MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING OF
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
April 25, 2007 6:30 P.M. Educational
The Board of Education of the
Ms. Marianne Clancy, Board Secretary, established
a quorum and the following Members were present: Mr. John Dirks, Mr. Michael
Harrison, Mr. Keith Davis, Mrs. Millicent Roth, Mr. Joseph Butcher, Mrs. Cheryl
Jackson and Mrs. Janet Smith, Board President.
Present
from the administrative staff were Dr. Robert Nielsen, Mr. David Wood, Mr.
Barry Reilly, and Mrs. Teresa Hill.
Present from the news media was Ms. Sharon Wolfe, The Pantagraph.
Mrs. Smith presented the Minutes for approval.
It was moved by Mr. Dirks,
seconded by Mrs. Roth, that the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Education held on
April 11, 2007 be approved. Upon
a roll call vote, all Members present
voted “Aye”. Motion carried.
Mrs. Smith presented Mr. Davis with parting gifts
from the District, as this is the last meeting Mr. Davis will be a Board
Member. Mr. Davis did not seek
re-election in the April 17 election.
Mr. Davis thanked the Board for the
gifts and stated that he was sorry to leave and will miss the rest of the Board
Members.
Each board member thanked Mr. Davis for
his hard work while serving on the Board and each spoke in appreciation of his
wisdom, attention to detail, strength in leadership, encouragement and
helpfulness.
Dr. Nielsen thanked Mr. Davis, on behalf
of the administration, for his service to the District and stated that he
appreciated his guidance and the relationship they had over the years.
Dr. Nielsen stated that he
and several District 87 teachers attended the Mega SCASS conference in
The following District 87 teachers,
along with Dr. Nielsen and Mrs. Diane Stempinski, Regional Office of Education,
were recognized in April at the 2007 Teacher Classroom Assessment Recognition
program in
Suzy Dees, 8th grade writing, showcasing student reflections
Debbie Davis, 8th grade reading, showcasing formative assessments that can be
on-going
JoLynn Plato, 6th grade math, showcasing math assessments
Julie Dawson, 3rd grade, showcasing reading assessments
Melanie Stanley, 2nd grade, showcasing geometry assessments
Board Meeting
April 25, 2007
Page 2
Mrs. Smith congratulated the group
for their award and thanked them for all they do for the District. She asked them to come forward and receive
personal congratulations from the Board.
Dr. Nielsen stated that District 87
had three nominees this year for the Bloomington Normal Education Alliance
(BNEA) Minority Educator of the Year Award: Mr. Nick Bussan, Bent School Third
Grade Teacher, Mrs. Teresa Hill, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and
Instruction and Ms. Melissa Brown, Bloomington High School (BHS) lead Foreign
Languages teacher, who received the award.
Mrs. Smith congratulated Ms. Brown on her accomplishments and thanked her for everything she does for the District.
Mrs. Smith asked Ms. Brown, Mr. Bussan and Mrs. Hill to come forward and receive personal congratulations from the Board.
Mrs. Tina Fogal, Sarah Raymond Early Childhood Education Center
Principal, introduced Ms. Stacey McGraw, Sarah Raymond Pre-K teacher and Ms.
Roxanne Winkeler, Sarah Raymond Program Assistant. Ms. McGraw and Ms. Winkeler developed a video
for Celebrate Success Day at Raymond
which will be in May. Parents are
invited to come to Sarah Raymond and see the great things that are happening at
the school. The video shows things that
happen in the classroom at Sarah Raymond and how busy the students are on a
daily basis.
The video was shown to the Board and all the Members thought it was
great.
Mrs. Smith asked Ms. McGraw and Ms. Winkler to come forward and receive
personal appreciation from the Board.
Mr. Dirks stated that he and Mrs. Smith attended a Facilities Meeting
today regarding the signage and the renovation of the north entrance to BHS.
Mrs. Jackson reminded the Board that May 1 is the next Illinois
Association of School Boards (IASB), Cornbelt Division, meeting in Fairbury. She stated that this is the Governing Meeting
where a delegate to the IASB will be voted on.
Mrs. Jackson stated she has held this position for the last six years
and would like to step down. She stated
if any of the Board Members were interested in pursuing that position, to let
her know soon.
Mrs. Roth reported that the Publicity Committee for the Sesquicentennial
of which she is a member, has several dignitary recognitions lined up. She
stated we have received a proclamation from the Governor of Illinois, a
resolution from the Illinois House of Representatives, we are getting a
certificate from the Illinois Senate and we are working on a Federal
recognition as well.
Mrs. Roth stated that the Publicity Committee would like to place an ad
in the Pantagraph but we need money to do so.
She asked for ideas and suggestions on how to raise the money
needed. She also asked for donations.
Mrs. Roth stated that
Board Meeting
April 25, 2007
Page 3
classmates and the same teachers while in those
grades. She stated she is very excited
about this and will report on this next year.
Mr. Dirks stated that he, Mrs. Hill and Dr. Nielsen attended an
Achievement Gap Taskforce Meeting today and heard reports from the four
subcommittees. He stated that the
Parental Involvement subcommittee will be having an information booth at the
Back to School Party in August; Irving School currently has the Adopt a School
Program, partnering a school with a church, for mentoring and tutoring, in
place as an ongoing pilot. In the fall,
Brigham School, Oakdale School and Bent School will participate in this program;
the After School Program, which has already received a grant for the Early
Start Programs, is working on a compilation of services that are available to
someone new to the area or to someone who needs services from a local social
service agency; the Data Modeling and Recording subcommittee which Mr. Dirks is
involved with, is striving to produce a portal with up to fifteen categories of
information so teachers will be able to get that information about each of
their students. This information will
hopefully be available in both Districts by August. The group is working on communications with
some resources from State Farm’s Public Affairs Department for an overall
communications strategy to push these different themes. Mr. Dirks stated that each subcommittee is
making good progress.
Mrs. Smith reminded the Board that we will be reconfiguring the Board at
the May 9, 2007 Board Meeting, and she would like Members to let her know on
which committees they would like to serve during the coming year.
Mr. Wood proposed that the Board extend the
First Student bussing contract for one year at a 3.1% increase. During the
year, our District and First Student will continue to work together to make
transportation as safe as possible and to ensure a high level of customer
service. The district will request proposals for transportation services during
the fall of 2007 and a new contract will begin with the 2008-2009 school year. This proposal will be brought back at the next
Board Meeting on May 9 for Board consideration.
Mr. Reilly presented an
amended 2006-2007 School Calendar. He
stated that the current school year will extend until June 6 due to the snow
days the District experienced over the winter.
Mr. Reilly stated that the Amended Calendar will be brought back for
Board consideration on May 9, 2007.
Dr. Nielsen presented the following Board
of Education policies for First Reading: 2.010 School District Governance; 2.020 Powers and Duties of the School
Board; 2.040 School Board Membership; 2.080 Board Member Oath and Conduct; 2.110
Qualifications, Term, and Duties of Board Officers; 2.130 Board—Superintendent
Relationship; 2.140 Communications To and From the Board; 2.150 Committee
Organization; 2.200 Regular Meetings; 2.202 Closed Meetings; 2.206 Special
Meetings; 2.208 Emergency Meetings; 2.210 Organizational School Board Meetings;
2.220 Agenda; 2.222 Voting Method; 2.224 Minutes: Regular, Special, Adjourned,
Emergency, Closed; 2.240 Board Policy Development; 6.235 Access to Electronic
Networks. Dr. Nielsen asked the Board if
they had any questions or suggestions regarding these policies. They had none. These policies will be brought back at the
May 9, 2007 Board Meeting for Second Reading.
