Medals were awarded to the top 10 finishers in each heat, and "top flight" ribbons were given to students who finished from 11th to 20th place. Each of the more than 430 runners who completed the mile-long race received a participation ribbon at the finish line.

Recognition -- Those Who Excel: District 15 nominees received a total of six awards this year in the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) prestigious "Those Who Excel" awards program.

• Dr. Laura Swanlund, the coordinator of the District's psychology department and its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) programs, received an Award of Excellence in the "School Administrator" category.
• Kristin Fortunato, the secretary at Gray M. Sanborn School, received an Award of Excellence in the "Educational Service Personnel" category.
• Cynthia Zeivel, a fifth-grade teacher at Frank C. Whiteley School, received an Award of Merit in the "Classroom Teacher" category.
• Cynthia Wong, a school social worker at Willow Bend School, received an Award of Merit in the "Student Support Personnel" category.
• Chelsea Blanchfield, a third-grade teacher at Stuart R. Paddock School, received an Award of Recognition in the "Early Career Educator" category.
• Hunting Ridge School's Front Office Team -- Teresa Ostoich, Corry Hamilton, and Julie Simpson -- received an Award of Recognition in the "Team" category.

During the meeting, each of the principals who nominated these award recipients for these honors introduced them to the Board, and Scott Thompson, Ed.D., superintendent of schools, presented each of them with the District's "Above and Beyond Award."

Presentation -- Five-Year Financial Projections: Michael Adamczyk, Chief School Business Official, presented an update of the District's five-year financial projections, which indicate the District will run deficits averaging about $2.3 million a year through 2019-20. Those deficits would leave the District's fund balance standing at about $45.3 million, or approximately 28.1 percent of its annual expenditure budget, at the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Before presenting those projections, though, Mr. Adamczyk reported that, while the amended 2014-15 budget projected an estimated $1 million deficit, audited financial results indicate the District actually experienced a roughly $1.8 million positive variance to end the year with a $788,134 surplus. Due to this variance, the District ended the 2014-15 fiscal year with an estimated $56.9 million fund balance, which equated to roughly 38.5 percent of its expenditures. The District 15 Board of Education has agreed to a minimum fund balance target of 30 percent of the District's expenditures.

Presentation -- FY2015 Final Audit: Mr. Adamczyk, Corey Bultemeier, Director of Fiscal Services; and Betsy Allen, a representative from Miller Cooper, the District's external auditor, presented information and responded to questions from Board members concerning the FY2015 Audit Report. The Board voted to accept the FY2015 (2014-2015) Annual Audit later in the meeting. District 15 received an unqualified audit opinion from Miller Cooper, which is the highest opinion an auditor can grant. Such an opinion basically states that the auditor feels the District followed generally accepted accounting principles and that the financial reports are an accurate representation of the District's financial condition.

Presentation -- Proposed Tax Levy: Mr. Bultemeier presented a 2015 levy proposal for the Board to consider. The proposal includes the slight increase in property tax revenue that the tax cap allows each year for inflation and new growth and would likely result in a 2015 extension increase of 1.1 percent (0.8 percent for inflation and 0.3 percent for an estimated $10 million in new growth) to approximately $117.9 million. On the District 15 portion of a resident's property tax bill, the increase would equate to roughly $8 per $100,000 of property value. The Board will approve a levy proposal when it adopts the final 2015 Aggregate Tax Levy during its next regular meeting on Wednesday, December 9.

Superintendent's Report -- Let's Talk: Dr. Thompson reported the District launched its pilot of the Let's Talk communication program about two weeks ago, and he stated there were a number of e-mails that resulted from this roll out effort. The number of emails has slowed a bit since the initial communication that introduced the District 15 community to the new system, he said, but the icon to access the communication tool remains on the District's website, providing immediate access to this avenue for two-way discussion between the District and its stakeholders. Dr. Thompson said he would continue to provide the Board with regular and detailed reports of activity within the Let's Talk program, and snapshots of its dashboard, throughout the pilot of the program.

Superintendent's Report -- Veteran's Day: Dr. Thompson reported that every District 15 school dedicated part of the school day on Wednesday, November 11, to honoring and recognizing veterans and their contributions to the freedom citizens enjoy in the United States. He also noted that District administrators and several Board members attended many of these events, and were touched by both the patriotism and the gratitude that was displayed by students, staff, and the veterans they were honoring.

Superintendent's Report -- School Board Members Day in Illinois: Dr. Thompson noted that Sunday, November 15, is School Board Members Day in Illinois, and he presented each of the seven volunteers serving on the District 15 Board of Education with a token of appreciation for their service.

ED-RED Council/Legislation: It was reported that the state has still not reached a budget resolution, and that the General Assembly does not plan to meet again until December. It was also reported that ED-RED plans to actively participate in the ongoing discussions about school funding reform that are occurring in Springfield.

District Fifteen Educational Foundation: It was reported that the Foundation's D15 Staff Volleyball Tournament will be held Saturday, November 14, at 9 a.m. at Winston Campus.

Consensus of Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Resolutions/Recommendations: The Board created a consensus list of Illinois Association of School Boards' (IASB) Legislative Committee Resolutions/Recommendations to be endorsed and/or opposed by District 15 Board members and administration at the annual meeting of the IASB Delegate Assembly to be held on November 21.

2017-18 School Calendar Discussion: The Board reviewed the proposed 2017-18 school calendar, which closely aligns to Township High School District 211's proposed 2017-18 calendar. The District will now post the proposal to its website for public review and comment prior to its adoption later this school year. Key dates are as follows:

• Beginning of the School Year: Staff Institute Days are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, August 14 and 15. Grades 1-8 would begin classes on Wednesday, August 16. Kindergarten and early childhood classes would begin on Thursday, August 17.
• Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 23. There will be no school that week, but parent-teacher conferences will be held on Monday and Tuesday, November 20 and 21.
• Winter Break: There would be no school from Monday, December 25, through Friday, January 5, with schools reopening on Monday, January 8.
• Spring Break: There would be no school Monday, March 26, through Monday, April 2, with schools reopening Tuesday, April 3.
• End of the School Year: The last day of school -- including snow days -- would be Wednesday, June 5. Depending upon the number of snow days used, the last day of school will be moved back accordingly at the April 2018 Board meeting.

Citizens Address the Board: No citizens chose to address the Board.

Also during the meeting: