Chester Community Unit School District 139 Board of Education met Oct. 18.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board of Education of Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 held a Special Meeting on October 18, 2023, in High School FACS Classroom B217. President Debi Caraway called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Belton motioned, Fricke seconded to enter into executive session at 6:00 p.m. for the self evaluation, practices, and procedures or professional ethics, when meeting with a representative of a statewide association of which the public body is a member. Roll call vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Malley. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Malley motioned, Fricke seconded to return to open session at 7:15 pm. Roll call vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Malley. Nays: none. Motion carried.
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comment
● JW Hubert discussed the Chester Grade School Roof & HVAC Replacement Project
Fricke motioned, Belton seconded to approve the consent agenda and items as listed. Roll call vote. Ayes: Malley, Belton, Davitz, Fricke, Coffey, Caraway, Krieg. Nays: none. Motion carried.
● September 21, 2023 Regular and Executive Session Meeting Minutes
● Bills in the amount of $710,621.79 and payroll in the amount of $547,841.46
● Financial Reports
● Approval of Contracts over $25,000
● Approval of Teacher and Administrative Salaries
Athletic Director Report
CGS
● 6th grader Kolin Martinez and 8th grader Eagan McClelland both qualified for the State Class L XC meet which was held Saturday, October 14, 2023 in DuQuoin
● Grade School Boys Basketball opens their season this week in the 7th grade PDR tournament
● Grade School Girls Basketball opens their season with a home game on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 vs. Dupo
CHS
● The dance team will have their annual chicken dinner fundraiser on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at the KC Hall from 11-2 pm. The benefit will help the team pay for competition uniforms, music, membership fees, and other expenses
● Senior Recognition Night for the dance team and cheerleaders is Friday, October 20, 2023
● Both the dance team and cheerleading competition season begins October 23, 2023
● Senior night for the football team is Friday, October 20, 2023 vs. Warrensburg-Latham High School
● The Jackets are currently 4 and 4 into this last game
● Play-off information is to be announced
● Volleyball's senior night is Wednesday, October 18, 2023 vs. Marion High School
● Current Volleyball record is 22-8
● Regionals for Volleyball will start Monday, October 23, 2023 at Nashville, IL
● Golf players Noah Homan, Tallen James, Camryn Luthy, and Macy Bert qualified out of regionals for the golf sectionals that took place October 2, 2023
● Cross Country runner Gabe Coffman placed 2nd in the Illinois Division at the XC Conference meet that was held at the Randolph County Lake on October 14, 2023
● Chester is hosting the Cross Country Regional meet on October 21, 2023
● High School Boys Basketball can officially start practices on November 6, 2023
● The yearly Gatorade-Meet the Basketball Players Night is November 8, 2023
● High School Girls Basketball can officially start practices on October 30, 2023
Curriculum Report
● 2023 Spring State Assessments for both the Grade school and High school were presented
Assessments and Dates for the 2023-2024 School Year
Fall 2023
● October 25, 2023 PSAT/NMSQT: Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test - Grade 11
Spring 2024 Spring State Assessments
● January 17 - March 5, 2024 Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners - Grades K-12
● March 4 - April 19, 2024 Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) - Grades 3-8
● March 1 – April 30, 2024 Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) - Grades 5,8,and 11
● Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) - Grades 9 and 10
● Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) - Grade 11
● March 13 - May 8, 2024 Dynamic Learning Map Alternate Assessment (DLM-AA)
Maintenance Report
● Seven new emergency lights have been installed, 5 at the grade school and 2 at the high school
● A new roll door in the high school cafeteria has been installed
● Installed more smoke detectors and fire safety strobe lights at the high school
● Antennae box for the new scoreboard was relocate to improve reception/signal
● All loose seats in the Colbert gym have been tightened or hardware replaced to rectify
● The Life Skills room at the high school has been painted, as well as installing a dryer vent and hookups for appliances
● To enable Grade school news, a new ethernet line has been ran from the cleaning closet in the lower lobby to the library
● A new paint has been added to the football field which could cut the cost of striping the field significantly
● The ticket booth has had its center cap replaced on the roof, replaced a non-functioning light on the side, and removed some old wiring
● Flush valves at both the high school and grade school have been replaced as well as repairing the toilet in the vestibule of Jeurgen’s Gym
● A drip pan has been put underneath the ventilation unit in the new theater storage area to prevent any water damages
Grade School Principal’s Report
● Coffee with a Cop was held on October 4, 2023. Police officers from the Chester Police Department and Randolph County Sheriff's Department showed up to enjoy coffee and doughnuts. Some officers visited classrooms while others played a game of dodgeball with the students.
