Fox River Grove Consolidated School District 3 Board of Education met July 24.
Here is the minutes as provided by the board:
I. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
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Board Vice President Gerry Blohm called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of
Allegiance was recited.
II. Roll Call
Members present were Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and Sara
Brubacher. Also present were Superintendent Dr. Tim Mahaffy and ARS Principal Dr. Sandy
Ozimek. Absent were Board members, Devin Bright and Laura Byrd and MS Principal Eric
Runck.
III. Welcome to Visitors, Guests, Comments & Questions
Audience members – ARS teachers, Mrs. Paulette Nichols and Ms. Kim Scherzer and MS teacher,
Mrs. Jessica McKenzie – were welcomed to the meeting.
No one signed in to address the Board.
IV. Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Kristine Hester to approve the consent agenda, approve and open to the
public the regular minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of June 19, 2017 and approve the closed
minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of June 19, 2017, approve the June, 2017 Treasurer’s Report
and approve the bills and payroll from June 17, 2017 through July 21, 2017. Steve Pickering
seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering,
Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher and Gerry Blohm. Voting nay – None. Motion approved.
V. Request for Records Under the Freedom of Information Act
None.
VI. Old Business
Class Size Update – Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the Class Size sheet with the revision that was approved
in January as well as the current Class Size sheet.
Enrollment has not changed. We have gone from 48 students in Kindergarten in April down to 46
and now has leveled off at 44 students since the June and July meetings. We do not currently
know of any more Kindergarten students coming.
Mr. Blohm stated that if we remain at three sections there would be 14.67 students per section or
with going to two sections there would be 22 students per section with a full time aide. This full
time regular education aide worked in Kindergarten last year and will be recalled for this year.
Additional aide support would be added from other aides at ARS when needed. Some students
will be pulled out for resource minutes either for literacy or math or both. Any special needs
students have their support system already mandated in their IEP. Last year’s Kindergarten class
was at 41. We are adding three more students with a full time aide.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that if Kindergarten remains at three sections, there would not be an aide and
the recalled aide would then be transferred to the Middle School. A teacher would need to be
hired if the Board chooses to keep Kindergarten in three sections.
Mr. Blohm feels that two professional teachers and an experienced aide could more than handle
44 students. Since the financial status of the District with the State is still a big question mark with
the Governor, he feels this is a hard time to spend extra money for a teacher that we may not
necessarily need based upon the support system that has already been designed and expected to be
in place.
There are no potential retirements in the future at this time.
Mrs. Hester stated that her concern would be that if the District hires someone for the 3rd section
at Kindergarten, there would be a great possibility that this teacher would only be hired for one
year.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that the Grade Level Recommendation Guide established years ago would need
to be reviewed as well. The Board has not reviewed this guide in years – it was simply a guideline
and is not policy. It was created when the District was in a financial crisis. However, the Board
must remain fiscally responsible when deciding on class size.
VII. New Business
Dr. Mahaffy recommended moving from 20.5 sections down to 19.5 sections for the 2017-2018
school year due to the decreased amount of anticipated kindergarten students.
A motion to approve changing the K-8 grade level sections from 20.5 to 19.5 for the 2017-2018
school year with moving Kindergarten from three sections to two sections was made by Tom
Mollet and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Tom Mollet,
Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester and Steve Pickering. Voting nay – none. Motion
approved.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that since the motion was approved to go to two sections for Kindergarten, a
motion will now be needed to approve a full time teacher aide. This will allow the Board under
Executive Session to discuss the recall of an aide who was RIF’d (Reduction in Force) at the end
of the FY17 school year.
