‘A Good Week:’ Morrison School Board

By Lynnette Forth For The Prairie Advocate News

MORRISON – A regular meeting of the Morrison School Board was held in the High School Media Center on March 8th, 2011. Following roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, the meeting began with the approval of minutes from previously held meetings.

Superintendent Suellen Girard commented that “It’s been a good week or 2. The first week of ISAT testing has been going well.” Concerning the student achievement data, Girard stated that previously, students were only allowed to be failing 2 classes and still participate in extra curricular activities, but currently students can only be failing in 1 class. There was concern over the fact that the number of students participating would be reduced due to the change, but in fact, that has not been the case. Girard noted “the students really stepped up to the challenge, and that is another good thing.”

The Superintendent reported that she recently attended a Special Education workshop that was very interesting. A report will be given in the future to the staff and administration. The High School is continuing to find ways to improve instruction. Completion of items found in a risk management survey from Indiana Insurance was noted. Any issues that were of concern have been corrected.

Girard is currently very busy working on six grants for each district regarding alternative energy sources. There is no cost involved in writing the grants, and Girard will get assistance from a company in Chicago with writing the grant. She will be making a personal trip to Chicago, and will not be charging the District for the cost of traveling for this assistance.

The parking lot has been marked, and bids should be available for the next board meeting. Bids for the P.A. system have also been received. During November’s Safety Team meeting, a recommendation from the Sheriff and the Chief of Police indicated that the District should have access control on door locks on the other three schools.

“All of those things we have gotten figures in, and we are moving forward on them as well,” Girard stated. Also, two water heaters had been put on the bond issue, and Girard mentioned that recently, one heater has started leaking at South Side, so that one will be replaced. With regards to energy savings, the Superintendent commented that she is looking into the possibility of getting a tank-less water heater. “We are fortunate to have put these items into the bond.”

According to Girard, the process of using an online application system for the District has been working out really well, and cutting down on paper usage. This system does seem to provide all the data needed for review by District personnel. Dates for negotiations discussion will be decided in the future. It was noted that no one new is running for School Board. A time for reseating current members will be set at the next meeting.

The Citizen’s Advisory Committee met on February 28th, 2011. The results from a survey that was given to students regarding drug and alcohol usage were discussed. The results will be made available to the public on the school’s web site. The cost of drug testing kits was noted to be $6.00, with on-site testing being $50.00. Decisions will be made regarding which tests to purchase, and will be finalized in the future. The next step will be parent and community meetings possibly being held in April.

Board member Erin Luckey commented, “The results were pretty surprising from the survey and definitely interesting to see.”

Girard commented that she had recently conducted an interview regarding the possibility of random drug testing. Girard felt that the reporter was very impressed with the openness of the information being shared on the topic. “This is not a Morrison problem; it really is not anything to do with Morrison as a location. It is a problem that exists in most schools in society at this time. It’s what we are going to do and how we are going to respond.”

It was mentioned that River Bend, Rock Falls, and Sterling are already conducting this type of testing. Training sessions on how to use the kits are going to be available for staff members. “We are moving slowly to make sure the program is really sound and fair,” Girard commented.

Superintendent Girard noted that she had received a letter from an area newspaper requesting the district provide copies of the District Budget, together with other documents which will detail the amount of the district dollars spent on the publication of notices in 2010. Girard noted that the request was granted, and most of the information is provided on the website. “We are always glad to provide information that we are legally able to share,” Girard said.

A letter from the Morrison Class of 1960 was reviewed, noting that they had donated $3,245.00. “Thank you very much to that class,” Girard stated. The letter included how the class wished the money be distributed. It was listed as follows: A sterilizer for the Biology Department costing $700.00; The class would like to see a purchase of 2 more iPads for use by teachers with a cost of approximately $1,200.00; The letter suggested purchasing DVD’s for the library and additional electronic software; It was indicated that any residual money be used as the High School Librarian, in consultation with teachers, chooses, purchasing items that would be appropriate for students use.

In the Discussion portion of the meeting, Girard encouraged board members to attend the Illinois Association of School Boards annual dinner meeting. This meeting will be held on March 21st at the Candlelight in Sterling. Dr. Chris Cook will be the speaker for the evening. The State Superintendent of Education will be there, and Girard noted that it is important for him to hear from rural school districts in the area.

“We have one of the lowest costs to educate in the state,” Girard noted. “If we consolidate, what happens to the RC Smith’s out there?” Girard and three board members are currently planning to attend.

The Special Education program was discussed. Some of the numbers are slightly higher than in the past. Currently the district is holding steady with the number of Special Ed teachers available. The number of students is currently 57 or 58, with the capacity being 60. The possibility of adding another half time teacher may be discussed later.

The next item for discussion was the contract with RC Smith Bus service for the 2011-2012 year. Girard shared that she had received a phone call from Dale at RC Smith and the cost for bus service will not be increasing for next year. Girard reminded members that fuel is paid for separately, and this cost is for maintenance, drivers, and insurance. Fuel prices will vary depending on the current cost.

The possibility of seeking bids for fuel from companies other than FS was discussed. Girard will be gathering information about other fuel companies. Member Doug Pannier stated, “FS is not doing us any favors.”

Girard commented on the enrollment numbers for February. “They are pretty close to even,” she said. Enrollment was noted to be down by one student.

A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made, and passed. Items for action included the approval of optional Delta dental and Fort Dearborn Life Insurance for the 2011-2012 year. This is a 9.2% increase, at no additional cost to the district.

The board approved an agreement with Larimer and Wolf Actuaries to complete the required actuarial analysis of the Morrison CUSD #6 for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 at the cost of $4,500.00 and for 2011-2012 for $2,000.00. This will address the compliance issue noted by auditors when they presented the audit results last October. This is a new requirement as of the 2009-2010 school years.

Approval was also granted as proposed by High School math teachers to offer Algebra II-C for students who need additional support to be successful in passing Algebra II. “This will really help students who are struggling,” Girard said.

Board members approved a Renewal Agreement with Bi-County Special Education for the purpose of renting classroom space for $27,500.00.

The board also voted on a proposal to not offer French 1 for the 2011-2012 school years. A motion regarding this proposal was made and passed. It was noted that students who are in the process of completing French 1, will not be affected.

The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. with the next meeting scheduled for March 22, 2011.

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