School Board Niles Township District 219, Cook County, Illinois MINUTES Monday, September 24, 2012 The meeting was held in the Board Room of the District Office located at 7700 Gross Point Road, Skokie, Illinois. I. Call to Order and Roll Call Board President Robert Silverman recalled the meeting to order at 6:50 p.m. Board members present at Roll Call: Carlton Evans, Jeffrey Greenspan, Ruth Klint, Robert Silverman, Lynda, Smith, Eileen Valfer. Absent – Sheri Doniger. II. Closed Session It was moved by EVANS and seconded by KLINT to adjourn to closed session to discuss matters relating to collective bargaining and lawfully closed meeting minutes. A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Silverman, Smith, Valfer. The motion carried. The Board adjourned to closed session at 6:50 p.m. At 7:50 p.m. it was moved by EVANS and seconded by KLINT to return to open session. A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Silverman, Smith, Valfer. The motion carried. III. Recall to Order and Roll Call Board President Robert Silverman recalled the meeting to order at 7:53 p.m. The pledge was recited. Board members present at Roll Call: Carlton Evans, Jeffrey Greenspan, Ruth Klint, Robert Silverman, Lynda, Smith, Eileen Valfer. Absent – Sheri Doniger. IV. Changes / Additions to the Agenda Removed from the consent agenda was Purchase of One Haas Toolroom Mill and Accessories, which will be discussed under Business. Added to the consent agenda was a personnel handout. Mr. Silverman noted that at the last Board meeting 200-300 people were in attendance with a plea to settle contract with teachers and support staff. At 5:30 a.m. last Thursday, following a 13-hour negotiation meeting, the Union and Board agreed upon a settlement. Both unions ratified this agreement the next day at their membership meetings. The Board will be voting on this this evening. Mr. Silverman said they are releasing the terms of this agreement for the first time. He clarified that the Board has made its long range financial projections. Obviously the Board understands what they do affects people’s tax bills and the Board recognizes it is their job to be fiscally responsible. The Board is aware that people in the community are not happy with their tax bills. For the NTFT – agreed to increases of 1.2% for each of the three years, plus their step increase. Also significant concessions on insurance plans and retirement and pensions were agreed to, which will save the district about $1.8 million over three years. For teaching and learning - teacher evaluations will be tied to student achievements and outcomes, priority will be given to performance rather than seniority for determining teaching assignments, in limited areas changing of compensation for certain coaches and Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2012
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activity sponsors to merit pay. Also, the Board has negotiated the right to adopt a new school day after consulting with students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members. Other changes in the contract include class sizes that reach limit of say 30, and 32 students want to take the class, the teachers have agreed to take on additional students with a small stipend. This will allow students to take more rigorous classes and saves the District financially. ACT test scores went up for both schools this year. This will all help drive student achievement. V. Audience to Visitors (on agenda items only) John Vranas, 6544 LeRoy, Lincolnwood – said he reviewed the budget and while the Education Fund shows a 4.5% forecasted increase, it looks like it increases 8% against actuals. The increase for teachers with the 1.2% and step really related to a 3% increase. Mr. Vranas stated this should be 2%, which is the same as the CPI. He said the district has had a tax burden with increases for the last 10 years. The community has been supportive of the referendums of the school district, with the belief that the money will be well spent; he does not believe the Board has done so. Mr. Silverman stated the budget is the same, with teacher salaries having an increase of around 3%. We could not have avoided a strike if we did not give the teachers an increase. With the salary increase, and the reduction in the teaching force, it will slow the rate of growth. They can save more money by reducing personnel. Currently there are 12.5% fewer personnel than four years ago. The Operating Expenditure per Pupil (OEPP) is the second highest in the state. Special education costs are extremely high, with an average cost per student of $135,000. This drives up the average cost per student. We also have 31% of our student population receive free or reduced meals. Mr. Silverman