Galesburg Reporter

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education met May 9

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Minutes of the Regular Board of Education and Reorganization Meeting held on May 9, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in Board Rooms 215 and 216 at 126 S. York Street, Elmhurst, IL, DuPage County

Call to Order: President Arvanitis called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m.

Board of Education Members

Present – Mrs. Athena Arvanitis, President; Mrs. Elizabeth Hosler, Vice-President; Mrs. Courtenae Trautmann, Secretary; Mrs. Kelly Asseff; Mrs. Kara Caforio (arrived 5:04); Mr. Jim Collins (arrived 5:04); Dr. Kelly Henry

Absent – President Arvanitis stated there are 5 board members present, 2 board members absent, a quorum is present.

Administration

Present - Dr. Keisha Campbell, Superintendent; Dr. Scott Grens, Associate Superintendent; Mrs. Tonya Daniels, Mr. Rudy Gomez, Exec. Dir. Technology; Exec. Dir. Communications; Ms. Kerry Leuschel, Exec. Dir. Secondary Ed; Mrs. Katie Lyons, Exec. Dir. Elementary Ed; Dr. Kevin Rubenstein, Asst. Supt. Student Services; Mr. Chris Whelton, Asst. Supt. Finance & Operations

Absent - Mr. Luke Pavone, Asst. Supt. Human Resources

Closed Session

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to adjourn to closed session at 5:05 p.m to discuss matters relating to The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity;

AND Security procedures, school building safety and security, and the use of personnel and equipment to respond to an actual, a threatened, or a reasonably potential danger to the safety of employees, students, staff, the public, or public property. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(8)

AND Student disciplinary cases. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(9)

AND Discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act, whether for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06.

Mrs. Trautman moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Asseff, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Caforio, Mr. Collins, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Reconvene to Open Session

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to reconvene to Open Session at 7:06 p.m. Mrs. Caforio moved and

Mrs. Asseff seconded the motion.  Voice Vote - the motion was carried.

Pledge of Allegiance: Board members led those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Spotlight/Recognition

Churchville Middle School Spotlight

Principal Pogue-Reeder and Churchville PE teacher, Mrs. Paula Meltz, presented the Churchville Blue Jay Adventure Club, which is a cooperative program between Churchville MS and Elmhurst University. The program has the following objectives for the Club: Demonstrate an understanding of movement and the use of motor skills; Demonstrate responsible personal and social behavior; Demonstrate the ability to use effective interpersonal skills; Demonstrate the ability to use decision-making, goal setting, risk taking, and problem-solving skills; and Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for differences. The Elmhurst University students participating enroll in, Instructional Techniques for Middle and Secondary Physical Education Pedagogy, through the University’s Department of Kinesiology and each year, University students participating in Blue Jay Club return to Churchville to complete their clinical and observation hours.

PTA Reflections Competition

Mrs. Hosler stated the National PTA has a long-standing commitment to arts education and the Reflections program provides opportunities for students from pre-K to grade 12 to create original works of art each year in response to a student chosen theme. This year’s theme, “Show your Voice”. The Reflections program challenges students to internalize the theme and then asks for their interpretation in any of six categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. Mrs. Hosler read the proclamation and the Board applauded the students for their accomplishments.

IMSA Junior High School Math Contest and Illinois Math League, Bryan & Churchville

The Bryan MS Math Team, took fourth place overall at the IMSA Junior High School Math Contest, held at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. There were seven schools and 100 students that competed in this year’s contest. Dr. Henry read the proclamation for the IMSA Junior High School Math Contest.

Bryan Middle School hosted the annual Illinois Mathematics League competition for various students. Bryan Middle School had 113 students participate and Churchville Middle School had over 60 students participate in the contest. Mrs. Caforio read the proclamation for the Illinois Math League competition.

The Board applauded all the students and their accomplishments.

Illinois Association of Junior High Student Council (IAJHSC)

President Arvanitis indicated this recognition would be rescheduled.

FCCLA State Competition

Family & Consumer Science department coordinator, Mrs. Wendy Albert, along with faculty members Mrs. Laurie Crist and Ms. Abby Testin thanked the school board for honoring these student as state competitors. The  Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a Career and Technical Student Organization that provides personal growth, leadership development, and career preparation opportunities for students in Family and Consumer Sciences courses. Students earned gold, silver, and bronze in their competition category, with five students who qualified to advance to the National FCCLA leadership conference in Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Asseff read the proclamation and the Board applauded the students and their accomplishments.

