001Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Ah, [Music] everybody. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Laughter] [Music] All right. Call the order of the regular board meeting. Can I get the roll call, please? Okay. Thanks, Ella. Vice President Thompson here. Board member Mcnite here. Board member McKini here. Board member Carlson. I'm sorry. You called your name. Board member Carlson. Oh. Um, or Mike. Board member Johnson here. Secretary Meeks here. Sam Cook, recording secretary. Terra Yarro, superintendent. Wagner, human resources. Michelle, curriculum and instruction. Josh, business operations. really good. Thank you. All right, Mr. Ran, you want to get get the kids for the place? Oh, sure. You get the honor right now. You get to do something that everybody's listening to. Yeah. Really testing make sure no one leaves. All right. Everyone, we got a tie.
002Okay. All right. There we go. Okay. Okay. All right. Show me. Hello, Principal R. This is awesome. Still coming. Still coming. All right. All right. Take it away. So, good evening everybody. I am super happy to bring some fantastic students from Rston uh to say the pledge tonight. So, every single quarter at Rston, we recognize a student of the quarter. Um, so we have 11 classrooms. We invited 11 students tonight. They couldn't all make it today, but these students are representing their home rooms as our student of the quarter. And I wanted to say a couple of reasons why they might be nominated for their teacher as written by their teachers right here. I won't say who. It might be embarrassing, but I just want to say a couple things. So, this student was nominated
003because they're always focusing and listening in class and a super kind student. One of them is helpful in the classroom, has a very positive attitude every day. One is a shining example of a respectful, responsible and ready road runner. Another one is a good role model to others in class and is an active participant in classroom and a very active listener. Um, another one comes just with this p positive attitude, ready to learn as a good friend to everybody. Um, and one more, another good role model, good listener, follows classroom procedures, always willing to help out in the classroom and is the first one to lend a hand. These are just examples of reasons why these students were nominated. So, we're just very proud to have them here. And if you guys want to go
004around and just say your name and who your teacher is and then we'll do the pledge. Want to start with Dustin? Okay. I am Dustin and I'm in fourth grade and my teacher is Mrs. Carter. Good job. I'm Grace and my teacher is Miss Beck. My name is Everly. I'm in fourth grade. My teacher is Miss My name is Owen and I'm in third grade and my teacher is My name is Avery. I'm in fifth grade. I'm teacher. My name is Kevin and I'm in second grade. Good job. Everybody join us for the pledge. Absolutely. Ready? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And we have a Road Runner pledge we'd like
005to do. Ready, guys? At Rston, we Road Runners believe in reaching higher, becoming stronger, and making it better. [Applause] Here tonight started that lady for something. We're going to come around and take take a picture with Yep. All right, guys. If you want to turn around, face this way. People have told us that he created created. So, you know, we gota wait for a One more in the back. Okay, awesome. Great job, guys. [Applause] Almost here. Almost in the correct order. Almost. All right. So, can I get a motion to approve the agenda? Motion. Second. Board member Mcnite. I. Board member McKenna. I. Board member Carlson. Uh, yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks. I. Vice President Mcn I mean Thompson. I. Sorry, Dr. Yo. All right. Thank you to um Principal Rollinsson and the
006Rosson Elementary students. That was awesome. So the mission of Harlequal School District as a vital part of the community is to help diverse learners realize their limited potential by providing an educational program dedicated to academic excellence and develop a strong character in a safe and respectful learning environment. All right. Approval of the public hearing and board meeting minutes September 22nd 2025. Can I get a motion? I motion. What? You do I motion? I'll second then. Board member Mcnite. I board member McKenna. I. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks. I. Vice President Thompson. I All right. We do not have any awards and recognition at this time, but I did want to give a shout out to um our we got a couple of students who are sending the IE essay um
007state for cross country. So, we got Gavin Sterling and Scarlet Pickawitz. So, wish them well this weekend as they um go to state. And then also our girls flag football team is currently competing for a chance to go to state. um tonight against Antioch. So, and that's it. Thank you. Uh let's see here. Uh comments from the community. We did receive a email comment uh from Katie Littlefield. Uh and it will be included. Uh on to approval of the bills, Mr. Rand. All right. Thank you very much. The payables this period were $1,459,730.36. There were two payrolls this period for an amount of $7,244,891.72 for total expenditures of 8,74,6228. The ad fund paid $7,181,97.86. 86. The operations and maintenance fund paid $451,81.80. Transportation fund paid $394,77260. The IMRF social security fund paid $250,62083. Capital Projects
