Flossmoor outlines 2025-26 department plans: recruitment, special education expansion, preschool grant strategy and standards-based grading rollout

The Flossmoor School District on Sept. 23 presented department plans for 2025-26 that span human resources, special education, learning and instruction, and gifted education. District leaders outlined recruitment and retention work, new onboarding and evaluation procedures, expansion planning for preschool, and the continued roll-out of standards-based grading and instruction.

Why it matters: The plans shape classroom practice, early-childhood enrollment, special-education services and staff capacity across the district for the coming year.

Human resources and staffing Doctor Marti (Human Resources) told the board the district started the year closely staffed and is focusing on retirements, recruitment and onboarding. The HR team has implemented 30-day rounding—regular check-ins with new employees—to identify needs early and reduce turnover, and introduced a revised evaluation tool for classified staff to provide more actionable feedback. She said fewer teachers left last year for pay reasons, which suggests compensation competitiveness in recent contract cycles. Marti described active recruiting at multiple university job fairs and ongoing partnerships with Governors State University to host practicum and student-teaching placements.

Special education: co-teaching, MTSS and preschool expansion Jackie Janicki, who presented the special education plan, said the department will emphasize high-leverage instructional practices, stronger co-teaching models, data-driven IEP goals, and more intensive interventions at tiers 1–3 of the district’s MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports). Janicki said the district created a multi-system supports guidebook over the summer and will expand benchmark meetings and quarterly meetings among MTSS coaches and reading specialists.

Janicki also reported that the district’s preschool program earned a gold-level quality rating in the state audit cycle (a three- to four-year review) and that current grant funding supports 110 preschool slots. District staff discussed a possible expansion through the state’s Preschool for All expansion grant; they emphasized the grant covers curriculum, materials and eligible staff costs but does not provide state funding for capital construction or major facility work. "We would write the grant to the number of students and classrooms we want to serve," Janicki said, noting that full-day preschool would change classroom counts and slot availability.

Learning and instruction: standards-based grading, professional development and family engagement Amityville Crawford (Department of Learning and Instruction) summarized work begun over the summer to support standards-based instruction and give teachers a one-stop “year at a glance” that aligns district resources (for example, Bridges, CPM, Achieve3000) to standards and proficiency scales. The district is continuing a multi-year partnership with the Metro Chicago Math Initiative and has engaged Marzano-aligned coaching to observe tier-1 expectations and tailor professional development.

Crawford said the district will continue engaging families and noted strong early interest in a parent forum: "We have 92 people registered for our meeting tomorrow," she said. The parent forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Parker Junior High and will include stations on standards-based grading and instruction, resources and questions for families.

Gifted/ACE program and acceleration District staff provided an annual update on the ACE gifted program, which provides pullout enrichment in reading and math using College of William & Mary materials and proficiency-scale alignment. The district also described annual processes required by state law for early entrance to kindergarten, single-subject acceleration and whole-grade acceleration; staff said those processes consider multiple data points, including social-emotional readiness, and are reviewed by district psychologists and teachers.

Grants and finance constraints District staff clarified that Preschool for All expansion grants can fund curriculum materials, staff and family engagement but do not pay for building construction; therefore, any expansion would require the district to identify space within existing buildings or pursue separate capital funding. Staff said the grant application includes a needs assessment and an itemized plan for students, environment and staffing levels.

Discussion vs. direction vs. decision - Discussion: Department leaders presented goals and action steps; board members asked clarifying questions about alignment with newly adopted district goals and scorecard work. - Direction: Staff were asked to align department plans to the district scorecard and bring drafts of the proposed scorecard and indicators to the board’s October meetings; HR and special education leaders described timelines to bring district and school improvement plans into alignment in subsequent months. - Decision: No new policy changes or hiring decisions were finalized at the meeting; the board approved routine consent items and received the department plans for review.

Ending: District leaders said the work will continue through the fall, with a draft district scorecard and school improvement plan updates expected in October and ongoing parent engagement events scheduled to explain standards-based grading and supports for families.