Honor Flight Chicago Operation Education Recognition-Guardian Status Churchville, Sandburg, and Field

Mr. Peter Richey, co-director for Honor’s Flight Chicago Education Team and member of the Board of Trustees. This is the fifteenth season with its 107 flight along with a very special milestone aboard this flight will be our ten thousandth senior war hero to be transported to our nation’s capital for a day of honor. Mr. Howard Fry, Sandburg teaching assistant and Honor Flight Chicago alum assists to honor the three schools, along with York sophomore Honor Flight Chicago team member. Through the fundraising of the three schools, five veterans will board an Honor Flight at no expense.  This is the Inaugural Year of Guardian status and excited three of our schools are receiving the recognition. Board member, Mrs. Caforio, thanked Mr. Richey for the years and years of work, which has taken almost a decade and started with just a little assembly at Churchville. This has now rippled to others schools and it is teaching our kids about history, about others, and about giving back. The Board applauded their efforts and recognition.

Public Hearing - Transfer of $7M from Education Fund to Operations & Maintenance Fund, then to Capital Projects Fund

President Arvanitis declared the public hearing open at 7:53 p.m.

Mr. Whelton provided an overview indicating that the Elmhurst School District 205 community approved a referendum for $168.5 million to fund the rebuilding and renovation of aging school buildings including the two oldest schools Lincoln and Field Elementary Schools. During the construction process, there were additional needs identified and brought to the Board as additional construction items that were beyond the original scope of the referendum budget, which was determined prior to the November 2018 election. The District will make three transfers of $7 million to the Capital Projects Fund. This is the first transfer, which has been planned for over a year, and was included in the 2022-23 budget and the 5-Year financial projections.

Public Comments: No public comments received during the public hearing.

President Arvanitis declared the public hearing closed at 8:00 p.m.

Public Comments

Public comments revolved around the following: Support for and support against 9th grade English curriculum; Provide rigor in the classroom; Class size at Jefferson for next year 3rd graders; and Suggestion on who D205 should benchmark against.      

Per board policy 2:230, it is not the Board’s practice to directly engage in discussion, ask, or answer questions with the individuals addressing the Board during public comment.

President Arvanitis called for a five-minute recess at 8:47 p.m.

Once reconvened from recess, President Arvanitis acknowledged and thanked all of our teachers during this teacher appreciation week. Each of the Board members offered additional gratitude and thanks to all D205 teachers.

Approval of Board Meeting Minutes

Approval of Regular Board Minutes: April 25, 2023   

Approval of Closed Session Minutes: April 25, 2023                                  

President Arvanitis asked if there were any changes to minutes and hearing no changes, the minutes were declared to stand as presented.

Reports and Presentations

Student Services Department Update

Through the presentation, Dr. Rubenstein introduced the D205 Student Services team both leadership and school team members. The presentation included the number of students with disability served by the district and served by grade level, along with ELA and Math growth percentiles and achievement. Dr. Rubenstein reviewed the progress made with regard to each of the strategic priorities for the District, along with the survey outcomes in relation to improved IEP meeting processes. Other information provided: 504 services and support; students eligible under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act; and our special education cooperative, SASED partner.

The Board commented on the following: Over 4-years on the board, have never heard so much progress presented; Significant that parents are part of and engaged in the IEP process, as shown through the survey; Excited about the Special Ed Handbook; Love the collaboration with SERG, Elmhurst public library, and great to see opportunities for social events; Do you know what the 504 plan changes will look like from the state; How will you share the ROI with regard to co-teaching; It’s amazing and fantastic to see the growth for our students in just a few short years; Appreciation for expansion and opportunities for students both academically and socially; and When looking at growth and proficiency rates for the student sub-groups, it looks like we are on the right path.  

Learning Management Report (LMS)

Dr. Grens and Mr. Gomez shared an overview, which includes Timeline & History; What is a Learning Management System (LMS); The Benefits (Students, Teachers, Parents); Vendor Selection & Exploration; LMS costs; and Next Steps. The exploration began in 2019 with the Technology Committee and did site visits with many local school districts using a learning management system called, Schoology. A LMS is a centralized online education hub, manages all aspects of the digital learning process, and is a communication channel between teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Some of the features of an LMS includes Course Management; User and Group Management; Reporting and Analytic; Testing and Assessment; Discussion and Collaboration; Learning Tools Interoperability with third party digital resources (LTI); and Digital Textbook Integrations. The presentation highlighted student, teacher, and parent benefits for a Learning Management System. Three vendors were presented to the LMS Steering Committee and the  Committee selected Canvas and Schoology to trial between September and December. The committee selected Schoology to begin exploration from January 2023 -June 2023. They presented the next steps, along with the cost associated with Schoology. The Board wondered who participated on the committee, what is the implementation plan; and what were the features of Schoology that gave it advantages over Canvas.

