Board Notes

May 12, 2025 Board of Education Agenda

Board and Superintendent Reports

Dr. Johns shared information about the new space being renovated for our transition program in downtown Northbrook. The architectural renderings provided a snapshot into the bright spaces where our students will learn beginning in the 2025-26 school year. 

Consent Agenda Items

The consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine items into a group, whereby all are passed with a single motion and vote. Items that are routinely in the Consent Agenda include the personnel report, Freedom of Information Act requests, gifts to the district, board of education minutes, accounts payable, and payroll distributions.

Consent Agenda item 5.10 (Contracts Greater than $35,000) was removed from Consent and added to the Discussion/Action portion of the agenda as item 6.4 to provide board members with the opportunity to have further discussion. The Consent Agenda with the change was unanimously approved.

Discussion/Action Agenda

The Board of Education regularly hears presentations from members of the administration. Often, the information is presented at one meeting, and action based on the topic will be brought to the board for approval at the next meeting. Some presentations are informational only.

6.1 - Award of Bookstore Services Bid for Fiscal Years 2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28
Two vendors submitted proposals, and after a thorough review, EduCare Systems and Management (EduCare) was identified as the best fit, offering comparable services at significantly lower cost. It is recommended that the Board of Education award a three-year contract to EduCare beginning in 2025-26, with the option to renew for two additional years. 

6.2 - Approval to Make Available the 2024-25 Amended Budget and to Schedule a Public  Hearing on the 2024-25 Amended Budget

In accordance with the Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/17-1), to adopt an amended budget, the following activities must be completed:

• The amended budget shall be made available for public inspection for 30 days prior to a public hearing (an opportunity for the community to share their feedback).
• Notice of a public hearing must be published in a newspaper of general circulation.
• Following the public hearing, the Board of Education will vote on a resolution to adopt the amended budget.
• After an amended budget has been adopted, the document must be filed with the Illinois  State Board of Education by June 30, 2025.
• The Board of Education approved the posting of the 2024-25 Amended Budget for public inspections and scheduled a public hearing on the 2024-25 Amended Budget for June 23, 2025.

6.3 - Update Regarding the Withdrawal from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804

The administration explained that the district has distributed the petitions, cover letter, and resolution sheets to all member districts and their boards.

6.4 - Contracts Greater than $35,000
Members of the Board of Education requested that this item be moved to Discussion/Action to provide the board with the opportunity to discuss the maintenance fleet item. 

The Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South maintenance teams are responsible for critical winter operations, including salting, plowing, and snow removal.  In addition, maintenance staff rely on district vehicles to transport equipment between the district’s five locations, make local supply runs (e.g., to Home Depot), and support a range of day-to-day facility needs.

Much of the current vehicle fleet is more than 15 years old and well past its intended service life. Despite the maintenance team’s efforts to keep these vehicles running, many are now inoperable or require frequent repairs. This aging fleet has become unreliable, expensive to maintain, and insufficient to meet the needs of our five campuses. To address this, a vehicle replacement plan has been included in the 2025-26 budget to ensure continued safety, reliability, and operational efficiency.  

The administration will bring this item back for approval on the May 27, 2025, consent agenda. 

All Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the recording of the meeting here.

April 28, 2025, Board of Education Agenda

Board and Superintendent Reports

Consent Agenda Items

The consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine items into a group, whereby all are passed with a single motion and vote. Items that are routinely in the Consent Agenda include the personnel report, Freedom of Information Act requests, gifts to the district, board of education minutes, accounts payable, and payroll distributions. The consent agenda was unanimously approved.

Special Agenda

According to Board Policy 2:10 - Organization of the Board of Education, in odd-numbered years, the organizational meeting is to be held sometime after the election authority canvasses the vote, but within 28 days after the consolidated election. This year, the organizational meeting took place on April 28, 2025.

Prior to the newly elected board of education members being sworn in, the administration and Board of Education took time to express their appreciation to Mr. Bruce Doughty, who is retiring as Board of Education President. Mr. Doughty has served on the board for 13 years, the last six as President. 
 

Organizational Meeting 

At the beginning of the organizational meeting, Dr. Johns was appointed to serve as the Chairperson Pro Tem, and Mrs. Smith was appointed to serve as Secretary Pro Tem. 

Mrs. Smith administered the oath of office. 

Dr. Johns presided over the election of the board president. 

Ms. Sandy Muhlenbeck was nominated to serve a one-year term as president. Being the only person nominated, Ms. Muhlenbeck was approved as President.  

Ms. Muhlenbeck presided over the election of the vice president to serve a one-year term. Dr. Sztainberg and Mr. O'Hara were nominated. Dr. Sztainberg received a majority of votes and was approved as Vice President. 

Ms. Vicki Tarver-Anderson was nominated to serve as the Treasurer and was unanimously approved.
Mrs. Carol Smith was nominated to serve as the Secretary and was unanimously approved.
 

Discussion/Action Agenda

The Board of Education regularly hears presentations from members of the administration. Often, the information is presented at one meeting, and action based on the topic will be brought to the board for approval at the next meeting. Some presentations are informational only.

9.1 - Finalize calendar for the 2024-25 School Year
The final calendar must be approved as part of an annual process, which includes removing unused emergency days. Final approved calendars must be submitted to the Regional Office of Education. The finalized calendar will be approved as part of the consent agenda on May 12.

