Coal City Community Unit School District #1 Board of Education met Oct. 7.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
CALL TO ORDER
President Miller called the regular meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with the board members answering roll call present: Robert Bianchetta, Jeff Emerson, Mary Gill, Shawn Hamilton, Quint Harmon, Chuck Lander, and Ken Miller. Also, in attendance was Superintendent Kent Bugg, CSBO Jason Smith, Director of Teaching and Curriculum Tammy Elledge, Director of Special Populations Sandy Rakes, and Board Secretary LaWanda Gagliardo.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
President Miller led the Board of Education and others present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
NOTICES AND COMMUNICATIONS
1. Jack Micetich was in attendance for receiving the ITA Award of Excellence in Secondary Education Theatre from the Illinois Theatre Association. The Board recognized Mr. Micetich for his honor, and thanked him for his dedication to the theatre program. Dr. Bugg summarized his introduction of Mr. Micetich for the ceremony. Members of the Coal City Theatre Creative Team were present to support Mr. Micetich’s accomplishment, along with members of his family. Mr. Micetich thanked the Board, and is very grateful to be in a district that is so supportive to the program, and the students. Principal Spencer, and member of the Free Press Ann Gill, were also in attendance to show their support.
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
1. In regard to agenda items – none.
2. In general (Limited to 5 minutes per person.) – none.
APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA
President Miller asked if there were any items that the Board would like to remove from the consent agenda. Hearing none, President Miller asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda, and the following building request.
Roll Call.
Ayes: Robert Bianchetta, Quint Harmon, Jeff Emerson, Mary Gill, Shawn Hamilton, Chuck Lander, Ken Miller Nays:
Motion Carried.
Group Building Ins. Date
On Broadway Dancers HS Grounds Yes 11/27/20 – 11/29/20
MINUTES CLOSED SESSION MINUTES
September 2, 2020 - Regular Meeting September 2, 2020 -Regular Meeting
September 30, 2020 – Special Board Meeting September 30, 2020 – None
September 30, 2020 – Board Study Session September 30, 2020 – None
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Activity Fund Reports – August 2020
Treasurer’s Report – August 2020
Monthly Manual Check Report – September 2020
Payroll Report – September 2020
Accounts Payable Report – October 2020
PERSONNEL
Resignations
• Kim Perdomo – Part-time Reading Aide at the Elementary School – Ms. Perdomo’s last day will be August 8, 2020.
• Jessica David – Lunchroom Aide at the Early Childhood Center – Ms. David’s last day will be September 11, 2020.
• Rita Evans – Full-time 1:1 Special Ed Aide at the High School – Ms. Evans last day will be October 5, 2020.
Employee Transfers
• Sara Helland – from Elementary School Lunchroom Aide to 1:1 Special Ed Aide at the High School.
Leave Requests
• Gail Endrst – Cafeteria Server at the Elementary School – Ms. Endrst is requesting an eight (8) day paid medical leave from August 31, 2020 through September 11, 2020. Ms. Endrst plans to return back to work on Monday, September 14, 2020.
• Cassie Spicer – Speech Language Pathologist at the Early Childhood Center – Ms. Spicer is requesting a seven (7) day paid medical leave, with use of accumulated sick leave in accordance the Teacher’s Negotiated Agreement from September 28, 2020 through October 6, 2020. Ms. Spicer plans to return back to work Wednesday, October 7, 2020.
• Jordan Alberico – Special Ed Teacher at the Early Childhood Center – Ms. Alberico is requesting a seventeen (17) day paid medical leave, with use of accumulated sick leave in accordance the Teacher’s Negotiated Agreement, from March 12, 2021 through April 13, 2021. Also, she is requesting a thirty-three (33) unpaid day Family Medical Leave of Absence from April 14, 2021 through June 1, 2021. Ms. Alberico is planning to return in August of the 21 – 22 school year.
ADMINISTRATORS' REPORTS
A. EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER REPORT
Principal Davidson Reported:
Calendar of Events
October 2nd - Pajama Day
October 6th - Health Screenings
October 7th - Health Screenings
October 12th - No School
October 14th - ½ day (PM Preschool Only)
October 20th - PSO Meeting @ 6:30pm
October 23rd - ECC Picture Retakes
Current ECC Enrollment for 2020-2021
PreK: 97
Kindergarten: 147
1st Grade: 128
Total: 372 (in PowerSchool as of September 30th, 2020)
Current ECC Full-Time Remote Learners (K/1) for 2020-2021
Preschool: 15
Kindergarten: 17
1st Grade: 18
Total: 50
Required Safety Drills Completed
September 1st - Tornado Drill
September 4th - Fire Drill
September 8th - Bus Evacuation Drills
September 9th - Bus Evacuation Drills
September 15th - Armed Intruder Drill
Month-in-Review
• During the month of September, students at the ECC are discussing ways to Be Safe at school. Students are earning Class Dojo points for getting caught being extra safe at school. Any student with 8+ dojo points for being safe this month will be entered into a drawing for a prize on Wednesday, September 30th!
