Board Highlights

Welcome to this week’s edition of Board Highlights! We’re excited to share key updates from the latest board meeting, including:

• Progress on Master Facilities Planning to support long-term district improvements;

• Updates on our Career Exploration framework for middle school students;

• The board’s approval of a PE waiver application for middle schools to accommodate the new schedule; and

• The adoption of a new social science curriculum for middle schools, designed to inspire critical thinking and global awareness.

We’d also like to remind you that the board will not meet in July. Our next meeting is scheduled for August 12, 2025.

We hope summer is off to a great start for all our students, families, and staff. Thank you for staying engaged with the important work happening in District 97!

At the June 10 meeting, the Board received an update on the district’s Master Facilities Planning process, aimed at ensuring safe, sustainable, and adaptable learning environments for students and staff. This update built on the financial presentation shared on May 27, which emphasized the importance of integrating financial forecasting with facilities planning to account for anticipated project costs and ensure responsible completion.

Key highlights from the June 10 presentation included:

• Progress Updates from 2024-25: The team has completed detailed space utilization and capacity analyses for all district schools, alongside in-depth facility condition assessments. These assessments are guiding the creation of improvement recommendations tailored to each school’s unique needs and opportunities.
  
  

• Stakeholder Engagement: Input from school principals, PTOs, and the Facility Advisory Committee (FAC) has been integral to the planning process. Additional input sessions are planned to gather feedback from all schools and community stakeholders.
  
  

• Guiding Principles: The district is using a robust set of guiding principles to prioritize projects, including sustainability, enhanced safety, alignment with curriculum needs, and long-term infrastructure planning.
  
  

• Next Steps: Immediate priorities include identifying critical maintenance projects to be addressed in Summer 2026, such as roof replacement work. The full Master Facility Plan, outlining a long-term vision for facilities improvements, is on track for completion in December 2025.

The PaCE Framework (Postsecondary Career Exploration) has been adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board, and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for benchmarking key points in the college and career planning process for students.

School districts are required to adopt and implement career development activities, in accordance with the PaCE framework, for grades 6 to 12 by July 1, 2025.

• Summer 2025: Convene a design team, create a Career Exploration website, and evaluate tools like “SchoolLinks.”
  
  

• Fall 2025: Launch SchoolLinks, complete a career exploration audit, and design a shared curriculum unit.
  
  

• Spring 2026: Host a culminating Career Day event and expand the framework for future school years.
  
  

District 97 is deeply committed to the holistic well-being of students and believes in the importance of physical education (PE) as part of their development.

As we developed our new middle school master schedule this year, our team worked to balance many priorities, such as daily instruction in core subjects, targeted interventions, engaging electives, PE, and social time. Guided by community input, the new schedule increases time for core subjects—English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Science—while continuing to support students’ holistic growth.

At its June 10 meeting, the D97 Board approved a three-year waiver application for Illinois’ PE requirement, allowing PE to continue on an A/B rotation under the new Brooks and Julian schedules. Click here to view the board discussion. >>

Illinois law requires PE at least three days in a five-day week. The district sought guidance from the state on compliance, and ultimately decided to complete the waiver process when no clear decision was provided. The new schedule reflects community calls for increased time in core subjects while maintaining a strong commitment to PE and movement.

A public hearing during the June 10 meeting provided an opportunity for community input, after which the Board approved the waiver for state submission.

The new middle school schedule begins in 2025-26. Leadership and staff will monitor its impact to ensure it continues to support students’ holistic development.

For more information about the master schedule redesign, visit:

• Middle School Master Schedule FAQ

• Middle School Master Schedule Overview

During the special business meeting on May 27, 2025, the board of education heard an update from the Core Instruction team on the social science curriculum review process for District 97 middle schools, as well as their recommendation for adoption: Discovery Education.

On June 10, the board voted unanimously to adopt the new curriculum. The D97 Core Instruction team will develop an implementation plan to support a full rollout beginning in the 2025-26 school year.