march 11

The bOARDBuzz is put together following District 25 School Board Meetings and serves as a recap of what occurred.

• For the full agenda of the Regular Meeting, please click here.

This meeting was recorded and that recording can be viewed here: www.sd25.org/0311FullMeeting.

As always, the bOARDBuzz is archived at www.sd25.org/BoardBuzz.

6:15 PM

7:00 pm

A. PTA Reflections Participants

The Board celebrated and congratulated the students who participated in the Arlington Heights Council of PTAs Reflections art program! The Board also thanked Megan Worthington, AHCPTA President and Shelly Daley, Reflections Chairperson, and the AHCPTA for their support.

The following students were celebrated and recognized:

Dryden Elementary

Mila Johnson | Hazel McQuillan

Olive-Mary Stitt Elementary

Eloise Berglund | Josephine Berglund

Patton Elementary

Elle Boylan | Blayke Bucciarelli | Olivia Dames | Henley Donaldson | Ava Duski | Addie Hendrickson

Lillian Jami | Juliet Kayse | Ayden Kizhake | Abby Martin | Emilia McCarty | Sara McCarty

Aashvi Parekh | Ananya Parekh | Audrey Perkins | Kaitlyn Peterson | Greta Range | Joe Scapillato

Livie Speakman | Austin Sudol | Logan Sudol | Olivia Wojtaszek

South Middle School

Addison Daley

Westgate Elementary

Ender Alkin | Nathan Alkin | Zoey Breen | Cully Daley | Gannon Daley | Alexandra Dziedzic

Christian Dziedzic | Emma Gavin | Savannah Halliday | Charlie Manola | Hope Manola

Imogen Nickl | Grace Powers | Aiden Walker | Tyler Walker | Kasia Zapart | Scarlet Zapart

Windsor Elementary

Emma Houghton | Eve Houghton | Lilla Nagy

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

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B. Thomas 7th Grade Boys Basketball | 2nd in State

The Board recognized and congratulated the Thomas Middle School 7th Grade Boys Basketball team that placed 2nd in state.

Team Roster:

Jack Bradley | Ben Bristow | Leo Butcher | Alex Cappas | Declan Drost | Henry Gilbert

Charlie LaMonica | Ryan Pham | Jake Swanick | Ryan Swanick | Jackson Sylvia

Griffin Wentink | Josh Bukstein

The board recognized and thanked the coaches Anthony Kuch and Dave Keller.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

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C. Thomas Dance Team | 5th in State

The Board recognized and congratulated the Thomas Middle School Dance Team that placed 5th in State.

Team Roster:
Charlotte Brinson | Layla Fredell | Ava Groberski | Isabelle Groner | Hannah Marcus | Abigail Mau

Aisley Murray | Sofia Paciorek | Audrey Panico | Alyssa Peterson | Emma Pils | Francesca Scala

Eliza Sepe | Ella Tomasiewicz | Kennedy Tovar | Olive Treutler | Maya Tyson

Grace Worthington | Allison Zanini | Sophia Zitella

The board recognized and thanked the coaches Gaby Mularczyk and Riley Wharton

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

In this portion of the meeting, Board members catch one another up on the happenings each member has experienced as an individual since the last meeting. Also, some Board members are appointed as representatives to attend meetings on behalf of the District 25 Board of Education for different organizations. Those members convey relative information to the entire Board at the monthly meeting.

• Board Member Updates
• ED-RED Education Research Development
• Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB)
  
• NSSEO
  

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

Community members are invited to address the Board during this public comment portion of the meeting. According to Board Policy, public comment is heard for 30 minutes at Board of Education meetings and members of the community have three minutes to address the Board.

Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.

Please remember that the Board can be reached outside of Board Meeting hours by emailing boardfeedback@sd25.org.

In this portion of the meeting, the three organizations below addressed Board Members.

• AHC PTA
  
• ABC25 Foundation
  
• ATA (Arlington Teachers Association)

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

MOTION: APPROVED

That the Board of Education approve those items on the Consent Agenda as follows: (A) Personnel Report and Addendum to Personnel Report; (B) Treasurer's Reports (C) Invoices; (D) Regular and Closed Session Meeting Minutes of February 11, 2025.

The consent agenda documents can be seen by clicking here to visit BoardDocs.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

There were no items presented by the Department of Student Learning.

There were no items presented by the Department of Student Services.

