CAT Tracks for January 18, 2007

CAT Tracks for January 18, 2007

REGULAR BOE MEETING - MINUTES

The Cairo Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, January 18, 2007. Below is an annotated agenda to serve as minutes...

DISCLAIMER: If there are empty, unexplained spaces...or if the "facts" turn out to be incorrect...it's because the audience has great difficulty hearing a public meeting that is conducted in whispers. At first, I thought it was me...since I will readily admit to be hearing impaired. However, when I ask other, younger ears...they can't hear either. So, for what it's worth...

Cairo School District No. One
"MAKING A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE!"
Cairo Community Educational Center, Board Room
2403 Walnut Street
Cairo, Illinois 62914
Telephone 1-618-734-4102
Fax 1-618-734-4047
CAIRO BOARD OF EDUCATION
CAIRO SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER ONE
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007
6:00 P.M.
AGENDA

I. Call To Order - 6:03 p.m.

II. Roll Call - Griggs, Burris, Brown, Posey, Mallory, Gooden.

III. Recognition of Guests/Comments From Public And Employees - Bobby Mayberry addressed the BOE, offering compliments and support for the new Boys' Head Basketball Coach, Dion Real. Mr. Mayberry encouraged the BOE to do whatever was necessary to insure that Mr. Real continued in the capacity.

IV. Approval of Previous Minutes - Motion made, seconded, and passed.

Regular Minutes of December 21, 2006
Closed Minutes of December 21, 2006

V. Approval of Agendas - Superintendent Whitledge indicated that there was a typo on the regular agenda with respect to setting the graduation date...that it should read 2006-07 school year, not the 2007-08 school year. Motion made, seconded, and passed.

Regular Meeting
Closed Meeting

VI. Approval of Treasurer's Report - Motion made, seconded, and passed.
VII. Approval of Payment of Bills/Payroll - Motion made, seconded, and passed.
VIII. Informational

Martin Luther King Day Breakfast - From what I could hear it was a positive experience and the main speaker (?) was excellent.
City/County police support - Doing well...two officers for each home game. CJSHS currently has no School Resource Officer, but Sheriff David Barkett is making frequent walk-throughs and is working on getting a replacement.
Common Calendar Development - Will participate once again...in February.
High School Graduation Date/gowns - Students have expressed an interest in having blue and white gowns instead of all blue. This will be discussed further and a decision reached.

Restroom partitions at Jr/Sr High School - Installed over the Christmas holiday.
Title 1 audit 03-04 and 04-05 - Whoa...this is the "biggie"! Would you believe that an audit of the Title I Low Income Program shows a discrepancy between expenditures and the record keeping for same. The audit indicates that the District cannot provide "sufficient documentation" in the amount of $52,764.36 for the 2003-04 school year and $59,396.55 for the 2004-05 school year! Yep...over $100,000 "missing"! Where did it go? No one knows! But...we know where the next $102,160.91 is going...back to the federal government. The District must come up with that amount and send it back!!! (For years, we have known that the bookkeeping has been terrible...not being able to get through a pay period without significant errors. For years, we have heard rumors of missing money...only to hear subsequent denials. Well...whoever did this audit is not interested in explanations and denials...they just want their money...and are in a position to reclaim it. And...don't overlook the total impact. If you are "missing" $100,000 and have to repay $100,000...that's a total of a $200,000 hit! Will someone go looking for the missing $100,000...to reclaim it...to make someone "pay for it"?) Oh, did I mention? They are currently reviewing the 2006-07 school year...
School Support Team Recommendations - Well, for the high school, this is a biggie also. The restructuring plan that was introduced to one and all in November has been shot down at the state level. Apparently, on-site decision making plan is not an available choice for districts that are under the management of a Financial Oversight Panel - FOP. So, it's back to the drawing boards. The school support team will meet again to explore the options.
Superintendent Whitledge indicated that there were some grants "out there" that the District was going to try to obtain.
a. "Grow Your Own Teacher" - I couldn't hear the details, but the title is self-explanatory. The thing that bothers me about this topic is that the District in the past has refused to hire local, qualified applicants...choosing instead to hire unknown quantities from outside. But...maybe if we get a grant that says the money has to be spent that way, they will...although Item #6 above gives one pause.
b. An agricultural bio-diesel grant. Couldn't hear the details, but obviously related to the proposed Bunge-related industry.
c. A 21st Century grant...that we evidently failed to get before.
Sylvan Learning Center has evidently "kicked Saluki Kids to the curb" and taken over the tutoring in Cairo. Bennett has 44 students involved, with the CJSHS having a lesser number (13?).
The Delta Center has an after-school program at CJSHS that involves 20-25 students.
On February 26th, there is some kind of meeting...somewhere. It's a school board thing...involving a dinner...beginning...probably...at 5 p.m.
Homecoming for CHS has been scheduled for January 27th.
Friday, January 19th, is 8th Grade night for recognizing the basketball players and cheerleaders.
The FOP will have its regular meeting at the regular time on January 22nd at 10:30 p.m. In addition, they will engage in a financial planning meeting during the afternoon.
Checks Deposited - District Account
191,328.68 - State Aide-2nd Payment- Nov.
64,672.00 - Title I - Low Income
15,162.00 - Title II Teacher Quality
1,550,00 - Early Childhood Block Grant
31,147.00 - Early Childhood Block Grant
26,605.48 - Federal Lunch
10,988.28 - Federal Breakfast
19,590.21 - TAMES
86.69 - TAMES
33,007.69 - Personal Property Replacement Tax
112,339.34 - Real Estate Taxes - Alexander County
50.00 - Rent - Laidlaw

