Sparta Community Unit School District #140 Board of Education met Aug. 10.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The regular meeting was called to order by Board President Angela Craig and upon the roll being called, Angela Craig and the following members of the Board of Education answered present: Mekalia Cooper, Jennifer Morgan, Heather Price, Corey Rheinecker and Rob Soderlund. Absent: Ryan Pillers. Others present were: Superintendent Chris Miesner; Recording Secretary Tina Witherby; Principals Scott Beckley, Kelly Carpenter and Lynda Loesing and members of the staff.
Board President Angela Craig led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Corey Rheinecker was sworn in as a newly-appointed board member.
With no public comment requests, the meeting continued.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to approve the minutes of the July 13, 2023 regular meeting and July 24, 2023, and August 3, 2023, special meetings as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the Bills, Payroll, Cash Flow and Fund Balances as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Soderlund, Price, Rheinecker, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
The next regular board meeting will be September 14, 2023, at 7 p.m. at Sparta Lincoln School.
Sparta Lincoln School Principal Lynda Loesing reported that baseball and softball will have a double header next week at the Grizzly Ballpark. Registration was at 89% with 756 students registered thanks to Secretaries Kim Short and Heather Dierks. The custodians have done a great job getting the school ready. There will be eleven new teachers at Sparta Lincoln School this year. There are three open positions. The Kindergarten and Special Education teams have been supportive and proactive about the last-minute changes.
Principal Beckley reported that Sparta High School is five teachers short going into the school year. Social studies classes have been combined. Science is the biggest issue. One of the Agriculture classes will count as a science credit. Drivers’ Education has been covered. There will not Art classes this year. Mr. Beckley appreciated the faculty and staff pitching in to help this year. There have been 165 of 340 students registered at Sparta High School.
Belfor was to have the new ceiling installed in the vocational building before school started, but they have not been at the school over the summer. The architects had issues with the speaker system in the new gym. It will cost an additional $4,044 to hang the speakers from the ceiling.
Evansville Attendance Center Principal Kelly Carpenter reported that the Beta Club has been in to help get the school ready. There have been four new students and almost everyone has already registered. Evansville Attendance Center will have Open House and Meet the Principal before that. She will be attending the Evansville Village meeting. Mrs. Carpenter met with a church in Sparta that will donate food and clothing to the Care Closet. The kindergarten through fourth grade teachers would like to have a membership in Mystery Science. She would like to bring back the archery class to the physical education class at Evansville Attendance Center. She and Mr. Carpenter are certified to teach it.
Superintendent Miesner reported that the new administration team at Sparta Lincoln School has done a great job trying to fill positions. He introduced Jamie Wildermuth as a first-grade teacher. The basketball hoop re-enforcement in the new gym should be completed tomorrow. Open House will be held on Monday. The first day of school will be on Wednesday. There will be no 1 p.m. dismissal on Wednesdays this year.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the FY 2024 Tentative Budget, to establish the Public Hearing on the Budget which will be held prior to the September 2023 board meeting, to publish notice of the Public Hearing and to display the FY 2024 Tentative Budget in the district office for 30 days. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Soderlund, Price, Rheinecker, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to approve the 2023-2024 Risk Management Plan as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to increase the teacher sub pay to $125 per day for the 2023-2204 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Heather Price moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to increase the non-certified sub pay to $15 per hour for the 2023-2024 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Price, Morgan, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to appoint Heather Price as the Board Representative for Perandoe Special Education District for the 2023-2024 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Cooper, Price, Rheinecker and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Heather Price seconded to appoint Jennifer Morgan as the Board Representative for the IASB Governing Board for the 2023-2024 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Abstain: Morgan. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to approve the reimbursement of $15 per pay for the superintendent and principals for personal cell phone usage. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Cooper, Price, Rheinecker and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to approve the Strategic Plan Proposal and the Living the Strategic Plan Proposal from the Educational Leadership Solutions. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Cooper, Price and Rheinecker. Nays: Craig. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to approve the Agreement with the City of Sparta for a School Resource Officer. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Cooper, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Abstain: Rheinecker. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to adopt updated policies for General Personnel #5:10 Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment; #5:20 Workplace Harassment Prohibited and Students Policy #7:180 Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation and Harassment as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Heather Price seconded to enter into closed session at 7:25 p.m. to discuss items related to the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Morgan, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Rob Soderlund seconded to come out of executive session at 7:56 p.m. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Soderlund, Price, Morgan, Rheinecker and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to approve the executive session minutes as presented for the July 13, July 24 and August 3, 2023, meetings. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Cooper, Price, Rheinecker and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to accept the resignation of Mary McMillan as Part-Time Custodian and Crossing Guard at Evansville Attendance Center effective September 6, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to accept the resignation of Lacie Schneider as Teacher at Sparta High School effective August 1, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to accept the resignation of Jaimie Smith as a 6-hour Cook at Sparta Lincoln School effective August 1, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to accept the resignation of Valerie Foster as Paraprofessional at Sparta Lincoln School effective July 28, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to accept the resignation of Scott Venus as a 12-month Custodian at Sparta Lincoln School effective August 4, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Morgan, Cooper, Price, Rheinecker and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Heather Price seconded to accept the resignation of Jarrod Ostlund as Teacher at Sparta High School effective August 1, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Morgan, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Heather Price moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to accept the resignation of Bridgitte Longshore as Paraprofessional at Sparta High School effective August 13, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Price, Morgan, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to accept the resignation of Kelli Coughlin as Teacher at Sparta Lincoln School effective August 3, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to accept the resignation of Ashley Brown as Paraprofessional at Sparta Lincoln School effective August 17, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Mekalia Cooper seconded to accept the resignation of Ashley Gee as Teacher at Sparta Lincoln School effective August 8, 2023. Roll call vote. Yeas: Morgan, Cooper, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Rob Soderlund moved; Corey Rheinecker seconded to employ Sylvia Boston as a 6-hour Cook for the District for the 2023-2024 school year, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a physical and drug screening. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Rheinecker, Cooper, Price, Morgan and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Heather Price seconded to employ Monica Valleroy as a Part-Time Custodian at Evansville Attendance Center working two days per week 2.5 hours per day and as a Part-Time Crossing Guard working two days per week for the 2023-2024 school year with a start date of August 28, 2023, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check, employment history review, physical and drug screening. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Morgan, Rheinecker, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Jennifer Morgan moved; Heather Price seconded to approve a leave-of-absence for Amanda Renner as Paraprofessional at Sparta Lincoln School from August 21, 2023, through November 10, 2023. Yeas: Morgan, Price, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Cooper and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Corey Rheinecker seconded to approve Kory Watson as a Volunteer Assistant Wrestling Coach at Sparta High School for the 2023-2024 school year, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check and employment history review. Yeas: Cooper, Rheinecker, Price, Morgan, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Mekalia Cooper moved; Jennifer Morgan seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:02 p.m. Roll call vote: Yeas: Cooper, Morgan, Rheinecker, Soderlund, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.
https://www.sparta.k12.il.us/_files/ugd/63dffa_b51b7b5dcf2348bbabe5e869a6ac3220.docx?dn=081023%20minutes.docx
Alerts Sign-up