Mt. Pulaski CUSD 23
Board invests in added safety measures for schools
MPGS receives early childhood grant

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[September 20, 2023]    The Mt. Pulaski CUSD 23 Board of Education called their regular meeting to order on September 18, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Mt. Pulaski Grade School Learning Center, all school board members were in attendance.

The first item on the agenda was to enter the Executive Session to discuss employment and student discipline. The Board returned to open session at 7 p.m. At this time the Board conducted the annual Budget Hearing for the upcoming fiscal year. Superintendent Lamkey reported that all funds were operating in the black less the Transportation and TORT Funds. The Transportation Fund is set to be just under $30,000 in the red, which is reflective of the increase in the new bus lease that took place last year. Mr. Lamkey believes that revenues could come in higher than expected bringing the fund closer to balanced. The district has strong reserves in the Transportation Fund, so the projected deficit will not be a problem. The deficit in the TORT Fund budget is by design. During the pandemic, the district built up their TORT reserve not knowing what expenses the district could incur during the once in a lifetime event. Now that the pandemic has ended, the district has lowered the tax levy for the TORT Fund to reduce the reserves to a normal level. The negative budget is a reflection of that reduction. All in all, the budget and district finances are in very good shape as the district has healthy reserves and the ability to fund resources necessary to instruct students and maintain/improve district facilities. Jeff Beccue addressed the Board and Superintendent Lamkey during the hearing asking for further consideration of tax abatements and questioned budgeting practices of the district.

In Public Recognition, Mike Chandler addressed the Board about concerns that additional COVID19 restrictions were on the horizon and criticized the Board for applying for and accepting Federal grant money linked to the pandemic.

The first action item was the approval of the Consent Agenda. Superintendent Lamkey reported that there were no questions to the district office concerning bills and that the sales tax revenues once again topped $36,000 for May. The Board approved the Consent Agenda 7-0.

Under Reports, Mr. Lamkey was excited to announce that the Early Childhood grant that he and Mrs. Burgard prepared was approved. The timing of the funding and amount was not yet available, but it is anticipated that the new revenue will remove the need to charge families tuition. The grade school will pass specific information on to parents when it is available. This is the first time the district has held the grant in over 10 years. Mr. Lamkey also informed the Board that the flooring replacement in the grade school restrooms was in progress. Bee’s Landscaping is creating a plan for landscaping the medians in the high school parking lot. Mr. Lamkey will make those available to the Building and Grounds Committee when they are completed.

Mr. Kavelman was supervising girls’ basketball, so Mr. Lamkey provided the Board with the Athletic Director’s Report which highlighted the progress of fall sports and summarized his recent attendance at the Central Illinois Conference (CIC) Meeting. This past spring the high school was invited to explore membership in the CIC high school athletic conference. Mr. Kavelman reported that the conference was a good fit for our high school in that current member schools were small rural districts that would provide good competition for our student athletes. Other districts investigating the conference included Marshall and Casey-Westfield. Formal invitations will not be extended until next spring and more informative meetings will take place this fall and winter.

President Cowan and Mr. Martin summarized the recent Building and Grounds Committee meeting. The committee confirmed that renovations to the 1963 portion of the high school was their top recommendation on the Capital Projects List followed by track construction and grade school renovations. The committee recommended beginning preliminary work for the high school renovation so that work could begin and finish next summer. The potential track project would be slated for the 2024-25 school year.

There were no items listed on the Discipline Report.

There were two Freedom of Information Requests (FOIA), one by Mike Chandler asking for information on the district's surety bonds, a list of district social media accounts and the individuals who have access to them. One final FOIA asked if the district has any certified librarians. All FOIA requests were completed in the amount of time allotted by statute.

Under Unfinished Business, the Board voted to approve the Building and Grounds Committee’s recommended Capital Projects List for FY2024. The motion passed 7-0.

