District 15 Board of Education News
April 10, 2024
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Pledge of Allegiance by Willow Bend Respectables
Principal Harris, provided Dr. Heinz and the Board of Education with an overview of the work of the WB Respectables. The Respectables are given leadership tasks at lunch/recess, during morning arrival, and at assemblies.
They also promote positive behavior by looking for other students who are showing "The Three B's" of Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. The Respectables then hand out special Eagle Eyes to those students. The Eagle Eyes tickets can then be used throughout the year in raffles, classroom incentives, and the Willow Bend Eagle Eye Cart that is supplied by their wonderful WB PTA.
The Respectable are positive leaders in and around the school and Mr. Harris and Mrs. Thurber are both proud of the work these student leaders do at WB and to have them lead the Pledge at the Board meeting.
RECOGNITION
Above and Beyond - Leah Paraskevas
Leah Paraskevas, a 3rd Grade Teacher at Lake Louise, received the Above and Beyond recognition due to her exceptional dedication and commitment to her students and Lake Louise. Despite being a first-year teacher, it was shared that Leah has taken on multiple responsibilities, including leading Lake Louise’s Safety Patrol Club, running a SAIG Group, and providing noon-hour supervision. Additionally, she consistently goes above and beyond by arriving early, staying late to engage with students, and maintaining a positive attitude while constantly seeking ways to grow as an educator. Leah's contributions were acknowledged and appreciated during our Board meeting, highlighting her outstanding efforts.
Thank you for all you do, Leah! You make us #ProudToBe15!
National Board Certified Staff
National Board Certification is recognized as the “gold standard” for professional educators. This voluntary certification process is extremely rigorous. We are grateful and proud to have such dedicated staff willing to go the extra mile to receive this advanced certification and know their students benefit from their depth of knowledge as educators each and every day.
Congratulations to the following staff for their initial or renewal of the National Board Certification:
Patricia Raleigh, Conyers Learning Academy- Occupational Therapist
Lynn Napora, Virginia Lake-Occupational Therapist
Carissa Holt, Conyers Learning Academy - Occupational Therapist
Claudia Maloberti, Lake Louise-Occupational Therapist
Ellen Fuglestad, Central Road/Pleasant Hill- Psychologist
Colleen Rogers, Gray M. Sanborn - Psychologist
Alexis Sanchez, Marion Jordan - Psychologist
Justyna Bartolik, Conyers Learning Academy - Psychologist
Elisa Franti, Marion Jordan - SIP Teacher
Marcy Meyer, Thomas Jefferson - LEAP Teacher
Julie Dewel-Unger, Walter R. Sundling - SIP Teacher
- Allison Willis, Pleasant Hill- Teacher
PRESENTATIONS
Family and Community Engagement
District 15 recently updated its strategic plan and identified four priority areas that include:
Student Success and Belonging;
Staff Retention and Engagement;
Facility Improvements and Moving 15 Forward Transitions; and
Community and Family Involvement.
District leadership provided an update on the strategic objective that focuses on Community and Family Engagement.
It was shared that research is clear that strong family-school-community partnerships positively affect student achievement, attendance, behavior, and schools’ reputations. For these reasons, one of the high-priority areas within the newly developed strategic plan is Family & Community Engagement.
After thoughtfully soliciting and carefully considering the feedback of numerous stakeholders, the leadership team arrived at four high-leverage goals for this priority area:
Ensure our community is well-informed;
Create opportunities for two-way communication;
Develop and promote a full year literacy campaign; and
Increase the number of community partnerships
Additionally, the presentation highlighted existing key community partners that help the District to address needs such as physical health, mental health and wellness, academic, enrichment, and social connection needs within our community.
The District is extremely grateful for the partnership and support of its families and community and looks forward to continuing to grow these essential collaborations.
View the full Family and Community Engagement presentation in BoardDocs.
Student and Parent Recognition
The Multilingual Department coordinated participation in a conference titled “Who Said You Can’t” and transported over 60 students and their families to the conference for a day of learning and connecting together.
At the Board of Education meeting, parents shared how this event made them feel closer to their children, helped them to understand the importance of goal setting as well as the importance of open, strong, and positive communication at home. Students and their parents addressed Dr. Heinz and the Board and shared beautiful anecdotes and takeaways from the conference.
