Good News
Principal Bill Walsh provided the board with the good news report for Hinsdale Central. This report included the following:
- Information about rising senior Meghna Mitra being recognized by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and InnerView Technologies in conjunction with their 5th Annual National Community Service Awards.
- The names of the students who finished in the top three in their individual events at the state competition for the Illinois Design Educators Association.
- A thank you to outgoing board liaison Christine Leung and welcome to new board liaison Meghna Mitra.
- Details about the grant funding the Community Memorial Foundation’s youth philanthropy program awarded to four local nonprofit organizations that are working to provide basic needs services to people in the western suburbs.
- Information about the interview that rising sophomore Saanvi Mylavarupu did with CBS Chicago about her mission to climb the world’s tallest mountains.
After his report, Principal Walsh recognized the following individuals from Central who retired this year.
- Dave Stringer - student supervisor with 17 years of service
- Dr. Jo Ann Lopykinski - math teacher with 17 years of service
- John Williams - science teacher with 17 years of service
- Laura Milas - art teacher with 32 years of service
Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp provided the board with the good news report for Hinsdale South. This report included the following:
- The names of the students who won the school's annual Fermi Award, which recognizes seniors who have shown outstanding dedication to and enthusiasm for science.
- The names of the students who received the American Legion Student Award, which embodies the organization's values of scholarship, courage, leadership and service.
- The names of the students who were inducted into South’s World Language Honor Societies.
- The list of students who were named the school’s Breakfast Club winners for fourth quarter.
- Information about the badminton team's fifth place finish at state.
- Shoutouts to baseball coach Paul Hoel on his 500th career victory, Zane and Zeke Bisharat on their third place finish in doubles at the sectional tournament for boys tennis, and the softball team on winning their regional championship.
After her report, Principal Pokorny Lyp recognized the following individuals from South who retired this year.
- Pam Conrad - administrative assistant in the guidance office with 16 years of service
- Marina Kucera - administrative assistant to the principal with 10 years of service
- Walter Downing - English teacher with 27 years of service
- Stanley Radziewicz - lead custodian with 30 years of service
The good news portion of the meeting concluded with the recognition of the following district-level employees who retired this year.
- Cathy Hannon - benefit and compliance coordinator with 16 years of service
- Mark Gillono - director of fiscal services with 20 years of service
Hearing about the Amended Budget for Fiscal Year 2022 and Interfund Transfer Resolution
The board of education held a public hearing about amendments to the budget for fiscal year 2022 and the transfer of money from the Education Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund. During the hearing, the administration presented the board with the amended budget and a resolution authorizing the transfer of funds. There was also an opportunity for community members to comment on one or both of the topics. Both items were approved by the board during the meeting.
Security of Schools
Kevin Simpson, who is the director of security for District 86, provided the board with an overview of the measures that are in place for keeping the district's students, staff and schools safe. These measures include, but are not limited to:
- Built-in contingencies and redundancies
- Threat assessment teams
- School resource officers from the local police departments
- Trainings conducted through the regional office of education (ROE)
- IT infrastructure that includes integrated systems (e.g., door access and cameras)
- Robust system for managing visitor access to the buildings
- Emergency operations plans that are aligned with the ROE and address a variety of scenarios
- Completion of all drills required by the state
- ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training
- BluePoint alert solutions that connect directly to first responders
- Security officers with extensive backgrounds in law enforcement who are authorized to carry firearms in accordance with the Illinois Retired Officers Conceal and Carry (IROCC) program
Mr. Simpson also credited the staff, especially the security team and members of the dean's office and counseling department from each high school, for the effectiveness and overall success of the district's safety measures.
