Good News
Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp from Hinsdale South recognized the school's speech team, which won the state championship in February.
Principal Pokorny Lyp also introduced student liaison Jennifer Pantoni, who provided information from her board report. This report included:
- Details about the speech team winning the state championship and earning top five finishes in several individual events.
- Accomplishments from the state tournament for swimming and diving, including Will Gallagher finishing in fourth place in the 50-yard freestyle and fifth place in the 100-yard backstroke, Parker Chan finishing in 16th place in the 500-yard freestyle, and Destiny Spann bering selected to sing the national anthem.
- Details about the choir's participation in the ICHSA Pitch Perfect Acapella Competition that was held in Oak Creek, WI on Feb. 25.
- A shoutout to the students from South's Business Professionals of America (BPA) organization who qualified for nationals.
- Details about the student-staff basketball game organized by the Global Humanitarian Club that raised more than $1,000 for Save the Children.
- Information about the activities that were held during Inclusion Week and the holistic wellness presentation that was organized to promote mindfulness and support well-being.
- Upcoming events and activities.
Principal Bill Walsh and athletic director Dan Jones from Hinsdale Central recognized the following student-athletes and teams for their accomplishments at state.
Wrestling
- Marko Ivanisevic - took fifth place in his weight class
- Cody Tavoso - took sixth place in his weight class
Gymnastics
- Kelly Klobach - took fourth place on the vault, ninth place on the uneven parallel bars and 11th place in the all-around
Swimming
- Team - came in second place overall
- Individual swimmers and divers - earned several top 10 finishes
Principal Walsh also introduced student liaison Christine Leung, who provided information from her board report. This report included:
- Details about several events and activities, including student council elections, the Variety Show, the Mr. Hinsdale pageant, the blood drive hosted by the National Honor Society and the free heart screenings being offered through a partnership with Young Hearts for Life.
- Recent accomplishments by several sports teams, including the varsity boys swimming and diving team taking second place at the state tournament.
- Recent accomplishments by student groups, including the math and Scholastic Bowl teams winning their respective conference championships, multiple members of the BPA group qualifying for nationals and the speech team taking sixth place at state.
- Feedback about masking and final exams for second semester.
Board - New Business
The board discussed the following topics during the portion of the meeting dedicated to new business.
- The three-minute pitch process that the board has been using to determine future agenda items.
- The potential creation of a new process for determining future agenda items that would replace the three-minute pitch.
The board did not reach consensus on a process following its conversation. As a result, Board President Terri Walker recommended that the group bring the topic back for further discussion at a different time.
Committee Reports
Members of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on Feb. 22. During this meeting, the committee used a "focus group style" protocol to discuss and explore the following topics:
- School calendar for 2022-23 and beyond
- Feedback on the draft calendar for the 2022-23 school year.
- Feedback on replacing Late Start Mondays and Flex Days with Early Release Wednesdays.
- Feedback on the format for parent-teacher conferences.
- Reflections on grades from first semester
- Comparison of first semester experiences with the data presented.
- Feedback on how well the district's current grading practices align with its priorities.
- Feedback on what area or areas the district should focus on as it continues to refine its grading practices.
Members of the Policy Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on Feb. 28. During this meeting, the committee:
- Reviewed proposed revisions to policies from Sections 2 (Board of Education), 3 (General School Administration) and 4 (Operational Services) of the district's policy manual. These revisions were featured in the latest update from PRESS.
- Reviewed a recommendation from board member James to add alternate language from PRESS to policy 4:60 that would establish a threshold of $50,000 for expenditures requiring board approval. Josh Stephenson, who is the district's chief financial officer, presented the committee with proposed policy language that would include the threshold, but also add an exclusion for agreements with public or nonpublic educational facilities regarding the placement of students in special education. The committee decided to present the board with a revised version of policy 4:60 that incorporates proposed changes from PRESS and Mr. Stephenson.
