Good News
Principal Bill Walsh introduced student liaison Heather Raslan, who provided the board with the following information from her report.
- A number of clubs participated in the Club Craze event that took place Jan. 19-21.
- The Christian Student Association is sponsoring a coat drive that will benefit LifeBuilders United.
- The LEAP into Africa club raised money for LEAP schools in South Africa that serve students from impoverished areas.
- The Muslim Student Association held a virtual trivia event on Jan. 22.
- The speech and debate teams amassed a number of accomplishments at recent events.
- The National Honor Society held a second "Stuff the Truck" fundraiser on Jan. 28.
- Students have begun to select courses for the 2021-22 school year.
- The Senior Activities Committee, Prom Committee and Graduation Committee are organizing events for seniors that will be held during their final semester at Central.
- Students provided feedback about the changes to the hybrid schedule for second semester (e.g., longer class periods, in-person lunch and more time on campus).
Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp from Hinsdale South shared that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Division of Education and the Illinois Conservation Foundation awarded the school's Environmental Concerns Organization one of 43 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grants for 2021. The $972.25 that South will receive via the grant will be used to purchase native plants, mulch and topsoil. You can access additional information about this accomplishment by visiting
http://bit.ly/3cfamZI.
Principal Pokorny Lyp talked about some of the positive reactions she has received from students about the district's equity statement.
Principal Pokorny Lyp also introduced student liaison Carson Kotecki, who provided the board with the following information from his report.
- The speech team earned a number of accolades in individual events during tournaments in December and January.
- More than $6,000 was raised in conjunction with the annual Hornets Helping Hornets Holiday Fundraiser to assist local families in need.
- A dozen students from South qualified for the Business Professionals of America state competition based on their performances during the regional tournament.
- The administrators from South organized a “Remote Learners Forum" for all of the students from the school who are learning from home on a full-time basis. The primary goal of the event was to make sure these students still feel like they are part of the South community.
- South collected donations of new bras, vanity items and female hygiene products for those in need during the "Her Drive" event it hosted on Jan. 16 and 17 .
Return to School Update
The administration provided the board with an update on the district’s return to school plan. This update included:
- A reminder about the steps involved in the district's responsive approach to in-person instruction.
- COVID-19 data for the district and communities we serve. As of Jan. 22, there were 10 confirmed positive cases in the district, 60 people in isolation and 46 people in quarantine. There have also been a total of 269 positive cases in the district since the start of the 2020-21 school year.
- A reminder about the hybrid and lunch schedules for second semester.
- A reminder about the process that the families of students who are currently remote can use one time per month to switch to the hybrid model during second semester. The next opportunity for these students to resume in-person instruction will be Feb. 8 (email notifications were sent the week of Jan. 25; responses are due by Feb. 1).
- An update on the number and percentage of students who are taking part in the district's hybrid and remote instructional models second semester.
- Hybrid - 2,251 students across the district; 57% of the total enrollment.
- Currently remote with the option of switching to hybrid - 1,331 students across the district; 32.5% of the total enrollment.
- Staying remote for the rest of the school year - 280 students across the district; 7% of the total enrollment.
- Everyday - This cohort is composed of students from our Foundations, DHH and HAVEN programs, as well as individuals that our student support teams recommended based on IEP/504, academic and SEL needs.
- Information about the vaccination plan for the district.
- Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South will serve as vaccination sites.
- We are partnering with Osco to vaccinate 1B employees from our district, our seven feeder districts and LADSE.
- There will be 1,800 doses of the vaccine administered Feb. 4-6. Second doses will be administered March 4-6.
- We anticipate that we will be serving as a vaccination site for 1B employees from the villages of Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, Darien, Willowbrook and Burr Ridge. We also anticipate that we will be serving as a vaccination site for individuals who are 65 and older who live in our attendance boundaries.
- The instructional calendars for the months of February and March, including changes being made to accommodate the vaccination process, Presidents Day and a countywide institute day.
- Information from the Illinois High School Association about the status of and schedule for sports during the months of February, March and April.
- A reminder about the need to continue adhering to the county and state health guidelines (e.g., wearing masks, practicing social distancing, avoiding mass gatherings and engaging in good hand hygiene) even after employees get vaccinated.
- The district will be monitoring ISBE and IDPH for updates.
- Principals and activities directors are working with student groups on preliminary plans for Class of 2021 celebrations, including prom and graduation.
- The district will continue planning for school in the fall of 2021.
Approve a Lease for the New Transition Center Location
The board approved a lease on the property located at 16W361 South Frontage Road in Burr Ridge, which will provide the Transition Center with additional space to accommodate increased interest in its services and expected growth in the enrollment for its programs. The board discussed this issue during its meeting on Dec. 17, 2020.
Committee Reports
Members of the Finance Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on Jan. 20. During the meeting, the committee discussed:
- The final draft of the lease for the new Transition Center location that was referenced above.
- The extension of contracts for services provided by companies such as MBS, GSF-USA, Quest Food Management Service, First Student and Wipfli.
- COVID-19 expenses and additional federal funding. The district anticipates that we will receive an additional $900,000 in federal funding from the most recent relief bill.
- The possible reallocation of unused department budgets to fund the replacement of capital equipment. The administration will present potential options to the committee in the spring.
In addition to receiving the report mentioned above, 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 amended. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit
http://bit.ly/2YmixeD to access the consent agenda items beginning under number seven.
Ratify New Contracts with the HHSTA and SEIU
The board ratified a new two-year contract with the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association (HHSTA) and a new five-year contract with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Approve Amendment to Student Settlement Agreement
The board approved an amendment to a student settlement agreement that it originally approved in May of 2020.
Board President’s Report
Board President Kevin Camden talked about the hard work and collaborative spirit that were exhibited throughout the negotiation of the new HHSTA and SEIU contracts. He also expressed his appreciation to everyone who was involved in the process.
In addition, President Camden shared how proud he is that District 86 is serving as a COVID-19 vaccination site for community.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss thanked Osco, Kevin Simpson, who is the district's director of security, Karen Ayala, who is the executive director for the DuPage County Health Department, and her counterparts from our feeder districts for their help with the creation and organization of the COVID-19 vaccination plan that will be implemented starting the week of Feb. 1.
Financial and Treasury Reports
Per its regular cadence of reporting, the administration provided the board with the treasury and financial reports for December 2020. You can access the treasury report by visiting
http://bit.ly/2YCpWXr and the financial reports by visiting
http://bit.ly/2M60HKt.
FOIA Requests
The board received information about the FOIA requests that have been processed since its last regular action 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
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/2YrjClu.
