Good News
Principal Pokorny Lyp and Principal Walsh both shared news about the students from
South
and
Central
who earned All District selections for band, chorus, jazz band and orchestra from the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA).
Principal Pokorny Lyp recognized several students, clubs and teams from South for their recent accomplishments, including:
- The theatre art students who earned induction into the International Thespian Society (ITS), which is the honor society for secondary school theatre students.
- The students who were selected as the first group of Breakfast Club winners for the 2019-20 school year. Every quarter, teachers nominate students for this award based on "the intangible gifts they bring to the building and classrooms" at South.
- The student-athletes who were selected to represent the school at the IHSA Leadership Conference, which is designed for and directed toward freshmen, sophomore and juniors who are "recognized as leaders in their school community and want to improve their leadership skills."
- The Hornet Math Team for taking second place overall and in a number of individual events at a recent meet held at Addison Trail High School.
- The school's marching band for taking third place at the recent Robert Morris University Marching Band Invitational.
- Billy Gneiser for taking second place in Sectionals for boys golf and qualifying for state. During the state tournament, Billy came in 15th place, which is the best finish by a golfer from South in the past 22 years.
Principal Walsh also recognized several students, clubs and teams from Central for their recent accomplishments, including:
- Catherine Collins, Lily Hart, Lorenzo Jennings, Marcos Lopez and Will Rivera for being selected to participate in the College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program, which they earned by scoring in the top 2.5% of the Hispanic and Latino students who took the PSAT/NMSQT test in the region last fall.
- The students and staff who worked on the 2018-19 edition of the school's El Diablo yearbook, which earned a rating of All-American with Four Marks of Distinction (highest possible rating) for theme, design, writing and coverage from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).
- The varsity boys golf team for taking second place in Sectionals and finishing seventh in the state tournament.
- Jessica Joy and Sarah Thornton from the girls golf team for qualifying for state.
- The students and staff members who participated in the school's 3rd Annual Day of Service.
Strategic Plan Goal 2: Learning Environment
Members of the team who are working on Goal 2 of the district’s strategic plan provided the Board with a brief update on the status of their efforts to date. This update included information about the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) they will use to measure and assess progress on their goal, which is to ensure that the learning environment promotes student well-being
.
These KPIs include:
- Student attendance
- Pre- and post-assessment for RULER
- Opportunities for student voice
- Student behavior
- Student engagement in class
- Student participation in co-curricular activities
They also shared information about some of the next steps they will be taking to advance their three strategies, including:
- Strategy 4 (Calendar and School Day) - Contact other schools to get information about their schedules and calendars; study research about topics such as start times for school, adolescent sleep and block scheduling.
- Strategy 5 (Student Involvement in Decisions) - Interview students and review the 5Essentials data; identify and talk to people who are experts in student involvement.
- Strategy 6 (Providing SEL and limiting stress) - Maintain a continuous improvement process for the implementation of RULER; prepare for the integration of SEL into the curriculum alignment; network with SEL high school cohort and sender schools.
Student Performance and Achievement Measures
The administration presented the Board with the annual academic report on student performance and achievement measures. This report, which you can access by visiting
http://bit.ly/2JkpCVK,
included the following information:
- Data for the SAT and Illinois Science assessment (pages one through three)
- An update on the work our teachers are doing this year around grading and assessment practices (page three)
- Data about ninth graders on track (page four)
- Data about graduation rates (pages five and six)
- Data about enrollment (page six)
- Data for the ACCESS test completed by the district's English Language Learners (pages seven and eight)
- Details on the district's continued implementation of the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy Program (pages eight and nine)
- Data about Advanced Placement exams (pages 10 and 11)
- Data about the National Merit Scholarship Program (page 12)
- Details about the designation scores Central and South received in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (pages 13 and 14)
The administration also shared a high-level preview of the data that will be featured on the 2019 Illinois Report Cards for Central and South, which you can access by visiting
http://bit.ly/33YXn73
.
