During a regular Area Rotary luncheon, Assistant Superintendent Mr. Joe Tieman was the invited guest. Tieman is currently serving as his first year as Assistant Superintendent, but has been employed by the district for over a decade.
Speaking over a sparse crowd, Tieman highlighted new things going on in CUSD #7. Recently, the district updated their technology in a few areas with the help of generous donations from the Partnership of Education of Excellence.
“Last year, the Tebbe family donated a mobile iPad lab through the Partnership,” Tieman explained, “When you think of getting kids 25 at a time on computers for a district our size is often difficult, but that lab is dedicated fourth through sixth grade.” Tieman went on to say that it is a mobile lab and is able to be moved anywhere that it is needed.
CUSD #7 has had a history of hard wired labs that are limited to one location. According to Tieman, these labs limit the number of students who can use those labs.
In lieu of granting individual classrooms mini grants, the Partnership approached the district for any ideas that are in need of help. The district explained that the technology would be in desire for any help. The Partnership then donated $25 thousand to the district.
“We spend $15 thousand on a mobile laptop lab that is being put together right now,” Tieman explained, “We will also spend $5-10 thousand on desktop computers.” The district is in hopes of adding 20-25 computers in the library that would be hardwired. The extra computers in the library would add another lab to the district.
“Sometimes people ask how many labs we have,” Tieman noted, “I tell them we have three labs, but two of those are teaching labs. So, 90% of the day they are occupied by a class that is learning.” The district would like to see open labs, so students can make full use of the computers by studying or working on research papers.
At the last board meeting, the board approved putting out bids to rewire the middle school and high school buildings entirely. The rewiring may be awarded in the April board meeting. “That is huge for us, because coming down the line we do have a technology plan and ordering more and more technology.” By the next school year, the district should have the infrastructure that will be able to handle the technology improvements.
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According to Tieman, someday the district would like to have a 1 to 1 program which puts a computer in each student’s hands. “We have to be very careful doing that, because we will have to sustain that,” Tieman explained. “Some districts have ran in to trouble with the initial purchase years down the line.” Usually that program is a ten year program, Tieman noted.
The other thing Tieman touched on is academic programs. The major change in the high school is 8th period. The extra period was created by shaving a few minutes off each period throughout the day and adding that at the end of the day to create one 30 minute period called 8th period or 8th hour.
“It is an opportunity for students to look at their weaknesses or turning in assignments,” Tieman explained, “They can also study and do group work or access teachers for extra work and to make up tests.” The program is also an incentive based program which allows seniors, juniors, and second semester sophomores to opt out of the period if the maintain at least a ‘B’ average.
If the student’s grade point average stoops below the ‘B’ average, they are admitted back into the period. Grades are checked eight times throughout the school year. “We have a lot of things to work out in that area and we will continue to tweak that. It seems to be working out great for most kids.”
On the middle school level, the district is looking into how to use the time in the day at the utmost efficiency. The one common period that is not the most efficient 50 minutes is study hall, according to Tieman. “Next year, we will call study hall study skills. Part of the period will be traditional study hall while the other half will be reading instruction. All teachers will be involved providing reading instructions to kids.”
One other program is district is looking at for the elementary level is Leaders for Readers. The school moves high school students out of their study hall to the elementary building to read to the children. “That has been incredibly success for us, the kids love it.” According to Tieman, it takes leadership from the high school students and it is not always the star-athlete or honor roll student, but it gives the student to be a leader in a different aspect.
Tieman went on to explain that the high school is part of a committee of 4 schools, Mt. Olive, Bunker Hill, and Staunton, that is eyeing sharing resources which could be staff. “If we have a higher level math or science course and the other district wants to offer that to their students, we will be able to via virtual learning.” A virtual learning classroom will have a camera set-up in one classroom and will beam the information to a classroom in another district. The receiving district will still have a supervisor in the classroom.
“We have courses that are dual credit with Lewis and Clark Community College, so kids can gain high school credit while gaining college credit.” Each district has different classes that are creditable, so hopefully each school can offer more college credit classes. The process began last Wednesday when all school officials sat down for their first meeting.
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“We discussed if we could share health insurance, copy paper, or even equipment. We already are in a co-op with fuel, bread, milk and some food products.” According to Tieman, this is very ground level as the process has just started because it can involve teachers with four different labor contracts and four different healthcare contracts.
“I want everyone to know that a big part of my job is looking toward the future and looking at what are other districts doing or other universities doing and how can we become more productive,” Tieman closed. “Or how can we get the most for our dollar and the most out of our day, because we owe that to taxpayers. We only have students for about six to seven hours a day after you factor out lunch.”
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education voted on Monday night to accept the district’s annual financial report and audit, and agreed to drop $5 million in mine subsidence coverage in an effort to mitigate against rising commercial insurance premiums.
