Carmi White County Community Unit School District 5 Board of Education met November 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
The regular meeting of the board of education of Carmi-White County Community Unit District No. 5 was held on Monday, November 20, 2017, at the Jefferson Attendance Center (new building). The meeting was called to order by President Kelli M. Chapman at 7:00 p.m.
Recital Of Pledge Of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all present.
Those present were board members Acord, Chapman, Fulkerson, Hammell, Hoskins, Mitchell, and Scates. Others present were Superintendent Brad Lee; Amy Atteberry, Washington Attendance Center principal; Dr. Amy Dixon, Jefferson and Lincoln Attendance Centers principal; Cynthia Hoskins, Brownsville Attendance Center principal; Jarrod Newell, high school principal; Bob Lamp, CWCEA President; Lacey Moore, Elementary Dean of Students; Randy Warrick, Director of Maintenance; Paul Lunsford, Lunsford Architects Inc.; Alexa Churchwell, SIC student; Rachel Blazier, unit secretary; Scott Mareing, (WROY); and Brandon Siegert, (The Carmi Chronicle).
Consent Agenda Items Approved
Consent agenda items were presented to the board for its approval as follows:
1. Minutes of the October 16, 2017 special and regular board meetings.
2. Bids on servicing fire extinguishers.
The district recently sought price quotes for servicing district fire extinguisher equipment. A summary of the bid results is attached. It was recommended that the bid of Ray Yates Fire Extinguisher Sales and Service be accepted for the 2017-2018 school year.
3. Certified Staff Retirement
Gina Sailer has submitted her irrevocable letter of retirement effective at the completion of the 2021-2022 school year. The retirement request meets and complies with the contractual language outlined in the district’s retirement incentive language.
It was recommended that the irrevocable letter of retirement of Gina Sailer at the completion of the 2021-2022 school year be accepted.
Motion by Acord, second by Mitchell, that recommendations for consent agenda items as follows:
1. Minutes of October 16, 2017 special and regular board meetings
2. Bids on servicing fire extinguishers 3. Certified Retirement
be approved. Roll call vote: Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Bills Approved
An additional list of bills was presented to the board of education for its consideration and approval.
Motion by Hoskins, second by Scates, that the bills for the month of October 2017 be approved as listed. Roll call vote: Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report Read And Approved
The treasurer’s report for the month of October 2017 was read as follows: Education Fund, $3,846,424; Building Fund, $786,866; Transportation Fund, $561,282; Municipal Retirement Fund, $591,451; Imprest Fund, $7,564; Tort Fund, $452,171; Debit Service Fund, $887,656; Working Cash Fund, $362,906; Fire Prevention and Safety Fund, $135,807; and Capital Projects, $634,506. Investments by Fund: Municipal Retirement Fund, $100,000.
Superintendent Lee provided board members a breakdown of receipts for October 2017 by fund account. The Education Fund’s receipts include General State Aid payments of $396,926, other categorical receipts of $222,154, local money of $26,764, and Corporate Replacement Tax of $18,303. Total receipts in the Education Fund was $664,146. The district received $392,172 in local taxes for the month. The Transportation Fund received $125,444 from the State. The Municipal Retirement Fund received $24,032 in Corporate Replacement Tax. The district received $56,004 in 1% Sales Tax (Debt Services - $18,668 and Capital Outlay $37,336). Grand total receipts for the month was $1,261,799.
Superintendent Lee reported that the State still owes the district $47,000 from last year, but this is a great improvement from what the State owed the district at the beginning of the year.
Motion by Fulkerson, second by Mitchell, that the treasurer’s report for the month of October 2017 be approved as read. Roll call vote: Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Superintendent’s Report To The Board:
Superintendent Lee reported the following items to the board:
1. Parent/Teacher Conferences
Once again this year, evening parent/teacher conferences have been held during October. This format continues to be successful, as evidenced by the many parents who take advantage of the opportunity to talk with their child’s teacher(s).
2. Wabash And Ohio Valley Special Education District Governing Board Meeting
The fall meeting of the Wabash and Ohio Valley Special Education District governing board is scheduled for Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hood Center in Norris City. Each school district in the nine-county Wovsed cooperative is represented by one member of the board of education. The Carmi- White County Unit 5 representative is Mrs. Kelli Chapman.
