D7 Board Brief: August 24, 2026 Board of Education Meeting

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, August 24, 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.

To read a summary of this month's first board meeting click here.

Superintendent's Report

• There are currently 6,776 students enrolled. 
• Last week, District #7 staff gathered in the high school gym for a kickoff to welcome everyone back for the new school year. As staff arrived, they were greeted by cheerleaders, the band, student-athletes, students and their parents. During his kickoff message, Dr. Duncan shared his six pillars for the school year: Love Our Kids, Respect Everyone, Do Your Job, Be Accountable, Have a District Lens, and Have Fun.
• Wednesday marked the first day of student attendance. The morning began at the high school with Fox 2 live. Throughout the morning, Fox 2 interviewed EHS Principal Alex Fox, Dr. Duncan, members of the girls flag football team, Student Council President Sally Schapman, and College and Career Counselor Samantha Kistner.
• The Preschool for All program earned the Gold Circle of Quality, the highest rating awarded by ExceleRate Illinois. Ratings are validated through official monitoring by the Illinois State Board of Education. 
• In its 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best High School Rankings, Edwardsville High School was ranked No. 115 in Illinois, No. 2,817 nationally, and No. 25 in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This is the highest ranking of any school on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. 

During his Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Duncan will share “Superintendent Shout Outs” he receives from community members.

Monday night’s Shout-Outs went to:

• Cindy Johnson, nurse at Glen Carbon Elementary, for her compassionate and proactive approach in making a family feel welcomed, supported and confident in the care their daughter would receive at school.
• Kevin Matarelli, EHS teacher and Liberty football coach, for his quick response and selfless actions following a vehicle accident near the school. Kevin stepped in to help, safely pulled two children from the vehicle and cared for them until emergency responders arrived.
• District #7 buildings, grounds and custodial staff for their tireless work this summer to ensure our buildings and grounds look great and are ready to welcome students back for the new school year.

Know a staff member who deserves a shout-out? Email Dr. Duncan at aduncan@ecusd7.org.

Recognition
2026 EHS graduate Dalton Pickford helped Illinois win the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) All-State Team National Championship in July. Pickford earned a spot on the Illinois team following his performance at the Illinois State Shoot. The Illinois team won the national title with a score of 978 out of 1,000.

In action, the Board approves: 

• A resolution to adopt the eLearning program for three years. eLearning days may be used in lieu of emergency days (snow days). 
• The display of the 2026-27 tentative budget, beginning Thursday, August 27, for at least 30 days. 
• An intergovernmental agreement between District #7 and Regional Office of Education – 41 Madison County to provide instructional services at the Madison County Detention Center for the 2026-27 school year. 
• The purchase of an EHS band truck from Weber Ford. The purchase will be budgeted in the District's Operations and Maintenance Fund, with the band boosters providing reimbursement to the District for the cost of the truck. 
• A memorandum of agreement between District #7 and Lewis and Clark Community College for the lease of the Mannie Jackson Center for Humanities through June 30, 2027. The District is currently establishing a timeline for design completion, bidding and construction of the former gym space at the new District 7 Central Office to allow the Curriculum Department to move from MJCH. 
• A lease agreement between District #7 and CBC Group, LLC, for warehouse office space located at 19 Kettle Drive for a third year, through December 31, 2027. The extension will allow the District additional time to determine where additional warehouse storage can be built or found. 
• The appointment of Cari Wencewicz as interim principal at Leclaire Elementary. Wencewicz has been serving as Leclaire's administrative leader and overseeing the school's daily operations. She will serve as interim principal until further action is taken by the Board of Education. In this role, she will continue to provide leadership for the school and work with staff and families to support students. 

September Meetings:

• Monday, September 14 (6:30 p.m. at Liberty Middle School) 
• Monday, September 28 (6:30 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)