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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
Kristen Hertel, Board President,
welcomed all in attendance. She thanked community members for their engagement in the referendum process these past several years and encouraged the community to vote on April 2.
Trisha Kocanda,
Superintendent, noted the many events taking place in our schools, from the recent Kindergarten Welcome for new families, to Spring Sings, and a famous artist visiting Hubbard Woods to create a mural with students. She also noted the enormous fundraising efforts led by grade 5-8 students in March, which benefited Lurie Children's Hospital (following the "Too Legit to Sit" middle school dance marathon), St. Baldrick's, and other causes. She wished all families a relaxing spring break.
Presentation
Daniel Ryan, Assistant Superintendent for Professional Learning and Human Resources, Katie Nelson, Resource Center Director at Carleton Washburne School; Kelly Tess, Principal of The Skokie School; and Juli Ross, fourth grade teacher at Greeley School; shared an update on the Winnetka University (WU) program. Formed in 2014, WU serves as a robust professional learning program for our educators. It offers opportunities for staff to learn from each other and other experts to ensure our students have the highest-quality experiences, another example of our staff's commitment to continuous improvement. Thus far, 57 staff members have earned WU credit by attending or teaching courses, and 1,498 seat hours have been offered in WU course credits by Winnetka teachers. The program continues to grow and evolve and is based on research that shows the impact choice, relevance to practice, and timely application have on professional learning.
Informational Memos
This monthly update highlights progress toward the Reaching All Learners goals in the District's Strategic Plan. Highlights this month include: strong mid-year growth performance for students receiving special education services, presentations by staff at the Illinois Computing Educators annual conference, and parent education on supporting children with anxiety.
The School Improvement Plans end-of-cycle updates were shared. The new School Improvement cycle runs from spring to spring to better align professional development and planning. The School Improvement Plans are customized to the needs of each school. The areas of focus include special education programming, response to intervention, community engagement, quantifying programmatic improvements, and advisory programming.
Next year's staffing plan includes a reduction in staffing by ~1.8% to align with an expected overall decline in student enrollment of ~2.5%. The staffing plan also includes programmatic improvements for special education at Washburne School. The School Board voted to approve the plan later in the meeting.
The Illinois State Board of Education monitors school districts and how students are identified for special education services. In April 2018, the District was found to have disproportionate identification of "white" students with a disability in speech-language impairment. A status report was shared with the School Board.
At the November 27, 2018, School Board meeting, the School Board agreed to the proposed redistricting timeline and process. To keep on track for an October 2019 decision and fall 2020 implementation, the District provided an update on the progress over the past month.
After the Board approved the resolution for an April 2, 2019, referendum, the District launched a communication plan to disseminate factual information and establish a schedule for community members to attend informational sessions. An update of this plan was shared.
The Consent Agenda and the following Action Items were approved:
- Device Refresh for Certified Staff and Administrative Team Support Staff
- Student Fees--Updated with Food Services
- Food Service Contract--Arbor Management, Inc.
- WPSN Lease Extension Agreement
- 2019-2020 Staffing Plan
- Consider Recommendation for Employee Discipline and Possible Action Thereon
The Complete Board Packet for the March 19, 2019, School Board Meeting, containing all Memos and Presentations is here.
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Upcoming Regular Meeting Dates
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April 23, 2019
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May 21, 2019
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June 5, 2019
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Regular meetings are open to the public and will be held at Hubbard Woods School from August 2018 through June 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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