Mario Ford

The meeting included discussions on community engagement, focusing on residency issues and the upcoming parent forum about social media safety. The Learning and Instruction Committee discussed preparations for data presentations and the development of a scorecard to track academic, financial, and cultural indicators. There was also a conversation about prioritizing efforts that directly contribute to student academic growth and addressing fraudulent registrations.

The meeting included discussions about principal recognition, finance committee updates, and the superintendent's report. Topics covered included residency and registration, online safety, construction scope, tax levy, business office transitions, student achievement, assessment results, and elementary theater programming.

The budget includes estimated revenues and expenditures for various funds, including educational operations and maintenance, debt service, transportation, municipal retirement/social security, capital projects, working cash, tort, and fire prevention & safety. Key areas covered are local, state, and federal funding sources, along with detailed breakdowns of disbursements for instruction, support services, community services, and payments to other districts. It also includes information about ad valorem taxes, payments in lieu of taxes, tuition, transportation fees, earnings on investments, food service, district/school activity income, textbook income, and other revenue from local sources.

This Reopening Plan for Flossmoor School District 161 outlines the strategy for the 2021-2022 school year, focusing on ensuring safe and effective learning experiences. Key focus areas include health and safety mitigation protocols, the addition of instructional staff, upgrades to classroom technology, implementation of a Saturday School program, the introduction of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, and expansion of the Summer Academy. The plan emphasizes a commitment to providing safe, supportive, and rigorous learning while mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

This special meeting included a public hearing regarding the 2025 tax levy, which involved adopting the property tax levy with a 2.9% CPI increase plus a $1 million recapture, adopting a resolution for fund reduction, and abating revenue recapture funds from Senate Bill 508 legislation. Audience comments focused heavily on alleged non-compliance with Illinois school code regarding budget publication timelines and residency requirements affecting student enrollment and funding. Committee reports covered the Community Engagement Committee's discussion on student discipline data, extracurricular programming, residency/registration concepts, and planning for a future parent forum. The Learning and Instruction Committee reviewed preschool expansion, district scorecard indicators, and began discussing future policies on the in-district use of artificial intelligence (AI). The Superintendent's report noted the completion of the winter map assessment window and congratulated an organization for a successful community food and toy drive. The meeting concluded with a discussion of the 2025 financial audit by RSM, noting that the audit fieldwork was delayed due to late property tax agency reports and the late release of the compliance supplement for single audit testing, though no audit adjustments or internal control findings were reported.