December 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Regular Board Meeting

Description:  Call to Order. Secretary to the Board will take attendance.

Description:  Individuals wishing to speak during public comment must complete the Public Comment Form and submit it to the Board Secretary prior to the start of the meeting. Members of the public may speak during this portion of the meeting. Comments are limited to five minutes. Board members will not respond to public comments or questions during "Public Comments". Should total Public Comments approach or exceed a cumulative time of 30 minutes, the Board may suspend additional Public Comments until immediately prior to the Board and Superintendent Comments portion of the agenda.
 

"Board Policy 2:230. At each regular and special open meeting, members of the public and District employees may comment to or ask questions of the School Board, subject to reasonable constraints. The individuals appearing before the Board are expected to follow these guidelines:

• Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President.
• Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, comments shall be limited to 5 minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request in advance to speak for a longer period of time, the individual may be allowed to speak for more than 5 minutes.
• Observe the Board President's decision to shorten public comment to conserve time and give the maximum number of individuals an opportunity to speak.
• Observe the Board President's decision to determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise covered in Board policy.
• Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board Policy, 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property."

Description:  "Board Policy 2:220 The President shall designate a portion of the agenda as a consent agenda for those items that usually do not require extensive discussion before Board action. Upon the request of any Board member, an item will be withdrawn from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda for independent consideration." There will be no separate vote on these items unless a Board Member so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as the first item after approval of the Consent Agenda.

Description:  Consistent with Board Policy 2:220, the Board is asked to approve meeting minutes, and, once approved, open session minutes become public.

Description:  Regular personnel items.

Description:  Donation of $2,000 from Bill Schluter, Dirt Works. $1,000 to Eastlawn and $1,000 to Pleasant Acres to be used to purchase gloves, hats, jackets (winter attire) for students.

Description:  The administration is recommending the inclusion of language related to undesignated asthma inhalers. This would function similarly to our use of emergency EpiPens.

New paragraph:

School District Supply of Undesignated Asthma Medication

The Superintendent or designee shall implement 105 ILCS 5/22-30(f) and maintain a supply of undesignated asthma medication in the name of the District and provide or administer them as necessary according to State law. Undesignated asthma medication means an asthma medication prescribed in the name of the District or one of its schools. A school nurse or trained personnel, as defined in State law, may administer an undesignated asthma medication to a person when they, in good faith, believe a person is having respiratory distress. Respiratory distress may be characterized as mild-to-moderate or severe. Each building administrator and/or his or her corresponding school nurse shall maintain the names of trained personnel who have received a statement of certification pursuant to State law.

Language to be added to the Void Policy section of 7:270:
The School District Supply of Undesignated Asthma Medication section of the policy is void whenever the Superintendent or designee is, for whatever reason, unable to: (1) obtain for the District a prescription for undesignated asthma medication from a physician or advanced practice nurse licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, or (2) fill the District’s prescription for undesignated school asthma medication.

Description:  Administration and RCSEA (teacher's association) agreed on clarifying language related to Reduction in Force provisions.

Description: 

The board is asked to accept the Annual Financial Report and Audit.

The District received a financial profile designation of 3.3 out of 4 from the State. This rating is primarily impacted by the District’s outstanding bond debt. The rating methodology does not account for the fact that the District’s bond payments are supported by a voter-approved 1% sales tax, which is an allowable and dedicated revenue source.

Fund Balances (Primary Operating Funds)

As of year-end, fund balances for the District’s three primary funds were as follows:

• Education Fund: $11,549,366
• Building Fund: $1,005,030
• Transportation Fund: $804,059

While the District is below the recommended six-month cash-on-hand benchmark, its overall financial condition continues to be considered very good.

Deficit Spending

The District experienced deficit spending in several funds during the fiscal year, which is common for many school districts in the current financial environment:

• Education Fund: ($1,166,082)
• Operations & Maintenance Fund: ($81,173)
• Transportation Fund: ($206,547)

The total net deficit across funds was $1,654,105. It is important to note that the District received $1,288,089 in FY25 grant revenues at the beginning of FY26, which offsets a significant portion of the reported deficit, particularly within the Education Fund.

