Regular Meeting November 19, 2012 - Page 1 REGULAR MEETING WINNEBAGO COMMUNITY UNIT DISTRICT #323 NOVEMBER 19, 2012 Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett called the Regular Board Meeting for the Winnebago Board of Education to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 19, 2012 in the Library at McNair Elementary School. Members answering roll call were Brian Crull, Dennis Daly, Christine Campbell, Tim Turner, and Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett. Christopher Schoeneweiss and Michael Love joined the meeting a few minutes later. All joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was asked to have the Approval of the Winnovation Robotics trips to Kansas City, MO and Chicago moved from 7.4. on the meeting agenda to 6.6. under Consent Agenda. Mr. Daly made a motion to approve the revised meeting agenda; seconded by Mr. Crull. All voted aye; motion was approved. During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Mrs. Johnson-Lovett explained that speakers would be called on and allowed to speak. The Board of Education would listen to input from the public and not conduct open discussion on issues. Discussion on personnel matters is not allowed. Mrs. Johnson-Lovett called on the first person who had signed up to speak. MaryKate Skaggs School Nurse & Sarah Meador 6 th Grade Science Teacher introduced themselves as the new WEA Co-Presidents. Steve Hall is the third Co-President this year. They spoke about upcoming Teacher Features that will highlight good things going on in classrooms and buildings. Each month teachers plan to present during Public Comment. Pam Shaver, Heather Rapp, Debbie Babbitt 4 th Grade Teachers explained that they generally have a speaker come to their classes and give a presentation for Veteran s Day. This year, they decided to invite Veteran Tony Capriola and presented a program to him instead. The students prepared by doing activities such as poetry and art. Mr. Capriola was seated while students surround him and shared what they had learned. He had a great reaction and was touched by the experience. The 4 th grade students made a poster, which they all will sign and send to him. Mr. Daly made a motion to approve the consent agenda; seconded by Mr. Schoeneweiss. Items on consent agenda: 6.1. Approval of Minutes 6.1.1. Committee of the Whole October 15, 2012 6.1.2. Regular Meeting October 15, 2012 6.1.3. Executive Session October 15, 2012 6.1.4. Executive Session November 1, 2012 6.1.5. Executive Session November 5, 2012 6.1.6. Policy Committee November 5, 2012 6.2. Approve Accounts Payable 6.3. Approve Personnel Report NEW HIRES: Candice Triplett WMS part-time Special Education Paraprofessional, Cynthia Winkelhake substitute Van Driver/substitute Food Services, Jason Lawler WHS Head Girls Soccer Coach, Zach Logsdon WHS Assistant Girls Soccer Coach, Ty True WHS Volunteer Girls Soccer Coach, Barry Palm WHS Assistant Wrestling Coach, Dan Starry & Josh Harding WHS Volunteer Wrestling Coaches, Mandey Johnson WMS Volunteer Girls Basketball Coach; LEAVE OF ABSENCE: Megan Bremer FMLA effective January 26, 2013 for approximately 8 weeks, Katie Dill FMLA
effective February 17, 2013 for approximately 8 weeks; RESIGNATION: Cheryl May McNair Special Education Paraprofessional effective November 7, 2012 6.4. Report on monthly FOIA requests 6.5. Approve Fundraising Activities 6.6. Approve Winnovation Robotics team to compete in Kansas City, MO on March 14-16, 2013 and in Chicago on April 4-6, 2013 Aye: Mr. Turner, Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Crull, Mr. Daly, Mr. Love, Mr. Schoeneweiss, Mrs. Johnson-Lovett Nay: none Approved: 7-0 FINANCIAL REPORT Mr. Zumdahl, Business Manager, explained that due to a lack of communication, the auditor was not present at the meeting to given an overview of the audit. If board members have questions, they were asked to let him know, and he would pass them along to the auditor. Each year, it is common to have the audit show adverse opinions the Illinois State Board of Education allows school districts to use cash accounting procedures, which is not generally accepted practice in audits; in order to keep financial checks and balances in place, office staffs are too small to spread the responsibilities out sufficiently, which is another common issue with school districts as a whole. Mr. Schoeneweiss made a motion to approve the Financial Report and accept the Audit; seconded by Mr. Daly. Aye: Mr. Crull, Mr. Schoeoenweiss, Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Love, Mr. Turner, Mr. Daly, Mrs. Johnson-Lovett Nay: none Approved: 7-0 Mr. Zumdahl then spoke about approving a Tentative Levy. A Levy is a legal action that directs the County Clerk to collect taxes for the upcoming school year against the Distict s Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) and