DTHS High School Board Meeting Recap – Feb 15, 2023
The Dwight Township High School Board of Education met in the Dwight Township High School Board Room On February 15, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
Present were Tim Henson; Joel Sandeno (6:04 p.m.); Eric Scheuer; Max Sulzberger; and Paul Warner. Absent were Kevin Berta and Susan Legner.
Also in attendance were Josh DeLong, Superintendent; Deb Conroy, Secretary; and Andy Pittenger, Principal.
TROJAN OF THE MONTH
Mr. Pittenger announced that Luke Standiford has been chosen as Trojan of the Month for February.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
The IHSA has recognized the following teams for Academic Achievement Awards:
- a) Football 3.29 GPA
- b) Volleyball 3.61 GPA
- c) Boys Golf 3.77 GPA
REPORT OF BOARD COMMITTEES OR REPRESENTATIVES
Amie Thompson was in attendance to give the DEA report for this month. Mr. Pittenger reported that the February Students of the Month are as follows:
Freshman—Jack Statler Sophomore—Dylan Crouch Junior—Mia Juarez Senior—Michael Michon
Ms. Ferguson was not in attendance but submitted the following additions to her report:
- Girls Basketball ended their season in the 2nd round of Regional play when they were defeated by Serena on Monday night.
- Boys Basketball will take on GSW in the Regional quarterfinal on Saturday in Dwight
- Dylan Crouch was Dwight’s only Wrestler to advance to state competition this year. He leaves
for Champaign today after a pep assembly.
- Ferguson contacted Midwest SignWorks to replace the Victory sign on the front of the school.
The insurance company will pay for this replacement, less the deductible, and they accepted the bid from Midwest of $4,650.
Mr. DeLong reported that the bid went out yesterday for the Maintenance grant project, which would encompass putting asphalt around the concession stand and bleachers and hopefully would include installing the sidewalk around the new practice facility to the baseball diamond. There is a pre-bid meeting scheduled in a couple of weeks so we should have a bid to present at the March meeting.
SUPERINTENDENT REPORT
Mr. DeLong discussed the following items:
- Wind Turbine Update: The meeting with the Village board was last week and the ordinance to allow their turbines within 1.5 miles of the Village limits did not pass so there will now be 48 turbines in our district. There could be even less if the Campus Village Board does not pass their ordinance this evening. This project could mean an additional $20M over the next 30 years to the district.
- Radar Signs Update: Signs are in and we are waiting on the Village to get the poles set. They should be set within the next month and a half.
- Amended Budget: Due to several items that will need to be updated in this year’s budget, Mr. DeLong will submit an Amended Budget at a future date. The proposed amended budget should be submitted for viewing at the May meeting and finalized in June before the end of the fiscal year.
- Mr. DeLong reported that we have received a letter from our attorney stating that they will be increasing their hourly rate by $20/hour beginning March 1st.
- The new Superintendent’s gallery has been updated in the Board room.
- Mr. DeLong approached the subject of restarting Summer Camps in the district each summer for
each sport. He noted that we have not held camps for several years and he would like to see them return to peak interest in our sports again.
CONSENT AGENDA
Items for consideration on this month’s Consent Agenda are as follows:
- Minutes of the January 11, 2023 Special Board Meeting
- Minutes of the January 18, 2023 Regular Board Meeting
- Bills
- Approve Resignation, Eric Link, Assistant Football Coach
- Approve Resignation, Anna Ruskin, Cross Country Coach
- Approve Employment, Dennis Dunlap, Assistant Baseball Coach
- Affirm Employment, Jeff Burg, Custodian
- Approve Employment, Brent Olson, Assistant Football Coach
- Approve Employment, Kayleigh Gray, Assistant Volleyball Coach
- Approve Resignation, Paul Lebryk, Science Teacher, Effective End of 2022-23 School Year
- Approve Resignation, Tiffany Gamble, Paraprofessional
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Mr. DeLong shared drawings of the proposed new practice facility. He informed the Board that the building has been ordered but is not expected to be here until June.
Mr. DeLong presented his proposal for the 2023-24 school calendar for approval.
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. DeLong reviewed the costs for registration with the Board. Current registration costs are as follows:
$125.00 Flat Registration Fee $100.00 LACC fee per course $50.00 Driver’s Ed Fee $75.00 Athletics
He informed the Board that he would suggest keeping this fee structure in place for the 2023-24 school year. He also noted that we will have an Early Bird registration period where families could register for a reduced cost of $100 for the Flat Registration Fee.
Mr. DeLong informed the Board that we are looking at adding on storage areas at the West end of the gymnasium. There would be 2 additions put up on either side of the West entrance to the gym and they would be used to store competition mats and sports equipment that currently is stored in the doorways of the gym. This equipment is always addressed in our insurance inspections as a hazard. These upgrades would be built in-house. He expects these areas to cost approximately $15,000 each. The Board was in consensus to move forward with this project.
Mr. DeLong reported that we need to do an update in the Concession Stand. The plans are to update the electric and replace the cabinets and countertops. Also we would update storage areas for all organizations who use the Concession Stand, and create a canopy above the grill area. Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds Jack Connor estimates the total cost to upgrade the Concession Stand would be under $30,000 and all labor would be done in-house. The Board also was approving of this renovation.
Mr. DeLong presented a 3-year contract with Principal Andy Pittenger for approval. This contract would cover school years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
