District 157-C September 17, 2024 Board of Education Meeting Recap

The regular Frankfort School District 157-C Board of Education meeting of September 17, 2024 was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Eith Lutz. The roll call was taken, and a quorum was present. The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Board did not receive any correspondence.

The Board approved the August 13, 2024 open and closed session meeting minutes.

Two people signed up to speak during public forum. Matt Sullivan and Meg Carlson both spoke about invisible disabilities, such as selective mutism. They encouraged the Board to learn more about this diagnosis.

Director of Business and Operations LeeAnn Taylor presented the Board with the final proposed fiscal year 2024-2025 budget. The budget had been on public display in the District Office and on the District website for at least 30 days prior to final approval.

The 2024-2025 budget anticipates $44,505,814 in revenue and $43,082,744 in expenditures. Taylor highlighted minor changes to the proposed budget since the tentative budget presented in August.

The Board adjourned open session and entered into public hearing regarding the budget presentation at 7:12 p.m. There were no public comments. The Board adjourned the public hearing and entered back into open session at 7:13 p.m.

The Board took action to approve the fiscal year 2024-2025 final budget as presented on the Illinois State Board of Education Form 50-36; and the associated resolution and certifications to effectuate adoption of the budget and allow the District to file said documents with the appropriate Local, State, and Federal agencies, as required by existing law.

The Board took action to adopt the following pertaining to the adoption of the budget for FY 2024-2025: the resolution ratifying and confirming publication of legal notice and setting budget hearing; certification of resolution and minutes; and certification of budget/appropriation in accordance with chapter 35 Section 200/18-50 Illinois Compiled Statues; and authorize the President and Secretary to sign same as applicable.

Lutz thanked Taylor for her work on the budget.

District administrators provided reports to the Board of Education.

Ms. Jennifer Bajda, Director of Special Services, spoke about the preschool program at Grand Prairie. Every few years, the grant-funded preschool programs are evaluated and monitored by the State. The preschool program received the highest ranking, the “gold circle”, for the second time. According to Accelerate Illinois, Gold Circle programs meet or exceed specific quality benchmarks on learning environment, instructional quality, and all program administrative standards; group size and staff/child ratios; staff qualifications; and professional development.

Mrs. Janet McClarence, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, spoke about the District’s partnership with Lincoln-Way District 210 in developing future teachers. Frankfort 157-C teachers host seniors enrolled in a teaching internship class. Interns spend one and a half hours per day with the host teacher, three days per week from October to May. Interns are placed in both regular and special education settings. This year’s cohort will be the largest hosted by Frankfort 157-C teachers.

Ms. Shayna Cole, Director of Human Resources, spoke about upcoming health and wellness events for staff. There is a rebate for staff members if they participate in specific events leading up to open enrollment: group insurance meeting and participating in the wellness screening. Wellness screenings will take place the last week of September. The group open enrollment meeting will be held Wednesday, October 23 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and open enrollment will run from Friday, November 1 to Friday, November 15

Mr. Jake Nelson, Director of Technology, said the technology department had a great launch to the school year. His team has completed the vast majority of the migration to OpenPath at Grand Prairie and Hickory Creek. OpenPath is the badge access system for each set of doors in each school. The new program setup will send alerts when doors are open and allow a customized rule set for each door. This added security measure helps the administrative and front office teams maintain the integrity of the security of the buildings daily. His team also has begun the installation of the new access points and switches at Hickory Creek and Grand Prairie to support internet infrastructure.

Mr. Rodney Davis, Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, said that his team has been spending time getting ready for the winter months. They have also been preparing for the mandatory fire inspection with the Frankfort Fire Department on Thursday, October 10.

Mrs. Kimberly Szudy, Principal of Grand Prairie, spoke about curricular enrichment opportunities for the students. Run Club will begin Monday, September 23 and will conclude Wednesday, October 23 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Run Club is led by PE teachers Mr. Vandenberg and Mrs. Borden. Kindergarten students will take a field trip to Konow Farm, learning about the lifecycle of a pumpkin. First grade students have been invited to Navarro Farms to learn about planting cycles this fall.

Ms. Rachel Newcomb, Principal of Chelsea, said the Chelsea Run Club began this week and will run through Wednesday, October 23. Fifth grade instrument tryouts were held earlier this month. Students can sign up for various after school clubs that begin in the beginning of October: third grade Chorus, Art Club, Board Game Club, Tiger Tales Writing Club, and Caring Club.

Fifth graders will visit Lake Katherine the week of October 15th to wrap up their study of ecosystems. Fourth graders will visit Naper Settlement in October to end their study on communities past and present.