must be filed by the last Tuesday in December. Extra action would be needed through Truth in Taxation if the levy was anticipated to be more than 5% higher than last school year, which is not the case. He recommended approving the Tentative Levy with the understanding that it can be revised before the final approval in December if necessary. Mr. Daly made a motion to approve the Tentative Levy; seconded by Mr. Love. Aye: Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Love, Mr. Turner, Mr. Daly, Mr. Schoeneweiss, Mr. Love, Mrs. Johnson-Lovett Nay: none Approved: 7-0 SUPERINTENDENT S REPORT Dr. Harezlak spoke about looking at two alternative education programs and how educational options can be expanded in addition to night school. Discussion has been held with Pecatonica School District, which would help service more students and ideally save on costs. Beth Summers, WHS Principal, was asked to present additional information at the December School Board Meeting. He explained about Regional Career Training as a way of preparing students for the work force after high school. Programs will be expanded Regular Meeting November 19, 2012 - Page 2
to provide more services as needed. Other information will be presented at the December School Board Meeting. Dr. Harezlak also explained that there will be three open school board seats at the April, 2013 election. Tim Turner, Christopher Schoeneweiss, and Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett have terms expiring. Candidate packets are now available at the School District Office and online through the Winnebago County Clerk s Office. The deadline for turning in completed documents is December 24, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Action may be taken by the state to move the deadline to a different date. BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS Policy Committee Christopher Schoeneweiss stated that the policies not read before had now been reviewed. WCSEC Dennis Daly reported that the next meeting would not be held until March. Park District Dennis Daly reported that they had not had a meeting recently. FEE Dennis Daly reported that he attended the recent meeting, where concern was raised about the investing of their funds. The next meeting will be held on December 2, 2012, March Madness will be held April 6, 2013, and the FEE Annual Golf Outing will be held on June 22, 2013. Also, they are still in need of new members. Education no report was given Kids Club no report was given Fans Club no report was given Seward School Brian Crull reported that the Seward Park District Referendum passed and arrangements will be made to purchase the building from the Winnebago School District. The Seward Township will now be using the building as a park district. Chamber of Commerce Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett reported that the Village of Winenbago is considering consolidating the Chamber of Commerce. Due to the timing of monthly meetings, she is not able to attend. Athletics no report was given MONTHLY ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Frank Mandera, Simon Principal, highlighted their annual Reading Night, which had an attendance of 165 students the highest amount of attendees thus far. He praised Joni Benning, who has chaired the Reading Night Committee for several years. She sought donations from the community and worked with the other schools to gain assistance. Mr. Mandera also reported that several parents made positive comments about the new report cards. Surveys were given out for input. When students advance to McNair Elementary School, they will revert to the traditional grading system. Sean Monahan, McNair Principal, invited Board Members to their DARE Graduation on November 29, 2012. Regular Meeting November 19, 2012 - Page 3
Patrick Brule, WMS Assistant Principal, talked about the No-Shave November activity, a friendly competition between teachers. Donations are being accepted with proceeds benefiting needy Winnebago families. It was reported that last year $900+ was raised with participants receiving certificates for their efforts. Lynnette Sawyer, Technology Director, told that she will send out the instructions again about using GoogleDrive instead of GoogleDocs. OLD BUSINESS There was no Old Business. NEW BUSINESS FIRST READING OF BOARD POLICY Policy 2:20 - Powers and Duties of the School Board - School Board Policy 2:20-E - Exhibit - Waiver and Modification Request Resource Guide - School Board Policy 2:30 - School District Elections - School Board Policy 2:110 - Qualifications, Term, and Duties of Board Officers - School Board Policy 2:120-E1 - Exhibit - Guidelines for Serving as a Mentor to a New School Board Member - School Board Policy 2:125 - Board Member Expenses - School Board Policy 2:140-E - Exhibit - Guidance for Board Member Communications, Including Email Use - School Board Policy 2:200 - Types of School Board Meeting - School Board Policy 2:200-AP - Administrative Procedure - Types of School Board Meetings - School Board Policy 2:210 - Organizational School Board Meeting - School Board Policy 2:220 - School Board Meeting Procedure - School Board Policy 2:220-E3 - Exhibit - Closed Meeting Minute - School Board Policy 2:220-E4 - Exhibit - Open Meeting Minutes - School Board Policy 2:220-E5 - Exhibit - Semi-Annual Review of Closed Meeting Minutes - School Board Policy 2:250-E2 - Exhibit - Immediately Available District Public Records and Web-Posted Reports and Records - School Board Policy 4:45 - Insufficient Fund Checks and Debt Recovery - School Board Policy 4:45-E1 - Exhibit - Cover Page Documenting the Process to Seek Offset from the Office of the Comptroller - Operational Services Policy 4:45-E2 - Exhibit - Notice of Claim and Intent to Seek Debt Recovery; Challenge; and Response to Challenge - Operational Services Policy 4:60 - Purchases and Contracts - Operational Services Policy 4:60-AP1 - Administrative Procedure Purchases - Operational Services Policy 4:60-E - Exhibit - Notice to Contractors - Operational Services Policy 4:70 - Resource Conservation - Operational Services Policy 4:100 - Insurance Management - Operational Services Policy 4:110 Transportation - Operational Services Policy 4:170 Safety - Operational Services Policy 5:30 - Hiring Process and Criteria - General Personnel Regular Meeting November 19, 2012 - Page 4
Policy 5:125 - Personal Technology and Social Media; Usage and Conduct - General Personnel Policy 6:20 - School Year Calendar and Day - Instruction Policy 6:60 - Curriculum Content - Instruction Policy 6:60-AP - Administrative Procedure - Comprehensive Health Education Program - Instruction Policy 6:65 - Student Social and Emotional Development - Instruction Policy 6:110 - Programs for Students At Risk of Academic Failure and/or Dropping Out of School and Graduation Incentives Program - Instruction Policy 6:120-AP3 - Administrative Procedure - Service Animals - Instruction Policy 6:210 - Instructional Materials - Instruction Policy 6:235-AP2 - Administrative Procedure - Web Publishing Guidelines - Instruction Policy 6:270 - Guidance and Counseling Program - Instruction Policy 7:70 - Attendance and Truancy - Students Policy 7:190-AP3 - Administrative Procedure - Guidelines for Reciprocal Reporting of Criminal Offenses Committed by Students - Students Policy 8:30-AP - Administrative Procedure - Definition of Child Sex Offender - Community Relations Mr. Schoenweiss presented these policies as first read. They will be second read and approved at the December 17, 2012 meeting. Explanation about the purchase of school buses began in the Committee of the Whole Meeting earlier in the evening. Further discussion was held about the purchase of school buses for the 2013-14 school year. It is recommended to purchase 14 buses and 2 wheelchair buses while trading in four buses. Both Central States Bus and Nelsons Bus submitted bids. Other companies were approached to place bids, but did not submit one. Comparisons were made between the two companies and their bids. The District has not participated in a two-year bus buy back program in the past. A one-year buy back offers a better percentage of return, which has changed minimally since last school year. Central States Bus offered the lowest bid and overall better package. The size of the bus fleet will remain the same, including a backup wheelchair bus for use when necessary. Mr. Turner made a motion to approve the purchase of buses as recommended; seconded by Mr. Daly. Aye: Mr. Turner, Mr. Daly, Mr. Schoeneweiss, Mr. Love, Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Love Nay: Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett Approved: 6-1 Future Board Meetings and Board Committee Meetings November 21 23 Thanksgiving Break December 3 COW Meeting 5:30 p.m.- if needed December 5 Band Concert 6:30 p.m. WMS and 8:00 p.m. WHS December 7 Early Release Day December 17 Regular Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. December 21 Early Release Day TBA - A short meeting may be needed for an update on the Superintendent search. January 3 COW Meeting if needed Regular Meeting November 19, 2012 - Page 5
At 7:48 p.m., Mr. Daly made a motion to adjourn and reconvene to the Executive Session started earlier this evening; seconded by Mr. Schoeneweiss. All voted aye. At 8:17 p.m., the Board returned from Executive Session. Mrs. Campbell made a motion for the meeting to adjourn; seconded by Mr. Love. All voted aye, the meeting adjourned. Approved: December 17, 2012 Respectfully submitted: Elizabeth Johnson-Lovett, President Jennifer Lindgren, Secretary Regular Meeting November 19, 2012 - Page 6