COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS NEWSLETTER
Introduction
Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 is governed by a group of seven elected officials, referred to as the Board of Education. Each member is elected to serve four consecutive years and is eligible for an unlimited number of terms.
The Board is responsible for ensuring a high-quality education for the students of the district. They accomplish this by holding the superintendent and administration accountable for student success; developing effective policies that support the district’s vision and mission; approving expenditures and planning for financial stability; adopting new initiatives that move the district forward; and representing the voice of the community served by District 205.
The Board of Education maintains a comprehensive policy manual that defines the district perspective on various educational issues. Administrative procedures are then derived from policy, ensuring consistency in the operations of the district.
Policies are continuously reviewed in an effort to maintain relevance, compliance with school laws, and operational efficiency.
Guide to the Board of Education
Communicating Concerns
At every open meeting or hearing, the Board allows any member of the public to provide comments. Citizens who wish to speak must sign the speaker’s roster prior to the start of the public comments portion of the agenda. Speakers are allowed three minutes to address the Board and must begin by stating their name and local address.
Many issues are often best served by addressing a teacher or principal directly. Please see the section on Chain of Command below on who to address with a particular question or concern.
COMMUNITY INPUT
The Board welcomes input from the school community and offers numerous opportunities to provide feedback. Community members can address the Elmhurst District 205 Board of Education either in-person at regularly scheduled meetings or via email at boardofeducation@elmhurst205.org. At board meetings, there is a 30-minute public comment period set aside for public input. It is the Board's practice not to directly engage in discussion or ask or answer questions with the individuals addressing the Board during public comments. This allows the Board sufficient time to listen and conduct regularly scheduled Board business. Please note that individual members of the board have no authority other than voting on official actions at board meetings. Please see the next section on Chain of Command about whom to address your question or concern. You may also contact any individual board member by email, address or phone and may write to the board as a whole by emailing boardofeducation@elmhurst205.org or sending correspondence to 162 S. York, Elmhurst, IL 60126, or phone (630) 617-2304.
CHAIN OF COMMAND
It is our desire to respond to stakeholders' concerns and/or questions as quickly and effectively as possible. In District 205, the Chain of Command refers to communication levels of authority in the school district. The value of having an established Chain of Command is an efficient tool that provides a roadmap when reporting concerns or communicating with school staff members. Policy 3:30 references that the superintendent should develop a Chain of Command.
Many issues are often best served by communicating directly with the affected staff member. For example, if an issue pertains to a specific student and/or class, it is advised that the parent contact the teacher directly. If the issue pertains to a specific school, it is advised that the parent/resident contact the principal of that school directly.
The goal is to communicate first with the staff member who is nearest to the situation. We recognize that each situation is different, however. Information on who to contact with a question or comment using the Chain-of-Command structure is listed below. Please note that you can search for a District Office employee by name or by department on the directory page.
Progression for Addressing Concerns
|
Concern(s) |
First Contact |
Second Contact |
Third Contact |
Fourth contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Athletics, Clubs, Activities |
Coach, Sponsor |
Activities Director/Athletic Director (if applicable) |
Principal/ |
Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator |
cafeteria/food |
Principal |
Director of Food Service |
Director of Business Services |
Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations |
curriculum/testing |
Teacher |
Department/Division Head (where applicable) Principal/Assistant Principal |
Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Innovation |
Superintendent |
custodial/cleaning |
Principal/Assistant Principal |
Buildings and Grounds Manager |
Director of Facilities |
Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations |
district taxes/budget |
Director of Finance |
Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations |
Associate Superintendent/ |
|
|
Educational Assistant |
Principal/Assistant Principal |
Director of Human Resources |
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources |
|
School Nurse |
Lead Nurse/ Assistant Lead, Assistant Director of Special Education |
Principal/Assistant Principal |
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services |
|
Counselor/Social Worker/School Psychologist |
Principal/Assistant Principal |
Director of Student Services |
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services |
parent |
Teacher/Coach |
Principal/Assistant Principal |
Associate Superintendent |
Superintendent |
POLICIES (DISTRICT) / LEGISLATIVE ACTION |
Executive Director of Communications |
Associate Superintendent | Superintendent | School Board |
SPECIAL EDUCATION |
Teacher/IEP Team Members | Principal/Assistant Principal/Department Chair (York) | Director/Assistant Director of Special Education | Assistant Superintendent of Student Services |
STUDENT |
Teacher | Counselor/Social Worker/School Psychologist | Principal/Assistant Principal | Associate Superintendent/ Superintendent |
TAXES/BUDGET (DISTRICT) |
Director of Finance | Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations |
Associate Superintendent / |
School Board |
TEACHER |
Teacher | Principal | Director of Human Resources | Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources/ Superintendent |
OTHER SCHOOL-BASED STAFF |
Staff Member | Principal | Director of Human Resources | Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources |
TECHNOLOGY ISSUE |
Administrative Assistant | School Tech Assistant | District Tech Support | Executive Director of Technology |
TRANSPORTATION/BUSES |
School Administrative Assistant | Principal | Administrative Assistant of Finance and Operations | Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations |
When a situation cannot be resolved at the first-contact level, then it should be taken to the next level in the Chain of Command. After utilizing the progression for addressing concerns, further questions may be addressed to the superintendent at superintendent@elmhurst205.org.
The purpose of a school board meeting is to transact the legal business of the school district through discussion and voting among the members. Specifically, the Board’s role is as follows:
- Hiring and evaluating the superintendent
- Determining the district’s vision/mission
- Developing effective policies that support the district’s vision and mission
- Approving expenditures and planning for financial stability
- Adopting new initiatives that move the district forward
- Representing the voice of the community served by District 205
The Board welcomes the opportunity to hear from community members regarding the above topics. Community members can address the Elmhurst District 205 Board of Education either in-person at regularly scheduled meetings or via email at boardofeducation@elmhurst205.org. At board meetings, there is a 30-minute public comment period set aside for public input. It is the Board's practice not to directly engage in discussion or ask or answer questions with the individuals addressing the Board during public comments. This allows the Board sufficient time to listen and conduct regularly scheduled Board business. Please note that individual members of the board have no authority other than voting on official actions at board meetings.
To ensure concerns that are raised at Board meetings are effectively addressed, the Board may redirect the concern or question to the appropriate official(s) in accordance with the Chain of Command.
Additionally, any student, parent/guardian, employee, or community member should notify any District Complaint Manager if he or she believes that the School Board, its employees, or agents have violated his or her rights guaranteed by the State or federal Constitution, State or federal statute, or Board policy, or have a complaint as referenced in Board Policy 2:260.
ONLINE MATERIALS
Board agendas, meeting minutes, schedules and supporting materials are available on the district website. All Board meetings are paperless, with all public documents posted online the Friday prior to a scheduled meeting. As an added convenience for our school community, Board meeting video and audio files are posted online, aired on local cable, and are available at the Elmhurst Public Library
MEETINGS
Workshop and business meetings are open to the public and citizens are encouraged to attend. Meetings are generally held twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. A complete schedule of meetings is available here. In addition, the district notifies press and local officials by email, prior to a scheduled meeting.
The Board may call a closed session meeting, which usually occurs prior to the start of the regular meeting, to discuss confidential matters of litigation, personnel, student discipline, acquisition of property, and/or collective bargaining. These meetings are not open to the public, however the Board must vote on any action in a public open session.