Here’s what’s going on at District 205…
By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst INdependent
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting on Oct. 13 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St. All seven board members were present at the start of the meeting. Board member Christopher Kocinski was not present for the entire meeting. Board president Kara Caforio noted that in-person attendance by the public was not practical, prudent or feasible due to COVID-19 considerations.
• Interior design of Lincoln School presented
The meeting featured a presentation from Leanne Meyer-Smith and Craig Siepka, both from Wight & Company, regarding interior designs for the new Lincoln Elementary School. The current school building, which is more than 100 years old, will be rebuilt. The new building should be ready for the 2022-23 school year. Meyer-Smith and Siepka noted that their firm will finish the construction drawings for the project in November. Bids will start coming in in December. Those bids should be presented to the board for approval in January of 2021.
• KPIs, ISBE ‘report cards’ discussed
The Oct. 13 meeting also included a presentation from district administrators about key performance indicators (KPIs) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) school report cards. According to the ISBE, the annual report cards show how the state, its schools and its districts are progressing on a wide range of educational goals. The 2020 report cards should be released to the public by the end of October. According to the district’s 2019 Illinois Report Card, there were 8,573 students in District 205, including 2,829 students at York High School.
• Comparison of third grade reading levels
The presentation during the meeting stated that as of winter of the 2019-20 school year, about 74 percent of the district’s third-grade students were reading on grade level. The presentation also included reading-level proficiency for different subgroups of the district’s third graders. According to those figures, about 45 percent of the district’s third graders with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) were reading on grade level as of the winter of 2019-20. About 36 percent of the district’s third-grade English Learner students were reading on grade level. The presentation’s figures stated that about 78 percent of the district’s female third graders were reading on grade level, while about 70 percent of the district’s male third graders were reading on grade level.
• English Learners proficiency presented
Across the district, about 10 percent of District 205’s students are classified as English Learners. About 57 percent of the students at Conrad Fischer Elementary School are English Learners. About 31 percent of the students at Madison Early Childhood Center are English Learners. About 5 percent of the students at York High School are English Learners. The state accountability system expects English Learner students to become English-proficient in five years or less. About 85 percent of the district’s 51 students who exited English Learner status in the 2019-20 school year met the criteria of becoming English-proficient in five years or less.
• Discussion of York students who enroll in college
The presentation noted that about 85 percent of York’s Class of 2019 enrolled in college within a year of high school graduation. The presentation’s figures stated that about 87 percent of York’s Class of 2014 enrolled in college within a year of graduation from high school. The information in the presentation stated that about 66 percent of students in York’s Class of 2014 completed a college degree within six years. The presentation did not clarify if the figure of 66 percent referred to the entire York Class of 2014 (the class included about 2,600 students), or if the 66-percent figure referred to the 87 percent of the class who enrolled in college (about 2.300 students).
The presentation also noted that York’s four-year cohort graduation rate remained steady—at just over 95 percent—in 2020. The school’s graduation rate was also around 95 percent in each of the previous three years.
• Board adopts impact bargaining side agreement
Board members voted 6-0 to adopt an impact bargaining side agreement for the current school year between the district and the Elmhurst Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel (PSRP) Council related to COVID-19. The board also voted 6-0 to adopt a similar impact bargaining side letter between the district and Elmhurst Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The agreement with the Elmhurst Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel (PSRP) Council notes that no PSRP Council member will see a decrease in work hours or a loss of insurance coverage when the school is participating in remote learning days, blended/hybrid remote leafing days or in-person instructional days. That agreement also notes that the district will provide face masks and other personal protective equipment to PSRP Council members.
• Decision made to discontinue Spanish instruction for K-5
Board members also voted 6-0 during the Oct. 13 meeting to ratify and confirm the decision of District 205 Superintendent David Moyer to suspend Spanish instruction at the K-5 elementary levels and re-assign teachers to other teaching positions, through Jan. 1, 2021, and to authorize Moyer to continue such action through the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
• Substitute teacher pool down to about 20
During discussion of the issue, Moyer said that the district’s pool of substitute teachers is usually around 200, but during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the substitute pool is currently around 20. Moyer said that the district’s principals are taxed as they fill in for teachers and make sure that classrooms are manned. Moyer said that the district has had to get creative as possible by pulling teachers from their normal assignments to cover staffing shortages.
Luke Pavone, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, told board members that staffing shortages in schools are a nationwide problem during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pavone stated that people do not want to serve as substitute teachers during the pandemic. He added that there are positions open in the district with zero applicants. Pavone said that the district needs a certified teacher to instruct students. He said a non-certified adult can sit with a group of students during a class, but that adult cannot instruct students.
• Collins leads discussion of finance committee projects
Near the end of the meeting, board member Jim Collins provided some of the highlights from the district’s finance and operations committee meeting on Oct. 8. Collins said that meeting included discussions of the capital maintenance facility projects scheduled for the summer of 2021. Nearly $6 million worth of projects are recommended, said Collins, who said there is currently $4 million budgeted for capital maintenance projects next summer. Collins said the largest recommended projects include re-roofing the south gym area at York High School (at a cost of about $1.6 million) and installing artificial turf ($800,000) over the planned storm water detention project in front of York High School. The City of Elmhurst plans to construct an underground storm water detention area in front of York High School in 2021. District 205 will install an artificial turf surface over the storm water detention area.
• Moyer brings up $5.5 million budget deficit
Following the update from Collins, Moyer noted that the district has a projected budget deficit of about $5.5 million for its 2020-21 budget. Board members voted unanimously during their Sept. 22 meeting to approve the 2020-21 budget, which calls for revenues of approximately $132.7 million, with expenditures of about $138.2 million. Moyer said the $5.5 million deficit is not sustainable.
Speaking about the causes of that $5.5 million deficit during the district’s current fiscal year, Moyer said the district has about $1.2 million in expenses related to COVID-19, and that the district is spending about $2 million more on maintenance than it spent during the previous year. Moyer said about $1.6 million out of the $5.5 million deficit was related to staffing, personnel and salary benefits. He added that the current year is such an unusual year, with so many unknowns.
The board will hold its next regular meeting on Oct. 27.
