The information below summarizes highlights from the District 38 Board of Education (BOE) meetings. Agendas are posted 48 hours in advance of meetings to the website and Board packets before each meeting and Board minutes once approved. Regular meetings are recorded and posted to the school website within 48 hours for viewing. NOTE: Due to Phase 4 space restrictions in a single space, in-person participation for a BOE meeting is limited to the Board of Education Members and Administration. The BOE will be conducting virtual meetings via Zoom. Information to virtually attend a meeting or to provide public comment during the meeting is posted on each meeting agenda on our website under Meeting Documents 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Kenilworth School District 38 Board Briefs Highlights from the Regular Meeting on February 8, 2021   School Calendar:  Superintendent, Ms. Kate Donegan, proposed the consideration of a two-year calendar beginning with the 2021-2022 school year with changes to allow a longer summer break in 2022 to give the most time for construction completion. The school calendar committee will review the options and put together a draft two-year calendar for the Board of Education review at the March meeting.

Extended School Year (ESY) and Summer School 2021: ESY services refer to special education and related services for students with a disability who demonstrate the need for continued service beyond the regular school calendar. School districts must provide ESY services at no cost to the parents when the IEP team determines that services are necessary. ESY services may be determined to be necessary for students who show significant loss of skills during extended breaks (regression) and who may take longer than expected to get back to the level of where they were before the break (recoupment) in addition to other factors. The goal of ESY is to maintain or minimize the loss of current skills and target goals/objectives taught during the current school year. Special education certified teachers must teach ESY. While most D38 students who qualify for ESY support and services will attend D38 ESY programming, some students are eligible for alternative ESY programs, such as ESY programs provided by NSSED. Summer school is intended to support students who demonstrate the need for intervention services as evidenced by their scores on standardized assessments and other teacher provided evidence. These students typically have standardized test scores that fall below the 40th percentile nationally. The goal of summer school programming is to fill in student knowledge gaps from their current grade level to ensure they are prepared for the upcoming school year. ESY and Summer School will run concurrently, Monday through Thursday, for the three full weeks leading up to the return to school. Dates will be finalized when the 2021-2022 school year calendar is approved. Students will attend from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. for English Language Arts and/or from 10:10 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. for Math. ESY and Summer School will be in person on The Joseph Sears School Campus, and COVID precautions will be implemented.

Master Facilities Plan (MFP) Update: The Building and Finance Committee is focused on implementing the Master Facilities Plan. Kenilworth 38 Board Members Mr. Bill Graham and Mr. Stephen Potter meet weekly with DLA Architects, Construction Manager Frederick Quinn, Superintendent Kate Donegan, Business Manager Dr. Joe Bailey, along with John Hart and Johnathan Kiwala of the Kenilworth Park District. The Building and Finance Committee receives monthly updates on the weekly meetings. All budget requests and significant change orders or variances will be directed to the full Board of Education for review and necessary approval. The initial focus of the MFP efforts has been to develop the proper climate system. The team is working with DLA Architects, Quinn, and their engineering consultant, 20/10 Engineering, to review various options. Considerations include a Water Source Heat Pump system that is both less expensive than a traditional HVAC system and will permit the later implementation of an energy-efficient geothermal system. These plans will be formalized over the coming weeks, with a review of the plans and budget at the next Building and Finance Committee Meeting with potential approval at the March Board Meeting.   DLA Architects is working with Quinn to design and propose more detailed plans to build out specific classroom and community spaces to be completed over the next year. These plans should be available for review over the next six weeks. DLA Architects will spec out the remainder of the project, with the expectation of having the full scope and more significant details available by the end of the school year. A new contract with DLA is currently being negotiated. We continue to have active engagement with the Kenilworth Park District on matters ranging from collaboration on the geothermal project, the possible use of Townley Field as a Haul Road during the peak of our construction project, and other developments related to our adjoined campuses.   David Stephen of New Vista Design will be working with administrators, teachers, and DLA Architects in late February to fine-tune the feedback from the series of Visioning Sessions held last year, all of which will be incorporated into the DLA detailed proposal.   A Sustainability Committee has been established to advise on sustainability issues related to the MFP. The group is currently discussing plans for transitioning the Outdoor Classroom, the school’s prospect to incorporate LEED principles into the design work, and the possible use of geothermal energy in our design. The Board and Administration are committed to including stakeholder feedback throughout the implementation of the MFP. Members of the community are welcome to attend the Regular BOE meetings and the Building and Finance Committee Meetings. Visit our Master Facilities planning web page for more information on the project.

Kenilworth Education Association (KEA) Contract Negotiation Year: The current KEA teacher’s contract expires in August 2021. Negotiations between the KEA and the Board of Education begin in March. The Board's goal is to work in conjunction with the KEA to develop a new agreement that reflects a student-centered approach, an investment in quality teaching, equity, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.

Policy Review Update: The Policy Committee began in August with a comprehensive review of our Board policies with the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). On December 7, the Policy Committee met with a representative from IASB to finalize our draft policy manual. The Policy Committee reviewed every policy to determine which policies to adopt as presented, those that required editing or required unique language for the district, and those policies the Committee recommended not to adopt. The policies in the final draft policy manual reflect this review. The policy manual included in the Board documents contains the draft policies for consideration. The Board approved the adoption of the draft policy manual as presented. There are policies that the Committee determined still require a broader discussion and potential changes to the language before consideration for adoption. The following is a list of those policies. The Policy Committee will present them for a first read at the March 15, 2021, Board of Education meeting. 5:10 – Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment 5:20 – Workplace Harassment Prohibited 5:330 – Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays, and Leaves 5:186 – Private Professional Services 7:310 – Restrictions on Publications; Elementary Schools 7:325 – Student Fundraising Activities

Calendar Review: February 22, 2021; Student Non-Attendance Day, Teacher Institute Day March 4, 2021; BOE Building and Finance Committee Meeting March 15, 2021; Board of Education Meeting March 29, 2021 - April 9, 2021; Spring Break April 1, 2021; BOE Building and Finance Committee Meeting

Please direct your questions or comments to the Kenilworth School District No. 38 by sending an email to listen@kenilworth38.org. All messages are sent to the Board of Education members, Superintendent, and the Board of Education Secretary, and are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Thank you!

Kenilworth School District No. 38 Board of Education

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