South Central Reporter

Mt. Olive Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met April 17.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Education met in regular session on April 17, 2024 in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Brunnworth. Present at roll call were Brunnworth, Essington, Knes, Osmoe, Remer, and Rimar. Also present were Superintendent Kelly, Secretary Butler, Principal Scheller, Terry Swenson, John Hanafin, Sarah Vazzi, Kendall King, Sean Drury, and Matt Loyet.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to adopt the agenda, approve the minutes of the public hearing on March 20, 2024, and approve the minutes of the regular board meeting of March 20, 2024. 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. Sarah Vazzi, treasurer of Focus5, explained to the board that they were awarded a $50,000 and a $10,000 grant. Focus5 wanted the grants to help all students in the school district. They will be donating $60,000 to the school to help improve facilities by updating the multipurpose room.

Motion by Rimar, seconded by Knes to approve the bills and activity accounts as presented. Roll call: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Financial Report for March 2024:

Mrs. Kelly reported the Education Fund is sitting at $1,901,071.23. The Building Fund is at $555,176.15. The Bond and Interest Fund is at $68,062.67. The Transportation Fund balance is $373,583.90. The IMRF Fund is at $205,305.32. Site and Construction is at $268,931.81. The Working Cash Fund is at $209,242.24. Tort Immunity Fund is $232,359.19. Life Safety balance is $133,933.28. The total of all funds is $3,947,665.79 and the Operating Fund balance is at $3,039,073.52.

Budget Report: Revenues vs. Expenditures for March 2024:

Education Fund: 83% vs. 69%

Building Fund: 92% vs. 71%

Bond & Interest: 73% & 5%

Transportation Fund: 91% vs. 105%

IMRF: 102% vs. 64%

Site & Construction: 93% & 66%

Working Cash: 112% & 0%

Tort Immunity: 103% vs. 96%

Life Safety: 110% & 99%

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Essington to approve the financial report and the budget report for March 2024. All ayes. Motion carried.

Principals’ Reports:

Mrs. Scheller reported the following:

• April 10th marked 4th quarter midterms. Progress reports were sent home on April 12th.

• April 10th Pre-K hosted a family carnival night. It was well attended by mostly our 4 year old student group.

• April 11th Title I hosted a family fun night. There were crafts, food, dogs, books, raffles, and a K9 dog show. The event was well attended.

• I would like to thank the Academic Foundation for the grant money to purchase Scholastic News for the 2024-2025 school year.

• Kindergarten parent night for students who will be entering kindergarten next school year will be held on May 9th from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.

• Jr. High athletic awards night will be May 13th at 7 p.m. in the Jr. High gym.

• Jr. High awards and 8th grade promotion is on May 15th in the high school gym at 8:15 a.m.

• Elementary field day is on May 15th.

• Thanks to the Academic Foundation, the school will be installing new swings, a slide, and rubber mulch in the elementary playground this summer. New swings will also be installed in the Jr. High playground thanks to the Community Partnership Grant. The Pre K Grant has allowed us to purchase a sandbox and swing mats for the playground.

• The Billiter Grant was awarded to the school by the Academic Foundation. With these funds, Mr. Winsel and his class are building and installing book boxes for the Mt. Olive, Lake Kaho, and White City areas. The boxes will be installed early this summer.

• IAR testing is complete, except for those who need to do make-up tests.

• Olympiad is April 23rd for 3rd & 4th grade, April 24th for 5th & 6th grade, and April 30th for 7th and 8th grade.

Dr. Kelly reported the following:

• MOHS Band placed 1st at IHSA Band Sectionals. They also placed 12th in State.

• Baseball and softball teams both won the Montgomery County Tournament.

• Tyler Hayes and Bethany Dixon were recognized at Lewis & Clark last Thursday evening as Silver Medallion winners.

• April 24th Olive Tree Family Church is hosting a luncheon for the seniors

• April 26th is the senior trip

• May 4th is prom

• May 6th is NHS induction

• May 7th is the high school scholarship and awards ceremony

• May 9th is the Spring Band Concert

• May 11th is graduation

• May 15th is the last day of student attendance

Superintendent’s Report:

Dr. Kelly reported the following:

A. Informational Items

1. District Improvement Plan Committee

The district improvement plan committee is meeting on April 29th at 3:15 p.m. Dr. Essington is on this committee.

2. Health Insurance Committee

The insurance committee met with our insurance representatives today after school.

The projected increase on insurance for next year will be 4%.

3. Cyber Risk Assessment

Cyber-attacks in K-12 educational institutions have increased causing a disruption to school operations. Information of students and faculty are all at risk for being held for ransom. Assured Partners completed a risk assessment of our cyber security. Overall, our systems are in good shape. I have shared this information with our IT department, and Jamie and Matt will be providing a more comprehensive presentation at a later date.

Unfinished Business:

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to approve the 2024-2025 Mt. Olive Elementary/Jr. High Handbook. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion to approve the 2024-2025 Mt. Olive High School Handbook was tabled.

New Business:

Motion by Rimar, seconded by Knes to approve the annual schedule of school board meetings. All ayes. Motion carried.

Dr. Kelly discussed the 2024-2025 MOCUSD #5 Before and After School Activities Program Guide.

Dr. Kelly discussed the 2024-2025 MOCUSD #5 Coaching Handbook.

Dr. Kelly discussed the 2024-2025 MOCUSD #5 Extra-Curricular Activity Handbook.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Knes for consideration and action on a resolution providing for the issue of not to exceed $2,800,000 General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2024, to finance school fire prevention and safety projects, providing for the levy of taxes to pay said bonds and authorizing the sale of said bonds to the purchaser thereof. Roll call: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to approve the Glandt Roofing bid for the MOCUSD #5 roofing/HVAC project. Roll call: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Knes, seconded by Essington to enter into closed session at 8:03 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 Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to return to open session at 9:16 p.m. Roll call: 6 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Knes to keep the closed session minutes from the following meetings closed (October 18, 2023, November 15, 2023, December 20, 2023, January 17, 2024, February 7, 2024, February 21, 2024, and March 20, 2024) for the: 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 Rimar, seconded by Knes to accept the resignation of Erik Osmoe at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Essington to accept the resignation of Paul Smith as MOHS egaming coach at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Knes, seconded by Osmoe to accept the resignation of Heather Spudich as MOHS yearbook advisor at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to hire Kaitlyn Nix as MOHS math/science teacher for the 2024-2025 school year, pending a successful background check. All ayes. Motion carried.

The next regular board meeting will be at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in the school library at 804 West Main St., Mt. Olive, IL.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to adjourn at 9:22 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BeczVHE8jQOch98BH2Y0MSv7tyLASxxN/view