008Fund paid $272,453.96 and the Life Safety Fund paid $153,875.3 again for total expenditures of 8,74,6228. Are there any unanswered bill questions? No. That is it for the bills. Thank you. On to administrative reports. Dr. Thank you. And I have one line item but two uh actual documents. One of them is at your seat. I'm going to start with the one that is attached to the agenda. Uh that is for theaterfest. Um it is at ISU. If you recall last year the um students actually came to a board meeting and talked about all the great experiences that they had um attending um and the opportunities they got from there. uh they will be leaving on um January 8th and returning on the 10th. Uh so I'm going to ask for approval for that. And then my
009second item was the one that's at your seat. Uh we are hopeful that tonight goes well for our girls flag football team. It's great to see them um where they're at and in hopes that they um have a successful evening. We'd like to have the overnight travel uh so that we are set ready to go. Excellent. Thank you. Back to you, Josh. All right. There's no one left in between the bills and All right. Uh, so my first item is a recommendation to approve a resolution declaring surplus property at the Harlem Administration Center, the middle school, and Olsen Park. Questions? So next is a recommendation to approve facility requests and I have four this evening. First one is from India Association of Grey Rockford for an event at the high school. Uh next is a
010popup in the parks event at the high school also in December. Uh my third one is a a wrestling D'vorak tournament in December at the high school. And my fourth one is a dance company is having an event at the high school next June. Any questions about those? The third item is a recommendation to accept the July and August treasures report that committee as a whole will review uh the August treasures report which just giving us kind of the early snapshot into the school year since we were only in school for a few weeks. So each treasures report after this will just give us a little bit better insight into how that year is going. But so far trending okay. So, any questions on the July and August treasures report? Okay. Item number four is
011a recommendation to approve an independent contractor agree agreement with Janice Bubnik to provide tutoring services for students who attend Rockford Lutheran School for the FY26 school year for a total cost of $4,590. That is paid with ESA Title One funds. Any question on the tutoring contract? 10B5 is a recommendation to approve an agreement with the Energy Solutions to update exterior lighting at Rston Elementary for a net cost of $3,241. This is kind of the beginning of updating our exterior lighting from an energy efficiency and safety security standpoint. So, this will be the first elementary building we'll have done. Any questions on that? 10B6 is a recommendation to approve an agreement with for Skyward cumulative student information system migration for a total cost of $9,758. There is a memo from Dr. Herb and Aaron Guski attached
012just kind of explaining that process and Dr. or discussed that at the committee the whole meeting. So if there's any remaining questions on just kudos for working that out to get a to honoring a quote that was what almost 10 years in $20,000 less than all the related competition like I that's what we need this year. So thank you for that. All right and my final item is a recommendation to approve the estimated annual 2025 tax levy. We did go through this at committee the whole but I'll kind of hit some of the highlights and just discuss a little bit of the timeline approve. Uh so on page four is the tax levy timeline which begins tonight or began last Wednesday at committee the wholeer business services. So tonight at the board meeting uh we're
013recommending to levy under 5% of last year's levy equivalent. Um so that over or under 5% kind of dictates the the path of this process. So um next would be the business services meeting in November on the 12th and then I would ask for full adoption of the tax November 17th so we can file that for next year. So in the packet that's attached pages five, six, and seven kind of explain and layout the cycle the timelines just general information about the tax levy. Page eight is the county's estimate and this is kind of an insight in terms of how all of this breaks down and what they're projecting for this upcoming year. So, it does show uh that last year was year two of the property tax relief grant. So, that those funds will
014come back into the tax levy for next year. Um, the county is estimating an $83 million increase in EAV up 8.77% and approximately a 15 cent decrease in the tax rate. So that um property tax relief grant money I have levied in O andM which would be used for some projects in the capital project fund. Okay. Um, so the increased portion is really a split out between our normal 2.9% of the cost of living increase and then the property tax relief grant coming back on. This packet also has quite a bit of 10-year historical information in there and just any information if people are interested in the tax levy process. So this will come back at the business services November and ask for approval at that November meeting. Yeah. historical on page 15. So just
015anyone that's out there that's wanting to look to see and kind of get an idea of the work that you've done, that is a a great snapshot. Yeah, it's a good interesting kind of breakdown of where the AB trend has been and the tax rate. Does anyone have any questions on that? Stephen, that is my report. Thank you, Dr. Shelley W. Thank you, Vice President Thompson. Um, tonight I have the recommendation to approve personnel agenda and addendum this evening. We have three transfers, three employments, and 11 resignations, five of which are retirements at end. Thank you, Dr. Traro. All right. So, the first is a recommendation to approve the second reading of policy 8 col 80 from September 8, 2025. Um, first reading. And if you have any questions on that, please let me know.
