MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING OF THE PAXTON-BUCKLEY-LODA
COMMUNITY UNIT
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 10
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF FORD, CHAMPAIGN, VERMILION, IROQUOIS, AND LIVINGSTON
COUNTIES OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS HELD WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007 AT 7:10
P.M. AT THE PAXTON-BUCKLEY-LODA BOARD ROOM IN PAXTON, ILLINOIS.
President Mike
Short called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
Upon roll call, the following board members answered
present: Dawn Bachtold, David Dowling, Mike Short, Phillip
Duling, Shawn Young,
and Dean
Swan. Jeff Jarboe
was absent.
Others present were Tara Tighe,
Cliff McClure, John Rawdin, Trent Eshleman, Stan Daro,
Amy Teske, Marilyn
Weber, Marvin Barger, Christine
Williams, Dave Harber,
Barry Wright, Travis Tate, Mike Brehm,
Kevin Heid, Jeff Graham, Dave Harber,
Danielle Fouse, Nancy Dewey, Kristin Oyer, Felix Cardosa, Janice Crank, Bobby Wright, and Jimmy Shields.
Phillip Duling made a motion to approve the consent agenda
as well as the special meeting minutes of September 4, 2007. Dawn Bachtold
seconded the motion. Upon
roll call, all members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion
carried.
Mr. McClure introduced Nancy Dewey to the Board. Ms. Dewey introduced her students and advised
the Board that the students are here to listen to the Board meeting for her
Resource Management class. Mr. McClure
also introduced Travis Tate to the Board.
Mr. Tate is the new reporter for the Paxton
Record.
Mr. McClure informed the Board that the meeting will skip to
Agenda Item No. 8.4. Mr. McClure
introduced Kevin Heid of First
Midstate, Inc. to the Board. Mr. Heid handed
each Board member a packet and stated that he attended the Finance Committee
earlier this evening. Mr. Heid explained
that Chapman & Cutler will write a legal opinion for the District and that
First Midstate, Inc. will be the underwriter of the bond documents for the
District. Mr. Heid assured the Board
that he will work with the District and will help in any way he can during this
process. Mr. Heid went over Page 4 of
his packet with the Board pointing out the District’s bonding capacity is
$11,356,149.00 and that the District is wanting to bond approximately
$2,000,000.00. Mr. Heid suggested that
the District hold the bond hearing at the October Board meeting in order to
keep the process moving. Mr. McClure
stated the Finance committee is recommending the Board approve Chapman &
Cutler as bond counsel for the health/life safety bond issuance and to approve
First Midstate, Inc. as underwriter for the health/life safety bond
issuance. Shawn
Young made a motion to approve Chapman & Cutler as bond
counsel for the health/life safety bond issuance and to approve First Midstate,
Inc. as underwriter for the health/life safety bond issuance. Dean Swan seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all members present voted
aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
At this time, Mr. McClure advised the Board will skip to
Agenda Item No. 8.1. Mr. McClure
introduced Mr. Russell Leigh to the Board who conducted the annual audit this
summer. Mr. Leigh handed each Board
member a packet and proceeded to go over the packet with the Board. Mr. Leigh advised that he feels internal
controls are clean, however according to the State there are not enough people
involved for internal controls. Mr.
Leigh stated the District’s revenue reflects a slight increase as does the
District’s expenditures which reflect good management and control of the
District’s expenses. Mr. Leigh went over
the management letter with the Board and pointed out a few minor findings. Mr. Leigh explained the management letter
which contained three (3) findings. The
first finding was the bank account was not balanced from September 2006 through
the remainder of the fiscal year.
Although the bank account was not off by a significant amount, there
were numerous adjustments that needed to be made to balance the account. The second finding was the High School
activity fund account was not balanced which was not off by a significant
amount. Mr. Leigh stated several items
needed to be corrected to balance. The
last finding was some activity fund checks over $1,000.00 that were issued did
not have the Superintendent’s signature and approval on the voucher requests. Mr. Leigh assured the Board that all of these
findings were minor and very correctable, and with proper training and more
experience this kind of findings should dissipate. Dean Swan made a motion to approve the FY 2007 audit for
the Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUSD No. 10.
Phillip Duling seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all members present voted aye,
there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Mr. McClure introduced Dave Harber
to the Board. Mr. Harber addressed the
Board with regard to the High School Math curriculum. Mr. Harber stated the High School Guidance
Department is making sure the students can make the necessary requirements of
20 credits in order to graduate. Mr.
