Return to School Update
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss provided the board with an update on the district's return to school plan. This update included:
- A reminder about the updated guidance that the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) issued on Aug. 12 that resulted in the district shifting to the Remote 2.0 Learning model to start the school year. This guidance included the following items that present challenges for conducting in-person instruction in a high school setting:
- Close contact is now being defined as “anyone (with or without a face covering) who was within 6 feet of a confirmed case of COVID-19 (with or without a face covering), for at least 15 minutes throughout the course of a day.”
- The period of close contact begins two calendar days before the onset of symptoms.
- All students and staff who have COVID-like symptoms (e.g., sore throat, headache, cough, etc.) should be sent home, need to be diagnostically tested and must remain at home until test results are received.
- An outbreak is defined as “two confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections occurring within 14 calendar days of each other in individuals in the same classroom.”
- A reminder that our placement on the continuum of potential instructional models will depend upon the current health conditions in West Suburban Region 8 and/or districtwide confidence in the continuity of rigorous instruction.
- A chart from IDPH that features a decision tree for dealing with individuals in pre-K, K-12 schools and day care programs who are symptomatic.
- A chart from the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) that features information about the school metrics guidance and levels of transmission that the agency released on Aug. 28.
- Examples of the different groups that might constitute a cohort.
- Potential overall challenges and considerations for returning to in-person instruction, which include:
- Enrollment size.
- Risk mitigation of cohorts per the IDPH definition of close contact.
- Passing periods.
- Ability to maintain the continuity of instruction if/when students and/or staff miss time due to experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
- People not following the health and safety guidelines regarding wearing masks, engaging in social distancing, limiting mass gatherings and practicing good hand hygiene.
- Potential technology considerations for returning to in-person instruction, which include:
- Available bandwidth to support video conferencing.
- Budget for purchasing additional Zoom licenses, bluetooth headsets and bandwidth that will be necessary for maintaining staffing levels and the continuity of instruction if teachers need to work remotely due to COVID-related risk or exposure.
- Ongoing professional development for teachers.
- A reminder that the Recovery-Revitalization-Restore (R3) Committee reconvened on Aug. 24, will be meeting again on Sept. 14 and has several subcommittees (Instruction/Technology, Facilities and Safety Protocols, Human Resources, Special Education and Communications).
- An update on the status of or plan for District 86 cohorts.
- Behind The Wheel (BTW) instruction is ongoing.
- Nearly all co-curricular clubs and activity programs are providing remote and/or in-person experiences for students.
- Fall athletics have begun; 20-day contact camps for other sports began on Sept.8.
- The hope is to bring some of our special education students into our buildings for instruction, interventions and support starting the week of Sept. 21.
- The SAT will be administered to the district's current seniors on Sept. 23 and 24.
- We will work toward resuming in-person learning for up to 25% of our student population beginning the week of Oct. 5.
- Information about next steps.
- The R3 Committee will meet on Sept. 14 to review survey data collected from staff and discuss potential solutions to issues such as Edgenuity, dwell time and what constitutes a wall.
- The district will continue pursuing a partnership for a robust testing saliva system.
- On Sept. 17, the district will collect feedback from the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC) about student engagement during Remote Learning 2.0.
- The R3 Committee will provide an update on the phased-in return plan during the board meeting on Sept. 24.
Good News
Sally Phillip, who is the director of student activities for Hinsdale Central, and Nicholas Chavarria, who is the director of student activities for Hinsdale South, introduced the students who will serve as liaisons to the board of education during the 2019-20 school year. Heather Raslan, the liaison for Central, and Carson Kotecki, the liaison for South, provided the board with information and updates from their reports.
The report from Raslan featured several highlights, including the success of Freshman Orientation, the start of athletics, the virtual ceremony for the seniors inducted into the National Honor Society and student council elections. It included information about some of the school's recent (e.g., distribution of materials, Virtual Activities Fair and Virtual Curriculum Night) and upcoming (e.g., administration of the SAT to current seniors) events and activities. It also included student feedback about the shift to remote learning and use of technology. You can access Raslan's' report by visiting
https://bit.ly/3id8mRM.
