DeKalb Times

West Aurora School District 129 Board of Education met Nov. 18.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Board Members Present:

Robert Gonzalez, Valerie Brown Dykstra, Ira Lathan, Richard Kerns, Christopher Sparks, Melody Saperston, and Mr. Thomas St. Jules

Board Members Absent:

None

Board Secretary:

Joy Engfer

Administration present:

Dr. Jeff Craig – Superintendent, Dr. Brent Raby – Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, Angie Smith – Assistant Superintendent of Operations, and Dr. Michael Smith – Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources

Meeting called to order at 6:00 PM.

1. Opening Items

Procedural: 1.1 Call to Order

Robert Gonzalez, Board President, called the meeting to order and asked the secretary to call the roll.

Procedural: 1.2 Roll Call

Upon the roll call, all members of the Board were present.

Procedural: 1.3 Pledge of Allegiance

Robert Gonzalez, Board President, led the pledge of allegiance.

2. Recognitions

Recognition: 2.1 Recognition of Visitors

The following members of the audience wished to have their presence recognized:

Procedural: 2.2 Public Comment: Identification of Audience wishing to address the Board

No members of the audience wished to address the Board.

Information, Recognition: 2.3 Those Who Make a Difference

Anna Gonzales, Director of Community Affairs, let the Board know that tonight we will be honoring a member of the support staff from Freeman Elementary. She called Crystal Dvorak, Principal of Freeman Elementary, to the podium. Principal Dvorak introduced Joni Ruhs, crossing guard for Freeman Elementary. Principal Dvorak expounded on her hard work and dedication. She thanked Joni for all that she does to help students and families before and after school. She has served the Freeman community for eight years. The Board thanked her for keeping the students safe. The Board broke for pictures.

3. Consent Agenda

Action (Consent): 3.1 Approval of the Consent Agenda for November 18, 2019

Mr. Thomas St. Jules motioned, second by Mr. Richard Kerns that the Board of Education approve the items contained in the consent agenda for November 18, 2019

Final Resolution: Motion Carries (7-0)

Yea: Mr. Robert Gonzalez, Mrs. Valerie Brown Dykstra, Mr. Ira Lathan, Mr. Richard Kerns, Mr. Christopher Sparks, Mrs. Melody Saperston, Mr. Thomas St Jules

Note: All items approved within the consent agenda are listed below.

Action (Consent), Minutes: 3.2 Approval of Minutes from the November 4, 2019 Open and Closed Board Meetings

Resolution: That the Board of Education approve the minutes from the November 4, 2019 open and closed board meetings.

Action (Consent): 3.3 Approval Of The Bill Listing

Resolution: That the Board of Education approve the bill listing for November 18, 2019.

Action (Consent): 3.4 Approval of the Personnel Report for November 18, 2019

Resolution: That the Board of Education approve the Personnel Report for November 18, 2019

Action (Consent): 3.5 Approval of ESSA Plans

Resolution: That the Board of Education approve the ESSA improvement plans for Greenman Elementary, Hall Elementary, Jefferson Middle School, and Washington School for the 2019-2020 school year, as previously presented.

Action (Consent): 3.6 Approval of Board Policy Update 4.020

Resolution: That the Board of Education approve the update to policy 4.020, as previously presented.

4. Information

Information: 4.1 School Improvement Plan – Freeman Elementary

Crystal Dvorak, Principal of Freeman Elementary, addressed the Board with Melissa Righter, Assistant Principal of Freeman Elementary, to present their school improvement plan for this year. Principal Dvorak began by talking about connections and what that means to their community. The school improvement structure has changed and that has allowed them to think in a different way about success and what that means to their building. She wants Freeman to be known as a place that builds strong relationships and connections. When staff was asked "Who is Freeman", many stated that it was a home away from home. Assistant Principal Righter began by talking about the goals for this year. The first goal relates to connections through relationships. She went through ways that they are building relationships throughout the building. They have built monthly focuses that all tie back to the CASEL competencies. They also have monthly Mustang assemblies that include the larger school community and also has a student recognition piece. Principal Dvorak then went through the connections through curriculum and student thinking. She talked about the math resource, "Investigations", and how beneficial this has been and allowed students to think in a different way. They showed a short video from the lens of two Freeman teachers. Melissa talked about the Freeman community and how they are striving to build deeper relationships with the families. Crystal acknowledged those staff members that were in attendance. She then opened for questions. The entire presentation can be found on BoardDocs.

