Sangamon Sun

Ball-Chatham Community Unified School District No. 5 Board of Education met Monday, Oct. 24.

The Ball-Chatham Board of Education consists of seven board members elected to serve, without compensation, for overlapping terms of four years each. The board elects a president, vice-president and secretary to serve for one-year terms.

Here are the minutes as provided by Ball-Chatham:

The regular meeting of the Board of Education of Community Unit District Number Five was October 24, 2016 at the Ball-Chatham District Office which place is within the boundaries of said district.

President Steve Copp called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The Board clerk noted that Board members Carter, Copp, Maddox, Sieren, Weitzel, Worley, and Yurevich were present.

Administrators present: Randy Allen, Mike Dobbs, Jen Farnsworth, Elizabeth Gregurich, Jim Lee, Charlotte Montgomery, Josh Mulvaney, Ashley Romadka, Tina Root, Betsy Schroeder, Kim Sepich, and Dr. Doug Wood.

Media present: Joe Pritchett, Chatham Clarion

Approval of Agenda

President Copp called for a vote to approve the evening’s agenda.

Maddox moved to approve the agenda for the Board of Education’s regular meeting of October 24,

2016. Upon said motion being seconded by Yurevich, the Board president called for a vote. All Board members voted “yes.”

Action Items from Closed Session

Board President Copp read aloud the following recommendation: To approve the closed session minutes of September 26, and October 13, 2016 as amended or presented in closed session.

Worley moved to approve the closed session minutes of September 26, 2016 and October 13, 2016 as amended or presented in closed session. Upon said motion being seconded by Maddox, the Board president called for a vote. All Board members voted “yes.”

Communications

Good News –

Glenwood Middle School Principal, Tina Root, reviewed the incredible fall sports success that her student ath-

letes achieved, including:

Girls Softball - regional and sectional champions

Boys Baseball were regional and sectional champions

7th and 8th grade football teams qualified league playoffs. The 8th grade team - league champions

Girls Cross Country - sectional champions and finished in 6th place in the IESA Class AAA State meet with two girls finishing in the top 25 of all runners. Ella Gorrie finished 13th and Ella Beeler finished 21st

Boys Cross Country - sectional champions and IESA Class AAA State Champions. Four boys finished in the top 25 of all runners. Cameron Smith finished 3rd, Landon Verenski finished 5th place, Garrett Kroeschel finished 14th place and Evan Capps finished 19th place.

Mrs. Root then introduced Cross Country Asst. Coaches, Marc Kuhn and Sue Zartler. Both Mr. Kuhn and Ms. Zartler expressed how proud they were of the student athletes and presented certificates to those in attendance. Mr. Kuhn noted that 55 points was the State record for points, and GMS scored a 56. Board members all offered their congratulations to the coaches and students for their fantastic accomplishments.

Glenwood Middle School Counselor, Mrs. Sandy Marcotte, was recognized for being named the 2016 Illinois School Counselor Association’s Middle/Junior High Counselor of the Year. The award was presented at the 2016 ISCA State Conference. Receiving this recognition speaks to the high quality of school counseling work by Sandy Marcotte and the school’s leadership in providing the environment for school counselors and educa-

tors to provide the very best experiences for students.

Board President Copp recognized and thanked Ball-Chatham’s principals for their great work, not only on Principal Appreciation Day, but all year long.

Citizens – None noted.

Consent

Board President Copp asked if anyone would like to pull any items out of Consent for further discussion. Mr. Sieren pulled Item 5.6 –Treasurer/Financial Report. Mr. Copp called for a vote on the other items listed under

“Consent.”

Maddox moved to approve the Consent Items (less Item 5.6) as presented. Upon said motion being se-

conded by Yurevich, the Board president called for a vote. All members voted “yes.” Consent Agenda items included:

Adoption of Consent Agenda Items

Minutes of Regular Board Meeting, September 26, 2016

Finance Committee Minutes, September 22, 2016

School District Accounts Payable

School Activity Account Reports

FOIA Requests

Second Reading: Policy 4:60 - Purchases and Contracts

Treasurer/Financial Report – Mr. Sieren asked the District’s Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Charlotte Montgomery for clarification on a recent reimbursement payment to ISBE, as well as one to Sentinel Technologies. She stated that she would investigate the details of the payment to ISBE and get back with him. Technology Director Josh Mulvaney responded that the payment to Sentinel was for their work to renew the District’s VMWare contracts.

