McHenry Times

McHenry Community High School District 156 Board of Education met April 20.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

President Gary Kinshofer, read the following statement: The State of Illinois has altered provisions of the Open Meetings Act allowing Boards to conduct business via electronic means and enforce limits on gathering size in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Dr. McTague noted that in response to this, we are issuing a remote Board meeting plan, acknowledging that six of our Board members are entering the Board meeting remotely. President Kinshofer and Dr. McTague are in the district meeting room. We have no audience members in attendance. We will continue to conduct such Board meetings until the Governor lifts the stay at home order or until we find it viably safe to do so. We are doing our part by social distancing on behalf of the community and the district.

I. Call to Order and Roll Call

The meeting is called to order at 6:00 p.m. Members Present: Nicole Morrow, Pat Arnold, Amanda Lobbins, Dawn Bremer, Tim Hying, Ron Fischer, Gary Kinshofer

Members Absent: None

Others Present: Superintendent Ryan McTague; CFO/CSBO Dave Lawson; Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Carl Vallianatos; Director of Human Resources and Compliance Julia Pontarelli, Director of Building and Grounds Hugh Flack

II. Pledge of Allegiance

III. Changes /Additions to the Agenda

Comments – None

IV. Audience to Visitors Who Wish to Address the Board of Education

Comments – None - Dr. McTague stated that no emails or phone calls have been received from members of the community to present information or to ask questions of the Board.

V. Consent Agenda

• Approve Personnel Report

• Approve Minutes of the March 31, 2020 Board of Education Meetings Open Session

• Approve Financial Reports

• Approve Payment of Monthly Bills and Payroll

A motion was made by Mr. Fischer, seconded by Mrs. Morrow to approve the consent agenda.

Upon the motion being put to a roll-call vote, members of the Board of Education voted as follows:

MCHENRY COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 156 BOARD OF EDUCATION

AYES: Mr. Fischer, Mrs. Morrow, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Kinshofer, Ms. Bremer, Mr. Hying, Mrs. Lobbins

Whereupon the President ruled the motion carried.

VI. Business

• First Reading Board Policies Press Plus (Issue 103) (Discussion) Dr. McTague stated that the memo before the Board is a condensed version of all the policies that the administration will be reviewing in Press Plus Issue 103. The individual policies are also attached for the Board to review. The enclosed are new policies, revisions of existing policies or ones that require language changes. The Board will approve the revised policies based on recommendations form he administration at their next meeting in May or June.

• District 156 Board of Education Regular Meeting Dates for 2020-2021 (Action) The Regular Meeting dates of the Board of Education have been scheduled for the third Monday of each month. There is the exception of January and February 2021, where a holiday falls on Monday so the meetings have been scheduled for the third Tuesday. The March meeting will fall within the 45 days before the end of the year as required by School Code to notify staff in the event of a reduction in force.

A motion was made by Ms. Bremer seconded by Mrs. Lobbins to approve the Board of Education meeting dates from June 2020 through May 2021 as proposed.

Upon the motion being put to a roll-call vote, members of the Board of Education voted as follows:

AYES: Mrs. Morrow, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Kinshofer, Ms. Bremer, Mr. Hying, Mrs. Lobbins, Mr. Fischer

Whereupon the President ruled the motion carried.

• Resolution Forward: Extending Participation in the McHenry County Regional Safe School Program 2020 - 2021 (Action)

Dr. McTague explained the Safe School resolution is sent to us annually from the Regional Office of Education. The Safe Schools program services students who may have been expelled from their home districts and cannot attend classes in their regular buildings. The program allows students to continue their education and receive special services. This is a general education placement. President Kinshofer read the following resolution.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PARTICIPATION IN THE MCHENRY COUNTY REGIONAL SAFE SCHOOL PROGRAM

WHEREAS, the Regional Superintendent of McHenry County, Illinois, has established the McHenry County Regional Safe School Program pursuant to Article 13A of The School Code: and

WHEREAS, in accordance with its Placement Policy and Guidelines, the McHenry County Regional Safe School Program will provide educational services to disruptive students enrolled in grades six (6) through twelve (12) in the McHenry County public schools, and 

WHEREAS, the Board of Education of McHenry High School District No. 156 , McHenry County, Illinois, finds it in the best interests of its educational program and the students it serves to participate in the McHenry County Regional Safe School Program; and

WHEREAS, participation in the McHenry County Regional Safe School Program is contingent upon adoption of the resolution extending the period of participation from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the BOARD OF EDUCATION OF MCHENRY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 156 of the County of McHenry, Illinois, does hereby:

1. Extend the validity period of the existing Intergovernmental Agreement between the McHenry County Regional Office of Education and the District for the McHenry County Regional Safe School Program from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

2. Agree to adhere to all provisions of the existing Intergovernmental Agreement and the Placement Policy as a part thereof.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Board of Education is authorized and directed to forward a duly executed copy of this Resolution to the Regional Office of Education.

A motion was made by Ms. Bremer seconded by Mr. Arnold to approve the resolution to extend our intergovernmental agreement with the McHenry County Regional Office of Education and the McHenry County Sage Schools Program for the 2020 – 2021 school year.

