Mokena's Front Porch Podcast
Welcome to Mokena’s Front Porch – THE podcast for Mokena history and community!
Nestled in the heart of Chicagoland, Mokena began as a small farming community that flourished after the Rock Island train line arrived in 1852. Today, with a population of over 20,000, its rich past continues to shape its future.
Your hosts:
🔹 Matt – A lifelong Mokenian, local historian, and author of two books on Mokena history. His blog, Matt’s Old Mokena, serves as the foundation for many of our episodes, bringing forgotten stories of the village back to life.
🔹 Israel – A passionate storyteller who grew up hearing firsthand WWII accounts from his grandfathers. Since moving to Mokena in 2016, he has embraced its history, working through technical challenges as a first-time podcaster to bring this show to life. He’s a BIG fan of Mokena!
Join us as we explore the people, places, and moments that make Mokena special. Visit MokenasFrontPorch.com for more stories, updates, and ways to connect. You can also find us on social media!
Pull up a chair, get comfortable, and step back in time with us on Mokena’s Front Porch.
Mokena's Front Porch Podcast
Recapping The March 19th Mokena 159 School Board Meeting - The A.I. Front Porch
THIS EPISODE WAS CREATED USING A.I. SOFTWARE AND MAY INCLUDE FACTUAL ERRORS IN THE EPISODE. PLEASE BE SURE TO VERIFY QUESTIONABLE INFORMATION YOURSELF AS WELL.
With the explosion of A.I. (artificial intelligence), there are new tools coming along all the time! We shared the video of the March 19th Mokena 159 School Board meeting on our YouTube channel. Using that video and some amazing AI, I tried out this tool that creates an audio overview that sounds like an old fashioned radio program!
So check out its review of the most recent school board meeting! Besides hearing how real this technology sounds, you will also get 3 hours of school board meeting debriefed down to about 20 minutes!
Let us know what you think! Is this helpful?
Be sure to check out our website @ www.MokenasFrontPorch.com
Follow Us On Facebook At Mokena's Front Porch
Check Out Our YouTube Channel For Some Great Videos
Find Matt's Blog here: Matt's Old Mokena
Photo & Artwork Credit: Jennifer Medema & Leslie V. Moore Jr.
Do you have a question, comment or maybe an idea for an episode, you can email us at:
MokenasFrontPorch@gmail.com
All right. So yeah, we always like to dig into these local stories and see what's really going on.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And you know, a school board meeting maybe doesn't sound like the most thrilling thing in the world.
Speaker 2:Maybe not on the surface.
Speaker 1:But this one the transcript we got from this Mocana 159 school board meeting on March 19th 2025.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's packed with stuff.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 1:I mean it was really an eye opener for me about how much goes into running a school district these days.
Speaker 2:You really get a sense of the scope of things when you read through a transcript like this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what's wild is, you know, you think of the school board meeting, you think, ok, budgets, maybe some curriculum stuff, right, but this goes way beyond that.
Speaker 2:It does. We're talking about everything from how they check if students actually live in the district.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:To you know, celebrating teachers who are going above and beyond to major plans for like fixing up the school buildings.
Speaker 1:Totally, and I think that's one of the things that makes this deep dive so interesting for anyone really, whether you're a parent with kids in the district, or you're just a taxpayer in the community, or you're just curious about how these things work. This meeting gives you a look behind the curtain and it really gets into how decisions are made that affect how students learn how money is spent. You know the actual physical condition of the buildings.
Speaker 2:It's really a microcosm of everything that goes into providing a quality education.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and to make this as clear as possible, we're relying on that detailed transcript from the meeting back in March.
Speaker 2:A great primary source for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so let's jump right in. One of the things that caught my eye right away was a comment from a homeowner named Kelly Brown.
Speaker 2:Right at the start of the meeting, during the public comment period.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and she brought up some concerns about this contract they were considering with a company called Clear Software.
