right now. Uh it's a K5 school uh that currently also has a preschool program on campus. Uh right now we have and we know that the last uh within this last uh two years looking at busing that we've had to make a decision to to change that school and we have all sixth through 8th graders being busted from the Asante area to Simmeron Springs. Um, we also know that we do busing and uh we know that kids in that attendance area also attend uh Willow Canyon High School as well for our 9th through 12th grade population. So, kind of gives you a picture of that area up there. The current enrollment right now that we're standing at is about um 959 K through five kids and then uh 65 preschool kids for a total of 1,024 students on the campus. Uh the uh interesting part about that number is if you look at kindergarten first and second, we know class sizes have to be a little bit smaller at those levels.
Um we talked about that the last time. Um a misunderstanding in I think in how it was presented that the only people that will be only time we'll be reaching out is when things are bad. Uh I don't think that will be the case. Uh I mean we have many classrooms where everything's good. So, in order for teachers to hit their requirement, they're going to have to be reaching out to students that are doing really well, right? To their families that are doing really well. Uh, curriculum night, there was uh like some parents that uh voice that they like watch walking their student schedule, but that's still something a parent could come in and do and walk through the building and follow their students schedule and see what it's like to walk the building. The whole building will be open to walk around. um instructional time near finals.
Um but we are getting a better collection rate. So I'd like to thank our parents and our community for that. >> Thank you parents. >> Does matter. Any other questions? No. Okay. Moving on to information item 10.3, the transportation fuel bid. >> Yes. Thank you. Um we recently did a release of an RFP for the transportation fuel um and brought this information to the finance and facility committee. We have tonight our transportation director, Leseawn Mosley, to discuss the memo and answer any other questions if needed. >> Welcome, Miss Mosen. >> Hello. >> Good morning. Good evening. Thank you. [laughter] >> It's Monday. >> Yeah.
There are no other questions. If we could take a vote, please. >> Katherine Potter, >> no. >> Jason Jansik, >> yes. >> Darling, >> yes. >> Mindy Hartman, >> yes. >> Bridget Sandlin, >> yes. >> Stacy Salt, >> yes. >> That motion is approved. Next up, we have the approval of the new superintendent contract commencing July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2029. I'm going to read a little something here. Give me a second. The recommendation. The board of education is recommending the employment of Dr. Sarah Catchuri as the next superintendent of schools for Kerry Community Consolidated School District 26 commencing July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2029 for a three-year contract. Dr. Catchi is being recommended to replace Dr. Jennifer Thomas as she ends her term as interim superintendent on June 30th, 2026. Uh the interview process, the approval of our new superintendent is a culmination of comprehensive search conducted by the board via the assistance of the search firm Hazard Young and HYA.
And unfortunately would still have teachers coming back on June 4th, but would have the students out on the 1st if we just rolled spring break back to that traditional last week in March. >> I didn't know if that was a an issue with trying to make the nine weeks line up. Like again, I know you guys have put >> so much effort into this. So I was assuming there was a a rhyme or reason, but if that was a way to make that calendar more feasible. >> Definitely. I mean, if you look at the the first one, that's where we have If we were to keep spring, so if we were to go with the start on the second page there that we're looking at on the 14th and the 16th, if we move spring break, just not trying to just so everybody's on the same page from that first week in April to that last week in March.
It's a tool on that end. But the camera, it is something that they use in and you know to help administrators investigate disciplinary incidents and things. So, there's a role on that end. if someone's determined to come through the door. I actually have a video from one incident that we had in hi in Ohio and then some other things um where just on kids who a student who decided he wasn't going to participate in didn't even have a weapon but still decided to go in. So that challenge the system but the reality is if someone's determined to come in I'll just step it back to you. If we're going you talk about and we're open-minded. There are certain contexts where weapons detection may play a role. We understand you do it at one of the alternative alternative sites and based on specific needs. But um the other thing is if someone's determined to come in, they'll just come in firing through the through right through the front door if they're determined to do that.
Just keep in mind when we say that we are expecting a levy in the operations fund of 12 million we will not see 12 million revenue in that operations fund due to the circuit breaker.
