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School board authorizes $1.6 million bond sale

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Kevin Wills of Bernardi Securities, O’Fallon

After more than an hour of debate, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education voted 5-2 Monday night to approve a resolution authorizing the sale of $1.6 million in alternate revenue bonds to finance capital improvement projects, including safety projects, over the next three years. In a separate action, the board also voted 5-2 to proceed with projects to add restrooms to the press box at the baseball field and to construct a combination press box and concession stand with ADA-compliant restrooms at the softball field. The total cost for both projects is estimated at $534,187.

“You’re not officially locking anything in tonight,” Kevin Wills of Bernardi Securities, O’Fallon, told the board. “All you are saying is that you authorize the President and Superintendent to sign off on up to $1.8 million in bonds, as long as the bond issue fits within the parameters of the resolution.” Specifically, the resolution calls for issuing $1.6 million in bonds to be paid back over 10 years with revenue the district receives from the county School Facilities Retail Sales Tax. 

Because a revenue stream exists for repayment and no additional tax levy is required, the board was able to approve the bond issue without seeking voter approval via referendum. However, the resolution includes a provision to levy a new tax if the sales tax revenue is not enough to service the debt before the bonds are retired. Supt. Shane Owsley has previously reported the district receives about $400,000 from the School Facilities Sales Tax. Wills said the annual payment to retire the bonds will be about $200,000—roughly half of what the district receives in sales tax revenue—plus $75,000 the district has pledged in the form of property tax abatement. 

The bond sale does not count against the district’s debt ceiling, though its future borrowing power could be limited by revenue over the coming decade. 

The issue is complicated by more than $600,000 in safety-related projects on the district’s “wish list” that could be partially funded with grant revenue if a pending grant application is approved. Owsley said he hopes to hear in July whether or not CUSD 7 will receive a grant from a School Violence Prevention Program administered by the federal Community Oriented Policing Services of the Justice Department. The maximum award is $500,000 and recipients must match the grant with 20 percent local funds. CUSD 7 is one of more than 800 applicants hoping to be awarded a share of $15 million in available funds.

The delay in learning the status of the district’s grant application also plays a role in getting projects underway. Some projects Owsley said he would liked to have started over the summer break cannot get underway until after the district learns if its grant application is successful.

Projects that could be funded with grant money include covering windows with bullet-proof film, additional security cameras, installation of metal detectors and upgrades to the fire alarm system at Gillespie High School/Middle School. Owsley said there were some projects he would recommend regardless of whether or not the grant is awarded, but he warned against approving those projects before the award is announced. If the district were to receive the grant after projects are started, he pointed out, the district could not reimburse itself with grant money for those projects.

Apart from safety projects specifically related to the potential grant, Wills said the board could initiate projects now, using money from its capital improvements budget, and reimburse those funds after the bond sale is completed.

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In addition to the projects at the baseball and softball fields that were approved Monday night, the list of potential projects include renovating the high school weight room at an estimated cost of $292,000, and creating a front drive and parking area for the high school building at an estimated cost of $726,000. 

Estimated costs for the proposed projects approach $2.1 million—about $500,000 more than the bond sale will generate. A grant award would close that gap; otherwise the board and administration is expected to winnow down the list of projects to match the district’s financial capability.  

“If you come up with a project list that is creeping toward that $1.6 million mark, your only option is to extend the term or increase your payment and go to $1.7 million or $1.8 million,” Wills said.

“I would not recommend that,” Owsley advised, pointing out that financial windfalls the district recently received in the form of COVID-19 pandemic relief is drying up. “I would not be comfortable with that.”

Based on current market conditions, Wills said he expects the interest rates for the bonds to range from 3.8 percent to 4 percent. Answering a question from Owsley regarding timing, Wills said he would need to be notified by the end of June to initiate the bond sale if the district wanted the money in hand by July 15, or the end of July to deliver the money by Aug. 15.

Board member Weye Schmidt expressed considerable discomfort with the prospect of committing the district to 10 or more years of debt. Noting that Wills confirmed the bond issue could be extended another three years, Schmidt commented, “We’d be hamstringing the district for 13 years. I’m not comfortable with that. We don’t know what’s coming up in 13 years.”

Responding to a question from Schmidt, Wills also confirmed the district did not have the option to refinance the bond issue if interest rates dropped. “That’s not the way municipal bonds work,” Wills said. Additionally, municipal bonds generally cannot be paid off early. 

