Board of Education Work Session Summary: November 12

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 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. 

2025-26 EHS Course Handbook Preview 
Tirsha LeNoir, curriculum coordinator, previewed changes to the 2025-26 EHS Course Handbook. Among the changes:  

• New courses, including the addition of a lab technician class, which will be taught at EHS in partnership with SIUE, and the addition of several different physical education courses. These are not additional PE courses but reflect a reorganization of course offerings to allow students more choice.  

• Course name changes.  

• Updated descriptions and prerequisites.  

The handbook will be brought to the Board for approval later this month.  

Academic Assessment Data / Illinois School Report Card 
Tara Fox, director of curriculum, provided an overview of academic assessment data from the past year.  

Some notable data points from the Illinois School Report Card:  

• Both ELA (English Language Arts) and Math scores from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in District #7 are above state averages. The IAR is a summative assessment taken by students in grades 3-8.  

• District #7 students are performing well above the state average in SAT scores, which is taken by juniors. While the state numbers have trended downward, District #7’s scores have risen. 

• After previously seeing a decline in kindergarten readiness, this year’s data has shown growth and improvement in this area. 

• The cumulative designation index scores for each level across the district saw significant improvement from the 2023 Illinois Report Card to 2024, including:  

Primary: 54.39 to 69.61 

Intermediate: 64.07 to 77.88 

Middle: 63.01 to 69.31 

High: 85.45 to 90.46 

The cumulative designation index score is calculated on various factors, including student performance academic proficiency in ELA, math and science, student growth in ELA and math, chronic absenteeism, graduation rate, 9th grade on track, and climate survey response rates.  

• All 13 of district’s schools earned Commendable designations, with EHS achieving a score within a point of the Exemplary status.  

Secure Double Entry Construction  

District architect Alex Metzger provided an update on the double-entry construction. This past summer upgraded hardware was completed at Liberty Middle School and Cassens, Goshe, Midway and Worden elementary schools. All these buildings already had double-entry vestibules. Additionally, the new main entrance at Lincoln Middle School has a secure double-entry.  

During the summer of 2025, the remaining schools, including EHS and Leclaire, Woodland, Hamel, Columbus, and Nelson elementary schools, will also undergo double-entry construction. Nelson and Hamel will require some abatement work.  

The project went out to bid on November 12 and bids will be presented to the Board for approval at the December BOE meeting. 

Tax Levy 
David Courtney, CFO/COO, provided an early assessment of the 2024 tax levy projections for the 2025-26 school year, noting that, similar to the 2024-25 school year, a substantial increase in the multiplier will significantly impact the district’s Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV). He currently projects an increase in EAV due to both a rise in assessed property values and the application of a multiplier by the Department of Revenue, which together could result in a total EAV increase of around nine percent. Last year, the district’s EAV rose by 10.25 percent. Initial estimates also indicate a slight decline in the total tax rate, expected to fall below $4.64, compared to the current rate of $4.67. 

Next Meeting:  
Monday, November 25: Board of Education Monthly Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)