RECORD
OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MORRISON
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #6
April
22, 2008
The
regular meeting of the Board of Education of Morrison Community Unit District
#6,
April
22, 2008.
On
roll call, the following were present: Doug Pannier, Jim Prombo, Jim Ridley,
Kevin Schlueter, Steve Swanstrom, Ted Tilton and Sally Gray. Also present were Superintendent Jody Ware,
High School Principal Janet Ward, Junior High Principal Darryl Hogue,
Elementary Principal Amy Heusinkveld, Dr. Suellen Girard, Everett Pannier, Joy
Tegeler, Jerry Navarra, Jennifer Schipper, Mary Pons, Sandy Tharp, Brenda
White, Jamie Rachlin, Recording Secretary Wendy Krajnovich, and three media
representatives.
President
Sally Gray called for any changes or corrections to the minutes of the last
regular Board meeting held on April 8, 2008.
Hearing none, President Gray asked for a motion to approve the previous
minutes.
Motion:
Swanstrom; Second: Pannier; to approve the minutes for the regular meeting of
April 8, 2008. Ayes: seven; Nays:
none. Motion carried.
COMMUNICATIONS/PUBLIC
COMMENTS
Superintendent’s
Report
Dr.
Ware noted that there was a lot going on right now. She will be leaving to attend the State
Superintendents’ Conference in
Dr.
Girard informed the group that she was working on her transition plan. They have found a home to rent and her
husband has found an office to rent. Today she met Gary Steinert , eight
superintendents, and Special Ed. Director Drew Hoffman at Bi-County. She also met some of the city officials and
Merle Reisenbigler from R.C. Smith Transportation. She sat in on a bid opening for new
scoreboards. And she is collecting
documents for her employment file.
Building
Administration
Junior
High Principal Darryl Hogue reported that their final D-Free (detention) night
was held on April 11th. This
event has been a success and will be continued next year. He noted that they have held an evening
activity at school at least one night each month since October towards their
goal of offering student opportunities beyond academics. For the end of the year, 6th grade
is going to Medieval Times, 7th is going to
High
School Principal Janet Ward reported the PSAE testing for juniors begins
tomorrow. Students will be bused to St.
Peter’s again this year for the testing.
Prizes will be awarded for attendance, good behavior and making a
positive effort. Seven students were chosen Students of the Month at WACC. Teachers continue to work on developing
quarterly assessments. Students have an
opportunity to earn credits this summer in the school library through a credit
recovery program administered through the ROE.
The supervising teacher will be paid by grant funds obtained by the
ROE. The Envirothon team won
regionals. The traveling “raccoon”
trophy will reside at Morrison permanently now, as the sponsoring Soil and Water
Department will cease to exist. Two
senior girls were chosen to be Illinettes next year at the U of I. Fifty-one class rings were ordered from Herff
Jones last week. Musical tickets are on
sale for Into the Woods to be performed on May 9 & 10th. The Grand March will be at 4:00 PM this
Saturday in the auditorium, and the Prom will be held at 8:00 PM at Vista
Grande in
RECORD
OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MORRISON
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #6
April
22, 2008
Elementary
Principal Amy Heusinkveld reported that the Kindergarten Round-Up parent
meeting was held on April 3rd at Northside. Kindergarten Experience Day is Friday, April
25th from 1:00-2:30 P.M.
Students will meet their teachers and have a first taste of school
before they enter next year. The
Southside Book Fair is currently underway, and is being coordinated with a
Grandparents’ Lunch. Northside Field Day
is Tuesday, May 27th. The
Southside Talent Show is scheduled for Friday, May 23rd in the High
School Auditorium. Teachers at Northside
are participating in a WOW team, (women out walking), piqueing the students’
interest in their walking goals.
Public
Forum
There
were no public comments.
INFORMATIONAL
REPORTS
Financial
Report as of March 31, 2008
The
Financial Report was reviewed.
Treasurer’s
Report as of March 31, 2008
The
Treasurer’s Report was reviewed.
Financial
Comparisons: FY06, FY07, FY08
The
Financial Comparisons report was reviewed.
Volunteer
Recognition Week
The
week of April 27 – May 3, 2008 is National Volunteer Recognition Week. Volunteer Coordinator Brenda White was
present to report that there were a total of 1,840.45 classroom volunteer hours
as of the end of March. Mrs. White puts
in many hours of her time to track these volunteer hours. Dr. Ware also thanked the Board of Education
for their many hours of service.
Elementary
Principal Amy Heusinkveld, third grade teacher Jennifer Schipper, fourth grade
teacher Mary Pons, and fifth grade teacher Sandy Tharp were on hand to present
the Southside School Improvement Plan.
