CUSD 7 News
School Board agrees to $2 million Working Cash bond sale
Kevin Wills, vice president for First Midstate, Inc., the company handling the bond sale, told board members his firm had secured an interest rate of 4.7 percent—slightly better than the 5.5 percent rate he originally anticipated.
Voting 4-2, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night authorized the sale of $2 million in Working Cash bonds to shore up sagging finances over the next several years. As part of the package to authorize the bond sale, the board also voted to refinance at a lower interest rate more than $2.4 million in existing bonds and close out the district’s existing Working Cash Fund by transferring a balance of about $50,000 into the Education Fund.
The bond sale had been under discussion since October.
Executing the bond sale at this time reportedly allowed the district to take advantage of favorable interest rates and dodge the possibility of the state General Assembly imposing restrictions upon local school districts’ bonding ability in the near future.
Executing the bond sale at this time reportedly allowed the district to take advantage of favorable interest rates and dodge the possibility of the state General Assembly imposing restrictions upon local school districts’ bonding ability in the near future. Kevin Wills, vice president for First Midstate, Inc., the company handling the bond sale, told board members that there are “dozens of bills” pending in the state legislature that could have an impact on the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), which limits school districts’ ability to raise property taxes to pay for education.
“It’s hard to tell which of them, if any, will pass,” Wills said. He said there is considerable pressure in the General Assembly to address the property tax issue this year. Quoting another school superintendent who recently participated in panel discussion on the future of PTELL, Wills said it is a “political probability” that something will pass and possibly be signed into law that will have an impact on PTELL.
“All sorts of bills have been proposed,” Wills said. Some would limit the number of years school districts could benefit from a special sales tax to 23. “Some of them don’t even allow for bonds to be issued in the future, some do. Doing this now (issuing Working Cash bonds) allows you to get this done prior to what seems to be a probable legislative overhaul coming out of Springfield.”
Wills also noted his firm had secured an interest rate of 4.7 percent—slightly better than the 5.5 percent rate he originally anticipated. Trimming the interest rate by eight-tenths of a percent is expected to save the district about $30,000 over the eight-year life of the Working Cash bond issue.
Supt. Joe Tieman reiterated that proceeds from the Working Cash bond sale are intended to be used for expenditures “that have a direct impact on students.”
“I want to make sure everyone knows our intent is to spend this money on classroom-related issues,” Tieman said. Those expenditures, he said, could include teacher salaries, classroom equipment or classroom supplies.
I want to make sure everyone knows our intent is to spend this money on classroom-related issues
Working Cash funds work essentially as an operating fund, shoring up other line-item funds that fall short during the fiscal year. Money can be transferred from Working Cash to another fund as a temporary loan, in which case the money is returned to Working Cash upon receipt of the following year’s property tax distribution. More often, there is a direct transfer of funds with no intention of replenishing the Working Cash Fund later.
Board member Dave Griffel, who will not seek re-election to the board in April, voiced concerns about the bond sale, likening it to “mortgaging your home” for a short-term gain. While acknowledging the advantage of a low interest rate, he pointed out that if the district doesn’t tap into the Working Cash Fund until next December, it will have paid in the neighborhood of $90,000 in interest before spending any of the bond sale proceeds. Additionally, he expressed concerns about whether or not future boards will resist the temptation to spend cash if it is readily available in the form of Working Cash.
Griffel also expressed concerns about maxing out the district’s debt ceiling, although Wills said the district would have other options—such as Life Safety bonds—for borrowing in the event of an emergency. The bond issue and restructuring, according to Griffel will take the district’s total indebtedness from more than $16 million to more than $19 million.
“We’re maxing out things for a one-time influx and that is a concern to me going forward,” Griffel said. “I’m not trying to convince anyone to do anything different; that’s just my concern.”
A resolution to “abate” the existing $50,000 in the Working Cash Fund by transferring it to the Education Fund was unanimously approved on a motion by Jenni Alepra, seconded by Don Dobrino.
