Transition Center Building Capacity and Space Utilization Report
The administration provided the board with a capacity and utilization report for the Transition Center and Bridge program for the 2020-21 school year. Our transition programs serve more than 100 young adults with individualized education plans (IEPs). The projected number of students enrolled in these programs during the 2020-21 school year is approximately three times the number of students enrolled six years ago.
Due to their growth, the Transition Center and the Bridge program are both experiencing issues related to overcrowding that include:
- Crowded instructional spaces.
- Loss of instructional time due to having to set up and reconfigure spaces throughout the day.
- Limited space for private instruction, IEP meetings and confidential conversations.
- No designated space for Quest to provide/support food service.
- No designated mother’s room.
- Limited bathrooms.
- Limited closet/storage space for student adaptive equipment, supplies and files
Approve Extension of Cotter Consulting Agreement
The board accepted an amended proposal from Cotter Consulting, the district’s owner’s representative, to provide support on the district’s referendum projects over the course of the 2020-21 fiscal year. The work, which will be billed hourly, will not exceed $178,272.
2020-21 Return to School Plan
The administration presented the board with the district’s return to school plan for the 2020-21 school year. The plan was developed by the Revitalization-Recovery-Restore Committee (R3), which is composed of teachers, department chairs, and building and district administrators.
While the district’s goal is to return to in-person instruction on a full-time basis, R3 determined that local and state health guidelines, especially the ones related to social distancing and capacity restrictions, will not allow for a safe return to a 100% in-person model to start the school year. As a result, the committee recommended that the school year begin in a hybrid model (combination of in-person and remote instruction) without lunch, but with the intent of transitioning to a hybrid model with lunch during first semester if certain safety criteria are met.
The committee also recommended that an online program be made available for students who would prefer to engage in virtual learning from home. However, any student who selects the online program will remain in it for the entire first semester and will not be able to shift to another model.
A detailed communication regarding the 2020-21 return to school plan was sent to all parents/guardians today and can be viewed by visiting
https://bit.ly/39qQIX3.
After the discussion, the board set aside approximately one hour during which members of the community had the chance to ask questions about the district’s plan both virtually and in-person.
When the question and answer session concluded, the board approved a resolution regarding the return to school plan. You can access the resolution by visiting
https://bit.ly/30PUc1I.
Committee Reports
Members of the Finance Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on July 15. During this meeting the committee:
- Reviewed the district’s current booster, foundation and Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) groups in conjunction with updates being made to the district’s policy manual.
- Received a presentation about a potential housing development project from McNaughton Development, Inc.
- Reviewed a proposal from Cotter Consulting, the district’s owner’s representative, for referendum project support during the 2020-21 fiscal year.
- Discussed municipal bond market conditions.
Members of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on July 9. During this meeting, the committee discussed:
- Potential changes to the 2020-21 school calendar.
- The creation of administrative procedures that will correspond with board policies 6:40 (Curriculum Development) and 6:210 (Instructional Materials).
- The work the Math Pathways Committee is doing to align the district’s math courses and curriculum.
- The work the Revitalization-Recovery-Restore Committee is doing to prepare for the start of the 2020-21 school year.
Members of the Human Resources Committee provided the board with a report from their meeting on July 10. During this meeting, the committee discussed:
- The longevity stipend process for confidential, specialist, financial and secretarial staff.
- Options for ensuring district data is not used to maintain district-established relationships after a student graduates or an employee leaves the district.
- The recommendation to hire an interim human resources director.
- The process for filling the vacancy on the board of education.
In addition to receiving the reports, the board voted to release the draft minutes from these meetings 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
https://bit.ly/3hsN55H to access the consent agenda items beginning under number nine.
Approve Interim Human Resources Director
The board approved the appointment of Mary Dudek to the position of interim human resources director.
Approve Revised 2020-2021 School Calendar
The board approved revisions to the 2020-21 school calendar. The revisions to the school calendar include, but are not limited to:
- Changing the first day of school from Aug. 12 to Aug. 17.
- Changing the Aug. 11 institute day to Aug. 14.
- Adding three remote learning planning days.
- Converting all Wednesdays to COVID remote learning days based on the district’s return to school plan.
- Removing all late start Mondays, which will not occur during the 2020-21 school year since the district is starting in a hybrid model.
- Adding fall testing dates on Oct. 14 and 15.
- Converting Nov. 3 to a non-attendance day in accordance with Public Act 101-0642, which was passed on June 16, 2020 and establishes it as a state holiday.
- Converting Nov. 25 to an attendance day to recapture the instructional day lost on Nov. 3.
Rescind Policy 8:22
The board voted to rescind policy 8:22 (Community Organizations Utilizing District 86 Names). This decision was based on several factors, including the perception that the district is sponsoring the programs covered by the policy, the administrative costs associated with addressing misunderstood relationships, the cannibalizing of participation in district programs, and an assumption of oversight by the district.
Approve the IASB Draft Policy Manual
The board approved the IASB draft policy manual. The decision to create a customized manual was approved by the board in August 2019. The draft manual was reviewed by staff members, the administration, the Policy Committee and the board over the course of the 2019-2020 school year. It was compared against the district's existing policies and practices for consistency purposes and to align it more closely with the policies that are created and maintained by IASB's Policy Reference Education Subscription Service (PRESS).
Award Bid 20-034 (Athletic Trainers) to Athletico Physical Therapy
The board awarded a three-year contract for athletic trainers to Athletico Physical Therapy in the amount of $420,000. The district placed a legal ad in the Pioneer Doings on April 16 and received three responses. Athletico Physical Therapy was the lowest responsive bidder.
Board President’s Report
Board President Kevin Camden thanked former board member Nancy Pollak for her service on the District 86 Board of Education and noted that the board received 15 applications for the vacancy created by her departure. Applicants will be notified about the next steps in the process.
District 86 Board of Education Vacancy
The board voted to suspend the non-existent 45-day deadline for filling pending vacancies and apply the 60-day timeline that is spelled out in Illinois School Code and the approved version of policy 2:70 (Vacancies on Board of Education). The board also suspended any policies that conflict with the 60-day timeline.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss thanked all the members of Revitalization-Recovery-Restore Committee for their work on developing the 2020-21 return to school plan, the members of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee for providing feedback on the draft plan during their meeting on July 9, and the members of her executive cabinet team for the countless hours they have spent preparing for the start of school.
Superintendent Prentiss also gave a brief update about the Phase I construction process and timeline, and the work being undertaken to ensure racial equity across the district.
Heather Highlands Development Update
The board discussed the potential impact of the Heather Highlands development on the district. McNaughton Development, Inc. has presented two updates to the Finance Committee and is scheduled to present an update to the Village of Hinsdale in September.
FOIA Requests
The board received information about the FOIA requests that have been processed since its last 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
