Board of Education Work Session Summary: February 10

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, February 10, 2025, 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 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. 

Strategic Plan Goal #2 

Director of Human Resources Dr. Brian Lane provided an update on Goal 2 of the district’s strategic plan – Thriving Workforce, which aims to strengthen employee recruitment, retention, and overall job satisfaction within District #7. Below are highlights of progress made, upcoming initiatives, and key statistics related to these efforts. 

Recruitment & Hiring Initiatives 

• The district is actively working on an employee recruitment program that reflects the needs of students, staff, and the community. 

• Efforts to expand the substitute teacher pool have resulted in an increase from 90 substitutes in 2024 to 115. The goal is to decrease the reliance on internal staff for class coverage from an average of 12.5 instances per month to six or fewer. 

• The 2nd Annual Career Fair will be held on February 19 following the success of last year’s event, which resulted in multiple new hires. 

Employee Retention & Support 

• As reported in the Illinois Report Card, the retention rate of certified staff is as follows:  

     2022: 89.7% 

     2023: 93.9% 

     2024: 92.6% 

• Classified staff retention rate in 2023 was 83.7% and in 2024 was 81%. 

• All departing employees are now offered exit interviews to better understand retention challenges. 

Competitive Pay & Benefits 

• Starting salary for teachers in District #7 is $45,522, slightly above the regional average of $44,729. 

• The District covers 100% of employee health insurance costs, while the state average is 81%. 

• Average deductible for employees is $1,000, significantly lower than the state average of $1,868. 

Onboarding  

• A structured onboarding program is now required for all employees to ensure a more effective transition into the district. 

• A new onboarding manual for classified staff is in development and expected to be completed by April 2025.  

Employee Satisfaction & Engagement 

• The employee satisfaction rate will be tracked annually. Until responses exceed an 80% satisfaction rate, the district will also report and track survey response rates to ensure accurate feedback is received. 

April 2023 Bond/Phase 2 Projects 
As discussed at the Board Retreat in January, of the $100 million bond referendum passed in April 2023, there remains $10,670,000 still available to be issued, while maintaining the tax rate of 0.77. A recommendation will be made during the February 24 regular monthly meeting to issue this amount to go towards the EHS Media Center. The initial plan for the new EHS Media Center includes 16,000 square feet of construction estimated to cost $600 per square foot ($9.6 million total). Groundbreaking would be held sometime between December 2025 and January 2026, with an opening of December 2026 or January 2027. 

Next Meeting:  
Monday, February 24: Board of Education Monthly Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)