Mount Olive Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met May 17.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board of Education met in regular session on May 17, 2023 in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by President Brunnworth. Present at roll call were Brunnworth, Essington, Osmoe, Rimar, and Skertich. Also present were Superintendent Kelly, Principal Baumberger, Principal Scheller, Secretary Butler, John Hanafin, Nikki Garrels, Jennifer Stockstill, Nick Simmons, Karen Gall, Amy Moulton, Kelly Titsworth, Megan Skinner, Adam Hall, Taryn Markezich, Lindsey Knes, Samuel Whitmore, and Bethany Martin.
Motion by Essington, seconded by Osmoe to adopt the agenda and approve the minutes of the special school board meeting of April 26, 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.
Recognition, comments, and correspondence from employees and public:
A. A FOIA request was received on May 10, 2023 from Local Labs requesting records and email correspondence with Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Jennie Binney arrived at 7:06 p.m.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to swear in Steve Remer and Lindsey Knes onto the Board of Education. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Rimar, seconded by Osmoe to appoint Lindsey Knes to the office of Mt. Olive CUSD No. 5 Board of Education. Roll call: 5 ayes. Motion carried.
Oath of office administered to new school board member, Lindsey Knes, and re-elected school board member, Steve Remer, by President Brunnworth.
Board Committees were assigned to all board members.
Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Skertich to enter into closed session at 7:08 p.m. for the following purposes as allowed under the Illinois Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120/1 et seq.): Discussion of the appointment, employment and dismissal of employees of the public body and collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to return to open session at 7:14 p.m. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Josh Martin and Julie Wargo arrived at 7:14 p.m.
Unfinished Business:
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to approve the provided board policies. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Brunnworth, seconded by Rimar to approve the 2023-2024 Mt. Olive CUSD #5 Before and After School Activities Program (BASAP) Guide. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Skertich to approve the 2023-2024 Mt. Olive CUSD #5 Coaching Handbook. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Rimar, seconded by Knes to approve the 2023-2024 Mt. Olive CUSD #5 Extra Curricular Activity Handbook. All ayes. Motion carried.
New Business:
Mrs. Kelly presented the first reading of the amended budget for the 2022-2023 school year. It will be on display in the district office.
Amanda Osmoe arrived at 7:30 p.m.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Osmoe to approve the 2023 janitorial bid items and specs. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to approve the 2023-2024 EBF Plan (District Improvement Plan). All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Brunnworth, seconded by Skertich to approve the 2023-2024 Consolidated District Plan. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Rimar, seconded by Brunnworth to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement for Shared Educational Services Project with the Panhandle School District. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to approve that June 19th (Juneteenth) will be a paid holiday for all employees scheduled to work on that day in accordance with the state holiday. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Essington to accept the resignation of Jamie Ernst as High School Math teacher. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Knes to accept the resignation of Jonathan Baumberger as High School Principal. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Osmoe to accept the resignation of Jonathan Baumberger as Jr. High Basketball coach. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to approve the bills and activity accounts as presented. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Financial Report for April 2023:
Mrs. Kelly reported the Education Fund is sitting at $1,421,405.42. The Building Fund is at $642,709.16. The Bond and Interest Fund is at $13,980.95. The Transportation Fund balance is $396,699.87. The IMRF Fund is at $136,080.58. Site and Construction is at $172,704.05. The Working Cash Fund is at $181,596.39. Tort Immunity Fund is $203,246.21. Life Safety balance is $125,025.12. The total of all funds is $3,293,447.75 and the Operating Fund balance is at $2,642,410.84.
Budget Report: Revenues vs. Expenditures for April 2023:
Education Fund: 91% vs. 84%
Building Fund: 161.9% vs. 88%
Bond & Interest: 9.2% & 4%
Transportation Fund: 119.3% vs. 81%
IMRF: 100.2% vs. 78%
Site & Construction: 104.7% & 63%
Working Cash: 106% & 0%
Tort Immunity: 100.2% vs. 77%
Life Safety: 106.1% & -%
Motion by Remer, seconded by Essington to approve the financial report and the budget report for April 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.