The second resolution to issue $2 million in Working Cash bonds and restructure $675,000 in existing bonded debt, however, was opposed by both Griffel and Weye Schmidt. Schmidt paused for several seconds to contemplate his vote before finally voting “no.”
The last of the three resolutions authorized the sale of $1,765,000 in bonds, essentially refinancing the remainder of the district’s bond debt at a more favorable interest rate.
The bond issue and restructuring, according to Griffel will take the district’s total indebtedness from more than $16 million to more than $19 million.
The pay-back period for the Working Cash bonds is eight years. Bond sales for the $675,000 and $1.8 million in existing debt are expected to take 20 years to repay. The bonds are callable on Dec. 1, 2024, meaning the board could choose to pay them off early if it chooses to do so. Wills described a scenario where the board could use a portion of the proceeds from the county School Facilities Sale Tax program to accelerate repayment, or allow that money to accumulate over several years to make a lump sum payment to draw down the amount of money owed.
Wills was expected to register the bond sales with the Macoupin County Clerk on Tuesday and the sale of the bonds is currently ongoing.
Tieman told The BenGil Post the school district expects to have proceeds from the bond sales in hand by March 21.
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT AND EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS CONFERENCE
The board heard extensive presentations from elementary Title program teachers Suzi Tiburzi and Kimberly Link, regarding their attendance at a recent Every Student Succeeds Act conference, and Kalli Baker regarding the work of the high school/middle school guidance office.
Suzi Tiburzi and Kimberly Link reported that they were asked to present a session on last year’s innovative “Read for Kicks on Route 66,” which encouraged elementary students to read while learning about Route 66, this historic highway from Chicago to California.
Tiburzi and Link reported that they were asked to present a session on last year’s innovative “Read for Kicks on Route 66,” which encouraged elementary students to read while learning about Route 66, this historic highway from Chicago to California. Tiburzi said the teachers teamed with members of the Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor and local Route 66 enthusiast Dave Tucker, who put them in touch with guest speakers and materials for the program.
As students read more and more pages, cardboard buses were moved along facsimile highways in the school hallways to chart their progress. As the project evolved, Tiburzi said, “it kind of started snowballing and took on a life of its own. We wanted kids to read but a lot more came out of it.”
Ultimately, the project included a t-shirt contest a music program relating to Route 66 and other activities. It culminated with a “sock hop” and a parade of classic cars brought to the school by local car buffs.
“A lot of the kids didn’t know what Route 66 was,” Link said. “They had no idea.”
Tiburzi said the program worked “because everyone pitched in.” Even school cafeteria workers made an effort to come up with menus that fit with the Route 66 theme.
We wanted the kids to read and that’s what happened
“We wanted the kids to read and that’s what happened,” Tiburzi said. “It started out small and it just kept growing, growing and growing. Everyone was onboard. I think last year was the best year I ever had.” It’s been more difficult, she admitted, to generate enthusiasm for reading this year in the absence of an over-arching theme.
Both women said their conference session was well attended and a number of schools they made contact with now plan to implement similar programs in their own schools.
Tiburzi and Link said they also had an opportunity to attend a number of sessions at the conference, which was designed to address issues related to the Every Student Succeeds Act, a successor to the former No Child Left Behind program.
Keynoter Dr. Adolph Brown spoke about the need for teachers to relate to “every student, every day” regardless of their appearance, ability or social status. Tiburzi said Brown also talked about the need for a leadership team involving faculty members to focus teaching efforts throughout the school year.
“That got me thinking that might be something we are lacking,” she said.
The local teachers said they also attended sessions on Social and Emotional Learning, Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills and Blended Learning.
“The conference was amazing,” Tiburzi said. “It was nice to see teachers from other schools that are having the same problems as us.”
Baker and Guidance secretary Tina Gibson offered an extensive and heavily documented presentation on the work of the guidance department ranging from helping students and parents plan for educational goals to helping students through emotional and social issues.
We call our office ‘student services’ because we don’t want the ‘counseling’ stigma
“We call our office ‘student services’ because we don’t want the ‘counseling’ stigma,” Baker said.
