July 2021 School Board Meeting Minutes

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CARBONDALE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 165, CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS HELD JULY 15, 2021

The regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Education of School District 165 was held in the Cafeteria of Carbondale Community High School, 1301 East Walnut Street, Carbondale, Illinois, on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. An executive session preceded the meeting at 5:30 p.m.  

Upon roll call, the following members were present:

Linda Flowers                         Christopher Swims
Lana Galan                             Francis Tsung
Wendell Pohlman                   Julie VanWinkle
Steve Sabens

Also present were:                 

Daniel Booth                           Ryan Thomas
Ray C. Toliver, Jr.                                         

President Sabens declared a quorum present and the regular scheduled meeting of July 15, 2021, was called to order.

Executive Session: Motion by Swims, seconded by VanWinkle, to go into executive session to discuss information regarding the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees (ILCS 120/2(c)(1)).  Roll call: Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried. The executive session began at 5:34 p.m. The executive session adjourned at 6:01 p.m.

Public Portion of Meeting Convenes: The public portion of the meeting convened at 6:03 p.m. President Sabens said no action was taken while in executive session.

Approval of Minutes: Motion by Tsung, seconded by Swims, to approve the minutes of the regular scheduled meeting of June 17, 2021. Roll call: Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Old Business—None

Public Comments—None

FOIA Requests: The Board received a listing of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 FOIA requests in their meeting packet for their review.

Payment of Bills: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to pay the remaining bills for the month of June 2021; and, those available for payment for the month of July 2021.  Roll call:   Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers and Galan voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Principal’s Report: Mr. Thomas reported on the following:

∙Online Registration July 19, 2021

·In-Person Registration August 9, 2021

∙Freshman, Freshman Parents and Sophomore Orientations

Superintendent’s Report: Mr. Booth reported on the following:

Upcoming Bids
Mr. Booth advised the Board bids for the baseball field renovation, C, D, and gym roof top unit replacements, and chiller replacements will be presented at the August Board meeting. He said bids for the cafeteria expansion will be presented at the November Board meeting.

Committees
Mr. Booth said at the request of President Sabens, he had formed two committees, the Building and Grounds Committee and the School Resource Officer Agreement Review Committee, to assist with future discussion of these matters. 

He said the charge of the Building and Grounds Committee would be to perform a detailed inspection (at least twice a year) of all District buildings and grounds. Determine what, if any, action should be taken.

He said the charge of the School Resource Officer Agreement Review Committee would be to review and recommend amendments to the SRO agreement and duties to the Board.      

Strategic Planning Process
Mr. Booth said that he was working to begin the process of completing a 5-year strategic plan with the help of a professional facilitator in the Fall.  He said he would like for two Board members to be on the team. He said he would be providing more information on the process in the future.

Special Board Meeting
Mr. Booth advised the Board that a Special Board meeting was needed to fill several positions before school starts. Following discussion by the Board, it was decided to schedule a Special Board of Education meeting on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Storm Damage Mr. Booth reviewed the storm damage that had occurred to the campus over the
weekend.  He said the district was currently working with the insurance company on the damages.

2021-22 COVID Protocols
Mr. Booth reviewed the return to school options and recent guidance given to school districts by CDC, IDPH, and ISBE.  He said he believed there were three options to consider in a safe return to school planning:

1. Requiring all students and staff to wear masks throughout the school day regardless of vaccination status.  A policy could be put in place that requires masks until we reach a certain vaccination percentage in our building.

2. Recommending masking for all individuals regardless of vaccination status which would make masks optional.  This could be done so long as the positivity rates stay low in our community; however, they could be required when the community meets a certain threshold. 

3. Requiring masks be worn for all unvaccinated individuals.  This would require tracking of vaccination status for each person in the building. 

There was discussion by the Board on the different options. The members were divided between requiring masks for everyone or making masks optional. There were several legal questions discussed: 1) As an employer can the district require unvaccinated teachers to wear masks; 2) Can the district require employees to share their vaccination status; and 3) If the district has a building rule of masks optional but recommended for unvaccinated individuals, can individual teachers have a mask requirement for their classroom. Mr. Booth said he would check with the attorneys on these questions and let the Board know the response.

Following their discussion, the Board felt most comfortable with planning for the 2021-22 school year with making masks optional, but strongly recommending masks for individuals who are not vaccinated to start the school year.

2021-22 Revisions to Student- Parent-Teacher Handbook and Student-Athlete Handbook: Motion by Tsung, seconded by VanWinkle, to approve the 2021-22 revisions to the Student-Parent-Teacher Handbook and the Student-Athlete Handbook (no revisions) as presented.  Roll call: Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan and Pohlman voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

District Parking Lots Sealing Quotes: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to acknowledge receipt of the quotes received for the sealing of the district parking lots; and, to choose the lowest responsible quote received from Town & Country Paving LLC in the amount of $40,480.0 as presented.  Roll call: Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan, Pohlman and Sabens voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

FY21 Regional Office of Ed. #30 Distributive Report: The Board received a copy of the FY21 Regional Office of Education #30 Distributive Report for CCHS District #165 in their meeting packet for their review.

2021-22 Approval of Vendors: Motion by Swims, seconded by Tsung, to approve the 2021-22 vendors that generate revenue more than $1,000.00 as presented:  Pepsi MidAmerica. Roll call:  Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens and Swims voted yes.  Nay, none.  Motion carried.

IASB PRESS Issue 107 Board Policy Manual Updates—First Reading: The Board received the IASB PRESS Issue 107 Board Policy Manual updates first reading. Final adoption of the IASB PRESS Issue 107 Board Policy updates will occur at the August 19, 2021 Board of Education Meeting.

Semi-Annual Review of Unopened Executive Session Minutes: Motion by Swims, seconded by VanWinkle, to approve the semi-annual review of the unopened executive session minutes as presented; and to:

1) make public the following executive session minutes: November 12, 2020; January 21, 2021; February 4, 2021; February 11, 2021, February 18, 2021 and May 20, 2021; and,

2) destroy the verbatim record (audiotape) executive session minutes that are 18 months old or older: June 20, 2019; July 16, 2019; July 30, 2019; August 29, 2019 and September 19, 2019.

Roll call: VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims and Tsung voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

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

a. Resignation of Jared Cook (Boys Golf Coach) effective June 22, 2021.

b. Resignation of Jennifer Hargrave (Teacher Aide) effective July 8, 2021.

c. Resignation of Michelle Thomas (P.E. Teacher) effective July 12, 2021.

Roll call:  Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none.  Motion carried.

Employment of 2021-22 Mathematics Teacher: Motion by VanWinkle, seconded by Swims, to employ Clyde Hurley as a full-time Mathematics Teacher for the 2021-22 school year. Mr. Hurley’s education and experience will place him at Line 22, Column MA/MS+24 on the Teacher Salary Schedule.  Roll call: Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Employment of 2021-22 Extra-Duty Personnel: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to employ the following 2021-22 personnel as presented:

Assistant Band Director I: eremy Followell $972.66, Ashely Followell $972.66, Deirdre Stokes $972.66, Lorie Trexler $972.66, Madalyn Hughes $972.66 and Austin Browne $972.66

Band Director II: Katrina Wood $3,502.00

Drill Team Sponsor: Heather Taylor $1,085.00

LifeSavers Sponsor: Stacey Massie $875.50, Amy Prudencio $875.50, Kyle Povolish $875.50 and Jessica Anderson $875.50

Boys Cross Country Coach: Greg Storm $5,172.00 and Jason Perry $1,250.00

Girls Cross Country Coach: Greg Storm $5,172.00 and Jason Perry $1,250.00

Assistant Football Coach: Kevin Stamp $5,600.00, Brad Walker $5,000.00, Ben Campos $4,750.00, DeAndre Smith $4,750.00, Jimi Bradley $4,000.00, Obdiah Mims $4,000.00, Phen Grant $3,000.00, Thor Hadfield $2,000.00 and Aaron Wyatt $1,916.00

Boys Golf Coach: Wendell Wheeler $4,669.00

Girls Golf Coach: Naomi Grisham $4,669.00

Assistant Boys Soccer Coach I: Ortez Davis $4,669.00

Assistant Boys Soccer Coach II: Trebor Mann $2,335.00

Assistant Girls Soccer Coach I:  Jeff Hansen $4,669.00

Assistant Girls Soccer Coach II: Ashley Ziegler $2,335.00

Assistant Boys Tennis Coach: Tom Brooke $2,335.00

Head Volleyball Coach: Fae Ragan $8,752.00

Assistant Volleyball Coach: Michael Horton $5,255.00 and Jared Ragan $5,255.00

Weight Room Supervision-Fall: Troy Barton $2,335.00

Weight Room Supervision-Winter: Kevin Stamp $1,135.00 and DeAndre Smith $1,200.00

Weight Room Supervision-Spring: Troy Barton $2,335.00

Science Team Club Sponsor: Michael Dollins $184.00 and Tracie Shackles $184.00

Roll call: Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers and Galan voted yes. Nay, none.  Motion carried.

Employment of 2021-22 Hall Monitor and Teacher Aide Personnel: Motion by Galan, seconded by VanWinkle, to employ the following Hall Monitor and Teacher Aide personnel for the 2021-22 school year at the rate of $13.80 per hour as presented:

1. Sarah Chang: Teacher Aide
2. Victoria Carlock: Teacher Aide
3. Zachary O’Hagan: Teacher Aide
4. Jared Ragan: Hall Monitor
5. Sian Person*: Hall Monitor *Pending receipt of PEL.

Roll call: Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan and Pohlman voted yes.  Nay, none. Motion carried.

