CUSD 7 News
School board names new head football coach
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted unanimously to appoint Cory Bonstead as the Gillespie High School head football coach for the 2024-25 school year, replacing Dalton Barnes, whose resignation was accepted last month. In other action, the board voted to dismiss Assistant Varsity Football Coach Donnie Allen, and to not renew Allen’s appointment as the high school track and field coach.
The actions bring to an end several weeks of controversy related to the former head coach and assistant coach. Barnes resigned last month as both a high school physical education and social studies teacher as well as the head football coach after parents alleged he and Allen engaged in verbal and physical abuse of student-athletes. An online petition garnering more than 630 electronic signatures accused Barnes and Allen of “child abuse,” citing alleged “verbal abuse, physical abuse, influencing and coercing student-athletes to act against other student-athletes that have spoken out against the abuse, and attempting to limit the First Amendment rights of student-athletes with threats and manipulation.”
While Barnes submitted his resignation, Allen did not step down, precipitating Monday night’s actions to sever him from the district.
Bonstead was hired in July 2022 as a high school resource teacher. He has served as an assistant football coach for the past two years. Before coming to the school district, he was an assistant football coach for Galesburg’s Knox College, where he earned his degree. As a formality, the board also officially accepted Bonstead’s formal resignation as assistant freshman football coach and posted a vacancy for that position.
The actions to hire a new head coach and dismiss the assistant coach took place following a one-hour executive session to discuss personnel issues and other concerns. Upon returning to open session, the board voted unanimously to rehire a roster of certified staff members discussed in executive session.
The board accepted “with regret” the resignation for purposes of retirement of long-serving district custodian Jerry Balzraine, effective May 31, 2025.
Custodian Neil Balzraine, representing non-certificated employees, read a statement thanking Supt. Shane Owsley, Board President Mark Hayes and other board members for coming to an agreement with the union for a new contract covering non-certificated employees.
“Through night and weekends, we worked hard and got a lot done,” Balzraine said. “These meetings were most professional, cordial and productive.”
Later in the meeting, the board voted unanimously to accept the new contract, which reportedly was ratified by union members Monday morning.
In other personnel action, the board reappointed winter coaches, including Casey Sholtis as GHS head boy’s basketball coach, Jake Kellebrew as assistant high school boy’s basketball coach, Anthony Kravanya as an unpaid volunteer assistant boy’s basketball coach, Jarrod Herron as scholar bowl coach for high school as well as seventh and eighth grade, Andrea Williamson as high school dance coach, Elizabeth Thackery as seventh-grade volleyball coach, and Celia Jubelt as eighth-grade volleyball coach.
Board members unanimously voted to accept the resignation of middle school paraprofessional James Bryant and to post a vacancy for the position. The board also approved a maternity leave request for BenGil Elementary School paraprofessional Kristin Schoen.
The board voted unanimously in separate actions to accept the resignation of Celia Jubelt as head high school women’s volleyball coach and post a vacancy for the position, and to appoint Matt Brawner as a GHS assistant women’s basketball coach.
Also in separate actions, the board voted to post job openings for a district head cook and a district kitchen employee. Board member Amanda Ross who moved to approve both actions pointed out the openings represent existing positions. “I want to be clear that we are not creating new positions,” she said.
SAFETY PROJECTS
On a motion by Peyton Bernot, seconded by Ross, the board green-lit three safety projects to be funded with proceeds of a COPS Federal Safety Grant.
PASS Security of Fairview Heights was the sole bidder for adding door access security for entry to the middle school/high school complex at a cost of $81,210.
Barcom Security with base offices in Springfield, Swansea and St. Louis, submitted the sole bid of $113,000 for an updated fire alarm system for the middle school/high school complex.
Commercial Telephone Systems, Collinsville, also the sole bidder, will install an updated intercom system at the middle school at a cost of $62,769.
“The companies we hoped would submit bids did submit bids and the prices were what we expected,” Supt. Owsley told the board. The contracts call for the work to be completed by two days before the start of the 2024-25 school year.
