June 17 Board Brief

June 17 Board Brief

Dear District 30 Family,

I hope that this email finds you well and that you’re having a great summer! It has been energizing to kick off summer school as we continue to prepare for next year. We held our last Board Meeting last night, and relevant items include:                                                                  

Personnel Report

The Board officially hired: 

Sandra Foley (Instructional Assistant), Ellen Mulroe (2nd-Grade Teacher), Amanda Petro (5th-Grade Teacher), and Sarah Weiland (2nd-Grade Teacher) at Willowbrook

Sylvia Gochis (Special Education Teacher), Martina Jambrusic (3rd-Grade Teacher), Morgan Mittlebrun (part-time Art Teacher), and Amy Oyer (Instructional Assistant) at Wescott

Amy Chopra as a Literacy Coordinator for the District

Please help welcome these individuals into our District 30 Family!

The Board also approved all summer school staff, the separation of nine individuals, and Diane Isley’s (Instructional Assistant) in-district change from Willowbrook to Wescott.

Elementary Capacity Project Update

Nicholas & Associates and ARCON shared an Elementary Capacity Update that highlighted the construction progress of Wescott’s new gym and eight classrooms. Roof installation for these new additions will begin next week! They also informed the Board about interior remodeling that began last weekend to generate needed flexible space, including modernizing Willowbrook’s library. They wrapped up their update by noting that this essential project continues to be on time and within budget.  

2021-22 School Year Planning Update

The Board reviewed falling area COVID-19 Metrics and an update on opening plans for the fall when daily full in-person learning will resume. Operations will be as normal as possible following required mitigation measures that are expected to include masks, frequent hand washing/sanitizing, and social distancing of 3’ or more. Wescott’s K-5, Willowbrook’s PreK-5, & Maple’s 6-8 operations will be as normal as possible. The following operations were noted:

  • Rotating through classes will occur with set seating charts
  • Resuming Athletics & Activities
  • Providing special lunch and ice cream days with the PTOs
  • Signing up vaccinated parents up for lunch volunteers (3 per building) that will begin when lunch can be normalized at no more than 3’ of social distancing
  • Providing synchronous remote instruction for students who can’t get vaccinated AND are quarantined 

Other preparations that were shared:

  • Hired three additional temporary teachers to ensure 3’ of social distancing within our classes along with relatively small K-3 classes
  • Secured “TV tables” to assist with 6’ of distancing during lunch, should it be required
  • Installing bipolar ionization systems in new Wescott areas & considering them across District 30

Strategic Planning Update

The administrative team provided a progress update on the 2020-21 Strategic Plan in support of the District 30 Board Goals:

Goal 1: Increase District 30’s capacity to systemically collaborate within grade-level teams to execute the cycle of continuous instructional improvement.

Goal 2: Ensure District 30 facilities possess the capacity to support our evolving and emerging programs and contribute to optimal educational experiences.

Student Services Report

Ms. Schulman shared this year’s Student Services Report that included her gratitude for the Board, Administrative Team, our EL and Special Education Teams, our Psychologist and Social Work Team, our Nurses, and our entire staff for their continued support and commitment to all of our students. She highlighted the strength of our diversity with 43 languages spoken within our district. Ms. Schulman’s pride in the continued high level of services provided, especially throughout this year, was woven throughout her entire presentation! The Board thanked Ms. Schulman and her entire team for their hard work and dedication to our students and the safety of our entire district throughout the year!

Second Reading of New & Revised Board Policies

District 30 revises Board Policies twice a year. Revisions and additions occur due to new legislation and the need to ensure that our policies support and align with our practices. We completed the second reading of the following Board Policies revisions: 

400 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES; 405.01 to Fiscal and Business Management from BUDGET - Planning; 405.02 BUDGET - Preliminary Adoption Procedures; 405.03 BUDGET - Final Adoption Procedures; 405.04 BUDGET - Transfer of Funds; 405.08 BUDGET - Tax Levy; 410 Payment Procedures; 410.01 Revenues & Investments; 410.04  FISCAL MANAGEMENT - REVENUE - Investments; 410.06 to Activity and Fiduciary Funds from FISCAL MANAGEMENT - REVENUE - Sources; 410.10 FISCAL MANAGEMENT - REVENUE - Borrowing; 415.02 Purchases and Contracts from FISCAL MANAGEMENT - EXPENDITURES - Purchases; 415.06 FISCAL MANAGEMENT - EXPENDITURES - Vendor Relationships; 415.07 FISCAL MANAGEMENT - EXPENDITURES - Bidding Requirements; New Policy: 416 Environmental Quality of Buildings and Grounds; 420.04 FISCAL MANAGEMENT - ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING - Inventories; 430.01 to Waiver of Student Fees from STUDENT FEE WAIVERS; 435 Transportation; 435.01 Free Transportation; 440.01 to Free Food Service from FOOD SERVICES - Free Milk and Free Lunch Program; 465.04 to Convicted Child Sex Offender, and Notifications from SAFETY PROGRAM - Convicted Child Sex Offender, and Notifications; 465.07 to Safety from SAFETY PROGRAM - PHYSICAL FITNESS FACILITY MEDICAL EMERGENCY ACT; 465.06 SAFETY PROGRAM - Fire Prevention; 465.08 to Facility Management and Building Programs from SAFETY PROGRAM - Green Cleaning Policy; 480 to Pandemic Preparedness; Management; and Recovery from SAFETY PROGRAM - Pandemic Preparedness; Management; and Recovery; 645.02 to Access to Electronic Networks from INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES - Acceptable Use of District's Electronic Network; New Policy: 734.5 Use of Educational Technologies; Student Data Privacy and Security

Board Reports

Mrs. Blonder’s highlights from the last Character Counts meeting included local vaccination efforts, the Library’s Summer Reading Program, and the planned reverse Fourth of July parade in Glenview. Mrs. Artz reviewed NSSED’s last meeting, including its rebranding work to TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 and its updated budget reflecting staff, administrative, and rate reductions. 

Association Contract Extended

The Formal Memorandum of Understanding was approved between the Board of Education and the District #30 Education Association extending the current 2018-2022 Bargaining Agreement by one year through the 2022-2023 School Year.

Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to join us at our next Board Meeting on July 15, 2021, at Maple School.

Enjoy the weekend and happy Father’s Day to all of our dads!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian K. Wegley
Superintendent