HINSDALE TOWNSHIP
High School District 86
Board Briefs Logo
June 23, 2022
Regular Action Meeting
Good News
Assistant Principal Jessica Hurt provided the board with the good news report for Hinsdale Central. This report included the following:

  • A shoutout to the girls lacrosse team for taking second place at state.

  • Information about Catie McCabe (All-State and second place in the 800-meter run) and Elyssa Chandler's (All-State and seventh place in the 300-meter hurdles) strong outings at the state finals for girls track and field.

  • Details about Matthew Cihlar's performance at the state finals for boys gymnastics, which included a fifth place finish on the parallel bars, a seventh place finish on the vault, a 10th place finish on the still rings and an 11th place finish in the all-around.

  • Information about the boys tennis team winning its third state championship in the past five seasons.

  • Information about the boys track and field team taking ninth place at state and finishing second in the 800-meter run, 4x400 relay and 4x800 relay.

  • Shoutouts to Wanda Swik on being named the Illinois Athletic Directors Association's Administrative Assistant of the Year and Bob Barber on receiving his Coach of the Year awards for both the boys and girls swimming and diving from the Illinois Swim and Dive Coaches Association.

You can access Ms. Hurt's report by visiting https://bit.ly/3bnEweV.

Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp provided the board with the good news report for Hinsdale South. This report included the following:

  • Information about students Hailey Bishop and Camden Kiefer taking third place and earning a $5,000 prize in the MyImpact Challenge for their idea for bringing a farmers market to Darien. 

  • A shoutout to Kyle Jannenga on earning several awards/recognitions for baseball, including all-state honors, team MVP, all-conference player and conference player of the year, and member of the DuPage County All-Area Team.

  • Information about Charlie Nilles finishing in the top three in the 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard individual medley and the 4x50-yard medley relay at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.

  • Shoutouts to the softball team on winning their regional championship, Maggie Chen on earning all-state honors in badminton, and Sophia Yen on being among the 40 finalists from 19 states who were selected to participate in the Songbook Academy's summer intensive.

You can access Principal Pokorny Lyp's report by visiting https://bit.ly/3xRnUnp.

Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss provided an update on the location of the board meetings for June and July, which will be held at the Transition Center's Burr Ridge location due to the ongoing construction at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central. 

Superintendent Prentiss highlighted the June 17 Facilities Committee meeting, which included an opportunity for members of the group to tour the new and renovated spaces at Hinsdale Central. The committee's next meeting on July 22 will feature a similar tour of Hinsdale South.

Superintendent Prentiss noted the June 23 board meeting was the last one for Brad Verthein, the district's assistant superintendent of student services, and Arwen Pokorny Lyp, the principal at Hinsdale South. Superintendent Prentiss expressed her appreciation to Verthein for his eight years of service, and to Pokorny Lyp for her 15 years of service.

Superintendent Prentiss concluded her report by stating that the board would be receiving presentations that evening about the strategic plan, the district's grading practices and the continuum of services being offered to students with disabilities. 

Update on the Strategic Plan
The administration provided the board with an update on the district's strategic plan. This update included the following information.

Overview




  • Status of the strategic plan.
  1. Value statements fully embedded into all five goals and their corresponding strategies.
  2. Entering year four of the plan.
  3. Timelines for Goal 1 extended in November 2021; plan is now scheduled to run through the 2025-26 school year.


  • The "why" of the plan.
  1. The strategic plan empowers school leaders and teachers to ensure access to curriculum that enables them to pursue their ideal future.
  2. The strategic plan holds school leaders and staff accountable for creating a coherent system that engages all students in rigorous curriculum throughout their high school tenure.
  3. The strategic plan ensures that curriculum is consistent for all students in the same course no matter their teacher or their school.


  • Accomplishments from the 2021-22 school year
  1. The fiscal year 2022 budget continued to have department chairs working in conjunction with counterparts across the district.
  2. Summer work includes: renovations to all remaining classrooms at South; piloting of two department office renovations at South; renovations of CTE spaces at both schools; renovation of an additional restroom at South; completion of all remaining item "B" life safety items; start of window replacements at Central; replacement of field house and fitness center floors at both schools.
  3. Draft capital replacement plan (post-referendum) was presented to the Facilities Committee.

