Township High School District 214 Board of Education - Regular Meeting

Test one, test two. Test one, test two. Welcome to Jerry's Cafe. [Music]

We are a destination cafe and we offer craft food and beverages, meaning we make everything fresh on site when you order. And all of our food and our beverages are prepared and served by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And then lastly, just say the name. Tom. There you go. Enjoy. Thank you.

My favorite part of working at Dear Cafe is definitely interacting with friends I've met throughout the years and the expressing machine. My co-founder Amy Philpot and I opened Jerry's Cafe for job opportunities and a staggering statistic tells us that 80% of adults with disabilities are unemployed. I believe differently and this is the place where our employees can work and feel proud and contribute and can see that they have value and purpose and they are given the responsibility that anyone would be given in a job. and we expect nothing less than them to perform at their highest level. So, we see great success in every single employee and their independence and their offerings and activities here at Jerry's Cafe. The large hot white chocolate pumpkin pie with whipped cream. It is to die for. It is delicious. It's amazing. Well, the uh favorite part of uh working here is that I I get to serve customers. I am a cashier. They understand to include people with us with exceptionalities.

I wanted to tell you I've been watching you today. You're really good at your job. You've been doing I always am. I always like to serve customers. Customers go first.

We are super proud of our partnership with District 214. District 214 has been a supporter from the very beginning of our foundation and several of the schools have done fundraising and helped us get our doors open to Jerry's Cafe. Proudly we have 12 or 13 graduates from the district 214 schools who work at Jerry's Cafe as our active employees. This is where we do our salad prep. This is where we make all the salads. And then over here is the sandwich line. This is where we make all of our sandwiches. I have worked here since day one. I love it here. I love my supportive team members and I like serving customers. Here is one chicken Mediterranean trip salad. We know that our community members have lots of choices, but we're hoping that you will come and choose Jerry's Cafe.

Thank you. When you come inside and engage with our employees, you feel a sense of joy and you will start your day feeling the best way that you can with a joyful heart and knowing that Jerry's Cafe has provided you with delicious coffee, breakfast or lunch. [Music] Mac and cheese. Mac and cheese. Mac and cheese.

All right, welcome to our 55th year of putting together an incredible community service project through our SOS class here at John Hershey High School. As you can see around me, it is organized chaos, but it is an incredible day for our students to serve our community by packaging and collecting food that's going to be going to local food pantries in our area to support those in need. We're really happy to be able to do the food drive here at Hersy because it really just brings the whole school together and we are able to help our community and bring the energy with everyone here.

All right, take it out. For the past, I would say about two months, we've been kind of working together with SOS, Junior Leaders, baseball, and we've all gathered together. We've done bag and tags. We've called different communities, and we've all come together, and it's really amazing to see the turnout. And then later on, we're going to be visiting eight local food pantries, and it's really exciting. We're just thankful for everyone who helped each other along the way. It's been really fun. It's a team effort, but it's been so fun. Prospect marching nights are heading to DC. We're in Washington DC. [Music]

Prospect Marching Knights were invited to travel to Washington DC this year for Veterans Day. So, we're taking the band out um to our nation's capital. We're going to do some great tours of some of the monuments and the museums and a lot of the sites of DC. Um, but it all culminates with performances on Veterans Day. Um, so we've been working really hard to prepare and we're so excited for our students to have this opportunity. Throughout the trip, we had a few opportunities uh where veterans would actually see our group of students out out and about and spoke to our students. Um, so in addition to uh touring these places, our students were able to actually interact with a number of veterans over the course of the trip, which kind of made everything a little more real and genuine and authentic. So, our first day in DC was really impactful and gave our students sort of a big picture overview of the city and some of the history and really set the stage for our performance day coming up. So on Veterans Day, our morning started off with a performance at the Lincoln Memorial. There we were right on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial facing the Washington Monument. Just a really special opportunity for our students to have a a really great place to perform.

It was an honor to perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the PMK where so much of America's history has taken place. The experience was very impactful for me. It was a unique opportunity that I have never had before and it was something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. One of our students, Emily Pollock, was also asked to deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial. I've always wanted to help people. So, I'm going to serve my country. More specifically, I want to become an officer in the military.

Her speech was really wonderful and got a really great reception at the event. In fact, after the event was over, I had a number of veterans come track me down to tell me how great her speech was. And actually, they wanted to meet her and take pictures with her because they were so moved by what she had to say. My father served in the Navy and so he instilled in me like the value of um serving and like caring for our veterans and those who serve us. And so being able to thank them today and um place medals around their think and welcome them home was really impactful for me as well. United States Air Force. It was an honor to play at the World War II Memorial today. It was such an honor because music is a way to share emotions without using words.

Our performances in DC got a lot of really good responses. Um, one of them, a story was told to me by one of our chaperones that there was literally um, a Marine veteran who was at a performance at the Euima Memorial who was literally in tears watching the performance and just expressed to our chaperon how much it meant to him that this group of teenagers from from the Chicago area had come out there and was was performing. Um, and he was just really moved by it. And uh, I thought that was just a really neat neat story to hear coming out of the the performance. So any trip like this uh takes a lot of time and energy to put together. I feel really fortunate that our school was very supportive of this endeavor. We had a bunch of parents who traveled with us and did anything they could to make this a great experience for our students. Um I'm so glad we were able to bring our students to DC. Uh Veterans Day seemed like a perfect time to bring them and uh it really just in the end I think the whole trip turned out really really great and I'm so happy we were able to make it happen. [Music] We're super excited to have the 911 never forget mobile exhibit here at Hershey High School. As the truck arrived, we had Hershey parents out front with some patriotic balloons. We had Hershey students lining the the sidewalks. We had some, you know, many American flags like they would show on the honor flights. The spirit was high.

Good morning. and I'd like to welcome you to the Stevensilla Tunnel Towers mobile exhibit. We have a 50 50ft trailer approximately 1100 square ft exhibit. We travel our nation to commemorate the brave sacrifice of the firefighters, police officers that gave their life that day in the greatest rescue and recovery effort in our nation's history. The reason we're here is at Hershey High School to come educate our youth uh on the happenings of that day, but also the the happenings of the days after and to let them know that it was a huge tragedy. It was the single largest loss of life day we've ever had. It was also the large largest rescue we've ever had as well. but just all the good that has come from that tragic day. And they're they're going to learn things that they they can't read about. Uh they're going to hear stories that some have never been told, some have been told many times.

Steven Silla was uh one of the 343 firefighters that died that morning. He was getting off duty that morning. He was going to play golf with his older brothers. Heard that plane strike. heard on the news that the plane struck the building, turned around, drove back to his firehouse, squad 1, located in downtown Brooklyn. They had already been dispatched to the disaster. He got his gear, drove his own truck to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel where he dawned 60 lbs of gear, ran 2 and 12 miles through the tunnel, mustered up with the rest of the firefighters, and gave his life that day, honoring his oath that he took to protect life and property.

So, this is about remembering. So we want people to remember obviously for adults to remember and for the kids to learn. So we don't want this forgotten. It's not taught in most schools in in America and they have the privilege of talking to people who are there. You know we can't talk to people who were in the Civil War or these other moments in American history. But they can. I think that's pretty special. Thanks for having us. And this means more to us than you. This means a lot to these kids. And these kids have been great. They're very respectful. They listen. It's uh it's nice to it's nice to see

a special thanks especially the FDMY crew to the SL Foundation to Solders Journey Home to District 214 to all of Hersy. I I'm grateful for everybody. A special shout out to Bill Dustin for the for the magic spirit. Special shout out to Chief Harris Arlington Heights Police. The coolest part about this project was there's like a whole bunch of people that were on it and did it. It wouldn't have happened without a whole bunch of people. The list is just too long. And to me, that's that's actually a good thing to celebrate. [Music] This is the uh Rolling Meadows band alumni event. So, we decided to uh get the band back together. This year being the 40th anniversary of the Jazz Meadows Festival. So, it was kind of an opportunity to, hey, can we bring people back at homecoming? I had talked to some of the previous band directors. That's Len King in the 70s, '8s, early 90s. We have Bill Jastro and David Bogs from the '90s. And then, of course, Chris Booty, who retired several years ago. Those people set the foundation for everything that we have here.

