From October 23, 2023 board meeting
The board of education held their regular board meeting on September 18, 2023 in the high school library. The following items were acted upon or discussed during the meeting.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led Avery Cardinal and Madyson Durbin. Elementary School Student Council President Madyson Durbin spoke to the board about the activities that the student council will be undertaking this school year.
The board approved the minutes of the regular and special board meeting minutes held on September 12 and 18, 2023 and the special board meetings on October 5, 16, and 17, 2023.
The board approved the financial report and monthly bills for the month.
The board approved the destruction of closed session minutes 18 months or older.
The board approved the leave of absence of Riley Boysen.
The board accepted the resignation of Jon Kidd as high school softball coach.
The board approved the maternity leave request of Ashley Stevenson.
The board approved the hiring of Jill Weikle as bus aide effective immediately.
The board reviewed the summative designations for all our schools. We are extremely proud of the work our teachers and students have put forth to achieve the high level of academic success. The high school and the grade school have been designated as exemplary schools and the middle school has been designated as a commendable school. Only 10% of the school in Illinois receive the exemplary designation.
Brice Stewart gave an overview of the safety upgrades that we have implemented throughout the school district. I want to personally thank Brice for his leadership on this endeavor.
The board reviewed the strategic plan and we are happy to report that the plan has been fully implemented. The board will be undergoing a new strategic planning process when the new superintendent is hired.
The board set October 30, 2023 at 6:00pm for the date for the second round of interviews of the final two superintendent candidates. Each candidate will spend an hour with the administrative team and an hour with the community engagement team. It is the goal of the board to hire the new superintendent at the November board meeting if not sooner. The new superintendent will begin on July 1, 2024.
The board reviewed the annual audit. The good news is that there were no substantial findings from the audit. The board also reviewed financial profile from the state. The school district received a score of 3.35 out of a top score of 4. The reason for the score is our diminished long term borrowing ability due to the recent middle/high school bond issue.
The board approved a resolution to support the Village of Forsyth for the use of the Forsyth Ball parks used for middle school and high school athletics. The annual cost to use the facilities s $10,500.
The board approved a resolution to move funds over from the construction fund to the operations and maintenance fund. This is money that is left over from the construction project. The amount is just over $2.7million dollars. The money has to be used for capital projects in the school district.
Mark your calendars for November 8, as the board will host the annual appreciation steak dinner in the middle school cafeteria for faculty and staff. The board will prepare the steaks, Tracey Ferrill will cater the meal. The dinner will begin at 6:00 and we will move to the auditorium around 7:00 to recognize faculty with service awards.
The board approved the Illinois School Board Association policy issue 112.
The board tabled the discussion on the solar array field until the November 20, 2023 school board meeting.
The board approved the new football field scoreboard. The board will be paid for with a donation from the Walter Boyd Family, the Pepsi Contract and School district funds. Nevco, the manufacturer of the board is offering an $8,000 discount if we purchase by December 1 and install by May 1. The total cost for the board and installation is $136,480.
The board approved bringing back the FCCLA program to the high school. They directed the administration to seek staff for the 23-24 school year. We will also need to look at a purchase of updated curriculum material.
The board was updated on the possibility of providing an activity bus for student athletes participating in COOP teams in Warrensburg. With the numbers projected for middle school wrestling it warrants a bus to drop students off. Parents will be responsible for picking up their children in Warrensburg.
The board reviewed principal reports as presented.
If you have any questions, please contact myself or Leo.
With Trojan Pride,
Dr. Holmes