“We can build on an eight-year early payment provision,” Wills said. “We may not have as many buyers at eight years. They may want nine, they may want 10. But I’m reasonably sure we could have an eight-year call feature.”

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“Would you be comfortable with 10 years with an eight-year callback feature?” board member Peyton Bernot asked Schmidt.

“No,” Schmidt replied. “I don’t think so.”

Schmidt said he believed the projects under consideration were “good projects” but that not all of them were actual “needs.” 

“Something could come up in five years that is a need,” Schmidt said, and the district would be unable to borrow money to address the need because of the long-term bond debt. “I’m not opposed to the projects. I’m not comfortable with the schedule.”

Board President Mark Hayes said the district has never touched money it received as a settlement for the loss of Benld Elementary School, nor has it touched revenue from a $2 million bond issues. “We have money for emergencies,” he said.

He suggested breaking the list into two phases to be financed with five-year bond issues of approximately $1 million each.

“There was a time we didn’t have this money coming in,” Bernot said, referring to the School Facilities Sales Tax revenue. “I wouldn’t see a problem with $1.8 million over 12 years.”

Schmidt was joined by Dennis Tiburzi in voting against the resolution defining the parameters of the bond sale. Hayes, Bernot, Amanda Ross, Bill Carter and Kelli Vesper all voted “yes.”

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Schmidt and Tiburzi also cast negative votes on a motion by Hayes, seconded by Bernot, to proceed with projects at the baseball and softball fields.

Wills noted the 30-page resolution approved Monday night sets the parameters for the bond sale only. The actual sale of bonds will not occur until the board notifies Bernardi Securities to put the bonds on the market. Conceivably, that notice could be delayed until after the district learns the status of its grant application in July.

In a somewhat related matter, the board voted unanimously to a request for qualifications for a new Architect of Record to represent the school district. The new architect presumably will be the point agency to design upcoming projects, develop bidding specifications, and work with contractors. Graham and Hyde Architects, Springfield, formerly served as the district’s Architect of Record, shepherding major projects such as the BenGil Elementary School and middle school science lab.

Owsley said the Request for Qualifications would be posted on the district’s website and published locally. In addition, he said he would send it to architectural firms in the region that have expressed an interest in the position.

PERSONNEL

Following an hour-long executive session to discuss personnel and other issues, the board voted unanimously to appoint Casey Sholtis as Dean of Students for the coming academic year.

In other personnel action, the board:

  • Accepted the resignation of Bill McCourt as a district custodian and posted the position as vacant.
  • Accepted the resignation of Andrea Williamson as prom sponsor and posted the position as vacant.
  • Accepted the resignation of Jessica Kelly as head high school women’s track and field coach, and posted the position as vacant.

Board members also voted unanimously to rehire the following winter coaches: Kyle Lamar, GMS Scholar Bowl; Celia Jubelt, GMS eighth grade girls volleyball; Elizabeth Thackery, GMS seventh grade girls volleyball; Chase Peterson, GMS eighth grade boys basketball; Darian Gill, GMS cheerleading; Korean Clark, GMS seventh grade boys basketball; Kevin Gray, GHS head girls basketball; Nikki Brawner, GHS assistant girls basketball; Matt Brawner, GHS volunteer girls basketball; Casey Sholtis, GHS head boys basketball; Jake Kellebrew, GHS assistant boys basketball; Eric Bogle, GHS freshman boys basketball; and Jarrod Herron, GHS Scholar Bowl.

STUDENT HANDBOOKS AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS

The board approved student handbooks for the coming academic year, that Schmidt pointed out discrepancies between board policy and handbook items. 

“Does the district policy supersede the student handbook?” he asked.

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Owsley responded that board policy would supersede handbook policy if there is a discrepancy.

Schmidt noted that the middle school policy regarding misuse of cell phones includes a provision for a warning, while the high school handbook calls for an immediate Saturday detention with no warning. “I would think those would be fairly similar,” he commented.

High School Principal Jill Rosentreter said, however, that the high school policy has always been more stringent on the assumption students in high school are aware of what’s permissible and what is not.

Schmidt also questioned why the dress code for high school is less stringent than for middle school. The high school handbook, he noted, eliminates a requirement for leggings and permits pajama bottoms. Rosentreter replied that distinguishing between actual pajama bottoms and sweatpants can be difficult. Moreover, she said, dress code violations have not been a major disciplinary issue at the high school level.