Upon the motion being put to a roll-call vote, members of the Board of Education voted as follows:

AYES: Mr. Arnold, Mr. Kinshofer, Ms. Bremer, Mr. Hying, Mrs. Lobbins, Mr. Fischer, Mrs. Morrow

Whereupon the President ruled the motion carried.

• Title I Schoolwide Waiver for 2020 - 2021 (Action) Mr. Vallianatos stated the Title I Schoolwide Waiver is an annual obligation and is submitted prior to the Schoolwide Title I plan. West campus has approximately 30% free and reduced applications and 40% is needed to identify a school for targeted assistance. The waiver allows Title I funds we receive, to be used more flexibly through the school in programs that will benefit students the most.

A motion was made by Mr. Arnold seconded by Mr. Hying to approve the District 156 Title I Schoolwide Waiver for the 2020 – 2021 school year.

Upon the motion being put to a roll-call vote, members of the Board of Education voted as follows:

AYES: Ms. Bremer, Mr. Hying, Mrs. Lobbins, Mr. Fischer, Mrs. Morrow, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Kinshofer

Whereupon the President ruled the motion carried.

• McCracken Field – Stadium Lighting (Discussion / Action) Phase I of the McCracken Field improvement plan, addressed two designated priorities which included water mitigation and drainage issues on the practice field behind the home bleachers and paving the limestone area near the concessions stand and visitors pathway. Phase 2 was scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2021 and included replacing the stadium lights and possible bleacher expansion. However, given the current condition and operation of the stadium lights we may not be able to wait another year to replace the stadium lighting. The bulbs are burning out quickly, the light boxes that house the electronics are shorting out due water, and we are concerned about the stability of the poles. The poles and lighting system are over 60 years old, well beyond their usable lifespan.

Several estimates were gathered and the estimates ranged from $350,000 to $1,000,000. Musco Sport Lighting, who is a leader in the installation of field lighting in the state, said they would provide the district with an “all-in” estimate of approximately $350 - $400 for removal of the current light poles, equipment, labor, installation of 4 new poles and a remote-control lighting system. This would be a turn-key project through a co-op and Musco would hire local sub- contractors and provide all the equipment for the project. The new LED lights would be 60 to 80% more efficient then our lighting array. They also offered the district a 25-year maintenance warranty that includes parts and labor for anything that might go wrong in the future. A soil test will determine the final cost of the project.

A motion was made by Mr. Fischer seconded by Mr. Arnold to authorize the administration to move forward with the McCracken Field stadium lighting project.

Upon the motion being put to a roll-call vote, members of the Board of Education voted as follows:

AYES: Mrs. Lobbins, Mr. Hying, Ms. Bremer, Mr. Kinshofer, Mr. Arnold, Mrs. Morrow, Mr. Fischer

Whereupon the President ruled the motion carried.

VII. Superintendent / BOE President Report

Comments – Dr. McTague – On Friday, the Governor stated that in-person instruction would be closed for the remainder of the year. This is not the news everyone in the community and schools wanted to hear, even though we knew it was a possibility. We have been making a number of contingency plans to prepare for this eventuality and tomorrow I will send out a comprehensive message to our school community that will include the following information: end of year grading plan, remediation plan, senior benchmark events, textbook returns, locker clean-up and more. We have provided and will continue to provide high quality instruction through the end of the year and continue to support our students social-emotional needs. We will include “digital planning days” to help students and parents connect “virtually” with their teachers, counselors and social workers. I want to thank our teachers, staff and administrators who are working so hard to not only support, but also provide the very best learning experience for our students and parents during this unprecedented time.

We have hired a production company to produce a “virtual ceremony” for our Distinguished Warriors and Senior Honors recipients. We secured the McHenry Drive-In for families to collectively attend and view the presentation safely in their cars. The ISHA will be probably making the decision tomorrow to cancel the remaining sports season. In lieu of this, the coaches and the athletic director Mr. Burmeister, have been planning a “Rise Up, Lights Up” virtual presentation to honor our student athletes this Friday. We are encouraging everyone in our community to post a “Warrior Strong” symbol in their windows and decorate their homes. We will turn on the stadium lights at McCracken Field and are encouraging the community light up their homes between 8:00 – 8:20 PM for the next 5 Friday nights and honor a different segment of our school community.

CTS will begin some of the demolition work at West Campus now that school has been canceled for the year. Construction on the West Campus extension continues to move forward without delay.

Of course, the future is extremely bright for our district and we will move through this period together and emerge a much stronger, more resilient school community. We have to remember the best is yet to come. Our hearts go out to our students especially our seniors and student athletes who have lost so much this year. We will continue to find ways to honor and recognize their accomplishments.

Comments – Mr. Kinshofer - This is an unprecedented time. Even though our kids, are bored and going stir crazy maybe they are understanding, that interacting with others, is pretty important in life. I for one understand and appreciate it.

A motion was made by Mrs. Morrow seconded by Ms. Bremer to adjourn at 6:42 p.m.

The motion carried unanimously.

https://www.dist156.org/cms/lib/IL02218088/Centricity/domain/27/2019%20-%202020%20notices%20agendas%20minutes/4.20.20%20Board%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf