
The BOE Recap
August 17th, 2023

October 26th, 2023 - Regular Board Meeting
Watch The Meeting Recording Below:
1. Call To Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. Approval of Meeting Agenda
The agenda was approved.
3. Closed Session
4. Reconvene to Open Session
The meeting reconvened to open session at 7:01 p.m.
5. What's Good in 109
Mr. Steckling presented the monthly What's Good in 109 report, featuring:
- Principal Appreciation Month social media posts
- DPS 109's appearance at the Halloween Hoopla put on by the Deerfield Park District
- Our Early Learners participating in a pumpkin decorating activity at school
- A STEAM class at Wilmot where students used their creative engineering skills to design a basketball hoop that trapped a monster
- Walden's fun Hidden Wildcat activity, where classes have been surprised all month to see the wildcat mascot showing up in their class. We got a heads up and got to be there for one of the surprises!
- At Kipling, Mrs. Cacioppo's 4th graders met at a local grocery store to buy items to donate to the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry
- South Park hosted a wonderful Family Reading Night full of activities, including pin the bookmark on the book.
- Shepard 7th graders are learning in social studies about the Treaty of Versailles, and got to do their own negotiation activity.
We celebrated our conference champion 6th grade girls cross country team from Shepard and our 8th grade girls cross country team from Caruso!
- Caruso 6th graders had a really busy month: we showcased how a historical discussion about Egypt and using evidence to support a claim turned into a vigorous debate about Taylor Swift, how young scientists are learning to master microscope skills, and featured a very cool grade-wide Rewards Day that had the hallway full of noise!
Our featured guests were 8th graders from the Philanthropy Club at Caruso, talking about the work they do, including a ongoing gift drive to benefit the Social Works organization and the upcoming DPS 109 Food & Supply Drive benefiting the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Caruso 8th grade girls cross country!
Caruso Philanthropy Club presented on some upcoming initiatives.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Shepard 6th grade girls cross country!
6. Superintendent's Report
Mr. Simeck was in science class at Caruso and was impressed in the discussions he was able to have with students about the project they were working on.
DPS 109 was happy to recently host a leadership dinner with elected officials and representatives from the Village of Deerfield, Deerfield Park District, Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Department, Deerfield Police Department, Deerfield Public Library, and West Deerfield Township. We are fortunate to have strong connections to these organizations and open lines of dialogue where we can talk about solving problems and sharing resources when appropriate.
Our Board of Education was recognized for their strong governance by the Illinois Association of School Boards.
Goal 2 of the Strategic Plan is Positive Culture & Personal Development. Mr. Simeck showed a display board from Kipling where they asked staff members "What's Your Why." Classes will also be discovering their why in the coming weeks and displaying it for others to see.
We have a shared priority of protecting children, especially when it comes to disturbing and inappropriate content related to world events. DPS 109 has safeguards in place for our technology at school, but we ask families to help us in this effort at home to ensure that kids don't see images and videos that are not appropriate. There are resources for how to talk with your child & help them process events on dps109.org.
7. Community Participation Relative to Matters on the Meeting Agenda (Policy 2:230)
There were no speakers present.
Informational Items
8.1. Freedom of Information Requests (Policy 2:250)
Dr. Filippi presented two items to the board that are detailed in the posted packet.
8.2. Tax Levy
Dr. Filippi delivered his annual presentation about the tax levy. A levy is the amount requested by a governmental entity to be raised from property taxes.
Important in the tax calculation is the EAV (Equalized Assessed Value) of the properties in the district as determined by township and county assessors. CPI (Consumer Price Index) also factors in.
He walked through a 4-year timeline to show how the tax levy is calculated and impacts district finances.
The finance committee met in early October. They reviewed 5-year projections along with capital needs. The 2023 levy recommendation is that the board increase the levy at the 5% PTELL cap. CPI is currently at 6.5%. It is also recommended that the board pass a supplemental resolution to capture the debt service extension base increase. Detailed calculations of all of this can be found on pages 12-14 of the tax levy document.
The next steps include a Truth in Taxation hearing at the November board meeting. Board action will be requested following the November meeting. Following that, all of the proper paperwork and documentation will be filed with the county.
8.3. Illinois Association of School Boards Resolutions Committee Report
The board considered a number of resolutions that will be voted upon for advocacy at the upcoming IASB convention.
8.4. School Board Members Day - November 15, 2023
Mr. Simeck read a resolution recognizing School Board Members Day in District 109 on November 15th.
8.5. Fleet Vehicle Purchase
Dr. Filippi presented the proposal to purchase an electric vehicle that will be utilized by the Buildings & Grounds department.
Action Items
9.1. Consent Agenda*
9.2. Approval of Meeting Minutes (Policy 2:220)
The minutes were approved.
9.3. Quarterly Treasurer's Report
The report was approved.
9.4. Fleet Vehicle Purchase
The vehicle purchase was approved.
10. Committee Reports
Mrs. Jakymiw says that TrueNorth had a meeting a few weeks ago. Their construction came in on time and under budget. They are embarking on a yearlong assessment of services overview.
Finance committee is meeting in December.
11. Open Community Participation
There were no speakers present.
12. Board/Superintendent Other
There was general discussion about the status quo structure of local school districts and whether that ought to be examined at some point.
14. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.