Will County Gazette

Mokena School District 159 Board met Nov. 14.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

STAFF PRESENT: Dr. Don White, Superintendent; Dr. Kathleen Wilkey; Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum; Dr. Teri Shaw, CSBO; Allison Cirone, Director of Student Services; Dr. Mike Rolinitis, Principal; Dave McAtee, Principal; Rachel Chorley, Principal; Jacob Smith; Director of Technology; Cathy Jandak; Board Recording Secretary; Kim Truffa, Debi Blank, Kim Rueth, Rita Ulrich, Kim Klappauf, Laurel McGowan, Victoria Albon, Katherine Barr, Lisa Peters, Carrie Bidinger, Michelle Matt, Megan Horsch, Margie Janes, Karen Kaz, Mallory Studzinski, Cindy Storino, Kelly Harrison, Melissa Chevalier and Patricia Hasier.

VISITORS: Andrew McCall, Bob Kral, Mark Franceschim, Nicoled Rafa, John Hamstra, Julie Oost, Brad Fields, Tom Amadio, Allison Amadio, Kelly Tichacek, Daniela Fountain, Angela Montgomery, Tim Poulakis, Christy Mullin, Laurie Kornmueller and Kristin Wallace.

PRESS: Amanda Villiger, Mokena Messenger

I. & II. ROLL CALL /PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

At 7:03 pm Roll Call was taken; Board President Jennifer Riedl, the Board of Education, Administration and audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. POTENTIAL REFERENDUM PRESENTATION & FORUM

The BOE is considering the placement of a referendum question on the April 2, 2019 ballot. The referendum is needed so that the district can maintain, repair, and update current facilities. A presentation on a possible referendum was conducted by Dr. White. Dr. White highlighted the specific needs of each facility and explained that the district is in the process of selecting an architectural firm who will be asked to provide more details related to the necessary projects. Dr. White also highlighted that Mokena has the 2nd lowest tax rate in the County. Dr. White explained there are two funding options being considered; Limiting Rate or Building Bonds. After the presentation, Dr. White welcomed questions. Comments were heard by BOE, staff and public. At 8:10 pm, Mr. Everett motioned to take a short recess. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Riedl to reconvene at 8:20 pm.

IV. COMMUNICATIONS

PUBLIC: None MTA: Kim Truffa –Recognized Ms. Beekman for her efforts with the music portion of the Veteran’s Day assemblies; Mrs. Tiberi for her fundraising efforts to purchase new activity equipment for recess at MIS ; Miss Albon for creating the SEL lessons and activities for the sixth grade Seeker’s Team. MCSA: None MEF/PTA: Thanked sponsors, staff, community and BOE who attended the Fall Fling; most successful year raising nearly $50,000! BOE: Mrs. Staley thanked MEF and PTA for all their efforts with the Fall Fling. Mrs. Riedl stated it was a great way to raise money and bring community together. Mr. Andresen acknowledged Mrs. Arduino’s time and efforts in organizing a wonderful tribute to our Veterans with two Veteran’s Day assemblies!

V. ACTION REQUESTS

V. A. PREVIOUS MONTH MINUTES

Recommended Motion:

Mrs. Briscoe moved to approve minutes from the October 17, 2018 Regular meeting and Closed Session meeting and the October 29, 2018 Special meeting as presented; motion was seconded by Mr. Everett. On Roll Call

Ayes: Mr. Andresen, Mrs. Briscoe, Mr. Bush, Mrs. Riedl, Mrs. Staley, Mr. Everett, Mrs. Zielinski

Nays: None 

Abstain: None

MOTION CARRIED: 7-0-0

V. B. TENTATIVE LEVY

Recommended Motion:

Mrs. Staley moved to approve the tentative levy as presented; motion was seconded by Mr. Everett. On Roll Call

Ayes: Mrs. Briscoe, Mr. Bush, Mrs. Riedl, Mrs. Staley, Mr. Everett, Mrs. Zielinski, Mr. Andresen

Nays: None 

Abstain: None

MOTIONCARRIED: 7-0-0

V. C. DISTRICT BILLS

Recommended Motion:

Mr. Everett reviewed Bills this month; Mr. Everett moved to approve the Bills as presented; the motion was seconded by Mr. Andresen.

