Grundy Reporter

Coal City Community Unit School District #1 Board Study Session of the Whole met April 25.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

Roll Call:

President Miller called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Coal City Community Unit School District #1 District Office Board Room. In attendance were Board members Robert Bianchetta, Mary Gill, Shawn Hamilton, Quint Harmon, Chuck Lander, and Ken Miller. Board member Jeff Emerson was not in attendance. Superintendent Kent Bugg, CSBO Jason Smith, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Tammy Elledge, Director of Special Populations Sandy Rakes and board secretary Karen Vota were also in attendance.

Pledge of Allegiance:

President Miller led the Board of Education and others present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Discussion on Proposed Drama Club Trip to New York City:

Drama Club Sponsor Jack Micetich was in attendance with club members Lauren Phillips and Cody Rodgers to review a proposal for an educational trip to New York City in March 2019. A proposed itinerary was reviewed along with potential service-oriented fundraisers for the club to sponsor in order to raise funds for the trip. The Board will consider the trip further at the May 2 Board meeting.

Discussion on School Safety:

At the April 4 Board meeting, Dr. Bugg reviewed and discussed the feedback received from the District #1 Staff Focus Group and the Parental Focus Group on School Safety. The Board asked to further discuss this issue with the goal of developing a School Safety Action Plan. Dr. Bugg reviewed the final list of school safety recommendations. Dr. Bugg, along with Board Members Quint Harmon and Ken Miller, will meet with Chief Best to prioritize the list of recommendations prior to developing a final School Safety Action Plan for Board approval.

Discussion on Revised Facilities Use Request Forms:

At the April 4 Board meeting, Dr. Bugg reviewed recommended changes to the Facility Use Request form. The Board asked to review a summary of building use requests from the current and past school year. Recommended changes to the billing structure as outlined on the updated forms was also reviewed. The new Facility Usage Forms for the Performing Arts Center and all other facilities in the District will be on the May 2 Board meeting agenda for further consideration.

Second Reading on Revised District Policies:

The First Reading took place at the April 4 Board Meeting. The policy committee recently met to review the proposed revisions. The Board will conduct a final reading at the May 2 meeting.

2:260 Uniform Grievance Procedure

4:40 Incurring Debt

4:40-AP Preparing and Updating Disclosures

4:110 Transportation

5:20 Workplace Harassment Prohibited

5:20-E Resolution to Prohibit Sexual Harassment

5:170 Copyright

Grundy County Chamber 2018 Community Guide:

The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce has invited Coal City School District #1 to participate in the 2018 Community Guide. The Board reviewed information on advertisement pricing. The Board generally felt that due to financial considerations, they would not advertise our school district in the Grundy County Chamber 2018 Community Guide.

Staffing for 2018 – 2019:

Dr. Bugg reviewed staffing needs for 2018-2019. After discussion, the Board decided to wait on all staffing recommendations until they receive more information on the status of the tax agreement with Exelon regarding the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. They also want to see if any further staffing recommendations result from the School Safety Action Plan.

Discussion on Proposed Tornado Sculpture:

Dr. Bugg and CSBO Jason Smith discussed the proposal made by Intermediate School Teacher Betsy Cowherd to place a sculpture made of scrap material collected after the tornados, on school property. Dr. Bugg has been in contact with the Village of Coal City and may consider partnering with them to place the sculpture on village property. The Board will discuss this further at a future meeting.

Finance Reports:

The monthly revenue and expenditure summary reports for March were reviewed. Detailed reports were available in the Business Office for review prior to the meeting. The Treasurer’s report, investment report and lunch program report for March were also reviewed.

The Board learned that the District received an Aa3 Bond Rating from Moody's. As the Board looks to refinance existing bond debt to take advantage of lower interest rates, this positive bond rating is very good news. Considering the majority of the school district's assessed value is concentrated in one source (Dresden), they were very pleased with this bond rating. The Board of Education's philosophy on maintaining reserves and their commitment to balanced budgets was the primary factor in this bond rating determination.

Open:

a) Items not known at agenda preparation time

Dr. Bugg asked if a Board member would be willing to attend the Discipline Committee meeting at the High School on Monday, April 30 at 4:30 p.m. Board member Quint Harmon will attend the meeting in place of Chuck Lander.

The Board received an update on the process for them to choose architect services in the future. This year's Board Strategic Plan called for a review of various professional services, and architect services fell under that list. Seven applicants responded to the request for qualifications to provide architectural services. All seven applicants will be interviewed by a committee on May 14 and 15. The finalists will be interviewed at the May Study Session.

b) Sharing Ideas / Information

Adjournment:

Mr. Lander moved and Mr. Hamilton seconded to adjourn at 7:20 p.m. the Board Study Session of the Whole meeting.

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