Board of Education Work Session Summary: November 2025

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, November 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 Board of Education Dilligent website once approved by the Board. 

Superintendent Shoutout 

At each Board meeting, Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan shares a few “Shoutouts” he receives from community members.  

Monday night’s Shoutouts went to:  

• Ashley Walsh and Jana Hunt, Liberty Middle School - for helping a student through a health challenge. 

• Tiffany McBride, Edwardsville High School - for taking the time to understand a student’s individual needs and providing thoughtful solutions. 

• Dave Hanson, District Mail Delivery - for always having a smile on his face and giving 110 percent. 

• Candice Watts, Ronna Renken, and Christina Winfield, Edwardsville High School - for their collaborative, caring, and student-centered approach to a recent 504 meeting.  

Email Dr. Duncan (aduncan@ecsud7.org) if there is a staff member you would like to give a “Shoutout” to.  

Tax Levy 
David Courtney, CFO/COO, provided an early assessment of the 2025 tax levy projections for the 2026-27 school year. Like previous years, an increase in the multiplier will impact the district’s Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) growth rate. Initial estimates indicate a final tax rate of between $4.64 and $4.65. The current school-year tax rate is $4.656. 

The Board will vote on the estimate during the regular monthly meeting on Monday, November 24. Following a public hearing in early December, the final approval will come on Monday, December 15. 

Enterprise Zone 
Edwardsville Economic and Community Development Director James Arnold and City Administrator Eric Williams gave a presentation on the plan to renew the Gateway Enterprise Zone. Their request of the Board is for the District to adopt a property tax abatement resolution for a new enterprise zone. The Board will vote on this request later this month.  

Facilities Update 
Updates to current projects include: 

• Lincoln Track: Project is complete 

• EHS Track: Will be complete after striping is finished 

• EHS Commons: Final inspections and touch-ups in progress 

• Secure Entries: Finalizing two remaining locations 

• EHS Parking Lots: Student lot repainting complete 

By the end of the year, the goal is to have the EHS Commons, secure entries, and Phase 1 of Lincoln completed. This will allow the remaining funds to be presented to the Board to begin work on Hamel, along with other projects from the bond priority list.  

2026-27 School Calendar 
A look at the 2026-27 calendar includes:  

• First Day of School: August 19 

• Holiday Break: December 21 – January 1 

• Spring Break: March 24-29 (like this year, spring break would be shortened by two days) 

• Last Day of School (with no emergency days used): May 25 

• Graduation: June 6  

Parent-teacher conference dates will be determined based on whether the governor declares Election Day in November as a holiday.  

In action, the board approved:  

• Two student trips outside of the continental United States, including EHS Spanish teacher Emily Brown to take students on an extra-curricular field trip to Spain in June 2026, and EHS science teachers Julia Doll and Amy Burian to take students on an extracurricular field trip to the Galapagos Islands in June 2026.  

• Change orders to the EHS softball projects totaling $119,000, including:  

  • New E-Paw logo ($12,500 – paid out of marketing sponsorship budget); 
  • Custom Bleacher Retrofit ($14,700); 
  • Concrete Pad Around Existing Ramp and Drain Grate ($4,800); 
  • Extend turf between batting cage and first base fence line ($5,800) 
  • Green fencing replacement ($81,600) to include 6' (8' in front of dugout area) new fencing at the softball field 

Next Meeting:  
Monday, Nov. 24: Board of Education Monthly Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School) 
Monday, Dec. 15: Board of Education Monthly Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)