School District to obtain a new food service provider

On Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, Superintendent Brett Allen, brought to attention that the district office staff are beginning the preparatory process to issue RFP’s for the district’s food service provider, for next school year.

The district is mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to conduct a new search for a food service provider, this school year and it is a very detailed and thorough process that has direct oversight by the ISBE.

The Board of Education was thrilled to spotlight an array of organizations and students at the Nov. meeting.

First, was the Staunton Education Foundation (SEF) for their continued campaigning to financially support the Staunton school district and its students. Most recently, the SEF donated nearly $8,000 in mini grants to staff in support of their efforts to educate students. Next, Ace Hardware earned a ‘Building Up Bulldogs Award’ for their continuous support of Staunton’s school district, its staff and students. They never hesitate to step up and provide assistance to any cause that benefits the students of the community. Finally, student athletes of the Cross Country, Tennis and Volleyball programs were recognized for their achievements during the most recent seasons, illustrating their dedication and determination.

Following the approval of the consent agenda, Allen and Educational Services Administrator, Steven Moore, presented information on the 2023 tax levy and their proposed recommendation to meet the district’s future financial needs. Furthermore, Allen and Moore recommended that the Board hold a public hearing on the proposed tax levy on Dec. 18, at 6:45 p.m., and members of the Board voted to approve the proposed tax levy for 2023, and set the public hearing for Dec. 18.

The committee also voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Statement of Affairs (AFR). This AFR was based on the information approved by the most recent district audit.

Under the superintendent’s report, Allen highlighted that on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Gateway Convention Center, he attended The State of Our Educator Pipeline Roundtable, which was a presentation and panel discussion on the current state of our educator pipeline here in Ill. It is still a struggle for many school districts to find highly qualified staff to fill educator vacancies across the state, including our area.

It was reported that the school district is partnering with the Community Hospital of Staunton and the University of Illinois Extension Office to promote a series of nutrition courses for the larger community. The first course was held on Nov. 8, at the Community Hospital of Staunton and was titled: Storing Food for Optimal Nutrition: Making Groceries Last. The school district will be hosting the next course in the library on Jan. 30.

Moore discussed his work in the central office, which included professional development related to the cybersecurity planning and prevention, exit and stay interviews, and staff orientation. In addition, Moore discussed a recent band grant the district received and a grant related to the school’s health index that could potentially earn the school $20,000.

The building level principals then presented the Ill. School Report Card results for the 2022 and 2023 school year. All three schools in the district earned a Commendable rating again, which is a great achievement. This is, in no small part, due to the dedication of the staff members each and every day. Additionally, it highlights the strong work ethic of students in the community that continue to show positive growth trends from a student academic performance standpoint. To earn the Commendable rating, schools must have no underperforming student groups at or below the “all students” group of the lowest-performing five percent of schools.

A brief update was provided by the members of the building committee from their most recent meeting in Nov. Discussion items included the church property and next steps, which could include possibly selling the home and continuing to utilize the church as a storage location. Next, it was highlighted that the current facilities have maximized all rooms currently and the district may need to consider moving certain special rooms and repurposing the library to create additional educational spaces for students.

The overall aging infrastructure was brought up and how steps need to be taken to address the current needs of the facility and what strategies could be implemented. Another committee meeting has been scheduled for mid-Dec., and the district architect will be in attendance.

Under new business, the possibility of starting a Junior High Cross Country program was discussed. Moore presented his estimated cost for the program, which was $2,580 and the Board unanimously approved to start a program in the fall of 2024.

Next, Allen presented information on the FY 2024 School Maintenance Grant application that the district office has been developing. The focus for this grant will be the repair and replacement of multiple HVAC units across the district for a total of approximately $97,000. Through the grant process, the ISBE would cover half of the costs associated with the projects if approved. Staunton’s Board of Education voted to approve the application and the next step will be the submission to the ISBE. The final item discussed was the possibility of transitioning from six half-day school improvement days, to three full-days next school year. The district has the ability, with the Board’s approval, to seek a waiver through ISBE to make this transition and have it last for a five-year period. The Gillespie school district and possibly Mt. Olive, are considering this transition as well; therefore, as a special education cooperative, it would be beneficial to have a similar schedule.

Additional benefits in transitioning to full-days include: less disruption with the instructional process; less hardships on parents to find childcare for six days; a full-day of professional development is more conducive from a productivity standpoint for the staff; it will alleviate the financial concern of the district not having to schedule substitutes for a half-day if staff must be or need to be absent; and there would be an additional cost savings from a transportation standpoint because the transportation costs would be estimated for those three days. In order to complete this process, the Board will conduct a public hearing this school year.

Upon returning to Open Session, the Board accepted the resignations of Steve Eisenbarth, as a junior high social studies and physical education teacher, as well as Rachel Armbruster, for the high school cheer coach.

Lastly, the committee approved Lavender DeLeon, Kyle McCalla, Ryan Best, Lance Dillon, and Sara Burnet as volunteer coaches. Then finished it off with the approval and hiring of John Kolesar and Sarah Schulte as Media Content Coordinators for the district. Thank you letters were received from Bike MS and Mrs. Caldieraro and to conclude the night, the Board reviewed a request from Kevin Fuller and scheduled a policy committee meeting.

The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, Dec. 18.