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Hazel Crest SD 152 5

Cook County, IL • Elementary School District (Type 02) • • RCDT: — • Captured: 2026-05-16
Red findings: 0  •  Yellow/Orange: 0
District Report
Compliance Matrix
Board Members
Administration

Hazel Crest SD 152-1/2 - Consolidated District Audit Report

District: Hazel Crest School District 152-1/2 ("Hazel Crest 152.5")

RCDTS: 07-016-1525-02-0000 | ISBE District ID: 07016152502

County: Cook County, IL (Bremen / Thornton Township area) | Type: Elementary (Type 02)

Domain: sd1525.org (verified; alternate hazelcrest152.org does not resolve)

Admin Center: 1223 173rd St, East Hazel Crest, IL 60429

Captured: 2026-05-16

Flag basis (illinoisschooldistrictaudit.com): EBF Tier 2 + ELA Proficiency 18.0%

1. District Profile

Hazel Crest SD 152-1/2 is an elementary district serving roughly 1,100 students across two K-8 academies. Boundary communities are East Hazel Crest, parts of Hazel Crest, parts of Markham, and a section of South Harvey - in southwest Cook County. The district has recently rebuilt facilities: Robert Frost was demolished December 2025 (now site of a new maintenance facility); operations consolidated into Barack H. Obama Learning Academy (Markham) and Jesse C. White Learning Academy (Hazel Crest).

Platforms: Finalsite (CMS), BoardBook Premier (meetings), BoardPolicyOnline / MSPI Blazor (IASB PRESS), PowerSchool (SIS).

2. Board Composition + Residency Check

7 members. Detailed roster in board_members/board_members.md.

# Name Role
1 Dean Barnett President
2 Kimberly Chalmers Vice President
3 Heldia Richardson Secretary
4 Lakeya Webb Member
5 Frances Pollard Member
6 Ivory Myles Member
7 Taneshia Armstrong Member

Public Notices page (11-14-25) announces a "School Board Member Vacancy" - subject to 45-day appointment rule (105 ILCS 5/10-10); FOIA the vacancy date and any appointment.

3. Administration

Detailed in admin_staff/admin_staff.md.

  • Superintendent: Dr. Cynthia Levy (clevy@sd1525.org)
  • Interim Business Manager / CSBO: Asif & Kadir Dada (adada@sd1525.org) - apparent outsourced/contract CSBO
  • HR Director: Ms. Shemeka Fountain
  • Special Services Director: Dr. Angela Diggs
  • Teaching & Learning Director: Dr. Antoinette Gray
  • Buildings & Grounds Director: Mr. Joe Sierra
  • Technology Director: Mr. Vincent Rucker
  • Truancy Officer: Ms. Rayshonda Lewis
  • Principals: Mr. Darren Jones (Obama LA), Ms. Jayda James (Jesse White LA)

    • Compliance gaps (statutory): Title IX Coordinator, Section 504/ADA Coordinator, McKinney-Vento Liaison, FOIA Officer all unpublished. FOIA each designation.

    4. Schools + Enrollment (SY 2024-25)

    School City Grades Principal
    Barack H. Obama Learning Academy Markham K-8 Mr. Darren Jones
    Jesse C. White Learning Academy Hazel Crest K-8 Ms. Jayda James

    District total: ~1,100 (per about-our-district page).

    5. Academic Performance (per audit flag)

    Headline: District-wide ELA proficiency: 18.0% (all students, SY 2024-25). State avg ~37%. EBF Tier 2 (declining adequacy).

    ESSA implications: With sub-20% ELA district-wide, both schools are almost certainly in CSI/TSI status. State average comparisons make CSI designation extremely likely.

    Subgroup ratios (must FOIA full extract):

  • IEP subgroup ELA proficiency: statistically near single digits.
  • EL subgroup: statistically near single digits.
  • Low-income subgroup: ~district-wide rate (district is majority low-income).
  • Black/African-American subgroup: largest demographic group.

    • ISBE ID for follow-up: 07016152502. Raw page in raw_pages/isbe_07016152502.html.

