Equal Opportunities Presentation
Stan Eisenhammer and Pam Simaga from Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP (HLERK) provided the board with a presentation about the laws that govern equal educational opportunities for students and how those laws should be applied in District 86. This presentation featured the following:
- The purpose for the presentation, which was to provide information about the laws referenced above and address concerns raised by some community members that the difference in enrollment between Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South has led to unequal educational opportunities for students.
- An overview of the laws that govern equity in education, including the U.S. Constitution, more specifically the Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment); Title VI; Illinois School Code, more specifically Section 10-20.12; ISBE Rule, more specifically Section 1.240.
- Information about several school-related court cases involving the Equal Protection Clause.
- Information about how the Equal Protection Clause applies to District 86 - i.e., the board of education is a form of government and must follow the clause; the board divides students into two schools; there are differences between the schools.
- Information about the rules for reviewing the Equal Protection Clause - i.e., rational basis review or a heightened scrutiny review.
- Information about how to determine what rule to apply to a situation, and the role that factors such as suspect class (i.e., race or sex) and fundamental rights (e.g., voting, religion, speech, parentage, education, etc.) play in that determination.
- Information about the application of the rules to District 86. While Hinsdale South has more students of color, there is no evidence that attendance boundaries were drawn, set up, changed or gerrymandered to separate students by race or filter more students of color to South. In addition, the Office of Civil Rights found that the elimination of the buffer zone had little to no impact on students of color.
- Factors that show why the district's current boundaries pass the rational basis review of the Equal Protection Clause.
- Reasons why the differences between Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South pass the rational basis review of the Equal Protection Clause.
- HLERK's legal opinion, based on its review of the law, that Hinsdale South students are not being denied access to equal educational opportunities, and that District 86 is compliant with school equity rules.
- Basis of HLERK's legal opinion, including state metrics (i.e., teacher retention and rates of early college coursework and postsecondary enrollment).
- Information about the efforts the district has undertaken to ameliorate the differences between Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South, including using student interest as the basis for selecting and maintaining sports and activities, and students being allowed to take classes at the other school if it is not offered at their own.
- Other ideas for addressing the issue - continue to monitor, continue to consider educational impact, examine salary schedule scatter grams by school or apply the rules set forth in the presentation.
Update on Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan
Principals Bill Walsh and Arwen Pokorny Lyp presented the board with the outcomes of the work the Learning Leadership Team (LLT) did with teachers this year to align the district’s grading and assessment practices. This presentation included the following:
- Information about the purpose of the work.
- Provide consistent communication of academic standing for students and parents
- Align course teams grading practices
- Provide consistent communication of student progress to parents
- Increase equity in grading and reporting practices
- The reason for the formation of the LLT and how it aligns to the strategic plan.
- The names of the people on the LLT.
- The dates the LLT met, as well as the dates that all teachers worked together on the district's grading and assessment practices.
- The names of the researchers who were studied by the district's department chairs, as well as the names of the ones (Thomas Guskey, Myron Dueck, Ken O'Connor and Alex Bowers) the LLT and teachers used to guide their work.
- The district's grading purpose statement - "In District 86, grades communicate achievement on course objectives and support meaningful student learning and growth."
- The district's current levels of consistency for grading (district, district departments, district course teams and individual teachers), and the levels/categories selected by the LLT (district, district course teams and district course teams with district parameters).
- The rationale for each of the levels/categories selected by the LLT.
- A chart depicting the level/category at which various aspects of grading and assessment practices (e.g., use of zeros, extra credit, grading scale, weight of homework, retakes, etc.) will be decided and enforced.
- The LLT will create teams to do more research and propose practices for the course team parameters and district consistency levels.
- The implementation of practices in alignment with the strategic plan.
Members of the Math Pathways team provided an update on the work they have been doing the past several months to align the district's math courses and curriculum. This update included:
- The names of the people on the Math Pathways Team.
- The purpose of the Math Pathways Team and mission of the district's math department.
- The goals of the Math Pathways Team and how they are aligned to the strategic plan.
- Information about the summer work and next steps the Math Pathways Team will be undertaking.
- A chart featuring information about the two models/pathways the Math Pathways Team will be researching - the traditional model, which is what is currently being used by the district, and an integrated model. Regardless of the pathway chosen for the district, there will be a course for students who have not yet mastered the skills needed to be successful in a first year high school course. In addition, AP computer science courses will continue to be offered.
