District 30 Board Brief

The newly elected Maple Student Council officers were celebrated this month, with Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki and Superintendent Dr. Emily K. Tammaru sharing certificates of recognition and praise with these student leaders. They also highlighted longtime Student Council Sponsor Ms. Lynn Reimer, who will retire this spring, and co-sponsor Ms. Jessica Murukurthy. Congratulations and click below to see!

Student Council Officers are:

• President: Mia Sit
• Vice Presidents: Oliver Gilman and Matios Teshome
• Secretary: Veronica Mandl
• Fund Chairperson: Aryahi Akash
• Social Chairs: Mikey Armbruster and Scarlett Savery
• Assistant Fund Chair: Owen Abrams
• Assistant Social Chair: Benny Fine

October is Principal Appreciation Month, October 19-24 is Illinois Principal Appreciation Week and October 23 is Illinois Principal Appreciation Day. To celebrate, Mr. Rizki and Dr. Tammaru honored our school principals for their outstanding dedication to our students and staff: Dr. Sam Kurtz at Maple, Mrs. Katie Compagno at Willowbrook, and Dr. Tony Candela at Wescott. Click below to see!

During the Committee meeting, Dr. Tammaru and Director of Teaching and Learning Ms. Katherine Kelly presented details of how District 30 students performed on annual assessments, including the NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress). They highlighted how District 30 students demonstrate both achievement and growth that are well above state and national averages. They also celebrated all three District 30 schools being named among the best schools in Illinois for 2027 by U.S. News and World Report.

They will present a report on IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) data at next month's Board meeting, after the data is publicly released October 30.

Click below to explore the full report.

Northfield Township school districts remain committed to aligning their start and end of school dates as much as possible, as well as breaks, to support planned family activities and travels.

Key dates from the calendar include:

• First Institute Days on August 16-17, 2027
• First day of student attendance set for Wednesday, August 18, 2027
• Winter break is December 20-31, 2027
• Spring Institute Day on March 21, 2028 (general primary election day)
• Spring break is March 27-31, 2028
• Last day of school for students tentatively set for Friday, May 26, 2028

The Board and Dr. Tammaru discussed the Village of Northbrook's proposed downtown tax increment financing (TIF) district and the residential development slated for 1657 Shermer Road, in order to detail what concerns they would like to share with village leadership in a letter planned for this month.

They noted that the plan for the housing development at this site now includes 46 three-bedroom units — up from the originally planned 15 — and the project is now being marketed as a family-oriented community, contrary to earlier communications. As a result, they said, this project could even further drive a significant enrollment surge for District 30 that would strain existing facilities at Wescott School and require expansion. They added that the developer anticipates only four additional students per grade and presumes Wescott has adequate capacity to accommodate them.

Additionally, they noted that TIF funding requests for the site have escalated from $3.5 million to $8.2 million.

In order to address potential impacts, the Board agreed that District 30 will outline several requests in the upcoming letter, including an independent student enrollment study and an allocation of TIF funds to help offset costs for necessary capital improvements at Wescott.

Dr. Tammaru also mentioned that the Joint Review Board meeting concerning the downtown TIF was canceled, with no rescheduled date or further updates provided by the village to date.

Dr. Tammaru shared that she and members of the administration team are currently screening candidates for the role of Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, which is open until November 1. Candidates who advance will attend panel interviews with key administrators, Board President Mr. Rizki and Vice President Mr. Jeff Zuercher. This role is open in the 2027-28 school year following this spring's retirement of Mr. Dale Falk, who has served District 30 for more than a decade.

Dr. Tammaru highlighted American Education Week, coming up Nov. 16-20. She welcomed Board Members to visit District 30 schools to see our classrooms in action this year.

While the TrueNorth Governing Board and Executive Committee both did not meet this month, Board President Mr. Rizki noted that the cooperative is now officially seeking a permanent director. He added that the posted job description incorporates thoughtful feedback gathered from stakeholders.

Dr. Tammaru added that the next TrueNorth Director will step into a transformed organization, and a finalist recommendation is targeted for December.

"This leader will enter TrueNorth with a strong Governing Board, strong Executive Committee and robust school system that supports preK through post-high school transition programming," she said.

Board Member Adan Galvan and Dr. Tammaru shared details from this fall's Conversations with the Community, which included a full afternoon session in person, led by Dr. Tammaru and Board Member Mrs. Zivit Blonder. It was followed by an evening virtual session led by Dr. Tammaru and Mr. Galvan.

He noted that talks focused heavily on economic development efforts in Northbrook, including the Northbrook Row multi-unit housing within District 30 that is already approved by the village, along with a proposed tax increment financing (TIF) district that would also bring a multi-unit residential and retail development to District 30 if passed by the village in December. Community members expressed questions about how the district would adapt to an influx of new students while still maintaining the same educational quality that families expect at Wescott and Maple Schools.

Dr. Tammaru added that participants were also able to learn more about District 30's new Academic Enrichment Specialists who support high-achieving learners who require more challenge in class, and our new Assistant Directors of Student Services (ADSS). District 30 now has one ADSS at each school to support families with complex learners and multilingual learners, plus lead staff training to better support these students.

"I am always so honored to serve a community that is willing to come out and engage in these conversations," Dr. Tammaru stated. "They have added incredible value since they began several years ago, and allow for touch points with our community that are casual and foster important discussions."

The Board received the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) 2026 Resolutions Committee Report last month, which includes three proposed resolutions to be acted upon at the annual meeting of the IASB Delegate Assembly on Saturday, November 21 in Chicago. This month, the Board opted not to send a delegate to this year's assembly, and Dr. Tammaru noted the Board favors all recommendations up for approval.

The Board approved the hire of the following individuals: Cheryl Tom, Maple Extra Duty Stipend Coach for the 2026-27 season; and Stephanie Fielek, Maple Instructional Assistant. Please welcome them to District 30!

Additionally, the Board approved one resignation and two leaves of 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 follow 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