On April 14, 2026, the Board of Education will meet for its regular monthly micro meeting. The meeting will be conducted in open and closed sessions beginning at 6 p.m. at the Educational Service Center, 214 Washington Street. The open session will be held in the Board Room. The closed session will be in Room 112. The Board’s monthly Student Achievement and Operations Services committee meetings will follow the micro meeting at approximately 7 p.m. in the Board Room.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Middle School Music Festival is back! The popular event will be hosted on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15 at the Genesee Theatre in downtown Waukegan. The event will feature performances by band, choir, orchestra and mariachi students from all five Waukegan middle schools.

Waukegan Public Schools will host its next Kindergarten Registration event on Saturday, April 11, at Jack Benny Middle School, 1401 Montesano Avenue, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. This event is open to families with children who will turn 5 on or before September 1, are entering kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year, and are not currently enrolled in the District’s EPIC pre-k program.

Our April Black Parent Network meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 21, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Families are invited to join us in person at the Waukegan High School Brookside Campus library or participate virtually via Zoom. This month’s meeting will feature important updates from the African American Male Achievement Initiative (AAMI), a continued discussion on the creation of the BPN Scholarship, and a conversation around summer school/camp opportunities to support our students.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (Wauk-PAC), will debut its next production, Mary Poppins Jr., later this month. Moe than 50 Waukegan students representing eight elementary and four middle schools make up the cast and crew of the production.

Little Fort Elementary School invites elementary families across Waukegan Public Schools to learn more about Project Discovery, a program designed for students who benefit from accelerated and enriched learning opportunities.

Waukegan High School has been named one of just 24 SkillsUSA chapters nationwide to earn the prestigious Models of Excellence designation for 2026. This honor represents the highest level of recognition from SkillsUSA and highlights the nation’s most outstanding chapters. WHS is the only school in Illinois to receive this distinction this year.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Bilingual and Multicultural Department invites families to attend the next session in its Academia 60 Parent Education Series, focused on supporting bilingual children and understanding the benefits of learning more than one language. This session will be led by Psychotherapist Sandra Gomez, and will help parents understand how children learn two languages and why being bilingual is a strength.

The Waukegan Community Unit School District Board of Education is seeking two students to serve as Student Board Members for the 2026-2027 school year. Any student who will be a sophomore, junior, or senior next year is eligible to apply. The Board selects two students to serve one-year terms, with one representative from each campus (Brookside and Washington). The term runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

The Board of Education for Waukegan Public Schools will meet in a Special Meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 6:00 pm in Room 112 at the Educational Service Center, for the purpose of discussing the annual evaluation for the superintendent. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1), the discussion will be held in Closed Session. A brief open session with Public Comment will precede the closed session portion in the Board Room. The meeting will adjourn from Room 112. No action will be taken during the open session.

See below for a special Spring Break message from Superintendent Plascencia... As we head into Spring Break, I want to take a moment to wish all of you a well-deserved pause from the busy pace of the school year. I hope the days ahead offer an opportunity to rest, spend time with loved ones, and enjoy whatever brings you happiness.

Thank you to those who logged in for last night’s community budget presentation. We appreciate the opportunity to share more about how our District approaches financial planning and decision-making. If you were unable to watch live, the presentation, which was conducted in both English and Spanish, is now available to watch on our YouTube Channel.

District leaders will share an overview of the district’s financial outlook, explain the budgeting process, and discuss how decisions are made to support students and schools. Wednesday, March 18, at 6 p.m. Live on the District 60 YouTube channel.

For the ninth consecutive year, Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 has received the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International for its 2025–2026 budget. The award recognizes District 60’s commitment to financial transparency, responsible budgeting, and clear communication with the community.

Families are encouraged to join us for “Why Are Assessments Important? / ¿Por Qué Son Importantes las Evaluaciones?”, presented by Dr. Bertha Campos, of our Bilingual & Multicultural Department, and Dr. Jonathan Brown, of our Data and Assessment Department. The workshop will take place on Thursday, March 19, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Waukegan High School Brookside Campus. Families may also join virtually via Google Meet.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Educational Service Center Board Room, 214 Washington Street. Closed Session will occur in Room 112. Note: This meeting is on the third Tuesday instead of the fourth Tuesday, due to Spring Break.

