Dear District 30 Community,

We had the honor of celebrating so many wonderful accomplishments of our students, staff and parent volunteers at this month’s Board of Education meeting.

Read below to learn about the amazing achievements of our Maple Volleyball Teams in each grade, our Maple School Wrestling Cohort, Cross Country Team, Math Team and Science Olympiad students. We could not be more proud of how these exceptional young people and their staff leaders excel in and outside of the classroom!

We also thanked our incredible PTO co-presidents, who work tirelessly to ensure students at Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple enjoy rich programming that connects them to each other and our broader world, including cultural assemblies and student celebrations. District 30 is forever grateful for their selfless commitment to our students.

This month’s meeting also featured the Maple School 2024-25 Report, which outlines the fantastic progress Maple has made toward its annual School Improvement Goals, as well as areas for growth.

As we head toward the end of the school year and reflect on the prior nine months, I am reminded of how fortunate we are in District 30. Our classrooms and community are filled with people dedicated to our mission of creating an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resilience and cares deeply for every child!

Sincerely,

Dr. Emily K. Tammaru

Superintendent of Schools

The Maple School Math Team was recognized for their outstanding performance this season. The team participated in the AMC8 where students scored in the top 5 percent nationally. Fourteen students also represented Maple in the MathCounts Chapter Competition at Oakton Community College and finished in second place.

Based on their performance in the chapter competition, Alvin Fang, Tyler Fang, Mihir Purayil, and Jason Cho. qualified to compete at the state level amongst the brightest middle school students in Illinois. At the state competition, they finished together as a team in 15th place.

The Board and Dr. Tammaru also thanked Math Teachers and team Coaches Cora Byrne and Sarah Arends for their incredible work coaching the students.

This year marked Maple school’s inaugural season of Science Olympiad, with the school successfully launching the program, plus building and supporting three full teams. Students competed in 23 events across three different competitions, earning an impressive 77 medals collectively.

While the heart of the program is about enjoying science in new and engaging ways, the Board and Dr. Tammaru were proud to recognize all students who placed across events, including those who earned first place at Regionals in Entomology, Ecology, Wind Power, and Metric Mastery. Additionally, one of our Wind Power teams earned second place in all of Illinois in a virtual statewide competition. At Regionals, JV teams placed 1st and 2nd, and the Varsity team placed 7th among other varsity competitors.

The Board and Dr. Tammaru thanked Science Teachers and Coaches Tricia Kearns and Rachel Rayborn for all their hard work to make this first season a fun and very successful one.

• The 6th-grade boys volleyball team ended their season with an undefeated (10-0) record, under the leadership of Resource Teacher and Coach Kate Kamin! Coach Kamin said she was so proud of this team for approaching each game with a good attitude and team mindset!
• The 7th-grade team and Coach and Math Teacher Cora Byrne wrapped up their regular season with an outstanding record of 12 wins and just one loss! Their hard work and dedication earned them the No. 1 seed in the Central Suburban Middle School Conference tournament. In the semi-finals, the team won against Northbrook Junior High, securing their spot in the finals. They went on to face Springman Middle School and came out victorious in two sets, capturing the conference championship!
• At the end of the regular season, the 8th-grade team tied for third in the conference with Springman Middle School. Led by Instructional Assistant and Coach Eve Light, their overall record was 10-3, and the only losses were to the three other teams in the top four! During the playoffs, the team won the quarterfinals against Wilmette and the semifinals against Gemini. They fell to the No. 1-ranked Wood Oaks in the championship game, though they fought hard and earned second place overall. Wood Oaks finished 14-2 and our team was one of their only two losses of the season.

Under veteran Coach Eric deMattia and new Coach Thomas Ingram, Maple's wrestling cohort team had a record number of 6th-grade students join, along with a great retention rate from last year. Overall, they placed 3rd as a team at the Round Lake Dual tournament, and won their Regional for the first time in program history. They had four state qualifiers, with Lucas Goldman placing 3rd overall at 119 lbs.

The Board and Dr. Tammaru congratulated all Maple cross country runners on a fantastic season under the leadership of their coaches: Social Studies Teacher Mario Gurgone, English Language Arts Teacher Josh Pettenuzzo, and Math Teacher Phyllis Tsevvis. They also recognized the following conference winners:

• 6th grade girls cross country 1st place winner Melanie Shoemaker
• 6th grade boys cross country 2nd place winner Jacob Breen
• 7th grade boys cross country 2nd place winner Johnny Dore

The Board and Dr. Tammaru thanked the six Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) co-presidents from each school for their invaluable support and continuous efforts throughout the year.

• Wescott PTO co-presidents Maria Milicevic and Soyang Kwon
• Willowbrook PTO co-presidents Janet Rothwell and Eva Sandoval
• Maple PTO co-presidents Danielle Pollack and Jahnavi Rao

The PTOs at each school work tirelessly to enhance the learning environment and experiences for our students and families. Without the support of these individuals, our home-to-school connection would suffer. Throughout their service as PTO co-presidents, they have volunteered countless hours, hosted numerous events, worked to improve practices, been thought partners for new and innovative programs, and much more. It is my sincere honor and privilege to partner with this fine women - they make me a better leader and District 30 the amazing place it is!

Maple Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz and Assistant Principal Ms. Angela Jaeger discussed progress achieved during the 2024-25 academic year. Click below to review the report:

The Board approved an order calling for a public hearing during its next meeting at 7 p.m. on June 12. This hearing will seek community input regarding a proposed transfer of up to $3 million from the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Fund to the Educational (Ed) Fund, as the O&M Fund currently holds more than sufficient monies for anticipated expenditures and the Ed Fund could benefit from additional resources.

Dr. Tammaru provided an update on a proposed residential development at 1825 Shermer Road in Northbrook, called Northbrook Row by Lexington Homes, LLC. The 53-unit, rowhome subdivision would be built on the east side of Shermer Road along Stanley Street. The development is in the beginning stages of review with the village of Northbrook. The next step would involve a Planning Commission review of Lexington's request for rezoning.

Dr. Tammaru discussed how the most recent development in Northbrook significantly underestimated the amount of new students in District 30 schools (18 projected, 33 enrolled) and the impacts this can cause to class size, facilities and finances if Lexington's projections are also too low.

"Shared common spaces such as the LMC, Cafetorium and gym cannot absorb additional students," she said. "Additionally, District 30 has always prioritized small class sizes, and to maintain this we would need to add more classrooms. If we don’t add classrooms, we will have larger class sizes. Additional support services for students would also be necessary."

In discussion, both Dr. Tammaru and Board members stressed that the community should be informed of the impact this development could have on Wescott and Maple Schools.

District 30 enrollment for 2025-26 has reached 50 percent of students registered, after enrollment opening May 1. Dr. Tammaru encouraged families who have not registered to do so as soon as possible, in order to ensure optimal staffing for each school.

Discount registration for all students ends May 31.

Kindergarten enrollment continues to trend slightly higher than last year and staffing plans presented to the Board in January anticipated this uptick.

Dr. Tammaru recapped the events of Teacher Appreciation Week May 5-9 that honored the hard work and dedication of our educators through breakfast, surprises from the PTO, notes and gifts of appreciation from students and parents, and more.

She also highlighted the District 30 Family Dinner, held the Friday prior on May 2, honoring our three retirees: Wescott 3rd-Grade Teacher Joel Losoff; Wescott 2nd-Grade Teacher Sallie Magruder; and Willowbrook 5th-Grade Teacher Bestie Onsrud. The event also honored all staff celebrating milestone anniversaries. She offered special thanks to Natasha Ciric, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools and Board Secretary, for her significant and tireless role as the primary organizer of the dinner.

Dr. Tammaru also shared additional thanks to the PTOs for the tremendous efforts they put into recognizing our teachers with special experiences throughout the week.

Dr. Tammaru highlighted the 24th Annual Lew Blond Memorial Run/Walk happening at 8 a.m. this Saturday, May 17, at Maple School. She noted successful early registration and encouraged the community to run, walk, or simply cheer at this annual tradition that benefits the Les Turner ALS Foundation in memory of former Maple Applied Arts Teacher Lew Blond; scholarships for District 30 alumni pursuing careers in the applied arts; and special District 30 projects. Participants can register at lewblondrun.org or on-site starting at 7 a.m.

The Board of Education has unanimously approved a foundational four-year collective bargaining agreement with the District 30 Support Staff Association—the first such agreement. This contract, spanning from 2025-26 through 2028-29, represents a significant milestone for our district community.

The agreement directly advances the Board's strategic goal of attracting and retaining exceptional support staff by establishing competitive wage schedules and comprehensive benefits. This newly formed bargaining unit represents our valued School Instructional Assistants, School Administrative Assistants, School Receptionists, and School Clerks who are essential to our daily operations.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the Association negotiating team—Jamie Byrne, Laurie Guccione, and IEA UniServ Director Meg Krulee—for their collaborative spirit throughout this process. Equal gratitude goes to our District 30 administrative team—Dr. Scott Carlson, Dale Falk, Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru, and Board Attorney Lynn Himes—whose dedication helped craft an agreement that will serve our district community for years to come.

Board Vice President Mr. Ammar Rizki reported on the most recent TrueNorth meeting, highlighting that the leadership council voted on the final budget draft for 2025-26.

He added that the leadership council continued to discuss concerns Districts are having with TrueNorth. Mr. Rizki referenced the finalization of Glenview School District 34's withdrawal from the educational cooperative, which will conclude with its withdrawal in July 2026. He added that Glenbrook District 225 is also seeking to withdraw. With many districts adding support services within their own districts, there is less of a need to rely on TrueNorth, yet membership costs are disproportionate to usage.

As a result, member districts and the leadership council are working with TrueNorth to discuss plans to address the need for the cooperative to evolve as Districts' needs change.

Following discussion, the Board voted unanimously to approve the Glenbrook District 225 petition to withdraw from TrueNorth, which must be approved by all TrueNorth member districts in order to advance.

The Board approved the hire of all temporary Summer School positions; Willowbrook Teacher Victoria Parrott, who will join the school this fall; and Elizabeth Webb Peterman as a Temporary Administrator at Wescott for the remainder of this academic year.

The Board also approved two resignations, four leaves of absence, and the planned retirement of Dr. Melissa Hirsch, Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at the end of the 2025-26 school year, and Maple Social Studies Teacher Mario Gurgone at the end of the 2028-29 school year.

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 - Ammar Rizki
  
• Vice President - Jeff Zuercher
• Zivit Blonder
  
• Adan Galvan
• 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