SD308 Board of Education Meeting (04/28/2025)

001Community Unit School District Board of Education meeting for April 28th, 2025. Can I have a roll call, please? Mr. Seron, here. Mr. Gatewood, present. Miss Johnson, present. Dr. Mario, present. Mr. Clover, present. Miss Simon, present. Miss Venmouth, present. Student board member, present. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Good evening board. Uh this evening we are thrilled to bring to you our uh announcements and celebrations of for our pride award. Uh our district is made better and stronger by the recognition and the example of these individuals you're going to hear about tonight. And I invite our executive director of schools, Mr. Francis, to speak and share news of these

002award winners this evening. All right. Thank you, Dr. Kelatti. Tonight, the board of education acknowledges pride winners from Asiggo East, Asiggo High School, Plank Junior High, and Transition for the month of April. Pride stands for proudly recognizing individuals demonstrating excellence. The board of education began the program nine years ago to recognize, promote, and celebrate the many contributions made by teachers and employees across the district. We thank our generous district partners, Chick-fil-A, Culver's, Imagination Print and Design, Huntington Learning Center, Serve Bank, and The Scoop for helping to make this program successful. We would also like to thank all of those who nominated individuals for consideration. Awardees, after your name is called and we share your nomination, please come forward to be congratulated by the board and Dr. Kilgotti and then wait until the rest of the

003individuals from your school have been called up. Our first school tonight is Asiggo East High School. All right. First, we'd like to welcome Madura Rei, science teacher. Madura is a welcoming, caring presence at OEHS. Her passion for chemistry is both admired and appreciated by her students who feel well educated from her classes. Madura goes out of her way to help students and her overall positivity has made an impact. As a former student shared, quote, "She actually made us feel like we were the best part of her day." Congratulations, Madura. Next up, English teacher Patrick Sweeney. Referred to as a pillar at OE, Patrick is intentional in building strong relationships with his students and fellow staff members. He uses his sense of humor to engage with his classes and makes it evident that he cares about

004his students. One parent said, quote, "Mr. Mr. Sweeney is not only a great teacher, but is also a great mentor to my son, even though he's no longer in his class. Congratulations, [Applause] Patrick. Next up, Stacy Sager Adams, business teacher. As both a teacher and sponsor of OE's Business Professionals of America chapter, Stacy exemplifies a great commitment to her students. She shares relevant real life stories that connect to in-class content, making difficult concepts easy to understand. Miss Sager cares a lot about her students in a way that decentralizes the need for perfect academics and instead focuses on personalized growth and character. That was a quote from a student. Congratulations, Stacy. Next up, teacher assistant Enrique Figureroa. Enrique displays a commitment to students and staff alike. Consistently going the extra mile, he's a team player, collaborating

005effectively with others. As shared by a nominator, his patience and reliability make him a cherish cherished member of Asiggo East, endearing him to everyone he works with. Congratulations, Enrique. And next up from Asiggo East, Kelly Quirin from the food service department. Kelly is dedicated to providing students with a variety of meal options and ensuring that if a student is hungry, they get fed. Outside of her specific food services, she is a comforting presence as her nominator shared that quote, "The students know that they can vent to her and that the cafeteria is a safe place to be." Congratulations, Kelly. All right, let's give one big round of applause for East Pride Winners at this time. Any building admin is in Vancowski. Come on up. One second. Stay there. Congratulations. Congratulations, Asiggo Pride winner. Our next

006spotlight school is Awiggo High School. First of all, Colleen Mchuan. Come on up, Colleen. Helina is a special education teacher and is known for her positivity and patience. She knows how to find students potential and encourages them to reach it all while encouraging her teacher assistants and other co-workers too. Quote, "Her patience, dedication, and ability to connect with each individual make her a standout educator." Congratulations, Colleen. Next up, math teacher Greg Pelder. A motivator and supporter, Gregory Pelzer pushes his students to do their best. He finds ways to make learning fun while challenging his students to grow. His efforts allow students to realize their own potential. Quote, "Mr. Pelzer cares about the students and I feel truly wants to see them all succeed. A parent shared, "Congratulations, Mr. Pelzer." Next up, industrial education teacher Kevin

007Patterman. Kevin puts his students first and provides safe, highquality education in his area of expertise. He is kind, hard-working, and a problem solver, serving as a role model for all students. One student said, "He brings enthusiasm to the classroom every day and makes every student want to learn. I look forward to his class when going to school." Congratulations, Kevin. Next up, Lynn White, special education secretary. [Applause] Lynn's positive attitude and grace under pressure has had a significant impact on the OS special education department. She keeps things running smoothly, managing coverage, providing resources, and offering general support. Quote, "The strong relationships she builds create a safe and welcoming environment where students feel supported and make the most of their time at OS." Congratulations, Lynn. [Applause] and teacher assistant Sydney Westney is a role model to many

008around her. As a supporter of students, she offers oneon-one guidance and understands that every student progresses at their own pace. As highlighted by her nominator, Sydney goes above and beyond to provide individualized support for the students that require her assistance. Congratulations, Sydney. And one big round of applause for High School winning Principal Gray. They'll tell us. One, two, three. Thank you, Asiggo High School. It is now time to celebrate Plank Junior High. First of all, Deja Puri, science teacher. Deja is a kind person and works to cultivate a culture of fun in her classroom. She is thorough in her lessons and helpful in understanding difficult concepts. Her positive attitude provides encouragement to her students. quote, "She is a very nice teacher and helps us to learn so easily," said one student. "Congratulations." Next up, ELA

009teacher Jill Bean. [Applause] Jill prioritizes her students well-being and education over everything else and her dedication to her role is further emphasized through her involvement with various organizations and committees. A student shared, "Mrs. Bean is the most supportive and positive teacher I've ever had. While teaching and while we just speaking to her, I always felt happier after talking to her or after I've left her class." Congratulations, Jill. Next up, math teacher Bill Davis. The care shown by Bill is evident through his support of students as both scholars and individuals. He makes difficult classes fun and easy to understand, providing additional resources for anyone needing assistance. He also takes action in situations that call for quick response. As one parent wrote, "My kiddo is constantly mentioning Mr. Davis, and that is huge." Congratulations, Bill. Next up,

010teacher assistant Melissa Ross. Melissa is motivated to work with her students. She's an effective communicator, consistently using students communication devices. She's inclusive of students in all educational activities. Her nominator shared, "She loves the students and they love her." Many of them yell out her name and hug her when she comes to the classroom. Congratulations, Melissa. And substitute teacher Swapna Manchala. Swapna is a kind and responsible individual, always making the effort to help students. Her actions show that she cares for the people around her. She's dedicated to supporting her building and ensuring students stay on track with their learning. One nominator said her positive attitude, patience, and willingness to assist in any way make a meaningful impact in the classroom. Congratulations. One final round of applause. We need Mr. Springer. Come on up. Congratulations. Point pride

011winner. All right, for our final building celebration this evening, we move to the transition and pathways program. Our first winner is social worker Jessica Shega. Working tirelessly to support students in an innovative manner, Jessica is greatly appreciated by those around her. She's thoughtful, collaborative, and constantly seeks the input of all stakeholders. As highlighted by a fellow coworker, quote, "Jessica's thoughtful approach and compassion for our students and passion for her role is apparent in every day of the school year." Congratulations, Jessica. Next up, teacher Lisa Rooda. Lisa's patience and kindness is shared with students and staff members alike. Often the first to volunteer in supporting other classrooms, she brings a strong sense of positivity to her work. She's committed to supporting her students through every step of their journey. One nominator said, "She is the hardest,

012most caring teacher that I have ever had the privilege to work with." Congratulations, Lisa. And our last celebration tonight in the Pride winners is teacher assistant Sharon Shambball. Sharon's hard work and care has had such an impact on those in her building. She approaches every challenge with a positive attitude and a smile on her face. She's very helpful to both students and staff. quote, "She is a total assets to our program, our students, and our school staff." Congratulations, Sharon. One final round of applause. And Keith, come on up. One, two, three. All right. One more picture. Congratulations. All right. Congratulations everybody. One final round of applause as we recognize and celebrate these amazing staff members from all of our schools. Honores, please proceed out to the hall gathering at the landing of the stairs for

013a large group photo. Again, all honores gather at the base of the stairs for a large group photo. Thank you to the families and colleagues who have showed up to celebrate. I like you too cuz you can smell the alcohol. Oh yes. So we limit it to three minutes. Let's see what we're doing. Okay. All right. Okay. Okay, we're moving to 5.1, the public hearing for renewal of state waiver. So, we are going to have two opportunities for public comment tonight. The first opportunity will be during the public hearing on the renewal of the show choir waiver application and the second opportunity will be during the public comment portion of the meeting. If you wish to make a comment about the show choir waiver application, please make it during the public comment portion of that

014hearing. If you wish to make a comment about some other matter unrelated to the public hearing, you may do so during the second opportunity for public comment. So, public hearing 5.1. This is the public hearing convened by the board of education of community unit school district 308 regarding the renewal of the show choir state waiver application. Dr. Mitchell, deputy superintendent, is with us this evening and will present an overview of the Oh, no. She is it. Do I have it right? Dr. Mitchell, leave the other part off. Okay. So, Dr. Mitchell is with us this evening and will present an overview of the district's waiver application and the submission and approval process going forward. After the overview, the members of the board of education and members of the district administrative team will be invited to

015ask questions and share their thoughts. Then members of the public will be invited to comment on the application. At this time I will ask each member of the board of education the what is Dr. Mitchell's um title executive directors of schools and the district administrators who will speak to identify themselves for the record. And now I I will ask that Dr. Mitchell present her overview of the district's renewal of the show choir waiver. At this time, board members and district administrators are invited to ask questions of Dr. Mitchell. Good evening, board president Simamilton, Vice President Gaywood, members of the board of education, and superintendent Kilgotti. The purpose of the current state waiver application is to request the renewal of our previously approved waiver that would allow SD308 to continue the opportunity for high school students

