Welcome to District 161

At the May 11 meeting of the Board of Education, members approved the employment of Susan Krautstrunk as Director of Finance and Bridget Nolan as Director of Special Education. Ms. Krautstrunk presently is the Director of Finance at Plainfield Consolidated SD 202. She previously was a senior accountant in Elgin U-46. Ms. Nolan is currently a Special Education Administrator and Director of the Extended School Year Program in Plainfield. Previously she was a special education teacher in Kirby District 140. Transitioning will begin later this month.

At the May 11 meeting of the Board of Education, members recognized Christine Coffey and Ryan Hagen as District 161 Those Who Excel program honorees. Ms. Coffey was selected as the recipient in the student support personnel category. She is an English Language Learner teacher who has been with the District since 2010. She works with students at Mary Drew and Indian Trail Schools. Mr. Hagen was selected in the classroom teacher category. He is a Math teacher at SHJH and has been with the District for four years.

At the May 11 meeting of the Board of Education, Finance Director Dean Gerdes shared a variance report describing the preliminary amended budget. He indicated that overall, District 161’s budget improved from a deficit that was $2.1 million in the original budget adopted in September 2011 to a deficit that is now projected to be $1.7 million.

Parents can register their child for kindergarten by coming to the District Administrative Center located at 20100 South Spruce Drive in Frankfort. The office is open from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The half day program registration fee is $105 if paid in full by June 15, 2012. After that date, the fee will be $125. The full day program fee will be $130 if paid in full by June 15. After that date, the fee will increase to $150. Please bring your child's original birth certificate and all other original residency documents. The checklist of items needed can be found at the "Kindergarten Registration" link at left. Parents must prove residency to receive a login and password to begin the online registration process.

District parents will again be utilizing the online student registration and payment process for all returning students for the upcoming 2012-13 school year. This registration process helps the District adequately plan for the upcoming year and retain the best teachers for verified student enrollment. From now through June 15, a link to the registration form will be available at www.studentregistration.org This site will not be active until May 1. During online registration, current student information can be confirmed and updated. The process will utilize current student login usernames and passwords for PowerSchool access. The re-registration fee for 2012-13 is $130 for students grades 1-8. After June 15, the registration fee will be $150. The District will continue to accommodate those who do not wish to pay online. These individuals may go online to complete the registration form and then come to the Administrative Center to pay by check or cash. For more information, please call 815-469-9103.

District 161 has a history of excellence. In 2000-01, Walker School was named a Blue Ribbon School, a program developed by the U.S. Department of Education to set a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement. Two years ago, Dr. Julian Rogus School was named a recipient of the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2010 Excellence Award for Exemplary Academic Performance on the Illinois Learning Standards. This year, Mary Drew and Arbury Hills Schools were honored as recipients of the 2011 Excellence Award. Over the last decade, an average of 86 percent of District 161 students have consistently met or exceeded the Illinois Learning Standards. In terms of financial excellence, since 1995, District 161 has consistently earned the Bright Star award. Award criteria is based on districts whose students’ academic performance ranks in the upper one-third of Illinois school districts but whose expenditures per student rank in the lower one-fourth of Illinois school districts. Currently the District 161 Board of Education is addressing fiscal issues related to the economic downturn. District 161 has adequate reserves to fund operations. These fund balances are projected to be depleted in 2015-16. A three-year plan is being crafted to slow the erosion of the District’s fund balances. The first year of the plan involves streamlining transportation, consumables, and building capacities. Bus activity runs will be eliminated and the amount of consumable workbooks will be reduced. In terms of building capacities, as enrollments in District 161 schools continued to increase over the first half of the 2000s, District schools were built out to house an anticipated 4,200 students. Over the last four years, enrollment has stabilized at around 3,400 students. Projections over the next four years indicate that enrollments will not increase. To maximize current district programming, the Board recently voted to optimize capacities by reducing Grades 1-4 buildings from five schools to four. Current class size guidelines will continue to be maintained. The District will also continue to house District 843 programs. Since the reduction involves the school attached to the District Administrative Center, the building can continue to be utilized by local organizations. The Board and administration will continue its planning process in July after the new Finance Director is named. In the meantime, a Superintendent Advisory Committee has been established. Topics include recent legislative proposals concerning pension reform and school district budgets, technology utilization, grants, volunteer programs, and Common Core Standards.

May 18............................................................Teachers Institute - No School
May 28...................................................................Memorial Day - No School
May 29.................................................................Last Day of School - 1 hour