Dupage Policy Journal

Addison School District 4 Board of Education met Oct. 30.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

President Williams called the regular meeting to order at 7:07 p.m.

Roll call showed the following individuals:

Present: Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams

Absent: None

A quorum was declared present.

Mr. Wartman led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion #1: Approval of Minutes

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Daniels to approve the Minutes of the closed and regular meeting of September 25, 2019 and the closed session meeting of October 21, 2019, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #1 Carried.

Motion #2: Approval of Accounts Payable for the Month of October 2019

Motion by Mr. Lange, second by Mr. Aranda to approve the Accounts Payable for October 2019.

Education Fund $ 2,106,032.19

Operations & Maintenance Fund $ 463,165.16

Debt Fund $ 0.00

Transportation Fund $ 225,352.02

Municipal Retirement/Soc Sec Fund $ 86,252.13

Capital Projects Fund $ 2,008,228.12

Total $ 4,889,029.62

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #2 Carried.

Motion #3: Approval of Payroll for the Month of September 2019

Motion by Mr. Towns, second by Mr. Ruffolo to approve the Payroll for September 2019, as follows:

Education Fund $2,396,907.35

Building Fund $ 43,032.11

Transportation Fund $ 8,127.01

Total $2,448,066.47

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #3 Carried.

Communications/Public Participation on Agenda Items: None

Presentations: A Focus on Literacy at Army Trail School & Student Performance Update

• Mr. Rob Tucker shared information on how Army Trail School focuses on literacy. Army Trail exists to educate, empower, inspire, and impact others. Their vision is to build a foundation that allows students to define their path towards lifelong success. Army Trail’s reading growth has met or exceeded the norm growth in each grade level. Army Trail is working on building a culture of literacy through a community of learners, including staff, students, and families. For the staff, the Instructional Support staff has been awesome at providing resources, book studies, and professional development. For the students, there have been several initiatives to excite them about reading, including the Beaver Bistro, #classroombookaday, and a Reading Buddies Campout area. For families, Dr. Ferney will be providing 6 presentations to help them learn more about the school and how they can help their students. Future events will focus around the theme of A Night at the Museum. Follow #BeaverBeliefs on Twitter to see the amazing things that are happening at Army Trail School.

• Mrs. Donna Haney, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, made a presentation to the Board regarding the status of student achievement in Addison School District 4. Her report focused on both State and National perspectives, as well as an update on student growth data. She spoke about the different types of assessments that are being used. The results of these assessments will be used to create the District Improvement Plan and all the School Improvement Plans. These plans will be presented to the Board at the December 18, 2019 meeting.

Mr. Langton added that the Illinois State Report Cards were released today, and they will be added to our website. Any test results that we did not receive yet will be shared once they are received.

Committee Reports:

Buildings and Grounds Committee Report of October 30, 2019 - Mr. Ruffolo reported on the following:

• There was a school security audit performed by an external auditor. They were very satisfied with what the district is doing, but there is always room for improvement. These suggestions will be reviewed.

• The committee is starting to receive input on the middle school furniture that was piloted this fall.

• The possibility of live feed cameras for the Summer 2020 construction projects is being reviewed.

Mr. Langton clarified that the security audit also revealed the need for the school district to enhance methods of accounting for visitors and employees that are in our schools. A specific example is to eliminate current paper sign-in logs and replace them with electronic means of checking people in and out of our schools.

Administrative Reports:

Superintendent’s Report – Mr. Langton reported on the following:

• Happy Halloween! Our schools will be celebrating Halloween tomorrow. It will be cold, bundleup and be safe for trick or treating.

• We celebrate the life of Melodee Sutter and her impact on the Addison community, including our ASD4 Family. Melodee worked for Addison School District 4 from 1979 until 1989 initially serving as a teacher aide at Lincoln School before moving to the Administration Center as the Superintendent’s Secretary and the Secretary to the Board of Education under two different Superintendents, Dr. Erickson and Dr. Weck. Additionally, she served on the Board of Education from 1989 through 1993. Melodee was an active member of the Addison community over the past four decades.

• We are proud to inform you that all seven of our elementary schools ranked in the “Commendable” summative designation category for the ISBE Summative Designations. Indian Trail Junior High School was issued the “Underperforming” summative designation because the “Children with Disabilities” subgroup performed at or below the level of the “all students” group in the lowest performing 5 percent of schools in Illinois. Our Indian Trail Junior High School team and Mrs. Diaz are reviewing the performance of our children with disabilities to determine areas of deficit to address.

• In Mrs. Haney’s assessment report this evening, she reported information about the Signs of Suicide assessment, which our 7th grade Indian Trail students participated in at the end of September. Our school district can be proud that we are helping our families identify when their children need supports. If these screenings save one life, it is worth the time and resources devoted to these efforts.

