Latest news with #NapervilleDistrict203SchoolBoard
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 to spend $7 million on renovations to Kennedy Junior High
A $7 million renovation project at Kennedy Junior High School is to begin next summer under a plan approved Monday by the Naperville District 203 School Board. The project would eliminate four outdoor pod classrooms used for more than 25 years and convert an underutilized, inaccessible interior courtyard into classrooms for Project Lead the Way courses, said Lisa Xagas, the district's assistant superintendent for strategy and engagement. The space should be ready for use by winter/early spring 2027. Family and Consumer Sciences classes also will be renovated for use starting in the 2026-27 school year. The outdoor pods will be decommissioned and removed by the end of 2026-27 school year, according to district documents. Renovation work will increase the classroom capacity at Kennedy Junior High School, 2929 Green Trails Drive, Lisle, which is one of the highest enrolled junior high schools in the district. The school is projected to house more than 900 students annually for the next three years, Xagas said. It also provides students with more technology, space and opportunities to discover their passions through problem-solving learning, she said. 'What we do is give students experiences that set them up for success when they leave us,' she said. In the Family and Consumer Sciences, students learn topics such as culinary and nutrition studies and hospitality and food service industry work. By 8th grade, they become entrepreneurs and have to create, pitch and market a product. Students have created everything from candles to T-shirts to robots and used 3-D printers or sewing skills as part of their 'Shark Tank'-style entrepreneurship course, Xagas said Project Lead the Way courses include such STEM topics as computer programming and robotics. District officials said the renovations, which also have been done at other junior high schools, help prepare students for college and careers by exposing them to the new technology. In 8th grade, students create a flexible four-year plan for high school to help guide them. 'They start to think even in 8th grade, what is a pathway or an interest that I have for four years of high school,' Xagas said. 'If we give them more exposure to that in middle school, they are more prepared.' The middle school courses also help students better decide which topics they like or don't like, she said. Final renovation design work will be completed this summer, and the project is expected to go to bid in the fall, district documents said. At the Monday meeting, the school board also approved its 2025-26 budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. Revenue in the new fiscal year is expected to be about $355.6 million, a 3.29% increase over the 2024-25 budget, said Michael Frances, the district's chief financial officer. Expenditures are projected to be $379.5 million, with about $22.2 million spent on one-time capital improvement projects to be funded with money accrued in savings over several years. The projects include an addition to Ranch View Elementary School in Naperville and improvements at Naperville North High School and Connections Transition Services. The budget calls for a new literacy curriculum for all students at a cost of $3.2 million spread out over three years, replacing curriculum that had been implemented in 2024. The update supports foundational reading skills, vocabulary development, advanced comprehension and writing instruction, Xagas said last month. Start-up costs for a girls' flag football program at Naperville Central and Naperville North high schools are also covered in the spending plan. The Illinois High School Association debuted girls flag football in fall 2024. Additionally, funds are also being allocated for a new support staff mentoring program and a staff leadership academy. Newly elected board members Marc Willensky and Holly Blastic said Monday they appreciated that district administrators took the time to explain the budget process to them. The first-time board members were elected in April and sworn in last month. Other board members thanked the administration for its work in preparing the budget. 'You can tell when somebody really understands something because they can explain it to you in 15 different ways,' board President Charles Cush said. '… It's good to know that we are in really great hands.'
