SE Illinois News

Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education met Nov. 8.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The first regular meeting of the month of November of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 200, DuPage County, Illinois, was called to order at the Bower Elementary School, 4S241 River Rd., Warrenville, IL by Board President Rob Hanlon, on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 7:00 PM.

ROLL CALL

Upon the roll being called, the following were present:

Board Members: Mr. Rob Hanlon

Mr. Dave Long

Ms. Angela Blatner

Mr. Erik Hjerpe

Mr. Brad Paulsen

Mr. John Rutledge

Absent: Ms. Julie Kulovits

Also in Attendance: Dr. Jeff Schuler, Superintendent

Mr. Matt Biscan

Ms. Erica Loiacono

Ms. Melissa Murphy

Dr. Brian O’Keeffe

Dr. Chris Silagi

Mr. Jason Spencer

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Board Member Erik Hjerpe led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE HOST SCHOOL

Ms. Bridget Moore, Principal of Bower Elementary School, welcomed all to the school and noted what makes Bower special - the community of students and staff and how they celebrate and support each other. Students from Bower shared what makes Bower special - including PAWS families, all-school meetings, classroom and peer buddies, multicultural club, ML and family reading nights, clubs - running, production, art, and the staff vs. student basketball game for Ronald McDonald House. The students also thanked the Board for their support and the work they do.

MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA

Board Member Hjerpe requested that Consent Agenda #4 (Approval of Bills Payable and Payroll) be moved to an Action Item (#4).

BOARD PRESIDENT REPORT

President Hanlon and Dr. Schuler introduced and welcomed the five student ambassadors, noting the following:

Open Session Minutes – November 8, 2023 Page 1

● The policy notes the Board wishes to learn about student opinions, issues and concerns and wishes to provide students with educational experiences with the operation of the school district.

● We will see members of the high school that were selected joining the board table at meetings and will bring information back to their student teams at each of the high schools.

● Direct connection to the student body in our high schools.

● Huge thank you to the team that helped create this opportunity.

● Over 30 students applied to be a part of this program.

● Board members Blatner and Paulsen, as well as Mr. Venckus and Mr. Brennan from each of the high schools, had the difficult task of reviewing all applications and conducting interviews to get us to the point tonight.

● We have incredible high school students, insightful and talented.

● Looking forward to these students infusing positivity into this overall experience.

The five student ambassadors were introduced as asked to provide some information about themselves and some of their experiences at their high school:

● Kailey McGady (WWSHS)

● Tomas Moran (WWSHS)

● Htat Naing (WNHS)

● Jacob Halter (WNHS)

● Ethan Spaid (WNHS)

It was also noted that those who applied will be part of a committee in their high school that the ambassadors will work with.

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 

Bill Archer What 

Topic

Makes Bower A Special Place

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

Dr. Schuler provided the following updates:

● Veteran’s Day - a variety of activities will be taking place tomorrow in our buildings in honor of Veteran’s Day.

● As we have approached the end of the fall season, congratulations and thank you to our students who have worked hard and have engaged in fall athletics and activities. Note the key metric in our district - the percentage of students involved in an activity and how it is important to connectedness to school.

● Recognition and thank you to community member Ms. Campion at Johnson Elementary School who has led an effort at Johnson to create a community garden by growing and distributing hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to the local community.

● Parent Education session on all things cyber safety will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 13 at WNHS. This session will feature Det. Rich Wistocki and all parents are encouraged to come out for it.

● The annual Pack the Gym Night (for Special Olympics) at Hubble Middle School will take place on Tuesday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m. The District 200 Flying Tigers will be playing Downers Grove.

● ISBE (IL State Board of Education) has released the District and School Report Cards. District 200 has had some positive student learning results. A reminder to the community to take a look at those report cards, as well as the district dashboard to see the progress made.

● Dr. Schuler will be visiting the Transition Center tomorrow to spend some time with students and staff.

● School Board Member Appreciation Day is next week on November 15th. The Board was thanked for their service on behalf of Dr. Schuler, the leadership team, the students, and the community.

CONSENT AGENDA

1. Acceptance of Gift to Wheaton North High School - Boys Football Program – Recommend acceptance of gift to WNHS boys football program as presented.

