Monday's District 65 Regular Board Meeting delivered a resolution on three fronts educators have been watching. The board voted 5-2 to approve 1,231 iPads and keyboard cases totaling $528,279 — maintaining the one-to-one model with a smaller, enrollment-optimized purchase. The cart-sharing alternatives would have cost more, not less. Devices will be provisioned this spring for the 2026-27 school year. DEC President Kelly Post addressed the board on behalf of educators at closing schools — Kingsley, Bessie Rhodes, and the Willard TWI strand — who are now facing the task of packing entire teaching spaces without doing so in front of students. DEC is actively advocating for per diem compensation on June 8th and 9th. And the district's long-awaited Combined Master Facility Plan and 10-Year Health Life Safety Plan was presented — a document that will shape building decisions and educator working conditions for the next decade. DEC Signal has the full recap.

DEC Signal is produced by the District 65 Educators' Council in partnership with The Signal Lab.

Illinois General Primary is Tuesday, March 17th — and the legislators on your ballot are deciding the future of educator evaluations, pension protections, and workplace rights. This special edition of DEC Signal gives you five voter resources your Region 41 colleagues pulled together, plus four IEA Spring 2026 legislative initiatives every District 65 educator should know: AI in evaluations, Notice to Remedy parameters, special education workload limits, and student growth in evaluations. On that last one — District 65 has already agreed to remove student growth from evaluations starting next year. SB2913 would extend that same protection to educators across Illinois. Know your ballot. Cast your vote. Stay engaged.

Voter Resources:

• https://www.vote411.org
• https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
• https://www.girliguess.com/
• https://votesaveamerica.com/
• https://www.270towin.com/

DEC Signal is produced by the District 65 Educators' Council in partnership with The Signal Lab.

Monday's District 65 Committee of the Whole was dominated by a major technology discussion — and it has direct implications for educators. The board reviewed a $551,000 proposal to purchase 1,300 iPads for incoming first and fifth graders, debated the merits of a K-2 shared cart model, and asked the administration to return with a cost analysis and student outcomes data before any vote. That vote is expected at the March 23rd board meeting — though not confirmed. Also Monday: the district announced an April 10th purchase order cutoff — educators need to get supply and materials requests in before that date. And following significant public comment, the board reaffirmed its commitment to special education services for every student with an IEP. DEC Signals has the full recap.

DEC Signal is produced by the District 65 Educators' Council in partnership with The Signal Lab.

The 172nd IEA Representative Assembly convenes March 12-14 in Rosemont — and every DEC member should know what it is and why it matters. The RA is IEA's governing body: where elected delegates from across Illinois debate and vote on the budget, bylaws, legislative priorities, pension policy, and union leadership for the coming year. This episode breaks down what actually happens across three days and five business sessions, what professional development and open hearings are available, and how the decisions made in that room shape your contract, your benefits, and your working conditions right here in District 65. DEC delegates will be on the floor representing you — and after the RA, DEC Signals will bring you the full recap.

Your union. Your voice. In action.

DEC Signal is produced by the District 65 Educators' Council in partnership with The Signal Lab.

Four things educators need to know from the February 23rd District 65 Regular Board Meeting. School start and end times were on the agenda but the board didn't take them up — so DEC President Kelly Post stepped in and addressed contractual concerns directly, and spoke to what exhausted educators need from board members right now. The board voted 7-0 to suspend and dismiss an administrator; the district has confirmed no District 65 students were involved. The special education audit is in — a three-year improvement plan starts this year, and if you work with IEP students, changes are coming. And crossing guard cuts are being evaluated — 55 guards could drop to 40, with a final decision still ahead. Plus: DEC Rep Board is March 3rd, and your building rep should be scheduling your school meeting now.

Board recap. Four minutes. Done.

DEC Signal is produced by the District 65 Educators' Council in partnership with The Signal Lab.