District 30 Board Brief

Dr. Tammaru, Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki, Willowbrook Principal Mrs. Katie Compagno and Willowbrook Assistant Principal Mr. Erik Brekke recognized Willowbrook 5th-grade class for their leadership and impact through the school-job program. They also thanked their teachers, Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Kim and Mrs. Neumann, for their support. Jobs all 5th-graders may participate in are:

• Spirit Committee: Students who help lead the weekly Flag Raising ceremony, promote school spirit as Willowbrook's school nascot, and coordinate fun, school-wide spirit initiatives throughout the year.

• Preschool Pals: Students who help support the youngest Wildcats during arrival, dismissal, and in the classroom as kind and supportive role models.

• Peer Mentors: Students who serve as mentors for younger students, being a friendly face in the hallway, a positive role model, and an older friend at Willowbrook.

"Through these school-based jobs, our 5th-grade students have modeled school spirit, demonstrated initiative in supporting others, and shown a strong commitment to positively contributing to our school community," Mrs. Compagno said. "They are models for our younger students on what it truly means to be a Willowbrook Wildcat."

Willowbrook Principal Mrs. Katie Compagno and Assistant Principal Mr. Erik Brekke presented the annual Willowbrook School Report, detailing progress made toward the goals of the school improvement plan for this academic year.

Click below to review:

The Board of Education approved the hiring of two new administrators: Mrs. Ana Stockler was named Assistant Director of Student Services at Wescott School, and Mrs. Maggie Price was named Assistant Director of Student Services at Maple. They will be counterparts to Mr. Erik Brekke, who will hold this role at Willowbrook School and led by Mrs. Lauren Schulman, Director of Student Servicesl. These three roles are part of the "reimagining" of our staffing structure detailed earlier this school year, which aims to better serve students and staff directly at their site of learning and work starting in 2026-27.

Mrs. Price brings 16 years of middle school special education experience, currently serving the past eight years as a Special Education Teacher at Oliver McCracken Middle School in Skokie School District 73.5. For the last six years, Mrs. Price held roles as the school’s Special Education Team Lead and Department Leader. She has also coordinated the district’s summer school program.

Previously, she also served as a Special Education Teacher at Haven Middle School in Evanston/Skokie School District 65.

In her time at McCracken, Mrs. Price has been a member of her building MTSS Team, and has served as a new teacher mentor, PERA Committee Member and member of the Infrastructure and Fiscal Responsibility Team. In addition, she has been responsible for developing the master schedule each year.

Mrs. Price holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; A Master’s Degree in Literacy Education from Northeastern Illinois University, as well as a Master’s in Educational Leadership from National Louis University, where she also earned a Director of Special Education Endorsement.

Mrs. Stockler brings nearly 25 years of experience in Special Education, and has served District 30 since 2018 as a Learning Behavior Specialist at Willowbrook School. She also worked as an Administrative Intern at Willowbrook during the 2019-20 academic year.

In her time at Willowbrook, Mrs. Stockler has developed and implemented both targeted professional development for Instructional Assistants, as well as a building-wide Crisis Response Protocol. She served on the Planning Team for the District 30 2024-29 Strategic Plan, and previously co-led and facilitated the development of Willowbrook’s School Improvement Plan.

For 11 years, Mrs. Stockler also served as a Special Education Teacher in Glenview Public School District 34 at both Lyon Elementary School and Attea Middle School, where she earned the NSSED (North Suburban Special Education District) David Peterson Outstanding Educator Award in 2015 and was nominated for the Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Award in 2010. She also served from 2002-2007 as a Special Education Functional Curriculum Teacher at Woodland Elementary School in Atlanta, Ga.

Mrs. Stockler is fluent in Spanish and holds two Bachelor of Science Degrees in Special Education and Elementary Education from Pennsylvania State University; a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the University of Phoenix; and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University.

The Board reviewed student fees in the following categories: curriculum, transportation, field trips, lunch program and preschool. Following this, Board members approved changes to next year's fee structure that include:

• An approximate 3 percent increase in transportation fees, with a $25 discount for families who register by July 17, 2026;
• An approximate 2.8 percent increase in lunch program fees to address higher food and labor costs for the 2026-27 school year;
• An approximate 2.9% increase in the tuition for preschool for 2027-28 school year.

The Board discussed and unanimously approved a resolution to work with the Cook County Tax Coalition in addressing persistent delays in the Cook County property tax billing and collection cycle. The resolution will next be combined with other districts’ resolutions via the Cook County Tax Coalition to deliver a unified message to the county on its unacceptable delays.

As a steward of public funds, the Board took this measure to advocate for fiscal stability that maintains educational standards.

The resolution highlights the four-month delay in the 2024 second-installment tax bills, caused by administrative and technical failures. These delays have significant consequences, including cashflow uncertainty and instability. District 30 and other affected districts have also experienced a direct loss of interest income, as late funds cannot be invested in interest bearing accounts as scheduled.

