Board of Education
Skokie School District 73.5 and the Board of Education are pleased to introduce BoardDocs!
BoardDocs is an online Board of Education business management system that houses and shares Board of Education meeting information and policies. Visit the BoardDocs site, then follow these steps and watch the meeting when it begins:
- Look for the the "Meetings" banner and click the meeting date
- On the next page, click the yellow "Video" icon
- The meeting agenda is also availble to view online or download and print
In addition to the livestream, the following BoardDocs features are currently available:
- Call Notice
- Meeting Agenda
- The "Community Packet" information is now included as attachments to Agenda items
More features will be added in the near future:
- Board Policy Manual
- Meeting Archives
Questions? Please contact the Superintendent's Office at 847-324-0509 or by email.
We welcome your participation
The Skokie School District 73½ Board of Education welcomes public participation to its monthly meetings. As your elected representatives to this policy-making Board, the Board of Education appreciates the community's interest and attendance. Attending Board meetings is an important way to learn about the accomplishments, concerns and needs of your public schools. This web page explains how the Board functions and how you can be a part of proceedings.
Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm at McCracken Middle School, 8000 East Prairie Road, Skokie. However, because of holidays or for special purposes the Board occasionally meets on other days. Please check the school calendar or District website for the time and place of each meeting. The Illinois School Code, Board Policies, and Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, are the parliamentary authorities for conduct of the meetings. The Board conducts all of its business in public except for closed sessions as permitted under State statutes.
All Board meetings are open to the public except for closed sessions which the Board may call to discuss collective bargaining, negotiations, acquisition or sale of real estate, personnel matters, pending court proceedings involving the District or student discipline matters. Voting on all issues, including those discussed in closed session, is done in public.
The agenda for each meeting is prepared by the Superintendent and reviewed by the Board President. Items on the agenda are grouped by individual actions, information items and new business. These items are considered by motions, which require voice votes or, if the commitment of funds is involved, roll call votes of the Board.
Extensive background materials on agenda items are sent to Board members prior to each meeting. After examining these materials, Board members may obtain answers to questions and be prepared to efficiently and expeditiously reach decisions concerning the many items that come before them during the meeting.
Addressing the Board of Education
A Board meeting is a meeting in public and not a public meeting; therefore, participation by persons in the audience is designated at specific places on the agenda. When addressing the Board, individuals should give their name and, if representing a group, indicate the group represented. The usual time limitation to speak is three minutes for each individual or delegation.
The Board of Education encourages public participation during its regular meetings at the following places on the agenda:
- Public Comments. There are two opportunities on the agenda for audience members to address the Board. These are at the beginning and end of the meeting. The President of the Board will recognize members of the audience who wish to make statements to the Board.
- The Board may need to refer questions to appropriate individuals for answers. Every attempt to obtain answers will be made within a reasonable period of time after the meeting date. No immediate action will be taken on an item introduced during this portion of the meeting, nor will personnel items be discussed in this format. The usual time limitation to speak is three minutes for each individual or delegation.
- Please note that although the Board welcomes participation at its regular meetings, issues or inquiries that relate to specific situation should be dealt with by contacting the teacher or staff member directly involved. If a situation is not satisfactorily resolved at that level, the principal should be contacted. If still unresolved, the Superintendent should be contacted. If still unresolved, the issue may be brought to the Board for review.
If you have specific questions regarding Board policy or actions, please feel free to contact the Superintendent at the District Office at 847.324.0509.
You may also communicate in writing by addressing your letter to the Board of Education, Skokie School District 73½, 8000 East Prairie Road, Skokie, IL 60076.
Contacting the Board of Education: Correspondence
Community members can contact all board members by email through the Board of Education Secretary (copy and paste the email address into your preferred email client). Please do not email correspondence to Board members individually or to their personal email addresses. Please note: if your question requires the Board of Education to respond, such responses will be provided after the Board has had an opportunity to consider the question/request in a regularly scheduled public meeting.
The Board uses this process at the recommendation of the Illinois Association of School Boards and its attorneys to ensure the entire Board sees the same communication at the same time. It then gives direction to the Superintendent or places the issue on the next closed or open session of the Board.
According to the Illinois Association of School Boards, "The Board functions as a single unit. Issues and concerns will be brought to the full board for discussion and resolution. The opinions and personal strengths of individual members will be used to the Board’s best advantage, but the Board faithfully will make decisions as a group, by formal vote. No officer, individual, or committee of the Board will be permitted to limit the Board’s performance or prevent the Board from fulfilling its commitments."
Please be advised that emails sent to the Board are part of the public record and therefore may be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
As the Board’s function is primarily policy making, questions about specific school functions or issues should be directed to the teacher or administrator closest to the situation.
