The Board voted to approve amendment 12 to the Superintendent's contract, setting forth her performance goals for the 2022-2023 school year. The Board of Education and the Superintendent have conferred and developed Performance Goals for the 2022-2023 School Year, pursuant to the requirements of her contract. The proposed action formally adopts the agreed goals as an amendment to her contract.

Waukegan Public Schools will be closed on November 23, November 24 and November 25 for Thanksgiving Break 2022. Classes resume on Monday, November 28.

In recent months our District has undertaken work on expanding our Strategic Plan, Destination 2022. We want to thank all of you who provided input earlier this fall through our strategic plan surveys. Those surveys provided valuable information to us about what our stakeholders value, and where you all feel our District has been successful, as well as where we have room for improvement.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Hear ye, hear ye! Tickets are now on sale for the Waukegan High School Music Department’s annual Renaissance Feast (Madrigal Dinner) on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3.

Waukegan Community Unit School District No. 60 joins school districts across Illinois in celebrating School Board Members’ Day. Board Members’ Day is celebrated annually on November 15. The annual event celebrates and thanks the unpaid volunteers who serve school districts across the state for the benefit of their stakeholders, and provide a voice for the communities they represent. The theme of this year’s event is “Partners in Excellence.”

The Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 Board of Education is looking for current WHS sophomores and juniors to apply for its soon-to-be open Student Board Member position for 2023.

Waukegan High School will host the first in a series of seminars designed to guide students through each phase of the college application process as part of the schools’ College Prep Series.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 5 p.m. On November 15, 2022 the regularly-scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will be held beginning at 6 p.m in the Lincoln Center Board Room.

Two dozen local officials, business leaders, community partners, and more will experience a day as Waukegan Public Schools principal during District 60’s annual Guest Principal Day on Thursday, November 10.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120. The meeting was moved from November 8, because District 60 is closed for Election Day

Waukegan High School students will perform Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Trapp Auditorium November 4 through November 6.

As we begin our week, I want to take a moment to reflect on the concerning event that transpired last week, involving a physical altercation between a student and substitute teacher in one of our middle school classrooms​​. I know many of you were as troubled by the news of this incident as I was. The actions of the substitute teacher were inappropriate, unnecessary and as I stated last week, this individual will not be working for our District again.

New designations released by the Illinois State Board of Education this week show that Waukegan High School, along with all 15 District 60 elementary schools are rated in one of the State’s two highest designation tiers, with one school – Clark Elementary School – maintaining an Exemplary designation.

We are writing to make you aware of an incident that occurred this afternoon in the community, which resulted in several of our buildings being placed on lockdown. Shortly before 1:30 p.m. we received a report of a shooting in the area near several of our buildings.

Earlier today there was an incident inside a Jack Benny Middle School classroom involving a physical altercation between a student and substitute staff member. Let me begin by saying that this type of behavior by any trusted adult in one of our schools is completely unacceptable, and any staff conduct that compromises the safety and well-being of students has not and will not be tolerated.

The Board of Education will host a Special Meeting on ​Wednesday, October 26, 2022. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center for the purpose of discussing annual contractual goals for the Superintendent. This meeting will be held in Closed Session. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Waukegan Public Schools will celebrate its first ever Bullying Preventions spirit week beginning Monday, October 24. Throughout the week staff and students will participate in themed events to promote kindness and positivity in Waukegan schools in observance of National Bullying Prevention Month.

District 60 will be hosting online informational presentations for Diverse learner families later this month to help train parents on a variety of skills and techniques that will allow them to more effectively advocate for their child.

The Board of Education will host a Special Meeting on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center for the purpose of discussing annual contractual goals for the Superintendent. This meeting will be held in Closed Session. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting.

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) honored four Waukegan Public Schools Board of Education Members during the annual IASB Lake Division Dinner last week, in recognition of their dedication to learning and leadership.

