HF Board Notes 6/18/2024

This is a summary of the happenings at the Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233 Board of Education meeting. It is not the official meeting minutes, but rather a summary to assist the H-F community in understanding the workings of the Board of Education. The official minutes can be found on the HF website in the School Board section once approved by the Board.

Meeting Date: June 18, 2024

The Board of Education honored HF’s spring musical Urinetown cast and crew for earning BEST PRODUCTION in the Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards and Jazmin Rhodes as BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTRESS ROLE for her portrayal of “Hope Cladwell” in URINETOWN. Jazmin represented the State of Illinois in New York City to participate in The Jimmy Awards (also known as The National High School Musical Theatre Awards).

Out of Out of 80 schools in the state of Illinois, our spring musical, Urinetown, earned six nominations from Broadway in Chicago's Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards, the most noms in the state!

NOMINEES FOR BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTRESS ROLE

• Stella Hoyt as “Little Sally”

• Jazmin Rhodes as “Hope Cladwell”

NOMINEES FOR BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTOR ROLE

• Gabriel McKinney as “Caldwell B. Cladwell”

• Bryce Stewart as “Bobby Strong”

NOMINEES FOR BEST DIRECTION

• Anne Calderón

NOMINEES FOR BEST PRODUCTION

• Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s URINETOWN

Board Vice President Nate Legardy complimented the administration and staff for all they did to make it a phenomenal year here at HF.

Board Member Michelle Hoereth congratulated the administration for an excellent graduation production that celebrated the Class of 2024.

Board Member Pam Jackson echoed comments about the graduation ceremony being a great success.

Principal Dr. Clinton Alexander shared that the cell phone pilot is in place in summer school. Initial feedback has been positive and surveys and focus groups are being planned. He also acknowledged You Matter 2's Destiny Watson for planning an excellent Juneteenth Festival and thanked Jim Patterson and crew for supporting the event. HF will be a site in July for the staff ACT training as we work to embed ACT preparation into instruction for students.

Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Jen Hester extended gratitude to Associate Principal Shannon Swilley for the mark he has made in his two years here as a trusted colleague alongside Catherine Ross-Cook and our Instructional Coaches. Mr. Swilley has accepted a district-level administrative position in an elementary school district and will be greatly missed.

Director of Communications and Community Engagement Carla Erdey thanked the HFPA for their representation at the Juneteenth Festival. They shared information materials about ways families and the community can support students here at HF. We are always grateful for their partnership! She also thanked Catherine Ross-Cook for hosting a DEI booth at the Juneteenth Festival where she interacted with attendees about what educational equity means to them.

The Board of Education held a Public Hearing regarding the eLearning Plan, as required by state law every three years. This eLearning Plan is used instead of a weather-related school closings. The plan remains the same as has been implemented in the past. No comments were made by the community.

The Board of Education reviewed and approved the Strategic Plan goals with revisions based on feedback from the Committee of the Whole meeting.

Background

In the fall of 2023, Homewood-Flossmoor High School embarked on a journey to chart a course to guide the school through the 2028-29 school year.

An inclusive Strategic Planning Committee comprised of stakeholders who have a vested interest in HF’s students, school and community navigated the process with the needs and hopes of the local community at the center.

Working with Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., founder and chief executive officer of Revolutionary ED, the team reviewed perception data from a comprehensive survey, focus group and interview process, as well as academic, social emotional, discipline and behavioral health data. In a series of meetings spanning from September to April, the committee conducted SWOT analysis of the data to identify areas of focus, theories of change, strategic planning goals and potential metrics. The administration incorporated feedback into the recommendation from the committee which was approved by the Board tonight.

Alma Advisory Group CEO Monica Rosen shared an update on the Superintendent Search process. The Board has engaged Alma to lead a superintendent search process that is inclusive and transparent, guided by the input of the community, and designed to mitigate bias every step of the way.

The first step is gathering feedback from the community about their hopes for HF and its next superintendent.

Community participation has included meetings with 89 community participants, 17 one-on-one interviews, 24 students and 439 survey responses. The response has come from representation mirroring the community demographics.

The superintendent position has been posted and applicants are currently being recruited and applying. There are currently 18 applicants in the pipeline, just a few weeks into the posting being available.

The Board of Education approved the first-ever contract with the Homewood-Flossmoor Classified Staff Organization (HFCSO). Negotiations have taken place over the past two years to come to a solid contract that is respectful of the work these important staff members do for HF students, staff and school. The five-year contract from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2027 includes retroactive pay to 2022. Highlights include 5% raises in the first three years, 4% in year 4 and no less than 3% and no more than 5% raises (based on CPI) in the final year. It also includes an increase in Tuition reimbursement and post-retirement considerations.

• Approved Regular Board Meeting Minutes, May 21, 2024, Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting Minutes, May 28, 2024
• Approved Consolidated District Plan
• Approved eLearning Program
• Approved annual purchase of Property and Liability Insurance through the Collective Liability Insurance Cooperative (CLIC), $253,535
• Approved Field Trip Request (Out-of-State Travel) for Debate
• Authorized Expenditures and June and July, 2024, Payroll, Approval of Expenditures, $4,101,744.18, Imprest Fund, $47,026.79, May, 2024, Payroll, $8,744,125.74
• Approved Resignations: Jodi Bryant, Director of Human Resources, effective June 28, 2024, Jeffrey Corso, English Teacher, effective May 31, 2024, Kerri Elkei, P.E/Health/Driver Education, effective May 31, 2024, Carrie May, English Teacher, effective May 31, 2024, Courtney Pesha, CTE Teacher, effective May 31, 2024, Shannon Swilley, Associate Principal CI & DEI, effective June 28, 2024
• Approved Extra-Responsibility Contracts: Athletics, $2,025.00, Summer Academy, Summer School, $20,536.50
• Approved 2024-2025 Teacher Contracts: Caitlin Gallagher, Science, Kia London, World Language, Kory Thompson, PE/Health/Driver Education. Interim Director of Human Resources contract, Dr. Jim Gay, and Interim Director of Human Resources contract, Dr. Tim Kilrea.
• Tabled discussion regarding the Class Rank proposal until the fall.

At last night’s meeting, the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Board of Education approved the hiring of Dr. Tim Kilrea and Dr. James Gay as Interim Directors of Human Resources on part-time contracts. They will each work approximately 100 days during the 2024-25 school year.

Kilrea, a graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, retired after 12 years as Superintendent of Lyons Township High School in 2021 where he also served as Director of Human Resources. He began his educational career as a history teacher and has served in administrative roles at Lincoln-Way, Thorton Fractional and Lyons Township school districts.

Gay retired after 14 years as Superintendent for High School District 230 in 2021 where he also served as Deputy Superintendent. He has served as Interim Director of Human Resources for the Illinois Math and Science Academy. Gay’s administrative career also includes being Principal and Associate Principal at Andrew High School and the DeLaSalle Institute in Chicago. He began his career as a history teacher and coach at DeLaSalle.

The District 233 School Board meets at 7:00 p.m. in the school's Viking Room - unless otherwise indicated. Upcoming meeting dates:

• July 16, 2024 (canceled)
• August 20, 2024
• September 17, 2024
• October 15, 2024
• November 19, 2024
• December 17, 2024
• January 21, 2025
• February 18, 2025
• March 18, 2025
• April 15, 2025
• May 20, 2025
• June 17, 2025