News

March 9, 2023

Appointment of Secretary Pro Tem
The Board appointed Nick Scipione as the secretary pro tem.

Public Comment
Schaumburg Township Trustee and District 54 parent Demetrius Gibson thanked the School Board and the district for their support of the Schaumburg Juneteenth Planning Committee and invited them to attend the event on June 17 at the Schaumburg Township District Library.

Report on Professional Development in District 54
District 54 provides a wide range of professional development opportunities in a variety of formats for all staff members during the school year and the summer with the goal of improving practices and increasing student achievement.

During the school year, school leaders implement professional development aligned to district and school goals during Wednesday staff developments. In addition, the district offers continuing education classes outside of the school day facilitated by District 54 staff on a variety of topics including curricular content area work, professional learning communities, effective technology use, social-emotional learning, student engagement, classroom culture and Positive Behavioral Supports and Interventions (PBIS).

This summer District 54 will host its 12th annual Professional Development Symposium, two days of breakout sessions designed by District 54 staff, for District 54 staff. We will also offer the 13th annual Summer Year-Long Planning Days in both June and August. During these classes, teams from across schools attend grade-level and content-area specific classes for a day of planning. 

Elevate Student Support Update
Throughout the past two school years, School District 54 has offered the Elevate Student Success afterschool program to help close any academic gaps created through disrupted learning during the pandemic, and to rebuild our student’s confidence in literacy and math. District 54 began offering this program in the fall of 2021, by inviting students in second through eighth grade who were identified as needed additional academic support. These students have shown remarkable progress working in small groups with District 54 teachers re-emphasizing grade level instruction and high expectations and they continue to make great gains.

Freedom of Information Act
Five Freedom of Information requests were received since the last report to the School Board related to bid tabulations, purchasing records and employee contact information. 
 
Consent Agenda
The School Board approved the following items on the Consent Agenda.

  • Minutes of the regular open and closed-session Board of Education meetings on February 9, 2023
  • Resignations, leaves, retirements and employment of personnel
  • Honorable dismissal to some first-, second-, third- and fourth-year non-tenured personnel
  • The 2023-2024 staffing plan
  • Checks dated February 10 and 24, 2023
  • The treasurer’s report on cash and investments for January 2023
  • The monthly update of revenues and expenditures for February 2023
  • The removal of the annual consumable materials fee rate charged to families
  • The fees for milk, facility rental and parent-paid student transportation for 2023-2024
  • A contract with Lauterbach & Amen for auditing services for fiscal year ending June 30, 2023
  • A contract with Lenovo for the purchase of Chromebooks for the 2023-2024 school year
  • A contract with STR Building Resources for roofing replacement at the Early Learning Center
  • A contract with Monarch Construction for school renovations
  • The purchase of literacy instructional materials from Benchmark, Pearson, Learning Without Tears and Zaner Bloser
  • The purchase of world language curricular materials from Wayside Publishing
  • A one-year agreement to purchase supplemental digital texts from Scholastic
  • The purchase of computer assessment software from Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL)
  • The purchase of technology licensing and support
  • The purchase of iPads for the 2023-2024 school year
  • The release of the minutes from the closed-session Board of Education meetings on 18 dates between August 2021 and November 2022

 

District Citizens’ Advisory Committee (DCAC) Report
Board Member Barbara Hengels reported that DCAC heard a presentation on the Happiness Advantage work in School District 54.

District 54 Education Foundation
Board Member Bill Harper announced that the Foundation elected Andy Murray as the new chairman and Michael Capesius as the new vice chair. Upcoming events include the Windy City Bulls Game on March 21, AM Rotary Souper Bowl of Soups Fundraiser on April 19, Lou Malnati’s Fundraiser on May 3 and Foundation Golf Outing on June 12. More information can be found at d54foundation.org/fundraisers.

ED-RED Report
Board Member Nick Scipione reported on several pieces of legislation being discussed in the Illinois General Assembly related to education.

New Business 

  • The Board approved the appointment of an additional representative from the community to serve on the District Citizens’ Advisory Committee for the 2022-2023 school year.
  • The Board approved revisions to the following policies:
    • Board Policy 2:150 – Board Committees
    • Board Policy, 4:10(c) – Budget Adoption Procedures
    • Board Policy 4:110(a) – Student Transportation Services
  • The Board appointed Holly Schlicher as assistant superintendent of instruction for the 2023-2024 school year.

Announcements
School Board members shared highlights from events around the district this past month, celebrated the students who participated and thanked the staff members and other volunteers who made these events possible. The events included the Multicultural Event, Chain Reaction Competition, District 54 Student Art Show at the Prairie Center, and the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament at Keller Junior High School.

Adjournment
The Board adjourned at 7:40 p.m. to enter closed session for employment/appointment and school matters.