ACROSS THE BOARD
January 2023 Committee Meetings
January 17: Learning & Teaching Committee
January 30: Policy Committee
January 30: Business Services Committee
Agendas, minutes, documents, and recordings from all meetings are available to view on BoardDocs.
For Discussion
What and How Our Students are Learning: Mathematical Discourse
School Board Classroom Observations
Board members will begin participating in classroom observations across the District to see what students are learning and the level at which educators are conducting this work. This will provide greater context and clarity for Administration recommendations and Board decisions. Observations will take place multiple times a year and the goal is to visit all levels in all buildings.
Focus of Observations
The first set of visits will focus on mathematical discourse to model how instructional practices based on focus, coherence, and rigor develop student proficiency. This focus directly relates to 11 on-track indicators, 3 Portrait of a Graduate qualities, and the lead measure focus on math for school improvement.
Background: Shifts in Curriculum and Instructional Practice
What and how math is taught has shifted since Illinois switched focus to college and career readiness standards. These shifts primarily occurred in three areas:
- Focus: Curriculum focuses on a few priority standards for each grade level
- Coherence: Curriculum builds on prior learning and created foundations for higher grade levels
- Rigor: Focus equal intensity on developing procedural skill and fluency, conceptual understanding, and real-world application
- Previously, instruction in math focused primarily on procedural skill and fluency
- Shifting to a rigorous instructional model provides the "why" behind developing math skills and allows for long-term retainment
Why: Focus on Discourse
Facilitating meaningful discourse is one of 8 teaching practices identified by the National Council of Teaching Mathematics that support the instructional shifts.
Through mathematical discourse, students:
- Develop conceptual understanding for deeper learning
- Learn to articulate their thoughts and communicate ideas with their peers
- Work together to understand and solve problems
To facilitate discourse, teachers:
- Engage students in intentional learning experiences
- Listen to and encourage students to collaborate on student thinking
- Connect student thinking to overall learning goals
The District will use multiple strategies to support instructional practices, including:
- Providing high quality professional development to ensure that teachers have the same level of content knowledge and understanding of pedagogical practices
- Focusing on collaboration within PLCs
- Using common assessments in PLCs to ensure rigor is consistently applied across units and classrooms and that students are reaching learning goals
Future Agenda Items
- Student Achievement Report Update
- iReady scores
The next Learning & Teaching Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21 at 5:30PM.
For Discussion
Policy 7:30 Student Assignment and Intra-District Transfer
Presented by Jarrod Buxton, Executive Director of Elementary Education
Administrative Placement
Administrative Placement (also known as "Cap and Send") can occur when new enrollments in a specific elementary school grade exceeds the class size guidelines.
- Transportation is provided through the District.
- Most families this affects are those who have moved into the District over the summer.
- Typically, 35% of families choose to keep their child(ren) in their sent school for subsequent years. Transportation continues to be provided for them.
- Currently, 46 students are on administrative placement.
Intra-District Transfer
Intra-District Transfer (also known as "Waiver") allows parents/guardians to request for their student to attend an elementary school they are not assigned to with administrator approval.- Families must provide their own transportation to and from school.
- Approval is based on capacity and families must reapply annually.
- Most families apply because they have prior experience at the waived school.
- Currently, 93 students are intra-district transfers.
Challenges of the Current Policy
- Transportation for capped students
- Bus routes with a capped student can potentially add travel time and result in late pickups or arrivals, plus keep students on buses for longer.
- Bus drivers run the risk of delaying their next route.
- Uncertainty for families applying for waivers and for schools
- Most families use waivers because they have established a sense of belonging at the waived school. Waiting for approval each year puts them in a tenuous position.
- Educators have established relationships with waived students. Waiting for a waived student's approval each year makes it difficult to create a consistent academic plan.
Policy Change Discussion Options
- No changes to the policy or procedures
- No new intra-district transfer requests; current transfer students legacy status; additionally, no transportation for year two of administrative placement
- No new intra-district transfer requests, currently transferred students and any upcoming siblings legacy status; additionally, no transportation for year two of administrative placement.
- Once approved, intra-district transfer would remain in effect throughout the duration of elementary school attendance as long as the student(s) remains a resident of the district; no transportation for year two of administrative placement.
Questions to Consider
- Should the waiver policy change to a one-time application that remains in effect for the duration of a family's elementary school education?
- Should the District continue to provide transportation for capped students to their placed school if they choose to stay after capacity opens up in their home school?
A recommendation will be brought to the Board in the Policy Committee Meeting on Monday, March 23.
PRESS Issue 110 - Policy Reviews and/or Revisions
Most updates to policies in PRESS Issue 110 are legal updates. The Board discussed the following:
2:150 Committees
The PRESS Issue refers to a Citizen Advisory Committee in its language. The Board discussed the possibility of using broader language that refers to the option of creating a community-focused committee should future Board members choose to do so.
3:10 Goals and Objectives
Rather than continually changing policy to reflect the commitments and principles of those currently in office, the Board discussed incorporating the oath of office that members have taken, which changes less frequently, in this policy.