I'm giving you a huge I I'd have paid money to be here tonight. I really would have. It's is one of those things that I I paid money to be here. This is the banner where your closest friends were really at in high school. So, you're with your closest friends and regrouping after 40ome years and going, "Holy cow." Yeah, Mr. King is the reason why I'm here today. Not just at the school, but what I do in in life. I owe everything to Mr. King. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone to college. And if I hadn't gone to college, who knows what I would be doing. You know, some of the stuff that we we're doing right now is like we never stopped doing it, you know. You know, just to be around these guys again and just hanging out. 40 years seems like a long time, but it seems like it's kind of a short time, too. You know,

this is fantastic. I mean, I I knew it was going to be good, but not this good. 52 of my actual students are in this group. I get a lot of feedback from them telling me how much they they enjoyed the music program with me and how they appreciate music for for their life. That's really special because to know that they are still thinking about me and what what we did here. It's it's just very satisfying.

Well, I flew back and I'm glad I did, you know, especially to see Mr. King. He meant a lot to us. He just brought in the jazz and I mean, we had world class, you know, experience that false kids never would have had, you know, a real depth of of exposure to great music because of Mr. King. I'm glad I got to see him. It's so fun to be back though. I love it. My family's here. They're so excited. So is my family. My son's here. My husband's here. So, it's really great. If you are on the fence of coming, whether it's debating about whether to come or not, you should definitely come next time.

It feels like a long time ago, but in some ways, like you never left. Like I'm like, "Okay, we're going to go march over to the stadium and we're going to play for the football team." So, yeah. Okay. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Thank you to all the alumni who are coming here today. I mean some people are traveling across the country. I know one of the directors came from Arizona. Um, and that's a testament to really what this event is about. And it's bringing people together through our shared love of music and how music has changed our lives and shaped who we are as humans.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [Music] I'd like to call to order of the business meeting of Township High School District 214 Board of Education for Thursday, September 18th, 2025. Miss Marini, please call the role. Baldino, Chung here, Dustling here, Fiorto here. Hinaman present. Sager here. Cryer present.

We have a quorum. Thank you. I need a motion and a second to go into close session for the purpose of discussing the employment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in an educational setting or legal counsel for the public body and litigation. Motion in a second, please. So moved. Second. It's been a motion and a second. Please call a roll. Fioro, yes. Chong, yes. Dustling. Heinman, yes. Sager, I and Citer I. We have. Motion carry 6.

Thank you. We are now in close session and we'll reconvene at 7 o'clock. Thank you. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat [Music] up here. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]

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[Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] We good? Thank you. Uh we are now uh reconvened after going into close session and I would like everyone to please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Madame President, I'd like to make a motion that we proceed with public comments prior to the budget hearing. Second. There's been a motion in a second. Call the roll. Sager I. Chong. Yes. I. And Croitzer. I. Motion carries 6.

Okay. So, we moved uh public comments from 8 to right now preceding the uh public uh hearing for the budget. So, I have uh 12 people that have signed up. And uh before I call uh Renee up, I'd like to read this statement. The board of education and the district value comments from the community at our meetings as well as emails. We appreciate everyone appearing before the board and treat all with courtesy and respect. The board of education asks each person to please the limit all of their comments to three minutes. However, several people want to address the limit the time to two minutes per person. Public comments on the agenda items will be the only time that the board of education will hear public comments during meetings. Although comments may be made on almost any matter related to the operation of schools comments or staff members. As this is the board of education business meeting, the board practice is not to respond to public questions or comments at this time because this is however we do listen carefully. If requested, a written response will be provided. Please ensure that Miss Marini has your full name and email address on the signup sheet. While addressing the board, the same protocols and procedures must be in place for everyone. Renee, you want to step forward?

Uh, Susan, please come forward to the microphone and clearly state your name for the minutes. My name is Susan Schulenberg and I've lived in Wheeling, the hometown of Charlie Kirk, for 32 years. I chose to raise my university. We have people from just about every nation in the world represented in our town and attending our schools. This is the environment that Charlie Kirk grew up in. He learned to love diverse people and he be he came to befriend many even those who were his political rivals respect him because he was kind and generous and a virtuous man who loved God and loved other people. Charlie Kirk is without a doubt the most distinguished. He deserves to be honored with distinguished status at Wheeling High School, with the district-wide day of honor when he receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and with a permanent statue and a place of remembrance on the campus of Wheeling High School. I understand that there are board members who are deciding this issue and I'd urge you to set your own politics aside as I don't believe all of you even knew who Charlie Kirk was until he was assassinated. Charlie wrote seven books. He started the Turning Point organization and he has trained hundreds of thousands of young people on how to think all before the age of 30. That's pretty amazing. But there are some who hold different or even possibly radical

political views. some who uh who have served on the board who have posted images of themselves standing next to a sign with Hitler and have posted profile pictures on Facebook that read f your executive order and it's the effing guns with the expletives spelled out. If bias is tinking your opinions and is highlighted in your social media posts, could you really be the ones to decide whether or not Charlie Kirk is memorized at his own high school? Charlie never used profane or violent images ever. So, I'm here tonight to ask and to represent the people of Wheeling to let you know that we want Charlie Kirk remembered at Wheeling High School. We want a permanent display to him there. We want his distinguished alumnist status. We want his books available at the Wheeling High School library and on display. And I'd urge you to consider that this is something very important to all of us who knew and loved Charlie. Thank you. I I skipped a line. I apologize. The the when you come forward, the green light indicates your time has started. The yellow indicates 30 seconds remaining. And the red light indicates three minutes have expired. Uh Steve Blue

B L I E Y E. Sorry, Steve.

Hi, I'm a 20-year resident of Arlington Heights. my kids, three of my kids went to uh was District 214 and uh the oldest boy is the same age as Charlie Kirk and went to uh um Harper at the same time. Um I had no idea that Susan was going to speak so eloquently about uh Charlie and so I actually have a few other things to say. Uh there is a petition going around that is requesting that Charlie be respected in the way that he we believe he should be. We know that he's being respected on an international scale, on a national scale. He's going to be getting the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor you can give a civilian for the fact that he was managed to open up debate and conversation and open dialogue between people who disagreed with him. And I would say that it shouldn't even be that we have to have a petition to decide this as if it's some kind of a vote. It should be that someone from the side that decides they don't want him to be there to try to articulate well in a well-ritten letter or article or anything and try to make an argument as to why someone of this incredible magnitude would not be recognized because it's impossible for one to write that by saying, "Well, he shouldn't do it because he's a racist." because the public record shows he's not a racist and they can't say he was a sexist or a homophobe or any of those things because the public record shows that he was a devoutly religious man. So I would imagine that that needs to be done. And just one other thing since this is in fact his birthplace in his hometown. It's very hard to imagine that this wouldn't go on a national scale if he was somehow turned down. Hard to imagine that the nation wouldn't know that this school district did not recognize Charlie Kirk.