She said she had concerns about the school district’s high mobility rate—the number of students who move in and out of the district during the year, as well as concerns about truancy and absenteeism. Tieman said the board expects to address truancy and absenteeism during its regular March meeting.
Surprisingly, she noted that “self-injury” is a “major concern” for the counseling department. She said she regularly refers students for counseling after it was discovered that they had deliberately cut themselves. Out of a class of 100 students, half of whom were females, eight were discovered to be cutting themselves. While cutting is a serious concern, she said it is not necessarily a precursor to suicidal behavior.
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
Members of the board voted unanimously to join in a class action lawsuit planned against the State of Illinois regarding disparities in school funding and agreed to pay $1,000 to the Chicago law firm of Despre, Schwartz and Goeghegan, which is handling the case. School districts in Chillicothe and Bunker Hill have already joined in the lawsuit and more are expected to join before the case is filed.
The suit is similar to a suit filed by Chicago Public Schools questioning funding shortfalls resulting from the 20-month budget stalemate in Springfield. That suit addresses the impact of funding disparity on low-income black and Latino students in Chicago. The proposed lawsuit is expected to address effect of disparate funding on predominantly white students in small, rural Illinois school districts.
The action comes as members of the General Assembly attempt to push a “grand bargain” to resolve the budget stalemate while also correcting disparities in the school funding formula. The school funding aspect of the “bargain” incorporates recommendations of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s bi-partisan commission on school funding which acknowledged that schools with a high percentage of low-income students are funded at a rate that is much as 20 percent less per student than wealthier districts.
A similar suit was brought in 1990 by a coalition of 30 Illinois school districts against then-Gov. Jim Edgar. That suit reached the Illinois Supreme Court before being thrown out on the basis the state had not defined the standards for a quality education. Since that time, in 1997, the state adopted statewide learning standards to clarify the quality of education local school districts must provide.
Whether or not to join the lawsuit apparently was among the topics discussed by the board during an executive session lasting more than an hour before the board returned for open session actions.
ENERGY AND COMMODITY BIDS
After hearing a brief presentation from Mike Grimes, representing Commercial Energy Consultants, the board voted unanimously to accept a bid of 5.4970 per kilowatt hour for a period of 42 months from Agera Energy. The bid is slightly higher than 5.44 cents the district has been paying under a two-year contract ending in March,
Kalli Baker and Guidance secretary Tina Gibson offered an extensive and heavily documented presentation on the work of the guidance department.
The board also accepted a bid of 33.88 cents per therm for natural gas under a 48-month contract with Direct Energy. The bid is substantially lower than the 44.6 cents per therm the district has been paying.
Grimes said the pricing represents a 10-year low in natural gas prices.
Supt. Tieman said the contracts are an advantage for budgeting purposes since the pricing is fixed for an extended period.
The board also agreed to accept commodity pricing negotiated by a school district cooperative that includes Staunton, Bunker Hill, Gillespie and Mount Olive. For the coming school year, Flowers Baking Co., Bridgeton, Mo., will provide bakery products for the school lunch program, and Prairie Farms Dairy, Carlinville, will provide milk.
CAR CHARGING STATION
The board took no action on a proposal by Alepra that the school district buy a car charging station to be donated to the City of Gillespie. She said she would like to see the school district give something back to the community after the community has supported the school district on multiple occasions. Providing a car charging station, she said, would dovetail with the community’s efforts to stimulate economic development.
“It takes two hours to charge an electric car,” she said. “While they’re waiting, they are going to spend money in our restaurants and stores. We need to be creative about moving into the 21st century and this is one way we can do that. It’s a way for the school to give back to the community that we ask for money.”
Alepra had no firm numbers on the cost of such a unit and the matter was taken under advisement pending more information.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Recognized members of the eighth grade girls’ basketball team, who placed fourth in their class this year, with a plaque.
- With one dissenting vote, agreed to post a position for a high school English teacher for the 2017-18 school year. Griffel voted against the measure, questioning whether the position should be a “top priority for the school district.”