Harber also informed the Board of Newton’s Academy which is a remediation
program. Mr. McClure advised that this
program is a precursor to a referral into special education. The program will provide intervention for
students struggling.
Mr. McClure introduced John Rawdin,
Janice Crank, and Kristin Oyer to the Board.
Mr. Rawdin addressed the Board with regard to the High School policy
changes with regard to grade classification and graduation requirements and
handed each Board member a packet detailing the changes. Mr. Rawdin explained that starting with the
Class of 2011 students will be classified as a Freshman with less than 4.5
credits, as a Sophomore with a minimum of 4.5 credits, as a Junior with a
minimum of 9 credits, and as a Senior with a minimum of 13.5 credits. Mr. Rawdin stated the grade classifications
for the Classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010 will remain the same. Mr. Rawdin informed the Board of the student
status of credits as of the close of the 2006/2007 school year:
FRESHMAN: Students with less than 4 credits = 16 students
Students
with less than 4.5 credits = 20 students
Students
with less than 5 credits = 32 students
SOPHOMORE: Students with less than 8 credits = 7 students
Students
with less than 8.5 credits = 13 students
Students
with less than 9 credits = 16 students
Students
with less than 9.5 credits = 19 students
Students
with less than 10 credits = 28 students
JUNIOR: Students with less than 12 credits = 1
student
Students
with less than 13 credits = 6 students
Students
with less than 13.5 credits = 7 students
Students
with less than 14 credits = 12 students
Students
with less than 14.5 credits = 14 students
Students
with less than 15 credits = 17 students
Mr. McClure suggested to the High School Guidance Department
to have parental meetings and/or phone calls to the parents explaining this
process and information to make them aware of the situation. Mr. McClure also suggested the Board wait
until October’s Board meeting to approve the implementation of the new grade
classifications but to have the High School Guidance Department begin with the
parental meetings and/or phone calls to make them aware of the situation.
Mr. McClure advised the Board that the Building and Grounds
Committee met on August 22,
2007 to prioritize the various capital projects of the
District. Mr. McClure handed each Board
member a spreadsheet showing the various capital projects and advised that the
committee is recommending Dan Moore
of FGM to prepare the necessary health/life safety amendments for these
projects. Mr. McClure thanked Andy Bennett, Mike
Frichtl, and Dean
Swan for all their hard work on the all-weather track as well
as Bruce Fuoss from Iroquois Paving. On October 1st, the rubberized
surface will be installed on the track.
Mr. McClure also stated that Dan
Moore and Shawna Knapp of FGM have
been very attentive to the District.
Mr. McClure stated the Finance Committee met prior to the
Board meeting this evening, and no further report is needed.
With regard to the Policy Review Committee, Ms. Tighe
advised the Board that there is a redundancy in Policy No. 2:110 and Policy No.
2:112 regarding qualifications of school board officers which also covers the
recording secretary. Ms. Tighe suggested
to the Board to eliminate the older policy from the policy manual and to
approve this at next month’s Board meeting.
Mr. McClure stated the Insurance
Committee met recently with Ron Ray and Brian Loman of Ray
& Associates, Inc. regarding the District’s health insurance. Mr. McClure advised that Mr. Ray and Mr.
Loman are health insurance brokers, and the committee is recommending a one (1)
year agreement for them to represent the District as agent of record for health
insurance purposes. Mr. McClure stated
that this company will provide the District with more choices, likely reduce
the health insurance costs, and be the agent of record to handle all the
negotiations with the health insurance providers.
Phillip Duling
made a motion to approve the 2007/2008 Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUSD No. 10
budget. Dean Swan seconded the
motion. Upon roll call, all members
present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Mr. McClure advised the Board they need to make a decision
about the Targeting Achievement through Governance (TAG) program which is free
to District’s that have not met AYP for 2 consecutive years. Mr. McClure summarized the program to the
Board, and the Board unanimously agreed to not participate in the TAG program
at this time.
Mr. McClure informed the Board of the District’s 6th
day attendance: Clara Peterson – 343,
Eastlawn Elementary – 338, Junior High – 356, and High School – 463 for a total
of 1,500 students.
