MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CARBONDALE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 165, CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS HELD JANUARY 18, 2024
The regular meeting of the Board of Education of School District 165 was held in the Cafeteria of Carbondale Community High School, 1301 East Walnut Street, Carbondale, Illinois, on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.
Upon roll call, the following members were present:
Rania Dababneh Christopher Swims
Linda Flowers Francis Tsung
Wendell Pohlman Julie VanWinkle
The following member was absent: Lana Galan
Also present were:
Daniel Booth Ethan Graham
Ray Toliver, Jr. Lena Dierks
Ryan Thomas Dallas Terry
President VanWinkle declared a quorum present and the regular meeting of January 18, 2024, was called to order.
Approval of Minutes: Motion by Flowers, seconded by Dababneh, to approve the minutes of the regular rescheduled meeting of December 14, 2023. Roll call: Dababneh, Flowers, Pohlman, Swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
Old Business—None
Public Comments—None
FOIA Requests: The Board received a listing of the 2023-24 FOIA Requests received to date.
Payment of Bills: Motion by Swims, seconded by Pohlman, to pay the remaining bills for the month of December 2023; and, those available for payment for the month of January 2024. Roll call: Flowers, Pohlman, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
ESSER III Grant Expenditures: The Board received an update on the ESSER III Grant expenditures.
Principal’s Report: Mr. Thomas reported on:
Data Review with faculty staff on January 4, 2024
--School Report Card
--School-Wide Goals—GPA, Attendance, Referrals, Tardies
Class Meetings the week of January 8-11, 2024
--School-Wide Goals—GPA, Attendance, Referrals, Tardies
--Incentive Plan
--840 Students with 0 or 1 Disciplinary Referral
Opening of Walnut Street Entrance/Office/Conference Room
--All Visitors Enter Here
--Metal Detectors
--Raptor Visitor Management System
--IEP/504 Meetings
--Waiting Room
--All visitors wait to be escorted into the building.
National Honor Society Induction Ceremony January 22, 2024
--44 Inductees
8th Grade Day/Night February 13, 2024
Superintendent’s Report: Mr. Booth reviewed the Superintendent’s Report for the Board:
Construction Updates:
The Walnut Street interior and exterior are complete.
The CTE addition project was approved in September, the contracts are signed, and the site work has begun. There are some issues with the gas lines and water lines that will need to be moved. The water lines were expected, but the gas lines were not. Ameren has been on site to repair the issue. The materials and steel have been ordered. Once the gas and water line issues are resolved, the project should move along quickly.
Once the CTE addition project is off the ground, the Building and Grounds Committee will meet to share future project possibilities with the Board of Education.
There are no new updates on the solar panels. The bond funds have been acquired and the materials have been ordered.
Job Postings:
In the coming months the district will be using a new application software to update our hiring process. The Goal 3 Team has been working on this over the last year. The following positions have been posted Science Teacher, Math Teacher, School Counselor, Drivers Education Teacher, German Teacher and Assistant Principal.
Strategic Planning Progress:
The following updates will be given to the Board on the strategic plan:
February: Update the Board on the progress of the KPI’s and Targets.
June: Share the end of year report on the strategic plan progress.
July: Superintendent’s Evaluation
Board Data Update Reports: The Board received the following data update reports for their information:
December Student Attendance Report
December Terrier Tutoring Student Attendance Report
2024 Love Your Heart Contest: Motion by Swims, seconded by Pohlman, to approve the 2024 Love Your Heart Contest. Roll call: Pohlman, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Dababneh and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
IASB PRESS Issue 113 Board Policy Manual Updates/Second Reading/Adoption: The Board received the IASB PRESS Issue 113 Board Policy Manual updates for first reading at the December 14, 2023, Board meeting.