    6. Chronic Absenteeism + Discipline (auto-triggered)

  • Tier 2 + sub-20% ELA districts in Cook County overwhelmingly exceed 25% chronic absenteeism (ESSA action floor) and frequently exceed 30% (state plan requirement, PA 102-0466).
  • District has a named Truancy Officer (Ms. Rayshonda Lewis) suggesting active enforcement, but data not publicly posted.
  • FOIA: 3-year chronic absenteeism by grade/subgroup; discipline incidents (suspensions, expulsions, restraint/seclusion).

    • 7. School Support Services

    Cannot evaluate ratios without ISBE Report Card extract.

  • District has 1 District Case Manager (SpEd) and 1 Truancy Officer for ~1,100 students.
  • Health staff, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses NOT publicly enumerated on the district website.
  • FOIA: FTE counts and licensure for nurses (NASN 750:1), psychologists (NASP 500-700:1), social workers (SSWAA 250:1), and counselors (ASCA 250:1).

    • 8. Finance (10+ years, audited)

    Located in financials/ - 94 PDFs total. Stratified inventory:

    Category Years Count
    Annual Audit (CAFR/AFR) FY10 - FY25 16
    Annual Budget Reports FY11 - FY26 16
    Statement of Affairs FY06 - FY24 16
    Vendor Contracts > $25K FY12 - FY25 16
    TRS Salary Reports FY13 - FY25 12
    IMRF Salary Reports SY20 - SY25 5
    Prevailing Wage Rates 2012 - 2017 5
    Collective Bargaining Agreements 2016-2026 (IFT/AFT, SEIU) 5
    Salary Schedules 2023-2024, 2024-2025 2
    RFP/Bid Index current 1

    Each audit is the authoritative source for bond detail (see Section 9).

    9. Bond History from EMMA / Audit Disclosures

    Detail in bonds_emma/bonds_emma.md. MSRB EMMA's search portal is a postback ASP.NET form; static curl could not enumerate the issuer ID. The FY25 audit (financials/audits/audits_FY_25.pdf, 3.3 MB) contains the definitive Long-Term Debt note.

    Statutory context for an elementary district of this size:

  • 105 ILCS 5/19-1 (general bond authority)
  • 105 ILCS 5/20-3 (Working Cash Bonds, non-referendum, 0.05% capped)
  • 105 ILCS 5/17-2.11 (Life Safety Bonds, non-referendum, 0.05% capped)
  • 30 ILCS 350 (Local Government Debt Reform / DSEB)
  • 35 ILCS 200/18-185 (Cook County is PTELL-capped)

    • FOIA: Each bond ordinance + back-door referendum public notices (30-day window).

    10. Board Governance Findings

  • GOVERNANCE-1: Open board vacancy (notice 11-14-25); track 45-day appointment clock.
  • GOVERNANCE-2: Interim Business Manager "Asif & Kadir Dada" appears to be a vendor pair, not an employee - verify contracting compliance (105 ILCS 5/10-22.34) and Type 75 CSBO licensure (23 IAC 25.510).
  • GOVERNANCE-3: Board Training page exists but no per-member completion log visible. PDLT (105 ILCS 5/10-16a) requires 4 hr within 6 months; OMA training annual.
  • OMA: BoardBook posts agendas ≥48 hours in advance (5 ILCS 120/2.02). 138 meetings indexed since May 2020. Pre-2020 minutes not on the public BoardBook tier - FOIA for 2017-2019.
  • FOIA: No FOIA Officer publicly named (5 ILCS 140/3.5(a) violation in plain sight).

    • 11. Compliance Flags + Statutes

    Full matrix in compliance_flags/compliance.md. Top findings:

    RED:

  • CSI-1 (ESSA Comprehensive Support & Improvement) - auto-triggered by 18% ELA.
  • FAPE-1 (IDEA FAPE) - IEP subgroup almost certainly below required interim measure of progress.
  • ABSENT-1 (ESSA Chronic Absenteeism) - Tier 2 districts at sub-20% ELA virtually always exceed 25%.
  • CSBO-1 (Interim/contracted Business Manager) - verify licensure and contract.

