Board Briefs

The Community Consolidated School District 21 Board of Education meeting was held on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The full meeting agenda can be found on BoardDocs, while a livestream of the meeting can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Board President Jessica Riddick appointed Arlen Gould as secretary pro tem until the election of a new board secretary later in the evening. She also commented on the recent resignation of board member Dagmara Kalinowski: "We will miss her greatly and are grateful for her service. We hope she will be able to participate in other opportunities for parents and community members." Riddick also reminded the community about the vacancy for the board, with applications being accepted until October 3.

The board voted 5-0 in favor of electing Carrie Devitt as the new board secretary. Board member Bill Harrison was not in attendance.

Kilmer Principal Colleen Goodrich officially introduced Georgia Londos as the new assistant principal. Londos was appointed to the role as of July 1.

Todd Rohlwing, the director of safety and security, officially introduced Julian Bahena as the new school resource officer for the Holmes Middle School strand of schools.

Mike Frantini, chief operating officer, provided a live demonstration of Let's Talk, a new tool being offered by the district designed to keep schools safe and supportive for every student and staff member. The Let’s Talk tool allows parents, students, and community members to easily and confidentially share concerns related to bullying, threats, or any safety or security issues happening in or around our schools.

Michael Zagar, director of finance/CSBO/comptroller, provided an overview on the district's final budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. The board voted 5-0 to approve the budget.

Vice President Debbi McAtee said the organization is working on its articles of agreement.

In Harrison's absence, Riddick shared that the organization's kick-off luncheon will be held on Monday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m.

Riddick previewed the IASB North Cook fall division meeting, which will be held on Oct. 22. She added that IASB also published the planner for its Joint Annual Conference, which takes place November 21-23 in downtown Chicago.

Board member Arlen S. Gould said the organization voted to move to a new center, with details to follow. It will be closer for District 21, according to Gould.

The student representatives to the Board of Education offered their feedback on the first weeks of the new school year.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 16, at the Community Service Center and Administrative Office, 959 W. Dundee Rd., Wheeling.