2. Acceptance of Gift to Wheaton North High School - Boys Basketball Program – Recommend acceptance of gift to WNHS boys basketball program as presented.

3. Approval to Post Curriculum Content for Transitional English for Community Review – Recommend approval to post curriculum content for Transitional English for community review as presented.

4. Approval of Bills Payable and Payroll – Recommend approval of bills payable and payroll as presented. (Moved to Action Item #4)

5. Approval of Minutes – October 11, 2023, Regular Meeting, Open and Closed, October 13, 2023, Special Meeting with Local Elected Officials, Open, October 25, 2023, Committee of the Whole, Open, and Approval to Destroy Recordings of Closed Sessions Prior to June 2022 As Allowable by Law – Recommend approval of the minutes as presented and approve the destruction of recordings of closed sessions prior to June 2022 as presented.

6. 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:

● #6 - Personnel Report: Mr. Long will abstain from the consent agenda vote as his wife accepted a job at the Transition Center and is on the personnel report.

MOTION

Member Rutledge moved, Member Hjerpe seconded to approve the Consent Agenda as modified (moving item #4 to an action item). Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was: AYE 5 (Rutledge, Hjerpe, Blatner, Paulsen, Hanlon), NAY 0, ABSTAIN 1 (Long).

The motion carried 5-0-1.

POLICY POSTING CONSENT AGENDA

1. Approval to Post Revised Policy 6:300 Graduation Requirements for Public Review and Comment – Recommend approval to post revised policy 6:300 for public review and comment as presented.

There was information on the following:

● The revisions are tied to the career pathways work and are directly tied to the Vision 2026 strategic plan - expand programming to prepare students for a range of post-secondary opportunities. As part of this, a review of graduation requirements would and has taken place.

● There are no changes proposed to the total number of credits required for graduation, but some changes are recommended to the individual categories which the team believes will provide students with more flexibility, and include:

o Reducing English credits from 4.5 to 4.0 by removing the speech requirement 

o Eliminating the 1.0 Technology requirement

o Eliminating the 1.0 Arts requirement

o Increasing the Other Courses from 4.5 to 6.5 credits, but requiring 1.5 credits from Art, Music, World Languages, Applied Tech, or Speech

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● May need to rework this based on pending changes to the foreign language requirements, therefore is it prudent to change to an “interim” requirement? The uncertainty if this change will take place.

● Current requirements appear to be somewhat of a liberal arts philosophy, and changing the structure - concern this may not be the case going forward.

● Difficulty with moving the fine arts requirement because of students not having that exposure and not choosing to take a class in that area.

● Appropriate to get public feedback on this; encourage the public to provide feedback and give us their opinion.

● “Other courses” - proposed changes to this state that 1.5 credits of the 6.5 total in this area must be used for Art, Music, World Languages, Applied Tech, or Speech. This still provides students with a little bit more choice.

● Giving students more autonomy in their course selection so that they can carve their own paths.

MOTION

Member Hjerpe moved, Member Long seconded to approve 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.

POLICY APPROVAL CONSENT AGENDA

1. Approval of Revised Policy 4:152 Capital Renewal Funding – Sherman Dergis Methodology– Recommend approval of revised policy 4:152 as presented.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● This was presented to the Board at the last business meeting and was reviewed by a few of the different board committees.

● Came out of the facilities committee, and was trying to bring greater clarity to that role as a capital renewal funding strategy within the district.

● The policy began as an accountability structure when it went into play, and the desire was to also look at this as a strategy for looking forward to how we would fund.

MOTION

Member Paulsen moved, Member Rutledge 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 Resolution and Final Contract for Guaranteed Energy Savings with Performance Services, Inc. for Summer 2024 Work

In 2012, the Board of Education entered into a performance contract with Performance Services, Inc. to perform a series of projects based on their District-wide evaluation of all of our buildings. After 9 years and 9 projects, the District re-bid performance contracting services and selected Performance Services. Inc. to another contract in 2021. In conjunction with the District's capital plan, we have chosen to complete several items that are Condition 1 on the priority list and that can be accomplished in the summer of 2024. The goal is to modernize, address comfort issues, replace control systems, and upgrade aging systems.

