CCSD15 Board Briefs

Thursday, November 15, is School Board Members Day in Illinois, and Community Consolidated School District 15 is joining districts and communities throughout the state to thank these public servants for their commitment and contribution to our public schools.

Our school board members are the public voice for our local education decisions. They take on the tremendous responsibility to ensure our children are receiving a quality education that puts them on a path to future success. They guide the District as tough decisions are made on significant issues that affect not only our schools, but the entire community and the lives of individual residents. They are truly leaders helping shape our society.

As community trustees for District 15's schools, our school board members have oversight for an annual budget of more than $150 million, more than 12,000 students in grades PreK-8, more than 2,000 employees and 20 schools.

The demands placed on our local board of education grow each year, so our board members sacrifice a lot to ensure students are prepared to be productive citizens and leaders in the 21st century. These individuals give up their personal time and their family time because they understand the importance of local input in our educational system.

Today is a day to recognize their efforts and show how much we appreciate the demanding work they do. Please join me in saying thank you to our seven school board members for volunteering their time and going above and beyond to make sure all the children here in District 15 are afforded an equal opportunity that a quality education can provide. Their commitment to service ensures that decisions about our public schools are made locally by those most familiar with the priorities of our District. Many times their efforts get overlooked, but they are the everyday heroes fighting for quality public education.

Sincerely,

Scott B. Thompson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Board of Education approved exploring the idea of hiring retired police officers to serve in vacant main office positions in District 15 schools.

The idea was brought forward last month by Superintendent Dr. Scott Thompson as a way to increase the level of safety in our buildings. Safety is a top priority for District 15, and the district is continuously working to improve school security.

"As I evaluated all of the ways we could spend dollars to make our schools safer, bringing in trained, retired police officers made a lot of sense," said Dr. Thompson.

District 15 already has School Resource Officers (SROs) in its four junior high schools. These police officers are employed by the Palatine and Rolling Meadows Police Departments. Police Department staffing in schools is limited, so the option of having additional SROs in our elementary schools would not be possible.

Federal law allows for retired police officers to legally carry a gun in a school. Retired officers would be hired to fill vacant clerical or secretarial positions in the main offices of our schools. They would be paid under the Educational Support Personnel Association (ESPA) collective bargaining agreement, while also receiving a $50/day stipend for offering an additional layer of protection to our schools.

The idea will now be presented to the ESPA union before moving forward with hiring.

After investigating the possibility of turning a retail space in the northeast Palatine Park Place shopping center into a full-day kindergarten center or elementary building, District 15 has decided to withdraw its purchase agreement with the developer.

The long-term costs associated with occupying the space were greater than originally anticipated, and the district felt it would not be fiscally responsible to move forward with the idea.

The proposal stemmed from a Board of Education goal of providing full-day kindergarten district-wide. Without additional classroom space, offering this to our families would not be possible.

The Board and administration remain committed to finding alternate solutions to providing full-day kindergarten to District 15 in the future.

At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Board of Education heard a presentation about the tentative tax levy, which determines how much taxpayer money the district will request in the fiscal year. Property taxes amount to 77-percent of District 15’s annual operating expenses.

The tax levy sets forth the maximum amounts that can be received from property taxation in a given year. The levy is filed by fund, but limited in aggregate by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Act (excluding the Debt Service Fund).

It is common practice for a school district to levy an amount in excess of what the District actually anticipates for only two reasons: To maintain the maximum tax rates the district is entitled and to capture the tax receipts on all new property (EAV). The Truth in Taxation also informs the public about the estimated tax rates to be levied and allows the public an opportunity to ask questions and/or give input.

The Board of Education will be considering a levy of $127,340,952, a 3.9-percent increase over the 2017 extension. This is sufficient to capture the five year average of new growth and the 2.10-percent CPI increase. Because the increase is less than 5-percent, no truth-in-taxation hearing is required.

The Board may adopt the levy of $127,340,952 or another amount, provided that the final adopted levy is less than 5-percent. The Board will be required to adopt the final 2018 aggregate tax levy at the Dec. 12, 2018 Board Meeting.

