Glenbard Township High School District 87 Board of Education meeting (October 14, 2025) 

Board Highlights feature a brief description of the action items and discussion items on the meeting agenda. Board Highlights do not replace minutes. The minutes are approved by the Board and posted after the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. Present: Jay Bastian, Margaret DeLaRosa, Kermit Eby, Pete Nolan and Jim Shannon. Absent: Hetal Lee and Martha Mueller.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT:

1. October is National Principals Month. Also, in Illinois, the week of October 20-24 is Principals Appreciation Week, and October 24 is Principals Appreciation Day. These dates recognize principals and the Illinois Principals Association for all they do to help students learn and succeed. We thank our principals for their exceptional work and selfless dedication to our students, faculty, staff and the community. We appreciate their leadership, knowledge, empathy and collaborative spirit.
2. On September 30th, Glenbard East hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the upcoming construction additions at Glenbard East. It was attended by key team members from Wold, Gilbane, PSI, building leaders and students, district leaders and Board President Margaret DeLaRosa. We are excited to see how East will transform in the coming years, as we strive to enhance our learning and collaboration environments for our students.
3. Congratulations to our 22 students who were named commended students in the National Merit Scholarship program. Commended students are among the top 4 percent of the 1.3 million students who entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Congratulations to the following students: Glenbard North students Sarah Bilek, Matteo Diaz Strong, Ishanth Dontha, Zachary Tester and Braden Warren; Glenbard South students Breanne Crawford, Alexander Long, Katherine Miller, Elizabeth Pekkarinen and Ashrith Valluri; and Glenbard West students Robert Elliott, Lucas German, Nathan Gissing, Grace Jewell, Sergio Morales Reynoso, Joanna Piczak, Judson Ryan, Sakeena Siddiqi, Alexander Stamatakos, Alexa Trybus, Joseph Wilhelm and Nile Woods.
4. At a recent Board of Education meeting, Board member Martha Mueller asked about our livestream during the meetings. The Open Meetings Act (OMA) ensures that we conduct our business transparently through open, public meetings, and as such, community members are welcome to join our meetings in person. The option to view our meetings as a livestream came to be during the pandemic, which has continued, despite the additional required resources such as personnel and technology. Through time, we have not seen many viewers taking advantage of viewing the meetings live. Recordings of the meetings are posted for viewing within a day or two of the meetings.
5. We encourage community members to attend the GPS Parent Series events noted below. Details and webinar links are available at GPSparentseries.org.

• October 15 at noon and 7 p.m. – What We Get Wrong: Motivating and Communicating with Young People 10-25
• October 16 at 7 p.m. – B-PAC event in Spanish – Planning for Success in High School and Beyond: The College Application Process
• October 21 at noon and 7 p.m. – Early childhood event – Raising A Spirited, Intense, Sensitive, Persistent, and Energetic Child

6. On August 27, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act commercial request from SmartProcure, Sheri Reid, requesting all purchasing records from June 20, 2025 to current. The district has responded to this request.
7. On September 8, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from Marty Boyd, requesting additional information regarding executed contracts and subsequent changes between Glenbard High School District 87 and Performance Services. The district has responded to this request.
8. On September 11, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from Linda Samuta, requesting information on Wold Architects. This included copies of agreements, description of work, exhibits and supporting documents; exhibits related to referendum work, including schedule milestones, the architect’s applicable fee and hourly rates for change order work; copies of all Wold invoices and copies of all cost estimates prepared by Wold. The district has responded to this request.
9. On September 12, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from Data Research Partners LLC, Janie Jordan, requesting a copy of a listing of all Glenbard District 87 employee names, e-mail address, title/position, and primary campus/department location. The district has responded to this request.
10. On September 17, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from John Stonebridge, requesting has the district moved any money from the education fund directly to the capital fund in the last five years? If so, how much per year has been moved. The district has responded to this request.
11. On September 22, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, Jered Piepenbrink, requesting copies of public records that include job titles, wages, department, and hours worked (if part time) of all employees of Glenbard District 87 listed on the quarterly contribution report for the payroll that included May 12, 2025. The district has responded to this request.
12. On September 24, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from CT Mills, requesting the following: the database/records maintained by the district that shows all contracts, agreements, or purchase orders entered into during 2024 and 2025. For each entry, requesting only the following fields: vendor/contract name; total dollar amount; effective date and expiration date. The district has responded to this request.
13. On October 1, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from the DuPage Policy Journal, Owen Wang, requesting names of newly-inducted National Honor Society members, as well as National Merit Scholarship Corporation finalists, semifinalists and commended scholars from Glenbard high schools. The district has responded to this request.

THE BOARD APPROVED:

– the September 22, 2025 regular meeting minutes.

