Community News
School board authorizes educational Holocaust trip
Gillespie High School students will have an opportunity to participate in a 12-day trip to Europe to tour sites associated with the Holocaust following action by the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education Wednesday night, although the trip’s $5,000 price tag may be an hindrance to many. In other action, the board approved the 2024 property tax levy request and signed onto a multi-agency document setting statewide goals for education through 2030.
The meeting was moved from the fourth Monday of the month to meet a deadline for filing the tax levy and to avoid the start of the district’s winter break starting on Friday.
Without taking formal action, the board agreed to allow Gillespie High School students the opportunity to participate in a 12-day trip to Europe to tour sites associated with the Holocaust with CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Terre Haute. GHS teacher Katie Prange, who also serves on the museum’s board of directors, outlined the trip for board members and briefly discussed the role Holocaust survivor Eva Kor played in establishing the museum and organizing the trip.
Kor, who died in 2019, and her sister, Miriam, were among the twins notoriously experimented upon by Joseph Mengele while incarcerated at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Liberated by allied forces in 1945, the twins were transferred to a nearby orphanage before eventually making their way to the United States. CANDLES is an acronym for Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments.
Before her death, Kor led annual trips to Europe to tour Auschwitz and other sites associated with the Holocaust. After her death, according to Prange, the museum’s board of directors decided to continue the tours.
The trip is open to both students and adults, Prange said. The experience is not recommended for persons under the age of 16 because of the emotional intensity associated with visiting the concentration camp. This year, the museum is partnering with the Anne Frank Center to include Amsterdam and the Anne Frank house and museum. From there the group will travel by motor coach to Berlin to visit historic sites associated with the rise of the Third Reich. The trip will conclude in Krakow, Poland, where participants will visit the Krakow Ghetto and Auschwitz. The tour will leave Chicago on June 21 and return on July 3.
The cost of the tour includes airfare from Chicago to Amsterdam and from Krakow back to Chicago, lodging, transportation, tour fees and two meals per day.
Further information is available at candlesholocaustmuseum.org.
TAX LEVY
Board members formally approved a $3,725,100 property tax levy for 2024 taxes to be collected in 2025. The levy is expected to generate an estimated $3,590,500 due to the impact of the Property Tax Extension Law (PTELL), commonly known as tax caps and adopted by Macoupin County voters in 1995. PTELL allows the property tax extension (the amount generated from property taxes) to increase by no more than five percent or the consumer price index, whichever is less. This year’s CPI is 3.4 percent, meaning the extension cannot increase by more than that amount.
School districts and municipalities typically request more than they can receive in order to avoid eroding the base extension for future levies. The actual tax rate, the amount that must be applied to the total equalized assessed evaluation, to generate the maximum extension possible is set by the County Clerk.
During a brief public hearing held earlier in the meeting, Supt. Shane Owsley said details of the levy were unchanged from last month when he presented a PowerPoint presentation to the board. For the first time in five years, he said he received a phone call from a district resident concerned that his property taxes would increase by an unreasonable amount. He said he explained how the levy request exceeds what the school district can receive and sent the individual a copy of the PowerPoint he presented to the board last month.
In somewhat related actions, the board approved a resolution transferring $75,000 from the School Facilities Sales Tax fund to the Bond and Interest Fund to service indebtedness for previous capital improvements. The resolution also abates an equal amount in property taxes in keeping with a pledge the board committed to prior to voters approving a one percent School Facilities Sales Tax.
The board also approved a resolution abating taxes previously levied to service a $1.6 million General Obligation Bond Issue approved in May last year to finance capital improvement projects over the following three years. Those bonds are being serviced with revenue from the School Facilities Sale Tax fund in lieu of property tax revenue.
Both resolutions are routine items approved by the board on an annual basis.
VIRTUAL SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY SERVICES
Board members unanimously approved Owsley’s recommendation to contract with Stepping Stones Teleservices to provide speech and language pathology services at a rate of $75 per hour. Owsley said Stepping Stones offered the lowest price of three companies contacted by the district. Additionally, the district already contracts with the company to provide virtual instruction in Spanish.
Owsley said he interviewed only one candidate for the speech and language pathologist position following the resignation last month of speech and language pathologist Beth Sies. The single candidate, however, withdrew her application before it could be presented to the board.
State law requires school districts to offer speech and language pathology services, prompting Owsley to investigate contracting with a virtual provider until such time as the district can hire a staff member. He said finding a candidate, however, may be challenging since many qualified candidates can find higher paying jobs outside the education field.
