Galesburg Reporter

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education met June 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Minutes of the Regular Board of Education and Reorganization Meeting held on June 13, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in Board Rooms 215 and 216 at 162 S. York Street, Elmhurst, IL, DuPage County

Call to Order: President Arvanitis called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m.

Board of Education Members

Present – Mrs. Athena Arvanitis, President; Mrs. Elizabeth Hosler, Vice-President; Mrs. Courtenae Trautmann, Secretary (arrived 6:14); Mrs. Kelly Asseff; Mrs. Kara Caforio; Dr. Kelly Henry

Absent – Mr. Jim Collins

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, 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. Rudy Gomez, Exec. Dir. Technology; Mr. Luke Pavone, Asst. Supt. Human Resources

Closed Session

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to adjourn to closed session at 5:35 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 Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2)

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 The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(10)

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. Caforio moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Caforio, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Asseff, Dr. Henry, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mrs. Trautmann and Mr. Collins were absent.

Reconvene to Open Session

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to reconvene to Open Session at 6:51 p.m. Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Arvanitis 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

Madison ECE Spotlight

Dr. Susan Kondrat and Ms. Sarah Pappas presented the Madison Early Childhood instructional framework for 2023-2024 school year. The answered the question, “What is a project approach?” along with identifying the three phases, Beginning the Project, Developing the Project, and Concluding the Project.

National PTA Reflection Award

Mrs. Hosler indicated the PTA Reflections program provides more students with access to the Arts and opportunities for recognition. We are thankful to our PTA’s to support this program in District 205.  Mrs. Hosler read the proclamation and the Board congratulated the students.

3rd Place IHSA State Girls Water Polo

Mrs. Caforio stated she know how far this program has come and knows the wins were so significant, along with this being the first team to go this far. We know it’s how work and the athleticism is amazing; we are so proud of you and thank you for all the hard work. Mrs. Caforio read the proclamation and the Board congratulated the students.

4th Place IHSA State Boys Water Polo

Mrs. Trautmann congratulated the team for their dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship that has brought the team much success. We appreciate all the coaches, trainers, and all the parents in supporting these students. Mrs. Trautmann read the proclamation and the Board congratulated the students.

Public Comments

Public comments revolved around the following: Support for D205 curriculum choices; Low grade level curriculum and what is the understanding of critical thinking; Too much focus on popular curriculum, focus on D205 not the best and worst of other districts; Adopt procedures when curriculum is challenged; and need to attract and retain teacher, avoid book banning.

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.

Approval of Board Meeting Minutes

Approval of Regular Board Minutes: May 9, 2023; May 23, 2023   

Approval of Closed Session Minutes: May 9, 2023; May 23, 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

Results from District Assessments: NWEA MAP K-8, Spring 2023

In the presentation, Dr. Rubenstein and Dr. Grens reviewed a list of this year’s board presentations related to student growth, attainment, and the identification of opportunities to elevate instruction and promote student outcomes. They reviewed results from the spring NWEA MAP Assessment, which is one of the District assessments. They presented performance for District 205 students for both math and reading and provided information on the NWEA MAP Fluency Assessment data. The final slide reviewed the ongoing actions being taken by district and school leaders across the District.

The Board commented on the following: How does scope and sequence make a difference (scope is actual content being taught and sequence relates to the order in which the content is taught); What does 50 percentile in District 205 mean; A clarifying question was asked in regard to the reading fluency slide; Does the reading fluency assessment slide include new students; Wanted to highlight the gains for free/reduced, EL, and IEP students.

SY22-23 Instructional Review Updates (Math, Dual, and Emergent Bilingual Programming)

Dr. Campbell introduced the instructional review presentation stating that during SY 2022-2023 Elmhurst District 205 engaged in instructional reviews in the areas of mathematics, emergent bilingual programming, and dual language programming. The purpose of the reviews was to analyze current programming and practices, make recommendations to use in the District’s improvement efforts, support continuous and long-term planning, and align critical resources necessary for any change to become institutionalized. Ms. Leuschel and Mrs. Lyons provided a review, along with details of 2022-2023 district wide instructional priorities and professional learning that occurred. Mr. Dave Beedy joined in presenting the math instructional review findings and recommendations.  Mrs. Lyons continued with the instructional review findings and recommendations for both emergent bilingual and dual language programs. The presentation was finalized by highlighting the upcoming 2023-2024 Instructional Priorities and Professional Learning outline.