Speaker 2:For residency checks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, basically to make sure the kids enrolled in the schools actually live within the district boundaries.
Speaker 2:Now, that might seem kind of obvious, but I guess it's not always so simple.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so apparently the way it works now is parents have to give the school, you know, their ID, copies of utility bills, leases, things like that when they register their kids.
Speaker 2:Right Proof of address.
Speaker 1:But Ms Brown was worried about this new software for a couple of reasons.
Speaker 2:OK, what were the main issues she raised?
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, the cost this clear software contract they were looking at. It was quoted as something like between $13,764 and $15,000, just for the first year.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's a significant chunk of change.
Speaker 1:And that was for one or two users, and there was a built-in 5% increase every year for potentially five years.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's a pretty substantial investment, and it sounds like Ms Brown did her homework.
Speaker 1:Oh, she did. She filed a FOA request.
Speaker 2:A Freedom of Information Act request.
Speaker 1:To find out how many students the district had actually found living outside the district, you know, over the past two school years.
Speaker 2:To see if there was really a problem they were trying to solve.
Speaker 1:Right and guess what? The answer was zero.
Speaker 2:Really so. No documented cases of kids living outside the district attending the schools.
Speaker 1:Yep. So her argument was basically why spend all this money on software when there's no evidence it's even needed.
Speaker 2:That's a fair point. I mean you can understand her concern about potentially unnecessary spending.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and to make things even more interesting, she pointed out that Claire is this company that does background checks like the kind that TSA uses for anti-terrorism stuff.
Speaker 2:OK. So it sounds like very powerful software, but maybe a bit overkill for checking if a kid lives a few blocks outside the district lines.
Speaker 1:Right, exactly. It felt like bringing in, you know, a SWAT team to handle a parking ticket.
Speaker 2:A bit of an overreaction perhaps.
Speaker 1:So later in the meeting Superintendent Stein, he did try to clarify things a bit.
Speaker 2:OK, what did he say?
Speaker 1:He said the agreement was actually for three years, not five, so that would cut the cost some. And he suggested they only go with one user license, which would also save them money.
Speaker 2:OK, so trying to scale it back a bit.
Speaker 1:And he explained that the district doesn't really have like a formal, detailed way of investigating these potential non-residency cases right now.
Speaker 2:So the process needs an update.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he said they see this software as a more efficient way to do it like a data-driven approach.
Speaker 2:Interesting because you know some districts actually hire private investigators to track down these non-resident students.
Speaker 1:Which he mentioned. They do in some neighboring districts, but it sounds like he thought the software would be a better option.
Speaker 2:So more proactive and maybe less messy than sending out a PI.
Speaker 1:Right, and you know it raises interesting questions about how much you invest in preventing a problem that you don't really have proof of yet.
Speaker 2:Right, it's a balancing act, for sure.
Speaker 1:OK, well, let's move on from software to something a little more heartwarming.
Speaker 2:I like get a change of pace.
Speaker 1:There's this really nice moment where Amanda Montgomery she's a parent, I believe gave some blowing feedback about this special ed substitute teacher, ms Dora Ruiz. Oh, that's great. Always good to hear those positive stories. It sounds like Ms Ruiz has been amazing, especially helping the kids with reading and just creating this supportive environment in the classroom.
Speaker 2:It's those individual teachers who often make the biggest difference in kids' lives.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And then we had Heather Esco. She's a third grade teacher.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And she spoke up to address some things she called misinformation that was going around on social media and in campaign materials.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:So getting into the political side of things a bit, yeah, and this is interesting because it shows how narratives can form and how important it is to get the facts straight.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. What specific misinformation was she talking about?
Speaker 1:Well, she laid out four main things that she said were just plain wrong.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 1:First there was this claim that student safety wasn't a priority for the district.
Speaker 2:A pretty serious accusation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, then there was this idea that they were severely short staffed A common issue for many districts these days, right. And then there was this claim that they weren't putting enough resources to intervention programs, specialized instruction you know things like that and advanced learning.
