001Oh my god. Oh, I pledge allegiance >> 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. Oh, time forward. You may be seated. >> All right. Big thank you to our ROC. They always do a fantastic job. I'd like to welcome all of our visitors in person and watching at home. And would also like to extend a felist de la Independencia for those in our community who are celebrating Mexico's Independence Day today. We'll move on to any public comment on any agenda item. >> No, we don't have any. >> All right, we'll move on to our consent agenda. A motion to approve or amend. >> Make a motion to amend the check register to remove the
002Hopewell uh invoices, please. >> Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Stiff? >> Yes. >> Mr. Kennedy? >> Yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Lynn? >> Yes. Mrs. Grome. >> Yes. >> Dr. Huntington. >> Yes. >> All right. Do we have a motion to approve the rest? >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Graome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> abstain. >> All right, we'll move on to recognitions and awards. I'll turn over to Dr. Guzman. >> And I will turn it over to our principles. Do you want some popler? >> Yeah. >> Good evening. Tonight, Miss Parker and I are proud to recognize JTHs students
003who earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. First is the school recognition award. This award celebrates students who demonstrated academic excellence within their school community. To qualify, a student must score among the top 10% of their high school's test takers on the PSAT NMSQT or PSAT 10 and/or earn a three or higher on two or more distinct AP exams by 10th grade. Second is the first generation recognition award, which recognizes students who have met the same academic criteria as the school recognition award and will also be the first in their family to attend college. Students, when we call your name, please come forward to accept your award and remain upfront until all students have been recognized, at
004which time we will take pictures. So, I'll begin with the Juliet Central recognition. The College Board National School Recognition Award. We have Christopher Almazan Ortiz, Carlos Ariano Marillo, Brian Baron, Finn Burnernhard, [Applause] Jamaiah Chestnut, Caleb Christos, Amaya Crowder, Soshi Quas, Amber Davis, Justin Dawson, Emily During, Johanna Figueroa, Jacqueline Foso, Malcolm Green, Adrien Hernandez, Naomi Herrera Rodriguez, Amari Jackson, [Applause] Eric Isaya, Jalomna, [Applause] Demetus Cortidas, [Applause] Angela Cray, Aziel Lara, James Lee, Liliana Diana Mania, Cheyenne Mendoza, Juvelda, Misamu, Batana, [Applause] Esmeralda Morales, Delaney Moran, Etel Nunes, Rory O'Hara, Romeo Rojos, [Applause] Abigail Shriner, Leo Smith, [Applause] Taylor Stallings, Jack Strabing, Uriel Vasquez, Evelyn Ventura, and Rebecca Warren. [Applause] >> Just remember if you can't see the camera, the cameras can't see. >> Secondly, the College Board National First Generation Recognition Award. And you may note that
005many of those students are already up here because they received both awards. Amaya Crowder, [Applause] Soshi Quueves, Emily During, Joanna Figueroa, Jacqueline Fragoso, Noami Herrera Rodriguez, Amari Jackson, Erica Jalom, Aziel Lara, James Lee, Delaney Moran, Taylor Stallings, [Applause] Uriel Vasquez, and Rebecca Warren. Congratulations to all our Steelman winners. [Applause] Okay, I need to make sure I see all Everyone seeing okay angle in a little bit. Perfect. Okay, thanks for the >> good job. Great picture. >> You right there. Okay, perfect. Yes. >> Okay. Ready? I invite you to come on up and take pictures. Anyone all hurting? Oh, steal. >> Congratulations. [Applause] I think his name is I got on. Y >> I just didn't want to didn't want to do for >> All right. I am Mrs. Parker and I'm here to acknowledge our
006awesome Tigers who have scored well and beyond and are here to be recognized this evening. Um let's give it up for Miss Schlushman one more time. I bring attention to her because as you come forth, please follow suit as she puts you in order. I'm sure our parents appreciate very much the effort that she puts in to ensure that their child's face is seen in the picture. These are moments we can't get back, right? Recognized for College Board National School Recognition Award are Mia Agnesich, Christopher Beckas, Sydney Barlo, Daniel Batista, Connor Bergen, James Bergen, Mallerie Barry, Christina Chow, Charlotte Dean, [Applause] Ava Enderley, James Gibson, [Applause] Taylor Greenwood, Giana Halamel, Oh, Ava Kennedy, Michael Nappic, Elizabeth Lunga, [Applause] Jennifer Lara, Julian Lopez, Robert Malinowski, [Applause] Maline McColana Muhammed, [Applause] Scott Noaki, Grace Orth, Payton Palish,
007Emily Perez, Connie Fam, Elena Pitakei, Caleb Price, Brody Palasi, [Applause] Yahara Ramirez, Emma Roberts, Ana Robinson, Marco Rodriguez, Natalie Schustster, Naa Sber, Ariel Smith, Noah Tarver, Dylan Trainer, Zoe Walsh, Henry Young and Selena Zapeda. Students who also are recognized who are standing in front of you already for the College Board National First Generation Recognition Award are Christopher Bachis, [Applause] Sydney Barlo, Christina Chow, Michael Nappic, Jennifer Lara, Julian Lopez, Scott, Scott Noaki, Emily Perez, Connie Fam, Yahara Ramirez, Annayia Robinson, Marco Rodriguez, Natalie Schuster, Nvea Sber, Ariel Smith, Zoe Walsh and Selena Zapeda. [Applause] Congratulations. [Applause] Congratulations. [Applause] >> All right, at this time we're going to take a quick fivem minute recess to come out and congratulate the student. We'll turn it over to Dr. Guzman for superintendent reports. >> Sure. My microphone is on. All
008right. Well, thank you. There's no correspondence or legislative report. Um so we do have our breakfast after the bell um public hearing this evening. So, I'm going to ask Miss Adelman to um provide the board with some information uh prior to the hearing. >> Miss Adelman, can you make sure that the microphones on? It looks red. Could be. Think we're good. Good evening, everybody. >> Evening. >> My name is Julie Adelman. I'm the director of student No, I'm not the director of student support services. [Laughter] Clearly, this is a new role. Um, and I am the director of support services for Juliet Township. A portion of my role is to oversee the national school lunch and breakfast programs. I'm here tonight to talk briefly about the the breakfast after the bell mandate and our recommendation
009to opt out. JTHs already has a full lunch program in that would be in addition to the mandate of the the I'm sorry the breakfast after the bell mandate is in addition to the already established breakfast program that we already offer at Joliet West Central and Pathways. PA 9990850 requires school district to provide breakfast after the bell in a public school in which at least 70% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunches in October of the preceding year. Breakfast after the bell means that breakfast is provided to students after the instructional day has officially began. Schools can decide the best method to provide meals after the start of the instructional day. Typical options include serving breakfast in the classroom in a grab-and-go cart, creating extended passing periods after first or second period
010so students can purchase meals in the cafeteria. Schools are allowed to opt out of the mandate for specific reasons. Juliet West is exempt from the mandate since the number of free and reduced eligible students is below 70% according to Isby's eligibility report in 2024. Juliet Central and Pathways are required to provide breakfast after the bell or opt out. I do recommend that the district opt outs for the following reasons. The cost analysis indicates that the state and federal reimbursement will not fully cover the cost of implementing and operating breakfast after the bell. Keep in mind this is in addition to our current full breakfast program. JTHs currently offers a full breakfast program at Central, West, and Pathways consisting of several entre every day. Breakfast is served at central and west at 6 from 6:30 a.m.