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 board tables plan to adjust student schedules to get more feedback
The Naperville District 203 School Board Monday tabled a vote on the Innovative School Experience after board members could not agree on making the major changes to students' day without additional community input. Some board members said they were not comfortable with endorsing the shifts to the school day unless they had a firm commitment from the community. While stressing they weren't asking to abandon the concept or start over, the concensus was they should pause and allow time for more data to be collected. The Innovative School Experience proposed by district administration calls for several changes that proved unpopular with some parents, teachers and students. Among them were the recommendations that 15 minutes be added to the elementary school day, more math instruction minutes be added to middle school day and a flexible block format with an anchor day be implemented for middle and high school students. The block format allows for longer classes during the day so students can delve deeper into topics or receive more intervention and teachers can use differentiated instruction strategies, district officials said. The anchor day is a chance for students to attend all of their classes once a week, but for a shorter period of time. As part of the schedule changes, the start and end times would be adjusted across the board, with elementary-aged students starting their school day first and middle school students starting and ending their day last among the different grade levels. On Monday, administrators asked the board to approve three facets of the plan that would affirm the new learning structures, create a committee to review school start and end times, and launch the changes in the 2026-27 school year. The committee would make its recommendation to the board in June. After a lengthy discussion, the board was divided over they could support the recommendations, especially the new learning structures, without first exhausting all avenues of feedback. Attempting to modify the wording in the recommendation failed to move forward. 'If we push this to a vote, we are going to be very divided, and I think it creates the wrong image on where the board is in response to the Innovative School Experience,' said board member Donna Wandke, who had tried to clarify the language in the recommendation to assuage all concerned board members. Superintendent Dan Bridges said the district needs clarity to move forward and asked to work with district staff on its recommendation for the board to consider in the future. As a result, the board voted unanimously to table the recommendation. Board member Charles Cush said the ideas behind the Innovative School Experience will benefit the students, but 'you cannot have benefits without understanding costs.' 'There is not a question in my mind that the intent behind (the Innovative School Experience) in terms of what we are trying to do, what we are trying to accomplish, is noble and good and makes a lot of sense,' Cush said. 'But it has to be at the right cost. 'It just feels to me like we are dragging the community kicking and screaming into this without actually getting support and feedback,' he said. There are too many unanswered questions, Cush said. 'We have never done anything in this community as an island,' he said. 'It has always taken the support of the community and the support of the fantastic teaching staff that we have implementing these plans in our schools. Anything short of that, to me, doesn't make any sense.' The original plan was to have the proposal approved by the board in February for implementation in August. After pushback from parents, staff and students, the district delayed the start to the 2026-27 school year. Cush said because of this timeline, he believed there was extra time to gather more feedback from parents and staff. 'Honestly, if we put out a survey and we get two responses, we tried,' Wandke said. 'I don't feel like we tried.' Bridges noted that the changes will be subject to the collective bargaining agreements with the various unions in the district. Board members acknowledged the research that went into coming up with ways to improve the school experience, reducing achievement gaps and addressing the schedule so students aren't arriving to school long before their day starts. And officials mentioned there have been several avenues of feedback already sought, including focus groups, staff meetings, video messages, written and verbal comments, and discussions between principals and parent groups at the building levels. Board President Kristine Gericke said the bumps in the rollout have to be separated from the ideas that will be implemented. 'In order for the thoughts to stop swirling in my head, I had to ask myself what is my why?' Gericke said. 'It continues, for me, to be to focus on what is best for our kids. What do they need to succeed in this world? What do they need to succeed in whatever career path they choose? 'The kids are at the center of this,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
18-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Applications due May 21 for Naperville Police Youth Academy; Naper Settlement opening new ‘Farm Forward' exhibit
D203 board voting on new sked, but actual hours decision delayed The Naperville District 203 School Board is to vote Monday on a plan to move its Innovative School Experience forward, but a decision on school day hours and block scheduling won't be made till June. In a video message this week, Superintendent Dan Bridges said the board and administrators have been listening to the feedback from the staff, families and community. There has been a lot of negativity publicly about the proposal, he said, but others have expressed their support privately. The Innovative School Experience is the formal name for a proposal to switch to a block schedule format for middle and high schools and adjust the start and end times for all students in elementary, middle and high school. Since the plan was unveiled in January, the board has heard from parents, teachers and students who have opposed the proposal. The administration will ask the board Monday to consider approving the plan's implementation goal of the 2026-27 school year while continuing to seek feedback from the community. This would include hosting staff meetings to increase understanding and address concerns, Bridges said. Design teams would look at topics within the proposal such as advisory design, band, chorus and orchestra, a developmental play focus group for kindergarten, middle school zero hour and others, Bridges