Speaker 2:So essentially not meeting the needs of a wide range of students.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and the last one was that the district wasn't preparing kids adequately for Lincoln Way High School.
Speaker 2:Which is where a lot of these kids end up going after they graduate from this grade.
Speaker 1:Right. So, Ms Esker, she went point by point and refuted each one of those claims.
Speaker 2:Good for her setting the record straight.
Speaker 1:She talked about how they have a dedicated safety and security team in place.
Speaker 2:Okay, so they're taking safety seriously.
Speaker 1:And she said that, when it comes to staffing, they actually have a good pool of qualified applicants for their core teaching positions of qualified applicants for their core teaching positions, so not facing those severe shortages that some people were suggesting. Right and she highlighted all the things they're doing in terms of support for different types of learners, like multi-tiered systems of support and this advanced learning task force.
Speaker 2:So they are putting in the effort to meet those diverse needs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she pointed to the high levels of student achievement overall and even mentioned how the junior high got recognized for its performance.
Speaker 2:So a lot of positive things happening that maybe weren't being talked about enough.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and it's a good reminder that we often hear more about the problems than the successes.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It's important to have that balanced perspective.
Speaker 1:Okay, now for something completely different. We got to hear from some actual students kindergartners actually.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's adorable. What were they up to?
Speaker 1:They presented their research projects, all about trees.
Speaker 2:Trees Wow, that's impressive for kindergartner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like they did this whole unit on trees and learned about you know what living things need and how trees fit into the ecosystem.
Speaker 2:That's a great way to get them engaged with science and nature.
Speaker 1:They even went on a field trip to learn about maple syrup.
Speaker 2:A sweet treat to top it all off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so after that we had this really interesting presentation from the Special Education Steering Committee.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 1:It was led by these two consultants, Pandora Taylor and Tammy Henry.
Speaker 2:OK, and what was their role?
Speaker 1:Well, they had been brought in to help the district improve its special education services. Interesting and they actually pointed out how unusual it is for a district to be so proactive like that.
Speaker 2:Meaning.
Speaker 1:Like. Usually they're called in when there's a problem, you know, to fix something that they've already broken.
Speaker 2:Right Like a crisis intervention kind of thing.
Speaker 1:But in this case Mocana 159 was reaching out to them before any major issues arose.
Speaker 2:So they were taking a preventative approach, trying to improve things before they became a problem.
Speaker 1:Exactly which these consultants said was really impressive and showed a commitment to continuous improvement.
Speaker 2:That's a good sign for the district and for the families they serve.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they explain how they went about this process.
Speaker 2:Okay, how did they approach it?
Speaker 1:They did a ton of interviews, like 51 interviews with teachers and parents.
Speaker 2:Wow, so really getting a lot of input from the people directly involved.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they use this reflective practice tool and reviewed all these reports from ISBE, the Illinois State Board of Education.
Speaker 2:So taking a data-driven approach Right.
Speaker 1:And they looked at IEPs, those Individualized Education Programs that are created for each student with special needs.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And they even built on some work that had been done previously with the Autism Project and a Dr Patrick Soar.
Speaker 2:So very thorough, pulling from multiple sources.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so their key recommendations focused on some really important areas.
Speaker 2:Like what specifically?
Speaker 1:Well communication and collaboration between different programs and schools.
Speaker 2:Okay, making sure everyone's on the same page.
Speaker 1:Right and making meetings more effective, because apparently that was an issue.
Speaker 2:Can be a challenge, for sure.
Speaker 1:They talked about providing better coaching and support for teachers as they implement new strategies.
Speaker 2:So giving teachers the tools they need to succeed.
Speaker 1:Exactly and ensuring that IEPs are developed consistently across the district.
Speaker 2:Important for equity and consistency of services.
Speaker 1:And promoting co-teaching practices in classrooms.
