![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/skateboards.defe326c.jpg)
Superintendent's Corner
Avoca District 37 - April 24, 2023
Inspire Curiosity, Cultivate Academic Growth, Nurture Diversity
In this exciting issue ...
- Science Olympiad Qualifies for Nationals
- Avoca Recognized by NAMM for Its Music Education
- Thank You Retiring Board Members - Louise Dechovitz and Gretchen Glader
- Registration for 2023-2024
- Fees - Redux
- Save the Date: Town Hall Meeting on Facilities
Science Olympiad Heads to Nationals
Not only did the team take 2nd in Illinois but individual team members earned medals in 22 of the 23 competitions that make up Science Olympiad.
From our students to their parents and guardians to our volunteer coaches to staff coaches Mr. Gravagna, Mr. Persino, and Ms. Kim, this was truly a team effort and we are excited to see how the team does at Nationals.
Go Vikings!
NAMM Foundation Recognizes Avoca as a Best Community for Music Education
From our general music classes to our choir to band and orchestra, we are proud of how our staff works to create the opportunity for our students to have both a Balanced learning experience in line with our Portrait of a Graduate and a rich musical education.
Special thanks to Ms. Weismehl, Mr. Hammond, Ms. Oppenheim, Ms. Parisoli, Ms. Stubbs, and Mr. Anderson for all they do for our students.
Retiring Board Members - Louise Dechovitz & Dr. Gretchen Glader
Ms. Dechovitz served on the Board for 8 years, including 4 as Vice President. During that time, Ms. Dechovitz was instrumental in advocating for effective early literacy practices. And she led the Board efforts to have the Illinois School Boards Association publicly support efforts to have state legislation passed that would strengthen the training of pre-service teachers in the area of early literacy. That legislation is close to being passed in this Spring Assembly session. Congratulations to Ms. Dechovitz on all of her service to the Board and community.
Dr. Gretchen Glader served on the Board for 4 years, and brought with her a wealth of expertise, including formerly a long career in education and mental health. A licensed clinical social worker who worked in a variety of educational settings and had her own private practice, Dr. Glader was a passionate advocate for students' mental health. Congratulations to Dr. Glader on her service and retirement from the Board.
At the Board meeting, in addition to Dr. Dhar and Mr. Gibori making speeches to honor our retiring Board members, a work of student art by Marie Murphy student Sebastian Spieker was unveiled and will hang in the Porto Community Room in honor of Ms. Dechovitz's and Dr. Glader's service.
Dr. Glader and Artist Sebastian Spieker
Sebastian with his art dedicated to the retiring Board members' service
Ms. Dechovitz and Artist Sebastian Spieker
2023-2024 Registration Has Started!
Registration opened and parents/guardians/caregivers of returning students starting April 17th. An email was sent to you from Registration Support <noreply@noreply.psrsupport.com>. Please email registration@avoca37.org if you don't receive the email or if you have any questions.
**It's important to note that you should receive a separate email with the embedded "snapcode" for EACH returning student. Registration will be due May 30, 2023.
School Fees - Redux
Fees are often viewed as an expenditure. When applied to programs at our schools, what parents/guardians pay for fees and what the District pays to run important programs and services, really represent an investment in high quality experiences for our students, many of which set our District apart from others.
In February and March, the Board of Education approved a range of fees for the 2023-2024 school year. Some of these are required fees, what are called "Instructional Fees," and most are optional fees for a service or experience, such as Transportation Fees and fees to participate in an extra-curricular activity, like Science Olympiad or a sport. Food Service prices will be finalized in May. Families who meet specific Federally defined economic requirements are eligible for fees to be waived or to receive waived fees through the Viking Fund.
When the fee statements are sent, often families do not understand why a fee increased, and now is a quick primer to help understand how the Board of Education has set fees in recent years. These goals have been centered on sharing costs and sustaining the District's financial health.
For Transportation and Extra-Curricular Fees, the past goal of the Board has been that fees cover 50% of the total expenditure of that service or experience - meaning fee payers and taxpayers share the costs of that investment while the fee payer's student is in school. (There are some minor exceptions to this due to overall costs of the program, e.g. Orchestra/Strings, Band, Science Olympiad. Clubs are a simple flat fee.) Once the 50% threshold was met, the intention was to only raise the fee by the Consumer Price Index (inflation) annually.
For the Instructional Fee, the goal has been that fees only increase by the Consumer Price Index annually.
Right now, not every fee has met the 50% threshold and some programs/services costs have increased by more than inflation. However, when your fees for 2023-2024 are mailed to you, by-and-large they will reflect increases based on the explanation provided here.
The newly seated Board will continue to examine how it sets fees in light of inflation and the District's ongoing financial status.
Save the Dates: Town Hall Meeting on District Facilities on May 20 (Saturday morning) or May 23 (Tuesday Evening)
Contact Us
Email: osburnk@avoca37.org
Website: www.avoca37.org
Location: 2921 Illinois Road, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-728-4128
Twitter: @OsburnSupt