Description:  Minutes of regular meeting held March 18, 2021
April Bills Payable
March Treasurer's Report
Destruction of closed meeting audio recording from October 17, 2019
Quarterly list of authorized depositories, investment managers, dealers, and brokers

Description:  Seagar Johnson will be in attendance so that we may recognize his accomplishments in being selected April Student of the Month.
 

Description:  The Equity Committee and Student Voices United have jointly developed an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement for the Board of Education to consider.  The statement reflects best practice and ISBE guidance to improve equity in schools.  Committee members will be in attendance to provide some background on development of the proposed statement and answer any questions you may have.  Both groups are very excited to bring this equity work to life in the GCHS community.
 

Description:  The 2020/21 school year has certainly been unlike any other.  There are hopeful signs that we may be returning to a more "normal" school for next year, which we are very excited for.  We are eagerly awaiting updated planning guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education for next year, which we are told will be released any day.  Aside from that guidance, we have identified four primary areas of focus for both summer and fall planning:

• Attendance - identify students that were not successful this school year and promote attendance and participation in summer school through the use of proactive attendance supports.  Plans will be developed for next year for students that outreach is not successful for, including increased engagement strategies.
• Social and Emotional Learning - this has been a trying year for both students and adults.  A strong emphasis will be placed on social and emotional learning for both, with the intention that social and emotional growth will enhance learning efforts and strengthen our school community.  The District’s DMGroup Guiding Coalition will resume meetings early this summer with plans to incorporate elements of social-emotional learning into the curriculum in a manner that will provide supports for all students.
• Academic - no doubt the pandemic has had an impact on learning.  Efforts will be focused on continuing to design curriculum that prioritizes instruction on the most critical standards and skills necessary to excel at subsequent grades and content levels.  Some of that curriculum work is taking place now for remedial summer school courses and will begin in earnest this summer for 21/22 courses.
• Communication - must be proactive and include all stakeholders.  While the timeline is short, we want to communicate the importance of summer school credit recovery opportunities and strongly encourage student participation.  Our school community also needs to have a clear understanding of our focus for 21/22, as it is not our typical approach to a school year.         

Description:  Even in a mostly remote manner, the following clubs were able to complete a successful pilot this school year:
 

• American Sign Language
• Anime
• Canine Connections
• E-Sports
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Special Olympics

The administration is recommending to establish all of these as official clubs for 2021/22.  The sponsors of each club will be compensated at 5% of the "Coaches and Extracurricular Salary Schedule" rate and meet established guidelines for minimum student participation and minimum number of student meetings/events.  Recommend approval of the above clubs as presented.
 

Description:  As the school year continues to wind down, we have made every effort to celebrate our graduating seniors.  This spring, we completed delivery of two different care packages, senior yard signs, personalized postcards, and a variety of senior recognition activities.  By the time of this meeting, the senior drive-in at the McHenry movie theatre will be complete and the Senior ABC Countdown will be well underway.  Upcoming is the Senior Soiree and Backyard Bash on May 7 and 8, a senior parade on May 22 and two graduation ceremonies taking place on May 23.  There is a private photo opportunity available after the graduation ceremonies for those uncomfortable participating in the graduation festivities.  While we know it has been a difficult year for these students, we are hopeful these recognition activities have helped to make their senior year special! 
 

Description:  As part of our commitment to maintain a safe learning environment, we expanded our testing capabilities with the SHIELD Illinois Rapid rtPCR test.  Testing began on April 15 and will be phased in, beginning with tests conducted two days per week.  The saliva-based test is quick, non-invasive, includes simply providing a drool sample in a vial, and has a high rate of accuracy (sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 99%).    

Testing may be utilized to conduct random surveillance to validate risk mitigation efforts, when a student or staff member presents with COVID-19 symptoms at school, or when they may have been exposed to a potentially infected individual.  Additionally, as the local and state health departments have expressed concern regarding outbreaks among extracurricular programs, we have scheduled programs for testing on a rotational basis.  A CLIA approved laboratory will determine results within 4 to 24 hours of receiving the saliva sample and those results will be communicated to parents/staff by a Contact Tracing Team member.  Finally, the Illinois State Board of Education released great news last week in that SHIELD testing will be provided free of charge for Tier 1 and Tier 2 schools! 
 

Description:  Recommend that the Board approve membership in the Illinois High School Association for the 2021/22 school term.  In renewing our membership, we are certifying that we are recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education, we will adopt and abide by the Constitution, By-laws, Terms and Conditions, and Administrative Procedures, Guidelines, and Policies of the Association. 

Additionally, the IHSA is implementing an annual membership assessment over the course of the 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 school years in accordance with a newly approved IHSA Recovery Plan.  I’ve attached details for your review.   
 

Description:  The pandemic and a very atypical school year prevented a number of eligible employees from utilizing all of their vacation days. Current contractual and handbook language requires certain categories of employees to utilize their vacation days in the fiscal year in which they were provided. In order to fairly allow employees to utilize these days, I am recommending the Board of Education permit the carryover of a maximum of ten (10) 2020-21 unused vacation days through June 30, 2022. Staff will be encouraged to be flexible and coordinate these dates with the administration to ensure we have adequate staffing in the building at all times. Recommend the carryover of 2020-21 unused vacation days up to a maximum of 10 through June 30, 2022 for eligible employees.
 

Description:  There are hundreds of bills being considered this legislative session.  I have shared with you the IASA Capitol Watch, highlighting several of those.  The bills cover a broad spectrum and range from consolidation to safety to instruction.  There are currently 24 curriculum mandates under consideration!  I will provide a brief update on where we are at as of our Board meeting date and keep a close eye on proposed legislation as it develops.   
 

Description:  School Board Policy 3:70 requires the Board of Education be informed of the district succession plan.  Provided is a succession plan for the 2021/22 school year.  
 

Description:  Recommend the employment of the following individuals:

• Andrea Weaver, Full-time English Teacher, MA Step 0, 2021/22 school year
• Katelyn Kauth, Registrar, salary $37,000, starting May 3, 2021
• Allison Wetter, Swing Shift Custodian 11:00am-7:30pm, $13.75/hr., starting April 26, 2021
• Ryan Frank, Assistant Coach, Lacrosse, summer season
• Alex Sullivan, Assistant Coach, Boys’ Volleyball
• Michael Anderson, Science Club Sponsor

Recommend accepting resignation letters from the following individuals:

• Diane Chlebicki, Registrar, effective March 19, 2021
• Kyle Kujala, Science Club, effective immediately
• Carrie Stump. Gamers Club, effective immediately
• Garrett Olsen, Boys’ Freshmen Basketball Head Coach

Notification of the following FMLA requests:

• Charles Cashmore, Custodian, June 7 through July 5, 2021
• Kevin Hanik, Head of Security, April 1 through May 24 (intermittent)
• Chris Robinson, Social Studies Teacher, May 11 through May 18
• Kim Schmidt, Transportation, May 3 through May 24

Description: 

The Principal’s Report is included in your packet.

Description:  2021/22 Budget is under construction.  We are continuing to monitor what is happening with COVID-19.  Additionally, we should have renewal rates for health insurance next month, so I plan to bring the tentative budget to you next month for display.
 

Description:  Just a reminder that the 2020/21 Amended Budget is on display right now.  Next month, it will be on the agenda for approval.
 

Description:  The state multiplier from the Illinois Department of Revenue is 1.00 for tax year 2020.  This equalizer is then applied to our equalized assessed value (EAV) resulting in a total EAV of $951,966,797.  This is an increase of $24,409,747 from 2019.  The EAV increased 2.56% from last year.  As a result, the tax rate is 2.363240.  The consumer price index for this tax cycle was 2.3%.  Approximately, $397,855.48 had to be cut to comply with the tax cap limitation.  A copy of the detailed cap adjustments is attached, as well as a comparison of Grant High School’s tax rate to other high school district’s in Lake County.
 

Description:  For the last six years, as members of the Intergovernmental Utilities Purchasing Cooperative (IUPC), the District has participated in a demand response program. This past August, we had to curtail electricity as part of the program.  We were able to curtail a significant amount of energy, and went over the maximum amount that they wanted us to hit.  We have received a total of $19,651.23 this fiscal year to date, with an anticipated $5,000 still to be paid.  We are using this money towards upgrading the sound system in the stadium.
 

Description:  Last month, we discussed with you the increased number of students who may need credit recovery summer school due to difficulties with blended/remote learning.  We are recommending adding buses to our normal Summer Academy transportation routes to increase opportunities for students to access the summer school offerings.  Recommend approval of the Summer School Transportation Recommendation as presented.