Sieren moved to approve the Treasurer/Financial report, as presented. Upon said motion being seconded by Maddox, the Board president called for a vote. All Board members voted “yes.”

Personnel Consent

Board President Copp asked if anyone would like to pull any items out of Personnel Consent for further discussion. None were noted.

Maddox moved to approve the Personnel Consent Items, as presented. Upon said motion being seconded by Yurevich, the Board president called for a vote. All members voted “yes.” Personnel Consent Agenda items included:

Resignation of GHS Full-Time Custodian – Larry Bernstein (effective 10/13/16)

Resignation of Temporary Bus Monitor – Bob Scott

Resignation of Paraprofessional – Barb Scharmer (effective 11/2/16)

Employment of Full-Time 2nd Shift Custodian at BE – Traci Carter

Employment of GIS Playground Supervisor (2.5 hrs/day) – Jody Womack

Employment of Temporary Bus Monitor – Sue Maxon

Employment of GIS Speech Contest Assistant – Meredith Burroughs/Sarah Daniels

Job Description Change – High School Principal

Leaves of Absence:

Roger Carr– FMLA – Initial Request - Using 31 accumulated sick days. September 6, 2016 through approximately October 18, 2016

Paula Velten– FMLA – Initial Request - Using 11 accumulated sick days. October 27, 2016 through approximately November 14, 2016

New Business

FY16 Audit Presentation – Ms. Robin R. Yockey, CPA, from Mose, Yockey, Brown & Kull, LLC presented the FY2016 Audit Report. She noted that her group has audited the basic financial statements of the District for the year ended June 30, 2016 and that three different reports were provided: The Independent Auditor’s Report; the Compliance Report for Major Federal Programs; and Internal Controls over Compliance (located in the Federal Compliance Section). Two opinions were offered in the Independent Auditor’s Report – one adverse opinion due to regulatory basis presentation; and one qualified opinion due to omission of disclosures required by GASB 45. In the Compliance Report for Major Federal Programs, the following was noted: No material weaknesses, but two significant deficiencies: Coding of transactions, and BAB credit claims. There were also two compliance findings – one specific to inter-fund loans, and the other to expenditures (budgeted amounts). In the management letter the following was noted as areas for strengthening: controls over athletic admissions, payroll liability account reconciliation process, and written policies required by Uniform Grant Guidance Compliance. Nonetheless, Ms. Yockey stated that the District had made great progress in cleaning up deficiencies, increasing the Fund Balance to Revenue Ratio, and increasing the Days Cash on Hand. The latter two resulted in the District’s Financial Profile score raising from 3.25 last year to 3.70 now thus putting Ball-Chatham in the “Financial Recognition” category. She said the Mrs. Montgomery and her staff – specifically Mrs. Ashley Fiorito, Mrs. Jennifer Baugh, and Mrs. Mindy Williams – are doing a wonderful job and that she has rarely seen such pride in staff members’ work. Board members concurred and voiced how pleased they were with the work of the District’s Business Office. Ms. Yockey added that this year’s audit is completed a full two months ahead of last year’s, to which Board members praised Mrs. Montgomery for her knowledge and hard work since she came onboard full-time in July.

Maddox moved to approve the FY16 Audit Report, as presented. Upon said motion being seconded by Yurevich, the Board president called for a vote. All members voted “yes.”

Ameresco Resolution – Former school board members, Sam Xanders and Kurt Wilke updated current Board members on the status of their lawsuit against Ameresco. Mr. Wilke explained that Ameresco has tried to have the case against them dismissed, but in November 2015, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Leslie Graves denied the motion. Though case has been allowed to continue, Ameresco believes the case should be thrown out due to how the contract issues have come to light. They maintain that the issues came to light solely from FOIA findings, which is not correct, he noted. Thus, they are asking the Board of Education to approve a resolution stating as much, so that the case can move forward. Much discussion ensued regarding the District’s hiring of attorney Brian Braun to review the resolution before the Board vote as opposed to the District’s regular legal counsel (Rick Grenzebach) from Brown, Hay and Stephens. Board members Carter, Maddox and Weitzel stated they were unaware of that the District had consulted Mr. Braun. Mrs. Carter added that the entire Board should have been apprised of this information. Board members then discussed the ramifications of tabling the vote until they could all fully discuss this issue. Mr. Sieren noted that it’s not uncommon, at least from his perspective, for District Administrators to seek advice from counsel without informing all Board members first. Hearing no further discussion, Board President Copp read the resolution aloud.

