Board RECAP
October 19, 2023
March 21, 2024
The District 211 Board of Education met Thursday, February 22, 2024, in the auditorium at Palatine High School. The following is a recap of key items acted upon and reviewed.
Administrative Appointments
Schaumburg High School—12-Month Assistant Principal
Anthony Ganas has been appointed a 12-Month Assistant Principal at Schaumburg High School. He is currently a 10-month assistant principal at Hoffman Estates High School, a position he has held since the 2020-2021 school year. Anthony began his career as a special education teacher and head wrestling coach at Hoffman Estates High School in 2009. During the 2013-2014 school year, he served as a dean, and in 2017 was appointed to the role of Assistant Department Chair for Special Education. He holds a bachelor’s in public relations from Wartburg College, a master’s degree and special education teaching credentials from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse and a master’s in educational leadership from Northeastern Illinois University.
Alternative Learning Academy—Program Director
Teresa Brandt has been appointed the Program Director at the Alternative Learning Academy. She currently is an assistant principal at Marlowe Middle School in Huntley School District 158, a position she began at the start of the 2023-2024 school year. Prior to that, she served as an intervention coordinator in St. Charles School District 303 from 2019-2023. Teresa began her educational career as a social worker in Keeneyville School District 20 in 2016. She holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Roosevelt University and two master’s degrees: one in social work from Dominican University and a second in education from Concordia University-Chicago.
Ratification of Master Contract with Teachers’ Union
The Board of Education approved a five-year contract with the District 211 Teachers’ Union.
The contract, which takes effect July 1, 2024, provides a 3.25 percent base salary increase for on-step members and a 4 percent base salary increase for off-step members the first year. Subsequent increases will be in line with CPI, with a floor of 1.5 percent and a ceiling of 4 percent in year two, floor of 1.5 percent and ceiling of 3 percent in years three and four and floor of 1.5 percent and ceiling of 2.75 percent in year five.
Student Recognition
The Board of Education recognized students who earned state honors. Those students were:
Palatine High School
Business Professionals of America State Tournament
Presenter Adrienne Stewart
Ishhaan Mishra - 1st place Presentation Management
IHSA Girls Gymnastics
Presenter Terry Theobald
Jolee Waddington - Tied for 2nd place all-around and 3rd place uneven bars
William Fremd High School
IHSA State Boys Wrestling Tournament
Presenter Jeffery Keske
Even Gosz - 2nd place wrestling, 144 pounds
IHSA State Boys Swimming and Diving
Presenter AJ Adams
Sean Grady - 2nd place 200-yard freestyle, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, and 100-yard breaststroke
Jaden Heinlein - 11th place 200-yard medley, 11th place 100-yard backstroke
Business Professionals of America State Tournament
Presenter John Summers
Anvita Maddali - 1st place Presentation Team
Milena Cebula - 1st place Presentation Team
Sahana Joseph - 1st place Presentation Team
Ashna Saxena - 1st place Presentation Team
Archita Arun - 1st place Economic Research
IHSA State Girls Bowling Tournament
Presenter Ruben Hinojosa
Elena Banzen - 2nd place
Conant High School
IHSA State Boys Swimming and Diving
Presenter Brian Drenth
Bryce Loeger - 12th 200-yard medley relay, 6th 50- yard freestyle, 14th 200-yard freestyle relay, 15th 400-yard freestyle relay
Thomas Seeman - 12th 200-yard medley relay, 14th 200-yard freestyle relay, 15th 400-yard freestyle relay
Dominik Kurek - 12th 200-yard medley relay, 14th 200-yard freestyle relay
Yimmy Caicedo -12th 200-yard medley relay, 15th 400-yard freestyle relay
Ayden Woo -14th 200-yard freestyle relay, 15th 400-yard freestyle relay
Trevor Hanson - 10th 50-yard freestyle, 9th 100-yard freestyle
IHSA Chess Tournament
Presenter Andy Barrientos
Ochirbat Lkhagvajamts - Gold medal at first board, winning 7/7 matches
Congressional App Challenge
Presenter Rich Cortez
Siya Choudhary - 1st Place
Siya Jariwala - 1st Place
Business Professionals of America State Tournament
Presenter Patti Ertl
Jesslyn Johnson - Intermediate Word Processing
Ayush Kumar Ria - Integrated Office Applications and Advanced Spreadsheet Applications
Rayan Ahmed - Fundamental Spreadsheet Application
Aneesa Shah - Administrative Support Research Project
Siya Choudhary - Graphic Design Promotion
Ayoub Khaiar - Fundamentals of Web Design
Nataly Nikolova - Visual Design Team
Khushi Shah - Visual Design Team
IHSA Co-Ed Cheer: 2nd Place
Presenters Amanda Schweinebraten & Christina Schweinebraten
Zoe Anderlick
Alexandre Cronfel
Sawa Ishizuka
Mya Kiel
Karin Shibata
Danika Valacak
Annalyse Cannataro
Keriara Murray
Naima Mwita
Caylee Sabo
Nicole Weiss
Mark Medyk
Isabella Nicchia
Kacper Paraniuk
Molly Wheatley
Melvin Williams
Nikola Zakonek
Callie Barna
Amber Heishman
Eleya Jones
Ava Kreipke
Mackenzie Medema
Nicole Nettnin
Madyson Tausend
Olivia Wzorek
Katie Yamanishi
Schaumburg High School
IHSA State Girls Wrestling Tournament
Presenter Matt Gruszka
Madeline Zerafa-Lazarevic - Conference champ, regional champ, sectional champ, and 2nd place
Valeria Rodriguez - Conference champ, regional champ, sectional champ, and 5th place
IHSA State Boys Wrestling Tournament
Presenter Michael LeVanti
Brady Phelps - 4th place at 120 pounds
IHSA State Boys Swimming and Diving
Presenter Sam Gabriel
Szmon Mieczkowski - 1st place 200-yard freestyle, 2nd place 100-yard backstroke
Hoffman Estates High School
IHSA State Girls Wrestling Tournament
Presenter Leonel Clark-Johnson
Sophia Ball - State runner-up
Anjali Gonzalez - 5th place
IHSA State Boys Swimming and Diving
Presenter Adam Longo
Connor Nestler - 7th place 50-yard freestyle, 8th place 100-yard freestyle, 5th place 100-yard breaststroke
Business Professionals of America State Tournament
Presenter Justin Onayemi
Devanshu Pandya - 1st place Extemporaneous Speech
Yash Dave - 1st place Global Marketing Team
Krrish Matta - 1st place Global Marketing Team
Kevin Patel - 1st place Global Marketing Team
Yogi Patel - 1st place Global Marketing Team
Hitarth Dholakia - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Nathaniel Ham - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Alisa Hilaly - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Juan Mun - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Kush Patel - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Manan Patel - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Rahi Patel - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Sahil Patel - 1st place Parliamentary Procedures Team
Public Hearing on the Proposed Reduction-In-Force of Teaching Positions
In accordance with ILCS 5/24-12, the Board conducted a public hearing to receive comments on the Administration’s proposal to conduct a reduction-in-force of teaching positions.