016Otherwise, I'll go right into the foyas here. So, the first text. So, the first four requests dated September 22nd um was submitted by Jared um Pippenbrink of the Illinois Department of Employment Security requesting job titles, wages, hourly or salary, department, and hours worked of all employees of Marquette Elementary listed on the quart quarterly contribution report for the payroll that included May 12th, 2025. Um we responded to the request on September 29th, 2025 with the inclusive documents. The next um foyer request was dated September 16th was submitted by Lumium data requesting copies of our current property and casualty insurance policies including premiums um with our response to the requesttor on September 26 of this year with the documents. Um, the next one was dated September 26, was submitted by Frank Patterson of Academy Research Group, requesting
017list of current employees, full names, hire date, phone numbers, email address, and salary with our response to the requesttor on October 2nd, 2025 with that inclusive document. And then the final foyer request um was dated October 1st was submitted by Owen Wang requesting names of newly inducted National Honors Society members, National Merit Scholarship Corporation finalists, National Merit Scholarship Corporation winners including semi-finals and commended scholars um from our high school. The we deny this request as this information is not currently available. And so just for the record too because I had got this question before um anytime you know someone requests information from us as a FOYA it is information that we have to provide. So just so everyone knows and that ends my report. Thank you sir. On to the consent agenda 11A approved personnel
018agenda and addendum. I get a motion. Motion second. Board member McKenna. Hi. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks. I. Vice President Thompson. I. Board member Mcnite. Hi. Approval of student travel requests. Motion. Second. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks. I. Vice President Thompson. I. Board member Mcnite. Hi. Board member McKenna. Hi. 11 C approval of facility requests. Move second. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks I. Vice President Thompson. I. Board member Mcnite. Hi. Board member McKenna. I. Board member Carlson. Yes. Action items. 12A. Approve resolution declaring surplus property. Motion. Second. Secretary Meeks. I, Vice President Thompson. Hi, Board Member Mcnite. Yes. Board member McKenna. Hi, Board Member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. 12B. Approve second reading of policy 880 from September 8th, 2025. First reading. Motion.
019Second. Board member I mean Vice President Thompson. I. Board member Mcnite. Hi. Board member McKenna. Hi. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I Secretary Meeks I 12C accept July and August 2025 treasures report motion second vice president Thompson I board member Mcnite I board member McKenna I board member Carlson yes board member Johnson I secretary Meeks I 12D approve an independent contractor agreement with Janice Bubnack to provide tutoring services for students who attend Rockford Lutheran school for the FY26 school year for a total of $4,590 played with paid with ESA title one funds. Motion second. Vice President Thompson I. Board member Mcnite. I. Board member McKini. I. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. Hi. Secretary Meeks. I 12E. Approve an agreement with the Energy Solutions to update exterior lighting. There thank you at
020Rston Elementary for a cost of $3,241. Motion. Second. Board member Mcnite. I. Board member McKenna. I. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Nate. I. Vice President Thompson. I. 12F. Approve an agreement for Skyward cumulative student information system migration for a total cost of 9,758. Motion second. Board member McKenna. I board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks. I. Vice President Thompson. I. Board member Mcnite. I. 12G. Approve the estimated annual 2025 tax levy. Motion second. Board member Carlson. Yes. Board member Johnson. I. Secretary Meeks. I. Vice President Thompson. Yes. Board member Mcnite. Yes. Board member McKenna. Hi. 13. Announcements and discussion. All right. So the first part is our next regular board meeting is October 27th, 2025. And then our next committee the whole is November 12th of 2025. And
021then this would be the time where if any board members have any announcements or discussions, this would be the time for you to do that. I had a couple things that I kind of thought were important. Uh the first one was last week when we were at the COOTW meeting and we um looked at the education slides and it it's concerning to me still that we are um still seeing our students behind reading. Obviously, we have a new uh setup reading going on. I just I want to see a few things down. I would like to see us using uh getting more volunteers. I think it'd be great to take the time to do whatever information we can get out and get volunteers from the community, whether it's parents, grandparents, um teachers maybe on lunch
022hour, even our high schoolers that can come in and just sit with our students and read. I know I have volunteered multiple times and keep getting the answer of well the United Way does this but it would be nice to have if the United Way does it that's great let's get more people to do it and work with our kids and you know some of our kids who may need to be pulled out of a classroom due to discipline that they're not maybe learning and they're having trouble learning their reading. So, let's take them out in the hallway, take them out of the cafeteria and do something one or two or three of them on their own and work specifically to get them reading. And, you know, with our new our new curriculum, which is
