Galesburg Reporter

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Committee of the Whole met May 7

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Call to Order: President Arvanitis called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Board of Education Members

Present – Mrs. Athena Arvanitis, President; Mrs. Kelly Asseff, Secretary; Mrs. Beth Hosler, and Mr. Brian Bresnahan

Absent – Dr. Kelly Henry, Vice-President (arrived at 5:34 pm); Mrs. Nikki Slowinski (arrived at 6:05 pm), and Mrs. Courtenae Trautmann

President Arvanitis stated there are 4 board members present, 3 board members absent, a quorum is present.

Administration

Present - Dr. Keisha Campbell, Superintendent; Mrs. Tonya Daniels, Chief of Staff & Communications; Mr. Rudy Gomez, Exec. Dir. Technology; Ms. Kerry Leuschel, Asst. Superintendent of School Leadership; Mrs. Katie Lyons, Asst. Superintendent of Teaching & Learning; Dr. Kevin Rubenstein, Asst. Superintendent of Student Services; and Dr. Joe Schumacher, Asst. Superintendent of Human Resources

Absent – Mr. M. Mohsin Dada, Interim Asst. Superintendent of Finance & Operations

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

Public Comments: There were no public comments.

Reports and Presentations

D205 Strategic Plan Alignment- School Leaders

Dr. Campbell began tonight's Committee of the Whole meeting with an overview of the school improvement efforts for the year. She shared that three principals would discuss how they are leading these initiatives during the meeting.

She also mentioned that District 205 has transitioned to the School Leader Paradigm framework for principal evaluations to better support principal development. Dr. Campbell provided resources to help everyone familiarize themselves with the framework in advance.

The framework emphasizes the importance of leadership dispositions in advancing school improvement, focusing on three key domains: Culture, Systems, and Learning. District 205 has prioritized specific components for leader development within these domains: Student-Centeredness, Collaborative Leadership, and Instruction. The strategic plan has allowed the district to align efforts and gain clarity on the critical levers driving continuous improvement.

As shared at the previous COW meeting, each department has a strategic one-pager outlining the strategies and goals for the year, aligned to the district’s priority objectives. One key lever in driving student success has been developing leader capacity to support the adoption of high-quality curricular materials, alongside curricular-embedded professional learning.

Dr. Campbell reminded everyone that each year, priorities and objectives are identified to guide the district’s work for the year. Principals then align these priorities to their School Improvement Plans (SIPs). Research shows that the principal’s role is critical in bridging District-wide priorities and tailoring them to meet the unique needs of each school.

Dr. Campbell handed the floor to Ms. Kerry Leuschel, the Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership. She explained that, due to the significant impact school leadership has on student achievement, the district had shifted to a new framework this year for coaching, developing, and evaluating principals—the School Leader Paradigm. This framework, developed by the School Leader Collaborative, includes years of research on effective school leadership, focusing on the key components principals must prioritize for school improvement.

Ms. Leuschel introduced the three principals who would share how they’ve applied these leadership dimensions in their work this year. Each principal would highlight their efforts in two dimensions, and there would be an opportunity to dive deeper into one particular area. To keep the discussion manageable, the principals had curated a set of artifacts to showcase their leadership and its impact. Before the Board of Education could ask questions, the principals would also discuss their plans for the next phase of their continuous leadership improvement. She then passed the meeting to Principal Sweeney to begin.

Principal Sweeney began by sharing key initiatives at Jefferson this year, with a primary focus on Collaborative Leadership, and briefly addressing Student Centeredness and Instruction. She highlighted the shift in the Student Success Team from a reactive to a proactive, data-driven model, using both academic and SEL data to allocate resources and intervene earlier with students.

She also led the development of a shared instructional philosophy for ELA and Math with the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), ensuring alignment with district goals and fostering ownership of instructional practices. In addition, Principal Sweeney introduced a strategic planning and accountability structure within Jefferson’s leadership triad. The "Must Wins" approach helped each triad member identify critical priorities and break them down into actionable tasks across three trimesters, promoting long-term planning, accountability, and transparency. A key improvement this year was mapping "Must Wins" onto a monthly calendar, allowing the team to align priorities and stay focused on long-term goals. Weekly "big rocks" were also written to maintain focus on important tasks.

