Chester Community Unit School District 139 Board of Education met April 20.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board of Education of Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 held a Regular Meeting on April 20 2023, in High School FACS Classroom B217. Vice President Debi Caraway called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Mott motioned, Fricke seconded to enter into executive session at 6:05 p.m. for the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body. Roll call vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Davitz, Fricke, Malley, Mott. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Grade School Principal Bill Grafton and High School Principal Jeremy Blechle were both present in executive session. Both Principals exited the session at 7:24 p.m.
Mott motioned, Fricke seconded to return to open session at 7:46 p.m. Roll call vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Davitz, Fricke, Malley,
Mott. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comment
● Kathryn O’Connell discussed her concerns with the Jr. High students and phones. Also, suggesting the Yondr pouches be used at the Grade School next year.
Keith Brinkmann presented the FY22 district financial audit report on behalf of Scheffel-Boyle. Brinkmann discussed findings and the overall financial strength of the district.
Mott motioned, Belton seconded to approve the consent agenda and items as listed. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke,
Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
● Agenda and items as listed:
● March 16, 2023 regular meeting and executive session minutes;
● Bills in the amount of $800,966.36 and payroll in the amount of $526,206.15;
● Financial reports
High School Athletic Director’s Report
● Baseball, softball and track season are in full swing.
● JV track team finished 1st place in the Chester JV track meet we hosted last week.
● Track also hosted the Rocky Bridges meet on Tuesday. Girls finished 2nd and boys finished 1st.
● Baseball and softball regionals start on Monday, May 15th.
● We will be hosting the 1A Girls Track Sectional on Thursday, May 11th.
Grade School Athletic Director’s Report
● Due to departure and return times for track meets, no buses were available. The district activity bus has been scheduled and utilized to take athletes to and from track meets.
● The gym will be off limits this summer due to it being used for storage while work is being done in the classrooms in the 4th grade area.
● Any camps or open gyms will need to be scheduled at the high school.
● Softball, baseball and basketball coaches are lined up for the fall.
Maintenance Report
● New fuel tanks are in place. Brown Electric will be here for work in the life skills room and will figure out what needs to be done to power up the new pumps and install a floodlight while they are here.
● Wall is framed in the new life skills room. FRP panel on the sides so it’s in place when Brown Electric drills through for the wiring. Once wiring is complete, we will put ERP panels and plywood on the front wall to finish it up. A & W plumbing is done roughing in the plumbing for now.
● Working on more health life safety list tasks.
● Football field was cut for the first time this spring.
● Leak in the band room roof is patched.
● Replacement of the 2 Daikin compressor towers is complete and TMI has been monitoring them.
● Soil samples have been completed at the back of the grade school and results should be coming soon.
● A/C has been turned on in the 1925 building at the high school and seems to be working fine.
● The pole vault brackets got bent again so Mr. Paulus took them to BIll Gross to have it pressed out.
● There is a cracked or loose ejector pump fitting at the track that needs to be fixed. Hillside is wet so probably leaking from the 2 inch force main line.
Curriculum Report
● IAR test window closes April 21st. The ISA window closes on April 28th.
● Grade 5 students are taking their ISA on April 17th - 19th.
● Our 2023 Spring IAR and ISA testing is complete with the exception of a few students taking makeup tests.
● The 9th and 10th graders took the PSAT on April 12th.
● The 11th graders took the SAT with Essay on April 12th.
● SAT makeup test date will occur on Tuesday, April 25th.
● PSAT makeup tests must be completed by April 28th.
● End of the year benchmark testing will be taking place from the end of April through early May.
● As part of our multi-tiered system of support (MTSS), our district will be acquiring a curriculum for social-emotional learning (SEL) for the upcoming school year. A teacher team is reviewing program options for the grade school and high school to help make the final selection for each building.
Grade School Principal’s Report
● Graduation is set for Thursday, May 18th at 6:00 pm. Mr. Davitz and Mr. Fricke will be assisting in handing out diplomas.
● A western theme spring dance was held on March 24th. There was very good attendance and the parochial schools were also invited and several of their students attended as well.
● The Easter Bunny visited CGS on Thursday, April 6th.
● 8th grade students will be working with Mrs. Hankins and the high school on Friday, April 21st in honor of Earth Day. They will be mulching, pruning, and removing dead plants. Many elementary classes will either be flower pots or edible dirt with high school students.
● The Student Handbook is being updated and proposed changes were emailed.
● Celebrate Fitness Day has been rescheduled for April 27th, due to weather. Students raised over $12,000 for the PTS fundraiser and all of this money will go back to supporting students. A big shout out to Mrs. Liefer, Danielle Conway, Mrs. Kordys and all of the teachers who helped make this year’s fitness day a success.
● Mrs. Gonzalez took several students to Herrin on April 20th to participate in the Special Olympics.
● Positive Give Back raised $420 this month.
● Sonitrol has been installing new fobs on the doors of the office, gym, cafeteria and lobby.
● Projected enrollment numbers for the 2023-24 school year were shared.
● Various classes have field trips scheduled for the end of the year.
● Jr. High Band concert is Thursday, April 27th at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.
● Working with teachers on the Jr. High schedule for next school year to see if they see any conflicts.
