Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education met Aug. 22.
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 Community Room 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 (6:00 p.m.)
The meeting was called to order at 6:03 p.m. by President LaTonya Simelton
1.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Dominick Cirone, Lauri Doyle, Eugene Gatewood, Jared Ploger, LaTonya Simelton, Alison Swanson
Members Absent (at roll call):
Jennifer Johnson
2. Closed Session
2.1 Enter Closed Session under statute(s) 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(10) The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students
A motion was made by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, second by Ms. Alison Swanson, to enter closed session under statutes: 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(10) The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood,
Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
The Board of Education entered closed session at 6:04 p.m.
Ms. Jennifer Johnson arrived at 6:17 p.m.
2.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Ms. Alison Swanson, to return to Open Session.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
The Board of Education returned to open session at 7:20 p.m.
3. Call to Order – Public Session (7:15 pm)
The meeting was called to order at 7:27 p.m. by President LaTonya Simelton
3.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Dominick Cirone, Lauri Doyle, Eugene Gatewood, Jennifer Johnson, Jared Ploger, LaTonya Simelton, Alison Swanson
Members Absent (at roll call):
None
Administration Present:
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Sparlin
Associate Superintendent of Educational Services, Faith Dahlquist
Assistant Superintendent for Student & Staff Services, Dr. Heather Kincaid
Assistant Superintendent for Operations/CSBO, Dr. John Petzke
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 LaTonya Simelton
4. Public Comment
4.1 Opportunity for the Public to address the Board of Education
Michelle Trager – commented that September is National FASD Awareness Month, with September 9th being FASD Day. Ms. Trager shared that she was assured that the date would be included in our District Calendar. Since it is not there yet, she asked for that to be corrected. Ms. Trager stated that many students go undiagnosed and are not identified for Special Ed services. She asked that there be more training available for general ed teachers to recognize the symptoms of FASD.
5. Presentation
5.1 Review of Envision 308
Ms. Dahlquist shared the Envision 308 Presentation, stating that most of the information is the same, except the column for the 2021-22 school year was removed and more detail was added to 2022-23. Top Changes:
o Increase availability of variety of interventions and staff to support them.
o Examine vocabulary list and junior high math standards.
o Establish, teach and positively reinforce common behavioral expectations. Review behavioral data regularly with a consistent data review process.
o Create K-12 communication committee to design curriculum to empower students to use video, speech and other forms of communication to express their interests, information and opinions.
o Expand School Improvement process to include more data analysis of core instruction as well as health of interventions.
o Outline the three and five year goals with DEI committee to be approved by the Equity Advisory Committee and Board of Education.
o Develop a robust administrator onboarding program.
o Fully implement Signs of Suicide programming annually at Jr. High and HS. Implement training plan for staff. Implement student educational programing for mental health. Review data from Illinois youth survey to identify areas of need.
o Train staff on how to embed instruction around inclusion and conflict resolution into academic classes.
Ms. Swanson asked that FASD be included in the training plan for staff so this disability might be recognized more easily. The Board members asked to be cognizant of the additional work placed on staff and to concentrate on the most essential things in order to not overwhelm staff at this time. Mental Health of students and staff and creating an inclusive learning environment needs to be a top priority. Ms. Dahlquist mentioned that in November there will be more data added after the test scores become available. The Board members directed administration to let them know where we could possibly back off for the time being. Some of the pieces in this plan need to happen for the desired improvements to be seen.
The complete presentation on Envision 308, including audio, can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/Public
Envision 308 Annual Progress Report: Making Progress
6. Comments/Reports
6.1 Board Member Comments
Mr. Gatewood shared his experience of riding the school bus with Dr. Sparlin for the first day of school. It was great to see all the kids and interact with parents and staff.
Ms. Simelton welcomed all the students and staff back to this new school year.
Ms. Johnson attended Panther Fest and Blue and Silver Bash. It was great for everyone to come together at both of those events. Ms. Johnson also shared that a Junior at OHS, recently became the newest member of the semi-professional Striker Soccer Team.
