Plans to accept bid at Jan. meeting for Multi-Purpose Building

At 6:45 p.m., a public truth-in-taxation hearing was held by the Board of Education. During the hearing, Superintendent Brett Allen and Educational Services Administrator Steven Moore gave a presentation on the 2023 tax levy that was being recommended for adoption. It was reported that the District would be adopting another “balloon” levy to ensure all tax revenue is collected to help ensure effective operations. Under the scenario presented, the District is not estimating any major change to the current tax rate.

Under new business, the Board of Education conducted the first reading of Press Policy Issue 113. Next discussion took place on the Multi-Purpose Building Project, which included replacing the floor and painting the interior. Unfortunately, after initially bidding out the project it was determined that the composition of the rubber flooring will require a specialized removal and disposal process due to environmental factors. The District will be working with Famer Environmental to determine an estimated cost for the removal and disposal of the floor and bid that project out separately. The Board plans to accept a bid for the installation of the floor and painting at the Jan. meeting.

The Board of Education was excited to recognize some outstanding students at the start of the regular Dec. Board of Education meeting Ava Roller was honored for earning National Rural and Small Town Recognition through the College Board for her academic achievement. The 7th grade Girls Basketball Team and SHS Trap Team were spotlighted for their success during the most recent seasons. Congratulations to all of these students.

Following the approval of the consent agenda, the Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution regarding the amounts necessary to be levied for the year 2023 and a resolution allocating the 2023 tax levy to individual funds of the district. Next, the Board approved the abatement of the tax levied for the year 2023 to pay debt service on general obligation school bonds (alternate revenue source), series 2017.

Within the Superintendent’s report, Allen informed the Board that the School District has received additional allocation amounts for federal grants including Title, IDEA, and McKinney-Vento Homeless. District staff and administrators are beginning the process of meeting and soliciting feedback from stakeholders on how to best utilize these dollars for students. Initial thoughts include the purchasing of curriculum and instructional supplies/materials.

Next, it was discussed that District Office Staff met virtually with an Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Advisor and discussed strategies that the district could implement to reduce the overall energy usage throughout the school year. The primary focus was on the management of temperature settings at different time periods. The team will meet again in mid Jan. to determine if the strategies have reduced energy usage. Moore, reported that the District would be receiving a grant through the IL Department of Public Health in the amount of $20,000. The grant will require staff to complete a school health index and work with a consultant on initiatives and strategies to improve the health and safety of the school for students. Additionally, Mr. Moore is exploring avenues to expand STEM opportunities for students through grant funding.

Members of the Policy Committee, which includes Board members, Clayton Green and Dori Rhodes, discussed information related to Press Plus Update 113. The majority of updates encompassed changes to language or legal references due to recent legislation.

The Building Committee highlighted items from its most recent meeting which included a review of the most recent structural engineering report. Overall the report stated that there are no major structural concerns with the buildings; however, the high school building is reaching its useful life. Additional items discussed include the possible installation of more fans in the main gymnasium and possibly remodeling the current library to make it two separate classroom spaces.

Upon returning to open session, the council accepted the retirement of Claudia Bruhn as a cafeteria employee and thanked her for her 38 years of service to the District. Next, Bill Augustine was employed as a part-time transportation aide, David Lawrence as the head baseball coach, and Harmony Fiala as a long-term substitute teacher. Additionally, they approved an increase in the daily sub rate for a paraprofessional to $105 a day to ensure compliance with the minimum wage law.

Under general discussion, the Board had a follow up conversation regarding a request from Kevin Fuller. Additionally, brief discussion took place on the annual statement

of affairs that was recently published for public display.

The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.