The Jasper County School Board of Education met for its regular monthly meeting last night in Newton. The following key actions were taken:
- Financials: The Board approved the payment of all bills as presented and reviewed the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Finance Report. The District received the highest grade possible for the financial audit from Kemper Financial.
- Tax Levy: The Board approved the posting of the 2024 Tax Levy.
- Fuel Supply: The Board agreed to seek bids for the District’s fuel supply.
- Grant Application: The Board agreed to apply for an Illinois State Maintenance Grant.
- State Testing Resignations: The District received state resignations for testing early this month. Both the High School and Junior High School were recognized as “Commendable Schools” for the 2023-2024 school year. The Elementary School was designated as a “Targeted School” due to a subgroup of 20 or more students not meeting state requirements, though the school showed a 3% improvement in test scores from the previous year. The District will continue to focus on addressing this issue moving forward.
- Personnel Actions: After a closed session, the Board approved a resolution regarding Disciplinary Action for a student and authorized a Notice of Remedial Warning for tenured teacher Kimberly Runde.
In terms of personnel changes:
- Resignations: The Board accepted the resignations of John Lidy (Junior High Head Track Coach) and Justin Kelsheimer (Junior High Assistant Track Coach).
- New Hires: The Board approved the hiring of ten Tutors for the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year. Shelby Lohman was approved as the new Junior High Head Softball Coach, and Maglea Snyder was hired as a District Paraprofessional.
The next regular monthly meeting of the Jasper County School Board is scheduled for December 16th.