The report from Kotecki featured information about several recent events and activities that were held at South, including Freshman Orientation, a Principal-Student Advisory Council (PSAC) meeting, Virtual Curriculum Night and a Virtual Activities Fair. It highlighted a few upcoming events and activities, including the administration of the SAT to seniors on Sept. 23 and 24, a back-to-school drive-through celebration on Sept. 23, and the Virtual Student Variety Show on Sept. 25. It also included feedback about the Remote Learning 2.0 model. You can access Kotecki's report by visiting
https://bit.ly/2RhVNc8.
Strategic Plan Goal 1 - Student Growth and Achievement
Dr. Chris Covino, who is the assistant superintendent for academics and the champion for Goal 1 of the strategic plan, provided the board with an update on the work being done in the areas of grading and curriculum alignment. This update included:
- A brief overview of the focus and strategies for Goal 1, as well as the context under which the alignment work would be completed.
- A reminder that the Learning Leadership Team (LLT), which is composed of teachers, department chairs and administrators from Central and South, is overseeing the work on the alignment of grading practices and philosophy.
- A brief summary about what the LLT accomplished last year and will be working on this year. During the 2019-20 school year, the team defined the purpose of grading and established levels of responsibility and consistency for grading components. This year, the team will be seeking to establish consistent districtwide practices related to grading scales, the use of zeros, extra credit and academic integrity.
- A chart highlighting the four phases of curriculum alignment.
- Phase 1 (2020-21 school year) - Standards and Curriculum Alignment
- Phase 2 (2021-22 school year) - Assessment Alignment and Development
- Phase 3 (2022-23 school year) - Instructional Strategy/Materials Alignment
- Phase 4 (2023-24 school year) - Implementation Data Analysis, Evaluation and Revision
- Information about the program teams that are leading the curriculum alignment work. These teams are composed of teachers and department chairs from Central and South. They have been tasked with "articulating a coherent vision" for all District 86 content area programs that includes goals, mission, outcomes, progression and connections. The ultimate goal/outcome of their work is to create a unified program of studies for the fall of 2021.
- Details about the work that program teams are scheduled to do during the 2020-21 school year, which includes:
- Discussing the scope of the work.
- Reviewing/evaluating existing courses; continuing to combine and collapse them.
- Discussing program coherence.
- Drafting program outcomes.
- Identifying and prioritizing the work that development and writing teams will do in conjunction with individual course evaluation and development, starting with the largest core courses.
- Details about the work that the development and writing teams are scheduled to do during the 2020-21 school year, which includes:
- Reviewing and revising program outcomes.
- Reviewing local, state, national and associated standards.
- Identifying gaps in content, social and emotional learning, and customer relationship management.
- Beginning to work on common curriculum templates.
- Revising content for inclusion in the unified program of studies.
- Information about the curriculum template and course materials adoption tool that teachers, content specialists and department chairs will be working on during the 2020-21 school year.
- Information about next steps, which include:
- Ongoing science curriculum writing (physics and chemistry).
- A program team meeting for the career and technology education department on Sept. 16.
- A Math Pathways presentation to PTAC on Sept. 17.
- Community feedback sessions hosted by the Math Pathways Committee during the week of Sept. 21 (dates, times and locations are to be determined).
- A program team meeting for the English department on Sept. 30.
- A program team meeting for the world languages department on Oct. 14.
- Math Pathways presentation to the board of education on Oct. 15.
Committee Reports
Members of the Human Resources Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on Sept. 1. During this meeting, the committee:
- Received a COVID-19 update that included information about the surveys staff took in July and August, as well as the leave rights employees have under FCCRA (Families First Coronavirus Act) and FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act).
- Discussed the need to align the district's policies and training with the updates to Title IX.
- Discussed a recent court case that affirmed the governor's right to set COVID-19 guidelines for schools.
