Glenbard District 87 Board of Education meeting highlights (1-12-2026)

Glenbard District 87 Board of Education meeting highlights (1-12-2026)

  
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, Hetal Lee, Martha Mueller, Pete Nolan and Jim Shannon.
   

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT:

  1. We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of our student performers and theatre programs across Glenbard District 87. Glenbard West Theatre was selected to perform its fall musical, Between the Lines, and Glenbard North Theatre was selected to perform its fall studio production, Every Brilliant Thing, at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival at Illinois State University. Both schools represented Glenbard on the state stage with performances on Friday, January 9.
    In addition, we congratulate Glenbard North students Zakary Krush (cast) and Savannah Le (cast), along with Emilia Nascimento (crew) and Mornilva Wolfe (crew), on their selection to the All-State 2026 Company. These honors reflect the talent, dedication, and creativity of our students and the outstanding leadership of our theatre programs.
      
  2. We are proud to congratulate Glenbard North Director of Choral Music Laura Johnson on being selected as the recipient of the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association Distinguished Service Award. This prestigious honor recognizes her outstanding dedication, leadership, and lasting contributions to music education. Ms. Johnson will receive the award during the general session of the Illinois Music Educators Conference in Peoria on January 29, 2026. We are grateful for her continued commitment to excellence and proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.
       
  3. As we begin the new year, we invite our Glenbard community to join us for the Glenbard West Orchestra Ensemble Concert on Tuesday, January 13 from 7:30–9:00 p.m. This concert is a wonderful opportunity to experience the talent, dedication, and musical skill of our student performers while celebrating the arts in our schools. We hope families, staff, and community members will attend and support our Glenbard West orchestra students as they take the stage to start the year.
       
  4. All four schools are launching the free for all juniors ACT preparation program, Progress Learning. We are asking students to STRIVE FOR 8 HOURS on the platform between now and April 15th, the date of the official Illinois School Day ACT. There are many exciting things happening around this program in each of the schools. Keep an eye for more information from building administrators, department chairs and teachers. 
       
  5. All of our educators participated in a successful January Institute Day on January 5, with a focus on improving student learning and engagement, as well as dedicated time to review safety protocols and procedures. Educators will have the opportunity to further their professional development at the County-wide Institute Day in February and throughout the year in our professional development brochure sessions.
       
  6. Glenbard District 87 is inviting community members and leaders to share their voice in a two-evening Career Exploration Community Stakeholder Forum. The purpose of the evening will be to reflect on how we can improve the high school experience into a purposeful “launchpad” for students with intentional learning about career options. Recognizing that rigorous academics are only part of the equation, we aim to integrate intentional career programming into our system for every student in Glenbard.
    By connecting classroom learning with real-world professional insights, this work will help students to “dream up” their futures and navigate their post-secondary paths with greater clarity, ultimately saving them time and money. Participants in the community forum will analyze the need for these programs and brainstorm ways to bridge the gap between local workforce needs and student preparation. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in participating.
       
  7. The district received the following donations: Anonymous, $100.00 to boys lacrosse at West. Danielle Kay, $200.00 to girls wrestling at East.
       
  8. We encourage community members to attend the GPS Parent Series events noted below. Details and webinar links are available at GPSparentseries.org.
  • January 13 at noon and 7 p.m. – Lighthouse Parenting: Guiding Teens to Develop Independence and Coping Skills to Navigate Their Own Journey
  • January 21 at noon and 7 p.m. – Empowered Athletes: Fostering Confidence for Peak Performance
  • January 22 at 7 p.m. – B-PAC in Urdu and Hindi: A Parent’s Guide for Flourishing Families
       

THE BOARD APPROVED:

the December 8, 2025 regular meeting minutes and closed session minutes.

invoices for payment.
January 12, 2026
Education Fund                                    $    892,513.06
Operations & Maintenance Fund $    575,909.81
Debt Service                                          $             350.00
Transportation                                      $       20,051.60
Capital Projects                                   $2,092,565.38
IL Munic. Retire/Soc Sec.               $                   0.00
Interim – Checks                                 $ 1,708,203.26
Interim – Wire Transfers                  $  5,142,223.19
TOTAL                                                    $10,431,816.30

