Glen Ellyn School District 41 Mission: Ignite passion. Inspire excellence. Imagine possibilities.
Board Members: John Vivoda President | John Marcheschi Vice President | Debbie Hoffman Secretary
Kevin Cosgrove | Terra Costa Howard | John Kenwood | Carol McElvain
Following is a summary of the Board of Education (BOE) meeting held on February 27, 2006. Minutes are posted on www.d41.org once approved.
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NEXT STEPS Hornacek will be working with current principal Doug Craig on transition matters and there will be opportunities for community members to meet her in the coming months. |
SPECIAL ED PROGRAMS
Director of Special Education Janice Palmer provided an overview of Special Education services and data on effectiveness of student performance during the Continuous Improvement in Learning and Teaching segment that precedes the BOE meeting. Fourteen percent of the district's pupils receive some type of Special Ed services, from speech therapy to public and private placements outside the district. The district is guided by the requirement to provide Special Ed students with a Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment (with their non-disabled peers where possible) in order to meet the learning goals and objectives established in the Individual Education Plan that is developed by staff in conjunction with parents. District 41 is responsible for Special Education students beginning at age 3 and has seen an increase in the need for services in the Early Childhood Special Education program for children with significant developmental delays and/or speech and language disorders.
FIRM HIRED FOR SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH
The BOE hired Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, Ltd. (HYA) to head the search for a new superintendent. Dr. Jack Barshinger will leave the district June 30 to head up Batavia Consolidated School District 101. The search firm fee is $7,500 plus approximately $2,000 in reimbursable expenses and will include development of a leader profile through stakeholder input. An expedited search is expected to yield a top quality candidate for hiring in April. The BOE also approved background checks on final candidates at a cost of $750 each. Should the search not produce a candidate that is a good fit, the BOE will hire an interim, since the law requires that school districts always have a certified superintendent in place.
NEXT STEPS
A community forum to provide input is set for Thursday, March 9, 7-9 p.m. at Hadley. HYA has developed a plan to solicit feedback from major stakeholder groups including parents, community members, staff and BOE members. The feedback will be used to develop a leadership profile that will guide recruitment efforts. Search information, as well as feedback forms, are posted on www.d41.org. Regardless of whether they attend the forum, residents may download the Leadership Profile form and are asked to submit it by March 10.
BOE OKs RFQ FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER, DOES NOT AUTHORIZE DESIGN EXPENDITURES
FGM Architects have provided conceptual drawings for a new school. While noting that conducting more detailed schematic design work now for a new school might offer advantages such as a better design and the ability to head off design complications and accelerate construction timelines, the BOE did not authorize the expense since the district does not yet have voter approval for a new school via referendum. Schematic design proposals were $32,000 for validating conceptual design through meetings with staff; $160,000 for revised floor plans, stormwater, engineering and permit work; and $320,000 to progress to final plans and elevations. Citing information provided during a BOE workshop Feb. 20 in which industry representatives laid out the pros and cons of various ways the BOE might work with construction managers or owners representatives, the BOE authorized a Request for Qualification for a construction manager to work with the architects and manage the process, should a new building be authorized.
LARGER CLASS SIZES, OTHER ADJUSTMENTS ANTICIPATED NEXT YEAR
The 2006-2007 program plan lays out staffing and room usage for regular and special programs and services. The upcoming plan is based on slightly larger class size targets so that the district can accommodate growing enrollment. The targets are guidelines only and class sizes will depend on actual enrollment numbers and distribution. Kindergarten through Grade 2 targets will remain 20-22; Grade 3 will remain 23-25; grades 4-5 will rise to 25-27; and junior high will rise to 26-28. The administration will work to match class size with room size, given that some classrooms are smaller than others, especially in the older sections. Enrollment trends are for declining enrollments at Forest Glen and Franklin and increasing enrollments at Lincoln, Churchill and Hadley for an overall gradual increase.
NEXT STEPS
The district will continue to monitor enrollment. It is considering moving the Early Childhood Special Education class from Lincoln to Forest Glen. Such a move would put both ECSE classes in the same building and free up a classroom needed for first grade at Lincoln. Churchill and Lincoln are running out of gym capacity and may need to hold some gym classes in classrooms and hallways next year.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Hadley Physical Education teacher Liz Hopkins told the board that student interest in competitive athletics exceeds Hadley's capacity and talked about the need to provide competitive outlets for more students. Among her suggestions were seeking a different conference that could involve more kids, increasing intramural opportunities and reevaluating the agreement with the Park District that governs its access to D41 gyms. Resident Jay Kinzler stated concerns regarding the district's 2001 referendum and urged the BOE to represent the taxpayers to the administration, not vice versa. Resident Randy Parker expressed concern over the district's implementation of the 2001 referendum and said the district should abate $5 million of its levy. Resident Taylor McGee stated that such an abatement would mean eliminating two school's worth of teachers. Resident and former BOE member Willie DiFabio said that the administration carried out the Board's direction, that implementation of the referendum was legal and that D41's responsibility is to protect the interests of the children.
NEXT MEETING
The next regular BOE meeting is set for Monday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Central Services, 793 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn, with reports on Continuous Improvement beginning at 7 p.m. Special meetings may be called and their agendas will be posted on www.d41.org at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
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