South Cook News

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education met Oct. 19.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Call to order

President Kristin Fitzgerald called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Board members present: Charles Cush, Kristin Fitzgerald, Kristine Gericke, Joe Kozminski, Janet Yang Rohr, Paul Leong and Donna Wandke.

Administrators present were:

Dan Bridges, Superintendent,

Bob Ross, Chief Human Resources Officer, Michael Frances, Chief Financial Officer/CSBO

Closed Session

Charles Cush moved, seconded by Kristine Gericke to go into Closed Session at 6:01 p.m. for consideration of:

1. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(21) Discussion of minutes lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act, for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06. 09/21/2020, 10/05/2020.

2. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) Appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the District or legal counsel for the District.

3. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(11) Litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular District has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal.

4. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(2) Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives.

Meeting Opening

Donna Wandke made a motion, seconded by Kristine Gericke to return to Open Session at 7:07 pm. A roll call vote was taken. Those voting yes: Leong, Gericke, Fitzgerald, Wandke, Yang Rohr, Cush and Kozminski. No: None. The motion carried

Welcome and Mission

Kristin Fitzgerald welcomed all and read Naperville Community Unit School District 203’s Mission Statement.

Roll Call

Board members present: Kristin Fitzgerald, Donna Wandke, Charles Cush, Paul Leong, Joe Kozminski, Kristine Gericke and Janet Yang Rohr.

Student Ambassadors present: None.

Administrators present: Dan Bridges, Superintendent, Roger Brunelle, Chief Information Officer Michael Frances, Chief Financial Officer/CSBO, Chuck Freundt, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, Christine Igoe, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Rakeda Leaks, Executive Director of Inclusion and Diversity, Sinikka Mondini, Executive Director for Communications, Patrick Nolten, Assistant Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability, Bob Ross, Chief Human Resources Officer, Stephanie Posey, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education.

Pledge of Allegiance:

Led by Board of Education

Good News

Sinikka Mondini, Executive Director for Communications, reported that Naperville North Agricultural Science teacher, Lauren Frances, was recently featured in the DeKalb County Farm Bureau publication. Intramural activities at the Junior High level has begun. The District also hosted a virtual incubator volunteer academy to onboard and recruit new program mentors. This is one of our fastest growing areas in terms of enrollment.

Public Comment

Board President Kristin Fitzgerald read a comment regarding public comment. She reminded the community that those addressing the Board are to conduct themselves with respect and civility toward other individuals. Speakers are free to express their opinions but are asked to refrain from personal attacks on our Superintendent, Board members and Administrative Staff. Please end your comments when the timer goes off.

Taylor Sawatzky- Student NCHS. Urged the Board to get students back to in school learning. Understands the need for safety but other schools are doing it. Has friends in dance who are in person learning and it gives her hope that it can be done. Even if it will be different, it will be great to see friends. Her friends who are in person learning are not talking about how bad it is but are talking about how great it is. School is completely different on Zoom and as a freshman; I have already not had many of the special memories that my friends have had.

Zach Emberton-Addressed the Board regarding an ethics issue that came to his attention. It has come to his attention that Board member, Janet Yang Rohr appears to have used her laptop to take notes regarding her primary opponent. He asked the Board and School District to investigate these matters.

William Doyle-Father of three elementary school children. His kids were ecstatic to go back to school this week. They were gut punched when they were told that school was not going to start tomorrow. My kids are exhausted from learning on an iPad or Chromebook all day. There are students and teachers in the building at Elmwood. CDC survival rate has been increased. We are shutting schools down for the 98% survival rate. Let’s flatten the fear along with the curve. Champions and YNCA are still in building.

Holly Blastic - here for Moms Demand Action. Asking board to vote in favor of Resolution #2, Safe Gun Storage. Current legislation falls well short of protecting our children. The most current were two young children in Chicago. This is a lane that the school district should be in. Mandate that students have gun safety training. Critical piece of suicide prevention is safe storage of firearms. We have a law that only goes to under 14. Children of color are disproportionally the victim of gun violence. This is an important cause to take up to protect children and to keep them out of the criminal justice system.

Christy Helm-single mother of third grader at Elmwood. Teacher walked students thru the changes coming in Stage 2. Daughter wants to know why things are changing. This is the hardest thing that children have had to live through. Scarier for students who have had to lose family members to COVID. School is a safe place. Students need consistency. Stop uprooting the schedule every four to six weeks. Moving forward, keep consistency and stability at the forefront of your minds.

Adam Russo- how can we be high performing if no kids in school. How can they learn to think critically if they are not in school? Lost 5 months. How much will they lose compared to other districts and other states? Let parents make their own decisions and teachers as well. Process has to move forward. Parents of all backgrounds want their kids in school.

Lauren Persin-Integrity---not being exhibited. Superintendent Bridges, interim time gave you the opportunity to get to know the community. This pandemic has put you and the Board to the test and you have fallen short. Principals further burdened, teachers burnt out, there are childcare issues. Focus needs to be on the students. Integrity and transparency. Do the right thing now.

Jack Persin-all three children went to d203 schools. Chose this over parochial. The right decision then, not sure that it is the right decision for our grandchildren. Indiana athletics are up and running. Plan to have EC-2 then 3-5 later, now this has been delayed. You have failed students and made education non-essential. Superintendent Bridges, you have failed. Should be patting yourselves on the back for classrooms not intramurals.

Jennifer Cupp-Mother of three elementary children. Reviewed daughter’s IEP paperwork. Celebrate this and area where she has made strides. Additional needs are apparent. Chromebook is not the answer. In person, learning is crucial for her learning and growth. How will the needs of IEP students be satisfied in a two and half our school day? Other states are being transparent. We are literally on day one in this AM/PM model. How is this beneficial compared to the plan the last 7 weeks. Easier for students when directed by a teacher. Let parents chose.

Sara Forster-Thank you BOE, Supt Bridges and Admin staff. 6th grade daughter at WJHS. Spring was chaotic. Does not have to be that way now. Jon Vogel and staff have done a great job with moral. She does not recognize new classmates if they did not go to fifth grade at WJHS. Regardless of the metrics, we need to figure out how to get students back in school. I am happy with the block schedule. Let’s think about how this will be different in the fall of 2021. How can we get all students back in the buildings every day? COVID is not a risk for children. Thank you.

Rachel Simner-Reiterate IASB Resolution #2, safe gun storage. Guns both loaded and unloaded have to be locked if a person is under age. Currently only protects students up to age 14. Son lost a friend to suicide. He does not understand. Would be so much easier to do with a gun than any other way. Young people have the fastest rate of suicide with a gun. BOE can have an impact. Please vote yes on Resolution #2.

Jam Rivetna- here two weeks ago. Saw the email changing the plans for Stage 2. Heart breaks for those parents who have young students. Daughter has the strength and fortitude to last 6 hours a day. Here to improve the quality of online education. Request the administration and Board of Education to hire an outside group to improve the quality of education for my child. Online teaching requires expertise that the district does not have. Embark on a search to find assistance with online learning. Let’s not let the year be wasted with mediocre education. I will find a list of consultants who do this work.

John Mullarkey-read the mission. Did not have time to write proper notes. Failed to move forward. Took family to Disney World on a packed flight no one got sick. Disgusted, where are you Naperville? There is no one here to demand that students are put back into school. Heard from my 5 year old, his eyes hurt from being on screens. We are teaching our children to have a screen addiction. This Board needs to stand up and fight for our students or step aside.

On behalf of the whole board, President Fitzgerald thanked the community for being a part of the process. We understand and share your passion. We continue to advocate for what you believe and are passionate about. Keep writing to share your frustrations and continue asking questions. You are making us better and together we will get through this. Your public comments have been reviewed and heard by the Board of Education.

Monthly Reports

 Treasury Report- The Board received the August Treasurer’s Statement

 Investments- The Board received the August Investment Report

 Insurance-The Board received the August Insurance Report

 Budget-The Board Received the August Budget Report Action by Consent:

1. Bills and Claims from Warrant #1028770 thru Warrant #1029348 totaling $18,910,412.75 for the period of September 22, 2020 to October 19, 2020.