Stuart R. Paddock and Lake Louise Elementary Schools provided the board with an update to their School Improvement Plans at the Nov. 14 board meeting.

All District 15 schools have been working through a process called "Data Wise," which was developed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Data Wise supports educators in using collaborative data inquiry to drive continuous improvement of teaching and learning for all students.

After examining school data, Paddock determined two focus areas: mathematics (academic) and reducing physical aggression Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) by 10-percent (social-emotional). Lake Louise's focus areas are: mathematics (academic) and reducing physical aggression as a solution to solving conflicts (social emotional).

The schools developed five-step action plans to address the issues, including adjusting instructional practices and enhancing professional development opportunities.

View the School Improvement Plan presentations for Stuart R. Paddock and Lake Louise on the district website.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recognized each of District 15’s seven nominees with awards in its prestigious “Those Who Excel” awards program this year.

Each year, ISBE's "Those Who Excel" awards program honors outstanding teachers, administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, and community members for their exceptional contributions to schools throughout the state.

Candidates are nominated by their local schools or people in their communities. Letters of recommendation are also required. A committee of peers, including representatives from statewide education organizations and former award recipients, determines the level of recognition nominees will receive—Excellence, Merit, or Recognition.

State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D., recognized Illinois’ top educators at the 44th annual Those Who Excel/Teacher of the Year Banquet on Saturday, October 20, 2018, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal. District 15 honorees received one Award of Excellence, three Awards of Merit, and three Awards of Recognition during the event.

Sandy Cramer, Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center, received an Award of Recognition in the "Educational Service Personnel" category.

Lanae Recinas, Lincoln Elementary School, received an Award of Recognition in the "Student Support Personnel" category.

Pete Jackson, received an Award of Merit in the "Community Volunteer" category.

Cheryl Wolfel, Ed.D., received an Award of Excellence in the “School Administrator” category.

Deanna Nemchock, Student Counselor, Carl Sandburg Junior High School, received

an Award of Merit in the "Early Career Educator" category.

Elise Hackl, Conyers Learning Academy, received an Award of Recognition in the "Classroom Teacher" category.

Chromebook Initiative Team received an Award of Merit in the "Team" category.

The team consisted of the following staff: Carol Gajewski, Jason Dietz, Ed.D., David

Kuechenberg, Kyle Mokakas, Kelly Mollenhauer, Colleen Seick, and Tim Woomert.

The Board of Education recognized the 6th grade cross country meet winners at its Nov. 14 meeting.

On Sept. 26, the 6th grade students ran one mile during the Cross Country Invitational Meet at Rolling Meadows' North Salk Park. A total of 447 runners competed. Congratulations to all of our participants and the winners from each division.

Green Division

Hunting Ridge Coach : David Sobel

Lincoln School Coach : Jenn Muccianti

Ami, Hunting Ridge Elementary School—6:12

Jacob, Lincoln Elementary School—6:00

Yellow Division

Willow Bend Coach: Dustin Sublett

FC Whiteley: Andrea Rodino

Riley, Willow Bend Elementary School—6:39

Fabian, Frank C. Whiteley Elementary School—5:53

Blue Division

Winston Campus Elementary Coach: Sharon Rusk

Gray M Sanborn Coach: Ryan Merle

Marikate, Winston Campus Elementary school—6:21

Joe, Gray M. Sanborn Elementary School—6:01

Board of Education meetings are now streamed live online, thanks to an upgraded audio-visual system. Meetings are streamed to the District's Facebook page and website, allowing district families and residents greater access to meetings than ever before.

The new software being used to stream the broadcasts includes high-definition cameras and sound equipment. Presentations shown at the meeting will be integrated into the live stream, allowing those at home better visibility of the slides.

Email: d15communications@ccsd15.net
Website: www.ccsd15.net
Location: 580 North 1st Bank Drive, Palatine, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/CCSD15
Twitter: @D15Schools