– invoices for payment.
October 14, 2025
Education Fund                                                                            $1,714,143.97
Operations & Maintenance Fund                                         $621,647.18
Debt Service                                                                                  $0.00
Transportation                                                                              $878,056.39
Capital Projects                                                                            $2,823,829.89
Interim – Checks                                                                          $164,966.72
Interim – Wire Transfers                                                           $5,131,777.78
TOTAL                                                                                                   $11,334,421.93

– September 5 and September 20 payrolls.
September 5, 2025                                      Gross Payroll                   Net Payroll
Education Fund                                            $4,708,682.48                  $2,791,895.33
Operations & Maintenance Fund         $57,267.80                          $36,083.03  
Transportation Fund                                   $1,633.38                           $1,129.67

September 20, 2025                                    Gross Payroll                    Net Payroll
Education Fund                                             $5,021,621.10                  $3,070,900.73
Operations & Maintenance Fund          $49,984.06                        $30,023.45
Transportation Fund                                    $1,633.38                           $1,138.69
Total Payrolls                                                   $9,840,822.20                 $5,931,170.90

– the following personnel items:
SUPPORT STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                                  School/Position                                              FTE          Effective Date
Campos, Caroline       West/EL Bilingual Interpreter                   100%              10/14/2025
Ewing, Royanthony    North/Special Education Assistant       87.5%             09/29/2025
Wolff, Kevin                     South/Special Education Assistant      100%              09/17/2025

SUPPORT STAFF – LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Name                                 School/Position                                                                            Term
Edwards, Keisha         East/Special Education Assistant                 10/01/2025-12/09/2025
Edwards, Keisha         East/Special Education Assistant                 10/10/2025-01/28/2026

SUPPORT STAFF – RESIGNATIONS & TERMINATIONS:
Name                                School/Position                                                            Effective Date
Megna, Gina                DIR/Administrative Assistant                                       10/17/2025

– accepting the following donations: Vito and Stephanie Della Polla, $1,500.00 to the football program at West. DuPage County Farm Bureau, $750.00 to the dual credit horticulture & sustainable urban agriculture classes at East. DuPage County Farm Bureau, $750.00 for composter, seeds and tools at West. Class of 2000 – Lindsay Brown, $1,043.00 to Rams in Need at East.

– four excursions. 

– halal food service amendment. OrganicLife has begun its third year as Glenbard’s food service provider. Each year, we have seen incremental growth in participation across both breakfast and lunch service throughout the district. 

We continually strive to improve the variety of the offerings provided at our schools. One area of focus for this year is to expand the options that are reflective of the diverse cultures from our families. We have received feedback over the past few years from students and parents expressing interest in providing halal menu items. There have been various bills and legislative discussions on this topic, but no requirement has been implemented by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The main concern is the increased cost to produce halal-certified meals. We have run modest surplus balances in the food service program over the past several years. Surplus funds are typically used to make improvements to the food service areas and to purchase new equipment as needed.

We believe, regardless of any requirement, that it is time for Glenbard to implement halal-friendly food service offerings starting this year. Our intention is to begin implementation at Glenbard West in October and then follow at our other high school sites in January. We are in the process of working on branding, signage, and communication materials for our buildings and our families.

An amendment to our existing ISBE food service contract to allow for an increased meal charge for the halal meals served was requested. We can continue to claim reimbursement from ISBE as part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) process.

– Glenbard group insurance program renewal.
Blue Cross PPO and HMO
The renewal proposal for Glenbard was received from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and reviewed by administration and the Glenbard Insurance Advisory Committee (IAC) on August 13, 2025 and September 10, 2025.

Following the review of plan change options by Insurance Advisory Committee, administration and Alera Group/GCG Financial representatives, the decision was made to accept the 5.3 percent increase to premiums without adopting plan changes for January 1, 2026.

The resulting four-tier monthly premiums, effective January 1, 2026, are as follows:

• The Blue Advantage HMO premiums: $707.53 for employee only; $1,682.40 for employee/spouse; $1,562.22 for employee/child(ren); $1,915.23 for family.
• The HMO Illinois premiums: $761.22 for employee only; $1,996.59 for employee/spouse; $1,883.55 for employee/child(ren); $2,059.18 for family.
• The PPO premiums: $1,498.02 for employee only; $2,632.26 for employee/spouse; $2,486.76 for employee/child(ren); $3,373.00 for family.

The Board of Education pays 87 percent of the single premium and 57 percent of the dependent premiums.   

Delta Dental Renewal
Delta Dental provided the district with a two-year renewal. The administrative fee will increase 5 percent from $4.22 per employee per month (PEPM) to $4.43 PEPM and will be guaranteed through December 31, 2027.

To meet the resulting anticipated expenses, a 1.8 percent increase is recommended and has been accepted. The monthly premiums self-funded dental plan will be: $56 for single and $138 for family.   

The Board of Education pays 100 percent of the single premium or 40 percent of the family premium.