• Students will be viewing a PBS video as an entire school on Friday, October 2nd using Google Meet to discuss our behavior focus for the month of October - Be Responsible. The video will have clips from students around the school showing examples of being responsible at school. During the month of October, students will be earning dojo points for a chance at a Halloween surprise at the end of the month.
• The ECC participated in two fundraisers during the month of September with all proceeds going toward Megan Bugg’s childhood cancer research fundraising efforts. • Wednesday, September 16th - Staff and students wore yellow and with a $5 donation, staff could also wear jeans.
• Friday, September 25th - Staff and students could donate $1 to wear a hat all day. • Both days combined raised = $584.10
Recognition
• Thank you to the teachers for the tremendous amount of work they are putting in to making this school year so successful. It is definitely not easy when students are continuously moving in and out of school and work is being prepped for extended amounts of time when the students are out. The flexibility and understanding from the teachers have been outstanding!
• Thank you to the front office staff at the ECC! Tracy Warner, Kristina Davy and Melissa Vigna are working so hard each day to make sure students are added to all the spreadsheets we need each day with regards to absent students. They are working all afternoon to make sure students are taken safely to their cars from the child care. Tracy, Kristina and Missy are constantly keeping up to the minute data with regards to a student’s absence and the reason for the absence. The amount of work they put in each day is unmatched and we would not be able to function without the three of them each day!
• Kailee Marketti goes above and beyond each and every day to help with whatever situation is taking place at the ECC. She is a tremendous support when students are struggling to behave in the classroom. She is outside each day meeting two of our 1st grade students having a difficult time coming into school each day. Kailee is truly an asset to our school and her willingness to just help with anything is greatly appreciated!
B. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REPORT
Principal Kenney reported:
Calendar of Events
10/1 – Building Leadership Team Meeting
10/2 – ES CPI Training
10/2 – Pajama Day
10-5 – PBS Meeting
10/6 – Staff Meeting
10/7 – A-Team Meeting
10/9 – ES CPI Training
10/12 – No School
10/14 – Picture Retakes
10/15 – Fire Drill at 8:15
10/15 – Culture Committee Meeting
10/16 – ES CPI Training
10/21 – A-Team Meeting
10/26 – Front Office Meeting
10/27 – Teaching and Learning Committee Meeting
10/26-10/30 – Red Ribbon Week
10/30 – Halloween Activities
ES Enrollment
2nd Grade: 127 (loss of 1)
3rd Grade: 145 (loss of 2)
Total: 272 (registered as of 10/1/20)
Personnel
CCES is currently looking for a health aide to take the position in November when Anne Watson takes over as head secretary.
CCES Happenings and Recognitions
• While we are off to a different kind of year, our teachers have been working so hard to make it a successful one. Our students and staff are enjoying being in the building and we couldn’t be prouder of the job that they are all doing.
• We held a Jean Day and Hat Day as fundraisers to support Megan Bugg’s childhood cancer research funding efforts. CCES raised over $400 to help support this very important cause.
• We held our picture day in September. It was great to see their smiles! We held two different locations this year in order to socially distance all classes in order to accommodate for having masks removed.
• Mr. Warner held his New Student Breakfast in September. Students enjoyed breakfast outside while introducing themselves to one another. They enjoyed meeting each other and sharing interesting facts about themselves.
• We have had a decrease in the number of remote learners at CCES! We are going to be at only 25 remote learners as of Monday, Octobers 5th. We are excited to continuously welcome our students back as parents are putting more trust in our ability to keep our students safe.
• Thank you to our cafeteria staff for providing such wonderful meals to our staff. The CCES staff really appreciates their hard work!
• Thank you to Erin Christopher and the cafeteria staff for their creative take home meals for our students. We are blown away with the creativity for providing wholesome, healthy meals for our students.
• Thank you to the PSO for providing water to our students. We appreciate their continued support through this pandemic.
