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Board reviews stipend, club and uniform proposals as staff outlines steps to close participation gaps
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Summary
The Oak Park and River Forest committee of the whole reviewed 2026–27 stipend recommendations, plans to replace marching band uniforms, an all‑school athletic uniform bid with Under Armour and new club funding after staff highlighted racial gaps in extracurricular participation and plans for targeted outreach.
Oak Park and River Forest School District officials on Tuesday reviewed recommendations for instructional and extracurricular spending and described steps to address a notable gap in student participation.
District staff presented proposed instructional resources for 2026–27 and said the $122,000 cost for the listed adoptions is included in the fiscal‑year 2027 proposed budget. The meeting then moved to extracurriculars: staff said marching band uniforms — last replaced in 2012 — need to be replaced to outfit a growing program of roughly 140 students and recommended using a cooperative purchasing quote with an expected useful life of roughly 10 years.
Staff also described a recommended three‑year all‑school athletics agreement with Under Armour that would provide approximately $135,000 in guaranteed funds over three years plus additional rebates to reduce net district costs. The administration said the contract would speed replacement cycles and help junior‑level programs that inherit used equipment.
On stipends, staff asked the board to approve a modest increase to the stipend budget (about $8,796) to add roles such as morning weight‑room supervision and to expand stipends for growing clubs and activities. Several clubs with rising participation or special program needs — including a request tied to the school’s Empty Bowls project and additional support for Science Olympiad and career‑pathway CTSO clubs — were singled out for higher stipend levels or second positions.
Board members pressed staff about equity and participation data. One board member highlighted a post‑pandemic participation shortfall for Black students and urged urgency. Staff described a multi‑pronged approach: a deeper data feed in Tableau to maintain daily updates, targeted outreach using “connectors” (staff who contact nonparticipating students), partnerships with community organizations such as Young Life and the public library, and a pilot approach to growing smaller clubs by folding activities into larger, more sustainable offerings (for example, incorporating photography into a restructured art club).
Several trustees also questioned whether renewal thresholds and the four‑semester rule for official club recognition remain appropriate for pilot and identity‑based clubs. Staff said the matrix and pilot process provide guardrails and that they are open to committee discussion about criteria and about ways to promote smaller or resource‑intensive clubs without eroding fiscal responsibility.
The board asked staff to continue refining participation data and to return with implementation details; no formal policy change or vote on the substantive participation plan occurred at the meeting.
