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Glen Ellyn School District 41 Mission: Ignite passion. Inspire excellence. Imagine possibilities.
Board Members:
Erica Nelson President |
Drew Ellis Vice President |
Terra Costa Howard Secretary |
Steven Vondrak |
Sam Black |
John Kenwood |
Dan Smith Jr.
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Following is a summary of the Board of Education meeting held on November 28, 2011. An MP3 recording of the meeting is available on www.d41.org Minutes are posted once approved.
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BOARD GOES GREEN
The Nov. 28 meeting was the first paperless meeting of the Board of Education (BOE). No hefty packets were sent out in advance to BOE members, and district laptops were set up at the meeting for each BOE member so they could access meeting materials online. Last month, the district started the paperless transition with BoardBook, a document management program used by many school districts to organize paper packets and make them easily navigable for BOE and community members alike. District 41 has been posting complete packets online since 2005, and the BoardBook process is an evolution of that. |
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next regular meeting is Dec. 12 at the Central Services Office immediately following the annual public hearing on the tax levy at 7:15 p.m. The Jan. 9 meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin School, 350 Bryant Ave. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. |
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BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS SHOWS DISTRICT IN TOP 6% OF STATE
Dr. Clayton Graham of Advantage Analytics, LLC provided an analysis of district academic and financial performance relative to 37 other benchmark districts. Dr. Graham works with school districts, professional sports teams and other organizations looking for reliable data on which they can build improvement plans. His analysis uses a database he has created of Illinois Student Achievement Test (ISAT) scores converted to index scores; Dr. Graham explained that this overcomes distortions and biases that are inherent in the way the state reports ISAT scores to give districts a true comparative picture of their performance. In some cases, the benchmark analysis conflicts with information from the state. "The state gives you the wrong information" on what needs to be focused on for improvement, said Dr. Graham.
A team of administrators and BOE members selected high-performing districts for benchmarking using the criteria of academics, enrollment, demographics and geographic proximity. Among the benchmark districts are the Glenbard Associated districts and the top ten districts in the state. "We chose districts like ours, and those we aspire to," explained Superintendent Dr. Ann Riebock. "This benchmarking will help us better understand who we are and how to get better." Dr. Graham's report answered the questions:
* Is the district competing effectively academically?
* Is the district providing value for the tax dollar?
Competing academically: His report states that in the aggregate, the district ranks 42, or in the top 6%, of the 780 elementary and unit districts in the state (high school districts were not included in the study). Taken by subject and grade level, the district is performing within the top 16% to top 4.5% of the state in all areas and at about the average of the elite benchmark districts. Of note is that generally the longer students are in the system, the better they perform: overall third grade performance is in the top 11% of the state, and overall eighth grade performance is in the top 5% of the state. In general, students are "dramatically" exceeding expectations given the demographic makeup of the district. "You are doing a good job with the students you have," said Dr. Graham, noting that there are only two districts in the state with comparable diversity whose English Language Learning population is performing better than it does in District 41. Science at all grades needs attention, and the district needs more information on the performance dip evident in 7th grade reading.
Value in education: The district is in sound financial shape. With high student performance and low per pupil expenditures, its value for the tax dollar is among the best of the benchmarked districts. District 41's revenue per pupil ranks 28 out of 38 benchmarked districts and its expenditure per pupil ranks 30 out of 38.
BOE APPROVED BID PROCESS FOR HADLEY PARKING LOT PROJECT
The BOE gave the go-ahead to bid the Hadley parking lot project. The project would add parking spaces, improve traffic flow, rectify stormwater runoff problems and add stormwater storage. The design shows a reconfigured lot, an off-street bus lane along Glencoe Ave., and an underground stormwater detention system that expands water storage capacity from 5,000 cu. ft. to 50,000 cu. ft. The district tries to get out for bid on construction projects early in the season to get the best contractors at the lowest prices, a process that has helped the district build a track record of bringing projects in on time and under budget. The BOE stressed that approving the bid process did not mean the project itself would be approved, and several BOE members expressed reservations about the cost, the scope, and the priority of the project compared to other uses for the money. The entire project is estimated to cost approximately $1 million. The village will be reconstructing Hawthorne Blvd. this spring, and the administration recommends doing the parking lot at the same time to minimize disruption in the neighborhood; Dr. Riebock noted that the project is needed, and delaying it could mean that the district ends up paying more in the end. The administration did not recommend including an alternate bid for a scaled-back option that does not address stormwater because it does not think that is the right approach to the project; preparing alternative bid documents would cost $49,000. The matter has been previously discussed at the Aug. 22, Sept. 12 and Nov. 14 meetings. Once bid documents are in, the BOE will review and take action on approving the project.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS APPROVED
The BOE accepted the school improvement plans for each of the five schools. These are posted online. Dr. Riebock noted that all include measurable, actionable goals around improvement in literacy and math.
SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD REPORTS
The district's eight model classrooms are virtually complete, and Dr. Riebock thanked the buildings and grounds and custodial staff for working through the holiday weekend to get the classrooms ready. Having two model classrooms at each elementary school allows the district to "try on for size" some of the more easily changed, affordable elements of 21st Century classrooms without making expensive structural modifications. The model classrooms have flexible furnishings and room arrangements, use elements like paint and floor coverings to delineate various learning areas, and make use of interactive technology. Dr. Riebock noted that the district will plan opportunities for parents and community members to view the model classrooms and gain a better understanding of what 21st Century facilities mean to learning. In other reports, Finance Committee Chair Drew Ellis said the committee had reviewed a Fiscal Philosophy Administrative Procedure that recommends maintaining 25% of the annual budget in reserve and sets forth a process for when reserves fall below or climb above that mark. The matter will be discussed by the BOE Dec. 12. Other BOE members reported on developing the BOE communication goal, PTA meetings they have attended, and the Foreign Language Planning Committee site visits to dual-language, immersion and traditional programs at other districts in the area.
TAX LEVY MAY INCLUDE ABATEMENT PLAN
In anticipation of taking action Dec. 12 on the 2011 tax levy, the BOE discussed various levy scenarios; these scenarios included levying less than the maximum allowed by law and abating some amount prior to tax bills being finalized. Dr. Riebock stressed that the administration is not changing its recommendation to levy the full amount, and Assistant Superintendent of Finance, Facilities and Operations Bob Ciserella recommended the BOE proceed with caution in pursuing an alternative to the full levy in light of the large expenditures on the horizon and the uncertain status of state funding. The sentiment on the BOE was to further examine abating dollars from the Bond and Interest Fund. This means the district would levy the amount it is legally eligible to receive, but would abate some amount from that fund prior to tax bills being finalized. Residents would receive a lower tax bill, not a refund check. The abatement amount could be up to $2,727,800, which is the amount levied for that fund (the district would pay bond and interest from its reserves). This approach allows the district to preserve its levy options going forward; if the district levied less than it is eligible for, then all future levies would be based on that lesser amount, creating a negative compounding effect that would have a significant impact on future revenues and restrict decisions that could be made by future boards. The levy was previously discussed at the Nov. 14 meeting.
About the Glen Ellyn School District Board of Education
Board members are unpaid volunteers, each representing the whole district. The board is accountable to the public and makes decisions as a unit based on what is best for the whole district. The board hires the superintendent, sets instructional policy, approves the budget and ongoing expenditures, and is ultimately responsible for the performance of the district. Board meetings are working sessions held in public during which the board conducts its business, and ample time is always set aside for public participation.
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Please direct your questions or comments to our Communications Director, Julie Worthen at jworthen@d41.org. |
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