Pope County Community Unit School District 1 Board met Aug. 16.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
Meeting was called to order by President Hansen at 7:00 p.m. The following members were present: Schuchardt, Wallace, Coen, Simmons, and Hansen. Clay and Hogg were absent.
A motion was made by Schuchardt and seconded by Coen to approve the agenda. Roll call vote: all yeas.
A motion was made by Coen and seconded by Simmons to approve the consent agenda including the following items; 1) Approve Minutes of Board Meeting on 7/19/18 and 7/26/18; 2) Approve Closed Session Minutes; 3) Approve Bills for Payment; 4) Accept Financial Reports; and 5) Accept resignation of Sarah Simmons, Individual Aide. Roll call vote: all yeas.
President Hansen recognized Mr. Michael Baysinger, Baysinger Architects owner, to address the Board regarding an invoice for the softball field complex. Mr. Baysinger stated he met with Mr. Fritch and Mr. Climer last week and apologized for the invoice and for the lack of communication during the whole process. He stated the lack of communication was not how he conducts business and hopes to continue to do business with the District. President Hansen had some questions for Mr. Baysinger and after some discussion, asked Mr. Baysinger to resubmit the invoice for the work that was completed on the softball field project. President Hansen thanked him for coming to explain the issue.
Under Administrative reports, Mr. Blankenship reported the following: 1) Softball and baseball seasons are underway. They played their first game this past Tuesday; 2) Cross Country try-outs will take place on August 21st; 3) Pre-School Fall Screenings will take place on September 27th; 4) We have received some donations of school supplies from area churches, organizations, and individuals. I want to thank all who have made the donations; 5) The new heat/Air unit has been installed in Mrs. Ferrell’s room and she is very pleased with it; 6) The new Epson projectors and white boards have been installed. WE had one board damaged in shipping – the replacement has already been delivered. They do not want the damaged board back and we were told it is ours to use; 7) The Epson projector in Mrs. Bramlett’s room quit working and a replacement is being sent; and 8) Enrollment as of August 15th: 355. This number will change after Pre-K has there screenings in September.
Mr. Fritch reported the following: 1) We are excited to have a foreign exchange student this year from Italy; 2) School Pictures will take place on September 14th. Retake day is November 15th (sports, club, and activities); 3) New curriculum this year: CVE (Co-op), Keyboarding, Intro to Business, Business Law/ Entrepreneurship, Journalism (School Paper), Psychology, Humanities II; 4) Cross Country begins August 29th at Murphysboro Invitational; 5) Boys Fall Baseball begins September 1st at Century; and 6) Enrollment: Freshmen – 47, Sophomores – 35, Juniors – 41, and Seniors – 31, Total – 154. I would like to thank custodians Kevin Jennings and Mike Smith for their work in getting the school ready for the first day of attendance. I would also like to thank our student workers Brandon Braden and Noah Hall for their work as well. Mr. Fritch also read a letter from SIU Carbondale, College of Science Dean, Scott Ishman. Mr. Ishman stated in his letter:
Your former student, Paul Coen earned academic honors at this year’s Honors Day awards ceremony at Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale. Paul was among the top students of all our Science students by earning honors this year.
This accomplishment reflects your high school’s preparation of high achieving students as well as support for pursuing higher education and having the skills and drive to achieve honors.
Thank you for your leadership.
We are fortunate to have Paul at our university and hope that you will continue to send your students to SIU Carbondale. We are very proud to continue something you started by providing the education and skills for our students’ future success.
Mr. Fritch also congratulated Mrs. Krysta Graves on being History Teacher of the Year.
Member Schuchardt asked if Lifetouch would be able to get us the banner-sized pictures of the student athletes to display in the gym. Mr. Fritch stated he has confirmed that with Lifetouch and they will be doing that for us.
Mr. Climer reported the following: 1) The Teacher In-Service day went well and looking forward to working with the teachers; 2) The students’ first day went well, and 3) I have enjoyed meeting the students.
A motion was made by Schuchardt and seconded by Wallace to enter closed session for the purpose of personnel employment. Roll call vote: all yeas. Board entered closed session at 7:35 p.m.
A motion was made by Simmons and seconded by Schuchardt to return to regular session. Roll call vote: all yeas. Board returned at 8:06 p.m.
Mr. Climer distributed copies of the Tentative 2018-19 Budget and highlighted the major accounts explaining the differences. The Board discussed the budget and Mr. Climer explained we are in good shape for this year. The tentative budget will be on display in the Unit Office for 30 days for public viewing.
A motion to set the date for the Public Hearing for adoption of FY 2018-2019 Budget to September 20, 2018 at 6:45 p.m. was made by Wallace and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all yeas.
A motion to approve the Lease Agreement with Southern Seven Head Start was made by Coen and seconded by Schuchardt. Roll call vote: all yeas.
A motion to renew Paula Baker as Notary Public was made by Wallace and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all yeas.
