Rockford Sun

Rockford Public School District 205 Board of Education met March 28.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

President Jude Makulec called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

Present: President Jude Makulec, Vice President Tim Rollins, Secretary June Stanford, Ms. Kimberly Haley (arr. 5:19 p.m.), Ms. Tiana McCall (arr. 5:22 p.m.), Mr. David Seigel

Absent: Ms. Denise Pearson

Motion by Mr. Rollins seconded by Mr. Seigel that the Board hold an executive session to consider the appointment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees; student disciplinary cases; the placement of individual students in special education programs and other matters relating to individual students; collective bargaining matters; security procedures, school building safety and security; the purchase, sale or lease of real property; or other matters provided for pursuant to §2(c) of the Open Meetings Act.

Approved: 5-0-2

The Board was in executive session from 5:10 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.

1. Call to Order – President Jude Makulec called the regular meeting of the Board of Education to order at 7:00 p.m. A. Roll Call

Present: President Jude Makulec, Vice President Tim Rollins, Secretary June Stanford, Ms. Denise Pearson, Ms. Kimberly Haley, Ms. McCall, Mr. David Seigel

Absent: None

Mrs. Makulec thanked Cathy Bayer-Eberle who produces the Board’s broadcast on Channel 20, and YouTube Live. Mr. Rollins welcomed Superintendent’s Student Advisory Representative Ayesha Nizamuddin from Auburn High School.

B. Pledge of Allegiance

C. Recitation of Mission Statement: The Mission of Rockford Public School is to collaboratively engage all students in a first-class education for a changing world.

2. Recognitions

A. Recognitions – Earl Dotson, Jr.

The following students were recognized for their achievements.

IHSA Wrestling: East High School junior Lee Smith Jr. competed in the IHSA State wrestling tournament in February. He is now a two-time state qualifier and finished the season with a 41-and-6 record. IHSA Chess: Auburn High School and Guilford High School sent teams to compete in the IHSA State Chess Tournament in February. Representing Auburn: Ethan Vanderkolk, Ian Wan, Sayana Bilguun, Michele Luu, Sophia Rimorin, Caleb Sales, Gian Sasan, Andrew Maier, Basim Basim. Representing Guilford: Nathan Czerwin, Wade Little, Kyle Inthavong, Christian Owens, Lincoln Noble, Malachi Yates, Jayden Foat, Fern Kuntz, Jowell Hernandez, Brookylnn Hairrell.

IHSA Bowling: Guilford High School sent two bowlers to compete in the IHSA state bowling tournaments this season. Guilford freshman Sarah Legoo competed in the IHSA girls’ tournament in February. Guilford Senior Devan Skridla competed in the IHSA boys’ tournament in January.

Career & Technical Education Month: Student Recognitions: Two students from Jefferson High School were recognized during National CTE month – Career and Technical Education – in February. Jefferson student Noah Zakariyya Irshaid was nominated by Mr. Patrick Cleaver for his work ethic: Noah managed all students on the build of a large table that will be used to build walls on for Habitat for Humanity. It will benefit all future Jefferson students who participate in the construction pathway. Mr. Cleaver wrote: Noah has the desire to see a project completed from beginning to end. He loves to work with his hands and his mind to figure out how to complete a task. He will be an asset to any business. Jefferson student Anthony Lira-Ruelas was nominated by Ms. Emily Wilhelms for Anthony’s team project, working as a business that is developing a backpack designed to equip students with all necessary school and sports items in one bag. Ms. Wilhelms wrote that Anthony "demonstrates a profound understanding of all concepts" and "is a huge asset to his team and the class."

IHSA Basketball: The Auburn High School boys’ basketball team should be celebrated this season for being named both regional and sectional champions! The Knights made it to the super sectional tournament after defeating St. Charles East in the Sectional finals. The Knights fell just one game short of the state semifinals when they were defeated in the Class 4A NIU super sectional against No. 1-ranked Lisle Benet.