FISCAL 2024 BUDGET
The board voted to place on file for public review an amended budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Owsley advised that some numbers in the tentative amended budget are likely to change for the board’s final approval next month. State law requires a 30-day review period, however, even though some data to be reflected in the budget is still being collected.
“I can tell this will change,” Owsley said. “I will have final numbers and a presentation for the board in June.”
Last month, the board directed Owsley to begin work on a tentative fiscal 2025 budget authorized operational expenditures for the period between July 1 and whenever the new budget is approved. Typically, the district finalizes a budget for the current fiscal year in September.
SURPLUS PROPERTY
Upon Owsley’s recommendation, the board declared two buses and one truck as surplus property. The three vehicles will be advertised for sale to the highest qualified bidders.
OTHER ACTION
In other words action, the board:
- Approved a high school course description book for the 2024-25 school year. GHS Principal Jill Rosentreter said there are no major changes from the course description document the district used last year.
- Approved a revised school calendar. Supt. Owsley said the only change is setting 12:45 p.m. as the dismissal time on days that have early dismissal. Previously, early dismissal times were staggered at 12:30 and 1 p.m. The change is precipitated by the district’s decision to start the school day as the same time for all three attendance centers.
- Approved a district-wide job description list.
- Approved a corrected school fees schedule. Owsley said the action was needed because the schedule approved last month was inaccurate due to a computer error resulting from merging fee schedules from the district’s three attendance centers.
Comments
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 voted unanimously Monday night to place the district’s tentative 2024-25 budget on file for public inspection. The document will remain on file for a minimum of 30 days before the board officially adopts a budget during the board’s regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 23.
Board President Mark Hayes emphasized that the budget document on file is “tentative” and likely to change before the final budget is approved. The new budget will govern spending for the fiscal year that began July 1.
Supt. Shane Owsley confirmed the document “will change” over the coming month. Pending grant awards, for example, are likely to alter the tentative budget on the revenue side. During Monday night’s meeting, Owsley confirmed the district has been approved for a $10,000 Breakfast Expansion Grant which will be used to install a salad bar in the high/school middle school cafeteria. During breakfast hours, the bar will be stocked with fresh fruit. He also reported the district has been approved for a Stronger Connections grant that will be used to expand curriculum and teaching opportunities. The amount of the Stronger Connections grant is not yet known but could be as much as $174,985, which is the amount for which the district applied.
Last year’s budget totaled $20 million. At the time last year’s budget was adopted, Owsley indicated the 2025 budget would likely be “less rosy.” Last year’s budget included $2.6 million in Elementary and Secondary School Recovery (ESSR) funds. Those funds will not be available this year, reducing the amount of federal money the district receives by about one-third. Owsley noted last year that the district may have to dip into surplus funds that accumulated as a result of COVID-19 emergency funding in order to balance the 2025 budget.
Approval of the budget will be preceded by a public hearing on Sept., 23 during which Owsley typically provides a PowerPoint presentation illustrating budget details.
PERSONNEL
Following a one-hour executive session, the board hired Tim Wargo as the head middle school baseball coach, and accepted Wargo’s resignation as an assistant middle school baseball coach. Additionally, the board hired Trae Wargo as an assistant middle school baseball coach, filling the vacancy created by Tim Wargo’s resignation.
J.O. Kelly was hired as an assistant football coach, pending verification of certification and a background check.
Board members voted unanimously hire Brandy Ernst as a district paraprofessional, pending verification of certification and a background check.
On a motion by Weye Schmidt, the board hired Terri Rhodes as a special education bus aide, pending a background check. In a separate action, the board voted unanimously to post a vacancy for a special education bus aid.
In other personnel action, the board accepted the resignation of Mike Smith as a full-route bus driver, and reassigned him to a half-route position. In separate actions, the board hired Quinten Heine as a substitute bus driver, pending a background check, and posted a vacancy for a full-route bus driver.
ONGOING PROJECTS
Owsley reported to the board on the status of several life safety projects. He told the board that shatterproof film has been applied to windows and a new intercom system has been installed at the middle school. The intercom system makes it possible for all three schools to communicate with each other in the event of an emergency.