Update on Superintendent Committees
The board received updates on the work being done by the following superintendent committees:
- Culture and Equity Leadership Team (CELT)
- Portrait of a Graduate
- Secondary Instructional Schedules
Culture and Equity Leadership Team (CELT)
- Links to previous communications and updates regarding the work of CELT
- Details about the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) Equity Continuum
- Informational tool to help districts view data through an equity lens
- Supports efforts to address significant and persistent gaps in achievement between student groups
- Data about where districts are on the continuum will be included on the Illinois Report Card starting this fall
- Areas of focus featured on the report card will include student learning, learning conditions and elevating educators
- Data may impact the utilization of resources
- Makeup of the committee - students, staff, parents/guardians, community members, administrators and board members
- Factors/activities guiding the work of the committee
- ISBE's Equity Continuum
- Student voice
- Review of district data
- Equity statement
- Details about the fishbowl activity led by students
- Identification of areas for improvement - hiring, decentralized content, tokenization, conflict resolution, teacher/staff professional development
- Key takeaway - students need to see themselves represented in the staff, curriculum, and instructional materials; hear multiple perspectives; and feel connected and have a sense of belongingness.
- Focus for the 2022-23 school year
- Surveyed CELT members - nearly 55% of them said priority should be the learning environment
- Developing a culture that promotes and sustains diversity, equity and inclusion in all student interactions and spaces
- Cultivating transformative social and emotional skills that empower students to have critically conscious discourse on diverse political and social topics in order to become engaged, active global citizens
- Focus on the learning environment
- Work of the committee to be led by Dr. Payne and Superintendent Prentiss
- Meetings occur on a bi-monthly basis and rotate between schools
- Increase membership of students, parents/guardians and community members who are interested in furthering equity efforts
- Monitor and review technical assistance from ISBE regarding equity work
Portrait of a Graduate
- Makeup of the committee - students, teachers, support staff, parents/guardians, administrators and board members
- List of focus group feedback teams - students, parents/guardians and community members, business leaders, college representatives and board members
- Factors/activities guiding the work of the committee
- Monthly meetings that began February 2022
- Local and national research
- Stakeholder survey
- Feedback from focus groups
- Development of the portrait based on the 115 characteristics and traits identified through the process
- Draft portraits created by committee members working in small groups; used to create a single draft that states - In addition to being a scholar who strives to achieve academic success, a District 86 graduate is:
- An Effective Communicator
- A Critical Thinker
- Endlessly (or Fearlessly) Curious
- Collaborative
- Resilient
- Empathetic
- A Self Advocate
- Dependable (Strong Work Ethic)
- Collect feedback on the draft from students, staff, parents/guardians, community members and alumni
- Review feedback and draft attribute descriptors
- Present Portrait of a Graduate to the board
Secondary Instructional Schedules
- Makeup of the committee - students, teachers, support staff, parents/guardians, administrators and a board member
- Factors/activities guiding the work of the committee
- Monthly meetings that began February 2022
- SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis that was based on the district's current schedule and informed by the pandemic
- Local and national research
- Collaboration with the team leading the work on Goal 2 of the strategic plan
- Drafted priorities
- Review of various instructional models
- Feedback provided by students in November 2020 about what schedule format they felt the district should use in conjunction with the move back to an 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. bell schedule for second semester; more than 60% selected block schedule
- Connections/relationship building
- Support (time with counselor/social worker/advisors)
- Universal intervention
- Decreased daily workload, burnout and stress levels for students
- Activities
- Study hall
- Expanded instructional time (block scheduling)
- Priorities - committee identified three tiers or clusters
- Flexible time (study, help, support, etc.); number of classes; staff collaboration time
- Consistency of class length; length of lunch period; contact between students and teachers; explicit student skill time
- Start time; off-campus learning activities
- Committee feedback on instructional models (modified block, A/B block and standard periods)
- Members were asked to select which model was their first, second or third choice
- Modified block got the most votes for first choice (26); combines traditional standard periods with a block schedule on a daily or weekly basis
- A/B block got the most votes for second (14) and third (13) choice
- Standard periods received three votes for first choice, 13 votes for second choice and 11 votes for third choice
- Pros of a modified block schedule
- Compromise between two extremes of traditional only or block only
- Allows for flex time (advisory, early release, resource)
- Greater depth in curriculum during block days
- Daily exposure or up to four out of five days per week for each class
- Cons of a modified block schedule
- Different routine each day - confusion; time to adjust
- Impact on specific subjects (math and world language) when classes do not meet on a daily basis
- Considerations - lunch varies by type of day (traditional or block); ramifications of three traditional and two block days versus one traditional and four block days
- Outcomes - strong consensus to gather more information about a modified block option for District 86
- More feedback and communication to larger stakeholder group
- Practical examples of the theoretical model
- Discussion about professional development for instructional shifts
- Board update and discussion
- Communication to students, staff and parents/guardians in the fall
- Community meetings
- Process for collecting stakeholder feedback (community survey)
- Committee meeting in the fall
- Benchmarking
- Collective bargaining process with the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association
- The earliest any significant instructional changes would occur is the 2024-25 school year
Board - New Business
During the portion of the meeting dedicated to new business, Board President Erik Held led the group in a discussion about the district's practices for processing requests that are submitted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The conversation was focused on a draft of the administrative procedures that correspond with policy 2:250 (Access to District Public Records).
