District 30 Board Brief
October 12, 2023 - Board of Education Meeting Summary
Shaping the future of District 30
This spring is an exciting time for District 30! Our educators continue to teach creative and engaging lessons, while we gear up for year-end celebrations and traditions.
We are also nearing the end of our year-long Strategic Plan process, with a draft plan now ready for review by our community. Click here or below to review the plan and take a brief survey to tell us what you think of it!
At Thursday's Board of Education meeting, the District has also completed a series of leadership shifts by naming Ms. Alison Keller as the incoming Wescott Assistant Principal for the 2024-25 school year. Ms. Keller will replace Mrs. Katie Compagno, who will become principal of Willowbrook School this fall. This change occurred after current Willowbrook Principal Dr. Scott Carlson was named to the newly created role of District 30 Director of Human Resources, beginning July 1.
You can learn more about Ms. Keller and other highlights from the Board meeting within this newsletter. We are thrilled to welcome these talented individuals into their new roles and look forward a strong finish to this academic year, as well as the exciting growth to come starting in the fall.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. Emily K. Tammaru
Superintendent of Schools
Wescott Assistant Principal named
The Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Board of Education approved Alison Keller as the new Wescott School assistant principal for the 2024-25 school year.
Keller will begin her service on August 1. She joins District 30 with a wealth of experience, most recently as an Instructional Innovation Specialist with Lyon School in Glenview School District 34. She has also taught for over a decade in Michigan State University’s master of educational technology program.
Superintendent Emily K. Tammaru said Keller also brings strong leadership experience from her time at District 34, spending her entire career involved in strategic school improvement efforts. She also earned a "Those Who Excel" award from the Illinois State Board of Education in 2021.
"Ms. Keller will be a strong addition to the Wescott team, offering valuable skills in connecting with parents, educators across grade levels, district leadership and our external partners," Tammaru said.
Click below to hear Ms. Keller's statement to the Board (with the help of a little friend).
2024 Summer Curriculum report
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Melissa Hirsch, discussed summer curriculum initiatives that staff will undertake in advance of the 2024-25 academic year.
The work encompasses 14 subject areas, including traditional academics like English language arts, mathematics and social studies, as well as eight initiatives that focus on inclusion and belonging efforts, such as the next phase of RULER social-emotional curriculum.
Other new initiatives include focusing on the use of AI in District 30.
Early childhood & fine motor summer work
Early Childhood Teacher Michelle Cummings, Occupational Therapist Jackie Johnson and Speech Language Pathologist Lisa Netzly presented details on their summer work that focused on early childhood fine-motor, visual-motor, and language developmental goals.
They detailed how their work now allows the District 30 childhood team to review year-end-goals for student development and subsequently plan lessons that scaffold the targeted skills. Their work also now allows the team to create lessons that integrate fine motor skills and language skills into the weekly theme and build upon one another.
2023-24 Belonging & inclusion work report
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Melissa Hirsh and Dr. Tammaru discussed the progress of District 30's belonging and inclusion work for the 2023-24 school year. This focused on the work that District 30 is doing to ensure celebrations of diversity and create inclusive learning environments that allow all to feel a sense of belonging.
They outlined work from this academic year that included professional development efforts; initiatives with students including Maple's new Illuminate Day; and community outreach that included education seminars, Strategic Plan work and in-person feedback sessions.
They also previewed forthcoming efforts for the 2024-25 school year, including curriculum updates for students; continuing RULER education for all stakeholders, including parents; and additional community education sessions.
Superintendent's report
Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru shared reports on the following key topics:
Enrollment: Growth in kindergarten enrollment remains small following an enrollment push this spring, Dr. Tammaru reported, with three class sections slated at Wescott and two at Willowbrook. She added the enrollment outlook for grades 1-8 remains steady.
2024-29 Strategic Plan: Dr. Tammaru detailed the draft Strategic Plan that emerged from the plan team's April 16 meeting, citing the excellent collaboration that went into the plan. She highlighted that all community members can complete a survey through April 29 that provides an opportunity for feedback. Highlights of the new plan include the newly created district vision; portraits of a student, adult and school system; and strategic goals built by the team during the meeting.
Board Member Mr. Patrick Wang remarked that the plan is both practical and reflects the values of the district. "I am proud of this plan," he said.
Board reports
Strategic Plan
Board Members Mrs. Zivit Blonder and Mrs. Pamela Manicioto shared details of their time at the April 16 Strategic Plan Team meeting. From that meeting, a draft Strategic Plan emerged that is now open for review from the community through this survey. "It feels like we are going in the right direction, with high levels of community engagement and agreement on the direction District 30 should take in the coming years," Mrs. Blonder said.
True North
In the absence of Board Vice President Mr. Ammar Rizki, Board President Mr. Jeff Zuercher discussed True North's professional learning survey results and current budgeting work. President Zuercher reported that True North budget increases include about a 4 percent increase to tuition and service rates with no increase to professional learning.
Personnel report
The Board approved the hiring of the following incoming staff members for the 2024-25 school year: Lindsay Huegelmann, Learning Behavior Specialist, Maple; Jennifer Knasel, Occupational Therapist, Maple/Wescott; Tyler LeGrand, PE Teacher, Wescott.
Additionally, the Board approved five staff departures, one retirement for the 2027-28 academic year and two leaves of absence.
Next District 30 School Board Meeting
You are welcome to join us at our next Board Meeting!
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 07:00 PM
Maple School, Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Our Board of Education
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
Northbrook/Glenview District 30 exists to create a community that craves learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every student. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.
Email: communications@district30.org
Website: district30.org
Location: 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Phone: 847-498-4190