PERSONNEL AND STUDENT ISSUES
Following an hour-long executive session, Board President Mark Hayes announced the board conducted an annual evaluation of the superintendent in closed session and would take up the issue of renewing Owsley’s contract during the board’s January meeting.
On a motion by Amanda Ross, seconded by Weye Schmidt, the board voted unanimously to return a student to Gillespie High School as of Jan. 7 for the start of the district’s second semester. In September the board had voted to “hold in abeyance” the student’s expulsion, enabling the student to attend Alternative School and continue to earn credits toward graduation.
On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Dennis Tiburzi, the board voted unanimously to re-employ fall athletic coaches as follows: Cory Bonstead as head football coach; Nate Henrichs, Korbin Clark, Alex Jasper, Jarrod Herron, J.O. Kelly, Trenton Cleveland and Florian Seferi as assistant high school football coaches; Jordan Bartok as head high school volleyball coach; Shelsie Timmermeier as assistant high school volleyball coach; Tim Wargo as head middle school baseball coach; Trae Wargo as assistant middle school baseball coach; Michelle Smith as head middle school softball coach; Jim Matesa, Joe Kelly and Melissa Height as assistant middle school softball coaches; Jay Weber as head high school cross country coach; Jack Burns, Chase Peterson, Liz Thackery, Jacob West and Laura Peterson as assistant high school cross country coaches; Jack Burns, Laura Peterson, Jacob West and Liz Thackery as volunteer assistant middle school cross country coaches; Casey Sholtis as head golf coach; and Jake Kellebrew as volunteer assistant golf coach.
The board voted unanimously to hire Quentin Heyen as a full-route bus driver, and accepted “with regrets” the resignation for purposes of retirement of Cathy Edwards as district secretary, effective August. 15, 2025, and posted the position as vacant.
As a formality, the board voted to keep all current closed session minutes closed to the public.
VISION 2030
Board members unanimously approved a resolution in support of Vision 2030, a policy recommendation ratified by the Illinois Association of School Administrators, Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Principals’ Association, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, Superintendents’ Com mission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity, Illinois Alliance of Special Education Administratorsand the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools. The document calls upon the state legislature to pass legislation to implement goals outlined in Vision 2020.
Owlsey said Vision 2030 is an outgrowth of Vision 2020, a previous policy statement that resulted in implementing Evidence Based Funding for Illinois schools—a policy change the increased state funding for the local school district from 62 percent of full funding to 70 percent.
“A lot of the legislators who were advocates for EBA are no longer there,” Owsley said, emphasizing the need to pursue new legislative objectives to protect EBA and improve other educational objectives.
Among the objectives of Vision 2023 is limiting unfunded mandates imposed on local school districts by the state, emphasizing future-focused learning to allow for more college and career exploration, enhancing student safety, attracting and retaining top educators, and promoting curriculum and instructional flexibility to meet the needs of individual communities.
Owsley noted that CUSD 7’s long-range plans already address the parameters of Vision 2030’s Future-Focused Learning initiatives. “I was really proud to see what we’ve done in our district,” Owsley said. “All of these things are things that we’ve been addressing.”
Vision 2030 also calls for reforms in school assessment practices and stabilizing state funding expectations.
DISTRICT FOCUS
Owsley recognized department heads during a District Focus segment early in the meeting. He called out Maintenance Director Brian Page, Technology Director Mark Carpani, and Transportation Director Tim Besserman.
“Often times these people get taken for granted,” Owsley said. “I come to work everyday and everything runs as it should because of their work. You get spoiled because those things just get done. We couldn’t do this without you and I can’t imagine doing it without you. I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough.”
Owsley pointed out Page’s dedication to seeking out information to improve operations, Besserman implementing software to design bus routes and reducing paperwork by having drivers use electronic pads to record information, and Carpani for marshaling more than 1,600 electronic devices, along with networking.
Carter praised Page’s efforts to improve student safety.
“I was shocked to see the steps Brian had taken to (ensure communication with first responders in the event of an incident),” Carter said.
“Tonight is just a small token of our appreciation,” Owsley said. “We need to say it more often.”
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Community News
UMWA President Cecil Roberts to Speak at Spirit of Mother Jones Festival in Cork, Ireland
The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival, an annual celebration honoring the legendary labor organizer Mother Jones, will host a historic event this year as UMWA President Cecil Roberts becomes the first American labor leader to address the festival. The event will take place on July 25 at 4 PM local time, with Roberts speaking via live internet broadcast from inside the Firkin Crane in the historic Shandon District of Cork.
