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Community Unit School District #200 Board of Education met January 8

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Community Unit School District #200 Board of Education met Jan. 8.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The first regular meeting of the month of January of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 200, DuPage County, Illinois, was called to order at the Madison Elementary School, 1620 Mayo Ave, Wheaton, IL, by Board President Brad Paulsen.

ROLL CALL Upon the roll being called, the following were present:

Board Members: Brad Paulsen

Chris Crabtree 

Rob Hanlon 

Susan Booton 

Ginna Ericksen 

Dave Long

Absent: Jim Mathieson

Also in Attendance: Dr. Jeff Schuler, Superintendent

Mr. Bill Farley 

Dr. Charlie Kyle 

Mrs. Erica Loiacono 

Mr. Rodney Mack 

Mrs. Melissa Murphy 

Dr. Chris Silagi

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE President Paulsen led the Board and community in the Pledge of Allegiance.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE HOST SCHOOL Principal Tim Callahan welcomed all to Madison and noted the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) that is taking place at Madison, including the focus on building a growth mindset, relationships and a sense of belonging for all students. The Madison Clubhouse has been developed school-wide in order to work on the SEL initiatives. A short video was shown with students sharing their thoughts on why the Madison Clubhouse has been a great idea.

MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA None

RECOGNITIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS This standing item has been added to all regular business meetings and will give the Board an opportunity to recognize accomplishments within the District and community. The following recognitions and achievements were noted:

• The most recent edition of the IASB Journal recapped the Joint Annual Conference which occurred in November. The six top-attended panel sessions were noted and included the session on Vaping, Marijuana, Opioids: Prevention through Knowledge, which included both Dr. Schuler and Board Member Chris Crabtree.

• WNHS Senior Kellin Hanas was named a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation Honorable Mention winner in Jazz Trumpet.

• WWSHS student Ryan Kammerzell spent the winter break building and installing trophy shelves at Edison MS as part of his Eagle Scout project.

• Visits were made to the following schools or events were noted:

o The new Jefferson Early Childhood Center construction progress was noted. 

o The WWSHS Winter Art Fair. o The Wiesbrook Winter Music Program held at WWSHS.

PUBLIC COMMENTS – Agenda Items Public comments are valuable and important to Board Members. We welcome the opportunity to listen to the concerns and issues that are important to our community. Please be aware that it is the Board’s practice, not to directly discuss, ask questions or take action on Public Comments until the time has been taken to gather adequate information. We are here to listen. Lack of action or a direct response following Public Comments does not imply any lack of interest in what is being said. In addition, to preserve confidentiality, the Board and its President reserve the right to request that items relating to either personnel or students be provided to the Board privately or in writing for consideration in a future closed session if necessary. The Board must protect the civility and decorum of the meeting. Please be respectful for the duties of the Board, our District Leadership Team, and the democratic process in your comments tonight:

• Please use the microphone, state your name, and address your comments to the Board

• Please limit your comments to 3 minutes. A Board member will be timing the comments and raise his/her arm as the time limit is approaching

• Please be factual and courteous, and do not include statements that are personally disrespectful or condescending to members of the Board or staff

If you feel your matter needs to be discussed in more detail, please attend the Board’s next “Chance to Chat” on Jan. 25, 2020, or present your comments in writing via email to the Board.

Speaker Mary Pleipel Topic Student Excellence Foundation

Speaker

Mary Pleipel

Topic

Student Excellence Foundation

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT Dr. Schuler reported the following:

• There is a parent workshop at WWSHS on Tuesday, January 28 at 7:00 p.m. titled “Legal Marijuana: Now what? A Parent’s Guide to the Law, Vaping and Teen Health” featuring Matt Quinn. Mr. Quinn will also speak at WNHS the following evening, January 29 as part of their curriculum night presentation.

• An RFP (Request for Proposal) was shared with the Finance Committee for audit services and will be released at the end of the month.

• A short video will be sent to the CUSD200 community featuring the Portrait of a Graduate (POG) development. This is an open invitation to the community. Dr. Schuler reviewed the progress of the POG work to date.

• An article was provided to Board Members “5 K-12 Trends to Watch in 2020” which notes professional development, mentions microcredentials, and also talks about rethinking what a classroom and instruction can be.

• Two District 200 Principals, Jennifer Craig, and Danielle Moran are exploring graduate work and their dissertations are based on work that is taking place within the District, including the impact of the ALICE safety protocol and studying the foreign language programs at the elementary level.

CONSENT AGENDA 

1. Acceptance of Gifts from the Student Excellence Foundation – Recommend acceptance of the gifts from the Student Excellence Foundation as presented. 

