McHenry Times

Fox River Grove School District 3 Board met Oct. 15.

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 6:32 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

II. ROLL CALL

Members present were Steve Pickering, Kristine Hester, Devin Bright, Gerry Blohm, Sara Brubacher and Tom Mollet. Absent was Board member Laura Byrd. 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. STATE OF THE DISTRICT AND SAFETY/LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENTS

Audience members were welcomed to the presentation on the State of the District and Safety/Learning Environment Improvements. The Administration presented some history on the achievements of the District as well as upcoming facility plans for the improvement of safety, removal of the mobiles, bringing the music room back into ARS and STEM/STEAM environments.

Board member, Laura Byrd, entered the meeting at 7:02 p.m.

The public presentation concluded at 7:17 p.m. and the remainder of the Board meeting was held in the library.

The Board meeting resumed in the MS library at 7:25 p.m. Members present were Devin Bright, Gerry Blohm, Steve Pickering, Kristine Hester, Tom Mollet, Laura Byrd and Sara Brubacher. Also present were Superintendent Dr. Tim Mahaffy and Principals Dr. Sandy Ozimek and Mrs. Jessica McKenzie and Director of Special Education, Mrs. Heather Trom.

IV. WELCOME TO VISITORS, GUESTS, COMMENTS & QUESTIONS

Audience members, including Mrs. Meshes, Mrs. Arendt, Mrs. Erdmann and Mr. Blumberg, were welcomed to the meeting.

No one signed in to address the Board.

V. 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 September 24, 2018 and approve the closed minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2018, approve the September,  2018 Treasurer’s Report, approve the October 2018 bills and payroll from September 22, 2018 through October 12, 2018 and approve the September Activity Accounts Report. Tom Mollet seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Laura Byrd, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering and Tom Mollet. Voting nay – None. Motion approved.

VI. REQUEST FOR RECORDS UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

None.

VII. PUBLIC HEARING

A motion to adjourn to Public Hearing at 7:28 p.m. to Effect Interfund Transfer from the Transportation Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund and the Education Fund and Operations and Maintenance Fund to the Capital Projects Fund was made by Tom Mollet and seconded by Kristine Hester. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and Laura Byrd. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

Dr. Mahaffy reminded the audience that this is their opportunity to ask any questions regarding the transfers. This Public Hearing is required by the State of Illinois. The notice of this Public Hearing was also posted in the Northwest Herald. The transfers are all tied to the projects the District will be doing. This Resolution directs the transfer of additional monies from the Operations and Maintenance Fund, the Education Fund and the Transportation Fund to the Capital Projects Fund. The spending of these funds will not deplete any of these operational funds less than 50%. The auditors have stated that a healthy fund balance is anywhere between 25% and 40% in order to avoid having to issue Tax Anticipation Warrants. This is one of the first things the Board reviewed before approval of any capital projects. The Resolution directs the transfer of $591,310 from the Transportation Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund. This transfer must go into the Operations and Maintenance Fund. All this money will then be transferred to the Capital Projects Fund and can only be used for these capital projects. Fund accounting does not allow transfers directly from the Transportation Fund to the Capital Projects Fund. Monies must come from either the Education Fund or the Operations and Maintenance Fund. With the transfer of $591,310 to the Operations and Maintenance Fund, a total of $2,152,915 will then be transferred to the Capital Projects Fund. An additional $1,462,157 will also be transferred from the Education Fund to the Capital Projects Fund of Consolidated School District Number 3, McHenry County, Illinois. This will put about $3.4M in the Capital Projects Fund for the next two years to do the projects.

Audience member, Theresa Meshes, questioned why there is so much money in the Transportation Fund. Mrs. Meshes stated that it makes her anxious to hide funds in one spot to transfer later.

