SE Illinois News

Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education met March 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The first regular meeting of the month of March of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 200, DuPage County, Illinois, was called to order at the Wheaton Warrenville South High School, 1920 S. Wiesbrook Rd., Wheaton, IL by Board President Rob Hanlon, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:00 PM.

ROLL CALL

Upon the roll being called, the following were present:

Board Members: Mr. Rob Hanlon

Ms. Julie Kulovits

Mr. Dave Long

Ms. Angela Blatner

Mr. Erik Hjerpe (participated remotely)

Mr. Brad Paulsen

Absent: Mr. John Rutledge

Also in Attendance: Dr. Jeff Schuler, Superintendent

Ms. Alyssa Barry

Mr. Matt Biscan

Ms. Melissa Murphy

Dr. Brian O’Keeffe

Dr. Chris Silagi

Mr. Jason Spencer

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Board Member Angela Blatner led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE HOST SCHOOL

Ms. Lorie Campos, Principal of Wheaton Warrenville South High School, welcomed all to the school and shared a video to celebrate some of the many highlights and accomplishments from the 2023-24 school year.

MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA

Consent agenda items # 9, 10, and 11 were moved to the April 10, 2024 Board meeting.

RECOGNITIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Schuler and the Board recognized the following individuals:

High School National Merit Finalists:

● WNHS - Brendan Robben, Caleb Valentino

● WWSHS - Alex Hestermann, Lauren Spires

High School ILMEA State Finalists:

● WNHS - Matthew Hufford, Zachary Larakers, Sebastian Jarrin-Paniagua, Wren Page, Archer Matthias, Charlie Strutzel

● WWSHS - Caleb Watson, Dalia Volkart

PUBLIC COMMENTS – Agenda Items & Non-Agenda Items

In accordance with Board Policy 2.230, members of the public wishing to offer public comment had the opportunity to do so. A public comment sign-up sheet was made available until 7:00 p.m. at the meeting site. The Board Meeting was available for viewing via live stream on the District’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/communityunitschooldistrict200.

Per Board Policy, the Board may shorten the time allocation for each person to less than three minutes to allow the maximum number of people the opportunity to speak. The Board did not shorten the time allocation for each person to speak due to the number of speakers.

Speaker Topic

Rachel Padron Current Policies Andrew Padron School Rules

Kelley Gillenwater Policies

Carey Williams Bebar Violence

Nicholas Graham & Avani Bharadwa Violence

Joel, Lisa & Tyler Anderson Violence

Daneel Gonzales Bullying

Harold Lonks WWS/Monroe

Amy Erkenswick Policies

Brooke Gennaro Policies

Melissa Purdy Policies

Marilyn Mauritz Support for District; Misinformation

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

Dr. Schuler thanked everyone who took time to provide feedback to the Board and administrative team, and to those who joined the meeting.

The meeting was recessed at 7:57 PM due to sound equipment issues. The meeting resumed at 8:02 PM and continued with the Superintendent Report.

Noted we have a lot to be proud of in the District, to recognize and celebrate our students and their accomplishments, and to not lose sight of this even in moments of challenge or crisis. We welcome almost 12,000 students and 1,800 adults daily in our schools, and thousands of parents and caregivers support the daily learning experience. We recognize moments exist where we have to address actions of our students, staff, and parents that fall outside of the expectations that have been set. We have and will continue to administer the school system consistent with the expectations set by the Board and the community through policy guidance and strategic plans. We need the partnership of the community to make this happen.

Student ambassadors from WWSHS asked and were provided an opportunity to share their perspectives.

Dr. Schuler provided the following updates:

● Attended the WWS Choral Classic showchoir event last weekend - saw some amazing talent.

● Round One of the Dodgeball Tournament at Franklin took place - noted this was well attended and for a good cause; recognized Franklin Asst. Principal Joe Kish.

● WWS Teacher Tiffany Marconi received the “Those Who Excel” special recognition award from the IL State Board of Education for building the Intro to Teaching/Education Course.

● The Warrenville Polar Plunge took place last weekend and D200 was represented by Sean Norris from WWS, and Bower administration staff Bridget Moore and Katie DeLaRosa. The Wheaton Polar Plunge will take place this coming weekend.

● The Flying Tigers student vs. staff basketball game was this week at WNHS - a great event.

