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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2006-2008City -School Liaison Committee March 16, 2006 Present: ETHS: Supt. Allan Alson, Mary Wilkerson, Margaret Lurie. Bill Stafford District 65: Supt. Hardy Murphy, Jonathan Baum City: Julia Carroll, Jay Terry Supt. Murphy called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. The minutes from the November 17, 2005 meeting were approved. Exploration of Career Partnerships with City — District 202 Ms. Carroll discussed internship and employment opportunities for Evanston Township High School students as well as a work-study partnership between the City and High School. The City expressed interest in providing vocational training and city jobs for high school students and is planning a work-study program for twenty students to begin in the fall of 2006. Ms. Wilkerson said that there might be an opportunity for grants, including new state grants for partnerships with high schools. She also pointed out that unions are looking for student apprentices, especially females and minorities. Ms. Carroll and Mr. Terry said that they would investigate these opportunities. Contacting County Assessor regarding PIN for properties that have not been assigned a number - District 202 Ms. Carroll said that the City has conducted a statistical sampling of the last several years of newly developed properties to determine how many properties were not assigned a PIN. Although most of the properties reviewed were on the tax rolls, a more thorough study will be performed. Intergovernmental Agreement — City The boards of both District 202 and District 65 must approve the Intemgovemmental Agreement with the city regarding the TIF payment, which historically has been $600,000 a year, divided between the two districts. It was agreed to publicize the agreement once it is approved. Dangerous Pedestrian Passageways A District 65 board member had written a letter regarding two pedestrian passageways. At Church street east of McCormick, a parked car causes traffic problems in the morning, which could be alleviated by a morning no -parking sign. At Bridge Street, students use sidewalks on a narrow bridge. Potential danger to pedestrians could be mitigated by the installation of barriers. Ms. Carroll said that traffic engineers had reviewed the records and found only two accidents in the past twenty-five years at the Church Street location. Therefore, they do not recommend a "no -parking" sign at that location. Regarding Bridge Street, if the bridge is re -built a barrier could be installed. Mr. Baum asked about fencing or railings. Ms. Carroll said she would investigate this, but will have to check with ADA because the route must be accessible for people in wheelchairs. Youth Issues — District 202 Page 1 of 2 a Dr. Alson said that there has been a 'significant uptick' in gang activity. Police deployment of the area after school and at lunchtime has been increased. While there have been no weapons Involved, as the warm weather increases so does gang activity. City and school officials have been actively involved, holding meetings with parent groups and social service agencies. It was agreed that the most effective strategies are action -oriented. Dr. Alson said that it has been disheartening to find that rather than taking responsibility for their own children's behavior, parents are often defensive and argumentative when they are brought together to discuss the situation. Mr. Terry said that Latino parents need to be educated regarding civic organizations. Mr. Baum asked about Y.O.U, which focuses on middle -school aged students. Ms. Carroll stated that school administrations and the city must work together on these societal/cultural issues. City Update on TIF's — D65ID202 Ms. Carroll said that the Southwest TIF will soon be ready for retirement. The potential retirement of this TIF will annually generate additional property taxes of about $222,000 for District 65 and $155,000 for District 202 which will Impact the 2008 levy (2008-2009 school year). Supt. Murphy asked if the TIF could be retired a year earlier. Ms. Carroll said that the city council is responsible for that decision and she would place it on the agenda for May. City/Schools relationship with Northwestern — D65ID202 It was agreed that the committee should inventory all that Northwestern has done for the city and the schools. Once District 202's new superintendent is in place, a meeting between representatives of the school districts, city and Northwestern should be arranged to discuss the relationship between these entities. Other Supt. Murphy talked about District 65 schools being used as polling places for elections. A recent requirement that schools be closed an election days has resulted In problems with the district's calendar. Next Meeting May 18, 2006, 7:30 PM in the Aldermanic Library of Evanston's City Hall. Minutes submitted by Rosalie 2iamek, District 65 Business Office Page 2 of 2 City -School Liaison Committee September 21, 2006 Evanston Township High School W-124 5:30 p.m. Present: ETHS — Dr. Witherspoon, Mr. Stafford, Ms. Lurie and Ms. Wilkerson District 65 — Dr. Murphy, Dr. Brown, Mr. Baum and Mr. Summers City — Ms. Carroll, Alderman Holmes and Alderman Jean -Baptiste Community — Ms. Treadway Dr. Witherspoon called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. The minutes from the May 18, 2006 meeting will be provided at a later date. TIF Agreements Dr. Murphy reported that in order to create better communication between the three groups, Dr. Witherspoon, Ms. Carroll and Dr. Murphy, will meet on a regular basis. The school districts appreciate the additional funds made available from the new TIF agreement. Discussions will continue, the areas to be considered include other agreements and looking at the conceptual design and the length of time between expiration of a TIF and when the funds are received by the districts. Issues to keep in mind are framing so that it acts as an umbrella rather than tied to one issue. At the end of the city's resolution, which Is a 3-year agreement, there will be a year without revenue. The districts would like the City Council to consider laying the ground work for consideration of funding that non -revenue year. Alderman Jean -Baptiste agreed to take this matter to the Economic Development Committee. Ms. Carroll said that due to early termination of the southwest TIF, bonds were refunded once and It may not be possible to refund them again. Money from the Downtown II TIF will come in 2009-10. Ms. Carroll said that the city did not plan to continue to pay the schools $600,000 once the TIFs expire. Ms. Carroll was pleased to announce that due to the signing of a Howard Street TIF Development the city will be able to send an extra $200,000 to the districts, raising the total to $800,000. The city has incurred debt related to the TIF developments. They will study their obligations and share the information with the City Council and the Economic Development Committee. Dr. Murphy would appreciate an open minded discussion regarding what the future cash flow to the districts will be. Dr. Witherspoon appreciates what the city has done and understands that they have been extremely thoughtful and will continue to look at the issues. Page 1 of 3 -T,;'!':i :i c Youth Initiatives Ms. Carroll reported that the City Council approved hiring a Northwestern graduate student to gather data related to Evanston youth. She Is working with many adults and youth in the community and is hearing that many youth are not engaged with the community. The NU student learned that young people in Evanston feel that by the time they are between 13-14 years old they have outgrown everything Evanston has to offer. The data is providing good Information from kids and we need to listen to what they are saying. Alderman Baptiste said that they are trying to direct the attention of the council and high school to greater analysis of the needs of the youth population, especially those who are falling through the cracks. Study shows that those students who are not engaged tend to become a liability to the community. In Evanston we need to advocate for youth engagement programs and to strengthen supports for parenting. The police department and ministers are working together on some of these issues. There is a need to identify deliverables related to vocational training. The city has been looking at year -long apprenticeships for youth. They have been working with EiHS through Shelley Gates. Currently the fire department (academy) is developing a program to involve students. Frank Kaminski is working with the police department and ministers to bring mentors into the school as role models. The group discussed the need to teach life skills to Evanston youth. No matter what they do after high school they all need to know how to present themselves, fill out job applications and interact with others. Ms. Carroll said that sometimes they must spend as much as a week of the summer youth program just giving life skills training. Dr. Murphy asked if Junior Achievement can be part of the tapestry. Mr. Summers mentioned that he will attend a meeting sponsored by the Evanston Community Foundation on September 27 titled: Every Child Ready for Kindergarten, Every Youth Ready for Work. He has made contact with someone who runs a non-profit program that teaches entrepreneurial skills to high school students and is interested In working in Evanston. Ms. Wilkerson would like to see information on partnerships and Internships with high school students that can be reported to the ErHS Board. Ms. Carroll said that Paula Haines and Jonathan Perman have been discussing ways the city and business community can work together on this matter. Ms. Lurie suggested that the Homebase period at ETHS might be a good time to work on life skills training. Alderman Jean -Baptiste stressed the importance of training kids to think, address Issues and build good citizens. He emphasized that we should not pursue such training at the expense of higher education. NCLB has put great demands on the school day. Dr. Murphy asked If neighborhood organizations can help. An