• We received three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and Chuck Wartman has responded.

• This month is National Principal Appreciation Month. Thank you to our Principals for all the work they do to provide leadership to our schools. Assistant Superintendent for Business Report - Mr. Keeley reported on the following:

• The Summer 2020 Capital Improvements bid was published last week, and the pre-bid meeting took place on October 23rd. Bids are due November 7th and we anticipate a recommendation to the Board at the November Board Meeting.

• Our annual staff wellness screenings are taking place November 18th, 25th and December 2nd Informational flyers are going out to staff in the coming week. In addition, we are holding a special flu shot only clinic at Indian Trail on November 4th.

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning Report – Mrs. Haney reported on the following:

• The Educational Development Council is in the process of finalizing plans for our November 25th Institute Day. The morning will focus on Executive Functioning presentations by our School Psychologists and a presentation on Depth of Knowledge. In the afternoon, we will offer various expert presentations and Edcamp sessions.

• Furniture was delivered and set up during the Columbus Day weekend to our three middle school Learning Spaces pilot classrooms. Students and teachers are excited about their new spaces as they allow for more choice and flexibility regarding learning styles. Pre and post student and teacher surveys will assist in creating standards for these classrooms moving forward. On October 29th the full pilot team received professional development to ensure our teachers are utilizing these spaces to best meet the needs of our students.

• All elementary and IT Language Arts staff received professional development from Smekens Education this month. The Smekens consultant was able to meet with grade levels for 45 minutes to support them in the planning process for writing instruction.

• Army Trail and Fullerton School are piloting block scheduling. This format provides students with additional PE time to accommodate health and fitness education. With this added time, we can provide teachers with additional collaboration time and professional development without pulling them from instructional time. This has positively impacted our sub needs. While we still have some tweaking to do, it has proven to be a positive endeavor. We will survey our students and staff at both buildings in the spring to assess the effectiveness of block scheduling.

• For the December Board meeting, we are planning on recommending for the Board’s approval the School Improvement Plans for our individual schools. We continue to work closely with the DuPage Regional Office of Education (ROE) to ensure that we meet all ISBE requirements.

Motion #4: Approval of District 4 Staff Resignation Requests

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Towns to approve the District 4 staff resignation requests for the following individuals:

Licensed Personnel – Resignation

Ann Marie Murphy Effective Date: 10/15/2019

Position: Speech Language Pathologist School: Stone

Educational Support Personnel – Resignation

Julie Palandri Effective Date: 06/05/2019

Position: Para Educator School: Indian Trail Jr. High

Mary Scherer Effective Date: 10/11/2019

Position: Para Educator School: Fullerton

Cheryl Villalobos Effective Date: 09/26/2019

Position: Para Educator School: Stone

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis

Absent: None

Nay: None…motion #4 Carried.

Motion #5: Approval of District 4 Educational Support Staff (ESP) Dismissal

Motion by Mr. Lange, second by Mr. Daniels to approve the District 4 Educational Support Staff (ESP)

Dismissal for the following individual:

Educational Support Personnel – Dismissal

Lisa Doudalis Effective Date: 10/21/2019

Position: Para Educator School: Stone

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #5 Carried.

Motion #6: Approval of District 4 Staff Employment/Change of Assignment Request

Motion by Mr. Towns, second by Mr. Ruffolo to approve the District 4 staff employment/change of assignment requests for the following individuals:

Licensed Personnel – Employment

Aunikah Delgado Effective Date: 10/29/2019

Position: EL Resource School: Stone

Grace Suh Effective Date: 10/21/2019

Position: Speech Language Pathologist School: Stone

Cheryl Villalobos Effective Date: 09/27/2019

Position: 5th Grade School: Fullerton

Educational Support Personnel – Employment

Maria Arzeta Effective Date: 10/10/2019

Position: Para Educator School: Lincoln

Wedad Ayesh Effective Date: 10/11/2019

Position: Para Educator School: Indian Trail Jr. High

Danny Matos Effective Date: 11/11/2019

Position: HVAC Supervisor School: District Office

Licensed Personnel – Change of Assignment

Kelly Caposieno Effective Date: 10/16/2019

Position: LDR Teacher School: Ardmore

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #6 Carried.

Motion #7: Approval of District 4 Interim Administrative Employment Contract

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Frangidakis to approve the District 4 Interim Administrative Employment Contract with Mr. Robert Ballenger, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #7 Carried.

Motion #8: Approval of Elementary Schools Pilot Classrooms

Motion by Mr. Towns, second by Mr. Lange to approve the Elementary Schools pilot classrooms, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #8 Carried.

