Board Meeting Highlights

June 14, 2021
Complete Meeting Packet

Board Reports

Facility Development Committee (FDC) - Mr. Panzica
Summer Construction Update
Mr. Papanicholas of Nicholas and Associates updated members on McKenzie and Romona KEEP39 construction additions and renovations. Great progress has been made at both schools due to good weather conditions. Brick work at both schools should be completed next week with window installation to follow the week of June 21st. Interior renovations will begin next week after staff leaves for the summer.

Summer 2022 Construction Projects Review
Mr. Bultemeier presented the spreadsheet of five-year construction projects for consideration. He stated Health Life Safety projects are immediate needs and are priority items. District operational considerations are kept in mind when choosing construction projects. Ideally, having at least three buildings available for summer programs allows for upgrades and renovations at the other schools. Larger planned projects are mapped out over multiple summers.

Mr. Bultemeier met with Nicholas and Associates and STR Architects to provide budgetary assessments for each of the planned projects using current market conditions. He reviewed cost estimates for each project and provided recommendations. He asked the Board for their collective approval to proceed with Harper partial roof replacement, Harper boiler replacement including replacing pipes from boilers to unit vents, and renovating four bathrooms.

Future construction considerations include window replacement at Romona Elementary and air conditioning options at McKenzie Elementary.

School Finance Committee (SFC) - Mr. Cesaretti
FY2022 District 39 Tentative Budget
Mr. Bultemeier reviewed the D39 FY22 draft tentative budget at the last committee meeting. The numbers have not changed since the last review. The Board is required to approve a tentative budget at its June meeting and the final budget in August. The account summary estimates revenues at $67.4M and expenditures $65.9M. The tentative budget includes COVID-19 placeholders.

FY2022 Wilmette Community Special Education Agreement (WCSEA) Tentative Budget
District 39 serves as the fiscal agent on behalf of the special education cooperative that includes District 39 and Avoca School District 37. The Illinois State Board of Education requires WCSEA to keep separate accounting records and to follow the same Illinois State budget guidelines required of all Illinois school districts.The WCSEA budget is a flow through entity with revenues and expenditures being the same. The public hearing will be held in August for final approval of the budget.

Special Education Transportation Contract Extension
The District is in the final year of their 3-year contract with North Shore Transit (NST). Illinois State Code allows a two-year contract extension. The extension contract allows a proposed 3.3% increase for FY22 and FY23. The contract includes the key clause of school closures due to pandemic or natural disasters, with some flexibility provided to District 39.

Annual Resolutions and Renewals
Mr. Bultemeier reviewed the annual budget resolutions which included inter-fund transfers from the O&M Fund to the Capital Projects Fund and from the Educational Fund to the O&M Fund. These transfers permit timely payments of construction related expenses. The District receives tax levy receipts twice a year, in July/August and February/March. Due to the timing of cash flow, short-term loans may be necessary to maintain adequate fund balances in the O&M Fund. A public hearing will be held in August to consider the interfund transfer from the Educational Fund to O&M Fund.

The Board will be obligated to make payment of various recurring bills and previously approved construction-related services and materials during the month of July. As there is no board meeting scheduled for July, this payment resolution enables the treasurer to fulfill the payment of necessary financial obligations between the June and August Board meetings.

Strategy - Mrs. Schneider-Fabes
Strategic Planning Core Team Liaison Report
The planning team is currently in the process of setting direction and future focus priorities. Once drafting work is completed in late June, they will seek community review and feedback to assist in refining their plans before presenting a final Strategic Plan to the Board of Education in September.

Liaison Reports

Community Review Committee (CRC) - Mrs. Hart
CRC reviewed participation results from the online survey and focus groups. The team discussed ways to further engage stakeholders. Executive Officer elections were held for the 2021-2022 school year. The new team will research a topic for the coming school year.

Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) - Mrs. Kim
The 2021 Joint Annual Conference will be held in-person in November and registration is open for members wishing to attend.

Legislative Update - Mrs. Kim
Over 100 bills related to schools passed through legislature on topics such as Evidence Based Funding, Refund Recapture Levy for property tax refunds, Ethnic and Religious modifications, Juneteenth Holiday, time-out and restraints, behavioral interventions, mental health education, victims of violence, and sexual education.

Information Items

Written Communication

Announcements from the Superintendent

Graduation and End-of-Year Celebrations
Eighth graders celebrated graduation in two special outdoor ceremonies. Fourth and sixth graders experienced transition days at Highcrest and Wilmette Junior High Schools. All schools held end-of-year celebrations for students and staff.

Summer School
Over 450 students have enrolled for summer school across the three different programs: Academic Camp, Review and Reinforcement, and Extended School Year.

Planning for 2021-2022 School Year
District 39 is planning for a return to full in-person instruction in the fall, with mitigation measures in place as directed by the local health department. Updates are expected from the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) throughout the summer. Staff and families will be apprised as information becomes available. District email updates will be sent on approximately the 14th and 28th of each month.