Instructional Materials Update, Selection, & Adoption

Dr. Campbell spoke about the process in reviewing curriculum resources and adoption. Next Ms. Leuschel provided an instructional materials update for the English 9/9H Professional Learning Community (PLC), which came together to reflect and review the feedback from the display of instructional materials about the proposed text, American Street. The team identified trends and new learnings based on community feedback and will come back together to narrow their recommendations. Mrs. Lyons continued by providing an additional instructional materials selection and adoption for Project Lead the Way (PLTW) for grades K-5.

Mr. Collins encouraged the members of the community to review the materials that will be on display.

ECRA Partnership Update

Dr. Campbell introduced the that ECRA Group is a “K12 research and analytics consulting firm that helps school districts and educational leaders improve student outcomes by adopting more evidence-based practices.” ECRA Group has provided administration with valuable data reports with clear alignment and potential to monitor indicators of progress in various areas of our Student Success Strategic Priority. Reports such as district level by building, building level by grade, district & building level by student groups, and district & building level by programs and interventions. At the June board meeting, administration will bring a recommendation to the board for action.

The Board commented they liked we are looking at the tools and evaluating whether this is the best tool for us.

Consent Agenda Items

Personnel Report

Financial Reports

Appointment of School Treasurer and Resolution Approving Surety Bond of Treasurer

Extended School Year (ESY) Staffing

Facilitated IEP Training Key2ED Contract

Approval of the Property Schedule, Addenda and ancillary documents to the Master Tax-Exempt Lease/Purchase Agreement with U.S. Bancorp for a new four-year, tax exempt, non-bank qualified lease and purchase in an amount not to exceed the current value of$1,321,453.37

Bid #23-11 Site Improvements 2023

Memo of Understanding (MOU) - DuPage ROE & Elmhurst CUSD 205 for Regional Safe Schools

President Avanitis asked for a motion to approve the following consent agenda items: A. Personnel Report; B. Financial Reports; C. Appointment of School Treasurer and Resolution Approving Surety Bond of Treasurer; D. Extended School Year (ESY) Staffing; E. Facilitated IEP Training Key2Ed Contract; F. Approval of the Property Schedule, Addenda and ancillary documents to the Master Tax-Exempt Lease/Purchase Agreement with U.S. Bancorp for a new four-year, tax-exempt, non-bank qualified lease and purchase in an amount not to exceed the current value of$1,321,453.37; G. Bid #23-11 Site Improvements 2023; H. Memo of Understanding (MOU) - DuPage ROE & Elmhurst CUSD 205 for Regional Safe Schools.

Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Caforio, Dr. Henry, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Asseff, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Agenda Action Items

Approval 2023-2024 Student Handbooks

Dr. Campbell, stated that consistent with Board Policy7:190, the administrative team is responsible for creating a student handbook, which enumerates the policies and procedures in place throughout the District. The student handbooks were most recently brought for board review and approval in the Spring of 2022. In the spirit of continuous improvement, a team of administrators collaborated to review and update the student handbook. Dr. Rubernstein provided an overview of some of the updates and Dr. Grens provided historical context to grading and assessment at York HS, related to the information in the student handbook. Ms. Leuschel provided clarity around current summative assessment practices. Dr. Campbell added that based on a lot of conversation and feedback from board and community members the assessment information was provided.

The Board wondered and commented as follows: How will we ensure we get feedback from all our stakeholders; Asked clarifying questions about summative assessment and final exams; Can we come up with a temporary measure for final exam procedure next year for our students; Final exams/projects is a different experience and student needs to learn to adjust to a different experience, which has a different rhythm for a final exam/project schedule; Agree with colleague to push on final exams for next year instead of waiting for a procedure to be implemented; Our handbook talks about homework and there is no policy that talks about “no homework; Questions about relearning  opportunities; Encourage staff to follow  handbook, so students receive same experience; Clarification on number of relearning opportunities between middle and high schools; To recap, I hear there is a need to understand end of semester experience for all kids, so that administration can develop measures for what’s best for students; and There seems to be a sense of urgency.     

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the updated Student Handbook for the 2023-2024 school year, as presented. Mrs. Hosler moved and Mrs. Asseff seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Caforio, Mr. Collins, Dr. Henry, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Edward Elmhurst Contract – Nursing Services

Dr. Campbell shared that for several years the district has partnered with Elmhurst Hospital for school nursing services. We are excited to propose a continued partnership with Edward-Elmhurst Hospital for the 2023-2024 school year, which Dr. Rubenstein provided some details of the contract. Mr. Collins said good work and it is a great partnership between Edward-Elmhurst hospital and our community; thank you Edward-Elmhurst hospital.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the contract with Edward Elmhurst Health for school nursing services for fiscal year 2024, in the amount of $1,778,238.22. Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Caforio, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Asseff, Dr. Henry, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Approval Resolution of Appointment to DuPage Area Occupational Education System Board of Directors (DAOES)

