President’s Report
Board President David Lane shared the news that Dr. Matthew Montgomery will become the next Superintendent of Lake Forest Schools, effective July 1.
Dr. Montgomery’s contract was unanimously approved earlier on April 12 in a Special Board Meeting of Lake Forest Districts 115 and 67 Boards of Education.
Mr. Lane said that Dr. Montgomery, who has been in his current post as Superintendent of the Revere Local School District (K-12) in Bath, Ohio, since 2015, was selected following an extensive community engagement and a national search process managed jointly by the two School Boards and search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.
"Dr. Montgomery is the right leader at the right time for Lake Forest schools," Mr. Lane said. "He brings with him a track record of K-12 innovation and achievement. Equally important, Dr. Montgomery has the vision, intellect, management skills, and heart that will take our District to the next level."
“While Dr. Montgomery will need to finish the year strong in his own school district before fully shifting his attention to Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood,” Mr Lane said, “our communities will have an opportunity to hear from him in the days and weeks ahead when he will reach out by video message, drop into meetings from time to time, and participate in a series of meet and greets with students, staff, and families before the end of the school year.”
“We look forward to the future of our schools with great optimism,” Mr. Lane said.
Public Participation
With the April 6 School Board election over, one person called in during the public participation portion of the meeting to thank Board members for their service to the community, including departing Board President David Lane and Board member Tom Nemickas, who both did not seek re-election.
Superintendent’s Report
Interim Superintendent Dr. Connie Collins’s report included updates on:
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Student Council. Student Body President Will Elliott thanked the Board and administration for enabling students’ return to full-time, in-person learning. "Classes and hallways are buzzing,” he said.
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LFHS. Principal Chala Holland provided details on the expansion of in-person learning, which began April 5, including that 1,111 students, or 76 percent of the student body, were back in the building with the rest continuing their studies remotely. “We are excited to have so many students back,” Dr. Holland said. “School feels like school.” She also told the Board that graduation will be held June 5 on the LFHS lawn and summer school will begin June 8.
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Project F_LL. The District 65, 67, and 115 initiative to address food insecurity in Lake County is off to a strong start. Ashleigh Malec, director of student activities at LFHS, told the Board that in April so far, 239 bags of non-perishable food had been distributed, with 40 student volunteers and 35 adult volunteers helping. Deer Path Middle School sixth-graders Paul Helms and Brady Stadolnik, who spearheaded Project F_LL, spoke to the Board about where their idea originated.
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LFHS Principal Search. The District is conducting its search for a new LFHS principal with Dr. Holland’s leaving at the end of the school year. Dr. Collins said that 900 people had participated in a survey on principal attributes. The District’s goal is to do finalist interviews late this month. Finalist interviews for the Building and Grounds Director position are also expected late this month. Current Director Carol White is retiring.
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ESSER Funding. The District expects to receive $497,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding. ESSER Funding is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Dr. Collins said 20% of the funding must be dedicated to activities to address pandemic-related learning loss.
Reopening Report
Dr. Collins turned to District 115 Director of Safety and Security Lane Linder for a snapshot of current COVID-19 cases in the county and the community. Mr. Linder told the Board that mandatory twice-weekly COVID-19 testing, which took place the week of April 5, shifted mainly to voluntary testing as of April 12.
Education Committee
Tom Nemickas, committee chair, told the Board that the Education Committee met April 7 for its final gathering of this school year and discussed a range of issues including why diversity, equity, and inclusion matter.
Finance and Operations Committee
Sally Davis, committee chair, said the panel next meets early in May.
Policy Committee
Ted Moorman, committee chair, said the committee had not met since the last Board meeting.
ED-RED Legislative Update
John Noble, legislative liaison, said with the local elections over, the goal is to build a plan of meetings/discussions to reaffirm legislative priorities for Districts 65, 67, and 115.
NSSED Update
Ted Moorman, NSSED liaison, said NSSED was meeting April 14.
Action Items
Upcoming Meeting
Monday, May 10, 2021 - 7 p.m.
