South West Illinois News

Addison School District 4 Board of Education met Jan. 31.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Meeting of January 31, 2024, the Board of Education conducted the following business:

There was a moment of silence for Liz Fornek, an Indian Trail Jr. High teacher, who passed away earlier this month.

The Board approved the Closed & Regular Session Meetings of December 20, 2023, and Closed & Special Session Meeting of January 8, 2024.

The Board approved the Accounts Payable for the Month of January 2024.

The Board approved the Payroll for the Month of December 2023.

Communications/Public Participation on Agenda Items: There was one public comment from a parent on the proposed boundary changes.

Presentations:

2022-2023 Annual Financial Report (AFR) – An Auditor from WIPFLI:

• Aspects of the AFR were reviewed and highlighted; including the requirements, unmodified opinion, financial highlights, and required communication letters.

• The District’s combined net position was greater on June 30, 2023 than it was the year before, increasing 15.0%.

• Some areas of concern, include that ESSER funding has come to an end and inflation.

• WIPFLI is working on one more report.

Boundary Change Proposals – Dr. Sutton, Superintendent shared the following:

• In 2011 ASD4 had an enrollment of 4406 students in 2023 we have an enrollment of 3476 students. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2010 to 2019 Illinois lost more of their population than any other state in the nation. From 2020 to present Illinois’ population has remained relatively steady.

• He reviewed the current boundaries and the four potential options.

• Option 1 would be to keep everything status quo. Which would not address the disproportionate enrollment ratios.

• Option 2 would be to consider closing a school. This would provide cost reduction and savings, but this would be the largest and most difficult undertaking to navigate and a change this significant is not necessary at this time.

• Option 3 would be boundary changes for just Wesley and Stone Schools. Although the fewest volume of students would be disrupted outside of the “no change” option, this would cause challenges for mainstreaming special education classes at Stone and does not address disproportionate enrollments at other schools.

• Option 4 would be boundary changes for all elementary schools. By going with this option, there will be a reduction to bus travel times, improvement with dismissal and arrival procedures, special education programs to be placed equitably throughout the District, which would allow more students to attend their “home” school and increase the opportunity for mainstreaming, their would be potential cost savings, similar enrollment sizes across elementary schools, and more equitable cost per pupil spending. However, this option would affect the most students and families, and would have staffing implications.

• Redistricting in 2015 resulted in the movement of approximately 550 students, option 4 of the proposed redistricting would result in the movement of approximately 345 students.

• Dr. Sutton addressed common themes he received from his community meeting, as well as via email. He does not recommend allowing exceptions, there is no recommendation for adding a new Junior High, and we need to make a decision now because registration for the 2024-2025 school year will be starting soon. If we make these changes now, we will hopefully not have to readdress boundaries for many years to come.

• Based off of all of these factors, Dr. Sutton recommended option 4 and the Board will vote on a decision later in the meeting.

Committee Reports:

Budget Committee Report – Mr. Williams reported on the following:

• Mrs. Morgese gave an overview of the current FY24 year to date financials, which included a breakdown of revenue and expenditures compared to the original budget.

• Mrs. Morgese reviewed and made recommendations for the student fees for FY25.

• Mrs. Morgese will be working on a one-year lease with DuPage ROE for Old Mill and will be bringing that to the board for approval in February or March.

• Dr Nick Sutton discussed the salary range for the new Director of Technology position that will be approved for posting at this meeting.

Buildings & Grounds Committee Report – Mr. Ruffolo reported on the following:

• The roofing bid will be brought to the Board for approval tonight. By going out to bid again, there was a significant savings.

• Summer 2025 projects were discussed, and the committee decided on going forward with Lincoln and Wesley’s HVAC. They are also looking into getting estimates for Wesley’s Innovation Center.

• The committee reviewed other potential needs that are more complex than day-to-day maintenance but falls below the threshold or scope of major summer renovation work. One of these projects include the potential of full district lighting replacement.

Legislative Education Network of DuPage (LEND) Meeting Report – Mr. Williams reported on the following:

• The majority of the bills that were discussed related to high schools.

• There is still the potential of boards having the option to vote to approve their schools being used as polling places.

• House Bill 2721 would require that teachers have a continuous 45 minutes of planning time. Although staff do already receive planning time, requiring it to be continuous for at least 45 minutes, would result in potential additional costs for additional staff.

