MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

January 14, 2004 6:30 P.M. Educational Services Center

The Board of Education of the Bloomington Public Schools, School District 87, McLean County, Illinois, met in Regular Session.

Ms. Marianne Clancy, Board Secretary, established a quorum and the following Members were present: Mr. John Hanson, Mr. Uvaldo Herrera, Mrs. Cheryl Jackson, Mrs. Millicent Roth, Mr. Keith Davis and Mrs. Janet Smith, Board President. Mr. John Dirks was absent.

Present from the administrative staff were Dr. Roger Kilpatrick, Mr. Barry Reilly and Mrs. Sally Tucker.

Ms. Linda Aschenbrener, Public Relations Facilitator, was also in attendance.

Present from the news media was Ms. Michele Steinbacher from The Pantagraph.

Mrs. Smith stated “This public hearing concerning the issuance of up to $24,575,000 of School Fire Prevention and Safety Bonds for Bloomington Public Schools is required by Section 105 ILCS 5/17-2.11 of the Illinois School Code.

Public notice of the proposed bond issuance and public hearing was published in the local newspaper on December 19, 2003. The purpose of the public hearing will be to receive public comments on the proposal to sell bonds of the District to conform its existing facilities that house students to the building code promulgated by the State Board of Education of the State of Illinois, by altering, reconstructing and repairing said facilities and having equipment purchased and installed therein.

Members of the audience are welcome to present testimony concerning the levy at this time.”

There were no comments from the public.

It was moved by Mr. Davis, seconded by Mrs. Jackson that the Public Hearing be concluded. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted “Aye”. Motion carried.

Mrs. Smith presented the Minutes for approval. It was moved by Mr. Davis, seconded by Mr. Hanson that the Minutes of the Regular Meeting held on December 10, 2003 and the Minutes of the Special Meeting held on January 7, 2004 be approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted “Aye”. Motion carried.

Mrs. Tucker introduced our newest National Board Certified Teachers. This year, lead art teacher Ms. Dianne Cinkovich of Bloomington Junior High School (BJHS), 6th grade language arts teacher Ms. Karen Kelly-Schierholz of BJHS, and district wide orchestra teacher Ms. Karen Monhardt received Certification. This brings the total of National Board Certified teachers in District 87 to nine – one of the largest number outside of Chicago and its suburbs. Mrs. Smith complimented the three on their accomplishments and asked them and their spouses to come forward and receive congratulations from the Board.

Dr. Sue Silvey, BJHS Principal, introduced Ms. Sondra (Sisson) Vogel, 8th grade girls' basketball team head coach. The team finished their 24-0 season as the 8AA Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Champions. Ms. Vogel coached last year's team to a 4th place State finish and has compiled a 66-5 record over three years. Team members included: Chelsea Batty, Ashley Beyer, Stephaney Campbell,

Board Meeting

January 14, 2004

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Keairra Frazier, Kendra Gay, Hillary Giesel, Ranita Grant, Nichelle Harrison, Heidi Hayward, Brooke Holtz, Tori Justice, Katy Malinowski, Lauren Manahan, Julia Meek and Ashley Verplank. Mr. Ron Bass (BJHS) served as the Assistant Coach and former Bloomington High School (BHS) student Jennifer Love and Scotty Rasso from Illinois State University were student coaches.

Ms. Cindy Helmers, BHS Principal, introduced Ms. Ann Gore and Mr. Gordon Warren, BHS Band instructors. The Marching Raiders competed against 20 schools in nine events at the Southern Bell Communications (SBC) Cotton Bowl in Dallas over the holidays and won 1st place in each event. Titles include: Jazz Band (Div. III)1st place; Concert Band, Open Division, 1st place; Wind Ensemble, Division III, 1st place; Jazz Band, Grand Champion; Concert Bands, Grand Champion; Best Jazz Soloist, Andrew Lawrence; Outstanding Color Guard Award, Parade; Parade Band (Class III), 1st Place; Parade Band, Grand Champion. Students present were at the Board Meeting were Stephanie Briggs, Wind Ensemble, Trinae Brown, Concert Band, Andrew Lawrence, Jazz Band, Jamison Shaw, Marching Band, Kirsten Schmidt, Color Guard, and Matthew Wright, Drum Line. Mrs. Smith congratulated the instructors and the band members on their accomplishments and asked them and all parents present to come forward and receive congratulations from the Board.

