Coal City Community Unit School District 1 Board met April 25.
Here is the minutes as provided by the :
Roll Call
President Miller called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Coal City Community Unit School
District #1 District Office Board Room. In attendance were Board members Robert Bianchetta, Mary
Gill, Shawn Hamilton, Quint Harmon, Chuck Lander, and Ken Miller. Board member Jeff Emerson was
not in attendance. Superintendent Kent Bugg, CSBO Jason Smith, Director of Curriculum and
Instruction Tammy Elledge, Director of Special Populations Sandy Rakes and board secretary Karen
Vota were also in attendance.
Pledge of Allegiance
President Miller led the Board of Education and others present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Discussion on Proposed Drama Club Trip to New York City
Drama Club Sponsor Jack Micetich was in attendance with club members Lauren Phillips and Cody
Rodgers to review a proposal for an educational trip to New York City in March 2019. A proposed
itinerary was reviewed along with potential service-oriented fundraisers for the club to sponsor in
order to raise funds for the trip. The Board will consider the trip further at the May 2 Board meeting.
Discussion on School Safety
At the April 4 Board meeting, Dr. Bugg reviewed and discussed the feedback received from the District
#1 Staff Focus Group and the Parental Focus Group on School Safety. The Board asked to further
discuss this issue with the goal of developing a School Safety Action Plan. Dr. Bugg reviewed the final
list of school safety recommendations. Dr. Bugg, along with Board Members Quint Harmon and Ken
Miller, will meet with Chief Best to prioritize the list of recommendations prior to developing a final
School Safety Action Plan for Board approval.
Discussion on Revised Facilities Use Request Forms
At the April 4 Board meeting, Dr. Bugg reviewed recommended changes to the Facility Use Request
form. The Board asked to review a summary of building use requests from the current and past school
year. Recommended changes to the billing structure as outlined on the updated forms was also
reviewed. The new Facility Usage Forms for the Performing Arts Center and all other facilities in the
District will be on the May 2 Board meeting agenda for further consideration.
Second Reading on Revised District Policies
The First Reading took place at the April 4 Board Meeting. The policy committee recently met to
review the proposed revisions. The Board will conduct a final reading at the May 2 meeting.
2:260 Uniform Grievance Procedure
4:40 Incurring Debt
4:40-AP Preparing and Updating Disclosures
4:110 Transportation
5:20 Workplace Harassment Prohibited
5:20-E Resolution to Prohibit Sexual Harassment
5:170 Copyright
Grundy County Chamber 2018 Community Guide
The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce has invited Coal City School District #1 to participate in the
2018 Community Guide. The Board reviewed information on advertisement pricing. The Board
generally felt that due to financial considerations, they would not advertise our school district in the
Grundy County Chamber 2018 Community Guide.
Staffing for 2018 – 2019
Dr. Bugg reviewed staffing needs for 2018-2019. After discussion, the Board decided to wait on all
staffing recommendations until they receive more information on the status of the tax agreement with
Exelon regarding the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. They also want to see if any further staffing
recommendations result from the School Safety Action Plan.
Discussion on Proposed Tornado Sculpture
Dr. Bugg and CSBO Jason Smith discussed the proposal made by Intermediate School Teacher Betsy
Cowherd to place a sculpture made of scrap material collected after the tornados, on school property.
Dr. Bugg has been in contact with the Village of Coal City and may consider partnering with them to
place the sculpture on village property. The Board will discuss this further at a future meeting.
Finance Reports
The monthly revenue and expenditure summary reports for March were reviewed. Detailed reports
were available in the Business Office for review prior to the meeting. The Treasurer’s report,
investment report and lunch program report for March were also reviewed.
The Board learned that the District received an Aa3 Bond Rating from Moody's. As the Board looks to
refinance existing bond debt to take advantage of lower interest rates, this positive bond rating is very
good news. Considering the majority of the school district's assessed value is concentrated in one source
(Dresden), they were very pleased with this bond rating. The Board of Education's philosophy on
maintaining reserves and their commitment to balanced budgets was the primary factor in this bond
rating determination.
Open
a) Items not known at agenda preparation time
Dr. Bugg asked if a Board member would be willing to attend the Discipline Committee meeting
at the High School on Monday, April 30 at 4:30 p.m. Board member Quint Harmon will attend
the meeting in place of Chuck Lander.
The Board received an update on the process for them to choose architect services in the future.
This year's Board Strategic Plan called for a review of various professional services, and architect
services fell under that list. Seven applicants responded to the request for qualifications to provide
architectural services. All seven applicants will be interviewed by a committee on May 14 and 15.
The finalists will be interviewed at the May Study Session.
b) Sharing Ideas / Information
Adjournment
Mr. Lander moved and Mr. Hamilton seconded to adjourn at 7:20 p.m. the Board Study Session of
the Whole meeting.
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