McHenry Times

Fox River Grove School District 3 Board met Dec. 12.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

I. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Board President Devin Bright called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

II. ROLL CALL

Members present were Laura Byrd, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm and Devin Bright. Absent was Board member Kristine Hester. Also present were Superintendent Dr. Tim Mahaffy and Principals Dr. Sandy Ozimek and Mrs. Jessica McKenzie and Director of Special Education, Mrs. Heather Trom.

III. WELCOME TO VISITORS, GUESTS, COMMENTS & QUESTIONS

Audience members, including Mrs. Sara Erdmann and Mr. Bob Riley of Robbins-Schwartz, were welcomed to the meeting.

No one signed in to address the Board.

IV. CONSENT AGENDA

A motion was made by Steve Pickering to approve the consent agenda, approve and open to the public the regular minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of October 15, 2018 and approve the closed minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of October 15, 2018, approve the October, 2018 Treasurer’s Report, approve the November 2018 bills and payroll from October 13, 2018 through November 9, 2018 and approve the October Activity Accounts Report. Tom Mollet seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, and Laura Byrd. Voting nay – None. Motion approved.

V. EXECUTIVE SESSION

A motion to adjourn from the regular session of the November 12, 2018 Board Meeting and go to executive session at 7:02 p.m. to consider information regarding the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the District and collective negotiations with employees or their representatives of the district was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Laura Byrd. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Laura Byrd and Steve Pickering. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

VI. ACTION FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE SESSION

A motion to return from executive session to open session of the November 12, 2018 Board Meeting at 8:20 p.m. was made by Tom Mollet and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote  was taken. Voting aye – Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Laura Byrd, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and Sara Brubacher. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

A motion to approve the resignation of special education aide, Robyn Nielsen, effective October 19, 2018 was made by Gerry Blohm and seconded by Laura Byrd. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Devin Bright, Laura Byrd, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher and Gerry Blohm. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

VII. REQUEST FOR RECORDS UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The District received one FOIA request from SmartProcure requesting all purchasing records from 7/15/18 to present. The request was received on 10/31/18 and complied with on 10/31/18.

VIII. OLD BUSINESS

Class Size Update – Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the current class size and estimated class size for FY20. ARS projected enrollment for FY20 is at 210 students (up 6 students from this year) and MS projected enrollment for FY20 at 175 students (down 11 students from this year). More discussions on class size will be held at the January and February Board meetings.

IX. NEW BUSINESS

Coaches/Sponsors for FY19 – A motion to approve Mr. Steve Green as coach for boys track was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Gerry Blohm. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Laura Byrd, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm and Devin Bright. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

Tentative Tax Levy – Dr. Mahaffy presented the 2018 Tentative Tax Levy for School District 3. The levy process includes the following: the Board of Education approves a yearly budget by September 30th, the Tax Assessors in all townships assess properties and send data to McHenry County, the Board of Education approves a yearly tax extension (Levy) by the last Tuesday in December, the Tax Extension Office calculates the tax rates and amounts and the County extends the Levy and collects the taxes. Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the three main cycles – assessment cycle, tax levy extension and collection cycle and a budget cycle.

McHenry County is under PTELL (Property Tax Extension Limitation Law) which limits the tax extensions to an increase of 5% or the CPI, whichever is lower. The CPI average for the last 5 years was 1.44%, the last 10 years was 1.62% and the last 20 years was 2.06%. The CPI for 2018 is 2.1% (2.1% in 2017).

The Board must remember that in two years the TIF on Stone Hill Center comes off and the District will need to levy for its full value of the increment value otherwise the District will lose out on that new property.

The CPI (Consumer Price Index) is determined in December of 2017 and finalized in January of 2018.

The EAV is the Equalized Assessed Valuation or one third of the sum of the market value for all properties in the district. The Extension (the dollar amount of the levy) is subject to the PTELL, so if the EAV goes up more than the CPI, the District cannot access it all, except for new properties. If the growth in the EAV is greater than that of the CPI, the tax rate will decrease. If the growth  in the EAV is less than that of the CPI, the tax rate will increase. Dr. Mahaffy stated that this is not an exact science.

There is no penalty for guessing too high with the tax levy. The District will not receive any dollars above PTELL. There is a big penalty for guessing too low. If the District does under levy or chooses not to levy, the tax rate gets locked and the difference between what the limited rate is and what the District levies for is lost every year moving forward (Public Act 096-0504).

