• www.cusd200.org August 18, 2017

    Board of Education Meeting Highlights
    The following are highlights from the August 16, 2017 meeting. 

    early learning Board reviews, recommends options for early learning
    As previously reported, following discussions and review of the Post-Referendum Survey results, the Board's Facilities Committee has reviewed and re-prioritized facility projects and has decided that for right now, the Board focus their facility planning efforts around the most critical projects - capital projects, secure entries and a solution to our early learning needs, of which the updated estimated cost (going out 8+ years, including escalation and loss of referendum plan efficiencies) is approximately $93 million in work. That estimate includes $5 million in capital projects at Jefferson Early Childhood Center - meaning that if only capital projects at Jefferson were addressed (roof, windows, plumbing, etc.) it would cost $5.3 million, and that investment would not do anything to address the programmatic issues like accessibility and lack of space. The Board has determined that investing that amount of money in Jefferson, only to address physical building challenges, is not a wise investment of taxpayer dollars, given the amount of programmatic issues that would still remain. 
     
    At their meeting, the Board reviewed nine possible scenarios to address the District's early learning needs. After thorough review, discussion and consideration of the recommendation from the Board's facilities committee, the Board will continue to focus efforts on two scenarios:
     
    *Renovate and expand the existing Jefferson Early Childhood Center 
     
    *Construct an addition to Monroe Middle School through an intergovernmental property plan (land swap) with the Wheaton Park District  
     
    As designs and costs are refined, the Board's Finance Committee will begin reviewing options to pay for the proposed early learning solutions.
     
    Currently, the District provides early learning and special education services to students ages 3-4 at Jefferson, Madison, Whittier and Johnson. To learn more about our early learning program and the need for a facility solution, watch this video.  
     
    philanthropy Board receives private fundraising feasibility report 
    In early 2017, the District partnered with Preuhs & Associates to conduct a fundraising feasibility study to determine if there is interest, support and money available in the community to privately fund certain facility projects the Board prioritized in the Facilities Master Plan such as an early learning center, library learning centers, science labs, performing arts spaces or other projects of interest to prospective donors. The study, paid for together by several local, private donors and the District, engaged more than 25 local community leaders and philanthropists to seek their opinions of the District and facility projects and evaluate their overall level of interest and support of private fundraising campaign to support facility projects.   
     
    The final report is available here. Highlights of the report indicate that participants: 
     
    * value the school district and the lifestyle offered in the community;
    * favor the idea of privately raising funds;
    * believe in the idea of collaborating with other units of government (park districts) to create and/or improve community assets; and
    * are willing to take a leadership role in a private fundraising campaign and possibly even give themselves. 
     
    Preuhs & Associates believe that there is possibility, within our community, to privately raise dollars to offset public investment for District facility improvements. The Board will continue to discuss the findings of this report throughout the fall as they evaluate funding options for capital renewal, secure entry and early learning facility projects. 


    lacrosse Board approves lacrosse as a high school sport 
    After several months of productive, collaborative and student-focused conversations with parents of lacrosse players and District administration, the Board of Education approved lacrosse as an IHSA sport for Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South High Schools. The sport will be fully funded by the parents of participants. Most of the schools in the District's athletic conference have adopted lacrosse as an IHSA school sport. If our lacrosse program remained as a club sport, the team would have few, if any, clubs to compete against. We look forward to seeing success in our lacrosse programs. 


    contract Administrator contracts remain flat
    The Board of Education has approved one-year contracts for administrators - principals, assistant principals, special education and educational services directors, as well as multiple District-level staff. Contracts will remain flat and do not include any salary increases for the 2017-18 School Year.  

    The Board also approved a resolution holding the Superintendent's salary flat as well. 
    Erica Loiacono | Director of Public Relations
    630-682-2469     erica.loiacono@cusd200.org    		 facebook twitter