West Central Reporter

Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 Board of Education met Dec. 17.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

A regular meeting, of the Board of Education in Calhoun Community Unit School District #40, consisting of Calhoun and portions of Greene Counties, Illinois was called to order by Board President Luke Fraley, Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. in the Calhoun Elementary School Library.

Upon roll being called the following board members were present: Luke Fraley, Amanda Gress, Hannah Nelson, Nate Sagez. Jackie Baalman, Adam Gerson and Angie Tepen was absent.

Others in attendance were: Meghan Klunk, Lori Young, Christie Lorsbach and Jean Heil. Cheri Burris arrived at 5:45 p.m.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education approves the Truth in Taxation Hearing agenda.

Board Polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

Hearing of Truth in Taxation was held at 5:35pm.

The District is below the 5% threshold for a hearing, however, to support District transparency we are reporting the Proposed Property Tax Increase.

The total property taxes extended or abated for 2023 were $3,586,545.12 (last year).

The estimated total property taxes to be levied for 2024 are $3,748,941. This represents a 4.53% increase over the previous year.

Review Proposed Levy Worksheet & Tax Levy Certificate.

Review Cash Reserve Balances - No Fund Balance Reduction Plan will be needed for the district.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education adjourns the hearing and return to the regular meeting.

Board Polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Nate Sagez that the Board of Education approves the agenda inclusive of:

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call of Members

III. Pledge of Allegiance

IV. Truth in Taxation Hearing

V. Approve Agenda

VI. Recognition of Visitors, Guests & Public Comments

- To preserve sufficient time for the Board to conduct its business, it is our public policy that each individual may speak for a maximum of 5 minutes unless prior arrangements have been made to speak longer.

VII. Consent Items

a. Adoption of Consent Agenda

b. Previous Board Minutes

i. Regular Meeting – November 19, 2024

c. Expenditures

d. Financial Reports

e. Activity Accounts Report

f. Transportation Report

VIII. Committee and Administrative Reports

a. Calhoun Elementary School

b. Calhoun High School

c. Athletic Director

d. District Services/Maintenance Report

e. Superintendent

IX. Second & Final Reading Press Policy Update 117

a. 2:105 Ethics & Gift Ban

b. 2:120 Board Member Development

c. 4:30 Revenue & Investments

d. 4:60 Purchases & Contracts

e. 4:150 Facility Management & Building Programs

f. 4:170 Safety

g. 5:10 Equal Employment Opportunity & Minority Recruitment

h. 5:20 Workplace Harassment Prohibited

i. 5:90 Abused & Neglected Child Reporting

j. 5:120 Employee Ethics; Code of Professional Conduct; & Conflict of Interest

k. 5:125 Personal Technology & Social Media; Usage & Conduct

l. 5:230 Maintaining Student Discipline

m. 6:60 Curriculum Content

n. 6:135 Accelerated Placement Program

o. 6:270 Guidance & Counseling Program

p. 7:10 Equal Educational Opportunities

q. 7:100 Health, Eye & Dental Examinations; Immunizations; & Exclusion of Students

r. 7:200 Suspension Procedures

s. 8:10 Connection with the Community

X. Action Items Prior to Executive Session

a. Consider Approval of

i. Calhoun CUSD #40 Risk Management Plan FY 2025

ii. Bond Fund Abatement: “Resolution (i) transferring funds from the school facility occupation tax fund to the bond and interest fund and (ii) abating the tax heretofore levied for the year 2024 to pay debt service on General Obligation School Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2024A, of the District.”

iii. Interfund Transfer

iv. Adopt Tax Levy

v. FFA Land Lab Rental

XI. Executive Session – For the purpose of discussion regarding the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employee(s); legal counsel, collective negotiating matters or deliberations; board vacancies; evidence or testimony presented in a hearing where authorized by law; purchase or lease of real property; sale or purchase of securities, investments or investment contracts; security procedures; student disciplinary cases or any matter involving an individual student; litigation; self-evaluation, practices and procedures, or professional ethics; minutes of meetings lawfully closed; internal control weaknesses, potential fraud risk areas; establishment of reserves, settlement or discussion of claims, loss or risk management information, records, data, advice or communications from or with respect to any insurer of the District. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)

