Glenbard District 87 Board of Education meeting highlights (8-17-2026)

Glenbard District 87 Board of Education meeting highlights (8-17-2026)

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: Tod Altenburg, Jay Bastian, Hetal Lee, Martha Mueller and Pete Nolan. Absent: Margaret DeLaRosa and Jim Shannon.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

  1. We were excited to welcome students to school on Wednesday, August 12. We are thankful to our administrators, instructional tech specialists, IT department, faculty, staff and buildings and grounds crews for their significant work to prepare for the new school year. All were present and greeted students off the buses, from drop-offs and into the building.
       
  2. We are looking forward to open houses at all of our buildings on Thursday, August 27. Families will hear from their principal, teachers and school counseling staff. Open house is part of our home/school partnership, which is critical to ensuring that students reach their goals.
       
  3. We invite local employers to be community partners with Glenbard in a variety of ways. We are looking for opportunities to provide students with rich employment experiences that help develop independence within the community. Community partnerships play a vital role in supporting Glenbard students in reaching their individual adult outcomes. To learn about becoming a community partner with Glenbard District 87, contact Transition Specialist Erin Hoving at [email protected] or 630-942-6783. We are also looking for partnerships for our Dual Credit Entrepreneurship INCubator program. Please contact Susannah Wagner at [email protected] or 630-674-9434 for more information.
       
  4. Congratulations to Student and Community Projects Coordinator Gilda Ross on over 30 years of coordinating the GPS Parent Series, which offers free programs for families and those who work with students. The GPS Parent Series provides free tips, tools and teaching for parents, students, school staff, professionals and the community at large. As the nation’s premier parenting education and family support network, GPS Parent Series offers a weekly lineup of free world-renowned speakers on topics that are important to families. GPS offers expert programming for every age and stage. Events, webinar links and details are available at GPSparentseries.org. The first one for the school year will be held on August 20th with Dr. David Yeager, “Start the School Year Strong: The Science of Motivating Young People.”
       

THE BOARD APPROVED:

the July 29, 2026 regular meeting minutes.

invoices for payment.
August 17, 2026
Education Fund                                     $     434,685.93
Operations & Maintenance Fund  $     570,904.85
Debt Service                                           $                    0.00
Transportation                                       $        28,920.31
Capital Projects                                    $11,381,731.60       
IL Munic. Retire/Soc Sec.                $          -2,178.51
Interim – Checks                                  $  2,360,578.16
Interim – Wire Transfers                   $  5,372,920.93
TOTAL                                                      $19,757,563.27

July 5, 2026 and July 20, 2026 gross payrolls.
July 5, 2026                                            Gross Payroll            Net Payroll
Education Fund                                     $4,473,112.30         $2,655,638.24
Operations & Maintenance Fund  $      71,368.33          $       43,367.10
Transportation Fund                            $       11,197.30          $         8,165.48

July 20, 2026                                          Gross Payroll            Net Payroll   
Education Fund                                     $4,464,421.68          $2,708,524.33
Operations & Maintenance Fund  $       52,312.84          $       31,721.89
Transportation Fund                            $       10,475.46          $         8,889.82

Total Payrolls                                           $9,082,887.91          $5,456,306.86

the following personnel items:

LICENSED STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                                  School/Position                                                  FTE                Effective Date
Lee, Christina                West/School Counselor                                 50%               08/10/2026

LICENSED STAFF – CHANGE OF POSITION:
Name                                 School/Position                                                         FTE          Effective Date
Bone, Labrina               DO/Sr. Coordinator of Student Services,     100%       07/31/2026
                                             Directions Program & Title I  

SUPPORT STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                                 School/Position                                                       FTE            Effective Date
Deal, Kelly                      East/Special Education Assistant                 87.5%        08/10/2026
Fitzgerald, Paul           Transition/Special Education Assistant       81.25%    08/10/2026
Healy, Daniel                Directions/Special Education Assistant      87.5%        08/10/2026
Ohlrogge, Maria          West/Special Education Assistant                87.5%        08/10/2026
St Pierre, Michele       Transition/Special Education Assistant      81.25%    08/10/2026
Swanson, William       West/Special Education Assistant               87.5%        08/10/2026
Wilhite, Madeline        South/Special Education Assistant             87.5%        08/10/2026
Zima, Jacob                  Transition/Special Education Assistant     81.25%     08/10/2026