Future Agenda Items
- Policy 7:30 - Student Assignment and Intra-District Transfer
- Demographer Study, as it relates to Policy 7:30
The next Policy Committee Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 23 at 5:00PM.
For Discussion
Financial Reports August 2022
District 303
Both revenue and expenses are trending very close to prior year. There are no areas of concern.
Mid-Valley
Both revenue and expenses are trending just slightly behind. There are no areas of concern.
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Designate Individual(s) to Prepare 2023-2024 Budget
The Illinois School Code states that an individual is to be designated to prepare the official budget, in tentative form, each year to ensure that the necessary steps are taken prior to final adoption of the budget.
Recommendation: Designate Justin Attaway, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, as the person responsible for the preparation of the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget.
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2023-2024 Budget Calendar
- February 13: Review and Approval of 2023-24 Budget Calendar, Designate individual(s) to prepare tentative budget
- May 25: Business Services Committee reviews the first draft of the budget
- July: Business Services Committee workshop session on the final budget
- August: Date set for Public Hearing and tentative budget put on public display for 30 days
- September: Public Hearing held and budget adopted
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Food Service Update
- In November, the Business Services Committee discussed the options available for contracting food service providers after the passing of Illinois House Bill 4813 (Public Act 102-1101).
- During 2023-24, the District must issue an RFP for food service providers for a contract that starts during the 2024-25 school year.
- Administration believes changing food service providers at this moment would be too disruptive given the required RFP process for next year.
Recommendation: Continue to work with OrganicLife for K-8 food service and Quest for 9-12 food service for the 2023-2024 school year in anticipation of a food service RFP for the 2024-25 school year.
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2023-2024 Proposed School Fees
Major Changes
- Reduction in fees for All Day Kindergarten.
- Restructuring elementary band, orchestra, and choir fees dependent on how many music programs a student signs up for. This is to compensate for increased costs of instruments and to fund teacher salaries for these programs.
- Removal of rollover fees.
- AP fees increased due to increases from College Board.
- Removal of English 12 World Tour free, instead charging for individual field trips as they arise.
- Addition of course fees at Compass Academy to match fees at East and North.
- Increase in graduation fees to reflect actual cost per student.
- Inclusion of graduation fees and course fees in a School Fee Waiver.
Currently, Administration surveys our schools to determine any changes in fees. The District intends to broaden review of its fee structure for next year that will incorporate all stakeholders and compare fees to neighboring districts. This review will coincide with budget planning.
Recommendation: Approve the 2023-2024 school fees as presented.
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West Chicago Crossing Guard Intergovernmental Agreement
- West Chicago Police Department provides the crossing guard for Norton Creek.
- WCPD approached the District about an intergovernmental agreement to share the cost of the crossing guard and the supervisor that manages school crossing guards in West Chicago.
- The District would be responsible for 50% the cost of the crossing guard and a proportionate cost of the supervisor based on the total number of intersections they supervise.
Recommendation: Approve the intergovernmental agreement with West Chicago for crossing guard services.
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Mades-Johnstone School Partial Roof Replacement Bid Results
- The roof on the western portion of the Mades-Johnstone building has been patched/repaired several times and has now reached the end of its useful life.
- Two bids were received by the deadline on December 20, 2022. The lowest bidder was TORI Construction, LLC.
- Total construction cost will be shared by the member districts of Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative.
Recommendation: Award the bid to TORI Construction, LLC for a total cost of $642,670.00.
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Disposal of Surplus Equipment
The District has also been working to inventory excess furniture and equipment items that are currently stored within the District facilities or off-site, and several items have been identified as damaged or obsolete.
Recommendation: Declare the equipment as surplus property to be donated, recycled, sold, or discarded.
View full list of surplus equipment
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Facilities Truck Purchase
- Two of 12 snow plow trucks are from 2011 and becoming unserviceable
- Administration is proposing the purchase of one 2023 Ford F350 to replace one of the 2011 trucks. This truck would come fully equipped with snow plow
- The other 2011 truck shall be used as a spare snow plow
Recommendation: Approve the purchase of one 2023 Ford F350 Pickup at a total cost of $78,517.00 from Landmark Ford using the State of Illinois’ Joint Purchasing Master Contract.
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Palo Alto 3 Year Agreement
- Each District 303 facility is interconnected via fiber optic cable to provide reliable, high-speed internet.
- Approximately 40% of the fiber network is owned by District 303 and 60% is leased through the City of St. Charles.
- It is very expensive to build more cable networks to outlying schools to ensure connectivity should a line break and interrupt operations.
- Installing individual building firewalls that allow connectivity separate from the District 303 fiber network would eliminate potential extended downtime from major fiber damage incidents.
Recommendation: Approve the purchase of the Palo Alto Firewall for three years for a total cost of $82,858.59.
Future Agenda Items
The next Business Services Committee Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 23 at 5:30PM. This is a special meeting to review results from demographer RSP & Associates to review its enrollment and capacity study.