Meeting Video and Agenda Attachments

Pledge of Allegiance -- SPARK: (Video Clip: 00:00-02:40) Sarah Winter, Chair of Special Education Parents Accessing Resources and Knowledge (SPARK), introduced a group of SPARK students to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. SPARK is a part of the Northwest Suburban Council of PTA/PTSA that serves the families of children with unique needs through monthly District-wide meetings where experts in various fields present information to educate and empower families to be the best possible advocates for their children.

Recognition -- Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!): (Video Clip: 02:52-10:08) Matthew Barbini, Ed.D., Deputy Superintendent of Schools, recognized students who participated last year in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy sponsored by the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce. Last year, 15 students from District 15's four junior highs completed the YEA! program, launching a total of 13 businesses.

Recognition -- Palatine Assisting Through Hope (PATH): (Video Clip: 10:08-12:42) Scott Thompson, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, recognized volunteer leaders from Palatine Assisting Through Hope for the group's efforts to empower people in need by providing food, clothing, and other basic needs for families in crisis. For the past several years, PATH has worked with the Northwest Suburban Council of PTA/PTSA and with District 15 staff to operate the Community Closet located at Gray M. Sanborn School.

Summer Construction Projects Update: (Video Clip: 12:50-26:24) Representatives from STR Partners, the District's architect of record, and Gilbane Building Company, the District's construction manager, reported that 11 schools in the northern portion of the District underwent construction this past summer as the District began to address some of the needs identified in its health life safety study. These projects included repairs to roofs, renovations to restrooms, installation of new carpeting and doors, and major upgrades to mechanical, electrical, heating, cooling, and fire alarm systems. In addition to these health life safety projects, the District repaved a portion of the Winston Campus parking lot. It also converted computer labs to classrooms to accommodate the District's growing enrollment in some schools. Buildings that had computer labs converted to classrooms received Chromebooks for student use.

By confining these construction efforts to the north side of the District, creating similarly priced packages of projects for schools in the same geographic area, and bidding those packages as early as possible last year, the District was able to secure highly competitive bids from contractors who could focus their work in one particular area as opposed to being spread across the District. This sort of detailed planning and intricate collaboration allowed the $14.1 million of projects to be completed on time and approximately $800,000 under budget.

The projects that were completed this summer were part of the roughly $27.25 million of the health life safety study the District submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education for approval last winter. That list of work included all of the items the District identified as requiring correction within one year. The remaining $13.15 million of health life safety projects are scheduled for completion over the 2017 summer break.

Superintendent's Report -- Bond Repayment Option: (Video Clip: 26:24-50:48) Elizabeth Hennessy of William Blair & Co., the District's financial advisor, presented to the Board the Administration's recommended method for repaying the $130 million in bonds the District would issue should voters approve the District's school building bond referendum on November 8. She said the bonds would be repaid using a total level debt service structure in which new debt service is "wrapped around" the outstanding limited bond debt service, creating level total debt service of approximately $12.35 million a year over the 20-year term of the bonds. Under this repayment plan, the projected impact of the bonds on residential taxpayers is estimated to be approximately a 2 percent increase in the homeowner's total property tax bill.

Citizens Address the Board: (Video Clip: 53:12-1:07:34) Three residents addressed the Board -- two regarding the School Building Bond Referendum, and one regarding the District's busing policies.

Adoption of the 2016-17 Budget: (Video Clip: 1:08:22-1:09:00) The Board approved the 2016-17 Budget, which outlines approximately $151.6 million in operating fund revenues and $151.4 million of operating fund expenditures, resulting in a projected $207,631 surplus. The proposed budget would increase the District's year-end fund balance to approximately $66 million, or 39.8 percent of the District's budget.

Approval of the 2016-17 Board of Education Annual Board Goals: (Video Clip: 1:09:00-1:10:02) The Board approved the 2016-17 Annual Board Goals, which are as follows:

• Reduce Student Achievement Gaps: Examine achievement of all groups of students and create plans to reduce/eliminate gaps between different groups of students.
• Learning and Organizational Development: Enhance D15 schools as places creating successful young people who are knowledgeable emotionally and physically healthy, motivated, civically inspired, engaged in the arts, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world.
• Enhance Nutritional Offerings: Evaluate current Nutritional Services offerings to students and identify areas of enhancing those offerings, including improving nutrition and providing culturally responsive food.
• Communications: Create Superintendent's Community Relations Committee in order to increase strategic communication initiatives (including enhancing/revamping D15 communications department) and driving high-quality, frequent, two-way communication with all stakeholders.
• Resource Stewardship: Ensure the District remains fiscally responsible (while maintaining quality educational programs and facilities for our students) including seeking ways to reduce the burden on real estate taxpayers whenever possible.

Next Regular Board of Education Meeting: Wednesday, October 12, 2016, at 7 p.m. at Walter R. Sundling Junior High, 1100 N. Smith Street, Palatine..