Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education met Oct. 24.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
A special meeting of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 200, DuPage County, Illinois, was called to order at the Whittier Elementary School, 218 W. Park Ave., Wheaton, IL, by Board Vice President Julie Kulovits, on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 8:10 AM. Local legislators were present at the meeting to discuss issues surrounding public education with local government officials who represent the school district.
ROLL CALL
Upon the roll being called, the following were present:
Board Members: Ms. Julie Kulovits
Mr. Dave Long
Ms. Katy Ebbesen
Mr. Erik Hjerpe
CUSD200 Staff: Jeff Schuler – Superintendent of Schools
Faith Behr – Interim Director of Community Engagement & Communications
Melissa Murphy – Asst. Superintendent of Educational Services
Brian O’Keeffe – Asst. Superintendent of Business Services
Chris Silagi – Asst. Superintendent of Student Services
Jason Spencer – Executive Director of Innovation & Technology
Elected Officials: Betsy Adamowski – Wheaton Public Library Director
Candice Adams – DuPage County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Mike Benard – Wheaton Park District Executive Director
Robert Berlin – DuPage County State’s Attorney
Susan Bishel – Wheaton Public Information Officer
Sam Bonilla – Warrenville Police Chief
Erica Bray-Parker – Wheaton Councilwoman
Leah Brice – Wheaton Councilwoman
Kevin Dahlstrand – Warrenville Director of Finance
Kathryn Davalos – Warrenville Alderwoman
Michael Drew – Milton Township Highway Commissioner
Mike Dzugan – Wheaton City Manager
Grant Eckhoff – DuPage County Board Member
Amy Emery – Warrenville Community & Economic Development Director
Gwen Henry – DuPage County Treasurer
Elizabeth “Buffy” Higgins-Beard – Milton Township Supervisor
Matthew Larson – Wheaton Sanitary District Executive Director
Chris LeVan – Milton Township Assessor
Sheri Potter – Warrenville Park District Director of Marketing
Tim Reinbold – Warrenville Park District Executive Director
Stephen Siemer – Milton Township Trustee
Jason Stuhlmann – Warrenville Public Library Executive Director
Phil Suess – City of Wheaton Mayor
Scott Weller – Wheaton Councilman
Christina White – Warrenville City Administrator
Colin Wilkie – Warrenville Park District Commissioner
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
CUSD 200 Board Member Katy Ebbesen led the group in the Pledge.
MOTION
Member Hjerpe moved, Member Ebbesen, seconded to suspend the rules and adjourn to a workshop setting. Upon a roll call vote being taken the vote was: AYE 4, NAY 0. The motion carried 4-0.
Welcome and Program
Superintendent Schuler and Board Vice President Kulovits welcomed and thanked everyone for attending this annual event – an opportunity to share the District’s story and gather feedback from community partners. Dr. Schuler mentioned that the District is very fortunate to have such strong intergovernmental partnerships within the community.
Dr. Schuler and members of the District 200 Senior Leadership Team shared key points from the District 200 State of the Schools annual presentation that were most relevant to the group. This included information on the following:
● Vision 2026 – District 200 is in the final year of its current strategic plan, which was established after the pandemic.
● The three main intentional focus areas of the strategic plan have been learning acceleration, social-emotional learning (SEL) and emphasizing student connectedness to the school environment, and career-connected learning to help secondary students explore career pathways and develop essential skills for the future.
● The District 200 website dashboard provides access to the strategic plan and performance metrics.
● District Characteristics – District 200 educates approximately 11,500 students. 14% of the students are in the Multilingual Program (their native language is not English), with 89 languages spoken in our schools. 15% of students are served through the Student Services department, and 30% of students qualify as low-income.
● Staff – District 200 employs nearly 2,000 staff members and has seen a steady upward trend in staff satisfaction, as measured by a twice-yearly morale survey.
● Grades K-8 Learning Acceleration – the focus on securing high-quality instructional materials for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math.
● Academic Achievement and Growth – the District is seeing significant academic gains and is closing achievement gaps in high-priority subgroups. The average 8th-grade student performs at the 75th percentile in ELA (5% gain) and at the 68th percentile in Math (4% gain).
● Student Feedback on Learning from the 5Essentials survey (grades 4+) indicates strong satisfaction for both student Math and ELA instruction.
● College and Career Readiness – data shows that CUSD 200 has seen improvement in all four key metrics designed to track the preparedness of its graduating seniors. 85% demonstrated proficiency in Math, 71% demonstrated proficiency in English, 81% earned a “C” or better in an advanced course, and the graduation rate is 96%.
● Career Pathways – District 200 is developing Career Pathways that include a sequence of courses with early college coursework and career-connected learning experiences. Fully developed or in-progress pathways include Communications, Education, Entrepreneurship, Engineering, Nursing, and Marketing.
● Career-Connected Learning Framework – a vision developed with teachers and students that progresses from career awareness and exploration in middle school to preparation and training opportunities in high school. The aim is to increase the number of career days, guest speakers, job shadowing, and internships in our District.
● DuPage County Grant – District 200 received a $200,000 DuPage County Grant to hire two internship coordinators—one at each high school—to expand these opportunities and help students secure career-connected learning experiences. District 200 was the only school district to ultimately receive the grant from DuPage County.
● Call to Action – the District is seeking more business partners throughout our community for internships and guest speaking opportunities. A QR code was provided for the audience to share with others. CUSD 200 is actively looking for more ways for students to gain these experiences. It was noted that student opportunities do not have to be limited to the pathways mentioned.
● Academic excellence and student growth are the priorities in our District. The foundation for maximizing academic achievement is ensuring student safety and well-being.
● Key Student Experience Metrics – 96.5% of students say they have an adult at school who provides strong support and holds high expectations for them. Participation in athletics and activities has grown by 12% over the past six years, now standing at 78%. Students in CUSD 200 rate their sense of safety and the supportive environment in the top 4% among all Illinois districts on the 5Essentials survey. The attendance rate is 94.7% and continues to rise, with fewer students experiencing chronic absenteeism.
● School Safety: Things We Can Control – Lock your doors, know your kids, perform your threat assessments, and know your safety procedures (drills and protocols).
● CUSD 200 Safety Committee – dedicated to fostering a safe and supportive learning environment by guiding and supporting the district in implementing comprehensive school safety best practices.
● Artificial Intelligence (AI): Addressing AI in the Classroom – the District’s role is to educate students and staff on the proper uses of AI. Professional development opportunities are offered to staff, and community presentations have been provided to parents and students about AI. Currently, at the high school level, a dedicated AI tool (Gemini) is active. A crosstown advisory group of high school staff is being formed to review new developments and make informed decisions about AI for our district.
● Finance & Facilities – District 200 maintains a stable financial position, but must balance innovation and dreams with the reality of limited resources (time, human capital, and money). We can do anything, but we cannot do everything.
● Financial Statistics: FY26 budget marks the 16th consecutive year of a balanced operating budget. The operating fund balance is within the 25-40% range set by the Board policy. The ISBE financial profile score for CUSD 200 is 3.90 out of 4.0 (Financial Recognition), and we have received a AA+ credit rating, which is the second-highest rating from Standard & Poor’s (S&P).
● Sherman Dergis – the District follows the Sherman Dergis formula for facility investments. District 200 invests about $7 million annually each summer on high-priority capital facility projects. Since 2017, $60 million has been invested in facilities.
● Middle School Capital Projects – a referendum passed last November for three of the four middle schools. The work is expected to be completed before the start of the 2027-28 school year. When finished, the CUSD 200 community and Board of Education will have committed nearly $250 million in capital infrastructure upgrades over a 10-year span.
● Engaging our Community and Strengthening our Schools—community involvement is considered essential to the District’s success. By continuously engaging our community, listening to its priorities, and fostering meaningful partnerships, we create opportunities that enhance learning for everyone.
● Giving our Community a Voice: providing robust feedback loops – CUSD 200 has expanded its advisory committees from one to five, including those focused on Technology Education, Career Pathways, School Safety and Student Wellness, Special Education and Bilingual Parent Advisory groups. These are in addition to the Citizens Advisory Committee. There are opportunities for approximately 120 community members to help people get connected to the school district.
● Community Support – District 200’s favorability rating within the community was just shy of 80% around the time of last November’s referendum. This is considered a strong rating in the public education space.
There were comments/questions on the following:
● Strategies or thoughts for getting additional funding from the State. While the district has growing needs (30% low-income students needing assistance), the increase in state education funding is minimal.
o State funds are divided into two categories: EBF (evidence-based funding) and Mandated Categorical Reimbursements (for required programs like special education and transportation). While the EBF has experienced small increases, the mandated categorical reimbursements have been cut during budget shortfalls.
● Multifamily housing and any concerns related to overcrowding in our schools. It was noted that multifamily housing generally does not generate significant student enrollment, making it a manageable development from a school capacity standpoint.
Dr. Schuler and Vice President Kulovits thanked everyone for attending and sharing feedback.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
MOTION
There being no further business to come before the Board in Open Session, Member Ebbesen moved, Member Hjerpe, seconded to adjourn the meeting. Upon a voice call vote being taken, all were in favor and the motion carried 4-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 A.M.
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