November 2025 Board Meeting Recap
Fremont School District 79
Regular Board Meeting
Board President Gabriela Whipple remarked on the District recently being named to the Chicago Tribune 2025 Top Workplaces list. The recognition aligns with the District's strategic goal of a Safe, Healthy & Connected Culture. She also stated that the District shared a list of free mental health resources with families and staff that can be utilized.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Trisha Kocanda stated that November 15 was School Board Members Day and thanked these volunteers for their continued efforts to support our students, staff, and schools. The school recently celebrated Veterans Day, where students learned about the meaning and origin of this important holiday while thanking the veterans in attendance for their service. The first trimester of the school year just came to a close and parents and teachers were thanked for their ongoing communication with conferences coming up next Monday. Additionally, the State of Illinois recently released its school designations with Fremont Elementary earning "Exemplary" status and Fremont Intermediate and Middle Schools being recognized as "Commendable."Finally, the District is examining the possibility of adding the option of a two-hour delayed start to its school day, if needed, in the event of inclement weather.
Pledge of Allegiance
This month's Pledge of Allegiance was led by students from Lincoln Early Learning Center.
Recognition
The meeting featured a recognition for Fremont Intermediate School staff members Lisa Schippel, Susan Wittenkeller, Melissa Serowka, and Nick Wyatt for their innovative efforts to reimagine their programming and create a STEM/CTE hub in the intermediate school's lower level and renew the use of the library/resource center for flexible use.
Presentations
Director of Buildings, Grounds & Safety James Pettinger, Director of Transportation Leslie Lauritzen, and Director of Information Systems and Network Security Craig Albers provided an update on the District's continuing efforts to prioritize safety and security. Recent updates include new two-way radios and cameras on school buses, enhanced school bus loading & unloading zones, adoption of the Standard Response Protocol, updated emergency response kits, new security gates to protect school playgrounds, CPR and AED training for staff, and improved technology systems and security measures.
The Board reviewed the 2025 tentative tax levy presentation, which explained that while the levy is the dollar amount requested by the District, the actual extension received is calculated based on the prior year's extension plus CPI (capped at 5%) and new property value. Based on the December 2024 CPI of 2.9% and preliminary estimates of $19.7M in new construction, the District presented a total tentative levy request of $35,850,110.78, with the largest allocations going to the Educational Fund ($28.1M) and Operations & Maintenance Fund ($3.2M). The actual extension will be determined once final calculations are made in spring 2026, using updated equalized assessed valuation (EAV) figures, which are currently estimated at $1.3B excluding new construction.
Informational Items
Dr. Kocanda provided an update on new residential developments within the District's boundaries as well as the forthcoming Ivanhoe Village project.
- D79 and D120 have requested to be proactive partners in developing "lookback" language for the Ivanhoe Village approval plan that would provide impact fee safeguards for the schools if the number of students emanating from the development exceeds initial projections. Considerations were sent to the Village of Mundelein Administrator on October 7, and a meeting where the considerations were reviewed was held on October 16. Several issues were raised with the Wirtz development team's ensuing response. As of November 11, no response to the concerns has been received by the school districts.
- The superintendents of the two districts sent a formal objection letter to the Village of Mundelein on October 13 concerning inadequate impact fees for Pulte's proposed Walnut Ridge development. Additionally, public commentary on the topic were made at the Village's October 27 meeting. The Village's impact fee ordinance has resulted in a massive disparity compared to the 2020 agreement with Pulte for the Sheldon Woods development. The new ordinance had led to an offer of approximately 50 percent less in impact fees, meaning a potential shortfall of $466,000.
- Next steps for the District include continuing to educate the community, advocating with the Village of Mundelein to determine specifics of the "10-year lookback" for the Ivanhoe Village project, determining legislative next steps to offset the enrollment growth impact, and evaluating all potential avenues, including litigation, to ensure taxpayer and educational interests are upheld.
The Following Action Items Were Approved:
- Resolution 26-05 Amendatory Medline Tax Abatement
- Resolution 26-09 Authorizing Disposal of School District Personal Property
- 2026-27 K-8 School Calendar
- FY2026 School Project Maintenance Grant
To view the Board Packet materials from the November 17, 2025, meeting, click here.
Fremont School District 79
Address: 28855 North Fremont Center Road, Mundelein, IL
Phone: (847) 566-0169
Website: fsd79.org
Instagram: @FSD79
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/fremont-school-district-79
YouTube: youtube.com/FSD79