Board Update September 2024

A group of parents, staff and community leaders are shaping a public engagement process to help the Board of Education address the district’s building needs.

The group will meet throughout the fall and host two public forums in October to gain community perspective and help set priorities for maintaining and modernizing the district’s four schools. At the Board’s direction, the team will:

• Closely review the Facilities Master Plan to develop an understanding of the needs and challenges of our schools.

• Gather input on our community’s perceptions, priorities and aspirations.

• Present a final report in December to the Board of Education with recommendations based on community feedback, facility needs, and financial responsibility.

The Team will work under the title “Building Tomorrow Together.”

Two Community Engagement workshops are scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. October 14th and October 28th in the gymnasium at Northbrook Junior High. The public is invited to participate in activities with fellow community members to provide feedback on how the district should move forward to improve our school buildings.

The workshops will be advertised through a postcard to all residents, on social media and other avenues. An online survey will also invite perspectives from all residents later this fall.

To learn more about the Facilities Master Plan, please visit northbrook28.net/BTTD28

• October 14, 6-8 p.m.

• October 28, 6-8 p.m.

Northbrook Junior High Gymnasium, 1475 Maple Ave.

Participate in interactive work activities with fellow community members to come to a general agreement on how the district should move forward to improve our school buildings.

RSVP

The Board of Education approved a $56 million spending budget for the 2024-25 school year. The majority of this spending, 76%, goes toward staff salaries and benefits.

“We are a service industry, so most of our funds are dedicated to supporting staff. Even our purchased services are essentially services for students,” said Jessica Donato, Chief School Business Official.

The district employs 424.5 full-time staff serving 1,865 students from early childhood through 8th grade.

The district's spending covers these key program areas:

• Classroom instruction: $26 million

• Special education services: $8.2 million

• Student services: $5 million (includes counseling, speech therapy, early childhood programs, and language support)

• School operations: $5.8 million (includes maintenance, utilities, and technology)

• School leadership: $4.3 million (includes principal and administrative salaries)

• Transportation: $2.2 million

• Capital improvements: $1.4 million

The district primarily relies on local property taxes for funding, which account for 85% of revenues.

School officials expect property tax revenue to increase slightly due to new property development, while state and federal funding is projected to remain stable. The district aims to generate a 5% return on investments.

View the Budget Presentation

The Board of Education approved the following staff hires.

Katherine Albertson, Speech Language Pathologist - Northbrook Junior High
Katherine has a master’s degree in clinical speech pathology from Northern Arizona University and previously worked in Boise, Idaho.

Please welcome Laura Jaeger as a classroom assistant at Meadowbrook and Ensley Circle as a classroom assistant at Westmoor.

Get acquainted with our new educators and staff members with the New Staff Directory

The district is partnering for the third year with Community Action Together for Children’s Health to deliver coping kits to 3rd- and 6th-grade students. Students will receive the kits during the week of October 7th (3rd grade) and October 14th (6th grade).

Each kit contains items specifically chosen to help students take charge of their emotions and stay mindful and present when big feelings arrive. Each kit comes with a postcard explaining the items' purposes for students and their grown-ups. Parents will receive an explanatory email; teachers also receive information and will show students a short video.

Students, parents and teachers will be encouraged to complete a survey to measure effectiveness of the program about a week after the kits are distributed.

Livestream/Archive Video

The Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on the District 28's YouTube Channel. The live streams are also archived for later viewing.

Next Meeting is October 22 at 7 p.m.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. October 22 in the HOH Community Room at the District Office, 1475 Maple Ave., Northbrook. The meetings are also live-streamed on the District 28 YouTube channel.

Visit Northbrook28.net for more information