District 15 Board of Education News

District 15 had three fourth graders and three sixth graders who received a perfect score in the WordMasters Challenge™, which is a national competition for students in grades 3-8 that encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning.

• Ryan E. (Frank C. Whiteley)
• Kiefen H. (Frank C. Whiteley)
• Sophia L. (Hunting Ridge)
• Caleb M. (Frank C. Whiteley)
• Gabriel L. (Hunting Ridge)
• Sean Z. (Hunting Ridge)

In addition, District 15 had three schools place in the second WordMasters Meet! Frank C. Whiteley, Hunting Ridge, and Central Road had teams that scored in the top 10! We are so proud of their commitment to words. Congratulations!

Following a fire at the WindHaven Complex in Palatine, our community sprung into action. There were many families and individuals impacted by this devastating fire and District 15 had several students who were a part of that group. Partners For Our Communities (POC) worked with local organizations to create a donation drive for those impacted. Thanks to the communities’ generosity, the POC is at capacity with all of the donations that came in.

One of the local organizations that reached out to District 15 immediately after receiving the notice of the donation drive was St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church. St. Nectarios donated over $8,500 worth of gift cards to the POC to be distributed to the people impacted by the fire! We are so grateful to have such dedicated partners in St. Nectario’s. District 15 is simply overwhelmed by the generosity of our community. Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, or provided support to those impacted by the WindHaven Complex fire.

The District will need to transfer $4.75 million from the Transportation Fund balance to the Educational Fund to cover excess expenditures in the 2022-23 FY. This transfer is in compliance with state accounting requirements and fund balance guidance.

The School Code requires the Board to hold a public hearing authorizing an interfund transfer from the Transportation Fund prior to Board action formally authorizing the transfer. A notice was published in the Daily Herald on April 3, 2023, setting the hearing date of April 12, 2023. The Board approved the Interfund Transfer Resolution.

Members of the District 15 facility team, Dr. Heinz, CSBO McCluskey, Architects from both Wold and Arcon, members of the Nicholas and Associates construction management team, and RSP boundary consultants provided the Board with a comprehensive update on our Moving 15 Forward initiative. In the presentation, the team shared an overview of the Phase 1 (Plum Grove Junior High School, Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, and Thomas Jefferson) bid process as well as site logistics and final renderings for the schools going through construction this summer. Phase 2 construction projects are under development and will go out to bid in July 2023 and the Phase 3 and 4 projects will go to bid in the Fall of 2023.

The team shared an update on the 1-5 year master facility plan, specific areas of spending, as well as a financial update regarding the referendum bond.

Dr. Tom Edgar, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Emily McFadden, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Megan Preis, Assistant Director of Curriculum, and Julie Crawford, Curriculum Coordinator presented an update on the junior high human growth and development. The committee utilized its Research Design Implementation Model (RDIM) process to review the junior high human growth and development curriculum.

The committee recommends continuing to use Candor Health Education’s Teen Sexual Health 1 course while also continuing to monitor the policy, standards, and needs of students and staff. The committee also recommends continuing to support instructional practices through vetted professional development. Content will be moved from 7th grade to 8th grade with supplemental materials created to support lessons to support Illinois standards and mandates.

The committee also recommends improving transparent access to content for families and providing clear communication of the alignment of materials and the opt-out process. Parents/guardians will receive a letter informing them of an upcoming lesson and the District plans to also provide a parent/guardian night so guardians can see the presentation and information being shared prior to the lesson taking place for their child.

View the Junior High Human Growth and Development Presentation here.

District 15’s insurance committee met with the goal of keeping insurance offerings strong for employees while also monitoring the cost. The district met with representatives from AGM, the district’s insurance consultant, to discuss the 2023-2024 medical, dental, and vision renewal. The Insurance Committee recommends that the District renew five medical plans with BCBS, for a total premium increase of 4.9%, a modest increase compared to the market, which is trending at about 7%, per AGM market analysis.

View the insurance renewal information here.

ED-RED Committee

Board Member Annerino shared tenure dismissal hearings and a student protections bill passed the house, they are working on a bill for new student arrivals, and the TIF reform were the major highlights.

one-five Foundation

Board Member Taylor shared the 50/50 raffle winner took home $15,000, the next event is the Family Fun Run/Walk on May 20. Check the one-five website for details or to register. Staff tributes coming up soon!

Finance Committee

Board Members Hunt and Wang shared there are no new updates at this time.

Equity Committee

Board Members Khan and Ader shared that they met with Dr. Heinz and Robyn Cook and discussed a timeline for the strategic plan. The district will see the draft in May and the Equity Committee will meet in advance to review and ask questions. They will continue discussions about how the community can see/ask questions about the plan and how the work of the Equity Committee can align with the work of the strategic plan committee to evaluate how the plan is being followed after it is developed.

Board Policy PRESS 8:090 Second Reading

The Board engaged in a second reading of Policy 8:090. They will revisit this policy at the May meeting for further discussion and decision-making.

View the policy in BoardDocs.