D7 Board Brief: August 10, 2026 Board of Education Meeting

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, August 10, 2026, in the Liberty Middle School Auditorium.
 
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 Diligent website once approved by the Board.
 
Superintendent's Report 

• District #7’s current enrollment is 6,591 students.

Last Week in District #7 

• First Student held its annual kickoff in preparation for the start of the school year. The district currently has 72 bus drivers and 27 monitors and is seven drivers shortof its staffing goal. Those interested in joining the First Student team can apply through First Student. Starting pay is $22.75 per hour. One benefit available to drivers is the child ride-along program, which allows drivers to bring a child who is at least 18 monthsold on the bus.
• Buckeye International hosted a luncheon for theDistrict#7 buildings and grounds and custodial teams. Buckeye has been a longtime supplier to the district, providing cleaning and maintenance products such as floor wax, hand soap, and cleaning chemicals.
• New Hire Week was held to welcome new employees and familiarize them with district initiatives, instructional expectations, available resources, and support systems.

This Week in District #7  

• ID and Device Pickup: Middle and high school students areparticipatingin ID and device pickup activities in preparation for the new school year.
• Mascot Welcomes: Mascot Welcomes will be held Friday for incoming third-, sixth-, and ninth-grade students.

Next Week in District #7  

• Open House will be held Monday and Tuesday:
  • Monday: High School, 5–6:30 p.m.; Middle Schools, 6–7:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday: Primary Schools, 5–6:30 p.m.; Intermediate Schools, 6–7:30 p.m.
• Kindergarten Orientation is on Monday night from 6-7:30 p.m. at all primary buildings except for Hamel, which will be from 5-6:30 p.m.

In Memoriam 
The district extends its deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Nelson Elementary School custodian Greg Pritchett, who passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. We are grateful for his eight years of service to District #7 and extend our thoughts and support to those who knew and worked with him.

Vehicle Purchases 
The district is planning for the purchase of several vehicles during the 2026-27 school year, including a band truck to pull trailers to and from band competitions in the fall and winter guard competitions in the spring. There are no other district vehicles that can tow the trailer. Three bids have been received, and the purchase will be brought to the Board for approval.

Additionally, the district will look to purchase three driver education cars to replace the current 2020 Dodge Journeys.

Summer Construction Project Update 

• Central Office Phase 1: Complete. Actual cost: $509,000.Eliminatesthe leases at Mark Twain 1 and 3, resulting in annual savings of $217,596.12.
• EHS Auditorium: Auditorium seats have beenreupholstered. Actual cost: $79,000.
• Tuckpointing: Projects at Leclaire, Woodland, and Glen Carbon are complete. Actual cost: $198,410.

Upcoming Projects 

• Central Office Phase 2: Plans include developing space for the Curriculum Department to move from the Mannie Jackson Center, as well as constructing an additional parking lot to provide more parking for employees and visitors.

Hamel Elementary Architectural Services Request for Qualifications 
The district is seeking qualifications from architectural firms for Hamel Elementary. Proposals are due August 24, with potential Board approval of a selected firm on September 14 and notification of the selected firm as early as September 21.

IASA Strategic Plan 
Dawn Bridges, Associate Director of Professional Learning at the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), and Jennifer Gill, retired Superintendent of Springfield Public Schools and IASA Director of DAE, gave a presentation regarding a proposed one-year partnership at no cost to the district to assist with development of the district’s next strategic plan. The current strategic plan concludes in 2027.

In action, the Board approved:  

• A revision to food service charge dispute policy toestablisha consistent process and timeline for reporting and resolving disputes related to cafeteria charges.
• The required triennial assessments of the District’s Local Wellness Policy, including implementation, compliance, progress toward goals, comparison to model policies, and plans for making the results available to the public.

Next Meeting

• Monday, August 24 (6:30 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)