Staff and the BOE Facilities Committee have reviewed the scope of work in the proposal and determined that projects at Bower Elementary, Wiesbrook Elementary, and Hubble Middle School are to be included in the summer of 2024 capital projects. The total cost for all three projects is $5,120,184. Attached to the agenda item was the Third Amendment to the Installation Contract with PSI, a Resolution to enter into a Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract with PSI, the Improvement List for Work to be completed at Bower, Wiesbrook, and Hubble Middle School projects, a list of definitions related to the Improvement List and Open Book Pricing for the Bower, Wiesbrook and Hubble Middle School projects. These projects also qualify for ComEd/Nicor Rebates in the estimated amount of $36,578.

There was information on the following:

● Mechanical work makes up a good portion of next summer’s projected capital project work.

● A full HVAC upgrade is recommended for Wiesbrook Elementary School, as is replacing three of the four boilers at Hubble Middle School, and replacing the main gym cooling system at Bower Elementary School (important so that all students can use this space, including the students with special needs which can be challenging from a humidity and temperature perspective during certain times of the year).

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● Supportive of the resolution and the contract.

● Process concern - the lack of competitive bids on some very significant line items; going forward, ensuring competitive bidding situations.

● Next summer, it will be 13 years with the same partner following the same process.

● Reasons for those items that do not have competitive bidding; in some cases are using the same pieces of equipment or the same type of service throughout the buildings.

● The challenges school districts have (especially large districts) in trying to get consistency of equipment and the value of doing just that.

● This is not only an energy benefit to the district but also improves the indoor air quality and the learning environment for students and staff. This is a direct tangible benefit to our students as it relates to student achievement.

● This model has worked well for the district and stays true to the intent of the legislation that was passed in the state of Illinois.

Member Paulsen noted he would be abstaining from the vote, as he did last year, due to professional conflicts.

It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the Resolution and the Second Amendment to the Installation Contract for $5,120,184 with Performance Services, Inc.

MOTION

Member Long moved, Member Blatner seconded to approve the Resolution and the Second Amendment to the Installation Contract in the amount of $5,120,184 with Performance Services, Inc. as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 5 (Long, Blatner, Hjerpe, Rutledge, Hanlon), NAY 0, ABSTAIN 1 (Paulsen). The motion carried 5-0-1.

Approval of 2024-25 School Calendar

The 2024-2025 calendar committee has worked to create a 2024-2025 school calendar within the parameters of federal, state, and local holidays as well as past school calendars that reflect the interests of our students, staff, and school community. The proposed 2024-25 school calendar was posted for community feedback, which was shared with the board.

There was information on the following:

● Not unlike other calendar feedback in K-12 school districts, the feedback/comments received were across the board.

● A total of 78 comments were received regarding the proposed calendar.

● Capturing the feedback/comments and building it into the calendar process as we look at future calendars.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● There is value in having kids in school on historically important days (similar to Veteran’s Day) and would like to revisit that.

● The point of obtaining feedback; worth discussing and tabling the vote/holding off on approval so people are more comfortable.

● The calendar process that is in place to get to this point.

● Did not see a central theme to respond to in the feedback that clearly indicated there was something that needed to be adjusted.

● The driving goal from the Board from the last calendar was to get the first semester/finals done before winter break.

● Some concern over the imbalance of semesters.

● The state decided to make Election Day a state holiday in November 2024.

● Teasing out other variables to make adjustments to the calendar is a different question - surveyed the community in the past. If there is a desire to shift more days into the first semester, will need to ask the community to rank some opportunities (noted starting school earlier, not taking a full week at Thanksgiving, holding school on Columbus/Indigenous People Day, etc.) to get additional feedback.

● Delaying the vote - getting the calendar out to the community a little bit late.

● Opportunities to have kids in school with more time for learning in the first semester.

● Implication on the bargaining agreement(s).

● Concern over attending school for a couple of days after Memorial Day - viewed as optional in some cases.

● A lot of work has been done by the committee; concerns are more about the process and can get in front of that for future calendars (beyond the 24-25 school year).

● Columbus/Indigenous People Day - an opportunity for people to receive an education and add a learning day.

