Itasca School District #10

Itasca, IL 60143

 

BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

 

JUNE 14, 2006

 

I.              Call to order and roll call – President Powers called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the following ROLL CALL:

 

PRESENT                                ABSENT

 

Mrs. Nancy DiCiolla

Mr. Fred Maier

Mr. Jim McCann

Mrs. Maureen McDonald

Mrs. Debbi Pawinski

Mr. Patrick Powers

Mrs. Rose Zelenka

 

Also present:

 

Dr. Ken Cull, Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Reinhard Nickisch, Principal, F.E. Peacock Middle School

Dr. Joanna Medwick, Principal, Elmer H. Franzen Intermediate School

Dr. Dawn Turner, Principal, Raymond Benson Primary School

         Dr. Marcia Tornatore, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

         Mrs. Catherine Seger, Recorder

 

II.      Pledge of Allegiance – President Powers led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

III.     Welcome to Visitors – Mr. Powers welcomed everyone present to the meeting.

 

IV.     Communications – Mrs. McDonald, board secretary, stated that no correspondence had been received during the previous month.

 

V.      Agenda Addendum Items – Superintendent Cull had to make some corrections on the agenda. On page 3 under the consent portion of the agenda, Erin Infusino should be added as she is requesting a leave of absence. Lisa DiNovo is resigning so she will also need to be added to the motion.

 

VI.     SuperintendentÕs Report – Superintendent Cull reviewed his report, a copy of which is attached to these official minutes. He stated that the tentative budget would be on display for at least 30 days after its adoption at this eveningÕs meeting. A public hearing will be held on August 9, 2006 at 7:15 p.m. prior to the board meeting. He reminded everyone that the District Office would be closed on July 3^rd and 4^th. The salary committee has met and will be recommending a 4% increase in salaries for administrators and support personnel. About 100 TAG surveys have been mailed and about 30 have been returned as of today.

 

Mrs. Zelenka had some questions about the proposed 4% salary parameter and about salaries for the administration. Discussion ensued. Mrs. Zelenka did not think the salary and the coordinating line items were the same. More discussion ensued. Mrs. Zelenka asked if she could see a copy of last yearÕs salaries. Dr. Cull will provide a copy of the memo from last year indicating the 4% increase.

 

VII.      Board Requested Reports

 

 

A.      Quarterly Financial Report – Dr. Cull reported that the Initial tax revenue payment on June 1 came in about $300,000 less than expected. We are scheduled for a 2^nd June installment tomorrow so we are going to be a little ahead of what we should be. Totals for revenues will be forwarded to the board members.

 

B.      N.D.S.E.C. Mrs. Pawinski, Board representative to N.D.S.E.C. reported that the meeting had been rescheduled to June 26^th At that time, N.D.S.E.C. will be approving the FY07 Budget.

 

C.      Middle School – Dr. Nickisch, principal of F.E. Peacock Middle School, reviewed his report, a copy of which is attached to these minutes. He noted that there were only three in-school suspensions versus one out of school suspension. He also reviewed the minutes of the Discipline and Medication Committee that had met on April 28, 2006. A copy of those minutes is also attached.

 

Dr. Nickisch reviewed the counselorÕs report. He stated that Dr. West, PeacockÕs School Counselor, does a good job in resolving issues. In addition, he also gave credit to the peer mediators who, he believes, do an excellent job with the students. He reported that 282 parent surveys done annually had been sent out and 65 have been returned to Peacock One issue that came to Dr. NickischÕs attention was student tutoring. There was also a high number of dissatisfaction and lots of discrepancies regarding homework assignments as well as poor timing of tests. Parents want to learn more about the curriculum. Another topic covered was the final graduation count. Though Dr. Nickisch would like all students to be eligible for graduation, he reported that there were five students who had a GPA under 1.00. Assurance has come from Lake Park that they will be accepted at Lake Park. Lake Park has safety nets in place for these kinds of students. Some discussion ensued. Mrs. DiCiolla asked what parents can expect in each subject area. Parents would like more content included in the newsletters.

 

D.      Curriculum - Dr. Tornatore, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, discussed the plan for assessing for early entrance into kindergarten. Discussion ensued. A copy of the Curriculum Report is attached to these official minutes.

 

E.      Technology – In the absence of Mr. Kapachinski, Superintendent Cull gave the report. He reported that the new mail server has been installed. The biggest benefit to the staff is now there is access to the internet server. They can check their e-mail from home.

 

Desktops have started to arrive and de-commissioning the laptops is going well. Dr. Cull did not have the final number but Ken thought there were about 30-35 laptops available to teachers who would like them.

