District 15 Kindergarten Registration Two Weeks From Today

New student registration will be held as well at all District 15 elementary schools on Tuesday, February 12. Kindergarteners must be five years old on or before September 1, 2013.

If you’re child will be entering kindergarten or your student is new to District 15, registration will be held two weeks from today on February 12. Children who are eligible to enter kindergarten must be five years of age on or before September 1, 2013. Kindergarten and new student registration will be held Tuesday, February 12, from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m., 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at all District 15 elementary schools. Enrollment requirements include: Normally, students will attend their neighborhood schools but there are exceptions. Parents who have questions are advised to call the district's Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center at 847-963-3000 for more information. Information provided by District 15. 

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District 15 Parents: Have You Taken the Schedule Change Survey?

Parents have through today to weigh in on proposed schedule changes for the 2013-2014 school year. A public forum also will be held Saturday, January 26 at Sundling Jr. High.

UPDATED: District 15 to Implement New Schedule for 2013-2014 School Year

Teacher professional development will be created by adjusting the start or end times of the school day; Superintendent Scott Thompson says input is still being sought from the community.

UPDATED: Thursday, January 3 at 11:50 a.m.  A statement from District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson. The committee charged with working on the late start/early dismissal project will be seeking input from parents in the next week or so. The committee definitely wants to find ways to lessen the impact on families. All options for making the best decision will be considered.  Parents/community members are encouraged to respond to that request for feedback.  No decision has been made at this point. After receiving feedback, the committee will offer a proposal later this month or early in February. The Board of Education's Communication Committee has planned a Community Forum on Jan. 26th (9:00-11:00AM) (location to be announced at a later …

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Sheila Polcyn

7:44 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013

LS, I respect your efforts but as a working parent an early release or an early start makes no difference - either way I'm left scrambling to find child care & the consistency of my childrens' day is compromised. The classroom sizes are large - of my son's 6 years in District 15, only 2 of those had him in a classroom of less than 30 children. That's very difficult for teachers, but this is their…   more ›

District 15 Touts Common Core Standards

Encouraging stronger writing skills across all curriculum is an integral part of Common Core Standards, beginning in the 2014-2015 school year.

Education Matters

Voter Turnout Key in School Board Elections

District 15 and District 211 school board candidate forums planned for April 5 elections.

What is the typical voter turnout for local school board elections?  Answer: 25 percent. What percentage of your property tax bill goes to local schools?  Answer: More than 60 percent. According to The Center for Public Education, local school boards make decisions that determine how a community’s children are educated and how its tax dollars are spent. Voting for school board members is a simple but powerful way to support student success and strengthen a community.  They advocate that every child enrolled in the district is a reason to vote. The overall quality of the schools, both now and in the future, rests with decisions made by the Board of Education. The best and brightest should be in charge.  Why should the minority of residents …

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D-15 Legal Bill Raises Questions

Former District 15 board member Mark Bloom resigned on Jan. 14. The resignation led to the appointment of Dave Seiffert to the school board.

A billing invoice from District 15's attorney has raised questions about the timing of former board member Mark Bloom's resignation. Bills from District 15's law firm show that a series of consultations occured between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 regarding the legal issues surrounding a potential resignation by a board member. Bloom resigned from the board a month later on Jan. 14. The timing of Bloom's resignation is significant because it determined how his seat would be filled. If Bloom had resigned by Jan. 7 there would have been a special election to fill the seat. Instead the school board was able to appoint someone to finish the two years left on his term. "I think there was obviously an attempt to talk to the attorney a month before Mr. …

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Louise

6:29 pm on Monday, March 7, 2011

Celtic – You are so off base. To anyone watching what has gone on with the school board over the last 4 years it is clear Sue Quinn has the best interests of the students and community at heart. She advocates for improving student achievement on so many fronts, insists upon decisions made openly and thoughtfully, fosters discussions among the board members (it is too bad most will not participate…   more ›

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Jonathan Matthew

Eighth-grader is three-time District 15 Spelling Bee Champ

Name: Jonathon Matthew Grade:  Eighth School: Winston Campus Junior High School Accomplishment: Matthew has won the Community Consolidated School District 15 Spelling Bee for the third year in a row. Key to awesomeness: The District 15 Spelling Bee is a forerunner to the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee held in Washington, D. C.  According to a District 15 news release, Matthew won the District 15 title on Jan. 24 at Walter R. Sundling Junior High after 24 rounds by correctly spelling “rhinoceros,” competing against 19 other District 15 students. Matthew has a history of area spelling bee success, having taken third place in the Suburban Cook County Spelling Bee the past two years.  His hope is to win the Suburban Cook County Spelling …

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Education Matters

Lower than forecasted CPI brings even bigger deficits in D-15

Without budget cuts, Community Consolidated School District 15 is on target to deficit spend $6.4 million in school year 2011-2012.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week that the year-over-year Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers for 2010 is 1.5 percent. This is the number that affects District 15 and other tax capped school districts in determining the amount of property tax revenue they will receive. Simply said – it means that District 15 will still see an increase in revenue next year, but not as big an increase as they had hoped. The 1.5 percent figure is much less than the 2.5 percent district officials projected and were counting on to soften forecasted budget deficits for the next five years and beyond. The difference means that District 15's forcasted 2011-2012 budget deficit increases by $1 million – from $5.4 million to about $6.4 …

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D-15 School Board Member Resigns

Community Consolidated School District 15 vice president Mark Bloom has resigned from the board for work-related reasons.

Community Consolidated School District 15 board vice president Mark Bloom has resigned citing work-related reasons. Bloom, who had missed two recent school board meetings, said he had started a new job in recent months and the schedule conflicts were such that he felt it was best to resign. "The community deserves someone who is going to be able to fulfill those duties," Bloom said.  "I thought I would be able to work [it out], when I realized I was going to miss my second meeting, that's really when I made my decision." Bloom, who holds a bachelor's of business administration in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has lived in the district since 1996 and served on the board since 2009. The school board will have a special…

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Vicki Wilson

10:01 am on Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I really wish Mark Bloom would have given more consideration to the voters of District 15. Had he done this earlier, the voters could have decided in the April election who his replacement should be. But now it's too late for that. Had he waited another month - one whole meeting - the new board could decide on his replacement. Why did he choose to do it right now? To give Chapman and the current …   more ›

D-15 Approves Tax Levy

Community Consolidated School District 15 approved its property tax levy Wednesday, Dec. 15.

Community Consolidated School District 15 expects to receive about $3.25 million more in property taxes based on its 2010 tax levy. The property tax revenue for the district is projected to increase from about $104.1 million to more than $107.3 million. Most of the increase in revenue, about $3.1 million, will come from property already on the tax rolls, about a 2.7 percent increase in property taxes. The rest of the increased revenue will come from the district's expanding tax base. Although the district expects an increase in revenue of $3.25 million, that is not reflective of the district's property tax levy request. Many taxing districts in Illinois, including District 15, request much more in property taxes than they will receive. The…

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