Board Update August 2024
News and Highlights from the Board of Education meeting
District Plans Public Engagement on Building Needs
The Board approved a plan to form a community-based committee and schedule forums throughout the fall to share information and gather feedback on the Facilities Master Plan.
Creative Entourage, a public relations firm specializing in community engagement, will guide the process and support community-wide communication.
The Facilities Master Plan identified $80 million in potential building improvements for the district’s four aging buildings in the areas of accessibility, life safety, operation and maintenance and capital improvements. With the existing budget constraints and limitations under the Property Tax Extension Limit Law (PTELL), the district can only fund about $20 million of those improvements over the next 10 years from current revenue sources.
The community engagement process will help gather perspectives and establish priorities from the whole community. This effort aligns with the Strategic Plan Goal on Family and Community Engagement by designing and implementing two-way communications with the family and community.
The district welcomed 23 new certified educators to the D28 Team and 41 support staff for the 2024-25 school year.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
Start of the School Year A Culmination of Summer Work
Preparations for the new school year start before summer break begins and continue until the first day of school. In addition to building and grounds projects, activities include teacher professional development, employee hiring, curriculum work, student enrollment and scheduling, to name a few.
“We’ve had a terrific start to the school year thanks to our staff and our families,” said Superintendent Dr. Jason Pearson.
Summer activities included:
60 new students enrolled in the district.
23 new certified educators were hired. All of the new educators have a two-day orientation and are paired with a mentor for two years. They meet regularly one-on-one and also periodically as a group.
41 new support staff were hired, including classroom instructional assistants and KidCare workers.
34 summer professional learning sessions were hosted in District 28 with more than 150 staff members participating and 29 teachers leading at least one session. (see more below)
Strategic Plan Moves to Action
The Future Focus Strategic Plan mission, vision, values and portraits are being shared around the district. The next step is to focus on the four Strategic Plan Goals, Dr. Pearson said. Each Goal has a district and building Goal Champion. Work begins this week on developing action steps, tracking progress and measuring success. Read about our strategic plan.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Summer Professional Learning Enriches the Classroom
Summer professional learning is designed based on teacher surveys. The sessions offer specific teaching techniques, exploration of new ideas to address teachers’ needs and workshops to address classroom challenges.
The summer experiences are one element of ongoing professional learning in the district. A total of 34 summer professional learning sessions were hosted in District 28, with more than 150 staff members participating and 29 teachers leading at least one session.
Teachers continue to engage in learning throughout the year in their learning teams, with instructional coaches, and school improvement and institute days, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kris Raitzer said.
STAFFING NEWS
Welcome to Team 28!
The Board of Education approved the following staff hires for the 2024-25 school year, though they began work earlier in August.
Kelly Lee, 1st grade teacher - Meadowbrook
Kelly worked as a classroom assistant since January and holds a master’s of education degree from DePaul University. She has experience as a multilingual resource teacher in Avoca District 37.
Sarah Fink, 2nd grade teacher - Westmoor
Sarah was a classroom assistant since September 2022. She also worked for Chicago Public Schools as a literacy coach for four years. She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in reading from Loyola University.
Randall McClellan, special education teacher - Northbrook Junior High
Randall is a learning behavior specialist and is also certified in learning disabilities. He has a master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Illinois University and was a special education teacher in Harlem District 122 for two years.
Taraneh Tompkins, 3rd grade teacher - Meadowbrook
Taraneh is certified in English as a Second Language and has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University. She worked as a 5th-grade teacher in Glenview District 34 for six years.
Mara Corush, teacher of multilingual learners - Northbrook Junior High
Mara is certified in English as a second language and has a master’s degree in administration and supervision from National Louis University. She worked as a 6th-grade reading language arts teacher at Hawthorn District 73 for the past ten years.
Jennifer Sutherland, 3rd grade teacher - Westmoor
Jennifer has a master’s degree in reading from National Louis University. She worked for District 28 since February as an instructional assistant. She was a 3rd grade teacher for Libertyville District 70 for 10 years.
Also joining the D28 team are the following education assistants: Danka Lekovic, Stacy Carver, Binci Thomas, Zorin Daramjee, Katherine Chron, Margaret Rude, Ryan Tepperman, Ellie Michelle Lee, Connie Philippas, Margaret Wagenbrenner, Jenny Cardenas, Desiree Contreras, Emily Roman, Ben Morabito, Mia Vaananen, Jennifer Medvin, Erin Thunholm, and Zelal Pinarci.
Get acquainted with our new educators and staff members with the New Staff Directory
Want to Know More?
Livestream/Archive Video
The Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on the District 28's YouTube Channel. The live streams are also archived for later viewing.
Next Meeting is September 24 at 7 p.m.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. September 24 in the HOH Community Room at District Office, 1475 Maple Ave., Northbrook. The meetings are also live-streamed on the District 28 YouTube channel.
Visit Northbrook28.net for more information
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