Illinois Valley Times

Oglesby Public School District #125 Board of Education met March 20. 

Here is the minutes as provided by the board:

Call to Order/Roll Call

Jim Knoblauch, President, called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Present: Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Jason Curran, Doug Kramarsic, Mike Porter, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. Others present: Michael Pillion, Superintendent, Michael Balestri, Principal, Merritt Burns, Principal, and Traci Tomasson, Secretary, Board of Education.

Pledge of Allegiance

Approval of Agenda

MOTION by Doug Kramarsic, seconded by Mike Porter, to approve the board meeting agenda for March 20, 2019. Voting aye: Doug Kramarsic, Mike Porter, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Jason Curran, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Approval of Consent Agenda

MOTION by Marc Strand, seconded by Mike Barrie, to approve the consent agenda as presented, keeping the February 20, 2019, closed minutes closed. Voting aye: Marc Strand, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Jason Curran, Doug Kramarsic, Mike Porter, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Public Comment, Correspondence and Announcements

Mr. Pillion said he received a thank you note from S.O.S. for the trivia night.

Approval of Calendar for 2019-2020

Mr. Pillion said there were no changes to the calendar from the one that was presented last month. MOTION by Mike Barrie, seconded by Doug Kramarsic, to approve the district calendar for the 2019-2020 school year as presented. Voting aye: Mike Barrie, Doug Kramarsic, Bob Etzenbach, Jason Curran, Mike Porter, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Approval of Purchase of New Math Series from iReady

Mr. Pillion said he is seeking approval of the new math series from iReady. He said the cost is $95,000 and he noted that it can be purchased over 2 budgets. He also explained that it is a 6 year series which includes all consumables, tech interventions, teacher additions and three professional development sessions with an option of four. Mr. Balestri added that the test scores for math have not been where we would like them to be and this series has a great assessment feature and was put together for Illinois Learning Standards. MOTION by Doug Kramarsic, seconded by Jason Curran, to approve the purchase of the new math series from iReady as presented. Voting aye: Doug Kramarsic, Jason Curran, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Mike Porter, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Reports/Updates

Superintendent Reports/Information

       Enrollment Report– Mr. Pillion said enrollment was similar to last month.

       Financial Update– Mr. Pillion said the Buzzi purchase by the state included 2 parcels of land but no buildings. He said any loss is a loss for the district, but noted that the final figures are not out yet. He said L.E.A.S.E. is changing the way they do incentive funding with the school psychologist and cross categorical classroom. He said the cross categorical class will move to Lincoln next school year due to needs in preschool, and noted a portion of the lost funds will be made up because we share the psychologist with Putnam, and the cross categorical class could have students from other districts.

       Upcoming Election Update – Mr. Pillion said there are four people running for the four year seats and no one running for the two year seat. He said after the election there will be a re-organization meeting and then other people can be interviewed and appointed. He said if there is no interest then it will be delayed to the May meeting.

       Building Updates– Mr. Pillion said they are moving forward with the flooring project. He said the cost including the asbestos removal is $13,130.00, and noted that the installation will take place with the least amount of interruption to the offices. He said the bids for the glass blocks game in double the amount anticipated, and noted that the bidding process may have to change, or they may have to do an amendment with life safety money.

       County Recognition – He said the certified staff members for the LaSalle County recognition are Amanda Ragsdale and Charlie Trovero, and the non-certified staff member is Karen Anderson.

       Strategic Plan and Essa Standards Focus – Mr. Pillion said the strategic plan and Essa Standards were part of the packet and noted that they went through the internal review process with feedback from staff and PTAC. He also noted that when working with L.E.A.S.E. on a pilot audit of our special education program, they were very impressed with our plan.

       Lunch Audit – Mr. Pillion said Sue, Tina, and Diana did a wonderful job with the audit, and noted that results should be back in 30 days.

       FOIA Update – No FOIA this month.

Principal Reports/Information (Lincoln)

       Curriculum– Mr. Balestri said the iReady math pilot continues in three classrooms and within the RtI program. He said the pilot teachers and administration met March 13th to discuss progress and moving forward with the remainder of the pilot. He said Mrs. Delvallee has continued to expand opportunities for the students during Library and Makerspace times. He said she has continued to look for new resources and projects for students to engage in. He said the teachers in 3rd through 5th grades have worked throughout the year to find different ways they can utilize Chromebooks to enhance learning and provide different opportunities for students.

       Illinois Assessment of Readiness and Illinois Science Assessment –Mr. Balestri said the 3rd through 5th grade students will begin testing on March 26th and finish March 28th. He said the testing time has been reduced to three days this year.

       Professional Development – Mr. Balestri said on March 13th, the special education staff met for a presentation on goal writing presented by Mrs. Twardowski. He said the math pilot team met to discuss progress and next steps, and the grade level teams met for curriculum planning. He said the March 20th time will be set aside for meetings with IAR test administrators and the math committee.

       Kindergarten Round Up – Mr. Balestri said the kindergarten round up was held March 12th. He said the evening was well attended with 31 families in attendance, and noted the night is an opportunity for incoming kindergarten children and their families to visit each classroom and receive information on kindergarten preparedness and requirements.