Dr. Mahaffy stated that at the time the Levy is approved and submitted to the County Clerk’s office (by the last Tuesday in December), a district does not know the EAV, new construction and the true impact of hitting the maximum rates in our various funds. All of these are finalized in the spring and adjustments are made in April in the County Clerk’s office.

Dr. Mahaffy stated that new in 2017 with Senate Bill 1947 – School Funding Bill – eliminated the maximum rate in the Education Fund. District 3 will no longer hit the maximum rate in the Education Fund and will no longer need to balloon levy in the Transportation Fund and then do a transfer to the Education Fund. Last year the District under levied in the Transportation Fund but this year it will be back to normal.

The PTELL tax cap does not affect the Bond and Interest Fund. McHenry County extends whatever is needed to pay the Bond Principal and Interest plus approximately a 1% increase. The District’s Bond will be coming off in two years. There is no windfall for the District once these bonds are paid off. The taxpayers will no longer be paying for these bonds in their taxes.

Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the tax abatement history for School District 3. A district may choose to abate property taxes which allows a district to capture the PTELL allowable rate while limiting or decreasing the tax increase to taxpayers. District 3 has abated the last five years – 2013 & 2014 ($100,000 each year) and 2015, 2016 & 2017 ($150,000 each year). With these abatements, District 3 has taken in $232,822 less than the District actually levied.

Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the 2018 Levy Calculation Page with the Board. The Consumer Price Index is 2.1%. The estimated total EAV for 2018 for District 3 is about $103M. The estimated new construction for 2018 was $150,000. This makes a change of 5.14% from the prior year.

The limiting rate is at 5.10% with an estimated capped extension/levy at $5.5M.

The levy amount for District 3 is estimated at $5.7M. No Truth in Taxation Hearing is required since District 3 is at 4.97%. This levy captures CPI plus any new construction.

A motion to approve the Tentative Tax Levy as presented was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Laura Byrd. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright and Laura Byrd. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

Update to Math Placement Guide – In reviewing the Math Placement Guide a typo was discovered regarding advancement and percent. In being consistent in jumping two courses, the Benchmark assessment average should be 90% from 6th Grade Advanced to Algebra. Once approved, this correction will be updated on the website.

A motion to approve the update to the Math Placement Guide was made by Laura Byrd and seconded by Steve Pickering. A voice vote was taken. Voting aye – all ayes. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

Final Design and Expenditure for Stanger Park Playground and PE Fitness Area – Dr. Mahaffy presented the Board with renditions of the proposed new Stanger Park Playground and PE Fitness Area. All parties involved were unanimous in their selection at the FRG Parks Commission Meeting. Dr. Ozimek, Dr. Mahaffy and ARS P.E. Teacher, Mr. Alex Achey, attended several meetings over the last three months prior to this final selection. The current swing sets will remain and the spinners will be relocated to other parks in Fox River Grove. The final cost of these projects from Par-Kreation came to $199,999. The original cost for these items was $249,000. In essence, with the reduced amount, Par-Kreation is throwing in the entire fitness area. Dr. Mahaffy recommended approval of the final design and $120,000 which was the agreed upon 60% of the cost. Every aspect of this playground and fitness area will be handled by Par-Kreation. This would be a donation to the Village. The property and all inspections belong to the Village. Dr. Mahaffy has requested that the Village look into posting a sign that reflects that during the school day and during school hours that these facilities are for school use only. Dr. Mahaffy will also speak with the Village about video surveillance and get back to the Board. Dr. Mahaffy thanked the Board for supporting the kids.

A motion to approve the final design and expenditure for the Stanger Park Playground and PE Fitness Area for a not to exceed amount of $120,000 was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Laura Byrd. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Tom Mollet, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Laura Byrd and Steve Pickering. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

X. POLICY -- None.

XI. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Board Dashboard – Dr. Mahaffy briefly reviewed his Board of Education Dashboard. Upcoming items at the December Board meeting include the Final Levy and a Facilities presentation update. The first curriculum meeting for STEM/STEAM will be on November 19th.

District Website Dashboard – Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the District Dashboard and how to locate it on the website. He thanked his Administrative team in the creation of this Dashboard. This Dashboard provides a quick glance on District demographics, student achievement, employees, finances, CPI history and the School Report Card. The Dashboard is another tool to provide transparent communication to all stakeholders for the purpose of increasing understanding about District 3 while keeping parents, students, staff and community members informed of the District’s progress towards meeting its mission.