● There are almost 12,000 students and 78 comments received - not an overwhelming majority.

● Approving this calendar and getting an early start on the following year.

● Getting a board member involved as part of the process.

Open Session Minutes – November 8, 2023 Page 6

● Giving clear direction to the administration team as to what the Board wants to be studied; putting the item on a future agenda and advising the teams on what to consider as part of the process.

● Doing a deeper dive and getting ahead of the process for next year.

● The calendar has not been discussed at a CAC meeting.

● Development of the proposed calendar - who is responsible for that? At what point is the board part of the process?

● Complex structural process; there are a lot of moving parts, not just moving some days around. Do not believe we can do this by delaying the calendar approval for 30 days.

● There is a lot to a curriculum shift - such as making Columbus Day a student attendance day.

● Every process has a duration - if the board were to provide concrete feedback, how long would it take to run it through the process to evaluate the feedback and develop alternatives?

● The board can give the administration certain inputs they would like to have considered as part of the calendar, other groups to have engaged as a part of the feedback loop, etc. This will assist in answering the question as to the duration of the process.

● At the end of the day, there is ample time in front of the next year’s calendar development (2025-26).

● The most important piece of data to provide to the administration, the teachers and the community is the start date for the school year.

● Approving the start date and leaving open a review of Columbus Day and the resulting end day vs. approving the calendar as presented and putting the calendar for 2025-26 (and process changes) as a topic for future discussion.

● The calendar as presented could be approved and later amended or changed. It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the 2024-25 school calendar as presented.

MOTION

Member Paulsen moved, Member Rutledge seconded to approve the 2024-25 school calendar as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 4 (Paulsen, Rutledge, Long, Hanlon), NAY 2 (Blatner, Hjerpe). The motion carried 4-2.

Approval of Settlement Agreement of Vaping Litigation

In November of 2020, the Board of Education authorized a resolution to participate in a litigation effort against a number of companies that drove the rise in the vaping epidemic. This was a joint effort by a number of school districts around the country in an effort to recover some of the resources school districts have invested in the prevention of or response to this unfortunate trend.

Frantz Law Group led the litigation effort, in partnership with a number of other school district attorneys. On March 8, 2023, the Board approved a partial resolution with one of the companies. A second resolution has been reached with another company. The details are included in the attached resolution document.

There was no cost to the District to participate in this litigation. District 200 will receive $287,000 through the first settlement agreement. We will receive $86,669 through approval of this second resolution.

There was information on the following:

● The first partial settlement agreement was with Juul Labs; this second one is with Altria.

● If approved, this settlement will be delivered in a single lump sum payment and is expected to be released early in the next calendar year.

It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the settlement agreement as presented.

MOTION

Member Hjerpe moved, Member Rutledge seconded to approve the settlement agreement as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 6, NAY 0.

The motion carried 6-0.

Approval of Bills Payable and Payroll (This item was moved from the Consent Agenda Item # 4) Member Hjerpe requested this item be moved from the consent agenda to draw attention to it and noted this may not have been necessary (to move from consent to action). There was one substantial item on the bills payable and payroll list - the purchase of iPads - that he was seeking additional information on. The purchase was related to the pilot and full-scale implementation of the visitor management system at the district buildings.

There was information on the following:

● The district is piloting a couple of options for a visitor/guest management system to be used districtwide.

● All of the systems being piloted require the use of at least one tablet at each building.

● This is a positive thing and wanted to draw attention to it.

It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the bills payable and payroll as presented.

MOTION

Member Hjerpe moved, Member Long seconded to approve the bills payable and payroll as presented. Upon a roll call vote being taken, the vote was AYE 6, NAY 0.

The motion carried 6-0.

ORAL REPORTS

2023 Proposed Property Tax Levy

The school code empowers the Board of Education to levy taxes to support the public school system. If the levy request exceeds 105% of the previous year's aggregate extension, a public notice and hearing are needed before the official levy is adopted. The Board of Education is limited to an increase no greater than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the previous year under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL or "Tax Cap").

