Board of Education Monthly Meeting Summary: March 24

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, March 24, 2025, in the Liberty Middle School Auditorium for its monthly board meeting.  

These are not the official meeting minutes and do not include every detail from the meeting but rather a summary to assist the District #7 community. The official minutes can be found on the District #7 Board of Education Board Docs once approved by the Board. 

From the Superintendent’s Report:  

• The next District #7 Discussion will be held on Friday, April 25 at 10 a.m. If interested in attending, please contact Carey Francis at cfrancis@ecusd7.org. 

• The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will close on Friday, March 28. The district's parent response rate is currently 41 percent, with all schools meeting the 20 percent minimum required to receive a parent report and showing an increase from the spring 2024 survey. Student and teacher response rates stand at 94 and 85 percent, respectively. The goal for parent participation is 50 percent per school. Principals have actively communicated the survey, and parents are encouraged to continue providing feedback. 

• Construction on the 60,000 square foot addition at Lincoln Middle School is nearing completion. A community open house is planned for Sunday, August 31 at 2 p.m., which also marks the 100th Anniversary of the open house at the then new Edwardsville High School on August 31, 1925. There will also be a ribbon-cutting on Thursday, August 14.  

Summer Zone Programming 

MaryBeth Brown, Kid Zone Director, presented on Summer Zone, which runs June 2 to August 8 at Goshen Elementary, operating from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is open to all District #7 residents, not just students enrolled in the district. The program serves children from preschool academy through fifth grade at $200 a week.  

This summer, Brown is projecting 280 students to participate, with an estimated 175 attending weekly. They will be supported by a staff of 40 employees.  

Each summer, Kid Zone selects a theme, and this year’s theme is “Around the World,” and will feature crafts, games, and activities inspired by different cultures. Additionally, students will visit the SIUE pool every Wednesday.  

Learn more about Summer Zone 

In action, the board approved:  

• The dismissal and non-re-employment of 16 certified non-tenured probationary employees by a 4-3 vote. Each year, District #7 evaluates staffing based on student enrollment and available resources. Some of the dismissed probationary teachers’ positions will be filled by existing employees who will be reassigned. Read more 

• Edwardsville High School to renew its membership in the Illinois High School Association for the 2025-2026 school year. 

• The Edwardsville High School Sanitary Sewer Lining Project bid from Litteken Plumbing Company with a base bid amount of $56,825.00. This is scheduled to be paid for by the District's Operations and Maintenance Fund. 

• The purchasing cooperative contract pricing bid from Missouri Floor Company of $443,100.00 to replace the main gym floor at Edwardsville High School. As a result of moisture issues experienced with the main gym floor at EHS earlier this year and the proposed sanitary improvements to the existing cast iron sanitary sewer line that runs from the kitchen to the eastern exterior manhole, approximately 238-feet, under the main gym floor, the District needs to also replace the wood gym floor. 

• The Liberty Middle School Food Service Equipment Replacement Bid from Stafford Smith in the amount of $127,919.00. 

• A resolution to further investigate strategies for improving transportation efficiency; to move forward with planning a seven period day at EHS and to conduct a thorough review of school start times, including benefits of later school start times in alignment with best practices and research, and engage students, parents, educators, transportation officials, community members and discussions about adjustments in school start times and transportation systems. Over the next year, district leaders will be holding several informational sessions at each school within District #7, as well as developing action teams to identify challenges and potential solutions to concerns which have been expressed related to these initiatives. This includes athletics and extracurricular activities, before and after school programming (including Kid Zone), and transportation. Implementation would begin no earlier than the 2026-27 school year depending on outcomes.  

Next Meetings:  
Monday, April 7 – Board of Education work session (6 p.m. at Liberty Middle School) 
Monday, April 28– Board of Education monthly meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)