“Have we had issues? Yes,” she said. “Is it a huge issue? No.”

While the board voted unanimously to approve district job descriptions, President Hayes indicated some descriptions are in need of revisions.

“I think these job descriptions need to be cleaned up,” he said. “There’s lots of overlap and there are so many job descriptions that shouldn’t be there.” He noted one job description for a “history/drafting” teacher, instead of separate entries for each discipline. He also noted multiple job descriptions for a dean of students when there is only one position with that title for the district.

Owsley said he would work with staff members to update job descriptions on an ongoing basis.

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BUDGET ISSUES

The board voted unanimously to direct Owsley to develop a tentative budget for fiscal 2024 and to place on file for public review an amended 2023 budget. Owsley said he would present details regarding the amended budget during the June board meeting, as well as an overview of the tentative 2024 budget.

In a related matter, the board voted to extend fiscal 2024 bunds to cover the cost of salaries and supplies from June 1 until the new budget is adopted.

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the board:

  • Approved a course description book for the 2023-24 academic year.
  • Approved final amendments to the current school calendar.
  • Approved a dual credit agreement with Lewis and Clark Community College.
  • Approved renewing membership in the Illinois Elementary School Association.

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Community News

First class of athletes inducted into CUSD 7 Athletic Wall of Fame

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Gillespie Community School District recently held its firstt inaugural class of its “Athletic Wall of Fame” on October 1, 2023. The inductees were invited to participate in the Homecoming Parade and then a “meet and greet” at the high school football game.

Here is a list of the inductees and a brief biography of their accomplishments.

Sam Anderson graduated from Benld in 1952. He participated in football, baseball, basketball, and track for 4 years earning all-conference in three sports and All-State in football and basketball. He was a St. Louis Browns professional baseball tryout and played basketball at St Louis University for one year and Eastern Illinois University football for two years. He scored over 1300 career points in high school basketball.

Keith Parker graduated from Gillespie in 1940. He participated in football, basketball, and track and earned nine varsity letters. He played football at University of Missouri and National Champion Purdue University for one year each. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. He was a football and basketball official for 41 years and inducted into Granite City Hall of Fame, Missouri Football Hall of Fame, NFHS Hall of Fame, and Greater St Louis Hall of Fame.

Lisa (Ribes) Roberts was a graduate of Gillespie HS in 1996. She participated in multiple sports including four yrs in track. She holds the school record in 1600 and 3200 meters. She ran track at SIUE for 4 years and is a professional Tri-Athlete and 6x Iron Man Champion. She has participated in over 100 triathlons around the world and holds multiple Iron Man course records.

Jim Hlafka graduated from Gillespie in 1952. He earned all-conference in basketball. He played basketball at St Louis University and Eastern Illinois University for one year each. He coached Bunker Hill High School basketball for 43 years and ranks 13th in IHSA career wins with a record of 754-347. Hlafka was also inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame.

Gordon Hartweger graduated from Gillespie in 1957. He participated in basketball, baseball, and track for four years earning all-conference honors in basketball. He played basketball at St Louis University for 4 years earning MVP and Captain. He was the assistant basketball coach at St Louis University for 5 years and played in the NIT National Finals.

Jerry Grandone graduated from Gillespie in 1960. He participated in basketball, track, and football earning all-conference in basketball and track. After Gillespie, he played basketball and track at Eastern Illinois University for 4 years. He held hurdle records, MVP, and track captain at Eastern Illinois, basketball captain at Eastern Illinois, and earned seven varsity letters at Eastern Illinois. Grandone coached basketball in Coal City and Gillespie, was the track coach at Coal City five years, and in Gillespie for 38 years.

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Rick Bertagnolli graduated from Gillespie in 1978. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track earning all-conference in football and baseball. He played baseball at Lewis and Clark and SIUE for two years each and was the MVP and Captain at Lewis and Clark. Bertagnolli was a men’s Olympic Festival softball and Major fastpitch softball for five years and earned the IHSA Softball Coach of the Year. Bertagnolli coached softball at Wabash Valley Jr College, University of South Carolina-Spartanburg and California University of Pennsylvania for 20 years winning the Div. II National Champion twice and also receiving the Conference, Regional and National Softball Coach of the Year.

