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| Board Highlights are timely recaps of School Board meetings. They are emailed to staff, parents, and interested community members before the official minutes are approved and posted. Links to pertinent memos and presentations from the Board packet are highlighted in green. Board packets are posted the day before regularly scheduled Board meetings. Meeting podcasts, packets, and Board information can be accessed using the links on the left. |
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Regular Meeti
ng
Dawn Livingston, President,
welcomed all in attendance. She began the meeting by leading a moment of silence to honor former Board Member Jennifer Pehlke, who passed away in May. She expressed condolences to Pehlke's loved ones and recognized her numerous contributions during her tenure on the School Board, from 2015-2019.
Livingston recognized the District's graduates and thanked the educators and parents who have supported and challenged these students. She also noted a partnership between The Skokie School and the Winnetka Music Festival, which has provided students an opportunity to design and paint scenery for the event.
Trisha Kocanda, Superintendent,
echoed Livingston to share that Jennifer Pehlke's influence will have a lasting impact on the Winnetka community. She noted words of wisdom shared by the Washburne graduation speakers and wished the District's 194 graduates well as they begin high school. She expressed confidence that they will continue to make a meaningful difference in the world.
She also noted District happenings, including Crow Island fourth grade students recently organizing a fundraiser to support the Pulsera Project. Skokie students showcased Colonial Trades during their Colonial Fair this week, a longstanding experiential learning tradition in the District. She thanked retiring staff members for their years of service to the District, and recognized the contributions of Assistant Superintendent, Daniel Ryan, who participated in his last Board meeting with The Winnetka Public Schools.
Presentations
Barry Rodgers, Director of Teaching, Innovation, and Learning,
shared an overview of student performance data from the multiple measures the District uses to assess student progress. He noted the District's commitment to supporting the growth and achievement of every student while preparing them for future success. 2018-2019 student growth and achievement data from the third year of the MAP Assessment was provided. Rodgers also discussed a plan to continue with strong performance and address areas identified for improvement. Highlights from the information shared include that five out of six grades are performing in the 93-98th percentile nationally in Math and all tested grades met Reading growth targets on the MAP Assessment this year.
Brad Goldstein, Chief Financial Officer, provided the Preliminary Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Initiatives to be undertaken were identified, including necessary facility work and continued support for student learning. Staffing, revenue, and expenditures will be monitored throughout the summer and an updated Tentative Budget will be presented at the August 26, 2019, Board Meeting before approval of a final budget at the September 24, 2019, Board Meeting. The preliminary budget was approved later in the evening.
Informational Memos
The District focused on two goal areas: Reaching ALL Learners and Future Ready D36. Six specific outcomes and associated targets were reported upon. Progress was made in all areas, highlights include doubling the number of exemplary inquiry-based learning projects, strong performance on math achievement and growth, and increasing the number of students meeting their IEP goals.
Student enrollment is at 1,623 students, 28 fewer students compared to enrollment at this time last year (1,651). The enrollment shift from September 2018 to June 2019 has been an increase of 11 students. Staffing saw a 0.9% increase over the course of the year due to special educational individualized plans.
The School Board annually reviews the performance overview for District employees. This month's report was specific to non-tenured and tenured teachers. This is the third year that the state required the inclusion of student growth data in the summative evaluation rating.
Since the last meeting two weeks ago, the District received feedback from over 80 community members on the draft guiding principles and hosted three focus groups (realtors, PTO, and Kindergarten committee members). A summary of findings was shared in the report. Later in the evening the Board approved the recommended guiding principles and charge to the Superintendent, which included the affirmation that the District is working under the Board-approved Educational Master Facility Plan which maintains a K-4 elementary grade configuration.
The Consent Agenda and the following Action Items were approved:
1. Interest Designation Resolution
2. FY20 Preliminary Budget
3. Redistricting Guidelines and Charge to Superintendent
4. Social Studies Curriculum
Other News:
The District is continuing collaborative planning with the Village of Winnetka on stormwater management plans which involve the Crow Island School property.
The District is meeting with The Winnetka Park District to share operational insight as it relates to the proposed dog park options. The administration will keep the School Board updated on discussions.
The Complete Board Packets for the June 5, 2019, School Board Meetings are here.
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Upcoming Regular Meeting Dates
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New August Board Meeting date:
August 26, 2019 at Greeley School
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Regular meetings are open to the public and will be held at Greeley School starting in August 2019. Regular meetings begin at 7:15 p.m. Work sessions are also open to the public and may be scheduled at the discretion of the Board. Discussion topics and times for work sessions will be posted on the District website 24 hours in advance.
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The Winnetka Public Schools community empowers every student to flourish in an innovative, experiential environment. We support and challenge all learners to actively engage in continual growth and achievement to make a meaningful difference in the world.
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