The April 14, 2025, board meeting covered various topics, including the success of winter sports programs and the recently passed referendum. All board members were present.
Superintendent Dr. Kurt Rohlwing introduced Director of Athletics and Activities David Rohlman, who recognized a multitude of sports and activities that had a successful winter season. He highlighted the boys basketball and wrestling teams, as well as seventh grade wrestler Alex Lapitan for his hard work and for earning eighth place at State. Next, Rohlman announced that on April 14, the Kaneland Krier repeated as Sectional champions, and 10 students will be moving on to compete at the State finals in Bloomington-Normal on Friday, April 25. Kaneland’s Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science (ACES) team had two students who qualified for State. The girls varsity basketball team won a Regional title, and senior Kendra Brown made the All-Conference team. The boys varsity basketball team had their most successful season in program history, as they won their Sectional championship, had the longest winning streak in the state and finished with an overall record of 32-2. The girls varsity wrestling team earned third in the state as a team, and sophomore Angelina Gochis won her second State title. Other sports recognized included boys and girls bowling and cheer.
The only public comment came from Elburn resident and referendum committee member Sheila Albano, who expressed her excitement about the referendum, which is not yet officially passed but has a strong majority of the votes. Albano thanked Board President Addam Gonzales and the rest of the board for their involvement in getting the referendum passed.
Similarly, board member Dr. Aaron Lawler and the rest of the board complimented Kaneland administration for the time and effort they put into the referendum.
“We are just overwhelmed by all the hard work [administration] has done,” Lawler said. “It could not have happened without all your work.”
Rohlwing followed by outlining the plans to begin making progress on facility improvements as soon as possible, including meetings with architects and funding sources starting this week. He projected that more information will be released in May, which is also when they will start seeking large-scale stakeholder feedback.
The board moved on to discuss the position of Board of Education Student Representative, which is currently held by senior Sarah Slattery. Beginning two years ago, this role was filled by a senior who sat in on the board meetings, gave a student perspective on issues and provided a report on the happenings within the school. After asking Slattery about the role and any feedback she had for them, the board decided to continue with this position for the following school year with a vote of 7-0.
Rohlwing then gave his suggestions for the meeting dates of the board for the 2025-26 school year. Keeping the same general format of every other Monday evening, the only change would include the expansion of board committees. He proposed four separate committees for education, finance and facility, human relations and staffing, and community engagement that would hold public meetings prior to the main meeting that would go in depth about their specific issues. The issues would still be discussed at the board meetings themselves, but those discussions could be kept short to be as efficient as possible. The board approved of the idea and thought it would be a good way to improve involvement and increase feedback.
Rohlwing recognized 2018 alum Matt Richtman for his recent win at the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon. Slattery talked about the accomplishments of the boys and girls track teams’ indoor season and announced the beginning of the outdoor season. She also announced that the spring musical, “Something Rotten,” will perform April 17-19 in the Kaneland auditorium.
The board concluded the meeting with various members bringing up topics they would like to discuss in upcoming meetings. Lawler would like to look at internal district committee structures to ensure that employees’ voices are being heard, as well as the policy for class sizes. Board member Edmund Koch requested a review on the policy for homework at the elementary school level, and Rohlwing ensured that discussions would begin in the fall. Board Vice President Bob Mankivsky expressed his frustration that, despite previous discussions by the board, elementary curriculum and resources are still not available to parents online, and he would like this to happen as soon as possible. He additionally brought awareness to the Sugar Grove board meeting agenda in which they will discuss the possibility of withholding land cash from the school because of the potential for litigation.
“It looks like a ham-handed approach at blackmailing us,” Mankivsky said. “We need a coordinated response.”
The meeting concluded with a closed session with no possible action as a result. The next Kaneland school board meeting will be held on Monday, April 28.
