Moment of Silence
The meeting began with a moment of silence for Elif Kose, a sophomore from Hinsdale South who passed away unexpectedly a couple weeks ago.
Good News
Principal Bill Walsh and athletic director Dan Jones recognized several teams (girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls golf, and girls swimming and diving) and student-athletes (golfer Elyssa Abdullah, football player Sean Allison and soccer player Jack Finley) from Hinsdale Central for their success this year.
After the recognitions, Principal Walsh introduced student liaison Christine Leung, who provided information from her board report. This report included:
- Details about several recent events and activities, including Spooky Spirit Week, picture day for student groups, the annual Day of Service, the "Stuff the Truck" event hosted by the National Honor Society, a trick or treat outing for the members of Peer Buddies, the production of "All Together Now!" performed by the Hinsdale Central Drama Club and a fundraiser at MOD Pizza organized by the Student Council.
- Recent accomplishments by several teams, including girls tennis (first place at state), boys cross country (second place at state), girls cross country (third place at state), girls swimming and diving (second place at state), boys bowling (runner-up in the Bronze division at the 8th Annual Baker Kickoff), and football, cheerleading and poms (all played a role in the football team's playoff win over Sandburg).
- Information about the 100th issue of the Devils' Advocate student newspaper, which was published on Oct. 31.
- Details about the speech team's first place finish at the tournament held at York High School on Nov. 6.
Leung also shared feedback about finals and the Devilish Deal meals. You can access her report by visiting
https://bit.ly/30xxyi7.
Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp and coach Stephen Snider from Hinsdale South recognized Chase Metcalf, who took seventh place in singles at the state tournament for tennis. After recognizing Metcalf, Principal Pokorny Lyp introduced student liaison Jennifer Pantoni, who provided information from her board report. This report included:
- Shoutouts to Chase Metcalf for her performance at state and Charles Nilles, who was selected to participate in swimming at the Special Olympics USA Games.
- Details about the final football game of the year, which South won 49-6. The highlights included the senior players, cheerleaders, danceline members, color guard members, and band performers being brought on the field and introduced for the last time.
- Information about the theatre department's production of "RENT: School Edition" and the orchestra's first concert of the year.
- A recap of recent events and activities, including the inaugural Feel Good Friday, Halloween Week, Red Ribbon Week and the Pumpkin Smash.
Pantoni also shared feedback about the options for lunch and changes to grading. You can access her report by visiting
https://bit.ly/3cnTuPh.
Graduation
The board members provided direction on the date and time for this year's graduation ceremonies at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South. They supported the recommendation from the building principals that the two schools hold their ceremonies simultaneously on May 26, 2022, at 7 p.m.
Committee Reports
Members of the Policy Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on Nov. 1. During this meeting, the committee:
- Reviewed the changes that were recommended and board action that was taken in conjunction with the proposed revisions that were featured in the most recent update issued by PRESS. The committee also confirmed that all approved changes were made to the district's online policy manual.
- Discussed the legal review notes for policy 2:124 - E3 (Resolution to Regulate Expense Reimbursement) and determined that no updates had to be made or board action had to be taken at this time.
- Discussed the proposed changes to policy 4:60 (Contracts) that were submitted by a member of the board and Policy Committee, and determined that no updates were required at this time. The conversation about directing changes to the district's practices for managing contracts through the administrative procedures for policy 4:60 will continue during the committee's meeting in December.
- Reviewed and gave its support of the draft committee charter.
Members of the HR Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on Nov. 2. During this meeting, the committee:
- Developed a charter and operational calendar similar to other board committees.
- Received an updated version of the Educational Support Handbook from Cheryl Moore, the assistant superintendent of human resources. As part of her work on Goal 3 (Work Environment) of the strategic plan, Moore will review the changes to the handbook with the employees who are covered by it.
- Discussed the superintendent evaluation process. Topics included how feedback will be collected and given to the superintendent, and the timeline for completing the process.
- Discussed Title IX roles, including the recommendation to change from two coordinators to one. The committee also decided that Moore will oversee the process going forward.
Members of the Finance Committee provided the board with a report from their
meeting on Nov. 10. During this meeting, the committee:
- Reviewed the five-year financial forecast that was based on the assumptions the board approved in October.
- Reviewed an overview of the levy process for 2021 and the estimated aggregate levy. The estimated levy must be approved at least 20 days prior to the adoption of the final levy.
- Received an update on the financial impact of expanding the district's free meal program. After review and discussion, the committee decided to recommend that the expanded free meal program be extended for everyone through the end of first semester, and continue during second semester for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch or have an approved demonstrated need.
Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda as presented. The consent agenda includes personnel, stipends, board bills and meeting minutes. Please visit
https://bit.ly/3wYMBNT to access the consent agenda items beginning under number seven.
Revised Calendar for the 2021-22 School Year
The board approved revisions to the calendar for the 2021-22 school year to reflect that Monday, Nov. 22, and Tuesday, Nov. 23, will be days off for all District 86 students and employees.