organization with the energy of the Page 2 of 3 Evanston Neighborhood Conference would be a good start. Ms. Treadway reported that someone suggested a campaign to have every business in Evanston hire a student. This matter was discussed. Dr. Witherspoon said that ETHS will be doing a lot of work on these issues this year. It is Important to prepare every student for a meaningful life. The skills that have been discussed will be needed for the workforce, job connections and college. There is a real commitment to address these issues and E HS will be looking for ways to connect. per Dr. Murphy Introduced Mary Brown, the new Chief Financial Officer for District 65. There was a discussion related to the relationship with Northwestem University. Dr. Witherspoon met with various people from Northwestern and feels there is a huge desire to connect. He feels It is fertile ground and positive things are happening. Next Meeting November 16, 2006 — District 65 Minutes submitted by Kier Engel Rapp, ETHS. Page 3of3 District 65 Hardy Murphy Mary Brown Jerome Summers Jonathan Baum Item 1: Minutes City -School Liaison Meeting 16 November 2006 JEH Building Conference Room 2-3 7:00 pm City of Evanston Rolanda Russell Delores Holmes Evanston Township Mary Wilkerson David Wartowski Eric Witherspoon Margaret Lurie Bill Stafford Community Judith Treadway Minutes from the 21 September 2006 meeting were approved and accepted. Item 2: Crime In Evanston Alderwoman Delores Holmes addressed her concern with the besiegement of petty crimes near Evanston Township high school and in the greater Evanston area. She requested that the city officials, school district officials, business members, clergy, and community leaders form a joint "mini -committee" or "summit'' with representation from each faction to address the crimes and create solidarity. Mary Wilkerson added that the purpose of the summit would be to make the community aware of the escalating juvenile crime rate and address ways to counteract these negative behaviors. Dr. Hardy Murphy clarified that here are two sub -groups within the juvenile population, one committing crimes of malicious intent and the other mischievous crimes due to boredom. Rolanda Russell added that varying models and methodologies would need to be applied to these very different sub -groups. Dr. Eric Witherspoon inquired if there were any patterns in the age groups involved. Ms. Holmes replied that the population includes both middle school and high school adolescents. She referred to studies of youth crimes and the correlation to the lack of activities available to adolescents in Evanston, and specifically at the end of the school day. Mr. Jerome Summers introduced the concept of structural service learning, and added that middle school children need to feel that they are part of the Evanston community, and that the city belongs to them as well. It was suggested several times that the committee would need to get "buy -in" from the community in order to achieve successful outcomes. Ms, Judith Treadway referred to the Human Services Committee survey outcomes from the youth summit, and recommended the implementation of job programs for adolescents through building alliance with the business community. She further mentioned the strong response from the community for skating rink, pool, bowling alley, etc., and noted that there has not been an outlet since they closed the teen center. Ms. Treadway also 4f commented that the will of the city has to be to create outlets for both recreations and academic support. Ms. Wilkinson suggested that in place of another meeting, it would more beneficial to develop an action plan and timetable toward implementation. Ms. Holmes reiterated the need for buy -in from all factions as well as the Evanston community. Mr. Jonathan Baum suggested a public unveiling of the plan upon completion. Dr. Murphy stated that District 65 is open to conversation for anything we can do in partnership with city to make things better for our students. Dr. Witherspoon and Ms. Russell echoed their support from District 202 and the city respectively. Ms. Wilkerson suggested a meeting to appoint the summit representatives. Dr. Murphy suggested that the committee review the array of services that are readily available as to identify gaps and as well as reduce the possibility of repeating programs in existence. Ms. Holmes was identified as the owner of next - steps. Item 3: 1:1 Computing Dr. Murphy gave a brief overview of the initial meeting between Dr. Louis Gomez from Northwestern University, city representatives and reps from the Intel Corporation. Dr. Gomez is working on a ubiquitous computing project and has engaged Intel for discovery. Dr. Witherspoon stated that the way children learn today is through technology and technological tools; it is how they interact with the world. He also envisioned the entire city of Evanston as a wireless hotspot given our geographic feasibility. Dr. Murphy explained that Intel is interested in making a heavy upfront commitment, but the districts would need to sustain the project over time. Mr. Summers noted