are and help us design a plan moving forward. Whether it is

053MCIE or not, I would still encourage us to identify an external partner to support us in this work for accountability, design, and learning support. It is also important to ensure that we have clear expectations and measures in place to determine the effectiveness of our efforts towards improvement. True North has a strong relationship with MCIE. District 112 has worked with MCIE and plans to partner further with them in the future, and District 109 has partnered with MCIE for the past several years. This alignment in our efforts is essential and could yield increased coherence and alignment as we collectively partner to support our shared students and families. Overall, our professional development plan is coherent and centered on improving student learning and growth outcomes. Our model is embedded within the workday and aligned with instructional priorities that focus

054on academic, social, emotional, and behavioral improvements across our tiers. Learning opportunities will take place throughout the school year in scheduled and consistent ways. We will use time embedded in our schedule and our district-wide days, such as Institute Days, to the greatest extent possible to support learning and engagement around these priority areas. Our staffing processes were conducted this year with these priorities in mind. Co-teaching is already an embedded structure, and we allocated staffing resources towards instructional coaching this year. We will also be communicating more about our PLC focus and start to solidify PLC leadership and learning opportunities within the upcoming weeks. This plan requires a lot of clear communication, the alignment of efforts, and a significant amount of planning. While the staff are aware of some of the elements of this plan, we will continue to

055keep our staff updated around various learning experiences and opportunities as they prepare for the 25-26 school year and beyond. Thank you. Take any questions? Questions? Would a partnership with MCA or somebody else be a prerequisite to starting on the path to doing this for next year? No, so we are already on the path. Our focus on inclusive school communities is the lens and a priority for our district. MCIE has national experience working with a wide range of school districts, and they have different systems, structures, and also they can support us around learning new instructional practices and really bringing it all in under a coherent plan. And so our focus on inclusive school communities is our focus. Our three areas, our three priority areas are part of us reaching that goal, but we're basically laying the

056foundation right now to build a partnership with MCIE, and my limited perspective is only as good as our core. Only as good as our tier one, only as good as the foundational pieces that I just mentioned, and I really want us to get good at instructional design and practices. Basically, our tier one efforts, co-teaching and our PLCs, and then build, which is why a partnership with MCIE would come in the upcoming years, but we need to solidify our foundation to launch from. Otherwise, if we're building on shaky ground, that's no good. If they were part of creating that foundation, but it sounds like we do that work. Yes. Then bring them in. Yes. That's where we're at, and then how you build that from there. Yes. Are the professional learning committees interdepartmental? And then as

057they're being guided by the outside organization, MCIE, will the information they're learning be filtered through the lens of specific departments, or will it be general best practices? So PLCs are not guided by MCIE. If you think about it, PLCs, professional learning communities, are basically teacher teams collaborating around real-time student work, real-time student outcomes. So imagine you have a classroom, you're meeting as, or you're a course team, meaning you're teaching the same classes, and same class. Let's use geometry, for example. You're in a PLC during collaboration time that's built into our schedule. You're meeting, and you have a PLC leader to guide the work and create the agenda in collaboration with the team. But you're bringing actual student outcomes. Maybe you design a formative assessment together. You're bringing the results and talking through them and reflecting

058on teaching and learning. You're paying attention to how students perform. Did they meet the standards? Did they exceed the standards? What does my instruction have to do with the outcomes that students are receiving? So it's real-time. I know I mentioned action research, but you're really reflecting on your practice as it relates to how students are doing and designing your instruction to support growth. The growth is charted. So there's accountability within the team to build possibilities of moving together towards supporting the growth of students in, for example, geometry courses. And so that's actually work at the departmental level. Co-teaching are typically pairs of educators who get together, who are teaching in support and service of the students, the diverse learners in their classrooms. And then our tier one areas of focus are really what are the

059practices? Say you're in a PLC, what are the practices, high leverage research-based practices that we're trying to improve outcomes for students? So it's really everything I just mentioned in terms of those three core areas are coherent and they do not require MCIE to support us in that work. If anything, MCIE will say, now, are you meeting the needs of your diverse learners? That's already a part of what we're focusing on, but they'll ramp it up a notch. We have many different types of learners. We have students who aren't being challenged enough. And so to have that level of accountability where they're helping us to reflect on the needs of all of our students, all of our learners, we have many multilingual learners. We have students who have specific goals outlined in their IEPs. We have

060students who are just trying to make growth and make adequate growth. And some are excelling. They help us to really get a good picture of student growth and the practices that can help move growth even further. So, again, it's building on that foundation. And are we creating new measurement tools so we can know what's happening? So that's one of the things that we'll have to continue to, and I know this is coming up, too, through our strategic planning work. We have professional development now. The direct impact, I don't know if we can effectively speak to unless we are matching aligning measurements with what we're teaching. One of the things with moving systemically and across the entire district is that there needs to be shared accountability. And everyone's doing their own thing. And there's really, really

061not in alignment with our district vision or our priorities. And there's not collective efficacy around it, meaning a shared belief that we can support student growth. There won't be. And so PLCs are one way teams will track the growth of their students. Co-teaching will be looking at working with the teams to develop different measures to see to ensure that we're impacting the needs of the diverse learners. Within a class, and there are many measurements that we can look at there, whether it's students meeting their IEP goals, whether it's grades of all the students in the class, whether it's some of the other data that we've started to collect using our different data dashboards, we'll utilize that. And for our high leverage instructional practices, we will have we have instructional coaches who will be supporting PLCs.

062We have instructional coaches who will be supporting teams of teachers as well as individual teachers to actually learn the practice. If you think about how many trainings or experiences you've had learning something, there's no accountability to it unless someone oftentimes is helping you apply it in the context in which you can make meaning out of it. And that's the purpose of instructional coaching, instructional coaches to meet with teams, to meet with individuals, to really make sense out of the practices and also to make sure that we're choosing practices that actually speak to the needs that students are demonstrating, not just picking a strategy just to try it. What is the purpose of the strategy and how are we going to chart its effectiveness? And that's part of the work of instructional coaches to help with

063that data collection as well. How many of these resources for this first to call it the first phase here are internal things that we currently have and how many external? I'm not really talking about, you know, you know, software that will help us measure them. I'm just talking about real resources that are instructional coaching and that sort of thing. So we have resources in terms of co-teachers. We've already allocated the staffing for co-teaching sport, our model. We've had co-teaching for a while, yet this is the first time that we will have district wide learning around co-teaching. So as I stated in this presentation, there are a lot of opportunities to effectively use the co-teaching pairs towards student success. So we've allocated that. We already have department chairs to support the leadership of PLCs, high leverage

064practices. We have some learning around that. That's the work of the instructional coaches. We will be training our instructional coaches. And so that's a resource that we'll be partnering with True North around as well. And True North will also support us in some of our co-teaching work. There are many, just to be very transparent, there are many models for instructional coaching. We will be meeting with the team to determine the most effective model based on our contextual needs because matching, we just don't want to pick any model. We have to consider who we are, who our students are, and what we know about instruction to figure out the model that we believe will yield us the greatest results. So a lot of this foundational, the foundational pieces are built into our structure right now. And

065outside of some of the external partners that will need to help train our leaders to be effective with our staff. So it sounds as if that we have potentially the structure and the resources in place, a fair amount of it. We have the opportunity now to really leverage those resources. Yes. There's more growth there that we haven't seen yet. Yeah. Okay. So I have a question. I've been encouraged by how much we're reaching out to 112109 to build great relationships. And with ECRA, another vendor which we signed contracts with, we signed it such that they can share data across the three districts. Is it going to be similar with MCIA that there's going to be more, there's going to be a sort of a group thing going on? Well, each district is at a different

