Volume 25, No. 4 | Thursday October 28, 2021
News from the October 26, 2021 meeting
Community Input Shapes Superintendent Profile
 
The next superintendent to lead District 28 should be student-centered, innovative, confident, resilient and have a deep knowledge of best practices in teaching and learning. The next leader should communicate decisions with clarity, reason and empathy after considering input from all stakeholders. And, the next leader should be genuine, caring, personable and skilled at building trust and maintaining the positive climate and culture of the district.

These are some of the top traits in the superintendent’s profile presented by the executive search firm School Exec Connect following a month of community engagement. The profile was developed after the Board of Education invited more than 2,700 teachers, support staff, administration, parents, community members and students to participate in focus groups and/or an online survey about the district’s strengths and challenges, priorities and characteristics of a new superintendent. There were 458 responses to the survey and 98 people who participated in focus groups.

“There was a real consistency in what people said,” commented School Exec Connect Consultant Linda Yonke. “In particular, of the many searches I have been involved in, I have never seen parents and teachers so in sync in terms of strengths, challenges and qualities they would like to see in a superintendent.”

The first and foremost strength (of the district) noted was the teaching and administrative staff. “Parents said it feels like a family and they like being part of the district. Another strength is the value the community places on education. The teacher retention rate is very good and there is a stable administrative staff.”

Respondents want the superintendent to be able to balance academic goals with social-emotional learning. A careful transition plan is important and the new superintendent should be prepared to collaborate and respond to all constituencies, she said.

The firm had received 32 applications for the position and will continue to accept applications through Oct. 31. The New Superintendent Profile will be used to screen candidates and present a slate of about 10 candidates for the board to review in a closed session on November 9. The Community Engagement Report and the Superintendent search timeline is posted on the district’s superintendent search webpage. The board hopes to hire a new superintendent before the end of 2021.

Board President Tracy Katz Muhl said of the search process, "For 15 years Dr. Hewitt has served the community and children of Northbrook 28 with integrity, compassion and dedication. As a board, we are striving to hire a new superintendent who will uphold our values and expectations of continuous improvement for many years to come."
Superintendent's Report
Saliva Testing Resumes
SHIELD Illinois saliva testing resumed the week of October 4. Testing was suspended for two weeks due to a supply issue. The testing has identified only a few new cases with 62% to 80% of eligible students participating. The results are documented on the COVID Dashboard, which is updated daily and maintains weekly statistics on district data overall.

Planning Underway for Vaccination Clinic for Children 5-11
The Northfield Township school districts have been working with the villages of Northbrook and Glenview to set up a community vaccination clinic once the vaccine has full FDA approval. The Village of Northbrook has offered to host the clinic at the former Grainger site on Shermer Road. Logistical planning has begun. Once the vaccine has full FDA approval and there is confirmation of doses received, the clinic will be scheduled and announced to the community.

Financial Reports
Audit: Fund Reserves Continue to Decline
The accounting firm Lauterbach & Amen LLC presented the annual audit for the year ending June 30, 2021. The firm reported that the district is in sound financial health, however, the fund balance continues a recent trend, posting a small decline for the year.
Board policy states that the district is to maintain a fund balance -- the district’s savings account -- between 50-75% of annual revenues. The balance is below that benchmark for the second year in a row. Increased spending due to the pandemic, increased pension liabilities, falling interest rates and a lower Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate, which drives annual revenue increases, are impacting the bottom line.
Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato noted that the district will be evaluating future spending priorities and monitoring revenue growth.

State Library Grant to Boost Meadowbrook Collection
Each year the district applies for an Illinois School District Library Grant, rotating the funds among the four schools. This year, Meadowbrook librarian Monica Benz is applying for a grant to be spent on print and digital items.
The grant will be used to purchase materials that align with Standard #4 of the Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction of Libraries: “Appreciate literature and other creative expressions of thoughts and ideas and pursue knowledge related to personal interests and aesthetic growth.” Last year, Northbrook Junior High School received $1,555, which was used to purchase eBooks, digital audiobooks and paper books.

Estimated Tax Levy Tied to 1.4% CPI
Each year, the district files a tax levy request with the Township Assessor for funds that will be applied to the following year’s budget. For 2021, the district is requesting $40,205,000. This represents a 4.99% increase over the previous year, according to Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato.
 
State law restricts school districts’ year-over-year property tax levy to no more than the CPI or 5%, whichever is less, plus new property growth in the district. The state law is commonly referred to as the tax cap law. The CPI, or inflation rate, is a measure of price changes in consumer goods and services set by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The December 2020 CPI of 1.4% is used for the 2021 levy calculation.
 
Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato said the revenues from new development are the only other source to increase the amount of property tax revenue that the district receives. The district must over-estimate the levy increase in order to capture all potential new property growth, which is why the request is always higher than the CPI. The township assessor determines the actual amount paid to the district after all property is assessed. Property taxes provide about 86 percent of the district’s total revenues.
 
Last year, the tax levy request was $37.4 million but the district actually received $37.2 million because of the tax cap law.
The board will approve the levy at its Dec. 14 meeting.

In Brief
Board Supports Northbrook Climate Action Plan
The Board voted to support the Village of Northbrook’s Climate Action Plan, which was adopted in August by the village board. The plan was created to reach the target of 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2040.
 
The plan identified eight strategic areas to meet this vision, along with 43 strategies and 200 actions in the following categories: Transportation and Land Use; Building and Energy; Waste Management; Water and Wastewater; Local Food and Agriculture; Health and Safety; and Greenspace and Ecosystem.

Dr. Hewitt said he reviewed the plan with the Director of Buildings and Grounds Joel Gallegos and Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato for its potential impact on the school district and actions the district can take to support the effort. 
The board unanimously supported the plan in a non-binding vote.
District Happenings
Teachers Explore New Science Standards
Teachers from across the district representing grades Early Childhood through junior high school spent a recent October morning digging into the science and engineering practices from Next Generation Science Standards. This is the first step in updating our K-8 science curriculum, which will be a two-year process. Teachers were exploring how to use real-world examples to communicate scientific concepts. Next Generation Science Standards are "designed to shift the focus from merely memorizing scientific facts to actually doing science—so students spend more time posing questions and discovering the answers for themselves" as defined by the National Science Teaching Association.
Want to Know More?
Livestream/Archive Video
The Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on the District 28's YouTube Channel. The live streams are also archived for later viewing.

Next Meeting is November 23
The Board of Education is holding in-person meetings at Northbrook Junior High. The meeting will be held following health and safety protocols. The meetings will continue to be live-streamed on the District 28 YouTube channel. The next regular meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for 7 p.m. on November 23.