A video from tonight’s meeting will be posted to our YouTube channel once it is done processing.
Appointment of Secretary Pro Tem
Board Member Mary Kay Prusnick was appointed secretary pro tem as Board Secretary Debbie Schmidt was absent.
Recognition
The Board of Education recognized the following students and teacher with Ambassador for Excellence Awards.
Illinois Music Educators Association Festival Performers
The following 13 students from seven District 54 schools performed at the Illinois Music Educators Association Festival in November.
- Addams Junior High students Tom Bayartamir, Jeremy Mayer and Tomoaki Nakagawa
- Campanelli Elementary student Kavel Gupta
- Dooley Elementary student Kaito Betters
- Frost Junior High students Liam Hardison, Olivia Hwang and Mia Shimazu
- Keller Junior High student Aiden Hsu
- Lakeview Elementary students Cecile Matsunaga and Edward Matsunaga
- Mead Junior High students Caleb Lin and Brady Simon
STR Partners Holiday Card Artists
The following students had their artwork selected for the STR Partners holiday card.
- Aldrin Elementary student Ariya Rosenfeld
- Churchill Elementary students Liora Vizitia and Tansi Senthil
- Fairview Elementary students Anika Beerelli, Gautham Thotakura, Mayank Dash, Vidhita Pahade and Shion Higachi
Unified Generation Committee
Ten District 54 students were chosen to serve on the Special Olympics Illinois Unified Generation Committee.
- Mead Junior High students Kailey Canales, Amelia Goralczyk and Cora Herman
- Keller Junior High students Favour (Iseoluwa) Adebanjo, Christian Lugya, Charlotte Hires and Brooklyn Giesel
- Addams Junior High students Ryan Huffman, Viktoriia Piddubna and Mackenzy Wyruchowski
Elk Grove VFW Teacher of the Year
Mark Fletcher, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Mead Junior High School, was named the Smart/Maher VFW Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year by the Elk Grove Village VFW Post.
Public Comment
No one asked to speak.
Freedom of Information Act Requests
District 54 received and replied to four Freedom of Information Act requests since the last report to the Board related to copier contracts and invoices, email communications, staff salary information and the masonry design bid tabulation.
Consent Agenda
The Board approved the following items on the Consent Agenda.
- Minutes of the special Board of Education meeting on December 16, 2024
- Resignations, leaves, termination and employment of personnel
- Checks dated December 13 and 20, 2024
- The treasurer’s report on cash and investments for November 2024
- The monthly update of revenues and expenditures for November 2024
- The acceptance and filing of the Audit/ACFR (Annual Comprehensive Financial Report) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024
- A contract to Grove Masonry for masonry remediation at Lakeview Elementary School, Link Elementary School, MacArthur International Spanish Academy, and Eisenhower and Frost Junior High schools
Board President’s Report
Board President Jim Pye welcomed everyone back from winter break and wished them a happy new year.
D54 Foundation Report
Board Member Bob Kaplan shared that the Foundation has dispersed more than $11,000 in grants to students for extracurricular activities this school year and is discussing how to best distribute additional funds allocated to the Families in Crisis Fund. Save the date for the Foundation’s annual golf outing, its largest fundraiser of the year, on June 9.
PTA Report
Board President Jim Pye read a report from Interim PTA President Colleen Carlson. The Reflections program is underway, which is a PTA program that recognizes students at the local, council, region, state and national levels for their work in literature, photography, visual art, music composition, dance choreography and film production. This year’s theme was “Accepting Imperfections.” Entries for the theme for the 2025-2026 school year have been received and Addams seventh-grader Henry Muranaka is one of five Illinois students advancing to the National PTA level with the suggested theme “Color Outside the Lines.” The PTA is also asking everyone to save the date for their annual auction on March 14, which raises funds PTA elementary and high school scholarship programs.
New Business
- The Board of Education approved the minutes of the regular and closed session Board of Education meetings on December 12, 2024.
- The Board of Education approved the purchase of Origo Stepping Stones and Imagine IM instructional materials and math manipulatives.
- The Board of Education approved revisions to the following policies:
- 2:105, Ethics and Gift Ban (replaces current 2:105(b))
- 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure (replaces current 1:70)
- 4:140(b), Waiver of Fees for Low Income Families
- 6:370, Student Progress Reports to Parents/Guardian
- 6:60, Basic Instructional Program or Curriculum Content
- 7:100, Health, Eye and Dental Examinations, Immunizations and Exclusion of Students
- 7:270, Administering Medicine to Students
- 7:340(b), Students Records – Special Services Confidential Files
- 7:370, Student Absences and Homework
- 7:60(b), Non-Resident Students
- 7:70, Attendance and Truancy (replaces current 7:70(a) and 7:70(b))
- The Board of Education approved the following new policies:
- 4:165, Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Grooming Behaviors
- 5:100, Staff Development
- 5:120, Employee Ethics, Code of Professional Conduct and Conflict of Interest
- 7:260, Exemption from Physical Education
- The Board of Education approved the expenses of board members who attended the 2024 COSSBA Federal Conference and the 2024 Illinois Association of School Boards Conference.
- The Board of Education appointed Scott Ross as the assistant superintendent of student services for the 2025-26 school year. Scott started in District 54 as a social worker in 2004 and in 2009 became an administrator in District 54. Over the years he has worked at Hanover Highlands, Muir, Eisenhower, Frost and Mead, where he is currently the principal.
- The Board of Education appointed Chris Bingen as the assistant superintendent of facilities, maintenance and security for the 2025-26 school year. Chris started his District 54 career as a Mead teacher in 2000. He also spent two years as the assistant principal at Frost and 11 years as the principal at Addams. In the past year, he has served as the executive director of business operations, and will continue to oversee the operations, maintenance and transportation departments.
- The Board of Education appointed Dr. Jillian Sagan as the associate superintendent of educational services for the 2025-26 school year. Jillian has been the assistant superintendent of educational services since 2022. Prior to that she served as the principal at Mead and Blackwell, the assistant principal at Mead and a special education teacher at Lincoln Prairie.
Adjournment
The Board adjourned at 8 p.m. to closed session for student disciplinary matters.
