001Today is Tuesday, December 16th, 2025. This is a board of education regular meeting. Time is 5:00. Can I get a roll call, please? >> Remy Dane, >> present. >> Walter Hood, >> Timothy Lockett, >> here. >> Roy Mickens, >> present. >> Willie Ray, >> present. Latana Sales, >> present. >> Latoya Mos present. I >> have a quorum. Could I get a prayer for Mrs. Will it rain? Please ask everyone to stand and bow your heads please. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your mercy and your kindness for waking us up this morning, giving us the activity of our limbs. We ask that you bless this business meeting with the school board and everyone that is participating and help us to make good sound decision. These things we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. >> Amen. Next
002president to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. Thank you. >> Get a motion to adoption of the agenda giving the board president discretion to take items out of order or executive session. Can I get a motion? >> I make the motion. Then motion by Roy Mickens, second by >> second. >> Lata Sales. Roll call. >> Roy Mickens. >> Yes. >> Lata Sales. >> Yes. >> Remy Dane. >> Yes. >> Walter Hood. >> Timothy Lockett. >> Yes. >> Victoria Mosley. Yes. >> Motion pass. U Ray. >> Yes. >> Motion pass. >> Good evening everyone. >> Good evening. >> I'm pleased to share a few recognitions tonight. Um, beginning with the BIS spot who
003hosted a 2025 communityrooted innovation awards ceremony in early December and they celebrated local leaders who move with purpose, build with love, and pour back into the East St. Louis community. And among those who are awardees include Mia Thomas, the library media specialist at Mason Clark Middle School, as well as Katrice Johnson, school social worker at Bush Alternative Center. So, we salute salute their recognition and the lasting impact they are making within our community. Additionally, we highlight the fall sports and student athletes as well as their coaches um from the city of champions. Some of those success highlights include that the East St. Louis Senior High School Flyers football team was the IHSA class 6A second place um in the state under the head coach of Darren Sunket. Our unified East St. Louis Senior High School
004Flag football team were the state champions and that's the third state title under head coach Kelvin Rogers as well as the fourth win with assistant coach George Mumford. The unified East St. Louis Senior High School boys bowling doubles team earned second place under head coach Jason Rogers as well as the high school unified girls bowling double team who also took second place under um the coaching of Jason Rogers. Switching to cross country, Denia Hill at East St. Louis Senior High School earned fifth place at the Class 2A Centerville cross country regional under the head coach of Nina Fenoi. We also had a number of middle school students who advanced to the qualified for ESA state competition. They included Kobe Wright from the Young School of Excellence, KK Clark from Lincoln Middle School, Kenneth Watson, I'm
005sorry, Walton from Lincoln Middle School, Carlos Clay from Mason Clark Middle, and Zayen Cullum from Mason Clark. Additionally, the Mason Clark 7th grade girls basketball team were the IESA 4A regional 15 champions under the head coach of Ashley Browning. So, we salute all of our student athletes and their coaches. >> Thank you. >> For next um presentation, um Nick Cameron Good evening everyone. Good evening. Um my name is Nick Cavaleri. I am a principal with Baker Tilly and we've been engaged by the board of education to audit your financial statements. This evening I'm going to provide a highle overview of the audit results and then take any questions, excuse me, that the board may have at this time. Um in front of you, you should have some booklets. Um, this particular booklet is the financial
006statements. And I'd ask that all of you just grab that book and if you could open it to page 17 and page 18 and then just put it in front of you. I'm going to go over some of the numbers that are in this particular schedule. I'll give everybody a minute to get to page 17 and page 18. Um, prior to going over the the financial statement results, um, it's important to understand that our responsibility is to audit these financial statements, we conduct our audit in accordance with governmental auditing standards. We perform a series of tests. Um, we design our tests based on a risk assessment. um that the financial statements can contain errors and that our audit procedures would identify those errors and and you know proposed adjustments to the administration for them to
007be corrected before they're they're issued. Um at the end of the day we perform all of these procedures and the only thing that is the responsibility of the auditor is the opinion on the financial statements. The type of opinion that we rendered on the financial statements is an unmodified audit opinion. An unmodified audit opinion is the highest level of assurance that you can receive from the external auditing firm that your financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that based upon all the tests that we performed that there did not appear to be any material misstatements. Um the disclosures that are in the financial statements are consistent with those particular requirements. So that's what you want to hear from the auditor that you had an unmodified audit opinion. hear anything other