• We have been focusing on being respectful, responsible and safe the last several weeks. The last three Friday we have awarded students that have shown the specific trait for the week.
• Thank you to Mrs. Brncich for designing our new PBS posters. The posters will be displayed in the hallways throughout the school.
C. INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL REPORT
Principal Carlson reported:
Calendar of Upcoming Events
10/2 – Custodian Appreciation Day
10/2 – Pajama Day
10/5 – Blue Day - World Day of Bullying Prevention
10/5 – Student Services Meeting 10:30-11:15
10/5 – SAP Meeting 2:45
10/6 – Picture Retakes 7:30-9:30
10/6 – TALC Meeting 2:45
10/7 – BLT Meeting 3:00
10/8 – Virtual PBS Event 12:30-2:00 4th grade; 2:00-3:30 5th grade
10/9 – Crazy Hair Day
10/12 – No School – Columbus Day
10/13 – Pink Day – Breast Cancer Awareness
10/13 – PBS Meeting 2:45
10/14 – Student Council Meeting 1:00
10/14 – BLT Meeting 3:00
10/16 – Tech Day
10/16 – SpEd Team Meeting 2:00
10/19 – Student Services Meeting 10:30-11:15
10/19 – SAP Meeting 2:45
10/20 – TALC Meeting 2:45
10/20 – PSO Meeting 6:30 p.m. via Zoom
10/21 – BLT Meeting 3:00
10/23 – Movie Day
10/23 – CPI Team Training 12:45
10/26 – Student Services Meeting 10:30-11:15
10/26 – SAP Meeting 2:45
10/26-10/30 – Red Ribbon Week
10/27 – PBS Meeting 2:45
10/28 – Professional Development 1:00-3:30
10/29 – Custodian Meeting 2:00
10/29 – A-Team Meeting 2:45
10/30 – Socially Distant Hallway Halloween Parade 10:30-10:45
10/30 – CPI Team Training 12:45
Current Enrollment
4th Grade 158
5th Grade 165
Total 323 This includes two 4th grade students and one 5thgrade student, who are enrolled in other special education programs outside of CCIS.
As of 9/25/20:
Full Remote Learning Students (non-COVID related) = 43
Emergency/Crisis Drills Completed
Evacuation/Fire 8/20/20
Shelter-in-Place/Storm 8/21/20
Lockdown 8/24/20; 9/24/20
Bus Evacuation 9/2/20; 9/3/20
Previous Month in Review
• On 8/31 we held an outdoor breakfast picnic for our 11 new students so we could get to know each other and they could ask questions. The students have moved to our school from Romeoville, Wilmington, Channahon, Plainfield, Manhattan, Marseilles, and Morris. The discussion was facilitated by Mr. Dziuban, our social worker and Mrs. Veronda, our school psychologist.
• Students completed the Fall AIMSweb Benchmark assessments during the first two weeks of September. These universal screening assessments are used to see how students compare to their peers. We use the data for our RTI groups, day-to-day instructional groups, and gifted identification for the next school year. Students took 4 reading and 3 math assessments. The overall scores were decent, but our oral reading schools were low. Our BLT and TALC have already started planning on ways to address this deficit. The results were shared with students and sent home for parents to see. The reports will be explained to parents at parent/teacher conferences in November.
• Students practiced a Bus Evacuation Drill during PE with Mr. McCleary on 9/2 and 9/3. • The 5th grade students were shown the Growing Up video and had discussion on 9/4. Mr. McCleary and Mr. Dzuiban met with the boys and Nurse Meyer and Health Aide Rakes met with the girls two homerooms at a time, socially distant in our gymnasiums. Typically, these students would have done this last May, but we weren’t in school. • We held our student council homeroom elections during the second week of September. The members are listed below in the Student Recognition section. The Student Council meets every two weeks over Google Meet at 1:00 p.m. with Mrs. Ness, the sponsor. • During the last 20 minutes of the teachers’ day on 9/11, CCIS Staff played patriotic themed Name That Tune over the PA system. Of course, it got pretty competitive and was definitely a lot of fun. We really appreciated Brad Boresi planning this event.
• Our 3rd annual CCIS Pizza Night was held on Wednesday, 9/16 and it was hugely successful. From 4:30-8:30, twenty-eight CCIS staff members delivered 251 pizzas to CCIS families who preordered. We ended the night at Lions Park where we all met to deliver pizzas to a Coal City, CCIS-aged baseball team. It was a fantastic night for both students and staff.
