March 19, 2018

 Present:  Board President Greg Robitaille, Vice President Lori Goldstein; Board Members: Cathleen Albrecht, Carol Ducommun, Keith Dronen, Marc Glucksman, Patrick O’Donoghue.

Administrators:  Superintendent Paul Sally; Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Christopher Johnson; Secretary Superintendent Lou Anne Kelly; Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Peter Tragos; Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Timothy Hayes; Principal (Winnetka) Denise Dubravec; Principal (Northfield) Paul Waechtler.  
Absent: None

CITIZEN’S COMMENTS:  None

Information Items:

• Student Walkout (Robitaille, Dubravec, Waechtler)  Students on both campus participated in the national student-led Walkout to protest gun violence.   All noted it was a safe environment for all students.  Board President Robitaille commended staff for balancing the interests of students with a diverse range of views on the issue.  

Presentation from Student Leaders of CTA (Commit To Action):  CTA is NT’s Gay/Straight Alliance.  Their goal to to create a safe discussion space for student-led activism and bring awareness to faculty and students about LGBTQ+ issues.  
Accomplishments: Changing Stalls in locker rooms.  
                              Gender neutral bathrooms in the new wing.
                              LGBTQ+ graduation-friendly attire.  
                              Staff Lunch and Learn
Ongoing objectives:  Providing more ways for participation in Day of Silence and equipping staff with materials to                                        better explain DOS.
                                  LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed
                                  Adding Day of Dialogue.          .

New Administrators:  Asst. Superintendent for Special Education(New Position): Dr. Joanne Panopoulos; Assistant Principal: Mike Lee (currently Science Dept. Chair at NT); Director of Curriculum and Instruction:  Chimille Dillard

Safety & Security Presentation (Sally):  Available on the School Website
Prevention: NT believes the most important thing a school can do to provide a safe environment is to provide support for students through connections.  These connections are made through academics, sports and clubs. The adviser system is the foundation for this support.
Daily Procedures and Physical Security Measures: Formalized building hours have been instituted.  Visitor check-in will improve.  Not recommended: Metal detectors, students wearing Ids, and arming teachers.  
Emergency Procedures Already in Place:  Security Resource Officers (SROs)  are a coordination between the Winnetka and Northfield Police Depts; there is an armed officer on both campuses who is specially trained in all areas of school safety. Lockdown protocol will be assessed.  Staff will continue to refine threat assessment procedures.

Board Policy--1st Readings

1. Policy 4-160 Safety and Security-Updates to this policy reflect the need to use security cameras.  Does NT have the authority for live monitoring for weekend and evening security personnel? NT also wants to expand the time they can save from the security feeds, from 90 day to 365 days.
2. Policy 6-40 Curriculum Development-This policy will eliminate the Board approval of textbooks. Textbooks are viewed as instructional material, not curriculum. A reference to policy 6-240  (Complaints about Curriculum, Instructional Materials and Programs) was added to provide clarity about the procedure for complaints concerning curriculum. This led to a larger discussion of Board approval of courses in general.  The Board requested a primer for curriculum design and standards.
3. 
   

Treasurer’s and Financial Reports (Johnson): Yearly budget on target.  

Voting Items
Student Fees:  Recommendations for 2018-19 school year fees proposed and approved, including a 2% increase in general and activity fees,  a 4% increase to the transportation fee, and a 5% increase to the parking fee
Consent Agenda:  Bill List for February 1-28, 2018; Personnel Report (Appointments, Changes of Status, Resignations, Retirements, and Stipends); Construction Change Order #31; IHSA Renewal; Health Life Safety Amendments which include the purchase of the bleachers and curtains.  Items approved unanimously.
Items Pulled from Consent Agenda, but ultimately approved unanimously:  Bid Package #1--Summer Construction--Track replacement will cost $627,000; Capital Expenditures FY 2019
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Meeting Length:  2 hrs 12 minutes.        Observer:  Siobhan Hill
Next Meeting:  April 16, 2019

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