January Issue of Matter of Fact

Volume 29 | January 2017

News from the January 24, 2017 Meeting

NBJh Gifted and Talented Coordinator Becky Heller and eighth-grader Angela Zhao, who scored in the top 1% in the nation on the AMC8 math test contest.

Student Scores in Top 1% in National Math Contest

Northbrook Junior High School eighth-grader Angela Zhao provided a short math lesson to the Board of Education, highlighting her skills that helped her achieve among the top 1 percent of students in the nation.

Zhao was one of 16 District 28 students to participate in the American Mathematics Competition 8, created by the Mathematical Association of America.

This year, the combined score of the top three students resulted in the school earning a spot on the national merit honor roll, said Becky Heller, the junior high gifted and talented coordinator.

The three other top-scoring students at NBJH were John Raub, Mason Durst, Joanna Gusis.

Board Briefs

Rate of Inflation to Help Boost Revenues

The Consumer Price Index for December 2016 was 2.1%, the biggest increase in the rate of inflation in five years.

The CPI is the figure used to calculate revenue growth in the District’s property tax levy. State law limits increases in the amount school districts can request in property taxes to the December CPI or 5 percent, whichever is less.

So, the higher CPI is good news for the District as revenues struggle to keep pace with expenses such as employee salaries and benefits, transportation costs and student services costs, which can rise based on enrollment and student needs. The CPI has been 1.5 percent or less for the last three years.

The Consumer Price Index is issued by the U.S. Department of Labor and is a measure that represents the changes in price level of a market basket of consumer goods and services. The 2.1% CPI will be applied to the 2017 tax levy, which is filed in December 2017.

High School Joins Transportation Bid

District 28 has been part of a joint transportation agreement for many years with the other elementary districts in Northfield Township. The partnership has offered economy of scale and cost savings for student bus service. This year, Glenbrook High School District 225 is joining the group to bid for a new, three-year contract. It was expected that adding the high school district would provide even greater continuity of service for families, lower costs, and create more competition among bus companies.

Through the competitive bidding process, costs came in higher than expected, however. The last bidding process took place in 2014. Chief School Business Officials Jessica Donato said the contract costs being offered fall within the average costs of surrounding districts. The districts are studying their options.

Teacher/Aide Joins NBJH Staff

Miles Russell joins District 28 with experience as both a special education assistant and special education teacher. He will serve part-time in both capacities at Northbrook Junior High for the remainder of the school year.

Mr. Russell most recently worked as a special education teacher in Libertyville District 70. He will supplement services for special education students.

Happenings Around the District

Family Fun Day Raises $7,000

The PTO Council and the Fred Outa Foundation want to thank all the families who participated and contributed to the Family Fun Day on Monday, Jan. 16. The event raised $7,000 for the Fred Outa Foundation, which will go to the District’s sister schools in Kenya.

LEARN MORE

Demonstration Lesson on Math

Teachers learn from each other and share ideas in Demonstration Classrooms, which are held for K-5 and junior high teachers periodically throughout the year.

Recently at Meadowbrook, 15 teachers from across the district observed Miss Jablonski teach a math lesson and use a variety of tools to help students with different learning styles. Teachers met before and after the demonstration to discuss best practices and how to apply them in their own classroom. “It’s nice to get ideas from other teachers,” said one veteran teacher participating in the workshop.

43 Participate in Science Fair

Is your phone killing your memory? Is the will to take a risk based on age? Does music affect long-term memory? Those are just three of the 43 questions seventh- and eighth-grade students spent the fall semester exploring as part of the Independent Science Research class.

Of 43 participants, 27 students received a gold award and qualified to advance to the regional science fair, the Illinois Junior Academy of Science, in March.

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Board of Education

Josh Prober, President

Anthony Forchetti, Vice President

Carol Currie

Michael Gilmore

Louis Gross

Michelle Kohler

Tracy Katz Muhl

Contact: boardofeducation@northbrook28.net

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