The resolution also demands that the Cook County Treasurer's Office and relevant departments must immediately implement robust, permanent reforms to resolve systemic administrative and technical issues. Finally, the resolution urges Cook County to seek recompense from its vendor, Tyler Technologies, to recover lost revenue and incurred expenses (e.g., short-term borrowing interest) sustained by taxing bodies due to the failures.

The Board unanimously approved supporting the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) to advocate for crucial legislative changes. This statewide effort aims to influence the State Legislature to enact policies vital for sustainable school operations, teacher retention, and student success in public education.

The IASA 2030 Vision focuses on five key areas:

• Maintaining the evidence-based funding formula and ensuring the state fully meets funding commitments for fiscal stability and long-term planning.
• Fully funding mandated categorical programs like special education and transportation, in order to prevent local budget strain and cuts to other essential programs.
• Reforming the noncompetitive Tier 2 retirement to attract and retain high-quality educators and address the teacher shortage.
• Advocating for legislative evaluation of unfunded or underfunded mandates to prevent diversion of local resources.
• Supporting more investment in sustained, high-quality professional development, mentoring, and specialized training for teachers and principals to elevate instruction and leadership.

The Board of Education approved a bid from Abbey Construction Co., Inc. in the amount of $597,375 to complete a parking lot expansion project at Wescott, which includes some sidewalk replacements, additional bike racks, fencing repairs. This bid also encompasses:

• New bike racks and the creation of storage at Maple
• Sidewalk replacements, bollard installations, drainage improvements and a fencing upgrade at Willowbrook.

Additionally, the Board approved a bid from Monaco Mechanical in the amount of $967,700 to complete a boiler replacement and controls improvements project at Willowbrook.

Work will take place this summer as part of District 30's Master Facility Plan. which was presented to the Board earlier this academic year.

Approximately 80 Maple students and nearly 20 District 30 staff members worked on stage and behind the scenes since November to prepare for the school's spring musical, "High School Musical, Jr.," which was presented March 11-13 at the school under the direction of Library Media Specialist, Mrs. Jamie Holmer. Click here to see a full album of the musical.

Dr. Tammaru noted that this no-cut program finds a role either on stage or behind the scenes for any student who wishes to be involved in this inclusive theater experience.

"This is a wonderful display of how there is truly something for everyone," Dr. Tammaru said.

Dr. Tammaru also shared an announcement from the Maple School Athletic Department, stating that the school's softball program will transition to a co-ed team. The change stems from low participation across the conference this season. She noted that team organizers said this adjustment allows Maple to continue offering meaningful competition and ensure student-athletes have the opportunity to play, grow, and represent Maple with pride.

The Board, Dr. Tammaru, and Maple Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz discussed a plan to preserve the beloved 8th-grade Washington D.C. field trip by evolving its organizational model. To ensure the trip remains a staple of the Maple experience, the district is looking to shift from its current school-sponsored model that partners with WorldStrides and transition to a new partnership between WorldStrides and a parent-led group.

This shift aligns Maple with neighboring districts that have successfully transitioned to this format. By moving to a parent-organized model, the school can address modern challenges, such as staff chaperoning availability and school liability, while keeping the high-quality itinerary parents expect. The potential shift ensures the D.C. trip remains a viable, annual tradition for our students without the constraints of a school-sponsored event.

To support this evolution, Maple School will offer "transition guidance," including historical knowledge and contacts, to help parent organizers assume primary responsibility in the coming years. Maple is committed to helping facilitate a smooth evolution of this tradition in collaboration with any parent groups interested in leading this trip for future classes.

Dr. Tammaru shared that the U.S. Department of Education recently announced the end of the President’s Education Awards Program. The Department noted its aim is to return student recognition programs to the state and local levels.

As a result, the Board and District 30 administration will collaborate with the Maple School team to explore the possibility of a meaningful, local alternative that recognizes the hard work and accomplishments of our 8th-grade students.

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. He stated that the TrueNorth Executive Committee – made up of superintendents also from TrueNorth member districts – presented a staffing plan to the Governing Board this month.

Dr. Tammaru, a member of the Executive Committee, detailed that the plan consolidates the cooperative's multiple alternative schools into one, now dividing them into different sites or "pods" by grade-level groupings.

"This reorganization of services aligns the goals of TrueNorth, which is to support all students so that they can excel," Dr. Tammaru said.

She added that the Board also approved personnel restructuring that reduces staff, primarily focused on office and administrative-level roles.

"Our board received good feedback from the Executive Committee that the focus remains on the students, and TrueNorth's communication practices with families will also remain strong," Mr. Rizki said.

Additionally, the Board of Education appointed Dr. Stephanie Yohannan as an alternate to serve on the TrueNorth Governing Board in any case of Mr. Rizki's absence.

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