Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education met Jan. 23.
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 (6:15 p.m.)
The meeting was called to order at 6:16 p.m. by President LaTonya Simelton
1.1 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):
Jennifer Johnson
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)(8) Security procedures, school building safety and security, and the use of personnel and equipment to respond to an actual, a threatened, or a reasonably potential danger to the safety of employees, students, staff, the public, or public property
A motion was made by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, 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)(8) Security procedures, school building safety and security, and the use of personnel and equipment to respond to an actual, a threatened, or a reasonably potential danger to the safety of employees, students, staff, the public, or public property
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 6:17 p.m.
Ms. Jennifer Johnson arrived at 6:22 p.m.
2.2 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 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 7:16 p.m.
3. Call to Order – Public Session (7:15 pm)
The meeting was called to order at 7:21 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
Director of Communications, Theresa Komitas
Others Present:
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. Recognitions
4.1 PRIDE Recognition
The Board of Education recognized the following PRIDE Winners for the month of January:
Southbury Elementary School - Rob Manna - Building Engineer
Grande Park Elementary School - Tricia Tunney - TA-LRC/Computer
Bednarcik - Mike Linden - Teacher - Math
The Whealands - Megan Mann - Teacher - Grade 2
Boulder Hill - Katie Blue - Teacher - Grade 4
Old Post - Dana Miles - Teacher - Grade 1
4.2 Fall Athletic Recognition
The Board of Education recognized the following Fall Athletes:
Chloe Diner - 3rd Place 200 Yard IM
Katie Gresik - 2nd Place 500 Yard Freestyle and 5th Place 200 Yard IM
Katie Malm - 5th Place Diving
Parker Nold - 8th Place Cross Country/All State
5. Public Comment
5.1 Opportunity for the Public to address the Board of Education
Michelle Trager – commented on the SEL plan that will be reviewed in a presentation later this evening. She asked for the administration to give some thought to the safety plan that is being implemented and practiced. She asked to make sure that “Incident Recover” is followed through. She brought forth an example of a lockdown last year where that did not take place and how upsetting that might be for students. Also, with a presentation on Erin’s Law - Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Teen Dating Violence there needs to be some time afterwards for processing.
Margaret Hartigan – a staff member, tax payer and parent in our district, commented regarding the funds needed to cover our empty TA positions. She stated that tonight’s agenda was supposed to include a report on money spent for teachers covering TA positions as well as on contracted personnel. She shared the dollar amounts spent on contract personnel to sub for open TA positions and stated that teachers at OE subbed over 1,000 hours for those open positions. Ms. Hartigan is advocating to bring up the salary of our current TA’s in order to retain as well as attract new hires. The district will lose even more staff members to go to other district’s that pay more unless something changes.
6. Presentation
6.1 Social Emotional Learning Presentation
Dr. Kristen Paul, our Director of Social Emotional Learning, shared her annual report on our progress. She was joined by our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Heather Kincaid.
Illinois Social Emotional Learning Goals:
• Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success
• Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships
• Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.
Some indicators of success that will be reported on at next year’s annual report:
• Tiered interventions are in place EC-HS with methods to monitor effectiveness
• Admin and staff are trained in Restorative Practices
• Mental health date programming is reviewed and areas of focus are identified
• Training scenarios are implemented for admin and staff that includes post-crisis procedures and reunification
Ms. Doyle asked how Eating Disorders are being addressed in the nutrition curriculum and is it part of the SEL umbrella. Dr. Paul appreciated the suggestions and is looking into it.
Mr. Ploger asked statistics on the suicide rate. According to the CDC between the ages of 10-24 there are 10.5 per 100k student deaths, which is actually lower than any other age group.
Our student ambassadors commented regarding the importance of the SEL program. They see much more SEL for freshman than in any other grades at the high school. They feel others would benefit as well. Aanya asked what specific student groups admin was working with. Dr. Paul shared that she has met with student athletes, ISA MSA, band students, as well as some others that were recommended by the principals at both high schools. The student ambassadors feel that Social Emotional Learning is really important and has helped many students. Staff training is taking place as well. Building that environment is most important. Having an environment where students feel safe is more important than the instructional lessons.
Mr. Gatewood asked what supports are in place to integrate students back into the classroom. The specific plans might be different for each student, but there are protocols in place and supports that are implemented in these cases.
Aanya asked to keep in mind that many students don’t respond to an instructional lesson on SEL and it is not effective for many partly because it is provided in a learning fashion. This is about your personhood and how you deal with it as you grow older and having it taught to you does not feel as realistic. Teachers can incorporate it in a more subtle way for students to be able to learn about themselves. Kaitlyn shared that in the freshman seminars they normally don’t use the power points they were given, but rather talk about their own coping strategies and experiences, and simply creating a safe environment for students to bring up what they are going through.