Following the discussion, the board provided the administration with the following direction about the draft procedures.
- Include the optional language the board attorney proposed for item four under the section titled "Availability and Posting Requirements." This language states that the "FOIA Officer may choose not to post specific responses or released documents on the internet if he or she determines in good faith that the response or any released records do not qualify for exemption under FOIA but still implicate privacy or confidentiality concerns. Such situations may include but are not limited to any non-exempt student rosters, redacted student settlement agreements, documents implicating safety or security issues and personnel file documents. In such cases, a copy of the response and responsive documents shall be provided to the full Board with the rationale for not posting the response on the internet. The Board may overturn any individual determination by the FOIA Officer not to post FOIA documents on the internet].
- Include some of the optional language the board attorney proposed for item two under the section titled "Response to FOIA Requests." This language states that the "FOIA Officer generally will not redact, pursuant to FOIA Section 7(1)(c), information that would identify private citizens who corresponded with the District, unless such redaction is arguably required by law (e.g., student record information) or pertains to a minor.]" It also states that the "FOIA Officer generally will not redact information from or regarding the requester, except where legally required.]"
- Do not include the optional language the board attorney proposed for item two under the section titled "Response to FOIA Requests" that states that the "FOIA Officer generally will not redact information solely based on FOIA Section 7(1)(f).]"
- Include the language about computing deadlines that the board attorney proposed for the section titled "Extensions of Time to Respond." This language states that the "FOIA Officer shall compute deadlines according to law in consultation with the District’s legal counsel as needed. In calculating deadlines, if a FOIA request sent by email appears in the recipient’s mailbox during normal business working hours, it is received on that day. If it is e-mailed after business hours, including on a weekend or legal holiday, it is “received” on the following business day. A “business day” means a day during the week, Monday through Friday, when the District office and most public offices are open. Saturdays, Sundays and State holidays are not business days and are not counted in computing the 5 business day time period. The FOIA Officer may work after normal business hours to provide a timely response on the day it is due. The FOIA Officer shall post a list of normal business working hours and non-business days for FOIA purposes on the District’s website."
The addition of the optional/proposed language above will mean the following for members of the general public.
- The district will no longer redact people's names from documents that are responsive to requests unless doing so is required by law - e.g., redacting the names of students pursuant to the Illinois School Student Records Act.
- The district will no longer redact a person's personal information (e.g., name, email address, phone number, etc.) in records that are returned to them in response to their own request. This unredacted information will also be included in any records that are posted on the district's FOIA log.
- The district will ensure that individuals who submit requests are aware of/understand the process that is used to compute deadlines for issuing a response.
The soonest these changes will take effect is July 1, 2022.
Committee Reports
Members of the Finance Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on May 18. During this meeting, the committee:
- Reviewed the amended budget for fiscal year 2022; proposed changes based on the need to transfer operational funds into capital projects to balance the referendum budget and eliminate any large budget to actual variances in the capital projects fund in the annual financial reports
- Discussed the timeline for the fiscal year 2022 audit
In addition to receiving this report, the board voted to release the draft minutes from this meeting 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 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/38J1trT to access the consent agenda items beginning under number 11.
