South West Illinois News

Chester Community Unit School District 139 Board of Education met July 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 July 18, 2024, in the High School Cafeteria. President Debi Caraway called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

Malley motioned Coffey seconded to enter into executive session at 5:00 p.m. for the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, for the discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under this act, whether for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06, and 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: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Patrick Allen, Director of Field Services Illinois Association of School Boards entered into executive session at 5:00 p.m.

Patrick Allen exited the executive session at 7:35 p.m.

Malley motioned, Coffey seconded to return to open session at 7:38 p.m. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Pledge of Allegiance

Public Comment

● None

Board Correspondence

● None

Fricke motioned, Davitz seconded to approve the consent agenda and items as listed. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Approval of Agenda

● June 20, 2024 Regular and Executive Meeting Minutes, and June 27, 2024 Special Meeting Minutes

● Bills in the amount of $813,138.60 and payroll in the amount of $570,274.29

● Financial Reports

Athletic Director Report

CHS

● SICA All-South Team for Track and Field is Gabe Coffman and Lannin Caron

● SICA All-South Team for Baseball is Evan Bland

● SICA All-South Team for Softball is Elaina Lutman

● First game of the season for Volleyball is August 27, 2024 at home vs Anna Jonesboro

● Gatorade/Meet the Players game is Friday, August 23, 2024 and will be scrimmaging Carbondale

● First game of the season for Football is August 30, 2024 at Duquoin

● First match of the season for Golf is August 20, 2024 at Chester Country Club

● First meet of the season for Cross Country is August 26, 2024 at New Athens

CGS

● First game of the season for baseball/softball is August 12, 2024 at Prairie Du Rocher

● First meet of the season for Cross Country is September 3, 2024 at Chester

Other

● Free Sports Physicals are Saturday, August 20, 2024 at the Chester Clinic

● Schedules are updated and online on our Chester 139 website

Maintenance

● The basketball courts received new fencing as the original fencing was old and starting to deteriorate and fail

● A&W Plumbing has been at the high school replacing several water fountains with water conserving bottle filler style water fountains

● The practice field has been stripped twice this summer and are preparing to stripe the football field

● The roof units at both schools have had the external filters cleaned

● All classrooms are getting a wax down

High School Principal

● Summer school is complete and 19 students have successfully recovered credit from this past year

● The PBIS team that includes; Mrs. Barton, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Clendenin, Mrs. Hammel, Mr. Lochhead, Mrs. Mueller, Mrs. Stegmann, and Mr. Blechle worked many days this past month building our PBIS program and constructing physical pieces prepping for the new school year

● The high school will provide in-person registration on August 7th and 8th

● Freshman Academy will be on August 12, 2024, a comprehensive program that allows all freshmen to become familiar with everything to do with Chester High school

● “Your Students School Day 90 Minutes” open house event will be held August 21, 2024 from 6-7:30 p.m. Parents will get to meet their students’ teachers and follow their students’ bells schedule they will even get served “lunch” in the cafeteria

● Enrollment numbers for 24-25 SY are as follows

➢ Freshman - 94

➢ Sophomores - 96

➢ Juniors - 90

➢ Seniors - 65

Total enrollment = 345

● Freshman Academy is August 12, 2024

● Locker Move In is August 14, 2024

● Teacher Institutes are August 14th and 15th

● First day of school is August 16, 2024

● Picture Day is August 16, 2024

● CHS Open House is August 19, 2024

● Homecoming Game vs. Sparta is September 20, 2024

● Homecoming Dance is September 21, 2024

Grade School Principal

● Floor tiles turned out great in the 4th/5th grade wing

● High School Volleyball, Girls Basketball, and Boys Basketball Camps were held earlier in the summer

● Baseball and Softball open fields have started

● Online registration opens on Tuesday, July 24, 2024

● New student and in person registration dates are Wednesday, August 7th from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and Thursday, August 8th from 1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

● The Hoyalton Youth and Family Services translators will be present for interpretations both days of in person registration

● Marissa Talbert is our new Early Childhood Special Education teacher

● Caitlin Schwarz is our new AM/PM Pre-K teacher

● Taylor Hensley is our new Full day Pre-K teacher

● Kristin Petrowske is our new Assistant Principal

● Erin Eggemeyer is our new Kindergarten/1st Grade Special Education teacher

● We are still in search of a 2nd Grade teacher

● Jennifer Beil will be a new paraprofessional

● Montana Rose will be a new paraprofessional

● Jeremy Hargis started at the end of the last school year and will continue on as our Head Custodian

