Less than two weeks into his new role at Indian Prairie School District 204, Superintendent John Price gave his first report to the school board during Monday night’s meeting.
Price covered how he’s beginning to get acquainted and briefed the board about some of the many educational, training, planning and construction projects underway.
Educational opportunities continue this summer
- With Naperville Neighbors United and Naperville School District 203, the district recently hosted an event with author Dashka Slater, discussing her book “Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed.”
- Camp Invention, the district’s STEM camp, concluded a two-week exploratory program for nearly 200 students.
- Summer Bridge, which helps rising ninth graders transition into high school, begins this week.
Summertime is training time for teachers, new hires
- Through the Healing Illinois grant, 55 staff members participated in a learning experience about restorative practices.
- This summer, 595 staff members have enrolled in online courses offered through “IPSD Academy.”
- New-hire orientation has begun, and administrators are in “high gear” planning for a districtwide institute day on Aug. 13, Price said.
Planning underway to evaluate program costs, school climate
- The district has completed the first phase of a process to determine its “Academic Return on Investment.” Working with consultant District Management Group, under a contract approved this spring, Indian Prairie identified more than 200 initiatives to be studied. Phase two training is ongoing, focusing on “cost data analysis,” Price said.
- Administrators are reviewing a draft report on school climate as part of the district’s strategic plan focus on student development.
Construction ‘on schedule;’ new office space available
- Work at several schools funded by the 2024 bond referendum — including secure entrances, flooring, playgrounds and large-scale renovations — is “on schedule” this summer, Price said.
- The district’s IT team is moving some staff members and storage this week into a newly purchased building on Prairie Lake Court, near the Crouse Education Center in Aurora. The district bought the building for $1.5 million early this year.
Board pleased with process of hiring Superintendent Price
School board members thanked members of the district’s communications department for handling outreach and transparency efforts related to the superintendent search, which brought Price to Indian Prairie to succeed former Superintendent Adrian Talley.
School board member Catey Genc said communications staffers showed “thoughtfulness and care” in gathering community feedback, which “was instrumental in helping make the decision” to hire Price.
“You were invaluable in helping us with the superintendent search,” school board President Laurie Donahue said to Lisa Barry, executive director of communication services. “You pulled in extremely valuable information from the community.”
Photo courtesy: IPSD 204
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