Thank you, Steve. [Applause]

Cassie Kernney. Good evening. I am an Arlington Heights resident for over 17 years. I'm also a 1992 district 214 graduate of Elkrove High School. I have two older brothers, two brothers that also graduate from um Elkrove High School and my oldest brother actually spent four years in this building and is a graduate of Forest View High School. Um my daughter is a recent graduate of Hersy High School. So we've been in this district pretty much my whole life. Um who else was a District 214 and Wheeling High School graduate? Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk showed his passion for free speech and dialogue while he was a student in District 214. He was an Eagle Scout, a student athlete, member of the band, and became founder of Turning Point USA. Charlie Kirk authored seven books in his short 31 years. He welcomed all voices. It didn't matter your sex, your gender, your religion, or your race. He welcomed all to have a dialogue. Many of district 214 students know of and follow and support Charlie Kirk in his mission of open dialogue and coming to a common ground. And yet many students, even those who follow him, had no idea he was a graduate of District 214. And I'm wondering if this could be because his honorable alumni plaque was quietly removed from the wall of notable alumni at Wheeling High School years ago. I ask you, why was his plaque removed and who made the decision to remove it? District 214 has tried to erase notable Wheeling High School graduate and Medal of Freedom recipient Charlie Kirk. Today, the Senate unanimously declared October 14th, 2025, Charlie Kirk's 32nd birthday the National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk. I ask, what is District 214 planning to do to honor Charlie Kirk

on October 14th? a mention on the morning announcements, a mention on the school um or district website, maybe an assembly honoring him. Again, what is District 214 going to do to honor Charlie Kirk? On October 14th, Awake Illinois, a grassroots advocacy organization founded by parents and citizens of Illinois that has over 30 plus countybased chapters across Illinois, is getting flooded with appeals for support for kids to start Turning Point USA chapters in their area schools. Kids are hungry to no longer be quiet, to no longer be embarrassed for their views, for their free free speech to be heard, and for their faith to be accepted. We, parents, past and present, of district 214, community members, and students, ask for Turning Point chapters to be allowed and supported in District 214. Um, so I am asking the following and I would like a written response for the following questions, please. Um, I did leave my email when I signed in, but I can be happy to give it again to the secretary. Um, one, we'd like to know why and who took down Charlie Kirk's notable alumni plaque. Two, will you allow for and support Turning Point chapters in all district 214 schools? Three, why did you silence the voices of um of all people today from commenting on your social media platform on X? You turned off commenting commenting on X today on District 214's um page. And what is District 214 going to do to honor Charlie Kirk on October 14, 2025 on the National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk? Thank you.

Thank you, Cassie. [Applause] Daniel Pattern. Did I say that right? Okay, thank you. Can you hear me? Yep. Yeah. Go ahead.

Hello, District 214. My name is Daniel Padaran and I am a current sophomore at Wheeling High School. The reason for me being here today is to urge the board to recognize a Wheeling High School alumnist who was killed last week in a political assassination. For those who are still unfamiliar with the situation, his name is Charlie Kirk and he was a political activist for the conservative movement. Charlie Kirk was a notable person not only to Wheeling but also to the entire nation. He helped encourage young conservatives to speak up about the issues they cared about. And he traveled them around college campuses to debate students with different opinions, opening the ground for respectful debate and openmindedness. Recently, his efforts to unite the conservatives and the liberals at Utah ended in his killing. This news devastated many, including me. When I was sitting in Spanish class, I found out about this news through a friend. Unfortunately, I was also exposed to the raw footage of him getting assassinated. My stomach dropped. Literally, I was about to throw up. I felt these emotions not only because of the disgust I felt from watching this video, but also from the fact that in today's society, people who simply express an opinion, including me, can get killed for simply being openly conservative. The next day, I went to debate practice. Still feeling sick, this topic was the introduction to our debate meeting. I later found out through a coach who told the class that Charlie's distinguished alumni plaque was removed from the Wheeling High School. notable alumni display case for simply having a conservative opinion. Hearing this made me feel even worse because now I knew that not only can I get killed by people like Charlie's assassin for having a conservative opinion, but also that my opinion isn't welcome at the very building I spend the majority of my high school career in. Having this feeling which is still present in me to this day is why I am here speaking about this issue at the district level. Firstly, I urge the board to re-recognize Charlie Kirk as a distinguished alumni at Wheeling High School. No one should have the right to exclude someone like that simply for having an opinion. Second of all, in

order to honor Charlie's passing, I urge the district and the Wheeling High School administration to build a memorial on Wheeling High School grounds to honor his legacy that significantly impacted our nation and to honor his achievement of earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom given to the most influential figures in our country. Third of all, I want the district to change their criteria for honoring distinguished alumni so that people like Charlie do not get excluded for their opinion because the act of removing from being recognized as a distinguished alumnist was a direct attack on the freedom of speech rights of many conservatives. Let's honor Charlie by recognizing him as a distinguished alumnist, building a memorial, and most importantly, let's recognize the right of many people in America to free speech. Thank you.

Thank you. [Applause] FA Costa. My name is FA Costa and my two daughters will attend Prospect High School. I graduated from Elkrove High School in 1999, the same year as the Coline school shooting. But that was not the only shooting that year. There were 23 of them. In the last 25 years, the frequency of shootings has only increased. In 2006, there were 59. In 2019, there were 124. And in 2024, there were 336. When I heard about the most recent shooting in Utah, my first thought was surprise that there was only a single shot, not yet another mass shooting. That's how twisted things have become. Mass shootings are the expectation. But one expectation held true. In at least 94% of cases, the shooter is a young man. My family does not share the values of Charlie Kirk. I have watched him stand before young women at his indoctrination conferences and warn them that their purpose is only to get an MRS degree and have more children than they can afford or else get depressed. I was raised in a conservative home. We went to church every Sunday. But that is not what I was taught. As Pastor Howard Don Wesley said recently, "I can abhore the violence that took your life, but I don't have to celebrate how you chose to live."

I think too of my great-g grandandmother. She was a pious woman, born in 1904 in a small conservative town on a small traditional island. But she valued education so much so that she became a teacher. She was forced to marry and quit teaching. She missed it every day until she died at 100 years old. In 2004, the same year that I started my own career, bedridden by then, she still asked me about my work every time I visited her. She never once pressured me to follow the path that she had been pressured into. She would have been horrified. Because of her example, I am not fooled by false prophets like Charlie Kirk. This is why I cannot support my daughter's school system honoring a man who spread such regressive, sexist, and harmful messages. My daughter's education is not up for debate. But I am not just here to oppose. I bring a proposal. Instead of honoring just one victim of gun violence because he was local or famous, let's honor all victims of school gun violence, let's create a day to remember them, support survivors, and lift up gun safety practices. Let's show students you don't need to be rich to be remembered, and you don't have to be vitriolic to be valued.

FA, could you please wrap it up? Sure. I'll close with the words of Dr. C. Linklater. Your grief can be medicine when you place it where it heals rather than where it harms. Let your mourning strengthen the living instead of sanctifying the oppressor. Let your compassion be the seed of transformation, not the soil of authoritarianism. And may you do so with much relentless love. Thank you. Thank you.

Um Jen, I don't want to Thank you. Could you state your name, Jen, please?

Uh, hi. My name is Jennifer Abon Alcantar. So, I am a parent to a Wheeling High School student with another child attending in the near future. My spouse is an alumni to Wheeling and many nieces, nephews, cousins, um, attend Wheeling High School. I'm here for a few reasons this evening. And although my safety is actually a concern due to the nature of recent events, I'm inclined to speak up for my community of Wheeling um after an incident that occurred this Tuesday at the high school. Uh but before I share the incident, I'd like to express my opposition to a recent petition requesting honoring a former alumni. While I extend compassion to all who are grieving this individual, I believe these specific proposals are not in the best interest of our diverse school community. While this individual's career is noteworthy to some, it is also deeply polarizing. This work has been a source of natural controversy, often criticizing, criticized for spreading misinformation, often criticized for targeting educators, uh fostering, you know, divisiveness rather than dialogue. You won't hear this from this group, but as a student, this individual is actually known to use derogatory remarks against Hispanics, specifically Mexicans. And I've been here in Wheeling for almost 18 years. Uh likely why that plaque was taken down. Recognition of alumni should celebrate achievements that unify and inspire all students, not ones that risk alienating significant portions of our community. A few months ago, I attended Dr. Rose's presentation at our PTO's meeting and was genuinely uh excited to see the strategic 214 plan. Um I am one of the few Hispanic representations in rooms like this. Uh so when I read goal number two of that five-year strategic plan, it

says cultivating a sense of belonging for all students, families, and staff. It gave me hope, especially since Wheeling is a high school with 65% Hispanic. It's not that our community doesn't want to participate. It's usually due to language barriers, legal concerns, or even a lack of the sense of belonging. But let me talk about that incident real quick. I want to commend Wheeling High School, their leadership, and specifically their security team. Because of all the activity that has been happening in our community, it has been extremely disruptive um to the students and their learning environment. On Tuesday, I after dropping off my kid to school, I witnessed a child walking um to school a little bit late being approached by an adult and it was obvious that they were uh uninterested, uncomfortable. And after an exchange of words, I didn't know who this guy was. I found out it was a reporter. Hey Josh. Um and turned around to make the school aware of their presence. The security team was swift in responding and remained present uh to help ensure a safe environment. That is only what I witnessed, but there have been other parent reports last and this week. I see media here today and while students are free to speak, uh, you know, I want our kids to be able to enjoy their time focusing on their studies, preACT, you know, sports, um, you know, recognizing alumni. This this specific alumni will only continue to bring chaos into our community.

Could you get Jen, could you wrap it up, please? uh instead we can focus on our district's current initiatives and plan and I encourage other families of all backgrounds to get involved. I urge the board to remain steadfast in your mission fostering educational excellence, inclusivity, and safe learning environments for all students. Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your commitment to serving our community. Thank you, John Cleta. Um, John, I see that you didn't put an email down. Do you if you want a response? Okay. Okay.

Be sure to bring the microphone up. Okay.

Good evening. My name is John Cleta and I've been a resident of Arlington Heights for 31 years and of the school district. Charlie Kirk is a native son of Wheeling Township. He was born, raised, and educated within six miles of where we stand this evening. And despite various inongruities, it appears that it is an agreed upon fact that for a period of 5 years, there was at least a photograph of Charlie Kirk on school board property recognizing him until about 5 years ago when it was mysteriously taken down. And I understand from the press that apparently a new standard is being recognized for a distinguished alumni and it's in the works. And it's reported that this definition will be quote a graduate of this school district who made significant and noteworthy achievements as successful adults in their chosen careers and/or have served as benefactors to mankind. In Arlington Heights alone, there are thousands of people who attended Charlie's vigil last Sunday. There are hundreds, if not thousands of vigils across the country and the world for him. Undoubtedly there there were millions if not billions of prayers that have been said for him and his wife and his children. But I want to focus on the two competing petitions that the board members presently have before him. Okay? And each has garnered thousands of signatures. And hopefully we all know and respect the petition. The right to petition the government is a fundamental right in the constitution that we pledged allegiance to earlier this evening. And I think we can lose sight of something very important if we use the metric of whoever has the most signatures is declared the winner. I hesitate to speak for another, but the more signatures there are on both sides, the more pleased I think that Charlie Kirk would be because he was always willing to take on comers and discuss in peacefully uh engage in peaceful discussion, debate, and discourse that

tragically ended in his death. He both spoke and he listened and he was comfortable with disagreement. No one was turned away by him from the microphone. He didn't engage the public by trying to by trying to type away at a computer or otherwise. He engaged the public personally and I believe both sets of petitions postumously honor him, his life and his achievements. Both sets of competing petitions reveal one very significant and important truth. It is now self-evident that Charlie fits the board's definition of a distinguished alumni. Charlie wanted the people of this country to be energized, get engaged, and come up to the microphone and express their views. As evidenced by both sets of petition and those attending tonight, he is wildly successful in this endeavor. And it shows that he demonstrated this uh both in his life and by his death. And I hope anyone listening recognizes that Charlie won tonight. And I hope each board member thinks similarly. And I would like to leave you with this quote. Education should focus on teaching on teaching children how to think, not what to think. That was from Charlie Kirk. Thank you for your time this evening.

Thank you. [Applause] Rio or Reese teachers already. Thank you. Could you state your name for the record, sir?

Sure. Uh Reese Reed, uh Forest View High School alumni, class of 1973. And my children graduated from Elkrove High School. Uh my son graduated the same year as Charlie Kirk. I had uh three questions in the comment related to one of the questions but two of the questions have already been asked but let me restate them. Uh first is do you have any Turning Point USA chapters in any of your schools and if not uh will you allow them to be formed? I'm sure you have students who are interested in forming them. Uh second, uh do we have anything? Uh since the Senate has unanimously called for a national commemoration day for Charlie Kirk on October 14th, I would hope that the district has something planned. I would suggest that you do assemblies for all the schools, show a video tribute of his life, and then maybe get a few of his former teachers who I'm sure are still there's still a few of them in the district perhaps can say some words of tribute. And then my third question, uh I know a lot uh in response to Charlie Kirk's assassination, there have been a lot of teachers especially who have made celebratory or uh very nasty comments trying to justify the assassination or have done other reprehensible things. I know none of the parents would want a teacher who celebrates assassination and murder to be teaching their uh students. Now, I not going to ask if any of the teachers are here because I know you can't comment on personnel issues, but I do wonder if your social media policy allows you to review faculty and staff uh postings to make sure they're not

saying something reprehensible and offensive. Uh so and then my final comment to some of the people in the audience who misunderstand or misinformed about Charlie Kirk's message of love and unity. I just want you to know that you're wrong. He was a wonderful unifying person and I wish you'd pay more attention to what he said and how he listened to everybody. Thank you. Thank you, [Applause] Marsha, Renee. I didn't forget you. Hello, ladies and gentlemen of Wheeling.

Marsha, state your name, please.

Oh, sorry. My name is Marcia McCclary and I live in nearby Bington. Um, I'm an Illinois chapter chair for Moms for Liberty, an organization supporting parental rights and excellence in education. Um, Charlie had several mentors and support starting the Turning Point organization around this area, including Bington. So, I felt very led to come by and to relay some thoughts. Um, the misinformation and lies being spread about Charlie Kirk are quite incredible. For one, I'm an executive. I own a business and I have five children and I make it all work. and I've embodied Charlie's spirit. His wife just was announced um and named CEO of the Turning Point organization. Charlie champion women to find their best calling. So, anything otherwise that you're hearing is just completely false. Um tonight, we gather not just as community, but bearsers of a legacy of courage. We are here to honor his memory, a son of this district, voice for the voiceless, and a rentless champion for free thought. And I know that everyone here values inclusivity and debate. And that is what his legacy is and his mission. From the basketball courts of the schools to the national mission he built with TPUSA, he poured everything he had into the youth of this generation. I watched it in my kids during COVID. He came here when nobody else would talk to them and had rallies for the kids and they were stuck in their bedrooms online. Um, he reached out to millions unmasked in spirit, came to Illinois, hosted virtual town halls, lit up the screens and quarantined bedrooms, debated ideas with a passion that bridged the silence that most of the adults cannot bridge. When he tried to do that relentlessly, and that is how he died, doing that m mission, he taught critical thought to question, unite across divides, launching a purpose. Charlie champion the unfiltered exchange that builds character embodying the definition of engaging in diversity of conversations which is something I know is in the mission of this district as

well as most school districts of this state. This is the Charlie we remember a warrior for inclusivity. He listened to every voice from every corner. Constructive debate wasn't division for him. It was the forge of progress heartbeat of democracy which is also a statement that most of you embody in this room I am sure. Um, he's fostered the next generation of leaders who evaluate ideas, speak freely, and build bridges among division. Board members in Charlie's name, say yes to this legacy that Charlie built here at your esteemed high school. Let this guide us from tragedy to triumph and bridging divides across the community. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Nicole. Okay. Hello. My name is Nicole Anderson. I am here as a seasoned educator and teacher within District 214. As a leader within my union, my local, and my school community, I cannot allow the voices of the marginalized to go unheard. Recent statements issued by District 214 regarding Charlie Kirk were not wellreceived by those voices as well as those who stand with him as co-conspirators and allies. While it acknowledges his um activities, his convictions, it also leaned into the memorialization of him as a figure of note for district 214, a representative of who we are, or should I say who we think we are. Because I know the district to be a group committed to fostering inclusiveness, welcoming community for every student, family, staff menu, staff member and those who enter its doors. That comes directly from our strategic plan which I helped to create. We have never in my remembered history issued a statement of that caliber. That includes for teachers, community members, and staff. Not even for Samuel Afaro Acavo, a Rolling Meadows student who recently died in a horrific accident who by

