November 11, 2013
Call to Order, Roll Call, and Pledge of Allegiance
A regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Education of Olympia Community Unit School
District No. 16, held in the Conference Room of the Olympia Administration Office, was called
to order by President Kevin Frazier on Monday, November 11, 2013 at 7:02 p.m. with the
following Board members and Administrators present: Kevin Frazier, Carolyn Hansen, Trena
Glenn, Laura Cremeens, Steve Matter, Doug Maris, and Shawn Hohulin (arrived at 7:07 p.m.);
Superintendent Dr. Andrew S. Wise, Assistant Superintendent Joshua R. Olsen, Olympia High
School Principal Dr. Lance Thurman, Olympia Middle School Principal Andy Walsh, and
Olympia North Elementary Principal Ben Lee.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Carolyn Hansen.
Recognition of Visitors
President Frazier welcomed all visitors and asked them to introduce themselves. Visitors
included Olympia Education Association (OEA) representative Joan Tracy, Olympia Foundation
For Education (OFFE) representative DJ Martin, Olympia teachers Lon Abrams, Kari Averbeck,
Allison Brutlag, Kathy Jackson, Deb Martin, Rosemary Rizzolo, Heather Schwarting, Anna
Shaw, Cari Vericella; and Christian Life Academy Principal Josh Horning and daughter, Marissa
Horning.
Opportunity for Public Input
There was no public input.
Approval of Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Carolyn Hansen, seconded by Laura Cremeens, to approve the Consent
Agenda which included:
A. Approval of Agenda
B. Approval of Minutes, including Executive Session, from the October 15, 2013 regular
Board of Education meeting
C. Approval of Bills and Financial Reports
D. Confirmation of the following resignations:
1. Timothy Severt – Bus Aide effective October 18, 2013
2. Gary Williams – Bus Driver effective October 18, 2013
E. Employment of the following Education Support Personnel:
1. Cathy Leonard – Bus Aide effective October 22, 2013
2. Timothy Severt – Bus Driver effective October 21, 2013
3. Andrew Severt – Bus Aide effective October 24, 2013
4. Lenard Mueller – Bus Driver effective October 29, 2013
F. Employment of Keith Weaver as OMS Assistant Wrestling Coach (split stipend w/ Scott
Cheeseman) effective for the 2013-2014 season
G. Employment of Natalie Cahill as OHS Senior Class Sponsor effective for the 2013-2014
school year
H. Approval of the following current certified teachers as OHS Dual Credit Instructors
effective for the 2014-2015 school year:
1. Kate Berry – Psychology 101
2. Jill Uhlman – English 101
I. Approval of the following persons as Extra-Curricular Volunteers effective for the 20132014 season:
1. Donald Brown – OHS IHSA Individual Boys’ Bowling Program
2. Doug Springer – OHS Boys’ Basketball Program
J. Approval of the Intergovernmental Agreement between Olympia CUSD No. 16 and
McLean County Highway Department for the installation of 2 solar-powered flashing
lights above the School Zone signs in front of Olympia High School
Discussion. Vote: Hansen (aye), Cremeens (aye), Glenn (aye), Matter (aye),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (absent), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 6-0.
Communications
Olympia Foundation For Education (OFFE) President DJ Martin presented the annual grant
awards to teachers who had submitted applications to the organization. Mr. Martin noted that the
quality of applicants was outstanding and that teachers were definitely thinking of the Common
Core goals when applying for these awards. He ended his presentation by commending the
District’s Administration and staff for their continued efforts saying that their perseverance in
striving for improvement and excellence is just one part of what makes Olympia a great place to
live, work, and raise a family.
The 2013-2014 recipients were:
1. Kathy Jackson & Allison Brutlag – Olympia North Elementary - $470 for Mathematics in
Nature
2. Wendy Wade & Brenda Johnson – Olympia Middle School - $378.39 for Students
Making Movies
3. Anna Shaw – Olympia High School - $400 for Function Life Skills Program, Cooking in
the Classroom
4. Rosemary Rizzolo & Cari Vericella – Olympia South Elementary - $283.90 for
Vocabulary Explosion
5. Heather Schwarting – Olympia Middle School – $350 for Building our Informational
Text Library
6. Kari Averbeck & Deb Martin – Olympia South Elementary - $330.15 for Geometry and
Measurement
OHS Agriculture Teacher/FFA Advisor Emma Meyer, along with FFA students Kianna Glueck,
Rachael Koch, and Jennifer Marion shared a powerpoint presentation with the Board of their
recent trip to the 86th National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. This annual trip allows
the Olympia FFA students to attend one of the largest student conventions in the country with
nearly 55,000 FFA members and guests from across the country. Students told of their
participation in workshops as well as attending a college/career fair which they found both
exciting and motivating. Students are also given personal time to enjoy the many sights/events
in the area. Miss Meyer and the students ended their presentation by thanking the Board for
allowing them this opportunity to represent the Olympia District and its awesome FFA program.
