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Glen Ellyn School District 41 Mission: Ignite passion. Inspire excellence. Imagine possibilities.
Board Members:
Steven Vondrak President |
Robert Solak Vice President |
Erica Nelson Secretary |
Terra Costa Howard |
Drew Ellis |
Jack Kahler |
Dan Smith Jr.
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Following is a summary of the Board of Education meeting held on April 5, 2010. An MP3 recording of the meeting is available on www.d41.org Minutes are posted once approved.
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MATHCOUNTS TEAM RECOGNIZED
The Board of Education recognized the members of Hadley's MathCounts team and team coach Heidi Hann. MathCounts is a national math enrichment and competition program for middle schools. Hadley placed 11th out of 70 teams at the state MathCounts competition. A member of the Hadley MathCounts team will be one of three students to represent Illinois at the National MathCounts competition in May.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next BOE meetings will be held on April 19, 7:30 p.m., at Hadley Junior High, and on May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Central Services Office. The public is encouraged to attend. |
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FOUR TEACHERS HONORED BY IMSA
The BOE congratulated four District 41 teachers who received Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) Teacher Excellence awards. Pictured from left are Laura Lee, Forest Glen Gifted Services teacher; Lynn Bruno, Hadley Language Arts teacher; Steve Wiemeler, Hadley Science teacher; and Heidi Hann, Hadley Language Arts teacher. The teachers were nominated by former pupils who are now at IMSA. IMSA explains that these awards are given annually "in recognition of educators who have most challenged, inspired and supported our students' academic and personal growth prior to their enrollment at IMSA." IMSA was founded in 1985 as a public, residential school for academically talented Illinois students for grades 10-12.
DISTRICT EARNS FINANCIAL REPORTING AWARD
For the fourth year running, District 41 has earned the Illinois Association of School Business Officials Award for Excellence in financial reporting for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Although not required of school districts, D41 produces the CAFR to provide a full picture of district finances, statistics, organization, initiatives and other valuable information in a reader-friendly format. CAFRs going back to 2002 are posted here
ENROLLMENT
District 41 posts its monthly enrollment online going back to the 2006-2007 school year. The March 26 enrollment report shows a total of 3,664 students. The figure at the start of the school year was 3,639.
HADLEY NEW HORIZONS UPDATE
Hadley Principal Dr. Chris Dransoff and Hadley Science teacher Barb Oczkowicz provided highlights of the first year of the Hadley New Horizons (HNH) implementation. Dr. Dransoff and Ms. Oczkowicz are co-chairs of the HNH Steering Committee, the group charged with leading the HNH organizational improvement and renewal effort. The HNH project grew out of the Exploratory program review of 2007. This review led to deeper organizational work: an expansion and alignment of Exploratory courses, improvements in the schedule and in other ways Hadley organizes and uses time, more instruction time in reading and math, and a focus on building and sustaining positive relationships. These changes have been largely well-received, according to the survey data the school has collected this year. Dr. Dransoff noted that change takes time and thanked the BOE for its support of the change effort and the resources it has provided for the work.
ARAMARK CONTRACT
The BOE discussed a one-year extension of its contract with Aramark, which runs the Hadley cafeteria. The original contract specifies the terms of renewal, calling for a 1.9% increase that is consistent with the Consumer Price Index for Food Away from Home. The BOE plans to take action on the matter at the April 19 BOE meeting.
FIRST STUDENT CONTRACT
The Board discussed a one-year extension of its student transportation contract with First Student at a 1.5% increase over existing rates. First Student provides bus service to many area districts, including Glenbard High School District 87. By coordinating its routes with D87, D41 realizes a 15-19% savings on transportation each year. District 41 was among a number of First Student clients who experienced service issues this fall due to the company's transition to new routing software. These issues have been addressed and the District and First Student continue to partner on service. The BOE plans to take action on the matter at the April 19 BOE meeting.
YEARBOOK CONTRACT
The BOE discussed renewing the contract with Jostens Publications for the Hadley yearbook consistent with the renewal terms of the original contract for $13.88 per each hardcover, full color, 64-page book. Yearbook costs are passed through to students through yearbook purchases. The BOE plans to take action on the matter at the April 19 BOE meeting.
DISCUSSION OF BRIDGE REPAIR PROPOSAL
The Village of Glen Ellyn has asked D41 to consider contributing $40,000 toward the repair of the Hill Avenue bridge that carries traffic over the DuPage River. Lombard, which is responsible for the bridge, has asked Glen Ellyn to share costs; in turn, the village has proposed that District 41 contribute toward the repair. Due to structural deterioration, a weight limit has been imposed which a full-size school bus exceeds, and the District has been paying for an additional small bus to cover that part of its routes. This contribution would not be asked of the District until the construction is complete and the District no longer needed to pay for a separate bus for this area. The BOE discussed whether it was appropriate for the District to pay for road repairs and the cost-benefit of paying toward repairs. District administrators said they would develop more cost-effective bus route solutions that do not require use of the bridge or an additional bus. No further discussion of the matter has been scheduled.
CALENDAR APPROVED
The BOE approved the 2010-2011 school calendar. The calendar was developed in alignment with other Glenbard districts by a committee that included representatives of the BOE, administration, and teacher and support staff associations. The first day of school will be Aug. 25. The last day of school is tentatively set for June 9 at noon; that date accommodates five emergency days--if none is used, the last day will be June 2 at noon. The District is required to make up any snow days or emergency days at the end of the school year, and parents are urged to assume that the district will need all of its emergency days-in other words to plan for a June 9 dismissal, but be prepared for June 2.
LANDSCAPE CONTRACT APPROVED
The BOE approved a contract for routine landscape maintenance that it discussed on March 15
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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