066place with their work. Right. So we, I'm honoring that. We have different needs right now. And so we're going to start there. We know that we're all interested. 109 has really partnered with MCIE the past several years and they're further along. And even their understanding and the implementation of their efforts. 112 has had pockets but is starting more formally right now. And our district is sort of being exposed right now. I have a background with MCIE, but this will be new for our district. And so we're going to honor that. And then along the way, see if there are efficiencies or ways to possibly even partner around some of the learning. Because in any district, you always have new educators. You have new levels of exposure. There may be some type of learning experience where

067all the districts have the same group of people who have a similar need. Maybe we can collaborate around that. I always find it effective when our districts come together because we share students and talk about our noticings. And really get to know the insides of what we're actually supporting and doing. I feel like it only makes all of us better. So there will be opportunities, but to launch, I want to acknowledge we are at very different places. Any other questions? Just the connection to the strategic plan. I know the presentation is coming up, but I'm assuming that's going to be part of how it all comes together. Yes. So I've been thinking a lot about our strategic plan and the timing of May 27. And the need to prep for all of us to have

068our plan moving forward. Instructional plan with flexibility, of course, our direction now before school ends. School's over by the time the strategic plan is presented. Yet everything with this in mind, everything that's coming out of the strategic plan and even the goals that the community will provide feedback on, any iteration of them will still support this direction. I think that's what that speaks to the number five and number seven, where there's that coaching and expert support. But then seven, that sustained duration focus on tier one in year one is different from a focus in tier one in year three, year four. But it's still that focus, but it's different. Am I understanding that correctly? Tier one is everything. And so I know the visual might make people think, oh, my goodness, this is going to

069be forever. It actually is ongoing work. We have students in our classes every day that have a wide range of needs and we're missing kids. We're missing kids who need acceleration sometimes and missing students who need enrichment and extensions. And so we'll we'll always be working on tier one. But the other tiers are only as effective as a solidifying tier one. Many districts, ours included, start with have started with focusing on the supports and interventions and we haven't solidified our core. And once we solidify our core, we'll be even better with our targeted supports because we'll have more data and information. And we'll be using that in more effective ways to know which students actually need more targeted support. And from there, which students need more intensive instruction. And even from there, it may help

070us address some of the identification and special education because now all of our students may need that level of support if our tiers are solidified. So it's really thinking about the entire continuum. And when we think about some of the conversations we've had this year around achievement, This is keeping all of that in mind and giving us at least a foundation to start tackling some of the areas where we know that we can be more effective to address some of the growth that our students should be obtaining. Hi, Dr. Halland. A couple of quick questions. The first is you mentioned earlier that you saw that the MCIE work would mostly be during Institute days or sort of existing professional development opportunities. Is your vision for this then that the PD that would be occurring through

071this process wouldn't pull teachers out of classes necessarily? Or if they will, how much do you envision that happening? So MCIE would not come till later, that partnership. But what would we would use, we have limited, we have limited time during the school year for professional development and learning. And so with our shared schedule, we do have collaboration time built in twice a week. So our PLCs will meet during that time. Some of this work will have to launch this spring and this summer and with intentional dates, scheduled dates throughout the school year. So some of it would pull teachers out of the classroom, but we'll have to do that in a structured way. That's what has to happen right now as well. And this may be premature, but I know since we're still a

072little ways away on the MCIE work. But do you have an idea of what the total cost of that would be to have that company come in and assist us? So I don't have a full scope. It really depends on what we designed. And so I have engaged in conversations around the potential cost. But some of the things that I see on their document, I don't know the extent to which we'll need some of the things they have. And so this is where it becomes when they come in and really get a sense of our district. What I appreciate about them is that we partner. They partner with admin, staff, students and families and help us design. And the pricing points will likely come from that outside of the standalone. This is what it will

073be to launch, like to come in and do a readiness assess. Fantastic. Thank you very much. Thank you. So our next presentation also aligns with this one. And that's MTSS, correct? Fantastic. Yes. Great. Right. Good evening. Oh, of course. We're passing to Clicker. Hey, good evening. This presentation provides an update from this year's MTSS committee meetings and includes notices and recommendations for advancing MTSS in the 2526 school year. So this year, the MTSS committee did an outstanding job, deepening their understanding of evidence-based systemic approaches to multi-tiered systems of support. While there are many positive developments at both Deerfield and Highland Park High School, a consistent theme throughout this presentation is the need for greater alignment and a more systemic approach supported by shared leadership from the district office to improve students' outcomes. There's a delay

074on this. Maybe not slightly. Okay. So the committee has explored several key recommendations this year. The first is reconsidering the use of grades as a data point for tier two and tier three eligibility. Grades, as we know, are inherently subjective and vary widely across classrooms and schools. Shifting the mindset around this will take time until grading practices become more consistent, potentially through standards-based grading, training on learning targets, and iterator reliability on how to measure mastery of a particular standard. Leaning into normed assessments are more valid and reliable indicators of student need. While not perfect, these assessments allow for more consistent comparisons of student performance and response to intervention across the district. In line with this thinking, the committee has also begun to explore normed, evidence-based progress monitoring tools to better measure student response to interventions.

075This represents a significant but necessary shift in how we view and track student growth. And then finally, this slide will highlight the importance of clear communication with all stakeholders, teachers, students, and administrators about the role of a universal screener in our district we use STAR. This tool is critical not only for identifying students in need of support, but also for recognizing students who may benefit from an accelerated placement. So additional recommendations informed by MTSS models from the American Institutes for Research highlight the importance of using an evidence-based protocol to analyze student data. This protocol should guide district-wide conversations about student response to intervention at the end of each intervention cycle, which aligns with the close of each semester. In support of more inclusive classroom practices, the committee has also explored the implementation of push-in support

076for tier two interventions during small group instruction. For the 25-26 school year, this will serve as an exploratory phase for this model, with support from administrators and instructional coaches. Aligning push-in support to students' specific skill needs alongside targeted coaching in high leverage, evidence-based instructional strategies, and restorative practices will be essential to building adult capacity and to improving student outcomes. So the following slides that are coming up will provide updates on data collection within Panorama, which is our district's platform for tracking interventions and social-emotional learning. So to begin, it's important to highlight that valid and reliable data collection is a foundational pillar of an effective MTSS framework. While data collection is occurring in both buildings, the processes for progress monitoring and tracking student response to intervention are not yet systematic. Currently, not all stakeholders involved in

077MTSS are fully trained in using Panorama and STAR platforms, and their use remains inconsistent across the two schools. Additionally, the absence of district-wide data days has limited opportunities for MTSS teams from Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools to collaborate, share interventions, and review student growth. As a result, each school has developed and implemented different typologies for academic and behavioral interventions. While both schools are actively working to improve student outcomes, the lack of alignment and collaboration presents a clear opportunity for district-wide improvement in support of our students. From a district-wide perspective, we see a disproportionate number of English learners also receiving intervention support. In response, we've worked closely with Panorama over the past few months to import students' historical access scores, including their domain-specific composite sub-scores, an essential update to the platform. The next step will