● Kasi Jany will move from being a 2nd grade teacher to our new Reading Specialist

● Lindsey Hargis will move from being a Pre K teacher to a 1st grade teacher

● Tammy Brockhouse will now be our Head Cook

● Open Houses for Grades 1st-8th will be on Tuesday, August 15, 2024 from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

● A Junior High parent meeting will be on Tuesday, August 15, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the gym

● The first day for students Grades 1st-8th, will be on Friday, August 16th with a 1:30 p.m. early dismissal

● The first day for Kindergarten is on Friday, August 23rd with their Meet the Teacher night at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 22nd

● Early Childhood and Pre K classes start on Wednesday, August 28th with their open house on Monday, August 26th

● Teachers engaged with a PBIS speaker on June 26th followed by collaborative planning for the upcoming school year

Superintendent

Governance

● The PBIS presentation and implementation will begin as a district

● Attended a budget conference in Mt.Vernon on Monday with our bookkeeper

Budget/Finance

● Continuing to amend grants

● Completing grants for 2024-25

➢ At Risk Assessment

➢ Consolidated District Plan

➢ Title I, II, and IV

➢ IDEA

Building and Grounds

● The HAV contract from last summer is completed

● Vestibule completed

● Media Center completing the paint and the new door is in

● High School renovations are in full swing

● Working with a sign company to create new signage around the high school to assist in identifying areas

● QNS completed the wire updating

● Water damage on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the 1925 building, working with insurance and contractors for repairs

Classroom

● Positions available:

➢ Social Science Teacher at High School

➢ Guidance Counselor

➢ Special Education Teacher at High School

➢ Special Education Teacher at Grade School

➢ Bus Aide

Athletics

● All positions filled at this time

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the Board Press Policy 115 updates. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Wolff motioned, Davitz seconded to approve the High School 2024-2025 handbook. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the Grade School 2024-2025 handbook. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Krieg seconded to approve the annual review of closed meeting minutes. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve the registration dates, fees, and meal prices for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to accept the paper bid from Midland Paper in the amount of $30.49 per case for the 2024-2025 school year. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Coffey motioned, Fricke seconded to designate Kimberly Briggs, Superintendent, to develop a tentative budget and adopt FY 2025 Budget Resolution. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Wolff motioned, Davitz seconded to approve Certificate of Payment for Zeller Construction of Marion, Inc’s Pay Application #3 in the amount of $21,053.25. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the Certificate of Payment for Samron Midwest Contracting, Inc’s Pay Application #3 in the amount of $7,972.35. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Krieg seconded to approve the Certificate of Payment for Heartland Mechanical Contractor’s Final Pay Application #8 in the amount of $73,752.90. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the Certificate of Payment for Samron Midwest Contracting, Inc’s Pay Application #1 in the amount of $109,761.26. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Wolff motioned, Krieg seconded to approve the electricity contract with IEC and Chester CUSD 139. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Wolff seconded to approve the MOU with CEA regarding Teacher Bilingual (TBE) endorsement. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Krieg motioned, Fricke seconded to approve the MOU with CEA regarding Interact Club Sponsor endorsement. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Wolff motioned, Davitz seconded to approve the MOU with CEA regarding Environmental/Recycling/Earth Day endorsement. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve the reassignment of Kasi Jany from 2nd grade teacher to Reading Specialist effective the 2024-25 school year. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve the reassignment of Krista Krieg from Paraprofessional to Media Specialist effective the 2024-25 school year. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve the reassignment of Della Carroll from High School Science teacher to Grade School Science teacher effective the 2024-25 school year. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve to employ Gregory Wiegand as Agricultural/Industrial Arts Teacher effective the 2024-25 school year pending EHR and background check. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve to employ Rebecca Clendenin as Paraprofessional at the High School effective the 2024-25 school year pending EHR and background check. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the resignation of Emily Millburg, Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, effective June 26, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the resignation of Robert Kassebaum, Grade School Science teacher, effective July 3, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the resignation of Lisa Koester, Reading Specialist, effective July 8, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the resignation of Amanda Kennon, Jacket Care worker, effective July 11, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the resignation of Southern LaChance, Jacket Care worker, effective July 12, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Coffey seconded to approve the resignation of Peyton Cole, Jacket Care worker, effective July 14, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Davitz, Fricke, Krieg, Wolff. Nays: none. Motion carried.

Malley motioned, Coffey seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:16 p.m. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

The next REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Education will be held Thursday August 15, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. (Executive Session at 6:00 p.m.) in the Chester High School Cafeteria located at 1901 Swanwick Street, Chester, IL 62233.

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