West Central Reporter

Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 Board of Education met Jan. 21.

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, January 21, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. in the Calhoun Elementary School Library.

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

Others in attendance were: LeaAnn Klaas, Lori Young, Jean Heil, Cheri Burris, Christie Lorsbach, Pam Friedel and Steven Spencer.

A motion was made by Adam Gerson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education approves the agenda inclusive of:

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call of Members

III. Pledge of Allegiance

IV. Approve Agenda

V. 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.

VI. Consent Items

a. Adoption of Consent Agenda

b. Previous Board Minutes

i. Regular Meeting – December 17, 2024

ii. Truth in Taxation Hearing – December 17, 2024

c. Expenditures

d. Financial Reports

e. Activity Accounts Report

f. Transportation Report

VII. Committee and Administrative Reports

a. Calhoun Elementary School

b. Calhoun High School

c. Athletic Director

d. District Services/Maintenance Report

e. Superintendent

VIII. Action Items Prior to Executive Session

a. Consider Approval of

i. Destruction of Minutes 18 Months & Older

ii. State High School Clay Target League Cooperative Agreement

iii. FFA Trip to Springfield

IX. 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)

X. Action Items Following Executive Session

a. Consider Approving Personnel Recommendations

i. Substitute Teacher

ii. Maternity Leave

XI. Other Business

XII. Communication and Announcements

a. February 17 – No School – President’s Day

b. February 18 – Public Hearing at 5:15 pm

c. February 18 – School Board Meeting at 5:30 pm

d. Correspondence

XIII. Adjourn

Board Polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

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

XIV. Consent Items

a. Adoption of Consent Agenda

b. Previous Board Minutes

i. Regular Meeting – December 17, 2024

ii. Truth in Taxation Hearing – December 17, 2024

c. Expenditures

d. Financial Reports

e. Activity Accounts Report

f. Transportation Report

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

Principals Report:

Calhoun Elementary School Principal Jean Heil Report

January is School Board Appreciation Month. THANK YOU to each of you for your dedication to our students and community. We are so grateful for your support and leadership! I personally want to express my gratitude for how welcoming, helpful and encouraging you have been to me as a “newbie” in the district. I am honored to get to be a Warrior alongside all of you!

Congrats to our 7th grade girls’ basketball team for winning Regionals this year!

December’s character trait was “Responsibility.” Because of the weird first week back (and only 2 days of attendance), we will recognize those students of the month on Thursday, January 30th along with our January SOTMs for “Respect.”

Shout out to our teachers and staff for all the amazing efforts they put into making our hallways so “magical” for the holiday season! Impressive!

Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring a really fun family night after our Holiday Program on December 18th. LOADS of fun was had by all!

We had about 900 people attend our Holiday Program this year. Very proud of ALL our students for their great work and efforts! It was wonderful!

Mid-year progress monitoring testing will take place K-5 January 21 - January 31 and 6-8 January 29 - January 31.

CONGRATULATIONS to our MANY 4th-8th grade students who made 2nd quarter honor roll!! (see the list below) On Thursday, January 16th, the PTO provided a treat of nachos for those students to recognize their achievements!

The PTO had a successful fundraiser event on Saturday, January 18th. We appreciate their efforts and support! Technology issues: We have moved to a place of “crisis” regarding available and functioning Chromebooks in our building 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. Also, all the 3rd - 8th grade students will be taking the state-mandated IAR assessments in March and many of our Chromebooks, while they may turn on, are so old that they are not able to handle the updates that are needed to be able to run the testing platform.

Calhoun High School Principal Christie Lorsbach Report

2nd Quarter Honor Roll: 102 students made the second quarter honor roll. That is 61% of Calhoun High School. Great work students!! Each student received a pass to get into the any home high school event from Jan. 1 – March 7th.

CKH Trait of the month is Respect – The ability to show courtesy, consideration, and appreciation for others. Congratulations to Abby McCasland, Kate Zipprich, Audrey Gilman and Anna Oswald on their achievement of being awarded the Illinois State Scholar for outstanding academic achievement.

Jan. 23 - Winter MAP Testing for all students.

FAFSA Night - for all seniors and parents – in the CHS Computer Lab @ 6pm.

Tutoring is Tuesday/Thursday after school or Wednesday morning from 7:15 - 7:45.

College visit to Lewis & Clark Community College on January 28th is open to any Junior or Senior that is interested.

Jan. 30th - The Volleyball team will be recognized in Springfield by CD Davidsmeyer for winning the State Championship at the State Capital.

Tuition bills were sent out with report cards for families that still owe fees.

Staff is working together with MAP data to identify areas of strength and also areas in need of growth. We will be looking at how to develop an action plan.

The HS leadership team met to discuss the progression of SIP goals.

The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams continue to work hard, improving their skills. Kuddos to the teams and coaches for all of their hard work. The post seasons look promising. Congratulations to the girls on placing first at the Carlinville Holiday Tournament and the boys for placing second.

A committee has been developed to discuss the needs of our outdoor field and grounds. The team met in early January to brainstorm a list of needs. We will meet again on Feb. 3rd to prioritize the list of needs. The Volleyball and Football teams have held their awards banquet. A BIG thanks to Straight Home for providing the space and delicious food to our students and families.

The Softball Team will be selling Super bowl squares if anyone is interested. Please contact any player or coach.

NHS will be selling Chicken and Dumplings on Jan. 18th, come enjoy the game and great food! Contact Mrs. Ann Gilman if you would like to place a pre-order.