Mr. Hanson reported he attended a recent Beyond the Books Educational Foundation meeting in place of Mr. Dirks. Mr. Hanson stated that pledges were up and the group is currently conducting a phone-a-thon. Mr. Hanson noted that grant applications are due Friday, March 5th and those chosen for grants will be announced on April 15th. The Beyond the Books Board also approved the allocation of $22,000 for grants to be split between District 87 and Unit 5 School District.

Mr. Davis reported the he will meet with Ms. Roth and Dr. Nielsen to discuss making Dr. Nielsen’s evaluation forms available electronically to Members of the Board.

Mrs. Smith recently met with Mr. Dirks and architect Mr. Russel Francois regarding the re-configuration of the bus drive at BJHS. The drive will be reconfigured in the near future to address several safety concerns. The funding will be provided through the Life/Safety Fund.


Mr. Davis stated he was informed by the city manager, Mr. Tom Hamilton, that the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district surrounding the future downtown arena will be in effect until 2009. Mr. Davis stated that he strongly feels that District 87 not agree to any tax “holiday”, financing any District extension. He would like our position made clear to the city.

Mrs. Smith reported that she was informed that although the future downtown arena will be tax exempt, the space leased inside the arena and any privately owned property within the TIF district will contribute towards property tax. However, the TIF district will be in place until 2009 and our district will not see any property tax revenues until 2011.

Mrs. Jackson stated that she, along with Mrs. Smith and Dr. Nielsen attended the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon and was pleased to see 8th grade students from BJHS acting as ambassadors for the event.

Mrs. Smith noted that Irving School's “Be a Star, Read” program on March 7th is in need of volunteers.

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January 14, 2004

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Mrs. Tucker presented Programmatic Changes and Deficit Reductions for 2004-2005.

Programs under consideration include:

Fifth Grade Band and Orchestra program
School Improvement Service Delivery

Currently:
Fifth grade students receive Band and Orchestra instruction twice a week during the school day. Depending on the number of students in this program at a school, some fifth grade teachers report very little whole group instruction on a weekly basis. As a result, fifth grade classrooms lose continuity of instruction due in part to the pull out programs. Fifth grade teachers report a growing frustration with the loss of whole group instructional time while being held accountable for student achievement on state tests.

Programmatic Proposal:
We will offer Band and Orchestra for fifth grade students prior to the start of the day one day per week and offer the second lesson during the school day.

We will provide bus transportation to those students who live 1.5 miles or more from school or who live in a designated dangerous area.

Proposal Advantages:
We maintain band and orchestra at the fifth grade in all schools
We increase instructional time for all fifth graders in all schools

School Improvement Services:
In response to our deficit, we are recommending that the delivery of School Improvement services be transferred to our Media Center Specialists.
This change will result in a reduction of three (3) Full Time Equivalents (FTEs).

Benefits of this proposal:
Classroom teachers will continue to receive their planning time as required in our contract
Media Centers will remain open and available in all schools
We will maintain full time media center specialists

This proposal is currently being negotiated through the Bloomington Education Association.

Mrs. Smith presented the Consent Agenda for consideration. It was moved by Mr. Davis, seconded by Mrs. Roth that the Consent Agenda (Personnel Report, Bills, Payroll, Treasurer’s Report, Financial Summary, and Waiver to School Code for Drivers’ Education Fee) be approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present, voted “Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 01-14-04/1)

Dr. Kilpatrick noted that although the Corporate Property Replacement revenues were up in December, $257,000 in tax amnesty was reflected in this total and reflected no change in revenue.

It was moved by Mr. Davis, seconded by Mrs. Jackson that the Board approve the Time Extensions for Life/Safety Work. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present, voted “Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 01-14-04/2)

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January 14, 2004

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There being no further business to come before the Board, Mrs. Smith adjourned the meeting.

APPROVED:

_________________________________

President

ATTEST:

_______________________________

Secretary