Carter moved to approve the Ameresco Resolution, as presented. Upon said motion being seconded by Yurevich, the Board president called for a vote. All members voted “yes.”

First Reading of Policies from PRESS, July, 2016 Issue – Mrs. Lisa Weitzel, who serves on the Board’s Policy Committee, briefly reviewed a number of amended policies up for first reading. The policies are scheduled to be voted on at the next regular meeting. They include:

2:70 – Vacancies on the School Board – Filling Vacancies – Title change, minor changes and our policy was out dated.

4:15 E2 – Exhibit – State of Purpose for Collecting Social Security Numbers – minor changes

4:15 E3 – Exhibit – Statement for Employee Manual or district Website Describing the District’s Purpose for Collecting Social Security Numbers – minor changes

4:140 E1 – Exhibit – Application for Fee Waiver – minor change

4:140 E2 – Exhibit – Response to Application for Fee Waiver, Appeal and Response to Appeal – new – Charlotte Montgomery was fine with adopting this exhibit.

5:40 AP – Administrative Procedure – Communicable and Chronic Infectious Disease – Procedure is updated with non-discrimination statement.

5:170 AP3 – Administrative Procedure – Instructional Materials and Computer Programs Developed within the Scope of Employment - new procedure – we already have a policy on this issue.

6:190 – Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Activities – minor change requested to comply with IHSA rules (submitted by Dusty Burk)

6:250 AP – Administrative Procedure – Securing and Screening Resource Persons and Volunteers – new procedure – we already have a policy on this issue.

7:10 – Equal Educational Opportunities – reviewed – no changes

7:10 E – Exhibit – Equal Educational Opportunities Within the School Community – new exhibit

7:270 E – School Medication Authorization Form – this is the form the schools’ use so it should be the one in policy. The asthma medication/Epinephrine auto injector information that was covered in the old policy is covered in policy

7:270. 7:270 AP1 – Dispensing Medication – Procedure is updated due to change in Public Self-Care of Diabetes Act.

7:285 AP – Administrative Procedure – Implementing a Food Allergy Management Program – procedure updated to define and include references to Individualized Educational Programs

7:330 – Student Use of Buildings – Equal Access – our policy is from 2002 – legislation requires updating

7:340 AP1 – School Student Records – procedure updated to delete gender from list of what constitutes directory information in response to May 13, 2016 Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students jointly issued by ED and JD.

7:340 AP1,E1 – Notice to Parents/Guardians and Students of Their Rights and Concerning a Student’s School Records – Exhibit is updated to delete gender from list of what constitutes directory information in response to May 13, 2016 Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students jointly issued by ED and JD.

8:90 – Parent Organizations and Booster Clubs – new policy - further defines the roles of clubs and organizations

8:110 – Public Suggestions and Concerns – policy updated to provide clarity

Board Committees - Board committees have not changed since April, 2015. Board members discuss appointments to board committees, as well as renaming the Construction Committee to the Facilities & Grounds Committee. Discussion of the roles of Division Representative, and IASB delegate also took place, with trustees settling on the following:

CACC - Brandon Maddox (appointed for 16/17 SY)

Finance Committee - Susan Worley, Duane Sieren

Facilities & Grounds - Steve Copp, Duane Sieren

Policy - Linda Carter, Lisa Weitzel

Technology - Brandon Maddox, Greg Yurevich

IASB Delegate – Susan Worley

Division Representative – Duane Sieren

This was an informational item only.

Communications

Future Board Meeting Dates –

November 7, 2016 - SIP Board Meeting

Triple I Conference for Board Members/Administrators - November 18-20, 2016 - Chicago, IL

http://iasb.mys1cloud.com/jac16-preview.pdf - link to the sessions at Triple I

November 21, 2016 - Regular Board Meeting

December 19, 2016 - Regular Board Meeting

Election Information:

When to File Nominating Papers: December 12-19, 2016. Sangamon County Election Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

Where to File Nominating Papers: Sangamon County Election Office, located in Room 105 of the Sangamon County Building, 200 S. 9th Street, Springfield.

Citizens – None noted.

Adjournment

With there being no further business, Board President Copp called for a motion to adjourn.

Maddox moved to adjourn the regular session at 8:03 p.m. Upon said motion being seconded by Sieren, the president called for a vote. All Board members voted “yes.”

Betsy Schroeder, Board Clerk

Steve Copp, President Greg Yurevich, Secretary