016participating in commotion, the Asiggo Community School District 308 showquire to be able to continue to utilize a state physical education waiver. The state waiver application is specifically for a waiver of school code section 27-6 to allow district 308 to exempt students in 9th through 12th grade who are active participants in commotion from the statemandated physical education requirement. Students eligible for this waiver have a minimum of three rigorous practice sessions for a total of 7 and a half to 10 hours per week. and the waiver, if renewed, would allow these students to schedule a study hall. The application requests the renewal of the waiver for five years. Thank you. Okay. Do we have public comment on this um waiver? Okay. At this time, I would like to ask our administrators if they have any additional information,

017documentation, or recommendations that they would like to have before the board while we consider whether to authorize the show choir waiver application. Dr. Mitchell or Dr. Concincaid no. Okay. All right. At this time, recommendation is to continue. We are in support of the right now. Yes. At this time, we will close the public hearing. On behalf of the board of education, I would like to thank the members of the community who have spoken here tonight. The board of education will review the application and consider the testimony that um has been heard today as well as any additional relevant information it has received. The board of education will discuss the application and vote whether or not to authorize the state waiver application during the action portion of this agenda. Okay. Now we'll move to 6.1 public

018comment. So on behalf of the board of education I would like to thank the public for attending tonight's meeting. We value the feedback we receive from our from the members of our public. Encourage everyone to take an active interest in their public school system. Individuals interest in speaking to the board of education this evening are asked to have completed a comment card and presented it to the secretary to the board. When the secretary calls your name, I ask that you come to the microphone and state your name for the public record and provide your feedback. Please note that comments are limited to three minutes per person. The board does not participate in discussion during public comment. Comments should address the board of education as a whole and not be directed to an individual board member,

019audience, or staff member. Followup to your questions or concern concerns may be addressed by administration through the contact information provided on the comment card. Thank you, Nicole Johnson. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Nicole Johnson. I have two daughters in school district 308, currently in 10th grade at OS and first grade at Foxchase. I, along with many other parents, and guardians tonight, seek help and additional support for all students, teachers, and staff at Foxchase. We have more than 60 signatures attached to the statement I will read next representing those that express their full support of what I'm sharing along with others also speaking seeking help tonight. As a community, we are deeply concerned and increasingly distressed by the persistent challenges affecting our children's educational experiences and emotional well-being. Over the past months and in

020some cases years, we have made consistent efforts to raise these concerns through meetings, emails, phone calls, and participation in community forums. Despite the good faith efforts, collaborate and efforts to collaborate with school and district leadership, the issues we have brought forward remain insufficiently addressed. One of our most pressing concerns is the ongoing presence of extreme behavioral disruptions within classrooms. These incidents have become frequent and significantly impact the learning environment. There is lack of effective and consistent behavioral management, limited implementation of meaningful interventions, and insufficient administrative follow-through in actionable responses. Based on our children's experiences, these issues have not improved and continue to go unressed in any lasting or measurable way. Students are increasingly exposed to environments that feel unstable and at times unsafe, not due to academic difficulty, but due to unchecked behavioral incidents that

021disrupt learning and and elevate stress. Many have now begun expressing that they do not feel safe at school, which is deeply troubling and indicative of the severity of the situation. This is this not only hinders their academic process but also contributes to emotional strain as they are expected to adapt to conditions that should not be normalized in any educational setting. This situation has reached a critical juncture. Our children are being affected both academically and emotionally and the urgency of this matter can no longer be minimized or deferred. We need immediate, transparent and effective action to restore safe and productive learning environment at Foxchase. This is not merely a matter of inconvenience. It directly concerns the well-being and futures of all students. Thank you. Thank you. Caitlyn Place. Good evening. My name is Caitlyn Place and

022I am a parent of a first grader and third grader at Foxchase Elementary. Since my first grader began kindergarten, she has been in a classroom environment marked by frequent severe behavioral disruptions. These incidents have included flipping tables, throwing chairs, objects, ripping items off the wall, hitting, spitting, taking personal belongings, running from the classroom, yelling, and using profanity. These disruptions have caused a constant state of chaos, stress, and disruption, often resulting in classroom evacuations. Last year, I raised these concerns with both school and district administration. The responses I received were minimal, often dismissive. I chose to give the benefit of the doubt last year. However, this year, now in first grade, the same environment persists. Her class regularly experiences level three and four crisis calls and evacuations, which are now sometimes labeled all classroom bathroom breaks.

023This this renaming doesn't change the reality of what is happening. One recent incident made it painfully clear that the situation is no longer tolerable. When my daughter heard her first grade classmate tell her best friend that she they were going to get a gun and assassinate them, despite the gravity of the statement, the school's response and followup was deeply insufficient. That moment was when I realized I have no more grace to give. This is not just frustrating, it is unacceptable and unsafe. My child is not receiving consistent quality education she is legally entitled to. She is being conditioned to view violence and disruption as normal parts of school life. The district's own stated non-negotiables of student safety and uninterrupted learning are clearly not being met. And this isn't only my daughter. The children in crisis

024deserve consistent, effective, and compassionate support. How are these childrens being helped? Why are they being put in an environment every day where they cannot succeed? Academic progress is impaired for everyone. Teachers are left managing crisis instead of teaching and ultimately no one wins. In November, I attended a parent and school meeting at Foxchase. That meeting only happened because many of us had reached out and we were not um we were not we had reached out um to the administration at great lengths without meaningful responses. The system systemic issues were and still are clearly affecting many students, families, classrooms, and teachers. I've remained in contact with Mr. Raldi, Dr. Harmon, Mr. Johnson, and have also reached out to Dr. Kelgotti this school year. There have been meager improvements just recently. The solution I've been offered for

025next year is to write an email requesting a specific class teacher or environment for my child. But what about all the other students in facing these issues? And what about the teachers? I want to also make it clear that the teachers at Foxchase are amazing. The issues aren't persistent because we don't have great teachers. My third grader had the same kindergarten teacher as my first grader. And watching her, an excellent educator, struggle in a classroom with extreme behaviors that weren't being effectively managed, I could see the toll it was taking. and it was disheartening. We have done our part as partners in this community. The system is failing us. It's failing our teachers and it's failing our children. My hope in working collaboratively with the school district over the past two years was that these

026issues would be addressed because doing so is what's best for our children in the school. Ultimately, that hasn't happened and there continues to be lack of urgency from the district in tackling these problems. If a clear plan and measurable steps is not put in place, I intend to file a formal complaint with the regional office of education as well as the Illinois State Board of Education. We're not asking for perfection. We're asking for safety. We're asking for transparency and a learning environment that where all of our students and teachers can thrive. Thank you for your time and for taking our concerns seriously. As we said in November, we are here to support and advocate for our children, the teachers, and the future of Fox Chase. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Melissa Harry. Good evening.

027Good evening. My name is Melissa Harry and I have a third grader at Foxchase Elementary and a sixth grader at Benarc Junior High. I too am here to speak about the behaviors at Foxchase. I have lived in Asiggo for 10 years and have been teaching in a neighboring district for 25. While I don't have firsthand experience with the behavior challenges that the students and staff have been experiencing, I do have a unique perspective. My oldest has an emotional disability and has had what would what most would call extreme behavior since he was two. We had him evaluated at Broka when he was three and he has since had an IEP. He went through elementary school at the Wheatlands in their skills program and continues to be in skills in the skills program at Bedars. I

028can honestly and truthfully say that despite my initial reservations about sending him to a school other than our home school, the programming he has received through skills has allowed him to learn and grow despite his challenges. The teachers, social workers, administrators, and pair professionals that my son had were some of the best educators I've had the pleasure of working with. They always made my husband and me feel like we were part of our son's team and pivoted as often as necessary. They were caring, patient, fair, creative, and always treated my son with dignity despite his many struggles and differences. They, along with his outside therapists and a loving and supportive family, have allowed for huge gains and growth over the years. I tell you all this in the hope that you can see the perspective

029I have as an advocate for all students getting what they need. In my teaching career as well as as a mom, I have advocated when I felt that my voice could be used for change. And that is my hope in coming to you in coming to speak with you tonight. As an educator, I understand that the parents of the students in question may have a difficult time accepting and/or agreeing with moving forward with the case study, but feel that it is the responsibility of the district in building support teams to bring these parents along and help them understand the impact that their child is having on the general ed population as well as the teachers and staff. The impact that this constant dysregulation must be happening must be having on their own child. Grieving what

030you expected for your child is to be expected. It has taken me years to accept my son's diagnosis. While it does take time, it shouldn't be at the expense of the other students learning and safety. I urge you to funnel more support to the students and staff at Foxchase. In my own building, I have seen the toll that a student who regularly disrupts the learning environment can take on the teacher, students, and support staff. Students can't learn when they don't feel safe. The students in the classrooms that are regular regularly disrupted despite the best efforts of the teachers and staff cannot be getting the education they deserve and are entitled to. I am in full support of the individuals with disabilities act and its protection of students with unique needs. But what about the students

031that idea doesn't protect? Who what are their rights? Who is advocating for them? Clearly, you can see how frustrated we as parents are with the situation. You have claimed to have a partnership with parents and want to see students thrive, but are missing the mark. Seemingly nothing is being done to solve these issues. Sending out slide decks with all the right buzzwords isn't going to make lasting changes. It is the equivalent of a politician going on the news to offer thoughts and prayers after yet another school shooting. No one is thriving academically or socially with what is happening in these classrooms on a regular basis. I implore you as the district leaders and schoolboard members to step in and make this right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Kimberly Balder. Good evening. My name is

032Kimberly Balder. I've had children in SD308 starting since 2010 and currently have a third and eighth grader in 308. Throughout those years, I've been a committed volunteer and home and school board member at Broka, Thompson, Trober, Foxchase, and Southbury. I served as home and school president as at both Brokaw and Foxchase for multiple years. I'm also currently on the school district special needs PTA. Tonight, I'm speaking not only as a parent, but also as a dedicated building sub at Foxchase. I'm here alongside many other concerned parents to ensure that the urgent need for additional resources and support at Foxchase is heard and addressed. Since November, a number of parents, including myself, have followed proper channels and raised alarm about extreme and disruptive behaviors occurring regularly in classrooms. These concerns are not new, and unfortunately, despite