 

F.      Alternate to Springfield Activities – Superintendent Cull said that this information has been provided to the board. Dr. Cull has sent a flyer home with all 5th, 6^th, and 7^th grade students about what is being planned. He did not get any calls regarding the flyer. Discussion ensued. Mrs. DiCiolla stated that she was believed that no decision had been made to cancel the trip. She thought this decision would be decided at the meeting this evening. She likes the idea of what the teachers are proposing, i.e., mock election. She would like to see more Ôhands-onÕ and she thinks there is a lot missing. Mr. Powers asked if Dr. Cull had said something that the trip had been cancelled. Dr. Cull clarified that it was the staffÕs recommendation that the trip be discontinued. Mrs. McDonald asked if this could be tried for a year and if the staff can assess whether or not it was beneficial to try a different approach to teaching civics. Dr. Cull said that this ÒiconicÓ trip will not be replaced by another ÒiconicÓ trip. Mr. Powers raised a question. Does the District feel that the current trip meets the need to cover all levels of government? Mrs. Zelenka said stated that she had a lot of good discussion about this issue with Mr. Powers. She said she has talked to some 8^th grade students who really liked the trip. She believes that this curriculum was put together quickly. Superintendent Cull said that this is not intended to cover everything. He does not believe this is everything the teachers will be doing. Mr. Powers said he thought this is a good start. The staff could get something ready for the students in the fall. There doesnÕt seem to be much value in the time consumed traveling back and forth to Springfield. Mr. McCann is passed the idea that the trip has to be saved. He thinks that this is something can be changed and take a fresh look at doing something different. He also thinks there should be some flexibility and determining where we are after trying it for a year. For clarification, Mr. McCann wants to make sure that the entire 8^th grade team will be working on this. Dr. Cull assured him that this is accurate. This is a good start and the district needs to move on. We are passed the point that the Springfield trip has a useful life in Itasca. He is convinced that the teachers have made a good case and that the trip has probably outlived its usefulness. This is an opportunity to do something better. Mr. Maier stated that the most important concern is the education of the youth. Students have to get the best education for them while they are in Itasca. He had a question. He asked how was the Springfield trip addressing any state frameworks or was it just a trip. If it was addressing state standards or frameworks, how is this being done? This will probably take additional time over the summer and are we going to provide the teachers time to up-date the curriculum. Last month, there was talk about short field trips taking place. Dr. Cull stated that there will be an evaluation of the assessment and the frameworks will be a good assessment. Mrs. Pawinski has changed her mind somewhat and she said she could see this being tried for a year and see how successful it is. Mrs. DiCiolla asked if some of these suggestions were already in place as a part of the curriculum or are they new to the curriculum. Discussion ensued. Mrs. Zelenka stated that when you take into consideration the teachers planning this out, she believes that they will do a good job. Mrs. DiCiolla agreed with her. She does not think the time on the bus is beneficial but she is still not convinced we have enough Òhands-on experience.Ó She would feel more comfortable if the board ever requests a report on how much time is spent on it. She would like to have some kind of assessment or even survey parents/students about their favorite part of the trip. President Powers then asked if there was a general consensus to cancel the Springfield trip. All members of the board agreed that the trip would be cancelled and it was time for the District to do something different. Dr. Cull thanked two of the 8^th grade teachers that were in attendance - Nancy Krefetz and Jason Crockett – for attending the meeting.

 

G.      Franzen Park – Dr. Cull reminded the board that there was no need to make any decisions on this issue but to keep in mind that the Park District is interested in improving the park area around Franzen School. They are applying for a grant and theyÕve looked at a number of different plans. The plan that they have been looking at most has the tennis courts removed and the whole area from the park to the street being trees, playground, ball diamond, and a couple of half/court standards. The north side of Franzen and the property immediately adjacent at the street on the far northwest corner will have the tennis courts. That is the plan that they are considering. The previous Play For All Park was a concerted effort by the School District, Park District, and the community. The Park District is looking to do this with this park. This would not be in this current budget year but it would probably be in the next budget year. Dr. Cull was asked what kind of grant the Park District was applying for. He did not know but said that the Park District has hired a consultant who has done 29 of these grants and has gotten 28 of them. Discussion ensued. Dr. Cull distributed a Plat of Survey of the land surrounding Franzen. He described the land in question that the park district is trying to acquire. The advantage for the School District is that we lose the up-keep and the liability of the property. The advantage for the park is that they gain the property. More discussion ensued. Dr. Cull will keep the board posted.