IHSA Swimming: Congratulations to Rockford East High School senior and State Champion Camden Taylor, who won the 100-yard freestyle by a second and a half in February at the IHSA state finals. His time of 43.72 seconds at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont made him the NIC-10’s first state champion in 20 years. Camden also broke the state record with his time – previously set by an Olympic gold medalist. Camden also finished second in the state in the 200-yard freestyle. He now holds every individual swimming record in the NIC-10, making him the greatest swimmer in NIC-10 conference history. Congratulations, Camden.

IHSA Scholastic Bowl: For the past 20 years, Auburn High School has consistently finished in the final four at the IHSA State Scholastic Bowl Tournament. The Knights brought home the big trophy as champions in 2008 for the first time, and again in 2015. This year in Class 2A, the Auburn Knights defeated Dunlap, Illinois Math & Science Academy and Hinsdale Central, before defeating Barrington 430 to 390 in the championship to again win the state title. The IHSA state roster includes: Sinecio Morales, captain, Alex Crowell, Coby Thammavong, Huan Lin, Luke Snyder, and Dardan Jakupi. Head Coach is Nevagay Abel; assistant coach is Linda Greene.

3. Petitions & Communications

Mrs. Makulec read the guidelines.

• Ricky Naylor commented that the District’s DEI team is ineffective.

• Terry Gano gave a shout-out To Auburn’s Scholastic Bow win and the importance of increasing third grade reading as minorities are affected.

4. Report and *Action on items that Proceeded through the Planning Committee

A. 2024 Budget Requests: Communications, Family & Community Engagement, Welcome Center/FIT, Process Improvement, Fine Arts, Athletics, Security Services

Mr. Dotson, Jr. presented the 2024 budget requests. Highlights are ongoing support for DEI team in recruitment and retention of diverse, qualified staff, and highlights of grow you own teacher and staff initiatives, launch a District-wide staff newsletter, developed and broadcasted two commercial spots to promote/support Rockford Promise scholarships and applications, ongoing support for launch and promotion of new International Baccalaureate Candidate School at Conklin, developed and printed RPS 205 Special Programs rack cards and brochure, support College & Career Readiness Team, and publish Superintendent’s Weekly Update for the Board. The budget summary is $1,026,727 and variance of $60,534. Contract details are $65,850, a variance of $9,634. Return on Investment: facilitate and support District and school communication to families, student, staff, branding and marketing, share student and staff success stories, supporting recruitment efforts, and coordinating media messaging and interviews. Family & Community Engagement highlights are Scholastic Parent Liaison training, return of the annual Volunteer Celebration, ARP ESSER Community Call to Action agreements and program monitoring, and comprehensive community resource guide for staff. Return on investment is increased support for building parent liaisons, Office Professional training, streamlined process for volunteer organization, and ARP ESSER community organization project management. Welcome Center/Family in Transition (FIT) highlights are streamlined transition from RPS preschool to kindergarten by eliminating duplicate enrollment steps, begin building online enrollment/lottery platform, and transitioning to digital inactive student records and new records request system through Scribbles. Highlights for FIT include: adding four FIT Social Services Coordinators to work with FIT families experiencing attendance/participation issues, provide temporary emergency hotel stays for families in crisis, and provide limited transportation resources of bus tickets or gas cards to close temporary gaps. The budget summary is $866,186, a variance of $19,199. The contract detail is $5,220, a zero variance. Return on investment: students enrolled in zone and Special Program schools, keeping vulnerable students connected to with school, and providing families with quality customer service. Process Improvement highlights are registration rate is 98% for the 22/23 school year, Scribbles software launched in 2022 with inactive student records and records requests transferring between K-12 districts stored and processed digitally, one-hundred percent of buildings were audited for Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Student Record compliance, and online registration pilot program going live in June 2023. The budget summary is $774,420, a variance of $30,753. Contract detail is $61,320, a variance of $28,320. Return on Investment centrally registering 98% of families ensures data integrity and customer service, training and auditing building clericals ensures ISBE record compliance, and streamlining functions allows for online enrollment and registration. Fine Arts highlights are additional virtual options to programming for equity and consistency, expanded All City events for recruitment and additional student opportunities, and presenting at International Music Conference, “Band Grandpas: Utilizing Community Members to Serve At-Risk Students.” The budget summary is $612,989, a variance of ($4,610). Contract details are $48,400, a variance of $4,200. Return on Investment is creating events and programming to foster community engagement, connect teachers to community and professional resources, and support fine arts teachers, building administration and staff. Athletics highlights are both RESL (Rockford Elementary Soccer League) and REBA (Rockford Elementary Basketball Association) experienced record numbers, first summer sports camp featured high numbers and positive reviews, middle school athletics participation with Kennedy adding a football team, and Marshall adding a football team and sideline cheer team for the 23/24 school year, and hosting a success 2.05 Run, Golf Outing and Rumble in the Rock. The budget summary is $1,152,332, a variance of $263,705. The contract detail is $308,000, a variance of $2,000. Return on investment includes students participating in sports experience increased creativity, lower rates of anxiety and stress, and improved life skills, provides support to athletic directors, coaches, and administrators as appropriate, and increased collaboration between feeder schools. Security Services highlights include Police contract is performing, camera installation and maintenance, on-going security vestibule installation, and True North Physical Security audit. The budget summary is $4,170,042, a variance of ($645,140). The contract detail is $3,890,000, a variance of ($435,600). Return on investment is to provide a safe and secure environment for students and staff. To view the complete presentation, please click on this link: Budget Requests: Communications, etc. 5. *Consent Agenda – Performance and Monitoring Committee

