Board Briefs February 2024

What do our students need to thrive and what will the future demand? What is the profile of a successful learner, a dedicated staff member and an efficient education system? How can parents best support their children and teachers? These are the knotty questions the Strategic Planning Team have been diving into over two day-long retreats.

Facilitated by Crystal Conley of Catalyst for Educational Change, the team comprises 20 parents and residents, 25 staff members and nine Northbrook Junior High School 7th-grade students. The team first examined the changing state of education and the workforce in a Vision Retreat. From that work, they developed a Preferred Future statement that includes a mission, vision and core values. The public was invited to two community focus groups on Feb. 6 to provide additional input.

At the second retreat, committee members further discussed and refined the preferred future statement then dug into reports to assess where the district is now. Data included community and staff perceptions from an Environmental Scan survey, academic reports, a financial overview and the Master Facilities Plan overview report. Based on the data, the team developed a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats Analysis.

The reports and references used in the team’s work are available for public review on the Strategic Planning webpages. The team reconvenes in March to review community input, finalize the statements and set goals for the district. The final report will be shared with the Board of Education in May.

Share Your Input

Staff, parents and community members are invited to review the work of the Strategic Planning Team Preferred Future Statement and SWOT Analysis. Feedback will be collected through a survey that will be open through Monday, March 11.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee is working through the 500-page Master Facilities Plan completed by DLA Architects. The comprehensive plan outlines $80 million in capital projects falling within three priority areas over the next 10 years.

The top priority projects total about $20 million, Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato said. These projects include HVAC, roofing, tuck pointing, paving, casework and security doors. This work can be spread out over the next 10 years, identifying items that need immediate attention and those items that are aging and expected to reach the end of functionality over the next decade. This schedule will be shared at the March board meeting and projects will be approved annually using fund reserves to cover the costs.

The next step is to examine the recommendations for additional space and renovations. The board will need to evaluate the findings, set priorities and determine funding. “Fund reserves are not enough. It will be an important and thoughtful process for the board to look at the tier of recommendations and determine priorities, timelines and how to fund it,” she said. The district does not have the bonding power to finance any new construction or renovation.