ROCKFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS Administration Building Tuesday, July 14, 2009 The regular meeting of the Rockford Board of Education was called to order by President David Kelley at 5:06 p.m. Present: Absent: President David Kelley, Secretary Alice Saudargas, Mr. Robert Evans, Miss Lisa Jackson, Mrs. Jeanne Westholder (arrived 5:24 p.m.), Mrs. Jude Makulec. Vice President Harmon Mitchell. Motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Makulec, that the Board hold a Closed Session in Room 202 to consider the appointment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of employees; the discipline of students; pending or imminent litigation; or other matters provided for pursuant to 2 (c) of the Open Meetings Act. Ayes: Mr. Evans, Miss Jackson, Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Kelley. The Board went into closed session at 5:08 p.m. until 6:58 p.m. I. Call to Order - President David Kelley called the regular meeting of the Rockford Board of Education to order at 7:11 p.m. II. Moment of Silence III. Pledge of Allegiance - Following a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance was given. IV. Roll Call Present: President David Kelley, Secretary Alice Saudargas, Mr. Robert Evans, Miss Lisa Jackson, Mrs. Jeanne Westholder, Mrs. Jude Makulec. Absent: Vice President Harmon Mitchell. On behalf of the entire Board, Mr. Kelley thanked Auburn High School students, Zandie Shields, Chasney Parks, and Tay Brown, for their assistance in operating the camera and sound equipment in order to telecast this Board meeting. V. Petitions & Communications A. Sharon DeBerry, Haskell Learning Academy Parent Activity Committee Students benefit from the year-round learning and staff at Haskell. Haskell is filled with positive stories including monthly interactive luncheons and student s whose lives are enriched. Provided their newsletter to the board and administrators present. VI. Board Member Comments - There were no comments. VII. Consent Items A. Approval of Minutes June 23, 2009 pulled by Mrs. Westholder B. Personnel C. Payroll D. Accounts Payable Checks E. Purchase Orders
F. Contracts $10,000 & Under G. Bid Recommendations 1. VoIP Components H. Recurring Contracts 1. ILINET/OCLC Services I. Closed Session Items 1. Administrative Appointments pulled by Administration. 2. Administrative Transfers a. Kerry Manus to 11-month Assistant Principal, Auburn b. Reginald McGee to 10-month Assistant Principal, Guilford c. Kevin Lynch to 10-month Assistant Principal, Guildford d. Jennifer Sims to 10-month Assistant Principal, Guilford e. Charo Chaney to 10-month Assistant Principal, Lincoln f. Vivian Kueter to 10-month Assistant Principal, Spring Creek 3. Appointment of Interim Superintendent, Linda Hernandez. 4. Student Discipline Expelled students are prohibited from school and all school-sponsored activities and prohibited from being on school grounds without the prior written permission of the principal. Those expelled are recommended for alternative placement and the 10-day suspensions are affirmed. a. Student Discipline JP1 expelled for the entire 2009-2010 school year. pulled by Mrs. b. Student Discipline NF2 pulled by Administration. c. Student Discipline BL3 expelled for the remainder of the 2008-2009 school year and the 1st semester of the 2009-2010 school year. pulled by Mrs. d. Student Discipline CG4 expelled for the remainder of the 2008-2009 school year and the 1st semester of the 2009-2010 school year. pulled by Mrs. e. Student Discipline CS5 suspended for ten (10) days out of school. Any time served in suspension for this infraction is affirmed. pulled by Mrs. f. Student Discipline MS6 suspended for ten (10) days out of school. Any time served in suspension for this infraction is affirmed. pulled by Mrs. g. Student Discipline JM7 suspended for ten (10) days out of school. Any time served in suspension for this infraction is affirmed. h. Student Discipline CC8 suspended for seven (7) days out of school. Any time served in suspension for this infraction is affirmed. i. Student Discipline CB9 pulled by Administration. J. Other Consent 1. Prevailing Wage Resolution 2. Rescission of Denial of Bid Recommendation for Grass Cutting/Ground Maintenance pulled by Mr. Kelley. Motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Westholder, that the Board approve Consent Items Not Pulled. Ayes: Miss Jackson, Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley.