Committee Reports
Superintendent Andrew S. Wise and Assistant Superintendent Josh Olsen shared highlights from
the recent Olympia Advisory Council (OAC) meeting. Members were divided into small groups
where they discussed student test scores and assessments. Principals were present to walk
through student data with the groups helping them to understand both the successes and areas
needing improvement.
Superintendent Wise and Board member Trena Glenn shared information from the latest TriCounty Executive Board meeting. Among the many things happening at Tri-County are the
updating of policies and procedures, using base-line data to show student growth, approving the
action of certified nurses signing off on all IEPs, obtaining E-Rate (a government funding
program for schools & libraries), and the addition of the El Paso/Gridley school district to the
Tri-County association.
Superintendent Wise, Mr. Olsen, Mrs. Glenn, and Board member Carolyn Hansen also shared
information from the recent Education & Technology Administrative Sub-Committee meeting
where they visited an OHS classroom taught by Pete Cleary and had the opportunity to see
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) in action. In addition, they learned about the
latest on-line digital curriculum, which is an alternative to traditional textbooks. They were also
given the opportunity to hear about the OHS Literacy Leadership program and the
English/Psychology Dual Credit program to be offered to Olympia students during the 20142015 school year.
Administrative Reports
Building Principals’ reports were shared. Superintendent Wise noted that Strategic Plan goals
were utilized in the individual buildings.
Mr. Olsen announced that the purchase price of the new buses was lower than anticipated. He
also informed Board members that the District would be requesting proposals for the upcoming
OHS roof project.
Mr. Olsen explained the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Olympia District and
McLean County Highway Department which will place flashing warning lights on Olympia
Road directly east and west of the OHMS campus. He noted that Olympia will be responsible
for the purchase of the equipment and McLean County will install and maintain the lights.
Mr. Olsen informed Board members that the OAC Constitution has been recently
reviewed/revised. After receiving feedback from the OAC membership, this document will be
presented to the Board at a later date for approval.
Lastly, Mr. Olsen announced that no student was excluded from school for
physical/immunization reasons. He thanked District Nurse Melissa Pfeffer and the elementary
Health Clerks for their dedication to making sure all students in the Olympia District are in
compliance with state law.
Superintendent Wise provided Board members with the latest District Dashboard. The student
attendance rate saw a slight decrease which is expected as weather changes and cold/flu season
begins, however he noted that teachers, staff, and health clerks are working together to keep the
attendance up. The extra-curricular participation rate showed a slight increase. Dr. Wise also
provided Board members with a summary of the Fall 2013 Parent/Teacher Conferences. The
elementary buildings had participation percentages of 90-100%, and OHS had the highest
percentage of participation in several years. He noted that teachers are making a concerted effort
to make the conferences more student-oriented.
Superintendent Wise gave Board members a look at the new Illinois At-a-Glance Report Card.
This report card details student and District data for the past two years and compares it with the
Illinois average data. He noted that the Free/Reduced Lunch number of participants has
increased to an all-time high, however he also pointed out that the state’s poverty rate has risen
to 50%.
Superintendent Wise provided Board members with the final revisions/updates of Board policies.
Most of these changes were simple – changing a word to reflect a broader area of topic and/or
adding a legal reference. Dr. Wise also provided Board members with planning packets for the
upcoming School Board Conference to be held November 22-24, 2013 in Chicago.
Superintendent Wise shared two resolutions with Board members, one for McLean County and
one for DeWitt County, both of which will allow these counties to place a Facility Sales Tax
request on the Spring 2014 ballot. If these requests pass, the Olympia District will acquire
financial gain based on the student population of each county.
Superintendent Wise provided Board members with the revised District Strategic Plan noting
that the operational and tactical goals now meet the Mission of the School District. Dr. Wise
also provided draft information regarding an athletic obstacle event entitled “OUR Race”. Board
member Shawn Hohulin is helping to organize this fundraising event for the District’s
elementary PTO groups and Christian Life Academy. This will be an obstacle race for youth in
grades K-5 and may be held on the OHMS campus. It is intended that this event will promote
physical activity, sportsmanship, and accomplishment. More details of the proposed event will
be shared as they become available.
