District 30 Board Brief

Dear District 30 Community,

Even though school is out, summer is a busy and productive time in District 30! This month's Board meeting showcased key work happening in our buildings this season, including a report on our successful Summer School session that was led by Principal Ms. Anna Davis and Assistant Principal Mrs. Sarah Arends. It was wonderful to see more than 350 students in our halls at Maple honing STEM and ELA skills, exploring the fine arts, participating in service learning, and getting a head start for the fall.

I am also proud to share that the Board approved the appointment of Mrs. Katie Petersen to the role of Assistant Principal at Wescott School. Mrs. Petersen is a veteran Special Education teacher at Wescott and offers valuable institutional knowledge, skills in building strong relationships with students, parents and staff, as well as district-level leadership experience from her previous role as a District 30 Student Services Coordinator. We look forward to all that she will accomplish in her new position!

Other highlights from this month's meeting include a report on our district-wide communications efforts to support our five-year Strategic Plan, as well as the summer curriculum work our teachers are currently completing. This valuable work includes strengthening co-teaching partnerships, bolstering District 30's social-emotional learning offerings, and more. Teachers will also visit Stevenson High School at the end of this month to attend a conference on enhancing our Professional Learning Teams, which ultimately support student success.

All of this summer activity keeps us busy, and positions our students to flourish in the 2025-26 school year. I am grateful to everyone who has been in our buildings during these sunny days to ensure we stay true to our mission to inspire learning, foster resilience and care deeply for every child!

Sincerely,

Dr. Emily K. Tammaru

Superintendent of Schools

Mrs. Sarah Arends, District 30 Summer School Assistant Principal and Maple Math Teacher, shared an overview of the 2025 Summer School program with the Board. More than 350 students from grades preK to 8 attended over 50 diverse class offerings this year, which included academics, physical education programs, fine art, and preparations for the next grade level for our elementary students, with classes like Kindergarten Readiness. The program also raised nearly $2,000 for local nonprofit organizations through the middle-school level Service Learning class. Click below to review the full report:

The Board approved the appointment of Wescott Special Education Teacher Katie Petersen to her new role as the school's Assistant Principal. She will replace Mrs. Alison Keller, who accepted a new position.

Mrs. Petersen offers a wealth of educational and leadership experience to this key role, with 17 years in District 30. She currently serves as a Special Education Teacher at Wescott and previously held the position of the District 30 Student Services Coordinator.

During her tenure, Mrs. Petersen has represented Wescott on numerous school and district committees, including the School Leadership Team, PERA, Time Study Committee, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Task Force, Literacy/Language Arts Curriculum Review Team, Staff Development Committee, and Elementary Report Card Committee.

She holds two Master of Education degrees from National Louis University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, focused on Reading and Educational Organization Leadership, respectively.

Mrs. Petersen told the Board she welcomes the opportunity to help Wescott create systematic changes that benefit students and staff. She added that she believes that an excellent school administrator takes the time to get to know their staff, parents, and community in order to foster an environment where people collaborate for a common purpose.

We congratulate her on this new leadership role!

Additionally, the Board approved the hire of the following staff members in these roles:

• Willowbrook: Jamin Craft, Andrea Kleppe, and Sam Mashni, Instructional Assistants for Complex Learners; and Marcia Potthast, School Assistant
• Maple: Luca Cinqui, Instructional Assistant
• Wescott: Tina Honore, Part-Time Music Teacher; Susan Kwon, Part-Time Art Teacher; Randa Mashni and Katherine White, Instructional Assistants for Complex Learners

Please welcome them to District 30!

Superintendent Dr. Emily K. Tammaru led a collaborative overview of this year's summer curriculum work. This work was completed by in teams by more than 20 staff members to further develop and evolve learning experiences and programs in these five areas for the upcoming school year:

• Co-Teaching
• Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA)
• 95 Reading Achievement Program (RAP)
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
• Social-Emotional Learning

Dr. Tammaru was joined in her presentation by Maple Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz; Human Resources Director Dr. Scott Carlson; Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Melissa Hirsch; and Director of Student Services Mrs. Lauren Schulman. These administrators explored how each project supports the District 30 Strategic Plan and modernizes frameworks, streamlines processes and ensures best practices in our schools.

