[11:59] Everyone logged in.
[12:04] » Good evening. I'd like to call the
September 17th Lincoln Way 210 Board of
[12:07] Education meeting to order. Please stand
if you're able for the pledge of
[12:10] allegiance.
[12:27] Can you please call the role?
>> Dana Dana Berthal
[12:31] » here.
>> Katherine Johnson
[12:33] » here.
>> Joseph Costic
[12:35] » here.
>> Richard Lassine.
[12:37] » Caitlyn Oennic
>> here. Dedra Stokes
[12:39] » here.
>> Aaron Jan
[12:40] » here.
This time I'd like to open the Lincoln
[12:45] Way 210 budget hearing. We have one
individual signed up for public comment
[12:49] on the budget. Uh Dr. Kenishha Brown
[13:12] Ma'am, there's a little green or a
little button in the middle.
[13:15] » Okay. I'm usually loud enough. We Okay.
All right, team. We cooking with gas.
[13:21] Good evening, board members, community,
and also any Lincoln Way staff that is
[13:26] here. I want to advocate for certain
areas in the budget in light of recent
[13:31] events. I'm not going to spend too much
time on what necessarily has happened.
[13:36] I'm going to spend my time on solutions.
In reviewing the budget, I've noticed
[13:40] two things. Number one, I was
disheartened to see that we're not
[13:45] getting any Title 4 funding which could
be used to um provide programs for the
[13:53] whole education of students. However,
that should not stop us from providing
[13:58] professional services through supports,
especially in light of recent events.
[14:04] Where could we find this money? Lincoln
Way has just received a little bit over
[14:10] 2% increase in your evidence-based
funding. I would advocate that 1% of
[14:15] that, approximately 140,000, be put back
into schools for student supports. It is
[14:22] important as a community that we show we
are reflective, that we understand what
[14:27] happened, but as we move forward, we're
going to make sure that our students
[14:31] have the support that they need. I also
want to advocate for more professional
[14:36] services not only under your um
psychological services area but for your
[14:43] social work services area as well. I
don't think that we have done a good job
[14:49] in the followup of our students. I can
say this as a parent because my daughter
[14:55] Ocean has not received any follow-up
social work services after the event. In
[15:02] addition to that, I would implore you to
also maybe consider using some of your
[15:07] title one. That money could be used for
professional learning for staff. It
[15:12] could additionally also be used for
programs for students. Once again,
[15:18] please use the budget to reflect that we
as a community care about our students.
[15:24] We're going to support our students and
move forward while acknowledging the
[15:28] recent events that happened. Thank you.
Thank you. [applause]
[15:38] All right. We have no one else signed up
for the budget hearing. With that, I'd
[15:42] entertain a motion to close the budget
hearing.
[15:45] » We have a motion and a second. All those
in favor signify by saying I.
[15:49] » I. All right. The budget hearing is
closed. With that, I would uh entertain
[15:55] a motion to adjourn to close session to
discuss the appointment, employment,
[15:59] compensation, discipline, performance,
or dismissal of employees, student
[16:02] disciplinary cases, student related
matters, and/or litigation.
[16:08] We have a motion, a second. All those in
favor signify by saying I.
[16:11] » I. We are in close session. The board
will uh step out and we'll be back with
[16:16] uh action after uh our close session
deliberations.
[56:18] All right, we are uh back in open
session. I appreciate everyone's
[56:21] patience. Uh may I have a motion to
approve student 20267-1
[56:27] agreement to voluntary withdrawal from
Lincoln High School in lie of it
[56:31] proceeding with the administration's
recommendation for expulsion as
[56:34] presented and discussed in close
session.
[56:38] We have a motion to second.
Can you open the vote, please?
[56:48] Voting is open.
[56:54] » The vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> All right. May I have a motion to
[56:59] approve student 20267-2
agreement to voluntarily withdraw from
[57:04] Lincoln High School in l of proceeding
with the administration's recommendation
[57:07] for expulsion as presented and discussed
in close session.
[57:12] Have a motion a second. Please open the
vote.
[57:19] Voting is open.
[57:30] The voters unanimous motion passes.
>> All right. May I please have a motion to
[57:36] approve student 20267-3's
agreement to voluntarily withdraw from
[57:40] Lincoln High School in L of proceeding
with the administration's recommendation
[57:43] for expulsion as presented and discussed
in close session.
[57:48] A
>> motion second.
[57:51] Please open the vote.
[57:59] Voting is open.
[58:09] » The vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> All right. May I please have a motion to
[58:15] approve student 20267-4
agreement to voluntary withdrawal from
[58:19] Lincoln High School in L of proceeding
with the administration's recommendation
[58:22] for expuls expulsion as presented
discussed in close session.
[58:30] We have a motion a second. Can you
please open the vote?
[58:40] » Voting is open.
[58:56] Vot is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> All right. May I have a motion to
[59:01] approve student 20267-5's
agreement to voluntary withdrawal from
[59:06] Lincoln Waste High School in L of
proceeding with the administration's
[59:08] recommendation for expulsion as pre is
presented and discussed in close
[59:13] session.
[59:17] Motion second. Please open the vote.
[59:24] Voting is open.
[59:30] The vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> May I please have a motion to approve
[59:35] student 20267-6
agreement to voluntary withdrawal from
[59:39] Lincoln High School in lie of proceeding
with the administration's recommendation
[59:42] for expulsion as presented and discussed
in close session.
[59:48] » Second.
>> Have a motion. Second, please open the
[59:51] vote.
[59:58] » Voting is open.
[1:00:05] » The vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
[1:00:10] » All right.
Before we get to public comment, Dr.
[1:00:14] Tingley would like to make a statement.
So before we move forward, I want to
[1:00:18] take a moment to address some of the
process here that the district has
[1:00:22] followed. We became aware of the
students of students behavior late
[1:00:26] Friday night, September 4th, and into
Saturday morning, September 5th. The
[1:00:30] district promptly released a statement
condemning the students behavior and
[1:00:33] apologizing to the homework fossil
community. I made clear the students
[1:00:37] behavior does not reflect the
expectations and values we have for
[1:00:40] Lincolnway students. From that point
forward, however, my responsibility as
[1:00:44] superintendent was to ensure the law and
the board of education policies were
[1:00:49] followed at every step with respect to
those students discipline. To do that,
[1:00:54] the administration conducted a thorough
and timely investigation, carefully
[1:00:58] assessed each student's individual level
of involvement, and offered every one of
[1:01:03] them the right to be heard. This
investigation, which involved
[1:01:06] interviewing numerous students,
reviewing multiple video recordings and
[1:01:10] angles, and speaking with their
attorneys, took the administration only
[1:01:14] eight school days and ultimately
resulted in the administrating
[1:01:18] recommending expulsion for the students
determined to have been involved.
[1:01:23] The parents of those students have
chosen, however, to voluntarily withdraw
[1:01:27] their children from Lincoln Way East
High School and forfeit all student
[1:01:31] privileges rather than proceed through
the expulsion process. Given the nature
[1:01:36] of the investigation and the due process
requirements involved, I am confident
[1:01:40] that this matter was handled as quickly
and responsibly as possible.
[1:01:45] I also want to address the situation
involving the Lions Township cross
[1:01:49] country meeting. The district and
certain of its employees have been
[1:01:52] threatened with legal action and the
allegations surrounding that incident
[1:01:56] are currently under investigation by the
IHSA.
[1:02:00] We we are fully cooperating with the
IHSA and will cooperate with any other
[1:02:04] appropriate agency or law enforcement
authority should an additional
[1:02:09] investigation occur.
