News from the October 15 Regular Board of Education Meeting

The District 64 Board of Education held a regular meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2026. You can watch or listen to a replay of the October 15 meeting.

 

October is Principal Appreciation Month! District 64 sincerely thanks our principals during National Principals Month. Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins acknowledged all our District Principals for their leadership, passion for student growth, and unwavering support for our staff, families, and school communities. 

Dr. Collins shared that principals Tessa Shulman, Maria Soulias, Dr. Courtney Goodman, Christa Donnelly, and Dave Szwed will be presenting at the Illinois Principals Association Conference in Peoria, Illinois. These principals will present a wide range of topics, including 5th-6th grade transition and leadership, additionally, Dr. Goodman will present an Ignite session for the entire conference and Ms. Shulman will present on school leadership.

As a part of the Strategic Plan, D64 partnered with McKinstry to independently assess the condition of its buildings and introduce software to plan for their long-term upkeep and maintenance. This initiative directly fulfills a promise made during the referendum to establish a long-term capital strategy so the district will not have to return to taxpayers when these updated facilities eventually need repairs. 

McKinstry gave the Board a positive update, saying past referendum dollars have been well spent. Despite an average building age of 76 years, all D64 facilities currently sit in the top three assessment tiers, and seven of our eight schools scored "Good" for overall facility health

Over the next decade, the assessment estimates we will need $44.1 million for standard repairs like heating, air conditioning, roofing, and interior updates. Currently, though, only 19 out of 1,124 tracked assets, just 3%, are in critical condition.

District leaders will now use McKinstry's software to map out these projects over the next 10 to 30 years and explore funding options. Planning ahead will help us combine projects and complete urgent repairs sooner, saving money by avoiding inflation.

Watch McKinstry's Presentation

The Board reviewed and approved the calendar for the 2027–2028 school year. 

 

Some takeaways from the calendar include:

Roosevelt Elementary School teacher Alison Uhlarik was recently surprised with the Chicago Bears Classroom Legend award, a program that celebrates outstanding Chicagoland educators who go above and beyond to make a lasting impact on their students and community. Students and staff honored her dedication with a school-wide Bears spirit day, where she was presented with a $1,000 classroom donation, game tickets, and a commemorative football.

 

 

The celebrations didn’t stop there. Superintendent Dr. Collins had the opportunity to recognize our 16 student musicians who were selected to participate in the ILMEA District 7 Festival. Huge congratulations to our selected Emerson and Lincoln Students. We look forward to hearing about the great work they will do at the festival! 

 

 

Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting: Board Member Kurt Kuempel reported on the committee's October 8th meeting. He shared that transportation has improved compared to previous years and noted the positive impact of recent changes. In a construction update, Kuempel highlighted a recent tour of Lincoln and shared that the community will be proud and excited to see it soon. 

Additionally, Kuempel shared that FM Global has donated furniture to the District. The committee also discussed student fees, exploring the possibility of holding fees for another year or increasing them in line with CPI, while confirming that the district is currently absorbing credit card fees. 

Finally, Kuempel provided an update on retirement numbers, noting that while 40 retirees were projected over the next four years, the actual number will be 52 employees. 

 

Board Member Kurt Kuempel volunteered to serve as District 64’s voting delegate at the upcoming Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Delegate Assembly.