Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Education Community Unit School District 201 Westmont, DuPage County, Illinois March 11, 2014 President Marie Charlton called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Westmont Village Hall. Roll Call Members present: Gary Armstrong, Mary Kay Caporali, Marie Charlton, Shannon Hancock, Matt Johnson, Mara Notbusch, and Joel Price. Also present at the meeting: Superintendent s Secretary Judy McMahon, Business Manager Kimberly Anderson, and Superintendent Kevin Carey. Public Comment Consent Agenda Chris Svitak, CUSD 201 parent, addressed the Board of Education about the School District s current student transportation provider, Westway Coach. He shared his concerns about Westway s unreliable service, especially with regard to Bus Route No. 2 for the High School. He encouraged the Board of Education not to renew its contract with this vendor. Mrs. Charlton stated that Item No. 1 of the Consent Agenda, Personnel Recommendations, was being removed from the agenda for discussion in closed session. Mrs. Hancock raised a question regarding the proposed 2014 Summer School Programs and suggested fees. She also asked when information regarding the programs would be available. Superintendent Carey responded that information would be available sometime next week and would be communicated through multiple sources. Mr. Armstrong commented about not increasing student fees for the 2014-2015 school year and the return of a summer school program. Mr. Price commented that the 2014 summer school offerings were the most comprehensive ever offered by the School District. 1
Mrs. Charlton stated that although there would be a fee charged for some summer school courses, many would be free. Motion by Mr. Price seconded by Ms. Caporali to approve the Consent Agenda as amended. 1. Approval of 2014-2015 School fees 2. Approval of 2014 Summer School Programs Voting aye: Voting nay: Caporali, Johnson, Hancock, Charlton, Notbusch, Price, and Armstrong Motion carried. Superintendent Evaluation Timeline Motion by Ms. Caporali seconded by Mr. Price to extend the timeframe to complete the Superintendent s evaluation from March 31, 2014, to a date in the near future by mutual agreement of the School Board and the Superintendent. Motion unanimously passed. Board Agreements Motion by Mr. Johnson seconded by Mrs. Notbusch to accept the Board Agreements prepared by the Board of Education and the Superintendent during the selfevaluation meeting of February 18, 2014, as presented. Motion unanimously passed. Board Budget Input Bus Transportation It was generally agreed that this discussion would be postponed until the March 25, 2014, Board meeting. Mrs. Charlton requested that bus transportation be added to the agenda for Board discussion in light of the poor service provided by Westway Coach as of late. The discussion began with Mrs. Anderson providing the Board of Education with background information about the previous bidding process for student transportation services, the cost of these services, and the amount of reimbursement received from the State of Illinois for these services. Mrs. Anderson stated that there are protocols in place to address Westway s poor service and referenced the 2
implementation of the penalty clause. In regard to the nonrenewal of the contract with Westway, she stated that the School District must give a 90-day notice to the vendor. She added that she does not recommend taking this action. Board member then expressed their concerns about buses arriving too early or too late or not arriving at all, as well as the lack of communication from Westway when these situations occur. They also cited the use of inexperienced drivers that were unfamiliar with the routes they had been assigned. Mr. Price stated the need to quantify the actual number of bus problems. He suggested providing a link on the website to report bus problems and to possibly provide a student link so that students could be notified when there are bus problems. Superintendent Carey stated that Westway has been much more responsive, since Mrs. Anderson has communicated the School District s concerns. Mr. Johnson stated that the service provided by Westway last year was good. He added that penalties are a motivator, but do not always solve the problem. Mr. Armstrong referenced the scope of the contract in comparison to the $100 penalty clause. He suggested an escalating penalty clause so that Westway pays attention to the problems and complaints, and genuinely tries to resolve the problems. It was generally agreed that Westway was contracted to transport students to and from school and that they must be held accountable for their poor service. Superintendent Carey stated that we would be looking at different penalties that could be incorporated with the renewal contract. Mrs. Anderson suggested inviting Tom O Sullivan, vice president of Westway, to an upcoming School Board meeting to address the Board members concerns and to answer their questions. It was generally agreed to do so. 3
Superintendent s Report Superintendent Carey reviewed the following discussion items with the Board of Education: EPRT Update It was reported that the EPRT reports would be provided to the Board of Education at the March 25, 2014, Board meeting. PARCC Update It was reported that the Illinois State Board of Education was piloting the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessment this year with full implementation in the 2014-2015 school year. Superintendent Carey shared the concerns of area superintendents regarding the timeframe for the administration of this assessment instrument, and reported that they would be meeting with State Superintendent Christopher Koch and legislators to share their concerns. Communications It was reported that a second informational meeting regarding the referendum would be held at Miller School on March 12, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Carey reminded everyone that Tuesday, March 18, was Election Day and encouraged everyone to vote. Mrs. Hancock referenced an erroneous e-mail sent from the Junior High regarding course selection. It was reported that the WJHS was seeking parent feedback regarding the Junior High s student schedule. Parents were asked to complete an online survey that would be available until March 21, 2014. Board Reports Mr. Armstrong reported that Westmont Junior High School s Destination ImagiNation Team qualified for state competition and received the DaVinci Award for the most creative presentation. Mr. Price reminded everyone that the High School s spring musical, Hairspray, would be performed on March 21 and 22 at 7:00 p.m. and March 23 at 2:00 p.m. Public Comment 4
Future Meetings/Events Closed Session Symphonic Band Concert March 12, 2014, 7:00 p.m. Westmont High School STEM Night March 13, 2014, 6:30 p.m. Westmont Junior High School High School Musical Hairspray March 21 and 22, 2014, 7:00 p.m. March 23, 2014, 2:00 p.m. Westmont High School School Board Meeting March 25, 2014, 7:00 p.m. Westmont Village Hall Motion by Mrs. Hancock seconded by Ms. Caporali to enter closed session at 8:16 p.m. for the purpose of discussing collective bargaining, personnel issues, student discipline, and probable litigation. Voting aye: Voting nay: Armstrong, Price, Notbusch, Charlton, Hancock, Johnson, and Caporali Motion carried. The Board of Education returned from closed session at 8:50 p.m. Personnel Recommendations Motion by Mrs. Notbusch seconded by Mr. Johnson to approve the personnel recommendations as presented. Voting aye: Voting nay: Armstrong, Price, Notbusch, Charlton, Hancock, Johnson, and Caporali Motion carried. Adjournment Motion by Ms. Caporali seconded Mr. Johnson to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. Motion unanimously passed. 5
Marie L. Charlton Mary Kay Caporali President, Board of Education Secretary, Board of Education Community Unit School District 201 Community Unit School District 201 Westmont, DuPage County, Illinois Westmont, DuPage County, Illinois 6