MOTION: APPROVED

A. STUDENT FEES, 2025-2026

That the Board of Education approve the Student Fees for the 2025-2026 school year as presented.

As they do each year, the Administration brought recommendations to the Board of Education regarding student fees. Assistant Superintendent of Business/CSBO, Stacey Mallek reported the following recommendations:

• Technology Fee: None at this time. Parents still have the option to purchase insurance on their child's device.
• Transportation: Increase the paid rider amount the same percentage that the contract increases with the Cook County Bus Company (5% increase or $28 increase). This fee only applies to families who do not qualify for free transportation, but wish to pay for transportation and there is a route with availability already going through their residential area.
• Food Services:
• Increase the price of lunch by $0.25 due to the following: Under the National School Lunch Program, District 25 needs paid lunch fees to meet the minimum weighted average as set forth by the USDA for the school year. District 25's current lunch fees (24-25 SY) do not meet that requirement and as a result, the District filed a Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Exemption. In efforts to get back on track to meet the PLE requirement, we are proposing a $0.25 increase in the lunch price.
• Proposed Elementary Lunch Price: $3.50
• Proposed Middle School Lunch Price: $4.00
• Increase the price of breakfast by $0.25 (from $1.75 -> $2.00).
• Increase the price of milk by $0.10 (from $0.50 -> $0.60).
• District 25 students who qualify for reduced meals, may purchase lunch for $0.40 and breakfast for $0.30.
• District 25 last increased the school lunch fees in the 2022-23 school year by $0.25 and eliminated the tiered pricing at the middle schools.

• Annual Student Fees: Based on recent analysis, and implementation of Full Day Kindergarten, Mrs. Mallek recommended an increase in some of the student fees for the 2025-26 school year.
• Early Childhood: $35 (no change)
• Kindergarten (1/2 day): $56 (up from $31)
• Kindergarten (full day): $75 (up from $51)
• Grades 1-5: $75 (no change)
• Grades 6-8: $78 (no change)
• Middle School Participation Fee: $35 (up from $30)*
  *This is a required fee paid by all students to help offset the cost of co-curricular and extracurricular activities.
• Additional Fees: Additional fees are charged for items that are purchased in bulk by the district and then sold to students such as gym shirts, gym shorts, goggles, etc. The proposed fees are based on vendor estimates. The actual fees charged to parents will be the actual cost rounded. Student fees are waived for students qualifying for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. These fees are slightly going down for next year.
• Children's Circle Tuition: An increase in the tuition from $350/month to $370/month (for 10 months) for the early childhood Children’s Circle program for 2025-26.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss and vote on this item, click here.

B. Construction Finance Update

The community approved a referendum for $75 million to fund building additions for full-day kindergarten and capital projects through summer 2026. A summary of the financial status of the projects funded by the referendum will be presented.

For a PDF of this presentation, click here.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss this item, click here.

MOTION: APPROVED

A. MINOR WINDOW REPLACEMENT PHASE 2 BID AWARD

That the Board of Education award Monarch Construction Company for the Miner Window Replacement Project Phase 2 in the total amount of $931,300, as identified and reject Alternate #1, and immediately assign the awarded contractor agreement to Nicholas & Associates, Inc., as Construction Manager.

Phase 2 is the next step in the ongoing effort to upgrade the Minor's aging window systems. Phase 1 was successfully completed in the summer of 2024, and this phase continues the work by replacing windows on the next building elevation, primarily focusing on classroom spaces. This will complete the substantial majority of classroom windows, with a future phase likely needed to address ancillary areas such as the gymnasium, commons, miscellaneous corridors, courtyard, and other higher windows.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss and vote on this item, click here.

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MOTIONS: APPROVED (ALL)

B. AWARD OF CAPITAL PROJECTS 2025

• That the Board of Education award RB Construction for General Trades in the total amount of $1,114,000 as identified and reject Alternates #2 and 3, and immediately assign the awarded contractor agreement to Nicholas & Associates, Inc., as Construction Manager.
• That the Board of Education award Amber Mechanical for HVAC in the total amount of $146,900 as identified and reject Alternates #2 and 3, and immediately assign the awarded contractor agreement to Nicholas & Associates, Inc., as Construction Manager.
• That the Board of Education award Shoreline for Electrical in the total amount of $570,000 as identified and reject Alternates #2 and 3, and immediately assign the awarded contractor agreement to Nicholas & Associates, Inc., as Construction Manager.

