Galena Unit School District #120 Board of Education met Sept. 1.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
1. Welcome
1.1 Call to Order – The Board of Education of Galena Unit School District #120 held their Business Meeting in the Galena Middle School Commons on September 1, 2020. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
1.2 Roll Call – Roll call was taken, and a quorum was established. The following members were present: Member Einsweiler, Member Frank, Member Hyland, President Long, Member McIntyre, and Member Rosenthal. Member Stodden was absent.
1.3 Approval of Agenda – Member Rosenthal moved, and Member Einsweiler seconded the motion to approve the Agenda, as presented. Voice vote, all present voted aye. Motion carried 6-0.
1.4 Public Comments – none.
2. Business
2.1 Update on Return to Learn Plan – Superintendent Vincent informed the Board it’s been going fairly well; there’ve been no positive cases yet. Through Friday, 8/28, they required 60 kids to come back with a doctor’s note or 14 days
out. The local doctors have done an impressive job of checking kids; 31 of the 60 have been cleared and are back because of the quick turnaround of negative tests or alternative diagnosis. When kids are out, they individually switch to remote learning.
The teachers have done an admirable job of preparing and delivering lessons to both the remote and in-person students. There were some minor adaptations that were made the first two days, but they are doing a great job keeping kids connected to the students.
Below is a chart with the metrics they look at when determining if they need to switch to remote for an extended period of time.
| School/Building protocols | Protocol |
| Jo Daviess County has a rolling test positivity rate of over 8% and/or on IDPH county warning list for two consecutive weeks with new cases per 100,000 over 50%. County metrics can be found on the IDPH website. | ● Jo Daviess County superintendents will consider moving all districts to Full remote learning plan.
|
| Student/staff tests positive for COVID-19 or is exhibiting symptoms. |
|
| Multiple students and staff test positive OR number of staff quarantined make it impossible to deliver in-person instruction. |
|
| Multiple shifts to remote learning due to exposure and positive COVID-19 tests. |
|
2.2 First Reading of PRESS Policies and Local Policy Revisions – Superintendent Vincent presented the following policies for a first reading. He stated the vast majority of the policies are affected based on Title IV laws. In May the US Department of Education released final Title IX regulations, which define sexual harassment, require specific responses to reports of sexual harassment, and to implement a formal grievance process. The following policies highlighted in blue are updated due to the Title IX regulatory updates. In practice, the regulatory updates require school districts to:
1. Designate at least one employee as “Title IX Coordinator.”
2. Notify all applicants for employment, students, families, and employees of the Title IX policies and include them in the
staff/student handbooks.
3. Train Title IX Coordinator on the definition of sexual harassment, the scope of the district’s education programming, how to
conduct an investigation, and how to serve impartially.
4. Train investigators of incidents. In GUSD 120 this would be principals and superintendent.
5. Train Title IX decision-makers on relevant questions and evidence
6. Post training materials on website for decision-makers, investigators, and Title IX Coordinator.
PRESS Policy Revisions-exact wording
| Policy Title Rationale for change | ||
| 2:260 | Uniform Grievance Procedure | Title IX update affected by creation of policy 2:265. |
| 2:265 | Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure | NEW policy: District required to take a number of actions when responding to sexual harassment accusations. |
| 5:10 | Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority recruitment | Updated to specifically and explicitly mention Title IX Coordinator |
| 5:20 | Workplace Harassment Prohibited | Title IX update affected by creation of policy 2:265. |
| 5:100 | Staff Development Program | Title IX regulations for continuous improvement |
| 5:220 Substitute Teachers | Updated so policy reflects that retired teachers may work 120 days instead of 100. | |
| 5:330 Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays, and Leaves Updated in response to 2020 Election Day as a legal school holiday. | ||
| 7:10 | Equal Educational Opportunities | Updated to specifically and explicitly mention Title IX Coordinator |
| 7:20 | Harassment of Students prohibited | Updated to specifically and explicitly mention Title IX Coordinator |
| 7:180 | Prevention and response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment. | Title IX update affected by creation of policy 2:265. |
| 7:185 | Teen Dating Violence Prohibited | Title IX update affected by creation of policy 2:265. |
Suggested additions are highlighted below. The first two policies have been discussed with each bargaining unit as it would make minor changes with the forms they need to fill out for dock/unpaid leave, but this gives the Board more specific parameters in the approval of dock days. With respect to Policy 6:25 a sentence has been added that Volunteers require Board approval:
5:250 Leaves of Absence
Personal Leave
Please refer to the current Master Contract between the “Galena Unit School District #120 Board of Education and the Galena Federation of Teachers.”