- Voted to expel a high school student for a period of one year from Feb. 28 through Feb. 27 next year, with an option for the student to attend the Macoupin County Safe Schools program to continue his education in lieu of expulsion.
Comments
Representatives of a food management company pitched their vision for reshaping school lunch and breakfast offerings at Community Unit School District 7 schools during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education. Later, however, the head cook at BenGil Elementary School expressed doubts about what the company promised to deliver. “They make it sound like it’s all a gravy train,” said Jackie McKinney. “It’s not.”
No action followed a 20-minute presentation by Bill Fritcher, Business Development Associate, and Angie Eden, a food service worker, from Opaa! Food Management, Inc., Chesterfield, Mo. There was no clear indication whether the board or district administration is leaning toward contracting with the company.
Founded in 1978, Opaa! Provides food management services to more than 800 schools in 250 school districts spread out over seven states. The company serves 21 schools in Illinois, including the nearby Staunton, Litchfield, Jersey and Nokomis school districts. The company claims a 97 percent retention rate among its client schools.
Fritcher, a former administrator in the Neoga school district, said the company emphasizes home-cooked foods made from scratch. Opaa! provides both hot and cold entrees, and schools can tailor offerings to meet their needs and budgets. Hot entrees include items such as roast turkey, meatloaf, cheeseburgers, pizzas and spaghetti. The company also serves a variety of cold sub sandwiches. Again, depending upon the details of its contract with a school district, the company can provide a salad bar, along with fresh fruit.
Breakfast offerings can include hot or cold cereal, waffles, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast burritos. Some client schools offer a “breakfast on the go” option where students can grab a breakfast item during the mid-morning hours of the school day. As part of its service, Opaa! would provide an all-day “Gulp Station” with dispensers of lemonade, iced tea and water.
“There’s a lot of local control over menu items,” Fritcher said. “If a school doesn’t want us serving coffee to students, we don’t serve coffee.”
Fritcher said the school district would continue to set pricing for school lunches and breakfasts, collect payments and control the revenue stream. The district also would continue to own food service equipment and facilities. At a minimum, Opaa! would place it’s own employee as a food service manager, but other food service workers can be either Opaa! employees or employees of the school district. In either case, the school district would have final say over who is allowed to work in the school district.
“You’d have control of who is working in the school and is around your kids,” Fritcher said.
According to Fritcher, the company emphasizes presentation.
“We want the food to look good so kids will eat it,” he said. “We strive to make it enjoyable for the kids.”
Client schools submit photos of daily offerings to the home office for approval, Eden said. As an example, she cited an instance when she submitted a photo from Neoga that included broccoli as a side item. The home office said the broccoli looked too brown and demanded it be replaced with fresher produce.
Fritcher said the company employees an executive chef to create recipes and standards for food served to students. The chef has created a number of streaming videos used to train on site staff.
Key to the operation is a computer program for food management. Eden said the program monitors what food the district has in the freezer and pantry, and adjust menus to best utilize resources on hand. The program also provides a portal parents and students can access to see weekly menus.
A food management contract would be subject to state bidding requirements, according to Fritcher. To start the process, the district would create a Request for Proposals to solicit bids. If Opaa! Is the successful bidder, the company would offer a five-year fixed price agreement, renewable on an annual basis. Either party would be able to end the contract upon a 90-day notice.
During a public comment period, McKinney alleged Opaa!’s promises have not matched reality in nearby school districts. The head cook at Litchfield, she pointed out, quit soon after Opaa! took over. Pizzas and some other food items, she said, do not match the company’s claims.
“We were told this is not about the money, it’s about the choices,” she said. “If you want more options, someone needs to tell us.”
McKinney said she has been employed by the district in food services since 2002. The proposal to hire an outside food management company, she said, comes as “a slap in the face.”
McKinney predicted problems if the district contracts with Opaa!, particularly in the elementary school.
