South West Illinois News

Chester Community Unit School District 139 Board of Education met Oct. 16.

Here is the agenda provided by the board:

The Board of Education of Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 held a Regular Meeting on October 16, 2024, in the High School Family & Consumer Science Classroom. President Debi Caraway called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Davitz motioned, Wolff seconded to enter into executive session at 6:01 p.m. for the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Malley motioned, Davitz seconded to recess the executive meeting at 7:20 p.m. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Malley seconded to enter into the Bond Hearing at 7:25 p.m. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Pledge of Allegiance

Public Comment

● None

Malley motioned, Davitz seconded to conduct a Public hearing concerning the intent of the Board of Education to approve the Resolution for establishing an E-Learning Day Plan for students in lieu of emergency days in the approved school calendar when deemed appropriate by district administration. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Malley motioned, Davitz seconded to adjourn the hearing at 7:28 p.m. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Coffey motioned, Malley seconded to enter into regular session at 7:30 p.m. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Public Comment

● None

Board Correspondence

● None

Presentation by Jake McCann from Baysinger on the Early Childhood Center

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

● Agenda and items as listed:

● September 19, 2024 regular and executive meeting minutes and October 8, 2024 special meeting minutes;

● August 7, 2024 special meeting minutes

● Bills in the amount of $1,114,919.21 and payroll in the amount of $629,183.50;

● Financial reports

● Approval of Teacher and Administrative Salaries

Representing Student Council - Addy Gottschammer and Southern LaChance

● reported on current events for the student council

Athletic Director Report

CHS

● Thursday, October 10, 2024 is the annual Pink Out Game for Volleyball. The proceeds from t-shirt sales, bake sale, 50/50 and silent auction will be donated to Beth Kilpatrick who is currently fighting cancer

● Senior Night for Volleyball is October 22nd

● Jackets remain undefeated 6-0 and secured a spot in the play-offs

● Friday, October 11, 2024 the Jackets play at Dupo

● Girls Golf season ended at Regionals

● Boys Golf team won Regionals for the first time in school history. Members of the team include Noah Homan, Evan Dunning, Max Blechle, Trevin Eggemeyer, Tallen James, and Kross Jany

● Cross Country regionals are October 26th

● Dance Camp was a big success with 114 little dancers

● Dance competition begins October 28th

● Cheer competition begins October 28th

● Official season for Basketball starts in November

CGS

● Baseball ended their season in the first round of regionals to Red Bud

● Softball ended their season with a loss to Pinckneyville in the championship game of regionals

● 3 Cross Country runners qualified for the state meet out of the Class L regional at Waterloo. Those runners include Roman Ditch, Kolin Martinez, and Brenna Hammel. Class L state is October 19th

● Boys Basketball start their season with the 7th grade PDR tournament on October 21st

● Girls Basketball first game is at Dupo on October 23rd

Other

● Fall senior night for Cross Country, Golf, Football, Band, Dance, and Cheer is October 18th during half time of the football game

● Military appreciation day is October 26th at the football game versus Waterloo. Waterloo participated in the t-shirt sales for this event where proceeds go to a local veteran organization

Maintenance

● Working with Baysinger Architects on wrapping up projects at the high school

● Plans to get a temperature watch system installed for freezers at both schools. This will give a warning if there are any issues with the coolers to prevent any loss of contents in freezer

● Shivelbine has completed their project of mounting the new speaker system at the high school football field

● The railings leading down to the football field have been repainted as well as the hand rails on the visitors side of the football field

● A designated area for the dumpster has had an addition added allowing a barrier from the smell and anything looking to get into the trash

Curriculum

● 2024 Spring State Assessments Presentation for Chester Grade School and Chester High School 2025 Spring State Assessments:

● Access for ELLs: Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners – Jan 15-March 4 for Grades K-12

● IAR: Illinois Assessment for Readiness – March 3-April 18 for Grades 3-8

● ISA: Illinois Science Assessment –March 3-April 30 for Grades 5,8,11

● ACT with Writing: TBD for Grade 11

● PreACT Secure: TBD for Grade 9, 10

● DLM-AA: Dynamic Learning Map Alternate Assessment – March 12-May 7

High School Principal

● Student Council organized homecoming events for the week of 9/16-9/21 consisting of themed dress up days, spirit games, parade, and the homecoming dance

● Kolton Jany and Elaina Lutman were voted 2024 Homecoming King and Queen

● 70 attendees took a tour through the high school consisting of storytelling, coffee, and lanyards to take home

● Environmental Green team took a field trip to the zoo on October 4th

● Art Club participated in a Chalk Walk in Steeleville on October 5th

● Student representatives were apart of Senator Bryant’s Youth Advisory committee

● PBIS theme for the month of September was Respect. Students of the month are as follows; Caitlyn Hargis, Caleb Richmond, Isabel Smith, Mackenzie Studt, Lauren Cowell, and Nico DeGuzman. Staff of the month; Erin Conley, Dwight Lochhead, and Brittany Mueller

● Branding and signage has started with window decals on the doors around the first level

Grade School Principal

● On September 27th, the PBIS team hosted a PBIS Fun Day at the school. Students gathered for a school-wide assembly, where they had the opportunity to watch teachers participate in a friendly competition, the event aimed to promote positive behavior and reinforce the school’s PBIS principles