2. Adoption of Personnel Report

3. Minutes 09/21/2020, 10/05/2020

4. Naperville Development Partnership

Kristin Fitzgerald made a motion to approve Warrant #1028770 thru Warrant #1029348 totaling $18,910,412.75 for the period of September 22, 2020 to October 19, 2020 and the remaining items on the Consent Agenda as presented, seconded by Kristine Gericke. Those voting yes: Kozminski, Leong, Wandke, Gericke, Yang Rohr, Fitzgerald and Cush. No: None.

Written Communications

Freedom of Information Requests:

Johnson-Human Resources Information

Emberton-Election Information

ADAC-Student Services Information Jones-Human Resources Information

Student Ambassador Reports

Shay Doshi-NNHS

 NNHS boys and girls cross country conference meets Boys and Girls won DVC

 Some Nonacademic events that have happened recently at NNHS including

 Mr. NNHS—moved outside in the parking lot

 2 plays

 a bags tournament outside as well

 Felt good for students to be with friends.

 1:1 time with teachers should be better with the block schedule.

 I will also talk about how there has been slow but evident improvement as we work out the kinks in e-learning, as well as how we look forward to the block schedule and eventually returning to school.

William Ma- NCHS

 PSAT for Juniors at the building this past Wednesday

 Last week was homecoming week and there were two events at the building: Junior & Senior class games and the Drive in Movie night outside

 There is currently a petition with 1300 student signatures calling for letting teachers work from home if they or their family members have underlying health conditions

 All fall sports are either over or in the process of ending

 Early college application deadlines are approaching for seniors. Most of them are around November 1st or 15th, and some of them have already passed.

 Today was the first day of asynchronous learning for our new block schedule system. Going into this, I think there is a mix of nervousness and excitement among students. Students are hoping that this new phase will provide more flexible time to work and will be less overwhelming, but many students and teachers are also nervous because a new schedule comes with new uncertainties.

Superintendent/Staff/School Report

Return to Learn Update

 The DuPage County Health Department announced that the county has been moved to “Red” - Substantial Community Spread. After reviewing our Return to Learn Plan and reviewing guidance with the DuPage County Health Department this afternoon, we will be taking an adaptive pause in our Return to Learn Plan. District Administration will continue to monitor local health metrics and have set November 4, 2020 as a tentative date to implement the next step in the Return to Learn Plan.

 As of today, Monday, October 19, the level of disease activity in DuPage County now meets the criteria identified for “Substantial Community Transmission” and the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) encourages 100% remote learning to help protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of students, teachers, school staff, families, and communities.

 This elevated level of COVID-19 community transmission represents a call to action for all DuPage County residents to practice the prevention methods shown to be effective:

• wearing a mask whenever outside your home,

• maintaining at least six feet of distance from others,

• regularly washing hands, and

• avoiding in-person gatherings, particularly where all of these practices are not followed.

 We will be monitoring and reviewing the health, community spread across the county as well as within the D203 community and operational metrics, our supply and ability to refill necessary PPE as well as our ability to fill daily absences due to COVID-19 related illness and quarantining requirements.

 The decision to move between stages is not based on any one metric alone, but is reflective of the specifics of how the numbers are coming together to create the big picture of how controlled the spread of the virus is within our community.

 The DuPage County Health Department is monitoring many different metrics to make an overall determination of the community spread.

 The metric that is most concerning is the increase in new cases per 100,000- it has moved into the substantial range-, which in turn moves the entire county from a moderate level of community spread to a substantial level of community spread.

 We are monitoring our data within the D203 community boundaries. While the positivity rate has continued to climb, it continues to be in the minimal range of transmission, but should it exceed 5%- that would move into the moderate range

 It is important to note that beginning October 8, Northwestern began calculating the total number of cases per 100,000 using the CDC formula, which was a change from past practice and could be one of the reasons that we saw such a large increase from 10/5 to 10/12.

 The cases per 100,000 in both DuPage County and the D203 community both fall in the substantial range of community transmission.

 The DuPage County Health Department recommended that districts move to remote learning for most students due to the change in the level of community spread from moderate to substantial. At this time, we are recommending an adaptive pause to our plans for in person learning for most students.

 COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person through the release of respiratory droplets when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes. It is important that the mitigation strategies focus on reducing the number people an individual comes into contact with across the school day.

 Elementary students will continue with the AM/PM schedule, which began this week. On Mondays, all elementary students meet with their teacher virtually from 8:15-10:45am. Students also have two and half-hours of learning activities to complete outside of their time with the teacher on Mondays.