Principals’ Reports:
Mrs. Scheller reported the following:
∙ This has been a busy time of the year with field trips and end-of-the-year fun events. We still have several field trips to take this year. It was great to be able to allow the field trips to take place.
∙ The Jr. High hosted their athletic awards ceremony tonight. This is the first time we had it in eight years.
∙ Tomorrow there will be an A.R assembly at 1:30 p.m. for the kids.
∙ May 19th is Pre-K to Kindergarten transition day.
∙ May 23rd is A.R recess day.
∙ Pre-K graduation is on May 24th at 6:00 p.m.
∙ The last day of school with students is May 25th.
∙ On May 25th we will have the Jr. High awards ceremony and 8th grade promotion at 8:00 a.m.
∙ Final report cards will go home on May 25th.
∙ We had a very successful track season with a lot of personal records met. Five girls qualified to participate in the state track meet. Each girl medaled in at least one event. Our 4x100 relay team (Katelyn Mitchell, Alena Graham, Jill Kosowski, and Lily Barnes) placed 5th, Alena Graham placed 6th in the 400, and Chloe Green placed 4th in the shot. The 8th grade girls were sectional champions in track this year.
Mr. Baumberger reported the following:
∙ The high school recently attended a luncheon with Lincoln Land Community College. At the luncheon, representatives from LLCC provided information regarding the dual credit programs that are being offered through the Litchfield campus and also throughout various partnerships with local high schools. I am proud to announce that we have received approval from LLCC to proceed in the process of securing the ability to provide students with the opportunity to take U.S. history for dual credit as early as this fall. There will be a proposal in next month’s board packet for a first reading.
∙ The high school is looking to expand our partnership with Panhandle High School through our usage of distance learning classrooms. We will be offering English 111 and 114 to Panhandle students. Once again, the distance learning program provides students access to highly qualified dual credit teachers to receive opportunities that were otherwise unavailable. In the future, we will continue to look at avenues on how to maximize the distance learning technology.
∙ On May 22, the high school hosted coronation and prom. The events were well attended by our students and were enjoyed by all that attended. Thank you to Mr. Lesko and Mrs. Ernst for making this a memorable event for our students. I’d also like to thank the many individuals who assisted with post prom and to Emily Ruemmler for leading the organization of the event.
∙ On April 28th, I was afforded the opportunity to take a small group of senior students to Six Flags for reaching a 1,000 score on the SAT during their junior year. We could not have had better weather as our students and Mr. Hall, one of the senior sponsors, were able to enjoy the day and celebrate their achievements.
∙ On May 2nd, Olive Tree Family Church hosted the “Class of 2023” for a senior luncheon. The seniors were treated to an afternoon of games, prizes, and a homemade meal. I would like to thank Cindy Butler for coordinating the event and the individuals of the church for hosting our senior students.
∙ On May 4th, Ms. Moulton and Mr. Simmons assisted in connecting the junior high and high school with Holocaust Survivor, Marion Blumenthal Lazan. Students and staff were visibly moved as she discussed her life story with them. Thank you to our teachers for working together to allow all of our students the ability to attend the event.
∙ On May 8th, the high school conducted the National Honors Society Induction Ceremony. Under the guidance of Ms. Holliday, NHS officers performed the ceremony and inducted 6 new members.
∙ This past Thursday, Mrs. Kelly and I met with the graduating seniors to conduct exit interviews. The interviews focused on a particular set of questions which Mrs. Kelly will be presenting to the board in her report. I feel we were both very pleased with the process, the honesty in the answers the students provided, and we were impressed at the level of professionalism our students exhibited.
∙ This past Friday evening, Mr. Harmon conducted the Mt. Olive High School spring concert. Members of the audience were treated to music all the way from Bach to Taylor Swift. I am pleased to inform the board that among the special guests were retired band instructor, Gary Gardener, and recent graduates, Dalton Brunnworth and Madison Bartok.