Employment of 2021-22 Assistant Athletic Director: Motion by Flowers, seconded by Galan, to employ Rustin Thor Hadfield as the Assistant Athletic Director for the 2021-22 school year, with a salary of $40,000.00.  Roll call: Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan, Pohlman and Sabens voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Employment of 2021-22 Rebound Grant Personnel: Motion by Swims, seconded by Galan, to employ the following Rebound grant personnel as presented, contingent upon adequate grant funding and timely receipt of those funds.  The hours will be reduced during the summer or until adequate student enrollment is achieved.  Dates of Employment will be August 1, 2021 – July 31, 2022.  Personnel as presented:

Lisa Britt: English Facilitator--35 Hours per week at $21.07 per hour
Stephanie Brown: Family Educator--37.5 Hours per week at $22.70 per hour
Denise Diliberto: Social Studies Facilitator--35 Hours per week at $17.35 per hour
Matt Duckworth: Guidance Facilitator--37.5 Hours per week at $21.07 per hour
Mark Hutchings: GED Program Facilitator--35 Hours per week at $24.82 per hour
Sandra Snowden: Rebound Program Coordinator--40 Hours per week at $32.58 per hour
Katie Valliant: Parent Educator--37.5 Hours per week at $18.60 per hour
Jennifer Wharton: Reading/Health/Consumer Education Facilitator--35 Hours per week at $16.36 per hour

Roll call: Tsung, VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens and Swims voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Financial Officer Transition: Motion by Swims, seconded by Galan, to employ Donna Fager following her retirement to assist the new Financial Officer on an as needed basis, for a minimum of 120 hours, up to a maximum of 500 hours, at a rate of $58.69 per hour.  Roll call: VanWinkle, Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims and Tsung voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Maintenance Director Transition: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to employ Don Biggs following his retirement to assist the new Maintenance Director on an as needed basis, for a minimum of 120 hours, up to a maximum of 500 hours, at a rate of $36.46 per hour. Roll call: Flowers, Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Amend Athletic Director and Assistant Principal 2021-22 Contracts: Motion by Swims, seconded by Galan, to amend the following administrative contracts as presented:

a. Amend Mark Albertini’s contract retroactively effective July 1, 2021, to reflect the job title of Assistant Principal (10.5-months) with a salary of $82,090.00.

b. Amend Gwen Poore’s contract retroactively effective July 1, 2021, to reflect the job title of Athletic Director (12-months) with a salary of $94,366.00.

Roll call: Galan, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

2021-22 Volunteers—None

Closing Comments: President Sabens welcomed Daniel Booth and Ray Toliver to the district and wished them a long tenure in their new positions.

Member Tsung requested that future executive sessions begin at 6:00 p.m. instead of 5:30 p.m. due to Board member work schedule conflicts. The Board agreed to have future executive sessions at 6:00 p.m. if one is needed.

Special Board of Education Meeting: There will be a Special Board of Education meeting on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.

MINUTES APPROVED: AUGUST 19, 2021

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MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CARBONDALE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 165, CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS HELD JULY 22, 2021

The special meeting of the Board of Education of School District 165 was held in the Cafeteria of Carbondale Community High School, 1301 East Walnut Street, Carbondale, Illinois, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 3:00 p.m.

Upon roll call, the following members were present:

Linda Flowers                         Christopher Swims
Wendell Pohlman                   Julie VanWinkle
Steve Sabens

The following members were absent:

Lana Galan                             Francis Tsung

Also present were:                 

Daniel Booth                           Ryan Thomas
Ray C. Toliver, Jr.                                         

President Sabens declared a quorum present and the special meeting of July 22, 2021, was called to order.

Public Comments—None

Bids and Quotes—None

Resolution to Appoint an IMRF Authorized Agent: Motion by VanWinkle, seconded by Flowers, to approve the Resolution to Appoint Ray C. Toliver Jr. as the district’s Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Authorized Agent to replace Donna Fager who retired.  Roll call: Flowers, Pohlman, Sabens, Swims and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Resignations—None

Employment of Personnel: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to employ the following personnel as presented:

a. P.E. and Health/Driver Education Teacher--Employ Tracy Steed-Hill as a full-time P.E. and Health/Driver Education Teacher for the 2021-22 school year. Ms. Steed-Hill’s education and experience will place her at Line 19, Column MA/MS on the Teacher Salary Schedule.

b. Employment of Extra-Duty/Extended-Time Personnel—None

c. Hall Monitor and Teacher Aide Personnel--Employ Dezhane’ Timmons as teacher aide pending receipt of her Illinois Professional Educator License, at the rate of $13.80 per hourfor the 2021-22 school year.   

d. Assistant Secretary to the Financial Officer/District Cashier--Employ Michelle Gleim as the part-time Assistant Secretary to the Financial Officer/District Cashier at the rate of $13.80 per hour effective July 26, 2021.

e. Cook--Employ Jaqueline Acosta as a full-time Cook at the rate of $13.85 per hour for the 2021-22 school year.

f. 2021-22 Restorative Practice & Student Support Specialist Grant Employee--Employ Jimi Bradley as a 2021-22 Restorative Practice & Student Support Specialist grant employee as presented, contingent upon adequate grant funding and timely receipt of those funds.  Employment period will ten months with a salary of $40,000.00.

Roll call: Pohlman, Sabens, Swims, VanWinkle and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.

Closing Comments: Mr. Booth said all the teaching positions for the 2021-22 school year had been filled and that one additional teacher aide may be recommended at the August Board meeting.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 3:15 p.m.

APPROVED: August 19, 2021