078be to incorporate Apple scores to provide a more complete picture of our English learners' proficiency in their native language, which is Spanish for the majority of our students. Integrating these nationally normed, evidence-based assessments will enhance our ability to deliver more targeted, domain-specific support. Finally, we have updated the STAR data to include both percentiles and scale scores, as each provides unique insights into student performance. We have also integrated SAT results, and beginning next year, we'll add the ACT suite of assessments. These summative, nationally normed assessments, administered to all students in Illinois during the spring of their freshman, sophomore, and junior years, offer an additional data point to support the comprehensive view of student progress. The next section of this presentation is going to highlight some key observations and reflections on how to strengthen our current MTSS

079framework through a more systemic approach aligned between both buildings. Throughout this school year, there was a focus on studying the structures and data flow within the MTSS framework across both buildings. In the absence of regularly scheduled district-led meetings over the years, each school developed its own parallel structures, intervention topologies, and data collection processes. As a result, consistency, alignment, and the systematic response expected within a strong MTSS framework have emerged as key areas for improvement. Much of this year was spent unpacking the rationale behind decisions made at each site to better understand the current state and inform how we might reimagine the framework moving forward. I am optimistic about the continued learning ahead and the steps we can take together as a district to better serve our students. Key observations point to systemic areas for improvement,

080with priority on aligning both buildings in the use of norm-referenced universal screeners, progress monitoring tools, and evidence-based data discussion protocols. Additionally, identifying and implementing evidence-based interventions across academic and behavioral domains and ensuring alignment between the buildings will be a critical lever for strengthening the overall MTSS framework. In the 2025-2026 school year, MTSS teams will engage in a year of exploration focused on identifying norm-referenced progress monitoring tools, data protocols, and common evidence-based interventions in literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional well-being. Additionally, time will be dedicated to systematically training teams at both Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools to consistently use Panorama and STAR platforms. This year will also include the development of a district-wide day-to-day protocol and a pilot of push-in model support for Tier 2 interventions. Fostering collaboration and alignment between the two buildings will

081generate innovative ideas, shared learning, and meaningful growth as we continue to reimagine our MTSS structure. Both school teams have made significant efforts to support students in recent years. By bringing these teams together and implementing key systemic adjustments, we can build on this foundation and further strengthen the impact of our work. Looking ahead to next year's MTSS framework, the following slides will outline our strengthened Tier 1 supports that Dr. Holland began to speak of, which are designed to impact the greatest number of students across our classrooms. So, as you can see here in this visual, Tier 1 refers to the universal supports provided to all students in the classroom. These supports are delivered through evidence-based instructional strategies and data-driven, differentiated instruction to address the diverse needs of all learners. With leadership from our instructional coaches, these

082efforts aim to enhance teaching and learning across all classrooms, creating more dynamic and engaging experiences for students. We are excited to launch our first instructional coach visioning meeting next week on April 28th. Together with the administrative teams from both buildings, we will explore various instructional coaching models, including those of Diane Sweeney, Jim Knight, and Elena Aguilar. We will also share our own experiences with instructional coaching and identify areas within instructional design where we can grow, both individually and as a collective, through continued professional learning. The vision for our instructional coaches is to leverage their strengths in high-impact, evidence-based instructional and restorative practices. They will also provide support in implementing the universal design for learning framework, scaffolding for English learners, co-teaching models, and differentiated instructional strategies to meet the needs of our diverse learners. On the

083final slides of this presentation, if we can get there, we'll focus on the Tier 3 shifts being implemented to support language acquisition and growth of our English learners. So, in the past, placement of English learners into lab and reading classes was based primarily on STAR data and student grades. While these interventions provided support, they did not fully account for the specific language acquisition needs of English learners. A necessary shift has been to focus more intentionally on domain-specific language development and to honor the full linguistic repertoire of our students. For the upcoming school year, we are using a more comprehensive set of data points to reflect the complexity and the diversity of our English learner population. This spring, we conducted a detailed review of individual student data, examining domain composite scores for oral proficiency, which is

084listening and speaking on access, and literacy, which is reading and writing. We also analyzed historical Apple scores to better understand students' native language proficiency levels. Though time-intensive, this process ensures that students are placed in English language development classes that provide targeted support that's domain-specific and that honors the equity and services that we seek to provide all students, particularly those who are linguistically diverse. In addition to the reimagined intervention placement process for our English learners, we recognize that intervention alone is not enough to fully support our multilingual learners. Throughout the school day, multilingual learners are present in nearly every classroom. In alignment with Title III requirements, it is our responsibility to provide ongoing professional learning opportunities that equip all teachers with the strategies and scaffolds necessary to ensure access, achievement, and a sense of belonging for

085multilingual students. Beginning next year, these learning opportunities will be offered on a consistent schedule to help all educators embrace and support the linguistic diversity within their classrooms. In conclusion, this has been a year of listening, learning, and thoughtful planning in preparation for meaningful shifts and exploration in the 25-26 school year. Our MTSS teams are composed of dedicated educators who bring both expertise and a deep commitment to supporting all students academically, socially, and emotionally. We are proud of the progress this year, and we look forward to continuing this work in the year ahead. And if you would like to learn more about the reimagined MTSS framework, a presentation is linked in the slide deck for your viewing. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? Just a quick one. In both presentations, we talked a lot about data

086collection and data-driven instruction. How often will we be looking at all the data we're creating to see how progress is being made? I can imagine that at the beginning of the school year, someone might be making a lot of progress, and they won't be making it, so maybe the intervention would need to change. Is it a fluid sort of...? So in a typical system for a Tier 2 intervention, the cadence of data collection is usually every two to three weeks for a student, depending on the skill that you're targeting. And then for a student who's in Tier 3, that data collection tends to be kept more frequently. Yes. And then data cycles tend to last an entire semester, so they'll start first semester and they'll close right before we go on break. And then the

087next cycle of intervention will open up when the students return, and then we'll close again at the end of the school year. Great. Thank you. So that's for interventions. I do think that part of our growth as a district is really becoming stronger with our data systems and our use of data, because as you can imagine, the proximity to different types of data, like the proximity to it is important, access to it. Part of the listening and learning that took place this year is that the data that I might look at is different than what a teacher may need to support growth in their classroom for Shayla, who is a student. And so I think there's opportunity across the board to make sure that our data is useful and accessible to our teachers, which part

088of the year there's been some time spent building data dashboards that brings all that information together, not just in panorama, but in a district-wide created system. Our leaders need a different level of data to look at what's happening across departments. And as we try to triangulate many types of data at the district level to make sense of things, so data has not been a popular word. And sometimes I'm finding, well, I found that while there's a need to beef up our data conversations and our use and our understanding of it, I think sometimes it's not popular because it has not been easily accessible. So part of our growth as a district is to make sure that our educators have useful data to actually use in support and service of student growth and that we're looking

089at different types of data. There are lives behind all of the numbers. And so one of the things we're also exploring is how do we get to know more of the stories and journeys of our students because we have a lot of information in front of us. I don't know if we're paying attention to all of the forms of data that exist and the best way to know about stories, someone's story is to talk to them about it, not to make it up or not to assume, but to know what's getting in the way of some of the growth we're discussing. So our intervention teams may have a cycle of looking at data. I think our next step is what data are they using to make decisions? Is it the right data? And is it

090giving us the information we need to know to support student growth? And we need to continue to build on that. But I do believe our partnership with ECRA is really important and I think there are ways that we can push that partnership as well to make sure that they're providing us with the information we need as a district to support growth. Some of the data that we're going to get is going to be aggregate. Some of it's going to be individualized. Give us some examples or thoughts on practically how do each of those get used and what kind of decisions, what kind of actions do we take based on what we might see? Well, I think the practical part of it is based on who's using it, the user. I think as a district, since