On Roll Call

Ayes: Mr. Bush, Mrs. Riedl, Mrs. Staley, Mr. Everett, Mrs. Zielinski, Mr. Andresen, Mrs. Briscoe

Nays: None 

Abstain: None

MOTIONCARRIED: 7-0-0

V.D. PERSONNEL

Recommended Motion:

Mrs. Riedl moved to approve personnel recommendation items V. D. 1-6 as presented, subject to successful background check if applicable; motion was seconded by Mr. Everett.

On Roll Call

Ayes: Mrs. Riedl, Mrs. Staley, Mr. Everett, Mrs. Zielinski, Mr. Andresen, Mrs. Briscoe, Mr. Bush

Nays: None 

Abstain: None

MOTIONCARRIED: 7-0-0

V. E. CONSENT AGENDA

Recommended Motion

Mr. Everett moved to approve Consent Agenda items V. E. 1-2 as presented; motion was seconded by Mrs. Staley.

Ayes: Mrs. Staley, Mr. Everett, Mrs. Zielinski, Mr. Andresen, Mrs. Briscoe, Mr. Bush, Mrs. Riedl

Nays: None 

Abstain: None

MOTIONCARRIED: 7-0-0

VI. DISCUSSION

VI. A. Possible Referendum

Dr. White asked the BOE for their opinion on next steps. Mr. Andresen asked if it was possible to spend the district fund balance if repairs are needed now and replenish later to which Dr. Shaw responded, yes. Mrs. Riedl commented that if the BOE were to vote yes for a referendum to be placed on the April 2nd ballot, we would need to do a good job at communicating the facts to the community and to reach the senior community.

VI. B. Social Worker Update – Ms. Cirone

District Administration are currently reviewing staffing supports for Social Emotional Learning at all three buildings to ensure that current levels of staff support are meeting the needs of students. Background and Information: According to ISBE’s Recommended School Social Worker to Student Population Ratios, Mokena Elementary School and Mokena Intermediate School are maintaining a recommended ratio of social workers to student population and needs. Mokena Junior High currently has one social worker servicing its population of 513.

Underlying Assumptions: Given the current intensity of services required at Mokena Junior High School and the inclusion of the ACCESS program in the building, more social work services may be required to effectively support the student and family needs of the building.

Administrative Recommendation: There is no formal recommendation at this time. An administrative recommendation may come at a later date.

Implications, Considerations, Next Steps: The district and building administrative staff need to consider current supports available for students at MJH as well as future supports that may be needed. A more thorough analysis of the social emotional needs of the student population also should be conducted utilizing a screening tool.

VI. C. IASB Delegate Assembly Resolutions – Mr. Everett will represent the BOE at the Joint Annual Conference November 16-18, 2018. Mr. Everett asked the BOE for direction on the gun control resolution.

VII. INFORMATION REPORTS

VII. A. SUPERINTENDENT – Dr. White

1. DRAFT Governance & Decision-Making Overview

The administration has been working to better demonstrate and define the collaborative decision- making model. These conversations have resulted in the development of the attached “Governance & Decision-Making Overview” document. I will be prepared to answer questions and receive input from the Board related to this topic. It is my goal to then share this with the entire staff so that they are aware of the vision for how we make collaborative decisions in D159.

2. Special Board Meetings & Community Forum Dates

There is a possibility that the Board may determine a need to discuss the possible referendum and related information at a time that is not in sync with our already scheduled Board meetings. With this in mind, Board President Riedl and I discussed this topic and ask that members reserve Wednesday, December 5, 2018 and Wednesday, January 9, 2019 as possible meeting dates.

