April 21, 2025 - Board Brief
Board President, Mrs. Caitlin Sendaydiego, welcomed everyone to the Board’s September meeting. The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. No public comment attendees were present.
Board President’s Report
Mrs. Sendaydiego welcomed and congratulated the students to be recognized and celebrated this evening, including standouts and award-winners from our Band and Orchestra programs and Math Olympiad teams. She noted they would be recognized during the Superintendent’s Report.
Mrs. Sendaydiego expressed her gratitude to everyone for attending and announced that it was her final meeting. She extended heartfelt thanks to the administrative team, Dr. Coffey, Mrs. Burger and members of the Board of Education for their hard work and dedication. She shared that it had been a privilege to work alongside them during her eight-year tenure as a School Board Member and President.
Superintendent’s Report
Math Olympiad Placers and Winners
Dr. Coffey welcomed D101 Math Specialist, Mrs. Lori Lubera, who had the honor of introducing our 4th–8th grade Math Olympiad placers and winners. Mrs. Lubera shared how impressed she was by the students’ energy and enthusiasm—even during their early morning sessions. Each Math Olympiad placer and winner was recognized, followed by enthusiastic applause from those in attendance.
Band and Orchestra LT Festival & ILMEA Students
Dr. Coffey introduced D101 Band Director, Dawn Fiebrandt, and Orchestra Director, Hannah Andrews, who introduced students that got a perfect score and/or took first place in this year’s LT Festival and our three students who represented McClure at the ILMEA festival. The Directors shared that these students worked incredibly hard and put in extra practice time to attain this high level of achievement. Those in attendance applauded our student musicians and directors.
Entering Kindergarten Cohort Numbers
Dr. Coffey shared updated incoming kindergarten numbers. She noted that if school were to start tomorrow, this group’s numbers would be: Field Park - 54 students, Forest Hills - 33 students , and Laidlaw - 67 students, for a total incoming cohort of 154 students. Dr. Coffey also shared that the Board will continue to receive regular updates at our upcoming monthly meetings.
Dr. Coffey concluded her Superintendent’s Report by expressing heartfelt gratitude to the four departing School Board Members for their time, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the students of D101. She noted that the district would not be what it is today without their guidance and support over the years. Each member has made a lasting, positive impact on the district, and they will be deeply missed.
Action Items Approved by the Board
The Board approved the employment of two new certified staff for 25-26: Madison Ruth, Math Teacher (McClure) and Shweta Sharma, Resource Teacher (Laidlaw).
The Board approved the re-employment of part time staff who were released last month as is an annual mechanical practice: Julie Bunnell, Intervention teacher (.6, Laidlaw), Karin Davey, Spanish Teacher (.5, Laidlaw), Carolyn Dolan, Physical Education Teacher (.4, Laidlaw), Amanda Guess, Resource Teacher (.5, Field Park), Marion Messino, Elementary Music Teacher (.5, Laidlaw), Lynn Rees, Electives Teacher, (.54, McClure) and Pamela Tawse, Art Teacher (.34, Forest Hills) for the 2025-26 school year.
The Board approved the release of Closed Session minutes from September 2024-February 2025.
The Board approved the elimination of Closed Session recordings from May 2023-October 2023.
The Board approved the leaves of absences of Sam Schroeder, Art Teacher (1.0, McClure), Tori Fankhauser, Instructional Coach, (.8), and Jessica Meyer, Social Worker, (1.0, McClure) for the 2025-26 school year.
The Board accepted the retirement of Michele Spiegel, Paraprofessional at Field Park (end of this school year) and Annie Gaughan, Math Intervention Teacher, Laidlaw (after the 2029-30 school year).
The Board accepted the resignation of Sara Folliard, 3rd Grade Teacher (Field Park, 1.0) at the end of 2024-25 school year.
The Board accepted a resolution approving proposed amendments to the DuPage West Cooperative (DWC) Intergovernmental Agreement.
The Board approved the date and time of the New Board Seating Meeting (Tuesday, April 29 at 5:00PM in the McClure LLC).
The Board unanimously approved an extension of Superintendent, Dr. Sarah Coffey’s contract, affirming their continued confidence in her leadership.
Additional Items Discussed by the Board of Education
Mrs. Burger provided updates on several key initiatives, including the conclusion of state testing and ongoing district planning and piloting efforts for the ELA curriculum. She also shared information about related professional development opportunities. Additionally, she reported on the completion of this year’s core science resource pilot for grades 1–5 and announced the recommendation to adopt Mystery Science as the core resource beginning this fall. Onboarding and professional development for teachers will follow in the coming weeks.
The Board discussed the date and time of the seating meeting that will be brought up for approval at the end of the meeting.
Dr. Coffey shared that negotiations are still underway for a transportation contract with First Student for the 2025-26 school year. She anticipates sharing a contract for approval at the May meeting.
Mrs. Burger explained that D101 families with students in grades 3-7 have received communication regarding Advanced Math and ELA pathways, registration for out-of-level testing, and next steps in the D101 Advanced Placement Process. She explained the goal is to provide families with clear information about the available academic pathways and to support understanding of students’ current and future placement options. The Board shared positive feedback regarding improvements to process and communication.
Dr. Coffey shared an overview regarding dates and logistics for upcoming annual spring Crisis Response drills.
Past Board Briefs