A motion to approve a full time teacher aide for Kindergarten for the 2017-2018 school year was
made by Kristine Hester and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye
– Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering and Tom Mollet. Voting nay –
none. Motion approved.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that the District has been searching for a school psychologist for quite some
time. In the interim we were working with our current psychologist from last year in developing
a Director of Special Education job description. Since both our special needs coordinator and
psychologist were leaving the District, this gave an opportunity to reorganize our special education
leadership. The Board hired its first Director of Special Education in the history of the District.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that this was the correct move but now we are still lacking a .6 FTE of a school
psychologist. We have received zero applications for this position. The only recourse was to seek
out a third party staffing service. You are still allowed to interview that person to make sure they
are a good fit. Ms. Sharon Bender through Accountable School Staffing was interviewed. She
had a fantastic interview and had great recommendations from other schools. She will be at ARS
two days per week and one day at the MS per week depending on need. Anything that was
directorship related will now be handled by Mrs. Heather Trom, our Director of Special Education.
This psychologist will be only handling testing and assessment for the PPS team. She will report
to the Director of Special Education and the Administration.
A motion to approve the contract with Accountable School Staffing for 2017-2018 for a .6 FTE
School Psychologist was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Sara Brubacher. A roll call
vote was taken. Voting aye – Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and
Sara Brubacher. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
A motion to approve the 2017-2018 grocery pricing with Fox River Foods was made by Tom
Mollet and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Kristine Hester,
Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher and Gerry Blohm. Voting nay – none. Motion
approved.
A motion to approve the 2017-2018 bread pricing with Alpha Baking was made by Steve Pickering
and seconded by Sara Brubacher. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Steve Pickering, Tom
Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm and Kristine Hester. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that all districts in Illinois were required to create a new Title I plan in order to
secure Federal funding. Once the plan is approved with tonight’s date, it can be submitted but the
grant cannot be written. The Federal funds have not been appropriated so the portal is not open.
This grant money over the past few years has been used to pay for the Title I aide and her benefits.
Dr. Mahaffy briefly reviewed the Title I plan. Some changes come out of the Joint Advisory
Committee meeting and other items are what we already do and have always done. The District
has a targeted program at the K-4 elementary building. It consists of 1.5 additional reading
specialists and 1 full time reading room instructional aide. The District offers a full compliment
of professional development for teachers and support staff. District 3 hires all instructional staff
(teachers and program teacher aides) at a high level for success. Dr. Mahaffy stated that priority
for good instruction is not compromised for non-core curricular programs such as those that service
low-income and/or minority students. Students who are eligible for a free or reduced lunch under
the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act are watched closely to make sure they are not
falling through the cracks in their reading experience because of low income and not being able to
access additional services. The District must also look at the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act. Any students identified as homeless are monitored in the same manner as a student
identified to receive Title I services. The elementary Title I team, composed of the Title I teachers,
school social worker, elementary principal, special education director and classroom teachers
review the academic achievement data of our identified students on a regular basis. Dr. Mahaffy
furtherstated that District 3 has Board Policy (7:20) approved to mitigate the bullying, intimidation
and harassment of any students. This includes inappropriate behavior targeted at students based
on their race or ethnicity, economic disadvantaged situation, disabilities, language acquisition,
gender or migrant status. District 3 also monitors the academic achievement of all students which
includes our gifted and talented students. The District also budgets to have both printed and digital
reading materials in the libraries and this includes funds for Accelerated Reader. District 3 also
has a full compliment of special/rotational courses (music, art, band, jazz band, etc.) in all grades
kindergarten through 8th grade. Dr. Mahaffy stated that this initial plan was developed through
input from all stakeholders at the Joint Advisory Committee meeting held on April 11, 2017. The
plan was submitted on July 13, 2017 and will again be reviewed in the spring of 2018 for any
recommended changes through our Joint Advisory Committee.
A motion to approve the 2017-2018 Title I Plan was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by
Sara Brubacher. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry
Blohm, Kristine Hester and Steve Pickering. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
VIII. Policy
A motion to approve the first reading of the following new or revised policies: 2:100 – Board
Member Conflict of Interest, 3:70 – Succession of Authority, 4:15 – Identity Protection, 5:120 –
Employee Ethics; Conduct; and Conflict of Interest, 5:230 – Maintaining Student Discipline and
7:100 – Health, Eye, and Dental Examinations; Immunizations; and Exclusion of Students – was
made by Kristine Hester and seconded by Sara Brubacher. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye
– Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering and Tom Mollet. Voting nay –
none. Motion approved.
