District 211 highlights staff development goals and reports clean audit for 2023–24

District leadership presented an update on Strategic Plan Goal 8, which focuses on developing and retaining a highly effective staff, and Baker Tilly auditors summarized the district’s June 30, 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and related audits.

Presentation highlights included three staff indicators: professional development and growth, staff wellness and support systems, and hiring a more diverse staff. Superintendent Dr. Small and presenters described targeted initiatives: partnerships to help paraeducators earn professional educator licenses (with emphasis on high‑need areas such as ESL and special education), a bilingual/ESL endorsement cohort with 31 teachers enrolled, AI training pilots for administrative efficiency (enterprise ChatGPT use noted), wellness initiatives at individual schools (newsletters, therapy dog visits, fitness groups) and recruitment efforts that modestly increased applicant diversity.

Auditor Sebastian Dabrowski of Baker Tilly told the board the audit resulted in an unmodified (clean) opinion on the financial statements and no internal control findings. He reported a clean single‑audit for federal programs tested (Education Stabilization Fund and IDEA special education cluster) and noted the district earned recognition status and a maximum financial profile score.

Board members commended the work and raised clarifying questions about AI tools (Miss Cavill asked whether the district used an enterprise portal rather than public models), bilingual endorsement pathways, and long‑term recruitment strategies. Administration agreed to expand training and return updates to the board as programs mature.