Watch a Video of the Meeting 

Geneva Middle School South Principal Terry Bleau presented the Tradition of Excellence award to two students who represented South at the Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Junior Choir. Emma Schumacher and Zackery Adkins qualified after competing with almost 2000 students from around Illinois. Only students in the top three percent of those who audition receive this honor. We are very proud of this accomplishment. Mrs. Rhonda Hibbeler and Mr. Eric Hibbeler supported Emma and Zack through this process as our middle school choir teachers. 

Western Avenue School Principal Casey O’Connell presented “What Makes Our School Special” with teachers Pam Doll and Cathy Fuller and students: Sloane Kopp, Kennedy Johnson, Camden Johnson, Eden Bernard, Natalia Poustinchian, Scott Strickler, Quimby Papp, Andrew Spring, Keegan Martin, Abel Long, Sean Kotecki. 

 

Seal of Biliteracy Geneva High School Teacher Gina Thomas presented students who have received the Seal of Biliteracy: Lucia Loscavo – French, Hailey Jennings – Spanish, Evan Swierczewski – Spanish, Luke Gaston – Spanish, Elle Larsen – Spanish, Sarah Branstad – Spanish. 

 

View the presentations. 

 

Member Jackie Forbes shared that the IASB’s legislative updates now have the list of bills by category to make it easier to read updates. The governor presented his proposed budget, but there is a lot of time before the vote in May. 

Superintendent Dr. Andy Barrett shared about the District’s Advanced Placement (AP) program and the great results our staff and students achieve. Consistent growth has been made in tests taken and test scores and this past year we achieved our highest pass rate, well above the national and state averages.   

The District is collaborating with the Geneva Public Library District (GPLD) to provide library card access to all Geneva students and staff. The District is working on developing a process and ultimately a formal Intergovernmental Agreement would be written for the Board of Education to review. 

The District is working on modernizing some of its institutional systems, including the student information system and the enterprise resource planning system, and records are being digitized. Lastly, staff is working to live stream the Board of Education meetings and provide recordings. 

The Board reviewed the draft of the Finance Committee Calendar for the 2025-26 school year. 

Assistant Superintendent Todd Latham explained the Miller Act related to cash reserve balances, as an informational item. 

BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS 

One member attended the GMSN PTO meeting. Another talked about the Technology Task Force meeting and shared that many of the improvements Dr. Barrett mentioned were discussed. They commended the Tech team for the level of quality of instructional technology and internet resources provided to students. They attended the Heartland Elementary School PTO meeting and heard about their accomplishments including the well-attended Candyland Carnival and the upcoming Trivia Night. Many people were logged on for the PTO meeting which was held via Zoom, and they commented that it was nice to see that level of participation. During the meeting, Principal Hornberg gave a short demo of the MAP testing, which was appreciated.   

Another member thanked the students who presented at the Board meeting. They attended the Theater Boosters meeting where the high school is working on “Suessical the Musical” in April. They also announced the Theater Boosters are accepting applications for the theater scholarship. They attended the Facility Task Force Meeting and learned that as a result of parents’ urgent requests last summer, the high school gym will be getting two large fans installed and a cooling system is planned for the training room. It was also discussed that the lighting project is making progress to change bulbs to high-efficiency LED bulbs. The project will save the District money and provide better lighting for students.  

Another member commented on how wonderful it is to see the Western Avenue School students taking action to affirm each other. One member thanked students for coming to the meeting. Another praised Director of Technology Mike Wilkes and his team for carefully analyzing the technology expenditures to ensure the best use and timing of spending. Another member said they are pleased to see how the District is moving ahead. They commended the theater boosters and the new lighting system.