Individuals wishing to speak during public comment must complete the Public Comment Form and submit it to the Board Secretary prior to the start of the meeting. Members of the public may speak during this portion of the meeting. Comments are limited to five minutes. Board members will not respond to public comments or questions during "Public Comments". Should total Public Comments approach or exceed a cumulative time of 30 minutes, the Board may suspend additional Public Comments until immediately prior to the Board and Superintendent Comments portion of the agenda.
 

"Board Policy 2:230. At each regular and special open meeting, members of the public and District employees may comment to or ask questions of the School Board, subject to reasonable constraints. The individuals appearing before the Board are expected to follow these guidelines:

• Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President.
• Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, comments shall be limited to 5 minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request in advance to speak for a longer period of time, the individual may be allowed to speak for more than 5 minutes.
• Observe the Board President's decision to shorten public comment to conserve time and give the maximum number of individuals an opportunity to speak.
• Observe the Board President's decision to determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise covered in Board policy.
• Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board Policy, 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property."

"Board Policy 2:220 The President shall designate a portion of the agenda as a consent agenda for those items that usually do not require extensive discussion before Board action. Upon the request of any Board member, an item will be withdrawn from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda for independent consideration." There will be no separate vote on these items unless a Board Member so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as the first item after approval of the Consent Agenda.

Consistent with Board Policy 2:220, the Board is asked to approve meeting minutes, and, once approved, open session minutes become public.

Approval of regular personnel items as listed on the Personnel Report; Approval of Dean job description.

Policy changes were first presented to the Board on August 21.

Items for review with no changes unless noted. Attached as document "Press119 Revisions".

• 1:10 School District Legal Status
• 1:20 District Organization, Operations, and Cooperative Agreements
• 1:30 School District Philosophy
• 2:10 School District Governance
• 2:240 Board Policy Development
• 3:30 Chain of Command
• 4:50 Payment Procedures with an increase from $5,000 to $10,000
• 4:90 Student Activity and Fiduciary Funds
• 4:180 Pandemic Preparedness; Management; and Recovery
• 5:270 Employment At-Will, Compensation, and Assignment
• 7:40 Nonpublic School Students, Including Parochial and Home-Schooled Students
• 7:90 Release During School Hours
• 7:130 Student Rights and Responsibilities
• 7:325 Student Fundraising Activities
• 8:110 Public Suggestions and Concerns

2:80 Board Member Oath and Conduct with the inclusion of the following sentence "Consult the board attorney for guidance when considering any type of disciplinary action or sanction against a board member." 

Minor language revisions. Attached as document "PRESS 119 Minor language revisions."

• 2:130 Board-Superintendent Relationship
• 7:140 Search and Seizure
• 7:300 Extracurricular Athletics
• 8:80 Gifts to the District

RCS employee health insurance is through the Illinois Educators Risk Management Program (IERMP). Currently, if both spouses are employed by RCS, these employees have the option to pool their board-paid health insurance contribution to purchase family coverage. This is a cost savings to the employees and no additional cost to the district. Through this type of IGA, we are able to extend this benefit to employees whose spouses are employed by another IERMP district when both districts are in agreement. Again, this is a cost savings to the employees and no additional cost to the district. RCS has extended this opportunity to all of its employees. An IGA will be required for each employee wanting to take advantage of this benefit.

Veregy. HVAC controls and upgrades: $102,027.  Provide building automation system service and support, reporting, and emergency communications. Includes major upgrades to control system in addition to service.  The matrix of completed work and Phase 4 proposed scope of work is outlined in the contract. 

RCS is pursuing a Safe Routes to School Grant with the Village of Rantoul for improvements along Wabash Avenue at JW Eater. Passage of the Resolution is required for the grant's application. If awarded, the district's contribution to the grant is anticipated to be $35,000 for engineering and $25,000 for construction, payable in the 2026-2027 fiscal year (FY27). There is no commitment of funds at this time.

Attached is the 2023 SRTS Plan that was presented to the board in August, 2023. This attachment has been added following the September 18 meeting.

During the public forum, comments from the public should be limited to only the 2025-2026 (FY26) Budget. 

The Board may address public forum comments and discuss the 2025-2026 (FY26) Budget during that action item during the regular meeting of the board.

The next agenda item for the Board of Education is the Public Hearing concerning the intent of the Board of Education of Rantoul City Schools District 137, Champaign County, Illinois to approve the fiscal year 2026 budget.

At this time, I will open the discussion. The purpose of the hearing will be to receive public comments on the proposal to approve the fiscal year 2026 budget. The fiscal year 2026 Budget was posted for public review with notice in the News Gazette on August 15, 2025. Fund balances are available publicly as part of the agenda packet.

Are there any comments from the members of the Board of Education regarding the budget?

None.

We will now move on to written testimony. Is there any written testimony regarding the budget? 

None.

We will move on to oral testimony or any public comments concerning the budget. Is there anyone present who wishes to provide oral testimony or public comment regarding the budget?

Rita Ray stated that the board should make cuts because the budget shows a deficit.

At this time, all persons desiring to be heard have been given an opportunity to present oral and written testimony with respect to the budget.  Is there a motion to adjourn the budget amendment hearing?

The budget document for fiscal year 2026 (2025-2026) is attached for review. Notice of publication and public availability of the tentative budget was completed on August 15. The tentative budget was presented to the Board on August 21.

• 08/29/2025 Justin Wenig; Starjump; justin@getstarjump.com; Purchase Orders from January 2022 to present. Commercial FOIA.
• 09/02/2025 Jacob Long; Information Director; Public Data Research; info@publicdataresearch.org; Staff directory information. Commercial FOIA.
• 09/05/2025 Owen Wang; Chambana Sun; foia@chambanasun.com. College Board and AP Honors.
• 09/15/2025 #1 Owen Wang; Chambana Sun; foia@chambanasun.com. Teacher and principal contracts.
• 09/15/2025 #2 Owen Wang; Chambana Sun; foia@chambanasun.com. Middle school graduates and destination high school.

DeAndre Henderson, Director of Alternative Programs, was named as one of the News-Gazette's 40 Under 40.

Beyond the Boardroom: Rantoul City Schools' DeAndre Henderson. 

The Board is provided a monthly report detailing out-of-school suspensions. Due to the student record data contained in this report, this report remains confidential. 

Engagement agreement with Chapman Cutler for filing of Electronic Market Municipal Access related to bonds (legal services). $1,500.

Revised August 2025. Does not require board approval. Posted under documents section of board website.

Self-evaluation, practices and procedures or professional ethics, when meeting with a representative of a statewide association of which the public body is a member.