Calvin Hightower

The board meeting included a moment of silence for a retired board member. Key discussions focused on a potential new district cell phone policy to address classroom distractions, with input from a recent parent-teacher advisory committee. Administrative actions included the appointment of a new Director of Special Education, the termination of a bilingual resource teacher, and the issuance of a notice to remedy for another teaching staff member. Additionally, the board approved various fundraisers for school sites and reviewed reports on facilities, geothermal project progress, and personnel leave requests.

This Annual Report details the Berkeley School District's progress during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. It outlines three strategic goals: enhancing student growth and achievement through improved reading and mathematics performance and closing achievement gaps; fostering a student-inclusive learning environment via social-emotional learning implementation and optimized resource utilization; and cultivating high-quality staff and leadership by focusing on retention, professional development, and communication. The report provides insights into accomplishments, challenges, and future steps for each strategic area.

This Five-Year Strategic Plan for Berkeley School District 87 is designed to guide the district in achieving student success. The plan is structured around seven primary goals: maximizing student achievement for career and college readiness; ensuring students are socially and emotionally prepared to learn; providing equitable technology access for all; hiring and retaining highly effective staff; creating a safe and high-quality learning environment; engaging all stakeholders in active partnership; and serving as responsible financial stewards for the community. The overall vision is to foster student achievement through comprehensive programming, supportive resources, and sound financial management.

This document outlines Berkeley School District No. 87's strategic planning efforts concerning Facilities, Technology, and Finance. Key initiatives include a long-range facilities plan informed by a 10-year Life Safety Survey and a 2018 Education Alignment Study. The planning process involved extensive community engagement, leading to a successful $105 million school building bond referendum in March 2020 to fund new construction and comprehensive renovations, with anticipated project completion over four years from the referendum's passing.

The committee reviewed several revised school policies, including those regarding the Superintendent, student fund-raising activities, student testing and assessment programs, health and immunization requirements, search and seizure protocols, and extracurricular activities. The committee moved to present these policies for a first reading at the subsequent board meeting.