Hello and Happy New Year! I am Monica Caldicott, librarian in this amazing school library and president of the D128 Federation of Teachers. Thank you for listening to me tonight.
When one of my classroom colleagues assigns their students a research project, they help students tackle a long-term assignment by setting check-in dates and progress updates. For example, last week Vernon Hills juniors showed off their 4 months of historical research in HIstory Fair museum exhibits, websites, documentaries, and research papers. I learned a lot from a great museum exhibit about Native American boarding schools, several excellent projects focusing on the desegregation of public education, and I enjoyed a lively documentary about the power of art during the Civil Rights Movement.
Our district is undertaking a big research project, too — planning for the 2025-2026 school year – and I think the helpful concept of check-in dates and progress updates can help us look ahead to important dates and expected decisions.
Starting in November and December and continuing this month, we have been tackling the first steps. A joint committee of representatives from our teacher’s union and our fellow union of Educational Support Professionals have been meeting with administrators to consider the current tangle of multiple tiers of support and tutoring. It is our Union’s goal to return teachers to the center of tutoring and student support.
We also have been meeting weekly with administration and members of this Board of Education to negotiate a new contract after our current teachers’ contract expires on June 30, 2025.
Those are some ongoing parts of the ongoing research project that is running a school district and planning a new school year.
So let’s look at the some of the upcoming check-in dates:
In January, students have been selecting the courses they want to take in the 2025-2026 school year. Our course brochures are full of interesting classes such as African American Studies, Intro to Engineering Design, and Style Studio. Our students are also saying they want to continue to add skills and knowledge with advanced classes such as Dance III, AP Latin, and STEM Capstone. We will be watching to see if student interest translates into D128 offering those classes; our teachers were as dismayed as our students last year when several popular classes were not offered even with sufficient student requests.
The planning workload ramps up in February when administration will take those course selection requests and convert them into class sections with teachers assigned. This class sectioning process applies agreed-upon class optimums – the number of students in a class that achieves an optimal learning environment – to determine the number of teachers who will work. Our Union is now an active participant in this class sectioning process, and we look forward to adding our essential point of view to administrative decisions.
Ask our US History teachers how they graded their students’ research projects! They look for rock-solid sources written by history experts, they look for purposeful writing, and they check if the thesis – the main argument of the research project – is supported by the students’ research.
In the same way, our Union will be listening and watching as the district plans for the 2025-2026 school year. Unfortunately, we were allotted only one voice in the interview process for a new superintendent, which doesn’t really match the strength of our 300 members. We will negotiate a contract that shows how this district values its teachers. We will speak up for our students during class sectioning so they can take the classes they want and in classrooms that are not over the optimum class size.
One final message, and this one is directed to our students:
Perhaps you’ve heard some conversations about the value of DEI, which means diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your teachers want you to know that your identity and background, your family’s culture and religion, your individual needs and interests are welcome in our classrooms. We see that when our students feel valued, respected, and included, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and productive – and we are here to bring out your best work and your best selves! We also want you to know that you are safe in our classrooms. We got you!