Charlie Kirk's words probably would not have been honored. So I ask going forward that the district stands firm on its pillar around fostering an environment that values everyone that stands firm in its belief of belonging for all students, family and staff. Again, a part of our goals and not give in to forces that push for additional memorialization of Charlie Kirk within the district 214 boundaries. and that includes the distinguished alumni award. I ask the district and the board to also consider additional supports for those minor uh marginalized communities that includes financial as well within schools so that those voices of color, immigrant, those that are binary and non-binary have their voices heard first at least and not second or third. and for the investment in training for our administration as well as our board on issues around social justice, racial inclusion, and violence that hits our marginalized communities so that incidents like this does not happen again. I finally would like to close and say as again a seasoned district employee, I have witnessed many things. I have been called a at least three times or more within this district. So I would hope that receipt that I hold is not added to the receipt of who we say we are and who we are by having him honored again. Thank you.

Thank you, Nicole. [Applause] Renee, I I did call you Renee, but you were out of the room. I apologize uh for not being in the room. And I do apologize that I'm going to have to leave in a few minutes. It's not out of disrespect. I have to get my son from football. So,

um I'm going to be brief. Um, just wanted to express something I've been thinking about um, as my kids have come through this district. And I want to point out something that my son's teacher in middle school, who actually teaches social studies, said at parent night that I found really refreshing. and she went out of her way to talk about in class. She fosters people to have conversations and that she wants to hear two different points of view because our generation, my generation, generation X, has not been the best about fostering debate and understanding that people have different viewpoints. And that's also something that I actually didn't watch much of Charlie Kirk's uh campus events until sadly last week. And I knew he did talk to college students and youth and TPUSA was directed at that. And what I saw, I went out and I watched several videos because I wanted to be informed myself. And he invited anyone to come speak. He was always calm. He didn't name call. He didn't label people. Um he was unafraid to share that he was a Christian and that he lived his life in a biblical way. And bottom line, one thing that really struck me that he also said was in a way I always call it more voices not less. And labeling somebody without the proof and treating it as fact is not valid in any way. It's completely unfair to label somebody a racist or a phobe or um when you don't actually have any proof and you use, you know, half of a sentence or a debate and not the entire debate. And I learned that and I ended up actually debating that with a family member. Um and and we did it respectfully. I grew up debating with my family. I have

people across the spectrum that are friends, family. I'm raising my children to be very civil in debate when they disagree, except when they're fighting about something, but not political. But my point being is one thing that struck me that I saw that Charlie said is when you don't allow a debate, when you label and you target people, that's a form of silencing people and that's when things get dangerous. And that's all I wanted to say. Thank you.

Thank you. [Applause] That's the uh end of public comments and um we're going to go on with the meeting. I'm going to pause for a couple minutes here if people would like to leave, but you're all welcome to stay. Um the rest of the um agenda is as it's uh shown on the video screen. So, I'll give you a couple minutes if you'd like to leave. I'm going to progress with the meeting and it is 7:40 p.m. The public hearing for the 2025 2026 final budget is now open. This hearing provides an opportunity for the public to address the board of education regarding the final budget for the fiscal year. I would also like to note that the current cash reserve balance have been included with the agenda item for public review. Uh Dr. Justin Adaway, associate superintendent for business services will now present the final budget.

Good evening. Uh tonight I'll be presenting the final 202526 budget for adoption. Uh the board reviewed the tenative bud budget back in June and then over the summer we've refined both revenues and expenditures with the latest information available. This presentation will walk you through those updates, highlight the major components of the budget and then summarize the district's overall financial position. So here's the outline for tonight's presentation. We'll begin with the legal requirements that govern budget adoption, then review the overall budget cycle. From there, I'll highlight the significant changes from the tenative budget to the final. And after that, we'll walk through revenues and expenditures and then I'll close with the summary of the overall budget and fund balance. So, we'll start with the statutory requirements. Uh these provide the framework that ensure the budget process is transparent, accountable, and compliant with school code. So, the law requires several steps before adoption. Uh first, the tenative budget must be placed on public display for at least 30 days. Second, notice of a public hearing must be published in the local paper. We have completed both those steps and we are in the middle of the public hearing now which enables the board to adopt the final budget tonight. By statute, the final budget must be adopted by September 30th each year and once approved, we're required to submit to the Illinois State Board of Education within 30 days. So now let's take a look at the annual budget cycle. So we typically talk about the budget in a very short window of time. Um, but the budget process is actually a year-long process. So, we begin with early projections in the winter and refine those estimates as new data becomes available. In June, the tenative budget is presented, giving the board and public an initial view. And then during the summer, we received the final tax extensions, state revenue allocations, staffing assignments, and final insurance renewals. The process culminates with the final budget here in September which incorporates the most accurate information and PR positions us

to operate effectively. So with that foundation, I'll now turn to the significant changes that occurred between June's tenative budget and tonight's final budget. So there are three key revenue updates since the tenative. First, with the final 24 Cook County tax extension and actual collections through June 30 known, we now know precisely what was received last fiscal year. Because collections were higher in the spring than we projected in the tenative budget, the remaining fall collections are lower, which reduced the property tax line slightly in this budget. Second, the state confirmed our evidence-based funding allocation, and I believe this is the first time the district is actually in tier three. Um we are now at 99% adequacy which means we will receive a little bit of a modest increase in tier funding compared to the prior years. And then finally we have received the final uh corporate property corporate personal property replacement tax estimate which came in slightly higher than both our original projections and our actual receipts from last year. So on the expenditure side we've made several updates since the tenative budget. First, we've incorporated the final staffing allocations and we've updated the salary and insurance figures. So, these reflect actual FTE as well as finalized insurance renewal rates for benefits. Second, in the facility side, the budget now includes all anticipated projects for summer 26 as well as the unexpected roof replacement here at Forest View. Um, we've also added all of the consulting and purchase services such as the McKinstry contract that was approved. Um, and together these adjustments ensure that the expenditure side of the budget reflects actual contracts, staffing, and board commitments. So, with those changes in mind, let's look at the structure of our revenues and expenditures.

