Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education met November 13.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
1. Call to Order – Executive Session
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by President Brad Banks
1.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Brad Banks, Lauri Doyle, Brent Lightfoot, Toni Morgan, Heather Moyer, Jared Ploger
Members Absent (at roll call):
Matt Bauman
2. Closed Session
2.1 Enter Closed Session under statute(s): 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity; 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Ms. Toni Morgan, to enter Closed Session under statutes 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1): The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity; 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
The Board of Education entered closed session at 6:33 p.m.
2.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Brad Banks, to return to Open Session.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
The Board of Education returned to Open Session at 6:45 p.m.
The Board Members took a break before the call to order of the Public Session
3. Call to Order – Open Session
The meeting was called to order at 7:15 p.m. by President Brad Banks
3.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Brad Banks, Lauri Doyle, Brent Lightfoot, Toni Morgan, Heather Moyer, Jared Ploger
Members Absent (at roll call):
Matt Bauman
Administration Present:
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Sparlin
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Mr. Asif Dada
Others Present:
Employees of the District and members of the community.
Recording Secretary:
Ursula Coan
3.2 Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance was led by Board President Brad Banks.
4. Recognitions
4.1 PRIDE September Award Recipients
President Banks and members of the Board of Education recognized the October PRIDE winners. A complete audio recording for the PRIDE Presentation can be found at the following link:
http://www.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/Public
Elizabeth Hartsock - Teacher of the Month - Wolf's Crossing
Shon Keener - Teacher of the Month – OHS
Jeff Rainaldi - Employee of the Month - Wolf's Crossing
Sheri Wurster - Employee of the Month – DAC
Sandi Demma Ralston - Volunteer of the Month – OEHS
Stephanie Thomas - Volunteer of the Month - Fox Chase
4.2 Board Member Recognition
Dr. Sparlin recognized the board members for their dedicated leadership as we observe School Board Member Day on November 15th. It is a day to recognize the leadership provided by our Board of Education and to build a stronger relationship between school board members, the community, faculty and parents.
5. Public Comment
5.1 Each Person will be provided five (5) minutes to speak before the Board of Education
There was no public comment
6. Comments/Reports
6.1 Board Member Updates
Mr. Lightfoot commented that the OEHS Girls swim team finished 3rd at sectionals. Mr. Lightfoot believes that we set a record as far as the number of girls that qualified for State. Grace Cooper, Riley Evans, Emily Giles, Mari Kraus, Joy Padua, Skylar Ruggles, Abby and Alexa Szadorski and Georgia White.
They will be competing this Friday and Saturday.
Ms. Morgan attended the OHS/OEHS Combination Art Show. There was some beautiful art work displayed, drawings, paints as well as sculptures. Ms. Morgan also attended the Latin Night at OHS for the students that are involved in the Latin American Student Organization, which is an after school activity for the students.
Mrs. Moyer stated that she was able to attend the three day ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) training that was hosted by our district. The professional development included teachers and administrators form SD308 as well representation from our surrounding school districts. We learned about what a Trauma Informed school looks like and provided some good practices for classrooms as well as the school environment in general. As we know, childhood trauma can potentially have a negative impact on student learning. The concept is based on research and science. The training was paid for through a grant and the help of the IEA. Mrs. Moyer also attended the community screening and discussion of the movie “Paper Tigers”, which was also shared with the staff at this year’s convocation. Mrs. Moyer also attended the first DEI Committee meeting. I am excited about the work ahead with this committee.
Mr. Ploger visited eight of our schools on November 10th, Churchill, Homestead, Lakewood Creek, Murphy, Prairie Point, The Wheatlands and Wolf’s Crossing. Many parent organizations purchased chrome books for classrooms. Mr. Ploger did share a concern regarding equity for all schools as far as the technology needs go, especially at the junior high level. Mr. Ploger was able to give a speech at LC on Responsibility and he was in attendance when Alderman Bugg presented the plaque to Wolf’s Crossing for being recognized as one of the great schools recognized by realtor.com.
Mr. Banks was able to attend the Veterans Day celebrations at his children’s schools. He attended Hunt Club in the morning and Plank Junior High in the afternoon. His son Kyle and Mrs. Still presented Mr. Banks with the distinct honor of the Quote of Valor. The schools do a wonderful job honoring all of our Veteran’s. Mr. Banks stated that the Cross Country Team competed at the State meet two weeks ago. OHS finished 12th which is their best ever and the OEHS team finished in 21st place. It seems that our teams are becoming more and more competitive at the State level.
