USD116 BOE Update: October 19, 2021

The Illinois Association of School Boards recently recognized Board Member Anne Hall for achieving the status of Master Board Member and Board Member Brenda Carter for achieving Master Board Member Maintained status.

The Board approved the appointment of Dr. Mia Lavizzo as the Director of Mentoring and Community Involvement.

Dr. Lavizzo is currently an Assistant Principal at Centennial High School. While at Centennial, Dr. Lavizzo developed and facilitated Social Emotional Learning professional development workshops, facilitated restorative circles, assisted with college and career readiness and preparation, served on school crisis team and as the Special Education designee.

Dr. Lavizzo is committed to ensuring equitable outcomes for students irrespective of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. She is dedicated to serving as an equity leader and joining the great work that is in progress at USD.

She holds a bachelor’s in Management Information Systems from DePaul University and earned both her master’s in Social Work and doctorate in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois. She begins her appointment on November 1.

The Director of Sola Gratia Farm and the Community Nutrition Program Coordinator at C-UPHD gave an update on the Farm to School program with the Board of Education. Sola Gratia Farm and CUPHD were joint recipients of a USDA grant to facilitate the planning of a Farm to School program locally. The grant supports:

• Assessing stakeholder interest and readiness for F2S programming
• Piloting specific F2S activities
• Developing a Farm to School Action Plan

Farm to School Action Plan

• Goal 1: School meals and snacks will include locally sourced ingredients that contribute equitably not only to food security and quality for all students, but also promote long-term healthy lifestyle habits.

• Goal 2: All students will have the opportunity to participate in a sustainable farm to school program that is inclusive of a diverse community.

• Goal 3: The Urbana School District Farm to School Program will foster the growth of a connected, engaged, healthy, thriving community, and will be both mutually supportive and mutually beneficial to all participants in the local food system

• Goal 4: The Urbana Farm to School Program is sustainable

Action Plan available here: https://tinyurl.com/fn6d8u82

Planning Report available here: https://tinyurl.com/bppr7bs5

Report recommendations to USD116 BOE

• Creation of a full-time permanent F2S Coordinator position within USD116.

• Qualitative and quantitative goals for F2S program included in USD116 Wellness Policy.

• Contractual requirements of food service management company regarding integration of local produce in meals and shared use of kitchen space for preparation of school garden produce by teachers and students.

• Adoption of F2S curricula standards for every age group district-wide.

• Create garden coordinator positions with compensation to facilitate garden maintenance and communication in a sustainable way.

• Increased student/family/neighborhood engagement in order to maintain the gardens in non-school months.

NEXT STEPS:

• Continue with quarterly Steering Committee Meetings
• Monthly meetings with Carol Baker
• Wellness Policy: Reestablish committee, inclusion of F2S components, triennial assessment
• Menu Planning: Reestablish committee, inclusion of F2S components, plan transition to working with new CFO
• Edible Gardens: Inventory existing grow spaces, inventory needs and wants at schools without grow spaces: Procure materials and supplies to build and install new grow spaces
• Apply for implementation grant- Dec 2021/Jan 2022

VIEW THE FULL PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD.

Dr. Ivory-Tatum continued discussion on a draft of a new Board policy created through the work of the Equity Task Force. The Task Force spent the last several months crafting an Educational Equity Policy to be adopted as a new Board policy. View the draft policy

NEXT STEPS FOR THE TASK FORCE:

An Equity Assessment Audit will help the Task Force identify the populations and processes that need our attention most. This assessment will give us a more comprehensive picture of our District systems as a whole, focusing on our historically underserved or underrepresented groups.

SHARING THE POLICY WITH STAKEHOLDERS:

• Individual Principal and Administrative meetings
• Faculty/Staff Meetings
• School Improvement Team meetings
• Family Forum and Parent Academy Meetings
• Work with Principals to discuss at PTA's/PTO's/PTSA's
• Students, especially at the secondary level

*UHS and UMS Clubs

*Minority Enrichment Office
*Elementary mentor group spaces

• Focus groups for staff, students, and parents/families

The Board participated in an early discussion regarding sub-district boundaries, criteria, priorities, and timeline. The new apportionment map will be bound by specific Board established criteria. As part of its discussion, the Board discussed the seven criteria used to create the 2011 sub-district maps:

• Sub-districts that are substantially equal in population based on the 2010 US Census
• Sub-districts that are contiguous in territory
• Sub-districts that are compact
• Sub-districts maintain proper minority balance in compliance with voter’s rights act
• Sub-districts that cause minimal disruption to the current board districts
• Sub-districts that exhibit equitable distribution of University of Illinois students
• Sub-districts where at least 2 BOE representatives are attached to an existing elementary school attendance area

Following this initial discussion, the consensus of the Board was to remove "Sub-districts that create a minimal disruption to the current board districts" from the criteria list for now.

The Board will revisit this for further discussion at the next BOE Study Session.

12.6 Renewal of MTD Contract APPROVED

Carol Baker, Chief Financial Officer, will request approval to renew the MTD contract for the

2021-2022 school year. The total cost for the 2021-2022 school year will be $176,225.

12.8 Equity Task Force DRAFT Policy APPROVED

Approval will be requested to approve the newly created Equity Task Force Policy to be included in the Board of Education Policy Manual. The Board approved this policy as a draft to be revisited once the equity assessment audit is done and additional stakeholder feedback is collected

12.9 Hope Springs Agreement APPROVED

Todd Taylor, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, will request the Board of Education

renew an agreement between Urbana School District 116 and Hope Springs Counseling

Services, a program through Cunningham Children’s Home.

12.10 Approval Life Safety Amendment APPROVED

Approval will be requested to submit a Life Safety amendment for the Thomas Paine

Elementary School roof and HVAC work.

Dr. Ivory-Tatum’s Superintendent Report is available HERE.

• Student Led Conferences:

• October 28: 4-8 p.m.

• October 29: 8-11 a.m. (No school)

• Nov. 2: BOE Study Session

• No School

• Nov. 5: Elementary students do not have school. UMS and UHS have early dismissal. (Staff Development Day)

• Nov. 24-26: Thanksgiving Break

Email: contactus@usd116.org
Website: usd116.org
Location: 205 North Race Street, Urbana, IL, USA
Phone: (217) 384-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/usd116
Twitter: @urbana116