Itasca School District #10
Itasca, IL 60143
BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
November 8, 2006
I. Call to order and roll call – The meeting was called to order at 7:31 p.m. by President Powers with the following ROLL CALL:
PRESENT ABSENT
Mr. Patrick Powers Mrs. Maureen McDonald
Mrs. Nancy DiCiolla
Mrs. Debbi Pawinski
Mr. Fred Maier
Mr. James McCann
Mrs. Rose Zelenka
Mr. James McCann
Mrs. Rose Zelenka
Also present:
Dr. Ken Cull, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Marcia Tornatore, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
Mr. Charles Kapachinski, Director of Technology
Dr. Reinhard Nickisch, Principal, F.E. Peacock Middle School
Dr. Joanna Medwick, Principal, Elmer H. Franzen School
Dr. Dawn Turner, Principal, Raymond Benson Primary School
Ms. Debora Mitsui, Recorder
Mr. Mike Celer – District Auditor
Ms. Linda Rafanello - PMA Public Fund Specialists
II. Pledge of Allegiance – President Powers led all present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. Welcome to Visitors – All visitors were welcomed to the meeting by Mr. Powers
IV. Communications – There were no communications to report.
V. Additional Agenda items – No addendum items added to the agenda.
VI. Superintendent's Report –
Superintendent Cull reviewed his report, a copy of which is attached to these official minutes. The Annual Joint Conference is November 17-19, 2006. Board members Fred Maier and Debbi Pawinski, some administrators, and Dr. Cull are registered to attend. Dr. Cull and Dr. Tornatore recently met with Lake Park superintendents and curriculum directors to continue the work developed at last October's ÒArticulation SummitÓ. One of the many positive outcomes of last year's summit were guidelines for advancement placement in mathematics. The one interfund loan that was due has been paid off as of October. Dr. Cull, three Itasca Fire Fighters, five or six Itasca Police Officers and several Franzen staff members participated in a tabletop exercise last week. A Òwhat ifÓ crisis situation was created. A time line of what we would do, how we do it and how each of the agencies would be involved were discussed. This exercise along with varying crisis scenarios will also be conducted at Benson and Peacock schools. Dr. Cull reported there is no new news for ISAT test scores.
VII. Board Requested Reports
A. N.D.S.E.C. – Mrs. Pawinski was unable to attend the last meeting. Dr. Cull did attend and gave the following report. The Septran transportation issues have been resolved. Once given the 30-day warning they were able to comply with concerns. A new program has been designed for billing and allocation of funds within the co-op. In the past there were concerns with the timing of disbursements. Monthly billing will begin in November. There will be further discussion regarding the IDEA grant disbursement. In the future we should see more revenue flow coming directly to the district.
B. Peacock Middle School – Dr. Reinhard Nickisch reviewed his report. A copy of his report is attached to these minutes. The number of student to counselor contacts may seem high, however, we feel that this is a good thing. Students have an avenue to voice their opinions. Issues are discussed before they escalate into larger concerns. The Parent Advisory Committee met on November 25th. Discussed was the declining attendance of parents at school functions. At the next meeting, members will discuss reasons for low attendance and how to attract more parents. Cross Country and basketball teams have done quite well. At Peacock's annual girl's basketball tournament, the 6th and 7th grade girls won those tournaments. Kudos to the coaches for their work and dedication to our students. Chris Larson, (6th grade) science teacher at Peacock, made a presentation on coal development at the Annual Illinois Science Teacher's Conference in Peoria.
James McCann asked Dr. Nickish to explain the reference of Òschool-climateÓ noted in the parent advisory committee update. School climate relates to the feeling one gets when one enters the building. It has nothing to do with the heating or cooling of the building.
C. Curriculum Report - Dr. Tornatore reviewed her report. A copy of her report is attached to these minutes. Due to a change in the ISAT tests and not receiving the scores on time, Dr. Tornatore shared preliminary results with the Board. Though our scores are high for some grade levels, we are hopeful these numbers are not inflated and they will remain at these levels. Also, since the test was changed, the results for 2006 should not be compared to prior years. Dr. Cull has kept the Board abreast of any and all information. By the end of November we should have the AYP (adequate yearly progress) report. The scores are to be provided via the Internet and may not be available in the form of a paper copy until January. In meeting with officials, they have stopped giving deadlines for the ISAT results. The Talented and Gifted (TAG) Parent meeting on Tuesday, November 7, was very well attended. The group was asked for input or complaints. There were no concerns at this time – only positive feedback. The Board thanked Dr. Tornatore for providing the ISAT preliminary score report.
Mr. Powers asked how the late ISAT test results would affect the goals for the year. Dr. Cull said administrators had met earlier this week and would be meeting again tomorrow. The goals were to have been scheduled for discussion at the November meeting. Due to the delay of the test scores, we will be using the preliminary statistics to review goals. We are one month behind. We plan to have the goals review discussion at the December Board meeting.