Annually, the Board of Education reviews a levy proposal prepared by the Administration. The 2023 proposed tax levy was previously discussed with the Board Finance Committee on October 24, 2023. The proposed tax levy, which provides for more than a 5% increase, was presented. Based on the proposed tax levy being greater than 5% over the prior extended levy, a Truth in Taxation Public Hearing will be held on December 13, 2023.

Dr. Brian O’Keeffe provided a presentation on the 2023 Tentative Levy which included information on the following:

● Levy Terms (Tax Cap - PTELL, CPI, EAV, Tax Rate - Limiting Rate)

● Consumer Price Index (CPI)

● CPI History and Projections (2018 - 2028)

● EAV Analysis (2022 - 2028)

● 2022 Township EAV (Milton, Naperville and Winfield Townships)

● 2022 EAV by Class (Residential, Farms, Commercial, Industrial, Railroad)

● EAV Analysis (2023 - 2028)

○ Total EAV Analysis (Dollars)

○ Total EAV % Change

○ Existing EAV % Change

○ New EAV Growth

● EAV, CPI & Tax Rate

● Five-Year History of Tax Rates (2018-2022)

○ By Fund - Dollars & By Fund - Bar Chart

● Tax Rate Comparison 2020-2022 - Unit Peers (Districts 220, 200, 204, 203, 303)

● Debt Service - Levy Year Payments (2022-2025)

● Fund Balance History (2017-2022) By Fund and Percentage

● How is the Extension Calculated?

● Projected 2023 Tax Rate Extension

● 2022 Tax Levy Extension Breakdown (Operations and Debt Service)

● 2023 Tax Levy Extension Breakdown (Operations and Debt Service)

● 2023 Levy Proposal - No Abatement

● 2023 Levy Proposal - $2.0M Abatement

● Major Levy Considerations

○ Budgeted Inflationary Cost Increases, Levy Collection (May-June 2024) Included in 2023-24 Budget, Capture New Construction (Est. $30.0M), Continued Uncertainty in Mandated Categorical Funding, Funding of Projects Identified in Capital Plan

There was additional information on the following:

● DuPage County does operate under a tax cap that limits operational tax increases to a cap of CPI or 5% (whichever is less); this does not apply to all areas/counties in the state.

● Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) - the value placed on property by the County Assessor for tax purposes multiplied by the State Equalization Factor.

● Most of this specific process involves many different agencies outside of the school district. The school district does not determine the value of homes or the assessment of homes, does not approve any reductions in EAV through any exemptions, does not determine what the limiting rate is, and does not determine what the final overall extension is. The district asks for what we are legally responsible for asking for, plus new growth. There are a lot of moving pieces related to this.

● CPI is measured from December to December; is always capped at 5%.

● EAV data (new construction and growth in existing EAV) comes from the township treasurers’ offices.

● Noted 2023 is a quadrennial renewal of every residential, commercial, and industrial property in DuPage and Will Counties; and DuPage County Board has a new software platform that has to be used by the township assessors (which is not fully functional across all of DuPage County and therefore do not have final data from our assessor’s offices).

● EAV is an important part of the conversation as we are looking at the 5-year projections. If we miss capturing any growth as it relates to new construction, it will be missed in perpetuity.

● Most of our unit peer comparables have had fairly static/flat or minor increases in tax rates, and D200 is near the bottom of all of those overall tax rates.

● Debt service (levy year payments) - at this point in time, will go from just over $19 million in LY 22 and will drop to zero in LY 25.

● New requirement to ensure we post our fund balances; the audit documents should be finalized and on the December board agenda for approval.

● How is the Extension Calculated - is a fairly simplistic math equation.

● Levy debt service - what the district asks for is what our debt payment is, what the county extends is the debt payment in aggregate plus 1%. This is done in every county where there is a tax cap.

● The projected 2023 tax rate extension is estimated at 4.7597% if everything held, which is a 15 basis point reduction over the 2022 extension. This is driven by a reduction in debt service and an increase in EAV.

● The 2023 levy proposal (before any conversation about abatement) would project an overall tax increase of 3.71%. Based on conversations with our unit comparables, this as projected, would be the lowest increase in overall taxes amongst our comparables.