 Tuesday thru Friday students will meet with their teacher in the AM or PM with asynchronous learning activities provided for a 5.0-hour day.

 We will be reviewing this schedule this week with our principals and educators given the change to fully remote. Elementary parents can expect further communication by week’s end.

 The block schedule will remain our school schedule whether we transition to Stage 3 or move back to Stage 1.

 All students will continue to receive learning virtually on Mondays, following their 9 period class schedule.

 Students will have the first half of their classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and the second half of their classes on Wednesday and Friday. All students will have lunch during the 1:00-1:30 time frame, with small group student support as allowable beginning approximately at 1:30. There are blocks of time built in both at the beginning of the day, from 8:00-8:30, and end of the day, from 1:30-2:50, to access teachers for support, engage in small group instruction by teacher invitation, or complete asynchronous work.

 This schedule allows students to focus on fewer courses each day and embeds more flexible times for accessing personalized learning from instructors.

 High school students attend periods 1-4 on Mondays & Thursdays; and periods 5-8 on Wednesdays and Fridays where you see a different order to the class periods. Arranging periods to meet in the 6, 7, 8, 5 order moves our lunch periods to the start and end of the days.

Classes will now start at 7:35 and end at 1:30. Students will have time from 1:30-3 p.m. where they can access their teachers.

 Mondays will remain our e-Learning day. Students should expect work from each of their 8 courses on Mondays and should plan for times where they may be synchronous with teachers.

 Our Connections students started their new schedule today with students attending in-person instruction 5 days per week for half-day sessions. We have prioritized in-person instruction for these students and will continue with this schedule for the upcoming weeks.

 Our students in K-12 specialized classrooms will continue as planned to attend in-person instruction in alternating day hybrid schedule. Since classes will be divided into 2 cohorts, class size will remain small allowing students to socially distance and students will remain in a static group during their time at school.

 The community will continue to be updated about our Return to Lean plan via our Talk 203 system, social media outlets, as well as website update at naperville203.org/returntolearn.

Superintendent Bridges remarked that we know the frustration with school starting and staff with in- services beginning. We are doing this in real time as soon as we get guidance. This is unprecedented. We are working tirelessly for the start of the school year. We are getting the information to you thoughtfully and deliberately.

Board Questions/Comments:

President Fitzgerald remarked that the Board members understand how frustrating and hard this is for all families. We understand that this leaves very little time for parents to prepare students for this enormous change and that this burden is even greater for working and single parents without flexibility in their schedules. Guidance became more stringent. We are all parents so we understand how hard these changes are. We know that many are frustrated. We share your concerns and are working as quickly as possible to address your concerns with the new model. We are sharing your burdens and will do what we can to help you.

Thank you for the update. This is a challenging situation. Health department has given their number and this is the right call.

You are reviewing the elementary schedules, looking carefully at that is important as is making any changes as quickly as possible. We are implementing the schedule at middle school and high school and we did a survey a couple of weeks ago about how eLearning was going and we received good feedback from community via survey. Is there going to be some sort of survey of parents and teachers to evaluate after a couple of weeks?

Superintendent Bridges noted that referenced earlier, we will be reviewing our schedules and plans over the next couple of weeks and hope to be back on track on November 4.

Thank you. As we remain in stage 2, we are not moving back onto stage 1?

Superintendent Bridges responded that is correct.

Teachers will still be in the buildings every day?

Superintendent Bridges stated that yes, as it stands now.

Some say that it is not fair to look at total number of cases because the number of people being tested is increasing. We are looking at the positivity rate. This is the metric we are really looking at, correct?

Superintendent Bridges noted that we are looking at many metrics.

Dr. Igoe stated that we are looking at positivity rate and the amount per 100,000 so that provides some stability.

You mentioned the change in methodology, what is the difference?

Dr. Igoe noted that on the website you could see that they say they changed the methodology but not explanation what was being done before.

In the note to the community, we noted that we are on pause until November 4. What are we looking for to move forward on November 4?

Dr. Igoe remarked that we are looking at a number of things. Want to see trends moving downward. For DuPage County to be in the moderate category and to see the community in moderate. If county is still substantial and community is down, we can feel better about bringing students back.

