Board RECAP

The District 211 Board of Education met Thursday, October 16, 2025, in the Board Room of the G.A. McElroy Administration Center. Below is a recap of key items acted on and reviewed.

Mr. Timothy Jensen was appointed the new Building and Grounds Manager at William Fremd High School. He currently is serving as Director of Operations and Maintenance in Schaumburg School District 54, a position he has held since 2023. Prior to that role, Mr. Jensen served as Supervisor of Building and Grounds in Wauconda School District 118 from 2020 to 2023. From 2018-2020, Mr. Jensen was Building Manager for Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale School District 86.

National Merit Semifinalists are recognized for exceptional performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, a standardized test taken by more than 1.3 million U.S. juniors annually. Semi-finalists represent the top scorers in each state and typically are in the top 1 percent of high school juniors nationwide. The Robert Creek Excellence Award they receive is named for a 19-year member of the District 211 Board of Education.

The National Merit Scholars recognized were:

Palatine High School

Charlie Bourgeois

James O'Sullivan

William Fremd High School

Satya Bheemarasetti

Sairam Bitra

Kabir Iyengar

Tyler Ku

Anna Kuehner

Steven Long

Dayita Mandal

Mantra Mittal

Hannah O'Keefe

Malavika Pisharody

Anagha Pullela

Ronak Roy

Andrew Song

Daniel Xiao

Sophie Zhou

James B. Conant High School

Nandini Indraganti

Dylan Ja

Anuva Jakher

Cooper Julien

Seoyeon Kim

Isha Patel

Priyanka Razdan

David Shu

Schaumburg High School

Jack Alton
Veronica Dragomirov

Abraham Thomas

Hoffman Estates High School

Saud Khan

Typically, fewer than 0.5 percent of American students – or between 3,000 and 5,500 students a year -- achieve a perfect ACT score of 36. This feat is extremely rare, and District 211 annually celebrates those who accomplish it.

Students recognized for the highest composite ACT were:

Palatine High School

Charlie Bourgeois

Dev Dhooper

William Fremd High School

Sairam Bitra

Aishwarya Eathara

Mahreen Gaffoor

Neel Huff

Riley Kwon

Samuel Malcolm

Dayita Mandal

Vishakh Neelamana

Hannah O'Keefe

Malavika Pisharody

Catherine Qin

Ronak Roy

Andrew Song

Myles Svec

Murari Thota

Daniel Xiao

Sophie Zhou

Gwenyth Zimmerman

James B. Conant High School

Nandini Indraganti

Dylan Ja

Cooper Julien

Jiho Park

Reyen Patel

Hoffman Estates High School

Iasmina Kokieva

Thanks to the quick thinking and decisive action of Ms. Rebecca (Becky) McNamee, a dedicated member of our Schaumburg High School support staff, a potentially tragic situation was averted. When a student began choking during lunch hour, Ms. McNamee immediately recognized the signs of distress and performed the Heimlich maneuver without hesitation. Their calm under pressure and life-saving response exemplifies not only exceptional training but also deep care and commitment to student safety. We are incredibly grateful for Ms. McNamee’s heroic actions and proud to have such a vigilant and courageous individual as part of the District 211 team.

Township High School District 211 serves the needs of our diverse community by providing relevant and rigorous learning experiences, opportunities for involvement, and strong support systems that empower all students to reach their full potential. This mission statement continues to guide the priorities, programs, and practices of District staff as we strive to deliver extraordinary opportunities, innovative teaching, and exceptional learning for the students we serve. The District Academic Goals function as essential performance measures through which we analyze the strengths of our systems and identify opportunities for growth. They also serve as clear indicators of what matters most to our students, staff, and community. While monitoring student achievement during high school remains a central responsibility, ensuring that our graduates are well-prepared for success in life after high school is equally vital to the learning process.

The full report is available here.
The presentation can be viewed here.

The Board approved the minutes from its Regular Meeting of September 18, 2025.

The Board of Education formally accepted the donations of $8,000 from the Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates to support the Cougars in Need program at James B. Conant High School and the Blessings in a Backpack programs at Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates high schools; $1,000 from Irene Raimondi to support the Robotics Club at James B. Conant High School; and $1,000 from the Palatine High School Class of 1995 in recognition of the school's 150th anniversary.

