South Central Reporter

Mt. Olive Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met Aug. 21.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Education met in regular session on August 21, 2024 in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by President David Brunnwoth. Present at roll call were Brunnworth, Knes, Osmoe, Remer, Rimar, and Skertich. Also present were Superintendent Kelly, Secretary Durbin, Terry Swenson, Nikki Garrels, Jennifer Stockstill, Joel Ferris, Leigh Boyer, Leslie Ann Lesko, Charlie Lueken, Janet Readenour, John Hanafin, Dennis Parish, Amanda Bone, Heather Baumberger, Officer Nash, and Amy Pruden.

John Essington arrived at 7:02.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Osmoe to adopt the agenda and approve the minutes of the special board meeting minutes of August 2nd, 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. FOIA request from Lake County Gazette

E. Dr. Kelly & Mr. Brunnworth thanked all teachers & staff for preparing for the return of students and the start of the 24-25 School year.

F. Joel Ferris and Leigh Boyer spoke to the board regarding HS fees.

G. Leslie Ann Lesko spoke to the board regarding the Band Program.

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

Financial Report for July 2024:

Mrs. Kelly reported the Education Fund is sitting at $1,861,058.97. The Building Fund is at $560,271.80. The Transportation Fund balance is $397,397.54. The Working Cash Fund is at $213,767.59. The total of all funds is $3,032,495.90.

Budget Report (tentative budget): Revenues vs. Expenditures for July 2024:

Education Fund: 10% vs. 7%

Building Fund: 11% vs. 5%

Bond & Interest: 0% & 51%

Transportation Fund: 4% vs. 16%

IMRF: 13% vs. 5%

Site & Construction: 19% & 0%

Working Cash: 13% & 0%

Tort Immunity: 13% vs. 25%

Life Safety: 102% & 25%

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

Unfinished Business:

Discussion regarding the District's transportation inventory and needs. Dr. Kelly provided an update on the status of bus leases for the school year. The district has started the year with loaner buses due to supply chain issues. New buses should be received by the end of October 2024.

The district also started the year with consolidated routes (4 regular routes down to 3) due to staff shortages. Please be patient and feel free to reach out to your child’s school if you have any questions or concerns.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Knes to invest $1,000 per year for 3 years paid in one sum for the Macoupin County CEO program. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried

New Business:

There was a discussion on cell phones and/or stipends for administration. Dr. Kelly will conduct additional research and bring a recommendation back to the board.

Motion by Sketich, seconded by Remer to name Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus through PMA financial Network as our official depository. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to give authority to Josh Martin, High School Principal and Karrie Scheller, Elementary and Junior High Principal, and Brandi Kelly, District Superintendent, to suspend students as outlined in the Elementary and High School Handbooks and Mount Olive CUSD#5 Board Policy Manual. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Essington, seconded by Knes to approve the tentative budget for fiscal year 2025, placed on display for a minimum of thirty days, and hold a budget hearing at 7:00 pm on September 18, 2024. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried

Motion by Rimar, seconded by Essington to approve the Non-Certified contract between The Mt. Olive Community Unit School District No. 5 Board of Education and the Mt. Olive Educational Support Personnel Association. All 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to increase the Substitute Bus Driver rate for the 2024-2025 School year. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to approve the hazardous bus routes for 2024-2025 school year. All ayes. Motion carried.

Discussion on the first reading of the Risk Management Plan occurred.

Principals’ Reports:

Mrs. Scheller reported the following:

● Back to school bash was August 13th. There was a drop off supply, 6th grade and new JH students’ orientation, and carnival. This event was very well attended. I want to thank all the staff and high school cheerleaders for helping make this event a great success.

● School picture Thursday August 29th.

● I will be keeping a close eye on the elementary and junior high’s culture and climate. On a monthly basis, I will have the staff complete the pulse survey which will help me gauge how our culture and climate is, what is working well and what changes may need to be made.

● Enrollment 35 new students and 19 students moved out of the district

● The elementary-junior high will be hosting a Mrs. Fields fundraiser. Kick off will be September 5th.

● A big thanks to the janitors for all their hard work on the playground. It looks amazing. They put a lot of time into getting it ready for us

● Sports:

Softball's first game of the season was August 7th. Baseball’s first game was August 19th. Games schedules can be found on the school website under extra-curricular activities. Both softball and baseball have several games a week. They have a very busy schedule.

Mr. Martin reported the following:

● The school year has gotten off to a pretty good start.

● We had nearly 80 students show up for the Locker Move In event.

● NHS helped to assist students and staff for the evening.

● We have two foreign exchange students this year.

o Naja from Denmark

o Alexia from Spain

o They are doing good and adjusting to life away from home.

o They are both playing volleyball.