On a related note, I am planning to post the possible referendum community forum dates as special Board meetings in the event that more than two members wish to attend. The current presentation for these events as well as an informational flyer has been posted as an attachment with this Superintendent’s Report. We will post a general meeting agenda for each of these dates:

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 @ 9:00 am January 9, 2019 at 9:00 am

Monday, December 3, 2018 at 7:00 pm January 9, 2019 at 7:00pm

Monday, December 10, 2018 at 1:30 pm

VII. B. ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTION – Dr. Wilkey

1. First Quarter Professional Development Opportunities

2. First Quarter Instructional Coach Contact Hours

As part of the implementation with the instructional coaches, we are collecting data in regards to the number of contact hours they have made with either teams or individual teachers. Before reviewing the data, there are a few clarifying statements to consider that will better assist with the interpretation of the results:

 Every teacher in the district has formally met with the instructional coaches during a department meeting or grade level meeting.

 Some staff may be accounted for in both grade level and by department as an individuals

 New certified teachers are required to meet with

3. Lincoln-Way Area Curriculum Council Articulation

October 4th - MJH science department hosted staff from Lincoln-Way Central to observe. Following the observations, Jessica Gibson and Cheryl Baltzer attended the Lincoln-Way Area Curriculum meeting that was hosted here in the Mokena board room. Jessica presented a few ways we are infusing technology into the science classroom. November 13th; hosted the first instructional coach collaboration meeting.

VII. C. DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICES – Ms. Cirone

 District to purchase new AED devices for all buildings

 District to add a feature to its IEP management system

 Positions to be filled: MES-classroom paraprofessional; MJH-1:1 paraprofessional and classroom paraprofessional

VII. D. CHIEF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIAL – Dr. Shaw

 Levy request for this school year is $15,058,547; anticipated extension is $14,829,825.

 Annual Statement of Affairs published in local newspaper November 22nd

 Certified staff members all received their contracts for 2018-19

 Committee to meet for final round of Architect selection process

 Food Service-most popular lunch for month of October wads nachos

 Buildings and Grounds-Replacing boiler circulation pump at MES; replacing 3 bad HVAC pumps

at MJH; boilers at MJH serviced; heat is on at all buildings with very minimum issues; all buildings reported roof leaks and have been repaired; working with Mokena Public Works on tunnel drainage project; new tires on both plow trucks and plow blades installed; bag salt purchased for sidewalks; bad salt spreaders replaced; new snow blowers purchased for all buildings; School Dude works are up to date.

 Snow removal plan-new 72” sweeper broom will be purchased to fit on bobcat at MJH VII E. FINANCIAL AND TREASURER REPORTS – Dr. Shaw

Beginning Cash on hand: 10/1/2018 $19,207,697.07

Cash and Investments: 10/31/2018 $18,255,213.82

VII. F. DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY – Mr. Smith

1. Security System-Installation is complete with replacement of motion detectors.

2. Skyward User Group Conference-starting to implement tools learned at conference.

3. IETL Fall Meeting-great resources; nice to see what is working with other districts.

4. Internal Data Best Practices Project-District is addressing major pain points regarding data.

Data Automation, Data Security/Privacy, Data Warehousing, Data Driven Modeling

5. Chromebook Expansion-expanded classroom Chromebook at MES; 2:1

VII. G. PRINCIPAL REPORTS

From the Desk of Dr. Rolinitis:

 Nov. 6th - 8th grade students took the PSAT 8/9

 Nov. 2nd – 6th grade students attended a field trip to Medieval Times

 Auditions taking place for this year’s production of Spamalot Junior

 Mrs. Baltzer and Mrs. Klappauf lead the Student Council’s sponsorship of Red Ribbon Week

 Nov. 7th – Meteor Club sponsored an assembly to honor Veterans

 Mrs. Novak and Dr. Albon worked with Speech Team with their monologues and dialogues at the IESA Speech Contest; twenty-two students earned a first place rating and four students earned a second

 Sports – 7th grade Girls Basketball team is undefeated; Boys Basketball had their annual Meteor Basketball Shootout

 Cheer will be competing at the IESA state tournament in the winter.