2. Approval of Standards for HS Course – Sculpture and Mixed Media – Recommend approval of standards for HS Course – Sculpture and Mixed Media as presented. 

3. Approval of Change to the 2020-2021 Calendar – Recommend approval of the change to the 2020-2021 calendar as presented. 

4. Approval of Revised CAC Bylaws – Recommend approval of the revised CAC bylaws as presented. 

5. 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 the working cash fund to the transportation fund as presented. 

6. Approval of Mileage Reimbursement Rate for 2020 – Recommend approval of the mileage reimbursement rate for 2020 as presented. 

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

8. Approval of Minutes – December 11, 2019, Open and Approval to Destroy Recordings of Closed Sessions Prior to August 2018 As Allowable by Law – Recommend approval of the minutes as presented and approval to destroy recordings of closed sessions prior to August 2018 as allowable by law. 

9. 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 was additional information/discussion on the following:

• # 1 – Thank you to the Student Excellence Foundation for the generous gifts.

• #3 – The calendar change is not for this school year; there is a small shift for the 2020-21 school year aligning the D200 Institute Day with the DuPage County Institute Day.

• #4 – Thank you to the CAC for reviewing the bylaws and recommending adjustments to align with practice.

MOTION Member Hanlon moved, Member Ericksen seconded to accept the Consent Agenda as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was: AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0.

POLICY POSTING CONSENT AGENDA 

1. Approval to Post Revised Policy 5:50 Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace; E-Cigarette, Tobacco, and Cannabis Prohibition for Public Review and Comment– Recommend approval to post revised policy 5:50 for public review and comment as presented.

2. Approval to Post Changes to the Student Handbooks – Recommend approval to post changes to the student handbooks as presented.

There was additional information/discussion on the following:

• #1 & #2 – The Board was reminded the recommended change in policy and handbooks are a result of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois as of January 1, 2020.

o Policy revisions are recommended from PRESS; student handbook revisions are a District decision. 

o The communication and educational piece of consequences/impact of change in law from a District perspective. 

o CBD products – unregulated market. 

o Student handbook revisions – not required to post changes, but has always been handled like policy revisions in the District.

MOTION Member Booton moved, Member Crabtree seconded to accept the Policy Posting 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 Adoption of the Resolution to Begin the 2020-21 Budget Cycle The Illinois School Code, 105 ILCS, Section 5/17-1, requires Boards of Education to prepare and adopt an annual budget. It also states that the Board shall designate a person or persons to prepare the district annual budget.

Based on the requirements of this statute, the Board of Education must adopt a resolution to begin preparing the 2020-2021 Budget. The Board of Education must also designate a person to coordinate this effort. It is recommended that William R. Farley, under the supervision of Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Schuler, be designated to prepare the 2020-2021 Budget. The resolution to be adopted as well as the budget timeline the district follows was attached to the Board report.

There were questions/comments/discussion on the following:

• This is a yearlong process; a lot of information funnels through the Finance Committee.

• The five-year financial projections will be presented at the January Committee of the Whole.

• The status and any impact of the new HR/Business System (Infinite Visions) conversion on the budget process.

It was recommended that the Board of Education adopt the resolution which was attached to the board report and designate William R. Farley to prepare the 2020-2021 Budget.

MOTION Member Paulsen moved, Member Hanlon seconded to adopt the resolution and designate William R. Farley to prepare the 2020-2021 budget as presented. Upon a roll call being taken, the vote was: AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0.

Approval to Submit School Maintenance Grant Application There is approximately $44 million available for the FY 2020 Round 1 School Maintenance Project Grant (SMPG). Grants will be approved up to the amount released by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget (GOMB). Future application cycles will be open when funds are released.

The School Maintenance Project Grant is a dollar for dollar state matching grant program providing awards up to $50,000 to grantees exclusively for the maintenance or upkeep of buildings or structures for educational purposes. Ongoing operational costs, including in-house labor for SMPG projects not contracted out, cannot be included for any School Maintenance Project Grant. A project may involve different types of work on a single building or structure or may involve a single type of work (e.g., new roofing or windows) on several buildings or structures. There is no limit to the cost of a project; however, grant awards shall not exceed $50,000 per grant award, and applicants shall provide a match from local funds equal to the grant amount requested.

As part of the Summer 2020 Capital Work, aging flooring will be replaced at Lincoln Elementary School. The estimated cost for the project is $429,700. If the grant is approved, the State would provide $50,000 towards this cost. This project falls within the parameters set forth in the School Maintenance Grant Program. The Board of Education must authorize the School Maintenance Project Grant application during a duly convened meeting before the application can be submitted in IWAS and the board must reserve local funds to cover the district's portion of the project costs.