The complete Social Emotional Learning presentation, including audio, can be found at the following link: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
7. Comments/Reports
7.1 Superintendent Report
The Community Advisory Committee met last week, topics included Communications, Community Partnerships and Curriculum Renewal Timeline and Process. These topics were suggested by members of the committee.
Transportation update regarding monitoring ridership on new/adjusted routes, feedback being solicited from bus drivers and school principals. Driver shortage is still a significant problem. Lani Breedlove from OHS bowled a perfect game in the final game of a meet against Romeoville. Her overall series was an 806, the 5th highest in a 3 game series ever thrown in the State of Illinois.
7.2 Board Committee Reports
Change in process discussion - standard three questions for each committee to summarize at the conclusion of each meeting, with answers sent to the board secretary for inclusion in the board documents and available online.
Teaching and Learning Committee Report - FastBridge assessment data review and overview. Gender achievement gap looks to be closing across many grades. Less gains are being seen in older grades where less support is available, less interventionists. Phonics was discussed, it is embedded in instruction, not a stand alone. New curriculum- seeing increases with new implementation, though a small setback was anticipated with a new tool, quick gains especially seen in math.
7.3 Board Member Comments
Mr. Ploger discussed the staff pressure seen with data, a reminder that different programs, diverse school populations and other factors will generate different results across buildings. The holistic view of the district's progress is important, not comparison between buildings but rather growth overall.
Mr. Ploger asked about the primary election preparation and impact on buildings used as polling places. Ms. Swanson shared that 11 OHS and 8 OE wrestlers placed (top 8) at conference. Three girls placed, which is a first for SD 308!
7.4 Communications Update
The Board of Education recognizes that the selection of a Superintendent of Schools is its most important responsibility for the students, staff, families, and other stakeholders of our school district community. The Board of Education is committed to a search process that is transparent and collaborative with input from all school district stakeholders.
A page has been created to keep everyone updated on the search for the next Superintendent. A link can be found on the district’s main page. Questions can be asked, a timeline of milestones, past communications and frequently asked questions are included on the page.
7.5 Student Ambassador Report
Last week the new members of the SSAC attended our meeting and it was great to hear all the voices and their opinions. We discussed the purpose of our committee which is to amplify student voice, provide avenues for students to use their voice and to strengthen the two way communication between the Board, staff and other students.
The committee also had the opportunity to work with Ms. Dahlquist, Mr. Gatewood and Dr. Sparlin for the Mission Statement that is currently a work in progress. This statement will not only reflect the goals of our district but also what the students seek in our district. After much discussion we decided on the word motivate.
8. Approval of Consent Agenda
8.1 Approval of Minutes from previous Meeting
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve all items under consent, including 8.1 Minutes from the Board of Education meeting on January 9, 2023, 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
9. Action Items
9.1 Approval of Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of Tax Anticipation Warrants in anticipation of the collection of Taxes levied for the Year 2022
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Jared Ploger, to approve the Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of Tax Anticipation Warrants in anticipation of the collection of Taxes levied for the Year 2022
Mr. Ploger asked what is needed in our reserves in order for us not to have to issue TAW’s any longer. Our fund balance would need to be 20% or about $52M. At this point, we have about $25M in reserve. Dr. Petzke will inform the Board as to who buys these bonds.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood,
Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton Nay: Ms. Alison Swanson
9.2 Approval of Bus Trust Lease Agreement for Activity Buses
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the five year activity bus trust lease agreement with Midwest Transit Equipment Inc. and Santander Leasing LLC., subject to the school district attorney's review, as presented
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
9.3 Approval of Bus Trust Lease Agreement
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve the five year bus trust lease agreement for twenty-nine (29) special education vehicles with Midwest Transit Equipment Inc. and Santander Leasing LLC., as presented
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
9.4 Approval of 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the 2023-2024 School Year calendar as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood,
Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
Nay: Ms. Jennifer Johnson
9.5 Approval of Personnel Report
A motion was made by Ms. Jennifer Johnson, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Personnel report as discussed in 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
10. Closed Session
10.1 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
A motion was made by Ms. 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 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
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 9:06 p.m.
10.2 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 10:18 p.m.
11. Adjournment
11.1 Adjourn
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 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Ms. Lauri Doyle, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Alison Swanson
Meeting Adjourned at 10:20 p.m.
https://www.sd308.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=9932&dataid=78117&FileName=01.23.23%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf
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