|
 The
Board entered Executive Session to discuss the employment and
evaluation of staff, compensation of staff and purchase of property.
The Board returned to open session at 6:56 PM. The Board returned to
Executive Session at the end of the general meeting to finish
discussion items.
There were no visitors requesting to speak during the Recognition of
Public.
The first action item was the approval of the Consent Agenda, which
included minutes of the regular April 15th meeting, bills and sales
tax revenues. This month's consent agenda also included the renewal
of IESA and IHSA memberships for FY2025. The Board approved the
Consent Agenda 7-0.
Under Reports, Superintendent Lamkey reported that sales tax
revenues remained under
$30,000 which was low for this time of year. Work on the high school
multipurpose gym floor repair was completed and use of the gym can
resume after Memorial Day. Mr. Schoth put together a bid for
Sangamon Valley to transport students this summer while they are
awaiting buses. A Mt. Pulaski bus driver will transport Sangamon
Valley students to Decatur over the course of 18 days this summer.
Mr. Lamkey also reported that three board members and Mr. Spang
would be attending this week's IASB Region meeting in Sherman. Mr.
Cowan, Mr. Wilham and Mr. Brown had registered to attend while Mrs.
Mott and Mr. Olson are also considering participation.
Soon to be seated Superintendent, Jason Spang,
reported about a new program called Safe ID. This program, being
created by the state, requires vendors to participate in and
register employees to vet and update employee records to determine
their eligibility to work in schools. Contractors would have a badge
that identifies that they can safely be on a school campus.
The program would be at no cost to schools and would improve the
vetting process. Next, Mr. Spang offered the Board dates for a
future IASB training, but was unable to secure a good day. He will
look to expand training options to later in the summer.
In Unfinished Business, the Board approved a contract with Bushue to
offer human resource services to Mr. Spang and the district office.
This collaboration will benefit Mr. Spang as he enters his first
year of the superintendency. In addition it offers resources for
staff training, legal advice and employee related support. The Board
approved the contract 7-0.
Next, Ashley Burgard addressed the Board on the needs and merits of
starting a Transitional Kindergarten program for next year. The
program is designed to support students who are aged 4-5 who are not
yet ready for kindergarten, but are ready to go on from early
childhood classes. Oftentimes there are school age children who are
not quite emotionally ready or have not
developed the skills necessary to start kindergarten. At the same
time, there are older early childhood students who are not of school
age, but are ready for additional challenges. The Transitional
Kindergarten class fills both needs. The Board asked a series of
questions before offering their support to start the program. Mrs.
Burgard expects there to be 12 students in the class, which will
open up extra spots in early childhood classes for families who
would otherwise be on the waiting list. Principal Lora will look to
fill the position at the June board meeting.
Veterans Park was the next topic of discussion as the Board reviewed
options of improving and adding resources to the newly acquired
land. The early focus will be on building an all-weather track to
replace the current cinder track that exists on the site. Cost of a
new track and adjacent facilities is expected to cost close to $2
million.
In New Business, the Board voted 7-0 to approve Mr.
Watterkotte’s FCCLA trip to Seattle while also approving
professional development for district staff to attend the Fusion
Conference to receive training on achievement testing.
The Board approved OPAA! as the food provider for the district for
the upcoming school year with a 4-3 vote. The Board has some
concerns over student preference for foods and the quantity of food
that students receive. It was explained that any food provider must
work within the federal & state guidelines when preparing meals for
students. There are regulations on portion size and ingredients in
food preparation. OPAA! has been providing meals for Mt.
Pulaski Schools for the last three years.
The Policy Committee conducted the second reading of the proposed
policy. This most recent policy update was pretty simple with very
few changes. Mr. Wilham and Brown explained the only question posed
to the district was the option to list specific training in the
policy manual.
The Policy Committee recommended going with the default option which
would omit the extra language. The policy update was adopted in the
next item of business, 7-0.
Each year the Board must set their meeting calendar for the
following year. Traditionally, the Board meets on the third Monday
of the month, but this creates a conflict for four separate dates on
next year's calendar. The Board voted 7-0 to move meetings to the
third Wednesday to avoid these conflicts. In addition, the Board
will hold one meeting, March 12, 2025 at the high school.
Mr. Kavelman, the district activities director, presented changes to
the District Sports Handbook that focused on fan behavior at events.
Any individual who inappropriately communicates with school
officials or acts in a derogatory manner toward coaches, players or
the team will be subjected to a progression of disciplinary action
that starts with a 5 game suspension and finishes with a lifetime
ban. This new language is as result of experiences the district has
had with inappropriate fan behavior following athletic events. The
Board approved the changes 7-0.
