Glen Ellyn School District 41 Mission: To be an advocate for children and to provide the highest quality educational programs and services.
Board Members: John Vivoda President | Willie DiFabio Vice President | Debbie Hoffman Secretary
John Marcheschi | Carol McElvain | John Ruckstaetter | Walter Snodell
Following is a summary of the Board of Education meeting held on September 20, 2004
Board meetings are preceded by the half-hour "Listening Post", during which board members are on hand to listen to residents' comments.
WELCOME TO NEW STAFF The Board hosted a reception for more than 50 staff members (full-time and part-time) who have joined the district in a variety of roles. Most of the new employees are filling openings created by retirements, resignations or reassignments. Board members stressed everyone in the district works hard to support classroom learning and that teachers have the ability to make a powerful impact on the lives of children and on the future. SCHOOL FACILITIES UPDATE Representatives from FGM Architects provided an overview of its work to date with the Facilities Task Force, stressing that the group will report to the public on its progress on Oct. 12. D41 is in the process of long-range facilities planning, including a series of public meetings. A task force of about 30 stakeholders, most of whom have been participants in the process since last year, is working with FGM to create a recommendation for the board. Several options are under study: continuing to use portables, a new elementary school (either K-5 or K-6), a new 5-6 grade center and a new Pre-K center. ...more info here
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 The Board of Education John Vivoda, President Willie DiFabio, Vice President Debbie Hoffman, Secretary John Marcheschi Carol McElvain John Ruckstaetter Walter Snodell |
SCHOOL TOUR SHOWS CROWDED CONDITIONSReflecting on their Sept. 10 tour of schools, board members agreed that students and staff were making the best of crowded conditions, inadequate work space and cluttered conditions caused by a lack of storage space. The schools have maintained class sizes generally in the low 20s for primary grades, and averaging 25 for intermediate and middle school grades by using portables. With enrollment up by 106 students from the end of last year, Board President John Vivoda noted that not only is there a shortage of classrooms, but work spaces throughout the district are inadequate: for example, services are being delivered in closets and hallways, teachers’ lunchrooms have been converted to instructional areas, and work stations for specialists have been carved out of the libraries. In addition to providing space, buildings need to operate smoothly, and the board asked the administration to review its “building readiness” procedures for the opening day of school.
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NEXT STEPS ...
The administration has created an improvement team to assess and develop improvement plans for building
and grounds procedures, especially relating to readiness for opening day.
PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS (PEP) GRANTS AWARDED
PEP has awarded two D41 teaching projects a total of $860 in grant money. Gifted teachers Laura Lee’s and Lynn Rumel’s project revolves around conflict resolution and aligns with the Social Studies curriculum bringing in examples from the Civil War and Civil Rights. Teachers Adam Andres’ and Julie Snyder’s proposal brings Kindergartners and fifth graders together in a unit in which fifth graders take photos which Kindergartners use to predict “before and after” scenarios. The fifth graders write up the predictions and share them with the classes.
FOUR SEATS UP IN APRIL 5 BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTION
The terms of Board President John Vivoda, Vice President Willie DiFabio, John Ruckstaetter and Walter Snodell are ending in 2005. Candidates for board seats may collect signatures beginning Oct. 27, and must file by Jan. 25.
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NEXT STEPS ...Candidate information will be available from D41 in October. D41 will host candidate information nights in early spring, dates to be announced.
The board approved moving the end of the third quarter to March 18 from March 24 so that report cards can be completed and mailed prior to Spring Break. Also, the Board discussed how to maintain instructional continuity through the end of the year, asking whether year-end obligations and activities such as closing the books so report cards can be distributed on the last day of school, picnics, celebrations and other activities were unduly interfering with instruction. Teacher Ed Klingberg, president of the Glen Ellyn Education Association, noted that most teachers keep the focus on instruction to the
very last day of school.
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NEXT STEPS ...The administration will work with the principals to collect data on the degree to which end-of-year activities are aligned with instruction and to look at strategies to increase time on task and report back to the board.
Last year, D41 introduced the first of its collaborative professional teams made up of teachers, parents and administrators—the Learning Leadership Team (LLT). This advisory body tackled issues of curriculum alignment, instructional materials and programming. The new teachers’ contract contains provisions for the organization, operation and funding of four such professional teams: The Continuous Improvement Team, The Learning Leadership Team, The Professional Development Team, and The Building Leadership Teams. Noting that the contract provisions result in reconstituting and some reformatting of the LLT, Board Member Carol McElvain noted, “The LLT was a forerunner in the process for more involvement from staff.” McElvain, who served as the board liaison to the LLT, emphasized the ground-breaking work of that first team, whose efforts and dedication set the stage for the expansion of participative planning and decision-making within the district. She noted that the teachers who serve on these teams are accountable leaders from whom much is expected and for that reason, the positions are rated at the high end of the supplemental pay scale (the supplemental pay scale covers positions that require extensive and regular time commitments outside of school, such as coaching, band and yearbook).
NEXT MEETING
The next regular board meeting is set for Monday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the board room. The public is welcome. GETV Channel 17 videotapes the meetings for broadcast the following Monday at 8 p.m. Listening Post, an opportunity for the public to talk informally with board members, will be held from 7-7:30 before the meeting. There is no obligation to stay for the meeting.
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