- Information about how stakeholders will be involved in the research and decision-making processes associated with the work going forward. Groups that have already been identified and will play a key role in advancing this work include:
- Feeder schools
- Special education staff
- Counseling departments
- Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC)
- Information about how future updates regarding the status of the work will be shared with the community.
Committee Reports
Members of the Policy Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on May 11. During this meeting, the committee:
- Reviewed changes that the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) made to policies in conjunction with the updates it issued in October 2019 and March 2020. When the district's policy manual is approved by the board, it will be current with IASB.
- Received a presentation about a resolution to suspend certain graduation requirements due to COVID-19. The committee recommended that the board adopt the resolution, which it did during its meeting on May 14.
- Discussed a proposed plan to rescind policy 8:22 (Community Organizations Utilizing District 86 Names). During its meeting on June 8, the policy committee will invite affected groups covered under the policy to hear the proposed timeline for rescinding it and give them the chance to comment on the potential impact of that action. The recommendation to rescind policy 8:22, as well as the process and timeline for doing so, will be presented to the board at a future meeting.
- Discussed the agendas for its meetings in June.
- Discussed its meeting schedule for the 2020-21 school year.
Members of the joint Facilities and Special Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on May 15. During this meeting, the committee:
- Received an update about COVID-19 exposures that occurred during construction. The necessary protocols were enacted following reports of minimal exposures involving two employees. One employee returned to work, while the other's return was pending. There have been no additional cases reported.
- Learned that weekly updates regarding construction will be shared with students, staff, families and community members via email and/or social media.
- Received a monthly schedule update from Pepper Construction. This update included information about the projects that began ahead of schedule given the suspension of in-person instruction due to COVID-19.
- Received updates about zoning, permits, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) requirements and energy incentives.
- Received a Phase 1 Financial Update that included a financial summary, details about contingency use and a contingency disbursement log.
Members of the Finance Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on May 20. During this meeting, the committee:
- Discussed the Treasurer's Bond for fiscal year 2021.
- Reviewed the recommendation from the administration to extend hazard pay to specific district employees who were required to physically attend work during the stay-at-home order to complete job responsibilities.
- Reviewed the expenditures (leases, network storage and staff laptops) that were being moved from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2020 to create flexibility in the budget. There will be a hearing during the board meeting on June 25 to adopt an amended budget for fiscal year 2020 that will reflect the changes above and account for the referendum construction activity.
- Reviewed revenue assumptions for major sources for fiscal year 2021. The budget for fiscal year 2021 will assume a lower tax collection rate, reduced interest earnings and reduced corporate replacement tax payments. Following the meeting, the state of Illinois indicated that evidence-based funding and categorical payments for next year will be in line with current year amounts. This new information will result in a revision of the assumptions discussed by the committee.
- Reviewed projects that had been deferred from previous iterations of the referendum in 2018 and 2019. The committee recommended that these projects return to the board as a discussion item.The committee also reviewed details about the incoming water service project related to requirements from IDPH and the Hinsdale Fire Department, and recommended that the project be presented to the board as an action item on May 28.
In addition to receiving the reports, the board voted to release the draft minutes from these meetings as part of the consent agenda.
Bond Premium Update
During its meeting on May 14, the board received a presentation about the bond premium for the third referendum bond sale. Following the presentation, the board discussed the possibility of using the bond premium from the third bond sale to address additional facilities needs that fall outside of the referendum work, are operational in nature or are tied to our strategic plan. It also asked the administration and Finance Committee to revisit the list of projects that could potentially be funded using the bond premium, with special focus or emphasis placed on projects that are critical from an operational standpoint or will benefit the greatest number of students.
As mentioned above, the Finance Committee discussed this topic on May 20, and recommended that the board continue to talk about it on May 28. On May 28, the board received additional details about possible classroom renovations and technology upgrades, as well as updated cost estimates on all potential projects.
Approve Bond Premium Project (Water Service)
The board approved the utilization of the bond premium for an amount not to exceed $698,284 that will be used to fund work on the incoming water service at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South, which will satisfy requirements set forth by IDPH and the Hinsdale Fire Department. The Finance Committee recommended that the board approve this use of the bond premium so that:
- The district could accept the alternate bid that was received as part of bid period 2 to lock in the pricing.
- A portion of the work can be completed over the summer.
Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda as presented. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit
https://bit.ly/3deNLdg to access the consent agenda items beginning under number seven.