Lastly, Superintendent Wise commended Principals, staff, and students for the Veterans’ Day
activities held in each of the buildings. He also thanked Board members for their countless hours
of service to the District in honor of Board Member Appreciation Day to be held November 15,
2013. Board members received tokens of appreciation including hand-made cards and letters
written by the Olympia students expressing their gratitude for the many things our Board
members do for the District and its students. The Olympia Board members would like to
publicly thank each of the students who sent cards and letters – the students are why they do
what they do.
The new state School Improvement process is called Rising Star. Dr. Wise stated that even
though this process is another unfunded mandate, the process is quite good. Schools are to
analyze data collected on where they stack up against research-based indicators of an effective
school. Through this data analysis, schools select indicators in which they need to improve to
become an effective school. Principals Lance Thurman, Andy Walsh, and Ben Lee shared
initiatives for OHS, OMS, and the elementary schools. It was noted that the indicators selected
by our schools align with the goals of the District Strategic Plan.
As part of a financial internship, OHS Principal Thurman is working on the District’s next levy
process and presented the information to Board members. Dr. Thurman announced that the
District’s equalized assessed value is expected to increase by approximately 2.55% and that farm
land values continue to show excellent growth. This should result in a tax rate decrease this
year, adjusting the rate to $4.85.
Action Items
A motion was made by Trena Glenn, seconded by Steve Matter, to approve Monday, December
9, 2013 at 6:50 p.m. as the date/time for the Public Property Tax Levy Hearing to be held in the
Conference Room of the Olympia Administration Office.
Discussion. Vote: Glenn (aye), Matter (aye), Hansen (aye), Cremeens (aye),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
A motion was made by Laura Cremeens, seconded by Trena Glenn, to adopt the 2013 Tentative
Levy.
Discussion. Vote: Cremeens (aye), Glenn (aye), Hansen (aye), Matter (aye),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
A motion was made by Carolyn Hansen, seconded by Kevin Frazier, to approve the Resolution
which will direct the Regional Superintendent of Schools to certify to the election authorities of
McLean County the question of imposing a school facility sales tax for submission to the
electors of the County at the general primary election to be held on March 18, 2014.
Discussion. Vote: Hansen (aye), Glenn (aye), Cremeens (aye), Matter (aye),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
A motion was made by Steve Matter, seconded by Carolyn Hansen, to approve the Resolution
which will direct the Regional Superintendent of Schools to certify to the election authorities of
DeWitt County the question of imposing a school facility sales tax for submission to the electors
of the County at the general primary election to be held on March 18, 2014.
Discussion. Vote: Matter (aye), Hansen (aye), Glenn (aye), Cremeens (aye),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
A motion was made by Laura Cremeens, seconded by Kevin Frazier, to approve the purchase of
two 71-passenger Conventional School Buses with liquid propane engines from Central States
Bus Sales, Inc. in the amount of $175,828 after trade-in allowance.
Discussion. Vote: Cremeens (aye), Hansen (aye), Glenn (aye), Matter (aye),
Maris (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
A motion was made by Doug Maris, seconded by Trena Glenn, to approve the following IASB
revised/updated Board policies as presented by Superintendent Andrew S. Wise: 2:105, 2:120,
2:150, 5:20, and 7:340.
Discussion. Vote: Maris (aye), Glenn (aye), Hansen (aye), Cremeens (aye),
Matter (aye), Hohulin (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
A motion was made by Shawn Hohulin, seconded by Doug Maris, to approve the revised District
Strategic Plan as presented by Superintendent Andrew S. Wise.
Discussion. Vote: Hohulin (aye), Maris (aye), Hansen (aye), Glenn (aye),
Cremeens (aye), Matter (aye), Frazier (aye). Motion carried 7-0.
Opportunity for Public Input
There was no public input.
Executive Session
There was no Executive Session.
Other Business
Superintendent Wise presented Board members with cards and letters which had been made for
them from the Olympia elementary students in honor of Board Members’ Appreciation Day to be
observed November 15, 2013. He also presented them with a token of his own appreciation for
their countless hours of volunteer work, all for the Olympia District and its students.
On behalf of the entire Board of Education, Mrs. Hansen expressed gratitude for the recognition
and gifts of appreciation.
Adjournment
A motion was made by Trena Glenn, seconded by Carolyn Hansen, to adjourn the meeting at
9:26 p.m.
Motion carried by unanimous vote.
APPROVED:
ATTEST:
______________________________
President, Board of Education
______________________________
Secretary, Board of Education
EXECUTIVE SESSION
November 11, 2013
There was no Executive Session.