       Congratulations– Mr. Balestri congratulated Kendal Bassett, 4th grade student, for placing 4th in the state competition of the Elk’s Hoop Shoot in Decatur. He said Kendal advanced out of our school competition initially and competitions at IVCC and DeKalb.

       P.B.I.S. – Mr. Balestri said students took part in the 2nd Trimester P.B.I.S.Celebration on March 1st. He said this coincided with the nutrition program and said students took part in different activities incorporating healthy foods and exercise.

       P.B.I.S. – Mr. Balestri congratulated the following P.B.I.S. Spotlight Students: Kindergarten, Elliana Ramirez, 1st Grade, Elayna Delgado; 2nd Grade, Eli Hammers; 3rd Grade, Emily Beavers; 4th Grade, Lyla Ploch; 5th Grade, Katelee Barriga.

Principal Reports/Information (Washington)

       Spring Open House at Washington- Mr. Burns said the Spring Open House will be held April 4th at 7:30 p.m. He said the night allows an opportunity for parents and students to move around the school, see projects and student work, and talk with teachers. He said the incoming 6th grade students are invited, and the Student Council members will be available to lead families around the building.

       PLC- Mr. Burns said the RtI, P.B.I.S., and technology committees are beginning to look towards the end of the year activities while projecting out to the 2019-20 school year.

       Musical – Mr. Burns said Willy Wonka Jr. took place Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17, under the direction of Mr. Dennison, Ms. Brown, and Ms. Armstrong. He said the students did a tremendous job of showcasing their wide array of talents and passion. He thanked all of the students, staff and parents who dedicated their time and energy to making the production possible.

       Elk’s Essay Contest– Mr. Burns said Brendan Pillion had his essay selected to advance to the state for the Elk’s Essay contest. He said the prompt was “What Makes You Proud of America”.

       Thank you - Mr. Burns thanked Mr. Dave Peterson, retired music educator and percussion instructor at Maestro and Mi Music Academy in LaSalle, who donated two brand new Synergy Conga drums to Oglesby Schools. He said we are very appreciative of this gift. He also thanked Dr. Michael Kristensen, Chiropractor in Oglesby, who generously donated school supplies and backpacks that are distributed to students as needs develop.

       Extra-Curricluar – Mr. Burns said the girls’ volleyball season concluded and said it was a successful year. He said the 8th grade team won their regional and played a great game against a skilled opponent in the sectional championship. He congratulated the team on their success and wished them the best of luck in high school.

       P.B.I.S. – Mr. Burns congratulated the following P.B.I.S. Spotlight Students: Monica Martinez, 6th Grade, Nate Hansen, 7th Grade, and Alexa Gillette, 8th Grade.

Old Business

None

New Business

None

Closed Session

MOTION by Bob Etzenbach, seconded by Mike Porter, to enter into closed session at 6:04 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. Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2).

Voting aye: Bob Etzenbach, Mike Porter, Mike Barrie, Jason Curran, Doug Kramarsic, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

MOTION by Doug Kramarsic, seconded by Mike Barrie, to return to regular session at 7:00 p.m. Voting aye: Doug Kramarsic, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Jason Curran, Mike Porter, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Action Items after Closed Session

Approval of Re-Employment of Non-Tenured Certified Staff

MOTION by Jason Curran, seconded by Mike Porter, to approve the re-employment of non-certified staff members Rachael Landrey, Rachel Pescetto, Serena Armstrong, Jennifer Jones, Matthew Dennison, and Katie Huss. Voting aye: Jason Curran, Mike Porter, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Approval of Assignment of Tenure

MOTION by Jason Curran, seconded by Marc Strand, to approve the assignment of tenure to Kathleen Ritchie. Voting aye: Jason Curran, Marc Strand, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Doug Kramarsic, Mike Porter, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Approval of Resolution for Notice to Remedy

MOTION by Bob Etzenbach, seconded by Mike Porter, to approve the Resolution for Notice to Remedy as presented. Voting Aye: Bob Etzenbach, Mike Porter, Mike Barrie, Jason Curran, Doug Kramarsic, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Approval of Employment of Recommended Personnel

MOTION by Marc Strand, seconded by Bob Etzenbach, to approve the hiring of Michelle Johnson for the math position at Washington Junior High for the 2019-2020 school year. Voting aye: Marc Strand, Bob Etzenbach, Mike Barrie, Jason Curran, Doug Kramarsic, Mike Porter, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

MOTION by Doug Kramarsic, seconded by Mike Barrie, to approve the hiring of Britney Stokes for the cafeteria position for the 2019-2020 school year. Voting aye: Doug Kramarsic, Mike Barrie, Bob Etzenbach, Jason Curran, Mike Porter, Marc Strand, and Jim Knoblauch. The motion carried 7-0.

Adjourn

MOTION by Doug Kramarsic, seconded by Mike Porter, to adjourn. All in favor, aye. The motion carried 7-0. Time: 7:03 p.m.

http://www.ops125.net/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/57dab9f2660f6/Regular%20Meeting%20March%2020,%202019.pdf