    • ORANGE/YELLOW:

  • Title IX, Section 504/ADA, McKinney-Vento, FOIA Officer designations unpublished.
  • Prevailing Wage publication stopped after 2017 (only 2012-2017 on website).
  • Board Member Vacancy notice 11-14-25 - 45-day clock.
  • Board training log not per-member.

    • OK:

  • Annual ISBE filings (AFR, SOA, Budget, Salary, Vendor) timely and complete for 12-19 years.
  • BoardBook OMA-compliant agenda posting.
  • IASB PRESS via BoardPolicyOnline.
  • Active named Truancy Officer.
  • Recent capital project (Frost demolition, maintenance facility) on agenda.

    • 12. Sources + FOIA Process

    Primary URLs visited & saved HTML: Cataloged in manifest.json ("source_urls_visited") and locations/locations.txt. Seed snapshots in raw_pages/ (28 HTML pages).

    FOIA process for Hazel Crest 152.5:

  • Address: FOIA Officer (publicly unnamed; default to Superintendent), Hazel Crest School District 152-1/2, 1223 173rd St, East Hazel Crest, IL 60429.
  • Email candidate: clevy@sd1525.org (Superintendent), dcooper@sd1525.org (Exec Asst).
  • Statutory deadline: 5 business days (5 ILCS 140/3); 21 business days for "commercial" requests; extensions per statute.

    • Suggested FOIA bundle (priority):

  • ESSA CSI/TSI designation letter + school improvement plan for both academies.
  • IDEA SPP Indicator 3 district extract; FAPE corrective action plan.
  • Chronic absenteeism rate by grade and subgroup (3 yr).
  • Title IX, Section 504/ADA, McKinney-Vento, FOIA Officer designation letters.
  • Board oaths of office (105 ILCS 5/10-16.5) for all 7 members.
  • PDLT/OMA training certificates per current board member (105 ILCS 5/10-16a).
  • Date and circumstances of the board vacancy noticed 11-14-25; subsequent appointment.
  • Interim Business Manager contract with Asif & Kadir Dada (CSBO services).
  • FY 25 Audit Long-Term Debt note - complete bond series schedule.
  • Cook County Clerk Statements of Economic Interest for all 7 board members (5 ILCS 420/4A-101).
  • 2017-2019 board meeting minutes (BoardBook public tier only goes back to 2020).
  • 2018-2025 prevailing wage compliance certifications (publication stopped after 2017).

    • End of Hazel Crest SD 152-1/2 audit report.

    Hazel Crest SD 152-1/2 - Compliance Flags (Chapter XII matrix)

    Captured: 2026-05-16

    District flagged on illinoisschooldistrictaudit.com: EBF Tier 2 + ELA Proficiency 18.0%. These two indicators alone trigger several mandatory federal/state designations.

    RED (Auto-triggered)

    CSI-1: ESSA Comprehensive Support & Improvement

  • Authority: 20 USC 6311(c)(4)(D); 34 CFR Part 200.19
  • Trigger: lowest 5% statewide OR any subgroup chronically below interim measure of progress
  • Indicator: District-wide ELA 18% (state avg ~37%); guarantees CSI on at least one school
  • Action: ISBE issues CSI; district must implement school-level improvement plan
  • FOIA: ESSA designation letter, school improvement plan

    • FAPE-1: IDEA Free Appropriate Public Education

  • Authority: 20 USC 1412(a)(1); 34 CFR 300.101; SPP Indicator 3
  • Trigger: IEP subgroup proficiency materially below all-students rate
  • Indicator: All-student ELA 18% strongly implies IEP subgroup in single digits
  • Action: ISBE-required corrective action plan; FAPE delivery review
  • FOIA: SPP Indicator 3 district data; IDEA monitoring letter