So, this slide provides an overview of how our revenue is allocated across all of the major sources, including local property taxes, state and federal aid, and other local revenues. And as is typical in Northern Illinois school districts, local property taxes account for the vast majority of the district's revenue. So, this chart puts some numbers behind the pie chart you just saw, and I'll highlight a few key items here for you. First, you'll notice a sharp decrease to corporate personal property replacement tax. Last year's budget was actually based on an estimate since we had to adopt before the state released the final allocation. We actually only collected about twothirds of what was budgeted here. So, this year's number reflects the final FY26 allocation from the state, giving us a more accurate baseline. The other major shift is in federal aid. So, last year's budget included the final portion of COVID relief dollars. So, with those one-time funds now expired, you'll see a near 20% decline in federal revenues year-over-year from last year to this year. So, overall, even with those decreases, you'll see that property taxes and investment earnings are holding steady or increasing, which keeps our total revenues stable across the board. So, this slide breaks revenues down by fund. The majority of the funds are stable or show moderate growth. The item that really stands out here is capital projects, which shows nearly a 98% decrease. Last year, we budgeted a significant portion of CPPRT, the corporate personal property replacement tax, into fund 60 for capital projects. As we've seen over the previous few years, CPPRT can be more volatile and unstable. And this year, we did not budget those revenues there, which makes that number look artificially lower by comparison. So importantly, this is not a loss of resources. This is simply a shift in where we account for those revenues to provide more stability as we plan for facilities projects. So overall, when you look at total

operating funds, revenues are up about 4% and total all funds remain essentially flat, which is consistent with what we've seen in the major revenue categories. So here we see how expenditures are allocated across all of the major categories. With 345 million in annual revenue, our school district operates at the financial scale comparable to a midsized private corporation. But the operational scope and how we spend our money is very different. So as you can see on this slide, and unlike most corporations, our primary investment is in people. and our spending on services, supplies, or equipment make up a much smaller portion of that budget. So, this chart shows our expenses broken down by category. As I mentioned on the previous slide, salaries and benefits make up the largest share and are both increasing per the negotiated labor agreements. We also see growth in purchase services and capital outlay, reflecting investments in facilities and contracted support. Dues in tuition are up as well tied to student services and then other areas like supplies and non-c capital equipment are holding steady or even declining. So altogether total expenditures increased about 6% and most of that growth came from personnel and facilities related costs. So this slide looks at expenditures by fund. Um, the education fund continues to drive the majority of our spending, and you see a 6% increase year-over-year, which reflects salary benefit and instructional cost growth. Operations and maintenance is up about 8% tied to facility upkeep and capital planning. Transportation is essentially flat with only a modest increase. So on the nonoperating side, debt service, IMRF, social security both show modest increases and capital projects are also up reflecting the scheduled facility work. So overall total all funds expenditures increased 6% which is in line with our expectations. So I'll close with a look at the overall

operating budget the full budget across all funds and our fund balance position. The operating budget shows that we we've aligned expenditures with confirmed revenues while maintaining stability. This ensures we can deliver all programs and services without deficit spending the operating funds in total. It also reflects the adjustments we've made since June to bring the budget up to its final form. Overall, we are projecting a surplus in the operating funds of just over $8 million before the planned fund transfer to capital projects. This chart adds the non-operating funds. So, on the operating side, you'll see the surplus that we just discussed on the previous slide, but the area that stands out here is capital projects, which shows a significant plan deficit. and part of that will be offset by a transfer from the operating funds. But it also reflects the use of existing fund balance to continue to support facility investments. So when we combine all funds, the budget shows a total deficit of about 15 million. Now that number looks large, but it is driven almost entirely by capital work and is consistent with the district's financial plan that was previously discussed. So the key takeaway here is that our operating funds remain strong and stable and the deficit you see here is tied to the board's deliberate choice to invest in facilities. So this slide shows our projected fund balances at the end of FY26. The total balance is about 171 million or 47%. So the board is used to seeing that number above 50%. And the main reason that it's lower this year is the planned use of resources for facility improvements. So that includes a transfer of 16.5 million from operations and maintenance into the capital projects fund to support scheduled facility work. Even after that transfer, both funds remain in a strong position. ON&M ends the year above 65% and capital projects does maintain resources and fund balance for future projects. So while the overall percentage is down, this reflects the board's intentional

choice to invest in facilities. It is not a structural deficit. So at nearly half of operating expenditures, our fund balance remains healthy and continues to provide stability and capacity for long-term planning. So later in the agenda, we'll recommend that the board adopt the fiscal year 26 budget as presented here. And then following adoption, we will file the budget with the state before the statutory deadline at the end of September. [Music] Thank you, Dr. Adway. Is there anyone that has signed up to address the board on the budget? There is not. Okay. Um, so I will conclude the uh public hearing at 7:51. I have a question. Oh no. Well, okay.

Uh, when we approve it, we then you can ask the question. Okay. So, this is just for the public hearing. This concludes the public hearing for the 2526 final budget for Township High School District. Take an action on the final budget later this evening. Thank you, Dr. Adaway. Okay. So, where we at? Move any consent agenda item. There are three hearing. None. Can I have a motion in a second to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. Motion in a second. Please call the role. Dustling. Yes. Jung. Yes.

Fredo. Yes. Hinineman. I. Sager. I. Quitzer. I motion carries 6. Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second to approve the minutes from September 11th, 2025, the open and closed meeting minutes? So moved. Second. Motion in a second. Please call a roll. Sager I. Hinimman I. Jung. Yes. Dustling. Yes. Fioro. Yes. Citer. I. Motion carries 6. Okay. So we just have two reports. Nothing that we vote on. Um we have uh business services Dr. Adaway.

So tonight I wanted to provide the board with an update on the status of the Cook County property tax payments the second installment. So as you know Cook County is in the process of rolling out a new integrated property tax system across multiple agencies. And while the goal is to improve accuracy and transparency in the long run um this transition has created delays in issuing the second installment bills for tax year 24. So, normally those bills would have been sent on August 1st with a September 1st due date. So, at this time, the county is not due. Last week, we talked to our adviserss at PMA Financial and they stated that the best case scenario at that time of a November 1st due date. But today we did receive a notice from Cook County that they are offering interest free bridge loans. So that makes the November 1st due date seem less likely now. Um in response to those delays, the business services team has taken several steps. We are retaining higher levels of liquid cash as our investments mature so we have flexibility no matter when tax dollars come in. And we have also updated our cash flow projections to make sure that we can continue to meet obligations as we're waiting for the tax payments to come. So at this point, District 214 is not at risk of a cash cash flow disruption, but we will continue to keep the board updated if anything changes.

Dr. Ro, do you have anything to add to that? That That's a lot. Wow. You don't have anything nice to say. You don't say anything sometimes. Okay, Mr. Dustling, when when are uh we have some loan balances that are due. I remember when we went to December about 10 12 years ago, within 3 days of uh defaulting on some of those, we lost a million dollars in interest, which we never got back. So, where where are we with December or whenever our loans come due?

Uh that's a good question. I'll need to go double check the exact date. Um I do believe it's at the either at the end of this calendar year or beginning of next calendar year. Um we are as of right now when we ran the cash flow projections we looked at all outstanding obligations. So any debt payments due, payroll, typical accounts payable for the upcoming months and it does look like right now even with all the obligations that we have we have enough cash on hand to make it to the beginning of January if we needed to. So even including the debt payments we would be okay through then. Okay. That includes not cashing in any of our investments that we have.

That is correct. That does not include cashing in any investments before their normal maturity dates. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Dr. Sager. So it it it doesn't harm us that we have to sell investments, but obviously we're pausing on investments, right? And uh nobody makes us whole on that missed income or missed investment. Yeah. So we're not ending any investments early, at least not right now. Um but we're also not reinvesting cash as we come up on maturity dates on our current investments. That is correct.

Okay. And then um I know we had done studies prior to adjusting the the fund balance levels, right? Uh can you remind me we we had sort of gone over a scenario of how long we can play out this situation. Yeah, this looks like the beginning of January right now um before we would and even at that point we would have the opportunity to um end some of our investments early if we needed to before we had to issue tax anticipation warrants. Right. That was my point is I that we have other options beyond that is correct just playing out

just to add and contribute to Dr. Seager when when we engaged with uh PMA to to reset the fund balance minimum 40% was that threshold that they recommended we not go below for this very reason. Um so and at that point they believe we could make it through February comfortably um at that point. So hopefully Cook County can get their new program in order and we can go on with our with our work for this year. As Alba was was kind of insinuating, there are some neighboring districts that are um evaluating whether a tax anticipation warrants may be necessary. I'm grateful to hear that a no interest bridge loan uh is being offered because it is is really an unreasonable expectation that school districts have to issue a tax anticipation warrant and take on unnecessary uh interest payments that our local taxing bodies will be paying when it's not our issue. We didn't create the issue. It's a process issue at Cook County. So hopefully that hope I hope their new system is wonderful. I just would like to see it up and running soon. So, could one of you define tax anticipation warrants just for the audit the public who's listening? Yeah. And and explain why we don't want to do that.