While that investigation remains
[1:02:13] ongoing, I will not make additional
public comments regarding the
[1:02:16] allegations. The district has already
made one public statement available,
[1:02:20] noting that it has been unable to
corroborate the allegations. Once the
[1:02:26] IHSA has completed its investigation and
it is clear that no additional
[1:02:29] investigations are pending, I intend to
address the matter more fully.
[1:02:34] Finally, Assistant Superintendent Dr.
Goldie has researched and contacted 28
[1:02:38] organizations and/or individuals that
provide training and support in areas
[1:02:43] including restorative justice, equity,
inclusion, and wellness. We have
[1:02:47] scheduled meetings with four potential
providers for Monday. Both the
[1:02:50] principles, Dr. Goldie and myself will
meet. We will keep the community updated
[1:02:55] as we move forward with a plan. Recent
events have reinforced that there is
[1:03:00] still work to be done in this area and
we are committing to doing that work
[1:03:04] moving forward.
[1:03:08] » All right. Thank you, Dr. Tingley. Uh we
are now to the public comment portion of
[1:03:12] our agenda. Uh our public comment is uh
30 minutes in total. Uh each individual
[1:03:19] will have five minutes to speak.
Obviously, if you don't take the full
[1:03:22] five minutes, that that's fine. Uh we do
have quite a few people that are signed
[1:03:27] up to speak. If we don't get to
everyone, we we are going to ask that uh
[1:03:31] people are welcome to submit a statement
which we would include in the board uh
[1:03:37] packet for tonight along with other
communications we've received uh from
[1:03:41] the community over the past uh few days.
Um so with that, we would welcome
[1:03:47] Jasmine Malinowski.
[1:04:22] Good evening. Good evening. My name is
Jasmine Milanowski and I'm here tonight
[1:04:26] because I believe that the students who
found the courage to stand against
[1:04:30] racism deserve to know that the adults
in their community are willing to stand
[1:04:36] with them.
What happened at these sporting events
[1:04:39] should disturb all of us.
Black students should never have to
[1:04:44] attend school sporting events and hear
monkey noises, see monkey gestures, or
[1:04:50] feel as though that color of their skin
has made them a target.
[1:04:55] I also want us to examine something
uncomfortable.
[1:04:59] I want to un or I want to understand
that these students are minors or I
[1:05:03] understand that these students are
minors and that there may be legitimate
[1:05:08] privacy rules governing what the
district can publicly release. But I
[1:05:13] want the community to ask whether the
same protective restraint presumption or
[1:05:17] privacy are all applied equally to every
student regardless of race because
[1:05:24] accountability and privacy can exist at
the same time.
[1:05:30] We do not need the names or faces in
order for the district to clearly tell
[1:05:35] the the community what happened, what
policies were violated, what correct
[1:05:40] what corre corrective
measures were taken, and what will uh
[1:05:46] prevent this from happening again. And
when children experience or witness
[1:05:50] racism, the lesson we teach them through
our response matters as much as what
[1:05:54] happened in the first place.
That is why I also that is why I am also
[1:06:00] concerned about the students who
participated in the walk out. Those
[1:06:04] students made a decision, a conscious
decision decision that this is not okay.
[1:06:10] This does not represent us and there's
no room for racism here.
[1:06:16] Yet they walked out knowing that they
could potentially face school
[1:06:19] consequences for doing so. I understand
that the schools have attendance
[1:06:24] policies and procedures, but I want the
board to think about the larger message
[1:06:28] we send young people when students
peacefully stand against racism and
[1:06:33] their primary primary lesson from the
experience becomes that speaking up can
[1:06:38] get them punished.
We tell children to stand up to
[1:06:42] bullying. We tell them to report
discrimination.
[1:06:46] We tell them not to be bystanders.
We tell them to do the right thing even
[1:06:51] when doing the right thing is difficult.
So when they actually find the courage
[1:06:56] to do exactly that, our response should
not make them wish that they remain
[1:07:00] silent. Protecting the privacy of minors
does not prevent the district from being
[1:07:05] transparent about what it's going to do
moving forward. We need accountability.
[1:07:10] We need education. And we need clear
expectations for students, coaches,
[1:07:17] staff, and spectators.
And we need black students to know that
[1:07:22] when they walk into a classroom, onto a
field, or into the stands, their dignity
[1:07:28] is not negotiable.
The young people who stood up against
[1:07:33] racism should know that their voices
matter.
[1:07:36] Because I don't want the lesson from
this situation to be stay quiet, stay
[1:07:40] compliant, don't make trouble. I want
the lesson to be when something is
[1:07:46] wrong, you have the right to speak. When
someone is being dehumanized, you have
[1:07:51] the courage to stand beside them.
And racism has no place in our schools.
[1:07:56] Thank you.
[1:08:01] [applause]
[1:08:07] Next up is Josie Iligas.
[1:08:21] Good evening. [snorts]
My name is Josie Hiligus and I'm a
[1:08:24] senior at Lincolnway Central. My parents
are both alumni at HF. I have two older
[1:08:29] siblings that have both graduated from
Central.
[1:08:33] I'm really disappointed to say that I am
finishing my senior year with a deep
[1:08:37] sense of shame and embarrassment for
being a part of Lincoln Way District
[1:08:40] 210. What upsets me the most is that
this district called what occurred at
[1:08:45] the football game a display of
inappropriate and behens offensive
[1:08:49] behavior. Please call it what it was.
It's racism and it's hate speech.
[1:08:55] [applause]
[1:09:01] I am also deeply upset with central
silence on this matter. This situation
[1:09:07] doesn't just affect East. It is a
district-wide issue.
[1:09:12] [snorts]
Racism affects students at every school
[1:09:16] and your silence is extremely
disappointing.
[1:09:19] [snorts] Do the right thing and
acknowledge this is a district-wide
[1:09:22] problem. Stop sweeping this under the
rug. Students at Central want to talk
[1:09:27] about it and we want to make it better.
Please take action as a school district
[1:09:31] to address this with students across the
community. Thank you.
[1:09:36] [applause]
[1:09:42] Next up is Rebecca Brown.
[1:09:59] Good evening and thank you for having us
here tonight. My name is Rebecca Brown
[1:10:04] and my daughter is a junior at Lincoln
Way East. She is a student athlete and
[1:10:09] she is a person of color. I am here
about the racist behavior at the East
[1:10:14] Homewood with Flossom football game and
about what happens next.
[1:10:18] These last two weeks, I spoke with two
friends from home Flossmore. Both
[1:10:23] parents of color with sons who play
sports there. Neither of them were
[1:10:28] surprised. They told me that they have
heard Lincoln Way students say things
[1:10:33] from the sidelines at other athletes
event athletic events going back years.
[1:10:39] One of them told me her own sons have
had slurs said directly to them. They
[1:10:44] were called monkeys, blackies. They were
called the nword and nothing was done.
[1:10:50] This broke my heart. It means that this
did not start with the video. The only
[1:10:56] thing that changed is that this time it
was recorded.
[1:11:03] » [applause]
>> A small number of students is enough to
[1:11:07] make every student of color at this
school and at home with Flossmore and
[1:11:12] around the community wonder who around
them thinks that way and whether the
[1:11:16] next time it will be said or done
directly to them. I wonder about that
[1:11:20] for my own daughter. I wonder about it
for my two other children who will be at
[1:11:25] East in the next couple of years.
I want to make sure students of color at
[1:11:30] East and at every surrounding community
school feel safe and supported. What
[1:11:36] cultural competency and anti-racism
education is planned for students and
[1:11:40] for staff. I do want to say I thank you
for addressing some of this already
[1:11:45] tonight.
Two additional suggestions. Number one,
[1:11:50] send out an anonymous survey to every
student asking how safe and supported
[1:11:55] they actually feel.