9.2 - Board of Education Committee Appointments and Member Representatives
Board members serve on various board and community committees. Board members are asked to review the list and share the committees on which they would like to serve with the board president.  

9.3 - Board of Education Regular Board Meeting Dates for the 2025-26 School Year.

All Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the recording of the meeting here.

April 14, 2025, Board of Education Agenda

Superintendent and Board Reports

The board and administration were excited to welcome students from Glenbrook South who recently placed in State IHSA competitions. 

Glenbrook South Debate: Illinois Varsity State Champions

• Second place in Policy Debate
• Third place in Policy Debate
• Tied for fifth place in Policy Debate

Students from GBS who were in attendance at the meeting included:

• Evan Blitz
• Sarina Harjani
• Anu Khishore
• Louis Martinez-Scarampi
• Neel Patel
• Maha Zulfiqar

Students named to the All-State Illinois Policy Debate team are:

• Evan Blitz
• Anu Khishore
• Vivi Webb
• Maha Zulifqar 

Congratulations to all our students and their coach Tara Tate. 

Staff Members Named to New Administrative Roles
The board of education approved three key leadership appointments.

• Mrs. Courtney Middleton will serve as the new Associate Athletic Director at GBS
• Mr. Matt Purdy will be the Associate Athletic Director at GBN
• Mrs. Julie Shellard will be the new Assistant Director of Nursing Services 

Retiring Board of Education Member
The board of education acknowledged and thanked Ms. Michelle Seguin for her four years of service to the District 225 students, staff and families.

Consent Agenda Items

The consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine items into a group, whereby all are passed with a single motion and vote. Items that are routinely in the Consent Agenda include the personnel report, Freedom of Information Act requests, gifts to the district, board of education minutes, accounts payable, and payroll distributions. The consent agenda was unanimously approved.

Discussion/Action Agenda

The Board of Education regularly hears presentations from members of the administration. Often, the information is presented at one meeting, and action based on the topic will be brought to the board for approval at the next meeting. Some presentations are informational only.

6.1 - Public Hearing on the Withdrawal from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804

There were no public comments related to the public hearing. 

6.2 - Resolution to Withdraw from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804

After three years of thoughtful analysis and planning, District 225 is moving forward with a recommendation to withdraw from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804. As a founding member, the district has benefited from decades of collaboration aimed at providing specialized services through a shared model.

However, in recent years, the district has intentionally brought special education programming under direct oversight. This shift has strengthened our internal capacity, allowed for more inclusive service delivery, and positioned us to meet student needs more effectively within our own schools and community.

One significant milestone in this effort is the restructuring of our transition services program, which now emphasizes skill-building and work experiences within students’ home communities. This initiative includes the recent purchase of an 8,076-square-foot facility in downtown Northbrook, which will serve as the new home for our transition program beginning July 1, 2025.

Given these developments, the district now has the infrastructure, personnel, and financial resources to deliver the full range of specialized services independently. Continued membership in the cooperative is no longer necessary to fulfill our commitment to high-quality special education.

This recommendation reflects our long-term vision and investment in building a robust, inclusive system of support for all students.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the resolution to withdraw from TrueNorth effective July 1, 2026.

All Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the recording of the meeting here.

March 17, 2025, Board of Education Agenda

Superintendent and Board Reports

The board and administration were excited to welcome students from Glenbrook North who recently placed in State IHSA competitions. 

Glenbrook North Speech Individual Events: IHSA State Tournament Recognitions

• Mya Gerstein, State Champion in Radio Speaking
• Viktoria (Vika) Gavrilyuk, State finals in Impromptu Speaking

Glenbrook North Debate: Illinois Varsity State Champions

• Ethan Camp and Joe Rozenblat are the first junior/junior team to win State in 25 years. 

New Instructional Supervisor for Math at Glenbrook North High School
The board and administration also acknowledged the approval of Mrs. Kim Johnson as the next instructional supervisor for Math at Glenbrook North. 

Consent Agenda Items

The consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine items into a group whereby all are passed with a single motion and vote. Items that are routinely in the Consent Agenda include the personnel report, Freedom of Information Act requests, gifts to the district, board of education minutes, accounts payable and payroll distributions. The consent agenda was unanimously approved.

Discussion/Action Agenda

The Board of Education regularly hears presentations from members of the administration. Often, the information is presented at one meeting, and action based on the topic will be brought to the board for approval at the next meeting. Some presentations are informational only.

On March 17, 2025, the Board of Education heard one presentation. The description and link to the memo are listed below:

6.1 - Withdrawal from TrueNorth
For the past several months, Glenview School District 34 has pursued withdrawal from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804, highlighting circumstances that closely align with those of Glenbrook High School District 225.  Both districts have demonstrated the capacity to independently provide comprehensive special education services while continuing to incur substantial membership costs for services they no longer utilize from TrueNorth.  In the case of District 225, the anticipated cost of membership in TrueNorth for the 2025-26 school year will exceed $623,412, despite the district’s minimal reliance on cooperative services.  Given the need to ensure responsible stewardship of financial resources, while confident that we will provide excellent educational programming for our students, the administration recommends initiating the process of withdrawal from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804. 

All Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the recording of the meeting here.