East Central Reporter

Casey Westfield Community Unit School District C-4 Board of Education met Nov. 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

1) The Casey-Westfield Board of Education met in regular session at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, November 20, 2023 at the Unit Office, 401 E. Main, Casey, IL. Upon roll call, members present were Fain, Gelb, Hickox, Perie, Sharp and Todd. Administrators present were Linda Campbell, Kacie Rhoads, Dalton McFarland, Jim Sullivan and Dee Scott.

2) President Gelb recognized visitors Hannah Todd, Julie Tutewiler, Haley Honselman and Jennifer Harris.

3) Act upon the following consent agenda items:

A. Minutes of the regular meeting of October 16, 2023;

B. Financial and budgetary reports and current invoices for payment;

C. Destruction of the verbatim record of those meetings 18 months and older as authorized by Board Policy 220 and 220-E1;

D. Policy updates and revisions in Exhibit A;

E. School Report Cards (illinoisreportcard.com) and Improvement plans.

Motion by Perie and seconded by Sharp. Upon roll call, members voting yea were Fain, Gelb, Hickox, Perie, Sharp and Todd. The President declared the motion carried.

4) Review of the Proposed 2023 Tax Levy—Dee Scott reviewed the proposed levy, noting that all five counties are predicting significant increases in EAV (equalized assessed valuation). She recommended an increase in the levy over the previous year of approximately 10%. The levy will be finalized and approved at the December 18 board meeting.

5) Administrator Reports

A. Maintenance Project Lists—projections for maintenance throughout the district were reviewed. It was noted that the district has a 10-year Health Life Safety review in 2025 and many projects will be accomplished through that process. The board discussed improvements needed at Monroe gym and asked for more information on potential cost for improvements.

B. Monroe Wall Installation—the district is ready to go out for bids for this project to be completed in the summer of 2024. Walls and doors will be installed in the 1972 addition to improve the learning environment and increase safety.

C. The building principals shared written reports. The board noted that the test scores for our students were very good this past year and expressed gratitude to the teachers and principals for their hard work. Tracy Gelb commented that both Veteran’s Day programs were very moving and well done.

6) Addendum—Tracy Gelb noted that five board members attended the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago this past weekend. She felt it was a good conference but needed more focus on rural district issues. The need for more thorough cleaning at Roosevelt was discussed as well as concerns with the scoreboard and PA systems functionality. Jeremy Perie asked to discuss the possibility of adding a 5th/6th grade basketball team. Jim Sullivan noted that he would have Josh Roberts look into it. A scoreboard proposal will also be provided for Monroe School.

7) Act upon approval to adjourn to closed session under c1 (employment) and c21 (discussion closed meeting minutes) of section 5 ILCS 120/1 et seq. of the Illinois Open Meetings Act at 7:35 p.m.

Motion by Sharp and seconded by Todd. Upon roll call, members voting yea were Fain, Gelb, Hickox, Perie, Sharp and Todd. The President declared the motion carried.

8) Act upon approval to reconvene to regular session at 8:19 p.m.

Motion by Todd and seconded by Perie. Upon roll call, members voting yea were Fain, Gelb, Hickox, Perie, Sharp and Todd. The President declared the motion carried.

9) Act upon the following consent agenda items:

A. Act upon approval of closed session minutes of October 16, 2023.

B. Act upon approval of employment recommendations.

1. Act upon approval of resignations from:

i. Julie Wortman as Unit Secretary effective November 3, 2023.

2. Act upon approval of employment of:

i. Joie Ridge as JSHS Secretary;

ii. Stephanie Lamb as 1:1 Student Aide;

iii. Amy Hines as Classroom Aide;

iv. Jeannine Roseberry as 5th Grade Teacher effective January 3, 2024;

v. 2024-2025 Contract for Elementary Principal Kacie Rhoads; and

vi. Extension of Sandy Hibschman’s retirement date to June 30, 2024.

Motion by Hickox and seconded by Sharp. Upon roll call, members voting yea were Fain, Gelb, Hickox, Perie, Sharp and Todd. The President declared the motion carried.

10) Addendum—Tracy Gelb noted that she attended a meeting last week on Hickory Grove Wind Farm. She noted that wind farms generate considerable tax revenues and this one is proposed to be in Coles, Clark and Edgar counties. Shane Todd inquired as to whether the blue mound solar farm is still going in.

11) Act upon approval to adjourn at 8:29 p.m.

Motion by Perie and seconded by Hickox. Upon roll call, members voting yea were Fain, Gelb, Hickox, Perie, Sharp and Todd. The President declared the motion carried.

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1373/Casey_Westfield/3741903/11-20-23_Regular_Minutes.pdf