the importance of socialization in tandem with technology, including interpersonal skills and public speaking skills, reiterating that the purpose of education is to develop better citizens. Mr. Baum added that we would need to keep this project geared toward education. Upcoming Meetings January 18, 2007 March 22, 2007 May 17, 2007 Proposed Future Agenda Topics: Youth Employment, Internships Youth Initiative Host City of Evanston ETHS D65 ETHS ETHS i ~ City -School Liaison Committee November 15, 2007 Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge, Evanston, IL 60201 Room 2403, 6:00 p.m. Members Present: Alderman Lionel Jean -Baptiste Board Member Jerome Summers (D 65) (arrived at 7:15 p.m.) Board Member Mary Wilkerson (D 202) Board Member Katie Bailey (D 65) Members Absent: Alderman Delores Holmes Board Member Omar Khuri (D202) Staff Present: Julia Carroll, City Manager Bill Stafford, ETHS Business & Finance Manager, D202 Hardy Murphy, Superintendent D 65 (arrived at 7:15 p.m.) The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m - Item 1: Approval of the Minutes. The minutes of the September 20, 2007 meeting were approved with the correction that Mary Erickson, D 202 Board Member, was present at the meeting. Item 2: Greening initiatives: City Manager Carroll talked about the city's office of sustainability and the Climate Action Planning effort. She reported that more than 130 people showed up on Tuesday, November 1 P for the event. There are ten committees chaired by 10 City of Evanston staff and 20 volunteers. She invited both school districts to send representatives to the next meeting. Both district representatives indicated an interest in participating. Ms. Bailey also discussed the efforts of D65 and how they are just starting to look at green initiatives for the district. For more information on the city's efforts please contact Carolyn ColIopy. ccollonv r citvofevanston.ore Item 3: Update on Youth Initiatives: Ms. Carroll handed out information prepared by Sol Anderson, City of Evanston Youth Coordinator, about free & low cost recreational options for teens. She also handed out a listing of other agencies in Evanston that provide recreational opportunities for youth. Alderman Jean - Baptiste indicated that we had an opportunity to make a difference by supporting more free activities for youth in the next city budget. For more information on youth activities and the Youth Council, please contact Sol Anderson. sandersonfa citvofevanston.om n 1, . . _ 1 •_r .;. •r ., ,r. - ..,5'� ra,ai.?..?a: "s ri.h�.y.};.Yii.:�j.14�.j!' :.,a. Item 4: City Manager Carroll shared parts of the proposed Downtown Plan with the members of the committee, highlighting the information on the potential EAV increases that could be attained if the plan is approved as drafted. She also discussed the number of new units that have been added in downtown Evanston since 2000. Bill Stafford had read the plan and thought that it is an excellent plan. He recommended that the Joint Legislative Task Force support the plan. For more information about the plan, please contact Dennis Marino, Assistant Director of Community Development, Planning Division. dmarinoC citvo fcvanston.org Item 5: Mary Erickson expressed her desire to continue to work with the City of Evanston on placing students in jobs. She suggested that the city and school contact local businesses to encourage them to hire high school students. City Manager Carroll said that the city would continue to encourage this through our Summer Youth Employment Program. The next meeting of the City -School Liaison Committee will be held at on January 17, 2008. City -School Liaison Meeting September 18, 2008 JEH Building Jordan Teacher Center The meeting began at 6:10 pm. Present: Dr. Eric Witherspoon, Ms. Mary Wilkerson, Jerome Summers, Ms. Rolanda Russell, and Mr. L" (arrived at 6:15 pm) Absent: Katie Bailey and Omar Khuri Ms. Russell and Mr. Summers unanimously approved. A memorandum authored by Dr. Murphy, Russell, requesting that the co Mee u: at the programs, services and re to identify areas of overlap and a s collaboration could enhance offeri t suggested that in o reate init e committee shout ami a curre r three organiza ' ith th dea of ide coordination that w more of servicea�.. Mr. I�dy Murphy, Mr. Jean -Baptiste 11/07 were ion, and Ms. s this year to look districts and the City ftupnity. Dr. Murphy a ve sustainability, the )f services offered by the I opportunities for ve and efficient coordination of Anderson to the committee. Other idNhared n ed: (1) Reviet is plans for the City, and District's 202 and 65 to identify aon interest and priorities regarding community outreach(2) Identiice or community agencies and organizations to coordinate future efforts for after -school or summer activities, parent or other adult education programming, etc., (3) Coordinate community use of facilities to mutual best advantage. A side discussion ensued about the use of property owned by District 65 adjacent to Fleetwood and the status of plans for either improving the tennis courts or building additional gym space.