023sounds like our our uh leaders are saying, yes, our principles, sorry, are saying that it's a great thing. Um, but it almost sounds like we're kind of going easy on it and we really don't want to go easy on it. I mean, we spent a fortune to to get this great new curriculum. Let's really dive in and get these kids reading and getting ahead and and doing a great job. But I just I want to see us um taking that time to get some volunteers and and work with our kids and get the reading going and see what we can if we can get them ahead faster and faster. So, I don't know. Um I do want to say I I would disagree with the statement they're going easy on it. there's a ton of
024material that they're trying to learn right now. And um we're trying to tell them don't try to do everything because you can't. It was not made to do everything, right? And so I don't want the two to be confused because our teachers are working really really hard on learning this new curriculum, right? And my only concern is that after hearing some of what was going on, it concerns me that you maybe our fifth graders are going to be kind of like, yeah, we got so much to work on. Are we gonna just kind of push them on to sixth grade and not get into as much of the reading and the learning and or is it just, you know, does it just sound that way? I I think it sounds may sound that way from
025an outsider. I had conversations with some fifth grade teachers and they're really working on how to get the skills that um the series assumes that they have had and get that as part of what they're currently doing. Okay. And yet we can still do like a volunteer situation where we can say hey I want to go in and help you know Parkerson or Rston or somebody and say hey let's get them reading in whether groups or singly or or there would definitely need to be some training that's going on because as uh any of the teachers and with um Kurt shaking his head I think he knows the learning curve with the new curriculum you can't just I mean there's more to curriculum and when you introduce you know this is anecdotally but introducing more
026outsiders sometimes into the classroom setting especially like that can be a distraction. There's only so much time that's directly into the day and there are some good programs you'd mentioned the United Way. Um I've seen kind of how that's worked and bringing them in it's beneficial. We just have to be careful like sometimes a great idea like you know getting more kids to read and reading to them. You don't want to interact or hurt already that learning curve because there's a lot to it. There's a training aspect that has to take place. Um making sure we got the right people in here. There's a lot to it and it's always great to get volunteers. We're always thankful, but um there is that whole educational piece to anybody who would be coming in as well. I
027just didn't know if it was something that we could say, hey, you know, maybe we've got a student here or a student there that is really struggling to the point of, well, you know, maybe they're not so much troublemakers, but they're having so much trouble with reading or catching up that, you know, let's take them aside one or two or three and say, hey, let's work on sentences or words or whatever and really catch them up to maybe whatever is going in their classroom. But, you know, just kind of get them pull them in a little bit more to practice them. So that's just a thought. But did you did you have another I had another I had another thing that really really upset me. And last Wednesday when we had a specific board member
028who came up with something very important, very concerning, and then was basically all but attacked by other people in the room about, you know, we can't we're not going to be saying things about these and and taunting and name calling. And we have policies prohibiting taunting and name calling on based on race and gender. So to say some of the things were uh completely uh inappropriate. Um and from what I can tell, the issue is uh about a Hispanic man chosen for uh Hispanic heritage, which is great that they're doing this, who obviously has uh Emmys and and students should basically look up to and show respect for. But I took the time to pull up five or six of his song lyrics, and you can't even repeat them. just they're they're filthy and disgusting
029and you know just horrible things that really are nothing but sexual harassment of women. Um it's already come to the point where there's all kinds of news about who on earth is going to already claim they're boycotting the Super Bowl because this man is going to be part of the show. Um, I know if my 8-year-old daughter, per se, came home from uh school with some of the smut that this person sings, I would be I would want the person that approved all this to be severely disciplined. I I find this completely unacceptable. Um, I have enough trouble with some of the books in our libraries that we offer our students to read. But this has been blatantly laid out in front of these students that are in this building saying, "Hey, this is perfectly
030all right. Whatever this man sings or does or whatever, it's disgusting." Um, from what I can tell, we're teaching our 6 to 12 year old young girls that men are going to say things that are terrible to you. and our and you should just be expecting it and and know that it's coming. Um, for our 6 to 12 year old boys, you can treat a woman any way she wants. She's there to be used. Um, this is just some of the words that go to these songs that this person sings. And I think that personally for if any man come stands up and says, "Hey, this is inappropriate for my wife, daughter, um, sister, mother, I would be very proud of that man. I'd be very proud of somebody who stepped in and says this
031is completely inappropriate for anyone to be listening to. And you know, I sit back and I say to myself, I wonder why a lot of people are pulling their children out of public schools in homeschooling or or private schooling them because it's just this kind of this is awful. this is for somebody to sing these kind of words and for it to be considered fine and normal and it's just it's awful. It's just awful and there's really not much else to say about it. So, um I just find it unacceptable. So, I think it just needs to be looked into a little bit deeper as to what took place. So, I digress. I'm not the principal or the one that brought up that right note, but just to put in perspective and someone correct me