• We practiced our second Lockdown Drill on 9/24 under the guidance of SROs Clark and Imhoff. In order to main safe social distancing, students did not actually huddle in their lockdown locations. We just listened to the announcement and discussed the procedures. The police checked all the doors.
• CCIS donated $848.31 to the Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute. The donations were collected during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in honor of Megan Bugg. Staff donated money for a jean’s day, and students/staff donated for Hats off to Cancer, Shed Your Shoes for Cancer, and Cancer Sticks where they tossed money into a green/gold toilet.
• We held the following Fun Friday Spirit Days this month: Baseball/Softball Day, Red/White/Blue Day, Yellow/Gold Day for Childhood Cancer Awareness, and Shed Your Shoes for Childhood Cancer Research.
• Each day at dismissal we play music over the PA in order to bring a little more happiness to students and staff. Each week a different homeroom gets to select the songs for the week.
• We currently have 46 students in our after-school Daycare Program.
Student Recognition
Congratulations to following Students of the Week:
Week of 9/8: Damion Zeman, Adriana Brassard, Rese Symons, Gabriel Hamilton
Week of 9/14: Reed Sulzberger, Emma Sinkular, Abi Rose, Jaiden Leman
Week of 9/21: Troy Larson, Autumn Garza, Talan VandeWerken, Lexi Dearth
Week of 9/28: Ben Stalter, Rosa Moe, Adalyn Muhlenbruch, Jaxon Duke
Congratulations to the first semester Student Council Representatives:
Paisley Ziech, Ryland Clements, Josephine Greisen, Michael Pershey, Zander Nicola, Savannah Templet, Penny D’Arcy, Gavin Roudis, Maggie Carlson, Kaylin Walker, Maddox Meents, Jaycee Chase, Colton Bailey, Miley Cvitanovich, Olivia Ferrari, Kendall Shute, Chace Riley, Amytheist Yarshen, Marina Figge, Daniel Bergin, Leah Hennessey, Aiciry Rodriguez, Colton Armstrong, Kinley Neary, Carter Hollis, Charlotte DeFrancesco, Luca Chellino, and Jonah Micetich
Staff Recognition
• I would like to thank our 28 staff members who helped with CCIS Pizza Night! I really appreciate the time they volunteered for this fantastic event: Brad Boresi, Ali Scrogham, Betsy Cowherd, Andy Leve, Tina Vignocchi, Amy Gernenz, Jenn Rink, Jen Rakes, Amanda Patten, Danielle Meyer, Tanya Miller, Nikki Boresi, CJ Dziuban, Jenn Ness, Amy Gaffigan, Neil Nicholson, Betsy Stahler, Steven McCleary, Ronnie Aldridge, Cris Bormet, Angela Roudis, Riane O'Donnell, Allison Tjelle, Becky Bajt, Becky Housman, Steph Barkley, Tori Sztapka, and Tracy Carlson.
• I want to thank Mr. Boresi for all the work he did planning CCIS Pizza Night, and for planning a patriotic themed Name That Tune game for staff.
• I want to recognize the following staff members who received the weekly CCIS Kudos: Mrs. Boresi for helping with the Back to School Video, and Miss Bajt for transforming our unusable drinking fountains into beautiful flowers and a positive message. Mrs. Ludes for helping teachers give the AIMSweb Oral Reading Fluency tests.
D. MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT
Principal Johnson reported:
Calendar of Events
October 7 Board Meeting – 6:00pm – Unit Office
October 14 Remote Planning Day for CCMS Staff in Afternoon
Parent Teacher Conferences – 4:00-8:00pm
October 12 NO SCHOOL – Columbus Day
October 16 End of 1st Quarter Encore Classes
October 26-30 Red Ribbon Week at CCMS
October 28 Picture Retakes – Fall Sports Picture Day
Personnel Report
I would like to recognize Vicky Ryan on her retirement. Mrs. Ryan was scheduled to retire at the end of the 19-20 school year but came back for the first six weeks of this school to help with the transition of new Head Secretary, Paula Peacock. Vicky has always gone above and beyond but has shown her true professionalism, and dedication to Coal City Middle School and its students, staff members, and families. We are very appreciative of her coming back to help out in this very stressful time. We wish Vicky the best of luck in retirement, and we will truly miss her.
Attendance
6th Grade 162
7th Grade 175
8th Grade 137
Total 474
In Person Learners Remote Learners
6th Grade - 138 6th Grade - 24
7th Grade - 146 7th Grade - 29
8th Grade - 104 8th Grade - 33
Total 388 Total 86
Month in Review – September
CCMS held the following safety drills
Fire Drill August 19
Bus Evacuation September 10 in Physical Education Classes
• Coal City students observed Labor Day on September 7.
