South West Illinois News

Addison School District 4 Board of Education met Nov. 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of November 20, 2024 held in the Indian Trail Jr. High School Board Room.

President Williams called the regular meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Roll call showed the following individuals:

PRESENT: Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams

ABSENT: None

A quorum was declared present.

Dr. Lohse led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION

November 15th of every year is School Board Day. Dr. Sutton thanked the Board for their commitment to our district and students.

Motion #1: Approval of Minutes

Motion by Ms. Bollig, second by Mr. Lange to approve the minutes of the Regular Session Meetings of October 16 and the Joint Board Meeting of October 24, 2024.

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #1 Carried.

Motion #2: Approval of Accounts Payable for the Month of November 2024

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Lange to approve the Accounts Payable for November 2024.

Education Fund $ 1,260,073.01

Operations & Maintenance Fund $ 1,307,615.78

Debt Fund $ 0.00

Transportation Fund $ 732,970.23

Capital Projects Fund $ 669,035.94

Working Cash Fund $ 0.00

Student Activity $ 15,124.80

Total $ 3,984,819.76

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams, Bollig

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #2 Carried.

Motion #3: Approval of Payroll for the Month of October 2024

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Lange to approve the Payroll for October 2024, as follows:

Education Fund $ 4,333,022.89

Building Fund $ 65,312.23

Transportation Fund $ 19,159.37

IMRF/SS Fund $ 43,833.48

Total $ 4,461,327.97

Board of Education Meeting Minutes Page 2 November 29, 2023

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams, Bollig, Castillo

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #3 Carried.

Communications/Public Participation on Agenda: None

Presentations:

State Assessment Data Analysis – Dr. Katie Purse & Dr. Jessica Iovinelli

• Dr. Purse and Dr. Iovinelli began by providing some background on what accountability indicators are used for annual summative designations.

• ISBE Data is 75% made up by Academic Indicators and 25% made up by Student Success Indicators like Chronic Absenteeism and Climate Surveys.

• Dr. Iovinelli shared graphs that compared our student enrollment at each school to the low income, IEP, EL, Mobility, and Chronic Absenteeism numbers relative to each school.

• The next graph that was shared compared the number of EL, Low Income, and IEP students we have in our district compared to the numbers statewide. We have a much higher number of EL and low-income students in our district than at the state level. The percentage of IEP students in our district differs only 2% from the state.

• Dr. Iovinelli added visuals to show us the performance percentage of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness our students received in Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

• Our percentage of students that are identified as chronically absent is about 8% less than at the state level.

• All of our elementary schools, along with our middle school, were celebrated for falling within the Targeted, Commendable, and Exemplary designations. Individual schools were celebrated for their growth in different areas.

• Some of the areas of opportunity is consistent growth and proficiency in literacy and mathematics, growth for English Learners and students with a disability, and continued focus on chronic absenteeism.

Mr. Frangidakis asked about the trends we are seeing for our district in terms of chronic absenteeism. There is data that needs to be cleaned up which may change the number of chronic absentees within the district but with the numbers show that it may have decreased since the last year. Mr. Frangidakis wanted to know the different between chronic absenteeism and chronically truant. Ms. Bollig had a question on what we can attribute the success and growth that these schools are seeing to. Dr. Purse shared that how we have polished the way subjects are being taught has made a difference as well as focusing more on writing and less on testing. Mr. Williams noted how we have seen growth in our Language Arts scores. Dr. Iovinelli added that though the state may have not had growth in some aspects, our district has and is something to be celebrated.

Proposed FY25 Tax Levy – Mrs. Melissa Morgese

• Mrs. Morgese outlined the tentative tax levy for Addison School District 4, focusing on the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL). PTELL limits levy increases to the lesser of 5% or the Consumer Price Index, plus revenue from new properties. This levy requires a public notice and hearing if exceeding a 5% increase.

• The District’s revenue sources are broken down with 65% coming in from local sources, 26% coming from state sources, and 9% coming in from federal sources.

• Mrs. Morgese is proposing a levy, requesting a 4.96% increase, inflated to ensure full revenue capture. The extension represents the actual revenue received, expected to rise over 4%, driven by PTELL limits and new property contributions. This ensures that the district maximizes revenue while adhering to statutory limits.

• Mrs. Morgese shared that while some variables like our prior tax levy and Customer Price Index are known, others like Equalized Assessed Value and new property estimates from the assessor are not known yet.

Mr. Williams wondered what the percentage of new property estimates from the assessor would be. Mrs. Morgese shared that there is no definitive answer until the year is done but it is currently 7%. Mr. Frangidakis had a question about the PPRT tax rate from the state and if we get anything from it. Mrs. Morgese responded that because it has gone down it may be around 1.2 million but it is all based on Customer Price Index.