091we're around the board table, we're going to, as we solidify our goals, we're going to need to determine what growth actually looks like. Where we are right now and what growth we're trying to see across our students and student groups and build a transparent dashboard to actually to track that. As Lisa mentioned, there are layers to this because grades are something that many districts like ours are used to using. And there's another layer of that conversation. What does a grade mean? So there are layers of the work, but we will start somewhere, even if it's creating the dashboard and using the data that's accessible and fine tuning it along the way. I think at a district level, we should be tracking our progress more transparently. I think within our course teams, the groups that teachers

092are meeting with, they need to track their student outcomes by looking at the assessments they just gave students, like sets of student outcome data and making some of the shifts there. I think that alignment is how the system moves, but everyone has to have a commitment and accountability to knowing what's happening in real time in the classroom. If I'm a teacher closer to student work and being accountable for that growth and then our district providing the resources and supports to move that growth and also being accountable. So it's hard to answer. There's just different layers of accountability and different type of data that we will look at. But it's going to require everyone to be accountable to growth. Right. And I guess what I want to try and I guess we'll learn this as we

093go along, right? Because growth can come from helping one subset of kids grow, right? Because then the whole thing will look like it's growing, right? But we have a mission to serve every kid, right? And so we need to make sure that every kid is experiencing that in their own way, with their own needs, wherever that might be. Right. So that's what I'm just trying to understand. I guess maybe it will become more clear as we go along. How does that end up serving that mission of we're trying to meet every kid where they are and giving them what they need? I do think the PLCs play an essential role in that. Professional learning community are teachers teaching the same course, having those conversations around student outcomes and growth. What do I need to shift

094about my instruction? What I'm doing in front of the class? What I'm presenting to students using what I know to support growth based on what they're demonstrating. So part of the professional development model is to really build strong teams to have those inquiry based conversations with student outcomes in front. Not the anecdotal conversations about how a class did, but these are the actual results and really planning instruction around that. Not saying what didn't the student do? Let's give them more of X, Y, and Z. It's really what do I need to shift in my instruction to shift the growth? And I think why that's such a vulnerable space for teachers. And we saw this a little bit at Highland Park because they did quite a bit of work around PLCs this year was when you

095take the data and you're looking at student outcomes and you see, well, for the most part, everybody did well. But then when you start to look at, well, who didn't? And you start to see these predictable patterns that emerge. And so then that's a vulnerable space for a teacher to say, you know what? I might not know enough about how to scaffold language supports for English learners in my room. I've been teaching for 25 years, but for whatever reason, the data for this particular subset of students is always showing consistently that I'm not supporting them in the way that they need. And so that's kind of the area that we have to go and lean into. And that's why a PLC can also be a really powerful place because you also have the support of

096your colleagues who can affirm what you're going through and who can also provide ideas and things that have worked for them. So that you're able to kind of expand your own repertoire as a teacher, too. And I think one more area there that will be important is the accountability then on leadership to feedback loop. Listen to the PLCs. What are they finding? What are the needs that they're uncovering? What are the structures and the professional learning that we could provide so that we're giving the resources and support based on what their data is showing them? The whole idea is that everyone within their locus of control is accountable for what they can do to impact the system, but that we're working together as truly a professional learning community all within our lanes. I think it's

097probably easier to find those places where there's maybe failure is not the right word, but isn't meeting whatever, right? It's harder when it looks like they are, but maybe there is more there, right? And that's sort of my question, how do we identify that? How does that get in here as well? I think attainment is different than growth. So if teams of teachers are looking, our educators are looking at student outcomes, the conversation could be where they push, where they challenged. Are we assessing what students already know? What's the next level of growth? What will push them to the next level? That also is a part of what a professional learning community should be looking at. There's a trend, every student's getting an A on everything. What does that mean? Are they being challenged enough?

098Is this appropriate? What type of extensions or enrichment? What about my instruction maybe demonstrating, I wonder if the students already came in having all the information, how do I need to address my instruction to make sure they're accessing their next level of challenge in my course? So it's not always, the trends can go a variety of ways, including all students are just performing well and nothing needs to change. There's a deeper level of the conversation that can always support enhancement and enrichment for our students. And again, it's not attainment, it's growth. How are we measuring growth? Even when students are doing well, are they growing? And how are we tracking that? What I heard, what I think I heard you say was both schools have worked really hard on their MTSS focus. And it's been

099in a siloed fashion. How are we ensuring that moving forward that that doesn't happen again? So part of our professional development plan is to collectively solidify tier one, to not do it, allow the district led and support it. And so we're having these conversations here because it's important that we're moving towards a shared direction, which means we're identifying priorities for district and providing the resources and support for staff learning, for teacher learning. And so that's a part of it. What are our instructional priorities or learning priorities as a district, which seems like it's a different type of feel for our buildings right now and for everyone having shared direction. It's very similar to like the curriculum alignment, bringing people together from the different buildings for the first time this year. And they haven't met consistently

100like this. It's a very interesting thing to just observe people who do the same work with a similar community of people, but they never really have the chance to talk to one another. And so that's why I think like next week, the coaching teams are coming from both buildings and they're going to be here and it's going to be sharing our experience as coaches. But we haven't done that. And so that's, I think, where you have to start. You have to start by bringing people together and having them share their experiences and build on that commonality. And the PLCs, are those cross buildings or is it? PLCs happen in each building. Yet it creates an opportunity. We've been designing this for PLCs to get together sometimes to collaborate too. Like you can imagine formative and

101summit, the creation of formative and summative assessments to actually gauge across the district where students are with the acquisition of different standards and skills within a course. It's more powerful. I mean, it's a larger data set to actually gauge what's happening across the district. It's also powerful just to look within the team, but we have really been focusing on creating opportunities for our buildings and our leaders to talk. It might sound foundational, but that's literally been a big difference this year. PLCs then sort of be communicating directly to the senior leadership to talk about, like, so that someone is seeing if the PLCs are coming up with common themes or a best practice that maybe the geometry PLC came up with, but might work really well in the English department as well, like someone overseeing.

102I think we're starting with the creation of the teams, formalizing it, having a schedule of their meeting, having PLC leaders under the direction of a department chair. So the departments have leaders. So we'll wait for, you know, that teachers have multiple preps and they will be on PLCs, but maybe they have a prep and they're not on that PLC. They will still have access to the information, to the meeting notes, to what was discussed, to the outcomes of the assessments. They can even contribute their student outcomes for the team to talk about and follow up. We have a layer of instructional coaches, and so part of this is then the department chairs meet and instructional leadership teams at the building level and with their principals. And so that's where the different perspectives as well from

103the departments can come up through our different meeting and leadership structures. I would love, and I think this is always powerful when we create spaces, whether it's a all staff meeting, department meeting, or even a district wide meeting for teams to talk about their learning experience and share with each other. But again, all of this has to be structured and it's being built, but we have to create the opportunities for sharing, for learning, for sharing insights, for knowing, oh, Mira tried this and I want to know more about that. But I think we need to create the space for our teachers to be curious about different practices that can enhance their experience. So there's layers of that and an opportunity for more collaboration and sharing across departments, but it's through our buildings in our district