You're talking about 500 students right now. So the impact of obviously more and more young families in the area and what that's what's happening with the with the community as far as the needs on that campus. >> [snorts] >> When we look at the current capacity of how Asante is built, um it's approximately 1,200 students with the original structure is what it's made for. Uh and then, uh right now on the campus, there's also two portables that contains four classrooms, which gives you the ability for another 30 per classroom to another 120, which sets the school at around 1,320 students. Knowing that the hyper growth is happening and we see what's happening just even the short time of moving sixth through eighth graders, we're projecting that obviously much of that need is going to be met here in the next couple years of that if if not if we don't exceed the the full capacity next year of meeting that that structure.
Just that I I think this is also a misunderstanding of the idea that the only time they're going to hear from teachers would be Thanksgiving and that's not enough time to make an adjustment. Um obviously there will be outreach for the entire uh semester. Uh and then the idea of scheduling flexibility, we still heard from a few families that said, "Yes, great. You're going to change conferences. I'm still coming to all of them." So, it's still what we talked about earlier, changing that mindset of prioritize, pick the ones that you need to to talk to. Uh hopefully the the documented outreach and communication that happens up until that point in November will change some of those mindsets. And then you can see the district 58 thing that Cara mentioned earlier. It was raised in two ways. They're the only partner district that does not yet that still has a calendar that would have students in attendance the week of Thanksgiving.
Um, >> any questions on the >> Are we currently under a contract? I don't remember seeing I may may I just may not remember. [clears throat] How often do we contract for fuel? >> So, the last fuel bid we did was two years ago. It ended in November of 24. >> Okay. >> Of 25, I'm sorry. >> And this is for two years as well. >> Yes. >> Is that the typical cadence every two years? >> Yes. And are we changing the type of fuel at all? >> No, we have a diesel tank and then we have a unled tank. >> That would be bad. >> So the the biomix is something that is better for the environment and we've been using it. So it's right. >> That is our winter blend to make sure that our fuel don't gel in the winter time. >> There was one type of I can't remember.
The search process included many hours of reviewing application materials, interviewing semifinalist candidates, and carefully assessing the qualifications of candidates. Hold on. In relation to the candidate profile determined by the board in conjunction with feedback received from the community survey and 14 community forums, the board evaluated 12 applicants from a pool of 37 and interviewed six before narrowing the search to the three finalists. Following interviews with the three finalists together with stakeholder feedback received, the board made the decision to select Dr. Sarah Cashuri as our next superintendent effective July 1st, 2026. A little bit about Dr. Cestory. Uh she comes to this position with highly qualifying credentials that include a doctorate of education and curriculum leadership from Northern Illinois University in 2016 and an I'm going to say somebody needs to tell me what an EDS is. Education special. Okay. from Western Illinois University 2029, a master of arts and education from Roosevelt University in 2003, and a bachelor of arts and biology at National Lewis University in 2000.
That would include Good Friday in spring break, thus taking away the one day we're trying to make up. So then the last day for students would be on June 1st and for teachers would be on June 4th that would get us that later start in August. Page two of the sense. Let's do that. So we look at the 2029 the alternate schedule um starting on the 14th for teachers students starting on the 16th moving that spring break week down to March including Good Friday in that week. I have to let you know. So while we have those conversations, Diana sits in there and listens and then she goes and tries to put it together and then she and Landa get together and hash it out again. And even today they had to step away, come back, give it an hour for lunch and come back and look at it again and try and it's I think Mr.
Right. The other thing is you have to think that people who are looking for that guarantee. You put how many of your children are on buses, your students are on buses. You're not wanding kids at the bus stop, are you? Of course not. So it doesn't give that 100% guarantee that people are asking for. And that's what people need to understand about this. And too often around the country, we see school districts under pressure, administrators and boards under pressure who care like you do and want to do the right thing. There's just so much enormous pressure. It's like, okay, we'll just put this up to get, you know, to make the parents feel safer until you have the first incidents where the circumvented. Now the parents are even more angry because they got the illusion which we refer to as security theater that that's going to give some guarantee that nobody can give.
