Board Highlights

This newsletter features highlights from District 97 Board of Education meetings.

Click here to access full meeting agendas and packets. Recordings of our meetings are also available on our YouTube page. For more about our board, visit www.op97.org/boe.

Transformation Goal 2: We Design for All

During the April 22 special business meeting, the English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Committee updated the board on core instruction and the literacy curriculum evaluation process for kindergarten through fifth grade.

The initiative has been driven through professional learning, peer collaboration, and cross-functional leadership—demonstrating a practitioner-centered approach that elevated those closest to student learning.

The literacy curriculum evaluation process has been intentionally inclusive, involving:

• Educators: Teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders contributed over 500 professional hours to the resource review and pilot process.

• Families and Students: The district gathered input through surveys and listening sessions to inform decision making, prioritizing the voices of students and families.

• Pilot Programs: The committee rigorously piloted three comprehensive ELA resources—Amplify CKLA/Caminos, HMH Into Reading/Arriba la Lectura, and SAVVAS myView/miVision—across multiple schools. Teachers, students, and families provided feedback, with Amplify CKLA/Caminos emerging as the preferred resource.

At the core of D97’s evaluation framework are the Seven Components of Literacy, outlined in the ISBE’s Comprehensive Literacy Plan: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension, Writing, and Oral Language (Oracy)

The board will vote to adopt the proposed literacy curriculum on May 13, 2025. The ELA Curriculum Committee will then develop a plan to implement the adopted resource for the 2025-26 school year.

To view the full update, click the following links: Recording | Slides

Transformation Goals: ALL

The Teacher Leadership Roles Committee proposes expanding stipend-based teacher leadership roles to strengthen instruction, amplify teacher voice, and support student achievement.

For the 2025-26 school year, the proposal includes 196 teacher leadership roles with a budget of $639,000. These roles will span elementary, middle school, and district-wide leadership, including multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) leads, team leaders, and department chairs. Roles will be monitored through work product reviews, administrator feedback, and staff reflections.

The board will vote on the proposed expansion on May 13, 2025. If approved, teacher leadership role applications will be open May 14-27, with selections finalized by June 4, 2025.

To view the full update, click the following links: Recording | Slides

Next Board Meeting

The District 97 Board of Education will hold its next regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Meeting agendas, recordings and materials can be found on our new Diligent platform: https://op97.diligent.community/Portal/