Galesburg Reporter

Mercer County School District #404 Board of Education met May 11.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

1. Attendees

a. Bray: John Mahon, Mark Miller, Cathy Duda

b. MCSD: Scott Petrie, Jake Fieden, Marcus Bush, Andrew Hofer, Tim Sedam, Ryan Koresko, Stacey Day, Bill Smock, Tyson Dillavou, Mike Browns

2. Schedule

a. Two schedules were presented to the committee:

i. Schedule A: Target referendum date of April 2021

ii. Schedule B: Target referendum date of March 2022

b. Discussion was held with regards to the District’s preference of schedule. It was agreed that Schedule B is the preferred schedule with March 2022 as a potential referendum date.

c. Comments included:

i. Longer schedule is better suited for generating community support and making the right decisions

ii. Concern that Schedule A does not give adequate time to address the community especially considering the uncertainty of statewide shutdowns

iii. Question regarding immediate maintenance needs which cannot wait for a referendum

1. Tuckpointing in dire need at Joy

2. Roof work at Joy

3. Lighting projects

4. There is a concern that spending on maintenance could exceed 50% of the replacement value of district buildings

iv. Question regarding community survey and engagement:

1. Concern was raised that community needs to be engaged early in the process so that support can be generated before a referendum occurs

2. Concern was raised that messaging is carefully strategized and adequately distributed so that a referendum does not fail due to lack of understanding

3. The Bray team explained the integration of community engagement as it relates to the process. The community survey was further explained along with detail of the proposed schedule

3. Study conversation

a. District Enrollment

i. Current enrollment: 1335

ii. At consolidation in FY2010 enrollment was similar

iii. Population loss was projected to be approx. 25 students / year at time of consolidation

1. District has not experienced this level of decline

2. Actual loss has been 10 students / year or less

3. District population was at its highest level in 2016

iv. Population changes are predominately experienced between the 2 elementary schools

1. Growth/loss changes occur at each elementary annually

2. 2 Elementary buildings:

a. New Boston: 2 section K-4

b. Apollo: 3 section K-4

c. Each elementary has target limit of 20 students per classroom

i. Ranges approximately 21-22 per class with occasional increase (‘bubble’) in a section

ii. Largest ‘bubble’ experienced was 29

iii. Section increase is handled by absorbing into the section

d. This is a regular occurrence that is causing problems for each of the elementary buildings. Does not present a significant problem at the Junior High or High School buildings because of flexibility for adjusting class sections and schedules

3. Population changes at any level are significant problem for Special Education.

a. It is difficult to accommodate increases in Special Education classes given the current Building/Grade arrangement of the district

b. Due to multiple buildings spread across large area, the district cannot easily add specialists at each building.

b. Grade/Building Configuration

i. The current Grade/Building configuration is not best suited to the needs of the district.

1. Curriculum guidelines do not match how the current curriculum is being delivered

a. The Elementary buildings are arranged as K-4 however the curriculum is arranged for K-5 delivery

b. The Junior High/Intermediate building does not match the delivery of a 6-8 middle school curriculum

2. Grade/building configuration is problematic for Special Education as the district does not have resources to increase/expand staffing at each building to handle growth at individual buildings

3. Grade/Building configuration is problematic for Art/Band/Chorus

a. Art/Band/Chorus teachers are shared between buildings

i. Loss of time for faculty due to travel between buildings throughout the day

ii. Insufficient need and/or resources to warrant dedicated teacher for these programs at each building

iii. Building spaces are equipped well for these programs, facilities are well suited for delivering these programs. Sharing of faculty across

the multiple building arrangement is the primary issue.

iv. This presents difficulty for making schedule changes at a building as it affects scheduling at all other buildings

c. Athletic/arts/activities

i. The High School gymnasium raises concerns with access and exiting.

1. The space complies with building code requirements for exits, but does not adequately meet needs

2. Multiple single doors with narrow hallways for access

3. Not all exits provide access to desired locations for events

ii. There is a lack of common space at the High School

1. There is not a good place for people to congregate prior to or after events

2. For large events lines extend to the exterior and people often must wait outside

iii. Spaces for athletics/arts/activities are in very good condition. The buildings are well equipped for these programs. However aging infrastructure of the buildings is of great concern.

4. Documents and Information

a. The District is currently working on obtaining requested drawings of the buildings

b. Health Life Safety reports will be provided to Bray

c. Roof maps will be provided to Bray

d. Asbestos Management Plan – current list will be provided to Bray

e. No other studies have been performed after District consolidation

5. Next Meeting

a. 6:00 pm, June 8, 2020

https://c3b4a808-d871-4cf0-ada7-c6b91c9972f1.filesusr.com/ugd/6b636f_7c6d69f802a24e2ebd1d89447f96287b.pdf