“I don’t see how our kindergarteners are going to be able to carry their own tray and serve themselves,” she said. “They’re going to drop their trays. We get our kids through the serving line in five minutes so they have time to sit down and eat. When they have to make their own tray, how long do you think that’s going to take?”
McKinney also predicted issues with food sanitation when young children with runny noses and/or dirty hands are expected to serve themselves from the food line.
McKinney said an outside company cannot be expected to know local students like local food service workers know them.
“I watch for a little boy who comes through my line every day because I know he doesn’t get food at home like he does here,” she said. “We’re here for the kids and I don’t think these people are.”
In a somewhat related matter which could facilitate transitioning to an outside food service, the board accepted with “regret” the retirements of head high school/middle school cook Penny Feeley and GHS/GMS cook Janice Hammann, both effective on June 30.
PERSONNEL
The board took action on a number of personnel issues following an executive session of about one hour.
In separate actions, the board voted unanimously to rehire the following fourth-year teachers and grant them tenure for the 2024-25 school year: Nikki Jenner, Katie Lievers, Alex Newton, Pete Visintin and Jacob West.
The following non-tenured staff were hired for the 2024-25 school year: school nurse Rachel Bouillon, fifth grade teacher Radeana Gentzyel, speech pathologist Kaylee Collins, special education teacher Jaiden Braundmeier, kindergarten teacher Jessica Yeager, fist grade teacher Sydney Owsley, band teacher Brad Taulbee, chorus teacher Ben McCullough, Tim Biggs, special education teacher Cory Bonstead, and Dalton Barnes.
On a motion by Peyton Bernot, seconded by Mark Hayes, the board rehired the following tenured teachers for 2024-25: Lorraine Strutner, Jody Dunn, Melissa Bussmann, Tracy Hostettler, Darrick Urban, Kara Saracco, Kelly Lyons, Holly Nejmanowski, Jennifer Parker, Anastasia Hobaugh, Cate Plovich, Amy Price, Nickie Barrett, Jessi Luketich, Mindy Savant, Karissa Smith, Beth Sees, Valerie Jubelt, Carrie Scott, Dana Tieman, Marcia Johns, Colleen Favre, Celia Jubelt, Jamie Schmidt, Nancy Schmidt, Lori Emmons, Vanessa Barrett, Amy Geddes, Lisa Ballinger, Amber Allan, Kim Henderson, Christina Blevins, Chase Peterson, Jessica Kelly, Tammy Garde, Nate Heinrich’s, Casey Edgerton, Kyle Lamar, Stephanie Wilson, Elizabeth Thackery, Shanna Conner, Matthew Browner, Jeremy Smith, Rachelle Prough, Jarrod Herron, Jill Stole, Korben Clark, Kayla Wills, Nikki Browner, Kevin McNichols, Katie Orange, Robert Macias, Casey Sholtis, Jennifer Brown, Jeff Nelhs, Mark Goldasich, Troy Barker, Michelle Smith, Holley McFarland, Michael Bertagnolli, Mary Schuette, Nichole Stoecker, Amy Goldasich, David Edgerton, Ashlee Gibbs, Stuart Ringer, Kelly Bully, Whitney Page and Stephanie Bray.
The board accepted “with regret” the retirement of BenGil Elementary teacher Dana Tieman, effective at the end of the 2027-28 school year. The board also accepted “with regret” the resignation for purposes of retirement of GMS paraprofessional Ella May Roemer, effective at the end of the 2024 fiscal year, and posted the position as vacant.
Board members accepted the resignation of high school paraprofessional Darian Gill, and posted the position as vacant. The board also accepted Gill’s resignation at the GHS/GMS cheerleading coach and posted that position as vacant.
Board members unanimously agreed to post vacancies for the following summer school positions: high school math, English and drivers’ education; middle school math, English and science; and six elementary positions. Additionally, the board posted two summer school food service positions.
The board accepted “with regret” the resignation of long-time GHS head women’s basketball coach Kevin Gray, and posted the position as vacant. The board also accepted the resignation of Korbin Clark as GMS seventh-grade basketball coach and posted the position as vacant.