Dr. Mahaffy stated that until last year there was a cap on the Education Fund and no cap on the Transportation Fund. Even though the District was entitled to access tax dollars, the District needed to inflate the Transportation levy to capture this revenue. The District has been transferring dollars out of the Transportation Fund for the past few years. This year rather than transferring these funds to the Education Fund we are directly transferring them to the Operations and Maintenance Fund in order to get it into the Capital Projects Fund. Dr. Mahaffy stated that the District has been dwindling down the Transportation Fund. In the future this will  not happen. The District will levy for all the money in the Education Fund. The law changed last year. Otherwise those dollars would never have been in the Transportation Fund. Dr. Mahaffy stated the District is not hiding any funds. It is all above board and has been happening in open meetings. Every school district that is tax capped had to do this because it is the only way to access the available tax dollars. They changed the law because they knew that school districts needed the money in the Education Fund. This was done so there would be no perception there was hidden funds. These are all tax dollars that districts are entitled to receive. They changed the law to avoid the need for double transfers. The District has never taken any money that it was not entitled to and able to by law. All transfers are run past the District auditor and District treasurer.

A paper copy of the Resolution was included in the Board packets. The Resolution was as follows:

RESOLUTION directing the transfer of $591,310 from the Transportation Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund, $2,152,915 from the Operations and Maintenance Fund to the Capital Projects Fund and $1,462,157 from the Education Fund to the Capital Projects Fund of Consolidated School District Number 3, McHenry County, Illinois.

WHEREAS, the Board of Education ("Board") of Fox River Grove School District No. 3, McHenry County, Illinois (the "District") is authorized pursuant to Section 17-2A of The School Code to transfer, by resolution following a public hearing, money from any of the Educational, Operations and Maintenance, or Transportation Funds to any of the other said Funds; and

WHEREAS, this Board has previously found that it is necessary and in the best interests  of the District to effect such transfers from the Transportation Fund to the Operations and  Maintenance Fund and the Operations and Maintenance Funds and Education Funds to the  Capital Projects Fund for the purposes of enabling payment of ordinary and necessary expenses  of current and future projects by maintaining an appropriate balance in the Capital Projects Fund,  and has on October 15, 2018 conducted a public hearing on its intent to make such transfers;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Education of Fox River  Grove School District No. 3, McHenry County, Illinois, as follows:

Section 1. Incorporation of preambles. All of the recitals contained in the above preambles to this Resolution are incorporated herein by reference.

Section 2. Transfers. The School Treasurer of the District is hereby authorized and directed to forthwith transfer the amount of $591,310 from the Transportation Fund to the  Operations and Maintenance Fund, $2,152,915 from the Operations and Maintenance Fund to  the Capital Projects Fund and $1,462,157 from the Education Fund to the Capital Projects Fund  of the District for the purposes of enabling payment of ordinary and necessary expenses of  current and future projects by maintaining an appropriate balance in the Capital Projects Fund.

Section 3. Repeal; effective date. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect forthwith upon its adoption.

Adopted on October 15, 2018

President, Board of Education

Secretary, Board of Education

A motion to close the public hearing at 7:35 p.m. and move back to the regular Board meeting of October 15, 2018 was made by Tom Mollet and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Laura Byrd and Sara Brubacher. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

VIII. OLD BUSINESS

A motion to approve the Resolution directing the transfer of $591,310 from the Transportation Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund and $1,462,157 from the Educational Fund and $2,152,915 from the Operations and Maintenance Fund to the Capital Projects Fund of Consolidated School District Number 3, McHenry County, Illinois was made by Laura Byrd and seconded by Steve Pickering. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Devin Bright, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Laura Byrd, Sara Brubacher and Gerry Blohm. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

Class Size Update – Enrollment has remained basically the same. Class size will be reviewed more thoroughly in January.

Coaches/Sponsors for FY19 – A motion to approve volunteer coaches/sponsors for the MS Play – Maria Churak, Jeff Petersdorff, Nickel Hays, Valerie Engel, Heather Bond, Cami Post, Ted Holtz and Bryan Nollett – was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Gerry Blohm. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Laura Byrd, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm and Devin Bright. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

IX. NEW BUSINESS

FY18 Audit Report -- Mrs. Shelly Casella-Dercole of Eder, Casella & Co. briefly reviewed their audit report findings with the Board. She stated that the audit went well and FRG District 3 was not issued a Management Letter in connection with the Audit. The District has not received one for many years. More than 90% of the districts they audit do receive a management letter.

