District 157-C August 13, 2024 Board of Education Meeting Recap

FRANKFORT, IL — The regular Frankfort School District 157-C Board of Education meeting of August 13, 2024 was called to order at 5:31 p.m. by President Edith Lutz. The roll call was taken, and a quorum was present. The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Board entered into closed session at 5:33 p.m. for purposes of the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees; collective negotiations. Pursuant of 5 ILCS 120/2/(c)(1, 2).

The Board adjourned closed session at 6:59 p.m. and returned to open session at 7:05 p.m.

The Board received a thank you note from recent retiree Pam Swierczewski.

The Board approved the June 18, 2024 open and closed session meeting minutes.

No one signed up to speak during public forum.

District administrators provided reports to the Board of Education.

Mr. Jake Nelson, Director of Technology, said the technology department has finished upgrading the phone system and inventorying the access points and switches.

Mrs. Janet McClarence, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, spoke about summer work. Teachers came together over the summer to work on pacing, assessment, and curriculum design. Screening for new students also took place. The Teaching and Learning Committee will meet four times this year to review data and evidence collected and to review recent research in math.

Ms. Jennifer Bajda, Director of Student Services, spoke about an upcoming executive functioning training for Chelsea and Hickory Creek students, focusing on study strategies, time management, organization skills, and other important skills.

Ms. Shayna Cole, Director of Human Resources, said that the District is starting the year fully staffed. New certified and support staff orientation began Tuesday, August 15 and substitute teacher training will take place on Wednesday, August 14.

She invited the community to the upcoming TigerTrot 5K on Saturday, September 7. The 5K will take place in Breidert Green in downtown Frankfort. Cole also mentioned that wellness screenings for staff and their families will take place the week of September 21, with open enrollment November 1 through 15.

Mr. Rodney Davis, Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, said that the buildings and grounds crew has been busy finishing up summer tasks. The track and parking lot at Hickory Creek have been refinished and the baseball and softball fields have been prepared for the fall athletic season. The buildings and grounds crew has also been helping the teachers get ready for the upcoming school year.

Mrs. Kimberly Szudy, Principal of Grand Prairie, gave a shoutout to the maintenance crew for working so hard over the summer to get the building ready for the school year. The theme for Grand Prairie students this year is superheroes.

Ms. Rachel Newcomb, Principal of Chelsea, said the theme for Chelsea is “Adventure Awaits”. The theme will acknowledge the school year as a celebration of learning and discovering the attributes of a successful traveler, such as having good communication and being flexible.

Mrs. Tricia Dotson, Principal of Hickory Creek, said that Hickory Creek’s theme is identity: “our identity is our superpower”. The theme will focus on appreciating each other’s differences and that students are better together.

In the Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Doug Wernet thanked the District office staff, school secretaries, the technology team, maintenance staff, and administrative team for their work over the summer.

The school year will kick off on Monday, August 19 and Tuesday, August 20 with teacher institute days. The theme for the year is “Better Together”, focusing on collaboration.

Wernet reminded the community that meet and greets will take place at each school on Wednesday, August 21: Chelsea from 8:30-10:00 a.m.,

Grand Prairie from 10:00-11:30 a.m., and Hickory Creek from 11:30 am-1:00 p.m. The first day of school for K-8 students is Thursday, August 22. Curriculum Nights will be held Tuesday, August 27 at Grand Prairie, Wednesday, September 4 at Hickory Creek, and Thursday, September 5 at Chelsea. Each curriculum night will run from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Heading into the Labor Day holiday there is a School Improvement Day on Friday, August 30. Dismissal times are as follows: Hickory Creek at 10:45 a.m., Grand Prairie at 11:25 a.m., and Chelsea at 12:05 p.m.

Wernet said there are currently 2,586 students enrolled between the three schools. Enrollment is expected to increase slightly as families move into the area for the beginning of the school year.

He added that the District is starting the school year fully staffed. He congratulated the staff that made tenure this year.

Board Member Ann Zaremba provided the Board with minutes from the May 13, 2024 Advisory Committee meeting and the minutes from the May 28, 2024 and June 25, 2024 Governing Board meeting of the Lincoln-Way Area Special Education District 843. The Governing Board also met July 23, 2024 and minutes have yet to be approved. The Advisory Committee met June 10, 2024 and minutes have yet to be approved.

There was one Freedom of Information Act request submitted. Jim McFarland requested information regarding employment matters of a former employee.

In discussion, the Board reviewed recommended updates, provided by PRESS (Policy Reference Education Subscription Service).

