The District 99 Board of Education held its business meeting on April 18, 2016. Highlights from the meeting include:
Third Quarter Financial Report
Controller Mark Staehlin reviewed the district’s third quarter financial report, reporting that operations are performing as planned and without issues. The ending fund balance on March 31, 2016 was $23.7 million, about $500,000 higher than last year. Revenues collected are expected to meet budget, and all property taxes have been collected. Whether the district will collect aid payments from the State of Illinois remains uncertain.
Employee Medical and Dental Premiums
The district’s insurance committee recommends that the annual medical plan rates increase next year, including premiums and out-of-pocket maximums, and dental premiums remain level. Click here to see the report. The Board will vote to approve the recommended premiums at the May 16 meeting; open enrollment for staff will begin on May 17.
Calendar Survey
In December 2015, the district issued a survey about the school calendar to gauge feedback about an “early start” schedule. A second survey was issued in February 2016 to better reach families and community members outside of District 99; over 2,400 people responded. The results of the second survey mirrored those of the first survey: 58% support an “early start” calendar, 33% a traditional calendar and 9% had no preference. In addition, 53% prefer to begin school in earlier in August. Click here to see the data from the report, and data from the sub-groups surveyed.
New North High Administrators
The Board unanimously approved the hiring of three new administrators for North High for the 2016-17 school year: Kelly Zuerner, Cathy Bendicsen, and Sara Courington. Zuerner, currently a dean of students, will become associate principal for student activities. Bendicsen will become assistant principal for counseling and student support services and Courington will be associate principal for curriculum and instruction. Both Bendicsen and Courington currently work at Willowbrook High School.
Other Board Actions
The Board unanimously approved the following items:
- Renovating the underground track at North High, including new synthetic track surface, new rubber flooring and expansion of weight room, for $324,356.
- Enlarging and renovating the English department office at South High for $197,727.
- Adopting new textbooks for the 2016-17 school year, including Spanish II, German I and Advanced Placement Statistics books.
- Establishing the 2015 total tax rate for the district at 2.0666, which is .0413 lower than the 2014 tax rate.
- Hiring a CPA as treasurer for the district.
Please click here to see a video of the meeting
Please click here to see the full agenda and supporting documents
Upcoming Board Meetings:
- May 2, 2016 – Board of Education Workshop at the ASC, 7 p.m.
- May 9, 2016 – Board of Education Recognition at South High, 6:30 p.m.
- May 16, 2016 – Board of Education Business Meeting at ASC, 7:30 p.m.