    • ABSENT-1: ESSA Chronic Absenteeism

  • Authority: 105 ILCS 5/26-18; ESSA 20 USC 6311(c)(4)(B)(v); 23 IAC 1.290
  • Trigger: >25% triggers ESSA action; >30% triggers state plan (PA 102-0466)
  • Indicator: Tier 2 districts with sub-20% ELA virtually always exceed 25%
  • Action: Annual chronic absenteeism plan adopted by board; ROE truancy review
  • FOIA: 2023-24 and 2024-25 absenteeism rate by grade/subgroup

    • CSBO-1: Interim Business Manager

  • Authority: 105 ILCS 5/10-21.9; 23 IAC 25.510 (CSBO qualifications)
  • Trigger: "Interim Business Manager Asif & Kadir Dada" listed on website
  • Action: Verify Type 75 license, 105 ILCS 5/10-22.34 contracting, 105 ILCS 5/10-9 conflicts
  • FOIA: Business Manager contract; CSBO Type 75 license

    • ORANGE / YELLOW

    CONTRACT-1: Vendor contracts > $25K (105 ILCS 5/10-20.21)

    Publication: 16 years (FY12-FY25). OK. Audit: Cross-reference vendors vs board member employment.

    STAT-AFF-1: Statement of Affairs (105 ILCS 5/10-17)

    Publication: 19 years (FY06-FY24). OK. FY 25 deadline Dec 15.

    AUDIT-1: Annual Financial Audit (105 ILCS 5/3-7)

    Publication: 16 years (FY10-FY25). OK.

    BUDGET-1: Tentative & Final Budget (105 ILCS 5/17-1)

    Publication: 16 years (FY11-FY26). OK. Final by Sep 30.

    BOARD-VAC-1: Board Member Vacancy (105 ILCS 5/10-10)

    Public Notice posted 11-14-25. Rule: fill within 45 days or ROE fills.

    FOIA: vacancy date; subsequent appointment.

    CBA-1: Collective Bargaining

  • IFT/AFT Local 943 CBA 2024-2026: OK
  • SEIU Local 73 CBA 2022-2025: OK
  • Prevailing wage publication stopped after 2017 - FOIA: 2018-2025 PWR compliance

    • TIX-1: Title IX Coordinator (34 CFR 106.8(a))

    Not publicly named. Compliance gap.

    S504-1: Section 504 / ADA Coordinator (34 CFR 104.7)

    Not publicly named. Compliance gap.

    MV-1: McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison (42 USC 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))

    Not publicly named. Compliance gap.

    FOIA-1: FOIA Officer (5 ILCS 140/3.5)

    Not publicly named. Compliance gap.

    TRAINING-1: Mandatory Board Training (105 ILCS 5/10-16a)

    Page exists; no per-member completion log visible.

    Required: PDLT 4 hr within 6 months; OMA annual.

    FOIA: training certificates per member.

    OK / Best Practice

  • OK-1: Annual ISBE filings on time (AFR, SOA, Budget, Salary, Vendor)
  • OK-2: BoardBook OMA 48-hour agenda posting; 138 meetings since 5/2020
  • OK-3: IASB PRESS via BoardPolicyOnline

    • Priority FOIA bundle

  • ESSA CSI/TSI designation & school improvement plan
  • IDEA SPP Indicator 3 district extract
  • Absenteeism rate detail by grade/subgroup (3 yr)
  • Title IX, Section 504/ADA, McKinney-Vento, FOIA Officer designations
  • Board oaths of office (105 ILCS 5/10-16.5)
  • PDLT/OMA training certificates per board member
  • Board Member Vacancy notice + appointment
  • Interim Business Manager contract
  • FY 25 Audit Long-Term Debt note (bond series detail)
  • Cook County Clerk SEI for all 7 board members

    • Hazel Crest School District 152½ — Board of Education

    Captured: 2026-05-16

    Source: https://www.sd1525.org/board-of-education

    Domain verified: sd1525.org (200 OK). Alternative hazelcrest152.org does not resolve.

    District boundary: East Hazel Crest, parts of Hazel Crest, parts of Markham, and a section of South Harvey — Cook County (Bremen / Thornton Township).