December 5 and December 20 payrolls.
December 5, 2025                               Gross Payroll            Net Payroll   
Education Fund                                     $4,876,754.18          $2,954,898.80
Operations & Maintenance Fund  $       48,566.69          $      28,955.76
Transportation Fund                            $         1,975.22           $         1,308.09

December 20, 2025                            Gross Payroll            Net Payroll
Education Fund                                     $5,148,798.73          $3,132,544.84
Operations & Maintenance Fund  $       48,295.31          $      30,038.79
Transportation Fund                            $          1,681.06          $         1,119.21

Total Payrolls                                         $10,126,071.19         $6,148,865.49                     

the following personnel items:
LICENSED STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                              School/Position                                                            FTE                Effective Date
Bielski, Leah               East/EL Science Teacher (overload)                10%               01/05/2026
Heneghan, Nisha     East/Social Science Teacher (addtl FTE)       10%               01/05/2026   

SUPPORT STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                               School/Position                                                           FTE                Effective Date
Badger, Nicole            DO/Admin Asst. to Teaching & Learning       100%            01/05/2026
Flodstrom, Anne        East/Special Education Assistant                    87.5%           01/06/2026
Hernandez, Caesar  East/EL Bilingual Interpreter                               100%            12/08/2025
Scott, Shirley               East/Special Education Assistant                    87.5%           01/06/2026
Stokes, Diane              East/Admin Asst. School Counsel                  100%            01/05/2026

SUPPORT STAFF – POSITION CHANGE:
Name                             School/Position                                                   FTE                Effective Date
Zaro, Melissa            DO/Special Education Admin Asst.          100%            01/06/2026

LICENSED STAFF – RESIGNATIONS & TERMINATIONS:
Name                              School/Position                                                                           Effective Date
Blackmon, Lillie        West/Dean of Students                                                          06/30/2026
Pigoni, Gianna          East/Dean of Students                                                           06/30/2026

SUPPORT STAFF – RESIGNATIONS & TERMINATIONS:
Name                                    School/Position                                                                     Effective Date
Fitzpatrick, Rebecca   North/Building Registrar                                                   01/16/2026
Miller, James                   DO/District Engineer – Plumber                                    01/07/2026

LICENSED STAFF – LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Name                              School/Position                                          Term                          Reason
Mancini, Angela       East/Science Teacher         12/09/2025-05/22/2026      Personal

LICENSED STAFF – RETIREMENT:
Name                            School/Position                                                                               Effective Date
Tully, Thomas           West/Drivers’ Education Teacher (correction)               06/30/2026

– accepting the following donations: Elite Electronics Holding Corp, $500.00 to the Robotics Club at South. National Football League Foundation, $5,000.00 for flag football equipment at East.

three excursions.

– new book adoption. This proposal is for the adoption of two novels for the Senior English course at Directions. These novels, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett were selected because of their alignment with rhetorical devices, analysis of author choices and the opportunity for students to have meaningful practice in close reading. This recommendation has been reviewed and approved by all four English department chairs and the Glenbard Directions Program Principal. The Student Performance and Achievement Committee has also vetted the proposal.

– lease renewal for the Southern Transition Site. This lease renewal runs from 2026 to 2031 for the property at 450 E. Roosevelt in Lombard, IL. The facility is used to house a community transition program which offers a high level of service to students with special needs. These students have completed the traditional four years at their community high school and now require instruction and support to attain their post-secondary goals.

The terms of the 2026 to 2031 lease are defined and were approved in the original lease. The rate established in the 2019 agreement (Article 6) remains the same. The initial rate for 2026-27 is $96,923.82, which is subject to an annual 3 percent incremental increase during the term of the lease.

– IASB/IASA/IASBO joint annual conference expenses. Approval for our district office leaders, administrative staff and Board members to attend the 2025 Joint Annual Conference in Chicago held on November 21-23, 2025 and payment of room deposits of $200 for Board members were approved at the June 16, 2025 Board of Education meeting.

