Across the Board in D303
Notes from the District 303 School Board Meeting
October 11, 2022
All agenda items, documents, and recorded meetings are available to view on BoardDocs.
School Board
Joe Lackner, Vice President
Becky McCabe, Secretary
Jillian Barker
Kate Bell
Matthew Kuschert
Ed McNally
Superintendent Report
The Board and Administration gathered to celebrate three of our schools for their recent state and national awards and acknowledged their achievements during Tuesday's meeting.
St. Charles North High School and Norton Creek Elementary School have been named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. National Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps. This recognition was granted to 297 schools nationwide and just 17 in Illinois.
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Gold Circle Award
Fox Ridge Early Childhood Center has received the Gold Circle of Quality rating from the Illinois State Board of Education and ExceleRate Illinois. The Gold Circle of Quality recognizes programs which have demonstrated quality on all standards, as validated by an independent assessor. Gold Circle programs meet or exceed specific quality benchmarks on learning environment, instructional quality and all administrative standards; group size and ratios, qualifications and professional development.
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Danielle Sheppard Recognized as Art Educator of the Year Award
The Board congratulated St. Charles North High School Art Teacher Danielle Sheppard, who recently received the 2022 Early Professional Art Educator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA). The annual award recognizes individuals who significantly impact art, design, and media education in Illinois.
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National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
The Board congratulated St. Charles East High School Seniors Matthew Hall and Nathan Throneburg and St. Charles North High School Senior Andrew Nesterov, who were recently named Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.
Communication Update
Presented by Scott Harvey, Chief Communications Officer
This report shared updates on existing focus areas and future initiatives through the Communications and Community Relations Department.
Building and expanding upon internal and external connections. This includes student and staff collaborations, communications with families and involvement with community organizations.
Continuing to utilize our broad array of communications tools to elevate the story of District 303 through our website, newsletters, social media, news media, podcast and more.
Community engagement through our Listen Learn Return initiative, which has concluded first round in-person sessions with community, students and staff. We will soon share electronic surveys for those who were unable to join us in person.
We are building a Comprehensive Communications Plan that will guide our department and support overall District communications strategies, both internal and external, into the future.
Committee Reports
Strategic Plan Committee Update
Presented by Dr. Paul Gordon, Superintendent
- The group was formed this fall and held its first meeting September 20.
- It consists of nearly 20 committee members that represent District and building administrators, classified and certified staff, union leaders and two Board members.
- The initial focus has been on building community within the group, the scope of the work and how it all ties into developing opportunities and a pathway forward for the District.
- Currently the committee is working to define the three Board approved values: Belonging, perseverance and achievement.
- Future items will focus on strategic priorities, goals and action steps.
- It is important throughout the process for the committee to maintain feedback loops to keep administrators, the Board, staff, parents and our community abreast of its work.
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Equity Committee Update
Presented by Dr. Christine Igoe, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services
This report shared an update on the work of the Superintendent's Equity Committee which is reviewing the District's recently completed Equity Audit.
- The Equity Committee was formed this fall and held its first meeting on September 28.
- It consists of nearly 20 committee members that represent District and building administrators, certified staff, union leaders and two Board members.
- The work of the first committee meeting involved building a sense of community, understanding the scope of the work, developing a common understanding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and building a timeline.
- The committee took a deep dive into the Equity Audit to do a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis.
- Committee members will also be reviewing equity audits from three local districts to learn from them. These districts are U-46, Naperville, and Wheeling.
- The work of the Equity Committee will connect with the Strategic Plan Development Committee.
- The committee will routinely communicate updates with administrators, the Board, staff, parents and our community.
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Board Committee Updates
The Learning & Teaching committee reviewed the 2025 goals in regards to the Student Achievement Report. Details on the discussion are in the Across the Board report link below. The next meeting will be held on October 17.
Business Services
See details from the Business Services meeting in the Across the Board Committee report link below. The next meeting will be held on October 27.
Policy
The Policy Committee discussed clarification of the Transportation policy and updating the statement that is read before Citizen Comments. The next Policy meeting will be on November 28.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda was approved by a vote of 7-0.
The consent agenda includes items such as:
- Minutes from previous committee meetings
- Personnel Reports
- List of Bills, Treasurer's Report, and Payroll
- School Bus Purchases
- Gifts and Donations
For Action
The motion passed by a vote of 7-0.
With approval, the pay rate for substitute teachers will increase. The biggest pay increases apply to retired substitutes.
View the substitute pay rate schedule
Frontline Employee Evaluation Management System
The motion passed by a vote of 5-0 with 2 abstentions.
- The District will purchase and adopt the Frontline Employee Evaluation Management system to help streamline the evaluation process.
- The system would be implemented for districtwide use in 2023-2024.
- The total cost for this system is $36,235.16.
Board Member Registration - Kishwaukee Division Meeting
The motion passed by a vote of 7-0.
Mrs. Bell, Board member, will attend the Kishwaukee Division Meeting October 27. The total cost of registration is $32.
SCTM Memorandum of Understanding
The motion passed by a vote of 7-0.
- The Board approves a contracted bus aide from Spare Wheels to accompany a student on a district bus route to the Turning Pointe Autism Foundation for the 2022-2023 school year.
- This agreement ends on the last day of the 2022-2023 school year or at the discontinuation of the route, whichever comes first.
For Information
Informational reports are typically provided monthly to the Board. There is no action taken.
District 303 Financial Report
Mid Valley Financial Report
FOIA Requests
District Enrollment
IASB Resolutions - 2022 Delegate Assembly
New Business
An opportunity for Board members to bring up items that they would like to discuss at a future Board or committee meeting.
- Discussion on the goals of the report will take place at the Learning & Teaching committee meeting on October 17. The committee will then bring it to the regular Board meeting in November.