Oglesby Elementary School District 125 Board of Education met Feb. 15.
Here is the agenda provided by the Board:
Call to Order/Roll Call
Marc Strand, Acting President, called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Present: Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, and Marc Strand. Absent: Jim Knoblauch, Roger Miskell, and Mike Porter. Others present: Michael Pillion, Superintendent, Cindy Pozzi, Principal, Michael Balestri, Dean of Students/Curriculum Director, and Traci Tomasson, Secretary to the Board of Education.
Approval of Agenda
Mr. Strand said the meeting will be out of order from the agenda with the closed session and anticipated items being approved earlier in the meeting due to needing roll call votes with a quorum. MOTION by Mike Barrie, seconded by Bob Etzenbach, to approve the board meeting agenda for February 15, 2017, with the changes in the agenda order as presented. Voting aye: Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Approval of Consent Agenda
Motion by Bob Etzenbach, seconded by Doug Kramarsic, to approve the consent agenda, keeping the January 18, 2017, closed minutes closed. Voting aye: Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, Mike Barrie, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Communications
Mr. Pillion said he received a thank you note from Miss Ragsdale.
Closed Session
Motion by Mike Barrie, seconded by Bob Etzenbach, to enter into closed session at 5:32 p.m. to discuss:
1. The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1).
2. The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(10).
Voting aye: Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Motion by Doug Kramarsic, seconded by Mike Barrie, to return to regular session at 5:39 p.m. Voting aye: Doug Kramarsic, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Action Items after Closed Session
Approval of FMLA Leaves
Motion by Bob Etzenbach, seconded by Mike Barrie, to approve the FMLA leaves as presented. Voting aye: Bob Etzenbach, Mike Barrie, Doug Kramarsic, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Approval of Extended Sick Leave
Motion by Mike Barrie, seconded by Bob Etzenbach, to approve the extended sick leave as presented. Voting aye: Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Approval of Resignation
Motion by Marc Strand, seconded by Mike Barrie, to approve the resignation letter from Jennie Smith with regret. Voting aye: Marc Strand, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, and Doug Kramarsic. The motion carried 4-0.
Approval of Administrative Contract
Motion by Bob Etzenbach, seconded by Mike Barrie, to approve the administrative contract for Michael Balestri as presented. Voting aye: Bob Etzenbach, Mike Barrie, Doug Kramarsic, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Approval of Job Description Mr. Pillion said he updated the job description for the computer/tech teacher. He noted that it is a good time to update because Mrs. Valle will retire at the end of the year and he will be filling that position. He said he will begin advertising the position soon.
Motion by Mike Barrie, seconded by Doug Kramarsic, to approve the job description for the computer/tech teacher. Voting aye: Mike Barrie, Doug Kramarsic, Bob Etzenbach, and Marc Strand. The motion carried 4-0.
Presentation of Proposed District Calendar for 2017-2018
Mr. Pillion said the board members have the calendar in their packet and noted that it is very similar to this year’s calendar. He said the teacher institute will be August 21st and 22nd, with the first day of students on August 23rd. He said the calendar is similar to LP High School and other districts in the area. He noted that he shared the calendar with the union and the final calendar will be approved at next month’s board meeting.
Discussion of Possible Cross Country Co-op
Mr. Pillion said he was approached recently at a meeting about the idea of forming a co- op for cross country with other districts in the area. He said the cost would be low and the last sports survey did indicate 7 to 9 students interested in cross country. He said LP would host the events and they could start by just doing meets with other schools in the area. He asked the board members if they would like him to pursue the idea and they agreed to have him move forward.
Discussion of Possible Phone System Replacement
Mr. Pillion said this process started when there was an issue with the PA system at Washington School and it has now turned into the entire phone system being replaced. He said the current phone systems at both Lincoln and Washington are very old and noted that there have been issues from time to time. He said he received quotes and the cost could be $20,000 to $30,000. He said there is an option of going with an internet program and having one system for both schools. He said the district’s telecommunications is very outdated. He asked the board if he should proceed and they agreed to have him get started on the replacement process.
Presentation of Financial Profile
Mr. Pillion said the financial profile was part of the board packet. He said the profile is the same as what the auditor shared with the board back in November. He said there was a slight increase of.1 from last year but explained that it is mainly due to debt payment.
Bob Etzenbach left the meeting at 5:48 p.m.
Presentation of Preschool Audit Mr. Pillion said the preschool audit was part of the board packet. He said the audit went very well and noted that they received a higher score than the last audit where they earned gold status.
Presentation of Lunch Program Audit Mr. Pillion said he received notification regarding the first phase of the lunch audit, which was the financial portion, that the district is in compliance on all levels and no further action is required.
