Manhattan School District 114 Board Meeting | October 8, 2025

The Manhattan School District 114 board meeting on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, featured extensive public testimony from parents detailing significant concerns with the district’s special education services. The emotional statements, which included a letter of support from the village mayor, described a breakdown in collaboration with district staff that led to an out-of-district placement for their child. A full story provides more details on their call to action for the board.

In other business, the board received a detailed presentation on fall student benchmark data, which showed strong academic growth across grade levels. More information on the test results is available in a separate article. The board also approved its consent agenda, heard updates on various school events, and finalized goals for the superintendent’s annual evaluation.

Transportation Improvements on the Horizon
An 11th bus will be added to the district’s fleet to alleviate ongoing timing issues with student transportation. After a meeting with the transportation team, administrators announced a timeline to implement the new routes. Families will be notified to check PowerSchool for updated information around October 17, with the new 11-bus routes scheduled to begin on Monday, October 20.

Board Recognizes October as Principal Month
Superintendent Dr. Damien Aherne formally recognized October as Principal Month and thanked the district’s administrators for their leadership. The principals honored were Carrie Rohi, Tara Shappy, Elise Kirk, Ryan McWilliams, Vince Pillo, and Gina Burlson. Aherne praised them for their “unwavering leadership, commitment to our schools, and for being champions for all of our students.”

Upcoming Student and Community Events
The district announced several upcoming events. The cross country sectional meet will be hosted at the Round Barn on Saturday, October 11. The first fishing club outing is set for October 18 at Hibernia Park in New Lenox. On October 23, the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade girls’ basketball teams will host a “Pink Out” event during their games at the junior high to raise money for Pink Heals of Joliet. Finally, the PTO will host its Trunk or Treat event on October 25.

Special Education District Report
Board member Erica Aultz reported on the recent Lincoln-Way Special Education District 843 meeting. The co-op will partner with Mokena School District 159 to host a regional summit for administrators in December and another for staff in the spring. Aultz also highlighted the success of the STELLAR program, where all 11 Manhattan students enrolled are participating in at least one general education class.

Board Finalizes Superintendent Evaluation Goals
The board formally adopted the goals that will be used for Superintendent Dr. Damien Aherne’s first-year evaluation in the spring. Board President John Burke confirmed the goals had been previously discussed and were being finalized, allowing the review process to move forward with clear expectations.

Closed Session Minutes Acted Upon
As part of its consent agenda, the board approved the destruction of closed session recordings from meetings held on February 22, February 29, and March 13, 2024, in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Following its closed session, the board also voted to keep several past closed session minutes confidential while releasing the minutes from five meetings in late 2024 and early 2025 to the public.