Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education met Sept. 23.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
1. Call to Order – Executive Session (6:45 pm)
The meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m. by Mrs. Lauri Doyle
1.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Matt Bauman, Lauri Doyle, Ruth Kroner, Brent Lightfoot, Toni Morgan, Heather Moyer, Alison Swanson
Members Absent (at roll call):
None
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 Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Matt Bauman, to 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.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
The Board of Education entered closed session at 6:46 p.m.
2.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Ms. Toni Morgan, to return to Open Session.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
The Board of Education returned to Open Session at 7:16 p.m.
3. Call to Order – Public Session (7:30 pm)
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mrs. Lauri Doyle 3.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Matt Bauman, Lauri Doyle, Ruth Kroner, Brent Lightfoot, Toni Morgan, Heather Moyer, Alison Swanson
Members Absent (at roll call):
None
Administration Present:
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Sparlin
Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Faith Dahlquist Chief Financial Officer Christi Tyler
Director of Communications Theresa Komitas
Others Present:
Board Attorney Maureen Lemon, Ottosen Britz Kelly Cooper Gilbert and DiNolfo, Ltd; as well as 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 Lauri Doyle
4. Recognitions
4.1 PRIDE September Award Recipients
President Lauri Doyle and members of the Board of Education recognized the September PRIDE winners.
Fox Chase Elementary School - Julie Kreitzer (Teacher), Sharon Simon (Teacher), Kim Adorjan (Principal Secretary)
Lakewood Creek Elementary School - Annie Lamb (Teacher), Kaitlin Boyd (Teacher), Kelley Budd (Principal)
Thompson Junior High School - Danielle Schikora (Teacher), Mary Engfer (Teacher), Lorraine Zwiezen (School Secretary)
A complete audio recording for the PRIDE Recognition can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
5. Public Hearing
5.1 Public Hearing on FY20 Budget
Board President Lauri Doyle explained the guidelines for the Public Hearing portion on the FY20 Budget. Mrs. Doyle asked each member of the Board of Education, the Board Attorney and the District Administrators who will speak to identify themselves for the record.
The following members stated their name:
Matt Bauman, Lauri Doyle, Ruth Kroner, Brent Lightfoot, Toni Morgan, Heather Moyer, Alison Swanson, Dr. John Sparlin, Christi Tyler, Maureen Lemon
5.2 Update on FY20 Budget
At this time, President Doyle asked the administrators to give any additional information/update on the FY20 Budget.
Mrs. Tyler shared that at this time all expenses and revenues have been recorded for FY19. The good news is that we show approximately a $2M surplus and we anticipate to end FY20 with a $900,000 surplus. This is prior to any contract negotiations.
Dr. Sparlin added that in 2016 our CFO shared a do nothing scenario with the Board, which showed that the district would be out of money by September of 2019 and by the end of the school year we would have a $15M deficit. Instead we are showing a balanced budget with a $15M reserve. Our current reserves require us to sell TAW’s in order to make payroll and pay our bills. Until we have more reserves, this practice will continue. We also have many maintenance projects that need to be done and it is likely we have to sell bonds for future projects. Dr. Sparlin stated that while we have a balance budget, we are not in a position to rectify practices of the past. We are not able to bring back the things that we cut or lower the class sizes. The reserve for a district of our size should be between 40M and 50M. At this point, we have our spending under control, we now need a reserve that allows us to meet our financial obligations without the sale of TAW’s, and we need to incorporate our capital projects within our budget.
At this time, President Doyle asked members of the public to comment on the FY20 Budget.
There was no public comment on the FY20 Budget.
5.3 Close Public Hearing
At this time, President Doyle closed the Public Hearing on the FY20 Budget.
The complete audio recording for the Public Hearing on the FY20 Budget can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
6. Public Comment
6.1 Opportunity for the Public to address the Board of Education
There was no public comment
7. Comments/Reports
7.1 Board Member Comments
Lauri Doyle shared that she was able to go back to Long Beach Elementary for a visit. The school continues to grow and improve. They now have a student of the month club and little mirrors with statements of affirmation are seen throughout the school.
Heather Moyer shared that Long Beach is holding their community night this week. They will have dinner and breakout sessions for parents and activities for the kids.
Ruth Kroner was able to attend OHS’s first Marching band competition which was a great event with an awesome show in spite of some rain.
7.2 Board Advisory Committee Updates
Finance & Facilities – Mr. Lightfoot shared that there were three items on the agenda.
The Strategic Planning process was shared and Mrs. Dahlquist focused on strategic goals and messages and captured the input of the Finance Committee in regards to the priorities for the district.
Not much importance was placed on the capital projects, likely because nobody wants to take money from the educational piece in order to fund maintenance projects. There was some good discussion about alternate funding and different revenue sources. The new members of the committee then participated in a Finance 101 lesson, just to get an overview of school finances.
Teaching & Learning – Mrs. Moyer reported that this committee also partly focused on the Strategic Planning process with Mrs. Dahlquist. The committee looked at student learning and systems of support, prioritizing areas of focus as a group.
Mrs. Morgan added that this is the very beginning of the process to create this 5-year plan, with many different groups participating.
