Highlights of the meeting include:
- Tentative 2017 tax levy approved and public hearing set - The Board adopted a tentative total estimated property tax levy of $68.4 million for 2017, which is a 3.42% increase over the prior year. Although not required, the Board will conduct a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. on Monday, November 13 prior to the regular Board meeting at Washington School, 1500 Stewart, Park Ridge. The proposed property tax levy includes a 4.95% increase over the prior year for the "capped" funds, combined with a 33.2% decrease in taxes to be levied for debt service. The percentage increase for the capped funds is deliberately set high enough to capture any funds available from new construction within the District. Because the actual amount of new construction is not yet known, the levy percentage is set high enough to make sure the District can receive the full benefit from it. No matter how large the levy request is for 2017, however, District 64 will only receive a 2.1% increase plus the taxes associated with new construction, as allowed under the tax cap (Property Tax Extension Limitation Law). The Board is scheduled to adopt the final levy at the regular meeting on December 11, 2017. Also at the meeting, the Board reviewed a short program on property taxes and the tax levy process, which the District's Chief School Business Official had presented as a panelist at a community forum. A video of the original program -- "Demystifying School Finance: State and Local"-- is available here on our website.
- Summer 2018 facility projects will move to bids - Wrapping up months of review, projects for summer 2018 took the first step forward as the Board authorized preparing construction documents to obtain bids for recommended Health Life Safety (HLS), critical infrastructure and capital projects. The estimated total project cost of the proposed summer 2018 slate is almost $8.5 million. Among the largest are: roofing at Franklin and Emerson; site detention/drainage and asphalt at the Emerson/Jefferson campus; asphalt at Washington; mechanical equipment at Lincoln; tuck pointing at two schools; and updating of the Carpenter Learning Resource Center (LRC). A major focus will be Roosevelt School, which will have water piping and other HLS projects; improvements to its LRC; and other enhancements to its learning environment in combination with a reconfigured office/secure vestibule. This winter, the Board will receive bid proposals and will decide at that time whether to take the final step of authorizing each project. Also at the meeting, security consultant Paul Timm offered insights about the original 2013 RETA Security Report focusing on deterrence, detection, delay and response, and current perspectives about enhanced communication and surveillance along with the role of secure vestibules in controlling daily access and providing layered security.
- Strategic Plan is focus for Superintendent's 2017-18 goals - The Board reviewed goals for Dr. Laurie Heinz for her fourth year with District 64, focusing on standards of professional practice developed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLIC), as recommended by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). The goals remain primarily focused on implementing the wide-ranging objectives of the 2020 Vision Strategic Plan.
- Update on School Resource Officer pilot program for middle schools - The District reported that work is continuing on drafts of the proposed intergovernmental agreements with Park Ridge and Niles police on the pilot program for the middle schools. Discussion will continue at upcoming meetings.
- New data dashboard system approved - The District will begin using a trio of tools from PowerSchool to offer a coordinated dashboard for teachers to help monitor students' learning progress through assignments, common assessments, and benchmark data, and better help them plan differentiated instruction to address learning gaps.