District 200 considers forming new citizen advisory committee

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the board of education will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

In an effort to increase community engagement, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 soon may create a new resident advisory committee.

The school board will give district staff members feedback on the idea during a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the school service center, 130 W. Park Ave.

Superintendent Jeff Schuler said the committee is something the board has been interested in forming for a while.

"It goes back to Engage200," he said, referring to six community engagement sessions held last year to collect input from taxpayers about topics they wanted the district to study more in depth.

One of the conclusions from Engage200 was that the district needed to work to build trust and confidence with residents by enhancing two-way communication efforts.

Schuler said the new committee would serve, in part, as a link between the community and board of education.

"We have a lot of groups that we reach out to and listen to on a regular basis, but not necessarily a kind of a group that is consistent over time," Schuler said. "This is intended to be a group that stays with us over a period of time."

The committee would deliberate on issues the board is studying, such as a curriculum changes or calendar issues, and provide policy recommendations. It also would publicize and promote the district's proposals to others in the community.

Members will be expected to learn as much as they can about the district and what's going on at individual schools so they can share the information with their friends. They also will be asked to gather their friends' thoughts on the district and urge all residents to participate in the district's organizations.

A draft of the committee's bylaws will be reviewed Thursday. In them, it says the committee will include a minimum of 20 members but no more than 36.

Schuler said one goal is to have the committee's membership reflect the diversity of residents in the district - that includes parents from multiple schools, people whose children graduated from District 200 and others who don't have any kids in the district.

The hope, Schuler said, is to get the committee approved by August, so the district can start reaching out to people who may be interested in applying to be part of it at the beginning of next school year.