Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education met Nov. 15.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board of Education of Community Unit School District 308, Kendall, Kane and Will Counties, Illinois, met in a regular session in the Performing Arts Center at Oswego East High School.
Note for file: All roll call votes are shown in alphabetical order in these minutes; however, during the Board Meeting votes are called out in accordance with Board Policy 2:220
1. Call to Order – Executive Session (6:15 p.m.)
The meeting was called to order at 6:18 p.m. by President Dr. Marino
1.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Eugene Gatewood, Ruth Kroner, Donna Marino, LaTonya Simelton
Members Absent (at roll call):
Lauri Doyle, Jennifer Johnson, Alison Swanson
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 certain employees and individuals; 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; 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(3) The selection of a person to fill a public office, as defined in the Open Meetings Act, including a vacancy in a public office, when the public body is given power to appoint under law or ordinance, or the discipline, performance or removal of the occupant of a public office, when the public body is given power to remove the occupant under law or ordinance
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to enter Closed Session under statute(s): 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of certain employees and individuals; 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; 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(3) The selection of a person to fill a public office, as defined in the Open Meetings Act, including a vacancy in a public office, when the public body is given power to appoint under law or ordinance, or the discipline, performance or removal of the occupant of a public office, when the public body is given power to remove the occupant under law or ordinance
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 4-0
Aye: Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton,
The Board of Education entered closed session at 6:19 p.m.
Mrs. Jennifer Johnson arrived at 6:20 p.m.
Mrs. Lauri Doyle arrived at 7:02 p.m.
2.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to return to Open Session
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton
The Board of Education returned to open session at 7:18 p.m.
3. Call to Order – Public Session (7:15 pm)
The meeting was called to order at 7:21 p.m. by President Dr. Marino
3.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Lauri Doyle, Eugene Gatewood, Jennifer Johnson, Ruth Kroner
Donna Marino, LaTonya Simelton
Members Absent (at roll call):
Alison Swanson
Administration Present:
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Sparlin
Associate Superintendent of Educational Services, Faith Dahlquist
Chief Financial Officer, Dr. John Petzke
Director of Communications, Theresa Komitas
Others Present:
Board Attorney Maureen Lemon, Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg and Castaldo, as well as employees of the District and members of the community.
Recording Secretary:
Ursula Studer
3.2 Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance was led by Board President Dr. Marino
4. Recognitions
4.1 PRIDE Award Recipients
The Board of Education Recognizes the following November PRIDE Award Recipients:
Teachers - Allison Abels - Oswego High School
Maryam Osuch - Boulder Hill Elementary
Employees - Keith Mecklenburg - Transition Center
Sue Roche - Oswego East High School
4.2 School Board Member Day
Dr. Sparlin shared that November 15 each year is celebrated as School Board Member Day. It’s a day for us to recognize the efforts of the nearly 6,000 school board members throughout Illinois. He thanked each one for their commitment in the governance of our school district.
5. Public Comment
5.1 Opportunity for the Public to address the Board of Education
Dallas Chivari – stated that she is frustrated because bullying issues are not being addressed by the administration. Students need to feel that school is a safe place. Quarantines, mask mandates and online learning leaves our students struggling. Ms. Chivari shared that the Chicago area has lost 10 children to suicide in the last 3 months, one of them being one of our high school students. The emotional and mental health of our students has to become a priority.
Tom Nanninga – commented regarding CRT being taught in our schools and around the country. He shared that he submitted a FOIA request for Panorama Education and was told that our district only uses this vendor to design our own surveys and that there has been no teacher or student use of this product. Mr. Nanninga shared that it is becoming clearer that Critical Race Theory is being introduced into the language of all subjects being taught. We have larger issues with the mental health of our children than wrecking their minds with these untrue aspects of critical race theory.
Arian Adnmadpour – shared that he went to law school, and that law schools are the only places in this country where Critical Race Theory is being taught and it is an optional class. What is taught, is that students take a different perspective on the laws and history of this country, to look at America through the lens of the narrative of race. CRT is not being taught in schools as children learn to read, write and do math proficiently. Lets assume they were, what is wrong with teaching our kids to be kinder to their brown and black neighbors. Mr. Adnmadpour shared that he never thought that as an immigrant he would live in a country where kindness is a wedge issue.
Isabelle Gershon – a student at OE, talked about Culturally Responsive Teaching. She shared that there is homophobia and antisemitism in our schools. Adding kindness and a perspective of empathy to our education is not going to harm students. Students need to be taught to look at every story with the victim in mind. Isabelle shared that she has heard people comparing mask mandates to the Holocaust which clearly shows that many adults are not educated on what happened. The murder of 10M people based on their race, their ethnicity and their religion is not the same as having a piece of cloth on your face.
Jennifer Stamp – shared that public education is not only important to a democratic society but it is “the foundation of good citizenship. Good citizenship is not decided by skin tone, sexual orientation or parental showings. In the legal sense it’s decided by the US Constitution. In daily life it is simply how we treat each other. Public schools are for students from all walks of life. It has never been a parent’s choice to dictate the value of our Nation. Ms. Stamp challenged anyone that is opposing CRT to accurately define, discuss it and explain how it is being taught to a Kindergartner. Parental involvement can ease the discomfort of children in discussing these issues and help them with processing their emotions.
6. Comments/Reports
6.1 Board Member Comments
Dr. Marino thanked Dr. Sparlin and the administration for the recognition of the Board members and the work they do. Dr. Marino shared that this is one of the hardest jobs that she has ever done, striving for our students to get a high quality education among much criticism, no matter what choice is made. Dr. Marino shared the process for the vacancy on the Board. This will likely not occur until January. The Board will have 60 days to fill the vacancy once Mrs. Kroner is no longer a resident of our district. At that time, applications will be available online. The Board will be interviewing a select number of applicants. The empty seat will need to be filled with someone that lives in Oswego Township since that is where Mrs. Kroner resided.
Mrs. Johnson recognized the incredible work of all of our Home and School Associations. They provide a very important service to our schools.
6.2 Board Committee Reports
Finance & Facilities Committee – Mr. Gatewood reported that the topics from the meeting include the presentations shared later in the board meeting (Levy & Debt). Communication on “the numbers”, which represent the story behind it, is important so people can learn and understand what they mean.
Teaching & Learning Committee – Mrs. Kroner stated that the Student learning presentation will be shared later during this meeting. There was much great discussion and good questions that were asked.
6.3 Superintendent’s Report
Congratulations:
• OHS Boys Cross Country team on finishing 5th in State; to Audra Soderlind on finishing 15th in State in Cross Country,
• Girls Swim and Dive won the Sectionals and finished 4th in the State Tournament; 200 Freestyle Relay of Chloe Diner, Katie Gresik, Lauren Willie and Corinne Guist took first place and were State Champions for this race.
• Congratulations to all of the athletes who signed national letters of intent for college next year.
• Thank you to all our SD 308 School Psychologists: National School Psychology Week was celebrated during the week of November 8-12.
Recruitment Efforts: Still a number of openings across the district for a variety of positions. We have engaged in a big media campaign to recruit people to our district. Over the past 10 days we have held 3 open interview sessions in the evenings, conducted approximately 60 interviews and have hired for many positions.
Envision 308: Each month the Board is given a presentation from our district departments highlighting the work that is being done towards the strategic plan. In October it was special education, this month is Student Learning – Academic Achievement Data, next month is Budget, and in January it will be Social Emotional Learning.
SEL: Entering the 21-22 school year, we recognized the need for additional support in the area of social emotional learning and student mental health.
• The district implemented an updated SEL curriculum aligned to Illinois State Learning Standards.
• All levels have incorporated SEL instruction time in their schedules.
• We have increased access to therapeutic mental health support in the community.
• We are currently working on implementing counseling services that will come into the schools to work with student groups and create evening events for parents and students.
6.4 Student Ambassador Reports
In total, 2,593 high school students took the survey the committee created in October. The survey is broken down into four categories:
• Academic Focus
• School Structure Focus
• Social Climate Focus
• Student to Student Interaction Focus
We looked into both, the most and the second most important responses. Students were concerned with:
• Amount of homework
• Clarity on how administration handles discipline as it relates to race, gender identity and sexual harassment
• Teachers role in supporting student’s mental capacity, feeling overwhelmed with school and personal responsibility
• Most students were concerned with sexual harassment
The Student Advisory Committee analyzed the needs of both, the majority and subgroups of the collective student bodies: marginalized groups displayed major concerns upon the topics of race, identity, culture and curriculum. The common majority expressed distress about their mental and physical safety within the school environment. The issue that the student advisory committee will begin to research and ultimately make recommendations, based on the survey results, was student sexual harassment. Of those who took the survey, 527 said it was the most important and 798 placed it as second most important, 1,325 students in total. The fact that so many students felt concerned about their physical safety was an issue the committee wanted to address directly. This topic, as well as mental health, are two focal points for the committee’s research in the future as we work to illuminate student voice and student concerns.
Mrs. Simelton thanked the students for bringing forth the data that will help inform us on how to improve the culture and climate of our district. It’s the student’s responsibility to bring the information and calling the Board to action.
7. Approve Consent Agenda
7.1 Approval of Minutes from previous Meeting
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the consent agenda, including 7.1 Minutes from the October 25, 2021 Board of Education meeting, open and closed session, the November 1, 2021 Board of Education Public Forum; 7.2 to acknowledge the FOIA requests received by the District and 7.3 to approve the following Board Policy References and Legal updates Section 1: School District Organization (1:10) Section 2: School Board (2:20) Section 3: General School Administration (3:30) Section 5: General Personnel (5:30) Section 6: Instruction (6:170, 6:255) Section 7: Students (7:230)
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton
8. Presentation
8.1 Student Learning – Academic Achievement Test Data
Testing data is used to identify areas for improvement. Presentation includes the disparities between student performance in subgroups by gender, race, and income. Possible causes of differences in achievement by subgroups were identified, as well as potential solutions to reduce achievement gaps. Mrs. Dahlquist showed that data from a test that students took the second week in September, with many of them not having been in the schools in person for some time. We are optimistic that these numbers will improve with the second test being taken in January. A comparison was taken between boys and girls as well as White, Black and Hispanic, with numbers highlighted if there was more than a 6% point difference.
Differences in achievement were noted by gender and income. Plans for improvement in Reading, Math and additional District wide plans were discussed. Mrs. Dahlquist shared that as we support student SEL, it is very important to support staff as well.
Some causes of differences in achievement by race/and or income:
o Students not being able to see themselves in the reading books at school
o Students not feeling included in the classroom or school setting
o Students not seeing themselves in school staff
o Students not being held to high expectations
o Not enough explicit vocabulary instruction
o Not enough access to resources such as books and technology
o Not enough SEL instruction/support
Mrs. Dahlquist shared that some of our ESSER money was used to buy new books for our libraries, making sure that we had diversity in both authors and different cultures.
There is also a curriculum review process that has Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a high priority. It is much more on the forefront as to what needs to be done.
Mrs. Kroner shared that it is important to improve these scores, but is there something we can step away from in order to do so and to find that balance without adding more onto everyone’s already full plate. Mrs. Johnson suggested to remove the classroom walkthroughs in order to concentrate on improving reading and math. Mrs. Dahlquist clarified, that they are not an evaluation of the teacher and should not add stress to the building staff, rather they are meant as a formative assessment of how we monitor being effective in changing instruction.
Work has been done to retain administrators and staff from diverse backgrounds as well as how to recruit. During our recent interview nights, there were a lot of staff from diverse backgrounds that showed interest in the open positions. Goals and indicators are located in our Strategic Plan. The Climate for Learning framework can be evaluated with the classroom walkthroughs, number of referrals and discipline issues as well as additional student surveys.
Mrs. Doyle asked what the Board can specifically do to support staff and Mrs. Dahlquist stated that due to our staff shortage, many are doing the jobs of more than one person, which becomes stressful over time. Professional development of how to start making changes to the discrepancies in our scores is needed as well. We have to find the right balance between building us up, while not saying we are good enough. Most important is, trust, climate, culture. Dr. Sparlin shared that the reduction of staff over the last few years, due to budget shortfalls, has affected the district. The winter Fast Bridge data will give us a clearer snapshot, with students having been back in school for a semester.
Mr. Gatewood added, that it is important for us to respond immediately to what we learned through our survey, that over 1,300 students felt physically unsafe in some form.
Mrs. Swanson arrived at 8:27 p.m.
The complete presentation for the Academic Achievement Test Data, including audio, can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
9. Information
9.1 Financial Statements
The Board had no questions on the Financial Statements
9.2 2021 Tax Levy Presentation
Taxing bodies in Illinois must adopt and file their tax levies by the last Tuesday in December. Part of adopting a levy is certifying compliance with the Truth in Taxation Act. In order to comply with Truth in Taxation a taxing body must estimate the tentative levy, calculate the percentage increase over the previous year's tax extension and if in excess of five percent of the previous year's extension, and conduct a public hearing prior to final adoption.
The 2021 tax levy represents a 4.99% increase over the prior year extension of $106,534,790. Out of the 4.99%, 1.4% represents the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and the remaining 2.73% is an estimate based on the new construction estimates of $35 million. Since the new construction amount is not known at the time of levy, we are overestimating these values to make sure we capture all the dollars from the new construction if there is an unforeseen increase in the EAV due to new construction.
