Olympia Community Unit School District 16 Board met Nov. 12.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
Call to Order, Roll Call, and Pledge of Allegiance
The Board of Education of the Olympia CUSD #16 was called to order by President Kevin Frazier at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 12, 2018 in the Learning Center of Olympia South Elementary with the following Board members and Administrators present: Kevin Frazier, Carolyn Hansen, Trena Glenn, Shawn Hohulin, and Lynn Cross; Superintendent Dr. Andrew Wise, Assistant Superintendent Laura O’Donnell, and Olympia South Elementary Principal Stacey Rogers.
Board member Steve Matter was absent. Board member Doug Maris was absent, but participated by phone.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by President Frazier.
Recognition of Visitors
President Frazier welcomed all visitors and asked them to introduce themselves. Visitors included Dewberry Architects representative Tracy Coker, Olympia Education Association representative Stacy Goeke, District Bookkeeper candidate Melissa Mahoney, and Olympia South Elementary Student Council members Nina Salvator, Kasey Salvator, Addison Smith, and Dani Alberts.
Approval of Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Lynn Cross, seconded by Trena Glenn, to approve the Consent Agenda which included:
A.Approval of Agenda
B.Approval of Minutes, including Executive Session Minutes, from the October 15, 2018 regular scheduled Board of Education Meeting
C.Approval of Bills and Financial Reports
D.Approval of the Intent to Retire of Hettie Shutt, OHS Custodian, effective December 20, 2019
E.Approval of the employment of the following Education Support Personnel:
1.Sarah Brown – OHS Special Education Aide effective November 12, 2018
2.Melissa Mahoney – District Bookkeeper effective December, 2018
3.Susan Barr – Bus Aide effective November 12, 2018
F.Approval of the transfer of Karen Lacefield from a midday Bus Aide to a midday Bus Driver for an out-of-District Special Education route effective November 12, 2018
G.Approval of the employment of Lane Litwiller as OHS Assistant Wrestling Coach effective for the 2018-2019 season
H.Approval of the Extra-Curricular Volunteers for the following 2018-2019 programs:
1.Don Brown – OHS Bowling Program
2.Benjamin Abrams – OHS Swimming Program
I.Approval of the 2019-2020 OHS Course Selection Guide
J.Approval of the Copier Contract with Ricoh effective November 15, 2018
K.Approval of the Contract with Chestnut Health Systems effective January 7, 2019
L.Approval of the usage of the OHS Wrestling room by the Olympia IKWF program for practices on Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday evenings from November, 2018 through March, 2019
Discussion. Vote: Cross (aye), Glenn (aye), Hansen (aye), Matter (absent),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 6-0.
Communications
A Communications folder circulated around the table.
Superintendent Andrew Wise shared an article from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) November issue of School Administrator magazine which features Olympia High School’s partnership with Heartland Community College. The article refers to this partnership as a “success story”, as Olympia and Heartland partner to provide postsecondary opportunities for all students. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) & the AASA asked Dr. Wise and Sarah Diel-Hunt, Vice-President of HCC to present in Washington D.C. last spring. Dr. Wise is one of three Superintendents in the Nation to serve as an AACC College and Career Commissioner.
For more information and/or to view the article, please visit the AASA website: www.aasa.org
Committee Reports
Olympia South Elementary Principal Stacey Rogers and members of the Student Council, Nina Salvator, Kasey Salvator, Addison Smith, & Dani Alberts led a brief tour of the building. It was evident by the enthusiasm of the students that Olympia South is making a positive impact on the students and is a place where learning is fun. The Board and Dr. Wise were extremely impressed with their ability to articulate the function and needs of their school building. Dr. Wise thanked Principal Rogers for organizing the tour.
Superintendent Wise shared that the Finance Administrative Sub-Committee had recently met to discuss the FY18 Levy, Bond, and Fund balances, as well as future staffing needs.
Administrative Reports
Assistant Superintendent Laura O’Donnell highlighted the TEAM Lead Grant. The primary purpose of this grant is to improve effectiveness by increasing the amount of time spent on instructional improvement. The allocations distributed to principals can be used for additional professional development. Mrs. O’Donnell also informed Board members of the upcoming IL-Empower program. This program will assist Illinois schools with improving in areas which received a lesser rating.