• CCMS and the Unit #1 teachers took part in staff development training/department meetings on September 16 at CCHS. CCMS teachers and staff attended both in person and virtual staff development activities during the afternoon of the 16th.
• CCMS had picture day on September 18. Special thanks to Pam McMurtrey and Van Gogh Photography for their work in organizing the event. Retakes will take place on October 28 along with Fall Sport Picture Day.
• Mrs. Trotter and I have completed the CCMS 504 Annual Reviews in the month of September. Phone conferences were held with parents of our 504 parents that requested a meeting with administration and teachers. I would like to thank CCMS staff members for their participation in these meetings. I would also like to thank Taryn for all her help in getting our 504s completed in a timely fashion.
E. HIGH SCHOOL REPORT
Principal Spencer reported:
Calendar of Events
September 3 & 4 Jostens Rep coming to talk to Freshman
September 7 Labor Day- NO SCHOOL
September 10 Bus Evacuation Drills
September 16 Professional Development
September 29 Picture Retakes
Month in Review
• On August 10th, Link Leaders had freshman students attend orientation activities. Mrs. Thetard and Ms. Wagner are the sponsors for Link Leaders and did a nice job of organizing all the activities the Link Leaders provided to assist with the freshmen transition from CCMS to CCHS.
• CCHS had picture day on August 27th and August 28th.
• Coal City High School is off to a great start and the teachers, support staff and front office staff should be commended for their efforts. With the unique start to the school year and it looking very different, I have been very proud of how everyone has handled it.
• Tennis and Golf have started and the participants are doing a great job representing CCHS.
• Coal City High School welcomes fifteen new students this year. We currently have thirteen students that have transferred out. Our enrollment currently stands at 658.
Current Enrollment Figures thru August 27, 2020
9th grade 156
10th grade 162
11th grade 161
12th grade 179
Total current enrollment: 658
F. SPECIAL POPULATIONS REPORT
Director Rakes reported:
Special Education
There are 12 new special education students that moved into the district for the start of this school year. Among the move-ins, 2 had to be placed in out of district programs.
The district received notification of the yearly LEA Determination review. We once again met requirements. IDEA requires all states to make determinations about the performance of their local districts regarding the provision of special education and related services to students with disabilities. We have perfect scores in all areas but 1. The indicator that we failed to meet is number 1. This indicator measures the graduation rate of the 4-year cohort. This indicator is completely out of our control. Districts are required to offer services to the most significant students with special needs until the day before their 22nd birthday. In order to do this, we cannot issue diplomas to the students who complete 4 years with their cohort and are going to enter our transition program. They receive their diplomas once they leave the transitions program. With this requirement the state counts that student as a non-graduate and it affects our graduation rate. With the small number of students entering our transition program each year, 1 or 2 students significantly affects our percentage of students with IEPs who graduate with their 4-year cohort. Included is the state report.
ELL
There are currently 22 ELL students in the district.
RTI
Aimsweb Plus benchmarking is completed in all buildings.
The social/emotional screenings are in the process of being completed. The BESS for grades K-12, the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System, was completed between September 9-21 Elyssa’s Mission, a suicide prevention program, will be presented at a later date.
Preschool
The grant funded blended classrooms have 14 openings for at risk qualified students. This time last year we were at capacity. Several parents chose to keep their children home this year.
There are currently 23 at risk blended spots (5 last year at this time) and 24 special education spots (14 last year at this time) open. There are currently 21 pending evaluations for preschool. The district is doing screenings on a regular basis. We are averaging 8-10 screenings per date.
Coaler Academy
There are 8 students currently enrolled with 2 possible referrals. The 2 possible referrals are currently in the SAP process. The Board asked to see the enrollment numbers from last year to this year at the next Board meeting.
G. CURRICULUM REPORT
Director Elledge reported:
Department Information:
The English Language Arts department is continuing the process of resource review for the upcoming year. They have expanded their list of potential vendors and are actively piloting several options at various grade levels. The ELA department leaders and Betsy Cowherd have spent many hours coordinating the various aspects of these pilots.
Professional Development
Our early dismissal professional development in September was planned and coordinated by the department leaders and building administrators. The sessions we offered were a mix of in-person and virtual. Most of the trainers were members of our staff. Most of the sessions were providing tools to teachers to be most successful in the online/hybrid model of teaching.