Absolutely. Uh tax anticipation warrant is um a short-term loan essentially that the school district would take out. Very high interest rates intended to just get you through until the upcoming tax payment, which is why it's tax anticipation. Um but it is uh it does come with very high interest rates that are then normally paid with taxpayer dollars. And just for clarity that is not an issue we expect. Not at this time. No. So just to ensure that's you know the record reflects that we are not anticipating that to be an issue for us.

Yeah. Dr. Ro and I have been talking um about um well I've lived in Cook County a percentage of my life paying taxes and uh this happens more often than we like to think and I really think that uh legislation needs to happen because this not only affects school districts, it affects all the taxing bodies that you see on your tax bill. So, I'm sure everybody's going to feel the pain, but um somewhere this has got to stop. It It's just insane that the county can't get their act together, but I digress. I'm sorry. Thank you, uh Dr. Adaway. And then, um we have the community engagement report for

Madam President. Go ahead.

Um um on this topic, um so yeah, thank you Dr. Adaway for monitoring this and preparing for the delay um in bills being issued. I had a comment and a question. So, kind of piggybacking on what everyone shared, you know, back in April, we shifted the minimum fund balance from 50% of operating um annual operating expenses to 40. I agree that was the right decision. It still leaves us those five months of operating costs while freeing up resources for capital improvements. The comment I wanted to make is I have talked to people who've asked why does the district need such a large fund balance? And I I wanted to say like it's exactly for situations like these where we need when there's a delay in property tax payments, we need a fund balance that's sizable enough so that the district can can continue to pay our bills on time, pay salaries and all of that. So I just thought this was a nice way to illustrate that. And then my question is so let's say the January scenario is what happens. Is there a point um between now and then where we need to slow down some of our more discretionary purchases to save money for payroll and you know paying the bills?

Yeah. And so we're we're watching this um pretty much on a daily basis now to see um Cook County actually released a website that updates the public on the current status of their implementation. So we we are monitoring that. Um as we start to get into the middle of October, that would really be the turning point where we would know have some kind of idea if we needed to pivot one way or another. That's probably about the time that we would need to consider doing that. Um but right now we're monitoring it. We're not concerned about our current levels of spending. Um they're tracking with historical right now. Um, but towards the end of October, if it's not looking like Cook County is going to even meet the January 1 date, then we'll need to talk about some other options at that point.

Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. Good. And then, uh, we have the foyer report. Um, any comments? It's just in your packet. FYI, uh, you're up, Dr. Row.

All right. Thank you. Um, you know, I just I'll be brief this evening. Uh, I just wanted to to highlight a uh um Monday night who tragically lost a student, uh, Samuel Alaro Acavdo in an accident on his way home from a a soccer team dinner. Um, and Samuel began he touched the district in a number of different ways. Began his his journey in district 214 at our International Newcomer Academy before transferring over to Rolling Meadows High School. He made a mark in both of his places with his with both of his schools with his outgoing personality and positive nature. Uh became a beloved member of the school community. Rolling medals and INA are are hurting mightily. Um and the district 214 team uh has rallied in support. I saw our student support services folks uh come to Rowing Meadows from all different schools to support students and staff as they were uh mourning this loss. And I just want to thank those teams and then offer uh our deepest condolences to Samuel's family and ask that we keep them them in our hearts and in our thoughts. Um his services are actually taking place this evening. So thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Row. Board member updates. Um Mr. Dustling, anything this evening? I was at the uh this is my component seventh Chicago land marching band festival at at wheeling high school. Uh it's the longest uh marching band festival that's been going the longest time I think in the state of Illinois. They do a wonderful job. I mean the the uh volunteers that participate in that always do a wonderful job. Uh cars are there. The whole place was packed. We had six five of our six high schools participated in it among other high schools that were there. was uh it was really wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Fabriel.

Okay, I'll start with um some sporting events. Um I attended five of the six uh schools uh sporting events and they covered swimming uh girls flag football and boys soccer as well. Uh I attended the Hershey Elkrove and Buffalo Grove uh parent teacher council meetings last night at Buffalo Grove. Um, Principal Wardle and myself covered the strategic plan, the metrics that Dr. Ro covered at one of our board meetings. Um, you could tell when a a presentation you think might be really kind of boring and you might lose your audience, but last night we uh we held our own. We had a lot of questions that I could probably share with Dr. Row or Jeff might as well, but it went very well last night and and I love the fact that the the audience was engaged. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Seager. Anything? Uh, so you should have all received uh since the September 6 NSSEO meeting, I sent a a copy of the draft articles of agreement that were transmitted to all member district boards. Um, you have until October 15th to get comments to me and then the governing board members of NSSO will collate them together. There will be discussion of the recommendations, comments, questions at the November 5th, I want to say, NSSEO meeting where the final draft articles with any tweaks will be presented. And then at the December NSSO governing board meeting, we would have a final vote on the uh finalized articles. uh at some point between those two meetings, I would like to have a discussion here just to make sure that I have everybody's, you know, a sense of how our board wants me to vote on that matter. Uh Dr. Bro also sent out on Friday part of his Friday notes a matrix that explains sort of how the two-tier governing system will work in certain situations. Uh when op when it's the operating board versus when it's the governing board, when it's a recommendation that goes from the operating board to the governing board, that sort of thing. So, uh, feel free to ask myself or Dr. Row any questions about that. He's

for clarity, we have to take action probably at that our November meeting to give you direction. It it doesn't have to be formal action. It has to be a discussion in a sense of So, we'll have on the November agenda. So, we just have the one meeting that month. Yes. Perfect. We have Yeah, we have one meeting in November. So, I'd have to take action then. I I still have more. Go ahead. Uh, so I didn't get to the Wheeling High School uh marching tournament. I went to the Graze Lake Marching Knights tournament where the Elkrove High School Grenaders took first in 2A in both percussion and overall. So I it was a beautiful day. I got to see other bands than the ones that uh I know the folks who went to Wheeling got to see.

Uh I also wanted to note there was a webinar on September 11th on changes to the IIA possible changes to the IASB constitution. which I think I saw you the list of folks there. Uh those are contained in the 2025 resolutions committee report. So every year we get the resolutions. The constitutional proposed constitutional amendments are in that report as well. You should have an email from IASB from September 8th was when I got it that has those. And at some point before the triple eye conference, I'm going to act as delegate because Alpha has other obligations and we'll have a discussion here of how how I'm going to vote on those items as our representative.

So when Miss Marini gets the um copies if she can make a copy of the resolution packet to pass along everybody and there's a ballot in there to vote. I there's only one resolution and the rest are the constitutional changes. So, uh, it's not going to be a long ballot, but, um, need to get, uh, approval for I think they condensed them into 10 constitutional changes. Okay. Dr. Chung. Um, yeah. Um, there were a few district related events I want to highlight. First, I just want to echo um, Mr. Dustling's words about the 57th annual Chicago Land Margie Man Festival. It was wonderful and um kudos to Mike Malik and Angela and Don and all the Wheeling staff and parent volunteers who made it a success and um congratulations also to Chris Barnum and the Prospect Marching Knights who are grand champions. Um second on 911, Hersy hosted the Portrait of a Soldier art exhibit in remembrance of all post 911 fallen heroes from Illinois, including two who graduated from Hersy. So students were able to visit during um they visited the exhibit during the day. It was open to the public in the evening. It was really powerful. So just many thanks to Jim Mix and um Heath McFall for bringing the exhibit to her sea. Um also last week Prospect held um a really fun performance of Romeo and Juliet um Fast and Furious. I know many of us were there to enjoy the performance. So hats off to Jeremy Morton and the cast and crew for a phenomenal job. And lastly, the District 214 Education Foundation held their annual fundraising event on September 4th at Topgolf. It was a soldout event um with proceeds supporting the foundation's work in strengthening education, fostering well-being, and expanding opportunities for students and families. So, congratulations to Laz Lopez, Shannon, Brooke, Joanne, everyone who made that event such a success.

