Board of Education Monthly Meeting Summary: November 27

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, November 27, 2023, in the Liberty Middle School Auditorium for its monthly board meeting.  

This is a summary of that meeting. It is not the official meeting minutes, 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.  

Superintendent’s Report 

• Beginning this month during his superintendent report, Dr. Shelton will share the number of bullying incidents which have been reported and the specific number of consequences. During September, there were 14 verbal incidents and four physical incidents, while during October, there were 10 verbal and zero physical incidents.  

• The Everyone, Every day, Edwardsville t-shirt campaign with proceeds going towards anti-bullying activities in schools saw over 850 shirts purchased and $3,000 dollars raised. District #7 will be holding an anti-bullying week February 26-March 1, 2024, with school assemblies with Stu Cabe from the Ovation Company. Stu will also co-present two evening programs, including one for grade 6-12 parents on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, at Liberty Middle School, and for grade PK-5 parents on Thursday, February 29, 2024, at Cassens Elementary School.  

• Soon, the district will announce a timeline for incorporating four additional shuttles into the athletic transportation rotation, which should provide coverage for all athletic events moving forward.  

Board Member Resignation 

President Jill Bertels announced that John McDole has resigned from the Board of Education. A public notice will be published in the Edwardsville Intelligencer this week to fill the vacancy. Interested persons should submit their letter of interest and qualifications and indicate they meet the Edwardsville Township residency requirement. This needs to be submitted to the district office by December 11.  

Recognitions 

• Recognized Mr. Josh Fark, special education teacher at Albert Cassens Elementary School, who was selected as one of Emerson’s 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award recipients. 

• Recognized Liberty Middle School cross country runner Serena Shapiro, who placed 12th at the state meet.  

• Recognized the Lincoln Middle School girls' cross-country team, which placed third at state as a team. 

District #7 New Website Coming 

District #7 will launch a new website on Monday, December 11. With the new site, visitors will see a modern, clean design and better use of photos. The new website will also feature menus that allow users quick access to important school and district information, a new and improved calendar, the ability to streamline messaging capabilities, and the opportunity to collect data and analytics. 

Illinois School Report Card 

Dr. Shelton shared more data from the Illinois School Report Card. He touched on the positive outcomes, which include:  

• Overall proficiency is above the state average 

• There was a slight growth in SAT scores, which are above the state average  

• The graduation rate remains positive 

• Achievement by per pupil expenditure for instruction 

When it came to areas of growth for the district, he highlighted:  

• Chronic absenteeism. Knowing this was a problem last year, the District implemented the 5-5-5 policy for the 2023-24 school year.  

• IAR growth percentile in ELA and Math. With the use of MTSS and PLCs, the District is using targeted interventions and data-driven decision making in this area.  

• Percentage of 9th grade students on track. The district is evaluating data from grades/credits from 2022-2023 and has been monitoring ninth grade students this fall.  

2024-25 School Calendar 

The 2024-25 calendar will be brought to the board for approval during the December board meeting. It is anticipated that the calendar will be the 2024-25 draft calendar that was approved last year.  

A 2025-26 draft calendar will begin as conversations with construction managers continue to be refined regarding construction projects during the summer of 2025. 

2024-25 EHS Course Handbook 

Changes, additions, and revisions to Edwardsville High School course handbook for 2024-25 were shared with the board. The full course handbook will be brought to the board for approval in December.  

In action, the Board Approved: 

• The 2023 tax levy estimate for the 2024-25 school year. The 2023 estimated EAV increase for all properties in the district is approximately 1.3%, with an additional 8.2% increase due to township multipliers required by Illinois statute. This results in a projected 9.5% increase for the 2023 tax levy, potentially lowering the tax levy rate from $4.69 to $4.67 if the EAV growth rate remains constant. 

• The purchase of Middle School Language Arts (ELA) materials and supplies from Amplify ELA, as recommended by the District 7 6-8 ELA Curriculum Committee.  

Next Meeting:  
Monday, December 18 – Regular Board of Education Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)