Science Training on Gizmo Fine Arts works
IXL training math/ELA at MS Interactive Lesson Planning
SAVVAS lesson planning SonicView (smartboard) Training
CPI Training iReady training
SuperKids training Conscious Discipline
Hybrid classroom dialogue Schoolnet Online testing
Google Tools SMEKENS training
CPR Training E-Learning in Fitness Curriculum
Our next professional development day will be October 28th and we will continue to engage the department leaders and building administrators to determine needs.
State Information
The school/district report cards will be released to the public on October 30 at noon. Due to the pandemic most of the metrics used to measure schools will be impacted. The following metrics will not be included in the 2020 report cards: IAR, SAT, DLM-AA, ISA, growth percentiles, assessment participation rates, assessment performance scatterplots, and achievement gap. Even though we have information on our 5Essensial (climate survey), the state had an incomplete dataset. That information will not be included either.
Summative designations from 2019 will be reissued for 2020.
The following metrics will be calculated and carry a note that they were calculated with concerns:
Chronic Absenteeism Chronic Truancy Dropout Rate
Early College Coursework Freshman on Track Graduation Rate (4, 5, 6 year)
Number of School days Student Attendance Student Mobility
Teacher Attendance Teacher Evaluation
There are an additional three metrics that were impacted and are issued with caution and they include: 8th graders passing Algebra 1, Average days of PE per week and CTE enrollment.
There are a few new items that will be reported this year. The first is gifted. Several metrics on how we assess for giftedness, identify and teach our gifted students will be reported. Our participation in the Illinois Youth Survey will be included. The Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) is an observational tool used by our kindergarten teachers. The report card will include percentages of our students demonstrating readiness in various areas as reported by our kindergarten teachers. The last new item deals with reporting if schools have targeted or comprehensive support using 1003(a) funds.
H. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Bugg reported:
1. Dr. Bugg recognized Board members who received awards from the Illinois Association of School Boards. Receiving Master Board Member Maintained awards were Robert Bianchetta, and Shawn Hamilton. Receiving Master Board Member Level II awards were Quint Harmon, and Ken P. Miller. Dr. Bugg thanked the Board for always doing what’s best for the students of Coal City School District #1.
2. Megan Carrigan, a student at Western Illinois University, will be completing her student teacher requirements as a Speech Intern with Margaret Marsaglia at the Early Childhood Center.
3. Three Rivers Division Virtual Meeting October 29, 2020.
4. Dr. Bugg reported that the District had received their notification of the State’s Summative Designation for each school for FY20. Since there was no State testing and other data was skewed due to the period of time schools were on full remote learning last spring, every school maintained the same designation received in FY19. The ECC, ES, and IS maintained their “Exemplary” ratings, and the HS and MS maintained their “Commendable” status.
5. The Board asked Dr. Bugg to thank all the coaches and sponsors who continue to offer extra-curricular opportunities for our student while we are on this hybrid learning model. 6. Monthly student enrollment figures were presented for review.
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 1 – Three Rivers Division Virtual Meeting Registration opens
October 1 – Virtual Summit for School Board Members & Administrators registration opens October 6 – IS Picture Retakes
October 8 – HS Picture Retakes
October 9 – 11 The Outsiders at the Intermediate School at 7pm
October 12 – No School – Columbus Day
October 14 – ES Picture Retakes
October 28 – Board Study Session at District Office at 6pm
October 29 – Three Rivers Division Virtual Meeting
December 14 – December 21 Petitions have to be filed at the Grundy County Clerks Office
I. GRUNDY AREA VOCATIONAL CENTER REPORT
Mr. Lander reported:
1. Approved the FY20 Audit Report as presented by Mack & Associates. There were no significant findings in the audit.
2. Received an update from Director Copes on how the shortened school day has impacted the progress on Project House 25.
3. Discussed opportunities to potentially lengthen the school day for GAVC students.
4. Approved the FY21 School Emergency and Crisis Response Plan as presented.
5. Changed the name of Early Childhood Education I & II to Foundations of Teaching and Advanced Teaching Methods.
6. Approved a new five-year contract for Director Copes as presented.
J. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR REPORT
Athletic Director Dan Hutchings reported:
Middle School Athletics
September 21 & 22 IESA Baseball Regional: Beat Peru Parkside and Lost to Ottawa Shepherd
September 21 & 24 IESA Softball Regional: beat Wilmington and lost to Channahon
Softball Baseball
“A” Softball (2-7) (18 Players) “A” Baseball (3-7) (13 Players)
“B” Softball (8-0) (19Players) “B” Baseball (6-2) (16 Players)
“C” Softball (1-3) (8 Players) “C” Baseball (26 Players)
Next Season Begins
Winter (Jan. – March)
• Boys Basketball - Practice may begin: January 4; Games may begin: January 16; 7th Regional Tournament: Feb. 20, 22-26; 8th Regional Tournament: Feb. 27, March 1-5.
