Pope County Community Unit School District #1 Board of Education met May 18.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Aly and the following members were present: Jeffords, Kizziar, Hogg, Simmons, Wallace, and Aly. Schuchardt was absent.
A motion was made by Hogg and seconded by Simmons to approve the agenda. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion was made by Hogg and seconded by Kizziar to approve the consent agenda including the following: 1) Approve Minutes of Board Meetings on 4/20/2023; 2) Approve Closed Session Minutes; 3) Approve Bills for Payment; and 4) resignation of Kelly Hille as girls Jr. High assistant basketball. Mr. Fritch stated the QNS invoice is for Chromebooks using grant funds; which makes 4-12 grades 1-to-1, and Savvas invoice is for new Math curriculum for the elementary. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Under Administrative reports, Mrs. Allen reported the following: 1) Student Involvement/Sports: a) May 18: Student Council donated/installed basketball nets for outdoor goals; b) May 19: Talent show at 1:00 in the Elementary gymnasium; c) JH open gym for girls basketball starts in June; 2) Assemblies/Activities/Projects: a) April/May Appreciation Days: Bus Driver Appreciation, Administrative Assistants, Principals, Lunch Heros, Teacher Appreciation, School Nurse and School Speech Pathologists; b) April 21: U of I Ag Center set up in the HS gym for our students in grades K-5; c) April 21: Student Council dance; d) April 24-28. 9:00-1:00, Kindergarten registration; e) April 27: Pre-K screenings; f) April 28: 6th grade will go to the Challenger Learning Center; g) April 28: JH/HS Sports Banquet; h) May 5: PTO Fun Day; i) May 11: 8th grade graduation; j) May 23: 2nd Semester Attendance Incentive Drawing; k) May 24: Last day of Pre-K; l) May 24: Mrs. Allen & Mr. Fritch are taking 4 students to lunch at Harrisburg; m) May 25: Kindergarten graduation at 9:00 AM; n) May 26: Parents can set up appointments with Kindergarten teachers; o) May 30: Student last day of school; p) May 31: Teacher last day of school; 3) Back to School Planning; a) Mrs Reed has been in contact with Katrina Snell regarding back to school supplies. Katrina currently has 2-3 certified cosmetologists donating their time to provide free haircuts for students; 4) Aimsweb EOY Results; a) Overall reading is good; b) Overall Math is lower; c) Introducing Savvas math curriculum next year (Pearson/Prentice Hall); and 5) Current enrollment 315 as of May 18th.
Mr. Graves reported the following: 1) Senior Awards and Scholarship Day was held May 3rd; 2) Eight students went to SIC for orientation on May 4th; 3) Prom was held May 6th; 4) Staff appreciation was held May 9th. The staff enjoyed a fish dinner and had several treats brought to them from local businesses and individuals throughout the week. They were very appreciative; 5) Graduation for the Class of 2023 was held on May 12th; 6) Illinois Science Assessment has been completed; 7) With approval, the spring incentive trip is Friday May 19th to Atomic City in Paducah; 8) FFA Banquet is this Saturday at 5 pm in the Community Room; 9) Mr. Forthman was nominated as one of the Illinois Coaches of the Year; 10) Underclassmen semester exams will be May 25th-May 26th Student last day May 30th and Staff is May 31st; 11) Ahry and Eason Comer have both qualified to run in Class A State Track. Ahry is running today (4 events) and Eason will run in 2 events; and 11) Enrollment: 166.
Mr. Fritch reported the following: 1) Would like to thank the principals for the graduation ceremonies and all the work that goes in to make them a special time for our students and their families; 2) Would also like to thank all of our teachers and staff on a job well done this year; 3) Directing all members to the Financial Report and explaining they can keep up with the District finances using the Revenue and Expenditure Report page; and 4) House Bill has passed stating all newly hired teachers will get a salary increase based on the yearly CPI after their first year and each following year thereafter. This could be an exponentially cost for the District if the CPI remains high. It might be worth contacting our Representatives for help with these unfunded mandated costs they are making law.
Motion to enter executive session for the purpose of personnel performance, procedures, and employment was made by Simmons and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes. Board entered at 7:22 pm.
Motion to return to regular session was made by Simmons and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes. Board returned at 8:28 pm.
Under New Business, motion to renew IASA annual membership was made by Kizziar and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to approve out-of-state trip on Friday, May 19, 2023 for Mr. Graves to take incentive trip to Atomic City in Paducah, KY was made by Hogg and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Mr. Fritch distributed a budget summary sheet explaining where the budget currently stands and the reasons for the deficits in the Education fund, due to the pay out of Egyptian Trust, and Operations and Maintenance, due to the gym floor and HVAC projects in the high school building. He explained the funds for the high school gym were received last year and expensed this year, crossing fiscal years. Overall, the budget is in good shape. After some questions, a motion to approve and post amended budget for 2022-2023 FY as presented was made by Hogg and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to hire Heidi Carder for teacher was made by Simmons and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to hire Patrick Presser for Jr. High Baseball coach was made by Kizziar and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to hire Larry Barger as full-time school bus driver was made by Kizziar and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to hire Carlos Boyd as full-time school bus driver was made by Simmons and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to post for Jr. High girls basketball assistant coach was made by Kizziar and seconded by Jeffords. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to post for full-time substitute teacher was made by Simmons and seconded by Kizziar. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to post for two bus drivers was made by Kizziar and seconded by Simmons. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Motion to reschedule June Board meeting for Thursday, June 22 at 7 pm was made by Kizziar and seconded by Hogg. Roll call vote: all ayes.
Under Old Business, Member Kizziar distributed an aerial view of the properties on both sides of the road. They had some areas outlined for the placement of the solar panels as suggested by the installers. Kizziar asked the Board their thoughts and discussion ensued. Mr. Fritch stated he had some financial concerns due to being unsure of the total cost of the septic project since it hasn’t been to bid yet. With more questions than answers, Kizziar stated he would get more information and report next month. Mr. Fritch added he would contact superintendents with solar panels at their Districts for more information.
Under Other School Business, Kizziar asked about upgrades and/or replacement of the playground equipment. Mr. Fritch stated he has plans for the next maintenance grant: 1) to get a new walk-in freezer outside and get rid of the old one inside to make room for lunch table storage and renovate the classroom where the tables are currently being stored; and 2) upgrade and/or replace playground equipment.
With no further business to be discussed, a motion to adjourn meeting until the next regular scheduled meeting to be held on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 7:00 pm in the J.H. Hobbs Memorial Library with a Public Hearing on the 2022-23 FY Amended Budget at 6:45 pm was made by Hogg and seconded by Simmons.
Meeting adjourned at 9:07 pm.
https://cdnsm5-ss6.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_2554242/File/Board%20Minutes/May%2018%202023.pdf
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