A video of the September 13, 2023 Board of Education Meeting is available on the District's YouTube channel.
District 200
Thank you to our local partners for providing opportunities for our students
During his Superintendent report, Dr. Schuler thanked members of the City of Warrenville for allowing students from Wheaton Warrenville South High School, who are interested in a career in government, to participate in a full-day job shadow. Students had the opportunity to meet leaders from all departments including administration, human resources, public works, engineering, and police. Then, each student selected two occupations where they were able to spend a ½ day really diving in and learning more about a specific area of interest. Students wrapped up their day with a visit from Warrenville Mayor Brummel.
This job shadowing experience is just one component of the Career Pathways work at our two high schools. Career Pathways assists students in thoughtfully selecting high school courses that are aligned with their personal areas of interest and career goals. After completing a career interest survey, students receive information, obtain skills, and experience school and work-related activities that will help them maximize the potential of their high school years. In addition to recommended courses, Career Pathways provides students with information about related Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) courses, extracurricular activities, industry-approved early college coursework, workplace experiences, and sample career and college majors that fall within each area.
If you or your company is interested in offering a workplace experience for a high school student, please contact Ian Smith, Director of High School Instruction, at ian.smith@cusd200.org.
Upcoming Community Engagement Sessions
At their meeting, Dr. Schuler reminded the Board about upcoming community engagement sessions that all community members are encouraged to attend to discuss potential middle school facility projects. District 200 invites all community members to engage in a conversation regarding the facility needs and challenges at Edison, Franklin, and Monroe Middle Schools. Join us at any or all of our upcoming community engagement events to determine the path forward, together.
District 200 is at the final step in catching up on our district’s infrastructure needs. All that remains is to address the significant needs at three of our four middle schools, and this decade-long effort to put our district on a sustainable path with safe, efficient, and up-to-date school buildings will be complete. Our district’s fiscal responsibility has given us a unique opportunity to address these challenges and modernize our middle schools while giving our taxpayers even more property tax relief.
During the 2023-2024 school year, our community will determine the path forward together. Please plan on participating in this important community engagement process as we continue our district’s positive momentum. For more information, to engage online, and to sign up for updates, please visit our community engagement website: www.together200.net.
Community engagement dates and times:
Thursday, September 28 at 6:00 p.m.
Edison Middle School
1125 S Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, IL 60189
Tuesday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m.
Monroe Middle School
1855 Manchester Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187
Thursday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m.
Franklin Middle School
211 E Franklin St, Wheaton, IL 60187
Tuesday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Via Zoom Webinar
Board approves 14th consecutive budget, anticipates abating taxes
At their meeting, the Board approved the FY 24 Budget, which is the 14 consecutive balanced budget. The District’s Finance Overview document was also recently updated and is available on the District website. Highlights of the FY24 budget include:
The FY24 operating budget (all funds except Debt Service and Capital Projects) is $210 million and is balanced.
The budget for high-priority capital projects (mechanical, roofing, flooring, paving, etc.) is $9.9 million and represents the Board’s continued commitment to making investments in our infrastructure providing our students with the best possible learning environments.
As noted in District 200’s Portrait of a Graduate, academics and learning are at the foundation of our work. An academically excellent student is someone who possesses mastery of core academic content and skills and recognizes the importance of being a life-long and self-directed learner. Toward that end, District 200 has invested to support learning acceleration and implementation of a new English language arts curriculum at the elementary level.
The District continues to be a responsible steward of public tax dollars.
At an operating expense amount of $16,879 per pupil in FY22, District 200’s operating expense per pupil has historically been below the State average and is the second lowest among our other benchmark districts.
The FY23 Fund Balance (savings) is estimated to be around 32%, within the range of the Board’s 25–40% fund balance policy. The final FY23 Fund Balance % will be available later this calendar when the FY23 audit is complete.
Standard & Poor’s maintained the District’s bond rating at AA+, the 2nd highest rating level possible.
The State Board of Education continues to designate the District in the Financial Recognition category, the highest possible, for the past seven years.
The FY24 budget marks 14 consecutive years of a balanced budget.
Also at their meeting, the Board discussed the possibility of abating taxes over the next two years. District 200 was recently made aware that a surplus of bond and interest tax dollars, from previous referendums, had been collected due to the 1% cushion the county adds to the bond levy to protect from collection shortfalls. This approximately $3.5 million could be used to fund infrastructure needs. However, our district understands this is taxpayers’ money and was intended for specific projects that have been completed. The Board’s Finance Committee will recommend the Board approves to abate it back to our taxpayers over the next two tax cycles.
Board approves for staff to bid Summer 2024 facilities projects
In keeping true to the Board’s commitment to invest at least $7 million per year into capital facilities projects, including $10 million in capital work this past summer, the Board approved for staff to bid $9.6 million in facility projects for the Summer of 2024. Projects being considered include:
Roofing at Wheaton North
Replacement of exterior doors at Longfellow, Pleasant Hill, and Wheaton North
Bathroom renovation at Wheaton North to accommodate students in specialized programming
Fire alarm system replacement at Wheaton Warrenville South
Paving and concrete work at Hawthorne, Johnson, and Sandburg
Full replacement of the HVAC/mechanical system at Wiesbrook, including new ceilings and lights
Mechanical systems at Hubble and Bower
Playground projects at Sandburg, Hawthorne (swings), and Pleasant Hill (K-2)
Board approves to post a revised policy
The Board approved to post revised Policy 2:260 Uniform Grievance Procedure on the District website for community review and comment. Questions and feedback can be directed to Mr. Matt Biscan, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, at matthew.biscan@cusd200.org or 630-682-2015.