011to 8:15 and pathways 8:15, I'm sorry, 8:00 to 8:15, 9 to 9:15. JTHs averages, 1589 breakfast meals daily. That is an increase of 543 from the 2324 school year. The reimbursement rate for the 2526 school years are as follows. For students who have free lunch, the reimbursement is $2.94 which is increase of 11. For reduced the reimbursement is $2.64 which is increase of 11 and paid is 40 cents which is increase of 1 cent. This would not cover the costs associated with dist distribution of meals outside of the established location and hours that we currently have in place. The mandate would require the following additional expenses. Purchasing of coolers or refrigerators to distri distribute milk outside of the cafeteria. Employing additional staff to prepare, bag, stock, and add carts to locations in the classroom or
012kioses throughout the building. Additional custodial resources during the day to empty classroom garbages, clean up messes, as well as purchasing of wireless laptops, carts, iPads, scanners as points of service throughout the building. Serving meals allows students to eat in the classroom will cause a disruption. Time would be allotted to throw away garbage and clean up individual areas. Extra time would be needed for spills and cleanups outside of the normal cleanup area. Servicing meals and PE will interfere with the class. Instructional time is already lost as we address before and after the period. Serving meals from kioses in specific locations would cause long lines during already a fiveminute passing period, including our construction. The kiosk will require security within those serving lines and will require school to issue late passes to students who are waiting for
013food. Adding extra time between second and third period is also an option. Although if they choose to purchase within the cafeteria, this will affect the overall daily schedule. Each class period will need to be shortened or the school day longer. This would also require additional security for student supervision during extended periods of time. For students who are not participating in breakfast and they have nothing else to do, JTHs begins serving our lunch at 10:15, which is only a 60-minute period after our second and third. Due to those constrictions, this is not a viable option for JTHs. Due to the circumstances specific to JTHS, the attached cost analysis indicates that the state federal reimbursement will not fully cover the cost implemented in operating the breakfast after the bell program. I do recommend the school opts out
014of the mandate. To opt out, the school district must do the following. Submit a cost analysis to the school district as we're doing this evening. The District Board of Education holds a public hearing which would be posted date, time, subject matter, and meeting on their website and notify Isby via email 14 days prior to this hearing. If the board of education passes resolution that the cost is prohibited to run and operate the breakfast after the bell program, the district submits the board resolution approval of the breakfast after the bell exemption to ISBY. Any questions up to this point? >> We have a motion to open the public hearing. >> Second, >> please. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Guare. >> Yes. >> Dr. Huntington.
015>> Yes. >> Mrs. >> Yes. >> Do we have any comments from the board or the public? Hearing none. I seek a motion to close the hearing. >> I'll make the motion. >> I'll second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Gome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> It's officially closed. >> The only other report under superintendent reports is our 10-day count, which occurs every year. Um within your packet um you have the memo and the associated historical data as well as the data for this year. The data shows that there's been a net loss of 371 students districtwide as compared to where we were last year. And we're happy to
016answer any questions. >> Is that in line with the five-year projection? >> Yes, it is. >> Yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Any other questions? >> Thank you. That concludes superintendent reports. >> All right, we'll move into action items. We'll start with action item A, memorandum of understanding between Juliet Township High School and Bella Recovery. Do we have a motion to approve? >> I'll make a motion. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> This is um we've we've contracted with them before. Um so we're look forward to working with them again this year. >> All right. Roll call, please. >> Dr. Huntington. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Stiff. Yes, >> Mr. Kennedy. >> Yes, >> Mr. Fitzpatrick. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Lynn. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Guome. >> Yes. >> Motion passes. Action item B,
017agreement between Juliet Township High School and SP Professional Service LLC. So, a motion to approve. >> I'll make a motion. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Just want to point out that this is um services um in lie of an unfilled position for a psychologist. Was there ever any I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> Oh, no. I was just getting ready to ask. This is a former employee, correct? >> Correct. >> Was there ever discussion about looking at um like fee for service by evaluation instead of an hourly? >> No. >> Okay. That is something though we can give the feedback back. I I I don't know if that question was asked or not. So we can certainly ask that question and have that be a consideration in the future. >> I I think that sometimes
018if there's like an overload of number of evaluations um you might want to look at per evaluation in in lie of a >> an hourly >> per hour. Yeah. We will bring that feedback back. >> Thanks. >> Any further discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Graome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Uh, action item C, agreement between Joey Township High School and Thrive Works Administrative Services LLC. Do we have a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Granome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Mr. Fitzpatrick. >>
019Yes. >> All right. Motion passes. Action item D. Agreement between Juliet Township High School and Southern Will County Cooperative for Special Education. A motion to approve. >> I'll make the motion. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Is this This is a M. We've been doing this for several years. Years. >> Yeah. 16 years. >> 16 years. >> And they're still happy. >> Seems like it, right? >> All right. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick. Yes, >> Mrs. Lynn. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Granome. >> Yes, >> Dr. Huntington. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Stiff. >> Yes, >> Mr. Kennedy. >> Yes. Motion passes. Action item E. Intergovernmental Transportation Agreement between July Township High School and Rockdale District 84. Do we have a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Roll call, please. >>
020Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Graome Mayor, >> yes. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> All right. Motion passes on action item F. Juliet Central High School rooftop unit replacements. Have a motion to approve. >> So move. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Uh, yes. This is a recommendation to replace a rooftop unit um over the fieldhouse atrium at Juliet Centrals. Essentially, um this unit has we've been repairing it for the past four or five years. Um and it's time to replace this unit. Um more specifically because now um the majority of our students come through the fieldhouse and as the temperatures um lower um as we get to through winter, we need to replace that unit so that we can have proper heating in that
021area. >> Okay. Any further discussion? Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Granomeare, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Action item G, approval of 2526 final budget. Do we have a motion to approve? >> I'll make the motion. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Yes. This is the recommendation for the uh final uh uh budget for the 2526 school year. Um we show a surplus of about 18.5 million. Um just want to add to this. Um I know we just had the um 10day count and just didn't know that as we lose students the EBF funding decreases proportionately. So as I have the five-year projection um in January, we'll start to reflect those numbers
022as we move forward. Okay. Any other discussion? So approving this budget also sets us for the levy later on down the road. This ties to the levy, correct? >> Well, that's that's for this year. The levy will start um in December for the following year. So half the levy from last year and then the other half from December will be in there. >> Thank you. >> Any further discussion? Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Tiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Graome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Action item H donations. Do we have a motion to approve? >> Some moved. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Just want to say thank you to Dunkin Donuts for the 500 refresher
023key tags, the 200 classic doughnut uh vouchers for the month of September. And also, I just want to say we're grateful to see that we're sharing our technology with um our feeder schools. All right. Any further discussion? Roll call, please. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Granome, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Action item I stipened updates. Do we have a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> We have a second. >> Second >> discussion. >> Yes. The recommendation you have before you um are the recommendations from the stipen committee. Uh we meet yearly and essentially what you see before you are the additions and changes to the current stipens within the contract. >> They're
024all start this school year. >> Yeah, they're all increasing. Correct. None of them are >> So we're we're adding honor society. >> Okay. >> Um mock trial. We're changing bass fishing. And then um a question came up of um football versus uh flag football. And we we talked to the union about this. And so for every year that you coach boys football, you'll for every three years you coach boys football, you receive one year for flag football to be placed on the schedule. >> Give me an example. >> Yeah. So if I was nine years a coach for for boys football, I would get three years for flag football. >> Three total years. You wouldn't get three times nine. >> No, not three times nine. So for every three years, I get one for to
025coach. >> Okay. >> Stipen is that saying? Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Any further discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Grer, mayor. >> Yes. >> Dr. Huntington. >> No. Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> All right. Motion passes on action item J, public act 970609. Do we have a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All right. Discussion. >> Uh yes, actually for J&K, um these are required by state code. Um, we must post these um on our website um yearly and this information must be presented and approved by the board of education. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Groare, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr.
026Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Action item K, FY25, administrator and teacher salary benefit report. Dr. Hampton just explained that. Is there any further discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Graome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. Moving on to personnel reports. I would entertain a motion to approve one 4 through 9 and 11 through 13. >> Wait, I'm sorry. Can you repeat? Yes. >> What you're making a motion >> four through nine and then 11 through 13. >> So excluding 2, three and 10. >> One to four, four to nine, four and then to 13. 19. >> No, just one and then four to nine and then 11
027to 13. So 2 3 and 10. >> Got it. Sorry. Okay. One, four to nine, 11 to 13. >> Yep. >> Okay. Sorry. >> We have a motion for that. >> So move. >> Second. All right. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> yes. >> Mrs. Graome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ste, >> yes. >> We have a motion to approve two. >> I'll make a motion. >> Oh, sorry. >> Have a second. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Stiff. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> no. >> Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Groare, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Uh, do we have a motion to approve three?
028>> So, >> second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> no. >> Mrs. Mrs. Lynn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Grandome, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> All right. And a motion to approve 10. >> I'll make the motion. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Dr. Huntington, >> yes. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> no. >> Mrs. Lyn, >> yes. >> Mrs. Granomeir, >> yes. >> All right. Motion passes on to action item M, termination of tenure teacher. >> At this time, I would like to make a motion. Um, I move for a vote on the resolution authoriz authorizing adoption of board order upholding the dismissal for cause of tenur academy coordinator Daniel Marun based
029on the reasons set forth in the board's written order as discussed in close session. A second. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Ger Nameir, >> yes. >> Dr. Huntington, >> no. >> Mrs. Stiff, >> yes. >> Mr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Fitzpatrick, >> no. >> Mrs. Lind, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Moving on to unfinished business. Do we have unfinished business? >> No. Hearing none, we'll move on to new business. Does any You have new business hearing? None. We'll move to board reports. Anybody with board reports? >> I didn't do anything. >> I went to the JT booster out golf outing. Tied for second with Dr. Hampton's group. Unfortunately, somebody beat us by a stroke. Um, but it was a really fun event. It's one of my favorite golf outings to attend.