008than that, that means that there were potentially scope limitations or other challenges during the scope of the audit. So, um, with that being said, I want to point out some of the results for fiscal year 2025. On page 17, you'll see that there's several funds that are presented in column format. The general fund consists of your educational accounts, your tor immunity accounts, and your working cash accounts. All three of those funds are consolidated into the general fund for pre presentation purposes in the financial statements. Okay. But for all intents and purposes, you can kind of really think of it primarily as the ED fund. Um the operations and maintenance fund is is used to account for um you know specific revenues that are associated with operating the buildings, maintenance of the buildings. The transportation fund
009is used for transporting of students. Municipal Retirement Social Security Fund is used exclusively for pension costs associated with the IMRF pension system, Social Security, and Medicare. So on page 17, I like to think of it as like the day-to-day operational funds of the school district. And what you can see is at the top are the revenues, in the middle are the expenditures, and then there's a line threequarters of the way down that says net change in fund balance. So, were the revenues um consistent with the expenditures or were the revenues less than the expenditures which would be a decrease in the fund reserve? And you could see in the general fund that there was a $15.5 million decrease in the fund balances in the general fund. In the operations and maintenance fund, there was a
010decrease of $ 1.5 million. In the transportation fund, there was a decrease of $1.5 million. And then in the municipal retirement social security fund, there was a decrease of about $72,000. So all of these operating funds for the most part had a decrease um a reduction in fund reserves. On page 18, the debt service fund is used exclusively for um transactions associated with long-term debt instruments. So bonds that are outstanding supported by a direct levy. And then ultimately um the timing of when the bond payments take place and when the tax receipts come in can can change from time to time. And ultimately you saw that there was a decrease of about $400,000 in the debt service fund. The capital projects fund ended the year um with a deficit of about $114,000. Um that fund
011is being for the most part supported with state and federal aid. And I, you know, I don't anticipate that that $114,000 is a detriment to the school district, but I think it's just something to to keep your eye on. You may need to allocate some funding over there in fiscal year 26 to pace with the cost associated with facility work that's taking place. And then the fire prevention and life safety fund is really a very restrictive fund. Um, the type of work that can be done in there has to be in your approved life safety plan with the state board. Um, and that fund balance had a nominal increase of about $100,000 to end the year with 1.3 million. So, um, just a couple things that I always want to make sure that the boards
012understand when I come to talk is what the results were for the financial statements. I had several conversations with superintendent, the administration, and and I understand that this deficit spending um, was in a sense planned was within your budget. And you know that's part of the things that this the state board has talked with you about about re pulling down some of your fund balances because they were heavier um than what they would have expected. Um there is a calculation in a document. It's called the annual financial report. It's a state regulatory report that every school district has to have audited and submitted. And within that report, if there's certain metrics that are identified comparing like revenues and expenditures to fund balances and then how much of a fund balance decrease there was, it could
013trigger something called a deficit reduction plan. The 2025 AFR triggered a deficit reduction plan. Um, so you know, that might be something that's going to be discussed at greater lengths with the FOP at at some point or the state board. But ultimately, I I took a quick look at the ED fund and excluding this concept of a state on behalf payment, which is required to show a revenue and an expense in your financial statements for money that the state of Illinois pays to the teachers retirement and the teachers health insurance system. That's about $22.1 million. It's recognized as a revenue and an expense in your financial statements. If we take that out of your totals, your ED fund ending fund balance ratio, that's basically the unrestricted ED fund money had about a 28% fund balance
