The District 64 Board of Education held a regular meeting on Thursday, December 18. You can watch or listen to a replay of the December 18th meeting on our YouTube page.
D64 Shining Stars
We celebrated staff and students from Jefferson Early Childhood Center and Franklin Elementary School as part of our ongoing D64 Shining Stars series. You can read more about each school's recipients below.
Recognition of Dr. Kristin Williams
The School Board and Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins congratulated Franklin Principal Dr. Williams, who announced she will be the new Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning and Accountability in Glen Ellyn District 41. “We are so grateful for the six years she has spent at Franklin, and for making it the best school it could possibly be,” said Dr. Collins. “You are a great principal, and you’re a great leader, and everything that you have done with all of our school communities is going to benefit all of our kids for years to come, and you should feel very proud for the work that you have done and the relationships that you have forged here.”
VK Gardens Update
Katie Shamis from VK Gardens, who has been the D64 Green Team Sustainability Coordinator this school year, presented an update on our school’s garden initiatives. Some highlights from 2025 include:
- Raised bed gardens were put into all five elementary schools, engaging students, families, and volunteers in hands-on gardening. These beds yielded over 786 pounds of organic produce donations, fostered a deeper connection to food, and piloted a new era of sustainable initiatives within our community. All of the organic produce was donated to the Maine Township Food Pantry.
- Students are actively engaged with the spaces.
- Plans for 2026 include installing raised-bed programs at Emerson and Lincoln Middle Schools and ensure teacher training and family engagement.
2025 Tax Levy
Adoption of Final 2025 Tax Levy Resolution #1376, Resolution #1377 Instructing the County Clerk How to Apportion 2025 Tax Levy Extension Reductions, Resolution #1378 Authorizing Tax for Illinois Municipal Retirement Purposes
- Motions Approved
Bond Issuance
Resolution #1379 providing for the issue of not to exceed $24,500,000 General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2026, for the purpose of paying the costs of those capital projects approved by referendum at the November 5, 2024, general election, providing for the levy of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay the principal and interest on said bonds, and authorizing the sale of said bonds to Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
- Motion Approved
This is the second and final issuance of the referendum bonds approved by voters in 2024.
Supplemental Levy
Resolution #1380 Authorizing a Supplemental Tax Levy to Pay the Principal of and Interest on Outstanding Limited Bonds of the District.
- Motion Approved
Board Committee Reports
Board Member Kurt Kuempel, who is also the Finance & Facilities Board Committee Chair, gave an update from the committee’s last meeting. Construction work is going well at each of the buildings. Also, we discussed putting our general education transportation services for next year up for bid. Additionally, the need to create a more detailed process for re-evaluating services with all of our vendors every several years.
Superintendent Update
Aa1 Rating - Dr. Collins shared that Moody’s Investors Service again assigned D64 an Aa1 bond rating, which is a very strong rating and is right below the top rating of Aaa.
Tax Anticipation Warrant - Dr. Collins and Board President Matt Doubleday, addressed the significant delay in tax bill distributions from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office. “I want to continue to remind everybody of the outstanding work that the administration and teachers in this District do, but then I also want to comment on how that work can be hamstrung by the failure of leadership at the Cook County Treasurer’s Office and their inability to get tax bills out on time or fund those taxes back to the 144 districts in this county,” said Board President Doubleday. “And it has cost our District over a million dollars so far.” The Tax Anticipation Warrants serve as a safety measure to bridge the funding gap as the District waits for the money collected from taxes from Cook County. “Just to clear the air, we have received zero official communication from anybody about this," Dr. Collins said. "And so when you're talking about a loss of a million dollars, that's really unacceptable."
Update on the Strategic Plan and Superintendent Goals - Administrators have been conducting rounding conversations with staff and recently met with about 40 D64 alums who are currently at Maine South and Maine East High Schools to gather feedback on their preparedness for high school.
Cycle of Inquiry - We are implementing a “Cycle of Inquiry” improvement process for both academics and behavior. Teams at each building are analyzing data to set targeted goals.
Middle School Updates - Extensive professional development is underway for staff to prepare for the new middle school schedule and the 80-minute instructional blocks coming next year.
Student Disciplinary Decision/Action – Student 2025-03
- Motion Approved
Discussion & Approval of Student Fees for 2026-2027
- Motion Approved
Registration and student participation fees will remain the same for the 2026-2027 school year as they are now. However, beginning in the 26-27 school year, we will no longer charge tuition for the full-day kindergarten program.
Assistant Superintendent and Chief School Business Official Brian Harlan presented to the Board what student fees would be for the 2026-27 school year.
Enrollment opens for all District 64 students on Tuesday, January 20. We will once again offer an early-bird discount on registration fees. To get the discount, you must:
- Complete and submit registration forms by 3:00 pm on Monday, March 9.
- Pay the fees by noon on Friday, March 13.
Note: Families who do not register by the March 13 deadline will receive a records release, as we will assume they are moving to another district.
Please submit your registration forms by March 9 to allow our staff time to verify your documents. Unlike in previous years, invoices will not be sent automatically. Instead, once our office staff has verified your documents, you will receive your invoice. To receive the early-bird discount, please pay this invoice by Friday, March 13.
View the Student Fees for 2026-2027 PDF.
Registration Fees
Before 3/13 Deadline
- Half-Day Kindergarten - $114
- Full-Day Kindergarten - $227
- Elementary Grades 1-5 - $227
- Middle School - $315
After 3/13 Deadline
- Half-Day Kindergarten - $164
- Full-Day Kindergarten - $277
- Elementary Grades 1-5 - $277
- Middle School - $365
Other Student Fees for the 2026-27 School Year
- Participatory
- Instrumental Music (Beginner & Advanced) - $50
- Chorus (Elementary) - $25
- Chorus (Middle School) - $40
- Chromebook Maintenance (Elem. & MS) - $50
- Basketball (Athletics) - $150
- Wrestling (Athletics) - $150
- Volleyball (Athletics) - $150
- Cross Country (Athletics) - $45
- Bus
- All Year - $550
- Cold Weather (Post Thanksgiving - Post Spring Break) - $210
The Board approved the Consent Agenda, which included:
- Bills, Payroll, & Benefits
- Approval of Financial Update for the Period Ending October 31, 2025
- Approval of Personnel Report
- Summer Interim Session 2025 Report & Approval of Summer Interim Session and Fees for 2026
- PowerSchool Renewal Enrollment Forms
- PowerSchool Renewal Student Information System Maintenance and Support
- Washington Casework Proposal
- Lincoln Cafeteria Tables Proposal
- Field Addition Furniture Proposal
- Lincoln and Franklin Sonitrol Access Control Systems
- Approval of Minutes of the November 13, 2025 Closed meeting and November 13, 2025 Regular Meeting