Founded in 2011, the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival has traditionally invited European labor and community leaders to share stories of activism and advocacy. This year, however, the festival committee proudly extends an invitation to President Roberts, recognizing his leadership in the labor movement and his personal ties to Mother Jones’ legacy.
Ger O’Mahony, speaking on behalf of the festival committee, expressed his enthusiasm: “The United Mine Workers of America gave Mother Jones her role as a union organizer in the late 1890s, empowering her to organize miners across the United States. Today, President Cecil Roberts continues this proud tradition. It is an honor to welcome him to the festival.”
Adding a personal touch, O’Mahony also highlighted Roberts’ family history: “President Roberts’ great-grandmother, Mother Blizzard, was a trusted friend of Mother Jones during strikes in West Virginia aimed at securing union recognition and fair wages for miners. This connection offers a living link to Mother Jones herself and her enduring fight for workers’ rights.”
Cork’s Lord Mayor, Cllr. Fergus Dennehy, described the festival as a “festival of courage,” emphasizing its significance beyond commemoration. “We are not just celebrating history,” he said. “We aim to rekindle the flame of activism that Mother Jones ignited over a century ago — a fire that still burns in every worker fighting for fair wages and in every child dreaming of a future free from exploitation.”
The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival runs from July 24 to 26, bringing together activists, union members, and community advocates from around the world to honor the enduring spirit of social justice.
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A public comment from the CEO of the Gillespie-Benld Area Ambulance Service led to a larger discussion during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Macoupin County Board about delays in collecting property taxes and paying disbursements to local taxing bodies. Ultimately, the board referred the issue to committee after spending several minutes discussing the matter.
Josh Ross, CEO of the Gillespie-Benld Area Ambulance Service, told the board his agency and other local taxing bodies have suffered as a result of delays in receiving their share of property tax revenue.
“There has developed, over a couple of years, a troubling pattern of poor communication, a lack of transparency, and at the very least an outward appearance of inefficiency and an apparent lack of urgency when it comes to the collection and distribution of property taxes,” Ross said, reading from a prepared statement.
He said he reached out the the County Treasurer’s Office and several county board members about the issue but received no satisfactory explanation for the delays.
Ross said state statute requires the county to make disbursements to local taxing bodies within 30 days of the due date. For 2023 taxes payable in 2024, the ambulance service received its first distribution on Aug.19, 2024. A second payment due on Sept. 27, 2024, did not arrive until Feb. 27, 2025. A final distribution for interest arrived on June 17, 2025—303 days after the first disbursement and after the state of the agency’s fiscal year.
Ross said he’s been told to expect similar delays this year in regard to 2024 taxes payable in 2025. Macoupin County tax bills have not gone out this year while Sangamon County sent its bills in April with the initial due date set for June 6. Macoupin County residents are expected to receive tax bills in August, with a first installment due date of Sept. 19 and the second installment due on Oct. 31—just 39 days before the county is required to set levies for the 2025 tax year.
Ross said the delays negatively impact local taxing bodies, including fire protection districts and other agencies that provide critical services. Moreover, since COVID recovery funds are no longer available to cushion the impact, some agencies are forced to dip into interest-bearing reserves to meet their obligations.
“The unpredictability and inconsistency we have been experiencing for these last several years have made budgeting for six months, let alone a full fiscal year, nearly impossible,” Ross said.
Acknowledging that tax collection and distribution are the responsibility of independent county officers, he asked that the board exercise oversight to get to the root of the problems and offer a solution.
“Is what he’s saying true?” Board Member Holly Klausing asked. “Are we out of compliance?”
County Treasurer Amber McGartland told the board delays in disbursing 2023 tax funds in 2024 resulted from faulty software that forced her office to hand process distribution of tax funds. She said the software has since been replaced, which should result in more timely processing. She noted, however, that she can only send out tax bills after the County Clerk provides her with the amount of tax due for each taxable parcel. The clerk’s office is responsible for finalizing the levy for each taxing body and the county, and applying that levy to the current equalized assessed valuation for each and every parcel in the county. She said tax bills are expected to go out “no later than August. 19,” with a first installment due on Sept. 19. Final disbursement to local taxing bodies will occur after the county tax sale, which is set for Jan. 12, 2026.