3. Fall Athletics
The fall school sports seasons are officially completed. Congratulations were extended to all of the fall athletic teams and coaches for their efforts and positive representation of the district. Mr. Lee thanked the Booster Club for all they do for the district’s athletic teams.
4. Congratulations To High School Girls’ Cross Country Team
Congratulations were extended to the girls’ Cross Country team and Coach Eric Dixon for winning the Benton Regional. Congratulations were also extended to sophomore Peyton Dixon for advancing to the State Cross Country Meet in Peoria.
5. Congratulations To High School Football
Congratulations were extended to the high school football team and Coach Simon and his staff for advancing to the IHSA 2A playoffs.
6. Fall Play
The high school fall play, “Pinocchio”, was presented on Friday, November 17, and Sunday, November 20 (two performances). The cast, crew, and sponsors were commended for their hard work and dedication.
7. Sunrise School Spirit
Sunrise School Spirit hosted by 14 News from Evansville was at the Junior/Senior High School on Friday, November 3. Students, staff and community members brought in 35,000 pounds of canned goods to be donated to the Tri-State Food Bank. A huge thank you was given to the administrators and staff at the high school for organizing this event and making it a success.
8. Socks For Vets
Students at Washington Attendance Center participated in a service project the week of November 6 leading up to Veteran’s Day. It was discovered that veterans in the VA Hospital in Marion were in need of socks. Students and staff began a “Socks for Vets Sock Drive”. Two thousand five hundred seventy-three (2,573) pairs of socks were collected and delivered to the VA Hospital in Marion.
9. Christmas Programs
Following is a listing of scheduled Christmas programs throughout the district:
December 11, 7:00 p.m. High School Christmas Program
December 13, 9:00 a.m..Lincoln Kindergarten Christmas Program
1:00 p.m..Lincoln 1st Grade Christmas Program
December 14, 9:00 a.m.. Jefferson 2nd Grade Christmas Program
1:00 p.m..Jefferson 3rd Grade Christmas Program
December 15, 12:30 p.m.Brownsville Christmas Program
December 19, 7:00 p.m.Junior High Christmas Program
December 20, 1:30 p.m. Washington Christmas Program
10. White County Retired Teachers Association – Scholarship Winners
Mr. Lee thanked the White County Retired Teachers Association for providing $500 worth of scholarships for Unit #5 teachers to use in their classrooms. The following teachers were recipients of $250: Adam Cross and Amber Ochs. Mr. Lee congratulated these teachers.
11. School Board Members Day
Tuesday, November 15, 2017, was designated as “School Board Members Day” in Illinois. This day was to recognize these public servants for their commitment and contributions. Mr. Lee thanked the Unit #5 board members for their service and dedication to our schools and community.
Facilities Feasibility Study
Paul Lunsford from Lunsford Architects Inc. presented to the board results from the Facilities Feasibility Study that was recently conducted. The district’s Strategic Plan adopted in November of 2016 addressed the need for determining the logistics and broad financial implications of updating, renovating and/or replacement of existing school facilities. This study will be used to help guide the district regarding future facility needs.
Mr. Lunsford told the board that the Feasibility Study that was distributed at the board meeting is a preliminary study. It is a working document that will require revisions along the way. A copy of the Feasibility Study is included with these minutes.
Mr. Lunsford discussed the ten year Life Safety Plan that was completed in 2015 that addressed issues/deficiencies required to maintain minimal compliance to the School Life Safety Code. In March 2017, the district submitted a 2018 Fiscal Year School Construction Grant for a new proposed PreK thru 8 new school facility on a district owned forty acre site. Mr. Lunsford informed the board that the State has not funded school construction since the 2005 Fiscal Year applications.
He also stated that if the State came in and evaluated the district’s buildings, the State would see the district’s needs for new buildings. Due to the age of the buildings, they do not provide an ideal teaching environment. If the district exceeds certain dollar amounts in upgrades, it will be required to make seismic upgrades. The areas of improvement that have a huge impact on costs are: seismic upgrades, Asbestos Abatement and ADA upgrades.
