South Central Reporter

Mt. Olive Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met Sept. 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Education met in regular session on September 20, 2023 in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:06 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, John Hanafin, Lane Harmon, Clarence Aramowicz, Kenneth Loy, Jennifer Stockstill, and June Hall.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to adopt the agenda, approve the minutes of the public hearing on August 16, 2023, and approve the minutes of the regular school board meeting of August 16, 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. The district received a parent email thanking the administration and the Board of Education for approving the CEP program for our school.

E. Special thanks to all staff members for going above and beyond this school year.

F. The district received a FOIA request from Janine Asmus on September 11, 2023 and responded accordingly.

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

Financial Report for August 2023:

Mrs. Kelly reported the Education Fund is sitting at $1,300,315.08. The Building Fund is at $471,351.38. The Bond and Interest Fund is at $31,030.50. The Transportation Fund balance is $345,418.57. The IMRF Fund is at $107,837.89. Site and Construction is at $200,176.08. The Working Cash Fund is at $184,849.06. Tort Immunity Fund is $149,144.11. Life Safety balance is $132,210.04. The total of all funds is $2,922,332.71 and the Operating Fund balance is at $2,301,934.09.

Budget Report: Revenues vs. Expenditures for August 2023:

Education Fund: 15% vs. 13%

Building Fund: 9% vs. 41%

Bond & Interest: 0% & 1%

Transportation Fund: 19% vs. 30%

IMRF: 9% vs. 10%

Site & Construction: 20% & 24%

Working Cash: 11% & 0%

Tort Immunity: 9% vs. 21%

Life Safety: 11% & 3%

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to approve the financial report and the budget report for August 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.

Unfinished Business:

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Knes to approve resolution for the Mt. Olive CUSD #5 eLearning plan for a period of 3 years. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Essington to approve the Risk Management Plan. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to approve the 2023-2024 budget. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

New Business:

Motion by Remer, seconded by Osmoe to approve the annual financial report as presented by Loy, Miller, Talley, Certified Public Accounts for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

The board discussed options for transportation and bus leases.

Motion by Brunnworth, seconded by Skertich to lease 2 buses from Midwest Transit for 2024- 2029 with a maintenance agreement. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to approve the updated 2023-2024 Before and After School Handbook. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to accept the resignation of Kathy Stephens effective immediately. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Knes to approve the retirement of Robert Hudzik. All ayes. Motion carried.

Principals’ Reports:

Mrs. Scheller reported the following:

•  We are midway through the 1st quarter. It has been a very busy school year. We have all been learning new software and systems. I want to thank the staff for continuously working hard.

•  On September 27th K-5 will have a kindness/anti-bullying assembly. Thank you Academic Foundation for funding this assembly.

•  Mini grants have been awarded by the Academic Foundation. The Elementary/Jr. High received cover $8,000 in grant money. Thank you to the Academic Foundation for their continued support.

Mr. Klein reported the following:

•  This school year has been off to a great start. We have been working hard on our academic data.

•  Our sports, volleyball and football, are underway. Homecoming week is October 10th– 13th. October 10th the volleyball game will be our official homecoming game. I have learned that the Mt. Olive community has a ton of school pride.

•  Thanks to the Academic Foundation, the high school teachers received $5,000 in mini grants.

•  Tomorrow, Mr. Smith is taking a group of students to Washington University to experience law school.

•  Shout out to the high school staff members. I have been so blessed to work with a great group of caring individuals. It’s great to be a Wildcat!

Superintendent’s Report:

Mrs. Kelly reported the following:

A. Informational Items

There are over 80 bills impacting education passing both chambers and have now been signed into law. Teacher salary, teacher evaluations, curriculum, and mandated training are just a few of the things affected by these bills.

B. SCI Training and Innovation Center

Litchfield’s training and innovation center held their grand opening on August 28th. We currently have one student attending for a construction craft preparation program.

C. Academic Foundation Grants

Staff members received $12,712.46 in mini grants from the Academic Foundation this school year. Mr. Winsel received $1,649.99 for the Billiter grant to utilize for a CNC machining/computer aided technology for his drafting class. We are very thankful for the Academic Foundation!

D. Community Partnership Grant

We have $114,000 in rollover money to spend by September 30th. We also have $311,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year to spend on SEL and wellness support for our district. This will be the last school year that we are awarded this grant.

E. Digital Equity Grant

This grant will allow our district to purchase Remote Monitoring Management for our computers to troubleshoot and improve security, T-Mobile hotspots, and about 215 replacement Chromebooks.

F. School Maintenance Grant

I plan to apply for this grant this school year. It will provide the district $50,000 to use towards the 2nd floor high school roof.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to cap the family sports fee at $150. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to enter into closed session at 8:02 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 Rimar, seconded by Knes to return to open session at 8:41 p.m. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Jason Bailey arrived at 8:41 p.m.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to hire Regina Feely as MOES teacher’s assistant pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to hire Stacey Dooley as MOES secretary pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Knes, seconded by Osmoe to hire Kailea Dobrinich as MOHS cheer coach pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to hire Bryce Tooley as MOCUSD #5 custodian pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Rimar, seconded by Skertich to hire Lane Harmon as high school steam club sponsor. All ayes. Motion carried.

The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday October 18, 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 8:45 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WCuFR9bRpOI_8xjW8EqYgDiptpf_r4N1/view