Taylor Harvey, Assistant Principal at Central Elementary School, has been chosen as the new Assistant Director of Student Services replacing Angela DeMay who has accepted the position as Director of Student Services in another school district.

Property Tax Appeals
District 39 received notice of one PTAB appeal for the 2020 tax year. Information regarding the potential financial impact of the appeal is posted within the Board packet.

Strategic Plan Update
2021 Spring Assessment Report - Ms. Katie Lee
District 39 aligned with New Trier township schools by adopting Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP Growth). MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive assessment that is used to monitor student achievement and growth over time. Grades two through eight students were assessed three times yearly (fall, winter, and spring) in reading and mathematics for the first time during 2017-2018 school year.

Unfortunately, the 2019-2020 school year ended with teaching and learning occurring remotely as the community needed to abide by the Stay at Home order. Under the unique circumstances, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) suspended all state assessments on March 27, 2020. Therefore, there are no 2020 Spring MAP Growth results.

During the current, unique 2020-2021 school year, District 39 returned to the pre-pandemic district assessment calendar and implemented district level assessments. NWEA MAP Growth assessments in reading and mathematics were administered fall, winter, spring for students in grades 2-8. In addition, D39 families received results for their child(ren) after each administration, different from past years. Results of these assessments were reviewed.

Review of the 2020-2021 District 39 Strategic Plan - Ms. Katie Lee
On September 21, 2020, the Board of Education approved the implementation of the 2020-2021 District 39 Strategic Plan. The District initiatives were divided into three sections: New Strategic Initiatives, Continuing Strategic Initiatives, and Annual Business. This executive summary report notes the status of each goal, provides updates and reviews any applicable next steps.

Strategic Planning Liaison Report and Upcoming Feedback Forums - Dr. Cremascoli
The Strategic Planning Core team’s final meeting will be held June 21st where they will review the draft goals of the Strategic Plan. Once this work is completed, feedback sessions will be scheduled. The team wishes to maximize engagement and obtain valuable feedback.

Annual Business
Bullying Report - Dr. Kristin Swanson
Principals create an annual report that shares information related to bullying in the schools. The definition of bullying is defined by statute, and this report is based on that specific definition of bullying. There were nine instances of behavior that were fully investigated as potential bullying situations. Of these, three were founded and all involved online behavior. In all situations, support is provided for the victim as well as services and consequences for the aggressor. These involved in school suspension, detention, oral and written apologies, restorative conversations, work with the social worker, and conferences with parents, teachers, and the student. Two questions were added to the Mindsets, Essential Skills, Habits (MESH) survey that serve as an additional way to track students’ feelings related to bullying and provides an additional way to track needs and intervene.

Resolution Authorizing July Bill Payments - Mr. Corey Bultemeier
This resolution allows the District to continue to pay for goods and services in a timely manner without having a July Board Meeting. All accounts payable invoices paid from June to August will be presented for approval at the August board meeting.

Illinois School Treasurer Bond Renewal - Mr. Corey Bultemeier
State code requires the Board to annually approve an Illinois school District appointed bond treasurer.

Fiscal Year 2022 District 39 Tentative Budget - Mr. Corey Bultemeier
Each year the Board is required to approve the D39 tentative budget for the next fiscal year as well as a public budget hearing that will be held at the August 23rd Board meeting. A brief review of the current status of the D39 FY 2022 tentative budget was presented.

Fiscal Year 2022 WCSEA Tentative Budget - Mr. Corey Bultemeier
Each year the Board is required to approve the WCSEA tentative budget for the next fiscal year as well as a public budget hearing that will be held at the August 23rd Board meeting. A brief review of the current status of the WCSEA FY22 tentative budget was presented.

Special Education Transportation Contract Extension - Mr. Corey Bultemeier
District 39 is in the third year of the original 3-year contract with North Shore Transit for special education transportation services. A two-year contract extension has been being proposed as allowed by state code. A short review of the key terms of the contract extension was shared.

Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Resolutions - Mr. Corey Bultemeier Three budget related resolutions were presented. One resolution is for the transfer of funds from the Operations & Maintenance Fund to the Capital Projects Fund, a resolution for the ability to loan money from the Educational Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund as needed. The third resolution requires a public hearing to be held and notice of the hearing published to allow a permanent transfer of funds from the Educational Fund to the Operations & Maintenance Fund.

Board Policy Review - Dr. Cremascoli
First Reading of Board of Education Policy 7:270
This policy has been updated to reflect current laws and align with best practices. The proposed revisions are a result of legal review as well as suggested revisions by PRESS, IASB policy review service.The main revision is the addition of a section regarding administering medical cannabis.

BOARD ACTION
The Consent Agenda was approved including the following:

The next regularly scheduled Board of Education Meeting will be held on Monday, August 23, 2021 at 7:00 PM at the Mikaelian Education Center.