Mrs. O’Donnell shared that the Parent/Teacher Conferences were successful and that parents shared positive comments regarding the change in conference formats. The fall conferences were traditional (parent & teacher), and the spring conferences will be student-led. This change in format allows the students to have more time to showcase their learning and growth before leading their own conferences. Mrs. O’Donnell also announced that there will be Parent Workshops during the second semester. These workshops will be led by some of Olympia’s staff. This decision was made based on the positive result of a recent Parent Engagement Survey. Elementary parents will have an opportunity to attend “Helping Students to Avoid Negative Peer Pressure” and “Managing Challenging Behaviors in Children”. Secondary parents will be able to attend “Planning for Scholarships/Scholarship Applications” and “Keeping Adolescents Safe on the Internet”.
Mrs. O’Donnell presented the 2019-2020 OHS Course to Career Guide for approval. She noted that changes in coursework occur based on student interests, voids/gaps in particular content areas, or due to a need to complete a particular pathway. Mrs. O’Donnell also shared the recent First Quarter reporting process. As in past years, OMS & OHS reports were generated through Skyward and shared with parents electronically. Elementary teachers sent home newly formatted progress summaries generated from Mastery Manager. These summaries include essential skills for each grade level and the performance level for each skill.
Lastly, Mrs. O’Donnell shared that each building’s staff had recently recognized their Principal in honor of Principal Appreciation Week. She noted that it was evident that the Principals are greatly appreciated by their staff.
Principal reports were shared. Besides the successful OHS team outcomes, OHS was selected as a Featured School for raising student achievement, one of 12 in the state of Illinois. As a result, OHS will be presenting “Got Skills? We Do At Olympia High School” at the Raising Student Achievement Conference in December, 2018.
Middle School students are involved in building a culture of reading. Teachers have set a target of 10,000 total books checked out from the library during the 2018-2019 school year.
Elementary Principals reported successful Parent/Teacher Conferences, as well as October school/community events.
Superintendent Wise presented the Board with the FY18 Property Tax Levy information. Dr. Wise stated that the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of the District is expected to increase, however the increase is less than previous years. He noted that the rate would remain relatively flat for the upcoming Levy. He shared that with the number of exemptions impacting the assessed valuation, predicting the rate is becoming much more difficult, therefore the overall rate may fluctuate a few cents from previous years.
Dr. Wise shared the updated Risk Management Plan. In order to use Tort money to help fund actions that minimize the risks to our school District, there must be language in the Risk Management Plan that addresses the issues. Dr. Wise thanked Student Services Director Andy Walsh and Maintenance Director Scott Thornton for updating the Plan.
Dr. Wise presented a DRAFT of the 2019-2020 School Calendar. Even though there may still be a few changes to the DRAFT version, the dates of next year’s school calendar will be similar to the current calendar.
Dr. Wise reviewed some upcoming events with the Board including the annual IASB-IASA-IASBO Conference, the Minier Christmas Parade, and the Board/Administrators Holiday Service Project with the Salvation Army.
Lastly, in recognition of National School Board Members Day, Dr. Wise thanked the Board members for their dedication and loyalty to Olympia, noting that Olympia is strong because the Board is strong and that the Board is the “rock” of the District. Dr. Wise stated that because of the Board’s sound decisions, staff members are able to perform their responsibilities within their job descriptions, and the students are able to learn the skills needed for college & career.
Other Business
In other business Carolyn Hansen announced that the deadline to submit applications for the OFFE grant awards was extended till November 30. She also shared that she would like to see OFFE reach out to community members for their thoughts regarding the OFFE funds and perhaps even extend those funds to community needs.
Action Items
A motion was made by Carolyn Hansen, seconded by Trena Glenn, to approve placing the FY18 Levy on Public Display for 30 days, beginning November 10, 2018, and to set Monday, December 10, 2018 at 6:55 p.m. as the date/time for a Public Levy Hearing to be held in the Conference Room of the Olympia Administration Office.
Discussion. Vote: Hansen (aye), Glenn (aye), Matter (absent), Maris (aye),
Hohulin (aye), Cross (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 6-0.
A motion was made by Lynn Cross, seconded by Kevin Frazier, to approve a Waiver Application for the Driver’s Education Fee effective 2019-2020 through 2023-2024.
Discussion. Vote: Cross (aye), Hansen (aye), Glenn (aye), Matter (absent),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 6-0.
Opportunity for Public Input
There was no Public input.
Executive Session
There was no Executive Session.
Adjournment
A motion was made by Shawn Hohulin, seconded by Carolyn Hansen, to adjourn the meeting at 9:02 p.m.
Motion carried by unanimous vote.
http://olympiail.apptegy.us/o/district/browse/23017
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