Here’s what’s happening at District 205
By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a meeting on Jan. 22 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St. All seven board members attended the meeting. There were no public comments.
- Board elects to increase staff
The board voted unanimously to authorize a staffing increase of 4.1 FTE (full-time equivalent) positions at a cost of about $372,000. The positions that will be added for the 2019-20 school year include three 3.0 FTE elementary assistant principals to add a .5 assistant principal at Edison, Emerson, Field, Fischer, Jackson and Jefferson schools. Additionally, a .5 FTE will be added for an instructional coach at Madison Early Childhood Center, increasing that position from .5 to 1.0. An addition of .6 FTE will be made for a district fine arts coordinator.
According to district superintendent David Moyer, the addition of assistant principals will provide support for principals with evaluations and supervision. The added support will also allow principals to spend more times in classrooms. Board member Shannon Ebner stated before the vote that it’s important for principals to spend time in classrooms and interact with teachers on a daily basis.
Moyer noted that William Riddle, the performing arts department chair at York High School, is retiring at the end of the current school year. His successor in that position will also serve in the added position of district fine arts coordinator. The .6 FTE addition will cover the course load of that position.
Moyer said the district fine arts coordinator will bring more continuity to music education at the district’s grade levels. The coordinator will also help with planning for new and renovated auditoriums in the district.
- Money transferred to Debt Service Fund
The board also voted unanimously to approve a resolution to transfer about $360,000 from the district’s Operations and Maintenance Funds to its Debt Service Fund for the purpose of paying debt certificates for the 2019 fiscal year. Moyer described the transfer as an annual occurrence. He said the debt certificates are related to the district administrative center and the stadium at York High School.
Board members also voted unanimously to approve a resolution expressing official intent regarding certain capital expenditures to be reimbursed from proceeds of an obligation to be issued by the district.
Board member Chris Blum explained that the district would use cash on hand to pay for some expenses regarding projects related to the recently approved referendum. Blum said that by using cash on hand and paying itself back at a later time, the district could save money on interest payments and delay the issuance of bonds. According to information provided by the district, the district is planning to delay the first bond issue related to the recent referendum to save money on interest payments. The delay will not change the construction schedule in any way. Some of the planning and design costs will be paid out of the district’s fund balance and subsequently reimbursed to the district by bond funds.
- Donation for Sprint “Hotspot” devices approved
The board also approved the District 205 Foundation’s donation of $2,650 for the purchase of Sprint Mobile Hotspot devices for student use as part of the Sprint ConnectEd Program. The program provides free home Internet access to eligible students with no Internet access at home. The devices allow a student’s computer or Chromebook to connect to the Internet. According to the district, 176 students in the district have benefited from the program to date. The donation of $2,650 will reportedly fund about 35 Sprint Mobile Hotspot devices.
- Funds of $95,000 donated for Hawthorne playground
The board also voted to approve a donation of $95,000 from the Hawthorne School PTA to pay for a new playground. Additionally, the board approved a donation of $2,000 from the Elmhurst Youth Baseball program to pay for baseball equipment for York’s baseball program.
- McCormick Foundation grant aids civic education
The board also approved a $3,000 donation from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation to York’s social science department. The donation will be used to pursue and implement projects related to improving civic education and closing achievement gaps. That donation is renewable, so York’s social science department may continue to receive future funding from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
The board will hold its next regular meeting on Feb. 12.
