CUSD 7 News
CUSD 7 board approves $20 million budget
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night approved a $20 million budget for the current fiscal year as Supt. Shane Owsley cautioned that next year’s budget is likely to be leaner due to the loss of COVID-related emergency funding from the federal government.
The board also approved a $108,000 HVAC project, reviewed current enrollment numbers, and enacted a new board policy regarding tuition waivers for children of employees who live outside the district.
Approval of the budget followed a 20-minute public hearing during which Supt. Owsley explained expected revenue and anticipated expenditures for the fiscal year that began July 1.
The newly approved budget projects revenue at $20,699,586, compared with about $18.5 million budgeted last year. The lion’s share revenue—$10,580,420— is expected to come from the state government in the form of Evidence-Based Funding and grants. Local sources, including real estate taxes and the Macoupin County School Facilities sales tax, is expected to comprise $4,691,802, while $3,772,526 is expected to come from federal sources.
It is the federal funding that school officials are eyeing for the next fiscal year. An estimated $2.6 million of this year’s federal funding is expected to come from Elementary and Secondary School Recovery funds—the so-called ESSR money appropriated by the federal government to help schools recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. That funding source will not be available next fiscal year, meaning the amount of federal funds the district receives may be two-thirds less than this year.
“This year is a much rosier picture than next year is likely to be,” Owsley said. “ESSR money will be gone and our federal funding will be drastically reduced.” Some of the ESSR money, he said, was used to pay salaries and benefits for specific district employees; those obligations will have to be shouldered by the school district, using funds from other sources a year from now. Owsley predicted the district may have to draw down on surplus money that has accumulated in various funds over the last three years, in part as a result of the injection of federal COVID recovery funds.
Owsley said he also has concerns about state aid payments next fiscal year, which may not be as lush as the district has come to expect. CUSD 7 currently is listed as a Tier I school, meaning the state considers it most in need of additional funding to reach optimum per student spending for instruction. The district is on the cusp, however of being elevated to Tier II, which could limit the amount of additional funding the school receives next fiscal year.
“We won’t get less,” Owsley said of Evidence Based Funding, “but we would go up by as much as we did this year.”
Enrollment, which also factors into the state aid formula, is down from pre-COVID levels, Owsley noted. “That’s not just a Gillespie thing,” Owsley said, “it is a Macoupin County thing; all of the school districts are down.”
Board member Weye Schmidt noted that accounting for the loss of ESSR money and the one-time influx of money from a recent bond sale, the new budget is “about break even.”
“That’s right,” Owsley agreed.
The budget projects expenditures at a total of $19,532,378, which would result in a surplus of $1,167,188. Coupled with existing fund balances, the district would end the fiscal year with $12,796,604 in reserve.
The Education Fund accounts for more than half the budget on both the revenue and expenditure sides. The budget anticipates $13,884,603 in revenue for education. More than half that amount—$9,494,836—is expected to come in the form of state aid. Federal funding, including ESSR money, is projected at $2,261,321, while local sources will contribute $2,088,446.
Expenditures from the Education Fund is projected at $13,771,878, which includes $100,000 for contingencies.
Revenue for the Building, Operations and Maintenance Fund is projected at $2,104,758, including $1.4 million in ESSR funding that will disappear next year. Expenditures are projected at $2,033,790, including $100,000 for contingencies. The fund should end the year $70,968 in the black, or up to $170,968 if the contingency money is not used.
A total of $2,054,818 in revenue is expected for Capital Projects, but that figure is skewed by the injection of $1.6 million resulting from an alternate revenue bond issue approved by the board earlier this year. The expected $780,000 in expenditures is based upon preliminary estimates for improvements to the high school baseball and softball fields. In addition, $25,000 will be transferred to Debt Service to shore up a deficiency in that fund.
The Transportation Fund is expected to take in revenue in the amount of $924,329, including $71,915 in ESSR money that is being used currently to cover the cost of salary and benefits for the Transportation Director. Expenditures of $861,359 are anticipated, including $187,272 for debit service on the purchase of three new buses, plus $674,087 for salaries and supplies.
