November 9, 2015 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Description:  District 66 honors and recognizes the sacrifices of all members of the Armed Forces who have served on behalf of our country. We are constantly reminded that freedom is not free and our nation only exists because of the efforts of our veterans.

On Nov. 11, 2015 each of our schools will host a variety of activities and ceremonies to recognize our veterans and to teach our students about the importance of their sacrifices.  The principals will report to the board on the different activities at each of their schools.

Description:  November 15, 2015 has been designated as "School Board Members Day" and we would like to publicly recognize the service that members of the Center Cass School District 66 Board of Education provide to our learning community on an ongoing basis.

In Center Cass, our school board members are entrusted with the guardianship and wise expenditure of tax dollars, and they are responsible for maintaining and preserving the buildings, grounds, and other areas of the school district that the community has put in their trust. Our Board Members are responsible for providing the leadership necessary to ensure that a clear, shared vision of public education exists for our schools.  This vision includes high standards for the education of all students, while requiring the effective and efficient operation of the district.

Center Cass School Board Members adopt public policy to give voice to that leadership and employ a superintendent to administer board policy, and are also responsible for the regular monitoring of
the district's performance and compliance with state policy. They selflessly donate countless hours to public service with no compensation in order to advocate for quality educational opportunities for our students and to ensure advocacy and necessary education for board members themselves.

The decisions made by our board members directly impact the quality of life in the communities of Downers Grove, Darien, and Woodridge, This places our board members at the front line of American democracy.

The Board of Education deserves special recognition for the Strategic Planning process and their focus on long-range planning and engaging the community in meaningful ways.  Our board members are a shining example of the way elected officials should seek out the voices of the citizens that they represent in order to best serve our students.

It is for these reasons and more that today we recognize the Center Cass School District 66 Board of Education in celebration of School Board Members Day!

Description:  In an effort to provide continuous monitoring of the 2014-19 Strategic Plan, the Superintendent will provide a monthly update to the Board on one the goals from the Strategic Plan.  This month's update will be the first of two updates on the Finances & Resources goal.  Dr. Arnold will provide a presentation on the Tax Levy this month and then provide an update on PMA financial projections in December.  

The Student Achievement goal update, including information related to PARCC and the 5Essentials Survey, that was originally planned for November has been rescheduled for January due to delays in receiving the PARCC assessment results from the state.  

Description:  Principals will report on various initiatives at their respective buildings, including activities planned to recognize Veteran's Day on Nov. 11.

Description:  None this month.

Description:  The Superintendent will update the Board on all FOIA requests received since the previous Board of Education meeting.

The most recent FOIA requests are as follows:

Illinois Education Association (Joseph W. Hart, 553 N. North Ct. #210, Palatine, IL 60067)
demanded a FOIA request to the Center Cass School District No. 66 for all non-certified staff . 

This demand was received on August 19, 2015 and responded to within the required time limits.

DuPage County NAACP (Veretta Rice Yancey, P.O. Box 475, Wheaton, IL 60189)
demanded the following documents: discipline handbook, 2009-2014 statistical information of students who were suspended, 2014-2015 date on number of employees in the district, 2014-2015 date on number of school board members, 2014-2015 data on number of students in the district categorized by gender, grade, and race, a list of program used to improve disciple, and a list of Black History curriculum begin taught at all grade levels to Center Cass School District No. 66.

This demand was received on August 24, 2015 and responded to within the required time limits.

SmartProcure (700 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Suite 4-100, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441)
demanded a commercial FOIA request to Center Cass School District No. 66 for an existing, already maintained electronic record of purchase orders dated 2015-5-21 to current.

The demand was received September 2, 2015 and responded to within the required time limits.

Patrick McCraney (Better Government Association, 7756 Green Valley Ct., Darien, IL 60561) 
demanded a request for Collective Bargaining Agreements, Administrator Contracts, Budget, Legal Settlements, and Payroll records to Center Cass School District No. 66.

The demand was received on September 18,  2015 and responded to within the required time limits.

Kylie Spahn (414 Franklin Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515) 
demanded a request for "Reasons for Not Testing - Code 15 Refusal" for PARCC testing to Center Cass School District No. 66.

This demand was received on October 28, 2015 and responded to within the required time limits.

Description:  Attached are the Financial Reports for your review.

Description:  Resignations
None

Retirement
None

Transfers  
None

New Hires  
Brendan Golden - Help Desk Technician

FMLA
Jennifer Finn - leave beginning 8/24/15, expected return 11/18/15 - long-term substitute - Breann Wilton Sub
Erin Olsen - leave to begin 9/21/15, expected to return August, 2016 - Heather Lopez Sub
Kristy Mixon - leave to begin 8/24/15, expected return after 60-teacher attendance days - long-term substitute Tiffany Ampulski Sub
Mia Cruz - leave to begin 8/24/15, expected return after 60-teacher attendance days - long-term substitute - Amy Burrows Sub
Jennifer Maass - leave to begin 10/1/2015, expected return 1/13/2016 -  long-term substitute - Martin Bell
Twanna Anderson - leave began 8/26/2015 return date unknown

Re-Employment
None

Positions Open: 
Paraprofessional
Bus Driver
Substitute Teachers

Description:  The District's five year lease for the various photocopiers and printers expired in October and we will be on a month-to-month agreement for one month.  After receiving proposals from four vendors, the administration is recommending that we enter into a new five year lease with Konica Minolta Business Solutions, located in Downers Grove, IL  The attached solution was created over the course of several months of planning and optimizes our fleet of copiers and printers across the district.  The resulting contract is expected to save the district over $35,000 over the next five years.