A key card entry system has been installed at the middle school/high school, and workers are in the process of installing secondary locks on classroom doors. The secondary locks provide a means by which teachers can block entry buy an intruder from inside the classroom.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Voted to enter into an intergovernmental transportation with the Jerseyville School District to provide bus transport for a CUSD 7 student who attends the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville.
- Approved a salary and benefits report for teachers and administrators to be filed with the Illinois State Board of Education. The document also will be available for public review on the CUSD 7 website.
Comments
The City of Gillespie will seek an Open Spaces Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant of up to $600,000 following a unanimous vote by the council Monday night authorizing Mayor John Hicks to sign the application. OSLAD, which is administered by the state Department of Natural Resources, provides matching grants to local governmental units to acquire and/or develop land for outdoor recreation. If the grant application is successful, it would be matched with $600,000 in local funds, resulting in a total project cost of at least $1.2 million.
The action followed a PowerPoint presentation by Austin Burklund of Byrne & Jones Construction, St. Louis, outlining a tentative proposal for improvements to city parks. Byrne & Jones’ proposal includes a $135,000 project to remove and replace playground equipment at Big Brick Park, up to $374,000 to revamp athletic fields at Welfare Park, and $636,400 to install artificial turf on the infields. Possible “add-on” projects include new lighting at Welfare Park at a cost of $640,000, bleachers at a cost of $234,000 and development of a parking area for up to 25 cars at a cost of $99,200. Burklund said his company is still crunching numbers to estimate costs for a three-acre dog park at Welfare and a walking trail around the athletic fields.
Byrne & Jones started in 1976 as an asphalt paving company. In 1997, the company started building all-weather tracks for high schools and universities, which later evolved into developing athletic fields and park facilities. Clients currently include Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, St. Louis University and Washington University. The company was retained to build a new baseball field at Northwestern High School, Palmyra.
Later in the meeting, the council authorized Hicks to apply for the grant on a motion by Ald. Wendy Rolando, seconded by Ald. Dave Link.
In other action, the council discussed rerouted bus traffic for Community Unit School District 7, briefly discussed the status of a proposal to move the Police Department, purchased radio equipment for Gillespie Lake and declared surplus property for sale.
REROUTED BUS TRAFFIC
Mayor Hicks reported to the council that CUSD 7 will reroute bus traffic in order to start classes and dismiss students at the same times every day in all schools. Until this year, the starting and ending times for the elementary school and middle school/high school were staggered to relieve traffic congestion. Hicks said the school asked the Illinois Department of Transportation to install a stop light on Broadway at LJ Avenue but abandoned the idea when the state told the school the project would cost $3 million. CUSD 7 Transportation Director Tim Besserman told the council the school also dismissed the idea of building a road between LJ Avenue and Kelly Street when the cost estimate came back at $6 million.
Hicks told the council the school district now plans to route buses west on Broadway to Kelly Street, south on Kelly to deliver or pick up students at BenGil Elementary School. East on Plum Street for one block, then north on LJ Avenue to deliver and pick up students at the middle school/ high school.
Ald. Landon Pettit said the increased traffic will require the city to tear out and rebuild LJ Avenue. He said the bus traffic will push the current asphalt paving to the shoulder and break up. Making the street a one-way street during the times buses will be using it would encourage buses to straddle the crown and cause even more damage. Pettit also expressed concerns about buses making short turns at the intersection with Broadway, causing the edges of paving material to break off. He suggested a possibility of widening and paving the intersection with concrete to stand up to the increased wear and tear.
Earlier this year, the council approved an ordinance to restrict parking on LJ Avenue.
Besserman told the council some bus drivers tend to clip the intersection when making right turns. To mitigate against that possibility, he said he designed the route to include only left turns, which should be less likely to cause damage. To accommodate simultaneous start and finish times, Besserman said the number of buses has been increased from eight to 10.
Ald. Bill Hayes said the city or school should notify homeowners on Plum Street about increased bus traffic. Some homeowners in the area have already complained about surface damage from heavy traffic, he said.
The council took no action on the issue.
