The District 58 Board of Education held a regular business meeting on Monday, April 8, 2019. View the agenda and presentation links. Meeting audio and video will be linked here.
Highlights from the meeting include:
Outgoing Board Member Recognition
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli and current Board members congratulated and thanked outgoing Board members Doug Purcell, Elizabeth Sigale and John Miller for their combined 22 years of service.
“With passion and sights firmly set on the incredible potential of our students, you have each helped us ensure that District 58 succeeds in our mission of inspiring children, sparking creative and innovative thinking, and building visionaries,” Dr. Cremascoli said. “The District 58 community has benefited tremendously from your service, and we want to thank you!”
View a video of the outgoing Board member recognition.
Spotlight on our Schools: Health and Wellness Committee
Todd Drafall, the assistant superintendent for business and chief school business official, presented an overview of the District’s Health and Wellness Committee.
District 58 is a self-insured health benefits provider, which means the District pays out-of-pocket for health care expenses as they are received. In recent years, health care spending has outpaced the District’s medical budget. To address this issue, the District partnered with the teacher’s union (DGEEA) and the custodial union (DGCMA) during last year’s contract negotiations to form the Health and Wellness Committee.
The Health and Wellness Committee comprises DGEEA representatives, DGCMA representatives, administrators and a Board member liaison. They review and track monthly health claims, and seek ideas to improve employee health and wellness. They also collaborate to communicate accurate health insurance information to all District 58 employees, as well as their specific employee groups.
This year, the committee made several health insurance recommendations that would enhance employee health benefits and, in some cases, also save the District money without compromising employee health care coverage. Next year, the committee plans to focus more on employee wellness.
View the entire Health and Wellness Committee presentation.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli shared several announcements with the Board, including:
- A warm welcome to Dr. Kevin Russell, noting that transition activities and school tours for incoming Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell are being planned.
- Twelve outstanding teachers and educators will be recommended for tenure during this Board meeting.
- STEAM Studio is a new exploratory class that will be offered to eighth graders next school year. Curriculum resources for this class are on display at the ASC and the Downers Grove Public Library.
Dr. Cremascoli also shared some important upcoming dates with the Board:
- Tuesday, April 9: Online registration for returning students will open. New this year, parents will receive a student fee invoice from Pushcoin (fee service provider) after registration is complete. Fees are due by the first day of school.
- Election results will be certified on April 23. New Board Member Orientation activities have been planned and the Board Reorganization Meeting will take place on April 25 at 5 p.m. at Longfellow. The Board Budget Workshop has been rescheduled to April 29 at 7 p.m. at Pierce Downer.
- The Education Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award ceremony is Tuesday, April 30 and the Select 58 Recognition Banquet is Monday, May 6. These annual programs recognize outstanding eighth graders and staff for their service.
- Thursday, May 2 and Wednesday, May 8 are District 58’s spring open houses.
- Friday, May 24 is the annual Board of Education Retiree Luncheon.
Business Report
Assistant Superintendent for Business Todd Drafall reported that the District’s cash flow continues to be an issue, with a large amount of its revenue coming in the last 15 days of the fiscal year. It is possible that District 58 will need to borrow funds on a very short-term basis in June until the early property taxes arrive. The District will continue to monitor its cash position and inform the Board of any updates.
In addition, Drafall reported that the initial property tax report was sent out from the DuPage County Clerk’s Office to the local units of government. The initial report shows that the tax rate for the District has dropped and that the District saw an increase in property value of 4.5 percent.
Committee Reports:
Board Member Greg Harris reported on the March 19 Policy Committee meeting. The committee continued its work aligning District 58’s Board Policy Manual with the Illinois Association of School Boards’ (IASB) model policy guide and recommended the revision of six policies. The Board approved the first reading of the policies and will place them on the May agenda for final approval.
Board Member Darren Hughes reported on the April 4 Financial Advisory Committee meeting. The committee reviewed this year’s Health and Wellness Committee work. The Health and Wellness Committee members commented that increased employee communication regarding health care insurance has helped staff better understand their options. This has been well received by employees.
The Legislative Committee and District Leadership Team have not met since the last Board meeting.
Fairmount Spotlight
The Fairmount Student Council, PTA and principal shared some of the charitable projects, activities and endeavors that make Fairmount School unique.
View the Student Council’s presentation.
View a short video highlighting the positive effect the Student Focus Committee has made on Fairmount School’s culture.
During the meeting, the Board also:
- Recognized middle school athletes who participated in winter sports. View Herrick’s rosters. View O’Neill’s rosters.
- Approved minutes from the March 11 Regular Meeting and the April 1 Special Meeting.
- Approved all items presented in the Consent Agenda as presented in the agenda materials, including teacher tenure recommendations, 2019-20 administrator salaries and the 2019-22 administrator handbook, among other items.
- Awarded a bid for general office supplies to Runco Office Supply for an estimated $21,997.29.
- Awarded a bid for art supplies to Runco Office Supply for an estimated $14,629.87.
- Rejected all bids for paper and voted to use the state bid for paper.
- Approved the purchase of 40 faculty MacBook Air laptops for a total price of $45,160. Read the proposal.
- Approved second readings on two revised policies: Policy #5103 – School Attendance Areas, Student Assignment and Intra-District Transfers; and Policy #5104 – Nonpublic School Students. Of note, the revision to Policy #5103 removed grade level enrollment guidelines and instead inserted “under extraordinary circumstances” as the guideline for granting transfers. The revised policy also requires new transfer students to have their enrollment reconsidered annually.
- Approved a second reading on one policy for deletion: Policy #5102 – School Attendance Areas. This policy was considered duplicative, and the Board approved its deletion.
Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m.: Building Tour/PTA Meeting at Whittier
- Wednesday, April 17 at 3:45 p.m.: Legislative Committee Meeting at the ASC
- Tuesday, April 23 at 8 a.m.: New Board Member Orientation at the ASC
- Thursday, April 25 at 5 p.m.: Board Reorganization at Longfellow
- Monday, April 29 at 6:15 p.m.: Board/Staff Meet and Greet at Pierce Downer
- Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m.: Budget Workshop at Pierce Downer
- Monday, May 13 at 7 p.m.: Regular Board Meeting at Downers Grove Village Hall
District 58 Board of Education members are: Doug Purcell, president; Elizabeth Sigale, vice president; Kirat Doshi, Greg Harris, Darren Hughes, John Miller and Jill Samonte, with Dr. Kari Cremascoli, superintendent; and Melissa Jerves, board secretary.