The County Clerk said his office can be hamstrung by delayed reporting from the Supervisor of Assessments to confirm the equalized assessed valuation for each taxable property.
John Bresnan, Supervisor of Assessments, said he can only submit his report to the County Clerk after local assessors provide him with updated assessments.
“The last couple of years there have been difficulties with the tax system,” Bresnan said. “We expect things to be a lot better going forward but it take time.”
Further exacerbating the issue is a dearth of county assessors. Bresnan said it’s difficult to find people willing to do local assessments. As a result some assessor positions in the county are vacant. “When you have two assessors doing 20 townships, that’s not a good situation,” he said. Filling assessor spots is a statewide problem, he said. “In my opinion, it’s at a crisis level now.”
“Are we expecting 2026 to be back to being in line with other counties?” Klausing asked.
“We expect things to go forward better now that we’ve converted to a new system,” Bresnan said, reiterating that much depends on how quickly a handful of assessor can complete their assessments.
In answer to another question, County Clerk Pete Duncan said accountants hired by the county to audit county accounts are four years behind on auditing the county’s tax collection and distribution.
“Someday, I’m going to come in with a very larger bill (for four years of audits) that we have to pay,” he said.
Board Chair Larry Schmidt cut the conversation off, adding that the issue should be further investigated at the committee level.
BUDGETARY BELT TIGHTENING
Duncan presented an extremely tentative budget, noting that it is subject to change as the board continues to wrestle with balancing expenditures with anticipated revenues. Currently projected revenue is $10,335,742, which is up $251,000 from last fiscal year. If the board approved all department requests as submitted, the budget would be $204,746 in the red.
The tentative budget anticipates $10,318,790 in expenditures, leaving a tight surplus of $16,952. The expenditure projection was reached by basically eliminating department requests that were not related to salary increases and reducing the Capital Outlay budget from $250,000 to $175,000.
“I put this proposal together to show you that after adding just the salary requested, there is basically no room for additional funding for the other requests, Duncan said. He said he has already asked the county’s newly hired Grant Manager to look into potential grants to fund some of those non-salary department requests.
Duncan also told the board that final budget numbers are due to him by Aug. 5 in order for him to update the budget and have it ready for approval at the board’s Aug. 12 meeting.
“If we don’t meet that timeline, some people aren’t going to get paid,” he said.
Duncan added that the board might be able to accommodate requests from the Sheriff’s Department by “sweeping” some unspent line items and further reducing Capital Outlay expenditures allow for the purchase of two vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department and begin setting aside money for a $500,000 upgrade to the jail’s door system. Reducing the Capital Outlay Budget, Duncan warned, could leave the county unable to pay for unexpected expenditures related to county buildings.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
The board took several actions involving the County Highway Department, including approval of a resolution giving power to act on bids for improvements to Staunton-Bunker Hill Road. County Engineer Tom Reinhart said having the power to act would allow work to start as soon as possible after the bid letting on Wednesday.
The board unanimously approved a three-year contract with non-union workers employed by the Highway Department calling for an 8.5 percent increase in the first year, and increases of four percent in the second and third years. Reinhart said the contract will bring non-union salaries in line with union wages.
Three 50/50 petitions were approved obligating the county to subsidize half of the cost of culvert replacements in Barr, Bird and South Palmyra townships. The county will pay half of the $6,000 cost of replacing a culvert in Barr Township, half of the $7,000 cost to replace a culvert in Bird Township, and half of the $7,500 cost of replacing a culvert in South Palmyra Township.
GRANT MANAGER
The board was briefly introduced to newly hired Grant Manager Joseph Amazuwa Chirwa. Chirwa said he has many years of experience with writing grants. “It’s what I do,” he said.
He said he will need the support and involvement of the board and county office holders to clarify the specific need for various grants to improve the chances of securing a grant award.
“He started work on day one,” said Klausing, Economic Development chair. “I’m really excited to see what he can do for the county.”
In a related matter, the board approved a resolution to increase the Community Development budget by $15,000 to defray a portion of Chirwa’s salary.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Approved bidding specifications to seek a new contract to provide health insurance for county employees.
- Authorized the State’s Attorney’s office to participate in a 40-county consortium to hire additional special attorneys to defend against lawsuits resulting from a 2023 Supreme Court decision regarding the sale of delinquent properties.
- Approved increasing in the County Sheriff’s salary to $176,460.50 and the Public Defender’s salary to $197,393. Duncan said approval was necessary for the county to be eligible for partial state reimbursement for the Sheriff and Public Defender’s Salaries.