014ratio. So the amount of expenditures that were incurred in your ED fund compared to your your ending fund balance was about a 28% ratio. You know, state board, you know, has a metric scoring system. 25% I feel is probably like the lowest that they want to see some school districts present. Otherwise, you know that there could be challenges with cash flow and things like that. So, so you're right there at the end of fiscal year 25. It's just something to keep your eyes on. Are there any questions with the financial statements? Okay. Um, moving along, and I'm not going to ask you to open any pages on this, but is this second document. This is an audit results communication report. So under the auditing standards, there's a lot of like boilerplate things that the external
015auditor has to provide to management and those with governance. Um you know, did we have any disagreements or challenges in conducting our audit with the administration? None of those things took place during the year. Um but but when we're conducting the audit, if we identify material audit adjustments, we have to report those to you. we have to report those to the administration and then you know ask them would you like to adjust your financial statements for these things. Um we don't make those decisions unilaterally. They weigh the information that we present based on our our testing procedures and then ultimately you know management agreed with those adjustments. Um and there were two adjustments that were identified during the course of the audit and they really related to like the accounts payable balance that gets represented
016in the financial statements at the end of the year. So we we come in to perform the audit and we ask everybody what are the bills that you paid in July, August and September that relate to services that were performed in fiscal year 2025. So June and prior and that schedule that we received had some adjustments to it. So we proposed those adjustments and everything was fine after we were done. And then there was some some revenue that got recorded in the wrong fund. um state transportation grant funding um was recorded in the ED fund and we proposed adjustments to move that money over into the transportation fund where it's required to be presented. Um you know outside of that we didn't have any other adjusting entries but again like I said as part of
017the audit process we have to communicate those types of adjustments to you. Are there any questions on that? >> Okay. Thank you for having me here tonight. All right. Thank you. >> Okay. Have a good evening. >> You too. >> Thanks. >> Our next will be um presentation from Lincoln Middle School. >> Good afternoon everyone. >> Good afternoon. >> My name is Cashonda Nicholson. I am the principal at Lincoln Middle School. Um and you you should have a orange folder in front of you. And inside of that folder, you should have a brochure um some data from um some historical data for AR and NWA on the school. And you should also have a newsletter um that focuses on our PBIS. So I want you to take a look at your newsletter and we're going
018to start with our historical and current state designations. So um we gave a little historical data just so you'll see the last four years of the designations of Lincoln. This year in 2025 we did receive a designation of intensive. So our goal for 2026 is to move out of the intensive status. Areas of focus for school improvement. We have three areas that we're focusing on for this school year is climate and culture, attendance, effective instructional practices and strategies. Our state school improvement goals. Goal number one addresses chronic absenteeism. Our goal is to move our chronic absenteeism from 51.5% which was what we ended with last year. So, our goal for this year is to end at at least 45%. Goal number two, by focusing on instructional practices, strategies, and interventions, we aim to increase the
019percentage of Lincoln Middle School students scoring in the top three quintiles from 24% to 36% or higher on the NWA math assessment by the end of the school year. Goal three, by focusing on instructional practices, strategies, and interventions, we aim to increase the percentage of Lincoln Middle School students scoring in the top three quentiles on the NWNA in NWA reading assessment for 30 from 36 to 48% or higher by the end of the school year. So overall, we're looking to move 12% of our studio student body in the top three quintiles. Our school year 26 implementation plan um we're focusing on implementing um the PBIS initiative for both students and staff. We have a new platform um for behavior which is kickboard. We have smart paths. We have three SEAL focus rooms on each grade
020level to address any um behavior concerns, uh minor concerns or counseling or things like that that the students may need. We have a tiger den and we also have a new PBIS coach which which is a positive behavior interventions and support coach. So she drives a lot of these initiatives under the PBIS. Um we also um focus on celebrations for staff and students each month. Our second um focus is going to be on our attendance. Once again, we're trying to decrease our chronic absenteeism from 5150.5% to 45%. So we did create an attendance task force team which we implemented an attendance plan and we have attendance monitoring systems that we monitor and track attendance daily and monthly and we also have quarterly attendance meetings with the director um Miss Robbie Edmonds along with Miss um
