Lake County Gazette

North Shore School District 112’s Board of Education met on August 19 at Northwood Middle School, with the meeting also available via livestream. The session covered preparations for the start of the 2025-2026 school year and several district initiatives.

Superintendent Dr. Mike Lubelfeld welcomed staff and families to the new school year, highlighting recent activities such as new staff orientation and a full-staff kickoff event. He reminded community members about back-to-school safety, urging drivers to be cautious in neighborhoods, near schools, and around buses.

Dr. Lubelfeld addressed the district’s food service situation following a recent letter to families. He recommended a one-year emergency contract with OrganicLife to ensure meal service would be available at Edgewood, Northwood, Oak Terrace, Ravinia, and Red Oak on the first day of school. An independent review of the request-for-proposal process has been initiated. The Board later approved this emergency contract.

A public hearing was held regarding the 2025-2026 budget. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Jeremy Davis presented details before the Board voted to approve it.

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Monica Schroeder discussed ongoing efforts to make playgrounds accessible for all students across district schools. After successful projects at Braeside and Ravinia Elementary Schools, Sherwood is scheduled for updates in 2026-27, with Oak Terrace under consideration for future improvements. Margaret Chaidez from Play Illinois shared new design ideas during the meeting; input will be gathered from students, families, and staff before final decisions are made.

Dr. Schroeder also proposed shifting nine new homes planned on the former Lincoln School site from Indian Trail Elementary’s attendance area into Ravinia Elementary’s boundary due to enrollment capacity differences between the two schools. The Board will vote on this proposal at an upcoming meeting.

The Board approved extending its agreement with the City of Highland Park for a school resource officer during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Board member Lisa Hirsh and Dr. Schroeder updated attendees on TrueNorth Cooperative matters, noting that an interim superintendent will soon be appointed there.

Future meetings are scheduled for September 16 (regular board meeting) and September 25 (joint Facilities & Finance Committee meeting).

North Shore School District 112 serves multiple schools throughout Lake County including Braeside Elementary School, Edgewood Middle School, Elm Place School, Green Bay School, Indian Trail Elementary School, Northwood Junior High School, Oak Terrace Elementary School, Ravinia Elementary School, Red Oak Elementary School, Sherwood Elementary School, and Wayne Thomas Elementary School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to state data from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), District 112 employs 325 teachers who earn an average salary of $79,315; most are women (80.7 percent), while men make up 19.3 percent of faculty (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). No teachers in this district have more than ten absences in a school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). Demographically, students are predominantly White (63.9 percent), followed by Hispanic (26.9 percent), Asian (3.3 percent), and Black students (1.9 percent) according to ISBE figures (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, per-student spending was $27,611 for a total expenditure of $107 million dollars across District 112 schools (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

"Dr. Mike Lubelfeld welcomed everyone to the 2025-2026 school year and recapped a busy few days that have included new staff orientation, a full-staff kickoff, and the Ravinia ribbon-cutting (@ 4:32). He later shared important back-to-school safety reminders, urging drivers to use extra caution in neighborhoods, near schools and buses."

"He recommended a one-year emergency contract with OrganicLife and assured families that meal service would be in place at Edgewood, Northwood, Oak Terrace, Ravinia and Red Oak on the first day of school."

"He also announced that an independent review of the request-for-proposal (RFP) process has been initiated (@ 17:49)."

"The Board later voted to approve the emergency contract with OrganicLife."

"The Board held a public hearing on the 2025-2026 budget which included a presentation from Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Jeremy Davis (@28:43). The budget was later approved."

"Dr Monica Schroeder...shared plans to continue improving playgrounds across the district so they are fully accessible for all students...the next playground scheduled for updates is Sherwood...with Oak Terrace also under consideration...Margaret Chaidez...presented new design ideas...the district will gather input from students families and staff before making final decisions..."

"Future playground updates are planned at other schools in coming years to ensure all students have safe inclusive spaces..."

"Dr Schroeder presented a recommendation to shift...nine new homes planned on former Lincoln School site...from Indian Trail boundary into Ravinia Elementary boundary....This change was recommended because Ravinia's recently renovated facility has capacity ...while Indian Trail is already experiencing higher enrollment....The Board will vote ...at future meeting..."

"The Board approved an extension ...with City of Highland Park for a school resource officer..."

"Board member Lisa Hirsh and Dr Schroeder shared update on TrueNorth Cooperative noting that an interim superintendent will be appointed in near future at TrueNorth..."