Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education met June 5.
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 (5:00 p.m.) Main Office Conference Room at OEHS The meeting was called to order at 5:06 p.m. by President LaTonya Simelton
1.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Dominick Cirone, Eugene Gatewood, Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo
Jared Ploger, LaTonya Simelton, Mary Jo Wenmouth
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 certain employees and individuals
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, 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
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
The Board of Education entered closed session at 5:09 p.m.
2.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to return to Open session
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
The Board of Education returned to open session at 6:16 p.m.
3. Call to Order – Executive Session (6:15 pm) – Community Room at Oswego East High School
The meeting was called to order at 6:22 p.m. by President LaTonya Simelton
3.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Dominick Cirone, Eugene Gatewood, Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo
Jared Ploger, LaTonya Simelton, Mary Jo Wenmouth
Members Absent (at roll call):
None
4. Closed Session
4.1 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)(10) The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, 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)(10) The placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
The Board of Education entered closed session at 6:23 p.m.
4.2 Return to Open Session
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Ms. LaTonya Simelton, to return to Open session
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
The Board of Education returned to open session at 7:15 p.m.
5. Call to Order – Public Session (7:15 pm)
The meeting was called to order at 7:20 p.m. by President LaTonya Simelton
5.1 Roll Call:
Upon Roll Call the following members answered present:
Dominick Cirone, Eugene Gatewood, Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo
Jared Ploger, LaTonya Simelton, Mary Jo Wenmouth
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, 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
5.2 Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance was led by Board President LaTonya Simelton
6. Recognitions
6.1 Student Recognitions
Oswego East High School students who competed at the Business Professionals of America National Conference. BPA has a strong history as a student organization that contributes to the preparation of global professionals through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic and technological skills for students.
• Tyler Boecker, junior - National Merit Scholar and 7th Place in Business Law and Ethics
• Aarin Bothra, freshman - 7th Place in Computer Animation Team
• Jensen Coonradt, junior - 1st Place in Business Law & Ethics; 6th Place - Administrative Support Concept; 7th Place - Computer Animation Team; President’s Volunteer Service Award with 250 hrs, including a letter from the president; and National Torch Award
• BPA Coaches: Stacy Sajder and Bobby Kaminski
Oswego High School students who competed at SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference. This is a Conference that brings together more than 2,000 career and technical education students who compete hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields.
• Will Hatfield, senior - 1st Place/Gold Medal & Nationals Qualified in Restaurant Services
• Jack Wolcott, sophomore - 1st Place/Gold Medal & National Qualified in Cabinetmaking
• Daniel Overstreet, junior - 2nd Place/Silver Medal in Cabinetmaking
• Cullen Barker, senior - 3rd Place/Bronze Medal in Cabinetmaking
• Katelyn Thilk, freshman - 3rd Place/Bronze Medal in Baking and Pastry Arts
• SkillsUSA Coaches: Kevin Pattermann and Tom Dwyer
Track & Field athletes from Oswego High School and Oswego East High Schools. The following students competed at the Illinois High School Association’s State Championship and were named All State athletes.
• Hailey Soriaga, junior from Oswego East - 8th place in pole vault
• Chaleica Booker, senior from Oswego High School - 6th place in 400 meter
• Alex Das, senior from Oswego East - 8th place in 1600 meter run
• Parker Nold, senior from Oswego East (not present) - 4th place in 3200 meter run
Other Students Recognized:
• Lauren Sullivan, junior from Oswego High School for being named VALEES Graphic Designer of the Year. VALEES stands for Valley Education for Employment System and ensures that Career and Technical Education programs and services are provided to regional youth through an integrated delivery system.
• Kalae’ Killingham, junior from Oswego East for placing 1st in the 14th Congressional High School Art Competition, hosted by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. Kalae’s piece will now be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
6.2 Staff Recognitions
• Dave Jeffers, Brokaw Early Learning Center, Custodian - Dave Jeffers, or Mr. Dave as he is known at Brokaw, Finished in 3rd Place in the Cintas Custodian of the Year 2023 Contest. He was nominated for consideration based on being a role model for the students at Brokaw as well as for the amount of work he put in after Brokaw suffered a fire that destroyed one of its therapy rooms and severely impacted an inclusive classroom.