● Positive Give Back earned $235 for Wee Care

● The school recently hosted a “Coffee with a Cop” event. Multiple sheriff deputies and police officers joined us for coffee, donuts, lunch, and dodgeball with the students

● Alex Westbrook was recognized as Staff Member of the Month of September

● A vertical alignment meeting was conducted across all grade levels within the district at the high school. Administrators and educators convened to review the districts current status and establish a plan for the way forward

● Tutoring academic support services will be commencing at the elementary schools in the near future. All tutors have been identified and are prepared to begin providing these services

● Bi County took place in Red Bud on October 11th

● Parent Teacher Conferences will take place October 15th and 17th

● Classes are participating in a scarecrow creation competition

● Sir Hansel and Ms.Sheryl organized a lively morning of outdoor games for their students. These activities were rooted in traditional Philippine games

● The school’s popular Fun Fact Friday has resumed at the start of the new year. Each week, classes can submit an interesting fact, and one is selected as the Fun Fact of the week. After a month, the 4 weekly winners get a chance to compete for the Monthly Fun Fact winner. As champions, you are rewarded with a special pajama pizza party

Special Education

● Perandoe provided special education teachers and paraprofessionals with training on Handle with Care during the 11:30 dismissal day

● The 4th-8th grade special education teachers have implemented the new Corrective Reading Series reading curriculum, which provides targeted leveled reading instruction to their struggling readers

● Students have begun getting interventions in reading and math during their RTI time. The students receive small group instruction that is provided at their level to help them gain needed skills

● Progress monitoring with the AIMSweb+ program has started. Students are progress monitored on reading and math skills, depending on their deficit areas

● Perandoe has been working with the staff to provide support and consultation for students in areas such as: vision impairment, sensory needs, and behavioral support

● The high school special education staff and students have started working with Presence for their school psychologist services, which is contracted through Perandoe. Presence is a company that provides school psychologist services to districts virtually

Superintendent

Governance

● Attended a Tax Levy Seminar in O’Fallon on Tuesday, October 15, where I gathered important insights to guide our upcoming fiscal decisions

● On September 25-26, participated in the Illinois Association of School Administrators Conference, which provided valuable strategies for leadership and district improvement

● Chester High School will host one of the Preventative Committee Meetings on October 28th at 3 pm in the Inspirational Station Conference room. This meeting will focus on proactive approaches to enhancing student safety and well being

Budget/Finance

● The district’s audit has been extended to November 15th, allowing ample time for a thorough review

● During our bond rating, we successfully maintained an “A” rating, reflecting our sound financial management and creditworthiness

Building and Grounds

● Progress continues on repairing the glass wall in the gym, ensuring it meets safety and aesthetic standards

● Zellers Construction is wrapping up the key system installation at the high school

● On track to close the purchase of Chester Clinic on November 14, 2024, an exciting step for our district's growth. Additionally, we will be going out for BID on this project starting October 17th

Classroom

● Our teachers participated in Bi-County Training in Red Bud on Friday, October 11th, engaging in professional development opportunities to strengthen classroom instruction and student support

Davitz motioned, Malley seconded to conduct 2nd reading and approval of Press Policy 2:260, 5:100, 7:20, 7:185, and 7:60. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Fricke seconded to approve an HSA account for Interact Club. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Discussed Chain of Command Organization from Policy 3:30.

Fricke motioned, Malley seconded to approve Certificates of Payment for Zeller Construction of Marion, Inc’s Pay Application #4 in the amount of $14,676.07. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Krieg seconded to approve Certificates of Payment for Samron Midwest Contracting Pay Application #4 in the amount of $2,968.61. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Malley seconded to conduct 1st reading of the Employee Handbook. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Malley seconded to approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established with Chester Education Association to support classroom instruction. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Davitz motioned, Malley seconded to approve contract with Proximity Learning and Chester High School for Social Studies instruction for $51,591.91. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Malley seconded to approve Maribeth Golding as Grade School Assistant Track Coach for the 2024-2025 sports season. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Krieg motioned, Coffey seconded to approve Garrison Collier as High School Paraprofessional at $17.10/hr effective October 21, 2024 pending certification, EHR and background check. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Davitz seconded to approve Ahmber Fraembs as Grade School Paraprofessional at $17.10/hr effective November 4, 2024 pending EHR and background check. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Davitz seconded to approve Chance Mott as High School Boys Baseball Volunteer for the 2024-2025 sports season. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Davitz seconded to approve Camrynn Howie as High School Girls Basketball Volunteer for the 2024-2025 sports season. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

Malley motioned, Krieg seconded to approve the resignation of Larry Beattie, High School Social Studies teacher, effective September 27, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Malley motioned, Krieg seconded to approve the resignation of Carla McSmith, Grade School Administrative Assistant, effective October 25, 2024. Roll call vote. Ayes: Caraway, Coffey, Fricke, Malley, Wolff, Davitz, Krieg, Nays: none. Motion carried.

Fricke motioned, Davitz seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Upon roll call, all members voted aye. Motion carried.

The next REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Education will be held Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. (Executive Session at 6:00 p.m.) in the Chester High School FACS Classroom (B217) 1901 Swanwick Street, Chester, IL 62233.

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3096/CCSD/5048459/October_16__2024_Board_Minutes.pdf