XII. Action Items Following Executive Session

a. Consider Approving Personnel Recommendations

i. Substitute Teacher

ii. Maternity Leave

iii. Medical Leave

XIII. Other Business

XIV. Communication and Announcements

a. December 18 – Elementary Christmas Program

b. December 23 – January 6 – Christmas Break

c. January 20 – No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

d. January 21 – School Board Meeting

e. Correspondence

XV. Adjourn

Board Polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the consent agenda:

XVI. Consent Items

a. Adoption of Consent Agenda

b. Previous Board Minutes

i. Regular Meeting – November 19, 2024

c. Expenditures

d. Financial Reports

e. Activity Accounts Report

f. Transportation Report

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

Principals Report:

Calhoun Elementary School Principal Jean Heil Report

Congratulations to our November’s Student and Staff of the Month (Teamwork): Nathan Derham, Michelle Webster, Amber Nienke, Lexi Cramsey, Calvin W., Elle C., Sawyer F., Rylan S., Scarlett W., Maverick K., Dakota R., Harper W., Avery B., Alyssa C., Riggs. W., Ruby H., Allison H., Ruthie K.

December’s character trait is “Responsibility.” We will recognize those students and staff of the month the first week back after break.

Beginning next semester, our 5th - 8th graders will begin Lead worthy courses. Lead worthy is a curriculum through Capturing Kids Hearts that will help students learn to develop a healthy self-concept, healthy relationships, and a sense of personal responsibility; understand emotional intelligence and the skills it measures, including self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation, and social skills; understand how to manage and positively channel the power of social media; develop an understanding of principle-based decision making; become better family members and citizens and develop leadership skills

Technology issues are being addressed for the most part. We are still in need of having someone in the district regularly to be able to answer questions and resolve issues in real time. Also, we are in a place where we have no spare/extra Chromebooks for students (when one stops working or is broken). We are a 1:1 building K-8, and students use technology every day.

Pam Friedel and I have developed custodial checklists that are being implemented with both our custodians. We are hopeful that this will help with communication, expectations and that things will be more consistent. Thank you to Lance Sibley for getting the “broken table graveyard” emptied and cleaned right before Thanksgiving! It looks much better back there!

3rd and 4th grades attended the Alton Symphony Orchestra’s Children’s Concert on Wednesday, December 11th. They had a wonderful time and we appreciate the PTO for providing them with a pizza lunch on their return!

Students have been practicing hard for our Holiday Program tomorrow night, Wednesday, December 18th, at 6:00 pm in the gym! Please come and enjoy!

Calhoun High School Principal Christie Lorsbach Report

November Student of the Month and Warrior Way awards were given out on Nov. 26th, congratulations to all students (pictures below).

Great job to the HS Band Club on playing in the Holiday Concert this past Sunday, Dec. 8, in Kampsville. The students sounded great and were accompanied by Alumni, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Heberling. Thanks to everyone for your hard work.

The girls’ and boys’ basketball teams are both off to a strong start to their seasons. Keep up the great work! The gym floor will be scrubbed over break to make improvements, as both teams have let us know the floor seems very slick.

The custodial team plans to tackle the HS restrooms over break. They plan to deep clean and reseal the floors. The finals schedule has been set, communicated to families, and given to students. We will use Friday, Dec. 20th as a make-up day for any students that missed finals throughout the week.

The week of finals, we will also have dress up days for staff and students, please see below. Monmouth College has visited CHS interested in looking at Conner Longnecker, Patrick Friedel and Luke Brannan. McKendree College has also had a visit with Conner.

The Illinois State Scholars selected from CHS were Kate Zipprich, Anna Oswald, Audrey Gilman, and Abby McCasland. We are waiting for their certificates to arrive in order to recognize the students on the social media outlets and website.

Kate Zipprich was selected as the MVP of the State 1A Volleyball Tournament and Lacey Pohlman was selected to the All-Tournament Team. Joy Hurley and Lacey Pohlman had their signing day and committed to SWIC to play volleyball. Congratulations ladies!