Receipts for Board member expenses from the 2025 Joint Annual Conference have been received and expenses for transportation, lodging, meals and parking totaled $2,931.35 for Board members Jay Bastian, Kermit Eby, Hetal Lee, Peter Nolan and James Shannon.

– ratification of the purchase of 20 general education school buses. As part of our transition to new general education transportation providers under our emergency transportation contracts, the administration was able to successfully negotiate the purchase of 20 used general education school buses for a total price of $1,517,000.

This purchase was necessary to fulfill our contract with Cook Illinois (Lakeside), as we must provide the vehicles that will serve Glenbard West. The vehicles range in size (71-77 passenger) and age (2018-2024). These vehicles were purchased from our existing fleet with Safeway at a fair market value of approximately 89 percent. By purchasing these vehicles at a discounted rate, it provides the lowest possible total cost of ownership over the 18-month contract with Cook Illinois (Lakeside). Glenbard District 87 will preserve equity in the vehicles and will have the flexibility of retaining these vehicles upon the conclusion of the contract or selling/trading in the vehicles.

The buses were delivered to 217 W. Fay Ave. on December 19, 2025, equipped with existing cameras. Cook Illinois (Lakeside) will provide maintenance on the vehicles while providing the service under the terms of our agreement.

– authorization to enter into a contract for emergency special education transportation service. At the December 1, 2025 Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the termination of special education transportation and general education transportation services with Safeway, the District’s current student transportation provider. During the same meeting, the Board also approved entering into separate emergency transportation service agreements with Durham and Cook Illinois to ensure continuity of general education transportation services.

The motions before the Board recommended approval of 18-month special education transportation service agreements with Durham and Cook Illinois. Both vendors have confirmed their willingness to expand services for the District beginning mid-school year. Due to the short timeline and the significant start-up costs required to initiate services so quickly, each vendor has requested an 18-month contract term.

The contracts have been negotiated at rates that are competitive with those of surrounding school districts. Although the agreements are being awarded on an emergency basis without formal competitive bidding, this approach is permitted under the Illinois School Code provided the contracts receive at least six affirmative votes from Board members.

Under these agreements, Durham will provide special education transportation services for Glenbard East, North, and South in-district routes and corresponding charters. Cook Illinois (Lakeside) will provide services for Glenbard West in-district routes and corresponding charters, all four high schools’ out-of-district routes, and Transition Site transportation needs. Both vendors will operate from newly established depots located at 250 N. Schmale Road and 217 W. Fay Ave., respectively.

The competitive bidding process is a long and complicated process. If followed under the present circumstances, the bidding process presents risks of a lengthy interruption of transportation services to our students, the loss of state aid and a significant extension of school into the summer, likely combined with remote learning. These are risks that can be avoided entirely, or at least substantially reduced, by contracting with Durham and Cook Illinois (Lakeside) on an emergency basis. This contract shall not exceed 18 months in duration.

The District is working closely with each vendor to follow the earlier established transition timeline and communicate with all families on an individual basis. 

The District has finalized contracts with Durham and Cook Illinois (Lakeside). The Board approved the final emergency contract, which required a six-vote affirmative majority.

– policies & procedures for second reading & adoption. 5:20 Workplace Harassment; 5:90 Abused and Neglected Child Reporting; 5:100 Staff Development Program; 5:120 Employee Ethics; Code of Professional Conduct; and Conflict of Interest; Administrative Procedure 5:120-AP2 Employee Conduct Standards; 5:185 Family and Medical Leave; 5:190 Teacher Qualifications; 5:200 Terms and Conditions of Employment and Dismissal; 5:220 Substitute Teachers; 5:220-AP1 Substitute Teachers; and 5:280 Duties and Qualifications.
   

BOARD INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS INCLUDED:

– awards and recognitions. Congratulations to our students who were recognized for outstanding leadership and academics: Zainab Ahmed and Husain Alwan (East); Abraham Thang and Maharri Thatch (North); and Isaac Guerrero and Sama Khan (West).