They reviewed the student assessments given at their grade levels. At Southside, students transition from
learning to read to reading to learn and are assessed with DIBELS,
Gates-MacGinitie, and common grade level assessments. Local writing assessments are completed
quarterly. Students are assessed with
the Saxon math program every fifth lesson.
Briefly, Goal one creates
flexible reading groups. Goal two uses
teacher-created common assessments to improve student performance in the areas
of reading, writing, and math. Goal
three involves the implementation of strategies from training by Gretchen
Courtney Associates.
Health/Life
Safety Bonds
Bond
investor Jamie Rachlin was present to advise the Board on bond funding for the
upcoming Health/Life Safety project. He
stated he could do this with no tax rate increase, and would extend the
payments for only one year beyond where they are now. Getting the bonds would not be difficult
because this is a Health/Life Safety project which is required by the State. Mr. Everett Pannier was present to inform the
Board of the advice of the Finance Committee on the issuing of bonds. He reported the committee met two weeks ago
to discuss the health/life safety work, and commended the Board for getting the
district into the good financial position it is in today. The committee recommends the district
purchases the bonds within the next three months, or wait until some bids come
in. The required BINA hearing was
discussed. Dr. Ware stated that she
would like to have this hearing right away. She feels this would help Dr. Girard to have
this process underway when she takes charge of the district on July 7, 2008. Mr. Rachlin stated the district has one year
from the date of the hearing to proceed.
He also said all the bonds should be purchased at the same time, and he
will be watching the market for a low interest rate. Mr. Rachlin also stressed that maintaining a
healthy cash balance of three to six months worth of expenses is very
wise. Without this cushion to cover low points
or emergencies, we may have to turn to short term borrowing.
RECORD
OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MORRISON
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #6
April
22, 2008
Green
Cleaning Act-Public Act 095-0084
The
Green Cleaning Schools Act was signed into
Summer
Facility Projects
Director
of Facilities, Dean Wallace, has compiled a list of projects to be completed
over the summer. In addition to the
large projects of the pool renovation and construction of the new concession
stand by the Boosters, there are other projects planned at each of the
district’s buildings. Some will be
completed by district personnel and others by outside contractors.
Due
to the passage of the Broker Licensing-Public Utility Act 095-067, our energy
consultant, Northern Illinois Utility Consultants, has decided that due to the
overwhelming and costly license and regulatory requirements required by the
Illinois Commerce Commission, they will no longer be able to serve us in their
current capacity after their contract
expires in May 2008. Then they
can only offer advising and problem solving services at the rate of $150 per
hour. Specifically, their employee Patti
Ogden has been our energy consultant for many years. If the district wishes to choose a new,
licensed energy consultant, a list is available at the Illinois Electric
Professionals Association.
First
Reading: Policies 4:150; 5:190; 6:30; 6:90; 6:210; 7:100; 7:190; 7:330; 8:30;
8:40
Board
member Jim Prombo walked the Board through the newest policy change recommendations. Policy changes are recommended to Facility Management
and Building Programs; Teacher Qualifications; Organization of
Instruction; Instructional Materials;
Health, Eye, and Dental Examinations, Immunizations and Exclusion of Students;
Student Discipline; Student Use of Buildings-Equal Access; and Visitors to and
Conduct on School Property. Policies to
be deleted are Kindergarten, and Spectator Conduct at School Events, as these
policies are now covered within other updated policies.
Bradley
and Bradley: Pool Update
Dr.
Ware included a response to an email she had sent to Bradley and Bradley
architect Anne Baldwin, noting how distressed the Board was with the pool bids
in comparison with their bid estimates.
Ms. Baldwin stated that they would be meeting with Tim Smith of Metro
Associates to review their bid, and also that the bid was not as great as Dr.
Ware calculated, but only 23% over their estimate.
Facilities
Use Regulations and Form
Due
to the revision of the Community Use Policy (8:20) to reflect requirements in
the passing of HB1279, our Facilities Use Regulations need to be updated. According to the new law, a physical fitness
facility must ensure that there is a trained AED user present during all
physical fitness activities. A draft of
the updated Facilities Use Regulations was provided to the Board, and a few
more changes were noted. Also, private
party use has been removed from the regulations. There have been problems with allowing groups
to use facilities on holidays when staff is not on site, and there is concern
over safety and liability issues.
Anticipated
Fund Balance-FY08
Director
of Fiscal Management Katie Kuehl prepared a spreadsheet showing projected FY08
fund balances for the Finance Committee, and this was shared with the
Board. It was felt this projection would
be helpful when considering the Health/Life Safety bonds and the amount that
may need to be issued.
RECORD
OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MORRISON
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #6
April
22, 2008
City
of
The
City of
CONSENT
AGENDA
Motion:
Swanstrom; Second: Ridley; to approve the items on the consent agenda
consisting of: District Bills as of April 22, 2008; Financial Report as of
March 31, 2008; Treasurer’s Report as of March 31, 2008; Financial Comparisons:
FY06, FY07, FY08; and personnel recommendations. Ayes: Ridley, Schlueter, Swanstrom, Tilton,
Pannier, Prombo, Gray. Nays: none. Motion carried.