6.2 Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Sparlin attended a Professional Development in St. Charles at Pheasant Run with many teachers. The speaker was Jim Sporleder who was the principal in the movie Paper Tigers. The training centered around becoming a Trauma Informed School System. This goes hand in hand with SB100, restorative justice and social emotional learning. State Superintendent, Dr. Toni Smith communicated the following: Illinois is making progress generally, and specifically we have to do much more to help children and families in greatest need. There are historical structural inequities in our cities and towns, and increasing numbers of families that are living in distress. Studying the research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) underscores the necessity of trauma-informed practice in our schools.
As a school district, we are ahead of most and will at some point become a model in the State.
7. Approve Consent Agenda
7.1 Approval of Minutes from October 23, 2017 Board of Education meeting Open and Closed Session
7.2 Approval of Field Trip outside of the Continental United States
7.3 Acknowledgement of FOIA Requests
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Brad Banks, to approve all items under consent, including 7.1 Minutes from October 23, 2017 Regular Board of Education Meeting Open and Closed Session; 7.2 Oswego High School’s outside of the Continental United States trip to Galapagos Islands from June 10 through June 18, 2019; 7.3 Acknowledgement of FOIA requests
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
8. Information Only
8.1 Financial Statements
The board members had no questions on the Financial Statements
8.2 County School Facilities Sales Tax Discussion
Dr. Sparlin introduced Anne Nobel from Stifel and Bob Lewis from PMA to present information on the Kendall County School Facilities Sales Tax. The Board of Education was shown an initial presentation on the concept of a county wide sales tax and what this would mean for our school district. At that meeting the board members asked to bring this item back for further discussion. Dr. Sparlin asked Mrs. Nobel to provide a short recap of the previous presentation so the board members could engage in further dialogue. Mrs. Nobel stated that the money can only be used for school facility purposes, renovations, repairs, paving etc. These funds can also be used to make payments on previously issued bonds for capital projects and to abate debt service of outstanding bonds. Every district decides for themselves how to spend the funds.
Mr. Ploger confirmed that if a student lives in Kendall County and attends Plainfield schools, Plainfield would receive approximately $379 per student.
If the district wishes to place this item on the ballot for the 11/6/18 Election, the Resolution would need to be passed by 8/20/18. There is a fair amount of time, but there is much community education that needs to take place in order for this to pass. The district would not receive any funds until October of 2019.
Mr. Dada provided the board with a Summary of Debt Service and Tax Bill Impact for a $250,000 home in the event that 100% of the sales tax would be used to abate property taxes. Mr. Ploger stated that community members voiced the concern that they don’t believe this new sales tax would be put towards lowering the property taxes. It was suggested again that the board design a new policy that would clearly state how the money would be spent. Community members would not see a reduction on their tax bill until 2021. Mr. Lewis explained that the operating expenditures of the district would not be affected by this revenue, only the debt would be reduced. It’s important to be clear that this 1% sales tax would not mitigate the budget deficit the district is facing over the next 5 year. It also would not pay off our bonds any earlier unless we chose to accumulate the sales tax and pay off bonds at the call date opposed to strictly use it towards tax abatement. Mr. Lightfoot stated that we would shift dollars to a consumption tax in order to lower property taxes. Mrs. Nobel commented that the only county that passed this on 100% abatement is Boone County, outside of Rockford. In every other county, it did not pass, likely because abatement is difficult for people to understand and they don’t believe it. There are many different aspects that make up your final tax bill, so even if a district lowers their tax rate, something else on that bill might go up and they don’t see the expected dollar savings. It might be more successful to pass as a combination of tax abatement and projects that the community can see and get excited about. The Village of Oswego voiced concerns about it being more difficult to draw in new business if we increase the tax rate.
Mr. Lewis mentioned that the county sales tax is also being discussed amongst Will County school district which would affect us as well.
Dr. Sparlin asked the board for direction on next steps to be taken. Dr. Sparlin stated that if the board decides to move forward with passing the Resolution, the message to the public body would need to be very clear, that this county wide sales tax is different than the budget deficit our district is trying to mitigate. We want to make sure that the community knows this revenue will not help the deficit we are facing on the operational side moving forward.