– GPS Parent Series update. Student and Community Projects Coordinator Gilda Ross shared an update on the GPS Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families, which embodies priority three of the District to “Strengthen productive home, school, and community partnerships for education”.

GPS continues to be recognized regionally and nationally as a model program for engaging parents and community members from diverse groups to increase successful outcomes for students. The presentation updated the Board on the expanded partnerships with local organizations and outreach to our diverse Glenbard communities.

– summer 2026 abatement work. The summer 2026 capital projects will require asbestos abatement work at Glenbard North, Glenbard East and Glenbard West.

  • Glenbard North – asbestos abatement of floor adhesive and epoxy tops.
  • Glenbard East – asbestos abatement of floor adhesive, flooring, and caulking at the curtain wall.
  • Glenbard West – asbestos abatement of floor adhesive, pipe insulation, epoxy tops and window caulking.

Low bidder for Glenbard North is Husar Abatement, Ltd. in the amount of $149,000, which includes one alternate and a $25,000 allowance. Total contract with Weaver Consultants would be $198,552, which includes Husar’s cost.

Low bidder for Glenbard East is Valor Technologies in the amount of $543,000, which includes an allowance of $75,000. Total contract with Weaver Consultants would be $705,960, which includes Valor’s cost.

Low responsible bidder for Glenbard West is Kinsale Contracting Group in the amount of $187,700, which includes alternate 1 and an allowance of $50,000. Total contract with Weaver would be $239,922, which includes Kinsale’s cost.

– Glenbard North & South, bid package #4 – recommendation to award for Gilbane (Wold design) and Performance Services Incorporated (PSI). Design and bidding have been completed for Glenbard North fine arts addition and interior renovations and Glenbard South interior renovations. Gilbane and PSI bids were received on December 17, 2025. The bleacher bid package is being rebid to accommodate a revision that includes an alternate bid option.

Gilbane recommends the following based on the bid results and scope reviews:
16 contractors for the North and South work in the amount of $10,056,387 (excludes bleacher bid), which includes acceptance of the alternate for stainless steel cabinet faces at South FACS lab, plus an additional $750,000 budget for site services and $1,163,906 for insurance, bonding, staffing, and fees for a total of $12,020,293. Three alternates have not been accepted.

PSI recommends the following based on the bid results and scope reviews:
13 contractors for the MEP work on the North and South projects, totaling $7,136,064.

The combined total of all bids received is under the budgeted amount.

– enrollment projections for fiscal years 2027-2031. Each year, Glenbard updates its five-year financial projections for Board review and discussion. It is also essential to update our enrollment projections, which drive the staffing requirements, prior to completing the financial projections. We strive to operate at a balanced budget over the five-year projection cycle.

Dr. John Kasarda, the district-hired demographer, provides a report periodically to ensure we have accurate projections. We received his most recent update on December 30, 2025 (previously done in December 2022). Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year was 14 students (+.18 percent) above the projected 7,695, totaling 7,709 district-wide. When compared to the actual enrollment for 2024-25, there was a decrease of 134 (-1.7%) students district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Future year enrollments are projected to decline over the next several years. Based on updated projections, we are forecasting enrollment for the 2026-27 academic year to be 7,590 students. By 2028-29, the number is forecasted to decline to approximately 7,395 students, representing the projected low point over the next five years.

A review of our five-year financial projections will take place at the January 26, 2026 meeting.

Freedom of Information Act requests. By School Code, a Board of Education is to be informed at its regular meeting of any requests made under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the status of the District’s response. Here are the recent FOIA requests to which the District has responded:

DATE RECEIVED: 11/20/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Robert Beck (Cottage Hill Operating Company)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: Documents related to school bus transportation.

  • All school board meeting minutes, agendas, or referenced materials from the past 5 months that include discussion of: School bus transportation as it relates to service interruptions; Current transportation carriers and the future transportation plans; Any transportation-related policy considerations or proposals.
  • All transportation-related invoices or bills from the past 3 months, including any available details or itemized breakdowns.
  • Any addendums, amendments, or modifications made to the transportation contract during the past eight months.