• Girls Volleyball - Practice may begin: January 11; Games may begin: January 23; 7th Regional Tournament: March 6, 8-10; 8th Regional Tournament: March 12, 13, 15, 16
• Wrestling - Practice may begin: January 11; Matches may begin: January 23; Regional Tournament: March 6
High School Fall Season
• IHSA Golf Regional - Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at St. Andrews Golf Club in West Chicago
• IHSA Golf Sectional will be held the week of October 12-17 for any Qualifiers • Sr. Tyler Johnson - ICE All-Conference Team
• IHSA Tennis Sectional - Friday, October 16, at Ottawa Township High School
• Winter Sports are set to begin practice on November 16, 2020. The IHSA will be meeting at the end of October to provide guidelines for winter sport teams and for hosting competitions. These guidelines must be in compliance with the ISBE and IDPH guidelines in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic.
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
1. In regard to agenda items – none.
2. In general (Limited to 5 minutes per person.) – none.
OLD BUSINESS
A. DISCUSSION/ACTION ON REVISED DISTRICT POLICIES
The first reading took place on August 26, 2020, and the second reading on September 2, 2020. The Board Policy Committee met before the board meeting for the final reading of the revised policies. The majority of policy revisions were required due to new Federal guidance regarding Title IX. It was the recommendation of the School Board’s Policy Committee for the Board to approve the policies as presented.
2:150-AP Superintendent Committees
2:250-E2 Immediately Available District Public Records and Web-Posted Reports and Records
2:260 Uniform Grievance Procedure
2:260-AP1 Guidelines for Investigating Complaints Filed Under Policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure, and Allegations of Misconduct
2:260-AP2 Nondiscrimination Coordinator and Compliant Manager
2:265 Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure
2:265-AP1 Title IX Sexual Harassment Response
2:265-AP2 Formal Title IX Sexual Harassment Compliant Grievance Process
2:265-E Title IX Sexual Harassment Glossary of Terms
4:180-AP1 School Action Steps for Pandemic Influenza or Other Virus/Disease
4:180-AP2 Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Reporting
5:10 Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment
5:20 Workplace Harassment Prohibited
5:90-AP Coordination with Children's Advocacy Center
5:100 Staff Development Program
5:200 Terms and Conditions of Employment and Dismissal
5:220 Substitute Teachers
5:330 Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays, and Leaves
7:10 Equal Education Opportunities
7:10-AP1 Accommodating Transgender Students or Gender Non-Conforming Students
7:20 Harassment of Students Prohibited
7:180 Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment
7:185 Teen Dating Violence Prohibited
7:190-E2 Student Handbook Checklist
7:345-AP Use of Educational Technologies; Student Data Privacy and Security
Mr. Bianchetta moved and Mr. Harmon seconded to approve the final draft of the revised District Policies as presented.
Roll Call.
Ayes: Robert Bianchetta, Quint Harmon, Jeff Emerson, Mary Gill, Shawn Hamilton, Chuck Lander, Ken Miller Nays:
Motion Carried.
B. DISCUSSION ON SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH PROCESS WITH IASB
At the September 30 Board meeting, Alan Molby from the Illinois Association of School Boards explained their Superintendent Search process. Board President Miller led a follow up discussion, and although the Board has made no decision on the timing of hiring a new superintendent, they are planning to move forward with the preliminary phase of the search process with the IASB which includes completing survey data and gathering other feedback. The Board will discuss further at their October Study Session.
