The Lyons Township High School District #204 Board of Education conducted a Regular Action Meeting on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in the Reber Center at North Campus. The following items occurred during the meeting:
For more information regarding the Board of Education, which includes a link to view the livestream of all meetings, please visit the LTHS Board of Education website.
Agenda-Related Public Speakers:
James Williams
Ellen Smith
Kristin Violante
Sheila Jercich
Beth Walsh
Communications
LT Education Association President Andrew Johannes acknowledged that summer is a time to recharge and reset for the next year. He expressed appreciation for the pay increases that were provided for the Classified and Non-Contractual group and is pleased all of the groups within our LTHS staff community have been recognized for their hard work. The LTEA supports the Strategic Plan and President Johannes feels this plan will provide a positive direction for goals for the next few years. President Johannes thanked the nursing staff for the incredible amount of work they have been doing to keep LTHS a healthy environment during very challenging times. President Johannes thanked the Grading Implementation Team and expressed support for the recent changes that have been communicated and he feels that adding additional members to the team will assist in the continued work of this group. President Johannes thanked Ed Tennant and Kelly Dostal for their discussions regarding technology options for assisting with documenting tardies and easing the burden on teacher’s. He appreciated they listened to the teacher concerns and are problem solving. President Johannes congratulated all of the retirees for their service and wished them well in retirement. Finally, President Johannes wished everyone a great summer before everyone returns in August to start fresh.
Superintendent’s District Report
Dr. Waterman expressed his appreciation to students, staff, parent/guardians, community members, and board members for navigating through both the challenges and celebrations of the 2021-22 school year. LTHS began the school year in August still dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the year ended in a much more traditional sense with a commencement ceremony on May 25 that honored 1,014 students from the Class of 2022. As always, our most recent graduates have so much to be proud of, in terms of what they accomplished, but they should also have much hope as they move on to college, apprenticeships, military, and employment.
Dr. Waterman also explained the excitement that comes with summer school and the special partnership our school has with the community during the summer. This summer, LT has almost 7,000 summer school enrollments in 64 different high school courses, athletic camps and extra-curricular activities. There are approximately nine weeks of summer left and so much to accomplish, and we look forward to communicating updates throughout the summer as we prepare for the 2022-23 school year.
FOIA
The following Freedom of Information Requests have been received since the May Board of Education Meeting:
- A local parent right’s group requested information related to public participation at BOE meetings.
- An individual requested information related to benefits for administrators.
- A local reporter requested information related to the District’s transportation provider.
- A local reporter requested information related to a teacher’s resignation.
- An individual requested information related to an athletic contest.
- A local reporter requested information related to an athletic contest.
- A local reporter requested information related to a teacher’s resignation.
Business
Dr. Waterman presented a first reading of the DAOES Intergovernmental agreement. DAOES is the governing system for the Technology Center of DuPage (TCD), which is a Career and Technical Education Center that provides student programming in a variety of vocational areas of study. This updated IGA is a culmination of work the DAOES Board has done over the past two years. The next step in this process is for each local School Board, including Lyons Township High School District #204, to approve the amended DAOES Intergovernmental Agreement. The recommendation for final approval will be at the August meeting.
Director of Business Services Brian Stachacz presented a list of bank accounts (Depositories) currently utilized by the District, along with the names of the current signers on those accounts. We are required to have these approved on an annual basis by the Board of Education now that the District owns the accounts and we are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Township Treasurer’s Office. There are no recommended changes to the accounts or the signers at this time for the upcoming year. The Board approved the depositories and signers as presented.
Director of Human Resources Ed Piotrowski presented a first reading of the PRESS 109 Policies review updates. The District maintains its policies through the PRESS service provided by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). The policies are broken down into three sections. These policy updates will be presented for final approval at the August Meeting.
The Board approved the LTHS District 204 Consolidated Plan presented by Director of Curriculum and Instruction. The plan includes goals and assurances for: Title I (improving the academic achievement of the disadvantaged), Title II (Prepping, training and recruiting high-quality teachers, principals and other school leaders), Title IV (student support and academic enrichment), IDEA (individuals with disabilities in education), ESSER III American Recovery Plan (Federal plan to get schools opened back up after COVID and support the most vulnerable). Input for the goals and initiatives included in the Consolidated District Plan have come from administration, teachers, students, parents, community members, consultation with non-public school officials, LADSE, and the participants of the Strategic Plan Process which included
representatives and feedback from all required groups. Embedded in the plan are District goals
and state requirements that pertain to the targeted populations named as beneficiaries of their
respective grants.
Information
Principal Tyrrell provided information regarding many many highlights and celebrations from the 2021-2022 school year. The students of LTHS excelled in the classroom, within extra-curricular activities and within interscholastic athletics. Principal Tyrrell expressed extreme pride and appreciation for all of the students at LTHS and coaches and sponsors that help create the culture of success at LTHS. Adding that it was especially meaningful to return to these in person events and activities post a challenging pandemic.
Dr. Waterman provided a follow up discussion and update regarding the Grading Practices. Last week, the Board of Education heard a report from Dr. Tyrrell about the findings of a gradebook audit that was completed in the spring, and the Administration team will be able to use the results of this audit to inform our future efforts in teacher support and professional development. The Board also heard a report from Scott Eggerding and a few members of the Grading Practices Implementation Team, about the work of the team this spring and the proposed changes for next year. These include adding a 10% calculation of formative work to the final grade, clarifying deadlines as it relates to the submission of summative work and access to retakes/revisions, and an update regarding the end of the semester and final exams.
Dr. Waterman expressed that it is clear there are still significant concerns with end of the semester and final exam procedures, and also with ensuring there are reasonable retake/revision procedures in place. Dr. Waterman expressed that these concerns have been heard and that the leadership team will be working to make additional updates, which will be in place and communicated prior to the beginning of the school year. Dr. Waterman anticipates having additional information for the Board of Education in early July.
The Board approved the consent agenda items.
Non-Agenda Related Items Public Speakers
Board President Kari Dillon reminded those addressing the Board that individuals are expected to behave with respect and civility toward others and shall not use vulgar or obscene language, or impede, delay, disrupt or interfere with a Board meeting. For full policy details, consult the Board Policy manual on the District’s website.
Katie Smith
Becky Lorentzen
Harold Gibson