Field trips have been scheduled for any Junior or Senior who is interested in attending Lewis & Clark Community College on January 28th, Blackburn College on February 4th, and SWIC on March 4.

Superintendents Report: Mrs. Young informed the board that the write in candidate deadline for the 1 open position with the school board is January 31, 2025. The District received a FOIA request from the Alton Telegraph, requesting a copy of the Superintendent’s contract. A CD at the Bank of Calhoun is maturing, a meeting with Chris Simon from Bank of Calhoun is Thursday, 12.19.24 to discuss. The handicap van is back in use after the deer collision. The white maintenance truck is back from having work done on it. There will be a catered lunch for all staff on 12.19.24.

District Services/Maintenance Report: I had GRP here earlier in the month with the roofing company that put the new roof on the high school. We had a couple leaks in the cafeteria where the roofing met the new gym panels. They were able to find and repair all the leaks, I’ve also been working with them trying to get the high school gym units hooked to the computer system. The units are locked on a set temperature and operating properly but I can’t adjust the temps or log into the units at this time. They are waiting on a special wiring harness from Lennox to complete the setup. They keep saying they have shipped but we haven’t received them. Hopefully they will be here soon. The new refrigerator came in for the grade school and has been installed. One of the original units in the kitchen went out and was going to cost more to repair than a new one. Janitor projects are also being lined up for the holiday break.

Transportation this month has been very busy with both girls’ and boys’ basketball seasons starting. There’s also several trips going out this month for the holidays. Buses are all due to be state inspected this month as well. Our handicap van is supposed to be finished up today from the deer collision. The van routes have been pretty hectic for the last few weeks while the van has been in the shop.

Athletic Report:

Volleyball: 31 players, 6 from Brussels

Football: 42 players, 1 from Brussels

Volleyball won the IHSA State Championship!!

Football made it to quarterfinals before being defeated by Camp Point. The Football Awards is scheduled for Dec. 19th.

Volleyball Awards date has yet to be determined.

With our current Hudl “standard package” it will no longer connect to YouTube for streaming. However, we have shared where fans can go to see Calhoun Live streams through Hudl: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/il/hardin/organization/14007/calhoun-high-school

You can also download an app on your phone or your smart TV for this. Those teams that use Hudl have the opportunity to make money from local businesses to help pay for Hudl. With your permission, they can charge local businesses to advertise on Hudl. Currently on Hudl is a picture of the Girls Volleyball team. This is where the advertisement would show up, for whatever specified time/cost.

If approved, we would need to decide how much to charge and how long the advertisement would be posted. We could also start off just requesting a donation for a one-week advertisement.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education approves the 2024-2025 Risk Management Plan.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education approves a permanent fund transfer from Capital Projects (fund 60) to Operations & Maintenance (fund 20) in the amount of $50,000 for the FY24 School Maintenance Grant matching Funds.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

A motion was made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves to adopt the tax levy as presented.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the FFA Land Lab Rental as presented as Option 1.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

Executive Session:

A motion was made at 6:00 p.m. by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education enters into executive session.

The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the District or legal counsel for the District, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee or against legal counsel for the District to determine its validity. 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). 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). Student disciplinary cases. 5ILCS120/2(c)(9).

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education return to Open Session to continue meeting and take any appropriate action.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Nate Sagez, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education approves the personnel recommendations as presented for the 2024-2025 school year.

Substitute: James Schroeder, Substitute Teacher

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education approves the maternity leave for Lexi Cramsey beginning around January 3, 2025 for 12 weeks.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the medical leave for Jeannette Johnson beginning November 26, 2024 through an anticipated return to work date of December 20, 2024.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

Informational Items:

December 18 – Elementary Christmas Program

December 23 – January 6 – Christmas Break

January 20 – No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 21 – School Board Meeting

Correspondence

With no further business to discuss, a motion made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Nate Sagez that the Board of Education adjourns the meeting at 6:33pm.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent   Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes            Sagez – yes

Gerson – absent     Tepen – absent

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

https://calhoun40.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/7-December-17-2024-Regular-Meeting-and-TruthTaxation-Hearing.pdf