Navia Benefit Solutions
Navia Benefit Solutions continue to provide the administration of Section 125 Flexible Spending Accounts and COBRA with no change in administrative fees. 

Group Life & Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Long Term Disability (LTD) and Voluntary Life Insurance
During this renewal period, Alera Group submitted a request for proposals (RFP) for the following coverage lines:

• Basic Life and AD&D
• Voluntary Term Life
• Long Term Disability
• Voluntary Critical Illness Plan
• Voluntary Accident Plan

Lincoln Financial is the incumbent carrier and submitted their renewal with no rate increase for the next two years. Three carriers responded to the RFP – VOYA, Principal and National Insurance Services. Principal’s proposal came in lower than all other proposals and offers approximately $20,000 in savings for district paid benefits and $20,000 in savings for the voluntary Accident and Critical Illness plans. Principal also provided a rate guarantee for three years.

Principal has reviewed the Lincoln plan documents and will match all provisions including waiver of premium, reduction schedules and retiree benefits. Voluntary Life rates through Principal will remain the same but will have the following plan enhancements:

• Guaranteed Issue of $250,000 (previous under Lincoln was $200,000)
• Maximum coverage of $500,000 (previous under Lincoln was $300,000)
• Improved reduction schedule for coverage after age 65
• True open enrollment offered for all staff during the upcoming open enrollment

Accident and Critical Illness policies will offer same or enhanced benefits with lower premium.

Alera Group/GCG Financial made the recommendation for Glenbard to accept the Principal proposal and move the coverages listed above from Lincoln Financial to Principal effective January 1, 2026.   This recommendation has been accepted by administration and the Insurance Advisory Committee. 

Vision
The district provides vision coverage with Delta Vision on a voluntary basis. There will be no plan design changes for this fully insured plan for the 2026 plan year. Delta Vision’s rates are increasing 2 percent but will be guaranteed for two years until December 31, 2027. This is the first increase for vision since the Delta Vision plan was first introduced in 2012. 

Employee Navigator/bswift – Benefit Technology Resources
The benefit administrative system has been a valuable addition to the human resources (HR) department for transmitting electronic data to carriers. Over the years, the complexity of the district’s benefit plan and contribution structure has outgrown the capabilities of the current Employee Navigator system. Alera Group/GCG Financial has a partner company who is a reseller of bswift enrollment systems and was able to negotiate bswift pricing equal to the current Employee Navigator pricing. The HR staff has begun the process of transitioning to bswift and the open enrollment for the 2026 plan year will be in the bswift system. The administrative fees for the online enrollment system are included in the Medical Projections.

Employee Assistance Program
The district provides the Employee Assistance Program through Perspectives Inc., which was acquired by AllOne Health in 2023. AllOne Health/Perspectives continues to provide the most comprehensive and cost-effective program for the district. The renewal for these services came in with a CPI increase of 2.5 percent to $1.85. The fees are included in the Medical Projections. 

Plan Consulting Services
GCG Financial, LLC, an Alera Group Company, has served as the Plan Consultant for all benefit programs. The current agreement expires December 31, 2026. Consulting fee expenses are included in the Medical Projections.

– school calendar 2026-27 and 2027-28. The 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 Glenbard Township High School District 87 school calendars were reviewed by district administrators; the Glenbard Education Association (GEA); and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school calendars were presented to the Board at the September 22, 2025 meeting for discussion and were presented to the Board for adoption on October 14, 2025.

BOARD INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS INCLUDED:

– student services year-end 2024-2025 report. The student services departments support many areas. During the 2024-2025 school year, staff were assigned to schools to support diverse learners, focus on post-high school outcomes and teach the skills needed to make responsible decisions. The report highlighted the staff and work done by the student services departments.

– intergovernmental agreement – Village of Lombard. As part of the Glenbard East construction projects, we have been working through several design options to optimize the athletic fields and parking around the physical structure. There has long been a lack of parking available on the Glenbard East campus. Student parking in particular is not sufficient which leads to students parking along Wilson Avenue in one of the approximately 55 spots available each school day. Oftentimes students arrive up to two hours prior to the start of the school day to get one of these spots.

The Village of Lombard has interest in supporting our work in an effort to increase safety along Wilson Avenue. With cars parked on Wilson, the traffic heading eastbound is forced to veer along the yellow center line as cars heading westbound must shift over towards the curb to allow for safe passage.

This agreement would provide for up to $200,000 of cost-sharing for two additional parking lot sections to be added on-site. We are estimating that these parking lots will cost approximately $600,000, but the actual amount won’t be known until bids are opened in the next several weeks.

Should we be able to move forward with the proposed parking lots, it would provide sufficient parking on campus to have all Glenbard East staff park on the south side of the building and all students on the north side of the building. 

– policies and procedures for first reading and discussion. 2:200 Types of School Board Meetings and 2:220 School Board Meeting Procedure.