Speaker 2:Having general ed and special ed teachers working together.
Speaker 1:Right and they stress the importance of creating a really inclusive, welcoming climate and culture in the schools.
Speaker 2:Making sure all students feel valued and supported Absolutely. And the last big one was family engagement really making parents active partners in the process.
Speaker 1:It's so crucial to involve families and to really listen to their perspectives. Totally All right, let's switch gears again now, where are we headed next? We're going to delve into the district's capital improvement plan and get an update on Fund 21.
Speaker 2:OK, Sun 21,. Remind me what that's for.
Speaker 1:That's their operations and maintenance fund, Basically the money they use to keep the buildings in good shape and make sure everything's running smoothly.
Speaker 2:Got it. So this is about the physical infrastructure of the schools.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and this part of the meeting was really interesting because they laid out all these projects they're working on.
Speaker 2:OK, tell me more.
Speaker 1:We heard from Dan Cain he's an architect, and Christian Jelani, who's an engineer, and and they presented the plan. Their focus was on those three main school buildings Makena, elementary, intermediate and Junior High.
Speaker 2:Okay, so covering all the bases.
Speaker 1:Right. They started by reviewing what they had already accomplished in the summer of 2024.
Speaker 2:Like what kind of projects?
Speaker 1:They put in a new playground and a new parking lot at the elementary school.
Speaker 2:Nice. Some upgrades for the little ones.
Speaker 1:And they installed security window film across all the schools.
Speaker 2:And important safety measures.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they replaced the front door at Mokina Elementary.
Speaker 2:So addressing a variety of kids.
Speaker 1:And then they went through this long list of upcoming projects.
Speaker 2:Okay, give us some highlights.
Speaker 1:At Mokina Elementary they're planning to do more phases of roof restoration, replace the gym floor and upgrade the window treatment treatments Sounds like a pretty extensive to-do list. Yeah, and at the junior high they already finished replacing a chiller. Those are important for HVAC and they're looking at adding a storage shed, replacing some flooring and resurfacing the asphalt.
Speaker 2:Keeping everything in working order.
Speaker 1:And at the intermediate school they're planning to do some work on the stairwell flooring, upgrade the window treatments and repair a storm structure.
Speaker 2:It's amazing how much goes into maintaining these buildings.
Speaker 1:It really is and they explain their whole process for prioritizing these projects.
Speaker 2:Okay, so how do they decide what to tackle first?
Speaker 1:They have this system with three levels of priority.
Speaker 2:Priority one, two and three.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and this led to some really good discussion from the school board members. No-transcript. Well, one board member wanted more details about who was managing each project, how they were tracking any changes to the plans, where those cost estimates were coming from and how all of this aligned with the Fund 21 budget.
Speaker 2:So making sure there's transparency and accountability.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there was a lot of interest from the board in being more involved, especially when it came to safety-related projects.
Speaker 2:Which is understandable. Those decisions can have a direct impact on student well-being.
Speaker 1:Right, Like with those window treatments. They wanted to be part of those discussions.
Speaker 2:Makes sense, ok, so then what happened?
Speaker 1:So Dr Shaw presented an analysis of Fund 21, the Operations and Maintenance Fund. She explained that a chunk of the money comes from this 3 percent referendum levy that voters approved.
Speaker 2:OK, so that's dedicated funding for these kinds of projects.
Speaker 1:Right, and she went through how they're using those funds for security upgrades, hvac systems, parking lot maintenance, interior improvements, you know all that stuff. So a lot of different areas covered, yeah. And then she broke down the spending by school building and by category, like how much they were spending on safety and security, asphalt work, general maintenance, construction, new equipment, architect and engineering fees. You know the whole nine-one.
Speaker 1:Very detailed breakdown architect and engineering fees. You know the whole nine-one Very detailed breakdown. And this is where Ms McMillan, one of the board members, she noticed that the amount allocated to that specific category of safety and security it seemed kind of low.
