Whitney M. Young Magnet High School met Wednesday, Jan. 25.
"Located in a contemporary facility just north of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (WY) has a tradition of academic excellence and ethnic and cultural diversity."
WYMHS Local School Council Meeting
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Meeting Minutes
Call to Order at 3:37 pm by LSC Chairperson, Ms. Durudogan
Roll Call: Ms. Benaissa called the roll.
Present:
Ms. Durudogan
Ms. Benaissa
Mr. Browdy
Ms. McKenzie – arrived at 3:39
Ms. Oladipo
Ms. Boyle
Ms. Hopkins– arrived at 3:45
Mr. Ritter
Ms. Webb – arrived at 3:58
Ms. Baldwin – arrived at 3:39
Ms. Rogers-Gayles
Absent:
Dr. Kenner
Ms. Murphy
In Dr. Kenner’s absence, Ms. Horton served as acting principal
Agenda: Mr. Browdy moved and Ms. Rogers-Gayles seconded a motion to
approve the meeting agenda. Motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Minutes: Mr. Browdy moved and Mr. Ritter seconded a
motion to approve the December meeting minutes. Motion passed
unanimously.
Principal’s Report: Delivered by Ms. Horton
Ms. Horton noted the following activities that have taken place recently:
• The Math Lab is up and running, thanks to funding from the Friends of
Whitney Young. We would like to continue with Mathnasium through the rest of the
year.
• We are expecting a large delegation tomorrow from a high school in China
(The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China) for a performance in the
theater. We will sign a sister school agreement with them.
• Chess Team won the City Championship and will travel to state next
month.
• Pom-Pon Team won the City Championship and is traveling to state this
weekend.
• CPS is looking to privatize the building engineers throughout the city. Aramark and SodexoMagic are
the two contenders for the contract.
• Important Dates:
o Friday, January 27 at 7pm Guitar Show
o Tuesday, January 31 to Thursday, February 2 Final Exams
o Thursday, February 2 at 6pm Junior Parent Night
o Friday, February 3, 2017 CPS Furlough Day
o Monday, February 6 Student programming for 2017-2018 begins
o Thursday, February 8, 2017 Focus on Us
o Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 7pm Jazz on the Bridge
Chairperson’s Report: Ms. Durudogan
Ms. Durudogan mentioned the following:
• We delivered the final part of the Principal Review today, ahead of schedule
• Student LSC representative - The deadlines to apply and be elected have moved up to February 10
and February 24, respectively.
• 116 schools and over 300 LSC members throughout CPS signed a letter to Governor Rauner to share
disappointment with his recent veto of school funding for CPS.
• March will begin the period of Principal review for the current school year. The final review will
be shared with Dr. Kenner in May. Part II of the review will take place next fall.
Friends of Whitney Young: Ms. Deb Keegan
• Happy to have provided the funding for the Math lab to stay open with Mathnasium
• Jazz on the Bridge will take place on February 11
• Spring Bash is March 31. All school, all program fundraiser
• The money raised through the annual fund has allowed FoWY to fund 23 programs, several were
mentioned
• Everyone is invited to FoWY meetings
• Next meeting is February 8 at 6:30 pm in Blue House
Faculty Presentation Ms. Horton: Maximizing the Potential of all Students
• Please see the attached presentation
First Public Comment and Questions –
-A parent thanked Ms. Horton for her presentataion, said she was feeling hopeful.
-Several parents shared that the feedback on the Mathnasium tutors is very positive.
LSC Committee Reports
Budget Committee –Ms. Benaissa reported that the Budget committee reviewed the school based
budget and there were no changes to the 2016/2017 budget this month. The rentals & leases were
reviewed, as were internal accounts. The committee asked for a list of all expenses over $10,000.
Ms. Horton presented a plan to re-allocate $80,000 of the SBB budget previously designated to hire a
new math teacher to contingency. Ms. Benaissa called a roll-call vote to approve the measure. All
LSC members voted to approve the reallocation, with exception of the 2 LSC members not in attendance and
the student representative (who does not vote on financial matters). The motion was passed.
Facilities
Mr. Browdy mentioned the following projects:
• Funding available for shades in the classrooms, have received 2 quotes and waiting for 1 more
• FoWY requested and received a grant form Lowes for $5,000. It will be used for the bathroom
renovations
School Life/Student Concerns
Ms. Oladipo shared that there has been positive student feedback and good reviews for the math
center tutors. Thank you to everyone involved in re-opening it.
Staff PPLC
Ms. Boyle said there was nothing to report.
Diverse Learners
Ms. Hopkins said she and her daughter are working with diverse learners to help them apply to
college. The goal is for everyone to apply to at least 2 schools and to be open to more options.
Personnel
Ms. Durudogan shared the following:
• Mr. Benjamin Friedman (English) is leaving Whitney Young. Mr. David Rodgers will take his
place. He has served as a sick leave sub many times in our school. This transition is set for
Monday, February 6.
• Ms. Augustina Bottari (Counseling) will return on Monday, February 6. Mr. Bill Heaney (her
sub) has accepted a position at another school.
• Mr. Andrew Parro has resigned from CPS.
• Ms. Danna Dotson has resigned from CPS. Mr. Mario Viramontes has been placed in her
program. Ms. Susan Gustavson is the new Math Department Chair (she has held this position
in the past at Whitney Young).
Parent / Community / Public Relations
Ms. Webb said Hot Topics will commence in February with a program around standardized testing.
Tentatively planned for February 16 from 7:30-9:00am in the library.
Mr. Ritter said a children’s theater opened at Racine & Monroe geared towards a younger population
than WY students. He suggested that maybe some of our students could get service learning hours
by volunteering there.
Old Business: None
New business: None
Second Public Comment and Questions
Ms. McKenzie noted that a large number of former students come back to WY as staff. She said it
reflects well on the administration and the teachers.
Ms. Rogers-Gayles moved and Ms. Boyle seconded a motion to adjourn. Motion passed
unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 4:44 pm.
Meeting minutes by Ms. Benaissa.
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