REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF DWIGHT COMMON SCHOOL DISTRICT #232
Held in the Dwight Common School District Library On September 11, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
Board President Nick Stipanovich called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
PRESENT: Mark Christenson; Marc Ellis; Jaime Mallaney; Nick Stipanovich; Chuck Trainor ABSENT: Lori Bowman; Tara Hansen
Also in attendance: Josh DeLong, Superintendent; Deb Conroy, Secretary; Julie Schultz, Principal; Micheal Bennett-Tejes, Asst. Principal
REDBIRD OF THE MONTH
Mrs. Schultz announced that Kathy Stewart had been chosen as the Redbird of the Month.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
NOTICES, COMMUNICATIONS OR RECOGNITIONS
Samantha Casey, auditor from Hopkins and Associates, was in attendance by Zoom to give the 2024 Audit presentation. The district again achieved a perfect rating of 4.0, with very healthy fund balances.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES OR REPRESENTATIVES
Kathy Stewart was in attendance to give the DEA Report for this month. Mrs. Schultz’ report stands as read. Mr. Bennett-Tejes’ report stands as read. Mr. Scheuer’s report stands as read.
Mr. DeLong reported that we have had new landscaping done in the front of the building as well as a small strip along the cafeteria area. He also noted that the remaining entrance doors have received the Redbird wraps that went on the main doors last year. Although it is not a GS project, the HS has installed a new sidewalk from Columbia Street to the new practice facility that allows more safety for our students.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Mr. DeLong reported on the following issues:
- Board Election Year: Mr. DeLong reported that we have 4 seats opening up for election in April 2025. He noted that Mr. Stipanovich and Ms. Hansen have indicated that they will not be running again. The other 2 seats that are up are Marc Ellis’ and Lori Bowman’s. Nominating packets are available at the County Clerk’s office.
- Boys and Girls Club: Mr. DeLong reported that while we appreciate the effort of having a Boys and Girls Club program here, there have been multiple issues with it since its inception last year. The biggest concern is turnover within the program, which makes things chaotic. There are typically around 15 kids in the program. The program is supposed to be fully ran by the Boys and Girls Club and they use the school’s space.
- Mr. DeLong reported that the state is again offering a matching Maintenance Grant in the amount of $50,000 this year. Since we have upgraded most of the plumbing recently and the rest of the building has had upgrades, he feels it might be a good idea to build a storage shed with this year’s grant funds. The district would have to put up $50,000 of existing funds to match the grant.
CONSENT AGENDA
Items for consideration on this month’s Consent Agenda are as follows:
- Minutes of the August 14, 2024 Meeting
- Bills
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Mr. DeLong presented the final proposal for the 2024-25 Budget for approval. As was noted in the Public Hearing, the deficit for this year’s budget did increase from $182,000 to $219,000.
Mr. DeLong presented the results of the Building Longevity Study and QLEO Analysis that was recently completed by the architect firm, BLDD, to the Board and they discussed the next steps in the process. The architects believe over the course of 30 years it will cost us around 33 million dollars to keep our building functional. Mr. DeLong believes that number to be somewhat high. An addition with a new competition gym and locker rooms, with 8 additional classrooms and new bathrooms is estimated between 12-14 million dollars. To rearrange and remodel some classroom spaces, mostly the primary wing, in concert with the new addition, would be around 15-16 million dollars. They estimate the cost of a brand-new building to be around $46 million dollars. After the QLEO analysis, which measures the efficiency of your building for educational purposes, he feels the best direction to look would be to do the addition. He noted that this is just a discussion starting point and that he will have their drawings and documents at the October meeting. Additionally, he believes they can either attend or Zoom in to the November meeting to answer any questions or concerns. He also has scheduled a meeting with a bond specialist to go over scenarios should we decide it is time to look into either an addition or a new building.
This is just a discussion piece right now and the studies were done to have a roadmap regarding our facility over the course of the next several years. Whether the district decides to act on the study will be for further discussion at future meetings.
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. DeLong presented the final 2023-24 Audit for approval.
Mr. DeLong noted that a policy allowing DPD to enforce traffic infractions on our property expired years ago and therefore, the Board discussed a traffic regulation agreement with the Village of Dwight. He will look into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Village.
Mr. DeLong held the first reading of PRESS Policy 116, which deals mostly in part with Title IX, which is a hot-button issue right now. He noted that he, Mr. Pittenger from the HS and Mrs. Schultz recently attended a training on Title IX.
Mr. DeLong proposed increasing the meal reimbursement rate for the districts. He relayed that we currently reimburse $10 for breakfast, $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner. He stated that it is getting difficult to find meals in those price ranges and he feels it is time to increase those reimbursements to $15, $20 and $30 accordingly. These reimbursements are for when staff and Board members attend professional development and need to have a meal while doing so. He also reported that these reimbursements are rarely used.
Mr. DeLong shared the results of the recent 10-Year Health, Life Safety Survey with the Board. He noted that most of the items are small in scope, such as emergency lighting, etc… now that the roof has been repaired.
Mr. DeLong presented the updated Bullying Prevention Policy to the Board for approval. He noted that our current policy essentially mirrors ISBE’s but it must be presented in the approved format.
Mr. DeLong presented the 2024 Teacher/Administrator Compensation Report for Board approval.
Mr. DeLong presented the 2024-25 Threat Assessment Team and Threat Assessment Plan for Board approval.
Marc Ellis volunteered to be the Delegate at this year’s Joint Annual Conference in Chicago.
Moved by Ellis, seconded by Trainor, to adjourn the meeting at 6:58 p.m. Voice vote. All voted aye. Motion carried.