Committee Report:

• The Buildings and Grounds meeting was held on November 12, 2024 and Mr. Ruffolo noted some of the highlights from that meeting:

o The 2025 construction plan bids came in and were .5 million under budget.

o There are drainage issues with the gym floor at Wesley and there may be potential for a gym floor replacement.

o All filters in all the buildings have been changes and are ready for the furnaces in the winter.

o The lighting project in all the schools continues which is great for safety issues and cost savings.

o The district has collaborated with the Village of Addison and the Addison Police Department to resolve the issues at Lincoln during school arrival and dismissal. Some of these solutions have included expanding the drop off area and making improvements to the crosswalks.

o On November 4th, the district received notification that effective December 1st, 2024, the Addison Park District would not be participating in the intergovernmental agreement. Because of this decision, the intergovernmental group (D88, Addison School District 4, and the Addison Park District) may not receive the Nature Center grant that the group had applied for.

• The Intergovernmental meeting was held on November 14, 2024 and Mr. Castillo noted some of the highlights from that meeting:

o The Addison Fire District has had a change of leadership as their chief is retiring.

o The Library is planning on a big renovation that may include a drive-thru service and they have also updated their website to be more user friendly.

o District 88 shared that they are proud to have received the Community Changemaker Award.

o Advancements to Community, Centennial, and Lake Manor parks are in progress.

o Some events that are coming up are the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Christmas Parade by the Village Green.

• The NDSEC Operational/Governing Board Meeting was held on October 21st and November 11th of 2024 and Mr. Williams noted some of the highlights from that meeting:

o The Annual Report was supplied at this meeting. We’re the largest district in terms of the number of students. They provide a great service to our students with the amount of outplacements and private placements that they do for us.

• The Annual Joint Board Meeting was held on October 24th, 2024 and Mr. Williams noted some of the highlights from that meeting:

o All four collaborative districts came together (District #4, #48, #45, #88) and all four superintendents gave a brief presentation.

Mr. Williams asked for the Board’s thoughts on continuing the Joint Board Meeting for the next years. Mr. Ruffolo shared that it has become more productive and engaging as the years have passed. Ms. Bollig highlighted that this year’s meeting has been the most valuable but evaluating that against the cost gives a different perspective.

• The Citizen’s Advisory Committee Meeting was held on October 23rd, 2024 and Mr. Frangidakis noted some of the highlights from that meeting:

o Introductions were held and there were focus groups established. Common topics were highlighted and talked about. The participation this year was lower than last year but there was another round of recruitment that helped bring numbers up. It’s an important committee and has great ideas come out of it.

Mr. Lange noted how interesting it is to hear what the community has to say and to hear the differences in opinion. Mr. Castillo brought up the idea to have new CAC members be caught up on the latest testing scores for the schools as there is a perception that grades are dropping.

Administrative Reports:

Superintendent Report – Dr. Sutton reported on the following:

• Citizen’s Advisory Committee – Earlier in the evening, Member Frangidakis provided an overview of the meeting we held in October. I enjoy these meetings and the insight that is gained. We did another round of advertising and recruiting interested committee members. As such, I am pleased to preview that we will have an action item later tonight to potentially add members for our remaining three committee meetings.

• IASB Division Meeting – On October 23, President Williams and I attended the DuPage IASB Division meeting. The training was based upon Artificial Intelligence, with an emphasis on necessary policies school boards will need to consider related to student and staff appropriate usage policies. I believe this is a topic that will require board level discussion soon.

• Triple I Chicago Conference – This conference is quickly approaching in the next couple of days. I appreciate everyone attending with their commitment and time to participate. I continue to be thrilled to announce and recognize that Addison #4 will be presenting at this conference on the topic of school safety in partnership with the Addison Police Department and the Addison Fire Department. This level of collaboration to present at a conference of this magnitude is exceedingly rare and something I am very proud of.

• Artificial Intelligence Conference – Our school district is again working towards partnering with the DuPage Regional Office of Education to host the would-be 2nd annual artificial intelligence conference. This is a statewide conference that we believe could bring in between 200 and 400 attendees. The date of this conference is set to be June 5th.

• E-Learning – The School Board approved our District E-Learning plan. We are now able to potentially elect to have an “e-learning day” that counts as a day of attendance in the event of a school emergency rather than cancelling school entirely to be made up in-person later. Our administrative team has been working on finalizing details to prepare for this option, and there will be additional information and training for students, staff and families in December.

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

• Summer 2025 bids came in and will be on the December board agenda for approval.

• There was an update on the audit. Lauterbach and Amen are getting through our files and will be having a presentation at the February board meeting.

• We have finished the dependent audit for EBC. 84% of staff have completed it as of 11/13/24. The last day is 11/15/2024.

Mr. Frangidakis asked if this was the first that a dependency audit with insurance has been done.