Recommendation: The Superintendent requests authorization from the Board to enter into a five year agreement with Konica Minolta Business Solutions for the lease and maintenance of copiers and printers as presented.

Description:  As per Policy 2:220, after 18-months have passed since being made, the audio recording of a closed meeting is destroyed with Board approval.  

April 15, 2014

Description:  This is an opportunity for Committee Chairs and individual Board members to update the entire Board on any pertinent committee activities. 

The Facilities Committee will update the Board on the architect interview process. 

The Policy Committee will meet immediately before the Nov. 9 board meeting.

The Finance Committee has scheduled a meeting on Nov. 17. 

Description:  This is an opportunity to set the agendas for the November 30 and December 14 Committee of the Whole meetings.  Potential topics include the next steps for a Master Facilities Plan, Student Fees for 2016-17, and the 2016-17 School Calendar.

Description:  District 99 is currently considering a calendar for the 2016-17 school year that would have a start date for students approximately 7-10 days earlier than District 66 would have anticipated.  The District 66 Calendar Committee will meet in the upcoming weeks and would benefit from the Board's direction on the extent to which District 66 should mirror District 99's school calendar.

Description:  All board members are asked to reaffirm their commitment to attending the IASB Board Self-Evaluation session scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, 2015.  It is important for all board members to attend in order for this to be an effective activity.

Description:  Approximately one year ago the decision was made to combine the Finance and Insurance Committees into one committee.  As a result of the increased focus on insurance due to the Affordable Care Act and recent discussions during negotiations, it is recommended that the two committees exist separately.

Recommendation:  The Superintendent recommends that the Board of Education approve the establishment of a separate Board Finance Committee and a joint Insurance Committee per the CCEA collective bargaining agreement.

Description:  The Board has had prior discussion about the possibility of cancelling the Nov. 30 Committee of the Whole meeting. 

Description:  The district needs to deactivate 50 computer monitors, and  50 desktop PCs. These devices are obsolete by our standards and have been replaced with more current technology.  The devices have been in storage for several months and we would like to redistribute them to members of the community at a nominal cost of $1.00.  The only additional cost would be if someone wanted the operating system of the computers, they would need to pay for the actual cost of the license.  If after two months we are not able to redistribute all of the devices, a technology recycling company pick up the remaining monitors and PCs.  

Recommendation:  The Superintendent recommends that the Board of Education approve the redistribution of the obsolete devices to interested staff and community members as presented.

Description:  We currently have 14 buses on lease with the oldest models being from 2012.  This year our plan calls for us to lease three (3) new 77-passenger buses at a cost of $13,843 each.  This reflects no change in price.  The Bus Lease Summary and quote from Central States Bus Sales, Inc. is attached for your review.

Recommendation:  The Superintendent recommends that the Board of Education approve the bus leases as presented for the 2016-2017 school year.

Description:  A copy of the tentative 2015 Tax Levy is included in this board book.  This levy represents a 3.7% over the base increase, which would enable the District to secure a portion of the necessary funds for meeting the future educational and facility needs of the district.  

The actual amount received through this levy will be limited to CPI &new growth and therefore,  we do not believe that we will receive the full 4.97% as needed.  However, it is recommended to submit a levy request of 4.97% in order to accommodate for any unexpected new growth.  According to the DuPage County Assessor, our new growth for the 2015 levy is not able to be estimated at this time. 

Based on a projected increase in EAV of between 3-6% and new growth of approximately $5,000,000 for the 2015 levy, it is not recommended to request a levy in excess of the 5% cap.   This is because additional levied funds would not be "left on the table" until we reached a point of nearly $15,000,000 in new growth, assuming an increase in the actual EAV of up to 6%. 

A tentative levy of 4.97% is below the 5% limit and does not require a Truth in Taxation hearing in December.   A final levy, which should be similar to the tentative levy, will be brought back to the Board for approval on December 7, 2015.

Recommendation: The Superintendent recommends that the Board of Education approve the tentative 2015 Tax Levy as presented.

Description:  Based on a thorough review process of seventeen architectural firms over the course of the past five months, the Facilities Committee recommends that the Board of Education approve Wight and Co. of Darien, IL as the Architect of Record for District 66.

Description:  The Board Table Team for CCEA negotiations is pleased to report that CCEA members have ratified the tentatively agreed upon collective bargaining agreement on Nov. 6, 2015.  A special thank you to the board members and teachers who collaboratively developed this agreement through an interest-based bargaining process.

Recommendation:  The Superintendent recommends the Board of Education approve the attached 2015-18 CCEA Collective Bargaining Agreement as ratified by CCEA on Nov. 6, 2015.

Description:  The Board may enter into executive session for the purpose of the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body 5ILCS120/2(c)(1) and collective negotiating matters 5ILCS120/2(c)(2).