Ken Loy, an auditor with Loy Miller Talley Certified Public Accountants, Alton, presented highlights of the financial report for the fiscal year that ended June 30 this year. Loy said the auditors provided a “clean opinion” overall for the district’s procedures for accounting, tracking financial information and maintaining internal controls. State law requires the auditors to render opinions in three specific areas, including an opinion on overall auditing standards and an opinion on internal control compliance within each of the district’s major programs. Additionally, the auditors were required to present on opinion on the district’s handling of federal funds, which exceeded $3.4 million last fiscal year.
“You have three reports with three clean opinions,” Loy said.
The financial report also includes a financial profile assessment required by state law. Loy said the profile, determined through calculations for five different ratios, is 3.7 out of 4.0 for the past fiscal year. The “Recognition” status is the state’s highest category for school districts.
“Most districts have been on the ‘Watch List’ and Gillespie has been on the ‘Watch List’ in past years,” Loy commented. “But you’re at the top of the ladder now and have been for the past two years.” Loy said Gillespie had a perfect score in four of the five categories used to determine financial status but fell short in the area of long-term debt.
“Your long-term debt is a little on the high side,” Loy said, largely because of financial liabilities the district incurred after the loss of Benld Elementary School due to mine subsidence.
The report shows the district having $11,460,000 in long-term debt, requiring annual debt service payments of $1.1 million to $1.2 million. Additionally, the district has $639,711 in lease liabilities for equipment such as school buses.
Comparing revenue to expenditures, the district took in more money than it spent in all for two funds, where budgeted spending deficits were covered with existing surplus funds.
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The financial report documents a property tax for last fiscal year at $3.49 per $100 in equalized assessed valuation. At the same time, the district’s total equalized assessed valuation was set at $103,564,334, up from $87,198,959 two years ago.
“The last three years, you’ve had some pretty big increases in equalized assessed valuation of six to eight percent,” Loy commented. “That’s a lot different from a few years ago when it was 2.7 to three percent.”
The document reports the cost of educating one student for one year at $8,892, which is what the district would charge as tuition for an out-of-district student. The average daily attendance was 1,005, which is up from 996 the previous year, but still shy of 1,028 for 1,100 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Loy characterized the school’s overall financial condition as stable.
“You’ve had three or four pretty good years in a row that helps offset some of the bad years you had in the past from about 2016 to 2020,” Loy said.
COMMERCIAL INSURANCE DEBATE
On a motion by Amanda Ross, seconded by Peyton Bernot, the board voted to renew a commercial insurance policy with Wright Speciality with some modifications to the company’s original proposal. The action followed several minutes of debate as the board wrestled with substantive increases in premiums.
The policy covers general liability, property damage, crime, vehicles and workers compensation, along with additional coverage for mine subsidence. While premiums for coverage in most areas were similar to the previous year, the premium for property damaged jumped nearly $40,000 from $105,821 to $142,444. Supt. Shane Owsley said the increase was due to the insurer’s experience with paying out weather-related claims over the past year. Additionally, the company proposed reducing the district’s deductible for wind and hail damage from 10 percent to 1 percent.
The total premium for standard coverage came in at $261,238, compared with $219,888 last year.
Additionally, the district purchased mine subsidence insurance for $124,189 for the first $10 million in coverage, plus $48,852 for the next $5 million and $44,175 for yet another $5 million in coverage. Essentially, the district was paying $217,216 for a total of $20 million in mine subsidence coverage.
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Owsley said the district could shave $5,893 from the standard policy premium pay upping the deductible to $15,000 for all perils excluding wind and hail.
“I’d love to keep all the insurance, but you’d be looking at about $50,000 in additional premiums,” Owsley said. “I don’t have any good answers for you.” Owsley proposed increasing the deductible from $10,000 to $15,000, dropping $5 million in subsidence coverage, and purchasing additional “gap” coverage for about $50,000 for wind and hail coverage.
Owsley noted that a castrophic loss due to mine subsidence, as when Benld Elementary School was a total loss, is unlikely. Moreover, $20 million in coverage would not be nearly enough to cover a total loss of one of the district’s classroom buildings. Mine tunnels under the newly constructed BenGil Elementary School were injected with concrete before the school was built, but portions of the High School/Middle School are undermined and subject to mine subsidence damage.
“When you drive around this area in the country, you see a lot of sinks,” Weye Schmidt commented.
Owsley said he’d been advised that it’s not a question of wthether or not the district will experience mine subsidence damage at some point but rather “when” that damage will occur.
Bernot agreed $20 million would not be enough to cover a catastrophic loss and if such a thing were to happen, the district would be forced to return to the legislature for funding to replace a school. Additionally, the amount of money the district can levy is limited by tax caps, meaning the district cannot levy enough in property tax to cover the increase in premiums.
