On Sept. 30, 2024, with all members of the board present, the Kaneland District #302 Board of Education meeting was held in Kaneland Harter Middle School’s 6th grade team room.
To begin the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Todd Leden recognized Athletics and Activity Director David Rohlman for his willingness to host major sports events at Kaneland. The board thanked Rohlman as he acknowledged staff in the district that made such home games and meets possible. He talked about the Larry Eddington Invitational held on Sept. 21, 2024, which is the annual cross country race held by Kaneland. Rohlman praised the 81 volunteers who helped make that happen.
“The minute you come on campus, whether you’re a spectator, a coach or a bus driver, you’re greeted by a volunteer,” Rohlman said. “You are helped all day by a volunteer, and we help you get back on the bus and back on your way home safely.”
Rohlman also acknowledged staff members Joe Salchert and Tsavo Walker for taking over management of the Kaneland High School auditorium.
Rohlman will be back in a board meeting in December to discuss how the fall sports and activities went. Students will join him during that meeting and represent their teams.
The second superintendent salute was given by future Superintendent Dr. Kurt Rohlwing. He recognized people in the district who don’t get recognition for the work they do to make school days run smoothly. Specifically, he referred to lunch and recess supervisors, crosswalk attendants and in district mail deliverers. He invited anybody in those groups to stand, and they were applauded by the board.
“That work doesn’t go unnoticed,” Rohlwing said.
After the salutes, there was one public comment made by Virgil resident Lara Eckstrom. She talked about the Kaneland IgKnight Personalized Learning Academy (KIPLA). Eckstrom advocated for the continuation of KIPLA to ninth grade, which was not offered this year.
“A lot of schools [throughout] the country have done [personalized learning], and have been very successful,” Eckstrom said. “They offer elementary [school] all the way to high school.”
In the New Business section of the meeting, Kaneville Fire Chief Kevin Tindall was asked to talk about the updates occurring at the Kaneville Fire Department. He gave details on a new ambulance they received.
“We’ve had our guys training on it since Aug. 28, when it was delivered,” Tindall said.
Tindall is also scheduled to provide more updates at the Oct. 28 meeting.
Also in the New Business section were updates on the upcoming referendum. The board has information and surveys on their website for community members to share their opinions on what they feel should be added to the referendum proposal. They plan to meet with representatives from the villages in the district to find ways to get more feedback.
“So, in terms of the process, you guys are going out there and getting all this information,” board President Addam Gonzalez said. “Essentially, you’ll bring it back to the board and say, ‘This is what the community wants.’ This gives us a little bit more of a picture of the feedback we got.”
There will be updates in future board meetings regarding the referendum after the feedback is gathered. The next board meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 26.
