Southern Illinois News

Pope County Community Unit School District #1 Board of Education met April 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Hogg and the following members were present: Kizziar, Aly, Wallace, and Hogg. Walker, Schuchardt, and Simmons were absent.

At this time President Hogg asked for a moment of silence in memory of Renee Owens, school bus driver, and to continue to keep her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

A motion was made by Kizziar and seconded by Wallace to approve the agenda. Roll call vote: all ayes.

President Hogg recognized the registered visitor, Mrs. Rebecca Jeffords, and congratulated her and incumbents on being elected to the Board of Education.

Member Simmons entered the meeting at 7:02 pm.

President Hogg read the election results provided by County Clerk, Ms. Darci Garling. A motion was made by Wallace and seconded by Kizziar to adopt and ratify election results of April 4, 2023 Consolidated Election. Roll call vote: all ayes.

President Hogg recognized outgoing member, Mr. Chris Walker. President Hogg thanked him for his time and service to the District.

President Hogg appointed Ryan Fritch as President pro tem and administered the oath and seated newly elected Board member Rebecca Jeffords.

Adjourn sine die at 7:07 pm.

The meeting was called to order at 7:07 pm by President pro tem Fritch and the following members were present: Jeffords, Kizziar, Aly, Wallace, Simmons, and Hogg. Schuchardt was absent.

A motion to approve the agenda was made by Hogg and seconded by Aly. Roll call vote: all ayes.

President pro tem Fritch asked for nominations for the office of president. Hogg nominated Bronwyn Aly and seconded by Wallace. Aly being the only candidate nominated for the office of president, the chair hereby declares her elected by acclamation and directs the secretary to so record in the minutes.

President Aly asked for nominations for the office of vice president. Simmons nominated John Wallace and seconded by Hogg. Wallace being the only candidate nominated for the office of vice president, the chair hereby declares him elected by acclamation and directs the secretary to so record in the minutes.

President Aly asked for nominations for the office of closed session secretary. Hogg nominated Kathy Simmons and seconded by Wallace. Simmons being the only candidate nominated for the office of closed session secretary, the chair hereby declares her elected by acclamation and directs the secretary to so record in the minutes.

President Aly asked for nominations for the office of WOVSED Board Representative. Simmons nominated John Wallace and seconded by Hogg. Wallace being the only candidate nominated for the office of WOVSED Board Representative, the chair hereby declares him elected by acclamation and directs the secretary to so record in the minutes.

A motion to appoint Margie Bowman as Treasurer was made by Simmons and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes.

A motion to appoint Paula Baker as Secretary was made by Wallace and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

A motion to adopt/reaffirm the Board of Education Meeting Schedule was made by Hogg and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.

A motion to affirm Board Member Code of Conduct/Ethics was made by Hogg and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

A motion to adopt existing Board of Education Policies was made by Wallace and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

A motion to adjourn was made by Hogg and seconded by Wallace. Roll call vote: all ayes. Meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m.

The regular meeting was called to order at 7:18 pm by President Aly and the following members were present: Jeffords, Kizziar, Simmons, Hogg, Wallace, and Aly. Schuchardt was absent.

Motion was made by Wallace and seconded by Kizziar to approve the agenda. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion was made by Simmons and seconded by Wallace to approve the consent agenda including the following: 1) Approve Minutes of Board Meetings on 3/16/2023; 2) Approve Closed Session Minutes; 3) Approve Bills for Payment; and 4) Accept Financial Reports. Mr. Fritch stated one bill will be discussed in closed session. The other bill worth mentioning is the audit bill. We had a single audit this year due to the ESSER funds making our revenue over $750,000. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Under Administrative reports, Mrs. Allen reported the following: 1) Kaiden Holmes won 1st place in his grade in the Southern Illinois Reading Council Short Story Contest. Kaidan is being recognized on April 20 at the Carbondale Civic Center; 2) Talent show audition sign-up sheets are posted in the office. It will be held on Friday, May 19 at 1 pm in the Elementary gym; 3) PTO recognized March Students of the Month and this month was kindness; 4) March 20: grades 4 & 5 went to the Challenger Learning Center; 5) March 24: grades K-2 went to the Carson Center; 6) March 28: Trauma Informed Action Plan was approved; 7) April 10: 4th quarter progress reports were sent out; 8) April 20: 8th grade Freshman orientation; 9) April 21: grades K-5 attended the U of I Ag Center; 10) April 21: Student Council dance; 11) April 24-28: 9:00-1:00, 2023-2024 Kindergarten registration. Parents can schedule an appointment with Kindergarten teachers on May 26; 12) April 27: Pre-K screening; 13) April 28: 6th grade will go to the Challenger Learning Center; 14) April 28: JH/HS Sports Banquet; 15) May 5: PTO Fun Day; 16) May 11: 8th grade graduation; 17) May 24: last day of Pre-K; 18) May 25: last day of Kindergarten, graduation will be at 9 am; and 19) Current enrollment 316 as of April 20th.