104structures. Okay, we have one more to go. It's short for your pathways. Okay. So I just, I just want to say something else. I know this last presentation started with committee, like being framed at the committee and our next presentation also references committee. We do have committees as outlined in our collective bargaining agreement with DA and so Dr. Delacqua oversees some of the committees that fall under her area of supervision under curriculum instruction assessment. MTSS is the committee as well as the career pathway committee. So that's what that's referencing for context. Thank you. Hey, good evening again. This presentation will provide an update on the work of this year's career education pathways committee, along with recommendations to guide next steps for the 2526 school year. I think this is not the correct one. Give me

105a second. Not. I can present this one, but this is not the, there is a copy made. How did that happen? Yeah, you have the correct one. They have the correct one on their screen. Yeah, through the agenda. Yeah. Can Ron Ron. I'm working on right now. Thank you. Thanks Ron. Sorry. We have it up. Is there, can you start with the overview? That'd be great. Okay. So the committee's vision is to develop pathways that offer students meaningful opportunities to learn from professionals. While this work is still in its early stages, we are committed to expanding our offerings once course alignment between the two buildings is finalized for the fall. We believe that exposure to real world experiences in fields of interest will better prepare our students for success beyond high school. So you can

106see our vision statement there. So just for an update on our committee work this year, the committee focused on understanding the requirements that students must meet to earn a career pathways endorsement. So these requirements include the development of an individualized student plan that outlines post secondary education or job training goals, along with components of career exploration and financial literacy to earn a pathways endorsement. Students must complete a two year career focused instructional sequence that includes at least six early college credits, which can be earned either through AP courses or through dual credit courses that are aligned to an industry recognized credential. They also have to have a minimum of two career exploration activities, two team based challenges that are actually integrated within their instructional sequence of the chosen pathway, and then at least 60 hours

107of participation in one or more supervised career development experiences over the course of their high school career. Next. Thank you, Ron. So this slide illustrates the rapid growth of career pathways in high schools across Illinois. So in the 22-23 school year, we had 39 school districts awarded a total of 1,072 endorsements with the highest numbers in human and public services and health sciences and technology. By 23-24, participation expanded in Illinois to 94 districts with 2,422 endorsements awarded statewide, again led by human and public service pathways. And these are fields that include education, government, law, public safety, corrections and human services. So with the requirement to offer at least one pathway to this year's incoming freshman class, this is our new state law, we anticipate an even more significant increase in participating districts and endorsements for

108the 24-25 school year. So how does this look for our students? When students earn a college and career pathways endorsement, a seal like what you see here on the screen from the Illinois State Board of Education is affixed to their diploma. So there are endorsement areas that, and these include agriculture, food and natural resources, arts and communications, finance and business services, health sciences and technology, information technology, manufacturing, engineering, technology and trades, and then human and public services. And then within those seals, there are a variety of careers that align to those. So this year, District 113 applied for and we received approval for five career pathways to the Illinois State Board of Education. So these are listed here, the first three are there, and then the next slide will show the remaining two. Each pathway

109includes early college credit, they include industry recognized credentials or certifications, and they align to a variety of career clusters within the broader endorsement areas. Starting this fall, we will launch our cybersecurity pathway with seven sections of AP cybersecurity offered across both high schools. Yeah, it's a big deal, we're excited. In addition, students enrolled at Lane County Tech Campus programs will have the opportunity to earn endorsements in nursing, early education and teaching, welding and fabrication, and culinary arts. So all of those were approved by the state, which is great. So when we go to the slide for recommendations from the committee, the Career Education Pathways Committee has developed several recommendations to continue advancing this important work in the 25-26 school year. As course offerings between the two high schools become more aligned, additional pathways may be

110offered and added within departments. So once instructional sequences are established, because remember we need that two-year instructional sequence with the six early college credits, developing partnerships with local organizations, businesses, government agencies and the Park District will be essential to providing students with meaningful work-based learning experiences. Because remember every student in a pathway will need to accumulate 60 hours. The committee also discussed the need for dedicated support to sustain and grow the Career Pathways Initiative. So this could take the form of a flexible position that evolves over time as implementation deepens across the district. Regardless of the structure, the committee strongly agrees that both building level and district level oversight are critical, given the cross-departmental coordination that's required from human resources, transportation, curriculum and instruction, student services and others just to ensure the program's success. In

111terms of next steps, beginning this fall discussions will likely begin around developing work-based learning partnerships to support our students, now that some of the instructional sequences are in place. Teachers within the Cybersecurity Pathway will be collaborating to design their course and team-based challenges that align to the pathway goals for cybersecurity. And then to measure the impact of our Career Pathways efforts, data for each endorsement is going to be tracked. Right now we have Maya Learning as our platform for tracking those sorts of metrics, and those metrics are then submitted to the state at the end of the school year. So finally, as course offerings become fully aligned between the two buildings, additional pathway submissions will be prepared for state approval as well. And that is the end of that presentation, much shorter. Thank you. Any

112questions? So question about how the pathways, sorry if I missed it, but students opt in, like is this a discussion they're having with their guidance counselors? Like how do I opt in to participate in a career pathway and know that this is possible? Yeah, so usually what students start with freshman year is during their advisory curriculum, they have a component that's called a career exploration component. And so that's where during the school year as a freshman, they're exposed to a variety of different careers, things that they might be interested in. They take career interest inventories through Maya Learning, and so it actually tells the student, hey, based on what you did in this survey, this, this, and this could be a good option for you to consider as a career. And so then when students

113meet with their counselors, they're looking at pathways and the careers that fall within those endorsement areas based on what the data and the students are telling their counselor is their area of interest. Instructional sequences typically start sophomore and junior year with the work-based experiences usually being an overlap between junior and senior year. So it is really exciting. And when you think about it, like I think about what Holly shared with the students doing all of the work-based experiences with the businesses and then Kathy sharing with the flower or the daisies, the daisy flower thing. Like there's a lot of things that are already happening pretty organically in our buildings to continue growing pathways. We just needed to get the curricular sequences aligned between the buildings so that we could begin to enter more for the

114state to approve. But I'm really excited and looking forward to the work ahead. I think that this district is going to have a fantastic time growing pathways for the students. So just imagine an inventory, just getting kids to think, what am I interested in? What am I passionate about? Starting there, exploring possibilities with their counselors. Then someone reviewing their inventory and also letting them know what courses we have that might be of interest to them. And this is where the alignment of our courses really becomes important because we want students to have access to different experiences. But we want to make sure that it may be in our program, academic programs moving forward. I've worked in districts where we align, we tell what pathway this course is connected to, what careers of course is connected

115to if they're interested. So imagine students then thinking about exploring different courses that we have and then also we would need to build in different internship and work based experiences for that. So it requires I've hired these positions before for career pathways and it does require someone to really be out in our community and our communities. Meeting with business partners, going to different, I mean we have a lot of access all around us for different internship and learning experiences. We also have to build in the flexibility within our schedule to allow for these experiences. But someone really has to build the partnerships or we need a group building the partnerships, working with students to identify the experiences that they want, coordinating that. And then going on site to partner with their, whoever is providing the

116internship to really assess how students are doing. It is a very comprehensive type of a structure. It's very empowering for students and many students actually end up having summer jobs and sometimes work experiences, they move right into the career or have a place to come back to work after they're done. Maybe their first year in college, for example, but it is a full circle type of experience and it does require staffing to support it. But I just think about our college and career centers where we should be moving forward, bringing in different professionals and promoting them to our students to come and learn about different opportunities to hear stories of different people across different fields. So there's a lot of opportunity ahead of us for this with the launch of these pathways. So thank you

