Dear District 30 Community,

In the first Board of Education meeting of 2025, the Board heard reports on safety, finance, and staffing for next year, while taking action on school improvements and more. Read below to see details.

At each meeting, our Board works toward the priorities of our Strategic Plan, particularly the Adult Portrait. This portrait highlights the attributes we encourage for the Board, parents, staff, and community members – anyone who influences our students and their learning.

With parent-teacher conferences set for February 26-27, now is the time to revisit the Adult Portrait and its tenet of forming student-centered partnerships.

Together, we are all part of a team that works to help our students have the best academic and social outcomes. Our teachers are currently working hard to prepare to collaborate with you in the following areas:

• Creating two-way communication to help you understand your child(ren)’s progress, strengths, and growth opportunities.

• Establishing trust to create a nurturing environment for students.

• Working with you to develop specific, measurable objectives for each student’s academic and personal growth needs.

• Helping you understand curriculum goals and teaching approaches so you can effectively support learning at home.

In order for conferences to be truly successful, however, parents must also take an active role. How? Watch for registration details in forthcoming communications and prepare well in advance with your child(ren). Some key recommendations:

• Talk with your children in advance of conferences to understand how school is progressing.

• Identify and be prepared with any areas of concern, as well as areas where you are seeing great success.

• Actively listen to their teachers’ reports, while also sharing your feedback.

• Collaborate on strategies to support your child’s future progress.

We value the unique and critical role you play in fostering the growth of District 30 students, and trust you feel the same toward our teachers and staff. We look forward to partnering with you during conferences and for the remainder of the academic year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Emily K. Tammaru

Superintendent of Schools

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Board Vice President Mr. Ammar Rizki summarized details of a petition filed by Glenview School District 34 to withdrawal from the TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804. He shared that all 17 remaining districts must vote in favor of the petition for District 34 to proceed, although this could create extra costs for them ( including $12,200 annually for District 30) unless new districts choose to participate. Mr. Rizki shared that other districts have expressed interest in joining.

Additionally, he noted that District 34 houses and provides special education programs for all of their students and have not used the TrueNorth cooperative for several years, while paying the membership fee.

The Board voted unanimously to approve a petition filed by Glenview School District 34 to withdraw from the TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804.

The Board discussed and approved a petition and resolution to withdraw from the jurisdiction and authority of the Trustees of Schools of Northfield Township and the township treasurer. Mr. Falk explained that this change would allow District 30 and other schools pursuing this measure greater control over their own finances.

Northbrook School District 28, Sunset Ridge School District 29 and Glenbrook High School District 225 have previously withdrawn, while Northbrook School District 27 and West Northfield School District 31 are also recommending plans to formally withdraw this year.

The Board has discussed this matter at previous meetings, including a timeline presentation of the process that Mr. Falk had presented. The withdrawal will take effect in June.

After hearing details from Mr. Dale Falk, the Board approved two items to improve the Willowbrook School interior, as well as its playground, as part of the larger District 30 Master Facilities Plan:

• Removal of the current hallway carpet, along with the purchase and installation of vinyl tiles for Willowbrook in the amount of $51,761.34 from Consolidated Flooring via the national purchasing cooperative of The Interlocal Purchasing System.
• Landscape Structure, Inc. to supply and install a rubber playground surface at Willowbrook in the amount of $137,175 via the national purchasing cooperative of Sourcewell. KD Landscape, Inc. will also complete playground site preparation work in the amount of $29,575.

Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru shared staffing projections for the 2025-26 academic year. She noted that projections are based on current enrollment, kindergarten enrollment over the past five years, and a projection study. Overall, the district is confident in similar enrollment for grades 1-8 next year.

Dr. Tammaru highlighted the following staffing needs:

• Two classroom teachers at Wescott for kindergarten and 5th grade, to accommodate larger incoming class sizes.
• One classroom teacher at Willowbrook to accommodate incoming kindergartners. Dr. Tammaru noted that, although District 30 will not know kindergarten enrollment for several months, current projectionsl accounts for seven sections of kindergarten throughout District 30, two more than this year.
• A Learning Behavior Specialist at Maple to bolster inclusive practices and provide students with the highest quality support.
• A School Assistant at Wescott for lunch/recess supervision

She noted that District 30 is also evaluating the proper support necessary for a highly effective implementation of our new English Language Arts resource implementation.

Dr. Tammaru encouraged all District 30 residents and employees to register for the February 12 Conversations with the Community, at either noon or 6 p.m. at our District offices. This semi-annual event provides an opportunity to meet with Dr. Tammaru and a member of our Board of Education to ask questions and share ideas. This spring, participants will also hear a report on our new social workers and the impact they are having on our students this year.

The Board completed a second reading of and approved the following policies from this PRESS Issue:

• 2:105 Ethics & Gift Ban
• 2:120 Board Member Development
• 4:30 Revenue & Investments
• 4:60 Purchases & Contracts
• 4:150 Facility Management & Building Programs
• 4:170 Safety
• 5:10 Equal Employment Opportunity & Minority Recruitment
• 5:20 Workplace Harassment Prohibited
• 5:90 Abused & Neglected Child Reporting
• 5:125 Personal Technology & Social Media; Usage & Conduct
• 6:60 Curriculum Content
• 6:135 Accelerated Placement Program
• 7:10 Equal Educational Opportunities
• 7:100 Health, Eye, & Dental Examinations; Immunizations; & Exclusion of Students
• 7:180 Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, & Harassment
• 7:200 Suspension Procedures
• 8:10 Connection with the Community

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 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