The property tax levy was approved. This levy is against the property values of 2015. It’ll be extended in the summer of 2016 and they will begin spending the money during the 2016-17 school year beginning July 1st, 2016. The local tax rate for fiscal year 2017 will be 4.26, down from 4.31 this fiscal year.
A Truth in Taxation hearing was held prior to the regular meeting on the proposed property tax increase for the District with no action taken.
Dr. Amy Dixon gave a report to the board members on the PARCC, or Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers Test, which the students took last spring. There was a delay and the information wasn’t released publicly until December 11th. The district scores exceeded expectations, especially on the high school level. The information is available to the public on the internet at Illinois report card dot com.
The board approved issuance of a district line of credit with Peoples National Bank.
In the Superintendent’s report, Brad Lee said the new building at Jefferson Attendance Center is complete. They’re in the process of ordering supplies and equipment for the classrooms and offices. The occupancy permit is being applied for and should be approved in the near future.
The playground portion of the project next to the Washington Attendance Center has also been completed.
And there has also been some concern about the traffic flow and parking on Robinson Street behind Washington school. The city is in the process of changing an ordinance which will make Robinson Street a permanent one way with traffic flowing from east to west from Jessup to Slocomb. There will be no parking on the north side of Robinson from Jessup to Rice during the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Five of the six new busses the district is leasing have been received. The handicap accessible bus should be in after the first of the year.
Lee also reminded everyone that school will be closed from Monday, December 21st through Sunday, January 3rd 2016 for Christmas vacation.
In other business, the board accepted the retirement of Kenneth Dill as a district school bus driver effective December 31st, the resignations of Gary Keck as a classroom aide at Jefferson school and Armanda Scherer as a classroom aide at Brownsville school, both effective December 18th and Breighann Talley as a junior high school co-cheerleading sponsor effective immediately. The board also granted a maternity leave request for Jara Mitchell from January 4th through March 4th of 2016 and approved an extended unpaid medical leave for Jeff King for January 4th to April 4th 2016.
The board went into closed session at 7:48 p.m.
In the closed session, the Board approved Emily Driscoll and Nealy Hamson as co coaches for the WYSE team for the remainder of the school year to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Cherie Barbre and employed Nancy Russell as a district bus driver for the remainder of the school year, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Loretta Buttry.