A motion to post for individual aide position was made by Simmons and seconded by Schuchardt. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Motion to hire James Lewis as Assistant Junior High Baseball coach was made by Schuchardt and seconded by Wallace. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Motion to hire Mike Hall as Assistant Junior High Softball Coach was made by Simmons and seconded by Wallace. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Motion to hire Mike Hall as Assistant High School Softball Coach was made by Schuchardt and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Motion to hire Shelby Rawlings as a Co-coach for the Junior High cheerleading and splitting the pay with the other co-coach was made by Wallace and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Motion to approve Chuck Hughes as volunteer coach for Junior High Baseball was made by Simmons and seconded by Schuchardt. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Motion to approve Bennett Hughes as volunteer coach for Junior High Baseball was made by Simmons and seconded by Wallace. Roll call vote: all yeas.
Mr. Climer distributed copies of the bids received from ICI Mechanical for repairs on the HVAC unit in the Elementary Gym. One bid was for the replacement of the compressor for $3,600 and one for a new unit for $15,880. A motion to accept the bid from ICI Mechanical for the replacement of the compressor on the HVAC unit in the elementary gym for $3,600 was made by Schuchardt and seconded by Wallace. Roll call vote: all yeas. Mr. Climer also discussed the kitchen rooftop HVAC unit stopped working today. Scotty, from ICI Mechanical, looked at the unit and said it can be fixed for less than $3,600. The Board gave approval for the administration to go ahead and get it fixed.
Mr. Climer reported that Lisa Reed is working on a School Improvement Grant for $15,000 and he submitted a Rural Grant for $9,000 today. We hope to hear something back soon. This money will go in the Ed Fund to help with personnel costs.
President Hansen reported on the Safety Committee that met last Thursday night. They discussed: 1) Offering mental health training to all teachers. Shawnee Development could come in and provide a workshop for teachers. Hansen will ask if they could come to the next Board meeting to give a presentation; 2) Apps on phones to provide security; 3) Mock drills; and 4) Safety Officer. The Safety Committee’s recommendation is to hire a Safety Officer. This officer will be a county deputy. It would cost for a full-time officer $28-$30,000/year or two part-time officers for $16,000-$18,000/year. This officer would provide safety to both buildings; provide mentoring, programs like D.A.R.E., and other things. The committee is going to start talking with the County, City, and Village of Eddyville to inquire about cost sharing between the communities. The ISP along with local law enforcement has already shown a presence this school year. The main safety concern is response time if there was an emergency, Pope County is so large. President Hansen asked the Board if they would work with Sheriff Suits and State’s Attorney, Melissa Presser to pursue this endeavor. The committee is going to look into the salary and try to get Vienna School District’s agreement with their safety officers.
Under Old Business, Mr. Fritch distributed bids from D.W. Builders and Thornton Construction on the baseball dugouts. D.W. Builders had three bids: 1) Demo and build new home dugout - $17,771.00, 2) Rebuild back the way it was - $8,876.00, and 3) Roof replacement on visitors’ dugout - $6,133.00. Thornton Construction had 2 bids: 1) Build new dugout using existing block and adding on and replacement of visitors’ roof - $12,892.41 and 2) Build dugout back as it was - $5,667.50. The Board discussed the bids and will wait to see what the insurance claim provides and what the private donor wishes to donate to the project. Will call a special meeting to accept a bid if needed.
Mr. Climer provided the inventory list given to him by Tim Threlkeld of all school buses. Mr. Climer stated Central States had to reschedule the meeting on leasing buses. Member Coen provided a spreadsheet of our current buses with the trade-in value of each bus. After some discussion, the Board decided to revisit this item after Mr. Climer meets with Central States and has more information on leasing.
Mr. Fritch distributed two bids for the replacement of the doors and windows in the elementary building. One bid from Baysinger Design Group and one from D.A.R.T. Design. These bids calculated the project to cost an estimated $440,000 to replace all 22 door and window units including new HVAC units in all elementary rooms. Mr. Fritch is to get another bid from Michael Baysinger.
Under Other School Business, Mr. Fritch reported that he received a letter from ISBE stating the appeal for the Early Childhood Grant was denied. The letter stated the process was handled professionally by trained and competent readers. The appeal was to appeal the grading process of the grant.
President Hansen thanked the administration for a smooth last couple of months. He stated the meetings have been going very well and a positive vibe is in the building.
Member Coen discussed the 1% sales tax stating it could help fund the capital projects being discussed that are needed in the District. It could possibly generate $110,000 to be used for repairs, remodeling, and building projects. Coen offered to present a PowerPoint presentation at the next meeting.
President Hansen stated a grant is available through his employer for a substantial amount of money. All that would need to be submitted is a letter of interest. President Hansen will send the information to Mr. Climer and Mr. Fritch.
With no further business, a motion to adjourn the meeting until the next scheduled meeting to be held on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the J.H. Hobbs Memorial Library with a Public Hearing at 6:45 pm was made by Wallace and seconded by Coen. All members present voted yea. Meeting adjourned at 9:56 p.m.
http://www.popek12.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_2554242/File/Board%20Minutes/Aug%2016%202018.pdf
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