In recent years, the school district has worked to upgrade offices
and classrooms across the district, but the one office that has not
had improvements is the district office. The Board voted 7-0 to
upgrade the office and office setting.
[to top of second column]
 |
Fitzpatrick Construction was the
beneficiary of two 7-0 votes to approve bids to improve storage
at the grade school. The first project will be to create climate
controlled storage in the garage off the back of the grade
school. This will improve district storage and allow items to be
stored without concern of damage due to the elements. The second
project is to redesign unused shower spaces in the locker rooms
to better use the space for storage. Both projects are expected
to be completed this summer.
The last item of New Business was a discussion about
the Capital Project for FY2025. After completing renovations at the
high school this summer, the Board's next project will be to build a
track and adjacent storage/restroom facilities at Veterans Park. The
costs are expected to be near $2 million. This project is expected
to be completed prior to the start of school in August of 2025. The
Board noted that the planning for the renovation and construction
additions at the middle school were in the works, but a project of
this complexity would take several years to come together. The Board
will work this next school year to devise plans to pay for the
elementary project without raising local taxes. Mr. Spang will
explore funding options for the Board this fall. The Capital
Projects Plan will be presented to the Board at the June meeting for
final approval.
Personnel Report was approved 7-0 containing 6 hires and 4
resignations:
● Hires
○ Brooke Charron as MPHS Golf Coach
○ Jan Bowers as MPHS Assistant Golf Coach
○ Tim Guy as MPGS Baseball Coach
○ Lyndon Jason as MPGS Boys Basketball Coach
○ Summer Eskew as Summer Worker
○ Hayden Morris as Summer Worker
● Resignations
○ Mark Graue as MPHS Paraprofessional
○ Robert Meyerriecks as MPHS Paraprofessional
○ Regan Kirk as MPGS Paraprofessional
○ Mackenzy Payne as Junior High Softball Assistant Coach
Items of Information
Athletics - Mr. Kavelman
● MPGS
○ Track finished their season. Although no athlete made it to state,
many achieved PRs in their final events.
● MPHS
○ Piper Tyson - Track State Meet this past Saturday - Placed 8th in
discus with a PR of 34.79m.
○ Baseball - Regional Championship this past Saturday - Won 3-1.
■ Play this Wednesday in Arcola vs Armstrong @ 4:00.
○ TCSVMP Softball - Regional Championship this past Saturday - Fell
to Quincy Notre Dame 3-1
The State Skeet Tournament is May 31st in Decatur. Officer Pharis
invited all of you to attend!
As the athletic year nears the finish line, Mr. Kavelman shared how
impressive it has been to watch these student-athletes in their
respective sports as well as in the classroom. The hard work and
dedication they have put into this year is nothing short of amazing
and a direct reflection of the coaches, family members, and teachers
that have provided them with a great environment to grow and
improve. He has no doubt that the foundation of success is being
established on a daily basis and that Mt. Pulaski’s student-athletes
will continue to accomplish great things.
High School - Mrs. Fricke
● Senior of the Month for May was Isabella Hunt.
● Senior of the Year was Colt Selinger
● The Senior class took in over $400,000 in scholarships and their
recognition night was well attended by the community.
● We celebrated 35 students at graduation yesterday.
● We inducted 7 sophomores in the National Honor Society.
● The freshmen won the community service contest and were rewarded
with an ice cream party. This year, MPHS students recorded over 1500
hours of community service! The seniors served an average of 2.3
hours per student; the sophomores served an average of 9.21 hours
per person; the juniors brought in 9.54 hours per student; the
freshmen volunteered an average of 13.4 hours per person!
● NHS will be offering content area tutoring sessions every day
during study hall this week for any student interested in help
studying for semester assessments.
● Thursday, May 23, will be odd period finals.
● Friday, May 24, will be even period finals, locker clean-out, &
chromebook/hotspot collection day. It’s also a 2:02 p.m. dismissal
day.
Grade School - Mrs. Lora
● 38 students went through promotion
● Teacher appreciation week was awesome! (special thanks to the
district, school board, Deron Powell, Longview Bank, PASE, and
Community Association).
● May 24 Field Day (PASE donated for students to have ice cream)
The meeting adjourned at 10:44 PM. The next regular meeting will be
held at 6:00 PM on June 17, 2024 in the MPGS Learning Center.
[Sarah Farris]
 |
