North Egypt News

Community High School District 99 Board of Education met Jan. 27.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Education, Community High School District 99, met in regular session at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2025 at the Administrative Service Center.

Upon the Secretary's roll call, the following Board members answered present: Don Renner, President; Terry Pavesich, Vice President; and Members Kara Casten, Ken Dawson, Christopher Espinoza, and Jennie Hagstrom. Member Sherell Fuller was absent.

Also present were Hank Thiele, Superintendent; Gina Ziccardi, Associate Superintendent for Student Learning; Rob Lang, Assistant Superintendent for Staff Services; Scott Wuggazer, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services; Travis McGuire, Assistant Superintendent for Learning Resources; Jeree Ethridge, Chief School Business Official; Jill Browning, Chief Communications Officer; Tammy Maksa, Director of Business Services; and Juli Gniadek, Secretary.

There was one visitor. A copy of the Visitor Roster is attached.

1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Member Espinoza moved and Member Dawson seconded the motion that the Board of Education approve the Minutes of the December 16, 2024 Business Meeting, the December 16, 2024 Closed Meeting, the January 13, 2025 Workshop Meeting with Action Item, and the January 13, 2025 Closed Meeting.

Upon the Secretary's roll call, Members Espinoza, Dawson Hagstrom, Pavesich, Casten and Renner voted AYE. The President declared the motion carried.

2. RECEPTION OF VISITORS - PUBLIC COMMENT

There were no public comments.

3. PRESENTATION OF DISTRICT 99 EDUCATION FOUNDATION CHECKS TO GRANT RECIPIENTS

Donna Dawson, Foundation Grant Chair, introduced fall grant recipients Kathleen Kelly, Nicole Hobus, Tricia Brawley and Brian Veit. Recipients shared information on their projects and their use of grant funds.

Board members congratulated the grant recipients and showed their appreciation to the Foundation for providing the grants. Julia Beckman, District 99 Education Foundation President, thanked the Board for its support.

4. QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT

Jeree Ethridge reported revenues are 90% collected and interest earnings are strong. She stated expenditures are on target and pointed out that cost saving measures were implemented this year, in conjunction with Districts 58 and 68, to transport students living in the shelter on Butterfield. Ms. Ethridge stated tuition costs for students needing specialized services are higher than anticipated.

5. FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL PROJECTION

Ms. Ethridge stated Fund Balances should remain above the 5% benchmark for the next five years. Dr. Thiele stated, per Board policy, they must remain above 3%. Ms. Ethridge advised the Board the negotiations with the DGEA were taken into account when making the projections. She noted repair and maintenance was re-categorized from capital outlay; the expense remained the same.

Dr. Thiele stated the replacement of the fieldhouse floors, which will cost between $1.1M and $1.3M, was not included in the projections. He shared there is currently $300,000 set aside for this work, it will likely be done in the next couple of years, and may be spread across two fiscal years.

6. POST ISSUANCE COMPLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT

Ms. Ethridge informed the Board the District abided by the rules and stated Raymond James filed the disclosures on the District's behalf in December.

7. PROPOSED 2025 ATHLETIC SUMMER CAMP FEES - NO CHANGE

Dr. Thiele stated the Administration is proposing no increase in Summer Athletic Camp Fees and therefore no Action is required. He advised the Board if they wished to discuss this topic further it can be added to a future agenda. Ms. Ethridge noted last year the fee structure was reconfigured and the District has received positive feedback from parents.

8. 2025 SUMMER SCHOOL AND ESY COMPENSATION RECOMMENDATION

Dr. Lang stated the proposed compensation is last year's salary plus CPI. Dr. Thiele stated this is an Action Item.

9. PROPOSED 2025 SUMMER SCHOOL AND SUMMER CALENDAR

Dr. Thiele stated the Summer calendar reflects what we have done the past 6-8 years and approval of the calendar is an Action Item.

10. 2025-2026 DISCIPLINE IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Scott Wuggazer shared Kelly Zuerner and Karen Taylor, North and South High Associate Principals, have done a lot of work with Restorative Practices in the classroom; Mustang Way and Positively North have been used to build prevention activities; bystander training has been provided to the student body; and the PATH program has been expanded at both schools.

Dr. Thiele stated the Discipline Improvement Plan is an Action Item and needs to be approved by the Board before it can be forwarded to ISBE. He noted, based on how the numbers are structured in the law, District 99 will likely be on the disproportionate discipline data list every year and the District would be doing this work anyway.

11. SCOREBOARD ADVERTISING

The Board expressed concerns that the Agreement was for five years and did not allow for termination during that five year period unless there is a breach. President Renner suggested a clause that would allow the District to terminate the contract if Scoreboard Media does not meet 75% of its projected advertising revenue. The Board requested Dr. McGuire revisit the Agreement with Scoreboard Media to discuss inclusion of a termination clause.

Dr. Thiele stated, with the consensus of the Board, that voting on the Agreement would be tabled for this evening and brought back at a later date.

12. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS

Dr. Thiele reported the District received and responded to Freedom of Information Act requests and they are posted on the District's website.

13. CONSENT AGENDA

Member Pavesich moved and Member Espinoza seconded the motion for the Board of Education to approve the Consent Agenda as presented which includes: A. Personnel Report - Leave of Absence- Classified; Appointment-Classified; B. Personnel Report - Resignation-Classified; C. Personnel Report Termination-Classified; D. December Financial Pages; E. Student Trip; F. IHSA Application for Cooperative Team Sponsorship - Boys Gymnastics; G. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR); and H. Review of Closed Session Minutes and Verbatim Recordings.

Upon the Secretary's roll call, Members Pavesich, Espinoza, Hagstrom, Casten, Dawson and Renner voted AYE. The President declared the motion carried.

