Board of Education Work Session: March 2026

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, March 9, 2026, in the Liberty Middle School Auditorium for its monthly work session.  

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

Superintendent Shoutouts  

At each Board meeting, Interim Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan shares a few “Shoutouts” he receives from community members. Monday night’s Shoutouts went to: 

• Shanyra Cox, Elementary Instructional Technology Coach, for inspiring students through an engaging Morning Meeting read-aloud about Mae Jemison that encouraged Nelson’s students to dream big and work hard, while also consistently supporting teachers and students with enthusiasm, initiative, and her ever-reliable “computer fairy” expertise.  

• Rebecca Kern, EHS Assistant Principal, for her exceptional leadership, intelligence, and intuition in supporting students and staff, consistently demonstrating care and professionalism both as an administrator and district leader.   

• Heather Hall, Cassens Fourth Grade Teacher, for consistently going above and beyond to create a caring, family-centered classroom where students receive thoughtful feedback, individualized attention, and unwavering support. 

• Thomas Lillard, Liberty SSO, for his attentiveness and commitment to student safety, taking the time to thoughtfully verify a dismissal situation and ensuring a student’s well-being through proactive care and vigilance. 

• EHS Winter Guard for winning the school’s first Regional Championship at the WGI Kanas City Regional in early February.   

• Cathy Heimos, Nelson Second Grade Teacher, for supporting her students’ success by thoughtfully identifying learning challenges and finding ways to help each child grow with confidence. 

• Adria Hildebrand, Glen Carbon Assistant, for creating a warm and welcoming environment for students and families, showing genuine care that makes children feel supported and valued. 

EHS Science Curriculum – Physical Science and Earth & Science
Curriculum Coordinator Tirsha LeNoir, along with EHS science teachers Amy Burian, Melissa Barnett, and Thomas Hartnagel, presented proposed curriculum for Physical Science and Earth & Space Science. The total cost is $65,875 and includes physical textbooks, six years of digital access, and materials from various vendors to create lab kits for a Physical Science–Chemistry semester course. It was also proposed to split Physical Science into two courses, one focused on chemistry and one focused on physics. 

Phone System Upgrade 
Assistant Director of Technology Gene Birdsell provided an update on the need to upgrade to the district’s phone system. District #7 currently operates on the MiVoice Office 250 system, which was installed in 2015 when the District upgraded from the Inter-Tel Axxess platform. Mitel has announced that support for the MiVoice Office 250 system will end in June 2026, and replacement parts will no longer be available. Mitel/Inter-Tel has been a long-standing partner with District #7, and the proposed upgrade would allow the District to reuse several existing IP and conference phones to help reduce costs while also providing new IP phones for classrooms and school offices. The estimated cost of the upgrade is $628,442.24, which falls within the $750,000 budget allocated for the project in the FY26 technology budget. 

Transportation 
Interim Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan and CFO/COO David Courtney provided a transportation update highlighting current ridership trends, system efficiency, and projected budget impacts. Since the 2019-2020 school year, District #7 enrollment has declined by approximately 500 students. As part of an ongoing review process, the District began conducting ridership audits in fall 2023, with eight audits completed during the 2024-2025 school year and five conducted so far in 2025-2026. The audits revealed several opportunities to improve efficiency, including buses serving a small number of riders and a large number of assigned bus stops that are currently unused.  

The District also reviewed the status of the Transportation Fund, which is projected to end FY26 with a deficit of more than $350,000 and could reach approximately $900,000 in FY27 due to changes in state reimbursement levels. As a result, the District is exploring adjustments for FY27, including reducing three regular education buses from the system and continuing discussions with First Student and SIUE to evaluate additional potential changes, such as the impact on school start times and the possibility of moving to a two-tier transportation system.  

2026-27 Cohort Fees 
Dr. Duncan and David Courtney provided an update on the proposed fee schedule for the upcoming school year. Overall, student fees are not expected to increase. The only anticipated adjustment is related to breakfast and lunch prices, which are determined through the federal Paid Lunch Equity calculation. The District will not be covering cohort program fees in the upcoming year. During the current year, the District contributed funding toward two programs, including covering half the cost for year two of the Lewis and Clark Cohort and supporting the SIUE Cohort.  

Next Meeting:  
Monday, March 23: Board of Education Monthly Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)