A Special Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, October 17, 2022, at 6 p.m. for Open Session. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct a Strategic Plan Board workshop. ​ On Tuesday, October 18, 2022 the Board will host its monthly Student Achievement and Operations Services committee meetings. Those meetings will begin at 6 p.m.

Waukegan Community Unit School # 60 will host Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20. Conferences are returning to an in-person format this year.

The Board of Education voted to approve the upgrade of the District's current security system at the following sites: WHS Brookside Campus, Warehouse, Operations, Cooke, McCall, Clark, Oakdale and Lyon. The quoted total is $323,425. The final total is $355,757.50, which includes a 10% contingency of $32,342.

Students and teachers have been working hard this year welcoming students back, determining student needs, and planning and delivering instruction. This fall students participated in a variety of assessments in reading, math, and science. The results of those assessments will be shared with families this week

Waukegan High School teacher Ms. Helene Duda was honored today by the Chicago Bears as a “Classroom Legend” during a special surprise ceremony in her classroom. The program, which is in partnership with CDW, celebrates Chicago area teachers who go above and beyond for their students.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. for Open Session, 5:30 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

As part of our District 60’s ongoing anti-bullying efforts, and in observance of National Bullying Month, this October the students and staff of Waukegan Public Schools are pledging to “Buddy Up” against bullying in Waukegan Schools.

We have an exciting phone update regarding our phone system. As of late last week, our phone system has been completely restored, and each of our District’s 1,200 school, office and classroom lines should be functioning properly. We thank everyone for their patience as we worked to address this issue.

The Board of Education will host a Special Meeting on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center for the purpose of discussing annual contractual goals for the Superintendent. This meeting will be held in Closed Session. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Diverse Learner families will have the chance to learn more about the variety of specialized resources available to them during the District’s Diverse Learners Special Education Resource Fair on October 6.

Nominating petition packets for the April 4, 2023, consolidated election for the Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 Board of Education are available through the Office of the County Clerk. Three seats on the seven-member Board of Education will be filled during the April election. All three seats will serve four-year terms expiring in April 2027.

Waukegan Public Schools is teaming up with the Education Equity Program to host a special reading circle celebrating a variety of cultures later this month.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. for Open Session, 5 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Waukegan Public Schools summer family field trips are returning! Our District’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department has three trips planned for this summer for a variety of adventures. The Family Field Trip program is open to all WPS families. All three field trips will include free bus transportation to and from to the destination.

It is with great sadness that I write to you all today, on the heels of another senseless and tragic school shooting.

The Board of Education voted to approve the purchase of a 66-passenger yellow bus and two (2) 14-passenger activity buses. The buses will be used to shuttle between high school campuses, athletics, field trips and other transportation services as needed, at a cost of $147,500.

During the week of March 14, students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will participate in the Spring 2022 Illinois Science Assessment administration. The Illinois Science Assessment is given yearly to measure student proficiency in general science. The results of this assessment will provide information that district staff can use to inform appropriate curricular decisions.

As COVID-19 metrics continue to improve in Waukegan, Lake County and beyond, our school District will eventually begin to transition some of its COVID mitigation strategies. One potential change is our current requirement, which mandates that masks be worn inside all District 60 buildings. In advance of any change, we are seeking parent, student and staff feedback through a short survey.

A Special Closed Session Board Meeting to conduct individual interviews with the finalists for the Student Board Member position on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually in closed session.

The Board of Education voted to approve the Emergency Contract Amendment request from Preferred Meals effective January 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 2022. The amendment's estimated value is $330,877 based on projected meals counts for the Spring 2022 semester. The request is necessitated by industry cost increases for food, packaging, labor and transportation for delivery of goods.

A Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 11, 2021, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

A Special Equity Workshop for the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. for Open Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the gymnasium of Whittier Elementary School, 901 N. Lewis Avenue.

We are inviting you to attend a virtual Finance Information Session where our District’s finance team will present an overview of the District’s strong financial condition, and answer questions that you might present on the subject. These remote meetings will take place on the following dates and times: