South West Illinois News

Chester Community Unit School District 139 Board met Aug. 6.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

The Board of Education of Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 met in the Chester Community Grade School Conference Room on August 16, 2018. President Hammel called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present: Dan Colvis, Trent Vasquez, Debi Caraway, Tom Welge, Jamie Eggemeyer, Chuck Fricke, Mitch Hammel.

The Board of Education of Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 met in the Chester Community Grade School Conference Room on August 16, 2018. President Hammel called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Motion was made by Mr. Fricke and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to approve the agenda as presented. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

SIJHSAA President, Greg Hale, presented to the board on the history of a rule for 7th and 8th-grade students transferring from a private school to a public school and vice versa without a significant residence change. Mr. Hale mentioned a number of examples of recruiting around southern Illinois and the SIJHSAA, a governing body for athletics of member schools in the southern third of the state, putting a rule into place to address the issue. The rule had been modified in recent years and stands at a 45 attendance day sit-out versus a 21 calendar day sit out for students going from one private school to another. Board member, Chuck Fricke, expressed his issue with the 45 day rule both removing an opportunity for a student to participate completely in a fall sport (on a summer transfer) and that two different rules exist. He also expressed concern that many parents transfer students for non-sport related reasons, not knowing ahead of time that two different rules exist. Mr. Hale also mentioned that a violation of the rule would likely result in suspension in state series competition for both baseball and softball

The Board received a monthly high school maintenance report from Brian McMath:

 A new water heater was installed by A & W Plumbing in the 1925 boiler room.

 The home economics kitchen remodel is done.

 Both schools are in need of 2 new floor scrubbers.

 The buildings are cleaned and polished for this school year.

 We had a power failure last week and it really messed up the new Daikin A/C unit for the science rooms. They were here on August 9th and 10th, and as of the 10th, it was still not working.

 The A/C unit in room 217 is going out and in need of a new system. Mr. McMath thinks it can be salvaged through this school year but will need to be replaced next summer.

David Kaiser presented the following grade school athletic report to the Board:

 Baseball and softball games are underway. We have 22 games scheduled to be played by the end of September.

 Cross country will begin the first full week of school. Their first meet will be Tuesday, September 4 at Marissa.

 Preparing for winter sports. Basketball will begin around the first week of October.

 Mr. Fricke commented that transportation to athletic events has been well received. He questioned what guidelines were in place if athletes did not ride the bus back home after events. The board agreed the grade school should follow the guidelines that are in place at the high school.

 Mr. Fricke asked where athletes are to store their baseball and softball equipment during school on game days? Mr. Kaiser commented that most athletes leave their equipment in their homeroom, but some have stored their equipment in his and the nurses office.

 The Board received the upcoming schedule for baseball, softball and cross country.

Jeremy Blechle presented the following high school athletic report:

 All fall practices are underway and contests have started.

 The football team will have 64 total athletes in their program. This is our highest number in years. The board received a letter from Coach Belton on how the summer workouts went.

 The volleyball team will have 26 total athletes in their program and will have a team at all three levels.

 Other numbers include: golf - 17; cross country -15; cheer -13; dance -17. Total number of fall athletes is 142 (10 dual sport athletes) which equals 42% of our student body.

 The fall schedules are updated and very close to finalizing contest with all possible opponents. Underclassmen football still have a significant number of open dates.

 The orange pocket calendars are almost complete.

 All schedules and coaching contacts are uploaded onto the high school website.

 IHSA website has been updated with new staff and contact information. Also, all certification and registration has been submitted to the IHSA. We are ready to start our 2018-2019 athletic seasons.

The Board received a monthly curriculum report from Shirley Stegmann:

 The board received dates for the 2018-19 school improvement meetings and faculty meetings for the year.

 This summer Mrs. Stegmann completed going through the district PLC work.

 Mrs. Stegmann will be training grade school teachers on Google Classroom early in September. The high school teachers have been trained, with the exception of any new faculty members.

 The district vertical curriculum groups in Google Classroom have been completed and will launch as soon as all grade school teachers have been trained. This will be the platform for assessing vertical curriculum using our curriculum guides and the standards. Mrs. Stegmann will also add as many teachers from St. John’s and St. Mary’s Schools as she can to join in the collective efforts.

 April 9, 2019, is the planning stage to be a test day at the high school. Grades 9 and 10 students will be taking the PSAT and grade 11 will be taking the SAT.

 PSAT/NMSQT have been preordered and will be administered on October 10. A sign up will be offered for any junior interested in paying to take this test. By taking this test, students may be eligible to compete for national scholarships.

 Mrs. Stegmann held an orientation for new high school teachers on August 10 and will be training them on SLOs and Evaluwise on August 17.

