September 10, 2024 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description: 

Each year the Board of Education is required to adopt a budget for the fiscal year and hold a budget hearing by September 30th. Prior to adopting the budget, a legal notice must be placed in a newspaper of local circulation notifying the public of the tentative budget and budget hearing. In addition, the proposed/tentative budget must be placed on public display for a minimum of 30 days. All these requirements have been met.

I have attached the updated state budget form, expenditure, and revenue detail.  Both the expenditure and revenue details include all changes highlighted in yellow since the budget has been on display.

The final budget recommended for adoption reflects the following:

Fund	Starting Fund Balance July 1, 2024	Estimated Ending Fund Balance June 30, 2025
Education (w/out student activity accounts)	$7,389,074	$7,265,709
Operation & Maintenance	$603,780	$222,387
Debt Service	$65,444	$40,806
Transportation	$250,307	$94,295
Retirement/SS	$447,961	$431,854
Capital. Improvement	$2,196,902	$1,946,902
Working Cash	$451,610	$464,660
Tort	$31,211	$23,487
Fire Prev. /Safety	$38,868	$44,288
TOTAL	$11,475,157	$10,534,388

Description:  Per Policy 2:230 - Public Participation at School Board Meetings and Petitions to the Board
During each regular and special open meeting of the Board, any person may comment to or ask questions of the School Board (public participation), subject to the reasonable constraints established and recorded in this policy’s guidelines below. The Board listens to comments or questions during public participation; responses to comments to or questions of the Board are most often managed through policy 3:30, Chain of Command. 
To preserve sufficient time for the Board to conduct its business, any person appearing before the Board is expected to follow these guidelines:

1. Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President. This includes following the directives of the Board President to maintain order and decorum for all.
2. Use a sign-in sheet, if requested.
3. Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, the time for any one person to address the Board during public participation shall be limited to five minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request to speak for a longer period of time, the Board President may allow a person to speak for more than five minutes. If multiple individuals wish to address the Board on the same subject, the group is encouraged to appoint a spokesperson.
4. Observe, when necessary and appropriate, the Board President’s authority to:
   • Shorten the time for each person to address the Board during public participation to conserve time and give the maximum number of people an opportunity to speak; and/or b.
   • Determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise covered in Board policy.
5. Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board policy 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property.

Petitions or written correspondence to the Board shall be presented to the Board in the next regular Board packet.

Description:  We will be recognizing District 91 staff that has joined the Hornet Family for the 2024-2025 school year.

Description: 

We have received multiple requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act.  All requests came from a reporter at the Will County Gazette.  See attached for the requests and responses.

Description:  Attached is the suspension report for Kelvin Grove for month of August 2024.  There were no suspensions at Milne Grove for the month of August 2024.

Description: 

BACKGROUND

In August of 2023 the Board of Education, after participating in a self-evaluation program through Illinois Association of School Boards, developed the attached Board of Education Agreements. Since 2005, the Board has annually reviewed the Agreements to determine if they are applicable and/or need revisions.

Please review the 2023-24 Agreements. Tuesday evening the board will discuss any changes and/or additions members would like to make for the 2024-25 school year. Later in the meeting, the board will approve the 2024-25 Agreements with any changes made if necessary.

Description: 

Attached is a list of revised/new/updated policies and exhibits are being brought to the Board of Education for a first reading as a part of the September meeting.

Please look over the included update memo and the policies.  Changes will be made as the Board deems necessary and submitted for official Board approval as part of the October board meeting.  On Tuesday evening, Dr. Wilkey will provide an overview of the policy changes that are presented in Press Policy Issue 116.

Description:  On Tuesday evening, Mr. Arvidson will provide the board with an overview of his process to review the monthly financial reports.

Description:  On Tuesday evening we will be discussing logistics for some upcoming events including the Three Rivers dinner on October 1st and Triple I as well as who/how many will be attending the various events.

Description:  On Tuesday evening we would like to narrow down the focus for the February board workshop and begin finalizing the request with IASB to guarantee the workshop will take place.  Topics to choose from can be found at the following link: https://www.iasb.com/conference-training-and-events/training/workshops/

Description: 

With the anticipation of a recommendation for a bid package for the Summer 2025 project work, there was a discussion of having a special committee meeting to review the five-year projections to be prepared with the bid package costs and the effects on the short & long-term financial plan.  Here are some possible dates to have the meeting: 
 

Monday, Sept 23rd

Monday, Sept 30th

Wednesday, Oct 2nd

Thursday, Oct 3rd
 

Please take a look at your calendar and be prepared to offer feedback on a date that works for you.

