The Jan. 26, 2026, board meeting covered various topics, including the construction and capital project plan update, an approval for the Chromebook lease for the next few years and the use of Gallagher for health insurance. All board members were present with the exception of Ryan Kleisner and Edmund Koch.
Superintendent Dr. Kurt Rohlwing started the meeting by recognizing Illinois State Scholars in Kaneland’s graduating class of 2026. Brady Brown, Bianca Garcia, Aaron Peterson, Aiden Ross, Clara Saros, Marcus Simbol, Daniel Somerlot and Evan Whildin were present to receive their certificate. Brady Alstott, Delainey Baran, Jackson Boryc, Danielle Bower, Abigail Carter, Alex Christakes, Graycen Cole, Marbie Concepcion, Olivia Cotter, Alexander Davis, Erin Doucette, Anna Gatz, Emma Gatz, Zoe Kraus, Carlos Landa, Kyra Lilly, Faith Maschman, Madisyn McLean, Jack Nevenhoven, Sara Nugara, Aubrey Nystrom, Samantha Ortega, Luke Pawlak, Mackenzie Sidman, Arielle Tautkus, Adriana Warrington, Emma Weintraub and Ava Wutitsch were still honored despite their absence.
Next, the Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Jackie Bogan introduced the team from Gallagher. Gallagher members Casey Kamerling and Adam Nadler will be working with Kaneland for health insurance starting on March 1, 2026. While their partnership does not officially start until then, they are already collecting data to further their goal to have fewer claims in the district in the next 2-3 years. They expressed their excitement to work with Kaneland.
Following the Gallagher introduction was the latest referendum construction update. While the district is still finalizing the color scheme, they plan on having the wings color coded to help prevent new students from getting lost. Based on staff communication and surveys, they plan to have some sort of black, gray and muted orange theme. Phase one of renovations will take place this summer. . This will include new carpeting for the elementary schools and updates to their playgrounds. At the high school, the C hallway will be renovated, and many classrooms and bathrooms will be refreshed. . Phase two is scheduled to begin immediately after those changes and will hopefully be completed by late fall or early winter of the same year. This will include the relocation of the transportation department to Harter Middle School and the relocation of the maintenance building to behind the Kaneland Meredith Academic Center (KMAC).
Phase three will occur in the summer of 2027 and will focus on the construction of the fieldhouse, the update to the football stadium and the development of new parking spaces to offset those that will be lost due to the construction of the fieldhouse. That same summer will have the fourth and final phase, with the updates to the rest of the high school classrooms and hallways, the expansion of the entrance to the high school, the securing of the Fox Valley entrance, the conversion of the west gym into specialized classrooms and the repurposing of the former Cafe 302 kitchen into a collaboration commons area. The members of the board approved these capital projects for 2026 and 2027 5-0.
Next, the board members discussed the new Chromebook lease for the next four years. The lease will cost a total of $862,506.92, which comes out to $215,626.73 a year. This will account for the purchase of 2100 Chromebooks for first grade students and those in grades 6-12. The first graders will be getting their first Chromebooks, while the other students are due for a replacement of their old ones. The board approved the four-year lease 5-0.
Lastly, Dr. James Horne gave an ACT update. Based on state proficiency scores, Kaneland did much better on the ACT last year than with the SAT in previous years. Some methods to increase performance include providing ACT practice questions in related classes, teaching various strategies in homeroom meetings and encouraging students to take prep programs. One option is seven two-hour sessions for $380 or one four-hour session for $109. They are considering an optional preACT for juniors in the fall to give them one last chance to practice before the actual test.
Rohlwing wrapped up the meeting by giving a shoutout to the great things Kaneland had been up to recently. He mentioned the maintenance and transportation teams who came in on a recent e-Learning day. The cheer team earned third in their division. Five students, senior Idrees Ali, sophomore Jack Bicker, senior Jacob Duncan and senior Kailey Kunstman, will go to the ILMEA Music Festival for choir, and junior Lily Wennemar will go for band. In the district Spelling Bee, Heidi Chen came in first place, Hasan Farooqi came in second and Harper Melhouse finished in third. All of them were representing McDole Elementary School. The varsity boys basketball team currently has a record of 20-0.
The next Kaneland school board meeting will take place on Feb. 9.
