001will officially call to order the Prairie Hill Community Consolidated School District 133 regular board meeting. Today is Wednesday, August 27th, 2025 and it is 5:31 p.m. [Music] >> here. Mrs. >> Here I can't hear anything. >> Mr. >> Here >> Mr. L >> here. Can we all stand for the pledge of allegiance, please? I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and toy for it stands one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. He said, welcome everybody. Um, I'm sure a majority of the crowd here is for the pride of Perry Hill this month, which is the artisan residents. Um, I think officially our wonderful art teachers are going to take it from me >> wherever they went. >> Uh, we have Mrs. Kumer and Mashek somewhere. There they are.
002Do one of you want to give a quick little speech about what this is and the honor and all the fun stuff? >> I'll volunteer myself. All right. Uh those who don't know me, I am like I teach art here at Willbrook. Um so every year we get the privilege of choosing a handful of students who just really displayed awesome artistic talent and you know really developed their skills and so we get to choose a handful to display in our hallways for the remainder of the school year. Um, and then they will get these back for even next year. >> Yeah. At the end of the year, we'll give them to you to keep forever and put them in. So, congratulations to all of our winners. We're super excited to announce them and show off
003their talents tonight. So, here's how we'll kind of announce the names. We'll hold up the artwork and then at the end after we announce all 20 or so, um, we'll make sure we give you guys some time to come up and do some photos and everything. Okay. So, make sense? Cool. We good? All right. Who want to go first? Sure. Okay, start with kindergarten. I get started. Last year kindergarten I have a Dylan Jenkins and then you can go have a seat and we definitely get Sorry over there traffic first grade her artwork. Virginia [Music] Sophia Bower. Addison. I have to buy him early. We take a picture. Nice. Nice little green smile. I'll take one. >> Okay. >> She said I'm not a good picture. >> Nice job. All right, I'm going first. I
004don't know if my one and only. Okay. Um, first up is Alison Bean with her awesome pattern rhino. So, Night Guard in the Remand style. We got Marissa. All right, we have another Renaissance perspective unread. Very nice. Next up, we have a beautiful impressionist painting by Miss Haley Kerry. Beautiful. >> All right. Cool. Funky mixed media portrait by Mr. Penny Peterson. >> Maybe the funniest one. It's a moment parody by Joey. All right, we got another impressionist painting this time. It's cute little malard by Asher Willy. Okay, we got a beautiful mooney inspired Japanese bridge by Miss Stark. This is a fun one inspired by the Harlem Renaissance. Lots of print making and layers by Miss Avery Rick. And last but not least, we've got our cool textured inspired ram by Mr. Sure. Mark. Okay.
005So, I guess that's Yeah. So, if anybody wants to get up and leave, we don't, you know, we're okay with it. If you want to take some pictures quick, we'll give you some minutes. If you want your own picture, we'll pass up. So, happy visitors. Valerie Balman hear this maybe um a year ago almost a almost a year ago today I began working with some of you Lord has changed a lot um to transform a space outside of the school in honor of my son Jack what has been created is more than just a physical space it's a living reminder of the strength and compassion of this community. In the most difficult chapter of my life, I was able to move forward because I was surrounded by support that's unlike anything I've ever known. For
006the school board to allow this space to be made is a true testament to the kind of community we live in. One that not only educates, but uplifts, cares, and honors. It's difficult to put into words how much it means to me to walk by this space each day and see it honoring Jack's life. It is a reminder that his impact continues not only in memory but in action. Through the work of our organization, we've been able to provide 13 preK scholarships to children in our surrounding community. This space is now another way that Jack's life is shaping educational experiences and making a lasting difference. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your role in bringing this to life. Your decision to create this space ensures that Jack's legacy lives on in a
007way that inspires growth, learning, and community connection for years to come. And I invite you all um on September 6 from 2 to 4, we'll have our dedication ceremony. I hope that you can attend. >> Thank you. Agenda looking for approval of the July regular meeting minutes, July committee meeting minutes, August bills equaling $161,76311 August payroll and August treasures report and the student activity fund. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. Bunker, >> yes. >> Finan, >> yes. >> Tyler, >> yes. >> Anderson, yes. >> Yes. >> Hey, administrator reports. Where you guys been? All settled. >> Hey, welcome back. >> I went to Florida. It was great. >> Um, went to Marco Island. It was really warm down there. It was great, though. Drove the whole way. >> Um, I love to drive. I love
008seeing the countryside. So, but um much much appreciated time with family and recharge and we're ready to go. So, on that >> because you're going. >> Yeah. Yeah. On that note, uh this year being the second year there. Yeah, we're going. >> You're going already. >> This is the second year for me here uh at Prairie Hill and it's been a great start. Um, with the addition of, just to kind of fill you in on some of our SIP day stuff, with the addition of the special education teachers in the building, um, one of our main focuses this year is how can we do more co-eing and co-learning opportunities in the building. So, when we have two certified teachers, um, how are each of them being utilized within a classroom to support not just the
009students who have an uh, are in special education, but how can they help the environment um, in general? So, we're in the infancy of that. Uh I'm really kind of excited to seeing how the interactions with the special ed teachers and the general ed teachers working together to provide a really good solid start for our students. So Paula Cluth came uh the very first day back from summer and she gave us some great ideas and examples for how teachers can work together and how parents can help support them. So I I really enjoyed the practical applications that that we had. Our two back to school nights were well attended. Uh prek was the Thursday before um from 5:30 to 6:30. It's fun to see those little ones coming in and and dropping their supplies off.
010Yeah. It's good. >> Um and then we again it was well attended on Monday night for for K K through four. Um I have to do a quick shout out too. Uh over the first six days of school, I've spent a lot of time in and out of all the classrooms. And I really want to shout out all the teachers. All of them are doing get to know you activities and setting routines and doing culture building. It's really clear and the students are responding really well both within the classroom and outside of the classroom. And I I think we all expect great things from our students and staff this year. Uh we started team collaboration meetings today uh to set the tone for the year. The teachers are looking at historical and current data of
011their uh of how the students are performing and we are in the beginning stages of planning of how to improve for the year. What we're going to look at um as Valerie had said, Jack Story Garden was completed over the summer. I don't know if you had a chance to look at it. The composite bench is wonderful. Uh we do have the dedication ceremony on next not this Saturday, but next Saturday the 6 from 2 to 4. It's an open house. >> Uh they've scheduled readalouds every 15 minutes. Um, I will say something very briefly at 2 o'clock and then Val is actually going to be the first one to read. We are confirmed on this, right? >> Yep. >> With her new book in honor of Jack. So, was I supposed I don't know
012if I could spill the beans, but I spilled the beans. >> Um, and then so yeah, open house. We've got flower planting, some chalk drying all over the pavement, painting, rocks, and refreshments, and everyone is welcome. So, we're looking forward to a nice afternoon um for that. Uh Clint did upload in the board docs. Um Mrs. Kentner and Mrs. Jenkins would like to start a volunteer. They're volunteering one hour a month, a helping hands crew. They would like to get 20 students to join a club that meets once a month just to beautify inside and outside the school. Uh just to kind of do a little bit of volunteer work. Uh we don't know what that looks like yet, which is why it's a pilot. We're going to find out where it goes. But, uh,
013I'm looking forward to I I think there's some appetite for kiddos to help out in the building week. Um, the, if you haven't seen it, our prek playground, it is fenced in and we have mulch, but nothing else. Don't worry, we know there's nothing in there. Uh, we're working with the prek team currently right now on starting to put equipment in there. So, just know that this is a process and it will take some time. Um, it is not done, just so everyone's aware of that. But we're excited for that space. Um, just a quick reminder, our PSA back to school night is this Friday from 5:30 to 7:30. Uh, we hope to see everybody there. It's at Prairie Hill. And, um, we are, everybody kind of wonders about staffing. Staffing is doing really well
014uh, this year. We're only short one para educator, but Mrs. Burke and I are interviewing in the morning. So, I'm hoping to have someone for recommendation by the next board meeting. But, uh, welcome back and thank you all and hopefully you had a good summer as well. Pray for you. >> Thank you. >> All right. So, um, at Willoughbrook, same thing. We've been off to a really great start. Um, as you know, it's there's a lot of moving pieces to make the middle school work because kids don't stay in one classroom all day. They go to many. Um, so last week, beginning of the week, we hosted two back to school nights. We had our fifth grade back to school night. Um, we offer them just a little bit of time by themselves because the
015building is new, the schedule is new, the routine is new. So, we invite everybody in on that night. We do a little presentation in the gym. Um, and then they get to go and practice their lockers, go through their schedules, meet their teachers. Um, that one's a little bit more stressful for the kiddos because the lockers are always something that causes them a lot of strife for the first few days, but they get it in no time and they they do really really well. Um, the second night we did have the sixth through 8th grade open house. Um, so this is kind of old old hat for our kids when they come in at that point, but they get to come go to their lockers, meet teachers, walk their schedules, um, see friends. Uh it's
016really important on both those nights that we have everybody come because it helps us like we do have some locker issues so they'll let me know some busting issues they'll let me know. So there's kind of you're flying like a fly all over the building but everybody gets kind of those first day jitters set aside um and it makes the morning run a lot easier the next day. So both events were really really well attended. um anybody who couldn't come reached out and we did offer some alternative times for them to come in which is nice because we do have that flexibility to be able to do that. Um the other benefit that we found with having this the two back to school nights we do fifth grade first and then they can come back
017the second night when we do sixth to eighth grade. So if they really want to practice that locker because that is something that's scary to them or meet, you know, just walk their schedule again, they can do that and it gives them some extra time. Um, so we find that really helps the next couple of days when they come in with that stress of it's always the locker locker is always funny to kind of watch parents because they'll be like this is nothing like our lockers were back in the day because you know anybody who's done our lockers they have this like really far weird twist at the end and so you explain that piece but until you do it everybody's really thrown by it. People the you can see all the parents looking for