Other parents I've heard raise this to.
[1:12:01] You cannot fix what you have not
measured.
[1:12:06] Also, please bring a panel or cultural
competency and anti-racism
[1:12:11] uh group to the school. Not a one-time
assembly, but real voices with real
[1:12:16] experience and time for students to ask
questions.
[1:12:19] Part of your plan here has to be making
sure that every student knows exactly
[1:12:23] what the consequences are for behaving
this way. Not a vague reminder about the
[1:12:28] code of conduct, but a clear message
that says, "If you do this, here is what
[1:12:32] happens." They need to hear it before
the next game, not after the next
[1:12:36] incident.
We are asking that you please do not
[1:12:39] sweep this under the rug. And we are
watching how it is handled. Thank you.
[1:12:46] » [applause]
[1:12:52] » And thank you. One one thing I did
forget to mention here from my
[1:12:56] statement. Uh Dr. Goldie and I met with
a uh company that is planning to do a
[1:13:01] climate survey and and we'll do that
districtwide, not just for Lincoln Ways.
[1:13:06] That will be a district thing and that
will be encompassing all social
[1:13:09] emotional needs of our students. So
we're working on that now and that's in
[1:13:13] the works um that's in the works to be
next week and uh that'll be part of our
[1:13:18] meetings also on Monday to see how that
can be incorporated with whatever
[1:13:24] whatever whatever avenue we choose to
take. But thank you.
[1:13:31] Next up is Sequoia Williams.
[1:14:00] Good evening board, cabinet members,
parents, staff, and communities.
[1:14:05] My name is Sequoia Williams, and I'm
here as a parent advocate.
[1:14:11] I'm here tonight because what happened
between Homewood Flossmore and Lincoln
[1:14:14] Way East is not simply a football
incident or a student discipline issue.
[1:14:18] Our children were hurt at Lincolnway
East versus Homeway Homewood Flossmore
[1:14:24] football game. There were reports and
videos of Lincoln Way East students
[1:14:27] directing racial slurs, monkey noises,
and monkey gestures towards HF students.
[1:14:34] HF leadership described the conduct as
racist harassment and Lincoln Way East
[1:14:40] acknowledged that racist slurs and
gestures occurred and called the
[1:14:43] behavior hurtful and unacceptable. Let's
be clear, calling black children monkeys
[1:14:49] is not harmless. There's a long history
of using that comparison to dehumanize
[1:14:55] black people. Our children experienced
that humiliation in 2026 and we cannot
[1:14:59] simply tell them to forget about it and
move on. I'm also not saying every
[1:15:03] Lincoln way east student is racist. Many
students spoke out because they knew the
[1:15:08] behavior was wrong and did not believe
it represented them. That brings me to
[1:15:12] the walk out. These students were not
simply trying to skip class. They were
[1:15:16] protesting racism, standing with HF
students, and saying this is not who we
[1:15:21] are. I understand schools have rules. I
understand attendance matters. But
[1:15:25] students were reportedly told that they
could receive three detentions for every
[1:15:28] period missed, one period, three
detentions, three periods, nine
[1:15:32] detentions, four missed periods, 12
detentions. Correct? So the question is,
[1:15:37] are these ordinary attendance
consequences applied consistently or are
[1:15:42] students being punished because they are
participating in expressive activity
[1:15:46] protesting uh racism? That distinction
matters. The first amendment protects
[1:15:51] freedom of speech and peaceful uh
peaceful assembly. And in Tinker versus
[1:15:54] De Mo Independent Community School
District 3 393US5031969,
[1:16:01] the US Supreme Court recognized that the
students do not share their
[1:16:04] constitutional rights to freedom of
speech or expression at the schoolhouse
[1:16:07] gate. Tinker does not give students
unlimited freedom to disregard school um
[1:16:11] rules. Schools can maintain order and
address legitimate disruption. But it
[1:16:15] does not require us it does require us
to look carefully at why students are
[1:16:19] being disciplined and whether their
expression is being punished. So, I
[1:16:23] asked the question for Lincoln Way East
students. Where does the three
[1:16:26] detentions per period consequence come
from? Is it in a student handbook or
[1:16:30] board policy? Was it already the
standard consequence for unauthorized
[1:16:34] absences? And is it applied consistently
to students who miss class for other
[1:16:38] reasons? Accountability must be uh fair,
transparent, and consistent. There was
[1:16:43] also a separate reported allegation
involving a Lincoln Way East coach and a
[1:16:47] comment referencing running uh past
those monkeys. Lincoln Way East has
[1:16:52] disputed the characterization and stated
the culture was referring to a portion
[1:16:56] of the course known as the jungle.
That allegation should be investigated
[1:17:01] fairly and based on facts and
documentation. It is the audacity for
[1:17:05] the lack of accountability. But
regardless, our children deserve to feel
[1:17:09] safe and respected. Before we talk about
detentions, let's talk about dignity.
[1:17:13] Before we talk about attendance, let's
talk about the racial accountability.
[1:17:16] And before we punish students for
speaking up, let's ask what caused them
[1:17:19] to speak up in the first place. I am not
asking anyone to um to punish an entire
[1:17:24] school. I'm asking for four things.
Protect our children. Investigate the
[1:17:28] facts. Take this racial harassment
incident seriously and apply discipline
[1:17:33] fairly and consistently with students
constitutional rights. There they are
[1:17:36] children. They are watching us as adults
and they're watching how we respond.
[1:17:40] Let's show them what accountability
looks like. Not retaliation, not
[1:17:44] silence, not minimizing. accountability.
I commend our HF community on their
[1:17:48] handling of this situation. I came here
to tell you that this behavior will not
[1:17:52] be tolerated in our communities and I'm
saying that as a parent that is not from
[1:17:57] Homewood, but I'm right next door to it.
And we all from the suburbs are one
[1:18:01] community and you will not come to our
community and harass our children.
[1:18:07] And we do show up for our children and
we utilize our voices. And I'm here to
[1:18:11] tell you that to allow those children to
withdraw rather than expelling them is
[1:18:16] very problematic for me because there is
no accountability.
[1:18:24] Our children will feel safe in their
communities and if your children cannot
[1:18:28] do what they need to do when they come
to our side of town, keep them here.
[1:18:33] Have a good night.
[applause]
[1:18:43] Next up is um having trouble reading the
first name. Uh Deming Senior
[1:19:07] Good evening. It's actually both of us,
but I'm just going to speak on behalf
[1:19:10] for my husband and myself, Yolanda
Deming and Mich.
[1:19:16] First of all, good evening to everybody
and to everybody out here. I'm very
[1:19:20] happy and I'm excited to know that we
all were able to come here as one.
[1:19:25] That's the first thing. Come here as one
and as professionals and as parents to
[1:19:31] discuss a issue that's very near and
dear to me as well. I am a parent. I am
[1:19:37] a parent of a Lincoln Way Central
student. And as the Lincoln Way Central
[1:19:42] students said, I'm upset too at the fact
that Lincoln Way Central students didn't
[1:19:47] come together and surround their sister
school, Lincoln Way East. However, I'm
[1:19:53] coming as a parent of a African-American
young black boy. And I'm here to say my
[1:19:59] son was very upset. This was new to him
because in our household we teach, we
[1:20:06] preach and we practice love. Despite the
color, despite the race, wherever you
[1:20:12] come from, that's not what we teach him.
So my concern is these youth and these
[1:20:18] children that did this. This was a
parent issue. This was a learned issue.
[1:20:23] This was a taught issue.
And if we're not teaching our, this
[1:20:29] starts from home. This starts from the
cradle. We have to teach our children.
