Glen Ellyn School District 41 Glen Ellyn School District 41
 

Glen Ellyn School District 41 Mission: It is the mission of District 41 to advocate for students enabling each one to optimize his/her potential within a culture of continuous improvement.

Board Members: Terra Costa Howard President | John Kenwood Vice President | Erica Nelson Secretary | Kevin Cosgrove | John Vivoda | Steven Vondrak| Robert Solak
Following is a summary of the Board of Education meeting held on December 15, 2008.   D41 began audio recording Board of Education meetings starting with the August 11, 2008 meeting. Henceforward, the MP3 files will be posted on www.d41.org   Minutes are posted once approved.
CHURCHILL PRESENTS ENL INFORMATION
Churchill School hosted the Board of Education (BOE) meeting, and gave an overview of English as a New Language (ENL) services, including video clips of classroom instruction. The School Code requires services be provided to students who are learning English; how those services must be delivered depends on how many students speak a given language at a school and other criteria. In general, if there are more than 19 students speaking a given language, students must receive instruction in their native language (bilingual instruction) with a goal of transitioning them into the general classroom over time. If there are 19 or fewer, then instruction is delivered in English, with support provided (English as a Second Language). At least 18 languages are spoken by Churchill students, with the most common being Spanish, Vietnamese and Urdu. This year, Churchill has a self-contained Spanish bilingual Pre-Kindergarten At Risk class and a bilingual combined K-1 primary class. Many other students based in a general classroom also receive services. In total, 168 Churchill students receive ENL services.		 NEXT MEETING
The next Board of Education meeting is set for Monday, Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Central Services Office, 793 N. Main St. The public is welcome to attend.
EVERYDAY MATH MATERIALS ON DISPLAY
District Math Specialist Linda Schweikhofer explained the process that led to the district's selection of the Everyday Mathematics (EM) program, how the district has been preparing to implement the program, and what EM will mean for students. "We want to build powerful math students," said Ms. Schweikhofer, noting that students must know and be able to explain math concepts, not just perform functions by rote. Last year, the district Math Committee reviewed a number of math programs against criteria, the most important being that the program is standards based, established and appropriate for K-5. It selected three-Investigations, Trailblazers and Everyday Math-for further study. Everyday Math was selected and the committee created a systematic plan for implementation over two years. This year, at least one teacher at each grade at each school is field-testing the program. Each of the five elementary math specialists gave special support to one grade level to create an EM "expert" at each grade at each elementary school. Professional development was provided and some teachers went on site visits to schools that were already using EM, such as those in Hinsdale. Next year, EM will be implemented throughout the elementary schools. EM materials are on display at the Central Services Office, 793 N. Main St., and the public is welcome to stop by and review them. The Board expects to take action on EM materials adoption in January.



TAX LEVY ADOPTED
Following the annual Truth in Taxation public hearing, the BOE adopted the 2008 tax levy. The levy is the request for funds that the district submits to the DuPage County Clerk and that is reflected in residents' property tax bills. The tax cap law allows an increase of taxes limited by the lesser of 5% or CPI (4.1%); taxes on new construction provide additional dollars. The district is filing a levy request that is 7.95% more than last year's, but due to the tax cap law, the district expects to receive an increase of 5.29%. This is an estimate based on a number of factors; these include: a consumer price index of 4.1%; an increase in the overall assessed value of property in the district of 8.3%, and an estimate of new construction of $20.5 million. In the spring, the county clerk will calculate the actual amount (called the extension) that the district is eligible to receive under the tax cap. If the district has requested less than it is eligible to receive, the county clerk will not adjust the levy upward and the district will not be able to recoup that money in future years. If the district has requested more, the county clerk will adjust the levy down to comply with the tax cap. An individual's property tax bill is determined by the value of his or her property and may change by some other percentage. The levy is posted on www.d41.org and on display at the D41 Central Services Office, 793 N. Main St.



SCHOOL CALENDAR AMENDED
The BOE approved changes to the 2008-2009 school calendar that add two Institute Days and extend the last day of school by two days. These changes are part of the Teachers' Agreement between the Board of Education and the Glen Ellyn Education Association. The Agreement redistributes some of the existing professional development requirements that have been occurring after school and on evenings and weekends to two Institute Days within the school year. As a result, the district must extend the school year in order to comply with the Illinois School Code requirement for number of school days. Here are the changes:
—June 11: Last day of school if no emergency days are used
—June 18: Last day of school if all emergency days are used
—Feb. 26: Additional Institute Day
—April 30: Additional Institute Day
—To be determined: Hadley graduation A letter will be mailed to all district families about these changes.



CANDIDATE PACKETS AVAILABLE NOW
Four seats on the seven-member D41 Board of Education will be on the ballot in the April 7, 2009 election. Candidate packets may be picked up at the District 41 Central Services Office, 793 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn, on any business day between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Candidates elected will serve four-year terms expiring in April 2013. To be eligible to run, a candidate must be on the date of election a US citizen 18 years of age or older, a resident of Illinois and Glen Ellyn School District 41 for at least one year immediately preceding the election and a registered voter. For more information, please contact the District 41 Election Official, Maureen Stecker, at 630-534-7236 or mstecker@d41.org





About the Glen Ellyn School District Board of Education
Board members are unpaid volunteers, each representing the whole district. The board is accountable to the public and makes decisions as a unit based on what is best for the whole district. The board hires the superintendent, sets instructional policy, approves the budget and ongoing expenditures, and is ultimately responsible for the performance of the district. Board meetings are working sessions held in public during which the board conducts its business, and ample time is always set aside for public participation.  
Please direct your questions or comments to our Communications Director, Julie Worthen at jworthen@d41.org.
Glen Ellyn School District 41