● If the board would like to abate the $2 million as has been discussed and build this in the numbers, the estimated overall increase in the tax levy would be 2.58%. (Noted if the board were to approve an abatement of $2 million, that would not happen in the actual levy, but it would happen through a resolution that would be given to the county to make the adjustments). This does not have any impact on the operational side of things, but purely on the debt service extension side of things.

● A reminder of the third option as it relates to the excess/surplus in the debt service fund - issue working cash bonds.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● Reemphasized new construction and the importance of capturing all of the new growth; we don’t ever want to be under that number estimated; the district will only get what we are eligible to receive.

● Not being capped at 5% in aggregate, but are capped in the extension year-over-year and then add new construction on top of it.

● Any TIF that expires is on top of the 5%; P-TELL limitation is only related to where you were last year in your extension times either CPI or the cap of 5%, anything new is always on top of it.

● Important for the public to understand that when a levy is passed, if there is an increase in the levy, that does not necessarily mean an increase in their taxes.

● The district can abate operational dollars, but this conversation does not have anything to do with the operational side of things.

● Should the board vote on the abatement (in December), clarification on the process/procedures for the district/board, and the requirements for the county to abate the $2 million out of the debt service fund.

● Previous suggestion on declaring interest earnings and earmarking them for school security improvements - opinions from auditors and district legal representatives. Have received the audit opinion and are waiting back to hear from legal counsel on the opinion.

Options for Transition to Universal All-Day Kindergarten

In September the Board of Education was presented with an update on Kindergarten. This update included enrollment trends, parent interest information, programming and financial considerations. This update was provided in the context of consideration for a potential transition to universal All-Day Kindergarten in the future. Additionally, House Bill 2396 currently will mandate that beginning with the 2027-28 school year each school board must establish a Kindergarten with full-day attendance.

As a follow-up to the September Kindergarten presentation, the Board of Education was presented with specific options for timelines to potentially transition to universal All-Day Kindergarten. Within these options the Board of Education was also given financial projections.

Dr. Chris Silagi provided a presentation on All-Day Kindergarten - Potential Options for Transitioning to Universal ADK, which included information on the following:

● Two Guiding Questions

○ What are the enrollment trends and parent interest levels in All-Day Kindergarten programming?

○ What are the options for transitioning to Universal All-Day Kindergarten?

● HB 2396

○ Beginning with the 2027-28 school year each school board must establish a Kindergarten with full-day attendance

● Enrollment History by Percentage

○ All-Day, Half-Day and Total Enrollment (2013-14 through 2023-24)

● Parent Interest Survey

○ If All-Day Kindergarten were offered free of tuition would you have enrolled your child in the All-Day program?

○ 117 responses (35% Yes, 65% No)

● Potential Options

○ Option 1 - Implement Universal ADK in school year 24-25

○ Option 2 - Offer phased tuition decrease over three school years (24-25, 25-26, 26-27), with the implementation of Universal ADK in school year 26-27

○ Option 3 - No change in programming or costs until mandated implementation of Universal ADK in school year 27-28

● Financial Considerations - Option 1 (*All financial considerations are estimates) 

○ Implement Universal ADK in SY24-25

■ Revenue Reduction (tuition) and Revenue Gain (EBF)

■ Expense Increase (salaries/benefits - certified teachers) and Expense Decrease (Kindergarten midday transportation costs)

■ Net Program Change - $1,660,235

● Financial Considerations - Option 2 (*All financial considerations are estimates) 

○ Phase 1 Tuition Decrease SY24-25 (from $2,900 to $2,000)

■ Revenue Reduction (tuition)

■ Net Program Change - $375,300

○ Phase 2 Tuition Decrease SY25-26 (from $2,000 to $1,000)

■ Revenue Reduction (tuition)

■ Net Program Change over Two Years - $1,167,600

○ Phase 3 Tuition Decrease SY26-27 ($0 Tuition)

■ Revenue Reduction (tuition) $1,632,800

○ Phase 3 Expense Increase SY26-27

■ Expense Increase (salaries/benefits - certified teachers) and Expense Decrease (Kindergarten midday transportation costs) $449,974

○ Net Program Change - $2,082,774

● Financial Considerations - Option 3 (*All financial considerations are estimates) ○ Implement Universal ADK in SY27-28

■ New Revenue Reduction $1,257,500

■ Expense Increase $449,974

■ Net Program Change $1,707,474

○ $3,772,500 - Revenue Retainment (SY24-25 through SY26-27)

● CAC Feedback

○ Majority recommended delaying immediate transition to ADK to lessen financial impact

○ One group from CAC recommended SY24-25 implementation

There was additional information on the following:

● A shift in enrollment from half-day to all-day Kindergarten (currently at 80% full-day and 20% half-day).