SUPPORT STAFF – RESIGNATION/TERMINATIONS:
Name                                 School/Position                                                                  Effective Date
Abruscato, Lora          DO/Accountant                                                                  08/20/2026
Carter, Tyler                  DO/Director of Communications                               08/28/2026
Davisson, Leslie         South/Admin. Assistant to Special Education    05/08/2026
Hernandez, Caesar   East/EL Bilingual Interpreter                                       08/03/2026
Hoder, Thomas           Transition/Special Education Assistant                 06/24/2026
Malizzio, Briana          Transition/Special Education Assistant                 06/24/2026
Matthews, Tyler          East/Special Education Assistant                            07/14/2026
Ramsey, Alexandra   Directions/Special Education Assistant                07/14/2026

– two excursions.

– agreements regarding paramedic service for Glenbard football games. The district presented three intergovernmental agreements with Glenbard for paramedic services at football games. The paramedics will be parked at the school during the football games for rapid response in the event of an emergency medical situation.

  • Carol Stream Fire Protection District and Glenbard North = $160 per hour
  • Village of Lombard and Glenbard East = $120 per hour
  • Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District and Glenbard South = $140 per hour

   

BOARD INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS INCLUDED:

– introduction of the 2026-2027 student liaisons. The following students were introduced as 2026-2027 Student Liaisons to the Board of Education

Glenbard East

  • Simrah Rizwan – incoming
  • William Schroeder – incoming
  • Aiman Zaidi – incoming
  • Ariadna Jimenez – returning
  • Asma Hussaini – returning
  • Stephanie Nehra – returning

Glenbard North

  • Ziyanae Cross – incoming
  • Nicholas Powers – incoming
  • Cassandra Surma – incoming
  • Parker Dorr – returning
  • Darielle Dallas – returning
  • DinaLee Murray – returning

Glenbard South

  • Jared Cosnowsky – incoming
  • Trent Galas – incoming
  • Sophie Sweeney – incoming
  • Corinne Conley – returning
  • Aman Buera – returning
  • Leo OBrill – returning

Glenbard West

  • Cathlea Ben – incoming
  • John Davis – incoming
  • Chloe Kim – incoming
  • Gabriel Pacini – incoming
  • Arianna Genc – returning
  • Mel Martinez – returning
  • Elizabeth Moreno – returning

   
career exploration update. The district presented an update on the Glenbard District 87 Career Exploration initiative, designed to help every student systematically discover their passions, explore diverse career pathways, and cultivate real-world competencies before graduation. This initiative was informed by community forums in March 2026 facilitated by the P-20 Network, which gathered input from families, local businesses, the College of DuPage, and school staff to identify regional economic and workforce trends. Following these forums, a multi-year internal committee of district educators met this spring to develop a career exploration vision statement. The committee’s foundational insight determined that high-impact career exploration must exist systematically across all courses and curricula rather than in isolation.

To realize this shared vision, implementation steps for the 2026-2027 school year will embed career exploration directly into the district work plan and unit map templates for future curriculum updates. Additional key next steps include formally adopting additional ISBE career pathways, introducing a work-based learning tracking module within SchooLinks, utilizing Glenbard Hour and collaboration hour for student career activities, and appointing designated career exploration point people within each school building. Staff readiness will be supported through targeted building-based professional development modules focusing on daily classroom integration, local industry site visits, and district-wide SchooLinks training.

   
ACT prep update 2025-26. District 87 offers free ACT prep for all 11th grade Glenbard students for the purpose of allowing equitable access to quality ACT test prep for all students. The program has evolved over the years based on feedback from students, teachers, and administrators.

In 2025, the district partnered with Progress Learning, an online ACT suite preparation program. All junior students completed a Progress Learning diagnostic assessment in October that mirrored the official ACT. Based on the results of the diagnostic assessment, students received an individualized study plan for each subject area: English, math, science, and social studies. Students were encouraged to spend at least eight hours in the program. Buildings used a variety of incentives to encourage student participation.

Students who completed eight hours in Progress Learning experienced a 2.65 point average composite growth from the PreACT 10 to the ACT, compared to the national average of 1.64 points. 

Based on the success of this program, Glenbard plans to make the following changes for this year’s implementation. All 10th and 11th graders will complete the Progress Learning diagnostic PreACT 10 and ACT assessment in the fall, giving them access to the individualized support. All 11th graders will complete eight hours in the program during their English, math, science, and social studies courses. All 10th graders will complete four hours in Progress Learning as part of the core curriculum in English, math, science and social studies. We will also provide access to Progress Learning for all 9th graders, and Professional Learning Communities will decide on implementation.