It is good for the community to have the transparency so they know what to look for.

Can Champions and YMCA make the changes in real time and is food service still happening? Mr. Freundt responded yes to both. YMCA and Champions have been able to change with us.

I understand this is a last minute decision. We are asking parents to be flexible. Administration and teachers need to be flexible to get back at a more robust remote schedule by next Monday. If not, what are the obstacles preventing that?

Superintendent Bridges stated that we will look at schedules to see what changes we might need to make. We are trying to prevent as many changes as possible. We will monitor metrics. We will work with our Learning Services team to review schedules and make decisions.

I am hearing a minimum of two weeks in this schedule.

Superintendent Bridges noted that based on current metrics and the current trends, that yes, a couple of weeks.

What will be the frequency of updates to the COVID Dashboard?

Dr. Igoe stated that it will be updated weekly based on DCHD numbers.

Can you speak to the level of utilization and any feedback you are getting from parents who are using either Champions or YMCA for childcare?

Mr. Freundt remarked that at this point, we have a couple hundred children in total. Most of the feedback we have received has been positive. We have a number of families who have received financial assistance who may not have had another means to provide for their child. Working to coordinate the classroom instruction. Has been a struggle to have staff help students from many different classrooms.

Do you have thoughts as to why utilization is not higher or is that what you expected it to be? Mr. Freundt responded that he anticipated larger numbers. Families have talked about waiting until we get to later stages to see if they can make it work from home.

The block schedule-decision was not dependent on returning to in person.

Mrs. Posey noted that when we looked at coming back to school, we looked at ways to reduce the number of students in classes and passing periods. The block schedule also allows students to go to break out rooms for discussion and return to the larger classroom. This will allow for getting deeper into the instruction and the discussions that can make the course more robust.

The plan was not to go back to nonblock scheduling, correct? We will stay in the block schedule even in a remote setting.

Mrs. Posey noted that the block scheduling was decided upon because it is more advantageous to students to focus on four periods a day. Feedback we had received had been that the day was too long and overwhelming for students.

Thank you to admin for a quick change.

In terms of elementary schedule in regards to asynchronous time. Can we look at the asynchronous time?

Mr. Freundt noted that we are going to look at it quickly. He has already met with Principals as feedback was already was being received today. Our teachers did prepare for this week so we will need a few days to look at and make those adjustments.

Thank you for incorporating the feedback of teachers, parents and administrators, and students.

Other feedback I have received is how we structure time periods for PI and Honors Math in order to be able to be in person and there are fourth and fifth graders with the same teacher. Are we going to adjust that during that period?

Mr. Freundt noted that these are also a part of the conversations being held. Schools have made adjustments based on the number of students in those programs. There are different schedules based on the enrollments in those classes.

Parents are interested in giving feedback whether via a survey or home and school meetings. In regards to the Junior High and High School schedule-are we continuing to look at courses like AP to be sure we will have enough instructional time?

Mrs. Posey remarked that the block scheduling allows for that time for students who need support or extension, particularly the ones mentioned. Still will bring students in in small groups. Some of these students will be those who may be struggling as well as those who are in need of extension.

Thank you for continuing to bringing in small groups of students and for listening to student feedback as to how this block scheduling is working.

For Junior High and High School parents what can we make clear about what the metrics need to be in order to bring students back with mixing of cohorts?

Dr. Igoe responded that it would be dependent on where we are within the moderate range. Depending on where are dictates cohorts. Making sure, we limit the number of students a student mixes with each day. The passing periods are not as much of a concern as the number of different students they interact with during the time they are in the building.

I just want to make clear that we are reviewing the schedule and will communicate any changes by the end of the week for elementary only. The other schedules are remaining as presented. Mr. Freundt noted that is correct. The Elementary schedule was built for in person learning. We want to make adjustments that help our youngest learners without changing multiple times.

I want to better understand our instructional minutes at each level. Teachers were doing much more than the required 2.5 hours of synchronous teaching so the change seems to be a decrease.

Mr. Freundt stated that the Instructional requirement is a 5 hour day, 2.5 minimum of synchronous. In talking to principals, educators and parents, the feedback has been that our teachers have been going above and beyond those 2.5 hours. As this was possible during the stage 1, it did create a dependence and expectation so the asynchronous time seems like so much. Time is the same schedule wise.