030I've been doing it since I was a coach. Um, Rico put on a good event with her booster club and we thank you guys for that. and thank you for all that you provide our athletes. >> I appreciate it. Thank you. We did really really well. We We ended up um >> right around almost 14,000. >> That's awesome. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> I also attended um some golf events um just the JTHs uh golf girls golf team and hopefully they'll be your future um golf booster attendees. >> Yes. Thank you. But um it's just such a nice program and um very thankful that we have that and my daughter is able to be on there. >> That's awesome. >> Can I just say uh congratulations to our superintendent Dr. Carla Guzman u on
031her Joliet Chamber Athena Award is welld deserved. So congratulations. [Applause] Uh I also want to say uh grateful that it is uh Mexican Independence Day. It was really cool to see a board member uh have a a Mexican flag on the back of his car on the way in. Um I also want to say congratulations and good job to um several graduates of Juliet Township West and Central um such as Danna Beveros, um Cesar Cardinis, uh Caesar Guerrero, uh Tanya Arius, Amy Sanchez, etc. um for hosting an amazing 61st annual Mexican Independence Day parade and fiesta and bsentennial. Um and I just want to say next month uh coming up is guardian angels walk a mile. It is domestic violence awareness month and uh many of our students um and staff sometimes are uh impacted
032by domestic violence. So, um, if you get a chance to support Guardian Angel because they support our school and our staff and our community. Thank you. >> You have anything for us? >> I do. Um, I just want to say congratulations and welcome to Brandy Daniels who is here with us this evening. Um, she was board approved tonight as coordinator of special services at West Campus. So, welcome and congratulations. Um, I also uh just want to thank all of our staff, all of our students um for their patience um with the construction at both campuses. Everyone's doing an outstanding job. Um also the student support tables are going really well. I've been in each of the buildings about once per week, if not twice per week. I worked out west this morning having great conversations
033with students. Um that is going very well and I want to thank our staff for doing that because it is a heavy lift. Um and then we had our J-Rock meeting this week um or last week within the last week on Friday and it was very well attended. We had new members come um and uh we had a presentation from the Boys and Girls Club um and we learned a lot and then also our internal presentation was from our athletic directors and athletic and activities directors and our assistant athletic and activities directors. Um, and so it was um, a great way to kick off the year and I want to thank everyone for preparing for that. So, >> can I just add I wanted to thank um, all everyone doing the support tables. Um, I
034know it's a huge undertaking, but um, your support is appreciated and hopefully it's going to I know it'll make a difference in our numbers. Um, so thank you for taking that on and >> thanks for the idea, too. >> I I I really do appreciate you guys doing all that. >> Anybody else have anything for >> I'd like to say something about that termination if I can. >> Um, I think both parties made mistakes and Dan is a big part of the community. He's been had a several several months of of hard situations. His family goes to West and uh he's not a felon. He's not a criminal. And yet I just can't believe the fact that we are short of teachers that we are not even considering that. All right, moving on to announcements
035and public comment. Mr. Rico, do we have any public comment? >> Yes. Uh, first we have Linda Santo. Sorry if I said your name wrong, Linda. >> All right. Uh, you'll have three minutes. Dr. Guzman will Yes. Make sure the microphone's on. When you get to three minutes, I'll just ask you to finish your thoughts and we'll go from there. >> All right. Thank you. >> Good evening, members of the board. I'm here tonight on to speak on behalf of our union members, the security staff and instructional pair professionals at both West and Central. Let's start with some facts. Our security staff, the ones responsible for keeping our schools safe, breaking up fights, and being first on scene in emergencies, currently make 1568 an hour to start. That's not much more than the minimum wage.