033some incremental changes, many of the issues persist. We are here to advocate for the physical and emotional well-being of every student and staff member in our building. Parents and staff should not be this exhausted trying to secure a safe, supportive learning environment. I'm asking the district to implement a consistent or standard policy requiring that building administration notify parents when a classroom has to be evacuated due to extreme behaviors that disrupt learning for an extended period. Families deserve to know when these incidents occur, especially when they're happening frequently or caused by the same student. While we do appreciate the addition of a wonderful new assistant principal who has helped in many extreme cases, the first grade level remains particularly affected. We've seen daily occurrences of students cursing at staff, throwing objects, running through halls, and trashing

034classrooms. This is not just child's play, especially when it becomes routine. The children exposed to this are beginning to think this is normal. This is not without more support. These behaviors will follow students into the next school year and the cycle will continue. These are serious safety concerns and they deserve urgent action. Thank you for your time and taking these concerns safely. The students and staff at Foxchase and across SD308 deserve safe, supportive learning environments. Thank you. Melissa Ross. Hi, my name is Melissa Ross and um I am reading for Margaret Wright, but I also have a daughter at Foxchase and Tropper. And then I just won a pride u member or thing for I work at at Plank. So anyways, it says, "Dear members of the school board, my name is Margaret Wright. I

035am a parent of a student at Foxchase as well as Trober. I have two children currently enrolled in first and fourth grade at Foxchase. I appreciate the opportunity to address a matter growing of growing concern that directly affects my first grade daughter's health, safety, and ability to learn in a secure environment. Today, my daughter had a seizure in class. um had a seizure while in class while taking a test which caused the dust to fall on her. The seizure came on suddenly as most do and was triggered due to the stress of the test. This is a prime example of why I am writing this letter today to hopefully help you make aware of how serious my daughter's medical issue is and how a simple stressor can cause such a scary and emotional toll on

036her and her body as well as the surrounding students. The repeated behaviors in which a few students are exhibiting during the classroom, which causes for level three and level four assistant, is constantly putting her health at risk. My daughter has epilepsy, a condition that requires a stable and minimally stressful environment to ensure her well-being. Unfortunately, she has been exposed to repeated significant classroom disruption caused by another student struggling with behavioral regulation. Despite my efforts to address this with both the school principal and higher administration, the situation has not improved. Most recently, my daughter was physically struck in the head by an item during one of these outbursts. She was an victim caught in the crossfire of a chaotic and unsafe classroom situation. Her teacher, who is phenomenal, they all are, had called for additional assistance

037when she noticed that this child was becoming more upset. As a parent, I find this completely unacceptable. My daughter's health and safety should never be compromised, especially in a setting where she is meant to feel secure and supported. I understand and fully support inclusive education and the need for students with behavioral challenges to receive the care and resources they deserve. However, this support must not come at the expense of other students safety. It is clear that both the children in this situation are being failed. my daughter whose physical and emotional well-being is now at risk and the child in question who is not receiving the level of behavioral intervention or supervision or education they urgently require. I am here to ask at what cost does something need to happen in order for corrective action to

038happen? Having my child get hit in the head who has epilepsy isn't worry enough about the lack of support these children have. I respectfully urge this board to take immediate and concrete action to address this issue, not only for the sake of my own child, but for every child affected by these circumstances. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Margaret Wright. Thank you. Thank you, Lady Hayen. Hello, I'm community member Katie Heayen, uh, a parent with a timeline of children and SD308 schools. I'm going to start out on a positive note today. I wanted to thank Mr. Patterson and Mr. Wilson for representing our kiddos at Skills USA last week, especially for an industry that can tend to go unsupported or not as much resources as we would expect to have as other trades

039or industries with higher visibility. I'd also like to thank the school board and the administration uh OS attendants, deans, and counselors for approving our son's apprenticeship this year. So that way it wouldn't be considered a truency at the end of his senior year. The other note that I we are kind of falling short on and that's why I have paper today is we are still waiting to hear back on our sons and other students sign day. Many seniors are community members doing volunteer hours or in the trades or going into the services. And regardless if they are an athlete, they are still not getting their sign day, which you could easily put as career readiness instead of committed to said university. Our union, which I'm kind of embarrassed to share, our local 21, the International

040Union of Brick Layers and Alli Craft Workers said they would come out to SD308. I started this email chain back in February 21st. They sent out the dates of March 3rd, March 24th, March 26, March 27th, and we even tried for April 16th. I emailed numerous people from attendants to his IEP team to counselors to deans and I got we don't do that. I don't know if we do that. I need to get it approved by the administration. And it is now April 28th and we are still on deaf ears. What kind of message does that send to students going into an industry if we can't even support local unions coming out to our schools that says they support unionized education that that's your local 21. If you want students to build and restore their

041communities, you need to give it the same kind of visibility. having posts about Skills USA video content, having career readiness posts just as much as committed days to said universities, making sure that you highlight those areas because if you don't support our industry, our form of trade, our education, and not put it on the same pedestal, you alienate community collaboration. I know you guys can fix this. You can fix this for the next generation and the next class coming in. But just know in vision 308 and your story is just going to be a plan if you don't fix this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, moving on to agenda item 7.1. Um, action item 7.1, approval of building administrator contracts. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the building

042administrator contracts as discussed and presented. Second, Mr. Gatewood. Hi, Dr. Mario. Hi, Miss Simon. I Mr. Cerone. Hi, Miss Venmouth. Hi, Mr. Cloer. Hi, Miss Johnson. Hi. Motion passes 70. Great. Um, with that, uh, yes, it's a chance to clap. With that, I want to invite Dr. Zwimky, our assistant superintendent for human resources. Good evening, board. Thank you, Dr. Kelgotti. Uh, tonight we um will recognize uh five building administrators uh who were approved uh just a moment ago, as well as some building administrators that were approved um during our April 7th meeting as well tonight. So, uh if you are here and uh available uh as a as a principal as well too, um please go ahead and stand. We have Katie Lond who is going to be joining us as a special education assistant

043principal at Prairie Point. Katie, please stand. All right, we have Yolanda Stoval from As who will be serving at Asiggo East as an assistant principal. If she is here along with her principal, she may stand. Congratulations. Keith, you're going to have to help me with your last name, sir. Keith is joining us. Keith, if you could join us, special education assistant principal at Foxchase along with Mr. Raldi. Let's give him a round of applause. Not in attendance this evening, although we're very excited for her, is Meredith uh Gerardo, who will be serving from a coordinator to the goal principal. Round of applause for [Applause] her. And then just to prove tonight is Pete Meismer, moving from interim principal to Boulder Hill principal. Pete, are you hiring your next assistant principal? What do we got here?

044Go ahead and introduce my daughter. Let's give her a round of applause, too. Recently approved at our April 7th meeting is, please stand, Stephanie Pasarelli, who will be joining us, Fox [Applause] Chase. Also joining us this evening, uh, approved on 47 is Heather Vile at Murphy Junior High. [Applause] as well as Michelle McCulla Hunt Club, assistant principal for special education. Congratulations. If you could move to 7.2 Did we Did we Did we vote on this already? Did we vote in 7.1? Yeah, we did. Okay, great. Great. Just one minute. Action item 7.2, approval of district administrator contracts. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the district administrator contract as discussed and presented. Second, Mr. Sero. I, Dr. Mario. I, Miss I, Mr. Gatewood. I, Miss Simil. I, Mr. Cloer. I, Miss

045Johnson. I, Motion passes 70. Pass it to Dr. Zky. Perfect. Thank you. Uh tonight, just a moment ago, you approved the contract of our new special education coordinator, Terresa Anderson. If you could please [Applause] stand. And on the 47 meeting, you approved the contract of special program administrator Katie Rens. Please stand. Not in attendance this evening, um is Myra Reyes, assistant director of human resources. Reagan Sanderggoth, director of schools and staff development, not in [Applause] attendance. And Alli Anderson, director of schools and humanities. Congratulations to all. Thank you board. I want to thank you for your confidence and support. Uh tonight we approved many individuals who are growing from within. um part of a strong sig signal of a growing and thriving community is an investment from within. And I just want to thank um

046all of our applicants, but especially those who were approved by the board this evening for your commitment to our district's vision and uh coming success. Thank you. Well, I'll say it real quick. It's it's always amazing me to me the small small world in education, you know, as as someone who's a a teacher in Valley View and seeing some of our candidates with a Valley View background and and also I I do have to give a shout out to one of my wife's uh dear friends who who was also introduced as well. So, uh yeah, it's it's a small world and that's the part I love about this community to say the least. [Applause] Uh, next board. I'm really pleased and grateful for the leadership of our members in our transportation department, communications department, as

047well as in our district level schools team for really preparing uh tonight's presentation. I want to open it up to Mr. Ofi. I want to thank you for your leadership um in supporting some of the both the information that we are reviewing and really kudos to the board for your commitment and your support for a hazardous study back in I want to say October or November where that was approved and I want to thank you for this uh momentous shift and uh this was uh very important. It took a lot longer but it was worth the wait to get this information. Thank you Dr. Katti and thank you board. I just want to start out by saying as we all are well aware transportation is very expensive to run in the district. Even though we

048recognize that is an important part of the operation of the district. We realize that we need to be more efficient and run the uh the operation better than we've done in the past. And which is why is one of our strategic objective in the newly approved strategic plan that we have um we have an efficient uh great customer service and at the same time being able to do it with uh with financial sustainability. And in that regards, one of the things that we asked for from the board back in October is an opportunity for us to actually look at some of the key things in transportation that will allow us to run the operation more efficiently. One of that is a hazardous route uh study which is required in order for us to make sure

049that the uh the kids that we are transporting are actually eligible to be transported. And uh with that, we got the report back and we would like to share the outcome of that report with you. I'm going to turn it over to a director of transportation, uh Miss Lean Mosley to take it away. Thank you, Miss Ocomami. Um thank you board for your leadership and support with our hazardous study because it was definitely needed for our district. Um I will ask go to slide two. I'm actually gonna ask Teresa if you come up here for this presentation. Teresa was very connected as well to this presentation. So, she was the clicker. Yeah, Raphael has a cler. All right. Thank you, R. [Laughter] So, I will go ahead and get started as we're waiting for that.