Mrs. Posey added that when you take into account the transportation time, there is minimal loss of instructional time.

What was the rationale behind the small losses that we had at the Junior High and High School? Mrs. Posey stated that we have to take into account that we are transporting students at all levels so there has to be a bit of give and take.

Regarding health metrics for returning to the classroom, good to see a dashboard is going up and will be updated weekly. Will the return date be updated regularly as well?

Superintendent Bridges stated, yes, that is correct.

Regarding the 10% in school, have they been identified and are they already in school or is that still in progress?

Mrs. Posey noted that yes, there are students who have been identified in the buildings and we will be continually identifying students thru PLC’s, counselors and other ways. The 10% will be different day to day or week to week.

Is that also the same for elementary?

Mr. Freundt noted that at the Elementary level, we are not following a 10% model. Staff are looking at our most vulnerable.

If there are students who are struggling, whom can parents go to?

Mr. Freundt responded that as we have previously said, parents could reach out to the classroom teacher and building principal.

We are not evaluating our Junior High and High School schedule or we will continue to evaluate it as we go forward?

Mrs. Posey responded that we will always evaluate and the feedback will be paramount to how our students and staff are feeling that it is being successful.

What kinds of things have we learned from DuPage County Health Department that we can work on as a community to arrest the spread of the disease so we can get back to school? Superintendent Bridges responded that part of his opening comments addressed that.

 Mask wearing even outside in populated areas

 No sleepovers

 Diligence of the mitigation methods are in place for a reason. The more we can follow those, the faster we can get back to school.

Right now the Junior High and High School schedules are where they are going to stay and elementary is being reviewed a bit more.

Superintendent Bridges responded yes.

Can you go thru the process on how we are seeking input from staff?

Superintendent Bridges reviewed that we have brought educators in to tell us what will make us be successful in stage 2. We had educators model the technology. At multiple stage, we have brought in Principals and educators to help problem solve and help create structure around our plans. Principals are always seeking input from their staff.

Superintendent Bridges responded yes.

Can you give us a better understanding of what the ends of the day looks like for students?

Mrs. Posey noted that this is a time when teachers can meet individually with small groups, a student who might need some reteaching, or for special Ed staff to provide support. Counselors to meet with students on college and career and SEL. They can also meet to review data with their PLC’s.

Can either the teacher or the student initiate this time?

Mrs. Posey responded, yes.

Are snacks going to be allowed for High School students for 6 hour day and Junior High students for 4 hour day?

Mrs. Posey stated that there will be designated areas for snacks.

Snacks will not be allowed in the classroom?

Mrs. Posey responded that is correct.

Student Ambassador, William Ma asked about a petition about allowing teachers to teach remotely if they are not able to be in the building

Superintendent Bridges responded that we do take under consideration any of our staff members who are eligible for a disability and accommodate them as necessary. Our Chief Human Resources Officer, Bob Ross and his HR team have been meeting with individuals who think they are eligible for an accommodation and their representation, and then work with them collaboratively to design an accommodation that is best for them.

I just want to thank staff and Superintendent, teachers, custodians and support staff who are working diligently in the buildings to get us back in buildings.

The whole Board agrees that there has been an enormous amount of work from our Superintendent and his team and our educators and all our staff to go through this process together and we really are united in ensuring that we are able to overcome all challenges.

FY2021-2022 Budget Calendar:

Superintendent Bridges remarked that CFO/CSBO Michael Frances is in the process of working towards building a budget for the coming school year. The Budget Calendar is loaded into Board Docs. Michael Frances stated that he is glad to address any questions regarding the calendar.

Board Questions/Comments:

None

Enrollment Update:

Superintendent Bridges noted that another annual report is a presentation to the Board our enrollment summary for the current year. Posted in BoardDocs is a memo summarizing the enrollment for the current year as well as an overall enrollment summary.

Board Questions/Comments:

Is there a way to put a column on the right-hand side that does the math for me, shows trends? Superintendent Bridges stated that we could do that in the future.

Mr. Frances added that we would be recommending that we engage Dr. Kofran to update the financial projections. He will be using the September 20 enrollment data as well as live birth projections.

