Dear District 58 Families,
As the 2022-2023 school year comes to a close, I want to thank you for your partnership. I am very proud to be an educator in District 58 because we have such great students, an outstanding staff, and very supportive families. We very much appreciate all of the feedback we receive through various surveys, working groups, and committees. District 58 strives to get better every year through a continuous improvement cycle and your feedback is carefully reviewed so we can continue to grow. Your partnership is essential to the success of our District.
I am incredibly proud of the work that took place this year in the district. Some highlights include the following:
- Passed a referendum that will secure main entrances, update all HVAC systems in the district to provide better air quality and total air conditioning, and move sixth graders to our two middle schools.
- Developed a new five-year Strategic Plan.
- Implemented a robust School Improvement Model based on Cycles of Inquiry
- The Board approved full-day kindergarten starting in the 2023-2024 school year
- Earned the State’s highest financial recognition award.
- Implemented the first year of the District’s two-way dual-language Spanish program
- Implemented the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for student achievement and growth.
- Implemented key curricular adoptions and/or enhancements (elementary writing and new ELA pilot resources).
- Recruited and hired new staff members while navigating a historic shortage of teachers and support staff.
- Continued to offer more services within the District to students with special needs.
- Made progress on building a new administrative center via a long-term partnership with the Village of Downers Grove.
- Made progress on building new playgrounds at the remaining elementary schools with the help of our PTAs, the State of Illinois, and other fundraising groups.
- Improved areas throughout the buildings (playgrounds, flooring, roofing, paved areas, tuck-pointing, etc.).
- Held visioning meetings with community members and numerous user group meetings with staff to obtain feedback on the new facility spaces.
- Added a new Student Advisory Period in middle school to provide students with intentional executive functioning instruction and more time to access interventions, and/or enrichment activities.
- Strengthened community relations through strong partnerships (Education Foundation of District 58, District 99, the Village of Downers Grove, Lions Club, Rotary Club, etc.).
As we head into the 2023-24 school year, the district is preparing to start construction on the referendum projects. The design process is underway and we will seek project bids in the fall. Groundbreaking on the middle schools will start around spring break (weather permitting) and the first group of elementary schools will start in the summer of 2024. This summer, we will finalize smaller projects and playgrounds to ensure we are ready to go for the referendum projects. Thank you once again for your partnership and flexibility. I am honored to serve the community of District 58 and am incredibly excited for the future. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our District Office if you have any questions or need anything over the summer.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Russell
Superintendent of Schools