050Um, part of our hazardous study, like Raphael said, one of the things that we're tasked with is ensuring that we Thank you. um, in the transportation department is running more efficiently, um, providing great customer service as well as financial stability. Um, so some the hazardous study was very important when we looked at that. Um some of the topics we'll talk about is writership eligibility. Um our kids connection and daycare program as well as the hazardous study findings that we had from that study and then our future communication plan eligibility for riders. Um our riders are eligible for service if they live more than one mile and a half away from their home school. Um if there's an area that is considered hazardous, they are considered a rider if they're less than that mile and a

051half. Also, if they have an IEP, um they are eligible for transportation and it doesn't uh go by that mile and a half requirement as well as any students that is Mckenni Vento um population provided that they go by article 29 of the school code means that they follow the same regulations as a regular student. Um, so one of the big changes we made this year or we're going to make next year is um providing service for all of our elementary students to have kids connection in every elementary building for asiggo 308. I think that's huge. Um, so if you reside um in in the elementary community, your home school will offer that program. Typically, we transported students from buildings that offered that service to another building. We will no longer provide that shuttle service.

052So, they will have kids connection in their buildings at every elementary school. Yes. Um daycare is going to fall into this alternate drop off pickup. Um and what that is is we provide service to students that are within their home boundary to their school provided that they are eligible rider. the previous slide deck of what an eligible rider is as well as um their stop is along the bound the route for that particular school. So they have to be eligible for service. It has to be along the school route for their school. Um if it's a daycare again it has to be within that boundary for the school that they reside in. um before we were transporting students from other schools um regardless if they were eligible for service or not and some of the

053stops were uh miles away from their school. So that is something that we have from an efficiency and finan financial stability standpoint um we are um looking to reduce next year. I I just want to underscore that. So in a typical scenario, you're going to move students within the boundaries of their school area. Correct. What however it happened, we're not going over time that expanded to wherever you wanted to go, the child was taken. So typically I live here. I get I'm do bus service from my home to school and then after school to a different location within my school boundaries. But over time that expanded to be essentially wherever you within the district you may need support to get to which is beyond the scope of what the first of all the cost is

054pretty expansive then and it expands it. So I just want to underscore that point there for us to understand because I think that was beyond and so which is why it was really important to include as part of this change management process the opportunity to make sure that we would have daycare services. I mean uh we would have after school services I should say in our respect in all of our schools. Yes. And and we do have daycarees along the route of those schools and so as long as that daycare is within the route. Yes. Um and the home school boundary will continue to transport from those daycare. So the hazardous study again as we all know we had not done a hazardous study in our district for quite some time. Um so we did

055this hazardous study and we had some very unique findings. Um go to the next one. Um four of the criterias for hazardous study um is walking along a roadway, uh walking on a roadway, crossing a roadway or crossing railroad tracks. Those four um are considered hazardous safety um criteria. So, one of the some of the things that the engineer assessed according to ID do regulations is grade levels. Um, and then later in this report, I'll show you some of the findings and the charts on how they were uh assess points. Some of those criteria is the grade level, um their walking route to school, is it a safe route, is there hazardous along those routes, locations, the conditions, the width of those walkways when they're walking. All of those are considered um speed, traffic controls,

056are there safe traffic controls, and the volume of traffic, how many vehicles are passing in that area um within an hour. and then the width of the road or the railroad tracks if there's tracks that we're expecting them to cross and then length of those walkways. So when we talk about a hazardous study, the I do has a point system. If it is 12 points or more is considered hazardous. Um and so some of the criteria uh again those areas that I identified as factors that was considered for those points um those were some of those points that the considerations. Now what I want to point out here is as a board the board has the option to either add one or two points judgment points to any of those areas that we deem should

057be considered hazardous. When we do that, if you approve those areas as hazardous, there's a report that has to be submitted to the state to for the state to identify that that is hazardous based off of our findings. And then um we classify that as hazardous per the state of Illinois. Part of what's the presentation is coming really tonight as an initial overview is because there's a lot of um information that's it's it's very complex, right? And so we wanted to make sure that both the community and the board start to get essentially a slow pathway to what will be when we will come to the board for information than action. But we wanted to really start with we've received the results. We want to bring to you what are some lowhanging fruit essentially of

058changes that are natural and already have happened related to this. And here is some latitude. What is the scope of the board's authority in relation to this work? Right. Right. Versus trying to truncate everything into one evening. Uh the community, we wanted to make sure that we allowed time. This is a busy period, lots of graduation, celebration. We don't want anybody to feel like anything's being rushed through. We really wanted to make sure that we put the right pace in in in in we wanted to provide the right pace around both the understanding and the time it takes to understand these things. And I think this was a really helpful thing that the board in assessing the pathway that a child may walk to school. I do essentially has provided boards an opportunity to weigh

059in on whether that qualifies as a hazardous crossing. And so what that looks like and we will prepare board members don't have to do anything. We will prepare essentially that breadth of information bring it to the board so the board can have full information and then make the necessary uh decision at that point. Oh did you I'll ask a minute. Okay. So going on to as we go east and this is one that we'll talk about consideration for points um and judgment that the board has the option to make. So when they the engineers looked at Wolf Crossing at Harvey Road, the roundabout, it was classified as safe. And you'll see on the third column, it says east leg of the roundabout, the points that the engineers assessed. And then I have an asterk next

060to that number 11 because remember 12 points or higher is considered hazardous. My asterk is there because I would like the board to consider um that as a hazardous uh road or in intersection. Reason being um when we talk about who travels that road during the times that students are traveling, we have a lot of high school students traveling. We've had several unique accidents in that uh roundabout. And so although ID do has identified it's not a hazardous crossing because there's a landing there with enough space for students to cross the lighting and visible crosswalks. It's 11. But I am asking the board to consider an adding a judgment point to that so that that east leg of that roundabout is considered hazardous. Yes. And even if we put a one of the things that

061we talked about in our findings and how we could uh make sure that this is a safe crosswalk for students was a crossing guard. Well, we know crossing guards, there's a stop sign. They typically stop traffic and when they're out there, that's what happens. Well, it is against the law to stop traffic in those roundabouts. Traffic, the ideal of that roundabout is to continue to move. And so that is why we want to make sure that we talk about that, explain to you all so that um give consideration around adding a judgment point to the east leg of and that's not for this evening. That is the the is again this is not for decision tonight. This is not anything. This is simply information what Lesean is in when we come to the board. Correct.

062This will be what the ask will be. It is not literally for tonight. Can I can I just ask one question though? Um and maybe I'm getting ahead. When you talk about DVO Drive, you've already got a judgment point in there. That is what the engineers recommended. And the reason why they put that judgment point because of the width of that intersection and how wide it is to cross from a safety standpoint and that was one of the criterias or factors that I do says we can they could add a judgment point. Okay. So even though I mean the the and and I I just want to make sure I have this clear in my mind. The section above it talks about roadwith they're judgment points can be assessed by anyone the board or the

063engineer when they do this report. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Great question. Okay. So then we talked about Boulder Hill again. Highway 30 riot cliff there is no change there. They got it at 14 points. We all know that it's hazardous especially with the uh amount of traffic and the speeds in that area. We're considering that as hazardous and that is our recommendation to the board. Church Hill and Plank there is an intersection at uh Fifth Street crossing at Bluegrass is this ELC entrance that is considered hazardous. We will not use that as um a crosswalk for safe walking path. So, that is another one that we're going to recommend for the board to continue that as a hazardous intersection. And that is fifth at ELC entrance. Not I said blueg grass earlier, but it's ELC entrance.

064Yeah, it's not really an intersection. It's just a crosswalk there. Uh Grand Park, we have two areas. the uh crossing ridge road at 135th and Grand Park Boulevard that is considered hazardous per the engineer study. We're asking and recommending that we continue to keep keep that as a study uh hazardous intersection as well as ridge road at 127 the popular crossing that is considered hazardous per the engineer's recommendation and we would like to ensure that that's continue to stay hazard and just for a point of clarity these are the hazardous crossings within each school boundary but there are additional crossings that are deemed as non-hazardous but you're only going through the ones that are hazardous. Correct. We're only going through the ones that's hazardous. And again, these are the ones we focused on and the

065study focused on any of those that are within that one and a half mile because again, our study is for eligibility for busing. And so anyone within a mile and a half, what crossings or what safe path in those intersections would they cross will be considered hazardous per ID do? I just want I was going to wait till the end, but I think I need to understand. So, if there's an alternate way of getting to the school in a safe route with that they walk a mile and a half or less, then that would be considered a safe route, not a hazardous route. Correct. Correct. So even though the Fifth Street one was hazardous, but because they can just go to Fifth Street and Bluegrass and cross the street, as long as they're not walking

066more than a mile and a half altogether in order to do that, then that would be considered a a safe route. That would not require busing. Correct. So let me let me talk about Fifth and Bluegrass since you brought that up because I don't think that's on the next one. But Fifth and Bluegrass was considered hazardous if we did not have a crossing guard there. So we do have a crossing guard at Fifth and Bluegrass. So it is not considered as hazardous intersection. Can I can I say one more thing about that one because I think I think that was the same one where it was students would have to cross only at one section of the road because there was three different sections that they could cross. Yeah. two of them we would have

067to advise them not to cross there but only to cross at the one that's deemed non-hazardous. So immediately my thought was how are we going to do that? But but but I didn't know how how to in practice how will we execute that and keep kids safe. So one of the things we are doing is working with the village on creating safe walk paths that will be on our transportation website and so that families will know what that safe walk path is within that mile and a half. Got it. And like I said, I was going to wait. So, um there's others that has um you know, it's at 12, but like um I think it was Long Beach had one as well where on the individual, you know, slides that we have um where

068it has a half it's it's designated as three, but then because but we could do have a crossing guard there and it would be a half point. Correct. So therefore if you say so why are there why are there slides that having a crossing guard there doesn't reduce the it does hazard does so when the engineers did so this one I'm just saying there's others that that that half point isn't in parenthesis so so I'll explain that because when the engineer did their study they did not have a a list of some of the student schools that had crossing guard guards. And so they were giving you examples of if there is no crossing guard, it just says three point because if you look there, there's no no points or no um intersection controls. So