036Our pair of professionals who are in the classrooms every day supporting instruction, often working one-on-one with students, especially those with special needs, make $16 an hour. Currently, I work at the transition center and I love my students and I have four students that have gotten a job, an internship, and they will be starting at $17 an hour, which is very sad for me. These are, let's be honest, these wages do not reflect the value of our work. They do not reflect the rising cost of living. Many of us work double jobs struggling to make ends meet or we work and we go and work security after work just to pay our bills. We are some are many are leaving for better paying jobs out of education with less stress and more pay. We're not asking
037for anything unreasonable. We're just asking for a living wage, one that respects the vital role that we play in the student success and the school's safety. A fair contract will not only retain dedicated employees, it will attract quality people who want to make a difference. I've been in the district for 17 years and it makes me sad that our pay is one of the lowest in the area. It's to the point where it makes me sad that I am very sad that I might have to leave because I just can't deal with the stress of what's going on. As we continue this bargaining process, we ask this board to stand with us. Let's do what's right for our staff, for our students, and the future of our students. Thank you for your time. >> Thank
038you. [Applause] >> Next, we have Next, we have Lisa Thomas. Good evening, members of the board. >> Good evening. >> I'm here today to speak about two groups of employees in our district who truly make a difference every single day. Our security and instructional paraprofessionals. Let's start with our security team. They're the ones who maintain a safe environment, break up fights, step in during emergencies, and ensure that our students and staff can focus on what matters most, learning. Their work is essential to the success of the school district. And then there are our instructional paras who provide hands-on support to students, particularly those with special needs. These individuals help students stay focused. They provide individualized instruction and they ensure every student has a fair chance to succeed. They are integral to the educational experience and
039to the success of many of our most vulnerable students. But here's the problem. Despite the critical work these two groups do, their wages fall far below many other positions within the district. Security staff earn just 1568 an hour and instructional paras earn just 16 while positions like cafeteria monitors make 1980 bus monitors earn 2078 and bus washers make 18. This disparity is concerning. When we pay our paraprofessionals less than those in roles that do not require the same level of skill, training, or responsibility, we send a message that their work is less valuable. We don't feel valued. These positions are the backbone of a safe and effective school. It's time for the district to reflect that really in their pay. As we continue in this bargaining process, I urge the board to stand with these
040essential workers and ensure they are compensated fairly for the invaluable role they play in the success and safety of our students. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Next, we have Lisa Murray. Good evening members of the board. My name is Lisa Murray. I am a paraprofessional for this is my 25th year at Juliet Township and I love my job. Tonight I want to share some numbers that reflect the real struggles our members face every single day. 56% of our paraprofessionals and security staff are working a second job just to make ends meet and support their families. More than half of our dedicated employees leave their full-time roles in our schools only to start another shift somewhere else, often late in the evenings and on weekends. On top of that, 72% of our members are working overtime
041or picking up extra security events, including myself, just to keep their households afloat. That includes working extra hours tonight. In fact, there's no security staff here because this evening speaking because they are covering this very meeting and other events across the district to help keep our schools safe. Most of our parapros couldn't be here either because they are stretched thin, working other jobs or extra hours to cover shortages across the district. Their absence tonight is a clear sign of how overextended and undervalued they have become. And here's another urgent concern. 31% of our union members are expect to retire within the next one to five years. Without competitive wages and a strong plan to recruit and retain new employees, we are facing a looming staffing crisis. We are short as it is on Paris. And
042when these experienced workers leave, it will be increasingly difficult to replace them without offering a fair market wage. And our students and schools will suffer. We are not just talking about wages. We are talking about safety, stability, and the future of this district. Starting wages have nearly matched minimum wage, leaving little incentive for anyone to take on these demanding and critical roles. We urge you to take these realities into account as we negotiate. By investing in our staff now, we can prevent a crisis, show that we value their sacrifices, and ensure that our schools remain safe, stable, and strong for years to come. That's what I want for JTHs. Thank you. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Next, we have uh Jan Foster. >> Good evening, board members. >> Good evening. What you have heard tonight
043is how critical these roles are in keeping our schools safe, supporting our teachers, which directly impacts the students and their success. We are simply asking for a fair adjustment to our wages. We are asking for our salaries to reflect the level of value that we always bring to you all. Additionally, we would like to draw your attention to the wages of the surrounding districts. We have done um extensive research and found that Lockport, Valley View, Homer Glenn and Canka Key range farly far beyond us. We believe that in order to attract and retain quality staff members, we must be more competitive and that without that, a lot of us will leave and we will go to neighboring school districts and ultimately our students are the ones that will pay the price. We believe that our
044students deserve nothing but our best. So we are asking that you invest in us as our as your staff members and come with us as we try to care for your students daily. Thank you. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> That that was it. >> All right. Uh does anybody have any further announcements? >> Hearing none, I'd entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. >> I'll make the motion. >> Second. >> Do it by unanimous consent. Hearing no descent meeting.