The District 146 Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, September 9 at Kruse Education Center in Orland Park. Prior to the meeting, the Board of Education attended the Kruse PTO Ice Cream Social and helped serve cool treats to Kruse families.
During the meeting, the Board heard the following from Superintendent Dr. Jeff Stawick:
- He thanked Kruse Principal Kim Hartnett and the Kruse Staff for hosting the September meeting. He also thanked the PTO for hosting the Ice Cream Social prior to the meeting, and the Board for serving the families.
- Curriculum Night at the Elementary Schools will be Thursday, September 12 from 6 to 7 p.m. Central Middle School’s Curriculum Night will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 19.
- School teams are working on their School Improvement Plans (SIP). Dr. Stawick will be meeting with each principal to help establish their SIP goals for the year.
- CMS is looking to begin an E-Sports team for students. They have been working closely with the other SWIC schools to develop and adopt rules and regulations and schedule a “Season” at CMS.
- District staff members have been invited to take part in the annual Employee Wellness Screenings and Flu Shot clinics. The screenings will be available on three different dates at three different buildings.
The Board also heard the following:
- Curriculum Director Dr. Wendy Wolgan informed the Board that on September 3, District staff took part in an Institute Day. Staff focused on grade and team-level planning, the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Training, and ELA curriculum guides.
- Student Services Director Kelly Voliva announced the next Early Learning Screening will be held on September 19 at the Administration Center. Families interested in participating in the screening must first complete the Early Learning registration process. There will be another screening held in October.
- Jeff Charleston, Director of Business Services, told the Board that district bus routes are fully staffed with regular drivers, and there are no double routes. However, there are a few morning routes that are consistently late as the drivers are running routes from another district before running District 146 routes. The business department is working with the bus company to get these routes on time.
- Jeff Charleston also explained the district’s breakfast and lunch service is now being managed by Whitson’s Culinary Group. Aside from normal first-day issues, schools have heard the food is better this year. Whitsons plans to make additional improvements throughout the school year.
- Kelly Voliva told the Board that the District will once again be offering free Community ESL Classes. Registration and placement exams will take place on September 18 and 26 at the Administration Center. Fall classes will run from September 30 to December 17.
- Director of Buildings and Grounds Matt Shanahan told the Board that the District recently replaced 72 fluorescent lights at the District warehouse with LED fixtures. The project, after ComEd incentives, cost the District $511 and will save an estimated $2,400 each year. The District will next be replacing 32 parking lot lights at Central Middle School. The project will cost approximately $13,000 and will save an estimated $6,000 each year.
- Eileen Von Borstel, Teacher’s Union President, shared that students and teachers are having a great start to the new school year. Students have been participating in MAP testing and each school is hosting fun activities for students and families. She also indicated that teachers are looking forward to Curriculum Nights as a chance to answer parent questions about what students will be learning this year.
- ESP Union President Karen Lyons introduced the new ESP Vice President Megan Harris. She told the board the District is still looking to hire a few additional paraprofessionals, but aside from that the year is off to a great start.
The Board took the following action at the meeting:
- Approved the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Jeff Charleston presented the budget to the Board at the August meeting. A public Budget Hearing was held immediately prior to this month's Board Meeting.
- Approved an Intergovernmental Agreement with Tinley Park.
Following a closed session to discuss personnel matters, the Board took the following action:
- Approved a notice of remedial warning to a tenured teacher.
The minutes of the September meeting will be available on BoardDocs once approved by the Board of Education at the next meeting. A recording of the meeting can be viewed on the District's YouTube Channel.