I hope I hope we get an update on how much they earned. That would be nice. I spoke with Dr. Lopez uh this morning actually about that and he expected it was similar to what they had last year. I think it was like 65,000 in total revenue and after expenses a little over 50,000. So he was very pleased. They did a wonderful job. Good. Um Mr. Heinman, anything?

Uh Mr. Dustling and I attended a ICC meeting on Monday morning. That's uh innovation and change committee. Um, and it was a amazing introduction to what AI can do. Um, Katie Paige did a great job of um, demonstrating what it can do. And uh just to stress that um when you use chat GPT or those sorts of AI tools, it kind of uses the whole internet as a source of information. And the AI that we're using here at um district 214 is just district 214 information. So

yeah, I've used that.

Yeah. Yeah, thank you. Um that um portrait of a soldier, I think that's the second time I've uh second or third time I've seen it. And as I'm um walking around, I notice a portrait of a soldier that uh my son uh went to school with. And uh he actually has a picture of him and her uh at a dance at Elkrove High School and uh Eric and I attended her wake and uh you know you you see so many faces up there and and her her face I went oh I know this person. So uh can be very personal for a lot of people but it was a it's a very moving um display and I'm very happy that uh John Hersy had hosted it again. Thank you board members. Um we're now to the consent agenda. Can I have a motion in a second, please?

So move. Second. Motion in a second. Please call a roll. Fiorto. Yes. Chung. Yes. Dustling. Yes. Hinimman. I. Sager. I. Croiter. I. Motion carries 6. So under roll call we have uh uh 1311. Can I have a motion in a second, please? So second, call the roll. Dustling. Yes. Fiorto, yes. Chong, yes. Hinineman, I. Sager, I. And Kiter, I. Motion carries 6.

Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second for 1321, please? So moved. Second. Motion in a second. Mr. Ferto, you had some questions. I just had one question. Um in the in the budget that you had, it showed that our federal aid was um 19.6% less and you said that um part of it was the end of COVID funds. Was that just it or was there other factors involved with all the federal cuts? That was pretty much that was the vast majority of that. Okay, great. Thank you.

Um Mr. Dr. Dustling, I um I I thank you for your report from the um insurance committee and um it's a pretty big number that it's going up for um benefits. Do you want to talk about that a little bit?

Well, you know, probably the most emotional thing that you can deal with beyond salaries is benefits. And it's uh we are self uh funded for benefits and we set uh we have to set rates. benefits have been going up uh and we're go we fig we figured they were going to go up somewhere between three to 5% a year for a number of years and it did but then it started to increase rapidly and some of that uh people might want to blame that on CO or whatever else but it's it's really it's really the function of what's happening in the medical industry and uh with the the cost of medications. So it was going up uh probably 13% and the way it's set up uh the way it was set up uh any it's shared with the district costwise and the employees. Anything over a certain percentage is falling all on the employees. There was a memo of understanding a year ago where that 3% was elevated up to 7%. uh we still can't and it took it probably took us uh better part of six to nine months of meetings to come up with with ways that we could reduce the u costs so that it would not affect the employees that much. Uh we got it down to within 3%. And uh that was pretty good after all that time. So there will be a little bit of increase for the uh free employees. There were some adjustments to some of the benefits that were added and emergency room area and some of that those areas but overall it's uh it's it's probably one of the better plans and education has good plans anywhere but it is a good plan. It's fair to the employees and it's fair to the district. Uh is it uh more more expensive? Do we see it in their budgets? Yes, we do. Uh salaries go up and benefits go up. I can remember when I got on the committee

more years ago than I can almost remember. I can remember when first we first crossed uh single digits millions for the cost of benefits. We went from 9 to 10 million. We're now almost at $30 million a year and it just keeps going up. Uh you've got to have a program that uh offers your employees good benefits. Uh that's why that's how you attract employees, not giving away to farm, but making sure that it's fair for us and fair for them. And that's what we've got, I believe. Don't you, Justin? I agree. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks, Bill. Anyone else?

Dr. Chun. Um, yeah, I had a few um I think will be quick questions. the first one. So back in June when we saw the FY26 tenative budget and we looked at the difference between the um the revenue and expenses is about 10 10 a little less than 10 million which would be paid by the spend down of the fund balance. Um and then when we just saw today in the final version it's a difference of 15 million which again I understand it's going to be paid through the fund balance. Um was the difference between you know what was tentative and what was final just more capital projects that we identified that needed to be completed?

Yeah, there were two primary drivers on that. One on the revenue side and one on the expense side. So the expense side was the capital projects because the capital projects that we included in the final budget did increase compared to the tenative. The other was on the revenue side and it was the property tax adjustment that I mentioned on the significant changes for revenue. So when we tred up what we actually collected prior to June 30th in the first installment for the 2024 taxes is actually higher than was projected in the tenative budget. So that decrease is our second installment that comes in the fall. So it was a decrease on the revenue side and then an increase on the expense side.

All right. Thank you. U my second question is about that CPPRT. So I know in previous fiscal years there was like that huge spike which I believe was driven by um all the federal spending because of COVID and since then it's decreased decrease. Um is the expectation that has it reached like a has it settled out and now we might expect it to increase as businesses do well or do you I don't know if you have a feeling

that that's hard to say. Um, so it did stabilize from last year to this year. Um, so I had mentioned that we received about 2/3 last year from what was budgeted and that was that happened to a lot of school districts where they anticipated a higher amount but CPPRT was still low last fiscal year. This year we did see a little bit of an increase in CPPRT but it was pretty pretty minimal. Um, but I would expect that we are starting to stabilize now. Whether it'll go back up to some of the records that we saw over the previous few years, that I'm not sure. It really depends on the economy and how well um how well the corporations are doing within District 214. But um I would anticipate that we're at least starting to stabilize pending anything happening with the economy.

Um and then my last question, and this is just to help me understand. So, I know the transportation funding went was lower because I believe they shifted it and you mentioned this over to the evidence-based funding model. So, that was the ch that was the reason for the decrease because it's um the way that the funding is is calculated has shifted the decrease in the transportation fund.

Yes. So, the transportation fund, uh, we budgeted a little more conservatively this year because, um, the state board of ed has been starting to prorrate our transportation claim reimbursement even more than they typically have been. So, we've been receiving u less than what we are anticipating the last few years. So, we chose to budget a little more conservatively on our reimbursement from the state board of ed. Okay. Okay. So probably going forward we're now going to be budgeting like at a new little bit slightly lower probably. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else?

Okay. We have a motion and a second. Please call the roll. Chung. Yes. Zager. I. Dustling. Yes. Frito. Yes. Hineman. I. Quiter. I motion carries 6. Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second for 1322, please? So moved. Second. Fito. Call the roll. Chung. Yes. Fo. Yes. Dustling. Yes. Hinaman. I. Sager. I. Cryer. I. Motion carry 6. Motion in a second, please, for 1323. I'll move. Second.

Motion in a second. Please call the role. Dustling, yes. Sager, hi. Chung, yes. Fioro, yes. Hinaman, I. Quiter I. Motion carries 6. Thank you. Uh motion in a second for 1331, please. So move Frito. Second. Any discussion? Call the roll. Frito. Yes. Chung. Yes. Dustling. Yes. Heinaman. I. Sager. Hi. And Croitzer. I. Motion carry 6. Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second for adjournment? So move for second. Did you have a motion in a second?

You heard that right. Oh, stop. Call the roll. Frito. Yes. Chung. Yes. Dustling. Yes. Hinaman. Hi. Sager. Hi. Citer.

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