Superintendents Report:

All Board Members, Superintendent, Administrators, & School Treasurer must Statement of Economic Interest forms sign and submit to City Clerk by Feb. 1.

There have been 2 FOIA requests. Angel Tormis from SteepSteel, LLCC requested on Dec. 26 copies of all active leases/licenses or management contracts for cell towers, rooftop antennas, or other wireless installations on property owned or managed by Calhoun District 40, Illinois along with 24 months of associated payment histories. Sent requested info. on Dec. 27 as this does not apply to our district. Illinois Retired Teacher Association on Jan. 15 requested names and emails of teachers retiring this year. Sent requested information on. Jan. 16. We only have two certified staff retiring at the end of this school year; Wanda Deffenbaugh & Lisa Dolan.

We posted open positions on the IASA Job Bank and on our District Website on Dec. 27. We Sent a Flyer out through our District Facebook page, District Website, and displayed the flyer on the BOE Digital Board. The following positions were posted: HS English Teacher, Music/ Band Teacher, Spanish Teacher, Dist. School Nurse, Dist. Maintenance Technician. We have gotten 3 resumes from outside the USA (Philippines) for teaching positions. From past practice working in Beardstown these are often fraudulent inquiries fishing for info. We have received 2 applications for the Dist. Nurse position, and 5 applications for the Dist. Maintenance Position. Postings will close on Feb. 7th and we will then review and set up an interview team. For the February 18th BOE Meeting we will add a brief Public Hearing at 5:15. A short Public Hearing will be conducted to switch Casimir Pulaski Day (Holiday) to a Teacher In-service Day that was missed due to Inclement Weather on January 6th.

Law Alert - Title IX Regulations (Board Policy 2:265). Regulations reverting back to 2020 Regulations. Specifically related to Title IX Complaints. Districts should not use the single investigator/ decision maker model. More information will be coming in the next PRESS Plus release.

District Services/Maintenance Report:

GRP is scheduled to be here this week to install the new wiring on the gym units at the high school to put the system on line. Parts came in a couple weeks ago but there has been too much snow on the roof to get up there. Once the wiring is installed Pointer Electric will come and hook them up and we should be complete. All the new units at the high school have been running well with no issues. I think we have all the bugs worked out. There has been minimal trouble so far with all the RTU’s at the elementary school. The furnaces have been getting a work out this month. Rod has been working on the exterior lighting at the elementary school. We had a short in the wiring outside on one of the light poles. We have got that repaired and are in the process of fixing the can lights on the front entrance of the school. Several of the new lights are out and need to be replaced. We are working with Pointer Electric to try to get them replaced under warranty. The Janitors at the elementary school got several of the hallways waxed over Christmas break. Janitors at the high school got the floors waxed in the bathrooms and a lot of touch up painting done in the high school.

Transportation this month has been very busy with all the basketball games and tournaments. Buses have all been state inspected. The buses have all been running well through the extreme cold temps. The new fuel filters seem to be working. Snow removal went pretty well through the snow storms. I had to replace the fuel pump and replace some wiring on the plow truck. It is getting in really bad shape. The frame is getting close to breaking due to rust. We need to be thinking about replacing it before next winter. We have only been using it for snow removal lately in hopes of making it through the winter. Our handicap van has been repaired and is also back in service.

Athletic Report:

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.

Trap Team request: The coaches (Scott Margherio and Chad Sievers) of the Trap Team have requested that we allow Pikeland to participate on The Trap Team. I spoke with an official from the IHSA about this. Because it is an emerging sport, the only steps that need to be taken: 1. Approval from both the Calhoun and Pikeland school board. 2. A USA Trap Team co-op form must be completed and signed (by each AD) for each Pikeland student who would like to participate. 3. Those signed forms must be kept by the coaches as proof. Adding players from another school for an emerging sport DOES NOT affect our school division/numbers for IHSA participation. I have communicated with the Pikeland AD. He will bring this information to the Pikeland board for approval as well.

The Fall coach evaluations have been completed and submitted for your approval.

A motion was made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the destruction of minutes 18 months and older.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Angie Tepen, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the Athletic Co-op between Calhoun CUSD 40, Brussels CUSD 42, St. Norbert’s School, St. Mary’s School, Pikeland CUSD 10 and Pleasant Hill CUSD 3 for the Illinois State High School Clay Target League.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion to approve the FFA Trip to the Ground Zero Conference was no longer needed as it is now not an overnight trip.

Executive Session:

A motion was made at 5:58 p.m. by Adam Gerson, seconded by Hannah Nelson 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 – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Hannah Nelson, seconded by Amanda Gress that the Board of Education return to Open Session at 6:24 p.m. to continue meeting and take any appropriate action.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Adam Gerson, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the personnel recommendations as presented for the 2024-2025 school year.

Substitute: Kassidy Prough, Substitute Teacher

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

A motion was made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Hannah Nelson that the Board of Education approves the maternity leave for Chelsie Kiel beginning around April 15, 2025 for 8-12 weeks.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

Informational Items:

February 17 – No School – President’s Day

February 18 – Public Hearing at 5:15 pm

February 18 – School Board Meeting at 5:30 pm

Correspondence

With no further business to discuss, a motion made by Amanda Gress, seconded by Adam Gerson that the Board of Education adjourns the meeting at 6:26pm.

Board polled:

Baalman – absent Nelson –yes

Fraley – yes Sagez – absent

Gerson – yes Tepen – yes

Gress – yes

Motion carried.

https://calhoun40.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/8-January-21-2025-Regular-Meeting.pdf