BOARD BITS: Monday, July 16 Board Meeting

The PRELIMINARY ISAT SCORES are out, and we have seen the biggest jump in years! A celebration is in order!

• 8 of our schools showed an increase in Math and Reading
• 9 of our schools showed an increase in Math
• 10 of our schools showed an increase in Reading

In addition:
• District-wide READING SCORES increased by 4%
• District-wide MATH SCORES increased by 5%

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
• We have continued to focus on providing consistent expectations across all building. We have restructured some positions to provide better curriculum programming for all students.

• Division Chairs at East Aurora High School will focus on three tested areas of core curriculum: English, Math and Science.

• Department Chairs at East Aurora High School will no longer provide teacher evaluations in accordance with the State of Illinois requirements.

• Literacy Coach Program has been revamped. Literacy Coaches will now spend some of their time working with students and will provide help across all buildings.

• Committee Structure- We surveyed our Teachers Union which provided great insight that some programs and/or practices are not working well. We picked some key areas and will have committees comprised of teachers and administrators to restructure existing programs or practices. The committees are:
1. Joint Discipline Committee - A new committee to look at our discipline policy and establishing better methods that are consistent throughout
2. Joint PBIS/RTI/PST Committee - A complete study of the three committees, addressing teachers concerns, and revamping these programs.
3. After-School Programming Committee (in conjunction with CIS) - A way to align D131 programs and CIS programs so that students can receive a more consistent program across all buildings
4. Joint Assessments Committee - Work with streamlining assessments across the district to provide more efficient use of instruction time

BUILDING AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE
The District supported $3.5 million in much needed infrastructure repairs to many building this summer. Even with the bad economy, we have been able to do a variety of repairs:
• Fascia/Soffit – Allen and Simmons
• Tuck pointing – Allen, Beaupre, Brady, and Oak Park
• Roofing – Dieterich, O’Donnell, and Simmons
• Windows – Allen and Gates
• Exit Stairs – Rollins
• Boiler and Chimney rebuild-Rollins
• Mechanical Replacement – Dieterich, Simmons, and East Aurora High School

FINANCE AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
• We lost $8 million in State Aid funding this year and made some cuts in non-instructional areas to achieve a fiscally sound budget.

• The Board approved additional art teachers and is committed, over the next 3 to 4 years, to grow the program across additional elementary grades.

• The District welcomed the following new positions and realigned duties at the Central Office:
1. Beatrice Reyes-Childress was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. She will continue to run the Bilingual Program as well as bring her years of knowledge to the Technology Department. Beatrice is also a graduate of East High.
2. Dr. Christine Warren returned to the district as Director of Secondary Programs. She will oversee the middle schools and high school.
3. Andrea Cobbett was appointed as the new division chair in English at the High School.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING IS
MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012 AT 7:00 P.M.