Spring 2018 PARCC Data and Highlights to the New School Report Card – Dr. Mahaffy reviewed the spring 2018 PARCC data and gave some highlights regarding the new School Report Card. District 3 ranked first among the District 155 feeder schools and ranked third among the 14 school districts in McHenry County. Kudos to all.

Property Tax Relief Grant for District 3 – Dr. Mahaffy briefly explained information he received from the State regarding the Property Tax Relief Grant. Two State laws went into effect that created this opportunity. The bottom line is that the Grant originally set forth $50M for private, magnet and charter schools to access State funds. It ended up turning into a property tax relief grant for all public schools. Every school district can apply. Dr. Mahaffy stated that it is a one  page application which he has not yet submitted. All applications are due January 9, 2019. The grant states that a District must abate taxes and for School District 3 this amount is $675,000. If District 3 abates that amount of taxes, the District will receive $473,000 in a check in May and will continue to receive that amount as long as funding is being appropriated by the State of Illinois. In future years this will be added to the District’s base funding minimum. The District currently receives $1.1M (GSA) and $473,000 would be added to that amount each year as long as District 3 abates $675,000 this year. There is no promise that the $473,000 will actually be there. There is nothing in the language stating that a District must continue to abate after this initial amount. Dr. Mahaffy feels that if the District does abate $675,000 this year and does not abate the following year, taxpayers would feel an extreme impact on their taxes. These additional monies sound fantastic. If districts do not apply for this grant (total of $50M), the money will go into tier funding. This money would up the district’s base funding minimum for future years. This base funding minimum decreases your tier funding. In Fox River Grove, the tier funding is less than $10,000. District 3’s spot in line for this money is at 62. Dr. Mahaffy spoke to the State and if we apply for this grant, we would hear something back in January. The actual abatement is not due until March 30th. Dr. Mahaffy reminded the Board of the upcoming projects and that this is a lot of money. There is no guarantee from the State. Dr. Mahaffy wanted to share this information and will bring more information to the December Board meeting.

MS Principal – Mrs. McKenzie stated that the 7th grade students will be going to the Holocaust Museum on November 16th. Call backs for the Lion King will be tomorrow. The boys’ basketball teams and cheerleaders are having a great season. Students are adding the finishing touches to their student led conference portfolios this week. Project B3 will be presented to parents at 7:00 p.m. on November 15th. The Fox River Grove Library invites everyone to a musical celebration for the holiday season on December 7th from 5-6:30 p.m. Both Mrs. Loundy and Mr. Holtz will be leading the community in the sing-a-long. A food drive at the MS began this week and all donations will supplement the District’s backpack program.

ARS Principal -- Dr. Ozimek stated the ARS Veterans Day Program was held this morning. Parent Teacher conferences will be on Monday and Tuesday, November 19th & 20th. Dr. Ozimek read at the PTO Family Reading Night this past Friday.

Director of Special Education -- Mrs. Trom stated that she received an email from ISBE to schedule our audit. District 3 is tentatively scheduled for February 6th and 7th. The audit is required the first year when a district becomes a stand-alone district. Mrs. Trom will look into how our students are doing with the move to closer locations for services.

XII. COMMITTEE REPORTS

Core Planning Group – The group met for a second time and dove into Algonquin Road School. Priorities were reviewed and an additional meeting was added for November 19th. A detailed walk through of both sites was completed with the architect. Board members, Gerry Blohm and Kristine Hester, are on the Core Planning Group committee. An RFG (qualification for a construction manager) has been advertised in the newspaper. Tours are in the process. Board member Tom Mollet will be participating in the construction manager interviews which will be held on December 4th.

The air conditioning issue was briefly discussed. Dr. Mahaffy stated that half of ARS and a few rooms at the MS may be able to have single unit cartridges installed as part of this project.

XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS, NOTICES AND COMMUNICATIONS – Dr. Mahaffy stated that at the Kishwaukee Division meeting of the Illinois Association of School Boards held on October 25th, Board members, Laura Byrd and Gerry Blohm, received their Level I pins. Congratulations.

XIV. ADJOURNMENT

A motion to adjourn the meeting of November 12, 2018 at 9:49 p.m. was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Tom Mollet. A voice vote was taken. Voting aye – All ayes. Voting nay – None. Motion approved.

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