Wednesday, March 13, 2013
District 181 Superintendent Renée Schuster provided details about the upcoming meetings where parents can learn and ask questions about the new Advanced Learning Plan in a letter last week.
District 181 administration has scheduled two meetings for parents to learn more about the Advanced Learning Plan passed by the district's board of education last month after it dominated discussion for more than a year. READ: D181 Board Approves Long-Term Curriculum Overhaul Superintendent Renée Schuster released information about the meetings, which will take place March 19 at the Hinsdale Public Library (1 p.m.) and Elm School (7 p.m.) in a letter sent to media on March 4. Here's a slightly trimmed version of Schuster's letter: During the Feb. 25 board of education meeting, our board approved the Advanced Learning Plan with a 6-0 vote. I am extremely pleased that we have our board’s support as we move forward, together, in providing …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Kevin Russell will replace Janet Stutz this summer after a year of serving as District 181's director of curriculum, assessment and instruction.
Kevin Russell is on the move again. The District 181 Board of Education approved by a 5-1 vote Monday night the appointment of Russell to the post of assistant superintendent for learning after the former Walker School principal served one year as director of curriculum, assessment and instruction. Effective July 1, Russell will replace Janet Stutz, who will leave to become superintendent of Orland School District 135. READ: Janet Stutz Leaving D181 for Orland Superintendent Job Russell talked about his approach to the new position after Monday night's meeting at Elm School. "I think when you look at what’s on the horizon with the Common Core, with our advanced learning plan, which is really raising the bar for all kids," Russell said, "my…
Friday, March 1, 2013
Patch has your guide to the 2013 election for the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education.
Five candidates have submitted their names to run for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education in the 2013 election. One of the candidates—Sarah Lewensohn—is a sitting board member, while the other four—Gary Clarin, Richard Fitzgerald, Mridu Garg and Jill Vorobiev—would be newcomers. Clarin, Garg and Vorobiev were endorsed by the Hinsdale Village Caucus. Early voting begins March 25. Election Day is April 9. Patch put together the following guide to help voters get to know each candidate and keep track of the latest election news. Bios are listed in ballot order. Interesting stories relevant to the District 181 election: Join Patch! Create a free user account and join the discussion about the …
Sarah Lewensohn is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education.
Name: Sarah Lewensohn Position sought: Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Email address: slewensohn@d181.org Residence: Hinsdale Family: Husband Bruce Albelda; two daughters, ages 15 and 13. Education: MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; bachelor's degree in economics from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Occupation: Managing director of investor relations for publicly traded bank holding company. Years in District 181: 21 Previous elected offices: Currently serve on the board of CCSD 181. Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: What is the primary reason you are running for this office? To continue to serve, in the same manner I am currently, in a way that is mindful of the…
Richard Fitzgerald is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education.
Name: Richard Fitzgerald Position sought: Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Email address: fitzgerald4d181@gmail.com Residence: Burr Ridge Family: Wife Julie; daughters Maura, 9, and Amelia, 6. Education: Benet Academy; Bachelor's degree from Marquette University. Occupation: Commodity trader Years in District 181: 7 Previous elected offices: None Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: What is the primary reason you are running for this office? I believe that each elementary school, as well as, each community should be represented on the board. I fill the role of both Burr Ridge resident and Elm School parent. What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? To oversee …
Mridu Garg is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education.
Name: Mridu Garg Position sought: Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Website: www.hinsdalecaucus.org Email address: mridu.garg@yahoo.com Residence: Hinsdale Family: Two children, ages 10 and 7. Education: Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and MBA, both from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Occupation: Currently, full-time parent. I have held various positions in the financial, insurance and telecommunications industries. Positions held involved system and software development, project leadership and collaboration with customers, sales, and marketing. Years in District 181: 4 Previous elected offices: None Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: I believe I am qualified to …
Gary Clarin is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education.
Name: Gary Clarin Position sought: Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Email address: meilahn1@aol.com Residence: Clarendon Hills Family: Wife Janet; son Dan, 30; daughters Julie, 28, and Becca, 24. Education: Bachelor's degree from Governors State University, MBA from Keller Graduate School. Occupation: President/Owner of Meilahn Mfg. Company Years in District 181: 25 Previous elected offices: None Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: What is the primary reason you are running for this office? The primary reason that I am running is my three children have benefited from the education they received, not only in District 181 but also in District 86. Now that they are out of college and each …
Jill Vorobiev is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education.
Name: Jill S. Vorobiev Position sought: Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Website: www.hinsdalecaucus.org Email address: jvorobiev@gmail.com Residence: Hinsdale Family: Son Nikolai, 14; daughter Alexi, 12. Education: Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, law degree from Notre Dame School of Law. Occupation: Labor and employment attorney at Jones Day in Chicago Years in District 181: 15 Previous elected offices: N/A Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: I believe that my 15+ years of legal experience managing and resolving complex issues (particularly in the field of labor and employment matters), 15 years of living in the community, 10+ years of recent and current experience with children in …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Implementing the new advanced learning plan and the Common Core standards will result in $493,500 worth of new costs over the next two school years, according to the administration's projections.
District 181’s newly approved advanced learning plan, paired with the federally mandated implementation of new Common Core curriculum, will add more than $520,000 in new costs to the district’s budget over the next four school years, according to financial projections provided by district administration. READ: D181 Board Approves Long-term Curriculum Overhaul The administration projects implementation of the advanced learning plan will cost $283,600 in 2013-14, but most of the expenses are not considered to be incrementally new. Common plan time and professional development for staff new to teaching Algebra, the resulting substitutes, and stipends for those performing the staff training—$217,100 total—are all costs that will be paid for …
Monday, February 25, 2013
All six board members in attendance Monday night voted to approve the District 181 advanced learning plan, though two presented plenty of criticism.
After more than a year of discussion, a long-term plan aiming to increase rigor and inclusivity across District 181 has been approved. The District 181 Board of Education approved by a 6-0 vote Monday night an advanced learning plan 13 months after gifted consultant Tonya Moon pointed out problems she saw with District 181’s approach to advanced learning and six months into a curriculum transition year during which an advanced learning task force has developed the long-term plan. While all six board members in attendance voted to approve the plan (Glenn Yaeger was absent), Brendan Heneghan and Yvonne Mayer delivered a prepared joint statement before the vote that pointed out what they see as problems with the plan and the process by which …
Carrie
1:52 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/03/us-education-database-idUSBRE92204W20130303 Candidates for the board need to ask parents opinions on the ISBE's proposal to lift the limits on class sizes for special ed students. Also, they need to hear what parents have to say about the state's agreement to provide highly detailed student data to a Gates Foundation funded non-profit, for use by any edu-… more ›