Lyons Elementary District 103

Board Meeting Report   12/13/11

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.

Building Report

Students from Mrs. Kiel’s 4^th grade classroom teamed up with board members and Dr. Warner to discover geometry all around us.  Using a picture taken in the Edison neighborhood, the teams identified geometric shapes such as parallel lines, obtuse angles, and pentagons.  The kids dressed up like Sherlock Holmes to help “detect” each shape.  Great job, Edison.

Parents from Edison School presented principal Jan Bernard with a plaque proudly announcing that Edison has been an Illinois Spotlight School for the past 7 years!  Each staff member was given a rose to thank them for their helps in making Edison a great school.

Superintendent’s Report

Returning Servicemen – Dr. Warner received word from Eric Lawless, Director of Parks and Recreation for Lyons, that two servicemen returning from their tours of duty will be honored this Friday, December 16^th.  The troops will be brought past Robinson and George Washington Middle School about 1:15 PM and then honored at Village Hall at 1:30.  We will work with our building principals to get some students outside the schools to cheer as the troops go by.

Holiday Presentations – Dr. Warner said he has been attending some of the holiday activities being held for parents in our schools.  Last week the Costello 2^nd and 4^th graders did a great job with Mrs. Pachla and the middle school orchestra and choirs gave a wonderful concert.  This week:

December 13^th                 K & 3 Concert                                Lincoln            7:00 PM

December 13^th                 K & 1 Concert                                Edison             7:00 PM

December 14^th                 K & 1 Concert                                Robinson         6:30 PM

December 14^th                 K & 1 Concert                                Home              7:00 PM

Holiday Schedule – Students will continue to be in school through Tuesday, December 20^th (early dismissal) and then return to school on Wednesday, January 4^th.  The district office will be open every day over the Winter Break.

Happy Holidays – On behalf of District 103 Dr. Warner wished everyone “Happy Holidays”.

Discussion Items

1. At each board meeting from now on Dr. Warner will give a brief report about the building improvement project at GWMS.  Tonight’s report:

a.       Mr. Sheehy, Director of Buildings and Grounds, has a small crew removing the seats and clearing the stage in the auditorium.  This work will be complete by December 21^st, when the asbestos removal crew will move into the auditorium.  Removal of the seats did not disturb any areas where asbestos might be (underneath the floor tiles).

b.      Before any asbestos is disturbed, the auditorium will be sealed completely and then an air pump will remove air from the auditorium and push the air through a filter.  This is done so that no air from the auditorium can seep out into the rest of the school.  After the asbestos has been removed the plastic seal, air pump and filter system will continue to operate until we get the results of the air tests back.  Once it has been verified that there is no asbestos in the auditorium, the air pump and filter system will be removed.  Nevertheless, students will not be allowed in the auditorium after Winter Break.

c.       In order to have a GWMS drama production this spring, Costello School’s auditorium and stage will be used.  Thanks to Mrs. Maslan for welcoming the production to her school. 

2. November Finances – Mr. Jim Schiffer, Business Manager, provided the board with a look at the district’s financial status as of the end of November.  He noted that the district is still projecting a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year.

Action Items

a.       Reimbursement for Working Cash Bond Fund – Mr. Schiffer reviewed the need to use the proceeds from the Working Cash Bonds to reimburse expenditures related to the building improvements at George Washington Middle School.  Expenses related to the building improvements have already been paid (i.e. architectural costs) from the Capital Projects fund, but the fund itself has not received any money.  Once the board approves the Working Cash Bonds, those funds will be put into the Capital Projects fund and previous expenditures will be reimbursed from that fund.

The next regular board meeting will be on Monday, January 23, 2012 at Costello School at 7:00 PM.

The next committee of the whole meeting will be on Monday, January 9, 2012 at the Admin Building at 7:00 PM.