President Tamara Peterson called the regular meeting of the Board of Education of Bloomingdale Elementary District 13 to order on Monday, November 26, 2007 in the district office at 7:33 p.m.

Roll Call
Present: Mrs. Patricia Bach, Mrs. Diane Birkley, Mrs. Fina Klco, Dr. Donald Litchfield, Mr. Terence McKeown, Mrs. Linda Wojcicki, Ms. Tamara Peterson

Absent: None

Others Present: Dr. Kim Perkins, Dr. Linda Schielke, Ms. Deyana Matt, Ms. Melody Vroman, Ms. Ann Mitchell, Mrs. Betty Uppling, Mrs. Kathy Ogden

Oath of Office
Ms. Peterson administered the Oath of Office to newly appointed Board Member Fina Klco.

Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Mrs. Bach and seconded by Mrs. Wojcicki approve the items shown in the Consent Agenda to include the Regular and Closed Session Minutes from the October 22nd meeting, the Regular and Closed Session Minutes from the Special Meeting held October 29, the Approval of Bills in the Education Fund for $347,801.35, the Operations and Maintenance Fund for $76,835.75, the Transportation Fund for $61,586.70, Payroll (November 10) for $389,880.56 and (November 20) for $386,419.07 as shown in F.D. 11/26/07-1); the Fund Balance Report as shown in F.D. 11/26/07-2; the Balance Sheet as shown in F.D. 11/26/07-3; the Revenue Report as shown in F.D. 11/26/07-4; the Expenditure Report as shown in F.D. 11/26/07-5; the Activity Report as shown in F.D. 11/26/07-6; the Resignation of Lisa Birkhead, a paraprofessional at Westfield, effective November 16, 2007; the Employment of Shannon Suiter, a paraprofessional at Westfield effective 11-5-07 for a salary of $10.80 per hour, Wanjrioa Wilkins, a bus monitor at Westfield effective 10-24-07 for a salary of $10.80 per hour; Addendum to Extra Duty schedule.

Roll Call Vote

Ayes: Bach, Wojcicki, Birkley, Klco, Litchfield, McKeown, Peterson
Nays: None
Motion Carried: 7 – 0

Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Perkins summarized the steps the district is taking to help prevent any potential spread of the MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus Aureus) infection. These preventive measures include:

The installation of foam soap dispensers in the computer labs. Every lab is cleaned regularly.

• Custodians daily wash all desks, telephones, light switches, doorknobs, etc.
• Physical education mats are cleaned more regularly.
• Nurses are monitoring the care taken in cleaning wounds.
• Washroom passes have been replaced with laminated ones for easy cleaning or disposable paper passes.
• Encouragement for more frequent hand washing is occurring.

There are no known cases of MRSA amongst district students or staff.

Dr. Schielke gave a report on the changes this year to the start of the kindergarten program. During the 2006-07 school year, Dr. Schielke met with principals and kindergarten teachers to discuss how the needs of kindergarten students could best be met. While the district’s first student attendance day was held August 29th for grades 1-8, kindergarten students did not start until the day after Labor Day. The three days prior to the students actual start day were used for individual student assessments and time spent getting to know parents and students. Positive responses have been received regarding this pilot program. It has allowed the district to gain richer data on these students earlier. This has proven to be of great value to all concerned. Parents of kindergarten students with older siblings indicated they were pleased with this change as well as new parents to the district. Additionally, it made for a more comfortable curriculum night for all. After an inquiry from Dr. Litchfield, Dr. Perkins assured the Board that other districts in the area were following a similar schedule with much success.

Dr. Schielke gave her “On the Horizon” report, which included a recap of the focus meeting for parents of “top learners”. MAP testing and differentiation were among topics discussed. Dr. Schielke will attend the Gifted Conference in Schaumburg, along with Assistant Principal Nancy Green and Westfield teacher Natalie Thompson. Rosemary Jacot from the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE) will work with the school improvement teams on Wednesday, November 28 as they review data. On Monday, December 1, a half-day workshop on the math program will be held at Westfield. Susan Udelhofen will be back in the district on December 5 to discuss mapping with administrators and teachers.

Dr. Perkins shared that the district has seen a savings in our electricity costs over the first ten months of 2007. This change reflects a 17.5% decrease in electricity costs due to Mrs. Prehn’s recommendation to purchase from Vanguard Services rather than ComEd.

Citizens Request to Board
Staff members in attendance were introduced to our new board member, Fina Klco.

Board Reports and Requests

• B.I.G. - Mrs. Bach volunteered to replace Mary Ellen Johnson as the Board’s representative on B.I.G.
• CCTS! - Mrs. Wojcicki reported that new officers were elected to serve on the Bloomingdale CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition last month. The Coalition also spent time reviewing the October celebration activities.
• Education Foundation - No Report
• LEND – Diane Birkley reported on the status of several bills. However, the discussion focused primarily on the Illinois Alternate Assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Dr. Rita Stevenson from NDSEC spoke to LEND members on this topic, and presented a disturbing video demonstrating the concerns related to the alternate assessment. Dr. Perkins raised this issue in spring with State Superintendent Koch. Dr. Perkins, Dr. Stevenson, and other NDSEC leaders feel that this assessment instrument is not appropriate for this group of students. Congressman Peter Roskam has expressed empathy for this concern and wrote a letter to the chair of the congressional committee addressing NCLB concerns. Still, the feeling is, in general, the message is “falling on deaf ears.” Mrs. Birkley commended Dr. Stevenson for her commitment to children with special needs.
• NDSEC - Dr. Litchfield reported that Dr. Kim Perkins will replace Itasca’s Superintendent Ken Cull (who is retiring) as NDSEC’s chairperson.

