REPORT FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING OF AUGUST 12, 2014
CONSENT AGENDA
The Board approved the following new personnel:
Certified Staff:
Kathleen Eckert – Certified School Nurse, Manning, Miller and South schools
Non-Certified Staff:
Deborah Dickert – Junior High school nurse
Sabrina Reimann – Junior High part-time secretary
Sonia Vera – Westmont High School attendance secretary
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Crossing Guards:
Mr. Carey reported that he met with Chief Mulhearn of the Westmont Police Department and Cathy Casey of the Village of Westmont todiscuss crossing guard services. The Village of Westmont contracts with Andy Frain to provide crossing guard services for area schools and students. Andy Frain has increased the cost of the service for the 2014-2015 school year, and did not notify the Village of the increase until after the budget for the Village was approved.
The Village of Westmont is asking for assistance in covering the cost of the overage. The Village prorated the amount of the overage so that each school/district (Holy Trinity, Maercker District, and CUSD 201) is responsible for only their portion of the cost. Under the proposal the Village of Westmont will pay $20,880 for the crossing guard services for CUSD 201 and the District would pay $5,165.71 for the unanticipated cost increase.
The Board discussed that the crossing guards were a valuable assistance to the students and generally agreed to cover the overage.
ACTION ITEMS
Resolution for Bond Issue for November 4, 2014 Ballot:
Following previous discussions, the Board voted to add a question on the November 4, 2014 ballot “providing for and requiring the submission of the proposition of issuing School Building Bonds to the voters of CUSD 201.”
There was discussion that after talking with members of the community, it appears that there is support for the funds necessary to complete the proposed safety and security projects; however, the funding mechanisms might have been a deterrent. The Board would like to move ahead with a Referendum on the ballot to cover the costs of all of the previous projects mentioned, as well as money to deal with the issue of the outcome of the High School pool.
The ballot will state: “Shall the Board of Education of Westmont Community Unit School District Number 201, DuPage County, Illinois, improve the sites and the safety and security of and alter, repair and equip school buildings and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $26,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”
It was also discussed that community members are encouraged to participate in the planning for this event.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Communications:
Registration is completed and went smoothly. The majority of our families have completed the registration process. The individual buildings are contacting families who have not yet registered. There are approximately 86 families who have not completed registration.
On Wednesday, August 13th, there will be a parent meeting to explain the process the District will be using to align the math curriculum to the Common Core. Claran Einfeldt, our math consultant, will be making a presentation.
Summer School Report:
As a result of expanding our summer school program, CUSD 201 experienced the highest student participation in a number of years. A total of 274 students participated in the various programs. There will be further discussions in the spring of 2015, but it was generally agreed to offer similar classes for the summer of 2015.
Opening Institutes:
The school year will officially open on Monday, August 18th. August 18th and August 19th are District-wide Institute Days. District staff will participate in a number of activities related to teaching and learning. The first day of student attendance is Wednesday, August 20th,and it will be a full day of school. PLC meetings will begin on August 27th.
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
School Board Meeting
August 26th@ 7:00pm
Westmont Village Hall
This and all School Board Meetings can be viewed on the District website under the Board of Education tab. Also, the documents referenced at Board Meetings can be found on the website under Board Docs.