[1:20:34] We have to set that example and be that
example and let them know despite the
[1:20:39] color, the race, the issue, the
disability because my child is visually
[1:20:43] impaired. So, he can be and will be
discriminated double. We need to teach
[1:20:48] our kids. But again, it starts at home.
What are we doing as parents, as adults
[1:20:55] to ensure that we are teaching our
children? This is something that needs
[1:21:00] to be taught. This is something that
needs to be placed in somebody's book.
[1:21:05] Parents, we need to teach the parents,
too, because they're no better than the
[1:21:08] kids. If the kids is doing it, they're
getting this from their parents. This is
[1:21:11] a learned behavior.
Thank you. And on behalf of Lincoln Way
[1:21:16] Central student and all Lincoln Way
students and the parents, I personally
[1:21:22] apologize to HF because this is totally
unacceptable. We thank you for coming
[1:21:27] here. I don't teach my child that.
Again, in my house, we love everybody
[1:21:32] regardless. Period. The end. So, on
behalf of Lincoln Way Central and
[1:21:37] Lincoln Way 210 District, I love all of
y'all up in here. I don't care. I don't
[1:21:41] know you. And if I don't know you, fine.
and I still love you cuz that's what I
[1:21:45] know. That's what I was taught and
that's what my son is going to continue
[1:21:49] to be taught. Thank you. Have a good
evening.
[1:21:53] [applause]
[1:21:57] Thank you. Next up is Camille Howard.
[1:22:15] Good evening members of the board,
superintendent, administrators,
[1:22:20] parents, students, and community
members. My name is Camille Howard and I
[1:22:27] come before you tonight as a member of
the HF community and most importantly as
[1:22:34] a parent of a former HF student athlete.
What occurred at these sporting events
[1:22:40] is hate speech.
Seeing the videos that we saw, reading
[1:22:47] the lackluster responses that we that
were justifying a staff member's actions
[1:22:54] signifies there is an institutional
problem. And as a parent of a black son,
[1:23:01] this is personal to me.
HF students distri um demonstrated
[1:23:08] extraordinary restraint and maturity in
the face of these actions and these
[1:23:14] hateful words. But accountability cannot
end with just five students as the
[1:23:20] demeaning incidences incidents affected
many more than five students, families
[1:23:27] and parents.
The question before this board should
[1:23:30] not simply be how do we discipline the
students
[1:23:34] for what they did. The larger question
should be what allowed young people in a
[1:23:40] school administrator to believe that
they could behave and that it would be
[1:23:45] acceptable.
The actionable response to this question
[1:23:50] must be so uncomfortable that it forces
institutionwide change inside and
[1:23:56] outside the classroom.
So I am asking this board to examine the
[1:24:02] totality of what took place and truly
listen not only to your students but
[1:24:08] listen to the HF students and the HF
community. The student voices should not
[1:24:14] be second to conversations about intent,
reputation,
[1:24:20] income level, or damage control. They
are students who were hurt by other
[1:24:26] students and not just at one event, but
at backto back school sponsored sporting
[1:24:33] events.
So, this is a moment where Lincoln Way
[1:24:37] has a choice. It can be remembered as
simply an ugly incident that resulted in
[1:24:43] an apology and fractional discipline. Or
it could become a moment when people put
[1:24:49] in place to be concerned about the
welfare of students demonstrate to those
[1:24:56] students that institutionwide
accountability, leadership, and
[1:25:01] meaningful change. what that really
looks like.
[1:25:09] As a parent, I am asking something that
is absolutely within your power. When
[1:25:16] hate enters your school or school
sponsored activities, make it
[1:25:21] unmistakably clear through your actions,
through your words, that there is zero
[1:25:28] tolerance. there is no tolerance and
that hate has no place in the entire
[1:25:36] Lincoln Way district.
[1:25:43] So yes, Lincoln Way students are
watching, HF students are watching, HF
[1:25:50] community is watching, and I would say
the world is watching.
[1:26:02] I want to thank the Lincoln Way families
who are standing with the HF community
[1:26:08] and I want to thank this educational
board for this forum tonight. Thank you.
[1:26:14] [applause]
>> Thank you.
[1:26:18] » Next up is Kimberly Christmas.
[1:26:29] » [clears throat]
[1:26:36] » First, I want to say good evening to the
parents, all the parents in the
[1:26:40] building, to the board, and um everyone
watching.
[1:26:46] First, I'd like to say if we are looking
at actions, the current superintendent
[1:26:51] has been writing. You all have been
paying attention to every speaker that
[1:26:56] has come to this podium and I thank you
for that. But the superintendent has
[1:27:01] been writing has been looking at paper
as if to disregard all of the speakers
[1:27:06] that have come before me and I think
that is problematic.
[1:27:10] » Ma'am, I'm I'm taking notes. I I've done
that consistently through my time as
[1:27:14] » This also is being recorded though,
>> so you could go back and look at the
[1:27:18] notes, too.
>> Yes, I could. But I take notes. But
[1:27:21] thank you. Thank you.
Now that we all know that there will be
[1:27:27] no punishment levied for the incident,
we need to talk about two other Ps
[1:27:35] outside of punishment. We need to talk
about policy and purpose.
[1:27:39] According to your own Lincoln Way
handbook on page 25, prevention and
[1:27:45] response to bullying, imitation,
intimidation, and harassment is covered.
[1:27:51] It's based on race, origin, and etc. and
explains the settings in which behavior
[1:27:57] is not acceptable. The behavior has in
fact been part of the Lincolnway culture
[1:28:03] for many years. In 2017, there was a
complaint levied with the NAACP that was
[1:28:11] never addressed. There are several of
them. As a matter of fact,
[1:28:17] these complaints were never addressed
from the school district, from the
[1:28:20] superintendent. The parents were never
contacted. As a matter of fact, the
[1:28:26] young lady, the incident that occurred,
someone took her lunchbox,
[1:28:32] another student, and called her blackie,
and told her she couldn't have her
[1:28:37] lunchbox back. There are loads of
stories in here from parents just like
[1:28:42] that here. in Lincoln that have never
been addressed. We need to find out why
[1:28:48] that is. Why when our students report
something to a teacher, a principal, an
[1:28:54] aid, or anyone that these are not taken
seriously. None of these incidents were.
[1:29:02] This subject has become taboo at
Lincolnway and it needs to stop. It
[1:29:08] needs to be addressed by everyone that
is confronted with it.
[1:29:13] » [applause]
[1:29:17] » It should no longer be acceptable to be
racist in this community. This is
[1:29:23] supposed to be a community. It's
supposed to include everyone. We all
[1:29:29] live here.
And I also don't think that the advisory
[1:29:35] committee should wait until next year to
address policy changes for the next
[1:29:40] school year. changes should be addressed
right now. I also believe that a parent
[1:29:47] panel, a student panel should also be
implemented to address some of these
[1:29:52] issues and maybe possibly send
recommendations to this board for what
[1:29:57] should be done under these circumstances
because in some cases I feel some people
[1:30:03] on this board may be too close to these
decisions to make the decision.
[1:30:11] Because these things are happening right
now to our children. We need to do
[1:30:16] something right now. Not next week, not
in a few months, not when people call
[1:30:21] you back, but when right now.
Thank you.
[1:30:28] [applause]
[1:30:35] Next up is Terrence Jackson, I believe
it is.
[1:30:50] Good evening.
I have a statement prepared from the
[1:30:53] NAACP Chicago Far South Suburban Branch
30006-B.
