Working hard to create a great new year!

Dear District 30 Community,

There is less than one week left until we welcome students back to school on August 19, and we can’t wait!

Our teachers and staff have worked all summer to create innovative lessons and experiences that will benefit our learners at Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple Schools. A key part of this effort included our summer curriculum work, which was detailed during this month’s Board of Education meeting by District 30’s new Director of Teaching and Learning, Ms. Katie Kelly.

She was among several of our new District 30 leaders who headed summer curriculum projects. Ms. Kelly led sessions on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which focused on how our staff can tailor instruction to meet the needs of all students, including those who need extra support and others who require more of a challenge.

Additionally, our new team of Assistant Directors of Student Services – Mrs. Maggie Price at Maple, Mrs. Ana Stockler at Wescott and Mr. Erik Brekke at Willowbrook – trained colleagues on co-teaching and supporting inclusion for all students.

District 30’s new full-time Academic Enrichment Specialists (formerly known as our Navigate teachers) also collaborated this summer to focus on instructional support for students in Navigate, as well as in their general education classrooms. These educators are Ms. Jamie Coan in math and Mrs. Lanie Levin in English language arts at Wescott, and Dr. Amy Copeland in ELA and Ms. Kierstyn Setter in math at Willowbrook.

Another wonderful summer milestone happened this week. We were delighted to welcome all new staff members across District 30, while seeing some of our students for the first time this year during Maple locker set-up, and kindergarten play dates sponsored by our PTOs. It’s an electric time of year, when everyone is energized with a shared goal of learning, growth and reconnecting with those who help us do our best!

We look forward to seeing you on the first day for school for grades 1-5 on August 19 and for kindergarten on August 20. I also invite you to partner with our staff this year in continued support of our learners, joining us for Curriculum Nights later this month, along with academic and family events throughout the year. Additionally, all are welcome to join me and a member of our Board of Education for Conversations with the Community on September 24 at either 12 p.m. in our District 30 offices or at 6 p.m. virtually. Each session is an opportunity to hear about progress in our district, while sharing your questions and ideas.

Thank you for your part in creating a wonderful start to this school year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Emily K. Tammaru

Superintendent of Schools

RSVP for Conversations with the Community

Recognitions

Maple School 2025-26 Track & Field IESA Champions

The Board, led by President Mr. Ammar Rizki and Dr. Tammaru, honored the three ISEA (Illinois Elementary School Association) state competitors from the Maple School Track and Field team. Last spring was the team's first time competing in IESA, and the performance of the athletes and their coaches were extraordinary:

Dylan Geller competed in the 7th Grade Boys Shot Put and placed 21st overall in Illinois
Dimitre Marinov competed in the 7th grade Boys High Jump and captured first place in the state! Not only was Dimitre the IESA State Champion, but he also broke the IESA State Record with an incredible jump of 5’8."
Melanie Shoemaker competed in the 7th Grade Girls 1600m Run and placed 9th overall in Illinois.

The Board also honored the coaches who supported these students' success: Maple Teachers Mr. Kyle Manders and Ms. Lynn Reimer, retired Maple Teacher Mrs. Mary Norquist, and former Willowbrook Teacher Ms. Jenna Cardaras.

Congratulations to these outstanding student athletes and their coaches!

Click below to see the recognition.

FY 2027 tentative budget

Hearing set for September 17

The Board approved a tentative budget for public display at the District Office and set a public hearing for its September 17 meeting. The tentative budget includes $36.6M in projected revenues with $36.6M of estimated expenditures and transfers to address capital improvement projects. Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru and members of the Board praised the financial health of the district and the commitment to align spending to the District 30 Strategic Plan and Board goals.

Gifts to District 30 approved

The Board approved gifts received by District 30 during the 2025-26 school year, as Board policy states that gifts of $500 or more must be accepted by the Board.

This annual approval process enables the Board to be aware of community support and to ensure the donations are appropriate.

Last academic year, the district received over $125,000 in donations and gifts from fundraisers and local organizations that support our schools. Of that, nearly $50,000 was given by the Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple Parent-Teacher Organizations.

Additionally, the Lew Blond Run donated $8,500 donation to District 30 to support special projects. These funds are part of the proceeds from the race that happened last May Maple school, celebrating its 25th year. Outside of this donation, an additional $15,000 in 2026 race proceeds benefited the Les Turner ALS Foundation in memory of former Maple teacher Lew Blond.

Professional Growth Fund summary

The Board reviewed a 2025-26 year-end report on the Education Association (EA) Professional Growth Fund, which provides EA members with reimbursement for tuition, professional conferences, and memberships under Section 9.8 of the collective bargaining agreement. The report, created by Dr. Scott Carlson, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, states that 51 percent of EA membership submitted reimbursement requests for pre-approved activities, totaling $60,895 of the $65,000 available. Dr. Carlson reported that participation in the fund increased by 16 percent over the prior school year, with tuition reimbursement remaining the largest category of use.

Summer Work update

During the committee meeting, Director of Teaching and Learning Ms. Katherine Kelly reported on the curriculum work completed by staff this summer, focusing on key areas like English language arts, world languages and the Navigate program. She detailed how educators reflect, refine and innovate their practices, examining the curriculum in aspects like aligning to state standards and building upon prior student knowledge.