further noted that the OEPP for the current school year, has decreased to the cost of two years ago. Aleksandra Figus of the Local 1 – said she was there representing GCA employees. She said she came to a meeting three months ago speaking of the fact that GCA custodial workers did not have health insurance. At that time the Board said they would look into this matter, but she has received no response. GCA advised Local 1 that District 219 did not authorize health care. Mr. Silverman said he will talk with the administration and a response will be provided at another time. Vicky Minia Ahmed, 9346 Keystone, Skokie - said she is recommending introducing Arabic as a foreign language. She further stated the demographics in the community has changed and would be welcomed by many. Mrs. Ahmed brought 253 signed petitions of individuals supporting having Arabic in District 219. Ms. Roloff said the District has just finished the fourth year of offering Chinese. This fall they are doing a survey to find out if students would be interested in taking Arabic. She said they will report back after the survey has been completed. VI. Student Board Member Comments Niles North – Yuliya Yukhuidin said they had Homecoming last week, which was enjoyed by all. The Names Assembly is an upcoming event. Niles West – Lyba Zia– said that sports are going well and preparations for Homecoming are in full swing. She commented that there is debate on the possible change in school calendar, saying that all are not in agreement due to it being inconsistent with the feeder schools. VII. Community Representative Comments There were no community comments. VIII. Approval of Consent Agenda It was moved by KLINT and seconded by SMITH to approve the consent agenda as amended. A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Silverman, Smith, Valfer. The motion carried.
Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2012
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Included in the consent agenda: − Monthly Bills and Payroll in the amount of $10,729,194.19. − Personnel −
Approve the retirement of the following administrator: NAME
Murphy, Edmund −
POSITION/LOCATION
Director of ELL and Foreign Languages/West and North
Approve the employment of the following certified staff for the 2012-2013 school year: NAME
POSITION
Serrano, Cecilia −
−
Mathematics – BA / Step 1
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 10, 2012
POSITION
FTE
EFFECTIVE DATE
Ona, Imee
English – BA / Step 3
From:.3 To: .7
September 10, 2012
Approve the employment of the following support staff for the 2012-2013 school year: NAME
POSITION
FTE
EFFECTIVE DATE
DePillo, Carmen
One-on-one Paraprofessional, Special Education P1 / Step 1, 186 days Clerk B, IRC – S2, 186 days
1.0
September 10, 2012
1.0
August 20, 2012
Correct the following certified staff unpaid leave of absence for the 2012-2013 school year, previously approved on April 3, 2012: Hetal, Shah
−
.6
NAME
NAME
−
FTE
Approve the correction for the following certified staff for the 2012-2013 school year, previously approved on August 27, 2012:
Stallard, Kelly −
EFFECTIVE DATE
June 30, 2018
POSITION/LOCATION
TYPE OF LEAVE
Mathematics / West
Child Rearing
FROM
.2
TO
.1
Approve the employment of the following part-time/temporary staff for the 2012-13 school year effective September 24, 2012: NAME
POSITION/LOCATION
RATE
Ahmed, Halima Cherian, Sheryl Correa, Brandon Dinkha, Shenar Firozabadi, Ryan Jan, Stephen Kaufman, Jacob Kim, Ju Young Kreisheh, Maggi Lefler, Matthew Matei, Christopher Medina, Esperanza Mohr, Kohler Moy, Brandon Pacete, Justin Pagett, Annie Paloma, Miguel Patel, Gopi Pichler, Nathaniel Sutfin, Emma Weyhrauch, Tracy Yousif, Frank Zapala, Anna
Textbook Center / North Student Science Lab Assistant / West Student Recycling Assistant / West Volleyball Scorer / North Swim America Instructor / West Volleyball Scorer / West Textbook Center / North Student Science Lab Assistant / West Textbook Center / North Swim America Instructor / West Swim America Instructor / West Student Science Lab Assistant / West Swim America Instructor / West Student Science Lab Assistant / West Volleyball Scorer / West Student Science Lab Assistant / West Swim America Instructor / West Student Science Lab Assistant / West Student Science Lab Assistant / West Student Athletic Assistant / West SWIFT Aquatics Instructor / North Student Recycling Assistant / West Student Science Lab Assistant / West
$8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $7.00/Class $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $7.00/Class $7.00/Class $8.25/Hr. $7.00/Class $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $7.00/Class $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $13.00/Hr. $8.25/Hr. $8.25/Hr.
