Call to Order
Public Comment – No one asked to speak.
Administrative Report on Current Structures of Support and Next Steps to Ensure Whole Child Success
Legal Foundations: Associate Superintendent Nick Myers explained some of the legal foundations surrounding student disciplinary practices. Senate Bill 100, passed in 2015, requires all school districts to focus on meeting student needs to address the root causes of disciplinary issues and using restorative practices in lieu of out-of-school suspensions. It also encouraged districts to engage in professional development around effective classroom management with a focus on positive school climates. District 54’s practices align with this law. Less than 1% of students have received an out-of-school suspension this year. He also discussed Public Act 102-0339, passed in August 2021, which mandates that physical restraint and time out may only be used when students pose a physical risk to themselves or others. The law also requires staff training in how to do this safely.
Special Education Programming and Support: Assistant Superintendent Cyndie Gordon explained the special education continuum from accommodations within the general education program to individualized education program. The support provided to each child is unique with services designed to support academic, behavioral and social-emotional skills. Parents and guardians are important members of the team, working with special education teachers, administrators and other staff from the initial evaluation to the determination of placement and necessary supports.
Social-Emotional Learning: Associate Superintendent Erin Knoll provided an update on District 54’s social emotional programming. It begins with staff creating a caring, inclusive environment. The SEL curriculum is driven by the state learning standards, which are “develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success; use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships; and demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts. However, every moment District 54 staff interact with individual students is an opportunity to make those skills and strategies personally relevant for them. Students, staff and parents/guardians take the personal assessment of core competencies survey three times a year so District 54 can measure the impact of the SEL curriculum and identify students who need support. For students needing additional support, each school has an SEL Team that creates opportunities for schoolwide programming with support from their student ambassadors.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports: Assistant Superintendent Jillian Sagan explained that PBIS is a proactive, systematic approach providing students time to learn and practice the appropriate pro-social skills, which uses restorative practices when mistakes are made. Staff members work together to consistently teach, model and reinforce appropriate behaviors that students are expected to use at school. PBIS teaches students to be responsible for their own behaviors. PBIS has three tiers to ensure we are supporting all our students. In Tier I, all students receive proactive, systematic, researched based interventions that are designed to increase student learning and decrease problem behaviors. Tier 2 provides small group interventions for students that need support in a specific skill area. This generally represents 10% of our student population. Tier 3 supports are provided to students with more significant gaps and often include 1:1 interventions to ensure their success. Only 1-5% of our students usually fall into this tier.
Professional Development: In District 54, we are focused on the growth and development of our educators so they are best able to support our students. Areas of focus for the 2023-24 school year include additional training in PBIS, a focus on student engagement, and a deeper understanding of trauma and resilience.
Freedom of Information Act
Four Freedom of Information requests were replied to since the last report to the School Board related to bid tabulations and snow removal.
Consent Agenda
The School Board approved the following items on the Consent Agenda.
- Resignations, terminations, retirements, employment and salary adjustment of personnel
- Checks dated March 10 and 24, 2023
- The treasurer’s report on cash and investments for February 2023
- The monthly update of revenues and expenditures for March 2023
- The 2023-2024 Consolidated District Plan Grant Application
- A contract for summer 2023 renovations to Prospect Electric
- A contract for electrostatic painting of lockers at Campanelli and Lakeview elementary schools to American Office Services
- A contract for summer 2023 site improvements to Chicagoland Paving Contractors
- A contract for summer 2023 and 2024 sealcoating work to Patriot Pavement Maintenance, Inc.
- Contracts for fiber optic wide area network services to WANRack and fiber internet connection to Comcast
- A contract for the purchase of technology equipment with licensing and support to CDW-Government
- The purchase of technology licensing and support from Zoom, KACE, Hapara and Follett Destiny
- The purchase of English Learner Newcomer materials from Benchmark Education
- The destruction of the verbatim records of the closed-session school board meetings held on September 16 and 29, 2021, for which approved minutes already exist.
Report of the Board President
Board President Mary Kay Prusnick reminded the board that the next board meeting will be May 3.
District Citizens’ Advisory Committee (DCAC) Report
Board Member Barbara Hengels reported that DCAC heard a report on the supports available to families in our community.
District 54 Education Foundation
Board Member Bill Harper encouraged individuals to sign up to sponsor or golf in the Foundation’s annual golf outing on June 12. Other upcoming events include the AM Rotary Souper Bowl of Soups Fundraiser on April 19 and Lou Malnati’s Fundraiser on May 3. More information can be found at d54foundation.org/fundraisers.
PTA Report
PTA Council President Cheryl Gleason thanked District 54 administrators for their partnership with PTA. The PTA annual auction in March raised more than $19,000. The money will be used for high school scholarships, which will be presented to students at 5:30 p.m. May 10 at the annual PTA Scholarship/Recognition Dinner at Mead.
New Business
- The Board approved the minutes of the regular and closed-session meetings on March 9, 2023.
- The Board approved a one-year extension of the student transportation contract for school year 2023-2024 with First Student.
- The Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Schaumburg Educational Employees Organization (SEEO) regarding retirement.
- The Board approved the appointment of representatives from the community to serve on the District Citizens’ Advisory Committee for the 2023-2024 school year.
- The Board approved the Board of Education Meetings between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
- The Board approved Kristine Belt as the principal of Dooley Elementary School for the 2023-2024 school year.
- The Board approved Jenny Clark as the principal of the Early Learning Center for the 2023-2024 school year.
Announcements
Board members reported on many amazing events across the district in the last month including the Addams and Eisenhower Junior High School plays, the PTA Auction and the Autism Awareness celebration at Stevenson.
Adjournment
The Board adjourned at 8:59 p.m. to closed session for employment/appointment and legal matters.
