South West Illinois News

Sparta Community Unit School District 140 Board of Education met June 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The budget hearing was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Angela Craig.

Bookkeeper Tina Witherby presented the FY24 amended budget. With no questions or comments, the meeting continued.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to adjourn the budget hearing at 7:01 p.m. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

The regular meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. and upon the roll being called, Angela Craig and the following members of the Board of Education answered present: Jennifer Allard, Mekalia Cooper, Ryan Pillers, Heather Price and Rob Soderlund. Absent: Corey Rheinecker. Others present were: Superintendent Chris Miesner; Recording Secretary Tina Witherby; and members of the community.

President Angela Craig led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

With no public comment requests, the meeting continued.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the minutes of the May 9, 2024, regular meeting and May 16, 2024, special meeting as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to approve the Bills, Payroll, Cash Flow and Fund Balances as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for July 11, 2024, at Sparta Lincoln School at 7 p.m.

Superintendent Miesner reported the summer projects are off to a good start. The vocational building is being painted. Concrete pads are being poured. Asphalt work will begin when that is finished. Mr. Miesner thanked Tracy Smith and the custodial staff for their hard work to get the buildings ready. The main gym floor will be fixed over the summer also.

Mekalia Cooper moved, Jennifer Allard seconded to appoint Heather Price as the Board Representative for Perandoe Special Education District for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Allard, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Abstain: Price. Motion carried.

Mekalia Cooper moved, Heather Price seconded to appoint Jennifer Allard as the Board Representative for the IASB Governing Board for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Abstain: Allard. Motion carried.

Rob Soderlund moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to approve the Joint Annual Conference travel requests as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Allard and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve the fiscal year 2024 amended official budget as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Pillers, Cooper, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the 2024-2025 District Handbook as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve the 2024-2025 Extra-Curricular Handbook as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the 2024-2025 Staff Handbook as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to adopt the Resolution expressing official intent regarding certain capital expenditures to be reimbursed from proceeds of an obligation to be issued by Community Unit School District Number 140, Randolph County, Illinois. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve the sale of the property at 109 Delores Lane, Sparta, Illinois, for $275,000. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Mekalia Cooper moved, Heather Price seconded to enter into closed session at 7:09 p.m. to discuss items related to the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, and discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed, whether for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Pillers, Soderlund, Allard and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to come out of closed session at 7:41 p.m. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Pillers, Cooper, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the executive session minutes of the May 8, 2024, regular meeting as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to keep the executive session minutes from July 2023 through December 2023 closed to the public. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to accept the resignation of William Powell as Cross Country Coach at Sparta High School effective May 15, 2024. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: Cooper. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to accept the resignation of Kerry Harris as Paraprofessional at Sparta high School effective August 1, 2024. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to accept the resignation of Sophie (Richards) Fehr as Fourth Grade Teacher at Evansville Attendance Center effective August 1, 2024. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve the request to rescind the employment of Erica Laxton as Teacher at Evansville Attendance Center. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers and Soderlund. Nays: Craig. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to accept the resignation of Megan McDougal as Head Girls’ Basketball Coach at Sparta Lincoln School effective May 22, 2024. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to accept the resignation of Taylor Harbaugh as Speech Language Pathologist at Sparta Lincoln School effective August 1, 2024. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Rheinecker and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to employ Ashley Pickering as an 11-month Confidential Secretary for the 2024-2025 school year, at an hourly wage of $20.00, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check, employment history review, physical and drug screening. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to employ Kristen Kelley as a full-time Teacher for the 2024-2025 school year with ten years of experience subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check, employment history review, physical and drug screening, along with proper licensure. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to employ Scott Moran as a full-time Teacher for the 2024-2025 school year with nine years of experience subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check, employment history review, physical and drug screening, along with proper licensure. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to employ Angel York as a full-time Teacher for the 2024-2025 school year with eight years of experience subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check, employment history review, physical and drug screening, along with proper licensure. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to approve Bobby Klausing as a Volunteer Assistant Cross Country Coach at Sparta Lincoln School for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to approve Grace Hernandez as the FBLA Sponsor at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve Chris Long as the Spanish/Language Club Sponsor at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve Alexis Chambers as the Assistant Volleyball Coach at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve Braxton Parker as the Cheerleading Sponsor at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background and employment history review. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Abstain: Cooper. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to approve Jaylen Garrett as a Volunteer Assistant Cheerleading Sponsor at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check and employment history review. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Mekalia Cooper seconded to approve Brandon Lanton as the Assistant Boys’ Basketball Coach at Sparta Lincoln School for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Cooper, Pillers, Price, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Rob Soderlund moved, Jennifer Allard seconded to approve Joey Loucks and Justen Kempfer as Assistant Football Coaches at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background checks and employment history reviews. Roll call vote. Yeas: Soderlund, Allard, Cooper, Pillers and Price. Nays: Craig. Motion carried.

Mekalia Cooper moved, Heather Price seconded to approve Jason Jackson as a Volunteer Assistant Football Coach at Sparta High School for the 2024-2025 school year, subject to and contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check and employment history review. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Price, Pillers, Soderlund, Allard and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to approve Scott Moran as the Baseball Coach at Evansville Attendance Center for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Soderlund, Cooper, Pillers, Price and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Mekalia Cooper moved, Rob Soderlund seconded to approve the extra-curricular recommendations for Sparta High School, Sparta Lincoln School and Evansville Attendance Center for the 2024-2025 school year as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Cooper, Soderlund, Pillers, Allard and Craig. Nays: Price. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to approve the non-union non-certified staff pay increases for the 2024-2025 school year as presented. Roll call vote. Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Jennifer Allard moved, Heather Price seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:49 p.m. Roll call vote: Yeas: Allard, Price, Cooper, Pillers, Soderlund and Craig. Nays: none. Motion carried.

https://www.sparta.k12.il.us/copy-of-board-of-education-meeting--1