Speaker 2:Okay, so raising a red flag there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Dr Shaw, she explained that it's not always so straightforward, because sometimes a project that improves safety might be categorized under a different area, like the security window film that probably fell under construction costs.
Speaker 2:So it's not always as simple as looking at one line item.
Speaker 1:Right, exactly, you have to dig a little deeper to get the full picture.
Speaker 2:Makes sense.
Speaker 1:Okay, so then Dr Shah presented these five-year financial projections for all the different funds they have, both the ones for day-to-day operations and the ones for specific purposes like capital projects.
Speaker 2:Okay, so looking ahead to the future.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she explained that these projections are based on the current information and certain assumptions about things like property values, inflation rates, tax collection rates, you know, things like that, which can all change, of course, right Exactly, but it's still important to try to plan ahead. And one thing she pointed out is that they're projecting a deficit for the current fiscal year.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's not good.
Speaker 1:But she explained that it's mainly because they're intentionally spending down the balance they had in Fund 21 from the previous year. Okay so a strategic decision to use those funds, but some of the board members were a little concerned about having these projected deficit budgets and they talked about wanting to be more involved in the financial planning process.
Speaker 2:Makes sense to have those collaborative conversations.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they specifically mentioned wanting to see projections for how many full-time employees they'll need. You know, looking ahead.
Speaker 2:So thinking about staffing needs down the line.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Okay, what came next?
Speaker 1:So then, they moved into policy updates and reports from the superintendent.
Speaker 2:All right, keeping everyone informed.
Speaker 1:The policy committee had an action item related to their Vision 2030 strategic plan and they also gave updates on some state-level legislation.
Speaker 2:Okay, like what kind of bills?
Speaker 1:There was one about cell phone use in schools.
Speaker 2:A hot topic these days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and another one about creating an artificial intelligence task force Interesting, and one about procedures for threat assessment in schools.
Speaker 2:An important issue.
Speaker 1:unfortunately, Then Superintendent Stein. He provided some more details about that clear software thing. He said again that the agreement was for three years and that he was only recommending they get one user license.
Speaker 2:Okay, sticking with that scaled back approach.
Speaker 1:And he also mentioned some action items for creating new job descriptions.
Speaker 2:Like what positions?
Speaker 1:An assistant principal at the junior high, a human resources director and some additional maintenance staff.
Speaker 2:So addressing some personnel needs.
Speaker 1:And he talked about this action item for buying a bi-directional amplifier.
Speaker 2:What is that exactly?
Speaker 1:It's a system that makes their radio communication better inside the school buildings, which is important for safety.
Speaker 2:OK, so making sure everyone can communicate clearly in an emergency.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and he gave an update on the Custodial and Maintenance Services Committee saying they had open bids for services and they were considering bringing more maintenance staff in-house instead of contracting it all out.
Speaker 2:That's a tough decision. Often comes down to cost versus control.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Okay, what else did they cover?
Speaker 1:So then Dr Johnson, she gave a report on all these professional development opportunities for teachers who work with advanced learners.
Speaker 2:Interesting, so supporting those teachers who are working with gifted students.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she talked about partnerships with Northwestern University and St Francis University so teachers could get certified in gifted education.
Speaker 2:That's great, providing those specialized training opportunities.
Speaker 1:And she talked about how they're using data to figure out how to group students for instruction, you know, for the small group learning situations.
Speaker 2:Makes sense to use data to inform those decisions.
Speaker 1:And there were some upcoming parent information sessions and some pilot programs in social emotional learning and social studies.
Speaker 2:So a lot of different initiatives in the works.
Speaker 1:And she mentioned how they're working to align their curriculum better with Lincoln Way High School.
Speaker 2:So making that transition smoother for students.
Speaker 1:And she highlighted how some of their staff had presented at educational conferences.
Speaker 2:Sharing their expertise with others.