Mrs. Hill presented a recommendation
for ECE/Pre-K Curriculum material for next year. In summary:
Board Meeting
April 25, 2007
Page
4
·
After
investigating numerous early childhood/pre-kindergarten curricula, the Raymond
School Curriculum Task Force recommends the adoption of the We Can curriculum materials published by
Sopris West.
·
These
materials will provide the early childhood/ pre-K teachers with ample materials
to engage our students in developmentally appropriate literacy, vocabulary
development, fine motor, mathematics, science, social skills, art and music
activities.
·
In
addition, these curriculum materials will provide teachers with additional
ideas and support for assessing students and making connections with parents.
·
The
Raymond School Curriculum Task Force included Tina Fogal, all
·
We Can offers materials that the Raymond School Curriculum Task Force believes
will meet the varied needs of students at
·
The
total cost of the recommended materials is $25,000. This includes classroom
sets of all We Can materials and
professional development for our teachers.
·
The We Can materials will be on display in
the Community Room for the next 30 days.
Mrs. Hill stated this
recommendation will be brought back for Board consideration after the
completion of the 30 days.
Mrs. Smith presented the Consent Agenda for Approval.
Dr. Nielsen asked that Consent Agenda Item G, BHS North Parking
Lot Renovation Bid Recommendation, and Item H, BHS North Entrance Bid
Recommendation, be pulled and moved to Board Action Items D and E.
It was moved by Mrs. Roth, seconded by Mr. Butcher, that the
Consent Agenda (Human Resources Report, Bills, Treasurer’s Report, Financial
Summary, Stevenson Soffit Fascia Replacement Bid Recommendation, BHS Student
Center Renovation Bid Recommendation, Letter of Understanding-Decision and
Bargaining on Reduction in Force and HIPPA Requirements) be approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted
“Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-25-07/1)
Dr. Nielsen stated that a list of staff
recognitions will soon be available as well as a schedule of end-of-the year
celebrations and he invited the Board to attend as many events as their
schedules permit.
It was moved by Mrs. Jackson, seconded by Mr. Harrison that the School
Fees for 2007-08 be approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted
“Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-25-07/2)
It was moved by Mr. Dirks, seconded by Mrs. Jackson, that the
Resolution: Reduction in Force, be
approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present
voted “Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-25-07/3)
Board Meeting
April 25, 2007
Page
5
It was moved by Mrs. Jackson, seconded by Mrs. Roth, that the
SHOR 06-07-4 be approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted
“Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-25-07/4)
Dr. Nielsen stated that we want to table Board Action D, BHS
North Parking Lot Renovation Bid Recommendation, until the next Board Meeting
on May 9, 2007.
It was moved by Mrs. Jackson, seconded by Mr. Dirks, that the
BHS North Parking Lot Renovation Bid Recommendation be tabled until the next Board Meeting. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted
“Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-25-07/5)
Dr. Nielsen stated there was an error made on Board Action E,
BHS North Entrance Bid Recommendation, and we would like that bid rejected and
we will put out another bid request and bring back a recommendation at the next
Board Meeting.
It was moved by Mr. Butcher, seconded by Mr. Davis, that the BHS
North Entrance Bid Recommendation be rejected and a new bid recommendation will
be brought to the next Board Meeting. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present voted
“Aye”. Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-25-07/6)
It was moved by Mrs.
Jackson, seconded by Mr. Davis, that the Board go into Closed Session for the
purpose of considering litigation, when an action against,
affecting or on behalf of the particular public body has been filed and is
pending before a court or administrative tribunal, or when the public body
finds that an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the
finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting;
and to consider the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline,
performance, or dismissal of specific employees of District 87, including
hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee to determine its
validity. Upon a roll call vote, all
Members present voted “Aye”. Motion
carried.
There being no further business to come before the Board, Mrs. Smith adjourned the meeting.
APPPROVED: ATTEST:
______________________ ___________________________
President Secretary