VVSD Board to Hear Report on Bus Outsourcing

The board of education will hear more on a proposal to outsource student transportation at Monday night’s meeting.

According to district documents, Superintendent James Mitchem will present information on the issue, which has drawn criticism from some parents and bus drivers.

, district officials said they would look into a proposal to hand off student busing to a private company, a move they said could save the district $1 million.

, union members presented the board with a petition signed by more than 1,600 residents, urging the board to keep student transportation in house.

Math curriculum update in the works

Also on the agenda:

Assistant Superintendents for Education Rachel Kinder (grades 6-12) and Venus Smith (grades K-5) will present a proposal to adopt a new “cohesive” K-8 math program.

Implementing the program would cost $952,000, including the purchase of materials, resources and support. That breaks down to $17 per student, according to district documents.

The program is aligned to Common Core State Standards and “will allow us to support staff with the implementation of a rigorous curriculum in order for all students to be college and career ready,” Kinder and Smith said in their report.

The curriculum is articulated across grades, which, according to the document, “ensures that the connection between the lessons, units and grade levels are smooth, logical and provide for the increasingly more sophisticated mathematical ideas as students mature.”

The assistant superintendents are recommending the district adopt McGraw-Hill My Math K-5 and Glencoe Math Grades 6-8. The cost to develop a similar curriculum and materials in house, according to district documents, would be more than $1.9 million.

Also on Monday, Kinder will present an updated district anti-bullying policy.

The update is required by state law, which states that districts must update their anti-bullying policies every two years, along with communicating the policy to students and parents on an annual basis.

The policy must also be filed with the Illinois State Board of Education.