D75 Spotlight Newsletter
June 16, 2025
Dr. Kevin Myers, Superintendent, Districts 75 and 120
The 2024-25 school year was a period full of accomplishments, a time of change, and a starting point toward building an even brighter future for our students.
We’re so proud of the following accomplishments:
Our team at Washington helped our students show tremendous growth on the STAR assessment in the area of math. The STAR assessment measures how far students have shown growth in various subjects. From the fall to the spring this past school year, more than 40 percent of Washington students experienced high growth in math. During the same period in the previous year, 26 percent had high growth. That’s a 14 percent improvement in math in one year.
Carl Sandburg Middle School’s 8th Grade Symphonic Band was named 2025 Honor Band at the SuperState Band Festival, putting them at the top of the list of best middle school bands in the state. Their success is sure to have reverberations throughout School District 75. Not only will CSMS receive an automatic invitation to perform at next year’s SuperState Band Festival, but younger students will now aspire for something they might not have considered in the past.
Mechanics Grove Principal Tanya Fergus was honored in May as part of the Illinois State Board of Education’s “Those Who Excel Awards.” She received an Award of Special Recognition in the category of school administrators - one of only a few Lake County administrators to receive the award this year.
We have great expectations after setting in place these building blocks for the future:
Members of our K-5 faculty and D75 administrators worked hard on researching and testing a new math curriculum, choosing Eureka Math Squared as the new primary resource for math instruction from kindergarten through fifth grade. Washington and Mechanics Grove will begin using the new math resource in the fall. A supplemental math resource, Number Corner (third edition), will also be used.
In March, we began building a new stage at Carl Sandburg Middle School. The L-shaped addition on the school’s southeast side will include a handicapped accessible stage, dressing rooms and storage. The estimated capacity will be about 200, similar to the size of the Lincoln School stage. The gymnasium near the school office will remain in place and serve as a seating area for performances.
We're excited about changes moving forward:
In February, the School Board hired Dr. Lilli Melamed to serve as the next principal at Washington Early Learning Center beginning July 1. Interim Principal, Dr. Gabrielle Devlin, will step back into her role in District 75’s Teaching and Learning Department.
Also in February, the Board selected Dr. Corey Tafoya as the next superintendent (for both D75 and D120) as I begin my retirement. Corey will fit in well with the School Board, staff and District 75 community. He joins a team here that is second-to-none, and is well-prepared to lead us into a bright future in District 75.
Board News & Notes
Shared Services Report
During a joint meeting of the District 75 and District 120 School Boards, administrative teams from both districts presented an update on Shared Service programs and strategies. The presentations highlighted the areas of teaching and learning, student services, finance and operations, technology, human resources, public relations and schools. They also reported on the efficiencies and effectiveness of the strategies within a shared services model.
Tentative Budget - Board Approved
The School Board approved the tentative budget for fiscal year 2025-26. The budget reflects the budgetary guidelines and assumptions established by the Board in April. The budget will be made available for public inspection. A public hearing will be held on the budget at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26 at the East District Office, 470 N. Lake Street.
New Superintendent begins July 1
School Boards from both Mundelein School Districts 75 and 120 named Dr. Corey Tafoya as the next superintendent to lead within its shared services model.
Tafoya, currently the Superintendent of Harvard Community Unit School District 50, will take over the leadership of retiring Mundelein Superintendent Dr. Kevin Myers beginning on July 1.
The decision to hire Tafoya was finalized in a unanimous vote Tuesday evening during a special joint meeting of school boards from the two districts.
“Corey will fit into our districts seamlessly,” said Mundelein Elementary School District 75 Board President Kristie Fingerhut. “We have the right person for the job.”
Tafoya has served as District 50 superintendent since July 2017. Prior to that he was assistant superintendent at Community High School District 155 in Crystal Lake for three years. He served as the Woodstock High School principal from 2005 to 2014.
D75 puts focus on math; chooses Eureka Squared
Beginning in the fall, students at Washington and Mechanics Grove will begin using a new math resource, the culmination of a two-year process that is expected to improve math growth throughout the school district.
Just like with District 75’s previous focus on literacy, which began five years ago, the keys to improving the math program include professional development of the teaching staff and having all staff, kindergarten through fifth grade coming together to improve student learning.
“That’s the power with this resource,” said Jill Unger. “We saw this in literacy and our teachers are excited and ready to do this again with math.
When students come back in August, Eureka Math Squared will be the primary resource for math instruction from kindergarten through fifth grade. Eureka Math Squared closely aligns with D75’s math content and practice standards and it supports diverse learning needs and linguistic development. Like Bridges, Eureka Math Squared places a lot of emphasis on hands-on learning - using tangible items such as blocks and shapes to learn math concepts.
Mundelein's shared services model helps save on administrative costs
The shared services model used by Mundelein School Districts 75 and 120 has proven itself beneficial in many ways. It provides continuity and collaboration among staff from both districts, efficiencies in materials, supplies and skilled labor, and cost savings in administrative compensation.
In fact, a comparison of other Lake County districts shows just how Mundelein schools benefit from a deep administrative team at a much more efficient cost.
“The bottom line is the cost of administrators for both districts is substantially less than any other comparable school district in Lake County,” said Kevin Myers, Superintendent for Districts 75 and 120. “Yet we get the benefit of both our districts working together. That’s significant.”
When making such comparisons, it’s important to note that not all districts throughout Lake County look the same. Some are elementary districts, some are high school districts and some are unit districts (K-12). When comparing with unit districts, the two Mundelein districts are combined.
While Mundelein has more administrators (15) than all but two high school districts, District 120 only pays for 8.25 (55 percent) of those administrators, putting it among the lowest in the county. The same holds true for elementary districts. In District 75, the total number of administrators is on the high end, but lower than all but one other district when considering that it pays for just 6.75 (45 percent) of the cost for those administrators.
Hispanic Nursing Association provides service to D75 Latino families
Slipping on a child-size hospital gown and wrapping a small toy stethoscope around his neck, the boy inspected his new look. He also wore a clipped-on medical ID card complete with his name and picture. Suddenly, the elementary-age student looked like a medical professional.
It was all part of a special program bringing District 75 Latino families together for a series of four educational events in April hosted by the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN).
“Families might not always have access to this information or been exposed to such information,” said Lilliana Trespalacios, a nurse with the Illinois Chapter of NAHN. “We also want to set the example of Latinos working in healthcare.”
The program was made available through a $10,000 Fuel 2 Flourish grant received by Illinois’ Chapter of NAHN. The purpose of the grant is to expose more Hispanic children and their families to the field of nursing and to educate them on better healthy living choices.
Seven D75 staff members nominated for Lake County Educator of the Year Award
We are very fortunate to have such a talented, passionate and dedicated staff in District 75. In May, eight of them were recognized as nominees at the Lake County Educator of the Year Ceremony.
They included MG dual language teacher Angie Esparza, MG special education teacher Claudia Brownlie, Carl Sandburg Assistant to the Principal Jill Feigen, Washington kindergarten teacher Julie Rossetti, Carl Sandburg social worker Jodi Shnol, Carl Sandburg math teacher Kim Lemperis, MG counselor Angela Markowicz, and D75/D120 Deputy Superintendent Sarah Cacciatore.
CSMS Band receives top honor at SuperState Festival
On a Monday in mid-May, just three days after Carl Sandburg Middle School’s 8th Grade Symphonic Band performed at the University of Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival, Band Director Moulee Gupta called the students out of their classes. She said she wanted to get a group photo.
When they gathered, she announced the news no one had expected: Their band had been named the 2025 Honor Band at SuperState in Champaign, putting them at the top of the best middle school bands in the State of Illinois.
“They were screaming, crying, they couldn’t believe it. They knew all their hard work had paid off. It was pure joy,” Gupta said.
Just a few days earlier, on May 9 the band was excited just to perform at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Illinois campus. They had never reached such an honor before and they weren’t thinking of earning any further accolades.
The rigorous selection process makes selection to perform at SuperState a rare achievement. This year only seven middle school bands were selected from the entire state.
Work begins on stage addition at Carl Sandburg
Like most middle schools, Carl Sandburg Middle School hosts a musical each year. But unlike other schools, students perform the show at outside venues because they don’t have a stage of their own.
That will soon change now that construction started on a new stage addition to Carl Sandburg.
The L-shaped addition on the school’s southeast side will expand what is currently the school’s south gym, will include a handicapped accessible stage, dressing rooms and storage. The estimated capacity will be about 200, similar in size at Lincoln Early Learning Center, where the musical has sometimes been performed. The south gymnasium will serve as a seating area for performances.
The project began in March when construction crews fenced off the main entrance to the school. The official groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 30.
“We’re extremely excited,” said Principal Andrew Vondran. “It’s something new and something that’s going to create excitement. It creates a space kids will want to be involved in. From performing to backstage crew, there will be lots of opportunities to get more students involved in both fine arts and performing arts.”
CSMS honors Mark Pilut with room dedication
When Mark Pilut retired in 2024 after serving as principal of Carl Sandburg Middle School for 20 years, he said he wouldn’t mind if changes are made once he’s gone.
One change was made this spring with the renaming of the school’s multi-purpose room, also known as the MPR. In May, the school dedicated the room in his name and MPR now stands for the “Mark Pilut Room.”
“This room embodies what Mark Pilut had meant to the Carl Sandburg community,” said Kevin Myers, Superintendent of Districts 75 and 120. “This room is a gathering place everyday for our students - it’s the heart of the building.”
MG principal receives State Board of Education award
On the night of the fourth-grade concert at Mechanics Grove Elementary School, music teacher Ashley Oropeza announced that students played a big part in planning the evening’s performance.
It was no surprise to the parents; students at MG regularly take leadership roles in school events. It’s part of a philosophy shared by Principal Tanya Fergus, who has helped to grow and develop the “Leader in Me” program at the school.
Fergus, in her 10th year leading Mechanics Grove, regularly models leadership for her students and staff. She spearheaded several groundbreaking programs aimed at enhancing both academic achievement and the social-emotional well-being of students.
For all of her achievements, Fergus was honored in May as part of the Illinois State Board of Education’s “Those Who Excel Awards.” She received an Award of Special Recognition in the category of school administrators - one of only a few Lake County administrators to receive the award this year.
“I’m really very honored and very excited,” Fergus said. “It’s nice to know I’m still having an impact.”
D75 names new Washington principal
The District 75 School Board on Feb. 25 approved the hiring of Dr. Lilli Melamed to serve as the next principal at Washington Early Learning Center.
Melamed will begin at Washington on July 1, as Interim Principal Dr. Gabrielle Devlin steps back into her role in District 75’s Teaching and Learning Department. She was selected following a search that considered 16 candidates and three finalists.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Melamed said. “Mundelein is a wonderful community, and I am looking forward to serving the students, staff and families of Washington School.”