Mr. Graves reported the following: 1) The SAT was given to Seniors on April 12th; 2) The Illinois Science Assessment is April 26th; 3) Art Club is traveling to The St. Louis Botanical Gardens on May 18th; 4) Senior Semester Exams are May 10th and 11th. Freshman-Junior Exams are the 25th and 26th; 5) Choir received a Level 1 Superior rating at the IHSA Meet at Murphysboro; 6) Award/Scholarship Recognition Day for Seniors is May 3rd at 9 am; 7) Prom is May 6th at Talon Falls; 8) 8th Grade Orientation was held today, April 20th; 9) Graduation May 12th at 6pm. Student pictures begin at 5:15, Board of Education picture at 5:40, and graduate group picture outside at 5:45; 10) Ella Aly received the DAR Citizenship Award and was recognized at a luncheon. She was also awarded their 2023 Scholarship; and 11) Enrollment: 165.

Mr. Fritch reported the following: 1) Coca Cola machines are in the buildings and going well; 2) The Rotary Sports banquet will be Friday night at 6 pm on April 28th; 3) Gym projects in the high school are now completed; 4) Elementary gym HVAC project will be completed the first week of June; 5) All the House Bills that were trying to be pushed through have stalled and failed. The only one to look for is a bill on Native American education; and 6) Septic project has started with surveying and marking lines, waiting on approval from IEPA to continue with the project.

Motion to enter executive session for the purpose of personnel performance, procedures, and employment was made by Kizziar and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes. Board entered at 7:34 pm.

Motion to return to regular session was made by Simmons and seconded by Aly. Roll call vote: all ayes. Board returned at 8:23 pm.

Under New Business, motion to authorize superintendent to amend FY 2022- 2023 budget was made by Simmons and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Mr. Fitch explained he would like to hold the public hearing on the amended budget in June. Motion to hold Public Hearing on FY 2022-2023 amended budget on June 15th at 6:45 pm was made by Hogg and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to authorize superintendent to prepare FY 2023-2024 budget was made by Hogg and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Mr. Fritch distributed an informational sheet regarding the Consolidated District Plan and explained this is done yearly as a requirement for our federal grants. Motion to approve Consolidated District Plan was made by Kizziar and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to hire Hannah Barger as 5th grade teacher was made by Simmons and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to hire Sheyann Broadway for High School Guidance Counselor was made by Kizziar and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to post for 2 school bus driver positions was made by Simmons and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to post for Jr. High baseball coach was made by Hogg and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to approve out-of-state field trip to Union City, TN to visit Discover Park of America on May 1, 2023 as requested by Mr. Robbie Reeder and Ms. Natalie Bonnell was made by Hogg and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to approve out-of-state field trip to Missouri Botanical Gardens Chihuly Glass Exhibit in St. Loius, MO on May 16, 2023 as requested by Mrs. Jaime Markovic and Mr. Chris Ditterline was made by Hogg and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to approve out-of-state field trip to Kevil, KY for the FFA to help with the Gun Creek Hunting Retriever Club Hunt test on May 13 and 14, 2023 as requested by Mr. Wade Swinford was made by Simmons and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Motion to approve over-night trip to Springfield, IL for FFA to attend State Convention June 13-15, 2023 as requested by Mr. Wade Swinford was made by Kizziar and seconded by Wallace. Roll call vote: all ayes.

On behalf of the 8th grade class parents, April Hogg, Jessica Bevis, Talina Ryder, and Valerie Wheeler are requesting the use of a school bus to go to Holiday World on May 26, 2023 with Tiffany Jarvis volunteering to drive. The class will pay the transportation fees for the use of the bus. Motion to approve the use of a school bus for the 8th grade trip was made by Simmons and seconded by Jeffords. Roll call vote: all ayes.

Under Old Business, Member Kizziar updated the board on the solar panel project. The company proposed to place the panels in the field on the east side of the high school. This property is not owned by the district. Member Kizziar stated he proposed a different location and waiting on their response. They have assessed the electric bills and have determined the proper amount of panels needed. He will report back when more information is received.

Under Other School Business, President Aly stated she had been contacted by a home school parent wanted to know if their home school student could participate in our sports. Mr. Fritch stated that since this is a Jr. High student, the IJHSA doesn’t allow for home school students to participate in public school sports. The IHSA does however, with the board adopting a policy to do so. The Illinois legislature is working on a bill to change the rule for IJHSA but at this time, it is not allowed.

With no further business to be discussed, a motion to adjourn meeting until the next regular scheduled meeting to be held on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 7:00 pm in the J.H. Hobbs Memorial Library was made by Kizziar and seconded by Hogg.

Meeting adjourned at 9:14 pm.

https://cdnsm5-ss6.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_2554242/File/Board%20Minutes/April%2020%202023.pdf