7.3 Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Sparlin shared that both high school Football teams are 4-0 and they will both have a game on Friday, with it being the homecoming game for OHS. Last week the two Volleyball girls teams competed while raising over $2,500 for pediatric cancer. The OE cheerleaders had the opportunity to perform at the Northwestern vs Michigan State game this past weekend.
Dr. Sparlin stated that on October 2nd is National Custodian Workers Recognition Day. Members of the OCMA are an important part of our schools and we are thankful for all they do.
Dr. Sparlin also reminded everyone of OFEE’s fundraiser that is taking place on September 27th. It’s important to remember that the money raised at these events goes directly back to the teachers and the students.
8. Presentations
8.1 Special Education Student Data
At this time, Jennifer Volpe, Executive Director of Special Education, presented the Special Education Department Data Review.
Mrs. Volpe shared that this presentations shows how student progress is being monitored in Special Education.
How we measure student growth in Special Education:
Formal and Informal Classroom Assessments
IEP Goal Monitoring
Program/Intervention Program Monitoring
STAR District Benchmark Assessment
Progress Monitoring – CMB (Pilot 2018-19)
FastBridge Adoption 2019-20
The first program to be reviewed is Language! which is used in our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. This is a comprehensive literacy curriculum for students in grades 6-12, who are substantially below grade level expectation.
Mrs. Volpe shared data showing the expected lexile growth range and the actual average achieved between fall and spring. At this time, we have 15 students (6-12) in this program.
The second program to be reviewed is Language Live! This program is currently used with 119 of our students in ISP and STARS classrooms 6-12. Language Live! is a comprehensive literacy strategies program.
Mrs. Moyer asked what the significant growth in both the Language! and Language Live! can be attributed to. Mrs. Volpe stated that over the last three years there has been a concerted effort in this district to pilot and implement evidence based, robust, direct instruction programs, with an emphasis on data. We need to have a variety of programs to meet the needs of our students.
Mrs. Swanson asked how often testing is taking place. Mrs. Volpe commented that at this time we use the STAR Benchmark assessment throughout the year to monitor progress. It is time intensive as a program monitoring tool, that’s why the implementation of FastBridge is going to be significant, with the progress monitoring being more efficient.
Ms. Morgan checked to make sure that these assessments are shared with the parents and Mrs. Volpe assured her that progress reports are sent home for special education students, the same as for all other students.
There was some discussion regarding testing, meeting the state guidelines or doing too much. Mrs. Dahlquist stated that this is currently being explored, that while we meet the state guidelines, she is exploring assessments that meet the needs twice. Mrs. Dahlquist has had success with that in the past.
The next program to be reviewed is Lexia Power Up. This program helps students in grades 6-8 who are struggling to become proficient readers. The pilot that was conducted last year included students in general education as well, for a total of 413 students.
The next intervention is the Elementary Six Minutes Solutions Pilot. Mrs. Volpe stated that this program has been around for years and is very effective, inexpensive and easy to use. This program is an intervention specifically for students that are struggling with reading fluency. Mrs. Doyle asked how students are identified to be in this program. Mrs. Volpe explained that FastBridge is a timed assessment, so it would tell a teacher whether or not a particular student is reading the appropriate words per minute. It was also stressed that numerous data would be used to determine whether or not a particular intervention would help. This intervention is available district wide for all special education students and it would be used by the LBS teachers.
Wilson Reading System is an intervention for students with IEP’s that typically would exhibit characteristics of dyslexia. This program is focused on all areas of reading. It is a very robust intervention that has been around for years. In order to get results, teachers have to be highly trained. Currently we have one teacher at level one for each building.
Mrs. Volpe stated that she is currently looking into other programs that could serve as an intervention between Language! and Language Live! before going to Wilson since it is a very intense and costly program.
The last program to be reviewed is Transmath, used with Instructional Skills, Deaf and Hard of Hearing and STARS in grades 6-9. This school year, it is piloted in 5th grade as well. This is for students that are at least 2 years below grade level and require support in building foundational skills.
Mrs. Volpe shared that her department will continue to work with Teaching & Learning to ensure that we all focus on improving our Tier1 instruction for all students. The goal is to continue to research, pilot, analyze and evaluate interventions in order to make sure we are meeting the needs of all of our students.
The complete presentation, including the complete audio recording for the Special Education Student Data Presentation can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
8.2 High School Grading Practices
Mrs. Dahlquist commented that part of Board Priority #1 is the review of standardized grading practices. We are currently looking at the two high schools and their common courses, to see if there is a discrepancy in students passing. This needs to be addressed whether within the same high school or two different schools.
Heather Kincaid, Director of High School Education, shared a timeline for implementation for this year. Data from 2018-19 has been pulled and we are looking at A, B and C’s versus D’s and F’s, within the high school and between the two high schools.
Next we will work with department chairs on the course discrepancies that are found and create a baseline of current percentage of students with D’s and F’s, as well as to identify reasons for the disparity.
From January to March the same team will work on finding solutions with specific departments for the identified problems. Mrs. Kincaid stated that the implementation of solutions needs to take place for the 2020-21 school year.
