District 30 Board Brief

Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki, Dr. Tammaru and the Board recognized the career of Dr. Melissa Hirsch, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. She will retire on June 30 after 24 years in District 30, which included service as Principal of Willowbrook School, and 34 years in education. Click below to see:

The Board held a public hearing regarding District 30's proposed eLearning Plan for the 2026-29 school years and later approved the plan. It outlines the district's approach to ensuring continuity of instruction and student learning during emergency or weather-related school closures through the use of remote learning opportunities.

Members of the District 30 administrative team presented the Board with updates on the key performance indicators of the District 30 2024-29 Strategic Plan and its goals. Updates include findings after the first year of the new District 30 English Language Arts curriculum

Their report also outlined areas of focus for the 2026-27 school year that will allow District 30 to continue working toward the five goals of the Strategic Plan.

Click the image below to read the full report below:

During the Board's committee meeting, District 30 Communications Coordinator Elisabeth Mistretta provided a review of communications developments and efforts during the 2025-26 school year, including the launch of the new District 30 mobile app, plus a third year of earning recognition from the National School Public Relations Association.

Click the image below to read the report:

The Board approved two interfund transfers to the Capital Projects Fund this month:

• $3 million from the Educational Fund (Ed)
• $1 million from the Operations & Management Fund (O&M)

Both the Ed and O&M Funds hold sufficient balances for anticipated expenditures while positioning the Capital Projects Fund for future facility improvements.

Dr. Tammaru reported on the third annual Data Retreat that occurred June 8-9 at Willowbrook. This annual event gathers District 30 administrators, school administration teams, and each building's School Improvement Team to reflect on the previous year, review achievement data and plan for the upcoming academic year.

"I am very proud of this activity, which marks a cornerstone to our district's commitment to continuous improvement and student excellence," Dr. Tammaru stated.

This year's Data Retreat included 34 staff members from across District 30. Ultimately, the participants finish the retreat with a preliminary draft of each school's School Improvement Plan for the upcoming year. These plans will be presented to the Board of Education in early fall.

"This retreat allows us to have a structured continuous improvement cycle by aligning our work to the District 30 Strategic Plan," Dr. Tammaru said.

Dr. Tammaru noted that a large number of families took advantage of discounted registration from May 1-31 and enrollment rates are in line with previous years. She also noted that Wescott kindergarten numbers are lower than expected, and District 30 is monitoring this shift to ensure optimal class sections this fall.

The Village of Northbrook is exploring a tax increment financing (TIF) district in downtown Northbrook for the former W.W. Grainger property at 1657 Shermer Road, which is part of District 30. The TIF district would also include Meadows Plaza that is part of Northbrook School District 28.

At the W.W. Grainger property, the Village is moving forward with a purchase-and-sale of the site to Habitat Development Company LLC for $10.5 million. Habitat intends to construct a five-story mixed-use building featuring 300 to 320 residential units and has requested up to $3.5 million in TIF funding to reimburse eligible expenses.

Dr. Tammaru detailed a memo created for the Board of Education, as well as discussions with village administrators, citing significant concerns about the negative effect this development would create for District 30 and Wescott School. These include the following concerns outlined in the memo:

• Facility limits -Adding a large number of new students will place a heavy strain on vital shared spaces, such as Wescott's cafeteria and library, requiring expansion to those spaces, along with the addition of classrooms.

• Site Constraints - Because Wescott has limited acreage to expand its footprint, any structural additions would severely impact the outdoor playground and play spaces, diminishing the environment for existing students.

• The Reality of Undercounting: Dr. Tammaru noted District 30 must look to history for guidance in projecting the number of new students this development would add. When the Sterling Place development at 1910 Techny Road was built in 2018, the developer-commissioned impact study projected a yield of only 15 elementary students. In reality, District 30 has 43 students enrolled from that development for 2026–27, a striking 187 percent undercount. "We cannot afford to evaluate our capacity needs using generic or minimized formulas," she said.

• District 30 Revenue Frozen at $0 for 23 years: Village officials shared with Dr. Tammaru and fellow administrators that, because the Grainger property's baseline EAV is frozen at $0, all new property tax growth generated by this development over the next 23 years will be diverted into the Village's TIF fund rather than flowing to the school district to offset the costs of educating the significant number of expected new students.

• Disproportionate Burden on Residents: Under Illinois’ Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), District 30's overall operating levy does not shrink when a TIF is created. Instead, because the TIF property's taxable value is locked at zero for taxing bodies, the district's tax rate must adjust across the rest of the community. Consequently, the financial burden of funding the increased operational costs of new students will be shifted directly onto existing residential homeowners outside the TIF area.

"We support economic development in downtown Northbrook," Dr. Tammaru said. "However, successful community growth should never come at the expense of our local schools or classroom stability."

Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki reported on this month's meeting of the TrueNorth Governing Board, made up of a Board of Education member from each school district in the cooperative. Dr. Tammaru also attended the meeting of the Executive Committee, which includes superintendents from each member school district.

Mr. Rizki reported that the TrueNorth Board elected seven new officers for a two-year term and passed the cooperative's annual budget.

"The mood was one of excitement and progress from a year ago," Mr. Rizki said.

The Board completed a second reading of the 19 policies in PRESS Issue 121, plus policy 4:100 – standard insurance policy adopted each year by District 30 – each with no changes of note. The Board subsequently approved their adoption.

The Board approved the hire of the following individuals for the 2026-27 school year: Norbert Barszczewski, Maple Instructional Assistant; Ramsin Israel, District 30 Mobile Device Specialist, Hye Yeon Kim, Wescott School Clerk; Sara McDonagh, District 30 Accounting Coordinator; Julie Meyers, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant - Complex Learner; Ashley Shaevitz, Wescott Instructional Assistant; and Sally Yik, Maple Teacher.

Please welcome them to District 30!

Additionally, the Board approved two resignations, one leave of absence, and two planned retirements for the 2029-30 school year.

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