D28 Board Update: Sept. 30, 2025

October 3, 2025

In his Superintendent's Report at the September 30 District 28 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Pearson shared that the district's Build 28 construction initiative is well underway. The first project crews are working on is the new Meadowbrook gymnasium, which is being built behind the current school. The new gym is expected to be completed this spring. This will be followed by the construction of the new Meadowbrook building, which will seamlessly connect to the new gym. Click the time-lapse video link above to check out the progress on the new gym. You can also learn more details about the Meadowbrook construction by listening to this recently released Insight 28 podcast.

Behind the scenes, district leaders have also been meeting with the architects to create design plans for NBJH, Greenbriar, and Westmoor. The district is currently aligning its budget to fit the needs of each project, and hopes to share the design plans with the community at next month's Board meeting.

• March 2026: Meadowbrook gymnasium completed & construction of the new Meadowbrook School begins

• April - June 2026: NBJH, Westmoor & Greenbriar construction begins
  
• Feb. - April 2027: NBJH, Westmoor, & Greenbriar Phase 1 construction completed
  
• August 2027: New Meadowbrook School completed
• February 2028: Greenbriar Phase 2 completed

At the Sept. 30 Board of Education meeting, the Board held a public hearing for the district's FY26 budget, which was followed by the Board's approval of the budget. Approximately 86% of District 28's revenue comes from local property taxes. The balance comes from corporate personal property replacement taxes, other local sources, state grants, and federal programs. Spending can be divided into the following areas:

• Education: $49.0 million

• Operations & Maintenance: $3.4 million

• Transportation: $2.5 million

• IMRF/Social Security: $1.7 million

• Capital Projects: $26.6 million
  
  

Did You Know?

District 28 is one of only 88 public school districts nationwide to earn a AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s. This excellent rating enables the district to secure the lowest competitive interest rates when seeking bond financing for our Build 28 projects, which were approved by the community in April 2025.

• Click here to view the budget overview by Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato
• Click here to view the state budget form

In his Superintendent's Report at the Sept. 30 Board meeting, Dr. Pearson shared an update on the TrueNorth Special Education Cooperative 804. Over the past few months, a committee of superintendents and special education leaders has been meeting to discuss an alternative to dissolution. The goal is to reorganize the Cooperative to align programs and services more closely with the needs of member districts. Key recommendations include:

• Establishing a single, high-quality Therapeutic Day School to serve students with complex social, emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs.
• Eliminating district membership fees beginning in 2026–27, with costs covered through tuition and service delivery fees.
• Continuing to provide itinerant and specialized services to districts on an as-needed basis.
• Transitioning to a new governance model with both a Governing Board of school board members and an Executive Committee of superintendents.

Next month, the TrueNorth Leadership Council will consider the recommendations. It is anticipated that the new program model will launch for the 2026-27 school year. In the meantime, all services and support provided to students through the Cooperative will continue without interruption for the remainder of this school year.

At the September 30 Board meeting, the Board approved the appointment of the following certified personnel for the 2025-26 school year:

Livestream/Archive Video

The Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on the District 28's YouTube Channel. The live streams are also archived for later viewing.

Next Meeting is on October 28

The Board of Education's next regular meeting is at 7 p.m. on October 28 in the HOH Community Room at the District Office, 1475 Maple Ave., Northbrook.