The District 58 Board of Education held its regular business meeting on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. View the agenda and presentation links. The meeting audio will be posted here.
Highlights from the meeting include:
Spotlight on our Schools: Title 1 Plan
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Justin Sisul presented the Board with information on District 58’s Title 1 Plan. The federal government distributes Title 1 grants to schools based on the percentage of students from low-income families. These funds provide targeted support to students attending Title 1 schools who perform beneath the 50th percentile on assessments, as well as students who demonstrate at-risk classroom performance. There are four Title 1 schools in District 58: El Sierra, Henry Puffer, Indian Trail and Kingsley.
To better support students who qualify for Title 1 services, District 58 added two new interventionist positions for the 2018-19 school year. These positions were filled by two veteran District 58 teachers, who will work collaboratively with students, teachers and specialists in Title 1 schools to ensure students receive the support they need to succeed.
View the District 58 Title 1 Plan Presentation.
View the District 58 Title 1 Plan.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli reported on the following:
Contract Negotiations: The District has made good progress toward its teacher and custodial contract negotiations, and looks forward to collaboratively finalizing both contracts within the upcoming weeks.
ELA Resources: The District received its new English-Language Arts (ELA) curriculum resources and is in the process of distributing them to teachers for use this year. The new ELA resources will be used districtwide in all classrooms this year.
Lester Project: The Lester three-classroom addition is nearly finished and will be ready in time for the start of school! The District will celebrate the project’s completion with a ribbon cutting on Monday, Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m., right before the Budget Workshop, also at Lester.
Dates to Note: School offices reopened July 31; New Teacher Week began today (Aug. 13); teachers return to work Aug. 20; 2018-19 elementary classroom teacher assignments will be emailed to elementary parents Aug. 20 after 4 p.m.; and Curriculum Night will take place on Sept. 6, 11 and 13. Additional information regarding Curriculum Night events and schedules will be emailed to families by building principals as the dates approach.
Thank You Building and Grounds: Dr. Cremascoli thanked the District 58 maintenance crews for their hard work this summer.
“Every year, our Buildings and Grounds crews spend a ton of time deep cleaning our buildings and making everything look wonderful for our students and staff,” she said. “They have worked tirelessly preparing all of our schools for a great school year!”
Business Report
Assistant Superintendent for Business/Chief School Business Official Todd Drafall introduced new Manager of Business Services Catherine Hannigan and discussed the budget process. The District will publicly post the tentative 2018-19 budget online and at the District 58 office for 30 days and hold a budget hearing immediately before the Board’s regular September meeting on Monday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall. The Board is expected to vote on the final 2018-19 budget during its regular September meeting.
Committee Reports
Board Member John Miller reported on the July 16 Financial Advisory Committee meeting. The committee reviewed the Medical Reserve Fund’s history, noting that inflation outpaced premium increases during the last 10 years, causing a dip in the fund. The committee recommended a transfer from the Education Fund to the Medical Reserve Fund. This recommendation appears later in tonight’s agenda.
This committee also formed a working group to consider the Longfellow Center’s future, and they discussed this summer’s facility projects.
During the meeting, the Board also:
- Discussed Board committee membership for the upcoming school year, noting a recommendation to sunset the Meet and Confer Strategic Plan Committee and replace it with a new District Leadership Team, which would review and monitor progress related to the District’s Strategic Plan.
- Approved minutes from the July 9 Meeting and the July 11 and Aug. 6 Special Meetings.
- Approved all items on the consent agenda as presented in the packet materials.
- Approved a recommendation to transfer $1,662,179 from the unrestricted fund balance in the Education Fund to the medical reserve sub-fund.
- Approved the proposed tentative 2018-19 budget and set the proposed budget hearing for Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at Downers Grove Village Hall. The tentative budget will be publicly displayed online and at the Administrative Service Center.
- Approved hazardous pedestrian areas for the 2018-19 school year. This allows students who reside within these designated areas to be eligible for fee-based bus transportation services, despite living within the 1.5 mile limit.
- Approved the District 58 Title 1 Plan as presented.
Upcoming events:
- Monday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.: Lester Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Tour at Lester School
- Monday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.: Board Budget Workshop at Lester School
- Monday, Sept. 17 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.