East Central Reporter

Arcola Community Unit School District #306 Board of Education met June 14.

Here are 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 High School Library at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 for the purpose of regular business.

President L. Shonkwiler called the meeting to order. The following members answered roll call: Stout, L. Shonkwiler, Conlin, Leyva-Sanchez, Myers, and J. Shonkwiler.

Others present were: Tom Mulligan, Jennifer Frichtl, Angie Gentry, Megan Clark, Nick Lindsey, Amber Behrends, David Porter, Melissa Conlin, Julie Gauna, and Nancy Branson.

President L. Shonkwiler recognized the visitors and asked for public comment. There were no comments.

Dr. Mulligan said he did have one FOIA request that he responded to from a media source requesting information about vendors providing diversity, equity, and inclusion services.

President L. Shonkwiler opened the public hearing for the 2022-2023 Amended Budget. There were no questions or comments so he closed the hearing.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Myers, to approve the special reorganizational meeting minutes and the regular meeting minutes from May 10, 2023 and the Policy Committee meeting minutes from April 24, 2023. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by J. Shonkwiler, seconded by Conlin, to approve the Treasurer’s Report as of May 31, 2023 as submitted. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by J. Shonkwiler, to approve the payment of bills as submitted in the amount of $354,383.49. The Board also authorizes the Superintendent to pay bills that come in before June 30, 2023 that are part of the 2022-2023 budget. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Myers, seconded by Stout, to approve the payment of payroll in the amount of $512,867.03. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Business:

Motion by Stout, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the agreement with Presence Learning for psychology services for 2023-2024 for a minimum of $30,000. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by J. Shonkwiler, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the annual renewal with the Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Trust (WCSIT) in the amount of $37,006. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Conlin, to approve the Illinois High School Catastrophic Injury Insurance for Senior High School Athletes renewal at a cost of $1,269. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Myers, seconded by Stout, to approve the second reading of the March 2023 PRESS Packet. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System (EFE) 340 Intergovernmental Agreement Resolution that guides our district involvement with EFE. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by J. Shonkwiler, to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement Between the Arcola School District #306 and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services allowing the school to bill for Medicaid services. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Myers, seconded by Conlin, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Arcola Prevention Initiative Program (if funded) and Various Agencies. Those agencies include Parenting with Parents, Embarrass Head Start, Arcola Community and Economic Development Group, Arthur School District 305, Douglas County Health Department, Tuscola School District 301, Child and Family Connections #19, and the Mi Raza Community Center. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Myers, to approve the sale, disposal, and/or donation of unused athletic jerseys, old elementary instructional materials, old dividers and supplies used during COVID, and old iPads. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the agreement with GoGuardian for a new content filtering and threat detection service in the amount of $12,200. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by J. Shonkwiler, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the amended budget for 2022-2023 as presented. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Conlin, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the second reading of school handbooks for 2023-2024. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Administrative Team Reports

Mrs. Gentry provided her final report to the board before her retirement begins. She reported that thirty-four students participated in the high-impact tutoring offered during the second semester. The Student Support Team (SST) met weekly all year. They had a total of 35 students referred to them and were able to dismiss 18 of those students over the year. She reported they had 8 students working with truancy during the school year and they were able to dismiss all 8 students. Summer school is going well with 50-55 kids attending consistently. Mrs. Gentry took a moment to express her gratitude for her 32 years spent at Arcola, as both a teacher and an administrator. She couldn’t imagine a better place to have spent her educational career. The Board and administrators all expressed their sincere gratitude for the years of service Mrs. Gentry has given to the students and staff at Arcola, for all the support and guidance. Her impact will be felt for years to come. Mr. Lindsey reported that promotion and graduation both went well. They compared eligibility data from the 21-22 and 22-23 school years and noted that has been much improvement. The high school staff has requested that working lunch be implemented at the high school level next school year for students on the eligibility list. The junior high has had great success with working lunch. Dr. Mulligan was happy to report that Sue is meticulously reviewing the sports banners and the finish line is close. A meeting will need to be held once the swatches arrive so decisions can be finalized.

Motion by Myers, seconded by Stout, to enter into executive session at 7:48 p.m. to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors, or specific volunteers of the District or legal counsel for the District, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, a specific individual who serves as an independent contractor, or a volunteer of the District or against legal counsel for the District to determine its validity. Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by J. Shonkwiler, seconded by Conlin, to return to regular session at 8:56 p.m. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Myers, to approve the employment of Jill Raymond as Color Guard Sponsor and Kourtney Wilham as Preschool Teacher. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by J. Shonkwiler, seconded by Myers, to approve the maternity leave for Christa McCrate. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Motion by Stout, seconded by Leyva-Sanchez, to approve the superintendent evaluation. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

Announcements: None

Motion by Myers, seconded by J. Shonkwiler, to adjourn at 8:58 p.m. Roll call vote: Stout, aye; L. Shonkwiler, aye; Conlin, aye; Leyva-Sanchez, aye; Myers, aye; J. Shonkwiler, aye. 6 ayes. 0 nays. Motion carried.

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