Board Update May 27, 2025

Construction will soon be underway at Meadowbrook School. The Board of Education approved the contract for the construction of the Meadowbrook gymnasium for $7.5 million. A total of ten contractors submitted bids, resulting in strong competitive pricing, said Superintendent Dr. Jason Pearson.

Due to the space constraints at Meadowbrook, the gymnasium addition was planned regardless of the outcome of the April 1 referendum. A Plan Commission hearing will be held at the village hall at 7:30 p.m. on June 17, which is required for the gymnasium addition. The district first met with neighbors adjacent to the property earlier in May. The village identified residents within 250 feet of the building site who will receive a certified mail notification of the Plan Commission hearing. The gymnasium is within all zoning restrictions, and the building height is lower than the maximum allowable height, said Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato. The hearing is required because it involves the school, she said. The district is not seeking any zoning variances. The district expects to break ground on the gymnasium in August and complete it by March 2026. It will be accessible through a covered walkway until the new school is built.

The Board of Education also approved the first round of bond sales, totaling just under $15 million, to fund the gymnasium and architectural design of the new Meadowbrook School and design of the renovations/additions at the district’s other three schools. The entire $94.9 million in bonds authorized by the April 1 referendum will be sold in two to three rounds. For this first issue, Raymond James will be the underwriter and will be offering investment opportunities to the community. Construction will be ongoing at all four schools simultaneously, following this draft timeline:

June 2025: Meadowbrook gymnasium construction begins

February 2026: Meadowbrook gymnasium completed
& construction of the new Meadowbrook School begins

April - June 2026: NBJH, Westmoor & Greenbriar Phase 1 construction begins

Feb. - April 2027: Westmoor, NBJH & Greenbriar Phase 1 construction completed

August 2027: New Meadowbrook School completed

February 2028: Greenbriar Phase 2 completed

Each construction area will be enclosed and separated from students, staff, and daily school activities during the construction projects.

Students were recognized for outstanding achievement in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Fair. From left, Minji Yoon, Talia Nayman, Magdalena Mikhael, and Alexa Sciortino are congratulated by Board President Mara Silver-Schack. Grace Brown was also recognized but unable to attend.

Twenty-three Northbrook Junior High Independent Science Research students brought home 22 gold awards and one silver award at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Fair held May 2-3 in Champaign at the University of Illinois.

NBJH participates in the science fair each year by offering a semester-long course in which students pursue their own interests in a research project. Using the Scienitific Method consisting of systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. Science teachers Lauren Johnson, Fred Yoon, and Amber Paull guide the students through their projects.

The ISR students participate in a school science fair, advance to regionals, and then to state. Five students recognized by the board also received special recognition in addition to their gold award.

Talia Nayman received the Exceptional Project in Category (EPIC) Award in the Product and Consumer Science category. She also received the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Award, representing the top 10% of projects at the state fair. Grace Brown, Magdalena Mikhael, Alexa Sciortino and Minji Yoon also received the Challenge Award. The board presented the students with certificates of recognition for their high achievement.

Greenbriar General Music Teacher and District 28 Children’s Choir Director Jeremy Bartunek was named one of 30 recipients of the Country Music Association Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence award, which recognizes extraordinary educators nationwide. In its ninth year, the CMA Foundation honors music educators who demonstrate teacher excellence, create positive learning environments, and make a lasting impact on their communities.

After two years of study and analysis as part of the district’s curriculum review cycle, the SEL committee recommended adopting new curricula to support students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) needs from early childhood through 8th grade.

The committee selected two complementary programs, one that is a good fit for early childhood through grade 2, called Everyday Speech, and one that is an appropriate fit for grades 3 through 8, called Wayfinder.

These selections align with the district’s priorities of promoting emotional well-being, building social and behavioral skills, increasing learning engagement, and providing developmentally appropriate, evidence-based supports.

“It is important that SEL happens every day, all day,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kris Raitzer. Teachers will receive training on integrating those SEL skills into their instructional practice, she said.

Learn more about the district’s focus on Social-Emotional Learning on the latest episode of Insight 28, Dr. Pearson’s podcast.

A new elementary literacy curriculum is being adopted for kindergarten through 5th grade. The “Into Reading” English Language Arts program was selected from 10 different curricula that the committee reviewed as part of its three-year research and development process.

The program offers systematic phonics instruction, rich texts, and evidence-based reading and writing experiences, Dr. Raitzer said. It includes tools for embedded assessments to monitor progress and resources to support differentiation.

In addition to the analysis by the committee, EdReports, an independent nonprofit, gave 'Into Reading’ its highest ratings for text quality, building knowledge and usability, Dr. Raitzer said.

The following individuals were approved for the 2025-26 school year:

Katie Stein, Social Worker - Greenbriar

Ms. Stein was a social work intern at Community Consolidated School District 21 for the 2024-25 school year. She earned a master’s degree in social work at Loyola University Chicago.

Charity Davis, Special Education Teacher - NBJH

Ms. Davis has been a long-term substitute teacher at NBJH since October 2024. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education at Indiana University Northwest. She is also a licensed learning behavior specialist.

Ashley Ferguson, Math Instructional Specialist - NBJH

Ms. Ferguson has been a math teacher in Glenview School District 34 since August 2013. She earned a master’s degree in mathematics education at Aurora University and is also licensed to teach English as a Second Language for prekindergarten through grade 12.

Megan Hoyer, Special Education Teacher - Young Explorers

Ms. Hoyer has been a blended early childhood teacher in Glenview District 34 for the past two school years. She earned a master’s degree in early childhood education at DePaul University. She is a licensed learning behavior specialist and also holds a license to teach English as a Second Language.

Samuel Soltwisch, Special Education Teacher - Meadowbrook

Mr. Soltwisch has been a long-term substitute at Classroom Connections Day School for the 2024-25 school year. He earned a master’s degree in special education at Rockford College. Mr. Soltwisch is a licensed learning behavior specialist for kindergarten through grade 9.

Holly Vosburgh, Special Education Teacher - Young Explorers

Ms. Vosburgh has been the interim director of D28’s KidCare after-school program for the second half of the school year. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership at Purdue University.

Livestream/Archive Video

The Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on the District 28's YouTube Channel. The live streams are also archived for later viewing.

Next Meeting is on June 24

The Board of Education's next regular meeting is at 7 p.m. on June 24th in the HOH Community Room at the District Office, 1475 Maple Ave., Northbrook. The meeting will be live-streamed on the District 28 YouTube channel.