President’s Report
District 115 Board President David Lane yielded his time to the next speakers.
Superintendent’s Report
Lake Forest High School senior and Student Body President Sarah Bires reported on student life this spring. Sarah shared her insights on e-Learning, describing her teachers’ “exceptional” efforts to create meaningful learning experiences with remote lectures, worksheets, quizzes, and a spirit of accommodation. She said many students were anticipating Advanced Placement (AP) testing and that teachers had made an effort to adjust review guides to reflect this year’s shorter tests. Sarah gave high marks to this year’s at-home Prom acknowledging the creativity demonstrated by the Junior Class in its planning and execution. In closing, Sarah said most seniors hope for a chance to say goodbye to their teachers and an in-person graduation experience, if possible.
Superintendent Mike Simeck shared a recording of the
virtual performance
of “Light in the Hallway,” sung by members of the Lake Forest High School Choir and directed by retiring LFHS Choir Director Tim Haskett, noting the accomplishment would be
covered by CBS Chicago
later that evening.
Lake Forest High School Principal Chala Holland began her remarks offering condolences to the family of LFHS senior Patrick Roemer and acknowledged the importance of staying connected and supportive of the student community at this time. Chala thanked Donati’s for its generous fundraising partnership for Prom. Looking ahead, she reminded the community that Honors Night would be held virtually on May 28th at 7:00 PM and discussed key takeaways from online meetings with seniors and their counselors over recent weeks. In particular, she said students were missing each other and hoping for an opportunity for in-person closure to the school year. Chala concluded with an update on this year’s Service Awards, noting the consistently generous spirit of LFHS students.
Superintendent Mike Simeck reported that he had been in contact with building administrators following the loss of Patrick Roemer and confirmed that social workers and psychologists were actively reaching out to students and staff to provide support and would continue to do so during the balance of the school year and into the summer. Before delivering his full report, Mike offered clarifying points regarding projected construction costs following discussion of the draft Facility Oversight Committee report during the April BOE meeting.
Mike updated the Board on plans for graduation, and shared that committees were working on dual approaches for both virtual and in-person ceremonies. Noting Governor Pritzker’s five-phased plan to
Restore Illinois
, Mike said any approach taken for graduation would align with the state’s guidance which was updated earlier in the month, adding drive-through commencement ceremonies as an option. Mike said a traditional, in-person graduation with thousands of people was unlikely. In response, Board President David Lane strongly encouraged the Administration to revisit the idea of an in-person graduation. He said marking this milestone in person would not only allow the Class of 2020 to be together as a group one last time, but it would also give the community an opportunity to celebrate each student individually and provide a much-needed sense of closure for students following this challenging chapter in their lives.
View video for complete report
.
Public Participation
Residents presented their views on contracts (Board consideration later on agenda), equipment, and facility and systems maintenance. One resident also inquired about the availability of contracts for public view. Superintendent Mike Simeck responded that all contracts were available to the public online in the Board Packet.
View video for complete report
.
Facility Oversight Committee Report
Superintendent Mike Simeck provided contextual comments regarding recommendations made in the final
Facilities Oversight Committee Report
. Architects Perkins & Will reviewed a consolidated view of prioritized recommendations for the next three years with the intent to group like projects together, allowing for the most cost-effective bids possible.
View video for complete report
.
Board of Education Committee
Board Finance & Operations Committee
Committee Chair Sally Davis reported that the committee would meet one more time to wrap up the academic year and that meeting would be posted.
View video for complete report
.
ED-RED and Legislative Updates
ED-RED liaison John Noble shared highlights of his
full report
, noting a white paper addressing FY21 budget decisions including insights gleaned from an evidence-based funding formula and professional review panel. John suggested that while not confirmed, we should plan for state budget reductions. He noted that work on mandate relief was gaining some momentum and said a draft report on legislative priorities would be presented to the Board in June.
View video for complete report
.
Action Items
Approved: Director of Human Resources Contract
The
Board Highlights
are not the official minutes of the Board of Education.
Minutes, once approved, all board agendas, packets, and videos can be found
here
.
Upcoming Meetings
Monday, June 8, 2020, 7:00 PM, LFHS West Campus Board Room or by conference call, pursuant to any updates to Governor Pritzker’s order to suspend physical presence requirements under the Open Meetings Act to all public bodies across the state. The public will be updated accordingly.
