Lyons Elementary District 103

Board Meeting Report

5/24/10

Below is a synopsis of Lyons Elementary District 103’s most recent board meeting.  These are not official minutes, but an overview of the work the board of education completed.

Superintendent’s Report

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grants – Dr. Warner announced that he was pleased that Robinson School once again received a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant from ISBE for next year.  Costello will also be receiving the grant, too.  These grants provide nutritious snacks to our students and gives them an opportunity to try fruits and vegetables that they haven’t eaten before.  Thanks to Susan Hanson at Robinson School for her initial work to apply for the grant.

Step Up for Others Award Ceremony – Our second annual Step Up for Others award was a huge success.  Participants and guests were entertained before the awards ceremony began by the Morton High School Mariachi Band, led by Mr. Brian Toms.  Dr. Warner was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.  The Step Up for Others Awards were given to 44 students, staff, and community members.  The awards were given to individuals who help prevent bullying, assist others in need, and promote a safe school.  Many parents and relatives came to applaud the award winners.  Congratulations to all who Step Up for Others!

American Cancer Society Mini-Relay – Last week the students in District 103 participated in the American Cancer Society’s Mini-Relay for Life.  Mr. Al Molina, principal of Robinson School, helped District 103 coordinate with the American Cancer Society, which provided speakers to the schools to talk about the need to raise money for cancer research.  Thanks to the generosity of our students, parents, and staff District 103 raised $12,400!   Dr. Warner said he was proud of the students and hope that they will someday live in a world without cancer.

End of the Year – Dr. Warner thanked all the staff members and parents for such a good school year.  The year flew by quickly because everything went very smoothly.  All of the schools have some fun end-of-year events in the next week – you can check the website’s calendar for a list of all the things going on in each school.

Focus Groups – The focus group meetings the board requested have been progressing well.  The focus groups have been held for the staff and at Edison, GWMS, Lincoln, and Robinson schools.  Home School’s is Tuesday night and Costello School’s is Wednesday night.  The results of all the feedback is being collected and synthesized for the board to review at an upcoming board meeting.  The board will then use the results as they create their goals for next year.

Graduation – Dr. Warner reminded the board that 8^th grade graduation ceremonies will be held at 6:30 PM on Thursday, June 3^rd.  All board members are encouraged to attend.

New Board Member 

Mrs. Kathleen Fuentes was sworn in as the newest member of the board of education.  Mrs. Fuentes replaces Mrs. Petrucci, who resigned in April and will serve out the remainder of Mrs. Petrucci’s term, which goes through April, 2011.  Mrs. Fuentes is a resident of Stickney and has two children attending Home School.  Mrs. Fuentes works as an assistant bookkeeper with HCR Manorcare.  Board president David DeLeshe welcomed Mrs. Fuentes and said that he looks forward to working with her.

Norm Miller Award

Each year District 103 awards a non-certified staff member the Norm Miller Award.  Norm Miller was a former board member.  To honor Norm, District 103 staff nominates someone who is an asset to the district.  This year, the staff at Home School nominated Dorothy Ptacek.  Dorothy is a clerical aide at Home School who cheerfully performs here job and helps all those around her to do their job.  We are proud to have Dorothy as a District 103 staff member.  

Discussion Topics

Educational Foundation – The board has authorized Dr. Warner to form a committee to look into forming an Educational Foundation for the benefit of the students.  Dr. Warner will work with Mr. Schiffer, Dr. Vladika, and Mr. Frana to work on the idea initially.  Dr. Warner has contacted former board member Mark Rodgers about joining the committee – he is interested in being a part of it.  Other interested community members should contact Dr. Warner.

Action Items

Paper bid - The board of education accepted the lowest responsible bid from XPEDX for copy paper for the upcoming school year.

Milk bid – The board of education accepted the only bid submitted for milk from Cloverleaf Dairy.  The cost to purchase milk next year will remain $.30 per half-pint for 2% milk.

Breakfast and Lunch Fees – The board of education approved to keep the cost of milk, breakfast, and lunch the same next year.

Exempt Employee Salaries – The board approved salaries for all non-union employees including administrators, secretaries, district office staff, tech staff, before/after care.

Superintendent’s Contract – The board approved a two-year contract for Dr. Warner, which goes through the 2011-12 school year. Dr. Warner intends to retire at that time.  Dr. Warner has been an educator since 1975 and will have completed six years as superintendent in the Lyons Elementary District 103 by the end of his contract.

The next regular board meeting will be on Monday, June 28^th at the Admin Building at 7:00 PM.

The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be on Monday, June 14^th  at the Admin Building at 7:00 PM.