Reports/Updates
Superintendent Reports/Information
• Enrollment Report– Mr. Pillion said enrollment numbers were similar to last month with a slight increase in preschool. He noted that there are still openings in preschool.
• Preschool Update - Mr. Pillion said he sent in the request for the RFP for 0-3 and preschool and noted that he is confident in the outcome because the district has been running the program for 25 years, it serves five communities, and they have earned gold status in the past.
• Financial Update– Mr. Pillion said the district has received a few preschool payments but still has not received categorical payments. He explained that the GSA funding is only at the 2010 rates. He said they did receive final allocation of title funds at approximately $9,000, which will go towards professional development and Chromebooks.
• SOS Update – Mr. Pillion said the SOS Trivia Night raised approximately $16,500. He said he is grateful for everyone who was involved, and thanked Jen Porter and Kim Curran for chairing the event.
• FOIA Updates - Mr. Pillion said there were no recent FOIA requests.
• RiF List – Mr. Pillion said the initial RiF list was distributed to the union, and the individual documents were given to the teachers which include what they are qualified to teach, as well as what category they are in based upon evaluations.
Principal Reports/Information
• You Be the Chemist Challenge– Mrs. Pozzi congratulated this year’s You Be the Chemist Challenge winners: 1st place, Will Warnell, laptop computer; 2nd place, Lauren Klein, $75 Visa gift card; 3rd place, Judd Heess, science experiment kit. She said they are eligible to compete at the Regional Chemistry Challenge Saturday, February 25, at IVCC.
• Washington Spelling Bee– Mrs. Pozzi congratulated Lea Asani, this year’s champion, and Kenny Campbell, the runner-up, in the Washington School’s Annual Spelling Bee held January 27th. She noted that Lea was our district’s representative at the County Spelling Bee held Saturday, February 11 at Ottawa Township High School.
• American Legion Essay Contest – Mrs. Pozzi said she received word from Fran Morrison that 8th grade student, Brayden Porter, is the third place winner in this year’s American Legion Essay Contest. She said the subject and title was “What the American Flag Means to me”.
• PARCC Updates – Mrs. Pozzi said the PARCC test dates have been scheduled to begin March 7th. She said there is a 30 day window to complete the testing. She also noted that the Illinois Science Assessment will be administered this spring to the 5th and 8th grade students, and will be completed on-line.
• P.B.I.S. Spotlight at Washington – Mrs. Pozzi congratulated the following students for being chosen for the P.B.I.S. Spotlight: Connor Lorden, 6th grade, Matthew Michelson, 7th grade, Jasmine Davis and Scout Wilts, 8th grade.
Curriculum Director Reports/Information
• Curriculum– Mr. Balestri said the Lincoln teachers continue to work on aligning the science curriculum, and grade levels that have finished mapping have submitted them for review. He said the junior high ELA teachers are reviewing text series with the possibility of updating them for the next school year.
• Professional Development- Mr. Balestri said Susan McNelis, our L.E.A.S.E. coordinator, presented a mandated Americans with Disabilities Act training on February 8th. He said that the March early dismissal time will be used for working on the quality assessment design. He also noted that he is in the process of registering the staff for ELN, which provides access to online professional development. He explained that many of the mandated trainings can be covered in this way freeing up time during the early dismissal days. He said ELN is provided free for the staff as part of our membership in the IPA.
• PARCC Testing and the Illinois Science Assessment– Mr. Balestri said the PARCC testing at Lincoln will begin March 7th for the 3rd through 5th grade students. He said the Illinois Science Assessment will be administered to 5th grade students after the PARCC testing is completed.
• Benchmark Assessment Committee– Mr. Balestri said the committee met February 1st for a presentation by NWEA Map testing. He said the current version of AimsWeb will not be available after this school year. He said the committee will be meeting again for a presentation from AimsWeb Plus which is a new version. He said after presentations by Star 360, NWEA Map and AimsWeb Plus, the committee will make a recommendation on which benchmarking system to adopt for the 2017-2018 school year.
• Lincoln P.B.I.S. Student Spotlight– Mr. Balestri congratulated the following students for being chosen for the P.B.I.S. Spotlight: Diku Useini, Kindergarten; Danielle Rapp, 1st grade; Kahne Siler, 2nd grade; Griffin Hammers, 3rd grade; Caleb Argubright, 4th grade; Brandon Foreman, 5th grade.
Old Business None
New Business None
Delegations None
Adjourn Motion by Doug Kramarsic seconded by Mike Barrie, to adjourn. All in favor, aye. The motion carried 3-0. Time: 6:00 p.m.
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