Mrs. Casella-Dercole stated that District Bookkeeper, Sarah Ireland, does a fantastic job. She is very conscientious and always has everything in order for them. The audit went very smoothly.

Anytime Dr. Mahaffy or Mrs. Ireland have questions, they contact the auditors. Kudos to both of them and the District for another great audit.

Mrs. Casella-Dercole reviewed their opinion letter. District 3 is on a cash basis of accounting. During their audit, they did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that they consider to be a material weakness.

Mrs. Casella-Dercole also reviewed the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Fund Balances (balance sheet) as of June 30, 2018 with the Board. There were some Designated Funds listed under both the Operations and Maintenance Fund and the Transportation Fund. The Board had previously passed a Resolution to designate some of those funds for capital improvements and transportation needs

Also reviewed was the Statement of Revenue Received, Expenditures Disbursed, Other Financing Sources and Changes in Fund Balances for the year ended June 30, 2018. This financial statement is a nice snapshot of all revenues that came in, what expenses went out and how the fund balances change throughout the year. The other financial pages provide more detail/backup about the financial statement.

Mrs. Casella-Dercole stated that the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) is fully funded and does not have the same problems as TRS.

Mrs. Casella-Dercole briefly commented on the Teacher Retirement System (TRS). There is significantly more liability occurring with TRS. District 3 has paid their proportionate share of the TRS net pension liability. No one really understands how the State comes up with their figures. The State’s proportionate share for District 3 is almost $21M. This is essentially what the State has underfunded all these years for just District 3.

Dr. Mahaffy stated that the District must carry $2.2M in our budget for on behalf of payments for TRS. This inflates our actual revenues and expenditures even though this money is never touched.

The last page of the audit reflects the Per Capita Tuition charge for any tuition in student. This amount is $12,353.75. Based upon State Code, the District can charge 110% of that amount to any family who wants to tuition in their student into District 3. We have had two to three students over the years to tuition into District 3.

Board President Bright thanked Mrs. Casella-Dercole, Mr. Bob Blumberg, District Treasurer and Mrs. Sarah Ireland, District Bookkeeper for all their efforts.

Mr. Blumberg stated that a lot of work has gone into the backup pages to the Financial Statement in the Audit. He feels the real essence of the report is the footnotes.

A motion to approve the FY18 Audit Report as presented was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Gerry Blohm. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Laura Byrd, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright and Kristine Hester. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

X. POLICY -- None.

XI. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Board Dashboard – Dr. Mahaffy briefly reviewed the Board of Education Dashboard. Agenda items for the November Board meeting include the review of the Tentative Tax Levy with final approval at the December Board meeting. Grade section review and whether or not the Board wants to abate will be reviewed in January and February. The current CPI-U was trending at 2.7 for the 2019 levy but this has now drastically changed this month. This month’s CPI-U is now at .1 which drove the trending down from 2.7 to 2.2. It is currently at 2.3.

School Improvement Reports

Dr. Ozimek briefly reviewed the ARS School Improvement Plan (SIP) and the goals as follows:

SIP Goal 1 - During the 2018-19 school year, K-4 teachers will continue their work towards a standards-based grading and reporting system.

SIP Goal 2 - During the 2018-19 school year, K-4 teachers will continue to develop standards-based classroom assessments.

SIP Goal 3 - During the 2018-19 school year, K-4 teachers will establish and utilize new tools for increased parent communication.

These goals were summarized as to how they would be measured and what would be the evidence of goal attainment.

Mrs. McKenzie briefly reviewed the MS School Improvement Plan (SIP) and the goals as follows:

SIP Goal 1 - During the 2018-19 school year, we will continue the process of implementing the SAMR Model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) to enable our teachers to design, develop, and infuse digital learning experiences utilizing new technologies.

SIP Goal 2 - During the 2018-19 school year, the middle school staff will continue to build standards aligned to classroom assessments (formative, interim, and summative).

SIP Goal 3 - During the 2018-19 school year, the middle school community will establish and implement new opportunities for ongoing communication regarding student physical, social, emotional, behavioral and academic growth.

These three goals were summarized as to how they would be measured and how to show growth.