069that would be three points. But when they there's a crossing guard there, that's only a half a point. So in areas where you saw that there was 12 points because there was no uh intersection controls if you had a crossing guard there would be only a half point which took it down to 9.5. So this would that would apply to any location or is it just the ones that that's any location if you had a crossing guard in that area. Yes. If again depending on how many points this was. So again well obviously yeah yeah again you want to stay under 12 points. the the rule is 12 points or higher is hazardous and so some areas a crossing guard even if you had a crossing guard wouldn't make it non-hazardous right yeah I'm not

070going to do 30 and prior to so even though it would get it down right or no actually to 12 and a half it still wouldn't okay so homestead again this is another intersection half of white horn we are recommending that that is a hazardous area. Um, and we'll keep it at the recommendation as hazardous. There's your Long Beach at Douglas at Long Beach. That is 12 points. Again, um, if there's traffic controls there, so they only assess two points there, right? If we added a crossing guard, that'll take it 11.5. and I'm assuming we are not recommending. I'm gonna wait till the end. We're going to again this these are 12 points and we're recommending that they stay hazardous in those areas. Um Murphy Junior High again, Papa Crossing at 127, 12 points. That's

071our recommendation that we consider that hazard based off of the engineer study. And Ridge Road at 135th on the south leg is 13 points, which is hazardous. We're recommending that that remain hazardous. OPOS Douglas Road at 34, that is hazardous at 14 points. We're recommending that that stay hazardous at in that area. Yeah, that wouldn't change if we added across the board. Okay, so those were some of the high points in the report that you all have. There's all of the schools and the chart per the engineers. Um they're at the end of this report as well. And so I'm just going to ask that the board take a look at those and again know that you can add a point up to two points judgment points that would make an area hazardous um if

072they're not already hazardous um per the engineers report. And so just know that we have you have the option to do that which we can talk to in in more details later. And that that will say board information. We just have a tape that's a typo. So we'll have board information um on that night and then we would bring it back. It's my understanding May 12th will be the board information. Correct. Okay. Um and then May 13th we are um we'll have to wait till the June meeting to do the that needs to be changed. So just out of clarity y May 12th will be board information. Correct. Thank you. and then we'll go for approval from the board and then in our June meeting we will submit that to I do state recommendations for

073those areas that should be hazardous and then we'll uh communicate out to the community and have town halls in July. Um we're expecting to have at least two town halls with families in the areas um that's affected or impacted by our decision, whatever decision the board makes. And then um by August 1st, we're planning to have all this information on our transportation website along with the safe walk paths um information for families. Can I ask a quick question? Um and I think you may have said this at the beginning. Are there are are there different point values assessed depending on the grade level? Yeah. Yes. Okay. So like a junior high is less hazardous than grade school that or than elementary school. No, junior high and elementary is the same. The same different point. Okay.

074High school. Got it. So I'm just going to say a couple of things before and the the one thing is that in trying to develop uh recommendations to the board. We work closely with different uh department in the district. This wasn't just finance. This wasn't just transportation. We had input from communication. We had input from our instructional team, our labor leaders. We had a working group where we involve our principal just to make sure that our users uh who are the principal really who interact with our students. They have a seat at the table. They have a different perspective than we have. So we included them in the working group where we develop this this uh this plan. That's number one. The other thing that I want to point out is that we recognize that

075we absolutely need to do something about transportation. We need to run it more efficiently with the projections that we have. Transportation, we spend more money than we take in. And we've done that continuously. And if we don't do something about that, in about five years, we're upside down by close to $27 million. So, it's an it's an existential uh issue that we have to address as a district and it's not something that we can afford to run the same way we run in the past. Quick question. Oh, sorry. I have a question. Um I understand that these you're presenting with to us the as a first step like the findings of the hazardous study. Can anyone on the team characterize what the implications for this are? Are we imply like does this going to impact

076right how many families is this like a major impact like people are going to feel this in the community or are these typical hazardous zones or areas that are consistent what we've had in the past. I'm just kind of wondering I understand the findings. I understand why we have to vote on it and what they mean. I just don't know how it compares to what the impact will be. Right. So unlike maybe in past years for people that remember where we kind of like made changes all at once and then had to back away from those changes again, we're kind of taking this incrementally right now. So what you're seeing tonight is just the findings of the study. So, this could be that an area that maybe was considered safe before is now on. Or

077maybe an area where there was construction seven years ago and so the sidewalks weren't done, but the sidewalks have been done for five or six years and we're still busting kids in some cases literally across the street to school or they're eligible. A lot of them don't even ride, but eligible to go across the street. It's cleaning that part up. This is not what we're not doing compared to what happened in previous times is we're not saying stick a crossing guard here and here and these 700 kids are going to walk. We're not doing that right now. What you're seeing in front of you is literally just the hazardous crossing study. It is not a recommendation or indication of any of those additional safety measures coming into place to change that to turn an hazardous

078into a non-hazardous. So we're we're taking a whole half step between the process that was held before and where we had to kind of work backwards. So there this will be a very low implication um for families. Uh that's what um in the previous slide we talked about kind of going out at the beginning of June was really to indicate to people for this school this area may have been offered busing and highlight that and say it's no longer because it's 02 miles from school but there's now a walking path or the sidewalk is done or you know something else that's been there but it's not indicating any new areas be changed from hazardous to non-hazardous. It would be a logical like if I get a call from a family it would make sense like

079oh I'm being busted across the street maybe I don't need that thating right um thank you for that. I do you know we're going incrementally so I'm just trying to get a sense of the implications of it all. I do have a couple other questions about alternate drop offs and pickups um because that sounds like an impact where people have been in a have been used to something and they're not going to be there there's going to be a change for them. So my question um is um do you have again my same question do you know what can you characterize the impact of of that change? Is this a lot of families? Is it a small amount of families? And then my other question maybe you can answer at the same time is about

080um kids connection at schools um that they're not going to be bus to another school, right? Because they'll be at their home school. For our special program students, would their homes would they go to Kids Connection at their home school then? Like if you're in a special program that goes to Hunt Club, you know, like an EL program or something, but your boundary is F Fox Chase or Yeah. Yeah. So, all of the SPED students have specialized transportation, but the first question you asked if it's a the impact on families um that's low impact. When you talk about the alternative drop off and pickup, primarily what we saw was those were mostly walkers that didn't have transport or was utilizing that service to their home school um for daycare reasons. And so that now with

081kid connections in every building, elementary building, that will be a low impact. There won't be a significant change. Yeah. Oh, she's asked me about one of the examples. So what we we saw was if the student was at grandma's house, grandma lives within the district but not within the homeschool boundary, we bust that child from the grandma's grandma's which could be 10 miles away from their school. And so that again wouldn't be needed because kids connection will be in those elementary buildings. Yeah. And majority again, majority of the alternative drop um pick up and drop offs were walkers. Okay. And then I just have one like thought or recom maybe a recommendation is when you do your like meetings or your town halls in in in the summer, maybe you've already thought about this, like

082have some kids connection people on hand to register students or give them some information about what that could look like uh if they especially if those are attended by people whose you know um practices are going to change for the next school year. So, thank you. Thank you for that. I think we are we're really working to scale this with the appropriate amount of time. Yeah. And also making sure that we have the right amount of resources in place to support whatever change may come because it's really important that this works well because we want our kids, our families, and our students to feel success. Jen, I'm sorry. Well, I was going to say one of the things and I don't know the timing. I'm just giving an example, but I remember when Hunt Club

083was built, we didn't have sidewalks for a couple of years, and so we had a very different um transportation routes than we do now. So, that would be something that would potentially be changed at the next iteration um we had to bus kids literally across the street because there were no sidewalks. Uh back, I don't remember what slide it was, but it says this is a three-phase process. Is is what's next the three phases or is this three phases something else? So we've been working on this in three phases. So when the engineer first took their information and presented to us like Miss Doami said we worked with a lot of building leaders and the principles that it impacted their input before making any type of um change and looking at those hazardous studies. And

084then again, we're taking this, bringing it to the board for information, the approval, and then we'll have to follow the proper paperwork with the state and then go out to families and present that information. So, we've done it in incremental steps. Okay. Thank you. I just wanted to understand what those three phases were. I do have just maybe a precautionary thought, which is while we may have crossing guards, we can't ensure that they're there every day. I know I've seen many crossing guard areas where I'll be like, "Oh, I see a crossing guard there every day." And then they're not there for a week or they're not there for a day. So, it's not always a for sure thing. Yes, it should be. And yes, we hire them, but they have vacations or days off

085or sick days or whatever. Just a thought. Two of these two my next two questions um are probably to Mr. Obami and um Dr. Katti. And I really don't mean them to come out in a um in the way that they're going to sound controversial, but we've been talking about transportation being an issue for now four months that what we got to get to the next step. And I'm looking at our new board members here and I know they will take that on, but we can't keep talking about it because it will take a lot of time. And so I really encourage like the new board and our our board that is uh moving forward or veterans moving forward like that really needs to be something that is addressed. And then my second question is

086and it's kind it's tangential but it really does have a a basis here too. We still don't have the to my knowledge a residency director and a many many districts have this and it's a way to really understand you know who's in the district and who's not. It has a lot of financial implications transportation being one of them. Is that something that is in our strategic plan soon? Yeah. Do you want to speak to that first Jeremy and then I'll add something? Sure. Um some people would call that a residency officer. Um that uh responsibility falls to our office under and because we are responsible for central registration. Um we actually just met this last week with a vendor um that potentially could do some of that those residency checks for us. Um we want

087to make sure that we're being um responsible uh financially to employ a full-time person to do that. Does the number do the numbers of residency checks support that or can we do it on a per case um uh you know I'm drawing words here they're not they're not good tonight uh on a on a per case basis right case by case basis um and so that may be more cost effective in order for us to do that when we've flagged residency concerns whether that's throughout the school year or whether that's coming through central registration from a new new student um renewal. Some of the things we've we've started to and um have been really productive um through the registration process is having residents that have been in our system for years and years and years

088who have never had to reprove residency reprove residency at our transition years. So we're not expecting a family to have to prove residency every single year um because that's part of what we understand from uh the impact of living here and being a a taxpayer. But we have to say from fifth to sixth grade, you need to reprove residency. And it's not the entire full residency process. It's an amended um piece of that. From 8th to 9th grade, right? Um uh that kindergarten, we got to catch them right away. Um and then we we have put some additional measures in place, but it's volume and it's making sure that we have the personnel and the staff to be able to kind of ensure those things. Um and then we have to look at affidavits. We

089have to look at McKennie Vento status. Those are things that are constantly changing for us. um and understanding hardships um that families have um with still staying true to those rules as it relates to and thank you very much for this information. It's greatly appreciated. And as it relates to uh the question that you ask about transportation, we know it's is very dicey. Uh the cost of transportation, even if we did everything by the book, as far as the cost of transportation, for every dollar that we spend, if we're lucky, we get 71 cent back from the state if we did everything efficiently. So, right off the bat, we are we're losing about 30 cents on every dollar that we spend. We also recognize that for a lot of our parents, transportation is emotional, right?

