Minutes from the April 19, 2012 Regular Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on April 19, 2012

Board Brief for May 3, 2012

Service Awards:
Before the board meeting, the School Board honored employees who have served 25, 30 and 35 years with the district.

Discussion – Early Childhood Program Overview:
Research shows that children who receive high quality early childhood education and interventions have gains in language and math skills that remain into their elementary school years.

District 54 began providing early childhood services in 1972 by establishing an early childhood special education program that served 80 children. Today District 54 still provides early childhood special education for ages 3 to 5 for 276 children. However, the district now offers a variety of other programs for our youngest students.

Preschool for All serves children ages 3 to 5 that are identified as being the  most at-risk of academic failure using a systematic screening process. District 54 screens about 400 children a year for this program.

Prevention Initiative, funded by the Illinois State Board of Education, began in District 54 in 1991. The program serves families with children ages 0 to 3 who meet certain at-risk criteria. The District 54 Child and Family Educators have established resource centers and programs in multifamily residences that house low income families in order to find parents and children in need of support.

Family Involvement Nurturing Development (FIND) provides services for children ages 0 to 5 through community resource centers at seven locations. Services include parent-child interaction, home visits, parent workshops and family literacy time.

The purpose of the early childhood program is to help at-risk children catch up to their peers both academically, physically and socially by the time they enter kindergarten.

Public Comment:
One individual, who is both a resident and business owner in Schaumburg, spoke about how he investigated the financial records in District 54 20 years ago and is working with a group to investigate current records.

Freedom of Information Act Requests:
District 54 received six requests since the last board meeting related to the art supplies bid tabulation, award information for roofing replacement and salary information for administrators, teachers, custodians and maintenance personnel.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on April 19, 2012
• Resignations, leaves, retirement and employment of personnel
• Re-employment of five teachers who had received dismissal notices
• Checks dated April 20, 2012
• A contract for paving work at 15 District 54 sites during the summer of 2012
• A contract for seal-coating work at 13 District 54 sites during the summer of 2012
• A contract for Project Lead the Way classroom structural modifications during the summer of 2012

New Business:

• The Board approved the appointment of representatives to serve on the District Citizens’ Advisory Committee for the 2012-13 school year.

Announcements:

• Superintendents for the Day Molly and Kelly Guagenti talked about their day as superintendent. They visited Mead, Stevenson and Collins.
• Board Vice President Charlotte Kegarise spoke about how much she enjoyed Eisenhower’s play Beauty and the Beast Jr.
• Board Member Mary Kay Prusnick read to an early childhood class at Einstein and attended the Friday celebration as part of the Week of the Young Child activities last week.
• Board Member Karen Strykowski spoke about reading to early childhood students at Fairview and then visiting the school science fair.
• Board President Teresa Huber mentioned that next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and said the board appreciates all that our staff members do for the students in District 54.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 7:50 p.m. to closed session for employment/appointment matters, legal matters and collective negotiating matters.

Minutes from the April 5, 2012 Regular Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on April 5, 2012

Board Brief for April 19, 2012

Public Hearing on the Use of School Holidays:

The public hearing is required by state law before a district can hold school on Columbus Day, Veterans Day and the birthday observances of Martin Luther King Jr., Casimir Pulaski and President Abraham Lincoln. No one asked to speak. This hearing gives the district the ability to hold classes on these days, but District 54 does not plan to hold classes on all five days. District 54 calendars can be found online at http://sd54.org/calendars/.

Recognition:

The School Board presented Ambassador for Excellence Awards to six students who received an award at the 26th Annual Japanese Regional Speech Contest and to four students who qualified for the 2012 Illinois You Be The Chemist Challenge Competition.

The Board also honored Keller teacher Samantha Canfield who received the Northern Illinois University 2012 Outstanding Graduate Student Award and Lincoln Prairie teacher Olivia Jones who had her science lesson published in the book “Best Practice, Fourth Edition, Bringing Standards to Life in America’s Classrooms.”

The Board also honored the Bilingual Parent Advisory Council and representatives from the Schaumburg Park District who worked together to host a multicultural celebration on Saturday, April 14. Almost 1,000 people attended the event this year.