Program of Studies
The board approved the Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South programs of study for the 2022-23 school year. The revisions/corrections that were made to the publications between the first reading and the second reading/approval included:
- General formatting changes.
- Revisions to information/courses for special education.
- Revisions to the science sequence for the district.
Resolution Estimating the Aggregate Levy for 2021
The board adopted a resolution estimating the aggregate levy for 2021. Since the estimated levy shows a year-over-year change of less than 105%, no Truth in Taxation hearing is required. The board is scheduled to vote on the adoption of the 2021 levy at its meeting on Dec. 16.
Board President's Report
Board President Terri Walker expressed her deepest condolences to the family and friends of Elif Kose.
Board President Walker thanked the students, teachers, staff and administration for their continued perseverance throughout the pandemic. She also acknowledged the struggles that many of them are experiencing, and shared that the district is working on ways to help alleviate the stress and anxiety they are feeling.
Lastly, Board President Walker thanked the teachers, department chairs and administration for listening to the feedback from community and board members about offering two science pathways. She said that she hopes it leads to increased collaboration going forward.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Tammy Prentiss shared that 532 people participated in the COVID-19 booster shot clinic that was held at Hinsdale Central on Nov. 17. She thanked Jewel-Osco, Kevin Simpson, the director of security, and the district's security staff for their help in making the event a success.
Superintendent Prentiss mentioned that the district will be hosting a booster shot clinic for employees on Dec. 3.
Superintendent Prentiss said that she attended the recent Principal-Student Advisory Council meetings at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central. She shared that the meetings were focused on how student voice and agency can help create the best school experiences for everyone.
Superintendent Prentiss provided an update from the Culture and Equity Leadership Team (CELT) meeting that was held on Nov. 17. She said that the members of the team received presentations from four vendors, after which they provided feedback and a ranking for each one. She also said that the hope is to have one or two finalists present to the board in December.
Superintendent Prentiss shared that this week (Nov. 15-19) was National Education Week, which honors and celebrates the individuals who are working to ensure that every student receives a quality education
Superintendent Prentiss shared that Nov. 15 was School Board Members Day in Illinois. She presented the members of the board with coffee mugs that were created by THREADS, which is a microbusiness run by young adults from the district's Transition program.
Final Exams
- The district is administering "no harm" final exams for first semester. "No harm" means that the score a student receives on an exam cannot lower their grade for the semester - i.e., if they have an A going into the final, that is the grade they will receive regardless of how they do on the test.
- While a student's performance on a final cannot hurt their grade for first semester, it can improve it.
- The schedule for final exams will not change.
- Exams will be administered Jan. 12-14.
- Exam periods will be 90 minutes.
- All courses will have a final exam period during the three days.
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Attendance for final exams is optional. Students do not have to take final exams, but can if doing so will improve their grade or offer them experience taking a test in a particular subject area.
- The goal of offering "no harm" final exams for first semester is to help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety in our schools, while also giving students the chance to rest and relax during winter break.
- In addition to sitting for finals, students can come to school on any or all three exam days to access support services, receive academic assistance or work to remediate Missing and Essential (ME) grades.
Grading
During its meeting in December, the Learning Leadership Team (LLT) is scheduled to:
- Review grade distribution data and discuss what additional data to prioritize.
- Evaluate and discuss the implementation of the common grading scale and the M/ME indicators.
- Discuss +/- and grade-rounding additions to the common scale.
- Review and revise the grading alignment timeline.
- New courses with common practices.
- Existing courses establish common practices as they engage in curriculum alignment work.
- Begin planning for the Flex Learning Days on Feb. 16, March 16 and April 20.
- Assessment literacy.
- Framework for implementing assessment retake practices.
During its meeting in December, the board of education will receive:
- A presentation of the Illinois School Report Card data (SAT and college and career ready) that is scheduled to be released on Dec. 12.
- An update on grading, including the feedback provided by the members of the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC).
Five-Year Financial Forecast
As part of the annual levy process, the administration presented the board with the updated five-year financial forecast, which is based on the adopted budget for fiscal year 2022, the audited financials for 2020-21 and the forecast assumptions that were reviewed by the Finance Committee on Oct. 20.
Treasury and Financial Reports
Per its regular cadence of reporting, the administration provided the board with the treasury and financial reports for October 2021. You can access the treasury report by visiting
https://bit.ly/3kQ6uBE and the financial reports by visiting
https://bit.ly/3wZt7su.
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.
Future Agenda Items
The board discussed possible agenda items for future meetings, including:
- The creation of a task force to identify solutions for addressing course conflicts. It was confirmed that this topic will be added to the agenda for the meeting on Dec. 16.
- The creation of an academic committee that would operate similarly to other board committees (e.g., Finance Committee, Policy Committee, etc.). It was confirmed that this topic will be added to the agenda for the meeting on Dec. 16.
- A presentation about the mental health services, supports and resources that are currently available to students and families. This topic will be added to the agenda for the meeting on Dec. 16.
- A discussion about the COVID-19 screening program currently being administered by Northshore Clinical Labs. This topic will be added to the agenda for the meeting on Jan. 13 or 27.