The Board commented on the following: Thank you for completing the math review because we needed to look at this comprehensively; The math presentation talks a lot about review and exploration, so how much change will take place for next year; Something that comes up a lot is creating consistency across math classrooms and across schools, it seems that the leader and teacher learning is a way to address it, is this correct; I’m hearing a lot of board members talking about the focus on math instruction and maximizing the utilization of the resources we have available to us; Our kids are having great experiences in math across the district, learning a lot of critical thinking and problem solving skills; I’m hopeful teachers will identify more math instructional strategies to expand their tool kit when teaching a variety of learners because kids all learn differently; Regarding the dual language review were there clear goals or just not understood or were the goals not clear; and During the dual language review, was there any insight on how it will move forward?

23-24 Staffing Update

Dr.Campbell provided an update of the 2023-24 staffing summary, which shows additional FTE due to an increase in kindergarten sections. Throughout the summer, staffing allocations will be monitored to reflect any changes in student enrollment and/or learning needs. We will continue to maximize resources to achieve excellence and reallocation of FTE will be based on student data and instructional needs. President Arvanitis stated she appreciates the continuous work in looking at our resources, finding the gaps, reallocating those resources before coming to the Board to propose additional resources.

Consent Agenda Items

Personnel Report

Financial Reports

Annual Consolidated District Plan

Additional Emerson PTA Donation

Donation/Grant for PLTW Programming at YCHS

Blubaugh Family Donation to Hawthorne ES

First Read Section 2: Board of Education 2:110

First Read Section 3: General School Administration 3:40

First Read Section 4: Operational Services 4:60

First Read Section 5: Personnel 5:30; 5:90; 5:125; 5:150; 5:170; 5:260

First Read Section 6: Instruction 6:135

First Read Section 8: Community Relations - Policy Review 8:20

Destruction of Verbatim Recordings of Closed Session Minutes

President Avanitis asked for a motion to approve the following consent agenda items: A. Personnel Report; B. Financial Reports; C. Annual Consolidated District Plan; D. Additional Emerson PTA Donation; E. Donation/Grant for PLTW Programming at YCHS; F. Blubaugh Family Donation to Hawthorne ES; G. First Read Section 2: Board of Education Policy 2:110; H. First Read Section 3: General School Administration Policy 3:40; I. First Read Section 4: Operational Services Policy 4:60; J. First Read Section 5: Personnel Policies 5:30, 5:90, 5:125, 5:150, 5:170, 5:260; K. First Read Section 6: Instruction Policy 6:135; L. First Read Section 8: Community Relations Policy 8:20; M. Destruction of Verbatim Recordings of Closed Session Minutes Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Caforio, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Asseff, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Agenda Action Items

Approve Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Recommendation

Dr. Campbell provided an overview of the inclusive and thorough search process with a total of 47 applicants, where six applicants were selected to participate in first round interviews before three applicants advanced to participate in second round interviews. After all input was reviewed from the pool of highly qualified candidates, Dr. Joseph Schumacher is being recommended for hire. Throughout the interview process, the experience, skills, and disposition of Dr. Schumacher became increasingly evident as strengths for the role of Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with D205. After the motion was carried, President Arvanitis welcomed Dr. Schumacher. Dr. Schumacher thanked the Board and stated he is honored to join the D205 team.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve Dr. Joseph Schumacher for hire in the position of Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with the starting salary of $175,500.00. Mrs. Hosler moved and Dr. Henry seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Caforio, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Trautmann, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

23-24 Salary Administrator & Non-Union Employees

As stated in the memo, Dr. Campbell reviewed that each year the Board of Education reviews the salaries of all non-union administrative employees, along with non-union support employees, non-union food service, miscellaneous hourly rates and starting hourly rates for food service and non-union support staff.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the increases for Non-Union Administrators, Non-Union Support Staff, Non-Union Food Service, Miscellaneous Hourly rates and starting hourly rates for Food Service and Non-Union Support Staff, as presented. Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Hosler, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Caforio, Mrs. Asseff, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Approval of Special Olympics Coordinator

Dr. Rubenstein reported that with the expansion of co-curricular programming for students with disabilities including, which include additional Special Olympics athletic opportunities there is a need to have one person oversee all programs.  Additionally, Special Olympics of Illinois requires the District to gather data and complete some surveys to assist the organization in keeping its funding from the state and federal government. The Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Elmhurst Teacher’s Council (ETC) allows for stipends and it is proposed that a stipend be added for a person to oversee the following programs and activities: Special Olympics Volleyball, Basketball, and Track and Field. The Board asked a clarifying question with regard to the stipend.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the addition of this stipend position within the ETC Collective Bargaining Agreement. Dr. Henry moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Dr. Henry, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Caforio,  and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Approve Instructional Materials Update, Selection, and Adoption (for 2023-2024)

