Hawthorn Board Highlights

Present: Michael Engle, Karl Borchers, George Fivet, Joel Finfer, Julie Clifford, Robin Cleek, Wes Polen.

Detelina Andonova's nomination comes from Middle North Interim Principal Jenna Stern, who shared, “Didi is an incredible asset to Hawthorn Middle North. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to support our students and families, especially our Russian and Ukrainian families as she is able to communicate in their native language and make them feel welcomed and comfortable. Didi approaches every student and family with a smile, caring heart and empathy. Her calm and caring nature makes her a valuable paraprofessional, bowling coach, garden club sponsor, D73 employee, and so much more. Thank you, Didi for all you do! You rock!!”

Jennah Hirsch was nominated for recognition by Erin Brickman. Erin shares, "Jennah has been with our district for two years now, making significant contributions. She has skillfully run the Hawthorn Eagles Nest newspaper and has recently taken on coaching girls volleyball. Her involvement doesn't stop there; Jennah has also been a Snowflake facilitator for two years, volunteered at numerous Hawthorn events, covered classes amidst substitute teacher shortage, and dedicated her time to a local pet rescue shelter outside of school. As an ELA/ALA teacher, Jennah's passion for reading, writing, vocabulary, and creativity shines through, alongside her strong devotion to her students. Continuously seeking ways to enhance her teaching and coaching, Jennah has formed incredible bonds with her students. This year, she's also excelling in co-teacher training with her counterpart. Jennah's ability to give 110% to everything she does makes her an invaluable member of our team. It's truly a pleasure to have her with us."

The Hawthorn Recognition Committee is eager to celebrate the outstanding efforts of our staff and students. Whether it's a teacher going the extra mile or a student showing remarkable leadership, every effort counts. Let's come together to shine a light on these Eagles! Visit our Recognition Page and nominate a deserving individual today. Celebrate the greatness within our district!

There was nothing new to report this evening.

Board Member Michael Engle was absent this evening.

Board Member George Fivet highlighted several key projects and partnerships, notably the district's evolving relationship with Quest, which is showcasing Hawthorn as a model for others. Summer 2024 will see upgrades at Middle School North and the successful integration of new spaces at Elementary North. The committee addressed challenges with fire panel and intercom system upgrades, leading to a strategic separation of the projects to meet new fire codes and secure grant funding for the intercom system. Discussions on transportation revealed plans for future bids in light of new legislation, while safety audits are in progress, promising detailed insights post-spring break.

There was nothing new to report this evening.

There was nothing new to report this evening.

School of Dual Language representatives presented a comprehensive Winter Update on their School Improvement Plan, highlighting significant achievements and updates. The team showcased the school's progress toward academic and social-emotional goals based on winter benchmark assessments. They noted the welcoming of twelve new students across various grades, reflecting the school's adaptability in supporting newcomers and maintaining a dynamic student body.

The presentation emphasized the positive growth in math proficiency across all grade levels, with second through fourth graders exceeding expected growth targets and showing evidence of closing the achievement gap for non-native English speakers. Reading proficiency also saw targeted growth, particularly in second and fourth-grade cohorts. The school's commitment to professional development and instructional support was underscored, aiming to enhance both academic outcomes and the social-emotional well-being of students.

The update concluded with an acknowledgment of the school community's efforts, including teachers, families, and students, in achieving these outcomes. The presentation also addressed specific inquiries from the fall presentation, such as additional information on HumanX survey results to understand staff satisfaction and engagement better. The team expressed eagerness to continue this momentum and further discuss the program's success in the spring update.

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Mr. Palmer presented the 2024-25 Staffing Plan, emphasizing the collaborative effort involving the administrative team and building administrators to align staffing needs with the district's mission, "Learning for all, everyone, every day." This plan, guided by enrollment trends and current staffing analysis, aims to maintain high academic achievement and support the social and emotional well-being of students in a fiscally responsible manner.

The staffing projections began last fall, utilizing a data-informed approach to determine needs across the district. Through discussions with district and building administrators, specific allocations were made to best support student success. Mr. Palmer highlighted the importance of maintaining low class sizes, especially in kindergarten and first grade, and noted that the additional staffing recommendations are focused on specialized roles rather than general education. These include three learning behavior specialists, 1.5 speech language pathologists, one social worker, one occupational therapist, one library media specialist, one Spanish teacher at the middle school, and a half bilingual resource teacher. This approach aims to enhance special education programming and reduce reliance on the special education cooperative, ensuring flexibility to accommodate any additional students while striving to achieve district goals.

Dr. LeeAnn Taylor, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance, along with Jennifer Akin from the business office, reviewed the process and outcome of the bid for the district's food service for the 2024-2025 school year. Following a one-year emergency contract with Quest Food Service for the 2023-2024 school year, the district was required to open a bid for the upcoming school year. Opting for a Request for Proposal (RFP) over a traditional invitation to bid, the district aimed for greater flexibility in selecting a food vendor, incorporating an ISB-approved rubric with ten criteria totaling 100 points. These criteria emphasized aspects such as cost, experience, food quality, menu interface, health promotion, and food sourcing.

After receiving four proposals by February 13, a scoring committee evaluated them on February 14, with West Food Service emerging as the top scorer with 94 points across all criteria. The Site and Facility Committee's review on February 15 led to the recommendation to award the contract to Quest Food Service, deemed the best fit based on the comprehensive evaluation.

Dr. LeeAnn Taylor, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance, addressed the 2024-2025 Student Meal Prices, outlining the considerations behind the proposed adjustments. The business office collaborates annually with ISBE to apply the Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) tool, a complex mechanism designed to guide the necessary annual price adjustments for school meals. This tool, alongside Quest's commitment to enhancing food services, informed the decision to propose an increase in meal prices. Following a previous increase from $3.10 to $3.25 for lunches last year, the recommendation for the upcoming school year is to raise lunch prices to $3.50 and breakfast prices from $1.40 to $1.50. This proposal aims to align with the calculated needs and Quest's ongoing improvements, with a vote on these recommended prices scheduled for next week.

APPROVED

Superintendent Dr. Pete Hannigan highlighted the policy subcommittee's efforts to review modifications to policies as outlined in PRESS issue 113. The committee convened on January 31 to scrutinize a total of 30 policies. Department heads had previously presented their proposed updates at the last board meeting. Dr. Hannigan noted that upon the board's approval, these policies would undergo adjustments to include updated references, footnotes, and any suggested changes to the language, ensuring the district's policies remain current and reflective of the latest guidelines and best practices.

APPROVED

Dr. LeeAnn Taylor revisited the comprehensive presentation given by the innovation and technology team at the previous board meeting. She took a moment to acknowledge Luke, who was unable to attend the earlier meeting, and welcomed back John, expressing gratitude for their efforts, along with the rest of the department, in preparing the presentation and the lease proposal.

Dr. Taylor detailed two lease agreements for the board's consideration. The first is a three-year lease aimed at acquiring iPads for both students and staff, with the district planning to borrow $679,950 over the term. The second lease is a four-year agreement for the purchase of MacBook Airs, with the district borrowing $1,551,569. She assured the board that these expenditures had been carefully incorporated into the district's five-year financial forecast, demonstrating a commitment to fiscal responsibility and ensuring a systematic process for refreshing technology devices within the district.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on March 14, 2024.