D. Technology – Mr. Charles Kapachinski reviewed his report, a copy of which is attached. Three servers that house our student management system have been upgraded. A new password policy will be implemented within the next week. There were very few issues related to the electronic report card process at Franzen Intermediate School. Franzen staff has done a wonderful job of learning the new system. Peacock Middle School has been successfully using the program. Due to aging hardware in the district, the technology department has had an inordinate number of technical issues. The oldest model computer units in district are those housed at Benson Primary School and Peacock Middle School. The computers (142) are seven years old and are experiencing problems such as hard drives and mother boards going bad. The tech team is pulling pieces out of decommissioned computers and using them for spare parts.
Nancy DiCiolla commented that during the districts hardware review, the report stated that the network servers were outside of the manufacturer's warranty. Nancy inquired if the server upgrade was related to those servers. Charles Kapachinski said that they are two separate issues. The software on the 3 servers which are dedicated to the Student Management System were upgraded. The 4 seven-year-old servers, which are outside the manufacturers warranty, are on this year's Technology Plan for replacement.
James McCann inquired on the progress with the Internet parent access program. Dr. Cull said that it would be in place by the second semester at Peacock Middle School. Franzen Intermediate School has only just started using the on-line grading program. Peacock Middle School began last year.
E. Character Counts! – Dr. Cull reported on the Character Counts! meeting. Discussions included ways to make Character Counts! and the ÒSix Pillars of CharacterÓ more visible within the community. The coalition is looking to purchase printed table skirts displaying the Character Counts! and the "Six Pillars of Character". They will be displayed at Itasca Park District and WEBA sporting events tables. At the October Itasca Village Board of Education meeting on October 24th, three "Show Your Good Character" awards were presented to community members.
F. Auditor's Report – Mr. Mike Celer presented the audit report prepared by his firm. A graphic analysis was handed out to go along with the audit. Mr. Celer's reported stated that as a whole, Itasca School District #10 is pretty much in the norm. Based on findings in other districts over the last few years, all districts have faced expenditures exceeding revenues. Over all, Itasca School District #10 is right about where we need to be.
Dr. Cull introduced Mr. Arnold Uhlig, the district's treasurer. Mr. Uhlig replaces Shirley Ketter. Mr. Ulick was available to meet and answer any questions for Mr. Mike Celer.
Financing Option Discussion – Dr. Cull invited Mrs. Linda Rafanello from PMA to discuss the district's option to issue a new bond. The current bond will have payments going from $700,000.00 a year to $500,000.00 a year. If we issue a bond now for future projects, we will not be raising taxpayer's rates. Mrs. Rafanello shared her perspective on our options. Handouts of spread sheets and sample documents were distributed to Board members. Issuing a bond for $2.5 million for working cash/project money and amortizing it over 10 years would fill up the remaining margin capacity and stabilize out the tax rate. This would provide the district with long range project and capital outlay dollars. We have the option of waiting one more year to issue another bond. Historically, the bond market is the lowest it has ever been. It will move up, we just do not know when. PMA analyzed the current tax rate structure, what the district needs to spend it on and opted to look at the working cash bond. Working cash bonds are the least restrictive bonds. Funds can be used and transferred to other accounts. The Strict Life Safety mandate is the only concern to some extent. The Strict Life Safety survey is on a ten-year cycle. Dr. Medwick stated that we are within 4 years of an inspection. The process starts with the architect of record. The architects go through the buildings foot by foot. It takes a while to analyze their findings and complete a report. The report is submitted to the State and then we are given a timeframe within which we must comply. In the meantime, interest gained from the bond might be used for other projects. The Board agreed to have Dr. Cull move forward to begin the process of issuing a new bond.
G. Franzen Park – Dr. Cull reported that Itasca Park District did receive the grant for the park renovation. A tentative budget and layout are included in the board packet. Basic financing for this project is $650,000.00. The grant received was for half of that amount. The Park District pool referendum had some funds left over for use with other projects. Itasca Park District will be committing $125,000.00 towards the park renovation. They are looking for Itasca Public Schools to commit to $100,000.00. Additionally, some large community fund raising events will be planned to raise an additional $100,000.00. The project is a complete over haul of the entire park. It will expand recreation activities to the whole community. Dr. Cull and Dr. Medwick have been involved with the planning and will continue to do so. Construction is to begin the day after school is out and plans to be completed by the first day of school. The Park District will be fronting all of the money initially. Dr. Cull asked for the Board's consideration for a contribution of $100,000.00. Nancy DiCiolla inquired about parking. Parking will be available along the streets that border the park area. Fred Maier asked if construction might impact the butterfly garden. Dr. Medwick said that she did not feel the butterfly garden would be disturbed. There was a consensus from the Board to include $100,000.00 for Franzen Park in the FY`08 budget.