Dr. Ozimek and Mrs. McKenzie have updated the District’s website and have also revamped the Newsletters.

Director of Special Education -- Mrs. Trom reviewed some professional development for the staff. At the end of September we had Medicaid training (Fee for Service) through R&G Consultants. On October 18th there will be CPI training for many employees. This non-violent crisis prevention and intervention training shows staff how to de-escalate student behaviors and situations in order to help keep our school safe.

MS Principal – The week of October 21st is Red Ribbon Week. The 8th graders will be going to the Field Museum on October 24th and the 7th graders will be going to the Illinois Holocaust Museum on November 16th. The fall sports season has just been completed. The soccer team came in 5th in the conference overall. The 7th grade girls’ volleyball team won the consolation tournament. The 8th grade girls’ volleyball team took 2nd in the conference overall. In cross country, the girls’ team came in 8th in the State with Kari Drage placing 14th individually overall. Congratulations to all our athletes. Play (the Lion King) tryouts will be November 5th, 8th and 9th. Parent-teacher conferences will be coming up in November. A group of 8th graders will be trained on Project B3, a digital responsibilities program, so they can do a presentation to their peers on November 14th. A parent seminar on digital responsibilities will be presented at 7:00 p.m. on November 15th. The annual Veterans Day breakfast and assembly will be held on Friday, November 9th at 9:15 a.m. All veterans and their families are invited to this celebration.

ARS Principal -- Dr. Ozimek stated that they will also be doing Red Ribbon week at ARS. The first graders will be going to the Cosman Theater on October 26th in the morning. The Halloween parade and parties will be that afternoon. The Project B3 presentation will be for K-8 parents. Algonquin Road School received a check for $200 from Growing Cents of Style in Barrington, Illinois. The award was through a face book page contest in which Algonquin Road School was mentioned the most.

Communication Director Report – Dr. Ozimek briefly reviewed the Fox River Grove School District 3 Communication Survey Follow-up Review and Action report that was included in the Board packets. This should not be seen as the final report. It is always the intent of the District 3 Administration to listen, engage and act if appropriate. Effective communication is part of our mission statement overall. Parent and staff comments/concerns were reviewed and any corrective action that was needed was shared and reviewed by the Administrative team. There is a new District website that will include a Dashboard which will have information about student achievement, enrollment, finances, demographics, technology and communication, professional development on new programs of learning, Google classroom and home school connections as well as other information that seemed appropriate. Any website feedback was reviewed. It is very easy to fix or update the new website. There is also a list of social media accounts on the website. There will be parent involvement in the Core Planning meetings. There will be student focus groups for safety and environmental improvements. Dr. Ozimek stated that they are developing a narrative as to how the District is not only focusing on standardized test scores but share how we are promoting deeper learning and engagement while meeting and respecting the needs of our different learners. Project B3 will be held for parents on November 15th. Other needs were discussed. Dr. Ozimek stated that students now need the ability to collaborate and problem solve. An annual Communication Survey will be sent out to parents.

XII. COMMITTEE REPORTS – none.

XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS, NOTICES AND COMMUNICATIONS – none.

XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION

A motion to adjourn from the regular session of the October 15, 2018 Board Meeting and go to executive session at 8:25 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,  Laura Byrd, Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Kristine Hester and Steve Pickering. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

XV. ACTION FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE SESSION

A motion to return from executive session to open session of the October 15, 2018 Board Meeting at 8:55 p.m. was made by Steve Pickering and seconded by Tom Mollet. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Sara Brubacher, Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet and Laura Byrd. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

A motion to approve the resignation of ARS Administrative Assistant, Terrie Smialek, at the end of the 2018-2019 school year was made by Tom Mollet and seconded by Devin Bright. A roll call vote was taken. Voting aye – Gerry Blohm, Devin Bright, Kristine Hester, Steve Pickering, Tom Mollet, Laura Byrd and Sara Brubacher. Voting nay – none. Motion approved.

XVI. ADJOURNMENT

A motion to adjourn the meeting of October 15, 2018 at 8:56 p.m. was made by Tom Mollet and seconded by Steve Pickering. A voice vote was taken. Voting aye – All ayes. Voting nay – None. Motion approved.

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