Public Comment:

• A Lincoln Prairie parent recommended District 54 look into the work of a group called Stand for the Silent and the movie Bullying to learn more about supporting students being bullied at school.
• A Lincoln Prairie parent echoed the recommendation for teachers, administrators, parents and students to see the movie Bullying. He asked the Board to see the movie and then look at its policies related to bullying.
• A Schaumburg resident said he agreed that cyberbullying is problem. He also spoke about the pension problems in Illinois and asked the School Board to not award large salary increases to administrators.

Freedom of Information Act Requests:

District 54 received six requests since the last board meeting for bid documents related to masonry restoration, interior renovations, roofing and art supplies.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on April 5, 2012
• Resignations, leaves and employment of personnel
• Checks dated April 6, 2012
• Monthly update of revenues and expenditures for March 2012
• Treasurer’s report on cash and investments for February 2012
• A contract for the supply and delivery of milk to 27 schools
• A contract for moving at seven sites during the summer of 2012
• A contract for waste and recycling services at all District 54 sites for school years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15
• The purchase of literacy, social science and elementary mathematics materials
• The costs associated with the implementation of Gateway to Technology
• The purchase of tablet computers, document cameras and iPads for classroom use
• A proclamation recognizing National Teacher Day as Tuesday, May 8, 2012
• The destruction of verbatim records of the closed-session School Board meetings on Sept. 16 and Oct. 7, 2010, for which approved minutes already exist
• Approval of the date, time and location of regular board meetings for July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013
• Reapproval of the 2012-13 School Calendar

Superintendent’s Report: Superintendent Ed Rafferty announced that the last day of school will be June 5 and that eighth-grade graduation will be June 4. He thanked the individuals involved in revamping the teacher appraisal process. Rafferty also praised two MacArthur teachers: Adriana Medina, who was selected to serve on the Performance Evaluation Advisory for the Illinois State Board of Education, and Maria Barba, who is a finalist for a Golden Apple Award.

Report of the President of the Board of Education: President Teresa Huber asked people in the audience to notice the new student artwork on the boardroom walls. She also mentioned that the Board changed its procedures so the public can now speak about any topic during the Public Comment section at any board meeting.

District Citizens Advisory Committee:  Board Member Barb Hengels announced that applications are now available for anyone interested in serving on DCAC next year (click here to access an application). DCAC also heard about the Project Lead the Way initiative in District 54.

Foundation Report: Board Member Bill Harper invited everyone to the Foundation’s golf outing on June 11. Click here for more information.

PTA Report: Council President Lisa Guagenti thanked everyone for attending the PTA Auction. The PTA raised about $18,000. That money will be used to fund college scholarships for high school seniors who had attended District 54 and to fund enrichment scholarships for elementary and junior high school students.

New Business:

• The School Board approved revisions to the following board policies:
• AA – School District Legal Status
• BHBA – Board Conferences, Conventions and Workshops
• GBA – Equal Opportunity Employment
• GC – Professional Staff
• IIAD – Acceptable Use of the Internet
• JGD – Student Suspension or Expulsion from School
• KB – Public Access to District Records

Announcements:

• Board Member Mary Kay Prusnick praised Fox staff who supported the Kids at Hope Community Resource Fair on Saturday and directed a student performance of the Wizard of Oz last night at the school.
• Board Secretary Karen Strykowski attended the Rotary meeting last Friday at Mead Junior High School. Mead has a couple of student groups that are associated with the Rotary. She was impressed by the students, the Food Pantry and the Rotary partnership with the district.
• Board Member Barbara Hengels thanked the SEA and SEEO for inviting board members and administrators to their general meeting on Monday.
• She added that Saturday is the annual Community Recycling Event hosted at our District Office. For more information, click here.
• Board President Teresa Huber said she was amazed with the Aldrin Multicultural Event last night. She was proud of the children and how they shared their heritage with the community.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 8:01 p.m. to closed session for collective negotiating and employment/appointment matters.

Minutes from the March 15, 2012 Regular Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on March 15, 2012

Board Brief for April 5, 2012

Discussion – Project Lead The Way, Gateway to Technology:
For the past several months, District 54 has researched science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programming options as we continue to strive to enhance the learning opportunities for our students. One promising STEM program is called Project Lead the Way, a hands-on curriculum aligned with national standards that emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem-solving.