Bob Boston graduated from Gillespie in 1966. He participated in football and basketball for four years each. He is the all-time school basketball scoring leader with approximately 2000 points and also threw for over 2000 career passing yards. He earned all-conference football and basketball, and honorable mention little All-State football and basketball. He played basketball and football at University of Missouri for 2 years each and received over seven university scholarship offers from St Louis University, Air Force, Memphis State, LSU, Northwestern, Holy Cross, Princeton and Dartmouth.

The 1964 Gillespie football team was the last inductee with an 8-0-2 record. They were the last unbeaten football team with wins over Feitshans (Springfield SE), Hillsboro, Mt Olive, Pittsfield, Jerseyville, Carlinville, Nokomis and Dupo, and ties to Southwestern and Staunton. The team was coached by Bill Parmentier and Andy Easton.

Another class will be inducted in the fall of 2024. Wall of Fame nomination forms can be found on the Gillespie Community School District website.

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School board moves to buy more new buses

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Jerry Balzraine and Neil Balzraine present a check to Superintendent Shane Owsley from the Italian American Club of Benld. The check provided each Ben-Gil Elementary classroom with $25 dollars ($1,271 total).

In a relatively brief meeting Monday night, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education voted unanimously to enter into a lease-purchase arrangement to acquire three new school buses for the district’s Transportation Department. Two of the 77-passenger Bluebird buses are equipped with underbelly luggage compartments, Supt. Shane Owsley told the board, which will be useful for transporting equipment with athletic teams and other groups to “away” events.

The action is congruent with the district’s plan to update the bus fleet, with a goal of having no buses in service that are more than eight to 10 years old. The cost of the new lease-purchase arrangement amounts to $101,630 per year for five years. The district acquired three new buses last year under a similar arrangement.

In other action Monday, the board accepted bids to sell two surplus real estate parcels and voted to sell about 5,100 shares of Principal stock owned by the district.

Board members voted unanimously to accept a bid of $2,100 from Peter Vallerius for Lot 171, Block 10 of Martin’s Subdivision, Gillespie, and to accept a bid of $1,814 from Richard Roth for Lot 1, Block 10, Henderson Place, Gillespie. The lots were two of 21 parcels declared as surplus and offered for sale during the board’s July meeting.

With one dissenting vote, the board approved the sale of Principal stock owned by the district. The district’s auditors reportedly recommended disposing of the stock because state law precludes school districts from playing the stock market with public funds. The auditors, however, acknowledged CUSD 7 could legitimately retain the Principal stock because the shares were a gift to the district some years ago.

“They said having these stocks was appropriate?” asked board member Dennis Tiburzi, who cast the sole vote against selling the shares.

“That’s correct,” Board President Mark Hayes replied.

FISCAL 2024 BUDGET

The board voted unanimously to place on file for public inspection a tentative Fiscal 2024 district budget, with an eye toward formally adopting the budget at the board’s regular September meeting on Monday, Sept. 25. Monday night’s meeting was held a week earlier than normally scheduled to ensure the budget would be available for public review for the legally required minimum of 30 days before adoption.

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A budget hearing, during which Supt. Owsley will review details of the new budget, will be conducted at 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 25, prior to the board formally voting on whether or not to adopt the budget later during the regular meeting.

Last year’s budget called for expenditures of $16.3 million during the fiscal year. Owsley reminded the board that the new budget is subject to modifications up until the time it is adopted in September.

PERSONNEL

Following an hour-long executive session, the board voted to accept the resignation of Donnie Allen as assistant high school track and field coach, post the assistant’s position as vacant, and hire Allen as the high school track and field head coach. Allen will step into a vacancy created by the recent resignation of Jay Weber, who accepted a position as track and field coach at Blackburn College, Carlinville.

In other personnel action, the board accepted the resignation of Kyle Lamore as middle school Scholar Bowl sponsor and to post the position as vacant.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT

On a motion by Weye Schmidt, seconded by Tiburzi, the board voted to approve Supt. Owsley’s recommendation to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Mount Olive and Staunton school districts to pool transportation resources to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of transportation special education students to and from participating facilities. The schools are members of the South Macoupin Association for Special Education (SMASE).

“It didn’t make sense for all of us to send buses to the same schools every day,” Owsley said. The agreement allows the CUSD7 to use its buses to transport students from other districts to special education classes and to allow other districts to transport students from CUSD7 for the same purpose.