C. DISCUSSION ON RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN
Dr. Bugg discussed the status of the Return to School Plan including reconvening the Transition Planning Teaching & Learning Committee to begin in-person learning transition discussions. Now that the District has implemented the Return to School Plan for seven weeks, Dr. Bugg discussed the importance of the organization spending time evaluating our successes and challenges with the goal of making any revisions the organization deems advantageous to our students, community and staff. Also, Dr. Bugg stressed the importance of our school district being ready when the time comes that the State and/or local public health professionals say schools should be back to a traditional, full-time schedule. The Transition Planning Teaching and Learning Committee held its first meeting on this topic Tuesday afternoon with more meetings to come. Once this committee makes their recommendations, the Health and Safety Committee and the Facilities and Operations
Committee will also reconvene to review their plans and the recommendations from the Teaching and Learning Committee. Dr. Bugg reported to the Board the importance of following our school district's past process for continuous improvement, which is to plan, implement, evaluate and adjust. The District has planned and implemented, which means it is important that we spend time evaluating our current practice and making any adjustments the organization deems necessary for continuous improvement. This process will take time to complete as there are three different committees that have work to do. Dr. Bugg will provide an "in progress" report on this topic at the October Study Session.
D. DISCUSSION ON THE ANNOUNCED CLOSURE OF THE DRESDEN STATION
Dr. Bugg reviewed current issues surrounding the announced premature closure of the Dresden Station, including efforts to keep the plant open and the school district’s planning process should the station close. Discussion was held on the proactive measures the school district is taking to advocate for keeping the nuclear station open. Dr. Bugg reported that a very positive sign was the involvement of organized labor and their Climate Jobs Illinois initiative. The Board also held significant discussion on the financial planning process should the Dresden Station actually close. Dr. Bugg reviewed the financial timeline and reinforced the need to start the financial planning process as soon as possible. The Board agreed with this and directed Dr. Bugg to develop a "Post-Dresden Strategic Plan" together for their consideration. The Board also requested that Dr. Bugg reconvene the District's "Budget Efficiency Committee" to begin preliminary discussions with school district faculty and staff about this issue.
NEW BUSINESS
A. DISCUSSION/ACTION ON ACCEPTING THE DONATION FROM KOHLER COMPANY
Kohler Company donated 17 engines to the Industrial Arts program at the High School. The donation included 11 new vertical shafts, 4 new horizontal shafts, and 2 vertical 2 cylinder engines. Small engines account for 90% the labs in the Small Engines class, and this donation of new engines will have a profound impact on the course.
Mr. Lander moved and Mrs. Gill seconded to approve the small engines donation from Kohler Company to the Industrial Arts program.
Roll Call.
Ayes: Chuck Lander, Mary Gill, Robert Bianchetta, Jeff Emerson, Shawn Hamilton, Quint Harmon, Ken Miller Nays:
Motion Carried.
B. DISCUSSION/ACTION ON MANAGED SERVICES AGREEMENT
CSBO Jason Smith discussed entering into a Managed Service Agreement for Technology Support. Due to the current demands on the technology department and the inability to find qualified candidates for openings, Mr. Smith recommended entering into an agreement with
RTI for $1000/month with a 30 day out clause. RIT will monitor core systems (network switches, servers, etc.) and will respond with the acumen required to correct issues in a timely manner. The cost of this service is far less than hiring a staff member with the qualifications required to monitor all the systems in place.
Mr. Hamilton moved and Mr. Harmon seconded to approve the Managed Services Agreement with RTI for $1,000 per month as presented.
Roll Call.
Ayes: Shawn Hamilton, Quint Harmon, Robert Bianchetta, Jeff Emerson, Mary Gill, Chuck Lander, Ken Miller Nays:
Motion Carried.
C. DISCUSSION ON TRANSPORTATION CONTRACT WITH ILLINOIS CENTRAL
Dr. Bugg discussed the current status of the transportation contract with Illinois Central that expires at the end of FY21. Dr. Bugg sent a letter to Illinois Central regarding the current contract to invoke Section 19, which is the option of a 2-year extension by mutual agreement. Dr. Bugg will discuss the matter at the next Board meeting.
OPEN FOR ITEMS NOT KNOWN AT AGENDA PREPARATION TIME
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
1. In regard to agenda items – none.
2. In general (Limited to 5 minutes per person.) – none.
BOARD STUDY SESSION OF THE WHOLE DATE: OCTOBER 28, 2020 @ 6 P.M. In Coal City CUSD #1 Administrative Center Board Room
NEXT REGULAR MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 4, 2020 @ 6 P.M. In Coal City CUSD #1 Administrative Center Board Room
ADJOURNMENT
The Board did not need to go into closed session. Mr. Emerson moved and Mr. Lander seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:03 p.m. President Miller asked if there was any opposition to the motion, hearing none considers the motion approved.
https://4.files.edl.io/440b/11/09/20/150016-953b6067-21c7-41b0-8c7d-55a19099f493.pdf
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