032if I'm wrong, I don't believe the lyrics or the songs or any of that were played for the students. Okay. Right. I mean, correct. Like it was this this person that has contributed. Don't think you should respond right now because it's just going to bring up the conversation. Yeah. I just want to make sure how how it's being presented is what it was just again. Yeah. The lyrics were not done or sung correct. It was just the name of this presenter. It was announced at the meeting over the for the morning announcements. His name was announced as the person for that day and that was it. Okay. That's what I that's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure because what I had heard seemed that's what I different. Okay. Well, I guess my
033issue would be that if we're even taking this person and saying, "Hey, this is somebody fantastic and you know, we're going to we're going to look up to this or respect this person," it's like, why why why would we not pick somebody that, you know, is maybe is a Spanish opera singer or or plays, you know, baseball or a Hispanic, you know, um, soccer player or something. It just seems like this this is just somebody who has some nasty, filthy lyrics. I'm going to be out of order and I don't mean to cut you off and I will take the write up or whatever it it takes to but I want to be out of order for just a minute to just give a little perspective. Bad Bunny is relevant to children. They know the
034name and that's I'm sure as an educator why I'm sure that person was chosen over a Hispanic opera singer because that wouldn't be relevant to our students. They know that name. Most of them probably haven't listened to the music. If they have, they would have heard it on the radio and then any of those kinds of things would have been bleeded out that we don't want to hear. But that person was chosen because it was a relative person to those people. They to those children. They knew that name and it was somebody who is an award winner. This person has won Grammys, has been nominated for those things. There's more to this person than just what we might see. And that means different things to different people. And I understand the lyrics. I I believe
035me, I understand that. I understand the lyrics in most of the songs if we listen to them are going to be a problem. But it was a name, somebody that's relevant to the students that they could relate with as this is bringing honor. This is a Puerto Rican who is part of our country and is an American citizen. I look like that person. for some of those children, they need to be able to connect and to them that is why that person was chosen. And I'm sorry if I'm upsetting anybody, but I just wanted to speak to that. So, okay. Any other items on the list? Uh, I have a smaller one. Uh thank you for the high school for allowing me to come in uh to see the new auditorium and all the work
036uh in its glory and uh be part of HHN. So thank you for everyone that was part of that. Anyone else? Okay. Uh I do Rebecca. I commend you. without for both of you asking to be brought forth that has a moral moral integral that's all these are children all they have to do is look up that person's name and go on and see and to expose our children any further these are elementary school children and it's not right this is not Okay, thank you guys. Uh and with that we are going to then right now we called out the do we did the board we did the regular sessions. Okay then we're on to Okay. So now the fun part. We are going to do the motion to appoint the 2025 IAS IASB delegate
037to the 2025B delegate assembly on behalf of the Harlem School District. We get to vote by consensus. Do we have any nominations? Diane Johnson. Oh yeah. All right. I nominate I nominate Diana. I will echo that as well. Go for it. Do we have consensus? Yes. Yes. All right. You can win. You win. On to 13C2, which if you want to pull out if you've got one of these books here and we've got the list, it is attached here. We are going to go through to uh motion the appointed 2025 ISA IASB delegate be granted the authority to vote on the IASB resolutions at the 2025 delegate assembly solely in accordance with the consensus of this board of education on October 14th 2025. Now, do we go through each of these first or we go?
038We just go through each or the next the next meeting. You want to move this to the the next meeting? See, we need to go over it individually and then we come back and we discuss the next meeting. That's okay. We've got the assembly. We can go through cuz Yeah. I thought last year we we we all read this in because this is my first time seeing this. We've done it. I think we've not where it's been. You know, this is unless I missed it. No, we've always gotten this and then we cuz I want to look at it. It was much a longer session when we didn't do it that way. We can Yeah, this is my first time looking at it. So, if there's any questions or anything, so we still vote on
039the authority of 12 13 C2 and then fine and we can come back and bring Do I need to do anything to say we're pulling this background? All right. So, let's make sure we've got consensus on C2 for we both, you know, make sure that she's there. But then the next meetings when we discuss this better when you go in and read everything everybody have a better understanding on what to adopt and what not to adopt. Well, can I get consensus for 13C2? Yes. All oppose? No. All right. And we do not have any close session items this time. Wow. All right. With that consensus to adjourn. Wow. Yeah. I Yeah, I was surprised it as well. Motion on that. I know. I think it's consens. All right. All in favor say I. Thanks everybody.
040[Music]