● Golf is in full swing with a match this Friday at Timber Lakes.

● Volleyball and Football are still practicing and will begin competitions next week.

● Student Council, D & D Club, and Warhammer Club have all begun to meet.

● The HS now has a business teacher, teacher’s aide, and secretary.

o I believe our new hires will fit in nicely and bring additional skills, knowledge, and fresh ideas into our school.

● We are still searching for a band instructor. This is the last position that needs to be filled in the HS.

● Overall, the atmosphere in the high school has remained relatively calm through the first week of school. The paint in the multi-Purpose room really does help to create a much nicer lunchroom environment. I have been able to go in and observe every classroom and I believe that the year is progressing well. My goal is to be in each classroom each week. Teachers and students are working well together. The students are doing a great job of being respectful to each other and staff. My anticipation is that this will continue with some issues occasionally popping up. Right now, everything is going well and I don’t want to jinx anything.

● We are working on the school fee situation. After meeting with the parents at the beginning of August and hearing their concerns, we asked that they give us 2-3 weeks to try and finalize a summary of the situation. I feel certain that we will have a suggested path forward in the near future.

● The Academic Foundation purchased Mr. Hall weekly readers and some supplemental materials for his Spanish classes.

● Focus Five provided balloons for a picture backdrop on Locker Move In and the First Day of School.

● I want to publicly thank Mrs. Scheller who has helped guide me tremendously as we headed into the first week of school. She is an excellent support that I am thankful for.

● Megan Durbin is also a superstar who has worked tirelessly to make sure the HS has been and continues to be in a positive position.

Superintendent’s Report:

Dr. Kelly reported the following:

● Informational Items

○ Stronger Connections Grant- $115,000.00

○ Teacher minimum pay for FY 2026 is $42,411 with a 2.97% increase of FY2025.

○ $6 million-ISBE Statewide Teacher Recruitment Campaign.

○ The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents released a survey showing over 90% of schools in the state reported having issues with teacher shortages in the 2023-2024 school year. The campaign aims to attract and retain qualified teachers.

● School Board Elections

○ The state has changed the law on petition circulation for school board candidates and moved it up. August 20th will be the first day candidates can gather signatures and filing will be from November 12ththrough the 18thin the Macoupin County Clerk’s office. Closer to the 20th, petition packets will be added to this website.

● SCI Center- Litchfield, IL

○ This year enrollment has nearly doubled.

● HLS Project Update

Roofing:

● Contractors are still working on metal work/guttering.

● Glandt is working on pricing to see if we could add remaining roof locations for resurfacing and stay within budget (HS office, gym, and concession areas).

HVAC:

● All equipment is set and equipment is running off the internal set point until automation is complete.

Automation:

● All wiring is run with the exception of 3 units. Electrician is coordinating with us for evenings and Saturdays to finish wiring. Entec is also working on the in-house engineering for software implementation.

● Enrollment

○ From ISBE Fall Housing enrollment data, enrollment is trending down overall in Macoupin County schools.

● Back to School Activities for Teachers/Staff

○ We had a speaker to address culture and climate -Jim Van Allen who wrote the book Energy Bus for Schools was our keynote speaker courtesy of ROE #40. Thank you ROE #40 for supporting our schools!

○ We also provided a legal update for all staff.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Skertich to enter into closed session at 7:43 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. Discussion of pending and probable litigation against, affecting, or on behalf of the Board of Education and the District. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Rimar to return to open session at 8:42 p.m. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to hire Terry Swenson as Transportation Coordinator pending successful background check. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Sketich, seconded by Essington to hire William McAnulty as HS Business Teacher pending successful background check.. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Knes, seconded by Osmoe to hire Shelby Bertels as HS secretary pending successful background check. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Sketich to hire Sonya Hansel as HS Teachers assistant pending successful background check.. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Knes, seconded by Essington to hire Jenna Shelton as bus monitor for Hope Route pending successful background check. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to hire Kim Jackson as full-time custodian pending successful background check. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Osmoe, seconded by Rimar to hire John Senjan as paid assistant softball coach pending successful background check. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Remer, seconded by Knes to hire Brandon Frizzo as head HS basketball coach pending successful background check. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Remer to approve the addendum to Karrie Scheller’s administrative contract for the 24-25 school year. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Rimar, seconded by Knes to approve Megan Durbin’s book keeper’s contract for the 24-25 school year. Roll call: 7 ayes. Motion carried.

A budget hearing is scheduled for September 18, 2024 at 7:00pm with the regular board meeting at 7:05pm on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. The meetings will be held in the library at 804 W Main Street, Mt Olive, Illinois.

Motion by Skertich, seconded by Rimar to adjourn at 8:42 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cxmUJdr9m-ZYwBFhcW3pcJVf0LzrqRBU/view