090Oh, yes. So, we know we have to walk it systematically, which is why we're taking our time to do that. I think we recognize that if we do this too abruptly, it's probably going to be a backlash, right? So which is why we we requested the commission of the hazardous study and those would be the lowhanging fruit. The example that you gave at uh club where we know their communities that were built 10 years ago which was the last time we did a hazardous uh study that do not that now have sidewalks that are not walkable. We want to take care of that and then we start moving to other things so that within uh the time frame of the strategic plan the next five years we can clean things up and be more efficient

091in doing it. But we have to be very systematic instead of as much as I want everything to be fixed yesterday. I know I'm dealing with our parents here who have emotional tying to making sure their kids get to school and it's done just just well. That gives them grace. For for many years, the district did not levy to the max. The implications of that in terms of financials repercussions of that, we are still working through those. As a result of that, when we make changes and so as a result of that, we often have to plan, work diligently to assess what needs to be built, make sure that we have the infrastructure to sustain the change that we seek to realize and then we implement and move. But if you do it in reverse,

092you implement, but you haven't built the necessary scaffolds to to withstand the change, you will end up right back where you were because everyone say, "Well, I'd rather be as dysfunctional as it was yesterday." Right? And so that that arc of like movement is really important to assess whether it's from a communications, whether it's, you know, LeShan has a day-to-day job and LSA has uh how many students are we transporting every day right now? 14,000 over a little over 12,000. Okay. A little over 12,000. So every day she and her team are managing this, right? Thank you for being here tonight. Um she and her team are managing all that and on top of that, working to assess and to improve these processes and on top of that implementing. And so we identified this year

093that the software that we have in place in our district was using the DOSS operating system. So those were floppy discs that were developed. Our students don't know what 2000, right? So this is like the phone that you take off the register. And so I I I have to give this context for anybody listening because when we talk about change, we have to understand that we purchased the prior to my arrival here probably three years ago, four years ago, the district purchased routing software to help parents know where their kid was on the bus. But yet the software that was underlying that that that system was a floppy discbased system that required people to use paper and pencil to figure out how we're going to route people. I remember my first day of school here

094where we had first had students in the house. We did not have special education busing because the system had essentially erased all the routes that had been developed because it was such an old system and there was no correction. So we stayed in the transportation department on Stonehill Drive till almost midnight. The team had to stay here. Brad Vera, the special ed director, all of us were in a room and they were working through it. Not by the fault of the people. They had been planning it, but it had been erased because the software didn't talk to P school. So I I I guess I I want to underscore that. First of all, thank you to the team for your leadership in in managing both. Number two, uh we are making we are going to

095make change. And I'm glad you named it, uh Miss Johnson, because we are going to make those changes, but we're also going to do it in a way that can be sustained and ensure we get to those significant financial savings that we are looking for. And we are going to get there because we don't like to lose and we are going to get there. Can I really add in real quick? I because I just want to piggyback that and I think this is very important to make sure that the community understands because listen I don't want to call out individuals but I can remember um we still had hold outs for a long time that said don't want to levy for CPI and my response to them wasn't I wasn't trying to be a smart

096Alec I was genuinely saying I listen I want to hear you tell me what the list of cuts are that you're coming with because you can't just say hey we're not going to love you for CPI and these are some of the effects that I think need to be heard heard because I've often said when those conversations happen like the things that you are doing in the name of of of of being fiscally smart are actually costing us more money and those pieces are stories that I think need to continue to be told and heard because listen I that's fine I I don't necessarily like paying like high property taxes either. Now, me personally, I I I'm just gonna say it's worth it because our kids are worth it, but I'm also not suggesting um

097not leving for CPI. And that question should always be followed with, not necessarily not taking someone serious, but say, "What are your list of cuts to go with it?" Because if you don't have that list, you're going to have to make cuts anyways, and you don't even realize it. Whether it's a floppy disc or or running a deficit for sp uh for transportation, these are all cuts that we have actually made and we just don't even realize. But I I really do want to point out one thing and I find this incredibly cathartic as our last sitting business meeting. This is the struggle. Um and Lata and Eugene will I'm assuming I assume will back me up on this. Every year we are get we've been given for the last four years these recommendations. This

098is prior to your coming and we question why are we doing something different this year and is it going to get us to where we need to get and we are only as good as the information that we were given. So, we didn't know the DOSs thing at the time. And so, there is a fine line as everyone here in our business meeting knows. The board is here to make, you know, um vote on things over $50,000 based on what the the recommendations from the administration and the very information that we're given we assume is the best information that we have. But that's the struggle. And why I said that to you, Raphael, is that we thought at the time we were making the best decisions with the with the information that we had based

099on what we were hearing even though we questioned it over and over because it didn't make sense to us. And that's why I think it's so important to tie kind of connect all these dots of we know it's an issue. Is it in the strategic plan? Do we have all the learnings from the past to say let's not repeat these things and are we making a a substantive change but also a sustainable change. Is this something that's going to last us? We asked that question so many times when we were signing new routing software, new this software and Latana kept saying is there something better? Because if there's something better bring us that and we'll figure out a way to get to finance it. But that was what we were told. So it it's a

100it's a pain point I think for me personally because we know what we're heading to, but we also have all this history that we've learned from. So just wanted to connect all those dots of why I was asking those questions and not trying to be combative, just trying to future thinking. We appreciate that. One thing to add to her to what one thing to add to what she said to to give because this was my point. What is the what is the problem? Why is it happening? What's the question? Because how my brain thinks if you can tell me what the problem is in transportation, then I can tell you whether or not the solution that you're proposing is actually going to fix it. And that was the question. Will this fix the problem that

101we're having? And the answer was always yes. But now we're finding that the answer was no. And so that's that's the thing that we're saying and and that's what I appreciate most about LeShawn and this team. Every time you present, you come and tell us here's the problem. Here's what we're doing to fix it. And I can say great and so and we've seen the last and again I can tell you that it's gotten incrementally better and we're moving in the direction. So that's the reason why I don't have more questions because I see the improvement and I see us moving there. But the main thing for me is what's what's broken and will the the solution that you're presenting fix it? If the answer is yes, thank you for saying that. the the couple

102of critical things is I think we were the first group that led to the board know transportation uh on street because I don't think anyone else can before the board and talk about the fact that the transportation and it's just it's really disappointing to us as much deficit as we're running in transportation and that that was never highlighted. It's like driving a car towards uh you know a freight train and everyone can say that what is going to be the end of that. So we're committed to doing that because we have to do it to keep the uh the district on on better step. The other thing I want to say is that it's interesting because I'm doing a I have a a conference to go to this week association school business official which is

103a conference for folks in my my line of work and I'm presenting on on May 1st with two of my colleague I actually invited my colleague from Yorkville and also from Planefield the three of us are presenting together and what is interesting is if you look at their fund balance. They have on average about 60% fund balance. 60% 60% fund balance. I have the the presentation that we're going to give. We essentially serve the same community, but the difference is that there were periods where we did not le to CPI. They led to CPI and now we're still playing catchup and playing field was buying our tax anticipation. Right. So just I just I just want to you know tell the story so folks are clear about that. Part of it is that we weren't

104doing as we weren't paying attention as much as we should but fundamentally we did not get the resources that we need to be successful and we still paying for that. Yeah, there's also another component that has been talked about and I will say this. I believe that I believe the media has listened because the other piece that you can go back and look at is when this district decided to levy for CPI somehow it was big news and then I'm looking and I'm like, okay, we're big news. I'm waiting I'm waiting for Yorkville to be big news because they they just levied for CPI crickets. And I will say there were members of the community that that were very instrumental. I don't I'm gonna leave a lot of that out in saying, "Hey, listen. We

105want we want it to be fair." That's fine. You want to call us out. We're not telling you not to report it. Call them out, too. And I will say, I do believe there's been a fair shake from the media um since since that occurred. And I I I think the big one was when we hit 5% and everybody was coming at us because of what we were levying. And I didn't see anything really written about Yorkville. And and I do think that the media did play a role here or or was was kind of, hey, this is what we'll sell. And it was unfair. It was unfair to the school boards in the past that had to levy for CPI knowing that they were going to hit headlines while other districts surrounding us were

106going to do the exact same thing and not hit headlines. That was not fair. And I do believe that that has been changed. and I appreciate that. Either report us all or none of them. Okay. Thank you. Oh, I have two guests. Okay. Okay. Um, we've been on this topic a long time. Alternative drop offs. Is that typical and customary? Alternative drop off. It is within their home boundary. So, what you're proposing is typical customer. Yeah. Safe block have suggestions in an ex community that typical customers. Yeah. Yeah. Doing something different. No, we're not doing anything different. Okay. All right. We're not Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you. Well, I just want to say thank you to my team. You all know Teresa, but Paul is our new routing coordinator. Paul has been very

107inspirational with helping the mapping and all of the things that we talked about in that routing system. He has been the hands behind this course, making sure that our routes are running efficient. And behind you, you've got a team, too. I do. Right. And my union support. Thank you guys. Those who who work with us, they made it uh possible to do the to provide the recommendation that we provide. It wasn't just theoretical. We wanted to make sure it was p practical. It was going to be workable. So I want to thank all those folks too. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. All right. Moving on to 9.1. Dr. Katti, if you would like to give us your superintendent report. Sure. Good evening, board. Um, as always, I want to thank um our team

