Kindergarten Registration Update: Matthew Barbini, Ed.D., deputy superintendent of schools, reported that 742 families registered kindergartners during the kindergarten registration drives held February 10 at the District's elementary schools. That's an increase of 20 students from last year's drive. Additionally, families registered 73 students for Grades 1-6 during the drive.

Superintendent's Report: Scott Thompson, Ed.D., superintendent of schools, reported that the District had completed its four Community Communication Forums on the its new 10-year life safety study. The forums were held at each of the District's four junior highs, and attendees at each forum were presented with detailed study results that pertained to that particular junior high and its feeder elementary schools. Presentations from each of the forums -- as well as the study, itself, and applications to become a member of the District's Facilities Plan Committee -- are available in the Decennial Life-Safety Report section of the District's website. Dr. Thompson said he had received seven applications to be part of that committee, which is slated to convene in March, meet throughout the spring, and -- in May --provide the Board with a recommendation as to how the District should use the life safety study's results to create a comprehensive facilities plan that will outline how the District intends to address its facilities needs for the next decade and beyond.

ED-RED Council/Legislation: Michael Adamczyk, chief business official, reported that ED-RED had not met since the January 14 Board meeting, but that Gov. Bruce Rauner committed in a speech to finding more state funding for K-12 education.

Dr. Thompson also reported that the District is closely watching Senate Bill 1, which is the continuation of Senate Bill 16 from the General Assembly's last session. As originally proposed, this legislation would redistribute the state's current pool of resources available for education, giving more funding to school districts with lower assessed property values and/or less property to tax. Property taxes account for approximately 80 percent of District 15's budget; the rest is comprised largely of state funding. So, if passed, this legislation was expected to cost District 15 an estimated $11 million a year in state aid, which equates to 7 percent of its budget. Dr. Thompson said that -- despite some of the modifications that were made to this bill before it was reintroduced this year -- it would still significantly impact the District if it were to pass.

District Fifteen Educational Foundation: It was reported that the Foundation's "Black Ties and Tennies" Gala will be held March 14 at Concorde Banquets in Lake Zurich. Additionally, the Foundation has two more fundraisers on its schedule: a Chicago Wolves D15 Family Day on Sunday, March 1, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, and the 2015 "Got2Run ... for Education" Run/Walk to Benefit Wellness in School Children on Saturday, May 16, in Arlington Heights.

Communication Committee: No update was presented.

Appointment of Board Member to Fill a Vacancy: It was reported that -- with the February 17 deadline to appoint a new member fast approaching -- the Board had been unable to agree on a collaborative process to identify potential candidates to consider from the field of 27 residents who applied to fill the vacant seat, which expires in April 2017. Consequently, it was agreed that Board members could nominate any of the 27 applicants to fill the vacancy. However, it was also agreed that the Board would allow the deadline to appoint a new member to expire if a majority of the Board could not support an applicant's nomination that evening. In that case, the regional superintendent of schools would be tasked with appointing one of the 27 applicants to fill the vacancy by Thursday, March 19.

Consequently, the Board did not vote in support of an appointment. The seat will remain vacant until a new member is appointed by Bruce Brown, Ed.D., executive director of the North Cook Intermediate Service Center, which serves as the regional office of education for the school districts of northern Cook County.

Citizens Address the Board: One citizen addressed the Board about the appointment of a new Board member.

Approval of the revised 2015-16 School Calendar: The Board approved the 2015-16 School District Calendar, which includes the following key dates:

• Beginning of the School Year: Staff Institute Days are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, August 20 and 21. Grades 1-8 begin classes on Monday, August 24. Kindergarten and early childhood classes begin on Tuesday, August 25.
• Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. There will be no school that week, but parent-teacher conferences will be held on Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24.
• Winter Break: There will be no school from Monday, December 21, through Friday, January 1, with schools reopening on Monday, January 4.
• Spring Break: There will be no school Monday, March 21, through Monday, March 28, with schools reopening Tuesday, March 29. (Note: Friday, March 25, is a nonattendance day for students and staff.)
• End of the School Year: The school year will end on Friday, June 3, without the use of any snow days.

Approval of Budget Guidelines: The Board approved the budget guidelines for 2015-16. In doing so, though, it directed the Administration to develop and present multiple budget scenarios for it to consider, and it stipulated that one of those scenarios must be a balanced budget proposal that outlines the steps the District would need to take in order to implement it. The Board also directed the Administration to indicate which of those multiple budget proposals it believes would best serve the District, and recommend it for Board approval.