Information: 4.2 Technology Request for Information

Don Ringelestein, Director of Technology, presented the technology request for information. This is part of the technology refresh process. We go through a five year refresh cycle with these solutions. This proposal will go out to vendors and then he will bring back recommendations. The Board asked questions regarding cloud based applications and the other print servers. This will always be a mix, in order to keep data as secure as possible.

Information: 4.3 School Bus Bid

Lynn Head, Director of Transportation, presented the school bus bid for this year. The bid is similar to last year and the cost will remain flat, year over year. She reminded the Board that we are done with diesel and this is the first year with all gas. The Board had no other questions.

Information: 4.4 Community Affairs Update to the Board

Anna Gonzales, Director of Community Affairs, presented the update. She began by recognizing the outstanding efforts of our school board. Today also begins American Education Week. She also highlighted the community partners rally for the kick off of the 2020 census. There are several building concerts and programs throughout the buildings. The entire update can be found on BoardDocs.

5. Discussion

Discussion: 5.1 Field of Dreams - Phase 2

Pat Callahan, Studio GC, presented the next step in the Field of Dreams process that is occurring at West Aurora High School. He recognized members of the audience, Neal Ormond and Roger Curless, who have been instrumental in helping identify the needs of the stadium at the high school. Part of next summer's upcoming work includes the restrooms, press box, and some of the bleachers. He continued to discuss the needed improvements at the stadium and timelines for those improvements. Pat showed a video illustration of what the improvements will look like, once completed. This investment would also provide a higher degree of security. Angie Smith gave the Board background information on Field of Dreams phase one that occurred many years ago. She stated that there are still funds in this account, and in accordance with the sports boosters, funds will be leveraged to make sure these projects are taken care of. The Board continued to discuss this project.

Discussion: 5.2 2019 Tax Levy - Step 2

Ryan Abrahamson, Director of Finance, highlighted the levy that he spoke on at the last meeting. We continue to see growth on the EAV. He reminded that we always ask for more money in anticipation of seeing less. The 2019 levy will be approved at the next meeting.

6. Comments

Procedural: 6.1 Public Comments: Audience Members Wishing to Speak to the Board Regarding a Non-Agenda Item

No members of the audience wished to address the Board.

Information: 6.2 Superintendent Comments

Dr. Jeff Craig, Superintendent, let the Board know that we have seen a trend in power outages throughout the District this year. He met with the ComEd representative today to make sure that the District is doing all they can to make sure this is not a cause on our end. He highlighted the need for urgency, when this occurs. On Wednesday, Dr. Carmen Ayala, State Superintendent, will be visiting our early childhood center and touring our facility. He also updated the Board on a student government class email that was received. Anna Gonzales was able to secure some of our local lawmakers to meet with the student group and listen to their concerns.

Information: 6.3 Student Board Member Comments

Luis Lopez, Student Board Member, highlighted the Veterans Day Assembly and how moving this event was. The students also watched an ALICE training drill to better prepare students for a possible active shooter. He said this was very helpful.

Information: 6.4 Board Member Comments & Dates to Remember

The Board mentioned some of the upcoming events such as Bingo, Jazz Coffee House production, and the Triple I conference. The next regular board meeting will be December 9, 2019.

7. Adjournment

Action, Procedural: 7.1 Adjourn

Mr. Christopher Sparks motioned, second by Mrs. Valerie Brown Dykstra to adjourn.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries (7-0)

Yea: Mr. Robert Gonzalez, Mrs. Valerie Brown Dykstra, Mr. Ira Lathan, Mr. Richard Kerns, Mr. Christopher Sparks, Mrs. Melody Saperston, and Mr. Thomas St. Jules.

Meeting adjourned at 6:57 PM.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/asd129/Board.nsf/vpublic?open#tab-meetings