CONSENT AGENDA

1. Acceptance of Gift to Sandburg Elementary School – Recommend acceptance of gift to Sandburg as presented.

2. Acceptance of Gifts to Monroe Middle School - Eagle Honor Awards – Recommend acceptance of gifts to Monroe Eagle Honor Awards as presented.

3. Acceptance of Gift to Monroe Middle School - Band Program – Recommend acceptance of gift to Monroe Band Program as presented.

4. Approval to Post for Three Middle School Head Custodian Positions – Recommend approval to post for three middle school head custodian positions as presented.

5. Approval of the Resolution to Authorize Transfer (Repayable Inter-fund Loan) from Working Cash Fund to Education Fund – Recommend approval of the resolution to authorize transfer (repayable inter-fund loan) from working cash fund to education fund as presented.

6. Approval of the Resolution to Authorize Transfer (Repayable Inter-fund Loan) from Working Cash Fund to IMRF Fund – Recommend approval of the resolution to authorize transfer (repayable inter-fund loan) from working cash fund to IMRF fund as presented.

7. Approval of the Resolution to Authorize Transfer (Repayable Inter-fund Loan) from Working Cash Fund to Operations & Maintenance Fund – Recommend approval of the resolution to authorize transfer (repayable inter-fund loan) from working cash fund to operations & maintenance fund as presented.

8. Approval of the Resolution to Authorize Transfer (Repayable Inter-fund Loan) from Working Cash Fund to Transportation Fund – Recommend approval of the resolution to authorize transfer (repayable inter-fund loan) from working cash fund to transportation fund as presented.

9. Approval of Transportation Contract Extension with Illinois Central School Bus, LLC – Recommend approval of transportation contract extension with Illinois Central as presented. (Moved to the April Board Agenda)

10. Approval of Transportation Contract Extension with Sunrise Southwest, LLC – Recommend approval of transportation contract extension with Sunrise Southwest as presented. (Moved to the April Board Agenda)

11. Approval of Single Student and Small Group Student Transportation Services Contract Extension with Citizens Taxi Dispatch, Inc. – Recommend approval of single student and small group student transportation services contract extension with Citizens Taxi Dispatch as presented. (Moved to the April Board Agenda)

12. Approval of Bills Payable and Payroll – Recommend approval of bills payable and payroll as presented.

13. Approval of Minutes –February 14, 2024, Regular Meeting, Open and Closed, February 28, 2024, Regular Meeting and Committee of the Whole, Open and Closed, and Approval to Destroy Recordings of Closed Sessions Prior to October 2022 As Allowable by Law – Recommend approval of the minutes as presented and approve the destruction of recordings of closed sessions prior to October 2022 as presented.

14. Approval of Personnel Report to Include Employment, Resignation, Retirement, and Leave of Absence of Administrative, Certified, Classified, and Non-Union Staff – Recommend approval of the personnel report as presented.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● #1-3: Accepting three gifts; thank you to the PTA and other community groups for the support.

MOTION

Member Paulsen moved, Member Kulovits seconded to approve the Consent Agenda as modified, moving item numbers 9, 10, and 11 to the April 10, 2024 Board meeting. Upon a roll call vote, the vote was: AYE 6, NAY 0 The motion carried 6-0.

POLICY APPROVAL CONSENT AGENDA

1. Approval of Revised Policy 6:230 Library Media Program – Recommend approval of revised policy 6:230 as presented.

2. Approval of Revised Policy 7:270 Administering Medicines to Students – Recommend approval of revised policy 7:270 as presented.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● These are the last of the policies from the most recent PRESS issue. The HR/Policy Committee had some additional questions which were answered and reviewed.

● 6:230 - provided additional information for the Board on the library book piece to understand the alignment of the District’s current practices and procedures with the language in the policy. There was no concern the adjusted language in the policy would shift practice. The questions and answers document will also be posted online as an attachment to the Board agenda.

MOTION

Member Kulovits moved, Member Long seconded to approve the Policy Approval Consent Agenda as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was: AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0.

ACTION ITEMS

Approval of the 2024-2025 Student Fee Schedule

During the 1994-1995 school year, the District instituted a basic fee schedule at all school levels that was put into effect as of the 1995-1996 school year. Annually, the administration reviews the fee schedule in preparation for the upcoming school year. A recommendation is then brought to the Board of Education for approval.

