District 205 Board Set to Approve Phone Upgrade, Learning Labs, Nursing Contract Amendment, York's NCLB Improvement Plan and More

Elmhurst Unit District 205 School Board will hold its monthly business meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the , 162 S. York St. The open meeting will be preceded by an executive session at 6:30 p.m. to discuss employment of an employee and collective negotiations.

Following the closed session, board members will call to order a public hearing for the adoption of the 2011 tax levy.

The board that it would ask for a levy increase of 4.7 percent, based on the assumption that the district will receive about $1.4 million in property taxes from the new Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. The hospital represents $38 million in new growth, according to the township assessor. School officials may have to return the hospital's portion of the tax revenue later, however, if the hospital regains its tax-exempt status.

Public comments will be accepted at the levy hearing. The board will then convene its regular meeting.

The York High School Madrigal Singers will put everyone in a holiday mood with a brief performance. This will be followed by public comments. Members of the community are invited to speak for up to three minutes on any topic.

The board will then hear a presentation on the library grant program for 2012. The district is eligible for a $5,700 state grant based on student enrollment numbers. The money will be used for books, electronic resources and other learning material.

As part of the grant application, the board is required to review the school library media program utilizing Linking for Learning Illinois school library program guidelines. The grant application and the Linking for Learning booklet are on file in the curriculum office and can be reviewed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The board will then hear a review of the district's annual audit.

Next on the agenda will be approval of previous meeting minutes, followed by the superintendent's consent agenda. In addition to approval of personnel and financial reports, and a Freedom of Information Act request, the agenda includes the following items:

• Approval of York High School's two-year school improvement plan. York is required to submit to the state a school improvement plan because it failed to make adequate yearly progress according to provisions in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
• Approval of an amendment to the nursing service contract. The School District has a contract with Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, and the hospital is presenting an amendment to the agreement to reflect the need for an additional registered nurse for the 2011-2012 school year due to passage of the Diabetes Care Act. The nurse will provide added protection against liability in the care of students with diabetes and other life threatening illnesses, will enable other nurses to spend more time at schools with less intense needs and will allow for a medication nurse to circulate between all buildings to dispense prescription medication to students. Non-medical school personnel still can dispense medication on an emergency basis.
• Approval to open designated closed-session minutes and keep all other closed session minutes closed
• Approval to authorize destruction of verbatim recordings of closed session minutes
• Approval of donations to Field Elementary School. The Elmhurst YMCA is donating $2,000 to Field for physical fitness activities. Field and YMCA staff set goals and selected materials for the program, which is designed to increase physical activity when children are required to stay indoors due to inclement weather. YMCA volunteers will come to Field to train staff and students in the use of the equipment. The second donation comes from the Field School PTA, which offered to purchase nine or 10 laptop computers in an amount not to exceed $4,650.
• Approval to renew online student registration services
• Approval to renew email archive maintenance software agreements
• Approval of phone system upgrade and maintenance at a cost of about $50,000. The cost includes hardware and software upgrades, professional services, uninterruptible power supply upgrade, warranty and licenses. The changes address safety issues, as well as the fact that the district's current phone servers are being phased out by the manufacturer.
• Approval of a bid to install Media:scape learning labs in York High School's world language department and at Churchville Middle School. At Churchville, the lab will help students at risk of failing to meet academic achievement standards. Both projects are 100 percent grant-funded. The district's director of facilities is recommending the board hire the lowest bidder, OEC Business Interiors, to do the work at a cost of $44,964.
• Approval of a bid for desks for Media:scape labs at a cost of just under $150,000. The desks also are grant-funded.
• Approval of policy manual updates

The School Board will then vote to adopt the 2011 levy request.

The Performance Management Committee will then bring to the board its evaluation of Superintendent David Pruneau for approval. The consensus of the committee is that the superintendent will be accountable for the district achieving all of its specific goals.

The board will then vote to adopt a new policy on student athlete concussions and head injuries as required by the Illinois High School Association. A new law requires school districts provide coaches, athletes and their parents with educational material regarding the nature and risk of concussions and head injuries.

Board members will then look at the dates of upcoming board and committee meetings, and finally, they will hear reports from each of the four standing committees.