   
ACT prep program agreement 2026-27 – Progress Learning. District 87 has offered a free test prep for 11th grade with the purpose of allowing access to quality test prep for all students. Based on the results we experienced last year with Progress Learning, we want to expand this opportunity to underclassmen as well.

Progress Learning’s ACT solution will meet the district’s specified goals by providing the following:

  • A PreACT/ACT diagnostic and benchmarking tool, which includes three full-length benchmark assessments that provide immediate data to help identify student strength-and-improvement areas and plan interventions. The instructional diagnostics pinpoint student performance by skill and standard and track mastery of high-impact ACT concepts across subjects.
  • Materials such as ready-to-use PreACT/ACT curriculum with individualized learning paths, practice questions, and support videos for every standard assessed on the exam.
  • Multi-level reporting, which allows administrators to view performance data at district, school, classroom, and student levels. The reporting provides clear data to inform grouping, reteaching, and intervention, as well as measures progress over time to align instruction with college readiness goals.
  • Assessment results render within minutes of completion, at student, teacher, and district levels, which deliver actionable diagnostic and benchmarking insights to drive instruction and support accountability goals.
  • Assessments that fully support ACT® accommodation and accessibility requirements, including extended time, text-to-speech options, and other visual support tools.

This contract accounts for licenses for all grade 9-11 students in the district. The cost per building is $17,016. The total amount is $68,064.

   
– 2026-2027 tentative budget. The district has published its 2026-2027 budget calendar and is on track to review and approve the District 87 budget consistent with its plan and timeline. A public notice was published prior to 30 days in advance of the public hearing scheduled for September 14, 2026. The district presented a budget that indicates a surplus in operating funds prior to the required transfer necessary to cover the ARS bond payment. When accounting for the transfer from Operations & Maintenance (O&M) to Debt Service, it will result in a budgeted net operating deficit for the upcoming school year.

The proposed budget funds all staff and program needs for the upcoming year. Below is a summary of the operating budget.

Operating budget: 

  • Operating revenue = $200,247,795
  • Operating expenditure = $199,963,774
  • Gross operating surplus = $284,021 (prior draft was $168,521)
  • Permanent O&M transfer to Debt Service Fund = $2,802,005 (ARS bonds)
  • Net Operating Deficit = $2,517,984 (Gross Operating Surplus less transfer to Debt Service)
  • Total ending fund balance is estimated to be $167,631,291 (includes Fund 60)

The district provided details regarding its tentative budget in a board presentation. In accordance with the Illinois School Code, the tentative budget is posted on the district website and available for in-person review at the Glenbard 87 Robert C. Stevens Administration Center.

    
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: 6/15/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Isacc Delton (The Data Branch)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The Data Branch is submitting a public records request for vendor procurement records.
Scope of Request:
All products from: CDW Government, Xerox, and MGT Impact Solutions (MGT Consulting), as well as College and Career Readiness from Lead Public Schools
Our goal is to identify records from 2022 to now that show the pricing arrangements associated with these vendors, such as licensing or subscription terms, per-unit costs, and any implementation or setup fees that may apply.
Relevant records may include:

  • Contracts, service agreements, and order forms
  • Purchase orders involving the above vendors
  • RFP or solicitation documents
  • Task orders issued under cooperative purchasing agreements

 

DATE RECEIVED: 6/19/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Chase Bennett (The Data Branch)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The Data Branch is submitting a public records request for vendor procurement records.
Scope of Request:
All products from: Sapling
We aim to find records from 2022 to now that would reflect the pricing structure of any engagement with the above vendors. This may include subscription or licensing terms, implementation fees, and/or per-unit costs.
This request covers records such as:

  • Contracts, service agreements, order forms
  • Purchase orders relating to the listed vendors
  • RFP or solicitation documents
  • Task orders issued against cooperative purchasing agreements

 

DATE RECEIVED: 6/19/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Rylee Donovan (The Data Branch)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The Data Branch is submitting a public records request for records relating to vendor purchases.
Scope of Request:
All products from: Frontline Education, Powerschool, Red Rover Technologies, Tyler Technologies, and OpenAI/Claude
We are looking for records from 2022 to now that capture the pricing details of any engagement, which may include (where applicable) subscription terms, licensing fees, per-unit costs, and implementation charges.
The types of records we are interested in include:

  • Contracts, service agreements, and order forms
  • Purchase orders associated with the above vendors
  • RFP or solicitation documents
  • Task orders issued under cooperative purchasing agreements

 

DATE RECEIVED: 6/22/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Tatum Fletcher (The Data Branch)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The Data Branch is submitting a public records request for vendor procurement records.
Scope of Request:
All products from: Gorgias, Intercom, Sierra, Futurefit AI, Overgrad, Powerschool, Schoollinks, and Xello
We are seeking records from 2022 to now that reflect the pricing structure of any such engagement, including (if available), per-unit costs, subscription or licensing terms, and/or implementation fees.
Relevant records may include:

  • Contracts, service agreements, and order forms
  • Purchase orders involving the above vendors
  • RFP or solicitation documents
  • Task orders issued under cooperative purchasing agreements

 

DATE RECEIVED: 6/22/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Shane Ellington (The Data Branch)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The Data Branch is submitting a public records request for records pertaining to vendor procurement and purchasing activity.
Scope of Request:
All products from: School Asset Manager, Collaborative Student Transportation, Prismatic Services Inc, and TransPar Group
We are interested in records from 2022 to now that document the financial terms of any engagement with the vendors listed above. Where available, this may include per-unit pricing, subscription or licensing fees, and any implementation or onboarding costs.
Relevant records may include:

  • Contracts, service agreements, and order forms
  • Purchase orders involving the above vendors
  • RFP or solicitation documents
  • Task orders issued under cooperative purchasing agreements

 

DATE RECEIVED: 6/22/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Heidi Collins (The Data Branch)
REQUESTS SUMMARY: The Data Branch is writing to submit a public records request regarding vendor procurement records.
Scope of Request:
All products from: ESS/ESI, Kokua Education, Scoot Education, Zed Educate, and BuildEd
We are looking for records from 2022 to now that capture the pricing details of any engagement, which may include (where applicable) subscription terms, licensing fees, per-unit costs, and implementation charges.
The types of records we are interested in include:

  • Contracts, service agreements, and order forms
  • Purchase orders associated with the above vendors
  • RFP or solicitation documents
  • Task orders issued under cooperative purchasing agreements

 

DATE RECEIVED: 7/22/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Ben Hoffman
REQUESTS SUMMARY: I am requesting electronic copies (PDF or native electronic format if available) of the following records related to the Performance Services, Inc. Guaranteed Energy Savings Contract approved by the Glenbard Township High School District 87 Board of Education on February 9, 2026:

  • Exhibit B – Improvement List
  • Exhibit C – Performance Guarantee
  • The PSI Contract Price Amendment
  • The Contract Tracker referenced in the Board packet
  • Any Energy Conservation Measure (ECM) summary or savings analysis prepared by Performance Services, Inc.
  • Any Measurement & Verification (M&V) plan.
  • Any utility baseline analysis used to establish the guaranteed savings.
  • Any lifecycle cost analysis or payback calculations.
  • Any HVAC load calculations or engineering reports used to determine replacement equipment capacities.
  • Any documents identifying annual guaranteed electricity savings, natural gas savings, operational savings, maintenance savings, or total guaranteed annual cost savings.

If available, please also provide the mechanical equipment schedules, Division 23 HVAC specifications, and any documents discussing HVAC equipment sizing, right-sizing, load calculations, demand reduction, or equipment selection prepared by or for Performance Services, Inc.

 

DATE RECEIVED: 8/3/2026
REQUESTOR & COMPANY: Katie Smith
REQUESTS SUMMARY: I request copies of records showing the total compensation for calendar year 2026-2027 for the following positions:

  • Superintendent
  • All Assistant Superintendents (Deputy Superintendents)
  • All Building Principals

For each individual, please provide records showing:

  • Base salary
  • Bonuses
  • Number of vacation days
  • Number of personal days
  • Number of work from home days
  • Stipends
  • Employer-paid health, dental, vision, and life insurance costs
  • Employer TRS (Teachers’ Retirement System) contributions
  • Employer-paid annuity contributions
  • Retirement incentives or retirement increases
  • Paid sick leave or vacation payouts
  • Vehicle allowance or district vehicle benefit, if applicable
  • Travel or expense reimbursements
  • Cell phone or technology allowances
  • Any other compensation, payments, benefits, or remuneration paid by or on behalf of the District