Revenue for the Debt Service Fund is projected at $867,475, with expenditures of $1,171,847—making it one of two funds expected to end the year in the red. Expenditures also exceed revenue in the Tort Fund, which expects to take in $282,206 and spend $453,750.
Revenue for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and Social Security is projected at $522,786, with anticipated expenditures of $459,754. Revenue for Working Cash is anticipated to be $98,591, with no expenditures.
Based on the newly approved budget, the district will end the fiscal year total fund balances of $12,796,604. With a beginning balance of $5,946,929, the Education Fund is expected to end the year with $6,019,672 in reserve. Other funds are expected to end the year with balances as follows: Building, Operations and Maintenance, $753,319; Debt Service, $350,923; Transportation, $422,868; IMRF/SS, $422,226; Capital Projects, $1,838,139; Working Cash, $2,765,597; and Tort, $223,860.
Owsley reiterated that the budget is a spending plan that is subject to change as conditions change throughout the year. The approved budget, for example, does not include money from a State Safety Grant that has not been awarded. Owsley said he intends to apply for as many grants as possible as they become available throughout the year. Accordingly, he said, the board will likely be called upon to approve an amended budget next June as the fiscal year winds down.
WEIGHT ROOM HVAC PROJECT
On Owsley’s recommendation, the board approved a project to install rooftop air conditioning units to serve the high school weight room at an estimated cost of $107,935. The estimated cost includes replacing two air conditioning units that were vandalized while on the ground awaiting installation.
Owsley said the plan was to take units taken off the high school roof as part of an HVAC upgrade and put them into service for the weight room. While the units were on the ground, however, someone stripped them of copper.
Insurance will cover $12,000 of the $22,000 replacement costs.
TEACHER VACANCY GRANT
The board approved a memorandum of understanding regarding a state Teacher Vacancy Grant, which will allow the board to use state grant money to reimburse teachers who acquire additional certification to teach courses for which there is a “high need.”
Owsley said two teachers who acquired special education certification are eligible for reimbursement at this time.
“Our contract already provides for $3,200,” Owsley said. “This would be above and beyond that.”
The state has earmarked up to $100,000 to reimburse the district for eligible costs under terms of the grant.
Under terms of the program, teachers who receive the reimbursement must remain in the district a minimum of three years. If they leave before three years, the recipients are required to pay back a pro-rated portion of what they received.
TUITION WAIVERS
Board members voted unanimously to adopt as board policy provisions set out in Public Act 103-0111 which allows school districts to waive tuition for the children of certificated and non-certificated employees who reside outside the district. Public Act 103-0111 allows school districts to waive tuition upon a formal vote of the board. By adopting provisions of the act as board policy, the tuition waiver becomes automatic without requiring the board to consider waivers on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, by adopting the provision as board policy precludes amending the district’s contract with the teachers union, meaning the perk could be revoked by a board vote in the future without violating the contract.
SIXTH DAY ENROLLMENT NUMBERS
Supt. Owsley shared with the board enrollment totals from the sixth day of classes for the 2023-24 school year, which show total enrollment grew by four students from last year but remains far below pre-COVID numbers.
Enrollment at BenGil Elementary School is 520 for this year, compared with 523 last year and a nine-year average of 598. Gillespie Middle School’s current enrollment is 265, compared with 245 last year and a nine-year average of 283. Gillespie High School has 333 students this year, compared with 346 last year and a nine-year average of 362.
“I don’t think this is a surprise,” Owsley said. “When you look at when enrollment started to drop, it was during COVID.”
For the 2018-19 school year, before the COVID pandemic, the district’s total enrollment was at 1312.
The number of students enrolled has an impact on the amount of state aid a district receives.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get more students enrolled here,” Owsley said.
PERSONNEL
Following a 45-minute executive session, the board voted unanimously to appoint Jarrod Herron as the Gillespie Middle School Scholar Bowl sponsor and hire Nikki Hunter as a substitute bus driver, pending a routine background check.