In Collaborative Leadership, Principal Sweeney worked closely with Pia (assistant principal) and Quinn (instructional coach) to develop a cohesive leadership team. They co-created a purpose for their regular meetings, focusing on teacher support and fostering trust through the StrengthsFinder assessment. They also promoted shared learning by reading The Knowledge Gap and Switch, with key takeaways from these books, such as focusing on "bright spots" and "shrinking the change," influencing the School Improvement Plan for the following year.

Looking ahead, Principal Sweeney plans to increase the visibility of Pia and Quinn’s leadership, shift the focus to how their work impacts teacher practice, and prioritize preparation for triad meetings and one-on-one check-ins. These efforts aim to continue refining and strengthening Jefferson’s school improvement practices.

Then we heard from Principal Discipio, who shared Bryan Middle School's progress this year, focusing on student-centeredness. She began by discussing the school’s data analysis, highlighting that last year’s 6th graders had the lowest proficiency in IAR, leading to a focused effort on improving the current 7th graders' performance.

The school implemented new curricula (Amplify ELA, Illustrative Math, and InquirEd), and department chairs, supported by instructional coaches, led meetings to ensure fidelity in implementation. An observation system was established to assess classroom instruction and inform professional development.

Principal Discipio also shared insights from the 5 Essentials Survey, where student-teacher trust was identified as a growth area. This led to the development of the School Improvement Plan, aligning teacher goals with the SIP and strategic plan. Exploratory block teachers focused on improving trust in their classrooms, and the Student Advisory Committee was launched to gather student feedback on trust and the learning environment.

Looking ahead, Principal Discipio plans to gather end-of-year feedback, review 5 Essentials Data, and expand the Student Advisory Committee to continue improving student-teacher trust at Bryan Middle School.

The last principal to present was Dr. Hurt from York, who shared insights into the school’s efforts to address chronic absenteeism and improve student outcomes. After analyzing attendance data, 5 Essentials data, and stakeholder feedback, it was clear that fostering a sense of belonging was crucial. The school implemented the "We Are DUKES" framework to celebrate students' athletic, academic, and behavioral achievements, culminating in the inaugural Duke Olympics, which boosted student engagement and connected them with their peers.

Dr. Hurt also highlighted the impact of the Instructional Coaching team, which shifted to a student-centered coaching model. Coaches worked with PLCs to identify instructional challenges, such as helping students access complex texts in Social Studies, and provided support through co-planning, observations, and data analysis. This approach led to continuous improvement in teaching practices.

To maximize the effectiveness of PLCs, Dr. Hurt identified the need for focused student work analysis. She facilitated leader learning for Division Chairs, who then supported teachers in analyzing student work during PLCs. This collaborative effort led to better understanding and prioritization of student work analysis, which contributed to instructional growth.

Additionally, Dr. Hurt focused on content-specific learning in English and Social Studies, starting with a review of texts and tasks in 9th and 10th grades. This work, in partnership with district administration, aimed to ensure high-quality instructional materials. A summer learning series was also planned to further develop these skills, ensuring continued improvement in course materials and teaching practices.

Through these initiatives, Dr. Hurt emphasized the importance of collaborative leadership and ongoing professional development to support both teachers and students at York.

Dr. Campbell concluded by thanking the leaders for speaking at the Committee of the Whole meeting, noting that it was the first time they had invited leaders to share in this setting. She expressed appreciation for their participation and emphasized that the district is still on a journey of continuous improvement. Dr. Campbell then went on to share the district-wide priorities for the 2025/26 school year. To view the entire presentation and hear the Board's questions and comments, please refer to the video on BoardDocs.

Board Communications: There was no board communications.

Upcoming Meetings

- May 20, 2025 Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 p.m.–District 205 Center, Rooms 215, 216, & 217

- May 28, 2025 Special Board Meeting at 5:30 p.m. -District 205 Center, Rooms 215, 216, & 217

- June 4, 2025 Policy Committee Meeting at 5:30 p.m. -District 205 Center, Rooms 215 & 216

Adjournment - End of Meeting: The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm.

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