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.