117for helping to align us and getting us going. And now we have the responsibility to take it to the next step. I think about the students in the seven sections, cybersecurity, for example, what type of internship opportunities can we start thinking about? And what kind of partnerships can we start fostering to make sure that they have their hours met as they go through this sequence? So it will require us to reprioritize and reallocate possibly to figure out how we're going to roll in some of these really necessary positions to support this work because it is time intensive. And I just I did want to make sure I didn't I wanted to give this presentation, just say thank you to the committee. This was probably one of the best committees I've ever served on. It's mostly

118our post-secondary counselors, a lot of really passionate teachers who've been doing this work, and they care so much. And I know they're all listening right now. So I just wanted to say thank you to them, too, for their service, because they give up their time to put this together and to work together. I can see, too, building these relationships for these career paths also potentially allow us to have relationships with these businesses for our incubator classes and having people come in as professionals and giving talks. And so it can just be so far reaching. I think that's really exciting. And actually, finance and business is probably the next fastest growing pathway. So that's already been a conversation on the table that we started with both finance and business departments at both buildings last week. So,

119yes, the ball is rolling. Watch out, Ali. Any other questions? Well, how do we loop the parents in on this? So I have a lot of respect for our students' ability to be empowered and make a lot of their own decisions. But we need to make sure the parents know what's going on as well. I agree. I think we actually need to ramp up our programming and support for a lot of the things we talked about tonight. I can imagine a parent series or community series to make sure that everyone's staying updated without having to watch board meetings because conversations around careers can indicate that we're moving away from other post-secondary opportunities. Our focus is to make sure that students have access to whatever they choose and whatever they want to do. And so it's

120not an either or. It's a both and plus. And so we do need to find opportunities to make sure we're bringing everyone along in these conversations. One thing that I do believe will come out of our strategic planning work, because if I think about our last meeting, this conversation was almost at every table. And so I wouldn't be surprised if there was a goal and strategies associated that come out of our strategic plan that solidifies this work for us. But I agree. I think next year we will need to do a better job of having a series of community conversations around our priorities. It's exciting to think about a student being able to self-advocate and being able to have a better sense as they journey to after high school, that for what they know right

121now, this seems to be a logical step as opposed to having three kids go through it to a certain degree, kind of throwing a dark board right now. And praying and hoping that all this money you're spending on whatever the next step is, you know, is the right. And especially in these types of communities where there's so much pressure on these kids to make absolutely the correct step at every single moment. Well, and the nice thing about pathways is if you're in high school and you decide, you know, I like this class, but I didn't love it and I want to switch, you can. And then it's called a multidisciplinary pathway. I wonder about that. So they do give you that flexibility. And then just another thing that's interesting, I teaching a class at DePaul

122right now and last week a student shared with me. She's like, you know, I when I was in high school, my high school had these things called pathways. And so I actually did student teaching when I was in high school, and that's when I realized I wanted to become a teacher. And now she is in the education program at DePaul. So it just goes to show like giving kids that exposure really can help provide the direction that they need. And the pathways are part of the requirements, dual credit opportunities and AP. And so I always think it's a bonus for our students to graduate with post-secondary credits to apply towards whatever they want to do. It's not required, but I like that that's built into the structure because they're leaving with that experience of learning,

123but also hopefully with some cost savings towards whatever it is, those general requirements, whatever it is they want to do. Great, fantastic. Well, thank you very much for these presentations. Thank you. Fantastic wealth of knowledge, wealth of information. Great. We will now proceed to public comments. We welcome your comments and questions to give them serious consideration pursuant to Board of Education Policy 2-230 and 8-30. All speakers should recognize the authority of the board president and be respectful in response to reasonable directives, which may be necessary to facilitate orderly public comment. When I call your number, please come to the podium, identify yourself with first and last name and sit in which you reside. And if applicable, state the agenda item to which your comment is directed. Please keep all comments within three minutes. The vice

124president will raise a hand at the 30-second warning and announce time when the limit is reached. You must conclude your remarks immediately. Any questions may be sent via email to the superintendent to receive a response subsequent to the meeting. And I believe there is a single public comment person. There is. Fantastic. I shortened my little spiel. So there's the one. Thank you. You're more than welcome. My name is Babs Maldenford. I'm a graduate of HPHS and sick in 1960 and my two kids followed me. So I was elected and reelected to this board. So I have a bit of relatedness. So I'd like to tell you why I'm here. I founded a nonprofit dedicated to provide opportunities for teens and parents. Just the conversation you are having. I'm here to help teens and parents to

125identify and communicate with each other what's really important to each of them. They come together in facilitated workshop and they explore communication methods that work best for each of them. Who to be is the name of the nonprofit. Who to be. Originally there were three online sessions. Now plans are to transition from an online workshop with three sessions to an in-person workshop with six a curriculum is outlined. We're ready to conduct a pilot this summer. What's missing is sufficient funds. Yes, I'm asking for funds, but I'm asking to also assure the success of our program. So what in addition to funding I'm asking for is participants to come and participate in the pilot. Who of you are parents of teens? Who are the faculty as parents of teens or the administration or the maintenance people?

126Anyone is welcome. A parent and a teen. So they're welcome to come participate in our pilot and provide feedback and see how that feedback in fact is accepted. We're offering the opportunity to be known as the district where enhanced who to be workshop was created. Join us, have the teens and parents of district 113 recognize, excuse me, my sophomore speech class wouldn't approve of this. Recognize the impact that communication has on relationships and the effect that communication has on the community as a whole. All relationships affect others. So I have a handout that you are welcome to and happy to answer any questions. Thank you so much. If you want to leave the handout on the desk out at the front. OK, fantastic. That's a great way for us to get I see one challenge

127with the handout and I mentioned it to you. I was so enthusiastic to be able to talk with you. I put my phone number on there so that if in fact there's there's also an email. But if you can keep that phone number to yourselves, I would appreciate it. Thank you so much. You're welcome. OK, moving on to discussion items. The first up is the DHS Warrior Gym Scoreboard Package Proposal. Dr. Holland, how are we starting that? So we will have a presentation by our Dearfield High School Athletic Director, Nathan Flannery, who will share, I like the title, information regarding an upgrade of our sound and video experience at DHS. I know he's been working closely with Ali, some with Brian and our boosters. Welcome, Nate. Thank you, Shayla. Good evening, members of the board.

128Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. My name is Nate Flannery, Athletic Director at Dearfield High School. I also have Larry Letwatt with me here this evening. He's the president of our booster club at DHS. Did I go too far? We are requesting a major upgrade to the Warrior Gym Sound System and video board, installation of a video board, a project that will bring our primary indoor facility up to the same standards that we already see at our stadium and auditorium. And we've also recently upgraded scoreboards at the baseball and softball venues. The proposal includes a high resolution 3.9 millimeter LED video display. In comparison, that's something you would see at the United Center, the Sears Center High Quality Board, a professional grade sound system. If you've been in the Warrior Gym,

129you know that we have sound issues in that space. This sound system will enhance our current sound system and then separate of this project, we're also working on some sound dampers that will also make the sound better in that facility. It will also come with new shot clocks. Shot clocks are going to be an IHSA requirement in the 26-27 basketball season. And it will also have end of period lighting, so the fancy lighting that goes around the scoreboard as you end a quarter or as the shot clock expires. And the proposal also comes with updated scores tables. The scores tables have video screens on them, opportunity potentially for advertisements, displaying announcements, showing team photos, those types of things. These upgrades will allow us to display scores, live footage, revenue generating advertisements, highlight clips, athlete headshots,

130milestone moments, coaches could even use the board to watch game film, to scout future opponents, to display plays that they may be running. And the system could potentially also serve as an instructional tool to our physical education classes. There is a video here of the Evanston board in action. I don't know if we have the ability to play that. That's okay if we don't. It is in the board packet where you can view that as well. While the primary users of the new system will be our girls and boys volleyball and basketball teams, it will also benefit large-scale badminton tournaments, large wrestling events. We have hosted the IHSA sectional over the years for wrestling, the CSL, invitational. Those events require us to move the wrestling mats to the Warrior Gym. And we would certainly utilize

131this board for those events. Large school assemblies, the board could be utilized. Our robotics team just had an amazing year. I could see them using the board and other student activities. And we talked a little bit about career pathways. We have a club called DSI, which is the Deerfield Sports Information Team. We've had many of our students in recent years go on to broadcast journalism majors. We have a student who's back home right now doing an internship that is working with the ACC network, the Marquee Network. And I'm pretty confident that none of that would have taken place without this DSI program. And this board is another avenue for those students. The next slide, if we get there, has a breakdown of the cost. So the total cost is $167,619. Of that, $142,619 will be

132reimbursed to the district by the end of 2026. We are asking the district to fund, from the capital budget, the sound system, which is $25,000. The Booster Club, who's here with us tonight, has generously offered to cover half of the total cost. This is similar to other partnerships we've had with them, also relating to scoreboards, the stadium board. They were a partner with the baseball scoreboard, the softball scoreboards. So it's continuing that partnership with them. And then we have some athletic department revenue available from a non-budget account. It's from our general athletic supply account. We've been able to create somewhat of a surplus in that account. And then we also, we run our summer camps with the intent of having a zero balance. But with that, you have to have a base number to start

133at. So if we said field hockey, you're going to have 20 kids in camp, that'll cover the coach's expenses, that'll cover equipment, t-shirts, and then 50 kids sign up for camp. Now we have a revenue. So when we have those revenues, we try to find projects that benefit a large majority of programs. So in the past, we did a weight room upgrade with some of that summer camp revenue. This is just another large scale project that we can do with that revenue that comes in. We believe this is more than a technology upgrade. It's an investment in our students. It will enhance their day-to-day experiences. It's going to elevate the spectator experience, has the opportunity to generate revenues through the advertisements, and continue to build pride throughout our campus. I'm happy to answer any questions

134anybody may have. I do want to give additional background of the summer camp's revenue that Nate talked about. Previously, we didn't have that revenue because there were no caps in place on the coaches and assistant coaches' salaries. So now if you've put those caps, so sometimes, as Nate says, that there are multiple students sign up, like 100 students sign up for a tennis class. So that leaves a little bit of revenue left over in the activity funds. So now that leftover money can be used towards athletic needs, just to clarify that. Thank you, Ollie. I have a quick question about the life cycle of this equipment and the ongoing maintenance costs. So the costs that you've laid out on the screen here, these are the initial costs to install. Correct. Do you have estimates for

135what it would cost on an annual basis to maintain the equipment and how long the life of this equipment would be before it would have to be replaced? So the expected life is 100,000 hours, which generally is 10 years. That's the standard life of the boards. The board does come with a five-year warranty, and the sound system has a three-year warranty for workmanship and materials. Our DSI students already have a lot of the software that's required for the board because we have a video board in our stadium. So we'll be able to utilize that in the school as well. But for ongoing maintenance costs, do we have it? Because my understanding is that the board at the football stadium has a dollar amount that they spend on it every year to have to maintain it.

136Is there an estimate for this? We have some software costs, but I don't know that we have a general maintenance cost. Yeah, I don't know if any large repairs or anything that we've done with the deer field football or the athletic stadium scoreboard since it's been installed, at least not that I'm aware of. No, just the software costs. And I think you did answer this. I just want to make sure I'm clear. So the revenue that you earn through the summer camps, that is found money. That isn't money that has already been, we're not going to take away from someone else or something else in order to do this. Correct. And then I want to reiterate that we don't run summer camps with the intent of producing a revenue. It's a result of larger signups

137than we anticipated. As Ali mentioned, we did a deep dive into summer camps a few years ago, and we reduced the cost of the camps as much as we could. We also capped coaches pay, assistant coaches pay. So yes, essentially found money. And then we have that general account that that money floats into. And we just want to make sure we're using that money for projects that can benefit as many students and programs as possible. And I know on the presentation when I was reading it, it says the district will initially cover the cost to be fully reimbursed by the end of 2026. The 25K though is not correct. Right. So it's the boosters, obviously very generous gift. And then the revenue from the summer camps, 58. And essentially, the 25,000 is the sound system.

138That is what the capital budget is picking up. Yeah, and that's, I certainly support the sound system. It's a different way of providing sound to the arena, but the three-core gym, instead of having kind of like a PA style sound system, this is more of a center hung. That's a better sound quality, pushing sound out from the middle outwards. And so it's a replacing of the existing sound system that isn't working for Deerfield's needs. What's the point of a buzzer beater if the buzzer sounds like a microwave, right? I have one more question. Do other people have any questions? And I was just, it was more a curiosity point. I was interested in when I obviously looked at the revenue opportunity for the booster in regard to signage inside now the gym. Do you have

139a sense of kind of what kind of dollar? We're not at this time changing the current advertisement package. This will just be, hey, now you get the gym too. Okay. But we may explore that down the road. We have some advertisers, and Larry, correct me if I'm wrong, that are on multi-year deals already. So we didn't feel great about going back to them and saying, well, if you want to get in the gym, now you got to PAX. We just added that in as now here's another opportunity to advertise at Deerfield High School. With the hope that maybe it also extends contracts down the road. Absolutely. And that follows the same thing when we did not have the Adams Field scoreboard. When we transitioned existing contracts, we didn't change or increase. We just brought them

140back into that contract. So we're just doing the same thing here. We're not charging them more. Gotcha. Okay. Thank you. And again, it was more curiosity points than anything I just wanted to understand. And the advertisement agreements have done very well with the booster club. Yeah. Yes. Who manages them? Who manages the advertisement? The booster club does. But then it comes through the district office and then it comes to the district office for sign-off. So ultimately the district office is the final approver. They're the final approver. Yes. But the legwork is being done by the booster club. The sales side of the business. Yes. Okay. Any other questions? Okay. And so then this will come back for approval? May 13th. May 13th. Okay. Fantastic. One last thing as well. So this does not require a

141bid because we looked into it. So there's a co-op we're going to go through. Sure. Good. Thank you. Thank you all so much for the time. Thank you so much. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Okay. The next discussion item is the legal services request for qualifications. There are a few engagements. So my team engaged a process to review legal firm or to represent our board of education. And part of this just came through some conversations regarding the amount of different law firms that we were partners with. And thinking about turnover on the board, my leadership needs of the district really just taking a moment to assess where we are with our use of law firms and who we want to work with moving forward. I think this is a good practice to review every

142so often just to get a sense of the supports and services that our law firms offer us. And as a reminder to everyone, our law firms are the board's lawyers. And so I know that we tend to take advantage of the legal service you provide, but this really is the board determining what legal outfits represent our district. And so we engage in a process to put out a process for requests for proposals. And my team vetted nine firms, boiled it down to a select few. And then we had interviews, which included two of our board members in the process. And this memo that's in the board packet just outlined some of the information that was collected along the way and the three firms that we want to move forward with in the future. I don't