- Discussed the assessment of support staffing needs and roles for the different instructional models (i.e., remote and hybrid) the district will be using during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Learned that monthly meetings with buildings and grounds, secretarial staff and paraprofessionals will begin in September.
In addition to receiving the report, the board voted to release the draft minutes from this meeting as part of the consent agenda.
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/33kTN8E to access the consent agenda items beginning under number six.
Approve Issuance of General Obligation School Building Bonds
The board approved a resolution for the issuance of general obligation school building bonds in an amount not to exceed $46,080,000 that will be used for "improving the sites of, renovating, altering, repairing, and equipping and replacing portions of the Hinsdale South High School campus and Hinsdale Central High School campus." You can access additional information about this agenda item by visiting
https://bit.ly/3bQ2Ban.
Board President’s Report
Board President Kevin Camden encouraged the community to remember those whose lives were forever changed by the events of September 11, 2001.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss mentioned that Culture and Equity Leadership Team (CELT) met virtually on Sept. 2. She shared that she greatly appreciated hearing the voices of the students who serve on the team, and talked about how the powerful stories they told served as a good reminder of why we are all here. She said that the group made progress toward developing the themes, purpose, mission and values that will help guide its work going forward.
Superintendent Prentiss also shared that PTAC will be meeting on Sept. 17. During this meeting, the members of the group will receive information from the board attorney about the Open Meetings Act and the responsibilities associated with serving on a board committee. They will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on student engagement during Remote Learning 2.0. and the work of the Math Pathways Committee.
ATSB and IMRF Reports
In accordance with the Illinois School Code and Open Meetings Act, the administration provided the board with the teacher and administrator salary and benefits report, as well as compensation information for current Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund employees.
2020-21 Fiscal Year Budget
Josh Stephenson, who is the district's chief financial officer, presented the board with the final budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. His presentation included:
- Referendum bond proceeds were included for one bond sale. The third and final bond sale is scheduled for October and is anticipated to generate $50.6 million in proceeds.
- Anticipated design and construction expenditures were included in the budget. If a large variation occurs, the board may need to amend the budget.
- No significant changes were made for the fiscal year 2021 budget process.
- All leases were paid off at the end of fiscal year 2020.
- Department level budgeting details were provided in documents that accompanied the presentation.
- The fiscal year 2021 budget is compared to the fiscal year 2020 unaudited actual expenditures.
- Summaries of operational activities and all activities.
- Changes in revenue year over year
- Property taxes – first referendum bond payment this fiscal year; annual CPI and new construction increase.
- Replacement tax – forecasted to decline year over year since it is funded by taxes on businesses.
- Interest – significant decline year over year due to a decline in interest rates.
- Two new grants in fiscal year 2021 – C.A.R.E.S. Grant ($267K), which provides funding for PPE and COVID-related expenses, and the Illinois School Maintenance Grant ($50K), which provides funding for life safety projects.
- Only one transfer for operational funding of capital projects.The district paid off all outstanding leases in fiscal year 2020, so no transfers to Debt Services are needed in fiscal year 2021.
- Expenses for salaries, benefits, purchased services, supplies, capital and other.
- The district's budgeted FTE for fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2021.
The board will vote to approve the 2020-21 budget during its meeting on Sept. 24. You can access additional information about this agenda item by visiting
https://bit.ly/2Zu9Csr.
Fund Transfer Resolution
The administration presented the board with a fund transfer resolution for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The district paid off all remaining leases in fiscal year 2020, so there are no Debt Service fund transfers in the final budget. As a result, the district is using operational funds to pay for select projects that are not part of the referendum scope, which requires a transfer to Capital Projects to be part of the final budget. The board will vote to approve this resolution during its meeting on Sept. 24.
Operational Calendar and Future Agenda Items
The board reviewed and discussed its operational calendar for the year and possible agenda items for future meetings. You can access additional information about this agenda item by visiting
https://bit.ly/34JqjDM.