The board voted unanimously to appoint Elizabeth Eaker as a volunteer assistant dance coach, pending verification of certification and a background check. In separate actions, the board agreed to appoint Foley Seferi and James Bryant a volunteer assistant high school football coaches, pending verification of certification and a background check.
By a unanimous vote, the board accepted the resignation of district custodian Owen Parker, and posted the position as vacant. The board also voted to post vacancies for two full-route bus drivers for the 2024-25 school year, and hired Billie Bowles as a substitute bus driver, pending verification of certification and a background check.
REPAVING
The board awarded a $62,524 contract to DeLaurent Construction Co., Inc., Wilsonville, to repave five district parking lots. DeLaurent was the low bidder for the project. The contract will be paid from proceeds of a $1.6 million alternate revenue bond sale for capital projects.
Supt. Shane Owsley reported that he is starting to gather estimates for other upcoming projects to be underwritten with bond revenue, including a project to refinish the high school gym floor, a project to reline the all-weather track and a major HVAC project.
SURPLUS WEIGHT ROOM EQUIPMENT
On Owsley’s recommendation, the board accepted a list of surplus weight room equipment and agreed to offer the equipment for sale via sealed bids. The equipment, which includes stationary bikes, running machines, free weights, benches, dumbbells and racks, was replaced with new equipment as part of a recently completed project to renovate and re-equip the weight room.
EARLY GRADUATION REQUESTS
On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, the board unanimously approved early graduation requests for Maria Alger, Eliana Barrios-Madison, Owen Baugh, Gage Bonds, Abby Carter, John Q. Halterman, Eva Hidden, Felicia Lambert, Emma Luckshis, Ashley Markulakis, McKenna Montoro, Kaden Reiffer, Abigail Sharp, Jayden Stangle, Cooper Wentler, Ashton Whitlow and Avery Young. The students will be allowed to graduate at the end of their eleventh year of high school at the end of the current school year, provided all graduation requirements have been met.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, the board recognized high school women’s basketball coach Kevin Gray, who is retiring after a career of 16 seasons. High School Principal Jill Rosentreter noted that Gray led this year’s team to the Sectional Tournament in Beardstown after winning their first regional championship since 2012. The team also won its first County Tournament since 2002, and celebrated 26 wins—the most ever.
During the Carlinville Rotary’s All-Star Game, Gray was named Rotary’s Coach of the Year.
“On behalf of CUSD 7 and all you former players, we express much gratitude for your many years of service, dedication, leadership, wisdom and professional demeanor on and off the court,” Rosentreter told Gray.
Also during the District Focus, a group of fifth graders told the board about their recent field trip to Busch Stadium, where they learned about practical math applications and other subjects.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Gave final approval to the 2024-25 school calendar, calling for the first day of school attendance on Aug. 14 with the last day of school set for May 29, or earlier if no emergency days are used.
- Approved a schedule of board meeting dates for the coming year. The board will meet in executive session at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month with the open session beginning at 7 p.m. The December meeting is set one week earlier on Dec. 16 to avoid conflict with the winter break.
- Awarded the annual bid to supply fuel to low bidder M & M Service Co., Carlinville.
- Voted to renew the district’s annual membership in the Illinois High School Association.
- Rescheduled the April board meeting from Monday, April 22, to Tuesday, April 23, to avoid a conflict.
Comments
By a vote of 6-1, the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education approved a new three-year contract with the union representing the teaching staff during a special board meeting Monday night.
The action followed an hour-long executive session during which board members discussed contract provisions behind closed doors. Upon returning to open session, Peyton Bernot moved to ratify the contract with a second from Kelli Vesper. The measure passed with Dennis Tiburzi casting the sole negative vote.
Members of the teachers union ratified the contract a week earlier.