● Planning ideas for Staff Appreciation Week for May 8th – May 12th.
● Last day of student attendance is Tuesday, May 23rd.
High School Principal’s Report
● Elk Student of the Month for March were Kerringtyn Malley & Conner Cowan.
● Promethean are installed and teachers are becoming more familiar with them.
● Earth Day celebration is planned for April 21st and we will be working at the Cohen Complex with CGS students too.
● Distinguished Yellow Jacket award ceremony was held on April 17th with 28 students awarded and it was a huge success.
● Scholarship Committee has met and Mrs. Hawkins is working toward getting them wrapped up.
● Mrs. Appell and Ms. Millburg did a great job with putting Prom together.
● Five Sting staffers advanced to IHSA State-Aden McFarland, Haley Hoskin, Bethany Baughman, Clayton Andrews and Kerringtyn Malley.
● PSAT/SAT tests were administered on April 12th.
● CHS Band participated in the IHSA Organizational Contest on April 14th.
● Winter & spring sport pictures were held on March 27th.
● Freshman preview was held on March 24th and was successful as well.
● Senior Tea and BackYard BBQ was held on March 23rd and both events were well attended.
● Mr. Fricke, Mr. Vasquez and Mrs. Malley are attending graduation with us.
Superintendent’s Report
● The board reorganization meeting for two new members, Dr. James Krieg and Mrs. Barb Coffey, will take place May 3rd at 7:30.
● Working with Chief Helmers and the Chester Mayor to complete a grant for a possible SRO in the district.
● Attended Senior Tea.
● We initiated utilizing Embrace, our IEP program, for our district 504 plans.
● Working on the amended budget.
● Key evaluation was completed on both campuses to assess safety in all buildings.
● New fuel tanks have been set. Once installation is complete, we will have them approved by the fire marshall.
● Cabinets came in for the living skills lab.
● Pre-bid meeting was completed this week for the new high school vestibule.
● We want to expand with another 2nd grade teacher and another pre-k classroom.
● Continuing to interview for open positions.
Mott motioned, Belton seconded to approve the second reading of proposed changes of the Intergovernmental Agreement Resolution with OKAW Regional Vocational System. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Mott motioned, Malley seconded to approve allowing East Perry Timber Procurement, LLC to provide easement to access adjacent property. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Davitz motioned, Mott seconded to approve FY22 Financial Audit Report as presented. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Davitz seconded to adopt resolution to place the 2022-2023 Amended Budget of Chester School District on file as of
May 15, 2023 and schedule a hearing to present said budget on June 15, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. to be directly followed by the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Davitz motioned, Belton seconded to adopt the 2023-2024 school calendar as presented. Upon roll call, all members voted aye.
Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Malley seconded to approve the High School Summer Youth Volleyball Camp Fundraiser from June 12th-15th. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Belton motioned, Fricke seconded to approve the High School Summer Youth Boys Basketball Camp Fundraiser from June 21st-23rd.
Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Belton seconded to approve tenure status to certified employee, Katie Kelley. Upon roll call, all members voted aye.
Motion carried.
Malley motioned, Mott seconded to accept the resignation of Jennifer McBride as Grade School Special Education Teacher effective at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Davitz motioned, Belton seconded to accept the resignation of Kristine Heiman as Grade School Special Education Teacher effective at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Malley motioned, Davitz seconded to accept the resignation of Adrienne Klump as Grade School Special Education Teacher effective at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Mott seconded to accept the resignation of Amanda Deterding as Grade School Jr High English Language Arts Teacher effective at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Belton motioned, Mott seconded to accept the resignation of Karla Childs as Grade School Paraprofessional effective at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Davitz motioned, Malley seconded to approve to employ Esther Roy as Grade School Special Education Teacher effective August 14, 2023. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mott motioned, Davitz seconded to approve to employ Courtney Hecht as Grade School Jr High English Teacher effective August 14, 2023. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Malley seconded to approve to terminate the employment of Heather LaChance, an at-will support employee, effective April 20, 2023. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Mott motioned, Belton seconded to accept the resignation of Patrick “Nick” Severs as High School JV Boys Basketball Coach. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Davitz motioned, Mott seconded to accept the resignation of Jerina Reese as Grade School Volleyball Coach. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Belton motioned, Mott seconded to accept the resignation of Amber Skorcz as High School Assistant Girls Basketball Coach. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Mott seconded to accept the resignation of Clint Cowan as High School Girls Basketball Coach. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Belton seconded to approve to employ Josh Draves as Grade School Assistant Track Coach for the 2023 season pending background check and paperwork. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Davitz motioned, Mott seconded to approve to employ Brett Klindworth as High School Assistant Baseball Coach for the 2023 season.
Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mott motioned, Belton seconded to approve to employ Grade School & High School coaches for the fall/winter 2023-2024 sports season as listed. Roll call vote. Ayes: Davitz, Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Mott seconded to accept the Grade School & High School volunteers for the fall/winter 2023-2024 sports season as listed. Roll call vote. Ayes: Mott, Belton, Fricke, Malley, Caraway. Abstain: Davitz. Motion carried.
Motion by Davitz and seconded by Belton to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3096/CCSD/3043646/April_20__2023_Regular_Mtg_Brief.pdf
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