June 2020
Dear District 67 Community Member,
 
To keep you informed, we send you the District 67 Board Report on a monthly basis. Please note: These are not the official minutes of the Board of Education. Minutes once approved, all board agendas, packets, and videos can be found here.
Due to COVID-19 developments in Illinois, Governor Pritzker issued an Executive Order to all public bodies across the state suspending physical presence requirements under the Open Meetings Act (OMA). Therefore, the Tuesday, June 23 meeting of the Lake Forest District 67 Board of Education was held virtually via a video conference call. 

President’s Report
District 67 Board President Justin Engelland shared perspectives on two global events through the local lens of the District. Regarding the pandemic, Justin noted its impact across all aspects of our schools and thanked District teachers and staff for their efforts to plan and prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. Justin also reflected upon civil unrest around the world in support of racial justice and the stories of two former members of the Lake Forest school community shared at a peaceful protest at Market Square in early June. He said that progress had been made toward many aspects of the District’s mission including cultivating “deep respect for others,” yet there is still an “opportunity for us to better create an environment that works for ‘all’ students.” On behalf of the Board, Justin asked Superintendent Simeck to report back at the next meeting with an assessment of the DIstrict’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion and recommendations on next steps. Justin closed on a note of optimism for the future, saying he was “confident we won’t just ‘get back to normal’,” as the District moves forward, “but, instead, build something even better.” View video

Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Mike Simeck provided an update regarding the planning process for the reopening of schools in August. Explaining that the Coronavirus Task Force, in place since March, is now sub-divided into three working groups, he described the focus of those teams as “social-emotional wellness”, “risk mitigation,” and “education adaptation.” Mike reiterated the desire shared by parents and the District to return students to in-person learning and explained that the District would be prepared to provide that opportunity in addition to a blended model should circumstances require it. Echoing the Phase 4 guidance of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released earlier that day, Mike explained school requirements outlined by the state including social distancing, masks, 50 or fewer students on buses, and lunchroom capacities of 50 students or less. He said next steps included additional community pulse surveys and focus groups, and with that feedback the District would have enough guidance to announce more specific plans regarding the return to school later this summer.  View video

Risk Mitigation Working Group Update
Director of Student Services and School Improvement Dr. Michelle Shinn reported on the Risk Mitigation group’s planning efforts for the return to school in the fall. She said the cross-functional team comprised of principals, nurses, facilities, safety, security and others were focused on three areas: 
  1. Assessment of available building spaces in light of social distancing requirements
  2. Procurement of PPE based on the latest ISB and IDPH guidance
  3. Development of an operational safety plan for students and staff outlining District policies and procedures including health screening protocols, entry and exit practices, traffic flow throughout buildings, cleaning and sanitation procedures, and ventilation systems.

Michelle said the team planned to begin sharing their recommendations with the other two working groups for their feedback. View video

Strategic Plan Update
Deputy Superintendent Rebecca Jenkins presented the Strategic Plan update. Noting the unusual circumstances of the school year, Rebecca said there was still much to celebrate including that the District reached its goal of 85% validation of true co-teaching partnerships, 96% of District 67 teachers were trained on the CHAMPS classroom management approach, and that the District created and received state approval of an e-Learning plan that allowed for a quick transition to remote learning when schools closed in March. View video
 
Board Finance & Operations Committee
Committee Chair Rob Lemke reported that the next meeting of the Board Finance & Operations Committee would take place on August 5 at 7:30 am. View video
 
Compensation Committee
Compensation Committee Chair Jeff Folker reported that the District 67 and District 115 Joint Compensation Committee met twice via videoconference since the last board meeting, once on May 27th to review proposals for a shared services optimization consulting resource, and again on June 1st to consider the two finalists. At that meeting, the committee determined it would recommend Eklund Consulting for the project. Jeff said the District 115 Board of Education approved that recommendation unanimously at its June 8 meeting and that the same recommendation would be voted upon at the June 23rd District 67 Board of Education meeting. He thanked members of the Joint Compensation Committee as well as Superintendent Mike Simeck and his administrative team for their collaboration and support. View video

North Suburban Special Education District (NSSED) Liaison
NSSED liaison Suzanne Sands reported that the NSSED Leadership Council met on June 10th with a robust agenda that included approval of the FY21 budget, approval of a new financial model, approval of the NSSED Faculty Association and the NSSED Teacher's Assistant Association contracts, and approval of new NSSED Assistant Superintendent - Learning and Innovation, Dr. Ninni. The NSSED Leadership Council will next meet on August 26th at 7:00 pm.  View video

Legislative Liaison
Legislative liaison Alice LeVert reported on two United States Supreme Court rulings relevant to schools around the country. The first endorsed gay and transgender worker protections (June 15), and the second upheld the Obama-era program protecting 700,000 DREAMers from deportation. (June 18). Alice also reported on the Phase 4 guidance delivered earlier the same day by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). View video

For Complete Information

Next District 67 Board of Education Meeting
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 – 7:00 p.m.  
Board Room or Virtual