Community High School District #71

Central Community High School District #71

7740 Old U.S. 50, Breese, IL 62230
BOARD OF EDUCATION - Regular Meeting
Monday, Jul6 24th, 2023,   7:00 PM

AGENDA

The regular meeting of the Board of Education of Central Community High School was held on July 24, 2023 at 7:00PM in the Board Room.

Members present were Mary Lou Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Jeff Kampwerth, Kori Voss, Laura Jansen and Tim Richter.  Amy Kruse was absent.  Visitors included Cris Toennies.

The agenda was approved on a motion by Kori, second by Laura.  Roll call vote: Aye – Mary Lou Voss, Laura Jansen, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved on a motion by Kori, second by Tanya.  Roll call vote: Aye – Mary Lou Voss, Laura Jansen, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

The executive sessions minutes of the previous 6 months were approved to be kept closed on a motion by Tim, second by Jeff.  Roll call vote: Aye – Mary Lou Voss, Laura Jansen, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

The financial report and payment of bills were reviewed and accepted on a motion by Jeff, second by Tim.   Roll call vote: Aye – Mary Lou Voss, Laura Jansen, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

We have not received official information regarding the Career and Technical and Perkins Tutorial grant commitments or allocations, but every indication from the people at the CTE office has confirmed a likely approval.  Just as other years, we are hopeful that we can supplement the RTI tutoring services with money from the Career and Technical Education grant program.  When we get word, we will move forward with the CTE “materials and supplies” portion of the program. 

The calendar for the start of the 2023-2 school year is as follows:

August 8 …..…………               Registration  (8:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.)

August 9 ………………..           Registration  (Noon – 7:00 P.M.)

                Tuesday, August 15 …...….   Teacher Institute

                                                        ..…..……  Freshmen Orientation   (5:30 P.M.)

                Wednesday, August 16 ……  First Day of School   (8:00-2:50 P.M.)

The weather has been great for the Parking Lot project and we are currently ahead of schedule and under budget.   The only steps left to complete are the oil and chip, lighting install, and parking blocks.  We also decided to add speed bumps to the main drives in order to ensure that all students and visitors maintain a safe speed while on campus.  We are currently waiting on a price from KRB to continue the sidewalk from our East Front Entrance to our main entrance.

A motion to approve payment #1 to KRB for a new East parking lot for $160,650 was made by Tim, second by Kori.   Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

A motion to approve payment #2 to KRB for a new East parking lot for $178,785 was made by Jeff, second by Tim.   Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

The board entered into closed session on a motion by Kori, second by Tanya to discuss personnel. Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None.  Motion carried at 7:17PM.

The board entered back into open session on a motion by Jeff, second by Kori. Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None  Motion  carried at 7:34PM.

The Health Insurance Committee met on Thursday, June 29th to review the renewal package from our current provider.  During the meeting, we received some fairly good news from our insurance broker, Imming Insurance.  Imming told us that the increase this year from Blue Cross/Blue Shield would be 7%.  With this massive increase we have seen over the last two year, this came as welcome news.  With that, we will again be offering multiple plan options to employees again this year.   This program will allow each employee to select from 4 different plans (with options that include higher premiums and lower deductible/out of pocket expenses, or lower premiums and higher deductible/out of pocket expenses).  These options worked well last year and enabled our teachers and staff to pick a plan that best fits their individual health insurance needs.  However, Mr. Dan Imming emailed to let us know that United Healthcare has come back with some pretty aggressive rates.  The committee will meet again this Thursday to discuss.

We are also still under the same coverage for Term Life/Accidental Death/Disability policy that we currently have with Dearborn Life.  This program (although offered at basic levels of coverage by the district as part of the options to get group rates) does get contractually deducted from the monthly cap amount just like health insurance and therefore affects the salary level for our staff members.  (Staff members can obtain additional coverage in this area at a payroll deduction.)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that we must complete and submit a Consolidated District Plan (CDP) in order to be eligible for federal Title funds. A motion to approve the Consolidated District Plan for ESSA as presented was made by Tim, second by Kori.  Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

A motion to approve the athletic officials payment and gate admissions as presented was made by Jeff, second by Kori.   Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

A motion to approve an overnight trip for Cross Country to Peoria on September 8 and 9 was made by Tanya, second by Laura.   Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

A motion to approve Brian Walsh as a Wrestling Club volunteer coach pending all necessary requirements are met was made by Tanya, second by Laura.   Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

Dr. Foutch has very exciting news to report about the new STEP program that was implemented last year at Central. STEP is a grant supported program where students with  special needs are given the opportunity to gain workplace skills. The program includes both classroom based and real-world aspects. Last year, we had approximately 20 students complete the program, and each of those students improved their ability to be successful  after high school. Our district was allotted a grant amount for each student who completed various employability skills activities. Gina Benhoff was in charge of the program and she secured $43,200 in grant funds due to the work that our student completed. Gina was diligent in communicating with employers, designing classroom projects for students, and ensuring that all necessary documentation was submitted to the state.  As you can imagine, this was a very big job and Gina deserves a huge THANK YOU for her work on this project. Dr. Foutch would like to use a portion of the grant funds to pay a stipend to our STEP coordinator.  This year, Gina did all of the work voluntarily (which is outstanding), but the program required a substantial amount of time outside of the school day and during the summer. Since the grant is funded on a “per student” basis, the stipend should also be paid in this way. Since each individual participant requires additional hours and time outside of school, this seems to be the most appropriate way to compensate the coordinator of those activities.  Again, this program is 100% grant funded and the coordinator position and stipend would only be available if the grant continues to be allocated in the state budget.

A motion to approve the resignation of Nicole Weh as a special education teacher was made by Jeff, second by Tanya. Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

A motion to employ Kory Peppenhorst as a PE teacher pending all necessary requirements are met was made by Laura, second by Tanya. Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Kori Voss - Abstain Nay – None

A motion to employ Lydia Benhoff as the freshman volleyball coach pending all necessary requirements are met was made by Jeff, second by Kori. Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT:

A welcome back letter went out to the entire Central community on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The purpose of this letter is to assure parents that we are passionate/dedicated about providing the best possible education for their students, as well as, to provide important information about the beginning of school activities.

Enrollment projections for 2023-2024 (as of 7/17/23)

- Freshman: 152 F=74, M=78

- Sophomores: 164 F=79, M=85

- Juniors: 154 F=62, M=92

- Seniors: 154 F=69, M=85

- Total 624

There are 15 students signed up for our online credit recovery program. We provided an English and Math class 100% online with weekly checkin’s by Amber Kuhn. The program ends on Monday, August 24. Currently 8 of the 15 students should complete the program and earn their credit.

Unforgettable Photography will be at school on August 17th for a traditional picture day. All students will be photographed on that day during PE classes in the East Gym.

The board adjourned the meeting on a motion by Tim, second by Laura at7:58PM. Roll call vote: Aye –Laura Jansen, Mary Lou Voss, Kori Voss, Tanya Kampwerth, Tim Richter, Jeff Kampwerth.  Nay – None

________________                  _________________                 

Board President                        Board Secretary