- Approved a plan recommended by the county’s auditors to all payments and disbursements for various county offices and agencies through the county’s centralized computer accounting system, which will enable the County Treasurer to reconcile all county accounts in lieu of having those accounts managed by individual offices.
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The Public Access of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office has determined the Macoupin County Board technically violated the state’s Open Meetings Act on March 26 when Board Chair Larry Schmidt used a text message to solicit the opinions from 15 of the board’s 18 members about whether or not he should step down from the chairmanship.
In a letter dated July 2 to the County Board and Chelsa Pruden, Staunton, who filed the initial OMA complaint, Matthew Goodman of the Public Access Bureau confirmed the board violated the OMA but does not assess any penalty or punitive action. The Attorney General’s determination, however, does require the board to publicly disclose a verbatim copy of the text messages exchanged by some of the board members and Schmidt on March 26.
Those texts were made public during a meeting of the Macoupin County Board this week.
At issue was whether or not the text messaging represented “contemporaneous interactive communication” among a majority of a quorum.
While court cases nor legislation has legally defined what constitutes “contemporaneous” communication, Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison told the board his assessment was that the Public Assess Bureau used one hour as a standard for defining “contemporaneous.”
“If the messages had been spread over two hours or over several days, it probably would not have been a violation,” Garrison said.
In his letter to the board, Goodman states that Schmidt sent his original text at 5:03 p.m. Only seven of the 15 members Schmidt contacted responded, with replies coming between 5:05 and 5:58 p.m.
During the board’s Tuesday night meeting, the text of the conversation between Schmidt and board members was made public as follows:
Larry Schmidt (5:03 PM): As most of you know I caused quite the controversy with a personal statement I made on facebook. I was referring to Anheiser Busch not funding the Gay Pride Parade this year in which I was in agreement. I chose poorly on my words and it sounded worse than intended. They tied it in with me being county board chairman. I am truly sorry and regretful this happened. I am willing to suffer the consequences. Here are the options…
Let it ride and see what happens
Resign as chairman and stay as district 5 as a member
Resign from the board all together.
I am so sorry for getting you into this mess. Let me know your thoughts. I am not homophobic in anyway and I do not let personal beliefs interfere with my official duties on any job I have had. Let me know your thoughts.
Kristi Dunnagan (5:05 p.m.): Agree!
James lbberson (5:07 p.m.): Let it ride, Larry.
Aaron Stayton (5:07 p.m.): Let it ride. It will settle down.
Bernard Kiel (5:12 p.m.): Let ride in my eyes you’re a very good chairman.
Leann Barr (5:14 p.m.): I do not know the comment, but sounds like it was taken out of context and you reiterated you do not let personal beliefs interfere with official duties. You have your answer. Do not resign and let it ride.
John Trevino (5:19 p.m.): Same Larry, let it ride you have my support.
Robert Wiggins (5:55 p.m.): Hey we made it thru the “cat season” with just a scratch. We’ll get thru this. People need to lighten up. You’re doing great. (Dunnagan responded to this message with “Haha.”)
Todd Armour (5:58 p.m.): A little grace goes a long way. Larry gave me grace, I’m giving it back!
The controversy stemmed from a comment posted on the KMOV Facebook page in regard to Anneheuser Busch withdrawing its support of the St. Louis Pride Parade. “You can be queer, but you don’t need to march in the streets to show off your disability,” Schmidt posted. LGBTQ+ advocates claimed the comment was part of a pattern of anti-gay/trans rhetoric previously posted by Schmidt. During the April meeting, Schmidt apologized for the comment and said he had deleted the post.
Upward of 100 protestors appeared before the April meeting. Those protests have continued every Tuesday since that time, though the focus has shifted to anti-MAGA sentiments.
During the April meeting, John Blank and Holly Klausing both condemned Schmidt’s remarks. Notably, Ryan Kilduff noted he was not contacted by Schmidt and alleged the text messaging did, indeed, constitute an illegal meeting of a quorum.
Pruden filed her complaint shortly after the April meeting. The board retained attorney Peter C. Drummond to respond to the complaint to avoid potential conflicts of interest with the Macoupin County State’s Attorney’s office. Drummond argued that the text messaging did not constitute a “meeting,” and since no legislative action was taken, there was no remedy if the Attorney General found a violation.
In an unusual move, Schmidt also filed a response to the complaint even though the complaint cited the board, not Schmidt individually.
