The District 30 Board of Education was recognized this month for their exceptional governance practices by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB).

District 30 was one of 80 Illinois school districts out of over 800 in the state to earn the School Board Governance Recognition, which honors the board for their effective governance and commitment toward obtaining the knowledge and skills to effectively lead the district.

IASB’s School Board Governance Recognition program acknowledges local boards of education that practice good governance behaviors as outlined by the association’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance. Boards like District 30 that meet the necessary requirements are recognized for the two-year honorary distinction.

Student Service Department Director Lauren Schulman joined Social Workers Molly Berendt and Jennifer Winter to present an update titled "Fostering Belonging at District 30 through RULER and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)." This presentation outlined the impact of the social workers, who are new to District 30 this year and one serves each school.

They outlined how SEL supports our Strategic Plan goals to cultivate a safe, positive, engaging climate of belonging to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of our community. They detailed what this looks like at all three schools, including multiple in-class lessons from the social worker monthly.

Willowbrook Principal Mrs. Katie Compagno and Assistant Principal Mr. Erik Brekke presented the annual Willowbrook School Report, detailing progress made toward the goals of the school improvement plan for this academic year. Click below to review:

Teacher Eileen Mulroe joined Dr. Melissa Hirsch in presenting the English language arts (ELA) Committee's recommendation for a new kindergarten ELA resource.

They shared that committee spent 16 months reviewing, learning, evaluating, drafting new curriculum maps, and piloting multiple ELA resources. Following this process, they recommended the adoption of the "HMH-Into Reading" curriculum resource – the same selected this winter for grades 1-5 - coupled with "Heggerty’s Bridge to Reading."

The Board later voted to adopt these resources, which presenters said are built on best teaching practices and educational research, and align with both the Illinois State Board of Education 2024 Comprehensive Literacy Plan and Illinois Learning Standards.

The Board reviewed student fees in the following categories: curriculum, transportation, field trips, lunch program and preschool. Following this, Board members approved changes to next year's fee structure that include:

• An approximate 3 percent increase in transportation fees to address First Student cost increase for the 2025-26 school year

• Increases in lunch program fees to address higher food and labor costs for the 2025-26 school year.

• An approximate 3.4 percent increase in preschool tuition for 2026-27.

Dr. Tammaru reported that District 30 has achieved success in hiring outstanding candidates to filling numerous teaching roles for the 2025-26 school year. (See Personnel Report below.)

She noted that having Dr. Scott Carlson in the newly created Director of Human Resources role this year greatly enhanced the hiring process and allowed the district to identify highly qualified candidates.

"Having a director of HR that could create an improved interview process, one that could be replicated, is allowing us to bring in the best and the brightest," she said.

She also informed the Board that kindergarten enrollment is currently trending higher than last year and staffing plans presented to the Board in January anticipated this uptick.

Both fine arts and academic achievments have been on display throughout all three District 30 schools this month, and Dr. Tammaru highlighted these tremendous efforts. They included:

"Beauty and the Beast, Jr.": At Maple, nearly 70 students and 25 staff members worked on stage and behind the scenes since November to prepare for the school's spring musical, "Beauty and the Beast, Jr.," which was presented March 12-14 at the school under the direction of Library Media Specialist, Mrs. Jamie Holmer. Click here to see a full album of the musical and click here to read coverage of the show in Patch.

"Spring Break Magic": Wescott 4th-graders presented "Spring Break Magic," a show of original songs and live storytelling that explored the wonders of exotic trips, staying in town, and everything in between. Music Teacher Mr. Quentin Coaxum composed the songs and led the students in their show, while substitute Art Teacher Mrs. Michele Pollina worked with students to create scenery. Click here to watch highlights of the show.

"A Discovery of Fables": Willowbrook 4th-Graders collaborated with English Language Arts Teacher Lanie Levin to create their own original fables, then perform them with instruments, words and song with Music Teacher Mr. Kurt Barker and his original music. They also used elaborate props created with Art Teacher Mrs. Kristin Sendaydiego. Click here to watch highlights from the show.

Science Olympiad: Fifty-one Maple students competed in their inaugural Science Olympiad on three teams at regionals, earning an 65 medals across various events under the leadership of Science Teachers Mrs. Tricia Kearns and Ms. Rachel Rayborn, and with the help of parent volunteers.

Math Team: Maple's Math Team, led by Math Teachers Ms. Cora Byrne and Mrs. Sarah Arends, qualified for the MathCounts State Competition and competed against 70 Illinois schools. They placed 15th in the state, with Alvin Fang and Tyler ranked in the top 30 individuals.

Volleyball: Maple's 6th-grade boys volleyball celebrated an undefeated season (11-0) under Coach and Resource Teacher Ms. Kate Kamin.

"All of this wonderful news show that there is something for everyone in our schools and District 30 ais a great place to be a part of for students," Dr. Tammaru said. "Congratulations!"

Board Vice President Mr. Ammar Rizki shared highlights from last week's TrueNorth Board meeting. He reported that the Board reviewed enrollment projections, which will inform an upcoming budget vote.

He also shared that the Board established a Nominating and Advisory Committee, which is currently exploring how to onboard new districts to the educational cooperative. Mr. Rizki said this comes in conjunction with Glenview District 34 currently continuing the process of withdrawing from TrueNorth, and an additional district considering withdrawal.

The Board approved the hiring of eight new teachers and staff to join District 30 for the 2025-26 school year. Please welcome: Sydney Bashaw, Teacher, Willowbrook; Emily Condon, Learning Behavior Specialist, Maple; Rachel Kahn, Teacher, Wescott; Amber Kim, Teacher, Willowbrook; Rebecca Levy, Teacher, Wescott; Eunice Ra, Teacher, Wescott; Leigh Ann Salas, Teacher, Wescott; Georgia Voutiritsas, Teacher (Math), Maple.

The Board also approved one in-district transfer, three resignations and one leave of absence.

The Board of Education consists of seven members elected from the general public to serve the entire Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Community. The Board provides governance for the district by hiring and evaluating the superintendent and approving a budget, policies, and goals that align with the district's strategic plan. Board members are:

• President -Jeff Zuercher
  
• Vice President - Ammar Rizki
• Zivit Blonder
  
• Keith Karchmar
• Pamela Manicioto
  
• Patrick Wang
• Dr. Stephanie Yohannan

Northbrook/Glenview District 30 exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Email: communications@district30.org
Website: district30.org
Location: 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Phone: 847-498-4190