District 211 participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. These federally assisted meal programs provide qualifying students with access to nutritionally balanced, low-cost, or free meals during the school day. Students may qualify for free meal benefits if they are a foster child, homeless or migrant student, recipient of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), qualify for income-eligible Medicaid, or if their household meets income eligibility guidelines established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Students qualify for reduced rate meals based on income-eligible Medicaid or household size and income criteria. As of October 6, 2025, free and reduced-price meal eligibility for all schools combined is 37.6%, a decrease from 40.4% for the same time period last year.

The report is available for review here.

Under section 18-190.7 of the Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200/18-190.7), PTELL has been amended to allow a taxing district to recapture certain levy amounts that are otherwise unavailable to the taxing district as a result of the taxing district not extending the levy to the maximum amount in a previous levy year. The taxing body then has the ability to recapture property taxes that would have otherwise been levied under the PTELL limit in the immediate succeeding three years until the entire levy amount is recaptured, so long as the levy does not exceed a 5% increase over the prior year. District 211 is permitted to levy under the look-back levy for the 2025 tax year.

The full report is available here.

The presentation is available here.

The Board of Education revised Policies GAB: Equal Employment Opportunities/Non-Discrimination in Employment; GBO: Teacher Qualifications; DFC: School Funding and Title 1; IGCF: High School Credit for Non-District Experiences; IGDBA: Management of Student-Athlete Concussions and Head Injuries; IGBC Home and Hospital Instruction; IGDA: Student Use of Buildings - Equal Access; and IGD: Extra Curricular Activities.

The Board deleted policies IGB: Correspondence Courses; IGBAA: On-line Courses; IGCFA: Policy for Accepting Language Transfer Credit; and GCCB: Minority Recruitment

District 211 has a long-standing tradition of offering foreign exchange experiences that connect students with partner schools in other countries. These exchanges provide students with opportunities to live with host families, attend local schools, and participate in cultural immersion activities. The trips proposed for the summer of 2026 continue this tradition by fostering global awareness, enhancing language proficiency, and developing cross-cultural understanding. Each exchange program is carefully planned and monitored to ensure the safety and educational value of the experience.

The Board approved the participation in 6 foreign exchange trips as proposed for the summer of 2026.

More information is available here.

It has been the longstanding commitment of the District to provide safe, functional, and adaptable facilities which contribute to the educational program and have a positive impact on student achievement. As a component of our financial and operational goals, our long range capital outlay plan is designed to align with our strategic plan, building utilization improvement and maintenance schedule; and serve our educational goals.

The supplemental report summarizes recently completed and future planning for capital improvements across buildings. The capital improvement schedule was created in conjunction with financial planning considerations to fund projects through the annual operating budget and the use of reserves.

The informational report is available here.

Each school year, District 211 purchases and licenses (both new and renewals) for use numerous instructional software applications and systems. The district is proposing to purchase SWYE360 software to improve efficiency in managing and evaluating instructional technology. During the preparation of the 2025-2026 budget, the need for tools to better analyze the effectiveness of the educational technology and the desire to improve operational efficiency were discussed; and three products capable of providing utilization metrics were examined. While all provide some level of basic logging and reporting, it was determined that SWYE360 best provides highly detailed usage information and comprehensive data dashboards that consolidate usage information across multiple digital tools, allowing the district to better understand which software platforms are being used effectively and which may need to be reconsidered.

The Board approved the purchase of a one-year licensing agreement for SWYE360 software (SWYE360 Learning, Inc) for the 2025-2026 school year, in an amount not to exceed $61,190.80 from the 2025-2026 budget

The Board operates as a single entity responsible for its governance and processes. In May 2016, the Board of Education, in conjunction with the Superintendent and a representative from the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), compiled a list of agreements and expectations by which to work together in order to conduct the work of the District 211 community. This agreement was again reviewed by the Board, Superintendent, and a representative from the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), August 20, 2025, with a separate list of agreements with the Superintendent, that work in conjunction with the Board Protocols.Updates to consider within the Board Protocols and were recommended for review, prior to approval.

The protocols are available here.

The Board agreed to list a student-built home at 1527 Louise Lane in Palatine for $925,000. The home was built by students in the Building Construction Program, which provides hands-on instruction for students working alongside educators and professionals in various trades. Homes are built annually by students across District 211.

The next scheduled regular Board of Education meeting will be held Thursday, November 6, 2025, with closed session beginning at 6:30 p.m. and public session and recognitions beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Anne Koller Board Meeting Room at the G.A. McElroy Administration Center.