As part of a District Focus segment, GMS Principal Patrick McGinty introduced the board to Brad Taulbee, newly hired band instructor for the district. Board member Bill Carter encouraged Taulbee to contact the board with “whatever you need to our band going and growing.”
In addition to traditional marching band instruction, Taulbee said he expects to introduce programs for jazz and rock.
“I think kids will respond very well because it’s much closer to their culture,” he said.
A second new teacher, Ken Bates, was not available to attend. Bates is teaching business at both the middle school and high school levels.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Voted unanimously to apply for a $50,000 state matching grant for facility maintenance. Last year, the district used ESSR funds to match the grant award.
- Accepted a bid of $814 from Michael and Jane Roth to purchase a real estate lot previously declared as surplus property.
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CLASS OF 2026 (SENIORS)
High honor roll: Emily Bergen, DeShaunta Cooper Jackson, Brookelyn Crotchett, Marshall Garwood, Katherine Gerdes, Anna Giorgi, Collin Griffith, Madyson Grogg, Jule Hansmann, Lillianna Jones, Kayden Koelker, Dawson Lancaster, Sophia Lewis, Jessalyn McElyea, Dawson Morgan, Tyler Palmer, Ava Parish, Kori Petersen, Ava Rakers, Joseph Reid, Sean Roach, Lucas Rosenthal, Luke Schuckenbrock, Brody Shaw, Sadie Sholtis, Carter Sies, Nevaeh Thomas, Kaia Vickery, Whelen Walker, and Hailey Young.
Honor roll: Anthony Amoroso, Jacob Baglin, Paul Balestri, Ceanna Bearden, Edin Compton, Carson Cooper, Addison Cox, Jackson Crook, Brayden Enslow, Hank Fletcher, Zachary Haas, Carson Hailstone, Jersey Helvey, Elin Herold, Roadie Jackson, Cedrick Krieder, Kayley Maykopet, Douglas Neverdowski, Chaz Oberkfell, Zachary Phillips, Makayla Price, Paxton Reid, Desiree Rife, Alexis Schardan, Ava Segarra, Brock Sherman, Nathan Spencer, and Teagan Welch.
CLASS OF 2027 (JUNIORS)
High honor roll: Mitchell Clark, Emily Helvey, Cole Katich, and Cheyenne Sarti
Honor roll: Zowe Badolato, Jaxon Ballinger, Logan Belcher, Clayton Bethard, Sloane Brawner, Wrigley Bruhn, Jack Bulla, Bryce Carter, Keenin Compton, Lillian Conner, Olivia Crumley, Briley Flournoy, Margaret Heyen, Beverly Hupp, Marli Johnson, Lucca Kapp, Olivia Kelly, Zaden King, Isaac Kravanya, Michael Marcacci, Tember Miller, Adam Peterson, Matthew Plovich, Cash Reynolds, Karlee Rhodes, Landon Ridenhour, Kolten Robbins Lasica, Alex Schoen, Laci Schuckenbrock, Emilia Segarra, Jasmine Smith, Cali Stagner, Emerson Striegel, Payten Taylor, Caleb Thompson, Amari Vickery, Macie Williams, Maxwell Young.
CLASS OF 2028 (SOPHOMORES)
High honor roll: Cali Barkley, Scarlet Bruhn, and Hadyn Hegel
Honor roll: Bryce Alpi, Gracelynn Balestri, Dallas Barker, Logan Buhs, Aleeyah Busch, Ava Carr, Annabelle Daniels, Tegan Davis, Tess Dixon, Lyla Drewel, Madison Durston, Kylie Edge, Lainey Edwards, Taylor Flournoy, Katie Hamann, Olivia Hitos Colino, Nolan Hostettler, Levi Hughes, Henry Knetzer, Sophie Knetzer, Cory Knotts, Paige Marcum, Noah Marks, Kyndall McElyea, Weston Melchert, Alexis Nalley, Preston Noe, Stephen Otten, Elijah Pabon, Urijah Pabon, Brianna Phillips, Braden Reich, Caitlynn Rhodes, Nolan Ruyle, Kendall Schweppe, Helaina Scott, Destini Smith, Gillian Smith, Aliana Snow, Xzavier Spencer, Rafe Stangle, Richetti Stewart, Bryce Stoecker, Addisyn Tallman, Madisyn Thomas, Jason Wolf, Matrix Wright, Carter Young.
