South Central Reporter

Mt. Olive Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met Aug. 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Education met in regular session on August 16, 2023 in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by President Brunnworth. Present at roll call were Brunnworth, Essington, Knes, Osmoe, Remer, Rimar, and Skertich. Also present were Superintendent Kelly, Principal Klein, Principal Scheller, Secretary Butler, Nikki Garrels, Jennifer Stockstill, and John Hanafin.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Osmoe to adopt the agenda and approve the minutes of the regular school board meeting of July 19, 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.

Recognition, comments, and correspondence from employees and public:

A. Board Norms: Follow chain of command, assume positive intent, and mutual respect.

B. Board Values: Integrity, mutual respect, and excellence.

C. Board Priorities: Culture, academic performance, facilities (with a focus on safety), and finances.

D. Thank you to all staff for preparing for the return of students and the start of the 2023- 2024 school year.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Brunnworth to approve the bills and activity accounts as presented. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Financial Report for July 2023:

Mrs. Kelly reported the Education Fund is sitting at $1,304,087.29. The Building Fund is at $649,236.92. The Bond and Interest Fund is at $31,765.89. The Transportation Fund balance is $357,549.84. The IMRF Fund is at $118,024.25. Site and Construction is at $229,377.04. The Working Cash Fund is at $184,579.83. Tort Immunity Fund is $150,996.16. Life Safety balance is $132,017.48. The total of all funds is $3,157,634.70 and the Operating Fund balance is at $2,495,453.88.

Budget Report: Revenues vs. Expenditures for July 2023:

Education Fund: 8% vs. 7%

Building Fund: 8% vs. 1%

Bond & Interest: 0% & 1%

Transportation Fund: 19% vs. 25%

IMRF: 9% vs. 5%

Site & Construction: 9% & 0%

Working Cash: 10% & 0%

Tort Immunity: 9% vs. 20%

Life Safety: 10% & 3%

Motion by Essington, seconded by Knes to approve the financial report and the budget report for July 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.

New Business:

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to name Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund

Plus through PMA Financial Network Inc. as our official depository. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

The motion to contract with Bushue Human Services for HR Consulting Services was tabled.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to approve the MultiDistrict Shared Transportation Agreement between Mt. Olive, Gillespie, and Staunton. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Remer to give the authority to Tim Klein, High School Principal, Karrie Scheller, Elementary and Jr. High Principal, and Brandi Kelly, District Superintendent, to suspend students as outlined in the Elementary and High School Student Handbooks and Mt. Olive CUSD #5 Board Policy Manual. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Essington to approve the tentative budget for fiscal year 2024, placed on display for a minimum of thirty days, and hold a budget hearing at 7:00 p.m. on September 20, 2023. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Skertich to increase the substitute teacher rate to $120 per day. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Essington, seconded by Knes to increase the substitute teacher’s aide rate to $115 per day. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Knes to accept the resignation of Jennifer Hoxsey as MOHS Student Services Personnel. All ayes Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Remer to accept the resignation of Karrie M. Scheller as MOES teacher’s assistant. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to approve hazardous bus routes for the 2023-2024 school year. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

The first reading of the Risk Management Plan was presented to the board by Mrs. Kelly.

Principals’ Reports:

Mrs. Scheller reported the following:

•  August 10th we had a “Welcome Back to School” Carnival where we provided food and drinks, popsicles, slushies, games and other outdoor activities. It was very well attended.

•  Thank you to Focus5 for setting up the photo booth area for back to school pictures.

•  It was great to see all the students back for our first day of school.

•  9 students did not return this school year, but we have 35 new students in the K – 8th grade.

•  August 30th we will have our first assembly of the year for our K-5th grade. It is funded by the Academic Foundation. Quest for Kindness will speak on anti bullying.

•  Baseball and softball are under way. Please see our athletic page on the school website for more details.

•  Thank you to the janitors and summer staff for a great job getting the school ready for the start of the school year.

Mr. Klein reported the following:

•  It was very exciting to welcome everyone back to school today and I’m so happy to be a part of it.

•  Our sporting events are underway.

•  I’d like to thank Megan Durbin for keeping the office under control and prepping for the beginning of the school year.

•  I am very pleased that our school district offers many dual credit course options. Not many schools are able to offer these types of courses to their students.

Superintendent’s Report:

Mrs. Kelly reported the following:

A. Yesterday staff members went to the Ben-Gil School District and listened to Damon West share his Coffee Bean story. His story inspires people to be like a coffee bean when placed in hot water, they were challenged to transform their environment.

B. On August 11th the governor signed the Healthy Meals for All Plan. This means it is approved, but it is not yet funded. We have applied and been approved for the CEP program. This program will allow us to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students this school year.

C. Our enrollment has been fluctuating since we are early in the school year, but our last count totaled 484 students.

D. There will be a safety committee meeting on August 30th at 3:15 p.m. Our plan is to overview our new Raptor Visitor System and discuss a family reunification plan.

Motion by Rimar, seconded by Skertich to approve the CEP Program at Mt. Olive CUSD #5. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to enter into closed session at 7:40 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 Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to return to open session at 8:01 p.m. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to hire Brandon Frizzo as an unpaid volunteer assistant golf coach for MOHS. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to hire Kaleigh Ziglar as an unpaid volunteer high school volleyball coach. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Knes to approve Paul Smith as E-Gaming Coach for MOHS. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to hire Trisha Monke as Student Support Role pending licensure, the successful completion of a background check, and employment history verification. All ayes. Motion carried.

The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday September 20, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the school library at 804 West Main St., Mt. Olive, IL.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Skertich to adjourn at 8:08 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fB8SH2AwbxdrK8Wh8saUsaNFzgrfVnQd/view