August 18, 2022 at 6:00 PM - Regular Board Meetig

Description:  Call to Order. Secretary to the Board will take attendance.

Description: 

Board Policy 2:230. At each regular and special open meeting, members of the public and District employees may comment to or ask questions of the School Board, subject to reasonable constraints. The individuals appearing before the Board are expected to follow these guidelines:

1. Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President.
2. Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, comments shall be limited to 5 minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request in advance to speak for a longer period of time, the individual may be allowed to speak for more than 5 minutes.
3. Observe the Board President's decision to shorten public comment to conserve time and give the maximum number of individuals an opportunity to speak.
4. Observe the Board President's decision to determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise covered in Board policy.
5. Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board Policy, 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property.

Members of the public may speak during this portion of the meeting. Comments are limited to five minutes. Board members will not respond to public comments or questions during "Public Comments". Should total Public Comments approach or exceed a cumulative time of 30 minutes, the Board may suspend additional Public Comments until immediately prior to the Board and Superintendent Comments portion of the agenda.

Description: 

Board Policy 2:220 The President shall designate a portion of the agenda as a consent agenda for those items that usually do not require extensive discussion before Board action. Upon the request of any Board member, an item will be withdrawn from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda for independent consideration. 

There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Board Member so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as the first item after approval of the Consent Agenda.

Description:  Regular personnel items.

Description: 

• First Baptist Church donated $120 to JW Eater to purchase school supplies.
• Horace Mann donated coffee and donuts to all RCS staff as part of our opening day activities.
• Loman Ray donated Sydney Dairy Barn treats to all RCS staff as part of our opening day activities.

Description:  The District is adding a Health Clerk position so that we can hire a Health Clerk when we are unable to staff a nurse position with an LPN or RN.

The non-certified, non-association wage scale is attached with the new Health Clerk wage scale.

Description:  The District is creating a full-time Building and Grounds position as part of our maintenance department.

Description:  This is a continuation of a prior contract. This contract is for services related to our social workers. The District provides this service through Kurtz so that our social workers can obtain their Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credentials 

Description:  The Illinois School Code requires that the Board of Education annually appoint a School Treasurer who also acts in the capacity of the Districts Investment Officer.  The Code requires that the Treasurer be properly bonded and that these bonds be filed in the Office of the Regional Superintendent of Schools by September 1 of each year.  At this time administration recommends that Kendra Good be appointed the District’s School Treasurer effective July 1, 2022.  The appropriate Treasurer Bonds have been secured by the District’s insurance broker.

Description:  The Board is approving the use of the attached Superintendent Annual Evlaution Tool.

Description:  Lori Bednarz, PreK Director, will present information related to the RCS PreK program.

Description:  The tentative budget document for FY23 is attached for review. The Tentative Budget was formally posted on August 15, 2022, 30 days prior to the anticipated approval of the Regular Budget on September 15, 2022. The District will hold a formal Budget Approval Hearing at the start of the September Board Meeting.

The Tentative Budget is not the final budget, but reflects the current anticipated revenues and expenditures. The numbers in the Regular Budget  (approved, "final" budget) may be different than the Tentative Budget. The superintendent will highlight any significant changes between the Tentative and Regular Budgets. The Regular Budget may be amended throughout the fiscal year following appropriate procedures.

Description:  The District is contracting with Veregy on a Managed Service Agreement related to HVAC management and control.

The outcomes for the District are:

• Increased annual energy savings.
• Improved classroom comfort across the district.
• Quicker issue response time and unlimited control support.
• Continual control system upgrade over time as opposed to a lump sum capital project.
• This will both stretch the previous geothermal investment by squeezing more life out of existing equipment.
• This will also protect the investment by making sure items work as they are supposed to.
• Sets the district up for solar tie-in to Orchestrate platform and other system tie-ins.

The annual cost will be $98,000 with an estimated cost, after energy and other cost savings the real cost to the District is estimated at $10,500. This initial agreement is for three years.

Description:  In total, RCS will be responsible for $45,000 in FY23 for engineering and design, and an additional $50,000 for FY24. The Village is assuming matching expenses. The grant is for $250,000. We anticipate construction starting next summer with completion next August.

Description:  At the July Board Meeting, a motion to approve the handbook with "dress code option 2" did not pass, and this item is being brought back for consideration.

Since the June Board Meeting, the Illinois Principal's Association has released student handbook updates. Included in this revised handbook are sections on: awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse, grooming behaviors, and boundary violations; prevention of anaphylaxis; and, access to non-school sponsored publications.

For the dress code section, please see the attachment that provides three options for language.

Substantive changes (not formatting) are highlighted in the attached document.
 

Description:  8-16-2022 Laborers Local 703 regarding JW Eater Site Project 21163

Description:  The District plans to apply for this grant.

In consultation with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Capital Development Board is making $100 million available statewide for grants to Public School Districts and non-profit operators of early childhood centers. Funding is being released in two rounds; $60 million will be awarded in late fall of 2022, and the remaining $40 million at a date to be decided. Grant recipients are required to provide matching funds of between 3% and 10% based on ISBE Tier level for the local elementary school district.

Funds are available to construct, renovate or otherwise improve facilities, for example by:

• Constructing an addition to an existing building
• New construction of a facility or renovations to an existing facility to create a new early childhood center
• Acquisition of a facility
• Purchase or replacement of equipment that meets bondability guidelines
• Safety improvements
• Classroom conversions

Description:  Article highlighting ISUs partnership with RCS for tutoring.
News Gazette, August 12, 2022

Description:  Should the total initial Public Comments during the meeting approach or exceed a cumulative time of 30 minutes, the Board may suspend additional Public Comments until this time. Comments are limited to five minutes. Board members will not respond to public comments during "Public Comments".

Description:  Superintendent:

• The District is updating its 403(b) retirement plan document to include 403(b) Roth. OMNI&TSACG manage our plan. This is not a new contract.
• The District is considering adding an additional administrative position to oversee Human Resources and assume some responsibilities with grants. This will be brought to the Board in the future for consideration.
• Still pending is the Administrative Cost Waiver process.
• Due to supply delays, the projects at Eastlawn, Pleasant Acres, and JW Eater are not completed, but should be finalized within the next month. These projects will not significantly affect building operations.