The Rundown: District 204 Board of Education

The Meeting: Board of Education met for its board meeting on Monday night.

The Rundown: The board discussed a number of issues and took action on two:           

• The board unanimously approved the settlement agreement between the Board and the Hazel S. Brodie Trust.
• The Board of Education unanimously adopted the resolution authorizing the transfer of interest income from the bond and interest fund to the capital projects fund.

Discussion: Two Board Goals were discussed during the meeting:

• Jason Altenbern, the district’s Coordinator for Community Relations, presented information about the district’s program. The program, a partnership between the district, the Midwest Heart Foundation and The Young Hearts 4 Life Program provides screening to determine if students are at risk for a sudden cardiac death. Altenbern began to seek partners for a program after the sudden death of a student at the district. In 2009, more than 5,700 students were tested and 113 were recommended for further evaluation. The partnership is valued at $400,000, he said. In 2011 it is expected that more than 6,300 students will be screened. And, roughly 600 parent volunteers assist with the program.

• The other board goal that was discussed related to closing the achievement gap between the lowest and highest performing students in the district. Mike Popp, director of school improvement and planning, Terri Russell, principal at Peterson Elementary School and Kimmer Cornish, principal at Still Middle School, explained how the schools were making efforts to close the gaps that exist.

1. At Peterson the gap has closed among black and Hispanic students in reading and math, with 100 percent meeting and exceeding expectations. The gap is decreasing for multiracial students in both in reading and the students meet or exceed expectations in math.  Where the school is finding difficulty is with students who have Individualized Education Programs and Limited English Proficiency. But the school is working to identify at risk students and to make connections throughout the day from when they arrive to when the students leave for the day, which requires involvement from the entire school community from teachers to volunteers.
2. At Still Middle School, the school made a concerted effort to track students from the feeder schools and pinpoint those students in need of the most help based on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test.  Officials determined that math was an issue for all students in 6^th grade and was able to implement programs to help those students in even greater need. The school also received a grant from Bank of America that allowed the school to offer students in need the opportunity to participate in an after school program.