It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the School Maintenance Grant Application for submission.

MOTION Member Crabtree moved, Member Booton seconded to approve the school maintenance grant application for submission as presented. Upon a roll call being taken, the vote was: AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0.

ORAL REPORTS Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Feature The Board of Education is committed to providing students with social-emotional learning that enhances students’ abilities in school, careers, and life. The Board of Education has identified social-emotional learning as a priority. In an effort to recognize the work of our schools in this area, a social-emotional learning feature will be reported on at many of our meetings. A report focused on trauma and the impact it can have on our students was presented. Information was shared on how District 200 is providing professional learning and resources to staff to best meet the needs of students that have experienced trauma outside of school. A PowerPoint was shared on Trauma-Informed Practices and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) which included information on the following:

• What are ACES and What Does Trauma-Informed Mean?

o Understanding o Action

• Realize the Prevalence of Trauma

o Adverse Childhood Experiences

▪ Abuse (Physical, Emotional, Sexual)

▪ Neglect (Physical, Emotional)

▪ Household Dysfunction (Includes Mental Illness, Incarcerated Relative, Mother Treated Violently, Substance Abuse, Divorce, Poverty) o Leads to Decline in Attendance, Behavior, Grades

• The Correlation to our SEL Framework

o Relationships o Emotional Wellness

• The Correlation to Proactive Practices

• Healthy Brain vs. an Abused Brain

• Upstairs Brain (Think; Reason; Flexible)

• Downstairs Brain (Arousal; Emotion; Fight, Flight, Freeze)

• Our Approach to Trauma-Informed Schools

o Training of Staff Members o Train the Trainer Model o Year 1 Goals o Year 2 Goals

There was additional information on the following:

• ACES – stressful events that can impact brain development.

• The relationship between childhood experiences and health.

• Increased risk with each ACE.

• What is predictable is preventable.

• Finding new ways to treat and prevent ACES.

• How this information correlates with the work being done in our schools – the greatest strategy is to have all students have a trusted adult in schools.

• ACES is common across all demographics.

There were questions/discussion on the following:

• How staff members are learning about ACES and the background of students in our schools.

Student Learning Update The Board of Education has made a commitment to parent engagement by continuously engaging our community to determine its priorities, foster partnerships, and promote learning. This year Lindsay Meeker and the EL Department have placed a particular focus on increasing engagement with parents of English Language Learners.

The Board has identified two action steps related to this goal. One is to support and engage parents through ongoing workshops on relevant, timely topics. A second action step is to redesign the English Learning Program delivery model to better meet the needs of the growing English Learning population. Both action steps were highlighted in this feature by presenting the EL Department's work on Multilingual Parent Roundtables and other parent engagement opportunities. This included a PowerPoint which included information on the following:

• Our Why

o BPAC/Teacher and Principal Feedback o Research/What’s Working o ISBE Guidance on Bilingual Parent Advisory Groups

• Support and Engage Parents through Ongoing Workshops

o Coffee Clubs at Buildings o Multilingual Parent Roundtables 

o Parent Seminars in Spanish to Mirror Current District Offerings 

o Purchase Translation Equipment 

o Training to Connect with Multilingual Families

• Redesign English Learner Program Delivery Model

o Scholastic Family Literacy Work – Elementary o Community, Parent and BPAC Feedback

• Establish Regular & Ongoing Opportunities to Engage Community Members

o Multilingual New Family Ambassadors

o Research and Development for ESL Classes

• Fall Multilingual Parent Roundtables

o Attendees and Intended Outcomes

• Celebrations and Areas for Improvement

• Coming Soon.

o Coffee Clubs; ParentVue Training; Spring Roundtables; New Family Ambassadors

There were comments on the following:

• World relief students – amazing work and supports from when the first round of world relief students came into the District.

• The level of community engagement and the possibility of incorporating this into the community engagement plan for next year.

DISCUSSION ITEMS Discussion of Career Pathways The National Career Clusters Framework and Career Pathways serve as an organizing tool for schools to support all students in their exploration of different career options resulting in better preparation for college and career.

District 200 Administration reviewed the Career Pathways work taking place in District 200. The Student Learning section of the Vision 2022 plan commits to preparing students for their future paths by designing learning experiences that develop strong academic, social, and problem- solving skills. The Board has identified two action steps related to this goal. One is to expand opportunities for students to have choice, challenge, and success in their learning through differentiation and personalization. A second action step is to provide more ways to apply learning to the context of the real world, including internships. This work was highlighted through the Board discussion. A PowerPoint presentation was shared with the Board, which included information on the following:

• Big Picture

• Vision

• What Every Student Will Consider

• Why Is This Needed?