Owsley said CUSD7 buses will be used to transport students to and from Carlinville and Mount Olive.

In other action, the board approved an Employee Information Service Administrator and Teacher Salary/Benefits Report and voted to approve a District Consolidated District Plan. Both were routine actions taken by the board on an annual basis.

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ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

During an administrative reports segment, Owsley and building principals reported on an Administrative Academy Legal Updates Professional Development session they attended on Aug. 10. Owsley said the presentation included more than 200 slides on new Illinois laws affecting education, including new legislation aimed at combating bullying in schools.

The new law nails down definitions of what constitutes bullying, and gives teachers and administrators 24 hours to contact the parents of students involved when they are notified of bullying.

“That means that if you get a report over the weekend, you have to contact parents before Monday,” Owsley said. “Teaching is not just reading, writing, and arithmetic anymore.”

Administrators also reported on a workshop led by Damon West, a motivational speaker and best-selling author. Now a college professor and sought-after speaker, West was a 20-year-old starting quarterback at the University of North Texas. After a career-ending injury, West became involved with drugs, including methamphetamine. In 2009, he was sentenced to 65 years in prison for his role as the Uptown Burglar, responsible for a series of burglaries that netted more than $1 million in stolen goods. In prison, he met an inmate who told him being in prison was like being submersed in boiling water. It can make you soft and weak like a carrot or it could turn you hard and distant like a boiled egg. The alternative, the inmate told him, was to become a “coffee bean.” The boiling water doesn’t change the coffee bean but the coffee bean transforms the water to coffee.

Paroled after seven years, West became an advocate for “becoming a coffee bean”—using the challenges life hands to an individual to change the environment around them in a positive way.

Owsley said he received a copy of West’s book, The Coffee Bean, for Christmas last year. He read it and determined to get West as a presenter for CUSD7 teaching staff.

“He is very well known and he comes with a price,” Owsley said. “I reached out to the Regional Office of Education and they were able to help us make it happen.”

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CUSD 7 News

School Board hires elementary teachers for current school year

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Gillespie CUSD 7 school board hired Sydney Owsley (left) and Jessica Yeager (right) as first-year, non-tenured elementary teachers.

With the start of the school year looming next week, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education took action Thursday night to fill last-minute staff vacancies. Meeting in special session, the board met for 40 minutes in executive session before taking action in open action to complete staffing needs for the 2023-24 school year.

On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, board members voted unanimously to hire Jessica Yeager of Carlinville as a first-year, non-tenured elementary teacher for the 2023-24 academic year.  Board members also voted unanimously to hire Sydney Owsley (no relation to Supt. Shane Owsley) of East Alton as a first-year, non-tenured elementary teacher. Both hires are pending verification of certification requirements and background checks.

Last week, also during a special meeting, the board accepted the resignations of BenGil Elementary teachers Jay Weber and Allison McElroy, and posted one elementary teacher position that had not been previously posted. Blackburn College, Carlinville, announced this week that Weber has been hired as the college’s cross-country and track and field coach.

Supt. Owsley said the newly hired teachers are not direct replacements for the two teachers who resigned due to internal reassignment of some staff members. Yeager, previously employed as a teacher at the North Mac School District in the Virden/Girard area, will teach Kindergarten at BenGil Elementary School. Owsley will begin as a first-grade teacher.

The CUSD 7 assignment is Owsley’s first teaching position, after receiving her bachelor’s degree in spring 2022 from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She is a graduate of Roxana High School, where she was an athletic standout in tennis.

Yeager earned her bachelor’s degree from SIU-Edwardsville and a master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Macomb.

The board also voted unanimously Thursday night to hire Alexis Lupkey, a Gillespie High School graduate, as a paraprofessional, and to hire Lexie Bussmann as paraprofessional one-on-one aide. Both hires are pending verification of certification and routine background checks. In a separate action, on a motion by Amanda Ross, seconded by Schmidt, the board also hired Bussmann as an assistant volleyball coach.

In other action, the board hired Mike Smith as a full-time, full-route bus driver, and accepted “with regret” the resignation of Kevin Gray as a volunteer assistant golf coach. Smith, a half-route driver for the district, has already undergone the required employee background check.

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The 2023-24 school year officially starts Monday with two days of teacher training sessions. Wednesday, Aug. 16, is the first day for students to attend classes.

The next regular meeting for the board is Monday, Aug. 21 – one week earlier than most monthly board meetings.

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