  
DATE RECEIVED: 11/25/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Sheri Reid (SmartProcure)
REQUEST SUMMARY: Any and all purchasing records from 9/19/2025 to current.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/3/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Robert Dobosz
REQUESTS SUMMARY: Attachments for the Finance Committee meeting items as noted below and the pre and post meeting notes of Seth Chapman and Marta McCullough, as well as any emails concerning these topics.

  • April 28, 2025 Bond sale update
  • May 5, 2025 Energy Update
  • August 11, 2025 Glenbard West Bid Release 6
  • September 8, 2025 Organic Life Halal Update
  • September 8, 2025 East Parking IGA

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/3/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Robert Dobosz
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The bid for the most recent fire sprinkler system services at Glenbard West by ESSCOE and all other competing bids for it. Just the sprinkler system at West is fine but if it was bid together then the entire West bid is good. I would like the bids for the current construction, please. I would also like the previous Glenbard West Sprinkler contract for ESSCOE and bids as well as for the current one.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/4/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Oshea Smith (Sunlight Access)
REQUEST SUMMARY: An electronic summary of purchase orders (not the individual purchase orders themselves) issued by Glenbard Township High School District 87 from July 1, 2025 through November 30, 2025. This report may also be referred to as an accounts payable summary, check summary, check register, or vendor analysis report.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/4/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Kurt Buchholz
REQUESTS SUMMARY:

  • The terms and conditions outlined in the issuance of both the 2023 and 2024 alternate revenue bonds. Please include how these funds were appropriated.
  • The current district 87 policy pertaining to how much additional revenue can be held by the district beyond the district’s annual budget obligations.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/5/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: CT Mills (Public Info Access LLC)
REQUEST SUMMARY: Copies of the most current existing records listing all active employees within your school or district. To ensure our records remain accurate, we are requesting the latest version currently on file that includes the following fields:

  • Full Name
  • Title/Position
  • Work Email Address
  • Work Location (School Name or Central Office)

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/5/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Marty Boyd
REQUESTS SUMMARY:

  • The Pre-Referendum Budget amount was presented as $312 Million. I am requesting a detailed list of projects per school with the projected values which totals $312 Million along with the actual spend to date for the same.
  • A Budget Tracking document indicates that the Post-Referendum Budget for the 4 schools now totals $341 Million. Please confirm that the $341 million is still the current Post-Referendum Budget; also describe what has changed per school and if this increase is based upon projections or actual costs.  And provide the actual spend to date.
  • What is the current state of the referendum drawings per school? For instance, are the Post-Referendum Budget updates based upon 100% construction drawings from the architect and engineers?
  • Does the Pre- and Post-Referendum budgets include escalation and contingencies? If yes, what are the current breakdown percentages per school for escalation and contingencies?  Also identify if any escalation and contingencies have converted from the budget to actual costs on a per school basis.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/5/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Nicholas Meyer
REQUEST SUMMARY: FOIA for policy on cell phone usage on school bus

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/15/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Chelsea Bou
REQUESTS SUMMARY: Public records related to Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) in special education, focusing on speech-language IEEs. If available, I would like to review the following:

  • District IEE Criteria: Please provide the district’s written criteria and procedures governing IEEs, including any cost limitations, evaluator qualification requirements, and related guidance.
  • IEE Payment Data: Please provide records showing payments made to external (non-employee) speech-language pathologist evaluators for speech-language Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) from 7/1/2023 through 12/12/2025, including vendor names, amounts paid, and payment dates.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/17/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Lacey Clark (Freedom Foundation)
REQUEST SUMMARY: Information for all employees currently employed by District 87.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/19/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Tania Campbell (Data Bid)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: Glenbard South HS & North HS Addition & Renovations Bid Release 4. Request for the bid opening tabulation or apparent low bidder on the above mentioned project that bid December 17, 2025.

   
DATE RECEIVED: 12/31/2025
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Owen Wang (DuPage Policy Journal)
REQUEST SUMMARY: Copies of all active full-time aide contracts/collective bargaining agreements.