• What Career Pathways Will Provide to Students

• College and Career Ready (CCRI) Framework

• College Ready Academic Indicators

• Career Ready Benchmarks

• How Does This Connect to Vision 2022?

• How Does This Connect to Portrait of a Grad?

• Pathways Booklet – Completion Date and What Will Be Included

• Timeline (Year 1; Years 2-3; Year 3 and Beyond

There were additional comments on the following:

• The Director of HS Instruction will be leading this effort with Administrators from both high schools.

• Other things to be considered besides what is the best college or other post-secondary options based on grades.

• Career Interest Inventory Survey.

• 16 nationally recognized Career Clusters.

• Relationship to ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act).

Open Session Minutes – January 8, 2020 Page 7

• Kids and parents will still choose the classes they will take and can define their own path; this is a planning tool to assist in navigating the path for an area of interest.

There were questions/discussion on the following:

• “Year one” will be the 2020-2021 school year.

• Career Clusters – not all require a college path.

• Providing students with workplace experiences.

• Hundreds of careers fall into the 16 career clusters; there may be overlap between two pathways as well.

• The landscape of college and college costs impact choices.

• Creating an environment for kids that do not see college in their path.

• TCD (Technology Center of DuPage) programs.

• Definition of being “career ready”.

• Employability skills.

• How careers have changed over the years – requiring a specific skill set for careers.

• Developing a plan to connect students with workplace experiences and internships.

• Tie in with dual credit courses.

• The counseling staff at the HS level – role and developing a framework with counselors.

• Reactive vs. proactive in terms of counseling students; how to get counselors prepared for this initiative.

• Business partnerships – the task of recruiting businesses.

• SEL initiatives are also falling on counselors – need to be thoughtful in how we approach the work.

• The overlap with SEL and college/career pathway pieces – generating interest with students that may have not been interested in the past.

WRITTEN REPORTS Monthly Financial Reports FOIA Report ELC Construction Update Board Communication Log Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Report

There were comments on the following:

• Board Member tours through Jefferson Early Childhood Center new construction.

• CAC Open Meetings Act training status.

REPORTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS Board Committee Reports Meeting notes were attached to the Board report for the Board Facilities Committee.

There were comments on the following:

• A request for additional information on the solar power purchase agreement that was part of the Facilities Committee notes

o There was an interest in exploring solar energy; 

o The District explored all of the paths that could be taken with solar as an alternate energy option; 

o Other options would require capital outlay, those options were ruled out; 

o Facilities committee felt solar PPA (power purchase agreement) would be the best option;

o The company sees this as an investment for them; 

o Do not believe there is a significant cost savings element for the District, but a good green practice and a good opportunity for an educational experience for students; 

o Bower Elementary has a recently completed new roof; 

o The possibility of going through an RFP (request for proposal) process.

Other Reports from Board Members

• A draft update of the Board Parking Lot document was placed in the Board folders. This item will be revisited at a future date.

TOPICS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION Other Board Member Requests

• Board member Booton requested that policy 6:10 Educational Philosophy and Objectives be reviewed by the HR/Policy Committee to review a bullet point that was dropped when the District adopted the PRESS policy in August 2019.

5-Year Financial Projections Master Technology Plan

ANNOUNCEMENTS January 22, 2020 - Committee of the Whole, 7:00 PM, SSC January 25, 2020 – Chat with the Board, 9:00-10:30 AM, SSC

NEXT REGULAR MEETING February 12, 2020, 7:00 PM, Monroe Middle School

PUBLIC COMMENTS – Non-Agenda Items None

CLOSED SESSION Closed Session Items are Listed for Possible Action - Litigation, When an Action Against, Affecting or on Behalf of the Particular Public Body Has Been Filed and is Pending Before a Court or Administrative Tribunal, or When the Public Body Finds That an Action is Probable or Imminent, in Which Case the Basis for the Finding Shall be Recorded and Entered into the Minutes of the Closed Meeting. 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(11)

MOTION Member Paulsen moved, Member Hanlon seconded to adjourn the meeting to closed session for the purpose of discussing Litigation, When an Action Against, Affecting or on Behalf of the Particular Public Body Has Been Filed and is Pending Before a Court or Administrative Tribunal, or When the Public Body Finds That an Action is Probable or Imminent, in Which Case the Basis for the Finding Shall be Recorded and Entered into the Minutes of the Closed Meeting. 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(11). Upon a roll call being taken, the vote was AYE 6, NAY 0. The motion carried 6-0. There was no action expected following the Closed Session.

The meeting was adjourned to Closed Session at 9:07 PM.

https://www.cusd200.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=22857&dataid=31840&FileName=Minutes%20Jan%208%202020.pdf

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