A. Payroll

B. Accounts Payable

C. Purchase Orders

D. Air Travel

E. Monthly Cash and Investment Report – February 2023 – Jamie Murray, Executive Director of Finance

F. Financial Results: February 2023 – Ms. Jamie Murray, CPA, Executive Director of Finance

G. Construction Pay Request Log

H. ESSER – RPS Managed Work Change Order

I. IFB 23-39 Exterior Door Replacement at Bloom ES

J. IFB 23-42 Door Replacement at East, Jefferson, RESA & Conklin Schools – pulled by Mr. Rollins K. IFB 23-43 E-Rate 2023 Interactive

6. *Consent Items – Governance Committee

A. Meeting Minutes: 03-14-22

B. Contract Purchase Orders

C. Freedom of Information Log

Motion by Mr. Seigel seconded Mr. Rollins to approve Consent Items not pulled.

Approved: Unanimously

Motion by Mr. Rollins seconded by Mr. Seigel to approve Consent Item pulled IFB 23-42 Door Replacement at East, Jefferson, RESA & Conklin Schools.

Concerns were raised as only one bid was received. Although one was received, it was under the budgeted amount. Mrs. Makulec called for the vote.

Approved: Unanimously

7. *Closed Session Consent Items

A. General Counsel Salary Increase

B. Annual Salary Increase, Superintendent Ehren Jarrett

C. Appointment of Crystal Bachman as 10-Month Elementary Assistant Principal assigned to Constance Lane

D. Appointment of Jennifer Lawrence as 12 Month Chief of Student Services assigned to the Administration Building

E. Appointment of Amy Gannon as 12 Month Executive Director of MTSS assigned to the Administration Building

F. HR Organization Report & Addendum

8. *Closed Session Consent Items Student Discipline – Suspension Appeals and Expulsions

A. H0081X-23 the expulsion is held in abeyance contingent upon Expulsion in Abeyance Agreement for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

B. H0082X-23 expelled for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

C. H0083X-23 expelled for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

D. H0084X-23 the expulsion is held in abeyance contingent upon Expulsion in Abeyance Agreement for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the 2023-2024 school year which can be converted to a Zone School EIA upon the successful completion of the ReFresh program.

E. H0085X-23 expelled for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

F. H0086X-23 the expulsion is held in abeyance contingent upon Expulsion in Abeyance Agreement for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

G. H0088X-23 the expulsion is held in abeyance contingent upon Expulsion in Abeyance Agreement for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

H. H0089X-23 expelled for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

I. H0090X-23 expelled for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

J. H0091X-23 the expulsion is held in abeyance contingent upon Expulsion in Abeyance Agreement for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

K. H0092X-23 expelled for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year through the entire 2023-2024 school year.