Pending Board approval, Gateway to Technology, the Project Lead the Way curriculum for sixth through eighth grade, would be implemented at eight District 54 schools in 2012-13: Addams, Campanelli, Eisenhower, Frost, Hoover, Keller, Lincoln Prairie and Mead. This program would be available to all students; it is not a gifted program.

Sixth-grade students at Campanelli and Hoover and sixth- through eighth-grade students at Lincoln Prairie would investigate the impact of energy on our lives and the environment next year in the Energy and the Environment unit. Junior high students would have the opportunity to enroll in the Design and Modeling unit as a 12-week elective class. Keller students could also enroll in a year-round course that included Design and Modeling, Automation and Robotics, and Energy and the Environment.

With District 211 also using Project Lead the Way, there could be many opportunities for collaboration between the districts.

Public Comment: Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove complimented District 54 on its efficiency and transparency, and made a couple of recommendations for the District 54 website.

Freedom of Information Act Requests:
District 54 received 13 requests since the last board meeting related to the current prevailing wage resolution, the current waste and recycling contract, documents related to work done by Fuerte Systems, and bids for flooring, asbestos abatement, inspection of athletic equipment, custodial supplies, food service disposal goods.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on March 15, 2012
• Leaves and retirement of personnel
• Checks dated March 23, 2012
• A contract to replace cabinets, pocket tables, markerboard in selected rooms at 24 sites during the summer of 2012
• A contract for interior renovation at 22 sites during the summer of 2012
• A contract for masonry renovation at 7 sites during the summer of 2012
• A contract for roofing removal and replacement at Addams Junior High School during the summer of 2012
• A contract for power installation for audio/video projection systems
• A contract for the purchase and installation of audio/video projection systems
• An intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Hoffman Estates for a school resource officer at Eisenhower Junior High School
• The submittal of three additional safety hazard busing findings for the 2011-12 school year
• The submittal of the application for the Illinois School Maintenance Project Grant for 2011-12

New Business:

• The Board had the first reading of revisions to the following board policies:
• 1:10 (formerly AA – School District Legal Status)
• BHBA – Board Conferences, Conventions and Workshops
• GBA – Equal Opportunity Employment
• GC – Professional Staff
• IIAD – Acceptable Use of the Internet
• JGD – Student Suspension or Expulsion from School
• KB – Public Access to District Records
• KM – Solicitation and Distribution

Announcements:

• Several board members recently attended the PTA Auction which raises funds for scholarships for high school students.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 8:10 p.m. to closed session for employment/appointment matters, legal matters and collective negotiating matters.

Minutes from the March 1, 2012 Regular Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on March 1, 2012

Board Brief for March 15, 2012

Recognition:

The School Board presented Ambassador for Excellence Awards to 23 students who qualified for the state and national competitions in the PTA Reflections program. Abigail Cox and Sruthi Guruder will have their work advance to nationals. Four students also received honorable mentions at the PTA Reflections state competition: Alex Collier, Sebastian Madej, Owen Puryear and Molly Ward. The Board also honored the following students who qualified for the state competition: Krislyn Cardoza, Elizabeth Einig, Abigail Garcia, Lauren Greene, Justin Hartman, Saima Iqbal, John Johnson, Mitra Mahadevan, Katherine Moran, Alyssa Moreno, Julia Morse, Ankit Patel, Dario Perkins, James Preucil, Amy Rodriguez, Sindy Sariev and Simona Stalev.

Public Comment: No one asked to speak.