    # Name Role
    1 Dean Barnett President
    2 Kimberly Chalmers Vice President
    3 Heldia Richardson Secretary
    4 Lakeya Webb Member
    5 Frances Pollard Member
    6 Ivory Myles Member
    7 Taneshia Armstrong Member

    Residency check — city/township only (no street addresses):

  • All 7 seats are by statute required to be filled by residents of the District 152½ boundary. No publicly listed conflicts identified.
  • Specific street addresses INTENTIONALLY OMITTED — hard rule.

    • Open seat (per district Public Notices, posted 11-14-25):

  • "School Board Member Vacancy" notice — see /board-of-education/public-notices. Indicates an appointment process under 105 ILCS 5/10-10 (45-day rule).

    • Board training (per /board-of-education/board-training):

  • District maintains "Website Listing of Development and Training Completed by Board Members" — verify against PDLT (105 ILCS 5/10-16a) and OMA (5 ILCS 120/1.05).

    • Statutory framework:

  • 105 ILCS 5/10-1 — 7 elected members, 4-yr staggered terms, April consolidated elections.
  • 105 ILCS 5/10-3 — Eligibility (US citizen; ≥18; registered voter; ≥1 yr resident; not district employee).
  • 105 ILCS 5/10-9 — Conflict of interest (Class 4 felony for violation).
  • 105 ILCS 5/10-16.5 — Oath of office required.
  • 5 ILCS 420/4A-101 — Statement of Economic Interest filed with Cook County Clerk by May 1.

  • Oaths of office for all 7 members.
  • PDLT/OMA training certificates.
  • SEI filings (Cook County Clerk).
  • Appointment process & date for the seat vacancy posted 11-14-25.

    • Hazel Crest SD 152-1/2 - Administration & Key Staff

    Captured: 2026-05-16

    Source: https://www.sd1525.org/departments/

    Cabinet

  • Superintendent: Dr. Cynthia Levy (clevy@sd1525.org)
  • Exec Asst to Supt: Ms. Denischia Cooper (dcooper@sd1525.org)
  • Interim Business Manager / CSBO: Asif & Kadir Dada (adada@sd1525.org)
  • Director of Human Resources: Ms. Shemeka Fountain (sfountain@sd1525.org)
  • Director of Special Services: Dr. Angela Diggs (adiggs@sd1525.org)
  • Director of Teaching and Learning: Dr. Antoinette Gray (agray@sd1525.org)
  • Director of Buildings and Grounds: Mr. Joe Sierra (jsierra@sd1525.org)
  • Director of Technology: Mr. Vincent Rucker (vrucker@sd1525.org)
  • District Administrator of Discipline: Mr. David Arroyo
  • Coordinator of Family & Community Engagement: Ms. Michelle Hemp
  • District Case Manager (SpEd): Ms. Christine Simon (csimon@sd1525.org)
  • Truancy Officer: Ms. Rayshonda Lewis (rlewis@sd1525.org)
  • Payroll: Ms. Lanitha ONeal (loneal@sd1525.org)
  • AP & Transportation: Ms. Alicia Wheeler (awheeler@sd1525.org)
  • Food Service: Ms. Annie Wade (awade@sd1525.org)

    • Principals

  • Barack H. Obama Learning Academy (Markham) - Mr. Darren Jones (djones@sd1525.org)
  • Jesse C. White Learning Academy (Hazel Crest) - Ms. Jayda James (jjames@sd1525.org)

    • Statutory designations to verify by FOIA

  • Title IX Coordinator (34 CFR 106.8(a)) - not publicly named
  • Section 504 / ADA Coordinator (34 CFR 104.7) - not publicly named
  • McKinney-Vento Liaison (42 USC 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)) - not publicly named
  • FOIA Officer (5 ILCS 140/3.5) - not publicly named

    • Adopted curriculum

  • Math: i-Ready Classroom / ELA: HMH / Science: STEMScopes / Social Studies: McGraw-Hill / SEL: Second Step + Restorative Practices

    • Admin Center

    1223 173rd St, East Hazel Crest, IL 60429

    Illinois Statewide School District Compliance & Equity Audit 2026 | auditor@illinoisschooldistrict.org | IllinoisSchoolDistrict.org