Ms. Lauren Schulman, Director of Student Services, also reported on work that explored co-teaching and inclusion and MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support), with the former focused on classroom inclusion and the latter addressing differentiation in teaching students with varying needs.

Click below to read the full report.

Click to read the report

Summer School report

District 30 Summer School Principal Ms. Anna Davis and Assistant Principal Mrs. Sarah Arends shared a report on the 2026 Summer School program, which ran for four weeks in June and July and served more than 300 students.

They highlighted the variety of courses that include academics, fine arts, service learning, physical education, as well as the low-tech environment that emphasizes real world learning and play. They also detailed new offerings like Little Builders that encouraged collaboration, critical thinking and creativity, as well as Hello, Hangul that focuses on learning the Korean language.

Click below to review the full report.

Click to review the report

Superintendent's report

Enrollment, staffing and 2026-27 school year update

Dr. Tammaru reported that enrollment is nearly complete with 98 percent of students registered. With school starting Wednesday for grades 1-5, she asked residents to encourage unenrolled families to complete the processes.

She added that kindergarten enrollment remains steady at Willowbrook, while Wescott has experienced lower kindergarten enrollment than recent years and will include three sections.

Staffing is also nearly complete, Dr. Tammaru continued, with only a school psychologist post at Maple open following a late-year resignation. She noted that these roles are highly competitive to fill and District 30 is slated to move forward with a candidate from a educational staffing agency. She added that this candidate recently retired from this role in a neighboring district and is highly recommended.

Northbrook economic development and proposed TIF

Dr. Tammaru shared that District 30 leaders meet later this month with the Village of Northbrook to hear a verbal explanation of the scope of the village's proposed tax increment financing (TIF) district that encompasses the former W.W. Grainger property at 1657 Shermer Road in downtown Northbrook, within District 30's Wescott School boundaries. A written report would then come from the village at a later time, she added.

In July, the village approved a new residential development for 1825 Shermer Road, also within District 30 boundaries serving Wescott. The 53-home development will feature 33 single-family rowhomes and 20 townhomes with 3-4 bedrooms, with local news outlets reporting that work and presales are expected to begin this fall

Click to learn more

Board reports

TrueNorth

Dr. Tammaru discussed the two summer meetings of the TrueNorth Executive Committee, which includes superintendents from each member school district. She noted that TrueNorth is fully staffed and ready to begin school this month, while their Chief Financial Officer has improved billing to be clearer for participating districts to review.

She also detailed that the committee is currently exploring the timeline for hiring a permanent Superintendent to succeed Interim Superintendent/Executive Director Dr. Jimmy Gunnell and Jim Nelson, Interim Director of Special Education. She said the committee is aiming to hire a new administrator by winter in order to complete onboarding and transition work before their July 1 start date. She said the committee will ultimately make a timeline recommendation to the Governing Board, which includes District 30 Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki.

Policy Committee meeting - PRESS Issue 122

During the Policy Committee Meeting, Board Members Mr. Adan Galvan and Mrs. Pamela Manicioto completed the first reading of the 19 policies in PRESS Issue 122 with only one change of note:

They discussed the possibility of changing policy to formalize nominating a member to represent the Board annually at the IASB/IASA/IASBO (Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Association of School Business Officials) Joint Annual Conference.

They are slated to complete a second reading of the policies and vote to approve at the September Board meeting.

Personnel report

The Board approved the hire of the following individuals for the 2026-27 school year:Vicky Camilo-Simmons, Wescott Administrative Assistant; Julianna Cruz, Wescott P.E. Teacher, Emily Gad, Maple ELA Teacher; Anna Jankey, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant; Kentrell Johnson, Maple 2026-27 Extra Duty Stipend Coach; Mindy Kallsnick, Wescott School Nurse; Traell McClellan, Maple 2026-27 Extra Duty Stipend Coach; Kaila Robinson, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant; Grace Verheyen, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant; Kristine Witkowski, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant - Complex Learner.

Please welcome them to District 30!

Additionally, the Board approved five resignations, one leave of absence, and one retirement that is planned for the 2029-30 school year.

Event Information

Next District 30 School Board Meeting

You are welcome to join us at the next meeting of the District 30 Board of Education.

When?

Thursday, Sep 17, 2026, 07:00 PM

Where?

Maple School, Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA

location_on Open maps

Click here to find Board meeting details and agendas

Our Board of Education

The Board of Education consists of seven members elected from the general public to serve the entire Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 community. The Board provides governance for the district by hiring and evaluating the superintendent and approving a budget, policies, and goals that align with the district's strategic plan. Board members are:

President -Ammar Rizki
Vice President - Jeff Zuercher
Zivit Blonder
Adan Galvan
Pamela Manicioto
Patrick Wang
Dr. Stephanie Yohannan

Meet our Board

Northbrook/Glenview District 30

Northbrook/Glenview District 30 exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follow all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Email: communications@district30.org
Website: district30.org
Location: 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Phone: 847-498-4190

Inside District 30 summer newsletter

District 30 2024-29 Strategic Plan