  • Initiatives for the 2022-23 school year
  1. Continue to monitor the budget alignment process for additional improvement opportunities. 
  2. Complete all remaining classroom renovations at Central during Phase 4 (2023).
  3. Evaluate additional department office renovations as an alternate for Phase 4 (2023).
  4. Include additional restroom renovations as an alternate for Phase 4 (2023).
  5. Include additional ADA projects and life safety priority “C” items in the draft capital replacement schedule.
  6. Continue to develop and expand the capital replacement plan and refine the five-year technology replacement plan.

  • COVID Response
  1. Phases 1 and 2 of the referendum work benefited from a slowdown in construction. 
  2. Phase 3 of the referendum work was negatively impacted by supply chain constraints leading to material cost escalation.
  3. Phase 4 of the referendum work (bidding fall of 2022) will continue to see pressure on material costs.
  4. Value engineering utilized to reduce overall costs.
  5. Re-bid trade packages that were deemed to be non-competitive.
  6. Deferring work in specific trades where escalation is anticipated to be transitory (HVAC units, roofing).
  7. The district's Operational Funds generated a surplus in fiscal years 2020 and 2021; surplus anticipated in 2022. Surplus funded additional work (multi-purpose room and additional ADA restroom), a backlog of capital equipment (instruments, fitness equipment, driving simulators) and Phase 3 budget deficit. The district's fund balance/reserves also increased.


  • Accomplishments from the 2021-22 school year
  1. Panorama surveys administered to stakeholders in the fall and spring.
  2. Additional surveys administered to collect feedback on various topics - Portrait of a Graduate, late start and early release schedules, website template and Parent Network (interest areas and volunteers).
  3. Utilized various communication platforms to publicize ways people could get involved in or help guide the work of the district - superintendent steering committees, focus groups, HR recruitment brochure, employment and substitute teaching opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and events and activities organized by student groups.
  4. Used print and electronic communications (Updates from 86 emails, First Look and Board Briefs, print newsletter in the fall, and videos) to keep the community updated and informed about what is happening in our schools and district - student and staff accomplishments, COVID-19 protocols and dashboard, partnership with ReferralGPS, booster shot clinics, extension of Thanksgiving break, change to final exams, changes to the food service program, Emergency Weather Learning Day, spring assessments, preschool programs, summer school.

  • Initiatives for the 2022-23 school year
  1. Complete and launch redesigned family of websites, including educating stakeholders about the features of the new sites and training staff on how to update/manage pages. 
  2. Administer the next round of student, staff and family surveys starting in the fall.
  3. Explore the possibility of moving to ParentSquare at the start of the 2023-24 school year; would enable the district to consolidate the number of communication tools we use on a daily basis and save money.
  4. Publicize/promote the move to a new Tip Line.
  5. Continue creating episodes of “Inside the Classroom.” 
  6. Continue providing video updates about the status of the Future Ready Facilities projects.
  7. Continue using the district’s print and electronic communications to promote what is going on in the district and ways people can get involved in or help guide our work.
  8. Continue to promote opportunities for people to serve on groups that are helping to lead the work of the district
  9. Continue to work with student and parent groups to collect feedback on different topics or connect with key stakeholders about what is happening in the district. 
  10. Use SchoolLinks to explore ways for the district to stay in touch with students after they leave high school.

  • COVID Response
  1. Developed the COVID-19 dashboard and updated it on a weekly basis.
  2. Organized/communicated about vaccine booster shot clinics.
  3. Organized/communicated about testing administered on-site through Northshore Clinical Labs.
  4. Communicated updated/revised public health guidance from IDPH and ISBE.
  5. Communicated updates about COVID-19 mitigations.
  6. Included questions about COVID-19 on Panorama surveys.
  7. Communicated COVID-related information (e.g., vaccine clinics, R3 Committee, etc.) via print newsletters.


  • Definition of work environment
  1. Not referring to employee job satisfaction.
  2. The work environment is about employee engagement.

  • Definition of engagement
  1. The extent to which employees are involved and enthusiastic about their work and are committed to the organization.
  2. Engaged behaviors include team orientation, going the “extra mile,” solution focused, optimism, etc.

  • Key drivers of staff engagement
  1. Staff have the resources they need to be highly effective.
  2. Staff are provided meaningful, growth-oriented feedback on a regular basis.
  3. Staff voice is valued in decision making.

