By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting on Jan. 26 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St. All seven board members participated in the meeting, with Karen Stuefen and Courtenae Trautmann attending remotely.
There were five comments during the meeting’s public-participation segment. Four of the comments urged the board to offer more in-person education in the district’s schools. On Jan. 11, the district returned to a hybrid form of instruction after offering fully remote instruction since October 2020. Most students who take part in the hybrid model attend school in-person two days per week.
One of the commenters stated that it was hard to argue with the district’s move to fully remote instruction at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said more information has become available indicating that children and a majority of teachers face a minimal risk from the pandemic. The commenter added that the community is exasperated with the current hybrid model.
Another commenter—a parent of a child in kindergarten—stated there was minimal interaction in the classroom, and that children had to play alone in a designated square during play time. Another commenter urged the board to offer in-person classes on Wednesdays. The district’s schools have not offered in-person classes on Wednesdays during the current hybrid model. One more parent noted that private schools, including schools in Elmhurst, have continued to offer full-time, in-person instruction during the pandemic. That parent stated that the lack of full-time, in-person education has contributed to children’s feelings of isolation and depression. The parent added that the community wants District 205 students and teachers to return to full-time, in-person classes.
School calendar for 2022-23 approved
The board unanimously approved several items, including the proposed 2022-23 school calendar. That calendar calls for the school year to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. The last day for all levels is scheduled to be Friday, May 26, 2023. The graduation ceremony for York High School’s Class of 2023 is scheduled for Sunday, May 21, 2023.
The board also voted unanimously to suspend elementary Spanish for the remainder of the current school year, and to permanently discontinue elementary Spanish, beginning with the 2021-22 school year. The board voted earlier during the current school year to temporarily pause elementary Spanish in grades 3-5 because of staffing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to information provided by the district, elementary Spanish is not a prerequisite for middle school Spanish, nor does it advance proficiency in Spanish in any meaningful way. Families that are interested in bilingual education have the opportunity to participate in the district’s two-way dual language Spanish immersion program.
Side letter between District, teachers union adopted
The board also voted unanimously to adopt a side letter between the district and the Elmhurst Teachers’ Council related to COVID-19. The side letter agreement involves provisions related to child-care issues.
Before the board voted to adopt the side letter with the teachers’ union, District 205 Board President Kara Caforio read the following statement related to another issue between the district and the teachers’ union.
“As we reported in January, the Elmhurst teacher and support-staff unions filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, contesting the district’s return to hybrid instruction on Jan. 11. The unions also asked the labor board to pursue an injunction in court to prevent the district from continuing in-person learning for students until negotiations with the two unions over COVID-19 issues are complete. Last Thursday [Jan. 21], after an extensive briefing and hearing process, the labor board unanimously denied the unions’ request for an injunction. Additional hearings are scheduled for late February and April, at which the district will continue to oppose the unfair labor practice charges, but in the meantime, hybrid and in-person instruction will continue in accordance with board-approved metrics and factors. The district will also continue its efforts to resolve the unions’ concerns as the board looks forward and awaits a response from the union to the board’s Jan. 20 request to meet for further negotiations.”
Search firm approved to find new superintendent
The board voted unanimously to approve an agreement with School Exec Connect related to the search for a new District 205 superintendent to replace David Moyer. Moyer recently accepted an offer to become the superintendent of a district in New York. He will begin his role in that position on July 1, 2021.
The board chose School Exec Connect after hearing presentations from three search firms. The agreement with School Exec Connect includes a services fee of $20,500, as well as expenses not to exceed $2,500. Caforio said the board hopes to name the district’s new superintendent in April.
In other business, the board approved a resolution to transfer about $330,000 from the district’s operations and maintenance fund to its debt service fund to pay debt certificates. The transfer is a routine practice that takes place each year.
Video of Lincoln School plans shown
The Jan. 26 meeting also included a brief video that offered a glimpse of what the new Lincoln Elementary School will look like. The new building should be ready for the start of the 2022-23 school year.
The items approved by the board during the Jan. 26 meeting included the awarding of several bids related to the construction of the new Lincoln Elementary School. According to the district, the total award of about $21.74 million is within the estimated budget of about $24.15 million.
Bid approved for asbestos abatement
In a separate item approved on Jan. 26, the board approved the invitation for bid to NES Environmental in the amount of $132,300 related to asbestos abatement in the demolition of the current Lincoln Elementary School building. The board also approved the invitation for bid to HEPA, Inc., in the amount of $77,750, for asbestos abatement related to interior renovations at Emerson Elementary School.
Bid accepted for York south roof replacement
The board also approved an agreement with Richard L. Johnson Associates, Inc., in the amount of nearly $110,000, for design services for the south roof replacement project at York High School. The project to replace the roof in the area of York’s south gymnasium is part of the district’s 2021 summer capital plan. The roof replacement at York has a total estimated cost of $1.5 million.
D205 to join other districts in lawsuit to fight vaping
The board approved a resolution during the Jan. 26 meeting to join a lawsuit of more than 100 school districts nationwide to combat the impact of vaping on public school districts. According to District 205, the litigation seeks to compensate districts for costs they have incurred and may incur in the future. The matter will be handled as a contingency fee, with no upfront fees or costs to the district.
Rate of COVID cases going down, Moyer says
In providing a COVID-19 update, Moyer noted that the rate of cases in the area is going down. Region 8, which includes DuPage County, moved from Tier 3—the most restrictive level in the state’s Restore Illinois plan—to the less restrictive Tier 2 on Jan. 18. On Jan. 26, the day of the board meeting, Region 8 moved from Tier 2 to Tier 1.
Moyer stated that the district administration had been consulting with its legal counsel, and with doctors in developing a plan that would be presented to the board for approval at the board meeting on Feb. 9. That plan would reportedly offer more information about the district’s plans to offer more in-person instruction.
Moyer told the board during the Jan. 26 meeting that the district’s No. 1 priority was to get kindergartners and first graders back into school buildings five days per week. Moyer also noted that the district had recently modified its snack break procedures to allow indoor eating on inclement days provided children were in larger spaces and maintained social distancing of at least 6 feet.
Athletes return to practices Jan. 25
Moyer added that some York High School student-athletes had returned to practices on Jan. 25, following a state-wide pause on high school winter athletics for over two months. He also said he was hopeful that some district teachers would receive their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine later in the week. Moyer added that he hoped that those employees could receive their second round of the vaccines in mid-February. He did caution that there were some factors outside of the district’s control, and that it was optimistic to expect that employees would receive their second round of the vaccine by the middle of February.
Moyer told the board the district planned to offer in-person instruction on Wednesdays beginning on Feb. 10. Board members directed the district to move up that timeline, and to provide in-person Wednesday instruction to some of the district’s younger students this week, on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Board member Christopher Kocinksi highlighted some information provided by the district noting that since the district returned to its hybrid model on Jan. 11, there hadn’t been any cases of COVID-19 transmitted in school buildings.