[1:31:00] The NAACP Chicago Fire South Suburban
Branch is deeply disturbed by the
[1:31:05] reported racist harassment directed
toward Homewood Flossmore High School
[1:31:09] students during a September 4th football
game involving Lincoln Way East High
[1:31:14] School. Racial serves, racist gestures,
and dehumanizing conduct have no place
[1:31:20] in our schools, athletic programs, or
communities. Such behavior cannot be
[1:31:25] dismissed as a joke or simply attributed
to youthful misconduct. It causes real
[1:31:30] harm and reinforces a culture of
intolerance that we must work together
[1:31:35] to eliminate.
We commend the homesmore administrators
[1:31:40] and staff for responding to the incident
and protecting their students. We also
[1:31:45] acknowledge Lincoln Way public apology
and a stated commitment to addressing
[1:31:50] the conduct through his disciplinary
process.
[1:31:54] An apology, however, must be accounted
accompanied by accountability and
[1:31:59] meaningful action.
The Chicago Far South Suburban Branch,
[1:32:04] NAACP, calls upon the school districts
and the Illinois High School Association
[1:32:09] to ensure that this incident is
thoroughly reviewed and appropriately
[1:32:12] addressed in accordance with its
established policies and applicable law.
[1:32:18] We also encourage both communities to
strengthen efforts around racial equity,
[1:32:23] student accountability, respect, and
inclusion so that every student can
[1:32:27] participate in school activities without
fear of racial intimidation or
[1:32:33] humiliation.
We will not normalize racism. We will
[1:32:38] not excuse it. And we will not remain
silent.
[1:32:42] We stand with the students, families,
educators, and Homewood Flossmore
[1:32:46] community. Every young person deserves
to learn, compete, and participate in
[1:32:52] their community with dignity and
respect. The Chicago Far South Suburban
[1:32:57] Branch NAACP remains committed to
confronting racism, protecting our
[1:33:02] children, and building communities where
every student is treated with dignity,
[1:33:07] fairness, and respect. Thank you for
your time.
[1:33:12] » [applause]
[1:33:18] » I think we have time for one more. Um,
Kelly Johnson.
[1:33:33] Worried I wasn't going to make it in.
Uh, good evening. My name is Kelly
[1:33:37] Johnson. Uh, you might recognize my
name. sent quite a few emails since this
[1:33:42] all occurred a couple weeks ago. I'm the
mother of a current Lincoln Way East
[1:33:47] varsity football player, so I was at the
game. Um, and I'm also the parent of
[1:33:52] three black children, two of whom enter
Lincoln Way East next year. Um, and this
[1:33:58] isn't in my notes, but they are I'm not
even sure that they would know if racism
[1:34:03] happened to them. they're they have a
lot of other things going on. So, it's
[1:34:07] my job to protect them because I'm not
even sure they would recognize it. I
[1:34:11] know there's many things that need to be
addressed. Um, and it sounds like some
[1:34:15] of it we're addressing with the um
restorative justice, the education, the
[1:34:20] accountability, policy changes need to
happen. So, I'm happy to hear all of
[1:34:24] that is taking place. And I'm not an
expert at any of that. Um, so I won't
[1:34:29] even touch it.
What I am good at is advocating for my
[1:34:33] children. You can ask anyone who's ever
sat across from me in an IEP meeting. I
[1:34:39] am absolutely a teammate. I will listen,
collaborate, volunteer, and do the work.
[1:34:44] But when my children need someone
advocating for them, I am relentless.
[1:34:49] And right now, I believe our children
need that kind of advocacy. Not just my
[1:34:53] children, but every minority student in
this district. My concern is that while
[1:34:58] the district is kind of trying to figure
some things out and things are taking a
[1:35:02] while, the silence that is coming from
us has been into the broader community
[1:35:06] is creating a vacuum and that vacuum is
being filled by everyone else. The
[1:35:11] conversation hasn't stopped. It's simply
happening without us talking about it.
[1:35:17] That's why my request tonight is
actually very simple and it sounds like
[1:35:21] it's going to happen. So, I'm going to
have to adjust this. Um, we are going to
[1:35:25] be doing the climate survey. It sounds
like um which is great that it's already
[1:35:29] next week. So there's a couple of things
I was thinking about when I um heard you
[1:35:34] say that you were doing it is that
there maybe having some input from other
[1:35:39] people to make sure that we're asking
the right kind of questions. I have
[1:35:42] three teenage boys. Having large amounts
of questions are not going to to be
[1:35:49] tolerated. And we need to make it really
clear not everyone we're not High
[1:35:55] schoolers don't always feel like they
belong and that's not what we're talking
[1:35:58] about here. We need to make it direct
about the problems that we're obviously
[1:36:02] experiencing and so there needs to be
some feedback as to what that survey
[1:36:06] looks like and who's putting it
together.
[1:36:10] Um we need to make it short. I'm sure
it's going to be anonymous, but it has
[1:36:14] to be measurable as well so that we can
have action items that we're taking
[1:36:18] forward and we're looking at. And it has
to be transparent. Don't do it and not
[1:36:23] tell us what the results are, even if
they're bad. We need to know what it
[1:36:28] looks like so we know which direction
we're going to
[1:36:32] without a baseline. We can say that
we're doing better. And I think some
[1:36:35] people do say we're doing better. It's
getting better. It's getting better. But
[1:36:39] we have no way to know if our students
actually feel that difference. And there
[1:36:44] is another group of students that I
don't want forgotten and some of them
[1:36:47] have talked. There are many students at
Lincoln Way East and at the other 210
[1:36:52] schools who did not participate in this
behavior and they do not want their
[1:36:56] values or school defined by the actions
of others. They deserve the opportunity
[1:37:02] to change this story, too.
I've offered it privately in the emails
[1:37:07] that you have received and I'll offer it
publicly tonight to help in any way
[1:37:11] that's appropriate. I obviously don't
expect to control this, although I like
[1:37:15] to control a lot of things. Um, I simply
want to see it begin. So, my question
[1:37:22] was to make sure that we are going to do
the anonymous survey, which we are. We
[1:37:26] have the timeline, but I am going to ask
for to publicly report the findings and
[1:37:32] the actions that will follow.
Um, there's more.
[1:37:39] I'm not asking for perfection tonight. I
don't think anybody here is expecting
[1:37:43] it. Um, I'm just asking for a concrete
first step, timeline, and transparency.
[1:37:49] Our students are watching us right now
how us adults are responding to this
[1:37:54] moment. And I hope that we show them
when something is wrong. Lincoln doesn't
[1:37:58] just address the incident. We listen, we
measure, we act, and we make sure things
[1:38:05] actually do get better. Thank you.
[applause]
[1:38:14] » All right. Uh we're going to close off
the public comment. I know there are
[1:38:17] still several people that still uh want
to speak. Um we are going to move
[1:38:20] forward with the rest of the agenda. I
would just ask if you wanted to submit a
[1:38:24] comment, we would include it in our
packet um in our correspondence portion
[1:38:28] of the agenda um at a future date. So we
thank everyone for coming tonight.
[1:38:33] Obviously, we've heard from several of
you via emails, obviously those that
[1:38:37] spoke tonight, and we continue or expect
to continue to uh hear from people over
[1:38:42] the coming weeks. Thank you.
Uh, moving on with the rest of the
[1:38:47] agenda,
we have the consent agenda items F1
[1:38:53] through F7 or excuse me, F6. Can I get a
motion to approve the consent agenda as
[1:38:58] presented?
>> So moved.
[1:39:00] » We have a motion second. Can you please
open the vote?
[1:39:09] » Voting is open.
[1:39:19] Vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
Next up under action items, we have the
[1:39:24] presentations of invoices
from August 21st, 2026
[1:39:32] through
Oh jeez, this new diligent platform
[1:39:38] uh through probably today, September
17th of 2026. Thanks.
[1:39:43] » Motion to approve invoices as presented.
