East Central Reporter

Arcola School District #306 Board of Education met June 10.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

A regular meeting of the Board of Education of Arcola Community Unit District #306 Arcola, Illinois was called to order in the Media Center at 7:01 p.m. and via zoom for the purpose of regular business. The meeting was live streamed on Facebook for public access.

President Strader called the meeting to order. The following members answered roll call: Crane, Stout, Shonkwiler, Thieman, Wesch, Arrol and Strader.

Others present were: Tom Mulligan, Jennifer Frichtl, Lisa Sigrist, Angie Gentry, Cathy Brimner, Allison Phillips, and Amanda Kessler. The meeting was shared on Facebook Live.

President Strader recognized the visitors and asked for public comment.

Dr. Mulligan introduced the junior class sponsors, Amanda Kessler and Allison Phillips, who are in charge of planning prom. Both Mrs. Kessler and Mrs. Phillips felt that due to the uncertainty surrounding social distancing guidelines, it would be in everyone’s best interest to cancel the event. Along with Mrs. Sigrist, they discussed that it could be difficult to get students to adhere to the rules, which brought up a concern of liability. There are also several logistical concerns (venue, DJ, decorations, attire, etc.). Mrs. Sigrist reported that 42 students responded to a student survey that had been sent out to the junior and senior classes regarding prom. About half of those who responded stated they were interested in attending a prom if one were held. Dr. Mulligan discussed that a few senior parents presented a detailed proposal of how the event could still be held. The school staff will make a decision on whether or not to cancel prom soon.

Dr. Mulligan stated that a parent had submitted a letter to be read to the board during the public comment period. He indicated that the parent had requested that it be read during closed session.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Thieman, to enter executive session at 7:27 p.m. to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in an educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body; and collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedule for one or more classes of employees. Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Thieman, seconded by Wesch, to return to regular session at 8:05 p.m. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

There were no pending FOIA requests.

President Strader opened the public hearing for the amended budget. There were no questions so he closed the hearing.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Shonkwiler, to approve the regular meeting minutes and closed session minutes from May 13, 2020 and the Special meeting minutes from May 26, 2020. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Wesch, seconded by Thieman, to approve the Treasurer’s Report as of May 31, 2020 as submitted. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Crane, seconded by Shonkwiler, to approve the payment of bills as submitted in the amount of $713,351.91. The Board also authorizes the Superintendent to pay bills that come in before June 30, 2020 that are part of the 2019-2020 budget. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Thieman, seconded by Wesch, to approve the payment of payroll in the amount of $443,482.21. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Business:

Motion by Stout, seconded by Thieman, to approve the amended budget for the 2019-2020 school year. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Crane, to table the vote on the Property Casualty Renewal. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Thieman, seconded by Shonkwiler, to approve the renewal with the Workers Compensation Self-Insurance Trust and the Pooling Agreement. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Wesch, to approve the Illinois High School Catastrophic Injury Insurance for Senior High School athletes at a cost of $1,269. The cost per student remained the same $6.22. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Wesch, to approve the Arcola First Bank as depository for the 2020- 2021 school year. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Thieman, to approve the second reading of the policy changes for PRESS Packet, March 2020. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Wesch, to approve the purchase of new band uniforms in the amount of $33,624 to be purchased with the remaining Phillip Ray Trust Funds. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Thieman, seconded by Stout, to approve the increase in lunch prices for 2020-2021 as recommended. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Crane, seconded by Shonkwiler, to approve the natural gas agreement, stating that the District will remain on the market rate from July 1 to November 30 and then the managed rate from December 1 to March 31. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Shonkwiler, to approve a three-year renewal for the elementary math program, Go Math, at a cost of $19,953.03. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Thieman, to approve the purchase of furniture for the new elementary school office and library in the amount of $18,400.95. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Administrative Team Reports

~~Mrs. Gentry, Principal, Arcola Elementary – Mrs. Gentry discussed a few key takeaways from the remote learning experience. She noted the strength of the elementary staff to work as a team; that inequity is real and it is harder to mitigate without students being physically present; that flexibility is necessary for successful remote learning; there is no substitute for in-person instruction; that our district has amazing families; and it forced staff to be creative.

~~Mrs. Sigrist, Principal, Arcola Jr/Sr High – Mrs. Sigirst also reflected on remote learning. While many things had to change, the high school tried to maintain some sense of normalcy by still having an 8th grade promotion ceremony, a senior honors night, and graduation activities (all done virtually and/or while adhering to social distancing guidelines). After reviewing all the attendance data for the year and comparing with the previous year, Mrs. Sigrist was happy to report that changes made to the planned absence policy for the 2019-2020 school year had successfully reduced the number of tardies, unexcused absences, and planned absences.

~~Mrs. Brimner, Director of Special Services – Mrs. Brimner’s report provided an update on the status of all the special education services provided right now. One difficulty for special education during the closure was that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act did not make adjustments in the law regarding timelines. While challenging, the teams did a great job meeting all of the timelines for evaluations and annual IEPs.

~~Dr. Mulligan, Superintendent – Dr. Mulligan reported that the committee has come up with a good plan for the tile and color scheme for the elementary addition and renovation. Not everyone on the committee agrees with every aspect, but all were willing to compromise. Dr. Mulligan also asked for the board members’ opinions regarding a new sign for the elementary. He is going to review the budget numbers for the entire project, and then the Finance Committee will meet to discuss the options.

Motion by Thieman, seconded by Shonkwiler, to enter executive session at 9:36 p.m. to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in an educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body; and collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedule for one or more classes of employees. Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Thieman, seconded by Wesch, to return to regular session at 10:33 p.m. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Stout, to approve the resignation of Keli Egan as a First Grade Teacher. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Thieman, to approve the maternity leave request for Jen Myers. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Wesch, to approve the superintendent evaluation as discussed. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Announcements: Special Board Meeting – June 30, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

Motion by Shonkwiler, seconded by Wesch, to adjourn at 10:40 p.m. Roll call vote: Crane, aye; Stout, aye; Shonkwiler, aye; Thieman, aye; Wesch, aye; Arrol, aye; Strader, aye. 7 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/792966/Board_Minutes_-_Regular_Meeting_06.10.2020.pdf