ACROSS THE BOARD
April 2023 Committee Meetings
This issue of Across the Board provides an overview of the following meetings:
April 24: Policy Meeting
April 24: Business Services Meeting
Agendas, minutes, documents, and recordings from all meetings are available to view on BoardDocs.
Policy Updates
Revisions have been made to the following policies to align with language in state legislation.
7:250 Student Support Services
Language has been revised to align with Erin's Law (Illinois Public Act 097-1147).
7:285 Anaphylaxis Prevention, Response, and Management Program
Per the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the policy has been renamed. In addition, the ISBE will review and update the policy at least once every three years.
Student Handbooks
The Student Handbooks and Discipline Addendum are annually reviewed by a committee comprised of teachers, school-based mental health professionals, parents, and administration. The following changes would apply to the 2023-2024 handbooks.
Handbooks
These sections have been added to comply with state legislation.
- Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA): SOPPA (105 ILCS 85) is a data privacy law that regulates and protects student information when collected by educational technology companies. A definition has been added to all handbooks.
- Illinois Play Time Requirement: Public Act 102-0357 requires all elementary schools to provide 30 minutes of supervised, unstructured play time every day. A definition has been added to the elementary handbook only.
Language in these sections are updated to match PRESS Policy and the Illinois School Code.
- Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment Prevention to align with 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7
- Education of Children with Disabilities to align PRESS 7:340-AP1 and PRESS 8:70
- Education of Homeless Children to align with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
- Search and Seizure to align with PRESS 7:140
Updates have been made to the sections Emergency School Closing, Student Identification Cards, and Visitors to provide clarity and consistency of current practices across all buildings.
Discipline Addendum
Language has been updated in these sections.
- Absences: Redefined excused absence, unexcused absence, truancy, and chronic absence
- Bus Transportation: Guidance provided to how seating arrangements will be defined
- Prohibited Student Conduct: Refined definitions to provide clarity and consistency
A section titled Isolated Time Out, Time Out, and Physical Restraint has been added in compliance with Public Act 102-0339.
These updates will go to the Consent Agenda during the May 8 Regular Board Meeting. Updated handbooks for 2023-2024 can be found online at district.d303.org/handbooks upon approval.
Statement Before Citizen Comments
The Board discussed possible additions to the statement recited before Citizen Comments at every Board meeting. These revisions include:
- A reminder to participants that personal information shared during Citizen Comments are livestreamed and recorded for public view
- A notice that participants must end their comment at the sound of the alarm of a three-minute timer
Further discussion on this topic will be held in a future Policy meeting.
Future Agenda Items
- PRESS Packet
The next Policy Committee Meeting is to be determined. Dates for future committee meetings will be posted on the website once they are scheduled.
Financial Reports
District 303
Expenses are trending very close to prior year; revenue is trending slightly ahead. There are no areas of concern at this time.
Mid Valley
Both revenue and expenses are trending slightly behind. A revenue increase is expected for April. There are no areas of concern at this time.
-
Facility Master Plan
The elementary standards that received consensus by the Board on April 10 have been shared with RSP & Associates. They will provide an updated capacity study by June.
Overview of Compass Academy
Dr. Christine Igoe and Director Sharon Stanley presented an overview of Compass Academy as it relates to space utilization and student opportunities. Compass Academy is a District 303 high school of choice that opened in the fall of 2021 at the Haines Center.
Background
In September 2019, the District began exploring additional services through the Alternative Learning Opportunities Program (ALOP), through which state funding is available for services that support the needs of students who are at risk of academic failure. Specifically, the Learning and Teaching Department sought to redesign the framework of the traditional comprehensive high school experience to better support each student.
Proposed NorthEast Academy | Fall 2019
Flexible, personalized, and responsive learning outside the tradition high school environment
More student collaboration opportunities through competency- and project-based learning
Multiple modalities for learning in self-selected pathways that support students in college, career and future readiness
Expand work-based learning and community partnerships
Changed name from NorthEast Academy to Compass Academy | Fall 2020
Updated goals for this service and structure
Defined the program by services provided and not by the student served
Expanded beyond ALOP services to a school of choice available to all District 303 students
Compass Academy launched | Fall 2021
Operates inside Haines Center
Mission is to ignite creativity and innovation, inspire personalized learning, and prepare students for multiple paths to success
Current Operations
Enrollment
2022: 99 | 2023: 119 | 2024 (Projected): 125
Services Over 3-Year Span
Over 75% of students qualify for ALOP services
Between 18-22% of students have IEPs
Between 23-30% of students have 504 Plans
Students may be in more than one category
Competency-Based Education
Learning Pathways: Students can create their own learning path
Small Learning Environment: Fewer students and smaller physical space
Flexible Schedule: 75-minute block scheduling enables students to split time at home high school or respond to other needs
Work-Based learning: Each Wednesday, students can engage in blended learning through internships, job shadowing and service projects
Personal Success Skills: Daily advisory opportunities for post-secondary planning
Responsive Learning Environment: Access to onsite Wellness Center
Success Indicators
Tracking graduation rates, SAT scores, climate and culture, student success plans
Financial Impact
Majority of the program is covered by State funding for ALOP services. Cost to the District is $380,000
Cost per pupil is $16,082
Summary
Compass Academy is nearing completion of its second year, and the District will continue to measure its overall impact. To meet the needs of each student, District 303 needs to have both a comprehensive high school experience and non-traditional high school experience. In order to effectively achieve its mission, Compass needs a separate facility to allow for smaller learning environments, flexible scheduling, and for students to have voice and choice in their climate and culture.
