Board RECAP

The High School District 211 Board of Education met Thursday, September 19, 2024, in the Board Room of the G.A. McElroy Administration Center. This is a summary of key items acted on and reviewed.

Mr. Robert Zimmerman has been appointed the Buildings and Grounds Manager at Hoffman Estates High School. He currently is the Buildings and Grounds Supervisor for District 211 at the Administration Center, a position he has held since 2016. He began his District 211 career as a custodian in 1992 and has served as a special maintenance worker, warehouse operator, general maintenance worker and District groundsman throughout his District 211 career.

Section 5/17-1 of Illinois School Code requires that each school district conduct a public hearing and adopt an annual budget before the end of the first quarter of each fiscal year. The Board of Education approved a Tentative Budget for 2024-2025 for public display and inspection on August 25, 2024 and held the public hearing as required.

The Academic Goals for 2021-2026 are closely aligned to the measurements presented by the Illinois State Board of Education under the Every Student Succeeds Act, with a focus on college and career preparation for all students. The Board was provided a detailed progress of each goal and also viewed a presentation on individual successes of each high school and the story behind those successes. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Joshua Schumacher; Principal Tony Medina, Palatine High School; Principal Mark Langer, William Fremd High School; Principal Julie Nowak, James B. Conant High School; Principal Brian Harlan, Schaumburg High School; and Principal Michael Alther, Hoffman Estates High School presented school progress toward meeting the District academic goals.

The Goals Report can be viewed here

The Academic Goals Presentation can be viewed here

The Board approved the minutes from its August 15, 2024 meeting.

The Board reviewed a report regarding the 59 new professional staff hired for 2024-2025.

The full report is available here.

Following each semester’s sixth-day audit, the Class Size Committee meets to comply with a Letter of Agreement contained within the Master Contract between the Board and the District 211 Teachers’ Union. The Committee, composed of Jeremy Harkin, Schaumburg High School mathematics teacher, representing the Union, and Director of Student Services Danielle Hauser, met Tuesday, August 27. Only 15 course sections of 3,350 active sections began the semester with overages of a single student.

Illinois School Code requires the annual reporting and posting of administrator and teacher salaries. School districts also are required to report administrator and teacher salaries and benefits to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). In accordance with Public Act 97-0256, this information must be reported to the ISBE each year no later than October 1. Therefore, the salary and benefit data that must be reported to the ISBE by October 1, 2024 reflects the actual base salaries and benefits provided to all licensed or certificated staff for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.

The District 211 Salary Compensation Report will be sent to ISBE and posted online.

Each summer, District 211 provides extraordinary opportunities, innovative teaching and exceptional learning experiences during our two semesters of summer school. First semester Summer School 2024 began Monday, June 3, 2024 and ended Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Second semester started Wednesday, June 26, 2024 and ended Thursday, July 18, 2024. Total summer school academic enrollment was 3,812. The Board reviewed this data and also was provided a cost analysis of Summer School 2024. The full report is available here.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was a landmark civil rights law that profoundly shaped the educational landscape in the United States, particularly in the area of gender equality. Initially passed to address discrimination based on sex, Title IX has had far-reaching implications in high schools, promoting equal opportunities for both male and female students. Over the years, the law has evolved, reflecting changing societal normal and legal interpretations. The Board reviewed a historical overview of Title IX as it relates to high schools, emphasizing recent legislative changes and the impact of legal challenges.

The full report is here

Section 5/17-1 of the School Code requires that districts adopt an annual budget before the end of the first quarter of each fiscal year (September 30). The Board established the fiscal year to begin July 1, 2024 and end June 30, 2025, and adopted the budget as presented.

A one-page summary is available here

Full details and the resolution can be viewed here

Property taxes play a primary role in financing District 211. For the 2024-2025 school year, property taxes will comprise approximately 83% of the District’s total revenue. Each year, taxing districts determine the amount of revenue necessary through property taxes for the following year’s budget. The amount of taxes requested by each taxing body is called a tax levy. Each year, the tax levy must be filed with the Cook County Clerk, who determines the tax rate necessary to assess property taxes to generate the amount of the levy filed by each taxing body. All Cook County taxing districts operate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) commonly referred to as the “Tax Cap.” This limits the rate at which a taxing body may increase its levy from the prior year.

Additional 2024 levy information will be presented for discussion at the October 17 meeting.

More detailed information is available here

The deletion of the below Board Policies are recommended based on the implementation of the District 211 Administrator Compensation and Benefit Package approved by the Board on June 20, 2024. The proposed deletions were reviewed by the Administrative Board Policy group.

GDBC Management Personnel Fringe Benefits

GDBD Management Personnel Leaves and Absences

GDBE Management Personnel Vacations and Holidays

GDD Management Personnel Hiring, Assignment and Transfer

GDLB Management Personnel Service Club Membership

GDPC Retirement of Management Personnel

The Board approved the Pre-Approval Form for Future Expense Reimbursement for Anna Klimkowicz and Steven Rosenblum to attend the IASB North Cook Division Dinner on September 30.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, October 17, 2024, with closed session beginning at 6:30 p.m. and open session beginning at 7:30 p.m.