USD116 BOE Update: August 22, 2023

The two new student ambassadors took the Oath of Office: D'Meneca Turner-Winston (senior) and Paulina Angrave (junior).

Members of the District Equity Leadership Team presented the 2023-24 Equity Action Plan to the Board of Education.

Equity Action Plan (EAP): The EAP is an accountability framework to identify, measure and sustain actions to advance equity. It is a collaborative process developed with district stakeholders and relies on systemic commitment to best serve all students.

This EAP is for the 2023-24 academic school year. A 3-5 year plan will be developed at the end of this school year, in conjunction with the strategic plan.

The EAP is divided into five strands:

• Systems
• Teaching and Learning
• Student Voice, Climate and Culture
• Professional Learning
• Family & Community Agency

Under each strand, there are objectives with a measure/indicator and alignment.

Systems objectives:

• Develop strategies to recruit and retain specialized staff and continue efforts to diversify staff.
• Review, Revise and Adopt District Equity Board Policy.
• Evaluate and update policies, data collection systems, communication and instructional practices for barriers to access and full engagement for students.
• Provide financial backing, resources, and advocacy support to the other strands as their objectives form and develop.

• Develop a curriculum map in curricular teams for each grade level that aligns to standards, scope and sequence, instructional supports, rigor, embeds cultural and linguistic pedagogy and practices, and autonomy for equitable resources
• Provide opportunities for collaboration with monolingual, dual language and special education programs.
  
• Examine root causes of lower performance of African-American and Latino/ELL students.

Student Voice, Climate and Culture objectives:

• Establish a student equity advisory committee.
• Develop positive connections targeted at Black/African American students and/or students who qualified for Free/Reduced lunch (economically disadvantaged).

Professional Learning objectives:

• Provide professional learning opportunities for all staff.
  
• Review professional development frameworks.
  

Family and Community as agency objectives:

• Establish an engaging community space.

View the full EAP Presentation with more on the objectives

In March 2023, the USD116 Board of Education charged district administration with forming a District Facilities Planning Committee to advise the Board on the future programming for Wiley School.

• Full Board Charge

The District Facilities Committee Co-Chairs presented a final report and the final recommendation from the committee. Facilities Committee Final Recommendation: Convert Wiley School to a 6th-grade Center.

• View the facilities committee final report

Expected Outcomes

If the Board approves and follows through on the committee’s recommendation, the following outcomes are anticipated for sixth graders who have the opportunity to attend a self-contained 6th-grade center:

1. A designated space to better prepare and transition from elementary school to the middle school model via a more controlled 6th-grade center will help grow their independence, maturity, and interdependent skills.
2. More time for 6th-grade students to discover how to be productive learners and students.
3. Students will thrive academically.
   
4. Students will have more time to mature and learn to make age-appropriate decisions.
   
5. Incidents resulting in office discipline referrals and behavioral incidents will decrease.
   
6. A 6th-grade center will help improve the overall culture and climate at both middle school campuses.
   
7. Fewer behavioral incidents and a positive culture and climate will also allow more time to focus on fostering a safe and nurturing learning environment for our students and staff.
   
8. The space will allow the whole child to grow and develop
   

View the entire presentation

Members of the middle school group from the District Facilities Committee gave more information on the implications of a 6th grade center. This includes attendance and discipline numbers, staffing, financial impact and examples of facility plans

View the full middle school group report

Highlights:

• Operation Caring Closets
• Family and Community Cafe
• The Dual Language Family Picnic has been postponed due to weather. The new date is Aug. 31 from 4-6 p.m.