Leave of Absence Without Pay
The Board may grant a leave of absence without pay to tenured professional staff members who have rendered satisfactory service and desire to return to employment in a similar capacity at a time determined by the Board. Each leave of absence shall be of the shortest possible duration required to meet the leave’s purpose consistent with a reasonable continuity of instruction for students. Certified staff shall be required to use all allocated personal or vacation days prior to being eligible to make a request for unpaid time off of work and such request must be based on circumstances outside the control of the employee. Requests for unpaid time off shall be made in writing to the Superintendent or their designee and must give the rationale for the unpaid time off work. The Superintendent shall review such requests with the Board of Education in a timely manner. Such decision by the Board shall be final and binding and based solely on the facts presented concerning the request for such unpaid time off.
5:330 Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays and Leaves
Personal Leave
Educational Support Personnel shall be eligible for paid personal leave as set forth in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between "Galena Unit School District #120 Board of Education and the Support Staff, Custodial Staff, and Teamsters Local Union No. 722.
Support staff shall be required to use all allocated personal or vacation days prior to being eligible to make a request for unpaid time off of work and such request must be based on circumstances outside the control of the employee. Requests for unpaid time off shall be made in writing to the Superintendent or their designee and must give the rationale for the unpaid time off work. The Superintendent shall review such requests with the Board of Education in a timely manner. The decision by the Board shall be final and binding and based solely on the facts presented concerning the request for such unpaid time off.
Each of the provisions in this policy applies to all educational support personnel to the extent that it does not conflict with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or individual employment contract or benefit plan; in the event of a conflict, such provision is severable and the applicable bargaining agreement or individual agreement will control.
6:250 Community Resource Persons and Volunteers
The School Board encourages the use of resource persons and volunteers to: (1) increase students’ educational attainment; (2) provide enrichment experiences for students; (3) increase the effective utilization of staff time and skills; (4) give more individual attention to students; and (5) promote greater community involvement.
Resource persons and volunteers may be used:
1. For non-teaching duties not requiring instructional judgment or evaluation of students;
2. For supervising study halls, long distance teaching reception areas used incident to instructional programs transmitted by electronic media (such as computers, video, and audio), detention and discipline areas, and school-sponsored extracurricular activities;
3. To assist with academic programs under a certificated teacher’s immediate supervision;
4. To assist in times of violence or other traumatic incidents within the District by providing crisis intervention services to lessen the effects of emotional trauma on staff, students, and the community, provided the volunteer meets the qualifications established by the Ill. School Crisis Assistance Team Steering Committee;
5. As a guest lecturer or resource person under a certificated teacher’s direction and with the administration’s approval; or 6. As supervisors, chaperones, or sponsors for non-academic school activities.
The Superintendent shall follow Board policy 4:175, Convicted Child Sex Offender; Screening; Notifications, to establish procedures for securing and screening resource persons and volunteers. A person who is a sex offender, as defined by the Sex Offender Registration Act, or a violent offender against youth, as defined in the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act, is prohibited from being a resource person or volunteer. All volunteer coaches must comply with the requirement to report hazing in policy 5:90, Abused and Neglected Child Reporting. Volunteers on a regular basis or season long extracurricular sports, clubs, and activities require board approval.
| Policy Title Rationale for change | |
| 5:250 Leaves of absence | Update of unpaid leave of absence language |
| 5:330 Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays, and Leaves | Update of unpaid leave of absence language |
| 6:250 Community Resource Persons and Volunteers | Addition of board approval for volunteers in after school clubs or activities. |
He further stated bond options would need careful consideration and thought over the next few months, so it was important that the Board was fully up to date with the progress to date to make a thoughtful bond decision. He then proceeded with his presentation to the Board stating this was for informational purposes only to give them a chance to familiarize themselves with the options available and the process for issuing bonds.