• Stephanie San Roman, Oswego High School, Band Teacher - Stephanie has been named as one of 30 music teachers from across the country as 2023 Music Teachers of Excellence by the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation. This program recognizes educators who are having the greatest impact on their students, using the power of music as an avenue for change.
• Kevin Schoenbach, Oswego High School, Associate Band Director - Kevin has been announced as one of 212 Quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. A total of 212 quarterfinalists out of over 2,000 nominations from 197 cities were announced as quarterfinalists.
7. Presentations
7.1 English Learners Annual Report
Renee Sartore, Director of English Learners, presented the annual report with an overview of the English Learner Services and statistics in SD308 as well as the highlights of the work done towards the goals of Envision 308.
8. Public Comment
8.1 Opportunity for the Public to address the Board of Education
Lisa Hrouda – Ms. Hrouda shared that this was a response to the presentation shared on January 23, regarding Social Emotional Learning. She asked that there be more emphasis placed on education staff and students on Eating Disorders. The District needs to collaborate with registered Dieticians that specialize in eating disorders and asked that more education take place at all levels.
Lindsay Robertson – Mrs. Robertson commented on moving students to a different school that were in the IESP program. Her daughter has moved school three times in her elementary years. These transitions are extremely stressful for students, especially in Special Education. The plan of involuntarily reallocating TA’s will cause yet more changes for students in Special Education. She asked that this decision is reconsidered.
Jennifer Snyder – a former employee in the lunchroom at Old Post. Ms. Snyder shared that she loved her job, but there was a student that continually disrupted the lunchroom. Ms. Snyder called 911 after a student had a violent outburst. This frequently happened in the classroom of her son. Parents met with school officials and were told that the situation was being worked on. Ms. Snyder was terminated as a lunchroom employee after that incident.
Sofia Iftikhar – President Simelton read the comment form Sofia, one of our students. She shared that the state of the locker rooms and bathrooms are an issue for many students. They are messy and in disrepair.
9. Comments/Reports
9.1 Superintendent Report
Dr. Sparlin presented his final comments as the district’s Superintendent. He was grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role, and thanks everyone for the support!
9.2 Student Ambassador Report
Thank you to Dr. Sparlin for all your support. The committee did meet twice in the final week of school. They acknowledged that there is a generational gap between students and faculty, and the importance of respect in interactions. The students discussed bias and the data they collected. Additional conversation will be had around these biases at their next meeting. Students discussed relationships and the perception of being “liked” by a teacher or not, and how that impacts how the students will be treated, where they will be seated, how they will perform in the classroom. Students have expressed the desire to have a course evaluation during the class, not just at the end, allowing time for changes to be made. They also requested more consistency between teachers related to homework, and class policies. The students would like to build a survey for staff, to allow for their perspective on relationships and building environments for students.
9.3 Board Committee Reports
Policy & Legislative Committee Report
9.4 Board Member Comments
Mr. Gatewood spoke on behalf of the Board, thanking Dr. Sparlin for his time and commitment to education for decades, his tireless efforts to the students, staff and community of SD 308. Mr. Ploger echoed these grateful sentiments.
10. Approval of Consent Agenda
10.1 Approval of Minutes from previous Meeting
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve all items under consent, including 8.1 Minutes from the May 8, 2023 Board of Education Meeting, open and closed session, Minutes from the May 22, 2023 Special Closed Board of Education Meeting; 8.2 to acknowledge the FOIA Requests received by the District and 8.3 to acknowledge the Gifs and/or Donations received by the District
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
11. Information
11.1 Financial Statements
The Board members had no questions on the Financial Statements
11.2 School Day Information
Presented by Associate Superintendent Faith Dahlquist
The discussion of the committee was led with three primary priorities:
• Have the elementary students end earlier in the day
• Address the long lunch periods at Junior High
• Consider how we might also start later for high school students
The largest challenge is transportation, as drivers run a separate route for each grade level, which requires the allotted amount of time between each.
Proposal for 2023-2024 School Year
● Leave High School alone with no changes to student or staff day 7:20- 2:26
● Shorten JH student day by 5 minutes to decrease all passing periods by one minute and lengthen student support time by 3 minutes. 8:10- 3:05
● Shorten Elementary by 5 minutes a day 9:00- 3:45
Reconvene the committee in the fall to determine ways to alter various level schedules to better meet the original priorities.
