PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 90 Minutes of the Board of Education Regular Meeting October 15, 2007 7:00 p.m. The PTHS Board of Education held its regular meeting in Staff Room IV on Monday, October 15, 2007. President Bauknecht called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m.; the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Members Bauknecht, Lambert, Legner, Renzelman, Rich, and Sartoris answered roll call. Also present were administrators Johnson, and Smith; reporters from WJEZ, the Leader, and The Radio; Keith Schmink; Alison Sancken; John Mehlberg; Rick Phillips; Rita Allen; and secretary Fox. The Minutes of the regular meeting of September 10, 2007, were approved as presented on a motion by Mr. Renzelman, seconded by Mrs. Legner. Motion carried on a voice vote. Mr. Johnson reviewed the financial reports for September. CASH IN BANK $186,487.47 INVESTMENTS $3,675,000.00 Education Fund (832,195.11) 3,675,000.00 OM Fund 338,374.46 Bond & Interest 70,349.49 Transportation 278,025.17 IMRF 69,261.46 Working Cash 139,581.38 LACC 73,666.63 Fire Prev & Safety 47,423.99 A motion was made by Mr. Lambert and seconded by Mrs. Legner to approve the Finance Report, the LACC and high school bills for payment, the Revolving Fund Report, the Activity Fund Report, the Cafeteria Fund Report, and the Investment Schedule as presented. Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Legner, Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, and Mr. Bauknecht voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. Mr. Johnson passed around a folder of correspondence and information regarding the Code Red incident. Letters of thanks were sent to individuals, schools, groups, and community members for their help. Mr. Schmink introduced Band student Alison Sancken who was recently chosen to be a part of the first United States Army All American Band one of 91 students in the nation. She will travel to San Antonio, Texas to perform at a football game half-time show. The Board complimented Ms. Sancken on this honor for her and PTHS. (Mr. Schmink and Ms. Sancken left the meeting at 7:13 p.m.)
Paul Ritter was recently honored in Decator at the Excellence in Teaching awards and was one of eight finalists. Miss Allen gave the Guidance Department report and reviewed the National Profile Summary from ACT for the graduating class of 2007, not including special education students. The Board also saw scores for the ACT portion of the PSAE test, which includes all students. Scores are declining slightly. We have tutoring for English Fundamentals and Algebra A students during their study halls. Miss Allen explained WIN WorkKeys courseware which helps students improve ACT scores. This year we have purchased the ACT Prep online for the entire student body. There is a new service from ACT, Essay View, which allows teachers to pull up student essays from the test in order to help with the writing portion of the ACT. (Miss Allen left the meeting at 7:33 p.m.) Auditor Rick Phillips presented the FY07 audit and AFR for LACC and PTHS and explained standards prescribed by the Illinois State Board of Education. There were no non-compliance issues in relationship to the activities of the school district. There were no negative fund balances as of June 30, 2007. Expenditures exceeded budget in the Operations and Maintenance and Transportation funds; the overall budget had a $54,000 excess. Mr. Phillips also presented prior year comparisons, our financial profile, and how the State evaluates school districts in determining financial stability. Our long-term debt is $2,300,000, which is scheduled to be paid off by 2018. Per capita tuition cost is $7,325.31; operating expense per student was $8,775.06; and ADA was 839.31. Mr. Phillips reported that LAVC ended with a balance of $227,999 as of June 30, 2007. (Mr. Phillips left the meeting at 8:50 p.m.) Mr. Johnson reported that he, Mr. Kilgore, and Mrs. Krause have been investigating costs relating to upgrading our internet connection. It was the recommendation that we go with fiber optics, which would increase capacity by 5 times, as opposed to adding another T-1 line, which would only double capacity. Mediacom installation cost would be $1,500, with a monthly charge of $950. Jeanne Rutter has put together a Driver Education Handbook, a copy of which was given to each Board member. The Handbook will be up for approval at the November Board meeting. Mr. Johnson reported that he recently attended the IASB meeting in Streator on Media Relations, which was presented by a journalist. The Board appointed Dale Hoke as Delegate to the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago next month. The conference will be November 16, 17, and 18, and the Board will be staying at the Embassy Suites.
Mr. Johnson reported that the auditorium sound/light project is complete and working well. The Board agreed to appoint the current Superintendent to act as Hearing Officer on behalf of the Board regarding student discipline matters. Mr. Johnson asked the Board to amend the extended contracts to include two hours for Joanne Mullen. Mr. Johnson is working through the levy process. The tentative levy will be presented at the November meeting, and the final levy will be adopted in December. The Board heard an update on grants from John Mehlberg. Caterpillar Foundation contributed $17,500 toward the auditorium sound/light project. State Farm is working with us on a furniture donation. Mr. Mehlberg thanked Board members for helping to create a network for seeking grants. Mr. Johnson gave the Principal s report for Mr. Kilgore. It is recommended that the Board appoint Mike McGuckin as Assistant Scholastic Bowl Coach for 2007 2008. It was also recommended that the Board approve Gary Brunner as half-time Physical Education Department Chair for 2007 2008. The Board was asked to approve Kristi Potts as a volunteer girls basketball coach for 2007 2008. Also, the Board was asked to approve the resignation of Kelly Gentsch from Football Cheerleading effective immediately, and to hire Lisa Meyer as her replacement. It was recommended that the Board accept the resignation of Lisa Shields as Media Specialist and to hire Lori Bristow for the remainder of the 2007 2008 school year. Mrs. Bristow has 12 years of experience, and her salary will be in the range of $24,000 per year. The Board was asked to approve volunteer wrestling coaches Mark Ragle, Ron Studebaker, and Mike Jahn and volunteer basketball cheerleading coaches Allyson Eckhoff and Taryn Eckhoff for the 2007 2008 season. Mr. Kilgore has been working with Pontiac Junior High Principal Judy Donze on articulation. Mrs. Smith asked for approval of the 2007 LAVC Audit. Also, she recommended the Board approve adding Cosmetology to the LACC curriculum beginning with the 2008 2009 school year. She said we are looking forward to working with Unity Cosmetology to bring a new program to our students. Students will be bused to the school daily, and the course will initially only be offered to high school seniors. Classes will run from 8:30 11:30 a.m. daily, and the tuition cost per student is $1,500.
Students will be able to earn 500 hours through LACC toward their Cosmetology license. There will be an Open House with Unity in February to provide information to parents and students. All Smartboards have been installed and are being used. The only disadvantage seems to be that they are not mobile. Teachers had a workshop to see how they work on our School Improvement Day. These are proving to be a great learning tool for our students because they are very interactive. A motion was made by Mr. Lambert and seconded by Mr. Renzelman to approve the Audit and Annual Financial Report for FY07 as presented by Mr. Rick Phillips. Mr. Lambert, Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, Mr. Bauknecht, and Mrs. Legner voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mrs. Legner and seconded by Mr. Rich to appoint Dale Hoke as Delegate to the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago. Motion carried on a voice vote. A motion was made by Mr. Lambert and seconded by Mr. Sartoris to appoint the current Superintendent as Hearing Officer for any and all suspensions or expulsions for the Board of Education. Mr. Lambert, Mr. Sartoris, Mr. Bauknecht, Mrs. Legner, Mr. Renzelman, and Mr. Rich voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mrs. Legner and seconded by Mr. Lambert to approve extended day stipends as amended for FY08. Mrs. Legner, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, and Mr. Bauknecht voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mr. Renzelman and seconded by Mr. Rich to approve Mike McGuckin as Assistant Scholastic Bowl Coach for FY08. Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, Mr. Bauknecht, Mr. Lambert, and Mrs. Legner voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mr. Rich and seconded by Mr. Renzelman to approve Gary Brunner as half-time Physical Education Department Chair for 2007 2008. Mr. Rich, Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Sartoris, Mr. Bauknecht, Mr. Lambert, and Mrs. Legner voted aye on roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mr. Lambert and seconded by Mrs. Legner to approve Kristi Potts as a volunteer girls basketball coach for 2007 2008. Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Legner, Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, and Mr. Bauknecht voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried.
A motion was made by Mr. Sartoris and seconded by Mr. Rich to approve the resignation of Kelly Gentsch as Football Cheerleading Coach. Motion carried on a voice vote. A motion was made by Mrs. Legner and seconded by Mr. Sartoris to approve Lisa Meyer as Football Cheerleading Coach for the remainder of FY08. Mrs. Legner, Mr. Sartoris, Mr. Bauknecht, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Renzelman, and Mr. Rich voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mr. Renzelman and seconded by Mr. Lambert to approve the resignation of Lisa Shields as Media Specialist. Motion carried on a voice vote. A motion was made by Mr. Renzelman and seconded by Mr. Lambert to approve Lori Bristow as Media Specialist for the remainder of the 2007 2008 school year. Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Legner, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, and Mr. Bauknecht voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mr. Lambert and seconded by Mr. Rich to approve Mark Ragle, Ron Studebaker, and Mike Jahn as volunteer wrestling coaches for FY08. Mr. Lambert, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Legner, and Mr. Renzelman voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mrs. Legner and seconded by Mr. Lambert to approve Allyson Eckhoff and Taryn Eckhoff as volunteer basketball cheerleading coaches for FY08. Mrs. Legner, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, and Mr. Bauknecht voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mr. Sartoris and seconded by Mr. Renzelman to approve Cosmetology to be added to the LACC curriculum in FY08. Motion carried on a voice vote. Mr. Johnson gave a preview of the November Agenda, which will include tentative levy approval. The Building and Grounds Committee will meet at 8:00 a.m. on November 2. The Policy Committee will meet at 9:00 a.m. on October 25. The Finance Committee will meet at a date and time to be determined. Mr. Johnson will be discussing calendar development with Pontiac Grade School Superintendent Steve Graham and the other feeder schools in order to try to make our calendar as close to theirs as possible.
Mr. Johnson explained that recent legislation was passed that requires a moment of silence in the classrooms every day. We will be doing this after the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Johnson will be participating in a meeting at Dwight with other schools who have experienced Code Red type situations recently. Mr. Kilgore will be sharing our Code Red experience at the Assistant Principal s Conference. The Board read the Executive Session Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 10, 2007. A motion was made by Mr. Renzelman and seconded by Mr. Lambert to approve the Executive Session Minutes of September 10, 2007, as presented. Mr. Renzelman, Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Legner, Mr. Rich, Mr. Sartoris, and Mr. Bauknecht voted aye on a roll call vote. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mrs. Legner and seconded by Mr. Renzelman to adjourn. Motion carried on a voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:54 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Scott Bauknecht, Board President Nancy Fox, Board Secretary