CCSD21 Hosts Wellness Fair & Community Recycling Events
On Saturday, April 14th, School District 21 hosted a Wellness Fair and Community Recycling Collection at Jack London Middle School. With hundreds of students, parents, and community members in attendance, participants at the Wellness Fair had opportunities to exercise with aerobics activities, meet with vendors from many local health-related businesses, and listen to lectures from a variety of different health and wellness professionals. 2011 Miss Illinois Hannah Smith presented about body image and its relationship to overall health and wellness. Additionally, presentations were done by CCSD21 students, including a performance by the Twain Tumblers from Mark Twain Elementary School.

Family Learning Program Summer Golf Outing Announced
The Family Learning Program serves students and their families throughout District 21 with additional classes in a range of areas. Since its inception, this program has been run jointly by School District 21 and the Wheeling Park District, and today, other partners, like Harper College, are also major contributors to the success of the Family Learning Program.

To help fund the program, the Wheeling Park District and School District 21 are hosting the third annual Family Learning Program Golf Outing at Chevy Chase Country Club on August 8, 2012. More information about sponsoring the golf outing, participating as a golfer, and/or attending the dinner can be found on the Wheeling Park District website. (A PDF Version is available to download, as well.)

Student Fees Set for 2012-2013 School Year
As School District 21 continues to grapple with the fiscal realities placed on it by both the State of Illinois and Cook County, the Board of Education has approved an increase in student fees for the 2012-2013 school year. Despite this fee increase, District 21's student fees remain among the lowest in the area.

All registration fees will be increasing by $5. To accommodate new federal regulations, the cost of a full-price elementary school lunch will increase by $0.05 to $2.25, and the cost of a full-price middle school lunch will increase by $0.15 to $2.35.  The cost of a full-price breakfast for all grades will increase by $0.05 to $1.30. Read more for a full list of prices for 2012-2013.

Christy Jensby-Demaret Appointed New Principal at Poe
Following the announcement of Mrs. Lindberg and Mr. Cook’s decision to end their co-principalship at Poe Elementary School, an interview process commenced to identify and hire the next principal at Poe Elementary School. After a series of interviews, Mrs. Christy Jensby-Demaret emerged as the new principal at Poe Elementary School beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

Christy Jensby-Demaret has held the position of Assistant Principal at MacArthur Middle School in Prospect Heights for seven years. Read more...

Dr. Mical's Retirement Announced; Dr. Hyland Named New Superintendent
At the Board of Education meeting on March 15, 2012, the Board of Education announced the retirement of Dr. Gary Mical effective on June 30, 2012. Dr. Mical has served students for 38 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in Illinois, and Dr. Mical has worked as the superintendent of Community Consolidated School District 21 for the past ten years. During that time, Dr. Mical has led District 21 in developing and instituting its Professional Learning Community framework and remaining on a sound financial footing despite the challenges faced by public schools in this area.

In addition to announcing Dr. Mical's retirement, the Board of Education also announced that Dr. Kate Hyland, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Learning, will assume the Superintendency in District 21 beginning on July 1, 2012. Dr. Hyland has extensive experience as a teacher and principal and has led District 21's efforts to implement and refine its Professional Learning Community as a member of District 21's Central Office team over the past nine years.

Se anuncia la jubilación del Dr. Mical y se designa a la Dra. Hyland como la próxima superintendente
En su reunión del 15 de marzo del 2012, la Junta Directiva de Educación anunció que el día 30 de junio del 2012 el Dr. Gary Mical se va a jubilar. El Dr. Mical ha servido la comunidad de educación del estado de Illinois por 38 años como maestro, director y superintendente. Más recientemente ha servido como superintendente de escuelas del Distrito Escolar 21 por los últimos diez años. También durante estos diez años el Dr. Mical ha guiado el proceso de desarrollar al Distrito 21 hacia una Comunidad Profesional de Aprendizaje y ha mantenido una condición financiera solida, a pesar de las difíciles condiciones económicas a las cuales se han enfrentado las escuelas de esta área.

Además de anunciar la jubilación del Sr. Mical, la Junta Directiva anunció el la Dra. Kate Hyland, Superintendente Adjunta de Los Programas de Estudio y el Aprendizaje, asumirá el cargo de superintendente del Distrito 21 empezando el 1 de julio del 2012. La Dra. Hyland tiene una amplia experiencia como maestra y como directora de escuelas. Como miembro del equipo de la Oficina Central del Distrito 21 durante los últimos nueve años, la Dra. Hyland ha servido como líder en los esfuerzos para poner en práctica y perfeccionar la Comunidad Profesional de Aprendizaje.

2012-2013 Calendar Approved
At the January Board of Education meeting, the calendar for the 2012-2013 school year was approved.
> 2012-2013 Calendar

Tax Levy Information
Annually, school districts are required to levy their property taxes for the following year. This levy may not be the actual amount at which property owners are taxed depending upon a number of factors in each individual situation. The tax levy request approved by the Board after a public hearing was set at 1.94%. Careful consideration was given by the Board to the impact of current economic conditions on both taxpayers and School District 21.

The link below contains a PDF of the slides presented to the Board of Education related to the tax levy.
> 2011 Tax Levy Presentation