Dear District 30 Community

I truly believe in the value of our public education system, which is why I am delighted to be celebrating American Education Week in our schools! This week was created over 100 years ago to highlight the amazing contributions of public education in our communities. Today, you can read below to learn more about the outstanding accomplishments District 30 students have made on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR); I am proud to say that our district is ranked among the highest in Illinois.

This is no accident. Our students grow and flourish thanks to the amazing collaboration between our teachers, administrators, Board of Education and parents, coupled with support from staff like bus drivers, lunch workers and custodians. Together, we are all guided by our Strategic Plan that serves as the foundation of our student-centered approach.

In celebration of American Education Week, we are honoring our staff with gifts, breakfasts at each school and recognition for their commitment to the children we serve. On Tuesday, we also recognized School Board Members Day that happened November 15 and thanked our dedicated District 30 Board of Education. We are so grateful for these seven elected officials who volunteer tremendous time and talents to serve serve schools and community.

I invite you to scroll below to explore highlights from our Board of Education meeting this month, to learn more about how the Board is participating in American Education Week, and to watch the video below that reveals what makes our schools so special!

Thank you for your partnership,

Dr. Emily K. Tammaru

Superintendent of Schools

In conjunction with American Education Week that runs November 18-22, the Illinois Association of School Boards designates November 15 as School Board Members Day – a time to honor the tireless work of the people who volunteer for these elected roles.

Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru presented each Board member with a a token of appreciation during Tuesday's meeting, heralding their "selfless volunteerism."

"You ensure that our priorities are student-focused and support our staff so that all needs can be met," she said.

Thank you to our Board of Education!

Dr. Emily Tammaru shared an update on how District 30 students performed on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in comparison to the nine surrounding North Cook County elementary school districts, as well as how the district ranks within the state of Illinois. The IAR informs the Illinois State Report Card.

In both English language arts (ELA) and math, District 30 ranks top with students achieving 81 percent proficiency in both subject areas. This places District 30 fifth in achievement and growth out of 751 elementary school districts across Illinois for ELA and second in math.

Dr. Tammaru shared that district administrators have started planning for staffing needs for the upcoming school year. The district uses current enrollment and enrollment projections to determine staffing level needs and adjust accordingly with time.

She outlined the need to add a Learning Behavior Specialist to the Maple School staff in order to support inclusive practices and provide the highest quality support to complex learners. Dr. Tammaru noted the additional staff member will allow for increased co-teaching and access to the general education setting.

Dr. Tammaru also emphasized that kindergarten enrollment is most difficult to predict, but current projections show seven sections of kindergarten: two more than the current year. Kindergarten enrollment will begin in January and Dr. Tammaru encouraged anyone with children who will be kindergarten age for the 2025-26 school year to register when the window opens.

Final recommendations seeking board approval will be presented at the December 19 Board meeting.

The Board is required to approve an estimated tax levy as part of the annual levy process. The estimated 2024 levy was approved at $33,855,000 for capped funds and $3,434,800 for non-capped funds. The Board will finalize the levy after a public hearing at the Thursday, December 19 meeting.

As a general reminder, districts under the tax cap can raise their property tax collection by CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus any new growth/construction not previously on the local tax rolls. The annual levy (what is requested) is routinely set artificially high because even though the CPI factor of 3.4% is known, the new growth/construction in a district is unknown. Once new growth/construction is determined in the spring, the actual 2024 extension (what is received) will be finalized and is assumed to be approximately 5-6% (3.4% for CPI + 1.6-2.6% for new growth) higher than the 2023 extension.

The Board of Education approved a State of Illinois School Maintenance Grant application for a $50,000 match to support the continuing renovations of Wescott School washrooms planned for the summer of 2025 in the southeast corridor, south of the main entrance of the school. The first phase of the renovations was completed this fall in the washrooms across from the library.

Board members Mrs. Zivit Blonder and Mrs. Pamela Manicioto detailed their visits to Maple, Wescott and Willowbrook schools Tuesday prior to the Board meeting, where they met with students across several grade levels to read stories to students, see their projects, and observe their lessons. Both said they were delighted to see such engaged learning, and expressed appreciation for both District 30 students and their teachers. "Visiting the classrooms is important, because we see the work we discuss as a Board in action," Mrs. Manicioto said. Click below to see highlights from their day!

Board President Mr. Jeff Zuercher discussed this month's Presidents Council Meeting between the Maple, Wescott and Willowbrook PTOs and District 30 administrators. He highlighted the continued collaboration between our parents and schools and the numerous ways we work together to enrich the learning experience for students.

Board Vice President Mr. Ammar Rizki serves as the District 30 representative on the TrueNorth Board. He reported the regular business from Nov. meeting which included a clean audit, as well as upcoming planning meetings with member districts. Mr. Rizki also shared highlights of the independent report that was completed to evaluate Glenview District 34's request to exit the TrueNorth cooperative. The report will be reviewed in December with further action coming after the start of 2025.

The Board approved Maple School's annual Washington D.C. trip for 8th-grade students, scheduled for May 7-9 this spring. The board must approve field trips beyond a 200 mile radius.

Board President Mr. Jeff Zuercher thanked Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz and his staff for their ongoing commitment to make this trip possible year after year, noting its important educational value for students.

Board members Mrs. Pamela Manicioto, Mr. Patrick Wang, and Superintendent Dr. Tammaru met for a Board Policy Committee on October 24 to review the policies from PRESS Issue 116:

• 2:260 Uniform Grievance Procedure
• 2:265 Title IX Grievance Procedure
• 5:100 Staff Development Program
• 7:185 Teen Dating Violence Prohibited
• 7:20 Harassment of Students Prohibited

The policies listed above were all updated due to Title IX legislation. After review, the committee had no changes to the PRESS revisions, with one exception. In policy 2:265 Title IX Grievance Procedure, the term “Dean of Students” will be omitted from the policy as this position does not exist in the district.

A second reading and approval of these policies will be on the agenda for the December 19 regular meeting.

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