Grundy Reporter

Coal City Community Unit School District 1 Board of Education met Sept. 25.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Roll Call

Vice-President Hamilton 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, Jeff Emerson, Mary Gill, Quint Harmon, and Shawn Hamilton. Board member Chuck Lander and Board President Ken Miller was not in attendance. Superintendent Kent Bugg, CSBO Jason Smith, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Tammy Elledge, Special Populations Director Sandy Rakes, and board secretary Karen Vota were also in attendance.

Discussion on Building Level Activity Fund Accounts

At the September 4 Board meeting, district auditor Tawnya Mack reviewed updated law regarding the reporting of activity funds. Dr. Bugg and CSBO Jason Smith reviewed the components of the law and the Board discussed how the district should plan to comply with the new requirements. The Board policy committee will review current policy and report back to the Board at a future meeting.

Discussion on the Board Strategic Plan

Dr. Bugg provided an update on the Board Strategic Plan. The new "School Safety Advisory Committee" will be holding their first meeting within the next two weeks. This is a new committee the Board established that will include representation from the Board, administration, Union, support staff, and parents. The goal of this committee is to provide the Board with feedback on our current School Safety Action Plan and also make recommendations for enhancements to the plan.

The Board will also be engaging the school district architects to go through a Master Facilities Planning process, which will assess our current buildings, athletic fields, and school district-owned properties. The plan will also predict the future facility needs of the school district so the Board can properly prepare for those needs. This process will engage many different people within and outside of our school district for feedback and ideas.

The Strategic Plan also calls for the development of a "Budget Efficiency Plan" to review current expenditures, staffing levels and resource allocation. This plan will be used by the Board for future planning purposes and will also require feedback from various aspects of the organization.

The Strategic Plan is meant to be a document that promotes and guides the continuous improvement efforts of the school district. There will be more information shared as those initiatives move forward.

Discussion on Possible Change in Negative Lunch Account Balance Procedure

Dr. Bugg discussed a proposed change in the negative lunch account balance procedure. After review of the proposed change, the Board generally felt that to help negative lunch balances from growing at the High School, students should no longer be able to purchase ala carte items when their account reaches -$5.00. Ala carte items will be denied until the negative account balance is paid. Students will never be denied a reimbursable meat, even if they have accrued a negative balance from previous purchases as per State law. The new policy will be communicated to parents via email and students will be notified during the daily announcements.

Discussion on Educational Travel Club Trip to Italy and Spain in 2021

High School Spanish Teacher Kimberly Sondgeroth organized a trip to Italy and Spain for the Educational Travel Club. The proposal was reviewed by the Board. The Board asked for additional information before approving the trip.

Finance Reports

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

Open

a) Items not known at agenda preparation time

b) Sharing Ideas / Information

Closed Session

At 6:39 p.m. a motion made by Mr. Emerson and seconded by Mr. Bianchetta to go into closed session for the purpose of considering information regarding the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired, 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5).

Roll Call

Ayes: Jeff Emerson, Robert Bianchetta, Mary Gill, Shawn Hamilton, Quint Harmon

Absent: Chuck Lander, Ken Miller Nays:

Motion Carried.

When the Board returned to open session, President Miller called the study session back to order at 6:51 p.m. with the board members answering roll call present: Robert Bianchetta, Jeff Emerson, Mary Gill, Quint Harmon, and Shawn Hamilton. Board member Chuck Lander and Board President Ken Miller were not in attendance.

https://4.files.edl.io/87a0/10/07/19/191439-b8bdcc7d-c80e-4fbc-b9c6-a248ca2c075d.pdf