Board Meeting Recap - January 2025
- 1.01 Welcome and Call to Order (Mr. Smith, 0:28): Mr. Smith opens the meeting, welcoming attendees.
- 1.02 Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence (Mr. Vassar, 0:58): Led by Mr. Vassar.
2. Resolution of Commendation Awards
- 2.01 Sean Granger (3:27): Sean Granger, CPHS Assistant Varsity Football Coach, was recognized for 23 years of service, coaching 260 games, and earning the 2024 Region 1 Assistant All-Star Coach award.
3. Special Session/Board of Finance
- 3.01 Suspend Regular Meeting (10:45): Regular meeting suspended to open the Board of Finance session.
- 3.02 Election of Officers (11:16): Officers re-elected: Brian Smith (President), Danielle Bazin (Vice President), and Tim Vassar (Secretary).
- 3.03 Report of Investments (13:00): Mr. Ruess reported $4.5M in 2024 investment earnings, attributed to higher interest rates and bond proceeds.
- 3.04 Investment Policy (14:20): The board reviewed and maintained the current investment policy.
- 3.05 Financial Condition Report (15:11): Key updates include a rise in special education enrollment (approaching 15%), an ADM increase to 8,949 students, and steady fund balances despite planned expenditures.
- 3.06 Close Special Session (18:00): Special session concluded, and the regular meeting resumed.
4. Patrons' Comments
- 4.01 Comments on Educational Issues (18:14): No patrons registered to speak.
5. Consent Agenda (Dr. Terrill, 18:21):
- Approval granted for:
- Meeting minutes (December 16, 2024, and January 8, 2025).
- Personnel agenda, including the upcoming retirement of administrator Jim Hardman.
- Voucher register checks and employment recommendations.
6. Action Items
- 6.01 DOE Excess Cost Applications (Mrs. Paskis, 21:30): Approval granted for the superintendent to act as the designee for excess cost applications related to special education services that are beyond our typical services provided through the district.
- 6.02 Southlake Cooperative Agreement (Mr. Gianfermi, 23:03): Partnership with Southlake Career Cooperative extended through June 2026.
- 6.03 Year-End Transfers (Mr. Ruess, 24:36): Approval of year-end appropriation transfers across major funds.
- 6.04 Referendum Calculation Authorization (Mr. Ruess, 26:18): Administration authorized to work with Lake County officials on the referendum tax levy.
- 6.05 Renewal of Referendum (Mr. Ruess, 27:42): The board approved placing a referendum renewal on the May 6, 2025, ballot, reducing the tax rate from $0.21 to $0.1828.
7. Discussion and Report Items
- 7.01 School Calendar Updates (Mr. Gianfermi, 29:35): Revised calendars for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 include reducing e-learning days and aligning elementary parent-teacher conferences with election days.
8. Information/Recognition Items
- 8.01 Superintendent’s Discussion Groups (31:46): Updates shared from community conversations.
- 8.02 Director of Grants/Assessments (Mr. Hardman, 32:04): Updates on English Learner assessments for 311 students across all grades, noting improvements in student support due to increased funding.
- 8.03 Director of Elementary Education (Dr. Ciochina, 35:49): Crown Point elementary schools ranked 1–7 nationally in student coding projects via Sam Labs. Transition to Project Lead the Way’s engineering curriculum is underway, and kindergarten registration begins February 25, 2025.
- 8.04 Director of Secondary Education (Mrs. Ramirez, 38:20): Career fair at CPHS featured 36 local businesses and organizations, with connections made for internships and military opportunities. Upcoming spring play: The Play That Goes Wrong.
- 8.05 Director of Exceptional Education (Mrs. Paskis, 41:44): Planning transition nights for families of students in applied skills programs, with additional virtual resource meetings for middle and high school transitions. The Bulldog Ballers basketball program kicks off January 30.
- 8.06 Assistant Superintendent (Mr. Gianfermi, 43:55): Taft Middle School hosted a successful Science Olympiad competition with 30 schools participating. Coaches and student volunteers were commended.
- 8.07 Chief Human Resources Officer (Mr. Equihua, 45:12): Recognized efforts to streamline hiring processes and ongoing improvements in HR software.
- 8.08 Chief Financial Officer (Mr. Ruess, 47:11): Acknowledged business office staff for their year-end work, including appropriation transfers, W2s, and financial reports.
- 8.09 Superintendent of Schools (Dr. Terrill, 48:01): Announced completed furniture upgrades at Solon Robinson Elementary and highlighted active monitoring of state legislative sessions affecting education.
9. Other Business of the Board
- 9.01 Other Business (50:00): Board members thanked maintenance crews for their work during inclement weather and recognized Ava Strayer, CPHS freshman, as a state wrestling champion.
10. Adjournment
- 10.01 Motion to Adjourn (59:13): Meeting adjourned by Mr. Smith.