Mr. McClure stated that every year the Board approves the
ISBE Application for Recognition of Schools for each building. Dave Dowling made a motion to approve the
ISBE Application for Recognition of Schools for Clara Peterson. Dawn Bachtold
seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all
members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried. Dawn Bachtold
made a motion to approve the ISBE Application for Recognition of Schools for
Eastlawn Elementary. Dave Dowling
seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all
members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried. Dave Dowling made a motion to approve the
ISBE Application for Recognition of Schools for the Junior High. Phillip Duling seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all members present voted
aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried. Dawn Bachtold
made a motion to approve the ISBE Application for Recognition of Schools for
the High School. Dave Dowling seconded the
motion. Upon roll call, all members
present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Dawn Bachtold
made a motion to approve Ray & Associates, Inc. as health insurance brokers
for Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUSD No. 10 for one (1) year. Shawn Young seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all members present voted
aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Dave Dowling made a motion to approve and begin preparations
for health/life safety amendments for Clara Peterson, Eastlawn Elementary, PBL
Junior High, and PBL
High School and to direct
the Superintendent to send health/life safety amendments on to the State for
approval. Dawn Bachtold seconded the
motion. Upon roll call, all members
present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Mr. McClure informed the Board of upcoming events: Junior High sports awards on September 26th
at 5:30 p.m., Homecoming
parade on September 27th at 7:00
p.m., Homecoming football game on September 28th, and
Homecoming dance on September 29th at 7:00 p.m.
Mr. McClure informed the Board that Attorney Jeff Funk will
make a presentation to the Board at the next Board meeting regarding TIF. Mr. Funk is a TIF specialist from the
District’s law firm of Miller, Tracy, Braun, Funk & Miller, and Mr. McClure
stated he will invite the Mayor and City council members to the meeting as
well.
Mr. McClure advised the Board that the State audited the
special education personnel, Reading Improvement Grant, Drivers Education, and
Title I. From the audit, the District
gained $4,167.94 in special education and lost $229.69 in Title II, and the
auditor found everything to be in order.
Mr. McClure informed the Board about the Big Brothers/Big
Sisters program and how it has a positive impact on the community. Sarah Mutchmore heads up the program, and the
District has had three (3) PBL graduates handle this program so far. Big Brothers/Big Sisters are looking for
mentors for the Junior High and High School.
A discussion was held regarding the intergovernmental
agreement with Paxton Park District.
Dawn Bachtold
made a motion to go into closed session.
Shawn Young seconded the motion. Upon
roll call, all members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion
carried.
Closed session began at 8:47 p.m.
Dawn Bachtold
made a motion to come out of closed session.
Dave Dowling seconded the motion.
Upon roll call, all members present voted aye, there being no nay votes
the motion carried.
Closed session ended at 9:10 p.m.
Dean Swan read a
letter dated August 24, 2007
from Peg Chandler resigning from her Eastlawn playground supervision position.
Mr. McClure recommended the Board approve the resignation of
Peg Chandler from her Eastlawn playground supervision position. Dawn Bachtold
made a motion to approve the resignation of Peg Chandler from her Eastlawn
playground supervision position. Shawn
Young seconded the motion. Upon roll
call, all members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion
carried.
Mr. McClure recommended the Board approve Michele Coe as Eastlawn playground supervisor. Shawn Young made a motion to approve Michele Coe as Eastlawn playground supervisor. Dawn Bachtold
seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all
members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Mr. McClure recommended the Board approve Lynn Rubarts as High School assistant girls’
basketball coach. Shawn Young made a
motion to approve Lynn Rubarts as
High School assistant girls’ basketball coach. Dawn
Bachtold seconded the motion.
Upon roll call, all members present voted aye, there being no nay votes
the motion carried.
Mr. McClure recommended the Board approve Lacey Smith as a
teacher aide. Dean
Swan made a motion to approve Lacey Smith as a teacher
aide. Shawn Young seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all members present voted
aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Mr. McClure recommended the Board approve Liza Barnhart as a
teacher aide. Dave Dowling made a motion
to approve Liza Barnhart as a teacher aide.
Phillip Duling seconded the motion.
Upon roll call, all members present voted aye, there being no nay votes
the motion carried.
Mr. McClure recommended the Board approve Mary Henrichs as a
teacher aide. Dean
Swan made a motion to approve Mary Henrichs as a teacher
aide. Dave Dowling seconded the
motion. Upon roll call, all members
present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Phillip Duling made a motion to approve Cliff McClure’s
superintendent contract and Appendix A that relates to his goals for five (5)
years. Dave Dowling seconded the
motion. Upon roll call, all members
present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
Dave Dowling made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dean Swan
seconded the motion. Upon roll call, all
members present voted aye, there being no nay votes the motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
President, Board of Education Secretary,
Board of Education