The June 30 board meeting covered a range of different topics, including the recent success of Kaneland Harter Middle School’s track team, the 2025-26 budget approval for both the Kaneland school district and the Fox Valley Career Center (FVCC), referendum updates and the announcement of four staff additions to the district. All board members were present except for Jennifer Simmons.
The meeting began with middle school Principal Brian Falkner introducing middle school track and field coaches Kari Pitstick, Jackie Hagan, Alyssa Galvan and Kendall Lawson. Lawson started by thanking middle school Athletic Director Pattie Pattermann for going above and beyond to help the track and field team throughout their season. In May, the track team competed against 16 teams at Sectionals held at Huntley Middle School. At Sectionals, four relay teams and five athletes qualified for State. Following Sectionals, members of the track team boarded a big bus, decorated by parents, that would take them to State. Lawson congratulated athletes Owen Gunsteen, Abby Homco, Zahira Clarke, Peyton Klostermann and Lyla Cornette for their hard work and dedication. Lawson ended her statement by thanking all of the high school track athletes and parents for working with the middle school team and establishing a positive and encouraging relationship.
After recognizing the middle school track team’s successful season, Director of Human Resources Dr. Chris Adkins introduced McDole Elementary School’s new principal, Brian White. White thanked the school board, Kaneland staff and his family for their support. White also shared that he is beyond excited to join the Kaneland family and create a positive learning environment for every student. Following Principal White’s introduction, high school Principal Melinda Cattell introduced the new Assistant Principal for Student Services, Haley Albamonte. In the past, Albamonte spent her time working as a special education teacher, department chair and dean in Dekalb. She also coached softball at Kaneland from the years 2016 through 2018. Albamonte shared that she is happy to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on not only high school students’ education but the community as well.
Following Albamonte’s introduction, Faulkner introduced Harter Middle School’s new Assistant Principal for Student Services Pam Hernandez. Hernandez stated that she is delighted to join the Kaneland staff and support their commitment to excellence. She followed that by thanking her spouse and five children for their support. Lastly, Adkins welcomed Kaneland High School’s new Dean of Students, Steven Lucas, though he was not able to attend the meeting.
As there were no public comments, the board moved on to discuss emergency services provided by Kaneville. Fire Chief Kevin Peterson noted that any responding ambulance will now be coming from Maple Park, as they have a shorter response time than Big Rock. He also stated that, starting July 7, there will be an EMS emergency medical technician available during school hours.
The next item of business was the approval of the 2025-26 tentative budget. Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Jackie Bogan shared that the final adoption for the budget is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2025. She pointed out that our current operating funds are sitting at a negative of about $38,000, however, that figure will likely change leading up to the final adoption. She also shared that she is anticipating about one million dollars in state and federal funding. The total tentative budget for the 2025–26 school year is set at approximately $91.7 million. Operating expenses are projected to be $77.5 million, while expected revenues for the year are about $77.4 million. One budget concern Bogan anticipates this school year is a potential decrease in transportation funding, as our district is geographically large and ride times are longer. On the expenditure side, the overall budget is 2.5% lower than the previous year. Bogan finished her explanation by thanking everyone who helped draft the tentative budget. The board approved the tentative budget with a vote of 6-0.
As for the FVCC’s tentative budget, Bogan shared that they are expecting a revenue of about 2.4 million dollars. They are also expected to receive payments from both the Career and Technical Education Grant and the Perkins Grant. The budget for FVCC is slightly lower (by 0.75%) in comparison to last year due to enrollment and staffing. The board approved the tentative budget with a vote of 6-0.
Following the budget discussion, Director of Teaching and Learning Dr. James Horne requested new textbooks for the Child Development class that is offered at the high school on a bi-yearly basis. The board approved the purchase of the textbooks with a vote of 6-0.
Next, the board discussed the McDole Elementary School improvement plan for the upcoming school year. Rohlwing explained that in October of 2024, McDole was identified as a target for the Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE). The district came up with a plan to address ISBE’s concerns that was presented in May, and the goals of this plan include a 5% increase in I-Ready scores for students in grades one through five that score at or above their grade level, a 6% increase for students with disabilities scoring a 4 or higher on the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR), and a goal of 80% of students meeting a personal goal in math. White, McDole’s new principal, will implement the plan within 90 days. The board approved this plan with a vote of 6-0.
Rohlwing then provided a referendum update. He shared that the district selected Nicholas and Associates as the primary construction managers. They are open to working with students from FVCC to add their voices to the mix. The district has also redesigned their website and added information to keep the community informed about the referendum process. They have also completed the first process of bond issuance, which gives the district some money to get started on the initial process with things such as architectural improvements and machinery. They also plan on implementing core planning teams that will help progress the main goals of the referendum.
Rohlwing began his superintendent report by sharing that the two staff members involved in a recent Kaneland bus accident are on the road to recovery and have been met with lots of support from the district. He thanked the Sugar Grove first responders and the community members for coming together with support. He plans on meeting with leaders in the Sugar Grove community to come up with a solution for the dangerous intersection. Lastly, Rohlwing shared that the Kaneland website is currently under construction and working towards it being a consistent, user-friendly website.
The board members shared that at the next meeting, they would like to explore filling different positions for Kaneland staff such as social workers and school psychologists. There were no other topics that were brought up to be discussed at the next meeting. The next board meeting will be held on July 28.