∙ This Saturday, we will be conducting graduation services for the “Class of 2023”. The ceremony will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the high school gym. We will be recognizing 31 students at this year’s ceremony. On the behalf of the high school, we would like to cordially invite you to this celebratory event.
∙ Next week, we will conclude student and teacher attendance as we close down the 2022- 2023 school year. Enrichment activities will be conducted on Wednesday and Thursday. We are currently projecting just under ⅔ of the student population as having attained exemption status for these two days. Congratulations to our students and a thank you to all the teachers who assisted our students in meeting the standards set forth in the “Enrichment Day Exemption” policy.
∙ On the behalf of the high school, we would like to recognize Carter Brunnworth and Ethan Ruemmler as they have advanced to the state series for bass fishing. They will begin competition this Friday.
∙ Boys baseball and girls softball have concluded their seasons. We would like to thank Litchfield High School for allowing our students to participate this year. We look forward to many great things to come as many of our participants were from grades 9-11.
Superintendent’s Report:
Mrs. Kelly reported the following:
A. Senior Exit Interview
Mr. Baumberger and I interviewed our 31 senior students. Our goal was to gain feedback and perspective from the students attending our school district. We are very pleased with our results.
B. Strategic Planning Meeting
Our strategic planning meeting will be from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on June 19th.
C. Health Insurance
We have recently received renewal information regarding employee health insurance. Employees are able to cast their votes to choose our new insurance plan. Our current medical insurance plan for employees is with Cigna. If employees decide to stay with
Cigna, there will be a 13% increase in cost. Our second option this year is with United Healthcare which will come with a 1% increase in cost.
D. Roof Update
Joe and I inspected the roof a couple of weeks ago. They are getting started on the band room ASAP. They plan to have a crew here on May 29th to fix the roof drains and complete the roofing project. Their primary focus will be on the band roof at this time. Joe will provide an updated plan to address the water that pools on the 2nd floor of the High School roof. I will bring that plan to the board upon receipt. The ENGIE assessment that I provided in your board packet indicates that all remaining roof areas have anywhere from 5-10 years of life remaining. They have recommended contracting with a roofing company for annual preventative maintenance to maximize the life of our current roof system. It doesn’t make sense to remove the solar panels, and incur the additional cost, sooner than is necessary.
E. IASB Press Plus
During a Policy Manual Customization, an IASB policy director will work with the board and superintendent to develop a new and up-to-date local school board policy manual. This policy manual will be based upon IASB’s Policy Reference Manual and will be customized to include the board’s current policies and practices, as appropriate.
Motion by Remer, seconded by Essington to enter into closed session at 8:11 p.m. for the following purposes as allowed under the Illinois Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120/1 et seq.): Discussion of the appointment, employment and dismissal of employees of the public body and collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Brunnworth to return to open session at 8:55 p.m. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.
Lane Harmon arrived at 8:55 p.m.
Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Essington to hire Samuel Whitmore for the Jr. High Physical Education teacher, pending receipt of appropriate licensure and a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to hire Samuel Whitmore as Jr. High Boys Basketball coach, pending a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Rimar, seconded by Remer to hire Rocky Giannuzzi as the Jr. High Baseball coach, pending a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to hire Paul Smith as the High School Business teacher, pending receipt of appropriate licensure and a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Rimar, seconded by Osmoe to hire Abigail Lesko as assistant daycare worker for a total of 30 hours per week. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to hire Bryce Tooley for summer custodial up to 30 hours weekly, pending a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to hire Jeff Rabida for summer grounds keeping on an hourly basis, pending a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.
The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday June 21, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the school library at 804 West Main St., Mt. Olive, IL.
Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to adjourn at 9:00 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uNezlC8fEaa8JaCrLbdxbV0VTZJZAOLI/view
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