IX. Administrative Report
Board Dashboard – Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the monthly Board Dashboard that was included in the
Board packets. Upcoming agenda items for August include the FY17 End of Year Report and
the Tentative Budget. In September, the final budget will be presented to the Board. The CPI-U
is currently trending at 1.9%. It finalized at 2.1% in December of last year. Dr. Mahaffy stated
that K-4 ELA and 8th Spanish is listed for curriculum development/adoption for FY18 and 5-8
ELA for FY19. Curriculum development/adoption for FY 20 includes K-8 Social Studies and K-
4 Math (end of digital contract for FY19) and 5-8 Math (end of digital contract for FY20) for
FY21. Building tours for Board members are scheduled for Monday August 21st before the Board
meeting. New lighting is being installed at both buildings. Our energy cost on this lighting is 70%
of what it would be with the previous lighting. The new floor in the gym at ARS should be
completed by the end of the week. More information on the lead testing in the near future.
Board Vice President Gerry Blohm has been the representative for the SEDOM Governing Board
for many years. They hold two meetings per year.
A motion to approve Gerry Blohm as the SEDOM Governing Board Representative with Kristine
Hester as the alternate was made by Tom Mollet and seconded by Sara Brubacher. A roll call vote
was taken. Voting aye – Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and Sara
Brubacher. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
Building Principal Input – None.
Dr. Mahaffy reported with Mrs. McKenzie that the summer math bridge program went very well.
The students worked hard. The program was held from noon to 4:00 p.m. each day in June. All
students passed this math bridge program.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that the District did offer some summer tutoring for special education students
on an as needed basis. This is the first year we conducted a special education summer school
program that was not ECE for years. The program went well. Ms. Scherzer suggested making the
program available to more students who qualify in the future.
X. Committee Reports -- None.
XI. Announcements, Notices and Communications – None.
XII. Executive Session
A motion to adjourn from the regular session of July 24, 2017 to the executive session at 8:01 p.m.
to discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of
specific employees of the District and to conduct the semi-annual review of lawfully closed
minutes was made by Gerry Blohm and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken.
Voting aye – Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher and Gerry Blohm.
Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
XIV. Action Following Executive Session
A motion to return from executive session to open session of July 24, 2017 at 8:21 p.m. was made
by Tom Mollet and seconded by Kristine Hester. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Tom
Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester and Steve Pickering. Voting nay – none.
Motion approved.
A motion to approve the employment of Glenda Marshall as Middle School Custodian for the
2017-2018 school year was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Tom Mollet. A roll call
vote was taken. Voting aye – Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering and
Tom Mollet. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
A motion to approve the resignation of Teacher Aide Savanna Cowles effective immediately was
made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Kristine Hester. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye
– Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and Sara Brubacher. Voting nay.
None. Motion approved.
A motion to approve the recall of Teacher Aide Caren Heick for the 2017-2018 school year was
made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Tom Mollet. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye –
Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher and Gerry Blohm. Voting nay –
none. Motion approved.
A motion to keep the Executive Session Minutes of the Regular Board of Education Meetings of
January 23, 2017, February 27, 2017, March 20, 2017, April 17, 2017, May 15, 2017 and Special
Board Meeting of May 30, 2017 closed due to their confidential nature was made by Kristine
Hester and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Steve Pickering,
Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, and Kristine Hester. Voting nay – none. Motion
approved.
A motion to approve the Superintendent and Business Manager Goals for the 2017-2018 school
year was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Tom Mollet. A roll call vote was taken.
Voting aye – Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Kristine Hester and Steve Pickering.
Voting nay – none. Motion approved.
XV. Adjournment
A motion to adjourn the meeting of July 24, 2017 at 8:22 p.m. was made by Steve Pickering and
seconded by Kristine Hester. A voice vote was taken. Voting aye – All ayes. Voting nay – None.
Motion approved.
https://www.dist3.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=651&dataid=646&FileName=BOARDMIN-7-24-17.pdf
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