The D225 School Board began the school year by addressing what worked in the past year and used feedback from the community to continue to better the district.
The Board committees allow for more detailed discussions, thoughtful consideration of proposals, and meaningful feedback for the administration, Superintendent Dr. R.J. Gravel said. During committee meetings the Policy, Communications, Finance, and Facilities Committees members speak about a variety of topics before bringing the highlights to the whole board meetings, Gravel said. The Board of Education sends out an email called Board Notes on the Wednesday after to inform the community on what happens in the meetings.
The Communication Committee corresponds with the community to understand what initiatives are being received well, where topics might be missed, and what changes need to be made, Gravel said. The committee sends out SEL Surveys to students a few times a year to see how their experiences in school have been, Gravel added.
“The surveys let the committee analyze community engagement and find ways to better connect with our students, staff, and parents,” Gravel said.
The board and committees are always looking for more feedback from the community, good or bad, to help with decisions, Dr. Marcelo Sztainberg, Board Vice President, said.
“There’s feedback we miss on things that are working,” Sztainberg said. “If community members want to share things, we have an email, they can come to meetings, they can send messages. Your feedback, from your point of view, is more valuable than what we can see from our point of view.”
The Finance Committee looks at things like the budget, property taxes, and things involving money, and works accordingly with the other committees because without finances, changes are not able to be made, Board Member Jack Downing said. Financial priorities change from time to time, the recent focus being the stadium renovations, Board Member Skip Shein said.
“The education fund is what goes to pay for teachers and it is the most important thing, our mission.” Shein said. “In order to get there, we have to have facilities, pay benefits, pay health insurance, fund activities. If you look at our budget, 76 percent of our total budget is the education fund, and, that’s a good way to tell what an organization’s focus is.”
The Facilities Committee looks at large-scale facility improvements, and works closely with the finance committee, Board Member Peter Glowacki said. Bringing people together is a goal when changes are made, forcing people to recognize their differences, Glowacki added.
“We have a very supportive community,” Glowacki said. “Given all the amazing classes, programs, and facilities we have, much of the Finance Committee’s work is focused on finding thoughtful balanced approaches that not only bring new things forward but sustain all the wonderful opportunities.”
The Policy Committee deals with changing or maintaining the District policies or rules, Board President Sandy Muhlenbeck said. Depending on what legislation is passed or recommended for public schools, South can choose if we adopt the policy or tweak it.
“We have to make sure that, even if we keep our own policy, it’s a little different than the model presented,” Muhlenbeck said. “If there is something that the legislature says needs to be done, we need to make sure that our unique policies are also being updated.”
The committees are meant to ease detailed processes, which helps members refine recommendations before presenting them to the full Board, letting meetings to focus on key considerations and potential actions, Gravel added.
“Ultimately, this approach promotes informed decision-making while maximizing the effective use of the full Board’s meeting time,” Gravel said
