Hawthorn Board Highlights

The Hawthorn District 73 Board of Education met on February 8, 2024. Joel Finfer, Michael Engle, Julie Clifford, Karl Borchers, Robin Cleek, and Wes Polen were in attendence. Also in attendance were Asst. Supt. of Finance & Business Operations Ms. LeeAnn Taylor; Asst. Supt. of Teaching, Learning & Innovation Dr. Allison Stein; Asst. Supt. of Innovative Learning Dr. Karen Maturo; Asst. Supt. for Human Resources Mr. Adam Palmer; and Superintendent Dr. Pete Hannigan. Board Member George Fievet was not in attendance.

Congratulations to Kyle McKenzie, Physical Education Teacher at Middle School North, and Andrea Malec, teacher at Middle School South, for their recognition by the Hawthorn Board of Education.

The Hawthorn Recognition Committee is eager to celebrate the outstanding efforts of our staff and students. Whether it's a teacher going the extra mile or a student showing remarkable leadership, every effort counts. Let's come together to shine a light on these Eagles! Visit our Recognition Page and nominate a deserving individual today. Celebrate the greatness within our district!

President Cleek also reported that on January 24, she and board member Julie Clifford went down to the Apple offices in the city and joined the Hawthorn admin team for a day of learning how their tools could enhance our students' time spent on devices. The intention is not a way to increase the time spent on devices but a way to make the time spent more meaningful and more engaging. They also visited a district in Berwyn that was currently using Apple devices at a 1:1 district-wide. It was great to see students fully engaged on the Apple devices. Ms. Cleek also expressed how impressed she was with what these devices would be able to do for our learners who had some accommodations through 504’s or IEPs and what they could do to enhance their opportunities to prove mastery in the content area.

On February 1, Ms. Cleek, Mr. Michael Engle, and Dr. Hannigan met with Mundelein District 75 and Fremont District 79, along with Ms. Alicia Corrigan, to hear about how things were going at Lincoln, Hawthorn’s early learning center. The meeting discussed the things that were going well, what challenges they were facing, and how Hawthorn was working with the other districts to create an identity at Lincoln where everybody felt like they were part of one cohesive school instead of three separate districts. She also publicly thanked Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Ms. Alicia Corrigan, for her thoughtful presentation and acknowledged how thankful Hawthorn was to have someone in such an important role who was passionate about serving the students and achieving the outcomes that were best for them.

Mr. Joel Finfer highlighted the successful hosting of the annual Legislative Dinner on January 29, 2024, aimed at fostering relationships with Ed-Red legislators to secure the organization's role in educational discussions. The dinner concluded with a town hall session, attended by 14 legislators, facilitating direct dialogue on education matters.

Mr. Michael Engle provided an overview of recent activities and decisions. The last governing board convened on December 6, 2023, followed by an executive board meeting on January 25, 2024, which included an ELS review involving interactions with Principals, Supervisors, Administration, and staff. A significant development includes the introduction of a five-year safety and security strategy by a newly appointed Safety Specialist. Financially, the executive board ratified a three-year extension with Lakeside Transportation valued at $610,000 and endorsed selling South School to Mundelein D75 for $630,000, pending governing board approval. Future meetings are scheduled for February 15 (executive board) and March 6, 2024 (governing board).

There was nothing new to report this evening.

Ms. Julie Clifford provided an update from the Wellness Committee, which last met on January 23, 2024. The committee focused on reviewing the five pillars essential for the whole child's well-being: being healthy, supported, challenged, engaged, and safe. They detailed assessments and data points to measure ten indicators for each pillar. Notably, there was a decrease in office referrals year-over-year. The committee also evaluated the introduction of Harvest tables in school cafeterias, exploring ways to further improve this initiative. Their findings and advancements will be presented at the board meeting on May 16.

Superintendent Dr. Pete Hannigan proudly announced Dr. LeeAnn Taylor's successful defense of her doctoral dissertation, celebrating this significant milestone and expressing Hawthorn's pride in her achievement. Additionally, he reported on the district's annual Kindergarten Information Night held on February 6, which drew around 150 families interested in learning about the Kindergarten offerings at HSYL and Dual Language programs. He noted that new student and kindergarten registration for the district will commence on February 8, 2024, with registration for returning students scheduled to open after Spring Break.

The Hawthorn School Principals presented the Operationalizing Board Projects Update. The presentation provided an overview of how school principals use the Professional Learning Community (PLC) framework to operationalize Hawthorn’s major systems, ensuring academic and social-emotional growth for all Hawthorn students. These systems include the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC), foundational resources adopted and aligned to the GVC, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for academics and social-emotional development, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The Hawthorn team has worked diligently to operationalize these systems and assess their effectiveness via implementation of the PLC framework. The success of these systems enables the team to achieve Hawthorn District 73’s goals.

Hawthorn's daily operations are directed by the four district goals, with staff consistently striving across all schools and grade levels to promote student achievement and development. Each initiative highlighted in the presentation is aligned with these goals, and Hawthorn continues to track its’ efforts to ensure success.

Vice President Wes Polen, Superintendent Dr. Hannigan, and assistant superintendents conducted a review of Policy Press Issues 113. The policy sub-committee convened on January 31 to review any policy modifications within multiple departments, which were incorporated into PRESS Issue 113. A total of 30 policies were reviewed by the policy committee. Department heads presented their policy updates, seeking feedback from the board on any necessary questions that needed to be addressed. The policies will be brought back for pending approval at the next board meeting.

Mr. John Reid and Mr. Dave Hunwick presented the Device Refresh Proposal for Hawthorn District 73, covering the review of data from 2019 to 2021 and highlighting the shift to remote learning which emphasized the need for advanced technology access. The proposal follows significant updates since the last refresh in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, which replaced outdated devices for students and staff, enhancing technological infrastructure. For the 2024-25 school year, it recommends transitioning from student Chromebooks to iPads, aiming to provide a flexible and effective learning tool that adapts to educational needs and promotes technological agility among K-8 students.

APPROVED

The Resolution Authorizing Hiring of Personnel grants the superintendent the power to hire qualified candidates immediately, rather than waiting for board approval at the next meeting—a process that previously led to delays and potential loss of candidates to other jobs. This approach aims to streamline the hiring process while maintaining the board's authority to formally approve all hires. Even with the superintendent's ability to hire, each employment decision is still subject to final board endorsement.

APPROVED

For the 2024-2025 academic year, student fees will remain the same as the previous year, with the introduction of a new 10% early bird registration discount for parents who complete registration by May 1st.

APPROVED

No changes.

APPROVED

The business department requested board approval for the disposal of surplus technology, with the tech department identifying specific outdated devices that are no longer in use and proposing their declaration as surplus property.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on February 22, 2024.