Description:  Attached you will find a proposal for two new student clubs, Best Buddies and Card Club.  For this school year, we will be offering students the opportunity to learn and participate in both clubs before determining if this will become a club to remain permanently.   Within the attached proposals, you will see it was created in response to some of the feedback from the Strategic Plan Community survey feedback to provide more opportunities for our students.  On Tuesday evening, we will discuss any questions the board may have regarding the trial phase of the clubs this year.

Description: 

The 2024-2025 school year has been off to a great start! Although our kindergarten numbers are low, we are confident that as the year continues we will pick up more students that will increase our class sizes.  The chart is set up so you can follow the colors diagonally to see the cohort trend for each grade level of students.

 

Description: 

Under School Code Section 10-20.47, the District is required to post on its website information about administrator and teacher salary and benefits. This report does not include service personnel or support staff.  The full text of the section is below. 
 

105 ILCS 5/10-20.47:  Administrator and teacher salary and benefits; report.  Each school board shall report to the State Board of Education, on or before October 1 of each year, the base salary and benefits of the district superintendent and all administrators and teachers employed by the school district.  For the purposes of this Section, "benefits" includes without limitation vacation days, sick days, bonuses, annuities, and retirement enhancements.

 

Prior to this annual reporting to the State Board of Education, the information must be presented at a regular school board meeting, subject to applicable notice requirements, and then posted on the Internet website of the school district, if any.

This report is based on the preceding fiscal year salaries and benefits.  The report will be forwarded to ISBE and posted on the District web page.

Description:  On Tuesday night, Dr. Wilkey will provide an update on the project timeline.  The publication that ran in the newspaper with all the information is attached.

Description:  On Tuesday night, Dr. Wilkey will provide an overview of the athletic program honors criteria developed by a committee of coaches for the 2024-25 school year.  Please see attached for the criteria to review ahead of time.

Description:  RECOMMENDATION

To adopt/ratify the budget for the 2025 fiscal year as presented.

BACKGROUND

Each year the Board of Education is required to adopt a budget for the fiscal year. The Board of Education has reviewed and provided feedback regarding the proposed tentative budget.

The proposed/tentative budget was placed on public display (office and web page) for 30+ days. A legal notice was placed in the Herald News notifying the public of the proposed/tentative budget and budget hearing.

The budget being recommended has estimated Operating Fund revenues of $8,508,160 and expenditures of $9,155,880. This budget includes all known personnel, program, and project related costs.

Description: 

RECOMMENDATION

Accept the donation for Hazel’s Peace Corner at Milne Grove.
 

BACKGROUND

This year we would have welcomed Hazel Bryant into kindergarten at Milne Grove.  Unfortunately, in an act of violence, sweet baby Hazel’s life ended much too soon and she never was able to be a Hornet.  To honor her memory, Friends & Family of Hazel Bryant raised money in the amount of $1,750 to donate to Milne Grove for  Hazel’s Peace Corner.  This space will be included in our reset room for students to use as a resource to find calm and focus.  Thank you to Lita Kasper, Shirley Onderisin, and Jen Borg for their presentation of the donation to MG.  Attached you will find more information.

Description: 

Recommendation: 

To adopt the updated/revised/new policies from Press Policy Issue 115, also included below, as discussed during the first reading at the August 2024 general meeting.

Description: 

Description: 

RECOMMENDATION

Approve the board of education agreements that were originally developed at the Starting Right workshop on August 9, 2023 with any suggested changes from discussion as necessary.

 

BACKGROUND

On August 9, 2023, the Board of Education participated in a Starting Right workshop through the Illinois Association of School Boards where they developed the attached Board of Education Agreements. Annually since 2005, the Board of Education approves the board agreements and commits to following them for the upcoming school year.  This evening the board had the opportunity to review and offer updates/changes as necessary for the 2024-25 school year.

Description:  RECOMMENDATION
Approve the two Intergovernmental Agreements between LWASE and D91 for the 2024-25 school year.

BACKGROUND
This year we have two D91 students who will be receiving their education program through Lincoln-Way Area Special Education (LWASE).  Since we are partnering with another public school district for this placement, we are requesting the board to approve a one-year Intergovernmental Agreement with LWASE to provide the appropriate services to our D91 students. 

Description:  The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the District or legal counsel for the District, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee or against legal counsel for the District to determine its validity. [1] However, a meeting to consider an increase in compensation to a specific employee of a public body that is subject to the Local Government Wage Increase Transparency Act may not be closed and shall be open to the public and posted and held in accordance the [the Open Meetings Act].  5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1), as amended by P.A. 99-646