Freedom of Information Act Requests:
District 54 received four requests since the last board meeting for bid documents related to asbestos abatement, for the results of the electricity request for proposals, for the current contract and rates for providers of special services and for the present teacher’s labor contract.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on March 1, 2012
• Resignations and leaves of personnel
• Checks dated March 9, 2012
• Monthly update of revenues and expenditures
• Treasurer’s report on cash and investments for January 2012
• A contract for asbestos abatement at nine locations
• A contract for flooring removal and replacement at 13 locations
• A contract for the annual maintenance inspection of school athletic equipment at 27 schools
• The renewal of software licensing and support for the library automation system from Follett Software Company
• The destruction of verbatim records of the closed-session School Board meeting on Sept. 2, 2012, for which approved minutes already exist
• The release of minutes from 13 closed-session School Board meetings

Superintendent’s Report: Superintendent Ed Rafferty reported that District 54 was one of only 214 government agencies of 6,000 across the country whose website received a Sunny Award for transparency. He also congratulated Fox School, which was asked to participate in a training video for sheltered instruction on Friday. Rafferty thanked all staff and students for the hard work they put into the standardized state testing this month.

Report of the President of the Board of Education: President Teresa Huber reported that many local elected officials came to the intergovernmental reception in District 54 last week. She encouraged everyone to vote in the election next week.

Foundation Report: Board Member Bill Harper announced that Mardi Gras raised more than $32,000. The Foundation has 550 registered members for Create Excitement for Public Schools, a program  where you can earn money for the Foundation by purchasing Groupons and shopping online.

PTA Report: Council President Lisa Guagenti announced that tomorrow night is the PTA auction at 5:30 p.m. at the Meridian.

New Business:

• The School Board approved the 2012-13 Staffing Plan.
• The School Board approved a resolution of nonreemployment of classified personnel.
• The School Board approved a resolution authorizing notices of dismissal to educational support staff.
• The School Board approved a resolution of nonreemployment of first-, second- and third-year nontenured certificated personnel.
• The School Board approved a resolution authorizing notices of dismissal to final-year probationary teachers.

Announcements:

• Board Member Mary Kay Prusnick enjoyed reading to students at Fox School on Read Across America Day.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 7:36 p.m. to closed session for collective negotiating and employment/appointment matters.

Minutes from the February 16, 2012 Regular Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on February 16, 2012

Board Brief for March 1, 2012

Discussion – Staffing Plan for 2012-13:
Andy DuRoss, assistant superintendent of human resources, presented the administration’s preliminary staffing plan for the 2012-13 school year.

The first step in determining the staffing plan is projecting the enrollment for the 2012-13 school year. The change in the district’s enrollment is primarily based on the difference between the kindergarten class that enters each September and the size of the previous year’s graduating class. This year we will graduate a larger number of students in eighth grade than we expect to enroll in kindergarten. However, District 54 must also consider the number of students who transfer to our district at other grade levels. This number is much harder to predict. The kindergarten through eighth-grade projected enrollment for 2012-13 is 13,267 students

Based on this projection, the district recommends eliminating 13 classroom positions (10 at the elementary level and 3 at the junior high level). If enrollment increases prior to the beginning of the school year, District 54 may add teaching positions to maintain consistent class averages. The class average in District 54 is projected to be 22.4 students in the 2012-13 school year. Ten special education teachers and 10 special education instructional positions would also be eliminated due to the decline in the number of special education students in the district.

District 54 is continuing to recommend the bilingual resource model for our English language learners (ELL), a model adopted by the district in 2010. All ELL students fully participate in the general education classroom and receive support from bilingual resource teachers. The student-to-teacher ratio for the 2012-13 school year will be 25:1, which means a reduction of five bilingual resource positions overall.

District 54 is also recommending the reduction of 16 teachers and 24 support staff employees in the early childhood program due to the uncertainty of funding from the state grant that supports this program. Staff members impacted by these reductions could be recalled should the district receive the grant.

Public Comment: No one asked to speak.

Freedom of Information Act Requests:
District 54 received two requests since the last board meeting related to bids for the summer paving work and bidders for the flooring project at 13 locations.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on Feb. 16, 2012
• Termination of one employee
• Checks dated Feb. 24, 2012

Announcements:

• Several board members have recently attended the state mandated Open Meetings Act training sessions.
• Board Member Mary Kay Prusnick was a judge at the Mead Junior High History Fair today. She was impressed with the interesting  research projects and impressive student presentations. She also visited Mead’s Food Pantry and encourages people to consider donating to the pantry which benefits families that attend District 54 schools.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 7:33 p.m. to closed session for employment/appointment matters, collective negotiating matters and the semiannual review of minutes of closed-session meetings.