December 10, 2024 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Per Policy 2:230 - Public Participation at School Board Meetings and Petitions to the Board
During each regular and special open meeting of the Board, any person may comment to or ask questions of the School Board (public participation), subject to the reasonable constraints established and recorded in this policy’s guidelines below. The Board listens to comments or questions during public participation; responses to comments to or questions of the Board are most often managed through policy 3:30, Chain of Command. 
To preserve sufficient time for the Board to conduct its business, any person appearing before the Board is expected to follow these guidelines:

1. Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President. This includes following the directives of the Board President to maintain order and decorum for all.
2. Use a sign-in sheet, if requested.
3. Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, the time for any one person to address the Board during public participation shall be limited to five minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request to speak for a longer period of time, the Board President may allow a person to speak for more than five minutes. If multiple individuals wish to address the Board on the same subject, the group is encouraged to appoint a spokesperson.
4. Observe, when necessary and appropriate, the Board President’s authority to:
   • Shorten the time for each person to address the Board during public participation to conserve time and give the maximum number of people an opportunity to speak; and/or b.
   • Determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise covered in Board policy.
5. Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board policy 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property.

Petitions or written correspondence to the Board shall be presented to the Board in the next regular Board packet.

Description:  This month we kickoff the staff recognition with four winners who have been nominated by their colleagues: Lucy Fiday, Molly Maci, Cindy Navarro, and Diane Zimmerman.

Description:  We will be recognizing the KG students of the month and Chess Club members.

Description:  We have not received any requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act since the November 2024 meeting of the Board of Education.

Description:  Attached is the suspension report for Kelvin Grove and Milne Grove for the month of November 2024. 

Description:  The Committee of the Whole will meet on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 5:45 pm in the Kelvin Grove LRC.  The agenda was posted and available on the website.  If there are board members who were not in attendance at the committee meeting, an update will be provided. 

Description: 

Attached you will find a tentative list of winter break projects that have been identified by Mr. Pierson to be completed when students are not in session. Please be prepared to ask any questions you may have on the items listed.  

Description:  On Tuesday night, Dr. Wilkey will provide an update on the summer project's progress since approving the project last month.  This will include an update on the abatement bid results and some project considerations in conjunction with construction work.

Description: 

Description:  Included are documents regarding the 2024 Final Levy. The information being presented today is for the approval of the final levy.  The following forms and documents are included:
2024 Certificate of Tax Levy - This is the actual levy document that, if approved, will be submitted to the Will county clerk.
2024 Levy Resolutions - These are the resolutions and certifications for adopting the levy that are included in the submittal to the Will county clerk.  

1. Certificate of Compliance with Truth in Taxation
   1. Certificate of Publication
   2. Truth in Taxation Notice
2. Certificate of Tax Levy Ordinance

2023 Tax Extension Worksheet - This shows detailed information on estimates, comparisons to prior year’s extension, and the different levies.

Below are definitions of terms that may be helpful in the discussion:
Levy - Amount of property tax revenue requested
Extension - Amount of property tax revenue approved
EAV-Equalized Assessed Valuation. This is very close to 1/3rd of Fair Market Value of properties. New Construction - New property on the "tax rolls". This could include construction, improvements, annexations, and TIF dissolutions.
Tax Rate-Rate applied to EAV to result in extension. Tax rate = Extension/EAV
CPI - Consumer Price Index (All Urban Consumers). This is essentially the rate of inflation used.
PTELL-Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. This law caps the amount of revenue the district may receive from property taxes.
Limiting Rate - the tax rate calculated by PTELL that, in essence, caps the current year extension by the rate of inflation

A few minor reminders regarding the tax levy:

• At least 20 days before the District adopts the levy, the Board must estimate the amount of the levy. If the estimated amount is more than 105% of the amount extended for last year’s levy, the district must conduct a Truth in Taxation hearing.
• Bond and Interest is not levied by the district; this was setup when debt was incurred and the county will extend the taxes necessary.
• The requested levy needs to provide enough contingency in order to protect against incorrect estimated New Construction and potential change in existing EAV. Otherwise, loss of revenue can occur.
•  Specific fund estimates are determined based on fund balances, expenditures, and other revenues.
• Existing properties, in aggregate, are increasing at the rate of CPI (inflation), 5%.
• This does not mean that individual property taxes will increase by 5%. Each individual property tax will change based on the changes in assessed value.

Description:  Annual Statement of Affairs:

Every year we are required to publish an Annual Statement of Affairs in a local newspaper with a specified minimum circulation. The ASA must be published prior to December 1 of every year. The Excel workbook is also sent to ISBE and put on our district website.