So
[1:39:47] » move a motion and a second. Any
questions?
[1:40:02] The diligent platform is still being
platformed out by May.
[1:40:06] » Voting is open.
[1:40:15] » Vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> All right. Next up, we have the
[1:40:19] treasur's report for
can't read the dates. So, we have the
[1:40:25] treasures report.
>> You got
[1:40:27] » in August, uh, revenues totaled 6.5
million. Expenses totaled 15.1 million.
[1:40:33] District's total cash balance on August
31st was 62.4 million.
[1:40:38] through August 31st of this fiscal year,
7 and a half% of budgeted operating
[1:40:42] revenues have been received and 18.5% of
budgeted operational spending has
[1:40:46] occurred. Uh the comparison I always
give through this point last fiscal year
[1:40:50] it was 6.3 and 18.2 both operating
revenues and expenses are trending
[1:40:56] appropriately at this time
through August liquid investment rates
[1:41:01] were 3.6% 6%. We have laded investments
maturing in September and in November
[1:41:07] and December. A lot of short-term
investments right now just because we
[1:41:11] need to ensure we keep enough liquid
cash for January bond payments. Happy to
[1:41:16] take any questions you might have.
>> Any questions for Dr. Dubc?
[1:41:28] Hearing none, I'd entertain a motion to
approve the treasures report as
[1:41:32] presented.
>> So moved.
[1:41:34] » Motion a second. Can you please open the
vote?
[1:41:41] » Vote is open.
[1:41:48] » Vote is [clears throat] unanimous.
Motion passes.
[1:41:52] » All right. Next up is the student
activities report for July and August.
[1:42:02] So those that are watching, we just
switched our
[1:42:06] platform and everything is in different
spots now. So it's hard to find it real
[1:42:10] quick on the fly.
>> It's it is a challenge. So for the month
[1:42:14] ended, we we have two this evening. We
have both July and August. For month
[1:42:17] ended July 31, fund balance is
2,824,793.
[1:42:22] um the accounts in in that have been
negative have been taken care of by the
[1:42:28] time of this
meeting. And then for
[1:42:35] for the month of August, we're at
2,726,829
[1:42:41] with revenues of 420,88
and expenditures of 517989,000.
[1:42:48] Quite a few here, but once again, at the
time of the printing, we're We're in
[1:42:52] pretty good shape moving forward. Be
happy to answer any questions, but I ask
[1:42:55] that you approve the student activities
reports as presented.
[1:43:02] » No, it's not.
>> No, go ahead. No, go ahead. Go ahead.
[1:43:06] » All right. Okay. So, all the ones that
are on the September 17, 2026 report,
[1:43:12] you said that they are now positive.
>> Correct. So, the individual band
[1:43:17] accounts for for music boosters, that
one's larger. That's a transfer that
[1:43:22] that goes through then in the summer
once the individual students begin to
[1:43:26] fund raise. Uh boys golf central same
thing they they purchased all their
[1:43:31] supplies, all their golf balls, all
their bags and freshmen buy their own
[1:43:35] bags. That's why that's a large
expenditure as well. But yeah, once once
[1:43:39] then we you make the team then you write
the check, you get your bag and you keep
[1:43:43] it for four years. So that's why some of
those are a little larger.
[1:43:47] » Yes. What what is tri?
>> Try math. All
[1:43:56] right. Any additional
>> music? Music. Music. Music music. My
[1:43:59] bad. Trying this music society.
Got it. Any other questions?
[1:44:06] Hearing none. I entertain a motion to
approve the student activities reports
[1:44:09] as presented.
>> Second.
[1:44:12] » Motion a second. Can you please open a
vote?
[1:44:16] » Rich, I think you said why don't we
switch back? I think they got bought out
[1:44:19] and this is what we get now.
>> [laughter]
[1:44:22] » choice.
[1:44:26] » The vote is open.
>> It's like the screen just shrunk.
[1:44:29] Everything's all compressed.
>> All right. Next
[1:44:33] » vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> See that pops up. I can see.
[1:44:38] » All right. Next up is the second reading
for policies, student superintendent
[1:44:42] notes.
>> Just including your backing materials is
[1:44:46] second reading of policies primarily our
our footnotes. Um, nothing as I wouldn't
[1:44:53] consider a major consequence. Happy to
answer any questions. Obviously, this
[1:44:58] comes through press and something we
bring to the board quarterly as we
[1:45:02] adjust based upon press recommendations.
>> Just for clarification, any of the
[1:45:07] policies or procedures that were
addressed tonight or by public comment
[1:45:11] are not included in this. This was
already on the horizon.
[1:45:13] » This was this had a first reading from
last month and a second. We typically
[1:45:17] would do two readings for any policy uh
policy changes
[1:45:22] » and these policies are recommended by
the service we use to change.
[1:45:26] » Correct.
>> All right. Any additional questions?
[1:45:33] Hearing none, I'd entertain a motion to
approve the policies as presented.
[1:45:41] » Motion second. Can you please open the
vote?
[1:45:50] What is open?
[1:45:57] » Vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> Next up is the district 210 advisory
[1:46:03] meeting calendar for 2026.
>> Have the meeting calendar included for
[1:46:07] your consideration. Um we continue to
work through different types of topics.
[1:46:13] Obviously this after listening this
evening uh it's a possibility we would
[1:46:18] bring some of our analysis and our
discussion points back to this group as
[1:46:22] we have teachers and students and
parents from all three schools. So
[1:46:25] that's something we'll work on moving
forward. But we need to approve the
[1:46:28] dates as this is a committee of the
board. These are considered public
[1:46:32] meetings. And so this would be the
procedure to to do at this point is to
[1:46:36] approve the meeting dates.
[1:46:42] That's okay. I had to entertain a
motion. Motion to approve the calendar.
[1:46:46] We have a motion. Do we have a second?
Any questions or comments on the
[1:46:49] calendar?
All right. Hearing none. Open the vote.
[1:46:56] What is open?
[1:47:09] » Vote is unanimous. Motion passes.
>> Right. Next up is the adoption of the
[1:47:13] fiscal year 2027 budget.
[1:47:18] » All right. Thank you. Good evening. Um
my presentation tonight will be be
[1:47:22] succinct. There are no surprises in this
final version of the fiscal year 27
[1:47:26] budget and the work that has gone into
this budget aligns with the board's
[1:47:32] strategic initiatives. Tonight, what
we'll take a look at are any changes
[1:47:36] from the tenative budget presented in
June and at the end we'll provide a
[1:47:41] snapshot of fund balances. Our our
district administrative team believes
[1:47:45] this year's budget shows continued
stability for our district. There are
[1:47:50] several resource documents included in
your packing materials tonight I'd like
[1:47:54] to draw your attention to. These include
a cover memo summarizing the budget. Uh
[1:47:59] a brief two-page Q&A document
highlighting what we anticipate may be
[1:48:04] common questions from the board uh andor
the community and the accounting book
[1:48:08] detail outlining each fund and its
revenue and expenditure types.
[1:48:14] We've prepared this fisc year 27 budget
to include roughly 33.3 million in
[1:48:21] operating revenues as you can see in the
top right of that light red uh column
[1:48:26] and 133.1 million in operating
expenditures. This represents a 4.9%
[1:48:33] increase on the revenue side and a 6%
increase on the spending side which we
[1:48:37] feel is conservative uh but appropriate
from that. Uh moving your way down that
[1:48:43] column we've set aside 2.2 2 million in
transfers out of the operating funds and
[1:48:48] into other areas such as debt service
for capital lease payments which I'll
[1:48:52] talk about in a little bit and capital
projects for s uh future our capital
[1:48:56] projects fund excuse me for future site
improvements.