11.3 Montgomery Potential Tax Abatement
At the April 11th Board of Education meeting, Dr. Petzke provided information about commercial business opportunities for the Village of Montgomery and the consideration of a property tax abatement for developing approximately 200 acres near Orchard Road and Rt. 30.
The developer was looking to lease half the land for the manufacturer of polymers, chemicals, and building materials and use the development for a regional headquarters facility, a distribution center, a manufacturing building, a rail yard, and a conference center. The remaining 100 acres of land would be marketed as a build-to-suit area for warehousing, distribution, and cold storage.
The taxing bodies asked to consider the abatement currently include Oswego CUSD 308, Kendall County, Waubonsee Community College, and the Village of Montgomery.
Update since our April 11th Board of Education meeting:
• The Village of Montgomery has provided a property tax analysis included in the presentation;
• Kendall County has provided comparable abatement agreements that were significantly shorter and lower percentages; 3 years at 50% and 3 year limitation on property tax assessment challenges (clawback);
• Kendall County Board voted to send the request to the Committee of the Whole with no further action to report;
• The Village of Montgomery voted to negotiate an incentive agreement for a 10 year property tax abatement at 75% for the first 5 years and 50% for the second five years.
• Waubonsee Community College held a meeting on May 17th with no new information shared or questions raised
The Presentation provided a closer look at the financial impact of the abatement request based on the figures provided by the Village of Montgomery.
11.4 Intergovernmental Agreement with Oswego Fire/Ambulance
The Oswego Fire Protection District provides a valuable and essential service to the participants and spectators at home high school football games. In consideration of these services, the Oswego Community Unit School District 308 agrees to make payments to the Oswego Fire Protection District to assist in the efforts to deliver high-quality on-site emergency medical services at home football games at Oswego High School and Oswego East High School. The cost for this service is $60.00 per hour.
The Ambulance Service Agreement is a renewal of the one utilized in the 2022 — 2023 school year. There are no recommended changes to the language of the agreement. The service cost will increase slightly from $54.00 per hour to $60.00 per hour for the 2023 2024 school year.
12. Action Items
12.1 Approval of Bills for Payment
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to authorize the payment of bills in the amount three million, nine hundred ninety-five thousand, nine hundred sixty-four dollars and nineteen cents ($3,995,964.19) as presented.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
12.2 Approval of all Sections of the PRESS Policy Manual
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to adopt the SD308 PRESS Policy Manual with any changes as discussed
Mr. Ploger commented that even though Policy 4:25 is not part of PRESS, it should be kept in our manual as a unique District policy. Dr. Kincaid shared that the policy as it stands now, gives a recommendation of how the proceeds of the additional tax should be spent (property tax abatement). Ms. Johnson stated that it is not something that should be included in policy. It is something to discuss if we find ourselves in that position. The policy simply states that the goal of the District is to use the money towards tax relief.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
Nay: Mr. Jared Ploger
12.3 Resolution and Request for Release of Kendall County Land Cash Funds
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Resolution to request the Kendall County Land Cash Funds
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
12.4 Intergovernmental Agreement with Plano Area Special Education Cooperative (PASEC)
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement with Plano Area Special Education Cooperative (PASEC)
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
12.5 Approval of New Mass Communication Tool
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the five year contract with Catapult K-12 as the district's provider for Website Content Management System, Emergency Management, Mass Communications and Branded District App
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Dr. Amy Murillo,
Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
Nay: Ms. Jennifer Johnson
12.6 Approval of Building Administrator Contracts
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve the Building Administrator contract as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Dr. Amy Murillo,
Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
Abstain: Ms. Jennifer Johnson
12.7 Approval of District Administrator Contract
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Dominick Cirone, to approve the District Administrator contracts as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 6-0-1
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Dr. Amy Murillo,
Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
Abstain: Ms. Jennifer Johnson
12.8 Approval of Personnel Report
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to approve the Personnel report as presented
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
13. Adjournment
13.1 Adjourn
A motion was made by Mr. Jared Ploger, second by Mr. Eugene Gatewood, to adjourn.
All were in favor unanimously to adjourn.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried 7-0
Aye: Mr. Dominick Cirone, Mr. Eugene Gatewood, Ms. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Amy Murillo, Mr. Jared Ploger, Ms. LaTonya Simelton, Ms. Mary Jo Wenmouth
Meeting Adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oswego308/Board.nsf/files/CTGK6V4F9D0B/$file/06.05.23%20Draft%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf
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