- Reviewed a recommendation to change the names of the Insurance Committee and Investment/Deferred Compensation Committee to the Employee Benefits Committee and Deferred Compensation Committee in an effort to better reflect the work they do. Reviewed another recommendation to change the status of the Deferred Compensation Committee from a board committee to a superintendent committee. The members of the committee supported these recommendations, and will review corresponding changes to policies 4:52 (Deferred Compensation Policy) and 2:150 (Committees) at a future meeting.
- Engaged in a discussion with attorney Steve Richart from HLERK about the process for responding to FOIA requests in accordance with policy 2:250 (Access to District Public Records). The committee recommended that Mr. Richart prepare a report for the board that outlines the district's current FOIA practices, the associated costs and risks of these practices, and the committee's recommendations for how to handle requests going forward. The committee also discussed including draft administrative procedures in the report, as well as the practices that peer districts use to complete redactions and support transparency.
Members of the Human Resources Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on March 1. During this meeting, the committee:
- Discussed the adjustments that the human resources department, business office and technology department will be making to several jobs to better meet the needs of the district. While FTE will remain flat, these adjustments will require a small increase in compensation that will be presented to the Finance Committee for review.
- Received a presentation on two potential staffing models. The first was based on the district's established framework for staffing, which would result in a reduction of 1.1 FTE. The second was based on running some courses outside the staffing framework, which would result in an increase of 1.8 FTE.
In addition to receiving the reports mentioned above, the board voted to release the draft minutes from these meetings as part of the consent agenda.
First Reading of Policies
The board conducted a first reading of the following policies:
The board will conduct a second reading and vote to approve these policies during its meeting on March 24.
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/3Kszrhy to access the consent agenda items beginning under number seven.
Approve Proposal for Fitness Center Floor Replacement at Central and South
The board approved proposals from Tarkett Sports to replace the fitness center floors at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South. The total estimated cost of the work is $230,524 (includes bond and contingency).
Approve Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Darien for School Resource Officer Services
The board approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Darien to provide school resource officer services at Hinsdale South during the 2022-23 school year. This agreement, which was approved by the Darien City Council on Feb. 22, aligns with the implementation of the Illinois Law Enforcement Officer Body Worn Camera Act.
Board President's Report
Board President Walker thanked the administration for its work on the staffing models for next year.
Superintendent’s Report
A few community members have recently raised questions and expressed concerns about the district's academic progress, most notably in the area of test scores. In response to these questions and concerns, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss shared SAT and ACT trend data for District 86, several of our peer districts and the state of Illinois. This data, which can be accessed by visiting
https://bit.ly/35QJbDJ, shows the following:
- District 86's composite scores on the SAT have declined by 1% since 2017.
- District 86's composite scores on the ACT were consistent from 2013 through 2016, which was the last year the state administered the test to all high school juniors as part of its accountability process.
- There was a statewide decline in scores as a result of Illinois shifting from the ACT to the SAT in 2017.
Preliminary Staffing Recommendation for the 2022-23 School Year
Below is the information that was presented to the board in conjunction with this recommendation.
Primary Objective
Ensure a balance between academic opportunities and fiscal responsibilities such that we provide a world-class education for our students in District 86.
- Curriculum alignment and leadership decisions
- The board discussed multiple frameworks regarding leadership structure during its meetings in November and December 2018. One of these frameworks included a recommendation that department chairs no longer teach classes.
- In December 2018, department chairs were directed by Superintendent Law and Carol Baker, the district's chief academic officer, to lay out the curriculum equity work that would be completed by curriculum directors (i.e., department chairs) within a two-year timeline.
- The board voted on Jan. 22, 2019, that department chairs would no longer teach, but instead lead the curriculum alignment work.
- Superintendent Law oversaw the formation of a science curriculum alignment team in April 2019 that was charged with creating a single science sequence.
- During the summer of 2019, Superintendent Prentiss modified Goal 1 of the strategic plan so that the curriculum alignment work would involve the teachers and occur over five years instead of two.
- Program teams worked on curriculum alignment from January 2020 through fall of 2021. In fall of 2021, the board approved a program of studies that included curriculum alignment plans for all academic departments.