Speaker 1:Then Dr Shah. She came back up and gave some financial highlights that they have posted on the district website and some updates on agreements related to transportation and access to school property for neighbors.
Speaker 2:Okay, keeping everything running smoothly.
Speaker 1:And they had some action items like approving the purchase of that bi-directional amplifier, upgrading the fire alarm system at the bus barn, hiring some summer, help creating those new maintenance staff positions. Setting salaries for transportation and food service employees.
Speaker 2:A lot on their plate.
Speaker 1:And there was that roof restoration project at the intermediate school where they were looking to approve the lowest bid.
Speaker 2:Okay, so taking care of those essential repairs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then they had some HR updates about a wellness clinic for employees and insurance committees and meetings for staff about their pensions.
Speaker 2:Taking care of their staff.
Speaker 1:And there were quick updates from the Food Service and Transportation Department.
Speaker 2:Covering all the bases.
Speaker 1:Then it was time for the big personnel report, where they vote on new hires and contracts for administrators.
Speaker 2:Okay, and how did that go?
Speaker 1:Well, it got a little tense actually.
Speaker 2:Really what happened?
Speaker 1:Some of the board members were not happy about the administrator contracts. They felt like there were inconsistencies and they hadn't had enough time to review them properly.
Speaker 2:So procedural issue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they wanted more transparency and more time to digest the information. Understandable so some of those contracts got tabled for further discussion.
Speaker 2:OK, so they pumped the brakes on that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but they did vote on the consent agenda, which is a bunch of routine items, and they accepted donations, approved that Illinois Vision 2030 resolution, various contracts for services, the agreement for the Gifted Learner Certification Program. You know all that good stuff.
Speaker 2:Sounds like a lot to get through.
Speaker 1:And then they wrapped up with their Good of Volcano treatment.
Speaker 2:What is that?
Speaker 1:exactly. It's where they make announcements about community events and things like that.
Speaker 2:Okay, a nice way to connect with the community.
Speaker 1:So they talked about scholarships from the music boosters, a community cleanup event, a volley for the Cure fundraiser, a PTA color run, some efforts to provide Easter food baskets another fundraiser, the Lincoln Way High School Hockey Team's championship win, a community workshop for the Village of Mocana's comprehensive plan. You know, just a lot of positive stuff happening in the community. A good way to end on a high note. So, as you can see from this deep dive into this Mocano 159 school board meeting, it's a lot more complex and multifaceted than you might think.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It really gives you a new appreciation for all the work that goes into keeping a school district running.
Speaker 1:From those tiny details of software contracts to these big picture decisions about building projects and recognizing achievements, it's really impressive.
Speaker 2:And it's not just about the nuts and bolts. It's about the kids, the teachers, the staff, the community as a whole.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so some things that really stood out to me were, you know, that issue with the residency verification software.
Speaker 2:Right when they were considering spending a lot of money to address a problem that they didn't really have proof of existing.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and then that proactive approach from the special education team was really encouraging.
Speaker 2:Yeah, bringing in those experts to help them continuously improve.
Speaker 1:And the financial planning was really interesting seeing how they analyzed those projections and the board members really engaged with those details.
Speaker 2:Asking those tough questions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so for you, the listener. Hopefully, this deep dive has given you a better understanding of what's happening behind the scenes in your local school district.
Speaker 2:It's important to be informed and engaged.
Speaker 1:And it makes you think about all that work that goes into making sure our schools can function and support our students.
Speaker 2:It's a team effort, for sure.
Speaker 1:So here's a question for you to ponder what surprised you the most about how your local school district operates?
Speaker 2:Or what did you find most relevant to your own community?
Speaker 1:There's always something new to discover.
Speaker 2:And if you're interested in learning more, some things you could explore are how other districts handle that residency verification process.
Speaker 1:Or what impact those specific building projects will have on the students.
Speaker 2:Or the details of that advanced learner program they're developing.
Speaker 1:There's always more to learn.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