143know if there were any questions about any aspect of this process or the firms that we've finalized or recommending. The only thing that I'd say, aside from just the firms we're recommending, something you've communicated before, part of this process also is a change in the way that we engage, I guess, with firms and with the intent of reducing the amount of hours that we're consuming with those firms. So that's a part of the process about not just choosing the firms, but how we're going to engage with those firms. Absolutely. So we have the firms. One of the things that I'll be doing with my team is just talking about our use of our legal support and legal counsel, putting some parameters around that. One of the great things that came out of this process is

144just hearing what law firms have to offer us in terms of professional development, in terms of building our own capacity to make decisions, school-based decisions, district-based decisions with their support. Many of them provide professional development as a part of their services. And so I know for our team, we will be taking more advantage of that and really just thinking about and having an approval process before we quickly pick up the phone and call just to have some parameters around it because we do spend a significant amount of money using legal counsel. And so it was to vet and determine who we want to partner with and to know the benefits of the partnerships, meaning to see the different supports and services and expertise across the teams of the law firms, but also for now the

145district to have some parameters around our use and to monitor that collectively. And I like one part that I like is that we were sometimes cherry picking some different legal firms to help with very specific needs. And so I like the fact that we're focused, we're using three and moving forward. And I do understand that they're obviously at least one of the firms that we've used in the past will obviously continue to service the current work that they are doing to closure. Yes. So I do want to add those. So the engagement letters that are part of these firms, so two of the firms are already using. However, we did, I did negotiate the engagement, some language on the engagement letters. I just want to highlight a couple of languages. First of all, rate freezes

146until 2026. So if the rates do go up, they need to notify us 60 days in advance. And then I had them add language on both all their three engagement letters about the estimates and budget oversight. I'm going to quickly read that. So it says upon the request of the superintendent or board president, the firm will provide a written estimates for specific matters, phases of a project or projects. Each estimates will define the scope of services, specify expected hours by billing tier and outline anticipated expenses. While not binding estimates would reflect the firm's reasonable judgment and experience. And firm agrees to notify the district in writing if the actual fees are projected to increase the estimate by more than 10 percent. So if they're discussing big matters upon the request of the board president or

147the superintendent, you could ask that what would be the cost of a certain case. And if that case does exceed, so at least you have a budget in mind. So that was important. All three firms agree to actually exactly list that language and the engagement letters. So that's good news. Other question. So in the past, Elijah Leese has been the primary legal counsel for the district. Am I correct in saying that? They were previously, in the last couple of years, not as much work has been under their purview. Okay. And my only question ask is that, are we concerned at all beyond the issues of billing rates and all this, of just sort of the loss of institutional knowledge by moving away from working with a firm who we've worked with for a long time?

148My opinion, and obviously others will weigh in, no, because Fransic has been a partner of ours for a while, and they were our, for example, our legal firm for the contract negotiation with the DEA. And so then they've served for us in several very large situations that we've been walking through. So I think they have quite a bit of institutional knowledge. Yeah, the firms that are no longer part of the program going forward are working in very specific areas for us. So what was the consideration that we thought about when we were thinking about who to keep on? And Alex, to add on that note, we do have cases that are currently pending. So basically from the cost containment point of view, we're still going to deal with our Hodges and Leese on those current

149matters. And then once they're closed, then we'll transition into, you know, a different firm to obviously save dollars. Great. Thank you. And then that the engagement letters are being finalized, correct? Yeah, they're already finalized. They're finalized. Okay. Fantastic. Great. Okay, the next item for discussion is the Consolidated District Plan for 25-26. Any, Dr. Zalacqua? The Consolidated District Plan is required to have board approval prior to submitting it to the Illinois State Board of Education so that we can apply for any of our federal grants that may be available for the 25-26 school year. I did update quite a bit of the language in the Consolidated District Plan just to reflect the district's focus on inclusive school communities, particularly for the professional development focus. I also included a language around professional learning communities and just the

150commitment to access, achievement, and belonging so that it aligned more closely with the district's vision moving forward. So those would be the major changes. The structure of the Consolidated Plan has not changed since last year. They still have the component of the Bilingual Service Plan as well, and that was completed in collaboration with Jesse Villanueva from Highland Park. And so we are ready for submission at this time. One other thing to note that this Consolidated District Plan is connected to grants. It's not about our district consolidating schools or any other effort for the record. We warned Dr. Holland that that has to be communicated every year so that we mitigate any confusion or concern. Every so often we get questions about what does it mean consolidating? That's not what that means. Thank you. You're officially

151now the superintendent now that you've done that. Okay, fantastic. Any questions about the report to the state? All right, moving on to action items. It is recommended that the Board of Education approve the 26-27 school calendar as presented. May I have a motion to approve this recommendation? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Is there any discussion? Again, this is for 26-27. Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Mr. Baraza? Aye. Mr. Brunk? Aye. Dr. Elliott-Shermer? Aye. Mr. Heineman? Aye. Ms. Lupa? Aye. Mr. Meader? Aye. Ms. Newman? Aye. The motion carries. It is recommended the Board of Education accept their Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award issued by the Association of School Board Officials International. May I have a motion to approve this recommendation? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Is

152there any discussion? Is this the 33rd? I do want to add though, so Business Office is like heavily scrutinized by ISBE. And we're the only department that gets audited starting from May till October. So six months every year, processing over a million dollars, a million transactions, inflows, outflows. So I do want to give credit to our team, Business Office. They do an excellent job, as you can see from the bill review and the descriptions, and excellent internal controls as well. So just kudos to them. I mean, this award is not possible without the entire team in Business Office. I just want to add that. Fantastic. I appreciate you doing that. Thank you. Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Mr. Brunk? Aye. Dr. Elliott-Shermer? Aye. Mr. Heineman? Aye. The motion carries. The next

153item is the Consent Agenda. Items included in the Consent Agenda were provided to all board members in advance and made publicly available as part of the meeting agenda. A board member may pull any item for separate consideration. Does any board member wish to pull an item off the Consent Agenda for separate consideration? Could we pull out items B and C, the Board of Education meeting minutes, because I was not in attendance then. Okay. Alex, this is the first time I have to do it that way. May I have a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as revised, removing B and C? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Is there any discussion? Jody, you have the bills. Great. So I want to thank Ali and team for putting this together. There were three bills that

154we reviewed. So the first was to Beck's Bookstore Incorporated for classroom supplies, and the second was for Advent Health Glen Oaks School, and the last one was for Wallace Academy LLC. All the bills look like they were in order, and Ali always demonstrates why he earns these awards year after year, so thank you so much for your diligence. Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Dr. Elliott-Schimmer? Aye. Mr. Heineman? Aye. Mr. Nieder? Aye. Motion carries. May I have a motion to approve Consent Agenda item B and C as presented? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Is there any discussion? Hearing no further discussion, a roll call vote, please. Mr. Heineman? Aye. Ms. Lupa? Aye. Mr. Nieder? Aye. Mr. Braza? Aye. Mr. Brunk? Abstain. Dr. Elliott-Schimmer? Aye. Ms. Newman? Aye. The motion carries.

155There being no further business, may I 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 at Township High School District 113 Board of Education this evening at 932. Thank you for your time and participation.