The board directed the district to produce a policy that clearly outlines for the voter how that revenue will be used. Also, Dr. Sparlin needs to hold a meeting with the Superintendent’s from Kendall County to see how they feel about this. Mrs. Nobel commented that the district is not allowed to advocate for a “Yes” vote, but rather needs to actively educate the public on what this tax means for them and how exactly the money will be used. The Resolution would need to be passed by August 20, 2018 in order to be placed on the ballot in November. Since over the next 2 month there will be discussion on how to reduce the budget deficit, Mrs. Nobel suggested to wait until after that so there is less confusion. The board decided to put this on the agenda for the next Finance Advisory Committee before bringing it to the Policy Advisory Committee. Dr. Sparlin will set up a meeting with the other Superintendents of the surrounding districts.
The complete presentation for the School Facilities County Sales Tax including audio can be found at the following link: http://www.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/Public
8.3 COTG Copier Lease Extension
Mr. Clasen presented the board with some information on our copier lease and service agreement. We are in our third year of a five-year lease contract and are seeking to secure new equipment and a new lease, which will allow the district to lower costs and extend the contract to 2022. When the current devices were selected, we anticipated a gradual reduction of copy needs as additional staff and student mobile devices were added to the district. Due to budget restrictions that have limited the implementation of technology in classrooms, our copying needs have continued to increase, resulting in a significant number of the school copiers to exceed their useful life span. Currently 72 of the 123 copiers are beyond their useful life, with 6 more nearing that limit. Many of those copiers are now requiring significant maintenance and part replacement to keep them functioning.
The proposed lease extension includes the replacement of 114 of the 123 Xerox district copiers with significantly more robust and efficient devices that will support the school copy needs for the next 5 years and allow the reduction of per-click costs to the district. The estimated current copy usage costs will be reduced by approximately $2,300 per month, following the new equipment’s implementation. The total monthly cost to the district of the services and lease will be equal to the current printer/copier/support cost. If approved, Xerox will buy out the current lease and provide new Xerox equipment to replace the existing failing units. The exchange of equipment would begin in December and would target copiers in schools that are experiencing the most need.
Mrs. Doyle questioned Mr. Clasen’s statement of them providing excellent service when she hears from the schools that the service is slow and the break downs are frequent. Mr. Clasen explained that all copiers are visited during the summer. When staff returned in August the copiers were extensively used and since they were at the end of their lifespan, more breakdowns occurred. We had to increase our service technicians in order to keep up. Mr. Clasen receives daily reports on the copier outages and on any given day, there are between 3 and 9 copiers that are down each day. The only way we can improve customer service to our users is to replace the equipment, because they are past their useful life. Mrs. Doyle also inquired about us exploring any other companies that could provide this level of service. Mr. Clasen stated that 3 years ago, the district did an extensive search and analyzed 13 different vendor proposals. The Xerox equipment was the best we found in terms of quality and the longevity of the equipment. What we originally purchased was a lower production rate then we are recommending now. Back in 2014, we ranked all the copiers and Xerox came out on top. If at this time we brought in another vendor, it would delay implementing the new copiers and it would be best if they were installed over winter break. The cost of replacing the current copiers is less than if we were to bring in another vendor. Our current lease is still another 18 month, so we would not be able to bring in another vendor at this time. They will be giving us production quality machines that will last for up to 4 million copies.
Ms. Morgan question why there are so many copies being made. Mr. Clasen explained that it was expected for much of this content to go online and also, for some subjects the curriculum renewal process has not happened. Therefore more materials than expected are still being printed. Copy jobs are being reviewed on a regular basis. Ricoh provides the staff for our copy center. COTG provides the service technicians for the Xerox copy machines in the district. With the higher end machines, we will be lowering our per click rate and therefore save around $2,000 every month. Mr. Clasen stated that it has worked well with the principals overseeing the copy usage of their building. Most schools use the same, whether they have the chrome books or not.
8.4 ACT/SAT/AP Information
Jamie Max, Susan McDougall, Danielle Lee and the two High School Principals, Laura Bankowski and Mike Wayne will be presenting the assessment data for the ACT, SAT, and AP exams taken in 2016-17.
Mr. Max stated that we no longer offer the ACT test to our students. Beginning with the class of 2015-16 the decision was made by the school district to offer the SAT test instead. We implemented this one year before the State decided that the SAT would be the test of the State. There was some confusion regarding the first slide and it will be redone to better illustrate the point. We only have 2 years of data available for the SAT test, the graduating class of 2017 and 2018 took the test in their junior year. It showed the composite scores for the top 50%, 25% and 10%, which makes it easy for parents to see what it will take to fall into those categories. Since we are implementing a new test, it is difficult for everyone to understand, where a student falls. Mr. Ploger commented that he would like to see whether or not there was growth for the remaining 50%. Mr. Max stated that essentially they stayed static. In one school they increased by a couple of points and in the other they decreased by a couple for the students that took the test so far this year. There will be many students that will take the test a second time at which time we will see that upward trend with the remaining 50% as well.