“It’s going to happen Wednesday,” Hicks commented
The council may consider making LJ Avenue, Kelly Street and one block of Plum Street one-way streets from 7-8 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. if it appears such action is necessary.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Ald. Rolando concluded.
In a related matter, the council directed City Attorney Rick Verticchio to write an ordinance to enable the city to erect School Zone signs on Kelly Street from Broadway to Plum. Ald. Dona Rauzi said School Resource Officer Wade Hendricks asked for the signs and Gillespie Police Chief Jared DePoppe concurred.
CAMERAS AND CARS
The council voted unanimously to authorize Chief DePoppe to buy body cameras for Gillespie police officers, contingent upon the Police Department receiving a grant to help offset the cost. DePoppe told the council he can buy 12 cameras for $50,000. He said final approval for the Department’s grant application is pending, though the Department has received Phase I approval. If the grant application is successful, the city will be awarded $34,000 to put toward purchasing the body cams.
A new Illinois law requires all police officers to be equipped with body-cams as of January 1, 2025.
Council members also authorized DePoppe to apply for a USDA grant to cover up to 55 percent of the cost of a new squad car. DePoppe said he secured a price of $52,940 from Morrow Brothers Ford, Greenfield, for a 2025 Interceptor fully equipped for police patrol. Morrow Brothers holds the state contract for vehicles, meaning municipalities can buy from them without bidding.
City Treasurer Dan Fisher said the grant award will be based on the average household income for Gillespie, meaning the city is unlikely to get the maximum 55 percent of the purchase price. “The most we’ll be likely to get will be $15,000 to $17,000,” he said.
Ald. Pettit asked DePoppe if he would consider buying a truck for patrol work, with an eye toward transferring it to Public Works when the vehicle is retired.
“We have three departments that use vehicles,” Pettit noted. “I notice a lot of places that buy a truck for their police and transfer to another department when the police are done with it.”
While no action was taken, Pettit presented information on pricing for a new Street Department dump truck later in the meeting. He said the pricing he secured from Morrow Brothers exceeded $100,000. However, he obtained pricing of $86,000 to $105,000 from other vendors depending upon the size of the truck. All pricing included attachments such as a snow plow and spreader. Purchasing from a vendor other than Morrow Brothers would require advertising for bids.
The issue was referred back to committee and no formal action was taken.
LAKE RADIOS
Alderman voted unanimously to spend more than $2,500 for communication radios at Gillespie Lake. The new radios will ensure radios used by lake personnel are compatible with radios used by the police and emergency services. Council members approved spending $1,019.50 for an office radio, $788 for a truck radio and $743 for a radio to be installed on the lake department’s boat.
POLICE STATION OPTIONS
Upon returning to open session after a 30-minute executive session to discuss personnel, Mayor Hicks announced that the city will postpone or abandon a proposal to convert the Civic Center space formerly used by the Fire Department to offices and facilities for the Gillespie Police Department. Hicks said initial estimates for the project totaled $600,000.
“So we pared things down and rebid, and the rebid was higher than the original,” he said. “I think, as a council, we should delay this until, hopefully, we have another revenue source.”
Ald. Pettit said an option for the city could be purchasing the building that formerly housed Gillespie Chiropractic located directly across the street from the Civic Center. The building which currently houses the Police Department, Pettit said, comprises 1,500 square feet of space. It’s located on a 9,000 square foot lot, leaving only 6,000 square feet for expansion and/or parking.
The building across the street has nearly double the square footage at 2,270 square feet, and is located on a lot comprising nearly 15,000 square feet.
Brick and Welfare parks.
“We’d have room to build on if the need to, we’d have room for parking, or we could build a sally port,” Pettit said. “I think we’d be crazy not to look into that facility.”
SURPLUS PROPERTY
On a motion by Ald. Frank Barrett, the council voted unanimously to approve the Mayor’s recommendation to declare as surplus a vacuum truck, a street sweeper and a dump truck as surplus property and offer them for sale to the highest qualified bidder. Hicks said two of the vehicles are unusable. The street sweeper malfunctioned earlier this summer, causing extensive damage to the city garage.