Revenues

Total revenues remained relatively consistent year over year:

• FY25: $37,460,391
• FY24: $36,227,917

Looking ahead, the District anticipates downward pressure on revenues in FY26 due to potential reductions in state and federal funding, decreases in replacement tax revenue, and lower Evidence-Based Funding allocations.

Expenditures

Overall expenditures increased modestly, driven primarily by salary increases, rising insurance costs, and higher supply costs:

Education Fund

• FY25: $27,338,997
• FY24: $23,304,027

Operations & Maintenance Fund

• FY25: $5,959,065
• FY24: $6,648,808

Transportation Fund

• FY25: $1,748,411
• FY24: $1,465,283

Overall Financial Outlook

Overall, the District’s financial position is less favorable than in prior years, though this trend is consistent with what many school districts are experiencing statewide. Declining daily attendance means fixed costs are spread across fewer students, while operating costs continue to rise and future revenues remain uncertain.

Description: 

The Board is asked to approve the Resolution Concerning and Affecting the Tax Levy which will result in a reduction in the likely property tax rate. The proposed property tax levy is in the amount of $7,356,693. If the extension (taxes collected) matches the levy, this would represent a 4.98% increase in total local property tax revenues to the District. However, due to the "tax cap" law, the likely extension will not exceed $7,275,849, a 3.83% increase in revenues. Additionally, the likely tax rate will decrease from 3.9681% to 3.7536%. The increase in revenue is a result of an increase in property value, not an increase in the tax rate. Please note that fund balances are provided as part of the Annual Financial Report which is part of this board meeting's packet.

Description: 

The Superintendent is placing his evaluation before the Board:

The Board and the Superintendent shall meet during December and January of each annual period to discuss and evaluate their working relationship, rapport, and understanding, as well as progress toward established goals and objectives for the school district.  No later than February 1 of each year of the Superintendent's Contract, the Board shall evaluate the Superintendent’s performance and a written evaluation of that performance shall be given to the Superintendent...It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to cause review of the Superintendent's performance to be placed before the Board of Education at its regular December meeting.

Description:  11-17-2025 Debbra Sweat; dsweat@rcs137.org; Information regarding grant relationship with Carter Foundation.
12-16-2025 Max Binnington; Judiciocracy;  foia@judiciocracy.com; Legal bills and engagement letters 2024-July 18, 2025.
12-18-2025 CT Mills; Public Info Access LLC; outreach@educatorssupportnetwork.org; Staff directory information.
 

Description:  The Board is provided a monthly report detailing out-of-school suspensions. Due to the student record data contained in this report, this report remains confidential. 

Description:  Approximately $5,850 for student tuition.

Description:  The Board is asked to consider changes to the policies referenced below. Attached is PRESS Issue 120 that summarizes the changes and a document that includes a summary of the changes to the policies affecting RCS along with each policy and its changes.

Affected Policies: 2:120 Board Member Development; 2:150 Committees; 2:270 Discrimination and Harassment on the Basis of Race, Color, and National Origin Prohibited; 4:10 Fiscal and Business Management; 4:30 Revenue and Investments; 4:80 Accounting and Audits; 4:140 Waiver of Student Fees; 4:170 Safety; 4:190 Targeted School Violence Prevention Program; 5:90 Abused and Neglected Child Reporting; 5:100 Staff Development Program; 5:120 Ethics and Conduct; 5:150 Personnel Records; 5:190 Teacher Qualifications; 5:220 Substitute Teachers; 5:250 Leaves of Absence; 5:280 Duties and Qualifications; 5:285 Drug and Alcohol Testing for School Bus and Commercial Vehicle Drivers; 6:60 Curriculum Content; 6:65 Student Social and Emotional Development; 6:235 Access to Electronic Networks; 6:280 Grading and Promotion; 7:150 Agency and Law Enforcement Requests (formerly Agency and Police Interviews); 7:180 Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment; 7:185 Teen Dating Violence Prohibited; 7:190 Student Behavior; 7:285 Anaphylaxis Prevention, Response, and Management Program; 7:290 Suicide and Depression Awareness and Prevention; 7:310 Restrictions on Publications; Elementary Schools.

Description: 

The Board will move to closed session for the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or specific volunteers of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, a specific individual who serves as an independent contractor in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or a volunteer of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity. 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 with this Act. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1).