Mr. Lee told the board that Mr. Lunsford was asked to prepare a facilities feasibility study because it is part of the District’s Strategic Plan. The study is just information to give a comparison of maintaining current facilities vs. building new facilities. It was of Mr. Lunsford’s opinion that it would be cheaper to build a new facility rather than repairing the existing buildings.
The board discussed financial options with Superintendent Lee and Mr. Lunsford. Mr. Lunsford said that the construction could be tied into the 1% Sales Tax. There is also Life Safety Amendments or bonds that could be utilized.
Resolution Authorizing Abatement Of Bond Levy
To date, the district has received twenty-four months of revenue from the County Schools Facility Tax that passed in November 2014. The Board of Education conveyed to the tax payers that Unit #5 would take one-third of the revenue each year to pay down the existing bonds. A total of $720,537 was received from the 1% tax for the past twelve months, therefore, Mr. Lee requested that the board pass a resolution abating $240,000 of the General Obligation School Refunding Bonds Series 2008.
Motion by Fulkerson, second by Acord, that the board pass a Resolution Authorizing Abatement of Bond Levy for bond issue in levy year 2017 by the total amount of Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($240,000.00). Roll call vote: Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
2017 Preliminary Review Of Tax Levy
Attached is a prospective levy for 2017. This levy is against the property values of 2017. It will be extended in the summer of 2018, and the district will spend the money during the 2018- 2019 school year beginning July 1, 2018.
A number of the district’s levies have rate caps. Those levies and caps are: Education, 2.01; Operation and Maintenance (Building),.50; Transportation,.20; Working Cash,.05; Fire Prevention and Safety,.05; and Special Education,.04. These are listed as cents per $100 of assessed valuation. In these funds, regardless of what the district sets as a levy, the district will only receive that rate times our equalized assessed valuation.
In the other levies (Debt Service [Bond and Interest], Municipal Retirement, Social Security, and Tort Immunity), whatever we levy will be extended.
Superintendent Lee spoke with the County Clerk to get some preliminary information, which he used to estimate the district’s levy extension for next year.
At this point in time, Mr. Lee recommends that the district base its levy on a projected EAV of $142,937,885. The final projected total tax rate of 3.9833 is lower than the 2016 tax rate of 4.069. The projected levy extension request attached is less than 105% of last year’s extension; therefore, it is not necessary to publish a Truth in Taxation advertisement. This figure could change as more information becomes available.
Fund; Amount:
Education Fund; $2,873,051
Building Fund; $714,689
Transportation Fund; $285,876
Working Cash Fund; $71,469
IMRF; $200,000
Social Security; $200,000
Fire/Life Safety; $71,469
Tort Immunity; $740,000
Special Education; $57,175
Debt Service; $480,000
Total; $5,693,729
Also attached is a copy of the district’s recent EAV history in addition to district’s Rate History.
The final attachment is the projected Bond Repayment Schedule through the end of the district’s projected bond payments.
Motion by Scates, second by Hammell, that a levy be set for the regular December meeting of the Board of Education. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
School Improvement Plans And District School Report Cards And State Test Scores
Dr. Amy Dixon, Director of Instruction, provided an overview of the 2017-2018 school improvement plans (SIP) that are developed each school year. These data driven documents developed by the school improvement teams in each building are the blueprints that guide the teaching and learning process throughout the year.
Per Illinois School Code, since 1987 all public schools are required to write school improvement plans. Brownsville Attendance Center is not required to write a school improvement plan because it is a serving school only.
Dr. Dixon provided board members with a Carmi-White County District Plan combined with the current Strategic Plan. She explained that these two plans flow together. She discussed the overview of the district’s students, which included student demographics, student enrollment, and attendance. Also included was an overview of test data, which included state testing, math PARCC performance, and ELA PARCC performance. Dr. Dixon reminded the board that state testing is a one snap shot in the spring. She also reminded the board that this was the district’s first year in administering the SAT. The district will begin this school year to administer the PSAT starting with the 9th grade.
Some of the district’s teachers have been sent to workshops throughout the school year to support the district’s initiatives. The district provides professional development for parents. Dr. Dixon feels that the new teacher evaluation plan is a valuable tool. Teachers are having to think about how they are teaching their students. Teachers have to show administrators additional resources they use.
Motion by Scates, second by Mitchell, that the board approve the 2017-2018 School Improvement Plans as well as the district improvement plan. Roll call vote: Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Carmi-White County C.U.S.D. #5 Strategic Plan Update
It has been one year since the board of education adopted the District’s Strategic Plan. Committee members who worked on the plan included: parents, community members, business leaders, teachers, support staff, administrators and board members. Four Strategic Directions, along with objectives, were developed. The four directions were Student Welfare, Finance, Facilities, and Curriculum/Instruction. Mr. Lee reported that the district is pleased with the progress made towards a number of the objectives which include the following:
• Student Welfare – The district has partnered with the Egyptian Health Department to expand our Social/Mental Health Services by adding a Mental Health Therapist for our elementary grades.
• Finance – The district strives to remain fiscally responsible within the established budget. The district is proud to announce that a Carmi-White County Schools Foundation has been established to help support the needs of the district’s students.
• School Facilities – The district’s architect has completed a facilities feasibility study. The district has also applied to the Illinois Capital Development Board and have been added to the School Construction list.
• Curriculum and Instruction – Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the district has implemented 1:1 technology for grades 6-12. The district also provides Chromebook carts for grades 4 and 5 so teachers may provide 1:1 technology in their classrooms.
The district will continue to strive to provide a quality education for all students. The Strategic Plan will serve as a guide to develop productive citizens and life-long learners.
Resolution Endorsing And Recognizing The Carmi-White County Schools Foundation
The establishment of a School Foundation was one of the objectives under Finance in the District’s Strategic Plan. A committee of individuals led by board member Mrs. Barb Mitchell has worked to develop a School Foundation which shall be governed by a Foundation Board of Directors abiding under a set of bylaws and regulations. Mr. Lee requested that the board adopt a resolution to endorse and recognize this Foundation.
Motion by Hoskins, second by Acord, that the board pass the Resolution Endorsing and Recognizing a Carmi-White County Schools Foundation. Roll call vote: Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Closed Session:
Motion by Acord, second by Mitchell, that the board meet in closed session at 8:23 p.m. for purposes of discussing appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of an employee or officer. Roll call vote: Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Motion by Hammell, second by Acord, that the board return to open session at 8:51 p.m. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
Closed Session Minutes Approved
Motion by Scates, second by Hammell, that the board approve closed session minutes of the October 16, 2017 special and regular meetings of the board of education. Roll call vote: Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Janet Childers Employed As Crossing Guard At Lincoln Attendance Center
Motion by Mitchell, second by Hoskins, that Janet Childers be employed as a crossing guard at Lincoln Attendance Center for the 2017-2018 school year to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Wayne Nelson. Roll call vote: Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Tina Norris Reassigned As Junior/Senior High School Attendance Secretary
Motion by Fulkerson, second by Acord, that Tina Norris be reassigned as the Junior/Senior High School Attendance Secretary for the 2017-2018 school year to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mona Warrick. Roll call vote: Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Jeremy Belford, Brandon Smith, And Levi Sisco Approved As High School Volunteer Wrestling Coaches
Motion by Mitchell, second by Chapman, that Jeremy Belford, Brandon Smith, and Levi Sisco be approved as High School Volunteer Wrestling Coaches for the 2017-2018 school year. Roll call vote: Acord, yes; Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Brad Lee Approved As High School Volunteer Assistant Boys’ Basketball Coach
Motion by Acord, second by Scates, that Brad Lee be approved as a High School Volunteer Assistant Boys’ Basketball Coach for the 2017-2018 school year. Roll call vote: Fulkerson, yes; Hammell, yes; Hoskins, yes; Mitchell, yes; Scates, yes; Acord, yes; Chapman, yes. Motion carried.
Adjourn:
Motion by Hoskins, second by Chapman, that the meeting be adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
http://www.carmischools.org/images/pdf/minutes/novmin.pdf
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