6.2 Superintendent Report
Dr. Sparlin reported that there is a very positive energy throughout our District. We stress the importance of building relationships, especially during the first 3 days of school. Dr. Sparlin also attended the Panther Fest and Blue and Silver Bash, sharing how important they are in providing school spirit. The positive effect is not just now, but carries throughout the year.
Dr. Sparlin shared some information regarding the discussion concerning the additional parking lot at OEHS. We received some communication from community members, believing that money was gifted to the district for this parking lot. To clarify, the money we received from the Village was not a gift, rather Impact Fees that are collected by the Village and paid to the District on behalf of the developer. Tonight, Dr. Petzke will report on the tentative budget and the presentation will show how the District receives money from a variety of sources that are utilized to run our school district. The additional parking lot at OEHS has been added to our comprehensive facility plan. The District is doing their best with the money that we receive to provide the necessities.
7. Approval of Consent Agenda
7.1 Approval of Minutes from previous Meetings
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve all items under consent, including 7.1 Minutes from the Board of Education meeting on August 8, 2022 open and closed session
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
8. Information
8.1 First Solutions Consulting Routing Services
Dr. Petzke and Mr. DeArmond shared that the Router at the transportation department was promoted to another position this summer. That position takes some training and knowledge of the database that is used. The company First Solutions Consulting provides routing solutions. It would greatly help with the position we are in if we could turn over part of the Routing job to them. This is a temporary solution until someone is hired and trained in the Router position. The company allocates 80 hours at the cost of $40,000 with additional time being built hourly if needed. The Board members asked to upload the Statement of Work to board docs as well.
8.2 Tentative FY23 Budget Presentation
Dr. Petzke shared his presentation on the FY23 tentative budget. The budget serves as a financial plan for our departments, buildings, and the District.
The final budget needs to be adopted by September 30th and it must be on public display for 30 days after publication of a notice in the newspaper. The budget needs to be filed with the County Clerk within 30 days of adoption.
o September 26 - The Public Hearing on the 2022-23 Tentative Budget
o September 26 – Ask the Board of Education to Adopt the Final FY23 Budget
Highlights of revenue and expenditures was shared including the various sources.
Total estimated FY23 Revenue - $231,565,673
Total estimated FY23 Expenditures - $230,795,665
At this time, Evidence Based Funding is at 66% and we are still a Tier1 school. The Board members asked for the 5-year projections if possible, before approving the budget.
The complete presentation on the FY23 Budget, including audio, can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/Public
8.3 Discussion of Vendor Contracts
Dr. Petzke shared a list of Vendors and Contracts from $15,000 and up, provided to our auditors for the FY21 school year. All contracts are housed at the Business Office.
Ms. Johnson asked for the Board to put a policy in place that gives direction to the Business Office to create a vendor questionnaire. The questionnaire would be used for evaluating and assessing risk. It would also ensure third party due diligence and fidelity. Context for the various expenses is important for the Community. The Board discussed putting policies and procedures in place in order to put up some safeguards.
8.4 Intergovernmental Agreement with Kendall County Food PantryDr. Kincaid shared that there are no changes to the current Intergovernmental Agreement with the Kendall County Food Pantry.
This IGA requires to be renewed every year. The Satellite location is offered about once a month, with less time during the summer months. The Board members had no questions on the agreement.
8.5 Format of Board of Education Advisory Committees
Ms. Dahlquist shared the proposed changes that were discussed at a previous meeting already. The District is recommending that we move away from having community involvement in isolated Board committees that are focused on specific tasks and move toward having community involvement in a Board committee focused on vision.
New Board Advisory Committee Structure:
o Two Board Members and DAC Administrator lead
o Agenda topics can be added by DAC or Board
o Meetings are still open to the public and agendas will be posted
o There will be time for public comment
New Community Advisory Committee Structure:
o Involve community members in feedback and decision making sessions
o There will be sharing of expertise from all the committees to unify into one voice
Examples of topics:
o Review annual communication brochure about the district for feedback/ideas on communication o Review of student achievement data and budget/equity implications
o Gathering input and working toward consensus around topics such as budget cuts
Membership: Superintendent, DAC Administrators as needed, invite all 2021-22 members from Equity, Finance, Policy and Teaching and Learning Committees.