Top 50% - SAT score of 1180 = ACT score of 24
Top 25% - SAT score of 1260 = ACT score of 26
Top 10% - SAT score of 1300 = ACT score of 27
Our two high schools are pretty consistent in their scores and both trend upwards. The data our district received in order to make the translation from an SAT to an ACT score, comes from the College Board that is creating the tests. The Universities are finding that this does not always match up with their charts. At this time, it is the best information that we have and it will get more refined every year. Danielle Lee explained the benchmarks set by the College Board and for ISBE. Mrs. McDougall talked about the number of students taking AP exams. In May of 2013, a total of 410 students took 661 AP exams. During the most recent testing window in May of 2017 there were 1689 students taking a total of 2862 exams. We now have more than four times the number of students taking the exam then we did four years ago. In May of 2013, 21 different AP exams were available in the district and now we have 32 different exams offered to our students. A score of 3, 4 or 5 qualifies a student for college credit.
As a district, we are continuously looking for the best way to support our students and teachers in the classroom. At this time, the two high school principals will share more specific information as to how they are striving to assist students and how they will continue to support students in regards to College Readiness. Mr. Wayne stated that both high schools are taking a close look at the achievement gap that exists. At both schools we make sure that the AP instructors have the appropriate training. If we want more students in the AP classes, we need to look at how we can support the needs of our students and teachers. Part of it is to provide specific data to the staff teaching those courses. We are really looking for ways to support all students, but especially the ones that are more challenged educationally. We need to address the needs of our students that have been impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences. Mrs. Bankowski commented on the huge growth of the AP program in a very short amount of time. Unlike most other districts, we have opened up AP to anyone that wants to take a course.
Mr. Lightfoot asked how this data is used in performance reviews for teachers. Data per class is not a specific category in an evaluation, but of course maintaining student records, communication with parents in regards to student progress would be part of it. On the other hand, department chairs and building administration determine who the most effective teachers are to teach the AP course.
Mrs. Bankowski stated that when she speaks with incoming freshman, she makes sure they are educated of what they are signing up for, what to expect with the workload etc. There are many factors to consider when it comes to how many AP courses a student can sign up for and be successful with. We have also been looking for free resources where students can get help to prep for SAT and AP tests. We know if they can practice the tests, they tend to be more successful. Mrs. Moyer asked what percentage of students that take AP classes also take the exam. The last two years the district has paid for the tests, therefore the number was very high. This year it will probably be less since they are responsible for their own cost. Mrs. McDougall commented that a little more of half the students that take the test scored a 3, 4 or 5.
The complete presentation for the ACT/SAT/AP Presentation, including audio can be found at the following link: http://www.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/Public
8.5 Recommendations for IASB Resolutions
The board discussed the recommendations and took a straw poll in order to provide Jared Ploger direction on how to represent the district at the Triple I conference.
1. Student Safety and Protection Opposed
2. School as a Polling Place Reimbursement Support
3. 1% Sales Tax Statewide Opposed
4. Open Meetings – Discuss Shared Staff Opposed
5. PARCC Testing Results Support
6. Position Statement 2.50 PTELL No Penalty for Under Levy Support
7. Position Statement 2.27 Charter School Funding Support
8. Energy Savings Contracting Support
9. Action Items
9.1 Approval of Bills for Payment
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Brent Lightfoot, to authorize the payment of bills in the amount of two million, seven hundred six thousand, four dollars and fifty-four cents ($2,706,004.54)
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
9.2 Approval of Psychologists MOU between CUSD308 and OEA/IEA/NEA
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mrs. Heather Moyer, to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between Community Unit School District 308 and the Oswego Education Association IEA/NEA
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
9.3 Approval of Curriculum Review Cycle
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mrs. Heather Moyer, to approve the revised Curriculum Review Cycle
Final Resolution: Motion Failed 3-3
Aye: Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger, Nay: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot
9.4 Approval of Personnel Report
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Brad Banks, to approve the Personnel report
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot,
Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
9.5 Approval of Building Administrator Contract
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Ms. Toni Morgan , to approve the Building Administrator contract
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
10. Adjournment
10.1 Adjourn
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Ms. Toni Morgan, to adjourn.
All were in favor unanimously to adjourn.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Brad Banks, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mr. Jared Ploger
Meeting Adjourned at 9:42 p.m.
https://www.sd308.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=9932&dataid=44588&FileName=11.13.17%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf
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