It is concerning to see our enrollment be down. I know we expected that at the high school level but we want to continue to see that our trends are more consistent with what we have seen through the studies.

Naperville 203 School Report Card Overview:

Superintendent Bridges introduced Dr. Patrick Nolten, Assistant Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability an overview on the status of the Illinois report card.

As in past years, the report card will be embargoed until noon on October 30. At that time, you will be able to view our data as well as the data from any public school district data in the state. There will be some data that is not available as we were unable to administer our accountability assessments due to COVID-19. Some data is as clean as I could get it around attendance and graduation rate. The data that is in the report card is relatively stable.

Advance the prior year’s summative status for all districts in the state. Continue to have the largest number of exemplary schools in the state. The state decided to advance the prior year’s summative designations to every district in Illinois. On September 23, ACT was given successfully. We are beginning to get that data now and will report on it as soon as we receive it. October 14 PSAT/NMSQT data should be in by late November. We do have a calendar of assessments that will be given once we return to in person learning.

Board Questions/Comments:

Thank you for the report on assessments and the report card.

Do you have a proposed calendar for assessments when we get back into the building?

Dr. Nolten responded that he distributed a calendar this afternoon before we made the shift so there is a calendar in place.

Should interested parents communicate with the Building Principal regarding the schedule? Dr. Nolten responded that we would communicate to principals as to next steps with the adaptive pause.

It is so essential that we get our students assessed. Very concerned about achievement gaps due to remote learning. We need the benchmark as soon as we get back into schools.

Dr. Nolten noted that teachers are assessing students and have an understanding of where students are. These are not the only tests and assessments that we use to know where students are.

Thank you for pointing that out. Just want to continue to build on the standards they may have missed last year.

Annual Posting of Board Approved Resources:

Superintendent Bridges stated that this is the Annual posting of approved K-12 resources. Jenny Donatelli, Director of Curriculum and Instruction is here to respond to any questions.

Board Questions/Comments:

Parents have concerns about some resources on the list in term of their level of cultural responsibility. I know that we are auditing our resources so how are going to assist our educators in ensuring that they are able to deliver the context during this audit?

Mrs. Donatelli responded that Learning Services is working in collaboration with Rakeda and Great Lakes. We are discussing developing some Professional Development for staff so they are comfortable addressing certain texts.

Dr. Leaks added want to build teachers capacity to effectively have those conversations with students. We are collaborating and working with the Midwestern Plains Equity Assistance Center.

I know that process is slow but I really appreciate the efforts that you are undertaking to ensure that our educators have the support they need.

President’s Report

None

Board of Education Reports:

I have been receiving communications from community members and doctors who are interested in forming some kind of advisory board regarding pandemic issues.

Superintendent Bridges noted that we do have an advisory board already and can get some information to the Board on that.

Discussion without Action:

None

Discussion with Action:

IASB Resolutions

Superintendent Bridges remarked that the Board has asked for input from the Administration regarding a couple of the resolutions, specifically numbers 2 and 7. We support the committee’s recommendation on resolution #2. Rational is because of IASB’s role and position statement tend to deal with issues that happen inside the school district. Resolution #7 allows for inconsistency in local control particularly as it is written. Will support the Board’s position on this resolution.

Board questions/comments:

The Board engaged in lengthy discussions around Resolutions #2 and #7. Noting that the speakers made a compelling case around supporting Resolution #2, the Board asked IASB Delegate Kozminski to get additional information at his next delegate meeting.

Joe Kozminski made a motion to delay until the next meeting, voting on the IASB Resolutions in order to gain additional information. Kristine Gericke seconded. Those voting yes: Leong, Kozminski, Fitzgerald, Cush, Gericke, Yang Rohr and Wandke. Those voting no: None.

Old Business: 

None

New Business 

None

Upcoming Events:

Superintendent Bridges noted the following events:

 October 26, 2020-Update COVID Dashboard on website

 Monday, November 2, 2020 Board of Education Meeting

 November 3, 2020 State mandated Election Day holiday so no school

Adjournment

Donna Wandke moved seconded by Kristine Gericke to adjourn the meeting at 9:34 p.m. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

https://www.naperville203.org/cms/lib/IL01904881/Centricity/Domain/732/BOE%20OPEN%20SESSION%20MINUTES%20October%2019%202020.pdf