PUBLIC ART PROPOSAL
The council heard briefly from Ben Marcacci, Benld, about his vision for installing public art along the Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail. Marcacci presented a similar proposal to the Benld City Council last month. He told council members Monday night that he was asking permission to install public art pieces along the Gillespie end of the trail at this time.
“This is something that is in the works,” he said. ‘It’s very early in the process. If we had something up in 2026, I’d be happy.”
Marcacci said he has been in contact with art teachers and welding instructors at Gillespie High School in an effort to involve students in the project. The sculptures would be constructed of quarter-inch steel and concrete to be vandal resistant. Some of the pieces, he said, will commemorate local flora and fauna, coal mining heritage and Route 66. But some pieces would be “art for the sake of art.”
With his own background in construction, Marcacci said he would be responsible for installing the pieces. “I’m always interested in doing something for the community,” he said.
The project would not involve city funds, according to Marcacci. He plans to subsidize the project solely with donations.
Public art is not a unique concept, Marcacci noted. Several communities and organizations have undertaken public art projects in other areas. If the bike trail concept is successful, Marcacci said the city might want to consider expanding it to other public spaces such as Gillespie Lake.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
- Approved a facade grant of up to $8,000 from Tax Increment Finance Funds to DeeDee’s Designs. The grant will cover one-half of the cost of improving the business’ facade. The grant is a reimbursement grant, meaning the owner must complete the work and then submit documentation of the cost.
- Agreed to place two “Deaf Children Playing” signs on LJ Avenue between Plum Street and Oregon Street.
- Agreed to donate $100 to sponsor a hole during the upcoming Gillespie Fire Department fund-raising golf tournament.
- Ratified the Zoning Board’s decision to approve a variance at 203 East Oak Street, which will allow the resident to produce cookies for sale in her home.
- Accepted a bid of $40 from Jeff Feeley to take down two dead trees on Pine Street.
Comments
In a relatively brief meeting Monday night, the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education approved a “resolution of remedial warning” against an unidentified district teacher, and hired a new Student Services Coordinator and Athletic Director.
The actions followed an 80-minute executive session during which board members presumably primarily discussed personnel issues. The regular monthly meeting of the board was moved up by one week to fill key positions, such as the Athletic Director and Student Services Coordinator, prior to the start of the school year next month. The district was taken by surprise when former Student Services Coordinator Stephanie Bray and Athletic Director Mike Bertagnolli both announced their retirements within days of each other.
Supt. Shane Owsley said the resolution of remedial warning is a disciplinary action representing “a second strike, so to speak.” Neither the teacher or the nature of the infraction was disclosed in open session.
In other action, the board, voted unanimously to hire Shelsie Timmermeier as the district’s Student Services Coordinator for the 2024-25 school year, stepping into the vacancy created by Bray’s retirement, pending confirmation of certification and a background check. In a separate action, the board also appointed Timmermeier as an assistant high school women’s volleyball coach.
Jeremy Smith was hired, also by a unanimous vote, as the district’s Athletic Director for the 2024-25 school year. In a related matter, Smith’s resignation as middle school head baseball coach was accepted. Additionally, the board posted the coaching position as vacant for the coming school year.
On a motion by Weye Schmidt, seconded by Dennis Tiburzi, the board hired Alex Jasper as a high school social science teacher for the coming school year. The board also voted unanimously to hire Tate Wargo as a first-year, non-tenured physical education instructor, pending confirmation of certification. Both positions were vacated as a result of the sudden resignation of Dalton Barnes in April as head football coach, physical education teacher and social science teacher.
In related matters, the board also hired Wargo Monday night as an eighth grade boy’s basketball coach, and accepted Jasper’s resignation as a district paraprofessional and posted the position as vacant.
In other personnel action, the board:
- Hired Amanda Ewin as a one-on-one aide.
- Hired Anthony Kravanya as a freshman men’s basketball coach.
- Appointed Melissa Heigert as a volunteer assistant high school softball coach.
In other action, the board gave routine approval to a list of policies provided by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Supt. Owsley also provided a brief update on the progress being made on safety projects expected to be completed before the start of the school year, including installation of a new intercom system, a card-reader entry system and shatter-proof protective film on exterior windows.