  • Accomplishments from the 2021-22 school year
  1. Engagement in committee work - CELT, PTAC, Superintendent's Roundtable, PERA, Portrait of a Graduate and Secondary Instructional Schedules.
  2. Engagement in professional learning - Flex Day learning sessions; bite-sized professional development.
  3. Engagement in labor relations - monthly meetings with HHSTA and HTHSSSA; Reorganization of HR department to better support staff.
  4. Success in hiring highly-qualified diverse candidates for administration and teaching positions at both schools.
  5. Used data from Panorama surveys (fall and spring) to inform decisions.
  6. Attended job fairs to help increase the pool of qualified candidates that more closely reflect the school community.
  7. Completed an internal audit and used the results from the ROE audit to make improvements to HR processes.
  8. Held quarterly meetings with assistant superintendents for academics between District 86 and the sender school districts.
  9. Continued department chair articulation meetings.

  • Work environment challenges
  1. Coming off pandemic; still living with implications.
  2. Construction schedule.
  3. Panorama surveys administered in the spring showed a decrease in job satisfaction for teachers (-6 points), but stable job satisfaction for other staff (-1 point).
  4. Feedback from the Superintendent's Roundtable indicated challenges surrounding student behavior in the areas of accountability, engagement and respect - i.e., students need to “relearn how to do school."
  5. Staffing challenges (support staff and substitutes).
  6. Frustration created by high-level decisions that impact daily work.

  • Initiatives for the 2022-23 school year
  1. Continue staff engagement opportunities.
  2. Continue to develop strategies aimed at increasing the hiring of highly-qualified staff that more closely reflects the school community
  3. Develop and implement a staff wellness plan.
  4. Conduct negotiations with HHSTA in a collaborative and timely manner.
  5. Continue to survey staff via Panorama and use the data that is collected to inform decisions.
  6. Continue to refine district office processes and procedures and create efficiencies and clarity for staff.
  7. Benchmark salary and benefits for employee groups to ensure we remain competitive for hiring purposes.
  8. Collaborate with goal champions to facilitate communication and professional learning opportunities with sender districts.
  9. Collaborate with goal champions to create an effective articulation model as curriculum work is completed.

  • COVID Response
  1. Paused the tenured staff evaluation process (continued goal development process).
  2. Adjusted the schedule/calendar to extend Thanksgiving break.
  3. Adjustment of schedules for parent-teacher conferences.
  4. Established single point of contact for employees to get assistance with employment needs.
  5. Reached an agreement on a one-year extension of the teacher contract.


  • Accomplishments from the 2021-22 school year
  1. Utilized ESSER funds to establish a Learning Recovery Program at each school to helps students who were struggling academically, socially, and/or emotionally. Highlights of the program included just-in-time interventionist access in English, math, science and social studies; Quarantined and Isolated Student Support (QUISS) interventionists; recommendations by student services and General Education Student Support Teams.
  2. Used Panorama data and feedback from student focus groups to adjust SEL lessons (SouthPride and Red Devil Reflections).
  3. Connected SEL with the district's equity statement and ISBE's Culturally-Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards.
  4. Integrated SEL standards across a student’s day.
  5. Presented research and ideas to the Secondary Instructional Schedules committee.
  6. Reviewed/analyzed the spring Panorama survey results. Nine of the 10 areas assessed were within the positive range of national norms.

  • Initiatives for the 2022-23 school year
  1. Support the efforts of the Secondary Instructional Schedules committee.
  2. Continue holding regular student focus groups to add qualitative understanding to the survey data.
  3. Continue utilizing student leadership and voice in planning SEL lessons.
  4. Continue increasing opportunities for student voice at the building and district levels.
  5. Continue refining the district's multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and the role the Learning Recovery Program will play in those efforts.


  • High priority strategies and equity goals

  • Structure and workflow of the curriculum alignment process

  • Accomplishments from the 2021-22 school year
  1. Special education program team completed Phase 1 of their work and will present the results of that work at a community forum, to PTAC and to the board in the fall.
  2. All academic content areas continued Phase 2 of their work.
  3. All developmental teams started using common curriculum guides and templates.
  4. The science program writing team completed the Phase 3 work for the PCB sequence, AP Biology and AP Chemistry, and started Phase 3 alignment for the freshman biology courses within the biology-first pathway. 
  5. The math program writing team completed the Phase 3 alignment work for Algebra, College Prep Math and Algebraic Reinforcement.