Action Items
The board approved the following items:
Board President's Report
Board President Erik Held congratulated the graduates from Hinsdale South, Hinsdale Central and the Transition Center, and wished them the best.
Board President Held also shared that he went to the Transition Center's annual Community Appreciation Breakfast, and described it as a phenomenal event. He said that he enjoyed talking to staff, learning about Transition's community partnerships, and hearing from students about their experiences. He concluded his report by thanking the Transition staff for their outstanding work.
Future Agenda Items
Below are the future agenda items that were requested by members of the board.
- A discussion about the district's grading practices given the concerns raised by parents/guardians and the issues that have arisen in other districts. Information about grading will be included in the update about the strategic plan that will be presented during the board meeting on June 23.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss gave a shoutout to the students, teachers and support staff for their hard work, dedication and resiliency during the school year, especially given the ongoing challenges created by the pandemic.
- The services that must be provided in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Transition plans/requirements that are part of a student's individualized education program (IEP)
- Eligibility for services through the District 86 Transition Program
- Determined by the IEP team during a student’s senior year of high school
- Students must have met graduation course requirements
- Eligible students walk with their peers during the graduation ceremony, but do not receive their diploma
- District retains the diploma until the IEP team has determined the student is no longer eligible for transition services - age out of the program and/or achieve transition plan goals
- Graduation rates - general information
- Current state law does not allow the district to report a student as having graduated until they actually take their diploma
- Districts are unable to accurately report the percentage of students who have met the requirements for graduation if an IEP team has determined that the student is eligible for transition services
- Annual practice in District 86 is to report two sets of graduation rates - what is listed on the Illinois Report Card and what more accurately reflects our situation based on the students who have enough credits to graduate, but move on to Transition
- 2021 graduation rates for Hinsdale South
- 377 students in the class of 2021
- 324 (86%) graduated per the Illinois Report Card
- 69 of the 377 students (18%) had IEPs and enough credits to graduate; 45 of the 69 students (65%) were eligible for and moved on to the Transition Program
- South's adjusted graduation rate for 2021 was 97.5%
- District 86 has and will continue to work to have the legislation changed to accurately reflect graduation rates and not penalize schools for students who are eligible for transition services following high school
- Highlights of the Transition Program
- Significant growth in enrollment the past six years - 24 students in 2013-14; 115 students in 2021-22
- 45 young adults competitively employed
- First year (2014) with the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), had one outcome (student working for a minimum of 60 days and 240 hours); had 39 outcomes during the 2021-22 school year
- More than 50 community business partners provide young adults with vocational training opportunities within our community; added 10 new locations this school year
- Highlights of the Bridge Program
- Students are collectively enrolled in more than 100 different classes (e.g., nursing, culinary arts, auto technician and human services) that are helping them learn about and earn a degree or certificate in their chosen career field
- College persistence rate for students who are in or exited the Bridge program during the 2021-22 school year is 90%; persistence rate is measured by the percentage of students who return to college at any institution for their second year
- Average persistence rate for Bridge students over the past six years is 82.5%; rate for all part-time general education students at the College of DuPage is 51%
- During the past three years, students from Bridge have been accepted by, attended or are in the process of transferring to a variety of four-year universities (e.g., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Southern Illinois University, the University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University and the University of New Mexico); one graduate is currently serving overseas in the U.S. Navy
- Bridge has received an SEL in Action Award from the Novo Foundation each of the past five years, and has been able to acquire more than $30,000 to help fund peer leadership activities
Treasury and Financial Reports
Per its regular cadence of reporting, the administration provided the board with the treasury and financial reports for April 2022. You can access the financial reports by visiting
https://bit.ly/3NR1x7T and the treasury report by visiting
https://bit.ly/3Q8FsUq.
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.