Approve the employment of the following stipend positions for the 2012-2013 school year: NILES WEST
NAME
Strength and Conditioning Vocal Jazz, Assistant Marching Band, Assistant
Ramseyer, Stephen (.4) *Egan, Erin *Werk, Sam
Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2012
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NILES WEST
NAME
Marching Band, Drill Marching Band, Drill Boys Indoor Track, Assistant Boys Outdoor Track, Assistant Girls Indoor Track, Assistant Girls Outdoor Track, Assistant Boys Volleyball, Assistant Science Olympiad, Assistant Junior Cabinet, Sponsor Wrestling, Assistant Wrestling, Assistant Indo-Pak, Sponsor Game Spot, Sponsor Amnesty International, Sponsor
*Andrick, Corbin *Falls, Richard *Lonergan, Jim (.5) *Lonergan, Jim (.5) *Lonergan, Jim (.5) *Lonergan, Jim (.5) Kljajic, Marko Boll, Michael Bower, Margaret *Mordini, Tim (.5) *Gould, David (.5) Houston, Brenda (.5) Hanson, Courtney Serpico, Joseph
NILES NORTH
NAME
Anime, Sponsor International Club, Sponsor Korean Club, Sponsor VOICES, Sponsor Yoga Club, Sponsor Cheerleading, Assistant Cheerleading, Assistant Girls Gymnastics, Head Girls Gymnastics, Assistant Yearbook, Assistant Latino Club, Sponsor Wrestling, Assistant Boys Tennis, Assistant Boys Soccer, Assistant Cricket, Sponsor
Sullivan, Timothy Benjamin, Carolyn (.5) Ona, Imee Hill, Alexandra Benjamin, Carolyn (.5) *Urso, Kristina (.75) *Maes, Theo (.25) *Papaioannou, Paula (.17) *Papaioannou, Paula (.67) Persuad, Stephanie Smith, Jessica *Chihoski, Robert (.75) Naatz, Timothy *Villamil, Arturo (.75) Patel, Shamim
*Indicates not a District 219 employee
−
Approve the employment of the following substitute teachers for the 2012-2013 school year: Grubisich, Nicholas, Hall, Grenita, Reeder, Barbara.
− Minutes of the August 27, 2012 Board meeting, open and closed sessions. − Review and release of closed session minutes – The Board moved to not release the closed session minutes from December 12, 2011 through August 6, 2012 due to the confidentiality of the issues discussed during that period and to destroy audio tapes of closed session meetings prior to March 2011. − Donations – to accept the monetary donation of $500 from Kristin Sorensen on behalf of the Leaning Tower YMCA Sharks Swim Club, for Niles West boys swimming. IX. Superintendent’s Report Dr. Gatta announced that Coming Together in Skokie won a Magna award, for their work in bringing together the community. The U.S. Green Building Council meeting on October 10 will be held at Niles West to highlight how a 1950’s high school can be made sustainable for the 21st Century. The policies and procedures established by American Supervision regarding college and career readiness is something our school district has been doing for the last four years. She said we have an award winning teaching staff, but our work is far from over and we need to have a continuity of vision. −
Principals’ Report Dr. McTague said the south drive is completed and the north lot has been reconfigured. The Marching Band is fantastic. He gave an update on fall sports. They are looking forward to the Chinese and German exchange students that will soon visit.
Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2012
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Mr. Osburn said October is International Month and they are also expecting exchange students from China and Korea. He gave an update on the fall sports, He said over 40 parents attended the Principal’s Dinner and it was an enjoyable evening. −
Niles West Auto Club Tim Richmond introduced team members John Wheeler, Ben Swanson, Ninos Youssef, Tiffany Steffen, Conrad Celinski, Alejamndro Chavez, Alejandro Coronel, Chirs Feldman, David Lotsoff, Farzad Mobli, Chiristian Ortiz, Edi Quendro and Arron Snowsky. He explained how the students were able to race a machine built by the students, for the students. The club took first place in the High School Division at the National Hot Rod Association North Central Divisiion Summit Racing Series Finals in Indianapolis on September 16. The club also showed a video at the meeting showing highlights of their racing.
X. Board Members’ Comments Ms. Klint was present at Niles North where they hosted a debate event. She commented that it was wonderful to see how the competitors stayed in local hotels, ate in the area, and saw local sporting events. She thanked the Board members for their long hours of work regarding the Union agreement. Mr. Greenspan thanked Mr. Silverman and Dr. Doniger for their work on the NTFT agreement. He said it was good work to get a long-term contract, which is economically responsible and fair to our staff. XI. Board Committee Reports Jeff Greenspan said we will host the October 10 U.S. Green Committee Council showcasing Niles West. He invited the community to attend. The Finance and Facilities Committee meeting, which will give an update on the construction will be scheduled some time soon. CSSI – Anne Roloff reported that their first meeting was an organizational meeting and at their next meeting, they will discuss courses for next year. XII. Business Adoption of Fiscal Year 2013 Budget It was moved by VALFER and seconded by SMITH to approve the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget. Mr. Silverman said that there is continuing focus on the OEPP, which is lower than actual of two years ago. Expenditure capital projects show an extraordinary increase for the next two years, which is due to the North Aquatic Center. Some of this is coming from reserves, with the overall costs up 30%. Revenues are up 1.3%. Mr. Silverman said the Board wanted to make sure with the bargaining agreement expenditures would not exceed revenues. He further stated no one is happy about their tax bills. Mr. Silverman thanked Susan Husselbee and Kristine Rull for their work on the budget and stated the budget is only a guiding document for expenditures and that the Board approves all expenses. A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Silverman, Smith, Valfer. The motion carried. Collective Bargaining Agreement Mr. Silverman stated that when you look at all the changes, the agreement will help the District financially and educationally. He stated that the Board always reviews all programs and courses that are offered. It was moved by GREENSPAN and seconded by EVANS to approve the tentative agreement between the Niles Township Federation of Teachers (NTFT) and the Niles Township Support Staff (NTSS). A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Silverman, Smith, Valfer. The motion carried. Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2012
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Policy and Procedural Changes – 1st Reading The Board asked for clarification on 7:270-AP2 and the Epipen. It was stated that the Skokie Health Department will assist in getting prescriptions for the Epipen. It was stated that any student that has a known allergy, it is reviewed in the nursing plan at the start of the school year. Purchase of Haas Toolroom Mill and Accessories – North It was stated that the first mill could not fit through the doorways at North, and was installed at Niles West. When North was built the doors were in code, but requirements have changed. Once the new doors are installed the mill can be delivered. The monies for this mill comes from a career tech ed grant. It was moved by KLINT and seconded by SMITH to award the contract for the purchase of an additional Haas Toolroom Mill and accessories to Haas Factory Outlet, the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications, in the amount of $32,595. A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Smith, Valfer. Voting Nay: Silverman. The motion carried. XIII. Old Business There was no old business. XIV. New Business There was no new business. XV. Audience to Visitors (on items related to District business) No one asked to speak XVI. Correspondence and FOIA Requests Mr. Heintz said five FOIAs were received. All answered. XVII. Information Items • Financial Report for August 2012 • Compliance Report of Public Act 96-434 XVIII. Adjournment It was moved by SMITH and seconded by VALFER to adjourn the meeting. A roll call vote was taken. Voting Aye: Evans, Greenspan, Klint, Silverman, Smith, Valfer. The motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:32 p.m.
President
Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of September 24, 2012
Secretary
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