Administrative Reports:

Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Sutton reported on the following:

• I appreciated all of the hard work, and individuals involved with our January institute. It was a great day of learning, and one that I definitely enjoyed.

• Our District beginning level cohort to learn basic Spanish began this week. It was a fun experience being a part of it, and I am very pleased at the volume of staff volunteering to participate. I think this will be a fantastic avenue for us to best serve our community and student body.

• Starting this February, we are going to be hosting student engagement, peer walkthrough trainings in collaboration with the DuPage ROE. I am excited to see this come together, and the possibilities it will provide as we work towards providing opportunities for our staff to always improve.

• The annual Shape of Addison event was Thursday, January 25. I really enjoyed the event, the opportunity to showcase our District, and to answer the questions of the community.

• There was one Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) request and Dr. Lohse has responded.

Assistant Superintendent for Business – Mrs. Morgese reported on the following:

• Thanks to our Benefits and Payroll staff, all W-2’s and 1099’s was processed and sent out in advance of this year’s deadline.

• As mentioned earlier in the meeting by Mr. Ruffolo, our Construction Team met with the Buildings and Grounds Committee last week to discuss the Schematic Design estimate for the 2025 work. The project will be completely designed and out to bid in late October.

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning – Dr. Purse reported on the following:

• We had a productive day of learning together when we returned from Winter Break. Feedback from the evaluation showed that many staff members walked away with new tools or strategies to use. Also, exit surveys indicated that keynote speakers allowed staff to reflect on their why and have a better understanding of the students they serve.

• As part of our district assessment calendar, all students in K-8 participated in the HMH Growth Measure Assessment winter benchmark during December. We saw marked improvement in many groups, grade levels, and schools. We are using HMH as one piece of data to monitor student progress this year. We also have data updated monthly from our Achieve3000 program. Overall, we are very pleased with the progress our students are making in literacy and we connect this increased growth with teacher instruction, building in common assessments, principal instructional leadership in PLC meetings, and focused professional development that is aligned with our vision.

• Our professional development series continues with the Center for Teaching for Biliteracy. Last week, a group of our K-2 dual language teachers participated in a full day of professional learning. Participants observed standards-based sample instruction in two first grade classrooms modeled by the biliteracy consultant. The sample instruction was aligned to the goals of the dual language program.

• Parents register their child online through Skyward. This spring we will move over to the updated Skyward system called Qmlativ. As a result, the system will change and look different for all stakeholders. It is important that families register their children before we rollover the system. In order to accommodate our families, the district will sponsor a Registration Event for all grade levels simultaneously during our 2nd Annual Kindergarten Carnival. It is important to note that the ASD4 Skyward system will be offline at the start of the summer break. Because of this, we have moved the event date to Thursday, May 16th from 4:00-8:00. We will continue to host this event at Indian Trail. More details will be forthcoming.

Action Items:

• The Board approved the Personnel Report, as presented.

• The Board adopted the Licensed and Educational Support Personnel (ESP) Staff Seniority Lists, as presented.

• The Board approved Technology Department job descriptions, as presented.

• The Board authorized the administration to post for a Director of Technology, as presented.

• The Board approved the updated elementary school boundaries, as presented.

• The Board approved the Dual Language Policy, as presented.

• The Board approved the Student Fee Schedule for 2024-2025, as presented.

• The Board approved the Resolution Designating Interest Earnings for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, as presented.

• The Board approved the 2024 Roofing Bid, as presented.

• The Board accepted the 2022-2023 Annual Financial Report (AFR), as presented.

• The Board approved the Intergovernmental Agreement between Addison Park, ASD4, & DuPage High School District 88 Concerning the Army Trail Nature Center, as presented.

Discussion Items:

• The next Regular Board of Education Meeting is on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at Indian Trail Junior High School in the Board Room at 6:00 p.m.

• Per Board Policy 2:140 there was one communication to the Board.

Communications/Public Participation on Non-Agenda Items: None

Miscellaneous/Unfinished Business: None

The Board of Education meeting officially adjourned at 7:18 p.m.

https://4.files.edl.io/48c5/02/07/24/154342-0d46154c-e2fd-4846-b0bb-f0814e05b802.pdf