In March of 2010, the Board of Education was asked to approve a fee list for high school course consumables. In the past, the Board approved a blanket statement allowing for consumable fees to be assessed at cost. The Board was asked to approve a defined list, as these fees were to be assessed upon student registration for these courses, versus being collected in the classroom. In addition, the cost of workbooks was added to the list of consumables.

The recommended fee schedule for the 2024-2025 school year was attached to the Board agenda item. The Administration has reviewed the current revenue impact of fees collected, and how they offset ongoing expenditures in the budget. The Business Office recommends that all existing fees remain constant, meaning no change, except for the following area: An addition of a fee for the Illustrative Math workbook for Grades K-8 at a cost of $27.00.

Previously, during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school year, the cost of the Illustrative Math workbooks were purchased using ESSER Grant funds that the district received. The ESSER Grant is finished at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year and the cost of the Illustrative Math workbooks are now included with the 2024-2025 Fee Schedule. Following past practice, registration fees in Grades K-12 will be $10 less for those who pay before 7/1/2024.

The administration is not recommending any changes to athletic fees, and consumable fees will still be charged at cost, as they have been in the past. Tuition-based fees for the Early Childhood program at Jefferson will be set at the customary rate as well. The high school course fee list was also included in the board attachment. Proposed consumable fees are based on need; workbook fees are assigned at cost.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● This item was reviewed by the Board Finance Committee at their last meeting.

● In the second year of the pandemic, all of the student fees in the District were reduced by about 50%. Those fees have remained at the same level since that time.

● We are currently in the year where the federal recovery dollars that came to Districts through the pandemic are falling off of the revenue stream.

● The only adjustment proposed in the student fee schedule is the addition of a consumable fee at the elementary/MS level for a math workbook. This new consumable book is part of the new curriculum materials.

● The consumable fee would be waived for students who are part of the free and reduced lunch.

● Consumable fees are separated from the base registration fees for transparency purposes.

● The Finance Committee does want to do a review of all fees, fully reflective of the fact we did reduce those fees; federal resources came into the District (we wanted to make sure this supported learning recovery efforts, SEL, and additional supports coming out of the pandemic). As those resources fall off on the revenue side, it is important to do a thorough review of all fees as we look to the coming years.

● Curriculum materials for math - started with the District print shop printing the IM materials that are available for free. Staff requested we make the shift to purchasing the workbook - this adds features that are important to the instruction (such as things that are in color).

● Will review the Bookworms materials that are needed as part of the review of all fees. The administration wanted to get through the full implementation of the Bookworms curriculum.

It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the 2024-2025 Student Fee Schedule as presented.

MOTION

Member Blatner moved, Member Paulsen seconded to approve the 2024-25 student fee schedule as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was: AYE 6, NAY 0.

The motion carried 6-0.

ORAL REPORTS

Middle School Capital Project Discussion

The Board of Education continued the review and discussion of the middle school capital projects at Edison, Franklin, and Monroe Middle Schools. The administration provided the Board of Education with an update and additional information stemming from the presentation at the February 2024 Committee of the Whole meeting. Mr. Michael Dolter of Perkins & Will shared an update on the middle school capital projects, including program, budget, implementation, and community engagement development, which included information on the following:

● Program Development

○ School Community Engagement Strategy

■ Districtwide Common Components and School-Specific Components

■ Timeline (beginning in March and into May 2024): Stage 1 - Scope

Alignment Space Needs Understanding; Stage 2 - Preliminary Schematic

Design Review and Assessment

● Budget Development (3-step process)

○ Step 1 - Assessment of Revised Consolidated Options

○ Step 2 - Update Based on User Input and Refined Planning/Narratives

○ Step 3 - Alignment, Prioritization, Sequencing, and Expectations Review

● Implementation Development

○ Project Schedule Options - The timeline for each option (includes the three phases, initial investment, and the pros & cons for each option)

■ Option 1 - Baseline

■ Option 2 - Enabling Projects

■ Option 3 - Moderate

■ Option 4 - Aggressive

● Community Engagement Development

○ Draft of the Communications/Community Engagement Plans for Proposed Middle School Facilities Projects

■ February through August 2024

There was additional information on the following:

● Four main buckets of work - program development/concepts, refining budget development, implementation development, and continued community engagement development.

● Program development - adding additional specificity to the information that has been developed to date; continue to add information and continue to bring in additional voices into the process.

