News from CCSD15 Board of Education

The Board received an informative overview of the District's social, emotional and mental health needs during its Feb. 12 meeting.

Overall, the social emotional needs of our students are increasing at a steady rate:

• Hospitalizations for behavioral and mental health over the last two years has increased by 33 percent.
• On average, there are 150 mental health-related crisis situations each month in our schools. Most are related to anxiety or depression.
• The number of referrals to outside mental health agencies has increased by 200 percent over the last few years.

Due to the changing needs of our student body, approaching student well-being from a comprehensive mental health model is more important now than ever. The comprehensive approach the District implements emphasizes three key features:

1. Matching our staffing plan with our students’ needs.
2. Providing more comprehensive and specialized training for staff to address our students’ mental health needs.
3. Re-organizing how we supervise, support and coordinate our resources to support student mental health.

The presentation provided to the Board highlighted several key areas, including school-wide social emotional prevention practices, targeted supports for students, services for students with significant behavioral, social or mental health needs, and next steps for addressing student needs. Read the full report online.

The Board of Education has made a commitment to improve safety and security in our schools by creating secure vestibules at every building. Last summer, secure vestibule construction was completed at five buildings, and the Board committed to completing the remaining six buildings in the summer of 2020.

At its Feb. 12 meeting, the Board approved the construction bid for the remaining school vestibules, along with an expanded scope of work at Marion Jordan, Central Road and Walter Sundling. While the vestibule construction is taking place, crews will also work to expand the main offices in these buildings to allow for more functional office space, conference rooms, increased space for nurses and in some cases, additional classrooms. Read the full construction bid online.

At its Feb. 12 meeting, the Board of Education approved the 2020-21 Budget Guidelines to be used in the preparation of next year’s budget.

The 2020-21 budget will be developed to reflect the Board’s objective to provide for the education of all students while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

For budgeting purposes, District 15 will assume no increases in state funding for next year and budget the current year’s 2019-20 Evidence Based Funding amount of $16,925,274. Additional revenues include property taxes, Corporate Personal Property Replacement Taxes (CPPRT), Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District revenue, Medicaid revenue and transportation reimbursement from the State of Illinois.

Expenditures for the upcoming school year include staff salaries and benefits, purchased services, materials and capital outlay. The preliminary budget will be presented to the Board at its June meeting with final adoption taking place later in the year.

Gray M. Sanborn Art Teacher Joanna Angelopoulos was recognized by the Board for her outstanding contributions to art education.

Mrs. Angelopoulos was a presenter at the 2019 Illinois Art Education Association Conference, sharing presentations "Degenerate Art," "Thinking Backwards 2," and "Emojions." Illinois Art Education Association President Nick Hostert said her presentations were very well received by attendees, and called her one of IAEA's "most talented art educators."

Mrs. Angelopoulos was presented an "Above and Beyond" pin by Superintendent of Schools Laurie Heinz for her contributions to art education.

The Board of Education recognized the 20 District 15 school Spelling Bee winners who competed for the District title in January. District Spelling Bee winner Gabriel P. from Lake Louise also earned second place at the regional competition, advancing to the State Spelling Bee!

See a full photo gallery from the Spelling Bee on the District 15 Facebook page.

Frank C. Whiteley students part of the "Wildcat Crew" led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance. This group of students are student leaders in the school. They help with the teaching and reteaching of the PBIS expectation, oversee Whiteley's Kindness Day and create videos to explain new procedures in the cafeteria.

Online registration is now open for ALL new and returning students to District 15 for the 2020-21 school year.

• If you do not have children currently enrolled in District 15 schools, use this link to register your incoming kindergartener or new student.
  
  

• If you have children currently enrolled in District 15 schools, or if your child is a current D15 preschool student, please use this link to register your child(ren).
  

More information about registration is available on our website. If you need help completing the registration process, please contact your child's school for assistance.

Babies, children, teens, adults and seniors—every person living in the United States will be counted on the Wednesday, April 1 Census Day. Although this national count is only taken every 10 years, it has a huge, lasting impact on District 15 schools, our communities and our state.

The census is the way the federal government divides its funds among the states. Illinois receives about $20 billion to support critical services for our communities that fund public schools, Medicaid, Head Start, Title programs, and programs that help low-income households like free lunch and HUD. It’s estimated that $1,500 will be lost for every Illinois resident who is missed—an impact we’ll suffer until the 2030 Census!

It’s quick and easy to be counted, and also required by law to participate. Your response is safe, secure and confidential. This promise is protected by federal law. No other agencies can access this information, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In mid-March, households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census. Households may respond online, by phone or by mail. More information about the Census will be shared with families as the official Census 2020 date approaches.

The United Palatine (UP) Coalition wants to know your thoughts about transportation in Palatine. District 15 is a partner with the UP Coalition: a group of residents, non-profits, and government agencies working together to create opportunities for Palatine families and youth. Right now, they need your help to understand current transportation needs in Palatine and the surrounding areas and how to solve them. Please take the anonymous online survey to provide your input!

Email: D15Communications@ccsd15.net
Website: www.ccsd15.net
Location: 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-3000
Facebook: facebook.com/CCSD15
Twitter: @D15Schools