Board President Gerald Pauling introduced a new era for the HF Board as a student representative joined the board for the first time in district history. Senior Jaila Parrish will be the student representative and junior Gabe McKinney is in training for next school year and will fill-in should Jayila not be able to attend a meeting.
College Night was a tremendous success last night with the efforts of our post-secondary counselors and administrative team. Gerald thanked the administrative team for its efforts to navigate the challenging times related to the global events.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Wakeley shared that HF students are attending a leadership conference in Madison, Wisconsin to meet with students from throughout MSAN to talk about the impact they can have in their schools. They have taken part in Zoom forums in the past and this year will be in person. The MSAN Network is a national coalition of multiracial school districts learning, growing, and working together toward the goal of improving access, opportunity and achievement for students of color
Board Vice President Nate Legardy welcomed student representatives Jailla and Gabe to the fold. He encouraged the students to advocate and represent their peers through this process.
Nate attended the Career Fair during the day on Monday which gives students a well-rounded exposure to potential career opportunities. The event had so much on display from military to engineering to construction and more. The maintenance team did a great job with the set-up for both events.
Nate will attend the Tri-Conference and will bring back ideas to the Board along with Pam Jackson and Michelle Hoereth.
Board Member Pam Jackson recognized student representative Jaila Paris for attending her first meeting. She said she is looking forward to hearing Jaila's future reports on behalf of her fellow students. Pam will represent the Board at the Tri-Conference and will bring forward resolutions for the consideration of the Board. Pam attended the Consortium of State School Boards Association meeting in Washington DC to learn about the federal legislative process, meet with Illinois legislators to advocate for our school, and focus on increased funding, broadband and cyber security, teacher and principal shortages and IDEA.
Principal Dr. Clinton Alexander shared that the climate at HF is really good and students are gelling. It's permeating the atmosphere for students and staff alike. He also shared that the school is seeing good progress with de-tracking efforts as students are challenged and supported in taking rigorous coursework.
Director of Communications and Engagement Carla Erdey shared that Director of Alumni Engagement Victoria Koblick has worked with 10 class reunions this fall bringing nearly 500 alumni back to campus. Vicky has worked with them to ensure their return home is a positive one and is making efforts to connect alumni with students as guest speakers as well as encouraging financial contributions to support scholarships and programming.
SuperEval Software
The Board of Education approved the purchase of the superintendent evaluation software tool SuperEval at an annual rate of $1,800 plus a $395 one-time onboarding fee. SuperEval offers educational leadership evaluations throughout the state of Illinois. SuperEval helps a leadership team: determine key areas of focus and improvement, create a goal-aligned district, deepen conversations and support continuous growth. It is a fair, objective and evidence-based process to evaluate the superintendent.
Maintenance Projects
- The Board of Education authorized the Chief School Business Official to submit an application for the FY2024 Round 1 School Maintenance Project Grant with the Illinois State Board of Education.
- The Board of Education approved the scope of work for the FY2024 E-Building Chiller Plant Project to Precision Control Systems of Griffith, Indiana, in the amount of $1,139,745.
- The Board of Education approved the scope of work for the FY2024 E-Building Dual Duct Box Replacements to Precision Control Systems of Griffith, Indiana, in the amount of $513,610.