Working Cash Transfer
The District's working cash fund acts, in essence, as a savings account. Before the District receives revenue from property taxes in the spring, a specified amount of money needs to be taken out of the working cash fund into other funds to cover payroll, bills, and operating costs. Once taxes are received, the funds will be transferred back to working cash. This year, $7,000,000 are slated for transfer.
Recommendation: Approve the transfer of $7,000,000 from the working cash fund.
Capital Projects Transfer
It is regular practice to transfer money from the Operations and Maintenance fund to the Capital Projects Fund to cover the costs of projects in the five-year Capital Improvement Plan. This year, approximately $3,000,000 are slated for transfer. This money will cover pool replastering at St. Charles North and boiler replacement at Wredling, St. Charles East, and St. Charles North.
Recommendation: Approve the transfer of funds into the Capital Projects Fund.
Participation in the Child Nutrition Program for School Year 2023-2024
The National School Lunch Program offers free and reduced lunch to families who qualify. Policy
4:130 Free and Reduced-Price Food Services must be renewed annually to continue participation in the program for elementary and middle schools.
Recommendation: Approve the renewal of Policy 4:130
School Meal Pricing for School Year 2023-2024
School districts are required to maintain school lunch prices so money received from paid lunches are approximately equal to to money reimbursed for free and reduced lunches. This year a few prices were raised due to the rising cost of food. View list of 2024 school lunch prices.
Recommendation: Approve the school lunch prices for 2024 as listed.
Renewal of High School Food Service Contract with Quest for 2023-2024
Quest Food Services currently provides food service for the high schools. Quest receives all revenue from the program and absorb all direct costs. In turn, District 303 receives 7.5% of all sales (excluding reimbursable milk sales) to cover any District costs and to reinvest into the program. The contract proposal for 2023-2024 is consistent with previous contracts.
Recommendation: Approve the 2023-2024 contract with Quest Food Services.
Renewal of Actuarial Contract Fiscal Year 2024-2027
MWM Consulting has been preparing the annual actuarial valuation of the District’s Other Postemployment Benefits (OPEB) obligation since June 30, 2020. The current contract will expire on June 30, 2023. MWM proposed a contract renewal of an additional four years for a maximum total cost of $25,400.
Recommendation: Approve the contract with MWM for a total cost of $25,400 for four years.
Electricity Supply Request for Proposal
The City of St. Charles provides electricity to all schools within the city limits. For all other schools, Administration regularly puts together a Request for Quotes (RFQ) to ensure competitive pricing. The current agreement is priced at $0.0556 per kWh, an estimated annual cost of $288,111, and expires in December 2023. Nania Energy Advisors has determined the best time to engage in the RFQ process will likely be in the next month.
Recommendation: Authorize Administration to engage in the RFQ process for electricity supply.
Boiler Replacement Labor Bid Results
During the off season, leaks were found in multiple hot water boilers at Wredling Middle School, St. Charles East High School, and St. Charles North High School. During the April 10 Regular Board meeting, the Board approved of a contract with Barr Mechanical Sales in the amount of $969,660 for boiler equipment, and a contract with Bornquist, Inc. in the amount of $77,000 for pump equipment.
An additional bid was held in April for the installation of the equipment.
- Premier Mechanical, Inc. can install equipment at St. Charles East for $618,000.
- Cyril Regan Heating can install equipment at Wredling and St. Charles North for $1,318,500.
Installation of boilers at all three schools is expected to complete by the end of October.
Recommendation: Award the bid to Premier Mechanical, Inc. for $618,000 and to Cyril Regan Heating for $1,318,500.
Digitization of Blueprints
District 303 currently catalogues and maintains all hard copies of building blueprints, including records of additions and renovations. BHFX Simple can provide services that includes document scanning, tagging, and organization/consolidation to ensure no documents are damaged or lost over time. Digitization through BHFX will also provide easy access for architects to streamline the development of future construction drawings. The first year will cost $35,200 for initial setup, then $2,400 annually for maintenance of the system in all subsequent years.
Recommendation: Accept the proposal from BHFX for the digitization of all District blueprints.
Backup and Data Recovery System Refresh
The District's backup and data recovery system is nearing the end of it support. Services from Rubrik Labs will provide support and maintenance for 5 years at a total cost of $246,455.00. The system provides tools for on- and off-site encrypted backup and data recovery, detection and mitigation of major data changes, and alerts for potential data leakage.
Recommendation: Approve the purchase of Rubrik Labs system for a total 5-year cost of $246,255.
Annual Student Device Rotation
Recommendation: Approve the purchase of replacement devices for a total cost of $1,149,207.50.
Annual IT Renewals
Several technology and web services are now up for annual renewal. These services are all part of the ITS budget.
- Gaggle: Gaggle manages student digital communication and provides alerts of any safety concerns. Cost: $80,750
- eSchool: eSchool is the student information system for record management. Cost: $98,518.47
- Securly: Securly filters inappropriate content on student devices. Cost: $56,320
- Classlink: Classlink integrates multiple digital applications to allow for single sign-on, increased security, and system interoperability. Cost: $49,025
- Schoology: Schoology is the learning management system used in all grade levels. Cost: $81,390
Future Agenda Items
Facility Master Plan Update
Organic Life Contract
A La Carte Meal Prices
Budget 101
Draft 1 of the FY24 Budget
The next Business Services Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 25 at 5:30 PM.