CLASS OF 2029 (FRESHMEN)
High honor roll: Chyla Crainick, Mariella Garrison, Collins Hagan, Regan Harbaugh, Marlee Hebenstreit, Kristina Schuette, Lyla Shaw, and Sydney Wilson
Honor roll: Alesana Adams, Ella Brawner, Audrina Burkel, Bryson Cox, Rayne Crites, Joshua Crumley, Thodrick Dirks, Rylee Geisler, Landyn Hagler, Owen Hammann, Kai Hampson, Isabella Harbour, Caley Head, Alex Johnson, Giana Kapp, Izzabella Manus, Frank Montoro, Storm Moreland, Sabrina Osborn, Amaelie Patterson, Dominique Payne Jr., Lila Polach, Avianna Ranger Fleshman, Jewel Rife, Dominic Savant, Jacob Schuette, Holden Sies, Kelleigh Simmons, Hanley Stoecker, Addyson Strang, Graham Striegel, Paige Swank, Jacob Walker, Jazmin Webb, Payton Welch, Bryleigh Whaley, Ashton Wright, and Michael Yeager.
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Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted to accept a new three-year union contract covering the district’s non-certificated workers. In other action, the board learned the district may responsible for additional fees in the near future to send students to the South Central Illinois Workforce Training and Innovation Center in Litchfield, and reviewed a tentative calendar for the upcoming 2026-27 school year.
The non-certificated contract approval followed a 40-minute executive session during which board members discussed personnel, collective bargaining and other issues.
The new contract becomes effective on July 1, and bumps non-certificated employees up by one step on the salary schedule, and includes a $1,500 longevity provision for long-time employees who have reached the top tier in the step system. Additionally the contract provides a three percent wage increase for non-certificated personnel in the district’s Birth to Three program.
The contract also includes an additional $150 clothing allowance for cooks and custodians. Custodians are to wear matching polos, while cafeteria staff are required to wear chef’s coats. The new contract now requires six-hour cafeteria workers to hold a food managers license rather than a food handlers license.
With the new contract, the school district will pick up 90 percent of the cost of health insurance premiums for each employee, with the employee being responsible for the remaining 10 percent.
Both certificated and non-certificated employees are represented by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, though both groups have separate contracts. The non-certificated contract includes a sick day buyout and a perfect attendance bonus that matches the contract for certificated employees.
Supt. Shane Owsley told the board the contract negotiations were cordial and productive. He specifically thanked custodian Neil Balzraine, who serves as president of the union local, and paraprofessional Theresa Carter for their professionalism during the negotiations.
“I know it’s kind of a thankless job and a lot of work with no compensation other than the contract,” Owsley noted. “I want to thank you for being respectful and kind, and for being understanding to come up with a contract that not only benefits the employees but also the school district.”
“We are happy to come to terms on a new contract with the CUSD 7 school board,” said Balzraine, reading from a prepared statement. “Our negotiations were cordial, efficient and most productive. We look forward to this atmosphere of negotiations in the future.”
POTENTIAL SCI FEES
Supt. Owsley briefly advised the board regarding the potential for the school district incurring additional fees in the near future to continue participation in the South Central Illinois (SCI) Workforce Training and Innovation Center.
The three-year-old facility, located in Litchfield, was launched with state grant funds but Owsley said those grants are expiring necessitating alternative revenue to keep the facility in operation. With an annual budget of about $624,000, SCI serves students from school districts in Macoupin and Montgomery counties, offering classes in construction trades, automotive mechanics, and other vocational concentrations.
Owsley, who serves as SCI’s Board of Governors Board of Directors, said the governing body has discussed the possibility of charging a per student tuition to send students to SCI or assessing a participation fee for each participating school district. The later option could run in the neighborhood of $16,000 per year.
“I just wanted you to know this may be coming,” Owsley said.
Gillespie High School Principal Jill Rosentreter said nearly 30 students are attending SCI classes this year. She had no estimate regarding the number of students attending SCI over the past three years but she suggested having the option to attend vocational training is important, especially for students who are not college-bound and intend to enter the workforce immediately after high school.
Underwritten by the Laborers Union, SCI’s construction trades course qualifies students for union membership upon completion. Students studying automotive mechanics graduate from the program with the qualifications to work at automotive dealerships or other employers. In addition, SCI offers training in sports medicine and plans to add a sports marketing component in the near future.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, the board recognized students Emily Bergen and Lucas Rosenthal, both of whom were recently designated as Illinois State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. The recognition is based on academic performance and SAT scores. Only about ten percent of Illinois seniors earn the State Scholar designation.
“This is a very high honor,” said GHS Principal Jill Rosentreter. “They were the only two out of our senior class this year.”
The board also recognized students who won spelling bees at the local level and went onto compete in the Regional Office of Education’s regional spelling bee.
Those advancing to regional competition were Ryder Costello, fourth grade; Charlotte Gotchell, fifth grade; Chaysen Thomas, sixth grade; Gunner Koniak, seventh grade; and Ryan Helmkamp, eighth grade. Costello went on the place fourth in the regional competition.
PERSONNEL
In separate actions, the board voted unanimously to extend the contracts of High School Principal Jill Rosentreter, Middle School Principal Patrick McGinthy and Assistant Principal Tara Cooper by one year each. All three administrators work under a three-year contract, meaning their new contracts will expire in 2029-30.
Supt. Owsley pointed out that Elementary Principal Angela Sandretto was not offered an extension because of her upcoming retirement. With two years left in her contract, Sandretto has announced she will retire at the end of the 2028-29 school year.
Board members voted unanimously to accept the resignation of high school social studies teacher Alex Jasper, effective at the end of the current school year, and to post the position as vacant.
The board also accepted the resignation of Jody Dunn as BenGil Elementary School yearbook editor at the end of this school year, and to post the position as vacant.
The board voted unanimously to update the effective date of title teacher Dana Tieman’s retirement from the end of the 2027-28 school year to the end of the 2026-27 school year.
In other personnel action, the board voted to post positions for an elementary school teacher and a high school special education teacher for the upcoming 2026-27 academic year.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
The board placed on first reading a tentative calendar for the 2026-27 school year. Though subject to change, the calendar schedules teacher institute days on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, followed by the first day of student attendance on Thursday, Aug. 13. The last day of student attendance could be as early as May 12 if no emergency days are used during the academic year. School would end on May 20 if all emergency days are used, or on May 21 if the General Assembly approves legislation requiring school districts to deem Election Day as a school holiday.
A parent-teacher flex day set for Monday, Nov. 2, also is contingent upon legislation requiring Election Day to be a holiday. If no legislation is passed regarding Election Day, both Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 will be student attendance days.
Otherwise the calendar is similar to past years. There will be no school for any of the major holiday observances—Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day. School improvement days with no student attendance are set for Oct. 23, Jan. 4, and Feb. 12. Winter break is tentatively set form Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. Spring break is anticipated March 25-29.
Early dismissals are set Oct. 21 and 22 for evening parent-teacher conferences, and for the end of the first quarter on Oct. 16, end of the first semester on Dec. 22, and end of the third quarter on March 12. Early dismissals are at 1:45 p.m. The last day of student attendance also will be an early dismissal day.
The calendar is subject to change prior to the start of the 2026-27 school year.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
• Entered into an agreement with public accountants Loy Miller Talley, P.C. at a cost not to exceed $20,250.
• Agreed to declare as surplus and offer for sale for following items: stainless steel single oven; stainless steel double oven; stainless steel range; 88-passenger 2008 Thomas school bus with 152,345 miles; 77-passenger 2008 Thomas bus with 124,897 miles; 77-passenger 2003 Freightliner bus with 152,282 miles; and a 1979 GMC Sierra Grande 35 pick-up truck with 157,985 miles.