District 30 Communications Coordinator Elisabeth Mistretta provided an overview of District 30 communications initiatives and accomplishments for the 2024-25 school year and how they support the Strategic Plan.

Highlights include the new district30.org website launched in fall 2024, along with a new app coming in fall 2025, plus a highly viewed video series titled "Living Our Plan in District 30." Overall the Strategic Plan efforts earned two awards this year from the National School Public Relations Association. In conjunction, Dr. Tammaru and Mrs. Mistretta will travel to the association's national conference in Washington D.C. next week to present on the communication efforts that supported the District 30 Strategic Plan.

Mrs. Mistretta also outlined upcoming initiatives for the 2025-26 school year that include community surveys on the District 30 Strategic Plan and communications satisfaction. Click below to explore the full report.

Dr. Tammaru and Mr. Dale Falk, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, discussed a report that summarizes known gifts received by District 30 during the 2024-25 school year, as Board policy states that gifts of $500 or more must be accepted by the Board.

Mr. Falk noted this annual approval process enables the Board to be aware of community support and to ensure the donations are appropriate.

Dr. Tammaru outlined that the District received over $86,000 in donations and gifts from fundraisers and local organizations that support our schools. Of that, approximately $63,000 was given by the Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple Parent-Teacher Organizations.

The Board approved the donations.

The Board approved a trip for several Maple School students who were selected this summer to attend the Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways (NESSP) NASA Experience Trip, happening August 11-15 in Orlando, Florida.

This national program, sponsored by NASA and coordinated through Central Washington University, brings together top-performing STEM student teams for a unique, all-expenses-paid educational experience.

Students participating in this trip are among 10 teams in the nation chosen. They earned their place by completing a months-long STEM challenge, demonstrating excellence in programming, engineering, biology, and teamwork. The trip includes visits to the Kennedy Space Center, hands-on NASA learning activities, and the potential opportunity to witness a rocket launch. NESSP is fully funding the trip, including airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, and admission fees for students and their Mission Advisor (chaperone), Science Teacher Mrs. Tricia Kearns.

In accordance with Board policy, Board approval is required for trips beyond a 200-mile radius. Members approved the trip unanimously.

Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki recapped the June 30 TrueNorth Leadership Council special meeting, during which the Council amended its Articles of Agreement that make withdrawal from the educational cooperative less burdensome, and outlines an orderly disolution for multiple districts. This action, he said, was a result of numerous members submitting petitions for withdrawal in recent months.

Mr. Rizki also noted that the Leadership Council accepted the recent resignation of TrueNorth Superintendent Dr. Kurt A. Schneider, subsequently appointing Andy Piper, Superintendent of Human Resources, to serve as Interim Superintendent until a permanent candidate is appointed for the 2025-26 school year.

District 30 continues its withdrawal process from TrueNorth.

The Board voted to approve the individual petitions from Northbrook District 27, Bannockburn School District 106, and Deerfield School District 109 to withdraw from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804. Petitions must be approved by all TrueNorth member districts in order to advance.

Dr. Tammaru reported that about 95 percent of students are registered for the 2025-26 school year and staffing is essentially complete. She noted the extremely high quality of candidates throughout the hiring process for the upcoming year, including recent hires.

The Board completed a second read of seven policies that required revisions to reflect District 30's recent withdrawal from the Northfield Township Trustees of School and the transition to a new Board appointed Treasurer, which became effective on July 1 this year. The Board approved all policy revisions to accurately reflect this change.

The Board completed a second read of 25 policies from this PRESS (Policy Reference Education Subscription Service) Issue, subsequently approving the adoption all changes proposed.

Board members Pamela Manicioto, Adan Galvan, and Dr. Tammaru met for a Board Policy Committee Thursday, prior to the regular meeting and reviewed PRESS Issue 119, which includes 19 policies.

Ms. Manicioto and Mr. Galvan reported a standard policy review, with only one suggested change surrounding whether to adopt language that outlines potential consequences for Board Members who fail to abide by the Code of Conduct. Mr. Galvan noted that the change would allow for flexibility of consequences, while also stressing accountability. Fellow Board members shared input and the group agreed to continue the discussion at their second reading.

A second reading and approval of these policies will be on the agenda for the August 14 regular meeting.

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

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 follows 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