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

• Parents received their child's updated Student Learning Profile (SLP) last week. Translated versions will be provided during parent-teacher conferences if needed. The updated SLP emphasizes specific literacy skills aligned with prioritized language arts standards to enhance clarity on student progress. Teachers also share insights from local assessments during conferences, with the district assessment calendar available on the ASD4 website. A new scheduling feature in Parent Square is being explored for next year’s conferences to improve user friendliness.

• The district celebrated student progress from the previous year during a recent Late Start Monday. School leadership teams are analyzing data to refine school improvement plans. The district is proud of students and teachers for their growth and is committed to sustaining this positive trend.

Ms. Bollig provided feedback on parent teacher conferences mentioning that it went well. The scheduling tool wasn’t the easiest to work with, but a text reminder was sent with the teacher’s name and time which she was thankful for. The printed maps were very helpful along with the assessments that parents had access to.

Motion #5: Approval of Personnel Report

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Lange to accept the personnel report, as presented.

LICENSED STAFF – RESIGNATION

Katelynn McAllister Effective Date: 10/23/2024

Position: Art Teacher School: Indian Trail

ESP STAFF – EMPLOYMENT

Marisa Adamo Effective Date: 11/04/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Early Learning Center

Giselle Galvan Effective Date: 11/11/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Early Learning Center

Jessica Garcia Effective Date: 11/18/2024

Position: School Nurse School: Lincoln

Aurora Gonzalez Effective Date: 11/25/2024

Position: Administrative Assistant School: Lincoln

Norma Guzman Effective Date: 10/18/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Fullerton

Daniela Juarez Effective Date: 10/21/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Ardmore

Jamie Klaritis Markopoulos Effective Date: 11/01/2024

Position: School Nurse School: Stone

Maria Ortiz Effective Date: 10/30/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Ardmore

Yesenia Perez Effective Date: 10/24/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Early Learning Center

Daniela Robledo Guadarrama Effective Date: 10/21/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Indian Trail

Yesennia Tiscareno Effective Date: 10/22/2024

Position: School Nurse School: Lake Park

Giovanni Villegas Effective Date: 11/04/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Stone

Taya Zylo Effective Date: 10/28/2024

Position: Special Ed Paraeducator School: Wesley

ESP STAFF – RESIGNATION

Cristal Diaz Effective Date: 10/28/2024

Position: Paraeducator School: Lincoln

Madelyn Dimitrijevic Effective Date: 11/21/2024

Position: Paraeducator School: Wesley

LEAVE OF ABSENCE- LICENSED STAFF

Deborah Smith Dates: 11/22/2024-12/06/2025

Position: 2nd Grade School: Ardmore

Linda Walter Dates: 11/27/2024-12/10/2025

Position: 2nd Grade School: Wesley

LEAVE OF ABSENCE- ESP STAFF

Melissa Velazquez Dates: 10/28/2024-01/29/2025

Position: Paraeducator School: Wesley

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams, Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #4 Carried.

Motion #5: Approval of 2024-2025 Citizen’s Advisory Committee Members

Motion by Mr. Lange, second by Mr. Ruffolo to approve the 2024-2025 Citizen’s Advisory Committee Members, as presented.

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams, Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #5 Carried.

Mr. Ruffolo asked if this was a complete list of the CAC members or only the ones that were added. Mr. Lange wondered if there was any interest from community members that had no students in the district.

Motion #6: Approval of Tentative Tax Levy

Motion by Mr. Frangidakis, second by Mr. Lange to approve the Tentative Tax Levy, as presented.

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Triantafillos, Williams, Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #6 Carried.

Motion #7: Approval of District 4 Staff Parental Leave of Absence

Motion by Mr. Frangidakis, second by Mr. Lange to approve Parental Leave of Absence of Sandra J. Huizar, as presented.

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Williams, Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #7 Carried.

Discussion Items:

• The next Regular Board of Education Meeting will be on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at Indian Trail Junior High School in the Board Room at 5:00 p.m. (Please note the earlier time).

• Dr. Lohse shared a First Reading of Board Policy Updates.

• Dr. Sutton shared a draft version of the 2025-2026 School Calendar with the Board. o Mr. Triantafillos had feedback on the school start date mirroring D88.

• Dr. Sutton discussed creating a Dual Language Board Subcommittee that could be potentially approved at the December board meeting.

• Mr. Williams shared the IASB Resolutions Committee Report.

• There were no communications to and from the Board this month, in accordance to Board Policy 2:140.

Communications/Public Participation on Non-Agenda Items: None

Miscellaneous/Unfinished Business: None

Motion #8: Motion to Adjourn

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Lange to adjourn the Wednesday, November 20, 2024 Board of Education meeting.

ROLL CALL VOTE: AYE: Bollig, Castillo, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Triantafillos, Williams

ABSENT: None

NAY: None…Motion #8 Carried.

The regular Board of Education meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

https://4.files.edl.io/7672/12/20/24/202913-28f211ff-d596-4e00-826a-c876800bf9d3.pdf