The new contract calls for a wage increase of 3.5 percent in addition to the step increase, which averages two percent. Wages will increase 3.25 percent in both the second and third years of the contract, for a total increase of 10 percent over three years. The district’s share of health insurance costs will go from $605 per month plus one-half of the balance to $615 plus one-half of the remaining cost for coverage. In year two, the district’s contribution increases to $625, plus one-half of the balance. The district’s share will increase in the third year to $635, plus one-half of the remaining cost for coverage.
Compensation for coaching and sponsorship duties was increased by $500 per activity. The hourly rate for instructional duties, such as summer school, homebound instruction, etc., is increasing from $30 to $35.
The tiered system of awarding 12 to 18 days of sick leave is now standardized across the board at 12 days. The contract also gives administrators the ability to deny personal day requests if more than seven persons district-wide have requested the same day off.
The new contract was negotiated over a period of several weeks using an innovative negotiating technique called Evidence-Based Negotiations. Both sides of the process were required to provide a rationale for each concession proposed. The less adversarial negotiating program was moderated by a representative from the Illinois Association of School Boards.
Union Secretary Jennifer Parker appeared at Monday night’s meeting to thank the negotiating committee and the board for their work on reaching an agreement.
The district now turns its attention to reaching a contract agreement with non-certificated staff. Action on that contract is likely later this month.
Comments
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education are set to meet in special session at 6 p.m., Monday, March 11, to consider ratifying a tentative contract between the union representing district school teachers and the school district. Union membership was set to vote on the contract on Tuesday.
Board members learned an agreement had been reached during their regular monthly meeting Monday night. Supt. Shane Owsley did not discuss details of the contract in open session, pending final approval and ratification by the board and union.
The contract resulted from several weeks of meetings conducted as “interest-based” negotiations—an innovative bargaining structure designed to lessen the adversarial nature of many contract negotiations. Owsley said the method was introduced by the Illinois Association of School Boards, which sent a representative to facilitate the meetings.
Under the meeting structure, union members and members of the board’s negotiating committee were seated around a round table instead of across from each other. Each side was encouraged to discuss proposals based on the interests of each group. The ideas, however, had to be accompanied by a rationale for why the parties wanted a specific consideration and how it could be accomplished.
“It became more of a back-and-forth discussion,” Owsley told the BenGil Post. “It was less adversarial than normal negotiations.”
Union President Jennifer Parker had high praise for the new approach, reading a statement from the union to the board:
“We would like to thank Superintendent Owsley and the board negotiating team for their time and the opportunity to share interests,” Parker said. “Together we have undergone training on a new bargaining method, and over the past several weeks met multiple times to discuss shared interests. Over this time, we not only reached a tentative agreement on a contract extension but also a deeper understanding of the reasons behind each other’s requests. We look forward to continuing this open exchange of ideas between all parties and thank the board and Mr. Owsley for their willingness to try this new method.”
In addition to voting on the contract on March 11, members of the Building and Grounds Committee will convene immediately after the special meeting to discuss capital improvement plans for the next three years. Owsley pointed out the district has three years to spend proceeds of a $1.6 million alternate revenue bond sale late last year. The district has dipped into those funds for a new weight room and improvements to the high school baseball and softball fields, but roughly $800,000 of the money remains uncommitted.
The committee is expected to start proposing and prioritizing projects.
Though no date was set, Owsley also encouraged the Strategic Planning Committee to meet in the near future, noting that some aspects of the Strategic Plan may overlap with projects proposed by the Building and Grounds Committee.
“I think it would be good for us to sit down and make a list of projects and prioritize them,” Owsley said.
PERSONNEL
Following an executive session of 90 minutes, the board voted unanimously to extend the contracts of BenGil Elementary Principal Angela Sandretto, High School Principal Jill Rosentreter, and Assistant Principal Tara Cooper by one year each, and Middle School Principal Patrick McGinty by two years. Board President Mark Hayes said the action places all four administrators on standardized three-year contracts.
By unanimous votes, the board hired Casey Fellin as head high school women’s soccer coach, Michael Rodriguez and assistant high school women’s soccer coach, and Lindsay Bearden as volunteer high school women’s soccer coach, all pending confirmation of certification and a background check.