108for really organizing our pride award winners this month. It's always a incredible opportunity to reflect on the good work happening in our schools. Congratulations to them and their their team around them because behind um each individual is a team that really works together. So, congratulations to them. This Thursday, we're looking forward to celebrating more of our staff members who are being recognized as retirees and multi-year honores. These individuals have been have provided a combined total of 1,786 years of service and dedication to our district. Um, that's truly incredible. Um, yes, we are so committed and uh we're not going to talk about Ursula tonight, but you know, we know if you know, you know. So, um, on a similar note, tonight will be the final regular meeting for four of our outgoing members of the

109board and one of our student board members. Um, we want to formally acknowledge their selfless dedication service. Um, this will be happening at our May 5th board meeting, special meeting, and we want to just thank you all. We'll have an opportunity to do more of that. And, uh, we have some board members who are incoming in the audience. So, we want to say hello to you as well. Thank you for uh, thank you in advance for your service. uh upcoming. Yeah. Right. As we wrap up April and May, we prepare again for an exciting conclusion to the 2425 school year. Uh during this time, in addition to the many celebrations in our schools, district level staff, administrators, and unit leaders have shifted their attention to planning for next year. The many challenges we've had this

110year and our successes that we've realized all come to bear as our team members both within our schools and across the district with our families with our staff reflect and organize for next year. That's what continuous improvement is about and that is what it means to serve in a learning organization. Our staff take this responsibly very seriously. We have an opportunity to reflect on everything using our student data, achievement information, uh narrative feedback. We may get feedback from parents, community members about things that we need to do better. Um and the voice of our students. Um this all comes to bear as we prepare for next steps. I want to thank our our school teams for their strategic planning. Um, and this year we have a strategic plan that the board approved to really be

111our guiding star in this work and we want to thank you for that board. Uh, because that does help the work. When there's clarity about where we're going, we don't come in as a district and say, "Oh, by the way, I want to change and go this direction." Um, which was my experience as a principal. I do want to take a moment in our district, we have a lot of athletes, we have a lot of activities and sports. Um, we have members at the district level. We have staff. of students who may have students who have accidents or may experience uh harm as part of u whether it's baseball um and really just we know that those those are burdens on our families when those accidents happen, medical emergencies can happen and just know that

112we are thinking and we are here for families during these difficult times um and for support and so whenever these things happen uh please reach out. We're always available for continued engagement. um no favor is too small. Uh and we know the burden it can be on a family if their child goes through healing wherever that is in that journey. And so we want to just acknowledge that and thank our teams for rallying around when these emergencies happen to support families. Um that's really important and it's important creis teams for emergency planning and supports. And graduation's just a few weeks away. So this is the year for 2025 and so we're so excited to be able to celebrate that and we'll on May 12th we'll have our uh dress rehearsal here for board members prior

113so we'll be prepared for the actual graduation that coming weekend. So and with that I want to turn it over and I want to invite board members if you'd like to add some additional celebratory comments of things happening in the district. U Mr. Sorry. Um, last week Old Pulse Elementary School was named one of only 45 schools nationwide to be honored as an AVID school of excellence. This incredible honor reflects staff dedication, student determination, and a community support. Additionally, Old Post welcomed attendees from the nearby school districts to the AVID showcase, which allowed them to hear about the AVIDs imp hear about AVID's impact on SD308 and see the skills in action. Congratulations to the Wildcats on this exciting news. Andrew Coleman and May Robinson of Oiggo East High School have been selected for the

114NIAA scholarship from the Illinois's Athletic Directors Association. In her four years at OHS, May's involvement includes cross country, track and field, salt, NHS, NHS, and Spanish NHS. while Andrew has made his mark through basketball, football, track and field, salt, NHS, and how. Congratulations to both of these students. The Fed Narski Olympiad team competed at the only science Olympiad state tournament this month. They placed fifth in their division and had multiple individual medal winners. Congratulations on your accomplishments. This month, Ryan Penin was named the Illinois Girls Diving Coach of the Year at the Illinois Swimming and Diving Association's All State Banquet. Congratulations on this incredible achievement, Coach. Student journalism continues to thrive at Asiggo High School as the school's newspaper 4250 and yearbook reflector received bronze certificate recogn recognitions from the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association.

115Several students also received awards for their individual work. Congratulations to OS Journalism Program students and adviserss. [Applause] Aiden Hoffman, a senior project lead the way engineering student at OEHS, recently competed at the Illinois Design Educators Association state competition, where he placed third in the assembly modeling event. Congratulations, Aiden. Standing O Theater Company and East Theater just concluded their spring musicals. I have to say I was at quite a few of them this uh weekend watching my own for the last time and we are so impressed by the hard work and talent of our students and staff members who made these shows come to life. It is just incredible uh the shows that I've seen in both schools over the last um last number of years. I cannot thank the staff enough. Uh, and thank you

116also to the parents who um you uh do do a great deal of support and and so forth and lots of tears for sure uh Saturday night, but uh congratulations on all of your theater seasons to all involved. [Applause] Superintendent Student Advisory Council. After the speak and spark event, SSAC members carefully looked at feedback from our peers and community. We took the time to read every comment, suggestion, and concern to make sure we didn't miss any important viewpoints. We also, oh gosh, I can't pronounce that word. Disgregated the data which informed us of some common themes. After thoughtful discussions, we decided to focus on respect and communication as our top priority for the next school year. Other areas of focus are as follows: mental health and teacher student relationships, censorship and safe classroom discussions, cultural

117and relational responsiveness, the role of cell phones in the classroom. Though respect and communication will be our driving force, we will be embedding mental health mental health relationships and cultural relations relational responsiveness into our plans. We believe respect is important for creating a safe and welcoming school environment. It affects how we treat each other, work together, and handle problems. Good communication is also key. It helps build strong relationships between students, staff, and administrators and ensures that everyone's voice is heard and understood. By focusing on these areas, SSAC aims to build a stronger, more connected school community. We are dedicated to create creating practical plans based on student admin feedback, and we look forward to collaborating with our building principles to make these values a reality. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts. Your input

118is greatly appreciated and it is essential to our vision in the future. Finally, though Calie is not here on behalf of both of us, we just wanted to express our gratitude and respect to our fellow board members. We have learned so much from each of you. Madame President Simon, President Vice President Gatewood, Mr. Poger, and Miss Johnson. Each of you will be missed. Thank you for the opportunity to serve with you guys. It's been a great honor. So power has been our problem. Thank you. Okay, we're moving on to 9.3 for our board member comments. Any comments? I'll start. Go ahead. Start where you and we'll come around. Okay. Um, I was able to attend and participate in the staff volleyball tournament. Uh, really enjoyed the Yes, we did. Oh, yes, you participated. No, we

119did not win a couple games. We won some what do you call matches, you know, but not not not in not in a an actual advancement in the bracket, you know. Um, I really uh enjoyed the camaraderie laughs and just playing volleyball for the first time in years. Um, congrats to all participants and a call out to the bracket champions, notorious DIG at Asiggo High School and you've been served at Grand Park. Um, also got a chance to check out the college and trade expo last week. Uh, thank you to all the vendors and staff who made the event valuable to many students and families in attendance. So, all Okay. You just stole my college and trade expo line, but I was there. I was there, too. Oh. Uh, but but Mr. Cerrone has already

120covered it. So, yeah, we didn't coordinate it. You're right. We'll do better next time. Um, also, um, as Mr. Gatewood mentioned before, uh, the AVID showcase, I was actually at the Avid Showcase. Um, what I wanted to, first of all, kudos to everybody at at Old Post that participated in the presentation for that day. It was really, it was really well done. What I what really was wonderful to see was it was one of those occasions where we in 308 had people coming in from other teachers and educators from other school districts to learn from us. Um we there was a lot of information that was that was disseminated. Um there were tours done um in small groups. There were students that were involved. The students were amazing. I mean, these were again, these were

121elementary school kids that went up to went up to individuals and said, "Hello, my name is What's yours?" Um, "What school district are you from? Let me tell you what we're talking about today." I I they were just so well prepped. Um, anyway, it just it just kind of warmed my heart. So, uh, well done to Old Post and all the people of Avid. Um, so just a couple of quick things because the next board meeting will be all about our new board members as as it should be. So I'll um I guess I'll say my um my goodbyes now. Um it's been great. Um uh when I left in 2019 um they' presented me this gift and it had one of my campaign posters on there and it said in case of emergency and

122had a thing break the glass and uh and and then there I was again, right? So um yeah, you know, I guess you never know. So I always hate like uh making promises I can't keep. So I guess you never know. But I'll always support the schools and um and um and all the work that's done here. And there's been some great things that have been done. um to say the least. I do want to formally apologize, but this is kind of my last weeks as a parent of a student um in the district and so I apologize, but my wife has made it clear that I will be at Aiden's lasts this week. So, there's going to be some things I miss, including uh the retirement dinner. And I know I'm not supposed to

123embarrass you, but I cannot thank you enough. And so, thank you Ursula, I'm saving my comments for next week because Ursula said I could do it. I'm going to do that. I just wanted to say that I did um get a chance to see you're in town and um Greece this weekend and I I I don't know our arts and our arts and music program is alive and well and one of the best things about this district and our students continue to amaze me. Um I went into year in town knowing what it was about but being pleasantly even more surprised. um and a lot of similarities and parallels with uh life today. And then Greece was just a good old-fashioned um fun time. And it's been a long time since I've been able to

124just kind of let go and enjoy something like that. So I just want to thank um the production crew, the tech crew, the teachers, the um directors, and the students and the staff. And um it's just one of my favorite things to do um in our district. So, congrats to everyone. So, so Jared, were you Does that mean I should still keep your signs in my garage just in case? All right. I won't I'll leave that up to you, but if you if you if you want to stop by, feel free. I I suggest doing it when my wife is not around. We'll move on to 10.1, the consent agenda. Can I have a motion to approve the consent agenda, please? Make a motion to approve all items under consent, including 10.1 minutes from the

125board of education meeting on April 7th, 2025, open and close session. 10.2 to acknowledge the FOYA requests received by the district. 10.3 to approve the field trips for overnight and or more than 200 miles and 10.4 to acknowledge the 2026 prom vendor for Asiggo High School. Second, can I ask a quick question? Yeah. Can I ask a quick question? I notice on here that and you know I have no problem. I'm not going to vote no, but I do have a a pondering here which is I I'm very happy that we have a 2026 prom vendor for Asiggo High School. understanding the situation that East is in this year with prom. Um, do we know if something is coming with that around the corner or we've already guaranteed that? I I just don't listen. Uh,