018like the clickup thing that we used to have you know what I'm talking about and they can't find it. So, it's always good. Um, but on that note, I would like to take a minute and say thank you to Jimmy and our custodial staff. Um, we have had a lot of changes specifically in Olarbrook with our custodians and they really rocked it out this summer. They did a lot of work to make the building ready. They did a lot of work to make sure everything was in tip-top shape. Um, as you know, we talk about them often, our goat friends out back. Uh, I've been saying for a couple years that I need this to look more aesthetic for me out back. Um, so if you see, they did update the fence. Um, they took
019down a duck house enclosure thing that was over here that was looking a little like it needed some love. Doug last year had done last year or two years ago had done the fencing around the garden. So, it's really evolving and it's becoming something that's a little bit more pleasing to look at. And the kids still love the goats. I get kids all the time at lunch asking if they can go feed them certain stuff, which is amazing. Um, so big shout out to Jimmy for that. Um, another thing I'd like to take a minute and just thank Chris Kerska, our secretary, and Erica Goodsell, who happens to be here tonight because when she's not teaching or when Cara for all the years before, we always hired her to work in June and August to
020help with all the scheduling and madness that needs to happen in the office to make middle school happen. Um, and really without the two of them, my world would be much crazier. So, they do a wonderful job um helping get all the schedules and the class sizes and all of that information ready to go and state reporting and all that and I couldn't do without them. So, I appreciate you very much. Um also, thank you to the PSA because they do our balloon decorations. So, the arch up front, we also do balloons on the side where the bus kids come in. Uh you'll see at the middle school we really have a lot more bus riders than we do drop off and pick up, but um it's nice to have decorations for both sides. They
021also treated the staff to breakfast. So, they put breakfast and drinks and stuff in the lounge, which was amazing. They're very, very good to us. Um, as Craig said, you never know with staffing and we are fully staffed in Wbrook, which is amazing. So, we have a full load of teachers, a full load of paras. Um, all of our teachers have been doing an amazing job getting kids kind of back in the routine, also setting their expectations, but getting to know them. Um, one of the benefits I think of Willowbrook is that because we are a smaller district, some of our teachers have kids two times in a row, sometimes maybe even three times or four times in a row for the years that they go through here. So, the relationships that we have with
022them by the time they leave are really unmatched. And it's really cool to kind of see that evolve from fifth grade all the way to 8th grade. Um, we did start our I Ready benchmark testing this week. So, we're doing math and literature uh reading testing, which kids have been working on. And speaking of staff, I know she's not here, but I think we need to just take a moment and recognize that it is Mrs. Marcy Ball's last year with us in the district. So, she has been working as a teacher for 34 years. This is her 34th, I should say. So, it's her 34th year and after this year, she will retire. Um we wish her the best in her last year, but it is definitely a large hole in many many ways to
023leave um and to fill I should say. Um so it'll it'll be rough because her and Ryan have been like big people in my life here but also in the district and I think you know we Mr. Ryan's retired a couple years ago even though he showed up a lot we still wonder if I hope Marcy will be the same but I hope she has a great year. Um, additionally, all of our fall extracurriculars have gotten started. We have students that can be part of petrol. Somebody grandparents earlier were like, "Who takes care of these goats?" Um, our kids do. Um, with the help of it used to be Mrs. Duncan, who was our nurse before, but now I believe Alison Cal has taken that over. So, they go out and they feed the goats
024and take care of them. And sometimes throughout the year, we'll have chicks, sometimes we'll have bunnies. You know, whatever pops up here, we take around here. Um, so we also have run clubs getting started. Student council elections are buzzing right now, so kids are getting signatures, getting ready with all that good stuff. And then our sports as well. And then, as Mr. Carter mentioned, we do have the back to school barbecue on Friday. So, we look forward to seeing everybody to kick off Labor Day weekend. >> Thank you. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Sizzik. >> All right. Uh, you two said it all. Great start to the school year. Uh, probably one of the smoothest I' I've ever felt. I felt like the three days of >> No, I mean like it it was a great
025start to the school year. I was very excited. We did a lot of things for the first three institute days. Uh had a lot of good trainings, had a lot of um good speakers. Um and then, you know, just new staff, new uh new students coming in. Uh it was just really smooth. I'm really exciting to get back to it. Uh excited to have these two back as well after all their fun vacations. Um, but this is probably one of my more favorite meetings where whether it happens in August or September or whatever, the artist residents because it's just really cool to see the whole library pack with just a bunch of bunch of fun stuff with students and and parents and bunch of grandparents and uh being able to see and recognize their kids.