Motion #9: Approval of Resolution for Estimated Amounts for the 2019 Tax Levy

Motion by Mr. Aranda, second by Mr. Ruffolo to approve the Resolution for Estimated Amounts for the 2019 Tax Levy, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #9 Carried.

The expected CPI growth is 1.9 percent. The final tax levy will be approved at the next board meeting.

Mr. Williams asked if the assessor has given us an idea of new growth that will be added. Mr. Keeley shared that we are looking at about $4.5 million which is in line with what we saw last year.

Motion #10: Approval of List of Authorized District Depositories

Motion by Mr. Towns, second by Mr. Ruffolo to approve the list of authorized District depositories, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #10 Carried.

Motion #11: Approval of the 2018-2019 Annual Financial Report (AFR)

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Towns to approve the 2018-2019 Annual Financial Report (AFR), as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #11 Carried.

Mr. Keeley shared that no material defects were found, and the district received a preliminary profile summary of a 4.0 which is the highest distinction the State of Illinois gives a school district. This is something we should be proud of.

Motion #12: Approval of Resolution Authorizing Payment of Board Member Expenses for the 2019 Joint Annual Conference

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Aranda to approve the resolution authorizing payment of Board member expenses for the 2019 Joint Annual Conference, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Ruffolo, Towns, Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #12 Carried.

Motion #13: Approval of 2019-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Addison Teachers’ Association

Motion by Mr. Ruffolo, second by Mr. Aranda to approve the 2019-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Addison Teachers’ Association, as presented.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Williams, Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #13 Carried.

Mr. Towns as the Chairman of the Negotiations Committee shared a personal statement which included a thank you, a reflection on the negotiations process, and several facts and statistics. Despite the frustrations, the Board is in support of this contract for the students, the teachers, and the community.

Discussion Items:

• The next Regular Board of Education Meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at Indian Trail Junior High School in the Board Room at 7:00 p.m.

• A special task force will be established to review the transportation guidelines. Mr. Towns and Mr. Frangidakis expressed interest in being a part of this task force. The group will arrange to meet and will develop a recommendation to be shared at the December Board meeting and then Mr. Langton will make a final recommendation for approval at the January Board meeting.

• Per Board Policy 2:140 all communications to and from the Board submitted through the active electronic link along with the status of the District's response are included in the Board meeting packet. There were no questions on these items.

Communications/Public Participation on Non-Agenda Items:

• Two blue cards about personnel were not addressed due to privacy.

• Jack Cruz shared his perspective on the Illinois Pension System.

• Mari Piscopo shared a personal statement.

• Tina Siskoff asked if the ELC expansion would give Ardmore enough room to have dedicated classrooms for both art and music.

o Ardmore is gaining two classrooms from the expansion, but what will be done with those classrooms for next year is yet to be determined and will depend on enrollment.

• Lizbeth Quintanilla asked about the differences between the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services and the Director of Student Support Services. She also asked who supervises the Dual Language program.

o The Director for Student Support Services is Janet Diaz and that title was previously the Director for Special Education, which was held by Keri Karpman. Keri Karpman is now the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. Those positions do work together, but their purpose is to provide supports for all students’ needs. Please reach out to Mr. Langton if you would like to see the job descriptions.

o Donna Haney is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning and the Dual Language program now falls under her department.

• Berenice Dorado asked what steps the board has taken to ensure information to the community is accessible to all of Addison’s families.

o From all of our schools information is provided in two languages, our community newsletter is in English and Spanish, as well as our phone blasts and email communications.

o Previously there has not been a request for Board Meetings to be translated. If we have a request in advance, we can look into options. We will also look into translating the Board Meeting Minutes into Spanish.

• Imelda Guerrero asked about the resources available for dual language classes.

o In the last few years these resources have increased, as more have become available in the marketplace. Teachers also provide feedback on what resources have worked best and what additional resources they may need. Please contact Mrs. Haney if you have any questions or concerns.

• Joanne Ford shared a personal statement.

Miscellaneous/Unfinished Business:

• Mr. Langton thanked the students from Indian Trail Junior High School for the artwork hanging in the Board Room.

Motion #14: Motion to Adjourn

Motion by Mr. Towns, second by Mr. Aranda to adjourn the Wednesday, October 30, 2019 Board of Education meeting.

Roll Call Vote: Aye: Aranda, Daniels, Frangidakis, Lange, Ruffolo, Towns, Williams

Absent: None

Nay: None…Motion #14 Carried.

The regular Board of Education meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m.

https://4.files.edl.io/b354/11/22/19/151152-6e13e686-1648-4af4-a6ca-2fc866ec8ae9.pdf