Board Briefs

July 27, 2020

Deerfield Public Schools District 109

Deerfield Public Schools District 109

Deerfield Public Schools District 109

517 Deerfield Road, Deerfield, IL, USA esteckling@dps109.org (847) 945-1844 dps109.org

Board Meeting Details

The July 27 board meeting was held in person at the LMC at Shepard Middle School. Due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, only 50 people were permitted inside the LMC observing proper social distancing and wearing face coverings. An overflow viewing room was provided in the Shepard cafeteria with space to accommodate 50 extra people. Members of the public could listen/observe the meeting by logging in to a designated Zoom webinar. For open/community participation we created a dedicated voicemail line for public comment.

Public Hearing

A public hearing was held concerning the proposed 2020-21 Budget. There were no comments.

Community Participation Relative to Matters on the Meeting Agenda

Community members spoke during public comment about concerns regarding District 109’s School Reopening Plans. Sixty-six voice mails from the dedicated public comment line were played as well.


Superintendent's Report

  • Mr. Rafferty thanked the Board, Administration, and staff for their dedication and hard work in regards to the School Reopening Plans, and thanked the community for their involvement.

  • Ms. Arnold and Mrs. Faust presented an overview of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and Subcommittees which are being formed in the District 109 Community. You can see a copy of the presentation here.

Freedom of Information Requests

Dr. Filippi shared a summary of FOIA requests.

School Reopening Update

Dr. Filippi, Ms. Arnold, Ms. Ford and the Co-Interim Superintendents presented the plans for reopening school along with survey data from the staff and community. You can find the presentation from the board meeting here. The 46-page packet detailing all of the scenarios examined and presented by the reopening committee can be found here.

Construction Update

Mr. Himebaugh presented an update on the ongoing Summer 2020 construction projects including Kipling roof and boiler replacement, South Park boiler replacement, and Wilmot boiler replacement.

First Reading Policy Updates

The following policies, based on Policy Reference Education Subscription Service (PRESS) releases, have been reviewed and drafts are being presented for addition to the Board of Education Policies: 2:20, 2:70, 2:100, 2:105, 2:110, 2:200, 2:220, 2:250, 2:260, 3:50, 4:15, 4:30, 4:80, 4:110, 4:140, 4:150, 4:170, 4:175, 5:10, 5:20, 5:30, 5:50, 5:90, 5:100, 5:120, 5:150, 5:190, 5:200, 5:220, 5:250, 5:260, 5:290, 5:330, 6:15, 6:60, 6:65, 6:210, 7:20, 7:150, 7:180, 7:190, 7:200, 7:270, 7:290, 7:340, & 8:30

Action Items

Consent Agenda was approved.


Personnel items were approved.


Bills for payment were approved.


The May 2020 Treasurer’s Report was approved.


Meeting minutes from June 8, 2020 and June 22, 2020 were approved.


The destruction of closed session recordings from January 14, 2019 was approved.


The Quarterly Treasurer’s Report and Year End June was approved.


The Final FY21 Budget was approved.


The Recommendation to Approve a Resolution for a School Reopening Plan was approved.


A motion was made for the addition of a separate vote to adopt the administration’s Recommendation for Reopening School, as noted in agenda item # 7.4, which was approved.


Open Community Participation

Community members spoke during public comment about concerns regarding District 109’s School Reopening Plans.

Upcoming School Board Meetings

Monday, August 24, 2020 -- Regular Board Meeting

Monday, September 21, 2020 -- Regular Board Meeting