026So, super fun there. Um, couple things just for today's meeting or tonight's meeting. Uh, I wanted to let the board know there is a tenative budget in the sh in the shared folder there if you want to take a look at that. uh preliminary numbers. We look to be in pretty good shape. Uh there's still some things I need to tweak and whatnot and then we'll have the presentation in September on that. So if you want to take a look at that, if you have any questions between now and September, please let me know. Um we have the Summit Academy intergovernmental agreement that we'll approve tonight and if you remember from the committee of the whole that is an agreement with uh one of our alternative learning schools uh in I think Machznney Park is
027the actual address. And if there's any a time where we have a student that might need an alternative setting for a variety of reasons, um we would be able to send them theirs through the regional office of education. Um we just have to uh sign that agreement and you know, basically say that we're all kind of on the same page with what that looks like. And then finally, I just wanted to let everybody know uh we do a new theme every single year. Uh this theme that we came up with as an administrative team is called cultivating connections. Uh and the idea is to um really work in the classroom and in a lot of different areas on communication, collaboration, care, compassion, and courage. Uh so those are the five things that we're really asking
028the teachers to to take a look at. Um learning is important, assessments are important, but relationships are are just as important, if not more important. So um we really want to put an emphasis on that this year. So that's our theme for 2526 school year. about all I have for tonight. >> So, Mr. did kind of go over some of the things we have to vote on tonight um and some things that we talked about at the committee of the whole meeting, but for our subcommittee reports, building and finance, does anybody have anything else to bring up or any other questions about anything? The budget will be in that election next month. >> Yes. >> Um, education and transportation. Anything new or any questions about anything? >> I have a question. >> There was something
029that we talked about was when I guess new board members just started about uh last year there were some bus routes where kiddos were having to cross a road to get to their road, things like that. Was that sort of thing resolved? >> You think so? >> I think so. I know that they You have to enter the bus in the side of the street that you're >> correct. Yeah. The bus pulls into our neighborhood now to pick up the kids and then it just pulls around >> and my route went reverse back to like years. It was top of like top of white school. >> The ones I thought appear to be. >> Yeah. As far as I know, please let me know. That was a big emphasis from first student from from us
030to say like this needs to be taken care of. And as far as I know, they have. If not, >> have parents reach out or if you want to reach out. >> Yeah, they do. >> Yeah, >> they keep at least for Willow Rock and the Santory Hill, they keep updating us with route changes, too, because it took him a hot minute. Um, but they got it. So, every I mean, they picked up everybody and they took everybody home, but it just so they've been updating times and things. So, um, I had one parent call today about a switch for a stop, but it wasn't because of crossing a road. It was an related issue to that. So I haven't heard any nits elsewhere. Good. They resolved it. All right. So at this time I
031do need a motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement with Summit Academy. >> Moved. >> Second. >> Yes. >> Mr. Shley. >> Yes. Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. Policy. I know we have a first reading. Yes. >> So, we got a issue of press come out from IASB to go over a lot of five-year reviews. essentially no significant changes like we talked about but um in the committee the whole but we do have quite a few policies that have minor working changes or some legal reference changes. This is the first reading. So if you have questions certainly think about those from now until the next meeting or ask any fer request. Okay. At this time I will entertain a motion to enter executive session to discuss appointment employment compensation discipline performance or dismissal of specific employees
032to see one. Second. Yes. >> Yes. >> Mr. Kelly. >> Yes. >> Anderson. >> Yes. >> Okay. We going close.