Open Session Minutes – November 8, 2023 Page 11

● The financial considerations/estimated revenue reductions are based on the number of students in the program currently paying full tuition and those paying reduced tuition.

● Part of what is built into EBF (evidence-based funding) is three years of enrollment history. ISBE plugged the data into a model to provide an estimate of what is believed to be the increase in the EBF if we moved to universal ADK next year - $5,000.

● Option 2 is a 3-year phase into universal ADK with the tuition cost decreasing each year for those participating in the all-day program.

There were comments and/or questions on the following:

● The expense reduction for Kindergarten midday transportation costs should we go to universal ADK - maybe $100,000.

● Has staff been asked for feedback on implementation options? Not in a formal way.

● Based on legislation, it will have a negative financial impact, regardless of when you implement it; and the district currently offers all-day Kindergarten.

● The district already has financial pressures over the next couple of years; like option 2 so the financial group can plan through a series of 5-year financial projections.

● The timing on when a decision needs to be made on this - noted Kindergarten registration for next year (will start registering in the new calendar year).

● Wanting to give those incoming Kindergarten families for 2024-25 a sense of the cost.

● 65% of the current half-day students/families say tuition is not an issue for their decision.

● If the board decides to not pursue option 1, then the timing between options 2 and 3 doesn’t feel like it is as imminent.

● Deciding on the option without the five-year financial projections available is very challenging.

● Clarification - when families initially come in to register, they go through the general initial registration process (providing documents and proving residency), and at that point they are indicating their interest in a full-day vs. half-day program. The official registration for ADK has been in March (because it is a tuition-based program).

● HB2396 - requires full-day attendance or it’s an option? To be determined. Do not believe there is specific language around the requirement of attendance. Right now, if a district is only offering full-day Kindergarten, you still have to provide the option for a half-day. And, if more than 20 students are asking for that in a district that is offering full-day, the school district has to offer a half-day section.

● The impact on the students from an educator’s perspective - most families are currently enrolled in full-day Kindergarten.

● Do we see a substantial difference in academic outcomes in the early grades from kids who have done all-day vs. those who have done the half-day program? Depends on the students - there are students based on several demographic factors that are impacted more significantly by the full-day experience.

● The implementation of two new curriculums which are time intensive in the instructional area and do not leave much time for play or socialization if in the half-day program.

● Implementing sooner rather than later with the caveat of seeing the 5-year projections.

● There is some disgruntlement in the community that we are not already offering universal ADK (not a tuition-based program), and younger parents are sacrificing to pay the tuition.

● We are not deciding whether or not we want to provide that option, we already have the option of a full-day program. This is purely a financial decision.

● As it is currently in the school code, Kindergarten is not required.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Discussion of IASB Resolutions and Direction for Delegate Voting

Each year the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) holds an annual conference. At the annual conference, resolutions are reviewed which have been submitted for consideration. Resolutions that are adopted then become items the IASB works to change or implement. The Delegate Assembly takes place at the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Joint Annual Conference in November. Board Member Erik Hjerpe will represent the Board as the Delegate for the November meeting.

Board members received the resolutions in October 2023. The Board identified those resolutions for consideration which need additional information prior to discussion The Board discussed the resolutions which will be voted on at the 2023 Delegate Assembly meeting on November 18, 2023.

There were comments, questions, and/or discussion on the following:

● Member Hjerpe participated in a webinar for the delegates since the last meeting.

● Note the delegates are not voting yea/nea to the resolutions, but voting yea/nea to what the resolution committee has recommended.

● Resolution #4 EHR (Employment History Review) - the resolutions committee does not think the DCFS CANTS system is the right system to use to fix the issue. The Board asked for the committee’s rationale on this. Mr. Hjerpe reached out to IASB and is awaiting a response. If additional information is found, this will be communicated to the board in case it may change anyone’s opinion.

