Hawthorn Board Highlights

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Present

• Joel Finfer
• Julie Clifford
• George Fievet
• Robin Cleek
• Wes Polen
• Michael Engle

Absent

• Karl Borchers

• The February 11, 2025, Site & Facilities Committee meeting focused on Quest Food Service, with three Quest leaders providing updates. A new Site Lead was appointed at MSN, and initial feedback has been positive.
• Corporate chefs now visit buildings twice weekly for quality control and training. Quest has improved meal communication and expanded vegetarian options.
• Student meal participation is up 22%, with 300 more meals served daily. Breakfast participation has more than doubled due to new options and accessibility.
• Quest will host parent focus groups for feedback, continue training on scratch cooking, and introduce food tasting events for students.
  

Dr. Allison Stein, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, discussed the Title I Schoolwide Waiver for Hawthorn School of Dual Language and Townline Elementary. The ISBE notified Hawthorn that the Dual Language School’s Title I plan is up for renewal, and Townline qualifies for Title I status next year based on free and reduced lunch data. Both schools have developed plans with input from their Guiding Coalitions. Board approval is required before submitting the district’s Consolidated District Plan (CDP) to the state.

Mr. Adam Palmer, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, presented the 2025-2026 Staffing Plan, developed through a review of enrollment trends and staffing needs. The process began in fall with data analysis, followed by winter discussions with administrators. Enrollment has remained stable, guiding projections. For 2025-26, General Education and Student Services staffing will remain the same, with the addition of one multilingual Russian teacher. The plan maintains small class sizes and allows flexibility for future enrollment shifts.

We are excited to share that the following Middle School Foundational Resource adoptions have been approved by our Board of Education! ¡Qué Chévere! has been adopted for Spanish, OpenSciEd for science, Amplify Desmos Math for math, and Wayfinder for social-emotional learning (SEL). These resources were carefully selected to support high-quality learning for students and staff. We appreciate the Board’s approval and look forward to implementing these materials.

The Policy Sub-Committee met on January 27 to discuss updates to 16 policies. These updates will have been approved by the Board of Education.

We are excited to share that the Board of Education has approved the 2025 summer construction bid package! At the February 6th Board meeting, Tom McGrath of Lamp Incorporated presented the preliminary bid results. After a thorough review of all trade packages, the final project costs remain at $2,551,638. With approval secured, Mr. McGrath will begin coordinating supply orders and work schedules to move the projects forward.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on March 19, 2025 at Hawthorn District Office.