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Oak Park - River Forest School District 200 board meeting, Sep 24, 2026

3 h 47 min · 0 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 47 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Board keeps meeting procedures policy as is after discussing agenda meeting attendance 2:21:54

  • The chair announced that the consent items were approved. 1:26:46
  • Before the budget vote, one board member raised concern that the fund balance was just over 26%, and a district staff member said federal rebates were more likely to arrive in quarter 1 of the following fiscal year. 1:29:30
  • On the mass transit exclusion, a district staff member estimated that providing district bus service would cost $2.5 to $6 million in additional cost. 1:48:47
  • The board discussed three options for representation of a second board member at rotational meetings, and after a motion to approve Board Policy 2:220, Board of Education Meeting Procedure, as is, it was announced that the policy would remain as is. 2:21:54

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Call to order and closed session 2:02
    • The chair called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM on September 24th, 2026, and the roll was called. 2:02
    • A motion was made and seconded to enter closed session to discuss personnel, collective negotiation, security and litigation matters. 2:27
  2. Student showcase, announcements and recognitions 1:06:42
    • The student showcase recognized a Special Olympics track athlete and the marching band. 1:07:20
    • During announcements, it was reported that 1,352 students took a total of 3,310 AP tests last spring and just over 91% earned at least a 3 on at least one test. 1:15:02
    • Joshua Gertz presented the September Teacher of the Month, Employee of the Month and volunteer of the month recognitions. 1:17:05
  3. Public comment and budget hearing 1:23:35
    • The chair said there were no public comments on the budget and closed the hearing at 7:53 PM. 1:23:35
    • The chair opened a public hearing on the 2026⁠-⁠2027 budget at 7:52 PM and said the budget was placed on display for public inspection on August 21st, 2026. 1:24:13
  4. Consent items 1:23:35
    • The consent items included personnel recommendations, a resolution on authorized repositories, a quote from Forte to replace the boardroom's audio equipment at an expenditure of $42,493, the July 2026 Treasurer Report and check disbursements. 1:25:40
    • The chair announced that the consent items were approved. 1:26:46
  5. Meeting minutes 1:26:46
    • A motion was made to approve the open and closed meeting minutes of August 28th, 2026, and September 10th, 2026, and to destroy the audio tapes of closed session minutes of October 2024. 1:27:38
  6. Makerspace naming recognition 1:28:28
    • A motion was made and seconded to approve a recognition through the naming of the makerspace. 1:28:28
  7. Annual budget adoption 1:29:12
    • One board member said a key concern was the change between the August proposal and the final budget, which left the fund balance just over 26%. 1:29:30
    • A district staff member said there was a greater likelihood the rebate money would not arrive until quarter 1 of the following fiscal year and that the district would need to be prudent throughout the year. 1:31:01
    • Joshua Gertz said the 26% figure was a cash flow issue and that projected fund balance percentages rebound to 33% in later years. 1:44:34
  8. Emergency operations plan 1:48:15
    • A motion was made and seconded to approve the emergency operations plan as presented in closed session. 1:48:15
  9. Mass transit exclusion 1:48:47
    • A district staff member said ending the exclusion would require 40 to 60 buses and bids probably by January, and estimated $2.5 to $6 million in additional cost. 1:49:50
    • The staff member said the district was standing up an email address for families to report concerns about public transportation. 1:57:44
    • One board member asked for a map overlaying CTA and Pace routes on the district and said they would be a yes on the exclusion. 2:06:29
  10. National Merit semifinalists resolution 2:14:20
    • A motion was made and seconded to approve a resolution recognizing the 2027 semifinalists of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. 2:14:20
  11. Board policies on second reading 2:14:53
    • The chair moved to approve a list of board policies for second read and action, with Policy 2:220 separated for discussion. 2:14:53
    • Dr. Kathleen Odell asked a Policy Committee member to review any issues raised at the last meeting. 2:19:58
  12. Board member attendance at agenda meetings 2:21:54
    • The chair outlined three options: leaving the decision to the board president, adding the vice president, or creating a rotation of board members. 2:21:54
    • One board member said they strongly favored the third option, and another board member asked whether the concern could be addressed without codifying in policy who may sit in the meeting between the president and the superintendent. 2:22:54
    • One board member said a preference was for option 1 because option 3 seemed too prescribed to write into policy. 2:30:16
    • A motion to call the question passed 6 to 1, and after the roll call on approving Policy 2:220 as is, the chair said the policy would remain as is. 2:50:32
  13. Marching band donation 2:55:42
    • A motion was made and seconded to accept a $1,500 donation to the Oak Park and River Forest Marching Band Program. 2:55:42
  14. Annual practices review presentation 2:56:19
    • Joshua Gertz asked whether an increase in vaping detection reflected more enforcement rather than higher prevalence. 3:19:00
  15. Governance and committee updates 3:34:28
    • Dr. Kathleen Odell reported on a review of the committees and organizations with board representation and said the goal was to present it at the next meeting. 3:35:48
    • Graham Brisben said a vacancy drew 12 applicants and that interviews were held Monday night. 3:38:46

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Regular Board of Education Meeting - September 24, 2026”