● There is a floor debate during the process at the delegate assembly, so there can be new information introduced. If that is the case, the delegate has the ability, if they believe it is consistent with the desires of the board, to shift their vote on the fly. The board was asked to identify if there were any points the board members were sensitive to as it relates to this process.

● Board members agreed with the resolutions committee’s recommendations.

● It was noted the recommendations are what the State Board of Education is going to ask our lobbyists to lobby for, there is no real short-term impact.

● Member Hjerpe communicated he had clear direction on how to proceed on behalf of the board at the delegate assembly.

BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS

Board Facilities Committee

The Board Facilities Committee met on November 2, 2023. The meeting notes were attached to the agenda item. There was additional information on the following:

● Noise survey at WWSHS - directed the admin team to evaluate some steps to address some options to help the situation.

● Performance Services - discussed during the meeting tonight.

● Community engagement report on Middle School projects - in December, the administration will come back to the board with a full set of feedback and use that information to have a discussion at the board table on what steps may follow in the next six months.

There was a question on the following:

● Are any of the steps being looked at for the noise mitigation likely to create a precedent or a carryover impact to other facilities to consider doing the same steps there? It was noted the noise ordinance from the City of Wheaton was used to determine the noise level permitted and use that standard to make the decision moving forward.

Board Finance Committee

The Board Finance Committee met on October 24, 2023. The meeting notes were attached to the agenda item. There was additional information on the following:

● Levy presentation - discussed during the meeting tonight.

● Potential abatement - the finance committee is still supporting the $2 million abatement. The philosophy is those bonds were for a specific issue; regarding borrowing cost if we abate and then have to borrow - that interest rate is low.

● Audit - much closer to the normal timeline this year; as of today, the audit is clean; the audit is scheduled to be on the December board agenda and Mr. Long will work with Dr. O’Keeffe on a summary of the audit.

There was a question on the following:

● Request for numbers on the following - the impact on the homeowners if that is returned to them through abatement. The interest piece we would be paying would be very small if we abate and then borrow funds for the middle school projects.

Board Human Resources (HR)/Policy Committee

The Board HR/Policy Committee met on October 23, 2023. The meeting notes were attached to the agenda item. There was additional information on the following:

● Administrative Procedures (section 7) - nothing significant was noted.

● Graduation requirements - discussed during the meeting tonight.

● Development of a social media guideline digital communication areas of responsibility - A rubric to bring clarity to the employee code of conduct on procedures and expectations; is a work in progress.

REPORTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS

Other Reports from Board Members

● The presentation to administrators by Michelle Denault that just took place was well received, a good learning opportunity and great information was provided; the EC-12 leadership team and assistant principals were in attendance, as were some members of local law enforcement. There was time for reflection and discussion after the presentation.

● The elected officials' breakfast with Districts 203 and 204 was tremendously productive and a great opportunity to benchmark with peers in other districts; look forward to this being an annual activity.

● President Hanlon attended the Carol Stream legislative breakfast.

● The Student Excellence Foundation fundraiser was last weekend - the foundation does a lot of good things for the district - noted funding classrooms and addressing food insecurity.

● High School Student Ambassadors - welcome and excited that so many people applied, and have the opportunity for student voice at the board table.

WRITTEN REPORTS

Monthly Financial Reports

FOIA Report

Board Communication Log

Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Report

TOPICS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION

2023 Truth in Taxation Hearing – December 13, 2023

Fiscal Year 2023 Audit

● Request for a future calendar discussion (potentially two separate items - one specific to certain days on the calendar and one related to the process for developing the calendar).

● Discussion of the fee schedule (as it relates to overall fees being reduced by 50% during the pandemic and have not adjusted them since).

NEXT REGULAR MEETING

December 13, 2023, 7:00 PM, Lincoln Elementary School

CLOSED SESSION

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 session ILCS 120/2 (c) (11).

MOTION

Member Long moved, Member Rutledge seconded to adjourn the meeting to closed session for the purpose of 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 adjourned to Closed Session at 9:32 PM.

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3696/CUSD200/3820589/Minutes_11.08.23.docx.pdf