“Where would that money come from?” Bernot asked.
“It would have to come from our reserves,” Owsley replied.
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Bernot commented that he’d be comfortable with eliminating $5 million in subsidence coverage to reduce premium costs.
The approved plan—with $15 million in mine subsidence coverage, a $5,000 boost in the deductible, and the addition of gap coverage for wind and hail—will total $475,386, compared with $421,976 the district paid last year.
ATHLETIC REPORT
Athletic Director Jeremy Smith addressed the board with an end-of-season report, which included an extensive discussion regarding to the future of the district’s soccer program. Previously, the district was part of a coop with Litchfield High School to field enough players tor a team, but Smith reported Litchfield recently dropped out of the coop.
“I’ve reached out to local schools to see if they would coop with us,” Smith said. “They’re not really interested, mainly because, with our enrollment, it would put them up into the next class.”
The district could resume a soccer program as a parent-supported sport, according to Smith and Owsley. However, the Litchfield program became a school-supported sport two years ago, meaning Gillespie soccer parents have not been active for the past two years. Owsley said a goal would be to recruit at least 18 players, at a cost of about $10,000 per player—meaning parents would have to raise about $180,000 to fund the program. Owsley was optimistic about recruiting 18 players because younger players have been reluctant to join the program because they could not drive themselves to Litchfield.
The district currently sends six players to Litchfield.
Smith said he is awaiting results from a survey of students to gauge the level of interest in a local program. In the meantime, GHS Principal Jill Rosentreter said soccer parents are “anxious” about what direction the school will take. She said she and Smith are making an effort to keep parents informed as the local district works toward a resolution.
Smith also introduced a sports webpage which can be accessed via the school district’s webpage. The new website includes a sports calendar, schedules, and information about Sports Hall of Fame inductees. Smith said parents can even set up a personal account through the page which will ensure they receive emails regarding schedule changes, cancellations and other information.
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PERSONNEL
Following a one-hour executive session, the board voted to post a vacancy for an elementary Social/Emotional Learning coordinator, and voted to hire Kelly Helen as a district custodian.
In other action, the board accepted the resignation of Jay Weber as head coach for the parent-funded middle school cross-country program, and hired Trae Wargo as the seventh grade basketball coach.
The board accepted the resignation of Alexis Ollis as the GMS/GHS head cook and posted a vacancy for the position. Board members also voted to hire Amy Costello as a three-hour part-time cafeteria worker, pending a background check, and voted to post a vacancy for a six-hour part-time cafeteria worker.
CEO FUNDING
In other action, the board accepted Owsley’s recommendation to make a $3,000 investment in the county’s Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunitites (CEO) program, payable in three $1,000 annual increments. CEO board chairman Scott Reichman made the request last month during a District Focus segment.
The Illinois State Board of Education has recognized all three Gillespie Community Unit School District #7 schools with top designations, marking an outstanding achievement for the district.
Ben-Gil Elementary School has earned the prestigious “Exemplary” designation, placing it among the top 10 percent of elementary schools in Illinois, while both Gillespie High School and Gillespie Middle School have earned “Commendable” designations.
The Exemplary designation is awarded to the highest-performing schools in the state, while the Commendable designation recognizes schools that have no underperforming student groups, a graduation rate greater than 67 percent, and whose performance ranks in the top 90 percent of schools statewide.
“This is a proud moment for the entire community,” said Superintendent Shane Owsley. “This designation is a sign of the hard work, time and dedication put in by the students, staff and community members of CUSD #7.”
All three schools demonstrated strong performance across multiple academic indicators, including:
Student academic achievement
Student academic progress
English language proficiency progress
Chronic absenteeism
Graduation rates (High School)
Ben-Gil Elementary’s Exemplary status places it in an elite category of Illinois schools, while the Commendable designations for the middle and high schools reflect the district’s consistent commitment to educational excellence across all grade levels.
This district-wide achievement highlights Gillespie CUSD #7’s success in maintaining high educational standards and ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed, from elementary through high school.
Police in Gillespie are searching for at least two people involved in an early morning break-in and robbery that happened early Wednesday at Besserman Superbowl.
The bowling alley said on their Facebook page the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23. The suspects compromised the ATM and a gaming machine. The business’s security measures and a quick response from the Gillespie Police Department limited the suspects time inside the establishment to under 10 minutes but substantial damage was sustained.
Temporary repairs were made quickly and normal business hours were not interrupted for Besserman Superbowl but no arrests have been made. Anyone with information about the incident or the individuals involved are urged to contact the Gillespie Police Department at 217-839-2922.
“We appreciate the outpouring of support from our patrons, friends, and family in response to the break-in yesterday morning,” Besserman Superbowl posted on their Facebook page. “We value your loyalty and anticipate serving you soon at our renowned bowling alley and friendly community hub.”