Any questions? So, I just last week, last week or the week before, I can't remember which. Was it last week when I went to the state house? >> Yes, >> they're all calling together. One of the underlying conversations because it wasn't a budget year, but there were conversations starting to float around the state house is the switching of of how we do our budgets from a ratebased policy. No, it was going to rate. Basically, they're they're saying they're they're going from one uh where we set our le from levy based to rate based and they were floating around the idea of basically capping the school rate at about a dollar. Looking at what we have here, it looks like our our 2026 rate is 08755. Is that correct? >> So, we're under that dollar. So, we're under that dollar. So, we we would be >> in good shape.
But we do believe that that we do need to plan for the future knowing that this number is already being tested. So what we did is we we took a a long look at what the proposed expansion could look like on the campus. And the most uh feasible way to do that, the affordable way to do that. Uh and and the the the part we looked at was u uh that's most realistic is an additional three more portables on that facility. Uh that would provide six more classrooms. Uh and with doing that, that would give us the ability to add another 180 students. So, five portables on that facility would give you about 300 in students uh capacity in addition to the 1,200 uh giving you a full capacity of about 1500 kids. That would require on the outside area an addition of a module restroom facility.
Um and uh there was some concerns raised about their first day of school being the same as our meet the teacher night. Um I had a conversation with Dr. Russell, the superintendent of district 58 about that. He said there's no events that evening in in district 58 and nothing that would overlap with our events that evening. Uh and it has happened before that their first day of school is also our curriculum night. So uh I don't know why that emerged as a concern amongst families. Um but I just want to acknowledge it was there and I did have a conversation with Dr. Russell and he doesn't see um uh a conflict because of those happening on the same day. So far as Thanksgiving goes, I have shared with him openly and often even over the development of this proposal that this could be a possibility and that he would be the one elementary school outlier.
>> It's the one. So when there's a certain level of viscosity, right, when there's uh really cold days, >> so when it's below -10, that's when you want to change that biodiesel to make sure that it doesn't gel our tank. >> Okay. Maybe I misunderstood something. Um we this would be a switch in suppliers potentially. >> This time it will be a switch of suppliers. Yeah. Any other questions? >> No, I just want to thank everyone for their commitment to the competitive bid process. So, thank you. I'm glad that we are entering uh a contract that's going to save us some money. >> Do you have a concept of how many gallons of each of these fuels that we purchase each year? So it's a roughly around 260 [clears throat] 280 gallons just just depending on the weather sometimes and our field trips that we take.
Dr. Catator has extensive educational experience as a middle school math and science teacher, a curriculum and assessment coordinator, director of curriculum and assessment, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, and deputy superintendent. Dr. Catchi started her career as a middle school teacher in Virginia, continuing her teaching in Illinois at Community Unit District 300 and Keland Community Unit School District 302. She transitioned to administration as the curriculum assessment direct coordinator, then director of curriculum and assessment prek through 8 at Troy Community Consolidated School District 30C in Planefield. At Oakrove School District 68, Dr. Catchi was the director of curriculum and grant coordinator and then assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Since 2021, she has earned the Mundel she has served the Mundeline community first as the assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in district 75 as a most and most recently as the deputy superintendent for Mundline High School District 120 and elementary district 75.
mentioned it's algebra. It may be more like trig coming up with the equations. >> I I think there's so many tricks that we do, right? Like I do love the Monday, Wednesday for teachers, students that that full week. I love the full week of um fall break. I love the three days for Thanksgiving. So, I think there's so much that we do right that then it kind of gridlocks you into the calendar on what else you could do. So, thank you guys for all of your effort. I'm sure this is something you guys will be very happy to move fast for the year. >> We will. We will >> because a second semester requiring all those state test etc. How many days are you looking at differential between first semester and second? >> Um so here you can see it's first semester is 84 and 96.
The reality is we're in the business our goal would be risk elimination. Our reality is risk reduction to the best that you can do it. There's no 100% security from the schoolhouse to the White House. There's no guarantee. >> I have a question. Um, it's a pleasure seeing you again and thank you again for what you do. The question that I have is while you're going through your assessments and having these very sensitive conversations regarding safety and security. What recommendations are you giving to the schools to the administration to effectively maintain um a welcoming environment not only for the students but their families as well who trust us with their stu with their children. >> I think that's important. Our one of my goals is to address the issues that you have as a board and that your constituents are bringing to you >> such as the weapon protection.