Waukegan Public Schools will host a free meal distribution event for families ahead of Spring Break on Friday, March 20, at the Waukegan High School Brookside Campus, 2325 Brookside Avenue. Meals will be available from 5 to 7 p.m.

It is that time of year when the Waukegan High School cafeteria transforms into a jazz nightclub for the annual WHS Jazz Café Dinner. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Waukegan High School Brookside Campus Cafeteria A/B. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m., and guests can enter the building through Door 11.

Registration is now open for all returning Waukegan Public Schools students in grades Kindergarten through 11. Parents must complete the online registration process through the Parent Portal. To access registration, log in to Parent Portal and click on "More" to find the Online Registration link. The registration deadline is April 24, 2026. Families are encouraged to complete the registration process before Spring Break to help avoid delays and ensure their information is up to date as we prepare for the 26-27 school year.

You are invited to join us for a YouTube Live event on Wednesday, March 18, where district leaders will provide an overview of our financial outlook, discuss the budgeting process, and explain how we are planning for the year ahead while continuing to prioritize strong support for students and schools.

On March 10, 2026, the Board of Education will meet for its regular monthly micro meeting. The meeting will be conducted in open and closed sessions beginning at 6 p.m. at the Educational Service Center, 214 Washington Street. The open session will be held in the Board Room. The closed session will be in Room 112. The Board’s monthly Student Achievement and Operations Services committee meetings will follow the micro meeting at approximately 7 p.m. in the Board Room.

We invite families and community members to join us this weekend for the final in-person listening tour, hosted in partnership with our wonderful community partners at Waukegan to College. You do not need to have a child currently enrolled in the Waukegan to College program to attend. All District 60 families are welcome. Saturday, March 7: 1 p.m. – English Session and Spanish Session

Waukegan Public Schools’ Bilingual and Multicultural Department, in partnership with the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC), invites families to attend the next session in its Academia 60 Parent Education Series. Families are encouraged to join us for “The Impact of Social Media on Today’s Youth / El Impacto de las Redes Sociales en los Jóvenes de Hoy,” presented by guest speaker Dr. Ferney Ramírez, a psychologist.

Our Family Listening Tour continues this week, with virtual sessions beginning today. These sessions are an opportunity for families to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas as we continue working to strengthen our schools. While virtual sessions are organized by grade band, you are welcome to join whichever session best fits your schedule.

Waukegan Public Schools is proud to announce that Clark Elementary School has been officially authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School, offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Clark received its official authorization last month following a multi-year process that began in 2022. The designation recognizes the Clark community’s commitment to providing rigorous, inquiry-based instruction that encourages students to think critically, take ownership of their learning, and make meaningful connections to the world around them.

Our Family Listening Tour begins this week. These sessions are an opportunity for families to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas as we continue working to strengthen our schools. Families may attend either a virtual or in-person session. Virtual sessions are organized by grade band, but you are welcome to attend whichever session best fits your schedule.

A Special Meeting with Closed and Open Session of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Room 112 at the Educational Service Center. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (1), the discussion will be held in Closed Session. A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session.

District 60 families, staff, and students still have time to share their feedback through the 2025–2026 statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey, but the survey window will close on March 13. Teachers, students, and parents are encouraged to complete the research-based survey, which takes approximately 25 minutes.

Waukegan Public Schools has begun to register incoming kindergarten students for the 2026-2027 school year. Parents of children who will turn 5 years old prior to September 1 can begin registering for the fall, depending on their current enrollments. See below for information on various timelines.

A special workshop meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 6 p.m. for Open Session. The meeting will be conducted in the Educational Service Center Board Room, 214 Washington Street. The subject will be a review of employee separation procedures.

The Board of Education approved school calendars for the next three academic years during its meeting last night. Sharing multiple years in advance helps families and staff plan ahead, and we appreciate everyone who contributed feedback throughout this process. The calendars include a few adjustments, such as slightly later start dates. As in recent years, Waukegan High School will continue to hold first-semester final exams prior to Winter Break. Linked below are the calendars for the 2026-2027, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029 school years.