Science Sequence Report
The district presented the Board with a report about science sequencing, which is part of the curriculum alignment work that is being conducted in conjunction with Goal 1 of the strategic plan.
In order to align the science curriculum between Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South, the district needed to look at the sequence of courses that are available to our students. Since the course sequences at the schools differed, we formed a team to investigate the science program options that would provide coherence across the two buildings.
After participating in several meetings and presentations, and also getting feedback from students, members of the science department, community members and members of the Board, the team came to the conclusion that the district's students should take a vertically-aligned sequence of science courses that builds upon the skills of the previous course. This sequence would begin with Physics in the Universe starting freshman year.
By making this change, the district will provide students with the chance to experience four different types of science (earth science, physics, chemistry and biology) over a three-year period, while also continuing to prepare them for Advanced Placement courses and electives. The change will also help us achieve the following goals:
- Align course fees, texts, objectives and semester exams
- Increase student exposure to and interest in core sciences
- Align courses with college and career opportunities
- Create a strategic and coherent science program
- Provide informed student choice in coursework junior and senior year
- Increase SEL considerations for students and parents/guardians
At the conclusion of the presentation, the Board expressed its support of the change to the science program, which will be implemented at both schools by class cohort starting in August 2020. Since this change will result in a shift in the current core course sequencing at Central, we will be aiding the transition at the school by limiting freshman enrollment in the courses in August 2020. We will then implement the change with all of the incoming freshmen at Central in August 2021. Since the change will not result in a shift in the current core course sequencing at South, all freshmen will begin in the courses when they enter the school in August 2020. In keeping with our existing practice, a student's science placement will be based on his/her math placement.
You can access the report the Board received about science sequencing by visiting
http://bit.ly/2pSJQ1S
.
You can access the presentation about science sequencing that was given during the meeting by visiting
http://bit.ly/32LV0UT.
You can also view/listen to the presentation and conversation about the topic that took place during the meeting by visiting
http://bit.ly/35ZeQhn
(presentation starts at the 57:17 mark and goes until the 1:50:50 mark).
Annual Financial Reports
Andy Mace from Klein Hall CPAs provided the Board with the district’s Annual Financial Report and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year-end 2019. You can access the two reports by visiting
http://bit.ly/2Wax4rN
.
Facilities and Special Committee Report
Facilities Committee members provided the Board with a report from their joint meeting with the special committee regarding community engagement with construction, which was held at Hinsdale South High School on October 18, 2019.
During this meeting, the two committees reviewed/discussed a recommendation on the selection of a commissioning agent. They talked about potential energy incentives and rebates. They reviewed the proposed timeline for issuing the bids associated with the work that is scheduled for completion during Phase I of the Future Ready Facilities projects. They reviewed milestone dates for bidding, budgeting and construction. They received updates about the zoning for the first phase of the Future Ready Facilities work, information about replacing air handlers and RTUs for air conditioning, and a follow-up on the boiler conversation they had during their previous meeting. There was also a review/discussion about some of the initial designs for the Phase I projects.
You can access the video from the meeting by visiting
https://vimeo.com/367824941.
Please note that, while the audio is still available, the portion of the meeting featuring the review/discussion of the designs
included drawings/schematics of our buildings that we blacked out for security reasons.
Consent Agenda
The Board voted to approve the consent agenda as presented. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit
http://bit.ly/31H8pfu
to access the
consent agenda items beginning under number six.
Authorize Benefit Plan Changes
The Board voted to authorize the district’s human resources department to implement benefit plan changes for all employees that will take effect January 1, 2020. These changes include a switch from HMO Illinois to the Blue Advantage network, and the creation of a three-tier network for the district's PPO and HSA plans. You can access information about the changes by visiting
http://bit.ly/2BNR5v7
.
Approve Forecast Assumptions
The Board voted to approve the forecast assumptions that were presented during the Committee of the Whole Meeting on Oct. 10. The administration will now use these assumptions to update the district's five-year forecast projections, which will be presented to the Board in November. You can access the forecast assumptions that were shared with the Board on Oct. 10 by visiting
http://bit.ly/2WhtBYJ
.