H. Depot Museum – Dr. Cull has spoken in the past with the Board regarding creating/participating in an inter-governmental agreement that will ensure the Depot Museum stays in existence and continues to be a part of the community. The governing bodies have each committed to some type of support to keep the Depot Museum going. Dr. Cull made the recommendation that the school district commit to $5,000.00 a year for the next couple of years. There are two reasons for this recommendation. (1) This was the amount paid to the CC! coordinator, Alva Kreutzer, when the school district was contributing to her salary. When Mrs. Kreutzer left, the village dropped its financial support and we did too. (2) In the past, this is a figure that we have used for this type of support. A few of the Board members had reservations regarding helping fund the Depot Museum and felt that the monies might be better spent towards education. The lesser amount of $2,500.00 was discussed.
A motion was made by James McCann and seconded by Debbi Pawinski that the Board of Education approve to contribute $2500.00 per year through April 30th, 2009 to help fund the Itasca Depot Museum. The motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES NAYS
Mr. Powers Mrs. DiCiolla
Mr. Maier Mrs. Zelenka
Mr. McCann
Mrs. Pawinski
I. Freedom of Information – Dr. Cull reported that no requests for reports had been received.
VIII. Action Items –
A. Consent Items – A Motion was made by Fred Maier and seconded by Debbi Pawinski that The Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY07-#12 Consent Agenda:
- Minutes of the October 11, 2006 regular meeting
- Expenditure Reports for the month of October
- Hiring of Retta Hennessey – Media Center Teacher Aide for Benson
Rose Zelenka questioned the Graph Tech Systems Company noted on the expenditures list. Dr. Cull explained Graph Tech Systems is a consulting firm that was employed to analyze our technology program services and how it supports our teaching staff.
Rose Zelenka voiced a concern regarding school tuition reimbursement. Dr. Cull explained that there is a pool of money for each of the three schools for tuition reimbursement. The monies are paid out once a year and are divided among how many apply.
Mrs. Francis Ward, parent of two Itasca school children and IEPTO Chairperson, requested to speak. Mrs. Ward invited Board members to attend Itasca School District 10's Culture Week open house at the Itasca Community Library on November 20th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Scotland will be featured. The event will include Highland dancing, bagpipes and student's Celtic art. Mr. Powers thanked Mrs. Ward for the invitation and for taking time to explain the event.
Following a further opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES NAYS
Mrs. Pawinski
Mrs. DiCiolla
Mr. Powers
Mrs. Zelenka
Mr. Maier
Mr. McCann
B. FY 2006 Audit– A motion was made by Nancy DiCiolla and seconded by James McCann to approve Action Memorandum FY07-#13 FY 2006 Audit;
Following a further opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES NAYS
Mr. McCann
Mr. Powers
Mrs. DiCiolla
Mrs. Pawinski
Mr. Maier
Mrs. Zelenka
C. Estimated 2006 Levy – A Motion was made by Fred Maier and seconded by James McCann that The Board of Education approve Action Memorandum FY07-#14 Estimated Levy;
Following a further opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES NAYS
Mr. Maier
Mr. Powers
Mrs. Zelenka
Mrs. Pawinski
Mrs. DiCiolla
Mr. McCann
D. FY 2006 Audit– A motion was made by Nancy DiCiolla and seconded by James McCann to approve Action Memorandum FY07-#15 First Reading of Policies with the exception of Policy # 2.250 Access to District's Public Records;
Dr. Cull stated that the district subscribes to a service from Illinois School Boards. Their lawyers scour the new laws and make recommendations to districts to ensure that we are line with the current policies. The procedure is that the committee meets to bring the first reading to the table. There may be some questions. We take notes on those policies in question and meet again in the interim. We try to craft a reading and then it comes back to the Board for the second reading where it becomes policy. Dr. Cull highlighted the following policy: Policy # 2.250: Access to District's Public Records. This policy requires records be kept of all e-mails and/or paper written correspondence – it becomes public body. James McCann said this was not the law. Dr. Cull will provide the legal citations to the Board. Our current policy calls for e-mails to be stored and cataloged.
A decision was made to remove this policy for first reading.
One other policy Dr. Cull highlighted was Policy # 3:50 Administrative Personnel which clarifies benefits for administrators. There were no comments from the Board on this policy.
Board discussion led to the following modifications of policies presented:
Policy #1:30 District Mission – strike the word ÒdemocraciesÓ.
Policy # 5:150 Personnel Records –3rd paragraph add (3) ÒBoard of Education.Ó
Policy # 6:30 Organization of Instruction – typing error ÒSuperintendentÓ, correct spelling.
Policy # 6:80 Teaching About Controversial Issues - strike wording Òbalanced viewÓ from 3rd bullet.
Policy # 6:290 Homework – strike number (3) Òis not assigned for disciplinary purposes.Ó
Following a further opportunity for questions, discussion, and community input, the motion carried on the following ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES NAYS
Mrs. DiCiolla
Mr. McCann
Mr. Maier
Mrs. Zelenka
Mrs. Pawinski
Mr. Powers
IX. Board Requested Reports – No requests for reports.
X. Adjournment – There being no further business, President Powers adjourned the meeting at 11:10 p.m.