Dr. Campbell stated that each year, member districts of the DuPage Area Occupational Educational System (DAOES) are asked to formally designate a representative staff member to serve as a DAOES Board of Director. DAOES has been a long standing partner providing opportunities to York HS students that are interested in various occupations and career paths such as, Cosmetology, Fire Science, and Construction Trades to name a few. Partnering with DAOES as a member district is only one example of how Elmhurst District 205 engages in Career and Technical Education (CTE) activities. Mrs. Hosler stated these are amazing opportunities for our students and it would be great to communicate out to our parents and students.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to adopt the "Resolution of Appointment to DuPage Area Occupational Education System (DAOES) Board of Directors," which appoints Dr. Scott Grens to serve as its representative for the 2023-2024 school year. Mrs. Trautmann moved and Dr. Henry seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Dr. Henry, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Caforio, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Hosler, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Approval of Resolution to Transfer $4Mil from Operations and Maintenance Fund to the Capital Projects Fund

Mr. Whelton stated that every summer the district begins capital maintenance projects. These projects are paid for out of the Capital Projects Fund. A transfer is made from the Operations and Maintenance Fund in order to fund these projects every June.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the "Resolution to Transfer Money from the Operations and Maintenance Fund to the Capital Projects Fund", in the amount of $4,000,000. Mrs. Hosler moved and Mrs. Asseff seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Asseff, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Trautmann, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Caforio, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Approval of Resolution to Transfer of $7Mil from Education Fund to Operations & Maintenance Fund and then to Capital Projects Fund

Mr. Whelton stated that this was already reviewed during the public hearing.   

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the Resolution directing the transfer of $7,000,000 from the Educational Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund and then to the Capital Projects Fund, as presented. Mrs. Hosler moved and Dr. Henry seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Caforio, Mr. Collins, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Approve 2023-2024 School Calendar Change

Ms. Leuschel indicated that due to the limited number of home games and the inability for shifts in home and away games leaves few opportunities for selecting a homecoming week/game. Therefore, would like to switch the current middle school and high school parent teacher conference dates. Mrs. Lyons spoke about aligning the experience of elementary school Parent-Teacher Conferences with that of high school and middle school conferences, with changing the time of the second day of conferences. President Arvanitis wondered about potential elementary parent feedback with regard to the conference time change. 

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the date change in Middle School and High School Parent-Teacher Conferences, as presented and approve the Elementary Parent-Teacher Conference time change, as presented. Mrs. Hosler moved and Dr. Henry seconded the motion. 

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Caforio, Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Asseff, Mr. Collins, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Adopt Mid-Term Appointment Resolution SASED Board of Directors and Governing Board

Dr. Campbell provided that during the March 21, 2023 BOE meeting, the Board approved the SASED Board of Control Resolution Amendments to the SASED Articles of Joint Agreement. The members of the Board of Directors now consists of the Superintendent from each member District, along with an elected Board of Education member who can be designated as an alternative representative. Last year, Dr. Campbell was the alternate and Beth Hosler was the member.  The mid-term resolution will name Beth Hosler as the appointed Board of Directors Alternate Representative. Also, each member district of SASED designates a representative from the District to serve on the Governing Board, through formal Board action. Karen Stuefen served as the district’s representative on SASED Governing Board, which began May 2022 for a two-year term. With new board members elected on April 4, 2023, this opens the position up for a seated board member for the remainder of the term. (1-year)  The mid-term resolution will name Beth Hosler as the appointed Governing Board Representative.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to Education adopt the Mid-Term Appointment Resolutions for SASED Board of Directors and SASED Governing Board, as presented. Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Asseff seconded.  

ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Asseff, Dr. Henry, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Caforio, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried.

Superintendent's Communication

Summer Programming Update

Dr. Campbell shared we have a robust summer program of offerings and still have seats available in various programs. Families encouraged to look at the available opportunities and look forward to come back at the end of the summer to report out. 

FOIA – Freedom of Information Act Requests

Dr. Campbell reviewed the following FOIA requests since the last board meeting.

2 FOIA requests for curriculum correspondence, granted.

3 FOIA requests for construction bid information, 1 granted; 2 not in possession.

1 FOIA request for student information, exempt from disclosure.

Social Media Highlight:  

Mrs. Daniel introduced the social media highlight video. The video can be viewed in BoardDocs, under Superintendent’s Communication-Social Media Highlights.  

Board Communications: Board members present reports and/or share information to the full Board.

Upcoming Meetings

 - May 23, 2023 Special Board of Education Meeting at 5:30 p.m. - District 205 Center, Rooms 215, 216

 - June 13, 2023 Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 p.m. - District 205 Center, Rooms 215, 216

Adjournment - End of Meeting: The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 p.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/elmhurst/Board.nsf/Public