District 15 Board of Education News

Prior to the Board of Education meeting, the district invited its soon-to-be retirees to be celebrated in a ceremony to recognize their years of dedicated service. Together, the 31 members of the Retirement Class of 2024 have a combined total of 718 years of service! Additionally, 22 retirees have been with the District for 20 years or more, 6 of them more than 30 years, and one of them has dedicated 35 years to District 15!

We are so grateful to have such amazing staff who make saying goodbye so difficult. We wish our retirees nothing but the best as they begin the next chapter in their lives. They will be deeply missed.

The District was informed of additional National Board Certified staff who were not included in the original list sent to us by the organization. We invited the additional staff to our Board meeting to ensure they had the opportunity to be recognized by the Board of Education as well.

National Board certification provides teachers, social workers, psychologists, speech and language pathologists, as well as occupational and physical therapists an advanced level of knowledge, skills, and training toward excellence in their field. For this reason, National Board Certification is recognized as the “gold standard” for professional educators and has a direct impact on the quality of services received by our students.

National Board Certified New or Renewed:

• Jennifer Clarke, Marion Jordan- Gifted 5/6 Teacher

• Julie Davis, Marion Jordan- Grade 5 Teacher

• Kristen Eckman, Marion Jordan- Grade 3 Teacher

• Sue Faulhaber, Winston Campus- SP ED Hearing Impaired Teacher

• Minerva Milford, Plum Grove- Foreign Language Teacher

• Jill Schwartzers, Frank C. Whiteley- Library Innovation Teacher

• Allison Willis, Pleasant Hill- Grade 1 Teacher

• Andre Zielinski, Stuart R. Paddock- Art Teacher

Dana Karnia, a 1st Grade Teacher at Stuart R. Paddock, was selected for the Above and Beyond recognition for the month of May following a nomination submitted by SRP’s administration on behalf of a group of Karnia’s parents.

Karnia’s nominators shared, “Mrs. Karnia embodies the qualities of an outstanding teacher who consistently goes above and beyond for her students. Her passion for teaching, dedication, and compassionate approach make her truly deserving of the District 15 Above and Beyond Recognition Award.”

This nomination was submitted by Principal Mr. Christ on behalf of the following parents: Sarah Doyle, Dawn Kozlicki, Nicole Jordan, Kelly Salemi, Susan Liss, Kadie Panayi, and Ami Shah. We feel so lucky to have Mrs. Karnia in District 15. Thank you for going above and beyond for your students.

Laura Dudycha, a 2nd Grade Teacher at Lincoln School, was selected for the Above and Beyond recognition for the month of May following a nomination submitted by a parent of a student in her classroom.

Dudycha’s nominators shared that this year, they were excited to find out that their second child had Mrs. Dudycha as her teacher as their first child had such a great experience in her class. Additionally, they shared, Mrs. Dudycha continues to be a positive role model in their children’s lives. Laura creates a wonderful classroom environment that allows all children to thrive.

This nomination was submitted by Ryan and Megan Lettieri. We feel so lucky to have Mrs. Dudycha in District 15. Thank you for going above and beyond for your students.

Tom Edgar, Ph.D., Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services; Lori Lopez, Ph.D., Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment; and Laura Swanlund, Ph.D., Director of Comprehensive Mental Health and Related Services, presented an update on the district’s Strategic Plan Priority 1: Success and Belonging.

Priority 1 in the District 15 Strategic Plan focuses on Success and Belonging and encompasses two main goals:

1. Attaining equitable growth and achievement for all students, and
2. Increasing a sense of belonging, engagement, and enjoyment for all students.

This school year, efforts to attain equitable growth and achievement for all students have focused on creating a collaborative process for establishing rigorous goals and planning for instruction. Teacher leadership committees have designed lessons for all middle school students to support executive functioning and a successful start to the school year. In addition, curriculum maps, pacing guides, common assessments, and report card assessment guides are being developed for all subject areas at each grade level.

View the full presentation in BoardDocs.

The electric bus presentation was postponed and will be shared at our June 12, 2024, meeting.

Claire Kowalczyk, Ed.D., Deputy Superintendent, and Tom Bramley, Director of Transportation, presented an update on drivers, tiered busing, busing next school year, and planning for Mr. Bramley’s retirement in 2025.

View the full memo in BoardDocs.

This year, the Middle School Health Committee reviewed resources to support four units of instruction: Emotional & Mental Health; Nutrition & Physical Activity; Tobacco, Alcohol, & Other Drug Prevention; and Violence & Injury Prevention.

The Committee recommends the adoption of ETR HealthSmart to support these four units. This curricular resource offers updated health materials available in both English and Spanish. The lessons are aligned to Illinois Learning Standards and Mandates. In addition, the ETR HealthSmart teacher presentation materials will support consistent instructional experiences for students across all middle schools.

The resource for middle school health units was approved.

View the full presentation in BoardDocs.

The Board of Education had its first reading of PRESS 114. The following policies were updated as part of PRESS 114:

• 2:40 - Board Member Qualifications

• 2:60 - Board Member Removal From Office

• 2:140 - Communications To and From the Board

• 2:260 - Uniform Grievance Procedure

• 2:270 - Discrimination and Harassment on the Basis of Race, Color, and National Origin Prohibited

• 4:20 - Fund Balances

• 4:165 - Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Grooming Behaviors

• 4:190 - Targeted School Violence Prevention Program

• 7:10 - Equal Educational Opportunities

• 7:20 - Harassment of Students Prohibited

• 7:180 - Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment

• 5:10 - Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment

• 5:20 - Workplace Harassment Prohibited

• 5:100 - Staff Development Program

• 5:120 - Employee Ethics; Code of Professional Conduct; and Conflict of Interest

• 5:300 - Schedules and Employment Year

• 6:60 - Curriculum Content

• 6:185 - Remote Educational Program

There will be a seconding reading and action taken on the policy updates from PRESS 114 at the June 12, 2024, Board of Education meeting.

ED-RED Committee

Board Member Annerino shared that legislature is nearing the end of their spring session which ends on May 24, 2024. They are still negotiating the house bill regarding Newcomers. They are also still working on the equalized reimbursement of high cost special education; this bill has passed out of senate and will be going to house for vote.

one-five Foundation

Board Member Taylor shared that the one-five appreciates everyone who purchased a chocolate bar for the Staff Tributes. Additionally, they are still looking for new trustees for next school year.

Finance Committee

Board Members Wang and Hunt shared that they met May 7 and discussed adminitrative salaries and retaining talent in District 15.

Equity Committee

Board Members Khan and Ader shared there is nothing new to report for the committee. Samantha Ader gave a shout out to Mr. Mario for winning the RISE award. She also thanked the District for hosting José Hernández, Astronaut, a Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) event with over 800 students and family members in attendance.

• 9.1 Approval of Personnel Report: Administration, Certified, and Non-Certified - approved
• 9.2 Approval of Bid Award #24-015 Milk - approved
• 9.3 Approval of Bid Award #24-017 Fresh Produce - approved
• 9.4 Approval of Bid Award #24-016 Double Deck Natural Gas Convection Ovens - approved
• 9.5 Approval of Middle School Health Curricular Resource - approved