  1. Aligned program of studies (digital) is still on track for use during the 2023-24 school year.
  2. Alignment work was slowed due to the pandemic; expected completion date extended by two years (25-26 school year).

  1. Four courses: Exploring Visual Arts, Introduction to Business, Psychology in Literature and Creative Nonfiction.
  2. Families with students enrolled in the courses will receive communications about the pilot during the summer and at beginning of school year.

  1. Background and philosophy.
  2. Grade distribution data for second semester.
  3. Steps taken during the school year to review and reflect upon the district's grading practices.
  4. Grade category weight revisions for the 2022-23 school year. Course teams used the final Flex Days to reflect, discuss, and potentially make revisions to their grading practices in preparation for the 2022-23 school year. The revisions to the grade category weights for next year include: a shift to a majority of courses with a 70/30 summative to formative weight; aligned shift to higher summative weights for honors/capstone/AP classes; 10 courses added a Learning Readiness category in their gradebook; teams completing curriculum alignment have identical grade weights and reassessment practices; and all teams completing alignment work (Phase 3) are also aligning reassessment practices.
  5. Grading practices that are staying the same next year: common grading philosophy; common grading scale; common gradebook weights; common alpha indicator for missing work. All course teams will continue to develop relearning and reassessment opportunities. In addition, the Learning Leadership Team will shift back to being a study/research team.
  6. Professional development for next year will be focused on core assessment concepts, student self-assessment, relearning and reassessment, and coaching and effective feedback.
  7. Revisions to the grading practices for next year include: the Missing and Essential (ME) indicator will no longer be used. An “M” indicator now represents all missing work. Missing work will no longer automatically translate to an IC grade. In addition, when a student does not submit an assignment or take an assessment, they will receive an "M" (Missing), which will be calculated as a ZERO in the gradebook. 
  8. The revisions to the grading practices will be applied for all grading categories (summative, formative and learning readiness) in the following ways:
  • If completed/submitted by the assigned due date, and in alignment with the standard or instructions, the 50-100 grading scale will be applied. 
  • Students in need of additional time must advocate for themselves: students must request and receive approval for an extension from their instructor before the assignment/assessments’ due date and demonstrate that they are taking advantage of academic support services (examples may include: tutoring, interventionist, early release Wednesdays, before and after school, etc.).
  • Students absent from class on the day an assignment/assessment is due are required to complete the assignment the next school day (unless an extension is approved in advance of the assessment by the instructor).
  • "M" scores will remain in the gradebook and will continue to be calculated as ZEROs, so students are highly encouraged to submit assignments/assessments on time.
  • For an assignment or assessment to receive credit (and scored on the 50-100 scale) the work attempt must comply with the instructions provided (i.e. completed in good faith).

  • Communication plan for Goal 1
  1. Grading (summer and fall) - District communication to staff about grade practice changes; district communication to the board about grade practice changes; district and building communication to families about grade practice changes; teacher communication to classes on syllabus and during Curriculum Night; PTAC discussion and board update.
  2. PTAC discussions - Academic health (August), AP scores, SAT/PSAT/MAP growth, chronic absenteeism, grade analysis, MTSS/intervention.
  3. Potential topics for monthly PTAC meetings - curriculum alignment, continuum of SPED services, grading, final exams, earned honors pilot and college/career readiness.

You can access the update that was presented to the board by visiting https://bit.ly/3A0x9o6.

Approval of a Special Education Program for the 2022-23 School Year
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss presented a report from District 86 special education directors Kristin Marks and Andrea Ellexson about the current continuum of services being offered to students with disabilities, and ways to improve/expand upon those services and the overall educational experience for these students going forward. This report included a recommendation from the administration that a new self-contained program called Building Academic and Social Emotional Skills (BASES) be created to meet the needs of an identified student population.

This program, which would be housed at Hinsdale Central for the 2022-23 school year, would provide educational services to students who would typically be placed in a more restrictive academic setting outside the district. The classroom would be capped at 13 students
who would be supported by a full-time learning behavior Specialist, two paraprofessionals, and a full-time interventionist (social worker or school psychologist).