021Miss Burton. Next, we focused on instruction, which is the effective instruction instructional practices and strategies. So, we um were able to change our master schedule. Last year at Lincoln, the instructional time was 55 minutes. We were able to recreate the master schedule and implement 7 going from 55 minutes to 75 minutes of instructional time. So our students are now receiving more instructional time throughout the day instead of 55 minutes. We were able take to take the study skills it that they have in the morning time and we took that time and implemented into the day in the instructional minutes. We also have professional development that we've done at the beginning of the school year, lesson planning, differentiated small groupoup instruction, intervention and implementation, and student engagement. We were able to do professional development with the
022teachers on disagregating schoolwide data. We looked at assessments, attendance, and the climate and culture of the building and the implementation of instructional walkthroughs and evaluations. On the back of your brochure, you have your instructional focus. Once again, we focused on the master schedule to increase the instructional time. Um, intervention minutes. We have a math AIT, we have a reading AIT, and we also have a math intervention specialist. They all have intervention schedules which they are pulling the students to give that targeted interventions for tier 2 and tier three. Um, we've been focusing on lesson planning, um, instructional practices and strategies. Once again, the teachers are receiving professional development in those areas and the diff differentiated small groups and centers to increase student engagement. Our current data for the year adds up to the winter assessment
023that we just finished on yesterday. Our current NWA students who met their growth target in each area. In math, we're at 49% growth. Reading is 49% growth. And science is also is 55% growth. Our average daily attendance as of today is at 92%. Our chronic absenteeism rate is currently sitting at 32%. Our overall growth, our composite score of growth for all areas is now at 65.39%. That's all I have. Do you all have any questions? >> All right. Thank you. >> Thanks a lot. >> Thank you. >> It say approve the minutes. Approve the minutes. >> The minutes from >> um 6A. Can I motion to approve the minutes of November 17th, 2025 regular board meeting. Could I get a motion and second? >> I make the motion. >> A motion by Willie Ray. Second
024by Walter Hood. Roll call. >> Willie Ray? >> Yes. >> Walter Hood? >> Yes. >> Remy Dane? >> Yes. >> Timothy Lockett? >> Yes. >> Roy Mickens? >> Yes. >> Latana Sales? >> Yes. Latoya Mosley? Yes. >> Motion passed. Uh, this portion of the meeting is reserved for the comments from the public in accordance with policy 2230. Public participation at the board of education meeting and petition to the board. Um number one is a maximum time of 30 minutes will be allotted for the all public comments. Individual must have submitted the public comment form 30 minutes prior to the meeting in order to address the board. Number three is please limit your comments to three minutes or less. The board presidents may shortening the time for each speaker. Four is if uh multiple individual wish
025to speak on the same subject the group will be required to appoint a spokesperson. Five is name of students or staff are not not allowed to be disclosed during public comments. Six is neither the board nor the superintendent will respond to public comments during the board meeting. The superintendent or designate may follow up separately with the speaker and the board as appropriate. Um first um speaker is Can I have Andrea Todden Hughes to step up, please? >> How you doing, Miss Toen? >> Thank you all. First of all, I would like to uh say to uh President Lockett and the board, thank you for letting me be here on behalf of Sigma Gamaro Sorority Incorporated. I am glad to stand before you as a retired teacher here at the East St. Louis School District 189,
026the best school district in the world. >> Yes. >> Uh and to the executive staff here and uh uh Superintendent Garrett, uh I want to uh assistant superintendent, I'm sorry. Uh I want to thank you for allowing me to stand here before you. I also want to um mention that our president from our local chapter, the East St. Louis chapter, Sigma Gamma Road sorority is here as well with me. Uh Kina Harden. I am the chairman of our operation big book bag and youth symposium. This year is our 30th and the 30th is very commemorative for our sorority. Alpha oops Sigma chapter which is the East St. Louis uh chapter is the founding chapter for both the annual youth symposium and operation big book bag for Sigma Gamarro Sorority Incorporated internationally. those programs. Operation Big
027Book Bag is number one and Youth Symposium is number three for our programs internationally for Sigma Gamarro Sority Incorporated. I stand before you on behalf of Na Colton who is our central region president or centactis for Sigma Gamarro Sorority Incorporated. The region is hosting our annual youth symposium and operation big book bag right here in the illustrious city of East St. Louis, Illinois this year. It took a lot of coats, but I did it. And we are proud to say that they are coming here. The entire region, the international president, the international board, the regional board and eight states in our region are being invited to come here. I know you were presented with my application for um the um uh for us to use the East St. Louis Senior High School. I want to