Elizabeth Visintin was unanimously hired as eighth-grade girls basketball coach, pending confirmation of certification and a background check, and Pete Visintin was unanimously hired as seventh-grade girls basketball coach.
Jessica Kelly was hired as middle school assistant girls track coach.
Board members accepted the resignation of Chase Peterson as eighth-grade boys basketball coach and posted the position as vacant.
Former Transportation Director Gary Niehaus was hired as a full-route district bus driver. Niehaus previously served as Transportation Director, retiring in 2021.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a “District Focus” segment, the board recognized participants in this year’s Yotes basketball program, as well as student photographers whose works were recognized this year in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition.
GMS Principal Patrick McGinty told the board the middle school does not have a formal art competition but that he is happy that Casey Edgerton has somewhat addressed that void by sponsoring an Encore photography class. This year, two photography students submitted prints to the Mid-Illinois Regional competition. Madison Durston received an honorable mention, and Sydney Wilson was one of 59 Gold Key winners. Wilson’s photograph, “Driving into Dreams,” will advance to judging at the national level.
In addition to those enrolled in Edgerton’s photography class, high school art students Lex Collins and Macie Wright were recognized at the regional level. Collins had two honorable mentions for her drawings and Wright had two gold key pottery submissions.
Edgerton said she started the photography class last year to provide GMS students with a creative outlet. Durston submitted two pieces that year, earning two Silver Key awards.
This year’s regional competition had 762 entries from 32 schools representing 33 counties.
High School Principal Jill Rosentreter offered high praise for the Yotes basketball program. Offered under the auspices of the Special Olympics organization, the Yotes (short of “Coyotes,” the team’s mascot), pairs special education students with high school athletes, providing students with an opportunity to participate in organized athletics.
“This is more than just a Gillespie basketball program,” Rosentreter said. “This is a unification program that builds relationships between students in Mrs. (Jen) Houck’s classroom and other student athletes.” She said the program provided special education students with experiences that “none of them have had before,” including the opportunity to play games in front of a packed gym.
Coached by Dalton Barnes, the team played games this year against North Greene and Triad, with another home game planned against North Greene.
Surrounded by team participants, Houck told the board Community Unit School District 7 has been designated a Unification Champion School, in part because of the Yotes program by the Special Olympics organization. As part of the Unification designation, the school will observe Respect Week next week, she said.
In addition to the basketball program, the school is sponsoring a Yotes bass fishing team, members of which will compete in tournament fishing this spring.
“All these kids had a blast,” Houck said, adding that she hopes to add Yotes bowling, track and dance next year.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Pastor Dane Solari visited the board meeting to advise that Trinity Baptist Church recently completed a 10,000 square-foot addition, featuring classrooms, office space and a common area for fellowship events. Solari said the congregation wants to “open our doors” to the community, and invited the school to make use of the structure if there is a need.
He also volunteered members of the congregation to take part in landscaping projects or other projects the school needs to have completed.
“We’d like to offer our church to come take something off your ‘to-do’ list,” he said. “We have a lot of skilled workers in our church.”
Supt. Owsley told Solari the district greatly appreciated the church’s offer. “I’m sure we will be reaching out to you,” he said.
AUDITOR HIRE
The board voted to again retain Loy, Miller, Talley, P.C. to perform the district’s annual audit at a cost not to exceed $14,030. The firm has performer the annual audit for the past several years.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Board members placed on first-reading a tentative school calendar for the 2024-25 school year. The tentative calendar calls for 173 days of class attendance with five hours and 50 minutes of instruction each day. The first day of student attendance would be Aug. 14, with the last day of attendance on May 29. Commencement ceremonies would be May 18.
School holidays would be as usual on Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day and Memorial Day. The Thanksgiving Day holiday would run Nov. 27 to Nov. 29. The Winter Holiday would run from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3, and Spring Break would be April 17-21. One change from past practice, students would have Monday, Nov. 4, and Tuesday, Nov. 5, off for Election Day.
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