Mrs. Kincaid shared some of the work already done:
Work toward common percentage/weight of categories in all common courses
Work toward common expectations of mastery of standards
Examples of work over the last few years in Spanish I and II:
Use of the same grading categories
Use of the same grading weights between the categories
Aligned proficiency targets
Collaboration on the use of the newly adopted resource
A variety of different things are looked at within a specific course and we need certain standards and a vision of where we are going.
Ms. Morgan stated that it needs to go beyond just the grades, also to ensure that there is solid instruction in the classroom. Mrs. Swanson shared that there needs to be a culture where a teacher can own it if some of his/her students are not understanding/testing well. There needs to be more collaboration to find out from others what they are doing if their students are performing better. Administration and the Board need to support that.
Mr. Lightfoot stated that he sees an indication of a systemic disconnect. It is surprising that the department chairs from the two buildings are not having this conversation. There needs to be a basic understanding of what SD308’s standards and expectations are. How we get there, is up to the individual teachers. Mr. Lightfoot stated that looking at the data, he noticed an alarming difference between the two buildings.
Mrs. Dahlquist shared that this has been an issue at other districts she has been a part of as well. It seems easy for the two schools to come together and have these conversation, but it does not easily happen. One way to get around that is to have some common assessments.
Mrs. Dahlquist agreed that this is an issue that needs to be looked at and that there is an opportunity for improvement.
Mrs. Kroner added that it’s also a matter of culture that needs to be created, where everyone is comfortable taking accountability for their own work.
Mrs. Kincaid commented that input will be sought from department chairs and teachers. Once common expectations are established in grading and assessments, the student voice can be brought in as far as the type of assessment and how knowledge is demonstrated.
Mrs. Dahlquist stated that there would be regular updates on this subject as part of the quarterly scheduled Board Priority Updates.
The complete presentation, including the complete audio recording for the High School Grading Practices Presentation can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
9. Approve Consent Agenda
9.1 Approval of Minutes from previous Meeting
9.2 Acknowledgement of Administrator and Teacher Salary and Benefits Report
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Matt Bauman, to approve all items under consent, including 9.1 Minutes from the September 9, 2019 Board of Education Meeting, Open and Closed Session and 9.2 to acknowledge the Administrator and Teacher Salary and Benefits report for FY19
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
10. Information Only
10.1 Financial Statements
There were no questions on the Financial Statements
10.2 Oswego East High School Parking Lot Lighting
Mrs. Tyler stated that in March of 2019, a parking lot light pole at Oswego East High School fell over due to high winds. A subsequent safety inspection of all parking lot light poles revealed some stress cracks developing in over 40% of the poles.
After consulting with our engineers, it was determined that four poles should be removed immediately and reinforcing plates needed to be welded to the remaining poles. This would be a costly band-aid for the issue. Therefore, the recommendation is to replace the light poles with shorter ones and smaller light bulbs with newer LED technology. The bids presented tonight are for replacement of all the light poles and the prize ranges from $167,015 to $233,200.
Mr. Allison added that poles of this type were inspected district wide and no other issues were found. Mrs. Swanson asked that insurance coverage be explored for all poles, not just the one that fell and caused damage.
The board members asked to get more information on the expected lifespan of this product. Since there are no other issues in the district, it was brought up that it might be an inferior product. Mrs. Tyler stated that she has reached out to the manufactures but did not receive a response yet.
11. Action Items
11.1 Approval of Bills for Payment
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Heather Moyer, to authorize the payment of bills in the amount of five million, sixty-six thousand, two hundred thirty-one dollars and thirty-three cents ($5,066,231.33) as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
11.2 Rejection of Bid for Oswego High School Orchestra Pit Cover
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Heather Moyer, to reject the orchestra pit cover bid for Oswego High School as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
11.3 Adoption of FY20 Budget
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Heather Moyer, to adopt the FY20 Budget for Oswego Community Unit School District 308 as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
11.4 Approval of Oswego High School Chiller
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Heather Moyer, to approve a contract with C Acitelli Heating for $340,000 as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
11.5 Approval of Snow Removal Bid
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Ms. Toni Morgan, to approve Montgomery Landscaping, R&S Landscaping and BMF Remodeling contractors to snow plow the listed schools as presented for a one-year term with an option to renew for up to (3) additional one-year terms.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
11.6 Approval of Personnel Report
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Matt Bauman, to approve the Personnel report as presented
Mr. Lightfoot commented that while he would be voting no to the personnel report, it is not directed towards anyone in particular on this report. There are two reasons for the vote; Mr. Lightfoot shared that he considers himself a close friend to someone on the personnel report and that he does not agree with adding a new position to DAC.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 4-3
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mrs. Heather Moyer Nay: Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Alison Swanson
12. Adjournment
12.1 Adjourn
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Ms. Toni Morgan, to adjourn. All were in favor unanimously to adjourn.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Matt Bauman, Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Mr. Brent Lightfoot, Ms. Toni Morgan, Mrs. Heather Moyer, Mrs. Alison Swanson
Meeting Adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
https://www.sd308.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=9932&dataid=56117&FileName=9.9.19%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.doc.pdf
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