New employees were introduced to the Board of Education. Mr. Lochhead introduced fifth-grade teacher Miki Friess, fifth- grade teacher Charlotte Shaver, PI grant home visitor Vicki Thompson, and special education teacher Kathy Diane Ellison. Mrs. Meyer introduced social science teacher Jacob Cowan, special education teacher Beth Brown and science teacher Evelyn Hankins.

Mr. Lochhead presented the grade school principal’s report:

 A new employee orientation was held on July 23.

 Environmental Consultants conducted their air quality testing on July 25.

 Registration was held on July 30-August 1.

 Active shooter training held August 1-2.

 On August 7 a principal meeting was held in Red Bud.

 A teachers’ institute was held on August 14.

 CGS held their Open House on August 14.

 Mr. Paulus will be requesting bids to seed the hillside.

 The playground equipment purchased through the prekindergarten grant should be arriving mid-October.

 Jerry Costello, II filmed a commercial at the grade school during the summer.

 A fire drill is scheduled for August 31.

 The School Store Kickoff will be held on September 4.

 A bus evacuation drill will be held on September 6.

 An active shooter parent presentation will be held by the police department on September 19.

 The custodians have done a great job in getting our building ready for the new school year.

Mrs. Meyer, High School Principal, reported the following to the Board of Education:

 CHS would again like to thank Professor Sharp for his contributions to the school.

 Registration was successful. Mr. Blechle added the athletic forms to the online process this year. A lot of parents commented how easy the entire process was. Mrs. Meyer thanked the staff who helped during these three days.

 Mr. Guebert held a condensed Freshmen Academy on August 2 from 9-12. He, along with five teachers, ran the three-hour orientation.

 The school looks great. Our summer custodial staff has done an incredible job with preparing the school, both inside and out.

 Mrs. Meyer also thanked Rich Clasen for all the work he has completed during the summer.

 We said goodbye to Amanda Jordan and Luke Stegmann and hello to Beth Brown and Evelyn Hankins.

 The first day of school schedule was revamped. We were able to take school pictures and get our bus evacuation drill out of the way that day.

 Mrs. Meyer has also touched base with Jostens of the possibility of having them come in on the first day of school next year as well with information regarding graduation and class rings.

Mrs. Caraway asked about enrollment numbers at both buildings and if there were a number of new families that have moved in? Mrs. Meyer commented that enrollment is approximately 340 at the high school and that 22 students will be attending Red Brick, Perandoe or the alternative program. Mrs. Meyer is not sure how many new families have enrolled. Mr. Lochhead commented there were 26 new students enrolled but was unsure of the total number of students enrolled for the 2018-19 school year.

Superintendent Pasero reported the following to the Board of Education:

 The PI Program will be fully funded for the 2018-19 school year. We received the KIDS (Kindergarten Individual

Development Survey) Report and have rated very well in readiness for kindergarten.

 Playground equipment purchased through the prekindergarten grant.

 Mr. Pasero spoke with Professor Sharp about the plaques to be purchased for the high school cafeteria and lobby.

 Colbert plaques.

 The Perandoe Board Meeting is scheduled for September 12 at 6:00 p.m. The Board Representative Meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m.

 ESSA Designations – We are not designated as neither underperforming nor lowest performing.

 Mr. Pasero, along with Dan Colvis and Trent Vasquez, Building & Grounds Committee members, met with Brad Kueker to discuss a plan for the football field. It would cost approximately $2,000 to put an annual rye on the field and an additional cost of $4,500 next fall to plant a Bermuda type grass. The committee is still undergoing discussions.

 The grade school continues to have HVAC mold and humidity issues. The ventilators are 30 years old and are not able to keep up. Mr. Pasero contacted Baysinger and discussed the 10-year health/life safety survey. A comprehensive plan will need to be created and put in place. Mr. Vasquez suggested contacting Ameren to see if there was an incentive program that would help with costs.

 Superintendent Pasero told the board the bill for the chiller costing approximately $4,800 will be included in next month’s bills.

 Training was provided for cafeteria personnel on August 14 through ISBE. Mrs. Gaertner and Mrs. Stueve recently attended a conference in Springfield sponsored by ISBE.

 The board questioned when the track surface was due to be resurfaced. Superintendent Pasero will look into this.

 Implementation of an Employee of the Month program was discussed.

Motion was made by Mr. Eggemeyer and seconded by Mr. Welge to approve the consent agenda and items as listed. Upon roll call Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay, 0 absent; motion carried

 Minutes of the July 19, 2018, regular meeting, and executive session

 Bills in the amount of $172,505.38 and payroll in the amount of $366,030.27.

 Financial reports for the month of July 2018.