The potential benefits of the program include access to:

  • Opportunities for students with significant behavioral and emotional needs to focus on/develop appropriate pro-social skills and become increasingly independent and successful in a public school setting.
  • Supports in a small classroom setting that will help students meet the academic, social and emotional goals that are spelled out in their IEP, while also enabling them to engage in coursework that will meet the district’s requirements toward graduation.
  • An optimal learning experience that includes a well-structured, safe, engaging and responsive environment with increased therapeutic support that is offered by a team of highly trained staff members who are well-versed in social and emotional learning (SEL), understand special education best practices, and regularly work with students who have a wide range of academic and special education eligibilities.
  • A therapeutic approach to learning based on the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) philosophy that will teach skills (e.g., mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness) in individual and group formats.

You can access the report by visiting https://bit.ly/3OE6lhu.

After receiving the report, the board approved the creation of the BASES program for the 2022-23 school year.

Committee Reports
Members of the Policy Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on June 6. During this meeting, the committee:

  • Reviewed revisions to policy 4:52 (Deferred Compensation Policy) that featured recommendations to change the name and structure of the Deferred Compensation Committee, and to rename the Insurance Committee the Employee Benefits committee.

  • Received the administration's recommended changes to policy 7:315 (Restrictions on Publications; High Schools).

  • Began its review of the policy changes featured in the latest update from PRESS.

Members of the Facilities Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on June 17. During this meeting, the committee:

  • Discussed the construction schedules for the projects in Phases 2 and 3, and financial updates for Phases 1, 2 and 3.

  • Reviewed national data on construction cost escalation and discussed the impact of this escalation on the district's referendum projects.

  • Received an updated budget for Phase 4 work.

  • Received an update from Jason Oskorep, the district's director of operations, about the procurement delays for the Hinsdale Central windows operational project.

  • Received a presentation from Josh Stephenson, the district's chief financial officer, about Cotter Consulting's proposal for fiscal year 2023.

Members of the Finance Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on June 15. During this meeting, the committee:

  • Talked about the district's free meal program, the impact of the early release schedule on food services, inflation/food price increases for next school year, and a proposed partnership between the district and Quest Food Management Services to implement cafes/coffee shops at each campus next year. After discussing these items, the committee made the following recommendations:
  1. Implement one free meal and fee waiver category at 185% of the USDA published poverty level starting in the fall.
  2. Implement the price increases proposed by Quest (average increase is anticipated to be 10%).
  3. Approve a five-year contract extension with Quest in exchange for Quest funding the equipment purchases for the cafes/coffee shops at each campus.

  • Reviewed the tentative budget for fiscal year 2023.

  • Reviewed the proposed district depositories for fiscal year 2023 that are approved by the board on an annual basis. 

  • Reviewed a resolution to designate interest earnings, which is completed at the close of each fiscal year.

  • Reviewed the treasurer's bond for fiscal year 2023. 

The board also voted to release the draft minutes from these meetings as part of the consent agenda.

After receiving the reports, the board took the following action on items brought forth by the Finance Committee:


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 the proposed changes to these policies as part of the consent agenda for a future meeting.

Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda as amended. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit https://bit.ly/3QJATQM to access the consent agenda items beginning under number nine.

The board pulled items 13.1 (February 4 2022 Regular Action Meeting Closed Session Minutes), 13.2 (February 10 2022 Committee of the Whole Second Closed Session Minutes) and 13.3 (February 24 2022 Regular Action Meeting Closed Session Minutes) for a separate vote. Prior to the vote on these items, members James, Waters and Levinthal left the meeting at 9:06 p.m.. Since President Erik Held attended the meeting virtually and was not physically in attendance, the departure of members James, Waters and Levinthal resulted in a loss of quorum. The meeting was adjourned at 9:08 p.m.

You can access the video for this meeting by visiting https://vimeo.com/723775677.
Future Board Meetings
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Regular Action Meeting

Thursday, August 11, 2022
Committee of the Whole Meeting

Thursday, August 25, 2022
Regular Action Meeting
Hinsdale Township High School District 86
5500 South Grant Street • Hinsdale, IL 60521
Phone: (630) 655-6100 • Fax: (630) 325-9153