[1:48:59] The ending budget on paper shows an
operating deficit of $2 million, which
[1:49:04] however includes the planned spendown of
debt certificate dollars from revenue
[1:49:09] that hit last year's books uh for our
financing to own purchasing model for
[1:49:14] the new buses. Um that those dollars
cross fiscal years and so that was a
[1:49:19] planned check of $2.9
million, excuse me, that we spent in uh
[1:49:25] July, which hits this fiscal year. when
you exclude that payment, uh, we see a
[1:49:30] true structural state of the operating
budget. And I like to show both of these
[1:49:34] because if we had a structural recurring
deficit forecasted, that would be
[1:49:39] something I would want to make sure we
discuss. That is not the case. Um, we
[1:49:43] have an operating surplus of 874,540
when you exclude that one-time planned
[1:49:49] payment from the purchasing the board
approved last year.
[1:49:55] A brief overview of some revenues and
expenses um talk a little bit about
[1:49:59] local revenues illustrates um our
sources local sources are expected to
[1:50:04] increase to 113 million this year. You
can see here on this slide uh some of
[1:50:10] the changes listed from the tentative
version of the budget presented in June
[1:50:14] for example. One particular note is our
CPPRT allocation uh which we had um
[1:50:21] anticipated to be about a 10% reduction
uh is higher than was initially
[1:50:25] anticipated. will actually be a moderate
increase this year, which is great news.
[1:50:29] Uh, as for state revenues, our
evidence-based funding allocation
[1:50:33] released from ISBY, as was mentioned
earlier, uh, in public comment, has a 2%
[1:50:38] increase this year, and federal revenues
are a bit higher based on grant and
[1:50:43] Medicaid reimbursements.
On the expenditure side,
[1:50:48] salaries and benefits are planned to
increase 4.4 million this year to
[1:50:53] roughly $92 million in total. Um these
salary costs, as we discussed in June,
[1:50:59] are based on staffing needs and the
district's collective bargaining
[1:51:02] agreements. Many benefits costs as well
also mirror those wage rates because
[1:51:08] they're percentage based such as
pensions, social security, uh and
[1:51:12] Medicare. One item we've we I feel like
we do discuss many months is our medical
[1:51:18] insurance continues to trend high. That
is a focal point for our district
[1:51:22] administrative team as we review plan
design coming up here for open
[1:51:27] enrollment.
Purchase services are budgeted to
[1:51:31] increase $700,000 this year. One example
I did want to note here are special
[1:51:36] education transportation costs and um
just wanted to share an update. Our our
[1:51:42] team is currently identifying ways in
which I believe we can streamline this
[1:51:46] and try to make um more efficient our
outofd district transportation costs. I
[1:51:52] I would like to acknowledge um here as
we look at the aggregate of the purchase
[1:51:56] services budget just in light of public
comment this evening um and particular
[1:52:01] the budget related public comment. We
allocate funds across all of our various
[1:52:06] departments for a variety of
professional development planning um And
[1:52:11] in light of recent events and and to
echo Dr. Tingley's comments um about
[1:52:15] initiatives and and things we will take
a look at for next week, we do have room
[1:52:19] uh in our professional services budget
for the professional development student
[1:52:24] supports um that we will continue to
investigate.
[1:52:28] » Mike, can I quick question for you?
>> Of course.
[1:52:31] » We're purchase services are around 13.4
now and they're going to 14.1.
[1:52:37] » Going to 14.1.
>> Okay, gotcha. Just the way I read it at
[1:52:40] first, it looked like it was going from
700,000 to 14 million.
[1:52:43] » I'm sorry. It will increase 700,000 to
get to 14.1. I'm sorry.
[1:52:47] » At first, I sound like that's a massive
jump. Where do we How did I miss that
[1:52:49] the first time?
>> No, I apologize.
[1:52:51] » Okay.
>> So, Mike, I have a quick question, too.
[1:52:54] So,
[1:52:57] » so as it relates to the public comment,
as you indicated,
[1:53:01] » so it was regarding the increase that we
received and was it the title one funds?
[1:53:07] Was that what it was? And so you said
that across the board we have increased
[1:53:13] uh for professional services for all of
the and so it's shown where where would
[1:53:18] we be able to point that? So within the
accounting book detail um of the actual
[1:53:24] budget book we have professional
services across be that psychological
[1:53:29] services social work title federal
grants um and then local spending in
[1:53:34] terms of our be that the business office
budget the curriculum budget and so on
[1:53:37] and so forth. So that book detail has
salaries, benefits, purchase services,
[1:53:41] supplies, so on in each of those areas.
And in aggregate, as we take a look at
[1:53:46] some of those line items, be that
evidence-based funding, tier money, or
[1:53:50] title, or some of our local district
dollars, um I I believe there are are
[1:53:55] several areas in which we have some room
in terms of the planning for fiscal year
[1:53:59] 27 where we can financially incorporate
some of those initiatives.
[1:54:04] » So when we would pay for some of the uh
programs or the the different companies
[1:54:11] that we are engaging in or that
Superintendent uh Tingley is engaging in
[1:54:16] that those funds will come out of each
one of will come across the board out of
[1:54:20] different categories. Is that correct?
Is that what I'm hearing?
[1:54:23] » Yes, that is that is correct. I would
need to take a look at exactly where we
[1:54:27] choose to take that from, but I I
believe there are a few spots from where
[1:54:30] it can be. Okay. Yep.
[1:54:39] Moving on through other expense types,
the aggregate supply costs um in this
[1:54:44] year's budget and to clarify increase
1.6 million to go to 13.4 million. But
[1:54:50] the two primary reasons here are our
student devices, laptops. We've been
[1:54:55] able to hold those flat for two or three
years um with a new generation of
[1:55:00] devices and things. Um we talked about
that previously at another meeting.
[1:55:04] There's a jump there as well as our
utility rates for electricity and
[1:55:07] natural gas
capital spending. Now, this is capital
[1:55:12] spending in our operating funds is set
actually to decrease one point or $1
[1:55:17] million as only one payment, sorry, as
only one payment was needed for the
[1:55:22] buses compared to two payments last
year. So, that's why the capital outlay
[1:55:26] in the operating budget is going down.
And finally, our expenditure category of
[1:55:31] tuition dues and fees, which Yes, that's
a broad expense category
[1:55:36] is is expected to increase 1.6 million
this year. One budget line we're
[1:55:42] tracking closely is private facility
tuition costs which are projected to be
[1:55:46] up $600,000 based on special education
student data and programming needs this
[1:55:52] school year. Now, this budget line does
fluctuate. There are years it goes down.
[1:55:56] There are years it goes up. Um we feel
this is conservative but appropriate for
[1:56:01] this year's projected and needs at this
time.
[1:56:09] $200,000 of the 2.2 million transfer
total I mentioned earlier is for capital
[1:56:15] leases, which are uh driver's education
car lease payments. It's printer copier
[1:56:19] leases. If you recall, this was an
accounting exercise we discussed uh when
[1:56:23] our auditors were here last time. They
asked us to instead transfer this money
[1:56:27] into our debt fund and make payments
from there. It's the same money,
[1:56:31] different accounting exercise. The
remaining 2 million is the capital
[1:56:37] projects transfer for this uh this year
for summer 2027 projects. This amount is
[1:56:43] smaller uh than the last couple of
years. It does align with what we talked
[1:56:47] about in June. Again, illustrating that
this is a tighter year. We do have some
[1:56:52] other revenues in fund 60, be that from
rental income or investment income. And
[1:56:57] so when we combine that, we're targeting
right now conservatively a three 3
[1:57:01] million 3.1 million total allocation as
we begin planning with our district's
[1:57:08] architects and more to come in uh future
months on that.
