Anna Jonesboro Community High School District 81 Board met Nov. 16.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School held a Public Hearing on Nov 16th, 2020. Upon roll call at 6:00 p.m. the following members were present: Dr. Teske, Mr. Osman, Mr. Hughey, Mr. Partridge, Dr. Blakely, and Mrs. Ashby. Mr. McGrath was present by phone. Also present was Superintendent Mr. Wright.
*Public Hearing Concerning the Board’s intent to sell bonds in the amount of $1,605,000 for the purpose of conforming its existing facilities that house students to the building code promulgated by the State Board of Education of the State of Illinois, by altering, reconstructing and repairing said facilities and having equipment purchased and installed therein.
Mr. Wright gave an explanation for Proposed Issuance of Bonds.
There were no public comments made.
On motion by Mr. Hughey seconded by Mr. Osman to adjourn the Public Hearing at 6:04 p.m. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.
The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School held its regular meeting on November 16, 2020. Upon roll call at 6:04 p.m. the following members were present: Dr. Teske, Mr. Osman, Mr. Hughey, Dr. Blakely, Mr. Partridge, Mr. McGrath, and Mrs. Ashby. Also present was Superintendent Wright, Mr. Finders, and Brett Detering.
On motion by Mr. Partridge and seconded by Mrs. Ashby to approve the Agenda as written. All members present voting yes. Motion carried
On motion by Mr. Osman and seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve the Consent Agenda that includes approval of board meetings on 10/19/2020, approval of closed session minutes, approval of payment of bills, acceptance of financial reports. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
Crystal Houseman represented the teachers. The items of interest presented were as follows:
∙ Student Services: Miller has been hard at work with seniors on college apps and FAFSA completion. Mr. Wright purchased subscriptions for a FAFSA completion program through GoingMerry that simplifies the application, and Miller has been contacting students and parents (emailed, phone calls, and in-person) to attempt to get them enrolled. As of this morning, we have 27 students who have completed the FAFSA. So far according to our records (relying on students to tell us or record it in Scoir), 32% of seniors have completed college applications, and about 25% have completed outside scholarships. $222k in merit scholarships have been reported so far. Walls, Barkley, and Miller have also all been continuing to work with at-risk students. Continue to do regular referrals to mental health supports. Walls arranged a meeting with Arrow leaf, formerly Family Counseling Center, about expanded resources and opportunities to serve students and families. Since the initial meeting, Walls, Miller and Barkley have all referred students to appropriate services. November is Career Education Month so Miller and Walls will be pushing out resources and information for students to promote post-secondary planning and provide additional career exploration opportunities for students. Miller is reaching out to previous career fair presenters about providing videos and virtual information that we hope to push out at the end of the month, to culminate Career Education Month.
∙ Colby Bowman, Bryan Williams and Katie Kirk took part in the Youth Advisory Council with Senator Fowler on November 9. The students were able to talk with Senator Fowler and students from District 59 virtually. They heard from key leaders in our community and state about civic engagement and leadership. They then ended the session with a Q&A Senator Fowler to discuss the state of our state during this pandemic. Senator Fowler and the students are hopeful that they can go to the capitol in the spring to take part in a mock legislative session.
∙ Ms Maze was selected as a 2020 McDonald’s “Teach it Forward” Outstanding Educator by our locally-owned McDonald’s restaurant! Sixteen local teachers were selected as 2020 McDonald’s Teach it Forward Outstanding Educators from a pool of more than 880 nominations. The award honors educators who exhibit the ultimate dedication to their students and contribute to the improvement of education in our most challenging times.
∙ The first art competition of the year will be held at the Anna Arts Center. After an opening ceremony on November 22nd student work will be on display through the 28th. The public may view the art of local schools during the annual Christmas Bazaar at the AAC.
From Aug. 17 to Nov. 7, members of the faculty utilizing Google Classroom posted 20,103 individual posts serving the more than 450 students at A-J. Those numbers, while impressive, paint an incomplete picture of the work going on in classrooms--digital and otherwise--over those three months. While some posts may include an announcement or a reading assignment for students, many of those posts represent hours of investment learning new platforms, restructuring curriculum, reformatting lessons for online consumption, and completely revamping our previous understanding of pedagogy to meet and continue challenging our students on this completely new educational landscape. They often include instructions, videos, articles, examples, notes via various platforms, Formatives, and/or assignments.
Often, teacher success or dedication is based on the numbers that are most visible--whether or not grades are up to date, the most recent test scores in a specific discipline, or even the number of posts in Google Classroom across a period of time. But, as I stated previously, numbers are the beginning of a conversation; they cannot encompass the entirety of our communication. We can begin with the fact that many of our faculty members are teaching at least 3 preps a day, but continuing the conversation would mean hearing there have been days (or even weeks) several of us have had to choose between grading or rewriting curriculum to make it readily consumable for an online audience. My hope is that any presentation in numbers is the beginning of a conversation--one that encourages us to walk together toward possible solutions for our students and, ultimately, our community.
Mr. Livesay gave his athletic report.
Mr. Finders reported on Standardized Testing, Professional Development, and Tech Resources.
Principal Detering reported on the Failing Grade Reports, Discipline, Safety Drills, and Semester Exams.
Superintendent Wright presented on Board re-elections, tax rate comparisons of various school districts, and possible projects for the upcoming summer.
On motion by Mr. Partridge and seconded by Mr. Osman for the Board to enter into closed session at 8:10 p.m. for the following reasons (1) the purpose of appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employee 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 to determine its validity. 5ILCS 120/2(c)(1) 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) On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Mr. Hughey and seconded by Mrs. Ashby to return to regular session at 8:28 p.m. On roll call all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Dr. Teske and seconded by Mr. Osman to approve Resolution 20-11-16A Regarding Estimated Amounts Necessary to be Levied for the Year 2021. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
Information on FY19 School District Audit was presented.
Information was presented on the Illinois school report card.
On motion by Mr. McGrath and seconded by Dr. Teske to approve Hunter Garver as Assistant Girls Basketball Coach and Baylie Denny as Volunteer Girls Basketball Coach.
On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Mr. Partridge and seconded by Mr. Osman to approve purchasing cameras for live streaming. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
On motion by Dr. Blakely and seconded by Mr. Hughey to approve the Memorandum of Understanding in regards to Paid Administrative Leave. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.
The Board discussed the upcoming basketball season in relation to the recent announcements by the Illinois Department of Health and the Illinois High School Association.
On motion by Mr. Hughey and seconded by Dr. Blakely to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 9:28 p.m. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.
The next regularly scheduled Meeting is Monday, December 14, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the District Office.
https://aj81.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/November-2020-Minutes.pdf
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