By Chris Fox
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St. Board members Karen Stuefen and Courtenae Trautmann were absent from the meeting.
Public forum draws 27 participants
The meeting’s public-participation segment featured comments from 27 speakers, most of whom talked about the recent temporary restraining order that restricted more than 100 Illinois school districts, including District 205, from enforcing Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive order that mandates the use of masks in schools. The temporary restraining order also kept school districts from requiring school employees who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine to provide weekly negative COVID-19 tests to occupy school buildings.
Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow issued the temporary restraining order, which meant that District 205 students did not have to wear masks at school on Monday, Feb. 7. Pritzker’s order mandating masks in the state’s K-12 schools had been in effect since the start of the current 2021-22 school year.
Several of the speakers during the meeting’s public-participation were district parents who supported the mask-optional policy in schools. Some of those parents noted that their children did not wear masks at school on Feb. 7. Some speakers stated that the community has been divided over the issue of masking in schools. A couple of the speakers observed that all of the board members and administrators at the meeting were wearing masks. Many of the speakers during the public-participation segment did not wear masks, while other speakers did. One of the speakers stated that all of the adults who entered the meeting were offered masks. She described the offering of masks as “subtle bullying” and stated that “if adults wanted a mask, they would show up with their own masks.”
Purchase of Fullerton property approved
Board members voted unanimously to approve the $2.4 million purchase of the property at 435 W. Fullerton Ave. The property will be used to house district vehicles and equipment which had been based at a gravel lot at Butterfield Road and Bryan Street, near Bryan Middle School. Board member Jim Collins said that lot has been turned into an eyesore for the neighborhood. Collins added that in parking lots around the school district, the district has lost five catalytic converters from vehicles, due to theft, in the last year. Collins said the price of the property on Fullerton Avenue is not that much more than the prospective cost of paving the gravel lot. He added that the district’s purchase of the property on Fullerton Avenue will allow the district to park its vehicles inside each night, securing each vehicle and extending its useful life.
Abatement of current levy not recommended
Board members voted 4 to 1 against a resolution that would have included an abatement of $650,000 in the current 2021 levy. Collins was the lone board member to vote in favor of the resolution. Athena Arvanitis, Christopher Kocinski, Beth Hosler and board president Kara Caforio voted against the resolution. Board members discussed the issue of offering an abatement to district taxpayers during the Jan. 25 board meeting. In December 2020, the board approved an abatement of about $3.1 million to district taxpayers. The district’s administration reportedly recommended that abatement because of the remote and hybrid delivery of instruction during the 2020-21 school year. The administration did not recommend abatement for the current levy.
Collins stated that it is not the district’s job to accumulate the public’s money. He also said that property taxes will be going up in the next couple of years, and that it would be a good gesture to return some money to the taxpayers. Kocinski said he agreed with a majority of what Collins said, but he said noted that the board has approved the spending of several million dollars to expand the scope of projects related to the $168.5 million referendum in November 2018. Kocinski said he would like to see more clarity in the costs of projects related to that referendum that have yet to be completed. Kocinski added that he did not think the district’s financial reserves were excessive.
Campbell urges wearing of masks, using respect and kindness
Near the end of the meeting, District 205 Superintendent Keisha Campbell stated that while the temporary restraining order was in place, the district was still strongly recommending the wearing of masks in schools. Campbell said that the district will continue to offer vaccination clinics and collect vaccination information. The district will offer personal protective equipment, as well as optional weekly COVID-19 testing. Campbell said the district is asking any students and staff members who are ill to stay home and focus on getting better. She said the district will still notify parents and families if a COVID-19 outbreak takes place. The district will also post COVID-19 tracking data on its website—elmhurst205.org.
Campbell added that she wanted to reiterate the importance of respect and kindness. She said she wanted the district to foster a climate of respect and acceptance for all, regardless of vaccination status or views on masking. She also praised the hard work of the district’s teachers, administrators and other staff members, and gave a special word of gratitude to the district’s nurses.
The board will hold its next regular meeting on Feb. 22.
