September 2018 School Board Minutes

Link to video of September 20, 2018 Board of Education Meeting:  https://vimeo.com/292764943

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CARBONDALE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 165, CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS HELD SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

The regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Education of School District 165 was held in the Carbondale Community High School Cafeteria, 1301 East Walnut Street, Carbondale, Illinois, on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.  

Upon roll call, the following members were present:

Linda Flowers                         Francis Tsung

Joe Hudgins                            Julie VanWinkle

Christopher Swims                 Brian Woodard

The following member was absent:  Kathy Booziotis

Also present were:

Stephen Murphy                     Erinn Murphy

Donna Fager                           Carbondale Times Represented

Ryan Thomas

President Woodard declared a quorum present and the regular scheduled meeting of September 20, 2018, was called to order.  Member Julie VanWinkle served as Secretary Pro Tem in Kathy Booziotis’ absence.

Public Hearing: 2018-19 Proposed Budget: President Woodard opened the public hearing to receive public comments on the proposed 2018-19 Budget. Donna Fager, CSBO, reviewed the proposed 2018-19 Budget.

Motion by Flowers, seconded by Swims, to close the public hearing regarding the 2018-19 proposed budget.  Roll call: Flowers, Hudgins, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Woodard voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried. 

Approval of Minutes: Motion by Swims, seconded by Tsung, to approve the minutes of the regular scheduled meeting of August 16, 2018. Roll call: Hudgins, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Woodard and Flowers voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried.

Old Business: None

Public Comments: None

National Merit Semifinalists: CCHS had two students qualify as National Merit Semifinalists, Ian Kinsel and Kylie Measimer.  

2019 Graduation: The 2019 Graduation is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 3:00 p.m., at the SIU-C Arena.

Counseling Department Presentation: Counseling Department Chair, Erinn Murphy, did a presentation for the Board regarding the Counseling Department. 

Payment of Bills: Motion by Flowers, seconded by Tsung, to pay the remaining bills for the month of August 2018; and, those available for payment for the month of September 2018. Roll call: Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Woodard, Flowers and Hudgins voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried. 

Superintendent’s Report: No report.  

2018-19 District-Wide Goals: Mr. Murphy requested the Board’s thoughts/input in preparing the 2018-19 District-Wide Goals.  The 2018-19 District-Wide Goals will be approved at the October 18, 2018 Board meeting.

Awarding of Track and Field Bids: The Board discussed the track and field turf installation bids and reviewed the pros and cons of the project; and in particular, whether the public would approve of the expense versus spending the money in other areas.

Superintendent Murphy advised that the Facility Improvements Committee would be holding their second public meeting on Monday, September 24, 2018, to continue to gather input from the departments and the public for the district’s Facility Improvements Wish List.

Member Hudgins asked if the Board had to vote on the bids that night. Superintendent Murphy advised that if they did not vote on it that evening, they would need to schedule a special Board meeting to vote on it in October in order for the project to proceed on time and not interfere with Spring sports.

Member Tsung said that he was concerned that the money was being spent on extra-curriculars and not going the school district’s education mission and that it was not addressing the school’s safety plan.  He said he felt this was premature because the Wish List had not been completed or prioritized yet and he was therefore reluctant to approve it. 

Member Swims advised that he was a committee member on the Facility Improvements Committee with Dr. Woodard and that they had been speaking and meeting with different departments, students, and groups, including the CCHS Booster Club, gathering their input on what they would like to see on the district’s Wish List and that everyone was in favor of the track and field project. Member Flowers said she was in favor of the project too because it would serve many students, and sometimes extra-curricular activities are a motivation for students to attend school.

Members Hudgins and Tsung asked what the district’s plan was for financing. Superintendent Murphy said that $250,000.00 was budgeted from the Sales Tax revenue, and that another $725,000 could come from the Sales Tax revenue. The Working Cash Fund has a balance of $2 million that could be used, and the district could also sell bonds.

Following the discussion, Dr. Woodard advised the meeting would take a short recess.

Meeting Recessed: The meeting recessed at 8:45 p.m.

Meeting Resumed: The meeting resumed at 8:52 p.m.

Motion by Flowers, seconded by Swims, to acknowledge receipt of the bids received for the track; and, to award the bid to the lowest responsible bidder, Byrne and Jones Construction from St. Louis, Missouri, as presented:

Rejected Track Bids

Track Alternate Bid 3 (Running Track Runway Extension)  $91,700.00

Track Alternate Bid 5 (Track Equipment)                             $52,000.00

Track Total Bid

Track Base Bid (Repair & Re-Surface)                                 $    72,000.00

Track Alternate Bid 1 (Safety Fence)                                    $  118,800.00

Track Alternate Bid 2 (Concrete Curb & Drainage)              $    68,500.00

Track Alternate Bid 4 (Track Events Relocation)                 $  195,500.00

Voluntary Alternate 1 (Install black track in lieu of red)       $    <6,500.00>

Total Combined Track Bid                                                     $  448,300.00

Roll call:  Tsung, VanWinkle, Woodard, Flowers, Hudgins and Swims voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Member Tsung said that he wanted it noted in the record that he felt it was more appropriate to build the district’s Facility Wish List and prioritize it first before voting on field turf installation.

Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to acknowledge receipt of the bids received for the field turf installation; and, to award the bid to the lowest responsible bidder, Byrne and Jones Construction from St. Louis, Missouri, as presented:

Turf Total Bid

Turf Alternate Bid 1 (Synthetic Field Turf)                           $  732,000.00

Turf Alternate Bid 2 (Lime Stabilization)                             $    76,000.00

Turf Alternate Bid 4 (Parking Lot)                                        $    14,700.00

Voluntary Alternate 2 (Revise Shock Pad)                            $  <25,000.00>

Voluntary Alternate 3 (Revise Turf)                                      $    15,000.00

Total Combined Turf Bid                                                       $  812,700.00

Roll call: VanWinkle, Woodard, Flowers, Hudgins and Swims voted yes.  Member Tsung voted no.  The motion carried.

Approval of 2018-19 Budget: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to approve the proposed budget for the 2018-19 school year as presented. Roll call: Woodard, Flowers, Hudgins, Swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Acceptance of 2017-18 Audit and Posting of 2017-18 Report on Shared Services or Outsourcing: Motion by Tsung, seconded by Hudgins, to accept the 2017-18 audit as presented; and, to acknowledge the 2017-18 Report on Shared Services or Outsourcing contained in the audit (on page 31) for posting on the district website. Roll call:  Flowers, Hudgins, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Woodard voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

2018-19 Textbook List: The Board received the 2018-19 Textbook List for their review.

2018-19 Resolution to Regulate Expense Reimbursements: Motion by Tsung, seconded by Swims, to approve the 2018-19 Resolution to regulate Expense Reimbursements as presented.  Roll call: Hudgins, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Woodard and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Bond Options Discussion: Superintendent Murphy reviewed the Stifel Nicolaus & Company Bond Options information for the Board that was included in their Board packet.  He said that he wanted to explain the process to the Board as a possible financing option and that it was for informational purposes only.  Member Tsung asked what the advantages were for using bonds.  Mr. Murphy said that it allowed you to do more projects immediately rather than scheduling them long term. Member Tsung said that with that said, would it not be wiser for the Board to wait until the committee puts together and prioritizes the list and gives it to the Board before the Board decides to bond.  He said otherwise, the district could potentially pay interest on money it does not need.  Mr. Murphy said that yes that could potentially happen if that were the case, but that he was providing the bond information for informational purposes only that evening.

Executive Session: Mr. Murphy requested to move the executive session to the end of the meeting.

Resignations/Retirements: Motion by Swims, seconded by Hudgins, to accept the following resignations/retirements as presented:

a. Resignation of Ethan May as a Cheerleading Coach for the 2018-19 school year as presented.

Roll call:  Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Woodard, Flowers and Hudgins voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried.

Employment of 2018-19 Personnel: Motion by Hudgins, seconded by Swims, to employ the following 2018-19 personnel as presented:

a.  Assistant Secretary to the CSBO/District Cashier--Lauren Hannick as the Assistant Secretary to the Chief School Business Official/District Cashier (part-time 12-month position) retroactive to September 10, 2018, for the 2018-19 school year at a rate of $11.12 per hour. 

b.  Extra-Duty/Extended-Time Personnel:  
Fall Play: Rebecca Browning: $824.67, Seth Kohlhaas: $824.67, Heather Taylor: $824.67           

Winter Play: Erik Berrey: $1,237.00,             Josh Taylor: $1,237.00

Spring Play: Justin Dennis: $1,855.50, Seth Kohlhass: $618.50,

Asst. Speech:  Justin Dennis: $1,467.00, Bill Curtin: $1,467.00, Ethan May: $1,467.00

Asst. Boys Basketball Coach: Isaac Harris: $1,251.00, Unree Westley: $1,251.00, Joe Hamilton: $2,000.00, Scott Hankey: $2,000.00, Brad Walker: $4,500.00, Greg Storm: $5,501.00

Head Baseball Coach: Scott Hankey: $6,054.00

English Overload: Cara Polczynski: $47.45/Day

Driver’s Education Overload:  Kim Wheeler: $71.06/Day 

Roll call:  Tsung, VanWinkle, Woodard, Flowers, Hudgins and Swims voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried.

2018-19 Volunteers: Motion by Tsung, seconded by Hudgins, to approve the following 2018-19 volunteers as presented:  Ashley Followell:  Band.  Roll call: VanWinkle, Woodard, Flowers, Hudgins, Swims and Tsung voted yes. Nay, none.  Motion carried.

Facility Improve. Com. Meeting: The next Facility Improvements Committee Meeting will be Monday, September 24, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in the CCHS Media Center.

IASA Conference: Superintendent Murphy will be attending the IASA Conference Wednesday-Friday, September 26-28, 2018, in Springfield, Illinois.

IASB Candidate Forum at CCHS: The IASB Shawnee Division Meeting Legislative Candidate Forum will be held at CCHS on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.

NAACP Annual Banquet: The NAACP 41st Annual Freedom Fund Banquet will be at the Carbondale Civic Center on Sunday, October 14, 2018.

October Board Meeting: The next Board of Education meeting will be Thursday, October 18, 2018.

Executive Session: Motion by Swims, seconded by Tsung, to go into executive session to discuss information regarding the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees.  Roll call: Woodard, Flowers, Hudgins, Swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried.

The public session of the meeting recessed at 9:37 p.m. 

The executive session convened at 9:39 p.m. 

The executive session adjourned at 10:15 p.m. President Woodard stated no action was taken while in executive session.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 10:16 p.m.

MINUTES APPROVED: OCTOBER 18, 2018