126we don't I I want our kids to be safe. So, that's why I asked. We can follow up on that. Thank you. That we did. That's what I was asking. So, we are good for 2026 for both. Great. Perfect. Thank you. All right, Mr. Mr. Gatewood, I Dr. Mario. Hi, Miss Johnson. Hi, Mr. Cerrone. Hi, Miss Simolton. Hi, Mr. Pler. Hi, Miss Venmouth. I Motion passes 70. Okay. Thank you. I want to um invite Mr. Obi to see if there are any uh further updates or board questions regarding our financial profile. As that I just want to go through Dr. Kagatti, thank you. I want to go through the financial uh the treasurous report at the end of March we have a fund balance of just uh 55 million and um we are pretty we

127are very confident that uh we should be able to make it through the year without having to do any TAW or borrow money and we expect our first installment of our property tax to come in late June. We should be fine till then. Now we've also included a copy of the investment report from our municipal advisor um PMA which is investing in ISD LA and at the end of the month we have a balance in the in the investment account of 40.8 eight. And um we've also included the budget report in the uh in the financial which shows that uh we are actually right on target as far as expenditure and revenue where we thought we're going to be. That's exactly where we are. There are no outliers in the financials as it relates to

128uh revenue and expenditure. The other thing I want I would like to point out is we included the March uh CPI U in there that was released on the 12th of April. And as you can see for for March uh inflation actually decreased by one uh base point which is a it's a good thing in that the cost of everything that we're buying is going down. But from the revenue side though, not a good thing because it will impact a larger source of revenue which is property taxes. So as it stands right now, the 12 month moving average for CPI is $2.4 million at 2.4%. I'm sorry, 2.4%. And uh I mean there's some there's some things that would benefit us in the CPI data. We had uh looked at the energy index and it

129had been trending up especially as it relates to electricity and uh and gas natural gas but as of March is actually trending down it fell by 2.4%. And uh part of that also is gasoline pricing that fell by 6.3%. that impact us as it relates to uh fueling up uh buses and other uh other vehicles in the district. So that's that's where we are as it relates to CBI. The last Can I can I say something about that? Yes, sir. Because I I think that's important to like kind of instill and I I like that you said it. You don't actually want deflation. Yeah. But but you want some magic number. We all do, right? like 0.1 or 0 2 is is is that right in between there is that nice sweet spot which we

130want to just see continue and so deflation is not good either 0.5 is bad but minus 0.1 is is not good either and that's that 0.1 and 02 that we strive for right you're right if it trends till uh the the one month that we care about is actually December because the December CPR is what we use right for the uh for the next year's levy but what we know is folks love to shop for Christmas. So, I'm always happy about that. And I always tell people that in December, go out and shop. Shop for Christmas. Spend some money on your family and yourself because it helps us with our property tax le. So, yeah. Yes. So, I would like uh Sure. Thank you. Um I'm looking at the fee collection report. Again, this is

131a comparison u where we were last year to where we are todayish. Um we are at only 70% collection rate. I do want to point out that this does not include um any fee waivers or families that can't pay. Those fees are not in here. So that 70% is actually um people who owe fees who have not paid yet. Um, we're hopeful as the year wraps up that we might get some payments. I want to encourage um, people to go online and fill out fee waiverss um, or set up a payment plan. Anything would help. Thank you. Thank you so much to both of you. Any questions? Okay. Our end of the year fund balance were removed. where we're projecting to be. We're projecting to be at 68 million. So that about 20% 25% 25%.

132Which compared to where we've been before that will be really good for but the goal is to try to build it up. There's some there's some good indications if you look at the financials. For example, this at the month of March, we spent suspension left on supplies. the material than we have uh in prior year. So we we're doing certain things right even the salaries we actually lower than what we projected. So we we're hopeful that I we will hit 68 million and maybe a little bit higher. Okay. But our goal is to 25 million uh 25% minimum. that's what the uh the minimal percentage of fund reserve is supposed to be for school district. So if we hit that, we're in goodstead. But I think with so many unknowns right now in the in

133the economic environment, the more we can add to our reserve, the better off we'll be because it provides us the ability to be able to weather any headstorm uh headwind, I'm sorry, over the next uh year or so. Okay. Thank you, board. Thank you, Mr. Buffy. Um next, uh Mr. Queen, thank you. You have a 11.2. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Kgatti. Are there any questions to the memo provided to the board of education about the pool regrowouting? I I just have one quick question. I know that you you indicated in the proposal that the reason you wanted to go with this particular vendor was because they had basically fulfilled all of the requirements. Um the other two did virtually nothing or do we have any info any intel on them? We couldn't get any

134references checks on them and then and then the clarity we did get was not good out of both groups. So even with us trying to communicate with them was was a task in itself. Okay, makes sense. And the one important thing that I want to point out is the timeline that we're working is very tight. We don't have time for some mess. Yeah. Our pools are used almost year out. So, we're going to take it down for about six months. We want to make sure that the person that we assigned to do the work can do it well and on time. Absolutely. Okay. Okay. Thank you. All right. Moving on. Thank you. Action item 12.1, approval of bus lease agreement. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the lease agreement to

135replace 72 buses at a total cost of 12,769,965 over a 5-year term. Second, Miss Venmouth. I, Dr. Mario, I, Mr. Cerone, I, Miss Simon, I, Mr. Gatewood, I, Miss Johnson, I, Mr. Pler, I. Motion passes 70. Action item 12.2, approval of changes to the school day structure at the junior high level. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the proposed changes to the school day structure at the junior high level for the 202526 school year. Second, Miss Venmouth. I, Mr. Gatewood, I Miss Johnson. I, Mr. Cerone. Hi, Miss Simon. Hi, Dr. Mario. Hi, Mr. Blober. I motion passes 70. Action item 12.3, approval of Brocall RTU installation. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to award the Brokaw RTU installation project to Oakbrook Mechanical, Inc. in the amount of

136$148,800. Second, Mr. Poger. I, Mr. Gatewood, I. Miss Venmouth. I, Mr. Cerrone. I Miss Simon I, Dr. Maria, I, Miss Johnson, I. Motion passes 70. Action item 12.4, approval of asphalt and concrete pavement projects. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to award the asphalt and concrete project contract to Abby Construction Company, Inc. for a total cost of 3,00 I'm sorry 3,330. Yeah, right. 3 3,330 two concrete 3,337,335 if they can get a second second at 3,3 [Laughter] for the record. Dr. Maria I Miss Johnson I Mr. Pler I Mr. Cerone hi Mr. Gatewood. Hi, Miss Venmouth. I will abstain because I have a family member that works for Abby. Okay. Miss Simon, I So, six approved, one abstension. Um, action item 12.5, approval of junior high school novel selection. Can I have

137a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the junior high school core novel proposals for 202526. Second. Before we vote, I just want to say one thing. Um Dr. Paul, if we could look into the eighth grade, um there is a selection for one of the um one of the uh parts of the semester where Neil Gman's um one of his Coraline I think is the text that is being read. with the recent accusations that have come out against him, can you and your team just look into that and make sure that um that is appropriate moving forward? I missed what you said. If you look on the stuff that you presented to us for the junior high when it goes through the various um chapters of what's going to be taught, there's text of

138his that is used and there's been a lot of um very disturbing allegations that have come out against him that I think would be um worth our while just to look into. Thank you, Miss Venmouth. Hi, Dr. Mario. I Mr. Cerone. I Miss Simultton I Mr. Gatewood I Miss Johnson I Mr. Clover I motion passes 70. Action item 12.6 approval of high school African-American studies textbook selection. Can I have a motion please? Make a motion to approve the high school African-American studies textbook selection. Second. Mr. Seron I. Mr. Gatewood I. Miss Johnson. I Mr. Clober I Miss Venmouth I Dr. Maria I Miss Simon I Motion passes 70. Action item 12.7 seven approval of renewal of state waiver. Can I have a motion please? Make a motion to approve the resolution authorizing the submission of

139a state waiver application to exempt a student participating in showqu choir from participating in physical education. Second. Mr. Gatewood. Hi, Dr. Mario. Hi, Miss Johnson. Hi, Mr. Cerone. Hi, Miss Simon. I Mr. Pler, I. Miss Venmouth, I. Motion passes 70. Action item 12.8. Approval of destruction of the audio recordings. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the destruction of the audio recordings of the closed se close session meetings from May 5th, 2023 to October 23rd, 2023. Second, I'm just going to say one thing. I I like over the years, anytime these have come up, you'll always hear me say no. It's because quite frankly, I uh I'm just somebody who doesn't like anything any any kind of public record destroyed. I'm not telling you how you should vote, but uh my

140last meeting I'll I throw it out there as to why I always vote this way. Dr. Maria, I Miss Venmouth. I Mr. Serrone. Hi, Miss Hamilton I Mr. Gatewood I Miss Johnson no Mr. Clogger. No. Five. Motion passes. 5 to 2. Action item 12.9 approval of release of close session minutes. And I have a motion, please. I make a motion to make available no closed session minutes at this time due to a determination that they require continued confidentiality. Second. Miss Venmouth. I. Miss Simon. I. Mr. Cerone. Hi, Mr. Poger. Hi, Mr. Gatewood. Hi, Dr. Mario. Hi, Miss Johnson. Hi. Motion passes 70. Action item 12.10, approval of resignation of licensed personnel. And I have a motion, please. Make a motion to approve the release and separation agreement with registered behavior technician Jacqueline Mendes. Second, Mr.

141Logger. Hi, Mr. Gatewood. Hi, Miss Venmouth. I Mr. Cerone. Hi, Miss Simon. Hi, Dr. Mario. I Miss Johnson. I. Motion passes 70. Action item 12.11, approval of personnel report. Can I have a motion, please? Make a motion to approve the personnel report as discussed and presented. Second. Dr. Maria, I. Mr. Clober. Hi, Miss Simleton. Hi, Mr. Cerrone. I Miss Johnson. Hi, Mr. Gatewood. I Miss Spen, I. Motion passes 70. Can I have a motion to adjurnn one last time? Yes. Make a motion to adjurnn. Second. All in favor? I I I