The Board later adopted a resolution authorizing the reduction-in-force of all part-time non-tenured teachers.
Full information is available here.
Strategic Plan: Facilities and Capital Improvements
It has been the long-standing commitment of the District to provide safe, functional, and adaptable facilities that contribute to the educational program and have a positive impact on student achievement. As a component of our financial and operational goals, our long-range capital outlay plan is designed to align with our strategic plan, building utilization, improvement and maintenance schedule, and serve our educational goals. The District is currently completing routine maintenance and life-cycle replacement updates and completing projects in its ten-year capital improvement plan. The capital plan is reviewed and updated annually to reflect the District’s progress and considers changes due to financial, conditional, technological, or energy-related matters. Chief Operating Officer Lauren Hummel and Director of Facilities and Purchasing Rickey Sparks presented an overview of these projects.
The presentation is available here.
Full details are available here.
Approval of Minutes
The Board approved the minutes from its regular meeting of February 22, 2024.
Acceptance of Donations
The Board formally accepted the donation of a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze from Triton College for use by automotive classes at Hoffman Estates High School and $8,000 from the Goodman Family Foundation to support the Operation Snowball clubs at James B. Conant and Schaumburg high schools.
Enrollment Projections
Enrollment projections through 2031-2032 were recently completed and reviewed by the Board. These projections indicate that the District’s enrollment across the five high schools will rotate between increasing and decreasing for the next few years. Enrollment is projected to increase starting in 2028 through 2032. Projections are based on fall enrollment data from districts 15 and 54 and assume attendance boundaries, as defined in October 2001, and no significant shifts of families within the District. Growth and reduction factors are based on recent experience. Enrollment from private schools has been factored into final projections. Changes in the housing market could alter these projections. The enrollment projections are based on students who will attend the five high schools. Off-campus projections are based on the enrollment at District 211 North Campus, Higgins Education Center, and private facilities for the 2022-2023 school year and on a five-year average for the remaining years.
Student Engagement in Elections
The Board reviewed information regarding student engagement in elections. This included a summary of Illinois legislation providing guidance to school districts pertaining to high school students and voting, as well as curricular examples integrating civics, government and social studies.
Full details are available here.
Proposed Policy Revisions
The Board modified seven policy revisions as proposed.
JHCE Suicide and Depression Awareness and Prevention
JEDB Student Attendance and Truancy
Notice of Appointment of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Authorized Agent
District 211 is a participant of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), which serves as the retirement system for non-licensed employees. As a participant in the plan, it is required that the District designate an IMRF Authorized Agent to serve as the primary contact with IMRF and make the necessary determination of compliance with IMRF guidelines.
Director of Business Services Karen Lasher has served as the IMRF Authorized Agent for the District for the past five years and will be retiring June 30, 2024. In January, the Board appointed Helen Miller as Director of Insurance and Group Benefits effective February 5, 2024.
The Board approved a resolution authorizing Helen Miller as the District’s IMRF Authorized Agent, effective July 1, 2024.
Graphic Annunciator and Fire Alarm Control Panel
The Simplex fire annunciator and graphics panel at Palatine High School has failed and will need to be replaced. The existing graphics panel is from the early 2000s. The 10-year master facility assessment includes replacement of the annunciator and panels as a Priority 1 replacement.
The system is proprietary to the existing system within the school. Johnson Controls, Incorporated (Simplex) has been onsite to assess and provide a replacement strategy. The replacement panel includes up-to-date technology and meets the established Fire Department and code requirements. The Palatine Fire Department has worked with the school to secure alternate mapping in the building until the graphic annunciator and fire panel have been replaced. The fire alarm system remains operational.
The Board of Education awarded the replacement components of the fire alarm control panel at Palatine High School to Johnson Controls, Incorporated at a cost of $58,286.
Board Member Expenses
In accordance with board policy, the Board must preapprove the expenses of any Board Member.
The Board approved the Pre-Approval Form for Future Expense Reimbursement for Anna Klimkowicz and Steven Rosenblum to attend the IASB Board Presidents’ Academy 2024 for Current and Aspiring School Board Presidents and Vice Presidents on June 15, 2024 as submitted.
Next Board Meeting
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held Thursday, April 25, 2024, with closed session beginning at 6:30 p.m. and open session beginning at 7:30 p.m.