9. *Closed Session Consent Items Student Discipline (EIAs)

A. H0078-23

B. H0087-23

C. P0100-23

D. P0116-23

E. P0119-23

F. P0120-23

G. P0121-23

H. P0122-23

I. P0123-23

J. P0124-23

K. P0125-23

L. P0126-23

M. P0127-23

N. P0128-23

O. P0129-23

P. P0130-23

Motion by Mr. Seigel seconded by Mr. Rollins to approve Closed Session Consent items not pulled.

Yeas: Ms. McCall, Mrs. Makulec, Mr. Seigel, Ms. Haley Ms. Stanford, Mr. Rollins

Abstain: Ms. Pearson

Approved: 6-0-1

10. Superintendent’s Update

A. Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Jarrett

Dr. Jarrett ceded his time to time to Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council student Ayesha Nizamuddin. Ayesha thanked Board members for her opportunity to sit in the meetings and listen to discussion on education and financial school policies. This has been a highly informative and rewarding experience. She spoke of the classes and pathways she has participated in in her high school career. One class she enjoyed being a part of was Project Lead the Way (PLTW). This is a program that allows students to engage hands-on and explore various career pathways from the classroom. She spoke of her freshman course through PLTW, introduction to engineering and commented on her experience. She continued her sophomore year with PLTW Principals of Biomedical Sciences. Her junior year class was PLTW Medical Innovations. Those classes introduced her to the medical field and the multitude of careers in the bio medical field. This learning environment expanded her technical skills and provided her with the toolkit of skills to improve her problem-solving. Through the program, her class was chosen to partner with OSF St. Anthony’s Hospital Health Professions team to brainstorm incentives for promoting the COVID 19 vaccine in the greater Rockford community. Being part of PLTW allowed her to diversify her experience and placed the emphasis on the importance of teamwork and collaboration, and provided her with practical knowledge and experience that can be applied to outside of school. The program helped her determine career paths and helped her prepare for college.

B. Facilities Master Plan – “Where We’re Going” – Michael Phillips, Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Phillips presented the plan beginning with District statistics. He reviewed the planning process beginning with the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a planning consulting and a demographer. Option 1 includes a consultant who leads all the planning activities and internal/external listening session for an approximate cost of $250K. Option 2 is a hybrid plan. The District and consultant work together on all planning activities with the District leading the internal listening sessions and the consulting leading the community listening session. A Facilities Task Force with Board members, community leaders, District staff and students would be created with the objective of acquiring good date, setting clear objectives, identifying priorities, developing alternate solutions, and creating a workable plan. Mr. Phillips reviewed the timeline:

April 2023 - May 2023: Request for Qualifications

May 2023 - May 2024: Plan Development, Board Approval

May 2024 - October 2024: Design Year: 1 Construction

October 2024 - February 2025: Bidding Year-1 Projects

June 2025: Year-1 Construction begins

Funding sources are $30-$40M CPPRS, $80M-100M reserve Pledge, and $50M General Obligation bonds. Mr. Phillips asked members for a consensus regarding Option 1 or Option 2, the administration recommendation of Option 2, the hybrid approach. Members reached a consensus with Option 2. To view the presentation, please click on this link: Facilities Master Plan – “Where We’re Going”

11. Board Member Comments

A. Board Member Comments

• Ms. McCall spoke of her experience chaperoning a college tour by the Wabongo Leadership Council during the District’s Spring break. She spoke of her experience conducting these tours since 2004-2005 and how it gets better every year. She spoke of how well the students represented the District and kudos to the parents. She also challenged Board members to engage with the students and to let them know their voices are being heard.

• Mr. Seigel thanked everyone who attended the meeting and the chance to celebrate student recognitions. He also thanked Ayesha for her dedication in attending the meetings.

• Ms. Pearson spoke of her excitement at seeing parents connected to never stop encouraging students. She also acknowledged the work that Dr. Cyrus Oates is doing in the schools

12. Action Steps include:

There are no plans to return to Board for action on this subject.

13. Adjournment

Motion by Ms. Pearson second by Ms. McCall to adjourn.

Adjournment: 8:07p.m.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/rps205/Board.nsf/files/CQMJL64D9CA4/$file/bm2023-03-28.pdf