News from the March 19, 2020 meeting
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Governor Pritzker issued an Executive Order allowing Boards of Education to meet remotely to conduct essential operations.
The Board of Education held an electronic meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19, with an abbreviated agenda to address only those items that were essential in nature to the ongoing operations of the school district, such as paying salaries and bills, signing contracts on time and hiring new staff.
An audio live stream
of the Board meeting was recorded on the District’s YouTube Channel.
President Tracy Katz Muhl noted that other matters that are pending will be addressed at the next live meeting or as new direction is received from the state.
Members of the public were invited to submit comments through an online form between 6:30 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. The public is invited to contact board members anytime via email at
boardofeducation@northbrook28.net.
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e-Learning Plan Keeps Students Learning
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Following the closure of schools on Friday, March 16, the staff worked tirelessly to launch e-Learning for students beginning Tuesday, March 17.
Superintendent Dr. Larry Hewitt complimented the staff on the marvelous job that everyone is doing to make this endeavor a success. From the tech department troubleshooting, teachers planning together, and the administration coordinating it all, everyone is pitching in.
“I am very proud of the District 28 learning community, including parents and students as they remain patient while we launch e-learning,” Dr. Hewitt said.
The Board of Education approved the required formal e-Learning Plan following the approval by Dr. Kevin Jauch of the North Cook Intermediate Service Center and ROE #5 as meeting the educational criteria required by state statute. The plan addresses the following:
- Assignments must be completed and submitted for valid attendance each day. Parents of students who are unable to participate in the e-Learning can call or submit an absence to their respective schools.
- Daily lesson plans will be created by teachers to address math, literacy, social studies/science, PE, world language, and fine arts. Plans have been made regarding content, articulation, and sharing of lessons.
- Assignments for students with special needs will be modified based on their Individual Education Plan goals from their special education teacher or related service provider.
Dr. Hewitt said the implementation of e-Learning will continue to evolve. Communication with parents and staff will be ongoing. Board members said they were impressed with how quickly the program was implemented and complimented the teachers who have displayed such caring and dedication to students. Board members were especially appreciative of the efforts to keep in touch and reassure students and provide a sense of familiarity in the e-Learning routines.
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Bus Contract Increase to Cover
Labor, Maintenance Costs
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The Board of Education approved a three-year bus contract with the district’s current bus company, First Student, that includes a 38% increase in daily bus route fees the first year.
The transportation company cited increased labor costs, along with needed maintenance and upkeep of its Northbrook bus facilities as the factors contributing to the increase. The total contract includes daily bus routes before and after school, door-to-door Young Explorers routes and the morning band shuttle from the junior high to the elementary schools. The total contract is $1.3 million, with a 3% increase for year two and year three. First Student was the only transportation company to bid on service for the district.
To help offset the contract increase in bus routes of $306,874, last month the board approved a two-year plan to increase bus fees for families.
The fee in 2020-21 will be $325 per rider. However, the plan includes a discount for families with multiple children. The fee for a second rider of the family will be $253, and a third rider will be $181, with no fees for a fourth rider. In 2021-22, the fee will increase to $464 for the first rider, $361 for the second rider, and $258 for the third, with no fees for a fourth rider.
Currently, District 28 is the only Northfield Township district that does not charge all bus riders a transportation fee. Other township elementary districts’ bus fees range from $385 to $685 per rider, per year.
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School Psychologist Joins Staff
Rosanne Wozney joins District 28 effective July 1 as a school psychologist after more than a decade working at the Northern Suburban Special Education District.
A Wisconsin native, Ms. Wozney received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, and then moved to Illinois to begin her work as a School Psychologist.
Ms. Wozney has extensive experience in several local districts serving students with complex learning needs. She brings a wealth of knowledge about learners who are most impacted by their disabilities, and a focus on developing skills that will lead to greater independence for students in the foundational program. She will also assist with the inclusionary practice.
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Work Continues on NBJH Schedule, Math
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Due to the abbreviated agenda of the electronic meeting this month, other ongoing projects of the district were not discussed, but work is progressing, Board President Tracy Katz Muhl noted.
District administrators have been studying ways to modify the junior high master schedule in order to increase instructional time in math. One viable option involves moving some English Language Arts learning standards to exploratory classes. This option would eliminate cooking and sewing classes and replace them with new ELA exploratory classes. With this option under consideration, the junior high Family and Consumer Sciences teacher was notified of a possible reduction in force if her position is eliminated. Dr. Hewitt responded to a public comment expressing concern about eliminating those courses. He said there is a statutory timeline involved in notifying the impacted teacher of such a change.
However, a final decision on the schedule has not been made and if an alternate model is adopted, the teacher would be rehired, as is commonplace in many districts, which use reduction in force annually for budget or class-size reasons.
“Adjusting the master schedule is a very complicated process. The district is working hard to keep as many beneficial aspects of the current schedule in place as possible, while making adjustments so that instructional time for math can increase,” Dr. Hewitt said.
President Katz Muhl said the board anticipates to hear reports on the math curriculum process, including teacher committee reports and feedback from the parent forums held before school closed at the next meeting. Additional parent forums will be pending.
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District Monitors COVID-19 in Partnership with Region
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The Glenview/Northbrook COVID-19 Task Force continues to meet as we remain updated and coordinate our responses. We recognize the stress that this situation is placing on our community, and on each of you individually. One area of our collaboration is to find or develop resources to support individuals, families, businesses and other organizations within our community.
Read more
Districts 27, 28, 30, 31, 34 and 225 will remain closed through at least April 8 as ordered by Governor Pritzker. The governor indicated that the State will support our districts in their efforts to continue to provide meals to qualified students following spring break.
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The Board of Education meetings are now live-steamed on the
District 28's YouTube Channel.
The live streams are also archived there for later viewing.
April Meeting
Attention: The next meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 28 in the District Office HOH Community Room, 1475 Maple Ave., Northbrook (adjacent to the junior high).
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STAY CONNECTED TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DISTRICT 28!
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#28Empowers #Innovate28
District 28’s official hashtags! You can search the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to monitor posts from teachers, administrators and the district accounts. These hashtags help us tell the story of Teaching, Learning and Caring in District 28 and the innovative teaching and learning around Learning First.
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