said. Board members also will be asked to create a start-and-end time committee to review the proposed recommendations and consider additional options that will be brought forward to the board for approval in June, he said. The start and end times that are currently on the table shift elementary hours which now run from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Middle school hours, which are now 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m., are proposed to be 8:50 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. High school would start at 8:20 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m., and still end at 3:10 p.m., under the current proposal. Naper Settlement opening new 'Farm Forward' exhibit Naper Settlement's newest exhibit, 'Farm Forward,' explores the Illinois agriculture industry through the lens of local photographer Jeffrey Ross. Ross serves on the board of the Chicago chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association and travels all over the country for various farm and agriculture marketing assignments. The exhibit is located inside the Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center on the settlement's campus, 523 S. Webster St., and is included in the museum's general admission. Illinois had 72,000 farms that span 27 million acres or about three-quarters of the state as of 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service. About 89% of the state's cropland is considered prime farmland, according to exhibit information on the settlement's website. The exhibit captures some of the industry's innovative practices and includes rarely seen images to the everyday consumer, the website said. For more information, go to Naperville Woman's Club sets dates for fine art fair in June This year's 65th annual Fine Art and Artisan Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 28-29 by the Naperville Woman's Club at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Featuring the work of more than 100 artists from around the country, the free event will feature a variety of mediums, including ceramics, glass, metal, photography, painting, sculpture and more, an event news release said. Local musicians will perform, and food and adult beverages available for purchase. The event also includes several art-oriented interactive experiences geared for families, the release said. As in past years, the club will select an exhibitor's painting to be reproduced into an 8-by-12-foot mural. Visitors who duplicate a small portion of the mural will have their work stapled to a wood frame to create the larger work of art, the release said. A children's area will include face painting, yard games and sculpting clay
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 board may vote this month on school hours, block schedule
The Naperville District 203 School Board is likely to vote April 21 on an administration request to adjust school day hours and move towards a block schedule format for middle and high schools, despite opposition from some parents, teachers and students. Originally, the Innovative School Experience was to start this fall but officials pushed back the timeline to the start of the 2026-27 school year in the wake of pushback, especially from parents who said they needed time to adjust their home and work schedules and from teachers who say they will need to create different lesson plans. At Monday's school board meeting, Superintendent Dan Bridges said he would like the board to take action on the proposal later this month and direct the administration on the next steps to be taken. Board member Melissa Kelley Black countered that the board is still receiving complaints about the proposals and she's concerned the district doesn't have support from those the plan would affect. She'd prefer to give it more time, she said. 'It doesn't sound like the community or staff are ready for this so I guess the question is what is the hurry,' she said. 'Our trust with the community, with the staff, with morale, we've taken a hit with this.' One of the major shifts is the start and end times of the school day for elementary, middle and high school students. Elementary hours, which now run from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., would switch to 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. under the proposal. Middle school would change from an 8 a.m. start to an 8:50 start time. It would also end 50 minutes later at 3:40 p.m. The high school day would start later and be shorter. Instead of 7:45 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., the day would run from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. under the proposal. District officials want to alter the times so students arrive at school as close as possible to their start times. Currently bus logistics have forced students to arrive at high school as much as an hour before classes start and at middle school a half hour before classes start. Research also supports later start times for the well-being of adolescents, officials said. As for the new block schedule for middle and high schools, officials say it will allow students to delve deeper into topics and get more intervention if needed. More time will be devoted to math at the middle school level. Critics of the plan said changing start and end times to the school days affects all families and their work schedules. Some parents have to leave for work before middle school students would leave for school, prompting the district to explore before-school child care options. Parents also asked if the later release time would allow their children to participate in extracurricular activities, sports or allow time for evening activities. Questions have been raised about the block schedule as well, with some wondering whether students could stay engaged during longer class periods or if they would have trouble concentrating. Parent Dan Alamillo said he was concerned the district was addressing the issues raised by finding quick fixes that don't deal with the larger problems. 'Since the proposal was rolled out, we've heard parents, teachers, staffers and students raise concerns about its designs and impacts,' he said. 'The administration has reacted by trying to put Band-Aids on some of the issues that have been raised.' The district needs to collaborate with the community on the proposal, he said. 'Instead of playing catch-up and trying to piecemeal solutions as you go, the administration should get more minds in the room to work these kinds of problems,' Alamillo said. 'No one is going to be upset if you bring in stakeholders and take the necessary time to ensure whatever changes are needed get done right.'
Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville District 203 wants to add more engineering, social studies and PE classes to high school lineup
Students at Naperville North and Central high schools may be able to take new engineering, social studies and physical education classes in the 2026-27 school year. The Naperville District 203 School Board is expected to vote April 21 on adding more courses to the high school offerings while eliminating a few with declining enrollment or whose material may be covered in another class. On Monday, the board heard a presentation on the proposed changes. 'I'm always impressed watching the evolution of any of our subjects and seeing how we make such an effort to keep things relevant,' board President Kristine Gericke said. Some of the new courses will offer college credit, such as the Principles of Engineering and Civil Engineering and Architecture, which are to be offered as part of the Project Lead the Way sequence. Students can learn engineering, robotics, 3-D modeling and programming in the Principles of Engineering courses, a course description said. Students also can work with 3D architectural design software in the Civil Engineering and Architecture course. The district is also looking to add a Project Lead the Way Capstone course that expands on the engineering program for the 2027-28 school year. Jayne Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district selects new courses based on industry trends, student interest, future careers and post-secondary preparation. The district's staff evaluates its courses to ensure they are still relevant and have enough rigor or if new ones should be developed to fill a need, she said. 'The primary focus of our visioning work is to create learning experiences that actively engage students in meaningful ways and equip students for both academic success and future careers,' she said. Three new semester-long social studies courses are under review and will be voted by the board on later this month. They are Criminal Justice, Modern American History Through Media and Taking Action: Issues and Solutions. In the Criminal Justice course, students can explore crime, law enforcement, and the court and corrections systems while analyzing the impact of laws and policies on society, a course description said. Students taking Modern American History Through Media will learn how television, music and art of the 1980s, '90s and today shaped American society, politics, culture and technology. The Taking Action class will offer students a chance to analyze and address real-world issues in their communities, according to the course description. 'The wide range of elective course offerings encourages many students to exceed the 2½ credit requirement,' said Steve Jeretina, assistant principal at Naperville Central. The district also will offer Cultural Anthropology to understand and value diverse cultures, which will replace World Cultures, he said. About 2,300 high school students were surveyed to gauge their interest, Jeretina said. New physical education courses are also under consideration. A Coaching and Officiating class will give students the resources to be IHSA-certified in officiating a sport of their choice, opening up opportunities to work as an official at local athletic events, Jeretina said. It also promotes leadership, responsibility and career readiness in sports management, he said. Sophomore students will have a chance to pick a physical education course based on their interests and fitness goals in three new semester-long classes. The Studio Wellness option focuses on group exercise such as yoga, pilates or Zumba and stress management. The Strength and Performance option will feature resistance training, injury prevention and nutrition while the Competitive Team Sports option allows students to participate in a variety of group sports, such as basketball, football, soccer, floor hockey, volleyball, pickleball and others. Board member Melissa Kelley Black said she appreciated they were giving students healthy lifestyle habits, which is beneficial for both physical and mental health. In addition to World Cultures, courses removed for low enrollment, limited interest or content duplicated in other classes include Humanities II, Legal Issues, Peace and Conflict and Painting 2. For instance, the Peace and Conflict course had a 50% decline in enrollment over the last four years and not enough interest to be offered at both high schools this year, district officials said. With board approval, the classes would be dropped in the 2026-27 school year.