IX. Closed Session - The BOE voted to enter closed session at 6:28 p.m. The BOE voted to exit closed session at 7:55 p.m. (In addition to other business, a student suspension hearing was conducted during this closed session period.
X. Public Hearing - This concerned an altercation between a Meridian girl and a Cairo girl at a January 3rd girls' basketball game. It was recommended that the named Meridian girl be barred from Cairo extracurricular events for a calendar year.
XI. Requiring Action/Decisions By Board of Education

Action on Superintendent's Contract - No mention/action.
Employ District Administrators for 2007-2008 - No mention/action.
Adopt the attached list of Board Meeting dates for 2007 - Done.
Open Sealed bids and consider sale of Garrison Building - There was one bid...for $21,299 by U.S. Grant Properties. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to accept the bid.
Action on High School student suspension - A motion was made, seconded, and passed to uphold the student suspension.
Action on spectator debarment - A motion was made, seconded, and passed to uphold the student suspension.
Establish a graduation date for 2006-2007 school year - A motion was made, seconded, and passed to set May 20th at 3 p.m. for the CHS graduation.
Appointment of a Board Member to fill the vacancy of James Huff - No mention/action.
Personnel - Employment, Resignation, Retirement, Discipline, Termination
a) Superintendent - No mention/action.
b) District Administrators - No mention/action.
c) Truancy Coordination - No mention/action.
d) "Designated Person" for Asbestos - No mention/action.
e) Two long-time CATs made it official by turning in notices of their intent to retire at the end of this school year...Cheryl Arington and Marsha Kern.
Superintendent Whitledge announced that Choate Mental Health had indicated an interest in purchasing the old CJSHS scoreboard. He indicated that if/when it was declared surplus property, action could be forthcoming.
For the record...In a letter from the ROE dated December 26th, notice was given that James Huff had changed addresses and no longer lived in the District, thereby vacating his seat on the BOE.

XII. Old Business
XIII. School Board Assn.
XIV. Adjourn...NOT! A motion was made, seconded, and passed to "continue" this meeting to January 25th at 6 p.m. So...the meeting ended at 8:13 p.m.
CLOSED SESSION IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERING INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, PERFORMANCE OR DISMISSAL OF INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES WHICH MAY BE OF A TEMPORARY CONFIDENTIAL NATURE, STUDENT DISCIPLINE, PLACEMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, DISCUSSION OF LITIGATION PROBABLE, IMMINENT, FILED OR PENDING AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING OR RELATED ISSUES.