Timing and Rational: He stated the Board should be in consensus. Currently the Interest rates are very low so if there was ever a good time to borrow money, it is now.
Debt capacity – This is the total amount of money the district is able to borrow. You can only borrow 13.8% of the total EAV, which is $209 million; subtract out the debts (QZAB) which is $659,000, which leaves just over $28 million that the district can borrow.
DSEB: Debt Service Extension Base is how much you receive through annual property taxes that can be contributed toward any bond. In 1997 PTELL was passed which capped the annual debt service at its 1997 amount. In 2009 a law was passed that allowed the capped amount to increase each year by the lesser of 5% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In 1997 it was around $115,000. Today it’s up to just over $141,000. That is the amount the district can levy per year to service debt. The only bonds that can bypass the DSEB limit are either alternative revenue bonds or bonds approved in a referendum. The district’s current debt service is $16,000 per year toward the QZAB loans. Those will be paid off in 2028.
Alternative Revenue Bonds – They are non-referendum, backed by proven revenue from 1% sales tax. They can be taken out from 1 to 20 years. The School Facility Occupational Tax Proceeds has come in since 2015 when it was a half cent. In 2016 it went up to a full one percent, at which time the district took in $396,932. In FY19 the district took in $532,000, so it has grown each year. The figures for FY20 aren’t calculated yet. The capital fund balance for 2019 was $2,272,085.
Operating Funds – The balance in the district’s operating funds, which are Education, Operations and Maintenance, Transportation and Working Cash Funds has grown from $5.8 million in 2017 to just over $8.2 million in 2019.
Federal Funds Target Rate – 20 years ago the rates were low but have gone higher over time. Fast forward to now, since January the rates are the lowest they’ve been historically, which is why now is a good time to borrow money.
Superintendent Vincent then calculated various bonding scenarios using debt capacity for 10 years and 20 years; using DSEB of $141,000, 2%, and 2.5% interest rates, and an extra $500,000 or $700,000 of the 1% sales tax, as follows:
10 year + $500K @ 2% = 5,188,941
10 year + $500K @ 2.5% = $5,053,853
10 year + $700K @ 2% = $6,985,458
20 year + $500K @ 2.5% = $9,438,765
20 year + $700K @ 2.5% = $12,556,597
Superintendent Vincent added if the district used the DSEB it would result a tax increase of $18 on a $100,000 home. If the district only pledged sales tax revenues or existing operating funds, there would be no property tax increase.
He reiterated this is information the Board must marinate on - how much and how long is the Board comfortable contributing to Alternate Revenue Bonds. The Facilities Committee still needs to present their plan to the Board. It will then be up to the Board as to how aggressive they want to be toward plans. If they were excited about a plan and wanted to lock in a rate and move forward, the Board would need to pass a Resolution; it would then be a 60-75 day process from the time a Board resolution was passed.
Facility Committee members stated they are taking this very seriously. Their committee meetings have been productive, and they have good data and information to make good decisions, while also trying to be realistic and pragmatic. They feel optimistic that this the chance for the Board to come to a consensus on a plan everyone is comfortable with, allocate funds and a time-frame to put towards phase one and show taxpayers they are trying to do it the right way.
Member Rosenthal cautioned the Board to think it through carefully as to how much they wished to pledge from the operating funds, as the funds from the one percent sales tax may drop over the next year or two, and the state is not in great financial shape so funds may be restricted.
The Board set a special meeting for September 22, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the Middle School Commons. This will allow them time to look through the information and ask any questions so they are all on the same path moving forward.
3. Adjournment
3.1 Adjourn Meeting - Member Rosenthal moved and Member Einsweiler seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:22 p.m. Voice vote, all present voted aye. Motion carried 6-0.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gO65Ipm0b5uMPyNo77rnAoHUsSboVeqt/preview?rm=minimal
Alerts Sign-up