ACTION
ITEMS
FY09
IHSA Membership
Motion:
Swanstrom; Second: Ridley; to continue with our membership with the Illinois
High School Association and abide by the governance of the association. Ayes: Schlueter, Swanstrom, Tilton, Pannier,
Prombo, Ridley, Gray. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Textbooks:
Metals and Drafting
Motion:
Prombo; Second: Schlueter; to adopt and purchase the Exploring Metalworking
and Exploring Drafting textbooks from Goodheart-Wilcox Publishing at a
cost of $4,123.30. Ayes: Swansatrom,
Tilton, Pannier, Prombo, Ridley, Schlueter, Gray. Nays: none.
Motion carried.
Job
Description: Groundskeeper/Maintenance
Motion:
Ridley; Second: Pannier; to approve the groundskeeper/maintenance job
description. Ayes: seven; Nays:
none. Motion carried.
Amend
07-08 School Calendar
Each
year the calendar must be amended to reflect the actual attendance days. There were two snow days called, two delayed
starts, and one early dismissal.
Currently, the teacher institute day will be held on Wednesday, May 28th,
and the last student attendance day will be Thursday, May 29th.
Motion:
Schlueter; Second: Tilton; to amend the 2007-2008 school calendar. Ayes: seven; Nays: none. Motion carried.
Release
of District Property: 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Wagon
Motion:
Swanstrom; Second: Ridley; to release the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Wagon, advertise
for sale, and remove it from the district’s list of property. Ayes: seven; Nays: none. Motion carried.
Catastrophic
Insurance/Student Insurance
Motion:
Prombo; Second: Tilton; to adopt the Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company
policy for the Catastrophic Accident Insurance Program and Student Accident
Insurance Programs for the 2008-2009 school year. Ayes: Ridley, Schlueter, Swanstrom, Tilton,
Pannier, Prombo, Gray. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Scoreboard
Bids
On
Friday, April 11, 2008, we advertised for bids for Daktronics scoreboards in
the Sterling Gazette. Three Daktronics
bids and one Nebco bid were received.
Dr. Ware recommended that this item be tabled so more comparisons can be
made. Kevin Schlueter, Jim Ridley, and
Athletic Director Gus Linke will study the products and bring a recommendation
to the May 13, 2008, meeting for action.
RECORD
OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MORRISON
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #6
April
22, 2008
Bi-Annual
Review of Closed Session Minutes
Motion:
Schlueter; Second: Ridley; to keep all closed session minutes closed at this
time. Ayes: Swanstrom, Tilton, Pannier,
Prombo, Ridley, Schlueter, Gray. Nays:
none. Motion carried.
COMMITTEE
REPORTS
Policy
Committee
Proposed
changes were reviewed earlier in the meeting.
Strategic
Planning
No
report.
Personnel/Negotiations
Meetings
are currently being held.
Finance
Committee
A
report was given earlier in the meeting.
Facilities
Committee
No
report.
Citizen’s
Advisory Committee
Doug
Pannier reported that the committee had met yesterday. They discussed the grading scale, homework
and makeup work procedures.
Extra-curricular
Committee
This
committee will be reviewing scoreboard bids.
Insurance
Committee
No
report.
Local
Wellness Committee
A
meeting is scheduled for May.
Energy/Utility
Committee
Steve Swanstrom reported barrel oil prices have reached $120.
CLOSED
SESSION 9:03 P.M.
Motion:
Schlueter; Second: Pannier; to enter into a closed session for the purpose of
the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or
dismissal of a specific employee of the District, and to discuss collective
negotiating matters between the District and its employees or their representatives. Ayes: Pannier, Prombo, Ridley, Schlueter,
Swanstrom, Tilton, Gray. Nays:
none. Motion carried.
RETURN
FROM CLOSED SESSION 9:36 P.M.
Motion:
Pannier; Second: Ridley; to conclude the closed session and return to open
session. Ayes: seven; Nays: none. Motion carried.
ACTION
FROM CLOSED SESSION
Motion:
Swanstrom; Second: Schlueter; to amend
the previous Superintendent contract to begin on July 7, 2008, and to allow for
30 sick days the first year, and 15 sick days each year of the contract
thereafter. Ayes: Ridley, Schlueter,
Swanstrom, Tilton, Pannier, Prombo, Gray.
Nays: none. Motion carried.
RECORD
OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MORRISON
COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #6
April
22, 2008
ADJOURNMENT
Board
President Sally Gray adjourned the meeting by consent at 9:40 P.M.
(President)
___________________________________________
(Secretary)
___________________________________________
Date Approved _________________________