028first thank you all for approving that application for us to have our annual uh youth symposium and Operation Big Book Bag here at the East St. Louis Senior High School. But I'm standing before you because that program um was started by our own Dr. Laurana J. Mars. Dr. Mars who was a a principal that that served here and the library at Lincoln uh at Mason Clark Middle School is dedicated to her. So what we are asking is that we are able to use the big gym as well for this event. Everything I'm understanding was approved so far except for the big gym. The reason why it is pertinent for us to have and use the big gym first of all is because we're expecting a thousand youth. We are serving first the East St. school
029district. All middle schools and the high school are welcome. We are supplying um book supplies for the the students. We have a thousand clear book bags on order and other school supplies that are needed for students. And the uh that's the event is Saturday, March 14, 2026. And uh the major need that we need and the highlights are that we're serving for the kids, free breakfast and lunch, free haircuts from the Barber College, uh free hair styling and nails are going to be done for the for the girls, and that's from uh beauty school. and they're donating all their time. Everything we're doing is free. No one is allowed to come, no vendor or anything that that want to sell products or services. Everything is free. And um we're having, like I said, we're getting
030free book book bags. The clear book bags we're ordering there a thousand of them because that's what we use here in in East St. Louis. um school supplies, free treats for the kids. Uh there's going to be all of that going on. We need that in the big gym because it's going to be on uh probably the basis of like an expo. The kids will be allowed to shop for school supplies. um they will be able to uh have other free vendors there that were going to give away um items in the small gym. The Urban League is going to be in the small gym. There's going to be a clothing giveaway. There's going to be a career fair so the kids can even get jobs as well. the um the small cafeteria. There's going
031to be uh that we're utilizing the the children at East Side in the culinary department. They're going to be serving food for the VIPs. And we're inviting the superintendent, the board, and everybody to come, the assistant superintendent. We want everybody there. We're inviting uh senators, the all I mean, just the governor, everyone will be there. And it's going to be a big media event because the International Sorority is coming. Uh, and the Urban League. >> And East East St. Louis School District 189. Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry. East St. Louis School District 189 is one of be one of our major sponsors. So, the ask is that we're able to use the Big Gym uh for those purposes. And thank you. >> All right. Thanks. Okay, next will be um superintendent report. >>
032Yes, the board I'm assuming the board doesn't need to go into close session. >> You need executive session. They want >> the administration doesn't. Okay. Thank you. I'm asking for a motion to approve by vote action items 12 A, 12 B, 12 C, 12 D, 13 A, 14 A, 15 A, 15 B, 15 C, and 15 D. Can I get a motion, please? >> Motion. >> I second. >> Okay. Motion by Remy Dane, second by Willie Ray. Roll call. >> Remy Dane. >> Yes. >> Willie Ray. >> Yes. Tanya Sales, >> yes. >> Walter Hood, yes. >> Timothy Lockett, >> yes. >> Roy Mikens, >> yes. >> Toya Mosley, yes. >> Motion pass. >> I need a motion to approve the following action items. 12 A reading of all resolutions by heading only. 12B resolution
033number approving and authorizing amended renewal of charter school with SIUE. 12 C workers compensation settlement agreement as presented. 12D student discipline which is placing five students into alternative school Bush alternative school or remote learning. The students are student ID number 88 9115742 and 88911715 13A financial report for the month of November November 2025. 14 A personnel report addendum contracts andus. 15A builders and grounds report. 15B curriculum committee report and addendum. 15 C policy committee report first reading and waving second reading. And finally 15 D finance committee report and addendum. Can I get a motion please? I make a motion. >> Been a motion by Remy Dane, second by Lata Sales. Any questions? >> Roll call. >> Latana Sales. >> Yes. >> Remy Dane? >> Yes. >> Walter Hood? Yes. >> Timothy Lockett? >> Yes. >>
034Roy Mickens? >> Yes. >> Willy Ray? >> Yes. >> Victoria Mosley? Yes. >> Motion pass. >> Mr. President, that does conclude my report. >> All right. Thanks, Superintendent. Any old business? Any new business? Next uh board meeting will be January 20th, 2026. We get a motion to adjurnn. >> I'll make a motion. Second motion by Remy Dean, second by um Willie Ray. Roll call. >> Remy Dean, >> yes. >> Willie Ray, >> yes. >> Walter Hood, yes. >> Timothy Lockett, >> yes. >> Roy Miggins, >> yes. >> Lata Sales, Mosley, yes. Motion pass. Mean ajourn.