In New Business, the Board adopted the FY2024 Budget 7-0. Next they considered the approval of purchasing the ZeroEyes surveillance system which was presented at last month's meeting. The district opted for the five-year contract which offers a $22,000 savings per year compared to the $60,000 one year contract. ZeroEyes will allow immediate detection of a weapon and simultaneous contact with local authorities to alert them of the threat and initiate a response. In addition, ZeroEyes allows authorities to follow the brandished weapon through the building to inform them of the location of the suspect.

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Board members discussed the purchase and felt that it was an assurance that our schools would be safe and equipped to respond to a dangerous event.

The system was highlighted on NBC news:
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/hundreds-of-schools-across-u-s-using-ai-to-help-d etect-guns-192654405889  

The Board next approved the purchase of a “Digital Hall of Fame” (DHF) for the high school lobby. The DHF is designed to be a communication system the public can use to discover information about the district such as past graduates, school activities, school records, news and much more. The need for this arises after building renovations eliminated senior class pictures and gym banners. The DHF will provide a tool for communication with the public as well as a digital history of the district’s past. After discussion, the Board voted 7-0 to approve its purchase.

Last month, Mayor Bobell addressed the Board looking for a collaborative effort in completing a Safe Routes to School Grant. The district surveyed families and provided required documents to complete the grant. The final requirement was a letter of support from the district for the grant. The Board voted 7-0 in approval of the letter of support. The city will turn the grant in later this fall and upon approval, they will commence work on sidewalks and crosswalks around our schools.

Previously, the Board considered adopting a policy that would allow students of full-time employees who live outside the district to attend tuition free. The Board declined to adopt this policy but did recently approve language in the collective bargaining agreement with the teachers that does allow teachers who live out of district to have their students attend tuition free. The new discussion was to ask whether full-time non-certified staff should have the same privilege. After some discussion, the Board requested the Policy Committee come up with a recommendation to present to the Board.

Next on the docket was the Personnel Report, which was approved 7-0 containing 6 hires and 1 resignation.

Hires

  • Kylee Francisco as MPGS Paraprofessional

  • Makayla Stewart as MPHS Cheer Coach

  • Amanda Doherty as MPHS Scholastic Bowl Coach

  • Cullen Tyson as MPHS Volunteer Assistant Soccer Coach

  • Tim Guy as MPGS Assistant Boys Basketball Coach

  • Becky Clarke as Bus Monitor

Resignations

  • Resignation of Emma Otto as Bus Monitor

In separate votes, Casey McCormick was hired s MPGS Girls Assistant Basketball Coach 6-0-1 vote with Mrs. Combs voted present and Chris Brown was hired as MPGS Volunteer Assistant Girls Basketball Coach 6-0-1.

Items of Information:

Athletics

  • Senior/8th Grade Nights

    • HS Volleyball & Golf - October 12th (Volleyball vs. Springfield HS)

    • GS Girls Basketball - Tuesday, October 24th

  • Homecoming

    • September 22th - LSA/Football Homecoming Game

    • October 5th - Volleyball vs Midwest Central

    • October 7th - Homecoming Dance

High School

  • FFA Officer interviews tonight.

  • Senior Class President: Kellen Wilham

  • Online Safety and Dangers presentation on 9/28 for grades 6 through 12, Zion Junior High, and Hartem grades 6-12 in our gym at 1:00 p.m.

  • Parent event being hosted at CEL the evening of 9/28.

  • Marketing Field Trip to Malibu Jack’s Indoor Theme Park on 9/29.

  • Homecoming Week celebration at 2:00 pm on October 5 in the Main Gym organized & run by the Student Council.

  • MPHS Career Fair on Friday, 10/6, at the high school.

Grade School

  • Student Support Team meeting coming up to look at student data

  • 5th grade Woods Foundation field trip October 5 to Chicago

  • Coop with Zion for Speech MP 5-6 students

  • Bathroom flooring has started The meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m.

The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 7 p.m. in the MPGS Learning Center.

[Sarah Farris]

 

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