Board “Salute”
The following people received a “salute” from one or more board members and/or the superintendent/assistant superintendent for their contributions to the Bloomingdale School District community:

• Westfield students Abby Malek, Ryan Olsen, and Eric Chen for being chosen for the 2007 IMEA Middle School Festival Band
• Westfield students Sarah Hochman and Lisa Brambert, who served as co-crew chiefs for the schools’ production of “The Adventures of Robin Hood”
• DuJardin students Kaley LaFontaine and Jeremy Pilz for being accepted as new members of the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
• Janis Prehn and Annette Griffith for organizing free flu shots for district employees in November
• Kathy Wolowiec for her extra work in putting together MAP packets for each school

IASB Convention
In order to accommodate Mrs. Bach who needed to leave early, the discussion of the IASB Convention was moved up in the agenda. Mrs. Bach reported that while she felt the delegate assembly was an interesting process, it was poorly run at the conference. Only two legislative issues were discussed during the time she was able to attend. Mrs. Bach also attended a workshop on evaluating the superintendent and felt that good information was received. She will bring her suggestions to the Board in January. Mrs. Birkley was very impressed with the presentation by IMSA (Illinois Math and Science Academy) and ways it can support districts. Dr. Litchfield and Mr. McKeown reported on their attendance at
the IHSA workshop. Mr. McKeown encouraged board members to keep up-to-date on their Master Board Member points after attending the workshop, LeaderShop vs. Master Board Member.

Mrs. Bach left the meeting at 8:30 p.m.

Freedom of Information Act Request
Dr. Perkins reported that a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request had been received from Mr. Michael Macellaio of Chicago Area LECET. Mr. Macellaio requested information pertaining to bidder requirements for all construction contracts awarded by the district.

Board Policy 5:330 – ESP Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays, and Leaves (F.D. 11/26/07-9)
A motion was made by Dr. Litchfield and seconded by Mrs. Wojcicki to waive the first reading and approve the Board policy revision for 5:330 as presented and shown in F.D. 11/26/07-9. Voice Vote: all ayes

Superintendent’s Contract Goals (F.D. 11/26/07-8)
A motion was made by Mr. McKeown and seconded by Dr. Litchfield to approve the superintendent’s contract goals as presented, and authorize the President and Secretary to sign said document. Voice Vote: all ayes

Resolution to Honor Mary Ellen Johnson R#4 (F.D. 11/26/07-9)
A motion was made by Dr. Litchfield and seconded by Mr. McKeown to approve the resolution of thanks to Mary Ellen Johnson. Voice Vote: all ayes

Mrs. Mary Ellen Johnson retired from the Bloomingdale School District 13 Board of Education after serving for 17-plus years.

Tentative Tax Levy
District 13 receives 85% of its revenue from property taxes. Annually in November, the district administration shares a tentative tax levy to the Board of Education for its review. If the proposed equalized assessed valuation (EAV) is calculated to be or exceed 5%, a public hearing must be held. This year, the proposed increase is 8.2% over last year’s assessment. A public hearing on the tentative tax levy will be held prior to the approval of consent agenda items at the December 17th Board of Education meeting. Legal notice will be published for the purpose of reporting the increase. At the December meeting, the proposed adoption of the Certificate of Tax Levy will be an action item. Submittal of the Certificate of Levy is due at the County office by the fourth Tuesday in December.

AP Policy 5:52 – ESP Retirement Enhancement, AP Policy 5:53 – Administrative Retirement Enhancement, AP Policy 5:54 – Administrator Benefits
Dr. Perkins reviewed changes to Administrative Procedures’ policies 5:52, 5:53, and the addition of new policy 5:54. Policies 5:52 & 5:53 were changed to afford educational support personnel and administrators the same benefits as the teachers as set down in the new teacher contract. Policy 5:54 addresses benefits for administrators that were not previously set down in writing.

For Information
Informational Items included:

• First Quarter Suspension Report
• Annual County Inspection
• October Enrollment Figures
• Master Board Member Recognition for Linda Wojcicki
• NDSEC November Profile
• DuPage/West Cook Board Briefs
• Pack-o-Fun Visits Erickson
• Letter from Attorney General re: FirstGroup
• Letter from County Clerk re: 2008 Budget
• Letter from Representative Tom Cross re: Budget Implementation Bill
• Letter to Representatives re: Budget Implementation Bill

Adjournment
A motion was made by Dr. Litchfield and seconded by Mrs. Wojcicki to adjourn the meeting at 9:07 p.m. Voice Vote: all ayes

Tamara J. Peterson, President
Linda Wojcicki, Secretary