The Board continued its discussion on the pros and cons of allowing District employees to enroll their children tuition-free. Following discussion, Mr. Booth stated for the record, that a no-vote was not a motion that passes. He said for a motion to pass there must be a majority vote. The following motions were made:
Motion by Flowers, seconded by Swims, to approve the IASB PRESS Issue 113 Board Policy Manual updates as presented, except for the proposed update to Board Policy 7:60, Residence, and to continue using the five-year waiver until it expires. Roll call: Swims, VanWinkle and Flowers voted yes. Members Tsung, Dababneh and Pohlman voted no. The motion did not pass.
Motion by Tsung, seconded by Dababneh, to approve the IASB PRESS Issue 113 Board Policy Manual updates as presented. Including the language to allow District employees to enroll their children tuition-free indefinitely. Roll call: Tsung, VanWinkle, Dababneh and Pohlman voted yes. Members Flowers and Swims voted no. Motion carried.
District Exclusionary Discipline Improvement Plan: Motion by Flowers, seconded by Dababneh, to approve the District Exclusionary Discipline Improvement Plan as presented. Roll call: VanWinkle, Dababneh, Flowers, Pohlman, Swims and Tsung voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
CTE Teacher Memorandum of Understanding: Motion by Swims, seconded by Flowers, to approve the MOU between the CCHS Board of Education and the CCHSEA on salary schedule placement of employees with an ISBE Professional Educators Teaching License but no bachelor’s degree. Roll call: Dababneh, Flowers, Pohlman, swims, Tsung and VanWinkle voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
Resignation/Retirements: Motion by Swims, seconded by Pohlman, to approve the following resignations/retirements as presented: a. Resignation of Alejandro Ruiz (Assistant Principal) effective June 30, 2024. Roll call: Flowers, Pohlman, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle and Dababneh voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried
Employment of 2023-24 Extra-Duty Personnel: Motion by Tsung, seconded by Dababneh, to employ the following 2023-24 Extra-Duty Personnel as presented:
Assistant Boys/Girls Track Coaches: Kassandra Gregory $3,504.00, Joshua Vogel $2,335.00, Rasheeda Love $2,000.00 and Jason Perry $1,500.00
Assistant Boys Baseball Coaches: Rick Galloway $1,751.00, Ryan Schimpf $1,751.00, Robert “Caleb” Belcher $1,751.00, Blake DeRocher $1,751.00
Assistant Girls Soccer Coach: Sian Person $2,335.00
Assistant Boys Tennis Coaches: Phen Grant $1,167.00 and Tom Brooke $1,168.00
Roll call: Pohlman, Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Dababneh and Flowers voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
Employment of 2024-25 Cosmetology Teacher: Motion by Flowers, seconded by Dababneh, to employ Margarete “Maggie” Biedermann as a part-time (3/6-time) Cosmetology Teacher for the 2024-25 school year as presented. Roll call: Swims, Tsung, VanWinkle, Dababneh, Flowers and Pohlman voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
Employment of 2024-25 Speech Language Pathologist/504 Plan Case Manager: Motion by Swims, seconded by Pohlman, to employ Karly Williard as a part-time (4/6-time) Speech Language Pathologist/504 Plan Case Manager for the 2024-25 school year. Ms. Williard’s education and experience will place her at Line 0, Column MA/MS prorated on the 2024-25 Teacher Salary Schedule. Roll call: Tsung, VanWinkle, Dabaneh, Flowers, Pohlman and Swims voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
2023-24 Volunteers: Motion by Swims, seconded by Pohlman, to approve the following 2023-24 Volunteers as presented:
Faith Loyd: Assistant Wrestling Coach Volunteer Hailee Hawthorne: Assistant Girls Soccer Coach Volunteer
Roll call: VanWinkle, Dababneh, Flowers, Pohlman, Swims and Tsung voted yes. Nay, none. Motion carried.
For Your Information Items: Next Board of Education Meeting: Thursday, February 15, 2024.
Executive Session—None
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:06 p.m.
Minutes Approved: February 15, 2024