● Examples of Districtwide common components include science labs or standard classrooms; using the voices of all of the schools together to come up with a process, as well as a facility design that can be implemented at all renovated schools.

● Example of a school-specific component - performing arts component, different viewpoints at each of the schools and will look at them when additional conversations with the users take place; determining the specific needs of the specific program elements at each one of the schools.

● Adding more information and hearing from more voices as we move from stage one (scope alignment and space needs understanding) to stage two (preliminary schematic design review and assessment).

● Budget development - taking the documents reviewed at the last meeting in February and putting some additional refinement of cost to them; noting we will consistently update this throughout the process.

● Community Engagement Development - want to continue to engage the community and hear feedback; as concept plans are refined, want to invite the community back into the buildings to see the facilities; continue to update the content for the Together200.net site; developing a plan/timeline to produce an informational “Facilities Fridays” feature on social media, website, and an email that will go out weekly to the community. This will convey the needs of the three middle school buildings and how to address them.

● Anticipate the concepts being refined to a point as we near the end of the year so the plans have a level of specificity that can be accurately communicated, both what is proposed to happen and what the impact will be in the informational facilities feature.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● Getting feedback from users - coming from the specific building committee in a school or from any educator in the building? Is there a mechanism for getting student feedback?

● The consistency among all of the middle schools in the implementation of programs; and the needs at a specific school may change over time. Noted the different specific needs at different specific schools due to the current facilities being disparate amongst each one of the schools. The ultimate goal is to have consistency, but noted there will be components that are going to be slightly different.

● Step one in budget development - getting to the current projected cost. Hope to have an updated projected budget number in the next couple of weeks which will allow us to start moving forward.

● Project schedule options - directing the Board away from the aggressive schedule (spending money before we definitively know where the community stands) and more toward option one (unless the majority of the design money was toward things we must fix regardless of the answer in November).

● Noted from the February COW - Understanding all of the different options and design phases - what is the amount and how much would we have to do anyway?

● Comfortable that we are going through the right process and trying to get to the right solution.

● Once the potential recommended budget in known, go back to Sherman Dergis (SD) policy and think about the benefit/cost savings of doing all of the SD work in one swoop vs. spreading out over several years - see if there is any impact on the five-year financial forecast which might redirect dollars in our budget to other needs.

● If going to make an upfront investment in front of a potential community vote, want to make sure that it is done with something we will use regardless of the outcome.

● Think there will be a lot of school construction going into the market in 2025 and 2026 and concern about the capacity of the local Chicago construction market and labor materials - might be some advantage in accelerating some of that work. Should think about this as we evaluate the different solutions or implementation options.

● “Sherman Dergis” specific to the middle schools - building maintenance and repairs, building infrastructure improvements - through middle school projects, going to be able to do a more condensed timeframe, which might allow the board to redirect some of those dollars to other operational budget issues.

● The Board was comfortable with the Facilities Committee continuing to investigate option one - Baseline project schedule.

● As we re-engage the community it would be helpful to provide a view of what we are talking about doing and what is a normal standard in a middle school. As we move forward with design development, will help bring some greater visual clarity around the plans (an example being what an improved science lab looks like compared to what they have now).

● The student ambassadors from WNHS and WWSHS weighed in on how the District can activate student voice or student engagement around this, and how to get some feedback from the student body that is currently at the middle school level or those that have been through middle school.

The major takeaways from the discussion - the finance committee will work on a refined budget number; as we get that and put some related details together, the facilities committee is going to continue to move forward with shepherding concept plan development and timeline implementation, and ways we can continue to engage some of our feedback groups incorporating students. The intent is to continue to bring updates under the four buckets noted to keep the conversation moving forward.

BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS

Board Facilities Committee

The Board Facilities Committee met on February 22, 2024. The meeting notes were attached to the agenda item. There was additional information on the following:

● All topics were covered and discussed at the last two Board meetings that followed the committee meeting.

Board Finance Committee

The Board Finance Committee met on February 26, 2024. The meeting notes were attached to the agenda item. There was additional information on the following:

● Talked about the state budget proposal the Governor put forth just before the meeting. Noted there would be no impact on the assumptions in the five-year plan from the budget address.

● Student fees discussion which was on tonight’s agenda; the request to look at the comparables with other LUDA districts, and noted fees were reduced by 50% during the pandemic and have not been brought back up.

● The middle school facilities project/timeline that was discussed tonight.