The 2021 levy is the amount the District has requested. The final amount the district will collect (extension) is done in March or April of 2022. This final figure is then collected in two parts; half in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022 and the other half in September, which is fiscal year 2023. Adoption of the tax levy request is a required step in the tax levy process.
In the spring of 2022, when final equalized assessed valuation and new construction figures are known, the county clerks’ offices will determine tax rates and extensions of the taxes levied within the constraints of the school district’s tax rate limitations and the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL). If the EAV stays stable, the school portion of the tax bill for a $300,000 home is $5,565. The unaudited projections with a typical levy and EBF assumptions, would leave the district with a fund balance of about $68M in FY2026, with no new levy and typical EBF assumptions with about $56M, and with no new levy and no new EBF with about 40M.
Dr. Petzke shared that on December 6th the resolutions will need to be approved by the Board and the levy will then be filed by December 28th.
Mrs. Doyle commented on the 5-year projections and how much better the fund balance will look by 2026 and how we might not need to issue TAW’s by the year 2024.
The complete presentation for the 2021 Tax Levy, including audio, can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
9.3 District Debt Overview Presentation
Market update on current district debt, including bond rates, terms and options for future bonding for capital projects.
Mr. Lewis from PMA presented a summary of the district’s debt. Last year, the Board implemented a multi-phase restructuring plan to bring down the slope of its debt service in order to flatten off the overall payment. The refunding lowered levies by $15M and saved about $11.3M on a present value basis. The Board would have the opportunity to issue another non referendum bond to pay for capital projects to impact levy year 2021 for bills payable in 2022. The deadline to establish that new levy is February 28, 2022. If the Board would choose this option, it would increase the tax bill on a $250,000 home by about $108 from levy year 2020. This six-year borrowing would net roughly $17.5M. The interest rates would likely be below 1.5%. The Notice of Intent Resolution would need to be adopted at the December 6th BOE meeting and the Notice would need to be published on December 8th, with the bonds closing on February 22nd.
Dr. Petzke shared that our new Facility Master Plan is not completed yet, but we have our deferred maintenance projects that were included in our Vision 2020 Plan.
The plan included a total of $29M, with $10M funded with DSEB money and $19M of the deferred maintenance projects remaining unfunded. The new Facility Master Plan from Kluber will be completed by February or March.
Mr. Gatewood pointed out the importance of not only being able to take care of the projects that have not been completed, but also making sure that we are in a position that if an emergency were to occur, we can take care of it.
Mr. Allison, Director of Operations, stated that the district has seen unprecedented cost increases because of COVID. The money will not go as far in the next 2-5 years.
The complete presentation for the District Debt Overview, including audio, can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
9.4 Board Policies First Reading: Section 1: School District Organization (1:20) Section 2: School Board (2:10, 2:30, 2:130) Section 5: General Personnel (5:10) Section 6: Instruction (6:100, 6:145, 6:160, 6:235, 6:260) Section 7: Students (7:220, 7:280)
Mrs. Simelton requested that Policy 5:10 will be reviewed at the next Equity committee as well before being brought back for additional changes at the next Policy Committee meeting on December 13th.
10. Action Items
10.1 Approval of Bills for Payment
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, to authorize the payment of bills in the amount of four million, seven hundred forty thousand, eight hundred sixty dollars and twenty-seven cents ($4,740,860.27) as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, Mrs. Alison Swanson
10.2 Approval of 2022-2023 School Calendar
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Alison Swanson, to approve the 2022-2023 School Calendar as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, Mrs. Alison Swanson
10.3 Approval of New High School Courses – 2022-23 School Year
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the proposed new High School courses for the 2022-23 school year
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, Mrs. Alison Swanson
10.4 Approval of Superintendent Contract
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Alison Swanson, to approve the Superintendent contract as discussed and presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 4-3
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. Alison Swanson
Nay: Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton
10.5 Approval of Building Administrator Contract
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mrs. Alison Swanson, to approve the Building Administrator contract as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, Mrs. Alison Swanson
10.6 Approval of Personnel Report
A motion was made by Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Personnel Report as discussed and presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, Mrs. Alison Swanson
11. Adjournment
11.1 Adjourn
A motion was made by Mrs. Mrs. Ruth Kroner, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to adjourn.
All were in favor unanimously to adjourn.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mrs. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mrs. Ruth Kroner, Dr. Donna Marino, Mrs. LaTonya Simelton, Mrs. Alison Swanson
Meeting Adjourned at 10:18 p.m.
https://www.sd308.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=9932&dataid=72736&FileName=11.15.21%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf
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