14. APPROVAL OF 2025 SUMMER SCHOOL AND ESY COMPENSATION RECOMMENDATION

Member Espinoza moved and Member Dawson seconded the motion for the Board of Education to approve the 2025 Summer School and ESY compensation recommendation as presented.

Upon the Secretary's roll call, Members Espinoza, Dawson Hagstrom, Pavesich, Casten and Renner voted AYE. The President declared the motion carried.

15. APPROVAL OF PROPOSED 2025 SUMMER SCHOOL AND SUMMER CALENDAR

Member Pavesich moved and Member Hagstrom seconded the motion for the Board of Education to approve the proposed 2025 Summer School and Summer calendar as presented.

Upon the Secretary's roll call, Members Pavesich, Hagstrom, Casten, Dawson, Espinoza and Renner voted AYE. The President declared the motion carried.

16. APPROVAL OF 2025-2026 DISCIPLINE IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Member Dawson moved and Member Espinoza seconded the motion for the Board of Education to approve the 2025-2026 Discipline Improvement Plan as presented.

Upon the Secretary's roll call, Members Dawson, Espinoza, Hagstrom, Pavesich, Casten and Renner voted AYE. The President declared the motion carried.

17. APPROVAL OF MEDIA LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH SCOREBOARD MEDIA

This item was tabled. No motion was made.

18. OLD BUSINESS

None.

19. NEW BUSINESS - POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT - FIRST READING OF POLICIES

The Policy Committee brought the following policies forward for First Reading. Dr. Thiele stated the policies were reviewed by the Policy Committee and they will be brought forward next month for approval. He noted the Policy Committee also reviewed some polices that had not been reviewed in a long time and no changes to those policies were recommended. Dr. Thiele asked that anyone with questions or concerns reach out to either himself or the members of the Policy Committee, President Renner and Member Espinoza.

2.105, Ethics and Gift Ban

2.110, Qualifications, Term, and Duties of Board Officers

2.120, Board Member Development

4.30, Revenue and Investments

4.60, Purchases and Contracts

4.150, Facility Management and Building

4.170, Safety

5.10, Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment

5.20, Workplace Harassment Prohibited

5.90, Abused and Neglected Child Reporting

5.120, Employee Ethics; Code of Professional Conduct; and Conflict of Interest

5.125, Personal Technology and Social Media; Usage and Conduct

5.230, Maintaining Student Discipline

6.60, Curriculum Content

6.135, Accelerated Placement Program

7.10, Equal Educational Opportunities

7.100, Health, Eye, and Dental Examinations; Immunizations; and Exclusion of Students

7.180, Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment

7.200, Suspension Procedures

8.10, Connection with the Community

20. RECEPTION OF VISITORS – PUBLIC COMMENT

Shaunessy Ashdown thanked the Board for their service to the community. He expressed concern for LGBTQ students, noting calls to the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide hotline, have increased 700% since the inauguration. He also shared concerns about the traumatic effect of ICE raids on schools and the possible decrease in special education funding.

The Board thanked Mr. Ashdown for his comments.

21. REPORT ON LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION NETWORK OF DUPAGE (LEND)

Member Hagstrom reported on several pieces of legislation, including: credentialing of teachers to teach dual credit courses, polling place legislation, parents recording IEP meetings, making Election Day an Illinois holiday, and participation by special education students in activities and athletics until they age out.

22. REPORT ON SCHOOL ASSOCIATION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION IN DUPAGE COUNTY (SASED)

No report.

23. REPORT ON DISTRICT 99 EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Member Pavesich reported the Foundation is considering donating the money in the Mark McDonald fund to Mooseheart; they are working on their calendar; and they need assistance with their website.

24. REPORT ON ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS (IASB)

Member Dawson reminded the Board about the upcoming IASB DuPage Division meeting on March 5 at Addison Trail which will focus on preparing students for a changing economy. He advised Board members to let Secretary Gniadek know if they plan on attending.

25. REPORT ON DOWNERS GROVE PLAN COMMISSION

No report.

26. UPCOMING BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS

President Renner announced the following meeting dates:

February 3, 2025

February 24, 2025

27. CLOSED SESSION

Workshop Meeting - 6:30 p.m. - ASC

Regular Business Meeting - 6:30 p.m. - ASC

Member Espinoza moved and Member Dawson seconded the motion that the meeting be adjourned to Closed Session for the purpose of discussing collective negotiating matters between the District and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2); and the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific individuals who serve as independent contractors in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or specific volunteers of the District or legal counsel for the District, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, a specific individual who serves as an independent contractor in a park, recreational, or educational setting, or a volunteer of the District or against legal counsel for the District to determine its validity. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1).

Upon the Secretary's roll call, Members Espinoza, Dawson, Hagstrom, Pavesich, Casten and Renner voted AYE. The President declared the motion carried.

President Renner stated the only Action the Board will be taking when it comes out of Closed Session is to Adjourn.

The meeting adjourned to Closed Session at 7:25 p.m.

28. RECONVENE TO REGULAR SESSION

Upon the Secretary's roll call, the following Board members answered present: Don Renner, President; Terry Pavesich, Vice President; and Members Kara Casten, Ken Dawson, Christopher Espinoza and Jennie Hagstrom. Member Sherell Fuller was absent.

Also present were Hank Thiele, Superintendent, and Juli Gniadek, Secretary.

29. ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business or discussion, Member Pavesich moved and Member Espinoza seconded the motion that the meeting be adjourned. Upon the unanimous voice vote of the six members in attendance, the President declared the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

https://www.csd99.org/boe/past-meeting-minutes