Mrs. Lyons reviewed that at the May 9th Board of Education meeting the following materials were presented for Project Lead the Way (PLTW) launch to engage in 30-days of display for the community to review and provide any feedback. There has not been any comments for PLTW materials. Next, Ms. Leuschel provided an update on the 9/9H curricular resources. The English 9/9H Professional Learning Community (PLC) came together to reflect and review feedback about the text, American Street. The team identified trends and new learnings based on community feedback. After reviewing the feedback, the team moved forward with creating a robust text set, including House on Mango Street and excerpts from American Street. The Board of Education previously approved both texts for use in ninth grade in 2012 and 2019. For additional context, the text set includes non-fiction texts, poems, and short stories. This approach aligns with research-based literacy practices prevalent in ELA curricula across the district that promote domain specific background knowledge and provide content-rich interdisciplinary connections.

The Board commented on the following: Thank you for going back, when you have a process we need to honor the process and its important when we are adopting core text that we are being critical thinkers; Help us understand how all these pieces of literature connect and prepare our students; and Thank you for refining the process for curriculum review and making it easy for our community to access items online, along with an easy way to give us feedback.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to adopt the proposed instructional materials for the 2023-2024 School Year, as presented. Mrs. Hosler moved and Dr. Henry seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Caforio, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Approve ECRA Partnership Contract

Dr. Campbell stated in implementing the D205 Strategic Plan, the District engaged with ECRA Group for support in the use of appropriate data-driven indicators. 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. The Board commented that the data can be a lot to process, so I like way we can look at the data in different ways, it gives us a different lens, a different view of the data, which is really helpful for us and the community.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the purchase of the service agreement with ECRA Group for the cost of $75,984 for 2023-2024, as presented. Dr. Henry moved and Mrs. Asseff seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Dr. Henry, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Caforio, Mrs. Trautmann, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins,

Approve Learning Management System - Schoology Contract

Dr. Grens provided an overview of the Learning Management System, Schoology, presented to the Board at the May 9th Board of Education meeting. He indicated the rollout will be gradual beginning with teachers starting in grades 9-12 for 2023-2024 school year. The Board commented this will be a great tool for teachers, students, and parents.  

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the purchase of the Schoology Learning Management System for the total cost of $71,728.25 for 2023-2024, as presented. Mrs. Asseff moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Trautmann, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Caforio, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Approve Transitional Services for New Principals

Mrs. Lyons introduced the recommendation to approve additional onboarding days to our new principals at Conrad Fischer, Sandburg and York to support a strong start to the 2023-2024 school year to ensure the district’s new principals are set up for success.  

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve additional days to onboard the newly hired principals at Conrad Fischer Elementary School, Sandburg Middle School, and York Community High School, as presented. Mrs. Trautmann moved and Mrs. Hosler seconded.  ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Trautmann, Mrs. Hosler, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Caforio, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Athletic Trainers Contract

Mr. Whelton indicated that Rush has been a good partner in providing high quality athletic training services but was having a difficult time attracting and retaining athletic trainers due to the labor market. By increasing the contract rate to $20 per hour, Rush was able to find two athletic trainers to provide services for York High School for 2022-23. With the increase in the number of York student athletes, especially with the addition of lacrosse as an interscholastic sport, we would like to add a .75 athletic trainer.

President Arvanitis asked for a motion to approve the contract amendment with Rush Physical Therapy, as presented pending legal review. Mrs. Holser moved and Mrs. Asseff seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE: Mrs. Hosler, Mrs. Asseff, Mrs. Trautmann, Dr. Henry, Mrs. Caforio, and Mrs. Arvanitis voted aye. Motion carried. Mr. Collins was absent.

Superintendent's Communication

FOIA – Freedom of Information Act Requests

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

2 FOIA requests for specific FOIA responses, granted.

2 FOIA requests for curriculum information, granted.

1 FOIA request for specific parent communication with District staff, granted. 

1 FOIA request for records pertaining to Lurie Children's Hospital, unduly burdensome.

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. Board members thanked the team around the table for the ton of work shared in the all the in-depth presentations.  

Upcoming Meetings

 - July 25, 2023 Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 p.m. - District 205 Center, Rooms 215, 216

 - August 22, 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 10:06 p.m.

We certify this document as the correct minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Elmhurst CUSD 205 Board of Education held on June 13, 2023.

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