● The new ADA playground equipment has been delivered and is waiting to be installed
● Ms. Bierman organized the Fall book fair. It has ran this week October 16, 2023
● Kids for Christ began Monday, October 16, 2023 and will run through November 6, 2023
● Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2023 and Friday, October 20, 2023. Parents are asked to sign up using an online program called “Sign-Up Parent Teacher Conferences”
● K-3rd grade teachers are working on a time to visit the firehouse
● Student Council is hosting a Halloween Dance on Friday, October 27, 2023 6:30-8:30 pm for the 7th and 8th grade students
● Teachers participated in Promethean board training, as well as Go Guardian training
● Jr. Jacket Power Hour (tutoring) will begin the second quarter. Tutoring will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays October 24th through March 7th. Each grade will have up to ten students.
● Teachers Institute was held on October 6, 2023
High School Principal’s Report
● Homecoming week was October 2, 2023 through October 7, 2023. During this week many events were organized by the student council and consisted of: Themed Dress up Days, Spirit games, a parade, and the Homecoming Dance
● Garet Hopkins and Bethany Baughman were voted 2023 Homecoming King and Queen
● The Powder Puff game and Bonfire will be held on Red Ribbon Week
● Mr. Blechle and Mr. Lochhead took over 30 attendees on a tour through the high school. The attendees were treated to Scooter’s Coffee, a CHS lanyard and some storytelling about the high school
● Since after school tutoring kicked off two weeks ago, the number of students has been increasing. Data and progress were presented
● Environmental Green Team took a field trip to the Zoo on October 18, 2023
● Mrs. Appel took the Art Club to participate in a Chalk Walk in Steeleville on October 10, 2023
● Mrs. Hawkins has met with all the Senior classes to discuss plans after graduation and staying focused on graduation
● The new entry has been complete and security cameras and keypads have been installed
● The new Life Skills lab has been completed and will be open to start using next week
● Each classroom and other locations will have a new sign placed above every door
Superintendent’s Report
Governance
● Reviewing 10-year Health Life Safety items with Baysinger Architects
● Attended the IASA Conference in Springfield on September 26–28, 2023
● Submitted with the City of Chester the grant application for safe routes to school
● Birth to 3 team was met with Brightpoints Children’s Home and Aid’s PI team
Budget/Finance
● We were awarded the grant by the USDA. This will provide us with portable equipment to assist in providing interactive and highly collaborative video conferencing solutions to encourage teacher and course sharing for our school
Building and Grounds
● The punch list is being worked on for the 5-6th grade wing at the Grade school, still continuing to work on the HVAC, flooring, and lighting.
● The punch list for the vestibule was initiated
● Pre Construction meeting for the Re-Key
● Proposal to complete the offices in the vestibule area presented
Classroom
● Presented increase in pay for Substitute Paraprofessionals for the 23-24 school year. The overall area schools pay was reviewed to assist in the increase
● Mrs. Hopkin, Director of Perando came this month to present to special education teachers
● Teacher Institute last week focused on Promethium boards, GoGuardian, and Curriculum
Malley motioned, Fricke seconded to approve cost and tentative architectural plans for the office renovation adjacent to the new secure vestibule at the high school in the amount of $149,150.00. Roll Call Vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Krieg, Malley Nays: none Motion carried.
Fricke motioned, Belton seconded to approve MOU between the District and the Association regarding teacher endorsement. Roll Call Vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Krieg, Malley Nays: none Motion carried.
Belton motioned, Coffey seconded to approve increase for paraprofessional substitute pay to $14.00 reflecting the beginning of August 15th payroll. Roll Call Vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Krieg, Malley Nays: none Motion carried.
Malley motioned, Krieg seconded to consider issuing a decision on a student suspension appeal.
Belton motioned, Fricke seconded to approve to employ Paige Hamilton as a Jacket Care childcare worker at $14.10/hr effective October 11, 2023. Roll Call Vote. Ayes: Belton, Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Krieg, Malley Nays: none Motioned carried.
Belton motioned, Coffey seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.
https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3096/CCSD/3738277/October_18__2023_Regular_Board_Meeting_Brief.pdf
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