[1:57:14] Finally, really high level did want to
share an update on our efforts to remain
[1:57:17] financially transparent and to enhance
that transparency whenever we can.
[1:57:22] Within board policy, there's guidance
from Illinois school code that outlines
[1:57:26] that school districts uh shouldn't tax
more than necessary and accumulate
[1:57:30] excess uh reserves. There are actually a
number of different analyses that we do
[1:57:34] to make sure we're compliant with school
code and policy. Essentially, if we have
[1:57:38] cash reserves that are more than two and
a half times our annual spending is says
[1:57:43] a school district should implement a
reserve reduction plan. Now, Lincoln Way
[1:57:47] is nowhere near that. We do not have
that in reserves as you know. Um we
[1:57:51] remain fiscally lean, very operationally
efficient. Um but we want to share that
[1:57:56] our administrative team completes these
analyses in our daily work to make sure
[1:58:00] that we're keeping us um in line
financially and transparent.
[1:58:07] Summary slide here shows revenues and
expenditures for each one of the
[1:58:11] district's funds. Third from the left is
the transportation fund where um you
[1:58:16] will see the 3 million spendown which
again was planned in the middle of this
[1:58:20] table. Do want to highlight a moderate
spend down in the tort fund as well.
[1:58:25] You've heard me say that probably three
or four years in a row. Now, we have
[1:58:29] enough in reserves here and so we've
reallocated levy and interest income to
[1:58:33] other funds. On the right are the
capital projects fund and the life
[1:58:38] safety fund. Both of these funds have
planned spendowns for construction and
[1:58:43] life safety HVAC work. The money is
already sitting in those accounts
[1:58:48] waiting to be spent. And so these are
the uh conservative amounts that we
[1:58:52] believe will be spent this fiscal year.
Once again, in terms of an ongoing
[1:58:57] structural operating picture, we are
balanced and stable at this time. Happy
[1:59:02] to take any questions you may have about
this presentation or any of the
[1:59:06] additional documents in your packing
materials. Thank you.
[1:59:12] » Any questions for Dr. Dubc?
>> I have one quick question.
[1:59:18] Um so [clears throat] I I did I am
looking at the professional services and
[1:59:23] under the improvement of instructional
services I see that there's a decrease
[1:59:28] in the professional services for
you know what that's okay I look at it's
[1:59:34] fiscal year 2026 but fiscal year 2027
there is an increase so I'm good
[1:59:40] no question
>> how do you project the uh increase in
[1:59:44] the private tuition is that just we know
we're going need to place two students
[1:59:49] or is it and it's going to cost us X or
is that I won't say a guesstimate but
[1:59:55] » uh yeah well well some of it is
projection based on on students that we
[1:59:59] believe are moving in or where their
placements will be. They might not be
[2:00:01] placed yet or they might have um IEP
changes certainly um Katie Hunt can
[2:00:06] speak in more detail to this than me but
but we meet and we go over the students
[2:00:11] that we know we have uh services that we
know we can provide in the district
[2:00:15] versus outplacement needs. Like I that
fluctuates every year. So I think and I
[2:00:19] don't I don't have this particular line
in front of me. I think it was 3.2
[2:00:23] million a couple years ago, then went
down to three million. Now it's up to
[2:00:26] three. So it it fluctuates with the
needs. This is just a year where we we
[2:00:30] feel it's appropriate to be conservative
based on what we anticipate.
[2:00:34] » As we as you know, we faced historically
if we have a child move in or we we
[2:00:39] don't know of someone and then that's an
additional significant increase. Um we
[2:00:44] we have to remain conservative. We we we
were caught by that several years ago
[2:00:50] when we went to the dollar amount of the
students that we just knew and and we
[2:00:55] were significantly short. And so we
think this will encompass any additional
[2:01:00] changes, but that's always because of
the level of cost
[2:01:04] that that can be challenging as a one or
two student move can significantly swing
[2:01:09] that line item budget.
[2:01:15] I do have one other question. Under the
auditorium, how did we um how did how
[2:01:20] did our budget go down there? Um there's
a Oh, is it because of the is it because
[2:01:26] of repairs?
>> No, actually that was something that's a
[2:01:29] very good question. Um a takeaway for me
as well. Some of that uh overall
[2:01:34] auditorium budget has to do with we
spent more in uh wages as we were doing
[2:01:40] extensive rental out of the North
Auditorium and then once we partnered
[2:01:46] into that film production company taking
over North this fiscal year we will have
[2:01:50] less of that. It's a great question.
>> It's a huge decrease.
[2:01:56] » Okay.
>> Also a decrease of revenue from the
[2:02:00] rental however made up by that
production company.
[2:02:06] » Anything else for Dr. Dub?
>> Appreciate the larger screen.
[2:02:11] » Yeah. screen for this. We should always
move our budget hearing into this room
[2:02:15] so we can see.
>> All right. Thank you.
[2:02:18] » So, I'm going to try to navigate the
small screen now.
[2:02:21] » Uh, hearing no further questions. I
entertain a motion to adopt the fiscal
[2:02:26] year 2027 budget as presented.
>> So, move
[2:02:30] motion a second. Please open the vote.
[2:02:43] is open.
[2:02:54] The vote the vote is unanimous. Motion
passes.
[2:02:58] » All right. Next up isformational items.
Report of the Lincoln Way Special
[2:03:02] Education District 843.
This report is from the August 6th
[2:03:08] meeting which was actually the July
meeting that needed to be rescheduled
[2:03:11] due to the loss of power to Pioner
Grove. Um so at this meeting our budget
[2:03:16] was preliminary presented which has now
since been approved for 2627. Um we
[2:03:22] received updates on the extended school
year staffing and full school year
[2:03:27] staffing which has all completed. Um
some purchasing of additional technology
[2:03:32] in terms of a printer or
that needed to be replaced and some
[2:03:39] additional playground repairs which have
all been addressed as well.
[2:03:46] Questions?
[2:03:49] » Thank you very much.
September foy
[2:03:53] included in your back of materials for
your review our building and grounds
[2:03:58] report.
>> Once again, utilities and contractual
[2:04:00] maintenance is all included.
>> Anything on the legislative front?
[2:04:04] » Nothing. at this time.
>> Superintendent District report. We we
[2:04:08] kind of covered a lot of that already
this evening and we'll be reporting back
[2:04:12] in October with
directions.
[2:04:15] » Marian Catholic. Oh, sorry.
Correspondence.
[2:04:18] » Correspondence. We did receive a thank
you from Marian Catholic for use of
[2:04:21] Lincoln Way North Cafeteria for their
homecoming. Wonderful event last
[2:04:25] Saturday. Thank Michelle for helping
coordinate that. They paid the actual
[2:04:30] cost because we did provide them with
some of our cleaning crew and some
[2:04:35] different services, but uh they had lost
their gym in one of the storms and
[2:04:39] didn't have a place to to host their
homecoming. So, it actually it was
[2:04:43] fantastic. They brought the food trucks
up the back. Really really had a nice
[2:04:47] time. So, that was we were we were happy
to help out there. And then we also
[2:04:51] included any correspondents the board
has received since September 4th. um is
[2:04:59] on there as well in PDF
>> and then I'd like to make sure we update
[2:05:03] that with anything we get over the next
day or two for the
[2:05:07] » uh topics that we discussed tonight.
[2:05:13] » No other business to attend to
>> that. I'd entertain a motion to adjourn.
[2:05:20] Motion second. All those in favor
signify by saying I.
[2:05:23] » I. We are adjourned. Our next meeting is
October and Can't see the date. October
[2:05:30] 15th.