January 2024 Board Meeting Recap
Fremont School District 79
Regular Board Meeting
Gabriela Whipple, Board President, congratulated the 7th- and 8th-grade boys basketball teams on their conference tournament titles, and thanked all the parents, students, and teachers who participated in Fremont Family Math Night, which was held in conjunction with the Fremont PTO and Mathnasium of Wauconda. Board member Shawn Killackey was recognized for being a guest on the most recent Illinois Association of School Boards podcast. The Board has participated in a pair of work sessions, one on strategic ways to engage in community outreach, and another on building equity literacy -- high-quality teaching and learning for all. District staff were also thanked for their efforts in managing recent extreme weather and eLearning days.
Dr. Trisha Kocanda, Superintendent of Schools, reaffirmed Ms. Whipple's appreciation to staff, students, and families for managing the recent eLearning days. The District is collaborating with the Lake County Regional Office of Education to offer a free virtual tutoring service for students for the next three years. Appreciation was expressed to parents and the community for their investment in recent strategic initiatives, including a bus routing task force, the educational long-range facility plan, and the elementary school principal search.
Presentations
Members of the Fremont Intermediate School Jr. HOPE Squad provided a presentation to the Board on their leadership efforts within the school. HOPE is an acronym that stands for "Hold On Persuade Empower." The organization is a peer-to-peer group that supports their classmates and serves as the eyes and ears of the student body. They are elected by their peers because of their trustworthiness and maturity, by being a good listener, and by being empathetic. The group is organizing Day of Hope on February 15 as well as Hope Week May 13-17.
Talent Recruitment & Retention Strategic Goal Update
Allison Stempien, Executive Director of Human Resources, provided an update on the District's recruitment and retention efforts.
- The District aggressively pushed up the timeline for 2024-2025 known vacancies, posting them prior to winter break.
- A partnership has been established with D120 on a “Grow Your Own” program with high school students interested in becoming teachers who will then assist in our classrooms.
- The District has utilized funds from the Illinois State Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, allowing FSD79 teachers to earn degree certifications.
- A District-led, credit-bearing professional development program (Fremont College) is being established.
- Workday calendars are being modified to invest in additional professional development time for paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and lunchroom supervisors.
- A mentoring program is being developed for paraprofessionals and substitutes.
Informational Items
Brian Bullis, Assistant Superintendent of Learning, provided an update on the District's student growth and achievement following the winter NWEA MAP test. According to NWEA, seven of our eight grades met or exceeded their growth projections from last winter to this winter in mathematics. Grade 6 experienced the largest jump in cohort growth percentile over the past year. In reading, six of our eight grades met or exceeded their growth projections from last winter to this winter. Grade 4 experienced the largest jump in cohort growth percentile over the past year.
Transportation Task Force Bus Routing & Bus Stops Guidelines Recommendation
The District recently assembled and engaged a Transportation Task Force consisting of District administrators, parents, and bus drivers. The purpose of the Task Force was to create guidelines for improved efficiencies and cul-de-sac safety for our bus routes. This will help alleviate the impact of the driver shortage and reduce accident-prone cul-de-sac stops. The guidelines, which were approved by the Board, will be communicated to families this month. New routes will be determined in July and communicated to families in early August due to fluctuating factors such as student enrollment.
Ivanhoe Village Development Update
The District continues to plan for the proposed 700+ acre, 3,700 residential unit development known as Ivanhoe Village, which will be located entirely within FSD79 boundaries. Representatives from District 79 and Mundelein High School D120 hosted the Village and the Ivanhoe Village Development team for school site tours on January 25. Mundelein Mayor Lentz is meeting with D79 and D120 School Board representatives and superintendents on January 31 to discuss key areas of focus. Recognizing that the proposed development is in the preliminary stages, the districts are interested in expressing community interest to inform any final development agreements.
Educational Long-Range Facility Plan Update
FSD79 is continuing the process of building an education-based, 10-year Educational Long-range Facility Plan (ELFP) in collaboration with our architectural firm, DLR Group. An informational overview of the process was presented to teachers and staff members as part of the January 8 Institute Day. A community-based Steering Committee has been formed and met for the first time on January 22 at Fremont Intermediate School. The committee includes 24 members consisting of Central Office administrators, school board members, principals, teachers, and community members representing diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Skyward Financial and Human Resource System Conversion
Since June 2023, the Technology, Human Resources, and Business departments have been working to convert all our our financial and human resource software from SDS to Skyward. The District is fully utilizing Skyward as of the first of the year. While historical data still needs to be converted into the system, purchase orders, accounts payable, and payroll are now being run via the new system. Full conversion is expected to be completed by the end of March.
The Consent Agenda and Following Action Items Were Approved:
Transportation Bus Routing & Bus Stop Guidelines
Purchase of New Intermediate School Playground Equipment
Increase in 2024-25 Middle School School Fees
Resolution to Prepare, Make Available for Public Inspection, and Publish Notice of Hearing for Review of the 2024-25 Proposed Annual Budget
- Elementary School Principal Contract
To view the Board Packet materials from the January 29, 2024 Meeting, click here.
Fremont School District 79
Address: 28855 North Fremont Center Road, Mundelein, IL
Phone: (847) 566-0169
Website: fsd79.org
Twitter: @FSD79
Instagram: @FSD79
YouTube: youtube.com/FSD79