There was some confusion as to next steps from the last meeting. Some members understood that the former Advisory Committee members were going to be asked for input on how to move forward, but the consensus was to communicate the change to the current members and invite them to be part of the new Community Advisory Committee.
The Board members decided to move forward and vote on this item later in the meeting. Ms. Doyle made note that this item is up for information and action during the same meeting.
8.6 Discussion to Update the District Mission Statement
A motion was made by Ms. Alison Swanson, second by Mr. Jared Ploger, to table the Discussion to Update the District Mission Statement due to the lateness of this meeting.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
Nay: Mr. Eugene Gatewood
9. Closed Session
9.1 Enter Closed Session under statute(s): The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in an educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body or legal counsel for the public body; 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 Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Jared Ploger, to enter closed session under statute(s): 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in an educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body or legal counsel for the public body; 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. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
The Board of Education entered closed session at 10:04 p.m.
Ms. Alison Swanson left the meeting at 11:00 p.m.
9.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to return to Open Session.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
The Board of Education returned to open session at 11:20 p.m.
Mr. Ploger commented that it was a problem to have the action items without the livestream, due to us entering closed session a second time. It might give the community the wrong impression. The public does not like the Board voting without the cameras on.
10. Action Items
10.1 Consideration and Approval of a Resolution approving Village of Oswego’s acquisition of District property located at Oswego East High School for Wolf’s Crossing Road Improvements
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve a Resolution approving Village of Oswego’s acquisition of District property located at Oswego East High School for Wolf’s Crossing Road Improvements pursuant to 105 ILCS 5/5-29 for a total of $75,500.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 4-2
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
Nay: Ms. Lauri Doyle, Ms. Jennifer Johnson
10.2 Approval of a Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing on the FY23 Budget
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by, to approve a Resolution calling for a public hearing on FY23 tentative budget and place it on file for public inspection until the public hearing for said budget on the 26th day of September, 2022
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
10.3 Approval of Del Webb Pedestrian Bridge Project
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Jared Ploger, to approve the Temporary Construction Agreement, and upon completion, the maintenance, repair, or replacement of the portion of asphalt path on our property as presented.
Dr. Petzke presented a map so the exact location could be seen before the vote was taken. Final Resolution: Motion Carried 5-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
Nay: Ms. Jennifer Johnson
10.4 Approval of Kendall County Over Levy Extension FY2020
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Resolution abating a portion of the taxes heretofore levied for the year 2022 to pay debt service on the outstanding General Obligation Capital Appreciation School Bonds, Series 2008, of Community Unit School District Number 308, Kendall, Kane and Will Counties, Illinois.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
10.5 Approval of Resolution to Transfer Money from Working Cash to Capital Projects
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Resolution to Transfer $5,031,570 from Working Cash to Capital Projects Fund
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
10.6 Approval of Ratification to Transfer Money from Working Cash to Capital Projects for Technology
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve the Ratification to Transfer $158,270 from Working Cash to Capital Projects for Technology Fund
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
10.7 Approval of New Format of the Board of Education Advisory Committees and Communication to Current Members
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve the new Format of the Board Advisory Committees and the Communication to Current Members
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 4-2
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
Nay: Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Jared Ploger
10.8 Action on Name Clearing Hearing
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to affirm the Hearing Officer’s Findings of Facts and Conclusions that Mr. Deryl Leubner was an at-will employee in his roles with Delta Aquatics who was lawfully removed from those roles, and that there was no basis for a Name-Clearing Hearing with respect to said removal.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 4-1-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
Nay: Ms. Jennifer Johnson
Abstain: Ms. Lauri Doyle
10.9 Approval of Building Administrator Contract
A motion was made by Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Jared Ploger, to approve the Building Administrator contract as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
10.10 Approval of Personnel Report
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Personnel report as presented
Ms. Johnson stated that she would no longer approve the Personnel reports without an Org Chart. Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
11. Adjournment
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to adjourn.
All were in favor unanimously to adjourn.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton
Meeting Adjourned at 11:31
https://www.sd308.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=9932&dataid=76260&FileName=08.22.22%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf
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