- The recommendation being made in March 2022 is to have department chairs teach one course on a daily basis during the 2022-23 school year.
- There was one science sequence featured in the program of studies for Hinsdale South during the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. Hinsdale Central's program of studies featured six possible paths for science during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, and seven possible paths for science during the 2021-22 school year.
- Based on the directive by the board, both schools will be offering two science sequences during the 2022-23 school year.
- Curriculum alignment and course offering parity
- Curriculum alignment - all courses with the same name will be aligned in terms of description, objectives, units of study, end of term assessments, grading practices, textbooks and course fees.
- Course offering parity - course offerings will be available to all students during registration regardless of their attendance school and at the conclusion of the curriculum alignment process. Parity will be a natural outcome of the curriculum alignment work, but should not be conflated with the work itself. Each school's program of studies includes a table for every department that indicates the projected timeline for completing/providing course offering parity.
- Curriculum alignment and course offering parity is targeted for completion by the start of the 2025-26 school year.
- Past staffing recommendations and human resource considerations
- Illinois School Code requirements regarding dismissals.
- Requirements for dual credit.
- Retirements over the next three years, which include 26 classroom teachers.
- Current - 2508
- Projected - 2448 (-60)
- Current - 1266
- Projected - 1283 (+17)
- Current - 112
- Projected - 135 (+23)
- 332 courses being offered at both high schools.
- 83 unique courses being offered at Hinsdale Central.
- 30 unique courses being offered at Hinsdale South.
- Occur universally in high schools to help maximize opportunities for students and help maintain fiscally responsible class sizes (i.e., adhering to the District 86 staffing framework).
- “Stacking” of courses is not permanent, but rather determined annually based on student requests.
- While most “stacked” courses consist of two complementary or leveled curricula, there are instances where more than two classes are stacked. This is always determined by student requests.
- During the 2022-23 school year, each school will have a total of 24 stacked courses.
- Courses with low or zero student requests
- All courses at Hinsdale Central had at least one student request, while 86 courses at Hinsdale South had zero student requests. Zero requests for courses is primarily a product of differences in course offerings that are being addressed through the curriculum alignment process.
- There are courses at both schools that will not be run next year due to low requests.
- There are courses at both schools that will be run next year despite low requests.
- Net reduction of 1.7 FTE at Hinsdale Central.
- Net addition of 2.9 FTE at Hinsdale South.
- Net addition of 1.2 FTE at the Transition Center.
- Net reduction of 0.6 FTE for HAVEN.
- No changes to DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing).
The board is scheduled to take action on the staffing recommendation for the 2022-23 school year during its meeting on March 24.
Three-Year School Calendar Recommendation
The board talked about a proposed three-year calendar that covers the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. The creation of this calendar, which was reviewed and discussed by the Calendar Committee, Superintendent's Roundtable, PTAC and the leadership from the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association (HHSTA), was driven largely by the ongoing construction at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South. With that said, it was also drafted with an eye toward returning to a more traditional school schedule that is aligned with other local school districts in DuPage County, including our sender schools.
One of the main changes being recommended is the conversion of all Late Arrival Mondays and Flex Learning Wednesdays into Early Release Wednesdays.
The anticipated benefits of making this change include:
- A more consistent schedule for students and families (same start time and release time for all professional learning days)
- Class time that will be better balanced throughout the day. During Late Start Mondays, several periods have classes that are 10 minutes shorter than the lunch periods.
- No impact on Early Bird classes/schedules.
- Consistent time for professional learning and course team collaboration that is focused on advancing the work of the strategic plan.
- Opportunities to expand MTSS/intervention services on Wednesday afternoons.
The anticipated disadvantages of making this change include:
- Challenges of supervising student-athletes from 1-3 p.m.
- Fewer opportunities to have larger chunks of time for professional development.
- The possibility that the schedule for the Technology Center of DuPage may not align.
Some families have expressed concern that this change will result in a significant decrease in instructional time. Per the chart below, which was shared during the meeting, shifting to Early Release Wednesdays would reduce instructional minutes by a total of one hour for the entire school year.