Motion was made by Mr. Vasquez and seconded by Mrs. Caraway to enter into executive session at 8:12 p.m. for the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body. Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried

Motion was made by Mrs. Caraway and seconded by Mr. Vasquez to return to open session at 8:57 p.m. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Mr. Fricke commented he felt by following the rules in place by the SIJHSAA, the district was denying students an opportunity for participation when entering the public school. Superintendent Pasero recommended following the SIJHSAA process for modifying a rule and presenting to a steering committee that makes recommendations for change to the voting members of the association. Motion was made by Mr. Fricke and seconded by Mr. Vasquez to allow summer transfer students to Chester Grade School, with no residency change and meeting all other Chester Grade School eligibility requirements for athletics, the opportunity to participate after sitting out only 21 calendar days; a violation of the SIJHSAA rule requiring a 45 attendance day “sit-out” period. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted nay, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted nay, Mr. Welge voted nay, Mr. Eggemeyer voted nay, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted nay. 5 yea, 2 nay; Motion failed

After holding the second reading of PRESS policies, motion was made by Mrs. Caraway and seconded by Mr. Vasquez to adopt PRESS Policy 97 and PRESS Policy 98 as recommended by Superintendent Pasero. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

After conducting the second reading, motion was made by Mr. Welge and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to approve the 2018-19 Code of Conduct as presented. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Colvis and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to approve the request from Kids for Christ the use of grade school facilities from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Mondays, October 15 through November 5, 2018. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Welge and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to approve the request from Grace Church Ministries the use of the high school parking lot on October 7, 2018, from 11:00 a.m. -7:00 p.m. for guest parking during their family fun day. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Vasquez and seconded by Mr. Colvis to approve Professor Sharp’s proposal and approve renaming the high school cafeteria and entrance the “Professor Sharp Cafeteria and Entrance Lobby”. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Colvis and seconded by Mrs. Caraway to approve the request of Mr. Lochhead to remove the following accounts no longer in use from the grade school activity fund. Student Accident Insurance, Assemblies, Dining, Drug-Free Youth, Grant, Pencil Machine, Telephone, Walk-a-Thon, and Wellness. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Welge and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to approve the agreement with Shannon Glaser for transporting a student to and from PEP during the 2018-19 school year. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Vasquez and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to approve the tentative school district budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year be placed on file for public inspection and to adopt the resolution to hold a budget hearing on September 20, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., directly followed by the regular meeting of the Board of Education. Upon roll call Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Welge and seconded by Mr. Eggemeyer to accept resignation requests from the following personnel, coaches, and volunteers. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

 Christian Gray as volunteer football coach

 LaVerne Misselhorn as Title I tutor and substitute

 Justin Stehl as high school evening custodian

Motion was made by Mr. Vasquez and seconded by Mr. Welge to approve a Perandoe social worker payment from the district for an extra day per week totaling $15,858.00. Upon roll call Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mrs. Caraway and seconded by Mr. Colvis to approve Rosie Tindall as a problem-solving aide during the 2018-19 school year at $120.00 per day for 2-3 days per week as recommended by administration. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Welge and seconded by Mr. Vasquez to approve the following paid coaches and volunteers as recommended for the 2018-19 school year. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

 Chris Kern.HS Head Cross Country Coach

 Matthew Meltzer.HS Cross Country Volunteer

Motion was made by Mrs. Caraway and seconded by Mr. Welge to approve the employment of the following personnel for the 2018-19 school year as recommended by administration, noting their seniority to be equal. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

 Stephen Colonel.HS Evening Custodian, retroactive to July 19, 2018

 Barry Miller.HS Evening Custodian, retroactive to July 19, 2018

 Beth Diebolt-Brown.HS Special Education Teacher

 Evelyn Hankins.HS Science Teacher

 Kathy Diane Ellison.GS Special Education Teacher

 Charlotte Shaver.5th Grade Teacher

Motion was made by Mr. Colvis and seconded by Mr. Vasquez to approve employment of PI Grant Personnel for the 2018-19 school year. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

 Lindsey Hargis.Coordinator

 Vicki Thompson.Home Visitor

 Rachel Marshall.Supervisor

Motion was made by Mrs. Caraway and seconded by Mr. Colvis to approve a 1.75% salary increase for Superintendent Brian Pasero for the 2018-19 school year. Upon roll call Mr. Colvis voted yea, Mr. Vasquez voted yea, Mrs. Caraway voted yea, Mr. Welge voted yea, Mr. Eggemeyer voted yea, Mr. Fricke voted yea, Mr. Hammel voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

Motion was made by Mr. Vasquez and seconded by Mrs. Caraway to adjourn the regular meeting at 9:15 p.m. Upon roll call all members voted yea. 7 yea, 0 nay; motion carried.

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