From the Desk of Mr. McAtee:

 November 12 – 16: Penny Wars with the proceeds benefiting Mokena Miracles; November 15- 4th Grade Field Trip to Math Maniac, a live performance at Governor’s State University; November 17- Rocket Runners will participate in the Gobbler Gauntlet in New Lenox; November 29- Rocket Coffee and Conversation, 6:30; November 30: MIS Movie Night; December 5-7- MIS Book Fair; December 6- 9:00: DARE Graduation; December 7- Gingerbread House Decorating; December 13 at 9:00a- Pie Throwing Assembly; Pies will be thrown at Mr. McAtee and Officer Tom due to raising $1,804 for the Fall Fling Raffle Baskets; December 18, 6:00p- Holiday Music Concert.

 PBIS - Students achieved 1st Quarter goal of being prepared.

 Congratulations to First Quarter Reading Counts winners; top 3 readers at each grade level include: 4th Grade: Lauren Woods, Anavita Vatal, and Lauren Rogers; 5th Grade: Liberty Scanlin,

Avery Lapetino, and Kate Hough.

 Tine Coltri, 4th grade teacher, was name the Sky Zone Teacher of the Month 

From the Desk of Mrs. Chorley:

 Nov. 7th-Over 100 Veterans attended assemblies; huge thank you to Mrs. Arduino, Mrs. Blank, Mr. Hippleheuser and Travis Duffie for making this special event possible.

 MES and Mokena Miracles teaming up to hold Penny Wars Nov. 12-16

 Special Olympics Young Athletes to start in January; event is May 17th

 Early Start enrollment is continuing to grow and monthly screenings continue

VII. H. LINCOLN WAY AREA SPECIAL EDUCATION MINUTES – Mrs. Briscoe

Audit is almost complete, but auditors are waiting for corrected TRS reports. Once the TRS reports are corrected, the audit will be submitted. The 7th Annual Thanksgiving Feast will be held on November 12th at Peace Lutheran Church.

VII. I. FINANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE – Mr. Bush

Finance Committee meeting held November 5th; topics of meeting included levy presentation, update on architect selection process, possible referendum options. One member noted that there was really good news inside the tax levy presentation; specifically referring to the low tax rate that Mokena has held for the last ten years. Future topic – Evidenced Based funding model.

VIII. ITEMS FOR DECEMBER 19, 2018 AGENDA

 Joint Annual Conference reports

 Approval of Levy

 Certificate of Compliance with the Truth in Taxation

 Certificate of Tax Levy Resolution

 Worker’s Compensation

IX. FOR THE GOOD OF MOKENA

In Recognition of School Board Member Appreciation Day, Dr. White thanked all the Board Members for their endless hours of dedication ensuring that our district is responsive to the values, beliefs and priorities of the community. November 17th-Village tree decorating 12p-4:30p; Community Photo 3:15p; Parade of Lights 5p; Tree Lighting & Caroling immediately following parade; VFW – Family Dance after Tree Lighting & Caroling.

X. CLOSED SESSION

At 10:01 pm, Mrs. Riedl moved to adjourn to Closed Session to return to Open Session; for purposes of Personnel, Collective Bargaining (Pursuant of 5 ILSC 120/2/(c)(1)(2). The motion was seconded by Mr. Everett.

On Roll Call

Ayes: Mr. Andresen, Mrs. Briscoe, Mr. Bush, Mrs. Riedl, Mrs. Staley, Mr. Everett, Mrs. Zielinski

Nays: None

Abstain: None

MOTION CARRIED: 7-0-0

https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?mk=50304642&fn=minutes.pdf