Approve 2019-20 School Year Calendar
The board approved revisions to the 2019-20 school calendar that were made due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the amended calendar by visiting
https://bit.ly/3c9gRJH.
Approve Revisions to Student Discipline Rules for the 2020-21 School Year
The board approved the proposed revisions to student discipline rules for the 2020-21 school year as presented. These revisions were reviewed and discussed by the board during its meeting on May 14, and by the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC) during its meeting on April 21.
Approve Hazard Pay
Per the administration’s recommendation, the board approved a one-time lump sum hazard payment of $1,000 to 51 employees who have been required to work on campus in order to perform essential duties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below are the remarks Board President Kevin Camden made during the meeting to thank these employees for their hard work and dedicated service.
"We want to take a few moments this evening to thank the 51 members of our buildings and grounds, security and technology departments who have answered the district’s call for on-site assistance and support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While most of us have been doing our jobs or attending school remotely during the past couple of months, these dedicated individuals have ventured from their homes to ensure that we had the necessary systems and resources in place to continue providing access to quality instruction. They have worked tirelessly to keep our facilities secure and the members of our community safe. They have also invested a great deal of time and energy into creating a cleaner and healthier learning environment that we will all benefit from when we are able to return to our buildings.
To show our appreciation for their efforts, we are asking the board to approve a one-time payment of $1,000 to each of the employees who are listed in the document that accompanies this agenda item. We are profoundly grateful not only for the vital and valuable services they have provided in this time of crisis, but for all that they do for our students, staff, families and community on a daily basis."
You can access additional information about this agenda item by visiting
https://bit.ly/2WSallc. Please note that the action item was amended at the board table to include additional employees who were inadvertently left off the original list.
Accept Desk Donation
The board accepted a donation of 500 desks from Twin Star Home, and services from International Transload Logistics (ITL) that will be used to transport and deliver the desks. The desks will be used to replace the aging furniture used by staff.
Approve Settlement Agreement
The board approved the settlement agreement in the Matter of Patel et al v District 86 [Case No. 20-cv-893] as presented. In accordance with the agreement, President Camden read the following statement during the meeting:
"The Board acknowledges that under the First Amendment and Open Meetings Act, Meeta Patel, Kara Kuo and Kim Notaro should have been allowed to read Dan Levinthal’s letter at the 12/12/2019 Board meeting."
Board President's Report
Board President Camden thanked everyone who helped organize the virtual graduation ceremonies for the members of the Class of 2020 from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central, including the administrative teams from both buildings and Blake Trchka from Perfect Show Productions. He said he heard from a number of families that were very pleased with the way the ceremonies turned out, and appreciated the efforts put forth by the schools and district to honor and celebrate the seniors.
President Camden also talked about board committee assignments for the 2020-21 school year.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss reminded the board about the walk-throughs being conducted on a weekly basis following construction meetings.
Superintendent Prentiss thanked the administrative teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South and Blake Trchka from Perfect Show Productions for all of the time, effort and energy they put into organizing the virtual graduation ceremonies for seniors. She said the ceremonies were phenomenal and first class, and honored the students in a timely manner.
Superintendent Prentiss gave a brief update about the work the Recovery-Revitalization-Restored Committee and its subcommittees will be undertaking to plan for the start of the 2020-21 school year. She mentioned that the Illinois State Board of Education and IDPH might be providing districts with guidelines as early as next week. She said those guidelines will be critical for ensuring that facilities are ready to go in the fall. She shared that the board will receive a detailed update about this work during it meeting on June 25.
Superintendent Prentiss also mentioned that the individuals who will serve on PTAC for the 2020-21 school year will be presented to the board for appointment during its meeting on June 25. She said the committee's first meeting will be on July 9. During this session, the group will provide feedback on the recommendations from the Recovery-Revitalization-Restored Committee.
Financial and Treasury Reports
Per its regular cadence of reporting, the administration provided the board with the treasury and financial reports for April 2020. You can access the treasury report by visiting
https://bit.ly/3ewQ2AV and the financial reports by visiting
https://bit.ly/2XNkLmG.
FOIA Requests
The board received information about the FOIA requests that have been processed since its last meeting. This information included the names or titles of the individuals and departments who helped respond to the requests, a summary of the records that were requested and who asked for them, and trend data about the number of requests that have been processed and the legal fees the district has incurred in responding to them.
Operational Calendar and Future Agenda Items
