Board Update 1/9/23
Special Award
Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) representative Alva Kreutzer presented CCSD59 Board of Education member Mardell Schumacher with IASB’s prestigious Legacy Award.
The Legacy Award is given to board members who have 25 years or more of board service and who attend IASB events and professional development activities as well as participate in workshops, online courses, and other training. Board member Schumacher has been a CCSD59 board member for over 34 years, serving consecutive terms since 1988.
Congratulations to board member Schumacher for this great honor, and CCSD59 is thankful for her continued service to the district’s students, families, staff, and community.
Important Update
January Committee of the Whole Meeting Date Change
During the board meeting on January 9, 2023, the date for the upcoming Committee of the Whole meeting, which was originally scheduled for January 23, 2023, was changed. The new date for the meeting is January 30, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. The online board calendar reflects this date change.
Presentations
Agenda Item 4.0
Forest View – Overview of Clubs – 4.01
Students from Forest View Elementary School presented two of their clubs, the Knitting Club and the Crafts Club, to the board. The students showed their audience examples of projects they have created in their clubs, what they have learned, and talked about other impacts their participation in their club has had on meeting new people, making new friendships, and increasing their skill sets and confidence in their work. The slides from the students’ presentation can be viewed here.
K-8 Literacy Pilot – 4.02
The board viewed a presentation regarding the pilot programs for the literacy curriculum at CCSD59. The presentation included the phases and components of the curriculum review process, the critical features desired in a new program, the review of teacher feedback provided at both junior high and elementary levels, and the anticipated timeline to transition to the new literacy programs once they are selected and approved.
The proposal for the literacy core curriculum resources for all grade levels is anticipated to be discussed at the board meeting on February 13, 2023, and board action on the adoption of the programs is scheduled for March 13, 2023.
The slides from the presentation can be viewed here.
Discussion Items
Agenda Item 7.0
Biennial Review of Board Policies – 7.01
Strategic Goal (SG) 1: Student Growth and Achievement
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that school districts review and re-evaluate Policy 7:180, Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment, and Policy 7:70, Attendance and Truancy, every two years.
To fulfill this requirement, the board discussed and reviewed the current policy.
2023 – 2024 School Calendar – 7.02
SG 3: Family and Community Partnerships
In January of 2022, the CCSD59 calendar committee began the process of updating the traditional and balanced school calendars to better align to neighboring school districts, including the alignment of the first and last days of school, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break. The updates to the calendar also aimed to increase professional development opportunities for staff.
The calendar committee is beginning to review the implementation of the updated calendars while considering consolidation of the district’s multiple school calendars into one school calendar.
The board will receive a recommendation for action on the 2023-24 school calendar at the board meeting on February 13, 2023.
Action Items
Agenda Item 8.0
Approval of Crisis Go Application – 8.01
SG 4: Stewardship of Resources
Crisis Go is an application that increases the speed and effectiveness of communications and notification in the event of an emergency and assists with preparing for, preventing, and responding to various situations.
While the district has emergency communication guidelines in place, Crisis Go has also been vetted through district members and local police departments and could serve as an effective tool to streamline those procedures. Surrounding districts are also purchasing this product, meaning local districts would have a uniform system of notification in the event of emergencies. The cost is $15,300 per year and includes staff training.
The board approved the purchase of the Crisis Go application.
Approval of Fitness Room Flooring – 8.02
SG 4: Stewardship of Resources
At each junior high school, the current flooring in the fitness room areas is in need of repair or updates to provide a safe environment for students. The board discussed replacing the fitness room flooring with Ecore through Direct Fitness at a total cost of $92,360.62 for all three schools combined.
The board approved the replacement flooring for the district’s junior high fitness rooms as outlined above.
Approval of Biennial Review of Board Policies – 8.03
SG 1: Student Growth and Achievement
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that school districts review and re-evaluate Policy 7:180, Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment, and Policy 7:70, Attendance and Truancy, every two years.
To fulfill this requirement, earlier at the board meeting on January 9, 2023, the board discussed and reviewed the current policy.
The board approved the policies as previously outlined above.