Mrs. Tricia Dotson, Principal of Hickory Creek, shared her gratitude to the new athletic director Josh Purpura and Tyler Sinclair, assistant athletic director and activities coordinator for their work with organization and management of the HCMS athletic programs. Chorus, Orchestra, and Band have started well this year at the middle school, Mrs. Dotson said. She thanked the various booster groups for their support. The Hickory Creek softball team just won the regional championship and will move onto the sectional championship on Saturday, September 21. The golf team had a great season and sent one golfer to the State competition. Baseball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Basketball, and Cheerleading have held tryouts and are competing against other local schools. Intramural Soccer, Fitness Club, and Dance Club have all begun. Intramural Dance members will perform for their peers in October and November. Hickory Creek offers various clubs for students, including Makers Club, Stem Club, Best Buddies, and Student Council. The National Junior Honor Society will hold an induction ceremony after the end of the second quarter, for students that have a 3.8 GPA or above. The Drama Club will compete in the IESA State Competition, held at Hickory Creek on Friday, November 15.

In the Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Doug Wernet said the District has had a successful start of the 2024-2025 school year. He thanked the staff for their work in getting the schools ready for student learning. Curriculum Nights for each of the three schools were held earlier in the month and had excellent turnouts.

There are currently 2,682 students enrolled between the three schools. Enrollment is expected to increase slightly as families move into the area throughout the school year.

Next week, Tiger University will be held on Tuesday, September 24 at Chelsea from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The topic will be supporting students with the use of Augmentative and Assisted (AAC) devices.

Wernet spoke about a new outlet to improve lines of communication this school year, a quarterly superintendent and staff meeting at each of the three schools. These optional meetings will deliver reports on happenings at Board meetings and provide an opportunity to hear from those who might have questions or would like to share perspectives to District Office.

He added that each school will hold law enforcement drills within the first 90 days of school. These trainings will be led by School Resource Officer Tom Mineo. Dr. Wernet will send a message to the community by October 1 to notify parents and guardians of the training and drill dates.

Board Member Ann Zaremba provided the Board with minutes from the July 23, 2024 Governing Board meeting of the Lincoln-Way Area Special Education District 843. The Advisory Committee met August 12, 2024 and September 9, 2024 and the Governing Board met on August 27, 2024 and minutes have yet to be approved.

Doug Wernet read a report from Family School Partnership (FSP) President Theresa Larkin who could not attend the meeting. During last school year, the FSP donated over $50,000 to the three schools, helping to fund assemblies, provide activities during holiday parties, and more. The FSP currently has two fall fundraisers: a mum sale and a spirit wear sale. The FSP invited community members to attend the monthly meetings, which are held the first Tuesday of the month from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the District Office Board room.

Director of Business and Operations Dr. LeeAnn Taylor reviewed the Treasurer's Report for July and August 2024. In July, monthly revenue totaled $917,584.80 and monthly expenditures totaled $1,522,303.15. In August, monthly revenue totaled $1,370,847.95 and monthly expenditures totaled $2,385,337.16. During the month of August, the District began collecting levy revenue from property taxes and school fees. The activity fund also increased due to hot lunch sales.

There were two Freedom of Information Act requests submitted. Jim McFarland requested information regarding an employment agreement. Mike Gibson requested administrator compensation information.

In discussion, Thomas Lanzara, Vice President of Investment Services of PMA Financial, gave an overview of the District's investment portfolio.

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

The Board took action to approve the Memo of Understanding (MOU) between the Frankfort Board of Education and the Frankfort School District 157-C Teachers' Association regarding the clarification on the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) process at Chelsea Intermediate School.

The Board took action to approve the employment of Jennifer Marquardt as a Drama Club Coach at Hickory Creek, effective August 22, 2024.

In Consent Agenda, the Board took action to approve the recognition of public gifts, Public Act 97-0609 IMRF Employee Compensation over $75,000 Report, Public Act 97-0256 Administrator and Teacher Salary and Benefits Report, Board Policy Updates, the payment of District bills, and the July and August Treasurer's Report.

The Board adjourned the regular meeting at 7:58 p.m. and entered into closed session for purpose of collective negotiation matters between the public body and its employees or their representative, or deliberations concerning the salary schedules for one or more classes of employees and the purpose of 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 9:26 p.m.

The Board adjourned the regular meeting at 9:28 p.m.

The next regular District 157-C Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at the District Office, 10482 W. Nebraska St. in Frankfort, Illinois.