Legal and Legislative Update on Arlington Park Redevelopment
Ares Dalianis of Franczek P.C. and John Dunn of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies provided the Board with a legal and legislative update regarding the Arlington Park redevelopment. During the update, they shared information regarding the status of the property tax assessment, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), legislative proposals, and the political landscape.
Following many discussions regarding the assessment, the Chicago Bears Football Club has filed an appeal to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board seeking a refund of the 2023 taxes of $7.2M. The MOU is an agreement negotiated between the Village of Arlington Heights and the School Districts that addresses concerns such as anticipated student generation which could lead to the need for additions and/or new schools; the impacts of the PILOT program and multiple TIF districts; and the long term property assessment until construction begins in 2028.
Recommended Resolution Concerning Impact of TIF Districts
Ed-Red is seeking to raise awareness of the impact of TIF districts in support of legislative reform that will give school districts a greater voice in how and when TIF districts are created, how long they are established, and provide taxpayers with more information on how TIF districts affect their tax bills.
Furthermore, the resolution provides a summary of the widespread use of over 1,400 TIF districts in Illinois, the significant revenue raised by municipalities using TIF districts (over $2 billion in 2023), and the impact they have in raising tax rates on all taxpayers. In Cook County, TIF districts account for more than 9% of all property taxes paid.
Ed-Red has requested that all member school districts discuss and consider this resolution as a show of support for sensible reform of the TIF Act.
The Board approved the recommended resolution concerning the impact of TIF districts.
View the full Resolution Concerning the Impact of TIF Districts in BoardDocs.
Insurance Renewal for 2024-25
The District's Insurance Committee met with members of CTC union leadership, District 15 leadership as well as representatives from Alera Group, the District's Insurance consultant, to discuss 2024-25 medical, dental, and vision renewal options and rates.
CSBO Diana McCluskey reported that premium rates for the five (5) health plans offered by the District will increase by 10.47% from the current year's rates.
The premium rates for dental insurance (Delta Dental) offered by the District will increase by 1.67% from the current year's rates and there were no changes to the current vision plan.
The Insurance Committee did not reach consensus on any plan design changes for FY25. This increase is due to several large insurance claims that exceeded the stop loss value, increased prescription drug costs, and an ongoing low deductible rate for D15 staff members.
The Board approved the insurance renewal for 2024-2025.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ED-RED Committee
Board Member Annerino shared that ED-RED has been discussing newcomer funding, school polling places, reimbursement for high-cost special education, fentanyl education, and guidelines for background checks of substitute teachers. For more information on any of these initiatives, visit ED-RED’s website.
one-five Foundation
Board Member Taylor shared that the 50/50 was a huge success with $16,450 going to a lucky winner and $16,450 going back to the one-five Foundation! A sincere thank you to everyone who bought a ticket in support of the one-five as proceeds go directly to help staff and students in D15.
The one-five Foundation is now selling its annual Staff Tributes. Please consider showing your appreciation for a D15 staff member through a Staff Tribute donation in their name. It’s easy to do. Tributes cost $10 and are delivered to the staff member named by the donor along with a chocolate bar and a personalized card during Staff Appreciation Week in May!
To find more information or purchase your Staff Tribute(s) head to the one-five’s website.
Finance Committee
Board Members Wang and Hunt shared there are no new updates at this time.
Equity Committee
Board Members Khan and Ader were not present at the meeting. It was shared that Member Bray-Ader represented the Board at the recent State Superintendent visit at Jane Addams and Walter R. Sundling.
ACTION ITEMS
9.1 Approval of Personnel Report: Administration, Certified, and Non-Certified - Approved
9.2 Approval of Semi-Annual Review of Closed Session Minutes - Approved
9.3 Approval of Board Resolution for TIF Reform - Approved
9.4 Approval of Additional School Resource Officer for Hoffman Estates Schools - Approved
9.5 Approval of Bid Award #24-010 Winston Campus Junior High Sidewalk Improvements - Approved
9.6 Approval of Bid Award #24-011 Gray Sanborn Sidewalk & Parking Improvements - Approved
9.7 Approval of Bid Award #24-012 Central Road School Parking Improvements - Approved
- 9.8 Health Care Renewal: Approval of 2024-25 Medical/Dental/Vision Rates - Approved