 

H.            Freedom of Information - No freedom of Information requests had been received.

 

G.      Opportunity for community input regarding board requested reports – No input from community.

 

VIII.    Consent Items – A motion was made by Mrs. McDonald and seconded by Mrs. DiCiolla that the minutes of the May 10, 2006 regular meeting, the May 18, 2006 Special Meeting, the re-employment of Sue Celenza and Jim Bergmann, the employment of Antonina Barr, the resignations of Linda Merdian, Erin Infusino and Catherine Seger, and the expenditures for the month of May, 2006, be approved. It was noted that Lisa DiNovo had resigned. Antonina Barr was introduced to members of the Board of Education and the audience by Dr. Cull. Following an opportunity for further discussion and questions, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                              NAYS

 

Mr. McCann

Mr. Powers

Mrs. DiCiolla

Mrs. Pawinski

Mrs. McDonald

Mr. Maier

Mrs. Zelenka

 

IX.        Action Items

 

A.             Hourly Pay Rates – A motion was made by Mr. Maier and seconded by Mrs. McDonald that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#28; Hourly Salaries for Educational Support Personnel. Mr. Maier requested that the next time this is done, please put down the job assignments for each of the personnel. Following an opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

Mrs. DiCiolla

Mrs. McDonald

Mr. McCann

Mr. Maier

Mrs. Zelenka

Mrs. Pawinski

Mr. Powers

 

B.            Annual Base Salaries for 2006-2007 for Salaried, Non-Teaching Employees – A motion was made by Mr. McCann and seconded by Mr. Maier that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#29; Annual Base Salaries for 2006-2007 for Salaries, Non-Teaching Employees. A discussion ensued about whether or not to postpone this as Mrs. Zelenka has some questions about the computation. Discussion ensued. Dr. Cull provided Mrs. Zelenka with the information she needed. A further opportunity was given for community input, questions and discussion and the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

 

Mr. Maier

Mrs. Pawinski

Mrs. DiCiolla

Mr. Powers

Mrs. McDonald

Mrs. Zelenka

Mr. McCann

 

C.      Student Teachers for 2006-2007 – A motion was made by Mrs. DiCiolla and seconded by Mrs. McDonald that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#30; Student Teachers. Some discussion ensued about how long student teachers were employed. Their hours/weeks are set by the universities. A further opportunity was given for questions, discussion, and community input and the motion carried on the following VOICE VOTE: all AYES: NAYS none.

 

D.      Joint Prevailing Wage Resolution – A motion was made by Mrs. McDonald and seconded by Mrs. Pawinski that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY-06-#41; Joint Prevailing Wage Resolution. Following an opportunity for discussion, questions and community input, the motion carried on the following VOICE VOTE: All AYES: NAYS none.

 

E.            Hazardous Bus Areas – A motion was made by Mrs. DiCiolla and seconded by Mrs. McDonald that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY-06-#32; Hazardous Bus Areas. Following an opportunity for questions and discussion, Mr. Maier asked that next year, these areas be listed with the motion. Following a further opportunity for community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

 

Mr. McCann

Mr. Powers

Mrs. DiCiolla

Mrs. Pawinski

Mrs. McDonald

Mr. Maier

Mrs. Zelenka

 

F.             Tentative Budget – A motion was made by Mrs. McDonald and seconded by Mr. McCann that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#33; Tentative Budget. Following an opportunity for community input, questions, and further discussion, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

 

Mrs. Pawinski

Mrs. McDonald

Mrs. DiCiolla

Mr. Powers

Mrs. Zelenka

Mr. Maier

Mr. McCann

 

G.            Authorization to Hire Staff – A motion was made by Mrs. Pawinski and seconded by Mrs. McDonald that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#34; Authorization to Hire Staff. Following an explanation by Superintendent Cull as to his rationale – the student count is high in the first grade and he is asking for the authority to hire another teacher if necessary – and a further opportunity for questions, discussion and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

Mrs. DiCiolla

Mrs. McDonald

Mr. Mccann

Mr. Maier

Mrs. Zelenka

Mrs. Pawinski

Mr. Powers

 

H.            Resolution Conferring Land to the Itasca Park District – A motion was made by Mrs. McDonald and seconded by Mrs. Pawinski that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#35; Resolution Conferring Lane to the Itasca Park District. Following an opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

Mrs. Zelenka

Mr. McCann

Mrs. Pawinski

Mrs. McDonald

Mr. Maier

Mr. Powers

Mrs. DiCiolla

 

I.              Resolution to Participate in the Illinois School Liquid Asset Fund – A motion was made by Mrs. McDonald and seconded by Mrs. Pawinski that the Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY06-#36; Resolution to Participate in the Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund. Following an opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:

 

AYES                                      NAYS

 

Mrs. Zelenka

Mr. McCann

Mrs. Pawinski

Mrs. McDonald

Mr. Maier

Mr. Powers

Mrs. DiCiolla

 

X.      Board Requested Reports – A reminder that there will be no July meeting and the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 9. Mr. Powers and Mrs. Maier will not be at that meeting. Vice-President McCann will chair the August meeting. The budget will be on the agenda for approval.

 

XI.     Adjournment – There being no further business, President Powers adjourned the meeting at 9:39 p.m.