● The custodial and maintenance staffing that was on the consent agenda tonight.

Board Human Resources (HR)/Policy Committee

The Board HR/Policy Committee met on February 29, 2024. The meeting notes were attached to the agenda item. There was additional information on the following:

● Reviewed section 5 of the administrative procedures (for staff that implements and operationalizes board policies); there were a few minor edits.

● Received an update on a new administrative procedure that will be rolled out next year for social media guidelines and digital communications; this provides some specific guidance for staff on how to use those tools; discussed a framework in August and staff has been getting feedback to understand what tools are used and what parameters are appropriate; a draft of the document is being circulated to the building teams for feedback and will come back to the committee before coming to the full Board with implementation planned for the 2024-25 school year.

● A follow-up discussion from an earlier HR/Policy meeting took place on school discipline - overseeing discipline trends with the discipline support team who review the data every quarter with the building leads at both the high school and middle school levels; reviews centered on who is engaged in discipline issues and making sure students are identified who might need more supports, what patterns or trends are being seen about different locations or types of incidents, and how do we need to respond in terms of reallocating supervision; identified some coding issues with some discipline data and training will be set for the summer to provide better consistency on that throughout the District; continue staff training on verbal de-escalation techniques.

● Separating employee and personal accounts - making sure it is clear what are school-approved accounts and personal accounts. Asked about any trends being seen - younger teachers are adept at understanding the separation between the two.

REPORTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS

Other Reports from Board Members

● Recognized the student ambassadors who spoke at the meeting; interaction with community members during the recess.

● Board members noted visits to/participating in the following:

o The February CAC meeting - the topic was AI and the level of engagement in that meeting was high. This is an issue that is important to the community. Noted CAC is seeking membership for next year. The committee is important input for the Board and administration. The committee is seeking representation from Johnson, Lincoln, and Emerson schools for next year.

o Adopted school visit to Longfellow Elementary School.

WRITTEN REPORTS

Monthly Financial Reports

FOIA Report

Board Communication Log

Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Report

TOPICS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION

Comprehensive Update on Safety, Security, Student Wellness

Middle School Facilities Plans

Food Service RFP

NEXT REGULAR MEETING

April 10, 2024, 7:00 PM, Emerson Elementary School

ANNOUNCEMENTS

April 24, 2024, Committee of the Whole, 7:00 PM, School Service Center

CLOSED SESSION

The Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, or Dismissal of Specific Employees, Specific Individuals who Serve as Independent Contractors in a Park, Recreational, or Educational Setting, or Specific Volunteers of the Public Body or Legal Counsel for the Public Body, including Hearing Testimony on a Complaint Lodged Against an Employee, a Specific Individual who Serves as an Independent Contractor in a Park, Recreational, or Educational Setting, or a Volunteer of the Public Body or Against Legal Counsel for the Public Body to Determine its Validity 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1) and Student Disciplinary Issues 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (9).

MOTION

Member Paulsen moved, Member Long seconded to adjourn the meeting to closed session for the purpose of 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1) and 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (9). Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0. Action will be taken following the closed session.

The meeting adjourned to Closed Session at 9:10 PM.

RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION

Member Hjerpe moved, Member Long seconded to reconvene in Open Session. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0.

Roll call was taken, Board Members Hanlon, Kulovits, Long, Blatner, Hjerpe (participated remotely) and Paulsen were present, and the open session was reconvened at 10:58 PM.

ACTION ON CLOSED SESSION ITEM

Approval of Student Discipline Appeal for Student S2023-24-01

A parent filed a request to appeal a suspension of their student. A hearing of that appeal was convened by the board-appointed hearing officer. The report of that hearing has been submitted to the Board for consideration and action.

The Board, in Closed Session, reviewed information regarding the appeal of disciplinary action against a student.

It was recommended that the Board take action on the student discipline appeal after deliberation.

MOTION

Member Hanlon moved, Member Kulovits seconded to approve the student discipline appeal recommendation determined in Closed Session for student S2023-24-01. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 5 (Hanlon, Kulovits, Hjerpe, Long, Paulsen), NAY 1 (Blatner). The motion carried 5-1.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION

There being no further business to come before the Board in Open Session, Member Long moved, Member Paulsen seconded to adjourn the meeting. Upon a voice call being taken, all were in favor. The motion carried 6-0.

The meeting adjourned at 11:00 PM.

Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education