Consent Items Pulled: Approval of Minutes June 23, 2009 Mrs. Westholder asked for a correction to a suggestion of hers in the minutes. Motion by Mrs. Saudargas, seconded by Mr. Evans, that the Board approve Approval of Minutes June 23, 2009. Ayes: Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Miss Jackson. Student Discipline JP1 JP1. Ayes: Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Miss Jackson. Student Discipline BL3 BL3. Ayes: Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Mrs. Saudargas. Approved 4-1-1-1. Student Discipline CG4 CG4. Ayes: Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec. Approved 4-1-1-1. Student Discipline CS5 CS5. Ayes: Mr. Kelley, Miss Jackson, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans. Rescission of Denial of Bid Recommendation for Grass Cutting/Ground Maintenance Mr. Schmidt explained the reasons for the recommendation of the bid. Should the rescission be approved, a vote to approve the bid will follow. Motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Makulec, that the Board approve Rescission of Denial of Bid Recommendation for Grass Cutting/Ground Maintenance. Ayes: Miss Jackson, Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley.
General Grounds Maintenance Motion by Mrs. Saudargas, seconded by Mrs. Westholder, that the Board approve General Grounds Maintenance. Ayes: Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Miss Jackson. Student Discipline MS6 Motion by Mrs. Makulec, seconded by Mrs. Saudargas, that the Board approve Student Discipline MS6. Ayes: Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Miss Jackson. VIII. Superintendent s Report Dr. LaVonne Sheffield made the following comments: First, I d like to thank the Board and the community for their confidence in my leadership and the leadership of my cabinet. We all hit the ground working on July 1st. All cabinet members have made visits to summer school classes in some instances reading to our students and participating in class instruction. As I indicated to staff, you can expect to see central office staff in schools supporting instruction because our belief is that victory is in the classroom. I d also like to report that we are making significant headway in our reviews of critical areas within the District. The Communication Review is completed. We are working to finalize the report and begin the process of developing a communication plan. The Operations Review Team was on the ground in Rockford last week. We anticipate receiving that report in the next couple of weeks. I would expect the Chief Operations Officer to fully brief the Operations Committee in the very near future. The Curriculum Review Team is on the ground now. They have met with the curriculum and instruction staff, support services staff, visited schools, and will complete their work tomorrow. I expect the report in the next couple of weeks. Here, again, we will brief the Education Committee and the Board as we develop our plan to move the district forward. The Chief Financial Officer is working through developing the specifications for a financial audit. I will keep you updated on his progress. I am also pleased to announce that the Cabinet has formally started our planning process. We had a day long retreat led by Dr. John Simpson of the Broad Institute. As promised, we are working on a functional reorganization of the District. I feel good about how the Cabinet is moving toward being a cohesive team. Working at every level of the organization to focus on our five goals can only serve to move us forward. I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone here and those at home watching the board meeting of the goals: 1. Enhancing learning opportunities for all children; 2. Ensuring parents are partners in the education process; 3. Providing clean and safe schools; 4. Holding adults accountable; 5. Running an efficient business operation.
I d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Summer School High School Graduation will be held Thursday, July 30th, at 9:45 a.m. in the Roosevelt auditorium. My last item is an update on the summer enrollment process. One of the items on our to do list is to overhaul the registration/enrollment process over the next year. To discuss where we are today is Ms. Cyrus and Mr. Bonne. Before they begin, I would like to commend the team who worked to make this initiative happen, including Mr. Corder, Ms. Ramirez, Mr. Keffer, Mr. Katz, the clerical union leadership, and two of our principals, Mr. Hernandez and Ms. Kallstrom. A. Enrollment Process - Mr. Bonne conducted a presentation. IX. Committee Reports A. Education Committee Mr. Evans reported that the committee plans to meet Monday, July 20 at 4:30 p.m. to continue discussing zero hour. The following meeting will address truancy issues. B. Operations Committee no report. X. Action Items A. Wilson Select Plus Subscription explanation provided by Dr. Hardy. Motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Westholder, that the Board approve Wilson Select Plus Subscription. Ayes: Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Miss Jackson, Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas. B. Rockford Public Schools Discipline Code, Update Ms. Cyrus provided an explanation of the update development process and addressed board member concerns that were previously raised on June 23. Further discussion took place regarding the accumulation and deduction of points, data analysis, out-of-school suspensions, and enforcement continuity. Motion by Mrs. Westholder, seconded by Mrs. Makulec, that the Board approve Rockford Public Schools Discipline Code, Update. Ayes: Mr. Evans, Mr. Kelley, Mrs. Westholder, Mrs. Saudargas, Mrs. Makulec. Approved 5-1-1. XI. Other Business/New Business/Agenda Recommendations A. Freedom of Information Act Log XII. Adjournment Motion by Mrs. Saudargas, seconded by Mrs. Westholder, that the Board adjourn at 8:12 p.m. Approved on voice vote. President: David Kelley Mr. David Kelley Approved: 8/11/2009 /jh Secretary: Alice Saudargas Mrs. Alice Saudargas