Award RFP #20-013: Commissioning Authority
The Board voted to award RFP #20-013: Commissioning Authority in the amount of $129,500 to AMSCO Engineering to provide defined services in connection with the referendum projects. The district received four responses to the request for proposals it issued on September 5, 2019. The district’s evaluation committee unanimously recommended that AMSCO Engineering be awarded the RFP due to their local presence and the fact that their proposed fees were the lowest of all the respondents. You can access additional information about the selection process and recommendation by visiting
http://bit.ly/33Rc8IQ
.
Approve 2020 Summer School Calendar
The Board voted to approve the following proposed dates for the 2020 summer school program (credit-bearing course and enrichment courses and workshops), which were presented during the Committee of the Whole Meeting on October 10.
Credit-Bearing Courses (Monday - Friday)
Semester 1: Monday, June 8 - Friday, June 26 (15 days)
Semester 2: Monday, June 29 - Friday, July 17 (15 days)
Enrichment Courses and Workshops (Monday - Thursday)
Monday, June 8 - Thursday, June 25 (12 days)
Monday, June 29 - Thursday, July 28 (12 days)
Approve Agreement with SASS for Social Work and Therapy Services
The Board voted to approve an agreement with the DuPage County Health Department’s Screening, Assessment and Support Services (SASS) for social work and therapy services. SASS will provide services to students who are Medicaid eligible and experiencing a mental health crisis. You can access a copy of the agreement by visiting
http://bit.ly/3639i5M
.
Approve Agreement with the YWCA for Social Work and Therapy Services
The Board voted to approve an agreement with the YWCA for social work and therapy services. The YWCA provides free services to adolescents who have experienced sexual trauma. You can access a copy of the agreement by visiting
http://bit.ly/2p9evbj
.
Approve Polices on Second Read
The Board conducted a second reading and voted to approve the creation of policy
4:16 (Information Security)
, and revisions to policy
7:190 (Student Behavior).
The Board conducted a first reading of these policies during the Committee of the Whole Meeting on October 10.
The Board tabled the revisions to policy
7:270 (Administering Medicines to Students)
to give the Policy Committee the time and opportunity to explore whether information about the management of diabetes needs to be added to the document.
Board President’s Report
Board President Nancy Pollak thanked Hinsdale Central for inviting her and the other Board members to take part in the school's 3rd Annual Day of Service on Oct. 19.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss provided an update on the work being done in conjunction with the district's strategic plan. She mentioned that she and Perry Soldwedel from the Consortium for Educational Change will be meeting with several of the goal champions on Oct. 25 to talk about the status of their work, as well as the Key Performance Indicators they will be using to measure their progress. She also shared that updates on Goals 1 and 5 will be presented to the Board in November, while updates on Goals 3 and 4 will occur in December.
Superintendent Prentiss mentioned that she held her second Superintendent's Roundtable meeting on Oct. 22. During this session, the group continued its book study of
"The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Anchor
, and engaged in further conversation about ways to improve the workplace environment across the district.
Superintendent Prentiss talked about her most recent Wednesday Walkthrough, which included visits to math and Spanish classes at Hinsdale South, and check-ins at Hinsdale Central on the work our teachers are doing this year around grading and assessment practices.
Superintendent Prentiss mentioned that a letter regarding Sterigenics was sent to the retired teachers and support staff for whom we have mailing addresses.
Superintendent Prentiss also discussed the conversations she has had and will continue to have with the Illinois State Board of Education about the way the state factors our students from the Transition Center into the graduation rates for Central and South.
Financial and Treasury Reports
Per its regular cadence of reporting, the administration provided the Board with the financial and treasury reports for September 2019. You can access the financial report by visiting
http://bit.ly/2MIsfCO
and the treasury report by visiting
http://bit.ly/2BO8DHv
.
Operational Calendar and Future Agenda Items
The meeting adjourned at 9:29 p.m. You can watch the video of the meeting by visiting
http://bit.ly/35ZeQhn
.