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Members of the Community Unit School District 7 voted on Monday night to approve a resolution formalizing terms of an agreement under which the school district will commit about $160,000 in grant funds to the City of Gillespie to complete improvements on Plum Street.
The street became an issue for the both the school district and the city soon after CUSD 7 synchronized class start and end times at all three attendance centers. Previously, start and end times were staggered among the three buildings. The change necessitated routing 10 buses onto Plum Street each morning and afternoon.
City officials said the additional weight and traffic caused damage to Plum Street, causing them to consider prohibiting bus traffic on the street. School officials said rerouting buses off Plum Street would be less safe for students since it would require buses to cross traffic entering onto Illinois Route 16.
The improvement project includes milling repaving, drainage and reinforcement of the road base to support bus traffic. After the city secured an estimate of $200,000 for the work, the school district agreed to commit about $89,000 from the first round of Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) grant funds to the project—essentially subsidizing about half the costs of the project. A more recent estimate put the cost at $350,000.
With the increased cost, city officials said the city would be unable to undertake the project without additional funds, prompting the school board to vote last month to commit about $70,000 from a second round of CEJA grant money to the project.
The resolution approved Monday night outlines and documents “the terms under which the School District intends to provide funds . . . to assist in the Plum Street renovation project.” The resolution further states that the contribution of CEJA funds for Plum Street “does not create an expectation or an obligation for the School District to continuously contribute to or assist in the maintenance of Plum Street or any other City roadway.”
Additionally, the resolution affirms the city will not restrict the school district from using Plum Street after the project’s completion, and obligates the city to maintain the ditch on LJ Avenue on the west side of the school district’s property as well as a ditch between the football field and baseball complex.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, the school board was recognized as part of the district’s National School Board Month observance. Supt. Shane Owsley lauded the board members’ service and noted the current board has more than 70 years of experience in serving the school district.
The presentation included a PowerPoint presentation and a poem written by a CUSD 7 student.
In addition to setting school policy and making financial decisions, Owsley noted the board’s responses to emergency situations in the past—including the loss of Benld Elementary School to mine subsidence, repairing tornado damage to the high school, and continuing educational opportunities during the COVID pandemic and reopening classrooms in the aftermath.
ANNUAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
The board voted unanimously to approve the 2025 Annual Financial Disclosure. The document is required by the Securities Exchange Commission to document the district has or expects adequate revenue to service its bond debt.
The disclosure references $8,810,000 in outstanding general obligation bonded debt, plus $1,320,000 remaining in alternate revenue bond debt. The total debt represents about 56 percent of the district’s debt limit, which is set at 13.8 percent of the district’s total equalized assessed valuation.
The disclosure, available for public inspection, also includes five years of data on total equalized assessed valuation, tax rates, tax revenue and fund balances.
SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCEDURES
Board members unanimously approved the Illinois Council of School Attorneys Special Education Procedures Assuring Implementation of Comprehensive Programming for Children with Disabilities. Supt. Shane Owsley said the policies in the document already are in place but the new procedures bring those policies together in a format recognized by the state.
The South Macoupin Association for Special Education, a cooperative that includes CUSD 7, Mount Olive and Staunton, is undergoing a routine state audit. The new procedures document is a technical requirement that ensures the cooperative is in compliance with state rules.
PERSONNEL
Following a brief executive session, the board voted unanimously to extend Supt. Owsley’s contract by one year. Owsley is employed on a five-year contract, meaning his employment is secured through June 30, 2030.
The board also voted unanimously in separate actions to accept the upcoming retirements of two long-serving faculty members. Gillespie High School physical education teacher Rob Macias and science teacher Jeff Nehls will both retire at the end of the 2029-30 school year. Macias has been employed by the district for 32 years, while Nehls has chalked up 30 years in the district.
In other action, the board voted unanimously to appoint Mary Schuette as the high school prom sponsor, and hired Blake Middleton as a high school assistant boys baseball coach, pending a routine background check and documentation of certification.
Later in the meeting, the board approved a seniority list for both certificated and non-certificated employees. Senority listing is a routine item approved by the board on an annual basis.
The board also learned that non-certificated employees are ready to begin negotiations for a new contract.