In discussion, Director of Business and Operations Dr. LeeAnn Taylor reviewed the treasurer's report for June 2024. Monthly revenue totaled $18,484,959 and monthly expenditures totaled $6,227,083.

In discussion, the Board reviewed the Lincoln-Way Area Special Education Cooperative District 843 tentative budget for FY 2024-2025.

In discussion, Taylor presented the annual review of finance. There is only one outstanding debt service obligation. The sale of the debt certificates for the renovation and addition to Chelsea is a 15-year obligation, currently scheduled to be paid off in 2036. She also spoke about miscellaneous revenues, including the District’s P-card program and impact fees paid to the District when new homes are built within District boundaries.

In discussion, Taylor presented the FY 2024-2025 tentative budget, which will be on public display in the District Office until Tuesday, September 17. She spoke about the importance of ensuring the District’s spending aligns with community values, their support of educational excellence, and the importance of making ethical financial and operational decisions, all while remaining transparent to District stakeholders.

The tentative FY25 revenue budget allocations are as follows: $41,235,614 from local funding, 2,632,200 from State funding, and 638,000 from federal funding for a total of $44,505,814. The tentative budget allocates $24.9 million for salaries and $5.4 million for benefits, for a total of $30.4 million. 73% of budgeted expenses will go toward staff salaries and benefits. The tentative budget also allocates $11.5 million for non-salary and benefits, such as purchased services, supplies, capitalized and non-capitalized equipment, and other objects. The tentative budget estimates roughly $44.5 million in revenue and roughly $41.9 million in expenditures.

In discussion, the Board discussed the semi-annual review of closed session meeting minutes from December 2023 through May 2024. Dr. Wernet and Lutz reviewed the minutes and recommended the December 12, 2023, December 13, 2023, January 22, 2024, January 23, 2024, January 30, 2024, February 6, 2024, February 13, 2024, February 20, 2024, February 22, 2024, March 7, 2024, March 14, 2024, March 19, 2024, April 16, 2024, and May 21, 2024 closed session meeting minutes not be released for public record.

In discussion, the Board discussed the semi-annual review of verbatim recordings of closed session meeting minutes from August 2022 through January 2023. The recordings may be destroyed after 18 months by vote of the Board of Education, provided that proper minutes of the meetings have been approved.

The Board took action to approve the Lincoln-Way Area Special Education Cooperative District 843 FY 2024-2025 tentative budget.

The Board took action to approve the fiscal year 2024-2025 tentative budget as presented, as well as the notice of public hearing, and directed the District Office to publish said notice in a newspaper of general circulation as required. The tentative budget will be on public display for at least 30 days prior to the final approval as required by law. The Board also directed the administration to complete a final budget in anticipation of the public budget hearing on September 17, 2024, and in anticipation of subsequent Board approval of the final budget at the September 17, 2024 regular Board meeting in accordance with State statute.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Kristine Beecham as a 1.0 FTE Instructional Aide at Hickory Creek with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Madison Halliman as a 1.0 FTE Teacher on Daily Assignment at Chelsea Intermediate School with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Erica Mainor as a 1.0 FTE Special Education Teacher at Chelsea Intermediate School with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Rachel McKay as a 1.0 FTE Seventh Grade ELA Teacher at Hickory Creek Middle School with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Amy Younker as a 1.0 FTE Math Instructional Coach across the District, with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Jennifer Marquardt as a 1.0 FTE Permanent Substitute at Hickory Creek Middle School with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Katy Ross-Gujral as a 1.0 FTE Library Clerk at Hickory Creek Middle School with a start date of August 19, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Megan Lemmons as a Seasonal Support Worker at the District Office with a start date of July 1, 2024, contingent upon the receipt and evaluation of employment documentation required by District 157-C and the Illinois State Board of Education.

In consent agenda, the Board took action to approve the semi-annual review of closed session meeting minutes - December 2023 through May 2023, the semi-annual review of verbatim recording of closed session meetings - August 2022 through January 2023, the transportation resolution - renewal of hazardous crossing determination, the organizational chart, authorize intervention in property tax appeals, the recommendation for consultative services 2024-2025, payment of bills, and the June treasurer's report.

The Board adjourned the regular meeting at 7:46 p.m. and entered into closed session for purposes of employment matters: The appointment, employment compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees. Pursuant of 5 ILCS 120/2/(c)(1). The Board adjourned closed session and returned to open session at 8:02 p.m.

The Board adjourned the regular meeting at 8:03 p.m.

The next regular District 157-C Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at the District Office, 10482 W. Nebraska St. in Frankfort, Illinois.