The data included inside the ASA workbook are a compilation of information from our Annual Financial Report, Annual Audit, SDS data, and miscellaneous district data.

The ASA is on the Dec agenda for approval, but all required documentation was submitted to ISBE by the deadline.  

Contracts over $25,000:

Every year we are required to post all contracts over $25,000. The ASA requires all payments over $25,000 be documented through the ASA documentation, which we do, and then the report is posted on our district financial page.

The ASA and contracts over $25,000 will be posted on the district website once approved.

Description:  On Tuesday evening, Dr. Wilkey and Mr. Pierson will review the bids that were received and have prepared a recommendation that is attached. 

Description: 

RECOMMENDATION

Accept the donations from Mason’s Lodge of Oak Lawn in the amount of $1,000 and a donation to Best Buddies in the amount of $100.

 

BACKGROUND

The Lawn Lodge #815 of Oak Lawn, IL has donated $1,000.00 to support families in need during the holiday season and beyond. The funds will be deposited into the joint family activity account benefitting both Milne and Kelvin Grove Schools to be used at the discretion of the social workers and building principals.

In addition, we received a $100 donation from Andromeda Computing Systems in Lockport to use towards the purchase of supplies for the Best Buddies event that was held on December 2nd. 

Description: 

Recommendation: 

To adopt the updated/revised/new policies from Press Policy Issue 117, also included below, as discussed during the first reading at the November 2024 general meeting.

Description: 

RECOMMENDATION:

Approve the IPRF (Illinois Public Risk Fund) Contract for Workers’ Compensation in the amount of $28,970.
 

BACKGROUND:

The District has had a contract with the IPRF since July 2012 for workers’ compensation. To date, we have been very pleased with the service we have been provided with through IPRF. The premium cost from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 202,4 was $26,210. 

The proposal we received for January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 is $28,970. In addition, we have received a preferred loss ratio grant in the amount of $1,152.  The amounts are calculated on payroll estimates that have been submitted for all staff in the district for the upcoming year.  Given we had the requirement to raise the minimum wage to $15 by January 1, 2025, our payroll increases for the hourly employees did see a higher increase as expected over the past few years.  

It is my recommendation that the Board of Education approve the contract for workers’ compensation services through the Illinois Public Risk Fund for January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025.

Description:  The Joint Annual Conference held in Chicago in late November was a fantastic professional development opportunity for the D91 Board of Education, Superintendent, and Board Secretary who attended.  We were able to attend the opening general session where the IASA President, Dr. Brent Clark, reviewed Vision 2030.
Vision 2030 was developed through an engagement effort that included input from more than 1,000 stakeholders, including locally elected school board members, statewide—from the southern tip to northern Illinois. It also reflects input from discussions with local educators who work tirelessly inside and outside of school buildings to improve outcomes for children from all backgrounds across Illinois.
Development of the Vision 2030 blueprint was led by the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), Illinois Principals Association (IPA), Illinois Association of School Business Officials (Illinois ASBO) and Illinois Association of Regional School Superintendents (IARSS).
Vision 2030 is rooted in a shared belief that students learn best, and educators teach most effectively, when they feel safe and connected to one another and to their communities.   This is the single most important thing we can do to support both academic achievement and individual well-being—and it is something that has to be considered in our instructional approach, curriculum, student support services, and finances, so that local districts have the resources needed to ensure that our school buildings are safe.

As you can see from the one-page overview provided in our Board packet and available in hard copy here tonight, Vision 2030:
 

• Provides a roadmap to enhance K-12 public education through future-focused learning, shared accountability, and predictable funding.
• Articulates a shared commitment to putting systems and processes in place that support all school districts throughout the state in sharing what works for our kids and our communities.
• Details plans to advance policy, legislative and fiscal solutions, leverage public resources, and preserve local flexibility and leadership so that the important decisions about curriculum and finances are made closest to home.

School districts across Illinois are being asked to express support for the goals and priorities of Vision 2030 by passing a resolution at a public meeting. A copy of this resolution is attached in our Board packet.

 It is important to note that the ability to demonstrate statewide support for Vision 2020, with more than 90% of Illinois school boards passing a similar resolution, was critical to generating legislative support for the passage of the Evidence-Based Funding formula.

Vision 2020 also included enhancements to teacher recruitment policies, college and career readiness initiatives and the development of Illinois Balanced Accountability System, which establishes standards for K-12 student performance and school improvement in Illinois. These accomplishments have had a significant positive impact on both our finances and ability to more effectively support student success.