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Board updates: graduation venue, senior activity expectations, course catalog changes and emergency bilingual math texts
Summary
District staff recommended reserving UIC Credit Union Arena for 2026 graduation, proposed districtwide senior-activity participation expectations, noted elimination of International Baccalaureate courses due to low enrollment, and requested expedited purchase of Spanish-language bilingual math workbooks (~$44,000).
Proviso Township High School District 209 administrators told the board they plan to reserve the UIC Credit Union (UIC) Arena for 2026 graduation, to pursue a districtwide set of expectations for senior activities and to accelerate curricular planning, including filling a gap in bilingual math materials.
Board academic staff said the UIC arena met seating needs and was the only available date for the holiday weekend being considered. "This USC Arena does fit our needs for the number of families that want to attend," a staff member said. The routine venue cost was described in discussion as just over $50,000.
On senior-year activities, district staff told the board they will propose consistent districtwide expectations for participation in events such as the Great America trip and senior luncheons. Assistant superintendent Jenna (first name in transcript) said the intent is to use those opportunities to incentivize attendance and academic habits and to prevent what staff described as "senioritis." She said staff will bring a formal proposal back to the board for action.
Staff reported an academic program change in the course catalog for the coming year: the district will discontinue International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma courses because students did not enroll at levels needed to sustain the program. The district plans to focus on Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-enrollment options instead. The board also reaffirmed a prior decision requiring the class of 2029 to complete four years of mathematics.
Separately, staff described an expedited procurement for bilingual mathematics student materials after an audit found teachers lacked a single Spanish-language textbook/workbook series for bilingual math students. The presentation said the math resource (Math in Focus or a similar bilingual math curriculum noted in the discussion) would cost about $44,000 and that the district planned to use Title funds where possible but might cover a portion with local funds. Staff characterized the item as time-sensitive and asked to bring it to the next board meeting for approval.
No formal vote on the venue or the bilingual textbook purchase occurred in the committee session; staff framed the venue reservation as an informational item to be acted on at a future meeting. The bilingual-textbook purchase was presented as an item staff wished to expedite to avoid delaying instructional implementation.
Board members asked practical questions about senior-week scheduling, transcript effects for seniors who graduate before the school year ends, and whether seniors might be offered activities during the final week. Staff said they will add the graduation and senior-week timing to senior-night communications and consider optional senior supports and events during the final school days.
On curriculum, staff said they will accelerate the course-selection timeline to ensure written curricula and texts are in place before offering new courses beginning with the 2027–28 planning cycle.