This bid package encompasses a variety of project scopes for the 2025 Capital Improvements:

Thomas Middle School: Energy efficiency lighting.

Patton Elementary School: Classroom updates including but not limited to outdated cabinets and casework.

South Middle School: The third and final phase of the corridor flooring replacements.

Westgate Elementary School: Classroom flooring replacements.

Overall, this project scope aligns with the District’s commitment to ongoing facility maintenance to ensure long-term functionality, efficiency, and usability for students and staff.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss and vote on this item, click here.

A. Enrollment Report

Presented by Assistant Superintendent of Personnel & Planning, Kendra Perri, the demographic trends and enrollment projections report provided by Dr. John Kasarda should be considered when making further decisions related to addressing enrollment needs in Arlington Heights School District 25. Though the report gives three different enrollment projection scenarios of data, it is important to focus on the most reliable of scenarios (Series B Projection) which are considered “as anticipated”.

For a PDF of this presentation, click here.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss this item, click here.

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B. ATA Memorandum of Understanding, Bereavement Leave

Presented by Assistant Superintendent of Personnel & Planning, Kendra Perri, the Arlington Heights School District 25 Board of Education and the Arlington Heights Teachers’ Association (ATA) have reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to clarify the application of Bereavement Leave as outlined in the 2022-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss this item, click here.

A. Superintendent Update

Superintendent Dr. Brian Kaye had the following updates for the Board:

1. Mary Stitt's 100th birthday on April 14.
2. Stranger danger updates and safety meeting updates.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To watch the Board discuss these updates, click here.

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B. Freedom of Information Act Report

Superintendent, Dr. Brian Kaye, updates the Board on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the public. The following were the FOIA requests:

• Rhonda Norris, Sales Support Administrator at Proven IT, requested information on copier and printer leases and maintenance agreements; a response was provided on February 10, 2025.
• Abbas Khan, CEO at Inovo AI Solutions LLC, requested vendor and purchase information; a response was provided on February 17, 2025.
• Michael Rost requested information on insurance policies; a response was provided on February 17, 2025.
• Justin Wenig requested information on vendor contracts; a response was provided on February 18, 2025.
• William Boodro requested information on electric bills; a response was provided on February 28, 2025.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

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C. eLearning Survey Report

Superintendent, Dr. Brian Kaye, presented the Board with the results of the eLearning survey the District sent to all families and staff immediately following the eLearning day on February 12. The survey ran from February 12 - February 14 December 6, 2024. It was an open ended survey using a platform called ThoughtExchange.

For a PDF of the presentation, click here.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss this item, click here.

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D. Set Date for Board Organization Meeting

As Superintendent, Dr. Brian Kaye did last meeting, he presented the Board with a Draft of potential Board Meeting dates for the 2025-2026 school year.

The Board will review this once again at the next meeting.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss this item, click here.

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E. Strategic Plan

Superintendent, Dr. Brian Kaye, updated the Board on the process of the District's next Strategic Plan. There is discussion about doing a Strategic Plan refresh as opposed to a completely new Strategic Plan.

For a PDF of the presentation on the Strategic Plan given at the last meeting, click here.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To view this in BoardDocs, including any documents associated with this item, click here.

To watch the Board discuss this item, click here.

The District 25 Board of Education often offers a second opportunity for public comment at each Board Meeting that takes place once all the agenda items have been presented, discussed, or voted on.

*No community members chose to address the Board during this public comment at this meeting.*

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

FUTURE TOPICS & TOPICS WITH DATES TO BE DETERMINED

• Professional Development (Date TBD)

NEW TOPIC

• No new topics.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025 @ 7:00 PM

*The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m., followed by Closed Session for the Board.*

This meeting will be held at the Dunton Administration Building (1200 S. Dunton Ave.) and broadcasted live and recorded. The link for the livestream can be found on the Board Agenda page (www.sd25.org/BoardAgenda) the week of the meeting.

Public Comments

Anyone who wishes to make a public comment can do so, in-person, at our Board of Education meetings. The Board hosts two public comment opportunities on their agenda: 1) at the beginning of the meeting, prior to any agenda items, 2) at the end of the meeting after the agenda items have been discussed/presented.

Meeting Recordings

A video of the meeting will be recorded and uploaded to our site on the 'Board Agenda' page and on our 'Catch up on Meetings' page.