South Central Reporter

Mt. Olive Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met Nov. 15.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Education met in regular session on November 15, 2023 in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Brunnworth. Present at roll call were Brunnworth, Essington, Osmoe, Remer, and Skertich. Also present were Superintendent Kelly, Principal Klein, Secretary Butler, Nikki Garrels, John Hanafin, and Karen O’Neill.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to adopt the agenda, approve the minutes of the regular board meeting of October 18, 2023, and approve the minutes of the policy committee meeting of November 8, 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. School Board Members Day is today. Thank you all for your service.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Skertich to enter closed session at 7:03 p.m. Roll call: 5 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Osmoe to return to open session at 7: 12 p.m. Roll call: 5 ayes. Motion carried.

Jennifer Stockstill arrived at 7:13 p.m.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Brunnworth to approve the bills and activity accounts as presented. Roll call: 5 ayes. Motion carried.

Craig Rimar arrived at 7:20 p.m.

Financial Report for October 2023:

Mrs. Kelly reported the Education Fund is sitting at $1,827,355.95. The Building Fund is at $521,335.15. The Bond and Interest Fund is at $47,619.91. The Transportation Fund balance is $447,105.64. The IMRF Fund is at $200,838.94. Site and Construction is at $188,179.37. The Working Cash Fund is at $198,861.58. Tort Immunity Fund is $373,691.60. Life Safety balance is $145,949.83. The total of all funds is $3,950,937.97 and the Operating Fund balance is at $2,994,658.32.

Budget Report: Revenues vs. Expenditures for October 2023:

Education Fund: 43% vs. 31%

Building Fund: 57% vs. 46%

Bond & Interest: 31% & 2%

Transportation Fund: 60% vs. 46%

IMRF: 66% vs. 25%

Site & Construction: 39% & 48%

Working Cash: 69% & 0%

Tort Immunity: 64% vs. 26%

Life Safety: 68% & 3%

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

New Business:

Motion by Essington, seconded by Skertich to approve the tentative levy for 2023 as presented and hold a Truth in Taxation hearing on December 20, 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to purchase a wheelchair bus in 2024 with a 2 year payment plan. Roll call: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Principals’ Reports:

Mr. Klein reported the following:

•  Winter sports are underway. Girls’ basketball started Tuesday and boys’ basketball is right behind them. We have our first wrestling match this Friday. Scholar bowl matches have started.

•  We are on the fast track to finals. I can’t believe we are already approaching Thanksgiving.

•  We are looking at offering some new dual credit courses to aide our career pathways.

•  It’s a great day to be a Wildcat.

Superintendent’s Report:

Mrs. Kelly reported the following:

A. Informational Items

a. Sam Aramowicz has requested the use of our activity bus for the first annual Christmas Festival on December 9th. They plan to offer a shuttle for the elderly to attend the festival. Sam has offered to volunteer to drive.

b. Mrs. Scheller and I met with our School Improvement Coordinator to begin the school improvement process due to our designation this year. The designation of comprehensive was due to our subgroup of children with disabilities. A needs assessment will be required and the vendor selected is IAR. I will be bringing this information back to the board for approval next month. The needs assessment and vendor is required.

B. Athletic Uniform Rotation

It is my recommendation that we utilize funds from both the district and activity accounts; as needed. Making a motion that the district will pay for all uniforms decreases our flexibility if funds are not available. Economists are predicting a financial cliff making school finances more unstable.

C. IASB Board Policy Customization Update

The policy committee met on November 8th and reviewed a bulk of the draft policy manual. We will meet again on December 5th. The board will approve the manual once the customization process is complete.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Essington to enter into closed session at 7:41 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: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to return to open session at 8:25 p.m. Roll call: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Essington to hire Mat Marietta as Jr. High boys assistant basketball coach pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to hire Tom Spears as High School track coach pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to hire Hannah Korunka as unpaid volunteer high school cheer coach for the 23-24 school year pending a successful background check and employment history verification review. All ayes. Motion carried.

The next regular board meeting will be at 7:05 pm on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 immediately following the truth in taxation hearing at 7:00 pm. in the school library at 804 West Main St., Mt. Olive, IL.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Skertich to adjourn at 8:30 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15XyYC7AeEopoXnIcn72-MOX0fBHT2ULX/view