The District 233 school board approved $33,312 in expenses for new books. This is the first special order for the 2026-27 school year, but Superintendent Jennifer Norrell said the board should expect others.
Lisa Dallacqua, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told board members the books relate to 11 new classes aligned with either dual credit or international baccalaureate courses. The courses are aligned with the district IB for All initiative, as well as college and career pathways.
New classes are: Diversity in Education; IB Design Technology, Clothing Construction; IB Film; IB Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences; IB Biology; IB Social and Cultural Anthropology; IB Global Politics; IB Mathematics for applications and interpretations; IB Mathematics for analysis and approaches HL; IB Mathematics for analysis and approaches SL; and Theatre 2, a dual-credit course offered with Prairie State College.
In other business at the March 17 board meeting, the board gave its okay for the Technology Department to enter into a contract with Dell Computers. By placing the order in March for as many as 800 Chromebooks, it is estimated District 233 will save between 15 and 30% on cost.
Steve Richardson, director of Information Technology, told board members that costs for consumers will be rising because demands for computer memory chips by AI companies are taking priority over other orders.
The board also agreed to appoint four dean assistant positions. The four will be called upon to monitor hallways, especially during passing periods.
Information was shared with the board about a new partnership between District 233 and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a dual credit class “Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems” offered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer & Environmental Sciences at UIUC.
Topics covered will be food production, food and the planet, food nutrition, food security and urban food systems, and the economics of the food system, such as supply and demand and how foods are marketed. H-F faculty will be mentored by U of I staff and given technical support and professional development for this course.
The course will fill one of the new pathway requirements for juniors and seniors. H-F will launch a pilot program in the 2026-27 school year. The pilot year is free. After that, the course cost will average what dual-credit tuition is at PSC.
