March 18, 2023
Dear District 97 Community,
At the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, I shared "Preparing for the Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate,” a presentation that outlines key planning taking place for the 2023-24 school year. I encourage you to click here to view a screencast of the presentation and here to view the slide deck shared during the board meeting.
This is a comprehensive look into the planning for 2023-24—the full screencast is approximately 40 minutes long. While I do invite you to watch the whole presentation as time allows, you may also choose to dive into areas of greatest impact to you and your family:
Introduction: Board and Superintendent Roles
- Introduction: Board and Superintendent Roles
- Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate
- Preparing for the Portrait: Central Office Leadership Alignment
- Preparing for the Portrait: Middle School Structure for 2023-24 School Year
- 2023-24 Classroom Sections: Enrollment Data and Staffing
- Internal Staff Transfer Process
- Be Part of the Design
I value the voices of our staff, students and families. Your feedback and questions are critical to this design process as we plan for the 2023-24 school year and will inform follow-up communication in the coming weeks. I plan to continue the conversations that have already started this week with staff and to engage students and families in discussion in the coming weeks as well. Our team will be working to put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions based on these conversations.
If you would like to continue the conversation with me directly, I invite you to reach out anytime using our Let’s Talk platform and selecting the topic 2023-24 school year planning.
Respectfully,
Ushma
Communication Archive
- Superintendent 120-day Transition Presentation to the Board of Education (video/slide deck) - Oct. 25, 2022
- Staff and Family Message: Weekly Wrap-Up - Sept. 30, 2022
- Superintendent 90-day Transition Presentation to Board of Education (video/slide deck) - Sept. 27, 2022
- Staff and Family Message: Weekly Wrap-Up - Aug. 26, 2022
- Superintendent Institute Day Presentation to Staff (video/slide deck) - Aug. 22, 2022
- Superintendent 60-day Transition Presentation to Board of Education (video/slide deck) - Aug. 16, 2022
Photo Archive
Contact the Superintendent
Dr. Ushma Shah
Superintendent

Executive Assistant to the Superintendent/Board Secretary