Minutes from the Sept. 1, 2011 Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on Sept. 1, 2011.

Board Brief for Sept. 15, 2011

Call to Order: The Board of Education meeting was called to order at 7 p.m.

Recognition
The School Board presented Ambassador for Excellence Awards to

• Students who received the gold pin in the 2011 Math Olympiad Competition for scoring in the top 2 percent in the nation. Numerous other students received the silver pin and will be honored at their schools.
• Students who placed in the top 20 in Illinois for their performance in the National French Contest and
• Hoover SHARE Club sponsors Karen White and Gloria Cole and 21 students who were selected as the Illinois Elementary Level School of the Year by the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project Board of Directors

The School Board presented an Above and Beyond Award to Ruby Hirakawa who was nominated by Hoover School for the many hours she works as a volunteer in the classroom and in the school’s Friendship Garden.

The School Board presented an Outstanding Alumni Award to Jill Kottmeier who was nominated by Einstein School for her involvement as a parent and PTA member at the school and for saving the life of a man this spring by performing CPR until the paramedics arrived at the scene of the accident.

Public Comment: No one asked to speak.

Freedom of Information Act Requests: There have been four requests since the last board meeting related to email addresses of staff, bid awards for HVAC work and custodial supplies, and the price proposal for the Aesop substitute management solution.

Consent Agenda – The Board approved the items on the Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on Sept. 1, 2011
• Resignations, leaves and employment of personnel
• Re-employment of personnel who received dismissal notices
• Checks dated Sept. 9, 2011
• Acceptance of the monthly update of revenues and expenditures for August 2011
• Acceptance of the Treasurer’s Report on Cash and Investments for July 2011
• The purchase of art supplies for the 2011-12 school year
• The purchase of classroom/art paper for the 2011-12 school year
• A contract for testing and inspection of emergency generators at 30 locations
• The appointment of Ric King as treasurer and Darlene Russo as assistant treasurer for the 2011-12 term
• The submittal of the administrator salary compensation report to the Intermediate Service Center in North Cook County
• The 2011-12 application for recognition of District 54 schools
• The destruction of the verbatim records of closed-session School Board meetings on Feb. 18 and March 4, 2010, for which approved minutes already exist
• The release of minutes from eight closed-session School Board meetings from January through June 2011.

Reports

• Superintendent’s Report: Superintendent Ed Rafferty reported that Fox, Link and Addams teams presented at a two-day training in Professional Learning Communities. He also congratulated the winners of the Illinois Those Who Excel Awards; Frost School for becoming a National Blue Ribbon School; and Board Members Peggy Brothman, Charlotte Kegarise, Barb Hengels, Karen Strykowski and Teresa Huber for maintaining their Master Board Member status.
• Sixth-Day Enrollment Report: Assistant Superintendent Andy DuRoss presented the Sixth-Day Enrollment Report. The district’s total enrollment on the sixth day of school (August 31) was 14,056 students in early childhood through eighth grade, a decrease of 193 students from the fall of 2011. The district class average was 23.4 students. For the complete enrollment report, visit the BoardDocs website.
• Board President’s Report: President Teresa Huber thanked Janette Peterson for taking minutes this evening.
• DCAC Report: Board Member Barbara Hengels reported that the District Citizens’ Advisory Committee reviewed the district’s 2011-12 project list as well as District 54′s Illinois Standards Achievement Test results for 2011.
• PTA Report: Council President Lisa Guagenti reported that PTAs are very busy. She highlighted some of the events, such as a Saturday Septemberfest and a Peaceful Playground dedication.
• Foundation Report: Board Member Bill Harper thanked Motorola for supporting GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math and Science) with a $48,000 grant. He also reminded everyone about the DiVine Wine Tasting event tomorrow night.

New Business

• The Board appointed additional representatives to the District Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
• The Board approved revisions to Board Policy JFA – Philosophy of Student Behavior.

Announcements

• Board Member Barbara Hengels announced she attended a presentation from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 7:53 p.m. to closed session for employment/appointment matters and collective negotiating matters.

Minutes from the August 18, 2011 Special Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Special Board Meeting on August 18, 2011

Minutes from the August 11, 2011 Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on August 11, 2011

Minutes from the August 9, 2011 Special Work Session Board Meeting

Please click here for the Minutes of the Special Board Meeting on August 9, 2011

Board Brief for Sept. 1, 2011

Call to Order: The Board of Education meeting was called to order at 7 p.m.

Discussion – Professional Learning in District 54:

Dr. Nick Myers, assistant superintendent of student learning, and a team of six District 54 educators and mentors shared five different models for effective professional learning and how they are implemented in District 54.

1. Professional Learning Teams. District 54 has used the Professional Learning Communities framework to guide school improvement efforts for the past seven years.
2. Mentoring. District 54 has three types of mentors working with new hires: one-on-one mentors assigned to specialized positions, release-time mentors assigned to teachers with less than four years of experience and building-based mentors assigned to support all new teachers at a school.
3. Instructional Coaching. District-level instructional coaches provide support in the areas of literacy, math, English as a Second Language and special education. Building-level literacy coaches provide similar supports in each of our schools.
4. In-House Staff Development Programs. District 54 offers a wide range of programs in house, including the Summer Professional Development Series, the Professional Development Symposium, a week-long Autism Symposium, New Teacher Induction Week, the Literacy Academy and Salary-Lane Credit Classes. Each school also receives federal funds to provide building-based professional development to staff.
5. External Consultants. To remain current with our understanding of the current research regarding improving teaching and learning opportunities for students, District 54 may utilize external consultants. This year, District 54 has offered training in Professional Learning Communities and Quantum Learning.

Public Comment: No one asked to speak.

Freedom of Information Act Requests: There have been four requests since the last board meeting related to lobbying contracts, bid results and repaving costs.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of the special work session on Aug. 9, 2011, the regular and closed-session meetings on Aug. 11, 2011 and the special open and closed-session meetings on Aug. 18, 2011
• Resignations, leaves, employment and salary adjustments of personnel
• Re-employment of personnel who received dismissal notices
• Checks dated Aug. 12 and 26, 2011
• The purchase of software licensing and support for the Websense Internet filtering solution

New Business:

• The Board appointed an additional representative to the District Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
• The Board had the first reading of revisions to Board Policy BGA – Board Member Use of Electronic Mail and Board Policy JFA – Philosophy of Student Behavior.

Announcements:

• Charlotte Kegarise announced that she and other board members and administrators were happy to visit Fox School to applaud staff from moving from the 21st school in the district in terms of academic achievement to the top school (based on the 2011 Illinois Standards Achievement Test scores).
• Barb Hengels announced that she and other board members attended the MacArthur PTA Peaceful Playground dedication and the Mead 30th anniversary celebration.

Adjournment: The Board adjourned at 8:05 p.m. to closed session for employment/appointment matters, collective negotiating matters, legal matters and for the semiannual review of minutes of closed-session meetings.